Disclaimer: I'm not doing it anymore…I refuse to give into the oppression!

Author's Note: So this took a while. I have a very valid excuse…I had a really fun nervous breakdown complete with hyperventilating, hysterics, and crying. Let's just say that I've had something of a bad time and I'm doing my best to not get in over my head. Though I figure you kind of have to be in over your head when you can feel the walls closing in on you when you are outside. Anyways…one light in the darkness was the new Dark Angel episode! They acknowledged Ben's existence, Max and Alec had a touching moment, connected, and she admitted she was a bitch to him. And she dumped Logan…though I have to admit I kind of like him drunk…I kept rewinding the tap to watch his 'Woo Hoo." Also we got to see Max back up on the space needle, which we haven't seen this entire season, plus Alec was up there with her actually being a nice guy. This episode kind of renewed my faith in the writers, because they finally gave us something that a lot of viewers have wanted to see so badly. More than one dimension of the characters. I don't know if I'm the only one who noticed but Max has been severely lacking in emotions that aren't of the tortured I-don't-get-to-touch-Logan kind and it was touching to see Alec wrap his arm around her and say that he was sorry. It was a dream come true and I kept bouncing around my dorm room going, "oh yeah, finally!"

Review, it gives me a reason to go on. ::puts a hand to her forehead dramatically::

Comin' to Get You

Chapter 13: You have a what?

Jondy sat staring at the front door for an hour fidgeting with her fingers, chipping off her blue finger nail polish that she had just put on the hour earlier before she had taken up the occupation of staring at the door. Zane had slipped out before she could talk to him in the twenty minutes she had walked away from his closed bedroom door to take a shower. From the supreme lack of talking to her she was starting to think that he was a little mad, possibly at her.

After Zane had disappeared into his bedroom Alec had turned to her with an open mouth and a hushed apology. She had waved him off and smiled, "It's not your fault, doll. Innocent fun that his over active imagination made into not so innocent fun."

"I just don't have friends that I can have movie nights with," he said lamely shrugging his shoulders.

She smiled and touched his cheek gently, "well, its about time I came along then." She motioned her head for the door. "I'll give you a call later, let me try and straighten this out."

"Good luck." He smirked at her and headed for the door pausing to throw one more look in her direction.

"Bye, babe." He had nodded and closed the door behind him with a soft click and Jondy had turned with a resolute scowl on her face and knocked on Zane's door. "Zane, talk to me."

There was no answer.

"Zane, come on, stop being jealous guy!"

Jondy started to imagine she was hearing crickets

"Open the door."

The crickets were starting to back talk her.

"I'm not leaving this door till you come out of there! You know how stubborn I am, it's gonna be a really long time in there without any bathroom breaks."

The crickets were laughing and pointing now.

"I'll sing 'Mmmbop.' I realize you probably have never heard that song so you don't realize the true threat that is the Hanson brothers but I'll do it!" She hit her forehead against the door, "ok, maybe not. They'd crack me if I sang them and let's face it I'm already half-baked…damn crickets. If I go get a drink of water you aren't gonna run are ya?" She stood silent for a moment. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

She had retreated silently from his door into the kitchen, once she had her head safely inside the refrigerator she let out a frustrated growl. She closed the door quietly and sat on the floor her rump connecting to the linoleum with a thud that made her wince.

She drew her knees to her chest with a loud sigh and bit her lip hard enough that she started to taste blood. "We got corn dogs if you want some! Throw something at the door for a yes if you want me to make you some…I'll leave them at the door and back away if it makes you feel better." Jondy waited with closed eyes for any sign of life from Zane's room. Suddenly there was a loud thud that made her jump, followed by two more. "Three corn dogs coming right up."

Once she had the oven going she couldn't stop looking at her hands. They shook softly against her will as she tried her best to breath past the tightness in her chest that felt like a boa constrictor was slowly choking the life out of her. Her breath was loud in her own ears drowning out the rest of the world as she stared at the fingers with long fingernails despite her line of work. It felt like seconds but the buzzer was going off reminding her that the corn dogs were done. She set a plate down infront of Zane's door softly and retreated sitting with her back to the kitchen cubby's wall so that she could just see the edge of his door.

He opened it slowly and all she could see was his hand as he dragged the plate complete with three hot dogs into the dark room. Jondy rolled her eyes as she watched the door close back with a click and could hold back the low growl. "Fine, be a three year old," she muttered under her breath.

She painted her nails a bright metallic blue and talked animatedly to the door. Not Zane, but the door, she figured she would get more of a response that way. She got bored with the door after an hour and started to beat a rhythm out on the wooden floor before she broke out into song. "Just look at that girl with the lights coming up in her eyes. She's gotta be somebody's baby. She must be somebody's baby. Cause all the guys on the corner sit back and let her walk on by. She's gotta be somebody's baby. She must be somebody's baby. She's gotta be somebody's baby, cause she's so fine. She's probably somebody's sunlight…"

"Sing something else," came through the door quietly, Zane's voice was like gravel and Jondy winced in sympathy.

"Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell. Jimmy Rogers on the victrola up high. Mama's dancin' with a baby on her shoulder. The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky. The boy could sing, knew how to move everything. Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for." She made her voice soft and low, swaying with the guitar music that she could hear so perfectly in her head. "Black velvet and that little boy's smile. Black velvet with that slow southern style, a new religion that'll bring ya to your knees. Black velvet if you please." She leaned her head back against Zane's door and drew her knees up to her chest, slowly drawing in air to let it out in pure notes. "Up in Memphis the music's like a heat wave. White lightning is bound to drive you wild. Mama's baby's in the heart of every schoolgirl. "Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle. The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true. Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for." She stopped singing abruptly not wanting to go on, so she sighed, lifting her head to let it hit his door. "You gonna talk to me now?" Silence reigned once again, letting the crickets take the floor. "Limiting talk times to song requests?"

She stood slowly and with one long sad glance at Zane's door and imagined him sitting with his back to the door his chin resting on his knees as he listened for her movements. A lock of dark black hair would have fallen into forest green eyes as he stared silently at Sasha who would be watching him just as steadily. With another sigh she made her way into the bathroom for a shower wanting to get rid of the shakes that were starting to overrun her body. Maybe she could drown a couple crickets while she was in there.

When she had come out toweling her hair slowly she found Zane's door open. She smiled happily for a second thinking he had come to his senses when she realized that it was just her and Sasha in the apartment. "Damn cheater," she huffed before she sat down on the couch and started picking at her metallic blue fingernail polish, one eye on the front door.

~*~

A knock rang out in the silence of Max's apartment, as she was taking a towel away from her wet hair, making her to jump. With a raised eyebrow she made her way to the door and opened it slowly to find Alec standing there with his hands in his pockets and an unhappy smile on his face. "What do you want?"

"I don't want to go back to my apartment and I was just wondering if maybe I could hang out here for a while. I know you don't sleep or anything."

"Why do you want to hang out here?" She ran a hand through her wet hair pulling it away from her now damp shirt with a grimace.

"I feel bad."

"About?" She stepped away from the door and let him in.

"I got Jondy in trouble with Zane."

"What did you do?" she bit out rolling her eyes unhappily as he pulled his jacket off and shucked it onto her couch.

"We were hanging out having some fun and Zane walked in and thought it was something that it wasn't." He explained quietly looking down at his hands.

"Right, he misinterpreted your type of 'fun.'" Max let out a loud sigh and made her way into the kitchen

"It wasn't even like that, Max. We watched a movie, had some raspberries, and we play fought over a coke, nothing more." He threw his hands up in the air and gave an exasperated growl, "I realize I'm supposed to be the scum of the earth but she's my friend."

Max opened her mouth to say something but closed it, looking guiltily at her hands. "Sorry, you just don't have a good track record."

"I'm aware of that," he sighed loudly before letting his lean frame drop onto her couch beside his jacket. "So you don't mind if I hang out, right?"

"Whatever." Walking quietly to a cabinet she pulled down two glasses and nodded to one of them in his direction. He nodded and watched her as she made her way to the refrigerator. She moved slowly, languidly, her hips swaying back and forth in a rhythm that he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from. He caught the smile she threw over her shoulder at him and couldn't stop his own answering smile.

"You seem worried that I'm going to try something with Jondy…" Alec started softly before pushing himself back onto his feet.

"Of course." With narrowed eyes she glanced over at him, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.

He was standing behind her now out of arms reach but close enough that he could smell her damp hair. It was strange to smell her without the trace of leather and motor oil that had ingrained itself into her scent. "Why?" he asked in a low voice letting his lips caress the word as he watched her turn around to face him.

"Because, for one, Zane is completely in love with her and if you try anything it'll break his heart, which you probably already did tonight anyway. And second because I know you have a tendency to use a girl and then cheat on her, I don't want to see my sister as one of your castoffs." She clicked her tongue quietly as though to assure herself that her reasoning was sound.

Alec smiled as he took a slow step towards her, a smile playing on his lips. "I don't think that's what you're worried about."

"And what do you think I'm worried about?" she lifted an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip as she looked him over with pursed lips.

He took another step towards her, letting the unconscious grace of his body lull her the same way hers had done earlier. She didn't realize what was happening until he was right in front of her his face so close to hers that she could feel his warm breath against her cheek as he leaned in to whisper in her hair. "You don't want me with Jondy because you want me…to be with you."

Max opened and closed her mouth several times unsuccessfully getting words passed the lips that had suddenly gone bloodless. She blinked several times before she could muster enough thought to push him away with a laugh. "The ego has landed."

He threw her one of his best smirks and shrugged, "I know my own worth. At least the ego is justified."

"You think."

"I know." She just shook her head at him and poured two drinks out for them. "Admit it, Max, you think I'm a fine specimen of man." He laughed at her sudden expression of fear before she shook her head and plastered the usual mask of tough girl on her face.

"Alec, get over yourself before I'm forced to beat you down."

"I'm being completely honest here," he smirked again and walked up to her taking both glasses out of her hands, ignoring her protests. "I want to see something," he explained softly, the look in his blue eyes stopping her from saying anything.

He was standing close to her again; she could smell the clean scent of his skin, untainted by some cologne because his nose would be too sensitive to stand the constant irritation. If forced to put a name to his smell it would be something like man and cat, musty and feral, and sex strong and potent in the suddenly small apartment. He lifted one hand slowly, so slowly she thought she would forget to breathe as she watched it. He touched her cheek gently with the tips of his fingers and she jumped despite herself, unable to ignore the blot of electricity that shot through her.

Her eyes jumped to his full pink lips as his tongue darted out to wet them. The parted slightly as he took in shallow breaths, tasting her without ever actually having that tongue trace the contours of her skin. He leaned in his blue eyes latching onto her wide brown ones and she jumped back before he could connect.

"What exactly do you want to see?" she asked in a strangled voice.

"I want to see if you taste like I think you will."

"How do you think…"

"Like raspberries," he whispered before he moved in to capture her lips, this time not leaving her room to pull back. One hand moved to tangle into her hair keeping her pressed against him. His tongue traced her lips and he couldn't stop the sudden feeling of overwhelming relief when she opened her mouth to let him in, to let him explore her.

His other hand snaked its way around her waist, pulling her even tighter against him until nothing but clothes separated them and she had to fight off waves of dizziness as her knees gave out. He strong arms supported her but they were fighting a loosing battle as his own legs turned to mush and they sank down to the ground. The kiss went on drowning out the rest of the world before he pulled away breathing heavily and his eyes glazed over with pleasure.

Max faired no better as she looked at him, reaching again for his lips. He drew back once again licking his lips taking in the remnants of her taste as he cupped her face in his hands. "Like raspberries," he whispered, and suddenly grabbed his jacket and left. All Max could do was sit, on the floor of her apartment, with her mouth open and watch as the door closed behind him.

~*~

It was six the next evening before Zane came home; Jondy lay on the couch with one leg draped over the armrest and the other over the back and her head hanging off the edge. Zane came into view upside down, looking at her with empty green eyes and a raised eyebrow. "Have you been sitting there all day?"

"Course not. I took a couple bathroom breaks and of course I made some food." She gave him a wane smile and sat up grimacing as she contemplated the world from this position. "Where have you been?"

"Out."

"Captain obvious is a friend of yours I see…care to be more specific?"

"Not really," he walked into his room and she could hear as he shuffled around, throwing clothes onto the bed absently.

"Whatcha doin'?" Jondy asked innocently from his doorway.

"Getting ready to go out," he answered in a clipped tone that made her wince.

"Care for some company? We haven't really had any fun together since we came on this mad goose hunt for Zack…who I hope you haven't forgotten about in all the hub bub with Max. I mean I'm happy to see her and that's why we're staying as long as we have, but we still need to get Zack back into the land of, well, Zackness." She was going on faster as she watched his face get more and more closed off. She tried desperately to find a way for him open up but she had never been very good at getting out of holes. She did, however, excel at digging them.

"Actually," he started slowly, "I already have company."

"Company? What kind of company?"

"I have a date," he pulled his shirt off slowly, revealing hard muscles that moved under smooth skin.

"You have a what?" She couldn't even focus on her body the words hit her so hard.

"A date, you know, those things that guys go out on with girls…or girls go out on with girls or boys with boys depending on sexual preference."

"I vaguely remember dates; money gets spent occasional groping…"

"If one is lucky." Zane said coldly pulling on another shirt, blocking out her view of his lean frame.

Jondy blinked a couple of times before a smile spread across her face and she batted eyes, that had always sparkled with something less than sanity. "Well, I hope for the chance that you'll stop acting like a three year old, that you do get lucky." She simpered, showing off dimples, as he gaped at her and turned on her heel and left him to get ready.