Time Falls Away

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel or Supernatural, just writing for the hell of it.

A/N: I know it has taken me a while to post this chap, forgive me. Been real busy with my new job and school and in any case I have had a nifty writer's block tormenting me.

Hark Back

"Okay…" I whisper letting out the breath I had been holding. I notice Ellen and Sam's inquisitive gazes latched onto me. Wonderful, just wonderful, my lovely conversation has sparked interest. The last thing I needed was for this to be happening. Explaining everything, this bullshit to them, I can't, there's just no way I could, not to mention Alec would kill me if I got the ordinaries knee dip in our shit. My shit. Stupid White, I should have killed the mother-fuc…

"Max?" Sam places a hand on my arm making me jump outta my skin. Jesus Christ does he have to do that? I pull it away as inconspicuously as possible, I think he noticed anyways.

"I have to go" I look up at Sam hesitantly, this is just too unnerving. Tears are threatening to fall, God I hate that. When I feel like this, when I feel like running to him. As long as it has been, since he left me. I always have the deep desire to run to him; now that I find him he is all knocked up result of trying to deal with my problems. Figures.

I blink away the forming tears brutishly, soldiers don't cry. "I need to… I have to go see someone…" I am trying to calm myself really. I don't want them to see me like this. It is just too much, too much too soon. I should've seen it coming. I try again to blink away the brackish tears. I advance for the door. God what did Alec get himself into?

"Whoa, whoa, where are you going Max?" He jolts in front of me, and lightly squeezes a hand on each shoulder. I try to face him but just can't, it might be enough to make me break. I've been alone far too long.

Since TC has had more security I have broken myself off. As hard as it is for me to admit it, I have needed someone. I do need someone here for me, I need my backup again. I need a shoulder to cry on, but not right now.

Now is definitely not the time for a pitiable Max breakdown. Now I need to fix that asshole Ames' wagon and fix Alec. I push past Sam, and he willingly steps to the side. What a hypocritical knight in shining armor, I shake my head annoyed. I hear his footsteps behind me, the gravel beneath his boots. He does not give up, does he? "Max, what's goin' on?" he frowns.

"I have to go deal with something, well someone. He might know something about Alec, but he could just be yanking my chain." He tilts his head to the side and opens his mouth like he is going to argue with me. I decide that there is only one way to solve this without my bursting into tears.

I take a few short steps, my body only inches from his, and his jaw drops a little more. He's clearly forgotten what he was about to say. I should laugh, well actually I shouldn't be doing this at all. But as long as it will get the job done, I will use my cunning assets. I lean closer flirtingly. It's not like I don't notice when a guy stares at me, mostly I just ignore it. But in some cases, you know where I can use it to my advantage…

"Sam" I tip toe up trying to get a little closer. My fingers slither into that right pocket, the one I saw him put the keys in earlier. He doesn't seem to notice he is too busy gawking in confusion. I love this, scamming involuntary men who can't help but to think with their dick before their brains. Sam is no different, maybe a little more gentleman like, but you can't just push off your instinct. This is undeniably guy type of nature. Silly, silly men.

"Stay" I deride as if speaking to a dog, what is the difference, really? He is still too baffled by what just happened to budge so I take the moment of opportunity to jump in the really, really hot car. Here I thought Alec's automobile tastes sucked, shows how much I underestimate the drollest moron.

Swiftly I hop in the car lock my door and start the car. Sam is rushing to the car now, finally taking initiative, bout time. I let my dismayed grin peek through, poor guy. I kinda feel a little guilty… nope it's gone now.

"Max! Just let me come!" he pounds on the window. I get out of park and mouth "sorry" whist I shrug benevolently. His scowl deepens. I really have to do this alone. I can't have little brother tagging along, even if he isn't my brother. The least I can do is keep Alec's family safe.

He reluctantly backs away from the car as I back out. I speed away from the Roadhouse leaving a cloud of dust behind. I stroke the steering wheel. It's almost as nice as my baby, almost.

It's not long till I find myself reminiscing over the past, that time in LA, that nightmare that seems to be re-enacting. That fear of losing him is just as distressing now as it was then…

"I get to choose the heist spot next time Maxie, you've always been awful at planning these things. Besides it's not like I even had an option in being here, the least you can do is let me in on the plan" Alec sulked, making Max fold her arms over her chest and frown.

"Yeah well you can go home then. If you didn't want to help me get supplies then you should have said so. I am sure there are lots of volunteers back at TC."

"Volunteers? So that's what you call them these days. More like freaking parade of horndogs…" she grimaced, at first she thought she was just imagining the more male x-series ogling her. Over the past week she noticed even more, how some men had started acting around her. Alec definitely wasn't wide of the mark. But how he noticed is what bothered her the most. Why would Alec care?

"You're sick" she punched him.

"What? Just stating the facts" he achingly tried shrugging off the punch. In regular circumstances that wouldn't have been a big deal. With a tender bullet wound on his side, well that was a different story all together.

Max guiltily took note. "Sorry" she fretted and scowled at herself. Her anger toddled back to him though, that had to be the fourth one in two years. He definitely needed to stop doing that.

"It's nothing" he creased his brow defensively. Max unbelievably watched him, what a guy.

"Whatever you say, I think they're gone, let's go" She grabbed the nearest crate and pulled herself up from the spot on the floor. Without thinking she brushed off her now dusty backside and eyeballed the security camera across the warehouse. Alec crept alongside the shadows of the walls and signaled that he had it.

She hated that, the way he did that. The way that together they could harmonize in their work, how alike they thought. It annoyed the hell out of her that Logan and she couldn't be the same way. After hearing Alec mosey his way through the middle of the warehouse she assumed he was done and headed to the trailer still docked onto the building.

It was full of product, canned foods mostly. That was about it these days anyways. Canned, dried, boxed, and any other undesirable utterance for crass.

"You think that's gonna be enough?" Alec muttered doubtfully.

"No" Max sighed "that's why I'm hoping that you can drive."

"Max" his voice dropped an octave and he sounded like he was berating a child. She definitely had that look, the one that was telling him she was thinking anything but sanely.

"I want you to bring this trailer back and I will get another" At the look adorning Alec's face she paused "What?"

"I'm not just gonna leave you here Max" he sighed softly.

"Yes, you are" Alec opened his mouth in obtrusion. "I am your CO and you'll do what I say" she pushed further.

"Max you know that crap doesn't work on me, so don't even bother. I said I'm not leaving you here and I mean it. I am sure those cops didn't go far." Max rolled her eyes at his persistence.

"Alec, please just leave, I can do the rest by myself. You're hurt and you're just gonna get in my way." She grabbed the cuff of his jacket and dragged him to the truck. He wearily glanced from the ground to her eyes. "Go" she hissed bitterly.

"Fine, just…" he paused trying to find something that Logan wouldn't say " call if anything goes wrong" Max nodded obligingly.

"Nothing's gonna go wrong, but…fine. Now leave" she demanded with a cynical childish tone and a smile playing on her lips.

Her eyes were drawn to his lips and she found herself licking her own. For a moment she thought he was going to lean down and kiss her. There was no doubt that they were close enough, she could swear she felt his breath tickling her cheek. It isn't as if she hadn't felt his lips on her own before, she had plenty. In front of Logan anyway.

None of it mattered when he pulled back and jumped in the truck with a quick nod of the head. She figured it was just her mind playing its little trick, it was nothing. Logan was nowhere around, he had no reason to.

Max listened to the groan of the engine revving over and watched a black puff fog from the top. Alec glanced down at her with one last smoldering smirk. She rolled her eyes graciously and turned her heel back to the building.

It wasn't difficult to figure out how the forklift worked, and in a warehouse of food-a-plenty loading was simple. Max had nearly finished when she noticed it. The security system she disabled earlier was frantically blinking red, she felt her blood run cold as she caught sound of the scrunching of gravel from outside. Shit. Max must have tripped something, the place was pretty up class for a storehouse. She should have known better.

"Fancy meeting you here" she froze at the sardonic voice, Austin.

Austin who had been obsessed with her since their messy childhood. Austin, who wouldn't hesitate to shoot her for not loving him the same way, the guy second in line to be her 'arch' enemy. Austin the X-5 with some serious Mental issues. He who had bonded with the government and in turn, with White.

He wasn't the only, but he was indeed the first. He thought like the Manticore soldiers, he fought like a soldier, he was a soldier. A soldier who turned on his own.

"Oh yeah" she assured evenly as turning to face the man of the voice. Max's expression said nothing in relation of being very daunted.

She listened to the footfall of the tall buff man as he approached her. If she wasn't so infuriated with him and the antics she put up with, she might think him appealing, with his very light tussled hair, big blue eyes, yeah he was definitely a looker. Always had been, though it wasn't much of a surprise, weren't all X5s? The years in Manticore made him even more oppressive and bitter about her love life. Not that it was really any of his concern.

He approached her with charming, lustful, gleam in his eyes. Captivatingly reaching for a piece of hair which he stroked between his thumb and forefinger, she cringed internally. Why did she have to send that bozo away today?

"You know Maxie" she squirmed at the sound of her nickname through his lips; it only sounded right when Alec said it. That was his name for her, nobody else's. She had a great urge to nail him in the balls while she could, by the leering gaze she was getting she got the impression she wouldn't like what he was thinking.

"You are really a stunning woman… strong…" he touched her chin making her flinch away in revulsion "undeniably puzzling, but that's what men like about women like you. Too bad, about that crude mouth of yours."

"Yeah, a shame isn't it?" Max defiantly glared.

"What I don't understand is why you won't join our side, it would make your people's carnage a lot quicker" he tilted his head in amusement as she clenched and unclenched her fists. "You could be a very strong leader as my mate. Together you and I could take over the country."

"Mate?" Max snorted spitefully "Please, Austin, even when you were on our side your charm couldn't get you in my pants. What makes you think this is any different?" He simply brushed off the words and ignored her.

"You and I, you know we did have a chance, if you weren't so blinded by that 494…" Max flinched at the designation of her 'pretend' boyfriend. "Sad really, that you can't seem to understand what love really is, you could have so much better."

"Like you?" Max flippantly retorted. "I don't think so. Let's set something straight here alright? I never have liked you much. You know maybe it's the bossy factor, chicks just don't dig that" she continued pressing resentfully.

"My love life, that's none of your business… But if you really wanna know what it is, I'll tell ya… Alec he may not be perfect, I know, but he doesn't get himself to thinking that every flirt with a skirt should worship him, he respects me. He doesn't want world domination, he's a simple guy. But most importantly…" Max leaned in a little closer for point of the fact. "He doesn't abandon his unit… Austin give it up, this infatuation thing doesn't suit you."

"So that's it then?" She sighed in annoyance, what a dope, her gaze flicked away from his. "I was going to give you a chance, a chance to live… White wants you dead… I have orders…You had a chance Max, a chance to be happy with me." He grabbed Max by the arm and trudged to an empty office. "I just want to show you what you would be missing. Guards watch the door; shoot anyone who enters the premises."

Alec watched from the rafters, wondering about everything this Austin guy was talking about. Max just said he was some psychotic, she didn't bring up anything else. The whole time he had been contemplating on jumping down and kicking the moron's ass. He wouldn't have stood a chance he knew the odds didn't look good for him at all. Not until the repulsive man took off with Max. He just wished he would be able to get down there quicker.

Max could hold her own for a while. But this Austin guy looked like he was built for power and strength above all else.

Quietly as possible Alec crept across the beams and up to the roof-exit. He would work from the outside in. The first three were the easiest. The brainless idiots were sitting five feet away their weapons. With a couple blows to the head they were out cold. He grabbed their guns leaned up against the wall and tossed them in the dumpster. They would just alert Austin anyways.

After that it had been a breeze, the cops clearly didn't have the training. Being ordinaries, and having the element of surprise made it painless, well not for them. Then he heard her.

"Is this really the way you set a vibe, where's the candles and champagne? Cause' lemme tell ya this is so not doin' it for me … Fuck you asshole."

"Did you ever find out if they put pig in your cocktail?" Alec ran to the door and kicked it open to find a shirtless Max and a bloody-nosed Austin. "It's about time" she scowled kicking Austin off her body pressed against the desk.

"Max, are you okay?" Alec rushed over to the clearly shamed and enraged woman. He grabbed her shirt on the way handed it to her.

"I will be" she ground through clenched teeth. Alec was so focused on the mortified Max to notice Austin hurtling for him.

"This is your fault!" he slammed Alec into the wall. Alec slumped down, feeling the warm blood from the previous bullet wound drizzle down his side, and it hurt like hell.

"Aus-tin" came the singsongy voice. He spun around irritated by the uncooperative Max, to have her foot connect with his groin. It was enough to make Alec wince. He hollered and rolled to the ground. "Aw come on baby, I barely kicked you." On route to Alec, she couldn't help but kick him in the stomach once more. "Bitch" she mumbled under her breath.

Halfway to Alec she remembered she hadn't put her shirt back on, at first she couldn't understand his fervent expression. How archetypal, men. In one swift moment she slid her shirt back into place. Austin had torn it off in his crazy state of delirium.

Yet it was only a moment later that she was at Alec's side, trying to tear his shirt off. The blood soaked through and his temporary fix was failing. "He didn't hurt you did he?" Alec whispered softly while taking her hands in his own larger ones and moving them away.

"No, I mean aside from ripping my favorite shirt" she sulked and tugged at the tattered shoulder.

She was surprised to see his soft eyes gazing back at her, he wouldn't smile and it made her nuts. It would be so much simpler if he didn't act this way, if he just let her pretend nothing went wrong, that nothing would've happened. That everything was just another day in the office, but she knew better. She knew that if he hadn't of shown up he would've done something that she would feel ashamed of for the rest of her life. She knew that she would either be dead or forced to stay by the side of the craziest nut-so she had ever met.

"You sure?" his thumb skimmed over a bruising spot on her cheek. His opposite hand drew soft circles on her forearm.

"I'm fine…" she breathed erratically, being this close to him was making her hot and dizzy. Her eyes involuntary closed at his touch and the proximity.

Before either of them could comprehend what was happening Austin pulled Max away and held a cold gun to her head.

"All I wanted is to be with you Max, and now I have to do it" he tossed her like a rag doll to the other side of the room. It was almost slow motion, as Max watched Austin point the gun to Alec. Frantically her eyes skimmed around the room and found the small pistol hanging out of Austin's jacket heaped on the floor.

Max didn't hear the sound of the bullet, and didn't feel him take the gun out of her hand. She never did like guns. She found herself staring at the form blood seeping from his nose. She had meant what she said, she hated him. She didn't want to kill the guy, she wanted him to suffer and feel the pain he inflicted on all the people she loved, not die. He was part of her family in a screwed up way. She didn't know how long she sat there, how long he sat with her, holding her. She had to do it, he would keep coming after her and hurt everyone in her life if she didn't. However long it was she decided she was finished feeling culpable; she wouldn't mope over some guy who tried to rape her. Some guy who was trying to kill his own family.

So I got up and Alec followed me. We never talked about what happened ever again. We got rid of the body. We decided that the transgenics shouldn't be blamed for this. It would just vilify our reputation even more; I actually thought we were making some progress. Killing the crazed Austin would have brought us back to square one. Of course he was reported missing, possibly AWOL. The case didn't take long to be dropped, he was transgenic after all. Alec and I were good at covering up our murders. It was what we were raised for... wasn't it?

A/N: I hope it was alright. Reviews are welcome in fact they are even encouraged. Sorry for the wait!