What's Next? -- Chapter 39

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.).

Three weeks later...

Max lay down on the couch, her head in Zack’s lap, who was reading a magazine that he was holding in one hand while his other hand stroked Max’s hair. Max sighed impatiently. “I’m going crazy. This kid should have been out of me at least two days ago. Anthony was born right on his due date. Sasha told me that Jade and Julia were four days early. Why is this baby still in my body?”

“I don’t know,” Zack said. He shrugged. “Believe me, I want you to give birth almost as much as you do.”

“I know,” Max said. They heard a knock at the door. “Yeah, come on in.”

“It’s just us,” Brin said as she entered the apartment with Becky and Ralph right behind her. She gave Max a sympathetic look when she saw the expression on her younger sister’s face. “Going crazy, huh?”

“I’ve been crazy for the past week,” Max said. “My moods are going crazy, my ankles are swollen, my bladder is stuck on full, the baby still hasn’t been born yet, and to top it all off, my back’s been bothering me like you wouldn’t believe.”

Zack looked concerned. “How long has it been bothering you? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“It wasn’t that bad before,” Max said. She straightened up. “It’s been bothering me since I got up yesterday morning. At first it was really annoying but by late last night it was getting worse. I still managed to get a couple of hours worth of sleep, but it was just as bad when I woke up and it’s as bad as ever now.”

“That sucks,” Ralph said. She made a face. “If that’s what you have to go through then I’m never going to have kids.”

“I see,” Brin said, amused. She sat down on the couch next to Max. “Do you want to do anything today? Alec has the day off and he took Anthony with him and he and Biggs plus all three of the girls all drove out to the shore for the day to have a picnic, play on the sand, and generally stay out of the way so that Sasha and I could have the day to ourselves to do what we want. Do you want to get some lunch? I promise not to cook it.”

Max laughed. “No, thanks. Maybe later I’ll take you up on your offer if I still feel like I’m about to crawl out of my skin.” She stood up and started to walk over to the kitchen but stopped, turned around, and gave Zack a smirk. “You can stay sitting on the couch if you want. I’m only going to get a glass of water.”

“And the baby hasn’t arrived yet,” Becky remarked.

“Yet there’s one practically across the living room from me,” Zack muttered, glaring at his younger sister. “Zip it or I will find a way to beat the living hell out of you.”

“You guys are supposed to be older than me, right?” Ralph said.

“Nobody brings out this side of Zack quite like Becky,” Max said as she walked back into the living room. She drank her water and put the empty glass down on the coffee table. “But on the flip side, Becky seems to like being bratty and Alec-like around Zack a good chunk of the time.” She looked back over at Brin. “No offense, sis.”

“None taken,” Brin said.

“Cool,” Max said. She turned to look out the living room window and grinned. “I can’t wait until the kid’s old enough for me to start teaching him or her how to ride a motorcycle.”

“Not until he or she is at least tall enough to be able to ride one,” Zack said.

“I know,” Max said.

“How old were you when you first learned how to ride?” Becky asked.

“Thirteen,” Max said. “Jondy told me that she learned to ride at the same age. Rena told me that she first rode one when she was twelve, but how much taller has she always been than me and the rest of our sisters?” She rolled her eyes. “What about you, babe? When did you go for your first spin?”

Zack couldn’t help grinning as the memory came to the front of his mind. “Twelve. It was in mechanics class back at Manticore before we left the first time around. Tinga, Kenny, Zane, and I all took our first rides on that day. They had this really nice Yamaha, it kind of reminds me a little of the one that Rena has now except not quite as powerful, and I jumped on after reading all of the textbooks and things like that and it was so much fun. Everybody had fun in that class that day. I didn’t actually get my own bike until a year after we were gone. It would have—“

“—looked too suspicious for a thirteen-year-old to be riding a motorcycle,” Max and Brin finished.

“I love you…” Zack said, trying to glare at Max but not quite managing it because of the soft look in his eyes. He shifted the look over to Brin and did manage a glare for her. “…and I’m going to have to apologize to Alec for killing you.”

“Go ahead and good luck,” Brin said. “Alec’s pretty damn sneaky. You’d probably be able to beat the living daylights out of him, but you’d have to be able to get a hit in first.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Zack said.

“I don’t know about that,” Ralph spoke up. “I saw him spar back at Manticore. Not only did he have great technique and could hit really hard, he was really quick. It was hard for almost anybody aside from Jeff, Biggs, and Sasha to score a hit on Alec.”

“So there,” Brin said.

“Great, now you’re jumping on the immaturity bandwagon?” Zack said. He shook his head. “Brin, I thought you would be able to act more mature than your son.”

“What can I say?” Brin said. “I just need to let it loose once in awhile.”

Max started to laugh, but stopped suddenly when she felt pain in her abdomen. She bit her lip and put a hand on her stomach. Oh shit, was that a contraction? She looked around and saw neither Zack nor Brin nor Ralph had noticed, but Becky had. Max took a deep breath to calm herself down and the sensation passed. Becky walked over to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly enough so that the other three wouldn’t be able to hear her.

“I will be,” Max said. “It was just one and it’s over.” Or it’s just beginning. She gave Becky a smile and tried to focus on the discussion going on between Zack, Brin, and Ralph.

“…there’s no way that you would be able to beat Jeff in a one-on-one fight,” Ralph said loyally. “I saw how good your technique is, but Jeff’s is just as good and he’s stronger and faster than you are by a little bit. You’d be absolute toast.”

“Not necessarily,” Zack said. “Jeff could always slip up. Even I have done that a couple of times when sparring. Not often, but sometimes.”

“Wow,” Becky said in mock surprise. “Are you actually admitting that you aren’t infallible when it comes to hand-to-hand?”

“I never said that I was infallible, Becky,” Zack said. He tried not to roll his eyes at her.

“No, you’re just the guy who after he beat the living hell out of Zane in the T.C. gym a couple of months ago said something along the lines of ‘Well? Now do you think that you can beat me?’” Brin said.

“Granted, but—“

“I hate to interrupt the fun here,” Max said, cutting Zack off. “But I think going to the hospital at this point wouldn’t be a bad thing. My water just broke.”

“Your what?” The words came out of Zack’s mouth calmly enough, but inside he was starting to panic. He saw Becky grin evilly at him and start to open her mouth and he knew what she was going to say and it took every bit of his willpower to both calm himself down and not snap back at his baby sister. He took a deep breath. “Let’s get your bag and get there, then. I’ll call Wayne to let him know.”

“I’ll call Mom and Dad,” Becky said.

“I’ll call the rest of our family,” Brin offered. “Plus Alec.”

“I’ll tell some of the others,” Ralph added.

“Gee, can we all break into happy song afterwards?” Max said sarcastically.

Becky snickered. “Nice.”

“Thank you,” Max said. She sighed in relief. “I’m happy that Zack is keeping his cool.”

“Me too,” Becky said smugly. Max frowned in confusion at the triumphant look on Becky’s face before she understood.

Damn, she’s good. “Thanks,” she said quietly. She hissed in pain as another contraction hit.

“You’re welcome,” Becky said.

“We should get going,” Zack said.

“Good call,” Max agreed as they left the apartment.