Disclaimer* Again, I do not own Dark Angel or any of the characters. They are the property of James Cameron and any infringement is completely unintended.

* Author's Note: So far the response has been pretty great to this piece! I find that exciting and I can only hope that you guys continue to enjoy reading. Although as a warning, so far I have tried to stick to the Max/Logan cannon but it might be diverging as the story progresses. *

Doctor's office waiting room

Early afternoon

Max sat in the doctor's office feeling painfully out of place. Around her people were coughing and moaning while young children jumped all over their parents, demanding a reprieve from their maladies. Beside her a middle aged black woman was reading a novel with a breathless couple on the cover. Every now and then she would let out a sigh, and settle deeper into her chair. Sitting in her skirt and blouse Max could only look at the clock over the receptionist's head and frown. Her lunch hour was dwindling rapidly and she had already been waiting for thirty minutes. If the doctor wasn't ready until after one, why in the hell would he make an appointment with her for one? What kind of business was that? Say what you wanted about Manticore, but at least they ran as an efficient business.

With the thought of her home for the first half of her life, her face fell. It wasn't more than two decades ago that her mother was in the same situation that she was pretending to be in. Well not the exact same situation... Her mother had been a lot more desperate. Somehow that almost allowed her to forgive her for what she had done. One thing was sure, she would give up her last breath before she gave up a child she had carried herself.

Luckily she didn't have to worry about that for the time being. Her cycles only came on so often and even then she usually had the foresight to pump herself full of chemicals that would stop her from conceiving. Not that she didn't want to be a mother one day, but that was so far off it was hardly worth thinking of. The woman beside her slid her eyes from the book in front of her to look at Max. After doing a double take she looked at the cover of the book and then back at the young beauty yet again.

"Excuse me for sayin', but you look just like the girl in this book," she said in a sweet voice. Max turned to the woman, looked at the cover and fought not to roll her eyes. The resemblance was minimal but there.

"Wow, would you look at that," She said, feigning interest.

"It is the darndest thing!" The woman cried, letting out a soft laugh. "So what are you in here for honey?"

"My husband and I are trying to conceive and it just hasn't been happening," She supplied to maintain cover. She wanted to tell the woman to mind her own damn business, but it was a somewhat upscale clinic and she didn't want to blow it by coming off as lowly. Logan was supposed to join her, which would have made her more comfortable and also would have kept questions to a minimum as people tended to look the other way when they saw the chair. But then it sunk in for her that they would just assume that he was incapable of conceiving, something Max didn't even think was true. So when an informant had called in a huff, Max had told Logan that she could handle it on her own. So she allowed a tentative smile to stretch her lips and shrugged, "a friend of mine recently tried invitro and it worked on the second insemination for her."

"A young think like you? Oh dear you must not have been trying long enough," the woman said, sending her an appraising frown.

"Three years give or take," Max said with yet another shrug.

"Aw," the woman said with a sympathetic pat to Max's knee. "You know it must be all the chemicals you poor kids grew up with. I swear we've had so many hormones pumped into our food it's a wonder we aren't all superhuman."

"Right," Max said with a smile. "I guess some of us just weren't so lucky."

"I guess not," The woman agreed, gesturing down to her ankle which was wrapped in a white, fabric bandage. "I rolled my ankle stepping out of a cab into a pothole. Just you wait, it only gets harder as you age."

One of the receptionists stepped out into the waiting room and surveyed the woman who sat beside Max. "Miss Fairbanks? Dr. Cooper is ready for you now." With just a little pat and a 'good luck' the woman was off, limping toward the door beside the reception booth. Max frowned, wondering when the hell she was going to see the good doctor Knox. She took another look at the clock and it was now more than half past. Something was definitely up.

When the same receptionist was still standing in the waiting room and clearing her throat Max could have guessed why. "Excuse me everyone, but if you are waiting to see Dr. Knox I regret to inform you that he has actually gone home ill. Please, don't try to re-schedule, we will call you with your new appointments, and are really sorry for any inconvenience." As mass moans and yells broke out the girl ran back to the reception booth, hiding behind the thick plexiglass. While a few women, children in tow, moved to berate the receptionists Max took a look at the corner of the room where an older red headed woman was tinkering in the supply closet. While everyone was busy harassing the other two, Max would try her luck with the red head.

"Excuse me," she said, sliding in next to the woman. The nurse looked up at the x-5 with surprised brown eyes before she relaxed and turned back to her task.

"I'm sorry but you heard Jackie, we'll call you when a new appointment date opens up. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you," she said, arranging things quietly.

"Oh, I wasn't going to bother you about an appointment, I just wanted to ask what was wrong with Dr. Knox. Is it anything I should be concerned about?" She asked.

"Knox? I don't think so. The man is nearly eighty and he's still healthy as a horse. He probably had some indigestion and just didn't want to chance it," she said with a snort.

"Oh, okay," Max said with a smile.

"Are you a new patient?" The woman in white scrubs with blue polka dots asked, turning to Max with some interest. When she nodded, the receptionist asked, "Do you have your paperwork, miss..."

"Holtz, Natalie Holtz," the young woman replied. She dug into her purse and produced her paperwork. The red head read it quickly, making it clear that she had been doing her job for a long time. "You look really familiar. Did you used to work at the free clinic on the East side? I volunteered there a few months ago."

"No," she replied, her eyes not leaving the forms that Max had fudged earlier. "I've been here for eighteen months now. Before that I worked in Chicago. So Mrs. Holtz, you're trying to conceive?"

"Yes." Max said, acting a little embarrassed.

"Have you seen a specialist yet?" She asked.

"No. I was told I should see a family doctor for a reference first," Max explained, her brow drawing down, and her lips pouting.

"Well yes, usually you do," the receptionist replied. She took a look around, making sure no one was listening before leaning in and addressing Max in a conspiratorial whisper. "You seem like a sweet young girl, and I'd love to help. I'm not really supposed to do this, but I know this specialist who will see new patients without a referral."

"Here in Seattle?" Max asked.

"No. He works out of a small town to the South," the receptionist shrugged. "But if you really want it, you've gotta be willing to travel for it, right?" She reached into one of her pockets and produced a business card and a pen. On the back of the card she jotted a name and number. "His name is Doctor Mitchell. He's absolutely amazing. I'm Janie by the way."

"Well thank you Janie," Max gushed. "You have no idea how much this will help." She accepted the card and the paperwork she had filled out at the office, which would later be discarded in the nearest fire.

"Oh, anything to help a hopeful young couple. Besides, it just means a lighter work load for me right?" Janie said, sending Max a brilliant smile.

Logan's Apartment

An hour later

"A specialist?" Logan asked, looking down at the name and number on the card. His informant meeting had pretty much been a dud and so after spending the afternoon straightening ruffled feathers, he was excited to get back to a real lead.

"Yeah, just like that this woman gives me this card. Says she likes my face or some crock like that," Max said, hand on hip. "Who does that? I don't trust her that's for sure. Then again she was a red head, and I never trust red heads if I can help it."

Logan sent her a long look, knowing full well what she meant by the comment. Sometimes he forgot that Max was so young, and that she saw things in such simplistic light. Val had hurt Logan, and so she hated her- simple as that. He remembered when he thought of things in such black and white terms... now such thinking was reserved entirely for eyes-only situations.

"So a specialist outside the city? That seem fishy to you too?" Max asked, switching gears when she noticed the look on her friend's face.

"Not necessarily. After the pulse a lot of people moved out of the city. There were mass back to the land movements, not to mention the people who just wanted to avoid the looting. Any professional who wore his wealth on his sleeve was targeted. That meant a lot of doctors were getting back to wilderness permanently," Logan explained.

"Tactical Error if you ask me," Max snorted.

"How so?" Logan asked.

"Easier to blend in if you're in a big city. In small towns everyone knows your business, and they sure as hell know your bank account. Plus you can move around more in a city, go unnoticed. That's why me and mine all stick to the big centers," she said in a distracted manner. She didn't usually talk about her siblings, and so Logan was hanging on every word.

"Do you know that for sure?" He questioned.

"Sure as I am that you're sittin' in front of me. We had it beat into our heads, and I guarantee you, none of them forgot that," Max said, a frown tugging at her lips.

An awkward silence settled between them as Logan wondered if she would go on. "So this specialist... he pre-pulse like the rest of our movers?"

"Actually, it appears that he popped up just a little while after," Logan replied. "Could be that he changed his name, and went into hiding, but its hard to tell. Medical Liscencing doesn't quite work like it used to. I can probably find the district he first got his accredidation from, but other than that..."

"You'd think someone in his line of work would leave more of a paper trail," Max argued.

"You'd think so. But right after the pulse things kind of got fuzzy. If he was around before the systems went down, could be his files got lost. If he set up shop afterward, he could be working without a license."

"Isn't that a big no-no?" Max asked.

"Used to be," Logan said with a shrug. "Now people just want someone who can help them, and as long as it works, they don't care who it is." A tense silence settled between them as Max recalled the events that had transpired just a few weeks before with Doctor Vertes, and more chillingly the gun that had been left out on Logan's desk.

"So we gonna pay this guy a visit?" Max asked quietly.

"Looks like it," Logan confirmed, allowing his eyes to slide from the screen to take in Max's face. She looked annoyed, unsurprised, and somewhat... amused. "I could have everything prepared by Sunday morning. You up for it?"

"Are you kidding? Normal's been on my ass like crazy as is. How do you think he's going to react to another unexplained illness?" Max asked. "Or better yet, 'Hey Normal, I need time off so me and my fake hubby can make a baby'."

"I'll take care of that," Logan promised, the corner of his lips twitching into a lop sided grin. "All you have to do is pack for a week in the country side. Don't forget your long johns."

"Alright, alright. But we might just have to renegotiate our contract," she informed her friend. She looked at the clock in the corner of Logan's computer and let out a sigh. With another flick of her eyes she checked the face of her beeper. "Looks like I gotta bounce."

"Oh, do you have plans tonight?" Logan asked, his countenance turning almost stony. Quickly he turned away from her and pulled up a few files on his computer, pretending to read them non-chalantly while really his mind was focused on whoever was communicating with max via silent beeper.

"Nothing big. Just have people to see, places to be. A few of the guys are hitting up Crash and I'm gonna join 'em. There's some fresh meat hazing goin' on, and that is always a treat," Max said with a feral grin.

"Oh, so its not like a date or something?" Logan asked, again feigning disinterest.

"Date?" Max demanded with a snort. "When in the world would I have time to date? Delivering messages by day and saving the world by night, not to mention our afternoon pow wows... I'm all booked up. Although there is a really cute newbie who's been givin' me the eye lately..." she gazed at Logan from the corner of her eye to gauge his reaction, but was disappointed when his only answer was a slight narrowing of his eyes. "...Then again, I have always thought it dumb to mix business with pleasure."

"Right, keeping it professional is good," Logan replied, his voice somewhat tight. He sent her a quick glance before letting out an almost silent sigh. "So O.C. and Sketchy going to be there tonight?"

"No doubt. You should come with," Max said in a soft voice, as if the thought had just occurred to her, although in reality she had been thinking it since O.C. had mentioned the bonanza the night before.

"I wouldn't want to cramp your style," Logan told her.

"Style? What part of watered down beer, drunk ass people and dumb ass bike stunts sounds stylish?" Max demanded. "If anything you'll add a little class and dignity to that place."

"Max, I have a lot of work today before we pull this job off. I should probably contact some people and get some things worked out tonight. Although the evening does sound absolutely lovely," Logan said with wide eyes.

"Whatever," Max replied with a shrug. "Page me if you change your mind."

"Will do. Tell Cindy I say hi," Logan called, as Max walked toward the door. She was around the corner and out of his view in no time. Hearing her at the door Logan yelled, "And Max?"

"What?" Her voiced replied.

"Haze the hell out of them!" He cried, surprising his friend.