Title: Open
Author: Restive Nature
Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel. This show belongs to Fox and Cameron/ Elgee. No infringement is intended and this fiction is for reading pleasure only.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Dark Angel
Type: romance, Valentine Day fic.
Pairing: Max/ Logan, Max/ Alec
Summary: Open me, Open me! Pick me, Pick Me!
Spoilers/ Time line: Valentine's Day post "Freak Nation".
Feedback: Always welcome.
Distribution: Ask first, please.
Open
Two boxes. Both with tags. Both in simple penmanship, easily readable and just as discernible as having been written by two different hands.
Max sank into her seat in the dilapidated, run down office that she suspected the denizens of their loosely termed HQ had created for her to get her out of their hair. She stared at the boxes on the desk top and frowned. Why the hell were there presents on her desk? And then she sucked her breath in as she realized the date and her head dropped into her hands.
Saint freaking Valentine's Day. Just lovely.
With a sigh, she reached for the package on the left. She had a very good inkling at who had left it there for her. With it's expensive silver wrapping and pink ribbon around it, it was about the size of a jewelry box and Max winced as she drew it closer. There was a card underneath it and she disregarded it for the moment, wanting to give herself a heads up on what it actually was before she read the probably mushy, romantic overture.
Being careful to not tear the paper, musing that Joshua could probably incorporate it into his bits and pieces of artworks, she folded it nicely and laid it aside. And frowned. As she had expected, it was a jewelry box. But not too small. So maybe that was good news. She chewed at the corner of her lip and carefully edged it open, just a slit and was surprised into popping the lid the rest of the way open.
Inside was a syringe.
It was filled with a slightly cloudy liquid. The air in her lungs left her in a whoosh, her body sagging back in the chair. The cure? How could he have... And told her nothing? How had he... Suddenly afire with curiosity, she leaned forward and grabbed up the card, ripping it open. As expected the front was all hearts and romance and verse. But it was inside that she wanted. She ignored the Valentine's greeting to read what he had written on the plain inside of the card.
Dear Max, (it read)
For so long, we've been hoping and waiting for this day. I understand all the times that you pushed me away and you know I've forgiven you for all the secrecy and lies that this caused. I never blamed you for doing what you needed to do to protect your heart. I can only hope now, that your heart is in the same place as mine. Please don't fear taking this because I had Dr. Shankar test it privately.
We have the cure! I have to admit that the scientist I found was in the last place I'd expect to look. That's what that trip to Nebraska was about, not family business as I told you. And believe me, sacrificing the rest of my art collection was a paltry sum compared to what this means for us. I am very much looking forward to seeing the beautiful smile gracing your face again.
All my love,
Logan.
Max gaped at the letter. He'd sold off his art collection for this? She had wondered at one point, where he was getting funds from and he had told her about the collection that was held in one of the family warehouses laced with high security. He had listed all the paintings that he hadn't wanted the care of in his penthouse because they were truly historic works. She had gaped and told him that he could easily fence the lot for over ten grand. He had shrugged it off. A paltry sum! That kind of money could have...
And then she was gritting her teeth again. No... no, this was a gift. She didn't have the right to dictate to Logan how he spent his money. Slumping again, her mind whirling, she set the card back on the desk and caught sight of the other package. It looked familiar, almost.
And then the smile returned to her face. She knew where she had seen a box like that, recently. She had been visiting with Joshua and he had been carving out simple boxes and was trying to figure out hinged lids for them. They'd mostly been small, since they were made with found wood that was too small to use for anything else around Terminal City. When she had expressed admiration for what he was working on, Joshua had told her that he was showing some friends how to make them as well. She had liked that idea.
Wasn't it just absolutely sweet that Joshua would have made one for her. Especially when she had enthused so much over them. Max reached for the box, noting that it was tied shut with some simple twine. Well, it wasn't like Joshua had a ready supply of ribbons, or the ability to run out and get some. She untied the twine, wondering how she could thank the big guy. Maybe she'd make him a nice dinner and carve more than a few minutes out of her hectic schedule to spend with him. Of course, after trying her limited cooking selection, it might not be such a gift after all.
Running her fingers over the smooth grain of the wood, Max noticed that there was a scrolling pattern slightly burned into the wood, under the varnished coating. She smiled, how could she not? It was an extreme rarity these days to have basic supplies, but something pretty and useful? That was beyond sweet. Wondering how deep the box was, how thick the walls, she gently eased open the gold toned latch that matched the hinges. She wondered where those had come from as well. But when she looked inside, she realized that this whole gift, couldn't have come from Joshua.
Another syringe! And even more cloudy liquid.
The box clattered to the desk, luckily not far, and Max reached for the small rectangle of paper that had been under it. Unlike the first, there were no flowery phrases or pictures. There was simply her name. She flipped the paper open, her eyes dropping to the bottom. Alec? Her eyes raced back to the top as she quickly scanned through what her second in command had written.
Hey Maxie, (it read)
So I know, this was probably the last thing you were expecting to see today. But I hope it's good news. Now, I know that I keep harping on how we don't belong with ordinaries. That's not what this is about.
You saved my life. In more ways than one. I can man up and admit that. At first I just wanted to pay you back for that and that's why I was always on the look out for any information about the cure or a scientist or whatever. I even had a few of old home sweets brains looking at this. I finally got word and managed to get this. Don't worry, I had medical check it out thoroughly and it's the real deal.
The thing is, this isn't about you being able to get busy like I'm always teasing. It just really scares the hell outta the rest of us, how depressed and isolated this virus makes you. So hopefully having it, whatever you decide or wherever you go with it, it will give you a measure of peace. Or at least as much as we can get in this freaking crazy world.
Alec
P.S.- I hope you like the box. Josh showed me how to make it. I figured you could use it for other stuff later. And don't let me hear you say anything about what this cost, cause I'll have you know it was all my own money! And I've been working my ass off to make sure TC gets its share too. So just don't!
A.
Max giggled softly at that last missive. He had used all his own money?
Woah! Her head spun for a moment. Wait now, if Logan had spent around ten grand for the cure, and if they possibly... probably came from the same source, because that would be just typical! Then Alec had had ten grand! And that was what he put aside to pay her back. Because she knew that he always had cash from his schemes and scams. And he was right, he'd donated his fair share and more to helping out their brethren before and after the siege started. She'd found that out on her own. Her finger skimmed over one of the lines he'd written.
...a measure of peace.
Tears pricked suddenly at her eyes and she laid the letter on the desk. She knew deep down that this wasn't just a simple gift, or gifts as it were, anymore. It was so much deeper and visceral than that. If only she knew what she would do... say.
*****
“Well, as sure as I am that she'll like your gift Alec,” Logan was sighing as he sat at one of the rickety chairs, waiting for the moment Max emerged from her office, cure in hand. “I really found something that she will love.” He smiled softly as the other man, once thought a rival and now known as simply a ruse to protect him, leaned against the table and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Nah,” Alec shrugged. “I'm sure you got her something great. But Max will not be able to resist what's in that box.”
“Oh, you got her more than a box?” Logan was surprised. When Alec had surprised him in Max's office, he had seen the simple hand made wooden box that Alec had been carrying. He'd seen them just recently here and there around the city. An early inquiry had told him that Joshua had figured out the design and was happily taking orders for them. They were well made and Logan had contemplated asking Joshua for one, to replace the tray that he'd kept in his bedroom, to put loose change and the like on.
“And no little trinket or bauble either,” Alec chuckled, shaking his head.
“Well, as sure as I am that it's nice,” Logan challenged softly, “it just won't compare to what I got her.”
“Well, I guess we'll find out, huh?” Alec grunted straightening up and glancing upward. Logan followed his gaze and saw Max appear on the balcony that overlooked the main room. He stood and held his breath, seeing the syringe in her hand. She was looking down at him, chewing at her lower lip. The hand that held the syringe up in the air, was holding it gently, while she had her arm crossed just across her stomach, her hand clenched in the crook of her elbow.
“Anybody down there got a band-aid?” she asked loudly, as she lowered the hand holding the syringe and glancing at her arm. She grinned impishly. “Stupid arm doesn't want to stop bleeding.”
“Got it Max,” Luke called back as he pushed away from his desk to reach underneath where they kept a rag tag first aid kit. Max nodded and disregarding the two males' eyes following her every movement, began to descend the steps. Luke met her at the bottom and easily applied a gauzy strip to her arm. She transferred the syringe, now obviously empty to her other hand as she clenched and unclenched her left hand. Probably trying to get the blood flowing again. Thanking the transhuman quietly, she then turned on her heel and regarded the two most important men in her life.
She held up the syringe. “This was probably about the most precious gift I've ever received,” she smiled tremulously. And then chuckled. “And probably the most expensive, too.” Neither male realized that she was addressing them both, sort of. She went on. “And that note was beautiful. I think I've finally learned to read between the lines.”
Both of them puffed up just a slightest bit, their attention both narrow and focused exclusively on Max. She began to move closer. “But I need to ask... did you really mean it...”
Logan opened his mouth to reply that he'd meant everything he'd written. But she had turned... to him!
“... Alec?” she asked. Logan turned, stunned, horrified as Alec, looking... well, tender, was the only way Logan could catalog it, reached to take both of Max's hands in his.
“Every word,” he smiled down at her. “What I wrote and what I didn't.” He shuffled just a little, looking mildly uncomfortable. “You got that, huh?”
“Pretty loud and clear, actually,” she held her lower lip between her teeth as she stared up at the transgenic male. “I have to say, it was surprising how clear everything got all of a sudden.” And then without warning, she had pulled him closer and was tilting her head up, lips meeting those that were eagerly descending on hers. Logan felt sucker punched as the woman he loved and the man he now despised closed the gap between them while widening his own to a chasm.
He was deaf to the cheers and whistles and catcalls from the bystanders around headquarters. He knew he was fleeing, though he didn't realize until he was in Max's office that it had been his destination all along. And there, on her desk was the gift he had given, open and he could see the syringe that he had gone to great lengths and expense to get, sitting, lonely and forlorn. No, that description wasn't for inanimate objects. That was he, Logan Cale and he slumped in the door way, cursing himself for all kinds of a fool for his romantic intentions. If only he'd given it to her when he'd first received confirmation from Shankar, then it could be him in his beloveds arms right now. But no... he had wanted it to be a grand gesture. The kind she deserved and needed. And now, because he was an idealistic fool, he'd lost out on the greatest treasure he could ever have found.
*****
“So tell me,” Max wondered as she and Alec, holding hands and ambling along to Max's apartment, since she swore she had a gift for Alec as well, no where near as amazing as the cure, of course... but still! “How long were you sitting on that cure?”
“A little while,” Alec admitted. “I had the boys over in medical check and double check it. And I still wasn't sure, so I asked Dr. Carr to take a look at it too.”
“Really?” Max asked, pleased that he had taken such care of her, without her even realizing it. Alec chuckled and nuzzled at her head for a moment as they walked. “Thank you.”
“Of course Maxie,” he sighed contentedly. They had reached her apartment complex by then, not too far from the one he had chosen. She was only on the second floor up and it didn't take them long, but as they walked he wondered aloud, “so what did Logan get you?”
Max giggled and shook her head. “Something shiny, clear and inappropriately expensive.”
“Huh, maybe you can fence it and we can get those blankets we need,” Alec suggested. “Not that I'm trying to be... mercenary or anything. Just...”
“I know what you mean,” Max assured him as she opened her door. “And unfortunately, it's not the kind of thing that there's a market for.”
“Oh, huh,” Alec grunted, following her unspoken directive to take a seat on her sofa. “That's weird,” he commented as she moved into her bedroom. She was out again in a trice, something held behind her back.
“Oh, I suppose you'd figure it out sooner or later,” she sighed as she moved to stand behind the couch and him. “He found the cure too.”
Alec peered up at her and then to her surprise, he burst out laughing. “Oh jeez,” he finally wheezed out. “And there we were, telling each other that no one could top the gift we got. Oh man!”
“Well, it wasn't the gift that made me decide,” Max admitted. “It was the reason behind the gift. Or maybe the intent.”
“Mine was better?” Alec asked softly. Max nodded and then made a shooing motion for him to turn away. Alec grinned and obliged.
“Okay, close your eye,” she directed. Alec huffed but did as she wanted. He waited and could feel her breath skim along his right cheekbone before something was deposited on his lap. It was rectangular and hard. “I hope you like it. It took me forever to do.”
Alec popped his eyes open and immediately started laughing when he recognized the Joshua designed box. But there on the top, was the logo of his favorite band burned in, much like he had done with the scroll work on hers. “Great minds Maxie?” he teased.
“Sorta,” she agreed. “I didn't have anything amazingly awesome to put in it of course, and Joshua actually did the box. But I did the art work. Is it right?” Alec could hear the nervousness in her voice.
“It's perfect baby,” he assured her before setting the box beside him and reaching to haul her over the back of the sofa and onto his lap. And with that next kiss, they began a celebration of Valentine's Day that became a tradition they kept for many years after.
No comments:
Post a Comment