Title: A Fighting Decision
Author: Dark Roswellian Angel
Elizabeth McDowell
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. If I did, "Dark Angel" would still be airing, and Jensen Ackles would be waiting for me when I got home tonight.
Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)
A/N: For the purposes of this fic, I'm moving the order of a few things around during the episode "Fuhgeddaboudit." You'll understand it as you read it.
Thank you so much to grayceq, PurpleSpinx, LmarikoL, p3karen, Elliesmeow, and mars494 for your reviews. They really mean a lot to me. This is the first fic I've ever posted, and it's so nice to get support. This is the second half of this fic, but I have another one in the works. I hope to hear from you all again ;)
K due to minor profanity and reference to fight scene
2-parter. Near the end of "Fuhgeddaboudit," Mia makes a realization about something that she's missed and helps Max realize she needs to make a decision.
A Decision
As Max ran her face under the faucet in an attempt to get her nerves and feelings under control, she couldn't believe how she had reacted to Mia's words. Or to Alec's stare. It was only when she was completely alone that she was willing to admit to herself how she felt. Alec was becoming an incredible man right in front of her eyes. She was beginning to realize that he always had been; she was only now beginning to see it. She wondered what was making the difference- why had she been so blind to the real him before? What was making her see him now? And why was he able to cause such strong reactions, and feelings, in her now? She was in love with Logan, right? So why was it Alec who made her heart speed up? Why was it Alec who she saw in her dreams? Why was it Alec who she looked forward to seeing and verbally sparring with every day? And why was it becoming increasingly difficult for her to tear her eyes away from him, even when Logan was in the room?
She groaned out her confusion, and then realized that someone had entered the room while her attention had been elsewhere. She looked up and saw Mia's smiling reflection. She turned around in surprise She left. She made us all think she left. She's still here and snuck in here to talk to me. Oh sh-t She could feel herself tensing up.
Mia seemed to be able to read the other girl's thoughts, and she smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Everything is alright. I just wanted a chance to talk to you without your 'boyfriend' hearing us. Is that alright?"
Max relaxed some, but not entirely, and nodded, "What do you want to say?"
"Maxie (as she said it she started realizing how much she had taken for granted. How had she not noticed how the two of them interacted? No one argued that much without there being an undercurrent of a stronger emotion. And even through all the arguments, they managed to show affection for each other. After all, wasn't that nickname something that he had come up with? And hadn't she given him his name- the name he chose to keep?) I wanted to make sure that you knew that the only reason he was willing to fight was because I made him."
Max choked, "You made him? But what if-"
"What if he had won and had gotten the wrong kind of attention? But that wasn't going to happen. You weren't going to let him. And as long as it was you who was fighting him in that cage, he wasn't going to win. He actually broke through my control because he was so worried about hurting you."
Max was astonished. She actually felt a few tears come to her eyes. Her heart began beating faster.
"You know, he really cares about you. I know that he acts all macho and horn-doggy, but that's just because he knows you expect him to. The real him is good and gentle and kind. I guess he's just waiting for the right girl to come along so that he can show what a supportive, loving, strong, and loyal guy he can be… Or maybe he's just waiting for the right girl to realize that she's the right girl and come claim him."
She smiled as she watched the normally tan girl pale just a little as her words washed over her. She decided to push just a little more. "You're his breeding partner, right?" She had never been told as much, but she had begun to put two and two together.
Max couldn't speak; she just nodded in agreement.
"You know that they never paired people up by accident, right? Turns out that Father never intended for us to be alone. He put it into our genes that we were meant to be with one other person- one other specific person. It's only with that person that we will ever feel completely satisfied, completely happy, completely in love." This knowledge had cost Mia a lot.
Confused, Max asked, "What about Dougie? He's not one of us. He can't be the one you were intended for."
Mia smiled rather sadly Max thought. "No, he's not. But Father didn't want us to be lonely. If our intended mate died, like mine did, then he programmed us to be capable of moving on. I'll never be able to love Dougie like I did my soulmate, but I do love him. In fact, I'm crazy about him, and I can be happy with him."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Like I said, I'm happy."
The two girls looked at each other for a few minutes. Mia got off the counter where she had sat next to Max. "Look, Max. I care about Dougie, and I'm going to be happy with him. But if I had a choice, I would be with my Ricky. I know what it's like to be happy and in love with my genetic mate. Don't let the fact that you were designed to be with Alec turn you off of him. Just because you're not able to choose him completely on your own doesn't mean that you wouldn't have anyway. Don't miss out on the happiness that you can find. Follow your heart, Max. Somewhere in there, you know who you want and what you want to do. You, not Manticore. It's your heart, even if they did design it."
Max looked at Mia for a few seconds. Knowing that the other agent was speaking from her heart and really wanted her to be happy, even if she was just making things that much more confusing, she smiled at her. When Mia came up to her and gave her a big hug, Max whispered, "Thanks."
Mia pulled back and said, "So, I'll check in on you in a few months. If you need anything, tell Normal. I've left him with a trigger just in case." She said it as though brainwashing someone was the most normal thing in the world- Max couldn't help but smile at the bizarre conversation she was having. "I'll let you get back to your boys. You have a decision to make." And with that, she was gone.
As Max reentered the room, she noticed that Alec and Normal were still waiting for her. She looked at Logan and saw how tense he was. Clearly they hadn't been having the same supportive, heart-to-heart she'd been. As she looked from Alec to Logan and back again, she realized Mia had been right- she did have a decision to make. And as she saw one of the men smile at her, she realized that she already had.