"Float Like A Butterfly"
Chapter 4: With Arms Wide Open
by: Mochaije

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or its characters. Other than that, the story and characters are mine.
Summary: Max comes out of a coma and does some thinking. Bold type is... Well, you'll find out so on enough! Some swearing. This chapter's title is from a Creed song, and if you've heard it, then you'll know EXACTLY what's happening with Max...
Rating: PG 13

Max woke again in Zack's arms and was a bit less freaked out, because this time she was the one who had offered to cuddle. She noticed that she felt sick to her stomach and that her body felt like like lead. Quietly, she rolled out of Zack's arms, out of the small tarp-tent,and threw up several times. He woke up, a bit startled that Max was throwing up, and asked if she was okay. She held up a hand to show that she was fine, then reached for a water bottle and washed her mouth out.

"We'd better get going," she told him, slightly delirious. He disagreed.

"No way. You can't drive if you're puking."

"You can't drive either... Not the bike, anyway..."

"Yes, I can," he told her, a little forcefully. "Do you have any idea why you're sick? You weren't looking too well last night before we had McDonald's--" Max interrupted him with a hand on his arm.

"I'm fine," she looked right into his eyes and shook him once or twice. She tried to stand up and found that she couldn't. "Zack..." Max passed out.

-----

Ima snapped awake and walked briskly into the main living area. Logan as making coffee. She tried to reach Max again, but she had been completely blocked off. That only happened in deep sleep, unconsciousness, or death. Max didn't sleep, and if she was dead, Zack might be as well. Ima bit her lip and tried not to show any emotion as she snuck up behind Logan.

"Good morning," she mumbled, wiping her copper curls away from her face.

"Sleep well?" Logan's voice was trying to be emotionless, but it came across as cold and worried. "Did you talk to them at all?"

"Nah, haven't tried," Ima told him, inviting herself to some toast.

"Don't you think you should?"

"They're not six, Logan. I'm sure they're fine."

"Look, I'm sure genetically enhanced killing machines can--" The back of Ima's hand across his face stopped him from continuing. She gave him a hard look, still holding her hand up, ready to slap him again. Logan yelped when she hit him and held the right side of his face with one hand.

"Don't you ever refer to us as killing machines ever again," she said coldly.

"Oh, hey guys--" Asha stopped in her tracks in the kitchen 'door' and considered what was going on. Ima stood over Logan, hand held, ready to slap him. Logan was trying to look like he wasn't cowering. Asha opened her mouth to say something and didn't. The other woman relaxed her arms and took Logan's coffee from behind him, and walked out of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" Logan called after her.

"Off to go kill something," she yelled. "That is what killing machines do, isn't it?" The door closed softly and the two in the kitchen shared a glance.

"That was... Awkward," Asha said. "What's going on?" Logan explained it to her, and her expression went from confused to mockingly shocked.

"Well, that was rude, huh? Just don't do it again," she fingered his shirt.

"No... It slipped out," he told her sheepishly. She smiled slightly in forgiveness and kissed him. Ima came running back into the apartment, interrupting them.

"Max is at the McDonald's near our mountain hideout, and she's in trouble," she said, a little breathless. "I hope nothing else came up."

-----

"She... She says they'll be here... A while... Far Away... Told her friend to come by... With..." Max passed out again and Zack went back to shaking her and sighed. She's actually unconscious now, he thought. Her eyes fluttered open again. "They're... Here... Go to greenbelt.. Behind parking lot..." Zack nodded and picked her up, heading towards the parking lot.

"Are you them?" He asked, feeling silly using that kind of grammar.

"Are you Max and Zack?" The good-looking, brown-haired man asked. Fuck, he's young, Zack thought. Can't be older than Max... Looks like the kind of kid you'd find at Crash. Zack nodded and set Max down on the grass.

"Hmm, well," the stranger bent down and pulled a small, metallic hand-held something out of his jacket and ran it over the back of Max's neck. "I was talking to Ima, and if it is what she thinks it is, Max is just too revved up. Or he Red implant is causing trouble, and if it's that--" he replaced the machine--"then we're screwed, because we can't remove it without killing her. Or it could be one of those X5 viruses--" The man got a good look at Max's face. "I know this chick."

"You do?" Zack looked at him.

"She picked me up in a bar last October," he said, a little upset now that she knew her identity. "I followed her around for a couple days." The man was quiet for a moment, then spoke to Zack again. "We'd better keep her somewhere until she wakes up. I've got a small house down the road."

"We're not going in the mountain, are we?" Because I bet a lot of money someone's going to recognize us, he thought.

"No, because you guys are the ones who fucked up the bombs," the man said. "I was the one who tasered you two."

Zack restrained himself from saying anything rash and picked Max up again. "Let's go."

-----

Ima opened her eyes and hopped of the breakfast island. She brushed her hands together, a little nervous. "Ben found her, but he hasn't got a scanner... That would get rid of all her genetic enhancements, anyway, and I'm guessing that's the problem."

"It could be something else," Logan offered.

Asha poked him in the arm playfully. "Oh? Like what?" Logan looked down at his shoes.

"Like what I hope it isn't."

-----

"Mmmff... Zack?" Max's eyes fluttered open and she pulled herself up a little bit as the world came into focus. She was in a cozy, cottage-like environment, on a rather nice leather couch. Whatever fool set me up on here is right stupid. "Gee, excuse me while I puke on your leather sofa, sir". She didn't try contacting Ima, but looked around for Zack--or anyone else--instead. Ben walked into the room and she sat up.

"Ben?!" She asked, as if she was in some sort of dream state and this was not real. "What the fuck?" He sat down beside her and took Max's hand.

"Chill out," he said in his cute, drunk-but-not swagger. "You passed out in the forest and told Ima, I guess. Anyway, it got around to me."

"You're... You're a telepath?" Ben laughed at her a bit and smiled.

"No, damn you, I'm Santa Claus!" He said in a goofy voice. Max smiled momentarily, then jumped off the couch and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Ben followed and tapped on the door.

"You okay in there?" He asked. The gut-wrenching sound of Max's bile flowing out of her body and into the toilet bowl was his response. She sat back on her heels and tried to think straight. Ben had probably taken away her abilities, of course. She stood, shaking, and pulled her hair from her neck, twisted to check her barcode in the mirror. It was there, but the general area looked a bit irritated and it burned. She felt more stuff come up and leaned over the toilet bowl again. She'd barely eaten in the past few days, and hadn't consumed anything rotten or that usually made her ill. Suddenly the thought that she was supposed to start menustrating a week ago popped into her head. She hadn't gotten her period last month either, as far as she knew. Max hazily remembered a nurse mention to her that she'd skipped her period.

The vomit that had been tickling her throat came up. No. I can't be. No, no, no... And if I was, who would be the father, anyway? I can't get pregnant when I'm in heat, so it's not Rafer... Oh... My... God... What if somebody took advantage of me while I... Okay, Max, that's gross... Gee, what did you do before getting shot again? She concentrated and tried to remember everything through her slowly-developing seizure and her illness.

She and Logan kissing, Zack interrupting--What a fuckhead. With Lydecker, at the warehouse, at Manticore. Gee, no sex so far. Good job keeping your pants on, Max. Set the bombs, cuffed Tinga, ran, fought Little Max, back to the van, Zack was captured... At the Crash, getting beer, back at Logan's, really good sex, woke up, remembered Zack was captured. Try and get Zack, oh, there's Little Max again, Logan followed her there it seemed, got shot, passed out in Logan's arms... Max, how are you doing? Ima interrupted.

Just peachy... Look, I don't think that me getting sick has anything to do with being revved up, Max thought anxiously. Really, I had some raw meat a few days ago.

Since when are you Inuit? she asked, as a joke. And you passed out, Max, remember?

Look, just don't worry about it, all right? Max told her in a severe tone.

-----

Logan caught the look on Ima's face and left the room. She turned to Asha, who also looked confused.

"Does he know something we don't?" Asha asked. Ima shrugged.

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CHAPTER FIVE PREVIEW

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AUTHOR NOTE

Well well well, this is quite the interesting turn of events, huh? I still don't know if I'm actually going to leave Max pregnant--the original plan that Max was going to die at Ben's cabin, actually--but you'll find out in a day or two. Also, for people who are turned off by the idea of M/Z... I don't care. Max and Zack won't be getting together at all in this one though. Maybe for a little bit, but not for long. I just don't like the pairing that much.