Rating: PG

Genre: Romance/Drama

Pairing: M/A

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Dark Angel , in fact I don't really own anything so suing me would be pointless, and just plain mean.

Summary: You can't control what you hear; you can only pretend its not being said. How will Max cope when something becomes too real to ignore? M/A (as if I'd write anything else)

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'll try and update quicker for you all!

Chapter11

Alec wiped the sweat from his brow as he swept the last of the remains of his coffee table into a black plastic bag. He looked around the room which was now far more sparse than it had been. Replacement furniture was not easy to come by, at least not decent furniture. And it wasn't like he had lots of time on his hands to go around looking for it. He had had to disassemble the couch in the end and it now lay in pile on the floor ready to be recycled by the TC construction teams. Alec scooped up the remains of a chair and smiled at them nostalgically. Was it wrong that he remembered its destruction so fondly?

Alec was brought from his thoughts by OC's emergence from Max's room dressed only in one of Alec's T-shirts. He grinned but kept his comments to himself. She raised her finger to her lips to indicate for him to keep silent before she sashayed her way across the room to him.

"She's finally sleeping." Max had spend the last few days in the same flustering heat and it kept her just outside the reaches of a good nights sleep.

"At last. I thought it would be over by now."

"You and me both baby boo, I'm gonna need to get more clothes. Thanks for the lone." Cindy smiled pulling at the red t-shirt she had put on. Alec grinned.

"Looks better on you anyway."

"Don't even try it Pretty Boy." Cindy warned playfully as she walked off to make some more coffee, ignoring Alec as he tried to look innocent. "Have you even looked at the laundry yet?"

"Nag, nag, nag." Alec rolled his eyes as he dropped the last of the debris into a bag and tied it up. He was all for looking after Max but he was beginning to feel a little used, and not in the good way, he thought. He wiped his messy hands on his shirt before giving it a sniff and then removing it entirely. He pouted lightly for effect as he looked at the pile of clothes in the corner. Cindy just tutted in disapproval.

"Is it impossible for you to keep your clothes on?"

"What?" Alec asked innocently, "It needs a wash." It was so like Alec, Cindy thought. He'd like to think he was the rebel, the rouge. In reality he was going soft. He would concede in the end, but he'd do it his way. And if he could irritate some people along the way then all the more fun for him.

Alec picked up the bag of clothes in the corner and headed for the door. Swinging it open in one quick motion Alec suddenly came to an abrupt stop as he came practically face to fist with Logan who had his hand raised to knock. Neither said a word, they just stared. Logan took in Alec's appearance; topless and still a bit sweaty from whatever activity he had previously been engaged in. Then he almost fell over when Cindy came into view looking relaxed and dressed only in one of Alec's t-shirts. Alec smirked as he looked down at himself and then he turned to OC, his eyes sparkling with mischief. She just scowled at him.

"You open that smart mouth and Original Cindy is gonna smack it clean off your face." Alec chuckled and left passing by the slightly confused Logan in the doorway. He shook his head and decided to ignore him, which was often Logan's policy when dealing with the smart-aleck.

"Cindy, what are you doing here?" Logan asked finally entering the apartment and closing the door behind him.

"Same thing as you, I'll bet." She answered coolly.

"Where is she?"

"Sleepin' " Cindy gestured the door behind her but kept herself firmly planted in front of it with her arms crossed over her chest letting him know, without doubt, that there were to be no visitors. Logan looked between the door and its self-appointed guard. Then he sighed heavily.

"She's not in heat is she." He stated rather than asked. "It took me a while to work it out but it just all seemed too convenient to be true. Something else is going on and its serious enough that they would risk bringing you in and yet ..." Logan laughed mirthlessly, "And yet I'm still out of the loop. I know Max and I haven't ... I mean she's tried to protect me before, but she would at least tell me herself. Somehow this seems more like Alec's handiwork."

"So why don't you go ask the boy." Cindy sometimes wondered whether she had agony aunt tattooed across her forehead.

"I don't want to talk to him." Logan snarled making his feelings concerning Alec quite clear. "I didn't come for the dramatics, the heated arguments, or the tearful goodbyes. To be honest, at this point, I'm not sure she'd even give me that." Logan had begun to realise that there might not be enough left for any of that. "But if I've got it wrong ..." He looked at Cindy beseechingly, trying to read her for some kind of signal but she gave nothing away. "Anyway, give this to Max when she wakes up." Logan pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to her.

Cindy felt bad for him. She had rooted for them to get together from the start but there was always going to be a loser in this situation. Things didn't work out how any of them had expected but the only one who was left to accept that was Logan. He had to let go of these fantasies and accept them for what they were, nice dreams but far too unrealistic. He had to stop trying to cage Max, whether he knew he was or not. Cindy said nothing, just watched him leave with a whispered goodbye. She sighed and shook her head, trying to lighten her mood which seemed to have plummeted completely the moment Logan had arrived. She wondered briefly if he had this effect on everyone; it could certainly explain Max's transformation to moodiness and misery during the past year...

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Alec had been getting on with things. He had tried not to think about Logan's visit and, although the curiosity had been killing him, he didn't ask Max what he said nor what was written in that letter.

His mind was still turning the matter over even as he headed home after a long day of haggling with Clemente for a postponement for their next meeting, knowing that Max was still bedridden, but he wasn't about to let the outside world in on that particular piece of information.

He just wanted to forget it all. He convinced himself he was better off not knowing it would only distract him further. He kept telling himself to be patient, but all this waiting around, trying to do the right thing, it was really exhausting. He just wanted to know where he stood. He had been pretty confident about his chances, but Alec was not used to wearing his heart out on his sleeve, and he was less used to handing it over on a platter. Alec rolled his shoulders and arched back stretching his muscles like the cat he truly was. He was tense and, if he had to say it, overworked. But his job was hardly one where you could just pull a sicky if you were stressed. When so many lives depended on you stress came with the territory. If only mankind could be more obliging.

Alec pulled himself up the stairs to his floor, and ambled across to his apartment ready to turn in for the night, for the first night in a while. He was tired, so tired in fact that it took him a while to realise that something was off about the apartment. Something was ...different.

He stopped mid-stride.

What little furniture they had left had been swept out of the way and in the middle of the room was an assortment of pillows and cushions piled around a blanket. Some candles had been lit and there was the smell of something delicious in the air.

"What the ... Cindy?"

"She's not here," The reply came from behind him. Alec looked round to find Max busily moving around in the kitchen, "She's gone to Joshua's for the night, Hi." She smiled brightly at him across the room partition.

"Hi," He smiled back, glad to see that she was finally up and about. As she continued to busy herself with whatever she was doing in the kitchen Alec took the opportunity to look her over. She had her hair tied back in a ponytail and she didn't look flushed or sweaty. She was in one of her chamise (probably still feeling the heat a bit, he thought trying not to think about it in any other way) with the novelty apron of a muscle-bound man's torso on the front that he had bought a while a ago purely with the intention of pissing her off.

"You hungry?" She asked, stirring something in a pot.

"Yeah, what are you cooking? It's not pasta is it?"

"No, its chicken," Max frowned, "Why?"

"Nevermind." Alec decided not to spoil things, though it amused him that the reference was apparently lost on her. "What is all this?" He asked instead.

"It's my decision." Alec turned sharply to look at her. She was standing there looking back at him quite openly and with full confidence and awareness, something she'd not experienced before in a relationship. She saw the uncertainty and the hope dance in his stormy eyes. "You wanted a decision right?" She said coming around to stand in front of him.

Alec smiled "I wanted you to be sure, you know, no regrets."

Max smiled "No regrets." Alec couldn't stop smiling. He raised a hand to face tilting it up towards him stepping in even closer to her.

"So, does that mean you'll be in my bed tonight?" He asked his voice husky but his eyes mischievous.

"Nope," Max grinned at Alec's dumbfounded face, before kissing him lightly, "Tonight I'll be sleeping in our bed."

"Ooh, good answer." Alec grinned claiming her lips again for something more lingering. Max sighed happily and parted her lips inviting him to explore further. Her hand slipped up his arms and tangled in the short hairs at his nape. Things were getting intense when suddenly Alec pulled away giving Max an appraising look. Max pouted, disappointed that he had broken the contact.

"What?" She asked clearly irritated.

"You feeling ok Maxie? not burning up? no dizziness?" He asked totally serious for a moment.

"No, nothing." She replied stroking his arm to reassure him.

"Really? Nothing?"

"No, nothing!" She growled.

"I must be losing my touch." He jested wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Alec!" Max swiped at him. She had meant to growl at him but it came out more giggled than she had hoped. "Just because I love you doesn't mean I'm giving up the right to kick your ass." Alec chuckled as he kissed her again.

"Say it again." He whispered, "I just can't get used to hearing it."

Max's eyes sparkled wickedly, "Kick your ass." She whispered lightly as she reclaimed his lips. The teasing and the flirting was fun, it had never been like this with Logan, it had never been so ...easy. She pulled him closer angling her head to give him better access. He broke for her only to trail feather light kisses along her jaw line and down her neck. "Alec," She whined lightly but without too much conviction, "The chicken is going to burn."

Alec continued his ministrations "Let it burn," He breathed before picking her up and whisking her towards the bedroom, "We've got more important things to cook up."

A/N: hi all. I know it's quite shocking that I've actually updated! But here it is finally. So...What do you think? should there be more? Not too fluffy is it? I know I haven't really explained Logan's letter, I will do that at some point. Or, alternatively, I could say Logan schmogan, and just ignore him. Let me know what you think. xxx