Fiction- Anything To Zipper- Umbrella

Series Title: Anything To Zipper Series

Title: Umbrella

Author: Restive Nature

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel. This show belongs to Fox and Cameron/ Eglee. No infringement is intended and this fiction is for reading pleasure only.

Rating: PG-13 (for darker matters)

Genre: Dark Angel

Type: sad fic, hope

Pairing: Max/ Alec

Summary: Some days, her friends were the only protection she had.

Spoilers/ Time line: Late season two.

Feedback: Always welcome.

Distribution: Ask first, please.

A/N: AU slightly in that I have Max moving into Terminal City for protection rather than being forced to remain there after the events of "Freak Nation".

Umbrella

“You know,” Alec drawled as he dug through an old box that contained mostly loose papers with a few other odds and ends thrown in, “I hate to say it Max, but I doubt you're gonna need all this.”

“Hey,” she retorted from the doorway of her bedroom where she was seated, doing nearly the same as he, except instead of simply digging through her box, was actually organizing all that she pulled out. “You never know what might come in handy around TC.”

“True,” he acceded but then smirked as he lifted up an old compact disc. “Except I can't think of anyone who, in their right mind that would listen to this!” He held up the old Kenny G disc cover an shook it lightly. Max's head turned and her face twisted slightly. With the flash of disgust on her face and the snigger from Original Cindy, seated on the sofa, Alec was sure he'd hit pay dirt. Sure, he'd never heard of the guy, but from the extremely... well, the sax and the clothes... assumptions were made.

“Only my old room mate Kendra,” Max snorted. “And it wasn't so much a cd to listen to, but to have sex by.” She and Cindy started laughing as they caught each other's glances. “Remember the time?” Max began, but didn't get any further because both women were caught in a paroxysm of giggles.

“What?” Alec grinned. He couldn't help himself. It was a funny sex story. Always good when it was someone else's misfortune. And he hadn't seen Max giggle, like that before. A titter here or there maybe. That right there was enough to lift his spirits for the rest of the day. “C'mon,” he whined as they were both shaking their heads. “Wha-aaat!”

That seemed to tickle Max's fancy, that he was whining like a little kid and she was slapping her hand against one knee and pointing at him. “J-just like th-that!” she managed to get out as her room mate started snorting as she laughed. Wary of the tables turning on him, he waited.

“Oh my,” Cindy was waving one hand before her face, trying to cool herself down. “I swear, that girl had the strangest taste.”

“Yeah, Corky was not the worst I saw,” Max agreed mirthfully. Alec tried to hold back a laugh, but was unsuccessful.

“The guy's name was Corky?” he sputtered. He tilted his head as both women nodded. “Nickname surely,” he declared. They both shook their head in the negative. “Oh my god,” he grunted with pleasure and then laughed again as he glanced at the cd. “That's hilarious. So what was so bad about...?” and he waved the disc cover again.

“Well let's just say,” Cindy began, “that music, makes Original prefer the cats howlin' all night in the back alley.”

“Okay,” Alec grunted. He could see that. Saxophone was an acquired musical taste.

“And also,” Max chimed in, “at the end of the song, you couldn't tell where it stopped and... Corky continued.”

Alec raised an eyebrow at that. “You mean this guy sang along? What was so bad about that?”

“The disc is totally instrumental,” Max smirked and Alec shut his eyes as a huge guffaw worked it's way up his throat. He nearly fell over himself as both the women startled giggling again. After a few moments, he wiped at his eyes and then tossed the cd into one of the boxes of things they were going to smuggle into Terminal City. “What are you doing?” Max wondered and Alec threw her a wicked smile.

“Rig it up for early warning detection,” he shrugged as he spoke and was pleased when he saw the amusement on her face again. Suddenly, a very boring chore had turned into a slightly pleasurable moment. Since they were so rare and few with Max, he'd take each and every single one he could get.

Buoyed by the moment, Alec set aside all the papers that he had unearthed. That left the box pretty much empty. He shoved it over towards Max so that she had another to fill up with things that she wanted to get over to Terminal City under the guise of a safe night. Reaching for one of the larger boxes, he wondered what else he might find to amuse her. Or maybe get a story out of her. It was interesting to hear about her life after Manticore, he had found. She pretty much knew his story. Raised to be a soldier and an assassin. He had gone about the business of being soldiery and assassinating where he was aimed. Nothing really of interest there, until he had noticed girls. But then, that wasn't really stories for sharing with chicks.

Now Sketch or the other guys, they'd be the ones to appreciate those. So, aside from a few cultural missteps on infiltration gigs and sex stories, he didn't have much else to share until after Max had blown up the old alma mater. And she hadn't seemed impressed with anything he'd accomplished since. So he had quit trying and had instead turned to figuring her out and any time he could hear about her past, he'd found that it had helped him create the picture of why she was as she was now.

And finding out that she actually did have a sense of humor that wasn't directly hard wired into insulting him? That was all kinds of nice.

The flaps of the box he had reached for, had simply been folded together to keep them stable and Alec pulled them loose easily. A quick glance told him there wasn't much of interest. To him at least, but seeing all these little trinkets and whatnot, he could just imagine that each had a story behind them. Max had kind of hinted that brother Ben had liked to make up stories. Alec it seemed, was discovering a penchant for listening to them. At least if they came from Max's lips. And thinking of them now, his own mouth curved up in a smile and he tilted the box in her direction.

“Hey Max, you remember this box?” he asked and waited just a moment while she was glancing over some papers, her brow furrowed in concentration. She glanced up when she was done and tilted her head to see. He obligingly turned the box more and she pursed her lips until suddenly she nodded.

“Yeah,” she declared. “It's pretty much all junk. I think I just threw that stuff together after Kendra moved out and Cindy was moving in.”

“So why didn't you throw it out before Original moved in?” Cindy asked, amused and Alec thought the same.

“Cause like I said before,” Max grinned, waving the paper in her hand slightly. “you never know when you might need something. Or to replace something else. Or if you can-!”

“Original starting to think Max have a problem,” Cindy chuckled and Alec nodded along.

“You sure you don't have some pack rat DNA hidden in their somewhere?” he teased.

“No,” she retorted instantly, “which is better than the magpie DNA they cursed you with.” Before Alec could retort, she had turned to her room mate. “Aren't those the ones that steal any bright and shiny object they find? Even if it's completely worthless?”

“Ya got me suga,” Cindy laughed, shaking her head in the negative.

“No, I'm pretty sure they are,” Max insisted and Alec chuckled as well. Not so much at the insult.

“Well, just so you know the difference,” he broke in. “I can tell the difference between shiny that's worth something and shiny that isn't.” He paused as he was reaching into the box and waggled his eyebrows at the girls.

“I don't know about that,” Cindy giggled. She glanced at Max. “Remember Leticia?” Max nodded.

“Yup, all flash, no substance whatsoever, right Alec?”

“Uh, Leticia,” he pretended to ponder. “Huh, I guess not. She wasn't memorable at all, huh?”

“Either she wasn't or you've been way too busy tomcattin' around, boy,” Cindy snorted.

“And you would both know about her how?” Alec demanded, a twinkle lighting up his eyes. It wasn't as if he'd “dated” her for long. About as long as it took to zip up his jeans and escape her apartment.

“Just 'cause we don't care doesn't mean we don't hear,” Max grunted with a smirk in his direction. Alec hid his own, noting that Max in a good mood worked a lot faster than when she was pissed. A lesson for Normal perhaps? Or at least something to keep in mind for down the road.

“Ah, so you do pay attention when I talk, huh?” he teased. “Good to know. Remember that for when I don't want to share.”

“Please,” Max scoffed. “Alec, there's a huge difference between us hearing what you morons yap about and truly listening when you talk.”

“So you mean you're not listening to me now?” Alec paused, trying to included both of them in his eye line. Didn't work so well when they were a room's width apart.

“I'm hearin' ya Alec,” Max grinned. “When I hear something worthwhile, then I'll listen. How about you Cin?”

“All I hear is blah, blah, blah,” Cindy teased, making a yapping motion with one hand.

“Which makes us even for the wah, wah, wah we get from Maxie all the time, right?” he threw back, though not cruelly. He was surprised when she flipped him off, though he could have sworn he saw a hint of her grin broadening as she turned back to digging once more through her possessions. He decided to test her little sully and regarded the large box between his legs.

“So I guess I'll just organize this junk to usable and completely beyond repair or use,” he used quietly, one eye on the girl in question.

“That's great Alec,” she replied instantly. “Just please put all the paper stuff in a separate pile for me to go through please.”

“I'll be damned,” he joked instantly, one hand on his chest. “You really do listen!”

Max swiveled her head around to regard Cindy. “We have a break through! Alec's figured us wily females out. We're gonna have to alert the world's population and change the code!”

“Hurry girl, hurry,” Cindy teased right back. “Before more of da men figure it out!”

“Oh haha,” he rolled his eyes. “I'll have you know, males already know this. Why do you think we clam up around you guys sometimes?”

“Sure ya do,” Cindy snorted as Max shook her head.

“Yeah right,” Max was scoffing. “If anything, you guys talk louder. Trying to prove what manly conquering men you are. Goes right back to my magpie theory,” she directed the last comment to Cindy who chuckled.

The banter continued as they all continued on working at their tasks. Alec was finding that like Max had said, the box he was working on was pretty much all junk. Plenty of broken bits of things. Though he was happy that she had had the foresight to wrap the pointy and jagged edges in fabric bits. He still scraped up his hand, which Max was quietly kind enough to get a bandage from their small supply store. She had teased that she didn't want him bleeding all over her possessions. He refrained from pointing out that he was barely oozing from the slight jagged mar on the fleshy outer part of his palm. He just let her doctor him up and then got back to work.

He was actually enjoying himself to a degree. And he was starting to see the method in her madness. He had pulled out an old iron and when he asked if it worked, she shook her head.

“Makes a good weapon for the ordinaries though,” she quipped, throwing a glance at Cindy who smiled serenely. “Or a paperweight.”

“Or you could probably pull the cord and wire it to something else,” Alec nodded thoughtfully. “Unless it's the cord that's the problem?”

“Cord is good, if I remember right” Max muttered. “The element inside just runs too hot all the time.” Alec nodded and set the iron into the pile of partially usable or salvageable items. Once he had determined that some things were partly useful, he started seeing it in more and more that he pulled out. When he found a partially used kit of some crafting item, including a hot glue gun and glue sticks, his mind flashed to the patch job he'd been using at his apartment. He held up the items and called for her attention. When she glanced up, he moved them so that she could see clearly.

“Do you need these, or could I have 'em?” he wondered. “I've got some repairs to do around my place...” he half explained. Max pursed her lips for a moment before her face cleared.

“Go for it,” she nodded. “I don't have any immediate use for that.”

“All right,” Alec nodded and clambered up to set the items with his jacket, so he wouldn't misplace them among the other piles. Stretching his legs, he felt the blood flow picking up, causing those annoying prickles and stings along his muscles. “Ah, this it why I don't sit on the floor for too long,” he grumbled. He caught sight of the time and sighed, as he stretched his arms up, trying to work the kinks out of his back. “Hey, I could use a good stretch. How about I run out and get us some food? My treat?”

“Oh!” Max looked up, startled, as she realized the time. “I'm sorry, I was going to...” She glanced around and then stood as well. She dug into her jeans pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. “I already bought dinner. Arranged it this morning and I called about it when I was sure Alec was gonna hang around.”

“Hey, that's nice of ya,” Alec grinned. “How about I pick it up then? Save you the trip in this rain?” He held his hand out and Max happily turned over the receipt. He glanced at the name of the restaurant, finding it was a Chinese take out joint that they were all very familiar with. His eyes widened as he saw the amount of food Max had bought.

“You bought this before you knew for sure I was gonna be here helping?” he questioned dubiously and was sure, if only for a moment that he saw a pink tinge to her cheeks before she shrugged.

“Chinese left overs will keep in the fridge,” she defended her decision. Alec quickly let her off the hook and carefully tucked the receipt into his pocket.

“All right,” he nodded. “Lemme get going so I can get back here. I'll see you guys.” The girls said brief good byes since he was planning on being back as soon as possible. In truth, he really did need to stretch out his back and work out the kinks from sitting so long, just as he had said. Transgenic he might be, but muscles were muscles and they'd cramp up just like an ordinary human's would.

But before he could move too far, Cindy was calling him back. “Yeah, what?” he asked as he leaned around the wall, to see where she was seated near the window. He could see her digging about in certain piles.

“Yo gonna go out,” she began and grunted slightly as she lifted an arm full of things out of a pile before her. “I saw something',” she murmured and then exclaimed triumphantly. She dropped the things in her arm slightly off kilter and then reached for what she had been looking for. She held it up in triumph and Alec saw that she was cradling in her hand, a bright red bit of fabric. It wasn't that huge a deal, but from the way Max sucked in her breath, it meant something to her. Probably because it was hers and at first Alec thought that it might be because Cindy had offered it to him without asking her first.

The way she snatched it out of Cindy's hand told him that she was not pleased. But her next words took him by surprise. “You don't want that. It's old and junky. Full of holes.”

“Then why you keepin' it boo?” Cindy wanted to know, her voice dubious. Max, looking a little startled by either admission or question, chewed on her lip a moment. Finally she shrugged.

“Don't know,” she sighed. “Just am.” The confused pair continued to stare at her. She blew out another huff of air. “You know what? I feel like getting' some air. I'll go and get our food. Make sure they didn't screw the order up.”

“I don't mind going Max,” Alec assured her quietly, softly. He could see her gearing up to argue and quickly came up with a compromise. “Why don't we both go. I bet Cindy wouldn't mind a break too.” The darker woman nodded slowly and finally Max seemed to agree as she moved around the apartment to unearth one of her jackets. She pulled it on, checked for her receipt for the food, which Alec held out to her and with a soft good bye to her friend and room mate, they left.

It was indeed drizzling, but not badly, just enough for Alec to turn up the collar of his own jacket to protect his neck somewhat. He had become mostly inured to the weather of Seattle, like the rest of the inhabitants. What was bothering him was Max's visceral reaction to something as innocuous as that umbrella had been. And he knew that she was just waiting for him to jump on her about it, demanding to know what was up with her. Just as she did to him. But he wasn't going to attack that way, because he had already figured a few things out.

That umbrella may have been old and junky with holes in it, but it meant something to her. Enough that she'd keep it around. And given that she had no problem going out in the rain without more than a hat for her head, like she wore now, Alec had figured that she hadn't just bought it herself. If she had, then something had happened with it that was a big deal, because she obviously hadn't found a replacement for it. But in fact, Alec was willing to bet that someone had given it to her.

And like he suspected, by keeping his silence, she seemed to relax a little, when he didn't appear to be jumping down her throat about it.

“I suppose you think it's silly,” she muttered, sounding angry and defensive, which he figured she would. “Keepin' an old hunk of crap like that.”

“Depends on why you're keepin' it,” Alec mused as they waited for a car to pass before they ducked across the road. “If it's because you truly do have pack rat genes, then hell yeah. You've got a problem. If it's because of sentimental value, well, that has it's time and place. Your home is one of those places.”

She tilted her head, turning slightly to regard him as they walked. “You really believe that or are you just tryin' to keep from havin' your head bitten off?”

“A little of both,” he chuckled down at her. He shrugged one shoulder as he adjusted his coat a little before shoving his hands into the pockets. It wasn't that it was overly cold out, even with the rain, but it was comfortable. “If you want to keep it for whatever reason, it's fine by me. I seriously doubt that being attached to it is going to be your downfall.”

“No,” Max agreed and then heaved a deep sigh. “But the reasons why have caused trouble before.”

“Really?” Alec wasn't as skeptical as his tone made out, but it seemed to help as she smirked at herself.

“Yep,” she nodded. “Couldn't protect the girl then, try to protect everybody else instead.” She frowned as she glanced over her shoulder and Alec followed her line of vision, seeing several homeless people collected around a burning barrel. “Or at least the people I care about.”

“Makes sense,” Alec finally agreed. “Keep something around to remind you why you do what you do.”

“Actually,” Max corrected as she ambled down the street, “I only kept it because I couldn't give it back.”

“Kid died?” he asked immediately, without thinking first and then wincing. But Max just shrugged.

“Don't know,” she admitted. “Probably, unless she got away from the bastard that was abusing her.”

“Ah,” Alec grunted. Several more pieces of a complex puzzle fell into place. “This was how long ago?”

“Long time,” was all she would say. “Lucy. That was her name. Foster sister. Protected me from her dad. She was the one that loaned me the umbrella. You know, it never rained. I just...”

“Just what?” Alec wondered and was surprised to see the slight flush in her cheeks.

“Liked it because it was red,” she finally admitted. “You... didn't see that color a lot, in a good way... back then.”

His face twisted slightly as he dissected that interpretation. Manticore. Red was blood, never good. In very different contrast, the red of the umbrella had been cheery, bright. A very different feel to it than seeing another person bleeding from injury. He nodded, unable to speak past the slight lump in his throat at the moment.

“I get it,” he finally admitted when he felt able to speak without sounding too sentimentally affected. But for some reason, he didn't think that it got past Max. But she allowed him a moment with a graciousness that he didn't usually receive from her. They walked the rest of the block, turning in unison on the next street before she spoke again.

“I've always felt crappy about leaving Lucy without any protection... from the rain and...” she began, trailing off slightly. “It was all she had, and I took it away. It was in my school backpack. It was the only thing I had to take with me when I ran.” It was very obvious that she wasn't talking about the umbrella itself anymore. “You know, she was like that. Always thinking about other people first.”

Alec nodded, even though both of them were staring straight ahead. It seemed the only way to deal with the weight of the conversation. “That's a double edged sword though, isn't it?” he replied mournfully. He had learned that lesson as well. “But what would've happened if you'd stuck it out?”

He didn't expect the immediate response that she gave him, indicating that she had thought a lot about this subject.

“He'd have kept slapping us around, tried to go too far with me, like he did to Lucy and I'd have killed him,” she told him shortly, heatedly. “Then the cops would've been involved, I would have escaped and it would have given Lydecker another clue as to where I was. He might've found me all the sooner.”

“Lydecker found you?” he asked with interest. Her scenario sounded about right to him, but the details of her capture, aside from knowing that she and some of her original unit under Lydecker's rebellious leadership, had attacked the Wyoming facility and blown up the DNA labs, had not been shared with him.

“Actually, we found him when one of my sisters was taken,” Max shrugged one shoulder. “Had to expose myself and Zack to get her back.”

“And how'd that work out for ya?”

“About as well as anything, the typical,” Max grouched. “Lost her anyway when she decided to go with Deck to get the treatment she needed.”

“That sucks,” Alec agreed.

“Understatement,” she challenged and he saw the hint of a smile, not fully, but something there. It made him hopeful that whatever this blue mood hanging around her now would lift without too much trouble.

“Well,” he sighed, as though still down, but honestly, that tiny curve to her lips was enough to give him hope that they wouldn't be stuck on this topic forever. She could deal and move on. At least she had the moving on part pretty down. Figuratively speaking. “You know, given where you ended up, the amount of rainfall Seattle sees, I bet your friend would have really wanted you to keep the umbrella.”

“Yeah, she would have,” Max nodded her agreement. “Though it is getting pretty ratty. I should probably replace it, but...”

“You'd think there'd be more places that sell them around here,” Alec grinned. He knew, he had looked until he had realized that he could easily avoid being out in the rain for the most part. That was actually how he had found some of the more enjoyable establishments that he liked to frequent.

“Yup,” Max agreed lightly. “Well, someday,” she shrugged. “Until then...”

“Well, until then, I'll just have to add another service to the friend duty, huh?' he teased before pulling up his jacket to shelter himself and her. Max shook her head and then began to laugh.

“You're a little bit heavy to be lugging around with me everywhere I go, Alec,” she told him with as straight a face as she could muster in the moment.

“Well, it's a good thing I'm the mobile version,” he taunted. “Although,” he rolled his eyes a little to look up, “I'm not so sure my clothes'll hold up. My back's already cold,” he complained.

“Make you a deal,” Max offered suddenly, pushing at his arm. “You find me an umbrella and I'll find you a leather duster.”

“A duster?” Alec questioned. “One of those old timey coats?”

“Oh yeah,” Max nodded as she started moving forward again while Alec readjusted his coat and followed after her. “Nice and long, they were perfect for people working out in inclement weather. Just not a rubber one, though. Have to get you the real deal. Leather, for sure.”

“Well, that's fine by me,” Alec nodded after a moment. “I think I could pull off the sexy cowboy look.”

“Just barely,” Max laughed. “First time you opened your mouth...” she let the thought trail off.

“And a pink little umbrella for you,” he continued, smiling at the thought of Max twirling it over her shoulder. As long as they were thinking of long ago eras, he could reach back a little further. “With the bows and little fripperies-!”

“Oh please Alec!” Max scoffed. “I'm not a little girl.”

“Okay, okay,” he appeased. “A red one. With polka dots. Would'ja like polka dots?”

“Polka dots are fine,” she giggled. “But skulls and crossbones would probably be more fitting.”

“Oh do they make those?' he wondered, giving thought to a subject that he hadn't had occasion to think of really, before.

“I've seen them around,” Max nodded.

The conversation continued in that vein, the rest of the way. It was to Cindy's utter relief when they returned, in high spirits and laughing over things totally unrelated to anything they had talked about before. She did watch as Max followed Alec to the table where he deposited their take out food and shed her coat to begin doling out the meal. And then watched as Alec scooped up the umbrella that had been the catalyst for Max's little, most recent break down, tucking it up on a shelf, making sure that it was secure.

How much longer, Cindy wondered, before Max learned to let go of the representational images of the life and love she wanted, and embrace the real thing beneath her very nose.

Knowing her girl? It might be a while. But watching Alec tease and poke and the smile that erupted on Max's face every few minutes, maybe it would be sooner than any of them thought.

AtZ- Wager