Disclaimer: Please, don't sue me. I don't claim to own Dark Angel, just enjoy it immensely.

Summary: Short fics of Alec dealing with the virtues of Christmas in his own twisted little way. Lots of Alec love. :-) Glimpses of Christmas in Terminal City.

The Christmas Virtues

Selflessness

It was freezing. Icicles were forming on burnt-out street lamps, and frost was collecting on the trash. Sane people were inside, cooking walnuts beside crackling fires and singing about jingle bells or whatever they were.

But was Alec inside? No. Did that make him crazy? He wasn't sure. He felt a little weird, but that could have just been the homemade eggnog Mole had whipped up earlier that night.

Alec was now pretty sure that Desert Acclimated Commandoes weren't supposed to make eggnog.

He looked around at all the rich, smarmy Ordinaries walking around, bundled up in parkas and pea coats, woolen caps and earmuffs. Ugh. If he saw one more expensive pair of retro-boots from pre-Pulse with the fluffy collars, he was going to puke.

Even though he wasn't dressed as well, he blended with the crowd. If Max knew that he was out here in and not back at Terminal City, obediently spending the evening in his apartment, he was pretty sure she'd tan his hide or at least try to. But Max didn't know, and she wouldn't have to. Not if he was quick about it.

But it was sort of hard to be quick about it when he had no idea what he was looking for.

Last Christmas had passed by without him really noticing. He had still been getting used to being out of Manticore, and if he could remember correctly, he had spent that night with a sexy elf named Carol. Or at least that was what she had called herself that night. Whatever. She had been hot, dark brown hair and green eyes like holly. Oh, maybe that was her name...

Anyway, Max wasn't going to let him or anyone else in T.C. be ignorant of Christmas this year. She kept talking about it, saying how she wished she could get all of the transgenics presents or at least an armistice for the holidays. It was hard to be a city at war.

Alec had jokingly said that they could wrap their guns with Christmas lights and sing "Santa Baby" while they made their patrol runs. Max had smacked him on the back of the head and told him to shut up.

Ah, Max, such the gentle one.

Alec sighed and rubbed his hands together. Standing around here wasn't doing him any good. Time to go work his genetically-enhanced magic.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Alec said, walking up to the sales person who was standing in the middle of the store, a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. "Ma'am?"

The woman turned around, and the brass bell on the end of her ridiculous Santa hat jingled. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him, excitement and desire forced by his manufactured good looks, and Alec grinned. Oh, this was going to be easy.

"Hi, may I help you?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I'm with the retirement home, Sunsets Beyond, over in Sector Nine. I was just coming by to pick up our order."

"Your order?" Her forehead crinkled in confusion. "I'm not sure we had an order for Sunsets Beyond…"

"Could you take a look, please?" he asked, adding an extra plea into his voice. Oh, but he could sound pathetic sometimes. "I'm certain that our receptionist called you."

"Of course." The woman flipped through her papers rapidly and bit her bottom lip. "I'm so sorry, but it looks like your order wasn't placed."

Alec let his face drop, and he looked down at the floor. "Oh…oh no, they're all going to be so disappointed. I told them we were going to have the best Christmas this year, better than anything they'd seen before. Mrs. Mabel will be inconsolable. And Mr. Ted, this is probably going to be his last Christmas, he has pneumonia, and he was really looking forward to this."

He lifted his hand to his lips and rested his fist against his mouth: the picture of mental agony. "I can't believe I was so stupid. I should have come down here myself and made the order in person." He sighed, let his shoulders droop, and looked up at her, disappointment painfully obvious on his face. "I don't know if I can go in there tomorrow morning and see their faces…"

The woman's eyes were brimming with unshed tears. "Those poor things," she said, resting her hand over her heart, "I can't believe the order didn't get through."

"I can't either, but things happen," Alec said. He gave another deep, troubled sigh. "Don't…don't worry about it. I'll let them know. We'll figure something out, I guess. I think they'll be okay, just a little upset."

The woman pulled her shoulders back, suddenly resolute. "No! This is my shop's fault, not yours. Those poor people shouldn't have to suffer because of mistakes made here."

"But how-"

The woman cut him off by holding up her hand. She patted the front of his coat comfortingly. "No, now, you let me handle it. How many did you need?"

"Um, I think we were going to get four." He glanced up at the roof as if trying to calculate in his head. Well, they'd need one in headquarters and the med bay…one out front to taunt the Ordinaries would be awesome. "How much are they again?"

"$250 a piece," the woman said, "And I added the 20% discount in there for you, to help you out some." Alec's eyes widened, and he thought about his wallet. He gulped. He…he took a deep breath. He could manage that.

"You know what, three's good, no more than three," he said. He winked playfully. "We don't need that one in the bathroom."

The woman smiled and marked something off on her clipboard. "Then you just head on up to the cash register and pay Helen, and I'll handle everything else."

"Thanks. And oh, ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know where I can get some decorations?"

00000000000000000000

"Max, Max, Max!"

What now… Max had just walked into HQ after a long night of patrolling the city. What could have possibly happened that needed her immediate attention?

Lyrics, an X8 with bouncing, short black curls, ran up and tugged on her arm. "Max, look!" She pulled Max into the main room, and Max's eyebrows jumped halfway up her forehead.

Standing in the middle of HQ was one of the biggest, fullest Christmas trees Max had ever seen. Green and red glass ornaments covered the supple, bright limbs. Silver tinsel cascaded down the tree, and colored lights were plugged into the generator extension cord.

Max reached out tentatively and touched one of its branches. Her mouth dropped open. It was live. A live tree. The room was drenched in the real pine smell of the forest. Max knew how rare real, live Christmas tree were, and by the wide-eyed looks on the other transgenics' faces, they knew as well.

"Who…"

Lyrics pointed to the old '90s couch in the corner. Max flicked her eyes toward the couch and almost did a double-take.

"No. Way."

Alec was asleep on the couch, his hands cushioning his dark blond, fluffy-haired, supposedly empty head.

"Is decorating a Christmas tree exhausting?" Lyrics asked, looking up at Max with big, happy blue eyes.

Max ruffled Lyrics' hair. "Must be." Still in a state of disbelief, she walked toward the couch. Really? Alec? She pulled the spare blanket that was at the end of the couch over Alec. Well...she'd ask him when he woke up. For now, she was just going to admire their new Christmas tree.

Max gently tapped Alec on the nose, and he rustled in his sleep.

"Good job, tinsel-boy."