Disclaimer: I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

A/N: The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

CHAPTER 6

Alec couldn't believe his luck. He had been picked up by the cops to be part of a lineup. He knew that it was just a small delay. He looked around at the seven other guys with him. They didn't even look anything like him. Except maybe for having approximately the same build, same light brown-dark blond hair, same eye color. Well, okay, maybe in some way they all had a reason to be here, but they looked seedier, dirtier, more criminal, and definitely guiltier than he did.

Besides, aside from the cat burglaries—which he'd always made sure were on bad guys—he had really done nothing wrong. He hoped. He started wracking his brain thinking of which of his side deals might have gone sideways. He had to have an excuse ready for whatever it was that was going down. Always prepared, that was his motto.

"All right boys, get lined up," a cop said. He pushed Alec on the shoulder. Alec had to resist the urge to show the cop that he wasn't someone to be pushed around. No, he'd just look guiltier.

The less time he spent in here, the better. It was beginning to feel like Manticore in there. The gray walls, the overall atmosphere of despair, the guards watching his every move. He resisted the urge to shudder. He'd never noticed how much he hate it before, but then again, he'd never really been free before. Come to think of it, he actually did value his freedom.

And I've got my little Maxie to thank for that, he thought bemusedly. Max had been an impetus for several different changes his life had taken. While all of them were uncomfortable like developing a conscience, they were ultimately rewarding in their own ways. He almost snorted to himself. Oh, this was so lame.

He trudged along, behind the other guys and took his place in the lineup. They were all asked to stand back against the electric blue lights that marked their height. Then turn to their right. Then to their left. Then each one was called up by number, to step forward, so presumambly, whoever the witness was, could take a good look. He trained his face to look as nonchalant as he can.

Alec grimaced. He was going to be a number again. At least, this time, it wasn't as complicated. He was number 3.

When the entire process was done, Alec got ready to leave.

"Hey, let's get a move on, pal, I've got somewhere to be!" he called out to the guards.

He hadn't expected to be picked off from the line up by the same officer that had shoved the gun down his neck. And he certainly didn't expect the damning words that came out of the cops lips. "You've been ID'd."

Alec pulled his arm away from the man. "For what?" he asked, disbelievingly.

"For the murder of Timothy Ryan."

All he could do was blink in amazement. Who? The one time he was actually innocent, and he was being convicted? No. Way.

CHAPTER 7

Max was sitting in the waiting area in the hospital, Original Cindy was soothingly caressing her hand. "It's gonna be okay, Boo." She said reassuringly. "You'll see. Logan's a fighter. He's gonna hang on."

But what Max couldn't tell O.C., was that while she was worried about Logan, she was livid about Alec. He hadn't even shown up yet! And it had been three hours since she'd called him. The jerk better have a good reason for not being here for me. she thought angrily.

Thank God Joshua had pulled through. Thank God Shankar was open-minded. And thank God Original Cindy was here. She knew who her real friends were.

Shankar came towards them, a smile on her pretty Indian face. "The antibodies in your friend's blood is neutralizing the virus, keeping it from replicating. It worked, Max." she said excitedly. "He's gonna make it."

Original Cindy looked at Max. "You hear that? He's gonna be okay." Then she pulled her Boo into a small comforting hug.

"He asked to see you." said Shankar, looking at Max. She smiled briefly, then left through another set of revolving doors.

Max was torn. There was nothing more in the world that she wanted at that moment than to see Logan. She was happy that he was okay. But she couldn't get Alec's words out of her head.

We're a danger to them, Max. Okay. When are you finally going to see that?

Maybe it had to take something like this for her to see it. But she couldn't deny it anymore. Alec was right. She was a danger to Logan every second that she spent with him.

She looked imploringly at O.C.'s eyes. "I can't go in there." she said softly.

"He's asking for you." OC pointed out softly, but there was no judgment or recrimination in her tone. She was, if not empathetic, a very good observer of things.

"I can't see him. Not now." She whispered achingly. The next words were the hardest to get out. "Not ever again."

OC frowned slightly, understanding what Max was going through, but still not quite accepting what her Boo was saying. "You're just saying that 'cuz you're upset." She looked deeply into Max's stricken eyes. She tried a softer tactic. "You heard the lady. He's gonna be fine."

Max just shook her head, still not bothering to cover the anguish she was going through. OC was her best human friend. She understood the subtleties of what emotions did to a human psyche. She had to make OC understand her now. "This time. But what about next time?"

If Logan had died…well, there were no words to describe how that would feel. Tonight was another miracle. She bit her lip. For someone who didn't even believe in God, she was sure asking for an awful lot of miracles.

OC nodded, almost imperceptibly. She did understand. She could feel Max's pain radiating towards her. She knew Max needed someone to tell her that it was the right thing to do. Otherwise, she wouldn't have the strength to leave Logan at all. But all OC could do was nod.

That was enough for Max. "No. This has to stop. Tell him I'm glad he's okay."

With that, Max turned the other direction—away from Logan. Besides, she told herself, she had to take Joshua home. She smiled sadly. This would definitely make Joshua's night. He was her hero.

CHAPTER 8

"Alec!" cried out Normal, looking almost frantic as he walked through the fine business establishment that he ran, Jam Pony. He spotted a few of the laggers chatting away the day and paused long enough to ask, "Any of you reprobates seen Alec?"

They shook their heads and Normal continued his run through of Jam Pony looking for his Golden Boy. "Isn't here, doesn't call, thinks only of himself, always hurts the one…" he muttered to himself, his thoughts on the handsome young man who worked so hard for him.

He caught sight of Sketchy. The tall, skinny, slightly greasy young man was leaning lazily against his locker. "Hey you, crustacean, have you seen Golden Boy?"

Sketchy threw a quick glance to Max and Original Cindy. "No," he replied, confused.

That answer was the last straw for Normal. Sighing in frustration he decided to take his anger and worry out on the laggards that were roaming all throughout his place of business. "Let's go people. Mission bells are ringing! Let's go!" He approached a random group of bikers. "Hear it? Bip, bip, bip!" he yelled at their faces, effectively breaking them up.

Max looked around Jam Pony surprised to find out that Alec really wasn't there. She had thought that he was already on a run, keeping up appearances of being Normal's precious Golden Boy. She shrugged. Like she cared where he was anyway. He had stood her up last night, and she didn't give a damn what kind of night he must've had to miss work today. Unreliable, as always, she thought.

She strung her messenger bag over her shoulder and she and Original Cindy started to make their way towards their bikes.

"Logan kept asking where you were. I didn't know what to say," said O.C., broaching the sensitive topic of conversation.

Max frowned slightly and pursed her lips. She tried to let it slide, waving her hand in a careless gesture. "It's okay, it's not your problem," she said lightly.

But then her beeper started to go off. She and Cindy stopped walking as she glanced down at the numbers flashing on the tiny screen. "Is that him?" asked Cindy.

Max nodded, already feeling the panic rising inside of her. Damn! She had been hoping to put this off for days.

Original Cindy saw the look on Max's eyes, the irritation, the slight panic. She knew what her Boo was thinking. She wanted to avoid the issue all together. Them transgenic-types sure were quick to high tail it when a situation got too emotional. She looked straight into Max's eyes and said bluntly, "If you're serious about this, you owe the man an explanation." Sometimes, Max really needed an emotional babysitter.

Max looks blankly at Cindy, but drops her Manticore mask, knowing her friend was right.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hi, stranger," said Logan.

Max was on a payphone at Jam Pony, leaning against the cement column. She was so not looking forward to this conversation. But it had to be done. "Hi." She replied, her voice flat.

"You missed it," said Logan, his voice lighthearted over the phone. Max frowned at his tone. "I wandered all over the hospital looking for you with the back of my gown open," continued Logan, keeping the same tone.

Max's frown deepened. He was trying very hard to put her off-topic, and it couldn't be put-off. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that. Listen—"

Logan cut her off. "I'm feeling pretty good actually. Must be all that transgenic blood."

"We need to talk." She said firmly, frustrated with his stalling. He was only postponing the inevitable, which was actually more cruel than getting to the point.

But Logan wasn't listening. He just continued with his meaningless chatter. "And, you know, I pulled out an old board I had lying around and put up all the doodlings I made at the bar the other night. It's kind of my wide-screen version, y'know."

"Logan—" she said, almost exasperated. She let his joke fall flat, not wanting to be amused at the moment.

"Don't, Max." He cut her off again, this time his voice held an edge of desperation.

There was silence for a while as both of them struggled to find the words to convince themselves of the truth. Max's lips trembled as she forced the words out of her mouth. They had to be said. "I can't do this anymore."

Logan pursed his lips, his jaw clenched. He had to reassure her! Make her see that everything was still doable. "Look, I'm fine. Everything turned out okay."

Max's voice was distant over the phone. Resigned to the fate that they were dealt with. "We got lucky, again. I mean, how many miracles do you think we're gonna get?"

"Do I get a vote? It is my life on the line." He said, not really able to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"So what? You end up dead…and I get to spend the rest of my life knowing it's all my fault?" she asked, also unable to keep the bitterness out of her tone. "I pass," she added softly. It wasn't really a choice that she had to make. It was a choice that had already been made for her without her vote. She should've let things go so long ago…but this was Logan…and she'd held on to him for so long, the idea of letting go had been unthinkable. But of course, her life just had to suck, and the unthinkable just had to be the right thing to do.

" I've been where you are, remember? Thinking it was all too hard. But I realized being away from you was worse," he whispered onto the phone, his tone begging her to understand the enormity of what she was doing.

Max couldn't listen to him anymore. He would just convince her that they would get through this, when deep inside, she knew that it was unlikely. Close to never, actually. "I have to hang up now."

"Max—"

She hung up, letting a wave of sorrow pass over her. She leaned her head against the phone, allowing the emotion overcome her, if only for a moment. She had done it. It was really over.

She straightened and prepared to face the rest of her day. As she walked out into one of the rare sunny Seattle days, she realized that she actually felt relieved. And free. She smiled slightly, she might just get through this bitch after all.