found this super ancient dark angel BenZach fic just sitting on my hard drive and the urge to post it over powered me. just how old, you may wonder? circa: right after Pollo Loco aired on Fox, and I got all obsessively excited that omg jensen made the jump from crap TV such as Days, and Dawson's, to the awesomeness that is--was--DA! Hehehe.

Warning: Obviously, is slash…so if you don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: I own a big fat nothing, do don't sue me, okay?

Innocence Begets Expectations

"Zach!" Ben's eyes brightened with excitement, happiness, expectation.

If there was one thing that came to mind when he thought of Ben, it was that. Ben was so filled with not only innocence, but so much expectation. They seemed to come hand in hand, Ben was the most innocent, and the best of them, and yet he expected so much that Zach couldn't help but to feel like he was bound to fail him.

"Zach, you came."

Zach felt guilt wash over him as Ben looked down at him, wanting, begging, pleading, green-as-emeralds eyes, sad and innocent and boring right through him.

Zach forced a smile for Ben's benefit.

"Of course I did little brother."

"I've been so lonely. I'd thought that you'd left forever." Ben looked up at him, and Zach was sucker punched with guilt. "I asked the Blue Lady though, I begged her…and she did."

Ben looked so pleased, so proud of himself, that Zach didn't have the heart to tell him that all that faith they'd had in the Blue Lady for all those years was pure garbage. Besides, what did it matter, if he let Ben cling to that; it wasn't hurting anything.

Ben was the most difficult of the group, like Max, and like Max, he cared about Ben specially.

There was a difference between Ben and Max, though. Max was determined to live whatever…have her thing with Logan and her friends, she didn't need him.

Ben he would break the rules for, his rules, because Ben needed him, and Zach needed so badly to know that he could protect him, protect all of them. Looking out for Ben was his tangible proof, he was keeping them safe.

His own personal way of beating Manticore.

"The blue lady's always looking out for us, isn't she?" Ben asked him, waiting, searching for Zach's agreement, or approval--Zach wasn't sure which.

"Always." Zach lied to him, reminding himself, this was for Ben.