PART 10
Max turned back to Isabel. “I’ll handle this. Why don’t you guys go home?”
Isabel blinked at the change in Max. The tentativeness and strain that had been a part of him for the last few days seem to have vanished and she once again congratulated herself for forcing him to tell their parents. The old Max was back!
Philip was not about to leave his son and his friends in the hands of this weird stranger. “Who is this man, Max?”
Max smiled at his father, the happiness on his face nearly knocking Liz to her feet. “We know him, Dad. He works for… with us. Please meet Nick. One of the people we met at the camp.”
Nick and Philip eyed each other warily. Both of them were feeling the crush of responsibility for these young people resting on their shoulders. Philip finally moved to get in the car with Isabel and Diane when Max assured him again: “It’s okay, Dad.”
When the car had disappeared from their sight, Max returned his attention to Nick. “Is it the guy from the Crashdown?”
Nick merely nodded, his eyes meeting Liz’s fleetingly. “He’s with Marcus and Chris at the moment.” His comment letting Max know that Liz’s two bodyguards hadn’t rested until they had made up for not being there for her yesterday.
“I need to speak to him. With Michael. Could you make sure that Liz gets home okay?” Max’s voice sounded deadly. Scary.
Liz didn’t want to get into an argument with Max in front of Nick. He was the leader and she needed to assist him in his duties, not undercut his decisions. But she really did not like what was happening now. “Uhm… could you guys give me a few minutes with Max?”
Nick obeyed immediately, but Michael hung around. He knew exactly what Liz was up to and he didn’t like it. He wanted him and Max to deal with this alien without worrying about the sensitivities of some girl. Even if that girl was Liz Parker, the glue that held the group of six together.
“Michael.” Max’s quiet voice finally got his feet moving.
“Honey—” Max tried to pre-empt what he knew Liz was going to say.
“Hm-mm, don’t honey me. Max, I need you to not leave me out of this. Please.”
Max was having a hard time staying firm with Liz looking up at him with her big doe eyes. She always knew just which buttons to push to make him melt. But he couldn’t let her do that this time. “Liz, I need you to go home and ask the Sheriff to meet with us. We need to get everyone out to the camp again. And with everyone, I mean our parents too. You have to start organizing things at the Crashdown so they would be able to leave.”
“They will never do it, Max.” Liz shook her head. She was also not sure if she wanted them out at the camp. Not that she didn’t want them safe. The camp was just such a special place for her that she wanted to keep it away from her real life, so to speak. Besides, once there, she would have to stay in her own tent away from Max. And that would just seem so… unnatural.
But Max was firm. “That’s why I need to talk to the Sheriff. He needs to help us get your parents out there.” He caressed her cheek with his fingers. “I want to end all of this as soon as possible. So you and I can get back to our own lives. Where our biggest worry is that our parents could catch us making… out.”
Worry creased Liz’s face into a frown. “But Max, my parents will find out about you…”
“I don’t care.” He saw her surprised look. “Liz, if you and I want to be together forever, they will need to know sooner or later. I’m voting for sooner, then maybe they’d understand us better.” Max didn’t sound convinced of the last part, though.
Liz bit her lip. “Do you think it’s good idea? Putting all of us together in one place?”
“I don’t see any other way. If we do it in town, it would look really weird to everyone else, and if we don’t all stay together until this is resolved… Well, we can’t guard everyone all the time.” He pulled her closer to him. “Do this for me, okay?”
Sliding her hands up Max’s back, Liz stood on tiptoes and kissed him. She was still not convinced that it was a good idea to let Max go to the other alien without her. That time when they all thought he was dead was still fresh in her mind. But he needed her help now, so that’s what she’ll do.
The kiss started out as a gentle good bye, but as was the case with most of their kisses, it soon turned into something more than that. Liz opened her mouth in response to his silent request for entry and Max went under. How was it possible that she could still arouse him so quickly and so easily? Sometimes all it took was a look from her and he was in trouble. It felt like forever since they had last made love… and now he was bringing her parents into this. Max felt like a bucket of ice water was thrown in his face and he pulled back abruptly. Her parents were going to kill him. Hell, he would have killed him if it were his daughter!
“Max!” Liz was looking at him strangely. “Did you have a flash?”
Yeah, Max thought, of my imminent demise at the hands of your father! “Uhm, no, I just—” He stopped when he saw the hurt in her eyes, realizing that he had jerked away from a kiss with Liz! “Hey, I’m sorry, I just…” He took a deep breath. “Let’s not tell your parents about us until we’re 30, okay!”
Liz’s laugh was music to his ears and added fuel to his desire for her. He better leave with Michael NOW, or he never will… Max kissed her quickly and pulled her to Nick by her hand. “I’ll meet you guys for lunch at the Crashdown. We have to get everyone moving tonight at the latest.” He kissed Liz’s forehead. “Be careful.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was a whirl of activity when she got back to town. She phoned Maria and Alex and informed them that they were going “camping” again. And she silently organized one of the reliable waiters to take over the running of the café while she took her parents on a “surprise holiday” that they knew nothing about yet.
While Liz was running around in the café, Sarah arrived, looking around her curiously. Liz saw her and made her way over. She was still wondering if the girl’s boyfriend was abusing her, and surreptitiously tried to see if there were any visible marks on her. Nothing!
“Hey Sarah! How are you?” Liz saw Sarah flinch in surprise.
“I’m fine, thanks.” But Sarah’s smile was tight and nervous.
“Did you want something to eat?” Liz, being Liz, was wondering what was wrong with Sarah and how she could be helped. Maybe I could send Max to scare the boyfriend…
Ducking into a booth, Sarah looked relieved to have something concrete to do. “Yeah, uhm, could I have a cherry coke?”
Liz nodded and walked off to get the coke, still frowning about Sarah’s weird reactions. She was filling a glass with the coke when she felt Max coming into the café. A secret smile crept over her lips and she pretended not to know he was there, continuing with her little task. Her ploy had the desired results, Max was behind her instantly, his arms sliding around her and pressing her back into his body. Liz didn’t hear so much as feel the contented sigh that escaped her as she leant her head back against his shoulder.
Sarah watched the scene from her vantage point at the booth. So this was Max Evans…
Max kissed the side of Liz’s neck, slowly running his lips over her soft skin until he could trace her ear. He heard Liz’s soft gasp and relished, just for a moment, the fact that he could make her respond this way. Liz put her hands over his on her stomach and tangled their fingers together. Her actions inadvertently giving him tantalizing glimpses down the neck of her uniform. Max closed his eyes, willing his body’s reaction under control. How on earth was he going to keep his hands off of her while they were back in the camp? Well, maybe being afraid of her father might help!
Liz angled her face so she could kiss Max. “Hey, did everything work out?”
Not really wanting to talk about his morning with a very cruel and angry other alien, Max just nodded his head. “Are things organized here?”
“Yeah. The Sheriff should be here soon and I’ve made sure that someone runs the café while we’re—” Liz faltered when Max slipped two of his fingers between the snaps of her uniform and onto the bare skin of her stomach. “Max…” His touch was making her tremble and she had to struggle to breathe normally. “Max, please…”
He didn’t move. He couldn’t. Maybe they could stay like this forever. He could hold her and touch her incredibly soft skin and her scent could envelope him while her silky hair clung to his cheek. He would be content to live like this... But then Liz shifted in his arms, her body brushing against his and he knew he would never be content with just this. He needed her as close as physically possible as much as possible. He needed to be able to talk to her and hear her wonderful laugh. He needed her support and loyalty. And most of all, he needed her love.
Pulling away reluctantly from Liz, Max smiled at her besotted expression. “Who was the coke for?” He could see Liz was struggling to return to reality and he softly ran his fingers over her cheek, his heart felt like it was bursting with love for her. His Liz.
Grabbing the glass with a glare at Max, Liz made sure that her body touched his when she brushed past him slowly, grinning when she heard him inhale sharply. She turned back after she had rounded the counter, finding his hot gaze on her. “Just getting you back for doing that to me!”
Max grinned and sat down on one of the swivel chairs at the counter, following Liz’s progress through the café with his eyes. He watched as she put the coke in front of a blonde girl and chatted with her for a while. He sighed blissfully. For just a few minutes he could enjoy being a guy in love with a gorgeous girl and imagining that the biggest problem he had to face was working out when he could get her alone and out of that cute uniform. His eyes slid to her cute bottom. The summer had not been entirely wasted on issues alien, he had, for instance, learned that the Crashdown waitress uniform took only a few seconds to remove… His eyes snapped up when he realized the girl Liz was talking to was watching him ogling Liz. He saw a moment of amusement flicker in her eyes before it was replaced with… fear? Max looked at Liz again. He relaxed when she seemed unconcerned by the strange actions of the girl.
“So, still staring at Parker I see! Its great to know some things haven’t changed while I was away this summer.” Kyle’s voice interrupted Max’s musings.
“Hey Kyle.” Seeing the Sheriff behind Kyle immediately got Max’s attention, reminding him that he still had a lot to do before they could all head out to the camp. Like making sure no one followed the different groups going out there and putting the rest of the camp inhabitants in danger. He cast a last glance at the girl with Liz, but she was now smiling at something Liz was saying and he dismissed the incident from his mind.
Part 11 next.
The Experiment Series (ML, CC / Mautre) (Complete)
Moderators: Itzstacie, Forum Moderators
FON 11
PART 11
Max drove home deep in thought. Firstly, the conversation with Kyle had been uncomfortable to say the least. Neither of them knew how to act around each other. Thankfully Liz had eventually joined them and helped smooth over the moment.
After Kyle had left, Max had organized with the Sheriff to bring the Parkers to a point close enough to the camp where he could pick them up. The sheriff and his deputies would also make sure that no one followed any of the groups leaving town. It was up to the Sheriff to make up a reason why the deputies had to do that. Now Max had to face his parents again and convince them to go along with his plan…
His mom and Isabel were sitting in the kitchen, holding hands and talking quietly when Max arrived. He watched them silently for a few moments, his heart aching for the many years his fear had kept Izzy from being this close to their mother. He hated breaking into this poignant moment, but it couldn’t be helped. “Hey Mom, Iz.”
“Max!” His Mom sounded really happy to see him. Hopefully she had forgotten his rash admission about the nature of his relationship with Liz! “Were you with Liz until now?” Scratch that hope, Max thought. His mom couldn’t completely hide the suspicion in her voice and he caught Isabel hiding a grin behind her hand. He shot her an annoyed glare and tried not to look like a guilty schoolboy in front of his mother.
“Yeah…” He saw his mom’s eyebrows raise and quickly tried to recover. “No. I mean, I was only…” Max finally gave up, knowing whatever he said would sound like he was covering for an afternoon of illicit love-making with his girlfriend. “Listen, I need to talk to you guys.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Packing a bag for the “camping” trip her parents did not know about yet, Liz pondered how different this was from the last time she was going out to the camp. Then she had been out of her mind with worry about Max and heartbroken about him saying goodbye to her. Now she knew he loved her and intended for them to always be together. This time she was going there as Max’s mate, his lover and with a song in her heart. This time she knew a lot of the people that were going to be there: her friends, the Evans’, her parents… Liz’s dreamy smile vanished when she remembered what her parents’ presence in the camp would mean for her and Max: being separated from each other!
Liz started flinging things in her bag in haste. Max said he would be picking her up early so they could get out to the camp first, and Liz was sincerely hoping it meant that they would have some alone time before everyone else arrived. Even if that were not Max’s intention, she would make sure that it became his intention!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had had a long and serious discussion with his mom. He first had to explain that they were not the only alien race on earth and a little of the history they now knew about the war. His mom’s tangible fear tugged at his heartstrings and he was overcome with guilt for dragging his parents into this. His parents’ only crime had ever been that they chose to adopt two vagabond children, not ever suspecting that these two kids would one day put them in mortal danger.
Diane was confused and worried but she folded before Max’s complete sureness that this was the best option for them right now. She could hardly recognized her quiet, reserved son in this mature and determined young man sitting in front of her. This young man knew exactly what he wanted and he made it happen. Even if it was still done with the gentleness that was always so characteristic of Max.
Max waited until he was sure that his mom had phoned his dad and that Alex and Isabel would take them to the camp later before he left to pick up Liz. The sheriff had insisted that he would keep Kyle with him and look out for his son’s safety. Max let that go because he didn’t think Kyle would be in direct trouble. No, the main targets would be him, Isabel, Michael and Tess… and his bonded mate, Liz. Max had another reason for moving everyone out to the camp. He wanted the war to be waged away from innocent civilians and the prying eyes of the FBI.
Liz was waiting for him outside the library as planned. They had agreed that maybe it would be best if Max didn’t pick her up at home where her parents could see her leave with a packed bag. They would have enough explaining to do to her parents when they arrived in the camp! Max’s gaze took in every little detail of her appearance as he drew closer. Her hair shone in the sunlight and the only thing more brilliant was her smile. He felt the warmth of that smile all the way to his toes and his heart contracted at the thought that her parents might not take too kindly to the fact that their little girl was dating an alien. He didn’t know what he would do if someone ever tried to keep him and Liz apart. His mind shied away from that possibility in complete denial. No, I could never allow that to happen!
Flinging herself into his arms as Max got out of the Jeep, Liz pressed her mouth to his. She kissed him deeply and passionately and Max responded immediately. How familiar his kisses had become to her and yet they still had the power to lift her to undreamed of heights of ecstasy. She trembled against him, her body reacting to his closeness.
He was hard and warm and incredibly sexy to her. How did I ever survive without this before?
Max slid his hands over her hips and had to forcibly remind himself not to move them lower where he would be able to reach the smooth skin of her thighs. Pulling away from her reluctantly, he rested his forehead against hers, trying not to think about them having to hide the extent of their feelings while in the camp. Max sighed, he was going to need constant supervision from someone, because touching Liz has become second nature to him. That on its own wasn’t so bad, the problem is that the touching normally led to kissing, which normally led to making love… Something that did not need to be public knowledge for now. Max was determined not to cause a rift between them and Liz’s parents and that meant separate tents and abstaining from anything too intimate.
“I love you.” The words spilled from Liz’s mouth unbidden.
The yearning in her voice was nearly Max’s undoing again. This was what he had always dreamed of. Having Liz Parker say those three magic words to him at every possible moment. Had she seen that during one of her flashes, or was it just that she was the girl that fate had always intended for him? The one that would complete him in every way? He lifted her up against his chest, bringing her face-to-face with him. Staring into her eyes he willed her to see the depth of his feelings when the mere words seemed incapable of expressing them. “I love you, Liz.” His voice was husky with emotion. “You make me…whole.”
Tears gathered in Liz’s eyes, her heart overflowing with love for this man that was sent across the galaxies to become her soulmate. She leant closer and pressed short, gentle kisses on his lips, over his jaw and his cheeks. Finally she whispered: “Let’s go.”
Max carried her to the Jeep and slowly settled her in the passenger seat. He was reluctant to let her out of his arms for too long. They were both very aware of the period of enforced separation that loomed over their heads.
After they had left the town center, Max pulled Liz over to lean on his shoulder, his hand coming to rest just above her knee on the warm skin that was peeking from her mini-skirt.
Liz curled her body around Max’s arm and rubbed her face against his shoulder. He smelled so… Max. She felt every ripple of his muscles as he alternated between changing gears and caressing her thigh. A sharp ache of desire had started in the pit of her stomach and was making it increasingly hard to breathe normally. She looked up at Max, her eyes tracing the contours of his nose and lips hungrily.
“If you keep looking at me like that I’m going to have to pull over.” Max was still staring straight ahead at the road, but it felt like her hands touched his skin everywhere her gaze traveled.
Those words! They were almost exactly what Nacedo had said to her that day in the convertible when he kidnapped her. Liz stiffened for a moment in fear before she reminded herself that this was her Max. The one that had just kissed her as if his life depended on it. She smiled at him when he cast her a worried glance following her reaction. Yes, this was definitely her Max.
Curling her legs under her on the seat and pushing herself up into a kneeling position. Liz leant closer to Max and slid her arm around the back of his neck. She let her open mouth travel across his jaw-line to his ear slowly, laughing delightedly when Max jerked away in surprise.
“Liz…” Max sounded strangled. He was close to having a heart attack. For one because she was out of her seat and if they had an accident now she would be seriously hurt. But mostly, because she had again managed to fan the flames of desire into a raging fire in his body.
“Yes, Max?” Her innocent words were murmured against his ear, her lips and warm breath causing an instant reaction in his loins. Her unoccupied hand was gliding over his chest, trailing heat where it went.
Max had several urges simultaneously. He wanted to yell at her that she was putting her life at risk by being out of her seat. He wanted to close his eyes and drown in the sensations she was causing. And he wanted to stop the Jeep as soon as possible so he could get his hands on her. After fighting with himself for a few excruciating seconds, he went with a version of the last thought. Catching Liz’s wandering hand in his, he pleaded with her. “If you promise to sit in your seat, I’ll… I’ll drive us to the Pod Chamber.”
If he weren’t in such a state himself, Max would’ve found the speed with which she obeyed him amusing. But his mind was struggling to keep him sane enough to drive responsibly towards his new destination.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was quiet inside the Pod Chamber where Max and Liz stood staring at each other. Max could not remember much of the drive, only that he had wanted to get here as fast as he could without killing them. Now, finally here, his eyes drank in the beauty of the girl of his heart with an intensity that hinted at the desire he was barely controlling.
Liz was making an inventory of her own. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen and would ever see. Not just because he was handsome, but because he was Max. She had had to sit on her hands all the way here in an effort to keep herself from touching him again, but now that they’re finally here, she was rooted to the spot. Her look pleaded with him to take the first step, because right now she needed to be in his arms so much it hurt.
The movement was so swift she hardly saw it. Everything was a blur to her. She felt like she was floating and the only thing that kept her grounded were his arms that bound her to him in a crushing grip. She couldn’t get her throat to work to beg for the release of his mouth on hers. All of this became irrelevant when the connection between opened with a rush. The sensory overload that followed being able to feel all the needs and desires Max was suppressing caused Liz to nearly faint. He was as desperate for her, as she was for him.
Max gave up trying to think. He was being bombarded with Liz’s needs and that was all he could concentrate on. She needs me to kiss her. So he did. Hotly, roughly, hungrily. His mouth slanting over hers in a dance as old as time. She was making soft moaning sounds in the back of her throat that drove him closer to the edge. His mind was screaming at him frantically to try and wrestle back control, but the little voice went unheard among all the other sensations that cried for his attention. Like the way her body fit his perfectly or how soft and smooth her skin was. Or how her mind was telling him: Now, Max, now!
His shirt ripped in his haste to get it off. His hands were shaking when he removed her clothes. Then, finally, he could touch her bare skin.
She didn’t have enough hands. The ridiculous thought popped fleetingly into Liz’s head as she tried to caress Max everywhere at once. There was so much of him to enjoy: his soft hair, his glorious arms and chest. But this was not a time for slow and gentle loving. So she wrapped her legs around him, bringing him to where she needed him most.
Their union complete, Liz threw back her head in complete abandonment. There was no bliss purer than this.
The storm that raged through their bodies finally left them exhausted and replete in each other’s arms. Still sharing soft kisses and finally able to whisper the sweet nothings that were normally part of their love-making, they lay together, loath to end the union.
When Max finally drew back, he was momentarily shocked at Liz’s appearance. Her lips were swollen and her hair tangled into a mess around her face. It all told him one thing, he had lost control completely and utterly. “Liz, I’m sor—”
She stopped him with her fingers on his mouth. “I needed this. Maybe more than you did.”
Max stared at her in amazement. She truly was the most perfect girl in the world.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they finally arrived at the camp, they found everybody running around preparing for the arrival of the two groups of parents. Liz and Max were greeted reverentially and neither of them noticed the weird looks they were receiving. Max had ascertained that Michael and Maria had arrived with Tess already and that his parents were on their way with Isabel and Alex. So far, everything had gone according to plan…
They were standing next to the Jeep, ready to go meet the Sheriff bringing the Parker’s, when Maria ran up to say hi. Her mouth fell open when she saw Liz. “Ohhh no, Lizzie, you’re not going to meet your parents right now!”
Liz frowned at her. “Why not?”
Pulling her over to the side mirror of the Jeep, Maria said: “Because you look completely ravaged that’s why! And don’t think your parents won’t be able to figure out who did the ravaging. You two are going to get in so much trouble, I’ll take a bet on that!”
Part 12 coming up.
Max drove home deep in thought. Firstly, the conversation with Kyle had been uncomfortable to say the least. Neither of them knew how to act around each other. Thankfully Liz had eventually joined them and helped smooth over the moment.
After Kyle had left, Max had organized with the Sheriff to bring the Parkers to a point close enough to the camp where he could pick them up. The sheriff and his deputies would also make sure that no one followed any of the groups leaving town. It was up to the Sheriff to make up a reason why the deputies had to do that. Now Max had to face his parents again and convince them to go along with his plan…
His mom and Isabel were sitting in the kitchen, holding hands and talking quietly when Max arrived. He watched them silently for a few moments, his heart aching for the many years his fear had kept Izzy from being this close to their mother. He hated breaking into this poignant moment, but it couldn’t be helped. “Hey Mom, Iz.”
“Max!” His Mom sounded really happy to see him. Hopefully she had forgotten his rash admission about the nature of his relationship with Liz! “Were you with Liz until now?” Scratch that hope, Max thought. His mom couldn’t completely hide the suspicion in her voice and he caught Isabel hiding a grin behind her hand. He shot her an annoyed glare and tried not to look like a guilty schoolboy in front of his mother.
“Yeah…” He saw his mom’s eyebrows raise and quickly tried to recover. “No. I mean, I was only…” Max finally gave up, knowing whatever he said would sound like he was covering for an afternoon of illicit love-making with his girlfriend. “Listen, I need to talk to you guys.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Packing a bag for the “camping” trip her parents did not know about yet, Liz pondered how different this was from the last time she was going out to the camp. Then she had been out of her mind with worry about Max and heartbroken about him saying goodbye to her. Now she knew he loved her and intended for them to always be together. This time she was going there as Max’s mate, his lover and with a song in her heart. This time she knew a lot of the people that were going to be there: her friends, the Evans’, her parents… Liz’s dreamy smile vanished when she remembered what her parents’ presence in the camp would mean for her and Max: being separated from each other!
Liz started flinging things in her bag in haste. Max said he would be picking her up early so they could get out to the camp first, and Liz was sincerely hoping it meant that they would have some alone time before everyone else arrived. Even if that were not Max’s intention, she would make sure that it became his intention!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had had a long and serious discussion with his mom. He first had to explain that they were not the only alien race on earth and a little of the history they now knew about the war. His mom’s tangible fear tugged at his heartstrings and he was overcome with guilt for dragging his parents into this. His parents’ only crime had ever been that they chose to adopt two vagabond children, not ever suspecting that these two kids would one day put them in mortal danger.
Diane was confused and worried but she folded before Max’s complete sureness that this was the best option for them right now. She could hardly recognized her quiet, reserved son in this mature and determined young man sitting in front of her. This young man knew exactly what he wanted and he made it happen. Even if it was still done with the gentleness that was always so characteristic of Max.
Max waited until he was sure that his mom had phoned his dad and that Alex and Isabel would take them to the camp later before he left to pick up Liz. The sheriff had insisted that he would keep Kyle with him and look out for his son’s safety. Max let that go because he didn’t think Kyle would be in direct trouble. No, the main targets would be him, Isabel, Michael and Tess… and his bonded mate, Liz. Max had another reason for moving everyone out to the camp. He wanted the war to be waged away from innocent civilians and the prying eyes of the FBI.
Liz was waiting for him outside the library as planned. They had agreed that maybe it would be best if Max didn’t pick her up at home where her parents could see her leave with a packed bag. They would have enough explaining to do to her parents when they arrived in the camp! Max’s gaze took in every little detail of her appearance as he drew closer. Her hair shone in the sunlight and the only thing more brilliant was her smile. He felt the warmth of that smile all the way to his toes and his heart contracted at the thought that her parents might not take too kindly to the fact that their little girl was dating an alien. He didn’t know what he would do if someone ever tried to keep him and Liz apart. His mind shied away from that possibility in complete denial. No, I could never allow that to happen!
Flinging herself into his arms as Max got out of the Jeep, Liz pressed her mouth to his. She kissed him deeply and passionately and Max responded immediately. How familiar his kisses had become to her and yet they still had the power to lift her to undreamed of heights of ecstasy. She trembled against him, her body reacting to his closeness.
He was hard and warm and incredibly sexy to her. How did I ever survive without this before?
Max slid his hands over her hips and had to forcibly remind himself not to move them lower where he would be able to reach the smooth skin of her thighs. Pulling away from her reluctantly, he rested his forehead against hers, trying not to think about them having to hide the extent of their feelings while in the camp. Max sighed, he was going to need constant supervision from someone, because touching Liz has become second nature to him. That on its own wasn’t so bad, the problem is that the touching normally led to kissing, which normally led to making love… Something that did not need to be public knowledge for now. Max was determined not to cause a rift between them and Liz’s parents and that meant separate tents and abstaining from anything too intimate.
“I love you.” The words spilled from Liz’s mouth unbidden.
The yearning in her voice was nearly Max’s undoing again. This was what he had always dreamed of. Having Liz Parker say those three magic words to him at every possible moment. Had she seen that during one of her flashes, or was it just that she was the girl that fate had always intended for him? The one that would complete him in every way? He lifted her up against his chest, bringing her face-to-face with him. Staring into her eyes he willed her to see the depth of his feelings when the mere words seemed incapable of expressing them. “I love you, Liz.” His voice was husky with emotion. “You make me…whole.”
Tears gathered in Liz’s eyes, her heart overflowing with love for this man that was sent across the galaxies to become her soulmate. She leant closer and pressed short, gentle kisses on his lips, over his jaw and his cheeks. Finally she whispered: “Let’s go.”
Max carried her to the Jeep and slowly settled her in the passenger seat. He was reluctant to let her out of his arms for too long. They were both very aware of the period of enforced separation that loomed over their heads.
After they had left the town center, Max pulled Liz over to lean on his shoulder, his hand coming to rest just above her knee on the warm skin that was peeking from her mini-skirt.
Liz curled her body around Max’s arm and rubbed her face against his shoulder. He smelled so… Max. She felt every ripple of his muscles as he alternated between changing gears and caressing her thigh. A sharp ache of desire had started in the pit of her stomach and was making it increasingly hard to breathe normally. She looked up at Max, her eyes tracing the contours of his nose and lips hungrily.
“If you keep looking at me like that I’m going to have to pull over.” Max was still staring straight ahead at the road, but it felt like her hands touched his skin everywhere her gaze traveled.
Those words! They were almost exactly what Nacedo had said to her that day in the convertible when he kidnapped her. Liz stiffened for a moment in fear before she reminded herself that this was her Max. The one that had just kissed her as if his life depended on it. She smiled at him when he cast her a worried glance following her reaction. Yes, this was definitely her Max.
Curling her legs under her on the seat and pushing herself up into a kneeling position. Liz leant closer to Max and slid her arm around the back of his neck. She let her open mouth travel across his jaw-line to his ear slowly, laughing delightedly when Max jerked away in surprise.
“Liz…” Max sounded strangled. He was close to having a heart attack. For one because she was out of her seat and if they had an accident now she would be seriously hurt. But mostly, because she had again managed to fan the flames of desire into a raging fire in his body.
“Yes, Max?” Her innocent words were murmured against his ear, her lips and warm breath causing an instant reaction in his loins. Her unoccupied hand was gliding over his chest, trailing heat where it went.
Max had several urges simultaneously. He wanted to yell at her that she was putting her life at risk by being out of her seat. He wanted to close his eyes and drown in the sensations she was causing. And he wanted to stop the Jeep as soon as possible so he could get his hands on her. After fighting with himself for a few excruciating seconds, he went with a version of the last thought. Catching Liz’s wandering hand in his, he pleaded with her. “If you promise to sit in your seat, I’ll… I’ll drive us to the Pod Chamber.”
If he weren’t in such a state himself, Max would’ve found the speed with which she obeyed him amusing. But his mind was struggling to keep him sane enough to drive responsibly towards his new destination.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was quiet inside the Pod Chamber where Max and Liz stood staring at each other. Max could not remember much of the drive, only that he had wanted to get here as fast as he could without killing them. Now, finally here, his eyes drank in the beauty of the girl of his heart with an intensity that hinted at the desire he was barely controlling.
Liz was making an inventory of her own. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen and would ever see. Not just because he was handsome, but because he was Max. She had had to sit on her hands all the way here in an effort to keep herself from touching him again, but now that they’re finally here, she was rooted to the spot. Her look pleaded with him to take the first step, because right now she needed to be in his arms so much it hurt.
The movement was so swift she hardly saw it. Everything was a blur to her. She felt like she was floating and the only thing that kept her grounded were his arms that bound her to him in a crushing grip. She couldn’t get her throat to work to beg for the release of his mouth on hers. All of this became irrelevant when the connection between opened with a rush. The sensory overload that followed being able to feel all the needs and desires Max was suppressing caused Liz to nearly faint. He was as desperate for her, as she was for him.
Max gave up trying to think. He was being bombarded with Liz’s needs and that was all he could concentrate on. She needs me to kiss her. So he did. Hotly, roughly, hungrily. His mouth slanting over hers in a dance as old as time. She was making soft moaning sounds in the back of her throat that drove him closer to the edge. His mind was screaming at him frantically to try and wrestle back control, but the little voice went unheard among all the other sensations that cried for his attention. Like the way her body fit his perfectly or how soft and smooth her skin was. Or how her mind was telling him: Now, Max, now!
His shirt ripped in his haste to get it off. His hands were shaking when he removed her clothes. Then, finally, he could touch her bare skin.
She didn’t have enough hands. The ridiculous thought popped fleetingly into Liz’s head as she tried to caress Max everywhere at once. There was so much of him to enjoy: his soft hair, his glorious arms and chest. But this was not a time for slow and gentle loving. So she wrapped her legs around him, bringing him to where she needed him most.
Their union complete, Liz threw back her head in complete abandonment. There was no bliss purer than this.
The storm that raged through their bodies finally left them exhausted and replete in each other’s arms. Still sharing soft kisses and finally able to whisper the sweet nothings that were normally part of their love-making, they lay together, loath to end the union.
When Max finally drew back, he was momentarily shocked at Liz’s appearance. Her lips were swollen and her hair tangled into a mess around her face. It all told him one thing, he had lost control completely and utterly. “Liz, I’m sor—”
She stopped him with her fingers on his mouth. “I needed this. Maybe more than you did.”
Max stared at her in amazement. She truly was the most perfect girl in the world.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they finally arrived at the camp, they found everybody running around preparing for the arrival of the two groups of parents. Liz and Max were greeted reverentially and neither of them noticed the weird looks they were receiving. Max had ascertained that Michael and Maria had arrived with Tess already and that his parents were on their way with Isabel and Alex. So far, everything had gone according to plan…
They were standing next to the Jeep, ready to go meet the Sheriff bringing the Parker’s, when Maria ran up to say hi. Her mouth fell open when she saw Liz. “Ohhh no, Lizzie, you’re not going to meet your parents right now!”
Liz frowned at her. “Why not?”
Pulling her over to the side mirror of the Jeep, Maria said: “Because you look completely ravaged that’s why! And don’t think your parents won’t be able to figure out who did the ravaging. You two are going to get in so much trouble, I’ll take a bet on that!”
Part 12 coming up.
FON 12
PART 12
Liz burst out laughing when she saw her reflection in the Jeep’s mirror. She was flushed and her lips were still puffy, reminding her of the explosion of passion she and Max had just shared. They had been so wrapped up in each other on the way here, holding hands, stealing quick kisses and generally basking in the afterglow of their love-making, that they hadn’t paid attention to their appearances.
Max was less amused by it all. Seeing Liz look so ravaged, as Maria had aptly put it, reminded him of how completely he had lost it back in the Pod Chamber. It also brought back his fear that he would somehow slip up and cause Liz’s parents to find out about him and Liz doing a lot more than kissing nowadays.
“Come on Max. Do you Samantha-Genie-Alien thingie and fix the damage you’ve done to Liz!” Maria dragged him closer.
Seeing the flash of guilt in Max’s eyes, Liz cupped her hand to his cheek. “I’m actually a little sad that you have to take this away.” She smiled at his startled look. “I would’ve loved having a reminder of this afternoon for a while.”
Her words were causing a riot of reactions in his body again, and Max bit his lip while softly running his hands over her face to smooth away the evidence of their passion.
Michael had arrived on the scene by then and he looked anything but happy. “Thank you, Maxwell! Great idea bringing the parents here!”
“What?” Max was confused by the sudden change in topic.
“Yeah, now I get to sleep with you and Alex. Nice going!”
Hysterical laughter broke out following his grumbled complaint. Yeah, thought Max, tell me about it!
Only after Maria was satisfied that Max and Liz looked “innocent” again, were they allowed to leave. It was quiet in the Jeep for the first few miles and Max glanced at Liz worriedly every few seconds. He was picking up concern from her, but he wasn’t sure what the origin of it was. Finally, he squeezed her hand that he had been holding in his lap to get her attention.
“It’s Sarah.” Liz blurted out without preamble.
Max was lost. “Who's Sarah?”
“The girl in the Crashdown during lunch.” Liz saw that Max was still confused. “I talked to her when Kyle arrived?”
He finally put a face to the name and nodded. “What about her?” Max was now remembering how intently the girl had been watching him. Almost as if she were studying him. And Liz.
“I met her in self-defense class. She seemed freaked about something and… she was nervous again today. I… I think maybe something weird is going on with her boyfriend.”
Max was smiling at her indulgently. His Liz. Always worried about other people.
“I gave her my cell number. You know… to call me if she was in trouble.”
“Uhm, honey? What exactly are you planning to do if she calls? I mean—”
Liz sighed. “I don’t know. But I can try to think of something.” She smiled at him. “We can try to think of something, can’t we?”
Letting go of her hand, Max put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side. He placed a small kiss on her forehead. “Probably.” Hell, he would do anything for Liz!
This seemed to satisfy Liz and he felt her concern ebb. His, on the other hand, was mounting with every mile they got closer to where the Sheriff would be waiting with her parents.
~*~*~*~*~*~
By sheer luck, they arrived simultaneously with the Sheriff at the agreed meeting point. Max gave Liz a final hug and took a deep breath before climbing out of the Jeep. The Parkers were staring at him suspiciously and their eyes widened in shock when Liz rounded the car to stand next to Max.
“Hey Sheriff.” Max and Jim nodded at each other.
Jim Valenti did not envy Max his position. The Parkers had been upset when he told them to come with him for their own safety. They did not understand what was happening and his promises that all will become clear later only increased their fear.
Nancy spoke first. “Liz, what is going on here? Are you two in trouble?”
Jim turned back to her. “Its nothing illegal, Nancy. Just hear them out.”
“Did everything go according to plan?” Max was talking quietly to the Sheriff, trying not to increase the worry of Liz’s parents. He took Liz’s hand without even realizing it, pulling her closer to his side.
Jim just nodded. “So far, everything seems normal.”
“We caught the one from the Crashdown. Maybe he was alone…” But Max knew it was probably wishful thinking.
“What did you do with him?” Jim hoped there wasn’t another death that he would have to explain later.
Max looked at Liz briefly before answering. “He’s… incarcerated at the camp. He won’t bother anyone again.”
Both Jim and Liz wanted to ask more questions, but realized this was probably not the best time.
Max looked at the Parkers. “Would you come with us, please?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but started helping the Sheriff to put Jeff and Nancy’s gear in the Jeep.
Jeff was bewildered. He was staring at Max as if he had never seen him before. The authority that rang from Max’s attitude was not what he expected from the quiet young man that usually hung around the café mooning over Liz.
Nancy, on the other hand, was getting more upset by the minute. “I demand to know what’s going on here! I’m not going anywhere until I get an explanation.” She folded her arms. “Liz?”
Liz was getting distressed following her mom’s aggression. “Mom, I… please… We’ll explain everything, I promise.”
Again it was the Sheriff that defused the situation. “It really is important that you go with them, Nancy. This isn’t a joke.”
Nancy was staring at Liz. “Are you pregnant?”
Max came over immediately, reacting to Liz’s distress that was flooding through him too. He put his arm around her before answering. “No, she isn’t. This is something much more important. Please, just come with us.”
Finally giving in, Jeff and Nancy piled in the back of the Jeep. But, their faces were clearly showing their reluctance.
Max helped Liz into the Jeep gently. He squeezed her hand to let her know that he knew how hard this situation was for her before going back to talk with the Sheriff quickly.
Nancy took the opportunity to lean forward and put her hand on Liz’s shoulder. “Liz, honey, its not too late. The Sheriff is still here. Did Max… Is Max in some kind of trouble? Tell us so we can help you! You don’t have to be part of anything he did.”
Liz had tears in her eyes when she whirled around to her mom. “No mom, you don’t understand. He is doing this for you!” The next instant she felt Max’s arms around her, hugging her close.
“Is everything okay here?” But Max was looking at her parents over her head. His eyes were pleading with them: don’t do this to her!
When no one reacted to his question, Max pressed his lips to Liz’s forehead before rounding the Jeep and getting in. The drive to the camp was conducted in a strained silence with Liz clinging to his hand. Right now Max didn’t care that her parents saw how much they needed to touch each other, he just wanted to comfort Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was late when they arrived at the camp. Nick was waiting for them and assured Max that they had dinner ready for everyone. He also reported that the Evans’ had arrived about an hour earlier and were in the dining tent already.
Jeff and Nancy looked at each other when they saw that everyone in the camp seemed to wait for permission from either Liz or Max before doing anything. A young guy had followed Liz’s instructions and left with their bags, while another was waiting patiently to show them to the place they referred to as “the dining tent”. And what was this about the Evans’ being here?
Nick was casting worried glances in Liz’s direction until he caught Max’s look that said: don’t ask! He left with the reluctant Parkers after Max gave him the signal.
Liz walked straight into Max’s arms as soon as her parents were out of sight. They had kept glancing back at her and Max worriedly while walking away. She pressed close to his familiar warmth, clutching his jacket and her voice was muffled against his chest when she exclaimed: “This is hard, Max!”
“I know. We’ll get through this.” He rubbed his cheek on the crown of her head, enjoying the silky slide of her hair against his skin. “Are you hungry?” When she shook her head, he said: “Why don’t you go lie down for a little while? I’ll come get you after dinner. Before we talk to all of them.”
Liz was too tired and overwrought not to follow Max’s instructions, so he carried her high against his chest to the tent she shared with Isabel and Maria. This is so wrong, he couldn’t help thinking, she should be with me. He put Liz down on her bed and lay down with her, curling his body around hers. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear as he held her.
Liz fell asleep almost immediately and Max gently extricated himself from her. The soft distressed sound she made when he left tore at his heart, but he couldn’t afford to be missing with her for too long. Not when he had to tell her parents the truth a little later…
~*~*~*~*~*~
In the dining tent, Maria was making a determined effort to keep a conversation going. Luckily she was supported by Isabel, Alex and Diane Evans, but the Parkers were quiet. They had looked to the Evans’ for answers as to why they were all here, but soon learnt that the other couple didn’t have a clue either.
Nick was talking with Marcus and Chris at the table next to the parents, trying to explain why they could not go back to Roswell right now to try and find more aliens. “We have to wait for Max. It’s his decision.” He shook his head at their eagerness to fix this problem for their “royal couple.”
Max arrived just in time to hear Marcus saying loudly into a suddenly quiet dining tent: “Nick, they are threatening Max and Liz! Our leader and his—” Marcus fell silent and gulped when he saw an angry Max bearing down on him. He looked around confused for a moment until he realized he had become the center of attention somewhere along the line.
Max stopped when he felt all the eyes in the room turn to him. The four parents were staring at him in complete shock…
Part 13 next.
Liz burst out laughing when she saw her reflection in the Jeep’s mirror. She was flushed and her lips were still puffy, reminding her of the explosion of passion she and Max had just shared. They had been so wrapped up in each other on the way here, holding hands, stealing quick kisses and generally basking in the afterglow of their love-making, that they hadn’t paid attention to their appearances.
Max was less amused by it all. Seeing Liz look so ravaged, as Maria had aptly put it, reminded him of how completely he had lost it back in the Pod Chamber. It also brought back his fear that he would somehow slip up and cause Liz’s parents to find out about him and Liz doing a lot more than kissing nowadays.
“Come on Max. Do you Samantha-Genie-Alien thingie and fix the damage you’ve done to Liz!” Maria dragged him closer.
Seeing the flash of guilt in Max’s eyes, Liz cupped her hand to his cheek. “I’m actually a little sad that you have to take this away.” She smiled at his startled look. “I would’ve loved having a reminder of this afternoon for a while.”
Her words were causing a riot of reactions in his body again, and Max bit his lip while softly running his hands over her face to smooth away the evidence of their passion.
Michael had arrived on the scene by then and he looked anything but happy. “Thank you, Maxwell! Great idea bringing the parents here!”
“What?” Max was confused by the sudden change in topic.
“Yeah, now I get to sleep with you and Alex. Nice going!”
Hysterical laughter broke out following his grumbled complaint. Yeah, thought Max, tell me about it!
Only after Maria was satisfied that Max and Liz looked “innocent” again, were they allowed to leave. It was quiet in the Jeep for the first few miles and Max glanced at Liz worriedly every few seconds. He was picking up concern from her, but he wasn’t sure what the origin of it was. Finally, he squeezed her hand that he had been holding in his lap to get her attention.
“It’s Sarah.” Liz blurted out without preamble.
Max was lost. “Who's Sarah?”
“The girl in the Crashdown during lunch.” Liz saw that Max was still confused. “I talked to her when Kyle arrived?”
He finally put a face to the name and nodded. “What about her?” Max was now remembering how intently the girl had been watching him. Almost as if she were studying him. And Liz.
“I met her in self-defense class. She seemed freaked about something and… she was nervous again today. I… I think maybe something weird is going on with her boyfriend.”
Max was smiling at her indulgently. His Liz. Always worried about other people.
“I gave her my cell number. You know… to call me if she was in trouble.”
“Uhm, honey? What exactly are you planning to do if she calls? I mean—”
Liz sighed. “I don’t know. But I can try to think of something.” She smiled at him. “We can try to think of something, can’t we?”
Letting go of her hand, Max put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side. He placed a small kiss on her forehead. “Probably.” Hell, he would do anything for Liz!
This seemed to satisfy Liz and he felt her concern ebb. His, on the other hand, was mounting with every mile they got closer to where the Sheriff would be waiting with her parents.
~*~*~*~*~*~
By sheer luck, they arrived simultaneously with the Sheriff at the agreed meeting point. Max gave Liz a final hug and took a deep breath before climbing out of the Jeep. The Parkers were staring at him suspiciously and their eyes widened in shock when Liz rounded the car to stand next to Max.
“Hey Sheriff.” Max and Jim nodded at each other.
Jim Valenti did not envy Max his position. The Parkers had been upset when he told them to come with him for their own safety. They did not understand what was happening and his promises that all will become clear later only increased their fear.
Nancy spoke first. “Liz, what is going on here? Are you two in trouble?”
Jim turned back to her. “Its nothing illegal, Nancy. Just hear them out.”
“Did everything go according to plan?” Max was talking quietly to the Sheriff, trying not to increase the worry of Liz’s parents. He took Liz’s hand without even realizing it, pulling her closer to his side.
Jim just nodded. “So far, everything seems normal.”
“We caught the one from the Crashdown. Maybe he was alone…” But Max knew it was probably wishful thinking.
“What did you do with him?” Jim hoped there wasn’t another death that he would have to explain later.
Max looked at Liz briefly before answering. “He’s… incarcerated at the camp. He won’t bother anyone again.”
Both Jim and Liz wanted to ask more questions, but realized this was probably not the best time.
Max looked at the Parkers. “Would you come with us, please?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but started helping the Sheriff to put Jeff and Nancy’s gear in the Jeep.
Jeff was bewildered. He was staring at Max as if he had never seen him before. The authority that rang from Max’s attitude was not what he expected from the quiet young man that usually hung around the café mooning over Liz.
Nancy, on the other hand, was getting more upset by the minute. “I demand to know what’s going on here! I’m not going anywhere until I get an explanation.” She folded her arms. “Liz?”
Liz was getting distressed following her mom’s aggression. “Mom, I… please… We’ll explain everything, I promise.”
Again it was the Sheriff that defused the situation. “It really is important that you go with them, Nancy. This isn’t a joke.”
Nancy was staring at Liz. “Are you pregnant?”
Max came over immediately, reacting to Liz’s distress that was flooding through him too. He put his arm around her before answering. “No, she isn’t. This is something much more important. Please, just come with us.”
Finally giving in, Jeff and Nancy piled in the back of the Jeep. But, their faces were clearly showing their reluctance.
Max helped Liz into the Jeep gently. He squeezed her hand to let her know that he knew how hard this situation was for her before going back to talk with the Sheriff quickly.
Nancy took the opportunity to lean forward and put her hand on Liz’s shoulder. “Liz, honey, its not too late. The Sheriff is still here. Did Max… Is Max in some kind of trouble? Tell us so we can help you! You don’t have to be part of anything he did.”
Liz had tears in her eyes when she whirled around to her mom. “No mom, you don’t understand. He is doing this for you!” The next instant she felt Max’s arms around her, hugging her close.
“Is everything okay here?” But Max was looking at her parents over her head. His eyes were pleading with them: don’t do this to her!
When no one reacted to his question, Max pressed his lips to Liz’s forehead before rounding the Jeep and getting in. The drive to the camp was conducted in a strained silence with Liz clinging to his hand. Right now Max didn’t care that her parents saw how much they needed to touch each other, he just wanted to comfort Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was late when they arrived at the camp. Nick was waiting for them and assured Max that they had dinner ready for everyone. He also reported that the Evans’ had arrived about an hour earlier and were in the dining tent already.
Jeff and Nancy looked at each other when they saw that everyone in the camp seemed to wait for permission from either Liz or Max before doing anything. A young guy had followed Liz’s instructions and left with their bags, while another was waiting patiently to show them to the place they referred to as “the dining tent”. And what was this about the Evans’ being here?
Nick was casting worried glances in Liz’s direction until he caught Max’s look that said: don’t ask! He left with the reluctant Parkers after Max gave him the signal.
Liz walked straight into Max’s arms as soon as her parents were out of sight. They had kept glancing back at her and Max worriedly while walking away. She pressed close to his familiar warmth, clutching his jacket and her voice was muffled against his chest when she exclaimed: “This is hard, Max!”
“I know. We’ll get through this.” He rubbed his cheek on the crown of her head, enjoying the silky slide of her hair against his skin. “Are you hungry?” When she shook her head, he said: “Why don’t you go lie down for a little while? I’ll come get you after dinner. Before we talk to all of them.”
Liz was too tired and overwrought not to follow Max’s instructions, so he carried her high against his chest to the tent she shared with Isabel and Maria. This is so wrong, he couldn’t help thinking, she should be with me. He put Liz down on her bed and lay down with her, curling his body around hers. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear as he held her.
Liz fell asleep almost immediately and Max gently extricated himself from her. The soft distressed sound she made when he left tore at his heart, but he couldn’t afford to be missing with her for too long. Not when he had to tell her parents the truth a little later…
~*~*~*~*~*~
In the dining tent, Maria was making a determined effort to keep a conversation going. Luckily she was supported by Isabel, Alex and Diane Evans, but the Parkers were quiet. They had looked to the Evans’ for answers as to why they were all here, but soon learnt that the other couple didn’t have a clue either.
Nick was talking with Marcus and Chris at the table next to the parents, trying to explain why they could not go back to Roswell right now to try and find more aliens. “We have to wait for Max. It’s his decision.” He shook his head at their eagerness to fix this problem for their “royal couple.”
Max arrived just in time to hear Marcus saying loudly into a suddenly quiet dining tent: “Nick, they are threatening Max and Liz! Our leader and his—” Marcus fell silent and gulped when he saw an angry Max bearing down on him. He looked around confused for a moment until he realized he had become the center of attention somewhere along the line.
Max stopped when he felt all the eyes in the room turn to him. The four parents were staring at him in complete shock…
Part 13 next.
FON 13
PART 13
The shocked silence didn’t last long.
“Liz is his what?” Jeff’s voice.
“What did he mean you’re their leader?” Philip’s voice.
“Who is threatening you?” Diane’s voice.
“Where’s Liz?” Nancy’s voice.
Max held up his hands. “I promise to explain everything. Just let’s all calm down, please.” He turned to Marcus and Nick, not noticing that Maria was sneaking out the door. “Can I talk to you outside?”
Marcus was pale when he got up. Maybe Max would be softer on him if he explained that he had had good intentions. It had just been overrun by his big mouth. He meekly followed Max and Nick outside.
“That guy is in so much trouble!” Alex was trying to lighten the mood.
Nancy looked ready to burst into tears. “Would someone please tell me what is happening? And where is my little girl?”
Leaning over, Diane placed her hand over Nancy’s. “She’ll be fine. Max will make sure of that.” She was taken aback when she saw that this only agitated Nancy more. “Please trust him.”
Everyone pushed their food around on their plates until Max came back a few minutes later. All attention returned to him immediately. He looked at Michael, Isabel and Alex. “If you guys don’t want to be here for this, that’s fine. It’s mostly my problem anyway.”
“No way, Max! We’re staying.” Isabel sounded firm. Michael and Alex nodded their agreement with her statement.
Max flashed them a grateful half-smile before sitting down at the table with his and Liz’s parents. “Sorry Mom and Dad, but I have to start at the beginning again.” But Max felt the words get stuck in his throat. He still had trouble admitting to people what he was. He was staring at the table top, unsure of how to begin this amazing tale when a warm hand covered his. He turned to his mother in surprised relief before finally looking at the Parkers. “Isabel, Michael, Tess and I were… in the 1947 crash. We’re… from another planet I guess you could say.” He stopped to gauge the reaction of Jeff and Nancy to this.
“That’s impossible! Diane, Philip? Do you believe this story?” Jeff sounded more confused than upset.
Philip nodded. “Just hear them out.”
Max continued. “We were in incubation pods. We were engineered from human material, so we are essentially human.” He needed to stress this for Liz’s parents. “We just have different blood and some powers humans don’t have.”
Nancy was looking dazed. “Powers?”
Isabel took up the story. “Yes. We can all do different things. Max can heal. We can manipulate the molecular structure of things…” She didn’t want to mention her dreamwalking and Michael’s fighting abilities yet.
“Excuse me?” More confusion from Jeff. This was just too incredible for him. Were all these people on some sort of hallucinogenic trip?
Isabel picked up a fork from the table after Max nodded at her. She slowly ran her hand over it, forming it into a knife. Gasps could be heard around the table.
Maria arrived back in a rush, Liz in tow. She figured Max could use all the help he can get with Liz’s parents, so she had sneaked out to go wake Lizzie up.
Liz hurriedly went over to Max, but her eyes were on her parents, trying to see what they were thinking. She sat down next to Max and felt some of the tension leave his shoulders as she curled her hand around his arm. He gave her a brief smile and returned to the conversation.
“Why… why are you telling us this?” Nancy was whispering, her eyes filling with tears.
“Mom!” Liz got up again and went to her mother. She hugged her. “It's okay.”
Nancy touched her face. “How do you know all this?”
Everyone was quiet until Diane spoke up. “Max saved Liz’s life. In September last year, Liz was shot at the Crashdown.”
Jeff jumped up. “I know that isn’t true! I saw her with my own eyes! She was fine… she just had… ketchup… on her dress...” He sat down again slowly. “It’s not possible.”
“It is, Dad. It really happened.” Liz was willing her parents to believe her. And Max.
“Liz honey, why are you doing this?” Her mom sounded distressed. “We love you. Whatever is really going on… you can tell us!”
Liz stared at her mom and suddenly knew there was no other way. She had to show them. She grabbed a knife from the table.
Max was on his feet instantly. “No!” he cried, rushing over to Liz, but he was too late. She had slashed her forearm by the time he reached her.
The wound wasn’t too deep, but the sight of the blood dripping onto the white tablecloth froze the group into stillness. Everyone, but Max that is. He was already cupping her arm in his hand, his other hand gently cradling her cheek. “You didn’t have to do this!”
Smiling through the pain, Liz just stared up into his eyes. She knew the drill by now. It only took a minute then the pain was gone and Max’s hand stopped glowing. “Are you okay?” Max sounded worried even though he must know she was fine. Liz touched her fingers to his mouth and nodded.
Everyone, including their friends, were staring at Liz openmouthed. Liz’s mom was crying openly now.
Max felt awful for them. At least his parents had always known him and Iz and had suspected something was weird, but the Parkers didn’t have that benefit. They were just suddenly confronted with too many shocks. One: aliens were living among us. Two: these aliens had strange powers. Three: their only daughter had been shot some months ago. Four: an alien had healed Liz from the fatal gunshot wound. Five: Liz is dating said alien. Six: Liz has obviously been leading a life they knew nothing about for close to a year. And now Max had to tell them: “There’s more…”
He led Liz back to her seat and took a deep breath. “All these people in this camp are aliens. From my… our race. Our planet has been destroyed in a war and they escaped just in time to come here to find us. I’m… we’re…” Max faltered, not knowing how to tell these people that they were basically royalty.
It was Liz that continued. “Max is the leader of his race. Like their King. His people came here because Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess were initially sent to earth so they could go back later and save their planet. Only, it was destroyed. And now they have to stay here on earth. With us.”
Another thundering silence enveloped the table. Max didn’t know whom he must worry about most: his own parents or Liz’s.
Philip recovered first. “I still don’t understand why we’re all here though?”
Max grimaced. “Uhm… There’s another alien race on earth. The one that destroyed our planet. And they’re looking for the four of us. And Liz.” He glanced at the still crying Nancy who was now being held by Jeff. “The guy that was in the Crashdown the other day. He was one of them.”
Jeff homed in on the only thing that made any sense to him right now. “Why do they want Liz?”
Max looked him straight in the eye. “Because I love her and they know they can get to me through her.”
Something else was coming back to Jeff now. “That guy that you just hustled out of here. He said something about you and Liz. What did he mean?”
Max caught Diane’s eye guiltily. “He meant she’s my girlfriend. So please know that all these people in the camp, they want to protect her too.” Please, Mom, don’t say anything! he silently prayed.
“So that’s why those weird men were hanging around Liz at the Crashdown all the time! They were looking out for her.” Jeff looked like he had just seen the light. He stared at Max for a long time, still not sure that the young man was telling him everything. “You saved Lizzie’s life. Thank you.” He leaned over the table, holding out his hand for Max.
Max felt such a rush of emotions when he accepted Jeff’s hand that he had trouble getting the words out. “I did it for me. She means everything to me.” He saw Liz’s mom’s head snap up at the words he had spoken to her after he had fended off the gunman at the Crashdown and he wondered how she was going to react to all this.
Liz slid her hand into his. “Mom?”
“I don’t know what to say… I never knew… but still… I… thank you, Max.” Nancy smiled tentatively at Max through her tears.
Max smiled back. The first full-blown smile from him the Parkers had ever seen and they were stunned. Jeff, because he truly thought that Max was the most serious young man he had ever met, and Nancy because the smile made Max look even more handsome than he normally did. No wonder Liz can’t see straight around him!
“I’m sure you all still have a lot of questions, but it’s been a rough day.” Max was taking charge again. “Why don’t we talk more tomorrow?”
Isabel got up. “I’ll show you where your tents and the bathrooms are.” She started out of the tent with four very emotional parents in tow.
Liz jumped up when her parents got to the door and ran over to them. She hugged them both and whispered: “I love you.” This led to hugs between all the parents and their kids and it took a long time before Iz could get them all to leave again.
When Isabel returned, they all stayed to chat while Max and Liz had dinner.
“Nice save on the girlfriend thing, Max!” Maria was grinning.
Alex chimed in, turning to Isabel. “So Iz, how’s the new Marcus-shaped welcome mat in front of the dining tent doing?”
Max was too happy to be baited by his two wacky friends tonight. “I didn’t kill him. I just pointed out that it was not necessary for the whole world, and especially for our parents, to know about the bonding thing.” Or about the sleeping together thing either! He rubbed Liz’s arm where the wound was that he had healed a few minutes ago. “But if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I’m putting you over my knee! You scared the crap out of me.”
Liz just smiled and kissed him on his nose. Typical Max overreaction to anything that happened to her.
“Well, I’m just rearing to go to bed. With Max and Alex.” Michael sounded grouchy. “Have I remembered to thank you again for that Maxwell?”
Maria slid her arms around his neck. “Well, maybe if you stopped whingeing, I would walk you to your tent. We could take the scenic route…”
Michael jumped up immediately. “See ya!”
They left with the laughter of the others in their ears.
Isabel and Alex followed them soon afterwards, leaving Max and Liz alone.
Max pulled Liz onto his lap and pressed his forehead to hers. “Thank you… for helping me today.” He kissed her softly, careful not to let things get out of hand.
“My parents seemed to take it pretty well.” Liz hoped she was right. She slid closer to Max. “Now let’s just be us for a little while, okay?” She sighed. “Before I have to go sleep with Maria…”
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Where the hell is Devin?” The voice belonged to a tall dark man. “He hasn’t returned since this morning!”
“Calm down, honey! I’m sure he will turn up.” Sarah ran a comforting hand over her boyfriend’s back. She took a deep breath and decided to just blurt out her own news. “Liz Parker and her parents are gone. I haven’t seen Max either. I’m worried, Eric…”
Part 14 next.
The shocked silence didn’t last long.
“Liz is his what?” Jeff’s voice.
“What did he mean you’re their leader?” Philip’s voice.
“Who is threatening you?” Diane’s voice.
“Where’s Liz?” Nancy’s voice.
Max held up his hands. “I promise to explain everything. Just let’s all calm down, please.” He turned to Marcus and Nick, not noticing that Maria was sneaking out the door. “Can I talk to you outside?”
Marcus was pale when he got up. Maybe Max would be softer on him if he explained that he had had good intentions. It had just been overrun by his big mouth. He meekly followed Max and Nick outside.
“That guy is in so much trouble!” Alex was trying to lighten the mood.
Nancy looked ready to burst into tears. “Would someone please tell me what is happening? And where is my little girl?”
Leaning over, Diane placed her hand over Nancy’s. “She’ll be fine. Max will make sure of that.” She was taken aback when she saw that this only agitated Nancy more. “Please trust him.”
Everyone pushed their food around on their plates until Max came back a few minutes later. All attention returned to him immediately. He looked at Michael, Isabel and Alex. “If you guys don’t want to be here for this, that’s fine. It’s mostly my problem anyway.”
“No way, Max! We’re staying.” Isabel sounded firm. Michael and Alex nodded their agreement with her statement.
Max flashed them a grateful half-smile before sitting down at the table with his and Liz’s parents. “Sorry Mom and Dad, but I have to start at the beginning again.” But Max felt the words get stuck in his throat. He still had trouble admitting to people what he was. He was staring at the table top, unsure of how to begin this amazing tale when a warm hand covered his. He turned to his mother in surprised relief before finally looking at the Parkers. “Isabel, Michael, Tess and I were… in the 1947 crash. We’re… from another planet I guess you could say.” He stopped to gauge the reaction of Jeff and Nancy to this.
“That’s impossible! Diane, Philip? Do you believe this story?” Jeff sounded more confused than upset.
Philip nodded. “Just hear them out.”
Max continued. “We were in incubation pods. We were engineered from human material, so we are essentially human.” He needed to stress this for Liz’s parents. “We just have different blood and some powers humans don’t have.”
Nancy was looking dazed. “Powers?”
Isabel took up the story. “Yes. We can all do different things. Max can heal. We can manipulate the molecular structure of things…” She didn’t want to mention her dreamwalking and Michael’s fighting abilities yet.
“Excuse me?” More confusion from Jeff. This was just too incredible for him. Were all these people on some sort of hallucinogenic trip?
Isabel picked up a fork from the table after Max nodded at her. She slowly ran her hand over it, forming it into a knife. Gasps could be heard around the table.
Maria arrived back in a rush, Liz in tow. She figured Max could use all the help he can get with Liz’s parents, so she had sneaked out to go wake Lizzie up.
Liz hurriedly went over to Max, but her eyes were on her parents, trying to see what they were thinking. She sat down next to Max and felt some of the tension leave his shoulders as she curled her hand around his arm. He gave her a brief smile and returned to the conversation.
“Why… why are you telling us this?” Nancy was whispering, her eyes filling with tears.
“Mom!” Liz got up again and went to her mother. She hugged her. “It's okay.”
Nancy touched her face. “How do you know all this?”
Everyone was quiet until Diane spoke up. “Max saved Liz’s life. In September last year, Liz was shot at the Crashdown.”
Jeff jumped up. “I know that isn’t true! I saw her with my own eyes! She was fine… she just had… ketchup… on her dress...” He sat down again slowly. “It’s not possible.”
“It is, Dad. It really happened.” Liz was willing her parents to believe her. And Max.
“Liz honey, why are you doing this?” Her mom sounded distressed. “We love you. Whatever is really going on… you can tell us!”
Liz stared at her mom and suddenly knew there was no other way. She had to show them. She grabbed a knife from the table.
Max was on his feet instantly. “No!” he cried, rushing over to Liz, but he was too late. She had slashed her forearm by the time he reached her.
The wound wasn’t too deep, but the sight of the blood dripping onto the white tablecloth froze the group into stillness. Everyone, but Max that is. He was already cupping her arm in his hand, his other hand gently cradling her cheek. “You didn’t have to do this!”
Smiling through the pain, Liz just stared up into his eyes. She knew the drill by now. It only took a minute then the pain was gone and Max’s hand stopped glowing. “Are you okay?” Max sounded worried even though he must know she was fine. Liz touched her fingers to his mouth and nodded.
Everyone, including their friends, were staring at Liz openmouthed. Liz’s mom was crying openly now.
Max felt awful for them. At least his parents had always known him and Iz and had suspected something was weird, but the Parkers didn’t have that benefit. They were just suddenly confronted with too many shocks. One: aliens were living among us. Two: these aliens had strange powers. Three: their only daughter had been shot some months ago. Four: an alien had healed Liz from the fatal gunshot wound. Five: Liz is dating said alien. Six: Liz has obviously been leading a life they knew nothing about for close to a year. And now Max had to tell them: “There’s more…”
He led Liz back to her seat and took a deep breath. “All these people in this camp are aliens. From my… our race. Our planet has been destroyed in a war and they escaped just in time to come here to find us. I’m… we’re…” Max faltered, not knowing how to tell these people that they were basically royalty.
It was Liz that continued. “Max is the leader of his race. Like their King. His people came here because Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess were initially sent to earth so they could go back later and save their planet. Only, it was destroyed. And now they have to stay here on earth. With us.”
Another thundering silence enveloped the table. Max didn’t know whom he must worry about most: his own parents or Liz’s.
Philip recovered first. “I still don’t understand why we’re all here though?”
Max grimaced. “Uhm… There’s another alien race on earth. The one that destroyed our planet. And they’re looking for the four of us. And Liz.” He glanced at the still crying Nancy who was now being held by Jeff. “The guy that was in the Crashdown the other day. He was one of them.”
Jeff homed in on the only thing that made any sense to him right now. “Why do they want Liz?”
Max looked him straight in the eye. “Because I love her and they know they can get to me through her.”
Something else was coming back to Jeff now. “That guy that you just hustled out of here. He said something about you and Liz. What did he mean?”
Max caught Diane’s eye guiltily. “He meant she’s my girlfriend. So please know that all these people in the camp, they want to protect her too.” Please, Mom, don’t say anything! he silently prayed.
“So that’s why those weird men were hanging around Liz at the Crashdown all the time! They were looking out for her.” Jeff looked like he had just seen the light. He stared at Max for a long time, still not sure that the young man was telling him everything. “You saved Lizzie’s life. Thank you.” He leaned over the table, holding out his hand for Max.
Max felt such a rush of emotions when he accepted Jeff’s hand that he had trouble getting the words out. “I did it for me. She means everything to me.” He saw Liz’s mom’s head snap up at the words he had spoken to her after he had fended off the gunman at the Crashdown and he wondered how she was going to react to all this.
Liz slid her hand into his. “Mom?”
“I don’t know what to say… I never knew… but still… I… thank you, Max.” Nancy smiled tentatively at Max through her tears.
Max smiled back. The first full-blown smile from him the Parkers had ever seen and they were stunned. Jeff, because he truly thought that Max was the most serious young man he had ever met, and Nancy because the smile made Max look even more handsome than he normally did. No wonder Liz can’t see straight around him!
“I’m sure you all still have a lot of questions, but it’s been a rough day.” Max was taking charge again. “Why don’t we talk more tomorrow?”
Isabel got up. “I’ll show you where your tents and the bathrooms are.” She started out of the tent with four very emotional parents in tow.
Liz jumped up when her parents got to the door and ran over to them. She hugged them both and whispered: “I love you.” This led to hugs between all the parents and their kids and it took a long time before Iz could get them all to leave again.
When Isabel returned, they all stayed to chat while Max and Liz had dinner.
“Nice save on the girlfriend thing, Max!” Maria was grinning.
Alex chimed in, turning to Isabel. “So Iz, how’s the new Marcus-shaped welcome mat in front of the dining tent doing?”
Max was too happy to be baited by his two wacky friends tonight. “I didn’t kill him. I just pointed out that it was not necessary for the whole world, and especially for our parents, to know about the bonding thing.” Or about the sleeping together thing either! He rubbed Liz’s arm where the wound was that he had healed a few minutes ago. “But if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I’m putting you over my knee! You scared the crap out of me.”
Liz just smiled and kissed him on his nose. Typical Max overreaction to anything that happened to her.
“Well, I’m just rearing to go to bed. With Max and Alex.” Michael sounded grouchy. “Have I remembered to thank you again for that Maxwell?”
Maria slid her arms around his neck. “Well, maybe if you stopped whingeing, I would walk you to your tent. We could take the scenic route…”
Michael jumped up immediately. “See ya!”
They left with the laughter of the others in their ears.
Isabel and Alex followed them soon afterwards, leaving Max and Liz alone.
Max pulled Liz onto his lap and pressed his forehead to hers. “Thank you… for helping me today.” He kissed her softly, careful not to let things get out of hand.
“My parents seemed to take it pretty well.” Liz hoped she was right. She slid closer to Max. “Now let’s just be us for a little while, okay?” She sighed. “Before I have to go sleep with Maria…”
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Where the hell is Devin?” The voice belonged to a tall dark man. “He hasn’t returned since this morning!”
“Calm down, honey! I’m sure he will turn up.” Sarah ran a comforting hand over her boyfriend’s back. She took a deep breath and decided to just blurt out her own news. “Liz Parker and her parents are gone. I haven’t seen Max either. I’m worried, Eric…”
Part 14 next.
FON 14
PART 14
Max trudged out of the showers just after dawn the next morning feeling as if he had hardly slept at all. Which was basically true. He had taken Liz to the tent she was sharing with Izzy and Maria and it felt like he was tearing off his arm when he had to let her go inside. Then, when he got to bed, he lay awake worrying about what the next day would bring. Liz’s parents seem to take all the revelations pretty well, but maybe they were just too overwhelmed and stunned to really think about everything they had heard. What would they do when they had time to take all of this in? The fear that they would decide Liz should not be seeing him was starting to become an obsession with him. If he felt ill just because Liz was sleeping a few meters from him in the camp and not with him, he hated to think how he would feel if he weren’t allowed anywhere near her. Breathe, Max, just breathe… That’s not going to happen!
The first pink streaks of sunrise were creeping across the desert but Max didn’t see any of it. His eyes were glued to the opening of the tent where Liz was sleeping. His awareness of her and the constant hum in his body told him that she was still in there. He imagined her lying in bed looking all tousled and sexy and had to take a deep breath to still his body’s immediate response. Her parents are here too, he reminded himself.
He was just turning away when the object of his musings came out of the tent looking exactly as he had imagined: tousled and sexy. Max was mesmerized as he watched her walk over to him. She was in her normal sleepwear: drawstring pants and a cropped tank top that allowed him glimpses of her bellybutton.
Liz had woken up knowing that Max was just outside and that he was thinking about her. She had felt his desire to see her like a palpable thing and she instantly got up to make her way to him. When she laid eyes on him, her breath caught in her throat. He was drop-dead gorgeous. His damp hair was clinging to his forehead and his shirt was only buttoned halfway. And the way he looked at her! The heat in his gaze caused a mad fluttering in her belly and she knew, just knew, that no other man would ever have this effect on her.
Max stood rooted to the spot until she reached him. He felt momentarily disorientated with all the feelings washing over him. His needs. Her wants. An overwhelming love. All thought went flying out the window when she fell into his arms as if she was born to be there. Maybe because she was… He ran his fingers through her sleep-mussed hair, loving the feel of the silky strands against his skin. “Liz…” he breathed her name against her lips, softly kissing her until she whimpered for more.
Grabbing a handful of his hair, Liz tugged Max’s mouth into closer contact with hers. She needed him to let go of the passion she could sense just underneath the surface of his control. She provocatively ran her tongue over his bottom-lip, nipping at it with her teeth until Max gave in and deepened the kiss. Liz sighed into his mouth as his tongue glided over hers, mimicking a more intimate act. She leaned her upper body away from his without breaking the kiss, her hands frantically opening the buttons of his shirt. They both groaned when she pressed herself against his bare chest after accomplishing her task.
Max curled his right arm around Liz’s waist lifting her up and depositing her on the lowest step of the shower trailer. The action brought her on the same level as Max and her arms instinctively went around his neck as they adjusted to the new angle. Max was drowning in sensations. Her warm curves pressed against his skin, her hands weaving magic all over his body, her tongue dancing with his and driving him insane. He ran his hands up under her tank top, relishing the smoothness of the skin of her back.
Arching involuntarily and shivering from the slam of desire following Max’s caress up her back, Liz slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and urged their lower bodies closer. She needed to feel all of him. She needed to feel his body’s reaction to her. She needed—
“Liz!” Her mother’s voice snapped both her and Max out of their passionate hazes. Her mother was standing a few steps behind Max and her face was filled with shock.
Liz slowly removed her hands from Max’s butt and stepped down to round Max and face her mother. She purposely stood in front of Max, not wanting to increase her mother’s shock. That only helped a little bit since her mom now had a chance to fully take in her attire. “Hey Mom!” Liz heard her voice waver and was grateful when Max slid his hands down her arms to take her hands, lacing his fingers through hers.
Nancy was speechless. Her mind was still grappling with the fact that there were aliens all around her and now she had to contend with this. Her little girl in a passionate embrace with her boyfriend. An embrace that screamed of the fact that a lot more than handholding had been going on between these two for some time. How should she handle this? Apart from the fact that the man Liz was clinging to so trustingly was an alien, Liz was much too young to be so intensely involved with anyone.
“Morning, Mrs. Parker.” Max’s quiet voice broke into the silence. He was really angry with himself for letting things get so out of hand between him and Liz, because in the process he had jeopardized his fragile relationship with her mom. He watched her carefully, trying to see what she was going to do now.
Nancy was flustered by the fact that Max was regarding her steadily, not slinking away guiltily as she had expected him to do. “I… Liz why don’t you go shower and dress. I need to talk to you later.” She folded her arms and watched as Liz turned to look at Max questioningly. Liz only started leaving after a small nod from Max.
Nancy and Max stared at each other. They both wanted all of Liz, but for very different reasons. Nancy wanted Liz to remain her little girl. The girl that she could protect and love and be the most important person to. But right now, the young man looking at her seriously was threatening all of that. Nancy no longer had the ability to protect Liz because everything that threatened her now was unknown to Nancy. And from what she had just witnessed, Liz was not her “little girl” anymore either. Somewhere along the line, she had become a young woman and Nancy knew it was as a result of Max Evans. She bit her lip. She didn’t want to lose Liz’s love and she was at a loss as to how to handle this situation without endangering her already strained relationship with her daughter further. Everything in her demanded that she drag Liz away from Max as far as possible, so that he could never touch her daughter again. But the rational part of her told her that such an action would just alienate her from Liz.
Watching the various emotions flit over Nancy’s face, Max held his breath. He didn’t know how to show Mrs. Parker that he would never hurt Liz intentionally. Or that he would stop breathing if he ever had to live without her. “Why don’t we go get some coffee? And talk?” Max didn’t have a clue what he was going to say to Liz’s mom, but he had to try.
The dining tent was deserted, but there were flasks with hot water for coffee on one of the tables. Max made the two coffees silently while Nancy sat down at one of the tables. When he finally sat down across from her, he saw that she was staring at the table, apparently deep in thought. “Do you have any more questions, Mrs. Parker?”
“Why Liz? Of all the girls in Roswell, why did you get involved with my daughter?”
Max blinked, thrown by the question. “There’s no one reason I can give you. I just knew she was my other half when I saw her for the first time. It wasn’t a conscious decision.”
“When was that?”
“The third grade.” He saw her eyes grow round.
“Are you telling me that you have been—” Nancy stopped herself.
“In love with Liz since the third grade? Yeah.” Max was still watching her steadily.
“But that’s absurd! She never mentioned you! She couldn’t have known you. She—”
Max interrupted her gently. “This isn’t about her. It’s about me. Me telling you that there never have been, nor will there ever be any other woman in my life but Liz.”
Nancy was speechless for the umpteenth time that morning. It didn’t last long. “Did you two sleep together last night?”
Max’s gaze didn’t falter from hers. “No.” Max tried unsuccessfully to ban the image of Liz lying underneath him in abandon in the Pod Chamber yesterday afternoon from his mind.
“Why couldn’t you have left her alone? How am I supposed to protect her from all the strange things that threaten her now? As a result of you.”
Nancy’s outburst momentarily surprised Max. “Would you rather that she died that day in the Crashdown?” his voice was quiet, but it had a devastating impact on her. She crumpled before his eyes. “I will protect her with my life. I can promise you that. No, I can promise you more than that. All my people will protect her with their lives. They know she’s my… they know how important she is to me.” Max caught Nick waving at him from the door of the tent. He turned back to Nancy. “I know I can’t answer all your questions satisfactorily, but… just please trust me when I say that I plan on putting an end to all these threats to Liz.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Eric paced. Sarah watched from the bed, getting more nervous with each step her took. Something was definitely wrong. Devin has now been missing for a day and a night. Where was he? And what happened to Max and Liz? Just when she had started to hope that they were the people that could help her, they went missing. She gripped the mattress, staring at Eric and trying not to let the fear squeeze the breath from her body…
Part 15 coming up.
Max trudged out of the showers just after dawn the next morning feeling as if he had hardly slept at all. Which was basically true. He had taken Liz to the tent she was sharing with Izzy and Maria and it felt like he was tearing off his arm when he had to let her go inside. Then, when he got to bed, he lay awake worrying about what the next day would bring. Liz’s parents seem to take all the revelations pretty well, but maybe they were just too overwhelmed and stunned to really think about everything they had heard. What would they do when they had time to take all of this in? The fear that they would decide Liz should not be seeing him was starting to become an obsession with him. If he felt ill just because Liz was sleeping a few meters from him in the camp and not with him, he hated to think how he would feel if he weren’t allowed anywhere near her. Breathe, Max, just breathe… That’s not going to happen!
The first pink streaks of sunrise were creeping across the desert but Max didn’t see any of it. His eyes were glued to the opening of the tent where Liz was sleeping. His awareness of her and the constant hum in his body told him that she was still in there. He imagined her lying in bed looking all tousled and sexy and had to take a deep breath to still his body’s immediate response. Her parents are here too, he reminded himself.
He was just turning away when the object of his musings came out of the tent looking exactly as he had imagined: tousled and sexy. Max was mesmerized as he watched her walk over to him. She was in her normal sleepwear: drawstring pants and a cropped tank top that allowed him glimpses of her bellybutton.
Liz had woken up knowing that Max was just outside and that he was thinking about her. She had felt his desire to see her like a palpable thing and she instantly got up to make her way to him. When she laid eyes on him, her breath caught in her throat. He was drop-dead gorgeous. His damp hair was clinging to his forehead and his shirt was only buttoned halfway. And the way he looked at her! The heat in his gaze caused a mad fluttering in her belly and she knew, just knew, that no other man would ever have this effect on her.
Max stood rooted to the spot until she reached him. He felt momentarily disorientated with all the feelings washing over him. His needs. Her wants. An overwhelming love. All thought went flying out the window when she fell into his arms as if she was born to be there. Maybe because she was… He ran his fingers through her sleep-mussed hair, loving the feel of the silky strands against his skin. “Liz…” he breathed her name against her lips, softly kissing her until she whimpered for more.
Grabbing a handful of his hair, Liz tugged Max’s mouth into closer contact with hers. She needed him to let go of the passion she could sense just underneath the surface of his control. She provocatively ran her tongue over his bottom-lip, nipping at it with her teeth until Max gave in and deepened the kiss. Liz sighed into his mouth as his tongue glided over hers, mimicking a more intimate act. She leaned her upper body away from his without breaking the kiss, her hands frantically opening the buttons of his shirt. They both groaned when she pressed herself against his bare chest after accomplishing her task.
Max curled his right arm around Liz’s waist lifting her up and depositing her on the lowest step of the shower trailer. The action brought her on the same level as Max and her arms instinctively went around his neck as they adjusted to the new angle. Max was drowning in sensations. Her warm curves pressed against his skin, her hands weaving magic all over his body, her tongue dancing with his and driving him insane. He ran his hands up under her tank top, relishing the smoothness of the skin of her back.
Arching involuntarily and shivering from the slam of desire following Max’s caress up her back, Liz slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and urged their lower bodies closer. She needed to feel all of him. She needed to feel his body’s reaction to her. She needed—
“Liz!” Her mother’s voice snapped both her and Max out of their passionate hazes. Her mother was standing a few steps behind Max and her face was filled with shock.
Liz slowly removed her hands from Max’s butt and stepped down to round Max and face her mother. She purposely stood in front of Max, not wanting to increase her mother’s shock. That only helped a little bit since her mom now had a chance to fully take in her attire. “Hey Mom!” Liz heard her voice waver and was grateful when Max slid his hands down her arms to take her hands, lacing his fingers through hers.
Nancy was speechless. Her mind was still grappling with the fact that there were aliens all around her and now she had to contend with this. Her little girl in a passionate embrace with her boyfriend. An embrace that screamed of the fact that a lot more than handholding had been going on between these two for some time. How should she handle this? Apart from the fact that the man Liz was clinging to so trustingly was an alien, Liz was much too young to be so intensely involved with anyone.
“Morning, Mrs. Parker.” Max’s quiet voice broke into the silence. He was really angry with himself for letting things get so out of hand between him and Liz, because in the process he had jeopardized his fragile relationship with her mom. He watched her carefully, trying to see what she was going to do now.
Nancy was flustered by the fact that Max was regarding her steadily, not slinking away guiltily as she had expected him to do. “I… Liz why don’t you go shower and dress. I need to talk to you later.” She folded her arms and watched as Liz turned to look at Max questioningly. Liz only started leaving after a small nod from Max.
Nancy and Max stared at each other. They both wanted all of Liz, but for very different reasons. Nancy wanted Liz to remain her little girl. The girl that she could protect and love and be the most important person to. But right now, the young man looking at her seriously was threatening all of that. Nancy no longer had the ability to protect Liz because everything that threatened her now was unknown to Nancy. And from what she had just witnessed, Liz was not her “little girl” anymore either. Somewhere along the line, she had become a young woman and Nancy knew it was as a result of Max Evans. She bit her lip. She didn’t want to lose Liz’s love and she was at a loss as to how to handle this situation without endangering her already strained relationship with her daughter further. Everything in her demanded that she drag Liz away from Max as far as possible, so that he could never touch her daughter again. But the rational part of her told her that such an action would just alienate her from Liz.
Watching the various emotions flit over Nancy’s face, Max held his breath. He didn’t know how to show Mrs. Parker that he would never hurt Liz intentionally. Or that he would stop breathing if he ever had to live without her. “Why don’t we go get some coffee? And talk?” Max didn’t have a clue what he was going to say to Liz’s mom, but he had to try.
The dining tent was deserted, but there were flasks with hot water for coffee on one of the tables. Max made the two coffees silently while Nancy sat down at one of the tables. When he finally sat down across from her, he saw that she was staring at the table, apparently deep in thought. “Do you have any more questions, Mrs. Parker?”
“Why Liz? Of all the girls in Roswell, why did you get involved with my daughter?”
Max blinked, thrown by the question. “There’s no one reason I can give you. I just knew she was my other half when I saw her for the first time. It wasn’t a conscious decision.”
“When was that?”
“The third grade.” He saw her eyes grow round.
“Are you telling me that you have been—” Nancy stopped herself.
“In love with Liz since the third grade? Yeah.” Max was still watching her steadily.
“But that’s absurd! She never mentioned you! She couldn’t have known you. She—”
Max interrupted her gently. “This isn’t about her. It’s about me. Me telling you that there never have been, nor will there ever be any other woman in my life but Liz.”
Nancy was speechless for the umpteenth time that morning. It didn’t last long. “Did you two sleep together last night?”
Max’s gaze didn’t falter from hers. “No.” Max tried unsuccessfully to ban the image of Liz lying underneath him in abandon in the Pod Chamber yesterday afternoon from his mind.
“Why couldn’t you have left her alone? How am I supposed to protect her from all the strange things that threaten her now? As a result of you.”
Nancy’s outburst momentarily surprised Max. “Would you rather that she died that day in the Crashdown?” his voice was quiet, but it had a devastating impact on her. She crumpled before his eyes. “I will protect her with my life. I can promise you that. No, I can promise you more than that. All my people will protect her with their lives. They know she’s my… they know how important she is to me.” Max caught Nick waving at him from the door of the tent. He turned back to Nancy. “I know I can’t answer all your questions satisfactorily, but… just please trust me when I say that I plan on putting an end to all these threats to Liz.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Eric paced. Sarah watched from the bed, getting more nervous with each step her took. Something was definitely wrong. Devin has now been missing for a day and a night. Where was he? And what happened to Max and Liz? Just when she had started to hope that they were the people that could help her, they went missing. She gripped the mattress, staring at Eric and trying not to let the fear squeeze the breath from her body…
Part 15 coming up.
FON 15
PART 15
Liz hurried towards where she had last seen her mom and Max. Relief flooded through her as she rounded a tent and saw him, amazingly still alive and deep in discussion with Nick. Max looked up as soon as she neared and gave her a small ‘everything’s okay’ smile. Liz walked into his arms without a second thought. She knew she was interrupting something, but right now she needed the warm comfort of Max’s embrace too much to care. Just for this one time she would pull rank as Max’s mate and his first priority…
Nick watched as the two young lovers traded short, quick kisses, oblivious to everything around them. He wondered what had happened that morning to make them so upset? Maybe it was something he could help with.
Max finally pulled away from Liz, his fingers gently caressing her cheeks and mouth. He leant his forehead against hers. “Your mom’s still inside. I talked to her about us.” Seeing the shock register on her face, Max realized that she had misunderstood him. “No! Not about… I mean I told her how we felt. How I felt.”
“How did she take it?” Liz’s voice was low.
Max sighed. “She seemed fine, but I can’t really tell.” He brushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you want to go in and talk to her?’
Now it was Liz’s turn to sigh. “I guess I should…”
After another lingering kiss with Max, she went into the tent.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah stood outside the Crashdown, wondering how she was going to find out where Liz and her parents had gone. By now she and Eric had concluded the same thing. Something had happened to Devin. He had been their point man for so long that they were a little lost without him…
She hadn’t told Eric she was coming here. He would flip, and besides, she wanted some answers before she talked to him. But she desperately needed to see Liz. And more importantly, Max. Maybe between them they could avert a tragedy.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz found Nancy staring at nothing in particular when she arrived in the dining tent. She suddenly felt very sorry for her mother who had to contend with an amazing amount of new and strange information. Sliding into a seat across from her, she gently said: “Hi Mom.”
Nancy looked at her for a long quiet moment. “He loves you very much, doesn’t he?”
Not bothering to ask whom she was referring to, Liz simply said: “Yes.”
“How could I not have noticed that your life had changed so much this year?” Nancy’s eyes were starting to fill with tears. “How did we drift so far apart?”
Liz leant over and took her mother’s hand. “I’m sorry, Mom. It was mostly my fault. I…” She struggled to find the right words. “You have to understand that I was doing everything I could to protect Max.” Seeing the confusion on Nancy’s face, Liz realized that there was still so much that her mom didn’t know. “Mom, after Max healed me, the FBI came to town looking for him. He became hunted because he loved me enough to take the chance that people would find out what he was so he could save me. Can you understand that I needed to help him? At any cost?” She looked pleadingly at her mother. “First, it was Sheriff Valenti. Then the FBI sent a woman to teach at our school so she could try and get evidence about Max being an alien.”
Wiping at the tears that were coursing down her cheeks with her hands, Nancy could only stare at her daughter dumbly. While she had been worrying about whether Liz was having sex with her boyfriend, Liz had been worrying about her boyfriend being hunted by the FBI.
“When the teacher ploy didn’t work, they sent the FBI’s elite alien hunter unit in. The guy posed as one of the Sheriff’s deputies and they finally caught Max.” Liz’s eyes clouded over in remembered pain. “They caught him because he was trying to save me again. Mom, the things they did to him… He never talks about that day.”
Nancy finally found her voice. “Then how do you know what had happened to him?”
Liz wondered briefly if she could tell her mother this. “Mom, I don’t know if you’ll believe me when I tell you.”
Nancy was desperately trying to catch up with her daughter’s life, so she decided its better to know bad stuff than to know nothing at all. “Try me.”
“Sometimes… I can see things. From inside his head. We… we have this connection.” Liz struggled to put what she and Max shared into words. “I feel what he feels, I can see what he thinks and I can see some of his memories. Like the crash.”
Fear. Pure unadulterated fear was coursing through Nancy’s body. Accepting that there were aliens living on earth, was one thing. Finding out that they could put thoughts in one’s head was quite another. Her voice quacked when she spoke again. “You mean you can read his mind. Can he read yours… and mine?”
“No Mom!” Liz could see that her mother was starting to freak out. “It’s not like that! It’s… it’s only when we kiss,” she finally admitted. “And it’s only between me and Max. The others haven’t experienced this. We don’t really know why it happens with us. It just does.” She decided to plough ahead and tell her mom of all the strange things that happens to her around Max Evans. “We can also sense each other’s presence. I can tell where he is most all the time. And… and sometimes we dream the exact same dreams.” She took a deep breath. “So Mom, you have to believe us when we tell you that this… what’s between Max and I. It’s something amazing and deep and forever.”
“Are you sure you don’t just think you love him because he is handsome and he saved your life? And because this is strange and new and exiting?”
“Mom, how can I make you see that’s not true. That I know in my heart that I was meant for Max?” Liz spotted Nick just outside the door, watching her with concern. She turned back to her mother. “I’m coming right back. Maybe I can try something.”
She bounded over to Nick. “Could you help me make a connection with my mother?”
Nick blanched. “Maybe we should ask Max—”
“No! Please, I need your help! Only…” She leaned closer. “I need her not to see about me and Max… you know, being intimate.” Liz blushed at the last part. It’s not like it was exactly a secret in the camp, but still…
Nick still looked doubtful as she dragged him over to her mother, who was watching this with obvious trepidation. “Mom, this is Nick. He is like Max’s nephew, I guess. Nick, this is my mother.”
Nick came through with flying colors. He basically bowed in front of Nancy. “It’s a great honor to meet you, Mrs. Parker. Liz is very important to our race.”
Talking before her mother could ask what Nick’s last statement meant, Liz tried to allay her mother’s fears. “Mom, I’ve asked Nick to help me make a connection to you. It’s sort of similar to what Max and I share—” She held up her hands when Nancy opened her mouth to protest. “Please, just give this a chance.”
After Liz nodded at him, Nick placed his hands on both her and her mother’s heads. Looking at Liz, he gently stressed. “Think ONLY of you feelings for Max.”
Closing her eyes, Liz conjured up the image of Max in her mind. She saw him with her heart and she heard Nancy’s gasp when the force of her love for the gentlest alien on earth flooded her mother’s consciousness.
Nancy didn’t see any images, she just experienced her daughters feelings first hand. Complete love and trust. Respect and admiration. A sense of belonging. Tenderness and protectiveness. When Nick finally lifted his hands from them, she stared at Liz as if her daughter were a stranger. Which, in essence, she actually was…
When Liz opened her eyes, it was to stare into the hazel gaze of her other half. He was watching her with an awed expression and she felt an overwhelming urge to run over to him and fling herself in his arms. She saw Max’s eyes darken in reaction before they both looked at her mother, remembering that she was still there.
Nancy was getting up from the table unsteadily and Max was beside her instantly to hold her steady. As soon as she found her balance, she turned to him. “I don’t understand what just happened. I don’t understand what’s going on between you two. But I do know one thing. If you ever hurt my daughter, I will personally make your life a living hell.” With that, Nancy started out of the tent.
“Mrs Parker.” Max’s quiet voice stopped her in her tracks before she reached the door and she absently wondered about the obedience he so effortlessly commands. He was staring at her earnestly. “If I ever hurt Liz, my life would a living hell already.”
Nancy’s shoulders slumped. How on earth do you counter a comeback like that one? Maybe, just maybe, Max Evans was worthy of the intense love her daughter felt for him…
Come back later for more!
Liz hurried towards where she had last seen her mom and Max. Relief flooded through her as she rounded a tent and saw him, amazingly still alive and deep in discussion with Nick. Max looked up as soon as she neared and gave her a small ‘everything’s okay’ smile. Liz walked into his arms without a second thought. She knew she was interrupting something, but right now she needed the warm comfort of Max’s embrace too much to care. Just for this one time she would pull rank as Max’s mate and his first priority…
Nick watched as the two young lovers traded short, quick kisses, oblivious to everything around them. He wondered what had happened that morning to make them so upset? Maybe it was something he could help with.
Max finally pulled away from Liz, his fingers gently caressing her cheeks and mouth. He leant his forehead against hers. “Your mom’s still inside. I talked to her about us.” Seeing the shock register on her face, Max realized that she had misunderstood him. “No! Not about… I mean I told her how we felt. How I felt.”
“How did she take it?” Liz’s voice was low.
Max sighed. “She seemed fine, but I can’t really tell.” He brushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you want to go in and talk to her?’
Now it was Liz’s turn to sigh. “I guess I should…”
After another lingering kiss with Max, she went into the tent.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah stood outside the Crashdown, wondering how she was going to find out where Liz and her parents had gone. By now she and Eric had concluded the same thing. Something had happened to Devin. He had been their point man for so long that they were a little lost without him…
She hadn’t told Eric she was coming here. He would flip, and besides, she wanted some answers before she talked to him. But she desperately needed to see Liz. And more importantly, Max. Maybe between them they could avert a tragedy.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz found Nancy staring at nothing in particular when she arrived in the dining tent. She suddenly felt very sorry for her mother who had to contend with an amazing amount of new and strange information. Sliding into a seat across from her, she gently said: “Hi Mom.”
Nancy looked at her for a long quiet moment. “He loves you very much, doesn’t he?”
Not bothering to ask whom she was referring to, Liz simply said: “Yes.”
“How could I not have noticed that your life had changed so much this year?” Nancy’s eyes were starting to fill with tears. “How did we drift so far apart?”
Liz leant over and took her mother’s hand. “I’m sorry, Mom. It was mostly my fault. I…” She struggled to find the right words. “You have to understand that I was doing everything I could to protect Max.” Seeing the confusion on Nancy’s face, Liz realized that there was still so much that her mom didn’t know. “Mom, after Max healed me, the FBI came to town looking for him. He became hunted because he loved me enough to take the chance that people would find out what he was so he could save me. Can you understand that I needed to help him? At any cost?” She looked pleadingly at her mother. “First, it was Sheriff Valenti. Then the FBI sent a woman to teach at our school so she could try and get evidence about Max being an alien.”
Wiping at the tears that were coursing down her cheeks with her hands, Nancy could only stare at her daughter dumbly. While she had been worrying about whether Liz was having sex with her boyfriend, Liz had been worrying about her boyfriend being hunted by the FBI.
“When the teacher ploy didn’t work, they sent the FBI’s elite alien hunter unit in. The guy posed as one of the Sheriff’s deputies and they finally caught Max.” Liz’s eyes clouded over in remembered pain. “They caught him because he was trying to save me again. Mom, the things they did to him… He never talks about that day.”
Nancy finally found her voice. “Then how do you know what had happened to him?”
Liz wondered briefly if she could tell her mother this. “Mom, I don’t know if you’ll believe me when I tell you.”
Nancy was desperately trying to catch up with her daughter’s life, so she decided its better to know bad stuff than to know nothing at all. “Try me.”
“Sometimes… I can see things. From inside his head. We… we have this connection.” Liz struggled to put what she and Max shared into words. “I feel what he feels, I can see what he thinks and I can see some of his memories. Like the crash.”
Fear. Pure unadulterated fear was coursing through Nancy’s body. Accepting that there were aliens living on earth, was one thing. Finding out that they could put thoughts in one’s head was quite another. Her voice quacked when she spoke again. “You mean you can read his mind. Can he read yours… and mine?”
“No Mom!” Liz could see that her mother was starting to freak out. “It’s not like that! It’s… it’s only when we kiss,” she finally admitted. “And it’s only between me and Max. The others haven’t experienced this. We don’t really know why it happens with us. It just does.” She decided to plough ahead and tell her mom of all the strange things that happens to her around Max Evans. “We can also sense each other’s presence. I can tell where he is most all the time. And… and sometimes we dream the exact same dreams.” She took a deep breath. “So Mom, you have to believe us when we tell you that this… what’s between Max and I. It’s something amazing and deep and forever.”
“Are you sure you don’t just think you love him because he is handsome and he saved your life? And because this is strange and new and exiting?”
“Mom, how can I make you see that’s not true. That I know in my heart that I was meant for Max?” Liz spotted Nick just outside the door, watching her with concern. She turned back to her mother. “I’m coming right back. Maybe I can try something.”
She bounded over to Nick. “Could you help me make a connection with my mother?”
Nick blanched. “Maybe we should ask Max—”
“No! Please, I need your help! Only…” She leaned closer. “I need her not to see about me and Max… you know, being intimate.” Liz blushed at the last part. It’s not like it was exactly a secret in the camp, but still…
Nick still looked doubtful as she dragged him over to her mother, who was watching this with obvious trepidation. “Mom, this is Nick. He is like Max’s nephew, I guess. Nick, this is my mother.”
Nick came through with flying colors. He basically bowed in front of Nancy. “It’s a great honor to meet you, Mrs. Parker. Liz is very important to our race.”
Talking before her mother could ask what Nick’s last statement meant, Liz tried to allay her mother’s fears. “Mom, I’ve asked Nick to help me make a connection to you. It’s sort of similar to what Max and I share—” She held up her hands when Nancy opened her mouth to protest. “Please, just give this a chance.”
After Liz nodded at him, Nick placed his hands on both her and her mother’s heads. Looking at Liz, he gently stressed. “Think ONLY of you feelings for Max.”
Closing her eyes, Liz conjured up the image of Max in her mind. She saw him with her heart and she heard Nancy’s gasp when the force of her love for the gentlest alien on earth flooded her mother’s consciousness.
Nancy didn’t see any images, she just experienced her daughters feelings first hand. Complete love and trust. Respect and admiration. A sense of belonging. Tenderness and protectiveness. When Nick finally lifted his hands from them, she stared at Liz as if her daughter were a stranger. Which, in essence, she actually was…
When Liz opened her eyes, it was to stare into the hazel gaze of her other half. He was watching her with an awed expression and she felt an overwhelming urge to run over to him and fling herself in his arms. She saw Max’s eyes darken in reaction before they both looked at her mother, remembering that she was still there.
Nancy was getting up from the table unsteadily and Max was beside her instantly to hold her steady. As soon as she found her balance, she turned to him. “I don’t understand what just happened. I don’t understand what’s going on between you two. But I do know one thing. If you ever hurt my daughter, I will personally make your life a living hell.” With that, Nancy started out of the tent.
“Mrs Parker.” Max’s quiet voice stopped her in her tracks before she reached the door and she absently wondered about the obedience he so effortlessly commands. He was staring at her earnestly. “If I ever hurt Liz, my life would a living hell already.”
Nancy’s shoulders slumped. How on earth do you counter a comeback like that one? Maybe, just maybe, Max Evans was worthy of the intense love her daughter felt for him…
Come back later for more!
FON 16
PART 16
When everyone finally arrived for breakfast, Max and Liz felt like they had already been up for hours. Which they essentially have, but it was an emotionally trying few hours which made it seem longer. Liz clung to Max’s hand, still recuperating from the conversation with her mother. She wasn’t quite sure if her conversation with her mother was successful or not…
Max noticed the look Jeff Parker threw his way when he came in for breakfast and knew that Jeff and Nancy had talked about him and Liz. Max sighed. Between Jeff and Nancy he would normally have chosen Jeff, who seemed more placid and easy-going, but since this affects the apple of Jeff’s eye, Max wasn’t so sure that Jeff would be the easy one of the two parents. He resolved again that he would not give Liz’s parents any reason to distrust him. That thought was immediately put to the test when Liz ran her hand over his thigh under the table. Even if it kills him…
Breakfast was a subdued affair. Iz and Alex sat with the Evans’, answering questions about their exalted position in their race and also about the other aliens that were looking for them. Jeff and Nancy had chosen to sit away from everyone and they were talking quietly to each other. Max and Liz tried to ignore the questioning looks the Parkers’ sent in their direction every now and again. Maria and Michael have not appeared yet and Max had a suspicion they were in one of their two tents, making up for lost time. He laced his fingers with Liz’s and wished he could do the same: just be alone with Liz for a while. His discussion with Nick this morning had not yielded any new and brilliant ideas of how to handle the situation with the opposing aliens other than waiting until they came out in the open. And that the four of them needed more training.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah came out of the Crashdown frustrated. Nobody there had any clue where the Parkers and Liz were, only that they had gone some place for a holiday. Then she remembered. She had Liz’s cell number! Running to the nearest pay phone, she dialed the number with trembling fingers only to be met with the voice of the operator telling her that the number was currently unavailable and did she want to leave a message? Sarah jammed the phone back onto its cradle. That was when she saw the man across the street watching her. And she could swear that she knew him…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Philip had left with Alex to go look at the camp’s computer set-up and this left Diane alone with Isabel. Something neither of them minded. Isabel saw her mother stare at Max and Liz who were sitting close to each other at another table, talking and touching constantly.
“They seem unable to be away from each other, don’t they?” Diane’s voice was unreadable.
Isabel decided to keep her response light, not knowing where her mom was going with this. “Yeah, they’re practically joined at the hip. It’s quite nauseating really.”
“I’m worried about them being… you know, sexually active.”
Well, that didn’t work, Isabel thought about her ploy to lighten the mood. She shifted in her seat uncomfortable. “Mom, I really think you should talk to Max about it.”
Diane didn’t respond, but kept on watching her son and the only girl that could make him lose his head.
“Have you talked to Dad about it?” Isabel asked nervously.
Sighing, Diane turned her eyes to the Parkers. “No, but I think I should tell him. And Jeff and Nancy.”
Isabel nearly had a heart attack. “No, Mom! You can’t! They will kill Max!”
“Well, maybe he should have thought of the consequences before allowing the relationship to get so intimate.”
“Mom…” Isabel began as she also turned to Max and Liz, seeing how lovingly her brother brushed his fingers through Liz’s hair and how adoringly she stared up into his face. “Max didn’t get into this lightly. He… he basically married her before they… before it happened.” The last part was said in a whisper.
Diane stared at her beautiful daughter unbelievingly. “What do you mean he basically married her?”
“I mean that they are married, well it’s actually called bonded, according to the ways of our people.” Isabel took her mother’s hand. “Look at him, Mom. He is never going to be with any other girl. It’s always been Liz. Only Liz. Ever since the third grade.”
Still trying to comprehend what Isabel had just told her, Diane saw Tess entering the tent quietly and brightened. At least here was a safer topic. “Hey Iz. There’s Tess! How is she taking all this?” Diane waved at Tess who was ignoring everyone after a quick glance at Liz and Max. Tess went to sit alone at a table away from the other people, causing a frown on Diane’s face. “What is that all about?”
Looking at over at Max and Liz, Isabel took a deep breath. Time to tell her mom about the whole destiny fiasco…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess, Michael, Isabel and Max were on their way for another practice session in the desert and Liz went outside with them, determined to stay as close to Max for as long as possible. She hated this enforced separation, even though she was used to being away from him a lot in Roswell, this camp was like their home where they were supposed to be together.
They found Michael and Maria waiting at the Jeep with Nick. Max just raised his eyebrows at Michael, who shrugged unconcernedly. His attention was only half on Michael since Liz was pressing herself to his side, keeping his body humming with awareness of her.
“Don’t you need to go get… stuff in your tent?” Liz was whispering to Max, not wanting the rest of the group to hear. She was particularly concerned about Max’s mom who knew about the extent of their relationship and was still staring at them intently as she had been since breakfast.
Max didn’t need to look at Liz to know what she was really asking. Being so close to her, he not only felt her need to be alone with him, he lived it. “Yeah…” He looked at Michael who was now starting to smirk. “Uh… I need to…”
“Go ahead! Take your time.” Michael had trouble not grinning. Firstly it was not his style and secondly, Mrs. Evans was watching the whole scene with interest.
Max practically dragged Liz off to his tent and prayed that Alex wasn’t there. He swung her up into his arms and started kissing her before they were even inside.
Liz wrapped her legs around him, holding on as he continued to walk while his lips were hungrily devouring hers. She briefly wondered how he managed to do that. She would have had trouble just standing on her own under these circumstances!
He tore his mouth away from hers for a few seconds. “Because I have to!” he answered her thought before kissing her again, deeply and urgently, cradling her face with one hand. How did she do this to him? Time and time again he would decide to keep his hands off her for the sake of her parents and time and time again she managed to make him lose his head with merely a look or a touch.
Now it was Liz’s turn to pull away. “Because you make me lose my head too,” her voice was breathless and thick with desire. “Don’t stop Max!”
They tumbled down on the nearest bed in a heap of tangled limbs. Liz arched her neck with a soft moan as Max kissed a path down to the neck of her T-shirt. He cursed the circumstances that kept him from doing anything more than kissing whatever was not covered by her clothes. He needed her. It felt like they haven’t been together for days…
“Max.” Liz was trying to say so many things, but all she could manage was his name. I love you. I need you. I want you. You. You. You. She ached to become part of him and feel his hands on her bare skin. Instead she just curled her fingers around his biceps, reveling in the flexing of his muscles as he moved his hands over her.
Max returned his mouth to hers, his lips blazing a trail from her collarbone, up the side of her neck to her ear and over her jaw-line on the way. He invaded her mouth in a demanding kiss that she felt all the way to her toes.
Mine. You are mine. The thought nearly did Max in as he broke their kiss to look down on Liz lying underneath him. He loved seeing her like this. Like no one else has ever seen her before. And like no one else ever will in future. He loved knowing that no one but him will ever see how she looked in the throes of ecstasy. How gloriously flushed her cheeks were or how her hair streamed over the pillow in complete disarray. How moist and pink her lips were or how her breath came in tortured gasps. That his was the only name she would ever whisper in that special pleading way. Fear clutched at his heart unexpectedly. I can’t let anything happen to her. My Liz. My life.
Liz’s eyes flew open when she experienced the change in Max’s thoughts. One moment she was basking in his possessiveness and the next a cold hand ran down her spine. He was looking at her with so much love and protectiveness that she had to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. “I love you,” she whispered. “You are my life too. I’ll help you find a way to end this war. And we will be together afterwards. Always.”
He took a shuddering breath before the corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly. “You’d make a fierce enemy, almost-Mrs. Evans.” He became serious again and touched his fingers to her mouth. “Thank you for saying that.”
Someone was coughing outside. “Max!” It was Isabel. “We need to go now.”
Sighing, Max called back: “I’m coming, Iz.” He kissed Liz gently before reluctantly sitting up. Watching as Liz also sat up, he suddenly grinned. “You look ravaged again.”
Desperately patting at her hair, Liz glared at him. “Well don’t just sit there looking smug about it! Fix me!”
When they finally hurried out of the tent, they ran into Diane Evans. She caught Liz’s arm when they walked past her. “Why don’t you and I spend the day together while Max and the others are away?”
Max and Liz looked at each other. Not again!
Part 17 coming up.
When everyone finally arrived for breakfast, Max and Liz felt like they had already been up for hours. Which they essentially have, but it was an emotionally trying few hours which made it seem longer. Liz clung to Max’s hand, still recuperating from the conversation with her mother. She wasn’t quite sure if her conversation with her mother was successful or not…
Max noticed the look Jeff Parker threw his way when he came in for breakfast and knew that Jeff and Nancy had talked about him and Liz. Max sighed. Between Jeff and Nancy he would normally have chosen Jeff, who seemed more placid and easy-going, but since this affects the apple of Jeff’s eye, Max wasn’t so sure that Jeff would be the easy one of the two parents. He resolved again that he would not give Liz’s parents any reason to distrust him. That thought was immediately put to the test when Liz ran her hand over his thigh under the table. Even if it kills him…
Breakfast was a subdued affair. Iz and Alex sat with the Evans’, answering questions about their exalted position in their race and also about the other aliens that were looking for them. Jeff and Nancy had chosen to sit away from everyone and they were talking quietly to each other. Max and Liz tried to ignore the questioning looks the Parkers’ sent in their direction every now and again. Maria and Michael have not appeared yet and Max had a suspicion they were in one of their two tents, making up for lost time. He laced his fingers with Liz’s and wished he could do the same: just be alone with Liz for a while. His discussion with Nick this morning had not yielded any new and brilliant ideas of how to handle the situation with the opposing aliens other than waiting until they came out in the open. And that the four of them needed more training.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah came out of the Crashdown frustrated. Nobody there had any clue where the Parkers and Liz were, only that they had gone some place for a holiday. Then she remembered. She had Liz’s cell number! Running to the nearest pay phone, she dialed the number with trembling fingers only to be met with the voice of the operator telling her that the number was currently unavailable and did she want to leave a message? Sarah jammed the phone back onto its cradle. That was when she saw the man across the street watching her. And she could swear that she knew him…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Philip had left with Alex to go look at the camp’s computer set-up and this left Diane alone with Isabel. Something neither of them minded. Isabel saw her mother stare at Max and Liz who were sitting close to each other at another table, talking and touching constantly.
“They seem unable to be away from each other, don’t they?” Diane’s voice was unreadable.
Isabel decided to keep her response light, not knowing where her mom was going with this. “Yeah, they’re practically joined at the hip. It’s quite nauseating really.”
“I’m worried about them being… you know, sexually active.”
Well, that didn’t work, Isabel thought about her ploy to lighten the mood. She shifted in her seat uncomfortable. “Mom, I really think you should talk to Max about it.”
Diane didn’t respond, but kept on watching her son and the only girl that could make him lose his head.
“Have you talked to Dad about it?” Isabel asked nervously.
Sighing, Diane turned her eyes to the Parkers. “No, but I think I should tell him. And Jeff and Nancy.”
Isabel nearly had a heart attack. “No, Mom! You can’t! They will kill Max!”
“Well, maybe he should have thought of the consequences before allowing the relationship to get so intimate.”
“Mom…” Isabel began as she also turned to Max and Liz, seeing how lovingly her brother brushed his fingers through Liz’s hair and how adoringly she stared up into his face. “Max didn’t get into this lightly. He… he basically married her before they… before it happened.” The last part was said in a whisper.
Diane stared at her beautiful daughter unbelievingly. “What do you mean he basically married her?”
“I mean that they are married, well it’s actually called bonded, according to the ways of our people.” Isabel took her mother’s hand. “Look at him, Mom. He is never going to be with any other girl. It’s always been Liz. Only Liz. Ever since the third grade.”
Still trying to comprehend what Isabel had just told her, Diane saw Tess entering the tent quietly and brightened. At least here was a safer topic. “Hey Iz. There’s Tess! How is she taking all this?” Diane waved at Tess who was ignoring everyone after a quick glance at Liz and Max. Tess went to sit alone at a table away from the other people, causing a frown on Diane’s face. “What is that all about?”
Looking at over at Max and Liz, Isabel took a deep breath. Time to tell her mom about the whole destiny fiasco…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess, Michael, Isabel and Max were on their way for another practice session in the desert and Liz went outside with them, determined to stay as close to Max for as long as possible. She hated this enforced separation, even though she was used to being away from him a lot in Roswell, this camp was like their home where they were supposed to be together.
They found Michael and Maria waiting at the Jeep with Nick. Max just raised his eyebrows at Michael, who shrugged unconcernedly. His attention was only half on Michael since Liz was pressing herself to his side, keeping his body humming with awareness of her.
“Don’t you need to go get… stuff in your tent?” Liz was whispering to Max, not wanting the rest of the group to hear. She was particularly concerned about Max’s mom who knew about the extent of their relationship and was still staring at them intently as she had been since breakfast.
Max didn’t need to look at Liz to know what she was really asking. Being so close to her, he not only felt her need to be alone with him, he lived it. “Yeah…” He looked at Michael who was now starting to smirk. “Uh… I need to…”
“Go ahead! Take your time.” Michael had trouble not grinning. Firstly it was not his style and secondly, Mrs. Evans was watching the whole scene with interest.
Max practically dragged Liz off to his tent and prayed that Alex wasn’t there. He swung her up into his arms and started kissing her before they were even inside.
Liz wrapped her legs around him, holding on as he continued to walk while his lips were hungrily devouring hers. She briefly wondered how he managed to do that. She would have had trouble just standing on her own under these circumstances!
He tore his mouth away from hers for a few seconds. “Because I have to!” he answered her thought before kissing her again, deeply and urgently, cradling her face with one hand. How did she do this to him? Time and time again he would decide to keep his hands off her for the sake of her parents and time and time again she managed to make him lose his head with merely a look or a touch.
Now it was Liz’s turn to pull away. “Because you make me lose my head too,” her voice was breathless and thick with desire. “Don’t stop Max!”
They tumbled down on the nearest bed in a heap of tangled limbs. Liz arched her neck with a soft moan as Max kissed a path down to the neck of her T-shirt. He cursed the circumstances that kept him from doing anything more than kissing whatever was not covered by her clothes. He needed her. It felt like they haven’t been together for days…
“Max.” Liz was trying to say so many things, but all she could manage was his name. I love you. I need you. I want you. You. You. You. She ached to become part of him and feel his hands on her bare skin. Instead she just curled her fingers around his biceps, reveling in the flexing of his muscles as he moved his hands over her.
Max returned his mouth to hers, his lips blazing a trail from her collarbone, up the side of her neck to her ear and over her jaw-line on the way. He invaded her mouth in a demanding kiss that she felt all the way to her toes.
Mine. You are mine. The thought nearly did Max in as he broke their kiss to look down on Liz lying underneath him. He loved seeing her like this. Like no one else has ever seen her before. And like no one else ever will in future. He loved knowing that no one but him will ever see how she looked in the throes of ecstasy. How gloriously flushed her cheeks were or how her hair streamed over the pillow in complete disarray. How moist and pink her lips were or how her breath came in tortured gasps. That his was the only name she would ever whisper in that special pleading way. Fear clutched at his heart unexpectedly. I can’t let anything happen to her. My Liz. My life.
Liz’s eyes flew open when she experienced the change in Max’s thoughts. One moment she was basking in his possessiveness and the next a cold hand ran down her spine. He was looking at her with so much love and protectiveness that she had to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. “I love you,” she whispered. “You are my life too. I’ll help you find a way to end this war. And we will be together afterwards. Always.”
He took a shuddering breath before the corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly. “You’d make a fierce enemy, almost-Mrs. Evans.” He became serious again and touched his fingers to her mouth. “Thank you for saying that.”
Someone was coughing outside. “Max!” It was Isabel. “We need to go now.”
Sighing, Max called back: “I’m coming, Iz.” He kissed Liz gently before reluctantly sitting up. Watching as Liz also sat up, he suddenly grinned. “You look ravaged again.”
Desperately patting at her hair, Liz glared at him. “Well don’t just sit there looking smug about it! Fix me!”
When they finally hurried out of the tent, they ran into Diane Evans. She caught Liz’s arm when they walked past her. “Why don’t you and I spend the day together while Max and the others are away?”
Max and Liz looked at each other. Not again!
Part 17 coming up.
FON 17
PART 17
Max pulled Liz away from his mother and into his body. “Mom,” he said warningly.
Diane smiled when she saw Max go into “protective mode”, as Izzy put it, over the possibility that Liz might be in an uncomfortable situation. “Calm down, Max. I’m just going to get to know her better.” She looked at him meaningfully. “Since she is apparently going to be a permanent fixture in your life from now on.”
Still looking doubtful, Max glanced at Liz to see if she was okay with this. Her smile eased some of his fears and he reluctantly let her go again. “Okay, but--.” He stopped when Liz squeezed his hand. Brushing her hair behind her ear, he leant down and kissed her gently before whispering: “Don’t worry.”
They all walked with Max to the Jeep where the others were waiting impatiently. Alex couldn’t stop himself from getting in a sly jibe again. “Gee Max, was the stuff you went to get buried under the tent?”
“Alex!” Isabel cried scandalized.
Diane watched all this with a small smile. How things have changed! She had always been worried about her children, especially Max, being on their own too much and not having any close friends. Now she could see that there was an unbreakable bond between these six young people that was forged through the shared hardship of the past year. Max and Isabel not only had good friends now, they had an increased family. Her eye fell on Tess that was already sitting in the Jeep and was watching Max and Liz with an expression of hurt on her face. Diane still had trouble believing that not only was Tess supposed to have been Max’s wife, but also that she had tried to harm Liz!
Finally getting into the Jeep after hugging Liz for a last time, Max shot his mother another warning look before driving off. It amused Diane even more. Like a tiger protecting its wounded mate! Only Max’s mate wasn’t wounded and pathetic. Diane is only now realizing what a strong young woman Liz Parker really was. She watched as Liz stood staring after the Jeep until it disappeared from view, a wistful look on her face. Walking to Liz slowly, she put her arm around the girl that owned her son’s heart. “Let’s go do some girl talk!”
Liz blushed. Girl talk? With Max’s mom?
Diane cleared her throat. “Don’t worry, I really don’t want to know about my son’s sex life.”
They sat down in the girls’ tent. One on each bed. An alien leader’s mother and his mate. Diane folded her hands in her lap. “So tell me everything about my son.”
And Liz understood for the first time that Diane wasn’t about to try and keep her and Max apart. She was trying to get closer to the son she had never really understood. One she had loved in spite of his secrets. Because of his secrets…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah walked home slowly, trying to ignore the prickly sensation in the back of her neck. Where was Eric? He was normally so good at picking up on these things! Was that guy she saw earlier following her? And why? Deciding she couldn’t go straight home, she veered into a small mall complex. Maybe she could lose him in there… Eric!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz and Diane talked about Max for hours, not noticing time passing. Diane watched the emotions flit across Liz’s face as she immersed herself in memories of Max. Liz explained how she felt when he healed her. How he had let her see his beautiful soul when he reversed the connection with her. Comforting her when her grandmother died. Their first kiss. Their first date. She literally glows when she talks about him! Diane realized.
Then they talked about Tess. Liz’s voice faltered slightly when she told Diane about seeing Max kiss the other girl. How afraid and confused Max had been about what was happening to him. But that he had kept on choosing Liz with his heart every time.
Lunch came and went. Philip brought them sandwiches when it became clear that they were not coming out of the tent soon.
Finally they talked about the bonding ceremony and Liz confessed that it felt like she had married Max that day. She desperately also wanted to tell his mom that he had asked her to marry him, but felt that that was a decision she and Max had to make together. Watching Diane anxiously, Liz held her breath while waiting for a reaction. Diane didn’t even flinch. She just nodded and said: “Congratulations.”
Liz was so overwhelmed, she didn’t stop to think. She just jumped up and went over to hug Max’s mother. When she pulled back they both had tears in their eyes.
“I’m not going to lie to you. You and Max are going to have to face some tough times ahead.” Diane brushed a strand of Liz’s hair behind her ear. “In addition to all these… special problems, not everyone is going to understand how rare the relationship between you two is. Even I don’t understand it completely, but… it is enough for me to see how much you two love each other. To see that it’s not just some teenage crush as I had feared.”
Liz was crying for real now. Overwhelming relief was flooding her body at the knowledge that she and Max would have one less obstacle to their relationship. Relief that there was one less person they would have to lie to.
“Aren’t you ever afraid?” Diane’s voice was soft, genuine interest shining through. “After all that you’ve been through with Max… because of Max. Aren’t you afraid? I mean… the FBI, other aliens, Tess…”
Scrubbing at her tear-streaked cheeks, Liz tried to smile. “I’m more afraid of being without Max.” She straightened and her next words made Diane’s mouth drop open. “Max is coming.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
What the hell was his mother doing to Liz? Max felt such a jumble of confused emotions from her that he didn’t know what to think. The only thing he was really sure of was that Liz was crying. Which was why he drove the Jeep back to camp as if wild dogs were chasing him.
“What’s wrong with you, Maxwell! Are you trying to kill us?” Michael’s disgruntled voice broke into his absorption with Liz’s feelings. He didn’t answer because the camp was in sight.
Liz and Diane were just getting up from the bed when Max came tearing into the tent. He grabbed Liz to him, holding her close as he turned questioning eyes at his mother. “What happened?”
Struggling to move in his crushing grip, Liz answered the question. “Max! It’s okay! We’re just… happy.”
He pulled away from her finally, brushing the tears from her cheeks gently. “Happy?” He looked at his mom who was also smiling.
“Yeah.” Liz looked in his eyes, willing him to see all the things she couldn’t say in front of his mother. She supports us. In everything. “Everything is fine, Max!”
His unguarded reaction caught Diane unprepared. For one glorious moment, all the love and appreciation Max had ever felt towards his mom blazed from his eyes and it was an awesome sight. Diane marveled that she had thought for so long that her son wasn’t emotional. Now she knew he had just been keeping a tight control over himself. What a difference Liz Parker had made in his life!
His attention went back to his mate, his wife, almost immediately and Diane experience a twinge of jealousy that her son had chosen to reveal himself to this girl and not to her. That Liz knows parts of Max that she never had and never would. She knew Max loved her deeply, but there was no mistaking as to who the most important person in his life was. Liz Parker.
Diane resolved to talk to the Parkers and see if she could smooth over some of their fears about her son. As long as I don’t tell them the kids are having sex. I don’t think I would be as understanding if this was Izzy.
After Diane left the tent, Max lifted Liz up and kissed her breathless. She was laughing and clinging to him when he finally broke away. “What was that for?”
“For winning over my mother. For being wonderful. For being you.” He looked so young and happy that Liz’s mouth dried. Why couldn’t things stay like this forever?
Coming back to reality, Max kissed the tip of her nose and her forehead. “Can I borrow your cell phone? I need to get hold of the Sheriff to find out how things are in town.”
“Sure.” Liz dug the phone from her bag and turned it on. “I didn’t want the battery to die on me out here in the middle of nowhere…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah wandered around the mall, the sensation that she was followed had faded, but she had to make sure. Her heart had not stopped pounding yet and her confusion as to why she was being followed had not abated. Did they know what she was up to? Who was her stalker working for? She bit her lip in an attempt to stem the tears. She was so afraid. She had been living with fear for the last few years of her life, but this was different. This was… evil.
18 next.
Max pulled Liz away from his mother and into his body. “Mom,” he said warningly.
Diane smiled when she saw Max go into “protective mode”, as Izzy put it, over the possibility that Liz might be in an uncomfortable situation. “Calm down, Max. I’m just going to get to know her better.” She looked at him meaningfully. “Since she is apparently going to be a permanent fixture in your life from now on.”
Still looking doubtful, Max glanced at Liz to see if she was okay with this. Her smile eased some of his fears and he reluctantly let her go again. “Okay, but--.” He stopped when Liz squeezed his hand. Brushing her hair behind her ear, he leant down and kissed her gently before whispering: “Don’t worry.”
They all walked with Max to the Jeep where the others were waiting impatiently. Alex couldn’t stop himself from getting in a sly jibe again. “Gee Max, was the stuff you went to get buried under the tent?”
“Alex!” Isabel cried scandalized.
Diane watched all this with a small smile. How things have changed! She had always been worried about her children, especially Max, being on their own too much and not having any close friends. Now she could see that there was an unbreakable bond between these six young people that was forged through the shared hardship of the past year. Max and Isabel not only had good friends now, they had an increased family. Her eye fell on Tess that was already sitting in the Jeep and was watching Max and Liz with an expression of hurt on her face. Diane still had trouble believing that not only was Tess supposed to have been Max’s wife, but also that she had tried to harm Liz!
Finally getting into the Jeep after hugging Liz for a last time, Max shot his mother another warning look before driving off. It amused Diane even more. Like a tiger protecting its wounded mate! Only Max’s mate wasn’t wounded and pathetic. Diane is only now realizing what a strong young woman Liz Parker really was. She watched as Liz stood staring after the Jeep until it disappeared from view, a wistful look on her face. Walking to Liz slowly, she put her arm around the girl that owned her son’s heart. “Let’s go do some girl talk!”
Liz blushed. Girl talk? With Max’s mom?
Diane cleared her throat. “Don’t worry, I really don’t want to know about my son’s sex life.”
They sat down in the girls’ tent. One on each bed. An alien leader’s mother and his mate. Diane folded her hands in her lap. “So tell me everything about my son.”
And Liz understood for the first time that Diane wasn’t about to try and keep her and Max apart. She was trying to get closer to the son she had never really understood. One she had loved in spite of his secrets. Because of his secrets…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah walked home slowly, trying to ignore the prickly sensation in the back of her neck. Where was Eric? He was normally so good at picking up on these things! Was that guy she saw earlier following her? And why? Deciding she couldn’t go straight home, she veered into a small mall complex. Maybe she could lose him in there… Eric!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz and Diane talked about Max for hours, not noticing time passing. Diane watched the emotions flit across Liz’s face as she immersed herself in memories of Max. Liz explained how she felt when he healed her. How he had let her see his beautiful soul when he reversed the connection with her. Comforting her when her grandmother died. Their first kiss. Their first date. She literally glows when she talks about him! Diane realized.
Then they talked about Tess. Liz’s voice faltered slightly when she told Diane about seeing Max kiss the other girl. How afraid and confused Max had been about what was happening to him. But that he had kept on choosing Liz with his heart every time.
Lunch came and went. Philip brought them sandwiches when it became clear that they were not coming out of the tent soon.
Finally they talked about the bonding ceremony and Liz confessed that it felt like she had married Max that day. She desperately also wanted to tell his mom that he had asked her to marry him, but felt that that was a decision she and Max had to make together. Watching Diane anxiously, Liz held her breath while waiting for a reaction. Diane didn’t even flinch. She just nodded and said: “Congratulations.”
Liz was so overwhelmed, she didn’t stop to think. She just jumped up and went over to hug Max’s mother. When she pulled back they both had tears in their eyes.
“I’m not going to lie to you. You and Max are going to have to face some tough times ahead.” Diane brushed a strand of Liz’s hair behind her ear. “In addition to all these… special problems, not everyone is going to understand how rare the relationship between you two is. Even I don’t understand it completely, but… it is enough for me to see how much you two love each other. To see that it’s not just some teenage crush as I had feared.”
Liz was crying for real now. Overwhelming relief was flooding her body at the knowledge that she and Max would have one less obstacle to their relationship. Relief that there was one less person they would have to lie to.
“Aren’t you ever afraid?” Diane’s voice was soft, genuine interest shining through. “After all that you’ve been through with Max… because of Max. Aren’t you afraid? I mean… the FBI, other aliens, Tess…”
Scrubbing at her tear-streaked cheeks, Liz tried to smile. “I’m more afraid of being without Max.” She straightened and her next words made Diane’s mouth drop open. “Max is coming.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
What the hell was his mother doing to Liz? Max felt such a jumble of confused emotions from her that he didn’t know what to think. The only thing he was really sure of was that Liz was crying. Which was why he drove the Jeep back to camp as if wild dogs were chasing him.
“What’s wrong with you, Maxwell! Are you trying to kill us?” Michael’s disgruntled voice broke into his absorption with Liz’s feelings. He didn’t answer because the camp was in sight.
Liz and Diane were just getting up from the bed when Max came tearing into the tent. He grabbed Liz to him, holding her close as he turned questioning eyes at his mother. “What happened?”
Struggling to move in his crushing grip, Liz answered the question. “Max! It’s okay! We’re just… happy.”
He pulled away from her finally, brushing the tears from her cheeks gently. “Happy?” He looked at his mom who was also smiling.
“Yeah.” Liz looked in his eyes, willing him to see all the things she couldn’t say in front of his mother. She supports us. In everything. “Everything is fine, Max!”
His unguarded reaction caught Diane unprepared. For one glorious moment, all the love and appreciation Max had ever felt towards his mom blazed from his eyes and it was an awesome sight. Diane marveled that she had thought for so long that her son wasn’t emotional. Now she knew he had just been keeping a tight control over himself. What a difference Liz Parker had made in his life!
His attention went back to his mate, his wife, almost immediately and Diane experience a twinge of jealousy that her son had chosen to reveal himself to this girl and not to her. That Liz knows parts of Max that she never had and never would. She knew Max loved her deeply, but there was no mistaking as to who the most important person in his life was. Liz Parker.
Diane resolved to talk to the Parkers and see if she could smooth over some of their fears about her son. As long as I don’t tell them the kids are having sex. I don’t think I would be as understanding if this was Izzy.
After Diane left the tent, Max lifted Liz up and kissed her breathless. She was laughing and clinging to him when he finally broke away. “What was that for?”
“For winning over my mother. For being wonderful. For being you.” He looked so young and happy that Liz’s mouth dried. Why couldn’t things stay like this forever?
Coming back to reality, Max kissed the tip of her nose and her forehead. “Can I borrow your cell phone? I need to get hold of the Sheriff to find out how things are in town.”
“Sure.” Liz dug the phone from her bag and turned it on. “I didn’t want the battery to die on me out here in the middle of nowhere…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah wandered around the mall, the sensation that she was followed had faded, but she had to make sure. Her heart had not stopped pounding yet and her confusion as to why she was being followed had not abated. Did they know what she was up to? Who was her stalker working for? She bit her lip in an attempt to stem the tears. She was so afraid. She had been living with fear for the last few years of her life, but this was different. This was… evil.
18 next.
FON 18
PART 18
Dinner was a somewhat happier affair. The four parents have become used to being in the camp. Jeff and Philip spent the day wandering around with Alex, while Nancy had spent most of the day in her and Jeff’s tent, trying to come to terms with everything she has learnt.
The six friends shared a table, while the parents were seated at another table. Max informed the group that the Sheriff hasn’t seen anything to worry about yet. Max’s frustration at the lack of developments was visible. He so desperately wanted to get whatever was coming over with, so he could start building his life with Liz. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility that things may not turn out well for his people. Looking at Liz and running a caressing hand over her hair, he knew that he had to make every second count with her. Just in case…
“I’ve been helping with searches on the Internet,” Alex was saying. “We are looking for anything that might give us a clue where these other aliens are. I mean there must be more of them, right?” He realized his blunder when Isabel gasped next to him. Nice going, Whitman, scare the people more, why don’t ya! “By the way, what happened to the one you guys caught?”
Max and Michael looked at each other before Max returned his attention to Alex. “He is… in jail, so to speak.”
Alex frowned. “What jail?”
“Our jail. Here in the camp.” Max was shifting in his seat uncomfortably. “With Jans and his friends. Don’t worry, he won’t be coming out.”
“Did the goon have a name?” Alex was intrigued.
“Devin.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah was getting tired. She had wandered around the mall for a few hours by now and it was starting to get dark. She needed to get home to Eric. But what if something had happened to him too. What if he had disappeared just like Devin? She resolved to try phoning Liz again.
This time the phone just rang for a long time before the voice mail picked up. Sarah gritted her teeth in frustration. Now she didn’t have a choice, she had to leave a message…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz sensed something was wrong with Max. His levels of worry were spiking dramatically and he had sounded distracted when he spoke to Alex. She put her hand on his thigh under the table, trying to calm him. His only reaction was to take her hand in a crushing grip.
“Wow, that’s cool!” Maria was grinning. “You have some sort of alien jail thing here in the camp? I never knew that!”
Michael was also staring at Max, wondering what the heck was up with him. Max had gone silent, so Michael tried to answer the questions about the “jail”. “…like pods… spheres… keeping him in stasis…”
His explanation went over the heads of the rest of them, all of them were turning their attention to Max by now. Liz finally broke the tense silence. “What’s wrong, Max?”
He blinked, as if coming out of a trance. “I don’t know. Something… I just feel something bad is going to happen.”
This reminded Liz of the feeling she got before Max went away and he was abducted by Jans and his goons. A premonition of doom. She looked around the group. They were all upset by Max’s statement. They have been together too long to ignore stuff like this.
The tension in the group rose steadily as dinner progressed. The three couples all held hands and sat as close together as possible. Finally Maria, spoke up: “I have a plan for tonight. I think we all need it.” All heads turned to her as she spoke in hushed tones. “I propose we… change the sleeping arrangements a little tonight. After everyone else is asleep of course…”
Michael was already nodding his acquiescence.
“Let’s see, three groups, two tents. How do we handle that one?” Maria was frowning.
Liz and Max shared a look. “We’ll go, uh… stargazing.” Liz didn’t meet her friends’ eyes. They were the only couple that could potentially be in real trouble if the new arrangement was discovered, so it was better to be as far away from the camp as possible.
Now everyone around the table was nodding. They all needed to be with their other halves tonight. Who knew what tomorrow would bring?
The parents again saw how incredibly close the six were. But they also saw how serious they all seemed. Diane cringed at how unfair it was to these teenagers that they didn’t get to enjoy much of their youth. She watched her daughter lean against Alex and smiled. She had talked to Izzy again after they had returned from their training session and now felt comforted that she didn’t have to worry about her relationship with Alex yet. Now Michael and Maria… that was another story. They seemed combustible together and it was probably only a matter of time before they take the next step. It was still amazing to her that Michael actually had a girlfriend! But, as always, her eyes were drawn back to Max and Liz. They functioned like two halves of a whole. Continuously aware of each other even if they weren’t together.
After everyone had coffee, which was heated by hand by the three aliens to the amazement of their parents, Max got ready to leave for a session with the Council. He leant towards Liz and whispered: “I…love…you,” between lingering soft kisses. Finally pulling away slightly, he touched his forehead against hers, still trying to cope with the uneasy feeling assailing him. Suddenly he needed to hear Liz say it too and opened his mouth to ask her.
“I love you, Max Evans.” She cupped his jaw in her hand and nuzzled his nose before softly rubbing her lips over his.
“Guys! Dining room. Where people eat?” Alex interrupted them with his usual ribbing. “Is it possible that you two can get any sappier?”
Max just smiled at him when he got up. He would be really worried if Alex didn’t give them a hard time after that display. He placed a final kiss on top of Liz’s head and departed to Alex’s stage-whispered: “Eeew!”
Liz just shook her head at her friend, smiling. She was really worried about Max. He was clearly having trouble dealing with whatever was bothering him. Tonight, I will make him forget for a while, she promised herself.
Tess arrived for dinner later, clearly not happy about the fact that they were all still there. She went off to sit on her own away from everyone again. Liz looked at Isabel. “How did it go today? With her?”
Shrugging, Isabel tried to make Tess sound as unthreatening as possible. “Like that.” She nodded towards her. “Never said a word. Stayed away from Max. Practiced a bit. Stayed away from Max. Had lunch. Stayed aw—”
“Isabel!” Liz interrupted her with a grin. “I didn’t ask because I was worried about her and Max. I asked because I just wondered how she was.”
“Well, all I can say is, whatever Max threatened her with is working. She scampers away every time he gets near.” Iz looked over at the blonde.
“Who can blame her?” Alex said. “I have never seen Max so mad in my life. I thought he was going to kill her!”
It was quiet for a while as the group thought back to the time Tess had made Liz unable to wake up by messing with her mind and how Max had completely freaked out about it.
Alex sighed dramatically. “Yeah, never mess with Mrs. Max!”
The mood lightened considerably.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah crept out of the mall with her instincts on full alert for anything or anybody that looked suspicious. She had reached the other side of the street when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm, making her jump with fright.
Whirling around, she felt relief flood her body. “You scared me! I thought you were someone following me! You shouldn’t sneak up on people like…” Her voice faltered when she saw the look in his eyes. It wasn’t the one she was used to. It was one that told her she was in serious trouble.
Blackness enveloped her before she could open her mouth to scream.
19 next.
Dinner was a somewhat happier affair. The four parents have become used to being in the camp. Jeff and Philip spent the day wandering around with Alex, while Nancy had spent most of the day in her and Jeff’s tent, trying to come to terms with everything she has learnt.
The six friends shared a table, while the parents were seated at another table. Max informed the group that the Sheriff hasn’t seen anything to worry about yet. Max’s frustration at the lack of developments was visible. He so desperately wanted to get whatever was coming over with, so he could start building his life with Liz. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility that things may not turn out well for his people. Looking at Liz and running a caressing hand over her hair, he knew that he had to make every second count with her. Just in case…
“I’ve been helping with searches on the Internet,” Alex was saying. “We are looking for anything that might give us a clue where these other aliens are. I mean there must be more of them, right?” He realized his blunder when Isabel gasped next to him. Nice going, Whitman, scare the people more, why don’t ya! “By the way, what happened to the one you guys caught?”
Max and Michael looked at each other before Max returned his attention to Alex. “He is… in jail, so to speak.”
Alex frowned. “What jail?”
“Our jail. Here in the camp.” Max was shifting in his seat uncomfortably. “With Jans and his friends. Don’t worry, he won’t be coming out.”
“Did the goon have a name?” Alex was intrigued.
“Devin.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah was getting tired. She had wandered around the mall for a few hours by now and it was starting to get dark. She needed to get home to Eric. But what if something had happened to him too. What if he had disappeared just like Devin? She resolved to try phoning Liz again.
This time the phone just rang for a long time before the voice mail picked up. Sarah gritted her teeth in frustration. Now she didn’t have a choice, she had to leave a message…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz sensed something was wrong with Max. His levels of worry were spiking dramatically and he had sounded distracted when he spoke to Alex. She put her hand on his thigh under the table, trying to calm him. His only reaction was to take her hand in a crushing grip.
“Wow, that’s cool!” Maria was grinning. “You have some sort of alien jail thing here in the camp? I never knew that!”
Michael was also staring at Max, wondering what the heck was up with him. Max had gone silent, so Michael tried to answer the questions about the “jail”. “…like pods… spheres… keeping him in stasis…”
His explanation went over the heads of the rest of them, all of them were turning their attention to Max by now. Liz finally broke the tense silence. “What’s wrong, Max?”
He blinked, as if coming out of a trance. “I don’t know. Something… I just feel something bad is going to happen.”
This reminded Liz of the feeling she got before Max went away and he was abducted by Jans and his goons. A premonition of doom. She looked around the group. They were all upset by Max’s statement. They have been together too long to ignore stuff like this.
The tension in the group rose steadily as dinner progressed. The three couples all held hands and sat as close together as possible. Finally Maria, spoke up: “I have a plan for tonight. I think we all need it.” All heads turned to her as she spoke in hushed tones. “I propose we… change the sleeping arrangements a little tonight. After everyone else is asleep of course…”
Michael was already nodding his acquiescence.
“Let’s see, three groups, two tents. How do we handle that one?” Maria was frowning.
Liz and Max shared a look. “We’ll go, uh… stargazing.” Liz didn’t meet her friends’ eyes. They were the only couple that could potentially be in real trouble if the new arrangement was discovered, so it was better to be as far away from the camp as possible.
Now everyone around the table was nodding. They all needed to be with their other halves tonight. Who knew what tomorrow would bring?
The parents again saw how incredibly close the six were. But they also saw how serious they all seemed. Diane cringed at how unfair it was to these teenagers that they didn’t get to enjoy much of their youth. She watched her daughter lean against Alex and smiled. She had talked to Izzy again after they had returned from their training session and now felt comforted that she didn’t have to worry about her relationship with Alex yet. Now Michael and Maria… that was another story. They seemed combustible together and it was probably only a matter of time before they take the next step. It was still amazing to her that Michael actually had a girlfriend! But, as always, her eyes were drawn back to Max and Liz. They functioned like two halves of a whole. Continuously aware of each other even if they weren’t together.
After everyone had coffee, which was heated by hand by the three aliens to the amazement of their parents, Max got ready to leave for a session with the Council. He leant towards Liz and whispered: “I…love…you,” between lingering soft kisses. Finally pulling away slightly, he touched his forehead against hers, still trying to cope with the uneasy feeling assailing him. Suddenly he needed to hear Liz say it too and opened his mouth to ask her.
“I love you, Max Evans.” She cupped his jaw in her hand and nuzzled his nose before softly rubbing her lips over his.
“Guys! Dining room. Where people eat?” Alex interrupted them with his usual ribbing. “Is it possible that you two can get any sappier?”
Max just smiled at him when he got up. He would be really worried if Alex didn’t give them a hard time after that display. He placed a final kiss on top of Liz’s head and departed to Alex’s stage-whispered: “Eeew!”
Liz just shook her head at her friend, smiling. She was really worried about Max. He was clearly having trouble dealing with whatever was bothering him. Tonight, I will make him forget for a while, she promised herself.
Tess arrived for dinner later, clearly not happy about the fact that they were all still there. She went off to sit on her own away from everyone again. Liz looked at Isabel. “How did it go today? With her?”
Shrugging, Isabel tried to make Tess sound as unthreatening as possible. “Like that.” She nodded towards her. “Never said a word. Stayed away from Max. Practiced a bit. Stayed away from Max. Had lunch. Stayed aw—”
“Isabel!” Liz interrupted her with a grin. “I didn’t ask because I was worried about her and Max. I asked because I just wondered how she was.”
“Well, all I can say is, whatever Max threatened her with is working. She scampers away every time he gets near.” Iz looked over at the blonde.
“Who can blame her?” Alex said. “I have never seen Max so mad in my life. I thought he was going to kill her!”
It was quiet for a while as the group thought back to the time Tess had made Liz unable to wake up by messing with her mind and how Max had completely freaked out about it.
Alex sighed dramatically. “Yeah, never mess with Mrs. Max!”
The mood lightened considerably.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah crept out of the mall with her instincts on full alert for anything or anybody that looked suspicious. She had reached the other side of the street when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm, making her jump with fright.
Whirling around, she felt relief flood her body. “You scared me! I thought you were someone following me! You shouldn’t sneak up on people like…” Her voice faltered when she saw the look in his eyes. It wasn’t the one she was used to. It was one that told her she was in serious trouble.
Blackness enveloped her before she could open her mouth to scream.
19 next.
FON 19
PART 19
Liz gripped Max’s hand tightly as they walked away from the camp. She could feel how tense he was and she desperately wanted to make him feel better. So tonight, it was Max Evans’ turn to be loved properly! She swallowed at her thoughts. That’s if I don’t die from embarrassment while trying to do it…
It was late and there were millions of stars up in the inky black sky. They had quietly traded tents and partners and she and Max had left a happy Maria and Michael in the girls’ tent, while Isabel had gone to join Alex. Max and Liz were the designated waker-uppers for tomorrow morning, since they had to return from the desert early enough not to get caught.
Max was carrying a duffel bag in his other hand with some blankets for them and now they only had to get far enough away from the camp to ensure that no one could hear them or come investigate. For what Liz had planned, she didn’t need an audience…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah awoke feeling like she had a hangover. The room was pitch black and for one wild moment she hoped she was home, in bed with Eric. Slowly inching her hand away from her body, she came in contact with the edge of the narrow cot. Nope, definitely not in bed with Eric…
She struggled to remember what happened. She remembered being afraid and going to the mall, phoning Liz. Liz! Maybe she’ll get my message! Not that my message said anything about me being kidnapped or where I am right now… It’s hopeless! Unless Eric…
A narrow beam of light suddenly fell across her as the door opened a crack. It all came back to her in one horrible flash. Seeing him and blacking out. She struggled to sit up, not wanting to show him how afraid she was. “What do you want?”
“I want both of them. In one place. And you’re going to help me do it!” The evil grin on his face made her feel sick. How had she never seen this side of him before?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Stopping when they found a rock outcrop that leant some semblance of shelter, Max silently threw the open blanket on the cool sand before looking towards Liz. The sense of dread was still with him and he felt like a big fist was slowly squeezing the air out of his lungs. One torturous inch by one torturous inch. Looking at how the moonlight glinted in Liz’s silky hair and seeing the stars twinkle in her eyes, he knew only one thing could make him start to breathe normally again. Being with Liz.
Liz walked into his waiting arms without a word, knowing he needed her there. She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his, tugging his head down towards hers. Their kisses were lingering and gentle, a sharing of love and comfort. A way of saying I love you without words. She ran her hands under his jacket, sliding it off his shoulders, but had to forcibly move his hands off her waist so she could push it those final few inches until it tumbled to the ground. His arms came around her again immediately and she reveled in his strong embrace and drugging kisses for a while longer.
Stepping back from Max, she almost smiled at his confused look. “Take of you shirt, Max.” He blinked once and then slowly did her bidding. His hands slid frustratingly slowly from one button to the next until Liz felt she could step forward and rip the final buttons open. Was he doing this on purpose? She looked up into his eyes and saw that he wasn’t. He was watching her warily, trying to figure out what she was up to. Her grin made his eyes widen. Boy, Max Evans, if you only knew!
Max felt his blood starting to rush through his veins at the look she was giving him. She looked… like he was her next meal. He let his hands drop to his sides when the shirt was finally open and stepped towards her, but she retreated. What the heck was she up to?
“Take it off completely.” Her voice was low and husky and Max felt it vibrating through his body. Obediently he shed the shirt, letting it drop carelessly to the ground.
Liz felt momentarily weak as she watched the moonlight caress his bare skin. He was gloriously beautiful. His groan alerted her to the fact that her feelings were clear to him through their connection. She moved closer to him, catching his hands when he reached out to pull her to him. “Put them behind your back and keep them there,” she whispered as she brushed her body against his.
“Liz.” His voice held a warning note that Liz decided to ignore. She walked around his back and helped him clasp his hands together. She slowly ran her hands down his arms, tracing the contours. Then she leant forward and pressed her open mouth to his shoulder blade, running her tongue over his warm skin. He trembled under her hands and Liz felt elation at her feminine power over him.
Moving around to face him again, she dragged her nails just above the waistband of his jeans until she could spread her fingers over his lower abdomen. He sucked in a sharp breath in reaction, his head dropping forward to his chest.
This was one of her fantasies coming true. Max stood like a statue while she caressed him, his only movement the frantic rise and fall of his chest as he fought for breath. Liz shaped his chest with her hands and her fingers, stopping in some places and skimming over others. Her mouth was dry as she watched the effect her touches were having on him. His muscles contracted under her fingers and his skin was covered in goose bumps. Licking her lips, she kissed his skin again, alternately nipping him lightly with her teeth and then soothing him with her open lips and tongue.
She was driving him crazy. Max felt the muscles in his arms strain with the effort of keeping his hands behind his back. Her hot breath on his skin caused such a riot of lust in his body that he felt faint for a moment.
“Liz, please honey…”
She took pity on him, pressing her body to his and sliding her arms around his neck. “No touching yet,” she whispered against his lips.
He kissed her hungrily. His open mouth slanting over hers as his tongue delved into her mouth, trying to make her as desperate as he already was. Her soft moan was a sweet reward.
Pulling away, Liz heard Max’s harsh breathing with joy. Normally, he was the one driving her to the brink of insanity with his kisses, now it was her turn. She gently pushed him down on the blanket, watching as he curled his hands into the material to keep them off her. He was looking up at her with hooded eyes, his desire blazing at her from their darkened depths. She stood in front of him and began undoing the buttons of her sweater.
He watched helplessly as she let the sweater slide down her body, revealing her nakedness to his ensnared gaze.
“Oh god, Liz!”
She was straddling him the next instant, bringing their bare upper bodies in electrifying contact. She kissed his face, his neck and his chest as she pressed him back on the blanket. Max was amazed that the material he was clutching didn’t shred between his fingers.
Rubbing herself all over him, Liz crawled over his body with closed eyes, going on touch alone. It was heady and arousing, the heat of his skin and his scent driving her crazy with desire. Finally lying down on top of him, her body telling her she couldn’t take much more of this before going over the edge, she ran her tongue between his lips, silently begging him to take over.
The next moment she was crushed underneath him, his hands in her hair as he kissed her passionately, roughly. She arched into him, the feeling of his aroused weight pressing her into the blanket indescribably erotic. When he finally moved his hands over her body, molding her curves with his fingers, she couldn’t stop the low moan that erupted from her throat.
Their sense of urgency increased and Max hastily removed the last of their clothes. He took a moment to stare down at her uncovered beauty, the moonlight making her seem ethereal and breakable. He faltered fleetingly in fear of hurting her, but the thought fled his mind as she pulled him down to her, finding his lips with hers. “Make love to me, Max.”
He closed his eyes as he slid inside her, wanting to enjoy every single second of the sensations that came with it. It felt so right. The stillness lasted only for a breath before her movements underneath him hurled him into an abyss of reactions. Their actions were synchronized and urgent, slowly building toward the explosion that left them both gasping for breath and shaking.
How did I ever live without this? The thought was simultaneous.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah was cold. Her body ached from the hard cot she was lying on and her heart ached for Eric. She was so afraid he was going to do something crazy. And now she was afraid for Max and Liz too. She hardly knew them, but she felt an enormous kinship with Liz. After all, they were very much in the same boat…
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was still barely light out when Liz and Max made their way back to the camp. They were both close to exhausted, not having slept much the night before. Liz looked at Max who was looking decidedly more relaxed than he had last night. It was worth all the aches in her body to see the difference in him!
They woke up their friends as quietly as possible and everyone stumbled back to their own beds for a few more hours of sleep.
However, Max couldn’t sleep in spite of his tiredness and lay staring at the roof of the tent. The vice around his chest, that had disappeared for the few blissful hours he had spent lost inside Liz, was returning. Something terrible was going to happen today, he just knew it…
Next is 20.
Liz gripped Max’s hand tightly as they walked away from the camp. She could feel how tense he was and she desperately wanted to make him feel better. So tonight, it was Max Evans’ turn to be loved properly! She swallowed at her thoughts. That’s if I don’t die from embarrassment while trying to do it…
It was late and there were millions of stars up in the inky black sky. They had quietly traded tents and partners and she and Max had left a happy Maria and Michael in the girls’ tent, while Isabel had gone to join Alex. Max and Liz were the designated waker-uppers for tomorrow morning, since they had to return from the desert early enough not to get caught.
Max was carrying a duffel bag in his other hand with some blankets for them and now they only had to get far enough away from the camp to ensure that no one could hear them or come investigate. For what Liz had planned, she didn’t need an audience…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah awoke feeling like she had a hangover. The room was pitch black and for one wild moment she hoped she was home, in bed with Eric. Slowly inching her hand away from her body, she came in contact with the edge of the narrow cot. Nope, definitely not in bed with Eric…
She struggled to remember what happened. She remembered being afraid and going to the mall, phoning Liz. Liz! Maybe she’ll get my message! Not that my message said anything about me being kidnapped or where I am right now… It’s hopeless! Unless Eric…
A narrow beam of light suddenly fell across her as the door opened a crack. It all came back to her in one horrible flash. Seeing him and blacking out. She struggled to sit up, not wanting to show him how afraid she was. “What do you want?”
“I want both of them. In one place. And you’re going to help me do it!” The evil grin on his face made her feel sick. How had she never seen this side of him before?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Stopping when they found a rock outcrop that leant some semblance of shelter, Max silently threw the open blanket on the cool sand before looking towards Liz. The sense of dread was still with him and he felt like a big fist was slowly squeezing the air out of his lungs. One torturous inch by one torturous inch. Looking at how the moonlight glinted in Liz’s silky hair and seeing the stars twinkle in her eyes, he knew only one thing could make him start to breathe normally again. Being with Liz.
Liz walked into his waiting arms without a word, knowing he needed her there. She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his, tugging his head down towards hers. Their kisses were lingering and gentle, a sharing of love and comfort. A way of saying I love you without words. She ran her hands under his jacket, sliding it off his shoulders, but had to forcibly move his hands off her waist so she could push it those final few inches until it tumbled to the ground. His arms came around her again immediately and she reveled in his strong embrace and drugging kisses for a while longer.
Stepping back from Max, she almost smiled at his confused look. “Take of you shirt, Max.” He blinked once and then slowly did her bidding. His hands slid frustratingly slowly from one button to the next until Liz felt she could step forward and rip the final buttons open. Was he doing this on purpose? She looked up into his eyes and saw that he wasn’t. He was watching her warily, trying to figure out what she was up to. Her grin made his eyes widen. Boy, Max Evans, if you only knew!
Max felt his blood starting to rush through his veins at the look she was giving him. She looked… like he was her next meal. He let his hands drop to his sides when the shirt was finally open and stepped towards her, but she retreated. What the heck was she up to?
“Take it off completely.” Her voice was low and husky and Max felt it vibrating through his body. Obediently he shed the shirt, letting it drop carelessly to the ground.
Liz felt momentarily weak as she watched the moonlight caress his bare skin. He was gloriously beautiful. His groan alerted her to the fact that her feelings were clear to him through their connection. She moved closer to him, catching his hands when he reached out to pull her to him. “Put them behind your back and keep them there,” she whispered as she brushed her body against his.
“Liz.” His voice held a warning note that Liz decided to ignore. She walked around his back and helped him clasp his hands together. She slowly ran her hands down his arms, tracing the contours. Then she leant forward and pressed her open mouth to his shoulder blade, running her tongue over his warm skin. He trembled under her hands and Liz felt elation at her feminine power over him.
Moving around to face him again, she dragged her nails just above the waistband of his jeans until she could spread her fingers over his lower abdomen. He sucked in a sharp breath in reaction, his head dropping forward to his chest.
This was one of her fantasies coming true. Max stood like a statue while she caressed him, his only movement the frantic rise and fall of his chest as he fought for breath. Liz shaped his chest with her hands and her fingers, stopping in some places and skimming over others. Her mouth was dry as she watched the effect her touches were having on him. His muscles contracted under her fingers and his skin was covered in goose bumps. Licking her lips, she kissed his skin again, alternately nipping him lightly with her teeth and then soothing him with her open lips and tongue.
She was driving him crazy. Max felt the muscles in his arms strain with the effort of keeping his hands behind his back. Her hot breath on his skin caused such a riot of lust in his body that he felt faint for a moment.
“Liz, please honey…”
She took pity on him, pressing her body to his and sliding her arms around his neck. “No touching yet,” she whispered against his lips.
He kissed her hungrily. His open mouth slanting over hers as his tongue delved into her mouth, trying to make her as desperate as he already was. Her soft moan was a sweet reward.
Pulling away, Liz heard Max’s harsh breathing with joy. Normally, he was the one driving her to the brink of insanity with his kisses, now it was her turn. She gently pushed him down on the blanket, watching as he curled his hands into the material to keep them off her. He was looking up at her with hooded eyes, his desire blazing at her from their darkened depths. She stood in front of him and began undoing the buttons of her sweater.
He watched helplessly as she let the sweater slide down her body, revealing her nakedness to his ensnared gaze.
“Oh god, Liz!”
She was straddling him the next instant, bringing their bare upper bodies in electrifying contact. She kissed his face, his neck and his chest as she pressed him back on the blanket. Max was amazed that the material he was clutching didn’t shred between his fingers.
Rubbing herself all over him, Liz crawled over his body with closed eyes, going on touch alone. It was heady and arousing, the heat of his skin and his scent driving her crazy with desire. Finally lying down on top of him, her body telling her she couldn’t take much more of this before going over the edge, she ran her tongue between his lips, silently begging him to take over.
The next moment she was crushed underneath him, his hands in her hair as he kissed her passionately, roughly. She arched into him, the feeling of his aroused weight pressing her into the blanket indescribably erotic. When he finally moved his hands over her body, molding her curves with his fingers, she couldn’t stop the low moan that erupted from her throat.
Their sense of urgency increased and Max hastily removed the last of their clothes. He took a moment to stare down at her uncovered beauty, the moonlight making her seem ethereal and breakable. He faltered fleetingly in fear of hurting her, but the thought fled his mind as she pulled him down to her, finding his lips with hers. “Make love to me, Max.”
He closed his eyes as he slid inside her, wanting to enjoy every single second of the sensations that came with it. It felt so right. The stillness lasted only for a breath before her movements underneath him hurled him into an abyss of reactions. Their actions were synchronized and urgent, slowly building toward the explosion that left them both gasping for breath and shaking.
How did I ever live without this? The thought was simultaneous.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah was cold. Her body ached from the hard cot she was lying on and her heart ached for Eric. She was so afraid he was going to do something crazy. And now she was afraid for Max and Liz too. She hardly knew them, but she felt an enormous kinship with Liz. After all, they were very much in the same boat…
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was still barely light out when Liz and Max made their way back to the camp. They were both close to exhausted, not having slept much the night before. Liz looked at Max who was looking decidedly more relaxed than he had last night. It was worth all the aches in her body to see the difference in him!
They woke up their friends as quietly as possible and everyone stumbled back to their own beds for a few more hours of sleep.
However, Max couldn’t sleep in spite of his tiredness and lay staring at the roof of the tent. The vice around his chest, that had disappeared for the few blissful hours he had spent lost inside Liz, was returning. Something terrible was going to happen today, he just knew it…
Next is 20.