Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel or any characters featured in either of the seasons.
With Ben In Between
Looking up at the door, Alec jumped up to answer it. "Max I…" his words died on his lips when he saw, not Max, but Vanessa standing there with a small smile on her lips. "'Nessa…" Looking down to the floor he saw a small carry on bag.
"Can I come in?" She asked in a soft, calm voice. Nodding he moved to let her by.
"What are you doing here?" He asked still kind of in shock from his fight with Max and seeing Vanessa.
"I sat down and thought about our fight and I realized I was being a bloody jerk to you and decided that I needed to be supportive of you, not against you." She said in one breath, when he was down she let a big breath as if she had been holding it in.
"You flew all the way here to tell me that?" He asked still standing next to the open door.
"Yes, I shouldn't have let things end the way the did when you left so I figured the only way I can show you that I want to make us work was to fly across that bloody pond and come here to support ya." Walking up to Alec, Vanessa placed a hand on his face and smiled, "I care about you Alec, I want us to work." Alec just stared at her and nodded slightly. Why he was nodding, he really wasn't sure. Was he agreeing with her? Seeing her lean up to kiss him, he began to lean down.
"Alec I need…oh sorry," Max's voice broke through the reverie of the couple and both heads snapped up to see a very shocked Max standing in the door way.
"Max… I thought you had left," Alec asked confused.
"I forgot my jacket…I shouldn't have come back," with that Max took off down the hall leaving a very confused Vanessa and stunned Alec and her jacket laying on the bed.
"That was her?" Vanessa asked, Alec nodded numbly looking back at her. "Not sick I guess," she commented, "she's pregnant…" Vanessa trailed off not sure if she wanted to know more. Alec numbly nodded again, "is it yours?" A knot formed in her throat, 'Please don't let it be.'
"No, its not. I asked her already," he said hoarsely. Smiling, Vanessa leaned up and kissed him lightly on the mouth.
"So, do you forgive me for being a total nut?" Vanessa asked cocking her head and giving a flirty smile. The same smile that had attracted him to her, nodding he leaned down and kissed her again. "Good, then I'm gonna freshen up and you're gonna take me out and show me what's so fabulous about Seattle." As she walked away from him she started to strip and gather things from her bag. When she was down to underwear and bra he realized what had truly attracted him to her. 'Shit,' was all he thought as he closed the door to the room.
Max walked aimlessly around Seattle for a while before she finally found her self of a familiar front door. Logan. Why had she come here? Not able to answer her self she knocked on the door, few seconds later Logan opened the door and was shocked to see a soaked Max. "Max? Are you alright?" He asked hurriedly ushering her inside his apartment.
"Yeah, got caught in the down pour," she answered smiling slightly as he grabbed a towel and wrapped her in it.
"You shouldn't be out like this, you'll get sick," he answered not really paying attention to her answer. Instead he walked to his couch and grabbed the nearest wool blanket. "Why were you out walking?"
"Logan! I'm fine, I just got caught in the rain. I'm fine, just a little too wet for my own good," Max said catching his attention. The bespectacled man nodded and backed up to sit in a chair across from his sofa. Looking down and her hands Max started to fidget. Things had been strained between the two of them ever since he had asked to adopt her unborn child. "Logan…when you asked to be the father…did you mean it?" She asked, her voice growing small and unsure. When she looked up she saw that Logan's eyes were wide and staring at her with shock on his face.
"Yes I was," he answered truthfully, Max knew he meant it. Looking back down at her hands she had no idea what she was doing. "Why?"
"I…" she paused, "I was thinking about how you asked me that and I…" she paused again. What was she doing?"
"What Max?" Logan coaxed gently, sitting on the edge of his seat.
"I think that you should be the father of this baby, they are going to need one." She stated, trying to convince herself. "And since the father…well…he…um… he isn't going to be the father then why not someone who wants to be?" Biting her lip Max felt the blood seep into her mouth from the constant biting she had been doing lately. She couldn't look at Logan as her words suddenly washed over her.
"Max…" Logan trailed off blinking rapidly, trying to take in what she had just said. "Ar-are you serious?" When she nodded slightly, he jumped out of his seat and crouched down in front her. Taking her fidgeting hands and wrapped them in his larger hands. "Max," grabbing her attention he stared at her beautiful face, "I would be honored to be the father of your baby." Leaning up he kissed her lightly on the cheek and couldn't help but grin profusely. He was going to be a father, the father of Max's baby.
When Logan agreed to be the father and kissed her lightly, Max didn't feel a relief of knowing her child would have a father. No did she feel any kind of security. No she felt pain flare inside of her and rapidly spread through out her body in a crippling sensation. She had just done something she swore she wouldn't do, ever. She swore she would never give up Alec's right as a father, but today she had. She had lied to him and told him he wasn't the father after she confirmed Logan was indeed not the father. Now here she was in Logan's apartment asking him to be the father, what had she done?
She had betrayed Alec once again; only this time it was something unforgivable, beyond anything to do with Ben.
"Boo what have you done?" Cindy muttered after Max told her everything about what had happened that day. Everything meaning talking to Alec at Crash and his hotel room, the appearance of some girl in Alec's hotel room, and then showing up to Logan's and asking him to be the father. Max sat in on the couch curled up in a ball staring at the wall opposite of her. She couldn't think just stare. Cindy got up from the couch and walked around the room.
"I know Cindy, I've just fucked up royally." Max whispered still staring. Cindy looked at her friend and shook her head.
"Boo you sure know how to weave some pretty wack webs," with that Cindy stood up and left the room. There wasn't anything she could say or do at this point. Leaving the apartment Cindy made her away through Seattle until she reached her destination. " 'Cuse me, could you tell me what room Alec McDowell is in?" She asked the receptionist sweetly.
"I'm not allowed to give out that information. What do you need?" The receptionist replied.
"I'm a Jam Pony messenger and I need him to sign off to receive his package. So if you would be so kind and tell me his room number," Cindy said with purse of her lips. Seeing that there was no way around this and looked up the room number.
"Room 494 is where Mr. McDowell is residing." Smiling her thanks, Cindy made her way up to room 494.
Knock, knock Few moments later the door opened and revealed a petite blonde dressed in an oversized t-shirt that could only belong to Alec. "Yes?" She asked in a thick accent and a scrutinizing eye.
"I'm here to see Alec," Cindy answered.
"What do you need?"
"I'm here to see Alec, not you honey," she repeated.
"Well Alec is busy so whatever you need you can tell me and I'll relay it," Vanessa answered crossing her arms and jutting her hip out. Cindy guessed she was trying to look intimidating but wasn't.
"Tell Alec to stop whatever he's doing and come and talk to Cindy."
" 'Nessa who's at the door?" Alec's voice came from the bathroom door.
"Hey pretty boy you wanna come and talk to O.C.!" Cindy shouted while staring down Vanessa with a knowing smirk.
"Cindy?" The two women could hear him question, moments later a haphazardly dressed and wet Alec appeared at the door, "hey O.C. how are you?" He smiled seeing her familiar face. Vanessa only scowled.
"Good Pretty Boy, wanna take me for a drink, we need to talk. Now," looking at Alec straight in the eye, Cindy smiled when he understood exactly what she was saying.
"Sure, I'll meet you in the bar downstairs in 5. Sound good?" He answered smiling a friendly smile. Vanessa, on the side, was continuing to scowl at being ignored and left out of this little engagement.
"Sounds good," giving him a smile, Cindy walked away and when the door to the room closed she could hear Vanessa's voice resound, loudly, throughout the empty halls. "Spitfire," she said to herself laughing.
"Who was that?!" Vanessa demanded while seething.
"A friend," Alec replied vaguely while trying to find a clean shirt to pull on. Seeing anger blazing in Vanessa's eyes, Alec sighed, "I know her from when I lived here before. That's all we have ever been, friends." Kissing her on the forehead he left the room and walked to the bar. Sure enough in the back of the bar sat Cindy with a pitcher of beer and a bottle of scotch. "Cindy," he greeted sitting down at the table across from her.
"Drink up Boo, because we are going to have a deep conversation here," Cindy warned handing him a glass and the bottle. Taking it he poured a glass and took and nice long drink.
"This about me storming in at the crack of dawn?"
"No more like why you stormed in at the crack of dawn and more," Cindy responded pouring a glass of beer. "And none of that bullshit of you thinkin' my girl was sick. There's more to the story, you and I both know it." Alex leaned forward on the table and clasped his hands together, no one could ever say Cindy wasn't a hard case or perceptive.
"You should've been a cop instead of a messenger. You're cruel," he said off hand looking at her. When she cracked a smile Alec knew he wasn't in major trouble. "Truthfully? Biggs called me and left a message saying I needed to come back to Seattle and that something was wrong with Max. Didn't say what was wrong, I freaked and caught the earliest flight I could."
"Why would little ol' you come all the way from Europe," Alec looked at her, "yeah I know you left boo, we'll get to that in a minute. Now why would you come all the ways from Europe to check on the girl you left for Europe? I'm curious." The sarcasm in that last bit was obvious. When Alec took another large gulp of scotch, Cindy had her answer but she wanted to hear it for herself. "Keep avoiding me for the scotch I'll take it away and lay that smack down on you." Alec took a deep breath and sighed.
"Because I'm still in love with her and I was hoping I'd have another chance at winning her back." At this Cindy burst out laughing, making Alec confuse and almost feel hurt that she was laughing as he poured his heart on the table. "What is so funny?"
"Chance at winning her back? Boo you say that as if you lost her in the first place!" Cindy shook her head, "you never lost her, Alec. Even after weeks of trying to get a hold of you and finding out you left? You still never lost her, and still haven't." This time it was Alec's turn to laugh, "now you laughing at O.C.?"
"She's pregnant." He stated taking a large chug from the bottle this time.
"And you got a girlfriend who's a spitfire, what does that have to do with you never losing Max?"
"I asked Max point blank if the baby was mine, point blank. And straight to my face she said it wasn't, so I would take that as if I lost her. She's pregnant with some other guys kid!" Cindy shook her head, "what?"
"You two are pitiful you know that? Just down right pitiful." Standing up O.C. grabbed her messenger bag, "if you opened your pretty green eyes you'd see everything was right in front of you like a flashing neon sign. You think you lost my girl? You didn't, never did. But if you wanna know, I think you're close to." Giving one last look at Alec, Cindy left the hotel bar and went home.
When Cindy reached the apartment Max was gone, but had left a note. 'Went to Crash to hang. Meet me there, M.'