DISCLAIMER: Dark Angel not mine.

A/N: Promise we're getting to the good stuff next chapter. I'm gonna finish this story even if it kills me. I'm updating as fast as I can before Finals come around…Wish me luck on finishing this and getting ready for Finals (which is in a couple of weeks…eek!)

Chapter 13:

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."

-Elbert Hubbard-

FIVE YEARS LATER:

"Max!" called Joshua, bounding happily towards HQ. He had a huge grin plastered on his face.

Max spun around, sending her long brown hair that she had never cut flying over her shoulder, a small smile playing on her lips. She had been watching live video feeds of newscasts, keeping an eye on current events. "What is it, Big Fella?" she asked.

"Surprise! Treat for Little Fella!" he said excitedly. He stepped to the side, and that was when Max noticed the tall man who had been behind the dog-man.

"Hello, Max,"

Max looked at the handsome Transgenic, slightly confused. There was no way she could have mistaken him as an Ordinary. He moved with the catlike grace that the X5's were gifted with. He had jet black hair, and familiar aquamarine eyes that glowed like there was a light shining from behind them. He had an easy smirk on his face of someone who was comfortable in his own skin.

"C'mon, Max, don't tell me you don't remember me? You used to punch me in the stomach and steal my rations."

"Zane?"

He wiggled his eyebrows playfully before striding forward towards her. Max flung herself into his arms. "Oh my God, Zane! It's really you!"

Zane wrapped his arms around his little sister. "Who else could look as good as me, huh?"

She slapped him playfully on the arm. "Still the playah…will flirt with anything in a skirt, huh?"

"Too bad you never wear skirts, Max," he quipped. Then he put her down and assessed her keenly. "Sixteen years has done you real good, Baby Sister."

"You don't look half as bad yourself, and you're so tall," she said. "'Sides, I'm twenty-six now, Zane, I'm not your Baby Sister anymore."

He smiled ruefully, and looked around Command Center and at some of the transgenics still looking at them. "Nah, you could be ninety and you'd still be my baby sister. It's more the leading an entire nation of Freaks that's throwing me off,"

She chuckled, and pulled on his arm. "We're Genetically Empowered, Zane, not freaks. C'mon, let me introduce you to everyone."

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Max and Zane were sitting on the highest place in Terminal City. They sat on the edge of the old communications tower that Dix, Luke and a ragtag team of transgenics had gotten operational a few years back.

"I never thought my life would be like this," Max admitted softly.

"And what is this life like?" he asked, swinging his legs like a little boy.

She smiled wryly at her handsome brother. "Responsible. Being leader is hard. I don't know how Zack did it, but it's no piece of cake, that's for sure."

Zane just shrugged. "Zack was hard-wired for it. You, on the other hand, Baby, did it just from sheer heart. I still don't get it, but that's always been you." He had resorted to calling her 'Baby' the way he used to when they were kids. He did it so that he could annoy her, but at the same time, he was the only one in their unit that ever called her that. It was their 'thing'.

Max sighed heavily, her breath making a small puff of mist in the cold air. She looked out into the night, a shroud of sadness seeming to envelope her.

Zane glanced at his Baby Sister, just marveling at her strength. They had all run away at such young ages, but not everyone had made quite as big an impact on the world as Max. But she wasn't happy. "Lonely up top, ain't it?"

Max shrugged. "What can you expect, when you're a headcase Queen Bitch," she said lightly, trying to dispel the melancholy that sometimes touched her.

Zane wondered briefly if he should say something about why he was here. He wasn't interested in being in Terminal City—it would just cramp his style—but he was here for his Baby Sister.

"I saw him," he said softly. "This Alec-guy who looked like Ben."

Max almost stopped breathing. "Where? When? How?"

Zane smiled uncomfortably. "It's why I'm here. You sent out word…caught wind of it…saw the guy in Texas two weeks ago." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"How is he?" she asked, her voice a little breathless.

Zane looked at her closely, his eerily bright eyes peering deeply into hers. "Who is he? Why are you looking for him?"

"It's a long story,"

"I've got the information you want…I'm only tellin' if you tellin'."

Max glared at him. "You butt-crack."

His answering shrug was exaggerated. "Call me all the names you want, Baby, but I still have your info."

Her desire to hear about Alec was stronger than her pride. So what if her brother found out what a cake she'd made of herself over one guy…or how she was still clinging to his memory for five years.

"Long story short, we had a thing, we fought, had a misunderstanding, mostly my fault, then he left." she said simply. "I love him. My mate."

Zane looked surprised at her words. At the expectant look on his sister's face, he cleared his throat. "Uh, it was in Texas, town called Amarillo, a real shit hole, if you ask me, smelled like cows and shit…anyway, he was yelling at a bunch of X6's about attempted robbery. Guess they were trying to rob some bank. Distinctly hear him say something along the lines of we only 'steal from bad guys'. Then he sent them packin', tellin' them to lay low and watch each other's backs."

Max was smiling oddly. He shifted uncomfortably. "What? What'd I say?"

"Nothing…just that…it's good to know how he is…and…it doesn't sound like something he'd do…it's something I'd hoped he'd do…but it's just good…" she babbled incoherently. She hadn't had news of Alec and it was just…overwhelming.

Zane noticed how much this meant to his sister. He sighed heavily. "Max…" he paused, unsure whether he should say anything at all. "How long has this Alec guy been gone?"

"Five years. Why?"

"Just…that…there was someone else…with him. A girl. Young, early twenties. X6." Zane mumbled, knowing his words were hurting his Baby Sister. "There was a kid, too…"

Max was going to be sick. She looked at her brother, knowing that he would never be so cruel as to make something like this up. She had to get away. She felt paralyzed…like her heart had stopped beating…like she had stopped breathing…She forced herself to breathe… "I need…to…go…somewhere," she said, before springing to her feet and running away.

Zane stared sadly at his Baby Sister. He saw how hurt she was. He clenched his teeth. This Alec fella was gonna pay.

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Max was sitting on the Space Needle—a nightly ritual since Alec left. She sighed into the cold night air. He was out there somewhere. And he had moved on. She had once told herself that if Alec ever left her, she would move heaven and earth to find him. Well, it had been five years, and she hadn't done much moving of anything.

The first few months, she had sent search teams out.

Later, she had sent out discreet inquiries. She had even asked Logan to use Eyes Only as a resource. He had reluctantly agreed. But just like the search teams, they had come up empty-handed. Until tonight, when Zane had caught wind of her search.

She had felt like she was at a stalemate with herself.

She wanted to go out to find Alec herself. But she was afraid that leaving Terminal City would be a mistake. At the same time, she wanted to stay in Terminal City and be a good leader. But just letting Alec go would be a mistake.

Now she knew where her mistakes lay. She had let Alec go…and she had lost him for good. She felt so betrayed. Even when she had gone into heat, she hadn't allowed another man to touch her—she stayed locked up in her place with Joshua as her guard. But her dreams had been filled with hooded green-gold eyes, and soft chiseled lips.

She closed her eyes and a single tear fell. She had cried enough in the name of love and regret and she was tired. She had to do something, but she didn't know what—she was too afraid of compounding her mistakes. As a leader, all her decisions couldn't be tied to personal reasons. But as a woman whose heart was breaking everyday, being a good leader was getting harder and harder to do.

"Alec? How could you?" she whispered out into the vast nothingness that spread before her.

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"How did that lead I sent you about the Tryptophan supplier in Austin work out?"

Really well. That was a good lead. We're negotiating long-term contracts with them right now.

(Long pause) "How is she?"

I was wondering when you were gonna get to it. Ten minutes into this conversation. That's gotta be a record. (Chuckles) She's doing well. Her brother, Zane, has come to stay. They seem very close.

"Is she happy?"

She's less bitchy, if you know what I mean.

"Tell me."

She's softer. Laughs a lot. She even praised me for doing the Austin-Tryptophan deal. Imagine that. She goes on heists a lot, mostly with Zane. Still leads by example and all. Still pretty damned moralistic, but definitely more relaxed. Sometimes she smiles when no one else is looking. I think she's happy enough.

"What does that mean?"

You tell me. What about you? Are you happy?

"I'm doing well. Getting by. You know me. Haven't met anyone not worth charming a few dollars off of."

Still scamming, huh?

"I prefer to call it enterprising."

(Chuckles) You should come home. I miss you. She misses you. She doesn't say it, but I know she does.

"I can't. You don't know that."

Are you going to be there for a while?

"Maybe. Couple weeks at most."

"Alec?" said a soft voice behind him.

Alec spun around and smiled at Katya and her son, Alex. He had been named after him, for saving his life that night.

"I've got to go. I'll check in again next time."

Katya saw Alec hang up quickly on his phone. She knew he was calling in to check in on her. She felt a slight stabbing ache in the vicinity of her heart. "Are you coming in? It's getting late."

Alec shook his head. "I'm going out for a while." He walked over to little Alex, almost four years old and showing his X-genes with his above average speech and motor abilities. He ruffled the little boy's blond hair. "Bed time for you, little guy."

"G'night, Uncle Alec," said little Alex, suppressing a small yawn.

"Night, buddy."

He hopped onto his bike, and with a final smile at Katya and the kid, he drove away.

Colorado was cold in the winter—but Alec barely felt the bite of the icy wind. He was too deep in thought.

Five years, and Max still hadn't left him. Five years and he still couldn't look at Katya the way she wanted him to. He knew that she loved him. She had repeatedly tried to tell him, but he always cut her off with a joke. She had tried to get him into her bed, but he would just walk out. He stayed with them, mostly because—well, they stuck with him. He hadn't minded. Not really. They kept Max's spirit at bay.

But on nights like this…he couldn't run away far enough from his memories. He chuckled sadly to himself. He should be a little too old by now to be pining away after the memory of a 21-year-old girl. She would be twenty-six now...he wondered what she looked like. Beautiful, no doubt. Gorgeous. Sexy. Sassy. Maxie.

He smiled sadly wondering if he really would ever see her again. He had seriously contemplated going back. Home. Every now and then he checked in on Terminal City. Sometimes he checked in to see if his leads for certain suppliers panned out. Sometimes he checked in to see if there was any trouble brewing. But he always checked up on how Max was.

She seemed happier. What more could he ask for? He was afraid that going home would be a mistake—that he would just threaten her peace. He had contemplated sending Katya and Alex to Terminal City. Their lives would be better if they didn't follow him around in his endless quest to run away from Max. Especially now that little Alex was ready to, well, be a kid. Maybe he should go home and bring Katya and Alex to TC. It's not like he couldn't just leave again, right?

And who the hell is brother Zane anyway? Max was supposedly close to him—like she was close to brother Zack? Or much closer? Damn, he should've asked. No…he didn't think he could take the answer. It was stupid to think that she wouldn't have moved on by now. He had been surprised some years back when she never hooked up with Logan. They're just friends now, was all he ever heard about it. He had clung to that selfishly. But now he had brother Zane to worry about.

What the hell, Alec? You left her to move on with her life…now you don't want her to?

He hadn't noticed that he had accelerated more and more in his agitation until he saw flashing red lights. Damn Colorado Section cops…they weren't as vigilant as the Seattle Sector cops, but they sure had high traffic fines. He noticed that it was a female cop and he smirked. Easy.

"Officer," he drawled, using his most charming smile. "What can I do for you?"

She blinked, slightly dazed. Yeah, this was gonna be easy.

He wished that Max had been that easy. If she had just melted that way the first time he'd smiled at her, then none of this would have come to pass. But then again, Max had always been an elusive catch…she wouldn't be Max if things were easy. That's my girl. Even after five years…