Title: Night Visits
Part: 1
Author: Liz
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The song is My Life by Dido.
Summary: Liz is finally fed up with Max, and finds comfort from someone
unexpected.
Category: Unconventional - Michael/Liz
Rating: PG
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What I choose to do
Is of no concern to you and your friends
Where I lay my hat may not be my home
But I will last on my own
'Cause it's me and my life
It's my life
All the world has sat in the palm of my hand
Not that you'd see
And I'm tired, and bored of waiting for you
And all those things you never do
'Cause it's me and my life
It's my life
It's my life
Liz closed her journal with a heavy sigh.
It would be her last entry.
All of her thoughts and emotions of the last year were held in the small,
leather-bound book. It was the key to her soul.
And now, she was handing it over. To Max.
The knock on his window shook him from the his light sleep. Sitting up
slightly, he stared into the darkness, making out her silhouette, felt
himself freeze.
When he didn't move she let herself in, an old habit from back in the days
when they'd actually been happy.
She looked small and vulnerable, standing there in her huge coat and baggy
pants, more underdressed than he'd ever seen her.
She stood watching him, hands hidden behind her back, her eyes boring holes
into his forehead. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the face.
"Hi Liz."
He still had not looked up at her.
"Hey Max."
Another uncomfortable silence, filled only with the rustling of her track
pants as she shifted back and forth.
"I just..wanted to bring you something."
She seemed almost hesitant as she stepped forward, pulled a small wrapped
package from behind her back and quickly placed it on the end of his bed,
stepping away as soon as she'd done so. Like she was afraid of him.
"What is it?"
She was already turning, though, one leg through the window. Making her
escape.
"Liz?"
She turned around to him for a moment, and he caught the look of anger that
she quickly hid.
It baffled him, but he had not another chance to ask her.
Before he could form a word, she was gone.
The 'gift' lay now, discarded, on his nightstand.
He lay on his side, staring at it, numb.
It all seemed like a dream. Liz, coming to his room, disappearing as if only
a ghost.
She'd given him her journal.
He'd been so confused as he'd opened it, read the small note attached to the
front.
'Max,
You said you wanted to read it, and I'm done writing. So I thought, why not?
Hope you enjoy.
Liz'
If not for the fleeting look that he still held, captured, in his mind from
earlier.he would never have understood the sarcasm in her note. In her act.
She was angry, angrier than he'd ever known her to be. She had good reason,
of course.
He'd broken her heart..again. For the millionth time since their
roller-coaster love affair had begun.
But he'd never imagined this.
The words from the last page in her journal still tumbled around in his mind,
stinging him.
'I'm Liz Parker, and this is my last journal entry.
It's been a long, long year since that day in the Crashdown when Max saved
me. Some parts of it have been good, most of them have been heartbreaking.
I don't think that I would give it up, because I think that it taught me a
lesson that I needed to learn. If a man can hurt you as much as Max Evans
hurt me, then he is not worth loving. And so I've decided to take what I've
been given, and move on. Maybe I'll never stop loving him completely, but I
am making a promise to myself to stay away from him, forever.
Maybe I'll never find another person who can make me feel the way he did,
when we were happy together. But I hope that I never do find a person that
can make me feel the way he did when he is breaking my heart.'
He felt the swell of heat rise up in his face, the tears pricking at his
eyes, but he wouldn't allow himself to cry. He had given her up, and she had
decided to move on. She was tired of being tortured.
Who wouldn't do the same thing?
'I wouldn't.'
He would've gone back to Liz a million times.
Liz walked back home by way of sidewalk, head held down as she stared at the
sidewalk disappearing beneath her.
The night was serene, the distant sounds of cars from the highway humming
lightly in her ears. The air was still, and cool, but not cold. Perfect
fall weather, the kind she loved the most.
She loved to sit outside on her roof when it was just like this, and write
for hours. Or just stare at the stars.
She guessed that her only option left was to stare at the stars.
The small, narrow streets of the little down were practically deserted by
this time of night, which she was glad for. Night time had never really
scared her, even when she was alone. Sometimes alone was just a good thing.
She was about halfway home when she slowed, not that eager to get back to her
room, and her bed.
Not exactly sure what to do now that she had no way to vent.
Venting was really what she needed right now. There were so many things.
Most of all the way Max Evans had broken her heart, over and over again. The
way he'd sat there, looking stupid on his bed while she'd been waiting,
giving him one last time to fix it all.
For not coming after her, when she'd left.
The time had come to give up on him, and she had. Truly. She was ready to
move on.
She was brought back somewhat from her thoughts when she felt a presence
beside her, walking along with her. They had just come, and fallen into
step, not speaking but just being.
She knew it wasn't Max. Even though, the feeling of them beside her
was.comforting.
Pausing only momentarily before she looked up, she was only partially
surprised to see that it was Micheal.
"Hey Micheal."
At any other time she would've been intimidated by him, but tonight.she just
didn't have the energy.
When he looked back down at her, she caught the whisper of a smile that
tugged at the corner of his lips, the amused twinkle that danced in his eyes.
"Liz."
Her gaze drifted back down to the walk, but her thoughts seemed to have taken
a turn from their previous path.
Their had always been an unspoken hostility that she'd felt from Micheal, but
not tonight. If anything, she felt the sympathy for her that he was feeling.
They walked together in comfortable silence until reaching the Crashdown,
stopping at the stairs that led up to the apartment door.
Slowly bringing her eyes up to meet his, she was startled by the intense look
they held as he stared at her.
"Do you want to come in?"
The words had not been even a fleeting thought, but they came to her
nonetheless.
She saw him hesitate, but his stare never faltered.
"Okay."
Turning, she began her ascent up the metal steps, the heavy sound of
Micheal's footsteps behind her like a drum, attempting to beat some sense of
reality into her mind.
Still, she had no thoughts of what she was doing. She was tired of thinking.
Her hands were amazingly steady as she pulled the key out, unlocking the
door. She could feel his eyes burning into her back as she completed the
simple action.
The door swung open and she stepped inside, immediately reaching up to remove
her coat.
A slight shudder passed through her when she felt his presence behind her,
his hands gently tugging on the light leather jacket and carefully pulling it
from her.
"Thanks."
She found herself whispering, with no idea why.
She watched him as he placed the jacket on her bed, letting his hand rest a
minute on the soft comforter before stepping away.
His intense eyes landed again on her, and she could feel him probing her soul
as he looked into her eyes.
All semblence of reason seemed to have left her, and she had no idea what to
do. Sit, stand, go over to him.
It was the most comfortable she'd ever felt with him, and yet the most
awkward.
Her vision went fuzzy and she shook her head, focusing again.
He was approaching her, slowly, long graceful legs guiding him effortlessly
to her.
He stopped inches away, towering above her, breathing and staring and
smelling so wonderful.
His hot breath billowed down upon her like dry rain, covering and warming
her. She felt the chill bumps rising along her skin.
And then his hand was on her face, his touch so light she wasn't sure if she
had dreamed it.
He was smiling still, that feather light smile that made him look sexy and
dangerous all at once.
His lips were on her skin, taking her breath, burning her. She heard her
moan but wasn't sure if it was really her own voice, so soft in the silent
room.
He kissed her face, her neck, her eyes, never her lips. She was aching for
him, for his kiss, for his tongue.
"Micheal."
The word almost a hiss, a plea.
Finally he kissed her, gentle yet commanding. She gave herself over to him,
her body melting against his, her mind and heart dissolving in a pile at his
feet.
Sparks ignited her body, filling her with more passion than she'd ever known.
His hands were on her body, so big and warm, wandering every flat plane and
curve. Every caress filled her with more desire and longing.
She arched against him, feeling the hard steel of his body, daring him to
take this farther.
But then it was all gone, his lips, his hands, his body.
She opened her eyes.
Micheal was gone.
Her head was spinning, her body still burning with passion.
Turning, she saw Max. Standing in the doorframe, the door swinging gently
behind him.
"Micheal, huh?"
Took a deep breath, tried to push the images of his dark, haunted eyes from
her memory.
"Yeah."
He rubbed his eyes, and then turned.
"I'm sorry it couldn't have been me."
And then he, too, was gone.
She stood alone in her room, and simply stared at the empty door.
Wondered if either of them would ever come back.
The End