* * * * Chapter 6 * * * *

Liz walked a little closer to Max and Maria. "How could you Maria? You and Max?"

"Liz let us explain." Began Max.

"No right now I don't want to here anything you have to say, unless it's an answer to my direct questions." She dismissed Max and turned to Maria. "Were you so hard up after your failed relationship with Michael that you had to move on to my boyfriend? You know how much Max meant to me. I thought you were my best friends."

"Liz it wasn't like that at all. Maria is not the one who started this relationship between us. I take full responsibility for that." Max said in defense of Maria.

Michael started laughing. "And did she try to stop you? No! She let it go on. So don't give me that 'Maria was innocent in all of this' crap."

"Michael." Warned an angry Max. "Shut up. I said to you what I needed to say to you." He then turned back to Liz. "And you Liz how can you call me your boyfriend? You walked away from me. You left me to a destiny that I did not even want to embrace. So as far as I'm concerned you have no say so in any decisions I make in my new relationships. I'm with Maria now. She makes me happy."

"She makes you happy? She couldn't even make Michael happy." Liz shouted. "Maria you're nothing but a man stealing skank. I can honestly say that I prefer Tess over you. At least Tess wasn't my best friend and she actually had a legitimate reason for going after Max."

"You know what Liz? I'm not even going stand here and listen to your accusations. I didn't break up your relationship with Max. You did that all on your own. You're not going to place the blame for that on my shoulders. However, I do feel bad that I hurt you by dating Max. All I can say is that I didn't do it intentionally." Maria was trying to hold in her tears that started when Liz compared her Tess. "Max and I we fell in love this summer. I don't know how it happened. It just did. We can't change that and I'm not even going to try. And you Michael, I loved you and I tried to make things work between us but that was impossible because you're not a very giving person."

"I told you I loved you Maria. Wasn't that giving enough for you?" Michael said angrily.

"Ha." She laughed sarcastically. "You walked away from me after admitting your so called love. What kind of love is that Michael? I tried and tried to talk to you but you continually ignored me. That is not love. And you Liz you say you loved Max but you didn't even give him a chance after hearing about his destiny. You just walked away. You didn't even explain things to Alex and me before leaving for Florida. We had to hear the full story from Isabel. You didn't even tell him you were leaving. He was heartbroken. So you tell me. Was that love?"

"Obviously he wasn't too heartbroken. He moved on directly to you." Liz said sarcastically. "I don't care to hear your lies and excuses. You're no longer my friend. I don't care if Max and I had been broken up for 10 years. Best friends do not date each others boyfriend."

"Liz that's not fair. You can't dismiss years of friendship out of spite." Max stated.

"That's the way it's going to have to be. Maria you have a choice to make; our friendship or your relationship with Max. You can't have both." Liz said flatly.

"Liz! No! You can't do that. You can't force me to make that choice." Maria cried.

"I can and I will. It's up to you Maria."

"The same goes for me Max." Said Michael. "As long as you're dating Maria the only contact I want to have with you is when there is an emergency regarding our purpose here on earth. Outside of that I don't know you."

"I can't deal with this. I can't make that decision. I love you both. Please Liz you're my best friend. You're like a sister to me. But Max and I love each other. Don't make me give that up." Pleaded Maria.

"That's the way it has to be. You can't have us both." She stated.

"No Maria. You don't have to listen to what she says. Come on let's go." Max took Maria's hand in his and they walked away.

Liz called after them. "I'll give you until the end of the summer to make your decision Maria. That's ten days. Remember you can't have us both."

The both ignored her and kept walking. Maria was crying and Max tried to stop her tears. "Oh Maria! Please sweetie. It's not worth it. Don't let them get to you."

"But Max, my best friend doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I betrayed her." They finally reached her house.

Max stopped Maria at the front door and turned her around to face him. He pulled her into his arms, then pulled away and cradled her face between his eyes. "Listen Maria. You did not betray Liz. We weren't even dating when I fell for you. I'll love you and no matter what choices Liz forces you too make. I will always love you. I love you because you actually took the time to understand where I was coming from. You understood that I didn't want to spend my every waking hour concentrating on saving a planet that I don't even remember. You took the time to realize that despite what destiny said I could never love Tess the way that she wants me to. And that it was not only because I was with Liz either that it was also because Tess is just not someone I see myself spending the rest of my life with. So you see Maria, Liz could try to break us up by blackmailing you with your friendship but it would not stop me from loving you."

After that speech Maria's tears immediately stopped flowing. "Oh Max, you know just what to say. I love you too." She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

"I know you do. Now chin up. I have to go home and you need to go get some rest. Tomorrow we can hang out with Isabel and Alex and forget about the rest of the world for a while. Kay?"

"Okay. That's a deal. G'Nite!"

"G'Nite Ria!" They kissed and then he turned and walked back to his car. She watched as he pulled off before turning and going into the house.