Title: Hell and Bliss
Author: Gretchen (citrustwisted/haunted d) with the exception of parts 2, 4, & 6 which were written by my co-author at the time Gwen.
E-Mail: citrus_twisted@yahoo.com
Rating: ADULT
Couples: Mi/L, K/T, M/A some brief M/L and M/M at the beginning.
Disclaimer: Not mine, because if they WERE then the show wouldn't SUCK.
Summary: Post Surprise (you know that episode with gratuitous shots of KHo's tits... that one...) Um, well after a tragic event desperate times call for desperate measures and our polar couple is forced to come to terms with their feelings for each other. Also, someone close to them is not who they seem.
I KNOW how vague that is, ok? But work with me here... I don't want to ruin the surprise. Also, I almost had to slit my wrists for what's at the end of this part... it goes against every last one of my principles... but trust me chiquilinos, I PROMISE he will be out of the picture. Also, to alleviate the stress on polar hearts everywhere, I promise lots of polar moments... some more subtle than others.
LMAO and humor my inner Rebounder and Groupie haha.
-G
I know some of this is reposted, it got eaten up in the pruning.
***
Part 1
There was once a time where I believed that my life was following a set path. I would graduate at the top of my class at West Roswell High in June of 2002, spend the summer with my two best friends, Maria and Alex and then head off to Cambridge, Massachusetts to study Molecular Biology at Harvard. But then on September 18th, 1999, I died and suddenly everything changed. From that moment I was no longer Liz Parker, smallest of small town girls, but Liz Parker, living dead girl. From that day forward, my life was inextricably bound to that of one Max Evans, my savior, the boy that I thought would forever hold my heart, however, the funny thing about thoughts and beliefs are that they evolve over time, ebbing and flowing with the untamable tide of fate.
Fate and destiny, two words that have framed my life in ways that I never thought possible, challenging every last thought my mind created, causing each of my teenage beliefs to slip through my fingers just when I assumed that I had a firm grasp on them. It was fate that forced that bullet to rip through my body that day, for Max Evans to be at the Crashdown to witness it, for him to heal me, leaving a piece of himself in the dark recesses of my mind in the process. It was his destiny to reclaim the throne of the planet Antar from the tyrannical leader Kivar, the planet that he once reigned over in a previous life where he was King Zan and I was nothing but a spec of life carried within the molecules and atoms of my grandparents. However, it was fate’s fickle nature that took Max from this world, from me – he was seventeen, too young to have lived to any great degree yet so full of life that anyone who knew him would know that given the chance, his life would have been great. Yet his demise gave me a destiny of my own, a destiny so intricately woven with fate that I could no longer discern the difference between the two.
It started out as a desperate act to save the life of a friend, for I have never once surrendered the selfless nature that my friends adore, however, over time it grew into something more – something that I can no longer fathom a life without. I am no longer the girl that I was at seventeen; my innocence has been shattered by all the horrors that I have seen. However, in spite of all of this I have had one constant that keeps me fighting, the love of my life, my husband and soul-mate, Michael Guerin.
10 YEARS EARLIER…
Michael slammed his apartment door shut in a fit of rage. It had been two days since Isabel’s birthday party and he had just pulled his first eight hour shift with Liz at the Crashdown in nearly a year. He didn’t know what it was, but he could never get used to seeing Max watch Liz for her entire shift and know that she was in love with him. Michael had always found Liz attractive and had grown to love and respect her even more after reading her journal a year ago today. He’d fantasized about this date for months – he would first cook her the most wonderful dinner, then they would bare their souls to each other and finally he would be able to gather up the courage to profess his love for her and the best part would be that she would confess that she loved him just as much. They would then begin to share passionate kisses, their hands exploring each other’s bodies. Desire would then take hold and Michael would lead her to his bedroom which was bathed in candle light, the carpet covered in white rose petals – her favorite. From there they would consummate their relationship; he would make sure that every curve of her petite body was forever marked in his brain. However, Max had taken Liz to the movies and Michael was left with only a hockey game. He cursed his luck and turned the volume up, wondering if Liz Parker would ever love him like he loved her.
***
Tess sighed as Kyle wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t know what it was about him, but he managed to evoke feelings within her that Max Evans never could. In the two days following her capture, he had not let her out of his sight, forcing Tess to consider that the destiny she had been forced to believe in might not be what she wanted after all. Kyle Valenti respected her, he treated her as an equal not as a threat. They shared a common bond in that they were outsiders, looked at skeptically by the other six members of their coterie. It was through this shared bond that Tess was allowing for the walls around her guarded heart to soften, for her to finally acknowledge the feelings she harbored for him, she could no longer deny the love that they shared.
Kyle smiled down at Tess, her crystalline blue eyes softening as she met his gaze. This little insecure spitfire had managed to weave her way into his heart despite the trepidation that he had towards embarking on a new relationship. However, with Tess it just felt right, as if he had been waiting all of his seventeen years to find her and now that she was here he was never going to let her go. His fingers became entwined with her soft golden curls, fulfilling the need to touch them. A stray fingertip came in contact with her smooth skin and he felt the last bit of his control dissolve into nothingness. His lips descended on hers, first gently brushing against them, then pressing against her supple lips, needing to taste more of her. It was intense, electric, more than anything he could have ever imagined. Her tongue begged for entry into his mouth and he obliged, they met and separated and crashed together trying to savor more of each other. They broke apart and he brushed a stray curl off of her face while she professed her love for him. “I love you.” He replied breathlessly, knowing right then that she was it for him and that he would never lose her to anyone. They belonged together.
***
Liz smiled softly as Max wrapped his arm protectively around her. She had no idea whether the movie was good or not, she was too wrapped up in him. He was so sweet, always concerned with how she was feeling. It could be suffocating at times, but she tended to ignore it, Max was a caring individual with a beautiful soul… if only he would be a bit more aggressive once in a while. She did love everything about him, but she felt that she was on a pedestal with him sometimes, although it probably was just something that she made up to convince herself that Max was not perfect. She bit her lip nervously and looked over at Max – she found his boyish innocence adorable. “I had a good time tonight.”
“Liz, I’m just so glad that you uh wanted to be with me again. You are my destiny… I’m glad that you know that now.” Max smiled and kissed her forehead while they took another step, ending up on the doorstep of the Crashdown. He loved the way that she felt around him, loved the way that she smelled – like vanilla and strawberries, well he loved everything about her.
Liz turned and stared up into his dark eyes. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to explore a relationship with Max again, but Tess had begun to let up on the destiny speech, must to the enjoyment of everyone in their small group of eight. “Max…” Liz breathed, her uncertainty laced through her tone.
“Liz, I’m serious, nothing can come between us, nothing.” Max declared and pressed his lips against hers, needing to feel her lips on his again, it had been a long time – too long and he could not hold out any longer.
The kiss sent Liz’s emotions into a tailspin and she began to kiss him back, hungrily, craving some sort of spontaneity from him and finally finding it in this kiss. However, at the same time she knew that it was soon, too soon and she did not want her heart to be broken again, like it had been last spring. She pulled apart from him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes suddenly finding the floor interesting. Liz managed to pull her eyes up to his while a small smile danced across her face. “Goodnight Max.” She whispered as she entered the Crashdown, leaving a determined Max in her wake.