Ch 5
"Don't listen to him Isabel. I was not that bad in labor." Liz said as she set the table a few nights later for dinner.
"Oh yes she was." Michael rubbed his ear. "My hearing was permanently damaged."
"You twisted my ankle." Liz shot back.
"That was because you kicked me in the stomach."
"Just be glad it wasn't a little lower." Liz smirked as she went back into the kitchen.
"Ooh." Maria giggled. "She got you there." Michael made a face. "Was I better or worse than Liz, volume wise?" She asked.
"Volume wise Liz was worse but as far as inflicting injury? You were worse."
"I don't think I know about this." Liz said.
"Maria broke his hand in three places." Alex supplied as he chopped carrots for the salad.
"He was lucky it was only three." Maria said. "I felt like my body was going to be ripped apart. Plus, I thought Michael had never delivered a baby before. I was understandably freaked out, but I didn't want to go to the hospital. You know they do all those blood tests on infants." Maria sighed a bit nervously. How was she going to tell Michael she'd be putting him through that again?
Liz gave her friend's arm a squeeze. "Hey Is where's Max? Dinner's almost ready." she asked as she took the eggplant parm from the oven and set it on the stove.
"I'll go get him.” Isabel was grateful for the excuse to leave the room. The odor of the frying eggplants was suddenly making her feel nauseous.
"Is she okay?" Michael asked filching a piece of garlic bread. "She looked a little queasy just now."
"I'm sure she's fine." Liz said quickly. "Stop that, you're setting a bad example. Next thing you know Kayla will be trying to steal bread before dinner." Liz rolled her eyes.
"Kay and Nick are to busy entertaining Annie." Maria said with a fond smile from the dining room where she could see the three kids in the living room.
"What are they up to now?" Liz asked with a happy smile. It felt right to have the whole 'family' gathered together. There was only one thing wrong...Liz frowned fiercely and refused to continue that thought.
"Oh they're trying to play peek-a-boo." Maria looked strangely at Liz and Michael when they started to laugh but smiled as she waited for an explanation. Over the past few days she'd come to realize that her husband and best friend loved each other the way Isabel and Max did and saw themselves as brother and sister.
"When we were little Max and Isabel and I played peek-a-boo. Once." Michael frowned a little bit. "But I tried to teach it to Nick and Kayla, Nick got scared and Kay started screaming. Now they both love the game."
"How are those vegetables coming?" Liz asked Alex.
"Done and done." Alex said mixing up the salad. "Where's Isabel?"
"She's getting Max." Liz informed him.
"Correction I've gotten Max." Isabel said as she and her brother walked back in.
"Dinner smells great Liz." Max said.
"Thank you."
"Isabel?" Alex frowned. "Are you all right? You look a little bit-,"
She turned and dashed from the room, feeling a bout of 'morning' sickness come on.
"I'll go make sure she's okay." Liz volunteered. "You guys go ahead and eat. Michael make sure Kay eats salad will you?"
"I'll try." Michael grinned. "But she’s getting good at getting sneaky."
"Thanks." Liz went after Isabel and found her in the hall bathroom, which was also Michael's bathroom and found Isabel on her knees praying to the porcelain god.
Liz held the other woman's hair back. "You really should tell him soon you know." She encouraged gently, handing Isabel a cool moistened washcloth.
"Thank you. I know I should." Isabel said putting the washcloth against her forehead. "Ugh was it this bad with the twins?"
"Mmm hmm. Worse actually. Every time I saw food," Liz shook her head. "Well it wasn't pretty. When I was in my fourth month I started looking like I had swallowed a beach ball. Then I couldn't see my feet. My ankles started swelling in the fifth month, and it just got worse from there." Liz laughed at her expression. "I'm sorry, I'm not being very comforting am I?"
"Not in the conventional sense but thank you for telling me. Michael was with you for a lot of it right?"
"Yeah." Liz smiled. "He was wonderful. Found a way to cook things so I could eat, held my hair back when I had to worship Ralph, gave me news from home." Liz looked down. "My parents wouldn't even talk to me." There was a lump in her throat. "He stayed with me for the entire last month, the delivery, and the first two months of having the twins. I couldn't have done it alone."
"You know Max and I were talking last night." Isabel said leaning back against the wall while Liz leaned back against the wall of the bathtub. "Liz can you talk to him? Tell him about the pregnancy and the labor. He feels so out of the loop and even though he won't say it he's jealous of Michael's place in your lives."
Liz looked down. “It's hard." She whispered. "But I will try."
"Thank you." Isabel whispered back. "Are things with your parents easier now? I mean with your dad and all."
Liz's dad had, had a stroke a few months back and Isabel knew how hard it must be for Liz to be so estranged from them.
"No. I try but Mom still won't let up on the "You ruined your life" aspect of things."
"Do they know about the kids?"
"They know I have two."
"Do they know who their father is?"
"No." Liz smiled bitterly. "Feel a little better?"
"On both counts. I'm just a little surprised they didn't figure out that it was Max." Isabel said as she and Liz got up.
Liz pulled out a package of crackers. "Try these." She suggested. "They worked miracles for me. I don't know what's in them, but I know that after eating one I could hold down food. They don't taste great." Liz smiled. "But what medicine does?"
"Thanks Liz. For everything."
"Anytime. Besides Alex is my brother practically so that means you're gonna be my sister."
"Yeah." Isabel grinned.
"So here's some sisterly advice. When you tell Alex about the baby, make sure he's sitting down and he doesn't have anything in his mouth." Liz said before she went back in the kitchen.
Isabel giggled. "I think I'll take you up on that one." Before she followed Liz to the dining room.
"Michael, can I talk to you?" Maria asked, a little bit nervously.
"Sure." Michael said looking up from the book he was reading. "What's up?"
"Well, you love Annie right? And you're glad we had her, right?"
"Every single day and of course of I love her. Maria is something wrong?"
"Well, um, that depends. How would you feel about another baby?" This is stupid. Maria chastised herself. Just tell him.
"I think it'd be great. Why do you wanna start trying for another one?"
"We don't have to." She said, a smile spreading across her face.
"So what you're saying is that you're...."
"Pregnant."
"Oh my God." He dropped the book. "Maria that's-Oh my God- Another baby?" He was grinning from ear to ear as he stood up and kissed her.
"Yeah." Maria said smiling. "So this is okay?"
"This is more then okay. This is amazing." He said picking her up off the ground. He twirled her around, and then hurriedly set her back down. "Are you ok? Do you feel all right? Do you want to sit down? When is it due?" He put a hand on her stomach as if to touch their baby.
"Michael calm down." She was giggling, relieved he was so happy.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so unbelievably thrilled. How long have you known for sure?"
"Since the night you left to go get Liz."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"With all the craziness I didn't want to add to it. I just wanted our lives to calm down a little before I told you."
Michael grinned, and kissed her again. "Seriously, do you feel okay?"
"I feel great. My morning sickness is subsiding little by little, course it's not half as bad as Isabel's but she's probably a couple months behind me."
"Isabel is pregnant too?" He hissed. "And how far along are you?"
"Oops." Maria winced at her slip. "Keep it down, she's telling Alex right now. I'm between three and four moths, I think."
"Oh so that's why she insisted they go upstairs after dinner and why she's been getting so green around the gills lately?"
"Yeah." Maria giggled. "Wait for the scream, it should come at any moment."
"Well if Alex is half as smart as he says he is he'll be as thrilled as I am." Michael said with a silly grin. "Does Liz know yet?"
"She was the one who really figured it out. She told me Isabel was expecting and then she told Isabel that I was pregnant." Maria put a hand on her stomach, over Michael's. "Do you think Annie will be unhappy?" Just then a scream broke the night's silence. Maria started to laugh. "I think Alex found out."
Michael laughed too when he heard someone racing up the stairs. "Who do you think is on their way up there?"
"Max." Maria said archly. "Liz and the kids are already up there."
"Might as well go join the party and share our news. What do you say?"
"Are you sure we should leave Annie alone down here?" Maria looked around warily. "What if she wakes up and we aren't here?"
"Then we'll come down." Michael soothed. "I for one am dying to see the look on Alex's face."
Maria snorted. "It will be forever preserved, don't worry. Liz gave Isabel a camera. Can't let a Kodak moment go to waste."
"Yeah that sounds like Liz." Michael said as the two started up the stairs. They heard crying. Exchanging a look they rushed up the rest of the stairs. Getting to the door they found Alex and Isabel sobbing in each other's arms. "So does this mean he's happy?" Michael asked Liz.
"I think so." Liz grinned.
Max watched the whole scene with a sense of detachment. He was happy for his sister and Alex but he was jealous too. He wanted what Michael and Maria and Alex and Isabel had. He wanted his family with Liz. Now he just had to figure out how to get it.
"Alex, are you happy?" Isabel teased.
"Very." He dried his eyes. "Did everyone else know before me? No one seems surprised."
"I knew. I figured it out the first night you guys were here." Liz smiled at her friend.
"Me too." Maria added.
"Better count me in there." Max said.
"I just found out." Michael said.
Alex grinned. "I should be mad that you told me last but I'm too happy. When is he or she due?"
"Near as I can figure in about seven months." Isabel said.
"See I told you she was a few months behind me." Maria said and waited for the reaction.
"WHAT!" Alex cried. "I'm the last to know about that too, aren't I?"
Around that time a very sleepy Kayla walked in dragging her blankie with one hand and rubbing her eyes with the other. "What's the yelling about?" She asked in a petulant tone.
"I'm sorry Kayla, did we wake you up?" Liz walked over to her daughter.
"Yes." She stuck out her lip.
"Well how about your Mom and I bring you back to your room and I'll tell you a story." Max knew he shouldn't interfere with Liz's child rearing techniques, but Kayla was his daughter too.
"Max you don't have to." Liz began.
"I want to." Max said before turning his attention to the little girl. "I know some great stories. What do you say Kayla?"
"Okay." She nodded her dark head.
Liz heard Nick start to cry, and reacted the way only a mother can. "Kayla, sweetheart, I have a very special treat for you." She offered. "Max is going to bring you downstairs, and you can sleep in my room with him tonight. I want you to be well rested for tomorrow."
"Why?" Kayla tilted her head to the side.
"Because tomorrow we're going horse back riding." Liz sighed. "And you can have some ice cream before bed, if Max will let you."
"With red sauce?" Kayla asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Lots of it." Max promised distractedly worrying about the way Nick was crying and the way Liz had reacted. Looking around her saw the dismay on Isabel's face, the worry on Alex's, the sadness on Maria's, and the desire to protect Nick from his demons on Michael's. "Maria will you take Kay downstairs? I wanna talk to Michael for a second outside."
Liz disappeared form the room. Kayla pouted. "Don't want her." She said firmly. "I want you."
Max knelt down. "I'll be down in just a second, I promise okay? I just wanna talk to your Uncle Michael for second."
She frowned mightily. "Will you tell me two stories, not one and give me three scoops of ice cream?"
"I promise. With lots of red sauce." Max smiled.
"Nick has that same smile." Kayla said softly, startling everyone. She gathered her blanket around her, tied it like a cape and left the room holding Maria's hand.
"Outside Michael." Max said quietly before he too went downstairs.
Michael looked at Isabel. "I'll go check on Liz and Nick." she answered his silent question.
"Thanks Is." Michael said as he went downstairs and took a deep breath before he walked out onto the porch.
"All right, what's going on?"
"Max it's a long story."
"Then start telling it."
"We don't have time right now. Your daughter is waiting. She's willing to love you. I know you already adore her. So go."
Max sighed. Michael had a point and for once it wasn't on the top of his head. "Fine but very soon Michael you and I are going to have a nice long chat about Liz, Nick, and Kayla and exactly what you two were thinking when you cut me out of their lives."
"I'm looking forward to it." Michael muttered under his breath after Max left.
Isabel watched Liz and Nick from the doorway before turning and going back into the room she shared with Alex. She crawled onto the bed and lay her head on her fiance's chest.
"Everything okay?" He asked.
"I feel so bad for him." She whispered, tears in her eyes. "He's just a little boy. He isn't even four years old yet, and he already thinks he's a murderer."
"I know. Maria was telling me how old his eyes looked when they were leaving after the Tess debacle." Alex picked up her hand and interlaced their fingers. "This must be hard for them all. Nick obviously but for Liz too."
"I think it's bad on Kayla too. She did just as much as he did, and none of us have been paying half as much attention to her as we do to Nick." Isabel said, guilt in her tone.
"Liz is sending her horseback riding tomorrow. I know you can't go with the baby but do you mind if I go? Figure it's about time Kay and I spent some time getting to know each other." Alex said.
"You gonna be up to it?"
"I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" She trailed her fingers over his face, and down his body.
"Positive. You ready to sleep?"
"Yes." She cuddled in closer to him. "I love you."
"I love you too Isabel." Alex said kissing the top of her head and reaching up to turn off the light.
"So what story shall I tell you?" Max asked as he and Kayla settled in for the night.
"I want to know about you and my Mommy and how comes I don't have a daddy."
"Those are two pretty long stories." Max said, heart breaking again at the thought of all he had missed in this special little girl's life.
"Does that mean you won't tell me?" Kayla asked with a pout.
"I'll tell you one tonight." He said. "Along with a regular story. Which do you want first?"
"Tell me about you and my mommy." Kayla demanded. "Please?" she added as an afterthought.
Max smiled. She was like Michael, but he saw Liz's influence too. "All right. The first time I met your mommy was when we were in school together. I was shy and I didn't talk to her for a very long time. Until something very bad happened." Max frowned. How much should I tell her?
"You mean when the bad men tried to hurt her?" Kayla yawned delicately and rubbed her eyes.
"Yes. One of them pulled out a gun and shot her. I saw him do it, so I went over to your mommy and I made her better. In the process I got to see how she felt and thought." Kayla's eyes were big.
"Really? How?" She asked excitedly.
"Well, that's another story." Max smiled and smoothed her hair. "Someone else, the town's sheriff, didn't like that I made your mommy better."
"Why?"
"Cause he didn't know how I did it."
"Oh. I met him I think. His name was Valentine." Kayla frowned. "I think."
"Yeah, that's close enough." Max smiled. "I wanted to leave our home, but your mommy wouldn't let me. She found a way to make the sheriff leave me and Isabel and Michael alone, for a little while."
"My mommy's smart." Kayla nodded her head importantly before snuggling up to Max.
"Yes she is." Max said quietly.
"What happened next?"
"Well, we kept on going like that for a while. But then we met a very bad person."
"Who?" Kayla propped herself up.
"A girl named Tess."
"She's the mean lady that Nick and I hurt." Kayla said softly. "We didn't mean to. We just wanted her to go away. She was making Mommy sad."
Max swallowed. "What happened then?" He thought it might help Kayla to talk about it.
"The bad lady came in. She didn't like me and Nick." Kayla shuddered. "She was talking about you, and how Mommy was in the way. Mommy was looking for her," Kayla paused to search for the right word, "Big black thing that makes a big bang when Nick and I told her to go a way." Kayla's eyes were very big. "She went across the room, and hit the wall. Mommy ran over to hug us and Aunt Maria said someone was there. Then Aunt Maria took us away from Mommy and made us promise to be very good cause we had to run away." Kayla's big eyes were sober. "Then we did run away. It was the first time we ran without Uncle Michael. And then Nick couldn't sleep and then you came."
"Why can't Nick sleep?"
"Cause he keeps dreaming that the bad lady is gonna take Mommy, Uncle Michael, and me away from him and that he's a bad boy. Evil."
"Oh." Max felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He remembered the helplessness that plagued him during the first few nights after Michael had killed Pierce when Max would watch his best friend's sleep that was always disturbed by nightmares. "Have you had any bad dreams?"
"One but not anymore. I don't like bad dreams. Neither does Nick." Kayla said sleepily. She lay down on the pillow closing her eyes. "You're nice. I wish you were my daddy."
She was already asleep before Max could formulate an answer that would not lie to her. He stroked her hair for a minute before he felt the staring. Looking up he saw Liz at the door. He could tell she had tears in her eyes even from where he was. He laid a kiss on his daughter's forehead, got up and crossed the room. "Is Nick all right?" He whispered, longing to wrap her in his arms and promise that everything would be all right.
"Yeah he's asleep again." Liz leaned against the wall. "I had no idea how good you were with kids." She said nodding to Kayla.
"You never gave me a chance to show you."
"Max do we have to do this now?" Liz asked quietly. All she wanted to do was hug him.
"No." He took pity on her. "Are you doing ok?"
"Yeah I think so." She rubbed her neck a little. "This is probably my favorite part of the day. The house is quiet and I can relax for a while."
"You don't look relaxed," he said softly. "Do you want to sleep in here tonight?" He asked belatedly. "I thought you were sleeping in Nick's room."
"I am. I just wanted to make sure Kayla was okay." Liz admitted. "And get a cup of tea."
"I'll make one for you." He said, wondering if she would allow him near enough to touch her.
Liz nodded slowly. "Okay." He held out a hand to her.
Liz bit her lip before she took it and the two walked into the kitchen. He busied himself with boiling water, finding tea bags and sugar. She haltingly began to tell him about Nick's nightmares. "They started the night we got home and it's always the same. Kayla had it the first night but she seems okay now. I'm not sure though."
"She told me she was fine." He handed her the tea and their hands brushed.
"Yeah I know. But you have to understand how much she is like Michael in that respect. She'd rather die then let you know she's hurting."
"Sounds more like her mother to me."
Liz tried to laugh. "I don't always hold back. Trust me, during labor, I held nothing back.” Her mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. "Ask Michael, he learned more than he ever wanted to know about how many ways I dreamed up to hurt him. I kept threatening to use them on him if he didn't get the kids out of me and make the pain stop." She sighed and looked up at Max. "Poor guy. He wanted to tell you so much."
"Why didn't he? Why didn't you?" Max asked unable to hold the questions back anymore.
Liz looked up, pained eyes. "Because I didn't want something like this to happen. I didn't want Nick and Kayla to grow up feeling ashamed of themselves and their powers. I didn't want them to feel guilty for being different. I didn't want them to have to deal with someone like Tess." Liz rested her head on her hand and let her hair swing down to cover her face. She began to cry behind the veil it provided.
Max watched her. He knew she was crying. "It didn't work you know. It happened anyway. Liz look at me please?"
"I am looking at you." She said. "And you're looking at me."
"Lemme see your eyes Lizzie."
She squeezed them shut for a moment, then pushed her hair aside and looked up at him.
"I always knew what you were thinking when I looked into your eyes." He said softly. "And now I have no idea."
"I'm thinking that what I did was not right." She said in a soft tone. "I shouldn't have taken them away from you."
"Do you mean that?" He was afraid to hope or wonder what this might mean.
"Yes. I mean it." She whispered. "But I also know I would do the same thing again, if only to delay the inevitable."
"Tess."
"Yeah. She hated me the moment she saw me. And the feeling was mutual." Liz said. She stirred her tea, suddenly wishing she had some of Maria's 'calming chamomile'.
"Liz she didn't make my decisions. She didn't speak for me. She wouldn't have had anything to do with our family if you had told me about Nick and Kayla."
Liz ran a hand over her face. "No Max. This time you're wrong. We would have tried, but Tess would have found some way to hurt the kids, or make us doubt each other. That's the kind of person she was."
"I know what kind of person she was. But I know what kind of people we are and I thought I knew what kind of relationship we had. We could have made it Liz."
"But at what price Max?" Her eyes were tired. "Even if we made it, she would always be looking for ways to twist what was happening. If she wasn't trying to hurt me it would've been Maria, or Alex. She hated humans Max. She thought we were the reason for every problem you had. And maybe she was right.” Liz looked at him sadly. "If you hadn't saved me that day, how much longer could you have avoided Valenti? If Valenti didn't suspect would the FBI have come in? If the FBI was not involved would we have met Tess?"
"Liz I meant what I said when we were in the bus that night. The day I saved you was the day my life began. I love you. I have from the first moment I saw you. I still love you. Do you still love me?"
"I do." She couldn't lie. "But Max, it's too late. It's too dangerous." The old excuses sounded weak in her ears.
"No." Max came around the counter. He took Liz's face in his hands. "It's not to late and it's not to dangerous. Lizzie please let me come home."
She was ready to answer 'Yes,' when a scream split the night. This time it wasn't a scream of joy. It was one of terror. "Nick!" Liz cried, dashing up the stairs, with Max on her heels.
"MOMMY!" Nick was screaming.
Liz was across his room and had him in her embrace in two seconds flat. "Nicky it's Mommy. Sweetie I'm right here."
The little boy was shuddering. "Why did you leave?" He was reproachful. "I was so scared."
Max sensed the toll this was taking on Liz. So he did the only thing he could think of. He gathered the pair of them in a strong embrace, adding his strength for them to lean on.
"It's okay Nick." Max murmured. He met Liz's tired eyes with his own and brought her head down on his shoulder while Nick curled up between them, to tired to protest. "She can never hurt you again." Max added. Nick sighed sleepily and started to nod off again. Looking at Liz he saw tears rolling down her face. He kissed the top of her head. "She can't hurt you either." He said softly.
"I know." Liz whispered. "It's just this is what I always dreamed we could be, if you found us. Come home Max. It's your home too." She whispered.
"You mean it?"
"With all my heart." she said tearfully.
"I love you Liz Parker."
"Shouldn't that be Evans soon?" She tried to laugh. "I can't live with a man if we aren't married."
"Did you just propose?"
"I think so."
"I accept." He kissed her.
"Hey what's going on in here?" Kayla said sleepily.
Liz turned to smile at her daughter. "Kayla, I want you to meet someone special."
"Liz are you sure you wanna do this now? Maybe we should wait till Nick is awake." Max said quietly.
"I'm sure." Liz's eyes glowed. "Kayla, this is your daddy."
"Really?" Kayla lit up like a Christmas tree and Max's heart soared.
"Yes, really." Max opened his arms to her.
Kayla ran across and room and scrambled into Max's arms. "I'm glad he's Daddy, Mommy."
"Me too." Max said, holding Kayla as tight as he could, while still allowing her to breathe.
Liz brought a blanket around all of them and the Evans' family fell asleep.
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