DISCLAIMER: All DARK ANGEL characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee (Cameron Eglee Productions) and DARK ANGEL itself belongs to FOX.

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Artwork courtesy of Valjean & JensenAckles.org

Max came to the doorway of the bedroom, food tray for Logan in hand, and stopped, shocked to see Alec not only awake and unrestrained, but conversing with the man.

"You all right?" she asked, her tone skeptical as she set the tray down.

"Jury's still out on that one," Alec said as he hiked himself up higher on the pillows and Logan handed him the glass of water again. Taking a swig, the X5 wiped his now freed hand across wet lips then glanced from Cale to Max and back again. "I'd leave you two kids alone," he said with a smirk, "but I'm not sure I'm strong enough to walk yet." His gaze flickered to Max once more. "I gather Lydecker never showed?"

"Come and gone," Max said in a clipped voice. "Apparently your friend Robert made some kind of deal, which is also why I'm thinking we need to vacate the premises as quickly as possible now that you've decided to rejoin the living. O.C.'s downstairs. I'll tell her to bring Logan's car around. I'll feel a whole lot better when we've got you safe in Terminal City."

"I appreciate the thought," Alec said with a knowing look at Logan. "But I'm not so sure how safe I'll be there either. You do know about Asha, don't you?"

"That she's the one who set you up for Lydecker?" Max said. "Yeah. We know."

"Asha's a member of the Breeding Cult," Alec said, making certain they were all on the same page. "Apparently she's like C.J. -- all of the heritage with none of the physical power. She was tryin' to win the Cult's favor by turnin' me over to Manticore -- a way to get me out of the way while at the same time recoupin' that six million dollars Deck was supposed to pay 'em." He looked hard at Max. "I also think Asha killed her mother. That night when I went to her apartment ... I smelled blood."

Logan visibly paled. "No," he said softly. "That's not possible. I know Asha Barlow. She loves her mother, and she's always been loyal to Eyes Only. I know what Max found out from her, and that she betrayed you, but I still can't believe she's part of the Breeding Cult. I would have noticed something."

"We all have our secrets, Logan," Max said quietly, her eyes colliding with Alec's over the older man's head. "And it makes sense. We've suspected for a long time that there was a spy close to Terminal City ... one who gave away your location to White when he had you kidnapped a year ago. Asha knew about your apartment, Logan. She also knew we were going to Appleton to get Ray. Her being a mole explains a lot."

"It explains everything," Alec said tightly. "Not to mention she confessed as much before drugging me and giving me to Lydecker."

Logan seemed to be lost in thought now, looking down at his hands. "I'll take care of Asha," he finally said.

"If she hasn't run already," Alec said. Then the X5 smiled wickedly. "And if you'll give me a couple of days to get my legs back under myself I'll be glad t'give ya a hand with that little chore. I kind of owe Ms. Barlow one right now."

"Here," Max said, picking up the cup of sweet tea she'd prepared in the kitchen for herself. "Drink this. It'll help you get your strength back. Then we need to move. Do you think you can walk well enough to get down the stairs and into the car?"

"If I can't will you carry me?" Alec quipped.

"If I have to," Max returned.

"We still have one other problem," Logan said.

"Just one?" Alec said as he blew on the hot tea to cool it, his hazel-green eyes once again keenly watching Max.

"You've got a choice to make, Max," Logan said. "I know you love us both, and in different ways, but I can't share you with Alec."

"Threesomes aren't exactly my thing, either," Alec agreed, although the mischevious twinkle in his eye belied that statement.

"Shut up!" Logan snapped. Then, to Max again, "I love you more than my own life, and I really thought we could make things work. But I know you're unhappy because I can't satisfy all of your needs. I do the best I can, but--" He looked away, suddenly embarrassed, and Max found herself blushing too. "There are things I'll never be able to do for you Max ... things that Alec is certainly more than capable of. Plus," he looked to the X5 lying in the bed, "even though he's a sociopath, I admit he's one of the good guys. Hell, in some ways he's a god damned hero. You could do worse, Max. So, I understand, and if you want to be with Alec I won't get in your way, and I also won't do anything stupid like killing myself that would make you feel guilty." He took a symbolic step backwards, away from her, the whirring exo underscoring his words. "You're free," he said softly.

Max felt tears pricking her eyes. Logan Cale was such a wonderful man ... the most wonderful person, in fact, she'd ever met. To have earned the love of someone like this was incredible. How could she throw it all away? However, Logan was right about one thing. There was something vital lacking in their relationship -- the physical ability on his part to consummate their love. Oh, at one time she'd thought that wouldn't matter. But it did, especially when she was in heat. She needed a male who could satisfy all of her needs.

But was that Alec?

The X5 saw her staring at him and said, "I love you, too, Max. But I don't have any pretty speech to give you. You know me. You know who I am, my sordid past, what I've done and what I'm capable of. You also know you'll never completely trust me. It's just not in our natures. But you've gotta admit, if we do hook up it'll never be boring."

"Alec--" she started to say.

He held up a hand, silencing her. "I'm not done," he said, his keen golden green eyes latching onto hers. "Because I've got one really big question here. If the only reason you can't live happily ever after with Logan is 'cause he can't get it up in bed, then does that mean you'd leave me too if -- Heaven forbid -- I ever had some kind of really bad accident and couldn't perform either? Is that the only reason you're lookin' my way?"

"There's a lot more to it than that!" Max exclaimed. "Alec, you're my brother, my partner, and my friend! You're the one who keeps me honest!" He snorted at that, but she ignored him. "You're the only one," and her eyes went briefly to Logan, "who's not afraid to tell me when I'm wrong ... who stands up to me. You're my equal, Alec, in every way like no other man ... person ... on Earth!"

"And Logan's your soul mate," Alec shot back. "Sickeningly sweet as that sounds. Which is something I'll never be, Max. And I'd say that trumps 'partner' and 'friend' and 'bonk buddy' any day of the week." He hitched himself higher in the bed, beads of sweat standing out on his stubbled upper lip as he tried to make his body obey. Giving up, he sank back on the pillow, disgusted with his weakness. Breathing hard, he then looked at Max again, his eyes telling her what she didn't want to hear. "You know what?" he said. "You may love us both, but you don't have to choose between us 'cause I'm takin' myself outta the running for your dubious affections. Stay with Logan. Live with him. Sleep with him as best you can, but just don't come to me for what you think you might be missing 'cause I'll never be his sex surrogate for you. I might not be as admirable a person as Eyes Only, but believe it or not I do have my pride." He glanced toward the doorway behind Max where O.C. was quietly standing. "Now, let's blow this doll house and go home. I've got some healing to do, and then I've got business to take care of."

*****

A secret facility in Danbury, Connecticut

"Now that I've held up my end of the bargain, will you hold up yours?"

Donald Lydecker couldn't quite suppress the smile at the sight he saw through the one-way glass: a room full of toddlers playing -- two and three-year-old children, all handsome, all bright, all amazingly physically advanced for their age. "How did you manage to convince the mothers to trust you?" he asked. "For that matter, how did you find them in the first place?"

Robert Berrisford shrugged. "The pregnant X5s were alone, frightened, and in need of a safe haven which is what I provided, one small way I felt I could perhaps atone for what the science of my company had done to them. The mothers also knew they might have special medical needs, their babies as well as themselves. I set up a supply line of tryptophan in the Seattle and surrounding areas and lured them with that."

"How many are there?" the Colonel asked.

"Eleven," Berrisford said. "Elizabeth Renfro's breeding program was more successful than anyone knew. If The Committee hadn't ordered Manticore destroyed, you'd have a whole new generation of X5s by now."

"And you're willing to just turn these children, and their mothers, over to me?" Lydecker said.

Berrisford chuckled. "You're thinking this is too good to be true, this little deal I've offered you in return for 494's freedom. Truth is, Colonel, these children are desperately in need of special handling. The older they become, the more evident it is that their aggression levels, not to mention intelligence, puts them in a class all by themselves. They can never be integrated into regular society. They'd be a danger to others around them. After a lot of soul searching, as well as some ... limited ... discussion with the mothers, I decided to approach New Manticore with regards to taking over their education and care."

Lydecker's eyebrows shot up. "After saving them you'd consign them over to a life of so-called slavery?"

"There are parameters that will need to be negotiated," Berrisford said carefully. "But in the long run, I have to admit that your people are the ones who need to be in charge of these children."

"You were going to come to me anyway, weren't you?" Lydecker said, the smile widening to a rare grin on his lined face. "My agreement to let go of 494 was just icing on the cake for you."

"Eleven malleable X5 children for the price of one stubborn adult rogue," Berrisford said. "I knew you wouldn't pass up that deal."

"Plus my promise to have the assassination order canceled," the Colonel added, "your safety now being insured."

"Of course," the former CEO said, bowing his head slightly in acquiescence.

"Will the mothers be a problem?" Lydecker asked.

"Some of them, yes," Berrisford said, sighing deeply. "And I wish that weren't so. But I trust you have ways of dealing with this?"

"Oh, indeed I do," Lydecker said softly as he continued watching the next generation of X5 children playing.