Disclaimer: My story. Dark Angel concept and characters belong Cameron etc.

Authors Note: Last chapter people! Hope you enjoyed the ride.

DARK TERROR

Chapter 22 - Swallowing the Storm

Present:

Alec closed his eyes and let the sound of the crashing waves fill his mind, drowning out the memories that threatened. His body swayed as the cold air rocked his muscular but slender form.

Hands slid from behind to wrap around his chest, pulling him away from the edge into the warmth of an embrace. He felt her body lean against his back and smelled her sweet breath as she whispered in his ear. "I'm here Alec. Its alright, I'm here." A tear slipped from Alec's closed eyes and trailed a path down his cheek.

She should be nothing but a ghost…

But she wasn't.

Alec turned around in the comforting circle of her arms and stared into the beautiful alive face of Max. Her dark eyes were filled with concern as she looked into his lost hazel gaze. One slim hand cupped his cheek and he instinctively nuzzled his face into her palm.

Max looked at the man before her and felt her heart give a short painful twist. He had sacrificed so much for her. His own peace with himself, his belief in who he was. After letting 494, letting the darkness that had destroyed Ben out of the cage in his mind it had been reluctant to leave completely. His guilt for being unable to save Max from White still haunted every moment he slept and his fear of losing her to others like him plagued every waking thought. Before he had always managed to believe that somehow he could save Max from anyone trying to harm her as long as he was there. But he had been there that last time, and he hadn't saved her

"I failed you. I cant protect you." He whispered painfully to Max. Her eyes softened and she drew Alec closer to cradle his head to the curve of her neck. Max's eyes were old compared to the youth of her face and body, eyes that had seen too much. She stroked his hair comfortingly as they stood buffeted by the wind around them and she remembered what had brought them here.

Flashback:

The world was nothing but darkness. The world was nothing but silence. She was safe. There was no pain, no screaming, no words…Nothing. She was free from White, but Max ached inside her self made prison. It was a nameless ache, a longing for something but Max didn't want to remember what it was called. That would turn into thinking and thinking was dangerous. Thinking would mean remembering, feeling and waking. It would mean going back and Max never wanted to go back to where she had come.

She could live with the ache, pretend it wasn't that bad. But it tugged at her, taunted her with dread, pricked her with fear. This shouldn't be happening here! I'm supposed to be safe now! Forbidden words came forth.

The darkness rippled around her, palling to grey. Max felt a flicker of panic. No! The struggle to maintain her safety was wavering. A heartbeat. Then another. The darkness settled back down. Relaxing within it, Max rested.

Present:

Max tightened her arms around Alec. She didn't want to let go of him. He held her to life as strongly as White had held her to death. Stroking his soft hair Max tried to remember the times before Logan's death and her first capture. As hard as she tried Max couldn't reconcile the feelings she had then for Alec to the ones that now possessed her. Max had loved Logan, yes. But she needed Alec in a way that terrified her when ever she contemplated it.

Alec felt Max's body tense around him and he pulled back enough to see her face. She looked suddenly afraid and Alec forked his fingers through her long dark hair to massage her scalp soothingly. He felt the tension ease gradually and bent to kiss her forehead gently. He didn't ask her what was wrong. They both had their nightmares to face, they were both broken toys. It was only when they were together that Alec felt they even had a hope of one day being mended.

Flashback:

There was a humming sound. An annoying buzz that shouldn't be there. The silence was being broken. Max tried to sink deeper into the darkness but if anything the noise got clearer.

Voices.

They were voices. People were bad, no one should be here except her. Max tried to calm but the sound was insistent. Max couldn't help but hear it. The words were not audible but the tone was desperate and Max cringed in response. No more. Please no more. If anything though the voices became clearer. In spite of efforts to escape Max heard the words.

"Something - Anything -"

Static seemed to distort the voice, kept her from recognising it straight away but hearing anything put the fear of discovery into Max. She had to hide! She had to hide right now before whoever it was found her.

"Wasn't enough…I need you…"

Pain shot through Max as she understood the words spoken and a jolt went through her. Pain shouldn't exist here. She didn't remember this man but he was trying to take her away from her safety. How was he doing this? Max gave into the quivering panic and dived within herself, willingly drowning in the surrounding dark.

Present:

A drop of rain fell from the clouds that cast over the sky, shading it a reflective grey. More drops followed lightly but hinting of a harder storm to come. Neither Max of Alec made a move to go into the small abandoned house they had found here. Rather they tightened their arms around each other and tucked their heads into each others necks as the rain poured down around them.

Flashback:

Something was wrong. Max could tell but she didn't want to know. Whatever it was it had nothing to do with her, she just wanted to left alone where she was. The darkness was fluctuating again. I don't care. Leave me alone. Max forced the fear away, maybe if she listened it would stop by itself.

"He created Max…Her perfect DNA…"

This time the voice was even clearer and not tinged by frantic emotion. It was calm and confident and she knew it as well as she knew her own. Who was he? Without the overwhelming panic Max felt different things this time. When she heard him she felt things - comfort - security - love.

With this acknowledgement the pain returned, shooting through her with clarity. My body. Max realised. I'm feeling my body. Oh God what did they do to me? Everything rushed through her, thoughts, memories… Alec! White - No! Oh no please stop, stop! Help me Alec! Alec! Max screamed in herself. Was Alec there, had he come for her? Part of Max told her she was being ridiculous, there was no way Alec could even have known that Lydecker had turned her in to her worst enemy.

"God Damn Bitch!" White. Max recognised his voice and never had the darkness looked so inviting. She couldn't go back, so what if, against all odds, Alec was there. Eventually there would be more recapture, more suffering. I cant do it again. I'm sorry Alec, just leave me.

Max tried to shut out the voices, tried to submerge herself once more. The voices slowly became more distant. He'll be okay, he'll get over it and get out of here. Max tried to reassure herself, Alec's always alright.

Just as she was about to slip back into oblivion Max heard the sounds of a fight. Flesh against flesh, cries of pain and the sound of crunching bone. Alec! Suddenly fearful for her lover Max stopped her decent. Was he okay? Who was hurt? The sounds continued and Max could stand the not knowing no longer. Did he need her? Hold on please…

White's voice, hoarse "You think your little bitch is going to save the world? She cant even save herself." Laughter, horrifically familiar to Max, and then Alec's voice, strained but confident.

"Can you feel fear?" He'd won, Alec had won, of course he would, he was Alec.

A new sound. A tearing sound. The sound of changing tides. Alec's strangled gasp of surprise.

"Max-"

It was a whimper of defeat and Max could practically hear the blood in his mouth. What had happened was irrelevant, all Max knew was that White had got the upper hand somehow and Alec needed her.

She screamed in her head in anger and started to kick and claw at the darkness. Alec! She had to be strong, she had to fight! White could have her but she would never let him have Alec. She had handed herself over to the devil to stop this happening and she wasn't going to let her own mind stop her from helping the man she loved.

Max felt pain as she tore at the dark wall. She felt a throbing hurt all over as her body became real to her. The sounds were faded as she concentrated ever part of herself on breaking free.

And then the darkness fractured. Splintered as colours blinded her sight and the world roared around her. Darkness returned abruptly and for a moment Max thought she had lost her hold but then she realised she had simply shut her eyes against the bright light of where ever she was.

She was lying down, Max realised. The floor was cold and slippery beneath her body. Tiled. Max was so tired and wanted nothing more than to let go and fall asleep. To die or to live, she was almost beyond caring. But there was Alec. Max's slitted eyes saw him, leaning against the wall in front of her, blood flowing from his side as he tried to hold onto White who was saying something.

Slowly Max's eyes adjusted and she could bear the light a little better. Her eyes shifted their gaze as she searched for something, anything to help Alec. Only a few feet from her position on the floor lay a gun. An object she hated with a passion…but not as much as she hated White. Max tried to move her arm to grab the gun but her limbs felt like rubber. Heavy and uncooperative she strained with ever ounce of energy to move. Inch by painful inch, her arm shifted and her fingers fumbled to finally grasp the cold metal of Alec's gun.

Clumsily Max wrapped her fingers to hold the gun and she yanked her arm back. Lifting her gun hand with her other Max steadied it at White who was turning around from facing Alec.

It was so simple. Their eyes connected and Max saw a split second of shock, a glimpse of horror, and then she pulled the trigger.

The shot echoed through the small room. Max's weak body couldn't quite take the recoil of the blast and she was jerked backwards as she lost her grip on the gun and it fell with a clatter to the floor. Her eyes were open however as she watched White.

He looked stunned. Looking down to see a red bloom of blood spread across his chest where the bullet had found his heart. It must have been only his selectively bred strength that had allowed him to take the bullets force standing. But not for long. White didn't speak. His knees just crumpled and with a final look of fear at Max, Ames White died.

Present:

"I thought you were lost." Max listened as Alec pressed his lips to her rain soaked ear and whispered his words.

"So did I." It was an honest answer. If Alec hadn't needed her, Max didn't think she could have found the will to come back to a world that had hurt her so badly once more.

Alec rubbed his large hands over Max's slender back as he remembered how he had opened his eyes and seen Max across from him, looking at him with awareness. He remembered how she had croaked his name with a voice that might have forgotten how to speak. It had been tough getting them both out of the facility before it blew but they had made it. Alec had killed every person they had come across with White's fully loaded gun, scientist, doctors, soldiers… Both he and Max had used a strength they didn't know they had. They had been together again and used the strength it gave them to stand, to kill and to escape.

After the flames they had holed up for days at Alec's motel room. He had a bag full of everything they could possibly need, preparing for the possibility of injuries before the rescue mission. Fortunately there was no major organ damage done by White's knife and with a transfusion from Max, Alec had slowly recovered.

Max too had regained her strength. Nothing like she had once possessed but she was getting there. Alec had noticed something new about her. An inner will to fight. The fire she had lost, after Logan's death and her original capture, now burned bright once more. White was dead, Logan avenged and though they would always be hunted they were together right now.

The rain trickled down over Max's features as she upturned her face to look at Alec. He looked down at the small woman in his arms and tried to smile. She had saved them both but the victory was bittersweet. Their lives would always be spent running, until Max did whatever it was she was designed to do, they would always live in some semblance of fear. They knew what the dark held for them… nothing but terror.

The rain and wind had picked up and as lightning broke the stormy clouds apart, the first clap of thunder rumbled. Alec pulled Max back to him tighter as they stood there, drinking the rain, swallowing the storm.

THE END.

A/N: I cant believe anyone thought I would be so cruel as to kill Max after all that and drive Alec to suicide! Not quite a happy ending I know but I'm not good at writing fluffy bunny stuff, (not that I don't enjoy reading it) and it just wouldn't have fitted with the rest of the story. Anyway, hope you liked it!