((A/N – Please read this before you read the actual story. The following 8 chapters are a series of one-shots with different pairings from the series "Dark Angel." Each chapter will feature a different pairing. I'm doing this for a challenge in the 'Writers Forum' for Gaia Online.

So, for those of you who want to know what the series is actually about, here's the basics for what's supposed to have happened in the first two seasons. Of course, because it's a Fic, I won't be following that story line at all. XD Also, I won't necessarily be starting after the second season. So here's the basics.

Max, otherwise known as X5-452, is not a human. She's what is known as a transgenic, a genetically enhanced, super-soldier. She and eleven others escaped from Manticore when they were nine years old. Manticore is a secretly operated government program to create genetically engineered soldiers by mixing animal and human DNA. On June 1, 2009 terrorist detonate an electromagnetic pulse weapon over the U.S atmosphere, wiping out most computer and communication systems. Transgenics are identifiable by the bar code genetically altered into their DNA to appear on the backs of their necks. All transgenics accept for Joshua, a male with both human and canine DNA and obvious canine features, have these.

The original story takes place in 2019 in Seattle, Washington. The first season was primarily focused on finding the other ten kids who escaped with her in 2009. The others are periodically introduced throughout that season, as well as a few who did not escape. She is caught at the end of the first season and returned to Manticore, where one of her brothers from the escape, who was also captured, shoots himself in the head so the doctors can take his heart to give to Max who has at that point died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

The second season starts with life at Manticore for Max, but of course, she escapes and later on, destroys Manticore and releases all the transgenics. This season was primarily trying to find the ones causing trouble and finding them a safe place, as well as trying to fight for fair rights. So I figure that's all those who haven't watched the series or read the books needs to know to understand the basics.

Those who actually follow the series and know the characters, beware: Most of the pairs are crack pairings because names were picked randomly and placed together. So with that, let's get to the first chapter. Also, hopefully I won't have an AN this long again, haha!!))

Chapter One:

Original Cindy x Logan Cale

He should have known things were never that simple. Of course she would blame herself for what happened. He supposed giving someone you loved a virus genetically targeted to attack your DNA would make you want to stay away from that person. But Max should have known better. Joshua was there and his transgenic blood had worked well enough to cure him this time. Logan knew she was worried about the next time. But still. He threw the phone against the wall and cursed. Why did things have to be like this?! He could kill Lydecker and all the rest of them! It was all Manticore's fault he couldn't even hold the woman he loved!

That damn virus!

The phone was ringing. He looked at the wall clock and cursed again. It was almost time for the broadcast. Unlocking the wheels he pushed himself across the hardwood floor to pick the phone back up, not at all surprised it hadn't broken. After the shooting had put him in the wheel chair Logan found himself getting more and more angry with life, especially in concern to Max. After one too many times of breaking the phone Bling had suggested buy one made of stronger materials.

He pressed talk and put the phone to his ear. "Cale speaking." His grip tightened on the phone and he quickly rolled back over to his computer desk, punching a few keys on the keyboard and brining up a few pages. "Right. I understand. No, don't worry about it. I'll make sure this information gets back to Eyes Only." He listened again and frowned. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, again." The person on the other line hung up and Logan stared silently at the flashing screen in front of him.

He took his glasses off and set them to the side, wiping all traces of emotion from his face before he wheeled his chair around to face the camera. He reached over and typed a command into the computer and the red light flashed on. Another touch of the keys and the broadcast started.

"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is an Eyes Only streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city…"

Jam Pony's

-

"Girl, you sure you wanna leave him hanging like that?" She closed her locker and turned to watch Max as she stuffed a package in her back pack.

Max sighed and stopped what she was doing. Original Cindy was pretty much in on the rest of it already so she might as well tell her this as well. "I told him there was someone else. I just can't risk it again. I'm letting him go."

"Pushing him aways' more like it boo." OC stepped aside as Alec walked past, his trademark cocky grin his only greeting. She eyed the man before turning back to Max. "Who'd you tell him it was, anyway?"

Max glanced at Alec and then back at OC, trying and failing to hide the dismay on her face. His was the only name that came to mind when she'd told Logan she was seeing someone else and it was too late to go back and change things now. She was pretty sure what she'd felt for Logan a year ago were love and the idea of escaping Manticore again just to find him was the only thing that kept her going while trapped there. But it was just a fairytale. The cruel reality was just that, cruel. With just a simple touch of skin to skin she could kill him, have him withering on the floor and die within minutes. Saturday's incident had been a stark reminder of that. It was best to let him go and to move on herself. Nothing would come of them. Already she found herself drawing further away from him. From everything actually. Part of her was tempted to just leave Seattle all together.

"Well…Original Cindy don't agree with your…new taste but whatever. If it's what you wanna do…" She trailed off and couldn't help but to pity the other woman. As kick-ass as Max was, or rather, 452 as she was known to other transgenics, she didn't think it was fair to have to go through so much in such a short period of time. But she envied Max also. To have someone love her so much he didn't care if touching her killed him…that was devotion.

And it was the way Diamond had been. She'd loved Diamond with all her heart and the way the other woman had been taken from her. She was glad Diamond had killed the man before dying herself. One less scumbag in the world. But Diamonds death had rocked Original Cindy to the core and from that horrible night she'd sworn off women in romantic relationships. She didn't want to love another woman the same way she'd love Diamond, not after Diamond had protected her like that in the end. Cindy could feel the tears building and she pushed them away, focusing on Max again.

"Thanks Original Cindy…" Max glanced at the taller woman and smiled slightly, hoping her appreciation showed.

"For being here, I mean. I'm not sure what I'd do without you here."

"No worries, boo, I'm not going anywhere. You got nothing to worry 'bout when it comes to Original Cindy." She returned Max's smiled and tossed her arm around her shoulders, dragging her to Jam Pony's door, only letting go so they could grab their bikes. "See you at crash tonight, right? Maybe get you a new boy?"

"Sure, alright. I'm up for that I guess. But no guys."

"Bib bip bip people, this is a work place, not a fun place! Instead of standing there chatting get in gear and get to work!" Normal leaned across his counter and tossed a package to Sketchy. "Hot run bum, 612 Jackson Ave. Bib bip bip!!"

Original Cindy and Max glanced at each other before laughing and walking their bikes out of the place, waving bye as they turned in opposite directions.

Later that night at Crashes

–

She could feel him watching her, still unable to believe she wasn't lying to him. She leaned back further against Alec and tilted her head up to speak to him. "Look like your kissing my neck!" One of her hands was over his, wrapped around her waist and she raised the other up to hook around his neck and bring his face closer to hers. She smiled.

"Yeah yeah. I know how to work the jealous route. Shut-up and let me work my magic…" He did as she asked though and actually kissed her neck, letting his left hand drop down to drape around her waist with the other, hugging her tightly from behind. "Tell me again why I'm doing this?"

The training from Manticore kicked in, everything she'd been taught about feigning emotions coming back to her with an ease that should have bothered her. It was easy to pretend she was actually enjoying being this close to this play boy. She smiled and turned half-way toward him, wrapping both her arms around his neck. "Just shut-up." Stepping on her tip-toes, she brushed her lips against his, forcing herself to concentrate only about making sure Logan understood and ignoring the pain in her heart. "I told him I picked you over him."

Logan fisted his hands and turned back to the bar, determined to ignore both Max and Alec. He cursed himself when he realize a part of him still thought it was just an act. But he wasn't going to turn into one of those guys, fawning after a woman who'd already made it clear she didn't want anything to do with him. He flagged the bartender over. "Whiskey, straight."

"Sure thing."

When the glass was settled before him he didn't hesitate to take the shot in one go and motioning for another. A mug of beer was slid to the right of him and he turned slightly to see Original Cindy climb onto the stool beside him. When she didn't say anything to him he turned back to his whiskey and downed that one too. The bartender filled his shot glass up again. He wasn't going to think about Max and her giving up on him, despite how unfair it was. It wasn't like he meant to scare her like that. And he was working as quickly as he could to find a cure for the disease. But she wasn't going to wait anymore.

"How you do'in Boo?" Her voice was quiet as she sipped at her drink and concentrated on the wood beneath their drinks, as if all the old scars from years before fascinated her. Cindy knew she probably shouldn't have been there talking to him, let alone trying to make him feel better. But despite what she'd said to Max earlier in the day, she didn't think it was fair to the man to just let him think it was over. It also wasn't her story to tell though. So the least she could do was try and make the man feel better or at the very least give him someone to vent to.

He glanced at her again and it was a bit obvious how uncomfortable she was. "You don't have to be here. I'm a big boy." His shot was full again and so he drank that one too. He was starting to feel the effects of the whiskey. His leg twitched and he looked down at the limb, thankful for the exoskeleton he'd gotten from Phil all that time ago. It was the only way he was able to walk. Cindy was still sitting next to him. "I've been better," he admitted. "Wish it was someone else. Anyone but him."

Cindy knew he was talking about Max and Alec. She took another sip of her beer and turned fully to face Logan. He was hunched over the bar and she could see the lines on his face, making him look at least ten years older. This man was so in love with her girl it wasn't even funny. And he was hurting. Badly. She'd been hurt before herself but despite that Cindy wasn't sure what to say to comfort him. "Hard to be together when ya can't touch, boo," she said finally. She wondered if he heard the pity in her voice and thought if that really mattered or if he would even care. She didn't really know much about him except he was in love with Max.

"Do you think I don't know that?! But she's given up on us, just like that, as if it were the easiest thing in the world to do…" He took another shot and slammed the glass back on the bar, ignoring the surprised look from the person on his left. His hands were shaking and he turned back to Original Cindy, dry, sarcastic humor in his voice. "God, look at me. Maybe she's better off with her own kind after all. Me and this damn pity party…"

"Original Cindy don't think so. She thinks her girl shoulda had a bit more patience." She smiled gently at him and reached over to pat his hand. It was the only thing she could think of to offer solace though she wasn't sure he was going to like that.

"Ha. Wish she shared that idea." Pushing her hand away from his he motioned over to the other side of the bar, where Alec and Max were still hanging onto each other. "Love sucks," he muttered, his words beginning to slur.

"True that, my friend, true that."

"You think they love you and you think you mess so well together. But then something happens and reality comes back into focus…" He took another shot and slid the small glass away, bowing his head over the counter and trailing off. There was no need to finish the sentence.

But Cindy did anyway. "And then they leave." Either by choice or by death, she thought. That was a thought that didn't need to be voice though. Diamond and Max were two entirely different situations; there was no way to compare the two.

He turned to look at her, skeptical for a moment before shrugging.

"Hey now, Original Cindy's been where you are." Her words were quiet as she downed the rest of her beer and set the empty mug gently down on the bar. "Can't say it's something she wants to experience again." She leaned forward and rested her chin in her palm as she studied him. There was still a little bit pity there but also a little bit of camaraderie.

He'd forgotten about Diamond until she mentioned having been in the same position he was in now. He supposed he was a bit more lucky than her though in this case as Max was still alive. He'd done an Eyes Only broadcast about the organization who had killed OC's lover. They'd been disbanded by this point and the prisoners sent to different prisons and the facility destroyed because of the possibility for the disease to spread. "Sorry."

She continued to watch him and it was the final splay of emotions that crossed his face that had Original Cindy contemplating. Logan Cale was a good man, strong and more than brave enough for the both of them. She knew he had a strong sense of judgment and justice and he would do his best to stop people from doing wrong. But he was human just like the rest of them. And he would move on. He wasn't the type to let something like this bring him down for long; OC wouldn't be surprised if when he woke up in the morning he went straight to work and focused on forgetting Max and everything they'd been through.

He was reaching into his pocket for his walled and she reached out to stop him. "Original Cindy's got it covered this time." She grabbed her purse and pulled out enough bills to cover both of them, then stood. "C'mon boo, let's get you outta here. Original Cindy will drive you home." Helping him up she wasn't surprised when he leaned on her and stumbled slightly. He was a big man and the exoskeleton on his legs didn't help with the weight. In the back of her mind she wondered he needed to wear that skele-thing of his get busy. It was an entertaining thought and she chuckled.

Logan didn't say a word to her when she dumped him in the passenger seat, just handed over the keys and leaned back, closing his eyes. As she started up the car and drove off, she smiled again. What the hell. There was a little bit of sobriety left in him. "Hey Logan. What say you and Original Cindy have a date tomorrow." She laughed again when he looked at her as if she'd grown a second head, not to mention the third on growing out her ass.

"I thought you were lesbian," he said finally. It was the only thing he could to say to her impromptu question. Maybe he was more drunk than he'd originally thought.

She smiled and turned right, pulling to a stop at the Sector Stop. "I am. Was. But that's got nothing to do with this."

Her logic hurt his head even more than it already was so he decided not to comment. But he reached into his pocket to pull out his Sector pass and handed it to her.

After they passed through the gate with minimal hassle, Original Cindy continued where she left off. "What could it hurt? We could both use a normal relationship right now." She pulled to a stop in front of his building and turned the car off, turning to look at him. "Look, OC isn't talking about forming some kind of emotional relationship. Neither of us needs or wants that right now. But we could both do with a dose of casual."

He said nothing for a few moments and stared impassively out the windshield. Part of him knew she was right, casual was just the thing he needed right now but he wasn't sure he could handle it. He frowned and started to take off his seat belt. "Alright. We can have dinner tomorrow?"

She smiled and nodded. "Original Cindy's cool with that." She unbuckled her own seatbelt, slid out of the car and waited for him to do the same. When he got out of the car she could see the pain on his face and a part of her was crying for him on the inside. Love really did suck. "Hey Logan?"

When he turned to look at her he didn't even bother to hide his pain. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry," she said, her hands sliding into the pockets of her cargo pants.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "yeah, me too."

Ch. Fin.

A/N – Hey, so reviews are definitely welcome. First Fic I've done for this series so I'm really eager to see what everyone thinks. I want to know if I kept everyone in character or not. Thanks! Hope you all enjoyed it!