Rating: Suitable for ages 13 and up

Pairing: M/L and a little bit of the others

Spoiler/Notes: Takes place after "Graduation"

*******

Apparently, being on the road had not affected the Christmas Nazi's holiday spirit and Max found a certain comfort in that. With amusement he watched Kyle's growing incredulity that the previously normal-looking living room had been turned into a winter wonderland.

"You want me to what?"

Max knew that Kyle had heard Isabel perfectly but he couldn't blame him for doubting his own ears.

"You take this," Isabel shook a can of spray on snow, "and cover every available surface like this." She demonstrated by spraying a thick layer of white, gooey stuff on top of the mantelpiece.

"And who's going to clean it?"

Isabel rolled her eyes and waved her hand in front of the fake snow. It disappeared immediately.

"I'll never get used to all that alien funny business," Kyle muttered, taking the can from Isabel.

Max watched as Kyle went around the room, mumbling unintelligible things under his breath while spraying whatever surface was not already loaded with Christmas decorations. Isabel was putting the final touches to her village under the tree but Max knew that she was keeping a close eye on what Kyle was doing and that she would not hesitate to let him know if he ever made a mistake.

Max sighed contentedly. He hadn't felt this good, this normal, in a very long time. They had been on the road almost constantly ever since leaving Roswell back in June. They had had no contact with their families and life on the road, in the extremely close quarters of the van, was starting to take its toll on all of them. This was a nice change of pace.

They had been travelling all over the western United States, true to their promise of doing good deeds and evading the law. They had spent the last week in Kellys Korner, a small town just outside Olympia in Washington, where they had helped various local charities with Christmas baskets and other holiday events. And now it was their turn to have a Christmas.

They were supposed to hit the road as soon as the last Christmas basket was delivered but had ultimately decided against it. Everyone deserved a nice Christmas and they figured they would be safe here for now, provided they kept a low profile and moved out before New Year's.

During the last few months, they had managed to save a little bit of money to buy each other Christmas gifts. They decided to pool it together and rent this little cabin instead. They could only afford it for a couple of days but they didn't care. It was better than the road. It may not be the biggest house in these woods but it was extremely spacious compared to they way they had been living the past six months. Besides, the 3-bedroom cabin would offer some privacy that was an impossibility in the van. Max couldn't wait. It had been an extremely short honeymoon for him and Liz.

As if thoughts of her had summoned his beautiful wife, Max felt a pair of arms around his waist and a chin against his shoulder. He turned his head and kissed her hair.

"Hey sweetie," he said. "Did you have fun with Maria?"

"I did. But I missed you," Liz stood on tiptoe to kiss Max's cheek. She and Maria had just spent the last few hours in the mall, buying the last items they needed for their little party.

Max turned around and took Liz in his arms. "I missed you, too," he said before leaning in for a sweet kiss. The kiss quickly deepened and pretty soon all Max could see, feel and taste was Liz.

Someone cleared their throat loudly. "Uh-hmm. Single people in the room!"

Max chose to ignore Kyle's comment.

"People related to you in the room!" This voice didn't sound as amused as the previous one had.

Max chased Liz's lips when she pulled away from him. He whimpered softly in disappointment and need. It had been way too long since they had been together like this.

She stood on tiptoe again and whispered in his ear, "I'll make it up to you tonight." Max barely kept from groaning as a jolt of lust flared through him.

"Sorry, Isabel," Liz said louder. "Wow, that village is wonderful!"

Liz squeezed Max's hand tightly then walked to the Christmas tree and Isabel's village. Max's sister's eyes were shining brightly as she showed off her handiwork and Max had to hand it to his wife. She knew how to keep the peace.

Max watched as his wife and his sister walked around the small cabin and looked at the various Christmas scenes Isabel had recreated. Liz was complimenting her sister-in-law and while Max could appreciate all the hard work Isabel had put into her project, he couldn't bring himself to care too deeply about what his sister had built. He had seen it all before; he had lived with the Christmas Nazi for years after all. No, what truly mesmerized him was Liz. It was their first Christmas as husband and wife and he couldn't take his eyes off his lovely bride. Seeing her so carefree filled Max's heart with joy. He was glad they had decided to take these few days off. Liz had been able to rest a bit more in the past couple of days and the circles under her eyes were not as obvious. She was more relaxed, smiled more easily. She was by far the most gorgeous thing Max had ever seen.

"Isabel won't like all that drool on her decorations," Kyle said stepping beside Max.

Max turned his head, mildly irritated at the interruption. "Hmmm?" he asked, his eyes quickly going back to Liz.

Kyle picked a box of tissues from the table and handed it to Max with a smirk. Max looked at it for a beat before turning uncomprehending eyes to Kyle.

"For the drool on your chin," Kyle grinned.

Max rolled his eyes and turned his head back to Liz. Once Kyle had resumed his snow duties, Max surreptitiously wiped his chin with the back of his hand. He didn't really believe Kyle but when it came to Liz, he could never be too careful!

*******

They were in the middle of a very animated game of charades when the power went off. Disappointment resounded in the darkened room.

"Don't worry," Michael said. He snapped his fingers and Maria quickly lit up a candle from the flame he had created. Kyle shuddered.

"This kind of stuff will always freak me out," he said dramatically.

"Michael's way is too slow," Isabel said. She snapped her fingers and all the candles that were scattered around the room lit up, bathing the group of friends in their golden glow. "Much better," she commented.

"What are we going to do about food?" Kyle asked. They had bought a selection of frozen, bite-sized hors d'oeuvres that they planned to munch on during the evening. At midnight, they planned to wish each other a Merry Christmas before retiring to their rooms. Everyone was free to do what they pleased the next day and they would see each other only the morning of December 26, when they had to leave.

"You know we've got ways to deal with that, too," Isabel smiled at Kyle and wiggled her fingers.

Kyle sighed. "Oh well. I guess if you feed me, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?" he said in mock seriousness. Isabel smacked him on the arm.

They kept playing for a few more hours. When people started to get hungry, Michael and Isabel used their powers to heat up the food. They set the plates down on the small living room table. Max started a fire. With the power off, it had gotten a bit cold in the cabin.

They sat around the living room and ate the food, exchanging stories about Christmases past.

"Remember when Alex wanted to climb on his roof to see if Santa and the reindeer had left prints, that year it snowed?" Maria said.

Liz smiled. "Mr. Whitman had to hide the ladder. He was so relieved when it rained the next day and all the snow melted!"

"What year was that?" Kyle asked curious.

"Um..." Maria and Liz looked at each other. "Not sure, 1989 maybe? Why?" Liz asked him.

"I didn't remember snow for Christmas when we were kids. Now I know why. It was the first Christmas without my mom."

"Oh, Kyle, I'm sorry if I'm bringing back bad memories," Maria said, her hand flying to her mouth.

Kyle just shrugged. "It's okay. Christmas was never a big holiday for me after that, so I'm happy to hear all your stories."

"Christmas was not big for me either. Until Isabel made it impossible to avoid," Michael smirked.

"Oh, admit it, you love it!" Isabel said. She replaced her Santa hat with one hand while picking up a mini-pizza from her plate with the other.

Michael shrugged. For all the complaining he did during the holidays, Isabel's cheer had finally rubbed off on him. He had even been a little sorry he wouldn't get to play Santa this year. Of course, he had grumbled when Maria had roped him into joining the carolers, but it was mostly out of habit.

The group fell silent, watching the flames as they danced in the fireplace. Max pulled Liz closer to him and kissed her head.

She turned to him and fed him the rest of the cheesestick she had been eating. He nibbled her fingers gently.

"Is it Christmas yet?" he whispered in her ear.

Liz looked at her watch and grinned. "Ten minutes to go!"

"I can't wait," Max sighed.

Liz knew what he meant. The greatest gift she would get this year was a full day alone with Max, and she was just about to be allowed to unwrap that particular present.

The group easily chatted away the last few minutes of Christmas Eve. A minute before midnight, Kyle got up and, watch in hand, counted down the seconds to Christmas.

"Isn't that a New Year's tradition?" Michael asked.

"Who knows where we'll be in a week," Kyle shrugged before calling the seconds. "10! 9! 8!"

Everyone got up and when Kyle said "Midnight!", a cheer of "Merry Christmas!!" erupted.

Hugs and kisses were exchanged. Friends held friends close, happy that after all they had been through, they could still share the holiday with one another. When finally the other two couples paired up to exchange Christmas kisses that lingered a bit too long, Kyle stood awkwardly next to Isabel. He had already wished her a happy Christmas but she looked so sad, he couldn't help hugging her again.

"I know he's thinking about you," he whispered in her ear.

"Thank you, Kyle," she said.

He pulled away. "I know we haven't talked about tomorrow, or rather today, but what were you planning to do?"

"Maybe go into town and see if I can help some more. I was thinking about going to the retirement home. Some of these older folks have no one to visit with during the holidays."

Kyle nodded. "That sounds good," he said. He looked over at Max and Liz who were still kissing, oblivious to everyone else in the room. Michael was holding Maria close against him and, not for the first time, Kyle felt a pang of loneliness. It was hard being the only single guy in their group. He turned his attention back to Isabel. It must be equally hard for her to be away from the one she loved. Yet she was smiling at him.

"What were you planning to do?"

Kyle shrugged. His only plan was to be out of the way of the other couples. He knew he would have to leave the cabin. The walls were rather thin.

"Would you like to come with me?" she asked.

Kyle couldn't help his grin. "I would love to!"

Isabel kissed him on the cheek. "So I will wake you up tomorrow, bright and early."

Kyle's face scrunched up. "Not too early. It's Christmas, we get to sleep in."

Isabel laughed. "Okay, not too early. See you tomorrow."

She left for her room and Kyle stood in the middle of the living room. He clapped his hands a couple of times.

"Everyone out of my room!" he declared. The cabin only had three bedrooms, in addition to the living room and small kitchenette. Max and Liz obviously shared one room and Michael and Maria had claimed the second one. Even though he knew that Isabel wouldn't have minded sharing her room with him - they had shared bed space on more than one occasion in the past six months; necessity came before comfort, propriety or prudery - he knew that she would appreciate some time by herself. Truth be told, Kyle was also looking forward to having his own space for the night, even if it was only the living room.

Michael and Maria said goodnight and retired to their own room. Max and Liz were still caught in a passionate embrace. Kyle doubted they had even heard him. He tapped Max on the shoulder.

Max pulled away from Liz, looking like he was in a daze.

"Get a room," Kyle smirked. "I suggest this one." He pointed the couple towards their room and gave them a little push. He laughed when Max and Liz finally came to their senses and blushed a deep crimson.

"Um, sorry Kyle," Max mumbled.

"Merry Christmas," Liz said before they quickly made their escape.

*******

"God I love you," Max panted as he lay completely spent next to Liz.

"We've got to do this more often," Liz said. She turned on her side and cuddled closer to Max.

He chuckled. "I'm going to need a moment, if you don't mind."

She raised her head and looked at him, a mischievous smile gracing her lips. "Three times and you're already tired? I might need to get a new husband," she said.

"Don't you dare," he said lightly, his lips meeting hers in a sweet kiss.

She licked her lips when they parted. "Mmmm... No, I think I'll keep you around."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said, putting her head on his shoulder and caressing her hair.

He was dozing off when her voice brought him back to consciousness.

"Max?"

"Yeah angel?"

She raised from his shoulder and rested her weight on her elbows. "Angel?"

His cheeks turned pink. "I've never called you that before?"

"Not that I recall."

"I used to, all the time."

She smiled. "Did you? When?"

"Remember that year you were the Christmas angel in the holiday pageant?" Liz nodded. "You were the most beautiful angel I had ever seen. I used to wait by the door after school for you to get on the school bus and as you would walk by me, I would say 'Good night, angel', low enough so that no one would hear. Not even you." He was blushing now. "I never told you that?"

"No you didn't. Have you always been this sweet?" she asked, kissing him deeply.

"I try," he said, kissing her back. He could feel the stirrings of desire again. Before it could consume him completely, he pulled back slightly.

"What were you going to say?" he asked, his breathing uneven.

"Oh. I love you and Merry Christmas. Now, shut up and kiss me," she smiled, her fingers in his hair pulling his head closer to her.

He was more than happy to comply.

*******

Liz sat in the back of the van, looking at the small cabin as it disappeared. She sighed. This had been the best Christmas ever and she was sad that it was over.

"Maria? Do you mind?"

Liz turned to see Maria graciously giving up her seat next to Liz for Max.

"Hey handsome," Liz said, putting her head on Max's shoulder. He kissed her head.

Liz closed her eyes, relaxing into Max. She hadn't had much sleep since Christmas Eve, not that she was complaining. She thought that maybe she could take a nap now, safe in Max's arms. Max moved beside her and she felt a small something she couldn't identify hit her lap. She opened her eyes to see a brightly colored box.

She turned to Max, who was smiling at her, his eyes shining.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Merry Christmas," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Max," she said. "We said that this year our present would be each other. We can't afford this."

"You don't even know what it is," he said.

"Max, we agreed," she insisted.

He kissed her to keep her from protesting further.

"This morning, the owner of the cabin refunded a part of the money we paid him, since there was no power for most of our stay."

Liz had hardly noticed the lack of electricity. Max by candlelight was all she had needed these past 24 hours.

"He gave the refund to Michael," Max continued, "who split it evenly between all of us, since we all paid the same for the cabin." Liz opened her mouth to say something. Max put a finger on her lips. "I pulled the husband card and made Michael give me your share. And here it is," he indicated with his chin the box Liz was holding. "Please don't be mad. My share wasn't quite enough for what I had in mind. I will give you the money that's left over."

"We should have saved that money," she argued. "For food, shelter, anything!"

Max shrugged. "Technically, we had already spent it."

"What if I wanted to spend my share on a present for you?" she said.

"I thought we agreed that this year, you were my present," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes.

"Besides, I owe you a gift. You gave me that pocket knife in '99. You never got your present from me that year."

Liz shook her head. "That's not why I gave it to you--"

He kissed her again. "I know, angel. I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here, trying to come up with a convincing argument for you to accept this gift." Half of his mouth lifted into a smile. "Please? You know you want to."

Liz finally relented and carefully unwrapped the small box. She gasped when she saw what Max had bought her.

"I had Isabel pick it up when she went for supplies. It is the right kind, right?" He looked a little worried.

"Oh, Max!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "It's perfect!" She pulled back from him and held up the small bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume. "How did you even know?"

Max scratched behind his ear. "I once overheard you say that you hoped you could afford it one day."

She frowned. "When? I've always wanted to buy some but I don't remember ever mentioning it to you."

Max shook his head. "You weren't exactly talking to me."

Liz smiled. "Mr. Evans, were you spying on me?" She laughed at Max's embarrassed expression. "Whatever you did, you're forgiven," she said, putting her arms around his neck again.

"And am I forgiven for breaking the no-present rule?" he asked, pulling her against him.

"I don't know," she said. "I might have to get you something at our next stop, you know, teach you a lesson by showing you how it feels to get unexpected presents. Though it may not have the desired effect." Max chuckled softly.

Liz laid her head down on Max's lap. He ran his fingers gently through her hair.

"I don't need another present. I have everything I need right here."

When Liz didn't speak, he lowered his head to look at her. She was sound asleep.

Max smiled. She really did look like an angel. He moved around a bit to make sure she was comfortable. He picked a pillow off the seat next to him and put it behind his head. He closed his eyes and pretty soon his breathing evened out to match Liz's.

Their first Christmas together had been even better than he had dreamed. He could only hope that it would be the first of many more great Christmases.

The end

Part 8 - Christmas 2005 - I'll Be Home For Christmas

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