Family Connections (AU,CC,ADULT) Ch 58 26/10/14 [WIP]

[KatnotKath]

Another part , so soon, I know what you're going to say, what's happening to me. Well, as I said, the last chapter was rather longer in rough, and this is the rest of it. I wanted to post cos I didn't know when I'd have chance to type up and add to the rest, but as it happens, it was a lot sooner than expected. I managed to get up to date with my rps today, and thought 'why not' . I'm afraid it's not quite as long as usual, but then maybe that makes sense cos in rough it was only half hehe.

RASaero611, Strawberry88, behrlyliz, MaxsAntarPrincessLiz, roswellluver, purpleant, cocpucks, Emz80m, anonymousarfan and Isabelle, thanks for reading and the feedback is much appreciated. I'm glad you're all enjoying the story and hope that you'll like the new part.

RASaero611 - thanks for reading, I'm so glad you're enjoying it. As for Max, of course he's sweet to her, he's a sweet guy hehe

Strawberry88 - Well I'm glad you've found the fic again, welcome back . Glad you're enjoying it

behrlyliz - Thanks, and here's your next part as requested, hope you like it.

MaxsAntarPrincessLiz - sorry to disappoint you about length, in that case I guess you'll be disappointed again but I thought it would be better to post sooner, rather than waiting to type this up too.

roswellluver - thanks, glad you enjoyed it. You'll probably have gathered by now I like Max and Liz as a couple

purpleant - Highschool can be a rough place I guess. At least they have each other to help them get through it though

cocopucks - wait's over, here you go, hope you like the new part

Emz80m - they have indeed invaded their privacy...at Michael's instruction I might point out, but you have to admit they have a reason I guess.

anonymousarfan - thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

Isabelle - well Alex did the snooping yeah, but Michael had told him to. As for Isabel, I guess maybe she saw something in them that she could understand...well maybe...? As far as Pam and Stacey go, I have to admit it was a fun scene to do, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy it and as always I'd love to hear what you think.


Chapter 11

As she and Max walked along the corridor towards their lockers, Liz couldn’t miss the way most of the students seemed to stop talking to turn and look at them as they walked past. She sighed. “Clearly the gossip mill is working overtime here…as usual…” She murmured softly.

Max slipped his arm around her waist. “Who cares…I know I don’t…”

Liz shook her head and sighed. “It just seems as though it’s happened even quicker than usual…” She looked up at him. “It’s usually at least a few days before they get hold of it…”

Her husband puled her a little closer, placing a quick kiss on the top of her head. He knew Liz struggled with all this, and he wished she didn’t have to go through it…. Plus, to make it worse, if he was honest, he had kind of brought it upon them this time… He looked down at her. “I’m sorry sweets…I guess my outburst last night in the Crashdown didn’t help…” He sighed. “It was just I saw that jock, the way he wouldn’t let go of you, and the way that he didn’t take any notice of me, and I guess I pretty much saw red…”

Liz nodded. She knew he was right… She couldn’t think of a time when the information of their marital status had been made known quite so publicly… ‘So much for keeping a low profile…’ Usually the news was simply disclosed to a single boy or girl, depending on which of the two of them was either asked about their ‘brother’ or ‘sister’, or was asked out first. Initially they had always intended to make it public immediately, but that tended to cause problems with the teachers in school so this alternative was much easier in the long run. Yesterday had been somewhat different though, and she supposed it was inevitable that it had made even more of an impact than usual. At the same time though, there was no way that she could be upset with him either… Kyle had been far too persistent and Max had every right to have been angry… She smiled softly and looked up at him. “It’s ok…I know you meant well…”

Continuing along the corridor, Max could feel the gaze of other students boring into the back of his head. He could see that Liz was uncomfortable and as she looked up, he tried to send her a reassuring smile.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, they arrived in front of the lockers and Liz moved as though to open hers. To her surprise, she found herself pulled back into familiar strong arms as Max pulled her closer and dipped his head towards hers. She smiled softly, long since having overcome self-consciousness about such displays, and reached up, allowing her lips to meet his.

A number of the surrounding students who were watching began to clap and a couple of the guys stuck their fingers in their mouths, giving loud wolf whistles. Neither Liz nor Max were aware of the noise though… The couple was completely lost within each other and all that mattered was that they were together. The two of them were not ashamed, to any extent, of their married status… They knew that the teachers felt it was wrong, and the students would automatically assume the worst, but the important thing was that they knew the truth… They were married for the simple reason that they loved each other…nothing had meant they had to do this, it had been their choice, their decision, and it wasn’t one that either of them would ever regret… Things would never be easy for the two of them; their lives weren’t simple or straightforward… They were teenagers, but their worries and concerns were far more serious than most, but that didn’t matter as long as they were together.

To Max, the fact that he was actually married to Liz was out of this world. They had always been friends, but since the moment they’d started going out he’d wanted nothing more than to know she was his forever… He had dreamt of the day he would ask her the question, which had been answered the previous year, and now that he had, he took great pleasure in trying to show his wife that he had no regrets.

Slowly, each of them became aware of their surroundings once more, but neither pulled away from the other immediately. The position they were in was familiar and comfortable, and neither wished to change that. Both would have been quite happy to remain as they were for the rest of the day if it was possible, but unfortunately of course it was not. They were at school, and had lessons to get to…

Reluctantly, the two of them acknowledged the fact that they couldn’t stay like this forever and their lips met for one more searing kiss before they separated slightly.

Liz turned and stepped forward slightly, reaching to open her locker. As she did this however, she noticed a girl who was stood only a few feet away. She had short curly blond hair, one of the classic airhead cheerleader types in appearance. Although she didn’t automatically assume this was in fact true of the girl, Liz did get an immediate feeling that she intended to cause trouble.

As though suddenly realising her presence had been realised, the girl stepped forward, ignoring Liz and stopping right in front of Max who she flashed a dazzling smile. “Oh Hi, you must be Max Evans…” She exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, batting her eyelashes in such a way that Liz couldn’t help thinking that she looked as though she had something in her eye. Of course she was fully aware that this wasn’t the case though, and more, she knew exactly what the girl was up to. Her eyes narrowed and she tensed slightly as she looked at the girl who obviously had her eye on Max and listened to her introduce herself, once more completely blanking Liz. “I’m Pam Troy, I heard that you were new and thought maybe you’d like someone to show you around…”

Max, who still had one arm around Liz’s shoulders, felt his wife tense and as he listened to the blond, an immediate dislike of this girl beginning to surface. The last thing he really wanted to do was have to deal with this airhead, but he also didn’t want to make a scene and so tried to keep a smile on his face as he responded to her. “Yeah, I’m Max…and this is my wife Liz…” The last he added in an attempt to make it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested and so felt it unnecessary to comment on her offer about showing him round, having noted that the offer had been worded in the singular, and addressed to him alone, not including Liz.

Pam nearly let her smile slip, but just managed to keep it in face and gave a little squeal, pretending just to notice the rings which sat on the brunette’s wedding finger. “Oh wow, so you mean they’re real…?” She asked pointing. “I just assumed they were imitation, or your grandmother’s or something like that…” She tossed her head, trying to hide her envy. In truth, if one looked at those rings, no one would think they were anything but the real thing. Even if the only reason for this marriage was a baby on the way, something she had no doubt was true, Liz had certainly got two beautiful rings out of it. The diamond solitaire, although small and simple, was delightfully elegant and the plain gold ring that sat underneath was pure class. Whatever the situation be, Max certainly hadn’t skimped… Since her intention was definitely not to compliment the couple, she did not admit these feelings however and simply flashed Max another smile.

Hearing the suggestion that her rings were fake, the smile on Liz’s face dropped slightly and as she noticed how Pam was continuing to openly flirt with her husband, she frowned. “No, I can assure you they are quite genuine…” She responded stiffly although the smile on her face returned partially as she felt Max’s hand slip around her waist and settle on her hip. She knew what he was doing, and although it was unnecessary really, she was grateful to him for providing the reassurance he was to her.

Pam gave her a sickly smile, her eyes narrowing slightly as she noticed Max’s movement. “Oh, it’s so nice to see a boy doing the honourable thing…facing up to his responsibilities…” She continued, her eyes seeming now to come to rest on Liz’s stomach.

Max’s lips thinned as he looked back at her. “I’m sorry, I’m not really sure what you’re talking about…” He told her putting a blank look on his face although he did of course know exactly what she meant – his initial dislike of this girl was definitely proving to be justified…

The blond girl waved her hand in the air dismissively as she addressed Max. “Oh you know…I know perhaps you haven’t announced it yet, but it doesn’t take much to guess…” Her gaze focused on Liz again before adding a last blow. “I can’t see it being long before you have to make it public anyway…how far alone are you anyway…?”

Liz had known exactly where this was going from the start, but it didn’t help her to control the surge of anger she felt at the insinuation. She took a deep breath, refusing to make any response. For a moment she didn’t think she trusted herself to say, or do, anything. If she opened her mouth right then, she was certain to say something she would regret later, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Max couldn’t help noticing the way an amount of the colour in Liz’s cheeks had disappeared and he recognised the warning sign of her silence. Looking down at her, he smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly in an effort to help her calm.

His wife took another breath, returning his smile before looking back at Pam. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” She returned a little sharply in a cold tone. She’d had enough of this girl’s flirting and insinuations… “If you’re suggesting that I’m pregnant I’m afraid you’re very much mistaken…” She looked back at Max for a moment before returning her attention to the other girl. “Furthermore, that given that I’m not, it can’t be the only reason we got married as you seem to think either can it…”

If Pam was surprised at the response she had received, she did nothing to show it although she did make it perfectly clear that she wasn’t convinced. “Oh come on…I wouldn’t think you’re going to be able to hide it for much longer… What’s the point in denying it…what are you, three, four months along…?”

Max felt Liz freeze and could tell from the look on her face that she was fighting not to respond. He looked back at Pam again, all pretence of friendliness on his part now gone. This had gone on long enough… “I do not appreciate the suggestions you are making!” He told her firmly, his gaze cold and harsh. “As Liz says, she is NOT pregnant… I married her because I love her, no hidden reasons. I wanted Liz to become my wife because I wanted to be with her forever…” He paused a moment before adding. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we got married some months ago now anyway, so if you were right, I believe it would already be obvious!”

Liz couldn’t help allowing herself a small smile as she heard the response her husband gave. She knew full well that even saying the last wouldn’t stop speculation. Some people would always insist that they had a false alarm, or she miscarried… Those who wanted to believe the worst would always find a way. For now at least though, it seemed to have shut Pam up and surprised her, and that was enough. Liz didn’t know how much more she could have stood of the other girl. She leaned into Max’s arms slightly and looked back at Pam. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t start talking about things that you know nothing about, and this clearly is one of them!”

Pam was speechless… She had expected Liz to end up in floods of tears, or rushing off and leaving her and Max alone, but not this… The couple didn’t seem upset as much as angry… She shrugged mentally as she struggled to collect her thoughts. Taking a breath, she fixed a fake smile on her face once more and looked from one to the other. “Whatever you say…” She nodded, giving the impression that she did not believe them. She just couldn’t figure them out…but she wasn’t going to let them know that… Flashing another bright, toothy smile at Max, she turned and walked away.

Liz shook her head, allowing Max to draw her into his arms once more as he pressed a kiss onto the top of her head before pushing her back slightly and brushing her hair back from her face. He looked at her. “You ok…?”

She gave him a weak smile, pulling back and turning back to the locker as she took the padlock in her hand and concentrated on opening it. “Yeah…I’m fine…” She told him softly in a small voice. She turned her head to look back at him a moment. “Besides, after going through that, things can only get better…right…?”

Her husband nodded, just hoping that she was right… That was some way to start the day… “Come here…” He told her, drawing Liz away from her locker and back into his arms for one more moment. He looked down at her, taking in the swell of her breasts, the pale, soft, beautiful skin of her bare shoulders, and those luscious soft pink lips. He couldn’t imagine anyone more beautiful than the girl stood in front of him right then… The girl who he loved with all his heart and without whom, he couldn’t imagine his life.

He pulled her deeper, holding her against his chest as he buried his face in her hair. Those brown, velvety tresses that fell over her shoulders and flowed down over her back. Drawing back, he felt her shift position and as he looked down, he found himself looking into those deep brown eyes, feeling himself falling in love all over again with this wonderful girl…his wife…

Liz knew that she should move, that they needed to get on, but somehow, as she looked up into the eyes of the man she loved, she found she was unable to move from his arms. She reached up, allowing her lips to meet with his, before then breaking away and resting her head against his chest. Whatever happened somehow she knew, as long as Max was there, it would all work out… They’d get through things together…

**********

From a little way down the corridor, a group of the jocks were watching the couple. “You know maybe that Max isn’t so crazy…” One of them commented, giving low whistle, as his eyes took in the figure of the petite brunette.

The jeans she was wearing hugged her hips tightly, emphasizing her current slim figure, and although she might not have much in the frontage, the top she was wearing certainly made the most of what she had… That was one hot chic…

Kyle raised his eyebrows as he heard this comment, turning round and looking in the direction Tom indicated. His gaze quickly fell on the shapely figure of the dark haired beauty that was currently being held by the dark haired boy. He couldn’t deny one thing…that was some body…

He knew full well that if he admitted this, the guys would throw it back in his face that she turned him down though and so he tried to keep an even expression on her face. “I guess she’s ok…”

“Where are you looking man…she is hot…” Another of the guys commented, his eyes glued to her also.

Kyle rolled his eyes, “Yeah, well it just shows how easy she is then doesn’t it…” He commented, pointing to her. “I mean she’s supposed to be married… Have you seen that outfit…and the way that she was looking at me in the café? That girl is doing everything except throw herself at us…”

“I don’t know man…she looks pretty happy where she is…” Tom commented doubtfully. As much as he didn’t like to argue with Kyle…he wasn’t exactly someone to get on the wrong side of…somehow he didn’t see how his friend could honestly deny the way the couple looked at each other. He wasn’t blind… When Max had exploded the night before, the look in his eyes was something else…

Kyle glared at him, continuing is rant to the others who would listen. “Oh come on, I mean you can’t honestly believe that is suitable clothing for school…”

The other guys shrugged, not really bothered. Suitable clothing or not, it sure made for a nice view…

He shook his head again. “Not that I’d be interested anyway though…she’s damaged goods and pretty soon everyone’s going to know it…” He scowled as he remembered his encounter the night before. That girl had made a fool of him…no one got away with that.

A number of the other guys noticed his expression. They knew only too well what it probably meant, but it wasn’t as though they were going to be the ones to voice it… Kyle Valenti was ‘powerful’ in the school…they felt sorry for anyone that had annoyed him so much.

“Anyway, what’s that about him not being crazy…” Kyle pulled a face to show how much ridiculous this statement sounded to him. “I mean come on Tom…to get her into the sack maybe…she’s got an ok figure, I can think of worse gals, but to get her knocked up, and then have to marry her…?” He looked at the guy he was addressing in particular incredulously. “Are you actually saying you’d want to be married at sixteen…?”

The reaction provoked from this was immediate and negative. “NO, not at all…” His eyes widened. The idea of being married at his age…? It just didn’t compute… He didn’t want a serious girlfriend at this point, never mind a wife… “No way would I want that, but I’m just saying that maybe he does…and maybe he didn’t get such a bad deal…” He looked over at the girl in question again. If he was going to be married at his age, he was pretty sure that would be the sort of girl he would choose…

“Oh yeah, a sixteen year old guy is going to want to give up the chance to play the field…” Kyle laughed, showing just how ridiculous that sounded. “Come on man, he made a mistake, and now he’s paying for it… I bet you won’t see him trying out for the football team or anything like that… Why? Because he’ll be too busy playing daddy and working…” He grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder and onto his back. “That guy is going to be divorced by the time he’s twenty, and paying most of his minimum wage over in support payments…if he had any sense, he’d have paid for her to have an abortion…!” Finishing with this last, he shook his head again and then turned away from the couple and started walking in the opposite direction as he headed off down the corridor.

A number of the guys stayed a little longer, enjoying the view, before muttering some kind of agreement to what Kyle had said and following the way he had gone.

**********

Oblivious to the attention they had attracted from the jocks, Liz and Max stood there for a few more moments, just talking about general things. Their conversation could have come from any young couple and there was nothing to suggest they were anything out of the ordinary. Finally, as they heard the warning bell sound, the two of them pulled apart, Max reaching for Liz’s books. “Want me to carry them for you…?” He offered softly.

His wife smiled but shook her head. “There’s no need…I can manage…” She assured him as she closed her locker and replaced the padlock.

Max shook his head, reaching for the books that she had put down on top of the locker in order to lock it. “I know you can manage, but I want to…please…?”

Turning to look at him, Liz found herself looking into those deep brown eyes which she knew she could never say no to. She sighed and shook her head laughing softly. “Oh boy…puppy dog eyes…you must really want to do this…”

Her husband simply smiled without saying anything, reaching out to push a few stray strands of hair which had fallen into her face before offering picking up his bag and putting it over his shoulder, at which point he offered her his free hand.

“Alright…thank you…” She responded, smiling again and slipping her hand into his. She felt him squeeze it reassuringly, probably knowing that she was still nervous about facing the other students and she looked up at him. “Thanks…” She repeated softly.

Max nodded, relieved to see that she was still smiling. He knew she was far from happy…the incident with Pam had definitely not helped, and he didn’t like the fact that after this first period, she would be on her own until lunch. They only had two periods that were different, unfortunately one came after the other, making for almost a complete morning alone, and as worse look would have it, it had to be that morning didn’t it…? Sighing, he just hoped that she wouldn’t have too hard a time and then smiled down at his wife. “Come on, let’s get to class…”

Nodding her acceptance, Liz smiled, feeling him release her hand in favour of slipping his arm around her waist as they walked along the corridor towards their first period.

[KatnotKath]

RASaero611, Coley452, behrlyliz, roswellluver, Emz80m, Isabelle, anonymousarfan, inquisitive1, glad you're all enjoying the story, thanks for reading and telling me what you think.

RASaero611 - cute, well that's Max and Liz all over isn't it hehe

Coley452 - thanks, glad you're enjoying the story

behrlyliz - I know the relationship is deep, I hope that you don't think it's over the top. They've been through a lot together though, and as you say, having each other's support is important given what they have to deal with at school.

roswellluver - they are, but all schools have them I guess. Unfortunately it's life, but at least our couple have each other to help deal with them

Emz80m - well we couldn't have her stealing Liz's man could we hehe

Isabelle - glad to see that you're still enjoying it, I try my best . As for Max, it was dramatic yes, but I can't honestly blame him, can you? - Kyle was way out of line there. As for how long they've been married - since just after Liz's last birthday... That gives you a vague idea of timing when combined with the information about said birthday, but I'll make sure some more specific info is included in upcoming chapters.

anonymousarfan - thanks

inquisitive1 - In case you didn't already know, I'm a huge Max and Liz fan too. Glad you're enjoying the story though, I guarantee there is much more to come.

urpersonaloddball - glad you found your way back then and pleased to hear that you're enjoying it.

Okay, so I know after my last quick update, I've now gone almost a month and a half without updating... To my defence, I went a whole week with no computer at all (really not good), and it took me rather a lot of time to catch up on rps and stuff after that. Then came Easter back home, and I ended up not getting half the writing I had intended done. Usually I do a lot of writing over lunch at work, but we're short staffed at the moment, so basically it's a case of - what breaks? lol. So if you haven't gathered by now, RL has been a bit of a pain, and it's meant that I was delayed in getting this out to you. I know I don't update as often as most writers on the board, but I do usually hope to keep to about once a month, so I'll be hoping for that next time.

Anyway, I've been going on long enough I guess, you've been waiting long enough, so here's the new chapter hope you all enjoy it, I'd love to hear what you think.

Chapter 12

Liz’s chest tightened as she walked into her third period of the day. This was one of the only ones which was different from Max, and already she felt a pang from the fact he wasn’t there…

Making her way down the aisle to an empty seat at the back, she couldn’t help noticing the way people would stop talking as she passed. It didn’t take much to guess what they were talking about…

Oh how she wished that Max were there… When he was there, she could almost forget about the whispers and rumours that would be going around… Seeing him, was all she needed, to remind her of the fact that the only thing that was important, was that they loved each other… As Max said, it didn’t matter what others believed was the reason for their marriage, all that mattered was that they knew the truth… They knew there had been no baby involved…

Pulling the chair out, and sitting down, she had just managed to get out her books and papers when the teacher arrived.

Mr Blake was a no-nonsence teacher, and immediately he came in the room, the whole class fell silent. “Good morning class…I trust everyone has completed the work I set for over the weekend…I’m going to do the roll, and then I’ll be coming round to collect it all. Anyone without something to hand in had better have a very good excuse!” He informed his class before matching action to words and pulling out his register.

“Martin Boomer…?”

“Present”

“Susan Cook…?”

“Here…”

“Racheal Damson…?”

Her continued through the list, noting down any absences as he went. “Maria DeLuca…?”

Liz looked round, surprised by the familiar name. She hadn’t realised Maria would be in one of her classes…

“Maria DeLuca….?” Mr Blake called out again, as was his procedure… His brow wrinkled on receiving no response and he was just about to note down her absence when the door swung open.

Looking round, Mr Blake took in the student who had been revealed. “Ms DeLuca…I thought we had been through this before…if you come to my lessons, you come to them on time!”

Maria looked rather flustered, having been with Michael last period and lost track of the time. “Y-yessir…it won’t happen again, I’m sorry…” She apologised, walking into the room.

He nodded, still frowning, but motioned for her to take her seat.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Maria thankfully did just that, making her way to the back of the room and sitting down in the seat which was free next to Liz. At first, she didn’t register who the girl was, but after a moment, she looked over, offering her a smile. “Hey…” She whispered softly.

Liz looked up at her. “Hi…” She returned the small smile before turning her attention back to Mr Blake as she heard her name called. “Present…” She responded quickly.

Neither girl said anything more as he completed the roll, and nothing more was said until he set them off on some work and then decided he had to leave the room for a moment.

As soon as the door closed behind him, the noise in the room rose at least two notches and Maria looked over at Liz. “So…no hubby today…?” She commented in a light voice.

Liz shook her head and sighed. “No…he has phys-ed…” She gave a wry smile. “I don’t know why, but every school we’ve been through insists on separating us for that…” She put on a thoughtful expression.

Maria laughed and shook her head. “Hm…that wouldn’t have something to do with the scantily clad nature the students in such lessons would it…?” She pointed out teasingly.

Liz blushed bright red at this comment. She took a moment, obviously collecting her thoughts and then shook her head again. “Do they honestly think we would be like that…?” She sighed. In actual fact, she couldn’t deny that in truth it probably wasn’t such a bad idea… Not that anything would happen between her and Max, but if Max caught sight of other guys looking at her when she was in gym shorts, or a bathing suit…well, maybe not such a good idea…

Maria watched her expression carefully and smiled. “Whatever you say honey…”

Any response Liz might have had was cut off as Mr Blake re-entered the room. He retook his position at the front of the class, and continued with his lesson. About half way through the hour, he split the class into groups of six, and instructed them to push their tables together in order to create a larger area to work on….

Liz and Maria were pleasantly surprised to find they had been assigned to work together, but when they saw who the other four were, they groaned. Zack Matthews, Aaron Denise, Martin Boomer and Robert Chambers.

Martin wasn’t too bad, but the other three were huge friends of Kyle… Maria just knew that this was not going to go well. She put on a weak smile as she and Liz began to push their tables together. “Hey…”

They guys grinned. “Hey…”

Robert pushed his table up next to Liz’s, ‘accidentally’ dropping a pen and dropping down onto the floor supposedly to retrieve it. “Nice legs…” He whispered to Liz as he straightened back up.

Realising that it had been far from an accident, Liz felt her chest tighten, and she froze as she felt his hand sliding along her thigh. “Get your hand off me…” She told him in a low, even voice.

Aaron smirked. “What’s wrong baby…don’t you like it…”

Liz swallowed, fighting to keep control and not to cry out. “I said, get off me!”

This second demand came across slightly louder than the first and Mr Blake looked up. “Is everything alright Ms. Evans…?”

Zack faked a look of apology. “Oh, I’m so sorry Liz, my hand must have brushed against your leg as I reached for my pen…” He looked over at Mr Blake. “I’m sorry Sir…it won’t happen again…”

The teacher nodded, apparently satisfied for now. “See that it doesn’t…”

The rest of the lesson seemed to last an age to Liz. The boys did nothing that would be picked up by the teacher, but little comments, or slight brushes against her leg, and even on one occasion her breast, were fairly common place. They knew exactly how to make her uncomfortable, without actually getting themselves into trouble…

Maria was forced to watch, knowing what was going on, but being able to do nothing about it… She gave Liz a few sympathetic glances, and tried to tell the guys to back off once or twice, but the last time she tried that, they then got her into trouble, saying that she wasn’t concentrating on what they were supposed to be doing… Like they had been…

“You know I can understand you not wanting to go out with Kyle…but I could show you a good time if you like…?” Robert commented as he leant towards Liz, making out he was showing her something on one of the sheets.

She pulled back, trying to distance herself from him. “No thanks!” She repeated the response she had been making over and over. Swallowing and fighting to keep her composure, she looked at him and then pointed to her rings. “See these, they say I’m TAKEN, now get over it!” She told him firmly.

Martin, to give him some credit, did try a couple of times himself to get them to leave it, but it didn’t stop the other guys, and by the time the bell rang, Liz was at the stage where she would have been bolting from the room anyway, even had it not been the end of the lesson… As soon as Mr Blake said they could, she grabbed her books, without even bothering to put them into her bag, and practically ran from the room.

Max was walking along the corridor, intending to surprise Liz by meeting her outside her class. Their original plan had been to meet up at their lockers – which happened to be next to each other – but he had changed out of his gym kit quickly so was out sooner than expected. A smile played on his lips as he thought about seeing his wife again, even after only an hour’s separation…

Unfortunately, that smile soon dropped from his face as he saw her blot out of the room and into the corridor in front of her. Quickly, he hurried over, drawing her into his arms. “Baby…what’s the matter…?” He asked her softly, easing her over to the side of the corridor so as not to obstruct the other students who were on the way to lunch.

A group of girls who were coming out of the same room sniggered, presumably having heard what he had said or something, but right at that moment in time Max didn’t care. All he cared about was Liz, and something had clearly upset her…

Liz bit her lip as she heard them, burying her head in her husband’s chest and sobbing silently. This was the worst it had been… Of all the schools they had been too, nothing like this had ever happened before… She knew that the girls had heard the pet name Max had used, and had no doubt it would be used to further fuel the rumours she knew were already flying round courtesy of Kyle Valenti and Pam Troy…

However many times she had heard it before, it just didn’t get any easier… She knew it wasn’t true of course, but she still heard what people were saying about them, and it hurt…

Every time they came to a new place, she hoped that it would be different, and every time, she was disappointed…

Part of her wanted to believe that they were wrong about this place…that it would turn out to be a dead end, just as so many others had. It would make it easier to deal with this, if she knew it would be over in a couple of months…

The fact was, that everything they had learnt, supported the possibility that they had finally found the right place though…and if they had, they were there to stay…

She swallowed, the thought of having to put up with Pam and Kyle for years was not something she wanted to even think about… Of course the current rumours would lose momentum in a couple of months, when they realised she hadn’t put on any weight, but she knew that Pam would find new ones… No doubt she would suggest that they had a scare, that they were ‘lucky’…

Biting down on her lip, she closed her eyes, trying to block out everything around as she buried more deeply into Max’s arms.

Her husband was more than alarmed… In truth he didn’t think he had ever seen her like this, and it worried him… “Liz…what’s wrong…?” He asked her softly, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her petite form. He couldn’t bear to see her like this, he loved this wonderful, beautiful girl, and he hated to see her upset.

His wife made no response, her body stopped shaking, but she still clung to him almost as a lifeline…

Max frowned, trying once more. “Liz…honey what’s wrong…talk to me, please…?” He looked down at her questioningly.

“She didn’t have too good a time last lesson…” Maria told him softly as she walked up.

Max looked round, a little surprised by her appearance but nodded a thanks for the explanation. “What happened…?”

Liz swallowed, pulling away slightly and looking up to meet his eyes. “T-they were saying things…and t-touching me…”

Max nodded, knowing that the first was to be expected. As she mentioned the second though, the look on his face turned to fury. “WHAT?”

His wife bit her lip, clearly trying not to cry and took a moment to try and compose herself before explaining. “I-I guess I brought it on m-myself with the outfit…” She responded in a stilted fashion, motioning to the top she had created that morning. “B-but I never expected them to t-try anything…”

He nodded, pulling her close and looking over at Maria. He was still naturally rather cautious around new people, but her reaction the day before, and the way she had spoken just now, there was just something about her that he liked… “It’s okay…you have nothing to be sorry about…” He assured her. “You look beautiful, there’s nothing wrong with what you are wearing…”

Maria smiled and nodded in agreement. “You look great today Liz, but there’s nothing suggestive about your outfit or anything Chica, it’s just pretty, and attractive, but that doesn’t excuse what they were doing…” She reached out to touch the younger girl’s arm for a moment.

She couldn’t say that she wasn’t still a little nervous of the couple, there was definitely something more to their story than they were letting on, but at the same time, she couldn’t help liking them… She had been freaking before school of course she knew, but after thinking about what Alex, and even Isabel had said, she was coming round to their way of thinking… There was just something about the pair of them…they seemed so innocent in some ways, yet in others so full of experience in the world…

Liz managed something of a small smile, and Max hesitated before pressing any further… Seeing that his wife was now a little happier, he didn’t want to upset her again, but at the same time, he did want to know what had happened, and if necessary, he did intend to deal with the guys involved… “Liz…can you tell me what happened sweets…?” He asked her softly.

Liz shook her head, not wanting to say anything for the moment. She just wanted to feel those welcoming arms, to feel safe with Max…with her husband…

Maria could see that the girl was upset, and decided to try and help. “Am I okay explaining a little Liz…?”

She nodded awkwardly, looking over at Maria for only a few moments before burying her head in Max’s arms once more.

Max looked at Maria questioningly now. “Go on…”

She nodded. “We were put into some groups…Liz and I got put with Martin, and three of the jocks… They started giving it some lip, and making comments…but nothing that we could pin them for…” She trailed off, realising that the next bit was really Liz’s to tell, as and when she felt able… Speaking about things that had been said was one thing, but done…well that was another…

Liz looked up, realising that she couldn’t really put it off any longer and took over telling the tale. “T-they kept touching my legs, just brushing up against, but it was obvious they were doing it on purpose…t-they kept s-saying things, and when I tried to complain to Mr Blake, they made out it was nothing…”

Max listened, the anger mounting inside as he listened to what his wife had been forced to experience. He had an awful feeling that he hadn’t heard the worst yet either… He looked at her questioning silently if there was more…

Without saying anything, as she realised what he was asking, Liz nodded. She took a breath. “O-one of them…h-he touched my br-east…” She finally managed to get out before turning back and sobbing into his chest once more. She felt weak for reacting like this, but at the same time, she couldn’t help it… Of all the treatment she had received from boys in the past, there had never been anything like that… There had been verbal harassment on occasion yes, nasty comments were a gimme, but touching, physical…never before…

Trying to control the fury he felt, which raged inside him like a fire, for now, Max concentrated on comforting his wife. Running his hand over her hair, smoothing it gently, before pressing his lips down onto the top of her head, he held her tightly, swearing silently to himself that he would make those who had hurt her like that pay.

Gradually, her sobs ceased, and Liz regained her composure, taking deep breaths of air to calm herself before pulling away from the protective arms of her husband. She looked up at him. “I’m alright now…”

He looked carefully into her eyes, not completely satisfied, but deciding simply to keep an eye on her rather than push and insist she wasn’t… He nodded, slipping his arm around her waist before motioning in the direction of the cafeteria. “You hungry…?”

Maria had moved a little way off, giving the couple some privacy, but now she moved towards them again. “Why don’t you have lunch with us…? You know everyone, and you’d be most welcome…” She told them with a smile.

Liz looked a little dubious, and given the circumstances, Max almost felt inclined to say no… But then there was the fact that Maria had obviously tried to help, and she had been trying to calm Liz with him… She was acting like a friend – not something they tended to have many of, and if she was inviting them, maybe it would be a good idea to accept… He squeezed Liz’s shoulders slightly. “Come on…it’ll be okay…” He told her softly.

Liz bit her lip, but eventually nodded. She looked up at Max though. “Could we still stop off at our lockers though…I-I’d like to dump some of this stuff…” She told him softly.

Max didn’t need her to ask twice. He easily picked up on the fact she still needed a little time, and immediately nodded, looking to Maria. “Why don’t you go on ahead, and we’ll catch you up in a few minutes…” He suggested to the girl.

“Okay, see you in a little while then…” Maria smiled and looked over at Liz again. “Seriously Liz, I know they were horrible, but you shouldn’t let them get to you…they’re not worth it…” She knew the words probably wouldn’t do any good, but at least she had said them…

Liz gave an unconvincing smile back, and she and Max headed off down the corridor, while Maria headed in the opposite direction, up towards the cafeteria.

**********

“Are you okay now…?” Max asked his wife softly, watching her carefully as she opened her locker.

Liz nodded, far more together now. She took a deep breath as she shoved a number of books back onto the shelf and then replaced her lock on the door. A wave of her hand over the padlock ensured only they would be able to get in and she stepped back, turning to fact Max once more. “I guess it shocked me, I mean it’s never happened before… We’ve had comments, rumours, but today…” She shook her head. I had grimy hands on my thighs, and when they touched my breast…” She swallowed and shook her head. “I always struggle a little with the rumours and such as you know, but usually that’s all it is…”

Max nodded, reaching for her hand and rubbing the back gently with his thumb. “I know baby…you shouldn’t have had to go through that…” His lips tightened into a thin line. “I’ll make sure they don’t do it again though…”

The expression on his face needed little imagination on Liz’s part to guess what he was thinking. She shook her head firmly. Max wasn’t usually one to get into trouble, and especially not fights, but she also knew that if it was a case of ‘defending her honour’ as such, her husband wouldn’t hesitate…

Unfortunately, as much as she might like to see them taught a lesson – and she was certain Max would be able to do just that if he tried – the last thing the two of them needed was to attract attention like that… She shook her head again, looking up at her husband. “No Max…we have to leave it…”

Max opened his mouth to object, but Liz put her finger to his lips. “You can’t afford to get into trouble like that, promise me you won’t do anything…”

Although still angry, he couldn’t deny that she was right… Getting into trouble like that at school would not be a good start… Somehow he knew that teachers would be far more willing to accept their side of the story than his… He thought for a moment, considering his options. Of course that didn’t mean he couldn’t do something…

Liz watched, as his expression grew thoughtful. She looked at him. “What are you thinking…?”

Shrugging, her husband didn’t answer at first.

“Max…?” She wasn’t going to let it go quite so easily.

He couldn’t help smiling at the tone of her voice, relieved to see that she seemed pretty much back to normal… “Alright, I was just thinking there was more than one way to teach them a lesson…” He mused out loud…

**********

“Of course you know that it’s all over school that I’m pregnant, with twins, and that’s the only reason we got married…” Liz told Max, trying to make light of the unpleasant rumours as they headed into the cafeteria area.

Max squeezed her hand, knowing that she was putting on a brave face for the benefit of others and raised his eyebrow as she told him this. “Twins…well that’s a new twist…” He commented as the two of them joined the lunch queue to get something to eat.

As the line moved slowly along, the two of them fell silent, conscious of the fact they were surrounded by other students who were strangers, and feeling a little uncomfortable… Grabbing two lots of sandwiches, an apple for Liz and a banana for Max, the couple paid at the counter and looked round, searching to see where Maria was sat.

Max, who held the tray in his hands, suddenly spotted her. “Over there…” He indicated, hoping that Liz would see where he was meaning.

Nodding to show him that she understood, Liz smiled as she noticed Maria waving to them. She gave a small wave back and looked back at Max, checking that he was all right. On seeing him nod, she began to make her way across the dining hall towards where Maria and her friends were sat.

As they reached the table, Liz looked over at Maria. “Are you sure you don’t mind if we join you…?” She asked softly thinking it best to check before just sitting down. Certainly the girl had invited them while they were in the corridor, but perhaps her friends wouldn’t be so welcoming…

Maria nodded firmly. “Of course we don’t…do we guys…?” She looked round at the other two students who were sat at the table.

Alex grinned and Isabel nodded. “Sure, come on, sit down…” Isabel invited them smiling.

Max noted that one of the four the previous night wasn’t present… Michael was it…? He shrugged, it probably wasn’t important… “Thanks guys…” He responded, motioning for Liz to sit down and intending to slide in next to her.

She didn’t look quite so certain. “Are you sure…we don’t want to intrude…”

Alex quirked his eyebrows. “Interrupt what…?” He grinned and shook his head smiling at her genuinely. “Honestly, you’re very welcome, please, join us…?”

After another moment, Liz nodded, apparently accepting this. She sat down, sliding along to make space for Max who then followed suit. Max positioned the tray in the middle of the two of them, and slipped one arm around Liz’s shoulder. She leant into it just slightly, finding it a familiar and comfortable position.

Maria gave a small smile as she watched the couple. They really were so sweet together… Anyone could see they were in love…

Isabel looked from one to the other, and suddenly something struck her. “We never did official introductions yesterday did we…?” She asked, amazed that they had been so lax.

Liz looked over and shook her head a little awkwardly. “Well no…Max already knew Alex, and Maria introduced herself to us, but…” she trailed off thinking she probably sounded a little silly.

Isabel nodded and smiled. Alright, then I’m Isabel Guerin, and the oaf who was being a real pain at the Crashdown last night, and who is currently missing, is my brother Michael…”

Maria grinned. “Who is incidentally also my boyfriend…” She supplied quickly.

Alex nodded. “In the same way that Isabel is mine…well my girlfriend” He corrected himself, embarrassed at his slip up and reached over the table to take Isabel’s hand and she smiled.

Max and Liz both nodded, laughing at the description of Michael, although they had to admit it did seem accurate from the little they had seen. “Pleased to meet you all…”

Her attention drifting from the conversation for a little while, Maria began to look around, searching for any sign of the missing member of their group. She looked over at Alex. “Speaking of Michael, where is he anyway…?”

Isabel shook her head, indicating that she had no idea. “I don’t know…maybe he’s been knobbled by one of the teachers whose lessons he keeps missing…” She shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll be along in a minute anyway…”

Maria nodded, accepting this, and slumped down on the table, resting her head on her folded arms.

“You look tired…” Isabel commented as she took a bite of her sandwich.

Her friend looked up at her through her eyelashes and nodded. “Too many late nights…” she muttered without giving any details.

Isabel made no comment. She knew Maria was referring to the meetings they had been having recently and was relieved that her friend had the sense not to elaborate. Deciding to try and direct the conversation away from this, she turned to Max. “So, where are you guys staying anyway…?” She asked, sticking to something that was normal, and hopefully he wouldn’t have a problem with answering…

Max, who had been whispering something in Liz’s ear, causing her to smile, looked up as she asked the question. “Uh, an apartment about ten minutes walk from the station…” He told her. “It’s not very large, or even that nice, but then it’s cheap, and given our budget that has to be a must…” He shrugged. “It’s not the worst we’ve stayed in…”

Listening to what her husband was saying, Liz quickly picked up the fact he had chosen his words carefully… The last had been added with one reason, one purpose, to give her an opening to ask about a job… She bit her lip a moment and cursed the idea. She couldn’t think of anything worse than working at that place…

Max reached under the table, squeezing her thigh in what he hoped she would take as a reassuring manner.

While the attentions from the jocks earlier had been completely unwelcome, and had made Liz squirm, the touch of Max’s hand was completely different, and she knew what he was trying to say. She turned just slightly to look at him and nodded inperceptively before directing her attention at Maria. “Maria…”

The other girl looked round quickly, waiting for Liz to say anything more.

Liz sighed inwardly. She really didn’t want to do this, but in truth she knew that Max was right, it was a good idea, and definitely the best they had for now… She swallowed, forcing back all resistance and dove right in. “Well…I was just wondering… With Max mentioning our budget…” She paused a moment, pulling a face and then continuing. “We’re gonna need to find some jobs, and soon… I was just wondering if there might be any chance of an opening at the Crashdown…if they needed some more help…?” She finished awkwardly.

Maria was a little surprised, not having expected this, but covered it quickly. “Uh, yeah…I guess there might be something…” She shrugged. “Have you had any experience…?”

Liz nodded. “Oh yeah, waitressing tends to be the usual type of thing I find wherever we are, and I waitressed at our local café for quite a while before we got married too…” She supplied. Experience was definitely one thing that she wasn’t lacking… Sometimes, she thought she’d spend her whole life doing similar, although she hoped that wouldn’t be the case. While she was at school it was a convenient way of making money though… The pay wasn’t great, but the tips supplemented it nicely usually, and it was something she could usually pick up without much rouble wherever they were…

Maria nodded thoughtfully. “Okaay then… If you want to come back to the Crashdown with me after school today, I’ve got a shift, and maybe you could have a word with Mr Parker…?” She suggested after a moment.

She nodded. “Sure, sounds great…” Liz responded, trying to sound enthusiastic.

Max nodded, pleased that things seemed to be falling into place so easily. From the little he had seen the night before, he was certain this Mr Parker would be only too pleased to have some extra help, and he had no doubt that his wife would be more than up to the job… “I’m gonna pop in a couple of places to see what I can find too, so I can call in to see if you’re done when I’m finished…” He told Liz smiling. “If you are, we can walk home together, if not, depending on how much longer you’ll be, I can either come back later, or wait…”

Isabel smiled at his words. It was obvious to her that the relationship between the couple was genuine… Max spoke of his love for the brunette with every word, and little touches like his obvious want to walk her home, or worry about her being out late alone perhaps, were so sweet and gentle. She knew her brother was right, about there being something to them that they hadn’t told, but in all honesty she just couldn’t think it was anything that would do them any harm… She couldn’t consolidate the image of the loving couple, with anything dangerous at all…they were just too…well nice…

“So…” Alex tried to encourage the conversation again. “Are you intending to be staying here long…I know Max mentioned having moved about a lot in the last year…”

In the middle of taking a bite of her own sandwich, Liz began to chew in slow motion, looking up at her husband a little tentatively.

Alex didn’t miss the look exchanged by the couple. There was no doubt in his mind they were hiding something…the question was, what…?

Max picked up his banana, peeling it and taking a bite, which he chewed and swallowed before nodding in response to the question. “Well, we don’t know for certain, but we’re hoping it could be long-term this time…”

“Really, it’s not a great town you know, small and nothing to do!”

Everyone at the table turned sharply as they heard this. No one had noticed Michael approaching the table, and therefore, his appearance, and contribution to the conversation had come as something of a surprise. He sat down next to Maria as she slid over to make room for him, and looked over at Max and Liz, silently assessing them as he looked the couple over. He didn’t like the way the others seemed to have just allowed them into their group…it was too risky, and he wanted to know a whole lot more about them… “So, why don’t you tell us why you might want to stay here then…?” He asked, not moving his eyes from the couple for even a moment.

Maria frowned. With those few words, Michael had changed the atmosphere completely… The conversation had gone from being light and friendly, to having something more of an interrogative tone.

She wasn’t the only one who had noticed either… Liz shifted awkwardly in her seat. “Well…it’s time to settle down…and this is as good a place as any…” She responded, not really sure what to say.

“But why here?” Michael insisted, fixing his gaze on her.

Liz looked decidedly uncomfortable, and Max pulled her a little closer as he took over, looking back at Michael. The friendly tone to his voice disappeared for a moment, annoyed at the way he had pressed his wife. “As Liz says, it’s as good a place as any… We don’t need bright lights and big cities…I like what we’ve seen here so far…it feels like it could be a home…”

Grateful to have the spotlight, as such, taken away from her for a moment, Liz took advantage of the reprieve to gather herself before taking over once more. She nodded in response to Max’s comments. “Right, the school’s pretty good, the housing isn’t the cheapest, but we’ve also seen a whole lot more expensive…hopefully we’ll be able to find jobs without too much trouble…” She shrugged. “A bit more to do might be nice, but I don’t mind the quiet, and it does mean there’s less trouble, which is generally a good thing…”

Her husband nodded. “All in all, compared to a lot of the other places, it provides a pretty appealing possibility…” Max finished off.

Michael didn’t look convinced. “I don’t see why you ended up travelling around anyway though…I mean it’s pretty weird, and I can’t imagine it’s practical either…Why have you been moving around so much…?”

That was the question neither Liz nor Max wanted to answer… Before they wouldn’t have wanted to, but now, given the new tone of the conversation…they were fairly certain nothing they said would be convincing…

“So…” Michael apparently wasn’t going to give up, and continued to press, looking at the two of them expectantly.

Liz busied herself with grabbing a bottle of water – prepared before school and laced with a bit of Tabasco – from her bag, while waiting to see how her husband would respond,

Max was wracking his brains for an answer… He couldn’t shake the idea that however he answered would be very important in this case. Unfortunately, as much as he tried though, he couldn’t seem to come up with anything better than his usual vague answer. He took a breath and shrugged, hoping it wouldn’t seem like he was that bothered. “Well…after we got married, we didn’t exactly have anywhere to stay back home, so we just decided to start moving around…” He shrugged. “I guess we’ve been looking for somewhere we like, no biggie…”

Despite his hopes, the answer struck the others as both fake and false. Michael was about to comment on this, but Maria looked over at him. “What is this Michael…a hundred and one questions…” She scolded him playfully. “Leave them be, let them have some lunch okay…?”

Liz gave an awkward smile of thanks as she bit into her apple, and Max looked over at her. “Maybe we should be going…?”

Picking up on the fact that Michael had succeeded on doing exactly what he had the night before, Isabel shook her head quickly, reaching out for Liz’s arm. “No, please don’t let him chase you away…he’s a bit gruff and rough, but when you get to know him, he’s nice enough…” She looked at her brother. “Right…?”

Michael muttered something, although no one could understand what. Max was under no illusion that it was an agreement, but both girls insisted it was.

“Honestly Max, please, won’t you stay, I mean where are you going to go, there’s only a couple of minutes of lunch left anyway…” Maria pointed out quickly.

With some reluctance, Max nodded, sitting back again and finishing his lunch.

“You want some water…?” Liz asked him, offering Max her bottle. He had one of his own of course, in his bag, but she quite liked the idea of sharing, and that would leave one for after school anyway…

Her husband smiled and nodded. “Sure…” He took the bottle offered and unscrewed the lid, bringing it to his mouth and tipping it up before taking a mouthful. Water wasn’t the best thing to put Tobasco with, but after a whole meal without, it was a welcome touch.

While the two of them shared the water, the conversation around the table shifted to a new subject, Maria’s birthday party that was coming up the following month. Liz and Max, having nothing to contribute, listened in silence to this, grateful that the attention had been shifted from them at least for a little while anyway.

It wasn’t long until the bell rang, signifying the end of lunch, and, after clearing away any rubbish, the group all went their separate ways.

[KatnotKath]

Liz86000, anonymousarfan, behrlyliz, Isabelle, inquisitive1, Ladeia3, trueblue, Ellie and Aprilise, thanks so much for all the feedback, it really does help, and I'm glad you're all enjoying the story

Liz86000 - I'm glad you're enjoying the story, so sorry you lost it for a while but delighted to have you back reading it

As for Michael being 'charming' - well that's Michael isn't it, but I really think he is trying to look out for his sister and friends too, so even if his attitude leaves a lot to be desired, maybe his heart is in the right place

Kyle & the others at school are really some ass----!!! My God, isn't there anyone in this school who doesn't follow STUPIDLY what Kyle or Pam say?? (besides Maria, Alex & Isabel of course!).

Unfortunately you do find this is a sad fact of life in school that these are the sorts of kids that are popular, and so others want to emmulate.

I hope Max teaches them a lesson, so they NEVER touch (or annoy) Liz again like that!!! God, the teacher could have done something, I swear...

Well put it this way, I don't think he's going to forget easily . As for the teacher, to be fair to them most of what happened was under the table, so they wouldn't have seen it...

anonymousarfan - thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Regarding the water, if it was Michael or Isabel they might find it rather a pleasant surprise, although it would make for a lot of questions too I guess

behrlyliz - I'm afriad you're going to have to wait a little longer for the reveal, and Max's plan for making the jocks pay doesn't feature in this chapter either. Hope that doesn't disappoint too much though and hope you like the new chapter anyway.

Isabelle - It could just be that the teacher didn't realise, or thought that Liz was flirting with them... *shrugs*

Thanks for the comment about capturing their personalities though, I'm so glad you think I'm doing a good job with that.

Looking forward to seeing what Max has in mind, too. The 'right' thing to do would be to report it to the principal, but somehow I think he's planning something a little more 'direct.'

I think you're right, but I guess that only time will tell

As for Liz and Maria getting close, even a married 'lady' needs a girlfriend hehe

inquisitive1 - I'm sorry for the delay, but my life recently has been crazy as my AN pointed out. One week I did over 18 hours overtime! I've been struggling with my writing but hopefully I'm back now

Ladeia3 - You're still reading YAY. I'm afraid you're going to have a wait a while for answers to your questions, but I'm glad you're still enjoying the story and I hope the new chapter will put you on for now.

trueblue - thanks for the bump

Ellie - Welcome to the story . Yes I'm going to finish this fic, how far in the future is debatable, but it WILL be finished lol. I have a long way to go with it yet though, lots of ideas I want to explore.

Aprilise - Glad you're enjoying the story. It certainly should be interesting when the truth comes out, but you have a while to wait yet before that I'm afraid. As for Liz working at the Crashdown though, I do believe that features rather strongly in this chapter hope you like it


I'm sorry this has taken so long guys, but as the AN above mentioned, RL hasn't exactly been great recently. It's finally beginning to settle down though, and I'm getting back to my writing. If the first half of this chapter isn't so good, very sorry but my computer decided to eat what I wrote yesterday (literally wiping the whole file from my disgo) and it's never as good the second time round I guess

Anyway, thanks again for the feedback everyone, it means a lot to know so many people are enjoying the story. Any lurkers out there I hope you're enjoying too.

Okay, enough of me babbling, here's the new chapter and I hope you will enjoy, I'd love to hear what see what you think as always:

Chapter 13

“You about ready to go…?” Max asked as he came up behind Liz, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her back into his arms. Nuzzling into her hair, he kissed the back of her neck softly.

Liz smiled as she felt the familiar arms and turned her neck slightly to look at him. Their lips met in a brief but passionate kiss and she turned in his arms to lean her head against his chest. “Hmmm…” She sighed in a contented fashion, wanting nothing more to stay there in his arms.

“Lizzie…” He wanted nothing more than the same himself, but he knew it wasn’t practical…they needed to get moving…

Knowing what her husband meant, Liz groaned and pulled a face. “Are you sure there isn’t another way…” She pleaded. “I mean there are a couple of other diners and cafes around, I could always try and get a job at one of them…” She suggested weakly.

Max sighed and shook his head. He understood her displeasure and reluctance completely, but the fact was that it was the Crashdown that most of the kids frequented, which made it the most ideal to try for… “I’m sorry baby…” He dipped his head to kiss her again on the lips. “I know it’s not ideal…but…” He trailed off into silence knowing that she would understand even without him voicing his thoughts.

His wife raised her eyebrows. “Not ideal…? That’s the understatement of the year…” She commented with a touch of sarcasm in her tone. She sighed and shook her head looking up at him. She knew he was right really…she just didn’t want to accept it… “All right, well if I am going to do this…I’d better get plenty of visits from you…” She told him with a wry smile.

He laughed and nodded, pulling her deeper into his arms and kissing the top of her head. “You try and keep me away…”

His response was rewarded with a small, genuine smile, before Liz pulled back, extracting herself from his arms as she turned back to her locker and began to remove some books.

Max watched a moment, but as she finished, balancing the pile of books in one arm while she replaced her padlock with the other, he held out his hands. “Why don’t you let me take at least some of those…?” He requested.

Liz turned slightly at her husband’s request. “It’s okay…I’ve got them…” She assured him, reaching for her bag and sliding the books inside.

Not put off quite so easily though, Max then reached for her bag once she was done. “I know you can manage, but I want to…” He looked at her. “Humour me…okay…?”

Rolling her eyes, Liz sighed and nodded, releasing her hold on the bag. “Fine…if you insist…” Catching sight of the clock at the end of the corridor, she groaned again, knowing that they really should be going… Maria had told her to head over to the Crashdown straight after school so that she could talk to Mr Parker. “I guess we should be going then…?” She commented reluctantly.

He nodded. “Guess so…” Waiting while she passed her hand over the padlock to ensure it couldn’t be opened by anyone else, Max then swung both his bag and hers over his shoulder, as they made ready to go. As they headed down the corridor, he slipped his arm around her waist, his hand coming to rest on her hip as they continued out the main door and through the parking lot onto the street.

**********

A short time later Max pushed open the door to the Crashdown and the couple stepped inside the diner.

Maria looked up as the bell above the door sounded and waved at Liz, motioning for her to come over and join her.

Liz sighed. “Guess it looks like I should get this over with…” She commented with some reluctance. Even just thinking about the names of the dishes they served here, never mind the uniform Maria was wearing, made her feel sick. If only there was another way…

Max nodded, drawing her into his arms for one more kiss. “Well, much as I hate to say it, this is where I split too…I know you’re going to do great though…”

Liz pouted playfully. “I thought you were staying…?”

Her husband shook his head. “No, I said I’d visit…” He clarified smiling. “I’d love to stay baby, but I really think our finances would appreciate me doing some job hunting don’t you…?”

She sighed and nodded, knowing he was right. The money they had at the moment was soon going to run out if only one of them had a job… “I guess…” She conceded, reaching up to kiss him again. “Good luck with it then…and don’t forget to pop in later…” She reminded him lightly.

Her husband smiled and nodded. “I won’t…love you…”

She smiled softly. “Love you too…”

Reluctantly parting from her, Max headed for the door. Only once she had seen him disappear from view did Liz continue over to Maria. She forced a smile as she walked up. “Hey Maria…”

**********

Less than half an hour later, Liz was stood in the staff room getting changed into a waitress uniform. She eyed the antennae headband in her hand with disgust before slipping it onto her head. “I can’t believe that Mr Parker just agreed to give me a trial like that…” She commented as she folded up her own clothes and placed the pile inside the locker she had been given. She had been surprised at how little time the ‘interview’ she had been expecting had taken, and to be honest it had really been little more than an informal chat.

Maria’s lips turned up at the edges, forming an amused smile as she noticed the way Liz looked at it. “I know…I think it’s pretty creepy, but unfortunately Mr Parker thinks they’re cute…” She pulled a face and shrugged. “Why he thinks that I don’t know, but when it comes down to it, he’s the boss…” She paused a moment and then continued. “Anyway, we’re always needing help…so as long as you actually intend to do some work I’m sure you’ll do just fine…”

Liz’s brow creased in confusion as though she thought this sounded like the most stupid idea in the world. “What do you mean if I intend to do some work…?”

Maria pulled a face as she peered into the mirror to adjust her own headband. “Let’s just put it this way… Besides me there’s one full-time waitress that works during the day and some evenings, and then two other part-time waitresses for the evening… Isabel has helped on a couple of occasions though, and in those small number of shifts she’s covered, she’s probably done more work that Agnes and Courtney put together have in all their shifts…” She sighed and shook her head. Unfortunately, the two other waitresses seemed to be experts at making it look like they were busy while doing nothing, and it was as though they had a sixth sense to know when Mr Parker was about so as not to be on one of their many breaks at those times…

“Doesn’t Mr Parker realise though…?” Liz asked, surprised anyone could get away with it.

She shook her head. “Not exactly…they’re really good at making it look as though they’re working when they’re not… They never work alone, so there’s always either me or Vicky – she’s the full time waitress – to pick up the slack and do the actual work…”

Liz nodded. “Well maybe someone should tell Mr Parker then…?” She suggested awkwardly.

Maria gave a small nod. “Yeah…maybe…” She murmured.

Liz turned back to the mirror, surveying herself in the mirror and pulling a face as she took in her appearance.

Maria read her expression of displeasure easily and laughed. “I know; the uniform really is disgusting isn’t it…?” She pulled a face herself. “I’ve tried to suggest changing it, but when it comes down to it, the main cliental Mr Parker is trying to attract are the tourists, and this is what they want…” She reached for an order book, which was lying on the side, and passed it to Liz. “You think you’ll be okay…?”

Taking the book, Liz slid it into the front pocket of her apron along with a pen. She shrugged. “It’s okay…I’m sure I’ve worn worse…” She trailed off, thinking for a moment before correcting herself and shaking her head. “Actually…no, I haven’t…” She shrugged. “I guess it’s worth putting up with the uniform for the money though anyway…”

Although the comment was made in an offhand way, giving no indication that Liz was meaning anything by it, her words did in fact serve to drive home to Maria just how different her own situation was to that of Liz and Max. For her, the job at the Crashdown was a bit of fun which earnt her a bit of extra cash… Her wages were either saved, or spent on clothes or something of that sort of thing. Basically the job paid for little extras that she might want. For the younger girl on the other hand, a job was needed…not for little extras and such, but to pay for basic necessities like food and accommodation… For the first time, she began to think about what it must be like for the young couple, and she looked over at Liz. “Is it hard…?” She asked softly.

Liz’s hand dropped from the door she had been about to push open and she turned back to Maria. “What do you mean…?” She asked, not completely understanding the question.

Maria shifted from foot to foot awkwardly. “I guess the whole looking after yourself… I mean it can’t be easy… With school and al you won’t be able to work that many hours…I can’t imagine how difficult it must be…for both of you…” She trailed off, realising that Liz might think she was sticking her nose in where she wasn’t wanted. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry…it’s just…”

Liz smiled and shook her head. “It’s okay…” She assured the other girl. It didn’t sound like Maria was prying, or being nosy, but rather that she was truly interested, as a friend. That was something she hadn’t had for some time and it was a nice feeling… She seemed to think for a moment before replying. “Well…no…I’m not going to claim that it’s easy, because it’s not… You’ve probably guessed that both of us having a job is pretty much essential, but we manage okay…” She paused briefly and then continued. “The accommodation we find isn’t exactly great…in fact far from it…but the important thing is that we’re together…”

Watching her expression was interest, Maria nodded slightly. “You really care about Max…” She murmured softly.

Although a little surprised by the comment, Liz nodded. “Of course I do…he’s my husband…I love him…” She responded in a completely serious manner.

Maria shook her head mentally. She knew they were married, but still, it seemed so weird to hear a girl who was in fact younger than her using that word… Husband… It was something she associated with parents, and middle-aged couples. It was a word she wouldn’t imagine using personally for at least another ten years… And yet here was Liz, fifteen, married, and apparently perfectly happy…

Liz didn’t miss the look on her face. She smiled and looked over at Maria. “Don’t worry about it, I know it sounds strange… To be honest sometimes I have to think twice about using it myself…” She admitted before quickly continuing to make sure there was no misunderstanding. “Not that I regret it…I couldn’t…not ever…not even for one second…” The tone of her voice was so soft and sincere…no one could doubt that she meant every word…

The emotion in her words took Maria a little by surprise, although it only went to further confirm Alex’s comments that day… More and more Maria felt that although the couple’s situation was strange, they really were genuine… They were married, and that was unusual, but basically it just seemed that they loved each other… She smiled and nodded at Liz. “Well, I think you’re very lucky then…” She responded brightly. “You’ve already got your man all to yourself…”

Liz smiled and nodded as she pushed open the door to step out into the main part of the diner. She looked back at Maria for a moment. “Yeah…I think I am…”

Smiling and laughing, exchanging something of light banter, the two girls headed out and set to work, taking some orders from the tables that were fast filling up.

**********

“HEY!”

Later in the afternoon, Liz and Maria were talking while they fixed some drinks behind the counter. Both girls looked round sharply as they heard someone yell.

Maria groaned inwardly as she recognised the voice and she looked over at Liz. “I’ll go…” She told the other girl quickly. The cry had come from the Jock’s table…and those guys always caused trouble…

Liz looked a little puzzled. “Isn’t that in my half…?” She checked as she located the table from which the voice had come.

The other girl gave an awkward nod. She was right of course… Mr Parker had asked her to keep an eye on Liz to make sure she knew what she was doing at first, but it hadn’t taken more than about ten minutes to confirm she did indeed have the experience she claimed and satisfied that she could handle herself just fine, the girls had arranged between themselves that each would deal with one half of the diner. As Liz had noted, the call had come from one of the tables in her half, but knowing who it was, she couldn’t imagine that she would want to have to deal with them. “Y-yeah…but I just thought you might like to avoid Valenti over there…” She motioned to the table. “I wasn’t trying to take over…just a thought it might be a help…”

Liz gave a smile to assure her she didn’t object to the offer, but then shook her head to indicate that she was declining it. “Thanks for the thought, but I can handle them…” She responded in a voice that had a firm edge to it. Kyle Valenti and the other guys on the team were jerks, but they were nothing she couldn’t handle… Certainly dealing with Kyle again that day had not been on her to-do-list, but she wasn’t going to let him frighten her away… They weren’t going to stop her doing her job… Filling a last glass of soda, she carried her tray of drinks over to the table from which they had been ordered and then tucked the now-empty tray under her arm as she headed over to see what the guys wanted.

As she approached the table, she fixed a smile on her face, hoping to hide the fact that she was a little nervous, as she greeted them. “Hi…can I take your order…?”

At the sound of her voice, Kyle couldn’t have been more surprised. He had been expecting Maria as usual, but this certainly wasn’t her… Of course this was even better, maybe he could have some real fun… He grinned and looked up at her. “Well…look who it is…” He commented.

Liz refused to react to his comment, biting her tongue to prevent her saying anything she might regret. She waited patiently for a moment, and then realising the guys weren’t co-operating, she spoke again, her voice tight and even. “Are you ready to order yet…?”

Kyle made no response. His gaze travelled over her body, taking in the low neckline and short skirt, stopping at this point and continuing to stare.

Liz chewed her lip. It felt as though he was undressing her with his eyes, and it certainly wasn’t a feeling she liked… In truth, she wanted nothing more than to make an exit, but she refused to be intimidated and attempted to stand her ground, tapping her order pad again in the hopes he might get the message.

Watching her with an amused smile, Kyle was fully aware he had succeeded in his aim to make her uncomfortable. He faked an apologetic look. “Oh…yeah…order, right sorry…” He pretended to think a moment, his gaze now settling on the low neckline of the dress. “Um…I think I’ll have a soda please…?”

Liz forced herself to keep an even expression and nodded. “Is that all?”

Kyle smiled. “Yeah…for now…”

A few of the other guys at the table put in some drinks orders too now, and Liz was just taking down the last of these as she left a hand on her leg. She swallowed and bit her lip. It took all her control not to slap the guy who was doing it but instead she simply turned her head swiftly to look at him. “Would you mind removing your hand from my leg please?” She asked in as polite a manner as she could manage.

Obviously he didn’t get the message… “Oh come on baby…I’m sure we could work something out…you know you want to…” He leered at her.

Kyle smirked, obviously enjoying this. “Yeah, and I can’t see you getting much once you’re showing after all, so maybe you should accept the offer while it’s there…” He commented in a slimy tone.

Liz tried not to shudder. She stepped back a pace, removing herself from the reach of the guy.

Just then, a cough sounded from behind her. She looked round and found herself right in front of Mr Parker. She swallowed, aware from the look on his face that he had heard Kyle’s last comment, and worrying about what his reaction might be. She glared at Kyle.

Mr Parker looked at the young girl in front of him. “Is there a problem here…?” He asked, looking round in turn at each of the guys.

Although she would have liked to tell him exactly what they had been doing, Liz instead forced herself to shake her head for fear that it might cause more trouble at school. “N-no Mr Parker…”

He nodded. “Alright then, if you’ve finished taking their order Liz, can you pass it onto Maria to deal with…I’d like to have a little word with you in the office…”

Needing little to guess what he might be wanting to talk about, Liz forced another smile and nodded. “Of course Mr Parker…” She responded in a tight voice, looking back once more at the boys and then hurrying over to the counter to pass on their order to Maria.

“Are you okay…?” The other girl asked, her brow creased in concern as she took the order pad.

Liz nodded. “Y-yeah…just Mr Parker wants to talk to me…” She refrained from elaborating and after thanking Maria for dealing with the order; she followed the diner owner through into the back room.

Jeff was already waiting for her and motioned to the chair opposite for her to sit down.

Liz chewed her lip nervously as she did as he requested. One sat, she looked up at him and waited in silence, wondering what would come next.

Mr Parker dropped down into another chair and looked at her. For a moment he said nothing, remaining in silence, and then he spoke. “Liz… Your life is your own business… You told me about being married, and I have no problem with that given that it doesn’t stop you doing the work…” He paused a moment, struggling to find the words he was searching for to continue. “I’m afraid that I am going to have to ask if there is any truth in what Kyle just said though… If you are pregnant, not only could it cause a problem with your work, but looking at it from the other side, it wouldn’t be a good thing for you, or the baby, to be on your feet like this…” Finishing with this, he waited to hear how she would respond.

Liz shook her head firmly. “No Mr Parker…I am not pregnant!” She stated firmly. “Had that been the case, I promise that I would have told you…”

He nodded silently. “Alright, well I’m not saying I doubt you, but can you explain why Kyle seems to think you are…? He sounded pretty certain about it…”

Again Liz shook her head as she looked up at him. “Kyle doesn’t ‘know’ anything…” She insisted. “I had a run in with him yesterday when Max and I came in for something to eat… He tried to chat me up, and I rejected him… When it came out that Max and I were married, he jumped to the conclusion that most people do…that the only reason for that would be that I was pregnant…” She swallowed a little nervously. “It is a common assumption I find, and I have been having trouble throughout the day with his friends, but I am telling the truth Mr Parker…honestly…I’m not pregnant…”

Watching the expression on her face, and listening to the tone of her voice, Jeff could see that the girl was genuine. She was worried obviously, but that probably came from the fear of losing the job – from everything she had said, it must be very important to her… He didn’t miss her comment about trouble at school either, remembering what he thought he had seen when he heard Kyle talking. “Were they causing you more trouble just then…?”

Liz looked down, fiddling with the rings on her left hand a moment. She didn’t want to cause more trouble…

“Liz…?” Mr Parker reached out, touching her arm and causing her to look up. “Liz, I don’t have any children, but if I had a daughter, I’m pretty sure she would be helping here, and I wouldn't allow her to be treated in an unacceptable manner… My standards are no lower for you or Maria… If there is a problem, don’t be afraid to tell me and I will sort it!” He told her firmly. “Now…is there anything you want to say…?” He looked at her expectantly.

The young girl chewed her lip and then slowly nodded. “O-one of Kyle’s friends grabbed my leg…” She admitted softly. “I-I know it’s nothing major b-“

He held up his hand and shook his head, interrupting her. “No, that’s not true…I won’t have people treating you like that… I know perhaps that you think I don’t care because of the style of the uniform, but that’s not true…”

“I-I don’t want to make a fuss though…” Liz protested awkwardly.

“You’re not…” Mr Parker assured her. “I asked, and I will do something about it alright…?” He offered her a small smile. “Now I’m sorry that I had to question you like this, I just had to be certain…”

Liz nodded. “I understand…as you say, waitressing wouldn’t exactly be ideal while pregnant from either side…”

“Well, how about we put this to one side okay…from what I’ve seen, you’re doing a wonderful job and I have no complaints whatsoever… If you want to take a few minutes break while I go talk to the boys I don’t have a problem with that, and if they ever try anything again, I want you to promise that you will tell me about it okay…?”

She nodded again. “Yes…thank you Mr Parker…” Despite his offer, as he headed back into the diner, Liz took only a moment to smooth her apron before following him out.

No sooner had she got through the door however, than Maria grabbed her arm. “Are you okay…?” She asked again much as she had before Liz had gone to talk to Mr Parker.

The younger girl nodded, noting that she could see the owner of the diner even now talking to the guys at the table. He looked as though he was giving them a strong warning and she just hoped it wasn’t going to make it worse. “Y-yeah…” She responded, a little distracted.

“Really…you could have fooled me…” Maria commented. She looked at her. “What happened…?”

Liz swallowed and sighed, she shook her head. “I-it was nothing…” She insisted.

“Doesn’t look like it…” She wasn’t going to be put off easily.

Realising that she wasn’t going to give up, Liz nodded. “Fine…I’ll tell you…” She broke off and slipped behind the counter as a customer approached to pay, ringing up the items on the register and presenting them with the correct change before returning to Maria. “Kyle and his friends were being jerks… One of them tried to feel my leg, and then Kyle decided to make a comment about me being pregnant…” She pulled a face and sighed. “Unfortunately, Mr Parker overheard, so he wanted to know whether or not it was true…”

Maria nodded, taking this in. “So you told him no I presume…”

“Yeah…” Liz gave a small nod.

“And he believed you…?”

“Yeah…” Liz gave a small smile. “He guessed they’d been doing something too, told me not to put up with it and said he’d have a word…”

Maria nodded. “Good, he’s right, we shouldn’t have to put up with that… What happened at school today was completely out of order and I don’t know how the teacher didn’t notice, but when it comes to working here, putting up with what is basically sexual harassment is definitely NOT part of the deal!” She told her firmly. “Mr Parker is pretty good, you have any problems, you tell him and he will sort it…”

Liz smiled. “Nice to know…”

“Yup…” Maria’s voice was a little distant as the bell above the door rang, and it was obvious that she wasn’t paying full attention to the conversation anymore. She looked over at Liz. “Anyway, you wouldn’t like to go get the order for table six would you…?” She requested lightly.

The request came something out of the blue and struck Liz as rather odd. She was stood with her back to the door, and so that that table, but from what she remembered of the table plan that was one of the ones Maria covered… She looked over, there was a certain look in Maria’s eyes, but she couldn’t quite place it… “Isn’t that one of your tables…?” She asked, her voice full of confusion.

Maria grinned in amusement. “Well yeah…it is…but somehow I have a feeling this particular customer would rather be served by a brunette…” She responded cryptically.

Liz’s raised her eyebrows, obviously completely at a loss for understanding. As she turned to look at the table in question though, a smile spread over her face, accompanied by a look of understanding. She laughed and nodded. “Okay…I see what you mean…” She smiled at Maria. “I would be happy to deal with this table…and thanks…”

Maria laughed gave and gave her a little shove away from the counter. “Not a problem…now I’m assuming you’ll be wanting to take your break when that orders ready…?”

“How did you guess…?”

She laughed again and nodded. “Go on, you’ve been working hard…”

Liz nodded happily, grabbing the order pad from the front of her apron as she headed over to the table. The occupant was currently facing in the opposite direction to that in which she was approaching and she grinned, a plan forming in her head. Quietly, she crept up behind the figure and dipped down to brush her lips against his ear. The reaction she gained was immediate and she pulled away laughing as she saw his head shoot round. “WHAT…OH!” She’s obviously taken him by surprise…

Liz smiled innocently. “Good afternoon…may I take your order…?” She asked calmly as though nothing had happened…

Max smiled in amusement, his eyes widening as he took in her appearance. “Wow…you look…”

His wife gave a wry smile. “Hideous I’m guessing…”

He shook his head. “Actually, I was going to go with very sexy…”

Liz raised her eyebrows. “Really…” She chuckled and then tapped her order pad. The sooner she could get his order, the sooner she could take her break and they could have a little time together. “So…what’s it going to be…?”

Max pretended to think for a moment. “Well…I think I’ll have a cherry coke, a portion of Saturn rings, and maybe a ‘Mrs Evans Special’ to go…” He finished mischievously. The sight of his wife dressed like that was too tempting, he just couldn’t resist…

She shook her head and laughed. “Max!” She scolded playfully.

He raised his eyebrows. “WHAT? Can I help it if my wife is so irresistible…?” He teased her lightly.

Liz blushed for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, well I’ll tell you what… I can do the coke, and the Saturn rings…and I’ll see what I can do about the special later…” Her eyes twinkled mischievously just as his had been a moment before. “For now though, will you make do with a little of this…” She leant over and kissed him.

Max smiled and pressed his lips back against hers. Oh…I think I might just be able to do that…”

His wife nodded. “Okay, good. Well I’ll just go get your order and then I’ll take my break…”

“Sounds great!” Max pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her down into his lap for a moment as he kissed her once more. “Hurry back okay…?” He whispered in her ear.

Liz smiled, extracting herself from his arms and standing up nodding. “You can count on it…”

[KatnotKath]

cocopucks, Liz86000, Isabelle, RASaero611, Grace52373, Dani, anonymousarfan, Emz80m, Ellie, behrlyliz, Spacegal17, kittens and Lissa, :Shock: WOW, what a lot of feedback lol, is this really my fic? Anyway, thanks so much for for reading, and of course the feeback, and I'm glad to see you're enjoying the fic.

cocopucks - hope this doesn't disappoint then, thanks for reading.

Liz8600 -

Now, about those ass----s, lets just say that this was the last drop, & that I really REALLY REALLY hope that, not only will Max punish them VERY severely, but that Jeff will give them a VERY hard warning! Maybe he could talk about this to the Sheriff, Kyle's father, it would be really GREAT!! Maybe Kyle would understand to let Liz alone from now on... unfortunatly, it would not stop him to be like this with the other girls though... Hey! Maybe his father could send him to a military school?!! (him & his stupid jock's friends!!). Good idea, no??
I hope that they will do something about the school too!! That they will talk to the teachers, if they are too blind to not notice it themselves!!
But in the meantime, I just want Max to teach them a lesson!!

That part was soo great!! Max being so caring &loving for Liz (so sweet that he wanted to take care of her, carying her bag, aww!! ) was just so cute!!

Sorry, no lesson as yet, but hopefully some more M/L will make up for that. Nice suggestions though by the way lol

Isabelle - thanks. We gotta have the two 'girlfriends' don't we hehe

RASaero611 - I think it's more that Mr Parker has standards, and doesn't want to see anyone treated in that way. Maria's the closest thing he has to a daughter, and he's seen her as she grew up, so he's protective over her and it carries over to others perhaps...if that makes any sense...?

Grace52373 - No, I didn't forget the story, just RL's been a pain, it's hardly getting better really, still did stuff at the weekend for work, but at least I'm back to writing which is a big plus. The muse for this one seems to be back for the moment anyway, so here's another part and I hope you'll enjoy.

Liz and Max's backstory will begin to come out shortly, bit by bit, but surfice to say that it's been quite different from the others anyway...

Dani - well thanks for telling me you've been reading, I'm glad you're enjoying. I'm afraid Kyle in this one really isn't someone to like...as everyone says... It's not that I have anything against Kyle, he's normally a nice guy in my fics, just in this one I needed a creep, and it was easier than making up someone completely new at the time. As for the Mrs Evans Special...watch out, you might just see a mention of that again in this next part

Emz80m - well if they try anything again I'm pretty sure nothing will keep him from reacting...maybe Mr Parker's talking to will get them to quit though - a long shot I know, but we can be hope right? lol

Ellie - the reveal is some way off still as yet, but I hope some more Liz and Max will do to put you on this chapter

behrlyliz - thanks, no lesson this time, but maybe next...

Spacegal17 - LOL I think you might just be right...although then again she would be worried about exposure too... I guess it depends what she felt was more important, or whether Max was around to deal more basically with the problem

kittens - well that would be one way of dealing lol, I guess we'll just have to see how she goes...

Okay, so amazing yes, I'm back in a week lol. I'm not promising to update this regularly all the time, but tonight I got back from work and started writing, and this is the result lol. I hope everyone will like it, and I'd love to hear what you think

Chapter 14

“Hey Liz, I can finish up here…” Maria told the younger girl as she came up to clear the table adjacent to that which Liz had just wiped down.

The other girl looked over, surprised. “We haven’t finished yet though…” She protested, running her cloth once more over the surface before lifting each other the chairs and turning them upside down.

Maria waved away her objections. “I know that, hence why I said I could finish up…” She smiled brightly at Liz. “Look, you’ve been working hard, I know that, and you look tired… It’s not going to take me that long to finish up here, and I only live down the road…” She didn’t want to ask where Liz lived for the moment, but she had little doubt it was rather more of a walk…

Liz shook her head. “I can’t let you do that Maria…I don’t want you to think I’m a slacker…”

The older girl laughed and shook her head. “Liz, I could never think you were a slacker… You’ve done more than your fair share this evening, and I’m not saying that I’ll always do this, but tonight you’ve done enough…” She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Go home…have something to eat, because I’m pretty certain you haven’t eaten yet, and have a good evening…” Finishing with this, she held out her hand expectantly, her gaze fixed on the cloth in Liz’s hand. “Come on, let me finish this up for this evening… There’ll be plenty more work tomorrow I promise…”

Liz swallowed. Maria certainly sounded genuine, but it certainly wasn’t expected and she didn’t really know what to think… Of course it sounded good, the opportunity to get home a bit early… Max would be back by the time she got there, and it would be nice to spend some time with him… At the same time though, part of her worried that maybe it was some sort of test… That if she accepted, she would be showing that she wasn’t going to pull her weight and that she might find herself out of a job…
Maria watched her facial expression carefully… The girl looked almost scared, although she couldn’t imagine why… Her brow creased in confusion as she tried again. “Come on Liz, if I told anyone else they could go early they’d jump at the opportunity… You can’t honestly say you’d rather be here cleaning tables than back home with that dishy hubby of yours can you…?” Her eyes twinkled as she tried a new tact.

Liz felt herself caving… Surely if it were a test she had passed by now… She shook her head mentally. She was too suspicious for her own good… Life had taught her to be that way of course, but if she wasn’t careful, she was going to ruin any chance she had of making a friend here it seemed… And she had to admit that she liked Maria… The girl was bright and bubbly, like a breath of fresh air… The afternoon had been hard work of course, but she couldn’t deny it had been fun too… Chatting to a girl her own age, about normal, insignificant things…it was nice…

Maria rolled her eyes. “Liz, I’m not going to tell you again, get out of here!”

A small smile played on Liz’s lips as she finally nodded her acceptance. Handing over the cloth as requested, she smiled back at Maria. “If you’re sure…thanks…”

She laughed again. “Yes, I mean it…now go before I change my mind okay…?” Maria responded, taking the cloth and moving to wipe another other the tables as she saw the brunette finally head through into the back to get changed.

**********

Folding up her uniform carefully, a few minutes later Liz was checking over her appearance in the small mirror that hung on the wall. Her head now once again free of antennae, she felt a whole lot better, although in truth she couldn’t’ say the shift had been as bad as expected…

Closing up the locker, she reached over to grab her jacket from the back of the chair it was sat on. Her bag of course had left with Max when he left her here after school, but her mobile was in her pocket… She had to admit she was sorely tempted to use it to call, but her economic training came into play as she told herself it would be a waste of money… She’d be seeing him shortly…or so she hoped anyway…

Sighing, she grabbed the jacket, sliding her arms through and checking once more in the mirror before heading out through the diner.

As she saw Maria still hard at work, she did feel a slight pang of guilt, but this soon passed as the other girl smiled brightly, waving as she passed and telling her to have a good evening. She smiled back and nodded. “See you at school tomorrow Maria…”

Pushing open the door, she exited the diner and headed out onto the street. She continued to the nearest corner, and then turned left, heading away from what passed as the ‘centre’.

Although it was only yesterday that she had first walked the route back to the apartment they were renting, Liz found that she had little difficulty in remembering the way, and about half an hour later, she found herself walking up the road which passed the bus station, continuing along and then turning off onto the street on which she and Max were staying.

**********

“Max…?” Liz knocked on the door, but then waved her hand over the lock as she decided she couldn’t be bothered waiting… She pushed open the door and stepped into the apartment.

Max was actually in the shower when she knocked. The roar of the flow of water – weak though it was in truth – was enough to drown out Liz’s soft voice and the knock on the door. He did, however, hear the door as it was closed behind her, and immediately he was on alert.

Leaving the shower running, so as not to alert whoever it was to the fact they had been heard, he climbed out quickly and grabbed a towel, not even really bothering much to dry himself as he wrapped the towel around his waist. This done, he listened carefully at the door, hearing some soft footsteps, and waited until they had past before sliding open the door.

On entering the apartment, Liz immediately became aware of the sound of the shower in the bathroom. She wondered for a moment if she should go and surprise Max, but instead decided that she would wait until he had finished and see about beginning to fix the two of them some dinner, assuming Max had remembered to get some food from the shops that evening of course…

Smiling, and enjoying the relative normal of the situation – simply thinking about making dinner for herself and her husband – Liz headed through the apartment to the kitchen area that was found at the far end.

Noting that the blinds were all down, so no one would be able to see anything, she took off her coat and sent it flying back across the room, nodding with satisfaction as it landed neatly on the sofa.

This done, she now turned her attention back to the task at hand and bent down to open the fridge and check what they had in…

Max frowned as he heard some kind of noise come from the living area… It was almost as though something had fallen on the sofa or chair… Holding his hand out, ready to attack, he crept forward carefully, making as little noise as he could…

As a familiar figure came into view, leaning over behind the work top which separated the kitchen area from the rest of the living/dining room, all tension left his body and a smile settled once more on his face. He had to make a real effort not to laugh, but the idea which came to mind was enticing enough to enable him to keep quiet as he continued to creep towards her.

Closer…closer… As she straightened back up, he grabbed her around the waist, laughing at the small cry of surprise which escaped her lips. “Ah…got ya!” He announced, spinning her round in his arms so that she now faced him.

Liz felt herself freeze as she felt the strong arms grab her. Her heart began to thump hard, and for just a second she felt a blind panic. She cried out, but before she had a chance to do anything about it, she heard the familiar voice and suddenly found herself facing her husband, encircled by his arms.

She let out a breath and began to laugh, smacking his arm playfully. “I keep telling you, stop doing that!” She scolded, her tone showing that she wasn’t really angry.

Her flushed cheeks showed that she had indeed been a little nervous though, and as he realised that, immediately a look of apology passed over Max’s face. “I’m sorry baby…I didn’t mean to scare you…” He assured her, dipping his head to capture her lips in a passionate kiss.

Liz raised her eyebrows, giving the impression of disbelief although in truth she was trying her best not to completely cave. She shook her head at him. “You didn’t mean to scare me…well, would you like to tell me what you thought you were going to do grabbing me like that…?”

Max pretended to think a little. “Well…” He shrugged. “Okay, maybe I did, but you didn’t exactly do much for me with your little entrance you know…”

His wife looked blank. “Excuse me…?”

“I was in the shower…I heard the door close, and given that I have the only key, and that you were supposed to still be back at the Crashdown, given that I was supposed to be coming to walk you back…what was I supposed to think?” Max questioned a little defensively.

Although she knew he had been in the shower, until that moment Liz hadn’t actually fully registered his partial state of undress. She smiled mischievously. “In the shower…so I see…” She responded softly, her eyes taking in his still wet, muscular chest.

Max laughed and shook his head. “I’m assuming I’m forgiven then…?” He questioned in an amused tone.

She pretended to think about it. “Well…this time…” She grinned and then reached up to kiss him back. “Seriously honey, I’m sorry if I worried you…I did knock, but there was no answer, and I…”

Her husband gave a wry smile. “You got bored of waiting…?” He suggested with a teasing edge.

Liz blushed. “I guess…” She conceded… “I honestly didn’t think that you might be worried though…I mean I didn’t really even know if you’d be home yet…” She pointed out lightly.

Nodding and accepting her explanation, Max nodded again. “Okay…well I guess you’re forgiven too…”

Rewarding him with a bright smile, Liz looked up at him, still not making any attempt to move from the arms in which she was held. “I see you did some shopping too…anything particular you have in mind for dinner…?” She asked in an offhand fashion, bringing the conversation back to her original intention of making some dinner. She had to admit that she was getting hungry, having last eaten at lunch at school, and despite his stop off at the Crashdown a few hours ago, she hardly imagined that Max was much better…

“Hmm…not really, I’m sure anything you cook up will be great…” Her husband responded. Although he wasn’t too bad himself, Liz was definitely the cook of the couple, and he didn’t think he had eaten a bad meal cooked by her yet, which was saying something considering…

Liz smiled and shook her head. “Thanks for the compliment…” She responded, kissing him briefly again before pulling away and then turning back to the fridge although his arms were still wrapped around her waist. She studied a moment and then tilted her head up, leaning back against his chest slightly and looking up at him. “Well…I spy some eggs, so there’s omelette of course… If you got pasta, and I’m assuming you did there’s pasta, or again assuming we have the ingredients I could probably whip up something resembling my Mexican-style rice dish…” Given time there was plenty more she could offer, but considering it was already nearly nine in the evening, she wasn’t really in the mood for doing anything more complicated… She smiled and waited. “Your choice…”

“Hmm….” Max pondered the options for a moment. Given that he had personal experience to go by, all three options were extremely tempting… All would be spicy, with the automatic addition of their usual hot-sauce, and whichever was chosen would be very tasty he was certain… His wife was right about the rice and pasta of course… They were cheap, easy staples which went a long way – definitely a good thing for a young couple on a tight budget…

“Well…?” Liz looked up at him again, ‘prodding’ as such as she waited for an answer.

“Honestly…I don’t know…” Max admitted a little sheepishly.

She laughed and shook her head. “Okay, well I personally would go for omelette then…” She decided quickly. “Have we got any salad to go with it…?” She asked as she pulled out of his arms now to begin to gather what she would need.

Max nodded, moving to help her as he pulled a lettuce, tomato and some carrots out of the fridge, followed by a small bottle of some kind of mayonnaise or salad cream. Next he moved to the cupboard next to the fridge, from which he pulled out a small bag of potatoes… “Potatoes in or with…?” He asked Liz as he pulled two out and replaced the rest of the bag.

Pulling a pan out of one of the top cupboards, his wife set it down on the hob before turning to look at him. On seeing the mayonnaise, her eyes lit up and she smiled. “Your salad with…” She responded quickly, moving in front of him to get into the fridge from which she picked out three eggs and a small piece of ham. “I’m assuming ham is okay…?” She asked almost as an after thought as she began to get everything ready.

Max, who was now situated on the worktop with a chopping board nodded, although he didn’t bother turning round. “Sure…sounds great!” He responded.

Liz smiled, turning slightly, an amused expression on her face.

Her husband looked puzzled. “What…?”

She laughed. “Well…as much as I want to have your salad with this….I think that you could probably do with putting on some clothes first…maybe…?” She suggested inncocently, motioning to his currently bare chest.

Max’s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered he was still wearing only a towel… Not that it wouldn’t be fun, but still…it wasn’t exactly normal…even for them… He set the potatoes and peeler down on the chopping board, nodding as he stepped back. He turned, dipped her head to brush his lips against her neck, and told his wife he’d be right back.

Heading into the bedroom, he wasted no time in changing into some jeans and a clean t-shirt. Adding some trainers, and also popping quickly into the bathroom to turn off the water he had almost forgotten he had left running, Max quickly returned to the main room, standing and just watching Liz as she worked for a moment, before resuming his own task as he slipped back behind the counter.

**********


The pair of them worked quickly and efficiently, obviously having done it before, and a short time later they were sitting down at the table together.

“So…did you have any luck in finding a job…?” Liz asked lightly as she spooned a small amount of the potato salad Max had made onto her plate and took her seat.

Max nodded, chewing his mouthful of food carefully before swallowing and then answering. “Actually yeah…I filled in an application at a couple of places…the usual supermarket, the video store…”

A smile played on Liz’s lips as she thought of something. “Don’t tell me, and the UFO centre…” She grinned.

A look of disgust passed over his face but his smile soon returned as he shook his head. “No way…I’m not going near that place!” He stated firmly.

Liz smirked. “Why did I think you might say that…the fact that you’ve got me working at the Crashdown of course is different though…”

Max sighed and shook his head. He knew she wasn’t really angry, but he could understand her displeasure at having to work at that place. “Honey I told you…if there were any other way…” He shook his head. “Anyway, I applied to the pizza place too, but given the hours I’m looking for the video store or the shop’s the most likely of course…”

His wife nodded. It was the usual sort of thing he managed to find… Minimum wage, and unlike her no chance of tips, but reasonably good hours, and sometimes they got a bit of a discount on their shopping which was a bonus… “Do you know when you’ll hear from them…?” She asked softly, a slight edge of worry to her voice. As much as she tried not to think about it, the fact was that they couldn’t afford for one of them to be out of work for more than about a week…even their current apartment cost, and a waitress’ wage there was no way they’d be able to pay for it…

Completely understanding her thinking, Max shook his head, setting his fork down and reaching over to take her hand. “No…but I’m sure it’ll be in the next few days…” He looked over at her. “I’ll find something baby…I promise…”

Liz chewed her lip and nodded a little nervously. It wasn’t that she doubted him, just she didn’t like the uncertainty… Once they were settled she would be much happier she was sure, but for now, she was just a little tense…

Max smiled reassuringly, deciding to direct conversation elsewhere. “You know this is great…I never will know how you manage to make these eggs taste so light…” He told her as he took another mouthful of food.

Shaking her head at the completely obvious tact he was taking, Liz shook her head. “It’s nothing much…I just make sure they have plenty of air…” She responded, deciding, despite this to humour him… It wasn’t as though they could do anything more that night anyway…so they should probably just enjoy what was left of the evening… “Of course your potato salad is as good as ever too…” She returned the compliment, her eyes closing and her lips turning up in something of a smile as she took a mouthful. Max had tried to show her many times, but she never could get the Tobasco to penetrate like he did…

“Glad to see you’re enjoying it…” Max responded softly. “So, how was work anyway…?” He asked, deciding to try some general, basic conversation now.

Liz shrugged. “It was okay I guess…” She admitted. “Not as bad as I expected, but Maria’s pretty cool and that helps…”

Her husband nodded, pleased to see that she didn’t seem to have had too bad an evening… He knew she didn’t want to work there, and he couldn’t blame her, just it was their best shot… “Yeah…Maria seems okay, I’m glad you two are getting on, it’s been a while since you’ve really had anyone like that to talk to…”

It hadn’t escaped his notice that over the last few months Liz seemed to have tried less and less to get to know any of the kids at school… She and he always seemed to just spend most of their free-time together – not that he was objecting to that as such, but he knew they should have more than that… Work, school, and a home-life was all very well, but even if they couldn’t share the social-life so much, friends were important too…

Liz nodded awkwardly. “I guess…it just seems like there’s never enough time…you know…?” In truth, despite the front she tried to put on, she was in fact rather shy, and the prospect of having to go into new schools and get to know new kids every few months wasn’t exactly something she relished… The first couple she had made a real effort at, but after that she had kind of just stuck to the background…deciding to save herself the struggle…

It was different here though… She didn’t know how, but there was something that just told her this was it… As Max said, Maria was pretty cool, and so were Isabel and Alex… Michael was another point of course, but maybe he was just that kind of person… Certainly the others seemed pretty nice, and she couldn’t say that she didn’t like Maria… In truth, it had been fun that afternoon, working with her in the diner… She could have done without the uniform and antennae of course, but all in all, it had been a lot better than expected, and to the main, that was because of the other girl…

“I know…” Max knew exactly what she meant… He hoped it would be different here though…he hoped this was it… He decided to move on. “And what about your boss…Mr Parker is it…?”

Again Liz nodded and smiled. “Yeah…he’s good…” She responded softly. She had been more than surprised at his reaction to how the jocks had been acting… She knew that Maria had said he was a nice guy, but Maria had known him all her life…while he had only met her that day… Still, it was nice to know that he meant what he said, although she just hoped that it wasn’t going to cause any more problems at school…

“Good…” Her husband nodded. “And no more problems with Kyle or his guys…?” He didn’t know why he was asking really…probably he just wanted reassurance that everything was okay… He was certain that Liz would have told him if it wasn’t…

The look on her face made him think again though… Wouldn’t she…? “Lizzy…?” He reached towards her, touching her face and causing her to look up. “Lizzy, what happened…?” He asked in a soft voice.

His wife swallowed and shook her head. “It was nothing Max…” She tried to tell him. The look on his face told her he wasn’t buying it though, and after a few moments she found herself caving, opening up and telling him everything that had happened.

His lips thinned and it was almost as though fire burnt in his eyes.

Looking up at him through tearful eyes, Liz swallowed nervously. “Max, promise me you won’t do anything to get yourself into trouble…” She pleaded with him. “They’re not worth it…promise me…”

Max made no response. He didn’t want to lie, and he couldn’t say he would stand and do nothing… The way Liz had been treated that day was unacceptable, both at school, and apparently at work… She shouldn’t have to deal with it, and if he had anything to say about it, she wouldn’t again!

“Max…please…” She reached for his hand. “The last thing we need is for you to get into trouble…you know that…” She appealed to his sense.

Slowly Max nodded, gripping her hand. He knew she was right, but that didn’t mean he was going to just allow it to happen… He wouldn’t get into trouble over it, but he would find a way to deal with those jerks and if they ever tried something again, well he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions… “Alright, I promise…” He told her softly, leaning over to kiss away the tears he saw coming from her eyes.

Liz swallowed, trying to force a small smile as she got up to clear away their dishes.

Max followed her into the kitchen area, telling her to put them in the sink for now, and then pulling his wife into his arms. He kissed her gently, holding her tightly and telling her that it was alright, he was there…

They stood there for what seemed like an age, frozen in each other’s arms… Nothing felt so right…

“I love you, you know Lizzy…” Max told her softly, brushing his lips against hers again softly as he guided her over to the sofa to sit down.

She nodded, making no response other than to kiss him back and huddle into his arms as they sat down at first. She stayed there like that in silence, and then looked up, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing him again. “I love you too Max…” She responded softly.

**********

A little bit of kissing, and a lot of gentle words later, it was obvious to Max that Liz was in a far better state. She was smiling again, and more importantly, her eyes mirrored this…

They sat there for a little longer, discussing their situation, things they had found out, and general impressions of the town. It was nothing major, nothing heavy, just general conversation, but it was normal, or as normal as they would get…

After a while Liz looked over at the clock. Noting the time, she looked up at her husband. “So…I guess we should be getting to bed…?” She suggested softly.

Checking the time, Max nodded. “I guess…although I’m not that tired really…” He commented.

Although she knew he meant nothing by that, Liz’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she heard his response. She pretended to think a moment. “Well…to tell the truth I’m not either…but of course we don’t have to sleep straight away…” She commented, doing her best to keep a straight face.

Max looked over at her surprised. “And what might you have in mind Mrs Evans…?” He asked curiously.

Liz smiled coyly. “Well…I do have an order to fill don’t I…?” She asked, winking as she remembered their banter back at the diner.

Max chuckled and nodded. “Hmm…well I have to say some desert would be nice…”

“For both of us…” She agreed, reaching up to whisper in his ear.

That was all the encouragement he needed. He found it hard enough to resist his beautiful wife at the best of times, but when she was providing such temptation it was impossible… He smiled, dipping his head to kiss her again on the lips and then slipping his arms under her legs as he lifted her carefully, carrying her through into the bedroom, shutting off the lights in the other room with a wave of his hand and then closing the door behind them…

[KatnotKath]

*Hides behind computer screen nervously* Okay, don't hate me, I'm back, and I'm very sorry for the delay. Writer's block combined with a lot of other stuff to keep me from updating I'm afraid and I am sorry about that. Even after my muse returned, sort of...I still haven't really had much time on the computer.

Liz860000, Dani, RASaero611, Lissa, Lisa, Stars in my eyes, Emz80m, anonamousarfan, Ellie, Isabelle, inquisitive1, stargrl678, SarahWhitman, Spidergirl, Micheala141, behrlyliz, you guys blow me away with all the feedback you're giving, thanks so much, it means a huge amount to see that you're enjoying the story and really helps.

I'm really sorry that it has taken so long, but I am immensely grateful for all the feedback you've given me. Basically my last month at work was really crazy, and then I was moving back home at the end of my work placement. Less than two weeks after I did that, I was off to Atlanta to meet some wonderful ladies. After I came back there was my birthday party, and uni to get ready to go back to. I know this probably all sounds like an excuse, but seriously I really haven't had much time on the computer the last few weeks in particular since I got back from holiday. I've kept saying that I'm going to update, and then running out of time, or being called away to do something else.

Anyway, I restarted uni this last week, and finally here I am. I'm so sorry the time it's taken me to update, but I do intend to be updating on a more regular basis again now assuming nothing major happens to stop me.

Liz86000 - I'm glad you like it, my dreamer side deifintiely concurs that they're made for each other.

I'm afraid you're going to have to wait a little longer for the dealing with of the Kyle issue though, my original intention for this chapter was for something quite different, but the feedback kinda lead me in a different direction. I faded to black for a reason in the last chapter, and what happened that night I'll leave to your imagination, sorry to disappoint with the towel though. I thought I'd expand a little upon the morning, hope you approve Am I forgiven yet?

Dani - I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, sorry to spoil your fun with my edit though, I don't know how I forgot to put that paragraph in originally. As for the Mrs Evans Special, I think I'll let some things stay between the two of them for now, I'm hoping this chapter will be an acceptable substitute hehe

Stars in my eyes - Patience, all will be revealed in time

Ellie -

Enjoyed the Max and Liz time, thanks. I wouldn't mind being stalked through the house by a wet Max in a towel!

Have to say, I can't disagree

Isabelle - ROFL Well there's something in here you might like - I hope...

As for Kyle, well I guess you'll have to see, I'm certainly coming up with some interesting ideas... For the moment I imagine that Isabel and Michael wouldn't want to risk it, but depending on when it happens, well...you never know lol

Glad you're enjoying the story anyway, hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint.

SarahWhitman - thanks for the ideas, I'm filing them all away at the moment, some I already intended to deal with, and will be in the future, others I'm thinking about at the moment. For now, I'm hoping that you'll enjoy what this next chapter has to offer.

Micheala141 - welcome to the story, glad you're enjoying it

Okay, so enough from me, here's the new chapter, thanks for reading everyone and hope you all enjoy. As always, I'd love to hear what you think.

Chapter 15

The following morning, Max woke slowly. His eyes only open a slit, he rolled over and reached out, intending to greet his wife. To his surprise however, his hand came into contact with air and mattress only though, and he opened his eyes fully to find the spot usually occupied by Liz empty.

“Morning…”

He turned again at the greeting, a smile lighting up his face at the sight which met him. “Hey…”

Liz smiled back, uncurling from her position in the chair and pushing back from the desk as she spun so that she was facing him.

“How long have you been up…?” Max asked, sitting up a little and motioning for her to come and join him.

“Not too long…I just couldn’t sleep anymore, but you were still out, so I decided to leave you…” She responded softly, standing and walking back to the bed. She sat down on the side, wrapping her robe around herself as she leant over, brushing her lips against his as another ‘good morning’.

Her husband grinned and sighed. “Hmm…morning to you too…” He responded, pressing his lips back against hers. He pushed back the covers and patted the empty spot next to him. “So…are you going to join me…it’s comfy…” He told her, his eyes twinkling.

She laughed and shook her head. “I know it’s comfy…I think we established that last night, if we hadn't already done so before, didn’t we…?”

“Weeelll…you could say that…” Max sat up more fully and reached out, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. He pushed her hair over her shoulder at the front, and then dipped his head, beginning to trail a line of kisses down her neck.

His gentle touches made her skin feel as though it were on fire… Liz’s head rocked back, and a small moan escaped her lips. She knew they should be getting up, but right now, she was helpless in his arms…

“Beautiful…” Max whispered in her ear, reaching up and gently sliding the neck of her robe over her shoulders. As her milky skin was revealed, he bent over, kissing it softly. “You…are…perfect…” He told his wife as he slipped his fingers under the thin spaghetti straps of her small night dress.

Liz turned around, raising her eyebrows as she glanced at one of his hands. “And what do you think you’re doing Mr Evans…?” She asked coyly.

Her husband simply smiled at first. “Oh…I think you have a pretty good idea…” He responded, sliding each strap over her shoulder and so allowing her silk shift to drop lower on her breast. He leant over her shoulder, causing her to turn, and then capturing his wife’s lips as he kissed her deeply.

Automatically Liz kissed him back, and as she pulled back, her breathing was laboured and her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes twinkled as she took a moment to catch her breath before responding. “I thought you would have had enough last night…”

Max smiled as though he found her words amusing. “Me…have had enough of you…never my precious…” He replied, his tone now completely serious as he pulled her back against him once more. “Mrs Evans, you are irresistible…”

His wife smiled. “Good…I wouldn’t think I was losing my touch…” She joked as she turned her head and kissed him again. Pulling back then, she moved to stand up.

“Hey…what’s the hurry…?” He teased, holding her firm where she was, not ready to let her go yet.

“Max…we have to get to school…” She responded, laughing as she tried to extract herself from his arms. Clearly she wasn’t too eager though, and her attempts weren’t exactly vigorous as she pretended to push his arms back.

“Oh….but I can think of a much better way to spend the day…” He responded, grinning now as he refused to loosen his grip. “You know, just you, and me…”

“Let me guess, in bed…?” Liz giggled as she turned slightly so that she was facing him.

“I don’t know what you mean…” Max responded in an even tone, acting all innocent. He smiled and dipped his head to kiss her again. “Of course if that was what you wanted to do…?” He shrugged.

Rolling her eyes, Liz kissed him back and then shook her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Oh…what I want…and it wouldn’t have possibly occurred to you…right…?” She smiled sweetly, pressing herself closer and not missing the fact he was already hardening without her having even done anything…

Max bit down on his lip to keep from moaning… No one else had this effect on him, but Liz, sat there…so close… The shift she wore was short and minimal, showing off her well balanced figure in such a way he couldn’t fail to want her… “No…of course not…” He just about managed to get out although not without difficulty. He reached up, tracing the line of her chin before playing with her lower lip. “What do you think I’m like…?”

She licked his finger, sucking it in before releasing it slowly. “What do I think you’re like…” She smiled softly, pretending to ponder.

Max’s eyes widened and he felt his member hardening further as it pressed against her.

Pretending not to notice, Liz drew back now, extracting herself from his arms as she stood up. “Well unfortunately, as much as I might like to show you, this isn’t exactly an ideal time… Maybe we should take a rain check…?” She grinned as she looked back at him, walking away towards the door which led to the bathroom and purposely not pulling her robe back up over her shoulders.

Max groaned in frustration, his gaze fixed on her figure. Her chocolate brown hair spilled over her shoulder as she pushed it back, her hips swaying as she allowed her robe to slip further down her arms, providing a view of even more of that delicate, milky skin.

Just as she reached the door, Liz turned, looking back at him with an amused smile on her face. Actually she was amazed he had held back as long as he had… “Aren’t you going to join me…?”

A smile spread over his face as he climbed out of bed, walking to her side and wrapping his arms around her waist. “What happened to being late for school…?” He asked while nuzzling her neck gently.

“Hmmm…” Her head tilted to one side, allowing him better access as she let out a moan of pleasure. “We’ll get there…” She murmured softly. “J-just we have a few things to do first…” Turning in his arms, she reached up, meeting his lips with hers now as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Unless of course you’re not interested…?”

Her husband laughed as though she had made a joke, shaking his head. “I could never not be interested in you my beauty…”

Liz let out a squeal as, without warning, Max scooped her up, pushing open the door to the bathroom and walking in. He set her down at the side of the shower and then began to work with the taps to obtain some temperate water.

Liz smiled, watching him for a moment before standing and allowing her robe to drop fully now.

The movement as the fabric fell into a puddle at her feet caused Max to look over. As always, he found himself breathless as he took in her appearance. “Beautiful…” He whispered, breaking off from what he was doing to kiss her once more.

She laughed and pushed him back playfully as he wrapped his now wet arms around her. “You’re all wet!” She pretended to complain.

“Water tends to do that…let me show you…” With a mischievous glint which rivalled her earlier one, and without warning, he deftly slipped his arms under her legs, taking her once more into his arms.

His wife’s eyes widened in alarm. She had a nasty feeling about this. “Max…what are you doing…?” She cried out, struggling to get him to put her down.

“Oh no…you wanted a shower didn’t you…?” Max laughed, stepping under the water without bothering to discard his own boxers. Only once his wife’s silk shift was completely soaked through did he let her go. “Oh honey…you look all wet…” He teased as he set her down on her feet once more.

Liz fought back a laugh as she felt the thin material clinging to her. “And I wonder why that would be…” She commented with a wry smile, moving closer again and rubbing up against him suggestively.

Max smiled, reaching up again and easing the material from her skin, gathering it in his hands before pulling it up and over her head until finally she stood before him in all her glory.

“See something you like…?” She asked, clearly amused as she pushed her wet hair back from her face. She pulled it together and twisted it up, waving her hand behind her head to fix it like that and keep it out of her way.

“Well…” Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I’d have to think about that…” He responded with a teasing smile, looking down at her as she rested her head under his chin.

Liz felt the erection pressing up against her desperately now. She smiled. “Well…while you think…how about I help you…?” She commented, reaching for the waistband of his boxers and easing them down to reveal the member fighting beneath.

Max’s eyes widened as he felt her fingers running gently up and down the length. Her touch was so delicate, so gentle, and yet it made him feel as though he was about to burst… He moaned softly at her attentions, feeling the pressure inside build and build. Last night had been one thing, but this…this had been caused mostly by words… It never failed to amaze him the effect this small girl had on him. How he could ever have denied his feelings he didn’t know… Without her, he just wasn’t whole… She was his wife, his soulmate, his other half, and his perfect woman… Being without her now just didn’t bear thinking about…

It wasn’t fair that only he had this pleasure though, he realised, deciding to try and do something about that. He leant over, nibbling and kissing her neck and then beginning to tease nipple with one hand.

His wife was taken by surprise by his actions, and couldn’t help letting out a small moan as he touched the sensitive area of her nipple. “Oh…Max…” She moaned, dropping her head forward onto his chest. She looked down, returning her attention to him, and quickening her strokes now as she realised he was coming close.

Max closed his eyes as he felt himself teeter on the edge. He bit down on his lip, concentrating on trying to hold it in. He wanted her to come too… “Stop a moment…” He whispered to her.

Liz looked up, surprised. “But you…”

He nodded I know…just trust me…?” He smiled and then reached once more for her nipple, massaging it gently and capturing her lips in a deep kiss… With his other hand, he reached further down, searching out her opening and passage, and sliding a finger inside, smiling with pleasure as he felt the fact she was already slick and wet. He ran his finger up and down inside once, feeling her tighten slightly and realising her head had dropped back against his chest. “I love you…” He whispered in her ear, continuing his attentions all the while.

Liz swallowed, feeling the pressure building inside. Her head first rocked back, and then forth, falling against her husband’s chest as her breathing became laboured. He was the only one that could do this to her, of that she was certain… “Maaaaxxx…” She moaned.

“Come on baby…” He breathed before capturing her lips as he began to quicken his strokes. His lips pressed against hers, kissing her deeply he felt her come… It was enough to cause him to let go, and he followed soon after.

Letting out another groan, Liz buried herself in his arms as she felt her release. A moment later, without any further actions, she suddenly felt him come, and the two of them stood there, locked in each others arms for some time to come.

It would have been nice to be able to just stay there of course, but that wasn’t possible, and both knew it…

Liz was the first to pull back. She knew if she didn’t do it now, she would probably still be there in an hour’s time… As hard as she was, she couldn’t allow that to happen, and even if it was the last thing she felt like doing…especially after that…they had to get to school… She reached for the flannel and soap.

Max reached out, stopping her, his hand closing over hers and pulling it back. “Here…let me help…” He told her softly, taking the soap and turning her slightly so that he could wash her back.

A shiver of pleasure ran through Liz as she felt his hands running over her back. He massaged the soap in, helping to work out any knots in her neck at the same time, and she smiled as she turned round once more. “Thanks…” She told him, reaching out to take the cloth now.

Max however, had not finished. He insisted on continuing to her front, and when he was done, Liz smiled. “Well…you do know you have to let me do the same now…?” She commented, rubbing her hands together to sud up the soap, and then turning him to return the favor and rub it into his back.

Perhaps surprisingly, given the temptation to take their time, the young couple did manage to get out of the shower with enough time left. That wasn’t to say that there was plenty of time… Ten minutes until they were due to leave, while still having to dry hair, get ready and have some breakfast could hardly be described as plenty of time, but thanks to their powers at least they had some chance and they eventually arrived at school just as the bell was ringing.

**********

"You knew I needed to be in early today!" Maria complained to Michael as she hurried through the school, her boyfriend following. She had an English paper which was due in that afternoon and she had needed to check something. Her idea had been to come into school early, and pop into the library. It should have worked, except that she had to wait over fifteen minutes for her boyfriend to emerge when she went to pick him up. If she had thought that he had another lift, she would have left him, saying that it was his own fault and that he should have been where she told him to be at the appointed time. Unfortunately, that didn't work though. The only other person Michael sometimes got a lift from was Alex, and since his car was in the garage at the moment, and she was giving Isabel and Alex a lift too, that wasn't exactly a reasonable alternative.

"You should have just left me there...my alarm didn't go off this morning..." Michael responded, clearly not seeing what the problem with all this was. If his girlfriend had needed to get to school early, and he couldn't comply, he could just have stayed at home...he wasn't going to complain about missing an odd day...

Maria rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing that he was indeed serious. Michael would, and had, happily missed day after day of school. His attendance was appalling, and she was certain that the only reason he managed to maintain passing grades was because of those freaky alien powers. No one else would be able to do that with such poor stats, but somehow, when it came to exams, although he didn't do great, he did well enough...

Usually of course that was enough, but more recently the attendance had become a real issue she knew, and she was aware that he had already received two warnings. No way was she going to be party to him getting another. "So that you can just skive a full day...I don't think so!" She told her boyfriend firmly, not bothering to look back as she continued to press through the corridor.

Her urgency didn't go unnoticed by Michael, and he shook his head, unable to understand just how school could be so major to her. He never had understood how people would get that worked up about it all. School was just a place kids went when they were younger before they got a job... He'd be able to do fine on his own he was sure...after all, how important could a few exams be...? "Calm down Maria...you're going to have a panic attack!"

"A panic attack, you're dead right I’m going to have one of those!" Maria practically yelled at him as she finally lost her rag. "This paper is worth fifteen percent of my total grade, and I have been working on it for two weeks..."

Michael shrugged. "So if you've been working on it so long, either it's going to be good, or not,, but either way, I don't see any work you do today making a great impact!"

Despite the fact that he was being his usual 'don't care' self, Michael had actually pointed out something very important and Maria actually nodded as she thought about it. She couldn’t deny that there was a lot of sense in that comment, whoever might have said it. She had been working hard on this assignment, and had spent a lot of time on it. Yesterday at school she had been happy that she had done what she could, it was only that evening when she had decided she wanted to add this information.

Then again... Almost as soon as she thought of this, she was reminded of the fact that Michael HADN'T been waiting when she had arrived. Perhaps he was right, and she was worrying over nothing, but he should have been there when she asked considering that she was giving him a lift. Her resolve strengthened as she looked back at him. "That’s not the point!" She told him sharply. "The point is that I asked you to be ready earlier than usual, and you weren't there... Alex was standing outside when I arrived, and so was Isabel, but then we had to wait for you!"

Yikes, she really was on one today... Michael frowned as he realised his attempt to placate his girlfriend hadn't worked, and nor was it likely to if he continued. Clearly Maria was particularly bothered about this work...

"I'd quit before you dig yourself even deeper..." A whispered voice came from his right. He looked round to see Alex and Isabel who must have just joined them. He glared at his sister, although he had a feeling she might well be right.. That didn't mean he was going to admit it though... Michael was too stubborn for that, although he did shut up for the moment anyway.

Isabel smiled with satisfaction as she realised he had silently conceded. "Saying sorry might be a good idea too..." She added as though as an afterthought. Her comment drew no response from her brother, but she could see from his fact that he wasn't too happy with her and smirked.

"I thought that I was supposed to be able to rely on you Michael... I know that maybe this isn't that important to you, you don't seem to care much about school, and it's not like you have to work that hard for your passing marks, but I do, and this mattered to me!" Maria looked at her boyfriend, a hurt look in her eyes.

It was obvious to everyone but Michael, it seemed, that she was looking for an apology. Unfortunately, her boyfriend seemed completely clueless, and he made no response. This drew a glare from Maria. "Fine, if you don't care, I can’t be bothered with you at the moment!" She threw another glare in his direction, before looking over at Isabel and Alex, and telling them she had something to do, before heading off back down the corridor, leaving Michael staring after her.

Isabel glared at her brother, who still didn't seem to realise what he had done. "You really are stupid!"

He looked at her blankly. "Huh...why...what'd I do...?"

She shook her head. "If you don't know, you're even more of an idiot than I thought..."

"HEY!" Her brother responded sharply, clearly indignant.

Isabel replied with a roll of her eyes. "What? I'm only saying what's true!" She looked at him. "Maria LOVES you... You need to show a little interest in what she's doing, and what matters to her though..."

Alex listened silently to the conversation between the siblings. He knew from conversations he had with Maria that she was right. His best friend loved the guy. She was bright and bubbly most of the time, but even she had some things that she needed. School wasn't something which she was confident about, and now and again a little support from her boyfriend wouldn't go amiss...

"I show interest in her..." Michael protested. After all, he worked the same place that she did...

Shaking her head, Isabel glanced at the clock. "You have no idea...listen to her, for once listen!" She told him before turning to her own boyfriend. "We should be getting to class; otherwise we're going to be late..."

Alex nodded, and after saying they would meet their friends at the usual table for lunch, the couple headed off down the corridor, leaving Michael alone.

[KatnotKath]

cocopucks, Ellie, orphyfets, behrlyliz,Emz80m, Forensicschic, thanks for reading, and for the feedback. As always I'm delighted to see that you're still enjoying the story.

Ellie -

Great chapter, you wrote something that had me curious though, about Max denying his feelings for Liz?

I already have the scene with explanation planned, but you'll have to be patient a little longer I'm afraid sorry.

orphyfets - can I call you Stefanie? Thanks for reading, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story.

behrlyliz - am I back soon enough this time? Thanks for reading, glad you're enjoying the story

Forensicschic - lol well I don't want to see you crying, is this soon enough?

Well guys, I said that I'd try and get round to updating this sooner than before, and I seem to have managed it . I've been using this to break up boring uni stuff - which is a little dangerous, cos it's debatable whether anything will actually get done or not...

Anyway, the end result is this chapter, I hope that you'll all enjoy it and I'd love to know what you think. Anyone who is reading this, thanks for doing so, I only hope you enjoy reading it, because I know I'm enjoying writing it.

~Kat~

Chapter 16

“Hey, over here you guys…” Maria called out and waved to Liz and Max as she saw the couple enter the canteen.

Michael looked far from happy. “Why are you encouraging them to come over here…?” He asked sullenly.

His girlfriend rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Because Michael, they’re friends…” She glared at him. “Honestly, anyone would think they were part of the FBI the way you go on…”

Her comment was met with more silence and she pulled a face. “Okay…bad example I know, but seriously…” She was the first to admit she had been suspicious of the pair, but working with Liz the previous evening had helped to clear the air. From everything she could gather, they were two perfectly nice kids, they were in an unusual situation sure, but they were still just teenagers like the rest of them…

Michael made no attempt to apologise. He didn’t know what Liz had said the night before to make his girlfriend change her attitude so completely, but he still didn’t trust them… He trusted Maria’s first instincts, and they had said there was something not quite right about the couple. Why would they be married at that age…forgetting the answers they had given to fob them off… Who would be crazy enough to make that commitment so early…? He shook his head. “I don’t like it… We’ve always agreed, we can’t let anyone get too close…” He stated stubbornly as he continued watching Liz and Max carefully as they bought some lunch at the counter.

Alex shrugged. “Well you let us in…eventually…” He pointed out. It had taken a few years of course, but in the end, Isabel and Michael hadn’t been forced to tell him and Maria, they had chosen to do so…

“That was different!” Michael insisted scowling. Besides, it hadn’t been his choice to tell them really… Basically Isabel had told him she was going to go and tell Alex whether he liked it or not. There was no way he saw the guy even trying to hide it from Maria, so he told her to avoid a scene afterwards… Personally he had been perfectly happy when it had just been him and his sister.

Isabel gave her brother a pointed look to show just how stupid she thought that sounded. “Yeah, sure it was different; your girlfriend was involved…” She stated. Whether Michael liked to admit it or not, she knew he had been pleased when she said she wanted to tell Alex. It gave him the excuse to tell Maria, while still blaming it on her of course… She shrugged. She had long since stopped arguing over it with him. Besides, it wasn’t worth it really, it was in the past. All that mattered was that Alex and Maria knew, they were part of their group, and she would never regret telling them.

Michael shot a glare at her again, but didn’t say anything more. He had more sense than to argue when he knew he wasn’t going to win… “Whatever…just be careful around them…okay…?” He looked round at the group, needing to see them confirm this.

Maria couldn’t help smiling. Michael could be gruff as anything, but deep down she knew he meant well. He wanted to protect them, felt that was his job, and in the long run, she couldn’t stay mad at him for that… Leaning over, she kissed his cheek. “You can be sweet when you try…”

Her boyfriend didn’t answer. A moment ago she had been angry, or at the very least peeved… Now she was kissing him… He shook his head mentally; sometimes he really didn’t get her…

“Hi guys…” Max greeted the group as he and Liz walked up to the table. He set their tray down, and stood to one side, allowing his wife to slide along the bench before taking a seat next to her and sitting down.

“Hey Max, how’s your morning been?” Maria asked quickly, hoping that they wouldn’t notice the fact that Michael had immediately closed up.

He shrugged. “It was fine I guess…nothing special…” Despite the even tone, there was something in his eyes which suggested this had a hidden meaning.

Isabel looked across the table at Liz and smiled knowingly as she saw the reaction she had to the words. That explained it then…

Liz bit down on her lip to keep from laughing as she heard Max’s response. She gave a small smile and then leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

Alex watched the couple curiously, not quite sure what that was all about. Still, it seemed harmless enough…

Max straightened up, remembering that they had something of an audience and nudged his wife. She blushed awkwardly. “Oh…sorry guys…”

Isabel waved away the apology with a smile. “Don’t worry about it…” She assured the younger girl quickly.

Her brother watched the exchange in silence, and then, without warning stood up. “I’m gonna get some air…I’ll see you guys later…” He looked from his sister to his girlfriend, and then grabbed his bag and headed off without another word.

“I-if we were interrupting, you should have said…” Liz commented as she turned, watching him go.

The others shook their heads quickly. “Not at all, it’s just Michael being Michael…” Maria grinned. “He’s really good at it you know…”

The rest of the table laughed at her words. The effect was like that of breaking the ice, and soon, the conversation began to flow again as everyone got on with their lunch.

**********

Just before the last period of the day, Liz stopped off at her locker to pick something up that she needed for class. Despite asking if she wanted him to come; she had told Max to go on ahead without her and that she would catch him up. After all, if she was late to class, she would have an excuse, escorting her would hardly qualify as one for him…

Releasing her padlock, she smiled at the sight of the picture she had stuck just inside the door, and then turned her attention to the contents of her locker as she rummaged through the things which stood on the shelf at the top. Although standing on tip-toes, she still had to reach up, and the top she was wearing rode up a little to expose a small expanse of her flat stomach.

“Ooooh, nice view…”

Liz spun round quickly. She had been concentrating on looking in her locker and hadn’t heard him approach. “What do you want…?” She asked, making no secret of the fact she wasn’t exactly happy to see him.

Kyle smirked. “What, no kiss…?” He asked, putting on a mock look of hurt as he winked at her suggestively.

Liz grabbed the file she had been looking for and closed her locker quickly, turning to leave. “I told you before Kyle, I’m not interested!”

The jock however, wasn’t going to let it go that easily. He had managed to keep from the little incident at the Crashdown really affecting his reputation or anything, but he still hadn’t liked being turned down. He was used to being able to have any girl he wanted, and ‘no’ wasn’t exactly a familiar response… “You’re not going already…?” He asked of her, reaching out and grabbing her arm.

Liz’s eyes narrowed. Enough was enough… She had put up with him for too long already, and this was fast going beyond a joke… When Max had blown up at him, she had thought it was all over. There would be rumours of course, there always were, but she didn’t expect the continued unwanted attention from the guys… “Get your hand off me!” She stated in a clear, firm voice as she made to move out of his grasp.

Michael was just coming down the corridor at that moment in time. He had been to all his classes today, up until the last and he thought he had done rather well. His final period really was a bore though and he had had enough. Having left Maria a note to say he’d be waiting outside, he made his way towards the side door to leave the building. He had expected the corridor to be empty, last period already having started, and was surprised by the sight which met him as he turned the corner.

As much as Michael might not have liked the new kids, or maybe more accurately trusted them, he didn’t think that Liz should have to put up with that. Perhaps it was because of Hank and his worries over what he might do to Isabel, but this sort of thing always got to him and his mouth thinned as he watched the two teenagers for a moment.

“Kyle, I won’t say it again, let go of me!”

Straightening up from the locker he was leaning against, Michael decided it was time to step in. He moved forward. “Quit it Valenti!” He growled as he came up behind the other guy.

He turned slightly. “What’s it to you…?” Kyle demanded, a little surprised although he didn’t release his hold on her arm.

Liz too was surprised by his appearance, but not so much that she didn’t recognise an opportunity. She had in fact been wondering about using her powers to deal with Kyle, but as it was decided to stick to something simple. Taking advantage of the surprise appearance of Michael, she pulled back sharply, extracting herself and moving out of reach of the jock. “I’m not interested Kyle, get it into your head!”

Michael smirked at him. “Now, shouldn’t you be getting to class or something…?”

Kyle muttered something unintelligible under his breath. He might have been willing to try it on when it was just the two of them, but with Michael Guerin… He shrugged. “Fine…I’m going…” He responded before stalking off down the corridor.

Letting out a sigh of relief as she saw him leave, Liz looked over at Michael. “Michael, I know that you don’t seem to like Max and I very much, but thanks for that…” She told him in a soft, sincere voice.

Despite his tough act, Michael couldn’t help giving a small smile and nod. “No problem… Where are you supposed to be now…?”

“Maths… I was just getting yesterday’s assignment…I guess I should be going, after all, it’s already started…” She stood awkwardly, not leaving just yet.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later…” For a moment, Michael actually debated offering to see her to class, but somehow he didn’t see that going over two well with her husband or whatever he was… Besides, why should he feel the need to see her to class…? He shook his head mentally, unsure where those thoughts had come from. With his sister, Maria even, but Liz, well he hardly even knew her… Shrugging, he tried to put it to the back of his mind. “Okay, well I’m gonna get out of here…” He commented before heading off down the corridor, leaving Liz to head to class alone.

**********

“Are you working again tonight…?” Max asked his wife, slipping his arm around her waist as they headed down the corridor at the end of the day.

She nodded, looking up at him and leaning her head against his shoulder. “Yeah, I get off at eight…how about you, got any plans…?” Liz asked as they walked along.

Her husband smiled at the tone of her voice and shrugged. “Not really…I thought I’d take a walk round the town a little, see if there’s anywhere else to apply for a job, but considering I did most places yesterday, I don’t imagine that’s going to take too long…” He grinned and looked down at her, nuzzling the top of her head. “Why, got any suggestions…?”

She pretended to think. “Well… I guess you should do some more research in the library but I can think of something far more appealing from my point of view…”

“Really…?” Max raised his eyebrow questioningly. “And what might that be…?”

“Oh you know, visit me ma-“ The smile on her face was quickly replaced by a frown as she realised Max wasn’t paying attention to her anymore. She looked up at him. “Max…what-?”

He looked down, an amused smile on her face. “Sorry honey, I just didn’t realise that you’d already taken Kyle into your own hands…it’s subtle, and he deserves a lot more, but I like it…” He explained in a low voice to avoid being overheard by the students who were milling around.

Liz looked puzzled. “Huh…?” She didn’t have a clue what he was on about. Certainly she had said yesterday that she would deal with him, but really that was just words, to keep Max from doing something himself that would get them into trouble. She had no intention of ‘doing’ anything to Kyle except for complaining to one of the teachers or something like that if he continued to treat her as he had been doing earlier. Of course Max didn’t know about today’s little incident, and that was the way she intended to keep it, knowing that if he found out about that, no amount of sweet talking on her part would persuade him to keep calm.

“Oh you know, his locker…” Max indicated the jock who was stood a little way off with one of the maintenance guys who had just had to remove his locker door, revealing the inside to be badly distorted and bent. The man with him was shaking his head, looking at the metal in complete disbelief. Max couldn’t help chuckling again. Personally he thought that Kyle deserved a whole lot more, but it was something at least, and seeing his perplexed look was rather fun…

Suddenly, however, he realised that his wife wasn’t laughing. He looked down, and immediately saw the all too familiar look of fear in his eyes. His arm around her waist tightened quickly. “Lizzy, what’s wrong…?” He asked her.

His wife shook her head. She swallowed and indicated the exit. “Let’s get out of here first…”

Max nodded. “Sure sweetheart, come on…” He led her out of the school quickly, guiding her towards a more secluded spot at the side of the student parking lot. There was a short wall at the side and he motioned to it. “Do you want to sit down…?”

She nodded silently, doing so without saying anything more.

Watching his wife for a few moments, Max noted her heavy breathing and pale skin. “Baby, what the matter…?” He asked, wondering what could have caused this change in her mood. A few minutes earlier, as they came out of class, she had been chatting and smiling…now…

“I-I didn’t do anything…” Her voice came out as little more than a whisper.

Max looked at her, moving to take a seat at her side. “What do you mean Lizzy…what didn’t you do…?” He asked softly, not quite following as yet.

She looked up at him, swallowing and taking a moment to try and collect herself. “Kyle…” She responded, feeling a little more together now. It had just been a surprise… “I didn’t do anything to his locker Max…”

Silence reigned as her words began to sink in. If she hadn’t done anything, Max knew he hadn’t…which had to mean… “They’re here…” He breathed in amazement. They had been hoping of course, but they had been so many places, followed so many leads, to think it was real this time… He reached for Liz’s hand, rubbing her back with his thumb and playing with the two rings on her hand. “We really did it…”

Liz nodded as she looked up at him. “Of course we still have to work out exactly who they are…” She pointed out. They shouldn’t get ahead of themselves, they were still going to have plenty to do.

He nodded and gave her a small smile. “I know that, but we will…in time…” Max responded in a determined manner. They had come this far, they weren’t going to accept defeat now.

“I’m sorry, about how I reacted before…it’s just…” Liz shook her head slightly. She had been silly she knew, this was what they had come here for, anyone would think she was scared…

“It’s nerve-racking…?”

She nodded slightly. “Yeah, I guess it is…I mean I know we’ve been looking for them, but…”

Her husband pressed a finger against her lips, halting her explanation. “I know honey, it’s understandable, it’ll be okay though…” He grinned, standing and pulling her up next to him before, on impulse, lifting and spinning her round in his arms. “We found them!”

Liz laughed and let out a little squeal, blushing as she realised that once more they were the centre of attention for a number of students who were still milling around and looking at them curiously. “Max, put me down, people are looking!” She told him, swatting her husband with her hand playfully.

He grinned and shrugged, setting her down and then dipping his head to capture her lips in his. When he pulled back, he quirked his eyebrows. “Well they might as well have something to really look at right…?”

His wife smirked and couldn’t help laughing. She shook her head. “You’re terrible, you know that right…?”

He nodded. “Of course, but you love me for it!” He winked, provoking another laugh and playful swat from the brunette. Grinning again, he reached forward, moving a stray section of hair out of her face. His hand lingered, his finger slowly tracing down the line of her jaw.

She reached up, her hand closing over his and bringing it down, a wide smile now on her face. “Actually, yeah, you’re right…” She responded softly. “Unfortunately though, much as I would love to stay here, I really do have to get to work…we could do without me getting fired on my second day right…?”

Max sighed and nodded. She was right of course. They both needed jobs, and neither could afford to lose one once they’d managed to get it. Just because they had moved again didn’t mean that bills stopped. Unfortunately, much as they might like to, they couldn’t act like a pair of irresponsible teens that had no responsibilities… “Okay, well let’s get you there then okay…?” He pulled back reluctantly but offered her his hand, smiling as she took it and he tightened his hand around her smaller one as they headed away from the parking lot, out of the school gates and out onto the street heading back towards town.

**********

Meanwhile, Michael was walking around the trailer park. He didn’t know why he had done that before leaving school, he had been heading out, he had even opened the door, but somehow, something had made him go back…

After what he had told his sister about using her powers, he knew he’d never hear the end of it if he admitted what he had done, but when it came to it, it wasn’t like anyone could connect him with it was it… Sure the state of the locker door was probably going to be something of a surprise, and even a mystery to most people, but the corridor had been deserted, everyone was in class or at the library or something. No one had seen him, and no one would have any reason to think he had anything to do with it.

And Kyle deserved it didn’t he…? Michael told himself that the jock had been asking for it for a long time, and he was only giving a bit of payback…

Why had he wanted to do that for someone who he didn’t like though…? Liz had been right in what she had said, he didn’t trust them, there was something just not quite right about the couple, not least the fact that they were married, and he wasn’t going to just accept them as the rest of the group seemed to have done.

Yet despite this, he hadn’t been able to keep himself from wanting to protect her had he…? It just didn’t make sense… Much as he told himself that he would have done the same for anyone, going up to Kyle that was, he knew it wasn’t true. He had seen similar scenes plenty of times before and yet then he hadn’t felt any inclination to step in.

He kept a low profile, kept out of things like that. That was the way that it was, simple and straightforward… Isabel, Alex and Maria, they were his family and friends, anyone else was incidental, they didn’t have anything to do with him.

So what was so different this time…? He had been watching, and as he saw Liz with Kyle, he felt his blood begin to boil. He had seen the gratefulness in her eyes, and despite himself, he had felt himself softening towards her.

Michael shook his head. He couldn’t figure it out…but he was going to…

Just then there was the sound of a car engine which cut off. Doors opened and shut, and then a girl’s voice broke the silence. “Michael, I thought we had been through this before, if I’m giving you a lift, and you cut out, you need to tell me!”

He turned round, groaning as he saw the small girl who was making her way across the grass towards him. She clearly wasn’t pleased… He noticed his sister and her boyfriend slipping inside the trailer, but since Hank was out, he didn’t have a problem with that, at least if Alex was around she was less likely to have a go at him.

“Michael….” Maria looked up at him as she reached his side. She was late, already, she was supposed to be at work right now, but had needed to drop Isabel and Alex off first. Of course it hadn’t helped that Michael had just disappeared… They had been forced to wait five minutes just in case he turned up, and she wasn’t too happy. “Michael, this isn’t funny!”

“Fine, I’m sorry!” Her boyfriend snapped. He wasn’t in the mood for this right now; he didn’t need a lecture…

Maria glared at him as she spun on her heel. “Fine, be like that, I’m going to work, I’m off around eight, so maybe I’ll see you later…”

Michael waited a moment without responding, then as he heard the door close again, he turned quickly, realising too late what a mistake he had made. He had been tense, confused, but he shouldn’t have taken it out on her, it really wasn’t her fault. “Maria, I-“ He broke off, stamping his foot in frustration as he saw the rear of her car disappearing back down the road.

**********

“Do you want a drink or something…?” Isabel asked as she moved around the small kitchen area of the trailer such as it was. In truth, it wasn’t much more than a stove, fridge and a sink, but then there wasn’t exactly space for much more, so maybe that made sense…

Alex shook his head. “I’m fine…” He looked over at his girlfriend and smiled, patting the seat next to him. “Are you going to come and sit a while…?”

Grabbing a cherry-coke from the fridge and shutting the door again, Isabel nodded as she headed over to join him, dropping down onto the sofa lightly. “So…” She leant her head against his shoulder, marvelling at just how ‘right’ it felt.

Strictly speaking, the couple were supposed to be coming back in order to study together, but in truth both knew that was unlikely to happen. Studying was the farthest thing away from either of their minds, and neither had any inclination to redirect their minds to such an issue either.

Alex smiled, slipping his arm around his girlfriend and looking down to where she had laid her head on his shoulder. “Tired…?” He asked gently.

She shook her head. “Not really…just…” She shrugged. “I don’t know, weary I guess…”

“Do you want me to go, let you get some rest…?”

The response was sharp and immediate with a definite negative. “NO! Of course I don’t want you to go Alex…” Isabel sighed.

A smile played on her boyfriend’s face. “I’m guessing you’re not wanting to study though either…”

She pretended to think about it. “Well…”

He laughed. “I didn’t think so…”

“So what do we do then…?” Isabel asked him softly. She had to admit, spending an evening cooped up in the trailer was hardly her idea of fun.

“You want to get out of here…?” Alex read her expression easily, the nod of confirmation coming as little surprise. “Okay…well we could always go back to my place…?” He suggested. It was a bit of a walk, but not too much. If he had thought about it, he might have asked Maria to drop them there as opposed to here, but he hadn’t so that was that.

Isabel appeared to hesitate, and immediately her boyfriend realised what she was thinking about. “My parents are away for the week…my dad had some conference and my mom went with him…” He supplied quickly. It was a regular occurrence, him having the house to himself. His dad went all over the place with his job, and his mom didn’t like being left on her own. The last year, since Alex turned sixteen, she had travelled with his father more and more, deciding that their son was now of an age where he could look after himself.

Alex didn’t mind, in fact he quite liked having the place to himself. He would never take advantage of it in ways that other boys his age might, but it was nice to just be able to go back and not worry about what his mom and dad would say. He was pretty good at looking after himself, and really didn’t have a problem with it.

Isabel smiled as he said this. It wasn’t that she had plans for anything ‘naughty’, but she didn’t really want to be having to deal with Alex’s parents right then. His mom was a nice lady, but sometimes… It was easier not to have to think about the things she didn’t have… She shrugged. “Okay then, sure, we can do that…just let me grab my coat and bag okay…?” She told him, standing up and disappearing into one of the rooms at the other end of the trailer for a moment.

Her boyfriend nodded, standing and grabbing his own coat, pulling it on and then waiting. He didn’t have to wait long, and soon she re-emerged and joined him. Dropping her now-empty can in the bin, she grabbed her keys and the two of them headed for the door.

Waving to Michael as they emerged, Isabel told her brother where they were going, adding that she might stay the night with Maria, depending on the time she was heading back.

Five minutes later, the couple were walking along the side of the road, hand in hand, talking as they headed back towards town.

[KatnotKath]

cocopucks, RaSaero611, Ellie, behrlyliz, Emz80, Isabelle, elisa, anonymousarfan, forensicschic, antarian princess, thanks for reading, and thanks so much for the feedback, every little bit does help without a doubt.

Isabelle - thanks hun, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. As far as working out who the others are, we'll just have to see where things take them I guess, hope you enjoy the new chapter.

elisa - apparently I am in the mood for updating, hope you enjoy the story, and if you don't usually read until fics are finished, I'm honoured lol - thanks so much for reading, glad you like it so far.

anonymousarfan - have you ever known Michael 'talk' about something though...I'm afraid it's not going to be that simple, hope it won't disappoint you though.

Forensicschic - I'm afraid you, as others, are going to have to wait a while longer for them to find out about each other, but hopefully this is taking them in the right direction.

Well, it seems I was worrying about nothing in using Michael for Kyle's 'punishment' lol. I wasn't too sure whether you'd like the idea, but it seems you did, so glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter, you'll do the same with this next.

I ended up with a three hour slot to fill in the library at uni when some lectures were cancelled, and guess what I ended up doing? Thanks for reading to any lurkers out there, just hope you're enjoying.

Here's the new chapter, as always I'd love to hear what you think.

~Kat~

Chapter 17

"Coming to bed...?" Max asked as he came up behind his wife that evening. He leant over the back of the sofa and nuzzled the back of her neck, resting his chin on her shoulder.

She giggled, turning her head and swatting him away playfully. "You are so not good for my concentration…" She commented, sitting forward with some reluctance as she turned slightly in her seat to look at him.

Max smiled. "Well maybe it's time to give up on concentration and get some sleep…" He suggested softly.

She shook her head. "Not yet, I'm busy!" She insisted before turning her attention back to the screen in front of her. She had arrived back a couple of hours earlier, and as soon as they had eaten, had insisted on getting out the laptop despite Max's assurance that it would wait until the following day. She had been sat like this for over an hour now probably, searching and browsing, but as yet she hadn't turned up anything new.

Her husband sighed and shook his head. "Lizzie, it's getting late and we have school tomorrow... We've already been looking for about a year; another couple of days aren't going to break us you know..." He told her. Much as he wanted to find out who the others were, to meet them finally, he didn't want to do that at the expense of his wife's health. She had already been looking tired when she got back from work, and knowing she was on the roster for the following day as well, he wanted to make sure that she got a decent amount of sleep

Liz just couldn't help smiling as she looked back up at him. Max meant well, she knew that... and he was right of course. She just wished that she could find something... She hated knowing that the people they were looking for were in Roswell, even at the same school, and yet not having any clue as to who they were... She felt somewhat helpless, and that wasn't a feeling that she enjoyed by any means. The fact remained that was getting late though, even for her, and she knew that she wasn't going to be able to keep it up very much longer. "I know honey...I just want to check one other thing, and then I'll pack in for the night..." She reached up as she made this assurance, kissing him softly on the lips. "I promise..."

Max smiled and nodded, kissing her back. "Okay, but make sure that you do...?" He requested softly, his deep brown eyes fixing her gaze. "It's been a long day, and I'm sure you must be tired, I know I am..." He struggled to stiffle a yawn. "oooh... I think I'm gonna go on ahead anyway...goodnight..." He kissed the back of her neck and stood up again.

His wife smiled back and nodded. "Night Max..." She responded softly as she turned back to the computer once more and typed another word into the search field. She pressed enter, and then waited for it to load, reaching for the glass of water, laced with tobascco, which sat on the table in front of her. She took a sip, before setting it back on the table and examining the screen. Reading carefully, she sifted through the sites which had nothing to do with what she was looking for, adding extra words to the search to refine the results, and, when she was done, she clicked on one of the links.

The new page took it's time loading. Liz sighed as she waited, covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned, blinking to try and banish her tiredness as she felt her eyelids grow heavy, causing her to blink more than usual and struggling to keep her eyes open. At once point, she almost ended up dosing, before shooting up in her seat and looking round. A check of the clock revealed it to be well past the time she usually went to bed and she sighed. It was obviously time to give up for the evening; she wasn't going to get anything else from it in this state...

Closing the computer down quickly, she folded it up and set it down on the table before standing and stretching. "Oooooh" She yawned again as she carried the remains of her drink over to the sink and left it there to wash in the morning.

This done, she retrieved the laptop, knowing it to be far too important to just leave out in the open, and headed into the bedroom, pausing for a moment in the doorway to wave her hands and switch off all the lights in the main room. Usually she would do it normally of course, but she just didn't have the physical energy to go round switching off the two lamps individually. The curtains were closed, and no one could see in, so unusually perhaps, her tiredness overrode her caution...

Entering the bedroom, she slipped the computer into a bag before undressing quickly, visiting the bathroom briefly and then, soon after, crawling into bed and laying her head down against the pillows.

"Night Liz..." Max murmured softly, inching closer and drawing her into his arms.

His wife smiled at both the sound of his voice, and also at being held in his arms. Nothing else could ever feel more right than being there, with him... "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you..." She apologised softly in almost a whisper.

He smiled although she couldn't see him, wrapping his arms more tightly around her. "You didn't..." He assured her, neglecting to provide the information that he had in fact been laying there, awake, ever since he came in here. He had wanted to know what time she would pack in, and had decided that if she was still at it in another hour, he would be saying something about it. He knew she would complain if was aware of this of course, arguing that there was no need, but he also was aware that she had lost track of time when on the computer on previous occasions, and was likely to do the same that evening knowing the mood she was in. Considering the already late hour that evening, he didn't want to risk that happening...

Liz smiled and shook her head. "I love you..." She murmured almost unintelligibly.

Max smiled. He didn't need to hear her to understand... "I love you too..." He responded in like, kissing the back of her neck and then closing his eyes, ready to sleep, now that he knew she was there.

*********

'BBBBBBRRRRRRRR'

"Oooohhh...morning..." Isabel yawned and stretched as she sat up and pushed back the covers of her sleeping bag.

Maria smiled, reaching for her robe and sliding her arms into the sleeves as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Morning Isabel" She greeted her friend.

Just at that moment, the door opened and Maria's mum stuck her head into the room. "Maria…just making sure you're up..." Amy started, breaking off as she saw Isabel. "Oh Isabel, I didn't know you'd slept over, good morning, I hope you slept well…" She was used to her daughter's unexpected sleepovers by now, and hardly batted and eye as she noticed the other girl. With anyone else she might object, but Maria and Isabel had been friends for years, and the other girl was almost like a surregot daughter to her anyway...

Isabel smiled back at Ms. Deluca and nodded. "Yeah, I hope you don't mind, I ended up out later than expected, and it was already dark, so I asked if I could crash here instead of walking back to the park…" She explained.

"Oh no honey, I don't mind, although it would be nice to know about it…" She looked at her daughter pointedly for a moment.

Maria nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Yes mom…" She responded, covering her mouth as a big yawn rose in her throat. "Anyway, we're up, and we have to get ready for school so…"

"Okay, I'll leave you to get on with it then, do you guys want some breakfast...?"

"No thanks, we'll sort out our own thanks..." Her daughter responded quickly as the two girls began to move around the room.

Amy nodded. "Alright, then just tell me if you need anything okay..." She smiled again before leaving them to it.

Maria took the bathroom first, closely followed by Isabel, and approximately thirty minutes later, both were finishing getting ready, doing their hair, and putting on a little make-up.

"Up or down with this top do you think...?" Isabel asked her friend, styling her hair appropriately using her powers for each and then standing sideways to try and see in the mirror.

Maria studied the appearance first of one, and then the other as she changed it, thinking for a moment. "I think down today...it's not like you have science or phys-ed is it?" She pointed out with a smile.

Isabel shook her head. "No, thankfully..." She responded, releasing her hair from the fastenings again and letting it fall down over her shoulders as she ran a comb through her hair once more. She held her hand over the pendant which hung round her neck a moment, discretely shifting the colour of the stone to a green to match the sleeveless v-neck top she was wearing. "Okay, how do I look…?" She asked, turning round for inspection.

Maria grinned. "Stunning, as usual…" In truth it didn't really matter what clothes her friend wore, or how her hair was fixed, Isabel was beautiful… Isabel had the sort of gorgeous blond locks which many girls would kill for, and the figure to match. Her appearance meant that people expected her to be a popular cheerleader or such, but her attitude had distanced that possibility, her reserved or sometimes aloof manner giving the impression of being cold and unfriendly. It was an act, mostly at least, but it was necessary. Maria and Alex were the only two who had been let in, and even they had been kept at bay for a certain amount of time.

Smiling, Isabel returned the compliment to her friend, making a minor adjustment to Maria's top. "Just don't tell Michael okay…?" She told her friend with a wink as Maria looked at her in surprise.

Her friend nodded with a smile. "Thanks…" She fingered the revamped top, taking a look in the mirror and smiling. Isabel certainly knew her stuff… "Okay, are we done then…?"

"Just a moment…" Isabel waved her hand over her face, applying perfect make-up immediately.

Maria laughed and shook her head. "What a timesaver…"

Isabel nodded as she leant over to pick up her bag. "Yup…we ready to go now…?" She asked, throwing it over her shoulder and looking back at her friend.

Nodding in response, Maria picked up her bag at the same time and the two girls headed out of the bedroom together. Going down to the kitchen, they made themselves some coffee and toast, eating breakfast before then heading out to pick up the boys and making their way to school.

**********

"Max, breakfast's ready!" Liz called out as she carried two plates of egg and bacon over to the table. She set one plate down in front of each place-setting, and then returned to the kitchen area in order to fetch some drinks. Some women might think that fact she was doing this was somewhat sexist, cooking for him, but the truth was that she didn't do it because she had to, but rather because she wanted to. Being able to make breakfast for the two of them was such a small thing, but it was also something that seemed very normal, and considering all the complications in their life, normal was good. When all was said and done, she might have been young, but she wasn't ashamed of the fact that they were married, and these little things that she did which to her seemed to refer to the fact that she was his wife gave her a perhaps surprising amount of pleasure. Besides which, if truth was told, there was no denying that she was a far better cook than her husband anyway.

"Hmm, something smells good..." Max commented as he wandered in from the bedroom, now fully dressed. He headed over to her and leant forward to brush his lips against her cheek.

Liz smiled as she heard his comment and felt his kiss, turning slightly to look at her husband. "Sit down, don't wait for me, it'll be getting cold..." She encouraged him before checking if he wanted some juice. Receiving an answer in the affirmative, she poured two glasses of orange juice, bringing them over to the table before returning once more to collect the coffee pot.

Max was already digging in as she sat down but he looked up, pausing a moment. "Thanks Lizzie"

She simply smiled, pulling her own plate towards her and picking up her utensils.

The couple fell into a comfortable silence, as both turned towards their food and began to eat, but this was soon broken by the sound of a phone ringing.

Liz looked over at Max and both quickly pushed back their chairs to go find their respective phones. Both were in their schoolbags, lying on the sofa, and a moment later, the couple were stood side by side, each opening their phone up.

"We really should change one of the ring tones..." Max commented before indicating it was in fact his. He checked the number, and upon seeing he didn't recognise it, took a breath before pressing to answer.

Liz dropped her phone back into her bag and watched her husband carefully as he answered his phone.

"Hello..."

Max listened for a moment and then a small smile lit up his face. "Oh yes Mr Cumming good morning..." He motioned for Liz to finish her breakfast, knowing he might be a while if this was what he hoped.

His wife was somewhat reluctant, but eventually she nodded, returning to the table, although constantly looking over and watching her husband who was sat a little way off while she ate.

"Alright, yes, thank you Mr Cumming I'll be there..." Still smiling, Max hung up, sticking his cell phone into the back pocket of his trousers before sitting down at the table once more. He picked up a forkful of eggs but pulled a face as he swallowed and found the food to be cold.

Liz couldn't help laughing at the expression she saw appear on his face. "Yeah, it's not all that great cold..." She looked over at him. "Do you want some fresh...?"

Her husband shook his head. "It's okay, I can warm it up, besides, there's not point in you letting yours go cold too..." He responded, placing his hand over the plate and intending to do exactly as he had said.

Liz smiled slightly. "Actually, I've just about finished..." She told him as she cleared the last of her plate and then stood up. "Last chance...do you want some more, or not...?" She asked him, looking over again and adding, "And in case you're saying no because of money, I hardly think two more eggs are going to break our bank..." in a teasing manner as an afterthought. It was true that money was tight, but not to that extent. Eggs didn't warm up well, even with their powers.

Max couoldn't help smiling at his wife's words. He sighed and nodded after checking the time. They did have time...he was rather hungry, and she was right about eggs not warming up well… "Okay, yes, please...thanks..."

She nodded, taking his plate with hers and switching the cooker back on as she passed. Retrieving the pan she had used from the sink, she waved her hand over it, clearning it instantly with her powers before setting said pan back on the light. Next, she took two more eggs from the fridge and cracked them into the pan, mixing them carefully with a little milk, butter, seasoning and Tabasco sauce of course.

Max wandered up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her gently.

She smiled and turned her head back a moment. "So, who was on the phone...was it good news...?" She asked curiously, turning her attention briefly back to the pan, moving the eggs around a little to avoid burning them while she waited for his answer.

He nodded. "Actually yeah, it was very good news... I got a job!"

Liz beamed, removing the pan from the light for a moment to enable her to turn around fully, slipping her arms around his neck to kiss him again. "That's wonderful!" She told him eagerly, pulling back before asking for more details as she retrieved his eggs and finished cooking them.

"Well, it's nothing special, just a job at the local general store in the evenings and some weekends, but it doesn't pay badly, and I get a discount on any food I buy there too..." He explained, grabbing another plate as he saw she was nearly ready for it.

Knowing how difficult it was to find a job with suitable hours anyway, smiled and nodded. "That sounds good..." She responded, knowing that any job as a good thing as far as money issues went, as she dished up the eggs and they returned to the table. She poured each of them a drink of coffee, asking the odd question about his new job, which Max answered as well as he could, regarding such things as pay and hours, while her husband finished eating.

Finishing up quickly, Max was soon done, and after clearing up, the two of them grabbed their bags, leaving the apartment together and heading to school.

**********

"Alright then, I'm going to split you up into some different groups today, see how we get on..." Mr Johnson informed the class, ignoring the round of groans which followed. "There will be no swapping out, and yes, this assignment will contribute to your final grade - do you understand?" He continued before looking round the room.

Receiving a few muted 'yes sir's, he nodded and then proceeded to call out the groups. "...Deluca with James and White, Evans, that is L Evans, with M Guerin and Peters, and M Evans with I Guerin and Valenti... then lastly, Rose with Whitman and Stevens..." He looked up as he finished. "Okay, you're going to move, without comment or objection, to sit with your partners now!" He told them, watching as the usual groups were split up and waiting until everyone was settled until he explained exactly what they were going to do.

Liz looked over to the other side of the room where Max was now sitting as she took down details of exactly what they had to do. Being paired with Michael...nice one... She sighed. Of course it was far better than Max being paired with Kyle. She just hoped that the jock didn't say anything to upset her husband, because she knew that she had only just been able to keep him from blowing up earlier in the week. It would need very little for him to snap she felt, and that was the last thing they needed...

Getting into trouble at school was certainly not on their to-do list, standing out because of good work was a completely different matter than drawing attention to one's self through fighting… One was important to allow the best possible chances in the future, while another simply got you a bad name and caused problems… In the past, it hadn't been something that Liz had even had to think about, but she was only too aware of how close Max had come to doing something she would have regretted, even if he hadn't, that day at the diner. If he knew what Kyle had been saying, and doing the previous day, she had no doubt that his restraint would be gone and the ides of the two boys working together on something like this, which would likely mean a good deal of time spent together, certainly didn't seem like a good thing… In fact, it sounded like a recipe for disaster… Unfortunately, Mr Johnson had made it perfectly clear they didn't have a choice in the matter, so there didn't seem to be any other option than to hope that the assignment could be completed without incident…

Mr Johnson was only half way through explaining as the bell began to ring. As a number of the class began to pack away, he shot them a warning look. "Stay where you are, I haven't finished..." He instructed as he walked around, distributing a number of papers. "Alright, I suggest that you meet with your partners sometime this week before the next class to discuss how you are going to approach this. He made a note of something in his own planner and then nodded. "Class Dismissed!"

Instantly, it seemed, the whole class rose in unison, and within minutes the room was completely empty. He shook his head and chuckled.

**********

"Max, promise me you're not going to say, or do - and especially not do - anything to Kyle, please...?" Liz requested of her husband who stood next to her as she reached into her locker.

Max shrugged. "I won't say anything unless he does, but if he does, I'm not going to promise anything..."

His wife opened her mouth to object but he shook his head now. "No Liz! The things that he has been doing, and saying, are unacceptable... It's crude, and vulgar, and he's out of line! No one should have to put up with that, and you're no exception… Now this project is important yes, but you are far MORE important to me!" He told her firmly, stressing his words as he reached for her hand, causing her to turn around. "I love you, and I'm not going to let someone hurt you like he has been doing..." He continued softly, dropping her hand while still looking straight into her eyes. "I'm sorry if that upsets you Lizzie, but I can't help it... You're my wife, the love of my life and my number one priority, you always will be..."

Liz couldn't help giving a small smile upon hearing this. He really was sweet... "I know Max, I feel the same way about you, it's just I'm worried about you getting into trouble..." She told him softly. She knew full well he was in no 'danger' from the jock whatever Kyle might think, but that didn't mean getting into a fight would be alright.

Her husband nodded slightly. "Look, I'll try...but like I say, if he says anything more, I'm not going to promise to succeed... He leant forward, brushing his lips against hers as his hand reached for hers again, his fingers threading through hers this time and swinging it lightly in front of them. "Now, are you ready for something to eat or what...?"

Although not missing the fact that he had changed the subject, effectively trying to end the conversation, Liz didn't object. She had said her part, and he had said his… She knew she wasn't going to get any more of an assurance from him, and she knew that was because of who he was… How could she be upset, when it was one of the reasons that she loved him so much…? She sighed, turning back to her locker a moment, taking a folder out of her bag and replacing it with another, before closing the door and nodding. "Sure, let's go!" She responded brightly now as they headed down the corridor towards the cafeteria.

**********

Meanwhile, at about the same time, Isabel was stood at the other end of the corridor, talking to her brother, or perhaps more accurately, threatening him...

"If you do anything to upset her, you'll regret it Michael, I promise you! Liz is a perfectly nice girl, and she's obviously not had an easy time of it..."

"Is it obvious...? See, that's my problem, they don't want to talk about their past...they could be anyone... All we have is a bit of information from some websites and files, all of which could have been planted!" Michael snapped back at her, already fed up of this conversation. He didn't want to talk about it…

His sister rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Alex told you, there's too much of it to be all a cover, and seriously, have you even taken a look at them... They're kids, like us, and they're in love... She couldn't understand her bother's reluctance to just accept the couple. She too had reservations at first of course, but as she got to know them, she was coming to the conclusion that they were exactly what they said...and that there was no need for alarm. Maybe they didn't want to talk about their past, but there were tons of reasons why not... Heck, if she ever got away from Roswell, with the exception of stuff about Alex, Maria or Michael, she probably wouldn't want to talk about her past much either...

She liked Liz, and the more she talked to her, the more she liked her. She certainly didn't want her brute of a brother upsetting her and ruining what she felt could grow into a good friendship. She rarely allowed herself to get close to people, but with this girl, she was intending on making an exception…

Besides, he hadn't been this bad yesterday even...it was like something had happened, but when she had asked about this, the answer had been firmly in the negative...

Michael glared at his sister. He still didn't like it... In effect, he was overcompensating for the fact he had done something completely out of character for him the previous day... As much as he told himself that he had done it because Kyle deserved it, and for no other reason, he knew that it had happened before and never then had he gone that far.

Maybe it was something about her...? He had begun to wonder the previous evening. Unfortunately, this only caused him to mistrust her even more, and he was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery he believed was surrounding the young couple.

He had actually been quite pleased with the pairings in class earlier, working with Liz would mean being able to press for some of those answers he had been looking for... Or he thought it would anyway...his sister seemed to disagree as he was finding out... "What's so wrong in asking a few friendly questions though...?" He questioned her.

"Friendly…hah - you don't know the meaning of the word at the moment…" Isabel's lip thinned, her patience running thin. "Your questions would turn into an interrogation and we both know it... DO NOT TRY IT!" She fixed him with a warning glare, obviously deciding that this was the final word, before slamming her locker and stalking off in the opposite direction in order to find her boyfriend.

[KatnotKath]

cocopucks, lazza, Ellie, behryliz, Flamehair, Timelord31, Natz, a7065, Forensicschic, SarahWhitman, anonymousarfan and isabelle, I don't know if you guys know how much every bit of feedback I get helps, but thank so so much for it.

cocopucks - well I'm glad you didn't miss it.

did anything ever show up on the laptop at the end? mi/l ...cant wait for that..

I'm sorry, going to have to ask you to be patient a little longer, I hope you'll like the new part anyway though.

Lazza - See, here as I promised, how've you done on your side of the deal .

Michael is still Michael, he'll never change

That's right, he means well, but one could never accuse Michael of being subtle really could you...

Ellie -

So Michael and Liz in one group and Max and Kyle in another? This could get messy.

Have to say I agree, but then again maybe the guys will all surprise us and act their age... Maybe...?

behrlyliz - Glad you enjoyed the new part, but I'll have to ask for continued patience with the lap top. Eventually everything will be revealed, but it's going to take time...

Flamehair - thanks very much, I'm glad you're enjoying the story

Timelord31 - Glad you're enjoying the story, I'm pretty sure Max wouldn't mind doing that to Kyle either, but somehow I think that Liz might not be so keen...

Natz - I'm glad you're enjoying the story. As for the background to Max and Liz, it will be explained eventually, but not this week I'm afriad...

a7065 - thanks

Forensicschic - You found the teacher shady...? Really, I didn't mean him to be, I when I wrote the chapter, I just imagined how the class used to empty in seconds at the end of the day when I was at school, and I thought that teachers might find it amusing how quickly the kids will move when they're going home as opposed to just going to another class...

SarahWhitman - Yes, Kyle is a jerk and an antagonizer, I needed someone to fit the part, and although have nothing against Kyle really, he just seemed the most likely. I'm sure the group work is going to be 'interesting'... As for Michael, my lips are sealed for the moment, sorry...

anonymousarfan - don't worry about it, just happy to know you're reading and enjoying still.

Isabelle - Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

I couldn't help but wonder where Michael goes when things get rough. I'm guessing Amy would be less understanding of him spending the night, even if his sister were there, too.

Yeah, I think you're right there somehow, a girl's sleepover is one thing, a mixed at their age...

As for the school assignment, I think it's going to be interesting, and that's to say the least lol. Remember that Michael has told himself he acted in her defense because it was the right thing to do... But anyway, either way who says that Michael has to be logical or anything like that?

Okay guys, so here's the story. This month I have two updates all ready to post, one for now, one for later in the month. There won't be any extras, and I won't be posting early, because I have lots of stuff on at uni, and to top it off I also have NaNoWriMo which I stupidly signed myself up for. The idea is I write 50,000 words this month on a new fic, the prequel to L+L actually. It's not going too badly, but obviously with that, and uni, and trying to keep up even slighly with rps, I just don't have the time to write on my other fics unless it's when I'm travelling.

Luckily I did have a burst of inspiration the last week of October, so I got ahead of myself for the first time in ages and hence have these two updates I'll be posting.

Enough of me babbling anyway, I know I'm boring you, and on with the story. Hope everyone likes the new chapter and it doesn't disappoint, I'd love to know what people think as always.

~Kat~

Chapter 18

“MAX, WAIT UP!”

Liz and Max had been stood talking to Maria and Isabel. The small group all turned to see who had called, and Liz stiffened as she realised who it was. What she wanted she had no idea, but already from the short time she had known the girl, she was certain it wasn’t going to be good.

“Oh Max, I am glad I caught you… We need to arrange to meet up this evening or something… You know, for the project…?” Pam informed him, fluttering her eyelashes and blatantly attempting to flirt with him.

Max looked blank. “Uh, as far as I know, we’re not supposed to be working together Pam…” He looked over at Isabel. “It was you, me and Kyle wasn’t it…?” He checked, a frown appearing on his face as he mentioned the other boy.

Pam smiled and shook her head. “Oh no, Mr Johnson realised that he’d forgotten to include me in a group and decided I could go with you guys!”

Maria looked around the group, guessing that this wasn’t going to go down too well. Sure enough, if looks could kill, Liz certainly would have been a murderer… She was glaring at the other girl with intense dislike. Of course neither Max nor Isabel looked too happy about this development either…

“So, I was thinking maybe we could meet up at my house tonight?” Pam continued, apparently oblivious to the dagger-like glares being sent in her direction by the small brunette. “We could talk about how we’re going to do this, and it’d be a great opportunity to get to know each other a little better, maybe we could go out for a drink or something after…?”

Max looked from Liz to Pam, unable really to believe she was acting like this… Didn’t she know how to take a hint…? He shook his head slightly. “Sorry Pam, I’m working tonight, and after I’m done, well I’ll be busy!” He responded, trying to be polite despite his desire to just get rid of her.

“Work…?” She looked surprised.

Maria rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you know, the thing that people who don’t spend their days just spending daddy’s money do….?” She told the other girl, making no secret of the fact that she didn’t like her.

Isabel couldn’t help smiling a little with amusement. She looked over at Max and Liz, noting with some pleasure that the former had his arm slung around his wife’s waist, making it perfectly clear where he stood in all this. The brunette stood next to him might have looked like she would like to scratch Pam’s eyes out, but she didn’t look jealous, just annoyed at the blond’s nerve.

Max cleared his throat. “Pam, I’m not sure how you could have missed it considering the fact I know that the school’s been buzzing with it, but you see these two rings on Liz’s finger?” He held up her left hand for the other girl to see, continuing after a moment to bring the hand to his lips and kiss it gently, earning him a smile from his young wife. He smiled back at her and then turned his attention back to the increasingly annoying blond. “They’re a wedding band, and an engagement ring, because we’re married… In short, I’m unavailable, and will continue to be so… If we’re going to work together for this project, fine, but it’ll be just that, working on a school project!” He told her firmly, pulling Liz a little closer to him and smiling as he felt her lean into his body, her head leaning against his chest.

Pam’s eyes widened as she listened. “What, you think I…” She trailed off as she shook her head. “Oh Max, you’ve got it all wrong… I wasn’t meaning anything wrong, I just thought that maybe w-“ She tried to salvage the conversation, silently cursing Liz who continued to stand there.

“Well you thought wrong!” Liz spoke up now, her voice low but strong. She swallowed, clenching her fist as she fought against the urge to do something she most certainly would regret in time, even if not straight away… How she would like to wipe that smile of the other girl’s face permenantly…

Isabel looked around and decided it was time to step in. “What about tomorrow night…are you working then Max…?” She looked to him for his response.

Max shook his head reluctantly. He wasn’t, but he had been hoping to spend some time with Liz… It was Friday night afterall…

“Tomorrow?” Pam’s voice rang out shrill and high as usual. “I can’t do tomorrow, I have a date with Martin and I’m pretty sure that Kyle wouldn’t be able to do then either!”

Isabel tried hard to resist the urge to roll her eyes. “Alright then, so Max can’t do tonight, you can’t do tomorrow… How about the weekend… We’re going to have to find some time before Tuesday you know…” She didn’t want to do this anymore than Max, but it wasn’t like Mr Johnson had given them much choice…

“I’m working Saturday and Sunday morning, but the afternoons are free…” Max responded although he wished there was some way to get out of this. Spending his free time with Pam really wasn’t something that he wanted to do… He had been hoping that he and Liz could do some more investigating that weekend, it looked like that was going to be a no-go though…

“Okay, well I’m free whenever, Pam, how about you?” She turned to the other girl.

“Saturday afternoon I might be able to do, but we couldn’t meet at my house then…my parents are having company…”

“That’s okay, how about you all come over to our apartment…?” Liz suggested in a falsely sweet tone. Her husband looked at her in surprise but nodded. “I guess that could work…” He conceded, a small smile spreading over his face as he thought it over. At least this way he’d get to spend some time with Liz as well, assuming that she wasn’t working that afternoon…

Isabel smiled and nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me, all we have to do is check that it’s okay for Kyle and we should be good to go…”

“Great! I’ll sort out a time with you tomorrow Pam.” Max enthused, looking for a way out of this conversation right now. He had had more than enough of the blond girl for one day… “Well, I really don’t want to be late on my first day, so I should be going…I’ll see you tomorrow Isabel, Maria…” He leant over, kissing his wife as he withdrew his arm reluctantly. “Give me a call when you’re finishing, and I’ll come and walk back with you assuming I’m off…?”

She smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’ll do that, good luck for your first day…” She responded, kissing him back and squeezing his hand before letting go.

“Thanks…love you…” He smiled, staring at her for a moment, as though fixing her appearance in his mind before turning and heading off down the corridor.

Liz watched him disappear before turning round and closing her locker. “On that note, I should probably be going too… Coming Maria…?”

The smaller of the other two girls nodded. “Yup. Isabel – you need a lift home…?”

The blond nodded. “Actually, if you don’t mind I might just go to the Crashdown…I’m not really wanting to go back to the park yet, and I know Michael said he had something to do with Alex…”

Maria nodded. “Sure, if that’s what you want… Not like Liz and I aren’t going there anyway…” She looked over at the brunette. “So, ready to serve the masses…?” She asked in her usual bubbly manner.

“As ready as I’ll ever be…” Liz responded with a wry smile, picking up her bag and swinging it over her shoulder as the three girls headed off down the corridor together, chattering all the while.

Pam watched them go, her eyes cold and her gaze piercing. She didn’t care what Max or Liz said, or how they acted… Being married at their age was crazy, and all it would take to show Max that was the right woman…her… She wasn’t used to rejection, and didn’t intend to accept it today… Liz Evans had obviously trapped him, now all she needed to do was show him he what he could have if he were free again… She smiled, tossing her hair back and running a hand through it before walking back the way she had come, stopping at her locker to drop off some books and then heading home. Max Evans would be hers, even if he didn’t know it right now…

**********

“Michael, what are you doing here?” Isabel hissed, walking up to her brother as he entered the Crashdown.

Michael looked her up and down. “Nice outfit…” He smirked.

She glared, unimpressed. She was no more fond of the space waitress uniform complete with alien antennae than Liz or Maria, but the money didn’t go amiss, and when Mr Parker had come up and asked her if she was busy earlier in the evening as it got busy, she hadn’t been about to turn down his request for some extra help. “I asked you a question, what are you doing, I thought you were hanging with Alex tonight…?” She commented, tapping her foot impatiently.

“I am, we thought we’d get something to eat…I came on ahead to order while he went to check up on his car and see if they were done yet… Now, any chance of a seat…?” He asked as though there was nothing strange about it.

His sister rolled her eyes. “Well, if you used your eyes, you’d be able to see that all the booths are full…there’s some room at the counter, or you could stand of course though…”

“Rather have a booth…we’ve got something to discuss…” Her brother responded, his tone indicating that there was an unsaid message within his words.

Isabel nodded, understanding perfectly. “Well, if you want a booth, you’ll have to wait until one frees up…I think the people in the back one are nearly done…and I’ll see what I can do about coming to sit with you while I have a break in a bit…”

“Tell Maria to do the same…”

His sister frowned. “We can’t just leave Liz on her own like that, it’s not fair!” She protested.

“Won’t take long, Maria says she’s great, so I’m sure she can manage a few minutes!” Michael insisted, pleased to know that she would likely to busy, and so kept out of their way too.

Isabel pursed her lips. “I don’t know…”

“Isabel, please, it’s important!”

“I-“

“Hi Michael…Isabel could you possibly get table three’s order for me?” Mr Parker walked up and interrupted before she could say anything more.

Isabel looked down awkwardly, “Sure Mr Parker, sorry…” The antennae headband she wore bobbed as she nodded and went quickly to do as he asked. She didn’t want him to think she was skiving, she had never had a permanent job at the diner but the extra money she got from her occasional shift was rather useful. If it wasn’t for the fact of Michael working there too, she might have asked about the possibility of a permanent position, but working in such close proximity to her brother seemed like a recipe for disaster…

Michael nodded to his boss as he continued on towards the counter where Liz was serving at the moment.

“Hi Michael, can I get you something to drink?” She asked brightly, reaching for a number of empty glasses which had been left at the side.

He nodded “Uh yeah, thanks… I’ll have a cherry coke, and a normal coke.” He responded.

Liz blinked as he mentioned the cherry coke, appearing to zone for a second. As he gave the second order though, she was back and looked at him. “Someone with you…?”

Michael nodded. “Yeah, Alex is just checking on his car, he’ll be here in a moment…now can I have the drinks?” He asked pointedly, not sure that he liked her interest. It seemed innocent enough, but still…

Feeling a little as though his words had stung her, Liz recoiled slightly. “S-sure…I’ll just get them for you…” She responded, moving away to do exactly that.

Maria, who was serving at a nearby table didn’t miss what was going on and, as Liz moved away, she moved towards her boyfriend, just having finished taking her order down. “Did you have to do that, she was only trying to be friendly!”

“Yeah, well maybe I don’t want to be her friend…all she needs to do is serve the drinks and get on with her job!” He shot back, earning himself a dirty look from his girlfriend.

“You really can be a pig sometimes!” She told him sharply, almost unable to believe he had actually said that. Michael was a bit abrasive sometimes yes, and he could be cold, but he wasn’t usually like that… She shook her head. “What has gotten into you today…?” She had thought that Michael was softening a little towards Max and Liz the previous day, but apparently she had been wrong… If it was possible, he had probably been worse than before over lunch that day, and now this…

He glared at her. “Nothing, I just don’t see why everyone seems to think she’s their new best friend… We know practically nothing about the two of them, who are they, why are they here?”

She shook her head. “They’re a teenage couple, who’ve had a hard time of it. Liz is a perfectly nice girl and I like her, I’m not going to stop being friends with her, and I don’t see Isabel doing so either so I suggest maybe you make a little bit more of an effort. You don’t know about her because you’ve been so unfriendly!” She doodled with a pen on her pad for a moment and then, as Liz returned with the drinks, excused herself to go and hand her orders over to the kitchen.

“One coke and one cherry coke, anything else?” Liz asked as she set them down on the counter. Her manner was completely professional now, and the smile on her face forced.

Michael scowled. Now he felt guilty, and there was no reason why he should… It wasn’t like there was anything wrong in what he had said… He looked up at the brunette in front of him. “No, that’s it for now…” He responded gruffly, handing over some money to cover the drinks and picking up the cherry coke as he looked over at the back booth that Isabel had indicated, trying to work out if it was likely to be freed up soon.

“That one for me?” A hand reached for the second glass as Alex walked up and took a seat. He smiled at Liz. “Hey Liz, looks busy tonight…” He commented to her.

She eyed Michael a little nervously, then nodded, turning her attention to the other guy. “Yeah, we were lucky Isabel was here, her being here tonight has been a godsend…”

Alex’s grin widened as he learnt his girlfriend was there and he looked round, spotting her quickly and catching her eye.

Liz smiled, waiting until he had turned back and then looking at both boys. “So, now that Alex is here too, do you guys want anything to eat…?”

“We’ll wait until there’s a booth freed up…thanks anyway though…” Alex replied for the two of them as he picked up his drink and brought the glass to his mouth.

“Okay, just tell one of us when you’re ready then…” She shrugged, ringing up their drinks on the register and then handing the change back to Michael.

“Thanks…” He practically grunted, shoving a couple of coins back at her by way of a tip. Not that he wanted to, but he knew if he didn’t he’d never hear the end of it from Maria or his sister, so it was easier all round just to give her the money and avoid all the hassle.

Liz nodded her thanks, pocketing the coins in the front of her apron and moving now to serve a man on the other side of the counter. “Can I get you something sir…”

“Did I miss something…?”

Michael looked over at Alex, his forhead creased in confusion. “Huh…?”

“She looked as though she was scared of you…” Alex explained, clearly waiting for an explanation from his friend. Maybe he had just imagined it and was making something out of nothing, but there had certainly been a strange atmosphere around when he had walked up…

“It was nothing…” Michael responded vaguely. “So, was your car ready?” He asked.

Alex didn’t miss the blatent attempt to change the subject. “No…but they promise it will be tomorrow…” He responded before turning back to the original line of questioning. “So, what did you say…?”

His friend glared in annoyance as he realised he wasn’t going to drop it. He shook his head. “It was nothing, honestly…”

“Yeah, he just told her to get on with her job and mind her own business when she was trying to be friendly…” Maria put in as she stopped next to them on route back from one of the tables.

Michael turned, rolling his eyes in exasperation. “I didn’t use those words!”

“No, but the meaning was clear!” She snapped back at him, flashing a smile in Alex’s direction and greeting him pleasantly now before glaring again at her boyfriend.

Alex chuckled in amusement. “Okaay…I think I’m just gonna go say hi to Isabel, I think she’s just clearing up a booth for us…” He commented, standing up, grateful for the excuse to escape.

Neither of the couple made any response, and he left them to their staring match as he headed over to the back booth. Isabel had her back to him as he approached, and he snuck up behind her quietly, getting into position and readying himself, about to grab her waist just as he heard his name spoken behind. “Hello Alex…”

Isabel turned at the mention of her boyfriend’s name, raising her eyebrows as she noted his positioning. “Don’t even think about it mister!” She told him firmly.

Alex’s eyes widened, looking a little like a rabbit caught headlights as he realised he had been caught not only by his girlfriend, but by the owner of the diner. “Oh, hi Mr Parker…looks busy…” He commented.

“Yeah, it is…which is why I’m needing the three waitresses instead of two… Don’t hold her up too long okay?” Jeff requested with a knowing smile as he nodded at Alex and then walked off.

Isabel smiled. Mr Parker was cool.

Alex grinned. “Looks like I got off that time then…” He commented.

“With him…” Isabel’s tone sounded a little dangerous.

Her pulled a face. “I’m sorry Izzy, it was a stupid idea, I just saw you there, and it seemed like a perfect idea…” He tried to explain.

“Really…?”

“Yeah, but I think I have an even better idea now…” He told her in a suggestive tone.

His girlfriend nodded. “Oh yes…”

“Yeah…”

“Going to fill me in…?”

He smiled. “Well, how about I just show you…?” He suggested, leaning in towards her without waiting for an answer and kissing gently on the lips.

Isabel smiled as she pulled back. “That was nice…”

“Yeah…”

“Izzy, do you have time now?” Michael walked up, Maria in tow, interrupting the moment.

Isabel sighed. “Yeah, sure, I guess, as long as it’s quick…” She looked over at Alex and mouthed, ‘later…’ with a smile as she finished clearing the booth and the four of them slipped into the seats around the table.

[KatnotKath]

anonymousarfan -

The girl doesn't know how to take a no

No, well maybe Liz and Max will just have to show her hehe

Timelord31 - But Liz is supposed to be quiet and sweet isn't she - well, maybe not where Pam's concerned. After telling Max to keep his temper with Kyle, wouldn't it be a bit hypocritical of her to start a fight with Pam...

Ellie -

I'm glad Michael got reamed for being so rude to Liz. That was totally not called for, she was just being nice and he acted like a jerk. He should consider his own behavior to be suspicious, not everyone has something to hide.

He's just trying to protect his family, unfortunately he doesn't always go about it the right way. You're right about not everyone having something to hide, but obviously our couple do, so maybe that wouldn't be the best thing to tell him when thinking to the future too...

It wouldn't really be evil if all Pam's hair fell out for instance, just naughty, right? I'd be totally satisfied with that.

Well...have to wait and see...

As for the meeting, assume something pretty normal, just he's not in a 'sharing' mood so makes every little thing seem huge. Basically I'm sorry, but it doesn't feature for now, but maybe you'll forgive me when you see what does - I hope...

Lazza -

Well I told you it would be ready when you got up, and here it is!

Sure he goes about it like a crazy man, but that's the only way he knows how.

Exactly, he means well, just sometimes his methods aren't the best.

As for Max, he's just a sweetie anyway isn't he?

Congrats for NaNo of course, and I'll be looking forward to seeing the story when you post, I'm sure it's great :)

cocopucks - glad you're enjoying, there's more Pam here so I hope you enjoy.

Forensicschic - At the risk of being a pain, my response to the question of suspicions has to be wait and see. It will be revealed, just not yet sorry. Thanks for the feedback, and the bump, as you can see, I'm back now so I hope you'll like what I've got to offer.

Natz -

Stupid Pam doesn't get it does she!!!!!

Of course she doesn't, what would be the fun in that? lol

Brook - glad you enjoyed it

Isabelle - So glad you enjoyed it hun. As for Pam, well maybe this chapter will answer the question. Maybe we'll go for some less 'verbal' explanation this time...

salcombe_girl - wwelcome to the story, thanks for reading and I'm glad you're enjoying it. The revelation of who's who will happen, just not yet, sorry I can't give more details, but I don't want to ruin the story.

For those of you that don't know, I completed NaNo successfully, adding to my collection of writing over 110 extra pages filled with the start of a prequel to L+L, and I'm not back to posting normally I hope, although I do have uni stuff as well as always. The last few weeks with NaNo and uni have been hectic, and I'm sorry not to have been able to put this up sooner, but here I am now anyway, and I hope that you like the new chapter.

Another last little snippet of info if anyone is interested, I'm kinda nervous about it, but I'm going to be doing an Author's chat later this month on http://p196.ezboard.com/bdreamingamongstars. It's going to be at 8pm EST, on the 19th December, and if anyone wants to come, I'd love to see you.

Hello to any lurkers out there, I hope you're enjoying the story and thanks for reading.

Finally, here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoy it

~Kat~

Chapter 19

"Hey Isabel…" Liz smiled brightly as she opened the door to her friend. The colour drained from her face somewhat as she noticed the guy stood next to her. "Oh, Michael…I didn't know you were coming too…" She commented a little nervously.

"Yeah, I thought since Isabel was coming, I might as well tag along and then we can get some work done on our own project…" He responded without much enthusiasm.

"Oh…right…okay…but Matt isn't here… I thought we'd arranged to meet up Monday to discuss it all…?"

Michael shrugged. "We can fill him in on Monday then…" He responded simply.

Isabel glared at her brother. She didn't know why he had insisted on coming… "Hey Liz, did you have a good night yesterday?" She asked easily. She knew that both Max and Liz had been free from work Friday night, and from what had been said at school, she knew that the younger girl had been looking forward to spending some time with her husband.

Husband… She blinked. She was getting used to it, but it didn't mean that it was any less strange in other ways.

Liz smiled, appearing to relax a little again. "Yeah, it was great, really nice!" She responded, stepping back to allow them to enter. "Do you guys want to come in…?" She asked, waiting for them to do so and then closing the door behind them. "Max just sat down if you want to join him…" She told them as she relocked the door.

The apartment was a three-room deal, with what she assumed would be a bedroom and bathroom leading off at one side from the living, dining and kitchen area which made up the bulk of the space. Isabel looked around, a little surprised by the apparent sparseness. Not that the trailer was much better, but the whole place just looked kind of bare, and she couldn't help thinking that was probably from necessity rather than choice…

"Make yourself at home!" Liz instructed the two of them. "Does anyone want a drink?" She offered, playing hostess although she was still looking a little nervous around Michael it seemed.

Isabel smiled and nodded. "I'll have a cherry coke if you've got one please…" She responded, trying to put her friend at ease.

Michael grunted. "Yeah, I'll have the same!" Came his short reply.

Liz nodded. "Do you want anything honey?" She asked, her lips turning up slightly in a small smile as she realised that Max wasn't exactly paying attention. She walked over to the sofa and leant over, kissing his cheek. "Something interesting?" She asked curiously, trying to see what he was reading, before adding, "we do have company you know…"

That got his attention. Max sat up sharply, almost banging heads with Liz, and looked round. "What oh…no, nothing really…" He responded, setting the paper face down on the table and discretely waving his hand over the back. "Oh hey Isabel, sorry I didn't see you there…" He smiled but a frown soon replaced that smile as he then noticed Michael. "Michael, didn't know you were coming too…"

"Oh Michael thought we might get some work done for our project at the same time as you were doing yours…" Liz supplied as she slipped behind the counter which helped separate off the kitchenette area from the rest of the room. "Do you want a drink?" She asked her husband again as she opened the fridge and pulled out a large bottle of drink.

"Uh yeah, thanks…"

Isabel smiled in amusement, noting that he didn't bother saying what, and Liz hadn't bothered asking… It seemed funny, but when she thought about it she was the same with Michael - it was a different thing of course, but each pair lived with each other, and it was probably just something that you picked up therefore. Thinking of drinks… She stood up. "Want some help?" She offered, heading over to join Liz.

Turned with the back to the others, Liz had just finished pouring four glasses of soda when she heard Isabel's voice. She stiffened, quickly shoving something behind on of the jars on the top of the counter and then turning to her friend with a smile fixed on her face. "Oh no, really Isabel, you're a guest, I'm fine…" She tried to insist.

"Nonsense, we're all friends aren't we?" Isabel waved away her objections, moving up behind her as her.

"Well I'm done now anyway, please, just go sit down, I'll bring them over…" Liz tried to shoo her friend out of the small kitchen area.

The other girl wouldn't take no for an answer though, and to Liz's dismay, picked up two of the drinks, looking over at her expectantly. "So, are we sitting…?"

The brunette's gaze darted to the hiding place of the small bottle she had just hidden but she covered it quickly with a nod and smile. "Sure, you first…"

Settling themselves down with the drinks now, Liz ended up sat on Max's knee due to the lack of seats. She had been going to use one of the chairs from the table of course, but her husband had pulled her down too quickly, and refused to let go.

Isabel sat next to the couple, and Michael was situated in the comfy chair next to the sofa. "So, what time are Pam and Kyle due…?" She asked, pulling a face as she mentioned the dreaded names. She really couldn't think of a much worse combination - well, other than leaving her on her own with the two of them…at least Max would be around. Although… She remembered the way that he had looked at Kyle. Maybe that wasn't such a good thing after all…

Max looked over as he sat with his arms wrapped around his wife. "Well, we said about two, and it's half past now, so honestly, who knows…" He shrugged.

Liz felt him clench his fist at the mention of Kyle and looked up. "Max…please, you promised…" She told him quietly, speaking in his ear as she reached up to kiss him.

Her husband opened his mouth to respond, but didn't get a chance as, just at that moment, there came a knock on the door.

Liz stood up, extracting herself from his arms. "I'll go get it." She volunteered, heading over to the door.

"Oh hi Liz, I didn't know you'd be here too…" Pam breezed in without waiting for an invitation.

Liz bristled. The girl hadn't been her two seconds, and already she was getting on her nerves. She forced a fake smile to rival the one Pam had given her. "Well yeah, I do live here!" She responded pointedly.

She gave a silly little laugh. "Oh well, yeah, I guess you do…" She peered around the apartment. "What a nice little apartment…" She commented, her tone making the comment sound more like a slight than a compliment.

"Yeah, well it does for what we need…right sweetheart…?" Max chose just that moment to walk up behind her, continuing to Liz whose waist he slipped his arm around, bending slightly to kiss the top of her head.

Pam scowled at the open display of affection between the couple. It made her sick, seeing him like that…

Liz didn't miss her expression, and smiled with satisfaction. "Oh yes, it's fine…as long as I have you, I'd live anywhere…" She responded softly, appearing to have forgotten about the other girl for the moment although in fact having done nothing of the sort.

Pam cleared her throat. She wasn't used to being ignored, and it wasn't something she intended to get used to either… "Shouldn't we be getting on Max…I mean I'm sure that Liz has something she needs to be doing…?"

"Actually Kyle isn't here yet Pam, so we were all just talking…do you want to sit down…?" Max suggested as they walked over to the couch. He wanted to indicate one of the chairs by the table, but he wasn't a rude guy, and instead pointed to the spot on the couch which he and Liz had been occupying until a few minutes before.

She sat down, flashing a fake smile at Isabel but not bothering to greet her or her bother.

Max pursed his lips - it was going to be a long afternoon… "How about we sit down too…?" He suggested to his wife, walking over to the table and pulling out a chair which he placed between the chair and sofa and sat down, patting his lap and encouraging his wife to join him as before.

"In a minute…" She responded, looking over at Pam. "Do you want something to drink?" She asked tightly, being as polite as she could manage. The girl was, after all, a 'guest' in her home…

The other girl looked a little surprised, and declined the offer quickly. Liz nodded, and retook her 'seat' on the lap of her husband, leaning her head against his shoulder, as Isabel tried to start up a conversation once more.

It did little good, it being perfectly obvious, without anyone actually saying it outloud, that Pam wasn't exactly wanted… Liz and Max could have done without Michael too of course, but he wasn't flirting with Liz like she was with Max, so it wasn't so much of a problem. In less than a minute, the atmosphere around the room had completely changed…

Finally, at about three, another knock sounded on the door. This turned out to be Kyle, who entered without even a hint of an apology regarding his lateness.

Isabel quickly took charge, trying to organise them and asking Liz if it was okay for them to take over the table. She could already sense the tension between the two guys, and thought maybe it would be best to try and occupy them…fast…

Liz realised what she was doing, agreeing quickly and flashing her friend a grateful smile. "Sure, that's fine…" She assured them, pecking her husband on the cheek before telling him she'd let him get on with it.

Michael turned to her. "If they're working in here, how about we go elsewhere…your bedroom maybe?" He suggested with the idea that it might give him a chance to find out a bit more about the couple by seeing their private space.

That idea Liz wasn't so keen on. Their bedroom was rather private, and she had to admit she wasn't too sure what might be lying around…she had been checking some stuff out before work that morning so… She shook her head quickly. "How about we just stick to the sofa…I'm sure that they won't be that noisy, and we'll have plenty of space…the bedroom's kinda messy at the moment…" She explained, using the only excuse she could think of.

Michael studied her carefully. Somehow he didn't see her as the kind of girl to allow messy bedrooms… Not to mention the fact that he wasn't certain, but had thought he saw a look of panic flash in her eyes momentarily… Now why would that have been…?

Much as he would like to push though, he didn't see that going down too well with Max, and decided to leave it for the moment, agreeing, albeit reluctantly, to her suggestion and waiting around as she went to get some stuff to work with…

**********

A couple of hours later, Liz was moving around the small kitchen area, getting some stuff ready for dinner as Max saw their 'guests' out. The first study session had gone surprisingly well, considering, but there was of course still plenty of opportunity for trouble. In fact, the evening wasn't over yet…

"Are you sure that you don't want us to go Liz?" Isabel asked as she leant over the counter.

Her friend shook her head quickly. "Yes, I'm sure you're welcome to stay, it's nice to have company once in a while you know…" She commented with a smile as she pulled out some pasta and added an appropriate amount to the water she had just boiled.

Isabel nodded, looking over at her brother a little nervously as he continued to sit on the sofa. She really wasn't sure if this was a good idea considering how Michael was at the moment, but he had behaved - more or less anyway - that afternoon, and Liz and Max had been pretty insistent when they offered… "Okay…" She conceded. "But you have to let me do something!"

Liz shook her head in amusement as Isabel ignored her protests and joined her by the cooker. "So, what can I do?" She asked in a tone that told the younger girl she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Liz sighed and nodded. "Okay, if you're determined, you could peel some carrots and chop some mushrooms for me…" She finally admitted, indicating the chopping board which lay on the counter opposite.

Smiling brightly, Isabel nodded and proceeded to do just that. Working on dinner together now, the two girls continued chatting to each other, the boys joining in the conversation occasionally as they cleared away stuff which was still out from the study session and set the table.

When that was done, Liz insisted that they go sit down on the sofa until it was ready. Max protested, asking if there was anything he could do to help, but both girls rebuffed him, saying that it would be too crowded in the small kitchen for more than two and he sat down on the sofa as Michael took the chair.

The two boys sat for some time, neither really knowing what to say.

Michael looked over at the girls who were chatting animatedly and then back at Max. He wanted to just come out and demand answers, but tactless as he was told he could be sometimes, even he could see that wasn't going to go down too well… He searched his memory, trying to go over the things that Maria had said. He smiled inwardly, certain he'd got it… "You know you're one lucky guy Max…she's quite a girl…" He commented, drawing on what Maria had told him to judge what he thought he thought the other boy would likely want to hear in order to make him open up.

Max looked a little surprised but after his initial shock nodded, smiling. "Don't I know it…" He commented in little more than a whisper. Turning his head, he watched his wife, bobbing her head in agreement with something Isabel must have said, for a moment before focusing on Michael again.

Michael smiled, it was working…even he could tell that he appeared more relaxed than before… "So how long have you been together anyway…?" He asked, trying to keep his tone casual as he asked what seemed like a logical next question.

"I first asked her out just before her thirteenth birthday…" Max responded. "So, coming up to three years…"

"And you've been married about a year…?" Michael continued his line of questioning.

Luckily for him, Max didn't seem to find anything strange, or wrong about the question and simply nodded with a grin. "Yeah, it's Liz's birthday towards the end of July, and then our one year anniversary on the thirtieth …" He supplied. It seemed amazing to think that they hadn't even been married for a year as yet… Of course six schools in less than nine months could have something to do with it seeming like longer…

"And you haven't ever thought maybe you moved too fast…? Two years isn't that long, how'd you know she was the one…?" Michael asked, his words sounding a little more pushy now.

Max looked over at him, a little surprised. His lips thinned. "No, I'd known she was the one for a long time before we made it official!" He answered shortly, lapsing into an uncomfortable silence again.

Before Michael could ask anything more, the girls called to them, saying that dinner was ready, and the two boys moved to sit at the table, one on either side.

"Do you want to take those two for you and Michael?" Liz asked Isabel, indicating the two plates she had omitted to add an extra seasoning to while the other girl was otherwise occupied.

Isabel smiled and nodded, picking up those two but then setting one down again, appearing to lose her grip. "I'll be right there…" She assured her as Liz looked back to check she was okay. Turning so that her back was shielding her hands as she removed a small bottle she had just collected from her bag. Shaking a little over each of the plates, she recapped the bottle quickly, sliding it back into her pocket as she carried the two plates over to the table, setting one down in her place, next to her brother, and the other in front of Michael.

"So, what're your plans for the rest of the weekend?" Isabel asked curiously as she used her fork to collect a mouthful of food, chewing it as she waited for a response.

"Not much, I'm working tomorrow morning, and I think Liz is too…" Max commented with a shrug.

"What about the afternoon?" Michael pressed.

Liz looked over at him, still a little unsure what to think. Isabel, Maria and Alex had been great, but there was still something about Michael… "Probably we'll end up doing some homework, or maybe going for a walk…" She responded vaguely. In fact, she knew exactly what they had planned, but it wasn't exactly something they could come out and explain, so she simply used the most basic things she could think of…

Max nodded. "Sounds about right…how about you?" He asked, eager for the opportunity to turn the subject of conversation away from him and Liz.

"Oh I'll probably see Alex." Isabel responded flippantly with a smile. She looked over at her brother. "Aren't you working tomorrow morning too…?"

He grunted. "Yeah…"

"Maybe we'll pop in for a drink, see you and Maria - she's working as well isn't she…?" His sister checked with Liz.

The brunette nodded. "I think so."

"Great, you never know, maybe we could end up doing something in the afternoon together when everyone's off…?"

Liz was silent a moment, concentrating on her food.

Max took up the conversation. "Uh…yeah, maybe…" He looked a little awkward.

"You don't want…?" Isabel asked, quickly reading their expressions.

Liz swallowed. "It's not that Isabel, but we don't really get all that much time together to just relax you know…it's a new place, and…" She allowed her words to trail off, hoping to give the desired effect.

"You'd rather spend the time alone together?" Isabel guessed.

Liz gave a small smile. "Yeah…I guess…" She responded softly. It wasn't a complete lie she knew, but she still hated doing this… "Sorry…"

Her friend shook her head and smiled. "No problem, I understand…you two have a good time, and maybe I'll see you in the morning anyway…"

The conversation moved onto other things, Michael only contributing minimally - something which wasn't missed by Liz - and before they knew it, it was after nine at night.

Isabel looked down at her watch, noting the time and standing up. "Anyway, I'm sorry we all had to put up with Kyle and Pam first, but thanks for inviting us to work here, because I'm pretty sure we would have had a worse time at Pam's house…" She commented.

Liz shook her head. "No problem, I'm not saying I relish the fact that Pam was in my apartment oogling my husband, but-"

"You have nothing to worry about!" Max interrupted her to insist, causing his wife to smile widely.

Isabel laughed. "Well, thanks for dinner too, that was great."

Liz smiled, leaning her head against Max's chest and looking back at her. She shook her head. "No problem, I enjoyed it too, thanks for staying…"

The blond girl now motioned to her brother though, indicating for them to stand up. "We should probably be going, let you get on…Hank will be worrying if we're not back soon…"

Michael raised his eyebrows at this comment. He couldn't think that Hank had even noticed they were missing, but still… He shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, see you later…" He responded without thinking to thank the couple for their hospitality.

Liz and Max simply smiled and nodded, standing and seeing the two to the door.

When they were gone, Max turned to his wife as she closed the door. "Now…how about you have a nice shower and get an early night…?" He suggested softly. He knew she had been working hard all week, and even last night when she hadn't been 'working', she had insisted on getting out the computer and hadn't got to bed until late. Knowing that she was working again tomorrow morning, he was eager to see she got some proper sleep that night.

The brunette looked up at him, a mischievous smile on her face. "Only if you join me…" She responded, rising onto her tiptoes to kiss him. "What do you say…?"

Max sighed. He should of course insist on her going alone, because going together would likely result in little extra rest, but it was hard to resist those beautiful doe eyes when they were looking at him so pleadingly. "You need some rest…" He finally replied although he already knew he was fighting a losing battle…

She smiled and batted her eyelashes. "Well, I can get some rest with you…"

"You know that's not going to happen as well as me…"

Liz smirked. "Well…" She giggled, not looking away from his eyes for a moment. "Come on…you know you want to…"

"I do, but-"

She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. "So…?" She reached up, replacing her finger with her lips before pulling back, her fingers on one hand intertwining with his. A section of hair fell down from behind her ear and she looked down, sticking her thumb into her mouth slightly and using her nail to play with her lower lip.

A groan of frustration sounded from her husband as he watched her. She looked so….irresistable when she was like that… Not that she wasn't always beautiful, but really, saying no to her was an impossible task… He reached for her second hand with his free one, pulling her finger away from her mouth as he dipped his head to kiss her gently. "Alright…you win…" He breathed.

[KatnotKath]

Lazza, Timelord31, orphyfets, Ellie, anonymousarfan Emz80, Natz, Forensicschic, Flamehair, salcombe_girl, Maxssoulmate, thank you so much for reading and responding, every bit of feedback helps tremendously and I'm just so pleased to see people enjoying it as much as I'm enjoying writing this fic.

Lazza -

Max and Liz are so perfect together

They are aren't they, but then that's Max and Liz, a perfect combination in my opinion I have to say.

As for Pam, Liz knows she doesn't have anything to worry about of course, but a litte reassurace surely can't go amiss...?

Maybe the wrath of his sister does scare him.

Well part of me can't blame him, there have been times on the series she did seem rather scary - like Christmas Nazi time lol

Timelord31 -

Still wondering who's going to find out the secreats first though.

I know I sound like a broken record, but patience will be rewarded

orphyfets - (can I call you Stefanie?) welcome back to the story, I'm glad you're still enjoying it.

Ellie - Well Isabel did start with the questions about plans, maybe Michael thought they were trying to be evasive in only saying about the morning...

As for Kyle being well behaved (I'm not so sure about Pam), but perhaps even Kyle has enough sense not to try and hit on someone with their husband in the same room? Or am I giving him too much credit there do you think...?

Forensicschic -

Is Tess ever going to be in this? Because Pam is filling her shoes NICELY. I hate Pam. She makes me wanna retch everytime she says something.

LOL Yeah, she is pretty bad isn't she...?

In answer to your question though, at the moment I have no plans to put Tess into this story, but since I don't have it all written yet, there's always the possibility, have to see if I ever get the urge to write her in, although I very much doubt I will...

Flamehair - I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, sorry I couldn't make it so simple, I know it's taking time, but I'm doing it on purpose, please bear with me and be patient.

Maxssoulmate - welcome to the story :D. Thanks for reading and glad you're enjoying it.

From other comments, I'm gathering that the tobasco stunt seemed to go down well with everyone, I'm so glad, because it was just something I thought of at the last minute and decided to add.

Sorry this chapter hasn't been up sooner, but we're getting to the end of the semester at uni, and things are kind of hectic. I've had a lot of work to try and get done for tutorials and semenars this week, and just haven't had the time to post. I'm very sorry for that, I am doing my best and hope to be able to update again before christmas if things go well.

One last thing before I get to the new chapter, I'll just mention the authors chat again, the details are below and I'd love to see you there.

Another last little snippet of info if anyone is interested, I'm kinda nervous about it, but I'm going to be doing an Author's chat later this month on http://p196.ezboard.com/bdreamingamongstars. It's going to be at 8pm EST, on the 19th December, and if anyone wants to come, I'd love to see you.

That said now, I'll leave you with the new chapter, hope you enjoy, and as always I would love to hear what you think.

Kat

ETA: I should probably just put a warning down to say that the last scene of this is an adult one, I'm hoping that no one will be offended, and that you won't think I go too far with it.

Chapter 20

"Have a good rest of the evening Maria, pass on my greetings to your mom won't you?" Mr Parker requested as she got ready to leave having finished her shift. There were still a few hours left until he closed officially, but it was always so quiet at that time on a Sunday that he could handle it alone without any problem at all.

Maria nodded, smiling as she grabbed her bag. She had already changed back into street clothes, some jeans and a t-shirt, having stuffed her uniform in her bag to wash ready for her next shift. Considering the time, and the distance she had to walk, there was no way she intended to walk around in the short aqua-green minidress. "Sure Mr Parker, I'll make sure to do that. Night…" She opened the door and stepped out onto the street with a little wave before heading off down the street in the direction of home.

She didn't go straight there though, stopping off at the pizza place to grab some take-out for herself and her mom, on the way.

Fifteen minutes later though, a box of steaming pizza in hand, she was walking down the street that she lived. The light had faded long since, but the occasional street-lights provided just enough to see by. Balancing her box in one hand, she opened the gate, closing it behind her as she headed up to the door of the house and rooted in her pocket for her key.

Holding her breath, she stuck her hand down the side pocket of her jeans, feeling about but coming up with nothing. "I haven't lost it…" She muttered to herself as she continued hunting, swapping hands with the pizza first to check her other side pocket, and then going on to feeling in the back one.

All the pockets were worryingly empty, and next she turned to her bag, about to set down the pizza to look inside, just as the door swung open to reveal her mother.

"Lost your key again…?" Amy asked with an amused smile. She had seen her coming up the path out the window, and had waited a little while, knowing that Maria liked to use her own keys, before going to let her in, guessing that said keys had probably done another disappearing act as they did at regular intervals. Her daughter could be such a scatter-brain at times that the fact she was rather good at misplacing keys and such items really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

"No, I haven't…" Maria protested, refusing to admit defeat as she walked inside, setting down the pizza on the table and then immediately resuming her search of the bag. "It has to be here somewhere…"

"Maybe you left it at the Crashdown… You can always phone Jeff and ask if he's seen it…?" Her mother suggested as she saw her empty the entire contents of the bag onto the table. There was a wallet, cellphone, a couple of vials of oil, a mirror, a brush, some chewing gum and a multitude of screwed up receipts and bus tickets, but no keys…

Maria stared at the pile of things for a moment, almost as though she expected the keys to magically appear, and then shook her head, dropping down onto a seat with an air of resignation. "Okay…so I guess I lost them again…" She finally admitted with some reluctance. "I don't know what happened though, I'm certain that I haven't had them out all day…"

Amy shrugged. "It's okay honey, it's not that important, we can get more cut…" She responded, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "Besides, they might yet turn up, you never know…"

Her daughter looked less than convinced. "Yeah, like the tens of other sets I've lost over the last few years…" She commented sarcastically as she scratched her head. "I wish I knew what I did with them, I could have sworn I put them in my pocket as usual…"

Her words caused alarm bells in Amy's head and she nodded thoughtfully. "You wouldn't by any chance have a hole in that pocket would you…?" She suggested. She had lost count of the number of times that such a simple explanation was to blame…

"No, they're still pretty new…" Maria stuck her hand into her pocket again, turning it inside this time and discarding a number of empty sweet wrappers into the bin at which stood against the wall. "See, nothing, I told y-"

Amy nodded as she broke off mid sentence, catching sight of the frayed edge which could now be seen. "Alright, remind me after dinner, and we'll sort that!" She responded simply, before turning her attention to the pizza which was fast going cold. "For now, I'm rather hungry, and I'm guessing you'll be the same having been working this afternoon… Do you want to go sort some plates out while I warm this up?" She suggested as she picked up the pizza box and headed into the kitchen with it.

Shoving her pocket back inside with some embarrassment over her insistence that there was no hole, Maria nodded, following after to collect the required plates.

**********

"See, I told you he wouldn't even be here…" Michael commented as he pushed open the door to the van. The whole place was in darkness, and from the fact that the door had been locked, it was obvious that Hank was out - at the pub no doubt… He looked over at his sister. "I don't see why you were so eager to leave, I was finally getting some answer about them you know…"

Isabel glared at him. She couldn't believe that her brother was so insensitive as to not have noticed how the couple had been looking at each other. "If you just talk to them, you'll be able to get answers anytime, right now, the two of them want some time together, and since they invited us to stay for dinner, when they really had no reason to do so, I personally think that they more than deserve it…

"Where did you get that from…?" Michael asked, dumping his coat on the 'sofa' as he moved over through to the kitchen area, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of Snapple. "You want one?"

"No!" She waved away the offer, walking over and looking at her brother. "Michael listen to me, I am fed up of saying this, and I do not want to have to repeat myself!" She paused a moment for effect, and then continued. "Liz and Max Evans are really nice kids. I like them, Maria likes them, and Alex likes them. They are going to be my friends I hope, and I do not intend for you to ruin everything by making them feel like you're putting them under the microscope!" Isabel fixed her eyes on her brother. "Understand me?" She asked, taping her foot expectantly.

"I just want to know where they've come from and why they're here… Come on Izzy, you can't deny they're a bit of a weird combination…" Michael protested, trying desperately to make her see his side of it. He didn't like her being angry at him, but really, he was doing this for her own good, making sure she, and their friends, were safe…

She shook her head. "I don't care why you're doing it Michael, it stops, now!" Her tone was such that it left no room for misunderstanding.

Her brother made no response, simply glaring unhappily although he kept quiet, having learnt in the past that to fight with his sister when she was like this would be a highly unwise move. Removing the cap from his bottle, he brought it to his mouth and took a swig of the drink before walking back to the sofa and dropping down. "Whatever…"

Isabel rolled her eyes at him, marching over to the counter and grabbing the biscuit bin. Opening it up, she removed one and replaced the lid, taking a bite of her biscuit as she took a seat at the table, checking the time and then pulling one of her files out of her bag and opening it out on the table as she began to read through what she and the others had done that day, pointedly ignoring her brother who sat in silence.

Glancing over at her, Michael sighed, reaching for the remote and switching on the TV. Flicking through the channels, he soon found some sport program and settled down to watch while he finished his drink.

After a while, the relative silence, apart from the TV, became unbearable for Michael who looked back over at his sister. "You really like her…?" He asked, finding himself remembering how he himself had jumped to her defense earlier in the week. When he looked back at it, despite trying to rationalise it as having been the right thing to do, arguing that he would have done it for anyone, he couldn't really explain it… Not only had he stuck up for her in front of Kyle, but he had gone further, risking exposing himself by teaching Kyle a lesson…

Why had he done that…?

The question bugged him more than he liked to admit, and a consequence of that was his renewed hostility against the girl.

Isabel looked up from her work, surprise by his question and nodded. "Yeah…" She shrugged. "Liz is a nice girl when you get to know her…" She hesitantly, a little unsure of where this was going.

He nodded silently.

"You okay…?" She couldn't help thinking that she was missing something about all this. When Liz had mentioned him sticking up for her with Kyle, she had been pleased. It had suggested to her that her brother was finally beginning to loosen up… Almost immediately though, any progress seemed to vanish and it was back to the drawing board. She just didn't understand… "Is there something that you want to tell me, because if it's possible, you seem even more hostile towards them than you were at first…?"

There was an awkward silence, furthering her suspicions, before her brother spoke up, denying it and saying he was fine. Isabel sighed and shrugged. "Okay, you don't want to talk fine, but I'm gonna hit the sack before Hank gets back…" She began to pack away her stuff, saying goodnight and then heading into her bedroom, leaving Michael alone in the general living area.

**********

"Ooooh Maaaaxxx…" Liz moaned, falling back against the pillows panting. They hadn't actually done anything yet, but yet tonight, just being there with him was like being in heaven. She needed this so badly…

"Liz…" Her husband breathed her name as they continued to lay, side by side in bed. It was only a moment though before he turned on his side again, dipping his head and nibbling her neck as his hand ran over the surface of her thigh. "Perfect…"

The young woman beside him smiled as she felt his lips attack her neck, her head rocking back further into the pillows as another soft moan escaped her lips. "Maax…"

The sound of her sweet voice was like music to his ears. Max looked up, halting his attentions to her neck in order to find her lips, kissing her deeply as he felt the intense love running through their connection, it's effect seeming something like that of a drug… How he needed her… People could laugh, or frown at them all they liked, Pam could flirt till she was blue in the face, there was only one woman for him, and she was lying there with him right now.

Sliding his knee between her legs, he moved it gently, up, and then back down, leaning over her now and using one hand to brush her hair away from her face. "You are so beautiful you know… "

Opening her mouth as his lips descended on hers, Liz felt a shiver run down her spine as his tongue slipped inside, gently stroking the roof of her mouth as she hooked hers over it. "MMmmm"

Reaching down to touch her panties, Max was amazed to find she was already wet from want of him. He slid his finger inside, searching for one particular spot and smiling as he found it, rewarded with another sweet moan from his wife.

"MAaaax…" Her fingers ran lightly along the surface of his back, tracing unseen figures on the firm skin beneath. As he hit the spot, her eyes widened as her back arched upwards. He was amazing…

"You like that…?" Her husband whispered as he nibbled her ear, continuing his attentions with one hand while searching for one of hers with another…

As she felt his hand close over hers, his fingers interweaving between, Liz smiled squeezing his hand. It was such a simple gesture, and yet, like everything else when they were together like this, it seemed perfect… "Oh yes…I love it…" She whispered back, drawing her head away from his as her lips as she turned to push him over slightly, initiating a shift in position so that now she was on top as she dipped her head to leave a trail of kisses down the front of his masculine chest. She ran a hand over the rippling muscles, unable to keep from grinning as she caught sight of their joined hands which 'sat' on the pillow, the two, matching gold bands twinkling as they caught one of the rays of moonlight which crept in through the gaps in the curtains by the window.

"See something that you like…?" Max asked mischievously, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Oh always…" Biting her tongue between her lips, she closed her eyes as another wave of emotion flew through her. Six years ago, they had said this would never happen, they had been so certain, and yet in the end, they had been so wrong… Despite what they might have said, she could never imagine anything feeling as right as just being here, together…

Watching those beautiful long brown lashes as her eyelids opened once more to give him a view of those perfect, dazzling brown eyes.

"My turn…" Her words came out as little more than a whisper as she gave a secret smile.

Max's eyes widened as he 'felt' what she meant. Already he was 'excited', his erection firming and stiffening, but her new attentions made him feel as though he was ready to burst.

Liz smirked as he drew in a sharp breath. "I see that I haven't lost my touch then…?" She commented running a single finger up and down his length playfully.

"Do you even have to ask…? Do you know what you d-" Max broke off mid-sentence as he read the expression on her face which answered his question. He shook his head, feeling himself come close as he looked at her.

A knowing smile sat on her face as Liz leant forward to capture her husband's lips in hers. "What was that…?" She asked softly as she felt his hardness press against her through the single remaining item of clothing he wore.

"OOooh, you are wicked…" Max shook his head, releasing her hand from his and then reaching down, pulling gently at the edges of her panties now he felt his need for her grow and fought not to let it give in.

"I am…? Nice of you to say so…" His wife teased back, halting her attentions as she reached to still his hands. As he reached to tease her bud once more again though, sliding his finger in and out of her, she knew that she too was teetering on the edge. "Ooooh…Maaaxxx…"

Realising that neither could last much longer, a silent agreement was made between the couple as each helped the other to remove the only barrier which remained to them being together.

Feeling him, skin to skin, was enough to make her draw in a deep breath, her head falling back far into the pillows as she begged him with her eyes to end the waiting.

"Patience baby…" Max purred in her ear as he positioned himself at her opening, lowering himself slowly. He didn't want to rush this, to make her feel as though it was anything but perfect. It was as hard for him as it was her to take the time, but he knew, as he sank further into her, that it would be worth it in the end.

Biting down on her lip and letting out a moan, Liz buried her face in her husband's shoulder as she felt him taking his time. It was like agony feeling him so close. She longed to feel him inside her and already was imagining what it would be like to feel herself tightening around him. The thought was enough, and even before he entered, she could feel her muscles tightening in anticipation.

Max held his breath as he entered her, feeling her already tight muscles clench around his length. As she widened her hips, allowing him more complete access, he sank further, unable to keep letting out a moan of pleasure himself. He ran his hands through her long silky tresses which covered the pillow as his head lowered, closing the distance between them until their lips locked, beginning to move against one another in a complimentary fashion as the love between them ran so strong it was almost tangible.

"Max…" His name came out as she drew in a quick breath as she felt him begin to slid in and out, building a rhythm which began to increase in speed as the two of them moved towards a point, approaching their climax together as always.

"Yours always…" Liz whispered the promise as she felt the pressure inside build until there was no where for it to go and then came, followed only seconds later by her husband before the two of them lay back. She smiled as she felt her husband's arms tighten, holding her firmly against his chest, and dipped her head, kissing his chest before laying her head down like she would on a pillow and closing her eyes.

"Night Liz…" Max whispered, dropping a kiss on the top of her head as he let her lie there. Upon receiving no response, he knew she was already sleeping and smiled, continuing to watch her for a few minutes, smoothing her hair against his chest with his hand before laying it over hers, closing his eyes, and giving into the sleep which was threatening to take his body.