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/N: Sorry it's taken so long. I'm a slight perfectionist and I don't like writing something and publishing it the same day. I hope you appreciate my weirdness. REVIEW.
Getaway to CubaBy Strife's LMNT
Chapter 3
She did it again! She somehow managed to get me wrapped tightly around her little finger and then she flicked me away like some pesky mosquito. Anger and confusion swirled around in my mind, replacing the love I had felt before. But this time had been different from our chance meeting in the club. Max had professed her love to me as soon as I had revealed my true feelings. But I still didn't get it. Max had let the police take her away so easily. That wasn't her thing and I knew that for sure.
My thoughts about the recent events had overwhelmed my head, filling it with "whys" and "hows" and "what ifs". I didn't remember much after they took her away. When I came to my senses, I found myself sprawled out on the church floor. I didn't faint. Superior men like me don't faint. The thick incense smoke must've messed me up. I looked out the stained glass window to see that the sun was just about setting. I had definitely missed my flight. It didn't matter, I wasn't about to leave without Max.
Remembering past missions, I knew that if I was going to rescue Max from whatever prison she was in I would have to wait until at least well-past midnight. But first, I had to find out where the prison was. The locals all told me that most foreign prisoners were taken to a certain high-security prison downtown.
High – security my ass. The chapel would've made a better prison. Sure it had a few guards here and there, but the windows were uncovered, the entrances were all concealed by bushes and I could see that the cells were actually bedroom-like. My guess, as I surveyed the area from behind a bush, was that this jail had once been some tourist getaway. Hell, there was even a pool and a tennis court. No wonder Max wanted to be arrested, it was like checking into Club Med for free.
Thinking to myself, I wondered, "Why I couldn't go in there right now to get Max?" There was easy access inside, the coast was clear, the guards were probably out having a beer, it seemed okay. But then a mischievous grin spread across my face. What's the rush? Max always let me sweat it out a bit in jail before she came to "rescue" me. She always took her time, half of it spent looking for the right outfit. Why not give her a taste of her own medicine? Sure, I loved her, but she still deserved a little revenge.
To kill some time I hung out in a nearby bar. As I watched the drunken vacationers dance to a live band, I had a stunning revelation. It was way to easy for a guy like me, or anyone in good physical shape for that matter, to walk into the prison, grab the girl and make a getaway. I decided to take a change and pull-off one of the greatest escapes ever. I'm sure even Max would be proud if I managed to pull it off. To celebrate my new plan, I ordered 3 more beers and downed them one after another. Looking for a fight, I checked out my options. Tall guy by the pool table? Nah. The suit by the bar? Nope. The biker by the payphone? Perfect. Downing another beer, I walk over to the muscular man and in my best Spanish, I managed to insult his mother, girl friend, cousin, sister and priest in a few short sentences. Judging by the angered look on his face, I braced myself for the impact of his fist to my face.
I was feeling knocked out after a couple of punishing blows but not before I managed to get the whole bar in on the fight. Using my championship fighting moves, I got every male in the place chasing me around the bar. Using my lighting quick speed, superior strength and a few more witty insults, it wasn't long before everyone was out to kill me.
I awoke and realized that my plan worked perfectly. Judging by my surroundings I guess that I was on the lower floor of the prison downtown. My left eye was a bit swollen, but everything else seemed fine and my eye would heal within the hour. I was lying on a hard wooden bench, the only piece of furniture in the room. There was no movement on this floor or the floor above it. Suspicious, I called out to the guards asking for a glass of water. When no answer came, I took it as my chance to bust out.
The lock came undone relatively easily and the door made no sound as I swung it open. My only source of light was the moon and even that wasn't enough. I figured that Max would be held somewhere on the upper floors, where it would be harder to escape. Unfortunately, the only way up was from the outside as the stairs and elevators had been barricaded and locked up better than the actual cells. I could now see why the place looked so harmless from the outside. The inside was built like an ice-cube tray because once you got past one obstacle, it wouldn't be long until you were faced with another problem. Still, it was gonna be a piece of cake.
I scaled the outer walls with ease and peeked into all the windows. It took me a few minutes until I spotted Max sound asleep on the 4th floor. She was curled up under the sheets, oblivious to her surroundings. She wasn't even worried! Forget about trying to escape!
"Max, wake up!"
"Hmm? Alec, what the hell are you doing in the window? Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Do you have any idea of where you are? Max, you're in jail."
"I know. Exactly where I should be."
"Huh?"
"I needed a place to stay. Why not a free jail?"
"Why not my motel room? You could've just asked, I would've let you stay there. What's up with you? Did you leave half your brain in Seattle to keep Logan company?"
"Haha, very funny. I just didn't want to stay in a motel. I mean, look at this place. It's a free hotel."
For the first time, I looked at the room. I was right when I thought it was a remodelled hotel. Everything remained the same. The bed, the lamps, the furniture, it was all there. I was surprised that there wasn't a little mint on the pillow or a room service menu on the night stand.
"Hey, not fair, you got a nicer room than I did. You should see the cave they put me in."
"You got arrested too? And you say I'm the one who left my brain in Seattle?"
"Max, we've got to get out of here. Now."
"What's the rush?"
"I don't know. Maybe the fact that the guards have just spotted me hanging out the window?"
"You always do this! You ruin my fun. You know, whenever I pulled your ass out of jail, I made sure you wanted to leave first."
"Max, it's jail! No one really wants to stay in here, except for the crazies like you. Forget it, we'll have plenty of time to talk about this later. Pick the lock on your door. We can't get out this way."
Max and I crept through the dark hallway searching for the fastest way out. As we neared the stairs, 4 policemen entered from the elevator, guns drawn. Feeling kind of adventurous, and wanting to impress Max, I grabbed two, pirate-like swords from a display on the wall and threw one towards Max handle first. (Why they still had real swords hanging on a wall in a prison, I don't understand.) As the policemen advanced Max and I charged and took on two guys each. Feeling incredibly stupid, I dropped my sword and took out the guys bare handed. Looking over at Max, I saw that she had done the same thing.
With the police out of the way, we went back to Max's cell and climbed out of the window onto a narrow ledge. Grabbing the rusted rain gutter, ( A/N: flashback to "Hello, Goodbye, right?) we shimmied down and ran into the night. The sweet, night wind blew past our sprinting forms almost as if it was telling us to slow down. The getaway seemed too easy after what we had just been through. There were no other policemen chasing us, and definitely no one following us in a car. After arriving on the beach, we stopped and took a break by the water's edge.
"That was fun, Alec."
"Yeah, it was. But we didn't have to do it."
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't have to steal the money from the church, I could've paid for your ticket. You didn't have to let them find you in the church. You could've escaped from the police when they first found you. You could've escaped from their van. You could've climbed out the window when you first arrived. If you had done any one of those things, I wouldn't of had to rescue you. "
"Rescue me? You're complaining about rescuing me? Do you know how many times I've had to save your ass from White back in Seattle? Are we forgetting about a certain explosive planted in a certain someone's neck? Or a certain someone being arrested for murder?"
"Hey, the last one I had nothing to do with. They thought I was Ben, remember? Besides, this was uncalled for. You just wanted to see if I was capable of being the rescuer for once. You wanted to have a little fun, while I was busting my ass trying to get you out. You were testing me. So, did I pass?"
"Barely. The police are still going to be looking for me."
"You're here out of jail aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now I gotta find us a way out of Cuba."
"Us?"
"Yes, us. Aren't you coming back to Seattle with me?"
"Alec, I need some time away, like you did. I can't go back yet."
"Then, I'll stay here with you."
"No, I need time alone. I wanna stay here for awhile, put my life into perspective. A lot has happened and I think I need a place like this to get lost and find myself again. You understand, right?"
"No, not really. After all this, after everything we've been through, you wanna throw it away and leave me in the dust. And I thought you really cared about me. You came all the way here to find me and tell me your real feelings. Now you want me to leave you in this place?"
I turned away in anger and disgust and began to watch some local vendors setting up their wares for sale on the popular public beach. I really couldn't believe what Max had just said. She tried so hard for us to be together, and now she wants to spend some time alone. Since when did she become a self-help guru? I don't know why I always fall for the crazy ones.
"Alec?"
"What!?"
"I love you."
She had managed to do it for the second time in two days. (A/N: 1st time was in the chapel) With a few whispered words, she had dispelled my anger for her and replaced it with immediate adoration. There was no way anyone could stay angry with this girl. It was evil.
"I love you too, Max."
We sat together on the beach watching the sunrise over Havana in silence. The peacefulness was so eerie compared to our lives before that moment in the sand. I was the happiest man in the world. Surf, sand, sun and the woman I loved all mixed together to make one hell of a reality check.
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I remember when
I couldn't sleep that night
And all at once-upon-a-time
I had to find a way
To bring her back to my
So I made a plan of
How to set her free
And so tomorrow night
Mi Amore I will find
It all happened once-upon-a-time
Once upon a time
He disguised himself in sheets
(I waited for the guards to fall asleep)
Snuck into the tower and took the keys
(And I told the girl stick close to me)
He was in a sword till the death
(Everyone that watched just held their breath)
And then he ran, jumped, climbed
Faster, faster, faster
I remember when
She came back into my life
And all at once-upon-a-time
We made our getaway
To another time and place
We were riding while the
Tears rolled down her face
She knows I cannot stay
So we say our goodbyes tonite
It happened all at once-upon-a-time
"Once Upon a Time" – Montell Jordan
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A/N: That's it for now, I guess. If you really want the next chapter sometimes soon, REVIEW. I know the story went a little away from the song, but who cares? And I realize Max is a little out of it, but maybe she did leave half her brain in Seattle. There's more to come on our adventure in Cuba. Be patient and REVIEW!!!