Roswell Fanatics

Alien_Friend
Keepsmiling7
Michelle17
begonia9508
mary mary
angiebrenna
sptfire86
AlysLuv
zaneri1
Superman86

Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the feedback and I hope you enjoy this next part.



Liz stepped out of the bathroom with a robe wrapped tightly around her body. She and Lexie got to the hotel around noon and had lunch. Afterwards, Liz had decided to take a shower, hoping to alleviate some of the stress she’d been feeling for the past few days. But even a forty-five minute shower couldn’t make her forget about her encounter with Max earlier, or the fact that she and Lexie were going to have dinner with him tomorrow night. The whole thing was on big nightmare that she desperately wanted to wake up from, but knew she wouldn‘t. When she came out, she found Lexie sitting on the queen sized bed with Liz’s cell phone to her ear.

“Who’s on the phone?”

“Hold on. She just came out,” Lexie told whoever was on the phone. She got off the bed and reached out to give the phone to Liz. “It’s Maria,” she told her mom. “Can I go check out the vending machines?”

Liz nodded as she took the phone. “But don’t be too long,” she tried to tell Lexie, but her daughter was already out the door. When the door clicked shut, Liz put the phone to her ear. “Hello, traitor.”

“Don’t be like that,” Maria said, sounding a little guilty. “I didn’t say anything to her. She just figured it out.”

“Maria, it’s you. You don’t have to be saying anything to be saying something. It’s usually all over your face.”

“Liz, I really am sorry,” she said again. “But she was going to find out eventually. It was her right to know.”

Liz sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Maria’s tone was calm, but Liz could still hear a trace of sadness in her best friend’s voice. She knew that Maria was thinking about not being able to know her own father. When Mr. Deluca walked out on his family, she and Maria were only ten. But she could still see the devastated look on Maria’s face when she came to tell her. Her anger started wane a little as she thought about why her friend had been against her keeping Lexie away from her dad, but she still argued. “Even if it was, it wasn’t your place to tell her or hint to her, or anything.

Maria didn’t have an argument for that. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Liz nodded, though she knew Maria couldn’t see her. “Did Lexie fill you in on everything that’s happened?”

“Yeah, she did. How are you handling it? Being around Max?”

She inhaled deeply, finally letting herself unload on her best friend. “I don’t know,” she said. “I mean, I made the decision a long time ago that Max wasn’t going to have anything to do with me or my life, and now…”

Maria sighed and Liz could hear the sympathy in her voice. “I know, sweetie, but you had to know that eventually this would all get out. She was going to figure out the truth somehow.”

She didn’t like hearing it, but Liz knew that Maria was right. “I just wanted to protect her,” she said feebly.

“You keep saying that, but is that the only reason you did this?”

Liz frowned. “What are you trying to say, Maria.”

There was moment of silence before Maria spoke up. “Nothing. Forget it,” she said. “Good luck with tomorrow. Have fun.

Though she said it jokingly, it still struck a chord with Liz. They said their goodbyes and Liz clicked the phone off. It was going to take more than luck to get her through this dinner tomorrow night.
Later that night, Samantha returned to her apartment with only one thing in mind. She immediately picked up the phone and punched in Max’s number. All day, she’d been able to think about nothing else except the fact that Max had a kid. She understood that he hadn’t known that Liz’s miscarriage had been a lie, but he still knew that at one point his girlfriend had been pregnant with his child. It was an entire piece of his life that she knew nothing about and that bothered her. What did it say about their relationship that he would hide something like that from her? From her.

Still, no matter how upset she was about the situation, she still had to talk to Max. She had to know what happened with his ex and daughter after she’d left.

“Hey, baby,” came Max’s voice.

Samantha smiled a little when she heard it. “Hey,” she said. “So, what happened after I left.”

Max filled her in on his plans to have dinner with Liz and Lexie tomorrow night. She tried to sound upbeat as she responded, but she couldn’t help but notice that he hadn’t said anything about wanting her to come as well. Maybe it just hadn’t occurred to him at the time, but she was hurt nonetheless. Plus she didn’t like the thought of Max alone with his ex-girlfriend. They talked for a few more minutes after that about little things before hanging up.

As she put the phone down, an idea occurred to her. Maybe Max hadn’t specifically invited her, but he didn’t need to. She was his fiancée. She had every right to be there. Smiling to herself, Samantha stood up and padded into her luxurious bathroom for a bath.
Max had just finished setting the table when he heard the doorbell ring. They’re here, he thought nervously, inhaling deeply. If only his fans could see this. The lead singer of a world wide famous band getting all nervous about spending time with his fifteen-year old daughter and his ex-girlfriend.

He opened the door and let Liz and Lexie inside. The three of them walked into the dining room and Liz’s eyes took in the beautifully set table. The delicious smell of chicken hit her nose and she turned to Max. “Did you cook?”

He nodded. “Yep. Chicken Parmesan.”

Liz looked stunned. When they had been together, Max could barely make toast let alone an entire Italian dish. Max smiled a little, guessing her thoughts. “A lot has changed,” he told her.

She looked away from Max. “Yeah, it has.”

An awkward silence fell over the room and Liz knew that Max was thinking the same thing that she was. There had been a time when they’d known each other better than anyone. Now they were strangers to each other. For a very brief moment, Liz almost wished they could go rewind time.

The doorbell rang again and all three of them turned their heads towards the living room.

“Expecting someone?” Lexie asked, looking back at Max.

“No.” Max was just as surprised as they were. He left Liz and Lexie in the dining room to get the door. When he opened it, Samantha breezed inside, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming over.”

“Well, I thought I should come and offer morale support,” she told him happily.

“Oh…” Crap! What was he going to do about this? He’d been hoping for a calm evening alone with Lexie and Liz. But how could he tell her that without making her feel like he didn’t want her there.

Her smile faltered. She seemed to have already jumped to that conclusion. “You don’t want me here.”

Max didn’t see anyway out of this that wouldn’t upset her. Giving her a smile, he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. “Of course I want you here,” he said as he silently prayed that this dinner wouldn’t end in disaster.

Alien_Friend (2x)
mary mary
begonia9508
Earth2Mama (2x)
Keepsmiling7 (3x)
nitpick23
Michelle17
angiebrenna
zaneri1
DestinyDreamer
Superman86
Natalie36

A/N: I want thank all you for all of your incredible feedback and patience. And just as I promised, here is the next chapter. And you all have every right to be upset by Samantha's behavior. She's going to be quite a handful in this story. Also, I don't have a beta for this story (My mom used to read my stories for me, but she's been busy) and I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. I'm afraid my eyes can only catch so much.
-
Dinner was awkward to say the least. The four of them sat at the table, eating their meals in silence. Lexie glanced up from her plate at Samantha, who was sitting at the end of the table. It took all of her strength to keep the glare off her face as she watched her. She wanted to tell Samantha to leave and that she had no right being there, but she didn’t. The truth was that Samantha had more of a right to be here than Lexie did. She was just the illegitimate child who intruded on Samantha’s happy life with Max. Max probably thinks that too, she thought sadly. The more she thought about it, the more out of place she felt.

Samantha looked up from her plate, meeting Lexie’s gaze. Lexie quickly averted her eyes, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“So, where are you two from?” Samantha asked, trying to seem interested.

“Roswell,” was Liz’s response as she continued moving her food around with her fork.

Lexie nodded. “Yeah, we moved there three years ago after grandpa died.”

This made Max look up, his eyes going directly to Liz. “You’re dad died?” He asked in shock. Slowly, she turned her head towards him and nodded, her eyes filled with pain. “I’m so sorry.”

Liz wanted to look away, but something about intensity of his gaze made her want to watch him forever. She remembered how much her dad had liked Max. Even after that disastrous dinner with his parents. He always thought Max was a good person. “Thank you,” she said, feeling some of her resentment towards him die a little. Maybe her dad wasn’t entirely wrong about him.

“How did it happen?” He asked gently.

This time Liz looked away, feeling moisture begin to build up in her eyes. “A heart attack,” she said, feeling a lump form in her throat, but she quickly regained control of herself. Max was still looking at her with concern when she looked up and she gave him a warm smile. “It’s all right. It was awhile ago.”

The rest of dinner passed by uneventfully. Samantha started gathering plates once they were finished, and Liz offered to help, wanting to give Max and Lexie a few minutes alone to talk. Once they were gone, Max and Lexie went into the living room, neither of them saying anything. The longer they stood there in silence, the more stupid Lexie felt. When she was younger, she’d had so many things she wanted to ask him. So many things she wanted to tell him. And now, standing in front of him, her mind was couldn’t conjure up a single thing. To make situations even more awkward, Lexie couldn’t tell whether or not Max was doing all of this because he really wanted to know her or because he felt like he had to.

She’d tried not to let the fact that Max didn’t want to be her father bother her, but she couldn’t help it. All of Lexie’s doubts and insecurities started to overwhelm her, consuming every part of her mind. “You don’t have to do this.” Her words spilled out of her in a jumble, but she knew he understood her.

“What?”

Lexie kept her voice as emotionless as possible. “I heard you and my mom the other day. I know you didn’t want me.” Max looked away, but she caught a glimpse of the guilt in his eyes before he did. “It’s all right. I understand. I just wanted you to know that it’s okay. You know, if you still feel the same way. I survived a long time without a dad. I don’t need one now.”

Max didn’t respond. He didn’t know how to at the moment. He just stood there like an idiot as Lexie headed into the kitchen, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
After Liz and Lexie left, Max sat by himself on the couch with a cold beer in his hands. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what Lexie had said earlier. And the sad but determined look on Lexie’s face as she told him he didn’t have to be involved in her life broke his heart. It also reminded him of the way Liz had looked the day she told him about her miscarriag.
“Where the hell have you been?” A male voice practically snarled just as Max stopped at his locker.

Max rolled his eyes, knowing exactly who it was. “That‘s none of your business, Kyle,” He bit back, not bothering to look at the Kyle. He just continued opening his locker. After getting yelled at by his parents for running away to New York for two weeks, Kyle was the last person he wanted to deal with, especially on his first day back at school.

“Do you have any idea how worried Liz has been about you,” He said and Max could hear the protective tone in his voice. “What kind of boyfriend takes off on his girlfriend without telling her for two weeks?!”

Max turned and glared at Kyle. “Again, none of your business.”

Without thinking, Kyle took a threatening step towards Max and for a minute, Max almost thought he might try to take a swing at him. “Liz is my friend. Of course it’s my business.”

Max scoffed in disbelief. “Get real, Kyle. We both know that you want her to be more than that.” And it was the truth. Kyle had been carrying a torch for Liz for a while. Liz couldn’t see it. But Max always could. And Kyle wasn’t always shy about letting Max know that he didn’t think he was good enough. Most of the times, Max was pretty patient about it. But not today. If Kyle wanted a fight, Max would give him one.

Taking a deep breath, Kyle took a step back, but his fists were still clenched at his sides. “You listen to me,” he said in a deadly calm voice, “If you hurt her in any way, I’ll be back.”

With that, he stormed off down the hallway. And Max was glad. With sigh, he turned back to his locker and opened it. Pulling his chemistry book out, he noticed a folded up piece of paper slide out with it and flutter to the floor. He saw Liz’s signature on it and quickly picked it up and unfolded it.

I heard you were back. Meet in the eraser room during 6th period.

This isn’t going to be good, he thought nervously. He his locker and went off to class, dreading his meeting with Liz.

When 6th period rolled around, his stomach was rumbling with nervous anticipation. He didn’t know what to expect from Liz when he spoke to her. Of course, she’d have every reason in the world to yell at him and beat the crap out of him, but he hoped it wouldn’t happen like that. He really wanted to apologize to her. This may not have been his dream situation, but it was happening and he needed to deal with.

Max took a quick glance around to make sure no one was looking then slipped inside the eraser room, shutting the door behind him. He saw Liz pacing side to side in the tiny room and stopped when she saw him enter.

“Welcome home,” she said, but there was nothing friendly or welcoming in her voice. And the icy look in her eyes made him nervous. She was pissed off.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could say.

“Sorry for what? Sorry for accusing me of getting pregnant on purpose? Sorry for not calling me? Or sorry for taking off without telling me?”

“Sorry for all of it,” he said. “Liz, you have every right to be mad at me. I was jerk, but I want to make it up to you.” Slowly, Max took a step towards her and tried to pull her in his arms. “I want to be there for you and the baby.”

“You don’t have to worry about the baby.” Liz stepped away from him and bumped into the counter behind her.

Max felt a moment of panic seize him. Was she breaking up with him? “What do you mean?”

In the moment before she spoke, Liz couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from her shoes. But then her brown eyes found him and there was no emotion in them. “I lost the baby.”

Max looked at her blankly, not sure if he heard her right. “What?”

Liz sucked in a breath, and folded her arms protectively against her, looking almost like she might vomit. “I lost the baby.”

The world seemed to disappear around Max in that instant and he grabbed on to one of the metal shelves for support. He was only fifteen and he lost his child.. The whole thing just felt so unreal that he didn’t know what to feel.

“Are you okay?” Liz asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. “I figured you’d be happy.”

He turned Liz in shock. “Why would I be happy?” A flicker of regret crossed Liz’s face, but then quickly disappeared, leaving only emotionless face in it’s place.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said in a flat voice. “The important thing is that it’s over now. We don’t have to pretend anymore.”

“Pretend what?” Max asked, already knowing that he wasn’t going to like her answer.

“Pretend that this relationship is anything more than just a high school fling.”

“Liz--” He wanted to protest at first, but she immediately stopped him.

“Look, I thought that I was in love with you, but I was wrong,” she told him. “And I think you’ve made it pretty clear how you feel. Maybe this needed to happen so we would realize that we weren’t meant to be.”

Max didn’t know what to say. He wanted to argue and tell her that they were meant to be together, but were they? He knew he loved her, but the past few weeks had made him seriously question if she was going to be the person he spent the rest of his life with. And he didn’t know. “Maybe you’re right,” he mumbled sadly, staring intently at her, wishing he could see what she was thinking. But her face remained impassive.

“All right then,” she said simply and without emotion. “Have a nice life, Max.” She quickly brushed passed him and walked out of the eraser room.

As Max stood in there alone, he thought he should feel relieved or something like that. But for someone reason he just felt empty.
As Max thought about that day, he realized that Lexie was doing the exact same thing that Liz did. She was letting him off the hook without asking him what he really wanted. Though Liz had been right about how he felt back then, he wasn’t sure if Lexie was right about him now. Everything had happened so fast, he hadn’t had time to think about what he wanted.

His gaze went down to the glass coffee table where a small stack of pictures were laying. Before Liz had left earlier she’d given him a few photos of Lexie that she had so he could look at them.. Leaning forward, he picked them up and started looking through them. There was a photo of Lexie at six-years old sitting on a pink bike and smiling brightly up at the camera. Lexie was a little bit older in the next picture-about ten or so-and she was standing on a porch, dressed as Cinderella for Halloween. Liz was next to her, hugging Lexie against her and smiling. When Max got to the last picture, a smile formed on his face. It was Lexie on her fifteenth birthday. She was standing in front of a big cake with all of her friends and family beside her.

Except for me, he thought to himself. There were so many moments in her that he never got to see. Her first steps, her first words. All of these things that most fathers were supposed to see, he missed out on. He suddenly realized that he didn’t want to miss out on anymore.

“What are you doing?” Samantha said as she came in the living room after her shower, wiping her damp hair with a towel.

When she sat down next to Max, he showed her the pictures he was looking at. She tried to ignore the irrational jealousy as she looked at the photos of Max and Liz’s child. “Cute pictures,” she said with a fake smile. Max nodded and continued to look at one photo in particular and she could tell he had something on his mind. “Max, what’s up?”

All she got was silence. For a second, Samantha didn’t think Max was going to answer her.

“I want to know Lexie,” he said finally, still staring at the picture of Lexie on her birthday.

“I know. That’s why you had them over for dinner.”

“No,” Max finally looked at her. “I mean, I want to be involved in her life.”

Samantha frowned, both surprised and upset with his decision. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She asked, but she kept her voice as neutral as possible.

Max looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean this is a really big commitment, Max. And what if it doesn’t work out? One dinner isn’t enough to make you two a family.”

“I know, but it’s a start,” he said. Samantha still looked skeptical though. He reached over and took her hand with his free one. Liz took the decision away from me a long time ago. I’m not saying was prince charming back then, but I still wish she had handled it another way. But it’s different now. If I walk away now, I’ll have no one to blame but myself. And I don’t think I can live with that.” He sighed and looked down at the picture of Lexie in his other hand. His eyes then went back to Samantha. “Lexie needs me. And I don’t want to miss out on anymore of her life.”

The sincerity in Max’s eyes surprised Samantha. He was serious about this. If she fought him on this, she knew he wouldn’t be happy about it. Realizing that there was nothing she could do to change his mind, she gave Max a supportive smile and gently squeezed his hand. “Well, you know I’m here for you.”

Max smiled back at her. “I know you are.” He leaned and pressed his lips against hers, completely unaware of how upset his fiancée was.

mary mary
Earth2Mama (3x)
natalie36
nitpick23
keepsmiling7 (2x)
begonia9508 (3x)
Michelle17
DestinyDreamer
AlysLuv
Alien_Friend (2x)
angiebrenna (2x)
dreambeliever
Clari
Lizzy_Koh
Sptfire86
HypnotiqBlueEyes

A/N: Hey, everyone. Here's chapter nine! I don't think it's as well written as it could've been but I'm also having one of those days where I think everything I write sucks, so I might not be the best judge here. Once again, I want to thank all of you for your patience. And I hope you enjoy this.




The next morning, Liz awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing loudly in her ears. With her eyes still shut, she blindly felt around the nightstand with her hand. Finally her fingers grazed the hardness of her cell phone and grabbed it. “Hello,” she answered groggily.

“Why didn’t you tell me that Max was in L.A. with you and Lexie?” Came Kyle’s angry voice.

Wow, Maria doesn’t waste any time, Liz thought, knowing that Maria was the only one who knew that she was with Max. That meant her mother probably knew as well by now. “Good morning to you too, Kyle,” she said sarcastically as she sat up in bed. She glanced over at Lexie’s bed and found it empty. Then she noticed the sound of the shower running and was able to focus on what she expected to be a long conversation with Kyle.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked again, ignoring Liz’s sarcasm.

With a sigh, Liz stood up from the bed and ran her free hand through her messy hair while she paced. “There was just so much going on at the time and I knew you’d freak out if I told you that Lexie was with Max.”

Kyle didn’t respond for a few moments and Liz wondered if he was even still on the phone. “Kyle?”

“What are you two going to do now?” He asked, his voice calmer now. But Liz could still hear a hint of anger in his voice.

“We’re taking it slow right,” Liz told him. “I’m just letting him get to know Lexie.”

“And what about you? How are you doing with this?”

Liz smiled a little when she heard the concern in Kyle’s voice. Even when angry, he always had to make sure she was okay. “I’m still trying to process everything,” she said. “I mean, I go from thinking I’ll never see him again to…”

“What?” Kyle became alarmed. “You’re not thinking of getting back together with him, are you?”

Liz couldn’t resist rolling her eyes at that. “Kyle, don’t be ridiculous. I don’t even like Max. Why would I be getting back together with him?” She scoffed. “Besides, he’s engaged anyway.”

“So, then what are you going to do?” He asked warily.

“Like I said, we’re taking things slow right now.”

Liz heard Kyle sigh into the speaker and knew that he was still upset about all of this. And she knew why. It was no secret how Kyle felt about her. Even in high school she’d known about his feelings for her, but she’d always made it clear that they’d never be anything more than friends. He said that he understood that, but Liz knew that he was still holding onto hope that her feelings might change one day. “I can’t believe you’re even giving him a chance,” Kyle told her in a firm, but gentle tone. “He let you down once. What makes you think he won’t do it again?”

“This isn’t about me,” Liz responded in an equally firm voice as she turned her head towards the closed bathroom door. “This is about Lexie. She wants to know her dad.”

“And what if he lets her down too?”

Liz didn’t know how to answer that. The truth was, that was her greatest fear. If it was just about her, it wouldn’t matter. She’d been hurt by Max Evans before so anymore disappointment from him wouldn’t be much of a surprise to her. But she couldn’t bear it if Lexie got hurt. She wanted this so much, but Liz still didn’t know how serious Max was about getting to know their child. If he decided to walk away, it would break Lexie’s heart.

Just then, there was a knock at the door and Liz turned her attention to the bedroom door. “There’s someone here,” she told Kyle. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Will you call me back?” He asked.

“Yeah, I will. Bye.” Once she disconnected, she grabbed her robe off the chair by the window and quickly put it on. Unlocking the door, she opened it and was surprised to see Max standing in front of her. “Max, hey.”

“Hey, Liz,” he said, shifting from side to side nervously.

For a second, Liz was reminded of how he was when they were younger. How shy he used to be around her. Almost immediately, though, she banished the thought, trying to remember that he was no longer the boy that she’d fallen in love with. When it didn’t look like he was going to say anything more, Liz spoke up. “What’s up?”

He opened his mouth to speak then paused, looking around the room. “Where’s Lexie?”

Liz jerked her head behind her, gesturing towards the bathroom. “Shower.”

Max nodded and looked back at Liz. “Good. I actually wanted to talk to you first.”

“Talk to me about what?”

I want to be involved in Lexie’s life,” Max said slowly, eyeing Liz closely to see what her reaction would be.

Shock was all over Liz’s face as she stared at Max. “Max…” she started carefully. “Are you sure you want this? It’s a big commitment.”

“I know that,” he said. “But it’s what I want. I missed out on fifteen years and I don’t want to miss out on anymore. I want to have a relationship with her…if that’s okay with you.”

Before she could stop herself, a smile lifted at the corners of her lips as she looked at him. Something about the sincerity in his voice touched her. He really was different from the Max that she had known. Liz leaned her head against the door frame. “Of course it’s okay with me.”

Max smiled back at Liz and they both felt hope spread through them. Like, maybe everything would turn out alright. The spell was broken when the bathroom door opened and they both turned to Lexie, who came out wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. She stopped when she saw Max standing at the door.

“Hey, Max,” she said as she came to stand by her mom. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I thought I’d come by and take you and your mom out to breakfast,” he offered with a cheerful smile.

Lexie stared at Max in confusion. She’d figured that after the other night, he wouldn’t be coming back. She didn’t say that though. She just listened to him as he spoke.

“Lexie, this whole thing is going to take some time and the three of us have a lot to figure out,” Max said. “I can’t promise that everything will be perfect, but you’re my daughter. And I won’t walk away from that.”

Lexie felt tears building up in her eyes as she listened to Max and she quickly blinked them away. She couldn’t believe that she was finally getting the one thing she’d been wishing for all of her life. Her eyes then flickered to her mom, worrying about what her reaction would be. To her surprise, there was no anger in mother’s eyes. In fact, she was actually smiling.

“It’s all right,” Liz said. “I’m okay with this.”

Unable to control herself, she reached out and hugged her mom, thankful for the support.

“So, breakfast?” Max said again once Liz and Lexie broke apart. He looked at Lexie. “You hungry?”

Lexie eagerly nodded. “Yeah.” She rushed and snatched her jacket off the hanger in the closet. After putting it on, she looked to her mom impatiently when she realized that she was still in her robe.

“You know, I think I’m just going to stay here,” Liz said. “Bur you two have fun.”

“Are you sure?” Lexie asked.

Liz smiled kindly at her daughter. “Yes. Your grandmother is going to call any minute anyway, and I have to fill her in on everything.”

Without anymore prodding, Lexie left with Max. Liz watched the two of them as they walked down the hallway together with a grin on her face, happy that things seemed to be working out.
Lexie stared in awe at the beautiful three layer cake that stood in front of her in the middle of the buffet table. It was her and mom’s last day in L.A. and Max had decided to throw a belated birthday party for Lexie. Her mom had put some strict rules on how big the party could be and how much he could spend on gifts, but even with that, the party was still pretty impressive. Her mom had thrown her great parties growing up, but she’d never had a live DJ or catering with actual waiters. Sure, Lexie didn’t know a single person here besides her parents, but she didn’t care. It was just nice to be able to spend time with her dad.

The past week had gone better than Lexie could’ve ever expected. Max and her had made a serious effort to get to know each other better--well, as best they could with only a few days. And her mom had been surprisingly supportive about the whole thing. She and Max weren’t going to be best buddies anytime soon, but they were at least learning to tolerate each other, so Lexie took it as a positive.

“You like it?” Max asked as he stood behind her and Lexie finally tore her eyes away from the cake. “Your mom told me red velvet was your favorite.”

“It is,” she said, smiling happily. “Thank you, Max.”

Max leaned forward and gave Lexie a hug. The joy on Lexie’s face warmed Max’s heart. Despite all of his fears about being a dad, getting to know Lexie this past week had been amazing. Now that he had her in his life, he didn’t know what he was going to do when she and Liz went back to Roswell. As for him and Liz, things were still pretty awkward between them, but they weren’t ripping each other’s throats out. So Max took that that as a positive. She even let him throw this party for their daughter--After laying down some ground rules of course--but he was still happy. He may not have been able to make up for the fifteen years he’d missed of Lexie’s life, but he was glad he could try to do something for her.

As they released each other, Lexie’s smile dimmed a little when she looked past Max and saw who was heading their way. Seeing her reaction, Max turned around and spotted Samantha walking towards them, holding what looked like a present in her hand. He still wasn’t sure why Lexie had such a negative reaction to Samantha. Since she’d found out that he had a child, Sam had been nothing but supportive of him getting to know Lexie. She was wonderful. And he still hoped that over time, Samantha and Lexie would grow closer.

“Happy birthday,” Samantha said, handing Lexie a small box wrapped in gold paper and tied with purple ribbons.

Lexie plastered on her best fake smile as she took the gift. “Thanks, Samantha.” Though Samantha appeared cheerful, Lexie suspected it was an act. Max couldn’t see it, but Lexie had a feeling that Samantha wasn’t as okay with all of this as she pretended. She hadn’t been outwardly hostile towards Lexie or anything, but she didn’t seem very interested in getting to know her either. Lexie was sure the only reason she was at this party was to impress Max.

When Samantha leaned in to kiss Max, Lexie became uncomfortable and started looking around for her mom. When she couldn’t find her, she frowned. “Where’s my mom?”

Samantha reluctantly turned her attention back to Lexie and pointed her finger towards the balcony. “Outside with Brian.” Both Max and Lexie spotted Liz standing on the balcony, chatting away with Brian. “They certainly seem to be getting along,” Samantha said, trying to conceal the smirk on her face. There was nothing to be done about Lexie being Max’s daughter, but seeing how friendly Liz and Brian were being out there, she felt confident that she wouldn’t have to worry about Liz and Max.

Max felt a spark of jealousy as he watched Liz and Brian together, which surprised him. It wasn’t like he was still in love with Liz, but he hated how tense things were between him and her. And seeing her be so friendly and comfortable hanging with someone she just met only bothered him more. It reminded him of the days when she used to laugh like that with him. Without thinking, Max released his arm from Samantha’s waist. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said as he started to walk towards the balcony, not giving Sam or Lexie a chance to say anything.

When he slid the glass door open, Brian and Liz immediately turned to look at him. He’d only come outside to check on them--at least that’s what he told himself--but a small part of him was glad to have broken up the pleasant moment between them. “We’re about to sing happy birthday to Lexie.”

“Alright then,” Liz said. “Let’s head inside.” Liz shot one last friendly glance at Brian before heading inside, only shooting Max a small smile as she did.

Max and Brian both followed her inside as well. He felt Brian drape his arm across his shoulder and turned to see a goofy grin on his friend’s face.

“Dude, Liz is so hot,” he said.

Max didn’t have time to respond to that because Samantha walked and told him that Liz was lighting the candles. But he did feel another surge of jealousy as he watched Brian walk towards the small group of people that were forming around the cake.

The rest of the party went out without a hitch. After singing happy birthday, everyone gathered around while Lexie opened her gifts. At around seven in the evening, the party began to disperse and people headed home. After saying goodbye to a couple of guests, Max walked into the kitchen and found Lexie cleaning the dishes.

“You don’t have to do that,” he said, coming over to help her. “It’s your party.”

Lexie shrugged. “I don’t mind.” She started handing him plates and put them in the dishwasher. For a few minutes, they both fell into a comfortable rhythm as they cleaned the kitchen, both of them surprised at the progress they’d made in their relationship in only a few days. “I wish I didn’t have to go home,” Lexie said sadly, breaking the moment. “I mean, when are we going to see each other again.”

Max paused and thought about it for a moment. “Well, I have some things to take care of here first. I have an album to finish, but I promise I’ll make time,” he said. Then he gave her an amused smirk. “You’re stuck with a father whether you like it or not.”

Lexie didn’t say anything back. Probably because if she did, she’d start crying. But also, she didn’t think words could fully express what she was feeling right now. Instead, she set down the dish she’d been washing and moved in to hug Max. He happily hugged her back and in that moment, Lexie wasn’t as sad about going back to Roswell anymore. Because she knew that she had a dad now and always would.

Afterwards, Max insisted that since it was Lexie’s party, she didn’t have to clean up. Lexie tried to argue back, but eventually caved and gave up trying to clean the kitchen. They both walked into the living room to find Liz, but paused when they spotted her over by the fireplace, talking to Brian again. Max was surprised because he’d thought Brian had already left. But his surprise turned to irritation as he watched Liz hand Brian a piece of paper that she’d written something on. Not wanting to leave them alone any longer, he started heading over to them with Lexie following close behind.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

Both Brian and Liz looked at Max, but it was Liz who spoke. “Nothing. We were just talking,” she said then turned to Lexie. “You ready to go?”

Lexie nodded her head and Max and Brian walked the two girls to the door. Max gave Lexie another hug, feeling more reluctant to let her go this time. “I’ll call you when you get home,” he told her as he released her. This time, she didn’t bother trying to stop the tear that slid down her cheek.

When she stepped back, Max looked at Liz. Both of them felt awkward as they stood in front of each other. Liz wasn’t sure what she should say to Max. In the past week, she’d let go of some of that anger she’d had towards him, but she still had her guard up around him, which made it hard for her to figure out how to act around him. Finally, she gave him a small smile and said, “Um, it was good seeing you.”

“Yeah, you two,” Max replied awkwardly. “Have a safe trip.”

Then Liz glanced at Brian and she suddenly looked a little less uncomfortable. She held out her hand to him. “It was nice meeting you.”

Brian took her hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a light peck. “And it was very nice meeting you as well,” he said, giving her one of his charming smiles.

Max didn’t know why, but in that moment, he almost wanted to deck his best friend in the face. Once Liz and Lexie left, he turned to Brian and did his best to appear casual. "So, what did Liz give you?"

Brian pulled the piece of paper out of his coat pocket and held it up for Max to see. "Her number."

Max's eyes widened in shock. "You're not trying to pursue something with her, are you?"

Brian shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe." He gave Liz's number another glance before slipping it back into his pocket. "If that's cool with you," he said, staring at Max.

Hell no, was the first thing that popped in Max's brain as he thought about Brian going out with Liz. But he didn't say it. Though the idea of those two going out bothered him, he wasn't sure if he had the right to tell them that they couldn't see each other. Liz was a grown woman and could make her own decisions and Brian wasn't a bad guy. With a lot of effort, Max didn't say what he really wanted to say. Appearing casual, he shrugged as well. "It's cool with me."

Brian smiled and gave Max a friendly slap on the arm. "Thanks, man. I'll see you later."

"See ya." Max watched as Brian walked out the door, trying to convince himself that he didn't care about Brian and Liz. But for some reason, he couldn't think about anything else the rest of the night.

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Hey, everyone. Thanks for all the patience and feedback. I really hope you enjoy this next part.



The flight back to Roswell was long and tiring, but surprisingly, neither Liz or Lexie could sleep on the plane. Liz kept thinking over the past week with mixed feelings. While a part of her was happy that Max wanted to play an active role in Lexie’s life, she knew that meant that he was back in her life as well. She still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Lexie, on the other hand, was thrilled as she thought about the last few days she spent in Los Angeles. Everything had turned out so much better than she could’ve ever imagined and she was starting to feel like she might finally get a dad. A real dad. The whole trip just left her feeling happy and hopeful about everything.

Once they landed in Roswell, Liz’s mother was there to pick them up at the airport with a big hug for both of them and a lecture for Lexie. She didn’t complain though. She knew that she deserved it for worrying her family so much. As they drove up to the front of their house, Lexie smiled when she spotted her best friend Josh standing on the top step in a t-shirt and jeans. Next to him, she saw her godmother Maria standing there as well.

Once the car was stopped, Lexie hopped out of the car and rushed over to Josh, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. “You have no idea how much I missed you,” she said with joy as she held on.

“Now, now, Parker. Quit gushing,” he said, giving her an amused smirk once they let go. “It’s not good for my ego.”

“As if your ego could get any bigger,” she joked. It felt so good to have that banter back. It felt like home.

Once everyone was done greeting each other, they all moved into the house and sat together in the living room while Lexie happily filled her grandmother, Maria and Josh in on her adventures in Los Angeles. Both Nancy and Maria listened intently and Nancy interjected every now and then to remind her granddaughter how crazy it was to take off like that. Josh was both amused and entertained as he listened, but it was her mother’s behavior that caught Lexie’s attention. Liz sat there silently in on the love seat with her legs crossed, a thoughtful look in her eyes. Lexie couldn’t help but wonder what her mom was thinking in that moment.

“Did you get what I asked for?” Josh asked, breaking Lexie out of her thoughts.

She frowned. “What?”

“Did you get me an autograph?” His eyes were hopeful as he looked at Lexie.

“Oh, yeah, I got it.” She shrugged and pointed to her bag that was still sitting in the foyer,

“Sweet,” Josh said with excitement as he got up and headed into the foyer, Lexie following behind him.

Nancy decided to take that moment to stand up as well. “I better get going,” she said, grabbing her purse from the couch. “Michael’s running the restaurant right now and I figure I should give the poor boy a break.”

A sympathetic smile spread on Maria’s face as she thought about her poor husband running around trying to run both the kitchen and the diner. He was a great cook, but not so great with people. “I’ll go too. I have to get to work soon anyway,” she said then turned to Liz. “We’ll talk later.”

Liz nodded and said goodbye to both of them. In the other room, she could hear Lexie and Josh say their goodbyes as well before walking back into the room and heading straight for the stairs.

“Not so fast,” Liz called out sternly as she stood up from the loveseat, crossing her arms over her chest. “Josh, say goodbye. Lexie won’t be free to hang out for at least a month.”

Lexie’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened when she heard that. “Seriously?”

“Lexie, you ran away,” she reminded her daughter. “I think a month is very lenient.”

With a small humph, Lexie backed down, knowing she should’ve expected some consequences for her actions. “Fine.”

“See ya later, Lexie,” Josh said, giving his friend another hug. “Bye, Liz.”

Liz smiled at Josh. “Bye.”

Once he was gone, Liz moved past Lexie into the foyer to grab her bag. “I’m going to go put my stuff away,” she said when she returned to the living room. Lexie watched her mom as she turned in the direction of the stairs, debating whether or not she should ask the question that had been on her mind for awhile. After a moment, her curiosity finally got the best of her. “Mom, can I ask you something?”

Liz paused, one foot on the first step, and glanced back at Lexie. “Sure.”

“Did you love Max?”

Liz’s whole body tensed at the question and she turned around to give her daughter her full attention. This wasn’t a topic she really cared to discuss or dwell on. What happened in the past was over and done with as far as she was concerned, but she didn’t like the look in Lexie’s eyes as she waited for an answer. It was almost hopeful. “Why are you asking?”

Lexie shrugged one shoulder. “Just curious.”

Liz watched Lexie for a moment, trying to decide whether she wanted to talk about her past relationship with Max. Finally, she decided it wouldn’t hurt. “Yes, I did. I loved him a lot.”

Though Liz tried to hide it, Lexie could’ve sworn she saw a flicker of pain in her moms eyes and she felt a twinge of guilt for bringing the subject up. But still, she continued. “Do you still love him?”

Liz shook her head, trying to ignore the sudden pang in her heart. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

Liz came over to Lexie and placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “I think it’s great that Max wants to get to know you and be more involved in your life. But don’t hope for much more than that,” she said gently. “Max and I didn’t work out for a reason. Besides, he’s engaged.”

When it was clear this discussion was going nowhere, Lexie gave her mom a quick nod, deciding to drop the subject.

“Okay, well, I’m going to put my stuff away and then I’ll order some pizza. How does that sound?”

“Sure,” Lexie said, trying to ignore the slight disappointment she felt about her mother’s response. Once Liz was upstairs in her room, Lexie sighed and grabbed her bag from the foyer and carried it up the stairs to her room as well. She shut her bedroom door and leaned against it, feeling foolish. It was naïve to hope that one day her parents would magically work everything out and find their way back to each other. She was already getting the chance to have a real relationship with her dad, something she’d dreamed about for years. The fantasy of her parents actually being together was just something she’d have to let go of.
The next few weeks went surprisingly well for Max and Lexie. Max continued working on his album with his band and planning his wedding, while Lexie quickly went back to her normal life before running away. But every couple of days, they’d call each other and catch up on everything that had been going on in each other’s life. Soon, it became routine and whatever shyness was left between them completely went away. It was almost like they’d always been in each other’s lives.

A month later, Max came home from the recording studio exhausted, but happy that the new album was coming together. When he opened the door to his condo, he found Samantha in the living room with a glass of wine in hand, looking at a bunch of papers scattered around the coffee table. As soon as she saw Max, she smiled and got up to greet him.

“Hey, baby.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips before grabbing him by the arm and sitting him down on the couch. “I figured we could go over a few wedding details tonight,” she told him cheerily.

Max tried to keep the smile on his face when she mentioned wedding details. But he couldn’t deny that looking at center pieces and deciding where everyone would sit didn’t sound very appealing. Wedding planning tended to bring out the crazy in the brides to be, and Samantha was proving to be no exception to that rule. And honestly, this wedding had been stirring up a lot of nervous feelings and doubts. But he chalked it up to cold feet and decided to ignore it. He loved Samantha. And that was more important than any pre-wedding jitters.

“All right,” he said. “Let me just call Lexie first.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Samantha had to control the surge of irritation that rose up inside of her. She tried to keep her face casual as she glanced over at him. “Can’t you call her another time?” She asked sweetly. “I just really want to get some of this wedding stuff figured out.”

“It’ll only be for a little while,” he assured her. “I want to hear how she’s doing.” Truth was, he’d been looking forward to talking to her all day. It might’ve seemed a little obsessive, but after missing so much time with his daughter, he had a lot of catching up to do. And these phone calls didn’t really feel like enough anymore. He wanted to see her, meet her friends, see what her life was like in Roswell. And now that the new album was almost finished, he’d started thinking about maybe visiting her and Liz for a little bit. He hadn’t officially decided anything yet, but the idea was becoming more and more tempting.

With a fake smile, Samantha nodded and leaned in to give him another kiss. “Okay. Let me know when you’re done.”

“Thanks, babe.” With that, he grabbed the phone off the hook and left the room. Samantha watched him go, a knot of deep jealousy settling in her stomach and refusing to leave the rest of the night.
Liz poured herself another glass of wine as she listened to Maria complain about her husband Michael. This had been a pretty regular occurrence for as long as Maria had known Michael Guerin. When Michael had walked into the Crashdown six years ago, Maria had immediately disliked him and it was the same for as well. But that hatred had quickly turned into something else and before anyone knew it, they were dating. And soon after that, they got married. Sure, they still bickered a lot and Maria almost always had a complaint about him, but there was no denying the obvious love between them.

So Liz just smiled as she listened to her best friend, taking a sip of her wine. The phone started to ring and Liz reached out and grabbed it, answering without looking at the caller ID. “Hello.”

“Hey, Liz. It’s Max,” came Max’s awkward response. “Lexie there?”

Liz tensed a little at hearing his voice. It was so strange hearing it again after all this time, but she tried to keep calm in front of Maria. “Sure, hold on one sec,” she said then placed the phone to her shoulder. “Lexie, phone for you!”

Lexie came bounding down the stairs a moment later and stopped in front of Liz and Maria on the couch.

Liz held the phone out to her. “It’s Max.” She watched Lexie’s face light up before taking the phone from her. Liz smiled a little as she watched Lexie walk out of the room. When her eyes caught Maria’s curious ones, she looked away.

“So, how’s that been going?” Maria asked.

Liz shrugged. “They’ve been bonding and I haven’t really had to talk to him much, so I’d say it’s going well for far,” she said before taking another sip of her wine.

Maria arched an eyebrow at her friend. “Are you ever going to talk to him.”

Liz sighed. She knew exactly where this conversation was heading and she wasn’t in the mood. “I don’t see any reason why I should. He wants to get to know Lexie, not me,” she stated. “I don’t need to talk to that man anymore than I have to.”

This time it was Maria’s turn to sigh. “Are you sure there aren’t unresolved issues two want to discuss?” She asked gently, though she really wanted to smack her best friend. Liz tried so hard to convince Maria and everyone else that her feelings for Max were gone, but Maria could see right through her. She knew that Max still had an effect on her.

“Maria, there are no unresolved issues. I’m over Max and he’s engaged, so clearly he’s over me as well,” Liz said as calmly as possible. “I really don’t see why you need to push this.”

“Whatever,” Maria muttered, bringing the wine glass to her lips. She knew that there was no point in arguing with her best friend when she was having one of her stubborn moments, so Maria decided to let it go. At least for now.

Finishing the last of her wine, Maria set her empty glass down and looked at her watch.. “I guess I better get home and take some of this leftover frustration out on the man who deserves it.”

Liz chuckled as she watched her friend get to her feet. “Michael’s a lucky man.”

Maria smirked as she grabbed her purse. “And he knows it.” Leaning down, she gave Liz a peck on the cheek before heading for the door. “Night sweetie.”

“Night.”

Liz glanced into the kitchen and watched Lexie as she sat at the table and talked animatedly with Max. She didn’t want to admit it, but Maria’s words had irritated her more than normal because they brought her back to the conversation she’d had with Lexie when they returned to L.A. She didn’t care what anyone said. There was nothing unresolved between her and Max They’ve both moved on and Liz was perfectly fine spending as little time talking to him.

The sound of her cell phone buzzing snapped her out of her thoughts and she reached over and grabbed it off the coffee table. She grinned when she saw Brian’s name on the caller ID. Talking to him was much better for than wasting time thinking about Max.

A/N: Hello, everybody. As promised, here is the next chapter of Consequences.


After the final bell rung, Lexie left class and headed to her locker to gather her things, eager to head home for the day. Grabbing the last book, she stuffed it in her book bag and shut the locker door. But when she turned around, she found herself cornered by Dawn Peterson, the most popular girl in school, and her entire group of friends. Also next to Dawn, was her boyfriend Jason Green. Lexie tried her best not to gawk at him, which be easier if he wasn’t so beautiful. He was tall, muscular, with killer blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. He was every high school girl’s fantasy. So who could blame Lexie for being attracted as well? But she saw no reason to let others know about it.

So she kept her eyes trained on Dawn. “Is there something you need?” Lexie asked, trying to be as polite as possible even though she knew Dawn only talked to her when she wanted to start trouble.

She was proven right when Dawn gave her a disgusted glare. “I’m sure you think you’re special now because your daddy’s a big rock star,” she practically snarled, eyeing Lexie up and down with obvious disapproval. “But I’m here to remind you that you’re not. You’re a nothing, Lexie Parker. And you always will be.”

Dawn’s friends--or sheep, as Lexie liked to call them--chuckled and nodded in agreement. Lexie’s fists clenched in anger. Dawn was the stereotypical Queen bee at Roswell High. Blonde hair, big breasted, head cheerleader. And when Lexie and her mom had moved to Roswell, she and Dawn had almost been friends. But her inability to agree with everything she said and did quickly ruined that. Ever since than, Dawn hadn’t been Lexie’s biggest fan. But things had gotten worse between them since Max decided to come out and let people know that she was his daughter.

To most of the school, Lexie Parker had suddenly become a hot commodity. People who hadn’t noticed her before were suddenly cozying up to her, trying to befriend her. And she’d been asked out more times by random guys than she’d ever thought possible. She’d even spotted a couple of people trying to take her picture. But she was even less popular than normal with Dawn and her circle of friends. They’d actually started harassing her more since everything came out.

Lexie expected things to change once people found out who her father was. She and Max had even discussed it beforehand. But Lexie was quickly starting to lose her patience with Dawn and her bimbo friends.

“Come on, Dawn,” Jason spoke up before Lexie could give Dawn a proper retort. “Leave her alone.”

Everyone, including Lexie, turned to Jason in surprise. And Dawn practically broke her neck snapping her head around to glare at her boyfriend. “Are you seriously defending her?”

Jason shrugged as if standing up for Lexie wasn’t a big deal. He could afford to have that attitude being hottest guy in school. “I don’t think you need to give her such a hard time.”

For a moment, Lexie was sure Dawn’s head was going to explode from how angry she looked. But instead of saying anything, she shot Lexie another nasty look and then stormed off down the hallway, her friends trailing after her in stunned silence.

That left Lexie alone with Jason. And now that she was, she felt like a nervous idiot. She gave Jason a little smile, hoping he didn’t see just how nervous she was. “Thanks for sticking up for me.”

“It’s no big deal,” he said, taking a step closer to her, which only made Lexie’s heart beat faster. “Dawn can be pretty bitchy sometimes.”

Lexie let out a small chuckle as she looked into his blue eyes. She couldn’t believe that Jason Green was actually talking to her. Once she realized that she staring, she quickly got herself back under control. “Yeah, but I’m sure she’s going to give you hell later,” she said.

“I can handle Dawn,” Jason replied with amused smirk. He leaned in closer. “She’s not as scary as scary as everyone thinks.

Having him so close made Lexie’s heart race even more and she was worried he would see just how much he was affecting her. Finally, he stepped away from her, and Lexie was both relieved and disappointed. “So, I’ll see you around,” he said, but there was an eagerness to his voice that surprised her.

Slowly, she nodded. “Yeah, see you around”

Once he turned away, Lexie leaned against her locker, watching Jason’s retreating back as he walked away. If Dawn could stay angry with him, she was an idiot. A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped in surprise. When she realized it was Josh, she calmed some. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he greeted back, but there was a strange look in eyes, like he was angry about something. “What was Jason doing over here?” He asked, his voice sounding tense.

Lexie shrugged and glanced back at Jason’s retreating figure. “Just defending me against Dawn and her friends.”

Josh scoffed. “I can’t imagine that meathead actually defending anybody.”

“Well, he did. It was pretty sweet actually.”

“We still gonna study at your house?” He asked and Lexie noticed that whatever anger was in his eyes before was now gone.

She nodded. “Yep. Let's go."

Adjusting her backpack, Lexie walked with Josh down the hallway and out of the school.
“First off, I want to say just how great it is to have the Aftermath here with me. I’m a huge fan,” the interviewer whose name Max couldn’t remember said as he and his band mates came out. The next few minutes, the interviewer asked them all sorts of questions about the upcoming new album, what it was like for them when they first started out, and who some of their biggest inspirations were. These questions were easy for Max. He’d been asked these questions so many times, he almost didn’t have to think when the answer’s came rolling out of his mouth. But when questions about Lexie came up, Max turned to the interview in surprise. Max had decided to let the public know that he did have a daughter weeks ago, but he still wasn’t used to being asked questions about her. Realizing he hadn’t answered the man’s question yet, Max cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, could you repeat the question.”

The interviewer gave him a friendly chuckle. “I was just curious as to how you were handling being a father? He asked. “It must be strange adjustment, especially considering the partying lifestyle you and you band live.

Next to Max, Brian laughed and clapped Max on the back. “I’m the real party animal of the group,” he said lightheartedly. “Max couldn’t handle how I got down.”

The entire audience laughed in response, as did the host. Then he turned back to Max and got serious again. “Still, it can’t be easy. Finding out you had a daughter all this time and never knew it. How are you dealing with that?”

“It’s been an adjustment,” Max said honestly, trying not to let everyone see how uncomfortable this subject was making him. “But I’m just happy to have this chance to know her.”

That answer seemed to satisfy the host, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to discuss this topic further. After answering a few more questions about Lexie and fatherhood, they finally went to commercial break and the interview was over. Max breathed a sigh of relief as he got up and followed the rest of his band mates backstage.

The rest of the day went by in a blur and when it was over, Max was eager to get home. He was just about to get into a limo when he heard one of his band mates, Kevin, call out to him. “Yo, Max. You don’t want to stay and have a few more drinks with us.”

“Nah, I’m tired,” he told Kevin. “I’m going to head home and call Lexie.”

“All right, man. I’ll see ya.”

Kevin started to head back inside the club when he paused and looked over his shoulder. “You know, I think it’s really cool what you’re doing.”

Max frowned. “What’s that?”

Kevin shrugged casually, but his eyes told Max how uncomfortable he was at the moment. “Stepping up,” he said. “Taking responsibility for your kid.” Max froze, surprised that he was actually discussing this. He knew that Kevin didn’t like talking about his own childhood, but if he was willing to open up, Max certainly wasn’t going to stop him. “My old man walked out on me when I was a kid, and he knew he was a father. I see how much you want to be involved in Lexie’s life and…”he paused and looked away. “Anyway, I’m just saying that you’re a good guy.”

“Thanks..” It seemed like such a dumb reply after what Kevin had just said, but it was the best that he could come up with.

Without another word, Kevin walked back into the club and Max watched him go, still taken back by Kevin’s honesty. It was all he could think about on the ride back to his house. He wondered if he deserved such credit. Sure, he and Lexie were making good strides in their relationship, but how far could phone conversations really get them. He wasn’t there when she was born. He never got to see her grow up and apart from a few stories about her friends, most of Lexie’s life was a mystery to him.

He’d been thinking about this more and more and now that the album was finished, he wondered if now was the time to really make an effort as Lexie’s father.

The limo pulled up to his home and Max waited for the driver to open the door. With a quick nod to the driver, he headed inside and made his way up the stairs to his condo. Once inside, he found Samantha where he always found her lately; on the couch pouring through bridal magazines. When she turned around, her smile brightened. For the first time in their relationship, Max had to force himself to smile back.. Things hadn’t been the same between them since Sam discovered that he had a child. She’d been hanging around Max a lot more than normal, obsessing over wedding plans.

At first, he just believed it was pre-wedding plans making her stressed. But after awhile, he noticed that anytime he would try to include Lexie in their plans, she would quickly try and steer the conversation away from his daughter. She’s still adjusting, he told himself. Give her more time.

But Max knew that what he was about to tell her wasn’t going to help her adjust any faster.

“Hey, baby,” she greeted cheerfully, giving a quick peck as he sat down next to her on the couch. When he didn’t respond, she glanced back at him. “Is everything all right?”

“Actually, I need to talk to you about something.”

Immediately, he had her attention. “What’s up?”

With a nervous breath, Max spoke. “I’ve been thinking. Now that the new album’s finished, I might want to take a little time off.

“Babe, if that’s what you need to do than I support it,” she said, her face lighting up again. “And we’ll be able to finish the wedding plans without any distractions.

“Of course we can plan the wedding. But I was also thinking of visiting Lexie for a little while.”

Samantha’s smile faltered as she looked at Max. “What?”

Max scooted closer to her and took her hand in his. “Apart from the two weeks she spent here, I haven’t been able to spend quality time with Lexie because I’ve been so busy.”

“But you talk to her almost every night,” she argued, trying to control the jealousy that was bubbling just underneath the surface.

“On the phone, but it’s not the same,” Max said. “I want to be able to spend real time with her, and the only way I can do that is if I go to Roswell for a little bit.”

Samantha was silent after that for few words and Max watched her, wondering what was going through her head. “And you’ll be with Liz,” she said finally, the sadness evident in her voice.

Max was stunned by her words. He hadn’t even thought about the fact that he’d be around Liz a lot as well. The idea of that made him feel a mixture of emotions--emotions he definitely didn’t want to dwell on at the moment. Instead, he pulled Samantha closer to him, and tilted her face so she would look at him. “Samantha, you have nothing to worry about. Nothing’s going to happen.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know that,” she told him. “You two have a history. You two have a child. How can you be sure that that won’t bring you two closer together?”

He didn’t know what else he could say to convince her that nothing was going to happen, so, with hand still grasping her chin, he pulled her face to his and kissed her deeply. They stayed that way for a few minutes, simply taking comfort in the closeness. Finally, he pulled away, but kept their foreheads pressed together and brushed a few strands of hair behind her hair. “I love you, baby,” he said. “I’m going to marry you and nothing will change that.”

Samantha gave him a small smile and leaned in for another kiss. Though his sweet words touched her, they didn’t quell the jealousy and insecurities swirling around inside of her. But she knew she couldn’t fight him on this. At least not yet. No, she’d just have learn to deal with both Lexie and Liz.

Author is ready to update.

Thank you for bring this story back. I can't wait to find out what will happen between Max, Liz and Lexie when Max gets to Roswell. And wondering what Samantha is up to and what she will do.

From:
L-J-L 76

I just found this tonight. It is a wonderful story. Looking forward to updates.

L-J-L 76 - Thank you for your feedback. Samantha is definitely going to have a hard time being the "supportive girlfriend" as the story goes on.

RoswellFan68 - Thank you so much! I'm glad you like this story and I hope you enjoy this new part.

-



Max let out an anxious breath as he stepped off the plane in Roswell, New Mexico—a town he thought he’d never step foot in again. He wasn’t nervous about seeing Lexie. In fact, he was excited for the chance to be a real part of her life. But being back in Roswell brought back a lot of memories he would’ve preferred to leave in the past. Memories of him and Liz. He didn’t know why because it wasn’t like he was still in love with her, but the closer he got to Roswell, the harder it was to shake the waves of nostalgia as he remembered how happy he used to be in this town. And Liz had been a big part of that happiness. Immediately, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He and Liz were a fantasy that was never meant to be. As he stepped onto the terminal and spotted Liz and Lexie waiting at the gate, he smiled. Focus on Lexie, he reminded himself. She was the reason he was here.

Seeing Max heading their way, Lexie couldn’t contain the excited grin that formed on her face as she rushed up to him and pulled him into a big hug. “I’m so happy that you’re here.”

“Me too,” he replied, hugging her back. Once they released each other, Liz walked over to them.

“Hey, Max,” she greeted with an awkward smile.

“Hey,” he greeted back, looking equally as uncomfortable in her presence. And he did his best to convince himself that it had nothing to do with the thoughts he’d been having about her earlier.

“So, was the flight okay?”

Max shrugged. “It was decent.”

The two fell silent, struggling to figure out something else to say to each other. This is going to be torture, Liz thought to herself as the two of them stood there staring at each other. It had been fifteen years, but she could still remember the love they used to share. And at one point, she’d been so certain that they’d be married by now. But now look at them? Complete strangers who wanted nothing to do with each other. Her fifteen-year old self had been lovesick idiot. She quickly shook those thoughts from her mind, along with the lingering pain that accompanied them. This was about Lexie. Not her.

“So, fair warning, my mom set up a big dinner at our house for you,” she said. “But if you’re too tired from flight, we can always do it another time.”

Max shook his head. “No, not all. I’d love to see your mother again.”

“All right, then. Let’s go,” Lexie said, happily leading the way as the three of them left the airport together.
After getting his rental car, Liz gave Max the directions to her mother’s house before her and Lexie went to their jeep. Driving through Roswell felt like going through a time machine. There were some small changes here and there, but overall, the town looked the same as it did when he was a teenager. And somewhere along the way, Max realized he hadn’t needed to use Liz’s directions once. His body just seemed to instinctively remember where to go. He decided not to dwell on the reason for that, though.

He pulled up outside of Nancy Parker’s home and parked his car right behind Liz’s jeep. As she and Lexie got out of their vehicle, Max spotted two other cars parked along the street by Mrs. Parker’s house.

“Who else is here?” Max asked as he stepped out of his rental car.

Liz and Lexie shared a smile before turning back to Max. “You’ll see,” Lexie replied.

Max followed behind Liz and Lexie as they entered Mrs. Parker’s two story-home and as they made their way through the small foyer and into the living room, he smiled. Memories flooded his mind as he studied the room he had once spent so much time in when he was dating Liz. He always envied the warm relationship Liz had had with her parents and found himself looking at this place more like home than his own house. All the times he’d eat dinner here, do homework with Liz, watch television with Liz…kiss Liz. What the hell, Max? He immediately snapped his mind back to the present. The last thing he wanted to be thinking about was kissing Liz.

“I thought I heard the front door open,” came the familiar voice of Liz’s mother as she came into the living room from the kitchen. Before he even got a word out, Nancy walked over to Max and pulled him into a warm hug. “It’s so nice to see you again,” she said, and Max could tell that she was sincere. She stepped away from him and cupped his face in her hands, studying him with a kind smile. “You’ve grown into such a handsome man.”

Max’s cheeks reddened. “It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Parker.”

Nancy chuckled as she released his face. “Oh, please, you’re not fifteen anymore. Call me Nancy.”

A moment later, more footsteps headed into the living room and Max grinned as Maria Deluca came up to him, wearing an amused look on her face. “Mr. Superstar,” she greeted, wrapping her arms around his neck. “It’s been a long time.”

Once they pulled away, a man with dirty blonde hair stepped forward and Maria draped her arm over the man’s shoulder. “Max, this is my husband, Michael. Or as I like to call him, Spaceboy.”

Michael sighed in exasperation, but there was no mistaking the look he gave Maria as anything other than adoration. “Thanks, Maria.” He turned his attention to Max and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Max.”

With a friendly smile, Max clasped Michael’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “It’s nice to meet you too.” He glanced at Maria. “I can’t believe you’re married.”

“Sometimes I still can’t believe it.” She looked up at her husband, a smile plastered on her face. “But, yeah, we’ve been married for almost three years now.”

“All right, everyone,” Nancy announced loudly, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I’ll have dinner ready in about ten minutes.”

Just as she returned to the kitchen, Kyle Valenti walked up to Max with one of the most forced smiles Max had ever seen. Time certainly hadn’t mellowed him out. “Evans, good to see you.”

Bull, Max thought but kept it to himself. He wasn’t going to waste his time on Kyle’s petty jealousies. If he wanted to hold grudges, that was his problem. Giving Kyle an equally fake smile, Max quickly shook Kyle’s hand. “Yeah.”

Kyle was doing his best to be supportive for Liz’s and Lexie’s benefit, but on the inside, he was seething. He couldn’t believe how easily everyone seemed to accept Max after everything. But he still couldn’t understand why Liz ever dated him to begin with. Kyle had never trusted Max and that mistrust had only deepened after seeing the way he treated Liz after she got pregnant. As far as he was concerned, Max Evans was an entitled pretty boy who got handed things way too easily. And from the looks of his life now, that was clearly still the case.

And if Kyle was completely honest with himself, he was jealous. He’d been in love with Liz since Junior High and he still hoped that one day she would wake up and see that he was the best man for her. But even now, he could see that Max still had a hold over her. She did her best to pretend otherwise, but he could see it in her eyes.

Jealousy aside, though, Max didn’t deserve to be forgiven. But apparently no one seemed to realize this. Unable to take it anymore, Kyle turned to Liz and did his best not to look as angry as he was. “Hey, Liz, I’m going to head out. Could you tell your mom I said goodbye?”

A frown appeared on Liz’s face. “But I thought you were staying for dinner?”

“I wish I could, but the station called a few minutes before you got here,” he replied, trying to appear apologetic. “They need me to come in.”

Maria, who was listening to their conversation, rolled her eyes in annoyance. She knew damn well that the Sheriff’s station hadn’t called him, and that the real reason for leaving was because of Max. Maria liked Kyle, but his immaturity always grated her. And his infatuation with her best friend was beyond ridiculous at this point. She was just about to open her mouth to say something when a gentle nudge from her husband stopped her.

“Okay,” Liz said, giving Kyle a small smile. “Well, I’ll save you some leftovers.”

He nodded before pulling Lexie into a warm hug and his smile became genuine. “I’ll see you later, kiddo.”

“Pizza and air hockey on Friday?” She asked happily.

“Have I ever missed out tradition? Just don’t invite Josh. He cheats.”

Lexie smirked “Hey, don’t blame him ‘cause you suck at the game.”

Kyle chuckled and gave Lexie another quick hug before heading towards the door, shooting Max a cocky smirk as he left. He could tell that he had succeeded in making Max uncomfortable and he was glad. Kyle wanted to make it clear to Max that his sudden presence her didn’t erase the years of history Kyle had with both Liz and Lexie, and that he wasn’t going anywhere.

The desire to ram his fist into Kyle’s face was strong as Max watched him leave. He knew that Kyle was trying to make him jealous of the bond Lexie and Kyle seemed to share. And it was working. It was another reminder of how much he had missed out on. Lexie had friends, bonds, traditions that he hadn’t known about or gotten to be apart of, and he was still having trouble making peace with that. But as Nancy came back into the living room and announced that dinner was ready, he decided not to let it get him down. He would make up for the time that he had missed. That’s what mattered.
As the night wore on, Max managed to forget all about Kyle. Nancy’s cooking was as amazing as he remembered, and the conversation flowed as Lexie eagerly told him everything about her life in Roswell. Seeing her so animated and happy was a sight to behold. Liz and Nancy also chimed in with some embarrassing stories of Lexie growing up, though Lexie didn’t find those stories as amusing as they did.

Once dinner was over, Nancy ushered everyone out of the dining room, so she could start clearing the table. Liz helped her while everyone else made themselves comfortable in the in the living room. Max found himself in a spirit discussion with Michael about hockey and knew they were going to get along great. It surprised him how easy it was to fit back in with Liz’s family and it was almost like he’d never left. Was this what life would’ve been like had he been there to raise Lexie? Though he tried to block it out, the thought continued to nag at him for the rest of the evening. After enjoying some of Nancy’s apple pie for dessert, Michael and Maria decided to call it a night. Mrs. Parker headed upstairs to bed shortly after, leaving Max, Liz and Lexie sitting together in the living room.

“I forgot how good your mom’s cooking was,” Max said with a smile as he accepted the cup of coffee Liz handed him.

Lexie laughed as she laid back on the couch. “Yeah, if it wasn’t for grandma, there’d be nothing but takeout in this house.”

“Hey, I cook,” Liz said, looking offended, but Max could see the amused glint in her eyes.

Lexie continued to laugh as she watched her mom. “Frozen mac n’ cheese doesn’t count as cooking, mom.”

“I guess some things don’t change,” Max said with a playful smirk.

Liz rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. It was nice to finally have a moment with Max that wasn’t awkward or filled with unspoken resentment.

With a yawn, Lexie stood from the couch and stretched. “Well, I’m going to bed.”

Max and Liz both said their goodnights as Lexie hugged them and headed upstairs to her bedroom. Now that they were alone, the atmosphere changed. It was easy for them to know how to behave when they had other people around to distract them, but now that it was just the two of them, they were back to being strangers, unsure of how to deal with each other. The two of them continue to sit across from each other in the living room, the wall clock ticking in the background, before Max set his coffee down and stood up, grabbing his jacket from the arm of the couch.

“I should probably check in to the hotel,” he said. “Samantha’s expecting my call.”

“Right.” Liz stood up as well and walked Max to the front door. “Well, I hope everyone wasn’t too overwhelming tonight.”

Max smiled. “No, it was great seeing Nancy and Maria again. And Michael seems like a great guy,” They both stopped in the foyer and Max could see that Liz was uncomfortable as he was. “And it’s been nice catching up with you,” he said honestly.

Liz gave Max a skeptical look. “You don’t have to say that, Max. I know we’re not in a good place right now.”

It was true. While he’d enjoyed his evening with Liz and Lexie, it also served as a reminder of all the things he’d missed out on. All the things Liz had chosen to exclude him from. Of course, Max knew he couldn’t blame Liz entirely. He had a played a part in the way things went down between them, but it didn’t make the situation any easier.

“No, we’re not,” he said with a nod. “But I’d like to change that.”

“Why?”

With a sigh, Max leaned against the front door, his jacket folded over his arm. He could understand her uncertainty. They were good at playing nice when others were around, but there was still a lot of hurt an anger between them and he hated it. He wanted Lexie’s parents to get along and, for reasons he still didn’t understand, he hated the distance between them. Sure, she’d been nice and conversational the few times they interacted, but he could tell that she was forcing herself to be comfortable with him. She wasn’t the carefree, open girl that she was when she was with her family and friends. And Brian, he thought to himself but immediately dismissed the thought.

“Because you’re the mother of my child,” he said finally. “We’re going to be in each other’s lives and I’d like it if it wasn’t awkward. I want us to be friends.”

Liz studied Max, contemplating his offer. This day had been exhausting for her, trying to keep some emotional space between the two of them, but it was hard. Having him in her home, interacting with her family, it was almost like he had never left. But that only made her warier. As happy as Liz was for Lexie, she was still unsure about having Max back in her life.

But the hopeful look in his hazel eyes made her heart flutter in a way it hadn’t in a long time. She tried her best to ignore the feeling, though, as she gave him a small smile and nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Great,” he replied, feeling optimistic that he and Liz might be able to work through this. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As he opened the door to leave, Liz’s fingers grasped his arm to stop him. They both felt a familiar tingle rush through their bodies at the physical contact and Liz quickly snatched her hand back as Max turned to look at her. Her eyes darted away, not wanting him to see that he had any effect on her. “Um, I just wanted to say that I think it’s really great that you’re here.”

She finally allowed herself to meet his eyes and the stunned expression on his face made her want to clarify herself. “For Lexie. She’s so happy.”

“I’m happy I’m here too.” He smiled. “Night, Liz.”

“Night, Max.”
Samantha could barely control herself when her cell phone finally rang at midnight and she saw Max’s name on her caller ID. She was furious. He had promised to call her hours ago and all she wanted to do at that moment was yell at him. Still, when she pressed the connect button, she did her best to keep the anger out of her voice. “Hey, Max.”

“Hey, babe. Did I wake you?”

She shook her head against the phone. “No, you didn’t. I was waiting up for you,” she said, hoping it would illicit some guilt from him. From the tone in his response, she could tell that she had succeeded.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said with a sigh, collapsing down on the sofa in his hotel room. “I didn’t mean to call so late. Dinner just went on longer than I was expecting.”

“What dinner?”

“Yeah, Liz and Lexie set up this big dinner with their families and friends,” He said. A warm smile spread on his lips then. “It was actually a lot of fun.”

“I’m sure,” Samantha muttered, trying to ignore the lump that had begun forming in her throat. The happiness in his voice broke her heart.

After she silent for a few moments, Max got a little worried. “Samantha? Are you okay?”

Furiously, she wiped a tear that slid down her cheek and did her best to sound happier. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been a long day. Tell me more about this dinner.”
As Max went on about his evening with the Parkers, Samantha wanted to scream. Of course, she wasn’t okay with this situation. How could he think she would be? He had a child with another woman and his obsession with this girl was ruining everything. She wanted to say all of this to him, but she held her tongue. She knew that telling him this would only push him away from her, so for now, she forced herself to be supportive and sound interested while he blathered on about his amazing daughter and the perfect Liz Parker. But only for now.

I really need to go back and read this from the first again. I have forgotten so much.
It was funny Max trying to keep his focus on Lexie.....
This was truly an awkward situation, and it seemed Kyle couldn't get away fast enough.
Samantha is really jealous of this daughter has with Liz, or is it just Liz herself.
Can't wait for more!!
Carolyn