DISCLAIMER: I've said it once (actually several times), but I'll say it again: Dark Angel isn't mine.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who continue to stick with the story. Here's the Jade-Max moment that had been pushed back a little. I figure, since so many of you suggested it,I ought to listen to you guys. I dunno if it's what y'all wanted it to be, though. Hehehe…oh well. PLUS, Alec doesn't go home...but instead...read and find out.
Chapter 14:
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."
–Abraham Lincoln-
Jade sat across from Max finishing up one of their monthly meetings. Max was a very involved leader, making use of all intellectual properties Manticore ever designed her with to their fullest abilities. She knew all the financial numbers by heart from every department. She read every report that went on her desk. And she kept each of her fellow leaders accountable for their work. At the same time, everyone else kept Max accountable.
"Update on the Trypto deal?"
"It's going well. We're going to have a constant supply from now on, straight from the manufacturer, no middle-man expenses." replied Jade. "Unless, of course, we reconsider my 5 cut of the deal?" she joked.
Max looked impassively a Jade, refusing to be amused. She looked at the blond speculatively. "How did you hear about this little pharmaceutical company all the way in Austin, Texas, anyway?"
Jade kept her face coolly composed before replying, "I have my sources."
Max looked like she wanted to pursue this line of conversation for a second, but stopped. She tilted her head in acceptance of Jade's answer before launching into the next topic. "What about rebuilding the Western outbuilding of TC? I saw the numbers the contractors had drawn up. It doesn't cost that much to retructure a building that's already standing and whose basic foundation still exists. Get to the bottom of that."
Jade almost flinched. Max had never been friendly with her. "Got it, Boss," she said lightly.
Max almost regretted the harsh tone she used with Jade. She made herself smile blandly at theother woman. "Is there anything else?"
This was the opening Jade had been waiting for. She almost backed down, but she knew it was high-time something was done. She cleared her throat nervously. Max may not be as bitchy as she used to be, but she could still flay people alive with her words. "I heard that Zane saw Alec…"
The clenching of Max's jaw was almost imperceptible. If Jade hadn't beenlooking fora reaction from Max, she could have sworn that she hadn't heard her. There was a heartbeat of silence before Max looked levelly at her. In a low voice—terrifying because of the control behind it—Max enunciated, "Is there anything else of relevance?"
Jade felt anger seep into her blood, pouring out of her heart. She couldn't believe that Alec still loved this bitch. She stood up, not even bothering to hide her antagonism. "Figures," she muttered, turning away to leave.
"What did you say?" Max called out, her voice sharp.
Jade glanced at Max, her eyes disdainful. "I meant that it figures that Alec wouldn't be relevant to you. Five years, Max! Five years and you haven't once mentioned Alec in any of our meetings! It figures that he never came up to scratch for your High Holiness!"
"What did you want me to say? Something insightful?" snapped Max. "Are you going to psychoanalyze what I feel about him? Fine. It hurt like the bitch when he left. Happy now?"
Jade turned fully to face Max. "No."
Max gritted her teeth, fighting her temper. "There's nothing more to say about Alec between us Jade," dismissed Max, her eyes cold and unyielding, her face taut. "He's gone. I'm over it."
"Do you really believe that?" Jade asked incredulously.
Max laid both her palms on the desk and leaned forward, as if her stance would help her make her point. "You said yourself, it's been five years. I'd just be wasting my time talking about him when we have better things to do."
"I love him, you know," said Jade softly.
Max drew in her breath in a hiss, Jade's remark hitting a little close to her heart. A little close? It was a bull's eye.
Jade saw Max's reaction and hastily added, "Like a brother. The same way you love Zane." She saw as Max looked at her with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "Max, Alec was the closest thing to family I had. He was the annoying big brother of my dreams. When he left, it hurt, too."
Max shook her head as if she didn't want to hear any more. "Jade, why are you telling me this now?"
"I'm just saying that I don't believe you when you say that it's over—that you're over him."
Max's eyes flashed fire. "I'm not that pathetic."
"I didn't say it was pathetic. You can't fool me, Max. Maybe the others think that you've moved on, maybe with Zane, who knows? But I know the truth. I know because that's how I would feel if Quinn ever left me. My world would never be the same."
"You don't know how it feels. You don't know how the fuck I feel." Max said vehemently.
"Fine. I just want you to answer me this honestly: Do you still love him?"
Jade saw naked pain flash in Max's eyes before she cloaked them with icy disdain. "What does it matter now?"
Jade didn't know if what she was about to say would be a mistake. But saying nothing for five years was a mistake in itself. "It matters…because I know where he is."
Max stood frozen for a full minute as a series of emotions washed over her. She squeezed one word out: "How?"
"I've always known. He would call every now and then. He made me promise not to tell you. All those fancy new deals that I have from all over the country? They were all Alec. He hasn't forgotten about us, Max. He's a good man, if you only just give him a chance."
Max closed her eyes at this information. Jade had known all along. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, whether to hug the other woman or punch her senseless. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Because you never told Alec how you feel. He doesn't know that you love him. I didn't know for sure…you put him away inside of you…where no one could see. Like I said, five years, Max, and you pretended for the whole world to see that Alec was irrelevant." explained Jade, her voice soft and sad.
"Zane saw him in Texas. I sent word to an EO contact there, but he was gone…I was too late…again. Where is he?"
"Do you love him? It's only worth his kicking my ass if you do."
"Don't you see, I couldn't let Terminal City see its leader falling apart because of one man," Max whispered achingly.
Jade nodded in understanding. "But you're only one woman, Max," she pointed out. "No one ever expected you to be infallible."
Max looked Jade in the eyes, realizing that one of the reasons she was always such a bitch to the other woman was her resemblance to Alec, both in looks and in personality. She swallowed over the lump in her throat. "The answer is yes. I do love him. I always have these past five years. I just never told him."
Jade smiled slightly. "He's in Colorado. And don't ever say Manticore training was good for nothing. I was on the phone with him for enough time to trace the call. He's in a town called Sterling, northeast of Denver. Highway 76. Find him. Tell him."
Max faltered, remembering Zane's words. She had to ask. "Jade, has...has Alec moved on?"
Jade didn't answer immediately. She knew that a part of Alec would always love Max, but she didn't know whether he really had moved on. "Does it matter if he has?"
"It's just...I don't think I could bring myself to..." Max broke off. She couldn't explain how much it would hurt to see for sure that Alec had moved on. It was safer not to have proof, not to have to see with her own eyes.
"It's all up to you, Max. I've given you everything that you need." Jade sighed. "If you tell him and he's already with someone else...at least you've told him the truth. If he isn't, then..." she smiled, leaving the rest for Max to fill in. "What have you got to lose? If you won't try...then you'll never know."
Max stared at Jade, reluctant admiration in her eyes. Jade was right. If she didn't even try to fight for Alec, then she would never know. She had to at least try. She was already five years late, as it is.
"It's worth it, Max. Love. It's worth all the mistakes you can make..." Jade whispered, meaning every word. She was happy with Quinn, and they had only begun to make things work. It had to start with one of them having to be vulnerable--but it had all been worth it.
"Jade—"
Jade shrugged. "You don't have to say anything. I know," she smirked. "I'm just cool like that." Then she turned around and left Max in her office to ponder on the information. Iftelling Maxwas a mistake, it was one worth making.
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"Love is everything it's cracked up to be…It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for."
–Erica Jong-
"Max, are sure you wanna do this?" Zane whispered uncomfortably in her ear. He was sitting behind her, his arms wrapped around her narrow waist as they sped headlong towards Sterling, Colorado.
"Yeah, it's high-time I did something about my personal issues, Zane," she called back.
"Yeah, well, it's cold. We could've at least taken a car," he whined.
Max smiled inwardly. Zane had insisted that he come with her. He had almost reminded her of Zack when he practically ordered her to take him with her. "You know, big brother, I could just leave you on the side of the road and you can find yourself a car and come after me later."
Zane chuckled. "No way am I missing all the fun of this sordid little reunion."
Max elbowed him, smiling in amusement at his sharp intake of breath. "There's nothing sordid about seeing Alec." She shifted gears to avoid slipping over an icy patch on the road. "Uncomfortable? Definitely. Awkward? No doubt. Fucked up? Hell yeah. But not sordid."
Zane didn't want to see his sister hurt, but he knew she was going to be. Especially if this Alec-guy had already moved on with a family of his own. He could just imagine his baby sister fighting to be brave. His fists itched to meet with a certain someone's jaw at that moment. "Max, are you sure this is worth it all?"
There was silence for a while, before he heard Max's soft voice carry over the wind. "Yeah. It is. It's worth everything."
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"Max, you can't be serious. We're not staying here tonight."
"It's the only place for miles."
"The Kum N' Go? You've got to be kidding me!" he whined, staring at the flickering sign of the dingy little roadside motel.
Max shrugged. "We came, and we're going in a while." She made her way to the office, but Zane blocked her way. "Max, I'll pay you to go somewhere else. This is just not right. It's unsanitary is what it is."
She just glared at him.
"Look, Baby Sis, I understand that you can't go to the love of your life looking like that and all," he started. But she gave him a look that could kill. He cleared his throat. "I mean, you still look pretty. Just a little…disheveled. Very cute…'cept for the bags around the eyes…but,"
"Shut-up. Everything that comes out of your mouth just gets worse and worse." she groaned.
Zane hugged her. "Max, let me drive. I promise, no scratch on your baby. You can backseat drive all you want. I know you're beat. But I still won't stay in a place that's called Kum N' Go."
Max finally relented. She was exhausted and she really didn't want to stay in that place either. "Fine. But if I see anything, anything, on my baby you are paying with your life."
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"What time is it?" mumbled Max, when they finally stopped. She had been sleeping on Zane's shoulder, utterly exhausted.
"Late," he replied. He waited as Max disengaged herself from him and got off the bike. His lips twitched as he saw her. "What?" she demanded.
"Do the words disheveled…but cute, mean anything to you?" he asked innocently.
"You're lucky I'm too tired to raise my fist to your face." she intoned dully. Then she frowned slightly. "Where are we?"
"The Nut Bush, the only freaking bar I found in lovely Sterling, Colorado." He announced, waving his hand at the sign above a dingy little building. "I swear post-Pulse people have the strangest sense of humor."
Max placed her hands on her hips. "We're at a bar? What are we doing at a bar?"
Zane looked at Max and let out an exasperated sigh. "Max, I love you and all, but I need a drink. So, we're at a bar…we can eat something, drink something, relax something…okay? I'm not really interested in running headlong into your lover at the moment."
Max realized that he had a point. She needed a drink too. She wasn't ready to see Alec yet. Definitely not when she was disheveled after days of travel on a motorcycle. "Fine," she snapped and marched towards The Nut Bush.
"I'll get us a pitcher of beer," called Zane, making his way to the bar.
Max found a small table, sat on a stool and looked around the place. It reminded her sort of like Crash, complete with pool table, dance floor, deafening noise and drunken young folk.
"Baby, you might want to go and fix yourself up," suggested Zane as he came up, holding a pitcher and two chilled glasses.
She frowned at him. "You're real subtle, you know that?"
He shrugged. "I'm just saying it like it is. 'Sides, seeing as this may be the only hang-out in town, you might run into someone significant, if you know what I mean."
That sent Max scrambling towards the restrooms to fix herself up. Zane chuckled. His baby sister was fun to annoy. She got riled really easily. He let his eyes wander around the place—like all Manticore alums, he cased the place, looking for all Exits, and any other signs of trouble.
Then he saw him. Just like all his instincts had told him he would. Damn if certain X's didn't think alike.
Tall, blond, lean, self-assured, and devilishly charming. He was just sauntering out of a back room, pocketing a wad of cash into the back of his jeans. He was making his way towards the pool table, a gleam of mischief in his eyes.
Zane would know that face anywhere. It belonged to his brother, Ben. He narrowed his eyes. Alec was different, though. Ben never laughed and smiled like that. Like he didn't have a care in the world. Alec walked around like he owned the place.
Damn, if he hadn't hurt Max so bad, I might actually have liked him. Then he smiled mischievously to himself. He had a plan to unfold.
As soon as Max came out from her primping, he drew her close to him, putting his arm around her. "Max, have I ever told you how much fun I'm having on this trip?"
She looked at him like he had just turned into a frog. Then she chuckled. "Zane, you've done nothing but whine the whole time."
He smiled charmingly at her. "But it did give me a chance to spend some quality time with my baby sister," he pointed out. Max smiled fondly at that. She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Yeah, I guess that's the one good thing that's come out of this…"
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Alec was leaning over a shot when he felt someone watching him. His skin prickled and there was a slight ringing in his ears. He let his eyes wander, and his heart almost stopped at the sight of familiar long dark hair the color of rich mahogany. The girl turned her head slightly to the side and Alec felt that heartstopping, breathtaking sensation take hold of his entire being.
He straightened and mumbled something about forfeiting his game and pulling out a couple of bills from his wad, he tossed it onto the pool table.
He made his way towards her surreptitiously. His senses strained towards her. That laughter. It was a rare sound, but unmistakable. His heart constricted, his breathing turned shallow. It can't be…but it was… Max.
"Zane, you've done nothing but whine the whole time."
At her words, his eyes snapped to the man sitting very close to her, his arm around her. He saw her lean over and kiss him on the cheek. His gut tightened. And Brother Zane. Of course.
He felt sheer anguish wash over him. There was jealousy, of course, and anger, and stabbing pain, but most of all, just adeep sense of loss, like his heart was no longer in his chest. "Max…" he whispered.
Suddenly, he saw her stiffen, as if hearing him. Cautiously, shelooked over her shoulder, her eyes finding his unerringly. He saw herfull lips fall open in a small O of shocked recognition. Over the pulsing music and human noise, he heard her sigh his name, "Alec,"