Chasing Memories (M/L - Adult) (Complete)

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Winner - Round 10



Title: Chasing Memories
Author: To_Kiss_A_Frog
Pairings: M/L and all other CC
Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize
Summary: Three aliens, three personalities and one past to tie them all together. What happens when one of the three begins to remember the life they left behind?

Author Note: I absolutely was not going to begin posting this since I have sooo... many unfinished fics but I do have more than a dozen chapters of this already so I figured I was safe enough for now.

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Prologue</center>


“This way your highness.” Flanked by two royal guards dressed in blue garb, Princess Ava climbed through a hole one of the shape shifters had previously created in the thick, stone block wall. Together, the three hurried down a long, narrow corridor while sounds of blasts and animalistic cries filled the air.

“Stop right there” cried out one of the men in red who blocked the princess’ path. In his hand he held a light pistol, prepared to blast any one of them if they moved an inch. Behind Khivar’s general stood six other soldiers, waiting for the signal to attack. “If you surrender, Lord Khivar may spare your life.” His eyes were lifeless as he stared straight at Princess Ava. She alone was what Khivar wanted but her acquiescence would mean death for all her men.

“Now” Ava whispered to General Rath and Lieutenant Zan. Together, the three threw up their hands and pushed an indefendable amount of energy out towards the seven. Unprepared for the unlikely attack, four, including the General, disintegrated before their eyes, leaving the remaining three to launch their own attack. “No!” Ava screamed with both palms outstretched. Her men shielded her and themselves as she blasted a hole through the protective field one of their shield guns had produced.

Ava was strong and growing stronger by the minute as the seal began to activate. She could feel its power flowing throw her body, healing all the wounds she had endured in her escape. “Your highness” Rath said and took her arm, leading her past the piles of dust and guns littering the slippery marble floor.

The sound of another blast echoed off the walls. Without breaking stride, Zan turned and fired two shots off in rapid succession, causing skin fragments to rain down behind them. “Are the shape shifters ready?” Ava questioned as they hurried up another flight of stairs. The three were close enough that Ava could feel the granolith’s energy, enveloping and consuming her with each step forward.

“They are, your highness” Zan answered, bringing up the rear so as to try and hold off any other soldiers Khivar sent to retrieve the princess.

At the top of the tower, hidden among the artifacts and tapestries was a stone door that led straight into the Granolith Chamber. “There” Rath yelled and raised both his palms to help the two shape shifters fight off a group of soldiers. A second set of stairs revealed another infantry who had come to help kill the Royal Guards and capture the princess. “Zan, stay with her highness” Rath commanded and attempted to draw the skins attention so Zan would have an opportunity to get Ava hidden away.

The princess, however, couldn’t move as she felt her seal complete the transition, marking her as the rightful queen. Her energy hummed, her body pulsed as the power combined with that of the granolith. “Princess!” Zan called out, trying to rouse her from the daze that had enveloped her mind as it became one with the granolith. She surrendered herself to it and stretched her arms out beside her. The energy made her hands shake… made her entire body quiver harshly.

Her four men crowded around her when she refused to move. Each tired from all the energy they poured into their blasts and shields, they attempted to move the princess along with them, knowing they couldn’t last much longer under the strain of the skins assault.

She could hardly stand when the merging had completed. Her body was filled with excess energy, too much for her to hold in. “Down!” she screamed in a voice not her own, and all four Antarians ducked to the floor as she pushed endless streams of force from her palms. It was draining her, leaving her body fatigued and overworked.

When all the skins had been turned to dust, Ava dropped her hands and collapsed from the exertion of her attack. Rath was quick to catch her and hefted her petite body up into his arms. “We’ll make it out of here, your highness” he assured and gestured for Zan to take the lead. Together, the five safely made it inside the antechamber and sealed the door shut behind them.

A ship large enough to carry all the passengers and their necessary supplies waited at the launch pad, positioned just above the granolith chamber. Its location was designed for easy access to the machine should such an occasion arrive. The king, himself, had been the one to commission it once word got out that Khivar was planning a rebellion against the throne. “Put me down” Ava instructed and stumbled towards the granolith.

It instantly recognized her seal and revealed a hidden control panel that no one else would have been able to access. Quickly keying in a series of codes, Ava released all the shields and locks on the chamber then retrieved two long activation crystals from within a smaller hidden panel. “Rath…Zan” she said, holding out the two crystals for each male to take. Beside them, both shape shifters held a bag of five amber healing stones which were theirs to take care of.

Ava used her seal to lock the control panel and to open a glass tiled door within the chamber. Palm outstretched, she was the first one to step out into the darkness of night. Quickly, the five ran up an additional flight of stairs and filed into a well stocked ship. Three pods took up a small portion of the cargo bay along with several sacks of provisions. “Doors secure” Rath called out as Ava, Zan and Kal hurried to the ship’s flight control center.

Both soldiers quickly sat down and began to retrieve their navigation coordinates while Ava worked with a series of buttons to retrieve the granolith from below them. A loud hum filled the air as the chamber raised itself into the cargo bay. “Ready” both Zan and Kal informed once they had prepared the ship for take off.

“Then lets move” Ava stated and returned to the passenger area with Rath and Nasedo. All too soon, everything began to shake as the group slowly lifted off the ground. “Souls of those who have past before us, guide us through our journey” she murmured as they shot out into the sky, amidst more sounds of death and destruction below them. Ava regretted having to abandon her people but fleeing was the only way she could build up a powerful enough weapon against Khivar and his minions.

“Do you really think this is going to work?” she heard Zan ask Kal as the ship sped out of Antar’s atmosphere.

His reply, quiet and brief was, “Let the departed souls help them if it doesn’t.”

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello all! Thank you for your feedback and interest. Since the prologue was a bit short, I'm posting the first actual chapter. After this though updates will be every 2 or 3 days. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy!

Natz
PMP
Ellie

Chapter 1

“Why don’t you just ask her out already?” The sound of her voice startled Michael who had been staring out the pass through, observing the way the blonde waitress talked animatedly to his foster brother. “Unless you’re trying to burn a hole through the side of her head with all your staring” she added dryly.

“Bite me” Michael retorted and turned back to the island where he should have been building a pair of Galaxy Subs.

“You’d probably taste just as bitter as you act” Liz replied, unconcerned with the way he glared down at her. She was the one person who wasn’t afraid of his wrath because despite any anger she might have invoked, he couldn’t bring himself to stay mad at her for long. It was a fact they were both well aware of. “But seriously, Michael. You’ve had a thing for Maria since we were what… ten, eleven maybe. Why don’t you just cut the crap and ask her out?” she asked as though it was a simple solution.

“I know they say opposites attract but I don’t think they meant opposite species” Michael deadpanned after glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. “Besides, I think she’s got a thing for the brother” he added, trying to play off how disappointed he actually was.

“Alex and Maria are just friends” Liz argued and tried to reach around him for a pickle. “Owie!” she said when he slapped at her hand and pretended to rub it when he didn’t appear to be remorseful. “As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted” she said, pausing for dramatic effect and sprinkled a bit of Tabasco sauce onto the sliced pickle. “Their relationship is just like ours or mine and Kyle’s. We’re friends, we’re close and all that jazz but the idea of being together… well I can’t speak for Maria but I’m a little repulsed by it.”

She was teasing him for slapping her hand, Michael realized. “Yeah… well… I’d say something back but you can blast me across the room” Michael sighed just as Maria appeared in the pass through window. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and she looked both tired and bored as she leaned forward.

“You didn’t forget the Pepperjack, did you?” she asked and tried to peer around Michael’s hands. “Because the last time you forgot the Pepperjack and Brody wouldn’t tip me” Maria added, temporarily distracting Michael as her glossed lips settled into an indignant pout. Liz curbed the impulse to smile and shook her head in amusement as she wandered back into the break room. A set of books were scattered over the old, yellow and orange plaid couch where she had been trying to finish up her Biology homework. It was only when she noticed that Michael wasn’t working that walked into the kitchen to give him a quick jolt back to reality.

Liz truly wished Michael wasn’t so closed off when it came to people who were not herself and Kyle. Even Alex was kept at a distance, despite the fact that the Whitmans had been his foster family for close to nine years. Liz had no problems loving Jeff and Nancy Parker who adopted her shortly after the three of them were found roaming the desert. Even Kyle, who was being raised by the town sheriff, managed to relax enough to actually care a great deal for his adopted dad.

She suspected that Michael felt like he couldn’t just kick back and live his life because he had to protect her and Kyle. Liz, however, had never understood why he thought it was his job to play the guard dog. Kyle believed it had something to do with the way they were created but Liz had a different idea.

Sometimes when she slept, she had dreams of herself running through a large, medieval styled palace. Her dress was long, ripped in a few places with spots of blood staining the sleeves. In the dream, she saw both Michael and Kyle dressed in blue uniforms but they didn’t look like they did now. It wasn’t their faces she recognized but their energies. It was what led Liz to believe that they had once lived before.

Neither of the two males ever dreamt, a fact added to a growing list of things they didn’t understand. So the one and only time Liz ever mentioned it, both had been skeptical, believing that it was her over active imagination trying to compensate for their lack of knowledge. At the time, she had agreed with the pair only because it seemed easier than arguing a point she couldn’t prove. Yet despite their lack of faith in her dreams, Liz continued to hold onto the idea

“Dude… stop thinking so loud or you’re gonna make me deaf here.” Looking up, Liz couldn’t help but smile as Kyle leaned against the employee lockers, grinning like the fool Michael accused him of being. “Okay, so I’m at the garage, minding my own business when Pam Troy comes in to pick up her car. Still minding my own business as her cell phone starts to ring. So I stay quiet because I don’t want to be rude or anything and you’ll never guess who has Mono” he finished dramatically.

“If it isn’t Pam Troy then that was a poor segue” Liz replied, smiling cheekily when her response temporarily threw Kyle off course.

“Will you shut up for a second” he asked, though not meanly. “Peter Gulla gave it to Wendy Lavely.”

Liz continued to sit, staring up at him like he was from another planet. Wait a minute… “Okay, seriously Kyle where do you get this penchant for gossip from?” she asked, shaking her head in exasperation as his smile turned into a frown. “You’ve been spending way too much time with Vicky.” While Michael believed the key to their survival was sticking together and locking everyone else out, Kyle wholeheartedly believed in serial dating. He argued that none of the girls he asked out actually meant something to him so there was no danger of him ever wanting to blab their secret.

Michael, of course, didn’t agree but there wasn’t much he could do about it either. “Yeah, I know” Kyle sighed and dropped down onto the couch beside Liz. “It’s almost time to cut her loose. She’s getting all clingy and even if she is the hottest kisser I’ve dated, she whines like a baby when she doesn’t get her way.”

Yup, Liz thought, no danger of him getting attached.


~&~&~&~&~&


“I want everyone’s attention on this chart up here” Mr. Seligman announced as he tried to quiet the Astronomy class down. “See this here… what you’re looking at is the Whirlwind Galaxy. And in this area, we see what is called a red giant. Can anyone tell me what a red giant is?” he asked, studying each of the students before landing on Liz. “Miss Parker, could you answer the question, please?”

She had seen the poster more than a dozen times but putting a name to it also brought a sense of familiarity that Liz didn’t quite understand. “A red giant is a star that’s in the last stages of its life cycle” she answered, trying to appear aloof despite her curiosity and the prickle of recognition in her mind. Mr. Seligman nodded and called on someone else to answer whether or not the light was strong enough to be seen by a telescope.

“Psst… Parker.” Max Evans, West Roswell’s greatest chance at state and all around nice guy had been Liz’s science partner since the sixth grade. Mr. Allen paired them up because Max was struggling and Liz was the best student in the earth science class. Then when seventh grade rolled around, he sat at her table and asked if they could work together again. From that point on, it was sort of like an unspoken fact that the two would be partners in all the science classes they shared.

“What?” Liz hissed back without looking away from the teacher who paced in between lab tables. He had begun lecturing about another star system and Liz had trouble trying to take her notes while Max kept nudging her.

“Did you finish the Bio II homework?” Max inquired and quickly snapped his lips shut when Mr. Seligman turned around to glare at the pair.

Shaking her head in exasperation, Liz dug around in her backpack and produced a green spiral notebook. Folded between two pages was the take home assignment Mrs. Hardy had given them the day before. After teasing Michael and then listening to Kyle contemplate how he was going to end his relationship with Vicky Delaney, she finally managed to finish up the last of her questions. “Here” Liz said and handed him the paper beneath the lab desk. “Now be quiet” she added with her own pointed glare before returning to her Astronomy notes.

Max grinned at her irritation and began scanning her answers, comparing them with his own. “Hey, Parker, I got them right” he stated, obviously pleased with himself. Despite her ire, Liz rolled her eyes and returned his smile.

“Mr. Evans and Miss Parker, perhaps the two you could continue your conversation later… say in, detention.” His brown eyes stared pointedly down at them through the bifocals of his glasses. He looked unamused and a bit irritated, leaving the two no choice but to dutifully nod their heads.

“Oh you owe me for this one, Evans” Liz whispered and attempted to once again listen to the rest of the lecture. Her only consolation was that detention would undoubtedly make Max late for football practice. If she knew anything about Coach Clay, it was that he abhorred tardiness and made late comers run an extra ten minutes of sprints after practice.

The thought brought a smile to Liz’s face as she jotted down a few points Mr. Seligman made.


~&~&~&~&~&


“So of course I raised my hand and now I’m Isabel’s new Spanish tutor” Alex finished proudly and stuffed a forkful of chili cheese fries into his mouth. Bits of sauce stuck to the corners of his lips as he remained blissfully oblivious. Smiling, he lifted his water bottle and took a long drink of the cool liquid as both Maria and Liz exchanged looks of amusement.

“Wait a go stud muffin. Now that you’re her tutor, you can wow her with your eating habits and table manners” Maria sarcastically declared and handed Alex a napkin.

“Thanks” he muttered and self consciously wiped at his mouth. “Anyway, so we’re supposed to meet up today after school to start going over some vocabulary. Then tomorrow its conjugation and who knows what’ll happen the day after that.” Liz didn’t have the heart to remind her friend that Isabel was happily dating some college freshman at UNM named Grant Sorensen. From what Max had once mentioned, the blonde beauty was completely smitten with the young archeology major.

Speak of the devil, Liz thought as Max appeared and straddled the small stretch of bench beside her. “I’m sorry I got you detention” he stated without preamble and quirked his brow innocently. He wore a blue and gold letter jacket over a white t-shirt and jeans, making him look like the stereotypical jock. “So are we cool?” he asked while giving her the patented puppy dog look with a pair of apologetic hazel eyes.

“If I stopped talking to you every time you got me in trouble in class, you would have failed science back in the sixth grade” Liz responded dryly, then because he seemed to want to hear the words, she added, “Yes… we’re cool.” He smiled ruefully and playfully tugged at her ponytail before returning to his table full of football players and cheerleaders.

“I think he likes you” Maria stated bluntly while Alex, mouth filled with food, nodded in agreement.

“We’re friends” Liz shrugged, unconcerned and convinced that her two friends were wrong. “We’ve been science partners for like five years now. That’s just the way he is.” For as long as Liz could remember, Max teased her and did silly things like tug her hair or take her pencil. He was a playful person and Liz never once thought he was treating her any more special than he treated all the other female friends he had.

“I don’t know about that Liz” Alex had to admit. “I’ve seen with him Tess Harding and they joke around a lot but he’s sort of different with you.”

Tess Harding had been best friends with the Evans twins for as long as Liz could remember. Both blondes were on the cheerleading squad and could often be seen driving somewhere in Max’s jeep on the weekends. The trio was about as close as Liz was with Michael and Kyle but unfortunately for Tess, her friendship with Max caused a lot of problems in her social life. Most guys were intimidated by the fact that her best friend was the most popular guy in school. Max was probably also the sweetest and never gave any of the guys a reason to feel threatened but they did and Tess was the one to suffer for it.

“Guys, this is Max Evans we’re talking about” Liz felt the need to remind. “He’s a friendly guy but that’s all there is to it, at least between the two of us.”

“Well you know what they say” Maria replied after a beat. “Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.”


~&~&~&~&~&


When Liz arrived home later that afternoon, she had to quickly put on her waitress uniform and begin serving a crowd of people in town for the Crash Festival. “Is it always this hectic?” one woman with a short pixie cut asked as Liz set a plate down in front of her and the male beside her. Looking around, Liz noticed all the people that had arrived while she had been inside the kitchen, coaxing Michael to hurry up with her orders.

“Sometimes” Liz murmured, distracted as another couple waved their hands in an attempt to grab her attention. “Enjoy your meal” she added and walked around a group of kids towards two of her regulars. As she took their order, the bell above the door jingled, admitting Max, Isabel and Tess into the café. Both females were clad in blue cheerleading shorts, white t-shirts and looked about as tired as Liz felt. Max, however, looked as if he hadn’t managed to haul himself to football practice after all. “Be right with you!” Liz called out as they took a booth in her section.

“Are you offering free lap dances with each meal” Kyle asked as he appeared behind Liz’s shoulder, surveying the growing crowd. “Because you know how much I love a good Will Smith but there are way too many people in here tonight.”

“Kyle, I need help” Liz said with a hint of desperation in her voice. “Agnes didn’t show up, we can’t get Maria on the phone and my dad’s upstairs taking care of my mom who’s out with the flu. Either bus some tables or go into the kitchen and help Michael out on the grill.”

“Ah, come on, Liz” Kyle protested and patted his flat stomach. “I’m starved and in desperate need of sustenance. You can’t put me to work here” he said with finality in his voice. Looking around her, Liz placed her hand on Kyle’s and sent a wave of energy into his palm. The feeling was akin to the painful tingle that accompanied an arm or leg that was just waking up and Kyle visibly grimaced. “If I wasn’t such a nice guy, I’d totally get even with you for that” he threatened though Liz knew it was a hollow one.

Neither Kyle nor Michael would ever do anything to hurt Liz. In fact, they had always made it clear they would give any and everything to protect her. Then, because she knew she was roping him into something he didn’t want to do, she didn’t mention the fact that she was stronger and in a battle of powers, she would undoubtedly win.

“Thanks, Kyle. Love you bunches” Liz smiled and pressed a kiss against his cheek. Turning back to her tables, she didn’t notice the pair of eyes that had witnessed her exchange with Kyle nor the fact that that person was now frowning.

The second waitress, Candace, looked haggard and harassed as she hurried up to Liz. “I can’t take this. The old geezer in the corner grabbed my ass twice and when I bussed table 6, I found a pair of dentures on one of the plates” she complained, staring pitifully down at Liz who was a good five inches shorter. “I need a break.”

“Well so do I but there’s no one here to cover your tables if you go outside” Liz informed, trying to sound as apologetic as possible though it was hard to muster up much sympathy when she had been at work an hour longer than Candace had. “Just… take a couple minutes behind the counter and grab a coke or something. It’s the best I can do” she added when Candace opened her mouth to protest. “Hi, welcome to the Crashdown Café, I’m Liz. What can I get you to drink” she said when she finally made it to Max’s table.

“Tea… water… cherry coke” they each responded at once.

“Be right back” Liz promised and stuffed her order pad into the pocket of her silver, alien head apron. Along with the old fashioned, turquoise dresses and alien antennae headband, Liz couldn’t help but think how wrong everyone’s perception of aliens was. The murals on the walls depicted three feet and green with lifeless black eyes and big odd shaped heads. It annoyed Michael and amused Kyle but Liz had never been sure what to think of it, especially since her dad was the one who had it painted.

“Okay, Candace I know this sucks but please try and help out anyway” Liz requested when she spotted the sulky look the other waitress was sporting. Quickly, she filled a drink order and peeked into the pass through to find Kyle flipping burgers as Michael built sandwiches. “Thank you” she muttered and looked up at the sound of another group of three walking in. There were only two tables left and after one more group, she’d have to start turning people away.

“I can take those off your hands.” The sound of Max’s voice had Liz whirling around so quickly, she nearly dropped the tray she had just loaded. “Sorry” he muttered and held both hands out. “I got that.” Gratefully, Liz nodded and handed him the three drinks for him, his sister and friend.

“You’d think every other place in town was closed” she observed while filling a second drink order.

“Well they’re all here for the Crash Festival, right? And this place is the only alien themed café in town” Max pointed out smartly.

“Okay, you know I’d do anything in the world for you but if I have to spend one more minute with Michael looking over my shoulder, I’m gonna bl… punch him” Kyle quickly amended mid rant when he noticed Max standing in front of the counter, talking to Liz. “Either I’m cooking them too long or not long enough.”

Shaking her head, Liz reached beneath the counter and produced plastic square tub. “Bus tables… please.” Grudgingly, Kyle reached for the object and wordlessly began searching around for empty plates. “See you later, Max” she added and hauled her tray over to a table of six.

Nearly an hour later, Liz stood in the kitchen with Michael while Kyle and Candace worked the dining area. “This sucks” Michael stated bluntly. Originally he hadn’t been scheduled to work but Jose, the other part time cook, had called in sick so Liz had strong armed Michael into coming in instead.

“Hey, Parker… there’s a line of people waiting to pay their checks” Max said as he leaned against the kitchen doorway. Liz groaned loudly, wondering why Jeff hadn’t thought to teach Candace how to work the register. “Whoa, behind you” he said and rushed forward. At his rapid movements, Liz whirled around just in time to see the small grease fire that had broken out on the grill.

Moving quickly, she reached out and dumped a box of baking soda over the cooking hamburgers.

“…you ask me to give you another day! You’re running outta time.” All three looked up at the sound of angered calls and chairs scraping across the linoleum floor. “I want my money today. Not tomorrow!” They watched, horrified and unmoving as one of the men pulled a gun out from inside his coat pocket.

“Get down” Liz yelled once she found her voice and hit the deck as gun shots rang out in the café. The almost inaudible noise of shoes hurrying across the floor followed by the overhead door bell sounded immediately after.

“Liz!” Michael called out as he crawled towards her. There was blood on her hands and on her uniform. “Oh god, no” he muttered, fearful because she was the only one of the three that had the ability to heal. Then he saw her moving from where she had been pressed up against Max’s side. “Liz, try not to move. We’ll get the stones and…”

“It’s not mine.”

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello everyone! Thanks for all the great feedback.

Ellie
Oz
PMP
pandas2001
begonia9508
Jason's Lover
Morning Dreamgirl

Chapter 2

“No, Liz you can’t” Michael argued as the noise level in the diner began to pick up again. Customers had started moving around and in any moment, someone would walk into the kitchen to make sure no one had gotten hurt. “We’ll call an ambulance. He’ll be alright.” His expression was hard and unrelenting as Liz briefly looked up at him.

Without even thinking about it, she flattened her palm against Michael’s stomach and pushed a small burst of energy into his body. It wasn’t enough to hurt him but it was enough to make him release the hold he had on her arm.

Working quickly, Liz knelt back down beside Max and pushed his shirt up his stomach. For a brief moment, she watched, mesmerized, as blood began to pour from his wound. She had never seen so much of it before and the sight of all the thick, crimson liquid was enough to jolt her back to reality. “Max. Max! You have to look at me. You have to look at me.” His eyes opened to small slits but it was enough for Liz to form a connection. With her hand over the gun shot wound, she poured strong waves of energy into his body, restoring his damaged tissue while dissolving the bullet lodged just beyond his rib cage.

Image after image filled her mind but she ignored them all, concentrating solely on healing what the bullet had torn apart. “Max!” At the sound of Isabel Evans’ voice, Michael darted forward to cut her off before she had the chance to barrel into the kitchen. “What the hell is the matter with you, Guerin? Where’s my brother?” she demanded and attempted to push past him.

Her breathing was ragged and a fine sheen of sweat covered her skin as Liz leaned back on her heels. Max’s eyes were now open wide, staring up at her in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Tentatively, she waved her hand over him and then over herself, removing all traces of blood from either of their clothes. “Now my life is in your hands. Please don’t say anything” she whispered tiredly as Isabel rushed in.

“Max! Are you okay? What happened?” she asked followed by the footsteps of Tess Harding who had come to find the twins.

“I’m fine” Max said, blinking several times rapidly. “I just bumped my head when I went down” he lied, noticing the way both Michael and Liz let out quiet, almost inaudible sighs of relief. Kyle was next to arrive, followed by Jeff Parker who frantically came bounding down the apartment steps.

After that, everything snow balled out of control as deputies were called, statements were given and parents doted on their children. Liz didn’t have the opportunity to talk to Max again that night before Philip and Diane Evans herded the three out of the café together. While Michael provided a successful distraction, Liz manipulated an old spoon into a bullet and gave it to Kyle who managed to lodge it into the back wall.

Then thanks to her dad, Liz was spared from her friends’ judgments as he insisted that she go upstairs and get some rest.

It wasn’t until she was back inside her bedroom, fresh from a shower and clad in a floral terry cloth robe, that Liz sat down and thought about what she had risked. Max hadn’t said anything, he kept her secret… but for how long, she wondered. Would he go home, think about everything that had happened and then decide that he was scared of her?

Images of FBI agents banging on her door assaulted her mind in rapid succession, but in spite of it all, the one thing that kept Liz from completely panicking was the fact that Max knew nothing about Michael and Kyle. If he went to someone and told them what she was capable of, she would be the only one who suffered from it. As long as her friends and family were safe, Liz believed she could deal with whatever backlash her actions might cause.

She just hoped it wouldn’t come down to that.


~&~&~&~&~&


“I heard about what happened last night” Maria stated as she caught up to Michael. There was a worried expression on her face and for once, she didn’t tease him about his bed hair or rumpled clothing. “I couldn’t believe someone actually brought a gun into the café. I would have completely freaked if I was there when it happened” she admitted candidly. “How are you, by the way?” Maria then asked and looped her arm through Michael’s as they walked towards the wood shop classroom.

“Huh… oh, um… fine” Michael answered distractedly as he spotted Liz down the hall. Her head was down, staring at a sheet of notes in her hand and didn’t immediately notice Max who appeared by her side. He watched as the other male took Liz’s arm and led her into the Eraser Room. “Look, I need to…”

“Michael… class is this way?” Maria stated and tugged him to the left when he wanted to go right. “Are you sure you’re okay? Because it would be totally understandable if you were still a little freaked out. I mean, the bullet could have hit you” she said frantically, sounding more disturbed about the whole situation than Michael should have been.

“Look it’s not that big of a deal” Michael reiterated and made the mistake of looking down in Maria’s big green eyes. They were wide and expressive as she stared up at him and before he could control it, he felt a slight prickle in the back of his mind. Quickly, he slammed down on the connection just as an image of Maria attempting to tie a pair of red sneakers flashed before his eyes. “Class is this way” he said and nudged Maria through the wide double doors.


~&~&~&~&~&


“I was up all night last night thinking about what happened in the cafe” Max admitted as he paced back and forth across the small space. Liz, who sat perched on an upturned metal wastebasket, watched his agitated movements with curious interest. She had never seen him act so jostled before, not that she blamed him. In fact, Liz was surprised that he was taking it all so well. She had no idea how she would feel if the situation was reversed and she had been the one who had a gunshot wound healed. “I have questions. I need answers or else… I just need answers” he stated, pinning Liz with an intense stare.

“Okay” she agreed and watched him begin pacing all over again.

“Okay” he repeated. “Okay… to start with, how is it possible that you could do… what you did?” Max asked.

“Well… I suppose it’s because I’m not exactly from around here” Liz answered as gently as possible.

“Well then where are you from?” Max questioned immediately after. He had stopped his constant moving but refused to go anywhere near her. Liz pretended she wasn’t hurt by it but she couldn’t help feeling more than a little insecure with every passing moment. From the very beginning, the three of them had always believed that letting people in on their secret would only cause more trouble than they needed. So at age eight, they had all formed a pact, promising to take the secret of their origins to the grave.

Keeping it had never been a problem before for any of them. Liz didn’t think there’d ever be someone in her life that she would care enough about to actually want to break the pact for. She didn’t foresee ever meeting someone who she would want to tell the truth to about what she was. It never occurred to her that the secret would come out not because she wanted it, but because she needed it to.

When it came down to it, she couldn’t not help Max. He was lying on the floor, bleeding and possibly dying while she knelt beside him, holding the ability to heal. To have that power and to not use it to save an innocent life seemed like a waste of a gift. If she couldn’t use her ability to help someone, what good was having it? “Truthfully, I’m not really sure. I don’t have any memories from before I was six years old and even those are kind of fuzzy” Liz sadly admitted. “But I’ve always known that I wasn’t… normal and I’ve always assumed it was some sort genetic experiment or… something.”

It had always been a great source of frustration for them all to not know what their history was. The extent had always just been a vague recollection of the night they were found wandering around the desert. Each could picture the area in their mind, could remember what one another looked like then but the rest of the story was still hidden away.

“Okay” Max said again and dragged in a long, deep breath. “You don’t know where you come from or who you come from. Then can you tell me how you did it?” he requested, seeming only slightly less uneasy than he was when he first pulled her into the Eraser room.

Her eyes were apologetic as the looked up him. “Max, you have to understand that there are all these things I can do, but that I can’t explain. I mean… I know how I’m doing it but I don’t know why I’m able to do it” Liz struggled to say. She still held fast to her theory that the three of them had lived before… that they might have even been in the 1947 crash but she couldn’t prove it. The only physical fact, besides their powers, that proved they were different was their blood cells. Liz wasn’t sure what kind they were but knew without a doubt that they weren’t human.

“You have to give me something here” Max said when Liz looked up at him helplessly. “I mean, yesterday I had a bullet in my stomach and now it’s gone. The only proof I have that it wasn’t all a dream is this” he said and lifted his shirt, revealing a silver handprint over his muscled stomach. “Is this gonna be here forever like some freaky tattoo or… or what?”

Liz could tell he was on the verge of breaking down and tentatively walked towards him.

He didn’t immediately shy away and when Max instead stayed rooted in place, she extended her hand to pull his shirt back down, covering the handprint. “It should fade soon” Liz murmured, somehow instinctively knowing that she was right even though it had never happened to Kyle or Michael before. Then again, neither had ever had an injury as extensive as Max’s. “I can heal… as you know. I can manipulate the molecular structure of objects which was how I dissolved the bullet. I have the ability to connect with people and…”

“Wait, what does that mean? How do you connect?” Max queried, sounding more curious than upset as he had been only moments before. Liz hoped that meant he was starting to accept some of her explanations as opposed to him just being in shock over it all.

The when she thought about his question, it made Liz think about all she had seen in Max’s head the day before. At the time, she had ignored all the flashes in favor of quickly healing his damaged body but afterwards when she tried to fall asleep, the images kept playing in her head like a silent movie.

There had been Isabel and Tess… the affection he felt towards them. She saw football through his eyes, the excitement and thrill of being out on the field. Then she saw herself. It was surprising to learn how he felt. Max cared greatly about her… he had for years and Liz had never once known it until she saw herself through his eyes.

“I can show you, if you want” Liz offered, watching as he wordlessly nodded in agreement. “I’d have to touch you.” Tentatively, she raised one hand and gently cupped his cheek with her open palm. His skin was prickly beneath her fingertips, a faint shadow covered his jaw. Her other hand reached forward and took his, intertwining their fingers in a tight embrace. “Now just take deep breaths and try to let your mind blank out.”

Eyes brown and innocent stared into twin pools of hazel, using them as windows into her soul. Liz had never attempted to connect with anyone the way she was with Max. With both Michael and Kyle, the connections were instant if they wanted them to be and if they didn’t want it, they simply blocked each other out. It hadn’t been hard to learn and as they grew older the three constantly kept their mental barriers up.

Liz opened herself up now, unsure of what he would see or if it would make things better or worse.

Then, slow and tentatively, she began to sense him opening himself up towards her. Unknowingly, he was letting her back into his mind and Liz quickly broke the connection before she could see anything. Max blinked at the way she rapidly pulled him out of her mind while Liz continued to look away, gathering her courage until she was finally able to meet his gaze again. “Did it work?” she softly asked.

Wordlessly, Max nodded yes.


~&~&~&~&~&


“What’s done is done” Kyle stated with a half shrug as the trio stood out near the reservoir. “At this point there isn’t much we can do about it and from what Liz said, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.” After talking to both about what she told Max, Michael had automatically exploded, Liz yelled back at him and Kyle got in between the pair and played peace keeper.

“Something can be done” Michael stated with a mutinous expression adorning his angered features.

“No. Uh Uh. That’s not gonna happen” Liz said with just as much stubbornness. “We do not mind warp humans because we don’t know what kind of effect it might have on them. I’m serious Michael” she added when he continued to glare insubordinately. “If you even try to get into his head, I swear that I’ll get into yours and make you forget you’re potty trained” Liz warned with no trace of amusement on her face.

“I’d listen to her, dude. She’s stronger than the both of us” Kyle felt the need to point out. There was no shame in his voice, simply matter of factness. Her ability was no secret to the either male and except jokingly, it was never brought up. The fact that Liz was using it then proved how adamant she was.

“Fine” Michael spat out tersely. “All hail her royal highness” he bit out sarcastically though no one laughed.

“Look, I’m sorry, Michael” Liz softly apologized and took both his hands in hers. “But warping the whole thing away isn’t actually going to change what happened… at least not for me. I gave someone’s life back to them, Michael. Even if Max forgets that, I never will” she admitted and looked up at him as she tried to find the right words to utter the rest of her thoughts. “The three of us have been keeping this secret for so long because we never thought we’d be able to trust someone else with it. What if we were wrong?” Liz tentatively asked. “What if there are people we can trust, people who won’t look at us differently because of what we’re able to do?”

“And what if they do look at us differently?” Michael countered with a firm stubbornness that Liz had long since become accustomed to. “Maybe Evans might thank you for what you did. Maybe he’ll even want to keep being your friend but I honestly don’t believe he’ll ever be able to look at you again without thinking about what you are.”

Michael wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings but he was scared and tried to hide with it with skepticism. A part of him did wonder whether or not Max and Liz could become the friends they once were. The idea that they could gave him a small glimmer of hope with both Alex and Maria. The problem was that Michael didn’t want to feel that glimmer. The quickest way to get disappointed was to get your hopes up and Michael learned early on that life was filled with disappointments.

“And what am I, Michael?” Liz questioned with deliberate calmness. “Do I have lifeless eyes and green skin? Do I look like the mural on the Crashdown walls?”

“Don’t do this, Liz. Don’t pick a fight with me because you want to believe in humanity and because you want to believe that our abilities don’t make us different” Michael demanded and turned away because he couldn’t stand to look at her hopeful brown eyes. “I don’t know what the hell we are but we aren’t human, that’s for damn sure. We’re different, Liz. We always have been and we always will be. No amount of wishing is gonna change that. Deal with it.”

“Will you shut the hell up already?” Kyle, who had previously remained quiet throughout the discussion leaped to Liz’s defense when he saw the sadness and vulnerability she exuded at Michael’s words. He had never been able to see her hurting, whether it was physically or emotionally and he didn’t care that the person who caused it was someone he considered a brother. As far as Kyle was concerned, Michael had been way out of line.

“Me?!” Michael asked incredulously. “All I did was tell her the truth. It isn’t my fault that the two of you are living in some fantasy land where everything is peachy keen and hunky dory while I’m out here in the real world. You both need to learn that we’re it. We’re the only ones we can count on. The humans can be decent but we’ll never be one of them and they’ll never understand what its like to be us.”

“You’re the one that doesn’t get it Michael” Liz informed and shook her head when he attempted to protest her declaration. “I love you and I love Kyle so much. The two of you are my family but I need something else… I want to fall in love someday. I want a big wedding and kids and a happily ever after. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hiding and lying and running from a past I have no recollection of.” Until she heard his words, she had never realized how much she craved a normal life.

“Neither do I” Kyle quietly murmured.

“Right… fine” Michal uttered and walked away from the pair.

“Michael!” Liz called out and attempted to go after him when he turned and threw up his shield. Liz blinked at the sudden barrier and felt like crying when she saw the hardness in his eyes. Slowly, he lowered his hand and continued walking away. This time no one followed.


~&~&~&~&~&


Liz went through the rest of the day in a daze. After Michael left, she and Kyle stayed behind at the reservoir to talk a few things out. Sitting together on a cluster of rocks, he looked over at her and said that he understood why she risked their secret to save Max. “That’s just the kind of person you are” he had shrugged and leaned his elbows down on his knees, clasping his hands between his legs. “You wouldn’t have been able to live with yourself if you could have helped him and didn’t.”

The fact that he accepted what she had done caused a feeling of gratitude to wash over her. It was so overwhelming that in response, she could do little more than smile and nod.

Then, since Kyle understood, Liz wondered why Michael couldn’t. She also had to wonder if he would still be so upset over what she had done if Alex or Maria had been the ones with a bullet hole in their stomach. Liz thought that maybe he was so bothered because Max was a stranger to him, someone he didn’t know well enough to trust. She only hoped that he would eventually come around once he had a chance to calm down.

On her first day of school, Liz remembered how Michael stayed close to her side and refused to leave even though they had been placed in separate classrooms. The Parkers and Whitman family decided that Liz and Michael must have been siblings, despite the fact that they had always been honest about their inabilities to remember anything about their pasts. Yet it was assumed that Michael must have felt some family connection to Liz, thus explaining why he was afraid to leave her.

Liz, however, didn’t agree though she didn’t say anything to refute it either. Keeping quiet meant that they got to stay together, a plus since Michael wouldn’t talk to any of the other kids. Kyle, on the other hand, quickly became a social butterfly, going from one group of kids to the next. He made friends easily and got along with everyone.

Liz had been a cross between the two. She was shy but still managed to make friends with a select few, specifically Alex and Maria. Michael eventually came around because he really had no choice if he wanted to stay with Liz and after a while, he relaxed around the other pair. As the days went by, their teachers and parents continued to believe that Michael was her brother while others, specifically the school kids, teased him, saying that he had a crush on Liz. Michael never said anything one way or the other but when they connected that first time, Liz saw the way he saw her and finally knew his truth.

Michael was loyal and fiercely protective of her, more so than with Kyle. He felt like he needed to be there for her, like he needed to take care of her though he didn’t know why. They weren’t siblings, both knew it, but they might as well have been. Michael looked to her like a sister to love and take care of. There were no crushes, even at age six and still none at age sixteen.

Now, despite the fact that she could take care of herself, he still felt the need to look out for her.

Then, after nearly an hour of thinking about the events of the previous day, a light bulb finally went on. Maybe he wasn’t scared about their secret being found out because they all knew they would manage, one way or the other. Maybe he was scared of the one thing he couldn’t protect her from…a broken heart. Because in his mind, there was no chance Liz would come out of it all unscathed.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello all, thank you for reading and leaving feedback!

PMP
Morning Dreamgirl
Luna_Seer
Jason's Lover

Chapter 3

“Okay, I have got one Sigourney Weaver, that’s for you. And one Will Smith. Can I get you guys anything else? Green Martian Shake? Blood of Alien Smoothie?” Liz was back in the café, serving up the masses despite her father’s protestations. He hated the fact that the gun went off so close to where Liz had stood and even considered giving her time off. As diplomatically as possible, she pointed out that he was the one who was worried, not her and then went on to assure him that she would be just fine.

“No thanks, we’re good” the female patron said, looking so excited that Liz assumed she and her eating partner must have come to town for the Crash Festival.

“Have a nice meal” Liz smiled and tiredly pulled out her order pad when she heard the bell above the door jingle. Turning, she was halted in place when she realized the family of four walking in were actually Philip, Diane, Isabel and Max Evans. “You’ve gotta be kidding me” she muttered under her breath, thinking that the last time all four had graced the café together had been back when Max and Isabel were still in elementary school.

The door continued to open and close, admitting in more customers and Liz was forced to acknowledge that she had no choice but to take their table if she was going to get to the others. Plastering a smile onto her face, she walked up to the table, order pad in hand. “Hi, welcome to the Crashdown Café, I’m Liz. What can I get you to drink?”

“Hi, Liz” Diane greeted with a smile. She had always been a very friendly woman, soft spoken and entirely sweet. Diane was a stay at home mom for years until her kids hit junior high. Then she decided to return to Evans & Associates where she did paralegal work. Her drive to be a lawyer had long since diminished and she was content just do some office work that kept her in the swing of things, should she ever change her mind and want to start practicing again.

“I’ll have a glass of iced tea” Isabel said as she looked back and forth between Max and Liz with a strange expression on her face. “Cherry coke” Max quickly added followed by Diane, then Philip.

“I sort of thought business would slow down a bit after what happened yesterday” Jeff admitted as he stood behind the counter pouring two cups of coffee. Beside him, Liz worked on her drink order and briefly glanced over at her dad as he spoke. “I’m actually kind of relieved that so many people still came in today. This is our biggest time of the year, you know? Well this and the annual orthodontist convention” he added ruefully.

“I told you everything would be fine” Liz said with a smile and squeezed her dad’s hand gently before adding the last cup to her tray. Hefting it into her arms, she carried the drinks to the Evans’ table and gently set each cup down in front of its owner. “Are you ready to order or would you like a few more minutes?” she asked, looking around to each person. Her eyes barely skimmed over Max before going straight to Isabel who was still looking up at her strangely.

“No, I think we’re ready” Philip answered and gestured for his kids to order first. One by one, Liz wrote everything down and offered the family one last smile, before turning to walk away.

“Liz” Max called out, halting her movements. “If you have a few minutes, do you think you could explain the biology chapter Ms. Hardy went over with us today?” he asked. Liz hadn’t gone to biology and neither had Max for that matter since it was the class they skipped in order to talk in the Eraser Room.

“Sure… just let me put this order in and we can talk about it” she agreed and headed to the pass through where the cook had just set out two plates that belonged to her dad’s table. “Can you tell my dad I’m taking a quick break?” Liz requested as she handed Jose the order. “I’ll just be a few minutes” she quickly added, knowing that there were too many people for him and Agnes to take care of alone, especially since Agnes couldn’t effectively cover more than three tables at once.

“You got it, princess” Jose agreed and began working on his next order. With a small sense of apprehension, Liz led Max past the break room and straight up the stairs to the apartment. Neither said anything, beyond Liz’s gesture for him to stay quiet since her mom was trying to sleep off her fever. Nervously, she pushed her bedroom door open and invited him inside.

Liz had always loved her bedroom. One entire wall was brick, making it look like an old fashioned studio bedroom in New York or Chicago. Her bulletin board was covered in pictures, notices and small doodles Michael had made. Books of all subjects filled two of her six foot tall cases, along with a significant amount of space on her desk. Shades of red, yellow and orange made up her comforter and chair upholstery while purple, blues and greens accented her picture frames, desk accessories and lamp shades.

A rainbow, Jeff said, was what made up his daughter’s room.

“Isabel thinks you and I are dating” Max blurted out before Liz had a chance to close the door behind them. After quickly shutting it, Liz turned and met Max’s guilty expression with a confused one of her own. She blinked, unsure of whether or not she heard him right then asked Max to repeat himself just to be sure. “Someone told her that they saw the two of us going into the Eraser Room together so she asked me about it when I got out of football practice” he explained and began his nervous pacing. “It was either that or tell her what we were really doing in there because she didn’t believe we just talked.”

Considering what was really happening, the idea that Isabel Evans believed Liz was dating Max seemed so amusing that she almost laughed out loud. If only that was the least of her problems, an over protective twin sister.

“Which explains the looks she was giving me” Liz deduced and shook her head ruefully.

“Yeah, sorry about that” Max added sheepishly. “I think she sort of always thought Tess and I would get together and this, you and me, is sort of messing with her plans” he admitted then seemed to realize what he had just said. “I mean, I know that we aren’t but she doesn’t so… yeah.”

“Well she isn’t the only one reeling from your little revelation” she admitted candidly. “My friends are kind of freaked that I told you as much as I did” Liz stated. Then she was the one who abruptly shut her mouth, realizing that she had said too much. Max seemed to catch on as well and jumped to the next, correct conclusion.

“So your friends know about you, about what you can do?” he asked as gently as possible, something Liz was grateful for.

“Kyle and Michael do” she acknowledged, hoping that he wouldn’t ask if they were aliens too. The possibility that he might never came up when she talked to her friends earlier and she wasn’t sure how they would take it if she told Max the whole truth.

“Liz… when the gun went off, and I went down, I could kind of hear what was going on around me. It sounded distant, like watching a television show with sound turned down real low but I know I heard Michael say something about some stones” Max admitted and tucked his hands in his front pockets as he nervously rocked back and forth on his heels. Liz thought he looked so uncertain but he also seemed accepting. He hadn’t run away from her, he didn’t act repulsed by being near her and she took that as a good sign. Maybe things would work out in the end.

“Another one of those things I can’t quite explain” Liz replied after a moment’s hesitation. “At least not yet” she quickly added. She was well aware that the time would eventually come when Max wasn’t content enough with her inability to answer his questions. She only hoped that when it happened, she would have already gotten Kyle and Michael to agree to let her tell Max the whole truth.

“Alright” Max nodded and offered Liz a tentative smile. “So…”

“So…” Liz repeated with her own sense of uncertainty.

“About Isabel… what should I tell her?” Max queried just as the sound of footsteps echoed outside her door.

“That’s probably just my dad checking up on my mom. She has that flu bug that’s been going around” Liz informed and self consciously crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know what you should tell Isabel though. She’s um… she’s your sister so you would know her better than I do” she rambled, feeling a strange flutter in her stomach that she didn’t quite understand.

“We could… pretend, you know, for a little while” Max finally said, unable to meet Liz’s gaze head on. “Then after a little while I could just tell her that it didn’t work out or something.”

Liz thought about how that little lie would draw a lot of unwanted attention. Max Evans was popular, good looking and the most sought after boy at West Roswell High. Liz could think of very few girls who didn’t want to date him and pretending to be his girlfriend would undoubtedly throw her into his world, a world she had never desired to become a part of. Hierarchy and status was of no consequence to Liz, it never had been but that would all change if they kept up the story Max told his sister.

Michael would freak, Kyle would laugh and it would definitely cause trouble. Yet despite that, Liz found herself nodding. “That could probably work… the story, I mean” she agreed when her father’s voice called out through the closed door that her break was over.

“My family’s probably wondering about me too” Max stated when they heard the apartment door close in the distance.

Liz smiled a small smile and turned around to open her door. With her hand just about to turn the knob, she stilled and looked over her shoulder at Max who had come up behind her. Hesitantly, she turned back around to face him and looked up into his curious hazel eyes. “You aren’t… I mean… are you afraid of me, of what I am? Of what I can do?” She had to ask him. Liz didn’t think she could pretend anything with him if she knew he feared her. She would rather tell Isabel the truth than to spend time with him, knowing he was scared. “Because so far you’ve handled everything I’ve told you and… haven’t told you. I guess I’m just wondering if you’re still in shock and if you’re gonna flip out on me when it finally wears off.”

Slowly, Max reached out and took Liz’s right hand in between both his palms. “Trust me, I still have a lot questions and there’s still a lot I don’t understand. And maybe I am still in shock but what I do know is that you saved my life, Liz. Then you let me see inside your heart” he said, sounding awestruck at the idea of it all. “So no matter how crazy all of this is and how… confused I am, how could I be afraid of someone who is so beautiful, inside and out?” he asked back.

Liz felt the same prickle in her mind as she had earlier in the Eraser Room. She quickly closed her eyes to break the connection before it became deep enough to see anything and slowly pulled her hand back to her side. “Thank you” she whispered because it was the only thing she could think to say that would convey how relieved she was. If he was willing to accept her, maybe he wasn’t the only one that ever would. Maybe their secret didn’t have to remain such a closely guarded one from those they loved and trusted. Maybe something good would actually come out of two temperamental men with a gun.

“Actually I never got to thank you… for saving my life.”


~&~&~&~&~&


“I can think of at least a dozen chicks who’ll wish they had death ray eyes when they find out about you and Evans” Kyle said with a laugh when he picked Liz up for school the next morning. As predicted, he was amused by the idea that Isabel believed Max and Liz went into the Eraser Room to make out. Well acquainted with the ins and outs of the popular social circles, Kyle guessed that everyone would be buzzing about it and that girls like Pamela Troy and Vanessa Allen would be playing nice to her face and plotting against Liz behind her back.

“Thanks, Kyle. That’s just what I wanted to hear” Liz sarcastically drawled.

“Sorry, sorry, I just think it’s pretty funny” Kyle stated and raised one hand, conceding. “Especially since Evans has had a crush on you since junior high” he added, causing Liz to snap her gaze over at her brown haired friend.

He wasn’t as tall as Michael was but Kyle exuded confidence and strength. His blue eyes were friendly and his face was handsome, something many of the girls at West Roswell noticed. Any of them would be lucky to go out with a guy like her friend and Liz just wished he would find one who was worthy.

“What are you taking about?” she demanded with a hint of annoyance. “And why do people keep saying that? First Maria and now you” Liz stated, exasperated. Not once had she ever picked up on a vibe that Max had more than friendly feelings for her. Yes, he cared for her but they had also known each other for a long time and she was the one who got him through science class each year.

“Please don’t tell me that Perfect Parker is really that oblivious” Kyle said then began to laugh even louder when Liz remained skeptical. “Fine, believe what you want to. I’m just saying that Evans probably isn’t hurting too much by having to pretend you’re a couple.” Liz was spared from commenting when he pulled into his usual parking space. “I’ll see you later” Kyle said and left Liz at the front of the building while he walked around to the gym, his first period class.

Shaking her head, Liz pulled the entrance door open and stepped into the hallway. Walking down the corridor to her locker, no one paid any more attention to her than they usually did, she thought with satisfaction. “What kind of friend are you that you didn’t tell me Max Evans asked you out?” Maria demanded, eyes twinkling with excitement. She had come up behind Liz without her noticing and slung a friendly arm across her shoulders. “Tell me, babe. Is he a good kisser?”

“Maria!” Liz scolded and slid out from beneath her friend’s grasp. “Go bug Alex, I have to stop by the office to pick up an absentee slip.” A simple wave of her hand had produced a written excuse from her dad, explaining Liz had had a doctor’s appointment the afternoon before. It had been much easier than telling her dad and then trying to convince him that she had a good reason for ditching class to go with Michael and Kyle out to the reservoir.

“Fine, you may win this battle but the war isn’t over” Maria said in a sing song voice and continued towards her own locker while Liz stepped through the office door. It was just her luck, Liz decided, that Isabel would be the office assistant sitting behind the secretary’s desk.

With confidence in her step, Liz strode forward and placed her slip of paper down on the counter. When Isabel looked up, her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as she met Liz’s gaze. “Can I help you with something?” she asked in a polite voice that held the smallest hint of bite. It made Liz wonder if she could expect the same treatment from Tess when and if the two ran into each other.

“I need an absentee slip” Liz answered while Isabel slowly rose from her chair and walked over to look at the note.

“Sure” Isabel eventually said and pulled out a small blue tablet. With a ball point pen, she began to fill in all the information as a noise from behind them had both girls looking towards the open doorway. Max and Tess, laughing at something unknown to the other two, casually strolled in. Tess held a white paper bag in one hand and her books in the other. Her smile was bright and friendly as she placed the bag down on the counter.

“For you, Isabel. A plain glazed doughnut” Tess stated, drawing a smile from the taller blonde while Max chose to stand on the other side of Liz. “Morning Liz” she added in a friendly tone that didn’t seem at all forced or fake. If Isabel was upset about Max and Tess not dating, she was the only one it seemed.

Liz returned her smile and greeting, then accepted the blue slip Isabel handed to her. “See ya later” Max said and followed Liz back out into the hallway. “So… how are you?” he asked nervously while loitering students stopped their conversations to stare and point at the pair as they walked towards Liz’s locker. She, however, was amused since she figured Max would be used to all the attention by now. Girls had always looked at him, flirted with him and he had been a popular subject of gossip ever since the ninth grade when he was the only freshman to make the varsity football team.

“I’m okay” Liz smiled, feeling somehow comforted by the knowledge that Max was fumbling through everything too. Quickly, she unloaded the books from her backpack and retrieved her first period text while Max leaned against the locker beside hers, waiting like any boyfriend would have. “This is a little weird though” she quietly admitted when she began walking towards her class and he walked along next to her.

He didn’t have to ask what she was talking about and offered up a simple shrug. “Maybe” he agreed and waited a beat before asking, “But it’s not that bad, is it?”

Liz paused, pretending to think about it before finally replying, “No, not that bad.” Side by side, they walked the rest of the way to Liz’s English class, ignoring the looks and whispers among them. Then, just as they made it to the door, Max surprised Liz by leaning down and pecking her cheek. “What was that for?” she whispered.

Rather than answer, Max simply grinned and began to walk backwards. “See you in astronomy.” Then he turned and strolled down the hall to his own classroom.

Rolling her eyes, Liz walked inside and sat in her usual seat. No sooner had she set her books down on the desktop did Pam Troy pounce. “So it’s true then? You and Max Evans are a couple?” she asked while beside her, another group of girls leaned forward to hear Liz’s response. Her natural reaction would have been to tell Pam and the gossip mongers that it was none of their business but she needed to sell the story and instead silently nodded.

“Oh my gosh! How did you manage to snag a fine honey like Max?” another of the girls questioned and Liz was surprised to realize that the voice sounded more excited than stuck up or scornful about it.

“So when did he ask you out? Oh my god, was he like all sweet about it?” The questions continued to assault her until the bell rang. Each girl was so busy trying to come up with something else to ask that thankfully, Liz never had to answer anything. Instead, she sat there, amused while listening to them speculate on exactly what happened.

Liz supposed she’d have to find out from Max what exactly he had told Isabel.

As the teacher began her lesson on Beowulf and the two chapters they were supposed to have read the night before, Liz’s mind drifted to another place. Despite knowing that it was all one big charade, it actually felt good to be a part of something normal for a change. She wasn’t hiding in the shadows, trying to fade into the background but was actually standing in the spotlight.

Kyle had always allowed himself to be the center of attention, hiding in plain sight was what he always said. Everyone knew him and more than a handful of girls wanted to date him. The only boy at school who was actually more popular than Kyle, was Max. “Liz… do you want to sit with us today?” asked Joanne Thompson, one of the West Roswell cheerleaders.

“Sorry, but I can’t today” Liz answered, deciding that no matter what was socially required, she wouldn’t stop sitting with her own friends to be with the in crowd. Still, she thought, it was nice to be asked.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Thanks everyone!

FSU/MSW-94
Ellie
Jason's Lover
tequathisy - I know Liz can be a bit difficult but the reason for theiir behavior and mannerisms will reveal itself in time
Elizabeth Kivana
tiredmuse
PMP

Chapter 4

“What do you mean you aren’t going to the game tonight?” Maria questioned in disbelief. “Your boyfriend is the star receiver on the team. You have to be there to support him” she explained slowly, as though she was talking to a small child. Liz, however, was not amused, especially after the day she had.

While Max and his football buddies were great, Isabel discretely managed to turn the cheerleaders against Liz before lunch time. It didn’t actually matter to her one way or the other but Liz was annoyed to know that Max’s sister was trying so hard to show how much she disapproved of their make believe relationship. If the two of them had actually been dating, Liz would have been really hurt by the blonde’s passive aggressive behavior.

Then there was Michael who merely shook his head and kept walking when the two crossed paths. The image of a shimmering green shield between them instantly flashed in Liz’s mind, filling her with her with both anger and regret. It had never been her intention to hurt his feelings or to imply that he and Kyle weren’t enough, but she couldn’t be sorry for being honest with him. Liz needed Michael to understand that while he would always be a big part of her life, he and Kyle couldn’t be the only important things in her life.

On some level, Liz knew that he could see where she was coming from but he was proud and would never admit that there was a possibility he might have overreacted. She would just have to wait it out and as irritating as it was, there wasn’t much else Liz could do about it. Michael would come around when he was ready to and not a moment before.

“I also have a pile of homework and a shift at the Crash tonight” Liz informed with sigh as she retrieved three text books from her locker. Around them, the halls were filled with raucous noise as the student body hurried towards the gym for the pre-game pep rally. Sounds of the West Roswell fight song drifted to their ears along with the energetic cries of the varsity cheerleading squad, led by Captain Isabel Evans. Much like her brother, she was an over achiever when it came to extra curriculars and had been selected to the lead the varsity squad as a sophomore the year before. With her wide smile and blonde hair, she had always reminded Liz of Torrance, the head cheerleader on Bring it On.

“Babe, you have all weekend to do homework” Maria stated and didn’t even bother to hide the disgust in her voice at the idea of staying home on a Friday night to finish up school assignments. “Plus, I’m sure your dad will give you the night off if you tell him you want to go watch Max play.”

Jeff Parker had always been a big sports fan, specifically a fan of football. He had played the game throughout high school but his dreams never extended to collegiate or pro athletics. Still, he always got a look of nostalgia on his face when he talked about the game and managed to catch a few a season thanks to Nancy who looked after the café in his absence.

“I can’t ask him for the time off” Liz stated and zipped her filled backpack closed. “My mom’s still sick and he can’t count on Agnes to pay attention to his tables while he’s running back and forth between the café and the apartment” she reminded, wishing that she could just wave her hand over her mother’s body and heal her ailments. If it had ever been serious, Liz would have broken the secret pact years before but thankfully, neither of her parents had ever been in any kind of mortal danger.

“How are you not more excited about this?” Maria demanded and looped her arm through Liz’s to lead her towards the gym when she tried to head out in the opposite direction. “Not only do you have a boyfriend, your first boyfriend, but he’s also a major hottie. I mean… think about it Liz. You snagged the football god, who, by the way, I told you had a serious crush on you. Now did you listen to Maria? No, you didn’t but that’s okay. I understand that sometimes you have to struggle through skepticism for a little while before your talents are recognized” she rambled without taking a pausing breath.

“What talent?” Liz couldn’t help but ask, only to be awarded with a look of pure disdain.

“Duh? Did we just meet or something? My sixth sense… you know, the ability to feel people out and match them up” Maria informed as though the answer should have been plainly obvious. “See, certain people just send out these vibes that I’m able to pick up on… kind of like Michael. He’s what my mom would call a vibrator” Maria informed as the reached the gym entrance doors.

Both girls were greeted by a sea of blue and gold as a song from a jock jams CD blasted overhead. The cheerleaders had lined up across half court and were dancing, gesturing towards the crowd to make some more noise. The school band was resting, getting music sheets out for their next tune while the coaches stood around with their arms crossed in front of the locker room, waiting for their cue to call out the boys.

“Yeah... no, I’m not gonna stick around” Liz stated, deciding that the scene before her held just a bit too much school spirit for her taste. “Thanks anyway” she added and quickly darted away before Maria had the opportunity to reach back and grab at her arm.

Shaking her head in amusement, Liz started down the hall, only to bump right into someone. “Were you too busy thinking about your football boy to watch where you were going?” Kyle teased as he steadied her swaying body.

Scowling, Liz pushed his hands away from her arms and pointedly rolled her eyes when he threw his arm around her shoulders instead. “For your information, I was laughing about Maria” Liz stated in a superior tone as she and Kyle walked further away from the maddening amounts of pep. Then she asked, “Wait, what are you still doing here? I thought you had a shift down at the garage this afternoon.”

“Toby decided to close up shop today because his daughter wanted to see your boyfriend play in tonight’s game” Kyle informed with a wide grin.

“You’re enjoying this way too much” Liz retorted but was glad to see him none the less. At least Kyle had a sense of humor over the whole thing. Liz wasn’t sure how she would have dealt with everything if he had shared Michael’s opinion. “And for that, you get to drive me home” she added with her own smile, one that only widened when she heard Kyle’s groan in mock protest.

“Damn tyrant” he muttered under his breath.


~&~&~&~&~&


“I don’t understand. Why would you do this for me?” I ask, unable to keep the wonder out of my voice as I look down at the beautiful picnic he’s prepared.

“Because its you” he answers and steps closer until he stands only a few scant inches away. “Ava… you’ve been in my heart for so long now. Can you really not see it every time I look upon you? Can you not feel it every time our hands touch?” he asks and intertwines my fingers with his.

I feel tears begin to sting my eyes and quickly close them before he can see the moisture that has gathered in my gaze. “It isn’t meant to be” I sadly remind him. “You’re a soldier… his highness would never allow a union between us. He would see me rule alone before he allowed me to rule alongside someone who…” I trail off because any description I use would only insult him. “It just isn’t meant to be” I repeat.

“That’s where you’re wrong” he says to me and pulls my body closer to his. “It’s our destiny to be together.”

“I don’t believe in destiny.”

“Liz… Liz!” she heard, followed by insistent shaking. “Did you know that you mutter in your sleep?” Kyle queried as he bounced up and down on her bed, annoyingly. “If I’d have found this out sooner, I would’ve planted a tape recorder in here years ago. That way I’d know all your juicy secrets.”

Irritated and jostled, Liz pulled herself into a sitting position and raised her hand to push Kyle onto the floor. “You already know my biggest secret” she stated and covered her mouth as she yawned sleepily. From where he sat, sprawled on the carpet, Kyle shrugged in agreement. “And aside from knowing how irritating I think you are, you also happen to know that I’m not quite human” she added, nonchalantly.

Not one to be easily deterred, he simply smirked in response. “You know, even if you didn’t actually say the words, I can only assume you were muttering about Evans in your sleep” Kyle replied deviously. “And it would be a shame if I somehow let it slip when I was talking to… oh, I don’t know, say… Pamela Troy” he taunted, laughing as Liz’s eyes widened dramatically.

“Do you really want to get on my bad side, Kyle?” Liz queried in a sugary sweet tone, shooting him an innocent smile. “Because I’ve always wondered what I could do with the full extent of my powers” she said, enjoying being able to taunt him as much as Kyle enjoyed doing it to her. “You were supposed to be this brave soldier before, weren’t you?” she said when she saw him visibly shudder. “I’m sure you could…” Li trailed off, eyes widening as she realized what she had just said.

He was tentative at first, uncertain of whether or not to say anything at all. “Liz, don’t tell me you started having those dreams again” Kyle finally said and stared up at her with concern in his eyes.

“I… sort of, yeah” she admitted uncomfortably. Instinctively, Liz wanted to say no, knowing that neither Kyle nor Michael put much stock into the dreams. Yet she couldn’t lie about them either. Each night they came to her, clearer and stronger than the night before. It had been less than a week but it felt like much longer to Liz who went to sleep early and still woke up feeling tired the next morning. “It’s not a big deal though. They’re just dreams” she added, pretending that it didn’t matter nearly half as much as it actually did.

“Right… well I should probably get going” Kyle replied after a moment’s hesitation. “That damn camping trip…are you sure you and Jeff don’t want to tag along? I could probably even get Whitman and if he goes, you know good ole Chuck and Gloria will guilt Mike into tagging along too. Huh? What do you say? Should we ruin Michael’s weekend?” he propositioned with a shit eating grin on his face that made Liz smile and temporarily forget the strangeness brought on from the mention of her dreams.

“Thanks, but my shift starts in a half hour and with my mom sick… I don’t think my dad’ll be up for leaving her behind” Liz explained and gestured towards the open book still sitting on top of her desk. “Did you finish scanning the last chapter?” she queried and barely stifled another yawn as Kyle looked over at the book.

One of the first things they learned as kids was that they had the ability to scan information into their minds, much like a photographic memory only the information never faded away. Michael and Kyle wanted to use the newfound ability to cheat on homework and tests but Liz thought it would be too conspicuous if the three little kids found wandering the desert were all geniuses. Instead, they got by the same way everyone else did, by listening in class and doing their homework.

The only books they were allowed to scan were on subjects that they had no interest in ever taking. It was the way Kyle and Michael learned basic principles of biology, chemistry and astronomy… through Liz’s old school texts. In return, she looked through books on auto mechanics and art since those were two subjects that interested her best friends.

“Yes sir, drill sergeant sir” Kyle responded with a bored sigh. “So… yeah… I probably won’t have cell phone reception in the middle of nowhere but while I’m gone, feel free to make up with Guerin. The last thing I need is to be sending the two of you off into your separate corners” he stated and pecked Liz’s cheek. “See ya on the flip side.”

“Bye” Liz murmured and waved distractedly. His parting words didn’t penetrate the haze her mind had hidden behind and instead, the images she had seen in her dreams monopolized her thoughts. It was all so familiar, like hearing the same story for the hundredth time. You knew which words came next, you knew who played which part but in this instance, Liz couldn’t figure out who the characters were.

Not for the first time, Liz wondered why she was the only one with dreams. Why her? What was she meant to know that the others weren’t? And then came the question she asked herself more than any other. Was her ability to dream a blessing… or a curse?


~&~&~&~&~&


Later that night, as she waited for the last three customers to finish up their meals and pay their checks, Liz parked herself in an empty booth and began going through the evening’s receipts. It seemed that after all his nursing, Jeff managed to catch the same cold that landed Nancy a week long stay in bed with a box of tissues and endless bowls of chicken soup. His absence, untimely as it was, meant that Liz was in charge of the night shift until Nancy’s fever broke since Jeff would most likely be laid out for days after his wife’s recovery.

Only fifteen minutes before, Liz had seen a parade of cars speed down the street, cheering and whooping loudly over their obvious victory. She had even half expected to see Maria or one of her other friends but lo and behold, her only customers for the night remained elderly couples, her science teacher and UFO freaks in town for the festival.

Their presence reminded Liz that she would have to cancel on Michael and Kyle. As per tradition, each year the three of them went to the crash festival together in silent support over the plight that they all lived through each day. To all the party goers, the festival represented a celebration of an alleged event that held no significance beyond the fact that they got to party and hang out with their friends late into the night… all the while dressed up like their favorite characters from the Sci-fi channel.

To the three friends, the event held a much deeper meaning. Though they couldn’t remember where they came from or prove that they had been some kind of genetics experiment, the fact that the ship could have possibly carried aliens who were also ‘different’ in some way or another was enough of a reason to care about that night over fifty years before.

“Honey, we’re ready to pay up now” said a sweet, white haired lady who stood patiently beside her husband. In his hand he held an old plaid newsboy hat while across his arm rested his wife’s grey pea coat. Before she could stop herself, Liz smiled up at the couple who reminded her so much of her own grandparents. As the years stretched by, she saw less and less of Claudia and David Parker who traveled around the world digging up archeological artifacts.

“I’ll be right with you” Liz stated and set her pencil down on the stack of receipts. Five quick steps later found her standing just behind the cash register as she quickly made change for the twenty they handed her. “Thanks. Have a nice night” she said and ended up having to wait an additional three minutes before the other two customers were ready to leave the restaurant. “Goodnight” she called out and pulled the door closed behind the last person out.

Tiredly, Liz yanked the bobbing antenna headband off her head and tossed it onto the counter. At some point, Agnes had slipped out of the café, leaving Liz to clean up the dining room on her own since she had sent Jose off after the final customer had ordered their meal.

With a deep sigh, she reached behind the counter and grabbed a dishrag to wipe down the empty tables and a plastic bin to gather the food caked plates. Methodically, she went about cleaning the dining area, all the while swaying her hips in time to the music playing over on the jukebox.

“And I don’t want the world to see me. Because I don’t think that they’d understand. When everything’s made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am” Liz quietly sang and carted the last of the dirty dishes into the kitchen. The area was nearly spotless thanks to the meticulous cook and after a quick wave of her hand, the dishes and silverware sparkled like new. “I just want you to know who I am” she murmured while stacking plates and glasses on the overhead shelves.

The sound of a horn honking echoed into the empty café as the cavalry drove by again, this time all considerably more drunk than they had been the first time around. Naturally, the deputies turned blind eyes and deaf ears to the delinquent behavior on game night, especially after a hard earned victory. Sheriff Valenti was the only one brave enough to turn on his overhead lights and stop a car full of football players if he saw so much as a rolling stop. His policy had always been ‘Arrive Alive’ but unfortunately, he and Kyle had left a few hours before on their camping trip, thus leaving the streets unguarded.

Shaking her head at their inebriated antics, Liz swung her dishrag around and began cleaning the last two remaining tables. “And I just want you to know who I…”

“Do you really think this is going to work?”

“Let the departed souls help them if it doesn’t.”

Gasping, Liz stumbled back away from the table and raised her hand towards it defensively. Her breathing was erratic and her mind raced over the brief image that had flashed before her eyes. She had seen it once in a dream but this time it was much different. She wasn’t listening in to a conversation around her, she was a part of it. “Oh god, I’m going crazy” Liz muttered as her hand began to shake.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hi everyone, thanks for the great feedback. Sorry it took so long to update, I was out of town and away from the boards for the last few days. Thanks again!

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Chapter 5

Though her sleep had been dreamless, it had also been restless, making Liz more than a little cranky the next morning when she got up early to open the café for Jeff. Her day only seemed to go downhill from that point when she got stuck waitressing after Candace didn’t call in or show up for her shift. Then during her very brief break, she checked her cell phone messages, only to find out that Kyle wouldn’t be coming back until the following day.

Apparently the sheriff decided it would be fun to invite Amy Deluca to join them. The two had been quietly dating for months, much to their children’s disgust and because of her mother’s decision to say yes to camping, Maria got dragged along for the ride. Lucky for her, unlucky for Liz, Maria begged and pleaded with Alex to come along and keep her company, to which he said yes. Then with Michael still vexed with Liz, he agreed to tag along after Kyle asked him to.

So not only was Liz stuck inside the café but she was also alone on the night of the Crash Festival. “Order up!” Jose called out, just as the bell above the door jingled, admitting a new customer.

“Please make it stop” Liz begged and shot the amused cook a pitiful look.

“Trust me princess, if I could make it stop I’d be long gone by now” Jose replied and gently pushed the plate towards Liz’s hands. “Go” he added and made a shooing motion when Liz remained rooted in her spot. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, revealing how little sleep she had gotten the night before. Her hair was pulled haphazardly on top of her head, making her look even sillier than usual with the bobbing antennas bouncing around.

Shaking her head, Liz turned to deliver a galaxy sub to Milton, the co-owner and supervising manager of the UFO Center. He looked crazy as always, eyes darting back and forth around him as though he expected an alien to jump out at any moment. For a brief instant, Liz felt amusement well up inside of her, wondering how he would take it if he found out an alien was delivering his meal. “Here you are, Mr. Ross” she politely said, barely stifling a smile when he jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Hmm…? Oh, right… thank you” he rushed out and averted his gaze as she set the plate down on the table.

“Enjoy your meal” Liz added and walked away, rolling her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be throwing up in a toilet somewhere?” she asked, arriving at Max’s table where the honey eyed boy looked like death had warmed over him. “You look like crap” was her blunt declaration when he raised his gaze up at her amused expression.

“Your sympathy is overwhelming” Max yawned and leaned his head back against the red and turquoise vinyl seat. “Do you have the ability to make the room stop spinning? Or to make the lambs stop screaming” he asked as an after thought.

“Maybe” Liz replied, wondering how he managed to get to the café at all when he looked as though he couldn’t even walk straight. “Come on” she coaxed and gently tugged on his arm. With no other new customers in the café, Liz figured it was safe enough to leave the dining area for at least a couple of minutes. “Come on” she repeated in a firmer tone when Max sluggishly got to his feet.

“If you wanted to make out, you should have just said so” Max teased when Liz began leading him towards the break room. “You wouldn’t have had nearly as much trouble getting me to follow you.”

“How the hell did you get here, anyway” Liz queried, irritated.

“My dad had some case to finish and he dropped me off here on his way to the office” Max dutifully answered and stood, unmoving and curious as Liz closed the storage room door behind her. “Seriously, Parker… just give me a couple seconds to clear my head and I’ll be ready to go” he grinned while Liz shot him a dirty look. “Too much?”

“Just a little” Liz dryly replied. “Come here” she beckoned and waited until he stood a little more than a breath away before raising her hand against his cheek. She noticed the way he watched, enthralled as she lifted her right hand and placed it at the nape of his neck. Anyone who walked in would have assumed the two were just about to kiss but rather than press her lips to his, Liz pushed a small burst of energy through her hands, causing the throbbing in his head to rapidly subside. “How do you feel?”

“That depends” Max answered, contemplatively. “I’m not gonna have a silver handprint over my face tomorrow, am I?” he wondered, causing a small smile to stretch across Liz’s lips.

“Sorry, no tattoos for headaches” she stated just as the door began to squeak open.

“Oh your dad’s gonna love it when he finds out you’re letting orders back up so you can make out in front of the mustard bottles and Tabasco sauce” Jose commented wryly and shot Liz a pointed stare. “Now darling, before I have to reheat everything” he added, ignoring Max who curiously looked between the pair.

“Word really does travel fast around here, huh?” he asked, referring to the fact that everyone and their mother seemed to think they were dating.

“I guess no newspaper article or internet announcement can beat word of mouth” Liz retorted, only then realizing that she still had her hands on his body. “Sorry” she muttered and returned her hands to her sides.

“I didn’t mind” Max shrugged, unconcerned and tossed Liz a wide grin when she narrowed her eyes at him shrewdly. “So about the festival tonight… do you want to put in an appearance with your boyfriend” he asked, making air quotes with his fingers as he said boyfriend.

“It pains me to say that I’m too busy. Sorry” she answered with her own shrug and teasing smile. “But if you can stomach it, go back to your table and I’ll bring you some lunch, on the house” Liz offered and pushed past Max. Then, because he was the first person to really make her smile all day, Liz teased him a little further by swaying her hips with every step towards the kitchen. She could feel his gaze on her and grinned amusedly. “Alright, slave driver. I’m here… where are my orders?” she quirked a brow as Jose gave her another one of his pointed looks.


~&~&~&~&~&


After the lunch rush, Liz headed back upstairs to take a shower and check on her parents who lay together, watching re-runs of The X-Files. Empty glasses of juice rested on their nightstand just beside a plate laden with cracker crumbs, the only remains left from the chicken noodle soup they had eaten a half hour before.

It amused Liz to no end that her parents, who were normally the sweetest and most level headed people, turned into toddlers whenever their temperature rose a degree or two. All of a sudden they just wanted to be bundled beneath their blankets with a copy of TV guide and the remote. She supposed it might have something to do with the fact that they hardly ever took a break from work and relished time off, even if it meant needing a box of tissue and throat drops during said vacation.

Personally, Liz had never been sick a day in her life, none of them had. When they were eight, Roswell Elementary had an outbreak of chicken pox. Almost a third of the students were in and out of school with the itchy spots but despite having never had them before, Liz and her two friends remained red dot free. The closest any of them ever came to illness was Kyle who developed raging headache after he took his first sip of alcohol.

Apparently, whatever it was that made them different also meant that they had next to no tolerance for alcohol. All Kyle had was a small sip before he was babbling like an idiot, grinning like the joker and admitting how he really felt about some people. Needless to say, it was a funny thing to watch for Michael, Maria and Alex but it was just embarrassing for Kyle… at least it was after everyone recounted to him what had happened. He swore he didn’t remember a thing but Liz had always believed it was a lie told to get out of being held accountable.

Then with a few hours on her hands, Liz retreated into her bedroom in hopes of getting some much needed rest. Her eyes closed, her breathing evened out yet she still couldn’t fall asleep. It was irritating and she would be lying if she said it didn’t bother her. Liz wondered what was going on, wondered what had changed that made it so difficult for her to fall back into her normal sleep patterns.

But despite any theory she could conjure up, Liz couldn’t find a plausible one. It was already a mystery why she had dreams at all when her two friends didn’t. It was just another unanswered question to add onto a long list that grew more and more each year.

Suddenly at a loss, Liz pulled out her text books and got a head start on her weekend homework. Literature… science… history... engrossed in all her studies, Liz still couldn’t help but acknowledge how boring her day was shaping up to be. It didn’t help that she still felt a dark cloud hanging over her head because she and Michael had yet to talk and make up. She just wished he would understand the choice she made, especially since Max was taking the entire situation much better than any of them could have anticipated.

Max. The thought of him made Liz smile as she recalled the way he sat alone in his booth and watched her move from table to table, serving the masses. A half eaten hamburger sat on a plate in front of him along with an empty glass of cherry coke. He made no secret of his staring, content to just sit back and smirk whenever someone asked if she had any good alien stories to tell.

Eventually, Philip Evans had wondered in and informed his son that he was ready to go home. Liz had smiled at the older man and waved at Max, unaware of all the locals who stared, waiting to see what would happen next. Though, rather than return the gesture, Max had wrapped one arm around her body, pulling her close to his warmth as she gazed up at him in surprise. “I’ll see you later” he whispered in her ear and pecked her cheek chastely.

Liz shot him a curious look but remained quiet. She pretended not to notice the way his lips lingered against her skin and bit her lip to hold back the smile that threatened to appear when he smirked confidently. She had to admit he was a charmer and his good looks didn’t hurt either but Liz truly believed it was just a fun game of make believe for him.

Getting to pretend that Liz was his girlfriend took pressure off of him. The school got to think he had a girlfriend but because it was just in name, he didn’t actually have to do any of the normal boyfriend things. Liz didn’t need a half dozen phone calls a day and he didn’t have to take her out on dates when he could instead be hanging out with his friends. It also helped that the two were friends so there wasn’t an awkwardness between them.

“Lizzie!” she heard through the walls and couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the dramatic, almost tortured sound.

Tossing her pencil down onto the desk, Liz rose from her chair and went to check on her ailing parents. “You beckoned” she teasingly greeted and barely stifled a laugh when her dad shot her a pitiful, puppy dog stare. Nancy, who appeared to be feeling better, kept her eyes glued to the television as Mulder and Scully skulked around Baltimore looking for some crazed killer that shimmied through air vents and down fire places.

“Ah… honey… you’re such a good daughter” Jeff said and huddled a little deeper beneath the comforter. “Listen, I know that tonight’s the festival and that you and the boys usually go out there together. So I was thinking that maybe you could just close the café early tonight” he offered, punctuated by a loud, dry cough.

“Thanks dad, but…”

“No buts” he interrupted and firmly shook his head. “You’ve been so great with the café. Take a break. Go out and have fun” he suggested and nudged Nancy who tore her eyes away from the TV long enough to nod in agreement.

“Go and have fun, Lizzie” Nancy encouraged before her eyes widened as the killer tried to go after Scully. “Hurry Mulder… go! Go!” she cheered as said agent arrived and cuffed the strange mutant to the bathroom drain pipe. “Yes!” she said, throwing her fist up in the air in triumph, making it next to impossible for Liz to hold back her laughter.

“Thanks… I’ll talk to the staff” Liz agreed, smiling for both her parents. She was grateful for the break but as far as fun went… Liz didn’t foresee any in the near future. She wouldn’t go to the festival without all her friends. It just wouldn’t be the same.


~&~&~&~&~&


After turning the ‘Sorry, we’re closed’ sign in the window and sending the staff home, Liz went about the long and tedious task of cleaning up the café. One of the waitresses had offered to stay behind for a little while to help out, a penance for her earlier tardiness, but Liz just smiled in thanks and sent her on her way. She was sure that the other girl had some sort of plans for the night and since she, herself, did not, Liz was fine working on it alone.

One by one, she dragged her wash cloth over the tables and tried to not to worry about the possibility of getting another flash from any of them. In her mind, she was still trying to work out what she had seen the night before and couldn’t help but continuously wonder why it seemed so familiar.

Her musings kept her oblivious to everything else around her until a loud knock sounded, finally breaking through the fog. Eyes snapping up in surprise, Liz whirled around and found a lone figure standing just outside the glass and wooden door.

Frowning, she abandoned the wash cloth and nervously rubbed her hands against her turquoise uniform. He had his head down and the shadows played across his face, making it next to impossible to see who he was until Liz was only a few steps away. “We’re closed” she dryly stated as she pushed the door open.

“Which means you can come to the festival with me after all” Max grinned, obviously pleased with himself. Rolling her eyes, Liz couldn’t help but smile amusedly at his relentlessness. “So… why don’t you go upstairs and put on something skimpy and we’ll get out of here” he suggested innocently, unaffected by the look of exasperation on Liz’s face.

“The Crash Festival is an alien costume party” she felt the need to remind. “Why would I wear something skimpy?” Liz inquired, quirking her brow in question.

“Because you’re already an alien” Max stated as though the answer should have been obvious. “So you put on something skimpy and voila… space prostitute” he explained, looking more and more smug by the passing second. Liz, however, was torn between laughing and smacking him upside the head. “Go ahead. I’ll wait” he smiled accommodatingly and gestured with his hands for her to hurry up.

“Are you sure you’re not the alien?” she asked but allowed him into the café none the less. “Because there’s definitely something wrong with you” she said without remorse or heat.

“Why do you seem so surprised that I want to hang out with you tonight?” Max questioned instead and crossed his arms over his chest as he studied her pensively. It was only then that Liz actually got a good look at what he was wearing. Clad in a black suit, matching tie and white button down shirt, he was definitely a man in black. His usual bed hair was actually gelled into neat spikes and the final touch was a pair of dark sunglasses that rested in his front jacket pocket.

“I’m not surprised, I’m just…” Liz trailed off uncertainly because he was right, she was surprised. Sure, the flirtations were one thing, a game he played when others were watching but then he had changed it all by showing up, wanting to spend more time together. “Max, you know that I’m… different” she said, for lack of a better word. “And I know you already told me that you aren’t afraid of me but if all of this is some sort of thank you for what I did… well, it isn’t necessary. You don’t have to hang out with me because I let you in on my secret.”

She may not have feared he would run off and tell the FBI about her abilities, but Liz still felt a little insecure around Max. All his words and actions since the shooting showed Liz that he had accepted her for what she was and what she could do. It was an amazing gift but she couldn’t help but wonder whether it was because he felt like he owed her something.

For a brief moment, Liz saw hurt flash in his beautifully expressive eyes, thoroughly confusing her. “So it isn’t possible that I don’t care about all the stuff you can do with your hands… that it doesn’t matter to me that you don’t even know why you can do it? I’m just here out of some form of misplaced gratitude?” he asked and shook his head in disbelief.

“I didn’t mean it like that” Liz was quick to defend. “I just… god, I don’t know what I’m trying to say” she admitted in defeat and looked down at the floor to avoid his penetrating stare. “I’m sorry” she murmured, feeling that the words weren’t adequate enough. Then and there, Liz decided that maybe she had a few more hang ups than she’d ever allowed herself to acknowledge before.

“Honestly, I’m still half expecting to wake up and find out this is a dream” Max admitted after a moment of hesitation. “But if it isn’t… and if I was really shot and if you really healed me… then why wouldn’t I want to be with you? You risked your life for mine. Now my life is in your hands, you said to me. So if you could trust me with something that big… that important, then why wouldn’t you trust me to be honest with you?” he asked.

“I don’t know” she whispered. “I guess it isn’t really about trust. It’s just that I’ve spent my whole life believing that letting anyone get close to me wasn’t an option. I guard myself so securely without even realizing that I’m doing it and since that day, I’ve been careless where you’re concerned. I don’t even know why.”

She heard her name, a quiet murmur but refused to look away from the scuffed tiles she had been counting.

His footsteps were slow and quiet as he walked towards her. Still, she refused to look up until the feel of his hand brushing against the underside of her chin caused a small shiver to dance up her spine. Max didn’t speak as he gently took her left hand, intertwining their fingers together. Liz didn’t speak as she felt him take her right hand and place her palm against the stubbled skin of his cheek. “If you’re really worried about whether I’m just trying to pay you back, then look for yourself, Liz. Tell me why I’m here tonight” he offered and locked his hazel eyes on her own brown ones.

There was a small frown on her lips as she looked back up at him. He didn’t have to prove anything to her but he was so adamant that Liz gave in to his request. Both took deep, steadying breaths as she formed a connection with him… searching for whatever it was he wanted her to see.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hi everyone! Thanks for the great feedback. Sorry I didn't post sooner, I had the chapter but I've been dealing with a lot of family stuff lately and haven't been around much. So thank you for your patience! Questions will be answered, just give it some time

FSU/MSW-94
Jason's Lover
Kitten
believer_evans
Michelle in Yonkers
midnightstar29
Ellie
roswells_angel285
PMP
LairaBehr4

Chapter 6

Just as it had every year, the Crash festival almost looked like a carnival. There were games to play with plush green alien toys as prizes and several food stands set up along the outer ridge of the party. People clad in the simplest and craziest costumes milled around talking and laughing. Most wore masks so it was impossible to tell who they were. Up front, a large stage had been erected, complete with a podium and a scoreboard that seemed to count down the hours and minutes.

A band was performing though Liz had never heard their music before. In front of them were groups of teenagers and young adults who danced and sang along. Children ran around, weaving in between people while their parents attempted to chase after them. Liz remembered doing the same thing at her first festival when she was eight years old.

“It’s not so bad, is it?” Max asked as they stood off to the side, listening to the band attempt a rendition of ‘Crash Into Me.’ It had only been a half hour and the upbeat lilt in his voice told Liz that he hoped she wasn’t already bored with the whole event.

“No… not so bad” she answered, looking up at his face with a small smile playing on the corners of her lips.

No more than a moment later a rogue child chasing after a pack of others bumped into Liz, sending her straight into Max who caught her with both arms. Pressed up against his chest, she was acutely aware of how muscled he felt beneath her fingertips. His palms were flattened against her back, heat radiating from his gentle touch. Liz’s big brown eyes met his hazel gaze and she felt a tremor run up her body.

Where had that come from, she silently wondered.

“Are you alright?” he asked and slowly raised one hand to push away the soft strands of hair that had landed in her face when she fell forward. His fingertips barely skimmed against her skin as he tenderly tucked the fallen strands behind her ear.

“Max I…” she trailed off as he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Max didn’t care who saw or what they thought as he kissed her, waiting for her to kiss him back. Her body was rigid at first, unresponsive. Embarrassed that he’d obviously misread the situation, he began to pull away when her hands trailed up his chest to lightly rest on his shoulders. Then she was kissing him, nipping at his lips with tentative eagerness. Max’s hands on her back pulled her closer, fisting the material of her t-shirt in his palms.

It was an explosion of sensations as his lips caressed hers. She fumbled a little at first, not nearly as experienced in kissing as he was but Max hardly noticed. He continued to hold her close, holding her steady as a whirl of emotions consumed her. Liz literally felt like she was seeing stars as he pulled on her bottom lip.

Another shrieking group of children running by was what finally jolted the pair out of their attraction induced bubble. His lips slowly pulled away and just as reluctantly, she leaned back, allowing some space between them. People walked on, oblivious to what they had just been doing. The band had already begun a new song and the crowd jumped and cheered while the rest continued dancing, searching for the right beat.

Max looked like he had no idea what to say as they stood, staring at one another.

Liz, on the other hand, decided she’d rather enjoy the rest of the festival and talk later. Initially, she had been surprised that he was kissing her, too surprised to immediately react. Her instincts told her it was a bad idea. Max was her friend and even if they weren’t nearly as close as she was to Kyle or he was with Tess, she still cared about him. The thought of losing the first person she ever opened herself up to was a painful one and Liz wasn’t sure if she could risk that. “How do you feel about cotton candy” she asked and looped her arm through Max’s.

He seemed perplexed by the sudden change but played along anyway and said he liked it. Together, they stood in line for a bag of the pillowy pink sweetness and to Liz’s discomfort, ran into Isabel Evans.

“You look like a roll of tin foil exploded on you” Max declared as Isabel came to a stop in front of them, clad in silver and chrome. Her dress was short and skin tight with what looked like silver cones over her breasts. Liz wasn’t sure what it was made out of since it looked like lycra in some parts and almost like leather in others. She wore metallic grey tights that appeared to be painted on, platform lace-up boots and matching gloves.

Even her make up looked outrageous. False eyelashes in a sparkling silver with thick black eyeliner and pewter colored eye shadow. A healthy dose of foundation covered up her skin, making her look extremely pale and even her mouth was painted an interesting chrome color. Isabel’s long blonde hair was down around her shoulders and styled with messy waves that looked effortless but most likely took hours to create.

Liz felt distinctly out of place in her jeans and black t-shirt that said ‘Take me to your leader’ in neon green letters. It was one of several that they sold in the Crashdown and seemed like a good enough idea considering Liz hadn’t bothered to pick up a costume after finding out she’d have to work. Adding to the ensemble, her hair was up in a messy bun with wisps of hair escaping the alien head clip holding it together.

Even after Max showed up, convinced that she would go to the festival with him, Liz still had no intention of giving in. She didn’t want to go and had nothing to wear anyway. Then he had asked to connect with her and the hopeful look in his eyes made it almost impossible for her to refuse him. So she reluctantly formed a shallow connection and sifted through the things that were closest to the surface.

Flash after flash, he let her see the way he saw her. It was overwhelming at first to feel the things that he felt. The day he was shot, there wasn’t much to analyze, at least not anything about her and then the day they connected in her room, she broke it off before he could open up to her. But standing in the empty café, Liz allowed herself to feel and see everything. She was utterly and speechlessly amazed by the way he saw her.

Everyone… all her friends had been right.

So she gave in and accepted his invitation to go with him to the festival. Then despite his earlier joke about wearing something skimpy, Max didn’t care whether she dressed up or not and patiently waited while she changed out of her uniform.

“Shut up” Isabel muttered and turned to look at the crowd of people laughing and enjoying themselves. Her words lacked any real heat but Max seemed to notice something different about his sister and put his hand on her arm, turning her to face him. Liz blinked in surprise when the blonde faced them with crystalline tears in her eyes. She may have been the different one but Liz didn’t think that Isabel, the ice queen of West Roswell, even had tear ducts much less the emotion of sadness.

“Belle, what is it?” Max questioned, concerned as his sister practically threw herself in his arms and began to quietly sob. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked and shared a confused look with Liz over his sister’s shoulder.

“Grant… he ‘s not coming… he ch-cheated on me” Isabel hiccupped pitifully. “He got some slut pregnant and… and…” she trailed off, shaking in her brother’s arms.

The expression on Max’s face went from concerned to angry in a matter of moments. The hard glint in his eyes was one Liz had never seen before but recognized well. It was protectiveness, something she had seen more than her share of times in Michael’s gaze. “Shh… it’s okay, Belle” Max attempted to soothe just as the twins began to garner the attention of nearby partygoers.

Thinking quickly, her eyes roved over the area until she spotted the stash of fireworks waiting for the crash reenactment. “I’ll be right back” Liz murmured. Eyes forward, she walked towards the popcorn stand and lowered her hand on the way. Concentrating on heating her energy, she lit the fuses just as she passed the entertainment podium and continued walking with an innocent expression adorning her face.

A loud, raucous noise filled the air as the array of bottle rockets launched up into the sky. Everyone’s eyes immediately snapped up and watched the fireworks explode in a shower of brilliant colors.

“What the…” Liz heard Deputy Hanson swear in question as he and two others rushed towards the hot, metal launching pipes.

“One large popcorn please?” she requested with a smile and dug into her pocket for a few dollar bills. “Thank you.” With a handful of buttery kernels in her mouth, Liz searched for the Evans twins and found them weaving through the crowd towards her. “So much for the big finale later” she said with a shrug as the pair reached her. Politely, she held her bag out in offering and pretended not to notice the way Isabel tried to wipe at her moist eyes.

Her thick eyeliner had run from the tops of her lids, making her look like a sad raccoon, Liz observed. “Is anyone else bored?” she queried, noticing that Max still held her bag of cotton candy in one hand. She had been having fun but Liz wasn’t going to keep Max around at the expense of his sister who appeared rightfully upset by her boyfriend’s infidelities. “Without the fireworks, I’m kind of not into it anymore” she shrugged indifferently.

“Me neither” Max added, playing along perfectly. Had it not been for the small glint of remorse in his eyes, Liz would have believed that he really had no interest in sticking around. “You wanna get out of here, Belle?” he asked, turning to his sister with a casual expression.

Isabel had to know what they were doing, despite their efforts to appear aloof. Liz wondered whether or not it would be unwelcome… at least until the tall blonde gave a small nod in response. Silently, Max held one hand out to Liz and intertwined their fingers the moment their skin touched. With her arms crossed over her chest, Isabel walked alongside the couple and looked past anyone who stared their way.

Four uniform clad deputies patrolled the parking area, directing traffic as cars came and went. Dust swirled in the air, kicked up from the rotating tires of passing vehicles. The old, olive green military jeep was parked near the center of the lot in between a small Volkswagen convertible and a large Chevrolet truck. On a closer sight, a light film of dust had formed over the jeep seats, a result of leaving the top down. Without saying a word, Isabel climbed in and took her place in the front passenger side.

“Uh… Belle” Max said with a pointed look.

“Hmmm… oh, right” Isabel replied, distracted and shifted around to climb into the back seat.

“It’s okay” Liz rushed to assure the twins. “I’m being dropped off first anyway” she shrugged, unconcerned. With a nervous smile, she hoisted herself up and sat down in the center of the back bench.

“Okay then” Max muttered and started the engine. Adeptly, he maneuvered out of his space and sped out onto the open road. Along the way, they passed right by the brightly lit neon green arrows that pointed the way to the festival. Each year, the deputies put them up in the day time and then stayed late into the night patrolling through the crowds. With so many people around and alcohol being served, there was always the belligerent fight or two.

The entire ride back into town was a quiet one with only sounds of billowing wind to keep them company. Liz took the opportunity to think back on the kiss she shared with Max.

At sixteen, she had only been kissed once and that had been a dare back in the fifth grade. Alex had to either plant his lips on hers or eat a worm because of a lost bet with Maria. It had been nothing more than a quick brush of his lips against hers and immediately after, both wiped their mouths clean. Liz found herself rolling her eyes at the memory of being the alternative to an unappetizing, slithering green worm.

Kissing Max was a definite contrast to her one experience. The feel of his lips on hers… the touch of his hand… it had all been overwhelming as colors burst behind her eyes and emotions raged out of control. The flashes were quick and strong, giving Liz little time to comprehend what she saw before the next one appeared. He opened himself up without hesitation from the first moment their lips touched and his emotions had almost bowled her over.

Liz never believed it was possible to experience something so intense from a single kiss… but she had been wrong. Seconds and minutes later, his taste still lingered on the tip of her tongue. His scent enveloped her in a tight embrace, making her keenly aware of his presence. It was every cliché she had ever heard, rolled into one.

Briefly, Liz wondered if it was what Kyle felt every time he kissed a girl. If he received the same sensations, she would finally understand why he rarely went longer than a few days without a date or new girlfriend. Then she couldn’t help but wonder if Max had experienced the same assault on his senses.

When the jeep rolled to a stop in front of the café, Max cut the engine and slid out of his seat. With his hand extended, he helped Liz hop onto the pavement and looked uncertainly between his sister and his pretend girlfriend. “I’ll see you at school” Liz said, taking the matter out of his hands. Rising onto the tips of her toes, she gently pressed her lips against his cheek and offered him a small smile. “Night Isabel” she added and turned towards the glass front doors before either had the opportunity to reply.


~&~&~&~&~&


“Thank god you answered!” Maria exclaimed later that night. Her voice cut through the phone lines so sharply that Liz had to hold the phone away from her ear as her old friend began to ramble incoherently. “I thought it might happen. You know, they get that look in their eyes and then… but he’s such a stone wall so I wasn’t really sure… then he did and I just… oh god, Liz. It was amazing” she finished off, leaving Liz just as confused as she had been at the beginning of the call.

A quick glance at the clock revealed the late hour and Liz had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “Okay, walk me through it, Maria. What was amazing?” she asked and forced herself into a sitting position in hopes of waking up a bit more.

“Michael kissed me” Maria blurted out, causing Liz’s eyes to widen dramatically.

“Michael what?!” Liz demanded then quickly clamped her mouth shut. Silently, she listened for any sign that she’d awoken her parents before adding, in a much calmer tone. “Michael what?”

“He kissed me, Liz and it was like… phenomenal” Maria reiterated in dreamy sounding voice. “It was totally unexpected too. One minute we’re arguing over the right way to start a fire and the next… well let’s just say the heat between us could have set all the logs up in a blaze” she sighed happily.

Liz, on the other hand, was still reeling over the new bit of information. While she was happy for Maria, she was furious with Michael. She couldn’t believe he would be so hypocritical as to openly condemn Kyle for his serial dating and then go and make out with Maria in the woods. Kyle’s reasoning had been that it didn’t matter who he dated because none of them mattered enough to reveal anything to. Liz knew that Maria was different. Michael had genuine feelings for her and she didn’t see how he could possibly get close to her without letting her completely in.

She loved Michael dearly, but hell hath no fury like a pissed off female alien if he hurt her friend.

“Okay, so it was a little expected. Like I said, I thought he might but he’s always been so closed off, you know? I had just about given up on him and then bam! We kiss.”

“That’s great, Maria” Liz stated, trying to keep the concern out of her voice. “Where are you now though?” she queried, hoping that her friend hadn’t wandered off on her own just to use the phone. Maria may have been a smart and savvy girl but she had no sense of direction and could get lost anywhere.

“Hmm? Oh, I’m near the little potty cabin” Maria answered. “So… you’re his best friend. What do you think I should do? Should I just act casual or should I talk to him about it?” she questioned, sounding more uncertain than Liz had ever heard.

“You really like him, don’t you?” Liz asked instead.

“Yeah. I really do” Maria whispered, causing a small smile to stretch across Liz’s lips.

“Just follow his lead for now” Liz advised after a moment’s thought. “Mike’s got a tough shell but just give him some time. No matter how irritating he is… just give him some time.” The two friends talked for a couple minutes more before Maria declared that she had to use the cabin she stood beside. Rolling her eyes, Liz bid her a goodnight and snapped her cell phone shut.

Flopping back against the pillows, wide awake, Liz thought about all she had learned. She wanted to be angry at Michael but she couldn’t bring herself to muster up the ire. On some level, she was doing the same thing with Max. She opened herself up to him, allowed him to kiss her, all the while uncertain of whether or not she’d ever let anything come of it. Everyone felt insecure at one point or another but Liz often felt like her insecurities were multiplied by a hundred because of what she was.

She silently admitted to herself that she was starting to feel something real for Max. Initially, she thought it was just because he knew what she was and didn’t run screaming for greener pastures. It had been a safe assumption for her but after connecting… after seeing how much he really liked her, she finally allowed her shield to drop. It was then that Liz acknowledged the slight, but rapidly growing feelings for him.

It should have been an easy decision but it wasn’t. Liz knew it wouldn’t be easy for Michael either, especially since Maria had always been this unattainable treasure for him.

When the phone rang again, Liz assumed it was Maria calling to say that she was lost somewhere in the woods. “The camp ground is east” she stated without checking the caller ID.

“So I guess Maria already called you” came Michael’s dry response.

“Hey” Liz quietly greeted and heard Michael’s soft sigh on the other end. “So you finally decided to start talking to me again?”

“It’s been two days, Liz” he informed, sounding bored and unaffected. “How was the festival?” Michael asked, reminding Liz that she never had the chance to tell him she wasn’t going, not that it mattered since she ended up there anyway.

“Uneventful” she replied simply. Then before she could hold back the words, Liz blurted out, “You never did that before Mike.”

“Yeah… well, I was pretty pissed off” Michael replied evenly.

“So what changed?” Liz ventured, having heard a lack of hostility in his answer. She also knew that if he was still mad, he wouldn’t have called. Michael Guerin was someone so proud, he wouldn’t have even asked for help if he was lying somewhere broken. To him, asking for help was a sign of weakness. It was a sign he was never prepared to show.

“It’s just the way you are” Michael stated, unconcerned. “You don’t wait for things to happen, you make things happen” he said, causing Liz to smile fondly. “Besides, it’s your ability so I should respect what you do with it” he gruffly added and cleared his throat in obvious discomfort.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted towards you, Michael. If that’s any consolation” Liz said, feeling a pang of sorrow as she recalled all that was said that day at the reservoir. “I don’t think I’m better than you or Kyle. Despite any impression I might have given you, I’ve never thought that way. I also shouldn’t have said that thing about potty training. I guess I was pretty mad too but… I know that isn’t an excuse for… well for hurting you… if I did.”

Liz could practically see the frown on his face and wasn’t surprised with the way he replied. “Right. Well this is getting a little too after school special for me so I’m gonna hit the hay” Michael stated after a contemplative pause. “I’ll see you when I see you.”

“Not if I see you first” Liz murmured, smiling when she heard Michael’s answering chuckle. “I know that you’re uncomfortable with the whole girly emotional stuff but I love you, Mike. No matter how pissed off I get or what I say… I promise you that it won’t change. Just so you know”

“Night” Michael quickly stated and ended the call.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hey everyone! Thanks for the great feedback

believer_evans
LairaBehr4
Kitten
PMP
FSU/MSW-94
Jason's Lover
tequathisy
nibbles2

Chapter 7

“Did you want another power demonstration?” Liz asked, perplexed as Max turned the lock on the door behind them. Rather than reply, he nervously paced back and forth, reminding Liz of the first time he’d pulled her into the Eraser Room. Then, he had been in shock over the shooting and desperately wanted an explanation. Now, Liz had no idea what had caused his current freak out as he dug his hands inside his pockets and shot her an uncertain look. “Max, what is it?”

“It’s Kyle and Michael too, right?” he asked, causing Liz’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“Max, how’d you…”

“The flashes when we kissed” he quickly answered and rushed forward before she had a chance to reply. “Liz, I’m not mad. It’s this huge secret and I get that you’d want to protect them. Especially since you had no idea how I’d react to the whole thing. I just… I want you to know that the secret is safe with me… the whole secret. Nothing’s changed.” Liz couldn’t identify the emotion she felt at his words.

“It’s not that I didn’t trust you” Liz stated after a moment’s consideration. “But it wasn’t my secret to tell. It’s up to Michael and Kyle who they let in and it wouldn’t have been fair for me to out them without asking permission first.” Eventually, Liz would have asked her two friends if she could tell Max the whole truth but she hadn’t anticipated that he would see it before she had a chance to say it. What struck Liz the most was the fact that she opened herself up so deeply that he managed to find her most closely guarded secret. It struck her and it scared her more than she cared to admit.

“Liz… about the festival, I’m sorry that we had to leave early” Max apologized and rocked back and forth on his heels in obvious nervousness. It seemed almost amusing to Liz, who had never seen him act nervous a day in his life before the whole café shooting.

“Don’t worry about it” Liz assured with a smile. “I got to eat the best popcorn in Roswell and we got to see a fireworks display. All in all, I’d say it was an okay night” she said but the smile he gave her was hollow and didn’t quite meet his eyes.

“What about the kiss? Was that just okay too?” Max queried, almost tentatively. She knew it would come up eventually but hoped for later rather than sooner. Liz had even tried to come up with some answer for him but continuously drew a blank. Instead, she decided to just be as honest as possible.

“Max, I really… really wish that this could… be something… you know… more” Liz told him with genuine regret in her eyes. “But it can’t. We’re just… different.”

“I don’t care” Max stated and reached out to trail the tips of his fingers over the soft skin of her face. Liz forced her eyes to stay open as a tremor traveled up her body from the feel of hands on her skin.

“You have to care” Liz murmured as she mustered up the courage to push him away. “I would never be a normal girlfriend. We would never be a normal couple” she sadly informed, silently wondering when everything changed. It felt like someone pulled the rug out from beneath her. One moment she was joking with him, content with their friendship and the next… in the next moment she wanted to let go of all her insecurities for him.

There was just something about him that she had never seen before. All the years of being friends and science partners had conditioned her to look at him the same way she looked at Alex. He was someone to talk to and joke with but he was also kept at a distance further a way than Michael and Kyle got to stand at. Even after the shooting, Liz hadn’t expected that to change but Max changed it for her.

In a way, it was like he was unsatisfied with the way things were. His persistence forced her to take a closer look until she finally saw what everyone else had always seen. He had feelings for her and he wanted to be a bigger part of her life. Deep inside, Liz had quickly grown to want that too but she was afraid to give into it.

“What’s so great about normal?” Max queried and leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. Liz felt her breath hitch at his words and allowed her eyes to close as his scent enveloped her. “I’m gonna bare it all for you here, Liz. I’m gonna tell you that I’ve liked you for a long time. I’m gonna tell you that I think about when I should be paying attention to other things. I’m gonna tell you that I want to be with you and that I don’t care if your hands can do more than mine can” he said and held those hands between his palms. “I’m gonna tell you all of this but before I do, tell me what you would say” he gently demanded.

The hustle and bustle outside the door began to diminish, followed by the loud, piercing tardy bell ringing. Liz’s first instinct was to pull her hands away and to tell Max that they had to get to class. The last thing she needed was to draw even more attention to herself but one look at his face and she couldn’t do it. In that moment, he really had bared it all for her. Max let her see him with a single look and Liz couldn’t deny that it would be hard to push him away.

“Max, I think that what I’m afraid of isn’t that we try this and it works out really badly. What I’m afraid of is that we try it and it works out really well” Liz admitted as honestly as she could. “I’m afraid of feeling everything that I know I would feel because I know its not meant to be” she said and closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions she read in his eyes. “And somewhere down the line, we’re gonna get hurt. I can live with that. I just couldn’t bear to hurt you.”

Impulsively, he brushed his lips against hers and Liz was helpless to the feeling the smallest of touches invoked. “But that’s not your decision, is it?” he murmured so softly that Liz almost didn’t hear him.

“I guess not.”


~&~&~&~&~&


“Alright everyone, that should be enough for today. Same place next week” said Mr. Seligman, the co-sponsor of the West Roswell High Science Club. “Miss Parker, could you stay behind for a second” he added to Liz who sat at the back of the classroom, working on the club budget. As treasurer, it was her duty to stay on top of their funds since they had already begun planning an end of the year, week long trip that involved planetariums, museums and nature walks.

“Sir?” asked Liz as she briefly glanced up from her report.

“I wanted to talk to you about the extra credit assignment. You chose to do your report on the Whirlwind Galaxy, correct” he inquired and gently removed his glasses to wipe the lenses with a pristine white handkerchief. Squinting down at her, he waited for some sort of verbal agreement before continuing. “You do realize that because that particular galaxy is so far away from our own that researching it might be a bit of a problem” he informed and replaced the spectacles back on his face as Liz finally set her report aside to give her teacher her full attention.

“So what do you suggest, sir? Should I switch to a different topic?” she asked despite her curiosity about the area they had briefly discussed in class less than two weeks before. Though she still couldn’t quite put her finger on, something about it seemed distinctly familiar. Without an answer as to why, Liz just assumed that at one point she read something about it in one of her science books.

“Not necessarily… at least not if you’re committed to doing the report despite the road bumps” Mr. Seligman replied. “I do know someone that you can talk to. His name is Karl Edwards, he was a classmate of mine who has put a lot of effort into studying that particular area. I can give you his e-mail address and he could probably steer you in the right direction” he generously offered.

“That’d be great” Liz smiled, glad that she still had plenty of time to complete the assignment that would most likely take up a lot of energy.

“Good, I’ll have that address for you by class time tomorrow” he assured and accepted the budget reports Liz handed him, signed and dated.

With lunch nearly over, Liz headed to her locker instead to deposit her morning books and to retrieve her afternoon texts. “Guess who spent all of last period in the eraser room?” Maria asked in a sing song voice as she sauntered up to Liz and leaned heavily against the neighboring locker. “God, Michael is such an amazing kisser” she added dreamily while Liz simply glanced over at her amusedly.

“You know, you should get that printed on a t-shirt and then every hour you can just move your jacket aside and flash everyone with it” Liz teased, having heard that phrase several times since their camping trip. “Saves time and all.”

“Ha! You see me laughing? No… that’s because I’m not laughing” Maria said and rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “Urg! You spend way too much time with Kyle Valenti. His warped sense of humor is starting to rub off on you… and not in a good way” she informed.

“What’s the good way?” Liz asked back, looking at Maria who seemed just as confused.

“Ladies… how is your day so far?” asked Alex who appeared before them and slung a friendly arm around each girl.

“And where were you today during lunch?” Maria demanded with a fierce poke against Alex’s chest. “We were supposed to go over my charts. Okay, how do you expect me to be ready to fill in for Wendy if I have no clue what you’re playing and you have no idea what I can sing?” she questioned, looking sternly up at their lanky friend.

Grimacing, Alex shook his head, shut his eyes and mumbled a quiet apology.

“What was that? Didn’t quite hear you.”

“Maria, I am so sorry. I completely forgot, okay and you have every right to be mad at me” Alex said and cringed as he prepared to explain where he was. “Isabel sort of needed my help with her homework and since I am her tutor, I’m duty bound to help her when she needs it… with her school work I mean.”

Amused, Liz stood back and watched her two friends go back and forth with each other for two whole minutes before she decided it was time to break the pair up. “Okay Lucy… Ethel… to your separate corners. Everyone’s beginning to stare” she informed and stepped in between them. Looping one arm through Alex’s, she looked at him and in her sweetest voice she requested, “Care to walk me to class?”

“Sure, Liz” he agreed and shot Maria a hopeful look. “Maria… care to walk me and Liz to class?”

“Urg! Fine… let’s go” Maria said and walked on ahead of Alex and Liz who shared and look and quickly followed after their rambunctious friend.


~&~&~&~&~&

To: Little_Miss_Scientist@WRos-High_mail.net
From: K-Edwards@sci-fi_mail.net
Subject: Whirlwind Galaxy Info

Miss Parker:
I received your inquiry along with a note from Eric Seligman and I am pleased to inform you that I have all the information you requested. At your earliest convenience, you may call my office here in Las Cruces to set up an appointment to discuss my research and your upcoming paper.

<center> Respectfully:
Karl Edwards
The Science Institute of Astronomy </center>

“Let me guess… I get to play the chauffer on this little science expedition of yours” Kyle stated dryly as he read the e-mail over Liz’s shoulder. “What’s so special about this report anyway that you’re going through so much trouble to get the information?” he queried and raised his hands in defense when Liz turned to glare at him.

“You know I hate it when you read over my shoulder” she stated and shut her monitor off before turning completely around to face her friend. “And it’s important because its worth a lot of extra credit. Plus if I do this, I won’t have to take my end of term exam in Astronomy class” she added, leaving out the part about how she had been intrigued by the Whirlwind Galaxy since her science teacher first brought it up.

Until she was able to figure out why she was drawn to it, she figured it was best not to mention it to either of her friends yet.

“So I’m assuming you know all about our friends and all the time they’ve been spending together in the Eraser Room” Kyle sighed and fell back onto Liz’s mattress while she quirked a brow at his tone of voice. “Its not that I don’t think its cool and all but my life is so boring right now that I’m even jealous of Whitman’s study sessions with Isabel. Do you realize that since I broke up with Vicky, I haven’t gone out on a single date with another girl yet?” he asked, sounding so disappointed in himself that Liz nearly laughed.

“That might not be such a bad thing” Liz replied after a moment of thought. “I mean even you have to admit that there are some pretty questionable cast offs sitting in your discard pile” she stated when Kyle looked up at her pitifully.

“Not helping” he stated, rolling his eyes heavenward.

“Sorry. I guess I just want you to find a girl that actually deserves to date you instead of all the bimbos that just want to be seen on your arm” Liz tried to explain, knowing that Kyle wouldn’t take offense to that particular assertion.

“Well if you can’t find the right one, might as well have fun with all the wrong ones” Kyle replied with a grin.

“Yeah, well… to each his own.”

“Lizzie, would you please… oh hi, Kyle. I didn’t know you were here” said Nancy Parker who stood loitering in the doorway to her daughter’s bedroom. “Do you want to stay for dinner?” she invited, causing Kyle to quickly smile and nod in response.

While Amy was a culinary genius when it came to baking pies and cakes, dinner was not her specialty. As for the sheriff, his idea of delectable cuisine consisted of frozen, microwaveable dinners.

“Good, but you have to earn your keep” Nancy informed with a small smile at her daughter’s friend. “Both of you in the kitchen. With Jeff downstairs in the café I need someone to peel potatoes while I finish marinating the roast” she said and then left the pair alone.

“How is it that you always manage to get invited to dinner if you’re anywhere near the vicinity of my home?” Liz queried once her mother was out of earshot.

“Face the facts, Parker… your mom’s hot for me” Kyle stated and quickly darted out of the way when Liz grimaced and threw a book at him.


~&~&~&~&~&


“What’s wrong with you?” Michael questioned as he set two plates down on the pass through window. His expression was critical, probing almost as he looked over her face for some sort of answer. “You look… I don’t know, down or something” he observed and crossed his arms over his chest menacingly.

“I’m just sleepy” Liz declared and stifled a yawn behind her hand. The night before had been another restless one, filled with tossing and turning until she finally fell into slumber over five hours after she had originally gone to bed. Liz couldn’t exactly recall what she had dreamt about but she did know that it was another one of those strange visions she had begun having. The same voices continued to haunt her mind, making her more confused than ever. “I’ll be fine” she added and reached for the two plates before Michael could say or ask anything else.

“You look tired” Max commented as she set the plates of food down on his table.

“That seems to be the popular consensus” Liz replied and shot him a questioning glance. “What happened to your two partners in crime?” she asked, referring to the two blondes who were suddenly absent from the booth.

“The bastard called her again and she started crying” Max said in a quiet, controlled voice. “Tess followed her into the bathroom.” At the beginning of the week, Isabel Evans stirred up a battery of questions when she showed up to school devoid of any makeup and looking red eyed. According to Max, she had been crying all weekend long and even a pillow session slash bitch fest with Tess hadn’t been able to assuage her misery. “I swear, if I ever get my hands on him…”

“Down boy” Liz soothed and offered him a lazy smile. “I still have customers to serve but I’ll talk to you later, okay” she added and felt a brief flutter when he responded with his own grin.

“Sounds good to me.” Liz smiled and began to walk away when he reached his hand out to grab her arm. Gently tugging, he pulled her closer and with one hand cupping her face, Max dragged her lips down to his. “I’ll see you later” he said and released his hold.

Liz’s eyes narrowed in mock irritation, a look she wasn’t able to hold for long before a small smirk stretched over her lips. “Too damn cocky” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head in exasperation as she walked away.

“Make believe, huh?” asked Michael with a quirked brow as he looked down at Liz.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Thanks for the great feedback!!

Behrystrwbry
PMP
FSU/MSW-94
Jason's Lover
midnightstar29
Emz80m
LairaBehr4
tiredmuse
Sternbetrachter
L-J-L 76
tequathisy
Michelle17
RASaero611

Chapter 8

The room, majestic in its grandeur and décor radiates with the luminance of a thousand lit orbs. Dignitaries and soldiers alike all dance to the beautifully melodic sounds filling the air. My parents, clad in their robes the color of our royal house, drift before me, entranced in one another. So much loves flows between them that it is impossible to not feel it by just standing beside them.

I long for that kind of love. All consuming, thought provoking, life changing love. I yearn to one day feel the love of my soul’s mate.

“My lady” I hear and feel a shiver of anticipation as his smooth timber washes over me. “Perhaps her highness might spare a dance for this humble soldier” he requests and holds his hand out to me in a gesture of gallantness. My eyes focus on his, the color of our most precious gemstones and find them filled with pure adoration.

I offer him no more than a demure smile in response and take his offered hand.

When her eyes slowly fluttered open, Liz was momentarily confused about where she was and what had just happened. Gradually, the dream began to fade into the deepest recesses of her mind until only a small trace of an image remained. It was enough to visibly shake her as Liz pushed the blanket away from her body.

Her mind seemed to operate on auto pilot as she pulled on a pair of jeans and reached for a blue and grey, West Roswell sweatshirt. Absentmindedly, she stepped into a pair of running shoes and reached for something to pull her hair up with. Her heart beat a frantic rhythm and her hands shook as she pushed up her window and stepped out on the balcony. There was no hesitation in her movements as she clambered down the old iron ladder to the pavement.

Liz had no real destination in mind as she began walking along the darkened sidewalk. She stuffed her hands inside her pockets to keep them from shaking and forced her heart to slow back to a normal pace. Words and images flashed before her eyes in rapid succession but none of it made any sense. Her mind recalled a pair of eyes… a tone of voice but Liz wasn’t sure who they belonged to.

“Just calm down” she coached herself and looked around at the neighborhood she had wandered into. A sign blaring the name ‘Murray Lane’ stared down at her, making Liz even more confused than she had been. However, instead of over thinking it like she normally would have, Liz kept walking until she reached a white, Spanish style colonial home on the corner of the block. “God, this is crazy” she thought, biting her lip in nervousness.

It occurred to her then that she had no idea which window belonged to Max. “I’m going crazy” Liz muttered and forced her legs to keep moving. Quickly, she tried to recall everything Max had mentioned in the two weeks they had been officially dating. Liz knew he and Isabel both lived on the first floor because he said Tess used to sneak through Isabel’s window to get away from her parents’ arguing.

As she made it into the backyard undetected, Liz stood staring at two identical windows on opposite sides of the back wall. Both had black shudders flanking the window panes and neither had a sliver of light peeking out from inside. “Liz… what are you doing out here?” She gasped loudly at the unexpected voice and whirled around to face the short blonde toting a gym bag over her shoulder. She silently chided herself for paying so little attention that she didn’t even hear the other girl walk up.

“Tess… hi” she greeted and tugged at the hem of her sweatshirt uncomfortably. “I know this looks really bad but…”

“His window is the one on the right” she said, and sent Liz a small smile as she began to walk backwards towards Isabel’s window. “You know, I’m glad that the two of you are dating. For the longest time I thought you had something going with Kyle Valenti” Tess admitted.

Shaking her head emphatically, Liz uttered out “Oh god, no” then blushed at her adamant response.

“Good to know” Tess laughed and offered Liz one last rueful smile before hoisting herself up into Isabel’s bedroom. The brief conversation managed to calm Liz’s nerves but a part of her still really wanted to just talk to Max. She wasn’t sure why and she certainly didn’t want to overwhelm him with her alien-like problems but it just didn’t seem right to talk about her dream with anyone else.

Putting one foot in front of the other, Liz walked up to the window and tried to knock as quietly as possible on the glass. Looking around, she listened as the birds chirped and the wind lightly billowed, causing errant strands of hair to fly in her face. “Liz” she heard from a voice roughened with sleep. “Hey… what’s wrong?” he asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. For just a moment, she looked up at him and couldn’t believe all that had happened in two short weeks.

Not only did the pair become an official couple, but Michael actually accepted their new status. He said he figured it wouldn’t hurt anything since Max already knew the secret of their origins. Kyle, of course, had teased her mercilessly about dating a jock and about his original statement that Max had liked Liz all along.

They were dating but they hadn’t actually gone on an official date, not counting the Crash Festival at least. Between his football practices and Liz’s extra hours at the café, the two mostly saw each other for minutes at a time and then talked on the phone at night. She still refused to go to a football game but Max didn’t mind as much as Maria swore he would, especially since the two had spent a lot of time in the Eraser Room, making up for absences.

“A dream” Liz answered and tried to focus on everything she had seen before, rather than the sight of Max wearing only a pair of boxers and a wife beater. His hair was mussed from sleep and his eyes held a hint of tiredness in them as they focused on her apologetic expression.

“Come in here” he said and held his hand out to help her climb through the window. The room, devoid of any light, was quiet and still as Max led Liz towards his rumpled bed. Blindly, he reached out for the lamp and flooded a small area of the room with a dim light. “What was the dream about?” he asked and took her hand in his. The feel of his skin comforted Liz more than she cared to admit as she tried to dredge up the vision of her mystery man. Belatedly, she considered the possibility that Max wouldn’t want to hear about dreams involving other guys.

“That’s the thing. It wasn’t so much a dream, as it was a memory… at least I think it was a memory” Liz revealed in a hushed voice. “I’m not sure why but we normally don’t dream… at least Michael and Kyle don’t but for a long time now, I go to sleep and I can see myself somewhere else, some time else… I think. Sometimes they’re there with me and other times I’m walking or talking and the one I just had tonight felt so real… so familiar and… god, that really doesn’t make any sense at all does it?” she asked, sounding self deprecating and embarrassed that she had walked all the way to his house in the middle of the night over a dream that most likely meant nothing at all. “I’m sorry that I woke you.”

“I’m not” Max admitted after a contemplative pause. “I’m glad that you feel like you can come to me with stuff like this… that you trust me enough to come to me” he said and brushed a ghost of a kiss against her lips. “I just wish that I could somehow help you.”

“This is helping me” Liz replied. “Michael and Kyle don’t believe in what I dream. They think my imagination is just trying to compensate for a history we’ve somehow all forgotten. They don’t understand what it feels like for me when I have these dreams” she quietly murmured.

“Well you could stay here with me if you want. We could get up early and I could drive you back to the Crashdown before either of our parents wake up” he offered, sounding sincere and concerned while Liz thought over the possibility.

Her parents, while sweet and caring, weren’t exactly the strict kind. For years they had allowed their daughter to spend as much time alone with two boys as she wanted, no questions asked. It wasn’t as if they had to worry about Michael or Kyle but then again, they didn’t know that either. Liz figured she could probably feed them sort of story if they happened to walk into her room early and found her missing. Plus she also really wanted to stay with Max. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt like she would finally be able to fall back to sleep if he was beside her.

“I’d like that” Liz answered and was awarded a please grin from Max.

“Why don’t I lend you a pair of boxers to sleep in” he suggested, already rising from his place on the mattress. “You can change in the bathroom and I’ll wait out here” he said, gesturing towards the closed door a few feet away from the bed.

“Works for me” Liz agreed, deciding that the alternative was much better than falling asleep in a pair of old jeans. It only took a couple of minutes to get changed and soon enough, Liz nervously walked over to the bed where Max had already burrowed beneath the comforter. Even in the dark, the blue and green plaid stood out brightly in stark contrast to the white material of Max’s wife beater.

“Come here” he said and pulled her against his body the moment she slid in beside him. Laying on their sides with little more than a breath between their bodies, he lightly ran his fingers down her face, following every curve and plane. “You are so beautiful” he murmured and brushed his lips over hers again. It was the gentlest of caresses as his hands steadily wandered lower until both rested on the small of her back.

“You already got me into bed, you can stop being such a charmer” Liz whispered teasingly but noticed that her joke didn’t have the desired effect on Max. Instead, his lips turned down in a pensive frown that had the smile slipping away from her own expression. “It was just a joke” she murmured after several silent seconds had past.

“How many guys have you dated or kissed or… done anything with?” Max hesitantly queried, looking almost pained by the question.

“Uh…why?” Liz asked back, perplexed by the sharp turn in conversation.

“Because I want to be honest with you about something” Max answered and lowered his eyes as he seemed to struggle with his next sentence. “How do you even say something like this?” he muttered, filling Liz with a strong sense of dread. “Okay… the thing is that… I’ve had a lot of girlfriends in the past. Some of them were just these short, nothing relationships but there were a few that um… well they were relationships where a lot happened. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“You’ve had sex with more than one girl” Liz stated flatly and rolled over to lie on her back, hearing his quiet murmur of agreement. “The dream that woke me up… the one that led me here” she reminded and nervously wrung her hands together. “With all my heart, I believe it’s a memory and in this… memory, I keep seeing the same face. I think he was my husband” she admitted but was too scared to search his gaze. “I think that I once lived before. I think that I was somehow reincarnated and I think I left behind a husband.”

Max didn’t immediately say anything but Liz could practically feel his heart beating a little faster. She was scared to look at him, scared that he would push her away because of the newfound knowledge. Her fears, however, did not come to pass as he finally opened his mouth to speak. “So if a husband trumps sex… does that mean you aren’t upset by my confession?”

It was such a strange way of looking at it that Liz almost laughed out loud. “You don’t think I’m crazy?” she asked, finally turning back on her side to search his expression for any signs.

“You can dissolve bullets and set off firecrackers with a wave of your hand. Is a past life really that far out of the realm of possibility where you’re concerned” Max dryly responded. With his palm flattened over her cheek, cupping her soft skin, he leaned down to press his lips against hers in a gentle, lingering kiss. “I don’t think you’re crazy, but I am a bit intimidated” he confessed. “Imagine a guy walking around with all of your capabilities, desperately trying to find you again.”

It isn’t as simple as that, Liz thought. She knew that the version of herself in the dreams had loved the man haunting her sleep. He played a large part in her life and even in her dreams, Liz felt it. She was scared and intrigued by it at the same time. In her present life, that man didn’t exist and she had to wonder why. Why was she given a second chance at life? Why were Michael and Kyle given that same opportunity but her husband wasn’t?

Liz desperately wished she had someone to give her the answers. Talking to her two best friends may help but then they might also think she was putting too much faith on a bunch of dreams. Slowly, she felt like she was going crazy and tightly held onto Max’s faith in her. He had no reason to believe the insane suggestions falling from her mouth, yet he did and that filled Liz with an indescribable feeling. All she knew was that it was welcome and comforted her more than anything else did.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you” Liz teased and smiled a little wider when Max finally grinned and shook his head ruefully. “ Goodnight, Max” she whispered and snuggled up against his chest as his arms came around to hold her close.

“Night” he quietly whispered back.


~&~&~&~&~&


“You are in big trouble, mister” declared Maria, eyes blazing as she zeroed in on Kyle. Her antennae bobbled uncontrollably as she reached a hand forward to poke his chest in obvious anger. “How could you not tell me that your dad was gonna propose to my mom?” she demanded, garnering the attention of Michael, Liz and Max who all watched from the kitchen doorway as Maria began chastising Kyle.

“Um… I didn’t know?” he said though it sounded more like a question as fear flashed in his eyes. Liz barely stifled a laugh at the sight though Michael seemed to be having a much more difficult time containing his mirth.

“Really? So then explain to me why your dad casually mentioned that you helped pick out the ring” Maria questioned with hurt in her own emerald depths. “Damn it, Kyle… I thought that you and I had a deal. We were gonna stick together on this because of how weird it is for the both of us. I thought you would have at least mentioned it to me so that I wouldn’t be sideswiped with the blinding diamond on my mom’s finger” she stated in a much calmer voice.

From where he stood, pressed up against the lockers in fear, Kyle’s expression softened and he pulled Maria into an awkward, brotherly hug. Her tears soaked through his t-shirt, making him feel even worse than he already did. “It’s not like I did it intentionally. He only told me yesterday, I had no idea he was gonna rush right over there afterwards and do it. I figured he’d wait it out a little… you know, come up with something really good to say first” he explained as Maria finally looked up at him, embarrassment clear in her features.

Tugging on Michael’s shirt, Liz gestured to him and Max that they should move back into the kitchen to give the pair some privacy. She was happy to notice a glint of jealousy in Michael’s gaze as he stared at Maria and Kyle. So far his pace had turned out to be as fast as a turtle ran which no doubt, irritated Maria.

According to her blonde friend, the two made out in the eraser room a couple of times but Michael had yet to ask her out on a date. Liz decided she’d have to give him a very insistent shove forward if he didn’t hurry up and make a move. Maria was a beautiful girl and if she wanted to, she could have another boyfriend, something Michael needed to wake up and realize.

“Hockey later?” Michael asked as he went back to building galaxy subs.

“Since when do I ever watch hockey with you?” Liz questioned and leaned against the back counter as the two males exchanged a look. “What?” she asked, looking between the two suspiciously.

“He was talking to me” Max finally said when Michael remained tight lipped. “I’m going by the sheriff’s house later to watch the game with Michael and Kyle” he explained as surprise made a home on Liz’s expression. “I gotta go pick up Isabel and Tess from cheerleading practice but I’ll talk to you later” he said and pressed a single, heartfelt kiss against Liz’s lips. “Later Mike” he added to the other male who simply raised his hand in acknowledgement.

“So you guys are friends now?” Liz questioned with an amused smirk on her face.

“You’re the one who told me to be nice to him” Michael defensively replied.

“Whoa, down boy” Liz said with a laugh. “I think it’s great that you guys are getting to know him better. Maybe now I can actually spend time with Maria instead of getting dragged from one TV to another so you and Kyle can watch a tractor pull or prized fighting” she teased with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Bite me” came Michael’s favored retort.

“I thought I already told you that you’re too bitter for my taste” Liz grinned and walked away, shaking her head in amusement.


~&~&~&~&~&


“And the worst part is that she wants us to move in with Valenti now, so that we won’t have to worry about moving after the wedding” Maria informed and dug her spoon back into the cartoon of Rocky Road ice cream. “I know he’s one of your best friends and all but I have absolutely no desire to share a bathroom with Kyle. I mean… he’ll probably always leave the toilet seat up and urg! I bet he’ll leave little hairs in the sink every time he shaves.”

Since Kyle usually just waved his hand over his face to get rid of stubble, Liz highly doubted he’d leave hair in the sink but wisely kept that bit of information to herself.

“Not to mention the bridesmaid dresses. Can you say hippie?” Maria groaned and threw her head back against the soft cushions of Liz’s living room couch. “She even wants me to wear a wreath of flowers in my hair. God, this is gonna be a disaster” she declared, sounding near hysterical as Liz searched for the best way to soothe her friend’s nerves.

“So it sounds a bit out there but look at it this way, your mom is really happy. She loves the sheriff and he’s a great guy” Liz stated with utmost certainty. “And don’t worry about Kyle. He’s normally a neat person and if you threaten him with bodily harm, he’ll remember to put the toilet seat down when he’s finished” she added with a smile, hoping to draw one out of Maria.

“She really does love him” Maria acknowledged. “Okay, fine… I’ll give the whole thing a fair chance” she grudgingly conceded. “But enough about the wedding, tell me about you and Max” she encouraged while an excited grin replaced her reluctant expression. “You guys have been dating for what… almost a month now, right? How far have the two of you gotten and is he really as hot with his clothes off as he is with them on?” she questioned, causing Liz to blush in embarrassment.

“Maria!” she said, scolding and shook her head in exasperation. “No, we haven’t slept together, not that I’d give you details if we had” Liz informed and watched Maria’s eyes narrow slightly.

“How could you not tell me?” Maria all but demanded. “As the only two girls in the group, we have a responsibility to tell the other everything about the opposite sex. Now quit being a prude and tell me what you have done” she insisted, making it plainly obvious that she would not take no for an answer.

“Maria” Liz repeated, this time pleading rather than scolding. “Fine. We’ve made out… a lot but honestly that’s as far as it’s gone” she admitted truthfully and hoped it would be enough to satisfy her friend’s curiosity.

It wasn’t that the idea to take things further hadn’t crossed her mind a time or two, it was that she was scared to actually do it. None of them had ever had sex before and Liz feared something strange might happen when they did. Max said he wasn’t worried but respected her desire to wait. After all, she had a human body, human organs, human everything but blood. Max truly believed that nothing bad would happen to him when and if they finally took that last step.

“Yeah, well… at least Max calls you and walks you to class and all that other boyfriend stuff. I can’t even get Michael to admit he likes me. Every time I try to talk to him about it, he shoves his tongue down my throat and I forget all about it” Maria candidly revealed.

Liz wanted to tell Maria that it wasn’t about not having feelings for her but about his own fears that held him back. When it came down to it, Michael was just as scared as Liz was that getting involved with humans would somehow hurt them. She wanted Maria to know how much Michael liked her but it wasn’t her place. Liz couldn’t have explained it if she tried, short of telling Maria the whole truth and at that point, letting another person in on the secret would probably set Michael off.

“But while we’re on the subject of boys, guess what I heard today” Maria said, looking distinctly more upbeat than she had been.

“What?” Liz asked and swallowed another spoonful of ice cream. The cold confection was nearly flavorless in her mouth but she couldn’t exactly add a pack of sugar or dose of Tabasco to it when Maria was eating from the same cartoon. Instead, she had spoonful after spoonful, pretending to enjoy the treat just as much as her friend did.

“Alex and the ice princess herself were working on her Spanish when her cell phone starts to ring. Next thing he knows, Isabel is bawling over something so Alex, ever the gentleman, tries to comfort her” Maria stated, causing Liz to frown slightly.

While Isabel had initially been hasty with her judgments, she had been considerably nicer to Liz since that night at the festival. They would never be best friends but the tall blonde had at least begun to make an effort where Liz concerned, something that greatly pleased Max.

“Then before he could blink, Isabel plants a big wet one on his lips, tells him thank you and flounces out of the room like the Queen of Sheba” Maria dramatically concluded.

“Okay, I totally wasn’t expecting that” Liz admitted, looking perplexed as she faced Maria. “Wow! Isabel kissed Alex” she repeated, hoping that her long time friend wouldn’t be too disappointed if it turned to be a simple gesture of gratitude. “I guess nice guys don’t always finish last after all” she murmured.

The gossiping continued and moved on to the nasty things some girls were saying about Liz because of her relationship with Max. More venting about Michael, along with a description of his kissing style, something Liz could have done without hearing. Followed lastly by more bridesmaid dress bashing. When Maria finally left, later that night, Liz felt lighthearted and forgot to worry about the dreams she’d undoubtedly have the moment her head touched the pillow.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Thanks for all thre great feedback!!

LairaBehr4
FSU/MSW-94
PMP
midnightstar29
Jason's Lover
nibbles2
Behrystrwbry

Chapter 9

Several afternoons found Liz standing outside the Evans house with her hand poised, ready to knock. Before she had the chance, the door was flung open by Isabel who hastily ambled out. “Oh god, I’m sorry” Isabel quickly apologized for almost bulldozing Liz over. “Max is in his room. Down the hall, first on your left” she informed and hurried forward before Liz had a chance to respond.

Blinking in surprise, Liz walked through the open doorway and quietly closed the door behind her. There wasn’t a sound to greet her as she tentatively followed Isabel’s directions and ended up in front of Max’s bedroom door. This time, she had the opportunity to knock and wait for him to answer. “Hey” he greeted and pressed a long, thorough kiss to her lips. Moaning, Liz’s arms twined around his neck as he slipped his tongue in her mouth to duel teasingly with her own.

One hand buried itself in her hair while the other banded around her waist, pulling her up tightly against his muscled body.

The flashes were quick to start, revealing images of their month long relationship. The kisses, the hugs, the looks… it was all there as Max continued to feast on her lips. “I like kissing you” Liz murmured when the need for air became too great and they reluctantly slowed their kisses into sporadic caresses.

“So do I” Max replied and pulled her further inside the room. With the door closed, he nudged her up against the hard wood and plundered her mouth once again in a passionate kiss.

Hands roaming, his fingertips skimmed the petal soft skin of her sides, slowly trailing up until they rested just beneath her breasts. Liz felt her breath hitch and moaned quietly against his lips. Her own hands began to push up on the material of his t-shirt, revealing several inches of his toned stomach. The muscles bunched beneath her fingers as she teasingly trailed them over the defined ridges.

Wrenching his mouth away, Max began to drag his lips down her throat in a series of hot, open mouthed kisses. Liz’s head fell back against the door with a look of enraptured pleasure. “Max” she lightly panted as his hands journeyed up the remaining inch to cup her lace covered breasts.

Just then the phone began ringing. “Ignore it” he muttered and reclaimed her lips, tangling his tongue with hers.

“Max or Izzy, I need one of you to go into your dad’s study and retrieve the Thomas file. I’d do it myself but your father has a client coming by in the next few minutes. I really appreciate it and I love you both, bye.”

“Now that’s a buzz kill” Max muttered regretfully and leaned his forehead against Liz’s as they both tried to calm their ragged breathing. Nodding, Liz couldn’t help but brush her lips against his once last time. “Do you want to come with me?” he invited and methodically combed his fingers through her soft brown locks.

“Sure” Liz agreed and accepted several more small kisses. “We should um… go now, though” she added, realizing that if they didn’t pull away soon, they wouldn’t at all.

“Right” Max reluctantly conceded. “Right” he muttered and forced his body away from Liz’s. Taking deep breaths, she watched as he grabbed his keys and wallet off of the desk top and turned back to face her, looking as frustrated as she felt. Smiling, he held his hand out for her and intertwined their fingers. It was a small gesture but Liz noticed how he always did it whenever they were together.

A few minutes were all it took to grab the requested file and to climb into Max’s jeep. The afternoon was still early but the sun had already begun to set. Before she could help it, another image flashed before her eyes, reminding Liz of the dream she had had the night before.

“This is my favorite time of day” I admit as we walk through the gardens. His hands remain clasped behind his back like a proper gentleman but ever so often I see his arm twitch. He wants to take my hand but fears his advances will be rebuffed. I wish I could reach out and take his hand but it’s forbidden. Indulging such romantic notions would only lead to trouble. “The sky becomes lit with an array of colors more beautiful than all the priceless gemstones in the palace. Sometimes I wish that it looked like this all day, every day” I confess.

“The horizon is a wondered beauty” he acknowledges in a soft voice. “But its beauty pales in comparison to the one who raptly watches it.”

“You flatter me” I say but refuse to meet his eyes as his own gaze intently watches me. I should feel unnerved by his attention but on the contrary, a tingle of pleasure crawls up my spine.

“Flattery has nothing to do with it” he says and tentatively turns me around to face him. “My lady… could there ever be a day when you might look upon me and see more than a soldier? Could I ever be worthy of your affections” he questions with such reverence that the breath leaves my body for a still moment.

“My heart aches for the answer I must give you” I say and watch as defeat fills is gaze.

“Isabel seemed like she was in a hurry” Liz commented in an effort to push down her dream filled thoughts.

“Cheerleader emergency” Max said ruefully. “They got new uniforms in for the upcoming competition and the sizes were all wrong” he explained and turned onto Spruce Street where his parents’ office resided. “So she and Tess were gonna go down to the school and try to salvage as many of them as they could. Who knows how long that’ll take.” Liz nodded but felt a sharp pang of guilt in her chest.

Day by day, her feelings for Max continued to grow. Each time they kissed, he opened himself up to her, allowing her to know him in ways he’d never let anyone know him before. Liz truly wished she could do the same but she was scared of what he might see. She was scared of the things she didn’t understand and the things she couldn’t explain to him or to herself. Because of that fear, it almost felt like she was cheating him out of everything he deserved.

Her feelings pulled her into two different directions. She wanted to let go of her past and instead focus on the future but with so many unanswered questions and so many uncertainties, she couldn’t bring herself to quit chasing memories. It didn’t help that the one person she had come to believe she could always talk to, was the one person she couldn’t tell the truth to.

Liz even considered telling Michael and Kyle about the increased frequency of the dreams but she held back because she knew that they wouldn’t understand until she could prove to them that what she saw was real. So she kept quiet and hoped that the dreams… the source of all her confusion… would eventually give her the answers she needed.

“I’m just gonna run in real quick and give this to my parents” Max said as he pulled to a stop in one of the empty spaces in front of the family law firm. “Be right back” he said and leaned forward to peck Liz’s lips. Smiling, she nodded and watched him jog up the short sidewalk that led to the glass entrance doors. As soon as he stepped inside, she let her smile slip away and leaned back against the ragged seat with a frustrated sigh.


~&~&~&~&~&


“You’re gonna lose her you know?” Liz stated a few days later as she and Michael worked side by side in the kitchen. From the pass through window, they watched Maria serve a group of four guys in their class and noticed the way they checked her out as she walked away. “If you don’t swallow your pride and admit to her how you feel, she’s gonna slip away.”

“It isn’t that easy, Liz” Michael stated and forced his eyes away from the rambunctious blonde.

“Look who you’re talking to” Liz said as she looked up at him pointedly. “I know that it isn’t easy but isn’t Maria worth it?”

He didn’t say anything at first and continued to chop up vegetables for the salad he was preparing. Liz almost believed he was going to ignore her until she heard his quiet sigh of frustration. “Sometimes I wonder if the people who created us knew how hard life would be for us” he admitted in an uncharacteristic moment of sharing. “I mean, what was the point of creating three people that could do inhuman things… only to abandon us. Is this a test? Are we supposed to learn to fend for ourselves before we finally get some answers?” he asked, inadvertently voicing several of the same questions Liz had asked herself a thousand times before.

“Not to overload your emotional circuits or anything but in my experience… sometimes taking a chance is worth the risk” Liz shared, realizing the point behind Michael’s tirade. “There’s a chance that the person you care about might not understand you but there’s a really big chance that they will. I mean… look at Max. He’s this popular jock who should be the last person to accept what he knows but he does accept it. What I am doesn’t matter to him because he cares about who I am… you see my point?”

“Yeah, well… you also scored major points with him for saving his life” Michael felt the need to remind.

“Yeah, and you don’t give Maria enough credit” Liz immediately countered. “Look, the truth is that she might be freaked out or scared. She might run screaming for the hills but she might not. And until you finally grow the balls to put yourself on the line and be with her, you’ll have nothing but what ifs and unanswered questions.”

He was silent for several moments, seemingly thinking her words over… or so Liz believed. “Did you just say balls?” he asked in a mixture of surprise and amusement.

“Out of everything I just said to you that is the word you chose to focus on?” Liz demanded in a voice laced with disbelief. “You know, you may be “different” but you really are just like every other guy” she informed.


~&~&~&~&~&


“So who gave you the love bite?” Liz queried as she caught up to Kyle in the hallway. Casually, she looped her arm through his and looked up at him with an impish grin. “You can’t see it” she added as his hand immediately flew up to the collar of his shirt. “I saw it earlier this morning when Maria was tugging on your sleeve to get your attention” she explained and fluttered her lashes teasingly. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

“Like Evans never gave one” Kyle retorted weakly in an effort to get out of answering the question.

Liz easily saw through his diversion and reluctantly took the bait. “Fine… don’t tell me” she sighed, dramatically. “But I know for a fact that you are one of the homecoming king nominees so you’ll have to make an appearance at the dance next weekend. I’ll just wait and see who you bring as your date” she laughed and left Kyle behind to join Maria who was at her locker putting books away.

“I thought I was the bubbly one in the group” Maria stated as she turned and saw the wide grin on Liz’s face. “Who are you and what have you done with my pensive friend?” she half demanded.

“Can’t I just be in a good mood?” Liz innocently replied.

“Don’t tell me that you and Max finally did the horizontal polka?” Maria asked, only to be immediately shushed by Liz.

With embarrassment staining her cheeks, she shot her friend a scolding glare. “First of all, no we haven’t and second of all… horizontal polka, Maria… you’ve been spending way too much time with Kyle” she felt the need to inform, repeating the same words Maria gave her less than a month before. “But to answer your question, I really am just in a good mood. Today’s been a good day, you know?” What she wasn’t saying was that Michael had cornered her earlier and shoved her into the eraser room to ask for advice on how to invite Maria to the upcoming homecoming dance.

The idea of Michael Guerin at any after school function was a tough one to imagine but that’s what made it even more special. The fact that he was taking a risk for the girl he liked meant that he was finally starting to knock down some of his walls and Liz couldn’t have been happier for him. She had no doubt that Kyle had fun and since she began dating Max, she could honestly say that she laughed and smiled a lot more so she was glad that Michael was finally taking his turn. In her opinion, he truly deserved it.

“If you say so, hon” Maria eventually said and loudly slammed her locker door shut. “Do you need a ride to the Crashdown?”

“Thanks, but no” Liz answered as she began to walk backwards. “I’m meeting Max” she informed and smiled amusedly when Maria rolled her eyes and muttered ‘Figures.’ “I’ll call you later” she added and turned down the hall while Maria went off in the opposite direction.

Another thing that had managed to put Liz in a good mood was the fact that she had made it through the entire night without a single dream. She had no idea how long her reprieve would last but she would be thankful for it each morning when she woke up from a dreamless rest.

Lost in her thoughts, Liz wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking and bumped right into Connor Wilson, captain of the basketball team. He and his friends had been laughing and joking about something but the moment he saw Liz, his grin seemed to widen. “Little Lizzie Parker” he greeted and stepped in her path when she attempted to walk around him. “You know if I had known that a party girl lied beneath that geeky exterior, I would have taken you, myself a long time ago” Connor leered. “But when you get tired of Evans and decide you want a real man, I’ll be glad to take you on a test drive” he offered, causing his friends to hoot and cheer.

“You? Why would I want to date the school’s minute man?” she asked and offered him an apologetic smile. “Girls talk in the locker room too. Sorry” she said and tried to walk around him again when all his friends, despite their jeers, stepped forward to prevent her from passing.

With a venomous expression on his face, Connor stepped forward and reached for Liz’s arm. “I wouldn’t do that unless you want me to break that hand off” Max warned as he and several of his own friends appeared from around the corner. Protectively, Max stepped in front of Liz and gazed angrily at Connor. “Who said you could even look at her, much less talk to her?”

“It’s not my fault that your girl couldn’t resist stopping to talk to me” Connor retorted, causing Liz to seethe at his blatant lie. Instinctively, she took a step forward, prepared to slap the smirk off his face when she felt an arm pull her back. Looking over her shoulder, she found Tommy Simpson, one of Max’s closest friends. “No” he mouthed to her and gestured to where Max and Connor were staring each other down.

“I know how stupid you are so I’ll say this slowly. You stay away from Liz. If I see you talking to her or even looking at her, I’ll make sure your season ends before it starts. Got it” he warned with a hard look, an expression that seemed to mirror the faces of all the football friends standing behind him.

“Whatever Evans” Connor eventually said and pushed one of his buddies out of the way as he attempted walk off in the opposite direction.

It wasn’t until they were all out of sight that Max finally turned around to face Liz. Gesturing to his friends, they all scattered as he lifted his hands to gently cup her face. “Are you okay?” he asked, sounding so concerned that Liz almost smiled.

“I’m fine” she assured and covered his hands with hers. “But thank you.”

His penetrating stare stayed trained on her for several moments before he finally nodded and offered her a small smile. “Come on. Let’s get out of here” he suggested and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Side by side, the two walked out of the building, all the while arguing playfully about Liz’s reluctance to go to the upcoming dance. In the past, she and Michael always skipped them and stayed in watching a movie while they waited for Kyle to get back. Afterwards, he would tell Liz all about it while Michael ignored them and instead watched a repeat game on ESPN.

Liz had no problem continuing that tradition alone while Michael and Kyle went out but Max had other plans in mind. “You have to come with me. I’m up for king” Max reminded as he held his hand out to help Liz climb into the passenger side of the jeep. Quickly he went around to his side and continued his sales pitch as he started up the engine. “So I need my beautiful girlfriend by my side” he finished with a charming smile adorning his lips.

“I can’t dance” Liz admitted after a beat.

“Doesn’t matter because I can and the guy always leads anyway” Max argued back.

“I don’t have a dress” she added, quickly running out of excuses.

“Lots of girls don’t have them yet but it’s not too late. In fact, Tess is going into Las Cruces tomorrow to go shopping. You could just go with her” he volunteered with a dismissive shrug. “Don’t look at me like that. When you have a sister that lives for fashion and an extremely girly best friend, you pick up a thing or two” he added when Liz smirked at his assertion. “Now give me your next excuse. Its fun proving you wrong over and over again” he grinned.

“Ass” Liz muttered but couldn’t help but laugh at his proud expression. “Fine” she agreed with an exaggerated. “I’ll go to the dance with you.”

“And the game” Max quickly threw in.

“And the game” Liz agreed, shaking her head in mock exasperation. “God, you are so high maintenance” she teased as Max rolled to a stop in the secluded little area of the desert. With winter quickly approaching, it wasn’t as hot outside as it had been only a couple months before and Max and Liz were both eager to take advantage of their time together outside.

“Funny, Parker” Max stated and tugged Liz closer to him on the seat. Without wasting any time, he fused his lips to her smile and buried his hands in her soft, brown hair. Though it started out slow and languid, the two quickly became restless and each tried to press themselves closer together. Max’s wandering hands traveled beneath Liz’s shirt as she poked her tongue out to tangle flirtatiously with his.

“Hmmm….” Liz quietly moaned as Max’s kiss gently tugged on her lower lip.

“You feel so good” he murmured and cupped her satin covered breasts, teasingly flicking his thumbs across her nipples. He swallowed Liz’s pleasured moan and barely stifled his own when her hands began exploring his body. Tentatively, she flattened her palms over his chest and lightly ran them up and down his skin, causing his muscles to bunch with each ghost of a pass.

Neither was sure how long they sat there, making out in the front seat of his jeep and neither was ready to stop when Max’s cell phone alarm began beeping. With obvious reluctance and ragged breathing, the two slowly drew apart amidst more soft, short kisses. “I really hate football right now” he muttered while Liz dragged in a deep breath. Her hair was mussed up and her lips were swollen from his kisses. Liz noticed that Max looked just as unkempt as she probably did.

“There’s always the eraser room” Liz reminded though she felt just as restless.

“Actually… my parents aren’t gonna be around this weekend” Max tentatively admitted. “It’s their wedding anniversary on Saturday so they’ll be going to some cabin upstate for the weekend. Its what they do every year” he explained while Liz felt her heartbeat quicken at the implication.

“So maybe we can spend some time alone after the dance” she timidly suggested, all the while hoping that she hadn’t misread his reason for telling her.

“Maybe you could spend the night” Max invited and rushed forward before Liz could turn him down. “We don’t have to do anything that you aren’t ready for… we don’t have to do anything at all. I just thought it might be kind of cool to have you there” he explained and bit his lip nervously, waiting for her response.

“Maybe I could” Liz shyly agreed.

At her reply, Max’s lips broke out into a wide grin. “Great” he said then reluctantly started the engine. “But if I don’t get to practice, I’m gonna be running sprints all night” he added ruefully and waited until Liz had buckled her seat belt before driving back out onto the road. With butterflies in her stomach, she watched the passing scenery, all the while trying to decide if she was ready to take that final step with Max.

She wasn’t sure what, if anything, would happen when they slept together and decided that as embarrassing as it was, she was going to have to talk to one of her best friends about it.