Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel or any characters featured in either of the seasons.
With Ben In Between
"Hey Boo, I forgot lotion! You go on up, I'm gonna run back to the store," O.C. Sighed when looking in her bag of goodies for the perfect girls night.
"I'll just go with you," Max offered getting ready to step down from the two stairs she had already ascended.
"Nuh-uh, you gonna go straight up into your boy's place and put your feet up. And that is an order!" Cindy shook her finger at Max and blocked her way to move, "you need to rest for baby boo, now go on up, now!" Sighing, Max reluctantly turned around and continued climbing the last three stairs to Alec's apartment.
When she walked in, Alec was no where to be seen but empty, dirty boxes were strewn all over the apartment. It was a max of cardboard, bubble wrap and strips of pulled tape as Max weaved around the objects, following the trail. The trail lead to Alec's second bed room turned office. When almost to the door, Max heard Alec grunt and then a thud. Curious, she peered around the door jam to be greeted with something very unexpected.
The girls had been gone most of the day, much to his relief. Not that he didn't love them both, he did, but he needed air from all the estrogen. Not really, again he loved them both, but he wanted to finish his project before Max's baby was born. After his very civil chat with Logan, he had planned on what to do to help Max in every way that he could get away with. That alone is a hard task, hand him an angry mob any day, they'd be easier then trying to figure out what Max would let him get away with helping her. Sure she was letting Logan help out, but they had a quid-pro-quo. He help her and the baby she'd pay him back while also helping him out with journalistic future...which seemed pretty non-existent for the multi-millionaire heir. But Logan and Max also didn't have a history, not one like his and Max's. That made things even more difficult. Sighing he tossed another empty box out into the living room, with the thousand others he had already opened and empty.
"Almost done," he said proudly to himself as he stared at his accomplishment so far. He originally was going to use his room, but he didn't have enough time to move everything out of his room and all this stuff in there, get set up and cleaned up, while also doing his room. Plus Max prolly would've knocked his head to hard he'd be seeing double for a week. Even in pregnancy her right hook was harmful, and dangerous to his health. Putting away the last bit of stuff in the bottom drawer, Alec looked at his last obstacle to finishing this project. Multiple pieces with little nook and cranny pieces, his worst enemy. Would it be too late to take that angry mob? Heaving a great sigh, he set to work in trying to understand the directions of multiple foreign languages. He seriously should've paid more attention in International Language class, he always ended up falling asleep in the class and copying Ben's notes and homework. Smiling at the thought of his brother, Alec couldn't help but wonder what his brother would think if he saw him; Mr. Tough Guy gone softie and setting up this room. He'd either laugh his ass off into the next millennium or take pity and help up figure this mess out. After all it was for Max.
45 minutes later, it was done! Success! Unable to deny the urge, Alec found himself doing a little victory dance that he would never acknowledge ever happened. When his dance was done he crouched down and lifted the large piece, groaning he finally right sided it and it landed on the floor with a resounding, successful thud.
"What are you doing?" Max's voice came from the door way. Swinging around, Alec felt like a deer caught in headlights. Shit, she got back earlier than he had hoped she would. 20 more minutes would've been great, 'Thanks blue lady,' he thought sarcastically looking at the very stunned and confused pregnant woman. 'Jesus she's gorgeous.' Followed by the thought of, 'I'm going to hell.'
"Uh...you got home a little earlier than I had planned...obviously." He said very lamely. Reaching and scratching the back of his head, a nervous gesture Max recognized, "I was gonna surprise you...when I was done." Looking away from Alec, Max looked at the room and gasped, truly seeing what was in there. It was her stuff...her stuff that she had left in America at hers and Cindy's apartment, as well as all the things at Logan's apartment. All her furniture, toys and extra blankets. All neatly placed in the former office. Gone was the plain white walls, painted a beautiful mint green that reminder her of ice-cream. With that thought, she became hungry but ignored the urge to further see everything. A plush carpet that was emerald green, stretched over the hard wood floors. Low light lamp were hung periodically on the walls with frosted globes covering the bulbs. In the fare left corner sat her changing table, fitted perfectly into the corner with its attached shelf holding all her supplies. To right, in the corner was a rocking chair, that wasn't hers, with a soft cushion on the seat and a matching blanket hanging over the back. Next to the rocking chair was a small table with a little lamp. Along the wall was her crib, set up with all the dressing and cushions placed perfectly inviting in it. A mobile, that wasn't hers, hung from one side. Little bears dressed in long john pajamas that were different colors hung at different heights over the crib. Next to the crib was the dresser Cindy had bought for her. They had painted it themselves with little animals dancing all over the surface. Sitting on top was some of the stuffed animals she and Cindy both had bought. The opposite of the crib, on the left wall was what Alec had been working on. A twin bed frame, a mattress leaning up against the wall by the door, where the closet was.
"Alec..." she didn't know what to say. He seemed nervous. Feeling her hormones kick in, tears slipped down her cheeks and bottom lip trembled. "You didn't have to do this," she mumbled over her blubbering self.
"I know, but I wanted to. I had Logan send all your things so you'd have everything for when you had the baby." He said softly looking at her. Not knowing what else to say, Max just walked into the room and hugged him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her face in his chest. His arms immediately wrapped themselves around her frame and enveloped her in warmth.
Cindy found them that way 5 minutes later, speechless when seeing what Alec had done to the room and what he had done in general. When the two pulled apart, Max dried up and Alec left to get food for dinner, Cindy sat Max down and got ready for their girls night. Alec, earlier that morning, had informed them that he was going to go to the base to do some paper work, so they could have their night. So once the food was served and everything was set, Alec left the girls to their pampering.
Cindy was just finishing Max's toe nails when her cell phone rang. Answering it she immediately smiled, it was a girl she had ran into days earlier. Definitely liking her, Cindy had exchanged numbers to meet up sometime. Apparently the girl wanted to meet up, "I wish I could, but I'm here with my girl-" The phone was removed from her hands by Max.
"Hi, Lindsey? Yeah, hi Cindy will meet you at the pub in one hour. Bye!" Max clicked the phone off and smiled at her best friend who stared at her like she had grown two new heads. "You are going, I will be fine here. I got plenty of food and entertainment to last a lifetime. If anything is wrong, Alec is on speed dial. Now go get ready, she's waiting." Cindy protested for a good 10 minutes before Max threw a pillow at her and demanded she leave before her hormones kicked in. As her best friend walked into Alec's bed room to get ready, Max heard her mutter something along the lines of 'crazy pregnant white girls.' She laughed and took a bit of the ice cream Alec had bought her earlier.
45 minutes later Cindy was sashaying her way out of the apartment, looking like a million dollars and nothing less. Max just snuggled further into the comfy couch and started watching whatever movie was on, which happened to be 'Knocked Up' half way through the movie Max started to feel her happy state slip away into an abyss of worry and fear. She turned the movie off and looked around the empty apartment, it wasn't her apartment. Standing up from the couch Max walked to the bed room Alec has fixed up for her and baby...their baby. Even though he didn't know it was his baby. Thinking that, a lump formed in her throat and nerves began to tingle.
This wasn't her apartment, this room wasn't hers. It was Alec's, everything was Alec's, except her. She wasn't Alec's girlfriend anymore, she wasn't his best friend...was she even a friend? "Charity case," her lips began to tremble at the reality of that. He was a good guy who would do anything for anyone. He'd give out every last shirt he owned, even the last one he's wearing, if he thought it'd help someone.
He was just helping her, he didn't love her. Tears welled in her eyes and she held on tightly to the door jam. She had messed up so much, messed up so much for Ben, for Alec, she was a horrible person. "Oh god, I'm going to be a horrible mother! My baby is going to hate me!" She cried hugging herself to the door jam while starring at the beautiful baby room. "Alec will hate me!" He probably already did, but she was a charity case. Pushing away from the room she walked into bed room, Alec's where she and Cindy had been sleeping. Curling up on the bed she wrapped the covers around her and started to let out loud and uncontrollable. She was all alone, she and her baby were all alone. She had messed everything up and now there was nothing good for her.
"Heading home early?" Syl asked as she walked along side Alec to the main building on base.
"Yeah, two friends on mine are staying with me and one's home alone." Alec said easily. Syl had been the first fellow solider he had met when moving to the European base. She was easy on the eyes and easy to be around. They instantly bonded over the fact of being Manticore Military Prodigies. Her dad being the one and only Col. Lydecker. Luckily she looked nothing like him.
"Oh yeah, how's your friend doing? Everything turn out ok?" She was referring to the incident when Max had showed up distraught.
"Yeah, it all worked in the end. I took care of it," he said with a tone that ended that area of the conversation.
"That's good. She's lucky she has someone there for her, pregnancy is a bitch to get through with people there for you. Alone, can't imagine it," Syl smiled thinking of her own son. "Well here's my stop, catch you later McDowell!"
When Alec opened his apartment door two things became apparent. First, Max's bowl of ice cream laid melted and spilled on the living room floor. The second, painfully sobs were emitting from his bedroom. Walking towards the room, "Max? You ok?" He called out as he walked in. instead of finding her he found a bundle of blankets that periodically shuddered with each sob. "Max?" Trying to find an opening to the blankets, Alec began to get worried. What was wrong? When he found Max, her face was red and blotchy with tears smeared all over.
"I can't even cry into my knees! I'm so fat!" Was the firs thing she wailed when she covered her face with her hands, in attempt to hid from his sight.
"What's wrong Max? Come'on, talk to me?" He prodded gently, pulling her hands away from her face and holding them in his own.
"I'm all alone! I'm a horrible person that messes everything and everyone's life up! My baby is going to hate me and I'm a big fat charity case that has no where to go!" She wailed trying to cover her face again, but Alec held her hands restrained.
"Max," she continued to struggle against him. "Max!" He tried a little louder.
"Ben would've ended up hating me if he hadn't died! Logan hates me, well I hate him! I ruined everything! You'll end up hating me in the end! Hell so will Cindy! Everyone hates the stupid fat girl who can't do anything right! My own baby will hate me-" She ranted trying to get free from Alec. Soon she stopped struggling against him and started to hit him with their fists. Pounding his chest in fear and sadness.
"Max," he wrapped his arms tightly around her, trapping her pounding fists and her sobs to his chest. "That's not true, none of it is true. Ben loved you more than anything, and nothing could have changed that. I could never hate you either, and Cindy would just beat you to the bloody pulp for even suggesting her ever having an ill thought against you." He whispered in her ear as he rocked her slightly.
Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Who knows, but after time Max began to calm down and see through the hormone fog. The firs thing that she noticed was Alec smelled good, really good. He had that certain smell about him that always made me just smile, on the rare occasion he wore cologne, it was this soft, but very manly, smell that made her knees knock together. Right now he had some cologne on with his own unique smell, she smiled. The next thing she noticed was he was warm and safe, two things he had always been to her. Even way back in the beginning when she didn't even know why she was with him for any other fact than he was Ben's twin. "Alec?" She whispered, by the slight movement of his body, Max knew that she heard him. She needed to tell him something, something that she had been wanting to for so long.
"You feeling better?" He asked softly as they pulled apart to be able to see each other's face. He wiped a stray tear away from her cheek, lightly cupping it. Much like he use to do when they were just in their own world together.
"Yeah," she whispered. Her vocal ability seemed to be limited due to her long period of crying and harsh sobs. "I need to say something."
"Sure that's a good idea?" He joked raising an brow at her voice. She smiled closed her eyes, "what is it?"
"That day- that day that I told you about Ben and I-"
"Max-"
"No listen. That day was the day I let go of Ben for good. I didn't want him or his brother." A pained look passed over Alec's face, "I just wanted you. That cocky guy who danced with me on the terrace and did cheesy things for me. That's who I wanted, I didn't want Ben. In truth I don't think I really wanted him even before then, but I was too stubborn to see what was in front of me." Alec didn't more or say anything, "I fell in love with you, and...and I still do love you. I don't expect you to say it back, not anymore, but I just want you to know that part at least."
"Max," he was still whispering, and it was distracting now that her mind was clear. It was down right sexy as hell! "I never stopped loving you." Before she said anything he lightly kissed her on the cheek, right by the corner of her lips. Then kissed on the mouth. It wasn't passionate or hungry, it was simple and full of love.
When they pulled apart for the second time that night, Max and Alec just stared at each other. "Where do we go from here?" Max asked when she regained control over herself, somewhat.
"I want you to stay here, with me in Europe or where ever I move. I want to be with you."
"What about the baby?" Max remembered he still thought that it was someone elses.
"I wanna raise the baby with you." Her heart swelled.
"Alec, before we go into anything there are a lot of things we need to talk about a lot of things. Baby included." Something passed over Alec's face when she said this.
"Of, course. The father." Something in his voice.
"He doesn't know...that the baby is his." Alec swallowed hard and nodded slowly.
"Ok." He said in attempt to be confident, "lets take things slow and see how everything works out." He smiled one of those smiles that promised all the riches of the world, and Max smiled in return. "Can I kiss you again?"
"Please do!" She answered enthusiastically. He kissed her with the same vigor. It was several pecks, before Max giggled and ended the little session. "I missed this, you and me." Alec nodded and leaned down to kiss her hands and then her stomach tenderly.
A.N.- I know this really late and long over due. Sorry! Couldn't write anything until now, so I hope its good! Please review with your opinion(s) and future ideas! Greatly appreciated and if I use anything that is not mine it will be credited accordingly.