TITLE: Coming Decisions – Chapter 18

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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But then he closed his eyes as he thought about it. Maybe she was different. Maybe she was acting differently towards him and everyone else. Being nice because… because she was happy? He sighed and started to walk away from the door and towards the exit. He was glad she was happy. That's what he wanted her to be. But he sure as hell didn't have to like the reason she was so happy.

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"Yeah Big Fella I love that mural." She said as opened the door to her office giving him a smile behind her. "Oh, and I have the perfect wall for your next one."

He gave her a large grin as he followed her into the room.

"They really brighten up Terminal City," she said and then stopped suddenly, Joshua running into the back of her.

"Sorry Little Fella," came his reply behind her, "What's wrong?"

She just starred at the corner of the room, and then slowly walked over to what was hanging there. She took the white note off the long red bag suspended from the ceiling by large chains. Her fingers slowly opened the piece of paper.

'Thought you could use this incase I'm not around.'

Joshua watched the shocked look turn into a large smile as her hand went up to the red leather like material. A laugh escaping her lips as she spoke, "My own personal punching bag."

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He waited as he looked over Dix's shoulder at the computer, while he listened to him and Mole talking. He had seen her and Josh enter her office, and knew it was just a matter of time. He just wasn't sure what her reaction was going to be. Happy or pissed off. It could go either way with Max.

The door opened behind him, "Alec" The guys all turned towards her, and saw Joshua move into the main room. "Can I have a word with you?"

Mole looked at him, "What did you do now?"

Alec laughed, "Ummm. I know what I did. But for some reason I don't know if the principle is going to punish me or reward me for it."

The lizard man just shook his head and sighed. "Well, good luck." And with that he patted his shoulder and pushed him to the door.

Once she saw him walking over, she moved back inside. He followed and shut the door behind him. He watched her sit on the edge of her desk and turn back towards him. "You wanted to talk to me?"

She nodded, and pointed at the punching bag. "Why?"

He gave her a confused look. He had thought that the note had explained it.

Max sighed, "I know what the note said. But… why? Why did you do it?"

"Why'd I get you something to beat up besides me?"

She shook her head, "I got that part."

"Then what?"

She sighed and walked over to it, gave it a soft punch, just playing and turned back to him. She wasn't exactly sure what she was asking, or even if she did, how she could ask. He walked over to her, and put a hand on the bag, patting it. "You didn't have too."

He gave another confused look, "But I wanted too."

"Why?"

"Didn't I just say why?"

She nodded, "So that's the only reason then."

He looked at her. Was that a sound of disappointment in her voice? He couldn't be sure. "Max…"

She gave him a smile, "No that's okay. Really. And… thank you."

Alec nodded, "Glad you liked it. I was… well… slightly worried you would get the wrong idea."

Max gave him another smile. He had given it to her to be nice. Not JUST for her to use it instead of him. "I must say. I've never had anyone get me anything quite like this before." She patted it again and her hand touched his.

Their eyes met briefly and he removed his hand quickly running it through his hair. "Yeah well…" He swallowed. "They didn't have Gift Giving 101 back at Manticore." She laughed. "And I'm not really one to do wine or jewelry…" He stopped immediately. "Not that I was going for something like that!" He moved away from her and the bag. "I mean… it wasn't really that type a gift."

She watched him retreating to her door. "Alec…"

"I mean… really… it wasn't even a gift. It was more of a… a… peace offering. Yeah."

"Peace offering?" He nodded. She smiled, "Okay." She walked over to him and stuck out her had. "I accept."

He looked down at her extended hand, then back up at the smile on her face. How many times had she smiled in the last few minutes? More than almost the whole time he knew her? His hand came up and his fingers encased hers, as they shook on it. The shake lasting longer than necessary. He pulled his hand away, clearing his throat. "I gotta get back out there."

She nodded, "Okay. And thanks again."

He smiled, "No problem." With that he opened and walked out the door. Shutting it behind him he stopped. He looked over seeing the guys talking at the computer. He shook his head to himself and walked to his office, and soon found the comfort of its solitude. He took a seat on the couch, rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

*What the hell was that?* he asked himself. Could he have acted any more stupid? He shook his head at himself. *What was I thinking? For crying out loud. She's with someone! That's why she's so happy. That's why she's changed. That's why she's being so nice. That's why you're falling…* He stopped. *NO. I can't. Not again. There is NO point.*

Alec sighed again and stood up and leaned against the wall. Why? Why did she have to be so nice now? Why did she have to be like that, but still… still be Max? It was like someone had taken her and removed that stick up her ass. That… thing that kept her distant. Kept her being a bitch to him and everyone else and removed it. But had somehow managed to keep all the things he had originally liked in her. Her flare. Her fire. Her… sprit.

Another man's face came before his eyes, and his fist lashed out as if to hit him and came in contact with the wall. Doing something in essence he could never do. Would never do. For so many reasons. The main reason being… that other man was the one that had removed that damn stick.

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He saw the X5 exit her office and enter his own silently. His gaze moved from one door to the other, trying to decide which one to approach. Respecting the one's silent request not to be bothered he choose the other door. Not that he wanted too, but he walked over and knocked.

"Come in," came the reply from behind it. He entered and her eyes looked up in shock and she stood. "Mole?" Her brain trying to quickly comprehend why he was there, "What's wrong?"

He shut the door behind him and walked over and sat on the corner of her desk looking back at her. "That's what I was hoping you could tell me."

Max gave him a confused look, "What do you mean?"

He pointed his cigar at her, "You've been acting differently. Especially to him." She looked down for a second, not even needing to know who the 'him' was. "And I would just like to know why."

"Mole... really it's none of your business."

"You see. That's where you're wrong. Anything else is your business. But when it comes to Alec. Then it's mine as well."

She crossed her arms in front of herself. "So what do you want to know?"

Mole looked at her for a minute. "Since you and that human..."

"Logan."

"Since you and him broke up..."

"I broke up with him."

He chopped on his cigar a little at that, *Interesting,* he thought. "Whatever."

And she continued, "But how the hell do you know that?"

Mole laughed, "You think you can really keep any secrets in Terminal City with a bunch of highly trained transgenics?"

She sighed, "So I guess everyone knows." *Everyone.*

He nodded and then continued with his question. "So you broke up. You came back to Terminal City. And now you are being... different. Why?"

She leaned on her desk looking back at him in the eye, "Define different."

Mole stood up. "I don't need to because you already know." She stood back up straight and crossed her arms again. "Max... what the hell are your intentions?"

"My intentions?" She laughed. She really laughed. "Alec is not a girl, and you definitely aren't his father. And that isn't..."

Mole stuck his cigar out at her again, "This isn't a laughing matter. This isn't a game sweetheart."

She swallowed hard. "Mole... what exactly are you implying?"

"You've already played with one man's heart, and then stomped on it." She averted her gaze and he waited for her eyes to look back up at him again. "And I'll be damned if I let you do that to him." He didn't feel the need to add 'again' at the end of that. She didn't need to know that.

"I don't know what you are getting at Mole. I'm just trying to be nice. Just trying to make peace."

He knew better. "Tell yourself that all you want. But you better figure things out, and quick." With that he turned and walked out of her office leaving her with her mouth open.

"What was that all about?" she asked the empty room. She walked over to her couch and sat down heavily. *He knows.* Her shoulders slumped slightly. She should have been the one to tell him. But it didn't matter anymore. She then thought about what Mole had said. What he had implied. She shook her head. *Me? Play with Alec's heart?* It didn't make sense to her. *He'd have to have feelings for me... like THAT... in order for it to matter.*

Heck he was uncomfortable being in the same room with her. Uncomfortable about getting her the punching bag. Made it completely clear that it wasn't THAT type of gift. So why the hell did Mole think that there was?
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"Thought I would find you here."

Hazel eyes looked up into a cloud of smoke. "You know me so well."

Mole took a seat and Jonny already was handing him a beer. "You know. It's a good thing that you're genetically engineered or you'd be on your third liver by now."

Alec laughed, "Awh more concern for me. I'm touched." He looked over at Mole, and snapped his fingers with a sigh "To bad you aren't a woman."

Mole coughed, "Excuse me?"

He shook his head, "Nothing man. Nothing." The reptilian reached across the table taking the bottle of scotch. "Hey!"

"I think you may have finally had enough."

Alec's arm quickly reached across the table, grabbing it back in a blur. "And if you were a woman, I'd be breaking up with for doing that."

Mole nodded, now slightly understanding what was going on. He took a drink of his beer than sat the mug on the table. "Just how long as it been?"

He looked back at him and shook his head, "What?"

"You. A female. In the horizontal, or vertical, or whatever it is your species does."

Alec coughed on his scotch. His fist pounded at his chest. "I'd say… oh about… hmmm… none of your damn business."

"That long huh?"

"What?"

"Oh come on. If it was a short time, you would have just told me."

"I am NOT talking about this with YOU." He took another drink.

Mole looked around the bar, then back to the man across the table. His hand motioned around the bar, "Pick one."

"Excuse me?"

"I said pick one."

Alec shook his head. "I'm not doing this."

"Because I can just about guarantee whom ever you pick will say yes." Alec rolled his eyes. "Unless they were already with someone else. And then even some of them…"

"Mole. Stop. I'm not interested."

"So I guess you have turned into a monk." He received an evil look. "I guess all the rumors of you being able to get all the chicks were that, just rumors."

"I know what you are doing. It won't work."

"Why are you doing this? That's what I don't understand. You're making yourself miserable."

"ME? If I could change things don't you think I would? But I can't."

Mole shook his head, and leaned over the table. "No matter how much I may regret this. And no matter how much I think it's a bad idea. If you want her so damn much, why the hell don't you go after her?"

Alec leaned back in his seat, not even attempting to deny what he said. "Because… I can't."

"Why not?"

He shook his head, closed his eyes. "It wouldn't be right."

"Right? After all this. After all this time. Your answer is it wouldn't be right? Well I can think of a million reasons it wouldn't be a good idea. But… right?"

"And even if it was all right to go after her. She would actually have to LIKE me for it to work."

"Damn." Mole said and sat back in his seat. "She really did a number on you."

"What do you mean by that?"

Mole finished his beer, stood up and sat the empty mug on the table. "And they say that I'm thick headed. You two take the cake." With that he walked out of the bar.

Alec watched him go shaking his head. *What does he know anyway?* Even if he did try to get her. What would be the point? She was happy where she was. She wasn't interested in him. Why even try when you know what the outcome will be? He sighed again, and took another drink. His eyes caught a blondes at the bar, she smiled back. He took one last drink and sat the glass on the table. He stood up and headed for the exit. He had to get out of there before he did something he would only regret in the morning.

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Chapter 19 Coming Soon! – Please Review!!!