Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters obviously do not belong to me. I am writing this purely for non-profit entertainment. Yada, yada! No infringement intended, so don't sue me!

A/N: As usual, a big thank you to Sirena1 for betaing this chapter. (Sighs) Max and Alec's tiff will not be sorted this chapter, unfortunately. Actually, nothing is really resolved in this chapter now that I think of it…but things are happening! Argh, enough of my babbling!

Calistra – Lucky Biggs, I would say, lol! Yup…and poor Gab. The resolution between Alec and Max (sighs) will not for a while yet. Thanks for reviewing!

Angel Of Darkness231 – Hey, what's wrong with my cliffies? LOL! Anyway, I think deep down inside (very deep down), you actually like those cliffies (grins). Thanks for your review!

W1cked angel – Thanks for reviewing! It's amazing how many of you got it right! Hope you enjoy the K+ version of the scene, hehe!

Ro – Thanks for your review. Are you even surprised that Max reacted that way? (Grins) Being hot-headed and doing things before thinking seemed to be her usual way of solving stuff. Hehe! Considering that this is a MA fic, they will get together…eventually.

Alana84 – Max's hopelessly wishful when it comes to her siblings, lol! Much to Alec's irritation, unsurprisingly. And poor Gab…things will get worse before it gets better for the guy! Thanks for reviewing!

Kungfuchick – Ha! You might be right about Biggs and Jondy – you'll see soon! Yeah, Alec's definitely right this time. (sighs) This is going to be a struggle to resolve. Thanks for reviewing!

Anna – Nah, I'm not that bad. I update every 5 to 7 days nowadays, so not such a long wait, right (grins). Thanks for reviewing!

LucreziaNoin86 – What's wrong with the cliffhanger? I'm sure you can guess what happened anyway! LOL! Thanks for reviewing!

Roxyroo – Thanks for your review. Hmm…you'll have to see soon what actually happened between Gab and Jondy (winks). Yeah, it's better for Alec and Max to do it separately, but it's killing them!

GuestTypePerson – Hehe! Admit it, you secretly like those cliffies, lol! No killer book carts around anymore, so it'll be quite safe for you and college is pretty harmless! I'm feeling sorry for both Max and Alec, but it had to be done (sighs). As for the apartment (grins evilly) you'll soon see!

Mel11 – No worries. I'm happy to see you reviewing now, so thanks! Hope you're not getting too much homework! Max and Alec would hopefully sort it out, but not anytime soon, I'm afraid.

Dory Shotgun – Ha! Exactly! The angsty couple thing must make an appearance in their lives, hehe! Thanks for reviewing!

Darkangelgirl/darkangelgirl262 – You registered! Glad you like the way things are going for Max and Alec. It's getting a bit angsty there but like you said, it had to happen. You'll see soon what's going on in the apartment! Thanks for reviewing!

Toniboo – Thanks for reviewing! Hmm…(smiles sheepishly) It'll take some time before Max comes to her senses about Alec.

Lakergirl08 – You're right about Max and Alec. They need to work it out somehow though, but that's going to happen only later. As for the apartment, you'll soon see (grins). Thanks for reviewing!

Eva – Ah! Spoons. Interesting to know there's an Irish term like that. I understand now, thank! Hehe! Alec and Max is going through a rough patch right now (sighs). Thanks for your review.

L80bug – Yeah, sorry about that but it had to happen some time (winks). It'll be fixed, but not in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

Angelofdarkness78 – No worries about last chapter. Hey, hey, it's going to get better for Zack, so don't fret! Both crazy alpha male after Max…poor Max. Hehe! Thanks for reviewing!

Spanishwon2123 – But this is ANGSTY arguing. It's painful even for me! Hehe! Anyway, you'll see soon if you like the Gab/Jondy scene. Thanks for your review!

Aleja21 – (Grins) Welcome to my never-ending story (it will end sometime, I promise!)! And yes, how did you manage to miss it seeing that it had ben on for so long, lol! Glad that you like it so far and thanks for reviewing!

Lotamoxie – Thanks for reviewing! Your feelings about Jondy and Biggs might be right, you know, lol! Ahem, yes…about Alec and Max, things will be a bit rough for awhile (Backs away nervously).

Retrieved - Chapter 29 – Hide and Seek

(by elle6778)

He just stood there stock-still gaping at the doorway, his could barely believe what his eyes were telling him.

Caught up in the throes of passion, the two naked transgenics on the couch was oblivious to his entry. The male was positioned over the female, moving enthusiastically, causing the female to moan her appreciation out loud. It was more than obvious what they were doing.

Questions began to race through his mind. When did this happen? Why didn't they tell me? Why Biggs, of all people? If it was someone else, he could have happily pummelled them to smithereens. He could not do that to Biggs. Biggs was his friend. And the biggest question of all was, why the hell did he care anyway?

Because you like her, stupid, an exasperated voice in his head piped up.

"Oh, shit!" Gab muttered under his breath as he digested what that voice was telling him. He liked Jondy and he had been too stupid to see it before. His heart began to race and he forced himself to take a deep breath to calm himself. He knew that he had to do something but he could not move or tear his eyes away from the sickening scene in front of him. Biggs and Jondy were still on the couch, too busy ravishing each other like overheated rabbits to sense his presence.

His nose twitched as he detected a warm scent. A familiar, but new scent. Then his eyes widened in realisation. Jondy was in heat. His body reacted instantly to the pheromones as his brain began to cloud over. The first and foremost thought he had was to run across the room and yank Biggs off Jondy. And to claim his mate.

No! A sane voice in his head shouted at him. Get out while you can, Gab! Before things get even worse. Remember what happened with Sandy?

Gab shook his head in an attempt to clear it, then gritting his teeth, he turned and stepped back out of the door. The scent of pheromones immediately ceased as he shut the door and leaned against it. A second later, he stiffened as he heard something which made his heart clench painfully.

The sound of Jondy screaming and Biggs groaning as they reached completion.

A feeling of disbelief washed through him. "No…" he cracked out desperately, sliding weakly down the door. But what else did he expect when two people have sex? Burying his head in his hands, he squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself not to go in and beat the hell out of Biggs. It was not entirely Biggs' fault, Gab knew that for sure. Like any other male transgenics, Biggs would not have been able to resist a female in heat. It was the way they were made.

Unable to face them so soon after the…incident, Gab stood up abruptly and ran down the stairs, needing to put some distance between himself and the apartment.

Their sweaty limbs still entangled, Biggs and Jondy looked at each other with a mixture and shock and guilt. Carefully, Biggs raised himself up and proceeded to collect their tattered clothes from the floor, putting his on and bringing Jondy hers. Wordlessly, Jondy took it and quickly covered herself.

Then they sat down side by side on the sofa, not looking at each other as they mulled over what had just happened. Both were very subdued, in complete contrast to their usual lively selves.

Wanting to break the silence, Jondy said softly, "Did you hear the door slam?"

Biggs looked up as a frown appeared on his brow. "Yeah, I thought it was my imagination." Shit, maybe it was Gab, he thought, appalled at the possibility of being caught in such an intimate act with a fellow soldier.

Jondy shook her head. "If you heard it and I heard it, it must have been real. I think maybe Gab came back," she said with a slight tremble, voicing his thoughts. "Hell! Of all things to happen," she groaned as she rubbed her forehead in distress.

Uncomfortable with the entire situation, Biggs was at a loss as to how to deal with it. Worst thing was, he had actually thought that Gab and Jondy had something going on, just that they were both too stubborn to admit it. And now that he had accidentally come into the picture, things would get even more complicated. Being with Jondy had been nice. Hell, it had been a mind-blowing experience. But it was not worth the guilt he was feeling now and also the hurt he might have caused Gab and Jondy.

Knowing that Jondy probably felt as bad as he did, or maybe even worse, he tentatively wrapped a consoling arm around her. "It'll be okay, Jondy. It's not like you could help it," he said gently.

Jondy swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself not to cry as she shook her head. "How could you say that? We've just had sex, and Gab had just walked and saw it." And now she would have no chance at all to get together with Gab, she added mournfully, an silently

Biggs gave her a lop-sided smile and replied, "Well, I think he would understand," then trying to lighten the mood, he continued with a grin, "Anyway, you couldn't have possibly resisted my charming self."

The corner of Jondy's lips twitched involuntarily.

"And if it helps, you could tell him it's all my fault. That I'm too hot for you to stay away," he said, hoping that his miserable attempts at a joke would cheer her up.

Jondy smiled reluctantly. "You're hopeless at this consoling business, you know that?"

Biggs rolled his eyes. "Well, someone had to try, right? And who says it's not working? You're smiling, aren't you?"

"Alright. Fine, it worked," she admitted grudgingly. Then she sighed, "What do we do now?"

Grinning as he waggled his eyebrows, Biggs said cheekily, "Up for another round at it?"

"Biggs! That's not funny!" Jondy exclaimed in horror.

He held his hands up between them in defence. "Okay, okay…Don't freak out," he paused for a moment. Then a worried look came across his face and he asked apprehensively, "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

Jondy chucked at his expression. "No. Pretty good actually," she admitted sheepishly.

"Ha! I knew it!" he said, visibly puffing out his chest as he stood up.

She rolled her eyes. Men! "So what are we going to do about the whole thing?"

He knew that she meant what they were going to do about Gab. Thoughtfully, he said, "I think we should just wait for him to come back first. Then we talk. Hopefully."

"If he comes back," Jondy mumbled.

"He has to," Biggs said, but he could not keep the worry from his eyes.

Lydecker's lips compressed in a thin line as he held the phone tighter. The news he was receiving was far from being welcomed.

"So where is she now?" he asked, trying to keep his voice level.

The person on the other end of the phone replied, "I could not pin-point her location accurately, but since we are both tracking the same person, she can't be too far away."

"But you don't know where she is," Lydecker stated flatly.

"No, sir."

"I fail to understand how this could have happened, 494. You two are meant to be working together as a unit. Who made the decision to split up?" Lydecker asked harshly.

Under normal circumstances, he would not be worried if Max was working alone. But the fact that this mission involved one of her siblings gave him cause for concern. He had been honest when he had told her that she had been classified as non-flight risk, but Lydecker was not sure what would happen if Zack managed to convince her to run instead of her convincing him to come back. Sandeman would not be too pleased with him if Max ran away again, he thought with a grimace.

"I suggested it first, sir," Alec said levelly.

"And what the hell did you do that for?" Lydecker snapped, hardly believing what he was hearing. It did not occur to him to think that it might have been Alec who initiated the split. If he had to guess, he would have said that it had been Max, knowing how impulsive she could be at times.

"It seemed more efficient to carry out our mission this way, seeing that both of us have different instructions on how proceed."

"I have a feeling that's not all. Did something happen between 599 and you?" Lydecker asked shrewdly.

There was a small pause before Alec answered, "We engaged in a fight, sir."

Lydecker almost groaned. Those teenage hormones, he thought in annoyance when he realised what must have happened. "I see. And I suppose this fight is over Max?"

He could hear Alec clearing his throat uncomfortably before replying, "Only part of it, sir."

Lydecker sighed. He had only himself to blame for that. Belatedly, he realised that he should have sent someone else other than Alec. In a weary tone, he said, "Alright. Just keep an eye on her. Give her a chance to talk to 599 first before you make your move. It'll take time. If in three weeks it looks like she's not likely to succeed, you step in."

"Sir, I don't think she's going to like being watched over."

"494, I'm sure with all the skills you have, you would be able to keep out of her sight," Lydecker said as his lips twitched.

"Yes, sir."

Lydecker hung up the phone and paced the length of his office. There was nothing much he could do now. After all, it was his and Sandeman's idea to allow them some freedom to make their own decisions. He would just have to trust that both of them knew what they were doing.

Especially Max.

As if on cue, his phone rang again. The display showed an unknown number.

He picked it up. "Yes?" he barked.

"Sir, it's 452 reporting," Max said over the phone.

"Max. I've just had an interesting call from 494."

"Oh." She sounded uncomfortable. "We have decided that working together on this would not be beneficial to the mission, sir," she explained.

"That's what he said as well," Lydecker said with a sigh, then continued, "I have a good idea why this had happened, but you need to try to keep your emotions out of this, Max. It'll cloud your judgement."

"Sir, this decision wasn't made as a result of any emotional involvement," Max protested.

"Good," Lydecker said, but he was not fully convinced. "I've told him to give you three weeks to carry out your instruction, and then I'm afraid that 494 will have to bring 599 back any way he sees fit."

There was a small pause from Max before she answered, "Understood, sir."

"Keep me posted on what's happening, alright?"

"Yes, sir. 599 seems to be heading south-west of Seattle. At the moment, I'm still trying to find an appropriate opportunity to talk to him," she reported.

"Make it sooner rather than later. You only have three weeks. I need you back here after that, Max."

"Yes, sir."

Lydecker hung up the phone for the second time in the last half an hour.

It had been two days since he had seen Jondy in a compromising position with Biggs. And for those two days, all he had done was to try to blank out those unwanted images. Deep inside, he knew that he should not blame them, but it was harder said than done. He had not been able to make himself go back to their apartment. Every time he thought that he had mustered enough courage to do so, the image of their tangled limbs came back to haunt him and he would break out in cold sweat. How could he not have realised how much he liked Jondy?

So for two days, he had been camping out in Asha's living room. In hiding, he thought, disgusted with himself.

He had gone back to Logan's place that day, hoping that they had something for him to do to keep his mind occupied. Much to his consternation, Asha had told him that they would need to check out the place where Sandeman lived again, as she and Logan had suspected that something was not quite right in that place. They had planned to do the reconnaissance again the following day. So that night, he had gone to warn Kelpy.

After a quick phone call to Lydecker, they had packed the essentials and moved out that very night. Gab had procured them a car. Since Manticore had supplied them with various identity cards and sector passes which proclaimed them as a family, they should be able to pass through the sector checkpoints quite easily.

Asha had not been too pleased when they had gone back the next day to find that the occupants had obviously moved out just recently.

Max was tired. For two days she had been following the blip on the tracer. On foot. The loneliness she felt was even more pronounced without Alec. It had been hard to try to keep thoughts of Alec at bay. She could not afford to be distracted by him now. She could not afford to break down in pieces and scream in frustration at the way things were going on between them.

Zack had decided to leave Seattle, and was now in some place called Olympia, approximately one hundred miles south-west of Seattle. One hundred miles in a straight line. But Zack had decided to make use of their Escape and Evade training. That meant that the one hundred miles became more like a hundred and fifty miles because he kept backtracking and going in circles. Thankfully Zack did not have shark DNA, which meant that he had to stop occasionally to rest.

Like tonight.

The woods which she had followed him into were pitch black, but she did not have any problem finding her way. Max wondered where he was planning to go. Only one way to find out, she thought to herself as she approached his resting place, which was half a mile from where she was hiding.

She found him leaning against a tree, eyes shut. As she got closer, his eyes snapped open and he bounced up, instantly alert.

"Hey, Zack," she greeted softly as she walked towards him. She hoped that he trusted her enough not to run, especially after that scene with Alec a couple of days before.

"Max," he said, looking around her, obviously trying to see if anyone else was there. Like Alec.

"He's not here," she said as she tugged his hand to make him sit down beside her.

Zack looked at her suspiciously as he sat down. "Yeah, I believe that. He doesn't strike me as the type who would willingly leave you alone."

Her tone subdued, she said, "We had a disagreement on how to carry out this mission. So we've decided to split up."

Raising his eyebrow, Zack said, "The part where you want to talk and he wants to just drag me back to home sweet home by my ears?"

Max's lips twitched. "Yeah. I suppose you could say that."

After a moment of silence, Zack spoke, "I hate to say this, Max. But I agree with the guy."

"What?" Max exclaimed, staring at Zack incredulously. "Why?"

"Purely from a tactical point and provided it's not me who's the target, I would do the same thing," he said with a wry smile.

"Is this a guy thing or what? What's the use of bringing someone back forcefully? They'll just find another way to escape," Max countered, taking care to use a third person as a reference. Maybe that way, she would get a better idea of how to proceed. And to avoid antagonising Zack further. She noticed that he seemed to be calmer without Alec around.

"Yes. If the person doesn't see any reason to remain, he would escape anyway. No matter what anyone tells him. So taking would be a waste of time," he explained.

"What if it's not safe for the person to remain outside?"

He shrugged. "The person could take his chances rather than being captured and controlled. The price of freedom," Zack said resolutely.

"So freedom is the issue here. What if I say things are changing, and as a compromise, the person could have some freedom to make selected decisions?"

Zack snorted. "What sort of decisions? Say the person wanted to live wherever he wanted, instead of being stuck in a shared dorm. Are those sorts of decision acceptable?"

"It makes it harder to make sure the person's safe if he's all over the place," Max argued.

"Okay, so if the person stays in one place and makes sure the security is tight, would that be a problem?"

Max looked thoughtful. Zack had a point there. Sighing heavily, she finally said, "I don't know. But how do you go about doing stuff without being noticed?"

"Come on, Max, we've been doing that for years. Don't you think it's nice to be able to do basic things like eat and sleep whenever you want instead of having to follow a schedule?"

Max nodded. "That sounds good. But even life outside is not like that. We would still have to work, and there're normally set times for it. Not that I know much about it, I haven't worked before," she paused for a moment, and then remembering something, she said, "You know. I think I know what bugged me the most when I was out there. The hand-to-mouth existence. Yeah, I agree that not being able to control things actually sucks. But hiding, running and stealing was worse. Having to keep looking over your shoulders all the time."

"I didn't know that you were so unhappy out there," Zack said softly as he drew her into a hug. Then he smiled at her, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could have the best of both worlds?"

Max returned his smile. "I'll make sure I ask Lydecker the next time I see him," she said seriously.

Zack laughed. "I would love to see his face."

Max covered her yawn with the back of her hand. "I'm so tired. And it's all your fault."

Zack grinned. "What? After all that training you're still out of shape? Such a waste of Manticore's resources," he teased.

Max punched him lightly on his arms and then laid down, using her rucksack as a pillow. "Well, I'm going to sleep."

Zack nodded as he stretched himself out next to her.

They soon fell asleep, not noticing that there was a dark figure hidden behind a tree, observing them with barely controlled jealousy in his eyes.

Alec fumed as he quietly sat down on the ground, resigning himself to yet another solitary night.

It was too far for him to hear what they had been saying, but what he had seen made him want to gag. He could not believe that Max was actually falling for that jerk's charms. She had even allowed him to hug her. And they were even sleeping together now. What the hell was that all about?

If Lydecker had not told him specifically to stay out of Max's sight, he would have gone over right then and punched the lights out of Zack.

In the last couple of days, he had had a chance to think about what had happened between the three of them. Max obviously cared about Zack. Alec did not like it, but he could accept that. What he could not accept were Zack's feelings for Max, and Max's blind loyalty to him. Whatever she might have said to the contrary, Alec knew that when it came to Zack, she would always let her feelings cloud her mind.

She had even chose Zack over him this time, he thought resentfully. A small voice inside told him that she had to do it in order to carry out her mission, but it was hard for him to accept that.

Grumbling under his breath, he tried to catch some sleep, knowing that it would be another long day tomorrow.

Rays of light had just begun to filter through the gaps between the trees when Max opened her eyes.

Without turning around, she knew that Zack was still there. Sometime in the middle of the night, they must have shifted in their sleep, because at the moment, Zack was pressed against her back with one arm around her waist. She was pleasantly surprised at the conversation they had had the night before. It had been nice to talk to him without either of them getting angry at each other. Max smiled, enjoying the warmth of his body and then instantly felt guilty.

Alec would kill them both if he saw them like this, she thought. Especially since Zack had practically told Alec how he felt towards her.

Her heart began to clench as she remembered the way they had parted. Stop it, Max! Pull yourself together and stop thinking about him, she told herself harshly.

Carefully, she tried to move without waking Zack.

Zack woke up the instant she stirred, pulling his arms away and sitting up straight. He looked at her with an unreadable expression.

Before she could say anything, the sound of snapping twigs caught their attention.

Both of them jumped up and started to scan the area silently. Catching a movement out of the corner of her eyes, Max snapped around to see someone walking about 100 feet away.

She gasped when she realised who it was.

And then a smile spread across her face.

t.b.c.

A/N: So? What do you think of the entire thing with MA and JG? Want to guess who Max saw at the end? (Grins) Please review and let me know your thoughts.