A/N: Dark Angel is owned by Cameron/Eglee Productions – not me.

Max, OC and Asha walked through Crash together, turning every head along the way to their regular spot at the bar.

Alec glanced up at the trio from the pool table, giving them a nod before gliding his cue stick expertly over his steadied hand lining up the shot…

And missing.

He shrugged boyishly at Asha's gaping jaw.

"Guess he found a way to make it up to Sketchy," Max laughed, as Sketchy bobbed his head up and down winking confidently at the girl by his side.

Alec then fixed a sheepish smile on OC, who promptly rolled her eyes and spun to face the bar.

"No good, arrogant, pretty boy, asshole," OC grumbled.

Max watched Alec stare at OC's back, knowing he heard every word. Sketch finally nudged him to take his turn.

"Don't be so hard on him," Asha pleaded.

"Hmph."

"You know Alec. It's not like him to get out of control like that. Ever. Something's wrong."

"Yeah, well--" OC turned from Asha to find Alec on the stool next to her, leaning against the pool cue between his legs.

"Oh no you don't. Bat your eyes somewhere else, 'cause it is NOT workin' on the Original."

Alec looked briefly at the floor, before trying again with twice the resolve.

"Uh-uh, forget it. Nothin' you say or do is gonna move me."

Alec nodded, "Well, I'm going to say it anyway. I respect you."

OC blinked despite herself.

"And I'm sorry," he finished sincerely, pausing for just a moment to squeeze her hand, before leaving to rejoin Sketchy.

"Except maybe that," OC muttered into her glass, "You're forgiven."

Alec and Max smiled simultaneously.

"Shouldn't he be here by now?" Max said.

Asha glanced at her watch, "Yeah. Probably punishing us for not showing up last night. He'll be here."

"I can't believe he sent you to come and get me," Max complained, leaning her back on the bar. "Hey," she said, tapping Asha on the shoulder with the back of her hand, "Go see what Alec's drinking."

Asha nodded knowingly, "I'm on it," grabbing her beer.

Sketchy placed his forearms on the edge of the table where Alec was bent over shaking his head analyzing the shot.

"I can't miss this. There is no believable way I can miss this," he whispered forcefully, gesturing to the 4 ball sitting on the edge of the pocket, "I don't even know if its possible to miss this."

"I have faith in you, man," Sketchy said quietly, clasping his shoulder, "But if you need some incentive, last night when I told you that you ruined my chance to get Gina's phone number, you yelled, 'I think I have it here somewhere'"

Asha appeared on his other side, "Then you proceeded to dig in every pocket of your cargos, tossing out handfuls of phone numbers giving the pool balls a ticker tape parade," she finished, taking a drink from his glass. Water.

Alec looked at her appreciatively, touched by the action.

She laughed, "Oddly enough, I think you were actually trying to help."

"Come on," Sketchy whined impatiently.

Asha's grin turned mischievous, "I've got twenty bucks says you miss that shot," she challenged loudly.

"You're on," Sketchy's slinky companion husked in an alarmingly low voice, "He's bad, but there's no way he can miss that."

Alec dropped his forehead onto his hands over the cue stick. Ugh.

"Whoa, now wait a minute, this is just a friendly little game here. No need to tarnish it with gambling," Sketchy hedged nervously.

"Are you kidding? Easy money, honey," slinky said, "Speaking of, show it to me."

Asha placed her foot on the table and yanked up her pant leg, removing a soggy twenty from her sock.

Her very purple sock.

*********************

"Hey Max."

"Logan."

"Glad you could make it."

"Well, Asha was nice enough to drop by, stand in the doorway, cuff me to her side and hold my hand until we got here."

"Yeah, you know, speaking of Asha and hand holding, I just saw her and Alec heading off to a dark corner together."

"Really?"

"Really."

Logan nodded repeatedly waiting for her reply. Max leaned over the bar and slurped her beer, drumming her fingers on the top of her head.

"So, what are you gonna do about it?" he said smugly, "I mean, he's your boyfriend, right? You're with him. Aren't you?"

Max figured this to be awarded the most sarcastic conversation ever.

*********************

Alec dragged Asha to the quietest spot he could find in the busy bar, near the back door next to the broken jukebox in the corner.

"Alec, what are you doing? You owe me twenty bucks if that he-chick kipes my bill while we're gone."

"Asha…"

He pulled her hand up between them. Where to begin? How do you tell someone they quite likely saved your life? He wasn't real clear on many of the events from the previous evening – if any, but Alec knew he was in hell and the only thing that kept him from what he believed to be certain madness was her presence. Through it all he felt her kindness and comfort, soothing him, reassuring him.

Keeping him safely from the edge.

"Your hands are shaking." Asha looked at him with real concern. This was so unlike the Alec she knew. He looked afraid or nervous. And … happy or … something.  She wasn't sure what. "Alec?"

Alec wrapped his arms around her small body, holding her tight.

"Thank you," he whispered breathlessly, "Asha, thank you."

*********************

Max watched from a safe distance. Her face flushed hotly. How much had Logan seen? There's no way he'd believe her and Alec were together now. She barely resisted the urge to throw something.  Every muscle and nerve in her body torqued to its limit. She wanted to scream.

But why?

Max blanched as quickly as she'd reddened at the realization that her anger had nothing to do with her little ruse to keep Logan away going sideways.

She was jealous. Damn.

He was standing behind her.

"Now," he said plainly, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

*********************

His hard muscled body felt remarkably soft against hers. All the right parts touching in all the right places. The perfect embrace, except for the fact that it was the wrong person. Just over his shoulder Asha noticed Logan laughing near the door where Max was angrily exiting. She and Alec had unwittingly blown her flimsy cover.

Damn. That wasn't good for her or Max.

"You're welcome," she said a bit confused, "What are you thanking me for?"

"Taking care of me last night."

"No problem," she smiled, loosely grabbing a tuft of his hair, "But I didn't do all that much. Just helped Max drag you outside."

Alec stiffened.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I did was easy. Max had the hard part, balancing you on her bike all the way to your apartment. I still don't know how she did it."

"Max brought me home?" he said more to himself than to Asha.

His mind was racing. It couldn't be Max. The socks. Asha was wearing the socks. It had to be Asha. He pulled away from her, holding onto her shoulders.

The pieces that didn't fit were beginning to wave their arms in front of him. He visualized the wet twenty she'd pulled from the otherwise dry sock. And her pant leg was damp, but her shoes were dry.

"Well, yeah. Didn't you know? Wow, you were even more toasted than I thought."

"Where did you get those socks?"

"Logan made me pick up Max tonight, like I'm her babysitter or something." Asha huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes, "Anyway, I stepped in a big puddle outside of her building, so she loaned them to me. The shoes too. You know she's got like fifteen pairs of purple socks?" Asha shook her head, "Weird."

Max was the one who stayed with him.

Max was the one who'd held him. Protected him from his demons.

And … kissed him?

Max?

"Excuse me."

Asha tapped him on the shoulder, as he brushed past.

"She went that way."

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