TITLE: Genetically Empowered (My Finale & Season 3)
EPISODE: 12 "BRUISED EMOTIONS" 11/25/02
WRITTEN BY: Heather Ferguson (fergus80)
EMAIL: hferguso@niu.edu
WEBSITE: http://eric_greta.tripod.com (Jensen)
RATING: PG-13 (For now, will post alternate chapters if ratings change)
SUMMARY: How 'Freak Nation' and S3 should have been. M/A
SPOILERS: Everything!
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron, FOX, etc. etc. etc.
FEEDBACK: PLEASE!!! I CRAVE IT!!! It makes me want to write more.
DEDICATION: To all the Nuns at the Church of Alec, and the Blue Lady! And a special thank you to those who read, and corrected my spelling, grammar, tenses, etc. You know who you are, you wonderful nuns you. ;)
GO TO: NWP: http://nunswithpens.hyperboards.com/
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"Alec… wait up," Vin yelled.
He stopped and closed his eyes, turning around. He heard the footsteps stop in front of him, "I'm not in the mood to talk. Go back to the medical building with Mel. She needs you, and you need to rest as well."
"I will... after you listen to me."
Alec opened his eyes, looking at the other man. "What could you tell me?"
Vin sighed, "Listen. When I found out about her taking the cure, I thought the same thing too." Alec gave him a 'told you' smile and started to walk away. Vin's hand came to his shoulder stopping him. "And then… when she found out that you were captured…" He stopped, waiting for Alec to truly listen to him. "You should have seen her. Seen how worried she was."
Alec just shook his head. He didn't want to listen to it. The only reason Max wasn't with Logan at that second, was because the man was dead. Heck, tried to kill him, their friends, and even her. "Yeah… she was worried she'd lose her trusty side kick."
Vin just looked at him for a minute, then continued. "Man... You can believe whatever you want. I can't change that. But I'm telling you… she cares's about you. A lot. God Alec, she was so worried, she let me hug her. Damn girl nearly broke my ribs." His body tensed at the pain in his side.
He heard his friend's words, but he wasn't sure if his heart could believe them. He looked back over at the medical building, then back to his friend. "I just need some... time." And with that he turned and started walking to headquarters.
Vin stood there and watched him go for a moment. He sighed, turned back around and walked to the medical building.
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Max looked up as she heard the door open, to see Vin walk in. He looked down for a second and then back at Max, "He just needs to think about things."
"Think about things?" She asked, she started to move towards the door, but Vin stopped her with an out stretched arm.
"Max… let him cool off. Too much has happened."
Max shook her head, but was interrupted before she could say anything by Mel. "He's right Max. Both of you need wrap your brains around what has happened. Maybe you even more so."
The brunette looked back at the blond, and she sighed, her hand ran over her forehead. She knew Mel was right. She felt completely drained, confused, and so many other things, she couldn't think straight. And with the way her and Alec were, they would more than likely just fight, and she would probably say something that she would later regret. "You're right." She said simply, and then turned back to Vin. "But I need to get out'ta here."
He moved his arm and she walked past him out the door. He slowly walked back over to Mel, she scooted over to the edge, and he sat down on the bed next to her, moving his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Her good hand lightly rested on his dressed bullet wound. "What are we going to do with the two of them?" She asked.
Vin shook his head, "Try and keep them from killing each other." Mel laughed, and then winced slightly. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.
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Alec walked through the door of headquarters and started for his office. Dix and Luke each smiled at him and told him they were glad he was back. He nodded in response and small half-hearted wave. The two transgenics gave each other a concerned look.
Mole chomped on his cigar, took it out of his mouth. "Well, it looks like we have one less ordinary to worry about."
Alec spun around to face the reptilian man, his eyes dark, and anger evident. He looked like he was going to respond, but instead his shoulders straightened as he closed his eyes, his fists tightening. He didn't say a word as he turned back around and went into his office, slamming the door behind him. The three transgenics all shared worried glances at each other.
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They designed her to be the perfect soldier--a human weapon. Then she escaped. In a future not far from now, in a broken world, she is haunted by her past. She cannot run; she must fight to discover her destiny. --- DARK ANGEL
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"Cindy!" Max yelled as she walked into the house, "OC! You there?" she started into the living room. "Cindy!"
"For crying out loud. What's with the yelling Missy Miss?" Normal asked walking in from the kitchen, annoyed from the high-pitched noise echoing through the house. But he stopped immediately at the look on her face. Her eyes red, puffy, obvious tearstains on her cheeks. "What's wrong?"
Max stared at her former boss, and was stunned into silence for a minute. Did he actually look concerned for her? She closed her eyes at the question, *What's wrong?* She laughed mentally. *Ohh, my non-boyfriend is now dead after getting the cure to a virus that was targeted to kill him because he tried to turn my current boyfriend over to one of the members of a crazy breeding cult that is trying to capture me.* When she opened her eyes again, Normal was still looking at her. "I just really need to talk to Cindy."
"What happened?" Normal asked again, "Is Alec okay?"
Even with all the emotions running through her, she almost had to suppress a laugh at his words. "He's okay… now." She saw his eyes widen, and waved her hand. "Long story." She turned around as she heard someone come into the room. Seeing Cindy she rushed over to her, almost falling into her arms for comfort.
Cindy's arms instinctively wrapped around her, pulling her into the hug. "What's wrong Boo?" She asked, as she heard the sobs coming from Max. She looked up at Normal, as she rubbed Max's back, looking for answers. He just shrugged his shoulders at her.
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His muscles tensed as he leaned against his desk, his palms flat on the now clear surface. The items that had been resting on it were now flung over the floor. He quickly grabbed at his leather jacket and yanked it off, throwing it at the couch. *Idiot!* He screamed in his mind. *How could you be so blind?*
But Alec already knew the answer to his own question. He was in love with her. He wanted to see, wanted to believe that she wanted him, cared about him. That he meant more to her. *Oh yeah… I meant something to her. I was the substitute male in her life. Her temporary play thing until she could have been with Mr. Wonderful!* His fist punched the wall as the image of Logan flashed though his mind, leaving another dent in the wall near the one left there a few months before.
He let out a strained laugh, "Damn it Max. Look what your doing to my walls." He ran his hands through his hair, gripping it tightly in frustration. He was so wound up, had so many things going through his mind, he didn't know what to think. Logan had hated him so much that he made a deal with White. "WHITE!" he growled out in disbelief.
His eyes shut, remembering Mel telling him about the man using his blood. The idea creeped him out, sickened him. But he didn't know whom he was angrier with. Logan for doing all that, or himself for not seeing it sooner. Logan had managed to get him captured, but worst of all. Worst of all, he almost killed Max.
Had he been so blinded by her, by everything else that he had failed to notice what was happening? He had almost failed her, failed his mission, and failed himself. He had committed the worst thing he could do, once again. And it had almost played out the same way, or would it still? *Never fall in love with your job.*
Alec let out a slight roar of anger, and landed in a thud on the couch. He leaned over, his elbows on his knees as he pressed his hands to his face. His job was to keep her safe, to watch over her. But he knew he would do it anyway, do it even without the mission he had. Because no matter what, he knew he couldn't get her out of his heart.
And that's what hurt so much. The idea that he meant nothing to her. That he was just some replacement, a stand in for what she really wanted. He gave a pained chuckle. *But what she wants is now dead.* His jaw tensed, and he stood back up. "How could I be so stupid?" He shook his head at himself. *She's complained, and bitched about me from the beginning. I should have known that no matter what she said, she couldn't possibly care about me.*
Alec laughed to himself. Here he loved her, and he just wanted to believe that she at least cared about him. "How pathetic are you?"
But then Vin's words popped into his head. "Worried about me… Yeah, well… big deal." His anger fueled again at the thought of Max taking the cure. Taking it while he was missing. His mind wondering what happened between the time of her taking it and then finding him. His whole body shuddered at the thoughts that went through him, his stomach feeling sick.
And now… now it was even worse. Logan was dead. Not that he minded that idea. The man had been a pain in everyone's side for a long time. But now, Max didn't have a choice. She didn't need to make one. At least if Logan was alive, and for some miracle she had not chosen the older man, he would then know for sure how she felt. But now…
He groaned and started pacing. *Why are you doing this to yourself?* He yelled at himself, *Get a grip 494! You should NEVER have gotten involved with her to begin with. You can't do your job with your heart clouding your judgment.* He shook his head at himself, knowing how true that was. Wasn't that exactly what happened? He was so caught up in her, he missed everything else. He leaned back over the desk, and lowered his head. He got himself caught, got Mel hurt, Vin shot, and Max almost killed because he hadn't seen it coming. Maybe Max was right. Maybe he really was a screw up.
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"And now he thinks I was only with him because I couldn't be with Logan," Max said. Her head was resting on Cindy's shoulder as the other girl had her arm around her. Both their legs up on the coffee table as they sat on the couch.
"Boo… Like Vin said, give him some time."
"But I explained to him before. I told him before, that me and Logan were over, long before this." She was confused, why didn't he believe her?
"Yeah, but the virus was still an issue then. And you did take the cure without him there…" OC saw her about to object. "I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that. I mean in a way, it was good. Cause you two did have to go rescue Alec together." Cindy still saw red, "Even though it was Loggie Boy's fault." She quickly moved on at feeling Max tense next to her. "But you can understand how he would look at it."
"And it's not like you have ever been that nice to him," came a voice from the kitchen.
"Shut up Normal, and stop eavesdropping!" Cindy yelled back.
He walked into the living room, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "Well your two high pitched voices carry." The two girls gave him an evil look and he ignored it. "Now I have no idea why I'm doing this," he said looking at Max with a sigh. "Cause I don't think you deserve Alec for all the grief you have given him."
Normal saw the looks on their faces and quickly continued in fear of grave harm. "But…" he sighed again. "It's obvious the man is in love with you. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be so upset." Their eyes widened at him, and a small smile came across Cindy's face and she nodded, hugging Max a little tighter. "And if you want him to understand your side… God just tell him what you have been droning on here about for the last two hours." He flipped the towel over his shoulder and walked back into the kitchen shaking his head. "More drama going on here than a soap opera."
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A small knock on the door jarred him out of his thoughts and he stormed over and opened it quickly, "What?" He growled out. Luke took a step back from the door, and Alec sighed, his face softening. "Luke… I'm sorry… I…"
Luke waved it away, moving closer. He knew Alec was upset, and he was pretty sure he had an idea of what, or more precisely who it was. "No problem. I hate to bother you… I mean…"
"It's okay. What is it?"
"We got some information on a couple supply houses. A shipment just came in, and it won't be there for long."
Alec nodded his head and walked out of his office. Luke took the cue and led him over towards the computers with Dix and Mole, as they began to tell him what they knew.
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Max parked her bike, and sat there a minute. *Where would he be?* She thought about heading to his apartment, or to the Bottleneck. But then she looked over to headquarters, and she allowed herself to actually use the knowledge she really did know about him, and not let her temper and prior misconceptions cloud her judgment. She got off the bike and started to walk towards the building, knowing that truthfully that's were he would have gone. At least at first to check in on things, and that they would know where he was if he had left. She sighed, mentally berating herself again, at how stupid she had been.
*Normal was right.* She couldn't believe that thought went through her head. *He has every right to feel the way he does. To question how I feel. It's not like I have always been sweet to him. Or honest with my feelings towards him.* She reached the door, opened it and walked inside. Her eyes darted around the room, and she wasn't shocked at all to see him and Luke looking over some maps with Joshua and Mole.
She watched his shoulders tense, and his body straighten. Though he didn't turn around, she knew he knew she was there. She walked over to the stairs and then climbed them.
He didn't look, he didn't want to. He could see the looks from the three other transgenics. They had stopped talking at seeing her coming up the stairs. He caught her out of the corner of his eye, and saw her walking towards them. His hands gripped the table edge a little tighter.
"Alec… can we talk?' she asked quietly, as she bit her lower lip.
He closed his eyes for a second. "We're a little busy right now Max."
She looked at everyone else, and then back to him, "It's important Alec." She didn't want to waste time.
He let out a slight laugh. "Don't tell me that now he's dead, you have to take up his little game." He winced at himself even as he said it, but it felt good.
She cringed. Both from the thought of Logan being dead, and the venom in his voice at her. She tried again. "Alec… We really need to talk about this."
"Not now."
"Yes, now." She responded her foot stopping slightly. The three other men just stood back, watching it play out.
He stood up, turning towards her, his face stone hard. "Max… let me let you in on a little secret. You may be the leader of TC. But the world doesn't revolve around you. And sometimes there are more important things that need to be done that what YOU want to TALK about."
Her eyes widened as she stared up into his eyes, and felt her heart breaking. The anger, the hurt, the pain in his eyes was so visible even through the hard mask that she almost couldn't breathe. She was trying to find something to say when he cut back in.
"Now you can either help us with planning the supply run we need. Or you can run back off to your friends, and let me deal with this." He was about ready to turn back to the table, but he couldn't help himself. "And don't worry. No matter WHAT you may think about me. Or what may happen. I'm not going to leave TC, or abandon my job. No matter what you have to say to me." And with that he turned back to the table, and looked up at Mole. "Okay, have the group of X6's here."
She stood there for a minute, speechless, letting his words enter her head. She watched him giving orders to the others, and effectively ignoring her presence. She knew she should be doing what he said. She should be helping. But she couldn't. She spun on her heal and marched down the stairs in a huff. Anger covering her true emotions as she slammed her office door behind her.
The four men stopped talking, and Alec turned looking at the door. He closed his eyes and turned back to the table with a deep sigh. He looked back up at the other three men. "Where were we? Oh, right… Joshua get some people to unload the trucks when they get back."
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"I really don't think you should be leaving."
Mel rolled her eyes at him as she walked towards the door. "I'm fine. And I might point out, I am in charge here. I say when patients are ready to leave or not. And I say this patient," she said pointing to herself, "can leave."
"Yeah, but… all your injuries…"
She cut him off with a hand to his chest, "Vin… may I remind you. You were shot! I just got beat up. Big difference."
His hand held onto her good wrist, the other one still wrapped. "And may I remind you, that you lost consciousness. I did not."
She gave him an evil look. "Listen. I see one of two things happening."
"What?" he asked.
"Either we both leave here and get some breakfast, cause I'm starving. Or two, I confine us BOTH to the medical ward, and we can BOTH not eat breakfast."
He smiled and shook his head at her. "You make a good point," he said turning to his side, motioning for the door with his arm.
"I always do," she replied as she walked out with him following her.
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"He's not talking to me. He's avoiding me," Max complained into her cell phone.
Cindy frowned on the other end, "Maybe he's just not ready to talk yet sugar. Like I said..."
Max rolled her eyes, "If you say give him time, I'm going to come through this phone and ring you're neck." OC laughed. And Max continued. "I just need to talk to him. Just explain things. But I can't do that if he's avoiding me. And he is. He's doing everything that he can to not be around me."
"He's throwing himself into his work… typical response Boo." Cindy said looking over at Sketchy. He sat his pen down and looked over at her with a quizzical look. A 'what's going on' forming on his mouth. She waved him away, as Normal walked back in sitting down on the couch. He looked at OC then back to Sketchy, his eyes asking the same thing.
Sketchy threw his arms up in the air, "Like hell if I now." Normal grinned and OC rolled her eyes.
"Well… I need to talk to him. Get him alone. But he just won't…" Max went on.
Cindy's eyes lit up. She looked over at the two guys. "Boo… do you know what day it is?"
"Uhhh, Thursday… the uhh…" Max looked around the room, but knew she didn't have a calendar.
"It's Thanksgiving Boo. Listen girl. I got an idea. You just leave it up to OC. All you have to do is get your transgenic butt over her at seven for dinner."
Max smiled, already understanding her plan. "I'll be there. And thanks."
"You know I al'ways got ya' back." With that they hung up the phone and Cindy turned to the man sitting next to her. "Well Normal, I hope that bird ya' cook'in, is big enough for two more." She then turned to look at Sketchy. "And I'm going to need your help," then she looked back at Normal, "And maybe even yours to get that stubborn, pig headed, golden boy over here."
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"Mmm," she replied holding the mug in her hands, "Now how exactly did you get your hands on a coffee pot like that?"
Vin laughed, "I have my ways." He leaned against the kitchen counter, taking a drink of coffee himself, then a bite of his donut.
Mel shook her head and curled her legs up onto his couch. "Don't tell me, Alec actually lost a bet to you."
He walked over and sat down on the couch next to her, "He sure did." She gave him a suspicious look, and he laughed. "Well, I suppose I do owe Max for it. Since she did a lovely job distracting him." Mel let out a laugh, and turned, leaning her back on the edge of the couch, and propping her feet up on his lap.
He set his mug down on the side table, and turned back to her. His hand came to her knee lightly, a concerned look on his face. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure? I mean… you sure you don't want me to kiss it and make it better?"
She saw the sparkle in his eyes, and she grinned back at him. "Well… now that you mention it… I suppose it could help."
His hand moved down to her ankle and slowly bunched up the cotton material of the sports pants that she wore to her knee. His eyes catching the large purple mark, his blood boiling slightly in anger at what the human had done to her. His fingers gentle, he caressed it, his fingers lightly tickling the back of her knee, as his head leaned over, his lips gently kissing the bruise. "Better?" he asked looking up into her blue eyes.
She swallowed, and nodded lightly. "But… I have more."
"You do?" He asked, his voice deepening. His arm came out, his hand moving behind her, and pulling her onto his lap. "Show me."
She held up her wrist, and his hand lightly held onto it, as he brought it to his mouth. His lips lightly touching the wrapped wrist, his eyes locked with hers. Mel moved her body, moving one leg over his lap, moving to face him on the couch. His one arm wrapped around her back, pulling her closer.
Her finger pointed to the side of her head. His hand went up her back and to the back of her head, gently. His fingers softly caressing the bump there, as he lightly pulled her face to his. His lips traveled over her eyebrow and temple, leaving soft kisses as he moved over the slight bruising.
Her hands moved to his shirt, her hands starting to lift it from him. He gave her a questioning look and she smiled. "Well, it's only fair for me to reciprocate and kiss yours better too." He raised his arms as she pulled the shirt from him, and dropped it on the floor. Her hands moving back to his chest, and slowly trailing down to the bandaged covered wound on his lower stomach. Her fingers traced over it, and she leaned down, her lips kissing the skin around the bandage. She heard his intake of breath and smiled to herself, as she felt his hands grip at her hips, pulling her closer.
When she pulled back she saw the look in his eyes, and pointed at her ribs. His hands went to her shirt, and she raised her arms as he pulled it slowly over her head, dropping it to the floor with his. His eyes roamed over her, his fingers slowly moving over her sides, lightly moving over the blackened area on her side, then down to her hips, his hands lifting her. Her eyes closed, and her head titled back in a sigh as his soft lips trailed over her warm skin.
Her fingers threaded through his hair, and he closed his eyes. His face nuzzling into her. His lips leaving the bruise and moving over her toned stomach, then up her breastbone. She pulled away from him and his eyes flew open as she stood up. A slight panic moved through him, feeling maybe he had gone too far. But that thought immediately stopped at the look on her face, and her hands moving to both of his, pulling him off the couch. She took the few steps backward in the small apartment, pulling him with her into the small bedroom.
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Continue on here for the PG-13 version.
But if you are old enough, and would like to read the NC-17 version of the rest of the chapter.
Go to NWP, at: http://nunswithpens.hyperboards.com/
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Alec looked over the reports on the supplies that were gathered in the mission the day before. He checked off items on another list that he had as he read through what was obtained. His head turned to the couch with his jacket when he heard his phone ring. He sighed and stood, moving over to it. He fished the phone out of his pocket and put it up to his ear. "Hello?" Then he smiled into the phone at the voice that came back at him. "Hey Sketch…. No, I've been busy. I didn't realize that was today. Uh huh. Football huh…"
He closed his eyes and let out another laugh at how energetic his friend was. "Oh... Normal... huh. Oh, he cooked game food." He nodded a few times. "What about OC? Isn't she going to have something to say about this testosterone fest?" He almost laughed to himself when he said that, thinking that Normal would be there.
"Oh, she's hanging with a 'female friend' tonight." Alec laughed, *As always.* He sighed looking at the papers on his desk, knowing that he had work to do, and that he really shouldn't leave Headquarters and Terminal City. But he could feel the tension in his body, and he knew he needed to get away from things. Just for a little bit. He sighed. "Okay, okay buddy. You talked me into it. I'll be there at six. And yes, I'll bring the beer." He added with a slight laugh.
Alec hung up the phone, and looked at his watch. He still had a few hours to get work done. He opened his door and looked out. After seeing that Max wasn't around he walked out and over to Dix.
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His fingers ran through her blond hair, and she moved closer to him, her leg over his, her arm over his chest, her fingers gripping lightly at his shoulder. Vin leaned his cheek on the top of her head, and closed his eyes, his mouth in smile. She moved slowly next to him, and he pulled back as she tilted her head to rest her chin on his chest, her eyes looking into his dark ones, the same smile on her lips.
His fingers traveled down her bare back and she shivered slightly. He grinned at her, and pulled the sheet up more around them. His mind replayed her response to his confession in the heat of the passion before, and his heart felt like it would burst.
"Penny for your thoughts," she said her fingers tracing abstract patterns on his bare chest.
His hands trailed over her back, under her arms, and then pulled her up closer to him. "Just thinking how happy I am, and how much I love you," he replied and then kissed her softly. Mel closed her eyes into the kiss, her hand moving to the side of his face. He pulled away slowly, looking back at her, "You?"
She smiled at him. "The same," she said, as she leaned back down, kissing him again. They broke apart in a groan at the knock on the door. "Who?" He shook his head, and moved away getting out of bed, and pulling on his jeans quickly. She sighed and rolled back over as he left the room.
She heard him open the door, and speak, "Alec?… What's wrong?" She didn't need to hear anything else, and she was throwing on of Vin's shirts over her head and rushing out into the other room.
"What's wrong?" She asked quickly coming in view of the door.
Alec looked over at Vin in his unbuttoned jeans, and then to Mel with her messed up hair and obviously too large t-shirt. He coughed slightly. "Think I can come in, or are you giving a show to all of Terminal City?" Vin stepped back, and he walked in. They both looked at him with worried looks, and he waved his hands in front of him. "Nothing's wrong." They visibly let out a sigh of relief. "I was just going to ask Vin, if he'd watch over headquarters for me while I'm gone."
"What?" Mel yelled, "You're leaving? What happened?"
Alec shook his head, and sat down in a huff on the couch. "I'm just going out for the night… that's all." Mel calmed once again. "I think I need to get away from Headquarters for a little while."
"You mean away from Max," Vin chimed in, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
"You still haven't talked to her?" Mel asked in shock as she moved over in front of him, sitting on the coffee table.
Alec looked at her, sighed, his eyes lowering, and then quickly looking back at her face. "Mel… uhh you might want to go put on some underwear or at least a longer shirt."
Mel hit him upside his head, "Oh come on. We all showered together back at Manticore. What do I have to hide from you? I'm not miss modesty like the aforementioned Max." Vin laughed.
Alec rubbed the side of his head, "Why is it all the women in my life like to physically abuse me?"
Vin grinned, "It comes with the X5 female territory." He winked at Alec, "It shows they care… or it's foreplay." He gave a look to Mel, "And it BETTER just mean you care."
She grinned back up at him, and then turned back to Alec, turning serious once again. Her hand moved and took hold of his, making him look at her. "Alec, you need to talk to her. To work this out. You can't avoid it. You can't push it away. And no matter what you may think or feel, she DOES care about you."
He rolled his eyes and then shook his head with a sigh. "No. Max and me… it's just a bad idea no matter how you look at it."
"What?" Vin asked in shock. "How can you say that? You love her."
Alec's eyes widened, *Was he that transparent?*
Mel smiled at him, "It's obvious. And… I think she loves you too. You two are just to blind and stubborn to see it. Just too much alike."
He shook his head again, "No. It doesn't matter. It's not a good idea. There's just too many things wrong." He stood up, pulling his hand from hers.
She stood following him, "Like what?"
Alec didn't want to go into it, he couldn't go into it. "It's just not a good idea. I mean, look what happened."
They both looked at him, not understanding. "What?" Vin finally asked.
"I got myself captured, both of you hurt, and Max almost killed because I was distracted. I didn't see what he was up too. I wasn't doing my job."
"You're job?" Mel questioned looking at him, her eyes squinting slightly trying to read him. "Oh no, don't you dare do this again."
"Do what again?" Alec asked her confused.
She pointed her finger into his chest. "We aren't in Manticore anymore. We are allowed to have feelings. You are NOT going to just push them away. I'm not going to let you become that empty shell again. I won't let you do to yourself what they did to you before."
He mentally cringed at her words, his mind replaying many of the events, many of the devices Manticore had used on him. He opened his eyes to see two very concerned friends staring back at him. "I'm fine Mel."
"Like hell you are."
How could he get them to understand? He already felt guilty enough about not being able to tell Max, about what he was doing, he didn't want to feel the same way with them too. But he had to turn it around, "Listen, here in TC… I have responsibilities…"
"Oh don't give me that shit." She yelled. "Don't give me the whole 'can't get involved because of rank', or whatever. For crying out loud you were breeding partners. And besides, this isn't Manticore. This isn't the Army. This isn't even any branch of government. And even though everyone knows Max is more like the damn queen and you are the Prime Minister, that doesn't even matter. Because all anyone at Headquarters wants is for YOU to be happy."
"Do I look happy?" He yelled back at her.
"No!" She yelled back and then continued in a softer voice. "And why is that? Because you aren't together. Less than two days ago you both had smiles on your faces. Today you are both miserable… why? You aren't speaking."
His jaw clenched, "673!" Both Vin and Mel jumped, and she instantly stopped talking. Then after the initial shock, their eyes widened. Alec cringed at his own words, and his head dropped, and he backed towards the door. "I'm sorry." He said softly. "I just can't listen to this anymore." He looked over at Vin, "Can you watch over Headquarters tonight or not?"
Vin looked at him, knowing that Alec needed the time away more than he was really willing to admit, and he nodded his head. "No problem."
Alec nodded and moved to the door, opening it. "I'm sorry for… uhh… interrupting… and uhhh… everything." He started to walk out the door, but stopped at the hand on his arm, he looked back into blue, concerned eyes. "Mel… I'm okay."
She nodded and watched him walk out the door, shutting it behind him. She turned back to Vin, and he just shook his head, and opened his arms. She moved into them, hugging him back. "I'm worried about him too," he said into her hair.
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Max parked her bike along the street and looked at her watch, *Five minutes to seven.* She knew that he had been there for about the last hour. Cindy had thought it would be a good idea to get him there first, get him relaxed, before springing the plan on him. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she slowly approached the house, and entered the front door.
Cindy rushed over to her coming from the hallway leading from the bedrooms. "I've been 'getting ready' to hang with my 'honey'," she said with a wink. Max gave her a soft grin. She looked around the foyer, and she could hear them cheering or booing at the game. She smelt the food and looked at OC. "Well… hopefully everything goes well, and you two will stay for dinner. Normal's been cookin' up a storm."
Cindy then started walking towards the living room. Max took a deep breath and followed her. "Hey guys, look who I found for the night?"
Max walked into the room and her eyes caught his. They stared at each other, and she watched, as it seemed his whole body tensed in front of her. His happy face of a mere instant before turned into stone. The other three looked at each other, and quietly moved to the kitchen.
Alec saw them move, and turned towards them, his eyes hard. "You three set me up."
OC gave him a soft smile, "Alec… we're your friends… to both of you… we only want ya'all happy." They quickly departed into the kitchen as he quickly stood up.
He shook his head. "Well it just seems to be a recurring theme lately. People keep setting me up, and I don't even see it coming." He ran his hand though his hair, and turned back to her. "Fine Max… you want to talk. Let's talk."
Here he was willing to talk to her, and now she couldn't even think of what to say, where to begin.
He laughed slightly, "Cat got your tongue Maxie? It's supposed to be important. So why don't you just say it."
She looked at him, looked at the large distance between them, as they stood almost on opposite sides of the room. "I'm sorry," she said softly.
He looked at her in disbelief, "You're sorry? Sorry?" He shook his head, "For what exactly? Huh? Sorry for taking the cure? Sorry for using me? Sorry for lying to me? Sorry for letting me out of Manticore?" She winced at that one. "What Max? What are you so damn sorry for?"
She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry that I've done and said so many things to you that you can't believe me when I'm actually telling you the truth."
"What?" he didn't understand. She ran her fingers over her forehead, and then took a small step closer to him. Her eyes looked down at the floor as she started to speak, but he interrupted her. "No. Look at me."
Her eyes moved up to his, and she swallowed. Taking another deep breath, she started again. "I should never have said most of the hateful things I said to you. I didn't mean them. I tried telling you this before. And I thought you believed me."
"It's easy to believe what you want to see. But it's also hard to deny facts when you get a cold, hard blast of reality."
She sighed, "Alec… I didn't take the God damn cure to be with Logan. I took it so I wouldn't kill him. It happened all so fast. One minute he's telling me you left me, the next minute he's telling me he has the cure, and the next he's injecting me with it. I was so confused with everything that was going on. With worry over where you were, what was happening. I wasn't thinking straight!"
"He told you I left you?" He asked incredulously, and she nodded. "And you believed him." It wasn't a question. It was a statement on his part.
She shook her head, "No. I told him you would never leave… never leave me, us, Terminal City." She stopped and looked deep into his eyes, taking another step closer. "Or am I wrong… cause it seems as if you are leaving me."
He shook his head, "It's hard to leave something that you never had."
Max took another step towards him, "Alec… you do have me." He shook his head, and she moved a little closer. "You do. I choose you, not him."
"Only because…"
She shook her head and cut him off, "No… not because of the virus. I choose you because you understand me. You accept who I am. You help me accept who I am. I need you. I never needed him."
He closed her eyes at her words. He didn't want to hear it. He couldn't let himself fall for it, not again. "Max…. we can't."
"We can't what?"
"Us… it won't work. It's not a good idea," the words, saying them, just about killed him.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. She walked right up in front of him, standing mere inches from him. "Why the hell not?" She yelled, surprising herself with the anger in her voice.
"There's just too many things. To many reasons," he said his eyes still closed not able to look at her when he said it. His heart was crumbling, but he knew, knew it was the only way.
"What reasons?" She poked him in the chest, causing him to look at her. "Exactly what good reasons do you have?" He wasn't answering, and she shook her head. "You have reasons, but you won't tell me. Why? Huh?" She looked at him, trying to read him, trying to understand what was going on in that head of his. She tilted her head to the side, "Or is it because you feel nothing for me, and you just don't want to tell me the truth."
She saw the spark in his eyes at her words, and she pushed on. "Is that it? Is it Alec? That you have no feelings for me? That you don't care about me at all? That you never could. That you could never love me?"
He grabbed her by the arms, looking at her fiercely, "No Max! The problem is that I do love you! That I care about you TOO much!" Then he realized what he said and he instantly let go of her. He turned around walking a few feet away, running his hand through his hair.
She stood still for a minute, just letting his words enter her brain. When she let herself breathe once again she turned towards him, watched him. "How is that a problem?" she asked, all anger out of her voice, only thing left was puzzlement.
His jaw clenched, his shoulders straightened and he took a deep breath. "I can't keep you safe if I'm distracted by you."
Max heard him and moved over in front of him, "It's not your job to keep me safe."
He let out a laugh. *If only she knew.* "Who else is going to do it?"
"Alec..."
"No Max. Look what happened… I was distracted, heck we both were. We never saw it, we never saw what he was up too."
"No one else did either."
He shook his head, that wasn't good enough for him. "Look at everything that happened. Look at who all got hurt." His hand moved up towards her face, and then he stopped himself before he touched her, letting it drop back down to his side as he took a step back. "God, he almost killed you."
Max just shook her head. Here he was talking about what Logan had done to HER, and he wasn't saying anything about what he had done to him, tried to do to him. "Alec… if anyone should have seen it, it was me. And I didn't. How were you supposed to?"
He laughed to himself again, his mind chastising him. *Because that's what I was trained for. God I've gotten soft.*
Her hands reached out and laid on his chest, her one hand moved up to the side of his face, turning him to look at her. "Okay, fine. You want to protect me. Then protect my heart." His eyes widened down at her. "It would kill me if we weren't together."
"Max…" he didn't even know what else to say.
Her fingertips lightly brushed against the side of his face, and he felt himself leaning into the caress. "Protect my happiness." She said, one of her fingers trailing over his lips. "Protect me from the loneliness I would feel without you in my life." He swallowed hard. She had slowly moved closer to him, her face was mere inches away from his. "But most of all… protect my love for you by not pushing me away."
His eyes got bigger at her words, and no matter how much he knew that it was wrong, that he should pull away. He couldn't, his heart wouldn't let him. His arms pulled her to him, and his mouth descended down to her lips, claiming her in a fierce kiss.
Cindy smiled from the doorway of the kitchen as the two transgenics wrapped their arms around each other, deepening the kiss. "Now that is something to be thankful for," she said softly as she turned around and went back through the door, leaving the couple alone.
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Scenes from an All New DA on 12/02/02:
*ON THE NEXT ALL NEW DARK ANGEL*
AS SOMETHINGS…
Dix pointed at a few more symbols, "this is new… basically… 'the army' or something to that effect. "
… GET CLEARER.
Alec turned in Max's arms, and she looked up at him… well… at the mask of him. "Nothing," he responded.
OTHER THINGS….
Alec swallowed hard, and watched Max disappear from view.
… GET MORE COMPLICATED.
Alec's teeth gritted at the saying of his designation. He struggled against his restraints again.