Endure No More.
Part 3.
Disclaimer: If it has anything to do with Dark Angel or its production company, then it's not mine. I wish I did own something, but I don't.
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"Alec? ALEC! Where the hell are you? I'm so going to kick your ass when I find you. How could you just blow off the meeting? Oh, that's right I forgot You're Mr. Irresponsibility and Mr. Unreliable all rolled into one," the words spewing out of Max's mouth as she stomped up the stairs to Alec's apartment.
As usual, she forgot to engage her brain before she opened her mouth. But, then again, that would have been out of character. The transgenics within hearing range once again wondered how Alec could put up with such a bitch badmouthing him constantly and talking of things she knew nothing about. Maybe Joshua was right about Max not being able to convey her true feelings concerning Alec. But, then again, what would Joshua know?. Even he questioned his own judgement regarding Max and her treatment of Alec.
Max kicked open the door leading into Alec's apartment hoping to find him so she could kick his ass. "You just want a chance to touch him and his ass" whispered a tiny voice in her head. "Well of course I do," she replied with a small, private grin on her face, "Who wouldn't?"
Instead, what she found left her gasping for breath. Her heart was beating so fast, even for a transgenic, that she was certain her heart would stop. She had a sinking feeling that she knew what was wrong. If she was correct, she had no idea what she would do, or how she would cope.
On the table was a note addressed to her in Alec's familiar scrawl. The terror of what she might read was almost too much for her.
Hey Max,
Time for me to move on. Places to go, people to do. You know me.
Bye,
Alec
Max slid down the wall that had been holding her up, tears streaming down her face.
"Alec, no. You can't leave me, you just can't. How will I survive?" Max couldn't think anymore after that, all she could do was replay everything she and Alec had done together. All the fun, all the arguing, all the missions, all the fighting, and most of all, all the banter that they had. Soon, she was sobbing out loud.
"Why, Alec? Why did you leave? Don't you know how much I care for you, how much you brighten up my crappy life. I know I don't show it. In fact, I know I act like a bitch towards you but I honestly thought you knew it was just that, an act. I know I ignored all the hurt and pain I sometimes caused you, but I thought you knew how I felt about you," she whispered into the empty room.
Eventually Max made her way out of Alec's apartment. How she got to headquarters she will never know. She must have been on autopilot. All she knew was that she didn't want to believe that Alec had gone, left her.
"Hey little fella, what's wrong?" asked Joshua seeing her tear streaked face.
"It's, Alec. He's gone," she said. Although her voice lacked any sort of emotion, tears were once again forming in her eyes.
"I know, little fella. Alec said goodbye to Joshua," Joshua said sadly.
"Did he say where he was going?" queried Max, a hopeful glimmer in her eyes.
Joshua's next words smashed her hope into smithereens. "Yes, but Alec made Joshua promise not to tell Max. Max not to know, EVER."
"Why not Joshua, why can't you tell me? I need to know where he is."
"Why, so you can bust his balls again? So you can tell him what a worthless piece of crap he is? So you can use him as your scapegoat for every little thing that goes wrong in your life? So you can belittle him in front of HIS friends and family? Tell me Max, is that why you want to know where Alec is? Because I've gotta tell ya that no one here blames Alec for leaving, not one little bit." Mole couldn't prevent his anger from seeping out into his words, and why should he? She had finally driven away one of the finest soldiers, not to mention man, he had ever known, or was likely to know.
"Come on, Max. Surely, even you can't be that clueless. Just how long did you think Alec was going to put up with all the crap you dished out? He's a fucking soldier for Christ's sake. One who has never taken any shit from anyone, not even Manticore. What makes you think he would put up with you forever? You started to piss the rest of us off within five minutes of the paint drying on the flag. I'm surprised Alec put up with you as long as he did. If it weren't for Alec you would have had a mutiny on your hands weeks ago. He was - no, he is our real leader, not you. You never have been and you never will be. You have never acted like a true leader and you have done nothing to earn our respect," with that Mole turned his back on Max and ignored her, something he planned on doing for a very, very long time.
Max, probably for the first time in her life, was speechless. What could she say? How do you respond to something like that? However, she had the sense of mind to know that now was not the time to bury her head in the sand and blame Alec. For once, she was going to have to explain her behaviour if she ever wanted to see Alec again and a part of her doubted if even that would work. She could see the expressions in the faces of the gathered transgenics and transhumans. Even Joshua, her best - her only - friend here, had no sympathy for her at the moment.