A/N: Another one-off, that is kinda a response to the last review on chapter 3.

Disclaimer: And I still don't own Dark Angel.

Dealing with tension

Dr, Michaela was nervous. The last couple of weeks she had noticed a trend between her two most worrisome clients. And she felt it had to be brought out into the open, then maybe the two of them could move on. However, she really, really didn't feel like talking to them full stop. They were kinda scary. But then again that was why she became a psychiatrist in the first place, to help those that were lost in their minds and bring them back into the fold of society, so that they could…

"Yo, doc. You ready for us or what?" A voice jolted her from her mental first draft of her next book. She had a feeling the two people in front of her could fill reams of books all on their lonesome.

"Of course, Max dear. I hope the two of you didn't have trouble getting here?"

Ames and Max shared a glance. The trip over had been interesting to say the least as it had taken them forever to disentangle from the fight they had been caught up in.

"Yup, now worries."

"Trip was fine." Ames added.

Dr. Michaela smiled. "Now, I would like to approach a rather delicate subject with the two of you. Now you know along with the joined sessions I have been having single sessions with the two of you and I have noticed a certain trend I would like to share with you."

Ames and Max shared another look, this was going to be good, nothing like your psychiatrist trying to come up with little theories on how your brain worked.

"Sure thing, Doctor. Fire away." Ames smiled at her.

"During your single session the both of you have talked about the delusions governing and marring your everyday lives."

As one, and unnoticed by her, her two patients shared an eye-roll.

"Now, please don't take this the wrong way, but your obsession with each other is detrimental to the healing process."

Her patients looked at her blankly.

"Say what?"

"Yes, what my slightly uncouth enemy said. Please explain."

"Hey! Who are you calling uncouth you overbred little lapdog of the criminally deluded."

"Now see here, you little bag of reject DNA…"

"Ahem! Quiet please." Dr. Michaela pushed back a non-existent strand of loose hair. "Ever since the two of you met, here in my office I might add, you have featured heavily in each others delusions. And I would just like to let you know that transferring your obvious attraction to each other into fantasies of fights to the death and beating each other up is not exactly a healthy lifestyle choice."

By now her patients had cottoned on to the bush she was beating around in the verbal equivalent of a tribal mating dance.

Ames went deathly white. "You think, that I am attracted to that?" He pointed a shaking finger at the transgenic beside him.

"What? You think I'm not pretty enough?" Max fumed. "Have you looked at the things you call girls, they need to buy their own razors and I'm not talking about their legs! Anyway, like you're such a prize." She turned her head and looked away, willing the blush to die from her cheeks.

Ames backpedalled. "Not what I said. You're very attractive, 452. Made that way, obviously. And what do you mean I'm no prize. Hello, double doctorate in genetic engineering here."

"You think I'm pretty?" Her voice was small.

"Of course." Ames shook his head. "Hang on a minute. What am I saying? You're a transgenic piece of…"

Max glared at him, cutting him off. "Piece of what, exactly?"

Dr. Michaela decided to get back in on the action. "See, this is what I am talking about. In your inability to deal with the unresolved sexual tension between the two fo you, you are transferring those feelings into an environment of hate and violence. Now if you could just go off and deal with it I feel we could be making progress in no time."

And with those words she chucked the two of them out of her office.

Max and Ames stood in front of the door.

"What did she mean?" Ames asked, plainly confused.

Max looked at him out of the corner of her eye, face bright red with embarrassment.

"She wants us to shag like bunnies." She managed to state bluntly, seeing with satisfaction that Ames face was turning as red as her own.

"Ah!"

Silence fell, as both looked anywhere but at each other.

"So your place or mine?"