Part 15A *************** Max scratched the side of his head as he fiddled with the knitting sticks in his hands. Yarn and wool was hanging all over the place, as Max tried to get the hang of it. "How’s it supposed to go again, Maria?" Maria had to keep from laughing out loud as she eyed Max’s pathetic looking attempt at knitting. "I don’t know why you’re making this so hard for yourself, Max. You do realize that there are stores out there that sell baby clothes, right?" Max chose to ignore Maria’s teasing. He let out a heavy sigh. "I know that, I just, I thought it would be nice to make something, you know? And besides, it’ll give me something to do during my free period." When Maria still didn’t seem convinced, Max got on his knees in front of her, hugging her legs. "Please Maria? I’m desperate. I already tried getting Isabel to help me, but she was ready to kill me when I couldn‘t get anything right. She said my hands were too big and clumsy to knit." He gave her his best puppy dog eyes. "Please, Maria? Teach me how to knit some booties and mittens for my little girl?" Maria shook her head. "I hate you, Max. Why do you always have to be so darned sweet and cute? You make it so hard to say no." Max let go of her legs, sitting back on his heels, a sad expression on his face. "So you’re gonna say no too?" Maria rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips. "Get up you big lug. I only have an hour before I have to go down to the restaurant." Max hugged her legs again. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Maria held Max’s hands in her own as she taught him how to maneuver the sticks. "So you guys already know that it’s a girl?" Max shook his head, laughing. "Well, not exactly. The Dr. says that it’s too soon to tell, but I just have this feeling." He got a dreamy look in his eyes. Maria smiled at his genuineness. It tickled her to no end how cute Max was being about this whole pregnancy. It wasn’t an act he put on just for other people’s benefit. Maria had a feeling that no one wanted this baby more than Max. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she thought about her upcoming wedding. Pretty soon, she and Michael were going to be family. As her thoughts turned to family, she thought about Kyle and Courtney. She knew that they were still trying to adjust to becoming a family. It made her heart hurt, thinking about all of the things that they had to go through. It also made her feel a little guilty that she was complaining about possibly never seeing the day when she would get married, when now it seemed as though it was Kyle and Courtney that were going to have to wait. She knew that they had no time to plan a wedding, but they were as ready as they were ever going to get. If only they could just up and get married with a snap of some fingers. No planning on their part, just show up and exchange vows. A scheming grin appeared on Maria’s face as she continued to think about it. ************** Alex stuck his head into the apartment, his eyes scanning the room. "Iz, you home?" Isabel called out from the bedroom. "I’m in the room." Alex grinned as he pushed the door wide open. He went back outside and picked up a big brown box with a red bow on top. He peeked through one of the many air holes, whispering conspiratorially. "Now, you behave little guy. We gotta keep you a surprise." A wet nose peeked out of the whole, followed by a wet tongue. It licked Alex’s nose, a sound of a little chain jingling was heard. Alex just laughed, as he put a finger to his lips. "It’s show time, little guy." He walked into the apartment carefully, kicking the door shut behind him. He carried the box into the living room, placing it on top of the coffee table. He kneeled down by the box, wagging his finger at it. "Stay." He straightened himself up, as he ran into the bedroom. "Hey, Iz." Isabel pushed her reading glasses higher up on her nose. She smiled at Alex, as she put down the papers that she had been reading. "Hey you. I’ve been wondering where you were. Your boss said you left early but he wouldn’t tell me where you went." Alex gave her a goofy grin as he grabbed her hand, leading her outside. "C’mon. I’ve got a surprise for you." Isabel tried to keep up as Alex practically dragged her to the living room. Her eyes lit up like that of a child’s on Christmas morning. "You got me a present?" "Well, it’s something for the both of us." Isabel jumped into his arms, effectively knocking him over, so much so that he had to lean on the wall for support. "I love you!" Alex laughed as he gently extricated her from him. "You don’t even know what I got you, yet." Isabel laid a sound kiss on his lips. "Whatever it is, I know I’m going to love it." He kissed her forehead, his hand tugging on hers to sit on the couch. "Open it." She let out an excited giggle, her hands reaching out to untie the big red bow from the box. But when her hand touched the box, the thing inside licked her, it’s movements causing the box to shift on the table. "AHH!" Isabel jumped onto the couch, hiding behind Alex. Alex’s body shook with his laughter, as he watched Isabel ineffectively trying to hide behind him. She peered over his shoulder as she pointed to the box, a soft rustling coming from inside. "What the heck is in that?" As if on cue, a white American Eskimo poked it’s head out of the box, his tongue wagging as he placed a paw on one of the box’s edges. "Aww, look at him, Alex. He’s so cute." Isabel came out from her hiding spot, forgetting that just a few seconds ago, she was frightened to death of the innocent little puppy. She kneeled down next to the box, taking the puppy out as she held it against her chest. "Hi there, little fella. You got a name?" The puppy gently touched Isabel’s nose with it’s paw, his tongue licking her cheek. Alex sat beside her, as he tickled the puppy behind it’s ears. "He’s name is Nanook." Isabel wrinkled her nose as she looked at her husband. "Nanook?" Alex crossed his arms, smiling. "Well it was either that, or buddy. I asked him which he preferred and he chose Nanook." Isabel shook her head as she laughed. She held the puppy close to her face as she nuzzled it’s nose. "So you really like the name Nanook, huh?" The puppy licked Isabel’s nose as he squirmed in her arms. "See, what’d I tell ya?" Isabel cradled Nanook to her chest like a child, her hand gently playing in his white fur. "Can we keep him?" Alex pulled Isabel into his side. "Of course we can. Seeing as we’re not ready to have a real baby of our own, I thought that we could pretend for a little while." Isabel leaned into him, her hand cupping his cheek. "That’s about the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard." The two of them shared a sweet kiss before Nanook squeezed between them, begging for attention. The three of them lay on the carpet, wrestling playfully, the sounds of Alex and Isabel’s laughs filling the air. Part 15B ***************** Courtney placed a picture of Chris and Carrie in the boys room, as Kyle tidied up their toys. Kyle came up behind her, placing a kiss on her shoulder. “You ok?” Courtney nodded. “Yeah. I just miss them, you know?” Kyle was quiet, just holding her tighter against him. “You know, maybe we could do that flower thing that Max and Liz do for Noah’s birth mom. That way the twins will have that reminder that they’re always there.” Courtney smiled. “I like that.” She tugged on his hand, leading him towards the twins as they played together on the carpet. The two of them sat beside the boys, joining in. Once Dexter caught sight of Courtney he crawled towards her, situating himself in her lap. He lay his head on her shoulder, his arm resting on his lap as he snuggled closer into her warmth. Damian made a spectacle of himself, as whooped and hollered while running around the room with his toys. Kyle bent down to kiss Courtney, whispering in her ear before chasing after Damian. “We’re gonna make it, Court.” Courtney watched as Kyle tickled Damian into a fit of giggles. She gathered Dexter closer to her, inhaling his sweet baby scent. “We’re gonna make it through this.” ******************** Michael watched with barely restrained amusement as Liz devoured her Will Smith Burger with a side of Saturn Rings. She grabbed a napkin, wiping the side of her mouth as she eyed Michael’s uneaten Men In Black Berry Pie. “You gonna eat that?” “What?” He followed Liz’s gaze and watched as she practically drooled over his plate. “Oh, no, go ahead. Help yourself.” Liz rubbed her palms together as Michael pushed the plate in front of her. She grabbed her fork, poised and ready to go. Before she took a bite, she turned to look at him. “You don’t mind, do you?” Michael just grinned. “No, not at all. Besides, I think it’s kinda cool that you can eat sooo much.” Liz looked up at him, chewing furiously as she wagged her fork at him. “Hey, I can’t help it if the baby’s hungry all the time.” Michael’s face paled as Liz’s playful mood from earlier seemed to have changed rather quickly. He held up his hands, as he shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant.” Liz took in another forkful of pie, her voice slightly muffled as she spoke. “Do you think I like eating like a cow? It sucks. You know my tummy’s getting so big that it’s getting harder and harder to zip up my pants.” Her eyes started to water as continued. “Max thinks I have a new thing for wearing dresses, but it’s just because none of my pants fit.” Her tears came down in a steady stream as her shoulders shook. “Max is gonna think I’m a big, fat, ugly cow. He’s gonna want someone else who isn’t gonna steal his lunch, and wear all of his clothes.” Michael didn’t know what to say, so he just acted. He slid out of the booth, and squeezed in beside Liz. He wrapped his arm around her as he tucked her head under his chin. “You know that’s not true. Max would love you if wore a potato sack.” Liz pulled away from Michael, her lower lip trembling as picked up the edge of her dress. “So you think my dress is ugly?” Michael felt like kicking himself for not being able to say the right thing. He pushed Liz’s long hair out of her eyes, his thumbs brushing away her tears. “Liz, how long have you known me?” Liz shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, since the third grade. Mrs. Peterson made you sit next to Maria and for the rest of the year, all everyone heard was the two of you bickering back and forth.” His lips curled into a smile as he remembered. “Well, in the time that you’ve known me, you know that I have this bad habit of saying what I’m usually thinking, which usually gets me into a lot of hot water....” He grinned at her as he tilted up her chin. “If I thought you looked like a fat ugly cow, I probably would’ve said something by now.” The beginnings of a smile formed on Liz’s lips, but she didn’t want to let it out, so Michael tickled it out of her. Liz swatted her hand at him, chuckling as she tried to regain a normal breathing pattern. She took a deep breath, looking into Michael’s eyes sincerely. “I’m sorry, Michael. I’m supposed to be helping you with your wedding plans, but instead I’m stealing your lunch and crying over stupid stuff.” He just chuckled, pulling her into an embrace. “Don’t worry about. I think it’s more fun this way.” ******************* Max pushed open the familiar double doors of the Crashdown, getting ready to pick up Liz, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Liz and Michael hugging and laughing. He couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of jealousy, even though he knew it was completely ridiculous and a little out of line. But seeing Liz in someone else’s arms that weren’t his own, made Max become the green eyed monster. He knew that he had no reason to be jealous of Michael. He knew that Liz was as insanely in love with him, as he was with her. But still, it didn’t quench his possessiveness. Liz looked up to see Max standing by the door. She practically pushed Michael out of the booth as she ran towards Max, throwing herself in his arms. “Max!” Max lifted her up against him, planting a devouring kiss on her lips, stealing her breath away. His kiss consumed her, threatened to swallow her whole. Liz swayed as she pulled away from his kiss, her eyes glazed over with passion, as she licked her lips to taste him again. “What was that for?” Max’s breath was ragged against her face as he panted for air. “I just really needed to do that.” A wicked gleam passed over Liz’s eyes as she shoved Max out the door, waving behind her at Michael, not giving him so much as a second glance. “I’ll call you later.” Michael just shook his head, as he watched two of his best friends run to their car with wild abandon. Part 15C Rated: NC-17 ******************** Max struggled to walk upright as Liz launched herself in his arms, her arms and legs wrapping tightly around him. "Mmm...Max, hurry." He nodded as he fumbled with his keys. He dropped them on the floor clumsily, as he tried to hold Liz securely in his arms. But one of them had to give, so he gently placed Liz on her feet as he reached for his keys. "Aha!" He pushed the key into the lock, opening the door with a sense of triumph for having achieved his goal. He turned back to Liz, grabbing her in his arms, grunting with the effort as he rushed to get inside. Before he could kiss her, Liz placed a hand on his chest, her eyes blurring with tears. "Did you just grunt?" Max looked at her like she was crazy. She was hot just a second ago, and now she was looking like she was on the verge of tears. "What? Baby, what’re you talking about?" He shifted her in his arms, as he tried to keep her from falling. Liz burst into tears as she jumped from his arms. She ran into the house, and up the stairs, with Max hot on her heels. "Li- She slammed the door in his face, dropping to the ground as she curled up into a ball. "Go away!" Max formed a fist, his knuckles rapping loudly against the door. "Liz, open the door." She crossed her arms as she yelled. "NO!" "Liz, come on. Don’t be ridiculous. Open the door!" Liz stood up, wiping away at her tears. "So now I’m ridiculous? First you think I’m fat, now I’m ridiculous?" She kicked at the door, hoping to let Max know how angry she was at him, but she kicked the door so hard that she hurt her foot in the process. "Ow!" She hopped on one foot towards the bed as she cradled her bruised toe. Max’s eyes grew wide as he heard Liz shout in pain. "Liz, are you ok?" He banged against the door, hoping to get a response out of her, but he didn’t get one. All he could hear was her muffled cries from the other side of the door. "Honey, open the door!" When she still refused to acknowledge him, he began to think the worst. "Liz, if you don’t open the door, I’m going to break it down!" His heart beat double time as his mind conjured up all sorts of terrible scenarios. "I’m gonna count to three and if you don’t open the door, I’m gonna knock it down!" Max closed his eyes, praying to God that she would open the door. He counted under his breath. "One, two, three!......Liz, I’m coming in!" Max rammed his shoulder against the wooden door, the flimsy lock breaking, but the door still wouldn’t budge. He twisted the knob in his hands as he pushed forward his shoulder, the sound of wood cracking, being heard. "Dammit, c’mon!" With one last thrust, Max burst through the door, taking it with him as he fell into a pile on their bedroom floor. Liz sat up in the bed, her tears stopping as she saw Max fall through the door. "Max?" All he let out was a little oompf. He rolled onto his stomach, leaning his head against the broken door, his teeth biting into the flesh of his bottom lip as he tried to keep from screaming out against the throbbing pain in his shoulder. Liz jumped from the bed, sliding onto the floor as she cradled Max’s head in her lap. "Baby, are you ok?" Max grimaced as he forced a smile on his lips. "I’m fine. It just looks a lot easier and less painful on tv." Liz flanked the sides of his face with her hands. "Why would you do something so crazy like that? You could’ve hurt yourself really bad." Max struggled to sit up, rotating his shoulder to work the kinks out of it. "Look, I heard you screaming. For all I know, something could’ve happened to you....or the baby." He ran his hands from her shoulders, down her body to make sure that she was ok. He placed his large palm against her rounding belly. "You ok in there?" Liz pulled his hand up against her cheek, her lips placing a kiss on his open palm. "I’m fine." She gave him a smile. "We’re both fine." His thumb brushed the curve of her cheek bone as he searched her eyes. "Then what happened? I could hear you screaming." Liz pulled up her leg, wiggling her big toe. "I was pissed, so I kicked the door, and I hurt my foot." He nodded slowly. "Okay......maybe you can answer something for me? Why were you pissed in the first place? What did I do?" She buried her face in her hands, her cheeks burning with shame for letting her hormones get the better of her. "It was just.......I’m starting to look like a beached whale, and then I heard you grunt when you were carrying me, which only further proved my point that I’m becoming this huge and hideous thing, and you’re not gonna want me anymore. I mean, why would you want someone who’s going to be so irritable, fat, and hungry all the time?" He gently lifted her up onto his lap, his fingers curling in her chocolate hair as he whispered in her ear. "Liz, honey. You’re babbling." She nodded, but she still refused to look at him. "I know, because if I stop, I know I’m gonna start crying again, and I don’t wanna do that. Because if I do, you’re really gonna hate me and my stupid hormones." Max held up her chin, his heart aching at the troubled look in her eyes. He could feel the tremble in her chin as he held it. He leaned forward, placing a light, loving kiss on her lips. "I could never hate you, Liz. You’re my wife, who’s going to have my baby." He said the last part with so much awe, that Liz couldn’t help but give him a tentative smile. "I don’t think you’re huge, or hideous. I think you’re the most beautiful that I’ve ever seen you." He tucked her hair behind her ears. "And I don’t think your hormones are stupid." He kissed her brow as he spoke. "I think it’s about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen or heard. I never got to go through any of this with Noah, so this is all so new and exciting for me." He let out a dreamy sigh, his hand caressing the little bump on her tummy. "God, Liz. Can you believe we actually created a whole other person in there?" He lay Liz on her back, his body shimmieing down so that he was at eye level with her belly. Liz giggled, as Max began unbuttoning her dress, his fingers dancing lightly on each piece of skin that he exposed. His eyes were round with wonder, as he took in her fuller breasts, his index finger gently tracing their plumpness. He cupped a breast in each hand, his thumbs brushing teasingly against her nipples as they turned into stiff peaks. Liz arched her back, pushing her breasts into his hands as she moaned softly. Max grinned as he unsnapped her bra in the front, his tongue gently licking between the valley of her breasts. The sound of Liz’s whimper above his head, and the way she tunneled her fingers in his hair made him grit his teeth. He placed a light kiss on each of her fabric covered peaks, whispering as he continued down. "More, later." He scooted his body down, as his fingers played icecapades across her tummy. He lay his cheek against her, nuzzling as he acquainted himself with his child. "Hey, baby. It’s me, daddy. Just checking up on you. I hope you’re ok, and that you don’t give your momma too much trouble. You know how much I worry about all of you." He turned his head so that his forehead and nose were touching her stomach. "Love you, baby," he whispered before laying a sweet kiss on Liz’s belly. Liz felt the tears trickle down from her closed eyelids as she heard and felt how gentle Max was being to their unborn baby. She always thought that she couldn’t love him any more with each passing day, but he always managed to prove her wrong. She loved him so much that sometimes she could feel her heart ready to burst into a million pieces, only to build up again as her love for him overtook her. Grasping his head in her hands, she pulled him up to her lips for a kiss, her hands fumbling with his pants. "Max, I need you." Max brushed his lips against hers, his hands running up her thighs as he pulled her panties down her legs. Liz pushed his pants down as far as they would go, before pulling her feet up to do the rest of the work, not wanting to relinquish her position. He lay his forehead against hers as he groaned when her wet flesh came into contact with his hard sex, both of them gliding effortlessly against each other. Liz had taken all about the teasing she could take. She grabbed Max in her tiny hands, bringing him to her opening, her legs coming around his waist as her ankles locked behind his butt, pushing him in to the hilt. Max let out a whimper, his wet lips grazing the delicate skin of her neck, his lower body thrusting languidly in and out of her body. They were in no rush, both of them savoring the feel of being completely immersed in the other, of being one being. Her head thumped against the carpet as his lips descended onto her sensitive breasts, his tongue and lips doing wondrous things to her humming body. The build up was slow, deliberate, both of them bringing each other to new heights as they worked together. "Oh, God...." her voice came out in broken gasps as she felt him fill her, completing her in a way that served to be forever. "Liz.....mmmm, baby......Oh, God," her inner muscles closed around him like a tight glove, so hot, so wet. His eyes shut tightly, his hand fisting in her hair as hips slapped against hers, their sweat slicked bodies gliding together with a common goal. Liz clenched his throbbing flesh tightly inside her body, his breathy voice making her body trembling. His lower body became a frenzy of movement as he brought them teetering over the edge. "Oh God....Liz....Liz....Liz...." The rhythmic fluttering of her walls made his body stiffen, causing him to spill his seed inside her, his body’s thrusts slowing as a low keening sound came from his lips. "LIIZZZZZZZZ!" His head fell heavily against her shoulder. His body felt like dead weight after having a monstrous release. Rolling onto his back, he refused to part with her body, bringing her to lie on top of him. Their lips found another, both sharing a wet, sloppy kiss, as their heavy lids closed. Liz buried her nose in the crook of his neck. "Max, we have to pick up Noah." Max squinted at the clock, before closing his eyes. "We still have a few minutes.....Let me just rest." Her throaty laughter danced in his ears, her voice raspy from her cries of passion. "I’m gonna be the death of you." Max’s lips curled into a smile, his eyes still closed. "If this is the way I’m gonna go, I don’t have any complaints..."