One hour later,
The kissing had stopped almost immediately after the kids stopped their spying and went back to their game. Liz had done what she done best and run. With Charlie planning on spending the night with his grandparents. And Micah spending night at Phillip and Diane’s home with her father, but Max had no energy for spending time in his boyhood home when he could not think of anything but a stunning brunette.
Because Liz, not unlike Cinderella, she ran from his arms.
Instead of staying. He went after her, and it was not long after as Liz trudged up the stairs because she did not want something simple as an elevator to get in the way of her mood as her mood was one of fraying emotions.
As if a simple kiss…
Okay, it was not a simple kiss. It was a torrent of passion. Something that made her see what she had missing for the last seven years. She had been trying to find it in the arms of countless men over the years since she lost her virginity. But it never worked. And she was always gone the next morning, or if not before the sun was up. And now she was seeing in a simple kiss, what she had been missing.
And he was getting on her nerves. Why cannot I get over Max? she cursed out loud because she knew she was not interrupting anyone because her neighbour was the one, she was harboring these illicit thoughts about, the person who lived in 2A. It has been seven years for goodness’ sake. He should not still have the capacity to get to me or to make me question everything I have done during these years she muttered.
“I am a scientist for heaven’s sake” as she took her thoughts out of her heard and moaning to herself as she slammed the door of her rental apartment and looked around. A building that held memories. But was totally transformed since she last lived in Roswell.
A little like her she knew; she had transformed herself from that day when Max had saved her life when a bullet almost took her life. She was forever changed on that day and turned into a girl that was far from the girl she had been before it. And it was not as simple as growing up. Because you can never be the same person you were as a child.
You grow up. You live.
And she did live. And so much good and bad had come into her life as she had come to know Max. And when she found a world, she had never expected to have found. Still, it was one that at times did turn into a nightmare, and so she had run, and she had once again transformed herself into being esteem in her chosen career.
She should be celebrating that feat…
Because not that many people could say the same thing. That they had a career they absolutely loved and worked hard to improve.
Because she knew she was going places. Only if she stayed on the track she was going. She could have everything she would want in a life. She could have glory. She could have success. She might even have that family she wanted. But she stood to lose all that if she were dragged back into old times, and by a passion that felt good, but would only bring her pain.
Because she had lost someone who had not gotten a chance to become adult. Therefore, Liz had experienced the hard times that had come with that loss, and she did not want to put her heart on the line and cause more pain.
Because fate was cruel the first time.
Why they are not the same way, now. When she was older, and did know better, and knew the ways of how the world went… “This is craziness,” she told herself as she heard the first knock on her door.
“Knock, knock” came the sound at the door.
“Who is it?” Liz asked as if she did not know who it was. She did not live here in Roswell anymore. She was a resident of the world. Anyplace other than Roswell. So, she knew no one would be visiting her, and she knew Charlie was now safely at the Deluca/Valenti household and probably in bed by now. Because he had called like he promised, and she had promised to meet him for breakfast the next morning.
Now she was alone. And capable of making a big, big mistake.
“It’s me, Max” came the voice behind the door.
“Why?” Liz asked as she reached for the door and opened it and faced her devilishly handsome ex-boyfriend. “Why would you follow me?” she asked as she wanted to slam the door again on his face.
“I live next door,” Max sighed.
“Were you not supposed to be spending the night at your parent’s place with your daughter?” Liz asked softly as she did not know the situation involving Max being Micah’s father. After all he had pledged total honestly, but there were still somethings she did not know. And they both knew it.
“Mom and Dad understand, and Micah is being spoiled” Max sighed with a slight smile. “Which of course is one of the benefits of being the only grandchild.”
“Is she Max?” Liz wondered “Is Micah their grandchild?” as she finally found some of her balance in questioning what she did not know. Which was to ask, why in the world Max was raising the little girl when she looked like she was someone’s else child, when he did have a child who was out there in a galaxy far away from their own.
“Of course, she is,” Max said as he glanced behind her and into the apartment. It was so like his, which was next door. Fate, you like to be funny do you not? “But first, can I come in?” as he would do anything to be able to go in, and spend a few more minutes with the women who held his heart Even tell the truth he thought.
“Fine,” Liz sighed as she was clearly weary, but reluctant to say no to Max. She had a hard time saying those words “But only a few minutes, okay?” she asked. “Because I am tired. Too tired of this. And I need some space.”
“In some ways you have seven years of space,” Max murmured as he did feel lousy about keeping his ex-girlfriend in the dark about weighty matters. But it was not like he wanted to acknowledge them himself and saying the words out loud would mean having to acknowledge them to Liz, because she had always been able to keep him honest. As he had been able to tell her everything, almost from the beginning and when he could not, then that usually led to the angsty period they knew so well. “I know I should not have come here because yes, you have your life. You deserve time alone. Without me raining on your parade but I also know you deserve answers to your obvious questions. To start with, yes, Micah is my daughter,” he murmured as he said the words out loud. “I have been raising her from the day she was born. She was placed in my arms at birth, and she came home with me” he sighed. “And I have been her father since that day.”
“Who is her mother?” Liz asked as if the mere thought tore at her heart. She hated thinking of any women in Max’s arms when it was here at one time especially when she had been confronted on that issue by seeing Tess with Max at one time. Which meant the memories were harsh and all too real, and not some nightmare or dream.
“A woman named Yvonne Simmons” Max said with a degree of honestly that he knew that Liz deserved because one day he would have to tell his daughter the truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth because he would never be able to keep it from her when he knew that Micah one day would come to him wanting to know the name of her birth mother. And he would have to tell her “She was a waitress at Cow Patties. To make a long story short. She did not want Micah, and so when I gave her a chance to walk away and give me custody of Micah. She took it, and walked away…”
“Cow Patties?” Liz asked as the thought of her ex at that kind of bar was foreign to her. “You hate to drink. Why would you want to be there?”
“Maybe I picked it up as a hobby once you left me?” Max asked as Liz only looked at him wearily because it was almost like she could read his mind and know the truth. “My life spun out there for awhile when it was obvious you did not want to come back to me?”
“Max,” Liz sighed.
“It’s the truth,” Max sighed. “You might have been able to pick up your life,” he muttered even when Liz’s eyes changed to ones of extreme weariness as if she were not buying his story. “But when I lost you, and because I was at a loss to know what I wanted in my life. Since so much of my life was about being with you and especially since I did not know if I would be on this planet long-term, and almost I wasn’t,” he said simply. “I spun out of control for a time…”
“I know,” Liz sighed I remember that time she thought. “I did not go to boarding school for the sake of it being boarding school Max,” she muttered. “I went there because my life had gone totally screwy. I needed balance. I needed sanity. And even then, those first days at boarding school was a total whirlwind and ones where I needed a total adjustment because it was a total change of pace from what I was used to. They were like normal teenagers…” What a concept for a girl who was romanced by an alien she mused. “They were drinking themselves. Playing games with the headmistress who only wanted to keep them safe. Safe is what I wanted, but still, I could not help but find myself wanting to be a normal teenager for once. And so, I became friendly with my roommate, and we partied.”
“You partied?” Max asked dubiously.
“Yes,” Liz sighed. “But I quickly picked myself up, and I made something of myself. So, yes, I know something about being out of control but still I know you Max. You do not strike me as someone who would go to Cow Patties unless it was to attend one of Maria’s concerts when Jim was still a singing country musician” she asked as she did know that Jim had ultimately gone back to the station and worked himself back to being Sheriff.
You know me so well Max wanted to say but did not. “Still…”
“Still what?” Liz asked. “Why is it important to you that you make me believe something that I cannot fathom of you Max?”
“Micah is my daughter,” Max insisted.
“I am sure she is,” Liz sighed. “If you said you have had her in your home since she was born. But we both know that she looks like Charlie, and we both know the situation that we are not talking about. Micah and Charlie look too like they are twins and given that you and Michael are two vastly different people.”
“We were, were we not?” Max said softly as he hated thinking of memories of the friend.
“Yes,” Liz nodded. “I know you and Isabel love him like a brother?”
“He is my brother,” Max said automatically as he bristled at the thought of his fallen brother.
“And you would do anything for your brother, and for Isabel” Liz asked as if she was finally nailing down the true circumstances. “And you definitely would step in to make thing right when you feel like you need to do it, right?”
Max did not answer.
Oh, Max Liz thought as she could not help but see the burden in her former boyfriend. The angst, and the pain in his eyes. “Max, I am not trying to make this harder for you” Liz sighed as she hated this for him because she had the sense that this was truly eating him alive. “It’s true, is it not?” she wondered as she connected the dots. “It was Michael, this Yvonne Simmons was involved with?”
Max did not want to answer, but he knew Liz needed the truth and after all she did for him. And all he had brought to her life.
She deserved the truth.
“Yes,” Max said simply.
“So, what you and Isabel refuse to tell me is that Michael abandoned you guys and Roswell because he got this woman pregnant. Neither Michael or Yvonne wanted the baby so you stepped in and took custody of the baby because you were afraid of how special she might be one day since we all know genetics play different from child to child or family to family?” she asked. “Do I have this right?”
Only partially Max thought.
“Max?” Liz asked at the silence coming from her former boyfriend. “I know it is something that is hurting you guys,” she thought of as she could see something was obviously bugging Isabel and she was covering it with the glow of her upcoming wedding, but both she and Max were missing a part of themselves. “I think you know by now that you can trust me and that you know that I will not tell anyone if you do not want me too.”
“Would you tell Maria?” Max asked.
“If I thought it was necessary,” Liz said honestly. “Max, they shared something special once upon a time. Just like the two of us. They have history, and baggage that neither of us are telling the truth about. She and Charlie should know what is going on with Michael and to deny them that would be unfair?”
“Are you sure it would be that unfair?” Max said with a word of accusation. “When Michael did not even know about Charlie?” Max muttered as if it was the same.
“Come on Max. Would it have made a difference if he had?” Liz asked honestly. “Seriously tell me it would have. If Maria would have come back once she had found out and told him that she was pregnant, and that it was his baby. Would he have stayed by her side or wanted to?” she murmured. “Or would he have resented Maria and the baby?”
“I do not know what he would have done” Max muttered because truthfully, they did not know. “All I know is he loved her, and he wanted her back.”
“I think we do know,” Liz sighed. “As we both wish he had been different and maybe even he wishes he could have been different but truthfully Michael was not in the place to want to be a father, especially so soon after his baggage with Hank had manifested itself, and how tentative his life was shaping to be because of he had to endure by being in that kind of home and Maria knew that, and that is why she took the decision out of his hand.”
“We could have been there for Charlie” Max sighed. “You do not know what it means to be special and to be alone, without support and I want to believe it could have been different for Michael if he had known…”
Liz could only sigh at the decisions they had made that had consequences to them, and ones that were still being felt today and she felt for Max because there was something of this situation that she did not know. “You have not told me Max, what has happened?” Liz asked as she ignore what could have been if Maria had chosen differently. “Where is Michael?” she asked. “And I think we both know that Charlie is not alone out there in the world. He is not you and Isabel or even Michael. Charlie has his mother, and he has me in his life. We know what to look out for” she sighed as she thought of all the time she had spent with the little boy and knew how much of an awesome mother Maria was to her child.
“You might know what to look for, but you do not know what it means to really be inflicted by it,” Max sighed. “We both know that you are special, because of me,” he allowed because he did always curse what he had done to her life “But still you can ignore your gifts if you want to, and I suspect you tend to go with that approach in your life. Which is your right because you are not one of us. But being one of us is different.” he asked as Liz turned her head away from Max. “We should have known about Charlie?”
“Charlie is safe Max,” Liz sighed as it was unnerving how Max could read her like a book. She had disowned her gifts, and they had laid dormant, by choice. It has been so long; I do not even know what I can do she thought. For her sanity, she needed to go on with life and leave that part of her life go, and her gifts had diminished over time. “He has a fantastic life with Maria in New York, and because I am often there in the city. I can tell you myself that you do not have to worry about him. Maria loves her son, and if Charlie is indeed special, then he is in safe hands.”
Max nodded.
“You have not told me Max,” Liz asked. “You have been telling me everything other than what is going on with Michael?”
Max finally cracked. Seeing Liz so compassionate and interested in knowing, Max knew he did not have the energy to keep the façade going anymore. “He did not leave. Us, or Roswell,” Max said finally as he sat down on the couch as he finally had enough of their pacing around. “Yeah, he did not want to raise Micah, and that will sting her when she finally finds out the truth one day. Which I plan to do once day when she is old enough to really comprehend it. But back in during those beginning days. I did have plans to raise her regardless of what happened with Michael, but I did have hopes that once he saw his daughter that he would change his mind and want to be apart of her life. But before his daughter was born…”
“What happened Max?” Liz asked as she took his hand as she also sat down on the couch beside him as she could see that her former boyfriend was emotional.
“Michael did not leave Roswell…” Max muttered.
“You have said that before…” Liz asked. “So, if he did not leave Roswell. What has happened to him Max?”
“He got sick” Max said simply.
“What?” Liz asked as this was the one thing she had not assumed or guessed of the true circumstance. “I thought you people cannot get sick?”
“You would think so, and normally we do not” Max sighed as he cringed at the memories. “But apparently we can,” he muttered. “Or to Michael it could. Because Isabel and I do not know how it happened, but it did happen…”
“My god,” Liz asked. “What happened?”
“We do not know. It was simple as one day Michael fainted, and went into a deep coma” Max said softly. “And he never woke up.”
“Do you mean that he is dead?” Liz asked in horrified silence.
“No” Max was quick to reassure Liz. “I am sorry for giving you that impression. All of it is so simple. He still is in that coma and has been in one for five years and there has been nothing we could do to bring him back to us” he thought. “And nothing we have done has worked” said softly as the pain still rested in his heart.
“Oh Max,” Liz said softly as she saw the pain in Max. As she knew too well how close Michael and Isabel were to him which is why she had done some of the stuff during their relationship because she had known how close Michael was to Max and how if he had lost him than it would be no life for Michael. No matter how much he would try to move on. Which is how the future version of Max had gotten an in with her, and as a result, it had cost their relationship immensely.
“I miss him,” Max said softly. “We battled so much when he was awake. We butted heads, but you are right. Michael is my brother. We are family. He and Isabel are the only two I have that come from our original origins. I love Mom and Dad. I love Micah. She is my daughter. That will not change. Whether Michael wakes up tomorrow or never wakes up. But still to me. My sister and Michael are my family. And it has been unbearable to be unable to help Michael. To know I have a power to heal. And the one person who needed my gift is someone I could not help…”
“Why not?” Liz asked as she was at a loss to understand. “You have the gift. To heal. You were able to in the past?”
“Yes, it worked before, but it refuses to work now, which is what I do not get” Max sighed as he thought of the guilt, he faced daily due his abilities and the pain that ate at him, of those he had not been able to help. “But then, it did not work with Alex?”
“Alex was too far gone” Liz said as the mention of his fallen friend attacked her heart, and her memories of Alex flooded her brain of how much she still missed him. “With me, I was still hanging on when you got to be me in time. And the same can be said with Kyle. But you were unable to get to Alex in time…”
“Yeah,” Max murmured as it still was raw the fact, he had not been able to save Alex and the fact they would later find out who was behind the circumstances that had left to his death. It was truly raw and gut punching. And it had taken a lot to come back from that for him and Liz, and in many ways, they had been unable to, and it had cost them ultimately the end of their relationship. “I wish I could have known, or gotten to him in time,” he said of Alex.
“I know,” Liz acknowledged. “I do not blame you for not being able to do it. Because I have learned in my life so far, the same thing could be said for anyone. You can only do so much” Liz sighed. “Any gift has its limits” she sighed. “As with life. You can only do so much because what is fated to happen will happen regardless of our best efforts.”
“Unfortunately,” Max sighed.
“Max, I am sure you have done your best for Michael all this time,” Liz murmured. “The human body will always mystify us in why some people are inflicted by the worst and yet others are totally fine, and able to handle what life throws at them” she allowed. “You cannot blame yourself because I am sure you have tried everything because despite your alien genetic matter and your abilities. You are still largely human, and maybe there is something we do not know that is inflicted on your friend?”
“But it has not been enough,” Max sighed. “He has not come back to us.”
“Which is sometimes how it works,” Liz sighed. “Life in that regards sucks.”
“Yes, it does, does it not?” Max murmured as he saw the warmth in Liz’s face and was amazed by it. Such simple act. One of compassion, and there was no judgment in her eyes because Liz was not that kind of person. She wanted to help. Even when she ended up being hurt by being friendly and being supportive and Max knew he had often took that kindness for granted and he would forever be sorry for that “I am sorry for letting it pour out, and putting it onto you?”
“I asked you Max” Liz smiled. “I wanted to know, and so you told me. I could see how much burden both you and Isabel and especially you because Isabel has Kyle, but you do not have anyone who is that support. I am sorry for that and plus, I needed to know, and I wish you did not have to go through this on top of trying to raise Micah.”
“Micah helps me get through the days” Max sighed until these last few days when you walked back into life and brightened it by your simple presence.
“I bet,” Liz said as she could not help but smile once again and Max loved every minute of it. “One day, it will get better.”
“I hope so,” Max sighed but he knew he doubted it. Especially, if Michael was still in his suspended animation. He did not foresee that it would be getting better…
“You are a remarkable man” Liz murmured as she could see the burden on Max’s face and she felt for him and wished it could be better for him because Max did not deserve this pain because all he wanted to do, was to help, and be there for those he loved.
“I appreciate you Liz,” Max sighed. “Thank you for being here for me. I forgot how good it is to talk to you.”
“We were friends once upon a time,” Liz acknowledged as she knew Max needed a hug and decided to give one. And Max was stunned by the simplicity of the embrace, and one that made him remember the times before it got complicated. When they were friends. When looking at her was a breath of fresh air before that air got tainted by growing up, and pain, and angst.
“Are we still friends?” Max asked softly as he did not know whether he wanted to be in the friend zone or not because he remembered to much of how it was to be with her, and to feel her touch, and it was making him crazy to feel her, and to know how lucky he was at one time.
“We will always be friends,” Liz said softly in response as she did not know if she could back to simply being friends with this man. Whose stare sent her heart fluttering into a quivering mess and made her question all sorts of decision as she sat back from the embrace as they just stared into those eyes that had brought so much into her life since that day ten years before. God, I hopeless with this man she thought.
“Liz…” Max said in a faint tone that she almost did not hear it, but she did…
“Um, I think you should leave” Liz said softly, but neither took the chance to get off the couch and away from each other “Max…”
“What?” Max asked as he felt paralyzed as they both felt them to go into a kiss, as they foreheads touched each other, and both had a chance to pull away, but neither did as they felt the tenderness of each other as the went in for a kiss, “Oh god” they both thought as the fell against the couch, as a long-ago passion caught fire.
*
The next morning,
The sun was barely out but the sun that was in the sky was blaring through the windows and Liz could feel her eyes opening and she knew she had gone crazy the previous night. As she could tell that she was still on the couch laying on a shirtless Max oh god, he is sexy without a shirt she was thinking. And it was the best night of sleep I have had in months she thought as she could see that she was still only in her black bra, and her dress was on the floor.
While he still had on his pants, but no shirt.
It told her that they had stopped themselves before it went any further although with Liz without her clothes, it had gone pretty far before restraint returned to the both of them, but they had fallen asleep with her in his arms, on the couch as neither wanting to part of the other, even though they should have but still they had been in the throws of their adrenaline-fueled passion.
Thank god Charlie is still at Amy and Jim she thought. Oh god, Charlie. She thought as she remembered the breakfast date as she saw the clock on the wall. It was eight in the morning. She had to get going.
Which meant returning to land of reality. She knew she should have been waiting until Max woke up before she sneaked off. And it was not like she had not done a fair amount of sneaking in these years since she had not gone there with Max.
Right, she muttered to herself. She certainly had never gone there with Max, and if only they had, then maybe some of the deepest of their angst could have been lifted off their shoulders. That would have been nice. Not to deal with some of that crap.
But this was different. This escalating things in ways neither should be going. Especially not on this particular weekend. She needed time to think. So, she collected her dress from the floor and walked into the bedroom and collected her wardrobe for a planned run, so that she could get her mind off Max, but she knew time was not going to be her friend, as she spotted what time it was, and she winced. So, she stopped that idea in its tracks, and she called the Deluca/Valenti home to say she would be coming to pick up Charlie for their planned breakfast. But was told that she did not have to come because Amy was offering to drop off Charlie across the street before her scheduled hair appointment.
Liz took the change in stride.
As she was told that Charlie was having fun watching Jim and Kyle get ready for the wedding.
Therefore, she had a bit of time.
So, she hopped into the shower… As she could only pray that the cold water would wake her up to the reality of her situation, and make her stop playing within this fantasy world.
Mere moments later. Max’s eyes opened as he felt that his companion was now gone from his arms. As he was feeling cold, as reality came with flooding back to him too, of what they almost had done. But also, how good it was to be with the woman who he would never be able to forget. His dream girl.
Hearing the shower. Sensing that is where Liz had vanished to.
Comforted to know she was still the apartment, and that she had not ran.
Of course, he was almost tempted to go and join her, and for them to really finish what they had enough sense not to do the night before. But he was Max. And she was Liz, and he knew he could not do that to her, unless she wanted it.
And given she had left his arms. He could not help but wonder if she was regretting their time together.
Checking the clock on the wall. And knowing that he had to get back to his own room and change and get over to his place and see his daughter and help his sister on her wedding day. He was putting on his shoes as he was preparing to head over to his apartment, and have his own shower, and change before reporting to his family home when there was a knock on the door.
The water of the shower was still running, and needing the diversion that came from the dirty thoughts he was thinking of the water going down Liz, and wanting to be in there with her…
So, he thought he would be the gentlemen that he was that is a laugh he thought as he had his shirt in his hand and went for the door.
Only to hear, “What in the hell was this town thinking making this place into condos” came Maria Deluca as she whipped around after having her back to Max as she was glancing around the hallway and taking in the different atmosphere as this had been the building that had been so important to her Space boy, and to her… even if he was not her Space boy anymore. “What the hell, Max” she said as she saw it was Max she was seeing and not her best friend.
“What are you doing here. Where is Liz?”