Big battle scene next part that I'm anxious to write, so I PROMISE it won't take as long as this one did.
Will you ever forgive me?
LairaBehr4: Trouble? I see no trouble.
It was most from you, anyway. Thank you for restraining the ES&L'ers.clueless: Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Timelord31: Thanks so much for being so patient with me!
midnightstar29: I can't say that we'll be seeing any of Khivar in this fic. Nasedo's the only link between the two worlds right now, so eliminating him eliminates the threat.
RhondaAnn: Because... she's Tess.
No, I'm kidding. I'll have a better explination for you later on.mezz: We'll see, we'll see.
Jennifer24: I'm going to have to agree with Laura. One of my favorite comments thus far. With the "tra la la"ing and all.
dreamon: Thanks! Sorry this took so long!
Scottie: Woo! Are you pumped? I'm pumped. Next part, though.
sylus27: We'll see.
Flamehair: Aw, thanks!
jamy21: Because I'm me. And I love angst.
MP: Thanks!
ultimatepickupline: He'll slowly get there. He's got to trust himself to trust the others, but he's definately getting to that point.
loviedovie: Aw, thanks!
Antarian_Chica24: Your comment made me giggle a little. Just the part about you not being into violence, but you're all for it for him. Thanks so much!
Thanks for all of the bumps, as well. They were those little nagging voices in the back of my head going "Write something! Write something!!"
And where has the dreaming been in this fic? I don't think we've had enough of it...
Previously: Pierce's true identity was revealed and Max was faced with yet another situation to put himself in in order to protect the others. Everyone refused Max forfeiting his life, and they all agreed it was time to fight back and eliminate the only link that attached them to Khivar. (Edited to add this at the request/suggestion of ultimatepickupline)
Part 21
Alex, Liz, and Maria were to hide at first and make sure that everything was going to go okay. Alex would operate a video camera that would document the battle. If it looked like things would take a turn for the worse, he would calmly explain to Nasedo that the camera was recording to a remote location. Then he’d threaten him with exposure. Hopefully Max, Michael, and Isabel would be able to recover in the time Alex was using to distract him and they’d overtake him.
It was simple enough, really.
Max turned to his parents, “You’ve got to leave the house.”
“I don’t think so. Not when our children and their friends are in danger.” Diane replied hotly, glaring at her son.
“No, Mom, you don’t understand. If something happens to one of you and it’s my fault, I’ll never forgive myself. This is dangerous. I’m begging you to leave now, while you can.” He pleaded, his eyes tired. “Valenti’s dropping by the camera for Alex in a minute or two, just… can you go with him and then you can watch the progress from there? Please? It’ll be so much safer…”
Phillip shook his head, “We wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if any of you died while we’re watching it on a screen, safely tucked away with Jim. You’re only teenagers, Max. I don’t think you understand that you’re not invincible, that he could kill you.”
Max’s face darkened slightly at his father’s words, “I do realize that we’re not invincible.” He looked to the ground, “I know that better than anyone.”
Phillip regretted his words, “I… I know, Max… But I won’t condemn you to death. Not again. You’ve already escaped it once, and I don’t want you going back into the line of fire alone.”
Michael stepped forward, positioning himself right next to Max, “He won’t be alone.”
“That’s right,” Isabel stepped to Max’s other side. Slowly, all of the other teens joined them. Isabel nodded, “We’ll be with him this time.”
The picture of the teens unified, standing in Max’s defense, was enough to convince Phillip and Diane that the bond that they shared was special. Each teen was so set on defending the others, so set on winning this fight, they agreed.
Ten minutes later, Alex was setting up the video equipment. Diane and Phillip had left with Valenti, and now it was a matter of waiting.
Max had been hovering in the entrance way, and Liz approached him cautiously. They needed to talk… before Nasedo wreaked havoc on their lives once again.
He nodded silently when he felt her presence. He knew this would be coming. Their future was uncertain, and she wanted to understand what had happened to him. What had made him make the decisions that he had made. And he knew, without a doubt, that somehow she would win the argument.
Because somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that he had to get it out into the open. He had to move past this stage in his life, or he would never be able to heal. And he had to do it before it could be too late to do so.
“Let’s go to my room… more private.” Max muttered lowly. He didn’t want to leave his post, but he didn’t want everyone to be around for this. It was between him and Liz.
Liz nodded and followed him silently. When they were both inside, Max closed the door behind them.
Max sat on the edge of the bed and Liz followed suit. Liz cleared her throat. She didn’t care for an ice breaker, not at this point, “Max, I need to know what happened to you. I need to know what Pierce… Nasedo did to you. Because if I never know, I’ll just keep imagining all of these things or feeling guilty that I wasn’t able to prevent them.”
“No, Liz, stop. You did nothing wrong. How would you have prevented them? Don’t you dare feel guilty for getting out of there when you did. What would you have done? Watched as they did… what they did?” Max shook his head.
“I wish that none of this had happened. It’s not fair. It’s not fair!” She sprang to her feet, her voice raising at her last sentence. She paced in front of him, “I know that this is a terrible thing to ask, Max, but… you still haven’t gotten out of that Hell, have you? I mean… we got you back physically, but…”
Max lowered his head, “I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?! Being tortured” he flinched at the word, “by the FBI?! Is that what you’re sorry for?! You have every reason to react the way you have been acting. I just wish that I could’ve helped you at least try to get your life back.”
Max chuckled grimly, “You did help me get my life back. I was going to give up, Liz. I was going to let myself be taken by that disease. But then your words and Alex’s words… they just… they made me realize that giving up would be heartless.”
Liz shook her head slowly back and forth, “Max, we can’t keep living like this. I know that it’ll be hard and I know that you probably won’t want to, but everything would just be so much easier if you let me see what happened. We need this. You’re drifting away from me, and I won’t let you. I want to know what happened to you. Please.”
She was right. He knew she was right. If they even had a future, there was no way they could move past this unless they were completely honest with each other.
“I don’t want to you… feel what I had to feel. I don’t want you to ever have to experience that.” He took her face in his hand, “Liz, you don’t deserve to suffer because of what I am. What was done to me… you can’t take it back. Letting you see what happened would only be making you suffer needlessly. It won’t achieve anything.”
Liz held his gaze steadily, “I want to know. I need to understand what happened, Max. I need to know.”
“Liz…” His excuses were wavering. He wanted to tell someone what had happened. All he wanted to do with his life was get it back to normal. He wanted to go back to before this whole thing happened.
“Please, Max.” She begged.
He couldn’t deny that. He had to give her what she wanted. Keeping his hand around his face, he spoke in a wavering voice, “J-just c-clear your mind.”
Liz did as she was told, her heart swelling at the thought that Max was finally going to let her in.
Flash
Pierce fired a bullet straight into Max’s gut, creating a fatal wound. Max’s turmoil and wish to not heal himself, only to be forced into it by the threat of hurting someone else.
Flash
Pierce’s icy fingers hooking the collar around Max.
Flash
Pierce injecting Max with the green virus.
Flash
The temperature of the room rising to an unbearable temperature as the floor too was heated. Max’s skin burned and blistered while he struggled to keep any inch of skin from touching the floor.
Flash
The temperature of the room decreasing drastically. Max huddling in a corner to try and conserve body warmth.
Flash
Being captured in the casket filled with ice and water, only to be left there for what felt like hours. His eyes and mouth freezing closed.
Flash
Max being dragged straight out of the casket and out onto a table where electrodes were hooked up to his body. The many volts of electricity coursing through his body until he could no longer even think about moving.
Flash
Begging Pierce to kill him. Hoping that he would just starve to death.
Flash
Liz opened her eyes, utterly speechless. Tears were already flowing down her cheeks. She had no idea what Max had to go through. It took her a second to realize that Max wasn’t standing with her anymore. He was on the floor, his head on his knees, sobbing.
Liz crouched by him, drawing him into a tight hug, “Shh, it’s okay now. You’re not there anymore. They can’t hurt you.”
Max shook his head, “Not that. I-I… Oh, God, Liz.” He squeezed his arms even tighter around her, running his fingers through her hair, “I didn’t believe you when you told me that they didn’t hurt you. I didn’t believe you.”
Liz gasped in realization. Max had seen what she had experienced when she was caught by Pierce. Max continued, “And… the only way they were hurting you w-was by m-making you watch them t-t-torture me.”
He buried his head in the crook of her neck, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry they made you watch. I’m going to kill him for what he did to you. I’m going to kill him. I wish that you had never gotten so close to me. They never would have involved you. I’m so sorry.”
Liz cried with Max, but for her own reasons. She took a shuddering breath, “M-Max… you went through so much. I-I’m the one who should be sorry. D-don’t apologize to me. All of this happened to you b-because you m-made the deal to release me.”
“Liz, stop. I wasn’t going to let them cut you open.” Max replied, the tears still flowing freely down his cheeks.
She shook her head, “I was so selfish. I was mad at you lately… for withdrawing so much. But I didn’t understand what you were going through. I’m so sorry. F-forgive me?”
“I wouldn’t dream of holding it against you.” Max replied. “I should have been with you, supporting you. I was the one being selfish. I thought it would be the best for you if I distanced myself, but I didn’t realize how much that was hurting you.” He gave a weak chuckle, “We’ve made a lot of mistakes in the last couple of weeks, haven’t we?”
Liz nodded her head, “But we did one thing right. Always thinking of each other. Always holding out hope for the other. We never gave up. We had faith.”
“And we still have faith.” Max reminded her, “We’ll always have it. No matter what we lose, it’ll always be there.”
Liz nodded. Max lifted his head from her shoulder and smiled weakly at her. He raised his hands to her cheeks and wiped her tears away with his thumbs, “Liz Parker, you’re the only reason I stayed sane. You’re what got me through everything. Even after I got home and I felt like my world was drifting away from me, a picture of you floated into my mind. And I knew that everything would be okay.”
Liz was speechless. She could only reply by taking his face in her hands and bringing her lips to his.
At first he was shocked by her move, but he recovered quickly. He dragged his tongue over her lower lip and permission to explore her mouth was instantly granted. Liz wrapped her arms around his neck, moving slowly to sit in his lap.
After a few minutes, Max drew back from Liz.
Liz leaned her forehead against his and exhaled deeply.
Max locked eyes with her, “I love you, Liz. I always have and always will.”
“I love you too,” Liz smiled broadly, “I’ve waited so long for you to come back to me, Max. I don’t know how I survived without you.”
“Is there any chance of me talking you out of staying here?” Max questioned her. He had never been a fan of Liz (or anyone else for that matter) staying to fight. He wouldn’t be able to stand it if she died trying to save him.
Liz shook her head, “You’re stuck with me.”
Max sighed deeply, the frustration building, “Fine. But know this… I’m going to protect you and everyone else. I won’t let Nasedo hurt any of you. At all costs.”
TBC...