Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Logan, Alec, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic.
Notes: There is Logan bashing-a-plenty in this fic. If you are a big fan of that character, then this might not be the fic for you. I posted this once before here with a slightly different title, but I got less-than-positive feedback (to put it mildly) so I temporarily removed it. Spoilers/spoiler-ish stuff for "Some Assembly Required." This is not connected to any of my other stories/series'. Set sometime after the end of season 2.
Just another day at the office, Logan thought happily as he returned home to his penthouse. He set his briefcase down on the coffee table and walked into the computer room. He opened a desk drawer and peeked at the uniform that it contained before shutting the drawer with a huge smile on his face. I know it's not necessary for me to wear it when I make my broadcasts, but it sure does really make me feel like the hero that I am!
"Honey?"
Logan grinned. "I'm home, Max." He walked out of the computer room and gave his wife a huge hug and a long, deep kiss. "I missed you so much, my darling. How was your day?"
"Just the usual," Max said. "I went over to the warehouse and got the information that you needed. It was a little tight, I had to dodge the thugs that were shooting at me as I was leaving, but no harm done and the disc is on your computer desk. Oh, and I picked up the kids from school." She smiled brightly at him. "All in a day's work."
"That's my Max," Logan said. "Speaking of the kids…"
"Daddy! Daddy!" A little boy and girl, both of them only about five or six years old, ran into the living room from their bedroom. They stood next to their mother in their private school uniforms and grinned eagerly at their father.
"Hello, there," Logan said. He took a moment to admire his family. Look at my perfect children! Could my little girl get any cuter with those curly blond pigtails and that adorable button nose? And my son…he is going to break hearts when he's older! They couldn't have turned out to be any better than they are. "How was your day at school?"
"It was great, Daddy," his daughter said.
"I'm glad you had so much fun," Logan said. "Now go get changed for dinner." The two kids ran off and Logan turned back to Max. "I'm going to get changed myself and then I'll start on dinner."
"I'll set the table," Max said.
Logan nodded and went into his bedroom. He quickly changed into casual clothes and then walked back out and then into the kitchen. He waved to Max before cooking the dinner. Almost…just another pinch of oregano…there! Perfect. He turned off the stove and dished out the food onto plates and set them out on the dining room table. "Max! Kids! Dinner's ready!" He took his place at the head of the table and waited patiently for his family to join him. A few moments later, they all started to eat.
"Daddy, I got an A on my test," his son said. "And I got picked first for baseball, too!"
"Good for you," Logan said proudly. Must be my great genes. I always got excellent grades and was pretty good at baseball as well. I guess some of it could be from Max's genetic make-up. "Keep it up."
"That reminds me," Max said. "I got a call from Krit today. He's going to be in town for a few days starting tomorrow. Syl had to stay behind back at their place 'cause of work. Anyway, I want to swing around to his hotel and visit him when he gets here and I was hoping to take the kids with me."
Logan shook his head. "Max…"
"Logan, he's my brother," Max said. "I haven't seen him in months and neither have the kids. Please?"
Hmmm…maybe just this once. As much as Krit gets on my nerves, I don't want Max to be mad at me. "Okay, fine. You and the kids can go visit Krit tomorrow. I'd go with you, but I was planning on doing some work at home." It sounds like as good a time as any to make that next broadcast, anyway.
"Thank you, sweetheart," Max said. She leaned over to kiss Logan on the cheek. "You're the best."
"I know," Logan said. I really am, aren't I?
They finished dinner and then Logan went back into the living room and sat down in his favorite chair while Max and the children retreated to their respective bedrooms. He looked over to where a few old copies of the local newspaper were neatly stacked on top of the coffee table. He picked one up and smiled at the headline. "'Transgenic Cyborg Man Stopped—People Thank Eyes Only,'" he read out loud. He placed that newspaper down and picked up another one. "'Cocky Transgenic Gone—People Hail Eyes Only Once Again.'" Those really were the days, weren't they? I know that it was Max that had electrocuted Zack to fry that chip in his head and Alec disappeared to parts unknown completely on his own, but can I help it if the people love me so much that they want to thank me for what had happened? In the end, they are the ones who are benefiting from those two being out of commission. Zack was too much of a stubborn asshole and Alec was far too arrogant for his own good. Besides, what if he would have lost it like his twin did? Not to mention that both of those jerks would have taken Max away from me if either of them had gotten the opportunity. It's great how things have a way of turning out for the best.
"Hey there, Logan," Max said as she approached him. Logan looked up at her and frowned, noting the sudden lack of noise in the penthouse.
"It's not like the kids to be this quiet," he said.
"Yeah, it's like they don't exist," Max joked. She laughed and Logan laughed along with her, though his laughter was somewhat hesitant.
Logan shrugged off the uneasy feeling that had come to him. "Well, we might as well take advantage of the children being so quiet." He moved closer to Max. "I love you so much, Max. You are everything to me. I have never seen anything more beautiful…" He leaned in to kiss her, but she put her hand onto his chest to keep him away. "Max, what are you doing?"
"Maybe you should check the paper, Logan," Max suggested. Logan gave her a confused look, but he did as she asked and picked up the most recent paper from on top of the coffee table and looked at the front page. In huge bold letters, the headline read 'They're Back: Previously Recovering and Missing Male Transgenics Back and Better Than Ever!'" Logan glanced a little further down and to his horror, saw pictures of Zack and Alec staring back at him.
"No," he whispered. "That's impossible. They're gone! I know that they're gone."
"Hate to break it to you, Logie, but we're both here." Logan's eyes widened in horror when he saw Alec standing right next to Max. "Zack is actually back at Terminal City with Jondy and Zane and those guys, but that's just details." Alec turned his head and kissed Max deeply on the lips. "Ready to go, babe?"
"Sure," Max said. "See you around, Logan."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Logan screamed.
Max frowned when Logan started screaming and turned to the transgenic medic who stood with them just outside of Logan's room in the med bay in Terminal City. "Can't you do anything for those nightmares?"
The medic shook his head. "We don't have the proper drugs on hand here and this sort of thing is too delicate for one of our Psy Ops people to go in there, at least it is at this time."
"Too bad we couldn't bring him to some psych hospital to be treated," Alec said. "I remember from doing research while on a mission a couple of years ago that there are some really good ones in the area. They'd be able to help him at least as well as we can, maybe even better since we don't have the right equipment or medication at this point."
"He'd be a sitting duck for White," Max reminded him. "Logan knows too much about us. If White found him in this state, Logan would crack faster than an egg. As long as that blood transfusion that he got from Joshua six months ago is giving his immune system enough of a boost to be able to take breathing in the air here, this is the safest place for him to be."
"Wow," Krit said. "She's actually paying enough attention to Op Sec to make even you happy, bro."
Zack shrugged. "She is right."
"I'm always right," Max said.
"Isn't that my line?" Alec joked.
"Where do you think I got it from?" Max teased. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before she took one last look back in the direction of Logan's room and sighed sadly. "Come on, you guys. Let's go." She took Alec's hand and led him and her brothers out of the med bay.