A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry about not updating this sooner, I got caught up
in my CSI story. And then I had a week long trip. Which was great. But
anywho, onto the story.
There isn't a lot of M/L this chappie, sorry bout that, but I really needed
to get the reunion done. More M/L next one though, promise!
And I can't remember if I put a disclaimer in, so I'm doing that now. I
don't own DA, though I wish I did. So don't sue, cause I'm broke.
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
Chapter 4: Apologies
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Rachel looked slightly confused. And wary.
"Uh... No, I just..." Max faltered to a stop, unsure of what to say. The dead had an unnerving tendency to come back to life at Manticore, but Rachel wasn't a transgenic. So how...?
"Well," Rachel began to edge past Max, "I have some business to attend to, so if you'll excuse me..."
"Of course." Max followed Rachel with her eyes, but she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it. *What is going on?* After a few moments, Max turned around and headed back into Jam Pony. There was only one reason Rachel would be here, and this definitely wasn't the best place for the confrontation.
Why, how, when would all have to wait.
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
"So how many was it?" Alec's question was asked with some trepidation. Mel only grinned.
"Way too many man. If that's what it takes to get drunk, I think I may just pass. That did NOT look like fun."
Alec chuckled. "Trust me, it wasn't. Though I seemed to have misplaced my photographic memory, so that has to count for something, right?"
"Right, right. What sectors you got today?"
"Um, five and seven I think. You?"
"Six and seven. You wanna do lunch with me? We'll be right there."
"Only if you tell me who paid the tab last night."
Mel laughed. "Ah, man, not gonna happen. See you at lunch."
"Mmm, righ..." Alec's voice died mid-word, and Mel turned to him. His face had gone white and he looked as if he'd seen Renfro walk in.
"What? Alec, what is it?" Mel was in alert mode, he could see nothing out of place. There were messengers wandering about, Normal was talking to a young woman at dispatch, Max was heading down the ramp, though she did look agitated, Mel noticed.
"Alec, what?" Mel wasn't relaxing, but he wasn't scanning for trouble anymore. "Is it Max?"
Alec shook his head mutely, staring, Mel realized now, at the brunette, who Normal was now pointing in their direction. She turned towards them, her eye catching sight of Alec. She began to make her way through the crowd.
"Who is that?" Mel's question was drected at Alec, but was answered by Max who was now standing next to Alec, trying to catch his attention.
"Her name is Rachel. Rachel Berrisford. She was a mark. We thought she was dead."
"She's not." Rachel had come close enough to hear the last part of their conversation. She smiled briefly at Mel and Max, but her main attention was on Alec.
"Hello Simon."
"You're dead." His voice was hoarse and he looked like he was about to bolt. Or cry. The look in his eyes was not completely sane, and Mel wondered what he was remembering.
"This isn't the best place for this." Mel took Rachel's arm and Max took Alec's shoulders and they steered the pair away from the now curious messengers. After reaching the back room, the only place adequate for some privacy, the pair shut the door. Rachel looked calm still, eerily so. Alec looked like he'd been hit by a truck.
"Do you need us?" Max's question was soft, and she was answered by a simple 'No' from Rachel. Max nodded slowly. Mel opened the door and quietly slipped out, followed by Max a moment later. As an afterthought, he turned and stuck his head back in the door.
"His name is Alec now."
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
Rachel looked at the man she loved. Her first love. The man she had been studying for the batter part of two years. Ever since she woke up. She remembered his words to her, while she lay in the coma. She had woken up months later, during the transgenic-human war, and she slowly began to piece things together.
The barcode was her first clue. He had never bothered to hide it, dismissing it as a tattoo. *A brand, more like.* That old anger built again, and she quickly suppressed it. Not at him, but at those who had made him. Made him a slave.
It didn't take long to figure it out, especially later in the war, when his face had been in the news as a leader of the transgenic population. Hers too, Rachel now realized, though she had been too focussed on him to realize it at the time.
"Si- Alec." Her voice was calm, though she felt far from it. He still stared at her, unshed tears sparkling in his eyes.
"I killed you." His voice was hoarse, his eyes looking lost and broken and not entirely sane. "I killed you." He repeated.
"No." Her voice was soft now, and she leaned forward to gently place her hand on his cheek. He recoiled from the touch. "It's alright." She soothed, "I know the truth. My father knows the truth. We don't blame you."
She lay her hand on his cheek once more, and he did not flinch away. His hand drifted up to cover hers, and suddenly he was in her arms, sobbing out how he was so sorry and how it was all his fault. She murmured gently, the words not as important as the fact that she was there, she wasn't dead, and she still cared for him.
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
"Who was that?"
"What happened?"
"Why was he upset?"
"Who is she?"
Mel and Max were confronted with a small crowd of messengers who had seen the display and were very curious. After all, this was Alec, he who was always alright, always composed, a joker, light-hearted. Not someone who broke down in tears at the sight of an ex.
Max held up her hands.
"It's history guys. Manticore stuff, and if you want to know, you'll have to ask Alec. But not now."
Max pushed her way through the crowd, slightly unnerved by the whole thing. But she had a job to do, and she would do it. Mel would make sure that they weren't disturbed, and by the look on his face, he knew the story. That would help.
As she delivered her packages, she wondered how Rachel and Alec were doing. She also thought about Logan. She tried to avoid that though, as she kept getting unpleasant flashes from the previous evening.
Somehow, she knew she didn't want to remember it all, but if she were to ever find Logan, she should at least know everything she had to apologize for. The broken vase seemed to be the least of it. She knew she'd thrown it at him as he was on the way out, she also knew she'd yelled and screamed some very rude comments at him, ones she wasn't sure she could apologize for.
She sighed. She would have to try.
The last package delivered, Max debated briefly where she should go. She could check the apartment, see if Logan was there, maybe begin to try and make amends, or she could head back to Jam Pony and see how the newly re- united couple was doing.
One internal battle later, she made her decision and rode off into the bust streets of Seattle.
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
So that's it for today, please R&R for more, I love the reviews, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
Chapter 4: Apologies
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Rachel looked slightly confused. And wary.
"Uh... No, I just..." Max faltered to a stop, unsure of what to say. The dead had an unnerving tendency to come back to life at Manticore, but Rachel wasn't a transgenic. So how...?
"Well," Rachel began to edge past Max, "I have some business to attend to, so if you'll excuse me..."
"Of course." Max followed Rachel with her eyes, but she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it. *What is going on?* After a few moments, Max turned around and headed back into Jam Pony. There was only one reason Rachel would be here, and this definitely wasn't the best place for the confrontation.
Why, how, when would all have to wait.
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
"So how many was it?" Alec's question was asked with some trepidation. Mel only grinned.
"Way too many man. If that's what it takes to get drunk, I think I may just pass. That did NOT look like fun."
Alec chuckled. "Trust me, it wasn't. Though I seemed to have misplaced my photographic memory, so that has to count for something, right?"
"Right, right. What sectors you got today?"
"Um, five and seven I think. You?"
"Six and seven. You wanna do lunch with me? We'll be right there."
"Only if you tell me who paid the tab last night."
Mel laughed. "Ah, man, not gonna happen. See you at lunch."
"Mmm, righ..." Alec's voice died mid-word, and Mel turned to him. His face had gone white and he looked as if he'd seen Renfro walk in.
"What? Alec, what is it?" Mel was in alert mode, he could see nothing out of place. There were messengers wandering about, Normal was talking to a young woman at dispatch, Max was heading down the ramp, though she did look agitated, Mel noticed.
"Alec, what?" Mel wasn't relaxing, but he wasn't scanning for trouble anymore. "Is it Max?"
Alec shook his head mutely, staring, Mel realized now, at the brunette, who Normal was now pointing in their direction. She turned towards them, her eye catching sight of Alec. She began to make her way through the crowd.
"Who is that?" Mel's question was drected at Alec, but was answered by Max who was now standing next to Alec, trying to catch his attention.
"Her name is Rachel. Rachel Berrisford. She was a mark. We thought she was dead."
"She's not." Rachel had come close enough to hear the last part of their conversation. She smiled briefly at Mel and Max, but her main attention was on Alec.
"Hello Simon."
"You're dead." His voice was hoarse and he looked like he was about to bolt. Or cry. The look in his eyes was not completely sane, and Mel wondered what he was remembering.
"This isn't the best place for this." Mel took Rachel's arm and Max took Alec's shoulders and they steered the pair away from the now curious messengers. After reaching the back room, the only place adequate for some privacy, the pair shut the door. Rachel looked calm still, eerily so. Alec looked like he'd been hit by a truck.
"Do you need us?" Max's question was soft, and she was answered by a simple 'No' from Rachel. Max nodded slowly. Mel opened the door and quietly slipped out, followed by Max a moment later. As an afterthought, he turned and stuck his head back in the door.
"His name is Alec now."
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
Rachel looked at the man she loved. Her first love. The man she had been studying for the batter part of two years. Ever since she woke up. She remembered his words to her, while she lay in the coma. She had woken up months later, during the transgenic-human war, and she slowly began to piece things together.
The barcode was her first clue. He had never bothered to hide it, dismissing it as a tattoo. *A brand, more like.* That old anger built again, and she quickly suppressed it. Not at him, but at those who had made him. Made him a slave.
It didn't take long to figure it out, especially later in the war, when his face had been in the news as a leader of the transgenic population. Hers too, Rachel now realized, though she had been too focussed on him to realize it at the time.
"Si- Alec." Her voice was calm, though she felt far from it. He still stared at her, unshed tears sparkling in his eyes.
"I killed you." His voice was hoarse, his eyes looking lost and broken and not entirely sane. "I killed you." He repeated.
"No." Her voice was soft now, and she leaned forward to gently place her hand on his cheek. He recoiled from the touch. "It's alright." She soothed, "I know the truth. My father knows the truth. We don't blame you."
She lay her hand on his cheek once more, and he did not flinch away. His hand drifted up to cover hers, and suddenly he was in her arms, sobbing out how he was so sorry and how it was all his fault. She murmured gently, the words not as important as the fact that she was there, she wasn't dead, and she still cared for him.
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
"Who was that?"
"What happened?"
"Why was he upset?"
"Who is she?"
Mel and Max were confronted with a small crowd of messengers who had seen the display and were very curious. After all, this was Alec, he who was always alright, always composed, a joker, light-hearted. Not someone who broke down in tears at the sight of an ex.
Max held up her hands.
"It's history guys. Manticore stuff, and if you want to know, you'll have to ask Alec. But not now."
Max pushed her way through the crowd, slightly unnerved by the whole thing. But she had a job to do, and she would do it. Mel would make sure that they weren't disturbed, and by the look on his face, he knew the story. That would help.
As she delivered her packages, she wondered how Rachel and Alec were doing. She also thought about Logan. She tried to avoid that though, as she kept getting unpleasant flashes from the previous evening.
Somehow, she knew she didn't want to remember it all, but if she were to ever find Logan, she should at least know everything she had to apologize for. The broken vase seemed to be the least of it. She knew she'd thrown it at him as he was on the way out, she also knew she'd yelled and screamed some very rude comments at him, ones she wasn't sure she could apologize for.
She sighed. She would have to try.
The last package delivered, Max debated briefly where she should go. She could check the apartment, see if Logan was there, maybe begin to try and make amends, or she could head back to Jam Pony and see how the newly re- united couple was doing.
One internal battle later, she made her decision and rode off into the bust streets of Seattle.
~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~
So that's it for today, please R&R for more, I love the reviews, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.