What's Next? -- Chapter 14b

Disclaimer:  The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Alec, 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.).

Zack stood in the living room and was just looking around until he felt a pinch at his side.  He turned around and looked at Max and raised an eyebrow.  "What was that for, Max?"

"You can go out there and actually start a conversation," Max said.  "I know that you're nervous, but your family seems to be pretty cool."  She looked over where Jenny was being chased around by her cousin Cooper.  "Except for that demon spawn over there.  I thought Jenny was exaggerating when she told me how she hated Cooper, but she wasn't.  That kid is a handful-and-a-half.  Our child better not turn out like that."

"Are you saying that you just might have found something that you might not be able to handle?" Zack teased.

"Wow, that's a first," Becky said.  Her hand shot out suddenly.  "And that's why having a transgenic cousin sucks, kid."

"Oh, man," Cooper whined.  "I can't believe that you caught that!"

"Cooper, what did you throw at Jenny?" Pete said warningly.

"A spitball," Cooper admitted.

Becky's eyes widened a little and she dropped the spitball from her hand.  "No wonder it felt wet."

Zack shook his head.  "Unbelievable."

"Thank you, Becky," Pete said.

"You're welcome," Becky said.

"Is Cooper always that...?" Zack asked one of his cousins, Cooper's half-brother Bradley.

"Yep, he's always like that," Bradley said.  "He hit the little annoying brat phase when he was six and he hasn't grown out of it yet.  I'm lucky that I'm away at college half of the time and I don't have to put up with him every day like Dad and Jessica do."

Pete sighed.  "Brad..."

"Sorry, Dad," Bradley apologized.  "Why do you look so nervous, Zack?  Still got the meet-the-family nerves?  You know, you kind of lucked out a little bit there.  You don't have to worry about meeting your girlfriend's father and have him scare the crap out of you to the point where you'd rather live than date your girlfriend."

"Brad, is that why you didn't bring her with you?  You told me that she had a family reunion of her own this weekend," Pete said.

"Well, she did, but I broke up with her last week," Bradley said.  "Oh, come on, Dad!  You met them, too.  I thought her father was going to literally rip me into pieces if I even sneezed or breathed in Liz's direction.  At least I know now where Liz got her control issues from."

Zack couldn't help smiling.  "Thanks, Bradley."

"You're welcome, I guess," Bradley said.

"So, Jeff, what are you doing right now?" Pete asked.

"Right now I'm working as a bicycle messenger while I try to decide on a career," Jeff said.  "I still haven't made up my mind about what to do."

"You've got time," Pete said.  "How about you, Max?"

"I'm still trying to decide," Max said evasively.  Most of the others didn't notice it, but Becky tried to restrain a snort.

"What about you, Zack?" Danny asked.

"Security," Zack said.  "A friend of mine and I are going to start a transgenic-run security agency."

"Becky?" Danny asked.

"College professor," Becky said.  "I've got an interview over at University of Washington-Seattle in two weeks for a position in the English department."

"Mom would have been thrilled to hear that," Pete said.  "I think that's what she wanted me to become instead of going to West Point and joining the Army."

Caroline shook her head and laughed.  "No, Mom wanted you to be a lawyer and she wanted me to be a college professor.  Remember?"

"Are you sure?" Pete asked.

"Yeah, Caroline's got it right," Danny said.

"What was she like?" Zack asked.  "Y--my grandmother."

"She was a great lady," Caroline said.  "She kept the four of us in line, but she was so nice and she was just great.  I miss her so much."

"Me too," Pete said.  "She would have loved to meet you guys."

"She spoiled us absolutely rotten," Cassie, Danny's oldest child, said.

Amy, her younger sister, rolled her eyes.  "Grandma spoiled you all of the time because you're the oldest grandchild."

"Still jealous?" Cassie teased.

"Will the two of you stop?" Erica, their mother, said.  "Cassie, you've got a three-month-old son of your own.  Will at least you try to act older than him?"

"Sorry, Mom," Cassie and Amy apologized.

The front door opened and Cassie's husband, Drew, came inside the house.  "I've got the beer."  He handed a case of beer over to Danny.  "No change."

"Thanks, Drew," Danny said.  "Anybody who's legal want another beer?  Dennis?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Dennis said.

"Pete?"

"Yeah, thanks," Pete said.  He grabbed the bottle that Danny tossed to him and opened it and took a sip.

"Zack?"

"No, thank you," Zack said.

"Max?  Do you want one now?"

"No thanks," Max said.  "I can't."

Caroline's eyebrows went up at that.  Did she just say that she couldn't have a beer?  Does that mean what I think it means?  Please let it mean what I think it means!  "You can't?"

Max winced.  Damn, I didn't mean to say that last part out loud.  She turned to Zack, who nodded.  "Yeah, I can't."

"Max is pregnant," Zack said.

Caroline cheered.  "Yes!"

"Whoa, calm down," Danny teased.

"Hey, that was no worse than Erica's reaction when Cassie told the two of you that she was pregnant last year," Caroline pointed out.  "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Max said, a little embarrassed.  Everybody, except for Becky and Jeff who already knew, started to congratulate them.  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dennis, who hadn't said a word since Max and Zack had told everybody, quietly leave the house.

Caroline also noticed this and nodded.  "I'll go after him.  I'll be right back."  She went out the door and closed it behind her and walked across the porch to where Dennis was standing.  "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dennis said.  "I'm just shocked as hell right now."  He ran a hand through his hair.  "Caroline, three months or so ago I didn't have a clue that I was a father at all, much less the father of two children, and now I find out that I'm going to be a grandfather.  I'm as happy as I can be for Zack and Max, I honestly am.  I just feel like this is happening so fast.  I know that they've known each other for Max's entire life and I know how long that they've been officially dating and all of that, but I just feel so...overwhelmed."

"I know you do.  It's okay," Caroline said.  She moved closer to Dennis and put her left arm around his waist.  "I'm sure that they understand.  You've got time to get used to the idea."

"I know," Dennis said.  He put his right arm around Caroline's shoulders and they stood their quietly for a minute.  "I'm going to be a grandfather.  I'm actually going to have a grandchild."  He started to grin.

"I knew you'd come around," Caroline teased.  They both laughed and then Caroline sighed.  "Which ever of you kids is closest, please tell Danny and Pete that nothing is happening and that they can get their minds out of the gutter right now and I will beat the shit out of them if they say anything and that includes any cracks about behavior that a future grandmother shouldn't display."

"I thought you were thrilled about becoming a grandmother," Dennis teased.

"I am thrilled, but I know my brothers very well," Caroline said.  They both laughed and went back inside the house.

TBC