Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters don't belong to me…trust me it's a realization that I had the hardest time accepting (smiles).
Title: He Looks Just Like You
Rated T
Author: Masaia (Messiah)
Summary: The last delivery of the work day leaves Alec with a package of his own.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A day ago the thought of Max, Alec, and a baby asleep on a couch would have sent both of them into hysterical fits of laughter, but that was before Alec dropped one of the biggest bombshells of Max's life on her, telling her that Brother Ben was a busy guy while he was out, having slept with a some strange girl one night, and the product of that night was in his hands. To say that Max was floored is one way of putting it…the news really put a damper on her trying to avoid the feelings of guilt when it came to Ben, forcing her to deal with it whether she wanted to or not. Max can admit that she has a reputation for running…but this is one situation that she wouldn't run from. She would raise her brother's son as her own and give herself to him completely, even if that meant restructuring her life completely. She would do it for her brother…she owed him at least that….
"Bout time you woke up" Max says softly to Alec who's eyes just fluttered open.
"You talking to me?" Alec looks utterly confused at the softness in her voice. 'I don't think I've ever heard her voice that soft before.'
"Don't look so confused Alec…it doesn't suit you" she smiles at his confused sleep ridden face. "The baby's still sleep otherwise I would have woken you up with a customary slap to the head."
"Ah, there's the Max I know" he smiles getting off the couch to stretch his sore muscles.
"To be a X5 you really do sleep hard" Max smiles. Having shark DNA she woke up hours ago, and in that time she just watched her nephew sleep all the while Alec was snoring away. "You snore" she accuses a small smile tugging her lips.
"I do not" he smirks at her.
"Well I guess all that snoring came from him" Max's words bring Alec's attention to the baby. When he woke up he was so shocked that Max was the first face he saw that he hadn't even noticed the baby.
"I guess" he smiles going into the kitchen grabbing two grape sodas before flopping down on the couch effectively waking the baby. At Max's glare he shrugs. "If I had to be woke this early on a Saturday then he should be woke too."
"Ass" she slaps him in the head.
"You know I expected you to do that" he smiles "and since you're not being nice, you can't have any soda."
Rolling her eyes she slaps him again, but this time with less force and a smile on her lips.
"Do you always have to be so immature?"
"Hey I'm a guy…and you know they say we mature slower than girls. Besides it's fun, and it got you to smile."
The baby squirms in Max's arms making her look down at him. "Morning" she smiles at him and he gurgles happily. At that moment Alec would have bet his life that Max's heart melted as the baby smiled back at her…there was no Manticore mask to void emotion from her face…her eyes were shining and she had a genuine smile on, not the forced smile she often wears while dealing with people… but a real smile… and for the first time Alec saw happy, at peace with the world Max.
"You're keeping him."
It was a statement not a question.
"I couldn't give him up." Max looks up at him "He's my nephew and doesn't have anybody."
"Logan could easily find a home for a baby…you know he would be taken care of. And don't look at me like that" he smiles at her shocked face. It was a running joke between the two of them that Logan was always shipping America's finest to Canada. Alec was convinced that Logan secretly hated America. "I just wanted all options in the open."
"Options aside" she recovers from his previous comments "I'm going to keep him. He needs to be raised by someone who knows what he's capable of. Anyway, there is no way I could stay sane knowing that he was somewhere where Ames could get him. He wouldn't have the proper protection and…."
"Hold up Max, you don't have to explain" Alec stops her "he's family, I get it."
At her slightly confused look he continues "I'm not as selfish as you think. The one good thing Manticore taught us was never abandon your unit. You told me that remember."
'He's changed since we escaped.'
"Now don't think I'm going soft" he smirks "a baby is a chick magnet."
'Smart ass, always cracking jokes.' "Leave it to you to find a way to turn the entire situation into you getting laid more" she smiles at his light hearted nature. "He's not going anywhere near your little bimbo's."
"Fine" he sighs dramatically "It's not like my good looks aren't enough anyway."
"Anyway Adonis, while you were snoring away I was thinking. He looks just like you and since I'm keeping him people are going to wonder why that is. So I figured we tell them that he's your nephew and my god son. That'll explain why I'm so involved in the baby's life without raising any suspicions."
"So what's the entire story, why are we raising him?"
Max didn't miss the we in his sentence but didn't acknowledge it either. With a Manticore mask in place so that she is unaffected by the story she explains to him that they are going to tell everyone that his identical twin Ben and his wife were killed in a car accident effectively leaving their baby to Max, who went to the same military academy as Ben, and is also the baby's god mother.
"It's believable Max…and I don't think we have to worry about his real mother coming back into the picture" he says thoughtfully. "Huh…you know I never thought I'd be saying this, but I really did not like that woman."
"And I never thought I'd be saying that someone on the outside was just as bad as the people in Manticore. I can't believe she was just gonna throw him away. If I ever get my hands on her she's gonna be hanging off a ten story building" she huffs.
"You know…" Alec pauses for effect "this situation is very important and I'm all for deciding this little guys fate…but I cant take your morning breath anymore" he gets up pulling a sniggling Max and the baby up with him "I have a extra toothbrush you can use it. We'll brush our teeth…then come back and discuss how two of Manticore's finest are going to tackle raising a three month old in a broken world."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sorry it took so long, I'll try to update sooner. But let me know what you all think. Oh…and I'm open to name suggestions for the baby. I've been putting off naming him because I really can't come up a good one that fits this story. Anyway hope you like it and let me know what you think.