Plus One (AU, Adult, MM, ML, MM) Complete 04/29 Pg 18

[nibbles2]

TITLE: Plus One
RATING: I'm fairly sure that this will be Teen, but to be on the safe side because there will be some adult language and references to sex, I'm marking it as adult.
DISCLAIMER: Nope, don't own any of this. Sadface.
PAIRING: Mainly dreamer, some candy. And a little Peanut M&M, for a change.
SUMMARY: Max has been invited to the wedding of his former boss, Brody Davis and he needs a date.


This fic is for Alien_Friend, who graciously and generously paid for my services in a Support Stacie Auction back in 2007 or something like that. I have been very, very, very slack in writing the fic I owe her due to a combination of laziness, writer's block and writing GD and Crush. But I've finally managed to get my arse in gear and start writing this fic.

Banner by Candysteffi

Alien_Friend, I'm sorry for the delay. I hope you enjoy this fic.

Plus One

It took all of four minutes after the editorial meeting ended for Tess to slide up to Max Evans' cubicle with a smirk on her face that stretched from ear to ear.

“Hi Max,” she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Max returned her greeting in a neutral tone, determined not to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

“How was the meeting?”

“It was good. There's a couple of really good issues in the works,” he said. He logged onto his computer and clicked on his email.

“Uh huh. So... any interesting features in the works?”

Max shrugged one shoulder and moved onto the next email. “I'm going to do twenty-four hours with an ambulance crew. That's going to be pretty cool.”

Tess huffed and rolled her eyes. “Fine, be like that. By the way, this came for you while you were in the meeting, and I had to sign for it.”

She handed him an elaborately packaged box with a Japanese theme and hovered blatantly as Max spent five minutes figuring out how to open it. At last, the box gave way and he pulled a card out. He read it and smiled.

Brody Davis & Ikuko Kishi would like to invite

Max Evans and Guest

to celebrate the joyous occasion of their wedding.

“Is that the Brody Davis who invented Webstacles?” Tess asked, peering over Max's shoulder to read the invitation. “I love that site. How do you know him?”

“He used to be my boss, back in Roswell,” Max explained.

Tess's eyebrows shot up. Like pretty much everybody, she knew the story of the computer programmer who had created a multi-million dollar company before having a breakdown that made him believe that he'd been abducted by aliens. He'd moved to Roswell and bought the UFO museum where Max worked at weekends and after school. Brody had eventually been diagnosed with a form of schizophrenia. Following treatment, he had returned to his home in Boston and started a new company, the globally popular social networking site 'Webstacles'.

Brody and Max emailed occasionally and exchanged Christmas cards every year, but they hadn't seen each other since Brody had left Roswell. Max hadn't been aware that Brody was even in a relationship, but he was delighted to see that his former boss was getting married and was pleasantly surprised to be invited.

“So,” Tess twirled a curl of hair around her finger and smiled. “I guess you'll need a date.”

Max's mind was racing. “Yeah, I guess I will. And I know just the person.”

Now all he had to do was ask.

***

Max drummed his fingers nervously on the Formica table top and kept an eye on the door to the diner. When he spotted his friend Michael come through it, he sat up straighter and tried not to look so nervous.

They ordered food and chatted for a while before Max began to steer the conversation in the direction he needed it to go.

“How's work?” he asked.

Michael grinned. “Pretty good. In fact, my boss is leaving for another position and he told me that he's recommending me as his replacement. There's no guarantee of course, but hopefully it works out.”

“That's great, Michael. I’m delighted for you,” Max said genuinely. “You've earned it, after everything you went through last year.”

Michael nodded. “I guess.”

“It must be almost a year now, since you lost your job,” Max reminded his friend. He felt guilty for raining on Michael's parade by bringing up the past year.

Michael had lost his previous job when the company he worked for had gone bust. He'd struggled to find work for several months and when money had run out, he'd had to give up his apartment and kip on Max's couch for three months before he'd got a new job and got back on his feet. Normally Max didn't like to bring it up because he hated to make Michael feel indebted to him. But right now, he needed Michael to feel indebted. He needed Michael to remember how he had given him a place to stay, helped him out financially and even wrangled the interview that had finally yielded a job for Michael.

“Yeah,” Michael sighed at the memory. He shook his head. “So, how's your work? Anything exciting?”

“Yeah actually. I’m getting to do a twenty-four hour ride along with an ambulance crew soon. I’ve always wanted to do that so I’m pretty excited.” Max loved his job as a feature writer on a men's magazine but when he was younger, he'd wanted to be an EMT so he was really looking forward to the chance to ride in an ambulance for his monthly 'What it's like to be a... article.

“That's cool,” Michael enthused.

Max nodded. “I'm pretty excited. I’ve been trying to set it up for a while now.” He swallowed his drink and took a deep breath. “And, there's another one that should be interesting too.”

“What's that about?”

“Um... well the magazine is doing a special 'Gay' issue. We're going to tackle homophobia and try to promote tolerance amongst our readers. We've got a couple of gay people in various circumstances to write about their experiences. In fact, there's a teenager who's writing a feature about what it's like to gay in high-school and I’ve been asked to mentor him. I’ve read a draft of the article, it's going to be a pretty powerful piece.”

“Sounds good,” Michael said, around his sandwich.

Max nodded. “Yeah. And I’m going to write an article about what it would be like to be gay, from a straight man's point of view.”

Michael choked on his mouthful of food. He swallowed it down and thumped his chest. “How are you going to do that?”

“Well, I’m not going to go out and hire a rent boy. What I’m really interested in is seeing if people would treat me differently if I was gay, so .. I had an idea,” Max said. “I can't really do it effectively here in New York because my friends know that I’m straight.”

Michael shrugged. “I don't think it would take too much for you to convince them.”

Max flipped him off. “I was thinking of going back to Roswell and doing it there, but I don't think it would work there either. And then today, I got an invitation to Brody Davis' wedding. It's in Boston and I was thinking that I could 'come out' there. Nobody would really know me, so it would be a chance to see how people react without having to lie to friends or people that I’ll be interacting with in the future.”

“Good idea,” Michael agreed.

“Yeah... except, I don't think it's really going to have the effect that I’m looking for, because a single gay man... big deal. Right?”

“Sure,” Michael nodded.

Max continued. “I think that the best way to really get a reaction, would be as part of a gay couple. So my plan is to take a male friend with me to Brody's wedding, to act as my boyfriend and see how people deal with us.”

Michael's eyes narrowed and he chewed slowly. “I see.”

Max raised his eyebrows.

“No,” Michael shook his head.

“Michael...” Max began.

“No way. I fucking hate weddings. If I remember correctly, Brody Davis is a WASP which means it will be a society wedding. That's my idea of hell, Maxwell. Plus, I don't think I’d make a convincing gay dude.”

Max laughed. Sometimes Michael was rude and crude, and on occasion, he used non-PC terms that made Max cringe. But he dealt with people as he found them and just didn't give a shit if people were gay, straight or paraphiliac.

“Just because you're masculine and manly doesn't mean that you can't be gay,” Max protested. “Besides, the whole point of the issue is to challenge people's preconceived notions.”

“Nobody would believe that we're a couple,” Michael continued. “Most people can't even believe we're friends.”

“You're a very attractive man, Michael,” Max said. “I'm into you for your looks and your body, not for your mind.”

Michael laughed. “I do have a very large penis.”

Max grinned at him. “Look, I hate to do this, but Michael, you do kind of owe me.”

“Ugh,” Michael hung his head. “Is this a black tie wedding?”

“Yes, but think of the food.”

“Would we have to hold hands, and kiss and stuff.”

Max grimaced. “A little, yeah. But there's steak and lobster on the menu.”

“How long would we have to pretend to be a couple?”

“It's a three day wedding. But, did you know that Brody's family made their money from beer brewing.”

Michael sighed. He knew that he owed Max, and he was extremely grateful for everything Max had done for him and this was probably the only opportunity he'd ever be able to pay Max back in a big way.

“I promise, if you do this, then we're even. I’ll never ask for another favor again,” Max cajoled.

“Fine, fine. I’ll be your plus one,” Michael agreed morosely.

Max licked his lips and winked lasciviously at Michael. “Thanks, sweetie.”

***

[nibbles2]

MP Yeah, Gay Michael is going to be fun.

Cardinal Good question. Keep reading.

Earth2Mama Me too.

FSU/MSW-94 I hope so.

Natalie36 Don't die.

Cocogurl Thanks

Alien_Friend I don't know when it was. It was a long time ago.

begonia9508 I think they're a cute couple.

keepsmiling7 Thanks

Roswell_Dreamer Thank you. I’m sure there's a few peanut M&M stories lying around somewhere.

sarammlover Thanks.

chanks_girl But no problem seeing Max as the gay partner? It's a recurring theme.

HypnotiqBlueEyes Thanks.

secretk Thank you.

I kissed a boy and I didn't like it

Tess Harding fell to the floor with a bump, but she was laughing too hard to notice. She smacked her knees and buried her face in the carpet as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Max rolled his eyes and glared at her, thoroughly unamused. “When you're quite ready.”

“This was a stupid idea,” Michael complained from his seat on the couch.

“No, we have to do this,” Max argued. He tapped Tess' leg with his foot. “Tess, come on. Get it together.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Tess gasped. She got herself under control and sat up, though she kept giggling. “Alright, where do you want to start?”

“I don't know... we just need to act convincingly as a couple.”

Tess sniggered, but she covered it up with a cough and nodded. “OK, first you should sit beside Michael on the couch. Couples sit together.”

Max stood up from his seat on the armchair and moved across to the couch and took a seat. He left about a foot of space between himself and Michael.

“Sit beside him,” Tess scolded, motioning with her hands for the two of them to move closer. “Is that how you would sit beside your girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” Michael said. He wasn't a fan of public displays of affection.

Reluctantly, Max scooched closer. And with a little more prodding from Tess, he moved closer again so that their knees were touching.

“Now, hold hands,” Tess instructed.

“I don't hold hands,” Michael said, shoving his hands into his armpits.

“Just do it,” Tess said.

Max grabbed Michael's hand in his own and held it firmly.

“No, no, no,” Tess said. She pulled their hands apart and took Max's in her own, intertwining their fingers. “Like so.”

Grudgingly, Michael allowed Max to take his hand again and this time, he curled his fingers around Max's. “Now what?”

“Stay like that for a while so you get used to it,” Tess said. She took a seat and smiled. “Now, tell me how you two crazy kids got together.”

“Um... uh...” Max sputtered. “Well... we've known each other all our lives and ... uh...”

“This is stupid,” Michael protested.

“No, if you want to be convincing then you have to have a good story,” Tess said. “Now, try again... You've known each other all your lives, continue.”

“Right,” Max rubbed his face and tried to think. “We've been friends since we were kids... I guess, we connected because we both felt like outsiders in our small town. And over time our friendship developed into something more...”

Tess nodded like a teacher who's student had just done good. “That's good, believable. Who made the first move?”

“Max,” Michael said at once.

Max sighed, but nodded and continued with his story. “Uh, yeah. It was me. I came out first, but it took Michael longer. We didn't get together until college was almost over.”

Michael turned to Max sharply and narrowed his eyes. “That's a very convincing story that you've just created on the spot.”

“I've been giving it some thought lately,” Max told him. “Because of the article, not because I want to lick your popsicle.”

Tess laughed again. “That's a good story, Max. Well done.

"Michael... you're going to need a lot of work. Try to be less... youish. Think sophisticated, urbane. Less redneck, more turtleneck.”

“You know, this is part of the problem,” Max said. “You're stereotyping gay people. Just because Michael likes sports and drinks beer, doesn't mean he can't be gay.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Tess said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I know that. But you only have a couple of days to convince a bunch of strangers that you're a gay couple and get their reactions. Conforming to stereotype is the best way to convince them.”

Michael snorted. “Two guys show up at a hotel together and say they're a couple, I don't think anybody's going to need much convincing.”

Max nodded in agreement.

“Not the point,” Tess said. “The point of the article is to experience what it's like to gay, and to see how people react. You can't just say you're gay and then act completely normal. So, you're going to have to do some convincing.”

Michael sighed heavily which Tess took to mean that he accepted her point. She clapped her hands together. “Ok, so while you're in Boston, you need to ask WWMD.”

“What what...?”

“What would Max do,” Tess answered. “Just follow his lead and you shouldn't have any problems.”

“Hey,” Max protested.

Realising that trying to pygmalion Michael was a job too big for her, Tess decided to move on. “I have an idea, hand me your phones."

They handed their phones over to her. She picked up Michael's and turned the camera on.

“Now, I want you to cuddle together, like a couple.”

“Neither guy moved.”

“Come on,” Tess groaned. “Just put your arms around each other and look like a couple. It's not that hard.”

Max sighed, but he put his arm around Michael and pressed closer together. Very grudgingly, Michael moved closer.

“Put your hand on his knee,” Tess said to Michael. “Cheeks together. Now, smile.”

Michael moulded his lips into the shape of a smile, but it looked more like a grimace. Max curled the corner of his mouth.

“Smile,” Tess said again.

They tried again. And failed once more.

Tess groaned. “Seriously guys, I’m not going to let this drop until you fucking do it. So just fucking smile.”

This time they made more of an effort. It wasn't great, but it was enough to satisfy Tess. She snapped a couple and then set the best one as the wallpaper on Michael's phone. Then she put it down and picked up Max's. She looked around the apartment and her eyes lighted on a poster of a Hawaiian beach.

“Shirts off, boys,” Tess said before she skipped into her bedroom and came back with two pairs of sunglasses.

Max and Michael were still sitting on the couch, shirts very much on.

“Take off your shirts or I’m putting the picture of the two of you cuddling on Facebook,” she threatened. Still neither of them moved. She stamped her foot in frustration. “Ok, fine, if you don't want my help, then fine. Just go.”

“Sorry,” Max sighed. He stood up and started unbuttoning his shirt.

With a long-suffering sigh, Michael followed suit.

Tess whistled at them. “Nice. Alright, I need you stand up against that poster. Arms around each other.” She handed them the glasses. “And for fuck's sake, smile.”

Michael and Max stood in front of the poster, placed their arms around each other's shoulders, but kept their torsos about a foot apart.

“Stand together,” Tess said. “Look like you're a couple. My god, you're like children. You are not going to get gay cooties from each other.”

With another sigh, the two men stepped closer to each other, but left space between them.

“Guys, I can see the between your bodies,” Tess scolded. “And try to look happy. You're on vacation having lots of butt sex.”

They actually laughed, and it allowed them to relax enough to close the gap. Tess snapped the picture quickly. “Alright, perfect. Quick question, who's the top?”

“Max.”

“Michael.”

“Max.”

Max rolled his eyes, not wanting to have an argument about imaginary sex. “Fine, whatever.”

“And that's why you're the bottom,” Michael grinned. He turned to Tess. “Are we done now?”

“No. One last thing,” Tess said. “You need to kiss.”

The two guys jumped apart.

“No fucking way,” Michael said at once.

“Nu uh,” Max agreed.

Again Tess stomped her foot. “Max, do I have to remind you that this is your article. You pitched the idea. I’m doing this for you. There are thousands of young teenage boys being bullied to the point of suicide everyday, men who live in fear of being found out. People who have never been allowed to marry the person they love, they can't even hold hands in public. We're trying to do something with this issue. We're trying to help all those people. So, kiss Michael. Just kiss him.”

Max held up his hands in surrender and acceded to her demands. He faced Michael. “We have to do this. I know it's asking a lot, but please, Michael.”

“It doesn't have to be a full-on frenchie,” Tess said. “Just a little peck, like a couple would do.” She wrapped her arm around Max's neck and give him a very brief, casual kiss on the lips. It lasted less than a second. “Just like that.”

Michael scratched his eyebrow. “OK.”

“OK?” Max repeated. He swallowed nervously. “Ok.” He stepped closer, and unconsciously licked his lips. Then he realized what he'd just done, so he wiped his lips. Then he made face. What the hell was the right way to do this?

Michael and Max faced each other. Tess crept closer, and held her phone out, the video function running.

Max decided that the best thing to do was to just kiss Michael and get it over with. So he lunged forward.

Unfortunately, Michael had the same thought.

Instead of a meeting of the lips, there was a meeting of foreheads. There was a painful clunk and the two of them staggered backwards, clutching their foreheads.

Tess dropped her phone and clutched her sides as she laughed. “Oh man, this is gold.”

Michael and Max cursed a little before coming to stand before each other again. This time, it went a little more smoothly. They went in, heads tilted to the side and pecked. Their lips touched for a milisecond before the sprang back.

“We're done,” Michael said firmly.

“I think it needs some work,” Tess said with a grin. She played the video on her phone and licked her lips. “I'm happy to give you further instruction, if you like. Any time.”

“I think we're set,” Max said. He picked up his shirt and pulled it on.

“Oh yeah, thanks for doing that shirtless by the way,” Tess said with another laugh. “That has made my year.”

Michael stopped in the process of pulling on his sweater. “Wait, what? You thought that was hot?”

“Oh yeah,” Tess smirked.

“Two guys kissing is hot?”

“Oh yeah,” Tess said again. She laughed at the expression on his face. “Oh come on. Guys think that two girls kissing is hot. Well, girls think that guys kissing is hot. Deal with it.”

Michael shook his head in disgust.

“By the way, what are you going to do if there are people at the wedding from Roswell?” Tess asked.

“I don't think that there's going to be anybody there that we know,” Max said confidently. “Brody wasn't really friends with anybody else in Roswell.”

Michael swore under his breath. “Maria Deluca! She was pretty tight with Brody back in Roswell.”

“Shit, I forgot about her,” Max mused. Maria had been a waitress who delivered sandwiches to Brody everyday and they had developed a friendship. She had probably been a lot closer to Brody than he was.

“If she's there, there might be trouble,” Michael said. “Because Maria knows I’m not gay.”

“Oh.” Max was surprised. Michael had kept that quiet.

“I boned her,” Michael added needlessly. “A lot.”

“Let's just hope she's not there,” Max said.

He really, really hoped she wouldn't be. Maria Deluca was the second last person on earth that he wanted to think he was gay.

***

[nibbles2]

Earth2Mama Max and Michael have sincere affection towards each other, but being guys, they're terrible at showing it. If they can tap into that, they might be able to pull it off. Maybe.

FSU/MSW-94 Bullying is a very serious issue, and it's something that will help motivate Max.

keepsmiling7 Oh yeah, the real fun starts at the wedding, but there's some to be had before it kicks off.

Michelle17 They might surprise you.

Alien_Friend If only...

begonia9508 Nope, no drag queens.

HypnotiqBlueEyes Yep, both girls will be at the wedding.

angiebrenna Thank you.

Cardinal It could go right, you never know.

Big thanks to Steffi who made my lovely banner.

These next few parts are kind of short, but I will be posting pretty regularly to swings & roundabouts. (I've probably just cursed myself by saying that I'd be posting regularly, haven't I?)

On board

Max rubbed his eyes wearily and rolled his shoulders to get rid of some of the stiffness in them. He stood up from the computer and walked over the to water cooler to get a cup of water.

The office was almost empty; there was only one other person around - Ben the copy editor, playing solitaire instead of going home to his wife.

Max took his seat again but couldn't face back into his task, so he minimized the page. He was reading an article by a teenage boy who was speaking about his experiences of being gay in high school. It was a rough read. Especially as the teenager had reworked the article to write about how he had been driven to attempting suicide by the bullying he experienced daily.

So far, Max had read ten or eleven of the articles for the gay issue. Apart from Travis, all the other writers were adults and most of them had moved away from their hometowns to places where being gay was more acceptable. Among the writers was a judge, a CEO and an actor. They had all experienced bullying and torment in high school and had spoken of the pain and humiliation they had gone through as teenagers. But for Travis Payne, it was still a daily reality and he wrote with a rawness that made Max's heart break.

In high school, Max had been shy and quiet. He had very few friends, preferring the company of his sister and Michael over anybody else and hung out in the library instead of the more populated quad at lunchtimes.

Looking back now, he was filled with regret. What had be been so afraid of? He had never been bullied, had nothing to hide. There was no reason that he couldn't have made more of an effort to get to know his classmates and make friends.

All those years he had spent staring at Liz Parker, wishing he had the courage to talk to her. Why didn't? Why had he been so afraid?

He wished he could have known Travis Payne back then, known what it was really like to be afraid to open yourself for fear of what could happen.

He sighed and made a promise to himself. Next time he saw Liz Parker, he was going to ask her out. Or talk to her at least. He just hoped that the next time he saw her wasn't at Brody's wedding.

Speaking of which.

Max picked up the phone on his desk and called his sister to let her know what he would be doing at Brody's wedding, just in case somebody else from Roswell was at it and went back to New Mexico with the news that Max Evans was gay.

It took Isabel five minutes to stop laughing once Max told her about his plan, and a further ten when he revealed that Michael would be posing as his boyfriend. Finally Isabel calmed down enough for Max to ask her if she'd heard of anybody else in town that might have been invited.

“I haven't heard,” Isabel said uncertainly. “But the type of people that Brody hung out with in Roswell were ufologists and alien basket cases. They're not the type of people that I usually hear much gossip about.”

“Michael thinks that Maria Deluca might be there. He says that she stayed in contact with Brody after he left Roswell. Have you heard anything about her?”

“I don't know, Max. I haven't heard anything about her in ages. I don't know what she's doing.”

Max exhaled slowly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ok, well thanks, Iz.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Max finished up and sent Travis a quick email with his thoughts on the article before logging off and saying goodnight to Ben.

As he left the building, his cellphone rang and Isabel's name showed up on the screen. “Hey.”

“Hi, Max. I was just telling Mom about how you're gay now and-”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Anyway, she has two questions. First, why, out of four million men living in New York city, did you pick Michael Guerin to be your gay lover? And secondly, she wants to know what kind of blackmail material you have on him?”

Max laughed. “I called in a favor with Michael. Look, I’m about to get on the subway, so if there's something you want...”

“Oh yeah. Well, Mom ran into Nancy Parker and Amy Deluca the other day. They were trying on bathing suits. Apparently they're going on a girlie vacation to Mexico with Liz and Maria. And they're leaving on Saturday.”

“Saturday?” Max repeated with relief. He said a silent prayer of thanks that neither girl would be at the wedding. “Thanks, Iz.”

“By the way, Dad says that you and Michael make a really cute couple and he hopes you're very happy together.

“Goodnight, Iz.” Max said, and hung up.

***

“Flight Three-five-nine to Boston Logan is now boarding. Can all passengers please make their way on board.”

“That's us,” Max said.

“Ok,” Michael replied.

Neither of them moved from the plastic seats they were waiting on. Michael was watching highlights of a basketball game on his phone and Max was people watching.

He watched as the queue for the plane dwindled down as people boarded. “We should go,” he said after a few minutes.

“OK.”

Max had been sure that Michael would have come up with some excuse not to come to the wedding, or simply not shown up at the airport at all. So he was surprised that Michael had not only been there waiting as promised, but he was even wearing the 'gay clothes' that Tess had picked out for him.

“It's only a couple of days. Before we know it, we'll be back here, laughing about the weekend,” Max said to convince himself as much as Michael.

Michael cast a longing look in the direction of the exit. “Sure,” he grunted.

Max checked the queue and realized that they were the last two waiting to board. The flight attending was glaring pointedly at them. “We have to go.”

He stood up and gathered his things. Michael followed slowly, trudging reluctantly and sighing the whole time. Max wished that he'd thought to show Michael Travis' article. It might have helped Michael to have a reason to do this.

“Listen, I want to do something on the plane,” Max said as the walked down the gangplank to the plane.

“Like what?”

“Hold hands. Maybe just a little peck,” Max said. “There's been a couple of high profile cases of discrimination by airlines. I just want to see if we experience anything.”

Michael made a whining sound but he nodded in acceptance. “Fine. I hate you.”

They rounded the corner and stepped aboard the plane. “No you don't, you love me,” Max said with a saucy wink in Michael's direction, for the benefit of the flight attendant who was greeting them.

Michael grimaced a little but he managed to blow a little kiss at Max.

Twenty-five minutes later, they were in the air. Michael had stuck his head in a magazine, clearly hoping that Max had forgotten all about his plan.

Max looked around at their neighbors. Directly across the aisle from them was a woman with three small children under seven. There was an elderly couple behind them, and a young couple in front. Judging by the way they were currently slobbering all over each other, Max guessed they would probably spend most of the flight in the restroom.

At least, he hoped they would take it to the restroom and not do it on the seat in front of him.

Max cleared his throat and took a deep breath. Then he took Michael's hand and held it in his own.

Michael put down the magazine and looked at Max. “Now what?”

“I guess, we wait,” Max said. He leaned over and whispered into Michael's ear. “William Wallace is seven feet tall! Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds. And if HE were here, he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse.”

Michael laughed at the absurdity of the Braveheart quote being whispered in his ear as sweet nothings.

Max sat back in his seat, and watched from the corner of his eyes as the mother across the aisle gathered her children to her and pressed the call button.

A flight attendant responded quickly. Max pretended not to notice as the two women had a whispered conversation that involved a lot of pointing his his direction. He could feel Michael tensing beside him as his grip on Max's hand grew tighter.

Then the flight attendant turned around to Max and Michael with an apologetic smile on her face. “Hello there,” she simpered.

“Hello,” Michael said in an altogether too chipper voice.

“Are you having a nice flight?” the lady asked. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, thank you, I’m fine,” Max said. He turned to Michael. “Do you need anything?”

“No, I have everything I need right here,” Michael said, lifting their joined hands to illustrate his point.

The flight attendant blushed and cleared her throat nervously. “I would just like to remind you that this is a family airline, so...” she broke off and cleared her throat again.

Max was about to ask her to elaborate but Michael beat him to the punch. “So...?” he demanded.

“So, please make sure that your behavior remains family friendly,” she said, trying to keep her tone light.

“Is there something wrong with our behavior?” Max asked politely.

She smiled again, a poisonous smile. “No, of course not. It's just a friendly reminder. There are young children around.”

Michael pulled his hand from Max and leaned forward, beckoning the flight attendant closer. “Tell you what. We won't do anything that they're not doing.” He gestured to the couple in front who were now dry-humping each other.

The flight attendant cleared her throat again. Max resisted the urge to slap her. “I'm going to speak to them next.”

“They're practically copulating. You should have spoken to them first,” Michael snapped. “If I want to hold hands with my boyfriend, I will. And not you, or any other small-minded busy body can stop me from doing that. So, I would suggest that you leave us alone before I report you for discrimination. And if anybody else has a problem with us, they can come and say it to our fucking faces.”

The woman flushed and cleared her throat again. “There's no need for that kind of language.”

“Go away now,” Michael warned.

She threw a glare at him and scurried off down the aisle. The woman in the seat opposite them had an expression like she was sucking lemons. She shot them another dirty look and muttered something under her breath. Max didn't catch it all, but he definitely heard the word 'disgusting'.

Max bit the side of his cheek to stop himself from laughing and turned back to his friend.

Michael looked irate. He grabbed Max's hand again and raised it slightly, to ensure that the bitch across from them could see their intertwined fingers. He was glaring at the flight attendant and then nodding his head pointedly towards the couple in front of them. The flight attendant who had spoken to them disappeared into a cubby, and then moments later another flight attendant emerged and approached the pair in front of them to ask them to keep their behavior 'family friendly'.

Max couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face and he leaned in to speak quietly to Michael. “I think you enjoyed that.”

“Damn right,” Michael said. “Stupid bitch deserved it. Telling us off for holding hands when those two were playing hide the salami.”

“You're hurting my hand,” Max told him.

“Sorry.” Michael eased his grip but kept hold of Max's hand.

Max laughed quietly to himself, delighted and proud of Michael's stand. Ever since he'd known Michael, his friend had been a rebel without a cause.

Looks like he'd found a cause.

***

[nibbles2]

Thank you for all the feedback. This is another short part and nothing really happens, but anyway....

Checking in

“Oh look, honey, they have a golf course.”

Max bit back a laugh and pretended to read the passage in the brochure that Michael was pointing out. “That's right. I remember reading something in the information Brody sent us that the hotel have organized a tournament for wedding guests. Maybe you can still sign up for that.”

“I didn't bring my clubs,” Michael pouted. He kept reading. “Oh, they'll supply clubs. That's useful.”

“And once again I get to spend yet another Saturday being a golf widow,” Max said with an aggravated sigh.

“I'm sorry honey, I'll make it up to you tomorrow night,” Michael said. He could barely get the words out without laughing.

Max had to bite his fist to contain his own laughter.

When they landed at the airport in Boston, a hotel courtesy bus had been waiting to collect them and a number of other guests who had flown in for the Davis-Kishi wedding. From chatting to other guests as they waited for the bus, Max had learned that Brody had booked out the entire hotel for use by his wedding guests. It was situated close to the Davis Family estate, where the wedding would take place.

While waiting, Max had started a conversation with another guest, a man roughly ten years older then him. The other man, Warren, was a UFO enthusiast and he had been excited to discover that Max was from Roswell. They'd been having a conversation about a recent sighting when Michael had walked up and put his hand on Max's back. It was a small gesture, but Warren had immediately figured out that they were a couple. He had stopped talking mid-sentence and walked off.

When the bus has arrived, Michael had deliberately chosen a seat directly behind Warren and spent the rest of the trip calling Max honey and generally driving it home to Warren that he and Max would be engaging in gay sex over the weekend.

Max reckoned that Warren was one more 'honey' away from his head exploding. Thankfully the bus turned off the road and onto the gravel driveway leading up the hotel before that could happen.

Warren jumped from the bus as soon as it stopped and went scurrying inside the hotel.

“Was it something we said?” Michael asked innocently.

“You're such a bastard, honey,” Max laughed.

They grabbed their bags and made their way inside the hotel where the joined the line at the reception desk. Michael dumped his bag at Max's feet and told him he was going to hit the head.

“I'll wait for you to come back before I check in. I want to see how the staff treat us,” Max said.

“Cool,” Michael said with a nod.

Max couldn't help but grin as Michael wandered off towards the restrooms. A couple of hours earlier Michael had been hating absolutely everything about this weekend, and Max thought he'd have to bribe and cajole him into everything. Now that he sensed an opportunity to annoy people, Michael was fully on board. And even enjoying being 'gay'.

“Max Evans!”

Brody Davis strode through the hotel lobby with a bright smile on his face and his arms open wide. He hugged warmly then stepped back to look at his former employee. “Max Evans! It's good to see you. I'm so thrilled you're here.”

“Thank you, Brody. I'm delighted to be here. Congratulations.”

Max couldn't get over the change in Brody since he'd seen him last. The Brody he'd known had been thin, pale and gaunt. This Brody was rosy-cheeked, plumped up and healthy. “You look great.”

“Thank you.” Brody smiled. “Can you believe I'm getting married? What about you? Any sign of wedding bells in your future?.” He looked around and saw nobody who looked like she was with Max. “Max, did you come alone? Where's your plus one?”

“Uh, he's in the restroom.”

“Oh,” Brody displayed only mild surprise which he covered up quickly.

Max suddenly realized that while it was fun to make narrow-minded bigots nervous and uncomfortable, it wasn't fair to use Brody's wedding to make a point. “I'm sorry. I should have let you know that my date is a man. I don't want to make-”

“Max,” Brody said sharply, cutting him off. “Please don't ever apologize for who you are. I don't care if your date is male, female or animal. Well, actually, I would draw the line at bestiality. I was just a little surprised because I always thought that you had a thing for the little waitress who worked in the diner across from the UFO museum.”

“Thank you, Brody,” Max said, brushing over the reference to Liz Parker. “Uh, here's my date now. You might remember him from Roswell actually.

“Michael, you remember Brody? Brody, Michael.”

“Brody, good to see you again. Congratulations,” Michael said, holding out his hand to shake Brody's.

There was a moment of recognition in Brody's eyes and then deep shock as he remembered Michael. His mouth fell open and he looked from Max to Michael. “I... you're... you... uh... Michael, of course. Thank you for coming. I... I didn't expect to see you here. Wow, sorry, I just never imagined that you two would end up together. Well, this is a turn up for the books.”

Michael slid his arm around Max's shoulder and smiled. “Truth be told, it took me a little by surprise too.”

Brody shook himself out of his stupor. “Well, I have to run. But, we're having cocktails here tonight, after the rehearsal dinner. It should start around eight, in the Blue Bar. I hope to see you both there.”

“You had me at cocktails,” Michael told him.

“Thank you, Brody,” Max said. “We'll be there.”

“Good, my best man is really looking forward to seeing you,” Brody said as he walked off. “See you tonight.”

Max and Michael went to check in. The girl at the reception desk didn't bat an eye at the two of them checking in together. Max mused that maybe she was used to it.

Once in their room, the first thing Michael did was make sure that the couch pulled out into a bed. He might be OK with acting gay in public but that didn't mean he wanted to share a bed with another dude. Satisfied that there was no chance he would end up spooning Max, Michael threw himself down on the bed and took a nap.

Max changed into his gym gear and went for a workout. When he got back to the room, he took a shower and they ordered room service. Then they changed their clothes into Tess approved outfits and went downstairs to the Blue Bar.

The cocktails were in full flow when they got down the bar and there was a lively atmosphere amongst the wedding guests. Max and Michael mingled separately. Michael was talking golf to a number of men who were delighted to discover he worked for a major golfing equipment company. They were gathered in one corner, practicing their swings.

Max talked to a number of different people. Most of them were friendly, but every so often he came across someone who was a little hesitant to talk to him. Max probably wouldn't even have been aware of it, if he wasn't paying close attention to people's reactions and attitudes towards him.

After a while, the guests from the rehearsal dinner drifted in. Then Brody and his fiancee Ikuko, and three girls who were either sisters or cousins of Ikuko.

Max felt his jaw drop. All four girls were incredibly beautiful, together they were stunning.

“You're supposed to be gay, remember,” Michael whispered in Max's ear.

“Yeah...” Max had to drag his eyes away from them. “I definitely remember that I'm not gay.”

“And worst of all, we can't even hit on any of them this weekend,” Michael reminded him.

Max groaned. “So, uh, anything to report?”

“Not really. WASPs like golf. Hardly groundbreaking stuff,” Michael joked. “You?”

“There's definitely a difference in the way some people treat me when they realize I'm 'gay' but nothing that I could really define. Can we stick together for a while? I want to see if it's more noticeable when we're together.”

The change was immediate. Conversations became more stilted and awkward, people drifted away quicker, Max was more conscious of people looking at them and talking about them. Nobody was outright rude, but he could feel it in the air.

“It must be so hard to live like this all the time,” Max said to Michael as they sipped two beers - Neither of them could actually bring themselves to drink cocktails.

“Yeah,” Michael agreed. “It's kind of fun to screw with people for a weekend, but it must get very tiring when you have to do it the whole time. Can we get out of here?”

“Sure, let's just say goodnight to Brody.”

They made their way through the crowd to where Brody was standing with his fiancee.

“Sweetheart, I want you to meet Max Evans and Michael Guerin. Max used to work for me in Roswell. Guys, this is my fiancee Ikuko.”

Max and Michael shook hands with Ikuko and tried not to stare too much.

“By the way, what did you mean when you said your best man was looking forward to seeing me?” Max asked, it had been niggling him since his conversation with Brody earlier than day.

Brody grinned and looked around before beckoning somebody over. “Why don't you ask her yourself.”

Her?

“Hello, Max,” came a female voice from behind him.

Max turned slowly and his heart sank as he saw the second last person he wanted to see that weekend. “Hello, Maria.”

***

[nibbles2]

Thank you all for your lovely feedback.

On with the show...

The Best Man

Nothing would satisfy Maria Deluca but to drag Max and Michael to a quiet part of the bar so they could talk.

“I'll get drinks,” she said, pushing Max into a seat and running off before either of them had a chance to protest.

“I thought you said she was going to be in Mexico?” Michael said through gritted teeth. “I do not want Maria Deluca thinking I'm gay.”

“I’m sorry, but Isabel told me she would be on vacation,” Max apologized. He was going to kill Isabel. “Just play along for now. I’ll make sure to get her contact details from Brody before we leave and I’ll let her know the truth as soon as we get back to New York. Please, Michael, this is important.”

Michael huffed and groaned. “Fine. But, I’m not sure she's going to believe it anyway. She and I had a thing.”

“You mentioned that before. What happened between you two?”

“It started after graduation when you were in Albuquerque doing that internship. We used to hook up. It went on the year we were both in community college. And then she moved to Las Cruces to go to college there so it ended.”

“For a whole year?” Max asked incredulously. “How come you never mentioned it before?”

“Shh,” Michael warned as Maria came back carrying three very fruity, very pink cocktails.

Maria set the drinks in front of the guys and sat down opposite them. “It's so good to see you both, it's been ages. How're you doing?”

“Great, we're great,” Max said. “And you?” He took a sip of his drink and tried not to grimace at the taste.

“Oh, I’m fine. So, Brody says that you two are together now! That's so cool. How long have you been together?”

Max and Michael stared at her in shock. Maria seemed genuinely happy that they were together, and apparently wasn't at all surprised that they were apparently gay.

“You're not surprised?” Max asked.

“No. Well, I was a little surprised when Brody mentioned that your boyfriend was Michael. But it makes a lot of sense now. It certainly explains a few things,” Maria told them.

“It does?” Max asked weakly. Beside him, he could tell that Michael was fuming.

“Sure. Michael was so dead set against being in a relationship with me, and the way he broke up with me... Yeah, it explains everything.” She leaned across the table and put her hand on top of Michael's. “I just want you to know that I forgive you. I wish you could have told me the real reason, I would have understood.” She pulled back and smiled. “It's certainly easier to deal with the fact that a guy you really like isn't into you because he's gay, than because he just doesn't feel the same way.”

Michael practically growled.

“So, uh, does it explain anything about me?” Max asked, trying to prevent Maria from saying something to Michael that would have induced a stroke.

“No, I always knew you were gay,” Maria said lightly.

“I see,” Max took another drink to hide his reaction to that statement.

But at least Maria's comment had calmed Michael down a little. He smirked at Max.

Maria clapped her hands together. “So, tell me how you two got together. I want to know all the details.”

Max and Michael exchanged looks, each silently urging the other to go ahead and answer Maria's questions.

Finally Max relented. “Well, Michael and I always knew we were different from everybody else. Though I think it's fair to say that Michael struggled with that. Right, Michael?”

Michael glared at him, but nodded. “Yeah.”

“So, nothing really happened until Michael moved to New York. By then we were in our twenties, and of course it's easier to come out in New York than it is in a small town in New Mexico. Once Michael admitted he was gay, there was no stopping us from being together.”

“That's so sweet,” Maria gushed. “You two were in love all those years and finally you can be together. Do your parents know, Max?”

“Uh... yeah, I only came out to them recently.”

“They probably knew, right? Parents often know these things,” Maria said knowingly.

“Um, they were surprised, I guess. But they were both incredibly supportive. And Isabel too.”

“That's great, you were lucky,” Maria said. “I have a friend who came out to his parents and they forced him to go to one of those camps to de-gay him. He left after three days and they've refused to speak to him since.”

“That's terrible,” Max sympathized.

Maria nodded. “Yeah. He's doing fine without them, but it was tough.” She took a drink and smiled. “Back to happier things. What's the plan for you two? Marriage, babies?”

“Yes,” Max asserted. He took Michael's hand and squeezed it. “We're hoping to marry soon. Babies will probably have to wait a while though. We decided to wait until we're in our thirties.”

“That's so awesome,” Maria squealed. “You two will be such great parents.”

“Thanks,” Max said hoarsely. “So, Maria, tell us about yourself. How did you come to be Brody's best man?”

“I did a year of college but I didn't really like it. Then Brody called me up and offered me a job. He was just getting back to work after being diagnosed and getting treatment, and he wanted somebody he could trust as his assistant. It was pretty tough for him, as you can imagine. So I went to work for Brody, thinking it would just be for the summer. And I ended up dropping out of college and staying with Brody. I’m his right hand man now, so to speak.”

“That's great. Brody looks like he's doing well,” Max commented.

“Yeah, no alien abduction in four years,” Maria said, but she was smiling proudly. “He's an inspiration.”

Max nodded. “So, uh, I was talking to Isabel the other night and your name came up. Because we were wondering if anybody else from Roswell would be at the wedding. She said that you were supposed to be in Mexico this week.”

Maria laughed. “We're flying to Miami on Monday to meet up with Mom and Nancy Parker and then we're flying to Mexico from there. I can't wait. Brody gave us the use of his villa for the week.”

“Cool.” Max wondered how he could bring up Liz Parker but he couldn't think of a way of asking without revealing his interest in Liz. So he looked around for another topic of conversation. “Where's your plus one?”

“Oh, she's not getting here until tomorrow.”

“She?” Michael repeated. “Are you...?”

Maria laughed. “Lesbionic? No. I broke up with my last boyfriend about a couple of months ago and I didn't really have anybody that I wanted to invite to the wedding, and Liz isn't seeing anybody either so we figured we'd just come together. Liz will be getting here tomorrow.”

“Liz? Liz Parker? She's going to be here?” Max asked faintly.

“Yep. I told her that you'd be were here. She's looking forward to seeing you,” Maria said happily.

“Oh... You told her about us?” Max waved his hand between himself and Michael.

“No,” Maria said with a shake of her head. “I didn't know if I should. I mean, I didn't know if you had come out to your parents so, I didn't want to mention it to anybody, just in case.”

“It's fine,” Michael told her. “Max and I are out and proud. We don't care who knows about us.”

Max wanted to kill him. He shot a look at Michael who smirked in return.

“Good for you guys,” Maria said, her voice full of admiration. “Listen, I should go and mingle. But let's try and get together sometime over the weekend.”

“Sounds great,” Max agreed without any real enthusiasm. Normally, he would have been thrilled at the prospect of spending time with Liz, but he didn't fancy doing it while his goddamn boyfriend was with them.

Maria finished off the last of her drink and stood up. She smiled at the two guys and suddenly grabbed their cheeks and pinched them. “Ooooh, you two are so cute together.”

Michael rubbed his cheek and waited until she was out of hearing distance. “I hate you, Max.”

“I'm sorry,” Max repeated. “I really didn't know she'd be here.” He shook his head in despair. “Shit, I can't believe that I’m going to have to tell Liz Parker that I’m gay.”

“I hope you don't think you can back out of this just because she's going to be here,” Michael said in a low voice. “If I have to tell Maria that I’m into dudes, then you're going to have to let Liz Parker think that you're as gay as the fairy sitting on top of Elton John's Christmas tree.”

[nibbles2]

keepsmiling7 Oh yeah, Max will squirm.

Earth2Mama Oh, they're going all the way!

begonia9508 Max didn't think that there would be anybody else he knew from Roswell there so he thought he was safe. Thanks a lot, Isabel.

clueless Thank you.

HypnotiqBlueEyes Liz is coming, but the crazy has already started.

somewhere87 Oh yeah, more than she's letting on.

FSU/MSW-94 Some wires were crossed, some, not so much.

Alien_Friend I think that being gay together is bringing a whole new element into Max and Michael's relationship.

Michelle in LA I think that Maria's presence might curtail Michael a little. If she wasn't there, who know how far he'd go.


AN I forgot to change the date in the title header last time I updated so if you missed the conversation between Maria, Max and Michael it's on page 5.

Rumpy Pumpy

Max slid the key-card into the slot and opened the hotel room door. Michael pushed past him and threw himself onto the couch. Max removed his jacket and sank onto the bed.

“Why does nobody act surprised when they find out I’m gay?” he asked. “Do I come across as gay.”

“I don't know, dude,” Michael sighed. He pushed himself up and wandered over to the mini-bar. “I don't care how expensive this shit is, I need a drink.”

“Can I have one?” Max asked.

Michael handed him a can and took one for himself. He took his seat again and popped the beer.

“Seriously though,” Max asked after they'd been sitting in contemplative silence for a few minutes. “Why does everybody think I’m gay?”

“I think it's actually a compliment, in a weird sort of way,” Michael said. He took a sip of his drink. “You're a sensitive guy, you're good looking, you're well dressed and well groomed. You were very quiet in high school, you never had a girlfriend. You didn't spend the whole time trying to get into girl's pants like the rest of us. Plus, you spend an awful lot of time at the gym.

“What I’d like to know is how the hell Maria Deluca believes that I’m gay! We were hooking up for a year and she spent ninety-percent of that time on her back. She has more proof than anybody that I’m completely straight.”

Max shrugged. “I guess it's like you said. If you tell people you're gay and you're holding hands with a guy, then they're going to believe you. Why would we lie about something like that?”

“This sucks,” Michael groaned.

“I'm going to kill Isabel,” Max said. He grabbed his phone and dialed his sister's number.

“Hey, girlfriend,” Isabel said when she answered the phone.

“Thanks a lot, Isabel,” Max growled. “Maria Deluca is not in Mexico, she's Brody's best man. Liz is going to be here tomorrow.”

“Hey, I was just passing on what Mom said,” Isabel reminded him. “Are you accusing our mother of being a liar?”

If Max had been able to reach down the phone and strangle Isabel, he would have done it cheerfully. “You could have given us a heads up. Liz Parker is going to think I’m gay... That we're gay. It's going to be all over Roswell.”

“So what? A girl that you haven't seen in years and never spoke to when you did see her every day is going to think that you're gay,” Isabel said. “If you'd have the stones to talk to her in high school, then maybe this wouldn't be an issue.”

“Ugh,” Max disconnected the call and switched his phone off. He threw himself on the bed again. “This is a nightmare.”

“Maybe we could tell them,” Michael said hopefully. “We could just pull them to the side and explain what's going on and ask them to play along.”

Max considered it and was tempted, but then he thought of Travis Payne. He shook his head. “No, I can't. This article is important to me, I have to have an authentic experience.” He sighed and rubbed his face. “I'm sorry, Michael. I know it sucks. But let's try and make the best of it. You were having fun until Maria showed up.”

Michael clearly wanted to argue, but eventually he nodded in agreement.

“Want to have gay sex?” Max asked with a grin. He patted the bed beside him.

Michael returned his grin and stood up. “Sure, bend over.”

Max laughed.

Michael sat down on the bed, careful to maintain as much distance as he could from Max. “So... how do we do this?”

Max took a deep breath, then moaned loudly. He cringed and did it again. “Come on,” he urged Michael.

“Yeah, baby!” Michael called out. He shuddered with embarrassment.

“Oh yeah,” Max cried. He had to close his eyes for the next part. “Fuck me.”

Michael laughed. “Oh yeah. Ugh, Ugh.”

“Wait. What are we supposed to be actually doing?” Max asked.

“Let's not create visuals,” Michael pleaded. He scrambled up onto his knees and started bouncing a little so that the bed moved and creaked. “Who's your daddy? Who's your daddy?”

Max laughed. “Oh Michael. Yeah.”

“That's it baby. Oh yeah.”

“Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.”

They kept it up for about ten minutes, alternatively laughing and cringing. Max joined Michael in bouncing on the bed so that it was slapping against the wall. Finally they roared out together before collapsing onto the bed, panting for breath.

“Was is good for you?” Michael asked.

“Best gay sex I’ve ever had,” Max joked.

Michael laughed and climbed off the bed. “I'm going to go to bed.”

“What? No cuddling?”

“Cuddle this,” Michael said, flipping him off. He grabbed the spare blanket and pillow from the wardrobe and made up the pull-put bed.

Max washed his teeth and slipped under the sheets of the bed. He lay in the dark, replaying the events of the day in his mind.

Thinking about their encounter with Maria, and then Michael's reaction to her, he realized that he had missed a few vital clues. “Hey, Michael, do you have feelings for Maria Deluca?”

The only response he got was a snore. He wasn't sure if it was real or fake, but clearly he wasn't going to get any further conversation out of Michael tonight. So Max rolled over and went to sleep.

***

The next morning, Max and Michael went down early for breakfast. The dining room was half empty and the people that were there were too hungover to react in any way to the gay couple.

“It looks like we were the only ones who left the party early last night,” Max commented.

Michael looked around and nodded. “You know what that probably means? All our neighbors were still at the bar last night when we were putting on a show for them upstairs.”

“Oh, shit.”

Michael laughed at the dumbfounded look on Max's face. “Ever think you'd be disappointed that you weren't witnessed engaging in man-sex?”

Max shook his head. “Can't say that I did.”

The wedding was planned for the evening, so they had the rest of the day free. After finishing breakfast, they parted ways; Michael to play golf and Max to do some work on his article. He wrote up his notes and drafted the first two paragraphs. When he tried to log on to the internet, he discovered that he couldn't connect. The woman who was sent up by the reception desk after he called for help had no luck either, so Max took his laptop downstairs.

He found a quiet seat in the corner by a window at the front of settled in to work. Although the lobby was busy with people checking in, or simply passing through, the seating area was almost deserted.

It was nice to be left alone and not having to put on a charade for a while.

When he had done as much as he could on the article, Max took to people watching. It was one of his favorite things to do and there was plenty of activity to keep him entertained without having to interact with anybody.

He was thinking about getting a work out in before Michael came back for lunch when he saw courtesy bus pulled up in front of the hotel for the third time that morning.

Max watched as a large group climbed out, it made him wonder how many people were going to be at the wedding. Thankfully he hadn't spotted anybody else from Roswell, none that he recognized anyway.

A number of recent arrivals moved towards the main entrance, but Max's eyes were drawn to a young women with her back to him. He watched as she struggled with the handle of her large suitcase. She was short and slender, with long dark brown hair.

His heart thumped in recognition. He would recognize her anywhere. He had spent years staring at her.

She turned around and started up the steps to the hotel.

Liz Parker.

***

[nibbles2]

keepsmiling7 Nope, no romantic history

FSU/MSW-94 Somebody did hear them, and it will be mentioned again!!

Earth2Mama Your neighbours probably think you're crazy anyway

blxgyrl18 Thank you

begonia9508 Thanks

sarammlover Thank you

secretk Isabel set them up. But Diane didn't stop her.

HypnotiqBlueEyes Thanks

Cardinal You're warm.

Michelle in LA It was way too good an opportunity for Isabel to pass up

dreamon Thanks

Alien_Friend Thank you.

spacegirl23 Welcome and thank you.

Janetfl Just don't let it happen again


Catching Up

Max didn't move as Liz entered the hotel and waited in line at the reception desk. He could feel his breathing becoming erratic, so he took a couple of deep, calming breaths.

He watched as Liz finally reached the desk and started talking to the receptionist. The girl behind the desk said something that made Liz laugh. Max smiled. It had been so long since he'd heard her laugh.

He got to his feet and checked his appearance in a mirror, then waited behind a large plant as she finished up and handed her suitcase over the the porter.

When she was level with the plant, Max stepped out looking casual. “Liz!” he exclaimed, injecting a hint of surprise into his voice.

“Max!” Liz responded with delight. She threw her arms up as if to hug him, then thought better of it and lowered them again. “Hi!”

“Hi,” Max said. He was aware that he had a huge goofy smile on his face and he hoped it didn't look as stupid as it felt. “Maria said you'd be here. It's good to see you.”

“You too. You look fantastic,” Liz said enthusiastically. She cast an apologetic look in the direction of the hotel porter and gestured to him that she'd just be a minute. “Um... are you on your way out?”

“No, I’m just finishing up some work down here because the WiFi isn't working in my room.”

Liz looked down at her feet, then back up at him. “Do you have time to grab a coffee?”

“Yes.” Max hoped he didn't sound too eager.

“Great. Um, I’ll just take my bag upstairs and freshen up. I’ll be back down in a few minutes.”

“I'll be here,” Max told her. He pointed to where he'd been sitting. “Right over there.”

“See you soon,” Liz said with a smile.

Max waited until the door on her elevator had slid closed before doing a little jump of joy. He checked his appearance in the mirror again. He tucked in his shirt, then untucked it. He ran his fingers through his hair.

He took his seat, shut down his computer and tidied up the table he'd been using. The he grabbed a copy of the New York Times and opened it on an interesting looking article.

Then he waited. His knee bounced and he drummed the table nervously. His eyes were glued to the bank of elevators, every time the doors slid open, he jumped a little.

Finally, after the longest twenty minutes of his life, the doors opened to reveal Liz. Max immediately ducked his head and pretended to be reading. It took all his self control not to look up and watch her approach.

“Hi, Max,” Liz said quietly. “Are you sure I’m not interrupting anything?”

Max threw down the paper. “Not at all. I had just finished.”

They sat in silence for a moment, drinking each other in.

Liz had changed out of the jeans and tank top she'd been wearing when she'd arrived. She was now dressed in a simple red dress that accented her curves and displayed her legs. Her hair was loose and freshly curled, and she had applied some make-up. In some respects, Liz had barely aged a day since high school but there was a womanliness to her now, that elevated her from pretty to beautiful. Max couldn't stop staring.

It was Liz who pulled her gaze away first, she glanced over her shoulder and signaled a waiter. They ordered coffee, and Liz asked for a sandwich as well.

“So,” Max said, a little awkwardly. “You look wonderful.”

Liz blushed. “Thank you, so do you. How have you been? Gosh, it's been ages since I’ve seen you last.”

Max nodded. “I think it was Christmas, three years ago.” They'd said hello as they exited the Christmas midnight service. “How's the world of molecular biology?”

“It's good,” Liz said but she sounded hesitant and uncertain.

Max raised an eyebrow. “That's not the response I expected from the eleven-year-old girl who announced she wanted to be the head of molecular biology at Harvard University when she grew up.

“I can't believe you remember that!” Liz exclaimed. She shook her head at the memory.

“It stuck in my mind. You were very precocious.”

Liz laughed.

“Is it not what you expected?”

“No it is. And it's great, but, I’ve actually decided to go back to college. I’m starting med-school in the fall.”

“Oh!” Max was shocked. The whole time he'd known Liz in school, she'd had one goal in mind. “That's a surprise. What prompted that?”

“You, actually,” Liz told him simply.

Max was astounded. Before he could ask what she was talking about, the waiter came back with their coffee and Liz's sandwich.

By the time the waiter was gone, he'd found his voice again. “Can you explain your last comment?”

“I read your article every month,” Liz said.

“Um, really? I didn't think H.I.M was your type of publication.”

“It's not. But there's usually a copy lying around at work or somewhere. I always try to read it because I love your writing.”

“Really? Wow. Thank you.” Max flushed at the thought of Liz reading his articles.

“You know what I like best?” Liz said. “Back in high school, you were always such an enigma. We were class mates for twelve years. We were lab partners for four years but I never felt like I got to know you. You were so mysterious. But now, thanks to the magazine, I feel like I’ve really got to know you. I wish... well, I wish I could have known you better in high school.”

“Me too,” Max admitted. “But, um, back to you. How did I cause you to leave your dream job and go back to college?”

“Do you remember the article you wrote last year about what it's like to be homeless?”

Max nodded.

“I thought it was incredible. You really brought it home to me what homeless people go through and it inspired me. I started doing some volunteer work, at a soup kitchen first. Then about six months ago I started doing hours in a women's refuge.” She shook her head sadly. “Oh my God. Well, you've seen real poverty and destitution, you can imagine what it's like... Do you still do volunteer work?”

Max nodded. “Yes. Monday and Wednesday nights at the soup kitchen.”

Liz smiled at him. “At first, I had a real sense of... fulfillment, I guess. But after a while, I started wanting to do more. Working in the lab felt clinical and detached. I wanted something that allowed more interaction with the people that I was trying to help.

“Then the company I worked for announced that they'd be outsourcing their lab-work to India so I’m being laid off. It was the kick I needed. So I applied to med-school. I’m hoping to specialize in a disease or illness, probably cancer, where my background in molecular biology will come into play and hopefully work towards a cure or a treatment from the medical side.”

“Wow. That's amazing,” Max told her. He couldn't believe that something he'd wrote had inspired Liz Parker. “Wow.”

“Thank you,” Liz said. “And thank you for setting me on this path. I don't think I’d ever have made this decision if it wasn't for your article.”

“Wow. Well, if you ever do find a cure, I hope that you remember me in your Nobel speech.”

“I might,” Liz teased.

“So are you going back to Harvard?”

Liz shook her head. “No, actually, I’m going to NYU.”

“You're.. you're moving to New York?” Max asked incredulously. His heart started to race. Liz would be living in the same city as him. She would be so close.

He resolved that he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him by.

“Yep.”

“That's great.”

“I never expected to end up in New York, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

“I live in New York. I mean, you probably know that if you read my articles.”

“Of course. I particularly liked the one you wrote about what it's like to be a sewer worker in New York. I made the mistake of showing it to Maria and she almost backed out of the move.”

“Maria's moving too?”

“Yes,” Liz nodded. “That's one of the reasons that I’m moving to New York. She's leaving Boston and I figured that I’d go with her. I swear, sometimes I think we're codependent.”

“Yeah, Michael and I are like that too,” Max laughed. He mentally kicked himself for bringing up Michael's name and prayed that Liz wouldn't ask about him. “Will you be living with Maria or you going to get a dorm room?”

Liz shuddered. “Ugh, I am definitely not going back to a dorm room. No, I’m moving in with Maria. You see, Brody and Ikuko are moving there and because Brody can't fart without Maria's help, he's taking her along too. He bought her a two-bedroom penthouse apartment in Manhattan as a thank you-slash-bribe. So I get to live in New York, rent free. Jealous?”

“Exceedingly.” Max's mind was racing with the possibilities that now lay in front of him. “Do you know New York? If you need a tour-guide, I’m available.”

“Actually, I,” Liz stopped abruptly and then smiled. “I'd love that, thank you. That would be great.”

Max opened his wallet and took out a card. “All my contact details are on that. So you can call me, or email. We'll set something up.”

Liz took the card and put it in her pocket. “Thank you, Max. I can't wait.”

Max couldn't help the smile that stretched from ear to ear. He had a semi-date with Liz Parker. This was the best moment of his life.

“How's Isabel”? Liz asked.

“She's good. She's a social worker in Roswell and I think that wedding bells are just around the corner.”

“Oh, that's great. Tell her....” Liz trailed off. “Is that Michael Guerin? I didn't know he was friends with Brody.”

Shit.

Max looked around as Michael approached them in long, determined strides.

Before Max could do or say something to alert Michael not to do anything, Michael swooped down and planted a kiss on Max's lips. It was brief. And fatal.

“Hi, honey,” Michael said. He glanced at Liz, then did a double take when he saw who it was. His jaw dropped and he turned to Max with a guilty look on his face. “Sorry,” he mouthed.

Liz was staring at them in open-mouthed shock. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them. She went pale, then flushed red.

“Liz,” Max said. How the hell could he explain this?

“I've got to go,” Liz blurted out. She jumped up so quickly that she banged her knee off the table and upset the coffee cup she'd been using, spilling the dregs of the drink across it's glass top. “I should go find Maria and... stuff.”

She ran off without saying goodbye or looking at them again.

Max breathed out slowly.

“I'm sorry, Max,” Michael said genuinely. “I never even noticed her. I got stuck playing golf with this complete and utter shithead who spent the entire match making comments about me being a fag. I just wanted to show him that he hadn't gotten to me. I’m sorry.”

“It's not your fault,” Max said quietly. He buried his face in his hands. “Shit.”

Had he just blown his chance with Liz?

***

[nibbles2]

I apologise for the delay in posting this, I have some personal stuff going on right now that's making it hard to even get near a computer let alone write fics. I will try to post a chapter of Gold Diggers tomorrow, if I can. Thank you all for the lovely feedback, and enjoy!

Wedding Belles

Around four that evening, a small fleet of luxury buses lined up outside the hotel, ready to ferry guests to the Davis estate just under a mile away.

Max and Michael were on one of the first buses to leave.

“This is one of the advantages of being gay,” Michael realized as the half-full bus rolled down the avenue.

“What is?”

“You don't have to wait for some chick who tells you she'll be ready in a minute and then an hour later still hasn't picked out which fucking shoes to wear. It used to drive me crazy about Maria. She took forever to get ready. But if I told her she looked fine, she'd get mad at me!” He shook his head. “You asked me if you looked OK, I said yes and you believed me. Why do women always make such an issue of things?”

Max laughed. “I have no idea how the female mind works.” He glanced at Michael. “So you and Maria went out? I thought you just hooked up?”

“We kind of went out a couple of times.”

“I see. So you guys were in a relationship?”

“I don't want to talk about it,” Michael said. The bus came to a stop and Michael hopped out quickly.

Max followed and handed over his invitation. He was given two programs and ushered forwards.

“On the other hand, we have almost two hours to kill before the ceremony starts,” Michael said. “We could have waited.”

“We're invited to take a walk through the grounds,” Max read from the program. “Look there's even a map with all the interesting features marked on it.”

“Oh good, flowers,” Michael said sarcastically.

It turned out that the interesting features were not flowers, but a weird and wonderful collection of statues and art installations. Even Michael the Philistine enjoyed the tour of the grounds.

The walk finished at the spot where the wedding would take place. Five hundred chairs were arranged in a semi-circle facing three large cherry trees. The trees were so laden down with pink blossoms that no other decorations were needed.

An usher led Max and Michael to seats located in the middle of the groom's side. There was still about forty minutes to go, and only a handful of other seats were taken. Max looked around to see if Liz had arrived yet, but there was no sign of her.

He was hoping to run into her again to see how she reacted to him and Michael. He knew Liz Parker, she wasn't the type to discriminate against anybody, for any reason. She'd obviously got a shock when she'd found out that they were gay. Which on reflection, he was glad about. He would have hated to find out that she'd 'always known he was gay' like Maria had.

He just hoped that when she did find out the truth, that she saw the funny side of it. He had been in touching distance of a date with her, and he was determined to make it happen when she moved to New York.

Max was broken out of his thoughts when Michael nudged him and motioned subtly to Max's left. Max turned and spotted Liz following an usher up the aisle. He caught her eye and nodded.

Liz stopped at the end of the row they were sitting in and gestured to the usher that she'd sit there.

“Be gay, Max,” Michael joked.

It was difficult. Liz looked absolutely breathtaking in a tight purple dress with her hair loosely curled around her shoulders. Max had to exhale slowly to calm his nerves.

“Hi guys,” Liz said uncertainly. “May I join you?”

“Of course,” Max told her.

Liz sank into the seat beside him. She appeared nervous. “I just wanted to apologize for the way I reacted earlier.”

“You don't have to,” Max told her quickly.

“No, I do,” Liz insisted. “I'm so embarrassed. I’m not... I don't... I haven't....” She stopped and took a deep breath before starting again. “I didn't know that you two were together, or even that way inclined. I was shocked and I didn't really know how to react. It was stupid. I’m sorry.”

“It's fine, Liz,” Max told her. He smiled at her and was rewarded with a smile. “We understand. A lot of people are surprised when they find out about is.”

Michael grunted beside him.

“I'm surprised Maria didn't mention it to you,” Max said.

“Me too,” Liz said. “But she's been crazy busy all this week, with the wedding and getting ready for the move to New York.”

Michael practically bolted out of his seat. “Maria's moving to New York?”

“Yeah, in August,” Liz said. “Me too.”

“I've offered our services as tour guides,” Max said, with a quelling look in Michael's direction.

“Cool.” Michael sank back into his seat, looking pleased and slightly worried. Max made a mental note to question Michael about his relationship with Maria as soon as he could.

Michael lapsed into silence, while Max and Liz chatted between themselves. More and more guests were arriving and amongst them were many 'notable' faces; politicians, a couple of media personalities, writers and artists. Liz pointed out a number of prominent Bostonians that Max wouldn't have recognized.

As it got closer to the ceremony, Brody and Maria appeared under the cherry trees. Brody and the groomsmen looked great in dark morning suits and Maria looked stunning in a black velvet gown.

Max heard Michael inhale sharply beside him.

Liz jumped up and waved excitedly until Maria spotted her and waved back.

“Doesn't she look gorgeous?” Liz asked when she sat down again.

“Does the bride know what the best man is wearing?” Max asked.

“Yes, she picked it out.”

“Shame, a cat-fight would have really added to this wedding.”

Liz laughed. “Give it time. Apparently bridesmaid number three brought bridesmaid number five's ex-boyfriend as her date and they've been giving each other the evils all week. Maria said they're almost at boiling point.”

Not long after that, the wedding march played and the bride and her seven bridesmaids made their way down the aisle. Eight beautiful girls, in eight beautiful dresses. But unlike the night before at the cocktail party, Max barely looked at them. Not one of them could hold a candle to the girl sitting beside him. Not even all eight together could draw his admiration from Liz.

He spent most of the wedding ceremony, stealing glances at Liz from the corner of his eye. She was watching the proceedings closely and never noticed how he kept looking at her. On his other side, Michael too seemed to be paying rapt attention, which was a first for Michael. It took Max a few minutes to realize that Michael was staring at Maria.

When the service was concluded, Brody and Ikuko and their large bridal party led the crowd towards the formal gardens where the reception would take place. Everybody was handed a flute of champagne and a copy of the seating plan.

Max and Liz discovered that they would be sitting beside each other at dinner too. Max found himself smiling in delight at that, prompting Michael to remind him to 'be gay' once again.

“I want to go find Maria,” Liz announced.

She dove into the crowd and pushed her way through. Max followed eagerly after her and Michael trailed along in their wake.

Eventually Liz was able to locate Maria and the two girls enthusiastically complimented each other on everything, right down to the nail polish Maria was wearing on her toes.

“Look who I found,” Liz said at last. She stared pointedly at Maria.

“Hi guys,” Maria smiled. “You two look great.” She stepped forward and straightened Michael's tie, then brushed her hand down his chest and sighed. “Being gay has been really good for your wardrobe, Guerin.”

Max bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at the expression on Michael's face.

“You look good too,” Michael told her.

Maria stroke a pose and grinned. “Thank you. So, it dawns on me that Liz and I have nobody to dance with later and you two can do something about that.”

“We'd be delighted,” Max said quickly, already relishing the prospect of getting to dance with Liz Parker.

Michael shook his head. “I don't dance.”

Maria laughed. “Michael, you don't have to pretend anymore. Everyone knows that gay guys love to dance.”

“I'm not like the other gay guys,” Michael said through gritted teeth.

“Oh believe me, I know,” Maria said dryly. She flashed another smile at them. “I've got to go get my picture taken. I’ll see you two later. Liz, come with me.”

Liz gave them a little wave. “I'll talk to you later.”

Max watched them disappear into the crowd before he turned to Michael, who did not look happy. “Come on, let's go find some stuck up assholes to annoy.”

***

Liz sat on a marble bench and watched as the bridal party posed in various combinations and permutations under a clump of cherry trees similar to the ones the wedding had taken place under.

Her mind was full of Max Evans. It had been years since she'd seen him, but already he was consuming her thoughts just as much as he had back in high school.

She couldn't believe he was gay. It was devastating.

When she'd made the decision to move to New York with Maria, she'd promised herself that she was going to track Max down and finally get to know him, and hopefully even work towards the possibility of a date with him.

For a few minutes in the hotel lobby it had all been going according to plan and it seemed like she even had a shot of an actual date with Max Evans.

And then his boyfriend had shown up.

It was like being back in biology class all over again, desperately hinting to Max that she had no date for senior prom and waiting vainly for him to ask her out only for him to tell her he wasn't going to prom. Only a billion times worse.

“It's a wedding, not a funeral, sweetie,” Maria said as she flopped down on the seat beside her.

“Sorry,” Liz said, and smiled. She looked over to where Brody and Ikuko were smiling and posing for photographs. “The wedding was so beautiful.”

“I'm just glad it's over and I can finally relax, Maria said. “I can't wait to get to Mexico and I can chill out on the beach with a margarita and not have to worry about anything wedding related. This past week has been mental.”

“That's the only reason that I’m not mad at you for not telling me about Max and Michael,” Liz informed her.

Maria winced. “I'm so sorry about, Liz. I really meant to but I only found out just before the rehearsal dinner last night and I just didn't get a chance to call you. How did you find out?”

Liz buried her face in her hands at the memory. “Ugh, Maria it was so embarrassing. I ran into Max in the lobby and we decided to get coffee together. I spent twenty minutes dressing up for coffee and I was practically throwing myself at him. I told him that I was moving to New York and he offered to show me around. I was doing mental cartwheels because I was this close to an actual date with him.” She held her fingers millimeters apart to show how close she'd been.

“And then Michael came over and they started making out in front of me.”

Maria gasped. “They made out and I missed it! Damn. I don't suppose you have pictures?”

“What? No.” Liz shook her head. “I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do or where to look so I just ran away. I made a total ass of myself.”

“Sorry, Liz,” Maria said.

Liz shook her head. “It's not your fault. I just had no idea they were gay. Did you any idea?”

“They're not gay.”

“What? Of course they are. What? Why would you say that?”

Maria laughed. “Because, they're not gay.

Liz stared at Maria, hope fluttering in her chest. But then she thought of them making out and shook her head. “No, Maria, they are. Why would they say they're gay if they're not?”

“My best guess is that Max is doing a story for his magazine and he needs to pretend to be gay for it. He must have some prime, grade A, nuclear option type blackmail on Michael and used that to get him to go along with it.”

Liz tried to process what Maria was saying. She shook her head again. “No, they wouldn't do that.”

Maria sighed exasperatedly. “Look, I dated Michael, or whatever that was, for a year. That boy is not gay. I know that for a fact.”

“He could be bi-sexual, or... lots of homosexual people have heterosexual relationships before they come out. And Michael seems like the type who would have a lot of trouble accepting his sexuality. You said yourself that he broke up with you because he was emotionally closed off.”

“He had issues, but none of them were that he was struggling with his sexuality. Trust me, he was fine with his sexuality. He had trouble dealing with his feelings. But, he likes girls, not guys. Gay guys don't react to boobs and other lady-parts like Michael does.”

Liz closed her eyes. OK, she could buy that Michael was straight and just pretending for Max's sake. It was actually easier to accept that he was pretending, than he was gay. “But that doesn't mean that Max is straight.” She gasped as a thought entered her head. “Remember that column he wrote a couple of years ago about being in love with a classmate and never having the courage to do anything about. That was obviously about Michael. It makes so much sense.”

“Liz, you are the smartest person I’ve ever met, but when it comes to Max Evans you drop about seventy IQ points. That column was about you. Max is in love with you. That's how I know he's not gay.”

“No.” Liz shook her head vigorously. “Maria, that is so in your imagination.”

Maria mimicked strangling Liz before settling on grabbing her shoulders and shaking her a little. “Elizabeth Parker, listen to me. I have told you this time and time again, but maybe the thirty-seven thousandth time is a charm – Max Evans is in love with you. He always has been.”

Liz shook her head in denial.

“He has never, ever looked at Michael, or anybody else, the way he looks at you. He's in love with you,” Maria said. “You are his dream girl.”

“Maria, you've completely lost it.”

Maria threw her hands up in defeat. “OK, fine. He's not in love with you. He's as gay as the pink bow on Elton John's gayest chihuahua. But Michael Guerin is definitely not gay and I’m going to have me some fun tonight.”

“Fun?” Liz questioned.

“Yeah, fun. If they want to pretend to be gay, then I’m going to go along with that. With a vengeance! You should have seen their faces last night when I told them I’d always known. They nearly had heart attacks.” Maria laughed at the memory. “By the way, I arranged for you to be sitting beside Max at dinner so you could steal him away from his date. If I’d known that his date was going to be Michael, I’d have sat there too. Do me a favor, torture him as much as you can please?”

Maria stood up and pulled Liz up before linking her arm and heading back to the party. Liz was deep in thought. She really didn't know what to believe but she was praying with every fiber of her being that Maria was right.

***

[nibbles2]

So, so sorry for the delay in getting this part up. But RL has been a major bitch lately and there's so many things going on that I just don't have the time for writing anymore.

Thank you for all your lovely words, and thanks too for the nominations for this fic. I'm glad that you've enjoyed it so much.

Begonia9508 Exactly, Maria had insider knowledge while Liz has no real idea how Max's mind works.

Natalie36 I hope so

Earrth2Mama Maria will show no mercy.

MP Thank you.

keepsmiling7 Thanks, yeah, Liz really is clueless.

FSU/MSW-94 Well, Max has to come out of the closet before they can have a relationship.

mary mary it is!

sarammlover Thanks.

dreamon Thank you.

SecretK Oh, Maria has a few things up her sleeve.

Alien_Friend Maria has an evil mind, so it's easier for her to see the lies.

besomeoneyoulove Hello there! Thank you.

angiebrenna It's true. It's really pissing them off that Maria believes they're gay.

Jull_ana Gorgeous avi!

clueless Thanks.

cardinal Thank you. I don't know if Maria wasn't to rekindle it. But she certainly has some scores to settle.

Rowedog Hello stranger. Have we met before? Yes, you have been away for a long time, slacker. And you're going to owe me one ficlet, very soon.

Michelle in LA Knowing the truth is certainly going to change how the night plays out for Liz.

ftmtomytankers Another newcomer. This is awesome. So happy that my little old fic has drawn you out of lurkerdom. Stick around. It's fun.



I'm in the mood for dancing

Max waited until Liz and Maria were well out of sight before he turned his attention back to Michael. “This blows.”

“Yeah,” Michael sighed in agreement. “But at least you're getting to spend some time with Liz, lay some ground work. And when you tell her the truth, it'll give you both something to laugh at.”

“Or she'll hate me for lying to her.”

“I doubt that,” Michael said.

Max didn't feel so optimistic. He glanced over his shoulder in the direction Liz had gone to make sure she wasn't on her way back. “So, listen, while they're gone, can we be gay for a while? I still need to write this damn article.”

Michael groaned his acquiescence and allowed Max to take his hand. They made their way through the crowd hand-in-hand, nodding at people and occasionally stopping to make small talk. They were both conscious of the stares they received and although some of the other guests were unfriendly, most people were too caught up the in the happy atmosphere to care about two men holding hands.

Eventually, they wound their way to the tables and found where they would be sitting. It was about half-full already.

“Hello, I’m Max, this is my partner Michael,” Max greeted.

A man sitting to the left of what would be Liz's seat stood up suddenly and walked off without saying a word to them. The women he'd been sitting beside rolled her eyes at him before smiling apologetically at Max. “Hi, I’m Portia. Please, no car jokes.”

“I don't actually know any car jokes,” Max said.

The two couples sitting opposite them said hello politely and went back to conversation with each other, making no attempt to include Michael and Michael, or Portia. They three of chatted for a while until Max noticed Liz and Maria were approaching.

He sat upright and smiled as they squeezed through the crowd to reach the table. Max stood up to hold out her chair for Liz

“Thanks, Max,” Liz said as she smiled shyly at him.

“It's so rare to see it that kind of behavior these days,” Maria sighed. “It's such a shame that straight men aren't as mannerly as gay men. You could really teach them a thing or two about treating a lady right.” Then she eyed Michael. “Or maybe not.”

Max coughed and flushed while Michael fumed.

“Aren't you sitting at the head table?” Michael bit out.

Maria smiled maliciously at him. “Yes, but I just wanted to make sure that you two are going to hang around and dance with me and Liz later and not duck out early like you did last night.”

“We'll be here,” Max said quickly.

“Good,” Maria said. She shook her head and tapped Liz's shoulder. “Can you believe they skipped out on karaoke last night. I went up to their room to get them to come down again but they were otherwise engaged. I could hear them going at it all the way down the corridor.”

Max turned red, Michael spluttered and coughed, Liz didn't know where to look.

Satisfied with that shot, Maria flashed them all one last smile and said goodbye. Michael glared at her until she was out of sight, then glared at Max.

“I'm sorry about Maria,” Liz said. “I think she's on a wedding high at the moment.”

“It's fine. She's fine,” Max was quick to reassure her. Internally, he was cursing the fact that the only person who'd heard them having fake gay sex was the one person who would actually mention it in public. And to Liz, of all people.

A bell rang somewhere nearby calling everybody to dinner, and soon their table filled up. Portia's boyfriend never returned and instead, his seat was filled by her sister Miranda. Liz guessed correctly that they were named after Shakespearean characters which led into an interesting conversation about Shakespeare between Max, Liz and the two sisters. Michael was mostly too focused on the food to join in and the other people at the table pointedly ignored them.

By the time dessert was served, the sisters had begun chatting with the couple next to them so Max and Liz found themselves with just each other to talk to. And that was the way they wanted it.

They talked freely, without any awkward silences, but Max couldn't shake the feeling that Liz was almost analyzing him.

After dinner, the speeches were made. Maria's was funny and touching, and as at the wedding ceremony earlier, Michael was completely enraptured by her. Several times, Max had the urge to nudge Liz and draw attention to Michael's blatant attraction to her friend, but he kept catching himself just in time.

Once the speeches were concluded, a troupe of brightly clad acrobats and performers led them by lanterns and music to another part of the garden where a dance floor had been laid out. The troupe put on a breathtaking performance before disappearing into the twilight allowing the band to take the stage as Brody and Ikuko took to the floor for their first dance as husband and wife.

Maria materialized beside Liz as she watched the couple on the floor.

“Great speech,” Liz said. “I liked the line about the butterfly. That was a great line, poetic and masterful.”

“Liz wrote that line,” Maria explained to the two guys.

“It was a pretty good line,” Max grinned. “And wonderfully delivered, good job Maria. I hate public speaking.”

“Thanks.” Maria looked at Michael expectantly.

Max nudged him subtly.

“Yeah, great speech,” Michael said.

“Thanks,” Maria said, but she was still waiting for something.

The music ended and everybody clapped before the band started again. Maria rolled her eyes and grabbed Michael's hand. “Yes, I'd love to dance with you, Michael.”

Before Michael could object, Maria had hauled him onto the dance floor and wrapped her arms around his neck. Michael hesitated for a moment before placing his arms gently on Maria's waist. He looked nervous and awkward, but surprisingly, he didn't look unhappy about his predicament.

Max and Liz watched them for a minute and laughed as Michael stepped clumsily on Maria's feet, twice.

“There goes Maria's theory that all gay men can dance,” Liz giggled.

“Yeah,” Max agreed. “If there's a rule, Michael is usually the exception.”

He watched as the dance floor filled up, then held out his hand to Liz. “My Lady?”

“Why, thank you, kind sir,” Liz grinned. She accepted his hand and he led her out onto the dance floor.

Max prayed that she wouldn't notice how sweaty his hands felt, or how loud his heart was beating. He also prayed that no other parts of his body would betray his delight and excitement at finally having his arms around Liz, having her pressed against him.

But his body wasn't listening to his prayers. Completely of it's own accord, he leaned closer to Liz and breathed in her intoxicating scent.

“This is nice,” Liz said. “You're a really good dancer.”

“Thanks,” Max said, and inwardly cursed. Now he was just proving Maria's rule.

“How come...” Liz shook her head. “Never mind.”

“What?” Max prodded. He gave an exaggerated pout and whined. “Tell me.”

Liz giggled. “I was going to ask how come you never went to dances when we were in school, but I guess it makes sense now.”

“Yeah, I could never work up the courage to ask the person I wanted to ask and I didn't want to go with anybody else, so...” he shrugged. “Thank God high school is over.”

But he felt like he was back in high school again. Completely besotted with Liz Parker and too afraid to ask her out or tell her how he really felt. He remembered was it was like trying to work up the courage to ask her to homecoming or prom, and then chickening out and having to watch as somebody else swooped in and did he what he hadn't been able to do. It had been agonizing.

He resolved that it wasn't going to happen again. Once this weekend was over and he'd told Liz the truth, he was going to ask her out. He wasn't going to chicken out again.

Across the dance floor, Michael couldn't decide if he wanted to strangle Maria with his bare hands or drag her to a closet somewhere and show her how gay he really wasn't. He was OK with either option, because they would both shut her up.

“And the Braveheart obsession, that should have been a sign too,” Maria was saying. “I let myself think that you were straight because you were watching a movie about war and violence, but it wasn't the blood and gore you liked, it was the men in skirts. And Mel Gibson. It's so obvious now, in hindsight.”

She had gone over every moment of their past, every single thing she could remember about him and pointed out how it proved he was gay. Michael, who'd always thought he was a pretty masculine kind of guy, was now starting to wonder if everybody thought he was gay. Because listening to Maria, it seemed like there was no other conclusion to draw.

“All those sleeveless t-shirts you wore. D'uh, Maria, talk about a big flashing neon sign,” Maria sighed. “Gosh, I was so dumb.”

Michael grimaced and attempted to navigate the corner of the dance floor by twirling them around. It was clumsily executed but it put them back in the right direction. The maneuver also somehow brought Maria even closer to his body. Which he wasn't really complaining about.

He liked having her pressed against him again. He couldn't believe how much he'd missed it, missed her. He'd thought he was over her, but seeing her again had brought back a flood of feelings that he'd spent a long time suppressing. Even though she was being incredibly annoying right now, he liked when Maria was annoying. She made his blood boil with lust and passion in a way that nobody else had ever managed.

He just wished that he could deal with it like he used to back in the day, when he'd been able to drag her into his bedroom, or the broom closet at work, or wherever, and find another way to stir the blood. Arguing with Maria had been such a turn-on, and she knew it. She'd exploited it to the fullest.

Seriously, how could she think he was gay?!

Whatever proof Maria thought she could see in hindsight, she was completely overlooking the most obvious evidence of all that should have proved beyond doubt that he was straight. They'd spent ninety percent of their time together in bed. Or other places.

“Remember that time you took me to that art exhibition in Los Cruces?” Maria asked. “We spent two hours staring at pictures of naked men and that didn't even clue me in.”

The memory of that night came back to him and Michael felt himself heat up. He pulled her flush against him and whispered huskily in his ear. “I remember going back to the hotel with you afterwards. I tied you up and made love to you until four in the morning. You saw stars that night.”

Maria let out a slow, shaky breath and took a step back from him, her cheeks flushed. She smiled wickedly at him. “Sure, all those pictures of naked men had really turned you on.”

Michael growled in frustration and decided to just tell her the truth there and then. “Listen, Maria-”

“Hey guys,” Maria said brightly as they passed Max and Liz.

Max and Liz jumped at the sound of her voice. They'd been so lost in each other, they'd forgotten all about the rest of the world.

“Let's swap,” Maria suggested.

Reluctantly, Max let go of Liz and held his hand out, expecting Maria to take it. But she ducked under his arm and grabbed Liz and they twirled into the crowd, leaving the two men behind.

“I am having the best fun,” Maria exclaimed happily.

“Maria, I’m so confused,” Liz groaned. “I honestly can't tell if he's gay or straight.”

Max and Michael stared at each other after the girls had melted into the crowd, both of them holding their arms out in expectation of a partner. Max groaned and took Michael's hands.

Michael's eyes widened. “Are we seriously going to dance with each other?”

“Just around the floor to the chairs,” Max said.

Michael huffed but allowed Max to lead him. “I think we should tell them the truth,” he blurted out. “No, listen to what I have to say,” he said when Max opened his mouth.

“You said that you wanted to see the reaction you got from people. Well, you've got their reaction. Liz was a little bit shocked at first, but they're both cool about it and I don't think there's going to be any change in that. So it should be OK to tell them. And I know you don't like lying to Liz, so now you won't have to anymore. You could tell her that you're supposed to keep it a secret but you hate lying to her so you're telling her the truth. And tell her about that kid you're mentoring. You'll look like the good guy and she won't hate you for lying. And I'll tell Maria that I was doing it to help you out because it was so important to you and I owed you, and I might even end up not looking like the bad guy too.”

Frankly, Michael had him at 'I think we should tell them the truth', but Max sensed an opportunity here.

“Tell me something, honestly,” he said. “Why is it so important to you that Maria knows you're straight?”

“Because I’m a guy and I don't like people thinking that I’m into guys,” Michael said.

Max raised an eyebrow and waited.

“Fine. I’m hoping to score with Maria tonight.”

Max shook his head.

Michael groaned. “Fine. I have feelings for Maria. I think I'd like to start things up with her again. And do things right this time. My chances are pretty limited already because I kind of fucked up the last time so the whole being gay thing isn't helping.”

“What happened between you two?” Max asked.

“We started out as fuck buddies, but it got to be something more than that. It took me a while to realize that, of course, but by the time I did, we both had pretty strong feelings for each other. Only I was too emotionally retarded to deal with that like a man, so I chickened out and left Roswell.”

Max couldn't believe that Michael had been in love and he hadn't known a thing about it. “So you think you're emotionally mature enough to handle a relationship with her now?”

“Dude, I’m dancing at a wedding with a guy who I’m pretending is my gay lover. I think we can all agree that I have matured emotionally over the last few years.”

Max laughed. Couldn't really argue with that. “Alright, let's tell them.”

“Awesome!” Michael exclaimed. “Can we stop dancing now?”

***

[nibbles2]

Earth2Mama Me too.

begonia9508 Thank you.

MirasMiracle Oh yeah, the night is going to get a lot more interesting.

behrlyliz I would too, but I’d totally give the game away by laughing all the time. I have no poker face.

keepsmiling7 No idea. Brody and Ikuko just happen to like acrobats.

HypnotiqBlueEyes Oh, I’d love to see Max and Michael dancing together.

mary mary thanks.

FSU/MSW-94 Thank you.

Michelle in LA Thank you. I’m kind of proud of my evil mind.

Alien_Friend You'll get a taste of what Maria could come up with in this part. It's pretty evil.

MP thanks

sarammlover Well, they both know already. Pretty much.

Cardinal Oh, you have NO idea.

zaneri1 thanks.

clueless thanks for delurking. It's always good to know that people are reading.

secretk Me too.

besomeoneyoulove Thank you.

nitpick23 Liz will take a different tact than Maria.

The Proof's in the Porking



Max and Michael waited nervously at their table, their eyes glued to the girls dancing on the floor.

“Do you notice how nobody cares that they're dancing with each other but when we did it, we got loads of dirty looks?” Michael pointed out. If he didn't hate dancing so much, he would have pulled Max back onto the floor so they could rub some noses in it.

“Yeah, it's going into the article,” Max agreed. He squinted at the crowd as Liz and Maria disappeared from sight.

“So, how do we do this?” Michael asked.

“Um, I’m just going to ask Liz to take a walk with me and then tell her.”

“Wait, we're not doing this together?” Michael asked, feeling a little panicked. He didn't think Maria would believe him if Max wasn't there to confirm his story.

Max shook his head. “No way.” He'd been thinking as he watched Liz dancing. Now was the perfect time to let her know how he felt. He could tell her about the article and all about how he came to be pretending he was gay, apologize for lying and then segue-way into letting her know about his feelings. It was perfect. And he really didn't want Michael around Maria around for that.

They perked up as Maria approached, but noticed that Liz wasn't with her. Instead she was chatting happily to a young man about their age. Michael felt his hands clench. “We're telling them right away,” he said in a low voice. No way was he standing by and watching some other guy move in on his territory.

Maria smiled when she spotted them. “Guys, this is my friend Gregar. He wanted to meet you. Gregar, this is Max and Michael, who I was telling you about.” She gave them a little wave and disappeared again.

“Wait,” Michael called after her, but she was already gone.

“You two are so gorge,” Gregar said in the campest tone Max had ever heard anybody speak. “Which one of you is Michael?”

Michael raised his hand uncertainly.

He was shocked when Gregar suddenly slapped him, them tutted and wagged his finger in his face. “Bad boy. Don't play in the pussy playground unless you mean it. The girls aren't like us.”

Michael was too shocked to react.

“So, um, Gregory,” Max said.

“It's Gregar, as in gregarious,” Gregar said. He rolled his eyes. “My daddy had no imagination. He called my Greg but I changed it when I left Hicksville and moved to Boston. Gregar symbolizes the caterpillar leaving the cocoon and emerging a fabulous, fierce butterfly.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

“Right, Gregar... uh... you wanted to meet us?” Max prompted.

“Well, I wanted to meet the boy who broke Maria's heart, plus she said you two were gorgeous. And she's right, you two are extra dreamy delicious.” He grabbed a chair and moved it right beside Michael then sat down so he was practically on Michael's lap. “Especially you. You are simply yummy.”

Michael coughed uncomfortably and tried to move his chair away. Gregar shimmied closer. “I could just lick you all up. You know, Maria told me that you have a very talented tongue. So do I.” Then he stuck out his tongue and waggled it provocatively in Michael's face.

“Uh...” Michael stared at the man in horror with no idea how to react. He looked to Max for help. “Um... dude, my boyfriend is right here. Do you mind?”

“Yeah, back off,” Max said, coming to his friend's rescue.

Gregar pouted. “You two don't like to share? That's very disappointing! I’m going to report you to the Queen for not sharing.”

Max blinked in confusion, not knowing if Gregar was being serious or not. “OK.”

“Whatever,” Michael said, pushing the man away.

“You two are no fun”, Gregar sulked. “I'm going to find somebody else to play with.” He stood up, but before he left, he turned back to Michael and leaned down to whisper in his ear. “If you change your mind, I give the best head you'll ever have.” He slipped his business card in Michael's breast pocket then kissed his lips. “See you, bitches.”

He flounced off, leaving two very outraged men behind.

Gregar rounded a pillar and out of sight, where Maria and Liz were waiting for him. Maria held up her hand and he high-fived her.

“Greg, I heart you so badly that if you weren't gay, I'd totally throw you one,” Maria laughed.

“Thanks hon,” Greg said, his voice normal now.

“So?” Maria asked.

“Completely, one-hundred percent straight,” he confirmed. “Both of them. Didn't even make a blip on my bi-dar.”

“See,” Maria said triumphantly to Liz. “Greg has the best gaydar of anybody I know.”

“Fine, they're not gay. But if they're pretending they are, we should respect that and let them do whatever it is they're doing and not try to torture them.”

“I knew I should have gone with plan A,” Maria said under her breath.

“What was plan A?” Liz asked.

“Get you drunk and then convince you tell to Max that you are in love with him,” Maria admitted.

Liz squawked in outrage. “Maria! Well, I’m glad that you didn't do that.”

“Me too. Torturing Michael is way more fun. But, fine, I'll lay off Max.”

“I'm going to leave you two. The finger food won't plate up itself,” Greg told them. “Enjoy the rest of the night, you lucky girls. Oh, have a cocktail, they're delicious.”

“Thanks, Greg,” Maria said, hugging him.

He returned the hug. “I hope you get him back sweetie.”

“I don't want him back,” Maria protested at his departing back. “I want to get back at him.”

Liz smirked.

“I do,” Maria insisted. “He's a jerk and I hate him and I just want to get him back. Get back at him. Dammit.”

Liz laughed and dragged Maria back to where Max and Michael were sitting.

A waiter appeared at the table just as they sat down, he was carrying a tray of fruity pink cocktails. “Brokuko?”

“Say what now?” Maria asked, already accepting one of the drinks.

“It's a cocktail created in honor of Brody and Ikuko's marriage,” the waiter explained. “They were created especially for the couple. They're delicious.”

“I think that's a very unfortunate name but they are delicious,” Maria exclaimed. She gestured for him to leave one for everybody at the table.

Max and Liz looked at each other, daring the other to go first, before they both each took a sip.

“Mmm, that's really lovely,” Liz said. Then she coughed. “Packs quite a punch.”

“Drink up, Michael,” Maria goaded.

He took a drink. Mainly because he was too lazy to go find the bar and he needed alcohol in him, STAT.

Max took another drink to help calm his nerves. “So, Liz... I was wondering if we could-”

The music changed to an up-tempo song, eliciting squeals of joy from the two girls. They immediately jumped up and dragged the guys to their feet and cocktails in hand led them out onto the floor.

Liz and Maria immediately began to dance wildly and enthusiastically with each other. Max and Michael shuffled uncomfortably along side them. Max loosened up as he drank more of the cocktail but Michael remained awkward and rhythmically challenged. After a few minutes, Maria pushed Liz towards Max and danced on her own for a while until she was sure that Max and Liz were once again lost in each other and it was safe to leave them alone.

“C'mon, Spaceboy, I need your help with something,” she told him.

Delighted to have any excuse to get off the dance floor, Michael allowed her to pull him by the hand.

She led him away from the party and into the house, down a corridor, up a plushly carpeted stairs and down another long corridor.

“This house goes on forever,” Michael grumbled.

Maria laughed and pushed open the door to a large bedroom. “Ooh, the maids have been by and tidied up. I love maids.”

Michael swallowed nervously. “This is your room?” he guessed.

“Just for this week,” Maria told him. “But the Davis' are going to have to physically kick me out because I've become totally spoiled here. I want them to adopt me.”

She crossed over to the closet and pulled out a black party dress. It was similar in style to the one she was already wearing, but shorter and lighter. She held it up against her body. “What do you think?”

“Uh, nice,” Michael shrugged.

Maria tossed the new dress on the bed, then turned her back to Michael and lifted up her hair. “Can you help me out of the dress please?”

Michael stared at her in shock for a minute. “Huh?”

She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I want to change my dress into something a little more comfortable. Can you help me out of this one, please?”

“Me? Shouldn't you have asked Liz... or one of the bridesmaids?”

Maria waved her hand dismissively. “Liz was enjoying the party and you weren't. Just undo the buttons. It's OK, Michael, you've seen it all before, nothing's changed. Besides, you're gay now so it doesn't matter.”

“Yeah, about that...”

“Can you undo the buttons, I want to get back to the party.” She smiled. “Oh this is so great. I’m so glad that I ran into you this weekend because now I'll have a GBF when I go to New York. A girl's got to have a GBF.”

“GBF?”

“Gay best friend,” Maria smiled. “It'll be so cool. We can go shopping, and go to Broadway shows together. And I can talk to you about boys. It will be good to have somebody I can talk to about men. Liz only ever wants to talk about the emotional side of it. I need somebody I can talk about the juicy, dirty stuff with.”

That sounded like Michael's idea of hell. He did not want to hear about Maria's sex life, unless it involved him. He really wanted it to involve him. “Maria, listen.”

“Seriously, can you help me out of this dress?” Maria cut in. “My boobs are so squashed.” She turned her back to him again and waited expectantly.

Michael stepped closer and started unbuttoning. The buttons were tiny and hard to distinguish so he struggled to get them undone.

“It didn't used to take you this long to get me undressed,” Maria said with a laugh as he slowly worked on button number three. “I guess you're out of practice.”

“Mmhmm,” Michael agreed, concentrating on the buttons. With each button, more and more of Maria's skin was being revealed. He couldn't help but brush against it and it was bringing back a lot of memories, and that old familiar lust Maria always inspired in him.

“That's OK,” Maria said suddenly and pulled away from him abruptly. “I can do the rest.” She undid the last few buttons and pushed the dress down to the floor.

Michael gulped at the sight of Maria in just her underwear. Her very sexy underwear. He groaned at the realization that she'd been wearing it all day under her dress. He clenched his fists at his side. It was becoming very hard to not touch her. He turned away to give her some privacy as she dressed.

Maria had other ideas however. She wanted to torture him as much as possible and she knew the effect sexy lingerie had on Micheal’s libido.

So she sashayed into his eye line, trying not to show her nerves. Why was she even nervous? He didn't mean anything to her. She stood in front of Michael with her hands on her hips. “Do you think I should let my hair down?”

Michael did a ninety degree turn so he wasn't looking at her. “Jesus, I don't know Maria. Whatever you think is best.”

Again Maria positioned herself in front of him. “I think I’ll leave it down. You used to like it down.”

Michael looked skyward, praying for patience and wisdom. “Maria...”

Maria unclipped her hair and shook it loose so it tumbled around her shoulders. Michael groaned. So much for praying.

“Is this better?” She asked.

“Um, you look great,” he nodded. His eyes were trained on the bed over her shoulder instead of at her scantily clad body. Not that looking at her bed helped any.

“Michael!” Maria protested. “You can do better than that. Queer eye me.”

“What?”

“Give me your best gaypinion, how do I look?” Maria demanded.

“I'm not gay!” Michael blurted out. He just wasn't able to hold it in any longer.

Maria laughed and punched his arm playfully. “You're such a joker. Of course you are. Honestly, Michael.”

“Honestly, Maria. I’m one hundred percent straight. Max is writing an article about being gay and I’m helping him out. I’m straight. And you of all people should know that.”

“Why? Because we used to fuck?” Maria asked, raising a challenging eyebrow. “Reminding me how crap you were in bed is hardly a convincing argument of your straightness.

Michael took a step back as though she'd slapped him. “No, you did not just say that.”

“What? You're gay, it shouldn't come as any surprise that you're not very good at satisfying a woman.”

“OK, firstly, I. Am. Not. Gay. And secondly, that's a bunch of crap. I was amazing. You fucking loved it.”

“Pshaw,” Maria tutted. She took a step back from Michael and wished that she'd never started this because she was feeling on the back foot now. “You were OK for a gay guy, I guess.”

“Don't push me,” Michael said through gritted teeth. His eyes flashed dangerously and he stepped closer to her so that she could feel the heat from his body. “If you want proof that I’m straight, I’ll prove it.”

Maria swallowed. Her traitorous body was going haywire with lust and desire. She met his eyes and the words came out of her mouth of their own accord. “Prove it.”

Michael grabbed her and crushed her body against his own, his lips captured hers with an almost bruising force and they tumbled onto the bed.

It didn't take very long until they were both naked and he was inside her. And then there was absolutely no question about Micheal’s sexuality. Or his ability to satisfy a woman in bed.

***