| Title: Back To Love Author: Jasper711 Email: Jasper7132@hotmail.com Disclaimer: I own nothing, nor am I affiliated with Jason Katims, The WB, Melinda Metz, etc. Category: M/L Rating: PG Summary: This is my way to repair M/L after EOTW Spoilers: All the way up through ARCC. I may mention some things that may happen in upcoming episodes, but I don't go in depth. Author's note: I just wanted to thank everyone who sent me feedback and constructive criticism on my very first fic. Thanks everybody ******** Back To Love Words and Music by Devon Biere Verse One Time after time we keep running in circles Drifting apart day by day What more can I do to get through to you When you just keep pulling away? I look in your eyes and I see your devotion Hiding behind all the pain Can we try at last to forget the past And open our hearts once again? Chorus Take my hand and I will be here To dry all the tears that you’ve cried If you take one look in my eyes You’ll see that I’m willing to try Don’t you throw it away We’ve come too far to give up and die If you’re ready to, we can find our way back to love Verse Two Not long ago we were happy together I don't know where we went wrong Girl, I have no doubt we can work things out But somehow we've got to be strong As long as I live I will need you beside me No matter what we go through Can we try again to let love back in? 'Cause there is no me without you Part 1 Liz slowly walked up to the Evans’ walkway. Right, left, right, left, that’s it Liz, one foot in front of the other. As Liz reached the front door she took a deep breath before ringing the bell. The door opened to reveal Diane Evans covered in flour with an apron around her waist. Smiling Diane Evans pushed the hair out of her eyes. “Liz, what a nice surprise. It’s been a while. Please, come in.” Diane stepped aside to let Liz into the house. Liz scanned the house for any signs of Max but turned around to face Diane at the sound of her voice. “So Liz, what brings you by?” Nervously wiping her palms across her jeans, Liz spoke. “Uh.... actually, I uh....... I just came to talk to Max actually. Is he here?” Liz turned towards the stairs that led to his room. Diane stepped behind Liz and placed a hand on her shoulder. “He’s still in his room. Hasn’t come down yet. Why don’t you go up and see him?” Liz looked at Diane and gave a slight shake of her head, “Uh, I’ll just wait for him down here.” Diane smiled at Liz and gave her a little push towards the stairs. “Go on ahead, I have to finish up in the kitchen. When the two of you are done talking, come down into the kitchen. Tell Max I’m making his favorite. Frijoles Frittatas.” Liz walked towards the stairs. Before she took a step she turned to look at Diane who gave her a smile of encouragement. Liz took a deep breath. Taking the plunge she took the steps one at a time. Liz could feel her knees going weak. She didn’t know if she could go through with this, but it was important that she talk to Max. It had been weeks since the summit in New York and she had contacted him. They hadn’t really talked about how Max healing her had changed her. With everything that happened during Christmas, there wasn’t really any time to talk about it. But there was no way they could ignore it now. After what happened last night, Liz had to talk to someone who would understand, someone who wouldn’t freak out. As much as she would’ve liked to divulge the events from last night to Maria, she wasn’t in the mood for comforting someone else. She was the one in need of comforting. Then there was Alex. Good friend Alex. He was also out of the question. Ever since he returned from Sweden, he was a little different. Not in a bad way, but he was indeed different, a little more withdrawn when it came to Czechoslovakian issues. And last but not least there was Kyle. He had been a good friend. Being there when she needed him, no questions asked. She had already asked so much of him these past few months, she didn‘t want to be a burden. Besides, she wasn’t sure how much help Kyle would be. Ever since finding Buddha, Kyle had become a new man. Sure, Liz didn’t exactly understand all of it, but his little words of wisdom confused her. Of course she wouldn’t readily admit that out loud, but she didn’t really need all the added confusion. That’s why at nine o’clock in the morning she was in the Evans’ home hoping to talk to Max. Liz reasoned to herself that the reason why she was here was because she needed someone with a clear head and someone who would think rationally about the situation. Sure Liz, if you tell yourself that, you might actually start believing it. The truth was that Liz knew in the back of her mind that by coming here, Max would freak out. Although he wouldn’t come out and say it, he would feel guilty for changing her. He wouldn’t be able to help himself, it was just in his nature. At the same time, Liz couldn’t help herself. She needed Max. She needed him like she needed air to breathe. But they just weren’t meant to be. No matter how you put it, she always seemed to be his downfall. But these past few weeks, Max had agreed to attempt being friends again. Friends. How the hell could they go back to being friends after all they’ve been through? But she had no choice. Well if friends was the only thing they could have, she would take it. She had a craving for Max and even the pictures of him she carried around with her couldn’t sate her desire to have him surround her in any way. Before she realized that she had trekked it all the way up the stairs, there she was standing in front of his door. Her heart began to pound harder in her chest. Her palms were damp and she couldn’t seem to swallow past the lump in her throat. She gently raised her hand to his door and started knocking. Here goes nothing. Liz waited, but nothing happened. She decided to try again. This time her rapping on the door was a little louder. Maybe he didn’t hear me the first time. Still no answer. Liz was about to try again when she heard a quiet rustling coming from inside. Liz froze, trying to decipher what it was she heard. Liz tried to think about it rationally. If Max was in there he would have answered the door, or at least said something. Before Liz could further contemplate the situation she heard the noise again. Her heart started pounding wildly in her chest. What if something happened to Max? Rath and Lonnie just showed up at his house unannounced. What was to stop one of their enemies to come to his house now? Liz quickly grabbed the handle and pushed her way through the door. She prepared herself to catch an unsuspecting intruder but instead she stumbled over something on the floor. Looking down she realized it was Max’s shoes. After regaining her balance she caught sight of his clothes that were haphazardly strewn across his room. Her breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of Max. There he was sprawled across his bed, lying on his back. One arm casually thrown over his eyes to ward off the light seeping through the window. The other arm was dangling over the side of the bed. As her eyes continued to roam, her jaw dropped to the floor when she caught sight of his naked chest. All that naked skin caused Liz to shiver. Her eyes continued south where the sheet was bunched up around his waist. One muscular leg was peeking out of the sheet. Liz nearly gasped out loud when she realized that the only piece of clothing Max had on were his boxers. Get your mind out of the gutter Liz. You came to talk to him about last night, nothing more. Besides, you’re just friends. Liz silently cursed herself for her hormones. She wanted nothing more than- Stop it right there Parker. Friends don’t think about friends that way. Breath in, breath out. Relax! After relaxing a little bit, Liz wasn’t so sure she wanted to wake him up. He looked so peaceful. Just as she about to go out the door, her mind flashed back to last night. As much as she didn’t want to bother Max, she had to do this now before she lost her nerve. She walked closer to the bed and called out to him. “Max! Max, wake up.” Max showed no indication that he heard her except for the fact that he turned to face her direction. Liz fought to control her breathing as she saw his muscles move from the effort. She kneeled down next to the bed and gently shook his shoulder. “Max, c’mon, it’s time for you to wake up.” Max still didn’t wake up. He just moved his face closer to Liz’s. Liz couldn’t help but smile at Max. His hair was mussed from sleep and his cheeks were flushed. She could feel little puffs of air hit her face as he breathed through his mouth. He looked just like a little boy. Leave it to Max to look completely sexy one minute and then look completely adorable the next. She decided to try and wake him one more time. If he didn’t wake up she would leave. “Max, wake- Before Liz could finish, she was interrupted by a low grumble from Max. “Jus five more minutes ma,” he whispered while holding his hand up in protest. Liz broke out into a smile. Deciding to let him sleep she slowly got up, but not before she unconsciously smoothed down his hair. As her fingers combed through his thick tresses, his amber eyes slowly fluttered open. “Liz?” Liz jumped back. She hadn’t meant to touch him, but it just happened. She started to walk backwards when Max sat up. He looked around the room a little bit disoriented before his eyes finally settled on Liz. Liz looked like a deer caught in headlights. She was frozen to the spot. Max waited for her to say something, but it was obvious she wasn’t going to. He tried to stand, but the sheet was twisted across his lower body causing him to trip. Instinctively, Liz rushed forward to catch him. They toppled over with Max on top of her. Their eyes met in a heated stare. Max’s face was scant inches away from Liz’s. Unconsciously, they moved closer together. They were about to kiss when Diane’s voiced echoed up the stairs. “Max, Liz come down and eat. The frittatas are ready.” Max jumped off of Liz as if she had burned him. Liz stood up and straightened up her clothes. She looked up at Max. Her gaze slowly wandered to his chest and lower. Max suddenly felt very naked. Liz was looking at him like he was her next meal. He wrapped his arms around his chest. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate the look that he was receiving from Liz, but they had agreed to be friends. And friends definitely didn’t give each other heated looks. “Max, honey, the foods getting cold. You better get down here before your dad and Izzy finish all the frittatas.” Max finally found his voice again as he started pulling on some clothes that were lying across the room. “What, what are you doing here Liz?” Liz averted her gaze as he pulled on some clothes. She stared at a crack in the wall and started talking. “Uh, well something happened last night and I thought it had something to do with- Liz was interrupted by the door opening, revealing Diane Evans with a smile on her face. “You two, I’ve been calling and calling. Come downstairs, I made your favorite Max.” Liz was about to protest but Diane grabbed hold of her arm and led her downstairs to the kitchen. Liz looked back at Max with a helpless expression. Max had no choice but to follow. On his way out, something caught his eye on the floor. It looked like pictures. He bent down to pick it up and realized that they were pictures of him. He knew these weren’t his. They must belong to Liz he thought. As he picked it up he had a flash. *Flash* Liz holding the pictures and staring at them and feeling different things. Love, guilt, shame, anger, hurt, pain. Before he could figure anything else out, his mother’s voice beckoned to him. He placed the pictures in his pocket and walked down the stairs. If he was confused to find Liz in his room this morning, it was nothing compared to the knowledge of Liz’s mixed emotions from the pictures. He had to get to the bottom of this. Part 2 When Max got to the kitchen he was greeted with the sight of Liz and his family at the dining table. They were laughing and talking as if they were just one big family. Max felt his heart constrict at the thought. He and Liz were never going to be family he thought bitterly. He pulled out the seat next to Liz and sat down. “It’s about time you got up dear brother. Mom has been making her famous frittatas just for you.” Isabel grabbed a plate and put a huge slice of the frittata on it. She placed it in front of Max with a huge smile on her face. Max resisted the urge to kick Isabel under the table, instead he smiled and picked up his fork. “Liz, you haven’t touched your food. You have to try it. Max and Izzy really enjoy it, if I do say so myself.” Diane watched as Liz picked up her fork. Before Liz could take a piece, Max stood up and purposefully bumped into her, effectively knocking the glass of juice all over Liz and the food. Liz was still in shock when she felt Max pulling her from her seat. “Liz, I’m so sorry. Let me help you clean up in the laundry room.” Max began leading Liz to the laundry room with Diane looking on with a worried expression. “Max, lend her one of the clean shirts from the dryer.” Max looked back at his mother and nodded. Once in the laundry room, Max handed Liz a towel and a wash cloth and turned her towards the basin. Max casually leaned against the dryer and whispered conspiratorially. “Sorry about that, just wanted to save you from the frittatas,” he whispered with a grin. After running the wash cloth under warm water, Liz turned to him with a smile of her own. “Come on Max, I’m sure they’re not the bad.” Max held his hands up in defense. “Trust me, they are. I told Isabel not to get her that subscription to Martha Stewart.” He was rewarded by a hearty laugh coming from Liz. He couldn’t help the smile that crept across his face. His heart swelled seeing Liz so happy. It had been so long since the two of them were genuinely happy in each others company no less. Max didn’t want to ruin the moment, but he had to know why Liz was here and to top it of, he had to figure out what his flash meant. “So what brings you by Liz.” He noticed the smile drop from her face and her stance become somewhat defensive. He could tell she was closing herself off. “And don’t tell me it was to taste my mom’s frittatas.” Liz just stood there. She didn’t know what to say. Coming over this morning seemed like such a good idea, but now that he was actually awake- Her thoughts were interrupted by Max’s voice. “What were you doing in my room this morning Liz?” Liz could tell he was getting frustrated. She wanted to tell him, but she didn’t want to be overheard. “Not here. Look Max, do you think you get away for a little while?” Max’s eyebrows knotted in confusion. “What’s going on Liz? Why- Liz interrupted him. “Max please, just meet me at the Crashdown in fifteen minutes.” When it looked like he was about to protest, Liz grabbed his hand. “I just really need a friend to talk to Max.” Max saw the fear flit across her eyes. He could feel the tension coming off of her in waves. He nodded his head in agreement as she slipped through the back door. Returning to the kitchen, he picked up his keys from the counter. Everyone turned to watch as he headed towards the door. “Max, where are you going? And where’s Liz?” His mother’s voice was laced with concern. “Liz had to go. I, uh, I promised Brody I’d stop by the UFO Center this morning, and I’m already late enough as it is.” Max pulled on his sweater as he continued to the front door. Before he got to far down the hallway, his mother’s voice stopped him. “Max?” Max turned to look at his mom. “Did you and Liz get a chance to talk this morning? She seemed really nervous this morning.” Max took the knowledge in and just nodded. Part 3 The drive to the Crashdown was uneventful, except for Max’s thoughts running rampant. What had his mom meant by Liz being nervous this morning? Just one more thing to add to the growing list of things to find out about Liz Parker. Max nearly screamed out in frustration at the situation. Could life be any more unfair? If he thought he was confused before, now, well, he didn’t even think there was a word to describe how he was feeling right now. ********** Meanwhile, inside the Crashdown Liz was frantically searching her locker. “Hey Liz, looking for something?” Liz looked up to the sound of Maria’s voice. Liz could hear the tinge of sarcasm in her voice. In any other normal circumstance Liz would have thought of a comeback, sure it would never be as great as anything Maria could think up, but hey, at least she tried. Maria’s smile eerily resembled that of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. “Come on Liz, if you tell me what it is, I might just use part of my break to help you find it.” Liz was out control. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Grabbing Maria by her uniform lapels, she raised her voice to sound menacing. “Give them to me Maria!” Maria pulled out of Liz’s reach and started straightening her uniform back in place. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Liz. What has gotten into you?” Maria searched her friends face for anything that might indicate what had prompted the outburst. Liz dejectedly leaned back against the lockers. “I’m sorry Maria. I didn’t mean to go postal on you. It’s just, I can’t find Max’s pictures anywhere.” Maria’s smile was back in full force. “Oh, so this has something to do with our resident dark haired mystery man.” Liz looked up to the teasing tone of Maria’s voice and broke out into in a smile of her own. “I’m really sorry, it’s just I have no idea where I put them. I know I had them with me this morning when I was at Max’s house.” Before Liz could further elaborate, Maria interrupted her in her usual Maria fashion. “Hold up, you were at Max’s this morning? What were you doing there?” Liz sighed as she pulled her hair into a ponytail. “It’s nothing, I just had to talk to him about something, but he was still asleep, and then his mom- Once again Maria’s voice stopped Liz short of her explanation. “You saw Max Evans asleep?” Liz nodded her head in agreement. She had no idea where Maria was going with this, but she was suddenly becoming nervous when she saw the twinkle in Maria’s eyes. That twinkle usually meant she was up to no good. Maria started nodding her head and walked up to Liz. “So, you saw Max asleep. Inquiring minds want to know Liz, what does he sleep in, or dare we hope, what doesn‘t he sleep in?” Liz playfully slapped Maria on her shoulder. “Maria!” Maria grabbed Liz by her arms. “Come on Liz; throw me a bone here. Granted Max is of girlfriend status, he’s next in line to Alex, I haven’t failed to notice that he’s an Adonis.” Liz’s jaw dropped. “I cannot believe you Maria!” “Look Liz, chalk it up to the fact that I have no life. I mean I have to live vicariously through you. You get all the good stuff. A present time Max, and a future Max- Liz promptly covered Maria’s mouth with her hand. “Maria!” Maria’s eyes grew wide when she realized her mistake. “If I take my hand away, do you promise to stay quiet?” Liz watched as Maria shook her head yes. Liz slowly started pulling her hand away, but when Maria opened her mouth to say something, Liz closed her hand over her mouth again. “I thought we had an agreement?” Liz could tell Maria wasn’t going to let her get her way. “Look, if I tell you about what Max was wearing, do you promise you’ll keep your mouth shut?” Maria’s eyes began to sparkle as she nodded her acquiesce. Liz decided not to take any chances this time so she kept her hand closed over Maria’s mouth securely. “Okay, Max was sleeping in just his boxers.” Liz could feel the blush creep up to her cheeks as the mental image of Max in just his boxers flashed into her mind. Maria’s excited squeal was muffled by Liz’s hand. Maria promptly launched herself into Liz’s arms and started dancing around the break room. *********** Just outside the door, Max Evans couldn’t help the blush from tinting his cheeks. To hear girls talk about him the way Maria and Liz were made him a little self-conscious. Not that it didn’t make him a tad bit happy, he just didn’t think anyone thought of him that way. He wondered when he should let his presence be known to the two girls dancing around. Before he could make up his mind, Liz turned around with wide eyes and locked onto his face. ************ While Liz was dancing around with Maria, she felt the hairs on her neck stand up. She knew that he was there. Her body was always hyper aware of his if he was anywhere near her vicinity. She turned around and her eyes locked onto his handsome face. Part 4 Maria noticed Liz stop dancing and followed her gaze to Max. Maria could feel herself flush from the way she had just sounded. Had Max heard the way they were talking about him? If he did, she was just about ready to crawl into a hole and die. It didn’t seem to matter though, Max was staring at Liz. What else was new? Just as Maria was preparing herself to leave the two alone to talk, a light bulb turned on in her head. With some new found knowledge, Maria couldn’t resist getting a jab at Max before leaving. She just couldn’t help herself. Max was so adorable when he was embarrassed. Maria cleared her throat. “So, uh I have to go back to work now, not that you two care anyway.” Maria walked towards Max, making sure to rake her eyes over his form very slowly. Max looked towards Maria when she cleared her throat. When she started walking towards him, he couldn’t help but feel but feel naked. The way Maria was looking at him....... As Maria sauntered over to Max, she gave a little smile. She ran a finger from his shoulder to his chest. “So girlfriend, I’ve heard some things.” Max started getting a little nervous. What was Maria up to? “Wh-what kind of things?” Damn! With that stutter, Maria was bound to make whatever it was she was going to do even more torturous for him. Maria’s smile turned into a ribald grin. Max stuttered? This was gonna make it even sweeter. She held onto his gaze and made sure he saw her appreciating his muscular form. “You know, things.” She let her finger catch onto the waistband of his jeans to look at his boxers. With her other hand she pulled at the elastic of his boxers and snapped them. “And I must say, I’m very impressed.” Max was too shocked to be able to pull away from Maria. His face flushed at what Maria had just said and done. “Maria!” Liz cried. Maria turned to see Liz blushing. These two were just adorable. Maria’s laughter floated through the break room as she made her way back into the diner. With Maria’s laughter still in the air, Max felt the tips of his ears warm from his blush. ************** After Maria was back inside the dining area of the Crashdown, Liz walked toward Max. “I’m sorry about that. I don’t what’s gotten into Maria.” Max just nodded. He didn’t know how to react to what just happened. As Max tried to control his breathing Liz looked at anything but him. So, she focused on his feet. When Max’s breathing finally returned to normal, he cleared his throat to get Liz’s attention. Upon hearing Max, Liz looked up to meet his eyes, but not before catching something hanging out of his pocket. She squinted her eyes to try and figure out what it was. When she finally figured out what they were, her eyes grew wide and she covered the gasp that came out of her mouth with her hand. Max had her pictures! Max had her pictures of him! Liz could feel the blood drain from her face. If she felt completely mortified at what Maria had just done, now, she was just about to die. He had her pictures. What was he thinking? Why did he have them in his pocket? Millions of questions raced through her mind. She tried to take deep breaths, but somehow she couldn’t get her lungs to work. Max saw the color drain from Liz’s face and instantly began to worry. He touched her shoulder but she didn’t seem to notice. It looked like she was hyperventilating. “Liz?” Max’s voice was etched with worry. Liz looked up and saw Max looking at her. In the back of her mind she faintly thought she heard her name. That was the last thing she remembered before everything went black. Part 5 Liz awoke to the smell of ammonia. She resisted the urge to gag from the smell. Her eyes fluttered open and she locked eyes with a worried Max Evans. From what she gathered, she was still in the break room, only she was lying down on the couch. Maria was standing next Max, sniffing a bottle of cedar oil, while holding a stick of ammonia under Liz’s nose. Liz pushed Maria’s hand away. She quickly sat up only to fall back down. “Hey slow down, you’ll only make yourself dizzy.” Max pushed her back against the cushions of the sofa. In the background, Michael’s voice could be heard over the noisy dining area. “Maria, time to get back to work. I think you’ve sniffed the entire bottle of cedar oil.” Maria placed the cap back on the bottle and placed her hands on her hips. Just as she was about to make a comeback Michael started speaking again. “And before you start yakking again, bring this food out there. I ain’t cooking for myself you know.” Michael finished his little tirade with a wave of his metal spatula. Maria was fuming, as she opened her mouth, Max took hold of her arm. “Maria, you think you guys could pick this up later? I don’t think Liz is up for all the yelling right now.” Maria looked at her best friend who still looked disoriented. Maria swallowed her pride and knelt down in front of her best friend. Taking one of Liz’s hands in her own she began speaking softly. “I’m sorry babe. I didn’t know that my little show back there was gonna give you a heart attack. Forgive me?” Liz smiled and reached forward to hug Maria. She whispered in her ear so Max wouldn’t over hear. “I’ll forgive you for now, but you are so gonna get it later.” With that she watched as Maria stood up with her jaw hanging. Liz just laughed and turned her to the direction of the kitchen. She gave Maria a playful pat on the behind before turning back to Max. Max watched as Liz and Maria interacted with each other. He wished he had that closeness with his own so called best friend. Not that he wanted to be all touchy feely with Michael, but it would be nice to see him show that he cared once in a while. It seemed all they ever did was fight nowadays. He wondered if he and Liz would ever be good friends like that. Granted that Maria was a girl, he wondered if he and Liz could share the type of friendship she had with Maria, or maybe even Alex. There was only one way to find out. ********** Liz watched Max watching her. She had no idea what was going through his mind right now. It looked like she wouldn’t have to wait long because Max started speaking. “Are you ok Liz? You had us all worried.” Max ached to touch her cheek or even touch the stray strand of hair that was hanging just above her eyes, but he kept his hands to himself. Liz said she wanted a friend to talk to and he was going to be that friend. She didn’t need him hanging all over her. He remembered how she was there to comfort him through his Christmas crisis. He owed it to her to be there for her now. Liz continued to watch the different emotions cross Max’s face. There were too many to name. Right now she was just going to settle for answering his question. “Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t even remember what happened.” Liz sat closer to the other side of the couch putting some space between her and Max. She didn’t think she could function all that well with him being so close. Max watched as Liz pulled away from him. He couldn’t help but feel a little hurt, but it was probably for the best. He couldn’t think straight when she was just a few inches away. He waited for her to say something more, but she said nothing. So he decided to jump right in and ask her about this morning. “Okay, since you’re not saying anything, I may as well ask. What were you doing at my house this morning? And what was so important that you couldn’t tell me with other people around?” Liz opened her mouth to speak but the back door opened with Jose carrying supplies to the kitchen. Liz looked around the kitchen and thought it would be safer if she just took this upstairs. She grabbed Max’s hand and led him up the stairs. “Come on. Let me just show you what happened.” Liz dragged Max up the stairs to her apartment and straight to her room. Before Max could say a word, Liz thrust him through the door and closed the door behind her. Max was about to say something when he noticed the difference in her room. A lot of her furniture seemed new and there was so much more color in the room. “What happened in here? It looks like rainbow brite threw up in here.” Max continued to take a look around. Liz sat on her bed and looked just as confused as he did. “That’s the thing Max, I don’t know how it happened.” Max turned to look at her. “What do you mean you don’t know what happened? How is that even possible?” Liz just shook her head. “All I remember was falling asleep and having this dream about having the same powers us you guys you know. Where you can change things and make them different. So I went around the room changing stuff, thinking it was all a dream, but when I woke up this morning, my room looked like it did in my dream. I was so sure it was a dream.” Liz’s voice was rising and she had begun pacing around the room. Seeing it again started freaking her out all over again. When she had woken up this morning she almost had a heart attack. Her first instinct was to go to Max and tell him about it, so that’s what she did. Max watched as Liz began pacing. She was beyond freaked out. He didn’t know what to say. Had his healing her really changed her? And if so, did that mean that she has powers like them now? He felt a pang of guilt at the thought of having done this to her. His eyes continued to follow Liz as she paced back and forth. He grabbed her by the wrist to make her stop. “Liz, stop. I don’t want you to faint again.” Liz looked to see Max’s face etched with guilt. Good one Parker. By telling Max you’ve just achieved making him feel guilty. “Stop it Max. Stop doing that to yourself.” She grabbed his hand and held it in her own. Max looked at their hands before asking his question. “Stop what?” “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Stop acting so guilty, like you’ve done something to damage me or something.” Liz led them back to her bed to sit down. Now it was Max’s turn to stand up and pace. “It is my fault. When I healed you, I changed you. And now, now, you’re different. I am so sorry Liz.” He stopped his pacing long enough to apologize to her. Liz grabbed his hand and stood up in front of him. “Don’t say you’re sorry. If you hadn’t healed me that day I would be dead right now. Is that what you want?” Max crushed her to him. “Don’t even say that Liz. I don’t know what I would do if........” He let the sentence trail off not daring to finish, fearing he might overstep the boundary of being friends. Liz reveled in being in Max’s strong arms. She felt safe, like she was finally home. But thoughts of the future Max flooded her brain causing her to pull away. “What are we gonna do now Max?” Max took another look around the room. “Ok, I guess, first thing’s first. Does anyone else know about this?” Liz shook her head. “No, you’re the first person I told.” Max had to fight to keep the grin from his face. He was the first person she told, above anyone else, even Maria. He couldn’t help but feel a little better that Liz trusted him even after he’d said that he didn’t trust her. He took a careful look at her face. Could she possibly be anymore amazing? Even after all the terrible things he had said to her, she was there for him when he needed her most, and she trusted him, and most of all, she didn’t blame him for changing her. Liz looked up to Max. He had gone quiet. What was going on in that1 head of his? When Max noticed Liz looking at him, he began to speak again. “Ok, so have you been able to do anything else?” “I haven’t tried to, I came right to you when I woke up.” Max thought about what she said. I came right to you when I woke up. If she really did trust him still, why was she keeping things about the granolith from him? And why would she lie about sleeping with Kyle? In his heart, he knew she didn’t sleep with him. He saw proof of that today with the way she reacted to him this morning. What was so terrible that she felt she had to keep it from him? But he had already promised her he wouldn’t ask her about it, after he returned from New York. Max was pulled from his thoughts by her sweet voice. “Max? Max, are you ok?” Max looked into her concerned eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just sort of spaced for a minute there.” He pulled Liz toward her dresser. “Ok, are you sure your parents haven’t seen this?” He motioned to her newly decorated room. “No, they’re gone for the weekend. Max, you gotta help me change it back before anyone else can come up and see it.” Max nodded and started walking around the room touching various things to return order to the room. He came up to the bed, but stopped short of touching it. He was so sure of himself just a minute ago, but now he wasn’t so sure if he wanted to see anything that happened between Kyle and Liz. “Uh, Liz? Why don’t you try it?” Liz looked at him, confusion knotting her brows. “What do you mean try it?” Max pulled her next to him. “I mean, you were the one who originally changed everything, why don’t you try it? Just do what you did last night?” Liz thought about it. She had been the one who changed everything. It would only be logical that she could change everything back. She hesitantly touched the bed with her fingertips and closed her eyes. She imagined herself changing it back to the way it was. She concentrated all of her energy into changing it back. She slowly opened her eyes to see that nothing had changed. How was that possible? Why couldn’t she change it now? Max answered her unspoken question. “Maybe we should start with something small?” He walked towards her dresser to get something, when his eyes caught a picture of Liz, Maria, and Alex only it wasn’t really them. Liz was still in the middle, but on the bodies of Maria and Alex, was his face. He remembered doing that the night of Liz’s blind date, but he had gotten rid of it when he erased his little neon heart on her wall. Had Liz done this last night? He turned to look at her. Did she still feel that way about him? He could sense that she did, but why was she fighting so hard to keep them apart? Liz walked up to him and picked up her bracelet that was on the dresser. “How about this? Maybe I could change it?” Max nodded. Liz placed the bracelet in her hand and concentrated. Max gently whispered some instructions to her. “Just take deep breaths and concentrate on changing the molecules. Instead of holding a silver bracelet, you’re now holding a gold one.” Liz put all of her energy into imagining herself changing the bracelet. Her eyes fluttered open. She slowly opened her hand to the same silver bracelet. She looked up at Max. “I don’t understand Max. How come I was able to change everything last night, and now I can’t even change this tiny little bracelet?” Max was just as dumbfounded as Liz. “I don’t what to tell you Liz.” Just then the phone rang. Liz ran to the side of the bed. “Hello?.... Dad?...... You and mom? Right now? Fifteen minutes? Uh, I’ll see you guys then. Love you too Dad.” Liz quickly hung up the phone and grabbed Max’s sleeve. “Max, Max, you gotta change everything back. My parents are gonna be here in 15 minutes.” Max resumed changing things back. Liz walked back to the dresser to return her bracelet. As she put it down she noticed the picture she had changed last night. Her mouth dropped open. Had Max seen it? She looked to see him changing different things. He hadn’t mentioned anything, so maybe he hadn’t seen it. She quickly threw it in the drawer, just as Max finished up. Liz saw that he was hovering beside the bed, just staring at it. Then it dawned on her why he hadn’t changed it back, and why he had asked her to do it. He was afraid of seeing images of her and Kyle in the throes of passion. She had to hold back the sob that threatened to escape from her throat. Once again, she saw the magnitude of pain her betrayal had caused him. How she wanted to hold him and assure him that nothing happened. But she couldn’t do that. It amazed her how remarkable Max was. Even after all of her betrayals, he was here, to help her. She wiped the lone tear from her eye as she walked up to him. “Uh, you don’t have to.....uh,” Liz motioned to the bed. She had no idea what to say. Just as she was about to steer Max away from the bed, her father’s voice echoed from the hallway. “Lizzie? We’re home.” Liz’s eyes were wide with fright. Max saw her look and decided to place his pride to the side. He quickly touched the bed and changed it back. *Flash* Kyle getting into bed with his boxers on. Liz standing beside the bed in a towel. Liz sliding under the covers and removing the towel, making sure that her and Kyle weren’t touching. Before he could receive anymore flashes, the door to Liz’s room opened. Liz yanked his arm from the bed. Jeff Parker stood at the door, surprised to see Max in his daughter’s bedroom with the door closed. What in the hell was going on here? Part 6 “What’s going on Liz?” Jeff Parker stood up a little taller, trying to look a little more menacing to the teenage boy. Granted it looked like they were just hanging out and they were fully clothed, he still couldn’t help but be protective. “Uh, Max and I were just hanging out.” She looked to Max and gave him a nudge. “Right Max?” Max nodded. He didn’t want to speak, he knew his voice would betray all of the crazy emotions running through him. Jeff just nodded. “Ok, then, well your mother and I have to unpack. I’ll just leave you two.” Before he left, he made a point of leaving the door wide open. Max was still in a trance. He had imagined seeing Liz and Kyle together. But what he saw told him otherwise. “Hey Max, you ok?” He looked up to see her worried eyes. “C’mon, we have to talk.” Max grabbed her hand and led her through the window of her balcony. As he swung himself over the ledge, Liz latched onto his arm. “Max? What are you doing? We can’t just leave!” Max wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Look Liz, we have to talk, no interruptions.” When she looked as if she was about to protest, he silenced her with a plea. “Look Liz, you came to me because you said you needed a friend. Now I’m asking you to come with me as your friend.” Liz heard the way he stressed the word friend. She couldn’t ignore the plea in his voice. Finally she relented and climbed over the ledge with him. *************** Max drove the to the quarry where they had often met as a group to hold their meetings. As he killed the engine, he turned expectantly to Liz. Liz didn’t know what to say. What had him so freaked that they had to come all the way out here to talk about it. “Max, if this is about, what happened in my room, - Max placed a hand on her shoulder. “Look, I know that what happened to you must have been scary and I don’t what I can say. I don’t know what happened or even why it happened.” Liz smiled gently, “It’s ok Max, we’ll figure this out together.” Max tried to control his anger but he was so confused he was ready to explode. “That’s the thing Liz, we can’t do this together.” Liz was surprised by his sudden outburst. “Max I- He cut her off wanting to get everything out in the open. “Look Liz, I’ve tried to be patient, but I can’t help you if you’re keeping things from me.” By this point he had jumped out of the jeep. Liz followed him and began talking. “What are you talking about Max?” Max spun around to face her. “I’ve tried Liz, I’ve tried to look the other way and just be your friend, but I’ve seen and heard things, and I just can’t ignore them anymore.” Liz began to worry, “What things?” Even as she said the words she knew she didn’t want to hear the answer. “I’ve had flashes Liz.” He pulled out the pictures from his pocket and held them out for her to see. “Why are you carrying these around Liz?” Liz didn’t know what to say. Max had only ever raised his voice to her a few times, but now she received chills down her spine. Before she could open her mouth to speak Max continued on with his tirade. “And why do you keep lying to me about Kyle? I know you two didn’t sleep together.” Liz finally found her voice to speak. “You had flashes of that?” Max shook his head, “I didn’t need the damn flashes to tell me what was already in my heart. But the question is why do you keep lying to me about it?” Liz felt the tears prick her eyes. “You promised you wouldn’t ask me about this anymore.” Liz turned to leave, but Max grabbed her arm just as he had when they were in Copper Summit. “Liz, please? I don’t care if you slept with Kyle or not. My love for you is unconditional. Don’t you understand that? I would be with you because I love you. Nothing else matters” His voice was hoarse from unshed tears. Liz turned away from him, “Please Max, don’t do this.” “Don’t do what? Tell you I love you?” Liz tried to suppress the sobs escaping her throat. “Max, we agreed to be friends- “Friends? How can you expect that after all we’ve been through, after you refuse to give me any explanations? You can’t have it both ways Liz. You can’t keep giving me mixed signals.” Liz didn’t know what to say. She wanted to tell him the truth about everything, to hell with destiny and the fate of the entire world. But she couldn’t. She made a promise to future Max. As much as she wanted to be selfish, she couldn’t. Keeping her promise to Max was more important. “I, I can’t tell you Max.” Five simple words. They were five simple worlds but they crushed the hearts of to young people. Max dropped her arm and wiped the tears that had fallen down his face. “Fine.” With that one word Max walked back to the jeep. Part 7 They drove back to the Crashdown in silence except for the occasional sobs that one of them couldn’t hold back. Max kept his eyes on the road, but he would watch Liz from the corner of his eyes and see the sobs rack her body. He watched as she valiantly sat in her seat. Watching her made him hate himself more. He hadn’t meant to yell at her or give her an ultimatum, but he was just so angry, so confused. What he wouldn’t do to take back what had just happened. But in a way he was glad it happened. There was no more beating around the bush when it came to how he felt or what he wanted. Liz sat in her seat, her back straight, looking out the window. She hated herself for hurting Max. Somehow in the back of her mind she knew that it was the last straw. When he had asked her that last time, it tipped the boat. But how are you supposed to chose which Max you’re going to stay loyal to? Weren’t they one in the same? Had she changed the future? Maybe she had, future Max now ceases to exist. Did that mean that she could pick up with Max again? Or would the two of them getting back together result in the same fatal consequence? She didn’t know what to think. For every answer she didn’t have, she had a million more questions arise. What kind of sick person would allow you to find your soul mate only to blatantly show you over and over again that you couldn’t be with them? *********** As the jeep rolled to a stop behind the alley of the Crashdown, Liz jumped out before Max could cut the engine. He ran after her, while fumbling with his keys. “Liz wait,” Liz stopped, but she didn’t turn around. He stopped behind her but he didn’t touch her. “About what I said before, - Liz cut him off with her soft voice. “Look Max, you made yourself very clear- Max started to speak, but Liz turned around and began her little speech. “I let you have your say out there, so I think it’s only fair that you let me have mine.” Max just nodded. Liz took a deep breath and gathered all of her courage to say what she had to say. “You were right Max. How can I ask you to be my friend when I can’t even tell you the truth? I’m surprised that you even agreed to be friends with me in the first place. Actually I take that back. I guess I do know. Like you said, your love has always been unconditional, that’s why after everything that’s happened, after all of the times I’ve hurt you, you’re still willing to give me a chance.” Liz gave a bitter laugh. “You see, you’re doing again it now. You’re over here because you can’t just stop. You can’t just turn your back.” Max opened his mouth to speak but Liz held up her hand to silence him. “Everything you said out there was right. I can’t keep having it both ways. And I have to stop giving you mixed signals. You asked me to tell you what happened out there, and I told you I couldn’t. I don’t think I can ever tell you. And I understand, when you say you can’t be around me with all of this stuff still in the air. I really do understand. But it doesn’t make it hurt any less......... Now that I’ve said what I needed to say,- Max finally found his voice amidst all the pandemonium of his emotions. “Liz,- Before he could finish the thought Liz spoke up. “I know Max. I know. But this, this thing we have isn’t healthy. We have to stop.” With that, Liz crossed the last few steps into the Crashdown. Max stood there with tears rolling down his face. “I love you Liz.” Part 8 Liz ran the rest of the way up the stairs. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it and slid to the floor. The tears ran freely now as she tried to muffle the sounds of her cries. “I love you too Max.” She knew no one could hear her, but somehow by saying it out loud it made her feel a little better, like maybe she hadn‘t totally given up on Max. Her head began to pound. After all of the things that happened today she was more than ready to go insane. Standing up she started picking up things and throwing them around the room. She came to stand in front of her mirror. Picking up the first thing she saw she threw it at the mirror. She hated what she saw, she didn’t even recognize herself anymore. She threw the shoe so hard that the mirror shattered instantly. Shards of glass flew everywhere but Liz didn’t even notice. Across the hall Nancy Parker ran towards the noise. Quickly opening up Liz’s door, she was horrified at what she saw. Her daughter’s usually tidy room was in shambles, but that wasn’t what scared her. Seeing Liz stand motionless and bleeding was what set her off. “Oh my God! Liz? What happened? Are you alright?” Nancy Parker ran to her daughter, careful not to step on any broken glass. When she reached Liz she placed her hands on her face. “Liz, honey? You have to tell me what happened.” When Liz didn’t move, Nancy became alarmed. Liz didn’t seem to be responding to anything. Nancy turned towards the door. “Jeff, get in here!” ***************** On the other side of town, Max Evans lay on his bed crying. Why did life have to be so damn cruel? He was so frustrated with everything life had thrown at him. What had he done wrong in his previous life that he was being punished for it now? Max stood up. He had too much pent up energy to just lay around crying. He angrily swiped at his tears. He started pacing. Maybe if he replayed all of the events that happened, maybe he could figure out a way for Liz and him to be together. He couldn’t figure anything out, but key points struck him. All those flashes he received proved to him that Liz still loved him. Not that he really needed them to know. But what his mind kept going back to was the conversation Liz had with Maria. What had Maria meant about Liz having a present day Max and a future Max? He didn’t have much time to dwell on it then or ask her about it, but he was gonna find out one way or another. He decided to call Maria. She owed him after her little show this morning. He picked up the phone and dialed the number to the crashdown. Max waited impatiently for someone to answer. “C’mon, somebody pick up!” Just as he was about to hang up somebody came to the phone. “Crashdown, what do you want?” Michael answered the phone somewhat breathless. Max took a seat at his desk chair. “Michael? What are you doing answering the phone? Where’s Maria?” Michael had a hard time balancing the phone and the spatula in his hands. “I don’t know, she said something about going to the hospital to be with Liz.” “What?!?” Michael nearly dropped the phone on the grill from the shrill cry on the other end. “What the hell is up with you Maxwell?” “What happened? Is it Liz? Is she ok?” Max was sick with worry. What if her being at the hospital had something to do with what he said? What the hell is wrong with you Max? She came to you for help because she needed a friend. And what do you do? You give her an ultimatum and stomp all over her heart. Michael’s voice came through the other end of the phone. “I don’t know what to tell ya Max.” Before Michael could continue, Max had bolted out the door, not even bothering to hang up the phone. Muffled by the carpet, Michael could be heard screaming. “Max are you there? Max!?!” Part 9 Roswell Memorial Hospital Inside the hospital Jeff and Nancy Parker were at the vending machine buying some coffee, while Maria sat with Liz as they cleaned up her cuts. It wasn’t too bad. A few minor lacerations and abrasions. She only needed to get stitches on her fore arm where a piece of glass had lodged itself. Maria held Liz’s hand as they finished cleaning her up. “Liz? Are you ok? Why don’t you tell me what happened?” Liz eyed the med student but didn’t say anything. Maria followed her gaze and simply nodded. The med student took off her gloves and threw them into the trash. “Ok, you’re all set. Let me just get the paper work and you’ll be ready to go.” Liz waited until the door was closed before sighing in relief. “So? Are you ready to tell me now?” Liz looked at Maria before tears began pricking her eyes again. Shaking her head Liz began speaking, “I, I don’t even know where to begin Maria.” Maria held her hand tighter and smoothed away her tears. “C’mon chica, start anywhere.” When Liz looked reluctant to speak, Maria tried a different approach. “Does this have anything to do with Max?” Upon hearing his name, Liz’s body was wracked with sobs that she couldn’t control. Maria decided to continue with questions. “Did he say something to you?” Maria’s words seemed to have struck a cord with Liz because her crying was to the point of being hysterical. “Maria, I...... I can’t talk about it.” Suddenly, the door started to creak open. Liz hurried to compose herself. ******* After finishing the paper work, the Parkers and Maria walked to the exit. Jeff and Nancy walked ahead so that they could bring the car out front, leaving Liz and Maria behind. Maria turned to Liz and decided to try again. She knew that she may seem pushy, but holding all those emotions in were certainly not healthy. “Look Liz, I don’t want to pressure you, but at least think about what I have to say before you say no, alright?” She waited for Liz to nod her head. “Look, I know you say that you can’t talk about why you’re upset, and I get that, but when you do need to let it out, you know that I’m there for you right?” Liz grabbed Maria in a fierce behr hug. “Thank you Maria.” The two girls walked with linked arms and were close to the main entrance when Liz blurted out, “I think it’s finally over Maria.” Stunned, Maria turned to Liz. “What’s finally over?” Liz gave her a sad smile. “Me and Max.” Upon saying those words, Max Evans burst through the double doors, red faced and out of breath. It was eerily reminiscent of the night Liz’s grandma Claudia was in the hospital. Maria tried to suppress the grin from spreading like wildfire across her face. Over my ass! These two could never stay away from each other. Like a moth to a flame baby! Seeing Liz and Maria stopped Max in his tracks. Cautiously, he walked towards them. “Liz, are you alright? I called the crashdown and Michael said you were at the hospital,” Max finished in one breath. Liz’s heart swelled at seeing him there. After what went down today he was here making sure she was alright. Boy was he relentless. She didn’t know if she could keep turning him away. She was bound to cave sooner or later. When Liz couldn’t find the words to say so Maria interjected. “Relax, it’s just a few cuts and scrapes. Nothing the Dr. couldn’t handle. Only needed to get stitches on one of them.” If Max looked worried before, he looked about ready to pass out now. Reaching out, he gently traced Liz’s fore arm that had stitches. He wanted nothing more than to heal her wounds. Physical and emotional. Somehow he knew he was the cause of both of them. The honking of the horn outside signaled the Parkers arrival. Liz turned to Maria for a way out. Seeing her friends fearful look, Maria stepped in, pushing all three of them outside the double doors. Maria gently tucked Liz away in the car, leaving Max and herself behind. The two of them watched as the family drove away. Maria turned to Max, “Hey Romeo, give me a ride to the crashdown?” With that, the two of them walked to the jeep, arms linked. Part 10 Max drove to the crashdown without a word. He gripped the steering wheel so hard it turned his knuckles white. Maria put her hand on his shoulder. “Wanna ease up there big guy?” Max’s eyes moved to Maria’s face. She motioned to his hands. He hadn’t even realized he was doing it. Pulling up into a parking space, Max turned to Maria. “Maria, we need to talk.” Maria smiled at him. “I kinda saw that one coming.” “I need to know. What did you mean this morning when you told Liz that she had a future Max and a present day Max? And don’t lie to me Maria. I know you and Liz don’t keep secrets from each other. And besides, you owe me.” Maria had to give it to him. Not only was he handsome but he was smart too, ok, so maybe he wasn't acting so smart right now, but he sure is persistant. No wonder Liz couldn't stay away from him. Not that she was interested in Max, far from it. Michael was definitely more her type. She was always up for a challenge. But the reason she was thinking about it was she was just shown yet again how remarkable Max and Liz were. How they always seemed to find each other. Not in the literal sense, but more like the look into my eyes soulmate kind of thing. It’s so unfair to see them be broken up over and over again. It was like they were being punished for loving each other. Why couldn’t the powers that be let them be happy? When it looked like Max was about to jump out of his skin waiting for her answer, she began talking. “Ok, now I’m gonna say some things and I want no interruptions. Comprende?” When Max was about to disagree, Maria sighed and started talking again. “Do you wanna hear what I have to say or not?” Max could only nod his head. “Okay, I know that it’s killing you to know that Liz is keeping things from you, and it should. To have the love of your life keep hurting you over and over again, it’s bound to eat you alive. And I know that no matter how much she hurts you, no matter how many times she keeps turning you away, you’ll always come running back because you love her. It isn’t puppy love, anyone can see that. It’s the kind of love most people can only dream of having. But you and Liz, you’ve been given this gift- Max’s voice was raw from the onslaught of emotions Maria’s words had made him to feel. “I know that Maria. That’s why you have to tell me.” It hurt Maria to see one of her closest friends so distraught, but she couldn’t just intervene. As much as she wanted to, it wasn’t her place to do so. “Max, I love you, and I love Liz, but I promised her I wouldn’t tell. And even if I were to break my promise to her and tell you what’s going on, it wouldn’t mean anything. Don’t you understand that the words have to come from Liz, the emotions. By me telling you, it cheapens what you guys have. Your relationship will be tainted forever. And I’m not willing to do that to either of you. Don’t you realize by now that all roads lead to you?” Max couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. “That’s the problem Maria, I don’t think she will come to me. I think I’ve severed our connection forever.” Maria offered him a sad smile. “I know I’m not the brightest person in the world, heck, the entire population of Roswell knows that, but you’ve gotta be pretty dumb not to know that the two of you belong together. Sooner or later it will happen. I know right now it seems like it will be later, but you’ve got to have faith in her. She had faith in you.” Maria leaned across the seat and gave Max a kiss on his cheek. She jumped out of the jeep and walked towards the crashdown, leaving Max to his thoughts. Part 11 Maria walked into the crashdown and headed straight for her locker. Opening it, she started getting ready to return into her regular clothes. “It’s about time you showed up.” Maria turned to the sarcasm that was in Michael’s voice. Turning to him she gave him her explanation. “For your information buddy, I was off being a friend. Which is more than I can say for you.” Maria went back to her locker when Michael’s voice stopped her. “What is that supposed to mean?” “It means that Max needs a friend. If you were really his best friend, you would be there for him.” Michael pulled the apron off of his waist. “Max is a big boy. He can take care of himself.” Maria faced him, giving him an exasperated expression. “I was quite aware of that. I was talking about just offering your support. It’s what most friends do, oh, but that’s right, you are incapable of showing any type of emotion right?” Michael was getting mad. How dare she attack his friendship with Max? “Why do you even care about what happens to Max?” Maria just shook her head. “You still don’t get it do you? I care about all of you. Did you even once think that the whole universe didn’t revolve around you? Have you even really seen Max this past year?” Michael raised his voice. “Of course I have. When he isn’t mooning over Liz, he’s making bad decisions.” “How dare you say that? Liz, she’s been there for all of over and over again. And this crap that you keep giving her, she doesn’t deserve it. And neither does Max.” “Ok, maybe I’m always coming down on Max, but Liz, she doesn’t deserve my respect. She slept with Kyle while she keeps leading Max on.” Maria resisted the urge to slap him. “Even after she saved Max in New York, you still believe that?” “What are you saying? That she didn’t sleep with Kyle?” Maria had enough. This conversation was going no where. She still had to make sure Liz was ok. She wasn’t going to waste all of her energy trying to get through Michael’s thick head. “It can mean whatever you want it to mean. I don’t have time for this.” Maria shut her locker and was about to ascend the stairs when Michael grabbed her arm. “You can’t just say something like that and then leave.” Maria pulled her arm from his grasp. “Look, instead of worrying about what I have to say, why don’t you go and see if Max is ok. He wasn’t too good when I left him.” “What happened to Max?” “Do you really need to know? Can’t you just be there for him. He’s always been there for you.” Michael stood there watching as Maria walked into the Parker’s apartment. ************ The opening of the apartment door startled the Parkers. Nancy holding her hand to her chest, “Maria, you almost gave us heart attacks.” Maria gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry Mrs. P didn’t mean to startle you guys.” Jeff stood up and pulled Maria into the living room. “We’re glad you’re here Maria. We’d like to have a talk with you. About Liz.” Maria sat down across from the Parkers. “What about Liz?” Nancy almost broke out into a hysterical sob. “Maria, you have to tell us about what’s going on with her. She won’t talk to us. She’s, it’s like she doesn’t trust us.” Jeff held onto his wife. “Please Maria, we need to know. We’re here parents.” Maria took a deep breath before speaking. “Mr. and Mrs. P you know that you guys are like my second parents, and Liz has always been like a sister to me, but you have to trust her. It’s not that she doesn’t trust you guys, she just doesn’t think that you’ll be able to relate to her problems.” “We were young once too you know. Even if we can’t relate or really understand, we’re willing to listen. Keeping all of this inside isn’t good. She has to talk to someone.” It broke Jeff’s heart that his baby girl had all of these things going on and she wasn’t talking to them about it. “Would it make you feel better if I told you that she was talking to me about it?” Maria hoped that this statement would somehow ease their feelings somewhat. “So you know? You have tell us.” Nancy’s eyes pleaded with Maria. “I can’t do that. I can’t betray Liz’s confidence, even for you guys.” “We’re her parents for goodness sakes!” Nancy was losing it. Liz chose to divulge every secret of hers to everyone but her. When had their relationship dwindled into almost nothing? Jeff motioned to Maria. “Liz is in her room. Why don’t you go if she’s doing ok?” Maria nodded and quickly walked down the hall. When she was out of earshot, Nancy turned angry eyes on her husband. “How could you just let Maria go like that?” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “We can’t make Maria tell us what’s going on with our daughter. We should be happy that Liz has such loyal friends.” Nancy’s tears rolled down her face. “I know, but this thing with Liz. It’s killing me Jeff, that she won’t talk to us.” Jeff brought his arms around his wife. “It’s killing me to. Let’s just be happy that Liz has someone to talk to. At least she knows that we’re here for her when she does want to open up.” Nancy just nodded her understanding. Part 12A Maria opened the door to Liz's room, "Liz?" "I'm out here Maria." Maria poked her head out the window and proceeded to pull herself through. "So, how you holding up?" Maria took a seat beside Liz. "Not too good. My parents want to know what's going on, but, I can't tell them. I hate this Maria. I keep lying to everyone." "You're not lying to me." Maria tried to enlighten the mood. "Yeah, but up until a little while ago, I was lying to you too." Maria placed her arm across Liz's shoulders and placed Liz's head to lean on her shoulder. "Yeah, but you told me the truth eventually." Liz's head shot up. "No Maria. I am not going to tell Max. I promised him I wouldn't." "But didn't you say that he disappeared?" Liz eyed Maria carefully. "What's your point?" "If he ceases to exist now, then you already changed the future. There's no need to keep this a secret." Liz's hair flew around her face as she shook her head vehemently. "But what if I do tell Max, and, and history repeats itself?" Maria pushed Liz's hair from her face. "But you already know enough to prevent that from happening." "But what if Max and I get back together, and well, what if we're just, what if we cause the end of the world anyway?" "So what? Don't you at least owe it to yourself to be with the person you love? The world could end tomorrow and none of us would know about it. Wouldn't it be better to be with the person you love?" Liz gave Maria another rebuttal. "But Michael and Isabel die. You guys could die. I don't want that on my shoulders." "Liz, we're all going to die someday. It may be today, it may be tomorrow. The truth is, we have no idea. The future is to be determined." Maria watched as the color drained from Liz's face. She reached out a hand to her shoulder only to have Liz back away from her. "What's wrong Liz? What did I say?" Liz turned to look at Maria with wide eyes. "He said that. How did you know to say that?" Maria started getting confused. "Who's he? And what did I say?" Liz looked around the balcony as if that would offer some kind of answer. "Max, future Max said that the future was to be determined right before he disappeared." Maria gave a little smile. "Well, what can I say? Great minds think alike. "But Maria,- "Uh uh, no way chica. You've just proved to yourself right there that you changed the future. Don't you think it's time to make a new one?" Part 12B After Michael's talk with Maria, he had stormed out of the crashdown. What the hell was her problem? It was bad enough that she was sticking her nose where it wasn't wanted, but then she had to go and be all cryptic about the whole thing with Max and Liz. Normal human males had a hard time understanding women, did she even consider what it was like for an alien hybrid? Ok, so maybe he had some sort of defect when it came to women and emotions. Maybe that was why Max was the way he was. Maybe when they had recreated them they figured he was a lost cause so they over compensated with giving Max emotions and being able to understand people. It wouldn't be the first time anyone has written him off. As he got ready to get on his bike, he caught Max sitting in his jeep staring at nothing. Cursing silently under his breath, Michael put his helmet down and made his way over to the jeep. Casually strumming his fingers along the hood, he came a halt beside the driver's seat. "Hey Maxwell, you alright?" Max continued to sit there. Michael was getting impatient. "Quit messing around Max. Max?!?" Max finally seemed to snap out of his trance. He turned to see Michael next to him. "Michael?" This wasn't good. It was as if Max had just realized that he was there. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Michael motioned for Max to move to the passenger seat. "C'mon Max, I'll drive you home." ************** On the way to the Evans's, Michael continued to steal glances at Max. Max just sat there, just as he had at the crashdown moments ago. Maria was right. He could just kick himself right now. Why was he always such a jerk? He pulled up into the drive way and made his way over to Max's side. Gently tapping him on the shoulder, Michael spoke in a soft voice. "We're here Max." He led Max through the house and up the stairs. When they reached his room, Michael read the post it on the door. Max, Izzy and I went shopping in Albuquerque, dad's in Clovis. Be home late. Love, Mom. Michael pushed the door open. "Looks like it's just us." Max sat in his desk chair, burying his face in his hands while Michael plopped himself down on the bed in front of him. "Max, we have to talk." Max peeked at him from behind his hands. "It's important." Max rubbed his palm across his face. "I'm not in the mood right now Michael. Whatever it is can wait." "See, that's the problem. It can't wait." Max gave a heavy sigh and stood up. "Fine. Whatever it is you want to do, go ahead and do it. I don't care anymore." Shocked, Michael followed Max and stood up. "Is that what you think this is?" Max turned to face him. "What else could it be about? The truth is, you come to me with a crazy plan of yours, expect me to make decisions, and then contradict me every step of the way." Michael's head was spinning. Was he really like that? The conversation he had with Maria earlier proved that she felt that way too. "Just go home Michael. I'm tired." Michael just stopped and looked at Max for the first time in over a year. He looked different. It was as if he had aged right before his very eyes. He wasn't just a boy any more. He was a man. Max was right. He looked tired. Why hadn't Michael seen this before? It seemed as if the last few months had finally taken it's toll on him. He started feeling guilty with the way he had been acting. Everything Maria said was true. What kind of a friend was he? Maria had been more of a friend to Max in the past few months than he had the entire year. He knew that he couldn't just fix everything with a wave of his hand, no matter how much he wished he could. He had no idea how to fix it, but he had to at least try right? "I give you my blessing Max." Max looked confused. "Your blessing? Your blessing for what?" "To be with Liz, if that'll make you stop- Max had gotten angry. His blessing? He grabbed Michael by the collar and shoved him up against the closed door. "I don't need your blessing to do anything Michael. I shouldn't have to." With Max dropped his hold on Michael and moved to the wall opposite him and dejectedly slid to the floor. Michael knew he had said the wrong thing the minute Max's head had shot up. Damn it! He could never say the right thing. "Max, that's not what I meant." Max looked up from where he was sitting. "Let me ask you something Michael. Why is that for every action, every decision I make, I always have to answer to you and Isabel. And Tess now too. Why am I always being reprimanded for being who I am? Why is it ok for everyone to do whatever they want regardless of the consequences and I'm always left to pick up the pieces. Why can't I just have the one thing I want?" Michael knew he was referring to Liz. "You know, I never asked for this." "Neither did we Max, but you deal with what you're dealt with." Max hugged his knees to his chest. "Is that what we're doing?" Michael shook his head. "I don't really know anymore. All I know is, this thing with Liz, you and her, I guess that the reason we all give you a hard time about her is, we're afraid. What you guys have, it's, it's amazing. Just having the two of you in the room together, the air just seems to crackle from your connection. We have no idea what it's like to be so in love. It frightens us that you may have found the meaning of your existence with Liz, whereas we're all still sort of looking." Max just looked at Michael in disbelief. In all the time he had known him, he had never heard him talk like that nor had he said so much at one time either. "Even though I want things to go back, they just can't." ************************ Liz cradled the phone between her ear and her shoulder. She twisted the cord around her finger as she waited for somebody to pick up. "This is Max, I'm not here right now so please leave a message." It took a second for Liz to find her voice again. "Uh, hi Max. It's me Liz. I know you probably don't want to hear from me again, if I were you I wouldn't want to hear from me." She gave a nervous little laugh. "Anyways, the reason I called was, I have some things to tell you. I'm finally ready to tell you the truth Max, that is if you still want to hear it. Uh, well, um, if you decide to you know, well you know where to find me....... Bye Max." ******************* Max and Michael sat staring at the answering machine when the phone rang. Neither of them really in the mood to answer the phone. "This is Max, I'm not here right now so please leave a message." "Uh, hi Max. It's me Liz. I know you probably don't want to hear from me again, if I were you I wouldn't want to hear from me. Anyways, the reason I called was, I have some things to tell you. I'm finally ready to tell you the truth Max, that is if you still want to hear it. Uh, well, um, if you decide to you know, well you know where to find me....... Bye Max." Max's eyes grew wide. Had he heard that right? Liz wanted to tell him the truth? He turned to Michael for some sort of confirmation, but Michael was busy grabbing his jacket and keys. Michael threw them at Max and dragged him off the floor. He started pushing him out of the window. "Don't waste time Maxwell. Get outta here." With one last push, Max was out of the window running around the house towards the jeep. Part 13 Liz sat on her balcony. She took a look at the clock one more time. 11:15pm. She had been waiting for over an hour to see if Max would show up. Maybe she had been too optimistic. She was too late. Holding back the tears that wanted to fall she stood up to blow out the candles that surrounded her. ******************** Max soundlessly climbed up the ladder. That’s it Max, one rung after the other. As he neared the top, his heart beat sped up just that much more. Not that it wasn’t already beating over time. His head peeked over the ledge just in time to see Liz blowing out the candles. “Liz?” Liz slowly turned around to the sound of his voice. He’s here. He’s actually here. Liz was too busy being overwhelmed at seeing him that she didn’t realize that Max was starting to become uncomfortable. “Is, is this a bad time?” Liz shook her head to rid herself of the trance she was in. “No, no, it’s not a bad time.” Max nodded and jumped over the ledge. He took a look around the balcony. How fitting that they would fix things here. Here, where it all started. Their first kiss, their first break up, so many firsts. He turned to face her now. Liz rubbed her palms together. “I........actually, I wasn’t sure you were going to show up.” Max shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’ve been....... I was in the alley. I, I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to hear what you had to say. I’ve been so adamant about finding out the truth, that now that it’s finally here, well, it’s kind of scary I guess.” Liz continued to watch him. “And what about now?” “I, I want to know. No, I need to know.” Liz nodded her head. “Ok, here goes nothing. First of, I want you to know, that keeping this a secret, keeping things from you has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. It’s something I don’t ever want to do again.” Max gave her a smile of encouragement. Liz continued, “The stuff I’m about to tell you may seem far fetched- Max touched her arm, “As far fetched as an alien leader falling in love with a human girl?” Liz gave him a smile. “Maybe even more so.” He graced her with his half smile, the one that was reserved only for her. “Go ahead then. I’m ready to listen.” Liz took his hand and led him to the lawn chair. “I guess I should start with last spring, when I, when I left you.” She couldn’t help the way her voice would catch in her throat because of her emotions running wild. “I wanted to apologize.” “Apologize? For what?” He tucked her hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for leaving. I’m sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to stay with you. I left because hearing you say it’s just the four of us now, well it broke my heart, because, because- “Liz, you have to know that there’s nothing going on with Tess and me. There never will be. She knows that now. And besides, I don’t think she was ever really interested in me- Running her fingers across his jaw. “I know Max, I know, just like you knew about Kyle.” Max looked at her hand touching him. “So why Kyle?” Why? She knew that question had many different meanings. Why did you choose Kyle? Why did you keep lying about Kyle? The possibilities were endless. But she knew that the answer she would give would answer all of those questions. “Because you asked me to.” Now Max was confused. “What? When?” Liz gave a slight chuckle from his expression. “Now, here’s the part that gets a little far fetched. You, came back from the future and told me that we had to change the present because the future where he was from, was about to end.” “How are you even sure it was me? It could’ve been- Liz put her finger against his lips to silence him. “Even with the long hair and all that leather, I knew it was you. I’d know you anywhere.” “Wait a minute, long hair and leather?” Now Max was looking terror stricken. The image of himself with long hair clad in leather didn’t present a very appealing picture in his mind. Liz gave a little laugh. “Don’t worry Max, you were very sexy.” Liz stopped short, when she realized what she had said. She was glad it was dark, Max wouldn’t be able to see her blush. Max stilled when he heard Liz say that he was sexy. He could feel himself blush. He bit his bottom lip to keep the grin from his lips. Liz thought he was sexy. Liz cleared her throat, “Um, uh, anyway, the future version of yourself said that our relationship took this irrevocable turn and it eventually led to the end of the world.” “I don’t get it. Our relationship led to the end of the world?” Liz only nodded. “What was the irrevocable turn?” Liz tried to find the words to say. How hard could it be? “The night of Gomez, we, the night of gomez was the night we were supposed to make love for the first time.” Liz bit her lip anticipating his response. Max nearly had a heart attack Made love? He cleared his throat a few times before attempting to speak. “Ok, maybe I missed something here. How does you and I, I mean, um, making ......... love. Uh, how did that, why was that such an important turning point?” Liz held in the giggle that was ready to burst from her lips. Seeing Max so flustered, was very endearing. “He said, I mean you said, ugh, I mean the future you said that when we made love, you and I became inseparable, your friendship with Tess was non-existant. She left Roswell and without her, you guys just weren’t strong enough against your enemies.” Max took a minute to digest all of the information overload. “So you did all of those things, Tess, Kyle, that whole speech in my room, that was because of this?” “He told me that I had to make you fall out of love with me.” Max lifted her chin, “Well we are definitely not the same person.” “What makes you say that?” “Because, I realized a long time ago that you were it for me. You’re the love of my life. Anyone else is just gonna be second best.” Liz’s eyes shone from the unshed tears. “And I’m assuming that he told you about the graniloth?” “He used it to get here from his time.” “What else did this long haired, leather wearing version of me have to say?” Liz thoroughly enjoyed Max’s attempt to lighten the mood. “He said that we eloped at 19, in Vegas with an Elvis impersonator.” “19? Wow! That’s just..........” Max couldn’t find the right words to describe how he was feeling. Liz understood exactly how he felt for she had felt that way too when she found out. “I know what you mean.” Max watched as Liz lit up from remembering her time with the future version of himself. Hearing all of the things she had done for him boggled his mind. The fact that she would do something simply because he asked her to was beyond his comprehension. But in a way he did understand because he knew that if the roles had been reversed, he would have done the same thing, maybe not exactly, he would’ve probably caved if she so much as looked at him. He felt at peace now knowing the truth. But there was one more thing he needed to know. “Liz, can I ask you a question?” “Sure Max, fire away.” “Don’t take this the wrong way, because I really am thankful that you’ve decided to share all of this with me, but why did you decide to tell me?” Liz knew this was coming. Choosing her words carefully, she told him her answer. “Because I realized today that life is too short to keep playing these games. I remembered the day when the skins got rid of everybody. I was so worried that I was going to disappear without telling you the truth. I realized that I’d been given a second chance to make things right with you. So I did. Our talk in the desert and all these other things have proved to me over and over again how much I love you. And if tomorrow never comes because I love you, I won’t regret it. And I’m not going to feel guilty because what we have is too pure and too good to cause that much harm. I refuse to believe that the world ends because two people love each other.” The bobbing of Max’s head indicated his understanding. They sat in silence staring into each others eyes like they had done so many times before. It was Liz who broke away from their little staring contest. Max gently touched her arm. “Thank you Liz.” “How can you thank me? I owed it to you to tell you the truth. It was almost too late.” Max shook his head gently. “It’s never too late. You and I, no matter how far we drift from each other, we’ll always find our way back to each other.” “What are you saying Max?” “I want to be with you Liz. Just like I’ve always wanted, always dreamed of. I don’t want to pressure you, but that’s what I want. I can only hope that you can forgive me for being so awful to you these past few months.” “Max, you don’t need to apologize. I think enough apologies have been made tonight.” Max held out his hand to her. The action didn’t just mean he wanted to hold her hand, it was a metaphor for their whole relationship. Was she willing to take his hand to go back to love? Liz placed her small hand in Max’s and gently placed her lips against his. It wasn't a kiss of passion or lust. The kiss was more to reaffirm their love for each other. That they were finally back where they belonged. Max pulled away from Liz, his forehead resting against hers. “I love you Liz.” “I love you too Max.” With that the two of them leaned back against the chair content just to hold one another. The End |