Elle6778 - Dark Angel Fanfiction

RECOLLECTION - CHAPTER 3

ALL CHAPTERS

Chapter 1

COMPLETE

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw who it was. All his earlier thoughts of Rachel and his failed mission left his mind as he stared at the familiar face.

“What…How?” he gasped before breaking into a grin at seeing someone familiar, even someone from his days back at Manticore.

“Well, you sure do get around, don’t you?” the other guy said, returning Alec’s grin. He extended a hand towards Alec.

Alec grasped the hand in greeting, “Great to see you. So how…”

He did not get a chance to continue. Max, who was surprised that they knew each other, decided to interrupt before they said something that might reveal their identity to Sketchy, “You guys know each other?” she asked, giving Alec a warning look.

Obviously understanding her, Alec nodded, “He hung around the school I used to go to,” he said, throwing a very male look at the other transgenic.

Sketchy laughed, “You sure seem to have a lot of school friends suddenly appearing. First Celia, now him.”

Max grimaced at the mention of Celia. She glanced at Alec to see him sporting the same expression. Obviously the last thing that Alec wanted to be reminded of was Celia.

“Celia?” the dark haired transgenic asked, turning a questioning look towards Alec.

“Uh, yeah. I told you it was a big school,” Alec said, averting his gaze from Sketchy and shifting it to Moss. “A girl in the psychology class.”

Understanding Alec’s meaning, he nodded, his face showing his distaste.

“So, Alec, where have you been? I was looking for you earlier,” Max asked pointedly, stressing his name so that they did not accidentally give away their true identity to Sketchy.

Alec shrugged, “Went home to catch a nap earlier. I was tired,” he lied, not willing to talk about his time on the Space Needle. He changed the topic. “So, where did you find him?”

“I bumped into Moss today at South Market,” Max answered, stressing the name.

“Moss?!” Alec let slip before he could stop himself. He gave Moss a pitying look.

“Yes. Moss. What’s wrong with you, Alec?” Max remarked impatiently. Alec was going to give the game away if he was not careful.

Recovering from his horror at the name that Max had bestowed 466, Alec said, “Nothing,” but he turned to Moss and whispered under his breath, “I can’t believe you let her do that to you. She just named you after something that’s clumpy and grows,” he paused a while as something occurred to him, “I get it! It’s because of your green eyes!”

Muttering softly, Moss replied with a scowl, “You actually think I wanted to be named after some slimy bryophytic plant? Anyway, I can’t really say no to her.”

Alec’s eyes narrowed, “What do you mean?”

“Hey, no private conversations allowed here. What are you guys whispering about?” Original Cindy asked suspiciously, interrupting them.

“Ah, just catching up on good old times,” Moss replied lightly. He shot Original Cindy and Max a charming smile.

Original Cindy blinked a few times and Max flushed, then quickly looked away, irritated that some stranger had managed to induce that effect on her, however good looking he might be.

Noticing Max’s action, Alec frowned slightly as he looked between Max and Moss. He wondered what had happened between the two of them for Max to behave that way.

“Hey, what’s with the silence?” Moss asked, confused at the myriad expressions which various member of their party sported. Max and Original Cindy looked slightly uncomfortable, Alec looked annoyed and Sketchy just looked just as confused as Moss felt.

“Just thinking,” Alec said, standing up. “So, want to catch up over a game of pool?” he asked Moss, a challenging grin on his face. It would also be a good time for him to ask Moss what was up with him and Max.

“Sure, let’s go,” Moss agreed, cracking his knuckles as he returned Alec’s grin with a similar one of his own.

“Hey, what about our game?” Sketchy whined, looking at Alec with an accusing look.

Original Cindy smacked Sketchy upside the head and said, “Fool, they haven’t seen each other for some time, so why don’t you just leave pretty boy to his business for a while?”

“Oh, okay,” Sketchy said sheepishly, finally understanding. Then he stood up, “Well, I’ll head to the bar to join the other guys then.”

Max nodded absently as Sketchy left them. She played with the half-empty glass of beer in front of her, trying to make sense of Moss and her reaction to him.

“Hey, boo…” Original Cindy started, trying to get Max’s attention.

Max looked up, “Hmm?”

“Let’s not let it be said that Original Cindy is a bad judge of character. But there’s something off about Moss. He gives Original Cindy the jitters when he smiles, and you know I bat for the home team,” Original Cindy stated in her usual blunt manner. Max could see the confusion on her face, backing up her words.

Not too surprised, Max said, “Yeah? I think it’s just because he’s so good looking,”

Original Cindy gave her a disbelieving look. “No! You too?”

Max nodded and sighed. “This is really strange. I mean, I don’t even know the guy,”

“Not to mention there’s Alec,” Original Cindy added slyly.

“What?!” Max’s eyes snapped up, “What’s Alec got to do with this?”

Original Cindy shook her head, chuckling. “Even the blind could see that you’ve both got the hots for each other.”

Max groaned, “Not you too…I can’t believe you’re listening to all that crap Suki and Marina said. Alec and I…we’re not like that. We’re just good friends.”

Original Cindy raised a perfectly groomed brow. “That’s what you used to say about Logan,” she pointed out.

“Logan and I aren’t like that either,” Max said softly, wondering if there was any truth in what Original Cindy was saying about her and Alec.

Sighing in resignation, Original Cindy shook her head and said, “Boo, you really need help with that denial problem of yours.”

At the other end of the room, Alec and Moss were engaged in an intense game of pool. Alec grinned, not that Sketchy wasn’t fun to play against, but Alec needed some challenge once in a while.

Aiming at a ball in the far corner, Alec did not look up as he asked, “So, what have you been up to since home sweet home blew up?”

Moss shrugged carelessly. “Nothing much. Just moving here and there, trying to survive. Max found me when I was hiding in South Market.”

His attention on the game, Alec did not notice the evasive look in Moss’s eyes.

Watching in satisfaction as the ball rolled in a straight line into the pocket, winning him the game, Alec said, “Really?” Then he turned to look at Moss, wondering how to word what he had to say. Deciding finally that the direct approach was the best, Alec begun to speak, “Don’t take this the wrong way, okay, buddy.” He paused as Moss gave him a questioning look, “We both know about your reputation when we were back in Manticore…”

“Why do I get this feeling that I’m about to be told off?” Moss interrupted with a wry grin, but there was a wary expression in his eyes.

Alec continued, “Max’s a good friend of mine. And I saw that weird look she had on her face earlier when she looked at you. So, I’m just wondering what’s going on?” he asked with a casual expression.

Moss let out a bark of laughter, “Man, I just met her today! Even I can’t work that fast!”

“And?” Alec prompted, waiting for Moss to answer his question.

Moss stopped laughing and smirked instead, “I can’t help it if she likes me, right?”

Alec stiffened almost imperceptibly. Any friendly feeling he had for Moss suddenly evaporated at the thought of Max being with Moss. Rearranging his face into a bored look, he asked, “So what are you going to do about it? Return the favour?”

Moss shrugged, the smirk not leaving his face, and replied, “Perhaps. She’s quite hot. I’m tempted.”

Alec gritted his teeth to stop himself from wiping the smirk off Moss’s face. With his boots. He mentally berated himself when he realised what he was thinking. Why was he so bothered anyway? Max had the right to like anyone she chose, and she would not be too pleased if he butted in. He forced himself to calm down before saying tightly, “Just don’t hurt her, okay?”

Moss put his cue down, studying Alec, “What? That’s it? It’s unlike you, 494, to just let me off with a warning. If I recall correctly, you used to give me a black eye and a bloody nose just for hanging around any of the girls you know back in Manticore,”

Alec averted his gaze, “Nah, that was back then. I didn’t want them distracted by you before a mission,” he said lightly.

“I think this one’s different for you,” Moss said knowingly, studying Alec.

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t fool me. I can see how you look at her. I think the real question is: what are you going to do about it?” Moss asked, giving Alec a look that could only be described as a challenge.

Max was feeling annoyed for a variety of reasons. First, she wanted to talk to Alec about what had happened that day, but he always seemed to be with someone else. And currently it was Moss. Secondly, her reaction to Moss was beginning to unnerve her. Her heat must be close for her to feel this way, but then again, she was not having such a reaction to Sketchy or Alec. She wondered if it was because her hormones were used to Alec being always around but not Moss.

Since Moss had nowhere to stay, Max had suggested that he bunk over at Alec’s. Surprisingly, Alec objected, saying that having Moss there would cramp his style. Moss did not seem offended; instead, he just smirked knowingly at Alec.

Max did not believe Alec. She knew for a fact that Alec had never brought the girls he that slept with back to his place. Now that she thought about it, she did not even remember Alec sleeping over at anyone’s place recently. She made a mental note to ask Alec about that.

Max knew that she should offer, but remembering that her heat might be close, she thought that it would be insane to even suggest that Moss stayed over with her and Original Cindy. So she kept her mouth shut. Sketchy had finally saved the awkward situation by offering to put Moss up until he could find a place of his own.

They parted ways at the entrance; Moss went with Sketchy, Original Cindy went with her latest honey, and Max went with Alec to drop him back home.

He looked up at the dark sky, breathing in the fresh night air as he walked. As usual, the way he carried himself exuded calmness. His mind, however, was whirring with urgent thoughts.

He had to come up with a plan soon. Every minute he spent out here jeopardised everything further. He needed to complete this mission as soon as possible. He did not even want to think of what would happen if he failed. They had always been told that failure was not an option.

He had watched one of them today, and saw how that person interacted with the others. It was important for him to know his prey’s weaknesses so that he could succeed in the mission. He knew that his own strength surpassed most people, but he also knew that there was no chance that he could handle more than one transgenic at the same time. So, he needed to either find some reinforcement, or deal with them one by one.

In his mind, he ran through everything he knew about them, trying to find their weaknesses. After a long while, something finally stood out. Something that could work as a diversion. He smiled in satisfaction.

A plan was slowly beginning to take shape in his mind. It was rough and unrefined, but he could sort out the details later. The important thing was; he finally had a viable plan.

Alec was wondering if the day could get any worse. First, he had had to deal with the memory of what he had done to Rachel and her father. Now, there was Moss to deal with. He was trying to make sense of what Moss had said earlier while they were playing pool. He knew that Moss was implying that both of them liked Max.

The big question was – did he? Alec knew that what he felt for Max was different from what he had felt for Rachel, but then again, he was much closer to Max than he had ever been to Rachel. Did that mean that he liked her in the more-than-friends way?

Lost in his thoughts Alec remained seated behind Max even when Max’s ninja rumbled to a stop in front his apartment.

Turning around to face him, Max asked, “Hey, we’re here. Are you planning on getting off?”

“Uh, yeah,” Alec replied, snapping himself out of his reverie.

He jumped off the bike, “So, you want to come up for a drink or two?” he asked.

Max did not hesitate before answering, “Why not?” After all, she had wanted to talk to Alec alone all night.

They made their way up the stairs and into the sparsely furnished apartment. Max immediately went to the couch and plopped herself into it, sighing in pleasure. Alec smiled, she reminded him of a cat that had found a nice warm spot to snuggle in.

Filling two glasses with scotch, Alec walked towards the couch and sat down, handing a glass to Max.

Max took a sip from the glass and put it down, glancing over at Alec, “So, what’s with you and Moss?”

“What do you mean?” he replied absently, staring at the video clip on the television. He had hoped that Max would not bring that topic up, but he should have known that she would. Max was too sharp to miss something like that.

“You know, all that crap about cramping your style,” she went on impatiently.

“Oh, that… Yeah, having him here would put the chicks off don’t you think?” he said lightly.

Max snorted, “Oh, come on. We both know that you don’t bring girls home.”

Giving her an amused look, Alec raised an eyebrow, “Of course I do! From where I am sitting, you definitely fit the description,” Ignoring Max’s frown, he let his eyes wander up and down her body, and continued, “You don’t look too bad, either. Unless you don’t consider yourself a girl.”

Feeling uncomfortable at how Alec just swept his eyes over her body, Max smacked him on the shoulder. “You know that’s not what I mean. Would you be serious for a moment and stop avoiding the question?”

“Just didn’t feel like having him here, that’s all,” he finally said. Picking up the remote, he changed the channel, wishing that he could change the topic of conversation just as easily.

“I thought you knew each other,” Max continued to prod.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I like him,” Alec replied, a mutinous look on his face.

“Why?”

“Why? Because I just don’t,” Alec insisted, exasperated, “Why are you asking all this anyway? And if you are so concerned, why didn’t you offer him a place to stay?”

A few seconds passed before Max decided to answer, “I did think of it, but I think I might go into heat soon,” Max admitted quietly.

Instantly, Alec jumped up, staring at her in panic. “You’re going into heat?”

Rolling her eyes, Max grabbed his arm and yanked him back onto the couch, “No! At least not yet.”

Breathing in deeply and exhaling, Alec nodded, “Yeah, I can’t smell anything. So I’m safe for now,” he grinned at her.

Max stuck her tongue out. “As if I’d do anything to you. Eeugh!”

“I know you harbor a secret desire for me, Max. You don’t have to pretend,” Alec said, grinning.

Max snorted, “Dream on, pretty boy.”

She decided that this was a good time to change the topic, so she said, “So, you want to tell me what happened earlier today at the mansion?”

Feigning ignorance, Alec said, “Huh? Nothing,”

Max stared at him, her impatience showing in her eyes. “I thought we were past all this, Alec. You can tell me, you know,” she persisted.

“There’s nothing to tell, Max,” he insisted, with an almost imperceptible edge to his voice. He could not tell Max what had happened with Rachel. It was hard enough to deal with without saying anything out loud. All he wanted to do now was to bury Rachel and that mission in the past, not drag it out for discussion.

“Your behaviour is telling me a different story, Alec,” Max said, disappointed that he did not trust her enough to tell her what was bothering him. She had thought that after all they had been through, Alec would be more willing to talk to her. Apparently not.

But she guessed that it must be something really painful if he did not want to talk about it. That, she could understand, she thought, as the image of Ben in the forest suddenly came to her mind. There were some things in her life which she found difficult to share with anyone as well. At that thought, Max decided that she had better leave it alone, at least until he was ready to talk about it.

Alec did not miss the disappointed look on Max’s face. Alec understood why she would feel that way. As they had gradually become closer, Alec had more or less shared most of what was going through his mind with her. And he had noticed that she had done the same with him. Those things he had shared, however, were not as personal or as painful as the memories of Rachel. Alec hoped that she would understand his reluctance to talk about it.

Sighing wearily, he said, “Look, Max…” he paused, unsure how to continue.

“It’s okay,” Max said softly before he could. She picked up her glass and downed the scotch before putting it back down.

Stunned at her easy acquiescence, Alec looked searchingly at her, noting her resigned expression, “Max…It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but I can’t,” he explained, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

“I said, it’s okay,” Max insisted, slightly irritated. Considering how worried she was, it took a lot for her to stop herself from pressing him about it, but she knew that it would only push him away. She knew it because if he did the same thing to her, she would run and hide. Realising that her tone indicated annoyance, she forced herself to smile at him reassuringly.

Alec stared at her suspiciously, wondering why she had suddenly changed her mind about knowing what had happened. Frowning slightly, he asked, “Are you okay?”

Max made a face. “Of course! Why?”

Deciding that it was probably better to leave it at that, Alec shook his head, “Nothing.”

They sat drinking in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts.

Alec finally broke the silence. “So, what’s with you and Moss?” he asked, repeating the question she had asked him not too long ago.

Max raised her brows at the unexpected change in topic. “What?”

“You know, that guy with green eyes, dark hair, slimy name, chick-magnet…Moss? The stray you picked up in South Market?”

Max gave him an exasperated look. “I know who Moss is, you idiot! I mean, why are you asking me about Moss? I barely know him,” Max replied, shifting on the couch uncomfortably. She hadn’t figured out her own reaction to Moss and the last thing she wanted was to discuss it.

“Just thought that you might have the hots for the guy, that’s all,” Alec said, smirking to hide his apprehension as he waited expectantly for her answer.

“NO! What are you talking about?! Are you crazy?” she denied vehemently, glaring at him in disbelief.

Alec knew he was in trouble when his apprehension lifted immediately after hearing her denial about Moss. That was a sure sign that he had somehow, somewhere along the way, developed stronger feelings for Max than just friendship. He looked at her, taking in the flash in her eyes, her smooth caramel skin, her generous lips…

Moss’s challenge came back to haunt him.

What are you going to do about it?

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