Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or any characters featured in either of the seasons.

With Ben In Between

Max watched as Alec played with her hand in the shadows. His long fingers wrapped around her small ones before lacing their fingers together. His left arm and hand were wrapped around her shoulders, melding her to his side with her head resting on his shoulder. Every so often he would move his hand to her head and play with her hair, her neck and lightly kiss her. Even with her rounded stomach, there was no space between them. Lightly running her foot over his leg, she caught his attention to shift to her face. Even though it was dark in the room, their eyes met instantly and read of the love that had never seemed to lessen in their time apart. "What?" He whispered, as if he could read her mind. How she wished he could at this moment.

"I love you," she whispered softly. The shadowed curve of his lips raised in that smirking grin she loved. He didn't say it in return, instead he brought their intertwined hands to his lips and lightly kissed each of her fingers and knuckles. "I need to confess something, before I lose the courage." She started, still whispering as she tried to find the courage to speak her biggest transgression. "It's about the baby-"

"Maxie, it's ok." He stopped her. Moving to lean on his elbow he raised himself up and looked down at her. Kissing her lightly on the forehead, Alec continued to kiss each check, her lips, chin, and her heart before moving to where he was facing her stomach. Pushing her lightly onto her back, he brought their intertwined hands and his free hand to rest on her stomach. "There isn't anything you need to tell me that I don't already know or don't need to know. I love you and I can't live without you anymore. You and me and this beautiful baby inside you, we are going to be a family. Nothing, nobody can change that." Tears leaked down her cheeks at the emotion he spoke with.

"I lied to you that night." She bit her lip when his head snapped up to face her. She watched as the emotions matching his thoughts played out on his face. First the hurt, the confusion, the realization, and then the biggest shit eating grin appeared. Before Max could process it he grabbed her and lifted into his lap and gave the biggest, devouring kiss she had ever experienced. When she was allowed to breath, on her own, Max looked at him bewildered. She hadn't expected that reaction; maybe he wasn't clear on what she was alluding to? "Alec. Please you have to let me explain."

"I don't care. I have you and I have our baby. That's all that matters." Now Max was befuddled. She knew he would be happy to learn he was to be a father, that she hadn't moved on to so quickly after he left, but she had expected the feeling of betrayal to come up since she denied it was his. Instead that shit eating grin was stuck on his face as he stared at her with all the love in the world.

"You aren't mad?"

"No. I'm tired of being mad and I'm tired of fighting with you. All that matters is that I have you here in my arms and in my bed, with far too many clothes on." Max felt his fingers sneak under her shirt to the bare skin of her stomach. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, she tried to pull the end of the shirt back down and bring Alec's hands out from under it. Since her body had started to accommodate the growing life in her, she had become very insecure about her body. No one, except for Cindy, had seen or touched her bare stomach. Alec grabbed each of her hands and brought them away from her shirt and set them on his shoulders. "You are so beautiful." Letting go her hands he lightly trailed his fingers down her arms, down her sides to her legs and let them rest on her upper thighs.

"I'm huge," she whimpered. He was stirring things inside her that made her self-consciousness kick into overdrive.

"You are perfect. Please, let me see you." His hands began to move back up sides, bringing the shirt with them. Letting go of her insecurity, Max laced her fingers into his hair and pulled him in for a searing kiss. What had been a soft, loving beginning quickly became frenzied and full of so much need that had built up into a very charged tension.

"Hey Max," turning around Max saw Ben standing there smiling. He was dressed as he had been the first time they met. Walking up to her, he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I wanted to say 'goodbye' before I left." Max stared at him confused.

"What?"

"It's time to say goodbye, for good. You found your happiness. I can move on now." Ben lightly cupped her face in his hands, "you were the best thing that could have ever happened to me. You made everything wrong seem right, and made the pain go away. You made me a better man just by loving me, unconditionally." Max grasped his hands into her hands. "You made me see that I was wrong when it came to Alec. I was going to see him that night. You gave me the courage to face him."

"I loved you so much, you know that right?"

"Yes, and I love you even more for saying 'loved.'" Ben smiled, "be happy. Be with Alec. I'll be watching over you from the High Place." With that he lightly kissed her on the forehead.

Opening her eyes, Max took in a deep breath and looked around. It was starting to become light out. Alec was still asleep behind her. Slipping out from his arms and the bed, she grabbed a shirt from the floor and pulled it on. Padding to the nursery, she sat in the rocker and thought about the dream. That was wear Alec found her a short time later. "You ok?" He asked when she looked up at him. HE walked over and crouched down in front of her.

"I had a dream… A dream about Ben." Max watched to see how Alec reacted to this, but found him just waiting for her continue. "He said it was time to say 'goodbye, for good' because I found my happiness, with you." Smiling at the man in front of her, Max no longer saw Ben at all. It was just Alec. "He said that he was on his way to see you the night of the accident." This shocked Alec. "He said that he will be watching over us from the High Place." Giving a watery smile, Max felt the final and last bit of the past melt away. "He isn't between us anymore."