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. She's great at betaing. I can't believe how fast she managed to do it every time.

A couple of reviewers pointed out that I said this is going to end at Chapter 30. (Rolls eyes) I guess you can see that it's not likely to happen, lol! Now I'm aiming for 40 chapters. By the way, I'm going off on holidays again. I'll update when I get back on the 26th or 27th Oct.

Toniboo – Hehe, you have got one right, kind of. You'll see soon! Thanks for reviewing.

Kungfuchick – Thanks for reviewing. Oh, I think Zack is a bit confused about his feelings for Max. So it came out as he liked her that way, which makes things interesting for us. (grins)

Sakura (sakuraakira365) – Hmm, now that you mentioned it, 30 chapters seem a bit optimistic, right? LOL! Continuing saga? It already feels like that to me, hehe! There's actually an ending which I'm working to, but a few things have to happen first. Thanks for reviewing!

Darkangelgirl262 – Loved your theory. It would have been really angsty to have that happen that way, but I think those two deserve a break from the misery for a while. And I haven't forgotten about White/Logan, just waiting for the right time. You'll see (grins). Thanks for reviewing.

Ceel – Welcome, new reviewer! Thanks for reviewing! Max hated Manticore at first, but she slowly got used to it. I'm glad that you like the fic. (Grins) It's not Alec or her siblings.

Sakura (88hainesde) – Thanks for your review! I hope you'll like this chapter.

Calistra – Yeah, heat is awful for them, but hey, it makes things more interesting for us, lol! Jondy and Gab will talk soon. Alec and Max will also sort things out. Thanks for reviewing.

Angelofdarkness78 – Yeah, Gab is getting really depressed about Jondy, but it'll soon be sorted out. Yeah, I needed to show Zack's POV for a bit, and to give a chance for Max to argue her case.

W1cked angel – Thanks for reviewing. Hehe! Yeah, he found out how he felt alright, but like you say, in a wrong way. It'll be uncomfortable for them for a while but they'll sort it out.

Supernatural – Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like the story. You'll see soon who she saw.

Mel11 - Gab is having a tough time dealing with it, I feel sorry for him too. Nope, it's not Alec or Gab. (grins) You'll see soon. Thanks for reviewing!

Aleja21 – Glad you're enjoying it so far. It's about 80 through, so about 10 more chapters and we'll see the end of this. Thanks for reviewing!

L80bug – You're right, she wouldn't be smiling joyously at Alec for the moment. But it's not one of the sibs either (grins). Thanks for reviewing.

LucreziaNoin86 – Okay, okay. No more cliffies for the moment. Hehe! Nope, it's not Alec. Thanks for reviewing!

Roxyroo – No, Max won't be exactly happy to see Alec there, you're right. Gab and Jondy will get it straightened out soon, kind of. Hehe! Thanks for reviewing!

IzanagiMikoto – Wow! That was the longest review I'd ever got for this story! Thank you very much! I wouldn't worry too much about Max and Alec. Zack would be a complication, but what's a relationship without a few bumps. And yes! It's a MA fic, hehe! I hope you don't mean I downplay Alec's ability, because that's not my intention. Hmm…I don't think you'll like what I did with Jondy and Gab in this chapter based on your review. And yes, it'll eventually be JG. As for it finishing 20 to 30 chapters, I guess it's now crystal clear that that's not happening! Lol! I'll just aim for 40 chapters this time!

Spanishwon2123 – Ah, you'll find out soon anyway! Glad you find the Jondy and Biggs scenario interesting. Very painful for Gab, though! Thanks for reviewing!

A reader – You're right! Hehe! I think it's highly unlikely that Max would managed to convince him to go with her, though! Thanks for reviewing!

GuestTypePerson – LOL! Okay, okay, no more cliffies. I didn't realize there were so many in a row – got carried away! So, you'll be safe for a while! (grins) Jondy and Gab would make a start at working things out this chapter. Max and Alec too. Thanks for reviewing!

Eva – No, Gab really didn't deserve to see that. But at least now he knew how he felt for Jondy. I want to hug him too! Hehe! Thanks for reviewing!

Anna – (Blushes) Glad you're enjoying the story. Okay…okay…no more cliffies… for now! LOL! Thank for reviewing!

Angel of Darkness231 – Fine! No cliffies this time, you'll be glad to hear. Hehe! Had too many irritated readers on my case! Thanks for reviewing!

Alana84 – Yeah, but bad stuff happens sometimes, and Gab's just got caught in it. It's going to be awkward for those three for awhile.

Lakergirl08 – You're right, it's not Alec. The JBG triangle is just starting to show, hehe, don't let the end of this chapter lull you into complacency! Thanks for reviewing!

Retrieved - Chapter 30 – Try Again

(by elle6778)

She gasped when she realised who it was.

And then a smile spread across her face.

At that moment, the object of Max's interest turned around and noticed her. Then with a smile similar to Max's, the girl with the dark blonde hair blurred towards Max and Zack.

Grinning, she snapped an enthusiastic salute. "Ma'am!"

Max gave her a mock frown. "Dani, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Max when we're not in front of the bigwigs?" She had to keep telling the X6's that. Suddenly an image of Alec popped into her mind. The last time she had told Dani the very same thing, Alec had been with them, she thought sadly. Don't think about Alec now. Just finish the mission and you'll see him again, she told herself forcefully.

"Sorry, Max," Dani replied sheepishly, noticing Zack. Somehow sensing that Zack was also a transgenic, and that he was her superior, she turned to him and saluted smartly, "Sir!"

The words left his mouth automatically. "At ease, soldier," he said, and then winced as he realised what he had done.

Max raised her eyebrows. "I see that you still have it in you," she teased.

"What?" he snapped irritably.

Max smirked at him but did not say anything further. "You're not here alone, are you? Where's the rest of your team?" Max asked, looking over Dani's shoulder.

The twelve-year-old girl said, "Tom and Sandeman are back in the cabin. We're hiding out there for the moment until Kelpy and Cammy find us a new place to stay."

Max frowned. "What's wrong with the place you've been staying in?"

"Gab told us that the S1W was planning to raid it again, so we had to leave. Shame, the last place was pretty good," Dani said with a wistful expression.

At the mention of Gab's name, Max's eyes lit up. She had been missing her friend. "Gab's around too?"

When Dan shook her head, Max's heart sank. "Gab's undercover in the S1W. He just came by to warn us," Dani explained. "Hey, you want to come see our cabin?" she asked eagerly.

Max grinned and was about to say yes when she remembered her mission. Much as she would like to go with Dani, she could no just abandon her mission. Maybe there was a slight chance that Zack might agree to go with her, she thought, not quite convincing even to herself. Turning to Zack she said, "Let's go meet them."

He gave her an incredulous look. "I don't think so, Max," he said flatly, hardly believing that Max even bothered to ask him.

Scowling, Max insisted, "Come on, Zack. What's the harm in it? At least we could get something to eat." At that thought, her stomach rumbled in agreement.

"And what? Walk right into Manticore's hands?" he asked sarcastically.

"Tom is twelve and Sandeman is like sixty. You think you couldn't hold your own against them if you wanted to?" Max said in exasperation. Zack's attitude towards Manticore was really beginning to grate on her. He was not even trying to give them a chance to prove that things were not as he had known before.

Dani was looking back and forth between them like a spectator in a tennis match; unsure what was happening but not wanting to interrupt. She could see from the look on his face that the male transgenic was not too happy.

"Look, I can't stop you from following me but that doesn't mean I'll go with you," he said, obviously not willing to budge.

Finally fed-up with Zack's behaviour, Max frowned and grabbed his arm. "Why are you being so difficult?" she snapped irritably.

"Forgive me for not wanting to go back to that hellhole," he replied sarcastically as he shook off her hand roughly. She refused to let go. Zack shook harder. Underestimating his strength, he managed to push her off balance.

As Max staggered unsteadily, cursing at her clumsiness, a lithe form blurred towards them.

Zack and Dani turned towards the form in surprise.

"Alec!" Dan exclaimed enthusiastically, running towards him.

Zack scowled and clenched his fists in reflex. "Not you again!" he bit out.

Alec grinned at Dani while trying as hard as he could to refrain from causing Zack some grievous bodily harm. When he had woken up this morning to find them sleeping together so intimately, all he had wanted to do was to run over and bash Zack's head against a tree. But before he could decide what to do, they had woken up and Dani had come into the picture. But when he had seen Zack push Max, his instincts had kicked in and he had rushed towards them before considering the consequences of his actions.

"Nice to know that I've been missed," he said, darting a glance at Max, unsure how she would receive his presence.

When Max straightened up to look at him in surprise, he asked casually, "Hey, how are you doing?"

Remembering the way they had parted, Max shrugged uncomfortably. "Okay, I guess," she said softly. She wanted to tell him that she missed him, but the words would not leave her throat. She let her eyes run over him, her heart clenching as she noted the shadows under his eyes. The last few days must have been just as bad for him as it had been for her. Or worse, seeing how much Alec loved his sleep. The last few days of tracking must have been hell for him.

Disappointed at the lack of response from her, Alec looked away. What did he expect anyway? For her to jump into his arms and tell him how much she missed him?

Hell, yeah! A voice in his head exclaimed.

But it did not look like that was going to happen anytime soon, Alec thought in resignation as he noted the way Max fidgeted. Then a suspicious thought suddenly occurred to him. Did something happen between Zack and Max last night while he had been sleeping? He would have heard something, wouldn't he? Shit! Was that why Max looked so uncomfortable? As the questions continued to race in his mind, his expression grew darker.

Then a saner voice broke in. That's your hormones talking, Alec. Max had shown no sign of returning Zack's feelings, had she? And he should trust her enough to know that she wouldn't do something like that when they were an item. It was not so much Max who he was worried about, it was Zack. He did not trust the guy to not try anything, and Max's too close to Zack to see clearly.

Whatever it was, there was no way he was going to leave Max alone with Zack now, he decided resolutely. He hoped that Lydecker would trust his judgement. This would be the second time he overruled Lydecker's instruction in the last few days. First had been the decision to split up and now, the decision to remain with Max.

Forcing himself to remain calm and not to head right at Zack, he said to Max lightly, "Being alone doesn't suit me very well, I get bored easily. So I think I'll hang around for a while."

Max frowned, wondering what Alec was up to considering that he was the one who had initially suggested that they split up. Much as she liked having him around, his presence would cause problems with Zack. She did not want to be put in the position where she had to choose between them. She knew that Alec was important to her and she had strong feelings for him, but Zack was the brother she had loved since she was childhood.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled him to one side, leaving Zack and Dani to stare at them questioningly. She tried to ignore the tingle in her hand at the contact with his skin.

Stupid hormones, she thought. She released his arm before her hand decided to roam all over his body out of its own volition. "Alec, what's going on?"

He shrugged. "I told you. I got bored. And much as I hate Zack's guts, I would prefer to suffer his presence rather than be bored out of my mind." And then deciding to take a chance at telling her the truth, hoping that it would thaw her a bit, he winked at her and said, "Also because I missed you."

Max blinked, not expecting him to say that outright, but nevertheless was touched at his words. Softening, she admitted softly, unused to their open display of affection. "Yeah, I missed you too. It was hard to keep my mind on the job when I kept thinking about you."

Alec grinned, happy that she felt the same way. "Great! So we're alright now," he said, reaching out to hug her tightly.

Max leaned into him, breathing in his unique scent as she sighed in relief. It had been hard for her that they were fighting about the mission, but now she was glad that they were okay again. With her face buried in Alec's chest, she did not notice that Alec had shot a smug male look at a scowling Zack.

Pulling back, Alec gazed into her eyes mischievously and whispered, "Any chance of us being alone? You know, to catch up?"

Her eyes rounded as his meaning became clear. "Alec! Dani could hear us!" she hissed at him, but could not keep her lips from twitching.

The sound of Zack clearing his throat interrupted whatever Alec had been about to say then. "Max, if you don't mind, I'm heading off now," he said tightly.

As Max turned her attention to Zack, her stomach rumbled. "Wait." Then flicking a glance towards the hopeful look on Dani's face, she asked him beseechingly, "Are you sure you don't want to just stop by at the cabin to grab some grub?"

"No, I'm fine for now," he said.

Alec rolled his eyes. "Nice way of showing how much you care for her, huh, Zack," he drawled sarcastically.

Zack flashed a pair of angry eyes at Alec. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm not stopping her from going anywhere," he retorted.

Alec raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I thought you were a CO before? You don't really expect her to abandon her target for something as mundane as food, do you? Or have you forgotten what it's like to be on a mission?"

Max groaned. "Please don't start, you two! It's okay, I'm not hungry," she said, her expression showing she was anything but. "Let's go," she said, taking a step away from the group.

After a few steps, she turned back to see Zack still standing in the same spot. "What are you waiting for? I thought you have somewhere to go?"

Zack stared at her with an unreadable expression. Then he sighed. "Oh, hell! I suppose stopping for a while wouldn't really matter," he said grudgingly. He threw a disgusted look at Alec, annoyed at what he had pointed out.

Alec smirked in satisfaction, knowing that he got under Zack's thick skin.

Max grinned happily. "You won't regret it, I promise."

"Let's go. Sandeman and Tom would be really surprised to see you all," Dani said enthusiastically as she grabbed Max's arms to pull her along.

"Yeah, I'm sure they would," Zack muttered under his breath as he went along very reluctantly.

Getting out of his car into the chilly night, Logan approached the figure standing at the edge of the waterway. It was still early but the sky was grey and it looked like it might rain, he noticed absently.

"I hope you have some good news for me, Cale," the figure said without turning around.

Logan paused and cleared his throat. "As a matter of fact, I do."

White turned away from the water to face Logan. Raising an eyebrow, he prompted, "And?"

"One of the houses which we raided gave us reasons to believe that it had been occupied by Sandeman."

White sneered. "You said 'had been'. Meaning that he's gone. Meaning that he's no longer there and you have failed me again. Isn't that right?" he said, advancing towards Logan menacingly.

Logan gulped as he took a step back, holding up his hands as if to ward White off.

White swatted his hands aside. Pressing his face close to Logan's, White snarled, "Remind me again why I'm letting you live after all these blunders you've made?"

Logan tried to hide his fear as he said, "We asked around and we found an eyewitness who saw them when they left."

To Logan's relief, White stepped away from him. "Really? Maybe I'll let you live after all," he said mockingly.

"The eyewitness was driving in the same direction as they were. Then she said that they turned off somewhere near Olympia," Logan said, wondering for the hundredth time why he was working with such a volatile person. But White had been useful in supplying information for Eyes Only in exchange for his help. And they had the same purpose when it came to Manticore. Both wanted Manticore destroyed.

White looked surprised. "They? Who was with him?"

"I was told there were two children and two adults with him when they left a few days ago. Maybe his grandchildren and their parents?" Logan suggested.

White shook his head. "No. It couldn't be," he said thoughtfully.

"How do you know?" Logan asked, curious.

"Trust me on this," he said. "When can you confirm their location?"

Logan hesitated. He had just sent the S1W to infiltrate and gain incriminating evidence against a casino scam syndicate. When the witness called Asha, the team had already left Seattle. "Um…I'm fresh out of resources."

"Find some," White said imperiously.

Shaking his head, Logan said, "I can't. They went out of town for some important business and won't be back until next week."

Annoyed, White snapped, "By then, Sandeman and his friends will be gone."

"That's why you need to get someone out there now," Logan insisted.

White snarled, "Fine then. I'll do it myself. Maybe then I'll finally get hold of the man."

Logan frowned at White's insinuation. "Our deal was for me to locate Sandeman. Not abduct him for you."

"You did a good job locating him, didn't you?" White said sarcastically.

"I did the best I could under the circumstances. Sandeman obviously knew that someone was after him, otherwise he wouldn't be running," Logan said defensively.

Ignoring Logan's words, White said, "Well, as nice as it is for me to stay here and have this pointless conversation, I'm afraid I have to leave."

"You do that," Logan said quietly as he watched White climb into his car.

Asha shot a disgusted look at the dealer before she stood up and left the table, nodding almost imperceptibly to Jondy, who was standing close by.

Understanding Asha's unspoken message, Jondy walked casually to the table and slipped into the just vacated seat. She glanced towards her left where Gab was sitting, pointedly ignoring her. He had been ignoring her for the past four days. Ever since her heat cycle. There had been no chance for them to talk as he had not returned home since then, and this has been the closest she had gotten to him so far. His behaviour confirmed Jondy's fear that he had definitely seen what happened that day.

At first, she was delighted that he had actually cared enough to display such a reaction. And then she realised that the incident had probably stripped her of any chance of being with him. She must have really hurt him for him to disappear for so long without a word.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced herself to pay attention to the game of roulette in front of her. They were meant to figure out how the casino managed to scam its customers. Another Eyes Only mission, she thought, rolling her eyes.

She placed her chips randomly on the table and waited for the dealer to spin the wheel. When he did, her eyes followed the small ball as it circled the wheel, landing on number 7.

The players groaned. There were no chips on number 7, meaning that the casino won.

Again.

They placed their chips again after the table had been cleared. Jondy kept her focus on the ball and the rotating wheel. This time just as the ball was about to land, her eyes caught the almost imperceptible change in the velocity of the ball, slowing it down abruptly until in landed on a number which had only one chip on the table.

As she turned to share her discovery with Gab, he too turned towards her, obviously having noticed the same thing. Their eyes clashed, and Jondy found herself unable to pull away.

"Gab," she said softly, almost apologetically.

Gab tore his eyes away from her before asking tonelessly, "What?"

"I'm sorry for what happened."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said with a hard edge to his voice, his eyes fixed to the rotating wheel.

"Don't do this, Gab," she pleaded with him, willing him to look at her.

Compressing his lips into a thin line, he stood up suddenly, swiping all his chips into a pile and stuffed them in his pocket. Without another word, he walked away, leaving her gaping at his swift exit.

When she finally managed to pull herself together, she gathered her chips and went after him.

She caught up with him just outside the casino. It was already late and the place was almost deserted.

"Gab, wait!" she called out, running to his side.

Gab swivelled around, his face a bland mask. "Yeah?" he asked in a bored tone.

She hesitated for a moment before steeling herself to speak. "About that day I was in heat, and I just couldn't stop it," she explained.

"By this, I guess you meant the day you and Biggs put on a show for me. Though I don't really appreciate seeing the two of you ravishing each other, I suppose I should say that it's okay since you couldn't stop it," he said, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. He turned away from her and started walking again.

Jondy threw her hands up in exasperation. "Will you listen to yourself?"

"Better than listening to the sounds you were making that day," Gab muttered under his breath as his heart twisted.

Jondy gasped at his words. "I didn't mean for it to happen," she insisted. She reached out a hand and grabbed his sleeve, forcing him to stop.

"Whatever, Jondy. It's not important," Gab said, suddenly feeling very weary. All he wanted to do was to just forget what he had seen and what he had realised about his feelings for Jondy. He really did not want to talk about it. It was hard enough trying to ignore her the last few days.

"It's important enough for you to run away from us," she pointed out.

"I had things to do for S1W. Ask Asha," he said evasively.

Ignoring what he had just said, she continued, "And it's important to me because…because I don't want to be with Biggs. I want to be with you!"

Gab tensed. Then he turned to face her. His voice was tight when he proclaimed, "You've got a funny way of showing it."

"I've practically told you how I felt towards you back in Manticore, remember? And what did you do? You ran away. You didn't even bother to talk to me about it," she yelled in frustration.

Glancing around them, he hissed, "Keep it down!"

He stared at her for a moment before he came to a conclusion. Taking a deep breath, he said in a barely controlled voice, "That day, when you left, I was worried. So I decided to follow you home to make sure you were alright. Then I opened the door. Do you know how I felt when I saw both of you there? Doing what you were doing?"

Jondy's breath caught in her throat as she saw the raw pain in his eyes. "Gab, I…I don't know what to say to make this better. It wasn't meant to be like that. I realised too late that I was in heat," she explained.

Gab laughed mirthlessly. "And you know what? It took that to make me realise how I felt for you."

Placing her hand on his arm, she looked up at him and said almost desperately, "We can still try. It's not too late."

Gab rubbed his face with his hands. "I can't get it out of my head, Jondy. I tried, but I kept seeing you and Biggs…That's why I can't go home. I feel like I want to kill him for what he did. And the worst thing is, I know that it's not his or your fault. It's just the way we were made. But how can I forget what I saw?" he said, his voice almost breaking with the strain of keeping himself from breaking apart in front of her.

He stiffened in surprise as he felt Jondy's arm sliding around him, then he relaxed slightly. Wrapping his arms around her back and laying his cheek against her head, he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. He felt warm for the first time in many days.

"We can try," Jondy whispered into his chest as a tear seeped out from the corner of her eyes.

t.b.c.

A/N: (Sobs) No cliffie this time. See what I'm willing to do to myself to keep you happy? (bawls loudly)…Ahem…Now, so what do you think of this? Please drop me a review. I'd love to know what you think of this chapter!