Part 1

Max brought the jeep to a halt in front of the school. He sighed. Another day pretending to be someone…SOMETHING else. At least he could look forward to seeing Liz again today. Liz… His heart sped up at the mere thought of her. He had always loved her it seems. For as long as he can remember, she was his obsession. He had watched as she grew up, became more beautiful, became Kyle’s girlfriend…that had hurt more than he thought it would! He knew he could never be with her, but seeing her with someone else had still been exquisite torture…

That had all changed that fateful day at the Crashdown when he saved her. The look on Liz’ face both then and later after he reversed his connection with her, made him hope for the first time, that she might someday return his feelings. And when she said she didn’t care about it not being safe for them to be together, his heart soared! But then he came crashing back to reality. Being with Liz meant danger to Isabel and Michael…and Liz.

Everything that happened since has only increased his torture. She had broken up with Kyle and took to helping her new alien friends in their quest to find out more about their past. She had done heroic things that he marveled at, even while he feared for her. She seemed determined to stay close to him and he…he just couldn’t quite manage to stay away from her. His days are now spent in desperate efforts to hold her at arms length. So far, he’s had moderate success, but each day was an uphill struggle that took most of his strength. She was more beautiful to him every day, and now that she knew his secret, accepted him and still wanted to be close to him, he felt himself drawn to her even more. But…he couldn’t risk her…or Isabel or Michael! He couldn’t bear to think of them being in trouble because of him. Saving her life that day had resulted in enough trouble for them, so… for as long as the interest in his part in the events at the Crashdown on 17 September runs high, he needed to stay away from her. He sighed again. If only there was a way or a reason for them to be together that would not create more questions about who he is… Yeah, right! Stop dreaming, Evans!

He pulled his backpack from the back of the jeep and slung it over his shoulder. He headed into the school, completely oblivious to all the interested female stares he attracted…

******

The cheerleading squad was assembled on the front steps of the school, gossiping. Pam Troy was the head cheerleader and she wore the distinction with pride. She was lusciously built and wore the clothes to advertise it. Her blonde hair fell in waves to her shoulders and her short skirt made the most of her shapely legs. "Hi Pam!" She was staring at Max Evans’ retreating figure. Wow, what IS it about that guy? He was sexy as hell, but also aloof as hell. She saw him around that girl that worked at the Crashdown. What was her name again? Oh, who cares anyway! The girl was a brainiac and was probably just helping him with his schoolwork anyway. No competition there!

"PAM!!" She looked at the insistent caller next to her irritably. Paul was one of the school’s jocks and yet ANOTHER guy that wanted to get into her pants. She sighed. These guys were so easy! That’s why Max Evans lured her so much. She’d already dated most of the popular guys in the school and got bored with all of them. Now she wanted Mr. Mysterious. She wanted Max Evans!

****************************************

Liz was grabbing books from her locker. She had a test first period and half of her attention was fixed on that. The other half… the other half was anxiously registering activities at the entrance of the school where Max would appear any moment now. She knew his schedule by heart. She wished she knew him by heart too!

He was persisting in his attempts to keep their relationship on the casual acquaintance level. She was frustrated by his stubbornness and her lack of success in getting him to voice or act on all the feelings she could see in his eyes when he looked at her. And oh…how he looked at her! She tried very hard not to let him see how he affected her. His closeness, the heat in his eyes, the touch of his hand, his voice…they all made her feel dizzy and breathless. And suddenly she felt his presence behind her.

"Hi Liz…". She drew in her breath sharply and blushed. His voice was low and she felt the vibrations low in her stomach.

"Hi Max". She answered without turning around. Were those breathy sounds coming from her throat? She tried to get herself under control by taking two deep breaths. She forced a bright smile and finally turned to face him. He was watching her intently, his gaze burning across her face. She felt her lips tingle as he stared at her mouth.

"Hi Max, Liz!" Maria’s bright voice interrupted them. Max tore his eyes away from her lips and smiled at Maria. "Hi…" He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and turned back to Liz. "Uhm…see you in Biology…", he mumbled and walked off.

Maria was grinning and waved her hand to cool herself: "Phew! Is it hot here or is it just me?!" Liz felt herself blush again. "Shut up, Maria! He was just saying hi…". Maria’s grinned widened: "Yeah, and I’m from Czechoslovakia!" She sobered up moments later after seeing Liz’ face. "Lizzie, honey…you should be careful. He is too important to you already and I’m worried about you getting hurt. Not to mention…you know, the OTHER stuff", she ended in a whisper.

Maria looked in Max direction, finding him standing in front of his first class, staring back at Liz. "OK, maybe the OTHER stuff is the only problem here. He is STILL staring at you, you know!" Liz felt a powerful wave of happiness sweep over her that resulted in a stupid grin settling on her lips. She turned around and looked at Max. She forgot to breath while their gazes clung to each other. She was so happy! He could say whatever he liked, his eyes told her the truth. She hugged her books to her chest with a smile. He gave her one of his sexy half smiles, his lips turning up at the corners making his dimple appear. BREATH, she told herself, just breath…

"Uh oh!", Maria exclaimed. Pam Troy was bearing down on Max? What’s up with that? Maria’s voice broke into Liz’s dream haze and she tore her eyes from Max to look at her friend. Max finally realised that Maria was watching him watch Liz, AGAIN, and turned away towards his class abruptly…only to be intercepted by Pam Troy’s hand on his arm.

*******

"Hi Max!" Pam said brightly. She hugged his arm close to her chest. "Walk me to class, won’t you?" Max frowned at her in confusion. He didn’t really know how to handle this situation. So he ended up walking with her clinging to his arm. Pam smiled. ‘Score one for me’, she thought.

Liz was watching this whole exchange from her vantage point at her locker. Max looked completely ill at ease with Pam hanging on his arm and Liz suddenly felt a powerful compunction to help him. "Liz…!", Maria hissed as she started towards Max. "What are you doing?!" Maria sounded amused. Liz ignored her and hurried over to where Max and Pam was about to enter their first class.

Max spotted her bearing down on them and wondered what she was up to. "Max, honey, we’ve barely started dating and already I have to wrestle desperate women away from you!" Liz was stunned. ‘Where did THAT come from?’, she thought. Pam looked pissed. And Max… well, he looked completely speechless…

Part 2

Liz experienced a moment of complete panic. What if Max didn’t play along with her? She would look a complete idiot in front of Pam Troy of all people, that’s what!!! She determinedly kept the seductive smile on her face as she turned from Max to Pam. "Sorry Pam, but he’s taken!"

Emotions were whirling through Max at the speed of light. Overpowering delight, excruciating fear, giddiness, confusion, but…most of all he felt an overwhelming sense of love for Liz. He knew she was doing this because she thought it would help him. The possessiveness in her voice caused a sharp ache in his heart. In the space of a few seconds, Max came to a decision and Izzy and Michael were going to kill him…

Pam’s eyes widened as Max put his arm around Liz’s shoulders, squeezing her to his side. "Yeah, sorry Pam…", Max sounded anything BUT sorry.

Pam’s lips thinned in anger. She looked daggers at Liz and then turned to Max: "Sorry if I created the wrong impression! I just needed a walk to class, that’s all…" She stomped away in a huff. ‘He will soon get bored with the mousy one’, she thought. ‘I’ll just have to make sure that I’m the one he turns to when he comes to his senses…’

Liz barely heard her. She was too busy trying to cope with the intense wave of feeling that shot through her as a result of the physical contact with Max. Liz felt herself start to shake. His arm was warm and heavy and she had to fight the urge to turn into his embrace completely and snuggle into his chest. Then it hit her. She had just broken every rule she and Max had agreed upon! He was going to be so angry…but then, why did he play along with her? And why hasn’t he taken his arm from her shoulders yet…

Max was assailed by such a variety of sensations resulting from her closeness that he momentarily felt dizzy. She felt soft and warm and her silky hair was brushing his arm… he felt the contact to his toes. The urge to pull her body flush with his was powerful and he dragged air into his lungs to give him strength to do the opposite.

"Uhm…Liz…", his voice was hoarse and low and Liz felt each little vibration low in her stomach. "I…we…", he continued.

Liz was really afraid of what he was going to say. She ducked her head and cleared her throat, which was suddenly very dry: "Max, I’m sor-". She was interrupted by the first period bell. Oh rats, she had a test!!!

She pulled away from him and absently wondered about the ache that settled in her body at the loss of contact. "I have a test!", she practically yelled and took off towards her class.

"LIZ!", Max cried after her, causing her to halt and turn around slowly. She still couldn’t look at him though. "I…uhm…I’ll see you in Bio", his voice still sounded strained, like a million feelings were fighting to be expressed at once. She heard him take a deep breath and then: "We’ll talk…later."

She just nodded and walked away. Stopping outside her, she leant against the wall with closed eyes, her breathing quick and agitated. Coming out of the fog that had seemed to envelope her in Max’s proximity, all she could think off was: ‘I attacked Pam Troy in front of half the school in a pretend jealous fit over MAX EVANS! NO!!! I’m NOT jealous! Max just needed help and that’s why I was pretending to be jealous… yeah, that’s it! I was pretending!’ The story of their alleged relationship was probably already spreading like wild fire through the school. Max Evans was one of the school’s most eligible and elusive guys and a LOT of girls would give their eyeteeth to go out with him. The fact that he had so resolutely held himself aloof from them all just increased his desirability. What were they going to do now? Everyone would think they were really dating… What were Isabel and Michael going to say? And she didn’t even want to THINK about Maria’s reaction! How was she going to explain her actions of this morning to one and all without losing every last shred of dignity she had in this school. She could just hear the comments about sad little desperate Liz Parker throwing herself at Max Evans. Liz realized she was in BIG trouble!

************************************

Max had trouble concentrating during class. Those few moments close to Liz had completely destroyed his normally calm and controlled little world. He has always loved her from afar. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and he knew every little thing about her, but now he realized something else. He wasn’t just in love with her; he wanted her with an intensity that scared him. He had never kissed any girl before, but he just knew it would be explosive with Liz. He wanted to kiss her mouth until he was drunk with her taste. He wanted to feel her body against his. He wanted to feel her skin next to his and run his hands over every inch of her silken skin. He wanted…but no! He couldn’t…SHOULDN’T want such things! He squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to cope with the pain slicing through him at this thought.

There must be some way that he could at least be closer to her! His mind raced with possibilities and problems. And finally, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Maybe this pretend relationship wasn’t such a bad idea, as long as he didn’t allow it to become too intense. He could be with her, without really being WITH her. He just wouldn’t allow them to become too close physically and emotionally. ‘Yeah,’ Max thought, ‘I can handle that!’ He took another deep breath, trying not to dwell on the feelings that crashed through him at the thought that, at least in the eyes of the world, Liz Parker would be his…

Part 3

By the end of fourth period, Liz was ready to run away from Roswell and never return. Everywhere she walked people were pointing at her and whispering. Mostly she heard the phrase "Max Evans’ girlfriend" whispered a lot. ‘Great’, she thought, ‘and I planned on being famous for my scholastic excellence!’ Mercifully she hasn’t seen Max since this morning and has had time to compose herself a little bit.

Her composure didn’t last long. "Lizzie!!" Maria came towards Liz in a dead run, her sandals slapping on the hallway floor. Liz groaned. Maria had obviously heard the story of Liz’s new status and was intent on getting to the bottom of the whole thing.

She started speaking even before Maria reached her. "Maria, don’t freak out, OK! I was going –", she was cut off abruptly when Maria grabbed her arm and dragged her off down the hallway. "Maria!", Liz tried again. To no avail. Maria was a girl with a mission and World War III wouldn’t stop her now.

Maria slammed open the door to the Eraser Room, startling the couple inside. "Scoot!", she yelled at the stunned pair. When they didn’t move quickly enough for her taste, she proceeded to push them out the door. "Lock the door next time!" she called at their retreating figures. The door was thrown shut and locked and Maria turned towards Liz with her hands on her hips.

Liz stood just inside the door trying to catch her breath when Maria let loose. "What the HELL is this I hear about you and Max being a COUPLE?", she practically screamed. "This is some mistake, right?"

Liz was struck dumb. Even though she had known this was why Maria had dragged her here, she didn’t know what to tell her best friend. Then she remembered that Maria had seen the whole Pam/Max thing that morning. Maybe she could plead extenuating circumstances…

By this time Maria was off on a rant again: "Liz, you should NOT get involved with Max, do you hear me? I know you guys have something…whatever that staring thing is called, going on…but you’re going to get HURT! And I will NOT let you do that to yourself!"

"Maria," Liz tried. But Maria was in full flight. "We don’t know ANYTHING about these Czechoslovakians –".

"MARIA!", Liz yelled. She finally got Maria to shut up. "Maria, I don’t know how to… I mean, it just sort of… it just sort of happened, you know." Maria’s eyes widened at the last part: "Sort of happened! WHAT sort of happened? Don’t tell me you and Max… you know DID something… did… IT." Maria was starting to sputter.

Liz gasped: "NO, Maria! I mean, this morning… I was just trying to help Max when Pam was jumping him like that. I guess it just got out of hand…" She trailed off. The story sounded lame even to her. What HAD happened this morning? It was all sort of hazy. All, that is, but the part where Max had put his arm around her. That part she remembered perfectly. Liz sighed remembering the heat of his body so close to hers, how he smelled… She suddenly realized Maria was still staring at her open-mouthed.

She took a deep breath and tried again. "Max and I put on this charade for Pam this morning and now its completely out of control." She suddenly started to panic again: "I don’t know what I’m going to do, Maria! I mean, I haven’t actually seen Max after that and I’m not sure what… what now."

Maria was starting to calm down. "You mean you and Max pretended that you were a couple? To bug Pam Troy?" Maria was starting to grin. "Damn, girl! What did her face look… Wait a minute! Max went ALONG with this?!" Liz nodded. Maria was flabbergasted. "Max I-can’t-get-involved-with-you-‘cause-its-too-dangerous Evans?" Liz nodded again, biting her lip. Maria’s mouth was hanging open again. "Well, Liz, I have to say that I don’t know whether to slap you for being an idiot about Max again, or whether to kiss you for showing up that annoying Pam Troy!"

The bell rang, startling them both. Maria turned to the door unlocking it, but was clearly still amazed by this turn of events. Turning back to Liz, she suddenly looked serious again. "Lizzie, you know that Isabel and Michael are going to be angry, right?" Liz looked at her feet. She didn’t need reminding that she hadn’t thought through her actions of this morning clearly. She needed to talk to Max to figure out what they’re going to do now.

Maria pulled open the door. "If I didn’t have a test now, I’d cut class and grill you further. Just know that this isn’t over, missy!" Maria walked out of the little room and bumped into… Max!

******

Max had been walking down the hallway thinking about what to say to Liz. He didn’t know if she would go along with his pretend relationship idea or not. But it made perfect sense to him. For one, it would keep away other women who didn’t know his secret and shouldn’t. He idly wondered when he had become so popular. Ever since he and Liz had become closer, he suddenly noticed girls looking at him in a way that made him worry that Liz could get the wrong idea. He didn’t want her to think that he was leading these other girls on. This was another thing he didn’t want to dwell on: why it was so important to him that Liz didn’t get the idea that he was interested in other women.

Also, he would explain to Liz that this pretending thing could benefit her too. He had seen Brandon Taylor and his goons harass Liz at the Crashdown. Her dad had handled the situation, but Max worried that one day her dad wouldn’t be around to help her. Max could only follow her to so many places where he knew those guys were going to be, without it looking too suspicious.

He tried not to think about what Izzy and Michael’s reaction to this idea would be. But he knew they will be furious! Max sighed. He was stumped as to why they had such a big problem with him dating Liz. Every time he had questioned them about this, they always said it was because it was different for Max and Liz. What the heck does that mean?

And then he ran into Maria coming out of the Eraser Room…with Liz.

******

Max and Liz could only stare at each other. The air between them hummed with awareness.

Maria was looking from one to the other. "Well, I’m off to class! Not that you two seem to care, but see ya..." She departed with one last look at them.

"Max…" "Liz…", they both spoke at once. Max’s fear that she may want to put an end to what had started this morning suddenly kicked in again. Grabbing Liz’s arm, he pulled her back into the Eraser Room. They were both oblivious to the fact that several people had stopped to watch them enter the infamous little room…

Inside, Liz was overcome by the sensations resulting from Max’s proximity. She was afraid to look at him, afraid of what she would give away by looking into his eyes.

He came to stand right in front of her. His voice was urgent and low when he spoke. "Liz, about this morning—" Liz interrupted him, fearful of what he was going to say: "Yeah, I’m sorry about that Max. I was trying to help and I didn’t think…" She faltered when Max caught her hand in his. "No Liz, actually… it was a great idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before!" Liz’s head snapped up. Was he joking? But he looked sincere and… pleading?

Max continued, still clutching her hand in his: "I think this could be… I mean what could be more normal than having you… uh, a girlfr… I mean, maybe we should continue pretending. You know, that we’re…uhm... dating."

Liz felt her heart lurch and all the breath leave her lungs. Her and Max dating, even if it was just pretending! The thought made her head spin. She looked up at him: "OK."

Max swallowed. One word. Just that one small word had sent a shaft of lightning through his body. That one word had allowed him into heaven. The heaven of having the right to be with Liz as much as possible. The heaven of being able to say she was his. The heaven of being able to touch her whenever he wanted to… He suddenly became aware of how small and warm her hand felt in his. Of how close she was standing to him… and his body came to screaming life.

Liz was smiling up at Max. She didn’t know what had led him to this decision and she didn’t care. She was going to be close to Max from now on! The thought made her heart sing and she took a deep breath, licking her lips. She saw his eyes darken just before his gaze dropped to her mouth. It felt like a brand. A trembling started deep inside her body, making her weak and breathless. ‘Kiss me!’ she begged silently. ‘Kiss me and take me to heaven!’

Max’s heart was pounding. He felt like he had fire in his veins. He couldn’t seem to get his eyes away from her mouth. Her lips were glossy and inviting and the need to taste her was overpowering. Overpowering and dangerous… His brain finally caught up with his body. What was he doing! He was supposed to control this situation! He couldn’t allow himself to get out of hand like this…

"Max?" Liz’s soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He watched hungrily as her lips formed his name. But his mind was screaming warnings and he pulled away from her abruptly.

"Uhm…OK. So we’ll pretend to date and…" he stumbled over his words. He couldn’t seem to remember what he was going to say. Then he realized he was still staring at her mouth. He tore his gaze away, only to find it snagged by her eyes. They were beautiful and full of questions. She must think him an idiot! He seemed to have trouble stringing coherent thoughts and sentences together this close to her. His mind was telling him to get out of there and do it fast! He backed away from her.

Liz stopped him by hanging onto his hand. He hadn’t even realized he was still holding it. He watched her warily. His body felt like it was filled with electricity. Maybe he had grossly overestimated his ability to control this game…

Liz took another deep breath and took the plunge. "Max, you know, maybe we should practice some of the physical stuff here alone… I mean we want to look believable, don’t we?"

Max heard a roaring in his ears. "What do you mean?" But he knew. He KNEW and he started to shake with the effort of holding himself away from her.

"I want you to kiss me." There, she said it. The sentence seemed to hang between them in the stillness of the room. The sounds of their breathing and the pounding of their hearts only emphasized the words: I want you to kiss me.

Max felt his feet take him towards her. Taking those two small steps that brought him close to her again. He forgot that he had never kissed a girl before. He forgot that he intended to keep control over himself. He forgot that this was supposed to be pretence. He couldn’t stop what was happening and he didn’t want to. All the reasons for not kissing Liz Parker suddenly seemed so insignificant. He brought his free hand up to cup her cheek and slowly ran his thumb across her lips. Liz opened her mouth with a small sigh. And Max went under…

Part 4

Liz leaned into his hand and watched him watch her. His eyes, normally hazel and bright, were almost black as they traced the curve of her lips. His breath was coming in short hot gasps that she felt against the skin of her face. She seemed enveloped in the heat coming off his body.

Max lifted his other hand to her face too. He ran his fingers along her jaw and slowly, reverently trailed them into her hair. He felt the breath leave his body in a rush when his fingers tangled into the silken strands behind her ears. How many times had he dreamed of doing this?

The feelings his light touches were creating were indescribable. Liz arched her neck instinctively, her mouth opening further. She ran her tongue over Max’s thumb and couldn’t stop the small sound that escaped from her throat at his taste. She leaned closer to him and felt their bodies touch. Max groaned and took the hand that was caressing her lips down her arm. He needed to touch her everywhere. Liz shivered and looked up into his eyes: "Max…" His name was a sigh, a plea, a caress all in one. She stood up on tiptoe and lightly pressed her lips against his. She heard him inhale sharply.

He rubbed his lips against hers gently, his hand cupping the back of her head. He pulled away slightly and rested his forehead against hers. His long eyelashes fluttered against her face and Liz had never felt anything so erotic in her life.

Max was trying to catch his breath and closed his eyes in an effort to gain control of himself. However, this only heightened his other senses. He felt her heartbeat with the thumb that was resting against her throat. Her scent, so uniquely Liz, was like a drug. It was swirling around him and every breath he took seemed to intoxicate his mind further. He listened to her breathing, the rhythm seemed to match his and the sounds fuelled the desire that was heating his blood to boiling point.

Liz needed him closer, so she slowly tilted her head until she could touch her mouth to his again. Max froze for a heartbeat and then his arms were around her, crushing her body to his. His mouth covered hers hungrily and hotly. Liz moaned and this seemed to fuel his desire even more. His lips were slanting over hers in a desperate bid to get closer, to somehow get inside her skin. His hands were in her hair, holding her face to his as he kissed her. It felt like stars were exploding inside her body. The dull ache low in her stomach intensified into a sharp hollowness that begged for the relief only this man in her arms could bring. She pressed her lower body against Max in an effort to assuage the need.

Max tore his mouth from hers in an effort to get air into his starved lungs. But the few seconds away from her mouth were too long. He tightened his arms around her and lifted her into his body, not caring that she would be able to feel the extent of his arousal. He took her mouth again and opened his lips over hers, running his tongue over her bottom lip. She opened her mouth and whimpered, and the sound shot straight to his loins. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, needing to be inside her, even if it was just in some small way. Liz put her legs around his hips and he stumbled forward until he felt the wall behind her. He braced her against it, one hand curving around her bottom, not once breaking the contact with her mouth.

Liz was spearing her fingers through his hair when she felt it. The rush of a connection with Max. His feelings crashed over her in waves and she was overwhelmed by their intensity. There was too much for her to decipher, but most of all she felt his desperate desire for her washing over her, making her realize that Max Evans wanted her with a blinding intensity! She could feel his need to be with her, to have her naked in his arms… Liz felt faint from all the sensations this realization was causing. She was humbled that he could feel this way about her, but most of all she felt a small sense of feminine triumph that she had driven him to this state.

Max’s mouth was travelling down her neck now and Liz was making small helpless sounds with every breath she took. She ran her hands over his arms, feeling and reveling in their strength. She tightened her legs around him and heard his answering groan.

The next moment the door crashed open, revealing…Pam Troy!

******

Pam was disgusted. The story about Max dragging Liz into the Eraser Room hadn’t taken long to reach her ears and she had gotten the key from the janitor under the guise of having to clean some erasers for Ms Hardy. She had fully expected to open the door on Max and Liz in the middle of a boring conversation… She hadn’t expected THIS. It was abundantly clear what had been going on. They were both panting and disheveled. Liz looked ravaged, her lips were swollen and she seemed in a daze. Max’s normally neat hair was mussed and he couldn’t seem to stop staring at Liz’s mouth.

Max had lowered Liz to the ground when the door opened. Relief that it wasn’t a teacher or the principal had flooded through him when it revealed only Pam. He was stunned. Never in his life had he lost his head so completely! He hadn’t even HEARD Pam unlock the door. He took deep breaths, trying to cool down his body.

Pam decided that attacking was her best defense: "Well, well, well… if it isn’t West Roswell’s newest love birds!" She looked at Max who was still looking at Liz. "I’m impressed Max! I heard that she was frigid..." Max saw Liz’s eyes widen in hurt and felt a powerful urge to slap Pam. Instead he just said: "Go away, Pam. We were quite enjoying being alone in here." He hugged Liz close to him, trying to ignore the effect this was having on him…again. He finally tore his gaze away from Liz when he heard giggling. There was a small crowd behind Pam that had been enjoying the whole spectacle!

‘Wonderful!’ Max thought. This was going to take them years to live down. On the bright side, it will take attention away from the whole shooting incident… he hoped! He bent to pick up their backpacks while still keeping Liz anchored to his side with his other arm. He led Liz out the door, past a still spluttering Pam and tried to ignore all the heckling and cheering from the group of onlookers. He was too afraid to look at Liz. How could he have embarrassed her like this?

Liz was worried. Max was really quiet since they left the Eraser Room. She wondered what was going through his head. He was leading her around a corner when she realized that they were going in the wrong direction for her next class: "Max…" His head whipped around and their eyes met. Both of them blushed, remembering all that transpired in the Eraser Room. Then Liz smiled. It was a small, but happy smile that told Max all he needed to know. She was not upset about being caught like that with him! His heart soared at the thought.

"My class… its actually that way." Liz was making a valiant effort to sound normal. She pointed in the direction from which they came to underscore her point.

Max felt like a fool. He had been so pre-occupied that he didn’t even notice where he was going. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Liz smiled: "Its OK." She leaned up and kissed his cheek and felt a moment of supreme satisfaction when she heard his breath hiss out at the contact. "I’ll see you later."

Max watched her walk away from him, trying not to notice the way her jeans were hugging her behind. He suddenly remembered how those same curves had fit into his hand as he had lifted her up against him in the Eraser Room. He bit his lip and closed his eyes. How was he EVER going to concentrate on anything academic with her around after this?

He was rudely pulled from his reverie when a hand came down on his shoulder. He irritably turned to face the intruder… and all the fight left his body. It was Michael… and behind him stood Isabel, her hands on her hips. "Maxwell, we need to talk to you. As in RIGHT NOW!" Michael’s voice said it all. Max was in BIG trouble!

Part 5

Max swallowed. He was NOT ready to face the music with Michael and Isabel yet. Not with the taste of Liz still in his mouth and the lingering effects of having held her in his arms still reverberating through his body. He saw Isabel’s eyes widen when he finally looked at her. "My God, Max! You look like… like you just… where did you just come from?" she finally demanded.

Max was relieved when the bell rang for fifth period. At least he hoped it was for fifth period! How long had he and Liz been in the Eraser Room? "I promise we’ll talk later, but right now, I have a test," he lied as he backed away from them down the hallway.

"Maxwell!" It was clear that Michael was not interested in waiting, so Max rushed into speech: "I promise, allright! I can explain everything…" He turned around heading away to his class. Explain everything! That was a laugh! He could no more explain what had happened earlier with Liz, than he could explain where he came from! His mind was racing again. He knew he needed to convince Iz and Michael that he could handle the whole pretend relationship with Liz. Otherwise, they would never let him go through with it. And, he suddenly realized, he needed to be with Liz as much as he needed air to breath…

******

When lunch period rolled around, Maria could barely control herself from running out into the quad looking for Liz. By this time, she had heard three different versions of the Max/Liz make out scene in the Eraser Room. The versions varied from they were barely kissing to they were basically naked and going at it when Pam walked in on them. Maria hoped the last version wasn’t the correct one, but after seeing the way Liz looked at Max since he saved her, Maria was worried that the tall, dark, handsome and quiet Czech could talk Liz into anything! Maria looked around the lunch crowd, trying to spot Liz. She was determined to save Liz from herself or die trying! Where the heck was Liz?

******

Liz was sitting outside her science teacher’s office. She had been here for awhile and she was getting impatient by now, but he wanted her to tutor a student and needed to see her. She wondered where Max was right now… She sighed, looking at her watch again. Well, there goes my lunch period!

******

Max squared his shoulders and walked over to where Isabel and Michael were seated away from the rest of the lunch crowd. It was now or never…

Isabel tracked Max’s progress towards them with her eyes. He looked… wary, but determined. She frowned. The stories about Max and Liz were all over school and she didn’t know what to make of the whole thing. She sincerely hoped there was a mistake somewhere and that Max had not gotten involved with Liz. She had watched her brother fall in love with Liz Parker a little more every day of his life and ever since his rash rescue of Liz that day in the Crashdown, Isabel had known that her brother had one big weakness. One thing that could make him forget about all the rules the three of them lived by. Her name was Liz Parker. She glanced at Michael. He was glaring at Max. Isabel suspected that if Michael had any inkling of precisely how deep Max’s feelings for Liz went, he would be even more upset! At the moment he tolerated Max’s obvious fixation on Liz, because he saw it as a crush. Something that would pass some day…

Max put his lunch down on the table and took a seat. He was barely settled when Michael burst out: "What the hell is going on? What’s this about you and Liz Parker dating? And what the hell went on between you two in the Eraser Room?"

Max sighed, trying to keep his voice steady and calm. "Michael, its not what you think…or what you probably heard."

Michael stared at him in disbelief. "You mean you and Liz are NOT dating and you two were not making out with the whole school watching earlier today?"

Max squirmed in his seat. "No… I mean, yes –"

"Well, which is it, Maxwell? No or yes?" Michael wasn’t even trying to keep his voice down.

Isabel put her hand on his arm. "Michael, calm down! Do you want everyone to hear?" Michael glanced at her in irritation.

"Michael, I decided that I needed a cover. You know, a cover to help me look normal. And Liz is helping me, that’s all." Max did not want to tell these two that the whole thing had basically been started by Liz this morning. He desperately needed them not to blame this on Liz. There was a stunned silence around the table following his declaration.

"What are you saying, Max?" Isabel’s voice was filled with amazement. "Are you saying you two are PRETENDING to date or something!" Isabel was laughing by the end of her statement. Her laughter dried up when she saw that he looked serious. "Are you insane!" she yelled. "Its bad enough that you blabbed everything to Ms Scientist, but this is going too far!"

"Isabel! Pipe down. This is a good idea, really! It will keep other people away from me…from us…" Max faltered as Isabel snorted. He decided to play his trump card: "And it will make it easier for me to keep an eye on her. To make sure that she keeps our secret." Max held his breath, watching the myriad of emotions playing across Isabel and Michael’s faces.

Isabel was not convinced, but she was obviously starting to waver. "Max, this is a bad idea. You’re going to get in over your head with Liz…" Michael butted in: "This plan sucks, Max! She is going to drag her two friends into this too. We don’t need more people hanging around us asking endless questions and being in the way!"

Max tried to sound reasonable: "Michael, I disagree. I think we should keep Alex, Maria and… Liz close to us. We need all the help we can get and they’ve proven that they’re willing." Max looked from Michael to Isabel again. His worry that he wouldn’t be able to convince them was returning. "Look, I’ve been getting all sort of weird attention from… some girls and I didn’t know what to do. I don’t know why or what, but –" He stopped when he heard Isabel’s chuckle. "What?"

"Max, are you blind? Girls have been falling all over themselves around you for years!" Isabel’s grin grew bigger when her brother blushed. "And if you think that this morning’s stunt in the Eraser Room is going to scare them away, you are sadly mistaken! You have moved up a few places on the ‘Hottest Hunks of West Roswell’ list in the girls’ bathroom since this morning!"

Max was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. "Whatever, Iz!" He looked at the two people closest to him in the world, praying that they would not make this any more difficult for him. "So… Me and Liz will continue to ‘date’ and you guys will play along with it. Agreed?"

Isabel and Michael looked at each other. They were not a hundred percent convinced that this was a good idea. Michael looked at Max: "At the first whiff of trouble, you better stop this madness, Maxwell, or I will!" Michael jumped up and stomped off, clearly not happy with what he just allowed.

Max felt like jumping up and down with joy, but Isabel was still watching him suspiciously, so he acted blasé. "Right. Don’t worry, I can handle it!" He suddenly wondered where Liz was. He hadn’t seen her, or felt her, coming to lunch. FELT HER? Where did that come from? He frowned.

******

Liz got up when her teacher finally opened his door. He was followed out of the office by Brandon Taylor. Liz groaned. Just what she needed, being around this creep more often! She didn’t like the way Brandon was grinning at her.

"Mr Taylor needs some help to get him to pass my class this year, Ms Parker," Mr Peterson said. "And he said he’d be willing to have you tutor him." The teacher was looking at her expectantly and Liz tried to keep her face neutral. Brandon was now leering at her, his eyes travelling up and down her body. She felt a shiver run up her spine.

"Uhm… Mr Peterson, I’m really not going to have enough time to help him. I mean, with my work at the Crashdown and all…" Liz looked at her teacher pleadingly.

The teacher looked impatient. "I know you have problems, Ms Parker, but I really think you should keep your academic career as your first priority!"

Liz bit her lip and hung her head. "Yes, Sir." She whispered weakly.

The teacher left and Brandon walked closer. "So, little Lizzie Parker, when will you start teaching me?" Brandon was hovering over her, his breath on her neck.

Liz backed away from him. "I guess you can come to the café the afternoon. We’ll work out a schedule then." She turned and fled down the hall with Brandon’s laughter following her. She had biology after lunch. Biology with Max. If she could only get to Max, he would make her feel better…

******

Max was standing in the door of the Bio Lab waiting for Liz. He had a feeling something was not right with her, but he couldn’t pinpoint the origins of his worries. It was just a feeling deep in his gut. Suddenly she came flying round the corner and he felt the resulting kick of desire in his body. Only now it was coupled with relief that she was OK. She slowed down when she saw him. Max watched as her lips started curving into a slow smile as she walked towards him. He felt that smile right down to his toes. He could handle this pretend thing, he tried to tell himself again. Yes… if he just tried hard enough he could get back in the driving seat of his life… Things did get a little out of hand in the Eraser Room this morning and he would have to cool things down a bit. But he was confident that he could get a handle on himself…

Max would have been less certain of himself if he had any inkling of what went through Liz’s mind as she walked towards him.

Liz had felt Max’s eyes on her as soon as she came round the corner and felt her heart speed up. The way he looked at her made her feel hot and cold at the same time. She smiled, a slow smile full of the age-old knowledge of feminine power. She had a whole period of sitting next to Max to look forward to. And she intended to make the most of it!

Part 6

Liz’s smile grew wider when she reached Max who was still rooted to his spot at the door. ‘Lord, he is gorgeous!’ she thought. ‘And MINE,’ a little voice whispered in her soul. But WAS he really? She stopped on front of him, looking up at him. "Hey," she said softly. His mouth curled at the corners in answer. His eyes had gone dark again and clung to hers in that way that made the rest of the world recede into nothingness. Liz suddenly wished she could read his mind. After this morning she knew he wanted her. She also knew he was infatuated enough with her to save her life, but she needed so much more. She needed to know that she was important enough to him to have her as part of his life…forever. Not just for now, and not just as part of some pretend game.

They were pulled out of their staring contest by loud throat clearing behind them. Liz realized they had been blocking the door for the past few minutes. Max looked embarrassed, but Liz just kept on smiling and brushed past him into the class. She heard his short, sharp intake of breath with satisfaction.

It had taken Max a moment to return to Mother Earth after he finally heard the throat clearing and realized they were creating a spectacle…again. All he could think about was how beautiful Liz was as she stood there looking at him. She was close enough that he could make out every shade of brown in her eyes. Those eyes mesmerized him, and right now they were dancing with merriment. He wondered what she was up to… but all thought flew out his head when she squeezed past him into the class, her body brushing against his lightly. It felt like small electrical charges were igniting everywhere she touched him during the fleeting contact. It was all he could do not to haul her back against him and… ‘NO!’ his mind cried, putting an end to where his thoughts were going. He swallowed, following her to their lab station.

Liz was chatting to Alex who had taken up his seat at the station behind them when he arrived. But she turned around and smiled at him while he took his seat. She pulled her books from her bag and moved to stand next to him. Not touching him, but close enough that he could feel her heat against his arm. If he moved his arm a few inches… ‘NO!’ he cautioned himself again. He stared resolutely at the table top, willing himself into rationality. Liz seemed perfectly oblivious to the havoc she was creating in his body.

He vaguely registered that the teacher had passed their station and moved onto the next one, but he had trouble holding onto any specific thought right now. So, he was very startled when Liz suddenly leaned over him to grab hold of some papers that the teacher had left at his edge of the table. She was pressed against him for just a few seconds, but he nearly fell off his chair. Her soft hair brushed the naked skin of his arm where his T-shirt’s sleeve ended and he jerked himself away from her defensively, causing her to look at him enquiringly. Her face was close to his and he felt himself shake with the effort of not leaning in to kiss her. He couldn’t catch his breath. Instead he took short gulps of air that didn’t help to alleviate the feeling of dizziness threatening to overcome him.

Max was relieved when Liz moved away and took her seat as the teacher began her lecture. She was still casting him questioning glances, but Max avoided her eyes. He needed as much space between them as he could muster without being too obvious. What was she doing to him? The teacher’s voice sounded very far off and try as he might, Max couldn’t get himself to concentrate on what she was saying. The only thing that penetrated his haze was every little move Liz made. His body noted every time she pushed her hair back behind her ear. Every time she crossed or uncrossed her legs under the table. Every breath she took. How close her hand was to his on the table… Max sighed. He was losing it big time!

Liz heard the sigh and wondered what was going on with Max. He seemed in his own little world. She was a bit disappointed at the lack of reaction she got from her attempts at flirting with him earlier. After flinching away from her like that, he had stayed on his side of the lab station and had barely looked at her again. She decided to try something else…

The teacher had left them to their lab work and was sitting at her desk, marking some test papers from another class. Liz leaned closer to Max under the guise of trying to get a closer look at what he was doing and rested her hand on his thigh. Max made a strangled sound and grabbed her hand. "Liz! Please…" his voice was low and gravelly. He was looking at her like he wanted to drag her out of class and back to the Eraser Room. Liz was elated! So he wasn’t unaware of her before… Max continued to hold her hand and slowly rubbed his thumb over her palm. The feeling was delicious and Liz sighed his name: "Max…"

"Hey, you two!" Alex whispered urgently from behind them. "Keep it down or Ms Hardy is going to hear you." Another stage whisper joined in: "Yeah! We were waiting for things to start exploding from the heat over there!"

Liz and Max looked at each other guiltily. They had completely forgotten that they were in a class full of people. Max smiled at Liz: "Just… you’re driving me insane, okay. Let’s just get through this class, then…" His eyes drifted down to her mouth and he promptly forgot what he was going to say.

"Then… what?" Liz asked, praying he would say something like: then I will take you outside and kiss you senseless!

But instead he said: "I’ll come by the Crashdown and we can talk." Liz sighed. Then she remembered. Brandon and the stupid tutoring! She involuntarily gripped Max’s hand tighter, causing him to look at her sharply. She gave him a weak smile and tried to concentrate on the lab they had to finish.

Max was watching her with a frown. He was getting that ‘something is wrong with Liz’ feeling again that he had just before the period started. He hated this feeling. More specifically, he hated that there was something bothering Liz. He hoped it was something he could fix. He would have to talk to her about it after class. In the meantime he held her hand under the table whenever their work allowed it and was rewarded with a small smile from Liz every time. He marveled at how important it had become to him to see her smile.

******

When the period was over, they walked over to Liz’s locker together, Max still holding her hand. It just seemed so natural that he didn’t even think about it. "Liz, what’s bothering you?" he asked when they stopped.

Liz didn’t really know what to say to him. Its not as if Brandon had done anything specific yet. He just gave her the creeps. "Max, I have to tutor this guy the afternoon. He’s meeting me at the Crashdown after school." Liz hoped her voice didn’t sound as pinched as she thought it did.

"And?" Max obviously knew there was more to this story. He gently lifted her chin with his hand, looking into her eyes.

"Its just… its Brandon Taylor and he…" she stopped when she Max’s jaw tighten.

"I’ll be there when you meet with him, Liz," Max’s voice was urgent and he unconsciously pulled her closer. "Please promise me that you won’t be alone with him!"

Liz didn’t stop to wonder why Max is doing this. She was just so relieved that she flung her arms around him, whispering her promise and her thanks in his ear.

Max was caught off guard by her spontaneous actions and his arms went around her instinctively. She was huddling close to him, her arms around his neck and her face pressed under his chin. He held her, thinking that it felt so familiar to have her in his arms like this. Like she was the missing part of him that finally returned to take her place next to his heart.

Liz basked in the safe haven of Max’s arms. He smelled wonderful and she snuggled closer, pressing her face into the hollow of his throat.

Max felt her lips against his throat and all the desire he had been suppressing since she nearly seduced him in Biology came flooding back. He started to pull away from her, but didn’t quite manage it. Instead he ended up resting his forehead against hers, breathing in her Liz scent with his eyes closed. He knew he had to let go of her, but he seemed rooted to the spot. His mind was spinning. He was dying to kiss her again. What harm could one small kiss do? So he gave in and gently, softly placed his lips against hers.

Liz was caught by surprise by the soft kiss. But she had been waiting so impatiently for him to kiss her again since this morning, her response was immediate and passionate. She tightened her arms around him and lifted herself on the tips of her toes to get closer to his mouth that was weaving such soft magic over hers. She didn’t even realize that Max was using one arm to help lift her up closer to his mouth. His other hand was tangled in the hair at the base of her neck, angling her head for his kiss. The kiss deepened, their mouths melded together hungrily, tongues mating urgently. ‘So this is what heaven feels like’, Liz thought. Being in Max Evans’ arms…

"OK, this is the LAST time I’m getting the two of you off each other in public!" Alex’s voice was a jarring note in their little world of passion. He watched as they pulled apart reluctantly. "Sheesh, you two are really making the rest of us look bad! We only get lucky about… oh, maybe three times in three years!" The bell rang, interrupting any further heckling from Alex.

Max looked at Liz. She was looking so sexy with her mouth red and moist from their kiss and her eyes still heavy with desire. "I’ll see you after school…" he practically whispered.

Liz shivered at the deep timbre in his voice. His voice did magic things to her body when it held that particular note. She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she just nodded and took off to her class. It felt like tearing off a part of her skin, to move out of his embrace…

Alex watched Max watch Liz leave. "Oh boy, you two have it BAD!" He grinned. "She’s got you tied in knots and I’ve never seen her so besotted with a guy before. I must say that I’m enjoying Liz being at the mercy of her hormones over some guy for a change!" He stopped when Max looked at him strangely. "Max, buddy, pal… you are making that girl spin cartwheels over you!!! How could you NOT notice that?"

Max turned his gaze towards Liz’s retreating figure again. His eyes speculative this time. If Alex was right, maybe he could give her some of her own medicine. She was not the only one who could practice their seductive powers in this relationship! ‘Uhm, PRETEND relationship!’ he reminded himself quickly. Maybe he’ll go around to the Crashdown early, so he could be alone with her for a while… Maybe then he wouldn’t want to kill that Brandon guy on sight for just looking at Liz when he arrives!

Part 7

Max didn’t arrive at the Crashdown before Brandon did. He got held up after school as a result of waiting for Isabel who had to see one of her teachers. He paced next to the Jeep impatiently, worrying about Liz being alone with Brandon. ‘So’, he asked himself, ‘why ARE you so worried about Brandon?’ Was it just because he knew the guy was a playboy who was clearly interested in Liz? Did he really think that Brandon would DO something to Liz? He thrust his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He didn’t know what Brandon would or wouldn’t do, but his gut just rebelled at Liz being close to Brandon… or any other guy for that matter! He felt ill at the thought that some other guy might touch Liz the way he had today, kissing her and holding her close. Hearing her make those little sounds she made in her throat when he --

"Okay, let’s go!" Isabel’s voice interrupted his thoughts. She gave him a quizzical look while getting into passenger side of the Jeep. "You looked miles away. Where were you just now?"

Not bothering to answer his sister, Max rounded the Jeep at a jog and jumped into the driver’s seat. He had to get to Liz. He had an overpowering sense that she was nervous about something and it was getting more intense by the minute. He slammed the Jeep into gear and took off, ignoring Isabel’s startled yelp. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. He took a few calming breaths. ‘She was in a public place,’ he told himself, ‘she will be okay.’

"What are you so nervous about?" Isabel asked. "And SLOW DOWN!" She was clutching her seat belt in an effort to stay upright in the speeding Jeep.

Max was irritated: "I’m NOT nervous, I’m in a hurry."

"Well, the nervousness is coming of you in waves! And its driving me crazy, so WHAT IS IT?" Isabel fairly yelled.

Then it suddenly occurred to him. Since their kiss that morning in the Eraser Room, he seemed to experience any of her intense feelings with Liz. He felt connected to her in a way he only did with two other people in his life: Michael and Isabel. He glanced at Isabel who was staring at him as if he’d grown an extra head. What the hell was he supposed to tell his sister? That the nervousness she was picking up from him was not his, but those of his ‘pretend girlfriend’? Yeah, THAT will go down well! The thought that his and Liz’s feelings were so obvious to Isabel was also more than a little disconcerting. What if she picked up on their feelings during one of their… ah… make-out sessions? Hopefully this was only the case when Isabel was in close vicinity to him. He would really have to be careful around Liz when Izzy was near!

Before Isabel could ask any further questions, he turned into their driveway. He watched anxiously as she got out. "Just tell Mom I’ve got some stuff to do for school with… Just tell her I’ll be back later."

"Max!" Isabel stood with her hands on her hips. "What is going on?"

"Bye!" he yelled while backing out of the driveway, leaving Isabel to stare after him with a worried frown.

******

Liz was trying desperately to keep Brandon at arms length and interested in the tutoring schedule she was working out for him. The café wasn’t open yet and her dad was away on an errand. Since he had walked in, Brandon had crowded into her personal space. After sitting across from her for a few minutes, he had come round the booth table to slide into the seat next to her. This was ostensibly done to be able to see what she was doing with the schedule in front of her, but he had continued to move closer and closer to her. Liz was getting upset. She didn’t know how to handle the situation. She and Brandon needed to get along, otherwise her efforts at tutoring would be a complete disaster. And she didn’t want to antagonize him too much, because she had the distinct feeling that he would make her life hell for it. Where was Max?

Finally, Liz couldn’t take it anymore. "Brandon! What are you doing?" she asked, pressing herself against the wall in a last ditch effort to get away from him.

Brandon smiled at her, moving until he was pressed against her side: "I heard you are one hot little girl, Liz Parker!" He slid his hand onto her thigh. "And I don’t see why I shouldn’t get some of that…"

Liz’s eyes widened in fear. She pushed at the hand on her thigh. "No, please Brandon! This is a mistake!"

"A BIG mistake..." Max said as he janked Brandon away from Liz roughly. Liz stared up at Max, dizzy with relief. Max was furious, something neither Liz nor Brandon had ever seen before. He practically lifted Brandon off the ground, his fists bunched in Brandon’s shirt. His voice was low and threatening when he finally spoke: "Keep your hands of Liz."

Brandon had opened his mouth to retort that he wouldn’t be pushed around by some brainy type, but this was quickly silenced by the look in Max’s eyes. One look in those eyes and he knew Max wasn’t some nerd to be pushed around. Max’s normally gentle eyes told him that he was perilously close to being badly hurt. So he tried to joke, guy to guy. "Hey sorry, I was just having some fun. I didn’t think you’d mind sharing!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Brandon saw that he had miscalculated badly. Max’s eyes went black with rage and his fists tightened in Brandon’s shirt. His voice was even softer, but Brandon couldn’t miss the underlying menace in the words: "Well, then let me make it crystal clear. Liz is mine! And if you ever touch her again, you’ll lose your hands." Max shoved him towards the door. "Come back tomorrow, right now your life is in danger. And just so you know, I’ll be joining you for every tutoring session you have with her from now on." He watched as Brandon stumbled towards the door.

Liz scrambled out of the booth after having watched the whole scene in stunned silence. She had never seen Max like that. He was always gentle and had a quiet strength that Isabel and Michael deferred to. To see him so angry was an awesome sight, but that paled in comparison to seeing him so possessive about her. To hear him say ‘Liz is mine’ caused a reaction in her mind and body that could only be described with one word: desire.

Max swung around to look at Liz, his eyes now full of worry. "Liz, did he… Are you okay?" He was running his hands over her arms and face as if trying to ascertain how she was.

Liz touched his face. "Max I’m fine! He didn’t get a chance to…" She faltered as he got a haunted look in his eyes. "Liz, I’m sorry, I should have been here. I should have-" She stopped him by gently placing her finger on his lips.

"I’m fine!" she emphasized. He suddenly scooped her into his arms, pressing her body close to his and she realized he was shaking. She hugged him fiercely, waiting for him to calm down. Just as unexpectedly as earlier that day, his feelings washed over her, flooding her with sensations. This time she wasn’t distracted by his kisses, this time she could concentrate on deciphering each emotion. She felt them all: fear, rage, jealousy, pain, protectiveness, possessiveness. And then one word echoing through their connection: "Mine… mine… mine…"

Part 8

"Mine… mine… mine…" The repeating phrase started to intrude on the haze of relief and reaction that had kicked in when he finally held Liz in his arms again. He had her in a crushing embrace, as if trying to pull her into his skin. "Mine…" The connection between them was so strong this time that Max couldn’t place the origins of the thought. Was it his or hers? He tried to concentrate on Liz, trying to pinpoint which of the emotions swirling around and through them were hers. It proved to be impossible. There were so many strong sensations that he had trouble comprehending them all, let alone trying to distinguish between them.

Liz felt like liquid heat was running through her veins, her encounter with Brandon quickly forgotten in the light of being plastered to every inch of Max’s hard body. His heart was thundering against her ear and he was running his hand through her hair almost absently. ‘I want him.’ The thought came unbidden and unplanned. ‘I want him as I have never wanted anything in my life.’ Liz had to fight against the impulse to rub her body against his in an attempt to find relief for the intense ache low in her stomach. Instead she removed her arms from around his middle and slid them up over his shoulders to encircle his neck. Max instinctively moved to bring her between his legs, the arm around her dipping lower to rest on the swell of her buttocks, pressing her body into his. Liz couldn’t stop the sound escaping from her throat at the intimate contact.

Two emotions were rapidly overpowering all the others in the connection they were sharing: desire and need. Max was stunned. ‘Alex was right, she does want me!’ But the extent of Liz’s desire for him still amazed him. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that anybody could ever feel like this about him, and the fact that it was Liz was even more incredible. His body was on fire, ignited by the brush of hers. Kissing her was becoming a necessity, not an option.

He slid the hand that had been caressing her hair to her chin, angling her face up to his. Liz was breathing hard, her lips parted. Max felt like stars were exploding in his head as he slid his mouth over hers. The kiss was instantly hot, deep and passionate. Like they couldn’t get enough of each other. Their tongues were mating frantically, lips grinding together in an ever-increasing need to be closer. Max slid his hand those final few inches to cup her behind. He arched her lower body against his and heard her moan. The sound went straight to his loins. He was dimly aware of the fact that they were in the middle of the Crashdown and that anyone would be able to see them from the street, but the feel of her rubbing against his arousal was his fantasy come to life. He tore his mouth from hers, leaving a trail of moist kisses over her closed eyelids, her cheeks, her jaw-line, finally reaching her neck. He ached to run his hands under her sweater, feeling her bare skin against his fingers.

Liz had her head thrown back, allowing his lips access to her neck. Mindless little sounds were escaping her mouth, urging him on. She felt him swirl his tongue round the hollow in her throat. "Max, please…" she begged. She needed… something.

Max heard the breathless plea and pulled his mouth away from her. They stared at each other, both trying to catch their breath. "Please…" Liz repeated her plea, looking up into his eyes with all the desire she felt for him. The look nearly brought Max to his knees.

"Please what?" he asked, his voice husky with passion.

And beautiful, clever, eloquent Liz Parker couldn’t tell him. She didn’t know how to put into words what she wanted, NEEDED from him. "Just… PLEASE!" she whispered with more urgency, her gaze dropping to his mouth. His perfect mouth that could weave such magic on her skin.

Max was struggling to cope with the rush of feelings that her urgent words had evoked. He violently wanted to carry her up to her room and finish what they started, but the part of his mind that was still functioning rationally was keeping him from doing that. There were so many things he still needed to know about himself, about what would happen to Liz when they… Looking down into her beautiful face still flushed with the passion that he invoked, he experienced an overwhelming urge to bind her to him so tightly that no one could ever take her from his side again.

He watched her glazed eyes roam his face and knew he had to cool this encounter while he still could. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her mouth, trying not to notice how her lips clung to his when he pulled away. "Liz, you have to open the café." His voice still sounded strangled, even to his own ears. He watched helplessly as she licked her lips with a soft sigh.

Liz was slowly coming back to earth. Her mind struggling to cope with the reality of what he was saying. It took all she had not to fling herself back into his arms…

Max let her out of his embrace slowly, watching carefully to see if she was okay without his body to support her. Her chest was heaving with her labored breathing and Max felt a small kernel of satisfaction forming in his chest with the knowledge that this was because of him.

"I’ll just go and… uhm… get dressed." Liz’s words were slurred and nearly indistinct. She wanted to flee from him and hide herself away from his disturbing presence. Either that or jump him! She shakily decided to go with the first option and took off towards the lockers at the back of the café.

Max grinned at her desperate attempt to get away from him as quickly as possible. Now that he’s experienced her need for him, the frantic fear that he wouldn’t be close to her again has left him. And in its place remained a man with a mission. He was going to tease Liz Parker as mercilessly as she had teased him today in the Biology class or die trying!

Max sauntered to the back of the café when he judged he had given her enough time to get into her uniform. As he reached the door, Liz came out, hopping on one foot while trying to get her sneaker on. She stopped dead when she spied Max right in front of her. Her eyes going helplessly to his mouth and then lower to his chest, encased in a white T-shirt.

Max smiled as he walked up to her. "Here let my help you with that…" Liz squeaked in surprise as his hands spanned her waist and he picked her up easily. Max deposited her on the café’s counter and knelt down by her feet. Liz could hardly breath as he gently tied the laces of her sneakers, his fingers brushing her ankles lightly. When the small task was completed he stayed at her feet and looked up at her. She felt him run his fingers up her calves so softly that she at first thought she imagined it. But the way his eyes darkened told her that this was really happening. She felt goosebumps break out all over her body as his fingers traced patterns closer and closer to the backs of her knees. Liz arched her neck involuntarily. Finally, his hands cupped her calves and he leant closer, placing a soft kiss on each of her knees, causing Liz to whisper his name in ecstasy.

Max got up slowly. He slid his fingertips up her arms causing Liz to shiver. He bent to her ear: "Where are the keys?"

Liz blinked in confusion. ‘Keys? What keys? What was he talking about? WHY was he talking?’ Her arms were creeping up to his neck out of their own volition.

Max caught her hands in his, pulling them down to her lap. "I need the keys to unlock the door to allow paying customers to come in…" he said with a small smile.

Liz blinked again. "Customers… the door…" She was having a hard time concentrating on what he was saying.

Max looked towards the door and saw the keys hanging in the lock. He smiled back at her innocently: "Don’t worry! Found them." He went to the door, finding it already unlocked. He grimaced, remembering that Brandon had been there earlier. When he turned back, Liz was still sitting on the counter in a daze, watching him. He walked back to her, trying to ignore the way her eyes were hungrily running over his body.

He had barely reached her when the door burst open, revealing a harassed looking Maria. "Hi guys!" Maria yelled, running past them to the back.

Max turned back to Liz and saw that she had missed the top fastening of her uniform. Liz nearly fainted when she saw him staring at her chest. Max moved closer and gently dragged the edges of her uniform together, fastening it. His fingers were warm against her skin inside the deep V of her uniform. Liz inhaled sharply. She brought her hands up to his, not sure what she wanted to do with them.

Maria came back and stopped in her tracks. Were Max Evans’ hands where she thought they were? "Hello!" she cried and noted with satisfaction that Max jumped away from Liz with a start, his hands falling to his sides. She folded her arms, looking at the two of them. Apparently the racier version of the Eraser Room rumor was not as farfetched as she thought it was! "Lizzie, time to start working, girl!" She glared at Max: "And get away from her, or we’ll never serve anybody here this afternoon."

Max just grinned at Liz and went to park himself in his favorite booth. He intended to stay there for a long time!

Maria was perplexed. Was this the same Max Evans that hardly ever spoke to anyone or cracked a smile? And Liz was looking even more besotted (if that’s at all possible) than she did after Max had saved her life. Maria was determined to get to the bottom of this. She dragged Liz down from the counter by her arm and into the back room. Liz trailed behind her and kept looking back at Max over her shoulder.

Maria whirled on Liz as soon as the door closed behind them. "What is going on with you two, Liz? And don’t give me that ‘pretend’ crap either, cause there was no one here you had to pretend for just now!"

Liz couldn’t care less what Maria was yelling about, she just needed to get back out there. Back to Max…

She blinked when Maria snapped her fingers in front of her face. "LIZ! Focus! I know he is gorgeous and he saved your life, but what happened to –." She was interrupted by the jingle of the front door. "Damn! We have customers!" She shot Liz a threatening look she went to greet the customers. "But this is NOT over, Liz, not by a long shot!"

Part 9

Maria watched Max and Liz’s dance of awareness throughout the afternoon. The dark Czech hardly ever took his eyes of her best friend and the normally levelheaded Liz Parker was walking on air, totally oblivious to what’s going on around her. She couldn’t help to be amused and a little envious of them.

She still fully intended briefing Liz on the dangers of getting involved with an alien, but she doubted whether such a speech would make any difference. It was clear that something amazing was happening here. Max just seemed to instinctively know where Liz was at a particular moment. Maria had watched as he immediately rose to see if Liz was okay when someone bumped into her, causing her to stumble and hit her hip against a table. She noticed how gentle his hand was when he ran it over Liz’s hip as if to heal any pain or potential bruising. She watched the love-struck and trusting way her friend stared up at Max during this whole exchange. How easily Liz let Max touch her. How her whole face seemed to glow with happiness. How their eyes clung together in that way that all their friends knew so well by now.

But she also couldn’t miss the new and deeper awareness that formed part of "the soul mate stare". Yes, it was sexual. The air seemed to shimmer with palpable desire and need around them. But it was SO much more. It was a deep… connection. That was the only word that Maria could come up with to describe what she was seeing. It was like they communicated without words, just by touching and by looking at each other. And her doubts increased on whether Max and Liz could ever really be separated again.

******

Liz’s shift was supposed to be over at six o’clock and Max was getting impatient. He longed to have her back in his arms again, and most of all he longed to put that look of dazed passion back in her eyes. He watched her serve the couple at the next booth. She was glowing with an inner happiness that stole his breath away. She gave him a sidelong glance and a small smile as if to recognize his attention and thoughts. Max suddenly wondered if she could read his emotions like he could read hers now. He mentally kicked himself. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? He really needed to talk to her. Maybe they could go for a drive after her shift…

Liz walked past him and he caught her hand, turning her towards him. He tried to ignore the jolt of electricity shooting up his arm from their linked hands and looked up at her face. His eyes traveled over her features as his fingers caressed the back of her hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but his gaze was captured by the small inaudible "oh" formed by her lips at his touch. "Liz…" her name was a sigh. He unconsciously pulled her closer until she was pressed against the side of his thigh. She felt soft and warm and Max suddenly couldn’t take it anymore. Talking could come later!

He gently moved her backwards, sliding out of the booth. He walked purposefully out the back door of the café, pulling Liz behind him by her hand. Once they were outside in the cool dusk air, he closed the door behind them and locked it, his hand glowing for a moment over the keyhole. Then she was in his arms and they both moaned with the contact. Contact they had been craving since their heated embrace of this afternoon. He kissed her eyes, her cheeks. She fit in his arms like she was made for him. She was running her hands over his back and shoulders, as if she was trying to memorize every inch of his body. Max wondered how she seemed to know exactly what to do to heat his blood to fever pitch.

Their connection came to roaring life before his lips even touched hers. Max froze, his mouth halting a mere breath away from hers. He stared into her beautiful eyes, content for a moment to just experience her feelings. Reliving her emotions of when he watched her during her shift. How his eyes on her body had felt like a physical touch. How many times during the past few hours she had wanted him to drag her out here like this and kiss her.

Liz was also caught up in the connection. She relived his male satisfaction at her obvious passionate fixation on him. She sensed his happiness at realizing that this was the first time in her life that she had felt that way about a guy. She knew of his hunger to be close to her like this again.

They kissed again, urgency overtaking all else. Max’s hands caressed her hips, his palms warm through the material of her uniform. Liz moaned as he slid hands up over her waist to come to rest on her rib cage. His hands spanned her body, his thumbs meeting underneath her breasts. Max was valiantly trying to get control over himself. This was neither the time nor the place for anything serious. He pulled back, looking at her for a few seconds before he bent and slowly, deliberately placed a kiss on the smooth skin where the lapels of her uniform met. "Time to go back to work, Ms Parker!"

Liz was clutching his shoulders, praying the world will stop spinning after that kiss. Then his words penetrated her haze. She looked at him sharply. "You’re doing this deliberately, aren’t you!"

"Doing what?" Max tried to look innocent, but instead he just looked smug… and sexily mussed.

Liz took a deep breath. She was either going to kill him or… She licked her lips, smiling slightly at the way his eyes followed the movement. She inhaled deeply and felt his hands on her ribs flex in reaction. She stepped nearer to him, causing him to break his hold on her. She scraped her fingernails down his back and he shivered involuntarily. Liz licked her lips again, but this time she ran her tongue slowly over her bottom lip, leaning closer to him until their bodies just barely touched.

Max made a helpless sound low in his throat. She was a witch, driving him mad with her wiles. "Liz…’ his voice was supposed to hold a warning, but instead it held a plea. And she slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans…

Part 10

She used her hands to press their lower bodies together and Max felt a moment of embarrassment that he couldn’t hide his aroused state from her. The warmth of her hands radiated through his jeans and sent his blood pounding through his body. Max leant his forehead against hers, desperately praying for sanity.

Liz rubbed her nose against his face and he felt her smile against his skin. Her breath was warm and sweet and did nothing to cool the raging fire in his body. "So… I have to go back in or Maria will kill me." She started pulling her hands from his pockets, but he stopped her. He stood completely still for a few seconds, his fingers gripping her wrists.

Liz looked at him, afraid that she might have pushed him too far this time. His eyes burned into hers, dark and hooded with passion.

"Liz, we can’t keep doing this to each other." He saw the hurt in her eyes and realized she had misunderstood him. "No, no… I mean driving each other crazy like this. Its… we’re going to get into trouble…" He struggled to find the right words to tell her that he didn’t want them to move too fast. He didn’t want her to get hurt because he couldn’t control himself. And that he needed her to help him, because keeping his hands off her was hard enough without her doing her utmost to seduce him.

Liz looked at him for a quiet moment and he wondered what she was thinking. Then she nodded. "I know. I’m just… I’m just afraid this dream will end soon." Now it was his turn to look at her sharply, hoping she didn’t mean… "Liz! You can’t…" He stopped abruptly, not able to get the words out past his suddenly constricted throat.

‘You can’t leave me.’ But the words still didn’t come.

Liz saw something flash in his eyes and experienced a searing pain in her heart. After a moment of confusion, it dawned on her that it was coming from Max. She rushed into speech. "Max, I mean this pretend dating thing. I’m afraid it will end soon and then you’ll… I’ll be… What’s going to happen with us, Max?"

It took Max a moment to realize that she wasn’t saying she would leave him. He closed his eyes in relief, but opened them immediately when he felt the tension in her body. He finally let go of her wrists and took her face in his hands, his thumbs gently caressing her cheeks. "Liz, we have to talk about… all this! Something has happened between us and I… WE need to talk this through." He watched her carefully. Her eyes were shining brightly in the light of the setting sun and she seemed ethereal to him. He half smiled at the fitting image as her hold on him was something not of this earth.

"We’ll go for a drive and talk after your shift, okay?" He brushed his lips over her forehead, everything in him rebelling at the thought that she must now leave his embrace.

Liz looked at him uncertainly as he stepped away from her and turned to unlock the door. In spite of everything her heart was telling her, her mind still wondered if Max would be prepared to take the step forward into a real relationship…

******

By a quarter to six, Maria threw up her hands. "Liz, just get going will you! You’re driving me nuts with the mooning looks at Mr Wonderful and you’re NOT helping with the customers either. So just… GO!" She sighed as Liz flashed her a grateful smile, going to the back room to change. Then Maria remembered that she intended to preach to Liz on the dangers of her new endeavor and followed Liz. "Just promise me you won’t do anything rash, okay babe? I mean, I’m all for some face-sucking with a certifiable hunk, but don’t go… BEYOND, okay!"

Liz grinned. "A certifiable hunk, Maria? Since when do you think that about Max?"

Maria folded her arms. "I’m not blind. And I’m not an idiot either, so don’t change the subject!" She paused, and tried again: "Liz, I’m serious. We don’t know what can happen! And from what I’ve seen here tonight, I don’t think dear Max can be relied upon to keep his head around you if things get heated…" She saw Liz’s blinding smile of happiness at her last words and grabbed Liz by the shoulders. "I’m serious, Liz! Be careful! We both know that this whole pretend game was a farce from the get go, so…"

"Calm down, Maria. Max would never…" Liz stopped, maybe ‘never’ was a bit long. "He wouldn’t let it get that out of hand so soon."

Maria still looked doubtful. "Liz, he’s a GUY! Granted he’s a Czechoslovakian guy, but still… a GUY!" She buttoned Liz’s shirt to her chin. "I’m just saying. Be careful!"

******

They had been driving for half an hour and the sun was setting on the horizon. The desert was streaked with colors ranging from orange to pale pink. Liz had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Then she looked at Max and re-evaluated her last thought.

Max caught and held her gaze. "You are so beautiful!" he blurted, making her blush. He watched her for another moment and then turned the Jeep off the road. He drove into the desert and parked near a group of rocks.

They sat staring at each other silently. Neither of them knowing how to begin this talk that would change their lives. Max jumped out of the Jeep and came round to Liz’s side. He held out his hand and she took the invitation to join him. When she was standing in front of him, he didn’t let go of her hand, but pulled her closer to him. He lips touched hers softly, gently and reverently. He traced her lips with his tongue, silently asking her to open up to him. And she instinctively knew that he was asking much more with the small gesture. Liz pulled away and looked into his eyes. Searching for confirmation of the one thing he hadn’t said with his mouth yet…

And his eyes, always so expressive, told her the truth. Told her that he would never let her go again, that she was right where she belonged. In his arms, forever…

Tears gathered in her eyes as she leaned up to kiss him with everything she felt in her heart. He gathered her close and deepened the kiss. His tongue mated with hers as his body seemed to curve around her. As if trying to assimilate hers. Melding them into one person.

His mouth left hers reluctantly. He looked down at her with such longing and hope, that the tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. "Liz, I…" His voice caught. "This connection. Do you… can you feel what I’m feeling right now?"

Liz just nodded, unable to speak. She put her fingers against his cheek and slowly ran them over his face. Lightly touching his eyebrows, his nose and finally his lips. The kiss was without hesitation this time. They kissed as two people would who have known each other all their lives…

When they broke apart they were both breathing hard.

"Tell me, Max." Liz’s soft voice broke the silence.

"I love you."

The sounds of the desert ceased for a few seconds and the words seemed to echo between them.

"It scares me how much I love you." Max’s voice was husky and low.

Liz was drowning in his eyes. "It scares me too. That I love you so much."

A shudder went through Max’s body and the next moment Liz was held high against his chest. His arms underneath her as he swung her around in a dizzy circle. Liz laughed, the sound clear and joyous in the cool night air.

Max finally dropped to his knees, out of breath and carefully put her down on the soft cool sand. "I was so afraid –," but Liz stopped him with her hand on his lips. "Me too."

He kissed her again. Pressing her down into the sand, her head on his arm. She moaned his name into his mouth and pulled his body on top of hers. His weight felt familiar, like she was finally home…

Max ran his hands over every inch of her that he could reach. She was soft and warm and his. Finally really his. "Mine… you’re mine." He whispered the words against her mouth.

Her ‘yes’ went unspoken, but sounded unequivocally through their connection.

When the kiss finally ended, they were both smiling.

Liz spoke first. "When are we going to tell Michael and Isabel?"

And Max’s smile disappeared.

Part 11

Max sat up. He didn’t know what to say to Liz. He didn’t know what he was going to say the Michael and Isabel either. He looked at Liz who was still laying down, leaning back on her elbows. All he really knew was that they HAD to be together, at all costs.

"Liz, they still think its better if we remain unattached. I mean, not get close to someone and … I don’t think they’re going to understand what is happening between us." He saw a shadow entering her eyes, but he plowed ahead. "I think we’re going to have to continue to tell them we’re just pretending, otherwise they’ll never let us be together." The shadow in her eyes was getting darker and Max felt like a heel. He never wanted to be the person causing Liz any pain, and he knew that she was hurt because they couldn’t be public with their love.

Liz bit her lip, trying to be understanding. "I guess you’re right, but Maria already figured out we weren’t pretending, Max, so they probably will too."

Max gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean ‘Maria figured it out’? I mean we just figured it out ourselves!"

Liz gave him an exasperated look. "Gee Max, for a clever guy you can be really dense sometimes!" She sat up and took his hands in hers. "I’ve been in love with you since the day you saved my life. Maybe even before that, but I never thought anything would come of it." Max was staring at her raptly and she continued. "I think unconsciously I just needed a reason to be with you and Pam Troy gave me one!" Max was starting to look dazed. "Anyway… Max when you’re near me, my heart just seems to stop and I don’t think –." But she never got to finish, because Max pulled her to him with a growl.

He kissed her with a hungry fervency that threatened to steal her soul from her body. They tumbled backwards onto the sand, Liz landing in a heap on top of Max’s chest. His hands slid under her shirt to caress her back, his fingers finding the long indentation of her spine. His fingers burned her skin, causing her to gasp into his mouth. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth from hers. She ran her tongue over his lips and down to his chin. She rained small open-mouthed kisses down his neck, basking in the sounds coming from deep inside his chest at each one.

He rolled her over onto her back, cushioning her head with his hand as he lay on his side next to her. His other hand slid round her body, still underneath her shirt, until it came to rest on her stomach. He moved his fingers until his hand was covering the exact spot where it had been when he healed her, that day not so long ago. He stared into her eyes, his voice hoarse when he spoke: "Liz… I don’t think I can ever be without you again!"

Liz covered his hand on her stomach with hers. "Thank you, Max. For saving my life that day. And for loving me." The moon was casting its light into her eyes, making them sparkle. Max gulped for air, knowing he had never seen her look so radiant. He realized she might be right. How the hell are they going to hide all this emotion from Michael and Isabel? Especially from Isabel who had earlier sensed Liz’s feelings through him…

"So we’ll just play it cool around Izzy and Michael, okay? We should give them time to get used to us being together." He tried to ignore Liz’s disappointed look. "I’ll figure something out, I promise."

Liz nodded, causing her hair to slide through his fingers softly. "I’ll try…" But she couldn’t help but wonder why he let them rule his life like this. She already knew their secret. He has already done the worst thing he possibly could: use his powers in front of witnesses. So how awful could it be for them to be together?

She cupped his cheek. "Just kiss me again before we have to go back." She stopped his mouth before it could reach hers. "And you better make sure that you kiss me often when we get back to the real world too, otherwise I might get desperate and attack you in front of and audience!"

Max just smiled. "Don’t worry Ms Parker! Kissing you is something I intend to do A LOT!"

******

Max came to pick her up for school the next morning, a sulking Isabel in tow. He had dropped Liz off at the Crashdown the previous evening, reluctantly leaving to go home after kissing her breathless in the Jeep. This morning he had a long argument with Isabel, who didn’t want to get ready a few minutes earlier so they could drive by the café for Liz, and who also did not see why he was taking this pretend relationship to such extremes. Max had had to dance around the issue delicately in the hopes that he would not make Isabel suspicious.

Now Liz was coming towards the Jeep and it took all he had not to jump out and grab her. Instead, he got out calmly and helped her into the back, her hand burning in his. He heard Liz’s soft intake of breath at their touch and cursed the fact that his sister was around.

Driving to school was a quiet affair. Isabel was fixing her make-up in her small compact, while Max and Liz tried not to notice every breath the other one took. Max was looking at Liz in the rear-view mirror for the umpteenth time when he noticed that Isabel was casting him surreptitious glances out of the corners of her eyes. He wondered if maybe Liz was right last night. How is he ever going to hide the extent of his feelings from Isabel and Michael. He gritted his teeth. He would just HAVE to!

But before long he was looking at Liz again. She was wearing a filmy dress that hugged her body and fell to below her knees. She was breathtaking. Isabel turned to stare at him directly this time and he guiltily pulled his eyes away from the mirror. ‘Nice going, Max!’

When they got to school, her helped Liz out of the Jeep and kept her hand in his. At least handholding was allowed, even in pretend relationships! He was dying to kiss Liz again, but didn’t think that was a good idea with Isabel trailing behind them into the school.

"Uhm Max? Do you remember we have to go see Ms Hardy?" Liz was trying to tell him something with her eyes. "You know… about Biology?" Max didn’t know what the heck she was talking about, but he was ready to get away from Isabel’s prying eyes.

"Bye, Iz, see you later!" He called and practically dragged Liz down the hallway. When they rounded the corner, he stopped. "What --?"

"Come on!" Liz interrupted him and took the lead… towards the Eraser Room.

Max didn’t need an engraved invitation! He pushed her inside in front of him and slammed the door closed. Liz was smiling at him and he wondered how he had ever lived without that smile.

He pulled her close and she whispered ‘good morning’ against his mouth. Their kiss was slow and gentle and full of tenderness. Now the day could begin…

******

It was the period before lunch and Liz had just briefed Maria on the latest developments in her and Max’s relationship. Maria had squealed in joy, but couldn’t let the chance pass to tell Liz that she must still be careful. Who knows what the Czechs could get up to? Even if they were in love! She had also made Maria promise not to tell Isabel, Michael or Alex that she and Max was pretending to be pretending.

While walking to her next class, she saw Max and Michael standing near Michael’s locker. Michael was waving his hands in obvious anger and it didn’t need a genius to guess what they were talking about.

Liz sidled closer, desperate to hear what they were saying. She halted around the corner when Michael’s words reached her. "I went to the Crashdown last night and they told me that you’d left with her, Max! And now Isabel is saying you were acting weird this morning. Staring at her even more than before. What is going on with you two?"

"Michael…" Max’s voice sounded tired. "I already explained what was going on. Jeez, you’re going on like I’m in love with her or something! Its just a cover, I told you! I don’t feel… I don’t feel that way about her."

Max’s voice was cracking by the end of his speech. But Liz didn’t hear anything more. She felt like he was stabbing a knife in her heart. How could he say that? She knew he was lying to Michael to keep them together, but it still hurt to hear him talk about her that way. She sagged against the lockers. She had to do something! She never wanted to hear Max say that he didn’t love her ever again. Maybe it was time she took matters into her own hands. And Max… he was going to admit that he loved her in front of everyone, of that she would make sure!

Part 12

Max felt miserable after his talk with Michael and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had broken something precious between him and Liz with his vehement denial of his love for her. Shouldn’t he love her enough to damn the consequences of announcing that love to the world openly? But no, he reasoned, not if those consequences were that they could not be together anymore. And according to the world, he DID love her. The only two problems were Isabel and Michael.

He walked to the quad for lunch, his feet dragging. He wanted to see Liz, but it was going to be torture to pretend relative indifference to her. And with Isabel and Michael already suspecting something, he needed to be extra careful.

He caught sight of Liz as soon as he entered the quad. She was standing with her back to him, talking to… Brandon Taylor! The memory of Brandon with his hands all over Liz was still clear in his mind and Max had to stop himself from running over there and punching the guy’s lights out. Instead he walked over and stood behind Liz, making it clear that he was watching Brandon’s every move.

Liz stiffened as soon as he was close, sensing his presence. Brandon’s eyes went over her shoulder nervously a second later, confirming that it was indeed Max who was hovering over her shoulder. Brandon turned red and stumbled over his last sentence. "So, uhm… I’ve found another…uhm, tutor." He backed away from Liz. "So… bye!" Liz was amused. She wondered what all Brandon’s jock friends would say if they knew he was scared spitless of Max Evans.

She turned around, facing Max. Max, who always came to her rescue. He stared at her, standing motionless, fists clenched at his sides. Liz wondered if it had to do with Brandon or with keeping his hands of her. She hoped it was the latter! "Hey," she said quietly, seductively. Stepping closer to him, she ran her hand up his chest. "Don’t I get a kiss for the peanut gallery?"

Max swallowed and caught her hand. "Liz, I don’t think…" He stopped as she pouted. He tried again, removing her hand: "Liz, this is a bad idea." He was starting to have trouble breathing normally. He always did when she looked at him that way, like she wanted to rip his shirt off.

Liz had opened her mouth to retort when Pam Troy’s voice intruded from behind them. "I knew he would get sick of her! Look at that outfit! What was she thinking? No wonder he doesn’t want her all over him. And I hear that poor Brandon Taylor also had to run from her unwanted advances." Liz was stunned. So this was the story that Brandon told the world. She stared at Max’s chest. Maybe she’d be lucky and the ground would swallow her up. Maybe a freak tornado could come and remove Pam from the schoolyard. Maybe –

Max hesitated, unsure of how to handle the situation. One part of him wanted to wring Pam’s neck. Like any sane guy would want her when he could have Liz Parker! He was so mad he forgot why he shouldn’t kiss Liz in public. He just knew he wanted to silence damn Pam Troy forever. He pulled Liz into his body and slid his arm around her waist. Liz gasped as he lifted her up against him until her feet barely touched the ground. His mouth on hers was warm and demanding. And Liz kissed him back happily. He was playing right into her hands!

The kiss started out slow and deliberate, but soon turned wild and urgent. Liz curved her arms around his shoulders and pressed closer to him, knowing it drove him crazy. His mouth ravaged hers, passion exploding between them. The kiss lasted for minutes, but to Max and Liz it felt like hours. They finally broke apart, taking great gulps of air to feed their starved lungs. A chorus of catcalls and some applause broke out around them, reminding them they were in the middle of the lunch crowd. Max turned to look at Pam, who was staring at them open-mouthed. Still looking at Pam, he took Liz’s hand and walked past Pam and her cronies towards the table where Maria and Alex were sitting.

Maria was hiding a grin behind her hand and Alex was laughing openly. Max saw Isabel sitting at another table with Michael, but he didn’t want to face them right now. Right now he just needed to get to some place peaceful where he could get his heart and body back under control.

However, Liz had other ideas. "Let’s go sit with them." She indicated Isabel and Michael and promptly pulled him in their direction. Max trudged on behind her, he couldn’t very well make a scene about not sitting with them while they were watching.

Isabel was looking at them with curiosity, but Michael was looking furious. Max gripped Liz’s hand tighter and forced a smile. But as they neared the table, Michael jumped up and walked away. Liz stopped in her tracks. She obviously hadn’t expected such blatant antagonism from Michael. Max looked at her worriedly: "Liz, he’s just concerned. He thinks this will put us in more danger."

Liz bowed her head, her silky hair sliding forward to hide her face. "I know." Her voice was soft. "I think I’ll just go say hi to Maria and Alex…" She turned away, but Max pulled her back and pushed her hair behind her ear gently. "I’ll come with you." "No, its okay. Go sit with Isabel, I won’t be long." Max pressed his lips to her forehead and watched her walk off, his heart aching for the awful situation they were in.

When he reached Isabel, he sat down heavily. Almost immediately his eyes strayed to where Liz was and he was only brought back to the present when he heard Isabel sigh next to him. "You just can’t stay away from her, can you?" But her voice didn’t hold the expected condemnation, only weariness. He didn’t know what to say, so he took her hand to plead his case. He knew it was a mistake as soon as he did it.

Isabel inhaled sharply and closed her eyes against the images rushing through her. Images of Max and Liz. Max’s feelings when he kissed Liz just now. All the promises spoken last night.

‘I love you’.

‘You’re mine’. ‘Yes’.

‘I don’t think I can ever be without you again!’

Isabel was pale and trembling when she pulled away from him. "Max… I always knew you loved her, but this is… its scary!" She was staring at him with wide eyes. "How can you love her so much? Its not normal!" Her voice was rising and Max look around with concern.

"I just do, Isabel. I can’t explain it, but its like she’s part of me. Like she always has been. Izzy, please! I need her…" His eyes were begging his sister for her blessing.

"I don’t know, Max, how will you be able to leave her behind one day if we have to…" Max felt the breath leave his lungs. Leave her? Never! "And Michael is really angry. He’s not an idiot. He saw the way you were kissing Liz just now!"

Max looked over at Liz again. She was staring at him, all her love for him shining from her eyes. And suddenly he couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t keep up this lame pretence just because Michael would get upset. He turned to Isabel. "I’ll go see him this afternoon. We have to sort this out, once and for all."

Part 13

When Liz arrived at the Jeep after the final period, she found only Isabel waiting for her. After lunch, Max had mumbled something about having to be someplace after school and that Iz would take her home, but didn’t elaborate on where he was going. She smiled nervously at Isabel, not really knowing what to say. Isabel was watching her speculatively, her hands resting on the steering wheel.

"Thanks for taking me --." But Isabel interrupted her. "Do you love my brother? I mean REALLY love him?"

"Yes!" Liz’s answer was immediate. She stared at Isabel, wondering what had brought this on. She saw many emotions chase each other across Isabel’s features. Fear. Envy. Wonder. She decided to clarify her statement: "Isabel, I would do anything for him. He means more than the world to me."

Isabel still wanted more from her. "Would you let him go if he needs to one day? If we could go home?" Liz gripped her book bag until her knuckles turned white. Her mind was trying to shy away from the possibility of losing Max some day, but she felt the weight of Isabel’s attention and knew she had to come up with an answer. "If that’s what he wants, I’ll… I’ll have to."

Isabel could see how hard this topic was for Liz and her voice softened marginally. "Its just… Michael and I need Max. We need to know that we can count on him whatever happens and you… his priorities have changed with you around."

"I’m not trying to replace anybody, Isabel. I think Max can love all of us, don’t you? And… and I’ll always support him in whatever he needs to do. You and Michael too, because you’re important to him." Liz was trying not to cry. She so desperately wanted Isabel to be okay with her being in Max’s life. She knew how much it would mean to Max if Isabel could be happy with their relationship.

Isabel had one last test for this slip of a woman who had so completely invaded her brother’s heart. She gently put her hand on Liz’s arm and waited for the flashes.

When they came, they were filled with images of Max. Dragging Brandon off Liz at the Crashdown. How worried Liz was about him getting hurt by Kyle’s friends. Max hugging her after her Grandma died. Begging her to come back safely from River Dog. How safe his arms made Liz feel.

I don’t care!

I love you so much, it scares me too!

I’ve been in love with you since the day you saved my life. Maybe even before that…

When Isabel’s eyes finally opened, she saw Liz’s scared look and realized it must’ve seemed weird how she had spaced out for a few minutes. She smiled, a genuine smile. "I’m fine, let’s go home." She put the Jeep in gear and drove out of the school parking lot. She surprised even herself when she asked: "Do you maybe want to come have dinner with us tonight? I know Max would what to see you after his talk with Michael…"

Liz blanched. "Max is talking to Michael? About us?" Isabel frowned at her. "Didn’t he tell you?"

"NO!" Liz grabbed Isabel’s shoulder. "Please take me to him! I need to… I need to be with him. Maybe I can help…" Isabel laughed mirthlessly. "I don’t think so. Michael has accepted that you know our secret, but he doesn’t believe in attachments, let alone love! He’s had a really hard life, Liz."

"I know, but I need to try!" Liz was pleading now. "Please Isabel!"

Isabel turned the Jeep around with a sigh. Liz reminded her of Mr Takes-Responsibility-for-Everyone-Else Evans so much sometimes!

******

Max and Michael were faced off in the living room of Hank’s trailer. Hank was snoring in his bedroom, completely oblivious to the drama playing itself out a few feet from him.

Michael was angry and not trying to hide it. "Nice scene you made at school today, Maxwell! Are you completely insane? Like we NEED more attention!" He didn’t give Max a chance to reply. "You better put a stop to this now, I mean it! She’s just going to get us into more trouble. And you… you lose your head completely over that girl. How many times are the three of us going to live in fear because of your obsession with her?"

Max held up his hands. "Listen Michael, you have a right to be angry and I’m sorry I’ve put all of us in danger…" Michael interrupted him. "You should never have interfered when she was shot!" Max felt like a hand was squeezing his chest. "No Michael, I’m sorry that I put you guys in danger, but I’ll never be sorry that I saved Liz that day! She… she means everything to me."

This did nothing to abate Michael’s anger. "I knew it! You’re just going to let go of everything we’ve been dreaming about for so long! To go home, to find our real parents!"

Max realized he was going about this the wrong way. "Michael, me being with Liz is not going to mean that we will never find out where we come from." Neither of them heard the arrival of Liz and Isabel. "It just means that Liz will be part of whatever I do from now on. I love her, Michael. Don’t ask me to give her up. I can’t." Max advanced on Michael. "Please Michael, I have never asked you for anything before, but I’m asking you this. Don’t make me choose between you and Liz! I need you both…"

Max grabbed Michael’s shoulders, hoping that maybe if Michael saw what he had with Liz, he would understand. Michael gave up his efforts to get away from Max when he saw the flashes. The intensity of Max and Liz’s need for each other. How Max worried about Liz whenever he didn’t know where she was. His fear that she would be abducted some day. How desperately he loved her.

And then a pair of small hands joined Max’s on his body. And more emotions joined the connection. He saw Max as Liz saw him. Her protector. Her lover. He saw all the things she had done and was prepared to do to help Max find the truth about himself. How desperately she loved Max back.

Finally Michael couldn’t take it anymore and he broke away, leaving Liz and Max clutching hands and staring at each other. He watched in silence as they seemed to communicate without saying a word. He was not used to dealing with such intense emotion and it left him feeling drained. He started when he felt Isabel place her hand on his arm. "Michael," her voice was soft, "they belong together. She really loves him."

Michael just nodded, giving in to the inevitable. He felt a lump in his throat. Not long ago he had told Liz that she had given him one more reason to envy Max Evans, and now that envy has tripled. Max had always been his idol and now he had something else that Michael had never experienced. He wondered if maybe one day, he might also experience such love and acceptance from someone.

Max turned to his best friend. "Michael?"

"Whatever, Max!" His voice was gruff. "Just pipe down on the public displays of affection, some of us have fragile dispositions." He was rewarded by a big grin from Max.

Max turned back to Liz. "Shall we go?" He spoke to Isabel without taking his eyes of his other half. "Iz, let me take you home too." Isabel groaned. No way was she getting into the Jeep with those two now! "Its okay, I’ll call a taxi. I… uhm, need to talk to Michael some more." She sighed as Max basically dragged Liz outside, forgetting to say goodbye.

******

Liz leaned on Max’s shoulder as he drove the Jeep out of the trailer park. To say she was happy was an understatement. Max was also smiling. Liz rubbed her hand over his thigh. "I love you, Max Evans!"

Max put his hand over hers, gripping her fingers tightly. He turned away from the town, driving out into the desert as he had the night before. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Liz smiled up at him, her eyes twinkling with merriment. "Where are we going?" She wriggled her fingers, still in his grip, on his thigh. "I don’t care!" Max let go of her hand and moved his hand to her knee where her dress ended. "I just really need to be with you right now." He moved his hand higher up her thigh, under her dress.

Liz’s head fell back involuntarily and a sigh escaped her lips. Max turned the Jeep off the road. He had no idea where they were, but he didn’t want to drive any further. He needed to kiss her and he was bound to cause an accident in his current condition! He drove into the desert until he found a clump of trees under which they could park.

As soon as the Jeep came to a halt, Liz was on his lap. Their mouths melding together in relief and love. He ran his hand over her hip, making her squirm. She pulled her lips from his and proceeded to rain little kisses over his face. Her mouth roaming his forehead, his eyes, his cheeks, his nose and his jaw. Max wanted more. He lifted her and helped her straddle his hips, causing the dress to ride up high on her thighs. The both groaned with the intimate contact.

Liz felt like she wanted to climb inside his skin. His hands were warm on her naked thighs and she pressed closer to him. She kissed him, her mouth open and hungry. She felt his fingers grip the soft skin of her thighs as their tongues mated. Liz desperately wanted to touch his naked skin and she started unbuttoning his shirt. Max nearly came of the seat when he felt her hands inside his shirt, running over the contours of his chest. Liz ran her mouth down his neck, to his chest. Leaving a trail of moist kisses in her wake. Max had to fight not to close his eyes in ecstasy; he wanted to watch every blissful moment of her exploration. Her mouth on his skin was pure exquisite torture. It caused a fever in his blood that threatened to rage out of control.

Liz ran her hands over his stomach, loving the movement of muscles that followed her touch. Max finally gave up trying to live through her caresses and pulled her back up, pressing his mouth to hers fervently. He kissed her as if this was the last time he ever would. As if his life depended on kissing her like this.

The connection between them finally brought them back from the brink. They both realized that they were about a breath away from doing something irreparable. They also realized they were not ready for that right now. Soon, but not now.

Max held her against him as they tried to calm down. Not that it helped much that Liz’ face was pressed into his bare chest. "I love you," he whispered. Happy that now he could say it as often as he liked.

He felt her smile against his skin. "I love you more!" She pulled away from him, still grinning. "We are going to get in such trouble from now on, aren’t we?"

He smiled, faking a clueless expression. "Whatever do you mean, Ms Parker? I can manage to keep my hands off you if I have to."

Liz narrowed her eyes at him and slowly ran her fingernails over his chest, making him groan. She leaned forward to say against his lips: "Yeah, and there’s no such thing as aliens living among us!" Their kiss was filled with promises, passion and love. Forever.