Disclaimer: Dark Angel doesn't belong to me. I'm making no money from this endeavor.

A/N: Thanks to: Morning Sunlight, pand, kiwilass, leena-mck, Dirty Laundry, Loisen, a7xvampire, and less than angel for the reviews and the support. It really helps in keeping me motivated to continue the story.

Chapter 4:

"You hate someone whom you really wish to love, but whom you cannot love." –Sri Chinmoy-

Max had all but run away from Alec's TC apartment. She was so ashamed of herself. What had happened back there? Why had she kissed him? Why had she responded the way she did to him? I don't even like him!

Max arrived at her own place in TC. She sat staring at the box for what seemed ages. She was so confused. Was it really possible to want two different men at the same time?

She shut down her thoughts and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. She opened the box to find a vial, carefully cradled in some foamy material to prevent it from breaking. Inside was a clear, slightly yellowish liquid. Then her eye caught sight of something else at the bottom. It was a notebook, complete with all of the notes from the doctor. Max smiled at the foresight. If this vial had broken, she would always be able to recreate it.

She noticed a slip of paper inserted almost at the very end. She pulled it out and realized it was a note. Judging from the haphazard scrawl, it was from the doctor. Alec always did have a neat bold handwriting—a remnant from his Manticore education that he had never really let go of. She read the note, thinking it might be an addendum to whatever else was in the notebook.

As requested, here are the items. The vial contains the finished product. I have also included my journal regarding this particular case. If anything should happen to the vial, my notes should be helpful. Your blood sample is also a critical component to the serum. It seems that the carrier's DNA sequencing is perfectly compatible with yours. It was the key that led to unlocking the markers for the virus and containing it. Good luck. I know that this may not be of any relevance to you, but I appreciate the fact that you were good on everything we bargained for: despite having your hand at my throat for a brief moment, you are one of the good ones, X5-494. Your friend should feel lucky to have your love.

Max's hands were shaking by the time she read the last sentence. And then she re-read it again. What did that mean, 'to have your love'? Surely, the doctor meant that Alec loved her like family: his sister…? Max shook her head. The direction of those thoughts held too many implications that she was not prepared to deal with. She didn't want to think about Alec as 'one of the good ones'. No! He's a perpetual screw-up!

Max read the doctor's notes with Transgenic speed. She had to admit, the cure itself wasn't such a complicated thing. But then, virus itself wasn't so complicated either. It had just been that all other doctors had never worked for Manticore before, so had no idea what they were dealing with. It was like science-fiction to them. But Alec had gotten the real deal—for her.

She would never be able to face Alec again…or at least not for a while. For him to do something this nice for her was wreaking havoc with her system. She could still remember the kiss. God, she had been so hot. And she had only wanted to get closer to the flame.

But the shame, when she had finally realized what she was doing, had been unbearable. Alec had acted like it was nothing…just another girl in his long string of girls. She had gotten so angry to see his face so impassive and blank, while she had barely been holding on to her wits.

She could feel her anger boiling close to the surface again. She closed her eyes to regain her composure. She should really administer the serum now. She picked up the vial and the syringe that had come in the box and just stared. She realized that she couldn't do it. I should get it tested first, anyway. She thought. It's not like I really trust Alec.

Having made up her mind, she decided that she would take the serum to Sam Carr, Logan's physician, to examine. Then she would head over to Crash for a much needed drink. She prayed O.C. was going to be there tonight, because she was in dire need of a friend.

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Crash was a popular hang-out spot often full of loud young punks, most of them minimum-wage employees. They went there after work to drink beer, play pool, dance, and mostly go on about how things were at work, and bitch about the state that the world was in.

Max strode purposefully into her former hang-out. She used to come here almost every night to be with her friends. That was before she became one of the leaders of Terminal City. Now, she barely had time to herself, much less come to Crash for a drink and a good chat with her best friend, Original Cindy.

"Tell me my eyes ain't lyin' to me, 'cuz Original Cindy swears she sees her Boo standing right there in front of her." called a brash young lady with chocolate skin, lush lips and flashing dark eyes. Original Cindy was leaning casually on a railing, an affectionate smile on her face as she saw Max.

Max walked over to her best friend, her face breaking into a genuine smile full blast. It had been ages since she'd smiled like that, and it sure felt good. Coming to Crash had definitely been a good idea. "Hey," she said, bumping fists lightly with her best friend. They weren't both very openly affectionate, but there was no doubt in their minds and hearts to who they were loyal to. Max took her place next to O.C., leaning casually at the railing. Her friend passed her a glass of beer and she took it gratefully. Her eyes started scanning the crowd at Crash. It was an old habit from running away from Manticore that never died. It looked like she was looking for a hook-up, but she was actually just casing the place, keeping an eye out for any other Transgenics, for White and his Familiars, or any law enforcement types looking for trouble.

"So, what's the dealio, Boo? Sumthin' interestin' goin' down?"

Max's face tensed slightly. A lot was going down. She took a swig of her beer. "Actually, that's why I came over tonight. I needed to talk to you about something."

O.C. raised her eyebrows at her girl. It was rare for Max to be the one to start the heart-to-heart talking. Usually she had to browbeat it out of the girl. She smiled, "Original Cindy is all ears, Boo. Now spill me some juicy gossip goodness."

But before Max could say anything else, she spotted Alec at the bar. Her grip tightened on her beer glass. She watched as a blond sauntered over to Alec and ran a seductive hand across his shoulders, and then leaned next to him on the counter. Max could see that she was making sure her considerable assets were exposed to full advantage for Alec.

Max's glass shattered in her hand.

"Whoa, Boo! Been workin' out much?" O.C. exclaimed, as small pieces of glass and beer sprayed over her.

Max shook her head, "Oh, God, I'm so sorry, O.C. It's all Alec's fault!"

"Hot Boy?" she asked, slightly confused. "What did your boy do now?"

"He's not my boy." replied Max, automatically, distractedly. Finished wiping herself off, O.C. finally noticed that Max was still staring heatedly at Alec and a buxom blond who were happily chatting it up at the bar.

"Ugh!" cried Max, as she forced herself to turn her back on the disgustingly good-looking couple. "He's so annoying. And the way he sleeps around, it's just disgusting." she spat out. There was so much anger in her voice that even O.C. was taken aback.

"Boo? You okay?"

Max had dropped her head into her crossed arms over the railing. "No," she said in a small muffled voice.

O.C. took Max by the elbow and led her to a table. "We gonna sit down and figure this bitch out."

They sat at a secluded table in Crash, and O.C. made sure that Max had her back to Alec. Max was looking a trifle disturbed, and overall miserable. "I just don't get why he has to tomcat all over town," said Max. "Doesn't he have any pride or dignity? Oh, wait. This is Alec, of course not."

O.C. looked sternly at her best friend. "Now, you know you gotta come clean on that. Why you bein' so hard on our boy?"

Max rolled her eyes and pretended indifference. "Because he's an irresponsible screw-up, is all."

"Mm-hmm. Now, tell Original Cindy when the last time Hot Boy screwed up?"

"Just last week. We had a heist for medical supplies down in Sector 7. I was stupid enough to make Alec the point man on that mission. It was simple enough: grab some Tryptophan. But no, he decided that he would take loads of other things like bandages, antibiotics, anti-virals, medical supplies…a lot more than what was planned for the mission. They almost got caught. He got his arm grazed by a bullet."

O.C. pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Doesn't sound too bad to Original Cindy. Sounds to my ears like he done the smart thing."

Max was about to protest when O.C. looked pointedly at her and said, "Ain't no way you gonna tell me that y'all didn't need those supplies."

"Of course we did, but that's not the point. He's always taking matters into his own hands and doesn't even think about the consequences. He could've been killed!"

"So, Boo, you was just worried that something might happen to our fine Transgenic brother's ass."

Max frowned darkly at O.C.'s smirking face. "Yeah, God forbid he never has a one night stand again."

O.C. tilted her head, looking over Max's shoulder. "Looks like he might not be havin' some lady company tonight. He just sent Hooters away."

Max swung her head around, and sure enough Hooters was leaving Alec with a pretty pout on her face. Max couldn't help but smirk at the girl. "She wasn't his type anyway."

"What? Blond, buxom, and beautiful. What's not to like?" drawled O.C., her eyes roaming the other girl's body unabashedly.

"Whatever floats your boat."

O.C. took her eyes off the blond and looked at Max. She frowned slightly as she broached the subject that had been on her mind lately. "Boo, now you answer me straight on this one, why you so hard on our boy over there? Despite his flaws, he ain't no bad guy."

Max looked sadly at O.C., "Maybe that's just it. Cuz he's not the bad guy that I thought he was."

"Correct, Original Cindy if she's whacked, but ain't that a good thing?'

"It is…it's just…" Max stammered. "I don't know. I'm so confused." Max knew she sounded like a whiny child, but she couldn't help it. Especially when Original Cindy just raised her eyebrows, expecting her to continue. "He found me the cure, and I just…kissed him…and then I told him it never happened…I was such a bitch…and I feel awful…and I don't know what to do."

There was a moment of silence, where Original Cindy's face underwent a series of emotions. If Max weren't so down, she would have thought it was comical. "The cure? You kissed Hot Boy? You what?" O.C. sighed deeply. "Boo, no wonder you confused."

"What do I do now? I hate it when Alec is being so nice."

"Original Cindy thinks a 'Thank you' to Hot Boy might be a start. And you best do it before America's Next Top Model sinks her claws into him."

Max looked over her shoulder and ignored the tightening in her gut as another tall, slinky blond was throwing herself at Alec. "No way. I'm not goin' over there to talk to him."

"You owe him at least that. And if you ain't gonna do it willingly, Original Cindy got moves even you supersoldiers ain't never seen before. I'mma make you do it."

Max smiled. Original Cindy had sass, and that was why she liked her. "Okay. I'll go. How do I look?"

O.C. rolled her eyes at such a girly question from macho tough chick Max. "Like you da bomb," she replied. She took it as a good sign that Max was worried about her looks with Alec. She smiled secretly to herself. As much as she loved Logan, she knew those two transgenics were made for each other.

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"Oh, you must work out," said a high pitched breathy voice by his ear. He glanced at the owner and saw a stunning blond with china blue eyes. He raked his eyes over her body appreciatively. Nice. He smiled at her.

"I've seen you around here, before," she continued, this time running her hands up and down his arm, feeling him up.

"Really?" he mumbled, forcing himself to appear interested. Why wasn't he?

"And I've always thought that you looked real good." She murmured softly into his ear. He stiffened slightly, but not in a good way. His body was somehow rejecting her, even though his mind was fervently wishing that he could just go home with her for the night.

Before he could force an equally suggestive reply out of his lips (when had this game become so boring?), she had gone rigid, then she had beat a hasty retreat. Alec didn't need to wonder why. His whole body was humming like a perfectly tuned instrument, which only meant that Max was near him. He turned to his other side, and sure enough, there was Max, still delivering a death glare at the other girl's retreating back.

He just raised his eyebrows expectantly at her.

"What do you see in her anyway?" she asked, somewhat aggressively.

"What do you care?"

"I don't." she replied flippantly. There she was again, sticking knives into his heart. He really didn't need this right now.

"What do you want?" he growled, his voice coming out rougher than he had intended. He noticed that she was looking slightly green, a little awkward.

"I just wanted to say, thank you. I never got around to it."

Because you were so busy kissing me, and then kicking my heart to the curb. he thought bitterly. He shrugged, "Don't thank me, I was just paying you back."

"Right," she said, shifting from foot to foot, awkwardly. "I mean, yeah. I just wanted you to know that this really means a lot to me. And to Logan. To the both of us. The cure, I mean."

Was she trying to murder him on the spot? His heart had constricted so much it was an effort to keep his breathing even. "I know," he replied, his voice sounding strangled even to his own ears.

"Alec, are you okay?" she asked, placing a small hand lightly on his arm. That small touch had the effect that none of the previous girls had even come close to accomplishing with all their seductive caresses. His heart was hammering so fast now, his blood rushing into places they shouldn't be.

He pulled his arm roughly away from her. Self-preservation. "I'm fine." he bit out, his voice curt, his eyes flashing angrily. "Now, was there any other reason that you're still here?"

Max was taken aback. She was tempted to slap him, but she didn't. He was really confusing her. But she had also made up her mind about something else, so she was going to say it, even if she choked on it. "I actually wanted to apologize…about earlier…I mean, for…" she trailed off.

The kiss? he thought cynically. It was only a goddamn kiss. "It never happened, remember?" he reminded her, his voice cold and distant.

She nodded, "Yeah…just…" she sighed, "Glad we're on the same page on that. I mean, you know, it's just, I never meant for it to happen…and it's you..and…"

"Max, stop. Just stop, okay?" he said. He felt like his whole body had gone numb. She had no idea at all how many daggers she'd already buried to the hilt into his heart. "Anyway, why aren't you at Logan's? I'd have thought you would want to commemorate this occasion with some fine wine and pasta." He drawled sarcastically, hiding the traces of bitterness that he felt.

"I've sent it to Dr. Carr for tests, just to be sure. I didn't want to raise his hopes."

Alec glanced at her. "I've already had it tested. What, you don't trust me?"

She just looked at him pointedly.

He downed the last of his Scotch. "Right. Trust me. Stupid, of course you wouldn't trust Alec."

She frowned angrily at him. "I just came over to be nice and say thank you and apologize. What is your problem, Alec?" she asked heatedly.

He turned to her, not bothering to hide the blazing anger in his eyes. Anger he could deal with. "You are, Max. So just leave."

"What!"

"Leave me the hell alone."

She just stood there, frozen. He could see the confusion in her eyes. And strangely, he thought he saw pain, too. Great. He had hurt her. Could this day get any worse? "You know what, if you won't leave, then I will." he grabbed the new glass of Scotch the bartender had given him, dropped a few bills on the counter, and left without a backward glance. Self-preservation.