If Not Now When Chapter 1: Another day in Paradise?, a dark angel fanfic

Jade - DA- If Not Now When?

Title: If Not Now When?
Author: Jade
Rating: PG-13 I think a little bit of language
Show: DA
Genre: Angst/Romance
Pairing: M/A ALL the way:D
Type: WIP
Summary: Alec's had enough
Author's Notes: I don't own anything or anyone apart from Storm. She's quite a lot like the old Max, remember her?

A/N 2: The title is one of my favourite sayings. I read it somewhere and just loved the whole philosophy of it. 'You are only young once' is just so passé darling:P

It has been six months since the day of Freak Nation. Max is the leader while Alec is the man in the background holding it all together. Oh before I forget this is AU. Biggs is alive and … well… kicking:D

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Chapter 1 - Another Day in Paradise?

Location: TC - Meeting Room 0800

"Ok people, this will be a short meeting as we have been through all this yesterday morning. As you all know yesterday's heist didn't go as well as we had hoped it would. We did get our hands on the latest state of the art computer system we could. So now our intel is going to be better than ever. That being said we still need the money people. Good news is that according to the new information Dix gathered a little Breaking and Entering is on the cards tonight." Said Max with a little smile playing on her lips. "Bad news for me is that it'll be me and Alec going to the B & E tonight." She finished off with a sneer tugging at her lips.

"No." whispered Alec.

"The buyer is already lined up and the cash will last us at least three months." Said Max as she hadn't heard Alec.

"No" said Alec, this time making sure he was heard and looked Max square in the eyes.

"Alec this is not up for discussion. It's all set and you ARE going." Max replied going straight back to rummaging through the sheaf of papers she had in her hands.

"No."

"What?" Max left the papers on the desk as she looked at Alec properly for the first time since the meeting had begun.

"Like I said, no." replied Alec with unmistaken determination in his voice.

"Alec, I don't have time for this. We're going and that's that."

"No, WE are not going anywhere."

"What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you know any other word apart from no? Don't play hard to get Alec, for one it doesn't suit you and two we ALL know that has never been your style." Max had finally lost her temper.

"Ouch." whispered Biggs.

Alec kept looking at Max with an eerie calmness but didn't say a word.

"I asked you a question Alec! What do you mean NO !" said Max her eyes aflame with anger.

"Just that. No." he replied finally. "I wont be coming tonight with you. No, as in a negative, as in the opposite of yes." he went on with the same calm tone.

Everybody at the meeting looking from one to the other as if watching a tennis match, knowing something was very wrong. It wasn't that they never argued, because they did. ALL the time but it had never been like this. Alec had never been this composed before, never this detached and this was making their stomach's quiver with anticipation and dread.

"Alec I don't give a fuck about who you were planning on screwing tonight, it just won't be happening! What WILL be happening is that you WILL be coming with me tonight and WE will pull that job. I think I have made myself very clear even by your standards." Max finished off with her hands on either side of her hips.

Biggs could see a flash of anger and hurt in his friend's eyes before it was replaced with a mask. He had to blink his eyes to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. Stood before him was X5-494, his former CO, the man with the nerves of steel and eyes so icily grey that it had always given him goose bumps, of course there was no way in hell he would ever admit this willingly. He looked at Max to see if she had noticed the change but realised she was too pissed off that she wouldn't even realise it even if White were to come in and offer to make her a cup of coffee, let alone see Alec's transformation.

"YOU have made yourself perfectly clear Max, but I can see that I haven't so let me ENLIGHTEN you" Alec said without a hint of emotion in his voice or face for that matter.

"I will NOT be joining in with the mission tonight." Continued Alec and to the untrained he would have looked calm but his boy language told a different story to everybody. His back was straight; his shoulders were held back perfectly square. His arms were by his side, flexed. His knuckles were completely white with restrained aggression.

Now that Biggs had looked at Max he couldn't see much of a difference between their body language. The only difference was that Max had to raise her head to look up at Alec, which gave her a defiant air. This also lessened the effect of Alec's body becoming imposing over Max's smaller frame.

They hadn't even blinked. If any one of the transgenics had been to a 'normal' school they would have realised that it was like a staring match. Superficially a staring match is harmless fun to kill time. But on a subliminal level it is not hard to see two people's fight to have control over the other one.

When he realised that Max was not going to interrupt him Alec continued:

"I'm leaving Terminal City at 2300 tonight. I am not planning on returning. I have made all the arrangements for my transport. I have also gathered $20,000,000 for TC's disposal. The money is in the safe at this minute. I've been training Biggs for the last month so that he can take over my position once I have left. Before you give him a hard time about it, I never told him of my plans to leave. I have things to do before my departure so i'll see you all later." With that Alec left the meeting room leaving a bedazzled audience behind him.

There was silence. It was one of those silences where you could expect to hear the crickets chirp from miles away.

Everybody was shocked at the turn of events that had unfolded right before their eyes. Not a single word had been uttered within the crowd. Mole looked as if he had just swallowed one of his infamous cigars. Biggs didn't know whether to feel proud that Alec had chosen him or hurt that he had never told him of his intentions. Max, for once in her life could not think of something to say. Deep down she was waiting for Alec to say this was all a joke.

Finally Storm broke the silence.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say 'Huh?'"