Together -- Chapter 30

Disclaimer:  The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Logan, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me.  No money is being made off of this fic.  I only own the original characters (Becky/X6-405, etc.).

Max walked up to the park where Zack had asked her to meet him. She looked over and spotted him sitting on a bench nearby and walked over to him. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Zack said.

“So...” Max said. “You wanted to meet me here?”

“Yeah,” Zack said. “I just thought we should just talk. Just you and me. I can’t remember the last time that we did that.”

“Yeah,” Max agreed. “Do you want to walk around? The place is pretty much deserted.”

Zack nodded and stood up and started walking. “Where’s Becky?” he asked.

“Doing something for Logan,” Max said. “She’s getting some information Logan needs for this Eyes Only broadcast he’s gonna do tomorrow.”

Zack looked a little surprised. “She is? I thought she didn’t want to help Logan.”

“She still doesn’t,” Max said. “I had been planning on doing that tonight before you called. Logan was pretty disappointed that I was going to be meeting you here instead of helping him out tonight until Becky offered to help him for me.”

“That was nice of her,” Zack said. I knew you wouldn’t let me down, Becky.

“It really was,” Max agreed.

“Anything interesting happening in your life aside from White hunting us down?” Zack wondered.

“He’s actually been off of my case since Becky’s sister Suzanne died,” Max said. “I guess there’s plenty to keep him occupied. Becky and I have been finding out some interesting things from the database. Did you know that I wasn’t originally supposed to be in our unit?”

“I did,” Zack said. “Lydecker always let me know who would be joining us and when. He’d told me a few weeks before you were born that 349 and then Krit would be the last two to join my unit. It wasn’t until a couple of days after Krit was born that he told me that 349 had been born that day, but that there had been some changes made at the last minute and that you would be joining me and the others instead.”

“Funny how some things work out,” Max said. “I can’t imagine what it would have been like growing up with Unit 8.”

“I can’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up without you in my life the way you always have been,” Zack agreed softly.

Max’s heart started racing at those words. Get a grip, Max. It’s just Zack. There’s nothing surprising about him not imagining me in the family. Nothing surprising at all!

Zack stopped and turned to Max. “Look, Max, I wanted to meet you her because I...need to tell you something. I should have told you this a long time ago and I would have if I wasn’t too damn scared about how you’d react.”

“You can tell me anything,” Max said. “If you need to get something off of your chest, Zack, you can always come to me.”

Now or never. You can do this, Zack. “Max, I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you since we were kids. I never stopped loving you after the escape. When I first saw you again six months after we left Manticore, I couldn’t bring myself to go to you. I was that scared. Then, when I actually made contact with you almost a year ago, I just...” Zack paused to try to get his emotions under control, but he couldn’t. “Max, I can’t just not let you know exactly how I feel anymore.”

Max was stunned. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Just don’t break my heart, Maxie,” Zack said. “Please?”

Max looked up at Zack and saw a tear escape from one of his eyes. “Zack, I’d never do anything to hurt you.” Except not going to Canada with him because I had to save Logan or staying in behind in Seattle with Logan after we helped Tinga get away from Lydecker in Portland or when he walked in on Logan and me kissing when he came to get me to go try to get Tinga after she’d turned herself in to save Case. I kept on hurting Zack, and I never had a damn clue that I was doing it! Max closed her eyes for a moment. It hurts. It hurts so damn much to know the extent that I hurt Zack. Why does it hurt this much?

“Maxie?” Zack asked. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Max admitted. “I did hurt you, Zack. I can’t believe how much pain I caused.” She felt tears running down her own cheeks. “I wish I could take it back.”

“It’s okay,” Zack said.

“It’s okay? I acted like a callous bitch and you tell me that it’s okay?” Max said incredulously. “How can you do that? I’d never be that forgiving.”

Zack shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably because I know that whatever you did, it wasn’t mean-spirited where it mattered. Your…” He couldn’t bring himself to say ‘heart’. “…intentions were good.”

“And the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” Max muttered.

“Max, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself,” Zack said. “That might be odd advice coming from me, but it doesn’t make it any less valid.”

Max nodded, almost unconsciously reaching out with one hand to Zack, who took it in one of his own. “True enough.” She looked down and saw their intertwined hands and, both surprisingly and not surprisingly to her at the same time, didn’t make any kind of move to pull away. “But how am I supposed to avoid slicing your heart up again?”

Again, Zack hesitated. He could almost hear Becky’s voice half-yelling at him in his head. Don’t force it on her, Zack. If you push too hard, too fast, then it’s only going to turn out badly and that’s the last thing that you want. He finally settled on a simple “I don’t know.”

“Yeah,” Max said softly. How am I not supposed to break his heart again? That’s what I’d be doing if I go back… She mentally frowned. If I go back? When did it become ‘if I go back?’ It’s always when I go back to Logan, hasn’t it? Wasn’t that why I did a Riverdance all over Zack’s heart those times? It’s not as if I love Logan—wait, don’t I love Logan? Isn’t that why I’ve been half-denying it to Original Cindy and everybody? Isn’t that why we’ve been more-or-less dating since I got back from hell? Logan’s a great friend, there’s no denying that, but I don’t—what the hell is with this ‘I-Don’t-Love-Logan dealio? Max bit her lip. Maybe it’s because it’s actually true and you aren’t actually in love with him. Zack, on the other hand-- It took every bit of willpower and training that Max had not to gasp out loud. I am in love with Zack! I’m honestly and completely in love with him! Things began to fall into place for her. All those little things back when we were kids…the little signs here and now that we’re both adults…how could I have missed them before?

“Maxie?”

Max looked up at Zack. “I know how, now. I won’t break your heart because I…” Her voice dropped to a whisper with her nerves. “…I love you.”

“What?” Zack asked. By a miracle, he kept his voice relatively steady, but his heart was beating a mile a minute. Don’t let this be a dream, don’t let this be some dream…please let her say what I think she did!

“I love you,” Max confirmed, looking right into his eyes.

The love that Zack saw in Max’s expression almost overwhelmed him as he reached over to wipe off the tears that still remained on Max’s face. Max reached up to do the same for him. Their gazes met again and they just looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments before Zack leaned forward and kissed Max tenderly on the lips.