...

A Max/Alec fic.

Chapter Nine.

...

Disclaimer: I still don't own dark angel ... sigh.

...

A/N: I'm so happy that everyone is liking this story so far. Thanks for all the feedback guys!

So, in the last chapter, Max and Alec started something in the shower, but were interrupted, and now they have to go over to Logan's with all that build up sexual energy ... we'll see how that plays out.

Also, in this chapter, at this point, Alec hasn't found out about Rachel not being techinically dead yet, so in his mind, she died in the car explosion.

As always, please read and review, I live for feedback ... it's sad, really.

...

Logan waited slightly impatiently for Max and Original Cindy to arrive. He'd wanted to talk to Max all week, but wanted to give her some space to adjust to being back.

He was sure that whatever it was that was going on with her and the other transgenic was just displacement or something, she couldn't really like him, he was everything "Manticore". Born and raised soldier-boy, so not Max's type.

Yep, just give it some time, she'll come around ... with a little help from her friends.

So it was understandable that when Max and Cindy walked in, his eyes widened slightly, and he coughed a few times as Alec walked in behind them, shutting the door.

Well ... this sucks. Kind of hard to get some alone time with her if he's hanging around.

"Okay, everyone present and accounted for, Boos," Original Cindy said, clapping her hands together. "Let's get this party goin'."

Logan walked over to the "meeting" area, the tell-tale squeak of his leg-device with every step, and handed out the papers he'd printed off earlier.

"These are the emails I've gathered from Renfro's inbox. As you can see, she's getting a lot of pressure from her bosses and investors to either recapture the two of you," he nodded towards Max and Alec, "as well as the rest of the 09-ers, or shut down Manticore permanently."

There was a collective sigh around the room, and the transgenics all shared the same look of anger.

"We have to stop them," Syl said.

"Agreed."

"Is the plan in place?" Logan wondered.

"Almost," Krit told them. "Just waiting on a contact of mine."

"You sure you guys are ready to put this thing into motion?" Original Cindy wondered.

Max said, "We have to be. We can't stand by and let them murder what they created. I can't let Joshua die."

Alec put a tender hand over hers. The action was not missed by anyone in the room.

"We'll save him," he promised.

Max nodded, not wanting to think about losing someone as innocent as Joshua.

"Alright, then, it's decided, we go in tomorrow, assuming we've heard back from your contact by then?" Logan said.

Krit nodded.

Syl and Krit moved into their bedroom after saying goodnight to everyone, and Original Cindy, Alec and Max were getting their coats on, ready to leave.

Logan was walking into the kitchen when he said, "Max, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Max looked at the two beside her and shrugged.

"I'll meet you out there," she said.

Alec gave her a worried look, but she gave him a tight grin and went to see what Logan wanted.

"What's up?"

Logan was leaning against the kitchen table. "Well, I just wanted to talk about what happened the other day."

Wow ... now he wants to talk? A week later?

"What about it?" she wondered half innocently, half sarcastic ... maybe she was starting to feel more like herself.

Logan sighed. "Look, I know you've been through hell and back, and everything feels different now that you're out of there, I just worry about you, and I don't want to see you rushing into something, only to get hurt."

Max stared at him.

"What?" he said, standing upright again.

"Okay, I know we started something before we left, but that was ages ago. And nothing was set in stone."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Max, I'm just trying to look out for you," he insisted half-honestly.

Max sighed, believing him.

"It's just ... it took us a year before we even let anything happen between us. People who are supposed to ... be together, don't just wait around like that, doing nothing. I mean nothing was really stopping us from being together, except us," Max said.

Logan moved closer to her. "And maybe I'm regretting that a little."

Max remained rooted to the spot, hands crossed over her chest and he continued walking towards her, but once he moved into her bubble, she backed away.

"Logan, we're not like that," she said.

He looked down at her. "But we could be. If we just let ourselves."

Max turned her head to the side, focusing anywhere but at Logan. "Logan ... I don't want to be like that with you. Not now. This thing with Alec ... I don't really know what it is, but I want to find out, and I can't do that and deal with all of our old issues. Alec is -"

"He's Manticore," Logan cut her off.

Max's eyes bore into his until he had to look away.

"You're clearly forgetting a few things. First of all, Alec saved me from that place. Second, he saved your life as well, so you might try showing a little consideration. And third, you know nothing about him, or any of us Manticore people, so lay off."

Logan was quiet for a moment, and Max turned to look at him, hoping she hadn't hurt him too badly.

"Max, you're my friend above anything else, and I would never force myself on you. I just think you aren't exactly thinking straight right now, what with everything that's happened to you."

"Yeah, well, I can boohoo another time, right now I got work to do. And so do you, so just get over this and move on," she said.

Logan laughed at her attempt at the English language.

"Just promise me one thing?"

"What?"

Logan stared into her eyes heavily. "Just wait until this is all over before you make a decision."

Max turned away from him, saying in a hushed voice, so quiet you'd have to have transgenic hearing to make out, "I've already made my decision."

As Logan turned his back, and Max made her way back to the front door, no one noticed a grinning Alec sneaking back to the roof to make his way back to Original Cindy. Hell, screw grinning ... his face was all lit up.

...

The three of them sat up watching some old movie until the rhythmic snoring of Original Cindy became louder than the show.

Max tucked her friend in on the couch, and then she and Alec made their way to her bedroom.

Max found herself growing nervous once again. They were alone, in the dark, in her bedroom, and they had said they would continue their "activities" from the shower, and she had wanted it so badly then, but now, standing awkwardly by her bed, she wished that they had either finished it in the shower, or not done anything at all.

Anything other than this awkwardness.

"So, um, I never asked you if you had a preference," Max said.

"Huh?"

She shook her head, thinking of the utter wrongness of that sentence. "I mean uh, side of the bed? Any preference, left or right? 'Cause, I can, um ... sleep anywhere."

Wow, Max, get a grip already.

"Uh ... window-side, if you don't mind?"

Max shook her head and moved to the left side of the bed, sliding under the covers.

"So are you nervous?" Alec wondered as he took his shirt and shoes off in what seemed like one fluid movement.

"Me, nervous? No, you?"

Her teeth were practically chattering.

"Well, I got to admit, I've never done it before."

Max stared at him for a few seconds.

"What?" he wondered, slipping into the bed beside her.

"I have it on pretty good authority that you've done it a few times," she told him, staring at him like he'd lost his mind.

"What?"

"What are you talking about?" Max asked him.

"The attack on Manticore ... I've never attacked them before." He looked over at her, sitting up slightly. "What are you talking about?"

Max felt herself beginning to flush.

"Uh, nothing."

Alec gave her a lopsided grin. "Wow, you're still shy?"

Max punched him and turned over, settling down. "I'm not shy."

Alec smiled down at her while nursing the spot on his chest where she hit him, thinking he'd never seen anything cuter than that.

Leaning on his elbow, he brought his other hand up to the side of her face, then down to her neck, brushing the hair to the side as he lowered his mouth to her neck.

Placing quick, light kisses on her warm skin, smiling as he felt her relax into him.

Turning her towards him again, he captured her mouth, their tongues meeting immediately.

Before Rachel, he'd never thought he'd ever find a woman that he wanted to be with so badly. When she had died because of him, he'd felt a great sorrow, followed by such an emptiness, he never thought anyone could ever fill it again.

But as he filled Max, holding her to him with each thrust, he began to feel whole again, and it brought a happy smile to his face once again.

Out in the living room, Original Cindy smiled slyly at the sounds coming from Max's room.

"It's about damn time, Boo."

...

Okay, end of chapter nine.

I know, the last chapter wasn't that great ... pretty boring actually, but hopefully these next ones will be better!

As always, please leave me some feedback!

Until next time ...

Oh, I should also tell you guys that I'm moving this weekend, so if I'm not updating that much, it's because my computer is packed! ... (I hope not!)