Disclaimer: All characters belong to the creators and writers of Dark Angel, NOT to the idiots at Fox who cancelled the show.
Summary: M/A!! Alec's POV. Sometime in the 3rd season. The battle with the government is over and Alec needs some time away from everything that's happened in Seattle. With some persuasion from a good friend, he decides to getaway to Cuba.
A/NI: This is a bit like a songfic, but more of a Dark Angel fanfic. It's based around Montell Jordan's "Once Upon a Time" from his "Get It On Tonite" album. The lyrics really don't do the song justice, so download it, or find it at the back of your CD collection, and listen while you're reading the story. I immediately thought of Max and Alec when I heard the song for the first time in years.
A/NII: Everything in italics was said in Spanish. Ay, can you imagine Alec speaking Spanish? Ooh, Dios mio.
A/NIII: It's a bit sappy, but we all need a good story once in awhile. Please review!!! Be a responsible reader. Review, even if you think this story sucks. REVIEW!!
Getaway to CubaBy Strife's LMNT
Chapter 2
It was early Sunday morning and despite having just danced all-night only a couple of hours earlier, I didn't feel the need to sleep. My mind was elsewhere as I headed to the market place for a couple of last minute souvenirs.
Was that Max? Was it her who wore that unforgettable red dress? If it was her, why did she disappear into the night like some fugitive? Why does everyone I have ever loved disappear like that? I desperately wanted it all to be true, not some sick dream from the night before. I wanted our encounter to be real, to have Max all to myself.
After picking up what I needed in the market place, I decided to head for the salsa club hoping Max would be staying nearby or at least to find someone who saw where she went. They always return to the scene of the crime. The Manticore tactics came in handy for once. The club wasn't too hard to find since it was located in one of the busiest areas of town. To my disbelief, over the door hung a "Closed Until Further Notice" sign. The doorway was blocked by bags of trash and when I looked through a cracked window, I saw that the place was a mess. Broken beer bottles lined the floor, the plants were either dying or extremely overgrown and the bar was completely empty. After talking to some passers-by I learned that the club had been closed for at least a week. They said there was no way I could have danced with Max the night before.
It was all that I could take. I ran back to the motel, ignoring the beautiful scenery as it flashed past me. I ran at full speed for a long time, now knowing where in Havana I was. My lungs burned, my legs felt like jelly and my arms were about to fall off. I found the sense of stop myself before being killed by some crazy taxi cab driver. I saw that I had stopped in front of the tiniest, yet most beautiful chapels I had ever seen. Granted that I had only seen a few churches in Seattle while making runs, I knew that this chapel was special. With its black, wrought iron gates and windows and its white plaster façade, it had its own special charm. Intrigued as to why I found this place special, I entered the chapel and was instantly hit by clouds of musty incense and the intense heat of the hundreds of candles lit inside. The air was hot and sticky, making me lethargic and somewhat peaceful. For the first time in my life, I knelt down and prayed in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or at least, that's what the plaque on the pedestal said. Being the only one in the chapel, I began to speak out loud.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do or say or even think. I've never done this before so don't hurt me if I do something wrong. It's just that this girl, Max, maybe you two know each other? She's been on my mind so much I can't tell what's real and what's not. She came to me last night and told me she wanted to be with me. I love her so much, but I think she doesn't want to hurt her other friend, Logan. Don't get me wrong, the guy's done a lot for transgenics in Seattle, but he doesn't love her like I do. He's rough and possessive. He doesn't know who the real Max is. He doesn't appreciate the person beneath the superior DNA. I know a man like me doesn't deserve a woman like her but she's all I have left. She's my everything."
After a few moments of silence I sensed a force approaching me from behind. Figuring that it was just some faithful local coming to pray, I continued to pray to the woman dressed in blue.
"Funny, I never saw you as a religious man. Thinking of a career change?"
That voice, that tinge of cheekiness…it couldn't be her. The heat was making me hallucinate.
"You know Ben used to love visiting old churches like this too. Maybe you're more alike than you think."
Oh great, this fantasy even knew about my psychotic twin brother.
"Alec, get off your ass, you're not hallucinating."
I finally turned around to see Max standing in the doorway in jeans and a white, peasant shirt. Not her usual black leather, but that was fine with me. I turned to face the statue and I could swear it was smiling at me. I mouthed a silent, "Thank you!" towards the statue. Regaining my composure, I put on my unsurprised, calm face on and spoke to the angelic being before me.
"I knew it was you all along. Couldn't you see I was busy? And if I were you, I wouldn't be using language like that in this sacred place."
"Alec, you know nothing about anything sacred."
She knelt down beside me and admired the beautiful lady in blue.
"All the stuff you said before was really sweet. I didn't know you had that side to you."
Trying extremely hard not to blush as I realized she had heard my ever word, I turned my face towards the statue.
"Listen, Logan and I will always be friends. Maybe not friends, more like business partners. You're right, he never even tried to look past, well, my past. He only saw me as a transgenic who was willing to do whatever it took. Even if we have this virus thing cured, our time together has definitely passed. It took a lot of strength to leave him. He definitely didn't like the idea of me going away to someplace without telling him. I didn't know if it was worth going through all that trouble. Last night, I realized who I really want to be with. I want to be with the most caring, funny and sexy man I know. I want you, Alec."
With those last four words my heart began to beat twice as fast as normal and a huge grin spread across my face. It hadn't been some wishful dream, we really did dance the night away. Max loved me as much as I loved her. Without hesitating, I grabbed Max and kissed her like I had never kissed any other woman before. With such love and passion, I didn't know I had in me. And she kissed me back with the same emotion I gave to her. We kissed in the midst of saints, crosses and candles, and we didn't care.
"Wait a minute, I went to the club this morning looking for you and the people in the area said it had been closed for a week. It looked abandoned, like no one had been there for awhile. How could we have met there?"
"I don't understand. We were both there. The band played, the bar tender served drinks, people danced, we weren't the only ones there. Are you sure you went to the right…."
"There she is! The one at the altar. Arrest her at once!"
In the midst of our conversation we had failed to notice the padre walk in with about 5 local policemen.
"She's the one who stole the collection box yesterday. I'm sure of it."
"Hold on, there's gotta be some mistake. Padre, Max wouldn't steal from a church. It's not her thing. Neither is stealing, for that matter. Besides she has an alibi, I was with her yesterday." I was suddenly thankful for the time I spent memorizing the dictionary.
"It is her, ask her yourself."
"Max, tell the padre you didn't steal the little collection box and we can be on our way."
"Alec, I'm sorry. I had to pay for my ticket over here." She too, had apparently memorized the dictionary.
"Then let's take these guys out. They're nothing compared to the stuff we've faced before. Look at the chubby one over there, I bet he's got some relative in the force, 'cause I don't see how he could've made it." Speaking in English, I hoped the policemen wouldn't understand.
"Alec, I'm tired of running."
"This isn't some transgenic crusade! You're not running away from Manticore, you're just getting yourself out of a little trouble. Padre, I have American money. I'm sure it's enough to pay for whatever she took."
"Alec, it doesn't matter what you say. They came here to arrest me. It's time I finally paid for what I did."
"What the hell is wrong with you? It's like you want to be arrested."
"Don't make this harder than it already is."
With that the policemen took Max away in a beaten up van. I couldn't believe it. Why would Max walk away with them so willingly? What the hell had happened to her? She wants to be arrested, for Christ's sake. Oops, sorry. (I had just remembered I was in a chapel.) She's never been caught. What would make this crime any different? The questions swirled in my head until everything came crashing down.
The next day I was walking
To the marketplace…
I passed by the cathedral, so I
Stopped to pray
I imagined this journey without my friend
And just like an angel
She appeared again
But before I could ask her
Why she had gone
The padre started yelling that
"She's the one"
And suddenly the policia
Were everywhere
With chaos in the air
I remember when
She had to say goodbye
And all at once-upon-a-time
I could not believe
They said she was a thief
And I stood there as they
Drove her away from me
What was I to do
Now they've accused her of a crime
It happened all at once-upon-a-time
"Once Upon a Time" – Montell Jordan
A/N: So what do you think? I know what you're thinking. You're saying to yourself, why can't they just stay together for once? Why are they always being ripped apart just when they make progress in their relationship? I'm right, aren't I? But if you knew how most typical Alex/Max fanfics go, you'll realize that it's all part of the plan. There's at least one more chapter, and possibly a 4th depending on what you say. REVIEW!!