Disclaimer: I dont own Dark Angel, though i seriously wish i did.
Summary: Following on from Comtemplation...
Rating: Some innappropriate language [PG-13].
Amusement
Max was just entering HQ when Alec caught up to her.
"Took you long enough" she said trying to keep her face and voice serious, but her sparkling eyes giving the game away. He nudged her playfully as they headed towards Dix who was sitting in front of the few computers that they had rigged up, with Logan's help a few day's ago.
"Hey Dix, hows things?" Max said in a cheerful voice.
Dix turned in his chair so that he could see her, giving her a strange look as if she was an alien or something. "Uh......."
"What?" She asked, confused. Her smile faulting slightly.
"Nothing" Dix said quickly, "Just, your smiling. Never seen you......... happy" he finished,
hoping that he'd chosen the right wording so that she wouldn't be offended.
Alec doubled over laughing, clutching his stomach. He quickly found himself on the floor on his now painful arse, as Max abruptly swept his feet out from beneath him.
Now it was Max's turn to laugh.
Dix sat staring, dumbfounded. It was nice to see the two transgenics, his leaders, so carefree and playful.
Alec sat there completely bewildered for a moment at his unexpected change in position. As it quickly dawned on him what had happened, he looked at Max a spark in his eyes as he fixed her with his mock hurt expression.
Max had managed to calm herself slightly at the sight of Alec's mock hurt expression. "Hey, you asked for it" she said in defence. Offering Alec her hand, and a smile.
He looked at the hand warily, he could see the mischievous glint in her eye again, knew what she was planning. He would have the last laugh this time. He reached for her hand, pretending to have accepted it, but instead jerked her down. They were both tumbling around trying to pin the other, when an unwelcome voice interrupted them.
"Don't mind me!" The voice was a mixture of bitterness, anger and sarcasm.
Max looked up from her position on top of Alec. She had just flipped him off, of her, and pinned him when they were interrupted.
"Logan" She said bluntly. All traces of her happier mood now gone. "What are you doing here?" She asked, making no attempt to move. Alec just lay there, pinned beneath Max, cranking his neck, shifting his gaze between Max and Logan, before looking to Dix for help.
Dix caught Alec's plea, and simply shrugged his shoulders. This was not something that he wanted to get involved in.
"Can we talk?" Logan asked. Quickly glancing down at Alec, he added "In private".
"Logan... there's nothing more to say". Max really didn't want to have this conversation again.
"Please?"
Max stood slowly, so as not to hurt Alec. She caught his eyes, and sent him an apologetic look.
She started heading towards her office, pausing just in front of Logan. "You've got 5 minutes Logan, that's it" she said before continuing towards her office.
A look of disappointment flitted across his face, but he nodded, and putting on a small false smile walked behind her.
She was pretty pissed at him, not only because he had come back after she had told him to leave, but also because he had ruined her good mood. As she walked over to her desk, she heard the door close. She sat on the edge of her desk, and simply glared at him, waiting for him to say something.
Logan stood there. Before he came over, he had planned in his head what to say, what was going to happen. 'He would apologise for insulting her family, she would apologise for telling him to leave, they would forgive each other, and promise to fight the virus together no matter what. Now though, he wasn't so sure'. He scratched his head, trying to find the words, but came up blank. He didn't know what to say.
After a few awkward, silent moments passed, Max decided to speak up. "What do you want Logan?" Not that she really had much interest in his answer, she didn't want to be here.
He looked at her thoughtfully, "I want us Max, I want..."
"No Logan, you don't..." she cut the rest of his speech off. "You want what we used to be. I thought i did too, but i don't Logan, I'm sorry".
"What do you mean?"
Max took a deep breath, she really didn't know how she was going to explain this. "I mean i don't want 'us' anymore Logan, I'm sorry but it's true"
"Max, how can you say that? After everything we've been through" He was hurting
"Everything's changed Logan, I've changed. I have responsibilities now. You have your Eyes Only, and that's your life. I have this" Gesturing around her "This is my life".
"This isn't your life Max, it's not your responsibility. You never wanted this. You want a normal life, somewhere outside of TC, where you can be happy, where we can be happy. Where we can have a family". He said, confidence dripping in his voice. "Your better than this."
Max gave him a sharp look. He was crossing the line, and she was getting seriously pissed. "I'm better than this?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
He opened his mouth to talk, but she silenced him "Never mind!" She couldn't be bothered with his excuses. "In some way's Logan, you're right."
A small smirk appeared on his face. 'Ha' he thought, she does still want to be with me.
"I may have wanted a normal life at one point Logan, but that will never happen, because whether you like it or not, I'm not normal. And believe it or not I'm fine with that, in fact I'd go so far as to say I'm happy about it". She smiled to herself. She never realised how free she would by feel actually admitting it to herself. "And your right, i do want children someday, but not now, not while I'm being hunted by White, and not with you".
Logan felt as though he'd just been punched in the gut. That really hurt, he'd often dreamt of a family with Max.
Max could see the pain on his face, but still she continued. He needed to hear this. "As for never wanting this..." again, she gestured around with her arms "Your wrong. I'm happy here Logan, and I will always feel responsible for them".
"Why because you 'set them free'?!" He stated bitterly, more than asked.
"No!" Her voice was low and confident "Because they're family".
"Wake up Max!. They don't care about you!" Logan was sounding bitter and angry, waving his arms around like a lunatic.
"That's where you're wrong" A new voice spoke up. Both turned to face the door, as Alec slowly walked in, his green eyes glinting slightly. A scowl on his face..
"Alec go away. We don't need you here," Logan said, angry yet wary at being in the room with two pissed transgenics.
"No" Alec said bluntly. He took a step forward, and Logan stepped back. He smirked slightly at Logan's fear. He had something to say, and was going to say it. He glanced at Max, his green and gold eyes asking her a question.
Max caught his eyes, saw his question. He wanted to make a few things clear to Logan, wanted her permission. She nodded her head slightly 'be my guest' her eyes conveyed, 'just..... don't hurt him'. Something she saw in his eyes made her body tingle, she curved he lips slightly in an almost predatory smile.
Alec felt his blood run cold at Max's smile, his eyes sparked a little more.
Logan watched the two just staring at each other, as if they were completely alone in the room.
Watched the slight change in stance in the both of them, Max's smile like they had shared a dirty joke. 'Enough of this he thought'. He cleared his throat to get their attention.
Alec spun to face Logan realising he had been miles away, gathered his thoughts and spoke to him.
He kept his voice low but deadly. "First let's get a few thing's clear, you do never talk to Max like that, and second, you don't ever talk about our family like that. There isn't a single transgenic, transhuman or nomalie in the whole of TC that wouldn't lay down their life for Max without so much as a second thought. If I ever hear you talk about them like that there will be serious consequences. Do you understand?"
Logan looked liked he was about to shit himself, but simply gave Alec a shrug and said "Whatever Alec. Now if you don't mind, me and Max were talking."
Max stepped forward quickly "No Logan, were done".
Logan looked from Max to Alec, who was simply standing there not saying a word, face masked, then back again. "But max....?" He questioned.
"Your 5 minutes are way up. Goodbye Logan," she merely stared at him, waiting for him to go.
He took a long look at Max and realised they were over, but he didn't want her out of his life.
Where would he go from here? He sighed loudly, and walked out of the door, defeated.
To Be Continued
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