What's Next? -- Chapter 38

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.).

About two weeks later...

“Nineteen days,” Zack murmured into Max’s ear as he passed her in the kitchen of their apartment. He kissed her on the cheek and then made his way to the refrigerator.

Max smirked. “And I thought that I was the one who was counting the hours until my due date.” She laughed. “Relax, Zack, everything’s going to be cool. This is your baby, after all. Would a child of yours ever not do anything perfectly?”

“Granted, but you’re the baby’s mother,” Zack reminded her. “The kid’s equally capable of driving me absolutely crazy.”

“And you’ll love every minute of it,” Max teased. She walked over to him and turned him around and kissed him. “Every single minute.” Zack’s eyes darkened with lust and he pulled Max into a deep kiss. They were lost to the world for several minutes before they heard throats clearing and jumped apart. Max looked over and narrowed her eyes when she saw Rena, Jondy, and Syl standing in the entrance to the kitchen. “Don’t the three of you have to be at work despite the fact that it’s a Saturday?”

“Not me,” Jondy said cheerfully. “Nobody feels like getting up off their lazy asses to do some Pilates on a Saturday this week.”

“It’s only eight-thirty,” Syl said, grinning. “The garage doesn’t officially open for business until ten on Saturdays and Rena and I don’t have to be in our offices there until nine-thirty.” She laughed but then wasn’t quite able to duck out of the way when Max threw an apple that had been in the bowl on the counter at her.

“What do you know?” Max said. “Being pregnant has no effect on one’s aim at all.” She made a face. “I wish that it didn’t have the effect that it does on my bladder. Excuse me.” She left the kitchen.

Zack turned to his sisters. “Are you feeling up to work, Rena?”

“Zack, I’ve been back at work since Monday,” Rena said. She fought the familiar urge to roll her eyes. “Not to mention the fact that I sit behind a desk all day.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just so sick of people asking if I’m okay and should I be at work and everything.” Rena grew quiet. “Shit, I’m lucky that I’m even still here. I shouldn’t complain.”

“No harm taken,” Zack said. He smiled a little. “And if you’re complaining, little sister, then I know that you’re fine.”

“If that’s the case, then she’s definitely been fine for the last week or at least,” Syl teased.

“What has gotten into you this morning, Syl?” Max asked as she returned from the bathroom. “Did you and Krit somehow manage to switch bodies?”

“We didn’t switch bodies,” Syl said.

Rena grinned wickedly and Max managed not to groan. She knew what that look meant and Rena came through as always. “But you did switch something else that has to do with your bodies, am I right? You know what I mean, they’re called—“ Rena was cut off when Syl punched her in the arm, but Rena still laughed. “Come on, sis. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Every single person in this room is at least seriously dating somebody and is at least hopefully getting some on a regular basis so it’s not like—“ This time, Max cut her off.

“We get the point, Rena,” she said. “Hey, Jondy, since you’re not working today, do you want to join CeCe and Sasha and me when we go shopping for stuff for the baby? CeCe’s going to be here in about…” Max glanced at the clock that was on the kitchen. “…ten minutes.” She grabbed another apple from the bowl but this time she went over to the sink and washed it before taking a bite out of it.

“Sounds cool to me,” Jondy said. “Will they mind?”

“They shouldn’t,” Max said.

“If that’s the game plan for you guys, then we’re going to go,” Syl said. “We’ll see you guys later, okay?”

“Will do,” Max said. She watched Syl and Rena leave the apartment and turned to Zack. “Aren’t you supposed to be leaving for work right about now?”

“Yeah, before you start bitching about how late you’re going to be if you don’t get moving soon?” Jondy finished.

Zack sighed. “You guys do know me.” He gave Max a kiss on the lips and Jondy a pat on the shoulder before he headed out of the apartment as well.

“Looks like it’s just you, me, and junior,” Jondy said. “Have you and Zack figured out the deal on names?”

“Yep,” Max said. She took a last bite of the apple and threw the core into the trash can. “Settled that dealio last week.”

“And? Which names did you pick?” Jondy asked.

Max smirked. “You’re just going to have to wait until the kid’s born like everybody else.”

“Oh, come on,” Jondy whined. “I’m one of your best friends. You’re practically obligated to tell me.” When Max laughed, she sighed and shook her head. “I give up—for now. But speaking of best friends, what about Original Cindy? Is she coming with this morning or is that guy Normal still working her and the others at Jam Pony to the bone?”

“Still working them to the bone,” Max confirmed. “We’re going to go shopping together on Tuesday when Normal actually found it in the goodness of his heart and in the schedule over there to give O.C. that day off. That’ll be enough shopping for me, thank you very much. I guess shopping and all of that is okay, but I don’t really understand why some women practically make a religion out of it. My old roommate Kendra loved to shop.”

“I think shopping is fun, though I’m not one of those shopaholics either,” Jondy said. “I remember when I was living in San Diego I had these friends that practically lived at the mall despite the fact that they, like the majority of the city’s population, were damn close to being flat broke. It confused the heck out of me.”

“I don’t blame you,” Max said. The two of them heard a car pull up to the building and grabbed their jackets and purses and left the apartment. They went outside and got into CeCe’s car. “Hey. You’re early.”

“I had to get out of my apartment,” CeCe said. “Today was just one of those days when I had to get out and do something.”

“Been there, done that,” Max said. Something caught her eye and she looked over at Sasha, her expression skeptical. “Sasha, you brought a gun with you to go shopping?”

Sasha’s face was innocent. “What? Isn’t it perfectly reasonable and within a woman’s rights to carry a personal firearm with her for protection in this day and age?” She patted the pistol that was hiding in her jeans pocket. “I almost never leave home without it.”

“If Zack gets our kid a gun before he or she is at least in high school, I will mutilate him,” Max grumbled.

“Well, this is Zack,” Jondy said. She grinned impishly. “That child you’re carrying is going to be getting his or her first gun by his or her fifth birthday.” She and the others laughed as CeCe pulled out into traffic.