Author: Restive Nature (aka Bavite)
Disclaimer: The characters and fictional placings of either of these shows do not belong to me. They belong to Cameron/ Eglee (Dark Angel), Joss Whedon (BtVS) and Whedon/ Greenwalt (AtS). Only the story belongs to me.
Rating: 13 (for now)
Genre: Crossover of DA/ BtVS
Type: WiP
Timeline/ Spoilers: Post Season 5 for Buffy. Up to LAtR for DA. Story set in DA time.
Summary: BtVS/ DA crossover. Life brings about so many changes. Especially when one has just risen from the dead.
A/N- Not all of the events that took place in Dark Angel will be present in this fiction. And there may be more time passing between events than it appeared on the show. So I guess that makes this AU. Also, some of the lines spoken by Max and Logan were taken from the episode "Love Among The Runes" which was written by Moira Kirkland Dekker & Jose Molina.
Chapter Two
May 3rd, 2021
Once Max had discovered what Alec meant by someplace to figure out the strange marking on her skin, she’d protested heavily. There weren’t many people they knew that had the resources to figure these sorts of thing out. And since neither of them knew what the mark was, how or why it had appeared, they needed to find someone who did. And that meant Logan. It was highly doubtful that he would know about markings like these. But perhaps with his network of contacts, he’d be able to turn something up.
Max had voiced her protests. Based solely upon the fact that she’d just broken up for good with the man. Alec had overrode that, pointing out that just because she and Logan weren’t together didn’t mean that Logan would deny Max his help. And then Alec had muttered something about stuffing Logan’s computer up his ass if he tried. That had gotten a small snort of laughter out of her, and for the rest of the walk to Fogle Towers, they were quiet.
Alec was racking his brain, trying to think of any time that he may have seen writing like that. But if it was, as he believed, a word or letter of a foreign language, then it was none he knew. And he did know a few. But even more puzzling about what it meant, was where it had come from. The color, the black was reminiscent of their barcodes that were encoded on their genome. But thinking along those lines just brought up more questions.
Max for her part, was unable to keep a cohesive line of thought in her head. She just kept cursing herself for jinxing her life. There she’d been, ready to settle down with the normal part of her life. She’d told herself to just get back to the simple things. And then bam! She’d been hit with something out of the ordinary. If it had been another lost sibling showing up, she’d know how to handle it. If it had been one of the transhumans in trouble, she could help. If Alec had been in a dangerous situation, she could save him. But this at the moment was beyond the scope of her instinctive protective abilities. She could save herself, of course. But what exactly was she saving herself from? Freaky markings that appeared of its own free will?
Although neither transgenic was giving anything away by their expression; it was a mark of their shock that they automatically opted to move to Logan’s front door and knock. Instead of their normal route of climbing in an open window or picking the lock. And so when Logan opened the door to see who had come to visit, he was able to pick up on their shock and tension immediately. Even if it weren’t a conscious thing for him, he did recognize it on some level. Of course as soon as he saw the combination of ex-girlfriend and the man he’d thought to be his rival, he was even more on guard.
"Max, Alec," he greeted softly, if somewhat stiffly. He debated a moment with inviting them in, but after the upheaval of the last few days, he decided to cut out the structure of false polite nature he’d been brought up to adhere to. "Why are you here?" The harshness of the question was deflected on by the faint tension around his eyes, letting both transgenics know that it was personal and nothing against them. Well, as much as it could be in any case.
"We have a problem," Alec announced, stepping forward. Logan let out a sigh and stepped back to let them enter. He knew better than to get in the way physically when a transgenic decided to do something. More often than not, they’d be just as likely to go straight through them. And he wasn’t a match for them physically. Sometimes even mentally. IT was a sore point that he hoped he’d hidden well from them.
Alec turned as he entered the apartment, shedding his jacket. Max was still standing in the doorway, averting her face from Logan. The older man was looking at her with something akin to longing. With a sigh, he reached back and yanked Max through the doorway. Logan pushed the door shut behind her and waited expectantly. "Show him Max."
She waited a moment and then extended her right arm, wrist up. At first Logan wasn’t sure what he was supposed to look at. But when he caught sight of the tattoo, his hand snaked out to grab it for a better look, until he remembered whom he was reaching for. Max and Alec had noticed his action as well, respectively taking a step back and a step forward to prevent the skin on skin contact. Logan held his hand up in a futile gesture. "Sorry," he apologized generally.
Max carefully extended her arm again and Logan leaned over slightly peering at the mark. "That appeared tonight, out of the blue," Alec explained. Logan glanced up at him, completely puzzled. Like Alec, he’d initially thought that Max had gotten a tattoo. Though for the life of him, he couldn’t understand why.
"That’s strange," he commented, then regretted it. Both transgenics were looking at him with obvious annoyance. He straightened up and moved towards the living room. He was a little miffed that they seemed to expect him not to comment on something that was new and completely baffling to him. "So what do you want me to do about it?"
The pair followed after him, one more reluctantly than the other did. "You know Logan, even as brilliant as we are," Alec started in a humorous tone, hoping to diffuse some of the tension, "Manticore still hadn’t figured out how to cram every piece of knowledge on earth into our heads." Logan stared up at him blankly. "In other words," he sighed, "neither of us recognized what this is. We were hoping you might have some idea, or some way to figure it out."
"Oh," Logan murmured, feeling strangely deflated. When he’d seen Max, even with Alec in tow, he’d hoped. Hoped that she’d take back every word that she’d said to him the other day. But he should have known better. Max always was determined to protect the people she cared about. At least he could take comfort in the fact that he fell into that category still. But realizing now that they had come to him with a specific purpose, to get his help enabled him to push his personal feelings on the matter aside. He gestured for them to sit.
Max took a seat on the chair next to the end of the couch and Alec perched on the end of the couch opposite Logan, closest to Max. Logan leaned forward so that he could see both of them and then addressed himself to Max. "So it just showed up? You didn’t do anything? Drink anything?"
"Yeah," she scoffed, "I drank from a bottle marked tattoos from within. Was that wrong?"
"Max," both men chided together. Alec glanced over at Logan and smiled, oddly gentle when the older man was only used to the transgenic’s smirks and caustic rejoinders. He smiled back tentatively, but then Max was speaking again.
"Sorry," she apologized shortly. She glanced away, still finding it difficult to openly admit how badly she was shaken. "It’s just freaking me out." She fell silent, still not looking at either one.
"I think it’s some sort of word or letter," Alec explained to fill in the silence she left. Logan nodded. That was his first assessment as well. "Or maybe an icon of some sort. But being that we’re just poor minimum wage workers with no constant access to computers other than yours, well…"
Logan nodded again. It made sense for them to come to where their needs were. An idea hit him. "Hang on a second," he announced as he rose from his seat. He strode away to his office. Alec glanced at Max, pursing his lips. ‘You okay?’ he mouthed to her. She nodded tiredly and then Logan was returning. He held in his hands a digital camera. He showed it to them.
"I’m going to take a picture of the mark," he explained, hurrying on before either could make a snarky comment about that. "And then I’ll download it on the computer. That way I can compare it to whatever I come up with." Max just nodded and pulled the sleeve of her shirt back further so that he could take a clear picture. He did so, taking them from different angles. When he was done, he returned to his seat, setting the camera on the coffee table.
"What now?" Max asked quietly.
"Well," Logan adjusted his glasses nervously. "There are a couple search engines I can try. Maybe one or two people I know of that I can contact if that search turns up nothing. I’ll get right on it."
"Okay," Alec slapped his hands on his thighs before standing up. "We better let you get to it then." Max gave him a grateful glance and stood herself. Logan followed them belatedly, stopping to pick up the camera so that his hands were full. Maybe then he wouldn’t be tempted to reach for her. Not that he was fooling his own senses. Alec pulled the front door open and stepped outside, politely giving the former lovebirds a moment to themselves. But Max could still see his leg from where he was lounging against the hallway wall.
It was strange to her how he’d been picking up on her unspoken needs all night. Well, the last couple days actually. From giving her the opportunity to speak of Ben. To remember and then let go. To giving her space to deal with her revelations. And tonight, teasing her when she was in the mood, entertaining her with his rivalry with Cindy. Taking charge when she had no idea what to do or where to turn. And now, respecting the relationship that she had had with Logan, even when he’d once denigrated it. And staying close by to reassure her.
She shook her head clear of these thoughts. She could reflect on them later. She turned back to Logan, who was toying with the camera. "Thanks Logan," she murmured, her eyes shy as she glanced up at him from under half-drooped lids.
"Any time," he answered with an easy smile. "You know I’ll help you however I can," he assured her.
"I know."
*****
May4th, 2021
Alec had arrived at Jam Pony at his usual time. He greeted the various co-workers already there and made his way down the ramp, his bicycle beside him. He leaned it against the counter and shucked his delivery bag over his head.
"Hey Normal, what’s the good word?" he called. His boss turned around a smile on his face as he beheld his favorite employee.
"Not much these days," Normal shrugged. He plucked a package from the growing pile and tossed it to Alec, noting the address aloud and marking it on the clipboard seemingly glued to his hands. He chose another one and repeated the process, this one flying over to Biggs, who caught it with the same agility Alec had shown. Once that was accomplished, Normal set about continuing his relentless and somewhat compulsive scrubbing off the counter.
Biggs jerked his head to the side and the two transgenics moved away from the ordinary. "You left early last night," he phrased it as an observation, but it was a question. Alec nodded.
"We had a bit of a situation," he replied with a shrug. If it had been something serious, Biggs would have known immediately by his tone and his posture. But what he gathered from his former unit member was that it was troublesome, but being dealt with. Not a threat that needed immediate attention and action. "I’ll tell you about it later." Alec would have explained now, but he’d just caught sight of Cindy, but no Max.
The black woman threw Alec a worried glance and motioned him over. Alec went to her side, meeting her back at the counter, Biggs following after him. "Jus a sec," she muttered, holding one finger up to Alec. "Hey Normal!" she called. The older man turned to her expectantly; his face already twisted in disgust as he imagined what his employee might have to say this round.
"What?" he demanded.
"Max won’t be in today," Cindy began, but Normal was already rolling his eyes.
"And what God-forsaken excuse has she come up with this time?" he demanded knowingly. Unbeknownst to his employees, Normal liked to keep a list of these excuses in a book at home, taking it out and laughing over the absurdity of the proffered items.
"She has a skin infection of some sort," Cindy stressed; her impassive face more than anything convincing Normal that she spoke the truth. Or at least some semblance of it. "She’s goin’ to get it checked out and she’ll bring a note from her doctor."
"She better," Normal growled, although there wasn’t much for him to say. But he felt better trying to retain the image of control. He dismissed them all with a glance and headed into the back room for more packages.
"What’s really going on Cindy?" Alec asked quietly as soon as the other people milling about where out of earshot. She glanced at Biggs, unsure if the newest transgenic was in on what had gone down. But Alec wouldn’t have asked in front of him if it weren’t okay.
"She found another mark this mornin’ in the shower," Cindy related. Alec sighed and swore softly. "Not the same as the other, but similar style," she went on. "Freaked her out and home girl decided to stay put."
"We’re on our way," Alec confirmed. He nodded to Biggs and both men collected their bags.
"Thought ya would be," Cindy muttered, more to herself than them, since they were already riding away.
*****
On the way to Logan’s Alec explained the situation to Biggs. He was of the opinion that perhaps Biggs might recognize the marks. Biggs was doubtful, but agreed to have a look, just in case he’d come across something of that nature on one of his solo missions and just wasn’t realizing it. Biggs asked why they were going to Logan’s, which was easy enough for Alec to answer. He proceeded to tell Biggs about what had occurred after his erroneous arrest. What Logan had thought and said to Max. And why Max was avoiding him.
"So we’re going to pick up Logan’s digital camera," Alec outlined, "and then head over to Max’s. We’ll get the picture and then send the pics back to Logan so he can keep researching them."
Biggs threw his friend an amused glance. "Dude, all you had to say was that Max had weird marks and that we were getting a camera."
Alec looked mildly sheepish at that. "Yeah, sorry, kind of slipped into operation mode, didn’t I?"
"It’s understandable," Biggs chuckled. They’d arrived at Fogle Towers after quickly making their deliveries. Biggs settled back on his bike as Alec dismounted and leaned his against the building. "I’ll watch it," Biggs told him, gesturing to the bike.
"Thanks," Alec noted as he took off at a jog up to the penthouse. Once there, he slipped in, thinking that if he could avoid Logan it would save everyone a lot of hassle. But even before he heard Logan puttering around his computer room, knew that he wouldn’t have such luck. So he slipped on silent feet up to the doorway and knocked loudly on the frame. He hid a smile as Logan jumped and whirled around. The older man sighed and rearranged his glasses on his face.
"You’d think that after two years of this, I’d be immune by now," he complained. Alec leaned against the doorframe and smiled.
"You’d think," he agreed calmly. "Sorry man, didn’t mean to startle you. Well, actually I did. Gotta get my kicks where I can."
"Nice to know what an amusement I am to you," Logan retorted, more than a little bitter. Whatever peace they’d discovered the previous night had faded in the sunlight. Alec sighed and debated confronting this problem head on. But since he had nothing to be ashamed of, mostly from not having done anything, he decided to get it out of the way.
"Look man, Max told me about what happened the other day," Alec began and Logan’s head came up sharply. "And I understand," he went on. "I do. But you gotta know that Max and me? That’s something that’ll never happen. You have nothing to worry about there."
Logan stared at him, unbelievingly. Alec was assuring him? That was new. And the younger man’s candidness prompted his own. "I know that. And it wasn’t necessarily you I was worried about."
"How so?" Alec queried. Logan sighed and took a seat in his chair. He avoided looking at the other man by pulling up the search engine he’d been working on before he’d broken for some breakfast.
"I think I probably would have said the same no matter who the guy was in that position," he muttered. Alec made a noise of encouragement in his throat and Logan spared him a glance. For once, there was no bemusement on Alec’s face as he regarded the older man. Just understanding. The words continued to slip out. "It was just, seeing you and her, so close together. Something we don’t seem to have anymore. Whether we can touch or not, you know?" He looked up at Alec again. "I want her to be happy. And I hate that it’s not with me. But I don’t begrudge her finding someone that can do that for her." He paused and glanced down at his hands, knuckles white as they twined together, "I just don’t want to be there to see it happen. You know what I mean?"
"I do," Alec nodded. "And like I said, Max and I are just too alike to ever go down that road. That and the fact that no matter what anyone thinks of me, I do draw the line somewhere. I’m not the type of guy to intentionally steal another guy’s girl." Logan nodded, even though he’d never thought along those lines when it came to Alec. His track record might have said differently until one thought about it and realized that though he loved the ladies, he didn’t go that route.
"Yeah," Logan agreed. "But even if I’m not losing you to her, I’m still losing her."
"And there’s the kicker," Alec grunted. He ran a distracted hand through his hair, debating whether or not he should say more. But it was a rare moment that either one of them opened up to get to the heart of emotion. And it was decidedly weird for Alec. But he was in the moment and decided to run with it. "You know, you do make Max happy. I’ve seen that. Not often and I’m sure that’s because I’m not around all the time. The problem is that once she’s happy, all the crap rushes back in on her, making those moments tougher all the time."
"I know," Logan admitted quietly. "It’s the same for me."
"You’ve said that you want her to be happy, that’s good," Alec affirmed. "But Logan, if you can’t just go back to being her friend and someone who helps her, it might be better to just let go completely."
Logan bit his lip as he considered that, not for the first time. He glanced up at Alec again. "Do you think I should do that?"
Alec took a deep breath. He’d told Max this before, that they didn’t belong with ordinaries. And he wasn’t about to sugarcoat it for Logan. There was just too much heartache, even on a good day. "In the long run? Yeah, I think so. It’s nothing against you man. I just think it’s the better option for Max."
Logan was silent as he took this in. But to Alec’s surprise, he let out a bark of laughter. "Well, there’s another first."
"What?"
"That you and I of all people would be having a talk like this," Logan grinned, even though his heart was heavy. Alec got what he meant though and straightened up, chuckling.
"Yeah, I seemed to be having a ‘dad’ moment," he laughed and then a small shudder went through him.
"Scary thought," Logan chuckled. "Can’t really see you as a dad. No offense."
"Nah," Alec waved it off. "Neither can I." He paused a moment. "Protective older brother?" he offered. Logan considered but a moment on that, the dual meaning of it clear to him. Alec was assuring him in his own way, that he really had nothing to fear of a romantic entanglement between the two transgenics. But at the same time, by positioning himself as Max’s pseudo brother, he was also stating that he would look out for Max as family would. And it heartened Logan some to know that she’d have someone looking out for her when he couldn’t. And as much as Max would protest that she didn’t need anyone to save her, Logan had been around her long enough to know that that wasn’t always the case.
"So, what was it that you needed?" he asked, ending that topic of conversation.
*****
It didn’t take long for Alec to explain and come away with Logan’s digital camera. Then he and Biggs rode to Max’s and explained what they had done. Max had resignedly allowed Alec to photograph the mark that had appeared on her shoulder that morning. Biggs stayed behind to talk with Max about both marks, which he seemed to believe, were Egyptian in nature. Unfortunately, it was a language none of them knew, speaking or reading. But both Alec and Biggs were loath to leave her alone. And because Alec knew Logan better, he decided to go. He left them deep in conversation about the different countries that Biggs’ missions for Manticore had taken him. Alec was surprised that they were getting along so well for barely knowing each other.
*****
May 7th, 2021
"Boo, you about ready?" Cindy yelled above the music that she had playing. She didn’t hear a reply, so she leaned over to turn the stereo down. "Max?"
"Yeah, just a second," the other woman called back. And true to her word, just moments later she emerged from her room. Reminiscent of the night a few weeks ago that she and Cindy had gone out, only to be interrupted by a bunch of narcissistic blood sucking teens, Max was dressed a little better than she normally did for clubbing.
Cindy whistled and checked her friend out, with a little attraction sparking in her. Damn but her roommate was a fine looking woman. But just as Cindy knew that Max and Alec had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting together, her Boo also didn’t "swing that way". But Cindy consoled herself that it was okay to look and appreciate. Her noticing was more in the manner of taking her by surprise as she realized anew just how well Manticore had designed this person. Somewhat akin to being jealous of a good-looking friend’s gene pool.
The skintight blue jeans accentuated Max’s slim figure. And the dark blue, mock turtleneck sweater she’d paired with it hugged her torso nicely. Her arms were bare below the elbow, but Max had covered up the bothersome mark with a wide, tight bracelet. Cindy had to smile as Max’s hair bounced in its ponytail. She’d even gone so far as to apply a little make-up. And when Cindy had gotten home from work the day before, she’d given Max another manicure. Something that was still a weekly ritual with them.
"Well, if you’re ready, then let’s go," Cindy decided as she shut off the stereo completely. The two women headed off, complaining good-naturedly about their workday. They were only meeting up with their co-workers and friends, but it felt good to be out and about and in the same frame of mind.
Once they arrived at Crash, they’d found Alec, Biggs and Sketchy holding a table for them in the back. Their usual one. Max slid into an available seat between Sketchy and Alec and took the proffered mug that Sketch slid towards her. Alec glanced at his watch, his face lighting up with a grin.
"Wow, close to on time tonight," he teased. "Did Cindy threaten to hog-tie you and drag you along tonight?" He glanced at Cindy who was smiling as well.
"Nah," she offered before Max could say a word. "Boo was just in the mood to partay tonight. And who is Original Cindy to be sayin’ no to a face like that?’ They all looked towards Max who looked startled at being the sudden center of attention. There was laughter and she flushed slightly.
"C’mon," she jerked her head towards the foosball table. "Let’s play."
"Hang on," Cindy muttered, grabbing her glass even as she let her eye rove over the bar-goers. There were no specific ladies that caught her attention yet, so she followed after her friend. They began a game and while they were playing, Sketchy noticed that the pool table became free. So the men headed in that direction. It might have turned into a night just like any other between the young people. But it was comfortable, fun and familiar and they were able to relax. Biggs challenged Sketchy, who agreed, with Alec playing the loser.
But as the evening wore on, things changed once again. While Alec was playing Sketchy, Biggs headed over to the bar to get them all a refill. Before Alec could make his next shot, his cell phone rang. He threw an apologetic glance at Sketch before pulling it from his hip pocket to answer. "Hello?" he muttered, moving to a slight alcove to hear a little better.
"Alec? It’s Logan?"
*****
Biggs carried two mugs and Alec’s glass back to the bar. He shouldered his way in and found that he was next to Max, waiting for her pitcher to be refilled. "Hey," he greeted as she glanced up. After talking with her earlier in the day, he was less unsure of things that he’d been before and they’d been able to relax with each other.
"Hey Biggs," she answered. "How’s the game going?"
"Sketch is losing, as always," he chuckled. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that particular pattern. But as he glanced down when her hand reached for her money in her pocket, he swore internally. She withdrew her hand, money clasped loosely and Biggs did the first thing he could think of. He grabbed her hand; his larger one covering hers completely, just as the bartender slid the pitcher across the counter.
Max was stunned and wondered what the hell he was doing. "Biggs?" Her tone was a combination of puzzlement and warning. But he just smiled at her and then at the bartender as he slid his own money to the other man.
"I got this," he told them easily and then gestured at the glass he’d brought over. "And can I get another scotch?" The bartender nodded and turned his back. Max expected him to let go of her hand and was beginning to get a little flustered when her hand remained clasped in his and he turned to her. Making the move seem natural, like those of a much closer nature, Biggs leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"You’ve got another tattoo coming in on the back of your hand," he informed her. "Didn’t think it was a good idea for the ordinaries to see your skin churning out secret messages." Max’s eyes hardened, as did her jaw, but she let her hand remain where it was.
When Alec approached, he was surprised to see Biggs standing beside Max, holding her hand. And while he was aware of what it looked like to the ordinaries, he was able to read the body language much better. He came up behind them and glanced down at Biggs’ hand, his thumb caressing Max’s knuckles, while the woman held herself stiffly. The bartender slid Alec’s scotch across to him, knowing well enough who it was for. Alec threw some money down on the bar, his cell phone still in his other hand. He picked up the glass and downed the drink in one gulp.
He raised one eyebrow in Max’s direction, daring her to question the action, but she said nothing. Biggs waited until it wouldn’t be noticed and lifted his hand for the briefest second, allowing Alec and Max to see what was developing. Both swore softly. He let her go and Max crossed her arms, hiding her hands. Alec turned to her, but included Biggs with his glance.
"Logan just called," he told her. "He’s got a translation on those other two marks."
Max let out a long sigh. "Let’s go," she told him tiredly.
Chapter Three
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