Roswell Fanatics

~ chapter 11~

December 2003

Liz Parker stood staring out the window at the night sky. A blanket of stars twinkled above covering the Colorado snow-capped mountains in their glittering warmth. Whispering a hint of untold secrets that were just waiting to be discovered. Promising wishes that would come true if only she believed. Her hand slid slowly down her protruding stomach and a smile played on her lips as a contented sigh escaped her.

Twins. At times it was still so hard to believe and at others so…inevitable. Max Evans never did do anything halfway when it came to loving her. Or making her dreams come true.

Nothing could damper her happiness. Not the chill in the December night air. Not the ongoing war between the man she loved and the man she was pretending to be a companion to. For not only had a new life begun…a brand new world had opened up. And with this new world came hope. And second chances. Dreams made reality.

Nothing could kill her joy.

Nothing.

Except tomorrow…

Like the sun chasing away the gathering storm clouds, her disturbing turn of thoughts dispersed the moment she felt his presence long before she heard the soft tread of his bare feet on the floor. Liz’s bright smile deepened as she waited for the inevitable touch of his body against hers. She didn’t have to wait long. Walking up behind her, Max wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his nose into her hair. “Hey, you.” Liz whispered softly as she leaned back, fitting easily against his hard smooth chest, her hand coming up to caress his face.

Max breathed her scent in deeply along with the peace that always flowed through him just being near her. His love. His soulmate. His Liz. It was a peace that alluded him every other hour of the day and night. It was only in her arms he felt strong. Only her kiss made him whole. Healed him from the devastation of death and suffering. Only her smile brought him joy that was nestled deep in the softest parts of his heart. A place that couldn’t be destroyed or stolen away by the bitter ravages of war.

Smiling, Max leaned his face into her hand before reaching up to capture it and place a loving kiss on her open palm. “Hey.” Max splayed his hands across Liz’s stomach gently caressing the swelling flesh. “How are our little podlettes?”

“Missing their daddy.” Liz stated softly as she turned in Max’s arms.

“Well, that wouldn’t have happened if Mommy had stayed in bed where she belonged…” The whisper was husky and low as Max bent his head and captured her lips in a soft kiss full of love before slipping to his knees in front of Liz. Pressing tiny kisses on Liz’s stomach and gently rubbing his hand over her swollen flesh, Max began speaking in soft tones to his growing babies. "Hey, you two. I sure hope you're taking care of this amazing mommy of yours…"

Liz chuckled lightly as fingers threaded through Max's hair. "Oh, they're doing a great job of that. If you call midnight runs to the kitchen for tabasco sauce, ice cream, and pickles taking care of me."

Max tilted his face upward with a grimace of disgust. "Sounds like their taking more care of themselves." His hand lazily stroked the swell of Liz's belly as she leaned down for another kiss before whispering a quiet confession. "I woke up and you were gone. I felt so cold and empty inside..."

"Me too." Liz whispered back, her eyes still closed as a sigh escaped her. A bittersweet smile flitted across her lips briefly before she swallowed hard, her voice catching unexpectedly. “I was…I was just getting ready to come back.”

Eyes narrowing, Max stood and cupped Liz’s face in his hands, his gaze searching and intense when her eyes opened and locked with his. “What’s wrong?”

Liz shook her head in awe as the sadness in her was pushed to the side when somewhere in the dark depths danced complete love and overwhelming awe as they began to shimmer with a fine sheen of tears. “Will you ever not know me so well?”

“Never.” Max answered seriously. “Now, tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

Burying her head in Max's chest, Liz wrapped her arms tightly around him. Exhaling a shaky breath, her plea was a bare whisper against his skin. "Make me warm, Max."

Liz was instantly engulfed in a cloak of radiating heat as Max's essence seemed to permeate through her. His arms pulled her into the comforting support of his body, his breath sent waves of tingling heat floating across her skin and his heart pounding against hers triggered a glow of love to fill her from the inside out. A shiver ran through Liz and she felt Max pull her even tighter before he whispered in her ear, answering the unspoken breaking of her heart. "Tomorrow is not the end of us, Liz Evans." His hand ran down her arm to drop to her stomach in a gentle caress. "Here's our proof."

A sob escaped Liz unexpectedly and her arms shot from his waist to wrap tightly around his neck. An understanding Max bent to scoop his wife off her feet and carried her to a chair near the fireplace. Settling them both comfortably in the overstuffed chair he simply held Liz, stroking her hair and her cheek tenderly, and whispering soothing pet names until her tears subsided. Lifting her chin with his finger, a hint of a smile turned the corner of his lips upward when her eyes remained downcast and she refused to look at him.

"Look at me." The command was low and gentle and full of love.

Though gently prompted, Liz shook her head slightly and avoided looking up into Max’s eyes. She sniffed back a few tears and blinked a few times. “I…I feel…so stupid.”

Smiling indulgently, Max continued to run his fingers against Liz’s smooth skin “What for? Giving me a tiny taste of your hormonal pregnant moods? Or loving me enough to be missing me before I’m even out the door?”

Liz mentally kicked herself for letting these particular emotions get the best of her in Max's presence. There would be plenty of time to wallow in self-pity when he was gone. The last thing she wanted right now was to discuss their coming separation in the morning. It had been a glorious two days together. Hidden away in a cabin owned by Alex's parents. No war. No sadness. No responsibilities.

There had been joy. And freedom. Laughing and loving and just…being together. The last thing she wanted was to bring tears into the equation. There had been plenty of those to last three lifetimes. Liz’s pleading eyes immediately snapped up to meet his. “Please, Max. Do we really have to talk about…”

The determination of a warrior tempered only by the love of a husband flashed in Max's eyes. "Yes. We do." He flashed her a crooked smile as his fingers tangled in her hair. "What can I say? I just love the sound of my wife's voice too much. I need you to talk to me."

"Oh, Max…" A fresh wave of tears sprang to Liz's eyes and she quickly buried her head in Max's shoulder once again. "It's…it's not fair."

Closing his eyes, Max breathed in her scent as peace washed over him. He should be concerned. He should be worried. But how could he be when he felt to wonderfully, gloriously whole with Liz in his arms? "What isn't fair? Hmm? Talk to me, babe." Smiling against her hair, despite her tears, Max's whispered command was low in her ear.

Liz's hysterics increased making it difficult for Max to understand her. "I…I don't wanna be a…a…whale." She hiccuped before finishing with a sorrowful wail. "I wanna be a frog!"

A stunned Max abruptly pulled back, cupping Liz's face and looking down into her eyes as she blinked up at him and sniffled. "W-what?"

Tears streaming down her face, Liz hiccuped again and sniffled. "You know…a…a frog. Like in biology…."

Trying to hide a smile, Max bit down on his lower lip and blinked his eyes quickly. As confusing as she was being at that moment, Max Evans knew he'd never seen Liz more adorable. God, how he missed not being able to share each moment of this pregnancy with her…

Max cleared his throat and tried to keep his amusement in check, but didn't quite manage to keep the laughter from dancing in his eyes. He began speaking softly as he gently wiped the tears from her rose colored cheeks. "Ok. Honey…you lost me somewhere between something not being fair and you wanting to be a frog."

Her lower lip began to tremble as her dark eyes full of sadness raised to meet his. "Next time you see me…." Her breathing hitched in her chest. "…I'm going to be a big, fat…" Hiccup. "…ugly…" Hiccup. "…blimp!." With that wailed announcement, Liz threw herself back into Max's arms and burst into another torrent of tears.

Ah. Blimp. Whale. Got it. But, where in the world did the frog come in?

Max pulled Liz closer and buried his face in the crook of her neck to hide a smile that was clearly not in order under the circumstances. As if he'd ever find this woman ugly. Never in a million years. Not even when wrinkles gathered around her eyes and her luxurious hair turned to gray. Even if she ended up wearing dentures at some point in their lives together. There'd always be that soul of hers finding its way from deep inside her heart to draw him in like a magnet.

Just like it had the very first day he laid eyes on Liz Parker. Third grade, getting off the bus for the first time. Half a playground away, there she stood. The most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. That's one fact that had never changed. In fact, through the years as he had watched her, Liz's beauty impressed him more and more. That inner glow that seemed to cloak her as she walked down the halls of school called out to him. And after the shooting, the more he got to know her as their friendship grew, he knew her intelligence and calm strength in the midst of terrifying chaos was exactly what he needed…what he wanted…in his life forever.

And then they fell in love. Completely. Intensely. Head-over-heels-seeing-stars-in-their-eyes in love. And she wasn't just a pretty girl who wrapped her arm around him and walked by his side down the streets of Roswell. She became a part of him. So deeply engrained that he was unable to function without her. Even after she destroyed him with a lie.

Especially then.

Hurt, angry, completely devastated…he should have been able to hate her. He even tried. But he couldn't. Unattainable as she was to him, Max no longer just dreamed about being with Liz as he had before the shooting. He remembered. He remembered the tight hugs of comfort and the passionate kisses of fire. The gently held hand and encouraging, awe-filled way she looked into his eyes. And when he did remember, even then in those moments, the beauty of her soul still remained untainted to him. Still made him ache with the absence of it in his life.

He'd never been more relieved than when she moved away to finish high school in Florida. At least then he wouldn't have a constant reminder of what it was like to feel. To love. To be alive. At least then it was easier to hide his heart.

Until Liz returned to Roswell. With her, she brought all of the hope and dreams he'd fought so long to push out of his life. With her came the memory of what it was like to breathe the same air she breathed. To brush her lips with his. To hold her hand and wipe her tears.

And the memories were slowly killing him.

In a fit of frustration and rage one night, Max made his way to a local bar. Knowing the dangers of alcohol in his alien system, Max was past caring. It was then, sitting in a dark corner booth, that he learned the truth as a whispered conversation made its way to his hearing. It was then that he overheard Liz Parker tell Kyle Valenti the real reason for that night of betrayal so long ago…

She became a goddess to him that night. His own personal, protective angel of love. Now, she was unattainable for an entirely different reason. She was unattainable because there was no way in the world he would ever be worthy of her sacrifice. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try…

A sniffle brought Max's thoughts crashing back into the present and why his wife was shaking in his arms. A whale. He was again tempted to chuckle but forced himself to concentrate instead. Liz had never been a vain woman so her outburst made no sense. No, there was something more in her tears than just how she would appear to him. Holding on as tight as he could, Max hoped he'd be able to find the words he needed to calm his wife's fears. Fears that he instinctively knew in the back of his mind went much deeper than how she would look in a few months.

Closing his eyes, Max took a deep breath and allowed the feel of Liz in his arms to wash over him. Trying to read in her body the war raging in her heart. The tight hold her arms had around his neck…as if she never wanted to let go. He certainly understood that feeling. His arms tightened around her reflexively. The hot, salty tears falling like gentle plops of rain on his bare chest as her heart broke before him caused his own heart to skip a beat. Her rounded stomach pressed against his and he could feel the faintest hum of life coming from inside. Suddenly, things made more sense. Suddenly, the words weren't all that difficult to find.

"I'll never let her live a day without you, Liz. I promise." He pulled back to look deeply into her eyes, the promise hanging in the air between them as his thumbs lightly brushed her tears away. "With all that I am, you'll always be there with us. Even if I have to introduce her to you in her dreams." A grin finally fought its way to Max's face. "Just like I introduced you to the truth of what was meant to be one night back in August. Like mother…like daughter, you know?"

"Oh…Max…" Liz's hands captured his face and she blinked quickly as she struggled to not burst into tears once again. "Do you…do you really mean it? You would…do that for her? Like you did for me?"

Brushed lips against her forehead and a bright smile were her answer. "You bet I would."

Liz quickly wrapped her fingers around Max's hands as her scientific mind began to whirl. "But…but what about her remembering? You know, when you dream-created with me as Future Max, I remembered everything he said. We…we can't risk her knowing you're her dad, Max…"

"She won't know. Not while she's awake." Max explained softly as he brushed Liz's hair away from her eyes. "Look, dream walking and dream creating are different. In dream walking you are just a visitor to the sleeper's dream plane. Dream creating, on the other hand, allows you to work with them to create their own dream world."

"Now, there's a sliver of time during sleep that's perfect for dream-creating. It's that time when the conscious has shut down and the subconscious is getting ready to take over and create dreams. That's when I step in. Her subconscious will be awake to me and we'll be able to have perfectly normal conversations like you and I did when I pretended to be Future Max. The main difference will be that I'll leave her with the impression that all she's seen, all she's done, was nothing more than a dream. I'll be her daddy at night…Max in the daytime. That will keep her safe and I can still love her the way I want. Best of both worlds."

"As for you remembering our conversation, that was because I wanted you to." Max wrapped an arm around Liz's shoulders and pulled her into him with a chuckle after placing a playful kiss on the tip of her nose. "How else did you think my little trick was going to work on you? You would have never listened to me or anything I had to say because you'd already bought into his idea of the future…that you and I needed to remain separate to save the world. That simply wasn't true. And we've been proving it ever since."

Liz giggled unexpectedly. "We have, haven't we?" Pulling out of Max's embrace, she grinned up at him, her eyes dancing with laughter. "I'll bet he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he could see us now…"

The smile slipping from Max's lips, his eyes took on a haunted look as he gazed into the fire. "Max?" Liz's hand caressed the side of Max's face and her eyes dulled a notch when she saw Max's pained expression. "Honey, what is it?"

Max swallowed the lump of bile that had instantly risen in his throat. When he spoke, the harshness of his words was accompanied by a hardness in his blackening eyes. "Since the moment I knew about him, I hated him. Envied him."

Liz's eyes clouded with confusion at the sudden change of Max's mood. "Who?"

He let out a little sigh and shook his head, his eyes never moving from the enchanting fire. "Me. The me from the future. The one that started this whole thing…"

"Max…"

"No, Liz, it's true." Max interrupted softly, his gaze snapping to hers as his hand absently hovered over her stomach. "He got to know you…in ways I never have."

A small smile touched Liz's lips though her eyes remained fixed with sadness on the man sitting right in front of her. She had wondered when this would become an issue for them to deal with. The fact that there had been another time where another Max and Liz had lived happily while they had spent so many years apart…miserably alone. Trying to ease his mood, Liz's voice lowered suggestively, her words having a double meaning that Max failed to pick up even when she took his hand in her hers and placed it loving over their growing children. "I'm not so sure about that…"

Max glanced up and caught her smile giving her a return smile of regret, Max shook his head. "Making love is not what I'm talking about, Liz. I'm talking about…after. You know…the little things. Like holding you without fear of being discovered or having a stop watch tell us when I've got to go. Waking up next to you every morning of our lives. Watching the sun rise together."

As his dreams began to pour forth, Max's gaze lowered, his long eyelashes shielding the penetrating pain Liz knew she would see if he would only look at her. He knew she'd be able to read it too. Which is why he didn't raise his gaze. "We can't even walk down the street together, holding hands. Instead, we have to sneak around just to catch a brief moment here or there. We can't go out to a nice restaurant for dinner. Or dance under the stars on our anniversary…."

A wry chuckle escaped him. "I'll bet he even got to mow the lawn in peace knowing you were inside making him lemonade. Or picking up his socks or something. There are a million of other things that married people probably take for granted. And we've never had the chance to experience them, Liz." His dark eyes finally raised to meet hers. "Because of him."

One hand moved to cup the side of her face as his eyes roamed her softening expression. "And I've been angry. I've been so angry with him for putting you in that position. For making you break your own heart. Forcing you to do something you didn't want to do. Putting the burden of a whole race of people on the shoulders of one 17 year old girl. God, Liz…you should have never had to deal with that. Never."

Liz shook her head and covered the hand caressing her face with hers. "No, Max. It wasn't like that." Seeing his upraised eyebrow of disbelief, her gaze wavered. "Ok, so maybe it was a little…" She took a deep breath and met his gaze again. "…but he didn't want to. I was the one that saw the pain in his eyes. It tore him up inside, Max…because of all those things you just mentioned. He'd already had heaven…we only dreamed of it at that point. Who do you think it really hurt more?"

Seeing Max's adam's apple bob in a hard swallow and his eyes filming with light moisture, Liz leaned forward and nuzzled his nose. "It wasn't me he loved, Max. It wasn't me that shared his life. It was her. And I'm not the one he left."

"No. You're the one I left." Max whispered quietly.

"Max…"

Max's thumb stopped Liz's protest as he quickly moved it against her lips. "If I hadn't given up that night…on some level…he wouldn't have disappeared."

"And we wouldn't be here right now." Liz responded as she took his hand and held it tightly in her own. "Max, he did us a favor. He gave us time. Time to explore our options. Time to grow as individuals so that when we finally came back together, we knew what we wanted. We knew what would make us whole…"

"I always knew."

Liz's eyes brightened with love and a lovely smile spread over her lips. "So did I. Deep in my heart. But Max, it's made that knowledge even stronger now that its been tested. Through all that time and through all the pain, we're still here. Together. With an amazing family on the way. Honey…they may have had sunrises and walking down the street together, but this…" Liz lowered their clasped hands to her stomach meaningfully. "…it's the one thing they didn't have…"

Nodding his head slightly, Max's gaze lowered to their entwined hands resting on her swelling stomach. This was what he missed every day they were separated. The soothing balm of her faith. The calming peace of her love. Her bright, shining outlook on life despite the tears and struggles they had to go through to be together…

An unexpected giggle filled the room as Liz's fingers began to feather through Max's hair at the base of his neck. "And as for mowing the lawn…" A grin spread over Liz's face as she pulled away from Max to look up into his eyes. "You saw Future Max in my dreams. Did he look like the lawn-mowing type to you?"

Max shook his head, his eyes beginning to lighten and a smile skipping over his lips. "No. No, he really didn't." His smile widened and he rolled his eyes thinking of his own hardened, futuristic wardrobe. "Then again…I'm not so sure I could be lumped into that category either."

"Well, maybe not now. But give us a victory in this war of ours and I'll have you mowing lawns…" Liz wrapped her free arm around Max's neck. "…and taking out the garbage. Painting the house…"

"I love you." Those three words stole Liz's breath and stopped her beating heart. She knew, without question, that she would never get used to hearing them. Not even if she lived to be a thousand. Max's smile had disappeared and the intense way he was looking into Liz's eyes made her grateful for the fact she was sitting. Her knees had literally turned to jello with those softly spoken words and that look of total adoration. Such love. Such gratefulness. Such passion. "I have no idea what I would do without you."

"You'd give up and disappear. So would I." Liz let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his. Her whispered was barely breathed. "We already know heaven, Max…without it, what's the point?"

"There is none…" Max lowered his head to capture Liz's sweet, soft lips. Her arms wrapped more tightly around his neck as she willingly opened up to him and an instant connection flared up between them. As the image of a green--pregnant--frog with Liz's smiling face sitting in a pot of water became clear, Max's eyes popped open and he couldn't stop the chuckle from bubbling up inside of him and escaping into a burst of giggles mid-kiss.

Immediately knowing in his look what vision he'd seen from deep inside her, Liz pulled back abruptly with upraised eyebrows as an adorable pout claimed her lips. "Hey! You weren't supposed to see that!"

Max bent his head as laughter took control. "Oh…God, Liz. That's…that's the funniest…" He wiped his eyes clear of the tears of mirth that had piled up in the corners threatening to fall. "So, that's what you meant by biology and being a frog."

"Well…yeah." Liz crossed her arms in front of her in mock annoyance as Max desperately tried to bring another burst of laughter under control but failed every time he raised his eyes to meet hers. "It makes sense right? I mean…you put a frog in boiling water and it'll jump out every time. But if you turn the heat up…you know, really slow then…well, then it never notices the changes. Just like you wouldn't if you were with me all the time."

Clearing his throat and biting down on his lower lip to stop any further evidence of laugher, Max attempted to wrap his arms around Liz. She stubbornly pushed his arms away, but the laughter in her eyes betrayed her mood. "But…honey, if you're worried about me bailing on you because of the drastic changes your body is going to go through because of this pregnancy…shouldn't I be the frog in the water?"

Liz blinked her eyes and her gaze drifted to the ceiling as she contemplated his words her lips twitching with amusement. "Well…yeah. But…I…I guess I wanted you to be the prince that kisses the frog like in all the fairy tales."

Max's brow furrowed in confusion. "But…I thought it was the princess who kissed the frog and turned him into a prince."

"You really plan on arguing with me right now?" Liz crossed her arms in front of her gave him an 'I-don't-believe-you' look as her eyes flashed with instant fire. "Especially when I'm telling you I want you to be my prince?"

"Ahem." Max cleared his throat and immediately began to shake his head, beginning to understand the husband's role in the life of a mother-to-be. "Me? Argue with you? No. Absolutely not." A grin split his face and his eyes began to dance with pride. "You really want me to be your prince?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping but now I'm not so sure…" Liz shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

"Awww, baby, that's so sweet…" Max cupped Liz's face and started to lean forward for a kiss.

Pulling back abruptly, Liz removed his hands from her face. An eyebrow raised as she fought to keep the laughter out of her voice and a stern look in her expression. "Just so you know…as a prince, you're failing miserably right now."

"I am?" Max forced a repentant, pleading look into his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. "Well, then I guess I need to uh…" Max's gaze dropped to Liz's lips and his tongue swept out unconsciously to wet his own. "…change my tactics a little."

A small smile hovered over Liz's lips and she cleared her throat trying not to notice Max shifting under her provocatively or the sudden hardness she felt pressing against the side of her leg. "That…might be a wise idea. Especially if you plan on…" Liz bit her lower lip when she felt Max's hand slide up her leg to her inner thigh. "…on…um, sleeping in our bed the uh…" Swallowing hard at the desire flaring in Max's darkening eyes when he reached his target, Liz licked her lips unconsciously and tried to hold back a moan as her eyes drifted closed. "…rest of the um…night."

A devilish grin danced all over Max's face as he leaned forward and nipped at the sensitive skin just under Liz's right ear. "Who said anything…" Licking and nibbling his way around her throat to her other ear where he repeated the process, Max continued in a heated whisper. "…about sleeping."

Liz felt him smile knowingly against her neck as a helpless sound escaped her and her hands pressed against the back of his head to hold him to her. Max had other ideas. "Do you know…" Max pulled back, his face was mere centimeters from hers now, his eyes glued to the top of her buttoned shirt. His hand drifted upward, his fingers running slowly, seductively over the collar of the shirt, past her throat, down the opening and pausing just where the first button lay waiting for his attention. "…I didn't think I'd ever seen anything…" Max's fingers flicked the first button open then moved lower followed by his lips taking the opportunity to kiss the newly exposed skin. "…as sexy as you…" The second button unhooked and the shirt fell further apart as the back of his hand slowly grazed the bare skin of her breastbone. "…wearing nothing…" His lips dipped lower. "…but my shirt."

The whisper of his last word broke the hold the material had around Liz and it fell open exposing her to Max's greedy, hungry gaze. "I was wrong." Max's gaze raised to meet hers as his hand feathered across her bare belly and his voice lowered in loving, intense seriousness. Liz was captivated by his mesmerizing gaze and whispered confession. "I was so wrong….because nothing will ever, ever, be as beautiful or sexy to me as you carrying my children, Liz. Nothing."

Liz's chest tightened and heaved with sudden, pent up tears as Max reverently lowered his lips to place soft, lingering kisses across her stomach murmuring loving words to their unborn babies. Savoring the hum of life vibrating just below the surface. Radiating warmth and penetrating comfort to the depths of Liz's soul. Sealing all the fragile parts of her heart with a glue so solid and strong, it was a certainty that her heart would never break again.

Raking her fingers through his hair, Liz reached for Max's face and pulled him up till her eyes shimmering with tears met his shinning with unconditional love. "I love you, my prince."

Max's lips split into a teasing grin as he leaned his forehead against hers, his breath a mere whisper on her lips. "And I love you, my little frog…"

The radiance of Liz's smile as Max lowered his lips to hers rivaled the brilliance of the coming sun. And Max spent the rest of the night turning his little frog into the most beautiful princess that ever walked the earth…

Tbc…

~ chapter 12 ~


May 2005


It had all started to so innocently.

Ok. So, maybe the phrases 'innocently', 'Max Evans' and 'long weekend at favorite love nest with his sexy little wife' don't really go together all that well. Then again, what should one expect from an alien king who is faithful to a fault with an above average sex drive, an over-active imagination and excruciatingly long periods of time without the company of his adored wife?

A game of monopoly?

I think not.

Especially not since said king spent most of his waking…and dreaming…moments coming up with delightfully wicked ways to give his wife as much pleasure as possible when those all-too rare rendezvous actually did occur. I mean, really. What else was he supposed to do during those long, cold nights on an uncomfortable cot in the middle of the desert waiting for the world to end?

Knit sweaters?

Uh…no. Not exactly Max Evans' style.

In fact, Max spent many of those nights sitting quietly, staring up at the stars and dreaming. Dreaming of what life would be for his little family someday. When there was no war. No separations. No more lies and definitely no more lonely beds to crawl into. And of course, that train of thought would invariably lead him to all the glorious sensations one touch could create. Or one kiss. One session of mind-blowing passion…

Was all of his fantasizing nothing more than wasted time? Certainly not. All that creative energy of his had paid off on many occasions. Try...every time he and Liz were within viewing distance of each other. In fact, Mrs. Liz Evans was perhaps the most satisfied, pampered, sated wife this world has ever seen. Never lacking in love, passion, devotion…or the proof of it. No matter how many days, even weeks, had ticked by between their secret lovers' trysts.

Max Evans always made up for every last second.

Not that Liz Evans was any different than her husband, mind you. That pseudo-Puritan demeanor of hers shielded a very wild, wanton, reckless side of Liz that would probably shock Max's enemies into immediate surrender were they given the chance to see it. After all, if Max could tame *her*…then he could conquer anyone. In fact, the things she could do to that hybrid, Max swore time and time again should be made illegal at the very least and physically impossible on so many levels it was almost terrifying. Scrumptiously sinful, he secretly knew they just had to be breaking some laws of nature *somewhere*…

And they were about to break some more…

Giggles and the sound of bare feet against hardwood floors followed Max down the long hallway. "Max Evans! You give that back right now!"

Swinging around to face his pursuer, Max wiggled his eyebrows playfully and laughed his response tauntingly before he ducked into a nearby doorway. "You want it, Parker, you're going to have to come get it!"

Rushing in after him, Liz's gasp filled the small sitting room of the cabin she and Max were borrowing for a rare weekend rendezvous and her mouth dropped open as she absently pushed her tousled hair back from her face. "You wouldn't dare…"

Max grinned devilishly. "Oh, wouldn't I?"

"Maaax…." Liz took a step forward, her eyes trained on the notebook he held high above the fire in the fireplace. "Honey, come on. I know I was being bad…"

"Yes, you were, Mrs. Evans." Max agreed with a solemn expression as his gaze hungrily swept over her sheet-clad body from toe to head. The creamy skin of her thighs peaked through the bunched material and Max felt an instant fire begin to boil inside him. Until he focused on her exposed shoulders and the smooth curves swelling above the sheet each time Liz's chest rose and fell when she took a breath.

Then, the fire exploded.

His voice lowered huskily as the amber flames of his eyes burned her skin from half a room away. "In fact, I can't think of anything worse than glibly talking about nibbling and licking while you're lying naked in my bed…" Max's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "…completely ignoring me while I try my damndest to seduce you."

"Oh…is *that* what you were trying to do?" Liz put on her best innocent face and batted her eyelashes. "And here I only thought you were trying to cuddle. You know how you like to cuddle after an especially intense marathon of love making." The hot flame from the fireplace caught the twinkle of mischief in her eyes and Max had to hold back the groan that innocently devilish smile on her lips caused to rumble in his chest.

"You know I was only thinking of you." Liz continued as she edged her way closer with a few slow, sneaking steps. "It's only Friday night and we have the *whole* weekend. I just didn't want to wear you out…"

"Wear me out?" Max's instant laughter filled the room. "Please don't tell me you really thought that was going to work on me."

Liz shrugged her shoulders and grinned sheepishly. "Can't blame a girl for trying…"

Max shook his head in wonder. "Liz. You've been my wife long enough to know that when it comes to loving you…baby, I simply don't wear out. Must be the extent of my amazing alien powers kicking in or something." His eyes raked brazenly over her body and his voice lowered with an appetite that was increasing by leaps and bounds with every second that passed. "Who knows? Maybe it’s the irresistible little sex kitten that wanders into my bed on occasion." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Whatever the reason, you know I'm long on stamina and short on recovery time."

"And insatiable as all get out." Liz added with a twinkle of laughter dancing in her eyes as she watched him practically salivating over the picture she made by simply standing in front of him.

"Well, what do you expect when there's such a delectable feast staring me in the eyes?" Max toyed with Liz as he moved the notebook a little closer to the flames of the fire, his gaze resting once more on the sheet surrounding her, the meaning of his words crystal clear. "One that my wife seems to like keeping under wraps."

"Is…what I'm wearing…the problem?" Liz asked innocently as she glanced down at the sheet curving around her petite figure. "Cause, you know I could…do *something* about that…" Her eyes flicked back to his tauntingly. "Wanna see?"

Max swallowed hard and blinked rapidly. She could practically feel the heat of his barely breathed 'Oh, yeah' from half the room away.

Eyes dancing devilishly, Liz ran her one petite hand along the top of the sheet provocatively, her fingers dipping into the delightful crevice Max's inky black eyes were fixated on. Liz bit her lower lip to keep her laughter in check. He was completely mesmerized by every little move she was making. Boy, was she going to have fun with this.

Sliding effortlessly a few steps forward, Liz made sure she was in full view of Max. He wouldn't want any obstructions for this show she was about to put on. For that matter, neither did Liz. Continuing to taunt him, Liz slowly allowed a hand to run over the folds of material in a straight line from her faintly rising chest to her flat stomach then just a little bit lower, pausing a tantalizingly long moment right where the center of so much pleasure for both of them just waited to be explored.

Max's gulp was loud and hard. Liz felt an instant quaking deep inside her at the sound. She loved nothing better in life than getting her seemingly reserved husband to loose all control. Gulping was the first step.

With one swift move, Liz's hand moved lower and to the side, deftly flipping the blue sheet with a flourish to expose one bare leg. The effect was nothing short of magnificent. Creating a stark contrast of creamy beauty against the dark backdrop of midnight blue, the shapely leg gleamed in the firelight like fine porcelain. Or marble. Perfect beauty. But porcelain was also very cold. And marble…completely inanimate.

Definitely not words to describe his Liz.

There was fire in the creamy surface of her legs. They burned his lips. Made his hunger for her unbearable. He felt the flames every time she wrapped them around his waist. Skin to skin, pulling him into her. Setting off electrical currents throughout his body as they anchored desire against desire. Nestling aching need in the center of overflowing love.

Max's breath stilled in his chest as Liz stopped abruptly and stood still, like a perfectly posed statue. Giving him time to take in every glorious inch from her adorably arched foot up her smooth calf to one half of a pair of toned thighs that held secret powers the likes of which only Max Evans would ever know. Max released a ragged breath.

And Liz bit back a knowing smile. Ragged breathing was step two.

"Max, baby…" Liz's voice was soft and sultry when her hand slowly roamed the soft skin taking Max's gaze with it every inch of the way as she tried to coax her prize from him. A prize that a determined, multi-tasking Liz couldn't help but notice was dangerously close to the top of flames that had suddenly risen in intensity as Max's hand began to lower absently in his desire-induced haze. "…you know, this could be an interactive show. All you have to do is toss me the notebook…"

Dazed, Max's gaze moved from her statue-like stance to her eyes. There he found the sly, teasing glint of a minx. Yep. Fire. His fingers curled tightly around the new notebook's spiral binder as his lips curved into a feral grin. So, she was taunting him huh? Well. Two could play that game. Pursing his lips in apparent thought, Max's gaze drifted to Liz's exposed flesh again.

"I…could." Max agreed with a slight nod before his eyes flicked back to hers and a teasing grin claimed his lips as he moved the notebook carelessly over the flames. "But where exactly would be the fun in that?"

Liz bit her lip. Damn. Looks like that extra long sex-athon they'd run earlier was going to aid him in his resistance. He wanted her. There was no question. But needing her in the worst possible way…well, she still needed work on that one. He was still too satisfied from the last time...

Her lower lip came out in an adorable pout as she inched her way closer. "But, honey…it's for the kids. Do you really want all of our long, hard planning to do up in flames?"

"Our?" A disbelieving grin split Max's face. "Liz, you've had this party planned out for weeks. Knowing you, probably months. All I did was grunt my approval while you informed me of the plans and furiously scribbled away in this offending notebook."

A few more slow steps forward. A toss of her luxurious hair. One lick of her luscious lips and a seductive smile that made Max's knees go instantly weak. She arched her back slightly and twisted her bare shoulders alluringly as she ran a hand provocatively down her sides and rested them lightly on her hips when she took slow, swaying steps toward him working every last asset she had to her fullest advantage. "Mmm, but how I love it when you grunt your approval."

"Uh-huh." Max's gaze hungrily took in her every move, the licking flames of desire instantly darkening his glowing amber eyes to the color of shining coal. His tongue swept out to wet suddenly parched lips. Chest rising and falling with labored breaths, Max forced himself to play this seductive game and not just crumble into the needy, hormone-driven alien king that she was turning him into with each move of her supple body.

"So, do I. But…uh, that's usually because you're doing…" He exhaled loudly when he felt a surge of electric desire shoot to one particularly hard member. "…something delightfully wicked to me and…" Another gulp when the top of Liz's sheet loosened and slipped downward exposing a tiny bit more of yet another succulent area that brought mutual pleasure to both parties. Max held back a groan and squeezed his eyes shut trying to focus on his stammered words. "…and…not jotting down notes on a…you know…piece of paper."

"And about that piece of paper…"

Max's amber eyes snapped open to meet hers head on in an irresistible challenge. Confidence flashed in his expression as he watched her now hungry gaze drop to his bare, bronzed chest. Shadows from the dancing firelight behind him curved and molded their way over his pecs and abs emphasizing each taut hill and every smooth valley of his torso and well toned arms.

Liz's slightly parted lips let out a light sigh and Max couldn't stop a certain level of smugness from dancing in his eyes. "You want it?" Max words held a double meaning that was unmistakable as a sly grin started at the corner of his lips and worked its way inward.

One step closer. Liz's answering smile did the same as her eyes lowered meaningfully to the now obvious tent in his boxers. "I could ask the same question, you know."

"Do. You. Want. It?" Max repeated, his voice raspy and low and his intense gaze boring into hers.

"Oh, yes." Liz released a shaky breath.

"How bad?"

Her answer was a bare whisper, her own chest rising and falling now with the forced effort of breathing as her eyes locked with his. "In the worst way."

Max's grinned deepened to devilish depths and his eyes sparked with unholy fire. "Well, then I guess there's only one thing to do…" Max swiftly ripped the top piece of paper from the notebook before tossing the otherwise empty notebook in the fire. "Like I said, if you want this…" Max waved the paper tauntingly in front of Liz before slowly, carefully folding it then stuffing it down the front of his boxers with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. "You're just going to have to come and get it."

A moment of indecision hung in the air as Liz Evans tried to reason the best way to get everything she wanted from her husband. Max's eyes danced with adoration. She was so adorable, the wheels spinning in her brilliant mind while her body couldn't hide its reaction to his closeness. Or his intense gaze. No matter how hard she tried, a visible shiver ran through her and goosebumps were appearing all over her smooth skin. Having made a decision, Liz inched her way forward.

"Well, in that case…" Eyes slanted coyly up at him and a sly smile shadowing her lips, Liz took Max completely by surprise when instead of slipping forward and attacking him with gentle caresses and sweet kisses as her demeanor implied, she began a relentless tickle attack before deftly pulling his boxers down and lunging for the sacred slip of paper as it fluttered its way to the floor.

Quick on his feet despite fighting back his laughter, Max also lunged at the same time for the same piece of paper. He tripped over boxers that hadn't quite reached the floor and managed to pull Liz down with him to the rug in front of the fire as they both played tug of war with the paper in their hands. "Evans…"

A wicked smile clung to Max's lips as he gently tugged back on the paper. "Yes, love?"

"Give me the list." Liz's voice was low with mock-firmness as she gave a counter tug on the slip.

Max chuckled and shook his head, his grip on the paper held firm. "No."

"Hooooney…" Liz tried the whiney route. To no avail.

"Uh-huh."

Liz's eyes narrowed as she fought to keep a smile in check at the adorably stubborn little boy look on his face. She signed inwardly. If Kaleb ever learned that little trick, she'd be powerless to stop him from doing anything he ever wanted. "Alright. Name your price."

"A kiss."

Liz's eyebrow raised and her face scrunched up in mock disgust. "That's it? That's all you want? We went through all of this for a lousy, little…"

Faster than a speeding bullet, a hand shot out to wrap behind her neck, supporting her head, and pull her to him swiftly and firmly. Max's lips descended on hers cutting off any further complaints and Liz sank into him willingly, sighing into his mouth with a helpless sound of satisfaction.

How could she not be helpless? How could she not be satisfied? With those amazingly soft, hot lips prying the very soul from deep within her? This was home. Deep in Max's soul-filled kisses. Wrapped in longing so strong and so fathomless it would never fade away. Lost in the depths of his gentle love…

Too bad she didn't notice the subtle way his fingers inched forward gaining ground and tightening their grip at the very instant their kiss deepened immeasurably. Had she noticed, she just might have been able to prevent her moan of pleasure from turning into a yelp of pain when Max yanked the paper out of her hand.

"Oww! Hey! Paper cut!" Liz pushed Max back playfully and immediately began to inspect her hand that now sported a light flesh wound that was beginning to bleed. She batted her long, lush eyelashes and pushed out her lower lip into a pout, showing her hand to a contritely amused Max. "Fix it…"

Max started to chuckle as he gently took her hand in his. "Awww, honey. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you…"

"Yeah?" Liz inquired as she eyed the now-treasured paper still firmly in Max's grasp. Not that Liz couldn't do without it. After all, Max had been right. She'd had the details of the twins' first birthday party mapped out in her mind for months. Still…it was the principle of the thing… A sly smile shadowed her lips as Max's head bent over her wound. "Well, then I think you owe me something…."

Quick as a cobra's strike, Liz's uninjured hand shot out and ripped the paper from Max. It was then his turn to yelp in pain. He too was now a member of the Paper Cut Club. "Oww! Why you little…" Max pounced on Liz and pinned her to the floor grasping for the tiny scrap of paper that neither of them really cared about any more now that a far different kind of war was under way. Liz struggled against Max as their combined laughter filled the room and she managed to push him back far enough to slip out of his grasp.

Max reached for her just as she rolled into a sitting position and grinned down at him. Close enough to feel her heat but still just out of reach. Her face was flushed with exertion and her eyes were bright with victory as she clung with one hand to the haphazardly tangled sheet that was beginning to fall away from her body and held the party list high in the air with her other hand.

Victory quickly took a back seat as other emotions moved quickly into the driver's seat. Her breathing was short and ragged from their little play and seemed to quicken even more as her eyes swept over the gloriously naked form of her magnificent husband as he lay before her, propped up on one elbow and grinning a slow, sexy smile. As ebony eyes met midnight, giggles quickly died and desire collided between them.

Reading each others' thoughts like words on a page and feeling the insatiable hunger pouring out of their lover's eyes, Max and Liz reached for each other simultaneously. Slowly leaning forward for a kiss, drawn to each other like magnets. Forgetting their injuries, their hands absently touched.

And fresh blood mingled.

The contact sent an unexpected, instantaneous jolt of electricity through both of them and an almost audible zipping sound resonated throughout the room. Then there was a snappish 'click'. As if something had been permanently set into place and sealed. And a feeling permeated the air. As if the elements swirling around them had suddenly begun to hum with brand new life.

Max and Liz jumped back from each other, eyes wide with shock. Breathing, heavy and uncertain. Wounds beginning to tingle with effervescent warmth.

"Oh, my God. Max…what…what just happened…"

Max couldn't answer. Not with the inhuman roar that was filling his ears. Seeping into his mind. Taking over his thoughts. And not with the sudden rumbling that was beginning deep within him. A violent quaking as if some great demon was ascending from the depths of hell. His blood began to boil. Began to literally ache with a hunger so deep, so primal. So…savage.

A shiver of anticipation raced through Liz as she watched every nuance of Max's expression flicker and fade then flare with life again, changing as swiftly as the direction of the wind. There was a new wildness deep in his eyes that literally made the blood in her veins leap to sudden life. To restlessly pump a renewed energy to every greedy cell of her body. Waiting. Anticipating. Craving. Knowing…

A loud gasp bounced off the walls and Liz's heart began to race in wild excitement when Max let out a feral growl and literally ripped the sheet away from her body. Without warning, without precursor. Without gentleness.

"Max…" His whispered name barely made it past her parched lips and her body began to tingle with sudden awareness. Began to hum with an unfamiliar energy. Began to ache for something…foreign.

Pushed through heavy breathing, each answering word was a growl. A low, raspy, hungry rumble of something…basic. Something…alien. "Need. Want. Take…"

An alien seemingly possessed, Max Evans in turn took possession of the only thing that could cure the intensely desperate fever raging in his ancient, untamed bones…

And Liz Parker passed a galaxy of stars as she was instantly thrust into another world…

Tbc…

~ chapter 13 ~


May 2005


A purr of contentment filled the room as Liz lazily stretched herself awake. Numb. Pleasantly numb. And sore. In places she didn't even know existed in a human body. Liz let out another satisfied sigh as she snuggled down into the blanket now covering her. Ah, but what a way to ache.

It was all a blur. And yet, every detail was as clear as crystal. Each ravenous, fiery touch. Every blazing, ferocious kiss. That all consuming, instinctively spontaneous burst of primal force that pushed unrestrained passion to the limit and plunged them both over the edge into unfathomable ecstasy. An ecstasy that seemed to last forever.

Etched forever in the depths of her favorite memories, this night would go down in history as an amazing phenomena. An anomaly of such gigantic proportions that the very memory of it would be taken out when nights were long and cold. And her arms were aching and empty. And her heart was weary and worn. Just so she could know…so she could feel…that there was one moment in time when human and alien merged in such perfect union that even the stars bowed in awe. The earth trembled in wonder. And the moon stood still paying silent homage.

Much like the first night Liz and Max made love. Only…more.

A feline grin slowly spread over Liz's lips and she reached out for Max only to have her smile disappear when her hand encountered empty air. Blinking quickly, Liz pulled the blanket around her and sat up, her gaze searching the dark room for the familiar form of her husband. "Max? Honey…where are you?"

She listened a moment for the sound of his response only to have silence greet her. An uneasy feeling began to settle over her that she quickly tried to push out of her mind. Maybe he was just in the kitchen getting something to eat. It wasn't like he hadn't worked up an appetite. A sly grin caught her lips when her stomach growled. Now, that she thought about it, so had she.

Wrapping herself up in the blanket, Liz quickly headed toward the kitchen only to be once again greeted by silence. Her apprehension grew instinctively. Wetting her lips and swallowing hard, Liz took a deep breath and headed toward the stairs. If he wasn't in the second floor bedroom, the problem was gigantic and he was running from it. If he was…it was huge, but workable. God, whatever it is, please don't let him shut me out. Not right now…


Lost deep in thought as he stared up at the stars in the night sky, Max's head was leaning against the arm that braced his body against the solid wood window frame. He jumped at the sound of Liz's voice and the feel of her arms circling his waist. "Hey. I woke up and you were gone. I wondered where you went to." Max made a quick swipe of his hand from the corner of his eye down his cheek to clear away any telltale signs of recent tears before glancing over his shoulder and tossing her a brief smile.

Clearing his throat to talk didn't alleviate the thick emotions that were lodged there. And Liz buried her head against his back in an effort to warm the chill that suddenly filled from the inside out. It didn't help. "Yeah, sorry about that. I…um, I couldn't sleep."

"You could have gotten me up, you know. If you wanted to…"

Max quickly cut off her suggestion and moved gently from the circle of her embrace to turn and rub her arms lightly, tentatively. "You…you were sleeping so peacefully." He smiled absently and barely looked into her eyes before glancing away. "I didn't want to wake you." Escaping swiftly in the direction of his unpacked bag still lying on the floor where he'd promptly dropped it the second he'd seen Liz waiting for him on the bed wearing nothing more than a smile, Max bent to pick it up and carried it to the nearby dresser.

Liz eyed him carefully as she watched the muscles in his back contract and relax with fluid movement when he turned his attention to steadily unpacking. She was trying her hardest not to blow his current reactions to her out of proportion. But that knot in the pit of her stomach was steadily growing larger. Trying once more to reach him, she forced a smile into her voice. "Are you hungry? I was going to make something…"

"No, thanks. I'm fine."

No eye contact. Polite answers. Distracting movements. This wasn't going away…

Liz resigned herself with a sigh as she clasped her hands in front of her. "Max, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Max shrugged and glanced quickly back at her trying to keep his voice light. His eyes betrayed him. "What…what makes you think something's wrong?"

"Oh, I don't know. You won't look at me. You're avoiding any physical contact..."

"I'm fine, Liz." Again, Max cut her off. He moved to the closet and hung up a few shirts as he continued to act as if nothing were wrong. "I'm probably just a little keyed up after the trip is all." Max forced himself to turn back to her with a smile as his eyes met her in an effort to convince her of something that painfully, obviously not true. "I'm fine. Really."

Silence filled the room as he deftly dove back into his job of unpacking. And Liz was faced with a decision. Either walk away and let Max come to her on his own. Or force the issue. Normally, letting Max come to her on his own would work, but they didn't really have that much time together. Not to mention Max's now famous way of dealing with problems…ignoring them. Just putting one foot in front of the other and refusing to feel emotions that were too powerful to master on his own.

Once, they had talked about everything. Trusted each other with each and every emotion. Even fear. Even uncertainty. But something had happened along the way. Something had broken between them. And even though they were now together and as in love as ever, their time apart had changed Max. Made him harder. Put walls around his heart that he tried to duck behind way too often. And Liz actually understood that. It was a defense mechanism. One that she herself had used…until the night Max tricked her. It was a way to keep a tender heart that had been bruised so badly once upon a time from having to revisit that pain and loneliness that almost destroyed him.

Love was never in question. Neither was trust, really. But for a closed off, hardened warrior used to dealing with deceit and espionage every day flipping the switch to open and trusting husband on occasional weekends was not always the easiest transition for Max Evans to make. It was time for her flip that switch for him. Even if it did send a painful electric jolt through both their systems…

Liz squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Max…stop lying and just tell me. Did I…did I do something wrong?"

Maybe it was the question. Maybe the slight tremor in her voice. Maybe it was the oppressive silence that had been plaguing him. Whatever the button was, Liz had pushed it and Max responded with vehement surprise. "What?!" Max spun around to face her. "No! God, how could even ask that after what I did to you?"

"What you did to me?" Confusion clouded Liz's expression. "Max…what are you talking about? What's going on with you?" She watched as Max's gaze dropped uncomfortably and he began to bite his lower lip. Brushing past her, Max headed back toward the window and agitatedly began picking up haphazardly discarded clothes from the floor. Liz suddenly became painfully aware of what was going on in Max's mind. "Wait a minute here. Are you…are you saying you regret what just happened between us?"

"Don’t you?" His body stiffened and his head snapped up. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. And boy, he wished with all his heart he'd been able to. The reflection he saw in the window broke his heart. Instant hurt flashed in Liz's eyes and her chest rose and caught as if she'd just been stabbed and couldn't find the air to breath. Max just wanted to sink right through the floorboards and disappear forever for having put that look on her face.

Liz met that now familiar expression of intense self-loathing in the reflection of the window and she slowly shook her head as her gaze softened. "No, Max. I don't. That happened to be the most extraordinary…" Stepping forward, Liz turned Max around and gazed up into his eyes. "Max, what we usually experience when we make love is mind blowing in and of itself, but this…this was beyond even that. So, no. No, I don't regret what happened at all."

Dropping her hands from his arms when her earnest confession met stubborn silence, Liz crossed her arms in front of her as if shielding herself from impending pain. Swallowing the fear rumbling in the pit of her stomach, Liz blinked and made a brave statement. Especially since his very response had the power to rip her heart to shreds. "But apparently you do and I am very curious to know why."

"Liz…"

"Talk to me, Max." Liz stopped Max's protest with determination. When his gaze shifted from her pleading eyes, her voice took up the cause. "Max, please…"

Max sidestepped her and headed toward the other side of the room. "Look, I just…I don't want to fight, ok?"

"Yeah, well, neither do I. So why don't you just talk to me instead?" They both turned to face one another. Their gazes, holding each other captive. Even then, her plea met a stone wall. Much like the night they'd found out she was pregnant with the twins, Max's expression was suddenly closed off. His eyes were devoid of any clear readable emotion. He was purposely putting an emotional wall between them. Stubbornly pushing her away. "Dammit, Max. Don't shut down on me right now." Liz took a step forward. "Why do you regret the most amazing thing that's ever happened…"

At her last statement, his expression suddenly flared with annoyance that she wasn't going to drop this. The words were pushed out through clenched teeth and his hands tightened into fists by his side. "You want to know what's wrong? Fine. Fine, I'll tell you. Because…because it wasn't us, Liz."

"It wasn't?" Pure confusion turned quickly to frustration. The flippant response slipped out in defensive habit as her chin raised defiantly. "Then who was it, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause?"

"I'm being serious." Max's eyes flashed with irritation.

"So am I." Liz shot back stubbornly as she felt the prickle of tears behind her eyes and blinked rapidly to stop the well she knew was coming. "Would you like to fill me in on what the hell you're talking about right now because I know where I was just a while ago. And I'm pretty damn sure you were right there with me."

"Liz, please…" Max's gaze softened just seconds before he hung his head and passed a hand over his eyes before turning his back on her again. And Liz's apprehension grew. Those tears she'd been trying to hold back quickly filled her eyes and she began struggling to regain some kind of control before she spoke again.

Various scenarios began running through Liz's mind and none of them were possibilities she really wanted to think let alone put into words. Once they were in actual words, they would have to be confronted. And confronting something so sensitive, so basic to a relationship, wasn't a cherished job. But if there was one thing Liz Evans had learned through all the ups and downs of her rocky, yet ironically perfect, relationship with Max it was that not confronting a situation together only lead to misunderstandings and empty, lonely arms. And broken hearts. Closed off souls.

She couldn't go back there. Not to that emptiness. Not after what Max and she had just shared. There was something stopping him from seeing it. Something blocking his view of the beauty they'd created. There was only one way to show him the sparkling sunshine of their love--by pulling back the black curtain of doubt that was surrounding him…

"Unless…unless you're trying to tell me that that wasn't my husband that I felt. And tasted. And…and heard scream my name every time he fell apart in my arms." Angrily brushing away a wayward tear, Liz's voice began to tremble and her body felt a chill sweep over her unlike anything she'd ever known. "Is that…is that it, Max? Are you going to try and tell me that it was all a dream or…or some twisted alien mindwarp. Or that someone switched bodies with you? That I actually made love to a stranger while you were off on some stupid planet somewhere making it with someone else?"

Max whirled to face her, his voice catching, his eyes flashing with indignant fire. "Well, I certainly wasn't thinking about being with Tess if that's what you're implying!"

Max's explosion bounced off the walls.

There was Liz's sharp intake of breath.

Then…

You could hear a pin drop.

Silence hung like a heavy weight in the air as Max and Liz stared at each other. Raw emotions gathered in their eyes. Too many to name. Too many to feel. Too many to acknowledge. While Max trembled with horror at what he'd just uttered…what he'd just implied, the nonsequitur of the denial disturbed Liz more than the vehemence with which it was uttered.

The self-loathing in Max's dark intense eyes was so palpable. Liz literally felt a lump of bile rise in her throat and swallowed more than a few times just to dislodge it. As tears began to shine in his eyes, pieces of the puzzle began to shift into place. All that Liz had felt…all she'd experienced in his arms…she knew with an intensity that she'd never known before that Max was hers and hers alone. No questions. No doubts. Her heart broke for him when she realized he thought she didn't know that…

Liz was the first to break the unbearable silence. "No, actually...that's not what I was implying. Or even thinking. Tess was the furthest thing from my mind, Max." Her chin raised and her shoulders squared as if preparing herself for a mortal blow as her voice softened in contrast. "But apparently, not from yours. Would you like to explain to me why your former wife has all of a sudden entered this discussion?"

Max's eyes squeezed shut and his lips drew a tight line that conveyed the struggle he was waging with himself. The human who wanted so desperately to open his heart to his only true wife. The alien too afraid of what monster she'd find if she were to take too close of an inventory.

Realizing she'd lost the battle for now, Liz cleared her throat and tossed Max an insult she hoped would kick his warrior butt into husband gear. "Fine. I'm famished anyway. You can join me downstairs when you've decided to stop sulking like a little boy and talk to me like an adult."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Half of her ached for his presence. The other half had been glad for the respite.

It gave her time to think. To analyze. To rationally try to figure out what had happened earlier between them and how it was affecting Max now. She'd actually come up with a few theories and quite a few experiments to work on. Now, with all of them laid out before her in her mind, she just needed Max to come and make her soul warm again.

After the oneness she'd felt with him earlier, there was an acute, sharp pain right where her heart was supposed to be beating. The blood in her veins seemed sluggish. The breath in her lungs…literally stifling. With the way her body seemed to be shutting down, even an hour away from him was way too long right now…

Her pulse quickened reflexively.

Liz squeezed her eyes shut and released a shaky breath of relief when she heard the sound of bare feet hesitating at the bottom of the stairs behind her. Opening her eyes to stare into the roaring fire, she continued to bite on her fingernails nervously as she counted the steps Max took padding past where she sat with her back against the couch.

Her dark gaze slowly raised to where he was standing in front of the fireplace his fingers running absently along the mantle and his back only half turned to her. She took in his perfect profile as she waited silently for him to begin. Shadows dancing on his smooth skin, Liz could tell even in the darkness that he'd been crying. Long and hard.

When he finally spoke, his voice was as warm as the flames he was staring into. "Do you know…do you have any idea how much I love you? How terrified I am…of losing you? How just that very thought makes me want to just…" A broken voice continued in a whisper after a pause. "Liz, I love you…" His long lashes lay gently against his bronze cheeks when his eyes drifted closed in unconscious emphasis. "…so very much."

When those first words left his mouth, it took everything in her power not to jump up from the floor and throw herself into his arms. She forced herself to stay still. To concentrate. To feel the emotions rolling off of him. To see what he was seeing in his mind. She could do that now. If only barely. It was unnerving…and comforting all at the same time. To know what he was going to say before he said it. Like a faint humming along the edges of her mind…

"I hurt you tonight, Liz. By my reaction. By my silence. I…I don't want to hurt you anymore." The last statement was a whisper. A barely breathed promise. Swallowing hard, Max bowed his head as he stared at the floor. "At the very least you deserve to know why I reacted the way I did. That is, if you're still willing…

"I'm listening, Max." For the first time, Liz spoke. And her words gave Max more courage than a million weapons at his disposal.

He looked at her for the first time, his eyes heavy with sadness, and nodded. "Alright." Looking away again as if to gather his courage, Max bit down on his lower lip and began, mesmerized by the licking flames of a candle on the mantle. "First, about Tess. About what I said."

Turning pleading eyes to her, the earnestness of Max's silent appeal to be understood found its way to his voice. "You've got to believe me, Liz…she wasn't the one I wanted tonight. The one I craved with such…" Max let out a shaky breath, his voice taking on the essence of his own chosen word. "…intensity. Such…urgency and…and greed."

His head shook emphatically as his sincere gaze searched her expression for a hint of her reaction. "Not even for one second, Liz. Or even a thought. I didn't feel her deep in my bones…in my blood. You are the one that's a part of me, Liz. In my heart. My soul. My…mind. She never has been. She never will be. And I've never felt the truth of that as strongly as I did tonight."

"I know." Liz whispered softly, her love for the man before her filling up her heart so quickly she had to take a quick breath to keep it from breaking wide open with the soothing balm. The moment it broke, she knew her tears would start to flow and she wouldn't be able to stop them. Crying wasn't what Max needed right now. Max needed her heart to hear his as he poured it out to her. He needed her mind to sift out the dross and see the clarity of what he was really trying to say. To pull from between the lines what was really making him afraid.

Crossing his arms in front of him, Max began to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace with a shake of his head. "Hell, I didn't even think about her until long after it was over and I was trying to make sense of things. And then the only reason she even came to mind is because of how scared I was about what I felt tonight. It reminded me of that time I kissed her back in high school. It was so out of control. So, primal. So…not me. Not the human side of me, anyway…and I…I just…"

"What are you so afraid of, Max? Why are you too paralyzed to feel anything but fear right now?"

The questions stopped him dead in his tracks and his eyes flicked downward to meet hers as she calmly, wisely gazed up at him from her seat on the floor. He let out a deep sigh and shut his eyes in anguish , running his fingers through his hair before turning once more to the fireplace. Max braced his hands against the mantle and bowed his head as if the answer to that question was causing him physical pain. Perhaps it was. Liz certainly felt the ache growing in her own heart as she watched him struggle.

Max had no real idea how to put what he was feeling in words. He didn't know how to explain what had happened. He couldn't bring himself to say what was really haunting him. The fact that a part of him had awakened with such force caused his very bones to quake with fear. As amazing and spectacular and utterly mind blowing as making love to Liz had been, Max was terrified of feeling that way again. He almost dreaded it, in fact. Not for the actual act itself. Not for the perfection of their union. But for lack of control. All he could think was What if one day I go too far? What if one time…this demon in me…hurts her?

A muffled voice finally filled the silence that hung in the room. "Do you remember when Tess first came to town? When we thought she was Nasedo? Do you remember that talk we had at the Crashdown…the one where you told me how scared you were of them. Because they were aliens?"

Liz nodded mutely as she watched Max slowly turn from absently playing with a twig his fingers had found on the mantle to lock eyes with her. "I felt alien tonight, Liz. I've never…I've never wanted to be an alien with you. I've never wanted to go to places where you can't join me. Or be something you can't share. I've never wanted to be the one thing that you're most afraid of."

"Oh, Max…"

Max continued as if he didn't hear her. He was in his own world now. A world of silent fears and inner torment. "You don't…you don't know how much I struggle. To be human. To keep the alien in me from taking over. From making me into some kind of disgusting freak that you won't be able to love. And I failed to keep it leashed tonight. I failed to love you the way you should be loved. Gently and with respect. You didn't deserve tonight, Liz. You didn't deserve to be treated like a thing to be conquered and used. And I'm…I'm so ashamed of that."

"Max…" She shifted, her voice pulling his gaze to her face. "Honey, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. It's not like you turned into this evil, raging monster..."

"But I did."

"Max, no…"

Max held up his hand and immediately stilled her protest. "No, Liz. It's true. Let's face it. Every time the alien in me rears its ugly head, people get hurt. You get hurt. And there is fear. And disgust. It happened back then in high school. I saw it in your eyes. Heard it in your voice. It was like something sacred between us…that unbreakable trust…it was broken when I kissed Tess. Because I think for the first time you really realized there was a part of me you could never change. A part of me you would never understand."

"And even if you could, I couldn't explain to you the side of me that her presence brought out. My alien side. I can't even now. And I never…Liz, I never felt that we ever truly got that unbreakable trust back. Not until I found out about what really happened with you and Kyle. And every time the alien in me takes over, Liz…every time we have to face another alien oddity…I feel as if we're taking one more brick from the pile of reasons to be together and just adding a wall to the pile of reasons not to be."

"And why should you want to be with me anyway, huh? From what we've already seen, my race is not the most trustworthy of beings. I mean, there's Isabel who supposedly betrayed Michael and me on our planet. Michael has always been a trust issue with his hotheaded, impulsive streak. Tess who will manipulate her way into anything and everything she can just to be on top at the end of the day. Nasedo…with his lack of conscience and penchant for murder…" An ironic smirk twisted Max's lips as he ran a hand through his hair. "God, Liz…he was supposed to be our teacher. Our mentor. I actually hate to think what we'd be like if he lived…"

Max's voice hardened. "Then of course, there's Drake. Drake, who used to be one of my right hand guys. Who used to sit around the fire and share the latest alien joke he'd heard in town with everyone. Drake, the alien that you're now in bed with, so to speak. What kind of husband can let his wife endure half of the hell you do every day because of our situation and not be considered a monster, Liz?" Gaze cast upward, Max put his hands on his hips and shut his eyes. "And then on top of all of that…tonight I just…I turned into this…savage, uncontrollable…"

"Max, stop it!" Liz was standing before him now, her hands reaching up to gently capture his face and get his attention. When their eyes met, Liz began to shake her head. "You didn't turn into anything, Max. You are not a monster."

"Aren't I?" His voice was so small. So vulnerable. "It's happening now, Liz. I'm still hurting you. Just by being me--the alien…I will always hurt you. Only a monster could do that to someone he so desperately loves…"

"No, Max. Listen to me. A monster would never be able to love in the first place. Not desperately. And especially not the way I felt you loving me tonight."

"You can't possibly mean that. Not with the way I was…" Max shook his head in disbelief and pulled away from Liz's touch as he backed away a few steps trying to put more distance between them. As much as he wanted to drown in the comfort of her gentle touch right now, he needed to be understood even more.

Liz saw the vulnerability in his eyes. She saw his desire to believe her, but something was still holding him back. Self-loathing. Insecurity. That had always been his hang up. Not believing all of him was truly loveable. Well, it was time to break the pattern. Time to stop his doubts once and for all. And Liz Evans had just the weapon to do it.

She took a step forward to press her advantage. "I do mean it, Max. Every word. But if you're so determined to view yourself like that…like a monster that can't be controlled…well, then I guess you'll just have to think of me that way too."

"What?" His voice was incredulous.

Liz shrugged. "You've changed me, Max. And I don't just mean that I'm a better person because of you. I mean, you have changed me. Physically. And I was just as uncontrollable as you." She held out her arms and raised her chin in a challenge. "So, here I am, Max. Take a good look. I'm the monster you've created."

"Liz…" Max's voice was shaking with emotion, proof positive that he didn't want to face the ramifications of what they had experienced. A cumulative result of drastic actions and deepening connections throughout the years. "I have no idea what you're talking about…"

"You would if you would just think about it. I'm no longer 100% human girl Liz Parker any more. I haven't been for a long time. You changed that when you saved my life that day in the Crashdown. I have powers and heightened sensations. I see visions of places no human has ever dreamed of seeing. Felt things no human can imagine."

Liz stepped forward, love blazing in her eyes as her hands instinctively reached up and took Max's face in her hands. "And best of all…I have shared myself with you. You, Max. Alien. Human. Hybrid. It's all the same to me. You own me heart, soul and body. And from that union, I've given birth to two beautiful alien babies. A person doesn't go through all of that and not have changes take place, Max. For all we know, I could be half alien now."

Max shook his head in denial and his jaw working with emotion. "No. Don't say that."

"Why not, Max? It's true. And why wouldn't we want it to be?" The excitement in Liz's voice began to shine in her eyes. "God, don't you see the possibilities of this? You say I've never been able to understand a part of you. You're wrong, Max. I understand that alien side of you more than you know. And you think…you think you can't take me places…that you there's a part of you I'll never be able to share. Well, I have news for you, Max Evans. I shared it with you tonight. You took me with you into an untamed wildness, an instinctive passion, that I've never known before. And it was magnificent."

Eyes shimmering with tears, Max grabbed Liz hands in his the earnestness of his plea so evident. The longing to believe her so strong it was racing through his blood. But his insecurity was just as strong. "But don't you get it, Liz? Don't you see? All that magnificence can turn to horror in a heartbeat and we won't know how to stop it. We won't know, Liz, because I can't explain to you what happened. I…I don't know what came over me. I don’t know who I was…who I am."

"But I do." The confidence in Liz's eyes nearly blew Max away. His breath froze and he swallowed hard at the love just pouring from every cell of her being into his. Wherever their skin touched he felt a burning sensation that warmed him from the inside out.

Liz's hands once again moved to capture his face, her forehead leaning against his. Her breath whispering softly against his lips and her eyes locking intently with his. "Max…you're my husband. The father of my children. My lover. My best friend. And I love you. All of you. Not just your human side. ALL of you, Max. And I always will. There's nothing we can't handle together." Her fingers curled under his jaws for emphasis. "Being all of who you are will never hurt me again, Max. Never again."

"But…how can you be so sure?" The awe in his choked whisper was undeniable.

Liz smile deepened and stars began to shine in her eyes. "Because its you." A warm hand ran from Max's cheek to his strong chin before dropping to lightly cover his wildly beating heart. "My sweet, tender, tortured Max. You've been in pain for so long." Looking up at him from under her long thick lashes, Liz's eyes begged his permission to do for him what he'd done for her so long ago. "Let me heal you, Max. Let me heal you like you've healed me."

A hard swallow and a silent nod were Liz's only response as Max squeezed his eyes shut against the pain ripping through him. A warm smile spread over her lips as she lightly grabbed Max's hand and led him to the nearest chair. "Sit."

Obeying willingly and stubbornly blinking away tears that threatened to fall, Max looked up at her then cocked an eyebrow at her next command. "Now, spread your legs."

"Uh, Liz…as much as I would love to…"

"Spread 'em."

Max complied as a grin started to peek its way from behind the frown that had owned his lips for too long. His eyes began to darken as he adoringly watched every little move Liz made. The toss of her long hair. The cute way her nose absently scrunched up as she grabbed a pillow from the couch and tossed it on the floor between his feet. The way her hips swayed slightly before she knelt between his legs and placed her hands on his upper thighs, the warmth of her fingers sending chills of fire through the fabric of his boxers straight into his body.

Liz locked eyes with him, the seriousness of the moment reflected in their midnight depths. "Tell me, Max. When you were up in the bedroom alone…when I wasn't there to dry your tears…where did you hurt the most?"

Max's gaze wavered and his whisper was barely audible. "My heart."

Leaning forward, Liz placed a gentle hand against his heart, her eyes still locked on his face. "Right here?"

Glancing back up at her, his gaze caught as he nodded once in confirmation. She was mesmerizing. With the play of firelight and shadows across her face, Max Evans knew he'd never seen any sight more beautiful than the woman before him. His wife. His Liz. And she loved him. Oh, how she loved him. He could see it in every nuance of her expression. He saw it glowing with the deepest intensity in her eyes. And there was that hint of a smile through her seriousness. A smile that was his and his alone.

No one had every seen this Liz Parker before. Because she was right. She no longer was Liz Parker. She was Liz Evans. Wife of an alien leader. Changed by the touch of his hand. Healed by the strength of his love. Rescued from loneliness by the power of his devotion. He had given her everything he had when he'd given himself to her.

And now, she was giving it back. Now, the healed was healing the healer.

Max closed his eyes and let unattainable peace wash over him as Liz's warm, soft lips placed lingering kisses on his bare chest right where his heart was beginning to pound out an unsteady rhythm and his breath was catching itself mid-inhale, as if wanting to savor each loving caress.

Her heated whisper sent chills through him that brought instant goosebumps to the surface of his skin. It was as if she were whispering to his heart. Breathing truth and love and life back into the very depths of his soul. "I was inside you, Max. Before. That's why it was…beyond…for me. Why it was so beautiful…so magnificent."

Fingers lightly caressing smooth skin, Liz's dark, hungry gaze drifted upward to meet his blazing amber eyes. "I…I didn't just feel what you felt when you looked at me. It was more than that. I knew what you wanted at the exact same moment you wanted it. I felt your insatiable hunger for me. Your urgency. Your…uncontrollable need. Just as if it were my own."

As her magic fingers worked over hard muscles, spreading the warmth of love from the center of his heart outward, Liz could feel them ripple and tremble under her touch. She felt a heat growing deep inside Max's body. Rising to the surface. Burning her fingers. Desire sparking to life. Her own reactions weren't far behind.

Closing her eyes, remembering, Liz's voice drifted into a dream-like state pulling Max with her into a current of overwhelming sensations. Mental images sprang alive with each word. Physical fire blazed wherever her fingers roamed, wherever skin brushed against skin. "I was inside your head. Your body…it was like…it was like it was my body. Your blood was my blood. Your cells matched up with mine before merging. Each heartbeat pounded away in my chest. I felt you come alive inside of me, Max. Every penetrating move…it felt like I was the one directing you. Telling you what to do without saying a word."

Her eyes slowly drifted open to stare into his as he watched her weave a magic spell in the room. The truth of her confession was so raw, so tangible, in her eyes. "I've never been that connected to anyone before. Not even you, Max. I've never felt so wanted in my whole entire life."

Liz's gaze dropped back to Max's chest, her eyelashes shield what was sure to be disappointment at Max's awed silence. "You know, its ok, Max. It's ok if you didn't feel what I felt…"

"But I did." The husky interruption caused Liz's head to snap up. Max nodded in answer to the questions in her eyes. His fingers tangled in her hair as his hands moved to cup her face. "I did, Liz. I knew exactly where you wanted me to touch you. I knew what you wanted to feel. I was powerless to control my reactions to your desires. It…it was like you craved it and I just…"

"Fed my craving." Liz finished for him softly as her eyes danced with a host of dazed stars.

"Yeah." Max nodded once and swallowed hard. "It was…instinctive. Almost…savage. And…" Max let out a shaky breath. "…and as wildly beautiful as that was…that's the very reason it terrified me. Because I never want you to not feel my love, Liz. I don't ever want it to just be some primal force driving me or…or just about pure lust, even though I definitely…definitely have plenty of that for you to spare…"

Liz stopped his words with a gentle finger against his lips. "Max. I did feel loved. I did. You conveyed it in the greediness of your touch. In the wildness of your eyes. In the fierceness of your kisses. The very fact it was so instinctive shows just how much you love me. We could never be truly one like that if you didn't." Leaning forward, her hand wrapped around his neck to pull him closer to her, their eyes locking intensely. "And just for the record, I could be worried about the exact same thing. I wanted to you so much it was frightening. It still is…"

Leaning her forehead against his, Liz couldn't stop the gentle smile from breaking out over her face. "Max something incredible happened tonight. We became one in a way that's never happened before. I seriously didn't know where my desires ended and yours began. I know I'm not saying this right…

"Shhh." Dipping his head, the feather-like brush of Max's lips against hers sent a visible shiver racing through her body. The next contact brought a helpless sound directly from the back of her throat as Max sucked her bottom lip into the moist warmth of his mouth before quickly breaking away to instantly cover the rest of her mouth with his. The kiss was slow and sweet. Gentle and lingering. Full of longing and passion. And possession.

As Liz fingers threaded through Max's hair with a little more urgency, his hands cupped her face. Tugging lightly upward, Max's desires were clear. And Liz complied. Moving as one, Max's hands slid through Liz's hair, down her back to cup her bottom as Liz smoothly moved from the floor to straddle him in the chair. With Max shifting to accommodate her, they never once broke their kiss.

And it intensified. Each sweep of Liz's tongue over Max's trembling lips seemed to brush away one more doubt. Each relentless plunge into the warm depths of his mouth pushed one more insecurity into an endless abyss. Every attempt to gulp each other down, to devour each other whole, swallowed one more paralyzing fear.

One by one pain and panic, disappointments and despair, secret ghosts and chilling horror were put to rest. Each, broken under the weight of unconditional love. Washed away by the sea of rising passion. Banished by a shield of unbreakable trust.

And they kissed. And caressed. Moved together. And mimicked with their mouths what their bodies were aching to do. Until they found that air was actually necessary to breathe.

Liz's lips were swollen and her eyes bright with desire when she pulled away, gulping a large pocket of air into her lungs. Leaning his forehead against hers, Max's breathing was shallow and his eyes were shut in bliss as he swallowed back the urge to attack her sweet lips again. Air or no air.

Seeking to find words to convey what he was feeling…what he had felt, Max knew the moment they were out of his mouth, they fell utterly short of his goal. "You're…you're saying everything perfect, Liz. Because I was there. I felt it too. I know."

"Do you know it now, Max?" The question blazed in Liz's eyes. "Do you know what I want right this second? No guessing. Just…knowing?"

Afraid to disappoint her but knowing she would know the truth if he tried to lie, Max shook his head slowly, sadness creeping into the depths of his eyes. "I'm…sorry, Liz. I don't. Not…not like that. Not like we were."

"Me either." His answer brought an unexpected light into Liz's eyes. "Do you want to?"

Pulling back slightly, Max's gaze roamed her face. He blinked. The wheels in his wife's head were turning and Max felt a sudden surge of irrepressible longing race through him. A longing to revisit that intense union. To feel once again what it was like to be so deeply immersed in Liz that he lost all sense of himself. To do it right this time. No fear. No doubts. No reservations. Completely aware of what was taking place. "How?"

Liz produced a tiny pocket knife from deep within her shirt pocket. A small smile haunted her lips and excitement brightened her expression. "Blood, Max. You say you don't know how to explain what happened earlier. Well, I do." She hastened her explanation when she saw the hint of question in his eyes. "Our paper cuts, Max. We were both bleeding. And when we…"

"When we touched, our blood mixed." Max finished for her, his voice holding a note of awe.

Liz nodded. "Yes."

"So, you're saying…"

"I'm saying I don't know why it created the reaction it did. I don't know why we don't still have that reaction now. Is it a permanent thing? One that might not have taken completely because of the limited amount of blood we shared? Or was it a freak of nature that happened because certain stars were in alignment." She shook her scientific head and shrugged. "I really don't know. But I'm willing to find out. That is, if you are."

She watched his gaze waver and attempted to lighten the mood a bit, knowing Max still had an inner struggle to face and not wanting to pressure him into something he wasn't ready for. "You know, Max, for all we know it could be some ancient alien mating ritual or something." A teasing smile grabbed her lips. "Which, by the way, if it is a mating ritual…we have some major thanks to give to the genius who came up with that one on that planet of yours."

Max chuckled and his eyes began to dance with love. "Duly noted, my Queen."

Smile slowly sliding from their lips, Max's gaze moved back to the knife Liz still held in her hand. He swallowed hard knowing what she was asking. It was more than just whether he wanted to make love to her. More than if he minded experimenting by mingling their blood. She was asking him to fully embrace his alien side. To surrender to the untamed, primal urges within him. To find a way to accept what he'd feared for so long.

A momentary flicker of fear raced through him. Liz's voice called out to him, prompting him back from the edge of darkness. "Max…we don't have to. My pleasure or happiness is not dependent on this. Making love to you any time, any way, is always perfect to me. Whether gentle and torturously slow or wild and reckless, it doesn't matter. Because it's always raw emotions. It's always real love." Her hand gently slid down his cheek and tilted his chin till he was looking in her eyes. "Max, it's always perfect…because it's you."

Max closed his eyes allowing the balm of her words to seep into his soul. A shiny tear trickled down his face and his whisper came out strangled and broken. "God, Liz. What…what did I ever do…to deserve you?"

Liz smiled against his lips as her nose lovingly nuzzled his. "The alien in you touched me. Then the human made me come to life. And now…we're the same. We're one."

Her words broke through the last of Max's fear. Wetting his lips, Max pulled back from Liz and removed his hand from the side of her face to hold it up in front of her. "Do it."

"Are you sure?"

Max nodded. "I want every part of me to feel every part of you. I need to, Liz. Maybe your pleasure and happiness isn't dependent on this, but mine is. It's the only way I can breathe now."

Tears brightened Liz's understanding, love-filled eyes as her heart swelled with pride. Max had just waged war with himself and won. It was a victory much greater than any battle on a field in the alien war he was conducting. This victory was lasting. For it was a peace made between the human and alien halves of Max Evans. A oneness with himself that no one would ever be able to take away.

Liz nodded once to indicate she was ready then closed her eyes to take a deep breath as she wrapped her hand around the blade of the knife. Flinching at the pain, she bit her lower lip when the knife sliced her palm. Max's hand covered hers to gently slip the knife from her grasp and Liz's eyes opened to watch with a mesmerized gaze. Eyes locked with hers, Max followed her example and swiftly brought the knife slicing through the fist he'd made around it. He blinked back tears as the stinging pain then smiled.

Moving as one, Liz and Max opened their hands, extending them palm out to each other. The intensity of their heated gaze increased as their hands slowly gravitated toward each other. Heavy, ragged breathing echoed through the room and Liz released a shaky breath just seconds before their hands were to touch.

Instinctively, both Max and Liz hesitated.

There was one last doubt. One last fear. This time it came from Liz. "No regrets this time?"

Max's voice was husky and low. "Never. Not even before."

"I need all of you, Max." Her whisper trembled in the firelit room. "I need you uncontrollable…"

"Holding nothing back." Max responded with an intensely whispered promise.

Liz's eyes began to burn with fire. "Wild."

"Reckless." Max leaned forward, his gaze mirroring hers with volcanic desire.

"Primal." The last barely breathed word was simultaneous and mingled in the thin layer of air between them and electrified the atmosphere in the room.

"I love you." In contrast to the previous concept…to the very hunger that was stirring in the room, Max's statement was uttered with such gentleness. Such tender passion. Liz's eyes began to film with tears as Max's hand softly brushed against her flushed cheek to emphasize the emotions behind his simple words. To will into her soul the all the love coursing through his veins.

And Liz's blood began to boil. The air pulled into her lungs scorched on its way down. Her hand raised with a will of its own to gently stroke Max's face as her eyes softened and shimmered with every ounce of love she felt for the man before her. "Show me, Max."

With that simple request from his wife, Max closed the distance. His fingers entwined with Liz's. Injured hands clasped firmly. And blood mingled.

They both gasped at the electric shock that rushed through their bodies and held on, their grip fierce and unbreakable. The snappish 'click' they'd heard once before echoed around them. Reverberating through the cells in their body. This time it was louder. With a firmer ring of finality. Hearts roared to life and hammered relentlessly. Thoughts disappeared. Bodies began to hum with an energy beyond themselves as ravenousness hunger rumbled deep within their souls. Shaking the core of their beings. Entwining desires. Meshing urges so primitive the sensations were mind numbing.

Liz arched her body instinctively against Max, surrendering herself eagerly. He, in turn, gathered her up in his arms and raced them to the pinnacle of rapturous ecstasy before diving headlong into an endless abyss of pleasure.

As they climaxed in their downward spiral from the edge, stars bowed once more. The earth instinctively moved. And the moon illuminated two star-crossed lovers as they fell apart in each others' arms…and became eternally one.

Tbc…

~ chapter 14 ~

October 2007


Overload.

That's what Max felt. An overload of sensations ripping through him.

Overwhelming fear. Sheer terror. Utter loneliness. Blind panic.

Max struggled to open his eyes and sit up. He let out a groan instead when a sharp pain shot through his head reminding him that wherever he currently was, he hadn't come willingly. Moving slowly, he finally made it into a sitting position, his back against a cold wall and very little light filtering through a tiny window near the ceiling on the wall opposite him.

Panic gripped him instantly as his eyes scanned what he could see of his prison. Kennedy. He had to get to Kennedy. He had to find his little girl…

<<"Daddy? Daddy, where are you?">>

Max heaved a sigh of relief and fell back against the wall as he heard the faint, scared voice of his daughter echoing in his head in response to his frantic thoughts. <<"Kennedy. Oh thank God. Kennedy, baby, I’m right here.">>

<<"Where? I…I can't see you.">>

<<"I know you can't, honey. But I'm very close by.">> If only he knew that were true. Max glanced around his own darkened cell again and wondered just exactly where he was. If he had to guess, and apparently he did, then he'd say it was somewhere in Drake's camp. Probably awaiting some kind of torture or execution. Kennedy's voice pulled Max thoughts from those disturbing directions, reminding him to watch what he thought with little minds nearby.

<<"Daddy, we're…we’re scared. I wanna see you.">> Max closed his eyes and concentrated praying with everything in him that his own fear would not come through their mental connection.

<<"I know you are, angel. And I want to see you too, but we're going to have to wait just a little bit, ok?">> Pausing a moment, Max's mind quickly seized Kennedy's earlier words. <<"Wait. Honey, you just said 'we'. Can you feel Kaleb right now?">>

<<"Uh-huh. He's scared. Just like me.">>

<<"I know he is, baby.>> Max shifted his position and took a deep breath. He knew this might be risky. Maintaining a connection while in the clutches of the enemy, but there was no way he was going to let his children suffer without giving them some kind of hope. <<"Kennedy…can you see anything? Can you tell daddy where you are?">>

<<"It's dark, daddy. Very dark. And I'm…I'm really cold.">>

<<"What about Kaleb. Can you tell where he is?">>

<<"No.">> There was a pause then sniffles before Kennedy repeated herself. <<"He's scared, daddy…">>

Her voice trembling, Max let the inquisition of a warrior go in favor of comforting his little girl like the father he was. <<"Ok, honey. Tell you what. Let's see if we can change that, ok? Close your eyes, sweetie. Really concentrate on feeling me, ok?">> Max closed his own eyes. Not because he needed to in order to maintain the connection, but because he needed to feel her as much as she needed to feel him.

Max conjured up an image of Kennedy in his mind. She was sitting next to him, looking up at him with her big ebony eyes full of sadness. The fear waiting for him there caused his heart to stop cold. No child should ever fear like this. No child should be forced to make these sacrifices. Should be in danger like this day after day. Should be without a mother or a father. Yet, that was the life his children faced every day. What his children would potential face every day of their lives…

Mind whirling with all that he needed to know to get them all out of this safely, Max sagged against the wall even more. This was going to be impossible… Max felt a mental 'smack' push all of those thoughts right out of his head. Despite the seriousness of the moment, Max grinned slightly. Liz. She must have felt his penchant for blaming himself for the state of their situation beginning to creep into his heart and decided to snap him out of it. His Liz. His wife. Even when she wasn't with him, she was always there to give him a reality check when he needed it. And boy did he need it right now.

His focus instantly regained and knowing there was no time for self-loathing, Max forced any thoughts save reassuring Kennedy to the side and concentrated on the image of his arm wrapping around Kennedy's slight frame. He smiled suddenly when he felt her tiny arms hug him back. Remaining in their mental embrace, Max prayed that their cautious and haphazard training would be enough to pull of what he was about to ask of his three, almost four, year-old daughter. <<"Honey, listen to me. Mommy and daddy really need you to be a brave little girl for us right now. Do you think you can do that?">>

He felt her nod her head against his chest. <<"Uh-huh.">>

Max imagined himself kissing the top of her shiny dark head before giving in to a smile. <<"Of course you can. You daddy's special girl.">> Another squeeze. Another feather light kiss. <<"Do you remember us practicing on how to feel Kaleb. No talking…just feeling him?">>

<<"Yeah.">>

<<"Ok, sweetie. That's what mommy and I need you to do. We need you to feel Kaleb ok? And once you do, I want you to reach out and take his hand. Then I want you to tell him that you're going to play the quiet game ok? It's really important that you don't talk that much to him. Just hold his hand.">>

<<"So he won't be scared no more?">>

<<"That's right, honey. So he won't be scared any more.">>

<<"Is mommy scared too?">>

Max drew in a sharp breath and immediately concentrated on the faint tremor of fear he felt at the edge of his mind. It was obviously from Liz. And obviously being blocked by Liz from him. He ached for her. For not being able to hold her. To see her with his own eyes in person. His mental arms tightened instinctively around Kennedy. <<"She probably is, angel. But you know what? That doesn't mean she's going to let anything happen to her, ok? She's too brave and too smart for that to happen.">>

His fingers ran through Kennedy's soft, silky hair absently and Max smiled. <<"Not to mention she's got a lifetime of loving you and Kaleb to do.">>

Kennedy tugged at Max's shirt, and Max looked down to see her sweet face turned up to him questioningly. <<"What about Kaelan? Mommy's gotta love her too.">>

A bright smile lit Max's face and he nodded to his daughter. <<"That's right, honey. You and Kaleb and Kaelan too. And there is no way you're mommy's going to miss out on that. You and Kaleb and I simply won't let her…will we?">>

Sniffles were Max's immediate answer followed by a determined one-word answer. <<"No.">>

The smile of a proud father beamed in the darkness for a brief moment before the mind of a strategist took over. <<"That's right, baby. Which is why I have to talk to her right now. You think you and Kaleb will be ok just holding hands for a bit?">>

<<"Uh-huh.">>

Another gentle hug. <<"Ok, sweetie. Tell Kaleb we'll all be together really soon, ok?">> Max mentally leaned down and placed a loving kiss on the top of his daughter's head. <<"I love you, hon.">>

Kennedy hugged him back. <<"Love you, daddy.">>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So what the hell happened?" Isabel's sharp voice cut the silence of the desert night.

Alex shrugged and held out his hands. "I don't know, ok? I got the note saying to meet Max here at 8:00. To be prepared to take Kennedy into hiding. I showed. He didn't."

Isabel began to pace between the two cars as Kyle and Alex glanced at each other with concern. Knowing Isabel well enough to let her work out her fear on her own without trying to give her false hope, Alex leaned against the side of his car and waited. His arms were crossed and his eyes were trained on her trying to guess the moment she was ready for the comfort she would need when she finally ran out of steam.

It didn't take as long as he thought it would.

Isabel stopped suddenly and spun toward Alex and Kyle, her voice shaking with fear. "Drake has them doesn't he? Oh my God. Drake has Max and Kennedy. And…and Tess is…" Brown eyes puddling with tears, Isabel ran straight into Alex's now open arms and buried her head in the crook of his neck as he pulled her into a comforting embrace. "God, what are we going to do?"

"I'll tell you what we're going to do." Kyle's authoritative voice broke Isabel's muffled tears. "You're going to conjure up your freaky magic stuff and contact Max. You're going to tell him what's going on and you're going to find out where he is. Then…" Kyle placed his hands on his hips. "Then we're going to bust them out."

Isabel pulled from Alex's embrace and turned to Kyle, her eyes haunted and sad. "I can't, Kyle."

"Like hell you can't. All you extra-terrestrials have that alien-mojo crap you can do. You can certainly contact Max and find out where he is. You did it once before…"

"No! I'm telling you, I can't!" Isabel let out a weary sigh and ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. "Not since Max and Liz…" She shook her head and pinned Kyle with meaningful look. "They have a connection all their own, Kyle. No one can get in. No one but family."

"But, honey…" Alex came to stand in front of Isabel and turned her gently toward him as he attempted to reason with her. "…you're his sister. Isn't that family enough?"

"No. It's not." Isabel shook her head again. "Not since he took his mate. Not since they performed the ritual. They have to willingly invite you in once the ritual is complete."

Alex's penetrating eyes carefully scrutinized Isabel's expression. "There's more, isn't there. There's a reason you're really freaked right now." Running his hands reassuringly down her arms, Alex's prompting was gentle and low. "Come on, Iz. Tell us the rest of it."

Blinking back tears, Isabel's lower lip began to quiver. "The only person…the only person who can break into their connection now…is Tess."

"What?" Kyle's eyes widened in shock and Alex blinked in response. "How in the world is that possible if you're his sister and you can't even connect?"

"She was his destined mate. Programmed to match him in every way." Isabel slumped against the side of Alex's car and crossed her arms in front of her as her gaze lowered to the ground. "By all alien rights, it is Tess who should be inside Max's head. Who should share the bonding with him. He screwed that plan when he thumbed his nose at his own destiny and chose Liz over Tess. And now…"

"And now, Tess is determined to make him pay." Kyle finished for Isabel, his words pulling her silent gaze upward to meet his. The full impact of what Isabel was saying hit Kyle like a ton of bricks. "With Kennedy." She swallowed hard and nodded once.

Kyle let out a groan and spun around his fingers making a frustrated trail through his hair. "God, when is this going to end?"

As if in answer to Kyle's question, Alex's phone began to ring. Kyle and Isabel were instantly alert as Alex quickly pulled it from his pocket and answered. Anxiety crackled in the air and Kyle instinctively moved to Isabel's side as a knot began to harden in the pit of his stomach. He could tell she felt it to by the very rigidness of her stance. Her eyes trained on Alex, her ears perked up trying to catch every nuance of his tone, Isabel just knew something bad was happening.

She pounced even before the phone left Alex ear. "Who was it? What's going on? Is Max ok? What about Kennedy…"

"Iz…" Alex sighed and hung his head a moment, that gesture alone stopping the flow of Isabel's frantic questioning. When he finally raised his eyes to meet hers, they were moist with tears. "That was Maria. It's worse than we thought." He paused a moment to take a deep breath before lowering his bomb. " Liz is being moved as we speak. No one knows to where. Maria and Kaleb are being taken back to Drake's camp…"

"Oh, God." Kyle released an unsteady breath and took a step forward.

"And…" Alex's eyes moved from Kyle's anguished face to meet Isabel's fearful gaze. "…and it looks…" Alex reached for Isabel's hands. "God, Iz, I'm so sorry, but it looks like Michael is playing on Drake's team now…"
~~~~~~~~~~
<<"Please. I need you. To feel you.">>

The plea in his voice echoed in her head. Damn him for being so irresistible. Even in the midst of chaos and crisis, death and fear, her husband knew just which voice to use to get through the mental block she'd stubbornly placed between them. It was a block she'd struggled to maintain in an effort to shield him from her own haunting emotions.

Max didn't need to feel this. He didn't need to know how terrified she was. How her body was literally shaking with fear. How her thoughts were flying in so many directions she couldn't keep up with them all. Maybe this was what it was like for an inmate on death row being led to execution. Your life flashing before your eyes. Mistakes you'd made. Pain you'd managed to live through. Ghosts that haunted you in your dreams at night.

Then, of course, there were the images of a life you'd still never quite managed to grasp. The future. With all of its hopes and dreams. Love and life waiting to be claimed and lived…

<<"Liz, I mean it. Don't shut me out right now. We need to talk.">>

Liz sighed inwardly. His tone had turned desperate. Commanding. She knew what was coming next and she prepared herself to let go. They both knew she couldn't maintain her wall forever. And Max knew just which button to push to break the dam…

<<"God, Liz…I'm so scared.">>

The block lifted and Liz sucked in a breath trying to keep herself balanced against the onslaught of emotions that crashed around her. Terror. Desperation. Hopelessness. Physical pain…

<<What's wrong? Something's happened hasn't it? Where is Kennedy? And…and Kaleb? Max, where are you? Are you hurt?">> Immediately alert, Liz's questions tumbled through her head and shot across the distance to pummel Max with the force of her sheer panic.

<<"I love you.">> It was all he could think to say. All he could manage to feel without folding under the weight of new sensations. Hers. His. Mixing together. Bearing down on him. Exploding deep inside. Making him simultaneously weak and strong.

Tears instantly clouded Liz's vision and her formerly steady walk down the long corridor faltered. Doubling over, Liz struggled to catch her breath as the force of Max's love hit her like a rocket and exploded, instantly surrounding her with steely fire. Ripples of tender warmth spread through her like wildfire. Wrapping her in a cocoon of comfort. Her body began to hum with new resolve and her chaotic thoughts stilled into a peaceful calm.

Hearing her gasp, Liz's cloaked guard immediately spun toward her and roughly pulled her forward. Liz didn't even notice. She felt nothing but Max. Surrounding her. Inside of her. Making their spirits one.

A smile tinged his words. <<"That'll teach you to smack me while I'm in the middle of comforting our daughter then turning around and blocking me from feeling you when I need you the most.">>

<<"You were blaming yourself. Which is a big fat 'no-no'. **Especially** when comforting our daughter. And I was trying to protect you.">> Liz smiled in spite of herself before her mental voice kicked into 'wife of a warrior' mode. <<"Things went wrong didn't they?">>

Max nodded, instantly turning serious. <<"Yeah. We were taken. I'm not exactly sure where to. I just know that Kennedy is close, but she isn't with me. I’m assuming we're somewhere on Drake's base.">>

<<"Oh, God…">> Liz closed her eyes and concentrated on not letting the new information start the wheel of fear from churning deep inside of her again. <<"And…and Kaleb?">>

<<"Safe. Scared, but safe. Kennedy's holding his hand right now.">> Max paused a moment trying to get a feel for where exactly his wife was. It was obvious she was moving. Slowly and steadily forward. Like she was being led somewhere. <<"What about you? Where exactly are you? And how's Kaelan?">>

Liz let out a sigh as her hand drifted to her stomach only to be covered by Max's a split-second later. She smiled at his loving gesture before answering. <<"Let's just say I'm very glad she's not developed enough to even sense what's going on. I'm not ashamed to say I don't know if I could handle one more level of fear from our growing family here. As for where I am…well, I'm being taken somewhere by some big ugly giant with a cloak. I'm thinking either Darth Vader or Death. Either way, the prospects don't look that good. You did call off the execution before you took flight didn't you?">>

<<"My people knew not to hurt you until I returned. So that means…">>

<<"That means we'll probably be seeing each other pretty soon.">>

The knowledge hit both Max and Liz full force. Liz stumbled again, this time catching herself against the wall. Her guard attempted to pull her to her feet as she slide down to the floor but Liz pushed him back. "Keep your grubby hands off me, you big freak of nature! I'll move but only when I'm damn well ready to move!" For some reason the authority in her voice affected him and the guard took a cautious step backward his wary eyes trained on her suddenly frail looking figure.

It was then that Liz felt Max slide down the wall next to her. His back against the wall, his arm brushing against hers. Their fingers instinctively entwined and Liz leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes wearily. <<"Well, I guess this is it, huh?" They're gathering us for the big kill…">>

Giving her hand a mental squeeze, Max slipped his other hand around her waist, allowing it to rest lightly against her stomach. His soft whisper echoed with hope. <<"Only if we let them.">>

<<"Max…">> Liz's voice began to quiver as a tear slipped unbidden down her cheeks. <<"I want…I want to be so brave right now, but…">>

She was in his arms before she knew it. His hand pulled her head down to nestle against his neck and Liz let hours of pent up tears fall as Max began to rock her in his arms, smoothing her hair and willing all his love for her to flow through their mental connection. <<"You, Liz Evans, are the bravest woman I have ever known. You are the only reason…the only reason, Liz, that I have made it this far. I refuse to lose you. I refuse to lose any of you.">>

Liz pulled back and locked eyes with Max, her hand automatically coming up to caress his cheek. <<"I don't regret a single moment, Max. Not one single second. Loving you has been worth every sacrifice.">>

Cupping her face with gentle fierceness, Max leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and swallowing back tears that were building in his chest. <<"Worth every pain. Every fear. Every deception and lie.">>

Fingers curling around Max's shaking hands, Liz sniffled and shook her head. <<"I refuse to lose you too.">>

Dark stormy eyes opened to meet hers and a new pact was instantly formed between them. A pact to never let go. To never give up. To face death together. To walk through the gates of hell if necessary, holding each other's hands.

Even if was only their love they were fighting for, that would be enough for them. But there was more. So much more. There were their children. And dreams that remained to be realized. Joy to discover and pain to banish. A world to save…

Renewed hope flared in Max's eyes. <<"Fight to the bitter end with me?">>

<<"Even beyond that.">> Was Liz's whispered response.

Max drew in a ragged breath and nodded as his mind kicked into high gear. <<"We'll play their game. See where it takes us…">>

<<"We won't betray ourselves until it's obvious who knows what.">>

Max's hand drifted downward to cover Liz's flat stomach, the determination in his eyes and the meaning of his words leaving no room for doubt. <<"All of our babies come first.">>

Liz nodded in response as her eyes filled with tears. <<"No matter what happens. Max…">> Her lower lip began to tremble and she blinked to keep her tears in check but they refused to obey her. A few sparkling diamond tumbled from her long lashes onto her cheek. <<"…no matter what happens, I am yours. Forever.">>

A gentle smile softened Max's expression, his eyes brightening to a wattage that could light the world as his thumb instinctively, lovingly wiped away her tears. <<"And I'm yours even beyond that.">>

Their lips met in a sweet, desperate kiss. Love and courage slipped easily and forcefully through their connection as gentle hands held on for dear life. Suiting them both in armor that was impenetrable and unwavering. Like a fathomless pit of blinding light of hope. Love being their foundation, each rhythmic pressure of soft lips against each other, every desperate caress of fingertips against phantom skin, layered trust upon love and determination upon trust. And even if they were called upon to draw their last breaths, they knew they would draw them together.

Aching for that one last connection when they finally broke apart, Max leaned his forehead against Liz's, his penetrating gaze returned with equal intensity. Instinctively, Max held out his hand to Liz. Never breaking eye contact, she placed her hand in his feeling his strength flow through her when his fingers gently entwined with hers.

The guard jumped when he heard her voice. Steady and strong and…brave. "We're ready now." Liz stood to her feet, her eyes blazing with courageous fire as she felt Max stand with her and take their first simultaneous step into the dangerous unknown.
~~~~~~~~~~
<<"Ken'dy.">>

<<Shh, Ka'be. Daddy said not ta talk.">>

<<"Kay…but, someone's here. I'm scared…">>

Kennedy squeezed Kaleb's hand. <<"Don't be. Mommy and daddy are coming.">>

<<"But…I don't like her. I don't like this lady. She's…she's…>> Kaleb's mental connection with Kennedy was broken by the sound of a breathy, shrill voice.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Tess' eyebrow raised as she placed a cold hand on Kaleb's head and a sharp finger under his chin tilting his face upward. A wicked smile skipped over her lips and her cornflower eyes lightened to the gray, ominous color of steel. "Liz Parker's own little bastard. Right…exactly...where I want him…"

tbc…

~ chpt 15 ~

May 2005

Glittering dark eyes full of excitement and curiosity greeted Max the second he turned from locking the door behind him. Dropping his overnight bag, Max grinned and readied himself to be accosted by a soft, eager body. Instead, it was a rapid succession of relentless questions that attacked him.

"So? What do you think? How do you feel? Have you noticed any differences? Can you feel things more? Do you think it worked? Are you getting these really strange sensations at the oddest times?" Liz practically danced in the middle of the room in front of him as her questions tumbled forth with no precursor. "Max, come on. Talk to me. Tell me what's happening…"

Holding up a hand to silence her, Max began to chuckle. "My wife. Ever the scientist. Don't I even get a hug first before we jump into all the whys and wherefores of our combined existence?"

"Max…" Liz tilted her head to the side and gazed up at him in that adorable way that Max could never resist. "You know very well it won't stop at a hug. The next thing you'll want is a kiss. Then another. And then before you know it, our clothes will be flying here and there and we'll be on the floor christening this room like there's no tomorrow."

"And this is a bad thing because…"

"It's not a bad thing at all and you know it." Liz hastened to clarify as a slow smile claimed her lips and her eyes began to burn with fire. "If fact, it's never, ever, a bad thing." Liz leaned forward slightly, the intensity of her voice emphasizing one chosen word. "EVER."

"I know." Receiving a smug grin, wiggling eyebrows and an arrogant shrug of his shoulders in response, only the slight blush over Max's cheeks even hinted at how her praise had touched him.

Liz shook her head in amusement. "Well, you certainly didn't miss getting a healthy dose of male ego when they mixed all the ingredients, did you?"

Another shrug and Max's grin deepened. "Who knows? Maybe the males on our planet invented the ego and humans just copied our excellent examples." A devilish light sparked in Max's eyes as his voice lowered suggestively. "I can think of one or two more things humans could pick up from us that would make life much, much more enjoyable…"

Liz began to chuckle. "You are so full of yourself right now. Which can mean only one thing…"

"Yeah. I want you." Max answered, the hunger in his eyes and the slight rumble of his words leaving no question as to his meaning.

"And I want you…after we talk." Though her knees went weak at the heated look he was giving her, Liz stood firm and pushed out her lower lip while batting her long eyelashes at him. "Please honey? I really, really want to know how it went first...you know, before we…" Liz wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "…'connect'. Experimentally speaking, I think it would be much better for us to know beforehand just how stable this thing is. Because after…well, we'll just feel a whole slew of things that just aren't normal. Well, normal for humans anyway…"

Max stubbornly held out his arms and raised an eyebrow in taunting silence.

Placing her hands on her hips, Liz cocked an eyebrow at him. "It's not going to happen, Evans. Not until you tell me what's going on."

Max dropped his hands to his hips to teasingly mirror her in stance. "Yeah? Well, I'm not going to talk till we…" Max wiggled his eyebrows mirroring Liz's earlier gesture. "…'connect'."

Swiftly picking up pillows from the couch behind her, Liz flung a steady stream at Max's head with merriment dancing in her expression. "Aaarrgghhh. You're killing me here! I've been waiting all week for this!"

He let out an exaggerated groan. "Believe me, so have I." Her laughter joined Max's as he deftly ducked her pillow attack, gathering the nearest wayward ammunition for a counter assault.

Seeing the devilish light in Max's eyes as he took a step forward, Liz put her hands up for defense and back up slightly against the couch. "Now, Max…why don't we just talk about this?"

"I don't want to talk." Max answered huskily, his heated gaze raking wantonly over his wife's scantily clad body taking in every soft curve, the smoothness of her creamy thighs as they peeked out from her short satin robe. "In case you missed it, that's my whole point."

Liz edged her way around the couch, her bright eyes trained on Max's every move as he slow advanced toward her. "But…but honey, don't you think it'd be better to…" She glanced toward the stairs then back to Max who was coming closer, his eyes dancing playfully. "…to think before we…" She almost tripped over the coffee table in front of the couch as she rounded the corner. "…before we have this mind-numbing, earth-shattering moment of passion where…"

Stumbling backward, Liz caught her balance against the opposite arm of the chair while Max steadily advanced. "…where we can't even begin to form words let alone explain what's…" Her glance once more shot to the stairs, now only a short leap away. "…what's happening to us?"

"Just a moment?" Max stopped short, a dark eyebrow raised with an offended air as he seized her earlier phrase. "After a statement like that, you can't possibly expect me to talk first."

"Max…"

"No, seriously. If all you remember is a measly moment of passion then…baby, there's no way we're talking first." He shook his head emphatically. "Uh-huh. No way. Not when I have so much to prove…" Max rolled his eyes in mock offence as he gave her his best puppy dog look and repeated her earlier statement. "Really. Just a moment…"

"Awww, honey. I didn't mean to bruise your ego. I'm sure you know what I meant."

"Yeah? And you know what I want." All pretense and games were gone as Max's intense gaze darkened with blazing fire.

Glancing once more toward the stairs, an impish smile curved Liz's lips upward. Her game was just beginning. "And sometimes you have to work for what you want. Makes it much more meaningful."

"Liz Evans, you'd better not…"

Liz took a step back and rounded the couch. "Better not what?"

"You'd better not make me chase you." Like a child begging not to be tickled with his lips, his eyes danced with hope that making him chase her was exactly what she'd do.

"Really? Why not?" One more step to the side.

"You head up those stairs and I swear to you there will be a very, very heavy price for you to pay."

"You promise?" The heated whisper sent a shiver down Max's spine.

He swallowed hard as desire gripped his heart like a vise. "Promise."

Silence hung in the air. The only sound was the ticking of the clock on the mantle of the stone fireplace. Max and Liz stared at each other. Each waiting for the other to make a move. Trying to sense it before it came.

Not surprisingly, they did.

With a squeal, Liz danced out of the way and bounced up the steps just as Max lunged for her. Tripping over a few fallen pillows, Max began to chuckle and headed straight for the stairs. "That's it, Liz. You asked for it."

Making up for lost time, Max bounded up the stairs two at a time, whipped around the corner and rushed into the bedroom to find his wife leaning casually against one of the posts on the four-poster bed, an eyebrow cocked, gazing down at her watch. Hearing Max stop abruptly in the doorway, Liz shook her head slightly a slow grin beginning to spread on her lips even though she fought to keep a stern expression on her face. "Took you long enough. You must be getting slow in your old age there, Evans."

Chuckling Max stepped fully into the room. "You really are the devil in disguise, you know it?"

Liz's smile faded and she batted her long lashes at Max causing his heart to flip at least three times before he was able to take another step. "And here, not just two weeks ago, you told me I was an angel from heaven."

"Oh, that? Yeah…right. Changed my mind." Max answered as his eyes raked over Liz and his voice lowered suggestively. "Wanna change it back? I've got just the way…"

Liz pushed out her bottom lip as she watched…no, felt…Max's gaze move over her. Her skin began to tingle under her satin robe and for a split second she could have sworn she felt Max's fingers against her skin. Shooting bolts of warmth deep inside every place he touched.

Getting hot. Very hot. Liz's hand began to tingle. Right where she had cut it only a few weeks before. Another bolt of warmth and Liz's breath caught in her throat. There was no way she would be able to hold out much longer without throwing herself into his arms. By the look he was giving her, she wouldn't be able to get anything conversationally out of him until he was completely satisfied anyway. She knew her husband way too well to not recognize the signs that playtime was almost over and serious loving was about to begin.

Still there was just one thing she needed to know. "Honey. Please. Just answer me one question."

"What's that?"

"Is it permanent or not?"

A mischievous twinkle started in Max's eyes and skipped down to his curling lips. "I don't know yet. Why don't we conduct a little experiment and find out?"

Liz eyed him warily as she shifted under his gaze. Wow. It was definitely getting hot in there... "What kind of experiment?"

"Oh, I don't know." Max shrugged and it was clear that despite his seeming ignorance, he'd done a lot of thinking about this particular experiment. "I was thinking I could get an image in my mind and see if you can tell what I'm thinking."

"Ohh…now, that sounds like a really good idea." Excitement danced in her eyes and Max felt a sense of wonder wash over him. There were still moments, like this, when all they had been through and the fact they were still together, that she loved him as much as she did, still…awed him. Liz shook her arms as if to get the 'wiggles' out, cleared her throat and flipped her hair behind her shoulders. "Ok. I'm ready. Dream your dreams for me…"

Max's eyes darkened wickedly and he bit his lower lip to keep from laughing when Liz closed her eyes and took a deep breath preparing herself for his 'experiment'. He cleared his own throat and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and conjuring just the right image up in his mind…

The room grew unearthly still. And hellishly hot. As heavenly flames of fire danced all around.

The tingling in Liz's hand increased. Burning her fingertips, sweeping up her arm and setting all the nerves in her body into a frenzy of prickles. The rapid hammering of her heart in her chest found a rhythm that felt startlingly familiar. Erratic. Thunderous. Primal. As a low, steady vibration began deep in the pit of her stomach and rippled rapidly throughout her body, Liz felt the blood begin to simmer in her veins. Building second by eternal second into a volcanic boil. The cells in her body bumped against each other, clamoring with need. Urgency. Hunger. Hunger for something…

Max.

His name breezed past her slightly parted lips. The first graze of his fingers against the smooth column of her neck sent a tremor from the pit of her stomach straight to her knees. They wobbled unmercifully. Gasping, Liz put her full weight against the bedpost, her hands behind her for support, nails digging into the wood. His warm breath feathered against her face and shivers raced down her spine when moist lips brushed the sensitive skin of her jawline till they hovered just above her ear.

"I'm in you."

His whisper burned her. His kisses, as gentle as the breeze, scorched. Liz's breathing followed the erratic rhythm of her heart and she began to pant as she tilted her head back to give him access to her exposed throat.

Warm fingers slipped downward to catch the edge of her satin robe and guide it to the round of her shoulders where one quick tug released Liz's gleaming skin from its prison. The robe pooled around Liz's elbows and Max's hands covered her shoulders slowly. Seductively. As if he were tracing a taunting pattern in his mind before venturing on his journey.

"I know what you want…"

Open mouthed kisses slipped slowly, gracefully from shoulder to neck, neck to collarbone. Like a dance. Following an unheard melody. Liz's insides thrilled to the tune, turning to molten lava with each passing note.

"How you want it…"

Nipping at her skin, Max moved deliberately downward, his teeth scraping lightly along the way. Liz groaned as images flew through her mind. Max, covering every inch of skin with hot, moist kisses. Dipping and curving. Licking and sucking. Raging inferno out of control…

"Where…you want it…"

The quaking within Liz increased. The hum of raw passion exploded into a million shattering pieces and tumbled through her as liquid fire pooled deep within. Then his mouth covered hers and turned fire to magic. Insistent. Needy. Possessively claiming her taste. Plunging deep and sweeping every crevice with repeatedly mesmerizing strokes. A puddle of mush at his feet. Falling headlong into a sea of stars…

"Guide me, Liz…" It was a husky command. Barely pushed through ragged breathing as his chest rose and fell against hers with alarmingly erratic movements.

An image flashed before Liz.

And Max instantly obeyed.

Dropping to his knees, Max's hands slipped inside her robe opening it completely before dissolving the thin material of her negligée with an impatient wave of his hand. Burying his head against the flat of her stomach, Max quickly found a new occupation in the exploration of smooth, soft flesh as his hands moved behind her to pull her into him. Firmly. Securely. With no means of escape as his tongue dipped low…

"Oh, God, Max…" Trembling from head to toe, Liz was literally panting now and helpless sounds were coming from the back of her throat. With toes curling into the rug and unable to resist touching him any longer, Liz's hands released the post to thread through his thick hair.

They met empty air instead…

Liz's eyes flew open to see Max leaning where he was moments ago, halfway across the room near the door. She glanced down at her clothes…still in tact. Her hand flew to her mouth in shock. "Oh my God."

Max began to chuckle despite his desperate attempt to calm his own breathing. "Guess it worked."

"OH. MY. GOD." Liz's wide eyes full of wonder raised to meet Max's as her mind whirled trying to comprehend what had just happened. What it meant for their future. "Do you…do you have….God, Max…do you have any idea what this…what this means?"

"Yeah. No more long distance phone sex." Max quipped as a satisfied smile slowly haunted his lips. He could feel her excitement. The thrill coursing through her was in his blood. The wonder of it all…tripped across his mind in a dance of mesmerized awe. His own heart swelled with so much love he was afraid it would burst.

"Of course there is a downside to all this." Max continued with twinkling eyes as Liz stared at him, speechless. "I mean, there was that moment this a couple of Tuesdays ago when you freaked out because you couldn't find your car keys. Didn't make any sense to me until it hit me…I mean REALLY hit me that you were going through PMS. Oh and about those cramps…" Max held up his hands in an attitude of surrender. "…seriously annoying. No more PMS jokes from me. Ever."

"Oh my God." Her eyes began to shine with complete understanding. "I didn't just dream it."

Max fought back a knowing smile as he blinked his eyes innocently. "Dream what?"

"You healing me. I mean…I felt the cramps, the headache, the backache then bam! They were gone. And…and there was that moment…I think it was this past Thursday…when I had this intense craving for a tuna fish sandwich smothered with Tabasco sauce."

"Mmmm. That was such a great lunch." Max closed his eyes with a dreamy smile.

"Are you putting me on right now?" Liz's eyes were wide as her face beamed with incredulity. "Do you have any idea what you're telling me? Any at all?"

"Actually, yes, but I can see how important it is for you to spell it out for me so…"

Liz began pacing in front of Max her mind oblivious to anything in the room except her whirling thoughts. Even Max's teasing went completely over her head. Had Max not been more secure in Liz's love for him, this night could be the death of his previously touted male ego.

"We can…we feel each other. Our emotions. Physically. Our cravings and…and pains…"

"Don't forget pleasures." Max tossed in with a sudden grin.

"And…and…" Liz tucked her hair behind her ear and continued to ramble, much to Max's great amusement. "…and we can talk to each other, Max." Liz's frantic pacing came to an abrupt end and she whirled to face him, tears shining in her eyes. Her breath hitched and she blinked suddenly. "Max…"

Max closed the distance between them in heartbeat. Her face was gently cradled in his hands and love poured from his amber eyes into hers. "I know. Honey, I know." Shaking his head slightly in confirmation of her silent thoughts, Max smiled a smile that rivaled the sun. "I get my best friend back. Twenty-four/seven. Any time you need me…anytime I need you…" He swallowed back the lump of tears that had risen in his throat. "….Liz…"

"We're just a thought away. No matter how many miles separate us…we'll always be together." Liz finished for him. Her lower lip began to tremble and her voice was a bare, shaky whisper. "Max…I'll be able to walk down the street…and hold your hand." As a tear tumbled shamelessly down her cheek, she pulled Max's face forward connecting his forehead to hers. "We'll never feel alone again, Max."

"No. Never again." Max promised solemnly as his darkening eyes began to mist with tears. "Thank you, Liz Evans. Thank you for believing in all of me. Loving all of me. For embracing my alien side…for making me embrace it too. If we had never done this…if we had never combined our blood, we'd have never known this…this…perfect…"

"Shhh." Liz's finger stopped Max's gratitude as it landed softly against his lips and her eyes began to darken to the deepest color of midnight. A teasing smile touched her lips as her voice lowered suggestively. "What happened to connect first, talk later?"

A small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. "My wife wanted to talk."

"Yeah? Well…she's soo over that." Nuzzling her nose against Max's, Liz brushed his lips with a feather light touch. "So whadda say, Mr. Evans? Your connection or mine?"

"Both."

Liz raised a devilishly questioning eyebrow.

Max's growled response was low in her ear as his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against him in one fluid, powerful move. "Two weeks without you...I'm a starving alien..."

Liz's response was delayed abruptly when Max's mouth swooped down to capture hers in a vicious attack of love...

Max and Liz Evans spent the rest of the weekend proving once and for all that sometimes talk is cheap.

Connections, on the other hand...are priceless.

tbc...

~ chapter 16a ~

October 2007

Isabel Evans had always managed somehow to hold it together. To come to the rescue. To save the day. To span the distance between Max and Liz.

She'd been the one that found him the night an overheard conversation between Liz and Kyle brought to light the truth of Liz's supposed betrayal. She'd been the one that helped him play out the ultimate trick to get Liz back into his life. She'd been the one to know the prophecy that caused Max to freak when he found out he and Liz were having twins. And she'd been the one to curtail the childless future that would have followed had they given in to their fears.

And she did all for Max.

Because he deserved to be happy. And 'happy' for Max meant only one thing…Liz Parker. Because he belonged with her. Loved her with a devotion that was at times incomprehensible. Longed for their union, their family, their future. Always had. Always would.

She did it because he would have done it for her. He was her closest link to her own humanity, which was pretty ironic seeing that they were both aliens from another planet. She loved him. Her brother. Her leader. Her friend. He was all that she had. The only family she thought she would probably ever know.

And now his own precious family was on the brink of ending. Now, Max and Liz had been captured and were even now at Drake's mercy, the children were in the clutches of the enemy and Michael turned traitor. And Isabel Evans was out ideas. Out of plans. Out of hope.

Staring out the window at the desert scene speeding by as Alex flew them toward the relative civilization of Roswell, Isabel sent a silent prayer up into the heavens. "God, please…they've gone through so much just to be together. To bring love into this crazy world of ours. Please don't let it all be for nothing…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 2003

Stepping into Max's office, Isabel felt like she's been swept into the middle of a major tantrum or a small war. Papers and books were flung here and there. A lamp lay broken on the floor next to over turned chairs and Max's Army-style metal desk had telltale signs of being recently kicked in.

Isabel's senses immediately went on alert.

Something was definitely wrong. Not just with the scene but with the aura of the room. There was an overwhelming sense of foreboding. An electric crackle of destructive energy. An impenetrable cloud of thick, dark pain.

Which could only mean one thing: Max was remembering again.

Remembering that night of betrayal. Remembering her. The way it felt to hold her. And kiss her. And sharing visions that no one in the universe could ever dream of showing her…making her feel things no one had ever experienced…just by touching her hand.

A hardened man. A man of action. With little time and even less heart to cultivate a soul that he buried years before. For a man who had seemed to move on with his distant, emotionless life without really living it, Max had been rapidly spiraling out of control.

Because he was feeling again. Rapture was being revisited. Anguish, being relived.

A tightrope has been extended over a valley of fiery memories and Max was in the middle of performing the most dangerous balancing act of his life. Crossing from the past to the future. From a black hole of familiar emptiness to a waterfall of unconditional love. One slip and Max could fall headlong back into a bottomless pit of despair.

And Isabel would lose her brother again.

All because Liz Parker had arrived back in Roswell.

Max's usually quiet command now gave way to arbitrary fits of rage. Where he had once been at least approachable he was now completely closed off. Despondent. With bitterness edging his every word and a sneer for a smile, Max quickly became more feared than even the enemy. Used to his robotically delivered commands, even his own soldiers began to avoid eye contact and Michael and Isabel found other 'very important' duties to occupy time needed away from the beast they were all afraid he was becoming.

From the looks of it, the beast had finally taken full control.

Isabel's eyes scanned the room for a clue…any clue…to where Max might have gone or what exactly had set off his latest rampage. Gaze falling on a crumpled wad by the leg of Max's desk, Isabel grabbed it up and hastily unraveled it. Swallowing hard, Isabel nodded. "Of course that's where he'd go…" Tossing the crumpled photo of Max and Liz on the desk Isabel headed to place in question…Senor Chow's.
~~~~~~~~~~
A family establishment. A relaxing atmosphere. A place to be yourself. To laugh. To have fun. To have a first date.

Senor Chow's was now only a shell of the place it used to be.

Which is precisely why Max Evans found himself sitting in a darkened booth at the very back of Buck's, the restaurant-turned-bar. A pitcher of beer sat in front of him, half gone. His dark eyes darted around the place he used to frequent so often. It suited him now…just as it had back then.

Which said a lot for how he had changed.

Dark. Desolate. Empty. Words that were interchangeable with the person Max had become. Like the pitcher sitting in front of him, Max was only half the man he used to be. Half the man he'd dreamed of becoming. Somewhere, somehow it seemed as if someone had sucked all the 'human' out of him. And now…now, all that was left was the alien. Not really belonging anywhere. To anyone. To anything. Just…existing. Putting one foot in front of the other. Taking one breath at a time. Counting each weary heartbeat until someone managed to finally stop the steady rhythm in mid-beat with a bullet or a blast of alien power or…

A voice.

**Her** voice. That soft, silky voice that soothed so many of his aches in the past. That blanketed his heart with protective promises and love unending. That wounded him more deeply than he'd ever dreamed he could be. That literally destroyed him.

From the booth behind him, Max heard a conversation that made his blood run ice cold then fiery hot. He heard his name on her lips. And the longing when she said his name. Then…he heard voice of the man that he literally taken everything away from him in the space of one night…

"I must say, Liz, you are certainly the last person I expected to get a call from. I was sure Roswell had seen the last of you when you left this place a few years ago." Kyle nodded to the server as she placed their drinks in front of them.

"Yeah, I uh…" Liz reached for her glass and took a sip before placing it in front of her and running her finger around the top. "…I wasn't so sure I'd ever be back myself. In fact, I was certain I wouldn't. Dead set against it for the longest time."

Kyle settled back against the seat of the booth. "So, what brings you back then?"

"My heart." The admission was soft, her gaze averted and full of pain.

Understanding dawned and Kyle nodded. "Ah. I see. You came back for Max Evans."

Liz's gaze snapped up to meet Kyle's frank blue eyes. "No. Not for him." Gaze wavering from Kyle's upraised eyebrow and disbelieving smirk, Liz's fingers continued to absently fumble with her glass. "Because of him, yes. But not for him."

"Ok. And what exactly is the difference?"

Liz released a deep sigh and pushed the hair back from her face. "Look, Kyle, the difference is that I didn't…I didn't come back to Roswell with the intention of getting involved with Max again, ok? What we felt, the love we had…well, it's all over and done with. I destroyed it a long time ago. I know that. I've accepted that. But that doesn't mean I could spend the rest of my life away from him either."

"So what are you going to do? Pull a Max for the rest of your life?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know he sat back and watched you for years. Never approaching you or going for what he really wanted." Kyle shrugged as he pushed his drink to the side and leaned on the table. "Hell, if you hadn't been shot that day, he'd probably still be sitting in some corner somewhere just watching you as you live your life. So, is that what you plan to do with him?"

"It's what I have to do, Kyle." The determination in Liz's voice never quite reached her eyes and Kyle's expression softened. Liz cleared her throat and proceeded with the whole reason she'd called Kyle in the first place. "Look, all of that is really of no importance right now. Kyle, there was a specific reason I wanted to see you. I think we need to make something very clear now that I'm back in town."

"Ok. Shoot."

"It's about that night. The one that…"

"Max saw us in bed together." Kyle shook his head as a wry chuckle escaped him. "Yeah, I remember that very well. Especially since the guy almost killed me for it."

Guilt clouded Liz's expression. "Yeah…Kyle, I still can't tell you how sorry I am…"

Kyle waved a dismissive hand in the air. "I would have done the same thing had it been me. God, Liz, the two of you were so intense, I can only imagine what that did to him to see the love of his life in bed with her ex. His reaction was a little overboard, but I can't say I blame him. Hell, if I was an…" Kyle leaned forward and lowered his voice. "…an alien with powers like that...I probably wouldn't have stopped at almost killing the guy that touched my girl…he would be dead."

"Max could never kill anyone."

"Not then." Kyle's voice dropped to a whisper. "But things have changed, Liz."

"Changed? How?"

Eyeing Liz carefully, Kyle picked up his glass and took a long drink. Obviously stalling. Obviously trying to decide something. He put his glass down and shook his head slightly. "Not my place to say. Just…don't expect to see your Max when you see him again, ok?" He watched as Liz's gaze dropped and her chest literally rose and caught as if she'd been stabbed. "Look. Why don't you just tell me why you really called because I sense a favor coming on."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Liz concentrated on getting her stomach to stop feeling as if a huge fist had just slammed into her. She knew Max would have changed since she last saw him. That was to be expected. It had been a while and a lot had happened. But Kyle's manner had disturbed her. His words sent up warning flags she wanted so desperately to push away.

And she would. For now. Focus. Focus is what she needed now. Clearing her throat, Liz nodded and let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "You're right. I…I do need a favor." Eyes locking with Kyle, she continued lowering her voice after glancing around them at the non-existent crowd. "About that night…Kyle, I need to make sure that we're perfectly clear. Even though I'm back…that night…the truth about it…I need to know that it will still remain a secret between the two of us."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't seen Max yet. Not up close and personal. Which means that I have no idea how he will handle me being back in town. I don't know what's going on in his head. I don't know what he'll say or…or do. I need to know that the truth of that night is between us, Kyle. I can't risk him finding out you and I never slept together. That it was all a set up. If there's anything left of the Max Evans I knew…" Despite her protests, the dreams of a broken heart tumbled forth. "…the second he finds out the truth, he'll want to get back together. He'll never let go. He will not give up. And that's the last thing I need. Because frankly, I don't know if I could resist him this time. And I can't…I just can't let that happen."

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Full of pain, Liz's eyes flashed with earnestness. "Because we can't, ok? Max and I get back together and that's end of it all, Kyle."

Kyle's eyes narrowed in confusion. "The end of what all?"

"Earth." Liz's voice was deadly low, her eyes beginning to shine with a thin film of tears. "Kyle, the world will end if Max and I are together."

A disbelieving smile started to spread over Kyle's face. He even laughed out loud. "God, Liz, what happened to you down there in Florida? Get caught up in some extra-terrestrial cult or hooked on acid or something? Damn. Maybe you really did get abducted by an alien and they're like invading you mind or…"

"Kyle!" The sharpness of Liz's voice cut Kyle's teasing off at the knees. She leaned over the table, her eyes locked with his. "I am not crazy. I am not drugged up. Do you honestly think I would given up my entire world, every dream I ever had…would have been without Max all of this time…if I didn't believe this?" Shaking her head emphatically, the strength of Liz's fear came through loud and clear. "This is real. It could happen."

The smile slipped from Kyle's face and he swallowed hard. "You're really serious, aren't you?"

"Very."

"But…but how do you…"

"Max told me." Shutting her eyes against the memory, Liz's lips began to quiver as she retold the story for the first time. The story of how all of her dreams were destroyed in a night. The story no other human ears had ever heard. "A few days before we pretended to sleep together, I had a visitor. It was Max. Only not my Max. It was Max, my husband…from the year 2014…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isabel bumped into Liz and Kyle as they were leaving Buck's. Literally.

Her heart immediately sank.

Great. That's all Max needed. On a rampage, probably half drunk out of his mind. Seeing Liz and Kyle all buddy, buddy was NOT the way to get Max back on solid ground.

She opened her mouth to say something but a warning look from Liz reminded her that they were supposed to be on non-speaking terms and not allies. So, Isabel jutted her chin out defiantly, gave Liz a scalding glare than brushed past her purposefully knocking into her shoulder before sweeping through the door into the smoky, dark bar.

Quickly scanning the area for any sign of Max, Isabel caught the movement of a door toward the back closing behind a dark haired man that Isabel would recognize anywhere. Rushing toward the exit, Isabel stepped back into the summer night air. "Max? Max, where are you…"

She heard a sob…and the sound of someone getting sick. Following the sound, Isabel rounded the corner and froze as she watched Max collapse to his knees against the wall, his chest heaving and his eyes blurred by tears as he became a virtual ball of anguish.

In shock, Isabel stood a respectful distance away watching her brother fall to pieces right before her eyes. Having no real understanding of what was really going on, she just knew…instinctively felt…that Max had just been leveled by a bombshell he never saw coming. He was muttering something. Something she couldn't make out between his sobs and gasping for air. Something that was ripping his heart to shreds.

Shock gave way to fear and Isabel stumbled forward to fall down on the ground next to Max. "God, Max, what is it? What happened?" Voice shaking, Isabel called out to a brother who was completely in his own world.

She shook him. Turned him toward her. Implored him to talk to her. Rocking back and forth, agony was etched in every line of his face. Soon his words became clear. But his meaning was not.

"It's my fault. I did this. I did this to her. Oh, God…this is all my fault…"

Frustration and fear mingling rapidly together, Isabel felt her stomach flip deep inside of her. "God, Max, what are you talking about?"

"Liz. Liz…lied…" Tear streaked faced turned toward Isabel, Max's eyes sparked with something Isabel thought had died and gone forever. Hope. And love. "She did it all…because she loved me, Isabel. Liz…Liz still loves me…"

Isabel Evans felt her world shift beneath her. And she wasn't sure that she liked the feel of it. No, she wasn't sure she like it at all...

Tbc…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ chapt 16 b ~

Back on base, in the seclusion of Max's office, he was finally able to tell her everything. The entire conversation between Liz and Kyle was repeated from beginning to end. The truth of Liz's confession making an impact that rocked Isabel’s world.

Liz Parker…had saved her life. All of their lives.

Which made the conflict growing inside of her even more difficult with each passing second. The decision she had to make all that more painful. The stand she had to take, heartbreaking.

It wasn't that she didn't like Liz. Didn't respect her. Wasn't grateful.

Because she was.

Liz Parker had done more for their alien cause than any human should be expected to do. She'd placed her own life in danger time and time again. Had sacrificed her own dreams. Given up her only love. And now, she was not only sharing all of her resources to aid them, she was deep in the heart of the enemy camp. Literally, as well as figuratively.

And it wasn't that she didn't want to see Max happy. Didn't want to see him smile. Wasn't hoping he'd find true love.

Because she was.

And if ever a soul had found true love, it was Max. From the moment he'd laid his healing hand on her, Liz Parker had been his. Completely. Forever. Faithful to him and him alone. The scene in her room between Kyle and Liz, had been just that…a scene. There had been no more truth to it than if Max were to say he didn't love Liz Parker any more.

It wasn't even that Isabel was being selfish. Or that she was jealous of the place Liz Parker had always and would always occupy in Max's heart…in his life. Not like she had at one time. Way back when Max had made it abundantly clear that Liz Parker was the one soul that could disrupt the careful balance of secrecy their existence on this earth required of them.

Because she wasn't.

Isabel had long ago realized that Max would always love Liz. That given the right circumstances, Max would undoubtedly knock the entire world off their collective feet just to keep Liz Parker's from breaking a nail. It was downright terrifying to consider what he'd do if she were in an honest to God life-threatening situation.

As long as she was in his life, Liz would always come first. It was as simple as that. A fact as concrete as the earth being round.

Truth was…Isabel was terrified. Scared of what a renewed relationship between Max and Liz would mean. What it would ultimately do their cause. How Max would ultimately lose focus and, in turn, perhaps the war.

It had never been a secret that Max Evans had only one real passion in life. One person he would die for. One person who could make him live. Liz Parker. And as good as Liz was for Max personally, if she became an integral part of his life again…

The door to Isabel's room swung open and slammed with force. Isabel drew in a sharp breath. She’d expected this visit. Knew what was coming. Feared the impending commands. Dreaded the inevitable conflict.

And there he stood. Her brother. Her friend. A man head over heels in love. An alien searching for his home. A warrior determined to fight for his soul again.

With two long determined strides, Max stood in the middle of her room, his eyes blazing with impatient fire. "Dream walk her."

Her refusal was calm and determined. She did not meet his eyes. “No. No…Max, I can't."

Max took a step forward, his face flushing with instant anger. The desperate, adamant tremor in his voice sent shivers down her spine. "Yes, Isabel, you can. You can…" His next command was delivered with the authority of a king. "…and you will."

Standing to her full height, Isabel took a deep breath then met the fury that was her brother. "Look, Max. I know what you want out of this ok? I know you think it'll somehow lead Liz back to you but Max…" Isabel paused and shook her head. "…Max, I've been thinking about this and I just don't think this is a good idea."

"I don’t give a damn what you think, Isabel.” Dark eyes crackled with resolve. His voice was emanating barely controlled aggravation as his hands clenched and unclenched by his side. “I only care that you get it done."

“Max. I can't get you want you want."

"Like hell you can't." Emphatically jabbing a finger in the air at Isabel, Max's jaws clenched. "I'm telling you now, Iz, if you don't do this for me…"

Stepping forward, Isabel reached out to Max in an effort to soothe the coming storm. He knocked her hand away and backed up, standing like a solid rock against her attempt. Isabel's hands dropped to her side in defeat, but the resolve in her eyes was firm. "Max, listen. I can walk into her dreams for you and tell you every little detail, but that doesn't mean it'll be what you're looking for. For all we know she could be dreaming about having an ice cream cone on a hot summer day." Isabel's flippant defense caused Max's eyes to flash dangerously.

His jaw tightened. The words were clipped and full of confidence. "She won't be."

"Max…"

"She won't be!" The pent up emotions finally exploded in a vehement protest. Max's expression was a study in years of suppressed agony. His voice echoing the inner torment haunting him for so long. "I'm telling you now, Isabel…I saw her eyes tonight. I heard her voice. I…**felt** her pain. As sure as I breathe, I know Liz Parker. After all this time and everything that's happened, I still know her."

Max pulled himself up to his full height and looked his sister straight in the eyes. Intense love and overwhelming hope mingled together in the depths of his eyes to make an argument so compelling she couldn’t refuse. "She won't be dreaming of ice cream, Iz. She'll be dreaming about me. Just like I've dreamed about her every single night for the past two years. I'd stake my life on it.”

“Max…"

Eyes bright with sudden, unshed tears, Max’s shoulders sagged as he struggled to talk around the lump that was firmly lodged in his throat. "Dream walk her, Isabel. Please. I…I need this. I need her. And if you don't…I'll find another way."

Letting out a defeated sigh, Isabel nodded her consent. “Alright. I’ll need a pic…”

Max instantly shoved a photo into her hands.

Reluctantly, Isabel took it and glanced at the clock on her mantle. It was already one in the morning. “Let’s wait till…”

Max crossed his arms over his well-toned chest. “We’ll do it now.”

Max’s resolve was so tightly wrapped around him Isabel had no choice but to do as he asked. Nodding she turned and headed toward her bed, closely followed by Max who pulled up a chair in front of her. His gaze was intently fixed on Liz’s photo as Isabel took one of his hands in hers and put her finger to the image of Liz’s face…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The air was thick with a heavy, purplish-gray fog. The sweet smell of flowers floated in the air as the rushing sound of a distant waterfall filled Max's senses. His gaze slowly moved in search of the one person he'd come to see. The one person he needed with such desperation it shook him to his core.

His shifting gaze halted abruptly and a smile began to touch his lips. There she was. Sitting beneath the tree. Gazing out over the river flowing at her feet. The girl who made his heart race. The girl who had the power to turn chaos into order. The girl who made him sane.

His smile disappeared. There **he** was. The future version of himself. The one who took everything from him. The one who stole every dream he'd dare to dream. The one Liz allowed into her dreams as if he was the one that belonged…


"Liz."

Without turning her head, she addressed her visitor. "Why do you still come to me?"

He shrugged, his black leather vest crackling with the smooth movement. "You tell me. It's your dream."

Liz let out a sigh, her shoulders dropping wearily. Glancing up at him leaning casually against the tree she was sitting under, her eyes were full of longing and sadness. "I guess…I guess I still need you. I…miss you, Max." She looked away, her soft voice echoing the loneliness raining in her heart. "I know you're not him…not my Max. But…having you with me like this…well, it…"

"Helps." The weathered warrior moved to sit next to the girl who won both his heart and the heart of his present day counterpart. Max Evans of 2014 glanced at Liz Parker of 2003, taking in her profile. Even in her sadness she was the most stunningly beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Never as much, though, as when she smiled.

When she nodded in the affirmative, a hint of a smile shadowed his lips. Nudging her with his elbow, Max tilted his head toward her ready for the game they had played in Liz's dreams time and time again through the past two years. "So, tell me. What story do you want to hear tonight?"

Her lips turned downward. "I don't want a story tonight, Max. I want…"

Max reached over and took her hand in his. "You want Max."

Liz nodded, her eyes suddenly bright with unshed tears. "Is that so wrong of me?"

“No, Liz. It’s not wrong at all.”

“Why, Max?” One shiny tear slipped down her cheek. “Why did you leave me there all alone that night? Why couldn’t you have stayed and made this pain go away? Why couldn't you have stayed and…and finished our dance?”

Future Max wrapped an arm around Liz’s shoulder and pulled her into him. "It wasn't our dance to finish, Liz." Kissing the top of her head, he spoke a truth that reverberated to the depths of her soul. “You know you’ve never been alone. I’ve always been with you. Unseen perhaps, but there. In your heart. In your mind. And in your dreams. Sharing your pain. You’ve felt my love. Heard my voice whispering…calling you to come home. It’s why you’ve come back to Roswell. Back to Max.”

Sniffling against his shoulder, Liz nodded knowingly. “You’re right. You have always been with me. I guess because I never really let you go.”

“No. You haven’t.” He pulled away from Liz to look down in her eyes. “Neither has he.”

Liz looked down, her lips trembling as she fought back more tears. “I really wish I could believe that.” Shaking her head, she quickly swiped away the tears that were wetting her lashes. “Do you have any idea how much he hated me after you left? How much he still hates me for what he thinks I've done?” Future Max actually…chuckled. Liz’s gaze snapped up to meet his in irritation. “You think that’s funny.”

“No, Liz, it’s not funny. It’s actually the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard.” Max stated simply. “For Max Evans to hate you…well, Liz, that’s just plain impossible. Take it from a guy who knows. What Max feels for you isn’t hate…it’s love in denial.”

“Gee, that makes me feel so much better.” Liz quipped as she swiped an errant tear from her eye.

“No, Liz, listen.” Gathering her hands in his, the future version of the boy she loved turned her to face him. "You're the air he breathes…so he's decided to stop breathing. You're the beat of his heart…so he pretends he doesn't have one. You're what makes him feel alive. So he's stopped actually living. He is so in love with you that he simply cannot function without you and acknowledge what you mean to him all in the same breath. To do that, Liz, would be to banish himself to an eternity of hell." Max paused and tilted her chin upward till she was looking in his eyes. "To survive, he denies what is true."

Liz swallowed hard, her voice breaking with emotion as tears once more filled her eyes. "What I've been trying to do for the last three years."

"Yeah." Future Max nodded as he reached over and wiped the tear that had fallen. "Just like we all have."

"You miss her, don't you? Your Liz." Liz's soft, sudden question prompted a flash of pain in Max's eyes before his gaze faltered. The tightness of his lips and the way his jaws worked with emotion told Liz everything she needed to know.

Once more Liz Parker's subconscious recognized the sacrifice a man had made to save a world. Once more, she honored him for it. Once more, she gave him the thing he needed most…a chance to relive his memories.

"I want a story now." The smile began in her ebony eyes before dropping to haunt her lips. Suddenly shy, Liz bit her lower lip as she glanced up at him through lowered lashes. "Could you…tell me about mornings at the Evans' house?"

Future Max flashed her an instant smile, his eyes beginning to shine with gratitude. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I can do that."

Wrapping an arm around her, Future Max waited till Liz settled against him, resting her head on his shoulder before he began in hushed, reverent tones. "Every morning, I'd wake up long before Liz just so I could lay there and watch the sun's ray slip through the curtains of our window to caress her skin. I loved watching her breathe. Each steady, even breath was a miracle. Chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm to the beating of her heart. I was humbled. Every morning. Knowing she was mine. Knowing the most beautiful person in all the galaxy…chose me."

Smiling against Liz's hair, Max closed his eyes remembering. "Not a morning went by when we didn't celebrate our love. Not one single morning. Liz would open those big, beautiful brown eyes of hers to focus on me. She'd get this…smile." A light chuckle whispered through his voice. "You know, that doesn't even describe what happened to her every time she looked in my eyes. She…warmed everything around her. From the inside out, this glow just enveloped her. And the entire room just…came alive. **I**…came alive."

Future Max continued, his voice reverently awed and full of emotion. "'No regrets, Max.' She said it to me, every morning. Every day she reaffirmed that where she was was exactly where she wanted to be. And every day I showed her just how grateful I was…that **she**, Liz Parker, loved me." His voice dropped to a whisper. "She really loved me…"

Pulling away to look up into Future Max's eyes, Liz allowed a bittersweet smile to touch her lips. "She still does, Max. Wherever she is…she still does…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Max gasped and jerked in his chair, almost knocking it over.

"Max?" Isabel's concern was evident in her voice. "Max, are you ok? Did you get in? What did you see? What did you…feel?"

Running a hand over his eyes, Max leaned forward and hung his head. His strangled, one word answer could barely be heard through the sobs exploding from a broken heart. "Pain." The tears came swiftly and with all the force of a storm. "So…much…pain…" Isabel sat staring at her brother not knowing what to do, say…think. She reached out to touch his shoulder but her hand hesitated then pulled back with a will of its own.

A grief that deep, that intense, couldn't be shared. Instinctively, Isabel knew that was the powerful emotion shaking Max to his very core. How…why…for what reason, she didn't know. But it was obviously an experience too profound to understand.

Unless you were Max Evans.

Or Liz Parker.

A plan quickly forming in Isabel's mind, she silently slipped off her bed and headed to the door. Pausing only once in indecision, she had only to glance back at Max's weeping form to solidify her decision.

"You'll never hurt like this again, Max. I promise." Eyes hard with determination, Isabel's whisper was lost to the sound of Max's tears. "Even if it means dancing with the devil…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The thick, canvass flaps parted as Isabel was ushered into the weathered tent. She blinked a few times allowing her eyes to get used to the dimness that engulfed her. Her shifting gaze settled on ancient figure bend and withered, reclining against a host of cushions on the floor.

"Come forward, my child." The crone's voice crackled with age.

Isabel hesitantly took a step forward, her gaze never leaving the woman's face. An eerie sense of déjà vu swept over Isabel and she felt something deep inside of her click with recognition. Reason descended quickly, pushing the panic welling up inside her to the side. It was impossible. She didn't know this woman. She'd never met her before her in her life. She just needed to get what she came for and…

"Well?" As if reading Isabel's mind, she motioned her forward. "Are you going to ask what you came for? Or must I read your mind?" Her heckling laughter at her own pun sent shivers down Isabel's spine.

She almost turned and left right then. She almost fled before she went too far. She almost chucked her whole idea.

It was a crazy plan, Isabel had to inwardly admit. Going to the rumored alien 'seer' for a quick fix to a very difficult problem probably wasn't the smartest move she'd ever made. Then again, she had never seen Max in so much pain before. Lost, desperate…with no direction and no place to go. Not even when he first lost Liz.

Somehow knowing the lengths she'd gone to for the sake of the world, in the name of love, had sent Max into an emotional tailspin Isabel knew she had to pull him out of. He certainly wasn't thinking clearly enough to pull himself out. The only way she knew how was to give him exactly what he wanted.

Which was Liz.

The only problem was…Liz Parker wouldn't cooperate. Isabel knew that as well as she knew her first name. The times she and Liz had met for information exchanges or to lay out plans, Liz had staunchly steered each and every conversation away from the subject of Max. She wouldn't hear of him even getting a hint of her involvement in the subterfuge in which they were enmeshed. And she certainly never, ever, talked about the past.

Or the endless, lonely future.

Which is why Isabel found herself standing in the middle of a tent in the desert. Getting ready to, for all intents and purposes, make a deal with the devil.

"I uh…" Isabel cleared her throat. "I heard you were the person to see if uh…if a person wanted to…well…"

"You want more power." Her cracked lips spread into a toothless grin. Raising a bony finger in the air, she made a motion urging Isabel forward. Isabel swallowed hard…and took another step. The old woman pulled from the depths of her robe a crystal unlike anything Isabel had ever seen.

She was instantly mesmerized by it. The rainbow of colors winked at her and seemed to swirl and shift as light was reflected off its smooth aquamarine surface. Enchanted, Isabel reached for it. The woman's laugh caused Isabel to jump as she closed her hand around it as quick as lightening and snatched it just out of Isabel's reach. "Not so fast, my pretty." Her crafty eyes twinkled with deviltry. "There is a price to pay."

Isabel swallowed hard. "And just what is that price?"

"Not much, Villandra." The toothless grin spread. "Just your soul…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back against the wall, Max stared into space with dull, empty eyes. Seeing nothing. Hearing nothing. Feeling…numb. He'd managed somehow to make it back to his room and climb onto his bed. The picture of Liz was pressed against his chest.

That's how Isabel found him two hours after having left him.

"Max." Slipping onto the bed next to him, she gently touched his arm trying to get his attention. "Max, it's me. I did something. Got…something. I think it'll help us. Help you and Liz. Max, you have to listen to me, ok?" Letting out a sigh of frustration at Max's unresponsiveness.

Pulling from her purse the crystal she'd had to haggle for, Isabel held it up in front of Max hoping its enchanting rays would catch his eye. "I…I got this. And…and I have a plan for getting you and Liz back together. Or…at least to get her to listen to you. Max…"

A harsh voice from the doorway cut off any further speech. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing with that cursed thing?"
~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, that swine, Zan, has found a human pig to wallow in the mud with, eh?" The crone's black eyes crackled with malicious delight.

"Apparently so." Drake Banner leaned back against the cushions facing the old woman and watched as she caressed a crystal ball held steadily in her withered hands. "It's his old girlfriend from high school. Liz Parker. You remember I told you about her. Our newest recruit."

"Yeees." The word was drawn out like an evil hiss. "I do remember."

Drake took a bite of an apple and chewed thoughtfully a moment. "You know, I'm still not sure if we can trust her. Given their history, there could still be some residual feelings there."

"Given what I've seen lately in my special ball here and Vilandra's desperation tonight, I'd say there are. At least on Zan's part."

"So, then maybe it'd be best with this newest development to just kill her and forego the weary process of deciding whether we can or not."

"She is not to die." The command was leveled with absolute authority. "We can use her to destroy the enemy."

Drake snorted. "Really, Mother. She's just a human."

The old woman's eyes snapped up to meet his. "She's more than that, son." Her lips spread into an evil grin. "You don't remember, do you?"

Drake's brows furrowed and he shook his head in response. Her snicker filled the tent. "Let him have her. His…" Leveled with an infinite level of hatred and disgust, she practically snarled the word. "…human. She's his weakness now as she was his weakness then." She stroked the crystal ball in her hand and gazed into it as a cruel smile twisted her lips. "Yeees. We shall use this Liz Parker greatly to our advantage."

"And Vilandra?"

"Vilandra." The name came out in a reverenced whisper. "It was good to see her again. Beautiful as ever." Black eyes danced with pride before a frown claimed her lips. "And just as foolish. Her little deal tonight makes her incredibly vulnerable."

"As does the truth about her heritage." Drake added with a wicked smile.

"No…we cannot forget her heritage. Though apparently she has." A fiendish chuckle rattle from the old woman's bones. "Drake, my boy, this is shaping up to be a very lovely war…"

Tbc…

~ chpt 16 c ~

August 2003 (cont)

Pulling from her purse the crystal she'd had to haggle for, Isabel held it up in front of Max hoping its enchanting rays would catch his eye. "I…I got this. And…and I have a plan for getting you and Liz back together. Or…at least to get her to listen to you. Max…"

A harsh voice from the doorway cut off any further speech. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing with that cursed thing?"

"Serena! What are you doing here?"

Serena Alvarez rushed into the room and snatched the crystal out of Isabel's hands. Clutching it to her chest, she spun away from Max and Isabel as if trying to shield them from impending doom.

Jumping from the bed, Isabel followed her across the room. "Serena! What are you doing? Give that back!"

Holding up her hand to Isabel, Serena's focus never wavered from the crystal. "Just stay back, Isabel. Let me see what kind of curse she put on this."

Isabel stopped cold, her eyes glued to the crystal. "What? What did you just say?"

"The Seer." Serena cast a disapproving glance in Isabel's direction. "That is who gave this to you, isn't it?" Nodding dumbly, Isabel swallowed hard as the hardened expression in Serena's eyes chilled her to the bone. "You should have never gone to her Isabel. She cannot be trusted."

"I did it for Max." Eyes flashing with protective fire. "Do you have any idea what he's going through right now? Any? Just…just…" Gesturing toward Max who was still sitting quietly on his bed, head buried in his hands, lost in his own world as if no one else were in the room, Isabel's voice raised in urgency. "…look at him!"

Serena's gaze settled on Max for a thoughtful moment before she answered. "Even he wouldn't have wanted this. This could destroy us all." Eyes shifting back to the crystal, her focus began to intensify. "Have you accessed the power yet?"

"Accessed the…" Isabel shook her head in confusion and took a hesitant step forward. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Serena."

"Have you used the crystal?" Serena clarified, her voice curt and impatient.

"No. I've not done anything with the crystal. Serena, what is going on?"

Ignoring Isabel’s question, Serena released a sigh of relief. "Perhaps I can change it before it changes us…" She engulfed the crystal between her hands and squeezed her eyes shut in focused concentration.

Isabel watched in stunned silence as, after a few moments, Serena's hands suddenly began to glow. Her lips moved in silent litany as her body began to shake with a force beyond herself. An intense flash of light swept throughout her body followed immediately by a black cloud of evil being pulled from the center of the crystal. Pointing to the hovering mass of darkness, Serena's hazel eyes darkened with power as she uttered a command in an ancient tongue. The cloud made a loud hissing noise before exploding, disappearing into nothingness. With a cry, Serena slipped to the floor in a heap of weakness.

Immediately rushing to her side, Isabel's panic was overflowing. "Serena! Oh my God…Serena!" Dropping to the floor by her side, Isabel helped Serena slowly sit up. "What…what did you do? What in the world was that?"

A weak, harsh chuckle shook Serena's body. "That was nothing of **this** world, Isabel." Still shaking, Serena cautiously opened her hands to gaze at the crystal calmly, innocuously laying in her hands. She let out the breath she'd been holding in a loud release. "That was close."

Isabel sat down next to her with a plop, her eyes never straying from Serena's face. "Well, I'm glad you're pleased. Now would you like to tell me what the hell that was all about?"

Serena leaned back against the desk situated in Max's makeshift room turned office. "That was a very powerful curse, Isabel. One that would have led to our destruction if you'd attempted to use this crystal."

"How?"

Shaking her head, Serena's stubborn gaze met Isabel's in probing inquiry. "What did you want it for? The power. What did you intend to do with it?"

"I need to help Max, ok? He desperately needs Li…" Isabel's speech faltered when she realized she had almost admitted the connection between Max and Liz. She continued, covering the truth in vagueness. "…something. And I…I think I know the way to get this something for him." Isabel swallowed hard, her guilty gaze shifting uncomfortably as her voice lowered instinctively, secretively. "I've heard of things. Seen things. Things I should be able to do, but can't for some reason."

"Dream creating and mind warping. Even mind control." Serena supplied knowingly. "Like Tess."

Isabel nodded. "We're the same, Tess and I. Hybrids, aliens, telepaths." Isabel paused her gaze meeting Serena's meaningfully. "Royalty. So why can she do those things and I can't?" Shrugging, Isabel pushed her hair back behind her shoulders. "I've wondered for a long time now if Tess had some special kind of gift or if she was getting help from somewhere. So, I followed her one night when she went on a mission. I saw her use a crystal just like this to enhance her powers."

"So you thought you'd do the same. To help Max." Serena concluded quietly receiving a nod of acknowledgment from Isabel. Letting out a sigh, Serena gazed at the crystal as she turned it over in her hand. "She can do those things, Isabel, because she is too stupid to know she's being used as a pawn in someone else's game." Serena's gaze slowly fixed on Isabel's face. "You almost followed in her footsteps tonight."

Isabel felt a chill settle over her. "What do you mean?"

"This curse I just got rid of…it's a controlling curse. Any time you accessed the power of the crystal to…let's say, dream create, for instance…you would be, in essence, handing over all power to the Seer. She would have control of not only you, but the person dream creating as well as the creation itself."

"What?" The horror in Isabel's eyes echoed in her voice.

"That's right.” Serena nodded gravely before continuing. “She could control what you and that person think, say, and do. And the worse thing about it…you wouldn’t even know."

“Wait. Let me get this straight.” Isabel shifted on the floor as she focused on the crystal. “You’re saying that with the curse, if I used the crystal to mind warp you, that the Seer would actually be in control of the mind warp, making it what she wants, and that neither you or I would know it?”

One nod of Serena’s head confirmed the terror gripping Isabel’s heart. “That’s what I’m saying.”

“Oh my God.” Running her fingers through her hair, Isabel shut her eyes against the sight of the crystal. Thoughts raced through her head. Thoughts of what her carelessly thought out plan could have cost them if not for Serena. Her eyes popped open as a thought hit her. “Wait. How did you know about this? How did you know how to get rid of the curse?”

It was Serena’s turn to look away as guilt clouded her eyes. When she answered, her voice was full of regret, even self-loathing. “I once made a grave mistake, Isabel. I choose the wrong side of a great conflict.” Her gaze raised to meet Isabel’s with meaning. “Back on Antar.”

“What? You mean, you…you remember Antar?”

“Some.” Licking her lips nervously, Serena took a deep breath before clarifying herself. “I know I was Zan’s enemy. Your…enemy. I was once the Seer’s protégé. Her prized student.” She paused and shook her head, remembering. “She hated him so much…”


“Why?”

Serena shook her head. “I don’t know. I mean, I can’t remember exact details. I just remember this overwhelming feeling of hatred and loathing…disgust…coming from her whenever his name was even mentioned. Whenever he was near…”

Isabel’s voice hardened as a new thought hit her. “Does Max know this? That you were our enemy?”

“I’ve known since the beginning.” Max’s soft voice broke the silence. Both woman’s gazes snapped up to see Max now sitting on the edge of his bed. He was leaning forward, shoulders slumped in defeat, his head in his hands. Before Isabel could move in concern to check his condition, Max continued. “Serena came to me and told me everything she knew, everything she remembered. She was completely up front with me from the start.”

“You knew?” Wide eyes full of surprise with a hint of hurt turned fully on Max. “She betrayed us on Antar and you let her join us here? Without telling me. Without even giving Michael or me a chance to cast a vote.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance, Isabel.” Max raised his head, his eyes meeting those of his sister. “Everyone.”

“Not everyone, Max.” Serena rejoined the conversation playing out in front of her. Shaking her head her words turned their thoughts from the past to the future. “Not the Seer. She hated you then, she hates you now. Max, her only goal is to see you dead.”

“That, and finding the granolith.” Max added as his focus shifted to a point on the wall, his lips tight with seriousness.

“The granolith? What does she want the granolith for?” Confusion flitted through Isabel’s eyes.

“It’s the only way to restore her power to its former glory. The only way she can destroy Earth and return to Antar.” Max’s unemotional answer was delivered automatically. “She’s the reason no one but myself knows where it’s located.”

Isabel let out an exasperated breath as her gaze shifted from Max to an unruffled Serena then back to Max again. “Why do I not know about this? Why have neither of you ever told me about the Seer and her power and…”

“You knew enough to go to her for the crystal.” Max’s statement stopped Isabel’s accusations cold. His eyes cut to hers with frightening iciness. “Don’t ever do it again.”

“But Max, I…”

His gaze softened. “I know why and…” The barest hint of a smile touched his lips. “…thank you.” Shaking his head, he issued the command of a king. “Don’t ever do it again.”

Isabel swallowed hard and nodded her consent. Max shifted his focus to the crystal in Serena’s hands. After a moment he spoke, cautious hope igniting a slow burning fire in his eyes. “Will it still work? The crystal. Will it do what Isabel thought? Help us dream create and mind warp without the Seer’s interference?”

“It…should. But Max…” Serena’s tone was cautious and deadly serious. “Nothing is worth taking the risk.”

Max swallowed hard, his gaze lowering to the photo of Liz. His fingers tenderly caressing the smiling face staring up at him, his voice lowered to a reverent hush. “You’re wrong, Serena. So very wrong…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One week later

“Are you sure about this?” Isabel’s brown eyes were full of uncertainty.

“Positive.” Max nodded once, the calmness of his expression indicating just how sure he was about his current plans as he swung his legs onto his bed and laid down, shifting on the mattress to get comfortable.

“Even with the warnings Serena’s given us…”

“Even then.” Max punched his pillow a few times before sinking down into its softness with a ready, contented sigh.

“Maybe we should try a different approach. Maybe…and I know this is an original thought…maybe you should just go talk to her. You know, person to person instead of dream to dream.”

A half smile haunted Max’s lips as he stared up at the ceiling above him. “She’d never listen. She’s too sure that our being together is going to destroy the world. As much as I love her, Liz has always been way too stubborn for her own good. She does what she thinks is right, damn the consequences.” Holding Liz’s picture in his hands, he folded them on this chest. "She needs something major to wake her up. Just like I did."

“What if the Seer…”

“She won’t.”

“But…”

Max let out a sigh and turned his attention to his sister. “We’ve gone over this, Isabel. The Seer would have to have the crystal back to actually curse it again. Serena's already taken extra precautions to make sure that it isn't. She's going to be here through the whole things to keep an eye on the crystal and check energy levels. She'll be able to tell if someone else is in control or listening in on our dream." Gaze shifting from Isabel to the person who had just stepped into his room, Max addressed the newest member of the group. "Won't you, Serena?"

"Yeah, I'll be able to tell." Serena stepped next to where Isabel was sitting next to Max's bed. "I still don't think we should do this."

"Noted. And…" Max shrugged nonchalantly. "…disregarded."

Isabel and Serena exchanged worried looks. Max shook his head and chuckled. "Would you two stop worrying? I know exactly what I'm doing here."

Pulling up a chair, Serena let out a sigh. "I sure hope this person you're trying to contact is worth it, Max."

A quiet, confident smile lit his eyes as his gaze shifted back to the ceiling. "Let's just say if this works, my entire universe will change."

Leaning toward Isabel, Serena's not so quiet whisper brought a deeper smile to Max's face. "Remind me again…is that a good thing at this point?"

Eyeing Max, a teasing smile began to form on Isabel's lips. "You tell me. When's the last time you've ever seen Max smile?"

"Good point." Serena paused a moment as if trying to remember. "I'm thinking…back on Antar. If I remember right, there was this incident with a milk maid. Boy, were we were rolling in cookie dough ice cream for months at the palace…" Serena agreed prompting an exaggerated sigh from Max accompanied by a roll of his eyes.

"If you two comedically challenged aliens could be quiet, I really would like to get started."

A few giggles turned to seriousness. Isabel reached over and touched Max's hand. "Are you really, really sure, Max? Once we start this…"

His eyes full of calm determination met hers. His voice rang with love and resolve. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life, Iz. A horrible mistake was made three years ago and I intend to fix it."

"Damn the consequences?" Isabel noted with a meaningfully upraised eyebrow.

A knowing smile haunted Max's lips. Tilting his head in deference to Isabel's reference to a stubbornness equaling Liz's flowing through his veins, Max held out his hand as his eyes began to shine with excitement. "The crystal."

With a final sigh of resignation, Serena handed the crystal to Max.

Max wrapped his hand around it as his other held the picture of Liz with tender fierceness. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Isabel and Serena held there breath in silence as Max allowed his subconscious mind to reach out and search for that one soul to soul connection that would undoubtedly fill the deep black hole of emptiness right in the middle of his heart.

He found her. Waiting for him.

A smile drifted over his lips as he was transported into another world, and the dream creating began…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Waves of fresh flowers blew in the gentle breeze around her as she sat under the willow tree. By the brook. Staring out at the rippling water as it bubbled and bounced its way joyously past her.

She wasn’t as jubilant.

A light smile touched his lips as he watched her pull a blade of grass and absently twirl it in her fingers. The wind softly blew her hair back away from her face exposing her profile to him. Revealing beautiful features etched with sorrow and sacrifice. Heart suddenly racing, he approached, slowly…cautiously, stopping suddenly just under the tree when he saw a slow smile begin to spread over her lips.

“You came.”

“Did you want me to?” Max swallowed hard and held his breath.

“Of course I did.” Pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, Liz continued to gaze out over the brook. “I was hoping you’d tell me another story. Maybe the one about that romantic trip you and Liz took to that chalet…”

“Liz…” Taking a step forward, Max thrust a bouquet of wild flowers in front of her as he knelt by her side. “I don’t have any stories to tell.”

Eyes widening in surprise, Liz’s gaze shifted from the flowers staring her in the face to the face of the man offering them to her. She blinked quickly as she took in his appearance. No leather vest. No long hair. No fourteen-year weathered expression.

Her breath hitched. “You’re not…you’re not Future Max.”

“No.” His eyes locked with her meaningfully. “I’m **your** Max.”

Panic raced through her eyes and she instantly started to scramble away.

“Wait. Please, wait.” Max reached out and grabbed her hand, effectively stopping all movement.

Breath stopping in the middle of her chest, Liz stared at the hand holding hers. Eyes beginning to fill with uncertain tears, her lips trembled and her voice shook. “But…but where’s Future…”

“The future doesn’t belong here any more, Liz. Neither does the past." His soft voice lowered with emotion. "Only you and me and this moment. Will you let me stay in it with you? For as long as I can?”

“But…but how…” Liz swallowed back the tears that were threatening to fall. “You…can’t stay. It’s…it’s not…not safe.”

“It’s just a dream, Liz. No one can get hurt here. No one will die.” Placing the flowers in her hands with gentle determination, Max cupped her face and forced her to look in his eyes shining bright with love as he repeated himself, continuing to make his case. “It’s just a dream. No one ever said you couldn’t love me in your dreams, did they?”

Drawn into the mesmerizing logic of his words, Liz sniffled and shook her head. Max responded with a gentle smile as his thumb caught a tear that slipped down her cheek. Brushing it away, his voice echoed the plea in his darkening eyes. “So, will you? Will you allow yourself to love me in your dreams? Please, Liz. It’s the least you can do for the boy who never let you go.”

"Oh, Max..." Tears fell helplessly as Liz nodded her consent and threw herself in his arms, a bright smile lighting her eyes with a thousand stars. "I've missed you so much..."

Tbc…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ chapter 16 d ~


"So, Fang thinks we've got a real shot at getting this demo released. He says its original and…" Eyebrows knitting together, Maria's excited ramble came to a screeching halt when Liz started humming absently to herself, a gentle smile drifting over her lips. "Liz. Babe. Are you even listening to me?"

Liz continued to hum the strains of some song playing out in her mind as her hands unconsciously, methodically flattened pie dough onto the table. Her smile deepened and a giggle would have escaped her had she not bitten down on her lower lip to keep it in check. It was abundantly clear by the way her body was swaying slightly and her gaze was unfocused that Liz Parker was worlds away…

She cautiously circled the bubbling fountain. Her wary eyes never left the sparkling laughter of his as Max inched his way toward her from the opposite side. His devilish grin sent a shiver of anticipation through her. "Give it up, Liz. You know I'm going to have my way."

Liz chuckled in response. "You are getting a little too confident for your own good tonight."

With a light shrug, Max's smile deepened. "Maybe that's because…" Making a swift move and unexpectedly jumping over the edge of the fountain, Max lunged for Liz as she shrieked and tried to run away. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist and Max pulled her securely to his body, his voice a low, gentle whisper tickling her ear. "…I know what the future holds."

Liz twisted in his arms and beamed up at him with a questioningly raised eyebrow. "Oh, you do, do you? And just what does the future hold, Max Evans?"

The brilliance of his smile only dimmed in light of the love dancing in his eyes as a hand unconsciously moved to cup the side of Liz's flushed face. "You."

"Really?" Liz leaned into Max teasingly, her voice lowering coyly as she gazed up at him through thick lashes. "Cuz it sure feels like you're doing all the holding right now."

Liz's eyes drifted closed as Max's lips brushed against her cheek before he whispered in her ear sending shivers through her body. "Is that a problem for you?"

"Does it look like I'm having a problem with it?" Liz breathlessly whispered against Max's lips temptingly before she pulled back to look up into his eyes.

Intense seriousness pulled the smile completely from his lips as Max dipped his head to claim hers, but Liz had different ideas. She pulled back teasingly and shook her head with a slight smile. "Uh-huh. You've got to steal it." Holding a flower stem up for his viewing, Liz's smile spread. "We have one more petal."

His smile made a bright reappearance accompanied by a chuckle and a slight shake of his head. "Steal it, huh? You know, with you as the prize, I could really get into a life of crime."

Giggling, Liz danced out of Max's arms and took a seat on the edge of the fountain then crooked her finger at Max with a wink. Max followed her silent instructions obediently and came to take a place by her side. Once Max was seated, Liz turned to him with a grin. They'd been playing this game for at least half an hour and Max was more than acquainted with the rules. If he stole a kiss before she plucked a petal, Max got to make a wish. If he didn't, the wishing was all up to Liz Parker and Max Evans had made her dreams come true.

So far, she'd been winning.

Not that Max had noticed. Every kiss was a victory for him. Every wish of hers that he made come true, a new brick was laid in the sturdy foundation of love and faith he was trying to build. Centered in her dreams, it was safe here.

As far as Max Evans was concerned, he didn't need to make any wishes. Every wish of his had come true when she willingly accepted him into her dreams. Loved him, held him, teased and talked to him. He was confident now that the transition from dreams to reality was a sure thing. Once Liz Parker had gotten a taste of their love unfettered by fear, he knew she'd never be able to let it go.

So, he had nothing left to wish for. Nothing left to dream.

Except one thing…

"Ok. You ready?"

"Ready." Max answered as his gaze shifted between Liz's slightly swollen lips and the flower in her hand. This was one kiss he was determined to steal before the petal left the stem.

Fingers hovering over the petal, Liz's teasing grin deepened when she attempted to fake Max out by not pulling the petal when he thought she would. That smile was swiftly erased when Max's lips descended on hers with an intensity that took her breath away. A helpless sound escaped her and the flower carelessly tumbled to the ground as Liz instantly wrapped her arms around Max's neck, pulling him deeper into her.

One requesting swipe of his tongue against the seam of her lips and Liz instinctively opened up to him. Fingers raking through his hair, Liz melted against him as he pulled her flush against his body. The deepening kiss sent sensations pulsating through her entire body and Max shivered in response against her. Wrapped in the warmth of his arms, Liz Parker knew what home finally felt like. She'd been away for so long. And now she felt she could set up house permanently, if only Max wanted her to…

Max tugged on her bottom lip then pulled back abruptly, his ragged breaths blowing against her skin. He leaned his forehead against hers, his fingers caressing her face tenderly, lovingly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to get carried…"

Liz stopped his apology with a finger against his lips. "This is my dream. You can love me any way you want to, Max."

Max's eyes instantly darkened with desire. "Any way?"

Speechless with breathless anticipation from the intensity of Max's gaze, Liz's breath caught and she simply nodded.

A smile began to light Max's eyes. He took an unexpected step back from Liz and held out his hand to her. Confusion raced through her eyes as she stared at his hand. "Max, what…"

"I stole the kiss, so I get a wish. Dance with me?"

For the first time in two weeks, real fear and hesitation flitted through Liz's eyes. Her gaze shifted from his outstretched hand to his eyes full of so much love then back again. Wordlessly understanding her hesitation, Max took a step forward and gently tilted her chin till she was looking in his eyes. "This is our dance, Liz. Ours to begin and finish." Nuzzling his nose against hers, his solemn promise brushed against her lips. "I won't disappear on you."

Curling her fingers around his hands that were cupping her face, Liz pulled back enough to look in his eyes. Tears began to form in her eyes when he smiled. A smile of confidence. A smile of hope. A smile of love.

She was helpless to resist. Mesmerized. Surrendered.

As she stepped into Max's open arms, the song began to fill the air…


There's so much life
I've left to live
And this fire's burning still

When I watch you look at me
I think I could find a way
To stand for every dream
And forsake this solid ground
And give up this fear within
Of what would happen if they ever knew
I'm in love with you

'Cause I'd surrender everything
To feel the chance, to live again
I reach to you
I know you can feel it too
We'd make it through

A thousand dreams I still believe
I'd make you give them all to me
I'd hold you in my arms and never let go
I surrender

I know
I can't survive another night away from you
You're the reason I go on
And now I need to live the truth

Right now, there's no better time
From this fear, I will break free
And I'll live again with love
And know they can't take that away from me
And they will see... yeah

(I'd surrender everything)
To feel the chance, to live again
I reach to you
I know you can feel it too
We'd make it through

A thousand dreams I still believe
I'll make you give them all to me
I'll hold you in my arms and never let go
I surrender

Every night gets longer
And this voice's getting stronger baby
I'll swallow my pride
And I'll be alive
Can't you hear my call?
I surrender all...

(I'll surrender everything)
(To feel the chance, to live again)
I reach to you
I know you can feel it too
We'll make it through

A thousand dreams I still believe
I'll make you give them all to me
I'll hold you in my arms and never let go
I surrender

Right here, right now
I'd give my life to live again
I'll break free
Take me, my everything
I surrender all to you
(Right now)
Right now
(I'd give my life to live again)
I'd give my life
(I'll break free, Take me)
Take me, take me
(my everything)
My everything

(I surrender all to you, right now)
Right now
(I'd give my life to live again)
I'd give my life to you baby…


"Yo. Liz. Uh…hello?" When waving her hand in front of Liz's face received no further verbal or visual response, Maria leaned across the table situated in Liz's spacious kitchen and grabbed the rolling pin out of Liz's hands.

Feeling her hands suddenly empty, Liz blinked herself out of the delirious Max-filled daydream that had been haunting her since she'd opened her eyes that morning. "What? Huh?" Her dazed eyes met Maria's curious expression as Maria's words finally formed complete sentences in her mind. "Oh…yeah. Of…of course, I'm listening, Maria." She shook her head slightly as her lips pursed in thought. "You were talking about…uh…Wolf…"

"Fang." Maria corrected as she crossed her arms in front of her and scrutinized her best friend.

Liz released a light, dreamy sigh. "Whatever." Answering absently, a smile spread over her lips and her eyes brightened with a light of happiness as she stared at the pie dough in front of her.

"Liz…" Maria chuckled at her best friend. "What is going on with you? You look like you just swallowed a light bulb."

"Light bulb? Oh, um…" Liz pointed toward a side cabinet along the wall. "Cabinet. Third drawer down."

Rolling her eyes, Maria circled the table and took Liz by the shoulders. Spinning her around, she pointed her to a chair and gave her a light push. "Sit. Spill."

Liz let out a sigh as she sank into the chair. "Really, Maria. There's nothing to talk about."

Counting off her reasons with her fingers, Maria gave Liz a clear 'I don't believe you' look. "Humming. Sighing. Smiling. This isn't you, Liz. Something big is up. So…" Maria prompted with an upraised eyebrow and wild 'hurry up' gesture of her hands.

A bright smile broke out on Liz's face when she realized she couldn't hide her happiness any more. She realized just as suddenly that she didn't want to hide it. Least of all from Maria. "Ok. But I'm only telling you because this is killing me to keep this secret any longer."

"Uh-huh. Ok…"

Taking a deep breath Liz bit her lower lip in excitement and nervousness. "I've been having dreams."

Maria blinked. "Dreams."

Liz nodded rapidly. "Yeah. Every night for the past two weeks. And not just any dreams. We're talking the most amazing, spectacular, out of this world…"

Maria's face broke out into a knowing, devilish smile as her eyebrows wiggled suggestively. "Erotic?"

Liz's face flushed and her eyes danced with as she shook her head. "No. But I don't think it would take much to go in that direction."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but, not that I want them to. I mean, God, I certainly wouldn't mind but…." Liz's chest rose and feel with a dreamy sigh. "I love them just like they are, you know? Just being with him, talking to him and…and he's so romantic…."

"He. As in one 'he'. As in one 'he' with a name and a face."

Liz nodded. And Maria's eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked at Liz. Really looked. The bright eyes. The flushed face. The radiant smile.

Oh yeah. Trouble was on the way.

"Uh, Liz…I wouldn't happen to know this 'he' with the name and face in your dreams, would I?" The disapproving frown on Maria's face combined with her intuitive conclusion instantly pulled the smile from Liz's face. "Lizzie, please don't tell me you've been dreaming about Max Evans."

Blinking quickly to hide her disappointment and guilt, Liz instinctively lied, rather convincingly she thought. "Max? Of course it's not Max. Why would you think I'd be dreaming about him?"

Maria shrugged. "Just the way you look. You know the whole dazed 'I've-just-seen-stars-in-my-head-I-think-I-wanna-go-beyond' look you had back in high school whenever the two of you got back from a make out session in the eraser room. Or back from the desert. Or in the back of the Crashdown. Or at Michael's…"

Liz bristled. "You can stop now, Maria. It's not him, ok? Max and I were over a long time ago and just because I'm back in Roswell where he happens to be most of the time does not mean I have any intention of getting back with him. Or pursuing him. Or dreaming about him."

"Well, good." Maria nodded with satisfaction. "It's not that I don't like Max, because you know that I do." Her brows knit in thought as she clarified herself. "Well, I used to. You know…before he went and changed to this unfeeling, robotic..."

"Maria." Liz's sharp tone cut Maria's description of Max off at the pass.

"Alright. Alright." Sighing, Maria shrugged as she continued to espouse her view of human-alien relationships. "It's just life for humans on plant earth would go a whole lot smoother if all the little green men would stay far, far away. Like…back on their own planet. Especially for you with that whole end of the world crap hanging over your head."

"I know that, Maria." Cutting Maria off, Liz rose from her chair in agitation and headed toward the refrigerator. "Can we please stop talking about this?"

Maria watched in silence as Liz removed ingredients from the refrigerator with frightening fierceness. Obviously, she'd hit a pretty raw nerve by bringing Max up. Which was never her intention. She was just concerned about her best friend. Worried about her emotional well being and how it always managed to become total chaos whenever Max Evans was involved.

Attempting to smooth obviously ruffled feathers, Maria asked a question that caused Liz to cringe inwardly. "So…these dreams. Who's the dreamboat making you glow? And just how romantic are we talking here?"

Liz let out a sigh and avoided eye contact with Maria. "You know, I don't really think I want to talk about it."

"Look, Liz, I'm sorry." An appropriately contrite Maria took a step forward. "I obviously said the wrong thing by bringing Max up…"

Shutting the door to the refrigerator with a slam, Liz turned to Maria with a forced smile. "It's no big deal. Really."

"Liz…"

"No, Maria, it's ok. It is. I just…don’t want to talk about it." Liz nodded reassuringly as she allowed a genuine smile for her best friend to touch her lips. It never reached her eyes. "Besides…who wants to live in a dream anyway, right?"

Sensing Liz's need to move the subject on, Maria shrugged and flashed her a smile of agreement that neither girl really believed. "Right. Who needs a made up prince when you can have a real life body keeping you warm at night, right? That’s what I always say." Eyes brightening, Maria snapped her fingers. "Oh, what is that saying? Give me reality or give me death."

"It's 'Give me liberty or give me death', Maria." Liz corrected absently.

Waving a hand in the air dismissively, Maria shrugged. "Same difference."

"You're right. Dreaming only brings pain." Liz repeated softly, her eyes dulling with sadness. "And death." Forcing herself to concentrate on something other than the emptiness of her own reality, Liz deftly switched the conversation back to Maria in the pursuit of her own dreams. "And you…you were telling me about this thing with Dog…"

Maria let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes. "Fang."

"Right." Liz smiled at the correction as she once more busied herself with baking. "So, details. What exactly did he say?"

"Well…he said this demo…"

As Maria began to babble on, Liz's attention once more drifted to her dream of the previous night. The dull ache in her heart began to grow and loneliness descended on Liz like a black cloud. Maria was right. Liz shouldn't be dreaming. Not about Max. Not about a future with him. Not about the love they shared once upon a time.

It was over.

And Liz Parker shouldn't be dreaming as if it weren't.

The dreams had to stop. They would stop. Liz would see to it. Even if she had to stay awake for the rest of her life…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serena was in her quarters pouring over books when she heard a knock on her door. Before she had the chance to utter the obligatory 'come in', the door opened revealing a weary, worn Michael.

An instant smile lit Serena's face and she jumped up from her chair to give him a warm, welcoming hug. "Michael. You're back."

"Yeah, just got back a little while ago." Michael returned the hug then pulled back to look down into Serena's eyes.

She didn't notice the curious, searching expression on his face as she eased herself out of his arms and headed back to her desk, indicating he should take a seat. "You want something to drink or eat?"

Shaking his head, Michael plopped down on a chair by the side of her desk, never once taking his eyes off Serena. "Nah, I'm fine. Had lunch while I briefed Max about everything."

Having poured herself another cup of coffee, Serena leaned back in her chair and turned to give Michael her full attention. "So, how did training go? Did you whip the troops into shape?"

Michael chuckled. "Tried. Guess we'll see when we have our next battle with Drake."

"I'm sure you did fine." Serena sent him a playful wink. "Drake's men won't know what hit them."

Watching her every expression, Michael's eyes narrowed warily. "So, how've things been here? Holding down the fort while I was gone?"

Serena nodded her head. "Yep. We've gotten some really good information from a few of our spies over in Drake's camp. Looks like he's got a major plan underway." She let out a sigh. "Unfortunately, we only have bits and pieces of the puzzle at this point. So, we're still treading lightly and not making any sudden moves. Tess has been walking around camp as if she owns the place without really contributing to the actual upkeep…"

"As usual, you mean?"

"Uh…yeah. She certainly doesn't take the role of 'queen' lightly." Serena chuckled and nodded. "Isabel's been working on her powers more. She's really getting good at mind warping. I think she'll be better than Tess when all is said and done. And Max has been staying incredibly busy…"

"So I hear." Michael cut off Serena's run down of the principle characters' activities. "Sounds like you've been pretty busy yourself."

Serena's eyes snapped up to meet Michael's at the tone of his voice. A curious smile turned her lips upward. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Michael shrugged nonchalantly as he leaned further back in his chair. "I've just heard a few things." His eyes trained on her face, Michael waited for her reaction.

"Things. What? Like rumors?" A disbelieving smile spread over her face. "What is it now? Oh, let me guess…Tess is still saying someone's trying to poison her, right? I swear we ran her drink through the lab. Not a poison in sight. Oh…then there's the one about Tess being fed dog food." A devilish grin danced in her eyes. "Have to admit, that one was partially true. Ramon mixed some Mighty Dog in with her hamburger." She started to chuckle. "Ate the whole thing before she realized something was up."

Michael shared in the joke with a chuckle before her pursed his lips, growing serious. He cleared his throat. "Actually, what I've heard is about you and Max."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Well, the rumor is…Max is actually…happy. Relaxed. Smiling. Cracking jokes." Michael swallowed, his expression painful at his next thought. "Humming Celine Dion love songs. Which is like a totally new phenomenon around here. And, frankly…downright scary if you ask me." Shuddering dramatically, Michael sobered and met Serena's gaze meaningfully. "So, people talk."

Stiffening at the way Michael was looking at her, Serena's voice hardened. "What exactly are people saying, Michael?"

"That Max is finally getting laid. And not by Tess, not that anyone would believe it was her anyway. Even though I'm sure she'd take full credit for this new found attitude of his if it weren't for the fact that you've been seen going into his room every night around bedtime for the past two weeks."

Michael paused to let the words sink in before leveling his accusation with an unreadable expression and an upraised eyebrow. "So, is it true? Are you screwing our king? Making him forget he ever loved a human…just like you made me forget?"

Serena bristled and was instantly on the defensive. "How can you ask me that? How dare you…" Eyes flashing with anger and hurt, Serena's lips tightened into a hard line. "Don't kid yourself, Michael. You and I aren't together now not because I was distracting you from your all-important job as second in command. We're not together because you never did forget. Maria's as much a part of your heart now as she ever was."

At the mention of Maria's name, the barest flicker of pain raced through Michael's eyes. He didn't let it affect his inquisition. "You've still not answered my question."

"That's because it's none of your damn business. What Max and I do behind the closed doors of his room is no one's concern but ours." Serena stood, her stubborn gaze shifting to the door. "Since you're the king of leaving I can assume you know your way out."

She started to side-step Michael's chair but he grabbed her arm, jumped up from his seat and blocked her escape. Staring down into her angry eyes, Michael's voice was low and intimate. And full of jealousy. "I just want to know if he makes you feel what I made you feel when he's deep inside of you."

The hard connection of Serena's open hand against the side of Michael's face snapped his head to the side. She yanked her arm from his grip and glared up into his eyes. Voice shaking with anger, Serena barely controlled the urge to land Michael flat on his back with a swift kick to the groin. "You do realize this insane competition between you and Max is one-sided, don't you, Michael? It's petty, juvenile and completely unattractive. And something Max does not need or want. Keep it up and you'll only end up making an enemy of the best friend you've ever had."

Heading straight for the door she stopped to throw one parting shot over her shoulder. "As to your question….get over yourself, Michael. You were never that good."

The slam of the door echoed in the room as Michael fought the urge to hit something and Serena escaped to seek solace in the company of her princess and friend.
~~~~~~~~
Half and hour later…

Max was reclining in his chair, eyes closed and a dreamy smile plastered onto his face. The strains of a love song were filling the room as he hummed the few bars he could remember and accurately replicate of the song he and Liz danced to the night before in her dreams.

Isabel and Serena entered quietly without knocking.

"See what I mean?" Serena whispered to Isabel. "THIS is what they're talking about."

"Hmm. Yes, I see that now." Isabel whispered back. Clearing her throat, Isabel tapped her foot impatiently waiting for Max to notice their presence. She cleared her throat again.

Max held up his finger signaling his desire to finish the chorus unhindered. A moment later, the humming finally stopped, but Max refused to open his eyes. "If you're here to ruin my afternoon by imposing some great sense of planetary responsibility, go away. I'm in no mood for fights or battles or trying to figure out who stole Tess' non-existent brain cells."

Isabel let out a sigh. "Sappy, love-sick..." She muttered under her breath as she marched over to Max and kicked his leg to get his attention. "Hey. Snap out of it."

One eye opened to see his sister standing in front of him with her arms crossed and a look of annoyance on her face. He stubbornly closed his eye and let out a sigh. "Nope. Not listening. Already know the lecture by heart and I don't need to hear it again."

"Yes, Max, I think you do."

"No, Iz. I really don't." Letting out a sigh, Max's voice instantly became weary.

"Uh…would either of you two mind filling me in on exactly what is going on? Or how about what's been going on for the past two weeks?" Serena's interjection caused Max to finally open his eyes. "I'm guessing it's a woman by the way you're acting. Who she is and why you're jumping through such elaborate loop holes to get to her, I have no idea. But a clue would be really good right now."

Max and Isabel exchanged glances and, in that look, Max was the chosen spokesperson. "Actually, Serena…this is a strictly need to know basis."

"Screw 'need to know'." Serena's hands were on her hips and her eyes were bright with determination. "Max, I respect you and I will fight for you and I will do whatever it is you need me to do to help you keep this…whatever it is…going. But this is starting to affect me now, which means the very least that I deserve is know the girl's name."

Max sat up, confusion knitting his brows. "Affecting you? What are you talking about?"

Isabel finally spoke up. "The rumor is that you and Ms. Thing here…" Isabel indicated Serena with a tilt of her head. "…are a pretty hot item."

There was a moment of silence during which Isabel's news sank in to Max's brain. Then…Max burst into laughter. Isabel glanced from him to Serena in uncertainty. Serena looked downright annoyed. "Hey. Standing right here. Not that funny."

Max struggled to bring his laughter under control. "I'm…I'm sorry, Serena. It's…just…the idea of me…and, and you…" Another burst of laughter erupted in the room.

Serena threw up her hands as she turned to Isabel with a 'can believe him?' look. Isabel just shrugged. After a few moments, Max took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes as he cleared his throat. "Ok. Ok. I'm sorry. I'm here. I’m with the program now."

"You sure? Because it's obviously my social life on the line here, not yours." Serena quipped as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"You have a social life?" The question was asked with a straight face, but Max soon lost his composure again and cracked a wide, teasing smile.

Casting her eyes dramatically to the ceiling, Serena shook her head. "And people wonder what could have possibly made me pick the other side on Antar…"

"Ok, ok, ok." Isabel finally stepped into the fray to get some semblance of order. Turning her attention to Max she fixed him with a disapproving look. "Max, this is serious. It's only been two weeks and people are already noticing a change in you. There's no way you're going to pull this off…"

"Iz, it's alright."

"Max, how can you say that?" Her brown eyes were full of concern as she crossed over to his desk and leaned against it. "Need I remind you that you're not even together yet? All that's happened so far is that you've gone into her dreams and talked to her."

"It's done, Iz." Max responded quietly.

Continuing without having heard him, Isabel let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm positively terrified of what will happen if you actually convince her to…"

"Isabel. It's done."

Isabel blinked at the sharpness of Max's tone. "What?"

A light smile touched his lips. "It's done. Phase I of this little project is over. This evening, you go to her and do your part. Tonight, I'll dream create with her one more time then tomorrow night we mind warp. After that…"

"God, Max, don't you get it?" Isabel's concern level had risen considerably since hearing how close they were to completing Max's plan to get Liz back. "After that, Max, is when it will all begin."

"Yes, Isabel, it will." A bright smile of anticipation lit his eyes. "And I can't wait. Because then it'll just be the two of us. We won't need mind warps and dream creating to be together. Lies and tricks will be part of the past." The confidence in his eyes radiated through his entire body. "It's going to be ok."

"But what about her cover, Max?" Isabel shook her head. "I don't think you know just how hard this is going to be. I don't think you've thought this all the way through…"

Max waited silently, confidently until Isabel's eyes met his. "It's going to be ok. Trust me, Iz." Immediately turning to Serena, Max's eyes twinkled with laughter. "As for you, my hot little side order…"

"Hey!" Serena attempted to sound indignant, but couldn't help the smile tugging her lips upward.

Max chuckled before sobering to lay out his plan. "I'll go make an announcement right now. I'll let the camp know that you've been assigned to a new division of research and that you, Isabel and I have been pouring over documents recently delivered to us. I'll say that the research is taking up a lot of extra time and we often work into the wee hours of the morning. And if anyone has seen you entering my quarters at night, it is because of this research and nothing else."

"I'll also make it very clear that you are free as a bird to see anyone you choose…even if it happens to be my emotionally challenged second in command…without fear of royal payback for stealing the king's girl."

Serena rolled her eyes. "Like I care about what Michael does or doesn't do on his off time…"

Max gave Serena a knowing look and she relented with a sigh. "I'll get things straight with Michael personally for you, ok? Now…unless there's something else…"

"Max, wait." Serena's expression was clouded as a thought hit her. "I know this is a 'need to know' situation, but I'm pretty good at putting two and two together. So…"

"Yes?" Max's consent for Serena to continue was given with a nod of his head.

Serena glanced at Isabel then back to Max. "Well, from what I gather, this woman you so obviously adore…it's going to be risky for you to be with her isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Even dangerous."

"Very."

Shrugging her shoulders, Serena's expression clouded. "Then why take that risk?"

Max's whole expression softened and his eyes took on a light that nearly took Serena's breath away as he gaze somewhere into the coming future. "Because I love her. Because for the first time in nearly three years, I feel alive. And so does she. I'm not willing to give that up. For anyone or any thing," His gaze met hers in complete sincerity. "What's the point of winning a war if there's no love or future to win it for?"

Serena swallowed hard as her gaze shifted from Max's enlightened face. Silence held them captive for a moment as Max's words wrapped themselves around Serena's heart. When she finally spoke, it was with the confidence that what she was about to suggest was the right thing to do. "Don't make the announcement."

"What?"

Her eyes met his. "Don't say a word. Let people think what they want."

"But…"

"Max, look. I know you've accepted me since day one. You've not questioned my motives for joining you or…or doubted my sincerity. I know I shouldn't feel guilty for what happened on Antar, but I still do." She held up her hand when Max opened his mouth to protest. "Isabel's right. I don't think it's possible for you to hide the love you're feeling right now. It's too much a part of you. But you also don't want people knowing the source of that new light in your eyes. So…if they think its me, then…"

"No, Serena, I can't let you do that." Quickly picking up on her train of thought, Max shook his head emphatically.

"It'll keep her safe, Max. Or…or at least it'll give you a cover to be with her. At least for a while." Pleading eyes raised to meet his. "Please, Max. Let me do this for you. Who knows? In some wild, cosmic way it might just erase a bit of the pain I've caused in the past."

Max's gaze shifted from Serena to Isabel inquiringly. Isabel nodded solemnly. "She has a point, Max. If people believe there's something going on with you and Serena, they won't be suspicious of you and anyone else."

Silence fell on the group once more as Max sat in thought. Finally coming to a conclusion, Max nodded his head. "Alright." His eyes met Serena's. "But the second, and I mean the very second, you change your mind, I want to hear about it."

Serena nodded her agreement as a teasing smile danced on her lips. "Got it…" She winked seductively at Max and did a breathy impersonation of Marilyn Monroe. "…lover boy."

Max groaned and rolled his eyes. Pointing to the door, he began to chuckle. "Go. Get out. Find an alien to cheat on me with."

Chuckling Serena headed to the door. Stopping just short of opening it, she turned back to Max and Isabel. "So…do I even get to know her name? Just even her first name?"
"I really wish…" Max started, regret haunting his eyes.

"It's ok." Serena interrupted quickly, a slight blush of embarrassment for having gone too far coloring her face. "I was just curious."

"It's for your own protection, Serena." Max explained quietly.

"I know." Serena sent them both an understanding smile before she waved and left through the open door.

Isabel waited till the door was closed before she addressed Max directly again. "So, tonight…"

"That was completely unexpected."

"What?" Isabel asked then realized Max was still staring at the closed door Serena had exited. "Oh, Serena covering for you. Not all that unexpected."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because she's loyal. She believes in you. She wants to see us win." Isabel commented. "Three very good reasons I'm glad she's on our side."

"Yeah, me too." He pursed his lips in thought. "I still think I should do something though. Maybe talk to Michael for her so he at least knows there's nothing going on between us."

"I don't know, Max. Michael wouldn't let it lie. He'd want to know why you're letting the rumor continue if it isn't true. You'd have to tell him about Liz and…"

"Right. So, that's totally out. I'd never get a moment's peace from him let alone never knowing when he might explode and spill the entire truth." Max leaned back in his chair, his mind seemingly a million miles away.

"Yeah, Michael can be impulsive like that." She paused a moment in thought then steered the conversation back to the rest of their plans. "So, about tonight…"

Isabel's voice seemed to snap Max back to reality. "Right. This evening you go to Liz and act your little heart out then meet me back here around midnight. I'll dream create…"

"And act your little heart out." Isabel added.

"Right." Max nodded once. "Then tomorrow night's the night."

"You have the list of things you need for tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Right here." Max reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. Handing it to Isabel, he glanced up at her. "Thank you. I know you're not exactly thrilled about all of this…"

"I want to see you happy, Max. Liz does that for you so…" Not meeting his eyes, she shrugged and folded the paper, stuffing it in her pocket.

"You just hope we get longer than fourteen years?" Max finished for her.

A bittersweet smile touched Isabel's lips. Her eyes met his. "At this point, Max, I hope you get longer then fourteen days." Shoving herself away from the desk, she headed to the door then stopped when Max called out to her. She turned to face him.

"Fourteen days or a hundred years…I'm going to live each one loving her with everything I have."

Isabel nodded as an accepting smile spread over her lips. "I know you will, Max. And somehow…that makes all of this ok. Whether she knows it yet or not, Liz Parker is one lucky girl." With that, she turned and left Max alone with his thoughts.

One particular thought that ruled his every breath.

"No, Iz. I'm the lucky one. And I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure Liz knows it. Starting tonight…"

tbc…

Ok. Here's the next part. Now...let me kinda explain since it'll probably be a bit confusing. I'm starting with Max/Liz's one month anniversary and jumping back and forth from that to the 'trick' he pulled on Liz a month earlier. To clarify, the part with Isabel and Liz really happened. The first flashback with M/L is Max dream creating. The second flashback of M/L is a mindwarp. There is DEFINITELY more of that coming and I KNOW all of this is going to look cruel on Max's part, but please, PLEASE remember Liz loves him and forgives him and understands, so please give him (and me) a little slack and not hate us ok??? PRETTY PLEASE????



~ chpt 16 e~


September 24, 2003
Max/Liz's one month anniversary



A natural chain of events. One element sparking the effects of the next. A primal connection. A cosmic union. A universal bond. An electric current of intense energy pulsating with life…

One final, penetrating thrust.

Outside their window, lightning forked through the thick rolling clouds to connect with an earth-bound tree, exploding it into a million pieces. Wooden shards rained down on the ground, visual testament to the power of just one intense, cosmic connection.

Arching against him, she threw her head back and screamed out his name as her legs tensed and her nails curled into his sweat-covered flesh. A roar of intense pleasure ripped through him as he exploded deep inside of her. Clinging to her like his only lifeline, he chased her over the edge of unspeakable ecstasy. Tumbling headlong into a wild, rapturous sea of stars. Falling into a cloud of fathomless emotions where love swallowed them whole.

Thunder absorbed the echo of their combined cries as it rumbled, rippling through the air like a waterfall to shake the ground beneath them. A fierce wind exploded through the window. Flickering flames of glowing candles were instantly snuffed out plunging the room into intimate darkness.

Dark storm clouds dispersed and tiny points of light dotted the midnight sky winking at two sleek, gleaming bodies entwined to perfection. A full, round moon appeared as if on cue to shine with shimmering silver light into the open window of the same pair of lovers. Caressing their skin. Illuminating the haven where love reigned with such supremacy the even the earth and heavens stood still in awe at it's most intimate expression.

Collapsing on top of his wife, Max's head wearily dropped onto her heaving chest as she wrapped her arms around him and placed breathless, haphazard kisses along his temple. Ragged breathing filled the air and hands lovingly caressed each other as hearts slowly began to re-pace themselves. Starting at her heart, Max rained feather light kisses across Liz's exposed chest, shoulder and up the column of her creamy neck before he raised his head to look down into her still passion-dazed eyes. He gently pulled strands of sweaty hair from the curves of her face as he grinned down at her, his voice thick with passion. "Wow."

Liz began to chuckle and nod. "Wow's right." Fingers languidly feathering through his hair, Liz smiled up at him, her voice breathless with spent energy. “Think we’ll ever get used to the earth literally moving just about every time we do this?”

“God, I hope not.” Max nuzzled his nose gently against hers before claiming her lips for a kiss. When he finally pulled back, a half smile haunted his lips as his gaze focused on fingers pushing the hair away from the flushed face staring up at him. “Tell you what…the day that I do, you have my permission to shoot me because I never want to not feel this way.”

“Ditto.” Flashing him a bright smile, Liz's eyes twinkled with joy. She caressed his face with feather light tenderness. "Happy anniversary."

"Happy anniversary." Love dancing in his midnight eyes, Max whispered back as Liz captured his face and pulled him forward for another kiss. Sighing into her mouth, Max deepened the kiss as a wave of indescribable love and gratitude washed over him. When the need for air made him pull back prompting a groan of protest, Max gazed into Liz's eyes lovingly as he breathed a whispered 'thank you for loving me' against her lips.

Her smile broadened as her eyes began to dance with a teasing light. She ran a light, finger down the bridge of his nose before tweaking it playfully. "Anytime, Your Highness."

Max chuckled and shifted off of Liz, keeping his arms firmly wrapped around her and pulling her along with him as he rolled onto his back. Fitting her body perfectly alongside his, Liz wrapped her arm around his waist and nestled her head against his chest. After a few moments of contented silence, Liz broke their serenity almost shyly. "Max?"

"Hmmm?" Hand constantly in motion as it caressed the strands of Liz's tousled hair, Max let out a deep sigh of satisfaction as he planted a kiss on the top of Liz's head.

"Do you get the feeling something…spectacular…just happened?"

Max's hand stopped mid-stroke through Liz's hair and a dark eyebrow raised as his voice echoed mock offense. "Well, if you have to ask if something spectacular just happened, I must be doing something wrong."

He could feel her roll her eyes as her tinkling chuckle resonated throughout his entire body. "You know what I mean." Her smile slipped away as her gaze shifted slowly around the room. "The candles going out was new. Did you do that on purpose?"

"Right. Like I was concentrating on candles." Chuckling, Max glanced around himself, realizing for the first time exactly what had happened to their room in the midst of their love making. The pale moonlight illuminated just enough for Max to see papers from the desk scattered and windblown while a few light weight items had actually tipped over from the force of the blast. "Guess it’s a good thing we didn't have the lights on. We would have probably blown a few light bulbs."

"Or caused a power outage for all of Roswell." Liz added with a giggle. Running her hand up Max's chest, Liz snuggled further into his body, her voice softening intimately. "Know what this reminds me of?"

Reading her mind, a gentle smile touched Max's lips as he thought back to their wedding night. "Yeah, me too." Wrapping his arms around Liz more tightly, Max closed his eyes and soaked up the feeling of having the most cherished treasured in the world lying in his arms. He let out a contented sigh as his voice lowered reverently. "That was the most amazing night. It was like…the entire universe felt what we felt. Like it just…came to this incredible screeching halt and stood still, in complete awe."

"Yeah…" Liz's quiet response sent shivers racing over his skin. "Yeah, that's exactly what it felt like. Just like tonight." Liz fell silent once more as her eyes drifted closed. After a few more moments of comfortable silence, Liz ventured another question. "Max?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did you ever think it would be like this between us?"

She could hear the smile in his voice. "Always."

She smiled in response and opened her eyes, her dark gaze following the path of her fingers as she began to lightly run them over the curves of his well-toned chest. "How?"

"Let's just say I have an imagination that's…" Max released a confident, borderline arrogant sigh and grinned at his own pun. "…out of this world."

Laughing, Liz raised herself up on her elbow to look at him. "Yes. Yes, you do." She captured his lips for a kiss before pulling back and gazing into his eyes lovingly as she caressed his face with long, gentle strokes. "You're so amazing. All you did to get us here…"

The smile disappearing from his face, Max's brows knit in mock-confusion. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, you don't, huh?" Liz's eyes began to dance with laughter. "You mean you don't remember all the scheming and lies, tricks and outright blackmail you used to get me in your bed…"

A deep chuckle echoed in the room as he rolled his eyes. "Oh, THAT."

Playfully hitting him, Liz's laughter joined his. "Yes, THAT."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Hearing Max's offhanded comment, Liz grew serious. "Would you really?"

Max's answer was swift and sure. "Of course, I would. Wouldn't you?"

Liz pursed her lips in thought as a teasing glint flashed in her eyes. Her gaze lowered to the taut muscles relaxing beneath her touch. "Oh, I don't know…"

A knowing grin tugged the corners of Max's lips upward. "Here we go…" He rolled his eyes playfully and settled in for the now familiar game.

Liz tried to act like she hadn't heard him, but had to bite down on her lower lip to contained the grin fighting to break out on her face. It was time for one of Liz Evans' favorite past times…teasing her husband. She dove into the task with great relish.

Batting her long lashes, her voice held a note of disapproval as a pretty pout accompanied doe eyes full of coquettish innocence raising to meet his. "It **was** rather…cruel. What you did. Sending Isabel to me the way you did. Drugging me. Dream creating. Then mind warping me…"

Relishing the tease just as much as his wife, Max fought the urge to race to the inevitable conclusion by taking control of this game with a kiss that would stop time. The way she was looking at him was downright criminal. He could already feel his body beginning to respond. Which was incredible in and of itself after what they'd just experienced.

But Max Evans had already learned in very intensely tangible ways that his wife had a power over him like nothing else. She could bend him to her will with one look. Given the look she was sporting now, bending him was exactly what she what she had in mind. Max had no choice but to hunker down and enjoy the ride. His body certainly agreed. Already alert and ready for action, he could feel the blood in his veins gearing up for the coming onslaught of intense pleasure.

And Liz hadn't ever really started the tease.

This, thought a delighted Max Evans, was going to be a very, very long night…

He forced his gaze away from the alluring face of his better half and ran his hand slowly, absently down Liz's back making a request for show. "Honey, we just got done making the earth move. Can you give me a few minutes before I start apologizing for all of that again?"

"Mmm…" Liz slowly licked her lips knowing that would instantly capture Max's attention. Only married a month, Liz Evans knew her husband well. The heat of his stare instantly burned her lips. Sending a coy look his way, Liz's long, thick lashes hid the knowing laughter in her eyes. "I do sooo love when you apologize. Especially for that."

Max swallowed hard and he unconsciously licked his suddenly parched lips. "Yeah?"

"Uh-huh." Liz leaned toward him, her gaze focused on his lips as bare skin slowly brushed against bare skin. "You're always so…" Purposely shifting her body till she was laying half on top of Max, her leg slipping between his, Liz breathed lightly against his lips. The double meaning of her chosen word certainly was not lost on Max as he felt a certain part of his body come alive at the sudden contact. "….eager…to win my forgiveness. Any way you can. Any way I want…"

Trying his best to keep his hands from drifting to places on his wife's body that would signal his certain defeat, Max cleared his throat and tried to ignore the sensations beginning to pulsate through his body as his fingers fiercely curled into the sheets. "What if uh…" Max pulled in a ragged breath. "…I don't feel the need to uh…" He swallowed hard. "…apologize."

"No?" Propping herself up with a hand on either side of Max's reclining body, a pretty pout pushed her lower lip out and Liz's doe brown eyes filled with disappointment. "You mean you really don't…" She shifted against Max causing a helpless groan to escape him. "…feel the need?" One more shift and Max's eyes drifted closed in bliss as the hair falling down all around Liz lightly brushed against his skin. Liz's voice held a note of triumphant inquiry as she moved against him once more. "How about now?"

"Oh, God…" Barely breathing, his hands instantly flew to Liz's hips, lifted her up and swiftly moved her to straddle him with lightning speed. There was no doubt he'd just broken the world's record for that move. He smirked with a shrug at the knowing grin on her face. "Ok, so…maybe I'm getting a tad bit sorry…"

She was rewarded with a shudder and a million goose bumps rising across Max's skin when she ran her fingernails lightly down the middle of his chest. "Only a tad?"

"Well…" Ready for his own brand of teasing, Max's gaze followed his hands as they moved from her hips slowly over Liz's body. "…maybe you should…" Hands moving with the ease of a talented sculptor, Max had a harder time with his speaking abilities as he felt a sudden fire tightening his chest with desire. "…remind me…why I'm sorry." His darkened eyes flicked up to meet hers to catch her reaction when his hands began to work magic. "It might help."

Liz's head fell back as she closed her eyes at the sensations Max's new assault was sending straight to the pit of her stomach. "I…I…" Her breathing instantly became ragged as her chest rose and fell erratically. "…can't think…" Head rolling to the side as Max's hands continued to teased and caress, Liz's had to brace herself against his chest to steady herself as a delicious shudder raced through her.

Taking his cue from Liz's reaction and her rapid descent into incoherence, Max took Liz completely by surprise with one powerful move that landed her on her back with Max towering down over her, a sexy glint of triumph in his eyes. "If I'm to apologize with any amount of sincerity…" Max teased her by nipping at her lips then pulling back when she attempted to capture his for a kiss. "…I need your full attention."

Languidly wrapping her arms around Max's neck, Liz's dazed gaze roamed his face as she let out a dreamy sigh. "Oh, I don’t think you're going to have a problem with that."

"Good." Planting a solid kiss on Liz's lips, Max pulled back with a decided air of being in control and knowing it. "Now…" Propping himself on his elbows and tangling his fingers through Liz's hair, Max's gaze roamed Liz's flushed face. "….do you care to remind me what exactly I'm supposed to be apologizing for?"

"Well, for starters…" Liz let out a sigh as Max began nuzzling her neck planting soft, lingering kisses over every inch of skin his lips could reach. Liz's fingers absently feathered through his hair as she shifted beneath him to give him better access to any part of her that Max, in his infinite wisdom, felt needed attention. "…there was the night you sent Isabel to tell me…" Eyes drifting closed in pleasure, Liz let out another sigh. "…how you were going crazy over the idea of…" Her sigh filled the room when Max nibbled at the base of her throat then licked the sting away. "…Drake and me being together.”

“I was…" Continuing to brush his lips against heated skin, Max attempted to address his wife's charges between kisses. "…going crazy…over the idea…of you…" Beginning a new assault on the other side of Liz's creamy neck, Max's lips burned into her skin as they slid up to lick and nibble at the sensitive area behind her ear. "….and Drake being together."

Eyes dancing devilishly, Max pulled back to look down into Liz's darkening eyes. A finger drifted over her lips, tracing their perfect bow and fullness as if caressing a cherished treasure. "Just the thought of another man touching you…" Gaze following the path his hand made as it drifted lower, down her chin, across her smooth shoulder, down her arm, rounding the curve of a supple mound of flesh, Max's magical fingers instantly pulled a helpless moan from deep inside of Liz. "…the way I’m touching you now…"

Intense gaze focused on her lips, Max felt Liz's nails bite into his shoulders as she arched into his hand, her silent request for more of the same coming through loud and clear. As he continued pleasurable ministrations, Max shifted against her and added the stimulating sensation of nibbling and sucking on Liz's bottom lip. The moans she emitted vibrated through his entire body. One last tug and Max pulled back to breathe heavily against her skin as his hand drifted back up to caress the softness of her face. His eyes locked with hers in sudden seriousness. "Just that thought….sent me into the stratosphere with jealousy and rage.”

"Oh, honey…" Sinking into the mattress, Liz's fingers traced the lines of his face before she pulled him forward to nuzzle her nose against his and brush her lips against his in a reassuring kiss. "You know that it wasn’t true. There's never been anyone else…”

Needing to lighten the mood that was dangerously close to becoming thick with emotion, Max waved a dismissive hand in the air as he chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Sooo completely beside the point.”

Recognizing his tactic, Liz responded with a slight grin and an upraised eyebrow. “And the point was?”

“To drive you crazy with guilt and fear." Smoothing the hair away from her face again, Max's grin was a mixture of conceit and non-apologetic acknowledgment. "To get you primed for my stellar performance in your dream…”

“Ah." Liz tilted her head in deference. "Well, it worked.”

An arrogant smirk grazed his lips. “I know...”

August 22, 2003 7:00 pm

Startled, Liz jumped when the back door slammed shut. Dropping her book, she shot up from her seat in the living room and rushed toward the noise only to slam right into Isabel as she rounded the corner. “Isabel!” What the hell…”

“Liz. Thank God, you’re alright.” Isabel’s appearance, for the first time in her life, was completely disheveled. Her hair was tousled and her breathing was labored, as if she’d just run a marathon. Her eyes were wild with panic and her clothes looked as if she’d been rolling around in mud. “He’s not here, is he?”

“He? He who?” The panic in Liz’s voice was evident as she grabbed Isabel by the arms in an attempt to calm Isabel enough to get a straight answer.

“Oh my God...” Breathing heavily and running her fingers through her hair, Isabel’s eyes were wide with sheer terror. “Liz, I don’t know what to do. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s gone completely off the deep end. Drinking and…and throwing things around and using his powers…” Eyes filling with tears, her voice began to shake with emotion. “He…he almost killed Michael tonight.”

“Isabel.” Liz was desperately trying to keep the horrible knot of fear that was twisting in the pit of her stomach from making its way into her voice. She didn’t succeed. Every nerve in her body trembled with paralyzing fear. “Who are you talking about?”

Isabel’s wild, desperate eyes met hers. Liz knew the answer before Isabel opened her mouth to give it. Had known it the second Isabel had begun to speak. Her one word answer was horror-filled. “Max.”

Knowing it as an abstract thought in her mind wasn’t as bad as actually hearing it. Liz staggered back a bit and leaned against the wall, her eyes unfocused and dazed. The knot enlarged to a dull, sickening ball and pushed a lump of bile up her throat. “Tell me what happened.”

Pulling in a shaky breath, Isabel began to pace. “He saw you with Drake in town earlier. Holding hands. He…he saw Drake kiss you. That’s all it took, Liz. Just seeing the kiss…”

“God, Isabel, that was barely a kiss! All part of the act! Part of the job!” Liz’s protest exploded unexpectedly, instantly searching for a place to lay blame. “A job, that you asked me to do!”

“You have to tell him, Liz.” Grabbing Liz’s hands in earnest, Isabel began to plead with Liz. “You have to. Please. Seeing you with Drake…Liz, it’s taken him back to that night he saw you with Kyle. He’s even worse now than he was then. I swear to you, Liz, I have no idea what he might do next.”

“No.” Shaking her head emphatically, tears began to form puddles in Liz’s eyes. “No, I’m sorry, Isabel, but I can’t. I can’t tell him.”

“Then let me.”

“No! God, I want to tell him so much, but Isabel…you don’t know what’s at stake here. There’s so much more than just a broken heart…”

“Look, Liz. All I know is that my brother is coming undone. **You** are making him come undone.” Pleading eyes met Liz’s. “Liz…please. Tell him the truth. With the state he’s in…I’m so afraid someone’s going to die if you don’t…”


Liz rolled her eyes and grinned at Max's knowingly arrogant attitude. He reached up to push a wayward strand of hair behind her ear as Liz's eyes began to dance with laughter. “I never knew you had such a flair for dramatics till that night.”

Max grinned back with a shrug. “What can I say? A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do.”

"Yeah. And drag his sister along for the ride."

Lips pursing in thought, Max's fingers were constantly in motion, caressing Liz's skin, brushing through her hair. It was as if touching her were required for him to breathe. "I never did ask…how did Isabel do?”

“As the distraught sister of a lunatic…” Liz paused as if remembering back. “…she was very, very convincing.” Teasing light danced in her eyes. “Then again, she has had years of practice…”

“Oh, that’s really cute.” Eyes snapping back up to meet hers, Max quipped as a new form of torture occurred to him. “You know, it’s good to see you can joke about this. In fact, some would say that there are no lasting scars from that little stunt I pulled. So…" Relinquishing his delicious position on top of Liz, Max rolled off of her onto his back, settling against the mattress with a knowing grin. Not an inch of him was touching her. "…there’s nothing I really need to apologize for.”

Staring at Max in disbelief, Liz blinked her eyes a few times as his unexpected change of position and sudden nonchalant attitude. Seeing the smirk dancing on his lips, Liz rolled her eyes in amusement. “Ooooh, I see." She shrugged, more than willing to play along with whatever scheme he was cooking up in that fantastically imaginative brain of his. "Well, that was more Isabel’s crime than yours.”

Max sent her a sideways glance as he put his arm behind his head. “So, I’m to apologize for Isabel now?”

“No." Rolling onto her side, Liz casually allowed her hand to seductively drift over the sensual hills and curves of her body taking Max's intense gaze with it. Pausing occasionally to pay particular lingering attention to some of Max's favorite areas to feast, she watched as his eyes darkened with a fierce glow and he suddenly shifted uncomfortably. She bit back her smile at how easy he was to get aroused. "You know, something tells me you need a little more reminding to actually feel the need to apologize again.”

“Uh…" Fingers itching with an aching need to feel her flesh, Max's hungry gaze swept over his wife's gloriously exposed body. He swallowed hard and the rest of his sentence came out in a grunt instead of the steady, confident tone he was going for. "…pretty much.”

“Ok." Biting her lower lip as if thinking, Liz's foot drifted to Max's side of the bed till it found his leg. "How about the trick with the sleeping pills and that dream you created for me.”

Glancing down at the sudden feel of Liz's foot on his leg, Max closed his eyes and willed himself the strength to get through her newest assault, since he could pretty much guess what was on his wife's mind. The only way he could think of making it through…keep talking. Actually, he found himself rambling with each inch upward that Liz's foot moved. "The uh…sleeping pill thing was Isabel's idea, just so you know. As a precaution. She had the feeling you'd do something…" Puling in a ragged breath, Max swallowed hard at the sensations racing through him. "…silly like not sleeping so I couldn't get into your dreams…"

"Yeah?" Sliding her foot slowly up the inside of his leg, Liz continued to lightly graze her own skin with her hand drawing her husband's attention to all the places his hands could be if only he weren't so stubbornly controlled. "Well, kudos to Isabel…because that was exactly my plan. Still doesn't excuse the overly dramatic dream itself…"

Liz's foot hit his inner thigh and brushed against one eager member of his body that he obviously had no control over at the moment no matter how much he was trying to. Max's eyes drifted closed in pleasure as a helpless sigh escaped him. “Ohhh…" Fingers curling into the mattress, chest rising and falling, Max had to force himself to concentrate on making his words come out in coherent phrases. "…come on now. It wasn’t…all that dramatic.”

“Max." Sending him a disbelieving look, Liz removed her foot abruptly and received an instant groan of protest. "You came into my dreams and told me the most horrible, unthinkable lie...”

August 23, 2003 12:30 am

"Max! Max, my God, what happened?" Liz rushed toward the tree where a disheveled Max sat in a state of panicked paralysis.

He was shaking. Tears were puddled in his eyes and he was staring. Staring at hands that were covered with blood. Liz approached him and he scrambled away from her toward the babbling, joyous brook. Like a wild, scared animal terrified of capture he couldn't put enough space between them. "Stay away! I mean it, Liz…stay away from me!"

Eyes wide with fright, Liz froze her eyes traveling over Max as he held his hands out in front of him. From the top of his head to the tip of his toes, he was different. Her Max, but…changed. Like he'd lived a lifetime of horror in the space of an hour. Liz swallowed back the dread filling her soul as a hard knot instantly formed in her stomach. "Max, what's happened? Honey, talk to me. What's going on…"

"Dead. Killed. I…killed…" Tears began to slip down his cheeks and Max struggled to stay on his feet only to lose the battle when she slipped to his knees, a broken man.

Liz immediately rushed to his side. Taking his face in her shaking hands, she searched his horrified eyes. "Sweetheart, you have to tell me what happened. Max…please…talk to me…"

Voice broken and shaking with emotion, Max blinked slowly as if in a dream. "You didn't…tell me. I…I didn't know…"

"Didn't know what, Max?" Pushing rumpled hair back from Max's face and brushing the tears from his face, Liz's own panic began to skyrocket. "Max. What didn't I tell you?"

Haunted gaze meeting hers, more tears began to fall. "The truth." Rocking back and forth, Max folded his hands against his chest and began to cry. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. Never meant…hurt you…"

Tears instantly shining in her eyes, Liz watched in horrified silence as Max broke down in front of her. Curling into a ball, Max's anguished tears spurred Liz to action. Wrapping arms around Max's shoulders, Liz began to rock with him, her own tears squeezing past tightly closed lids. Placing haphazard kisses along the side of his face, Liz's heated, terrified whisper echoed in the hazy air around them. "Max, please…please tell me what's going on. What's happened? Who's dead?"

Pulling back abruptly at the question, Max stared into Liz's face. Forgetting the blood staining his hands, Max slowly reached out to touch Liz's face. "There's…there's still time. Please, please tell him the truth."

"Max." Tears slipped down her cheeks, Liz shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tell him, Liz. You have a day. One day." Jaws tightening with earnestness, Max's fingers curled into her flesh. "Listen to me. He doesn't understand you aren't his enemy. If you don't tell him…if you don't…he will kill you, Liz. Max will kill you." Fingers slipping from Liz's face leaving a trail of bright red blood against her creamy skin, Liz's Max of the immediate future stared at his hands once more. "Just like I did tonight…"


The frown in her voice combined with the absence of her teasing foot caused a laconic grin to sweep Max's lips. "You're determined to punish me for that right now, aren't you?"

"Punish you?" Liz asked innocently as she made her move. Straddling Max in one swift move, she leaned forward, stretching out on top of him, every inch of her body coming into contact with his. Her tongue darted out to tease his lips before nipping them playfully. Pulling back to look into his eyes, her own dark orbs danced with devilish delight. "Now why would I want to do that when this is so much more fun?"

Letting out a groan, Max fell back against his pillow, holding his hands up palms out. "Ok, ok. I give. The dream creating was a tad over the top…"

Chuckling Liz shook her head. "Oh, baby, that is sooo not a good enough apology." Lowering her head to drop teasing, playful kisses against bronzed skin, Liz sighed as Max ran his hands down her back slowly. Mood shifting from playfulness to contemplation, Liz propped her chin on her folded hands and stared up into Max's eyes questioningly. "How did you know it would work?"

A dark eyebrow raised. "The dream?"

Liz nodded her head. "The dream. The mind warp."

Shrugging, Max ran his fingers through Liz's hair. "I know you. I knew if you'd lie and sacrifice everything you loved to keep others alive, you'd tell the truth to keep me alive."

Seriousness clouded Liz's eyes. "You really scared me, Max. I…" She swallowed hard and licked suddenly dry lips as her gaze shifted from his face, remembering. "…just the thought of losing you…"

Fingers lightly brushing against her skin, Max's eyes mirrored hers. "I am sorry that I went too far. I just…I couldn't stand not being able to love you the way I was meant to. I had to do whatever it took to get you back in my life. Even if that meant temporarily hurting you."

"I know." A gentle, understanding smile touched her lips. "Although I was pretty pissed at the time, I'm so very glad you did it. We wouldn't have this if you hadn't. You know, it was one thing to give you up knowing you were still living and breathing. But to lose you forever…I needed to know what that would feel like…"

August 23, 2003 8:30 pm

Tensed muscles, alert eyes and strained hearing were Liz Parker's companions the next night. After awaking with a scream from the previous night's dream Liz had been skittish the entire day. Jumping at the slightest sound or movement. Constantly looking over her shoulder.

The thought had raced through her mind more than once that she needed to just find Max, sit him down and tell him everything. Then again, if he was as close to the edge as Isabel believed, he probably wouldn't listen to her, let alone believe her. On the other hand, she really couldn't stand the thought of the pain he was in. She felt each agonizing heartbeat. Every sickening knot in her stomach. All the anguish Max must be feeling, Liz Parker felt it too.

It was with the greatest of efforts that she even made it through the day. And even then, only after a note slipped to her from Isabel letting her know that Max was out on a mission and wouldn't be returning for days. A note that encouraged her to consider telling him the truth upon his return. And now, it was evening. If she could just shake the feeling that something major was about to happen…

Moving to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich, Liz pulled out the meat, mustard and lettuce, grabbing a block of cheese before closing the refrigerator door. Dumping her dinner on the counter, Liz reached for the bread and began to spread the mustard on a slice of bread before grabbing a kitchen knife to cut the cheese.

That's when she felt it. The presence. That's when she heard it. The footstep behind her. Hand instinctively gripping the handle of the knife, Liz's heart began to thunder in her chest and her breathing stopped cold. Another footstep…

Quick as lightning, Liz spun around to face her intruder, knife poised to defend herself. But she'd misjudged his distance from her. And the sharpness of her knife. Her sudden movement combined with the swift advancement of her intruder plunged the knife deep in his chest.

With a cry of pain, Max Evans staggered against the counter and Liz Parker let out a scream of horror.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Max…Max…." Liz rushed to Max's side as he began to slide down the side of the refrigerator, his hands closing over the handle of the knife protruding from his chest and pulled it out, a look of shock registering on his face. "No. No, don’t fall. Don't…oh God. Max…"

"Liz…" Max barely got the gurgled word out amidst the gasps of pain. His eyes were becoming unfocused and glazed and he barely noticed Liz wrapping his arm around her shoulder and half dragging, half carrying him the few steps from the kitchen to the living room. Dropping him onto the sofa as gently as she could, Liz ran to a nearby closet and grabbed as many towels as she could before rushing back to his side.

"Liz…"

"Max, it's going to be ok. You hear me? You're going to be ok." Tears streaming down her face, Liz ripped Max's shirt and began to apply pressure to Max's wound. Blood soaked the towel in a matter of seconds. "Oh, God…I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't…I…" Swiftly switching to a new towel, Liz's eyes drifted to Max's deathly pale face.

Biting on her lower lip to stop her hysterics from overtaking her, Liz's tears doubled, blurring her vision. "Max…" A shaking, bloody hand reached up to touch his face.

His hand quickly covered hers and his eyes locked with hers. Struggling to talk, Max's whisper reverberated through Liz's entire being. "W-why? I…I loved…you…"

Head bent, Liz's sobs shook her entire body as all the lies began to unravel. Words tumbled helplessly between sobs of pain, fear and regret. "I…I had to. To save Isabel…and…and Michael…and you." Hand clasping his, Liz poured out her heart as she gazed into his eyes. "God, Max, it wasn't true. None of it…none was true. It…it didn’t happen. Kyle and I…it never happened. I've been…faithful…always faithful to…to us…to you. Please…please you have to believe me. I've never…never loved anyone….anyone but you…"

Sobs racking her body, Liz's head fell onto Max's chest. "Please don't…die. Don't leave me not knowing…I've always…loved you…"

"There now. Was that so hard?" A familiar, well-loved voice from behind her caused Liz to gasp in shock and confusion. She spun to see Max Evans standing only a few feet away. Healthy. Whole. And gloriously alive…

tbc…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chpt 16 F

September 24, 2003

Lovingly caressing Max's steadily beating heart, Liz lowered her lips to plant a lingering kiss before letting out a sigh and laying her head on his chest, nestling comfortably into his warmth. A small smile of amusement weaved through her voice as Max's fingers instantly buried themselves in her hair. "You know, at that point, killing you looked pretty damn good."

Max's low chuckle shook them both as he planted a kiss on top of Liz's head and tousled her hair playfully. "Yeah, I kinda got that impression." The smile slipped from his face as his thoughts shifted to the fierce emotional battle that followed. "That was pretty…intense."

Liz's arms tightened reflexively, protectively around Max. "And then some. We were both hurting so much. There was so much anger and pain. I was terrified."

"Terrified?" A note of uncertainty edged its way into Max's voice. "Oh, Liz. I…I didn’t mean to…"

Realizing Max had misunderstood her, Liz raised her head to look at him. A reassuring smile warmed his regretful heart. "Oh, no, honey, I wasn't terrified of you. Never you. I was terrified…of everything else. Of loving you too much. Of saying the wrong things. Making the wrong decisions. Destroying the world, yet again…"


Spinning back to the scene playing out only seconds before, Liz's collapsed against the now empty couch. Widened eyes of disbelief took in the scene. Neatly arranged pillows were in place. The sofa…untouched by blood and death…sat quietly offering the comfort of plush cushions. "But…but…how…" Liz checked the couch with her hands as if Max were still lying there, only invisible now.

"It was a mind warp." Max answered her unasked question from behind her.

Breath hitching in her chest, Liz fingers dug into the cushions her head lowering as tears of relief began to flow. "Oh…God…"

"Liz…"

The voice was in her ear. The heat of his body mingled with hers. So close. So very, very close. One touch of a warm hand against her shoulder…

"How DARE you!" Liz Parker spun on her knees and knocked Max onto his back on the floor.

Max had been ready for her. Grabbing her arm as she pushed him away, Max jerked her forward and pulled Liz down right on top of him. Instantly in motion, he flipped her over so he was staring down into her eyes full of angry tears. Despite Liz struggling against him, relentlessly hitting his shoulders and uttering language he didn't even know Liz Parker knew let alone would repeat, Max used his body weight to hold her down. Pushing against her, he managed to grab her arms and pin them above her. He didn’t miss the lightning quick flash of desire that shadowed Liz’s blazing eyes of fury.

The calmness of his voice betrayed the depth of his resolve as dark eyes of fierce determination held hers. His intimate promise breezed across her skin. "You can fight me all you want, Liz Parker, but by the end of this night you and I are going to dance..."

The not so subtle triple meaning of his words was not lost on Liz considering his aggressively suggestive position on top of her. Considering the romantic dance they'd shared in her dreams. Considering the battle of wills that was sure to come. Eyes flashed with unholy fire. "The hell we will." Liz answered through gritted teeth as she put her entire weight behind a push that knocked Max off balance.

Scrambling away from him, Liz made it to the couch and spun back around to face him. Liz's eyes flashed with anger as they met his full of arrogant determination. "You tricked me."

Breathing heavily, Max scooted back against a nearby chair and inclined his head in agreement, his eyes flickering with a painful remembrance. "Just like you tricked me."

"But this…" Chest rising and falling with indignation, Liz blinked back unwanted tears of hurt and anger. "…this was just…evil and, and…cruel."

"But effective." Cocking an eyebrow at her, the barest hint of a victorious smile touched a warrior's lips. "I got the truth, didn't I?"

"You really are heartless now, aren't you?" Tears soaked each anguished word. "Just like everyone has said."

"No more than you." Voice full of emotion, Max's gaze met hers across the small but effective distance. "But what did you really expect, huh? You're the only one who ever owned my heart, and you took that with you when you left Roswell."

Max's voice tightened with pain he'd been hoping to hide. After years of harboring the intensity of it, once given the chance to breathe, it obviously wouldn't be denied. Despite his desire to hold it back. Despite his longing to end the circle of torture. Despite the irrationality of laying any real blame at Liz’s feet. "Even before that…the night you made me believe you slept with Kyle. You left me with nothing but an empty hole in the middle of my chest."

Lashing out at an unseen rival, his heated whisper echoed in the room. His inner anguish, reverberating through every word. "If I'm an empty shell, its because you made me this way."

"Don't you dare go there, Max. I am just as empty as you are." Angrily swiping away a tear that had stubbornly fallen, Liz raised her chin in defiance. "So what do you want, huh? Revenge? To see me suffer the way I made you suffer? To hurt me the way I hurt you? You got that, ok? Now just…just leave."

"No." Max crossed his arms in front of him. "I came for the truth, Liz." Eyes brightening with a film of unshed tears, Max's voice was thick with emotion. "I came for you."

Instinctively knowing where this conversation was leading, Liz's stubborn gaze shifted. "This changes nothing."

"It changes everything!"

Max's passionate roar caused Liz to jump and bite down on her lip to keep a well of tears in check. A picture frame hanging on the wall slipped from its hook and landed with a crash as the echo of his pain reverberated through the room. Shaking her head, her gaze remained averted and she barely got out the words, weakened by a shaking, uncertain voice. "No, Max. It…it doesn't."

"You think I don't know about him?" Max's voice was terse with barely controlled hatred. "The one that made you do this? The…other me?"

Liz's head snapped up in shock. "What? How…how did you…"

"I overheard you in the bar that night you told Kyle."

Eyes drifting closed, Liz lowered her head. "Oh God. You weren’t suppose…I had no idea you were…"

"Why, Liz?" A voice soft and broken, Max's pain echoed in every word. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't."

"So…what?" Max shrugged as he blinked rapidly to keep back tears that were clearly unwelcome. The anger he was feeling wasn't directed at Liz. It was directed at Fate, at destiny, at circumstances that had made both of their lives a living hell. It was directed at his future self. Unfortunately, Liz Parker was standing in the way. "He appeared to you one night and you just…believed him? Did whatever he said? Ruined both of our lives just on his word alone?"

Liz's gaze snapped back up to meet his in uncompromising determination. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare blame me for this, Max. You think this is what I wanted? To lie to you? Time and time again. To make you believe that I gave to someone else what is rightfully yours? That I cheated on you? To live the rest of my life haunted by the pain I saw in your eyes that night?”

"Then why did you?"

"Why?" Disbelief flashed in her eyes and her voice shook with emotion. "Because you asked me to."

Hurt etched itself in Max's expression and years of anguish found an outlet in hatred for the man he should have become. The man she chose over him. "Just because HE asked you to doesn't mean you didn't have a choice…"

"My God, Max! I was seventeen years old! I was in love with an alien who not only had been married before but had an entire planet waiting for his return. An entire race of people just hoping and waiting for him to save them. And I was the one standing in his way. YOUR way, Max. What was I supposed to do?"

Heated and passionate, Max's words were clipped and commanding. "You could have come to me, Liz. You could have told me what was going on. You could have told me…"

"Told you what, Max? The truth?" Gesturing with her arms, Liz shrugged as tears dangled dangerously on her long thick lashes. "Fine. You want the truth. Here's the truth. You came to me, Max. You came to me and you told me our love would destroy the world. The Michael and Isabel would die. HAD already died. Because of us. We sent them to their graves. And if I didn't do something to change the course of history, then the rest of the world would follow. I couldn’t have that on my conscience, Max. Could you?"

"We would have found a way…" Max's stubborn belief in their love refused to die.

"To what, Max? To be together? To stop their deaths? My God, don't you see? This is exactly why I didn't come to you. This is why I couldn't tell you the truth. See, I know you, Max. I know that if I told you what was going to happen in our future you would have just…"

"What?" Cutting Liz off, Max's entire body came alive with a challenge that sparked in his eyes and rippled through his entire being. "What would I have done, Liz? Tell me. Because I'd really like to know since I never got the chance to decide for myself what exactly that is!"

"You wouldn't have listened. Just like you aren't listening now." Letting out an exasperated sigh, Liz's voice shook with emotion that was dangerously close to breaking as she pushed the hair back from her face. "You would have looked in my eyes and told me we could make it. That somehow, someway, you and I could challenge fate. That we could choose our own destinies."

Like a dam that had been broken, Liz’s words tumbled like helpless waterfall. "And you want to know the sad thing? I would have believed you, Max. I would have done anything…**anything**...to believe you. Even after all that he told me was going to happen…that a world would be destroyed because of us, that people we loved were going to die, I would have found a way to believe you when you said it wouldn't happen." Stubborn tears slipped down Liz's cheeks as she bowed her head, broken. "God, Max, I loved you so much I would have sold my soul…just to believe."

Liz’s confession destroyed Max. Her tears washed away any residual anger. Overwhelming love displaced a tidal wave of indescribable pain.

He was by her side in a heartbeat, cupping her face in his fiercely gentle hands. Gazing with penetrating tenderness into her eyes. Brushing errant tears from her flushed cheeks, a heated question was whispered against her lips. "What about now? How much do you love me now, Liz?"

"No. No, Max, don't do this to me." Slipping her hands around his, Liz shook her head, her dark eyes pleading with his as she tried to pull his hands away from her face. His strength was greater than hers and the gentle caresses continued. Her hands dropping into her lap with defeat, Liz bowed her head as fresh tears began to tumble helplessly down her face. "Please…please don't put the fate of the world…back on my shoulders. I am too tired. Too tired and too weak to choose what's right this time."

Max tilted her face upward and shook his head as his eyes full of tears met hers. "I'm not. I refuse to believe that a love can destroy a world." A silent sob wracked his body. "Especially not our love."

"But he said…"

"I don't give a damn what he said." Earnest fingers curled under Liz's jaw with gentle firmness. "He was wrong. Maybe our selfishness or…or our blindness to other's needs pushed the wrong people away, Liz, but I will not sit here and be told that loving you is wrong. That it isn't what I was put on this earth to do.” Lips trembled in response to his passionate whisper. “That our love destroys instead of heals.”

"Max…"

Leaning his forehead against hers, Max's eyes drifted closed as he soaked up the warmth of the only woman he'd ever loved. His heated, broken confession was a bare whisper. "I love you, Liz Parker. Are you hearing me? After all this time and all that's happened. I don't know how to do anything else but love you."

One last overwhelming fear. "But the world will end…"

Pulling back to look in her eyes, Max made a final plea. "The world is going to end anyway. The question now is…are you going to let it end with…or without…our love." One mesmerizing touch of Max’s lips against hers and Liz Parker was instantly catapulted into a world of stars. A whirlwind of tangled emotions. An ocean of fathomless love.

When he finally pulled away, the hint of a smile skipped across Max’s lips. A host of stars danced in his eyes. A whisper wrapped them in a cocoon of eternal devotion. “Marry me, Liz. Marry me and end this needless, excruciating ache in both of our hearts…”


Lightly caressing her face, Max pursed his lips in thought. "A month later…what do you say?" Max's eyes met hers questioningly. "Think we did the right thing?"

A slow grin began to slip across Liz's lips as she raised up, bracing herself one hand on each side of Max's body. Teasing laughter ignited in her eyes when she purposely rubbed against Max and an unexpected groan reverberated through his body. "Except for the fact you've stopped apologizing, Mr. Evans…" Liz nuzzled her nose against Max's with a breathless whisper. "…I think we've done everything since then just about perfect…"

A dazed grin swept over his features as his eyes drifted closed when Liz's lips met his in one deep, lingering kiss. Pulling back, Liz kept the tone deliciously seductive as she dragged her lips down Max's chin, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck to begin a new wave of attacks. Sinking back into the pillows, Max gave in and allowed the powerful sensations to wash over him. Sensations his wife was igniting with each knowing shift of her body against his. With every enticingly placed kiss. Each stimulating touch. "You are…truly fixated…on my crimes tonight."

Responding between softly planted kisses along Max's jawline, Liz's hand began to drift over the smooth hills and valleys of Max's torso. Taking her time and paying special attention to sensitive, erogenously charged areas, Liz's deliberate nibbles and licks were sending Max into an entirely different world of pleasure. "I'm fixated…on your atonement."

A dark eyebrow raised at her choice of word while the rest of his body was rising to the seductively erotic touch of her hand. "A--atonement? Is that just…" Letting out a grunt of approval when Liz's fingernails deliciously scraped against hardening nipples. "…another fancy word for…"

"Hot alien sex?" Liz finished for him with a hot, moist whisper in his ear. Nipping playfully at his ear lobe, Liz's hand finally reached her pinpointed target and a sharp gasp instantly caught in his chest ending in a mumbled curse under his breath. Smiling knowingly, Liz bit back a chuckle and answered her own question since her husband would be very hard pressed to answer himself as her hand began to move tantalizingly over hardened flesh. "In the Liz Evans' dictionary, that's exactly what that means…"

"Dic…dictionary?" Max's breathing was ragged and erratic and his fingers were unconsciously digging into the Liz's flesh. He was struggling to keep up with the conversation when it was pretty clear that thought was a distant memory for him now.

"Uh-huh." Moving her lips to Max's neck, Liz began sucking smooth, salty skin. "You know that thing with words. Words like…delectable…" Sliding upward, her lips lightly brushed his then moved quickly away when he tried to latch on. "…delicious…" Dragging her lips downward, Max's chest was her next target. "…succulent…" Lips following the natural curve of a muscled pec, Liz never let up on her heated caresses and was reward by a helpless whimper when her tongue flicked over taut skin. "…stimulating…"

Quickly losing all rational thought, Max's words were barely breathed, full of dazed pleasure and completely incoherent. "Ohhhh. Yeah. Yeah, I…I think I've heard…" His attempted sentence ended in a groan.

Liz pulled back abruptly with a pout on her lips as all movement ceased. Max was practically panting at the lack of it. "Honey, are you listening to me at all?"

"I'm certainly…" Max released a shuddering breath and shifted his hips unconsciously, silently begging. "…trying to…"

Mock disappointment shadowed her eyes and Max's eyes drifted open, a sudden suspicion he was in serious trouble rippling through his mind. His suspicions were confirmed with her words as she batted her eyelashes with a crestfallen expression. "Sorry. I'm just…not…feeling the attention."

Rolling off of Max with lightning quick speed, Liz managed to make it to her side of the bed before Max could react. Letting out a loud, frustrated groan of protest, Max's hands covered his face in disbelief before dropping to the bed in defeat. He pulled in a deep, trembling breath. "Liz Evans, you are a wicked, wicked woman."

Voice sultry and low, Liz sent Max a coquettish glance as she ran her tongue over her lips. "You like wicked, don’t you?"

Eyes sparking with devilish schemes, Max was unable now to not touch his wife. Nor was he able to let the last pleasurable minutes of torture go unpunished. Hand slipping across her midsection, Max received the intended whimper as his fingers lightly traced the outlines of an ample mound of flesh. Rolling onto his side and pressing his body flush against hers, Max's heated whisper sent a shiver of anticipation racing through her. "When it comes in your shape and size, wicked is irresistible."

"Yeah? Is that…" Now it was Liz's turn to sigh. "…why you married me? Because I'm…" Giving her suddenly parched lips a swipe of her tongue, Liz's eyes drifted closed. "…irresistibly wicked?"

A kiss against her shoulder and a whisper against her skin as Max's hand continued to magically ignite a raging fire inside of Liz while traveling the curves and valleys of her body. Slowing and speeding. Drifting and lingering. Caressing with infinite tenderness and pleasuring with torturous pressure. "I could ask the same thing, you know."

Chest rising and falling with increasingly labored breaths, Liz managed to push out her answer. "I married…you because…you…blackmailed me…into it…"

"What?" Blinking rapidly in surprise, Max pulled back abruptly and his hand instantly ceased moving. A disbelieving grin started to spread on his lips. "You've got to be kidding me."

Biting back a dazed grin of amusement, Liz's dancing, dazed eyes slowly opened as she shook her head. "Nope. Clearly abduction…and…and blackmail were part of your strategy."

Max stared at her a moment before a burst of laughter filled the room. Max fell back on his back, shaking the bed with a roar of merriment. Propping herself up on her elbows, Liz gazed over at Max and waited patiently with an upraised eyebrow of mock irritation until he'd gotten his chuckles under control. Wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, Max glanced over to see Liz watching him with increasing amusement flickering in her eyes though she was clearly trying to appear annoyed.

Reaching up, Max ran his hand through Liz's hair and began to lightly massage the back of her neck. He let out a contented, adoring sigh. "Liz Evans, you truly are a piece of work."

"Oh really."

Nodding emphatically, Max began to grin. Turning toward her, he planted a feather light kiss on her arm before pulling back to look up at her. "You and I both know by the end of that night you were begging me to marry you."

"Begging?" Voice full of disbelief, a dark eyebrow raised as ebony eyes rolled. "Please, Max…don't you think that's just a bit strong?"

Bringing both of his hands to his chest in an attitude of dramatic pleading, the tenor of Max's voice raised an octave to mimic that of his wife's. "Oh, please, Max. Take me. Take me now."

The corner of her mouth twitched. She cleared her throat. "That's what you remember, huh?"

Max couldn't help but chuckle at the flash of pretend irritation in her eyes. Liz pursed her lips and cast her gaze upward as if thinking. "Hmmm. If **I** remember right…" Putting a thinking finger to her lips, she tapped them in concentration. "…there was a room you locked me in until I promised to say 'yes'."

"Hey. You loved that room." Max responded with a pointed look and a disapproving shake of his head.

"And there were phrases like…" Liz lowered her voice to imitate a commanding Max, not fairing any better than he had. "If you don't marry me, Liz, I'll tell Drake you're a spy working for my side in this war."

A gasp of surprise escaped Max as he mirrored her position by propping himself up on his elbows. "Which you knew I'd never do."

Liz continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Then there was…'If you don't marry me, I'll haunt every dream of yours for the rest of your life. Never again will you be able to sleep without seeing me.'"

"Which you knew I was very, very capable of doing." Max let out an arrogant sigh of confidence.

Continuing to ignore him, Liz's eyes brightened. "Oh, and then there was my favorite.
'If you don't marry me, I'll mind warp you into it.'"

"Which would have never been legal, but at least I had a better chance of getting you into my bed. And once there, well…." Max wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as his gaze swept over Liz's body, lingering in places that positively made him ache with desire. Especially since there were quite a few parts of his own body that were more than ready to act after Liz's torturous tease only a few moments earlier.

Liz had to bit her lower lip to keep from laughing as she watched Max's eyes darken to fathomless black holes of desire. Quickly controlling her expression, she struggled to keep her voice light, aloof and questioning. "Oh and you think that would have sealed the deal, huh?"

"Are you telling me it wouldn't have?" A cocky smile hovered on his lips as he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I don't know." Liz shrugged slightly. "I can be rather stubborn when I need to be."

"Oh, believe me, I got **that** one loud and clear." Max rolled his eyes with a chuckle. Casting a sly glance in Liz's direction, a plan immediately formed and Max licked his lips in anticipation. "You know…stubborn or not…" Max's fingers began to itch with need. His heart began to pound with predatory fierceness. "…there is simply no way…" His gaze swept over her body one last time as he gauged the moves needed to accomplish his goal.

Firmly fixed in his mind now, a slow sly smile drifted over Max's lips as his eyes sparked with pure devilment. One preparatory breath then…Max pounced right on top of Liz, shoving her back onto the bed with a cry of surprise and spreading her legs all in one quick motion. "…that once you had a taste of this…" Max shifted his hips against Liz teasingly, nestling hard flesh against her warm, wet center.

Fingernails biting into his shoulders, a loud gasp of pleasure ripped through her. Eyes squeezing shut, Liz's breathing immediately became ragged and erratic as sensations began to ripple through her body. Nerves began to tingle. Desire began to rage. Hunger consumed her. "Oh, God…Max…"

Smiling in breathless triumph, Max's heated whisper was breathed heavily against her lips. "…that you wouldn’t want more."

"Like…I said…" A faint smile drifted over Liz's lips as she opened her eyes to look up at Max, breathlessly dazed. "…blackmail."

Max chuckled as his fingers slipped through Liz's hair. "You're determined to make that list of my crimes so long that…"

"You'll never, ever…" Liz slipped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to nuzzle her nose against his. "…stop apologizing…" Capturing his lips in a heated kiss, Liz pulled back and let out a deep sigh, her eyes crackling with amusement. "You bet."

"Well then…" Max leaned down for one last lingering kiss before pulling back with a devious smile. He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "Guess I'd better get started…"

The mood instantly shifted from playful to passionate. From teasing to tantalizing. From devilishly mischievous to intensely focused.

Liz's mouth fell open as profound pleasure swept through her blood setting it on fire when Max dragged his lips down her neck to lick and nibble his way to a feast made for a king. Liz arched into him encouragingly while Max spent as much time as humanly possible coaxing moans and whimpers from deep inside of Liz. As incoherent ramblings tumbled from her lips like a waterfall, Max moved lower to his next target.

Sliding lower down her body, Max's incessant caresses and kisses alternated from feather light to explosive and stimulating. Hands moving slowly, his fingers traced the lines and curves of Liz's hips, Max took his time pleasuring every inch of his wife's body before reaching his final destination.

From his vantage point near the foot of the bed, a midnight gaze slowly traveled up the length of Liz's deliciously trembling body. His heated breath against sensitive skin sent an intense shiver through her. He smiled against her inner thigh and called her name to get her dazed attention. "Liz Evans…" A baby kiss planted strategically. A sharp high-pitched intake of breath quickly followed. "For the intense pleasure you are about to experience…" Another kiss equally strategic. A half sigh, half groan filled the room as Liz's fingers curled into the sheets in anticipation.

There was a moment's silence. Then Max's eyes met hers across the distance with an intensely wicked sparkle. A smirk and a wink contradicted his lightly whispered words. "…I apologize…"

As Max Evans took his first taste of heaven, Liz Evans arched off the bed in ecstasy and a new storm began all over again…

Tbc…

~ chpt 17 ~


Worry rippled through Liz Evans' voice. <<"Max. I don't like this.">>

<<"Neither do I.">> Was the returned whisper.

<<"Do you feel that?">>

Max swallowed hard and nodded. <<"Yeah. He's terrified.>>

<<"Do you feel Kennedy?">> Liz's voice began to quiver with emotion.

There was pause. <<"No.">>

<<"Max, what's going on?">>

<<"Honey, I don't know. But I’m going to find out.">> Max paused once more, torn between holding his wife's hand through impending imprisonment and making a connection with his children.

Without hesitation, Liz read his thoughts like her own. <<"Go, Max. I have Kaelan.">>

<<"But we can't stay connected if I'm with Ken…">>

<<"It doesn't matter.">> Swallowing back a mother's terror, Liz blinked away worried tears. <<"Be with the kids. They need you more right now.">>

A brush of gentle lips against Liz's forehead, a final squeeze of her hand and a whisper. <<"I'll be back as soon as I can.">>

Liz nodded. Seconds before Max let go of her, Liz pulled back on his hand. He turned to her, eyes meeting hers full of love and concern. Full of instinctive, protective devotion. One last desperate kiss followed by a clinging hug. Tears permeated her heated whisper against his neck. <<"Keep our babies safe, Max. Tell them I love them and…come back to me.">>

Fingers threading through her hair, Max gazed down into his love's eyes and breathed a promise against her lips. <<"Always.">>

With that last promise, Max Evans' broke the eternal connection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<<"Ken'dy.">>

<<Shh, Ka'be. Daddy said not ta talk.">>

<<"Kay…but, someone's here. I'm scared…">>

Kennedy squeezed Kaleb's hand. <<"Don't be. Mommy and daddy are coming.">>

<<"But…I don't like her. I don't like this lady. She's…she's…>> Kaleb's mental connection with Kennedy was broken by the sound of a breathy, shrill voice.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Tess' eyebrow raised as she placed a cold hand on Kaleb's head and a sharp finger under his chin tilting his face upward. A wicked smile skipped over her lips and her cornflower eyes lightened to the gray, ominous color of steel. "Liz Parker's own little bastard. Right…exactly...where I want him…"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tess whirled to the door behind her to see Michael advancing into the room with determination. His eyes flicked from her to Kaleb. His ebony eyes were wide with fright and his bottom lip was trembling as tears threatened to fall. Michael's command was low and unbending. "Get your hands off the boy."

Suspicion flashed in Tess' eyes as a wry smile curled her lips upward. "I knew it."

"What?"

"When push came to shove you'd cave and fall back into line right behind Max."

Michael snorted and shook his head. "I'm not falling into line behind any one, Tess."

A blonde eyebrow raised dubiously. "No?"

Physically removing Tess' hands from Kaleb, Michael's dark brown eyes met hers. "No. I'm simply protecting the merchandise. The Seer doesn't want him hurt now that she knows just how important he is."

Tess took a step closer to Michael and ran one hand up his chest while looking coyly up into his eyes. Her voice lowered seductively. "And what is it you want now, Michael?"

Gaze never wavering, Michael removed her hand. "Certainly not you. What's that saying…where the king leads the people will follow." A knowing smirk touched his lips. "Since you're not good enough for Max to even sniff around, well…" Shrugging, he let his sentence dangle though his meaning was clear. But just in case it wasn't… "…guess I'll be saved the awful smell."

Offense flashed in Tess' eyes and she stiffened and quickly changed the subject. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"I came looking for you. The Seer wants you in her chambers. Pronto." Michael's gaze shifted to Kaleb. "Anything in particular we're supposed to do with the kid?" Tess opened her mouth to speak. Michael cut her off. "Besides torturing and dispatching him…"

Tess let out a disgusted sigh at what she wasn't allowed to do as she cast Kaleb a loathsome glance. "No. Just make sure the brat doesn't escape."

With that final command, Tess' curls bounced their way out of the room. Michael waited till the door was closed before turning back to Kaleb, who inched his way as far away from Michael as he could. A shiver of fear shook his small frame as Michael leaned down. Michael attempted a smile. It came out a grimace. "Relax, kid. I'm nothing like Her Highness. You know, the witch that just sashayed her way out of here." Not sure Kaleb was understanding anything he was saying, Michael clarified in terms a child would comprehend. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Michael pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed where Kaleb was tied down. Reaching over to loosen the restraints around Kaleb's wrists, Michael's gaze shifted to meet Kaleb's steady, curious eyes. "Ever met your real dad, kid? In person, I mean?"

Kaleb swallowed hard and shook his head.

"No?" Michael pursed his lips as he loosened the restraints holding Kaleb's feet down. "Do you want to?"

Kaleb's eyes brightened instantly despite his fear. Michael nodded once. "Guess that answers that." Taking a deep breath, Michael glanced behind him, his eyes scouring the perimeter of the glass encased room to make sure no one was within hearing distance. Once sure there wasn't, Michael turned back to Kaleb and leaned forward his voice lowering to a whisper. "Stick with me, kid. Do everything I say, and you'll get the family reunion of a lifetime..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<<"Kennedy. Honey, answer daddy.">> Max was trying desperately to keep the panic out of his voice. He feared he was failing miserably.

Sniffles were the first thing Max heard. <<"Daddy?">>

<<"Yeah, sweetheart. It's me.">> Max let out a sigh of relief to finally hear her tiny voice. Concentrating, Max conjured up her sweet little face. His heart broke at the tears he saw in her eyes. The fear. The loneliness. Quickly remedying the situation, Max wrapped a mental arm around her. <<"It's ok, baby. I'm here. Ok? I'm not going to let go again.">> Leaning down he planted a much needed kiss on the top of Kennedy's head.

Tiny arms instantly wrapped around his neck as Kennedy climbed into his lap and hugged him. <<"I's scared, daddy.">>

Wrapping his arms around her, Max closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Trying to control the anger pulsating through him at the kind of evil that could put children in such danger. Cause so much fear. He concentrated instead on the overwhelming love and sense of belonging he got every time he held his daughter in his arms. <<"I know, sweetheart. I know. You're being so brave. Mommy and I are so proud of you.">> Keeping his voice low and soft, Max began inquiring about his other equally adored child. <<“What's going on with Kaleb? Can you still feel him?">>

<<"No.">> Though she didn’t release her hold on him, Kennedy pulled back with a sniff and a shake of her head, a scared pout on her lips. <<"Daddy, I fink somefings wrong.">>

Max smoothed back Kennedy’s hair reassuringly. <<"Ok, honey, tell daddy what happened right before you couldn’t feel Kaleb any more.">>

<<"He…he said some one was in the room with him.">>

Max nodded encouragingly. <<"Ok, sweetheart…did he say who?">>

<<"No.">> Kennedy shook her head as tears puddle in her eyes once more. <<“Just…some lady.">>

Max cupped Kennedy’s face and leaned forward to brush his lips against her forehead as his mind began to whirl. Taking a deep breath, Max pulled back and looked into the eyes that reminded him so much of his wife's. Big and innocent. Full of emotion. Never hiding a thing from him. <<"Ok, honey, this is what we're going to do. You and I are going to try to feel him together ok?">>

<<"Bof of us?">>

Max nodded. <<"Both of us.">>

<<"What about mommy and Kaelan?">> Her innocent question sent a pang of pain straight into his heart.

An instant film of tears brightened his eyes. Absently pushing Kennedy's hair behind her ears, Max answered softly. <<"Honey, they can't right now. It's up to us to connect with Kaleb. Think you can help daddy do that?">>

Kennedy instantly nodded her head. A smile of deep love and pride haunted Max's lips. <<"I know you can.>> He paused a moment, taking Kennedy's hand in his he looked back up into her eyes. <<"You ready?">>

<<"Uh-huh.">>

<<"Ok. Close your eyes.">> Max waited till Kennedy's eyes drifted closed then he closed his own. Taking a deep breath, he whispered a gentle command. <<"Concentrate on Kaleb…">>

There was a shift in the atmosphere. The air became thick with emotion. Fear. Tears.

Max's voice cracked as he called out to his son, attempting to grab hold of that intangible aura that was so familiar to him. <<"Kaleb. Son, do you hear me?">>

The answer was almost immediate. <<"Daddy? Daddy…I'm scared. I want mommy.">>

Max swallowed hard. <<"I know, pal. We're working on that right now, ok?">>

<<"But…but I can't feel her.">>

<<"I know, Kaleb. Mommy and Kaelan can't be with us right now, but they're coming. We'll be with them really soon.">> Max paused, his voice thick with emotion. <<"Mommy loves you Kaleb. She loves both of you so much. She wanted me to tell you that.">>

<<"Me too, Ka’be.">> Kennedy's tiny voice added. <<"I wuv you too.">>

<<"Ken’dy? Where'd…where'd ya go? We was supposed to hold hands…">>

Time being of the essence, Max quickly ended the interrogation between siblings before it could really begin. <<"Kaleb, it's ok. She didn't mean to let go. I need you to listen now, ok? Kennedy said there's a lady with you…">>

<<"She's gone.">>

Hesitant relief washed over Max. <<"Are you alone now?">>

<<"No.">>

<<"Who's with you?">>

<<"I don't know.">> There was a pause then a fear-filled sniffle. <<"That…scawry man that made Aunt Ma'ia bring me here. She said he was her friend, but he looks mean.">>

Max let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall. <<"Kaleb, look around his neck. Do you see a necklace with a V on it? You know…like the one daddy has?">>

There was another pause. Then the answer Max was hoping to hear drifted to him through the connection. <<"Uh-huh.">> A small smile began to drift over Max's lips. <<"Ok, son…that scary man is your Uncle Michael. Daddy's good friend. The one I told you about that you've not been able to meet yet. He's ok, Kaleb. He's on our side. You can do what he says and trust him, ok?">> Smiling down into his daughter's upturned face, Max let out another sigh of relief. <<"You'll be ok. You're safe with Michael…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting with her back against the wall, Maria couldn’t stop the tears. Knees pulled up to her chest, Maria felt a terror gripping her like nothing had ever done before. Not for herself. But for the kids. For Kennedy and Kaleb. Max and Liz. They were the ones with something real to lose. They were the ones with love and dreams and a future on the line.

All she had was a non-existent music career and a string of lovers that promised the world but never delivered. A dreary day in and day out of never going anywhere, never really feeling, never experiencing life the best its meant to be. With passion and greed. Expecting everything and accepting nothing less.

She instantly gained a whole new level of respect for Liz Evans.

To own real love. To know it intimately. To have it become part of your every breath. Your every heartbeat. To precariously hold the security of it in your hands knowing you could lose it any moment to an alien catastrophe. To live this kind of fear and nightmare every day of your life and not let it destroy you, well…it was so much more than Maria had ever given Liz credit for.

Once I get out of this damn cell and see Liz again, I'm going to let her know just what a jackass I've been…

And speaking of jackasses…

Maria's thoughts instantly turned to Michael. She still couldn't believe he'd been the one to bring her here. To deliver the son of the king to his enemy. His best friend's little boy…Kaleb. Who would ever in their right mind want to hurt Kaleb?

Innocent, sweet and infinitely precious, Kaleb was the picture of perfection.

And Michael was out to destroy him…

The thought stopped cold when the door to her cell opened. Maria's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed as she pressed her back further against the wall. Mouth instantly in motion, Maria's venom was barely contained as she spoke to a cloaked figure. "What now you alien freak? You gonna zap up to Neutron or wherever the hell you incubated from so they can experiment on this perfect human body? Or…or probe me with a…a…thingy…"

The cloaked figured actually chuckled.

Maria's eyes narrowed even further. The cloaked figure stopped in front of her and slowly pushed back her hood. Maria instantly gasped. "Serena! Oh my God! What are you doing here…"

"Shhh." The commanding hiss instantly shut Maria's mouth. Serena knelt in front of Maria, her voice a bare whisper. "I'm here to help get everyone out of this mess."

An unexpected sob caught in Maria's chest as her eyes sought Serena's. "They know about the seal, don't they?"

Serena nodded. "Yeah. They have Max, Kennedy and Kaleb. Liz is enroute."

"Oh, God." Maria shut her eyes and leaned her head back.

"Look, it's going to be ok. Michael's with…"

Maria's eyes snapped back open with instant fury. "Michael?! Don’t even say that Neanderthal's name in my presence!"

Serena blinked at the loathing in Maria's voice. "But…"

"He's the reason we're here. You know that, right?"

Realization hit Serena and she began to smile. Maria obviously didn't know the truth. Well, it was time to enlighten her. "Maria. He's on our side. Always has been."

"What?" Maria blinked uncomprehendingly. "But…but he…"

Serena nodded. "Maria, do you always carry a cell phone?"

"What?"

"Do you always…" Serena began to repeat herself since Maria seemed unable to follow the conversation.

"Yes, yes, of course I do."

"Does Michael know that?"

Blinking as Serena's logic began to slowly sink in to her brain, Maria nodded. "Yeah…"

"When he tossed you in here, he didn’t take it away did he?"

A slow smile started making its way across Maria's lips. "No. No, he didn’t."

"And you've already called for back up haven't you?"

Maria nodded.

Serena's smile deepened. "See?" She covered Maria's hand reassuringly and sent her a wink. "On our side."

Confusion quenched the light of relief in Maria's eyes. "But why bring Kaleb here at all if he's on our side? I mean, he has to know what will happen if those two kids get together. This is seriously playing with fire here."

"There's so much more going on than you know, Maria." Serena stood and glanced back at the door. "Look, I have to get back to my post or someone will notice I'm gone. I just wanted to let you know you're not alone. Now, you need to call Isabel back and let her know what's going on. Tell her I think I finally found a way to destroy the Seer. She'll know what that means." Serena headed to the door, hood back in place and slipped out before Maria could dial the now familiar number.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drake stormed into his mother's chamber. "Just what the hell is Kaleb doing back here?"

Wicked, empty eyes slowly raised to appraise her son's demeanor. Droll and laconic, her crackling voice filled the room. "He's here because I want him here."

Drake took a step forward. "But he's just a boy, mother. I don't want him involved…"

Throwing her ancient head back, her cackle exploded. "Just…a boy?" Her evil laughter died as quickly as it began. Her black eyes leveled Drake. "He's the bastard of a bastard, Drake. Your enemy. The…king of swine, and therefore swine himself." Her gaze swept of him questioningly. "And yet, you react as if he were your own child."

Jaws working with emotion, Drake's eyes darkened with determination. "Kaleb will **not** be harmed. Give me your word."

The door opened behind him and Tess entered with a flounce. "You rang, Your Greatness?"

A devious smile curled the Seer's lips upward as her gaze shifted to Tess. "Yes, my dear. I thought you should know that all of our planning is coming together. We shall be returning to Antar soon. Since you are responsible for putting together the riddle of the seal, I thought you should be rewarded. Is there anyone you'd like to take back with you?" Steepling her hands in front of her, the Seer's smile deepened. "Of course, anyone you name would be your slave there. Existing solely for your pleasure…however that may come."

A wicked spark lit Tess' eyes. "Oh, my. What a gift. My own special slave." Tapping her fingernail against her lips in thought, Tess slowly advanced into the room. "Decisions. Decisions. My first choice of course would be Max. What better way to punish him for having the bad taste to fill his bed with…" Tess' voice layered with hatred. "…that human Liz Parker instead of…" Fluffing her blonde curls, Tess sighed arrogantly. "…a real queen like myself, then by making him my sex slave on Antar…"

The Seer cackled wickedly. Drake felt a growing sickness in his stomach.

Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Tess shook her head and pursed her lips as she began to pace. "Then again…why not go to the source of all of our troubles? Liz Parker as my eternal slave sounds so very nice. Watching her…" A dreamy, wicked smile claimed Tess' lips. "….kneel before me. Kissing my feet. Calling me her master. Yes, that's so much more…satisfactory."

Bile rose in Drake's throat and he had to swallow hard to keep it from coming all the way up. His hands clenched and unclenched.

As if suddenly getting a brilliant idea, Tess stopped pacing and turned to the Seer with a flounce as she clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh! I know! Why don't I take them both? I could make Liz watch while her lover pleasures me in ways she never dreamed…"

Spinning away from the two worst nightmares in the world, Drake headed for the door. The Seer immediately called out to him in a tone that was not to be ignored. "Drake. Where are you going?"

Drake stopped short. "To see my son."

"Drake! Don't you even think…"

Jerking the door open, his spun around, his determined angry eyes meeting those of his mother. "Try to stop me, mother." A flicker of challenge reverberated through his final whisper. "I dare you."

The slamming of the door behind him jarred the universe and the Seer knew it.

Tbc…

~ chapter 18 ~

October 31, 2003
12:01 am


Max Evans had filled in all the blanks.

"I'm…so sorry."

The three softly spoken words echoed in the small chamber.

From her seat on the side of the bed, Liz Evans did not respond.

Max swallowed hard, his head bowed in shame. Gaze glued to the floor, his fingers nervously twisted the wedding band around the third finger of his left hand. He'd slipped it on his finger just moments before entering the granolith. Now, he was wondering if she'd want him to ever wear it again.

He refused to look at her. Keeping an anguished physical distance, Max was sitting on the floor in the corner of a room hidden deep within the walls of the tunnels below Liz's house. The cold, jagged walls at his back were just the start of a punishment he was sure he deserved for the pain he'd caused her in just one night.

His broken apology continued.

"I should have never even…I had no right, Liz. No right to just demand…" Wiping a stray tear that slipped down his cheek, Max continued as his jaws tightened. "I…I would understand. If you…if you wanted to let go. To…end this. To just walk away before you get in too deep. I've already hurt you so much." There was a hitch in his voice as Max's eyes squeezed shut. "So much. You…you have every right to hate me, you know. God knows I certainly do…"

A soft hand covered his.

Max's head snapped up. His tear-filled gaze locked with hers before shifting to the hand she was curling her fingers around. Silently, Liz pulled his hand forward and placed it gently on her flat stomach.

Max gasped audibly.

His eyes snapped back up to Liz's face, her expression tender with love. The brightness of her eyes, the softness of her touch mixed with the gentle hum of life he could feel just below the surface of her skin caused Max's heart to take a giant leap in his chest. Leaning forward, his expression filled with awe as he felt the current of energy just below his fingers. It was strong and steady as it shifted and stilled then shifted again. Ebbing and waning and causing his fingers to tingle with electricity.

Pulsating. Vibrant. Alive.

"Feel that?" Liz's whisper electrified Max. "That's our babies. **Our** babies, Max." She entwined the fingers of her left hand with his till their rings brushed against each other. The gold sparkled in the dim light of the room. "See that?" Liz's breathless question stopped Max's heart. "Those are our promises to each other. Wrapped up in two simple bands of gold."

Two tears slipped simultaneously down the faces of husband and wife. Father and mother. Alien and human.

"How could I hate you?" Courageous gaze meeting his, a warm smile curled her lips upward. "You're the love of my life. Max, we've created two beautiful lives together, you and I. We've started a brand new future." Shaking her head, Liz's eyes were bright with love. "We're both in way too deep now to ever let go. Even if we weren't, I'd never want to. And I wouldn't want to, Max because…I love you more now than I ever dreamed it was possible to love anyone or anything in my entire life."

Lips trembling, Max bowed his head with a mixture of relief and disbelief. His hands clung to hers with fierce gentleness as he pulled one forward to meet his lips as they brushed against her skin. "I don't…I don't deserve you."

"No, you don't." Liz responded softly, teasingly, as her fingers lifted his chin and coaxed his gaze to meet hers. A twinkle flashed through her eyes. "Then again, I don't deserve you either. That's what makes us so perfect for each other. It's what's so amazing about our love. No matter what stupid things we do, our love just…" Her smile deepened as her gaze gently followed her fingers as they caressed his face. "…never disappears."

She was in his arms in a heartbeat. Engulfed by his warmth. Catching his tears of relief in the crook of her neck. Responding with gentle, reassuring kisses against his skin and sweet whispers of endearment in his ear. Max pulled back to capture his lips with hers. The kiss was fierce and desperate. Full of emotion and awe. Reverent and gentle and…full of gratitude.

From the earlier horror of the evening, Max Evans had been terrified of losing the one person that made his world turn. News that sent his entire body soaring with joy turned to instant, terrifying anguish the moment he stepped into the granolith and journeyed to the future. It was with the most crushing, devastating decision he'd ever had to make. To go to his wife with the intention of asking her to give up one more dream…

Embraced by the love of his life, Max Evans sent up a silent prayer of gratitude that his stupidity had been interrupted before any real damage had been done. To his babies. To his wife. To the world…


October 30, 2003
10:30 pm


Liz dropped to her knees in front of him and began shaking her head. "No, Max, no. Listen to me…we can do something…"

"No, Liz, we can't. I'm telling you. There's more." Max took Liz's face in his hands and swallowed hard. "If we have these babies…Liz, if we have them, it'll lead to…"

"The end of the world." Liz finished for him as her eyes closed against the realization that hit her. She felt Max nod his head and pull her into his arms, his face buried in the crook of her neck and her skin being soaked with his tears. Her fingers unconsciously stroked his hair as her mind fought to grasp the concept that she was once again being called upon to sacrifice her own dreams just to save the human race when a voice from behind them broke through the impending doom.

"It won't be the end of the world. And you two will not have to suffer. Not this time…" Max and Liz pulled away from each other and turned in the direction of the voice to see Isabel, Kyle, Alex and Maria standing in the doorway. Isabel's eyes flashed with determination as she raised an eyebrow, moving her gaze from Liz to Max then back again before she continued. "Not…if we have anything to say about it. And believe me, we have a lot to say..."

Max angrily swept the tears from his face. "Isabel, now isn't the time…"

"Max. Shut. Up." All heads whipped around to a voice somewhere behind the wall of friends standing in front of Max and Liz. Kyle and Alex moved to the side as a person pushed her way through.

"Serena." A low note of warning rang through Max's one word confirmation as his anguish filled gaze met her. "This is a family matter…"

"Go ahead with your plans, Max, and you won't have much of a family to speak of now will you?"

"Serena?" Liz blinked and looked back and forth between her husband and the stranger standing in front of her. A faint glimmer of remembrance flickered in her eyes as Liz spoke. "Wait. You're…you're the one…"

"That everyone thinks is sleeping with the mighty King here." Serena curtly nodded toward Max. "Yeah. That's me." Serena's gaze softened when it fell on Liz. A small smile played on her lips. "So, you're the one he'll die for."

Gaze lowering almost guiltily, Liz bit her lower lip as Max's hand slipped through hers and naturally entwined their fingers. Maybe it was the millions of emotions flooding through her. Maybe it was the horrific vision she'd just seen from the depths of Max's mind. Maybe it was the feeling that once again the fate of the world rested on her shoulders.

Liz Parker Evans felt defeated. Uncomfortable under such intense scrutiny. Found lacking under focused judgement.

Until…

Serena took a few slow steps forward and dropped to her knees in front of Liz. Her eyes lowered reverently as a solemn pledge slipped from Serena's lips. "My Queen. Upon your order, I will die for you too. In time of battle, I will offer my life for yours. In time of peace, I am your servant. No sacrifice is too great, or danger too fearful. My life is yours to do as you will. Ask and it shall be done."

Shocked, Liz glanced at Max and caught the instant flash of pride in his eyes. Pride in her. His wife. His queen. His love. Pride for one of his own, willing to accept a human as her sovereign. One who was willing to sacrifice even her own life simply because he, her king, loved her.

"T-thank you. But I…I don't…want you to…" Liz's faltered speech caused Serena to look up with an understanding, solemn smile.

"I don't want to die either. But at least you know now that I will." Serena commented softly before turning her gaze to Max. "You used the granolith and saw the end of the world, didn't you?"

Max swallowed hard and nodded.

"Do you even understand what you saw?"

Max's voice was harsh, though he didn't intend for it to be. "It was pretty self explanatory."

"Only in context of what you know, Max."

"Umm…could someone help us out here?" Maria's voice cut through the three party conversation that had been going on since they'd re-entered the room. "I mean…from what Isabel says, you two are having twins and think it'll be the end of the world all over again if you do. Uh…why?"

Silence greeted Maria's question. Max and Serena were having a battle of wills as they stared at each other. Raising an eyebrow, Serena finally spoke. "Shall I explain what's really going on or would you like to continue making decisions based on only half the information you need?"

Resenting his authority being challenged, Max's staunch stance didn’t change. Until, Liz slipped her hand over his. Her large doe eyes gazed up at him pleadingly. "Max, please. Don't be so damn proud right now. If there's a way to save our babies…"

Swallowing hard, Max's gaze shifted to Liz. His expression immediately softened as a hand drifted up to wipe away one last tear that had slipped down her cheek. A slight nod. "Alright. Anything for you." Another hand slipped over her stomach hesitantly as a new, silent promised was offered from husband to wife. "Anything…for them."

Serena watched as Liz's hand covered his, her eyes tender with acceptance. She was amazed by what that one simple gesture did to her king. She literally watched him melt into another Max Evans. Gentle and tender…sacrificing and even submissive. Under Liz Evans' loving gaze, Max Evans became the ruled and not the ruler.

Composing herself and turning her attention to their visitors, Liz indicated the couch and chairs. "Why don't we all have a seat so we can hear with Serena has to say?"

Once settled, Serena felt the weight of everyone's stares. Unaccustomed to being the center of attention, she took a deep breath and turned her focus to her sovereigns and their impending parenthood. "Before I explain about what you saw, I guess I should uh…well, I should tell you what I know about royal heirs on Antar."

Hand in hand, Max and Liz nodded their consent. Serena continued. "On Antar, when a first-born child of a king is conceived, the king's royal seal is automatically passed to that child. Like a stamp of legitimacy…of authenticity. No one, having seen the seal, can deny the heir's right to the throne. That child carries the seal until he, or she, in turn has a first born."

"Ok." Liz nodded encouragingly. "Makes sense so far."

Serena flashed Liz a grateful smile and ran a hand through her hair. "Right. So, now here's where it gets a bit…complicated." Serena paused as her gaze swept around the curious faces in the room before resting on Max and Liz's. "There are no twins on Antar."

"No twins?" Isabel asked from her perch on the couch, her brown eyes wide with amazement.

"None. Ever. And certainly not in the royal house." Serena confirmed. "Which is…where we run into a problem with our future little king and queen here. And why you, Max, saw what you saw in the future." Indicating the twins housed so safely in their mother's womb, Serena didn't miss the way Max and Liz's fingers tightened around each others'. "If my guess is correct, when the twins were conceived, Max here passed on his royal seal…to both of them. Only…not the complete seal."

"What do you mean not the complete seal?" Kyle's question pulled Serena's gaze to his. There was a flash of something in her eyes as the features of his face created a reaction in the back of her mind. She didn't have time to analyze what exactly that reaction was.

"I mean…" Clearing her throat, she pulled her gaze from his compelling blue eyes and turned back to Max and Liz once more. "…I think the seal was split in two between the twins."

"Meaning…" Max prompted as confusion flashed in his eyes.

"Meaning that they are destined to rule…together. That one without the other will never sit on the throne of Antar."

"What if we don't want them to?" Liz's quiet question pulled everyone's attention straight to her.

"Liz, they're the heirs to the throne. You can't just…" Max began.

"Fine." Tone clipped, Liz pulled her hand from under his and turned to face him. "What if **I** don't want them to?" Protectively covering her children, Liz's expression hardened. "I won't let my children be taken to some god-forsaken planet just because they happen to be the children of an exiled king."

Tension instantly descended. Max stiffened as a flash of pain raced through his dark eyes. "I won't." Liz swallowed hard as her gaze swept over the faces of her silent audience before connecting with Max's once more. "I promised to fight your battles on Earth with you, Max, but I never agreed to that. I never planned on…this…"

"Neither did I." Max responded, his jaw tightening with emotion. "But what's done is done. The only thing we can change is the future by what we decide to do now." Gaze snapping commandingly to Serena, an inquiring eyebrow rose. "Have any idea how we go about doing that?"

Serena swallowed hard, realizing the gravity of the question Max was asking. She nodded slowly, cautiously. "If I'm right…if the seal is split, the only way to prevent what you saw in the future is by separating the children."

"No." Liz immediately shook her head as a film of moisture brightened her eyes. "No, I will not separate my babies. I will not let them out of my sight. Or…or send them to a place I've never been…"

"Honey, please…"

Liz shifted away from Max, interrupting his plea. He tensed, hanging his head in uncertainty as his hands bunched together in a tight grip. He could feel the growing distance between them. Could sense the walls of Liz's heart rising with amazing speed. It terrified him more than even the future he'd seen. He barely heard Serena as she tried to reason with Liz.

"Liz…if you don't want the future Max saw to happen, it's the only way." Serena's calming voice failed to sooth the shaking of Liz's hands or the breaking of her heart.

Max attempted once more to get through to her. He silently reached for Liz's hand. She instinctively pulled away. Her voice was low and barely controlled. "Don't touch me."

His hand retreated as his eyes drifted closed in renewed anguish. He’d blown it…again. He’d broken another promise. Dashed another dream. When would he ever be allowed to just love her without fear? Without pain? Without walls? In what life would their love be easy? Certainly not the last one. Obviously, not this one. And yet, it didn’t stop him. He loved her more now, in that moment, carrying his children than he ever had before.

He adored her stubborn protectiveness. Admired her brave strength. Relished the glow their tiny children deeply imbedded inside of her were already putting on her smooth, flushed cheeks. The flash of determined fire in her ebony eyes melted a growing lump of dread that had formed in the pit of his stomach long before he entered the house. Liz Evans wasn’t going to give up on her family. An equal determination expressed itself in the set of Max’s jaws. Neither would he.

Liz was fighting a million different emotions and they were all winning the battle. She didn’t want to hurt Max, didn’t want to push him away. But she had to remain focused. For the sake of her babies. For Max’s sake. And feeling his hand in hers or hearing him plead with her would only weaken her. And she couldn’t be weak. She just…couldn’t. The lives of her children, husband, family and friends…and once again, the rest of the world…depended on her strength. She would not let them down.

Liz's voice was shaking as she valiantly fought back building emotions. "What…makes you think…that separating them will prevent…what…we saw?"

Serena's voice was gentle as she attempted to fill in details of an ancient tale for her new queen. "Together, they will have ultimate power. To be used for good…or evil. If the wrong people get their hands on your kids, well…that's where the end of the world comes in. By separating them, their power is limited. They can't be used in their innocence to cause the destruction Max saw in the future. They will be safe."

A multitude of scenarios instantly raced through Liz’s mind as the truth of Serena’s words crashed down on her.

"Oh, God. We have no choice…" The soft whisper of dread slipped from Liz to echo in the deadly silence of the room. Abruptly jumping up from her seat, she kept her eyes averted as her voice shook with barely controlled tears. "I…I have to…please excuse…me…"

As Liz ran from the room, Max immediately jumped up to follow her. Kyle stepped in front of him before he'd even taken two steps. "Let her go, Max. She needs time right now…"

"Don't you dare presume to tell me what Liz does or doesn't need. She is **my** wife, not yours." Eyes blazing with instant fury, Max's voice was low with venomous command. "Now, get the hell out of my way."

"Things would be a lot simpler if she **was** my wife, don't you think?" Kyle remarked with equal determination. For a man who had watched the various interactions of Max Evans and Liz Parker through the years, it was glaringly obvious to Kyle what was happening between them. “But we both know Liz Parker, don’t we? She would much rather follow her heart then take the easy way out. Which is why she came back to Roswell. Why she married you despite all reason and logic and why she is currently carrying your alien babies and fighting your undercover war for you.”

Crossing his arms in front of him Kyle’s eyes flashed with determination. “Now you are going to sit your butt right back down and listen to what Serena has to say so you can figure out the best way to get Liz out of this mess you’ve put her in. And you’re going to do it because you owe her nothing less.”

"I **said**…" A burst of anger exploded from Max. "…MOVE!" He hit Kyle's chest sending him back a few steps. Kyle stumbled backward, but quickly regained his footing.

Shaking his head disapprovingly at Max, Kyle's blue eyes met Max's steadily. "You don't get it, do you? That woman has been through hell tonight because of you. First, she was terrified you wouldn't want this baby. Then you make her feel like you didn't when you marched in here and demanded that she not have them. And now…now you're all too willing to split them up."

"I **never** said that!" Max exclaimed as he took a menacing step forward. "I want these babies every bit as much as Liz does! You have absolutely **no** idea how much the very thought of losing my kids is tearing me up inside. NO idea! I would rather die a thousand deaths right this minute if it meant my wife wouldn't have to suffer one moment of pain that I know **I** have caused her!"

Max's eyes began to shine with unshed tears as emotions continued to pour forth. "My God, you think I actually enjoy breaking my wife's heart? You think I **want** my own children to be ripped away from me? From us? Simply because they're **my** children? Because I am who I am? You think I like the fact that Liz is my wife in secret only? That as far as the world is concerned she's my bitter enemy? I am in hell at just the very thought of any of us being separated for any reason…"

"Nice words." Kyle stated calmly. “Now prove them.”

“Why you lousy…” Max’s fist nailed Kyle square in the jaw.

Isabel and Serena immediately jumped forward to stop any further punches from being thrown. He attempted to take another step forward despite his sister and their friend holding him back. “Max! Max, stop it!” Isabel’s command barely registered.

Maria’s statement did. “Dammit, Max! Liz does not need this right now. If you really love her…”

Max instantly shook Isabel and Serena off him and turned away from the group. His head hung in concentrated effort to still the rage coursing through him, Max barely felt Maria's hand on his arm as his fists clenched and unclenched by his side. “Look. We know you’re terrified and hurting right now. But so is Liz. Just…do what Kyle says and give her time to process everything that’s going on."

She moved to stand in front of him, her pleading voice finally catching his attention. "Max, we all know how brave Liz can be, but right now she's got all those mommy hormones running amock in her body, not to mention whatever alien mojo those kids of yours might be dishing out to her. She just needs a little non-alien space."

She glanced at Kyle then Serena then back to Max. "So, let us humans have a little time with her right now. I'm sure Serena's got more to explain." She nudged him playfully when she saw the apprehensive look in his eyes. "Come on, Max. You know you and Liz will work this out. I mean…she married you for a reason. And if you got past her and Bozo here pretending to sleep together…" She indicated Kyle with a quick flip of her thumb. "…you know you can work anything out."

"Maria's right, Max." Isabel chimed in quietly. "Liz probably just needs a little break right now."

"And…" Serena joined the group of vocal protesters. "…there really is a lot more to this than you know, Max. I think once Liz understands everything, you'll both be able to figure a way out of this."

"We all will." Alex added. "Together."

There was a moment of silence before a stubborn, resentful Max relented. "Fine. But the second we've got the full story on this, I'm heading in to see my wife…" Max stiffened as his gaze locked with Kyle's. "…and **no one** is going to stop me."

"Alright, Max." Maria assured him gently. She glanced back at Alex and nodded toward the door. "We'll just go right now and be with her ok? You guys all try to figure out the best way to make this work." She turned toward Alex and Kyle. “Guys, let’s go.”

Kyle stood his ground. “I’m staying.”

Max’s jaw tightened instantly. “The hell you are.”

Kyle’s eyebrow rose. “Look, Max. You can pull you Highness routine with everyone else, but I don’t bow to anyone. And since the entire world is going to think those babies are mine, I think I’m entitled to hear the plan. At the very least.”

Max started to open his mouth in protest when Serena spoke up. “He’s right. We’ll need his help. Max, please. For Liz…”

Max clamped his mouth shut though his eyes were certainly shooting daggers sharp enough to maim and destroy the man he still hadn’t forgiven for his part in destroying his relationship with Liz. The man who would be openly claiming his children as his own. The man Liz had turned to first for help.

Since Serena’s levelheaded response had routed another battle of wills, Maria hastened her departure as she grabbed Alex's arm. Max stopped Maria as she started to drag Alex quickly forward. "Maria, wait." Stuffing his hands nervously in his pockets, Max's gaze wavered and his voice softened perceptibly. "Please tell her…tell I love her more than she knows." Maria nodded her silent promise.

As Alex and Maria slipped away to find Liz, Max cast Kyle one last look of disdain before joining Isabel to settle down for an earful…

Tbc…