Title: One Last Dance

Author: SUNRISEontheEASTSIDE (formerly tenderlies)

Summary: All I need is just one chance, one kiss, one night to show you what you mean to me. One chance to spend the day with you and show you how we are so alike, one kiss to prove we were more than just friends, and one night to hold you tight. AU, Alec is in the military, and is being deployed, how will he piece together his shattered life, when he returns years later?

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel. Though, I should. Jensen will ultimately belong to me, along with alex gaskarth, but he has nothing to do with this plot.

Background Info: Alternate Universe, transgenics don't exist. Alec and Max were both abandoned by their parents and put into foster care, that is where they meet. Alec and Max grew up together, and they even named eachother. They were always sent to the same families. Now both are grown up. Alec is in the military and being deployed for five years. Alec has strong feelings for Max, but he just can't voice them to her.

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All of it, just to hold your hand

Pain. Without love. Pain. I can't get enough.

When I look into your beautiful, luminous eyes, the rest of the world just fades away. Nothing matters, nothing appeals to me, except for the two inches in between us. Those two inches make the moment so simple, so perfect. It took everything I had not to reach out with my hands and stroke your cheek. It took everything I had not to pull you into a hug right at this moment, and declare yourself mine. I want you to be mine forever.

A tear slipped from your eye, as you try to fight it back. Right now, I'm afraid to touch you; afraid that, that will make good-bye even more difficult. We both know that it will only be five years, but put that into perspective of two people who have spent their entire lives together, and five years will seem like eternity. That was how we were; we clung to eachother for safety, for familiarity, and for our lives. I looked out for you, and you looked out for me. We were a team, and the best one yet. And now, I was about to break that, at least for the next five years. But being drafted to the military wasn't exactly something you can just refuse.

You lift your head up and look at me, with your tear-filled eyes, and you whisper under your breath. Your voice is soft and timid, and shaky due to the tears. I've never known you to be vulnerable; it usually takes a lot to make you cry. You were a tough girl, one that fought for herself, and didn't need anyone to protect her, and yet I was always there for you.

"I'll miss you, Alec." Your barely audible words reach my eardrums, I wanted to scream out that I would miss you more than anything in the world, I wanted to tell you everything that my heart was telling me at this moment, I wanted to tell you that you are and always will be the most beautiful girl I ever laid eyes on, and that your smile puts the sun to shame. You are going to miss your "big brother". That was how you always saw me; big brother Alec, your crying shoulder, and your savior. You will never know that I never thought of you as a sister, you were always more than a sister to me. You are my life.

My heart feels like it is going to explode. I want to tell you, that I love you, that you mean the entire universe to me, that I would never want to leave you, but this was my mission, I had to leave. I wish I wasn't such a coward, I wish my lips would listen as my mind was commanding them to speak, to speak those three words, the three words that would change everything, but for the better. I wish my arms would listen, as my mind was commanding them to wrap around you, and pull you into the most sincere of hugs, one that speaks to hearts. But I know that in reality, I am none of these things, I am not a risk taker, I'm too afraid of the chance that I might loose you, to do any of those things. Maybe in five years, I'll finally be the man that you, more than anything, deserve.

"Me too." My answer was simple and to the point, but I would do more than miss you. I would spend every waking moment thinking about your chocolate brown eyes, your warm smiles, and your perfect words. I would spend every waking moment, dreaming of the day we would finally be united, and I would spend every waking moment replaying our lives together, our simple childhood lives. To speak of which, the world was cruel. This cruel, cruel world was the one that plunged our lives into the world of foster care, into the world of solitary lives. But this cruel, cruel world was also the one that brought you and I together, and through every family we've been to, good and bad, we've always stuck together. You were my constant, and I was your rock. We were each other's family; you were all I ever needed in this cruel, cruel world.

In these brief moments of silence, your arms spontaneously fall around me; your warmth spreads across my cold, cold body. Did you know that we fit together perfectly, like pieces of an ultimate puzzle, a puzzle you still haven't solved?

Letting a few minutes pass, I finally pull away; I was so close to just melting into you, I was so close to never wanting to let go. This was too much. I never liked good-byes, especially not now. I am making a promise at this moment, whether you know it or not, but I promise that I will never leaving you again. Through thick and thin, I will always be here for you.

We had grown up together, from when we were toddlers. Our parents had abandoned us, and left us to the wonderful foster care. Not all the families were bad, some were good, but the main thing was that none of them lasted. I think it was about the second house I went to, where I met you. I was seven years old, and you were five, after that we just always ended up going to the same families. Actually, you would cry and beg if we ever got separated, so eventually they just moved us together. I'm not complaining, it brought the most wonderful thing into my life, you.

My hands gripped your shoulders, as if to tell you, it was going to be okay. It was just five years. We had survived the horrors of foster care, you especially. All the stories of molesting, and even rape… well they were true, and a reality for you. Needless to say, I was the only good thing about your childhood, and vise versa. My thumbs traced tiny circles on your shoulders. "It's going to be okay, max" I wanted to comfort you, but even more, I wanted to not be leaving. I don't think I can bare the moment in which I actually turn and walk away from you. I wished with everything I had that the plane would never have to lift off, I don't ever want to leave you.

You finally stop fighting the tears, you've given into this emotion, this great and terrible emotion, and let one little tear loose. It slowly rolled down your porcelain cheeks, and let a streaky trail behind it. Your voice quivers as you speak. "Promise me you'll come home."

Home, you are my home, anywhere you are, that is where I'm destined to be. I would follow you to the end of the world and back, twice. I would die a thousand painful deaths for you, and I would give up everything I had for a life with you. Life, I wanted a life for us. I wanted to wake up each and every morning, knowing you'll be forever beside me. I wanted to wake up each and every morning, knowing it was me that dwells in your heart, in your soul, and in your mind. I wanted everything for us. But I knew I wasn't brave enough to confront you now, but maybe five years later, I will. Maybe five years later, I can look you in the eye and tell you, that you are the one for me. I pressed my lips together, awaiting our impending goodbye.

Now boarding, flight 536, to Washington D.C.

Those words pierced through me.
Those words ended our moment.
Those words meant goodbye.

"I promise." I muttered, definitively. I had to come home. my will was still here. My insides screamed at me to tell you, I love you. I wanted to say it, just three words, eight letters, and you would be mine forever. My lips parted, but the words caught in my throat. The intended vow turned out to be nothing more than silence. You were taking my breath away.

"Good-bye, Max" I said instead, removing all emotion from my voice. I wasn't going to be weak. I removed my hands from your shoulders and let them fall to my side. My gaze lingered a moment in your eyes, but soon after fell to the floor as well. Good-byes were always too painful, and I just couldn't look you in the eye right now. I feel lost, i'm loosing my way without you. Not a single part of me wants to leave. I want to stay, i want to stay home, home with you.

Your eyebrows curved in confusion, you thought I would be better at goodbye. You thought I would say just the right thing, to make our time apart seem not so distant, you were always counting on me to say the right things, and now, in this time and space, I was speechless. You leave me speechless, i can't think of anything to make the moment better, or anything to make our story more epic, but as long as you and i were the characters, every story would be epic. As long as my love for you was the moral to the story, i would learn that same lesson over and over.

You open your mouth to say something, the words also caught in your throat, I will never know what you wanted to say because you turned away and walked in the opposite direction. Your perfect brown hair follows behind you, this was going to be the last I saw you in a while. My only wish, my only regret... my only insufficiency was not being able to confront you, not being able to voice just three simple words, eight simple letters. my love for you. But now even if i could, it was too late, you were slipping away, moment by moment. The sun was setting, if i was a sunset, you would be my silhouette.

I bit my lip, hard enough so that moments later I could taste the salty blood. Why couldn't I have held you longer? Why couldn't I have said that I loved you, that you mean everything to me? Before my own tears could form, I quickly picked up what few luggage bags I had, and walked through the gate, and boarded my flight.

The next five years are going to feel like a lifetime without you there.
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A/N: This was written and uploaded on an older account, but I went through and made MAJOR modifications, so hopefully it is now a little bit more presentable.
More will be coming soon, I just have to finish revising those… I have become a grammar freak lately. =P