DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dark Angel but I DO think it IS fantoostic!

A/N: hello. Just saying that conversation B (not that there's A) between Logan and Max is a partial re-write of hello goodbye, because my story looks at what might've happened if she had denied it.

Philosophy!

CHAPTER 1: further apart

Alec was soaring through space in his silver streamline, 17-sided, quadruple-booster engine-ed rocket ship; blasting all of the 5-legged, 3-eyed, 6-fisted aliens that popped out in front of him. He briefly meandered though an asteroid field and dodged past a black hole. He cruised through the sparkling, starry infinity with ease; pleased with his ever-increasing high-score. Unfortunately for him, Max walked in, patting him on the shoulder and crying out cheerily,

"Morning, Alec!" Startled, he lost his focus, getting the fright of his life and leaping about 4 feet in the air whilst yelping out in surprise. A canny alien foe took advantage of this and shot a plasma zip-zap at Alec's face. 'GAME OVER!'

"Awww, man! And I was going to beat Mole's high score! Darn that scaly scumbag… And Max would you please stop doing that; you know I don't like surprises!" Alec moaned, rubbing his head and, in effect ruffling his own hair. He dusted himself off and regarded Max with an expectant look,

"Do I get a sorry or not?"

"In your dreams Alec! Besides you should be happy to see me!"

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

Max scanned the arcade they were standing in with wary eyes. She felt along the walls with her fingertips and listened closely with her genetically-enhanced-hearing; creeping around on her tiptoes.

"Max what are you doing, checking to see if anyone's listening? Because I can assure you, everyone left after they heard this used to be S1W's hideout. Didn't want any trouble I suppose,"

"Uhuh," Max responded absentmindedly, she then stopped dead in the far left corner of the dusty, dirty, derelict arcade.

"Yep, just what I thought. I think it's best that you don't come down here anymore, Alec, looks like they got this place bugged and if white and his little government nitwits see this footage who knows what they'll do to you. Must be thinking the S1W would come back,"

She found the blinking red light on the bug and put it out by jabbing it with her thumb. She then thought twice about what she said and quickly added,

"I-It'd mean exposure for all of us if you got yourself arrested, again."

On no account must he know about the way she felt…

"What do you mean by that? 'Get myself arrested again'? It wasn't my fault I got caught, was it?"

"Well, no, but you could've tried a little harder to lay low, it's not so much to ask is it?"

"I am trying but you just don't…" Alec trailed off, shuffling his feet and staring at the ground.

"Don't what, Alec?" Max glared at Alec, forcing and willing him to look her straight in the eyes. Alec saw just what he expected to see. Anger, frustration, disappointment and something else that he hadn't expected. Regret. It wasn't easy to see but if you watched her closely, which Alec tended to do when he didn't understand Max or why she did the things she did, it showed… for a few seconds anyway.

"Forget it. Why did you actually come down here, Max?"

"Oh yes, right well," Max started looking relieved that the tension between them had been somewhat released, "You left your gloves at my place last time you visited…"

"Right. Thanks." Alec snatched the gloves out of Max's hand and stuffed them into his ash grey sports bag and slung it over his shoulder. "See ya, Max." Alec said gruffly on his way out. Max was about to stop him when she thought better of it and instead decided to watch him walk away. If she went after him, he'd get suspicious. But if she let him walk away then it would make him think she didn't care which, although it hurt her more than him, would keep him away; but then again would that really benefit him or even her at all?

3 days earlier…

I should go and give it to him personally. Max told herself, as she clung to the shadows of a nearby block of flats (you can never be too careful). Come on, what could possibly go wrong? Yeah right. He could die of the genetically engineered retro virus, hanging about just waiting to pounce, in my bloodstream. We could argue again about whether this quirky little relationship of ours is worth fighting for. We could have a lying contest and see who wins; it happens frequently enough without us even trying. Or I could even risk my life and do something patriotic, whilst Logan pretends to worry about me when the only thing he ever cared about was playing the hero. So it's days like these that I wish I didn't love him. Love sucks alright.

Max watched the designer ceiling lights with goldy-yellow pyramid lamp shades dim gradually and then switch off. Just the sight she was secretly hoping for. He's asleep now, so I won't wake him. I'll just sneak in, do my business and get out of there. Max crept silently across the street and over to the front entrance, sly as a fox. She pricked up her ears and listened intently; making sure that the coast was clear. Moving as swiftly and as soundlessly as a ninja, Max climbed the crow black iron staircase to the top floor, passing the vivid scarlet walls on the way up. Max then shifted her weight on the smooth silver handle of the door she faced now and pushed it open with ease. Stepping inside timidly, Max slid the door slowly and carefully back into place; the door making a muffled, mechanically CLICK! After Max had fully scanned the area with her cat-like eyes, she confirmed that the CLICK hadn't woken Logan up or raised any suspicions of any sort. She then let herself relax for a few seconds with a well-earned sigh (not too loud a sigh though, obviously!). Moving onwards, Max edged her way across the room towards a large whiteboard in the corner with all the jottings and scribblings of a very theoretical Logan. There was a large spider-diagram that dominated the board and was exactly what Max was looking for. She fished Joshua's necklace, with the emblem of the breeding cult carved into it, out of her left jacket pocket and pinned it to the board, drawing a circle around it with a black white-board marker and linking it to the words, 'White, Ames' and, 'Breeding cult'. She was about to place the marker back into it's cotton pocket attached to the right side of the board when a voice made her spin on her heels,

"Hello, Max" Max was caught off guard and now she felt as if she was a deer in the headlights of a lorry about to get flattened like a pancake. Any escape routes? Wait a minute. This is Logan. This is the man I love, Max thought. I shouldn't avoid him I should talk to him. Face to face. No more lies. After all he would understand, wouldn't he? And if he doesn't I'll just peg it out of there. Running away again?

"Logan… the lights were out so I just thought… well I found this necklace on Joshua and it has the same symbol as the breeding cult…He says Father gave it to him…"

"Sso you're saying Sandman is one of White's breeding cult buddies, woohoo,"

The sarcasm in his voice made Max's heart ache. He didn't understand, time to peg it.

"L-Logan this is really important-"

"Maybe I should do one of my Eyes-Only broadcasts, hmm?" Logan suggested alcohol in one hand and making a whimsical gesture with the other. He strode towards her, well limped, as he was quite obviously incapacitated. Max made a break for it but Logan blocked her path, making her jump back in alarm immediately.

"Logan."

She whispered and attempted to move past him again but he just stood in her way. Her gaze dropped to the floor momentarily, her body swaying uncertainly and restlessly in an imaginary wind. She just wanted to get out of there.

"Logan, I've said all I needed to say…"

"I don't think so" Logan said in a sing-song voice, taunting 'the truth' out of her. He sipped his drink coolly,

"I think there's something else." Max stopped in her tracks; which is just what Logan expected when he got a foothold into 'the truth'.

"I don't know what you're talking about Logan but I-"

"I couldn't talk to you… see 'because you weren't answering your pager. So I went to see you…and I saw him leaving…I mean if I'm wrong just say so, Max"

Max remembered now. Earlier today she walked Alec out of her apartment; after he'd gotten himself arrested for a murder Ben committed and Max had come to his rescue. After they'd talked and shared feelings and memories, they exchanged a rare cuddle and were nice to each other for once; well Max was nice to him, Alec was himself as always. Logan must've come and seen and assumed. Suddenly, Max felt angry. More than angry, furious. After all they'd been through together; he thought that she'd just find another man as soon as things got tough. He obviously was in agreement with the saying, 'when the going gets tough the tough get going.' Well, she wasn't going to let that go so easily,

"Wrong? Are you wrong? Is that what you want to know Logan? No, you're not wrong; you're a complete and utter imbecile!" Max howled at him. Taken aback Logan could only stutter and stammer something like,

"Wh-what…So, I'm…what, wait…I was wrong or I- w-what?"

"Yes you were wrong, you idiot! You obviously don't know me at all. Which is a little bit disappointing after what? 2 years of my life with you? Surely you know that I love you and I thought that someone I love might trust me not to go and leave when things get tough. Or maybe I was wrong about you,"

"What? No! Max I do, I do…you know I do love- well it's just, it's just-"

"Just what?"

"Well you weren't answering your pager and you don't even like Alec and why should you hug him if you weren't-…"

Now that hurt, Max thought, why? Well several reasons. 1. He said I didn't like Alec; which wasn't true. It wasn't true at all! 2. Even if I did hug a total stranger did it mean we were an item? .N.O. And 3. He obviously doesn't trust me and if he thinks I'm just gonna walk out on his sorry ass, which I'm actually now seriously considering, then he should rethink oh I don't know the past two years, I mean HONESTLY! But Max thought he wasn't worth the bother or effort. Not now anyway.

"Logan I don't want to talk to you for a while, OK?-"

"Max, don't-"

"NO. I don't want to talk to you for a while and that's final. Bye Logan."

"Max, wait I didn't mean to-!"

Max then followed her plan A and pegged it out of the building. When she got outside she was immediately and unexpectedly greeted with a sheet of rain that sliced and pricked and jabbed at her skin with a sharp icy cold sting of water. By the time she reached her motorbike she was already drenched, with millions of droplets of water clinging to her strands of hair, her teeth chattering and her limbs shaking from anger and the freezing cold.

Sliding onto her bike Max sped away down the shadowy, overflowing street, the gutters furiously spitting out the excess water to no avail. And Alec watched her with a heavy heart.

"Logan must've screwed up again," Alec wondered out loud to himself, "Because that looked like a very pissed off Max."

A/N: So what'd you think? Bit rubbish? DO tell!