Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in almost 2 weeks! Bad, Sam, bad!
But I've finally found some time in my hectic schedule to focus on Max and Liz (and boy was it fun!), so here's part eleven for you all. Thanks to the following people for feedback (I do this for you!):
roswellluver
strawberry_dreamer - "Oh well, i guess he will just have to kill Tess next then." I guess lol
I love Orli
Gigo
Pegleg
frenchkiss70
crashdown2006
m14 - I'm glad that I'm "whoa-worthy"
strawberry_dreamer
sweetbrowneyes
Oh, but I've got to warn you that the happy events of the last part are going to take a nosedive in the opposite direction as someone else is lost...
{{ PART ELEVEN }}
Liz woke up to find herself lovingly tucked into the warm embrace of Max’s arms as they cradled her in his “bed.” Despite the fact that Max’s large frame was literally on top of her and that Liz was fitted snugly onto one tiny corner of the blanket, Liz had never been more comfortable in all of her life. Dreamily, she closed her eyes and inhaled the natural scent of Max, all man and all sexy. How could someone smell so wonderful out in the drenched wilderness? When she opened her eyes a few moments later, she slowly tilted her head upwards and found herself falling headfirst into the deep depths of Max’s eyes.
“G’ Morning,” Max said, his voice heavy with sleep and husky with desire.
Grinning a slightly-crooked smile, Max almost looked boyish, but that thought quickly disappeared from Liz’s mind as she felt the distinct hardness against her inner thighs. There was definitely nothing boyish about that. Feeling wonderfully unrestrained, Liz teasingly rubbed her body against his, the slight friction causing Max’s erection to grow fuller and harder.
“Yes,” she grinned, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, “it is a good morning.” Tilting her face up, she sweetly brushed her lips with Max’s, a simple, quick caress.
But Max wasn’t going to have any of it. Firmly, he cupped her small face in his hand and held her mouth in place as he devoured her, nibbling on her lips and caressing her insides with his tongue.
“Oh, Max,” Liz sighed as he nibbled his way down her neck. “I’m so glad I came here last night.”
And with those simple words, Max was shocked back into reality, and his dreaming was over. Pulling away, Max sat up, his gaze taking in the sight of Liz sprawled naked in front of him, her skin flushed with desire and her lips swollen from his kisses. Shaking his head, Max began searching for his boxers in order to avoid Liz’s confused and loving gaze. “Why did you come here last night, Liz?”
Liz may not have been extremely experienced, but she could tell by the firm set of Max’s shoulders and the tension in his muscles that the man she had made love to last night was gone. She, too, sat up and managed to put on Max’s shirt and pants from the night before. Nonchalantly, she said, “Someone tried to kill me last night.”
The silence was deafening.
Liz regretted her blunt statement. Max didn’t look at her, but his body had coiled with even more tension due to her words. Afraid of his cold demeanor, Liz pushed aside her doubts and hurt and approached him, wrapping her arms around his bare back. He stiffened, but didn’t push her away. That gave her the courage to recount the frightening events of the previous night.
“I was dreaming about… something nice, and then, all of a sudden, the dream turned horrible. I finally woke up and someone was choking me! His hands were around my neck, and he was just so strong. I didn’t know what to do so I just kicked and scratched until I scratched his eye, and he let go. I just ran; I didn’t care where I was going, but I wasn’t going to wait around for him to catch me again.”
Although Liz’s voice was muffled against his back, Max didn’t miss a word of her softly-spoken explanation. Hearing the fright in her voice fueled an anger inside Max, a dangerous, wild anger that stripped him of his common sense and control. No one would hurt Liz and get away with it; Max wouldn’t allow it.
When he felt a wetness against his skin, Max’s cold façade melted as he turned around and gathered Liz’s trembling body in his arms. Holding her, he reassured, “There’s nothing to worry about anymore, Liz. I’ve got you, and I’m staying.”
They both knew he was promising more than what it seemed. If only this nightmare would end, and Liz could be safe at home with Max and her friends…
“Max!” Liz cried, jolting out of his arms. “The others! Oh, God! I left them there with a murderer! We have to go back. Right now, Max! I won’t be able to forgive myself if anything happened to them!”
He didn’t want to bring her back to those people she called friends because he felt that hunch, that instinct deep inside of him warning him that those friends weren’t what they seemed at all. But he had no choice. Seeing the love and fear in Liz’s eyes for those she cared about, Max donned on a shirt, and after giving Liz a pair of his large sandals, the two hurried hand in hand back to the mansion.
Rushing through the back door, Liz called, “Maria? Kyle! Alex!”
“Liz!” Isabel called, rushing down the back staircase to throw her arms around Liz. Her tear-stained face and puffy eyes immediately alerted Liz that something had gone horribly wrong.
“What is it, Isabel? What’s happened?”
“Oh, Liz, it’s, it’s Kyle! He’s dead!”
“No,” Liz shook her head, backing out of Isabel’s embrace, her eyes wide and unbelieving. “It can’t be,” she pleaded, backing away until she ran into Max.
Even though her back was to him, Max could hear the hysteria in Liz’s voice. Grabbing her shoulders, Max turned Liz to him, grabbing her gaze. “Liz, look at me.”
“It can’t be, Max, it just can’t be!” Liz denied, her head shaking furiously as tears slid down her cheeks.
Max looked over Liz’s shoulder to see Maria, Alex, and Tess walk down the stairs and stand with Isabel. “What happened?” he asked.
Tess, who had been sobbing into the comfort of Maria’s shoulder, stiffened and approached Max and Liz slowly, her eyes blazing menacingly. “It’s all your fault,” she cried, pointing an accusing finger at Liz.
“No,” Liz shook her head. “What are you talking about, Tess?” Escaping from Max’s tight hold on her arms, Liz took a few steps toward Tess. “Tess, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it.”
“Shut up!” Tess screamed, one fist clenched tightly at her side while the other continued to point at Liz. “It’s all your fault Kyle’s dead! He heard you; he heard you scream so he went to get you. I told him not to go, but no, he wanted to make sure you were ok…. He didn’t come back; I waited and waited, but he never came back. It’s your fault he’s dead, you rich snob!” And with that last statement, her hand lashed out.
Max caught Tess’ hand just millimeters before it made contact with Liz’s soft cheek. He held her wrist tightly, his eyes boring into her as Tess whimpered meekly. “Don’t you ever speak to Liz that way again or try to lay a single finger on her; I’ll make you pay.”
Tess, humiliated and pride-struck, glared at Liz and hissed, “What would Kyle think, Liz now that you’ve got his murderer defending you?” Turning, she pushed her way through everyone and fled upstairs.
No one knew what to say. Throwing Liz an apologetic glance, Isabel ran after the blonde, her footsteps loud in the silence.
Maria stepped forward and reached out a hand to Liz. “Liz-“
“No,” Liz whispered brokenly, flinching away, Tess’ hurtful words still echoing in her head. “No.” Turning, she pushed past Max and fled.
A Killer Among Friends (AU,M/L, ADULT) Pt 15 - 06/06 {WIP}
Moderators: Anniepoo98, ISLANDGIRL5, truelovepooh, Forum Moderators
{ A Killer Among Friends } M/L - Feb.29, 2004 - Part ELEVEN
Short-Up.Com
---
Liz: Forever might only be 12 days.
Max: Then we'll take those 12 days and we'll live 12 lifetimes.
---
Liz: Forever might only be 12 days.
Max: Then we'll take those 12 days and we'll live 12 lifetimes.
{ A Killer Among Friends } M/L - March 14,2004 - Part TWELVE
Hey everyone! I'm sooooo incredibly sorry that it's taken me so long to get a new part up, but I've been way busy! First of all, there's tons of school work (I have a huge thesis due tomorrow for AP English) and then I have to tutor. Let's just say that I've barely had time to breathe.
sweetbrowneyes
abbs007
NorafanofMaxandLiz - Yeah! Nora! You're back; I've missed you! How's life? I want the 411 lol! And you met Roswell stars? Lucky! I'm so jealous! Too bad it wasn't Jason so you could jump his bones lol, although your husband wouldn't like that, would he?
snoopie13
sweetieTeeny - Whoo! Orlando in your icon looks way hott! lol, sorry, I couldn't resist
Gigo - ahh, yes, who did have a scratch on their face? hmmmm.... You weren't supposed to ask! Ahh! lol, you'll find out soon enough...
strawberry_dreamer
roswellluver - "Well, I'm certainly voting for Tess to be the next victim!" I think everyone agrees with you! But if she's the killer, then she can't die right...?
Pegleg
Milla - oooh, I like your theories (especially the first one since it's the first time I've heard of it) although you'll have to wait until later to find out if either of them is correct
frenchkiss70
Dream_walker - It's a good thought though they wouldn't get the money if they staged their deaths (the clause remember?)
roswellrulz
crashdown2006
m14 - Why doesn't it make sense that Liz is the killer? *Laughs evilly*
{{ PART TWELVE }}
Liz didn’t know where she was going; she just knew that she had to get away from Tess’ accusing words and the taint of death in the mansion. How could Tess have blamed Liz like that? How could one of Liz’s best friends turn against her so easily and accuse her of being involved in the murder of another of her best friends? Liz knew Tess was upset, knew her heart was breaking because she had lost Kyle, but couldn’t Tess see that Liz was just as hurt, just as upset?
Sobbing, Liz wandered blindly until she felt the cool mist of the ocean spraying her face. The waves were turbulent, matching the whirlwind of emotions churning in Liz’s stomach.
Just then, a patch of orange caught her eye. Looking closer, Liz watched the rolling waves for several moments before she caught the flash of orange again.
“Oh, migod,” she breathed out, her eyes wide with fright. Running, Liz quickly made her way into the water, closer to the orange jacket… the orange jacket she knew was Kyle’s. “Kyle? Kyle!” Not knowing what else to do, Liz prepared to dive in, but was stopped when two large hands she knew all too well wrapped around her body and hauled her further back onto shore.
“Let go of me, Max!” Liz screamed, furiously kicking and struggling. “Kyle’s out there! We have to save him, we just have to!”
Gripping tightly onto the sides of her face, Max forced Liz to look into his angry and frightened eyes. “What the hell is the matter with you? Are you out of your fucking mind?! You can’t just go diving into waves like that, Liz! What if something had happened to you? There wasn’t anybody around!”
“Max,” Liz said, exasperation and urgency evident in her voice as her hands covered Max’s and attempted to remove them. “Max, Kyle’s out there! We have to save him! It’s his jacket!”
Not letting her go, Max lifted his head and searched the crashing waves until his gaze caught onto the sliver of orange. “Shit. You stay here, Liz, you hear me? Don’t move.”
Stunned, Liz stood still as she watched Max dive into the freezing water and swim towards Kyle. Her breath caught as a large wave crashed onto Max, sending him under water for a painfully long moment before he appeared again. Unconsciously, Liz’s feet began moving further down the beach so Liz could continue to watch Max even as he drifted further and further away.
It could have been that Liz was too caught up in Max to notice where she was going, or it could have been that fate wasn’t done punishing her yet, but whatever the reason was, Liz found falling face down into the wet sand. Pushing up, Liz turned to see what she had tripped over.
Even that far out at sea with the waves screaming and crashing around him, Max could have sworn that he heard Liz’s screams as clearly as if he was standing right next to her. Turning, he struggled to find her through the waves, but had no luck. Panic gripped his chest as he struggled back to shore, the lone orange jacket gripped tightly into his hand. Once he reached shallow waters, he stood and immediately saw Liz.
Her face white and her eyes wide with fright, Liz was running straight towards him. Throwing the jacket aside, he opened his arms for her just as she came barreling into him. He couldn’t make out a word of what she saying, but the sheer panic in her voice was loud and clear to him. Her tears were hot against his soaked body, and her body shook uncontrollably. Not knowing what else to do, Max glanced towards the direction she had been running from and knew instantly what she had found.
Lying here, his face the pallor only the deceased can claim, eyes wide and empty, was Kyle.
Shit.
“Liz,” Max soothed, clutching her tighter to himself, “I’m sorry, so sorry.”
“Max,” Liz hiccupped, lifting her head to stare straight into his eyes with desperation. “Max, Kyle, he-“
“-I know, babe, I know,” Max soothed, cupping her pale cheek in his hand.
Shaking her head, Liz tried again, “No, Max. Kyle-“
“-Liz!”
At the voice, Max turned his head, and when he saw her friends running towards them, his arms closed around her tighter. Only he could protect her now.
“Liz! Are you all right,” Maria asked when she reached them, her hair billowing wildly around her face.
“Maria,” Liz whispered brokenly, removing herself from Max’s hold. Grabbing Maria’s hand, Liz pleaded with her best friend, “Please, believe me. I didn’t do it.”
At first, Maria had no idea what Liz was talking about. But then, looking over Liz’s shoulder, Maria knew, her face paling as she realized what Liz was asking of her. “Oh migod, Liz, oh migod.”
“Liz, why’d you run off like that? What-?” Pausing, a frown on his face as he saw Maria’s pale face, Alex followed her gaze. “Oh, shit.” Immediately, his gaze shifted accusingly towards Liz.
Liz instinctively took a step backwards towards Max. “I didn’t do it; I swear! I ran out here, and I saw Kyle’s jacket in the water. Max saw it, too, and he went out to get it, and then I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, and, and I…”
“Oh, God, Liz,” Maria gasped, purposely avoiding Liz’s pleading gaze. “I just don’t know what to think; I mean, after Tess and…”
“Liz, why don’t you and Maria go inside and let Isabel and Tess know? Max and I will handle Kyle,” Alex said, ever so practical, as he put a reassuring hand on Liz’s stiff shoulder.
Shaking her head, Liz stated firmly, “No, I’ll stay here. I can’t, I can’t go in there yet.”
A few minutes later, Liz, holding tightly onto Max’s hand for support, walked slowly towards Kyle’s lifeless body. God, what was she thinking? She couldn’t see him again!
When they were a few feet away, the stomach-tightening stench of the dead drifted towards them, enveloping them in Hell.
Freezing, Liz gasped and struggled for air, turning her face into Max’s shoulder and inhaling his heady scent rather than the poison that lurked in the air.
“Liz, if you can’t do this, you don’t have to. Just go back over there and wait for us,” Max suggested softly as he ran his large hand over her wind-tousled hair. He could feel her trembling and hear her gasping. “Ok?”
When she nodded slightly, Max reluctantly released her and, without a thought, kissed her tenderly on the lips before urging her in the opposite direction. Turning, he arrogantly met Alex’s protective gaze. The two males stood there, the wind furiously howling and Kyle’s dead body a few feet in front of them, for several moments before Alex looked away.
Liz knew she that this wonderful feeling of giddiness bubbling up inside of her was inappropriate considering the fact that she had just stumbled across one of her best friend’s dead bodies, but she couldn’t help it. Max’s kiss had left her lips tingling and her insides wanting. It wasn’t just his kiss, but that look in his eyes.
Her eyes widened as a memory came washing over her. Turning, she ran towards Max and Alex. “Max! Max!”
Pausing, Max and Alex stopped and turned around. “What’s wrong, Liz?” Max asked, his face etched with concern as he held her cold body in his arms.
“Max! I forgot to tell you! Kyle, he-“
“No!” a shrill cry rang out over the howling winds.
Turning, the three all saw Tess running towards them, her blonde hair billowing in the wind, her eyes wide with pain. Running past them, she collapsed onto the sand next to her boyfriend, tears streaming down her face. “No, Kyle, no! Why did you have to leave me? You promised you wouldn’t ever go! You promised!”
The pain in Liz’s heart contracted tighter as she witnessed the agony Tess was in. How much would it hurt to lose the one person meant for you? Without thought, Liz’s gaze landed on Max, taking in the grim set of his lips, the hard planes of his face. What would it be like to never see the one you loved again?
“Tess,” Alex said, reaching out to grab the blonde’s arm. “Come on, he’s gone. Let him go.” Pulling her away from Kyle, Alex wrapped his arm around Tess. Turning for one last glimpse of his friend, Alex froze
“Alex? What is it? What’s wrong?” Isabel asked, her long fingers resting on his pale arm.
Alex’s mouth opened but no words came out. Instead, his finger pointed in indication towards Kyle.
Four pairs of eyes immediately glanced, but even before they could register what they were seeing, Liz spoke quietly.
“Kyle has scratches on his face.”
sweetbrowneyes
abbs007
NorafanofMaxandLiz - Yeah! Nora! You're back; I've missed you! How's life? I want the 411 lol! And you met Roswell stars? Lucky! I'm so jealous! Too bad it wasn't Jason so you could jump his bones lol, although your husband wouldn't like that, would he?
snoopie13
sweetieTeeny - Whoo! Orlando in your icon looks way hott! lol, sorry, I couldn't resist
Gigo - ahh, yes, who did have a scratch on their face? hmmmm.... You weren't supposed to ask! Ahh! lol, you'll find out soon enough...
strawberry_dreamer
roswellluver - "Well, I'm certainly voting for Tess to be the next victim!" I think everyone agrees with you! But if she's the killer, then she can't die right...?
Pegleg
Milla - oooh, I like your theories (especially the first one since it's the first time I've heard of it) although you'll have to wait until later to find out if either of them is correct
frenchkiss70
Dream_walker - It's a good thought though they wouldn't get the money if they staged their deaths (the clause remember?)
roswellrulz
crashdown2006
m14 - Why doesn't it make sense that Liz is the killer? *Laughs evilly*
{{ PART TWELVE }}
Liz didn’t know where she was going; she just knew that she had to get away from Tess’ accusing words and the taint of death in the mansion. How could Tess have blamed Liz like that? How could one of Liz’s best friends turn against her so easily and accuse her of being involved in the murder of another of her best friends? Liz knew Tess was upset, knew her heart was breaking because she had lost Kyle, but couldn’t Tess see that Liz was just as hurt, just as upset?
Sobbing, Liz wandered blindly until she felt the cool mist of the ocean spraying her face. The waves were turbulent, matching the whirlwind of emotions churning in Liz’s stomach.
Just then, a patch of orange caught her eye. Looking closer, Liz watched the rolling waves for several moments before she caught the flash of orange again.
“Oh, migod,” she breathed out, her eyes wide with fright. Running, Liz quickly made her way into the water, closer to the orange jacket… the orange jacket she knew was Kyle’s. “Kyle? Kyle!” Not knowing what else to do, Liz prepared to dive in, but was stopped when two large hands she knew all too well wrapped around her body and hauled her further back onto shore.
“Let go of me, Max!” Liz screamed, furiously kicking and struggling. “Kyle’s out there! We have to save him, we just have to!”
Gripping tightly onto the sides of her face, Max forced Liz to look into his angry and frightened eyes. “What the hell is the matter with you? Are you out of your fucking mind?! You can’t just go diving into waves like that, Liz! What if something had happened to you? There wasn’t anybody around!”
“Max,” Liz said, exasperation and urgency evident in her voice as her hands covered Max’s and attempted to remove them. “Max, Kyle’s out there! We have to save him! It’s his jacket!”
Not letting her go, Max lifted his head and searched the crashing waves until his gaze caught onto the sliver of orange. “Shit. You stay here, Liz, you hear me? Don’t move.”
Stunned, Liz stood still as she watched Max dive into the freezing water and swim towards Kyle. Her breath caught as a large wave crashed onto Max, sending him under water for a painfully long moment before he appeared again. Unconsciously, Liz’s feet began moving further down the beach so Liz could continue to watch Max even as he drifted further and further away.
It could have been that Liz was too caught up in Max to notice where she was going, or it could have been that fate wasn’t done punishing her yet, but whatever the reason was, Liz found falling face down into the wet sand. Pushing up, Liz turned to see what she had tripped over.
Even that far out at sea with the waves screaming and crashing around him, Max could have sworn that he heard Liz’s screams as clearly as if he was standing right next to her. Turning, he struggled to find her through the waves, but had no luck. Panic gripped his chest as he struggled back to shore, the lone orange jacket gripped tightly into his hand. Once he reached shallow waters, he stood and immediately saw Liz.
Her face white and her eyes wide with fright, Liz was running straight towards him. Throwing the jacket aside, he opened his arms for her just as she came barreling into him. He couldn’t make out a word of what she saying, but the sheer panic in her voice was loud and clear to him. Her tears were hot against his soaked body, and her body shook uncontrollably. Not knowing what else to do, Max glanced towards the direction she had been running from and knew instantly what she had found.
Lying here, his face the pallor only the deceased can claim, eyes wide and empty, was Kyle.
Shit.
“Liz,” Max soothed, clutching her tighter to himself, “I’m sorry, so sorry.”
“Max,” Liz hiccupped, lifting her head to stare straight into his eyes with desperation. “Max, Kyle, he-“
“-I know, babe, I know,” Max soothed, cupping her pale cheek in his hand.
Shaking her head, Liz tried again, “No, Max. Kyle-“
“-Liz!”
At the voice, Max turned his head, and when he saw her friends running towards them, his arms closed around her tighter. Only he could protect her now.
“Liz! Are you all right,” Maria asked when she reached them, her hair billowing wildly around her face.
“Maria,” Liz whispered brokenly, removing herself from Max’s hold. Grabbing Maria’s hand, Liz pleaded with her best friend, “Please, believe me. I didn’t do it.”
At first, Maria had no idea what Liz was talking about. But then, looking over Liz’s shoulder, Maria knew, her face paling as she realized what Liz was asking of her. “Oh migod, Liz, oh migod.”
“Liz, why’d you run off like that? What-?” Pausing, a frown on his face as he saw Maria’s pale face, Alex followed her gaze. “Oh, shit.” Immediately, his gaze shifted accusingly towards Liz.
Liz instinctively took a step backwards towards Max. “I didn’t do it; I swear! I ran out here, and I saw Kyle’s jacket in the water. Max saw it, too, and he went out to get it, and then I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, and, and I…”
“Oh, God, Liz,” Maria gasped, purposely avoiding Liz’s pleading gaze. “I just don’t know what to think; I mean, after Tess and…”
“Liz, why don’t you and Maria go inside and let Isabel and Tess know? Max and I will handle Kyle,” Alex said, ever so practical, as he put a reassuring hand on Liz’s stiff shoulder.
Shaking her head, Liz stated firmly, “No, I’ll stay here. I can’t, I can’t go in there yet.”
A few minutes later, Liz, holding tightly onto Max’s hand for support, walked slowly towards Kyle’s lifeless body. God, what was she thinking? She couldn’t see him again!
When they were a few feet away, the stomach-tightening stench of the dead drifted towards them, enveloping them in Hell.
Freezing, Liz gasped and struggled for air, turning her face into Max’s shoulder and inhaling his heady scent rather than the poison that lurked in the air.
“Liz, if you can’t do this, you don’t have to. Just go back over there and wait for us,” Max suggested softly as he ran his large hand over her wind-tousled hair. He could feel her trembling and hear her gasping. “Ok?”
When she nodded slightly, Max reluctantly released her and, without a thought, kissed her tenderly on the lips before urging her in the opposite direction. Turning, he arrogantly met Alex’s protective gaze. The two males stood there, the wind furiously howling and Kyle’s dead body a few feet in front of them, for several moments before Alex looked away.
Liz knew she that this wonderful feeling of giddiness bubbling up inside of her was inappropriate considering the fact that she had just stumbled across one of her best friend’s dead bodies, but she couldn’t help it. Max’s kiss had left her lips tingling and her insides wanting. It wasn’t just his kiss, but that look in his eyes.
Her eyes widened as a memory came washing over her. Turning, she ran towards Max and Alex. “Max! Max!”
Pausing, Max and Alex stopped and turned around. “What’s wrong, Liz?” Max asked, his face etched with concern as he held her cold body in his arms.
“Max! I forgot to tell you! Kyle, he-“
“No!” a shrill cry rang out over the howling winds.
Turning, the three all saw Tess running towards them, her blonde hair billowing in the wind, her eyes wide with pain. Running past them, she collapsed onto the sand next to her boyfriend, tears streaming down her face. “No, Kyle, no! Why did you have to leave me? You promised you wouldn’t ever go! You promised!”
The pain in Liz’s heart contracted tighter as she witnessed the agony Tess was in. How much would it hurt to lose the one person meant for you? Without thought, Liz’s gaze landed on Max, taking in the grim set of his lips, the hard planes of his face. What would it be like to never see the one you loved again?
“Tess,” Alex said, reaching out to grab the blonde’s arm. “Come on, he’s gone. Let him go.” Pulling her away from Kyle, Alex wrapped his arm around Tess. Turning for one last glimpse of his friend, Alex froze
“Alex? What is it? What’s wrong?” Isabel asked, her long fingers resting on his pale arm.
Alex’s mouth opened but no words came out. Instead, his finger pointed in indication towards Kyle.
Four pairs of eyes immediately glanced, but even before they could register what they were seeing, Liz spoke quietly.
“Kyle has scratches on his face.”
Short-Up.Com
---
Liz: Forever might only be 12 days.
Max: Then we'll take those 12 days and we'll live 12 lifetimes.
---
Liz: Forever might only be 12 days.
Max: Then we'll take those 12 days and we'll live 12 lifetimes.
Hey everyone! Ack! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for like 2 weeks, but I've been really busy! And I probably wouldn't have gotten a new part done if it wasn't spring break so thank God for spring break!
Tons of new things are going to happen now so make sure you keep track of everything! People are dropping like flies and new secrets are going to be revealed...
Thanks so much to all of those who gave me the encouragement to work work and work:
frenchkiss70
sweetbrowneyes
Gigo - "What better way to screw everything up than to have the dead man have the scratches on his face?"
Milla
dream_walker
sweetieTeeny
crashdown2006
roswellluver
pegleg
strawberry_dreamer
BeccaBehr - "Dear Buddha" lol!
RoswellRulz
abbs007
Milla - I like the way you think *evil laughter*
NorafanofMaxandLiz - your "dibbing" of Max... classic! Lol, you're too funny for your own good, Nora!
4 ever roswell
dream_walker
strawberry_dreamer
cocopucks
vivalasvegas
{{ PART ONE }}
The silence hung heavily over the teenagers until Tess’ strangled “no” broke it. Staring at Liz, Tess spoke, “No, you’re lying. You’re lying! It has to be a mistake; Kyle left after you were attacked; I know it!”
“Tess,” Maria said, reaching a hand out to place on her friend’s quaking shoulders.
“No!” Tess shook Maria’s hand off. “Liz is lying! She’s lying! She and Max! They’re in it together; they’re killing us, and you’re all too blind to see!” Tess screamed, her voice rising as the hysteria increased.
“Tess!” Alex shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You need to calm down and listen to what you’re saying. Liz? A killer? Come on, Tess, we’ve known her for years; we’re her best friends! We know and you know that Liz isn’t capable of harming a fly much less murdering her best friends!”
Her eyes tight slits, Tess shrugged roughly away from Alex’s probing gaze and hard hands. “I hate you all!” she screamed as she turned and fled blindly back to the mansion.
With Tess’ words echoing harshly in the air, the rest of the group stared at the ground in silence, unsure of what to say.
Finally, Liz broke the silence in a pained whisper, “I didn’t do it.”
Max’s gaze instantly shot up, and he reached Liz’s side just as she collapsed against him, sobs racking her body. “Shh, Liz,” he soothed, holding her tightly against his own body. “We know you didn’t do it, babe, we know.”
“But it makes no, no sense,” she hiccupped. “Nothing makes sense anymore.”
“Come on, Liz” Maria said softly as she pulled her friend away from Max’s tight hold. “Let’s go back inside.” Maria let Liz rest her head on her shoulder, and with Isabel on Liz’s other side, the trio made their way back inside.
“Wait a second, Alex,” Max commanded as the teenager was about to head back with the girls. “I want to talk to you.”
Throwing a glance at the mansion, Alex nodded reluctantly. “About Liz?”
“Yeah. And about the murders going on here,” Max said, his gaze intently searching the young man’s. “Look, something is obviously going on here. I don’t know what, but I do know that whatever it is, you guys and Liz are involved somehow. Now, what do you think this is about?”
Alex’s answer was immediate, “The inheritance.” After a brief pause, he elaborated, “Liz will be eighteen soon, and then she’ll have a fortune in her hands. Everyone’s out to steal that money from her: her so-called family, the vice president and council of her parents’ business, everyone…. Everyone but us. Not only are we Liz’s friends, but her family. When her parents died, she had no one, and then we met her. The rest is history. Whoever’s doing this knows how much Liz means to us and how much we mean to her; he’s obviously trying to attack her psychologically, trying to wear her down; just another crack before the shatter.”
Max was stunned by this teenager’s maturity, obviously more grown-up than he should have to be. “How do you figure all this?”
Alex offered a weak grin. “I’m planning to major in psychology.”
“Good luck,” Max offered light-heartedly before he got back to the heart of the matter. “What about this James Pierce fellow?”
“James Pierce? You mean to tell me you don’t know who he is?” Alex asked incredulously.
Max shook his head, “No, I know. He’s the owner and brain behind Pierce Computers. But how does he fit into all of this? He sent a letter to Liz, years after her parents’ death claiming that he’s her godfather and inviting all of you to come here to his island for a vacation?”
“In a nutshell, yes. I know, I know, it sounds weird now, but I mean, it’s entirely possible that he’s her godfather and that he owns this island! He’s rich, Liz’s parents were rich…”
“Did you guys even bother to check out the story, to make sure it wasn’t all a hoax?”
“No, but hell, why would we? We didn’t have any reason to fuckin’ think that we’d end up on a fuckin’ deserted island with a murderer running around fuckin’ loose trying to fuckin’ kill us all!” Alex’s voice rose in rage and violence. “God-fuckin’-damnit. This was supposed to be the time of our lives. How did everything go so wrong? One moment, we were just fuckin’ teenagers, and now two of us have been killed off and God knows who’s next!”
“Look, Alex, calm down, ok?”
“Jesus Christ! Look, I just need some time to cool down by myself. Why don’t you go back? I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Alex suggested, his shoulders heaving with his angry breaths.
Max wasn’t sure whether or not to leave the teenager alone; he knew, first-hand, what anger and frustration and helplessness could do to a person, especially when faced with the murder of his best friends and with the possibility of more. But Alex was a big guy, he could take care of himself, and it would be better if the guy got his anger out. Tensions were high enough as is. “All right, Alex. I’ll go ahead, but be careful. Make sure you’re back soon; you don’t know what’s out here.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Alex said, but he was already walking away.
Shrugging, Max turned and made his way back to the mansion. When he entered through the kitchen door, he immediately noticed the eerie silence. The hair at the back of his neck stood up, and Max knew something was wrong. Silently, he made his way through the kitchen and down the hallway towards the entrance where the grand staircases were and where the first incident had occurred. Stepping carefully through the holes in the floor, Max searched around, but couldn’t find or hear anything. Then, out of the corner of his eye, something flashed. Turning slowly, his hand reaching towards his back, Max quickly whipped his gun out and turned the whole way around, aiming the gun in front of him.
“Max!” Liz gasped, her eyes wide with fear, reflecting the looks in the eyes of the two girls beside her.
“Shit. Sorry, I thought you were…. Nevermind,” Max broke off, immediately lowering the gun and watching as three pairs of feminine eyes followed the trail of the gun warily. “Where’s Tess?”
Swallowing, Liz said, “We couldn’t find her in her room so we decided to look down here.”
“She’s not down here,” Max stated firmly. “Come on, let’s check upstairs.”
“Wait! Where’s Alex?” Isabel asked.
“He needed some alone time.”
The fright in the blonde’s eyes was evident. “You, you left him alone?”
Max nodded, his gaze hard and cold.
Gulping, Isabel turned towards the other two girls and whispered, “Something isn’t right. We have to stay here until Alex comes back; we can’t go with Max.”
Liz was immediately outraged. “What? What are you talking about, Isabel? We have to go with Max; he’s the only person who could protect us if anything happened. I know you guys don’t trust him entirely, but I do, and you trust me right? So let’s go.”
Despite the unconvinced looks on Isabel and Maria’s faces, they complied and followed sullenly behind Liz as she went up to Max and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in her grasp. Silently, the group of four carefully made their way to the staircase, their eyes fixed on the ground below in search of holes or any other dangers.
“All right,” Max said as he reached the foot of the stairs, “I’m going to make my way up first ok? And then you all follow behind exactly where I stepped. Exactly, ok? Keep your eyes on the ground to make sure you’re stepping in the right place.” With one last squeeze of Liz’s hand, Max let go and cautiously placed one foot on the first step. After he tested the step and found it to be sturdy, he made his way up to the second, and continued in this pattern until they were almost to the top. Just as he was about to step onto another step, something flashed in the corner of his eye. Slowly, he turned his head until he saw it.
“Fuck!”
“What is it, Max?” Liz asked a step below him. Carefully, she brought her gaze up and saw that Max was staring intently at something to their right, away from the staircase. Frowning, her gaze followed. “Oh migod! No! Oh, God, no!” she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. “No! No!”
Hearing Liz’s cries, Isabel and Maria, who were a step behind but several feet to the left near the wall, immediately looked up and then looked to their right.
“Tess!” the two cried simultaneously. “Oh, God! No, Tess!”
There, hanging by a rope which was tied at the center of the railing fifteen feet away from the staircase, was Tess, her neck snapped at an odd angle due to the noose around her neck. Her beautiful blonde hair hung limply against her pale face, her blue eyes wide and empty staring at them across the room.
Her head reeling with pain and terror, Liz unconsciously took a small step backward, but missed the step. “Max!” she screamed as gravity pulled her down and she tumbled wildly down the stairs. Her limbs flailed wildly and her head smacked into the hard floor.
The last thing Liz saw was Max and her friends approaching her, Tess’ dead eyes watching closely.
Tons of new things are going to happen now so make sure you keep track of everything! People are dropping like flies and new secrets are going to be revealed...
Thanks so much to all of those who gave me the encouragement to work work and work:
frenchkiss70
sweetbrowneyes
Gigo - "What better way to screw everything up than to have the dead man have the scratches on his face?"
Milla
dream_walker
sweetieTeeny
crashdown2006
roswellluver
pegleg
strawberry_dreamer
BeccaBehr - "Dear Buddha" lol!
RoswellRulz
abbs007
Milla - I like the way you think
*evil laughter*NorafanofMaxandLiz - your "dibbing" of Max... classic! Lol, you're too funny for your own good, Nora!
4 ever roswell
dream_walker
strawberry_dreamer
cocopucks
vivalasvegas
{{ PART ONE }}
The silence hung heavily over the teenagers until Tess’ strangled “no” broke it. Staring at Liz, Tess spoke, “No, you’re lying. You’re lying! It has to be a mistake; Kyle left after you were attacked; I know it!”
“Tess,” Maria said, reaching a hand out to place on her friend’s quaking shoulders.
“No!” Tess shook Maria’s hand off. “Liz is lying! She’s lying! She and Max! They’re in it together; they’re killing us, and you’re all too blind to see!” Tess screamed, her voice rising as the hysteria increased.
“Tess!” Alex shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You need to calm down and listen to what you’re saying. Liz? A killer? Come on, Tess, we’ve known her for years; we’re her best friends! We know and you know that Liz isn’t capable of harming a fly much less murdering her best friends!”
Her eyes tight slits, Tess shrugged roughly away from Alex’s probing gaze and hard hands. “I hate you all!” she screamed as she turned and fled blindly back to the mansion.
With Tess’ words echoing harshly in the air, the rest of the group stared at the ground in silence, unsure of what to say.
Finally, Liz broke the silence in a pained whisper, “I didn’t do it.”
Max’s gaze instantly shot up, and he reached Liz’s side just as she collapsed against him, sobs racking her body. “Shh, Liz,” he soothed, holding her tightly against his own body. “We know you didn’t do it, babe, we know.”
“But it makes no, no sense,” she hiccupped. “Nothing makes sense anymore.”
“Come on, Liz” Maria said softly as she pulled her friend away from Max’s tight hold. “Let’s go back inside.” Maria let Liz rest her head on her shoulder, and with Isabel on Liz’s other side, the trio made their way back inside.
“Wait a second, Alex,” Max commanded as the teenager was about to head back with the girls. “I want to talk to you.”
Throwing a glance at the mansion, Alex nodded reluctantly. “About Liz?”
“Yeah. And about the murders going on here,” Max said, his gaze intently searching the young man’s. “Look, something is obviously going on here. I don’t know what, but I do know that whatever it is, you guys and Liz are involved somehow. Now, what do you think this is about?”
Alex’s answer was immediate, “The inheritance.” After a brief pause, he elaborated, “Liz will be eighteen soon, and then she’ll have a fortune in her hands. Everyone’s out to steal that money from her: her so-called family, the vice president and council of her parents’ business, everyone…. Everyone but us. Not only are we Liz’s friends, but her family. When her parents died, she had no one, and then we met her. The rest is history. Whoever’s doing this knows how much Liz means to us and how much we mean to her; he’s obviously trying to attack her psychologically, trying to wear her down; just another crack before the shatter.”
Max was stunned by this teenager’s maturity, obviously more grown-up than he should have to be. “How do you figure all this?”
Alex offered a weak grin. “I’m planning to major in psychology.”
“Good luck,” Max offered light-heartedly before he got back to the heart of the matter. “What about this James Pierce fellow?”
“James Pierce? You mean to tell me you don’t know who he is?” Alex asked incredulously.
Max shook his head, “No, I know. He’s the owner and brain behind Pierce Computers. But how does he fit into all of this? He sent a letter to Liz, years after her parents’ death claiming that he’s her godfather and inviting all of you to come here to his island for a vacation?”
“In a nutshell, yes. I know, I know, it sounds weird now, but I mean, it’s entirely possible that he’s her godfather and that he owns this island! He’s rich, Liz’s parents were rich…”
“Did you guys even bother to check out the story, to make sure it wasn’t all a hoax?”
“No, but hell, why would we? We didn’t have any reason to fuckin’ think that we’d end up on a fuckin’ deserted island with a murderer running around fuckin’ loose trying to fuckin’ kill us all!” Alex’s voice rose in rage and violence. “God-fuckin’-damnit. This was supposed to be the time of our lives. How did everything go so wrong? One moment, we were just fuckin’ teenagers, and now two of us have been killed off and God knows who’s next!”
“Look, Alex, calm down, ok?”
“Jesus Christ! Look, I just need some time to cool down by myself. Why don’t you go back? I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Alex suggested, his shoulders heaving with his angry breaths.
Max wasn’t sure whether or not to leave the teenager alone; he knew, first-hand, what anger and frustration and helplessness could do to a person, especially when faced with the murder of his best friends and with the possibility of more. But Alex was a big guy, he could take care of himself, and it would be better if the guy got his anger out. Tensions were high enough as is. “All right, Alex. I’ll go ahead, but be careful. Make sure you’re back soon; you don’t know what’s out here.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Alex said, but he was already walking away.
Shrugging, Max turned and made his way back to the mansion. When he entered through the kitchen door, he immediately noticed the eerie silence. The hair at the back of his neck stood up, and Max knew something was wrong. Silently, he made his way through the kitchen and down the hallway towards the entrance where the grand staircases were and where the first incident had occurred. Stepping carefully through the holes in the floor, Max searched around, but couldn’t find or hear anything. Then, out of the corner of his eye, something flashed. Turning slowly, his hand reaching towards his back, Max quickly whipped his gun out and turned the whole way around, aiming the gun in front of him.
“Max!” Liz gasped, her eyes wide with fear, reflecting the looks in the eyes of the two girls beside her.
“Shit. Sorry, I thought you were…. Nevermind,” Max broke off, immediately lowering the gun and watching as three pairs of feminine eyes followed the trail of the gun warily. “Where’s Tess?”
Swallowing, Liz said, “We couldn’t find her in her room so we decided to look down here.”
“She’s not down here,” Max stated firmly. “Come on, let’s check upstairs.”
“Wait! Where’s Alex?” Isabel asked.
“He needed some alone time.”
The fright in the blonde’s eyes was evident. “You, you left him alone?”
Max nodded, his gaze hard and cold.
Gulping, Isabel turned towards the other two girls and whispered, “Something isn’t right. We have to stay here until Alex comes back; we can’t go with Max.”
Liz was immediately outraged. “What? What are you talking about, Isabel? We have to go with Max; he’s the only person who could protect us if anything happened. I know you guys don’t trust him entirely, but I do, and you trust me right? So let’s go.”
Despite the unconvinced looks on Isabel and Maria’s faces, they complied and followed sullenly behind Liz as she went up to Max and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly in her grasp. Silently, the group of four carefully made their way to the staircase, their eyes fixed on the ground below in search of holes or any other dangers.
“All right,” Max said as he reached the foot of the stairs, “I’m going to make my way up first ok? And then you all follow behind exactly where I stepped. Exactly, ok? Keep your eyes on the ground to make sure you’re stepping in the right place.” With one last squeeze of Liz’s hand, Max let go and cautiously placed one foot on the first step. After he tested the step and found it to be sturdy, he made his way up to the second, and continued in this pattern until they were almost to the top. Just as he was about to step onto another step, something flashed in the corner of his eye. Slowly, he turned his head until he saw it.
“Fuck!”
“What is it, Max?” Liz asked a step below him. Carefully, she brought her gaze up and saw that Max was staring intently at something to their right, away from the staircase. Frowning, her gaze followed. “Oh migod! No! Oh, God, no!” she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. “No! No!”
Hearing Liz’s cries, Isabel and Maria, who were a step behind but several feet to the left near the wall, immediately looked up and then looked to their right.
“Tess!” the two cried simultaneously. “Oh, God! No, Tess!”
There, hanging by a rope which was tied at the center of the railing fifteen feet away from the staircase, was Tess, her neck snapped at an odd angle due to the noose around her neck. Her beautiful blonde hair hung limply against her pale face, her blue eyes wide and empty staring at them across the room.
Her head reeling with pain and terror, Liz unconsciously took a small step backward, but missed the step. “Max!” she screamed as gravity pulled her down and she tumbled wildly down the stairs. Her limbs flailed wildly and her head smacked into the hard floor.
The last thing Liz saw was Max and her friends approaching her, Tess’ dead eyes watching closely.
Short-Up.Com
---
Liz: Forever might only be 12 days.
Max: Then we'll take those 12 days and we'll live 12 lifetimes.
---
Liz: Forever might only be 12 days.
Max: Then we'll take those 12 days and we'll live 12 lifetimes.
{ A Killer Among Friends } M/L - June 6,2004 - PARTS 14 &
Wow. Ok sorry I haven't updated in like 2 months, but I've been way busy! So now, I have 2 tortorous parts for you guys (well, torture on Max and Liz that is lol).
Enjoy!
oh wow, and I totally forgot to say thanks to all those who gave me feedback for part thirteen. I love you all:
crashdown2006
Milla - the gun? *evil laughter* you'll just have to wait and see, my precious...
4 ever roswell - Hey! You probably missed the first few parts lol because Michael's already dead
I love Orli
roswelllluver
SweetieTeeny
strawberry_dreamer - oh Alex...
frenchkiss70 - oh Alex...
Pegleg
sweetbrowneyes - a rubber neck? lol whoo!
gigo
RoswellRulz
{{ PART FOURTEEN }}
She heard a buzzing, a low, constant buzzing that just wouldn’t go away. And blackness, all she could see was the blackness.
“Liz,” she thought she heard someone say. “Liz, open your eyes. Look at me.” It was such a nice voice, deep and soothing despite the eminent concern evident in it. It was compelling, and Liz wanted to obey it, she really did, but when she tried to open her eyes, the pounding in her head protested loudly and painfully. A moan escaped.
“Shit, ok, Liz, that’s fine. Don’t move, I’m going to carry you upstairs, ok?” Max, yes, that was Max speaking, Liz knew now.
Immediately, Liz felt herself being gently lifted and cradled in strong arms. Max’s scent filled her, surrounded her so that he was all she could feel and smell. She thought she heard Isabel and Maria in the background, but she couldn’t be sure. The only thing Liz knew for sure right then was that she was safe, held by Max. When she felt herself being placed on a soft bed, Liz realized that her once-throbbing headache had dulled into a quiet buzzing. Holding tightly onto Max’s hand, Liz slowly opened her eyes.
She hadn’t been prepared for what she saw.
Max loomed over her, his dark brown eyes filled with concern so deep that a lump formed in her throat. No one had ever looked at her like that, with so much love and care.
“Oh, Max,” Liz sobbed as she suddenly remembered that poor Tess would never have anyone look at her again, that Liz would never be able to look at Tess again.
“Hey, it’s ok, Liz,” he soothed, “I won’t let anything happen to you; I swear.”
And Liz believed him. Looking into his dark eyes, she believed with all of her heart that just because he promised, nothing would ever harm her.
“Liz!” Maria and Isabel said softly, replacing Max as he moved aside. “What are we going to do?” Maria whispered, tears in her eyes. “We’re losing one another so quickly. There’s someone trying to get to us, Liz. What are we going to do?”
Isabel nodded, her eyes wide and frightened. “There’s only us, Max, and Alex- Oh migod! Alex!” Isabel shot up from the bed, panic etched in her features. “Max, we have to find Alex! We have to! He’s not safe out there by himself! Please, please go and find him.”
Though Max hadn’t trusted Isabel or the rest of Liz’s friends in the beginning, he found himself staring into her frightened eyes and knew that the fear she felt was genuine. He didn’t want to leave Liz here, unprotected without him, but he also didn’t want to have her go through losing another friend. Max nodded, his heart uncontrollably twisting a little at the relief and gratefulness in the blonde’s eyes. It was obvious that, despite the fact that he didn’t trust them, Isabel was really in love with Alex. They had a love that Max hadn’t believed possible, that he hadn’t known he wanted until he looked into Liz’s doe eyes and felt her innocent lips on his.
“Max, please be careful,” Liz told him, squeezing his hand tightly when he came over to her. Sitting up slowly, Liz brought her lips to his ear and whispered quietly so that no one else could hear, “I love you.”
His eyes flashed, but Liz was unable to read his feelings. Without looking at her, he nodded and moved away, shutting the door behind him with a solid thud.
“Isabel, come here,” Liz said, holding her arms out.
The second Liz’s arms closed around her, Isabel burst into tears. “I don’t know, I don’t know what I’ll do if something, something happened to Alex! We wanted to get married and, and have two kids, a girl and a boy, and life was going to be perfect. He can’t die on me, he just can’t!”
“Me and Michael, too!” Maria suddenly sobbed, stepping into Liz’s hug, also. “But we were going to have four kids, and they were all going to be boys that looked exactly like him, and, and-“
“-Shh,” Liz soothed, “It’ll be all right. You’ll see. Everything always works out, you know that.”
But even Liz could hear the skepticism in her voice.
What would she do if something happened to Max? How could she ever forgive herself for getting everyone into this mess since it was obvious that the murderer was trying to get to her?
She had told Max that she loved him, but he hadn’t said anything back. Max had to love her, he just had to. No man could look at Liz that way, touch her that way and not love her. But if he didn’t love her, was it possible that she was just reading too much into his eyes, his actions? If he didn’t love her, how would she survive?
In the short span of the few days Liz had known Max, she had fallen desperately in love with him. He wasn’t perfect, no, but he was still everything Liz wanted and needed: he had strength, courage, and a passion inside of him that brought out the passion in Liz. But he also had secrets, too. Dark and deadly secrets.
Those secrets couldn’t involve her…. Right?
{{ PART FIFTEEN }}
Liz had said that she loved him. Wide-eyed and innocent, she had looked up into his eyes and, even if she hadn’t said those three damning words, he would have known: he could see it in her doe eyes.
Women had told him that they loved him before. Women with experience, women who only heard of the word “innocent” in movies they laughed at, women with big breasts and luscious curves… women unlike soft, fragile Liz.
Before when women had uttered those words, Max had laughed it off, touching them to take their mind off of their feelings of love and putting their minds back on sex. The women had known what he was doing, had known that he didn’t feel the same way, and they had accepted it, willing to forgive him for not returning their feelings because the sex was so great.
But Liz wasn’t like that. Liz was too young, too innocent to ignore her feelings and take what he had to offer. Liz would always want more, and Max was afraid, that for once in his life, he would want more, too.
He had never been in love before, had never given himself to someone completely enough to love them. But with Liz, he had given her everything he had, unable to control his response to her. And she had taken it all, had given herself fully to him, also.
It would be so easy for Max to believe in the dreams in her eyes, to drop everything he had ever worked for and build the perfect life with her. He could buy them a big house that they would fill with laughing children. And together, they could run her parents’ business empire and make it theirs to pass on to their children.
But he couldn’t. He had too many secrets, secrets which would put Liz in danger, secrets which had taken lives and would eventually take hers.
Enjoy!
oh wow, and I totally forgot to say thanks to all those who gave me feedback for part thirteen. I love you all:
crashdown2006
Milla - the gun? *evil laughter* you'll just have to wait and see, my precious...
4 ever roswell - Hey! You probably missed the first few parts lol because Michael's already dead
I love Orli
roswelllluver
SweetieTeeny
strawberry_dreamer - oh Alex...
frenchkiss70 - oh Alex...
Pegleg
sweetbrowneyes - a rubber neck? lol whoo!
gigo
RoswellRulz
{{ PART FOURTEEN }}
She heard a buzzing, a low, constant buzzing that just wouldn’t go away. And blackness, all she could see was the blackness.
“Liz,” she thought she heard someone say. “Liz, open your eyes. Look at me.” It was such a nice voice, deep and soothing despite the eminent concern evident in it. It was compelling, and Liz wanted to obey it, she really did, but when she tried to open her eyes, the pounding in her head protested loudly and painfully. A moan escaped.
“Shit, ok, Liz, that’s fine. Don’t move, I’m going to carry you upstairs, ok?” Max, yes, that was Max speaking, Liz knew now.
Immediately, Liz felt herself being gently lifted and cradled in strong arms. Max’s scent filled her, surrounded her so that he was all she could feel and smell. She thought she heard Isabel and Maria in the background, but she couldn’t be sure. The only thing Liz knew for sure right then was that she was safe, held by Max. When she felt herself being placed on a soft bed, Liz realized that her once-throbbing headache had dulled into a quiet buzzing. Holding tightly onto Max’s hand, Liz slowly opened her eyes.
She hadn’t been prepared for what she saw.
Max loomed over her, his dark brown eyes filled with concern so deep that a lump formed in her throat. No one had ever looked at her like that, with so much love and care.
“Oh, Max,” Liz sobbed as she suddenly remembered that poor Tess would never have anyone look at her again, that Liz would never be able to look at Tess again.
“Hey, it’s ok, Liz,” he soothed, “I won’t let anything happen to you; I swear.”
And Liz believed him. Looking into his dark eyes, she believed with all of her heart that just because he promised, nothing would ever harm her.
“Liz!” Maria and Isabel said softly, replacing Max as he moved aside. “What are we going to do?” Maria whispered, tears in her eyes. “We’re losing one another so quickly. There’s someone trying to get to us, Liz. What are we going to do?”
Isabel nodded, her eyes wide and frightened. “There’s only us, Max, and Alex- Oh migod! Alex!” Isabel shot up from the bed, panic etched in her features. “Max, we have to find Alex! We have to! He’s not safe out there by himself! Please, please go and find him.”
Though Max hadn’t trusted Isabel or the rest of Liz’s friends in the beginning, he found himself staring into her frightened eyes and knew that the fear she felt was genuine. He didn’t want to leave Liz here, unprotected without him, but he also didn’t want to have her go through losing another friend. Max nodded, his heart uncontrollably twisting a little at the relief and gratefulness in the blonde’s eyes. It was obvious that, despite the fact that he didn’t trust them, Isabel was really in love with Alex. They had a love that Max hadn’t believed possible, that he hadn’t known he wanted until he looked into Liz’s doe eyes and felt her innocent lips on his.
“Max, please be careful,” Liz told him, squeezing his hand tightly when he came over to her. Sitting up slowly, Liz brought her lips to his ear and whispered quietly so that no one else could hear, “I love you.”
His eyes flashed, but Liz was unable to read his feelings. Without looking at her, he nodded and moved away, shutting the door behind him with a solid thud.
“Isabel, come here,” Liz said, holding her arms out.
The second Liz’s arms closed around her, Isabel burst into tears. “I don’t know, I don’t know what I’ll do if something, something happened to Alex! We wanted to get married and, and have two kids, a girl and a boy, and life was going to be perfect. He can’t die on me, he just can’t!”
“Me and Michael, too!” Maria suddenly sobbed, stepping into Liz’s hug, also. “But we were going to have four kids, and they were all going to be boys that looked exactly like him, and, and-“
“-Shh,” Liz soothed, “It’ll be all right. You’ll see. Everything always works out, you know that.”
But even Liz could hear the skepticism in her voice.
What would she do if something happened to Max? How could she ever forgive herself for getting everyone into this mess since it was obvious that the murderer was trying to get to her?
She had told Max that she loved him, but he hadn’t said anything back. Max had to love her, he just had to. No man could look at Liz that way, touch her that way and not love her. But if he didn’t love her, was it possible that she was just reading too much into his eyes, his actions? If he didn’t love her, how would she survive?
In the short span of the few days Liz had known Max, she had fallen desperately in love with him. He wasn’t perfect, no, but he was still everything Liz wanted and needed: he had strength, courage, and a passion inside of him that brought out the passion in Liz. But he also had secrets, too. Dark and deadly secrets.
Those secrets couldn’t involve her…. Right?
{{ PART FIFTEEN }}
Liz had said that she loved him. Wide-eyed and innocent, she had looked up into his eyes and, even if she hadn’t said those three damning words, he would have known: he could see it in her doe eyes.
Women had told him that they loved him before. Women with experience, women who only heard of the word “innocent” in movies they laughed at, women with big breasts and luscious curves… women unlike soft, fragile Liz.
Before when women had uttered those words, Max had laughed it off, touching them to take their mind off of their feelings of love and putting their minds back on sex. The women had known what he was doing, had known that he didn’t feel the same way, and they had accepted it, willing to forgive him for not returning their feelings because the sex was so great.
But Liz wasn’t like that. Liz was too young, too innocent to ignore her feelings and take what he had to offer. Liz would always want more, and Max was afraid, that for once in his life, he would want more, too.
He had never been in love before, had never given himself to someone completely enough to love them. But with Liz, he had given her everything he had, unable to control his response to her. And she had taken it all, had given herself fully to him, also.
It would be so easy for Max to believe in the dreams in her eyes, to drop everything he had ever worked for and build the perfect life with her. He could buy them a big house that they would fill with laughing children. And together, they could run her parents’ business empire and make it theirs to pass on to their children.
But he couldn’t. He had too many secrets, secrets which would put Liz in danger, secrets which had taken lives and would eventually take hers.
Last edited by short_up on Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Short-Up.Com
---
Liz: Forever might only be 12 days.
Max: Then we'll take those 12 days and we'll live 12 lifetimes.
---
Liz: Forever might only be 12 days.
Max: Then we'll take those 12 days and we'll live 12 lifetimes.