Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel or any characters featured in either of the seasons.
With Ben In Between
"Here Boo, water," Cindy said handing Max a bottled water while placing a pitcher of beer on the table. Max smiled a thank you and took a drink.
"Man I can't wait to drink again, water doesn't cut it after a long day with Normal," Max groaned as Sketchy and Cindy took sips of beer and she just made a face at the offensive bottled water. Both friends just laughed.
"Man Max, I still can't believe you're gonna be a mommy!" Sketchy said rubbing her protruding tummy lightly. The moment would usually be sweet, but with Sketchy already slightly tipsy, so now it was just comical.
"Fool, stop drooling over the mama to be," Cindy pulled Sketchy away from Max's tummy and plopped him down on the stool next to her. "Go play pool, maybe rubbing Max's tummy will give you good luck!" Sketchy took it seriously and took off to see if it were true. Cindy and Max cracked up laughing, "So how ya doing Boo?" Cindy asked sitting next to her best friend.
"I'm good, but tired."
"How's Logan?"
"Good, he's going to come get me from here in a little bit and take me to the apartment. His cousin is going let me borrow her son's old crib."
"Boo you sure this is a good idea?" Cindy looked serious at her friend.
"What else can I do Cindy? Make us go broke trying to stay a float? Logan has offered to help out with the extra costs that are going to come with the baby. I've set it up that I'm going to pay him back, every cent. But when I have the baby, I'm going to need the money. We both are, I won't be able to work for the last few weeks of pregnancy and after the baby is born." Cindy sighed and took her friends hand, she knew Max was right but she hated the other part of the story.
"What's you decision Logan wise?" Max knew what she meant.
"You mean him wanting to raise the baby as his own? No, the closest he'll be is uncle." Max looked down at her stomach and ran her hand over the bump. "I think a part of me is wanting Alec to come back and sweep me off my feet and want the baby." Smiling sadly she looked at Cindy, "But I learned a few months ago I can't think that way. Logan's a good guy, but he can't be the father." Cindy felt herself release a breath she didn't realize she was holding. When Logan had posed the idea to Max, Cindy hadn't liked the idea. Not that she had something against Logan, she just didn't think it was right for him to try and be the father of someone else's child. Plus, like Max, Cindy was hoping Alec would come back and forgive Max.
"Max?" Looking past Cindy's shoulder, Max saw Biggs standing with a girl looking shocked.
"Hey Biggs," Max smiled as he walked towards her and Cindy.
"Hey Biggs, how are ya?" Cindy smiled as she greeted the young man, she had always liked him.
"Good, how are you guys?" He asked, slightly staring at Max's stomach. Seeing his reaction, Cindy started talking to his companion.
"I'm good," Max responded smiling and motioned for him to sit down. He did but continued to stare at her stomach, suddenly that day at the base made since. Something important that she needed to Alec, oh shit.
"How far along are you?"
"A little over 5 months. The baby is due in December." Just as she said that Logan appeared out of nowhere.
"Hey Max you ready to go?" He asked, not acknowledging Biggs. He didn't care much for the military types.
"Yeah, uh, Logan this is Biggs, Biggs, Logan," Max introduced, noticing Logan's brush off of the man sitting with her. Logan gave a curt nod, and tight smile, which Biggs just nodded to. He had never liked Cale. "Can you wait a few minutes?" Logan took a second to finally catch the hint, and left…after kissing Max on the cheek.
"So you guys together?" Biggs asked tightly.
"No, he'd like to be, but no." Max felt uncomfortable, "he's helping me out with the pregnancy and going to with the baby. Since I won't be able to work for awhile, he's going to help out so Cindy and I aren't on the streets with a baby."
"Max if I had known I would've helped," Biggs offered.
"I know, and I didn't want you too. The reason you'd help was because it's Alec's baby, and Alec isn't here…by choice."
"Is Logan going to be the father?"
"No, he wants to be, but it's not a title that I can pass around." Biggs stared at her with an unreadable expression, "I guess a part of me is hoping he'll come walking through the door and forgive me, but then I come back to reality." Standing up, Max held out her hand, "It was nice seeing you Biggs." Nodding he took her hand and pulled her into a hug which she reciprocated. "I better go," and she walked away. Biggs sat there and watched Max weave her way to the front of Crash where Logan waited for her. He watched as Max walked up the stairs and Logan followed, out on the street and out of sight. He hated the sight; Logan shouldn't be a part of that scene. Alec should.
Biggs sat there for a few and thought about what Max had said and decided it was time. Pulling out his cell he called Alec's apartment, hoping to catch him home for lunch, no such luck. "Alec, hey it's Biggs… sigh you need to come back to Seattle, it's Max…she's," a loud ruckus started up around him, "sick. Dude, you need to come back, fast. Later." Blinking he couldn't believe he just said that Max was sick. "He's going to kill me," he told him self smiling, "that is if he doesn't thank me first."
"Max leave?" Cindy's voice broke Biggs's thought.
"Yeah, Loggie boy came and got her," Biggs said standing up, "I can't stand the man." Cindy smiled, she had heard Alec and Biggs talk about their dislike for the journalist who ran the column 'Eyes Only: Last Free Voice.' "Was she going to tell him?" Biggs asked staring at his phone, Cindy stood in front of him with a sad smile on her face.
"Yeah she was, after they had talked out everything Ben wise, but when he wouldn't talk to her, she never got the chance." Cindy answered truthfully, "she felt that she needed to tell him about Ben before the baby, she didn't want him thinking she was trying to trap him to her." Biggs nodded and looked at Cindy, smiling he walked back to his date.
It had been a week since Alec had got that fateful message on his machine, and hadn't talked to Biggs at all. He had tried, millions of times, but Biggs never answered, which only increased his frantic. When he was finally on a plane headed for Seattle he began thinking about Max more than he had in awhile. With Vanessa, he was able to distract himself with someone who was a polar opposite of Max in looks and attitude. Resting his head back on the headrest he thought about his last conversation with Vanessa, it had been an ultimatum; her or Max. When he had said he needed to see if she was ok, Vanessa tried to leave.
"Vanessa!" Alec stopped her from moving from her spot.
"Why are you stringing me along? If you want to run back to her, then fine but don't drag me along!" Vanessa demanded, "I don't get it. She hurts you and the moment she's sick you go running to her?"
"Yes she hurt me, but if she is sick or something has a happened bad enough that Biggs would call me then I need to see her."
"Why?"
"Because…"
"You love her."
"No…because even though she hurt me she was also my friend, and someone important to my brother. The hurt she caused doesn't erase that, 'Nessa please don't do this."
"No Alec, please don't do this, to us. We're good together!" She wasn't crying, she just held the face of anger.
"I have to, Vanessa, please see that."
"What I see is you running back to your ex-girlfriend the moment she has a cough or whatever the hell is wrong with her, and ignoring your current girlfriend!" Closing her eyes, Vanessa took a deep breath and released, "It's me or her Alec; you can't have both. You leave, I won't be here waiting for you; it'll be over."
"'Nessa…"
"No Alec, I deserve to be the one and only girl, not the girl who's the only one when the ex isn't in the picture! Me or her, your choice!" Alec stared at the woman in front of him. When he didn't say anything Vanessa pursed her lips and nodded, "I have my answer, I'm going to go." Suddenly Alec was reliving that night when Max told him about Ben. And like that night, he didn't stop Vanessa from leaving.
He had tried to call her before he left, but she didn't take the call and truthfully he hadn't expected her too. buzz, buzz His phone went off on his leg, looking at the I.D. he saw that it was Biggs, "Biggs? How is she?" He asked in a rush.
"I see you got my message," Biggs said vaguely.
"How is she?"
"Alive."
"What the hell does that mean? What's wrong I couldn't hear what you said."
"Dude where are you, I'm getting horrible reception. Barely hear you!"
"I'm on a plane," that was all Biggs needed to hear.
"Hey Alec I can't hear you very well, I'll call ya later!" And he was gone, leaving Alec still in the dark.
"You know you are evil right?" Cindy asked walking up from behind Biggs, startling him for a second.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play innocent, I know what you're up to and as much as I would like those together, I don't like your game." Cindy stated looking him straight in the eye, "Alec thinks something is wrong with my Boo doesn't he?" When Biggs didn't answer, Cindy raised an eyebrow, "Doesn't he?" She repeated.
"Yes, but he needs to be here for her, not Cale." Biggs explained, "It would kill Alec to find out that he had a child and someone else raised it, especially if that child was with Max. He still loves her, and she loves him! But those two are so fucking stubborn they'd rather be miserable than sucking it up and getting over the hurt." Cindy nodded her head in agreement.
"But we aren't in control of them, Biggs. And whether we want those two together or not, we don't control that. I see what you're trying to do, and I commend you for being a good friend. But I don't want to see either Alec or Max hurt anymore than they already have been. I saw what it did to them both on the first night; it doesn't need to happen again." Saying her peace, Cindy got up and walked away. Biggs knew where she was coming from and couldn't help but agree with her. But things were already set in motion, and that was how it needed to be.
The moment Alec landed in Seattle, he bee lined for Biggs apartment and luckily his friend was there, "Where's Max?"
"She's at her apartment I would think," a half-asleep Biggs answered trying to wake up after finally going under. It was around 6 in the morning and he still had a few hours till he had to be at the base. Alec was out the door and off to Max and Cindy's apartment, so Biggs went and crawled back in his bed, not really thinking much about his friends frantic display.
"Max!" He yelled entering the apartment without knocking. Cindy was the first to appear in her nightclothes ready to raise hell for him storming in.
"Alec what the hell!" She yelled.
"Where's Max?"
"Probably in her room sleeping, why? What's going on?"
"She's ok?" Cindy looked at Alec like he was crazy.
"Cindy what's going on? Who's yelling?" Max's voice sounded as she walked out of her room, also dressed in her nightclothes. Alec swung his attention to Max and froze. Max was wearing a tight tank and showed of her newly acquired curves and baggy night pants that rested comfortably under her protruding stomach. When she saw who was the source of the yelling, she froze her self.
"Max."
"Alec what are you doing here?" Max asked after she regained the ability to speak.
"Biggs said…" Alec couldn't find the ability to complete a sentence, he was just stunned at the changes in her appearance, "your pregnant," was all he was able say, this was Cindy's cue to slowly disappear into the background.
"Yeah," she said shyly, suddenly very aware of her appearance and self-conscious. Crossing her arms over her chest and letting them slink down to rest on her stomach, Max asked, "uh, what are you doing here? Biggs said you were in Europe."
"I am - was - still am, but here for now." He stuttered, "he called me and said something was wrong with you." Max wrapped her arms around her chest and smiled.
"Well as you can see I'm not sick or anything," Max started to bit her lip. Alec just kept staring at her with that gaze that was unreadable and burning. She could remember when he would look at her that way when they- no she couldn't start thinking that. "Why are you here Alec?"
"I told you Biggs-"
"So you're visiting him and he said I was sick?"
"No he called me at my apartment," her heart started to pound. Closing her eyes, Alec paused talking, thinking something was wrong.
"Alec-"
"Max you ready?" Logan's voice came from the doorway, Alec turned to see the journalist staring at him and Max in confusion. "What's going on?"
"Logan this is Alec-"
"We've met," Alec cut in curtly; suddenly the room was filled with not only confusion but also now tension.
"Max we gotta go and get the crib," Logan added to break the silence.
"I'll leave," Alec stormed out of the office, leaving a very stunned woman and oblivious man in his wake.
Crash the same, as was the scotch they served. Alec sat at the bar in the slowly filling hang out. He stared at the object in his hands, shook his head. He had been an idiot and words from his father ran through his mind, "Manticore soldiers aren't chumps, Alec. So don't become one!" Good ole wise daddy dearest and his never-ending wisdom. Taking a sip of his scotch he continued to ignore the growing number of girls trying to get his attention. He wasn't interested, until one came to him, "Alec?" Swinging around on the stool he came face to face with Max looking worried.
"Max, didn't know women could drink when they were pregnant," he said without thinking. When he saw Max's eyes flash and brow furrow, he mentally kicked himself.
"Are you alright?" She asked suddenly and a little rushed.
"I'm fine, I'm always fine." He replied without thinking, again. 'Could I be anymore of an ass to her?' Seeing the brush off in his statement, Max decided to save her heart anymore ache and stood down. Sucking in her bottom lip, she nodded; Alec saw this and turned around on his stool.
"It's not Logan's," she whispered to his back and walked away. Max couldn't be there anymore and headed for the door. When she got outside, it was raining and only further ruined her mood, but didn't want to linger at the bar anymore so she began to walk in the rain. Suddenly she was thankful for the rain, it masked her tears that started running down her face when Alec had brushed her off but turning around.
"Max!" Looking to her left, she saw a car stopped beside her. Hearing a door open she saw Alec come out of the curtain of rain.
"Alec just leave me alone and I'll leave you alone. Go back to Manticore and Europe or wherever you are now. " Max said not looking at his face. She couldn't, she would break and right now she had no strength to
"Max get in the car, I'll give you a ride." Alec reached for her, but she backed up. "Please Max," his tone made her look at him. Letting her guard down she nodded her head and he opened the passenger door for her and ran around the car to get in himself.