Disclaimer: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

Summary: Sequel to The Siege. You need to read that before reading this to fully understand what's happening. Takes place a few months after the ending scene in The Siege. In this story, loose ends are tied up and old quarrels are solved.

A/N: I'm having major writer's block. If this chapter sounds choppy and/or slow, please bear with me. This is sort of an in-between story. It won't be more than a few chapters—just enough for me to marry off most of the characters and add a lot of A/M/L angst. But then again… considering how I write (people say things I didn't mean, bad things happen, new plotlines develop… *sigh*) it's not a promise.

Happily Never After

By

Brin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1: Transparent… Transgenic?

The last few months had been hectic, and that was an understatement. Between attempting to meld the transgenics into American culture, dealing with the press, negotiating with government leaders, and having a love life… Max was exhausted. She had slept every night for the last week—which of course had caused Alec to become frustrated and created a bit of tension between them.

"I'm going to die," announced Max as she lay face-down on her bed.

"Oh come on. Dieing is so overrated," replied Jondy as she dusted Max's apartment for her.

"And that'd just take all the fun out of the Familiars' lives," added Syl, who was balancing Max's checkbook. Eve was in a playpen in the middle of the room, banging her rattle against the floor. "They love sending goons after you."

"Besides, if you're not happy then I'm not happy. Are you happy guys?" said Eddie as she entered the room with a mop and bucket.

"Nope," replied Syl and Jondy in unison.

Max lifted her head and glared at each of them. "I'm glad you find this amusing." She put her head back down and submerged herself in the bed sheets.

"Show a little appreciation! I just mopped your kitchen floor and cleaned both of your bathrooms," complained the cat anomaly, collapsing on the bed on top of Max. "Which, might I add, was long overdue."

"Thank you," grumbled the sulking X5, her voice muffled by the covers.

"I think we need a ladies' night out," declared Syl. "Max needs a vacation."

"Can't do that," interrupted Max. "I have a meeting with Social Services people this evening."

"Well… what about afterwards?" Jondy finished dusting and joined Eddie in sitting atop Max.

"The meeting is over at like ten and I think Alec would be a bit disappointed if I didn't have sex with him tonight." Max shoved the two transgenics off of her and sat up. "He's disappointed that I've started sleeping like a normal person and don't stay up all night anymore."

The other three transgenics laughed.

"I wouldn't let Krit near me for like the first five months of my pregnancy," said Syl as she picked Eve up. "Alec better get used to it."

"And that would be assuming that I plan on getting pregnant soon, which I'm not," said Max irritably, lifting a finger to accentuate her point. "I'll leave that to you and Jondy, thankyouverymuch."

"Whatever you say," mumbled Syl, shaking her head incredulously. "Anyway, it's your twenty-first birthday Wednesday, isn't it? October 30th, Max…"

Jondy's face lit up. "That's right! Your twenty-first! Do you know what that means?"

"Umm… we have a nice dinner and… a pajama party?" Max covered her head with a pillow.

"Barhopping, strip clubs, getting wasted… and not feeling guilty," corrected Jondy with an evil grin. "You, my sista, are going to have a night on the town with us."

"That's a bad thing, isn't it?" asked Max timidly. "Can I pass?"

"No."

Max peeked out from underneath the pillow at Eddie. "Help? Please?'

"I'm not old enough to come… what do you want me to do?" she said, baring her fangs in a smile.

"That's right," grumbled Max, shaking her head. "I forgot."

Jondy laughed and pulled her little sister off the bed. "Max, you've got to learn to chill. No one likes a party pooper. We need to loosen you up some. Eddie, go grab a bottle of Alec's liquor and some Tabasco sauce and…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm going to kill Jondy! thought Max angrily as she tried to stay awake during the meeting with the Social Services people. Almost totally inebriated from whatever the hell Jondy had mixed together in her drink, the X5 felt extremely drowsy and just wanted to go home.

"…we will require all transgenics under the age of eighteen to be adopted or acquire legal guardians or they will be sent to a state-approved orphanage…"

Max's head jerked up at that. "Sir, we have over two hundred fifty transgenics in that age group," she reminded him.

"I'm sorry, Miss Guevara, but that is the law. If they aren't adopted we will set up new orphanages to meet their needs," said the head of Social Services, then sat down. "You have two months to do this. We can't have those kids living on the streets, uncared for and causing trouble. Meeting adjourned."

There was the loud scraping of chairs against the ground as everyone stood up, glad that the three-hour meeting was finally over.

"Shit… shit, shit, shit, shit!" grumbled Max under her breath. She looked at Alec, who was twirling a ballpoint pen around his fingers distractedly. "Now what're we going to do?"

Alec shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe Logan could help us."

Max cringed. For the past few months, her contact with Logan had been kept to an absolute minimum. During the time she had spent with him, Max had made sure that someone else was in the room. She really didn't have the time nor the patience to deal with him if he brought up his love for her again. It just… wasn't at the top of her list of pleasurable pastimes.

"Oh come on, Maxie. Logan could pull one of his miracles and we'd have those kids in homes by the end of the week," said Alec, patting her on the shoulder.

"Alec, we can't always depend on Logan."

"Okay, so next time we have a crisis, we won't ask him. This is his area, Maxie," said Alec, leaning forward. "He doesn't bite."

Max sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "Alright, alright. We'll ask Logan. But can we just go home now?"

"Was about to suggest it myself. Let's go." Alec practically jumped to his feet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Max and Alec got home, they had the distinct impression that someone was in their apartment. The doorknob had been carelessly picked; the paperclip was still inside the keyhole. Alec pulled his gun from inside his jacket. He always carried a gun nowadays, and once or twice it had been quite useful. "You check the living room. I got the kitchen and the bedroom."

Max nodded and crept down the hall. Her enhanced hearing picked up breathing in the living room. The TV was on. She crouched low and peeked around the corner. As soon as she saw who was in the room, she relaxed and stood up, shaking her head.

"You can relax now, Alec," called the female X5. "It's only Eddie and Pick."

Alec emerged from the kitchen with a sour look upon his face. "You mean I don't get to beat up anyone?"

"Shh," said Max, pointing at the two teenagers.

The younger transgenics were entangled on the couch, fast asleep. Eddie was halfway on top of Pick, who had his arms around her waist and his head resting on her shoulders. A bowl of popcorn was sitting on the coffee table and the TV was showing some soundless black and white film.

"Aw… damn," groaned Alec, slumping his shoulders. "Why are they here? We can't have sex if they're here!"

Max clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress a laugh, but it didn't work very well as her shoulders started shaking. "Al-Alec… what…?"

"It's not funny, Max," he complained miserably.

"Sorry, sorry." She shook her head and turned her attention back to their guests. "Their apartment doesn't have a television… or popcorn… or a microwave…"

"Or a refrigerator," volunteered Alec. "Or a couch… or-or—"

"I know, Alec," snapped Max irritably. "That's probably why they're here. We should let them sleep here tonight. They'll go home in the morning, alright?"

Alec sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Okay, okay. But just because they don't have a bed frame." He paused, then continued, "I mean, they won't accept help from anyone so I don't' see why they have to come over here and sleep—"

"You must be tired, baby," interrupted the female X5, shaking her head. "Let's go to sleep."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning.

"Is Eddie old enough to be sleeping with Pick?"

"We don't know if she's sleeping with him, and it's none of your business."

"Okay… but, say—"

"Alec!" yelled Max, smacking him on the head. "Will you stop it?"

The other X5 rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "I feel hyper. I need to run a mile… or ten… Can I go, Max? Pleeease?!"

"I don't suppose I can stop you," replied Max with a roll of her eyes. "Go, then. But you better take a shower when you get back because everyone knows you smell like a gossamer after you run."

Alec happily jumped off the bed and pulled on his sweatpants and sweatshirt. "Back in five minutes, baby." He gave Max a kiss on the cheek and hurried out the door.

A few seconds after he was gone, Eddie poked her head in and cautiously looked around the room. "Where's the fire?"

"He's just got some pent-up energy," explained Max with a shrug. "Where's Pick?"

"Went to work." She moved into the doorway. A big, fluffy comforter was wrapped around her tiny body, making her look like one big ball of cloth with a head and feet. "Umm, Max? Can I ask you something?" said the cat anomaly with a sheepish look on her face.

"Sure."

"Uhh… when you first got out of Manticore, did you have a mom and dad? Like, did anyone take you in?"

Max sat up and smiled at the young transgenic, who was shuffling her feet nervously. "Eddie, come here." She held her arms out. The cat anomaly looked around the room as if expecting someone else to be there, but found no one so she went over and climbed onto the bed to accept Max's hug. "Look, I've never had a mother or father. I doubt many first-generation transgenics ever have, okay? Not even the X-series."

"Well, down in the basement we heard from Joshua that there was once a Father," explained the girl, her big brown eyes wide with curiosity. She looked more like a frightened child than a hardened soldier. "Was there?"

"I remember Father," admitted Max with a shrug. "He's the one who created the transgenics. No one knows where he is now."

"Oh…" Eddie looked disappointed. "But, after you got out…?"

"We were chased. Hunted, like animals. We didn't live in one place too long until we got older and discovered new tricks to hide. Anomalies aren't the only ones who have never had a complete family."

Eddie smiled. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Eddie stood up with the comforter still wrapped around her shoulders. "Thanks. I'll just be going now…" She started waddling to the door, trying to avoid tripping over the blanket and falling flat on her face.

Max watched her go, but just before Eddie reached the door a light bulb went on in the X5's mind. "Hey, Eddie, just a second."

The cat anomaly stopped and turned around. "Yes?"

"Last night, at the meeting, I was told that every transgenic under the age of eighteen needs to have legal parents or guardians—"

At this point Alec walked in, but Max was too far to stop.

"—and I was thinking that Alec and I could maybe adopt you?"

THUD.

"Eddie?" Max jumped out of bed and ran over to the unconscious girl. "She… fainted?"

"Good job, Max. Scare the poor girl shitless," said Alec, wiping his sweaty face on his sleeve.

TBC…

A/N: I'm unhappy with that chapter *sigh* Please don't kill me. It'll get better… I hope U_U