Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel or any characters featured in either of the seasons.

Past Orphan

Because Alec was Normal's perfect employee and golden boy, Biggs and Lola sure enough got jobs with Max and O.C. at Jam Pony, much to Max's dismay. She however never voiced her dislike for the tall exotic girl from Manticore, to anyone, just to her self. To herself enough to make her think she was going crazy from all the one-on-one personal conversations she was having. Couldn't be healthy, but none the less Max continued to talking her self crazy. "Stupid," she muttered looking at the scene before her. Biggs was talking to Alec…and Lola. Biggs was leaning against a support poll while Alec stood in front of his friend with Lola under his arm. This was a common occurrence for Max, and luckily no one ever heard here...that she knew of anyway.

A few months went by without little incident for Max or Alec. After Biggs and Lola came to Seattle Public, a few others from the orphanage or 'home' as they called it when people were around. Max had an instant connection with Joshua, a guy who had been on of the first at the orphanage. It was an instant sibling connection there, similar to what she had with her room mates that had escaped with her. Joshua had a younger brother, Issac who was very quiet and didn't talk much. Other than them, the group didn't really know the others who arrived from Manticore, but had their presence known to them. In a way they were family, survivors of a brutal past, but family none the less.

"Boo you good?" Cindy asked as she waved her hand in front of Max's blank face. Max had been staring off into space for awhile now, and it was starting to scare Cindy.

"Huh? Oh yeah, fine..." Max jolted but then trailed off. Deciding to see what the cause of this was, the Original one followed her friends eyesight all the way to the lockers where Lola and Alec stood talking and laughing. Smiling bumping her hip against Max, Cindy stared at Max with the 'look' as Alec called it. The look that Cindy wore when she knew something was going on and you wouldn't escape until you spilled your guts to her. No escape, including Max. "It's nothing, stop looking at me."

"Now you know you're gonna come correct on that sooner or later, so how bout sooner than later?" Cindy cocked her eye brow up and continued with her look. "You like him don't you? Your boy."

"What?! No, he's not my boy!"

"That's right because you think he's Lola's boy, girl you got it baaad," Cindy shook her head laughing.

"That is totally not true!" Max protested a little too quickly, confirming everything O.C. all ready knew. Max looked out of the corner of her eyes and saw her friends look and sighed in defeat "There's just something I don't like about Lola, thats all," she said weakly.

"What isn't there to like about here? I see a lot to like about her," commented looking the girl in question up and down.

"Yeah you would, traitor," Max muttered with a pretend pout that caused Cindy to laugh.

"You know you'll always be my number one boo," wrapping her arm around Max's shoulders, "but I think you need to figure that little head of yours out and realize that you got the hots for Alec, burnin' hots." With that Cindy walked over to Alec and Lola and started to talk to them. Max just scowled at the group, and scowled more inside while cursing herself for feeling the way she was feeling. Even though she really had no idea what she was feeling.

"Hey you guys wanna head to Crash?" Biggs asked as everyone un-loaded their gear into their lockers. A course of positive replies came. Max and Cindy walked up after this, "you wanna head to crash with us?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna head home," Max excused as everyone headed out of the Jam Pony building. Waving goodbye Max headed the opposite way of Crash, towards her apartment.

"Hey guys I'll catch up with you later. Hey Max!" Alec yelled towards her retreating back. Looking back Max saw Alec jogging her way, "wanna hang out for awhile?" He asked when reaching her. They hadn't really hung out together for awhile, at least not without more people with them.

"Sure, yours or mine?"

"Uh, if you wanna drink, the my place," Alec decided smirking. Smiling Max nodded and the two took off together.

"So what's new with you Maxie?" Alec asked as he pulled out the alcohol and set it down in front of his couch.

"Nothing, you?"

"Uh, this and that. I'm thinking about hooking up with this girl I know," he said diverting his attention to the drinks. Max felt a pang shoot through her and she pushed back. Nodding she chugged a good portion of her drink down.

"Really? Someone I know?"

"Yeah, you could say that." He replied, still not looking at her. As he continued to do this, it made Max dread who it was. 'Prolly Lola, that's why they've been so buddy buddy lately.' She thought bitterly. "So you seeing anyone or interested?"

"Nope, no one at all," she quipped while the voices at the back of her mind screamed 'liar' at her. Alec looked at her for a moment, hearing this made him curse himself. "Who's the lucky girlfriend to be? Lola?" Alec looked confused for a moment before just shrugging his shoulders like it was nothing. "It is isn't?" 'Please say no, please say-'

"Yeah, we decided it'd be fun to reconcile."

"Reconcile?"

"Yeah, back at Manticore we fooled around a little. Now that we're out and free we decided to try it again." Pursing her lips Max finished her drink.

"I'm gonna head out, later."

"Already?"

"Yeah, I'm beat. Good luck with Lola," she said quickly before she exited the apartment. Alec just sat where he was for a few moments just staring at his apartment door that Max had disappeared behind. 'Well that wen well,' he thought cynically.

The next day and every day that followed that night, Max seemed to be on edge with Alec. Lashing out on him more than their usual lashing and fighting. Now it had a venom to back it and it made their friends on edge to be around them. True to his word, Alec was around Lola and with her more and more, causing the venom to be more vicious, which caused Alec to pull away from Max and be distant when she was around. This hurt her more, but refused to see that she and her actions were to blame for this. In turn she started hanging around a local billionaire turned journalist, Logan Cale, helping with his get information for pieces he was working on. As time was spent between the two, Max felt as if she was falling for him, but they weren't "like that" as she explained when her friends inquired about them

"Why do you put up with her?" Lola asked as she and Alec road on their bikes to deliver.

"What are you talkin' bout?" Alec asked avoiding to acknowledge anything.

"I don't know, some familiar brunette who has her claws out for blood, your blood. She treats you like shit and you take it, why?"

"I don't know, that's just Maxie," he said shrugging his shoulders, trying to hide how it really effected him. This caused Lola to suddenly halt her bike, which caught her companions attention.

"That's a load of bullshit Alec, and you know it! After everything you've done, she treats you like shit and that's not right. But what doesn't help the situation is you, you let her do it and that's just down right pathetic." Lola sneered shaking her head, the look on her face made Alec duck his head. She always had that effect on him, she was a lot like Cindy in that sense. If they didn't agree on something that you were doing or thinking they made it known and made you feel like shit for even thinking of it. The fact he had known Lola for years didn't help. "Alec you did something major, something that you deserve credit for! Ok I get staying out of the spot light world wide, but what about your friends? Biggs and me known, no one else. Why not tell Max?" When Lola saw that Alec wasn't going to answer her or even look at her, she shook her head with a snort and took off on her bike past him. Not giving another look, she wanted her current opinion on him loud and clear.

A.N - Tell me what you think!