"More Than Human"
Chapter 7: Leaving
by: Mochaije

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or its characters. Other than that, the story and characters are mine. NO spoilers included because my story took such a left turn from the show's real theme.
Summary: Virus bitch goin' down! After "Medium is the Message".
Rating: PG 13
A/N: Lalala, not a lot of M/L to speak of but I'm not an M/L shipper.

Max leaned on the elevator wall again, heart in her throat. Hailey had stopped her from doing this earlier, but now it had to be done. Logan had already seen the morgue photos of Sandeman and the tech, and kissed Asha, so it was okay to tell him now. She just wasn't sure which thing to tell him; that they could touch or that there was no hope. Either way, their 'relationsip' has dissipated into 'uhh, yeah, I know that person' after the thing in the kitchen yesterday, so it didn't matter if she told him one thing or both. The only difference telling him would make would be that those facts would be out in the open.

She was almost glad those two had kissed, that she hadn't been there when Logan saw the pictures. It had made things infinitely easier. Max had decided to break up with him and not tell him about the retrovirus being expired, in case the latter was false, but that was all taken care of. They both knew that the only two people that could cure that damn virus were dead--more than likely by the hand of those infernal hoverdrones that shot through windows. It was better this way, but Logan had a right to know that she might not be poison to him any more.

The elevator squeaked open and she left it, staring forlornly as the doors closed, then turning to check if Logan's penthouse was unlocked. It was, and she quietly slipped inside and into the kitchen, where Logan probably was. He hadn't been much of a computer hack since Hailey arrived, and had taken up cooking things instead.

He stood at one of the islands, chopping something up silently. Max snuck up behind him, quietly wrapped an arm around his slim waist, shivering at a touch she hadn't felt in months.

"Hey, Asha," was all Logan said.

"My hair's a little too brown and long for me to be Asha," Max muttered, taking her hand off him. He whirled.

"What the hell? Are you trying to kill me?" He asked, checking his hands and face for lesions. She folded her arms across her chest, grinning. The virus was actually gone. There wasn't a single mark on him, and apparently he wasn't nauseous or anything.

"Nah," she said, grinning. "The virus expired though. I thought you'd be a little bit more happy."

"Expired?"

"Yeah. Turns out it starts to feed on the host if it's not given a life expectancy. Not that the virus thing matters any more, I just didn't want to act all cautious around you and stuff." They were silent for a moment as Logan rolled up his sleeves and checked his arms. "Chill. You're fine."

"Me and Asha only kissed once, Max," Logan pointed out, in case that was what she meant about the virus not having an impact any more... 'Oh, it doesn't matter, we're not like that anyway.'

"I don't want to be with you if you want to be with her."

-----

Hailey politely wiped her mouth with a napkin and excused herself to the bathroom. The brunch was delicious, especially the salad that was technically dessert. But of c ourse, she had no intention of going to the washroom, and she bolted for the door. Her hand had barely come close to the handle when White's strong arms grabbed and twisted her, pinning her to the door with one arm, silencing her with the other.

"What are you doing in Seattle? I've got enough shit to deal with without you and your unorthodox little family. I should kill you right here." His tone was the one someone would use while yelling, but much quieter.

"I'm... In Seattle... Because that's where my legal guardians... Are... Seeing as my parents are dead," she bit back, finally hitting the nerve that made her able to fight, and throwing White into a nearby banister.

A swift toss into a wooden stairway didn't faze him. "They're dead because you're not, you realize ." He flung himself at her and she barely ducked in time, running into the family room. Too far from the door now, Hailey would have to either kill White or knock him out. But how do you do that to someone who didn't feel pain?

He ran into the family room and she blurred past him, back into the foyer, knocking him to the ground. "How do you like them apples?" Hailey panted, pulling her hair back out of her face with one hand. He didn't reply. "S'what I thought!" Jumping into the air, she kicked him hard in the side and he rolled onto his back. Even if White wasn't feeling that, it was definitely slowing him down. She tripped on the way down from her flight however, and when she looked up, he was gone.

-----

They stood in the kitchen for a few minutes, tense, not saying anything. Logan kissing Asha was much worse than Max sleeping with someone when she was in heat; Max had no control over her inhibitions, Logan knew what he was doing. Both of them knew that. "So..." Logan began, trying to catch her eye. She shook her head.

"I just don't know any more," she sighed, fingering her gloves and avoiding any attempt at eye contact. Finally, she looked up at him. "I should've told you when I found out."

"Uh, yeah." They were quiet for a little while, until Max left.

-----

"What the hell happened?" Mercedes demanded. Hailey looked up at her when she was done examining her limbs for bruises and the like, then shook her head.

"White... He attacked me. For no reason," she wheezed. Sadie was unimpressed and just rolled her eyes.

"That's bull and you know it! White's one of the good guys." Hailey gave her another look and got up. Her friend just leaned on the family room doorway, smiling like an idiot. "You wrecked my brunch. But that's okay, I guess. Because you got your ass kicked and all."

"Your brunch?"

"Yeah. When an Alpha gets to be seventeen, we have a dinner of some sort. I decided to have a brunch and get it out of the way, seeing as it's just a Bat Mitzvah without the Hebrew reading and presents and big-ass feast." Her smile faded. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. So, when do you... We... Have our mates chosen?"

"Only the really orthodox folks have their... Mates... Chosen. I get to choose my own, because White said I could."

Hailey scoffed. "And he's your boss or something?"

"I have a strong urge to rearrange you face, y'know," Sadie looked away. "You know now, don't you."

"Know what?"

"Get out of my house."