Author: Jason's Lover
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: Nothing used here is mine except the lovely creation of Nicole Alise Evans.
Category: M/L - No Aliens
Summary: Max and Liz became young parents and six years later they're raising their daughter Nicole in Roswell, New Mexico. They aren't married nor do they live together and they date other people. What happens when they realize how perfect they are for one another? This fic is in Max and Liz's point of view.
![Image](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JL486/frommetoyou.jpg)
Credits to Ann(babylisou) for the amazing banners!
Chapter One ~ Liz
“Nicole, would you hurry up? You’re going to be late for school.” I yell, while making breakfast in the kitchen.
“I don’t want to go. I have to show the class my science project. They're going to laugh at me.” She replies a moment later. “Can I stay home mommy?”
“Nicole, we’ve gone over this already. You can’t stay home baby. Mommy’s gotta work today…you know that.” I reply, stooping down to her eye level.
“Well what about daddy?” She asks, a pout etched on her face. “Can I stay with him?”
“Nicole…,” I sigh. She never makes this easy. Especially when it’s seven in the morning.
“Daddy always say I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do.” She insists, grabbing my face in her tiny hands. “I don’t want to go to school…pleassseee mommy?”
“Sweetie, we don’t know what daddy’s doing today.” I tell her, brushing her hair back from her eyes. “You can’t stay home from school whenever you feel like it. I’m sorry, but you have to go.”
Dropping her hands from my face, she growls loudly and walks away from me with stomping steps.
Watching her retreat, I blow out a breathe with her reaction. She’s bound to hold that against me for the entire day. She may be six, but she hold grudges for ages. I haven’t got a clue where she gets it from.
If someone would’ve told me six years ago that I’d be a mother, I would’ve honestly thought they were insane.
I guess I should start from the beginning. When Max and I were eighteen years old.
He and I go way back. I’ve known him since the seventh grade, but we didn’t get exclusive with one another until our sophomore year in high school.
During the entire time we went out, no one knew about our relationship. We didn’t want to jinx it by telling everyone. So we kept it a secret for two years and everything was going perfect.
Until I discovered I was pregnant the day before prom. I didn’t want to tell him…maybe out of denial or fear. However, I did work up enough courage to inform him and he freaked out on me. He disappeared that night. I didn’t hear or see him for an entire week. I felt so totally abandoned.
Eventually he came to me on his own and explained his actions. I was beyond pissed, but I forgave him. He swore to me that he’d never do something like that again and I believed him. In fact, there’s rarely a promise he’s made to me from that point on that he hasn’t kept. He is a man of his word.
After that hellacious first week, it got even worse. We told our parents and to say that they were disappointed with us would be an understatement. They yelled and screamed and even threatened to kick us out. But in the end, thanks to their support and help, Max and I graduated on time and even got into a really good college together. By that time, I was atleast six months pregnant.
Max worked his ass off and went to school at the same time. We even managed to get an apartment together and be prepared for when the baby arrived. It wasn’t an easy time, but we survived.
I can’t honestly say that Max and I were in love back then. Granted, the relationship lasted for about four years, but it wasn’t ever to that extent. I guess it lasted for so long because we worked extremely hard on it and we just had an unwavering amount of respect for one another. It was always about taking care of one another and making sure we were satisfied with our lives.
By the time Nicole was born, we were making enough money to support ourselves and the baby. It was literally the most happiest day of our lives when she finally arrived. Days would come and go when I’d think to myself that life couldn’t be any more unfulfilling and then she just came into my life and changed me completely.
She changed the way I looked at the world and the things I wanted for myself and my own life. I wanted a family. I wanted to be married and live that happy perfect existence. As it turns out, Max didn’t want that at all. He was content with the casual way we were living. It was the source of many arguments between us and it just came to a point where I couldn’t do it anymore.
We broke up and I moved out on my own when Nicole was two. It was a hard time, but I knew that it had to be done. Max and I wanted two different things and I couldn’t stand to see him every day and face the reality that I’d never be able to live the way I wanted as long as he and I were together. It was a mutual break up…nothing nasty or insanely uncivilized. It was rather easy to say the least. He would come by whenever he wanted to see Nicole. I couldn’t ever deny him of that. I’d be a fool to not know how much he loves her. It’s as plain as day.
In truth, Max and I are friends. We have been for the past four years now and I can’t complain. He’s honest and trustworthy. We still have that respect for one another and know our boundaries. We even hang out on occasion when we aren’t too busy.
He’s even dating someone. As much as I thought that would hurt me, it doesn’t. I’ve dated and he knows about it. There’s no animosity between us and we just get along really well. Perhaps, we click even more now than we did when we were a couple. It sounds odd, but fortunately, this lifestyle works for us. I don’t know what’s in store for the future, but I like where we stand with one another at this point and time.
My quiet musing is interrupted by the ringing of the door, turning down the stove slightly so as not to burn the toast, I run to the door and pull it open.
Max stands there, his arms wide open. “There’s my...wait...you're not my baby. Where’s Nicole?”
“She's upstairs and pissed.” I reply, closing the door behind him. Why is he here so damn early?
“Pissed?” Max repeats, an eyebrow raised. “What for?”
“Because I told her she couldn’t stay home from school.”
“Why would you say a thing like that?” He asks, following me into the kitchen and taking a seat at the counter.
“Because it’s true.” I exclaim, turning a disbelieving stare at him. “She can’t always have her way. If you won’t be the disciplinarian then I will.”
“Maybe so, but you can’t just tell her no flat out.” He explains, sitting back. “A little compromise is all it takes.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Bribe her.” He says simply. “Promise her something in order to receive her cooperation to do the very thing that you want her to do that she doesn’t want to do. Trust me, it works all the time.”
“Max, I am not bribing my child.” I retort, turning back to the stove. “She does what I say and that's the end of it.”
“Well then, good luck with the frosty attitudes at seven in the morning.” He says smirking. “I‘m sure they’re lots of fun.”
“Why are you here so early?” I ask, ignoring his comment completely. “She doesn’t have to be at school until eight thirty.”
“God, you give some parental insight and it’s ignored.” He mock complains, rolling his eyes. “Well, if you must know, I’m absolutely starving. I knew you’d be up and just chipper this morning slaving away at the stove like usual. I came over to sample the labor of your hard work.”
“How sweet.” I reply sarcastically, while placing a plate in front of him and kissing his cheek.
“Hey,” He warns good naturedly, shrugging me off. “I still have to go home okay. I don’t want Candice seeing your lip balms all over my face. She‘ll freak.”
“Aww, is she that insecure?” I say grinning, wiping my lip gloss off his cheek. “Can’t you just tell her that I’m the mother of your child and I’ve seen you naked more times than she could count?”
He stops eating to smile widely at me. “Yeah, I’m sure that’ll go over real well.”
Laughing at his expression, I walk into the hall way to call Nicole down for her breakfast. Walking into the kitchen with her pout still intact, her face immediately brightens up when she spots Max at the counter.
“Daddy!” She shrieks, running over to him and pelting her tiny body in his arms.
“Hey baby. You ready for school this morning?” He asks, kissing her head and picking her up in his arms.
“No.” She mumbles. “I don’t want to go.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have to show the whole class my science project and they're going to laugh at me.” She says, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Baby I promise you, any laughing that happens to be directed at my girl today, I’ll personally come to your school and kick all those little kids butts for upsetting you.” He murmurs, lifting her head up so he could see her face. “Okay?”
“You promise?” She asks, biting her bottom lip.
“I double promise.” He replies, kissing her cheek. “But you gotta do something for daddy first?”
“Anything.” She exclaims loudly, a smile etched on her face.
Amazing. I carried her for nine months and endured the eighteen hour labor but he gets all the smiles and the kisses. How unfair is that?
“You can’t be mad at mommy.” He tells her, glancing at me over her head with a smile. “Can you do that for daddy?”
“I guess.” She says hesitantly, rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry mommy.”
“Apology accepted.” I return, with a small smile. “Now go eat before you leave. I know how much you hate the breakfast they give you at school.”
“I do.” She complains to Max. “It’s gross daddy.”
“I bet.” He smiles, placing her on the floor. “Do what mommy says okay?”
With a nod, she runs over to the table and climbs up on a seat to eat her breakfast.
Turning to Max, I see him watching me with a smug smile and I side step his advances.
“You know, telling you I told you so just doesn’t do any justice for me.” He says, his grin widening with each glare I send his way.
“Your right.” I retort. “Saying nothing would be even more preferable.”
“I’ll take that the way I know it was meant to be taken from that pretty little mouth of yours.” He quips.
“You do that.” I reply, putting my shoes on.
“Which reminds me…,” He says, grabbing his coat. “I’m taking Nicole to see my parents after school. We probably won’t be back until like around six.”
“That’s fine.” I say candidly. “What about dinner?”
“Liz, please, you know my parents.” He answers, putting his coat back on. “They’ll stuff her until she explodes.”
“All I ask is that she’s back in one peace.” I joke. “Tell them I said hello.”
“I will.” He promises. “Nicole, let’s go baby. Your education awaits.”
Running back out to the living room, she picks up her book bag and I bend down to kiss her cheek. “Don’t worry sweetie. Your science project is going to be a hit. Besides, mommy helped you make it. Everyone will love it.”
“I hope so.” She mumbles, giving me a tight hug. “Bye mommy. I love you.”
“I love you too baby.”
Taking Max’s hand in her own, I walk them to the front door to see them out. “Call me on your break. Maybe we could meet up for lunch or something.”
“Sounds good.” He replies, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
I stand there until he straps her in her seat belt and wave off one last time before driving away. Seeing them together always makes my heart melt. Not only does she has his every feature with the exception of the long brown hair, but she’s just as reserved as he is. It’s no wonder they have such a special connection.
Shutting the door, I sigh heavily and return to my task of getting ready for work.
Today is bound to be a long day.
TBC…