Chemistry

By Sinful Starlet

Disclaimer: Not that this actually makes a difference but nothing Dark Angel related belongs to me - except the plot of this fic!

Rating: Gonna go up and down - probably R on average

Summary: Max thought she had it all figured out - she loved Logan even though she couldn't be with him and Alec? He was just Alec - mildly irritating and a little too good at getting himself or her into trouble, but she forgot one thing - you can't fight chemistry!

Author's note: Okay, trying to keep the rambling to a minimum here, but here we go! This is my second DA fic so far - didn't get a fabulous reception to the last one (but huge thanks to All mighty Terrestrial and Heat who did review my first one!) so I thought I'd have another go. Also didn't want to say this, but it's gonna become fairly screamingly obvious early on that this is a M/A fic, so if that's not your thing you will not like this! Hopefully some people will agree with me though when I say they have been a totally obvious couple since the beginning of S2! I would like to point out that it's not that I don't like Logan, but this idea has been floating around in my head for a while. Also, since a couple of people have said this to me now, I thought I'd add my two cents - I do not see a Max/Alec relationship as incest at all. Zack, Tinga, Ben, etc. were all Max's siblings because they were in the same unit and they were always together. Max only met Alec like eight months ago, so I don't think she can reasonably call him her brother! Sorry - didn't want to rant there - just pointing out a few facts as I saw them!

Anyway, back to the story. Basic plot is mine (I hope!) but I have borrowed bits of "Fuhgeddaboudit" and "Hello Goodbye" plus general stuff from the rest of the season. I had to kinda re-jig the order of the stuff from "Hello Goodbye" to get it to fit my story, but you'll understand once you read it. Hope ya like it! *SS* J

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Chemistry

By Sinful Starlet

Introduction

Max shivered slightly in the cool night air, and drew her knees up to her chest as she sat up on the Space Needle. It was her favourite place to go when she needed to sit and think about things for a while, and right now she certainly had plenty to think about. Her life had been so complicated recently, and she practically smiled at the thought. Just when you think you've got a handle on things, life throws you a curveball. She checked her watch again, but it wasn't as late as it looked. Seattle always got a little darker than usual around November, even though it was only 7.30.

Still, being up there, away from everybody, away from all the distractions of her life, she could get some decent unfiltered thought going on. Things had changed so much in the last week - in fact if someone had told her what was going to happen that week a few months ago she would have either laughed her ass off or punched out whoever it was that told her. Yeah, she had some regrets, but she was sure that she had made the right choice. The air grew a little cooler and she pulled her coat round her more in an effort to keep warm. She didn't even flinch as she felt an arm wrap round her waist, and leaned back into the hug offered to her. She felt a slight smile cross her lips as she turned her head just enough to see his face, "You're late!"

part #1

When she thought about it, it had really started the night she had busted Alec out of jail. It wasn't his fault for once, the police had finally found some of the bodies of Ben's victims. He had slipped up somewhere and somehow the police had got a description and a DNA sample - unfortunately for Alec they matched him perfectly. Alec hadn't known what to think, he knew he hadn't done it, but he couldn't figure out why they thought it was him. It wasn't till Max arrived at the station that she found out what he was accused of - murder.

She set up the meeting, pretending to be his lawyer and just sat calmly as they ushered him and sat him at the table in front of her. He waited just long enough for the cops to leave the room, then he started speaking, "Thank God you're here Max - you've got to get me outta here". Max stood up and paced round for a second, she didn't want to believe it, but what if it was true? She had to know either way. "Did you do it?", she said quietly. "What?!", Alec replied, taken aback, "You think I could just cold bloodedly murder someone like that?" Max didn't answer, she honestly didn't know what to say.

"Oh come on!", Alec said insistently, "The guy had his teeth pulled out! You know I couldn't do that!" 'Teeth?', Max thought, a chill running over her...Ben? "Alright", she said eventually, "I believe you, but we've got to get outta here now". She called the guard back to collect Alec and knocked him out as he came through the door, she grabbed his keys and unlocked Alec's hand cuffs, beckoning for him to follow her.

Getting out of the station and back to her apartment had been interesting to say the least, but they did manage to get there at last and Alec just followed Max as she took the elevator back up to her apartment with her motorcycle. "You can crash on the couch", she said once they were inside and she had checked to see that OC wasn't at home, "it's probably not a good idea to go back to your apartment tonight". "Yeah thanks", Alec replied, sitting down on the sofa, and then looking back up at her.

She turned away almost instantly though, and walked over to the kitchen away from him, starting to make some coffee. He sat there for a second, then got up and followed her. "You gonna tell me what's going on?", he asked, as she tried to avoid his gaze, "Why you suddenly changed your mind and got me out of there?" "I'd really rather not", she said, avoiding the question, and brushing past him, still making the coffee and avoiding eye contact. This time she wasn't quick enough though, and he blocked her way, every time she tried to get past him. "Please Max", he said, more quietly, "I need to know".

Max sighed, she really didn't want to be thinking about this right now, not when she would be admitting it all to someone who looked exactly like Ben. She eventually relented and led them both back over to the sofa where she sat down with her coffee and gestured for him to do the same. "You didn't do what they were accusing you of, but they thought it was you because they had a DNA evidence match". Alec looked confused, not exactly sure what she was telling him.

"You didn't kill those people", Max went on, finding each word more difficult to say, "it was Ben". Alec sat back, finally realising what had happened. "Ben?", he asked, "My twin from Manticore?". Max just nodded, she didn't know if she could say anything else. Finally she managed to say, "He couldn't cope in the real world, Manticore really screwed him up and we all got separated when we escaped. The first time I saw him again after the escape was when I was trying to find a murder suspect for Logan - it was an Eyes Only deal".

Alec didn't interrupt her once, he figured she needed to get this stuff off her chest. "I wish you could have known him...before", Max went on, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes, "he was so sweet, so innocent, but it was too late to save him. Manticore got onto him and when we were trying to get away he broke his leg - there was no way I could get him out in time so...I killed him". Alec fought back a gasp, that he had not been expecting. "He asked me to, so I killed him - that was the only way I could save him".

By now it was just too much for her, and the sobs started coming freely, she leant forward, burying her face in her hands. She didn't even object when Alec, being uncharacteristically gentle, pulled her into a hug and whispered to her soothingly till she stopped crying. "I am so sorry Max", he said, "They never told me what happened to him. God, I can't imagine what it must be like seeing me every day with his face looking back at you". She started to cry again at that and he just pulled her more tightly to him, resting a single kiss on the top of her head. "It wasn't your fault Max", he said after a while, "you saved him the only way you could...you saved us all".

They sat together like that for some time, Alec just rocking her back and forth in his arms while she cried out all the grief and pain she had been holding in for months, unable to tell anyone. Eventually, the tears subsided, and she made her way to bed, leaving Alec to sleep on the couch. She found sleep didn't come too easily that night though, she had cried so much she was heavily dehydrated, so she had to get up again for a drink. She crept silently into the living room, not wanting to make a sound just in case Alec was asleep, which she found, he was.

He lay sleeping quite peacefully on the couch, although every now and then, a frown crossed his brow as he slept, and he pulled the blanket closer to his chest. Despite herself, Max found herself creeping over to him and stroking his face gently until the frown subsided and a slight smile returned. Once she realised what she was doing though, she pulled back suddenly, almost falling over his clothes in the process. She had to smile at that, his clothes were folded up perfectly in a pile at the foot of the couch - 'always the soldier' she thought. She crept away to get her glass of water from the kitchen, although she found she couldn't help but stop and watch him again for a few moments before she went back to bed. Whatever she had thought, maybe there was something she hadn't noticed about him before.

part #2

The next morning, Logan woke early. He and Max hadn't seen much of each other lately, so he decided to go see before she went to work. He knew she was worried about the virus, but that shouldn't mean they had to totally cut each other out of their lives. He got dressed quickly and drove round to her apartment building. He stepped out of the car and started to walk towards the building when he saw something that made him stop and wait. Max was standing there, though he could barely tell it was her at first, wrapped up in the arms of..."Alec?"

Logan stood there, too shocked to move at first, it was way too early for Alec to be making morning calls, from Max's complaints he knew that Alec never got up that early in the morning. But there he was, holding Max in a tight embrace and kissing her forehead. He just stood there for a few more minutes then he walked back to the car, ignoring the single tear that threatened to roll down his cheek. He didn't wait for an explanation, it all seemed too clear to him already.

A few minutes earlier...

Max let the door of the building swing shut behind her as she and Alec left early that morning. Alec of course, needed to get a change of clothes before work, so he was going to stop off at the market rather than go back to his apartment, and Max was going to meet OC for breakfast. "Well", Alec said, "I guess I should apologise for another lovely evening!" Max smiled and nodded. "You okay?", Alec asked, already knowing the answer. No matter how fine Max thought she was, she couldn't help it when she felt tears rising to her eyes again.

"Hey come here", Alec said gently, pulling her into another hug and tenderly kissing her forehead, "none of that soldier!" Max smiled, pulling back a little, though not out of the hug as his arms slipped down to her waist. "Thank you", she said, sniffing a little and wiping her eyes. "For what?", Alec asked, not quite following. "Just thank you", Max replied, saying nothing else, but speaking volumes with her eyes. "Anytime", Alec replied, finally releasing his hold on her waist, and turning to leave, "see ya at work?" Max nodded and managed another smile as he walked away, she didn't even notice Logan's car speeding past.

Later that day, Max pulled her bike to a halt outside Logan's apartment building. She had a delivery to make in that area so she thought she may as well stop by. Though now she was there, she still wasn't too sure about going in. She eventually told herself to stop being so ridiculous and chained her bike up outside, riding the elevator up to his floor. She needn't have bothered knocking, but she did, walking in when she heard his voice calling her to come in. The room was dark as she stepped inside and she saw that the blinds were drawn even though it was barely 2.00 in the afternoon.

She finally found Logan sitting on his couch with an open bottle of Scotch in front of him that he was clearly trying to make a serious dent in. "Logan?", she questioned, "Is everything okay? It's not like you to have a drinking lunch". She sat down on the coffee table in front of him and tried to figure out what had happened.

Logan wasn't too drunk, but he practically laughed when he saw her. "Hey", he managed eventually, "you look well...you doin' any good recently?" Max looked at him in confusion, but she still had no idea what was going on. "Logan, look at me", she said, carefully tilting his chin up so he had to (she was wearing thick gloves because of the November cold, but she was still worried about the virus), "is there something wrong?" "No everything's rosy", he deadpanned, "sun's shining, birds are singing, you're screwing Alec--" "What?", Max gulped, completely shocked.

"I saw you two together this morning at your place", Logan said bitterly, "I don't think you're gonna tell me that he was there that early 'cause he has a paper route!" Max looked down at the floor, she couldn't face him like this, and she had absolutely no idea what to say to him. Unfortunately, he didn't interpret the silence well, "I'm sorry Max, I didn't mean to go off at you", he said, now seeming calmer, more sober. "Just tell me that there's nothing going on between the two of you", he said, turning round to lie down on the couch, and rest his hand over his eyes, "and life can go back to normal".

Max sat there for a few seconds trying to think what to say, but ultimately even she was surprised when she said, "I...I can't do that". That had clearly not been the answer Logan had been expecting and he sat up a little too quickly, suddenly sober as a priest on Sunday. "What?", he asked again, more slowly. "I can't tell you that there's nothing between me and Alec", Max said, trying to convince herself with every new word that she was doing the right thing, "I'm sorry". Logan sat back in surprise, not knowing what to do with that new information. "I'm really sorry Logan", Max said standing up, suddenly needing to be somewhere...anywhere else. She left before he could say another word.

AN. Okay, I know that was basically just a rejig of a couple of episodes, but trust me, you need this part to get the rest of the story! More up soon! And a review or two would be nice! J *SS*