The Walls Come Crumbling Down M/L CC TEEN [COMPLETE]

Finished stories set in an alternate universe to that introduced in the show, or which alter events from the show significantly, but which include the Roswell characters. Aliens play a role in these fics. All complete stories on the main AU with Aliens board will eventually be moved here.

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kippy
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The Walls Come Crumbling Down M/L CC TEEN [COMPLETE]

Post by kippy »

Title: The Walls Come Crumbling Down
Author: Me :) Kippy1932@aol.com
Rating: TEEN (always like to be safe)
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the show, actors, writers, producers, network or characters in Roswell. I only wish I did. The song lyrics used throughout (in order) are "Spaceboy" by Splender, "Miserable" by Lit, "Compliment" by Collective Soul, and "Acoustic #3" by the Goo Goo Dolls
Summary: Secrets and emotions are revealed as Max and Liz give in to their feelings for each other
Category: M/L or Other
Authors Note: Here comes number three.


For the third weekend in a row, Max Evans was getting ready to go out with Liz Parker. The past two weeks he had been with Isabelle and Michael or Alex and Maria, but tonight it was just Liz. Everyone else had something to do - or at least they claimed to. Max could not hide the fact that he was nervous as he pulled on the black sweater and put on just the tiniest bit of cologne. He had gone out with Liz before, just the two of them - tonight was different though. They had gotten closer. Closer as in their next move would be one Max knew he wasn't ready to take - one that he couldn't. When they went out with the group - it went without question that he and Liz would sit together. No one objected. For all they knew Max and Liz were just friends. And that's what they were. But they didn't see how Liz would rub her foot up against Max's beneath the table, how she now went to her classes a different route during the school day so she could meet up with Max in the hallway. Max himself had at first been unsure as to their nature. Maybe she had thought it was a table leg, her meeting him outside of gym everyday was just a coincidence. He knew they weren't though. She wanted more. They both did.

The other day she had stopped outside the front of his house and just stood there staring in. Max had seen her from the window and, hidden from view, he had stared back.

Just yesterday he had been out shooting baskets after practice and Liz had come by. She walked by his house a lot lately. 'I'm so horrible at basketball' she had laughed and he had just shrugged, saying 'it's not too hard.' He tossed her the ball, smiling, and she tossed it towards the hoop. Her form was similar to Isabelle's as the ball came nowhere near the hoop and Max couldn't help but laugh. 'I told you' Liz had laughed, embarrassed and Max just shook his head. He brought the ball back to her and stepped behind her. 'I'll show you,' he mumbled quietly. She felt his breath in her ear, on her neck and felt the arms that for so long she had wanted to go around her do just that. She turned her head around to face him and their faces slowly moved towards each other. Who knows what would have happened had Isabelle not interrupted. 'Max - dinner's ready,' she had announced loudly, stunned and a bit bothered by the sight in front of her. From her vantage point, Max had his arms wrapped around Liz from behind and their faces were tilted towards each other - mere centimeters apart.

'Max what was going on out there?' she had demanded as she pulled two plates out of the cupboard. 'Nothing,' Max had shrugged but Isabelle knew that something had indeed occurred outside. She had insisted that she had seen something and he again had just shaken his head. 'I was giving her a basketball lesson,' he had protested but Isabelle had persisted.
'That may be what you call it-' Max had cut her off again before she could say another word. 'Isabelle nothing was going to happen - it's no big deal,' he had assured. Isabelle just stared at her brother with her arms folded across her chest. 'Then why are you putting the orange juice up in the cupboard?'

Max shook his head at the memory. The memory of he and Liz so close. His arms wrapped around her body, guiding her arms, his face so close to her neck, he had been able to inhale the scent of her shampoo and all he had wanted to do was to reach out and stroke her hair, to bring his mouth down on the neck he was so close to. He had been so close to her then. He had felt like he could do anything. Then she had turned around and looked at him and he had known she felt the same way.



The Crashdown was beginning to empty out, Archie and Mack - two members of the West Roswell basketball team -were leaving with a small group of friends and they both slapped Max five on his way in. He had nodded his head in greeting to both of them and walked quietly into the cafe. Liz had just finished her shift and was untying the apron from around her waist and removing the alien antennae from her head. That's a shame, Max thought to himself, she looked so cute in the antennae. If only she knew the truth about him. His mind began to wander. If only she knew that the whole theme of the Crashdown - the myths about aliens, the pictures on the walls, the outfit she wore - weren't such a hoax after all. It was something he always thought about. The thought continually crossed his mind. Every second he was with her. Even when he wasn't. How would she react if he were to tell her? If he were to tell her that he wasn't who she thought he was, that this person that she had let into her life and trusted had been living a lie his entire life. No, Max shook his head, he hadn’t been living a lie. He had been protecting himself. He looked to Liz, who smiled as she finished a conversation with an elderly man seated at the counter. Liz would understand. She wouldn't run away if he were to tell her anything.

"Hey," a voice suddenly sounded from behind him, "you going to go in or you just going to stand out here and stare?" Max immediately recognized that the voice belonged to his sister. He spun around quickly.

"I - uh - I thought you were going out tonight?" he faltered, seeming a bit embarrassed as he opened up the door for Isabelle.

"Change of plans," she said simply walking past him. Max knew why she was here. She had been acting weird around him ever since she had seen him and Liz in the driveway. "Is that cologne you're wearing, brother?" she asked mockingly and Max just looked at her. So much for an evening with Liz. Max could see the disappointment in Liz's face too as she looked up and saw Isabelle. The whole reason she had put in for the remaining part of the night off was because she had wanted to spend it with Max. Without interruptions from Isabelle or Michael or Maria even. Maybe finally she could get somewhere with him.

She didn't get Max. She didn't understand him at all. None of the things he did added up or made any sort of sense at all. She had wailed about the issue over and over to Maria. "Why doesn't he want to be with me??" she would plea and Maria had no answer. Max had mangled his face in defense of Liz. He had turned Kyle and many of his friends against him - for what? Just for she and him to sit quietly and stare at one another? She looked at Max now, who looked as displeased at Isabelle's presence as she knew she did and she nearly pulled out her hair. No matter. It didn't make a difference if Isabelle was there or not. Nothing ever happened between her and Max. Nothing ever would.

Isabelle, Liz, and Max sat awkwardly around the booth. Normally there wouldn't be this uncomfortable atmosphere about them all, but tonight every word any of them said just hung in the air to the point that no one said anything for close to five minutes.

"So what were you planning on doing tonight?" Isabelle asked fraudulently. Max knew what Isabelle was doing and it bothered him. He thought all of this had been resolved. It had been Isabelle of all people who had pushed him last month to stand up for himself and for Liz. Now it was as if they were back to square one - only worse. Now she had to check up on him.

"Nothing - we were just going to stay here...talk," Liz attempted to sound casual.

"What do you guys talk about?" Isabelle was quick to question and she put on one of her trademark Isabelle smiles. The kind of smile she gave the boys who asked for her number everyday. "You talk and talk and talk - what do you talk about?" She looked towards Liz and then harder as she turned towards Max who was seated next to her. She still was left in the dark as to whether or not Liz knew anything. She was afraid to question Max about it - she knew how he would react whether he had told her or not. The whole matter of Isabelle trusting him would be brought up again, then Michael would get involved. The ordeal they had gone through last month would be negated.

"You know...just stuff..." Liz mumbled quietly as Max didn't answer.

"That's my leg, Liz," Isabelle suddenly said in response to Liz's foot against hers, an edge to her voice.

"Oh..." Liz turned her head down, embarrassed beyond belief - like a little boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar only worse. Max looked over at Liz's humiliated face that was quickly turning a shade of scarlet. Beneath the table top he elbowed his sister in the ribs and she just shot him a look.

"I do that all the time," he said quickly and Liz picked her head up quickly, realizing what Max was trying to do. "Remember that time when I did it to Michael?" he glanced toward his sister out of the corner of his eye. "And he kicked me - really hard beneath the table..." Max added grinding his teeth together as he just glared at his sister. She nodded her head in a forced fashion and put on a phony smile, pretending to be recalling the memory. Liz's face was still flushed and as Max looked at her, he quietly moved his foot across to meet hers. He rubbed his foot against the top of hers, against her ankle and she glanced up to see the look on his face. It revealed nothing and so Liz attempted to follow suit. But she couldn't help it. It was the first time Max had ever really returned anything that she'd done. Great she thought to herself, an everlasting game of footsie, but as she looked again to his face she saw in his eyes a silent mischievousness in them. That he liked what they were doing - that he liked that Isabelle didn't know.



"So footsie, huh?" Maria raised her eyebrows as she and Liz shared a carton of Double Fudge Brownie Ice Cream in the back room of the Crashdown. Liz had called her up as soon as Max and Isabelle had left.

"No - Maria, it wasn't just footsie," Liz began to get a dreamy look in her eyes as she put her spoon down. "It was...I don't know..more -"

"More?" Maria looked at her friend skeptically, "more than what? Liz his foot touched yours, I wouldn't really call that..." Maria seemed to be thinking about something, "then again it is Max Evans - that's a pretty big move for him." Liz grabbed another spoonful of ice cream and a smile began to form on her lips.

"Maria, it was...it was like ten times better than like the best kiss I ever had with Kyle," she attempted to explain and Maria just stared at Liz.

"Wait, wait - let me get this straight? You're comparing kissing Kyle - to your and Max's feet touching?"

"I already told you - it was more than that."

"How? How could it be more Liz. His foot touches your foot, your foot touches his - that's all there is to it." Maria waved her spoon around in the air.

"I felt things," Liz protested quietly. "I felt.."

"You felt what?" Maria realized more and more with everything that Liz said how much deeper the whole Liz/Max thing went that she thought. It wasn't just a harmless crush anymore.

"I felt...like I could feel how he felt," Liz admitted softly.

"You have got it bad, girl," Maria just laughed, shaking her head. "I have never in my life...heard you talk like this." Liz bowed her head as she put her spoon into the ice cream carton. She had been speaking the truth. The way she felt with Max was a way that she had never in her life felt before. The way she felt when he entered a room. When he left a room. When they would draw so close together only to be broken up. She didn't know if she could keep doing it for much longer. Keep being...teased like this. What was going on with Max? Tonight had been amazing. It had been unreal, but why did he keep doing this? Keep pulling away. What she had described to Maria, about knowing how he was feeling, seeing it in his eyes - it was the same way that she felt.



All of Saturday passed and the only time Max spent outside of his room was at basketball practice that morning. Isabelle had attempted to ignore it. She thought maybe it would pass. But his sullen mood continued for all of Sunday. He came out only to eat and he kept playing the same Splender song over and over, his mind awhirl with thoughts. Divided into two states of mind. There was Liz on one side, the overwhelming long to be with her, and then there was Michael and Isabelle on the other, tying to keep him grounded. *Well it won't be the first or the last time the world passes me by. I'm a spaceboy. I don't wanna be found. I'm a spaceboy, so stop holding me down and I'd love if I never returned to the ground where I can see all the world going by* Isabelle walked into his room finally, Michael joined at her side.

"Max, what's all this about?" she finally said, not sounding all that sympathetic.

"What's what?"

"You shutting yourself in your room," Isabelle walked towards his stereo. "And quit playing the same stupid song," she quickly hit the stop button as she knew the lyrics were all too fitting for Max. "Listen to something else," Isabelle quickly popped in the first cd she could find.

"I'm...tired," he was slow to get the words out as he laid back down on his bed, glaring at his sister and her sudden authoritarian manner over him. Max had always been the leader.

"Maxwell, Isabelle was telling me what's going on with Liz. Between the both of you." Michael suddenly interfered and Max shot his sister a look. He hoped Isabelle hadn't told Michael about the whole Liz/Isabelle foot incident. That would really humiliate poor Liz. "She's right - I mean...you can't let your guard down completely," he hesitated for a moment. "You can't get..."

"Attached," Isabelle suddenly cut in, "like I know you're getting. You can get involved to a certain extent...I mean - Max, you can't - you have to stop the relationship somewhere. You can't just...can't just expect that somewhere along the line the matter's not going to come up." Max knew what she was referring to. "You can't.." Isabelle continued, but Max just blocked out his ears. You can't, you can't, you can't. That was all he ever heard. Isabelle and Michael telling him not to get in too deep.



*Stuck to a chair, watchin' this story about me. Everything goes by so fast, making my head spin. Used up all of my friends, but who needs them when you mean everything. I love the things that we should fear. I'm not afraid of being here.* Listening to the lyrics Max couldn't help but think of his situation with Liz. It only made him more depressed. Nice going Isabelle. Great selection. Max remember the track title, it was by Lit, a song called "Miserable". Exactly how he felt. The cd player was still on repeat and the more the song played, the more stirred up Max's emotions got. The more frustrated he got and the more his mind drifted back to all the moments he and Liz had had. All the things he felt and all the things he knew that she felt. With the music still blaring out of the speakers and the clock on the wall reading 10:30, Max quickly leaped off the bed and ran out the door. He was on a mission.

Max hadn't even bothered to get in his jeep, all he had known was that he wanted to go to Liz. So he had headed out of the house at a dead run, not bothering what any of the neighbors or passerbys on the street thought. If he didn't go now he never would. Secondthoughts crossed his mind as he sprinted down the road in the pouring rain to the Crashdown, but the song lyrics kept ringing in his head. *I love the things that we should fear. I'm not afraid of being here* And the rain continued to pour. He ran furiously down the sidewalk, the lyrics driving him as he almost chanted the phrase in his head. *I'm not afraid of being here*. He barely saw any lights on in the Crashdown and he nearly stopped in his tracks with the thought that Liz wouldn't be there. He sprinted across the street, the rain pelting his body. He saw Liz putting chairs up on the tables, cleaning up the restaurant before she closed and as she looked up at Max she slowly walked to the door to unlock it. He looked tired, as if he had been up for days, his hair was plastered to his head and he had a look in his eye. A confident look. One that she had never seen before. Max looked through the door anxiously. He knew what he wanted. And every cell in his body was telling him to go for it. To go for what he wanted. His mind drifted back to Isabelle and Michael for a brief moment, but then his mind went completely blank. The worries and fears all disappeared. He looked fervently through the door to Liz and then the lyrics - his oath - filled his head. *I love the things that we should fear and I'm not afraid of being here*.


It seemed to take an eternity for Liz to turn the key and unlock the door. It was as if each second was taking an hour and Max was in agony. Liz was utterly confused as to why Max was here as she slowly pushed the door open. Max knew exactly why he was here. He looked at her once, his eyes nearly burning holes into her head, cupped her face in his hands and then his mouth was on hers. Liz didn't know how to react. What to think of the fact that he had run over here in the rain to kiss her. And how he was kissing her. He was kissing her with such force and such passion, she was overwhelmed that it could come from someone as shy and quiet as Max. He was kissing her as if his life depended on it and Liz suddenly felt something run through her body. It was like an electric charge and she finally kissed Max back. She slipped both her arms around his head and tangled her hands up in his short dark hair - pressing his mouth harder against hers. This was what she had been waiting for since she had first gone out with Max that night in the Crashdown. That night that he had asked so shyly for Space Fries and a cherry coke. And suddenly images of that night flashed into Liz's mind. Images of that night, of the first day of school, the first day Max had ever seen her. That feeling she had had when their feet had met underneath the table earlier that night overtook her again. Images that she had no recollection of began to flood her mind. Two small children wandering through the desert, a small boy of six crying into his pillow, a V formation of stars in the desert. She felt emotions she knew could never belong to her. A loneliness she never knew could exist, a desperate longing she never imagined was possible. Then she saw quick flashes of Max staring at her from across the classroom, in third grade, fifth grade, seventh grade, last year, last week, yesterday and then the images began to blend with pictures of her. The last image she saw was as if she was hurtling to the ground from above and at that she had suddenly pulled away from him in fear.

"Max what - what was that?" She asked breathlessly and he just stared at her. A look on his face that held as much fright as Liz's. She had seen them too. He hadn't known what they were, but she had seen them and who knows what else. Fear crossed his mind like he had never known before and giving her one last look he turned and raced out the door.




The bell signaling first period rang and as all the students scurried to their appropriate classes, Liz stayed planted in front of Max's locker. He always came to his locker before school. He was never late. The clock continued to tick and Liz stood with her feet rooted to the spot. She had to talk to Max. She had gotten no sleep last night. The images she had seen had been real. It hadn't been her imagination - she was positive it couldn't have been. But she could come up with no explanation for them. Had Max seen them too? Was that why he wasn't in school? Why he had fled from the Crashdown last night? Almost all the images, all the visions she'd seen had been of him. Him looking at her - longing for her. And then Liz's mind drifted back to the kiss.

The most passionate, incredible kiss she had ever experienced. She wanted to talk to him about that too. Kisses like that just didn't come along everyday. Guys just didn't appear to you in the middle of the night and kiss you out of the blue. Kiss you like that.

"Liz!" Maria suddenly came slapping down the hall in a pair of noisy sandals, "what're you doing? I thought I saw you in school, Mrs. Tripp's flipping 'cos you're late." Liz gave one last look to Max's locker and followed Maria down the hall to homeroom.


She hadn't expected to see Max in school, Maria hadn't seen him, neither had Alex and she hadn't caught him on his way out of P.E like she normally did. So when she saw him sitting at their lab table as she walked into the biology room she was more than caught off guard.

"Oh...you're here," she mumbled awkwardly as she sat down next to him. Max just nodded his head slightly, avoiding her face and Liz began to take out her notes. Neither said anything and she reached into her bookbag, pretending to be looking for something. " 'cos I was looking for you," she finally said. "I mean - to talk about last night..." Max picked his head up suddenly. He didn't know what to do. Half of him wanted to talk about the kiss. The amazing kiss that had finally come between him and Liz Parker. Then part of him wanted to stay away from the issue - from the visions he'd had, the visions he knew she had. He couldn't help himself as his head turned to face Liz and his mind suddenly blanked out. Like it had last night when he'd walked into the Crashdown.

"I..." was all he could manage to say, but Liz spoke before he could.

"This is gonna sound really..weird, Max - please don't think I'm crazy," Liz looked down at her lab book.

"What?" Max asked softly, his eyes not shifting
from his focus on her.

"I saw things," Liz suddenly said and Max's eyes blazed with fear like they had last night. He quickly turned his head the other way and straightened up in his chair. "You saw them too!" Liz said - almost excited by the notion and Max seemed surprised at the way she said it. "I - I don't know what a lot of them were but...most of them were of you," she said quietly.

"What else did you see?" Max asked with a sense of desperation in his voice as he stared intently at her. "Besides me, what else did you see?"

"I don't - "

"Liz what did you see?" Max asked urgently.

"I...I'm not sure -"

"You had to have seen something," Max interrogated.

"I don't...I don't remember," Liz faltered and she couldn't help the tremble that had developed in her lip.

"I need to know what you saw!" Max yelled and he caught himself too late. Liz looked at him, a hurt look in her eyes. Shocked, confused and hurt.

"Max what's going on?" she asked meekly, "I don't...know what I saw," she knew that her eyes were welling up with tears and she was fighting desperately to hold them back. She couldn't help it. She had never seen Max like this and she couldn't understand why he was acting this way. This morning she had wanted to talk to him about the kiss, not the visions. She could have dealt with the visions later, but now she was terrified by them. Terrified at the way Max was behaving because of them. "Max..." she nearly whispered as the panicked look remained in his eyes. He looked around the room franticly. Ms. Hardy hadn't come in yet and he quickly shoved his books into his bookbag and grabbing Liz's hand, dragged her out of the room. The class looked at the two peculiarly. They knew *something* was going on with Max Evans and Liz Parker. Something more than a friendship, but somehow less than anything further.

"Oh - oh eraser room!" one of them called mockingly, while the rest just cat-called. Max ignored them all as he ran down the hallway with Liz hand in hand.

"Max - what're you doing?" Liz asked breathlessly and he stopped in his tracks.

"We need to go someplace," he stated urgently, "someplace private.." Liz had no idea what Max was planning on doing, or what any of this meant but she picked her head up and looked to the eraser room. The popular make-out spot of all West Roswell students. Admittedly, as she lay in bed last night it was where she had hoped she would be with Max today. But not under these circumstances. Max looked up at the door too. "More private."



Still leading Liz by the hand, Max finally stopped behind the bleachers in the back of the school. He had been surprised by Liz's cooperation. She had asked questions sure, but as he dragged her outside of the school and around to the back she hadn't objected.

"Max, what is this about??" she spoke first as she stared up at him, not releasing her hand from his. Max looked up at her.

"I need to know what else you saw," he said gently, nearly whispering it to her. The panic and fear had left his eyes, now they just looked afraid. They no longer had the urgency and desperation in them. The big brown pools that Liz gazed into now looked terrified and fearful. Fearful of her. Of the words that might come out of her mouth. She was tempted to ask him again why it was all so important, but at that moment all she wanted to do was make that fear escape from his eyes. He looked so terrified. It was that which was scaring her.

"I just saw - I didn't, I mean -" she stumbled over the words and Max's hand suddenly left hers. He tenderly cupped her face in both his hands and Liz felt a chill go through her at his touch.

"Liz please," he whispered staring intently at her, "I just...have to know." And there was something in the last words to come out of his mouth that almost made Liz collapse into his arms right there and cry. It wasn't an order. Now it was a plea.

"I saw this...V of stars in the sky," she uttered quietly and Max's worst fears began to enter his mind. "I saw these symbols. I don't know what they were - they were like a...foreign language" her voice cracked. "I saw...like I was inside of a plane or something, crashing to the ground."

"Where in the ground?" Max asked in a detached matter. Almost mechanical, like his mind wasn't connected to his mouth. Max felt like he was in some sort of a weird and horribly twisted dream.

"The desert," Liz answered honestly and Max suddenly dropped his hands from her face. He began to back away quickly, like he had last night.
"And I saw you, Max," she cried out to him, but he had already begun sprinting away. Away from her. "I saw you," she repeated but he was gone.



Liz walked listlessly through the front entrance of the school and into the hallway. She had begun to chase after Max but realized her efforts were futile as he had quickly disappeared around the corner and out of sight. So she had just wandered aimlessly around the school grounds for the majority of fifth period.

"Hey Liz!" Maria called happily from down the hall as she munched on a bag of Skittles, the complete antithesis to Liz's mood. "So how's footsie been going?" Liz didn't respond and she just dragged her feet along the ground. "Liz!" Maria laughed at her friend's behavior - or lack thereof. Liz shook her head and glanced up to Maria.

"What?"

"Max..." Maria stated, in a state of disbelief as to how her friend could forget, "did you talk to him today?" and it suddenly occurred to Liz that Maria didn't know anything that had happened between her and Max in the last twelve hours. Maria would die right there if Liz were to tell her that Max came to see her in the middle of the night. What he’d done. "Wait - don't you have bio this period?" Maria scratched her head "you and Max both do- and I just saw him -"

"Where?" Liz suddenly asked, showing signs of life. Maria looked at her friend curiously.

"In the math hallway - Liz, what's up...why?"

"I um - I have to go," Liz suddenly began to jog away.

"Liz - what's going on?" Maria asked again as Liz ran off down the hall, leaving Maria like Max had just left her.




"So there's this rumor going around that Liz met Max in the eraser room fourth period," Maria blabbered to Alex as they sat at the lunch table together. Alex had his head imbedded in an Economics textbook and he just nodded his head in repsonse to Maria. "Why would she lie to me? I saw her fifth, I mean if she met him the period before she'd tell me -"

"I'm still a little lost here," Alex picked his head up from the pages, "-are Liz and Max like a thing now" he inquired. "I thought they were just friends."

"And I saw her fourth too - she was all weird. I mean she cut fourth period either way and that's not like her at all." Maria ignored Alex's question, too buried in her own problems.

"So her and Max -"

"And you should have seen her Alex - her eyes were like - all glazed you know," Maria dramatized, "like she was in the hospital with Grandma Claudia."

"Look Maria - I'm sure it's nothing...I mean Liz would tell you if something happened. She's told you everything that's happened between her and Max, why would she keep this a secret? I just want to know if she and Max are-"

"And why isn't she having lunch with us?"

"So are they?" Alex pestered.

"Are they what?" Maria finally responded to his question.

"Liz and Max...are they - you know -"

"They're not together, Alex - it took the boy three years to actually talk to her - the day Max Evans makes a move on Liz..." Maria's voice drifted and she just rolled her eyes and stared at him. "Is the day you go out with Isabelle."



Liz couldn't concentrate in any of her other classes. During Spanish all she could think of was the way Max had looked at her and the way he had fled. Then back to the way he had touched her. A way she had never been touched before. She had been walking down the hallway to her U.S government class and seen him and he had glanced at her quickly and made a beeline for the bathroom. He hadn't been in English and then when she walked into math he had barely looked up at her. She had stepped in uncharacteristically late and had not gotten time to talk to him. He stared up at the blackboard, but he knew she was looking back at him. And when she focused her eyes on the board he would turn his eyes to her. When the bell had rung she had called to him and pushed past her classmates.

"Max!" she yelled, but he shoved his way out the door and when she was in the hallway he was nowhere to be seen.


There was only one more class period left in the day and Liz hadn't spoken to Max since fourth period behind the bleachers. She’d searched franticly for him and was ready to resort to tracking him down and dragging him out of basketball practice when she saw him down at the other end of the hall. He had just turned the corner and his eyes met with hers for an instant before he turned back around quickly and jogged away.

"Max!" she yelled, barreling past other students. They looked at her queerly, some snickered and pointed. "Max, Max!" she continued to yell and as she turned around the corner she saw him jogging away. "Max wait, please," Liz pleaded and Max found himself unable to run away from her. He stopped and slowly turned around to face her. "Why are you running away from me?" she asked and Max could sense the hurt in her voice, "Why have you been avoiding me all day? What were those visions, Max...help me out here, I'm just as scared as you."

"I don't know," Max said honestly and he looked up at her. She wanted to know more, she needed to know. And he couldn't go around avoiding her like this forever. The past four and a half hours had been absolute agony. Seeing Liz in the hall and running away from her. After hearing her last desperate plea to him, he knew he couldn't avoid her anymore. He couldn't lie to her. "I don't know what they were.." he whispered, "it's never happened to me before."

"I mean...but you saw...you saw flashes of me?" Liz asked a bit self-consciously and Max just nodded his head slowly. Suddenly he reached over and took her hand in his.

"Let's go somewhere," he began to walk towards the exit.

"Yeah, but Max - school isn't over," Liz began to protest, but she instinctively followed Max. As if ninth period was actually going to stop her.




Liz looked down at the deep green-blue pools of water from the passenger seat of Max's jeep. They were all connected together, forming intricate designs and patterns contrasted to the dull brown New Mexico desert. Max wasn't looking at the pools though, he was looking only at Liz.

"This is so incredible...how could I not even know this place existed?" she wondered incredulously and Max just shrugged.

"I come here a lot," he said quietly, "it's a good place to be alone." And Liz looked over at him at his last sentence. Touched by all the sadness in those last seven words. She bit her lip, as she looked up at his face.

"You don't have to be alone, Max," she said softly and leaned in closer to him. He leaned towards her too, so that their foreheads were almost touching, but turned his head away quickly. This wasn't the reason he had brought Liz out here. Out here in the middle of the desert. He had brought her here to tell her about the images. The flashes, why they were so important. He didn't think of Michael or Isabelle, all he thought about was the past four hours of lying to Liz, of avoiding her. He couldn't do it. Especially not after the way she was looking at him now, the way she was opening up to him. "I know what you..." Liz began to say and Max dreaded the next words to come out of her mouth. I know what you are. She knew about him. The images had told her everything. She knew everything about him. "I mean in the flashes that I got when we..." Liz paused, "when we kissed - I, I felt how you felt," he breathed a sigh of relief, but his chest tightened at her remark as well. How he felt. That could mean so many things. "It's hard to explain, but - "

"I felt them too," he said quickly, "I mean about you - I..." and Liz blushed at the comment and bowed her head.

"What...what'd you see, Max?" she inquired curiously and he made a movement with the right corner of his mouth. Almost like he was smiling. "What?" she grinned, now fully embarrassed at the things he might have viewed.

"You. Your whole life. Kindergarten, grade school...high school." He didn't reveal much and so
Liz confessed first.

"I saw you..when you were - like six years old," she began to describe in detail to Max what she had seen. "-just crying into your pillow. And I just...the way I felt - I mean you felt...I've never felt anything like that before - I never thought anyone could." Max stared down at the dirty floor of the jeep. He knew what she was talking about. It was the first week after he and Isabelle had been adopted by the Evans. Every night he had sat in his bed and cried until he had fallen asleep.

"I saw you at your grandmother's funeral," Max admitted. "Last month," Liz's eyes moistened at the comment. She had yet to really accept and deal with the death of Grandma Claudia. "I saw you hiding in a bathroom stall at the funeral parlor...crying," Liz's mind drifted back to the memory and her bottom lip quivered. She had been unable to deal with the funeral, unable to deal with seeing her grandmother laying there in that open casket and had excused herself and ran to the bathroom. "You didn't want to cry in front of your father," Max continued, "you wanted him to think you were strong," Liz looked up at him suddenly. Realizing that Max now knew things that nobody else knew. No one - not Maria, not Alex, not even her own family.

"Max? How do you know these things?" Liz finally asked, "how did I know that when you were six years old you cried yourself to sleep every night - wishing for a friend? That for the past ten years of your life you wanted that friend to be me?" Max's eyes stared intently into hers.

"I think you already knew that part," he actually smiled slightly and she just bowed her head.

"Did the visions tell you that?" She asked and Max just shook his head. There was a pause between the two and neither said anything. "So um - Max...how do we - how do we know this? I mean how did we both...see into each others souls," she actually laughed at the statement, at how ridiculous it sounded. Max's bottom lip began to tremble as he realized what he was about to confess to her. Well, he would never get more private than this, he gazed around at the desolate surroundings. "Oh my God.." Liz suddenly covered her face with her hand.

"What?" Max asked worriedly, but Liz just motioned to the clock in the jeep. "My shift started forty minutes ago! My father - Maria, oh my God they're going to kill me. I didn't realize we were out that long," an awkward smile actually formed on her lips. "Can you..can you drive me back? I'm...I'm sorry, but -" Max just shook his head.

"It's fine," he shrugged, but he couldn't just drive her back to work. He couldn't just leave her after a conversation like that. He found himself turning the keys however and stepping onto the accelerator and the jeep began to bump down the dusty road.



"So they've never happened before?" Liz asked suddenly, breaking the silence as she and Max drove down the highway and back to Roswell. "The visions? I mean...those feelings? that...connection"

"Never," Max stated honestly. Isabelle had never told him about anything like that and neither had Michael. The extent to their powers up until Sunday night had been melting cheese on a sandwich or getting rid of stray pen marks on an English paper. Connecting with people - that was something else entirely.

"So...we just - we connected? I mean Max there has to be some sort of explanation, I can't just - I can't just go on with my life and pretend that didn't happen. Pretend what I felt didn't."

"I never said you had to," Max was quick to respond.

"Then - I mean, help me out, Max...I can't help...I can't help but think things," she paused, "think things about why they happened? Why.."

"What do you think?" Max asked fearfully.

"I don't know," Liz shrugged and looked over at him, "but I mean you're not giving me any help. I can't help but think," and Max began to tense up. That was the second time she had said that. What was she thinking? He wished he could connect with her now and see what she was thinking. He wished he could tell her the truth in a vision somehow. Maybe in her dream. That would be so much easier than telling her in real life. But only Isabelle could do that. The conflict was unavoidable now, and he knew he had to tell her the truth somehow. " 'cos I - I haven't told anyone about...about what happened Sunday night. But Max, if I.."Liz hesitated, she hated to sound threatening but she couldn’t help it, "if I don't start getting some answers...I have to talk to someone about this...about us," she looked over to him desperately.

He bit his lip and she saw his mouth tremble a bit as he continued driving down the road. His eyes focused straight ahead.

"I've thought about telling you a thousand times," Max finally said and he knew now there was no turning back.

"Telling me what?" Liz looked over at him and Max gasped as if there wasn't enough oxygen around him. Max had no idea how to tell her. He had thought about it so many times over the past ten years. How he would approach her, how he would tell her, how she would react. None of it mattered now. None of it compared to the fear he felt at that moment.

"I'm different, Liz," Max said softly, his eyes still focused on the road.

"Different...how?" Liz questioned, looking over at Max and she suddenly noticed how taut every muscle in his body was. How he was clinching the wheel and clinching his jaw shut. She couldn't help but grow a little nervous sitting next to him. Max swallowed, his throat was getting dry.

"I'm different in a way...that if the wrong people knew - I could..." Max was unable to finish his sentence and he swallowed again. "I need to know that you're not going to...that what I'm going to tell you isn't going to make you -" Max stumbled, sputtering out phrases and finishing none. He couldn't help it, he couldn't get out any of his sentences. All the moments he had practiced and imagined telling Liz everything meant nothing now. He saw how nervous she was getting and it only made him more tense.

"Max what could be that bad?" Liz asked naively and Max slowly closed his eyes as they entered the outskirts of town. He could make out the glowing flying saucer in front of the Crashdown. He had to tell her now.

"The 1947 Crash," Max suddenly spat out and Liz looked at him bewilderedly.

"What about it, Max?" she actually smiled and it only made what Max was about to say harder.

"I was in it."


Liz looked at him unbelievably at first. She actually smiled and it only tore Max up inside.

"Come on, Max..." she laughed as he drove slowly down the streets of Roswell, drawing closer to the Crashdown. "I mean...I don't - I don't believe in aliens," she said emphatically and his mouth tightened into a line at the last comment.

"Do you believe me?" he asked quietly and she didn't respond. Something about the sincerity in his last statement, the seriousness - the realness of it made her head begin to spin. Fear flashed in her eyes and she felt faint. She felt sick. Liz looked over at Max. Max who she had trusted, Max who she had grown so close to over the past few months. Max who she thought she knew. Max who in just the past minute had bought the entire world she knew crashing to the ground. She quickly unfastened her seat belt and reached or the car door and Max reached over and grabbed her arm.

"Liz, what're you doing?" he asked fearfully, though he knew what she was doing. She was getting as far away from him as she could. "Liz," he called again, his voice wavering as he slowed the car to a stop. She was struggling to get out of his grip.

"Let me go, Max," she actually yelled and all his worst nightmares were slowly coming true.

"Liz, look you have to believe me," he said again and she closed her eyes and began shaking her head.

"Believe you, Max?" she shook her head again and Max could see that her eyes were misty. "How am I supposed to - what are you?" she cried, "what do you - you come to me - you, you, you -" Liz stuttered, "you manipulate me! you -" tears fell from her face now and she was trembling. Max could do nothing but sit there and watch. Watch as his world and Liz's world came shattering apart. She looked at him once and fumbled with the door handle. Max bit his lip as he saw just how truly terrified she was. Throwing the door open with all her weight, Liz nearly fell out of the car. Max opened up his mouth to call to her, but nothing came out as she raced down the street to her home. He didn't make any effort to follow her or to chase after her. He sat there in the car, a numbness about him as he thought back to the petrified look on Liz's face and a horrible feeling began to overtake him. It began as a misty feeling in his eyes, then a tingly sensation in his throat, then a dull ache near his heart. He rested his head on the steering wheel and a single tear dripped down his face. Liz was afraid of him.


Mr. and Mrs. Parker hovered around Liz's bed, utterly confused by what was causing their daughter's sudden illness. She had rushed through the back door, told them she couldn't work today and run up the stairs to her bedroom. That's when they heard the vomiting.

"Lizzie, sweetheart - you okay?" her father had asked worriedly and Liz had managed a feeble response. "I'll bring you up some soup, okay?" he had offered, but as the night went on he realized that sleep and chicken soup wasn't going to help Liz. She had no fever, yet it was impossible to ignore all the things plaguing her. Liz hadn't been able to sleep. She ran up to her room, shut the door and collapsed on her bed. It was all some incredibly horrible twisted dream - no, a nightmare. Max. An alien. She said it to herself again and like she had when he had told her, she laughed. It sounded too ridiculous. Too ridiculous to even say or to think about. She was overcome by drowsiness but she was afraid to close her eyes. She knew it was silly, but she couldn't help but think things. Think and remember that Max had come to her house twice before in the middle of the night. She thought back to those two times. One had been last month, the other had been hardly twenty-four hours ago. She thought back to the visions she had seen. The symbols, but they were muddled with all the things she had felt. All of Max's feelings. *The 1947 crash...I was in it* And a wave of nausea swept over her as she raced into the bathroom.


Liz awoke in a cold sweat. She glanced over at the clock - it read 3:15. She had allowed herself to fall asleep and her sleep had been plagued with the dreams she had feared. Dreams of Max. Her skin was glistening with sweat and she shivered as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She had to shower - had to get rid of this feeling that had overcome her. Careful and quiet, so as not to wake her parents, she crept down the hallway to the bathroom. Her breathing was still quick and shallow and she was taking deep breaths to help calm herself down. She turned the water on hot. Hot enough to shock her back into consciousness, into reality. She had been walking around in a daze since she had fled from Max in the jeep. There was no such thing as aliens, she told herself - but she knew she was lying to herself. Like she had lied to herself earlier when she had told herself she had no feelings for Max. She remembered the way Max had told her, the sincerity in his eyes. Her mind drifted back to their 'first date' - if you could call it that. The night they had walked around Roswell for three hours. So do you actually believe in aliens? he had asked, smiling only slightly. The way he had always talked to her about the sky - about the stars. She let the water run down her body as she closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. When she opened them, Max was standing in the doorway - in his worn leather jacket and navy blue jeans.

"What do you want?" she asked aloud, her voice wavering.

"You." Came the low response. Liz blinked twice and took a deep breath.

There was no one at the door.



It was a clear blue day and the sun shone down brightly on everything. On Liz's hair - so beautiful and soft Max reached out and touched it. They were standing close together, in front of the reservoir pools
where Max had taken her once before. He was dressed in his brown leather jacket and navy blue jeans. He tenderly took her face in his hands and grazed her cheek with his thumb.

"Max," she gazed up at him, but he cut her off.

"Shhh..." he edged closer to her. "You have to know who to trust..." he whispered before he moved in and kissed her softly. The only thing she felt at that moment was Max, and he was focused solely on her. It was the perfect kiss -gentle, yet passionate. The kind of kiss that only comes along once in a lifetime. The kind of kiss that feels like heaven. And suddenly the spectacular kiss was broken apart. A man in a suit ripped Max away from her. They pinned his arms behind his back and led him towards the black car that they had arrived in.

"Max!! No, Max!!!" Liz cried, but two other men contained her. "Let him go!!" she continued to scream and wail for him as the two men forced him into the car. "Max -no!!" she screamed loudly as the doors slammed shut and the car sped away. "Let him go!!!!"

Liz sprang up from her bed with a start and back in his bed, in his room - five blocks away - Max's eyes flashed open in fear as he awoke from his nightmare. And he knew Liz had dreamed it too.



Max couldn't help but notice the empty stool next to him in Bio lab the next day. Liz wasn't in school and he knew it was because of him. He knew she had dreamed what he had last night. He couldn't explain why, but he just knew. He had awoke and he had felt her fear as she awoke. He had felt her fear in the dream, just like he knew she had felt his. He hoped she realized her vital role in his future now. His entire existence rested in her hands now. Ms. Hardy was lecturing on about the differences between aerobic and anaerobic respiration but Max was hardly paying attention. His mind was on Liz. On Liz missing school because of him, because of what he had told her. Suddenly his pen began moving and he began to
furiously take notes on everything coming out of Ms. Hardy's mouth. Not for himself. For Liz.

He walked slowly to the Crashdown on his free period. To the back entrance. He was tempted to climb up Liz's balcony, but restrained himself. If she had been petrified of him enough to stay home from school, crawling up through her window might blow any chance he had of explaining himself. Of having her trust him again. God it was horrible knowing she was afraid of him, that she didn't trust him. How was he supposed to explain himself? He had no answers to all the questions he knew Liz would ask. He had as many answers as she did. He knew - or at least thought - that he, Isabelle and Michael had been in the 1947 crash and that was all. A sense of relief passed over him as he was glad that she didn't know that much. For
now Isabelle and Michael were out of the picture. Liz didn't know about them.

Max rapped on the door with his knuckles and it was quickly opened up by a rather flustered looking Jeff Parker, an apron around his waist. Max stumbled over what he wanted to say, and though he wanted to say something nothing came out of his mouth. Mr. Parker stood there for a moment, seeming to recognize Max's face yet unable to come up with a name.

"Max, right?" he suddenly greeted before Max could spit something out.

"Yeah," Max replied, and he couldn't help but think that while Mr. Parker now recognized and knew him, his parents had never even met Liz. They had heard her name mentioned various times but never met her. "I uh...Liz wasn't in - school," Max faltered.

"Lizzie's not feeling too well," Mr. Parker explained and Max felt a wave of sickness rush through him. Because of me, he wanted to say but he just picked up the blue notebook in his hand.

"I brought notes," he said quickly and Mr. Parker smiled to himself at the gesture.

"That's very nice of you, Max. Would you like to - take them up to her?" Max's face dropped at the comment.

"No, no - you can just bring them to her," he trembled at the thought of approaching Liz. God, he felt like he had three months ago. Frightened and nervous to even talk to her. "They're biology notes."

"Thank you, I'll tell her you brought them."

"No don't," Max said a bit too conspicuously and Mr. Parker seemed a bit suspicious by his quick response. "I mean...you don't - you don't have to," Max seemed troubled at the idea of Liz knowing he had been by her house. The last thing he wanted to do was make her more terrified of him.



Max had just barely set foot in the gym for basketball practice when Kyle grabbed him quickly, the basketball falling from his hands.

"What did you do to Liz??" he demanded angrily.

"I didn't do anything," Max replied innocently, confused as to why Kyle was suddenly more furious with him than normal and even more confused as to how Kyle could possibly have known anything had happened between he and Liz.

"Don't lie, Max - Liz never misses school. You know that better than anyone. I see her running from your car crying yesterday and apparently you were the last person to talk to her or see her."

"Kyle, I didn't-" Max began to protest again, worry flashing over him at how quickly Kyle had connected the pieces. He suspected something of Max, simply from what he had seen. He suddenly seized Max by the collar and pressed him up against the gym wall.

"Kyle man, what're you doing?" Archie stepped over and grabbed Kyle from behind. Max attempted to squirm away from Kyle but he only pinned him harder against the wall.

"Kyle man, let him go," the other members of the team joined in, perplexed as to his sudden aggressiveness. Ever since Max's first game as a Comet Kyle had seem irked by Max. He hadn't seemed it - he was. He didn't try to hide the fact that he didn’t like Max. He made it publicly known. He didn't like Max. He didn't like Max with Liz.

"I want some answers, Evans," Kyle ordered and Max just looked fearfully into Kyle's frustrated face.

"I don't have any," Max's voice actually began to waiver, "I have no idea what's wrong with her." As more members of the team circled around Kyle, in defense of Max, he released him.

"I don't believe that," he stated simply. "And I'm gonna find out what’s up. What's been going on with you two, what-"

"Is that what this is about?" Max's mouth turned up at one corner. "Kyle we're not together like that...at all," Max said honestly. At least not anymore. For that one kiss they had shared Sunday night in the Crashdown things in Max's head had fallen into place. That was where he belonged. With Liz. Kissing Liz. But then it all came crashing down with the visions.

"Besides man, you couldn't control them if they were," someone on the team suddenly called.

"Liz wants to be with him and not with you that's her decision."

"It's called jealousy, man," another laughed and Kyle suddenly realized the entire team was on Max's side. The whole team was defending Max.




There wasn't a light on in the gym and the only sign of life inside was the steady and rhythmic drumming of the basketball and the sound of it passing through the net. Practice had ended hours ago, dinner at his house was already over but Max stayed inside the gym. Alone and undisturbed. He hadn't seen her, but he sensed her there and slowly turned around. She seemed surprised by his presence in the gym, as if she had just been passing through. His dribble slowly came to an end and as the two just stared at each other from opposite sides of the gym he dropped the ball. He looked at her with a pained expression, his eyes looking the same as the eyes Liz had seen in the visions when they had kissed. The same confused
expression of the little boy in the headlights.

”I need to get my...English notebook," she explained slowly.

"Yeah," he nodded his head, "yeah we have a big assignment due." It wasn't what Liz wanted to talk about, it wasn't what Max had wanted to talk about, but for some reason they both found themselves talking about schoolwork.

"Thanks for the notes," Liz actually had the makings of a smile on her face and Max just shrugged. At least she was talking to him. She wasn't cowering in a corner. He took a step towards her though and she backed up. The same pained expression returned to his face and he stopped in his tracks.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Max's voice wavered and Liz just bit her lip, "I realize that you must be..." Max searched for the right word. He really had no idea what it was like to be Liz at this moment. What it was like to have been told something that shattered your entire belief system.

"Hurt," Liz whispered and Max realized that her feeling went much further than basic fear. He didn't say anything and just stared at her from across the gym. "So an alien, huh?" she said it, as if the notion were commonplace. Max actually smiled slightly. "What makes you believe you're an alien, Max?" Max could tell that she still was having trouble grappling with the issue. "I mean I don't..."

"You don't believe in aliens...you mentioned that," he said softly. "Just believe me," he stated simply. "Believe that I don't want to hurt anyone..." he paused, "I'm just like you, I'm just like everyone else." She still seemed to be in a state of shock and Max opened up his mouth to say something when her father entered the gym. He looked over at Max, a bit confused, but noted the basketball on the floor.

"Extra practice time?" he queried and Max just nodded his head.

"Yeah," he was quick to say.

"Good game last week," Mr. Parker nodded his in acknowledgement of Max's twenty point game the other night. Max seemed a bit taken aback and before he could thank Liz's father he turned to his daughter. "Lizzie you all set? You get what you need, 'cos uh - poor Maria's running the Cafe right now," Mr. Parker said it with only a small amount of faith in his daughter’s friend. Liz just nodded her head, though the English notebook was absent from her hand and began to back towards the exit. Her eyes were focused on Max, filled with confusion and still a bit of fright.

"Liz, your English book," he called, not expecting her to stop, but deep down just hoping she would. Hoping she would be able to look him in the eyes again.



Liz sat on her bed writing in her journal that night. Her ridiculous fear of Max still consumed her. But it wasn't really Max anymore. It was the simple knowledge of his existence. The possible existence of others. There were four words scribbled onto her page and she seemed unable to write anymore. Max is an alien. It read and that was all. She wanted to write how much she wanted to trust Max, how much she wanted to believe him. How she wanted to believe that he didn't want to hurt her, that all the time she had known him hadn't really been a lie. But those four words were all she could write. She couldn't seem to get past them. She closed the journal with a deep sigh and walked over to hide it someplace extra secret. Her journal now contained things none others did. Things that no one else could ever know of. As she bent down to place the journal in the bottom drawer of her dresser she felt the hair on her arms go on edge. She felt something, sensed something that made her heart skip a beat. She dismissed the feeling and walked towards her bed. And there was Max.

He wasn't in her room - but her eyes rested on him as he had finished hoisting himself over the ledge and stood on her balcony with his hands at his sides. She blinked her eyes and rubbed them, in an attempt to assure herself that it was just her mind playing tricks on her like it had been last night. But Max walked over to her window and Liz found herself opening it for him. It was as if she was in a trance. Max crawled through the window and found himself standing mere inches away from Liz. She backed up quickly and Max sensed that there was still a fear about her.

"Don't be scared," he whispered, a distressed look on his face. Liz closed her eyes slowly and bit her lip.

"I can't help it," she replied softly. "Honestly Max, I mean - how am I supposed to react to all of this...to - to you," she stuttered. Max wanted to wrap his arms around her then, to tell her he wasn't a monster, that all he wanted was for her to trust him again. But he took one step towards her and she began to back up again. She caught herself moving away and stopped in her tracks.

"You don't have to be afraid," he said with the same distressed look, only now the corners of his mouth began to raise slightly and he raised his eyebrows. "I'd never let anything hurt you." Liz just looked up at him - up into his eyes - knowing she was caught between two different worlds. The one where she remained afraid and frightened of Max, distrustful of him, where she remained in denial over the existence of aliens. She looked up into Max's brown pools, completely honest and trusting of her. Then there was Max. Her world with Max. Trusting Max, believing him. He stepped closer towards her and she didn't back away. Being with Max. He raised his hands towards her face and she flinched. Max hesitated and before he could move his hand to her hair they both heard footsteps outside in the hall, followed by a knock on the door. She looked worriedly towards Max, then back towards the door.

"I'll be right there!" she called and by the time she got to the door Max had left. He had crawled outside the window, across the balcony and was heading down the ladder. He was gone.
Last edited by kippy on Sat May 03, 2003 12:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
"And we that have lived in the story shall be borne again and again..."
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kippy
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Post by kippy »

The school day didn't begin for another thirty minutes, but Max was leaning up against his jeep in the front parking lot. Waiting. He didn't even know what he was waiting for. He was thinking, reflecting, waiting for something that he wasn't really sure of. He had just wanted to get out of the house. He had trouble being around Isabelle since he had told Liz about him. It was as if he was fearful of her reaction when she found out. Fearful that she would come to him any minute with the news that she already knew. When he had insisted on going to school half an hour early she had opted to get a ride with her friends. And so Max sat outside the school. The campus was nearly deserted and when a navy Camry pulled into the parking lot, Max craned his neck to see who it was. A bus passed by and whoever it was shielded from view.

When the bus passed and the exhaust fumes cleared he saw it was Liz. She stared at him long and hard for a minute and Max didn't move. Then she began to walk towards him. There was a song blaring from one of the cars that had just pulled up. *And there it goes. My innocence* came the lyrics and Liz couldn't help but feel exactly that as she walked towards Max, fully conscious of what she was about to. Max still didn't move and suddenly Liz's arms were around his neck and her mouth was on his. It was like a dream. For her to accept him was one thing, but to accept him like this was another. It was like the kiss they had both shared in their dream the other night. *Now I've taken the side of a beautiful calm. Can you see this disguise fading to a resolve? Hesitation compounds, I've nothing left to sustain. My worries here have allowed a momentary refrain* It was as if the lyrics were speaking exactly what Liz was feeling. It was eery almost how fitting they were. The uplifting music played in the background, *There's something more than the world out there* the words sounded, as Max and Liz were completely enraptured with each other.

Liz had gotten no sleep last night. Not because she had been afraid though, because she had been thinking. Because as Max had silently disappeared last night she had pulled out her journal and begun to write. She wrote for pages. She wrote about how Max had touched her yesterday behind the bleachers, she wrote about how he had so intimately shared with her his lifelong secret. How she knew he had risked his life, put his life in danger and told her. She wrote about how she knew if she believed Max and she were to trust him, she were to be friends with him with the knowledge of this tremendous secret her life would change. She knew she would be stepping out of her 'comfort zone' as her health teacher had phrased last year. She was going into the unknown. Going places she was so unprepared to go. But as she kissed Max in the middle of the parking lot and more and more students gathered and arrived she didn't care. Max had taken a chance in telling her and now so was she.




"So seventeen people at school already told me about you and Liz," Isabelle suddenly approached Max at his locker at the end of third period. His head shot up at the sound of his sisters voice and he immediately slammed the metal door shut. "Well it's not true is it?" Isabelle almost laughed at the preposterousness of it. Max was quiet. "I mean Janine Packard said you two were..sucking face in the middle of the parking lot," a slight smile formed on Max's face at the memory, "and I know that you wouldn't do that." He hid his face from Isabelle's view. "Max?" Isabelle was beginning to feel less confident of her brothers actions than she had when she'd first been told. "It's not true," she repeated and Max looked up to her with a guilty look on his face. Isabelle's face dropped at Max's expression. "The parking lot??" she cried incredulously and Max actually smiled and nodded his head slightly. People walking by stopped and looked at Max. The guys just nodded their head smiling widely and the girls looked at him admiringly. "I don't believe you!" Liz appeared in the distance over Isabelle’s shoulder and Max's focus immediately shifted to her. Isabelle realized her brother was no longer paying attention and as she turned around and saw Liz she gave an exasperated sigh. He walked past his sister to Liz, with what looked like a bounce to his step. "Max, aren't we going to talk about this? I mean -" The bell sounded in the background.

"We kind of have to go to bio," Max said, leaving his sister standing there with her mouth gaping open. Shocked, confused and above all things - hurt.



The two sat in bio, almost unknowing of how to act around each other. Max had not questioned Liz's motives in accepting everything. In accepting him. She had walked towards him, kissed him and everything had been forgotten. The rest of the biology class didn't forget anything that had occurred that morning however. The other students whispered, pointed and stared at Max and Liz. Neither seemed to mind however and he reached for her hand underneath the table. She smiled as their fingers intertwined beneath the countertop out of the view of the class and Max couldn't help but notice a sparkle in her eye. He scribbled a note on the blank sheet of paper in front of him and Liz edged over to read it. Fifth period -> we have to talk. A worried look crossed Liz’s face at the clandestine message. Max shook his head, mouthing the word 'no', assuring her it was nothing bad.

"Ms. Parker - since you are behind a day, I suggest you pay a little more attention to what's going on at the front of the room," Ms. Hardy called warningly and Liz felt her face go hot in embarrassment as the twenty three other members of the class peered around at her and Max. He squeezed her hand from underneath the table and she glanced quickly at the message and nodded her head.



A gym class was exercising around the track, and many looked up into the bleachers where Max and Liz were sitting. There was nothing to see however, the two were simply talking - Max resting on one bleacher and Liz resting on another, looking up at him.

"It's not like I don't trust you..." Max hesitated as he looked to Liz, "but I just - I have to know you're not going to tell anybody..about - about me."

"Why would I tell anyone?" Liz assured Max, but he couldn't help but worry.

"Maria?" he questioned. She was his main concern.. "I mean - this, I know, is probably hard to keep from her but.." Liz thought about all the conversations with Maria she had already cut short and dismissed herself from. To avoid conversation about Max and about what had happened.

"No one else knows?" she seemed to grow troubled at the thought of having no one to talk about it with.

"No one," Max answered softly, leaving out the details about Michael and Isabelle.

"What about your sister? I mean your parents?"

"Just you," he mumbled and she leaned towards him.

"Max how do you...how do you live like that? How do you - " Liz faltered for a moment, "God, it must be so lonely." And he looked up to her.

"Not anymore."



Isabelle sat at a table in the outdoor cafeteria in silence with Michael, who at the moment had his headphones drawn over his head. Isabelle could hear the tiny drone of Metallica coming from them and she just rolled her eyes. That was Michael's way of dealing with the days events. Detach himself from them, pretend they hadn't happened. Isabelle couldn't pretend though, she didn't see how Michael could either. She rested her head in her hands and let out a loud sigh.

"Tough day?" Alex suddenly approached her and Michael looked at him strangely from across the table. Alex turned to him. "Which album? Reload or Garage Inc.?" Alex asked casually, but Michael just stared at him. Alex shrugged and turned back to Isabelle. "You look like you could use a rest," he suggested and she slowly picked up her head to look at him. Alex was sweet. A genuine good guy. Who just had this tendency to stare at her a little more than she was comfortable with. She was used to it though, she got it from all the guys in the school. There was something about the way Alex looked at her though. It wasn't so much like he was undressing her with his eyes as it was something else Isabelle just couldn't put her finger on. She had been hanging out with him a good amount since Max's basketball game. Not just him - Maria and Liz too. As a group they had all gone out, never alone of course though. Lately she had been giving Alex the brush-off though.

"Yeah," she mumbled quietly, propping her head up with her hands.

"So what's bugging you? School, family, me, all of the above?" Alex interrogated and Isabelle couldn't help but smile at his remark.

"You don't bug me, Alex," she shook her head and he smiled from ear to ear.

"I was starting to get the sense that - "

"No, no - it's not you, it's just..." Isabelle ran her hands through her hair and stared over at an emotionless Michael then wondered to herself where Max was this period. "Family stuff."




"Max, really - I have to go to Spanish," Liz giggled as Max grabbed her by the arm before she could turn the corner into the Spanish room.

"Okay," he smiled, drawing her towards him for one last kiss. Liz pulled away midway through the kiss.

"I'm like the only person to ever experience this..." she said, a far-off starry look in her eyes.

"What?" Max smiled as he rested his hand on her cheek.

"Being kissed by an al-" Liz caught herself, "by a..." Liz couldn't think of another word. "You know-"

"By someone not-of-this-earth?" Max said quietly and she just nodded her head. "So how is it?" He smiled, stepping away from her and leaning back on a locker. She grinned at the comment, at Max's sudden playfulness. It was like he was a completely different person than the Max she'd known just five days ago.

"I have to go to class," she shook her head smiling and Max just nodded his head.

"I'll see you in English," he began to back down the hall and the door to the Spanish room slammed shut as Liz disappeared behind it. Max was grinning widely as he edged his way down the hall when suddenly he collided with someone. Embarrassed, and a bit humiliated he spun around only to be met by his sister.

"We have to talk, Max," she commanded and Max just looked at her, the smile disappearing from his face. "Now."

Michael was already in the eraser room, waiting for Max and Isabelle to arrive. Isabelle dragged her brother through the door and Max looked around cautiously. Not solely because he was going in with his sister - yes the rumor mill would be spinning then - but because of the fear that someone would see him going inside. And not with Liz.

"Why are we meeting in here?" Max asked awkwardly as he looked around at the tiny and cramped room. "I've never been in here," he said to no one in particular as he walked around slowly and Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Well you'll be here soon at the rate you're going with Liz," she mumbled and Max grew silent.

"We're not...I don't know what you've heard but-"

"I saw you two outside the Spanish classroom ten minutes ago - was enough to make me gag," Max seemed a bit embarrassed by the comment. By the fact that Isabelle had seen them.

"What is this? You and Liz?" Michael suddenly butted into the conversation, "I thought we had agreed not to -"

"No, you two agreed - you made the decision without me. I mean I can't help it, it's like...I'm - I'm happy now. Can't you understand that?"

"I understand that you're forgetting who you are," Michael shook his head. "You can't be together," Michael stated matter of factly, "physically." Max looked down at the ground, but Michael continued. "You're not even the same species."

"Max, we trusted you," Isabelle stayed closer to the problem that was bothering her the most. "I trusted you. I stuck up for you when Michael didn't. I mean - you promised-"

"I never promised any-" Max began to defend himself.

"Yes you did- you promised you'd never do anything that would put us in any kind of danger," Michael argued and Max opened up his mouth to protest, to say that they weren't in danger, but Isabelle cut him off. It was like a tag-team, between Michael and Isabelle. Max would say one thing and then one after another they'd both attack him.

"Being friends is one thing, close friends is.. is fine," Isabelle said though she didn't seem to think of it as 'fine'. "We don't know what can even happen when...when you kiss her - when you...." Isabelle's voice drifted and Max was silent. He couldn't tell Isabelle about the visions. Not now - not with her like this. So upset. "Point is, Max - you don't know -"

"Isabelle, we can trust her," Max stated firmly and the words were no sooner out of his mouth than he caught himself and realized what he'd said. What he had revealed in saying them.

"Trust her with what..." Isabelle didn't want to believe what she was suspecting. Max wouldn't go that far. He wouldn't have told Liz. He couldn't have. That wasn't like, Max. Max was trustworthy, someone both she and Michael could always rely on. Someone they could both have faith in to always be there. As strong as ever. Max was motionless in the corner, and his eyes shifted nervously about. "I don't believe you," Isabelle almost started crying right there and Max just stood with his hands at his side.

"Isabelle, it's okay," he started to assure and comfort her, but she quickly wiped the tears that had fallen from her face.

"It's not okay, Max. You're risking our lives!" she lashed out.

"But we can trust her, Iz. It's not as big a problem as you think it -"

"It's selfish is what it is!" Isabelle spat angrily, "we had a pact, Max. Do you know how many times I've wanted to tell mom? You have no idea! Everyday for the last ten years. But I haven't. I haven't because it was something the three of us agreed on. We never tell anybody. We -"

"I couldn't just lie to her. She saw things, things about us - I couldn't just let them-"

"What do you mean she saw things?" Michael suddenly interrupted.

"She had visions. She saw our language," Max looked towards his friend in an attempt to convince him. "And this constellation in the sky. She said it was a V or something -this is a good thing -"

"A good thing?" Isabelle looked at her brother not with admiration like she always did, but this time with disgust. "I don't believe you," she repeated and Max was silent. "Out of the three of us I always thought it was you we could count on most." She looked over to Max, who had been standing in the same spot since they had started talking. He had hardly flinched. Isabelle looked hard at him, almost squinting her eyes as she backed towards the exit. Michael brushed past her and stormed outside, drawing the headphones back over his head. Isabelle stood there, rooted to the spot. She shook her head as she stared over at him. "Who are you?"




Max's galaxy melt and cherry coke stayed untouched on the table and he just sat there, resting his chin on a Tabasco bottle. Expecting his coke to be nearly empty, Liz walked by to refill it and stopped in her tracks when she saw that Max had hardly moved since he had entered the cafe.

"Max?" she asked worriedly and when he didn't respond she called his name again. "Is something wrong?" Liz sat down next to him and in a gesture of closeness reached across the table for his hand. He drew back immediately and she looked at him peculiarly.

"I um - I have to go," he dismissed, quickly edging out of the booth, seeming disturbed by her last action.

"Is something wrong?" she repeated, stepping out of the booth and Max snapped his head around quickly.

"No I just...I have to - have to go," he stuttered, backing towards the door.

"Okay," she responded softly as she stood rooted to the spot and watched him go.

When Maria stepped out of the kitchen and saw Liz in much the same state that Liz had found Max she immediately abandoned her work.

"Liz what's up?" she stepped over to the booth where Liz was resting her head in her hands. "You're supposed to be work..." she noted the look on Liz's face and stopped herself midsentence. Neither spoke and there was a silence between them. Liz who didn't want to say anything and Maria who didn't know what to say. "So I thought I saw Max come in here," Maria finally said smiling hoping to draw some details out of her friend. "Any uh...you two gonna go out this weekend?" she grinned widely, but the comment only made Liz's face drop more. "Oh my God, Liz what?" Maria grew worried, more than protective of Liz. She had seen her with Max throughout the day and they had both seemed so incredibly happy. Her mind raced as to what could cause such a change in her friend.

"Nothing, nothing happened," Liz mumbled. "That's sorta the problem."

"What?"

"He just..I came over to go see him and he - he just left. Like the minute he saw me." Maria looked at her strangely, almost disbelievingly. That didn't sound like Max at all. Max stayed in the Crashdown until it closed. He helped Liz finish her shift, clearing dirty plates, sometimes delivering a milkshake or soda to an impatient customer. Max stayed after class just to say hello to her, to ask her how her day was going. "It was like.." Liz paused, seeming troubled at the thought that entered her mind, "it was like he didn't want to...like he wanted to get away from me."

"Okay Liz," Maria cut her off before she could continue with any more ideas. "I saw you two in the parking lot this morning." Liz's face flushed at the comment and Maria just grinned. "The last thing that boy wants to do is be away from you." Liz opened up her mouth to protest, but Maria raised her hand - shutting her friend down. "I was watching him in English - and he didn't take his eyes off of you the entire period," Maria informed her friend and Liz gave a tiny smile at the comment. Liz ran her hands through her hand quickly, walking out of the booth.

"You're right, I'm just overreacting," she sighed. "I guess it's just the price I have to pay when I'm
dating an al-" Liz caught herself before she could continue, but Maria just looked at her strangely.

"Dating a what?" she looked curiously at her friend.

"Dating..." Liz paused, "someone like Max," she said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Maria shook her head slightly, confused by her friends statement.

"Someone...who.." Liz racked her mind for something to say, "someone who's like Max." She repeated, cursing herself in her mind, unable to come up with anything. She didn't know what she meant. Well she knew what she meant - she meant an alien - but she couldn't think of a cover story for Maria.

"Who's like Max - you said that. But what do you -"

"Miss, my Alien Blast please?" a customer demanded of Maria and she just walked away, leaving Liz standing, for the moment relieved, in front of the booth and Max's untouched meal.



His trigonometry book was open on his desk, his pencil and calculator were out but Max could hardly get past the first problem. Whenever he started his mind just began to drift to the way that he had left Liz in the Crashdown that afternoon. He had seen the look on her face, the hurt. And the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, he had done enough of that already. She had just gotten to trust him again and he had gone and blown it. He couldn't help it. When he was with Isabelle or Michael or anybody but Liz all he could think about was her and when he was with Liz all he could think about was Isabelle and Michael and his guilt about being with her. Again his mind rested on the memory of Liz reaching tenderly for his hand at the booth this afternoon and him pulling away. All she had wanted to do was see how he was doing, to see if he was okay. And he had been a total jerk to her. But he couldn't tell her what was bothering him. He couldn't tell her how Kyle had thrown a cheap elbow at him underneath the basket during practice today. He couldn't tell her about Michael and Isabelle, about how upset they were at him. He couldn't tell her. He had told her enough already. Yes, he had told her enough - he made up his mind and began work on the second math problem. No sooner had he figured out the cosecant of Angle B than he dropped his pencil on the desk, letting out a loud sigh. But what was the use of hiding it? What good came out of lying to Liz? She already knew about him. She trusted him, she believed him, she had promised not to tell anybody. And he believed her, he trusted her.

A knock sounded on his door and he invited whomever it was in.

"Hey...can we talk?" Isabelle's voice sounded and Max stood up out of the chair and sat down on his bed. Isabelle stepped over to lower the sound of the Goo Goo Dolls on Max's stereo, but she could hear the quiet acoustic music. *What's the point in all this screaming? No one's listening anyway* sounded the lyrics.

"What's up?" he asked civilly, having no desire to stir up any of the conflicts that had emerged in the eraser room earlier that afternoon.

"Strangely enough you and Liz," Isabelle spoke honestly and Max grimaced.

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled.

"Then just listen, okay?" Max just nodded, he was never one not to listen to anything his sister had to say. "I'm not...happy that you're together," she hesitated, "I really don't like it - at all...but I think if you'd just told me. If I didn't have to hear about it from Janine Packard and Paul McKinley I might've..might've maybe accepted it...a little better." Isabelle paused for a moment. "We don't talk anymore, Max," she said honestly. "Talk to me about her," he just looked at his sister curiously.

"About Liz?" he actually laughed slightly at the comment. Over the past few months every time he brought up Liz's name she turned the conversation to something else.

"Tell me why you're so in love with her, why you felt the need to tell her about us." Max was quiet despite the fact that he wanted to tell her how she and Michael were safe. That he really hadn't put their lives at stake, contrary what she thought. " 'Cos I don't understand it. I don't see how one person can..can just change your mind -"

"My mind was never made up," Max suddenly spoke.

"What? Max we all agreed -"

"We agreed to never tell anybody - but you know just like you've thought about telling mom...I've thought about telling her. So many times." Max hesitated. "Since I first saw her, I wanted her to know. I wanted her to be in my life -" Max stopped himself. He never talked about stuff like this with Isabelle. It felt awkward. "I couldn't lie to her anymore, Iz - I just..."

"What about the visions that you mentioned? I mean Michael hasn't shut up about it since you mentioned them." Max smiled at the comment, just picturing Michael rambling on about discovering their language and who they were. "He almost started talking about it with Maria - it was pretty funny to hear him BS his way out of that," Isabelle actually smiled at the memory.

"How is he about uh..." Max paused and Isabelle knew what he was trying to say.

"Pretty pissed," she replied honestly and then the hostility returned to her, "not like I can really blame him." The same frustrated look that he had had this afternoon appeared on Max's face.

"You wanted to know why I told her, I -" he began to defend and Isabelle looked down to the floor, then back up to her brother.

"But that still doesn't make it right, Max," she paused. "It doesn't make it right."




Arriving to school with less than two minutes until first period meant that getting to the lockers was always an adventure. The hallway was crowded with students and practically everybody headed to their locker at that time.

"Excuse me! Move please. Thank you," Maria yelled to her classmates as she and Liz made their way to Liz's locker through the mass of students.

"Hey Liz, where's Max?" someone called slyly and Maria couldn't help but smile at the comment, looking over at her friend. The reaction that the entire school had had to Liz and Max in the past day was ten times more than the response she had gotten being with Kyle. She didn't know why either. Max got it too. Maybe it was the dramatic fashion which they had revealed themselves to the school. Maybe it was because such an action wouldn't be expected from someone like Max, or Liz for that matter. Maybe it was because gossip had been spreading about them for the past two months. And then there was Kyle. Kyle who since his and Max's fight in the Crashdown had made his dislike for Max evident.

"I don't get this? Why is everybody going so crazy over you and Max?" Maria looked towards Liz, who merely shrugged as she opened up her locker. "I have my reasons, I mean I should be the most excited. I've been waiting for years for you to admit you had feelings for him. And him, I never thought he would -" Liz rolled her eyes as Maria continued to ramble and she reached in to pull out her books for the day when she noted a ten dollar bill resting on top of her biology textbook. Beneath it was a small note and Liz smiled when she read it. Sorry about last night. Please don't think it was you. Liz suddenly held the note to her chest, shielding it from her inquisitive friend's view.

"Maria do you mind?" Liz attempted to phrase as politely as possible. She had no idea what else Max might have put in the tiny message. I had a lot of things on my mind. We have to talk again - do you mind missing third period? Liz smiled slightly and just as she began to wonder where they were going to meet, she eyed two small words at the bottom corner of the paper. Eraser room.


Third period Liz had a computer science course and though she did have a rather large assignment due at the end of the week she didn't give the thought of not seeing Max a second thought. She had never been to the eraser room and as she walked down the hallway towards it she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Max was inside and waiting for her, his mouth turned up at the corners when he saw her come
quietly through the door.

"You got my note," he said softly and she just nodded her head, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the ten dollar bill.

"You uh...you forgot the tip," she attempted to be serious and contained the grin forming on her face and Max just smiled. He slowly walked over towards her.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "how's this?" his face drifted close to hers and his lips gently brushed against hers as he moved his hands to her face. He continued to kiss her lightly and an image suddenly entered Liz's mind. Two small children wandering through a desert. There was a flash of headlights and she immediately recognized one of them as Max. She drew away from him quickly. "What?" he asked, a sense of concern in his voice.

"There's two of you," she said breathlessly and Max looked at her, more than confused.

"What?"

"I saw -"

"You got a flash?" he questioned and she nodded her head vigorously. "What'd you-"

"You," Liz replied quickly. "You and someone else...walking through the desert," she finished. "There's two...you're not the only one are you?" Liz challenged and Max was quiet. He knew what she meant. "Were you just going to lie to me?" she seemed hurt at the thought.

"No, no," Max assured quickly, "I swear to you...that's why I asked you to come here," Max sat down slowly. "Isabelle and Michael," he blurted out and Liz looked at him wide-eyed.

"They're..." she began to say and Max just nodded his head. "Then you did lie to me," she mumbled, more to herself than to Max, walking over to the corner.

"I didn't," Max got up and walked over to her, lifting his hand to her cheek. "I said no one else knew and that's the truth..." his voice cracked. "You're the only person we've ever told, we've ever trusted..." Max was speaking on his behalf and Liz knew it.

"They trust me?" she inquired curiously and Max looked down at the ground.

"They will," he whispered. "They get to know you...like I do and they will."

"So right now..." Liz's voice drifted. "Right now they're...is that why Michael was looking at me like that in English?" Liz recalled the suspicious look Michael had given her after the bell and she turned her eyes to meet his gaze. Max looked disturbed by the comment, he had seen Michael's glare too. "What do they - hate me now?" Liz was bothered by the idea and Max knew it. She had been getting along relatively well with Michael and Isabelle as of recently. Not great, their relationship could never be classified as great, but lately it had seemed that neither had resented her friendship with Max as much. It had even seemed that their was a bit of flirtation between Michael and Maria, but then again with those two you could never tell. "Max, I haven't told anyone," Liz assured him and he just nodded his head.

"That's what I told them," he shrugged, "but they're just..." his voice drifted. "They have problems trusting people," he told her honestly and she looked up to him, realizing even more everything that he had done in telling her about him. He had risked not only his life, but a lifelong friendship. For her.



The school day was drawing to a close and Max and Liz had both gotten their fair share of comments throughout the day in every class. It was either 'Hey Liz, you and Max..' and a nod of the head or a question about one or the others whereabouts. Questions abounded, how long they had been seeing each other, were they going out that weekend. And to every question both just remained silent. He stood by her locker while a mass of blue and gold clad West Roswell students excitedly rushed through the hallway and out the door.

"Let's go Comets!!" a rowdy student yelled, sprinting down the hall, waving a banner that read

Crush the Coyotes!!! #15 Max to the Max #15!!

"So you're coming to the game, right?" Max asked quietly, seeming to ignore the sign with his name emblazoned on it. Tonight was the first game of West Roswell's journey to the state championship. They played the eternal powerhouse Hagerman High Coyotes in the bi-regional championship. It had been an unexpected triumphant season for the Comets, mostly due to the arrival of Max not more than a month ago. Though he was more than modest about it, the truth was he had transformed the team.

"Yeah," Liz nodded her head. "We're all gonna go in Maria's car." And her voice lowered at the comment, her face seeming to droop. We meant Maria, Michael, Isabelle and Alex. "Should be.." she paused, "interesting."

"That's gonna be a little tight, isn't it?" Max just pictured the five of them squeezed into Maria's tiny Jetta. Liz just shrugged.

"We'll put Alex on Isabelle's lap," she actually grinned and Max just laughed. Alex's obsession with Isabelle was evident to everyone. As Maria described 'like a puppy in heat'. Neither said anything and there was a brief moment of silence between the two before Michael and Isabelle showed up at the other end of the hall. And an awkward silence prevailed there as well.

"Good luck if I don't see you before," Isabelle spoke suddenly reaching over to give her brother a quick hug and, with the same suspicious look on his face, Michael glared at Liz and gave Max a brief nod of the head. That was Michael's good luck. "So where's Alex?" Isabelle asked, glancing around the hallway then noting the look of surprise on everyone’s face at the comment added, "and Maria? Weren't they - weren't they supposed to come too?" Max had to hand it to his sister, as upset as she was over everything that had happened between he and Liz - the revelation of their secret - Isabelle was being pleasant to everyone.

"Yeah she should be coming," Liz looked over at Isabelle awkwardly. "She and Alex went to get the car at the end of ninth...they should be up front," she mumbled and so the three began walking towards the entrance. Max turned to head back to the gym and he gave Isabelle a look that seemed to say be good. Liz turned around quickly and bit her lip as she watched Max go. She let out a deep sigh, *this should be interesting.*



"So where exactly are we going?" Maria glanced over at the map that Alex had sprawled out on his lap in the passenger side.

"Hagerman High," Alex announced matter-of-factly, "now it says it's on Radford, but Radford goes right into Bartlett and I can't find.." he mumbled to himself, tracing the route with his finger. Maria craned her neck to look at the map and in the backseat, Michael, Isabelle and Liz nearly had a heart attack as the car swerved to the left.

"Watch the road, watch the road!!" Michael barked as Maria nearly crashed into the standard on the side of the road and the three squished passengers in back all flew into each other. Liz was sitting in the middle between Isabelle and Michael and when the car moved she crashed into Michael's shoulder. She quickly picked herself up off of him and sat upright in the backseat. Awkward was an understatement.

"I'm watching," Maria lifted her head back up, glancing behind the rearview mirror at the three of them.

"How hard can it be to find a stupid school," Michael grumbled, "just read the signs," he yelled at Maria.

"Well if you're so smart, why don't you get us there? Oh wait," Maria covered her mouth with her hands, "you don't have a car." Here they go again, Liz rolled her eyes and she knew so was Isabelle.

"Wait, wait - I think this is it," Alex suddenly cried triumphantly from the front, interrupting Michael and Maria's bickering before it could go any further. He glanced at the road sign, then back to the map. "No wait, that's West Bartlett Road, we just need Bartlett," and his head returned to the book. Everyone in the car groaned and Maria glanced down at her watch.

"We're gonna miss the beginning of the game if we don't find it soon," she stated. "Just so everyone knows."

"Thanks - wow, that really helped us find the high school," Michael snapped.

"Michael," Isabelle called warningly from the other side, "they're trying okay?"

"Yes, we're trying," Maria took her hands off the wheel for a moment and ran her hands through her hair, glancing over at Alex who still had his head buried in the map. He looked out the window for a brief moment.

"That's it Hagerman High!!" he suddenly yelled and everyone in the car began yelling happily.

"Alright!!"

"Finally."

"About time," they all echoed as Maria turned on her blinker and turned down the side road.

"No wait.." Alex suddenly looked harder at the sign. "It's Hagerman South," he mumbled, followed by loud groans from the cramped three in the back. Maria swerved quickly back onto the highway, sending everyone jerking to the right. Now Liz ran up against Isabelle and Michael was leaning on her.

"See this is why I like living in a small town," Liz suddenly announced and Isabelle looked at her quizzically. "We don't have to worry about five different schools, it's just -"

"Was there ever a Roswell East?" Alex suddenly interjected curiously.

"Burned down the year we were born," Maria announced, "they never built it back up...that's where my mother went to school."

"Thanks for sharing," Michael nodded his head as he boredly looked out the window and Maria just ignored him.

"I don't know, I like it in Roswell," Alex broke the silence honestly. "Small town's are fun. I went to visit my cousin in LA over the summer," he whistled, "there's too much going on there - I could never keep up."

"It's got it’s upsides and downsides," Isabelle admitted, looking over to Michael - knowing what he would say if he felt like talking. There's gotta be something better than Roswell, New Mexico. She and Max grew sick of the phrase. It worried them more than anything. Michael said it all the time and they both feared that one day they would both wake up and Michael would be gone.

Alex continued to look back and forth at the street signs and the map.

"Screw the map," he mumbled, "let's stop and ask someone." Slowing the car down, Maria pulled up aside a gruff and greasey looking man in a creased Exxon hat.

"Great choice," Michael mumbled and Maria just glared at him out of the corner of his eye. Ignoring him, she rolled down Alex's window and leaned over.

"Excuse me - you wouldn't happen to know where Hagerman High is, would you?" she asked politely enough. The man looked at the five jammed in the car curiously, he looked as if he was about to tell them when he noted something on Maria's car.

"What?" Michael asked rudely from the back seat as the man squinted his eyes, looking hard at the corner of Maria's windshield and Alex knew what he was looking at. Maria's parking sticker.

"Yer all from Roswell ain't ya?" he asked with a deep southwestern twang. The five looked around at each other.

"Uh...yeah," Alex shrugged and the man began walking away from the car. Maria's mouth dropped open at the gesture.

"I don't believe him! that is so..." she mumbled to herself and began driving slowly down the side of the road after him. "Hey buddy - that is really rude! We're just trying to find the school -" she began to go on a tirade and Liz held her face to her hands.

"Oh my God, Maria - just go!!" she yelled and Isabelle looked shocked at the slight blonde's outburst.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled in disbelief and Michael just held his head in his hands. This was turning out to be an adventure after all. He didn't want to admit the fact that he liked Maria's spunky personality, the fact that she had stood up to that brusque man. He hid his tiny smile behind his hands. Every other person in the car was attempting to quiet Maria and steer the car back onto the road, but she just continued to yell at the man through the window that Alex was quickly rolling back up.

"Maria, what're you doing?" Liz yelled, "now we're really going to miss Max!" And everyone in the car turned to look at her. "I mean the game."

"Relax, not like he starts anyway," Michael mumbled quietly, and though it had the typical Michael coarseness to it, Liz detected a small sense of assurance in the statement.

"Yeah, I don't get that," Alex suddenly said. "I mean Max is the best on the team, how come he doesn't start the game?"

"Because that's not Max’s thing," Isabelle answered quickly, "mugging all the attention, being the star..." it was a conversation she had had often with her brother since he had joined the team. "He likes coming off the bench." The five all began talking and rambling on, Maria having seemed to cool down finally and they all seemed to give up the search for the school when all their eyes rested on a huge banner strung over the main road. Welcome to Coyote Country it read. And there was a smaller sign on the street corner ~This way to see Coyotes stamp out the Comets~ followed by a picture of the signature West Roswell rocket being blown up and an arrow pointing down a tiny sidestreet.

"Well.." Alex mumbled staring at the sign, then down to the West Roswell signs they had shoved in the back of the car. "I guess we know where the game is."



The blue and gold of West Roswell was drastically outnumbered by the black and red of the Hagerman home crowd. Though much of the population of West Roswell was attending the game, they were clearly the minority. Michael, Maria, Alex, Isabelle and Liz were indeed late for the game. They walked through the only entrance of the gym, directly behind the Hagerman basket, five minutes into the game as West Roswell was down by seven. The deficit had been fifteen only minutes earlier. They'd missed Max's dramatic entrance into the game which had prompted wild cheers from the West Roswell crowd and jeers and boos from the Hagerman side, who had been reading more than they wanted to know about number fifteen.

As they stumbled through the door, Comets posters in hand and Alex clad in a blue and gold West Roswell gym t-shirt, Max had just sunk a three-pointer to bring them within four points. The entire gym peered around to stare at them as they were standing behind the basket Hagerman was to be heading towards. The five stood there awkwardly, and breathlessly as they'd sprinted out of the car and into the gym in under thirty seconds. No one moved and no one said anything and for a moment the gym was quiet as all
the pairs of eyes fixated on them. Max's included. His face brightened when Liz entered the room. It always did.

"Go Comets," Maria mumbled slowly and awkwardly and Isabelle just shot her a look as Liz dragged her away and over to the bleachers.

"I don't believe you," Isabelle hissed, "after the greeting we got by grease monkey back there - that's the last thing-"

"Relax, we're at a high school basketball game. You're allowed to show some team spirit," Maria shook off Isabelle's comment as she looked around at the Hagerman fans, almost all of them donned in black and red apparel of one kind or another, almost all of them glaring at the five.

"Not here you're not," Alex read Isabelle's mind as the five of them picked their way through the sea of red and black to get to the Comets section. None of them had even sat down yet before Max made another show-stopping play to bring West Roswell back in the game. Hagerman's leading scorer, Alexander Meade, attempted a fade-away jumper, but Max just reached up and swiped the ball away with his hand, driving down the court alone on the fast break for the easy layup and two points. West Roswell was only trailing by two, the deficit that had only minutes ago been fifteen was suddenly decimated by number fifteen. Max had never opted to get his name on the back of his jersey. He kept it plain and simple, number fifteen and that was it. Sort of like how he wanted to remain the sixth man and not a starter. The chants of "Comets Suck" and "Let's Go Coyote's" began to diminish and when Max's next three pointer gave West Roswell the lead they vanished completely.

Liz watched all of it in pure elation. He was like a different person when he played, so focused, so competitive, most of all so happy. She never saw him that happy, except maybe the past two days that he had been with her. It was as if basketball brought him some sort of refuge. She thought back to the loneliness she had felt when she and Max had kissed Sunday night. The loneliness of the little boy crying in the pillow. Then she looked back down to Max, who at the moment was taking a break during the time-out and was being slapped on the back by his teammates. All except Kyle, she couldn't help but note. Kyle stood on the outside of the huddle, staring in at Max.


The five of them, all but Michael, proved to be the rowdiest fans at the game. They cheered wildly everytime Max touched the ball - and considering his game high total of thirty-six points - they were up for the majority of the game. Michael's stolidness remained throughout the four quarters. Though his disgust when the Coyotes would make a basket was obvious. 'Damn,' he would mumble quietly to himself, hoping that no one would hear, though they all did. Even the cheerleaders weren't as loud as the five - or four - of them. And Liz of course had cheered loudest of all.


There had been a moment in the third quarter however when everybody in the gym had been silenced. Max had reached under the basket to retrieve a rebound, as had Kyle and two members of the Hagerman team. Max recovered the ball from the clumsy hands of the oafish Hagerman center, who was still swatting at the ball when suddenly Kyle reached in and began wrestling the ball away from Max. The crowd looked on in confusion. Max and Kyle were on the same team. Kyle continued to grapple with Max for the basketball and just as Max was about to release the ball and relinquish it to Kyle, the sheriff’s son threw his elbow into Max's face. Max was jerked back by the force behind it and he spun around backwards onto the court. Kyle seemed to ignore the fact that he had knocked his teammate to the ground and the minute Max's hands flew off the ball and Max fell to the ground, he tossed the ball into the hoop for two points. There were no cheers however, no applause at the two points for West Roswell. The building was silent as Max was slow to return to his feet. The referee blew his whistle and Archie walked over to see if the sophomore he had befriended in the past few weeks was okay.

"What the fuck was that, man?" Mack charged towards Kyle, and Ray Chavez stepped between the two of them before anything developed. The last thing they needed was a fight between their own team. The lead had already been reclaimed by Hagerman. Grabbing Max's arm, Archie hoisted him to his feet. Max was holding his hand up to his left eye, which was almost bound to turn black and blue. The crowd was silent, terrified of what might emerge of how Max would react. Of the fight they were positive was about to break out between the teammates. They didn't know Max however, and he checked his cheek one last time for blood before lining back up on defense. He had glanced at Kyle briefly and that was all. And up in the stands, the five who had been so enthusiastic throughout the game, nearly stopped breathing. Isabelle's heart slowed nearly to a stop, Liz's skipped a beat, Maria held her face in her hands, Alex just stared in shock and Michael clinched his fists and his jaw tightly to keep from charging onto the court after Kyle. The coach yelled and signaled for Max to step off the court to be examined by the trainer, but he waved his hand and dismissed him. He just wanted to keep playing.





It was one of the worst black eyes even Michael had ever seen. Max's entire left eye was swollen and the skin around it was a deep dark purple. Max didn't seem to give the injury a second thought, though Liz and Isabelle wouldn't stop fussing over it as the six sat in the Crashdown that night. The cafe was technically closed, but Liz's father had agreed to keep it open an extra hour for the 'victory party' between the six friends. He couldn't help but wonder to himself where they all came from and how they had gotten to be friends. He knew Max and couldn't help but think that the times that he saw him without blood or black and blue marks was equivalent to the times without them. No matter, he trusted his daughter. And black eyes and fat lips or not, his daughter trusted Max. The tall, long blonde haired one he knew was Max's sister, Isabelle, but 'the one with the hair' as he so often referred to Michael in the conversations with his daughter, he didn't recognize. He didn't know him from any school functions, any sports teams and he didn't recognize his last name when Liz told him it. As he looked out to the six, who had their glasses raised in celebration however, his mind was free of worries. His daughter had found a good group of friends, and as he glanced back at the smiling bunch he nodded his head in confidence. Yes, she had.


"No Max, just let me -" Liz held Max's face in his hands as she examined his eye, but Max couldn't help but flinch at her touch. It was still sore, no matter how much he'd attempted to play down the event and tell them it was worse than it really looked, it hurt. It had hurt for the rest of the game. Through the seven-teen points he went on to score in the last quarter. The last thing he wanted was for Isabelle and Liz to worry however. Liz dipped her napkin in a glass of water and held it to his face, attempting to clean out the open cut on the edge of his eye. He drew back again at the sting however and Liz ran her hand tenderly on the other side of the face. "It's okay, that's all," she assured and Maria nearly 'awwwed' out loud at the two. Max thanked her quietly and she just smiled, nodding her head. Alex elbowed her, knowing what she
was about to say but Maria couldn't help it.

"They're so cute!" she exclaimed and Max and Liz both blushed. Isabelle and Michael rolled their eyes and Alex just rested his face in his hands.

"I tried to stop her," he mumbled and the comment actually brought a laugh out of Isabelle.

"Yeah they're pretty cute," she admitted smiling and Max's head snapped up to his sister at the comment. Michael, who was squeezed against the wall next to Max and across from Maria remained silent.

"Hey let's have everybody do a toast!" Maria announced excitedly and everyone groaned.

"Maria, we just made a toast," Liz laughed, but Maria continued to protest in defense of her idea.

"No, no - everyone does their own separate toast. Here, I'll start," she babbled excitedly and then with hardly a breath in between lifted her glass, "to Max and Liz. For being the best couple West Roswell has ever known," she stated perfectly and it only made the two's cheeks turn scarlet. Max just bowed his head. Maria referring to them as a couple still brought him on edge a bit. Yeah, that's what they were. That's what the whole school knew they were. Yet he knew Isabelle and Michael were still having trouble accepting it. So it made it hard for him to accept it. "Max, go," Maria ordered and Max looked caught off guard.

"To...Hagerman," Max said the first thing that came to his mind, "for playing a good, good game." Everyone rolled their eyes at the sportsmanlike remark, so typical of Max.

"To Max," Liz quickly added looking over to him, "for beating Hagerman," she smiled.

”To the West Roswell Comets," Alex raised his Seven-Up, "the new Bi-Regional Champs."

"Okay, Michael it's your turn," Maria looked across the table to Michael who seemed disinterested in Maria's little game.

"No, I don't - I don't want to -" he began to decline but Max looked over to him.

"Come on, Michael just say something," he encouraged and as Michael's eyes rested on Max's darkened eye he said the first thing that came to his mind. The only thing that was on his mind.

"To Kyle," he mumbled and everyone at the table glared at him, utterly confused. "Whose gonna get the crap kicked out of him by me," he added and everyone but Max laughed.

"And by me," Isabelle raised her glass in agreement and Max, with his arm around Liz but his thoughts somewhere else, was quiet.




Mr. and Mrs. Evans were shocked when they saw their son's eye up close and head on. They had both attended the game and seen Kyle's flagrant elbow and had both grown suspicious.

"It's no big deal, mom - it was an accident," Max attempted to brush off the incident and Isabelle just shot him a look as did Michael from the other side of the room. Mrs. Evans looked worriedly to her husband, seeming conflicted whether to believe Max or what her eyes had seen on the court.

"Are you sure, honey? It looked..." Mrs. Evans hesitated, "I mean can you think of any reason why he would do that to you?"

"No - 'cos he didn't mean to, mom," Max assured again and he avoided the stare he knew Isabelle and Michael were giving him. He was lying to himself as much as he was lying to his parents. He wanted to believe Kyle hadn't meant it. Mr. Evans patted his son on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay Diane," he stepped in and looked to his wife then back to Max, "let's believe him, Max wouldn't lie." Max looked thankfully to his father. He couldn't lie to his mother any longer and he knew Isabelle was disturbed hearing the lies come from his mouth. "You played a good game, you should go get some rest," Phillip nodded his head. "And Michael, you better be getting home," he looked towards his son's best friend and then to the clock on the wall.

"Yeah," Michael began heading towards the door and Max knew that Michael would most likely end up sleeping on his bedroom floor. Max and Isabelle walked to the front step with Michael and no sooner had he shut the door than Isabelle attacked. Max knew it was coming.

"How do you just stand there and lie to them??" she fumed and Max looked down at the ground ashamed. Michael made his way down the steps and Max ignored Isabelle's comment and turned to him.

"Michael where are you going?" he looked confusedly towards hs friend, "you wait like ten minutes, my parents'll be asleep and you can -"

"Nah, I'm gonna go pay Kyle a little visit," Michael dismissed casually as he began to walk to the street.

"Michael, don't even think about it," Max grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Don't you get involved in it too," he said protectively and Michael knew what he meant. Don't get mixed up with the Kyle/Liz/Max thing. Don't raise suspicions. Michael couldn't help it. Max had already raised suspicions and he wasn't about to let Max just get knocked around. He already put up with enough of that for the two of them.

"Max, look at your face," Michael yelled angrily, pointing with his hand to Max's eye and Max licked his lips.

"You're not going to Kyle's," Max announced and before Michael could protest Isabelle did.

"No, you should," she looked towards her brother and he tilted his head back frustratedly.

"What about...the whole Liz thing?" Max brought up the one question he thought could bring Michael's attention away from his revenge scenario.

"What does that have to do with it?" Michael fumed, "I'm not talkin' about your love life I'm talkin' about -"

"Kyle could start getting suspicious and he's the sheriff’s son, Michael," Max said slowly.

"That's got nothin' to do with it. Look you kicked Kyle's ass once, you can do it again."

"That's the whole reason why I'm not going to, look -"

"You don't then I will," Michael stated simply. "You're not changin' my mind, Maxwell - he's not getting away with that."

"The whole team is gonna get on his back, Michael you don't have to -"

"Yeah I do, Max," Michael stared intently at his friend. " 'cos I'm not the team. This is me. And he's gotta know he's not gettin' away with that." Michael began to walk away and Max grabbed his arm one last time.

"Michael," he objected but Michael spun away.

"I'm goin'," he held his arms out and walked away. And Max didn't chase after him.





Kyle jogged quickly up the front steps to his house, fumbling for his keys in the darkness. It had been a lonely night. After the game he'd simply walked around the streets of Roswell alone. He looked behind him quickly. He had had the eery feeling that he was being followed, that someone was watching him. He glanced back out to the street then back down to the mess of keys jingling in his hands.

"God, I'm like deranged.." he laughed to himself in an attempt to soothe his racing nerves. There was still that nervous air about him and he just combed his fingers through his hair and let out a deep breath. He looked behind him quickly as he jammed the keys into the door when suddenly a shadow emerged from the side of the house.

"Hey Kyle," sounded the voice and Kyle jumped back quickly at the voice, tripping over his own feet and falling to the ground on his back. Stumbling back to his feet he saw that the shadow was Michael Guerin. The shady, rebellious, class cutting friend of Max's. Because Michael was such an infrequent attendant of West Roswell High he hardly ever saw him. The only times he did see him were in the Crashdown with Max. And then he stared eerily at Kyle out of the corner of his eye.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kyle asked, pretending not to be frightened. Michael didn't respond, he slowly circled Kyle. Kyle's mind couldn't help but think back to that show in the Discovery Channel he'd seen, where he'd seen the wolves circle their prey before they savagely attacked it.

"Good game tonight," Michael nodded his head and Kyle knew that he wasn't referring to his measly six points and four rebounds.

"I didn't mean to..." Kyle quickly confessed "it - it was an accident, man," he faltered and Michael continued circling.

"It was a mistake is what it was," he continued speaking calmly and Kyle just stood there rooted to the spot. "Right?"

"Yeah, it - it was a harmless mistake," Kyle stumbled hoping it would get rid of Michael from his doorstep.

"Harmless?" Michael stared at Kyle, "take a look at Max's face - I wouldn't call it harmless."

"It was an accident alright," Kyle began to raise his voice and it only made Michael more irate.

"He won you the game!" Michael screamed, "he made your season, he gave you that championship - and you hit him!"

"It was an accident," Kyle repeated yet again and the more he said it the more he began to believe it.

"I don't particularly like him and Liz together either," Michael finally said and Kyle looked taken aback by the statement. "I'm not about to go beat him up though."

"I didn't mean to," Kyle's voice waivered as he began to fear maybe Michael was about to hit him.

"You mentioned that," Michael nodded his head, stepping closer towards Kyle.

"Look man, my dad's comin' home any minute you better get the hell outta-" Kyle mumbled quickly and Michael actually laughed.

"Your father the sheriff? What'd he think about that uh - that cheap shot? That seemed real legal." Headlights appeared in the distance and Michael began to back off.

"Get the hell outta here!" Kyle called more confidently now that he saw his fathers car drawing closer and closer and Michael just looked back to Kyle with a look that he didn't have to supply with words. *I'll be watching you*



West Roswell was crazy the day after the game. It had been a close, dramatic game. The score had drifted back and forth between West Roswell and Hagerman throughout the game but in the fourth quarter the Comets - or Max really - pulled away. He hit two three pointers in a row and didn't look back. Nearly every one of the students had attended the game and everyone was talking about it. The one thing no one talked about however was the elbow. The infamous elbow. Whenever someone so much as mentioned it the conversation would quickly change. It was like taboo. No one wanted to believe that it had been intentional. That someone would purposely hit Max Evans, who had so heroicly won them the game - won them every game for the past month. When Max walked through the hallway however people couldn't help but talk. Isabelle had wanted to remove the ugly bruise, she hated seeing her brother with it, but she knew she couldn't. So Max lived with the ugly reminder that Kyle still was nowhere near pleased about what was going on with he and Liz. He lived with the ugly reminder that deep down inside, no matter how happy he was, he knew it was wrong.
"And we that have lived in the story shall be borne again and again..."
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kippy
Enthusiastic Roswellian
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Post by kippy »

With MaxAndLiz quickly becoming a common (and popular) phrase around the grounds of West Roswell high, Max knew it was only a matter of time before his parents found out about her. After all students talked to parents, parents talked to parents. It wasn't as if he didn’t want them to know, for them to at least know who Liz was. But how did he go about telling them. Mom, Dad this is my girlfriend Liz. I'm completely and desperately in love with her. And he knew how his mother would react. The same way she had when she had found out about his joining the basketball team. And he had had no idea how to explain it, just like he had no idea why he hadn’t told his own mother about Liz - this person who was such an important part of his life. He knew she had to find out sooner or later. He just hoped it would be later.

Mrs. Evans was midway through her preparation of the night’s dinner when a knock sounded at the front door. Already confused as to who would be coming at seven o’clock she was even more perplexed at the pretty face at the door. Liz herself seemed caught off guard to have Mrs. Evans answer the door. She opened up her mouth and at first nothing came out.

"I'm here to see Max," she managed to say and Mrs. Evans' eyebrows raised at the comment. She didn't say anything and just seemed to be looking Liz up and down before she slowly turned around to call her son.

"Max, someone's here to see you," she announced through the house. The two just stood in the doorway looking at each other awkwardly.

"I'm Liz," Liz finally broke the silence and the statement immediately triggered a memory in Mrs. Evans' mind. That night Max had stormed out of the house, the night he and Isabelle had fought so bitterly with each other. Isabelle had mentioned Liz - had said something about being more than involved a little with her. It had seemed a tender subject with Max. It was that which had prompted him to storm out.

"Mom, what?" Max walked through to the front door dressed in a ragged short sleeved grey t-shirt and jeans. He stopped in his tracks and a smile appeared on his face when he saw Liz. He seemed to forget his mother was in the room.

"Hey," he called softly, walking towards her and brushing past his mother.

"Hey," she replied, her face brightening at his presence. Seeing as Max's mother still seemed curious as to her presence, Liz raised the book that was at her side. "You left your government book in the bio room," she said hurriedly and at the comment Mrs. Evans dismissed the two and slowly walked back into the kitchen to finish her chicken cacciatore.

"We don't have government homework," Max grinned and Liz just smiled, shaking her head slightly to rid a stray lock of hair in her face. She stepped closer to Max and ke kissed her softly, not even attempting to hide from his mother's view in the kithen. Max knew why Liz had come, she had come to see him for the same reason he had been unable to sit down and do his biology homework. He had been thinking of her.

"Umm - Max," Liz began to break apart, something seeming to be on her mind but she caught herself looking throughout the house and her mind sidetracked. "Where's your room?"




Isabelle sat down at the dinner table at seven thirty that evening and was unable to dismiss Max's empty chair beside her.

"Where's Max?" and at the question her mother's mouth turned up at the corners.

"Max has a girl over," she said quietly to her husband and Isabelle looked up, at first a look of surprise coming over her face.

"Liz is over?" she sighed, her expression quickly turning to one of disgust.

"Liz?" Philip Evans peered across the table to his daughter - seeming as delighted as his wife at the idea.

"Yes Liz - and they seem to know each other quite well," Mrs. Evans phrased slightly. "Isabelle, how long has your brother been seeing her?"

"Talk to Max," Isabelle steered her way around the question reaching for the salad across from her.

"Well girl or not -" Mr. Evans placed his napkin neatly on the table, "he still has to come to dinner."

"That's what I say," Isabelle agreed haughtily and her mother couldn't help but detect the slightest bit of jealousy in her voice. Philip Evans walked down the hallway to his son’s room. The door was half open and he knocked quietly before entering.

"Max - dinner's ready," he called and inside he could hear the sound of a kiss being broken apart, followed by a loud gasp and feet landing loudly on the floor. "So say good-night," he added, knowing perfectly well what his son had been doing. He had to admit he was happy for his son. Max always seemed so quiet, so disclosed from the outside world. So far from the normal teenage boy. He didn’t get into trouble, he didn't seem obsessed with girls - Philip couldn't help but be happy by the month’s recent events. First he had joined the school basketball team and now he had a girl over in his bedroom. Well, he wasn't *that* happy for his son and he peeked his head around the door. Liz, looking the slightest bit flustered, was sitting upright on the bed and Max was standing next to her.

"So thanks for the bio book," Max reached behind him for the book and Mr. Evans smiled.

"Government," Liz whispered, correcting Max and attempting to contain her smile. Max just looked to his father nervously.

"Government book," Max actually looked at the book for the first time all evening.

"Ummm..it was....it was no problem," Liz again tried to suppress the smile at her last comment but both she and Max couldn’t help but smile.

"Say goodnight," Mr. Evans repeated before he turned around to return to the table. Max followed close behind, Liz's hand in his as he led her to the front door. The family at the table attempted not to look, but no matter how hard they tried all pairs of eyes peered up at the two.

"Good night," Max mumbled, knowing his family was watching. He edged closer towards the door, and Liz began to walk out with him when she suddenly tilted her head up to his and kissed him lightly. Max felt his family's eyes on him and as awkward as he felt, and as much as he wanted to make the kiss brief, he was unable to pull away from her. His lips remained on hers and he had to have his hand drift towards her face in an effort to tenderly break away. "Night," he whispered, drawing away from her and Liz just nodded her head, backing out the door.

"Good night," she bit her lip as she walked down the dark drive. Max just stood by the door and watched her go. He would have stood there until her shadow vanished entirely from his vision had it not been for his father.

"So Max, what other secrets you been keeping from us?" he called playfully and not at all upset by the actions - more like the exact opposite, but as was everything his parents said, Max heard the double meaning behind it that his parents didn’t. The same double meaning that he and Isabelle couldn't but apply to everything they said that made every conversation they had with their parents painful. It was like his conversations used to be with Liz. Used to be. Max bowed his head and just walked over to take his seat.

"Real discreet, Max," Isabelle whispered referring to his kiss in front of the entire family. He ignored his sister's comment. He knew he might have been able to get past his parent's interrogation had he not kissed Liz like that. But he couldn't help it. He hadn't been able to break away from her. After ten years of yearning, every kiss they shared was magical.

"Were you planning on telling us about Liz - ever?" Mrs. Evans asked and somehow the way she asked it, the words didn't come out as threatening as they should have.

"I would have," Max paused, "eventually."

"Well you care for her, that's obvious," Philip Evans said casually, reaching over for the salad. Max immedietly sensed this was a topic of conversation he didn’t want to get into with his parents. He was having enough trouble figuring everything out. Figuring out how he felt about his relationship with Liz.

"How is it obvious?" he asked, smoothing the napkin onto his lap, looking down and not up at his parents.

" 'Cos you look at her the same way you look at Isabelle an' your mother," he stated matter-of-factly and Max's head immedietly shot up at the comment. "Except for that...something more." And the table grew quiet. "So do share, Max - how long have you known her?" Mr. Evans quickly brought the topic back to the questions at hand that his wife and he were eager to discover. Max couldn't reveal what he wanted to, that he’d known and been infatuated with Liz since he was six years old and first stepped off the bus to elementary school. He couldn't tell them that. But anything else would be a lie. And he couldn't lie to his parents any longer. He couldn't. He could come up with no response however.

"Liz has gone to school with us since we first came to Roswell," Isabelle suddenly answered casually helping herself to more caesar salad. "We just didn't get to know her until this year."

"We?" Mrs. Evans suddenly asked curiously looking towards her daughter, "Izzy are you friends with her too?" Max glanced over at Isabelle. He wouldn't exactly classify them as friends. Especially not as of the past week's events, but he wouldn't say they were enemies either.

"Yeah," Isabelle responded quickly and Max looked genuinely taken aback by the comment.

"So how long have you -"

"This year. We've been friends since -" Isabelle began to answer quickly, but her father interuppted.

"Isabelle why don't you let your brother answer? How long have uh you and Liz been...dating?" It seemed a foreign phrase almost, Max and dating in the same subject.

"Monday," Max admitted quietly, "well - Sunday," he began to correct himself thinking of the first time he had kissed her, then he quickly changed his mind again. "Tuesday."

"Which one is it, Max? It can't be that complicated," his mother laughed and Max just clamped his jaw shut. How little she knew.

"Tuesday," Max sighed. It was Tuesday that Liz had finally accepted him for who he was, it was Tuesday morning that she had so dramatically marched over to him and kissed him. "Tuesday."

"Max, that's two days?" Mrs. Evans asked, more than confused. And even Max seemed bothered by the statement. It had been more than two days. He and Liz had been much more than two days, the thing - that's all he could think to call it, a thing - had been going on for months. It was just the last two days that they had both confronted it. And it had been the best two days of his life. Max just shrugged and his mother looked up at him.

"She's very pretty," she commented.

"Mom -" Max began to protest and her mother held up her hands defensively.

"Well she is. I'm surprised she doesn't already have a boyfriend, she -"

"She's Liz Parker, right?" Mr. Evans suddenly inquired. "Her parents own the Crashdown Cafe? Doesn't she work there?" Max didn't respond and Mr. Evans smiled widely. "That's why you like that place so much?" he laughed, but Max didn't smile. "Come on, Max - lighten up," his father looked over to him and saw Max's solemn face.

"I just don't want to talk about it.." Max admitted honestly.

"But you always have your guard up. All the time. Your father and I have had no idea who this Liz person was until tonight - who knows how long you would have kept it from us then - "

"I would have told you -" Max began to defend but his mother continued.

"I mean we had to find out about the basketball team because we read your name in the paper! You came home that day and pretended like nothing had happened. I mean would you even have told us if we-" his mother touched on what was still a bit of a sore topic between them.

"I would have told you about Liz," Max continued.

"It's like you have so many...secrets, why can't you tell us what's going on in your life a little more? I realize you're a teenage boy, but you can let us into your life, Max. We're your parents" His mother said the last statement with some sadness in her voice, but again the double meaning came back to haunt him. Everything his mother said had that threatening intent to it. He wasn't the normal teenage boy. And he wanted to tell her that the less she knew about his life the safer she was, all he could say was the phrase he had been repeating for the past minute.

"I would have told you about Liz," and when his mother opened up her mouth to object he continued, "she means too much to me for me not to." He stated and even Isabelle looked at him, more than amazed. That last revelation was more than a huge step for Max - it was a watershed. Both his parents opened up their mouths to comment but seemed to realize some things were better left unsaid. Looking to their son and reflecting on the last comment, they both just smiled. Max could keep to himself all he wanted, what was important in his life he would tell them.




"So technically - you two haven't actually gone on a date, right?" Maria interrogated Liz in front of the bathroom mirror Friday morning and Liz just shook her head.

"Not really," she didn't seem bothered by the thought. "I think we might do something this weekend," Liz dismissed nonchalantly and Maria's mouth dropped open at the comment.

"Share, share! You have to tell me these things!" she squealed and Liz just laughed. "What're you doing?"

"I don't know, he didn't say..." Liz paused, "he just kind of mentioned it last night."

"Last night?"

"Yeah, when I went over to his house."

"You went over to his house?" Maria asked, more than a little confused and Liz just rolled her eyes.

"I was bringing him his government book," Liz fed Maria the same excuse she had given Max's mother. Maria saw through it though.

"Liz, we haven't opened that government book all year," she looked at her friend disbelievingly - looked at the grin on her face. She was trying to contain the smile creeping on her face and was avoiding looking up at Maria. The bell rang and Liz quickly made a beeline for the door. Maria just stood there, watching her go - a wide smile on her face. "You are bad, girl."




Liz wouldn't exactly call it bad. She sat in her room Saturday morning, waiting for Max to come by and her mind drifted off. He had casually mentioned Thursday night that they might go out athis weekend, seeing as he had no basketball practice that morning, and so she lay on her bed thinking and waiting. No it wasn't bad. More like in love. The past week - all of it - it had been surreal. Starting with Sunday night and the incredible kiss that had started it all. She couldn't believe that only days ago she had been laying on this same bed, terrified of Max and afraid to fall asleep. Now she couldn't wait to fall asleep. So she could dream about him and be with him then even when she wasn't in actuality. She glanced over at her clock radio, it was just past ten o'clock. She didn't even know if Max was up right now. Yet she waited. She turned on the radio and just lay back on the bed. The Goo Goo Dolls song Slide came on and she turned up the volume, listening to it and looked outside to the clear blue day. It was the perfect day to go out. The perfect day to be with the one person in the world you truly wanted to be with more than anyone.

A horn sounded outside and she looked out the window to see the familiar beat-up jeep she was spending more and more time in. Smiling widely at the jeeps arrival she began running down the stairs.

"I'm going out with Max!" was all she announced to the parents bewildered at the arrival in the back of their house as she raced down the stairs and out the back door. Max smiled widely when he saw her sprint from the back entrance of the Crashdown towards him.

"You ready?" he asked looking to her fumbling in one hand with her bag and her jacket with the other. He took her jacket from her hands and neatly placed it in the back seat for her.

"Yeah," she nodded her head breathlessly and as she jumped into the car she recognized the same song she had just been listening to. *What you feel is what you are and what you are is beautiful* They both reached down at the same time to turn up the volume and their fingers met briefly as they looked to each other and smiled.

"I love this song," she said honestly and he nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, me too." Max pressed his foot down onto the accelator and the jeep began to sputter off. "Let's go," he said happily as they began to drive down the streets of Roswell and towards the open desert highway.

"Where're we going?" she asked curiously and he glanced over to her, the smile having anything but vanished from his face.

"I don't know - what about the mall over in Artesia?"

"That's two hours away..." Liz shrugged, seeming doubtful at the suggestion, and Max just smiled wider.

"I know."



The clock read eleven o'clock as Maria stumbled sleepily through the backdoor of the Crashdown for the morning shift she always shared with Liz. She grumbled to herself as she made the way to the locker where her uniform was wadded. She definitely wasn't a morning person - never had been. Eleven o'clock was the time she would love to be first crawling out of bed, maybe still in bed. But here she was, ready to start her shift. Glancing around the backroom of the Crashdown, she was a bit perplexed at Liz's absence. Figuring she was probably already out in the kitchen and serving people their coffee and eggs Maria peered through the window of the door only to see Liz’s father out among the customers. A frustrated looking Mr. Parker walked briskly through the door and Maria backed away quickly.

"Isn't Liz supposed to work this morning?" she questioned, glancing down at her watch. "It is this morning isn't it? God, I didn't oversleep did I? This is Saturday, right?" Mr. Parker actually cracked a smile at Maria's overreaction and he shook his head.

"Yep, Lizzie was supposed to work this morning, like she was supposed to work Thursday night..." his voice drifted off and Maria immedietly caught on to what he was hinting at. Liz and Max. "I don't know it's like - as soon as she started hanging out with this Max kid..." again his voice drifted and he seemed to shrug off his worries. "It's not a problem," he assured himself, but Maria knew he had suspicions. Mr. Parker scratched his head, seeming unable to shake the thoughts and he leaned against the wall. "I mean, he looks like a nice kid...he acts like a nice kid," Maria opened up her mouth to say something but before she could he continued, "but then there's those..." he motioned to his face. "The black eye, the fight here with Kyle...I can't shake that. It's like I can't help but be suspicious, you know? She's my little girl." Maria felt more than awkward hearing Mr. Parker confide to her and she just stood there uncomfortably. She knew what Mr. Parker was nervous about. He was nervous about Max taking his little girl away from him. About Liz having another guy in her life now that she could turn to. Something told her he hadn't gotten this bothered when Liz had been seeing Kyle and she knew it was because he could sense it too. He could sense everything between Max and Liz that she could sense. That Isabelle could sense, that Max's parents could. They had only been 'together' for four days but she knew Mr. Parker could tell it was much longer, much deeper than that. His memory suddenly began to recall images of Max entering the Cafe and Liz suddenly seeming to zone out everyone else in the room, images of Liz scanning the high school basketball scores so urgently for Max's name, images of the looks he saw Max give his daughter and the looks he saw his daughter return to him. And he knew it wasn't just these past four days. Liz had been slipping away from him for months.



Max and Liz had only been on the road for an hour, before they stopped at a diner on the side of the road. The signs had read Thirty Miles until the Crazy Dog Diner, Twenty Miles, Fifteen Miles, Ten Miles and Five Miles. They'd both decided that they had to stop at the diner to see what the big fuss was over. It was less of a traditional hometown diner and as the two sat at a booth eating their - almost gourmet - omelettes Max finally commented on it.

"I...don't think it's better than the Crashdown," he stated matter-of-factly and Liz looked at him bewilderedly as she took another bite of her omelette.

"You don't? 'cos I absolutely love this -" she began to argue and Max glanced across the room to where a waitress was refilling a cup of coffee.

"The waitresses aren't as good..." he dismissed taking a sip of his cherry coke, "they don't even compare.." his voice drifted, looking over at her and Liz blushed. He suddenly reached across to the end of the table and grabbed the hot sauce, pouring it over his omelette. "And they don't actually have Tabasco - they only have..." he glanced down at the label, "Crazy Dog Hot Sauce - which is just..." he began to laugh and Liz cut him off.

"What is with you guys and tabasco anyway? Is that.." she lowered her voice, "is that an alien thing?" Max nodded his head as he continued to soak his home fries in the hot sauce.

"We like things sweet and spicy." Liz smiled at the simple comment, at Max's cheerful mood. This trip was his attempt to push back the negative thoughts that had been creeping into his mind. About he and Liz. The fact that he was discussing himself, Isabelle and Michael with her still seemed to plague him though. "So what do you want to do over in Artesia?" he changed the subject suddenly and Liz just shrugged.

"I really haven't been there in so long, I don't even...oh my God, my parents don't even know where I am!" Liz suddenly realized, "I should call them." She began to reach for her cell phone but Max reached across the table for her hand.

"Don't..." he said softly and Liz looked confused at the urgency in his voice, the fact that he'd reached for her hand. He rubbed the back of her hand gently with his thumb. "Let's just..." he paused and there was a strain in his voice, "escape."




Isabelle paced back and forth in the back of the Crashdown as Michael and Maria sat on the step and Alex stood in the corner.

"So no one has any idea where they are??" she fumed and the three just shrugged.

"She mentioned to me that Max said something about going out this weekend - I don't see why it's such a big deal -"

"Of course it's a big deal. Max didn't tell mom and dad where he was going and Liz didn't tell her parents." Isabelle looked out to the restaurant to a nervous looking Jeff Parker. He'd called the Evans as twelve o'clock had rolled around and they hadn't heard from their daughter. And now it was nearing three o'clock and still there was no sign of Liz. Or Max.

"They've only been gone for four hours," Maria reasoned.

"And Liz has her cell phone," Alex reasoned, "if she was in trouble she'd call us."

"You said she hasn't been answering it," Isabelle reminded him worriedly.

"I don't like it," Michael suddenly spoke from his slouched position, leaning against the step. "Max always tells us where he's going. I don't like this, I don't like the way Max has been acting since he told Liz," Michael looked towards Isabelle and both Maria and Alex looked confused by the statement.

"Told Liz what?" Maria questioned and Michael looked over at her slowly.

"Nothing," he dismissed sharply, and the way hich he said it made neither question the matter any further. Michael glanced over at Isabelle as did she to him with the same worried expression.

"This isn't like Max."



Max hadn't been to Artesia in years, not since he and his family had made the journey over to visit cousins long ago, he was surprised at how well he remembered where everything was. He used to spend nearly every summer there with his cousins. After convincing Liz to turn off her cell phone, he'd led her hand in hand around to all the places he used to frequent. To the miniature golf course he and Isabelle had attended nearly every night, the arcade he'd visited daily, after of course eating at Eskimo Joe's - a restaurant so famously known for it's frozen deserts and so aptly named.

"You have to have a piece of Polar Bear Pie if you come here," Max argued with Liz as the two sat together in a booth at the dessert palace.

"Are you kidding me? I'm still full from that ice cream you made me eat before we went mini-golfing," she laughed and Max shrugged.

"You have to have rocky road before you go mini-golfing - it's tradition," Max shrugged and Liz just shook her head.

"I'm not having...what is it - Polar Bear Pie," she looked over at the menu and read the fattening contents of the dessert. "No way."

"We'll share it," Max reasoned and Liz looked up at him, and giving in to his persistance, nodded her head. He just grinned widely. Right now Max was as far from Roswell and the problems there that he could get. Right now it was just he and Liz. Right now he wasn't so different. Not to Liz and not to him. It was a feeling he was becoming more familiar with, yet was a feeling he knew he couldn't get too caught up in. He was different and he could never ignore that completely. Liz leaned her head up against his shoulder as they waited for the arrival of their Polar Bear Pie. But she could.



While the Evans and Parkers were pacing worriedly in the front of the Crashdown and Michael, Maria, Isabelle and Alex were waiting nervously in the back, Max and Liz had stopped off in the middle of their journey home to attend a tiny flea market on the side of the road. They walked up and down the rows and rows of knick-knacks and clothing, laughing as Max would suggest something for Liz and she would be appalled by the absurdity of the outfit. Green vinyl pants, a bright pink shirt laced with fluffy pink feathers, shoes with five inch heels, a shirt that looked more like Victoria's Secret lingerie than anything. Liz reached across to a brightly colored and wildly patterned Hawaiian shirt and held it up to Max, laughing at the mere idea of Max dressed in it. He just shook his head and laughed, but she begged him to try it on. Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she pleaded with him until he had reluctantly given in. She had been so amused at the sight that she'd captured it on film. After quickly shedding the garment, he'd returned to the revealing tank top that he had found earlier. She gave him one look as he picked it up off the rack suggesting it to her. Laughing, she spun on her heel and walked towards more colorful shirts.

"No chance." Max dropped the tank and followed after Liz. Taking her hand in his and glancing down at his watch he began leading her back to the jeep.

"It's almost six o'clock," he told her and as much as he hated to say the next five words he did. "We really should get home."



It was dark outside when Max and Liz finally arrived back in Roswell, but every light was on in the upstairs of the Crashdown. They had barely reached the back door when it sprung open, revealing two clearly frustrated and worried sets of parents. Max swallowed, he knew he was going to receive criticism from his parents for the days secret excursion, but this was much more than he had expected. Looking over to Liz he knew it was more than she had too. Unable to speak, all he could do was slip his hand into hers. And the two just stood there, peering up at their parents.

No one spoke for more than a minute. The parents seemed genuinely surprised at the manner that Max and Liz seemed to be standing there, fully knowing of what they had done, seeming to be awaiting their punishment. It was Mrs. Evans who opened up her mouth first, but it was Max who broke the silence.

"We were in Artesia," he blurted out and the statement only seemed to surprise the adults more. "We - " he opened up his mouth again.

"You showed bad judgement..." his father suddenly said and both Max and Liz were quiet. "We didn't even know you were going out - "

"Liz, you didn't tell us where you were going!" Liz's mother looked down upon her daughter from across the room.

"I didn't even know where I was going." Liz said truthfully and no sooner had she said it then she realized she shouldn't have. Now they would all be jumping on Max.

"So you just jumped in the car with him - not even knowing where -"

"Mom, it's not like it's a stranger, it's Ma -"

"He's a stranger to me," her mother responded quickly, her mouth drawn in a thin line.

"You've met him before," Liz rolled her eyes, her hand still clamped around Max's.

"Exchanging glances in a hospital waiting room isn't -"

"Dad knows him," Liz wailed helplessly looking towards her father and he looked to his wife and nodded his head.

"Yes, I know Max..." he glanced to the nervous looking boy standing closely in the doorway with his daughter. "That's not what bothers me, it's that -"

"Max - what exactly were you planning on doing?" Mr. Evans suddenly interrogated.

"We were just taking a drive -"

"Two and a half hours away?" his father nearly yelled.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," Max attempted to apologize, he and Liz both terrified by their parents attack.

"Yeah well you did," Mrs. Parker interjected.

"Mom!" Liz rushed to Max's defense quickly, embarassed by her mothers rudeness but her clearly upset mother continued.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"I told you I was going out with Max."

"And what does that mean?" Mrs. Parker held up her hands at the vagueness of the statement.

"It means I'll be safe," Liz blurted out naturally and Mr. Evans smiled at the comment, at the natural way that Liz clung to his son. Mrs. Parker didn't seem convinced and Liz turned to her father in hopes of reaching better progress and results there. He had a slight grin on his face, that he appeared to be trying to suppress.

"I wish you had answered your phone," was all he said. "That's why you have it." And Liz kept herself from looking up at Max. She thought back to the way he'd pleaded with her to turn it off, how he had drawn her to him and told her not to answer it. She didn't look up at him though, all she did was squeeze his hand.

The parents seemed divided, both fathers - while upset at their childrens actions - couldn't be mad at them, not at the way that they were assuming responsibility. Not at the fact that a sixteen year old boy simply wanted to get away with his girlfriend. Even if the girlfriend happened to be Mr. Parker's only child. Whereas Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Evans seemed more than bothered. Max knew when his mom was the most upset - it was when she was the quietest. He looked to her then to Mrs. Parker.

"Look it's - it's my fault -" he began to apologize.

"No, Max don't -" Liz began to cut him off.

"You shouldn't blame Liz - just please, don't blame her," he said it with a sense of desperation that made everyones head turn a bit. "If you want to yell at someone, yell at me."

"You're taking responsibility?" Mrs. Parker raised her eyebrows in surprise as did the three other adults in the room and Max nodded his head. Silence prevailed in the room as they didn't know how to react to his actions.

"Max there's something else," his mother suddenly said. Max stood upright, awaiting whatever his mom had to say. She reached behind onto the table and held up a square piece of paper. "Your interim." Max's shoulders lowered. He knew his grades had taken a dip as of recently. He could try to push the blame onto basketball and the pressure on him now that they were in the playoffs. Yes, that's what he'd say. "You have three cuts," Max was caught off guard by the statement. Not merely because he had been expecting a comment on his grades, but because it was much fewer cuts than he had actually had. "In math," his mother added peering up at him briefly then back down to the piece of paper. "Five in biology, two in English.." Max was silent. Across the room Mrs. Parker was looking at her daughters mid-semester report.

"And look at this, Liz you have the exact same number," she said the words slowly and Liz knew it wasn't new news, she knew that her mother and Mrs. Evans had discussed the matter earlier today - they had probably discussed her and Max's punishments already. Max's eyes shifted about nervously. He had no idea how to field this, all he could do was rub the back of Liz's hand with his thumb as if to assure her that they would get through it somehow. The parents were quiet, awaiting an explanation from one of them. Thoughts raced through Max's mind - it's not what you think, there's a perfectly logical explanation - but they would all be lies. He couldn't say anything and neither could Liz. Mr. Evans couldn't help but symphatize with his son, seeing him caught there with all the eyes on him, the only thing he did was cling to Liz's hand. He knew he couldn't allow Max to get away with cutting classes like he had been, but he wasn't exactly irate over the matter either. Finally he was acting like a normal teenage boy. Finally he would get to punish his otherwise seemingly perfect son.



Liz sat up on her bed the following Sunday. It was six o'clock and downstairs Maria was working. Max, Michael and Isabelle were probably down there. She was even banned from working. Liz looked town to the pictures of their trip in Artesia. She had gotten Maria to develop them today and Liz had had them for all of two hours. She flipped through the pictures. Max with his jeans rolled up, wading in the miniature golf course trying to retrieve her ball; a picture of her jubilant after her hole-in-one; him in the Hawaiin shirt she had made him try on - a miserable and punished look on his face; and finally the picture they had asked someone to take of the two of them - he had his arms wrapped around her from behind and the smile that so rarely appeared on his face lit up the picture. It was worth it. She looked down to the picture again, the picture of she and Max, Max who she had dreamed of being with all year, Max who she knew had dreamed of her, Max who had been so lonely for so many years, who had had to live his entire life in secrecy, letting nobody in. Liz looked around the room where she would be spending the majority of the upcoming week and again her gaze returned to the picture. Without a doubt it was worth it.
"And we that have lived in the story shall be borne again and again..."
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