| Secrets In The Past |
| Chapter 30 __________________________________ Max pulled the Jeep into a parking space and killed the engine. He had been driving around aimlessly for an hour. He decided against going out to the desert, he didn't want to be that far away in case there was any trouble. Just because he was currently doing a top notch impersonation of Stone Wall Guerin didn't mean he could neglect his responsibility to keep the group safe. After an hour he decided to stop and take stock of the evening. Driving around he had calmed down considerably. He didn't know what had come over him. He never acted like that. Ok, so a couple times he had lost his temper with Michael, but that was different. The more the adrenaline in his blood ebbed the worse he felt. Max had a sinking feeling that his actions tonight would have far reaching reproductions. Looking up from the dash to see where he had parked, Max shook his head. It seemed even when she wasn't here, even when she was ripping out his heart, all roads really did lead to Liz. Without intention, Max had parked in front of the now closed Crashdown. Leaning over he let his head drop to the steering wheel. What was wrong with him? He was so angry with her or rather, now that he thought about it, what she had done. At the same time he could not bring himself to actually be mad at *her*. When your mad at someone aren't you supposed to stay away from them? Then why was he here? Why was it taking all his will power not to climb up the ladder and crawl into her bed just so he could smell her on the sheets? Didn't it go against all logic to want to run to her and never let her out of his arms again when he was absolutely furious with her? How come his heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible fist knowing she thought he didn't love her anymore. Then it hit him. Oh my God. How could he have said that to her? The reality of the conversation started crashing down on his head. Snippets of what had been said started playing over in his head. Things he had been too bull headed to listen to or comprehend earlier. 'You don't understand. You have to let me explain what happened.' 'I gave up you and my perfect future with you.' 'don't you tell me that I never loved you.' 'I ripped out my own soul so that he could have the life we all thought he was supposed to lead.' 'making love to the only person I ever want to touch me.' 'I gave up every chance of being happy because of you.' 'Everything I have done since that day in the Crashdown has been for you.' 'I had to do it. It was the only way.' Max then remembered some of the things he had said to Liz and he almost stopped breathing. 'Now I can see the flaw in my logic. You never really loved me at all.' 'You were my dream girl Liz, now I know that's all it ever was.' 'Your boring little life? Your rep as the perfect Lizzy Parker?' 'I hope you carry around the guilt' 'I fell out of love with you' He remembered the broken look in her eyes when he told her he no longer loved her. He remembered how valiantly she tried to keep the pain he was obviously causing her out of her eyes and voice. He remembered hearing her tell Isabel to let him go. Something else had happened to cause all of this. She still loved him and he threw it back in her face. He didn't even listen to what she was trying to tell him. Oh God, what had he done? When had he started acting like this? It was so unlike him to lose it like that. Granted he had been mad as hell and hurt beyond words but that was no excuse. She repeatedly asked him to let her explain and he didn't. He continued to yell unspeakable things at her. Things his mother would have washed his mouth out with soap for even thinking. Liz was the kindest, most dedicated, responsible and loyal person he had ever met. How could he even entertain the notion that she would do something out of sheer malice? When had this happened to him? This wasn't the first time he had lost control recently. He was always trying to pick fights with Michael and even Isabel. He vaguely remembered yelling at Maria the other day. What happened to the quiet, in control, shy boy he used to be. Michael was becoming the supportive back bone of the group. How bad had he let things get that the women in his life had to go to Michael for comfort? Was this what happened to him without her? This was what had happened to him on Antar when Lilly died. Zan slowly gave up on life, making enemies at every turn. Yet, always believing he was doing the right thing. Now when he found out he could have Liz, she really could be his, he practically spit in her face. There was no way he would ever be able to sufficiently explain his actions to her. And he had the feeling after what he just allowed himself to do there was no way he would ever get her back either. Lost in thought, Max didn't realize he had let his feet carry him up the ladder, through the window to where he now stood in Liz's dimly lit bed room. Looking around for a moment his eyes came to rest on a well loved stuffed bear sitting on her dresser. He recalled her hugging it tightly along with a photo he could not see when he had come to tell her they could not be friends and he was going to New York. Picking it up he could see what a good friend the little guy had been over the years. It's nose was gone and one eye was hanging by a thread. The red ribbon around its neck was frayed and one ear looked like it might have been used as a teething biscuit years ago. Picking up the bear, Max sat on the bed. "Hey there buddy." He addressed the bear, holding it at arms length. "you look like you're a good friend of hers. You want to be my friend? I'm not sure how many I'll have left after today.... No? You're a loyalist, huh? I can see how she would find that appealing.... Any ideas on how to fix this?... You're really no help, you know that?.... Yes, I'm aware of the fact that I messed up big.... No, I didn't need the reminder. You think maybe if I took you to her you could say a few things on my behalf?... Again with the loyalty thing?... Can't ya help a guy out here? At this point I need all the help I can get.... Well, if you won't help me will you make her feel better?.... As long as you try that's all I care about." Deciding it was probably time to go home and face the music, he tucked the bear under his arm and descended the ladder. There was no point in putting off the inevitable. Max only hoped that she would at least give him the chance to apologize. He didn't care if she screamed and yelled at him, as a matter-of-fact he hoped she did. If she showed any emotion at all it would be reason to hope that she had not finally given up on him. Not that he deserved any better. At this point he deserved exactly what he got. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~ Max let himself into the house quietly in case anyone was sleeping in the living room. Deep in thought about what he would say to Liz when he saw her, assuming she would even agree to listen, he walked past the living room. He didn't notice the six irate teens waiting to chew him out. That is he didn't notice them until he came face to face with one. Liz's extremely intimidating older brother stepped into Max's path, effectively blocking his progress to the stairs. "Michael, move. I need to see her, now." Michael narrowed his eyes. Did he honestly think that after the stunt he pulled he could demand to see her? Well, he had another thing coming. Roughly, he gripped Max's shoulder shoving him into the living room. "I don't think so." he growled "This is my house. You can't keep me from going upstairs." Max responded. Michael pushed him further into the room, "wanna make a bet on that?" "Michael, cool it." Kyle stood to glare at Max "If you push him around too much now there won't be any left for the rest of us." Whirling around, Max came face to face with his friends or should he say Liz's friends. It was looking like the bear he had clutched in his hand might be the only friend he had left. "Guys please." Max pleaded but kept his features hard. "I need to talk to her, then we can straighten anything else out." "Liz is not here Max. You can't see her." "What do you mean she's not here Isabel? I see four aliens and three humans. That means Liz is upstairs because I know you would not let her leave here alone." "Gwyn took her home with her. Liz didn't want to be her when you got back. Can you blame her?" Maria walked up to face him. Max could only look at the floor. He had thought maybe he could at least talk to Liz before he had to face her friends, her brother, that didn't look like a possibility anymore. Maria continued to stare contemptuously at Max. You could see the rant building up in her emerald eyes. "This is all your fault you know? This isn't going to be one of those 'oh I'm so sorry, kiss kiss, all better' situations. Assuming you can even get within a ten foot radius of her we're talking hands and knees, blue box white bow, groveling. Don't you give me that look, I'm sure they have a web site." She took a deep breath before really ripping into him. "If we all die because she can't take you back I am going to come down to hell and kick your ass myself. What were you thinking? Oh that's right... nothing." Maria started pacing in front of him. "I told her, I told her a long time ago that this was all going to blow up in our faces. Eventually you were going to bite off her head or something. No, you just could not leave her alone, could you? It was not good enough that you got us all killed once, you had to come back and mess with her head some more. Its a wonder she's not in a loony bin after everything you and your stupid versions of yourself have put her though. Regular old Max was not enough, *oh no*, we had to have Nesado Max and dupe Max. Then to top it all off a twisted future Max. Let me tell you something buddy," she stopped wearing a groove in the carpet long enough to meet his eyes. "if you messed up the future after all this you better not be the one who comes back to fix it. I don't care how good Liz says you look in leather. You step one foot near the Granolith with the intention of messing with her head again and I will beat you down until they are crowning Space Boy over there. Are we clear?" "Huh?" Max replied, completely befuddled. Max's Maria filter had only recently been installed and most of what she said went way over his head. Was it just him or did she say something about a future him? What did that mean? And Liz liked him in leather? The only leather Max wore was his jacket. Being around Liz made the tight pants thing kind of a non option. "Maria," Michael sighed. "Your only confusing him. You have to wait until he knows everything until you can twist the knife." She thought for a moment then turned back to Max. In a calmer but just as icy tone she asked "Do you have any idea what you have done?" "I getting the impression the answer is no." "Do you love her?" "Yes." Max answered softly. Maria sucked in her breath. Somehow the fact that he did love her made what he did so much worse. Unable to contain her rage, she pulled her hand back and slapped him across the face. Turning on her heal she sought out Alex. "Alex, if you want a ride I'm leaving now. I can't be in the same house with him anymore." Alex nodded. He was too angry to even talk to Max right now. If Liz wanted him to do something to Max later he would. Right now he was so mad his mind was blank. He squeezed Isabel's hand before purposely banging shoulders with Max on his way out. Max stood in the entry to the living room cradling his burning cheek with his hand. There went his girlfriend status out the window. Kyle then stepped up to him. "Yeah I'm going to go too. I just wanted to say one thing first. You know, you made a liar out of me Evans. You made me lie to one of the best people on this planet or any other. "When everyone disappeared Liz was hysterical that she had to tell you the truth. She could not die without you knowing she loved you. We didn't have time to come back to town and I told her that it would be ok. I told her that you already knew, that you would always know. You would know because you are you, because you're Max, that's what I told her. You made me lie to the only girl that ever treated me like a person not some dumb jock. I hope someday you realize exactly what you have lost and exactly what you have done to her. You took that spark out of her eyes. I hope you feel like scum for taking Liz from the rest of us and slowly killing her. 'Cause you know, none of us are ever going to get her back, not after what you just did." He turned around with a reassuring smile for the small blonde who had captured his heart. Kyle didn't want her to be jealous of his little speech. He was not in love with Liz anymore, but he did love her. "Tess, I gotta get out of here. Call me when you want to come home." She nodded as Kyle turned away. A few seconds later the loud slamming of the door shook the house. Then everything was quiet. Max moved into the room to sink on to the couch. He held Liz's bear a little closer to his chest. Only the four of them were left. Things certainly had come a long way in the last year and a half. Who would have thought that they would ever end up in this situation? Max awaiting trial by his fellow podsters for hurting Liz. Michael the most ready to crucify him. What a strange and twisted path his life had become. "Could you guys please just tell me where she is so I can go tell her how sorry I am." Max pleaded wearily. "No, because you don't know enough to know how sorry you should be." "Please, Tess. This is going to be hard enough as it is." Michael laughed. "You don't know the half of it Maxwell. There are somethings you need to know before you can see her and then you have to decide if you even deserve to see her." "Fine Michael, what is it I need to know." "You need to know exactly when and how Liz saved the world." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Gwyn walked around her small house shutting off the lights. She really did love this little house she had picked out for them. Ok, so it was not that little. It was two stories with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. The kitchen was huge, almost bigger than the living room, with all the latest appliances. She really loved to cook. It relaxed her. Then there was the wrap around porch with the swing. That was another big selling point for her. She could not wait to sit out with Justin and watch the stars appear after a New Mexico sunset. Justin said she could get whatever made her happy and when she saw this house she knew they would be happy here. Boxes and packing crates still littered most of the rooms. The only places that were in order were the kitchen and her bedroom. She had only moved in a week before she had been called back to Arizona. The odd movement in Durton's camp was frightening everyone, especially now that she had confirmed Lillyah's identity. She had not been able to discuss the recent developments with the group tonight but it could not wait much longer. With all the current uncertainty as to Durton's activities everyone need to be in the loop on this one if they were going to keep Liz safe. Gwyn hoped Justin would join them shortly to aid in that endeavor. She missed him terribly. They had seldom been apart since they came to earth. She knew she had a job to do here but she was still a person with needs of her own. Although, right now Lil-Liz took precedence in her life. Her heart ached for the poor slip of a girl. She felt horribly guilty for leaving when she did and for how long she had been gone. She could not help but think that she had somehow played a part in Max's reaction earlier. If she would have been here Max would have found out sooner. Then maybe he would not have taken his aggressions out on Liz. Not knowing Liz extremely well she was not sure if she was doing well right now or not. Gwyn had tried to get Liz to talk to her, about anything. She even tried to bribe a conversation out of her with some of the scientific aspects of the pods. Nothing. She just wanted to take a hot bath and lay in bed. To Gwyn that seemed like a bad sign. Liz had not even cried, it seemed like she was shutting down. If she thought about it the prospect probably should not have been all that surprising. Liz had been through so much over the past year and there were things that Gwyn didn't even know about. Max's denial of their relationship was probably the straw that broke the camel's back or in this case Liz's spirit. That was the frightening thing. All afternoon while she had been talking to Liz she had this spark in her eyes. The amount of emotion she was able to convey through them was amazing. On the drive home and the silence when they were sitting in the kitchen sharing a cup of tea Liz's eyes had been lifeless. A dull, depressing brown, not the velvety, animated chocolate shade. It looked like Liz was shutting down completely in order to keep the pain out. The doorbell rang as she was making her way into the kitchen to make the morning coffee. It was nearly one in the morning and there were only nine people who knew where she lived. Chances are this was either Max or Michael, her bet was on the former. Sure enough, Gwyn opened the door to her haggard young king. Max looked like he had been run over by a truck. His hair was mussed, presumably from running his hands through it repeatedly. His eyes were sunken and red, tear tracks down his face. There was a pretty good size red welt forming on his left cheek that he had not bothered to heal. His shirt was rumpled and he was griping an old teddy bear as if his life depended on it. If he didn't look like his best friend had just died he would have been adorable. Gwyn sighed. She had been determined not to let him in if he came calling tonight. She thought Liz should have some time to herself. Now, with Max standing on her doorstep, looking like that, how could she say no? Backing up, she moved to the side so he could step into the house. "Is she... umm... is she here?" he asked, not quite meeting her eyes. "Yeah, she's here, but Max its one in the morning I put her to bed over an hour ago." Max didn't say anything, he only drooped his head forward with a heavy sigh. "I take it you know. About what she did, I mean." "yeah I know." he answered her so softly she could barely hear. Gwyn was having a major internal struggle. She wanted to be mad at Max so much, but the way he was standing here barely able to speak... he was making it very difficult. "Is she - is she ok?" he raised his eyes slightly to see if she would tell him the truth. "Not really Max. Although, I'm not sure if she even knows that. She's not exactly acting the way I thought she would." Max's brow furrowed, "what do you mean?" "I thought once we got home she would brake down, cry, yell, brake things but she didn't. She just sat there. I tried to get her to talk, I even offered her science stuff, I know she wanted to know more about the pod technology. She just asked for a hot bath and said she was going to bed. She never said anything, just walked around like it was any other boring night." God, if the look on Max's face had not broken her already this one surly would have. Not only had his best friend died but someone ran over his puppy. If he squeezed that bear any tighter his head was going to pop off. "Can- I see her... please?" his voice cracked with emotion but he made no effort to cover it. Gwyn shook her head slowly, "Max, I know you feel bad but she's gone to bed. I told you ." "I know... but-please. I promise I won't wake her up. I just- I just need to see her. She probably would not want to see me anyway. I just need to see her, Gwyn. I-I won't wake her up, she'll never know I was here. I just want to look at her for a minute. I promise. Please. I just need to see her." At this point Gwyn was fighting back tears of her own. "Ok Max, but you can't wake her up." A brief light flashed in Max's eyes but it was instantly replaced by fear. "I won't I promise." "She's in my room. Up the stairs, second door on the right. I'm going to be in the kitchen for a little while, then I'm sleeping in the guest room. It's two doors down on the left side of the hall if you need something. Make sure you lock the front door on your way out." Max took off up the stairs before she could change her mind. Gwyn hoped it was not a mistake to let him go up there. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Max pushed the door open slowly so too much light did not pour into the room. He tried to be so quiet. He didn't want to wake her. Not just because Gwyn might hurt him but because for now he just wanted to be with her. If she woke and found him there she might run and never speak to him. He only needed to be near her. Lord she was beautiful. So tiny, so perfect, and no longer his. She was on the left side of the king size four poster bed. The huge frame of the bed dwarfed her already small figure. It was a few feet off the floor and he could see the foot stool she had needed to climb into it. He should not be here, it was wrong. Standing here in her room watching her sleep when she so obviously needed to be as far away from him as possible. But he just could not help himself. He needed her, now more than ever. He was only now realizing he didn't know who he was without her. Liz was what made the search, the fight, the night terrors worth while. Without her there was no reason to know anything. Why was it that he didn't realize it until it was too late? Liz had literally given up everything for him. 'I have given up more in three life times for you than you have in one.' She had said that to him earlier. At the time he didn't know what she was talking about. Max had told her she was being melodramatic. He had dismissed her sacrifice as easily he threw out the trash. He would never be able to make amends for the things he had said and done to her but he would spend the rest of his life trying to. If only she would let him. After talking to Gwyn he was not sure she would. He moved closer to the bed so he could see Liz's face. She was relaxed, but she still didn't look peaceful. She had fell asleep with the bed side lamp on and a book in her hand. Lightly, he leaned over to pull the book from her. His fingers briefly brushed her delicate hand. Her skin was so soft and smooth, like a rose petal. They were so small, her hands. They fit perfectly inside his larger ones, as if they had been formed specifically for that purpose. Romeo and Juliet. That was the book she had been reading. Max held Liz's bear close to his heart. It hurt so badly he wondered how it was able to continue beating. She had compared their relationship to the play once. She told him that she didn't want to die for him like Juliet did, she wanted the happy ending. Now he knew that for her, at this point, that probably would have been the happier ending. All that she had done, given up, everything that he had done to her, he could only imagine how much worse than death it must have been. At least in death they would have been together. Not one suffering without the other. Not one giving everything short of her physical life, while the other did everything possible to demean and negate her sacrifice. Flipping off the light and placing the book on the side table, Max continued to stand by the edge of the bed. He could not move. He could only stand and watch her shadowed face. She looked so sweet and innocent. Innocent. He had taken her innocence. Not in the literal sense of course, but he had taken it just the same. For everyday Liz had known him she lost a little piece of herself. Her ability to trust, to have faith in others, in the world around her. Faith. Max had asked her to have faith in him once. And she did, because he asked her to. She put her trust in him and held fast to her belief that he would do the right thing. She had done that, had faith in him when he asked, on innumerable occasions. Then at the first test of her loyalty, the first time she needed *him* to have faith in *her*, he threw her to the wolves. Unable to resist temptation he kicked off his shoes and tentatively climbed onto the far side of the bed. He would just lay there for a few minutes and watch her. She would never know. He just need to be near her for a few minutes. If she was asleep he would not hurt her by being there. A few tears escaped down his cheek while he listened to her sleepy sighs. Reaching out he fingered a few strands of her hair. He always loved her hair. Liz stirred a little and Max yanked his hand back as though he'd been burned. A few more tears trickled down over the bridge of his nose and on to the pillow. What was he thinking? He had no right to touch her, especially when she was asleep. Curving his body into the fetal position he listened to the sound of Liz's steady breathing in the darkened room. Hugging the bear to his chest he continued to weep softly for her, for himself, for everything they had lost at his hands, for everything they could never have. He had only intended to stay there for a few minutes but in the warm room, with the even sound of her breathing and her sweet scent to comfort him, Max was helpless to fight off the fatigue from the past few days. He drifted off too sleep thinking that this could very well be the last time he was ever this close to her. Chapter 31 Liz woke slowly as the warm sun filtered through the blinds on to her face. Rolling over and stretching, she was caught mid yawn. Max was curled into a ball on the far side of the bed. He was as far away from her as he could be without falling on the floor. His eyes, though they were closed, were puffy and from the wet spot on his pillow she could tell he had been crying. She saw that he was hugging her teddy, Magnus, to his chest as though it were a life line. Gently, so as not to shake the bed, Liz stood to sit in the wing back chair in the corner of the room. She sat there for a few minutes watching him. The soft morning light dancing across his face and hair, highlighting the tear tracks down his cheeks. She should have been surprised to wake up with him in her bed but she wasn't. Max had this way of popping up in the most unexpected of places. As much as she wanted to deny it she was glad he was here. Sitting there watching him, listening to the occasional whimper escape his lips, she found it very hard to shut the pain out. Liz had done a bang up job last night of feigning indifference once she got home. She quickly decided that the things Max had said to her could be her undoing if she let them. Which she would not. She, Liz Parker, was too strong for that. She would not let that pain seep into her heart ever again. There were people depending on her. She had to be strong and in control. If she lost control ever again bad things could happen. Losing control meant that her powers went haywire and put others in danger. Losing control meant putting a strain on the rest of the group who depended on her. No, for the rest of the group she had to keep herself tightly in check from now on. However, that theory was swiftly flying out the window. She was fighting the impulse tooth and nail to run as far from Max as she could get. Her entire being was calling, begging, pleading with her to get as far away from him as possible. Run to...wherever, before he could hurt her again. But there was a tiny piece of her that was fighting it, a little voice that at this moment she was choosing to listen to that was telling her to stay. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen, there was no use fighting it now. It would be better to get it over with now, save everyone the additional heart ache and tension that always came when the two of them came to a bend in their relationship. Max started to stir, waking slowly. She could tell the moment he realized where he was. He didn't open his eyes but his entire body was a study in tension. His left hand was gripping Magnus so tightly his knuckles were turning white. His lids fluttered open to see where she would have been lying. She could see his eyes fill with fear when she was not in the bed, meaning she knew he was here. Quickly he searched the room, finding her in the corner watching him. He sat up so fast his tousled hair bounced about his forehead. "Liz...I-I-I'm sorry." he stuttered, practically falling out of the bed. The undeniable panic filling his eyes pulled at Liz's heart but she kept her features impassive. "I just... I uhh..." he tried to get something out while fumbling for his shoes. Liz stood slowly, picking her robe up off the chair. "I'll -I... I'm sorry. I umm..." he pointed to the door indicating that he was about to run. "No, Max. Wait." her soft voice stopped him. Hesitantly, he turned to her but kept his eyes trained on her tiny, bare feet. With Magnus still clasped to his chest he looked like he was about to be punished for breaking his mother's favorite vase. "We need to talk about this Max. I don't want to prolong this. Its not fair to the rest of the group and its not fair to you and I. Come on," she didn't wait for his consent or for him to tell her he was staying. Pulling on her robe, she brushed passed him on her way out of the room. He followed her down the stairs into the kitchen. The house was quiet meaning Gwyn was not up yet. Liz remembered her saying something about being a late sleeper so they would have the house to themselves for a while to have this... whatever it was they were about to have. Once in the kitchen Liz went to the coffee pot. Very deliberately she took out the mugs and stirred in the right amount of cream and sweetener. She was trying to think of something to say. She wanted to get this over with but she was scared to death and didn't have a single clue as the what she wanted to say. Breathing deeply, she took the coffees over the the table where Max was intently studying the tile floor. "Here," Liz held his mug under his nose. He took it but still didn't meet her eyes. "Taste it, I'm not sure I got it sweet enough." He brought the steaming cup to his lips, taking a small sip. He smiled sadly, finally looking up at her. "Thank you." he stated simply. The double meaning was not lost on Liz. They held each others gaze for a few seconds before Liz broke the spell. She would not let herself fall that easily, she would not. They had a lot of things to discuss and move past before she could allow herself to fall into those rich amber eyes for all eternity. "Max! Your face. What happened?" This was the first time she had gotten a good look at him. There was a large welt on his left cheek that was starting to turn brown from the bruise. Her eyes and voice filed with concern, she reached a gentle hand out to caress the bruise. Max closed his eyes momentarily at the feel of her delicate touch. He brought his larger hand up to close around hers and keep it in place. He leaned his head into her hand, taking comfort in the small amount of warmth if offered before opening his eyes again. She was still watching him with concern and he remembered she had asked him what happened. "Oh," he cleared his throat, "umm... Maria happened. She's uhh... not too happy with me." Liz eyes widened in shock. "Maria hit you?" "yeah." Liz took her hand back to look at the wound once more. "Could you fix it please." She didn't say it but it killed her to see that ugly bruise on his beautifully face. Not that he didn't deserve the slap Maria had given him. Max's eyes lit up and he smiled softly at her. His heart did a little flip flop at the small amount of hope the request gave him. He had not healed it before because he didn't feel he deserved it. But if she wanted it gone then gone it would be. He swept a hand over his face returning his cheek to its normal appearance and removing the light layer of stubble from the rest of his face. Liz walked around the table to take a seat across from him. A heavy silence hung in the air, neither knowing what to say or where to begin. "I see you've meet Magnus." Liz tried to break the ice. "Huh?" Max crinkled his brow. Liz pointed to her bear that Max was still holding. A small smile stole across her lips. "My bear. His name is Magnus." "ohhh." he looked sheepishly down at the doll in his hand. He only now realized that he had been toting around Liz's teddy since last night. "I- well, he's uhh.. he's a good friend." He smiled crookedly, trying not to look terribly unmanly. Liz had to cover her mouth to stifle the giggle. After another few minutes of strained silence Max finally bit the bullet. He could not stand to let this tension go on any longer. If she didn't want to be with him, if she could never forgive him, he needed to know now. More than that he needed her to know how he felt. "Liz," he looked up at her, "I'm sorry." She opened her mouth to respond but he rushed on before she could get anything out. "I was a complete ass. I know that and there is nothing I can do that can make up for that. I just-I was... there's no excuse. I didn't let you explain when I knew there was something else going on. I let my heated emotions get the better of me and you suffered because of it. I can't tell you how sorry I am Liz. I- I never meant to hurt you. If there's one thing I never want to do in my entire life, this one or any other, its hurt you." "I know Max." she broke into this ramble. "I know you didn't hurt me intentionally but that does not erase the fact that you did. The same goes for me though, I know that I'm not in the clear here. I hurt you too. I didn't want to but I did." "but Liz, you had a reason. I didn't. You were saving the word Liz. The world! I was being a jerk. I was running my mouth off at your expense." "I know I had a reason Max, a good reason, but that does not make it hurt analyses, does it?" Max shifted his gaze to the table. He could not argue that point with her, she was right. Liz had no idea where she was going with this. She was just saying things that came to her, not even thinking them through. They felt right so she didn't question it. She let her heart control her mouth for once instead of of her head. "Knowing you, the fact that your angry and hurt is making you feel guilty but you can't help how you feel Max. That's ok. I feel incredibly guilty too. I know in my head that none of this is really my fault. I didn't have any other choice, I could not let everyone die, but my heart is an entirely different matter. It killed me to hurt you like that Max. To have to see you everyday knowing that you were as lost and upset as I was but not being able to tell you the truth. To hear myself lying to you and the look in your eyes that day you saw us constantly repeating in my head, it was sheer torture. "I know that I hurt you and I know that your mad at me. You have every right to be but a part of me can't help being hurt because you are mad at me." "Liz, I'm not mad at you." Max insisted. "Yes I am hurt. It kills me you didn't tell me this right away. But I understand, I may not like it but I understand. What hurts the most is knowing that you went through most of it alone and on some level it was my fault. In the beginning I know I didn't make it easier for you." "That's not entirely true," Liz interjected. "on some level it was actually easier when I thought you hated me. Don't get me wrong, knowing you were still willing to be a part of my life was one of the greatest gifts, but when I thought you hated me somehow it made things simpler. If you hated me for doing something so horrible to you at least I could comfort myself that I had accomplished my goal. When you said you wanted to be friends and started to be nice to me again it made me feel worse. Knowing that you could forgive me after I had done all those things only solidified what a wonderful person you are and how lonely I was going to be." "Liz..." Max reached across the table to take her hand. She swiped at the tears forming in her eyes angrily before meeting his equally teary ones. "I'm so sorry." "Don't be sorry Max. At least not about that. I would do it over again if I had to. It was the only way. I am sorry thought, for the way you did find out. That's not the way it was supposed to be. I still don't really know what happened but I'm sorry you found out from someone other than me." "yeah, so am I. I need to ask you Liz, don't take it the wrong way, but how many people knew?" "Originally no one. Kyle only knew the part that he played. He just thought I was mad at you. I really didn't think he could handle the whole weight of the world thing. Then when you were in New York I told Maria because at the time no one was speaking to me and I could not take it anymore. Then last month Maria told Michael and Gwyn because it had something to do with the prophecy about Lillyah, that's it." "Hmmm, well one of them is really bad at keeping secrets because when you were in the kitchen they started fighting about it. I was the only one who did not know about Kyle. It just- after the way you reacted to destiny I thought... I don't know. I was not thinking clearly. All I could think was that I had this opportunity for everything to turn out the way I wanted and you had done everything you could to get away from me. Finding out everyone knew... I just kinda lost it. I'm so sorry Liz." "Oh Max, that's not the way it was at all. The only reason I ever put any obstacles between us was when I thought lives depended on it." They were quiet for a few more minutes trying to decide where to go from here. They both knew what they wanted but there had been so much between them since last May. "Liz... do you, do you think we can ever go back?" Max asked quietly. He knew what he wanted. He wanted Liz. And there was only one thing that would stop him from getting her back... if she didn't want him. They had been through too much for him not to respect her wishes at this point, but that didn't mean he was above a little begging for good measure. Liz pulled her hand back and idly gripped her coffee mug. "Max," she sighed, "I-I don't think so." She looked up into his sad eyes. "I'm not saying we can't go forward but we can't go back. Too much has happened. I'm not the same person I was last May and neither are you. It may be too late Max." "No." he slapped his hand on the table, startling her. "I won't believe that Liz. I won't. I love you Liz. More than anything." "Max this is not a question of whether or not you love me. This is not about love at all. This is about trust. I'm not sure I can continue to trust you with my heart or that you can trust me with yours. We can't continue to do this to each other Max. Hurting ourselves like this. Its not fair to anyone. Whether we want to face it or not what we do, both together and apart, has more effect on the group than anyone else." "This is not about the group, this is about us, you and me. That's just an excuse. They don't get a say on our relationship and I'm tired of everyone believing that they do." He got up from his chair and came around the table next to her. Kneeling down to sit on his heals, he pulled out Liz's chair so she was facing him. He took one of her hands and engulfed it within his larger ones. "Liz, do you still... do you still love me?" "Of course I still love you Max. That's not something you can turn off. I told you this is not about love, its about trust. I'm not sure if I trust you anymore." Max looked like a wounded puppy. "I would never let anything happen to you Liz, you know that. I would die first." "Its not my life I'm worried about Max, its my heart. It hurts to know that somewhere inside you, in the heat of the moment, you would throw out a phrase like that to purposely hurt me. It might not have been a conscious decision but you did it none the less." "That's exactly why I need you Liz." he pleaded with her. "Your the best part of me. When we're not together I don't know who I am. It's been so long that I don't recognize myself anymore. No one does. I don't like who I am becoming without you. "I'm lost Liz. Somewhere in here I know I still exist. I know your Max is in here somewhere, but you're the only one who can find him. Please Liz. I don't want to be this way. I need you to find me. I-I can't do this anymore without you." His voice choked over the lump in his throat. "Max..." Liz sighed, using her free hand she moved his still sleep mussed hair off his forehead. A few lose tears were making their way down his face and it almost killed her. She could not remember seeing Max cry before. "I won't hurt you Liz I promise. I'll do anything. Please, just come back to me." he begged "don't make promises you can't keep." she said softly. Max knew she was right. There would always be times that they would hurt each other even if it was something stupid like forgetting an anniversary. He leaned forward into her lap and rested the side of his head on her knee. Liz let him cry softly for a few minutes. Tenderly, she ran her fingers through his short, dark hair trying to soothe him. "What if we started over again?" Max sat up wiping the back of his hand over his face. "We can't go back, but we can go forward. I don't want to be without you either Max, but the fact is we are different people now. There is a chance that you might not like what I have become. I have changed a lot Max." "Nuh uh." he shook his head emphatically. "You're the only one for me Liz, ever. But we can start over, we can do what ever you want, whatever you need." "Ok, well what I need is a little time. Lets just go slow, see where things take us. That way we won't get too hurt if the other wants to back out." "Its not going to happen but I'll do what ever you want, I'll be whatever you need me to be Liz. Just so long as I get to be with you." "Max I don't want you to be anyone but you. I love *you* not the possibility of who or what you could be. Just you." The grin that lit his face could have powered an entire city block. "I'll give you all the time you want Liz but I need something from you in return. I need to know that you are not going to cut yourself off from me like last time. Even if we are taking things slow I need to know that I can still be around you." "Max that's not something you have to ask me. I'll always be here for you. You know that." Max got off his knees and pulled her into a tight embrace. He held her there for a long time, his face buried in the crook of her neck, breathing in her essence. How he had missed this. They had shared a few hugs and touches during their 'friends' phase but this was different. He could feel her melt into him, molding to his body as if she belonged in his arms. It was the best feeling on earth. Reluctantly he pulled away but could not resist placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. As she pulled away Liz realized she was going to have to make the first move. She told Max that they would have to take things slowly and she meant it. Max had agreed to her terms and knowing Max he would stick to them religiously. He was going to give her control in this because for him everything teetered on her. It was she who either made or broke their tentative bond because he was willing to do anything she wanted. "Max, I need a little time to myself today but would you like to have lunch or something tomorrow?" Max smiled that gorgeous full smile that he reserved only for her. "Yeah, I would really like that." They fell into each other gaze for a few blissful seconds and Liz knew she had made the right decision in forgiving Max. Looking into his gold flecked eyes, letting herself go for a few precious moments to tumble into him, it was like coming home. Max broke the contest this time. If he kept looking into her expressive doe eyes it would not belong before he was hauling her up to her bedroom. He didn't think that was what Liz meant by taking things slow. "Oh, umm here's Magnus." He held Liz's bear out to her. "Strange name for a teddy." "Yeah, I named him after the prince in my favorite story when I was little." Liz gently ran her fingers over the well loved toy. The corners of her mouth curled up and she let out a small giggle. "What?" Max asked at her obvious amusement "huh?" she looked up, "oh. I was just thinking. Its a funny coincidence really. You were saying what a strange name Magnus was and it passed through my head that its the German derivative of the latin root for great." "o-kay" Max raised an eyebrow. He loved how her mind worked but he didn't see what was so amusing about this. "so what's the coincidence?" Liz smiled. It was amazing really, given that the story was a rather obscure one. "Max is the slang for the roman derivative of the latin Maximus or Maximillion or Maxwell, which is the english derivative, they are all from the latin for great. I named my bear the German equivalent for Max when I was three years old." Max raised his eyebrows "Wow. Isabel and I named the iguana Lizzy but that was intentional." They both laughed as Liz lead the was into the hall by the front door indicating that it was time for Max to leave. They stood for a minute, Max looking anywhere but at the front door. He didn't want to leave her. "Hold on, I have an idea." she grabbed Magnus from his hands and dashed up the stairs. A minute later she returned and handed him back the bear. "I don't understand." Max shook his head "Well, I though since you two have become such good friends you might like to take him home with you. And since its been awhile since Magnus and I have been apart I sprayed some of my vanilla and white flower perfume on his tummy. That way he smells like me. You know, in case he misses me or something." She smiled shyly at him. Liz hoped she was not being to forward in this but he looked like he was going to have a hard time leaving her. She just wanted him to have a little something special of hers to remind him that she did love him and he could see her soon. Max held the bear up to his nose and breathed deeply. Mmmm. Vanilla and white flower was his favorite perfume on her. In addition to smelling great combined with her own special scent it perfectly described her. The vanilla was sweet and warm and comforting. At the same time the white flower cut the sweetness with a clean fresh purity and left a slightly tangy undertone. Just like Liz. He smiled shyly, shuffling his feet on the floor. He didn't want her to know just how much the gesture meant to him. "If your sure. I guess he could keep me company for a while. We kinda bonded." Liz nodded with a knowing grin lighting her eyes. "I'll umm, pick you up tomorrow?" "Yeah, I would like that. Maybe we could do something fun. You know, non stalker and angry older brother related." She played with her fingers. Why was she feeling so nervous about this? You would think she had never been alone with him before. Still, she could not ignore the little flutter in her heart at the thought of doing something normal with Max. "Ok, something fun. I think that can be arranged." His glanced over at the front door, he should probably go. He would see her tomorrow. Leaning forward he placed a sweet kiss on her cheek. "Thank you Liz." He said softly. Liz could only bob her head. The tone in his voice was so gentle and the phrase was so heavy with meaning her own voice caught in her throat. Reluctantly he opened the door and stepped over the thresh hold. "I'll uhh see you soon. Ok?" "Yeah. I'm looking forward to it." "Ok then, tomorrow." He could not help the dopy grin that spread across his face. He held her eyes until he had to turn around or risk breaking his neck on the stairs. He got in the Jeep and slowly pulled out of the drive. Liz waved from the doorstep before turning to go back inside. She could not help the giddiness bubbling up within her. Maybe things really would turn out ok. First she was going to have to have a little talk with her friends about the importance of keeping life and death secrets. Chapter 32 "Have you talked to her?" Isabel asked Michael as she lead him into the living room where Maria, Alex, Kyle, and Tess were already waiting. Gwyn had called and said they needed to finish up the meeting. There was a possibility Liz could be in danger they all need to be aware of the possible threats so they could work as a team to keep her safe. "No." Michael grumbled, taking his place next to Maria on the love seat. "Gwyn is running interference for her." "Same here." Maria piped up. "I called and dropped by. Gwyn would not let me talk to her. She would not say if it was her decision or Liz's but I got the impression it was Liz's. I mean, if I did not know any better I would think she was mad at us." "I'm sure she's just trying to deal with everything. This has been a really rough week for her." Tess came to her defense. "Any sign of Max since last night?" "No." Isabel rolled her eyes. "I've heard the Jeep come and go a few times but he's going out through his bedroom window so he does not have to see me." "Is he coming to the meeting? Because its a non option." Michael was still royally pissed at Max and he was not going let him pull any more stunts that might endanger Liz. "I think so. I yelled it through the door a few times and slipped a note under it. I think he got it. After he left last night he didn't come home until late this morning." "He was out all night? Where do you think he went?" Maria asked "My guess would be either out to the pod chamber or to see Liz. Then he left again a few hours ago. I heard the shower then a little while later the Jeep taking off." "Are you getting any vibes from Liz, Michael? How is she doing?" After last night Tess was becoming increasingly worried about Liz. She could not help but think that a lot of this was her fault. "I don't know. She's figured out some way to block me. I can't say I'm surprised but usually when she's upset she forgets to do stuff like that. So I'm guessing she's a little more under control now." "She should be here with Gwyn soon. They're kinda the center of the meeting so I can't imagine them not showing up." Alex said "No, but I can see Max not coming. Do you guys... do think maybe we were a little hard on him last night. We pretty much didn't give him the chance to explain and Max so rarely loses his temper." "Isabel, it does not matter. He didn't give Liz the chance to explain so neither did we. Turn about is fair play." "But Michael, he was holding on to the girl's teddy bear." Tess had been feeling pretty bad about that too. Granted she was feeling pretty bad about everything right now. Still, at one time Max had told her she was the only one who had been consistently loyal to him and then she had helped everyone else crucify him. "I don't care." Michael crossed his arms over his chest. The bell ringing halted any further discussion of the issue. "This should be Liz and Gwyn." Isabel went to get the door. She opened it to find the door step short one brunet. "Umm Gwyn? Where is Liz?" "What?" Michael bellowed from the living room. He had heard Isabel's inquiry. They came into the living room with Gwyn smiling widely but rolling her eyes. She knew this would come and was prepared for Michael's impending explosion. "Are you insane?" He shouted, instantly jumping to conclusions "you left her alone. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this meeting about the people who are trying to *kill* her? And you left her alone?" "Michael. Sit down. Contrary to popular belief I am not a flake or an idiot. My first duty is to protect my Queen. However I do believe my King is slightly more equipped to protect her than I. I am simply following orders." She settled back into her chair with a small satisfied smirk, as if that explained everything. She when she was met with blank stares. "Max took Liz to lunch and said they would meet us here." she elaborated "He did what?!" Gwyn rolled her eyes, again. She really hope they got here soon. Spending the evening being yelled at by Michael was not what she had in mind. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A few hours earlier... "So umm, where are we going?" Max had picked up Liz a few minutes ago and now they were cruising the streets of Roswell. Max had left the top down on the Jeep so he could see the wind blow Liz's hair back from her face. She was smiling and looked so carefree. It was a stark contrast from the Liz he had come to see over the past few months. It made his heart swell to know that he was the first one in a long time to see her like this. He could not help but be selfish like that when it came to her. "Its a surprise." Max grinned back at her. "Ok. What kind of surprise?" "The kind of surprise that's a surprise." "Ma-ax, just a little hint. Pu-leez." She batted her lashes at him He chuckled. "all right," he conceded "since we're almost there anyway. It's warm and fuzzy." Liz wrinkled her nose. "We're going someplace that's warm and fuzzy?" "Yup." He pulled the Jeep into a space at the park in the center of town. "Max, this is the park. Its fun, I like the park, but I never really thought of it as warm and fuzzy." He jumped out and rounded the hood to help Liz out of the passenger side. Once she was down he kept her hand firmly gripped in his. Max's eyes danced with a secret light. "Not the park, something in the park. Come on." He started pulling her through the grounds. When they were a few yards off from his destination he stopped. "Ok," he turned to her, still grinning. Liz felt herself returning it, his little boy like exuberance was infectious. "What exactly are you planing Max Evans?" "I told you its a surprise Liz. Now close your eyes." Liz narrowed her eyes suspiciously then closed them. Max hopped a little in place, he was soo excited, he wanted her to like this so much. He waved his hand in front of her face once to make sure she could not see then continued to carefully lead her through the park. After walking for a few minutes Liz started to smell something weird. "Umm Max?" "Mmmhmm." "Are we there yet?" "Almost... ok stand here for a minute." "Max, what's that smell?" it was like the barn when she used to visit her Grandma Rose. "Hold on just a sec..." she could hear him waking away a little and a soft mewing. "Ok, hold out your arms Liz." She did as she was told. She felt something soft and warm being placed in her hands. It was heavy. "Ok, open your eyes." Liz let her lids flutter open to the little lamb she was now cradling to her chest. "Max! Oh my gosh. He's so cute." She looked up to meet his shining eyes. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement. Looking past him she could see the small temporary fence that was penning several goats, a llama, a couple bunnies, a pot belly pig, and some sheep. There was a sign on the gate reading 'SMITH'S TRAVELING PETTING ZOO' "Do you like it? I read it in the paper. I thought it would be fun and you know, different. I have not heard of too many stalkers that frequent petting zoos." "Max I love it." she beamed at him, stroking the little lambs soft wool. It was such a thoughtful gesture and completely unexpected. "I have quarters so we can feed the goats and then we can get a hot dog or something over by the play ground. Is that ok?" "Its perfect Max." She leaned up sweetly kissing his cheek in thanks before walking into the pen to play with the other animals. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ An hour later they were sitting on a bench chatting while eating the hot dogs Max had gotten them from the street vendor. Luckily Liz had a few wet naps in her purse so they could wash before eating. Liz balled up her wrapper and took it to the trash behind her. On her way back she caught sight of the back of Max's head. She giggled before attacking his hair. Max felt Liz suddenly picking through his hair. As much as he wanted her hands on him this was not exactly what he had in mind. "Uhhh Liz... what are you doing?" She giggled again. Her hand came around and waved a few golden pieces of hey in his face. "You missed a few pieces back here. There got it all." "That goat was out to get me I tell you." "Ri-ight. He was just laying in wait to trip you. That was his big plan for the day. Make King of alien race fall on his butt in petting zoo. I can see how goats all over the planet have been waiting for this day. I'm sure he'll be the most popular goat in town now." she laughed at him. "Oh sure, you laugh now. I was really saving you from that llama. He had his eye on you. I could tell. He was just waiting for me to turn my back so he could get his hooves on you." he jested back. Liz rolled her eyes. "yeah that's me. Liz Parker, love goddess to llamas everywhere. I have a calendar coming out next month you should look for it." "I'll get one for all my llama friends. Oh! We could have a party. I bet Maria's mom could order little llama party favors and we could have a llama raffle with you know, things llamas like. Oh, we could give away a dinner with you. It'll be the best llama party in years." he teased her. "Max!" she playfully shoved his shoulder. "How did this become about me? I thought we were discussing your inability to play nice with the goats." "We did that already, you really have to keep up Liz." he gave her a mockingly stern look. Ignoring her incredulous huff, he grabbed her hand and started leading her on to the vacant playground. "Now where are we going?" "You have not had enough fun yet." "I haven't?" "Nope. You have lots to make up for." They came to a stop in front of the swings. Max moved behind one that was the right height for Liz and patted the seat. "sit" he instructed, "I'll push you." Liz skipped over to settle into the swing. She could not remember being this happy in ages. For a few precious hours Max was helping her to forget all the things going on in her life and all the disasters that it had recently been. She had not realized just how much she needed this until now. Then there was seeing Max be so carefree. That was reason enough to be this happy. It had been over a year since Liz had seen Max act like this. Where he put aside all responsibilities for the afternoon and focused completely on having fun. Max brought the swing back as far as it would go then gave her a good push to get started. Liz helped some by pumping her legs, careful not to kick Max in the head. After she had a good rhythm and was going really high she closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat. "Wheeee!" "Liz!" Max scolded her "don't do that. You are going to fall." Liz sat up and stuck her tongue out. "I am not. I used to do it all the time. Its like your flying." she called gleefully at him while whizzing past. "I remember you doing it all the time, its how you got that scar on you forehead." Liz glared at him once more before facing forward. That had been an embarrassing incident she didn't like to remember. Their play was interrupted when Liz's cell phone shrilled form its place on the the ground. "Can you get the phone out of my purse and see who it is Max." she yelled trying to slow down the swing. "If it's Michael don't answer it. I'm not speaking to him." Max fished out the phone and glanced at the caller id display. "it says C. Cronin. I don't know who that is." He held the phone out to her as she skidded to a stop. "Oh, its Colin. I wonder what he wants? Here, this will just take a second." she took the phone from Max while he took a seat on the swing next to her. "Colin?" "Hey Liz. How are you doing?" "I'm pretty good, how are you?" "Good, I'm good. Listen I was just calling to check on you. I had not heard from you since the other night and I wanted to make sure you were doing ok." "Oh Colin, I'm sorry. I meant to call you but there was kind of this emergency with a friend of mine and I completely forgot." "Its no problem Liz. I just wanted to make sure you were ok. Last time I saw you you were not doing so good." "Yeah, I know. There was just so much going on then with the whole Rob thing... I guess it was just a bit much for me to handle. You were really great though Colin. I really appreciate you coming over like you did. I know Michael did too." "Hey, I told you Liz, its not a problem. Your my friend, I'm happy to help. So your doing ok now? Do you want me to stop by, we could watch a video or something?" "No that's ok. Thanks for the offer though. I have plans for tonight already but maybe some other time." "If your sure. I just wanted to make sure your ok." "I'm ok Colin and thank you." "Sure Liz, I'll let you go then. I'll see you on Monday?" "You bet. Bye Colin." "Bye Liz." She slid the phone closed and turned a sunny smile to Max. Max's return was not so sunny. He was swaying back and forth on the swing kicking at the dirt with the toe of his shoe. "Max? Are you ok?" "What?" he looked up at her "Oh, yeah. Fine." He stood and motioned for her to follow. "Its almost four, we should probably get back." "Max, hold on. What's wrong?" Liz placed her hand on his arm to get him to slow down. "Nothing Liz. I'm fine." "No you're not. Did I do something wrong Max? Please tell me." He helped her up into the passenger seat but didn't say anything. Coming around to sit in the drivers side, he sat quietly for a moment before turning to her. "Do you umm... do you like him?" Liz knotted her brow in confusion "What? who?" "That guy, Colin." Liz let out the breath she was holding. So that what this was about. Max was jealous. "Of course I don't like Colin, Max. I mean, I like him as a friend but nothing more." "because if you did that would be ok. I can see where you would. You know, he's umm nice and stuff." "Max stop right there." She reached out, tilting his chin up to meet her eyes. "I do not like Colin. I don't know how much clearer I can be on this. Yes he's nice and he's been a really good friend the past few months but I'm not interested in him." "You're not?" "No." she smiled coyly at him, " I prefer my guys a little more... otherworldly. And since the only ones around right now are my brother, a guy who's trying to kill me and you, I guess you'll have to do." Max slumped in his chair with relief. When she had taken that call he wanted to crawl through the phone and hurt that guy. He was the only one who was supposed to call Liz. Then his mind wandered to the fact that Liz gave her cell number out to very few people and it was all down hill from there. "So you like guys who don't try to murder you huh?" He cocked his brow at her, attempting to look suave. "Its not high on the list but its something that appeals to me." "and you're not interested in your brother?" he asked in mock surprise. Liz rolled her eyes and pointed to the wheel. "drive Goat King. Before said brother comes looking for us." "Anything my Llama Goddess." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Back at the Evans house... "Michael calm down. This is a good thing. We want Max and Liz together, remember?" Michael turned to glare at Maria. "That's how they are happiest. You want your sister to be happy don't you." He didn't have a chance for a snappy come back. The rich sound of his sister's laughter burst through the front door followed by a deeper chuckle. Max and Liz practically fell over each other walking in to the living room to be met by their friends. Entering the silent room to stares they straightened and wiped the smiles off their faces. "Ummm Hi?" Liz said wiping the tears from her eyes. "Why do I feel like I missed curfew?" Max whispered to her. She nodded in reply. "Where have you been?" "Max, what were you guys doing? You smell like a barn." Michael and Isabel asked at the same time. Max looked down at Liz "do I smell? You didn't tell me I smelled." "I thought you were trying to get in touch with your new subjects." "Ha ha." he grew serious as he looked down into her eyes, " you should have told me." She smiled back reassuringly "I was only teasing, I can't smell you which probably means I smell just as bad as you." "Well instead of discussing it can we just fix it please. I don't want the house to smell like a barn yard when our parents get home." Isabel stood and waved a hand over them effectively dissipating any further offensive odors. "thanks Iz." Liz turned to Michael who was glaring at her. "Not that it's any of your business but Max took me to a petting zoo. It was fun. You remember fun, right Michael? It was something I used to have." "Liz..." she ignored his attempts to make peace. He wasn't sure why she was angry but it was pretty obvious she was. "Gwyn, do you mind if I take over the meeting for a few minutes? There are a few things that I want to get out of the way." She came to sit on the couch next to Maria and Max sat at her feet since all the furniture was occupied. "sure Liz." "Ok," she turned to address the group at large. "We need to talk about what happened yesterday. Unfortunately I was not in the room when most of this stuff happened because I could have put a stop to it. I know you guys meant well, but attacking Max was not the answer. Really it was none of your business at all. I appreciate that you were concerned for me but no matter the circumstance I should have been the one to tell Max everything. "I know you were angry with him for yelling at me but he would not have lost his temper in the first place if he had not been subjected to whatever scene played out leading him to believe that we were all keeping the Kyle thing from him out of spite. I can only imagine what it would have been like if the tables would have been turned. Some of you would have reacted as calmly as he did." she pinned her gaze on Michael. "The bottom line is that our relationship is none of your concern. I understand that you were just looking out for my welfare but the truth is I was just as much in the wrong as he was. Whether we're friends or dating we are going to have disagreements. You can't came crashing down on him every time it happens. We will work it out for ourselves or maybe we won't. It really does not matter because, I say again, its none of your business." Liz paused for a moment in case someone wanted to say something. She found that everyone was staring at the floor, various expressions of shame playing on their faces. "There is just one more thing before we move on. What exactly do we not understand about the importance of keeping a life and death secret? The whole concept behind it is just that, life and death or it would not be a secret." "Liz I-" Kyle tried to interrupt. "No Kyle, I don't want to know, I don't want an excuse. It does not matter any more. We should not be keeping secrets from each other anyway. It only drives us apart, but you all understand why I had to keep this from you don't you?" Heads nodded. "Good. So this is what is going to happen. We're going to be honest with each other from now on. If we are not communicating the price is probably going to be *my* life and that dream was bad enough. You are all going to leave Max and I alone. Some of you are going to stop treating me like glass. I'm a big girl, I'm not going to brake and I can handle my own battles. Finally we are not going to place any blame for the things that have come to light recently. We have all played some kind of part in this and none of us are in the clear. Its over now. There is no reason to rehash it and point fingers. The bottom line is that the whole world ending thing is not going to happen. We have other problems that we have to deal with and feeling guilty about what could have happened is only going to distract us." She took a deep breath. "Ok I think that's all I have to say. Oh, and no more time travel unless its absolutely necessary." "I agree. Although," Maria's lips turned up, "I would not mind seeing the future look on Space Boy." Liz laughed and looked at her brother appraisingly "I just don't see Michael in all leather." Max looked up at Liz in confusion "all leather?" Liz patted his shoulder "I'll tell you about it later." "Ok does anyone have anything else before I get back to business?" Gwyn asked. "How about we order some pizza?" "Alex." Isabel slapped his arm "What? I'm hungry." "Later." While the others were discussing the merits or ordering pizza now or later, Maria leaned forward and whispered in Max's ear. "Can I talk to you later?" He turned to look up at her hesitant smile. He nodded and turned back to the group. After Liz's little talking to, Maria was feeling pretty crapy. She should not have let her temper got so far away from her. Yelling was one thing but hitting was another. She thought he deserved it but she still should not have done it. "ok, this will be really short but I wanted to keep you guys up to date." Gwyn began. "The fact of the matter is we are having a hard time keeping track of Durton and its making us all really nervous as far as Liz's safety is concerned. He keeps disappearing, seemingly off the face of the planet. I think it has some kind of pattern but we have not figured it out yet. The strange thing is he comes back with an English accent. It fades after a day or two but he comes back from wherever it is he goes speaking like a drunken Brit. Apparently he gets all happy and constantly refers to how well his plan is going. Unfortunately no one knows what his plan is. He always disappears alone and comes back alone." "What do you mean he just disappears? Could he be coming here?" Max had unconsciously wrapped one arm around Liz's legs to prevent her from moving. "Just that, he disappears. We don't know where to or how. He walks off and is not seen or heard from for days. I don't think he's been here but I can't say that he won't come." "And no one has been able to follow him or find out any of his plan?" Tess spoke for the first time that afternoon. "See, our whole infiltration depends on the others believing we are skins. We can't just follow Durton around constantly, it would be too suspicious. As far as we can tell he does not speak to anyone about his plan. I know that's not entirely true because the night that someone broke into Liz's apartment we were watching him. So there has to be someone here he is communicating with." "So what do we do now? Sit and wait for him?" "Michael you could try not to be so negative. And yes and this point that's really all we can do. Wait for him to make his next move then try to counter it as best we can." "After the whole balcony thing I really don't think Liz should be alone anymore." Isabel gave Liz an apologetic glance. This was going to be hard for her. She knew Liz valued her independence, but she was not going to see a repeat of that dream if she could help it. "I agree. Liz does not have any offensive powers, only defensive. She was not meant to fight as the rest of you were. I don't think Durton would be opposed to doing something in public either. He is insane remember." "What about Rob? What do we think of him?" Kyle really wanted a reason to kick him off the team and his harassment of Liz would be the perfect excuse. "Well, it does sound like the kind of muscle Durton would be apt to use. Plus if he was already a member of the Roswell population it would cause less suspicion. He's already got a bad rep so it would just look like he was a jerk. Still, there is really no way to be sure. I mean, he might not even be a skin. He could be a mercenary from one of the other four planets." "So you're saying we can't do anything until we actually see him do something to Liz. Wonderful!" "I'm sorry Michael but were trying the best we can here. I don't want anything to happen to her either. The best thing we can do right now is make sure one of the five of us is near her at all times. Justin will call me if there are any further developments. In the mean time we are really in a holding pattern. I'm sorry." Everyone was quiet for a moment to process things. Waiting was not exactly something that the group was accustomed to. "Since there is nothing we can do now. I think we should order a pizza." "Alex!" Iz hit him upside the head this time. "No, he's right. Just because this guy is after me does not mean he gets to run our lives. We have to go on as if there is nothing to be afraid of. Alex is right, we deserve to be ourselves and have fun for a change." "Thank you Liz." "Ok so lets have some fun then. Alex order some pizza. Tess and Kyle, you guys go rent some movies. Michael and I will go to the store and get chips and stuff for sundaes. We're going to be normal teenagers tonight if it kills us." "Thank you Maria." Liz smiled gratefully at her best friend. "No thanks needed. What is everyone still doing here. I said go, chop chop." Maria stood and rushed everyone out of the room to do her bidding. She was now a girl with a mission. She was going to make Liz and Max have fun the rest of the weekend it it killed every last one of them. Back Next |