“So that slut went from Valenti to you to me back to Valenti,” Sean asked in his most menacing tone. “She did a number on all of us…” he smiled as Max had to hold every part of him from choking the bastard to death. “And now she has a hold on you again…”
“Where is Bella…” Max asked as he stepped back as he resisted the urge to punch the bastard into unconsciousness.
“How would I know as I have been here a long time, all because of that bitch…”
“You’re here because you’re guilty,” Max said as he looked with pure hatred at Sean. He was barely awake when he sent that message to Liz and he then passed out moments later and when he woke up very early that morning, he knew he had to do something. As much as he wanted to go to Roswell and confront Liz and ask why she didn’t tell him he also knew she could have told him back 10 years if he had gone back but he hadn’t, and therefore he almost understood why and yet it stung him that she didn’t even try the previous weekend when he had been visiting… So, he refrained himself from going back and asking
why by more pressing matters as it sunk into him that Bella was his daughter. So, the immediate need to go right to the source forced him to act…
As he had known he needed to see the one person who he hadn’t seen in more than ten years. His decision to speak to Sean in person caused him to use up some of his many favors from his time in the FBI and as soon as he got the clearance he disappeared to New York. Unfortunately, he didn’t leave any parting words for his partner.
“I am here because that bitch needed a way to get rid of me,” Sean glared. “And she made up the confession I allegedly told her, and she turned on me when I gave her the safety of marriage and my name and a way out after you left her in the wind and she found out she was pregnant.”
“You married her,” Max reminded the jerk. “You can’t blame Liz for any of that if you went into the marriage willingly. Just because it didn’t work out, that is not on her…”
“She lied to me when she said the kid was mine” Sean snarled.
“You had to have known the timing was suspicious” Max said quietly as he knew the timing of everything was so blurred back then… “You had to know chances weren’t high…”
“You left her high and dry,” Sean smiled at Max. “How does it feel to know she was with someone else so soon after you left town.”
“We were through Deluca,” Max acknowledged. “If you think you can poke and annoy me with the past then I suggest you shouldn’t because you don’t have a lot of ground to play from…”
“Really?” Sean asked.
“Back to my original question, where is Bella?” Max asked as he strived to stay on his many mission for coming to New York.
“Why would I know?” Sean asked. “I am here in prison, many many miles away from Roswell or where that br..” he attempted to say when he got a murderous glare from Max, so he stopped and pounced. “Does the kid mean something to you. So, you abandoned one bastard for another bastard you thought you had…” he smiled. “You didn’t think I knew about that, huh? Liz was big on revealing things back then, especially when she was drunk… she couldn’t hold many secrets when she was drinking…” he revealed to Max’s great fear since it was revealed that the gang was worried about Liz in the wake of his departure. He was a little worried Sean would know their greater secret. Although somehow, he doubted that Liz would have revealed the greater truth because he suspected if she had then Sean would have used it to blackmail the gang a long time before now…
“That bitch played one too many games with me and maybe I was fed up,” Sean asked as he saw Max advancing at the constant name calling. “What! Offended are you, well, she is one, she knows how to play the role of the victim and she cons us all…”
“I doubt that,” Max said as he thought of the beautiful girl he loved once, and still did. He was foolish to think he didn’t as Max thought of the woman he left behind… and how she held his heart and still did.
“She is a master of playing games and you have to know that by now or does she have you tied around her tiny finger?”
“That’s enough. I am not here about Liz, I am here about Bella… What did do with her daughter?”
“You have no proof,” Sean muttered.
“We do,” Max asked. “You couldn’t help but gloat to her, could you?”
“I don’t know what you mean?” Sean asked. “The slut probably had it coming as tended to play us like a fiddle back in high school. She led you on after being with Kyle, and then she came to me and gave me mixed signals, and then went back to you and then back to me. She likes to seesaw.”
“Jesus,” Max said as he came forward. “One more time Deluca, where is Bella. What did you do with her. We know you wanted to pay back Liz and you found a way, didn’t you?”
“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t…” Sean taunted.
“If you don’t start talking you will be sorry,” Max threatened as he came forward towards Deluca.
“You can’t do anything Evans, they know you are in here…”
Try me,” Max taunted as he had used his energy when entering the room to manipulate the cameras to go
dark, and they were not capturing the conversation. “You might be surprise how much they don’t care about you.”
“You wouldn’t…”
“You might also be shocked to know Sean that as a person I am very different than you may have known me to be all those years ago,” Max smiled as he continued to walk forward as every corner of his being filling up with adrenaline and energy. “You don’t know me today and I am liable to do anything,” he taunted but knew he had to be careful because Sean did know something about Bella and he sensed it and had to play this right…
“The bitch lied to me, and she lied to you. She likes to lie so maybe her bastard is not really gone… maybe she’s lying… or the kid might be dead…”
“What…” Max said with a murderous glare as he pushed Deluca against the wall. “What did you say?”
“You tell her to come talk to me or you don’t get your information,” Sean laughed which proved to the wrong tact to play against Max, whose eyes went dark as a darkness coursed through him as he knew it would do no good if Liz came to see Sean because he would only play with her head.
“Why would I do that?” Max said as he eyed Sean. “You tell me right now, what did you do?”
“No bring Liz to me otherwise I don’t talk…” Sean gloated. “Was she as bad in bed as she was with me,” he gloated. “Gosh I have had better…” he sang as Max’s eyes got darker and more intense. “Boy I hit a nerve didn’t I. Wow, she must have been bad… and about her brat, well, for all I know… she might be dead. You know that was never my goal, but people do like to do things to small child… especially pretty ones…” Sean said as he finally pushed the final button in Max and snapped the line that kept Max’s strength in line and away from doing something he might regret as the room got cold and darkness took over…
*
While Max was in New York dealing with Deluca his partner Serena walked into Molly’s room back at the hospital in Los Angeles as she eyed the child with a new outlook now that she knew of the child’s ties to Max and what it likely could mean for the child. “What’s up?” she smiled the child as the television played but the little girl wasn’t watching television but doing some drawing as she used the television as noise.
“Where’s Max?” Molly asked as she looked up and saw Serena walk into the room. She sensed something was up with the detective. She had a knack of picking up when to trust or not to trust someone and that why for Molly it had been a long year with the Davidson house with her memory being fuzzy. She didn’t trust them, but knew instantly she could trust Serena and especially she could trust Max.
“He’s busy,” Serena liked. “He wanted to be here, but something came up, but I know he’s thinking of you…”
Molly nodded as she went back to her drawing as Serena walked towards her as she against looked at Serena and knew something was off with the detective as she sensed Serena was looking at her differently like she knew something. “Is everything alright?”
“Sure, why would you ask?” Serena asked.
“I don’t know I get this sense you know something,” Molly asked as then a new thought came to her. “Is Max okay?”
“Oh, sure he’s fine,” Serena lied because she still didn’t know what her partner was up to…
“Do you know something?” Molly asked as her eyes narrowed as she focused on the detective as she was finding that ever since her injuries started healing and she was getting back to full strength her other senses were picking up a lot and she sensed it right off with Serena.
“About what?” Serena said.
“I don’t know,
me, maybe?” Molly asked as she got this sensed that the detective knew something about her and she had to know what…
“It’s just we came into some information,” Serena allowed. “We’re trying to confirm it but if I am right, well, you might be able to find that home you want…”
“Not with Davidson’s, right?” Molly said as fear came into her eyes again as her memory was telling her not to accept going back to the Davidson’s
“Do you remember something?” Serena asked as she saw the fear in Molly’s eyes. “You know you can tell me…”
Molly only shook her head.
“We are not here to hurt you, so you can trust me, you know” Serena smiled.
“I know I can, and I know I can trust Max. Which is funny because they always told me that you guys were not to be trusted.
“They” Serena eyes asked.
“The Davidson’s as they always told me that I shouldn’t talk to you guys and not to trust you. But I do, I find you and Max are the only ones I can trust.”
“Is that why you were never there when Max and I were called to your home or the last few months,” Serena asked as she recalled how strangely
Molly was never around when there was a domestics call was placed from the house, and the boys were but never Molly.
“They always pushed me out of the house,” Molly muttered. “Ever since Pam died. They always wanted me gone, I don’t know why.”
“Why do you call her Pam and not Mom,” Serena asked even though she knew why.
Molly shrugged. “I don’t know, and even then, I didn’t know her much. She was pretty sick, and I barely had any contact with her…”
“I am sorry,” Serena sighed.
“Yeah,” Molly nodded. “Is the reason Max isn’t here because he’s looking into those two men I told him about?”
“What two men?”
“Two men in my dreams. I like them, and I know I can trust them, and they are constantly in my head along this with two women with blonde hair, but I can’t name them yet. But they are always laughing and smiling at me and inviting me places. I wish I could remember…”
“You will, I promise you, you will.” Serena said as she wondered if Molly was remembering
Isabella’s life as she sat and talked to Molly for awhile before going back to the station after her lunch break.
*
“I understand, thank you for telling me” Jim Valenti said as he dropped the phone in his office. Looking up and sending curses to the walls, he took the steps out of his office and told his deputy that he was headed for the hospital. He wished he hadn’t taken that call but now he had, and knew what he knew…
Getting out of his car, he walked into hospital and up to Liz’s room. He spotted his son coming out of the other elevator, “Dad, what’s going on?” Kyle asked as he spotted his father. Kyle could see that his father was tense for another reason, and he dreaded finding out why… “Is it Bella?”
“No,” Jim shook his head. “I wish it was, but it’s not. How is Liz?”
“Better,” Kyle sighed. “They think they can release her within the next couple of days, which will be good… why do I sense something is up as myself I was just arriving to pick up Isabel.”
“It’s not good,” was all he said as they continued to walk, and he knocked on the door and heard the “Come in,” of Liz’s voice and so he did with Kyle steps behind him.
Liz looked up and saw Jim and knew instantly it was bad news… “What is it?”
“Before I came over here, I got a call from the prison in New York…” Jim said softly as suddenly the room went cold as the tension was thick in every corner as they all knew he could only be talking about one person, and Liz feared it. “What?”
“Sean’s in the prison infirmary,” Jim announced. “He’s fighting for his life.”
“WHAT!” Liz squeaked.
“They don’t know if he will make it,” Jim said softly as all of Liz’s senses came alert. “It’s apparently a mysterious heart ailment brought on by a strike to the body cavity and the doctors can’t explain it” he said as he turned to face his daughter-in-law and when he did Isabel knew instantly by the expression he had, it meant
alien. “He also had some bruises.”
“Oh god, what happened?” Liz asked as she tried to comprehend what might have happened.
“He was in a fight,” Jim said. “The person last seen with him before he was found unconscious gave an innocent explanation and so far, they have
bought it.”
“Don’t tell me,” Liz and Isabel said in unison as both women came instantly to the same conclusion of who Jim was referring to, and he nodded.
“Yes,” Jim nodded.
“What, I don’t get it. Am I missing something people. Whom are you talking about?” Kyle as he was confused and didn’t know why the women in the room had an instantaneous stricken look to their faces.
“Kyle, your father is gently trying to tell us it’s Max. Max is the one who put Sean in the hospital…” Isabel said as fear came to her body as the truth stared them in the face as Liz couldn’t help but stare into space as she feared for her daughter and for Max.
“Oh god,” Kyle said as all the pieces came together, and he saw them form the puzzle.
“Yeah,” Jim nodded.
“If Max did go after Sean…” Liz asked as she tried to comprehend it… Which only told her that underneath the fear, “He knows the truth about Bella…” she asked out loud because even if Max didn’t know on his own she mused, well, her ex-husband would never have kept quiet if he could play with Max’s mind.
“Where is Max?” Liz asked as she came to terms to the fact that Max went after Sean which only meant he was now in New York. “Please don’t tell me he’s in danger?”
“Max was able to talk himself out of it,” Jim said. “Apparently he’s used a lot of his connections to get into a meeting with Deluca and those connections can wave a lot of magic over any messes and added to his corner is that I am told the surveillance cameras in this particular room went blank within minutes of him entering the room.”
“Oh god,” Isabel muttered. “So, no one has any idea what happened in that room?”
“Nope, which aids Max’s apparent explanation that Sean passed out, and while he concedes to putting some bruises on him, well, Max apparently also had a few bruises on him too, so it looks like it got violent before the guards were allowed into the room.”
“Where is he now?” Liz asked referring to Max.
“He had left the prison when I was talking to the warden,” Jim acknowledged. “Where he was going, I don’t know…”
“Do you know if he found out anything about Bella?” Liz asked as she feared for her daughter and if Sean died then he might take what happened to her little girl with him.
“I don’t know Liz, god I wish I did but because the cameras were off in that room. They have no way of knowing what was talked about in there…”
“Thank you, Jim, for letting us know,” Liz softly as images of a furious Max taking on Sean and what might have been said in that confrontation filled her brain.
Jim nodded as he could tell that Liz was troubled by the knowledge. “I have to get back but if you do talk to Max, let me know okay? Jim asked both Liz and Isabel.
“I don’t know if he’s coming this way?” Liz muttered.
“I sense he will be here sooner than later,” Jim said as he couldn’t help but glance at his son and daughter-in-law and they shared the same thought that there would be no keeping Max away from Liz if he knew the truth about Bella…
“God Kyle,” Liz muttered as soon as Jim had left to head back to the station, so he could monitor the situation.
“I know,” Kyle nodded as he shared the same fears as his ex-wife.
“If my brother attacked Sean he would have been pushed to that because he knows we get no where if Sean dies…” Isabel said trying to place common sense on the situation.
“I worry what Sean would have said to Max,” Liz sighed.
“Don’t,” Isabel said softly. “My brother won’t take anything personally and he’ll defend you to his last days, so you don’t have to worry about Max. If he knows than he’s not going to blame anyone but himself.”
“He shouldn’t,” Liz muttered. “I ended things…”
“He should have come back,” Isabel muttered herself. “He could have come back and found out, but he didn’t, so I doubt he’s going to blame anyone but himself.”
“God this is a mess,” Kyle thought.
*
Max sat in his seat on the flight away from New York. He knew now he was lucky he had done that time with the FBI and the connections he did have because otherwise if it had been Michael or anyone else, they might not have gotten out of the mess with the explanation he gave about how Sean landed in a coma.
Truthfully, he blacked out for a minute when Sean was trying to goad him, and he knew the criminal was goading him and he fell for it when he should have been the bigger man. Using those crude comments about Liz and then finally the suggestion that Bella could be dead, well, it pushed
Max too far. He just prayed she wasn’t… He didn’t know how he was going to face Liz if she was.
Life couldn’t be that cruel could it he asked himself. But then this was a god who already allowed Bella to be kidnapped. A god he didn’t believe him, and karma was kicking him yet again.
“Liz, I am sorry…” he sighed as waited out the flight.
*
“He what?” Maria looked at her husband after she came from the studio having put the final telecast to bed, and she checked on her daughter who was happily dreaming in bed. Making sure all the doors were closed, and locked she joined he husband in bed.
“He went after Sean,” Michael was saying as he saw the shock and dismay of his wife.
“Oh god,” Maria asked.
“I know,” Michael muttered as he spent the hours after hearing the news on the phone with his connections making sure there was no evidence that could be used to hurt the gang or most importantly Max. “Luckily he had turned off the cameras.”
“And that didn’t alarm the officials?” Maria asked.
“I guess Sean has made enough enemies of the guards and warden in the prison that they didn’t care to check in on him once they became aware the surveillance cameras were off. Because Max had some bruises on him it looked not so one sided.”
“God Michael,” Maria muttered. “If Sean dies before we get answers…”
“I know.” Michael nodded as he took her into his arms as they laid in bed. “I have hope, but this latest complication can hurt.”
“If Max went after Sean that means he knows, right?” Maria asked.
“Liz thinks so,” Michael said as he remembered the phone call from Isabel and the inducing from the attack that Max would have to know the truth about Bella.
“Max doesn’t attack unless he’s provoked?” Maria remembered. “And even then, he knows how to restrain himself. I wonder what happened to make him go after Sean?”
“One word…”
“Liz,” Maria asked.
“Yup,” Michael was thinking as he mused to himself about adding another word to list Max would kill to protect,
Bella!
Speaking of Max, at the same time as that conversation was happening, Max was walking the halls of the hospital in Roswell after a delay between connections caused him to get back to his hometown later than he had wanted and so it was after midnight when he walked the halls. Sighing he prayed Liz would be okay with him visiting as the last time they had talked, she had pushed him away…
Walking into her hospital room he found her soundly sleeping, and he just couldn’t wake her up, so he sat down in the chair next to the bed and fell asleep.
And hours later Liz eyes opened, and she noticed something by her side, and she looked and then reframed her eyes and she saw him.
“Max,” she said out loudly and his eyes opened at the sound of her voice, as they both couldn’t stop looking at each other for endless seconds. “What did you do?” she whispered.
“Is Bella mine?” he answered as the room filled with a glow of reality for both as they exchanged simple glances that said so much more as they tried to find the words to say what was needed to be said…