Disclaimer: the show is cancelled so I don't think Cameron and Eglee will really mind if I use their characters to write a story, am I right?
Authors note: I have had the worst writers block! And, not to mention, horrible pains in my hands because of my stupid carpal tunnel thing. But here is the next, thrilling installment of 'Beginnings' and probably, I will admit, the one you have been waiting for. The Truth Is Out was just the start. Here is one of the last concluding chapters in the Beginnings saga. Thanks for reading up to here so far and enjoy! (I hope!)
***
Alec's pace hastened with every moment that passed. Max was very late. She couldn't use courteousy just once, to call him and tell him when she'd be arriving, could she? It'd probably be against her character or something. But it wasn't against his. He simply lacked the patience to wait. Alec dialed only four numbers into his phone when there was a impatient knock on the door. Ready to remind her of what stress he had been put through waiting for her, Alec swung open the door to a tired, worried looking Max.
"Alec, oh god...." Max breathed as she fell into his open arms, her brows knitted worriedly. Alec couldn't believe how holding her made him feel a million different things yet none of them compelled him to hold her tightly back. Reciprocating could break the rules and not reciprocating could make her pull away from him, which he didn't want to happen. Or maybe he was still mad about her being so late.
"Whats happened?" Alec finally got his voice to ask. Max didn't just fall into anybodys arms -maybe Logans but never his. Whatever caused her to feel so hopeless, so vulnerable was wearing on his mind. Massaging her hair in his hands, Alec waited for her to calm before walking her to the sofa, where Eva lay asleep, her little arms raised above her head in fists. Max reached down and gently stroked her brow and the tear stains on her cheeks. Alec glanced at Max for a reply. Only by Max's returned expression, he felt less like knowing it at all.
"Alec, Logan knows he's not Eva's real father." Max sobbed tentatively, forcing every word out in whispers. Alec fought back a sigh that he knew Max would have found arrogant. He just wasn't sure what came through her mind when she walked in through his door. He didn't feel sympathy for her. She didn't deserve his sympathy after everything she put him through. So why did he want so badly to hold her in his arms?
"Well, what are you going to do?" He managed to spit out as Max's eyes welled up with tears. It pained him to see her so broken; so hopeless. Her face was like a little childs who did something bad and didn't want to bear the punishment. Her back doubled over as she buried her face into his lap. Alec caught his breath as his hand reached to touch her silky auburn hair but pulled back instinctively. It was so hard to keep control of himself with her so near but he knew he had to. Things weren't like that with them.
"I've got to tell him the truth." Max sniffled as she raised her head up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "He deserves it." Max's eyes searched his face for something. Possibly permission. He'd given plenty of signs that he never agreed of this before. Maybe that was what made the decision so much easier for her. Knowing she was doing something no one else would agree with. Perhaps it was so no one else would be under fault if the plan went sideways. Teamwork was heavily engraved in Manticore but Max swerved away from anything remotely 'teamy'. It just was never right to lie to the ones you love and even though Alec didn't grow up in a place that promoted love, he knew better than to lie to family.
"He's not the only one," Alec said bluntly, nodding towards Eva lying asleep on the floor. Alec could see the hurt fill Max's eyes as she looked at her daughter, an example of what was right staring her smack dab in the face. Max picked her up, cradling her to her chest. Eva's eyes stirred open for a few seconds, settled upon Max's face and then peacefully slipped back closed. Alec smiled at the scene, making carefully sure Max didn't see.
"Alec, if I could take back all thats happened these past months, you know I would." Alec's hand was slowly coming to a stop on Max's back, her warm body hard to fight off touching. Her smile returned for a few brief moments as she moved closer, resting inside the space that set them apart.
They were like he had dreamed- a little family.
"I wouldn't."
***
Logan pulled at his hair, angsting over the passing moments that led him closer and closer to inevitable truth. He had no right to feel remorse for wanting this. He was simply scared out of his mind, for the very first time, to hear the truth. He certainly never felt apprehensive about the truth before, and those circumstances put him in dangers path. Logan crashed through the doorway to his living room with a maddened charge, pacing closer and closer to the front door. Looking up, he reminisced as he glared up through the sunroof Max had broken into the very first night they met. And to the right, his sofa where Max had fallen asleep on more times than he could count. Things, he knew for certain, would never be the same ever again in this house.
"Logan," Max's voice called in the quiet, Logan going to it on instinct. His breath stopped halfway out as he saw her. She was still so beautiful to him, it overtook his mind every time. "All right, let's talk." With a subtle nod, Logan took Eva, who was lying in her baby carrier on the floor next to Max's feet, and the three of them walked into the living room. Barely containing his nerves, he took his glasses off and set them on the table next to the folder Matt Sung had gotten for him that Max now sat eyeing steadily and aggressively. Two little words at the top seemed to be her main focus. 'Paternity Results'.
"I got an email," Logan started as he imagined Max would have nothing to say for right now. A print-out of the email lay next to the folder and Max slowly reached out and grabbed it. Her hand fell upon her mouth as she read it. "And I recieved a phone call, who I know was also from this semi-mysterious emailer." Max looked up, waiting. "From Donald Lydecker." Her face deadpanned.
"Lydecker..." He'd expected her to react like that, since for the past 11 months he had been known dead. He continued, "seems to think Eva is not my daughter." His voice sounded so hollow in the stagnant air between them. She wasn't looking at him and he could find nothing more to say. She'd answered everything with her silence.
"Let me explain," Max pleaded as her eyes fell into his tentatively, "because it's not what you think." Tears were dripping down her face, tears Logan no longer cared to wipe away for her. "It happened while I was in my heat. It was an accident," Logan tore his gaze from her face and down to Eva. "I am so sorry..." So she really had lied to him. Lied to Eva. And the worst part of it was she barely batted an eye.
"No," he grumbled, trying not to hear another word, "I don't think so." He could now only remember how he'd watched her look over at Alec those nights he'd pick her up from his apartment and how sometimes he'd feel jealous she didn't look at him that way. Her own husband. "You love him, don't you?" If there was a way to hide his insecure feelings, to hide the hurt in his voice, he would have. She didn't deserve to hear his heart tearing in two. Max's face met his for a brief second, guilt present in her eyes and something else. Confusion.
"Yes." she answered flatly, sitting there like she hadn't said anything at all. A sudden gasp escaped Logans mouth followed by heaving sobs. He couldn't hold back what Max had brought out of him any longer. Max stood up from the sofa, grabbing Eva off the floor. Logan could feel his heart lunge out of his chest as Max walked out of that room, taking along the one thing in his life he loved unconditionally. Taking along with her his life.
***
Maybe she was bred to be difficult, to break hearts. And to move on without feeling a thing. To go from one mission to the next. Now she wasn't sure what her mission was. Being with Logan had been her mission for so long. Then it was taking care of Eva. And somewhere between all that, things got twisted. She did have another mission in mind but how could she even be sure of it? She wanted Alec, Eva and her to be a family. Badly. Only Alec didn't love her. Or did he? Max gripped the metal roof of the Space Needle and closed her eyes. Dark Angel, its time to take that leap of faith...
Authors note: I have had the worst writers block! And, not to mention, horrible pains in my hands because of my stupid carpal tunnel thing. But here is the next, thrilling installment of 'Beginnings' and probably, I will admit, the one you have been waiting for. The Truth Is Out was just the start. Here is one of the last concluding chapters in the Beginnings saga. Thanks for reading up to here so far and enjoy! (I hope!)
***
Alec's pace hastened with every moment that passed. Max was very late. She couldn't use courteousy just once, to call him and tell him when she'd be arriving, could she? It'd probably be against her character or something. But it wasn't against his. He simply lacked the patience to wait. Alec dialed only four numbers into his phone when there was a impatient knock on the door. Ready to remind her of what stress he had been put through waiting for her, Alec swung open the door to a tired, worried looking Max.
"Alec, oh god...." Max breathed as she fell into his open arms, her brows knitted worriedly. Alec couldn't believe how holding her made him feel a million different things yet none of them compelled him to hold her tightly back. Reciprocating could break the rules and not reciprocating could make her pull away from him, which he didn't want to happen. Or maybe he was still mad about her being so late.
"Whats happened?" Alec finally got his voice to ask. Max didn't just fall into anybodys arms -maybe Logans but never his. Whatever caused her to feel so hopeless, so vulnerable was wearing on his mind. Massaging her hair in his hands, Alec waited for her to calm before walking her to the sofa, where Eva lay asleep, her little arms raised above her head in fists. Max reached down and gently stroked her brow and the tear stains on her cheeks. Alec glanced at Max for a reply. Only by Max's returned expression, he felt less like knowing it at all.
"Alec, Logan knows he's not Eva's real father." Max sobbed tentatively, forcing every word out in whispers. Alec fought back a sigh that he knew Max would have found arrogant. He just wasn't sure what came through her mind when she walked in through his door. He didn't feel sympathy for her. She didn't deserve his sympathy after everything she put him through. So why did he want so badly to hold her in his arms?
"Well, what are you going to do?" He managed to spit out as Max's eyes welled up with tears. It pained him to see her so broken; so hopeless. Her face was like a little childs who did something bad and didn't want to bear the punishment. Her back doubled over as she buried her face into his lap. Alec caught his breath as his hand reached to touch her silky auburn hair but pulled back instinctively. It was so hard to keep control of himself with her so near but he knew he had to. Things weren't like that with them.
"I've got to tell him the truth." Max sniffled as she raised her head up, wiping the tears from her eyes. "He deserves it." Max's eyes searched his face for something. Possibly permission. He'd given plenty of signs that he never agreed of this before. Maybe that was what made the decision so much easier for her. Knowing she was doing something no one else would agree with. Perhaps it was so no one else would be under fault if the plan went sideways. Teamwork was heavily engraved in Manticore but Max swerved away from anything remotely 'teamy'. It just was never right to lie to the ones you love and even though Alec didn't grow up in a place that promoted love, he knew better than to lie to family.
"He's not the only one," Alec said bluntly, nodding towards Eva lying asleep on the floor. Alec could see the hurt fill Max's eyes as she looked at her daughter, an example of what was right staring her smack dab in the face. Max picked her up, cradling her to her chest. Eva's eyes stirred open for a few seconds, settled upon Max's face and then peacefully slipped back closed. Alec smiled at the scene, making carefully sure Max didn't see.
"Alec, if I could take back all thats happened these past months, you know I would." Alec's hand was slowly coming to a stop on Max's back, her warm body hard to fight off touching. Her smile returned for a few brief moments as she moved closer, resting inside the space that set them apart.
They were like he had dreamed- a little family.
"I wouldn't."
***
Logan pulled at his hair, angsting over the passing moments that led him closer and closer to inevitable truth. He had no right to feel remorse for wanting this. He was simply scared out of his mind, for the very first time, to hear the truth. He certainly never felt apprehensive about the truth before, and those circumstances put him in dangers path. Logan crashed through the doorway to his living room with a maddened charge, pacing closer and closer to the front door. Looking up, he reminisced as he glared up through the sunroof Max had broken into the very first night they met. And to the right, his sofa where Max had fallen asleep on more times than he could count. Things, he knew for certain, would never be the same ever again in this house.
"Logan," Max's voice called in the quiet, Logan going to it on instinct. His breath stopped halfway out as he saw her. She was still so beautiful to him, it overtook his mind every time. "All right, let's talk." With a subtle nod, Logan took Eva, who was lying in her baby carrier on the floor next to Max's feet, and the three of them walked into the living room. Barely containing his nerves, he took his glasses off and set them on the table next to the folder Matt Sung had gotten for him that Max now sat eyeing steadily and aggressively. Two little words at the top seemed to be her main focus. 'Paternity Results'.
"I got an email," Logan started as he imagined Max would have nothing to say for right now. A print-out of the email lay next to the folder and Max slowly reached out and grabbed it. Her hand fell upon her mouth as she read it. "And I recieved a phone call, who I know was also from this semi-mysterious emailer." Max looked up, waiting. "From Donald Lydecker." Her face deadpanned.
"Lydecker..." He'd expected her to react like that, since for the past 11 months he had been known dead. He continued, "seems to think Eva is not my daughter." His voice sounded so hollow in the stagnant air between them. She wasn't looking at him and he could find nothing more to say. She'd answered everything with her silence.
"Let me explain," Max pleaded as her eyes fell into his tentatively, "because it's not what you think." Tears were dripping down her face, tears Logan no longer cared to wipe away for her. "It happened while I was in my heat. It was an accident," Logan tore his gaze from her face and down to Eva. "I am so sorry..." So she really had lied to him. Lied to Eva. And the worst part of it was she barely batted an eye.
"No," he grumbled, trying not to hear another word, "I don't think so." He could now only remember how he'd watched her look over at Alec those nights he'd pick her up from his apartment and how sometimes he'd feel jealous she didn't look at him that way. Her own husband. "You love him, don't you?" If there was a way to hide his insecure feelings, to hide the hurt in his voice, he would have. She didn't deserve to hear his heart tearing in two. Max's face met his for a brief second, guilt present in her eyes and something else. Confusion.
"Yes." she answered flatly, sitting there like she hadn't said anything at all. A sudden gasp escaped Logans mouth followed by heaving sobs. He couldn't hold back what Max had brought out of him any longer. Max stood up from the sofa, grabbing Eva off the floor. Logan could feel his heart lunge out of his chest as Max walked out of that room, taking along the one thing in his life he loved unconditionally. Taking along with her his life.
***
Maybe she was bred to be difficult, to break hearts. And to move on without feeling a thing. To go from one mission to the next. Now she wasn't sure what her mission was. Being with Logan had been her mission for so long. Then it was taking care of Eva. And somewhere between all that, things got twisted. She did have another mission in mind but how could she even be sure of it? She wanted Alec, Eva and her to be a family. Badly. Only Alec didn't love her. Or did he? Max gripped the metal roof of the Space Needle and closed her eyes. Dark Angel, its time to take that leap of faith...