"Float Like A Butterfly"
Chapter 5: Only Takes Quarters
by: Mochaije

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or its characters. Other than that, the story and characters are mine.
Summary: Max must find new digs, but her efforts to get some money are thwarted by an Eyes Only mission she wasn't told about, and she must tackle the problem of telling Logan her secret...
Rating: PG 13

Max took the Trytophan out of her pocket and swallowed a couple. She realized she hadn't rinsed her mouth after puking and swallowed some bile, to her disgust. She got up and rinsed. Hearing the sound, Ben knocked again. Max opened te door and stepped out, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"We gotta find you some Seattle digs, Ben," she said shakily.

"I don't live here, it's just a guest hut we use." Max shoved past him and sat down on the couch. He followed suit.

. "I think I'm pregnant," she told him abruptly.

'Well, it's not from when we slept together, because it's too long ago and everything..."

"We didn't sleep together. You fell asleep, bought me motor oil, followed me around, and then broke up with me," Max said, fingering a small throw-pillow on her lap. They studied each other for a moment. Max, still in her leather-vest catsuit, Ben wearing his usual jeans and t-shirt. They both opened their mouths to speak, didn't, and turned away.

"So, um..." They said at the same time. They both giggled slightly. "How much do you know about me?" Max asked after a moment.

"That you're a transgenic," he said awkwardly. She didn't respond and he continued. "Do you... Know who might've knocked you up? If you're actually pregnant, I mean."

"I have a pretty good idea," she whispered. Max felt numb. The seizure had worn off, suprisingly, and her nausea was cooling down. She searched inside herself, trying to feel any cramps at all, and there were none. I might be pregnant. Me! Not even twenty-one and knocked up. I need to take a class on how to keep my pants on. "Don't you tell a soul that I told you that I think that... Well, you know."

"I wouldn't think of it, Max," he patted her on the knee and she smiled weakly.

-----

Ima laid down to sleep in Logan's guest room. He had gone over to Asha's, thankfully. She flicked on the TV that sat on the corner. News, news, news. The Simpsons, and news. Ima had seen that particular episode before though, and switched off the TV. Max's thoughts drifted into her mind. It wasn't words, just a general feeling of being unsure, worried, sick. She was definitely confronting something she knew nothing about, and unknowingly wanted to tell someone.

Max, now I know you're not doing okay, Ima put in, a bit afraid that Max would get pissed off at her. Max appeared to be a bit startled but she responded.

I don't feel like talking about it until I know there's something to talk about, she thought coldly.

Okay. You guys gonna head back tomorrow morning? Ima tried to be sympathetic.

Yeah, I should be feeling okay by then. I'm going to get some sleep.

-----

Max woke up on the couch with a duvet over her, in Logan's apartment, on his couch, not on Ben's. She felt a little gross from too much sleep and she crawled out from under the duvet. Ben and Zack were talking about something in the kitchen, and someone was in the shower. She stumbled into the kitchen.

"Hey, there you are," Ben said, happy to see her. "You've been asleep for almost twenty hours, eh."

"Christ almighty," Max said, opening the fridge and grabbing the milk carton. The pickles looked good as well, but she didn't want to give anything away.

"Hey, don't you go without sleep for weeks on end, Max?" Zack asked that as if he was talking to a child who had just doodled all over a wall and wanted to guilt them into admitting it.

"Usually... Wierd, huh?" She took a few big gulps of milk, burped, then turned to Ben. "Don't you have a home?" He chuckled and ignored her comment. "So... Is Logan around?" She drank innocently from the carton.

"He went over to Asha's," Ima called from the shower. Max nodded to herself, sort of saying, "well, that's just great". She took more gulps of milk, then put the carton back and left.

-----

Max held up the test and waited. A small blue line showed up. She held the box up to the test and looked back and forth, trying to make the test become wrong. It's wrong, it's so wrong, it just is. She tore open the other test she'd bought and was just about to make use of it when someone began knocking on her apartment door. Walter was yelling something about "get your ass out here". She finished in the bathroom and washed her hands, put both tests on the sink, and went hurriedly to the door. Walter loomed over her, shoved an eviction notice in her face, and slammed the door. According to the paper, she had forty-eight hours to vacate or face arrest. She calmly folded up the paper, put it in her back pocket, sank down against the wall, and burst into tears.

About an hour later, when she had calmed down, she put some foundation on to cover up any remaining tear stains, grabbed her wallet, and headed outside. She stuck the keys in her bike and revved it as much as she could, then tore down the streets one last time, towards the only bike dealer that she knew of in Seattle. She took the scenic route, blazing everywhere from Chinatown to the suburbs. When the gas in her bike had trickled down to the amount she needed to get to the bike dealer, she set off towards the store.

Max dismounted reluctantly and stared at her motorcycle, with a lost, forlorn look in her eyes. She had assembled it by hand, with parts she had bought with her money she'd earned stealing, or with parts that she'd simply stolen. Having the bike had gotten her through a lot, and into a lot of trouble. She took the sunglasses from her head and smashed them underfoot. Wheeling the bike to the front of Bob's Used Cars, she set down the kickstand with her left foot and walked into the shop.

-----

"If this place got any more Ikea furniture in it, it would burst, hon," Logan called, letting himself into Asha'a apartment. Her place did indeed resemble an Ikea showroom, white-washed walls and and beige burbur covered the entire apartment. Simple, retro-style furniture was well-placed throughout. The only thing that stood out was Asha's personal stock closet, full of guns and other things she needed when doing stuff for the S1W. However, it was hidden away, like a mermaid's treasure room. Nothing in the entire place looked like ti could possibly belong to her, and she liked it that way.

"Is that some sort of new greeting that you only use when you come over?" Asha smiled, giving him a quick kiss. "So what's up?"

"Just another corrupt used car dealer," he told her. "Giving people fake money for their cars."

"Well, gosh, we'll have to go give him proper what-for," Asha said sarcastically. "Every time you come over here it's about Eyes Only stuff. Yeah, I know, protect the down-trodden, blah blah, woof woof--" Logan looked away. "Well, it's true. It's a bit hard to be in a relationship with someone who sees you as a colleague first and a girlfriend second."

"I'm sorry," he apologised. "This is the last time, I promise."

"I doubt it," she said. "Max doesn't want to talk to you any more, remember?"

"I'm too broke to run Eyes Only, Asha," he told her tiredly.

"So you are Eyes Only then?" She asked. "Let's go..."

-----

Logan noticed a familiar motorcycle in the lot of Bob's Used Cars, but didn't say anything. He and Asha hopped out of the Aztek and walked inside. A large man that he assumed to be Bob was chatting with a slim brunnette, in his expensive-looking glass office. They both got up, shook hands, and the woman turned to leave with a large, bulky envelope in hand. Max looked a little surprised to see Logan and Asha, and they returned the expression.

"Max, you're--" He started.

"Okay, alive, and without wheels or an apartment," she told them, very matter-of-factly. "By the way, Logan, me and you have to have a little chit-chat about..." She looked at Asha. "Something that has nothing to do with your girlfriend." She turned to leave but Logan grabbed her by the arm.

"That Bob guy has been giving out fake bills and--"

"We're here to pretend to sell the Aztek and then give Bob proper what-for," Asha said, as if she was naming off a list of ingredients. He gave her a look and then turned back to Max. He was about to speak again when Bob came out of his office. Max karate-chopped him in the face and he fell to the floor, knocked out. She tore up her receipt and let it fall on him, then dropped the cash bundle as well. Taking the keys to her bike from the man's pocket, she began to leave again.

"I had it covered already," she acted like she had known about Bob longer than the other two. "I'll put in a call to the Better Business Bureau in the morning. We on for lunch then, Logan?" His gaze snapped up from the comatose man.

"Don't you need somewhere to crash?" He asked.

"Ima's already taking up space at your crib, isn't she? Me and Zack can sleep at Ben's. But thanks for the offer." She actually left this time. Logan was about to say something but Asha headed out of the shop with a frustrated, tired sigh.

-----

"Honey, I'm home," Max yelled at the seemingly empty apartment. Ben had given her his address over the phone. His apartment was very open, with a roof that was two storeys up. There was an extra bedroom from where Max stood. "Ben, you here? I booked a U-Haul, we gotta swing by my apartment and 'vacate'." He sauntered out of the bathroom, wet, wearing a towel.

"Well, hello," he said casually. He leaned against the wall, ran a hand through his hair, flexed his biceps, then straightened up when Zack walked in.

"Hey, yourself. Get dressed or something," Zack chuckled. Max looked a bit embarrassed, but she covered by leaning against the wall with a bored expression on her face. She snapped out of her slouch when someone knocked on Ben's door. She opened it and looked at the pimple-faced pizzaboy, took the pizza, and told him to scram. He obeyed.

"Yo yo yo, free pizza in da house," Max called, inviting herself into the kitchen. Ben came out of his room, now fully dressed, and sat down on the floor beside her. Zack sat down a little awkwardly, not used to sitting on dirty carpet eating stolen pizza.

"Did you get evicted or something? " Ben asked her, tearing off a chunk of pizza with his teeth. Max nodded and her eyes grew wide, as if she'd just remembered something incredibly important. Fuck, I left the fucking test on the counter... She dropped her pizza back in the box and picked up a sticky telephone that was on Ben's wall. She dialed her own number, and Cindy picked up.

"Hey, boo... Don't go to the washroom. I got sick everywhere and it's really gross and--No no no, don't clean it up! It's toxic! Look, it's just a big mess in the bathroom, I'll fix it up--Yeah, we're evicted. Me and Zack and Ben--That guy I took home from the bar last October, boo--are gonna eat some pizza and help you pack... Yeah, the U-Haul is available for eight in the morning or something... Just don't go take a piss... You have to promise me!... Okay, cross your heart and hope to die or whatever?... Aiight, we'll be there in half an hour or so." Max hung up and shook herself out a little bit, then sat back down.

Did you tell Zack yet? Came Ben's thoughts. She was a little alarmed to find out that she was still telepathic, but she recovered without Zack noticing. Max picked up her pizza again and bit off a mouthful.

No, my roommate doesn't know either--

The cute blonde?

No, she married this guy, but anyway... We have to hurry up and get over there before she goes in the washroom. I sorta left the pregnancy test on the counter in the shitter. Zack reached for another piece of pizza and Max also did, in case she was drawing any attention.

"So, I'm leaving tomorrow morning," Zack said, breaking the verbal silence. "I've got something set up in Mexico with Jace." Max sensed Ben's confusion and explained who Jace was, telepathically. They went back to eating.

-----

Logan and Asha went home seperately from the dealership. He offered her a ride a few times when she said that she was going home, but she walked anyway and didn't look back. He drove home to find Ima waiting for him, hands on her hips.

"What is it tonight?" He asked causually, taking off his coat. She rolled her eyes.

"Max is pregnant."

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CHAPTER SIX PREVIEW: THIS KIND OF MACHINE

Oh. My. God. Is it it mine? Or is that guy she slept with while she was in heat the father? Ima's being silent, and she hasn't talked to me all day except to ask about where the extra rolls of toilet paper was, and if Max or Asha kept any clothes at the apartment that she could borrow. But I guess she doesn't need to ask some things, seeing as she can violate my mind any time she wants. She lets out a huff from the passenger seat of the Aztek and turns to look out the window at the Sector Cop. I take my pass out of my overhead visor, flash it at the cop, and pull away. She runs her tongue over her teeth and looks like she's going to say something, but doesn't. She instead points to the next apartment building and we pull in.

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AUTHOR NOTE

So yes, it's Logan's. Big suprise, huh? Review this one, pretty please. :)