By Ambrosia
Disclaimer: Dark Angel, Max, and Alec all belong to Cameron, Eglee and Fox.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Why does Max dislike Alec so much, why does he care, and what does it all mean? Takes place after Freak Nation.
No matter how broken the world was around her, Seattle always seemed somehow beautiful from on top of the space needle. Max sat silently on the tall structure with her legs pulled tightly to her chest. The past few days had been hell on her: physically and mentally. After a week in standoff with the police, the situation had yet to take a turn for the better. It was this little time she had every night on the break of dawn that allowed her to slip into the city and ease her clouded mind. The thought that she could lose everything: friends, family, her entire kind unnerved her. She vowed to herself that she would fight to the end, but she always held consciously in the back of her mind that she could be the one who leads everyone their final destruction. So deep in thought, she failed to pick up on the footsteps closing in behind her.
“Hey Maxie. Knew I’d find you up here,” he breathed.
She turned, unprepared to find Alec suddenly sitting next to her. “Alec…what are you doing here?” Her voice sounded harsher than she had meant it to.
He gave her his trademark smile then looked down. “You wound me. How is it that I’m always so unwelcome around you?” he asked only half jokingly.
Max stared at him. He was acting different tonight. The Alec she knew was exactly his namesake, a smart alec not to be taken seriously. However, the man sitting next to her had a hard edge of solemnity behind the lightness of his tone. In fact, he not only sounded different tonight, he even looked different. With the soft glow of the moon reflecting off of his bronzed skin, she could finally see why other females flocked around him. He truly was beautiful. It’s curious why she never noticed it before.
“Max.” His voice brought her back to reality.
“Yeah?”
Alec rolled his eyes and even smirked a little as if he knew what she had been daydreaming about. “You never answered my question. I know I remind you of him, of Ben, but after all that we’ve been through over the past few days I thought we were over that,” he said dramatically and even added a sniffle for effect.
“Screw you.”
“No, but really,” he pushed, this time more seriously.
Max sighed, not really sure of the answer. “I guess you remind me of Manticore.” Alec stiffed beside her, but she was looking into the familiar view of Seattle’s night sky. “Aside from my brothers and sisters, anyone from that place gives me the creeps, brings out the bitch in me. They’re all so cold, mechanical almost.” She shivered slightly. “Never really got over that.”
Alec bit his cheek, “Oh. I see.”
Max turned to him. His expression was hard and she swore there was a flash of pain in his eyes. Deep, beautiful eyes she had never really paid attention to. He moved to get up and she finally understood. Somehow she was always a little dense, only seeing things she wanted to. She grabbed his arm before he was out of reach and pulled him back down beside her. Alec gazed at her questioningly, clearly a bit annoyed and perhaps even angry.
“I didn’t mean you.” He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow condescendingly. “Okay, I did mean you, but no you specifically. Mostly it’s just Manticore.”
“Oh so why not just take all your years of pent up hatred and dump it all on Alec right? After all, who else would be a better candidate than a useless screw up from the place you hate most?” Alec growled, barely able to control his rage and resentment. An angry tear rolled down his cheek.
Max stared at him helplessly, completely shocked by his behavior and unsure of what to say. “I never thought you gave a damn about what I think of you.”
He smiled bitterly.
“Of course I care Max. Ever since you torched Manticore, you were the only one of my kind I had any contact with,” Alec ground out. “Contrary to popular belief I do tend to feel, and like most humans, transgenic or not, strive for the acceptance of those around me. Just because you spent a few more years in this world of filth doesn’t mean you’re emotionally superior.”
“Look I never claimed to be emotionally superior. I just like to think that I’m a little better than a smart ass who lays every girl in sight,” Max said defensively.
“Like I said before, we aren’t meant to be with them. We’re a danger to them. I don’t stick with one girl because I don’t want her to wind up dead.” A picture of Rachel flashed in Max’s mind.
“All I’m saying is that they’ll never get what it means to be a “Tranny.” And unlike us, they don’t have a chance of surviving the constant danger we’re in. Transgenics have to either accept the fact that they are meant to be with another transgenic or they’re going to end up alone.”
Alec smiled and shook his head in defeat. He could see confusion clouding her eyes. “She’s never gonna get,” he thought to himself. Suddenly feeling impulsive and eager to show her what he meant, Alec laid a hand on her cheek and softly placed his lips against hers. He kissed her gently while she sat too shocked to react.
Electricity like she had never felt before flowed between them, concentrating mostly on her lips. Unknowingly Max began to react to man pressed closely against her. She kissed him back with more fervor, eager to experience more of this foreign but welcomed sensation. Then suddenly she came back to herself and pulled away roughly.
She stared at him stunned as she touched her bruised lips with one hand. Alec returned her stare with a look of smoldering lust.
“See what I mean?” he said thickly. He gave her another quick kiss before getting up. Max remained on the space needle long after he left, still contemplating the meaning of the kiss.