TITLE: Coming Decisions – Chapter 11

WRITTEN BY: Heather Ferguson (fergus80)

EMAIL: hmfergie@charter.net

WEBSITE:  webpages. charter. net /fergus80 (Jensen)

RATING: PG-13 (NC-17 where applicable will be separate)

SUMMARY: Set after Freak Nation. A miss understanding turns into some truth telling and decision making for our transgenic pair.

SPOILERS: Everything!

DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron, FOX, etc. etc. etc.

FEEDBACK: Always makes me smile! :)

DEDICATION: To all the Nuns at the Church of Jensen, the Blue Lady, and of course Jensen!

RANT: Okay… I did the stupid thing and watched Freak Nation with the commentary. Can I actually say I'm HAPPY that DA was canceled? Seriously what Cameron and/or what the writers wanted to do…. UGH! So, with that annoyance in my head, I just had to correct a few things, or I couldn't live with myself, whatever this will be (obviously, writing this, before I write my fic) is the result of this huge annoyance. SO… let's see how it goes. ;)

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She sat there looking at her friend, then a small smile spread across her face and she jumped into Cindy's arms. "You know you're the best don't you."

"Oh, I know." OC said with a smile hugging her friend back.

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The sound of the knock at his door, stopped his pacing and he walked over to open it. The visitor saw him on his cell phone and came in shutting the door behind him.

"Yeah... that's great. Okay... uh huh. Yes... yes that's right." He nodded even though the other person on the phone could not see him. "They will be there." He smiled, to the rooms other occupant and rolled his eyes, "Yes, all the money will be there." He nodded a few more times, and with an "Okay," he was off the phone.

"More equipment for the lab?"

Alec nodded, "Yeah, those lab techie's really like their expensive, hard to get stuff. But it will be here this time tomorrow."

Mole shook his head, "We do all this for these humans... and they are right now surrounding this city, just waiting for us to try and get out. They want us..."

Alec held up his hand, "Mole I don't even want to hear it. They don't ALL want us dead, or jailed, or whatever."

He rolled his eyes in response, "Some of your little friends don't count... or all the women that you..."

Alec stopped him with an evil stare, and Mole just laughed.

"They don't even know what we are doing. We should get some credit."

"Mole... If they knew we were doing it... they would question it. They wouldn't believe us... I mean think about it. A few thousand year old breeding cult, whom all happen to be human, are keeping the immunity to themselves from a virus… from a comet… so they can take over the world and populate it themselves. But… genetically engineered human – animal hybrids are really the ones trying to save them. Uh huh… yeah."

"Well… when you put it like THAT."

Alec walked behind his desk, sat down and put his feet up on it. "So what did you come here to discuss, cause I'm sure it wasn't that."

Mole took the cigar from his mouth, "The bitch is back."

Alec almost fell over the back of his chair, and Mole laughed at him. After steadying himself and getting over the initial shock, he looked sternly at Mole, "What do you mean MAX is back? There's no meeting with her today."

"I never said she was here for a meeting." He got a questioning look. "I saw her and Josh…"

"Oh… she's just visiting…"

Mole shook his head, "If that requires her duffle bag filled with her belongings and taking over her old apartment. Then by all means, she MUST be just visiting Josh." Hazel eyes just stared at reptilian man. "Now tell me something… Is it the cat… Max… or the mixture that's got your tongue?"

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She put her last article of clothing into the drawer, and shut it with a smile.

"Joshua is very happy to have Little Fella' home again."

Max turned to him, and gave him another big hug. "Well… it's is good to be back. I missed you." The huge smile he got on his face made her grin bigger.

He then titled his head slightly as she went to go sit on the couch, "But what about you and Logan?"

"What about us?" She asked curling her feet up on the couch as he sat his big frame down next to her.

"Virus bitch went down. If you're here… what about…"

She cut him off, "Josh… it's a long, LONG story. But let's just say… it wasn't meant to be."

He gave her a confused look, "You and Logan… not getting busy?"

Max almost choked, then laughed. "No Big Fella'… it's NOT happening." She could tell he still didn't understand, so she tried something different. "Have you ever thought you wanted something… and you wanted it soooo much. But then… once you got it… you realized it wasn't what you thought it was going to be?"

After a few moments he nodded, "Yeah… to get out of Manticore."

She blinked twice… "What? What do you mean?"

"I wanted out so much. All of us did. Wanted to get out in the real world… be free."

She nodded, "You are free from Manticore."

"Yes, from Manticore… but still not free. Still stuck behind walls… in Terminal City. But now… the world knows we are here. Now we are in danger."

Max looked down realizing that more than likely the others felt the same way. While they were prisoners at Manticore, at least in some aspects… they were safe. Now… She closed her eyes, feeling the burden on her shoulders again.

A large gentle hand tilted her face up, "Not your fault."

"Joshua… But I…"

He shook his head, "You did free us all. It's not your fault that the real world doesn't understand us. Doesn't accept us."

"Well maybe… at some point that can change."

Joshua nodded, "Now that you are home, we can change it together." She gave him a small smile in response.

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He wasn't sure exactly what he was doing. He didn't have anything planned to say or do. And he just knew… KNEW that it was going to go bad. But he had to get some answers. He HAD to know why the hell she had returned. Also, he hoped that maybe by finding out why she was back. Maybe, just maybe it would let him figure out for himself how he felt having her back in Terminal City. Because right at that point, he had no clue. But then again… had he ever when it came to her?

Alec sighed as he brought up his hand and knocked on her door. A few seconds later the door was opening, and he was momentarily confused seeing a chest in his line of sight. Until he looked up and found Joshua giving him a big smile. "Medium Fella'!" He was captured in a huge hug and pulled into the apartment."

"Uhhh Josh… buddy… you saw me this morning." He said trying to slowly pull away.

"Joshua happy because everyone back together."

Alec looked to the side and saw Max standing quickly from the couch. They gave each other an awkward glance and then looked back at Joshua. "Uhhh, yeah. Actually, that's why I'm here. I… I… uhhh, need to talk to Max for a little bit. Do you think you could… ummm…" He tried to think of something, "Go to Headquarters and see if Mole needs any help organizing the equipment coming in tomorrow?"

He nodded back enthusiastically, "Sure." He looked at Max, "Gott'a go… Dinner in the mess hall?" She nodded her affirmative. He patted Alec on the shoulder and left the apartment.

They watched the door shut, and the words started before the wood had settled in the frame, "Can't talk to me with him around?"

Alec turned to her, "Max… I just thought it would be better…"

"You thought for me again."

He ran his hand over his face, "No… I wasn't making the choice for you. I was making it for myself. I didn't want to talk to you with Josh around."

"Okay," she said crossing her arms in front of her defensively, but sitting down on the couch, trying to look comfortable.

He tried to start talking a few times, but his mind wouldn't let him form the words. And her just sitting there, staring at him, wasn't helping matters. Finally, he just asked, "Why are you back?"

She stood quickly, "I have every right to be here!"

Alec closed his eyes, and raised his hands. "I never said you didn't." She started to object… "I asked… why you are back? Not what do you think you are doing here. There is a very big difference."

Her jaw tensed, "With everything that is happening. I felt it was better for me to be here."

He sighed, "But I know you don't want to be. And… I'm not trying to make you feel…" he shook his head, "Max… you don't NEED to be here. You've done enough…"

She cut him off, "Yeah… I know. I know. I let everyone out into this horrible world. I put everyone in danger. I was one of '09'ers. I'm not trusted, and everyone hates me. So the best thing I can do is just go away. But…" she started to turn and walk over to the other side of the room.

He reached out and grabbed her arm and turned her back around. "Not EVERYONE hates you. Heck… they don't even KNOW you."

Her eyes widened at his words. But she quickly pulled her arm and herself away from him, and laughed. "So I guess you're saying I'm better off going away then. Because then the ones that don't hate me, wont' get to know me, and then have a reason to."

He rolled his eyes at her. "That is NOT what I said."

"Oh, I know what you said, and I know what you MEAN."

"Max… don't do this…"

"Don't do what?" She asked, "Tell the truth?"

Alec shook his head, "There is no talking to you when you get like…"

"When I get like what?"

He clenched his fists. She was pushing him, deliberately. He could tell that. "Max… do you want me to yell? Do you want to fight? Is that what this is about?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know what…" He was getting sick of it. "You can try and listen to me, or you can go on believing whatever you want too. But… I didn't come here to fight. I didn't come here to… put you down… to make you feel bad. Or whatever you think the reason is, that I'm here." He sighed, "I just wanted to know why you were here. Because you don't NEED to be."

She was about ready to object again and he saw it. "And don't… don't even try to do the whole, 'I see I'm not needed' thing. That is NOT what I'm saying." She crossed her arms in front of herself again, waiting. He ran his hand though his hair again. Why did she have to make everything so difficult? He turned towards the door.

He put his hand on the knob, and then stopped. He turned back to her. "Max… all I was trying to say was that you've done so much already. You deserve to be happy. And from what I've heard you say for the last year… Seattle, your friends, and Logan… make you happy." She looked at the floor at his words. He shook his head with a sigh. "So you don't HAVE to be here. If you want to be here… that's fine. Just let me know where I can reach you." And with that he walked out the door.

She stood there, her brain not really functioning. The door shut, and she blinked. "What was that about?" she asked the empty apartment.

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"A little early for dinner isn't it?"

Hazel eyes looked up at the green face. "Just wanted to get it in, and get back to the office." He looked at the tray that Mole held as he sat down in front of him. "Besides… you should talk."

Mole took out his Cigar, put it out, and grabbed a fork. "I missed lunch. I'll be back later."

"Why did you miss lunch? Nothing is happening." He said pushing a mouthful of something green into his mouth.

"Well, I was talking with Dix about some things, and it was getting late. Decided to have a late lunch… then when I was about to go… good old dog boy comes in."

Alec looked down at his plate, and wondered if he could finish it before Mole continued.

"And says… YOU… wanted him to see if I needed any HELP."

He looked up slowly from his plate and tried not to laugh, "Sorry man. It was the first thing that came to mind when…"

"When you wanted to be alone with Mrs…" He stopped quickly, "with Max."

"I didn't want to be ALONE with her… I needed to talk to her."

Mole rolled his eyes, "And did you actually talk?"

Alec sighed, "No…" Mole's eyebrow, or what could be considered an eyebrow, shot up. "Mole!" He shook his head at the lizard, "We… argued."

"Like always."

"You aren't helping."

"I do my best."

Alec sighed again, "You know… you two aren't that different."

Mole choked on the brown stuff he had put in his mouth, spitting it slightly as he pounded a fist at his chest… "Excuse me?"

He gave a large smile, "You both try and piss me off."

Mole smiled, "Yeah… but I do it out of love."

Alec rolled his eyes, and leaned back in his seat shaking his head, "Oh, don't let the others hear it. They might get jealous."

He laughed at that, and bravely took another bite of food, then turned to the two incomers. "Well, your tactic to avoid Joshua and his dinner mate… yes … I KNEW… he wouldn't shut up about it by the way… did not work."

Alec quickly looked in the same direction, sat up, and leaned over his tray with a hand to his forehead.

Mole shook his head, "Do you really think you can hide? There is only one other table in here with people at it. And you just know that once Josh sees…"

"Alec! Mole!"

"Like I said," he said quietly.

Soon Joshua was at the table, a reluctant Max a few feet behind him. "You came early too! Can we join you?"

Alec looked over at Max, then back to Joshua, "Sure… why not?"

He quickly sat down next to Mole, leaving the seat next to Alec wide open.

Max looked at the chair, then to Alec, then at Joshua's smile. She sat her tray down, and then she sat slowly.

"I didn't know why Little Fella wanted to come to dinner so early. She must have good intuition that you both would be here."

Alec and Max sighed, both knowing just how UNTRUE that statement was.

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Chapter 12 Coming Soon! – Please Review!!!