TITLE: Coming Decisions – Chapter 20

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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"Got it," Mole replied and then looked at Max following Alec. He nodded at her, and she gave him one in return before she left through the door. "I'll be damned." Mole said with a grin, shaking his head as he turned back to the television.

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His hand fumbled with the key, and her hand moved over his turning it in the lock. "Max… really I could had done it myself."

She sighed as she walked with him though the door. "Yeah. Just like you could have gotten here all by yourself."

"I only stumbled once or twice." She rolled her eyes, as the door shut behind them. He started for the couch.

"Oh no. Right to bed for you."

"Bed this… bed that… Geez Max… what has gotten into you?" He then bit his tongue on that, feeling slightly nauseous at the hideous thought.

"Funny." She said and pushed him as they approached the bed. He fell easily back onto it. "At least you still have your ohhh so charming sense of humor," she said rolling her eyes once again.

He waved at her, "Okay. I'm here. You can go now."

She stood at the foot of his bed, and looked down at him. He still had his coat on. His shoes on. He was fully dressed and his eyes were already struggling to stay open. "Really? And what are you going to do?"

"Sleep."

"Like that?"

Hazel yet slightly red eyes opened to look up at her. Part of his brain entertaining many ideas that were coming into his mind. But the other part won out. "Max. I'm fine. Thank you for helping me get home. You don't need to do anything else."

She wanted to storm out at his stubbornness. But she knew why he was doing it. Heck, she would be the same way. He hated being weak. He hated being vulnerable. He hated having to have others do things for him. She sighed and went and sat on the edge of the bed. "See… one problem."

He looked at her strangely, "What's that?"

"I know you're lying."

His eyes widened, "Lying? I am not. I'm fine."

She shook her head, "If you were whining, and complaining… then I know you're okay. But you aren't."

Alec sighed at her, "That makes no sense."

She smiled, "Hey. I NEVER said YOU made SENSE."

He laughed and then wished he didn't as he started coughing again. He tried to sit up, and her hands helped pull his shoulders up. They then went to his back, hitting it lightly as he coughed. He stopped after a minute, and turned and looked at her, "Max…"

"Don't even. I'm not going anywhere."

"It's just like the cold or the flu. I'll be just fine."

She nodded, "Yeah, you WILL be. But you aren't right now."

"Other people are sick. Maybe you should go check on Cindy, Sketchy, and… Logan."

She shook her head, "And they have all been sick before. You haven't."

"So? What about all the other transgenics that are sick, getting sick, or were sick?" He stopped looking at her for a second, his brain trying to comprehend it. "You didn't play nursemaid to them."

She swallowed. He was right. She hadn't. "Well…" she tried to think of an answer. "Everyone else had enough sense to know when to give in and just be sick. Take time out, and get rest. You on the other hand…" She just let her sentence trail off.

He nodded, "So you're just here to make sure I take care of myself, because you don't think I can do it." Now that made sense to him.

Max sighed, "No. You're just stubborn and would have stayed at Headquarters until you passed out."

"Well I'm not there anymore. I'm here. And I'm going to go to sleep."

"Do you really want me to leave that bad?" She finally asked hurt at the thought.

His hand shot out quickly to hers before he knew what he was doing, "No. Not at all…" He stopped and then closed his eyes. *Why did I do that?* he asked himself. *You know why.* He opened them again releasing her hand. "I just think your time could be better spent by doing something else. With someone else than me."

She sighed, "Alec…"

He shook his head, "Gem and the baby are still sick. She's probably got her hands…"

Max cut him off, "Yeah and Joshua is feeling much better and already over there helping."

"The medical center needs…"

She stopped them again, "And they asked me to leave."

"What?" he said angrily and too quickly, starting another round of coughing.

She patted him on the back soothingly as she explained while he coughed. "Well… since it was me the virus was made from… some of the patients… especially the younger ones…" She looked down not finishing.

He stopped coughing, and took a deep breath, his lungs rattled slightly. He took another one and turned to her. His other hand moved her chin up to look at him. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"They don't blame you. They know that…"

She nodded, "I know. But it still…" She closed her eyes.

"It still hurts." She nodded again as finished her statement for her.

He took another breath, "Okay… you can stay."

She opened her eyes, shook her head and then looked at him. "What?"

He knew, or at least he thought he knew the reason she wanted to stay now. She wanted to feel useful. Like she was helping. And basically he was the only one that might even let her. He had to admit that he didn't mind the idea. But being sick had definitely put down his usual defenses with her. As he had already displayed. But he wasn't going to turn her away and make her feel any worse than she already did.

"If you WANT to stay.  And if you have NOTHING else MORE important to do. And…"

She waited, and then prompted, "And? What other condition?"

He looked at her seriously, "You can't use this against me."

She was thoroughly confused. "Against you? Alec… you're sick. This is totally out of your hands. How could I accuse you of…" Then she stopped. Reality again hitting her like a ton of bricks. Less than two weeks ago she would have done just that without thinking twice. Then she just answered him, "I won't. I promise."

He had watched the changes of emotions that ran over her face as she sat there before him and he knew she really had changed her view about him. She had actually, really understood what she had been doing. He saw the hurt she was self-inflicting herself with because of it. His thumb lightly moved against the back of her hand, which he just realized he still held. But he had no clue what to say or do to make it better, except maybe believe that she had really changed.

Max looked down at their hands, and then back at him smiling slightly. "Okay. Enough talking." He raised an eyebrow at her, and she just laughed. *At least he's still got his sense of humor,* she thought. She lightly swatted his shoulder, and then freed her hand from him, and moved to his coat. "Now you have a high temperature…"

"We all have high temperatures."

She rolled her eyes as he helped to shrug the coat off. She flung it on the chair in the corner. "Not THIS high."

He moved his head back and forth, moved his lips, imitating her. He got another hit to his shoulder. "With you around I should seriously invest in shoulder padding."

"Ha ha, very funny. I wouldn't have to hit you, if you would behave."

"But then you'd get bored." She tried not to smile, she really did, but he caught it. "See?"

She clenched her jaw, and pointed at his shirt. "Off." His eyes looked at her and as he was about to open his mouth, "Don't EVEN start."

He nodded, and pulled the fabric over his head. She took it from him and he laid back against the cool sheets, and sighed.

"Better?" He nodded again at her question. She then stood up and moved to the end of the bed.

His smiled faded, "Well thanks. I'll get some sleep and…"

"Huh?" she asked as she leaned over and pulled off his one shoe.

His eyes opened again immediately, and he watched her take the other one off. "I thought you were leaving."

She took the toes of his socks, one in each hand and pulled. Her strength and struggle with the fabric actually pulled him down the bed a little bit and they both laughed. She looked back up at him, "You said I could stay."

He swallowed. She wanted to stay. She was here. Being nice. And… undressing him. Had he died? He almost wanted to pinch himself to be sure. "Yeah. But I thought…"

Max grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it over him. "I'm not leaving until you're asleep. And then I'll be back to check on you." She looked at the sheet then back at him. "Now take off those pants."

He shook his head as he bit his tongue, as his hands went under the sheet. He removed his jeans and then brought them back out, and threw them in the pile with his others. "Anything else?"

She shook her head, "I know this may be a new one for you… but you can leave you're underwear on."

"Well… I would if I was wearing any." Was out of his mouth as a come back even before he realized it, and then he tensed waiting for the hit. When it didn't come, he looked at her.

She had completely stilled at his words. Too many images bombarded her mind. Images that she had been trying to keep pushed aside since he had teased her about her 'hot' comment. Her brain then started yelling at her to SAY something. "Ha ha… again with the jokes." She said and hit the side of the bed… at least that had been her intention. But her hand made contact with his hip instead. Her fingertips feeling the sheet but nothing else between her and him. Her eyes shot up and caught hazel looking back at her.

"I wasn't joking," he said seriously.

His deep voice hit her ears, and she replied, "I can tell." Her hand moved quickly away. "Now that you 'more comfortable.' Get some sleep."

"Right," he said and turned onto his side facing her. Allowing the sheet to bunch up around him, thus covering more of his waist. Just in case his dreams when a little… He coughed again slightly, and she patted his back. He looked up at her, "Thanks."

"No problem," she replied rubbing his back lightly. Her fingertips moving over the soft yet extremely hot skin.

He knew he should sleep. But he didn't want to. If he fell asleep she would leave. And right now this was nice. But his eyes were already struggling to stay open. He tried to think of something to talk about. Something… to keep awake with. "So how is Cindy?

Max smiled, shaking her head. He didn't want to go to sleep. Such a little boy. "Much better, just some sniffles."

"Sketch?" he asked through a long yawn.

"Not to bad. Still a small cough and runny nose."

He nodded slightly in his sleepy state barely aware, "Logan?"

Max looked at him and then up in thought. That was the second time he had mentioned him. "Actually I have no idea. We haven't talked since we broke up. Why do you…"she stopped and then looked down at him. He was sound asleep. She shook her head and smiled. "Yep. He has that effect on a lot of people." She said softly as she stood and tucked the sheet more around him.

She then stood up, and watched him.  His breathing was even, but it occasionally rumbled from the congestion in his lungs. The main thing though was he was asleep. That was the best medicine for any X5. She walked to door, taking one last glance back. "I'll be back soon." She said quietly, and shut the door behind her softly.

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Chapter 21 Coming Soon! – Please Review!!!