DISCLAIMER: Dark Angel is Cameron/Eglee's creation. I just stole it for my own amusement. Don't sue. No scrill being made off of this.

A/N: I still have some stuff up my sleeve, but I've got to give in to pressure. Here it is, I succumb to your guys' wisdom.

CHAPTER 15:

"To grow up is to accept vulnerability…to be alive is to be vulnerable."

-Madeleine L'Engle-

"Alec," she sighed almost involuntarily. He was standing across the dance floor, his gaze straightforward and sad. She felt momentarily paralyzed, unprepared for this moment. Her mind went blank as she realized that Alec was coming her way. Her throat constricted, no words could get past her lips. Her first instinct was to run. Run away because she wasn't ready to face Alec.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," drawled Zane, his arm still casually around her.

Max had a sinking feeling that she had been 'Punk'd' by her brother. She tore her gaze away from Alec. "You bastard! You knew he was going to be here, didn't you?" she whispered vehemently, hoping her tone was low enough that Alec's transgenic ears couldn't pick them up.

Zane shrugged. "Thought I might hurry the process…" He didn't get to finish his statement. Max grabbed his ear and twisted, pulling him up with her. "Out!" she snapped, pushing him ahead of her. They headed for the backdoor, Max still holding on to Zane's ear, his body twisted at an odd angle to accommodate the fact that he was eight inches taller than her.

"OW! Max! Wait, you're leaving?" he asked incredulously through the pain in his ear. Due to their heightened senses, they had very sensitive nerve endings. Max was inflicting quite a bit of pain. Then again, maybe he did deserve this with his underhanded tactics and all. "I was just trying to help!" he whined.

As soon as they were out the door and into the secluded back section of the bar, she kicked him hard in the midsection. He went sprawling inelegantly on the ground. "What the hell were you thinking!" she yelled.

Zane didn't bother getting up, knowing that he'd only be knocked back down. He leaned up on his hands, looking patiently at Max, the way an adult might look at a child in a temper tantrum. "I had a hunch he was going to be here tonight. What were you planning on doing? Knocking on every single door in town looking for some guy named Alec? Jade only told us what shithole he was in, not which door to knock on," he grumbled. "The way I see it, you ought to be thanking me."

Zane had a point. Max sighed. He always had a point. But that didn't mean he could go on with his schemes without at least getting them past her. She walked over to him and offered him her hand. He looked skeptically at it, but decided to accept.

Big mistake.

As soon as he was up, Max just kicked him back down. "You could've told me first!"

Zane landed on his ass again. "Baby, this is getting old real fast. He's here, you're here, get over it."

"I see you haven't changed a bit, Max," said an amused voice from behind her. Max spun around and found herself no more than five feet away from Alec. Her breath caught, her senses tingled…and suddenly, she felt alive.

Alec had to force himself to appear nonchalant, especially after he heard Zane call Max 'Baby'. He told himself that he had no right to be feeling jealous. He was the one who left. He was amused, however, to see the taller man on the ground before Max. It was cold comfort to find that some things never change: that his Max was still a spitfire. His Max? He paused slightly at that thought, before pushing it away. No, buddy, never yours.

"Alec…" she said, her voice strangely breathless.

"Max," he said, his voice even, controlled.

"And I'm Zane," called Zane, smiling cheerfully from the ground. Max glared at him, and Alec just looked sadly amused.

Zane realized at that moment that this man wouldn't hurt his baby sister intentionally. In fact, he had a funny feeling that he was hurting Alec. And Max. He stood up, and dusted himself. He looked from one to the other and shrugged expansively. His job here was over. "I'll be inside if you need me," he mumbled. Then he walked back inside the bar.

Max and Alec stared at each other. They took in the changes five years had wrought in them.

Max took a tentative step forward. This was the moment of truth. She would tell him. Her heart constricted. She was afraid of being so vulnerable, but she could do this, because it was the only way to really love someone.

It was dark, but they were standing next to the light hanging by the back door. Her enhanced vision took in all of him. He wasn't the boy she had fallen in love with. He was a man now—and she realized suddenly, that she might not know him anymore.

He had cut his hair. Before he left Terminal City, he had let his hair grow out often, too busy to bother with regular haircuts, and she remembered that when it was longer, his hair would curl. Now, his hair was cropped short in the sides and back, longish at top and slightly spiked. His face was leaner, accentuating the handsome planes. He had a slight growth of beard on the hollow of his cheeks and over his chiseled chin. She remembered that he had a slight cleft there. The faint laugh lines around his eyes and mouth had now deepened. His body was somehow bigger, broader, and stronger, as if at twenty-three, he hadn't been finished growing up, filling out into the man that he was now at twenty-eight.

There was a new edge to him, too. In the way he carried himself. There was still the cocky swagger—but that was as natural to him as breathing. It was in his presence. He seemed harder, less innocent, more cautious—just more grown up. She hoped he had hadn't changed too much, that he still laughed easily and made asinine jokes about everything, that he still liked to scam and charm everyone in his path.

"You've changed. You look…good."

He smiled slightly. "You, too. You look real good, Max."

And it was true. She had always been beautiful. But now, she was…arresting. Like one look at her could stop a man's heart. Damn near stopped his. Her hair was long, falling to just above her waist. Her face had lost the charm of youth, accentuating the striking features she always had. The large brown eyes still looked slightly sad, but also more world-weary. He wondered who put those shadows in her eyes. Her full lips were pursed, tensed, but he noticed the slight laugh lines around them. He wondered if she still used cherry lip balm—remembering their taste on his lips. Her body was still the arousing mix of being lithe and voluptuous at once. Max, really hadn't changed much in five years—just grew more beautiful, like he knew she would.

But he felt the changes in her more than he saw them. She felt…older—tempered by time. He wondered if her spirit and passion had remained intact. He almost smiled before he coldly remembered Zane. She had grabbed him by the ear and was practically spitting fire. It might be safe to say she was still spirited and passionate. Just not about him anymore.

"What the hell are you doing here, Max?" he asked, his voice colder than he intended, the recent memory making his tone harsher.

The callousness in his voice hit her like a bucket of cold water. She bristled in anger. She had come all the way over here, the least he could do was listen. She strode over to him and before both of them even knew what was happening, she slapped him.

Hard.

His head fell sideways, his cheek stinging, his left eye watering. He kept his head to the side and exhaled, letting the pain wash over him. Had he deserved that? Maybe.

"That's for leaving Terminal City," she said quietly. She grabbed his jacket and pulled him towards her. "And this is for leaving me," she whispered before pressing her lips onto his in a savage kiss.

Alec responded, his body bursting into flame. He wrapped his arms around her, hauling her up against his starved body, his arms like vice grips. He kissed her back, his mouth crushing hers against her teeth.

It was an angry kiss. Both transgenics poured their anger, possessiveness, jealousies, and passion into it.

She responded against the punishing pressure by biting hard on his lower lip until she drew blood. He refused to let go, pulling her hair ruthlessly instead until she almost gasped, using that momentary lapse for his tongue to seek entry into her mouth. He plundered and punished, slamming both of them against the dirty bar wall. She dug her nails into his shoulders, pressing on sensitive nerves. He encircled her slender neck with his hand, holding her immobile, never once letting go.

Suddenly, he tasted salty wetness in the kiss, and realized that Max was crying.

He released her, flying a few steps away from her. She sagged against the wall, tears still falling from her eyes.

Without releasing his gaze from hers, he wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand.

"I hate you," she whispered brokenly without thinking what had come out of her mouth. She was feeling so raw and vulnerable—a feeling she hated.

Alec held his breath, afraid that if he let it go, he would be bombarded by the pain that came with Max's words. He hated himself, too. Five years…five years and he still couldn't control himself around Max.

"I hate how you make me feel…" she continued. "I hated you for five years for leaving…"

Alec had no words. Her words pummeled him, leaving him feeling…defeated. Fallen. Broken.

"I hated how you made me love you…and you just left. I hate how I was too late."

Alec froze. He didn't dare move or make a sound, wondering if he misheard her. Not daring to hope or say anything.

"I loved you, and you left…you just left." She cried, her deep brown eyes searching his golden green ones. She couldn't read them, they were strangely guarded, like he didn't really understand—or want to understand—what she was saying.

Her heart broke. It really was too late. Her love meant nothing to him anymore. "But now, it's too late, huh?" she sighed. Then she straightened as if regaining her composure. But she didn't hide behind a Manticore mask. No, she let Alec see what was inside of her. "I came here looking for you…I just wanted you to know, I love you, Alec. And I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry that I was too late. I'm too late again." she babbled incoherently, her pain clouding her judgment.

She turned to leave, not sure how much longer she could bear to be around him in her vulnerable state. She felt like an open wound that had had vinegar and salt poured over her. God, it hurt!

"Max, wait," he called out, his voice ringing with urgency.

She turned her head, trying, but failing to blank her face.

"What do you mean it's too late?" he asked. He refused to believe it was too late. He would fight Zane to the death if he had to. A man didn't hear the three words he'd been waiting for and just let it go, damn it!

Max felt battered. He was going to make her say it. She looked him in the eye, not bothering to hide the pain and anguish she felt. "Zane…saw you in Texas…with someone else…and a kid." She said brokenly. "I'm happy for you, really I am…and I'm sorry if I've messed things up by coming…I just wanted you to know." She continued hastily.

Alec felt dizzy from relief. He knew exactly who she was talking about, understanding the misinformation. He felt a tiny bubble of hope burst inside of him. But he had one more question to ask her. He walked over to her, standing so close he could feel the heat radiating from her.

"What about you, Max? Is it too late for me?" he asked, his head nodding towards the bar, indicating Zane's presence in there.

"What? No! There's no one else…" she whispered.

Alec's relief almost floored him. No one else… He couldn't help but smile. She looked at him strangely, and he reached over and cupped her beautiful face in his hands. "Maxie, why would I go out and find another mate when I already had one?" he asked.

"You mean…?" she faltered, her heart beating so rapidly it was a wonder it didn't jump out of her chest.

"When we were together that night, Max, I mated for life. You were the only one I ever wanted. And while I haven't exactly been a saint…no one could compare. Call it a chemical imbalance, but I could never respond to anyone else the way I do to you."

Max let his words sink in. She was trembling. She smiled ruefully. "I should've hunted your ass down sooner. We wasted so much time, huh?" she whispered, before raising her lips to his.

"I can think of a few ways to make up for that," he said mischievously before claiming her lips in a soft kiss.

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A/N: It's not over yet. M-rated next chapter. And then more issue-sorting…but I promise, no more Max and Alec not together moments. It's just too hard to keep them apart, isn't it?