Author: Dana (Leigh)
E-mail: [email protected]
Disclaimer: Not mine. Max is a bit tied up right now and will be returned later.
Rating: R for language and a rather minor kissing scene
Spoilers: Future episode spoilers (Tess storyline)
Author's notes: Okay, I just HAD to write this when I heard
about the whole Tess storyline this morning...that she was a
government agent, and that Max would date her to see what was
going on, and that Liz would get really snappish with everyone
(for the life of me, I can't find that spoiler
again...). So this bothered me all day, and I came home and sat
at my computer for three hours straight, and now hopefully this
has been pounded out of my system.
Some Other Beginning's End (Part Two)
If there was ever a time Max Evans could be called sullen,
that time was now. He had to restrain himself from flinching away
from Tess every time she brushed against him. He kept giving
Isabel glares that clearly communicated his rage at this
deception. Tess either didn't notice or chalked it up
to some sort of sibling disagreement.
Tess was still chattering away about some inane subject when
Michael came back to the table a great deal paler than when he'd
left it.
Max interrupted Tess and asked, "Isabel, didn't you want to
do some shopping?" It was their safe phrase; as Isabel put
it, it was only to be used when Max found himself in danger of
telling Tess to get lost and running to Liz to tell her that it
had all been a sham designed to flush out yet another government
agent.
Isabel gave him a long suffering look. If Max himself wasn't
funding these shopping sprees, their parents would have had a fit
long ago. "Oh, yeah...Tess, come on. I need a second
opinion."
"Sure!" Tess chirped. "See you tomorrow,
Maxie." She aimed for his lips, but missed when he turned
his head at the last second, her lips plopping against his cheek.
Max resisted the urge to shudder, and slid out of the booth
before she could climb over him as she usually tried to do.
"See you tomorrow, Tess."
When the glass door swung shut behind Tess and his sister, Max
turned to Michael. "I am *never* going to forgive you and
Isabel for forcing me to do this. Every day that I'm with Tess is
another day that I break Liz's heart. I can't stand this much
longer..."
"Max, I know how you feel..."
"No, I don't think you have any fucking idea how I
feel!"
"Twice in one evening...is the world going to end?"
Michael muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing...it's just this charade has driven your Liz to
profanity too...rather alarming..."
Max slumped against the booth's back. "She's not my
Liz...not after the way I've treated her..."
"Max, she'll understand, once you explain..."
"How do you know that? And she may understand why I did
this, but I don't know if she'll ever forgive me. How do you
think this makes her feel, after listening to me go on and on
about how it wasn't safe for me to be with her...how do you think
it makes her feel to see me with another human week after week? I
wouldn't blame her if she never spoke to me again." Max had
managed to keep his voice low to avoid being overheard, but his
tone was no less anguished for it.
A sudden flash of green and silver caught his eye, and he watched
Liz take another customer's order across the room.
"Don't look at her like that! If she sees..." Michael
cautioned.
"'Don't look at her like that! Don't think about Liz all the
time!'" Max mimicked Michael angrily. "'Spend more time
with Tess, or she'll be suspicious! She might break up with you,
and then we won't know what her next move will be!' Why is it
that I was the natural choice for this job? I was with Liz when
Tess came to town...you weren't with Maria then!"
"We've been over this, Max...you're the one Tess was
interested in. I flirted with her and got nowhere, and I don't
think Isabel would have either." Michael knew he had to
break his promise to Maria and tell Max what he'd found out. If
he didn't...they might find out what Tess was up to, but he knew
Max would never forgive him if he lost the only woman he'd ever
loved because of it.
"You're going to have to break it off with
Tess...something's happened," Michael told him decisively.
Max tore his gaze away from the swinging door as Liz passed
through it and narrowed his eyes at Michael. "What are you
talking about?"
He sighed deeply. "Max...this has been harder on Liz than
anybody knew, or we wouldn't have pushed you so hard to do
this...she's leaving."
"Leaving? What, leaving Roswell?" Max was absolutely
stricken at the thought.
"Leaving the state...she's going to college in Florida, Max.
She's supposed to leave tomorrow morning."
Michael grabbed the table to steady it as Max rocketed out of the
booth and towards the back of the Crashdown. "Guess this
means I'm stuck with the check."