Someone to watch over me

By Sinful Starlet

Disclaimer: guess what - Dark Angel still doesn't belong to me! I tried to convince them to give it up, but it's not working so far!

Rating: I'm gonna say R but only because all my other ones have been 'R' rated!

Summary: What do piano music, family reunions, gunshot wounds, torture, hospital scenes and big, relatively slushy happy endings have in common? Well they're all in this story for one! Now doesn't that sound like a synopsis?!

Author's note: Chapter 11 - final chapter. Advance warning - HAPPY ENDING APPROACHING! Did I make that one clear enough? *SS*

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PART #27

They didn't get any chance to dwell on the moment though, because they were interrupted just then by a whole gang of visitors. The whole X5 group, plus Logan, OC and Joshua crowded round. Joshua still wore his surgical mask while he came in bearing a couple of bright helium balloons. The female X5s and OC rushed over to Max, embracing her tightly, just so glad that she was awake, but pulling back when they realised she probably needed some air! OC hugged Alec too, making Alec and Max share a somewhat comical look.

"Well I already thanked everybody else but you", OC said, somewhat exasperated at their looks, she kissed Alec on the forehead, "that's for saving my boo!" Her brothers greeted Max too, kissing her lightly on the forehead. She saw 598 too, being led by Jondy.

"He's kinda one of the family now", she explained, "we sort of adopted him! We called him Lex". Max mulled this over in her mind, deciding she liked it. He took her hand gently, not feeling as close to her as the rest of her siblings but still glad she was okay.

"Little fella all good now", Joshua smiled happily, stroking her hair while he tied the balloons to the bed.

"Looks like!", she said, hugging him too. The others noticed her closeness with Alec though. Through all the invading siblings and friends, she had never once let go of his hand yet.

"We've got a little surprise for you too", Logan said, smiling to her, just a little painfully aware that he still couldn't touch her. She looked a little questioning at them all, and then they stepped aside to reveal Syl pushing a wheel chair containing...

"Zack?!" Syl moved him round to the bed so he could hug her and the tears ran down her face as she held him to her.

"It's okay Maxie", he said soothingly, "I'm back". The other X5s realised that they should probably give Max some room for the time being while she talked to Zack so they all backed out, promising to return soon. OC said she'd go home and get her some clothes to change into once she was ready to get out of there. Alec too stood to leave, but Max wasn't about to let him go anywhere, so sharing a smile with Zack, he sat back down, kissing Max lightly on the forehead.

Zack explained what had happened to him then. Once they had managed to put him back together at Manticore, they had programmed him to find Max and kill Logan and then set him loose - that was the state he was in when Max did find him a few months back. After that he was taken away by that farming couple that Logan had set up, but his memory had slowly started to seep back. And then White had found him. He had killed the couple and kidnapped Zack. He took him back to the HQ that was now lying as rubble on the harbour, and kept him in one of the cells.

They erased the programming that Manticore had imprinted on him, using him for information instead. He resisted at first, so they just kept pumping him more and more full of drugs until he talked. He was so apologetic as he talked about it, saying he was sorry for putting Max in danger, but saying he knew that things would work out okay in the end. He had faith in her. They eventually got out enough information for White to put a plan together. He found 598 and then the rest she knew.

It took Max a while to take all this in, but she was just so pleased to have her brother back. They all talked for a long time after that, Zack and Alec being properly introduced at last, sharing all their different stories. The guys had to leave at last though as Dr Shankar came back to check up on Max properly.

Alec and Zack talked as they walked down the corridor, speaking about future plans. "I don't know", Zack said, "before I had every reason to leave, now? I think I might stay in Seattle for a while - think Normal'll give me my job back?"

"No problem!", Alec said laughing, "I had a brief career as a cage fighter before I started at JP - Normal was kind of a fan! I tell him to - you got your job back like that!", he said snapping his fingers.

"Thanks man!", Zack said, laughing, glancing back over his shoulder at Max's room.

"Sorry!", he said, when Alec caught him, "Old habit!"

"She's okay", Alec said, attempting to reassure him, "I'm not gonna let anything happen to her".

"I'm beginning to see that", Zack replied, "the two of you seem fairly inseparable!"

"Maybe", Alec said, "things aren't exactly resolved with us yet".

"I wouldn't be so sure", Zack said, a little cryptically. Alec looked at him questioningly, not understanding. "Let's just say, I never saw her look at him the way she's looking at you", Zack replied.

PART #28

Alec smiled at the memory of that morning. Things had been so much more complicated back then he thought, he was just lucky they worked out so well. He crouched down as he looked in the fridge and groaned in disgust. There was absolutely nothing edible in there - at least nothing that shouldn't carry a government health warning! "It's no good", he called back in the general direction of the living room, "we're gonna have to go out and get some food!"

He laughed as there came an answering groan from his couch. He had one last inspiration and then walked back into the living room. She sat there curled up on the sofa, flicking through the channels on the TV. She jumped in shock as the tub of ice cream was unceremoniously dropped on her stomach, closely followed by two spoons!

"Asshole!", she joked back, swatting him as she sat down on the couch with her. She couldn't stay mad at him for long though and it was barely two minutes later that she was curled up against his chest, picking her way through the ice-cream.

"So we really have to go out?", she asked, pouting a little.

"Max we haven't left this apartment for five days!", Alec replied, smiling, "In which time, among other things we have managed to eat every item of food in this apartment, except for this tub of ice cream!"

"Among other things?", Max asked, teasingly, licking her spoon very slowly as she looked up at him. She smiled triumphantly as he moaned in response.

"Max please!", he said, "This is the first time we've managed to keep clothes on for longer than five minutes since Thursday!" "You're really not helping!", he went on as she continued to tease him, seductively licking his spoon now before turning her attention to his fingers.

"I don't think so missy!", he said, chucking the ice cream out of the way as he started to tickle her mercilessly. That had about the same effect though, as the t-shirts and boxers they were wearing looked dangerously close to coming off again, but they stopped themselves in time.

"Come on", he said, smiling as he kissed an ice cream smudge off her cheek, "we can go to Crash - see everyone else".

"Or we could wait till tomorrow", Max said, "and go into work instead". They shared a look and then both collapsed into giggles again, remembering exactly what had happened when they last went into work.

They had been out of the hospital for a few days and were going back into work to set Zack up with a job and persuade Normal to give them some more sick leave, but they'd decided to have a little fun at the same time. Max went in first, finding Normal at his dispatch counter as usual. "Well nice of you to drop by missy miss!", Normal dead-panned, "Finally found a moment in your busy schedule to grace us with your presence?"

"I'm gonna need a little more time off", Max said, completely straight-faced. "The hospital released me yesterday but I don't feel quite ready to come back to work yet".

"Oh you don't?", Normal replied, "Well that's just too bad because---", he was stopped in his tracks as he saw the hand wrap round Max's waist and the face come down to kiss her neck.

"Nothing we can do to persuade you boss?", Alec asked, after they had given Normal a decent eyeful! "Me and my girl could use a little more time before we come back - what d'ya say?" Normal opened and closed his mouth a few times like a fish, but then eventually managed something to the affirmative.

"Good man!", Alec said, fighting to hide the laughter which was building up inside him and Max seemed unable to contain. "Oh we do have a consolation prize for you though!", he said, remembering at the last minute and gesturing for Zack to come over. "Got a new worker for you", Alec said, "this is Zack".

"I thought he was Sam", Normal said, confused.

"Long story", Zack said, also smiling, "it's Zack now".

"Alright", Normal said, not even trying to make sense of any of this now, "you're hired! Welcome back to the Jam Pony family!"

PART #29

Max finally managed to stop laughing, sinking back against Alec's chest, just perfectly content to be there. She couldn't believe what had happened to her over the last few days. Her world had been completely turned upside down, but now she had Zack back, she had a new brother Lex, and a truly amazing.........Alec! The idea of her and Alec together had seemed completely laughable at first, but it just made perfect sense to her now, she just wished she had seen it earlier.

Things had been a little awkward with Logan at first, but they had managed to sort that out in the end. Though he hadn't wanted to let her go, he saw how happy she was with Alec, and that had to be enough. They'd actually managed to salvage a friendship, which if Max was truly honest with herself, mattered more than anything else she'd ever had with Logan. No, she was absolutely sure, this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

"What?", Alec asked, seeing a cryptic smile cross her face.

"Oh I was just thinking", Max said, keeping her face completely serious, "I think the one thing I miss about my relationship with Logan is the romance". "We don't really have that", she added, throwing in a dramatic sigh for effect.

"Hey!", Alec said, quite indignant and a little hurt, but then he saw she was joking and let her kiss him senseless to prove the point. "We do have romance!", he said later, pretending to pout a little.

"Oh yeah?", Max said, jokingly sceptical, "You remember what happened the first time we met?" Alec smiled warmly, he remembered exactly what had happened!

"You came into my cell all swaggering and stuff!", Max said, fighting back a laugh, "And then you were all like", she paused before imitating his voice, "'Well let's get this over with huh?' and you started stripping off right there and then!"

"You know some girl's would call that romantic!", Alec mumbled under his breath, but he let Max go on.

"And then you told me you were my 'breeding partner' and you had every intention of sleeping with me every night till I got pregnant! Now that's what I call romance!!"

"Hey not my fault!", Alec said, protesting, "I was just following orders and I seem to remember you weren't exactly charming either!" Max feigned a look of amazement, forcing him to go on.

"You kicked me in the chest and firmly pronounced that that was the 'only kind of physical contact we were ever gonna have'!", he joked, making air quotes with his fingers.

"Guess it didn't quite turn out that way huh?!", Max said, looking down at their t-shirts and boxers and recalling the experiences of the last few days.

"Oh I always knew you wanted me!", Alec went on, deliberately teasing her, "You were just a little too into that lap dance, remember?"

Max looked outraged again, and swatted him on the arm. "Wait that was before the cage fight", she said, a little confused, but he nodded, "so you still thought I wanted you even after I kicked your ass all over that cage?!"

"What can I say?", Alec said, smiling again, "I have issues!"

"Damn straight!", Max said, attacking him with her lips again. She sighed into his mouth as his hands moved around her back and under her shirt as he deepened the kiss.

"Nuh-uh!", she said, suddenly pulling away and removing his hands decisively.

He looked at her a little incredulously, "What?!"

"We're not doing anything till I get some decent food in me! Go get dressed!" He pouted, but he could see he wasn't getting anywhere.

"Damn Guevara!", he said, standing up and walking back over to the bedroom, "You're a tough woman to please!"

"Not especially!", came her voice behind him as she pounced and dragged him over to the bed, discarding clothes with every step. They sank back against the sheets as Alec started to kiss his way down her chest, devoting equal attention to every new inch of skin, before he made his way even lower. Max dragged his face back up towards hers, locking his lips with hers again while her hands roamed over his chest and back.

All their wounds had healed by now and they were free to completely explore and love each other, and Max had every intention of doing that. She sighed with contentment as they eventually lay back against the sheets, fully spent and sated. "I love you Max", Alec whispered as he continued to kiss her neck.

Max sighed again, "I love you too Alec - but if we don't get up right now and get some food, I am so leaving you!" That shocked Alec into action and she collapsed into giggles as she swore she'd never seen someone get showered and dressed that fast in her entire life!

* * *

They made their way over to Crash about half an hour later, and found OC, Sketchy, Logan and Asha. The two of them were a little awkward to see Logan there, but he just smiled warmly at them and they knew it was okay. "I believe we have a winner!", OC said as they sat down at the table, "Who called", she looked down at her watch to check the date, "five days?"

"Yes!", Sketchy called triumphantly, "Pay up peeps - tonight is my lucky night!"

"You were taking bets on us?!", Max questioned a little mad, but quick to forgive.

"Well it's not like we had anything better to do right?!", OC laughed, hugging her friend to her. "Got to tell you I'm a little disappointed though!", OC said, frowning jokily, "I figured it'd be at least a week before you got outta that apartment!"

Alec laughed as Max blushed a little, putting a protective arm round her shoulders and kissing her on the forehead. "Sorry OC!", he said, still laughing a little, "Fridge was empty!"

"Damn!", OC cursed, but she was laughing too, "You mean I lose out on a great bet because the boy can't be bothered to stock his fridge properly?!"

"Hey stranger things have happened!", Zack said, coming to sit down next to her and bringing Jondy with him. Max and Alec were both a little surprised to see her, but she explained that she had decided to stay for a little while.

"So you coming back to work now?", Sketchy asked.

Max and Alec exchanged a look and came to a telepathic decision, "I think we might need a couple more days!", Max said, her eyes not leaving Alec's.

THE END!

AN. Ta da! Well I hope all you M/A fans were pleased with that one, and I hope you all enjoyed the story. That's all from me for a while, but I'll be back soon! *SS*