Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

***PLEASE NOTE*** I changed Chapter 1. They're not living in San Francisco anymore. They're in Seattle. I can't even remember why I had them go to San Francisco.

A/N: Lots n lots of thanks go out to Hearns, who emailed me some very helpful ideas! My muse is starting to wake up again. I just watched Girlfight! Very good movie! Go rent it! Now! LoL :-D In fact… I liked that movie so much I'll probably be introducing the main character from that movie, Diana, into this story… but beware, she has a dirty mouth! If you've seen the movie, please humor me and just make believe that this could happen, okay? LoL Or not… you could just yell at me U_U

Happily Never After

By

Brin, proud member of the Fellowship for Hot X5 Guys

Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.

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Chapter 2: However Unlikely

"Adopt… me?"

Max nodded and muffled a yawn. Eddie had been repeating this question over and over without rest for the past three hours. It seemed she was delusional.

"Me?"

"Yes, Eddie, you!" yelled Alec, jumping to his feet. "Or do you think she meant the stray dog living down the street?" He paused and looked at Max. "By the way, Max, when were you going to discuss this with me?"

"I was getting around to it!" protested the female X5 half-heartedly. "Besides, it's one less kid to worry about, huh? And who else but Eddie here would you suggest we take in?"

"Well, I was thinking someone who's not four years younger than you!" shouted the other X5, narrowing his eyes.

"She's six years younger than you," countered Max with a sweet smile.

"Don't push it." He ran his fingers through his hair.

Eddie watched the exchange like a tennis match, but when it seemed the game had come to a still she spoke, "Okay."

Max and Alec didn't appear to hear her as they revived their argument. "What's wrong with adopting her? Come on, Alec!"

"What, Max? You're stealing my manly pride from me so early! It's not as simple as just moving her in our apartment and having everything honky-dory all the time. What if she doesn't want to? You've put her in a bad spot!"

"Did you ask her, Alec?"

"OKAY!" Eddie suddenly screamed, holding her hands up. "I said 'okay.'"

Max and Alec looked at her, stunned. Their jaws dropped with almost audible creaks.

"Is that a bad thing?" The anomaly suddenly looked sheepish.

"No, no! Just fine," said Max quickly. She stood and hugged the girl happily. "Are you sure?"

"Uhhh… pretty sure." Eddie tucked a strand of disobedient hair behind her ear, turning to Alec. "I… I hope it's okay with you, too…"

Alec grinned and shrugged. "No problem, kid. Just know it'll take me awhile to adjust, okay?" He looked at Max. "By the way, I called Logan. He's kinda busy, so we'll meet up with him later this week. Alright?"

"Got it." Max glanced at the clock, then turned to Eddie. "You need to get ready for school."

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School for transgenics was not a happy occasion. None of them looked forward to, and none of them enjoyed a second of it. Most of them had already learned everything they were taught, but the state government had decreed that the 9-year-old X8s couldn't go to college, even if they had the intelligence. In fact, for 'safety purposes,' every transgenic attended the grade appropriate for their age. Eddie, having just turned 17 with a birthday just shy of the cutoff date, was unceremoniously tossed into her senior year. It was the middle of the first semester, and there was no way any of the transgenics could manage to make bonds with Ordinaries who had been friends for years and years. The result was a brand new high school cliché—the transgenic ones.

Eddie walked down the hall with two young X5s and a few X6s, all of them on alert as the Ordinary teenagers gave them dirty looks as they passed. Her cat eyes were downcast, trying hard not to seem threatening. Already five anomalies had been thrown out of school because most Ordinaries didn't understand 'nomlie body language or expressions (also because the teachers were blatantly prejudiced against the transgenics, but none cared to point that fact out). She was fairly used to walking past Ordinaries by now, but talking to them—no way.

Eddie hated her 2nd hour, because it was the only class in which there wasn't another anomaly or X present. The two X5s broke off, cautiously walking into their classes, and soon the X6s had left as well. She ducked her head a bit as a group of Ordinary guys glared at her. She never stopped, ever. It was dangerous and stupid; two things that did not mix well.

Her class was still pretty far away when she was aware that a group of Ordinaries were following her. She listened carefully, and heard five boys and three girls slyly falling into pace behind her. This wasn't good. The anomaly picked up her pace, but they picked up theirs.

"Hey freak!" yelled one of them. "Why don't you let us have a look at that pretty little face?"

Eddie took off running, shoving people out of the way. The group immediately started after her, except people moved out of the way for them. Soon the anomaly came to the rest of the Ordinaries' group of friends, and a large brute of an Ordinary knocked her to the ground. She gasped as the air was knocked from her lungs and her head collided with the tile, causing her to momentarily black out. The eight that had been following her in the first place gathered around, taunting and jeering.

"What's your name, kitty cat? Fluffy?"

"I have a pet mouse at home. Maybe I'll let you chase it! You want to eat it, too?"

"Kitty, kitty! Have you had your rabies shot?" said a particularly mischievous-looking one—probably the leader—as he pulled a syringe from his book bag. "I'll give you a shot!"

Six of the Ordinaries held down her arms and legs and head. The anomaly tried to yell for help, but a gag was forcefully shoved into her mouth as soon as it opened. Her eyes darted around for a teacher, but she knew they wouldn't do much to stop what was happening. A large group of Ordinaries had gathered now. Where were the other transgenics? She craned her neck to look for them, and sure enough there was a commotion at the back of the crowd as a few teens who she recognized as X6s tried to push their way through.

There were so many Ordinary kids gathered around, however, that many of them turned and knocked the X6s back with their books, binders, anything they could get their hands on. Soon a small riot broke out. Teachers rushed to stop the X6s from killing the other students. Other people began to stick their heads into the hall to see what was going on, and as soon as they realized what was happening, they rushed out to help their own groups.

Eddie, still pinned to the floor, was only aware of the mischievous young man who was busily preparing to inject her with what could only be heroine. His friends were holding her down distractedly, and their grip was surprisingly strong for Ordinaries. She tried in vain to yell for help, only to have the gag pushed farther into her mouth. The mischievous Ordinary finished preparing the drug, then grabbed her arm and smirked. "Oh, but officer, she's on heroine!" he said in a high, whiny voice. "She started the fight!"

"We're going to have you take in," said one of his friends, imitating a police officer. "Ha!"

Eddie vigorously shook her head, but it was taken for fighting them and she received a swift kick in the temple. The needle was about two centimeters from her arm when a hand shot out and snatched it away. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" said a threatening voice.

Eddie strained to see who was speaking, but all she could see was the back of a girl's head and her distinctly bare neck.

"What, you're defending her?" asked the young man incredulously. "She's a piece of shit, just like you, Guzman."

"Now that's not very nice," said the young woman before her foot collided with his face, sending him topping backwards.

The others, seeing their leader dispatched like a child, quickly released Eddie and pushed their way through the crowd to get away. The attacker quickly went after them, grabbing the first one she could reach and bashing her head into the lockers. She practically tossed people out of the way to get to the fleeing teens, and soon had beaten three of them to a bloody pulp with her bare knuckles.

"Yeah, that's right you little shits, run away!" called the mysterious young woman to the ones who got away. She briefly glanced over at Eddie as if to make sure the anomaly acknowledge the fact that she had been saved, then disappeared into the mob as police rushed into the school to contain the riot.

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It took an hour and a half to get everyone calmed down and into their respective classrooms. When passing period came again everyone was tense.  Half the students had black and blue bruises on various parts of their bodies, the other half had been taken to the counselor or the vice principal's office, and some Ordinaries had even been taken to the hospital after tangling with the wrong transgenics. Teachers scoured the halls with scrutinizing eyes and police were posted at every corner.

Eddie's eyes flickered across the hall curiously. It was the last passing period of the day, and she hadn't seen the young woman who had saved her earlier. Was she a transgenic? There hadn't been a barcode, but she had moved like one. Fought like one. Talked like one… and defended one. She looked down at her feet as a teacher passed, then glanced up and saw who she was looking for.

She was leaning against the lockers, hands jammed in her front pockets, the white stick of a Dum-Dum lollipop poked out from between full lips. Thick cornrows adorned the top of her head, pulled back into a tight half-ponytail along with the hair that wasn't corn-rowed. A tan vest sat loosely on her shoulders, covering a purple tank top and showing off well-defined arms. Her head was tilted downwards, eyes pinned on her toes, and she didn't seem to have anywhere to be.

Cautiously readying herself for a punch in the face, Eddie approached the young woman, who seemed a little bit too old to be in high school. "Hey."

"You should watch who you pick fights with," she replied, remaining perfectly still.

"I just wanted to thank you. What series are you?" Eddie shifted her books, somehow feeling stupid and prejudiced for asking.

"Human." The young woman opened her eyes and stared out at the anomaly with dark brown, almost black eyes. "I don't have a fucking barcode."

"Oh…" Eddie inwardly smacked herself. "So what's your name?"

"Diana Guzman, and before you ask anymore questions, I think you should get to class." She moved her candy from one side of her mouth to the other.

Eddie looked at the clock and nodded. "Okay… well… bye." She started walking away, but not before looking back and noticing the card sticking out of Diana's vest pocket. It said Lopez's Boxing Gym on it. She committed this to memory, then hopped into her class just as the bell rang.

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That afternoon, Eddie went to Max and Alec's instead of Pick's apartment. Was she supposed to move in with them immediately? Pick might be mad.

"Hey, I'm back," announced the anomaly as she opened the door.

Max was sitting in the living room opposite a man dressed in a cheap suit, smelling of cheap cologne. The X5 looked up and grinned widely. "Eddie! Great, you're just in time! We have all the papers sorted out, and he said he just wanted to hear your consent."

"Yeah, I agree to stay with them," said Eddie with a shrug.

"Then it's a done deal," declared the sleazy-looking man. He placed the documents in his briefcase and stood up. "Copies will be sent to you through the mail." He nodded to Eddie and quickly exited the apartment.

"So I can call you Mom now, right?" teased the anomaly coyly.

"Hmm… let's wait a little while for that," replied Max with a laugh. "And don't you dare call Alec 'Dad'. He'd have a fit. We all need some adjusting."

"I understand." Eddie placed her books on the coffee table and looked around. "So this is home?"

"Yeah. But we'll be moving into a house later. This place is way too small." Max chuckled and stood up. "I'm going to call Pick in about two minutes ask him to pack your things. Could you go pick them up? I hope you don't mind the rush…"

"That's okay." The anomaly shifted from foot to foot restlessly. "I'm going to head out… I told a few friends I'd meet them at the café down the street," she lied, her face full of innocence.

Max eyed her suspiciously, but didn't protest. "Alright. Be home by ten."

"Yes, Mom," mocked Eddie as she grabbed her jacket and hurried out the door, ducking the pillow Max lobbed at her.

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Lopez's Boxing Gym was pushed right up against the shore, with a good view of the heavily polluted ocean from the front. The sign over the door was covered in muck blown in from the ocean and was barely readable. Eddie wrinkled her nose at the smell of dead fish and trash that hung in the air. The inside wasn't much better. Some gyms had the right of mind to provide air conditioning and good ventilation, but this gym was stifling hot with the smell of sweaty bodies hanging in the thick, musty air. The walls, covered in mold and half-heartedly painted, had several holes in them. In the middle of the gym was a well-lit ring where two young men were currently sparring. Other boxers were scattered about, doing various training exercises or talking with their coaches. There was another room set off from the first one by a wall that looked like it was about to fall down, and Eddie spotted a smaller, cheaper ring in there.

"Looking for someone?" grunted a raspy voice.

Eddie jumped in surprise and saw an old man, leaning heavily on his cane, looking at her suspiciously. "I was… I was just…"

"Don't worry, Pedro," interrupted the familiar voice of Diana. She stepped in front of the anomaly, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just… curious…"

"Figures," Diana interrupted, smirking. "Doesn't this explain enough?" She gestured around the gym.

Eddie shrugged. "Can't I thank you?"

"You already did."

"Yeah, but…"

"Pedro," interrupted Diana, rolling her eyes at the anomaly. "We're going to step outside for a second."

"Sure thing, Diana. You got three rounds with Don when you come back," he said.

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"Curiosity killed the cat," declared Diana nonchalantly as they walked down Alaskan Way, the closest street to the shore.

Eddie narrowed her eyes at her. "Ha, ha."

"What do you want to know?"

"You're just going to tell me?"

"My life is so fucked it doesn't even matter," declared the boxer, studying the cloth strips wrapped around her knuckles. "So to save us time, I'll start from the beginning." She glanced out at the restless ocean as she talked. "I was born in a bad part of New York… I'd rather not say specifically. Never had a good relationship with my dad. He beat my mom into killing herself, and I'm never going to forgive him. About two years ago I took up boxing. I won the New York Gender Blind Amateur Tournament, moved as far away from my dad as I could possible get, and almost went pro."

"Why almost?" blurted Eddie.

Diana shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. I'd always thought it was my ticket outta that hellhole… I mean, I'd dreamed about going pro the moment I started." She kicked a rock off the road. "But things changed for me." Something behind her eyes flickered, and Eddie could tell that the straight answer to 'Why almost' was a sore spot.

"Why are you at the high school?" She changed the subject.

"I'm getting my diploma. I didn't make passing grades back in New York, but I don't want to be a dropout like my dad," she said calmly. "I'm getting a scholarship to a college in town, but I have to finish high school first."

Eddie nodded, processing the information in her mind. "Sounds like you've had it harder than me."

"What, a transgenic? Aren't transgenics always moaning and groaning about how they've been mistreated and tortured by the public?" said Diana in a joking voice. "You trannies have no fucking idea what pain is. I heard you guys don't even get sent to war. You just do the jobs that no one else will do. "

The anomaly opened her mouth to reply, but could find no words to her defense.

Diana let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She rubbed the side of her neck restively. "Look, kid, you're nice and all, but I don't have time to help you work out your shit, okay? You've obviously got something bothering you. Ask your parents, your boyfriend, whatever. Don't come around here again." And with a sympathetic look, she turned and trudged back to the gym.

Eddie watched her go, irritated, offended, and lonely. She felt like a child admitting it to herself, but it had to be done… she had only wanted a friend.

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Max climbed up the Space Needle quickly and swiftly as she had done thousands of times before. The city of Seattle buzzed hundreds of feet beneath her, oblivious to her ascent of what was once a distinguished symbol in the American eye. She swung herself up onto the side of the disc-like top of the Needle, then easily hopped onto the roof. "What the hell?!" she yelled, nearly stumbling off the edge in surprise.

Standing there in a big bunch, arguing and tittering amongst themselves, was a group of transgenics. They were fighting over who was the first to get to the Needle, because none of them wanted to share it.

"Hey!" Max shouted as she approached them. They ignored her. "Hey!" she repeated, this time louder. Nearly exploding with anger, Max cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed, "HEY!"

The transgenics, most of them Xs, stopped their squabbling and turned to look at her.

"I was here first," said one of them, crossing his arms indignantly. "You should all leave."

Max ran up and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground. "No! None of you were here first! This is my place to go and think about how shitty life is! I have been coming here since I was ten years old, so none of you—" She glared around at them "—have any claim to it! Is that clear, or do I have to toss you all over the edge?"

Wide-eyed, the X slowly nodded his head.

Max took a moment to regain her composure, startled yet pleased at her own reaction to their invasion of her most sacred spot in the city. "Now, if you'd please climb back down in a calm and orderly manner and never come here again, I'd greatly appreciate it."

Like obedient puppy dogs, the transgenics walked over to the edge of the Needle and climbed back down soundlessly.

As soon as the last of them had disappeared over the edge, Max sat down, pulled her knees to her chest, and rested her chin on top of them. It's going to be a looong lifetime…

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A/N: So what'd you think? Did my muse get revived? (again, thanks to Hearns) Do you miss Pick? Should I pursue with my development of the character Diana? Do you like what I'm doing here, giving the transgenics a 'normal' life (for the time being)? Hmm? Hmm? Please tell, me, I really want to know. Thanks!