The Promise (CC,M/L,Mature), part 10, 17 jun [WIP]

[willowbv]

****
Max didn’t know what drew him back to the Crashdown, there was no reason for him to be there apart from to eat and he wasn’t hungry. He came to a sudden halt when he saw her sitting on one of the outside tables reading.

He debated whether to approach her or not, his decision was made for him when she looked up, saw him and flashed him a welcoming smile.

“Hey”, she greeted him as he sat opposite her.

“Hey,” he greeted her. He always felt a certain wrongness when he hang around Tess, but it was only momentary and it was getting easier and easier to talk to her. He could see why he had married her in his past life. His run in with Liz had further convinced him that he and Tess could possibly work. She had changed, it was obvious from her outward experience, with the red hair, it was easier not to think of her as his Liz. As he stared into the blonde’s sparkling eyes, Max forced his heart to believe that he had made the right choice.

“What are you doing here?” he finally asked.

“Well, Kyle and Maria have taken over the house,” she replied.

He responded with a quizzical expression on his face.

“They’re working on a history assignment together and they seem to work better with loud music,” she added.

“Oh,” he grinned.

“I felt like a change of venue,” she continued, “so I came here to do some reading and don’t worry, it’s not Steinbeck,” she said with a knowing smile.

Max blushed at her perceptiveness.

“I’m more into popular culture, but…” she showed him the cover, “A Tale of Two Cities just does it for me.”

“Dickens?” he asked.

“You seem surprised,” she said, “what you didn’t think I read the classics?” she asked in a teasing tone.

“No!” he protested blushing.

Just dig the hole Max, just dig the hole, he chided himself.

“It’s just, you surprised me is all,” he added.

A small playful smile crossed her lips and Max felt his heart race. “Is that good?” she asked.

“It’s beginning to be,” he smiled.

****

The call came just as Kyle and Maria decided to take a well earned break.

“Evan, what’s up? He asked.

The loud background music told Kyle that he had obviously gone to the party.

“Hey,” he shouted. Kyle held the phone a few centimetres away from his ears. “Just wanted to tell you to come pick up your girl!” he shouted.

“My girl?” he asked confused.

“Liz man,” he said, “She is totally smashed, I don’t want anything bad to happen to her if you get the gist.”

“Liz is at the party?” he asked in disbelief. He didn’t think that she would go, but obviously wanted to drown her sorrows.

“What party?” asked Maria.

Kyle waved her to silence. “Sure, I’ll come pick her up. Thanks man.”

“Not a problem and dude, hurry. I kept her dancing with me for a while, but I can’t keep her with me for long, she’s drifting off to other less up and up guys if you get what I mean,” he said.

“We’ll be there as soon as we can,” he responded.

“Liz is at a party? Whose party?” demanded Maria.

“Come on,” he said grabbing his keys, “I’ll explain on the way”.

****

Maria pushed her way through the crowded party, her eyes frantically searching for Liz.

“Where is she?” she asked Kyle.

“Evan said they were in the living room,” he replied.

And indeed they are, she thought in shock.

There in the middle of the, was Liz, grinding up against some guy with Evan watching worriedly on the side lines. Maria felt like grabbing her off him and she did just that. She marched over to the pair and dragged Liz away.

“Hey!”, she protested, then realising who it was, she was smiled, “Hey Maria,” she sang.

“Hey,” she said curtly. Never in her whole life had she imagined that she would be dragging Liz Parker, future Harvard student, out of a drunken party.

“What do you think you’re doing,!” protested the drunk guy.

Maria turned on him “protecting her from you, so back off!” she threatened.

From either side of her, Kyle and Evan appeared ready to get physical if they needed to. Seeing that he was outnumbered, the guy backed off and drifted off into the crowd.

“Welcome to the party ‘Ria,” sang Liz as she dragged her away. Maria rolled her eyes and glanced at Evan, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, “just get her sober, she’s got some issues.”

“Tell me about it,” she muttered.

“Where are we going?” asked Liz.

“Home,” she replied.

“Noo,” she protested, “I wanna stay here and party.” Before Maria could stop her, she grabbed a drink from one of the people they were walking past, which Kyle swiftly removed from her grasp.

“No you don’t,” he told her.

“Awww, you’re no fun,” she said.

“Yeah,” said Maria in monotone, “ let’s go“.

As she and Kyle led Liz to the car, she had a sinking feeling that today would be a long night.

****

Kyle drove while Maria ranted.

“Liz, what is going on with you?!” she demanded.

“Well you see Maria,“ she began in a serious tone, “the stoic thing didn’t really work out,” she shrugged, “I guess I’d be a disappointment to him but hey, what can you do?”

Maria didn’t even stop to think who the “him” she referred to was. “Uh, you can not get drunk and out of control,” she replied.

“Tried that, didn’t work out,“ retorted Liz, “This is much better”. She looked around at the streets they were driving past. “Um, where are you taking me by the way? Not home ‘cause my parents are in and they would freak,” she giggled.

Maria decided that that was a good question indeed and before she could reply, Liz screamed.

“Stop the car!”.

“Why?” asked Kyle.

“Up ahead, Max and Tess,” she replied.

Maria looked up and indeed, they were there, walking and talking, completely comfortable with each other.

“Stop the car,” demanded Liz.

“No,” retorted Kyle.

“I’ll jump out the door,” she threatened.

“You wouldn’t dare,” said Maria.

“Maria, I am heavily intoxicated and euphoric, I am up for anything,” she said with all seriousness.

Kyle locked the doors.

“Ohhh, clever, but I’ll break the window if I have to,” retorted Liz.

Maria glanced at Kyle and they both silently grimly agreed. Kyle pulled over the car and unlocked the doors.

****

Max’s laughter died in his throat as he finally recognised the car that had pulled over just a few feet in front of them.

“Isn’t that…”, his words trailed off as the passenger door opened and out stumbled Liz. She somehow tripped over, fell to the ground and laughing loudly, to his surprise, she stayed there on her hands and knees.

The other doors opened revealing Kyle and Maria who both quickly went round to help her up.

“Liz?” Max asked confused.

What the heck is going on? He wondered in bewilderment.

Beside him, Tess rolled her eyes and frowned.

****

[willowbv]

****

Friday Night (part 3)

****

Mac paced back and forth in her room. Too many thoughts were in her head, she couldn’t think straight. While her thoughts intensified, her breath grew short quick. Her eyes stared at nothing and everything.

How did Future Max get it so wrong?
Tess is a conniving, scheming wench!
How screwed are we?!
How possibly screwed up is this planet?!

“Focus!” she told herself. Just saying the words aloud silenced the barrage of thoughts that had previously assailed her.

“Okay, so Future Max comes back and asks me to make sure that he and Tess get together or the world ends,” she recapped. “Except he probably didn’t know that Tess was a scheming little tramp.”

Mac paused as she reflected on what she had said. “No,” she amended, “ he definitely didn’t, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked me to this.”

With a heavy sigh, she sank onto her bed. Then after further thought, she crawled along her it to get to the top drawer of her bedside table where she took out the envelope which harboured the letter. The letter which held her King’s orders to her.

Serena,
What I am asking you to do has be to precise and calculated, the lives of all of us, and the people on earth hang in the balance. I know I’ve told you all this already, but I wanted something material to leave with you, for you to know that it all wasn’t just a dream .

Our enemies came to earth, because Liz and I were together and I had driven Tess away. We weren’t strong enough to defeat them.

I can’t let that happen again, so I have to make sure that what I’ve asked Liz to do, to make me fall out of love with her and turn to Tess, is accomplished.

I have to leave no room for mistakes.

That’s why I’m asking you to befriend my present version, gain his trust and help him be with Tess to save the world.

I know that because of what I’ve told you about Liz and I, the connection that we have, you will find it hard to accomplish this mission, but you have to.

To save the world, you have to.

I have had the honouring of fighting along side you and of being both your King and your friend. I believe in you and I trust you and so does my Liz.

Max.


With a heavy heart, Mac put the letter aside. Future Max had told her about Liz, that she was his soul mate, that she had given him the strength to fight their enemies as much as they did, but it hadn’t been enough, because of Tess.

The Royal Four made a complete set. Together, they were virtually impossible to defeat.

Mac could see why Future Max had asked her to ensure that Max ended up with Tess, but he had done that on the assumption that they could somehow trust her, but Mac knew for a fact that she was anything but trustworthy.

She was mind warping Liz and now she had no doubt that she probably had mind warped Max, once or twice. Tess wanted him, no matter what the cost or whose health she had to jeopardise. To Mac, Tess wasn’t someone she wanted to trust helping save the planet to.

Tess only had one goal and that was Max, she probably loved him, but it was a selfish, distorted love. Something that in this lifetime, could compare to what Max and Liz had. If Max did something to spurn her, Mac didn’t even want to think of what she might do in retaliation.

“Back to the problem,” she reminded herself aloud.

Future Max had said that they needed the Royal Four, but since he in his world, he had married Liz and claimed her as his queen and established a new Royal Four, they and the rest of the rebels would have had the strength to defeat Khivar…

“except Liz wasn’t prepared,” she whispered to the silent room.

A plan was beginning to form in her head.

In Future Max’s world, Liz and Max’s joining should have made them both a force to be reckoned with, which to some extent it had been, but Liz had lacked experience, they all had.

In Future Max’s world, they’d had no one to help them, to train them, to warn them. The only reason Tess being there made the difference was because she had more experience with her powers -

And seeing as I’ve seen Tess’ true colours and know what she’s really like, I know that she’s not fit to be my Queen.

But since I’m in the game now, we’ve changed the future and maybe we can change the outcome.

I can help, I can train them, I can warn them, I can tell them all they need to know.

Her eyes flared with hidden strength and passion.

With my help and the power of Liz and Max’s love, Khivar doesn’t stand a chance in hell.

A smile formed across her lips.

Since I’m in the game now, she thought dialling Max’s number, all bets are off.

As Mac waited for Max to pick up, she hoped that she wasn’t too late. The negative energy she had sensed around Liz that afternoon worried her. They were both in immense emotional pain, she knew that their love manifested itself as a force and she’d felt that energy…

Only it was all wrong, she thought worriedly.

If her thoughts were right, then Liz and Max were connected by their pain now, she had a bad feeling that if the pain was bad enough, and they came into close contact with each other, the results could potentially be explosive, in a very bad way.

“Come on Max,” she muttered.

****

Max heard his phone ringing but the scene before him was of more importance than any phone-call. Whoever it was could call back. Liz needed his attention now.

****

She groaned as she got his answer machine.

“Hi Max, it’s me Mac. Listen we really need to talk ASAP, so when you get this, call me. Oh and don’t do anything with Tess - in fact, could you stay away from her altogether until we talk? Thanks”.

She hung up and dropped onto her back. She stared at the ceiling and covered her mouth in wonder at what she had decided to do.

Max was her King, past, present or future version and she knew he trusted her decisions, but the enormity of her task and responsibility, struck her suddenly and she hoped to God that she would accomplish it.

****

[willowbv]

****

“Liz,” Max began again.

“Don’t you Liz me,” she spat.

Kyle covered his face with his hand in an attempt to shield himself from the disaster currently unfolding in front of him.

Liz was out of control .

Kyle knew that sober, she was stubborn, drunk she would be worse. The best thing for them to do was to stand back and watch. He stood a safe distance away but within hearing distance and watched her stagger towards the couple with a concerned Maria following her.

“You’re supposed to be dead to me!” she accused him, “but here you are-”

“Max, I’m so sorry….” apologised Maria. She attempted to restrain Liz’s advancement towards the couple but Liz violently shrugged her off. Maria realising what it had taken Kyle an instant to comprehend, held her hands up in surrender and took a step back from her.
“….She’s totally trashed…” she shrugged helplessly.

Kyle heaved a troubled sigh. Liz was doing this because of Max, this whole week had been about her trying to get over him - something Kyle didn’t understand because she was the one who had wanted to break up with him. He knew how much she didn’t want Max to find out the truth about them, but he also knew how much pain the lie was causing both of them. Whether his feeling was right or wrong, he hoped that she would in her drunken state, tell Max the truth and absolve him of his guilt.

“…I don’t know what to do,” she finished.

“I’d be glad to tell you,” said Liz brightly. She signalled over at Kyle with a nod of her head. Maria glanced at him and noticed that he had that deer-caught-in the-headlights look about him

“Kyle knows and he understands,” she continued, “see, that’s why he’s staying quiet and letting me get on with it. So you wanna be my friend ‘Ria? Then join him.”

Maria glanced from Kyle to Liz unsure of what to do.

What can I do? She thought helplessly. Liz was going to do whatever she wanted to.

Maria nodded and proceeded to stand next to Kyle who flashed her an apprehensive smile.

She was beginning to understand what Kyle obviously knew, that tonight was about Liz’s attempts to once again deal with her Max related pain.

It occurred to her that Kyle seemed to know a lot more of what was going on with Liz than her and that hurt her because, as one of Liz’s best friends, she was just picking up the information as it was being revealed.

****

“So, how are you little lovebirds doing?” asked Liz with exaggerated enthusiasm, “taking a little late night stroll?”

Tess shook her head in suppressed irritation.

Talk about attention seeking, she thought in disgust.

Everything had been going to plan, she had planted thoughts of herself into Max’s thoughts and as planned, he had shown up outside the Crashdown. They had talked, she had helped him relax some more and open up with a few more mind warps and then, Liz had to happen.

Well, I’m not going to let you ruin my night that easily, she thought stubbornly.

“Liz, I think you should go home,” she said firmly.

“Tess,” Liz retorted, “ I’m sure I’ve said this before but it obviously didn’t sink in then, so I’ll say it again. It may come as a shock to you, seeing as we give you so much respect already, but I don’t really care what you think.”

Maria slapped her hand against her mouth to keep her laughter from escaping. There was one advantage to Liz’s drunkenness.

She can tell Tess exactly what she thinks and it’s about time.

****

“Liz, you’re drunk,” said Max quietly.

She wiggled her fingers in front of him, taunting him. “Way to state the obvious future boy,” she sang.

Tess muffled the laugh that threatened to escape from her throat.

Liz was making a complete fool of herself, there was no way Max would fall for this attempt to get his attention.

“Liz, go home you’re making a fool out of yourself,” she said aloud in a tone dribbling with concerned sweetness.

Liz turned to her sharply and fixed her cold narrowed her eyes on her. “Excuse me, I’m trying to have an AB conversation, can you see C your way out”, she demanded.

Tess felt her anger boil.

Who the hell did she think she was?

Nobody talks to me like that!!

She opened her mouth, ready to put the fragile human into her place when Max restrained her by touching her arm.

“Tess, it’s fine,” he said softly.

Tess inwardly groaned.

He’s falling or it, she thought in disbelief. She’s drawing him back in and he’s falling for it.

Always the gentleman Max, she sighed, always the gentleman.

Liz rolled her eyes, repulsed, “Tess it’s fine,” she mimicked him. “WhateverMax,” she violently shook her head at him, “You’re so ungrateful.”

Angered by her lack of gratitude at the risk that Max took to heal her, Tess lost her composure. “Hey!” she yelled forcefully, “he saved your life!”.

She was rewarded by a sharp, painful stinging across her cheek. It took her a while to realise the source of her pain.

Liz had slapped her across her cheek!
She was going to pay. Badly.

Their eyes locked, her eyes blazed.

****

“I’ll get to you in a minute bitch,” Liz said coldly.

Maria’s jaw dropped.
No way had Liz just said that to Tess.

This whole night had been a big disaster but she could not help but be entertained and proud of Liz’s honest, blunt comments which Max but especially Tess needed to hear.

****

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Tess warned.

“Why,” taunted Liz, “are you gonna mind warp me to death? Blast me with your energy crap? I’m not scared of you.”

“You should be.”

The silent threatening anger underneath her reply convinced Max that he had to put a stop to their argument or things would get completely out of control.

“Tess, let it go,” he ordered.

He watched her clench her jaw.

“Let it go,” he repeated in a quiet, commanding voice.

To his relief, she sighed and visibly relaxed her previously tensed muscles.

“Yeah Tess…”

Liz’s bitter lyrical tone drew his attention back to her.

“…this is between me and the guy who gives up too soon, the supposed King“.

Max flinched at her words. She knew that he was insecure about his newly discovered role and she took advantage of that.

He was beyond stunned by her behaviour. This wasn’t Liz, or at least the Liz he had known.

They were standing on the sidewalk, in public, having an argument.

Max did a quick sweep of the area again, as he had done before. Lucky for them, there was no one in the street apart from them….at least no one he could see.

But still, he faced her once again, this is too public, too open. It can bring attention we don’t need right now.

I have to do some damage control, he decided.

“Liz-”, he began.

He was taken by surprise when she violently shoved him. The fact that her palms and his chest were separated by his t-shirt didn’t matter, the connection was quick, powerful and instant the second her palms came into contact with his shirt. The impact of the images caused him to stumble backwards.

Images of him and Liz comforting each other in the van after escaping from the special unit.
Him telling Liz that he loved her.
Liz telling him that she loved him.
The sheer force of her feelings left him reeling.

“I jumped off bridges for you!,” she shouted heatedly.

Recovering from her first assault, Max took a few steps forward only to stumble back again as another set of images flashed in his mind.

Liz walking away from him, last summer after he‘d found out that Tess was his bride. He felt the overwhelming anguish that she had experienced by making that decision.
Her tears. She had cried for him.
It was heart wrenching.

“I evaded the law for you!-” she shouted.

This time, she didn’t advance on him, she remained a few feet away, giving Max time to concentrate on the present and not on the flashes of the past which he‘d just experienced.

“This isn’t the place-” he interrupted.

She thrust out her arms, “ Look around, Max, it’s Roswell, not exactly a hot bed of activity. The streets are virtually deserted and oh yeah, I don’t care!…”

Something happened that made Kyle more conscious of their surroundings. He looked around him. The streets were empty it was just him and Maria, with Tess standing opposite them a few feet away. They were separated by Max and Liz who stood arguing in between them.

That’s it!, he thought suddenly, It’s Max and Liz, they’re doing something.

He glanced over at Maria who carried the same confused and apprehensive expression he did.

“Can you feel it?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded slowly. “What the hell is that?”.

He nodded towards Max and Liz, “They probably know.”

“….I lied for you to my parents!”, screamed Liz, “ and this is how you betray me?! Letting go, moving on that fast and to her of all people?!”

Max snapped. He had been patient and controlled but that was the last straw. She was the one who had killed their relationship, not him.
She had hurt him!
She had betrayed him!

“You wanna talk about betrayal, Liz! You slept with Kyle!” he shouted.

“Oh for the love of- you guys are so stupid that you should have the word special stamped on your foreheads,” she retorted.

Max was taken aback by her comment . It was cryptic and confusing but his heart grabbed onto it with such passion that it hurt.

Kyle was growing evermore fearful. There was an energy emanating from them. It had started off slowly but had been building up, the more they argued.

And if Liz was going to tell Max the truth now, he had a feeling that he would explode and Kyle didn’t even want to think about what would happen to that energy.

“Uh Liz, I don’t think-” he began.

“What are you talking about?!” asked Max.

Kyle pursued his lips in resignation. It was Liz and Max again, oblivious to anything apart from each other even if they were arguing.

****

“Why did you save me that day I got shot at the Crashdown?” she asked.

“How can you ask that?” he asked in shock.

“Very easily, wanna here it again? Why on that day did you risk every for me!”

Of all the things she could ask him, how could she ask him that and by asking him that, she was doubting the love that he he’d that for her then.

That you still have now, whispered a voice in the back of his mind.

“Because I love you,” he replied simply.

“Wake up Max! Love is the reason we’re here. Right now, in this moment“.

“Ain’t it grand,” muttered Tess. Her spiteful words however, were masking her ever growing fear. She felt the energy developing between the two and she didn’t like it.

It was raw, powerful, dangerous and frightening. And the worst part was that she couldn’t do anything to stop it. She wasn't strong enough to stop it.

“You’re not good for us Max,” said Liz bitterly. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, messing up her makeup but she didn’t care because nothing mattered anymore. “ I realise that now, you’re not good for any of us,” she said sadly.

Her words were like shards of glass planted deep within his heart, except they were being pulled out and the process was fast and painful. Liz was pulling out almost every fear he’d had about their relationship and his leadership, vocalising it and making it true.

“Love is the problem but don’t worry, I’ll fix it,” she said quietly.

The hidden sadness and intensity of her words drew him out of his pain and made him focus on her.

Something isn‘t right here, he thought as an uneasy feeling overcame him.

“What do you mean?” he asked suspiciously.

“Love is the problem but don’t worry, I’ll fix it,” she said flippantly.

She turned to leave and somehow it felt like goodbye.

I’m not ready to say goodbye. The realisation was deep and powerful. It echoed through his entire being and he knew that he couldn’t let her go.

“Fix it? Fix it how Liz?” he called after her.

Suddenly, he was panicked and he didn’t know why.

She stopped and turned to face him. “Don’t worry about it,” she said in a casual tone.

He made a move to stop her by grabbing her hand.

And then it happened.
The energy crackling between the two, which Tess, Kyle and Maria had felt but could do nothing about, was released.

****

[willowbv]

****
If you blinked then you would have missed it.

And Maria had missed it.

In one minute Liz was walking past her and Kyle and away from Max; Max being Max had gone after her and made a grab for her arm.

Then she had blinked.

And a second later, like the action of two magnets repelling each other, Max was flying away from Liz and crashed into a trash bin and Liz flew head first, straight into a lamp post.

Both of them lay unconscious on the ground and it was then that Maria realised that things, had just gone from bad to worse.

****

[willowbv]

****

NEW PART!!!

Late Friday night - Early Saturday morning (part 4)

****

Tess was by Max’s side in an instant while Maria and Kyle attended to Liz.

“Max, are you okay?” she asked helping him up.

This is completely out of control, she worried. He could have been hurt and it’s all because of that stupid connection they have!.

“Yeah,” he said rubbing his back and his neck, he groaned in pain, “just a little bruised.”

Tess sighed with relief. “If anything had happened to you-”

“Max!”.

Tess glared in the direction of Maria’s panicked cry and unlike Max whose audible intake of shocked breath signified his concern, Tess merely frowned and rolled her eyes.

Liz lay motionless on the ground surrounded on either side by Maria and Kyle.

“Liz is hurt,” she said.

We can see that, Tess thought sarcastically.

Max, as usual, quickly left her side and rushed over to them.
Tess sighed in temporary defeat and followed him.

****

Max knelt down next to Maria, his eyes never left Liz’s.

Please me okay, he prayed silently.

Blood was trickling down her forehead from somewhere in her dark head.

His fearful eyes met Maria’s and he knew that they were on the same wavelength, they both wished that it was horrible nightmare.

Movement he spotted from the corner of his eye drew his attention. He saw Kyle gingerly take her pulse.

To Max, everything he did, everything they did took hours. To Tess and any other by-stander, every action they did was quick and urgent.

After what felt to Max, like four hours had passed, Kyle finally responded to their unspoken question, he replied with relief evident in his voice. “She’s breathing“.

Sensing his desire to move closer to Liz, Maria stood up, giving Max room to move closer to her. Kyle immediately followed suit.

Both stood hovering behind him.

Max reached across and stroked her cheek, “Liz?” he called softly.

His heart exploded with elation as he heard her moan and grimace in pain. To Max, it was as beautiful as a smile.

A few seconds later, her eyes fluttered open.

She was okay, he hadn’t lost her.

You haven’t lost her yet, he reminded himself.

“Max?” she asked. Her voice held that faraway tone of confusion. Her expression was one he so vividly remembered from the day he saved her life at the Crashdown. It was dazed, confused and awed.
Max felt the same joy and relief that he had felt that day.


“I’m here,” he said softly, “are you okay?”.

She made a move to get up, he saw her grimace and groan in pained defeat as she rested her head back down again.

Maria and Kyle where there in a heartbeat, helping her up while Max watched with concern.

Everything in him had urged him to help her petite frame up, but he knew that it would somehow be inappropriate.
It didn’t feel right and the brief eye contact they had when Liz was fully upright told him that she knew it too.
It was the way it had to be, after what had just happened, she needed her space.

“My head hurts”, she moaned in reply to her friends‘ questions about her health. Automatically, her hand reached up to rub her forehead.

“You might have a concussion,” he said. Liz stood a few feet away from him supported on either side of her by Kyle and Maria. Max wanted to close the gap between them with all his heart but he knew that Liz wouldn’t allow it.

Before his collision with the trash can, Max had felt it, felt her. He wasn’t in control, neither was she. There was so much to be said, so much to be felt, it couldn’t happen all at once because if it did, Max thought his heart would burst.
They both needed to get back in control of their emotions.

He tried to convince himself that that was the only reason the separating space existed between him and Liz.

“Let Max heal you,” said Maria gently.

She shook her head minutely, avoiding all eye contact with him.

“My head hurts is all,” she said nonchalantly.

Max watched as she took her hand away from her head and stared in surprise at the blood the found there. He saw her eyes grow wide in momentary fear but it was quickly replaced by a blank expression.

He readjusted his decision to give her space. He would give it to her right after he healed her.

“Liz,“ he took a step towards her, reaching up his hand as an offer to heal. “Let me…”

He trailed off and stopped when she shook her head. “No.”

“Liz you could have a concussion,” argued Maria.

“I don’t care!-”, she shouted but broke off when she grimaced in pain. She gently rubbed the area on her forehead where a large bump was forming. She closed her eyes as if working up the courage to look him in his.

Her voice was controlled, stubborn and left no room for objections. “If I collapse then heal me,” she told him, “otherwise there will be no healing today,” she finished.

Max could have interpreted her refusal to be healed as part of her rejection of him, but he didn’t accept that because of what he had seen and felt when he had attempted to touch her arm.

Her refusal to be healed was what convinced him that getting in control was only part of the reason Liz didn’t want him too close to her.

She’s scared, he realised. She’s scared that we’ll connect and I’ll see what she’s hiding from me.

What are you hiding? he wondered.

It was this question which his eyes communicated to Liz and it was the question which reminded her of what she had to do.

“Well“, she cleared her throat casually and took a step back, away from her two friends. “ thanks for your help but I’ve got places to be,” she said.

She turned and took two steps forward before Max grabbed her arm and pulled brought her to a halt.

In the second that she had turned away from them, Max had made his decision to abandon the notion of giving her space. He needed to be in her space to save her.

She didn‘t turn around to face him, but that was fine with him because he didn‘t need her to. She struggled to break from his grasp but he remained determined to keep her exactly where she was until eventually, she conceded.

He closed the centimetres of space separating their bodies from touching with one step and lowered his mouth millimetres away from her ear.

“I know where you’re planning on going and what you’re planning to do Liz and I won’t let you.”

The heat emanating from her body merged with his, she smelt of alcohol and cigarettes but beneath all that, he could smell faint hints of strawberries.

He resisted the urge to whirl her around and taste her lips once again.

This is not the time or the place, he chided himself.

Maria suddenly appeared in front of them. She had stood on the sidelines long enough, whatever was happening was obviously alien/Max and Liz related and if prior events were an indication of more to come, Maria wanted to keep her friend safe and alive.

“Um guys?!”, she called waving her arms to get their attention. The couple paused and stared at her.
“Um, we’re all feeling that weird energy build up thing, so before anyone else goes flying in open air, can you just turn it down a notch?”.

They both stared at her, Maria sighed with relief as she felt the electrifying energy receded. Her relief was only momentary however because the next instant, it sprung back with a vengeance and the couple turned their attention back to each other.

“It’s not your life Max, I don’t answer to you,” she with as much force and determination as he had had.

Maria threw her hands up in the air in defeat. She shared a helpless look with Kyle who stood next to Tess. Maria was surprised by the hurt expression on Tess’ face as she watched the couple fight. She was tempted to sympathise with her but the fact that she had contributed to the destruction of Max and Liz’s relationship and was currently working her way up to becoming his rebound, meant to Maria, that sympathy would be wasted on her.

Instead, she joined the duo and resumed her by-stander activity.

“When do you think they’ll stop?” she asked Kyle.

“When they say everything there is to say,” he replied.
His insightful answer grabbed her attention. She looked up at him curiously. From the beginning of the horror that had been tonight, Kyle had reacted in way that was contrary to what she expected from him. He had a knowing look, as if he knew exactly what lay behind Liz drinking binge. He had known exactly what Liz had wanted from them tonight. Liz had spoken to him the most before tonight, he had to know what was going on with her.

And now he’s going to tell me, she decided.

“And what do you think they need to say?” she questioned him.

Kyle tensed.

Damn it! Why does she have to catch onto everything I say?!.

It had been a task keeping his mouth shut tonight, especially he knew that Maria knew that he knew something about Liz. Kyle was very tempted to tell her, it would lessen the burden of carrying around the lie and maybe she could help in some way.

But it isn’t my story to tell, he decided.

Seeing Liz as a complete wreck broke his heart, increased his guilt and built his anger towards Max. He was the reason that one of the kindest and sweetest people he knew was in pain.

“What do you know Kyle?” she asked.

“Yeah,” added Tess, “what do you know?”.

He met both of their questioning gazes before his eyes stayed on Maria because he knew that Tess didn’t really care that much while Maria did. She was the one he had to convince. “I know that Liz is in pain and that’s her way of getting it out,” he replied.

That’s half the truth anyway, he added silently.

She stared at him, trying to ascertain if there was anything more to his reply. Kyle’s gaze never faltered because what he had told her, was the summarised version of the truth and after what seemed like forever, she nodded in acceptance.

“I guess you’re right. I’m just really worried about her.”

“You and me both,” he replied.

Tess watched with folded arms and a clenched jaw.

I would give anything to toss her across the street away from Max, she seethed.

What angered and if she admitted it, what hurt her the most, was that she knew that the energy she felt surrounding them, held a lot of passion. Max and Liz were passionate about each other even when they were arguing, even when they were saying hurtful things towards each other.

That never happened between Max and I, she thought wistfully. When we argued in the desert, we didn’t have that.

She shook her head in disbelief.

I’m jealous of the way Max and Liz argue? How wrong is that?.

So he loves her? So what?, she told herself. He fell for Liz before I came along, he can’t just suddenly stop having feelings for her.

The point is, he’s my bridegroom, we were together longer than him and Liz…he just doesn’t remember it all. But he will, she resolved, I’ll make sure of that.

She chose the images she wanted to send and then focused on Max.
To her utter shock, he didn’t even pause or register surprise. In fact, she didn’t even think that the images had set root in his mind.

Her shock turned to a disturbing revelation.

It was the energy surrounding them, it had to be!.

She had felt helpless and powerless to stop it and now she knew why. It was because she in actual fact, was utterly powerless to stop it or interfere between the two in any way.

Tess looked away from them. For the first time in a very long time, she had no idea what to do.

****

[willowbv]

****

She struggled out of his grasp again and once again, he drew her back to him.

“Liz,” his voice was as hard as steel. “I am not letting you go.”

“I’ll say this again Max,” she retorted heatedly, “ I don’t answer to you. You’re not my King.”

Her stubbornness infuriated him. He wasn’t going to let her to do this to herself. He wasn’t going to let her destroy herself.

“Fine,” he retorted and in a few swift movements, he let go of her arm, stood in front of her, lifted her and put her over his shoulder.

“Max, put me down!!” she yelled pounding into his back.

Max ignored her protestations and the shocked gasps of his friends.

“Max! what do you think you’re doing? Put her down!”, yelled Kyle.

Since when did Max Evans go all cave man?

He wondered if they had both finally snapped.

“Kyle’s right Max, we’re in public, you’re causing a scene!” lectured Tess.

Had he officially lost?! She blazed. Arguing in public was as far as it went. This…this was unacceptable!

“Yeah,” drawled Maria causally, “they’ve already caused a scene with that whole energy thing Tess. This, this just tops all,” she shrugged.

She had overcome her shock and now couldn’t stop the amused smile from breaking through because the chemistry between warmed her heart. She glimpsed a bit of the Max and Liz of last year, passionate and very much in love.

It’s twisted really, she thought to herself.

Max completely disregarded their words. He had made a decision, there was no room for objections or arguments, he would get his way no matter how he did it.

“Maria open the car door,” he ordered.

Maria opened her mouth to ask him what exactly he planned to do, but the look of absolute authority and demand of obedience he shot her, made her decide to follow orders. “You can get in on the other side,” he ordered her, “Kyle you drive. Tess you’re up front,“ he glanced at her, “We can drop you off home.”

Her jaw dropped, stunned and outraged by how easily he dismissed her for Liz. Hell would have to freeze over before she left Max and Liz alone.

I have to keep them as far apart as I can, even if it’s just being there, she thought with air of desperation.

Her plan was working and she wasn’t going to let one night destroy it.

“I want to come with you,“ she said with unintended forcefulness.

Tone it down, she chided herself.

“I want to make sure she’s okay,” she added in a softer, concerned tone.

“Okay,” he agreed. He had no time for arguments, his only priority was Liz.

He placed her inside the car and got in beside her. Everyone else followed orders with no complaints.

“Where are we going Max?” asked Maria, “ we can’t take her to mine because my mum’s home, her parents are home-”

“Call Michael,” he said, “Tell him Liz’s drunk and we’re spending the night there. Then call her parents and tell them she’s sleeping over at your house and to call your cells if they need anything.”

“They’re going on some stargazing weekend,“ she said, “and so I’ll tell them we’ll be there early tomorrow morning.”

“That’s fine,” he agreed.

“Helllooo,” sang Liz waving her hands in front of him, “ you’re talking about me as if I’m not here. Don’t I get a say in this?”.

“Not this time,” he said. Max fixed her with an expression of deep intensity and authority, that if someone had told her right then that he was King of an alien planet, she would have had no doubt in believing them and obeying him.

More than that, was it wrong that even though she knew he was angry with her, she wanted to jump him right there and then?

The look in his eyes charged her back to life, her heart pounded with such power that she felt breathless. She studied his profile, her gaze rested on his clenched jaw. It was oh so sexy and Liz wanted to take all his masculine, testosterone energy and put it to some good use.

“Fine,” she retorted finally, folding her arms like a stubborn child.

She rolled her eyes at the obvious tension in the car. Maria kept throwing worrisome glances at her. The quiet was not agreeing with her state of intoxication.

I’m really not in a mood to be all deep and stuck with my thoughts.

“Can we have some music please?” she asked.

Kyle turned on the radio at the traffic lights and surfed to get a station.

Music is definitely a good idea, he thought with relief. It would hopefully drown out the tense atmosphere in the car.

If it doesn’t I think I’m gonna have to kill myself, he thought wryly.

“Wait!” Liz shouted as the familiar tunes registered in her mind. “ stop there.“

Kyle obliged.

“That’s it,” Liz said to herself nodding in agreement with her thoughts, which she then chose to voice. “This song couldn’t be anymore appropriate for our little triangle, wouldn’t you say Max?”

At that comment, Maria hid her face in her hands. Apart from the fact that the whole car ride felt completely awkward because it like they were invading Max and Liz’s space, Maria found Liz’s onslaught of comments cringe worthy.

She shook her head in embarrassment , this whole thing is painfully cringe worthy and she knew of no other way to deal with it than suppress a disbelieving chuckle but manage a smirk instead.

Kyle looked into the rear view mirror the instant he heard Liz’s words. He looked up just in time to see Max flinch and he couldn’t help but cringe for him. That had been a low blow.

From his side profile, Liz noted that Max frowned.

“Whatever,” she shrugged and began singing loudly along to the song swaying from side to side.

“I know he's leaving me for you
(Who said that, who told you?)
That is true
What is he telling you?
Could it be the same things that he told me?
(He told me that he loved me)
I heard that
(He told me I was beautiful) “

She nudged him with her elbows. “You did didn’t you Max?”

Maria shook her head in disbelief and resisted the urge to ask if they were there yet.
Liz drunk was bearable. Maria loved her friend dearly, but Liz drunk and singing? That was a torture in itself.

“This is a retake of my liffffeeee,” belted Liz.
I was his star for many nights
Now the roles have changed
And Tess, you are the leading lady in his life “ she sang.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to pause. She turned to look at Maria, who looked at her with sad sympathetic eyes. “Liz-.”

“No,” she shook her head at her.

She didn’t want pity, she just wanted to drown herself in song.

After everything, I could at least have that!

“Lights, camera, now I’m gone!,” she shouted.
“Just remember you've been warned
Enjoy it now cause it won't last -”

She leaned over till her hand was resting on Tess’ passenger seat and pulled herself forward so that she could see Tess‘ profile.

“Actually it probably will seeing as you were his bride and all.”

Tess imagined herself turning around whacking her straight across the face. Not because her last words weren’t true, Max and her were going to last, but because her voice annoyed her.

But no, I can’t do that, she sighed, because I’m the only Liz-hater in this car.

Instead, Tess tried to ignore her and instead concentrated on sneaking glances at Max using the dashboard mirror.
He was tense she could tell that by the way he clenched and unclenched his jaw, but he was also very sad.

And it’s all because of stupid Liz Parker, she fumed.

Liz sat back down in her seat and leaned over to Max. “ I guess that part should really refer to Max and I.”

“Liz-” he began.

Maria tensed, if Liz and Max started arguing, she wanted to be a safe distance away from them, for safety reasons.

Please don’t argue, please don’t argue, she pleaded silently.

“-What you're saying could be true,” Liz sang ignoring him.

Maria heaved a thankful sigh of relief.

“But how can I take advice from you?
(I'm not hating)-
Actually,” she broke off from the song, “I am and damn proud too.
“Don't say no more, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la,” she resumed her singing.

“(Uncover your ears, girl)
I'm not listening, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la”, she pretended to cover her ears as she sang along.

“(But I know you hear me)
(Maybe my reasons are wrong)
(But I know that you believe me)

This is a retake of my lliiiiiiife
I was his star for many nights
Now the roles have changed,” she pointed to Tess’ seat as she continued to sway to the music.

“And you're the leading lady in his life
Lights, camera, now you're on”.

Please stop, pleaded Kyle silently.
He felt like he was invading a private moment. It was awkward and embarrassing and he wished that he wasn’t in the car. He wished to be somewhere else entirely.

But no, I’m here witnessing Liz’s heart bleed.
And Max, Max looked like he’d been run over by a truck and was suffering some sort of shock.
No, Kyle amended, he looks devastated.

“Just remember you've been warned,” Liz sang.
“Enjoy it now cause it willlll lasssstttt
Same script, different cast

It's your fault you didn't love him enough,” she waved her fingers in a chiding way at Max, “(That's the problem, I loved him too much)
(And when you love him -”

The radio suddenly turned off.

Beside her, she heard Max’s voice. “It stops now.”

She looked up at him and saw that he was looking at the radio.

Alien powers, no fair! she pouted.

“Can we at least change the channel?” she pleaded.

He sighed.

She beamed, he was caving.

“Fine,” he replied.

The radio adjusted and stopped just as 3 Doors Down’s song, Love me when I’m gone, came on.

Liz couldn’t help but laugh, “Looks like it’s the bitter ex’s choice tonight“ she said brightly.

Beside her she heard Maria softly chuckle and noted a smirk from Kyle.

At least they, like her, could see they funny side of things.

****

[willowbv]

****

Michael heard a car pull in. He crossed the room to his window, pulled back the curtain and watched in astonishment as after Max and Maria got out of the car, Liz stumbled out from Maria’s aside.

Maria quickly reached for her before she fell to the ground and they walked towards his door.

“Who would have thought,” he muttered as he opened the door to let them in.

Michael stepped aside to let a brooding Max, a drunken humming Liz supported by Maria and finally Tess and Kyle, in.

Someone’s not very happy, he thought dryly as he noticed the furious look on Tess’ face.

Closing the door behind them, he followed them into the living room.

When Maria had told him that Liz was drunk, he thought that she had been kidding. Liz Parker was the last person he expected to get trashed.

“Mikey!” she yelled breaking from Maria’s grasp. Before he knew it, she was hugging him very tightly.

“Liz,” he said as he shared a what-the-hell look to Max who merely frowned and shrugged.

She finally released him and beamed at him with a smile that unnerved him.

She patted him on the chest. “I have some very good news for you.”

Her tone reminded him of the annoyingly perky voices of some of the cheerleaders in school.

“Oh yeah,” he said trying to humour her, “what’s that?”

She started pacing around the room, like a lawyer in a court room. “Me and Max are ovvveeer,” emphasised with her hands.

Michael glanced at Maria, looking for help. She just flashed him a small sympathetic smile.

He glanced around the room and all their reactions were the same. He got the message loud and clear: we suffered through this, now you have to.

He scratched his eyebrow with his index finger in an attempt to quell his feelings of uneasy awkwardness.

Thanks guys, thanks a lot, he thought sarcastically.

“He’s following his destiny with Tess,” she continued.

Michael shot a look a panicked quizzical look at Max which asked: should she be talking like this?

Max merely shrugged. His reply was clear: she can say what she wants, I can’t stop her.

Great, he thought , now I have to be the focal point of the emotional basket case.

She stopped as if she just had a light-bulb experience. “Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?,” she asked him.

This time, Michael didn’t look to anyone for help because what she had said, had grabbed his attention.

What he had wanted? This wasn’t what he had wanted, he had wanted-

“ Aliens with aliens, humans…“ she finished for him.

He frowned.

At least in the beginning, he thought to himself, but not now I think.

“…you don’t really like us do you?” she asked advancing towards him.

Shock was a word that couldn’t describe what Michael felt at the moment. It was Liz Parker unleashed, saying exactly what she thought and he had no idea how to respond to that.

“ Doesn’t matter,“ she shrugged at his inability to respond. “You don’t hide it and that’s why I like you so much,” she said brightly.

“Okayy, um-”, he was going to suggest that she go to bed and sleep it off but she cut him off.

“Then another thought occurred to me,” she pointed a finger at him, “you and Isabel didn’t follow your destiny but you’re still with the alien only business- but that’s not my point. My point is that you, Isabel and,“ she gestured to Max, “Max, are user abusers. I‘ve lost count of how many times we have helped saved your asses but do we get a thank you? No. We get pushed to the aside and you go all aliens only. Total user abusers” she nodded knowingly at his mystified expression.

“Liz, you’re trashed” he said the words slowly and held up his arms in an attempt to look non-threatening, “you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I know exactly what I’m saying Michael trust me. Isabel uses Alex, who actually cares about her and then tosses him to the side. Max and I have had this thing and then he tosses me for Tess.
And you?” her eyes fixed on him. “ I know you love Maria-”

“Let’s not talk about Maria,” he replied in a defensive tone.

At that moment, Michael wanted the earth to open up and swallow him. Anything to stop him being the target of Liz’s brutal honesty. Yes he loved Maria but did she have to publicise it?!

Maria decided it was time to try and rescue her boyfriend.

“Liz,“ she said crossing the room to be by her side, “I think we should get you to bed”.

Michael heaved a sigh of relief.

Thank you Maria.

His relief however was short-lived because Liz shook her head stubbornly. “Maria, I love, you’re my bestest friend and I’m” she pointed to herself, “looking out,” she pointed to Maria, “for you. I need to tell Michael a few things.”

“Liz.”

“Maria.”

The girls engaged in some sort of stare match until Maria backed down and took a step back.

Michael met her gaze. She mouthed an apology before returning to her earlier position on the sofa near Kyle.

“Anyway.“ Her voice drew his attention back to her. “As I was saying, you love Maria and I know you apologised for the whole Courtney thing-”

“That is none of your business,” he replied in a tone harsher than he intended.

Courtney was a sore spot. He thought she was an enemy, agreed to go to her motel room, had kissed her and the next day, she was no where to be found. It had been a dead end and the only result had been hurting Maria. He didn’t even risk glancing at Maria to see her reaction at the mention of her name. For him, the mere mention of her name brought back the image of Maria heartbroken as she told him that they were over.

“It is my business, Mike,” she retorted. “ You kissed Courtney and who knows what-”

“Nothing else happened,” he objected.
He didn‘t want Maria to get any ideas or doubts of any kind that could jeopardize their relationship.

“But,“ she ignored him and continued, “it doesn’t change the fact that you abuse Maria’s emotions, the Courtney thing is a perfect example. I mean, it’s just like the Max and Tess kiss last year, I was tossed aside and you,” she pointed at him, “you toss Maria aside and expect her to be there when you come back. I’ll tell you what though, one day, she won’t be and then what are you gonna do with your alien self?”.

The truth of her words continued to leave him speechless. He had never admitted it to himself but she was right. No matter how much he pushed Maria away, how badly he treated her sometimes, he still expected that after some begging if need be, she would always come back to him.

He looked over to her and try to gauge her reaction , but she wasn’t looking in his direction at all. She was resting her chin on her hand and seemed to be staring into space.

He had no idea what she was thinking, but from her body language, he knew that she was very tense. But that didn’t tell him anything about what she felt about him.

“You know what else I realized?,“

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He really didn’t want to listen to anymore of your insights. He side-stepped her and folded his arms to try and the control he felt that he had lost at her words.
“Liz, I think you better go to bed.“

“Michael,“ she imitated his tone and body language, “I think you better shut up and let me finish what I have to say,“ she retorted.

Michael turned to look at his friends who stared at them with open jaws.
“Can she say that to me?,“ he whispered.

She answered on their behalf. “Yes I can and you’re gonna listen.“

And to his surprise, Michael stood there and listened.

“I realised, that you and Isabel are free to fool around with humans but if Max dares, you jump down his neck,” she waved her finger in a tsk tsk motion.

“He risked our lives by saving you! That‘s some pretty serious fooling around!” he shouted as he struggled to control his temper.

“That’s not cool Mike,“ she said in a calm tone which infuriated him. “I know you didn’t approve of us, that you wanted him and Tess together because,” she adopted a condescendingly sarcastic tone, “ he’s the leader, the King, he has to follow his destiny right?”.

Clenching his jaw in restraint, Michael took a deep breath. It was Liz, she was drunk and she was mad and lashing out. He wasn’t going to let her get him mad and make him lash out. “I’m not giving you any ammunition Liz,“ he shrugged casually.

She closed the inches separating them, peered up into his face with narrowed eyes. She pursued her lips together, “You’ve given more than enough before tonight Michael. Congratulations Michael because Max is following his destiny, are you proud ?,” she questioned him bitterly.

No. His answer was an instant reflex which he left unvoiced.

He gulped under her scrutiny and it was only when she stepped away from him, that he actually relaxed.

Dropping her hands to her side, she heaved a tired sigh. “Oh and I’m drunk by the way because,” she said casually as she rubbed her temple, “I’m not handling the Max break up and Max and Tess thing too well and your fearless leader,” she gestured to Max, “stopped me from getting past this in a more permanent way…“ she trailed off and looked at him expectantly, “So where am I going to sleep ‘cause I really need to crash now.”

Her character change was shocking. “Um, my room” he finally managed.

She patted him amicably on the shoulder. “Cool, thanks Mike.”

She gave a small wave to the rest of the room. The euphoric effects of the alcohol were wearing off, a sudden wave of nausea overtook her but she ignored it. She would wait until she was behind closed doors.

“Nite everyone,” she sang and headed to his room.

“I’ll go with.” Maria’s voice pulled him out of his shock and back to the uncertainty of his life. She didn’t even look at him as she followed Liz into his room.

His bedroom door slammed behind her.

Angry, he decided, she was definitely a little angry.

He turned his attention to the remaining members of the group who seemed unfazed by Liz and Maria‘s sudden exit.

“What the hell happened tonight?” he asked.

****

Liz slowly lowered herself onto Michael’s bed.

The fun is definitely over, she thought deprecatingly.

Maria stood in front of the door watching her with reluctant concern. She didn’t want to be concerned, she wanted to be mad at Liz for getting incredibly drunk, when from all available evidence, that should have been Max’s job.

He was the victim in the situation and while it was a given that any Max and Liz break would equal to emotional pain with both parties, Liz’s pain was over the expected limit.

It just doesn’t make sense, she thought to herself.

“How you feeling?” she asked.

Liz ran her fingers through her hair but kept her head bowed. “You know when people say that the room is spinning when they’re drunk? ” she muttered in a low voice.

Maria uttered sound of understanding.

Liz finally looked up at her and sighed, “I’m past that, something is spinning,” she said, “but it’s definitely not the room. My head is spinning, when I close my eyes I’m spinning.”

She rested her face in her hands and groaned.

Maria crossed the room, sat next to her on the bed and gently rubbed her back sympathetically. “ I’m surprised you had the energy to do what you did out there,“ she marvelled. She looked tired and very ill. “Do you feel like you’re gonna throw up?” she asked.

“I wish I would,” Liz replied desperately,” but I’m not gonna anytime soon.”

Maria couldn‘t help but flash her an you-made-your-bed-now-lie-in it expression.

“That’s the side effect of binge drinking,” she said. She gave her thigh an empathetic pat. I’ll go get you some water,” she said getting up.

She was about to step out of the room when she stopped, “Look Liz-”

Liz groaned and shook her head slowly. “Maria, if you lecture me right now, I will kill you.”

That elicited a small laugh out of her. The irony of her being the one to lecture Liz had not gone unnoticed. “I just wanted to say that you really should let Max heal you because I want you to wake up tomorrow, alive. Then, I can lecture you when you’re sober,” she said before disappearing behind the door.

Liz glanced around the room, looking for nothing in particular, thinking about nothing apart from Maria’s words which echoed in her mind.

I want you to wake up tomorrow, alive,

Her sigh was amplified by the quietness of the room. “Yeah well, I may not want to wake up.”

****

The instant Maria entered the living room, all eyes turned to her expectantly.

Max and Michael were standing, Kyle and Tess sat on the sofa. She judged from the sudden silence that she had walked in on a conversation which she guessed was a catch up for Michael.

“How is she?” asked Kyle.

“Feeling the side effects of drinking, “ she replied, “I’m just grabbing her some water,” she said heading for the kitchen.

“I don’t get why she did this.” said Max.

Kyle clenched his teeth. He was frustrated, overwhelmed with guilt and anger and they were all screaming to be expressed.

Even though he and Liz were not a couple, he still cared about her, she was hurting and in pain and Max was the cause.

He himself was guilty because he had helped her get like that. Whatever her reasons were, they had to have been important but the outcome was a drunken tortured Liz.

Kyle couldn’t help but channel his growing conflicted emotions in Max’s direction who was currently whining.

“It’s as if I broke up with her, when she’s the one who broke up with me. If anything, I should be the one doing this. I just don’t know why.”

The last sentence was the last straw for Kyle. He was up in a shot and by the time everyone realised his intentions, he had Max pinned against the wall.

“You’re the reason you asshole!” he managed through gritted teeth.

“Kyle no!” yelled Tess.

“What are you doing?! Get off him!” shouted Michael.

****

Liz heard the commotion and quickly made her way to the living room.

The scene in front of her was a bit of a surprise to say the least.

Kyle had two handfuls of Max’s shirt and had him pinned against the wall.

Maria stood at the entrance of the kitchen with a glass of water in her hand and her mouth hanging open.

Michael and Tess were on either side trying to get him to let go of Max.

What brought her right down to earth and into action was what Kyle was saying.

“…if you for one second you stepped out of your alien’s only world of self-pity and self absorption, you would know that-”

“Kyle!” she shouted.

It was the only thing she could do to stop him from destroying the impact of her sacrifice.

He didn‘t let go of Max, but he did stop talking about their tabooed subject. “Liz”

She quickly crossed the room and stood beside him. “Let him go,” she said in a low voice.

“No,” said Max.

She met his gaze and read his thoughts.
I’m not letting that happen Max, her eyes told him.

“Liz, let him finish what he was about to say,” he turned his focus to Kyle.

“Kyle,” Liz pleaded.

The sound of heavy panting breaths filled the room. It felt like eternity before he, slowly and reluctantly let go of Max.

Liz sighed with relief. She knew that he was struggling with their secret and she sympathised, but the world was at stake.

There was an audible sigh of relief from everyone in the room. Everyone except Max who watched with suspicion as Liz drew Kyle into a hug and whispered something into his ear. He was curious to know what she was telling him and above all, he was curious to find out why she hadn’t wanted him to finish his sentence.

“…I know you feel guilty and frustrated but don’t take it out on Max. I did this, not him. Okay?” she whispered.

Kyle nodded.

“Okay,” he whispered back. She was right, he had taken it out on Max and that was wrong. If he was going to beat up Max, it would be for a reason they both knew about.

“As a bitter ex, thanks for almost kicking his ass,” she added.

He smiled and they withdrew to face the rest of the group.

“Sorry about that Max,” he apologised.

Max gave a slight nod of acceptance. Kyle was relieved to find that he didn’t seem to be holding it against him. He was just…brooding. He didn’t know if that was good or bad, all he knew was that he was thankful Max wouldn’t bear any grudge towards him other than the obvious.

“Listen guys,” Liz began. She was tired and after the confrontation between Max and Kyle, she just wanted some peace. “…thank you for tonight but I just need sleep and I’ll be fine. Kyle and Tess, you can go home.”

“You sure?” asked Kyle.

“Yep,“ she nodded.

There’s only one person I need to night, she added silently.

“Maria,” she shared a smile with her friend, “you need to go home to make sure nothing goes wrong and pick up a new set of clothes for tomorrow and your car.”

Maria nodded before giving her a long, hard hug which said everything they couldn’t say with words.

“Michael,” she turned to him and flashed him an apologetic side smile, “I guess you’re taking the sofa.”

Without waiting for objections or questions, she turned and headed for her room for the night. Standing outside the bedroom door she turned around and fixed her gaze on Max.

“Max are you coming?” she asked expectantly.

The shock in the room was palpable as the group watched Max open and close his mouth before giving a slight nod.

“Um, Michael call Isabel and tell her I’m spending the night,” he said as he followed her.

Tess stepped into his path, “Max do you think that that’s a good idea?” she asked.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” chirped Maria. She did it to annoy Tess and to her absolute joy, watched her smile through gritted teeth.

Tess glared at her.
Someday soon Deluca. She voiced the silent threat in her mind. Max, she lectured herself, focus on Max.

“Well, I just think she needs to be alone. I mean, she’s confused and angry at you,” she argued, “so maybe Maria should stay.”

“She didn’t ask for Maria,” quipped Kyle. Liz wanted Max, he soared with the hope that she would finally tell him and alleviate his guilt.

Tess wanted to scream for them to shut up. Better yet, she wanted to mind warp Max, she found that she couldn’t, and it wasn’t for luck of trying either.

She was still powerless when it came to him or Liz.
And he’s about to spend the night with her. It could ruin everything.
And, she thought despondently, I actually can’t do anything about it!.

“Max, do you really have to stay?” she asked him with puppy dog eyes.

The whole wounded puppy dog eye technique was a last resort and sadly for Tess it wasn’t successful.

Max wasn’t ready to explain himself to anyone and for tonight, he didn’t want to. All he knew was that Liz needed him tonight and he needed some answers only she could give.

“Yes,” he replied, “I do.”

He sidestepped her and before anymore protestations could be uttered, he followed Liz into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

****

[willowbv]

AN: Hey all, thanks for all the wonderful feedback and here’s a little Yay-it’s-the-weekend-present.
I’ve got a few of the other parts sorted, so I’m gonna try out the weekly update thing (Thanks to my wonderful beta Flora)

So here’s update number one. Enjoy….

P.S.

Exitingman, I’m just plotting my fic around your questions, lol. Seriously, thanks for the feedback. All questions will be answered in later parts. But in this one, the following will be answered:

1. What made Liz ask Max to stay with her?

2. Is Maria coming back to the apartment tonight? Will she and Michael talk as well?

About Tess, while I can promise that she will get her comeuppance, it’ll be after she’s done a lot more damage.

But for now, it’s Max and Liz, so here we go…

****

Previously…

Tess wanted to scream for them to shut up. Better yet, she wanted to mind warp Max, she found that she couldn’t, and it wasn’t for luck of trying either.

She was still powerless when it came to him or Liz.
And he’s about to spend the night with her. It could ruin everything.
And, she thought despondently, I actually can’t do anything about it!.

“Max, do you really have to stay?” she asked him with puppy dog eyes.

The whole wounded puppy dog eye technique was a last resort and sadly for Tess it wasn’t successful.

Max wasn’t ready to explain himself to anyone and for tonight, he didn’t want to. All he knew was that Liz needed him tonight and he needed some answers only she could give.

“Yes,” he replied, “I do.”

He sidestepped her and before anymore protestations could be uttered, he followed Liz into the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

****

Early Saturday morning

****

A period of hesitant silence, the feeling of being completely clueless descended on the remaining group.

As unsure eyes roamed the living room area, as bottom lips were nervously bitten, as fingers nervously tapped against thighs, not a single word was uttered.

No one had any idea what to say as once again, their week of warped stability had once again been disrupted. After a week of avoiding each other, minute talk and awkwardness, Max and Liz were in a room together, they were going to spend the night together as if previous events didn’t matter.

To Kyle their night together presented him with hope. Hope of finally being able to be honest with the group, of walking around guilt free.
In his opinion, a celebration dance was definitely called for but somehow, he didn’t think that standing in Michael’s living room with two anti Max and Liz supporters in the room would be the appropriate place to do it.

Tess wanted to blast the door that separated her and her beloved. She wanted to grab him and get as far away from the sickening power that Liz seemed to have over him. But of course, she couldn’t do that because she was in the presence of people who would object to her efforts to ensure that Max was with who he was supposed to be with. Her.

For the second time that night, Michael wanted to know just what the hell was going on with their two leaders. His world had been once again turned upside down by the two people he relied upon to keep it stable.

He also wanted to know whether he and Maria still had a relationship. He basically wished that the whole week and especially tonight had been a very bad dream. Which of course it wasn’t which was why they were all standing around, stunned into immobility.

Maria couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. It was a stunned, mystified smile, but it was still a smile. The Liz she had seen tonight, was one she had never seen before and had never expected to see. Granted that she had been out of control and intoxicated, but her blatant honesty after a week of shutting everyone out had been refreshing.

Her spending the night with Max gave her hope. She had spent a week watching both of her friends in heart-wrenching pain and tonight she had watched them fight and hurt each other, but, in a move that had shocked them all, she had also seen them be there for each other.

That was what they were doing in Max’s room, being there for each other in that Max and Liz way that she envied so much.

And we’re standing around here doing nothing, she reminded herself.

One glance at Tess was enough to spring her into action. They, she realised and by they, she mainly meant Tess, had to leave to give Max and Liz the space they needed.

With one swift clap of her hands, Maria vaporised the silence which had left them looking and feeling lost and completely clueless as to what to do.

“You heard the girl,” she commanded. “Valenti, you’re giving me a ride home,” she patted Kyle on the shoulder before heading purposely for the door, opening it; she turned and looked expectantly at Kyle and Tess.

Tess wanted to scream. Max and Liz were going to spend the night together. That was unacceptable to her and she hated the fact that she was powerless to stop it.

“Are you sure we should leave?” she asked in a last ditch attempt to thwart them.

A pair of determined emerald green eyes locked with hers. “It’s a Liz and Max thing, Tess,” replied Maria. “We don’t need to be here. They both know what they’re doing.”

Tess clenched her jaw as Maria’s words went unchallenged, it was as good as a group vote in which the majority had won. She had hoped that Michael would object if only in response to the fact that, Liz had stabbed his best friend and King in the heart. But no, he had stayed silent, which meant that all she could do was have faith that Max loved her more.

After all, they had more in common than him and Liz. They had history and a love which transcended planets. For tonight, she would have to place her faith in that.

****

[willowbv]

****

Michael watched conflicted as after saying their goodbyes, Kyle and Tess walked out of the door, leaving him with Maria. He wanted to ask her one question but was afraid to find out the answer. He wanted to stay silent because at least for that night he could go to sleep comforted by the thought of soft lips, a kind heart and of a personality which exhilarated him and made him feel alive.

“Liz’s parents leave around 9am. I’ll be here around 7 and don’t forget to call Isabel.”

“We need to talk about what Liz said about me and you”. The words came out of his mouth without his rational permission.

He saw her expression change and his chest tightened in response. Her next words could possibly make his psychological world a lot more complicated but more importantly, they could shatter his heart into a million pieces.

Her tired green eyes met his. “Michael, my best-friend got trashed tonight, a weird energy repellent thing happened between her and Max-”

“What energy repellent thing?”

“The point is,” she emphasised with her hand movements, “she’s an emotional train wreck. I don’t have the energy to talk about our dysfunctional relationship. I’ll…” she faltered and she shook at her head as if it was pointless even trying to explain it to him, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Michael didn’t know how long he stood there staring at the door, he only moved when his body in desperate need for oxygen forced him to breathe. That was when the fear, uncertainty and the full realization of his inability to fix the situation descended on him like a plague.

What Liz had said was right, every time he screwed up he did think that Maria would be waiting and for the first time, he feared that she wouldn‘t.

Michael did the only thing he could do that night. He set up camp on the sofa, called Isabel, told her what had happened, endured her round of twenty questions, stared at the ceiling thinking about nothing till to his relief, sleep overcame him.


****

Max continued to watch her from his position standing in front of the door. She sat on the bed, her face hidden away by her hand. They had both been in the same positions since they had entered Michael’s room.

It had gone unspoken but both knew that they needed the silence and physical space to try and make sense of what they were doing. Max had no idea what he was doing; he had no idea what he was supposed to do in a situation like this. He was looking at the girl who had broken his heart, he wasn’t supposed to stay with her. Yet, she herself looked as broken as he had felt for the past week and he knew he had no choice but to stay.

It surprised him to discover that no matter how bad the pain she had inflicted on him was, his heart still found a way to want to help her, to heal her.

Max realised that there wasn’t any protocol for what was about to happen between them tonight.

What had happened the past week wasn’t forgotten.
They weren’t together.
They had both hurt, it wasn’t forgiven, it was just what it was.
They couldn’t go back to what they had been before.

Max knew that what happened in that room would be different, it was as if a ceasefire had been called and what had happened between them was accepted.

In that room, they would have a different relationship.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

A slight groan escaped her as she moved her hand away from her face. “Not really,” she replied.

They stared at each other. There was nothing accusatory in his expression; there was no pain, hurt or anger in hers.

It was at that point that Max finally managed to put a label on their relationship, they were friends with history.

The sound of his phone ringing contrasted with the quietness which had existed before.

He glanced at the caller id.
It was Mac.

He hang up deciding that he wasn’t up for their late night calls tonight, whatever it was she wanted to talk about, it could wait. It certainly couldn’t be as important as him and Liz at that moment.

Just to make sure that there wouldn’t be anymore loud interruptions, he changed his call method to vibrate.

****

“Max, heyyy,” she said through gritted teeth, “It’s Mac again and I just wanted to tell you to ring me the hell back, okay?”.
After leaving the message on his answering machine, Mac screamed into her pillow in frustration.

“Where the hell is he?!!” she wondered aloud. She was going to help him save two worlds and get the girl, the least he could was pick up his cell.

Mac was contemplating driving over to his house but decided to try his home line instead. A female voice picked up.

“Isabel, hey, it’s Mac. I don’t know if you remember me-”

“Yeah I do,” came the icy reply.

Mac couldn‘t help but grin at her tone. It was certainly good to know that she had left an impression, it was one of her general aims in life. “Yeahh, I guess you do. Anyway, is Max around? ‘cause I tried his cell and he isn‘t answering” she asked.

“He’s spending the night at Michael’s and they’re probably doing some guy thing.”

Mac sighed with relief. Thank God he wasn’t with Tess, which was all she needed to know. “Right, thanks.”

“Yeah.”

The line went dead. A stunned smile swept across Mac’s mouth as she hung up the phone.

“I like her,” she nodded in approval.

Mac turned off her bedside lamp, settled back into bed. Occupied by an array of thoughts, she stared into the dark nothingness she was surrounded by.

Now that the Max’s whereabouts were resolved, her mind finally settled on the decision that she had to have a plan. She couldn’t just go to Max and tell him everything Future Max had told her and about her idea.

Overwhelmed and utter disbelief, were not adequate descriptions to convey the reaction she was expecting from him, from all of them. She needed to plan exactly what she would say and work out a step by step strategy for her revised plan of Future Max’s ideas.

Her hand reached out and once again, light destroyed some of the darkness surrounding her. Taking a pen and note pad, Mac began to plan.

****

“I could go get you some water,” he offered.

Liz shook her head. Water wasn’t what she needed, she was looking at what she needed. She wasn’t scared or angry anymore, she was just tired and sought refuge and comfort from the only person she knew could give her what she needed.

In his eyes, she found exactly what she needed.

“You know what you could do?” she asked.

“What?”

She waved her hand in the direction where the pain was coming from. “You could heal this massive bruise, it’s adding to the hell of what I’m feeling and…,” she paused.

It was a constant battle every second. When she had been in the room with Maria, she wanted to go to sleep and not wake up because she would see him. She didn’t want to live another day knowing what she had lost, living without him in her life but when she had seen him arguing with Kyle, the other part of her that wanted her to wake up everyday, won out.

The part of her that wanted to see him everyday even if she wasn’t with him, was in control and to her reluctant admission, she was glad.

“…I don’t really want to have a concussion. I want to wake up tomorrow”.

“I could heal the hangover too,“ he offered.

“And I would love you to,“ she agreed wholeheartedly, “ I’m spinning and can’t stop and feel sick but I don’t want to throw-up…but the truth is I want to wake up tomorrow and remember why drinking is evil” she finished with a small smile.

“Well there’s that but there’s also another reason.”

“Max-”

“You don’t want me to heal you fully because you’re not in control. Back on the street, I saw flashes Liz and I know you did too.”

Liz didn’t argue with him. It was the truth.

She had seen and felt everything he had felt when she walked away from him after finding out his destiny. He had been as crushed and heart-broken as she was. He had spent his summer with Maria talking and thinking about her.

Standing there in the street, shouting at him, the power of his love she had felt from the flashes, had only angered her because it reminded her of what she had lost, what she had sacrificed.

“I saw what you are planning to do…”

She looked away from him ashamed. His next words however snapped her gaze back to his.

“…and I’m not letting you do it.”

“Max, we’re gonna drop this now, because you’re not going to get anything from me. I don‘t want to talk about it,” she told him honestly.

“Fine,” he agreed, “you do know that I’m not leaving you alone here.”

“Fine”.

Her amused dry smile mirrored his.

“I’ll sleep on the floor,” he stated.

Her reaction was instant.

“No, please don’t.”

She wasn’t going to lie, not tonight. Tonight, honesty was what they would give each other, no pretence, no complications, just plain honesty and each other.

“Okay,” he nodded.

He crossed the room and sat next to her on the bed. She turned to face him. She heard her breath hitch in her throat as brown and amber fused and their souls ignited. That was the way things were with them, she accepted it and when he lifted his hand and gently placed it on her wound, Liz knew that he accepted it too.

She felt the familiar tingle of energy, then the warmth and then him. She knew that he could feel her too. What they saw in each other was the honesty that they allowed themselves to give each other.

Liz knew he could feel her love, her need for him to be Max, for him to be, regardless of everything, her friend and in turn she felt his response. She felt ,to her surprise, love and his desire of fulfil her needs because his needs were the same.

Their love for each other wasn’t a secret, in that room and with their history, it was just expressed differently.

****

Max removed his hand from her head.

“Better?” he asked.

She nodded her head. “Yeah.”

A cute yawn escaped from her mouth. He couldn’t help but smile.
“Think you can handle sleep?” he jokingly challenged.

“Ugh,” she moaned, “I really want to, but when I close my eyes, I spin.”

“Well how about we get you tucked in and just wait till you have no choice but to sleep?” he suggested.

“Okay,” she sighed. She made a move to take off her heels but knowing that it made her dizzy, he stopped her.

“I’ll do it.”

He knelt down in front of her before she could protest and one foot at a time took off her shoes.

He resisted the urge to offer to massage her feet. He couldn’t resist the movement of his eyes as they slowly travelled up her legs.

****

Liz felt his eyes travelling along her body, up her legs, along her skirt and it felt like his hands were touching her instead. The connection between them was strong, it palpable and humming.

It was as if he was using the energy between them to create an invisible hand, his invisible hand. Wherever his eyes went, it went too. Max touched her with his eyes and sent pleasurable shivers down her spine. He finally settled on her face and she felt his gentle caress.

Max’s eyes grew wide as he registered the sparkle in her tired eyes and the smile playing on her lips. He felt himself blush at being so obvious and most of all for being caught looking.

“Bed sounds good, “ she told him. She lifted her feet onto the bed as he rose from the floor.

He watched her crawl into the bed sheets and deciding to follow suite, took off his shoes and joined her.

The prospect of sharing a bed with Liz sent his pulse racing, a reaction he accepted because it was Liz. He didn’t expect anything less.

****

Liz lay on her stomach, her head resting blissfully on a pillow and watched Max crawl on the bed to lie beside her.

He didn’t join her in between the sheets; instead, he sat up on top of the bed leaning his back against the wall.

She looked up and met his eyes. She wanted nothing more than to sit up and kiss him, she accepted her desire as something that would always be there because it was Max. She didn’t expect to feel anything less than the absolute desire to love him and have her way with him, always.

“You’re getting sleepy,” he noted, “your eyes are closing.”

“That’s good,” she replied with closed eyes.

Unfortunately, she found that when she closed her eyes for a long period, she began to spin. “Can we talk?”

“About what,” she heard him ask.

“I don’t know,“ she replied, “I figure talking with my eyes closed will take the attention from the spinning to your voice.”

With her eyes still closed, Liz took his silence as an acceptance of her request. “Tell me about your day…leaving out the us parts.”

A fond smile swept across his lips as Max looked down at her. He had come to accept the strangeness of their bedroom relationship.

“Well, I woke up this morning,” he began.

“No kidding,” she said sarcastically.

“Hey, who’s telling the story?” he demanded with mock seriousness.

“Sorry, carry on.”

“As I was saying,” he began again, “I woke up, Matchbox 20’s “Unwell” was playing on the radio.”

“I like that song.”

“Me too,“ he agreed. His mind went back to recalling his day, omitting episodes of emotional pain. “Then I got out of bed, had a shower, got dressed. Had breakfast.”

“What did you have?” she asked.

“Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with milk and Tabasco of course” he replied.

“Of course”, she agreed with playfull vigour.

“A glass of juice and an apple. I was later than Isabel which was a big surprise…”

Liz let his voice wash over heard, it was the only thing she focused on and to her relief, she didn’t feel dizzy anymore, Max was gently lulling her to sleep. Her last thought had been to tell him that she really felt like she was going to sleep soon.

****

AN note: The early morning is still young, more early morning Max and Liz time to come in the next part

[willowbv]

AN: It’s Friday and it time for another update, but before that, I think it’s about time for a shout out:

BelevnDreamsToo, Earth2Mama, youre my dream girl, frenchkiss70, polar vixen, extingman, Alien614, Roswelllostcause, Smac, roswellluver, Natz, BehrLuver04,crazeesmilee, Venus_star2.com

All you guys, thanks for the feedback. You guys are awesome.

I thought Liz was thinking they were going to be honest tonight.I didn't hear any honest talk going on.

She is being as honest as she can be with him. That’s why she won’t talk about the Kyle thing or anything about that because she would have to lie. She can be honest about anything else, like admitting that she wants Max to share a bed with her instead of pushing him away, apart from that. It’s a little step in the right direction

Well one thing for sure though, I am glad that you are solely focusing on this until the end. Of which I am grateful. Then Maybe we can discuss "That One Moment".

I can’t wait to get back to “That One Moment”, but I’ll update that one when we get to happy moments in this fic to give me some balance, lol.

Is Max going to find the truth about FMax this night, or are you going to torture us longer?

Max finding out so soon would be too easy, besides, we’ve still got all of Saturday to get through. Now, it’s time for a slight change in location ….


****
Previously

A fond smile swept across his lips as Max looked down at her. He had come to accept the strangeness of their bedroom relationship.

“Well, I woke up this morning,” he began.

“No kidding,” she said sarcastically.

“Hey, who’s telling the story?” he demanded with mock seriousness.

“Sorry, carry on.”

“As I was saying,” he began again, “I woke up, Matchbox 20’s “Unwell” was playing on the radio.”

“I like that song.”

“Me too,“ he agreed. His mind went back to recalling his day, omitting episodes of emotional pain. “Then I got out of bed, had a shower, got dressed. Had breakfast.”

“What did you have?” she asked.

“Crunchy Nut Cornflakes with milk and Tabasco of course” he replied.

“Of course”, she agreed with playful vigour.

“A glass of juice and an apple. I was later than Isabel which was a big surprise…”

Liz let his voice wash over heard, it was the only thing she focused on and to her relief, she didn’t feel dizzy anymore, Max was gently lulling her to sleep. Her last thought had been to tell him that she really felt like she was going to sleep soon.

****

Early Saturday Morning (part 2)

****
The silence in the car was suffocating. Tess glanced at Kyle before opening her window, welcoming the cool wind which floated through and thankfully made her feel something else other than guilt.

In silence, they had dropped Maria off home and in silence, they were driving home. At first Kyle’s unwillingness to speak to her had gone unnoticed because she had been concentrated on the idea of Max and Liz hugging, talking, snuggling in Michael’s room. After convincing herself to stop thinking about them, her attention had turned to Kyle.

Tonight, he had stuck by Liz. His near bust-up with Max made it evidently clear that he cared about her a lot. Tess hadn’t realised it then but now with time to think, she acknowledged her feelings of jealousy.

She liked Kyle, a lot and if she didn’t have her heart set on Max, then he would be her ideal choice. So it irritated her to think that he too had fallen under Liz’s spell.

It irritated her that he wasn’t speaking to her, she felt as if he was holding something against her, as if he was blaming her for what had happened to Liz and that annoyed her. She had fun with Kyle, they talked and joked around, she didn’t want to lose that.

When the car finally came to a stop in front of their house, Tess decided to break the silence. She took off her seatbelt and turned to face him.

“Are you just not going to talk to me?” she demanded.

Without a glance in her direction, he shrugged. “What is there to say?”.

Tess watched as he unfastened his seatbelt, opened the door and got out of the car. Not willing to let tension exist between them, she got of the car and followed him towards the house.

“I don’t know,” she called trying to catch up with him. “I feel like you’re disgusted with me or something.”

She came to a sudden halt when as they reached the front door, he stopped and turned to face her.

“I’m not disgusted with you Tess,” he replied in monotone which gave nothing away about his emotional feelings towards her.

“Then what is it?!” she asked, “what do you want from me?” she shouted. Her level of frustration and need for him to not hate her took her by surprise. So did his response to her question.

“What I want, you can’t give,” he replied.

“What is that exactly?”.

“You.”
Kyle hadn’t planned on telling her the truth. It was sudden and came out of left field. He had been caught up in the heat of the moment and had said the one thing he had promised himself never to say. The one word answer which stunned her into momentary silence.

“What?” she managed.

Ah well, he sighed, if I‘m gonna go, I might as well go all the way.

“I like you Tess a lot,“ he answered, “You’re beautiful, funny and fun to be around. But you have this obsession with Max-”

She flinched at his choice of wording. “It’s not an obsession,” she objected.

Kyle shook his head in pity. “Give it up Tess, he already made his choice.”

Tess felt as if she had just been slapped across the cheek.

How dare he! she fumed. He knew nothing about her and Max‘s past, about their life together on Antar.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she retorted in a tone as cold as ice.

“I do know what I’m talking about. You and Max were different people on Antar, he chose you then, but he chooses Liz now.”

Tess shook her head in rejection of his words. Max just needed a bit more, they just needed to spend more time together and he would remember.

“You’re just jealous,” she spat.

He shook his head. “I’m not. Not anymore, I know you and I aren’t going to happen. I wish we could,” he said wistfully, “ but I know it’s a lost cause. That still doesn’t change the fact that I care about you and don’t want you to get hurt. Which you will if you don’t give him up.”

His words were filled with sincerity which she couldn’t ignore. It was wise advise but between what she remembered from her past life and what Nasedo had told all of her life, she wasn’t willing to give him up. The reason was pure and simple.

“I love him Kyle,” she pleaded him to understand.

“And he loves Liz,” he retorted, “ and if you can’t see that I feel sorry for you.”

“Don’t.”

Kyle ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
Why couldn’t she understand?
Why couldn’t she just drop it?

“Tess, you saw everything I saw tonight. Even death can’t destroy their love. You don’t have a chance. I’m your friend and I’m just telling you the truth”.

She shook her head violently at him. “I’m not going to stand here and listen to this!.”

“Goodnight then.” With that, he unlocked the door and walked in leaving her standing outside staring after him.

****

“…I spent some time with Mac. She’s really great, you two would really get along.”
Max trailed off when he realised that she was completely asleep. He had become so occupied with recapping his day that he had forgotten to check if she was still awake.

“Liz,” he called softly looking down at her. Her face was a picture of serenity. A yawn escaped him as he slid down onto the bed. Positioned on his side, he faced her and studied her face with interest. The way she was now, with every layer of protection she used when she was awake gone, he could see his Liz. The girl he had fallen in love with. The girl he was still in love with.

Propping himself up with his elbow, Max leant over to her and placed a butterfly kiss on her forehead.

“Night Liz,” he whispered.

With a flick of his wrist, the room descended into darkness. He could still make up some of her facial features and the peaceful rhythmic nature of her breathing. He watched her chest rise and fall with fascination until the rhythm lulled him to sleep.

****

Saturday 2 a.m.

Liz desperately fought the forces that was nagging her to wake up. She was in a good place, it was warm and she was happy. Reality was not a place to wanted to go back to, so she compromised between the two and settled for that state between dreaming and wakefulness.

The first thing she registered and savoured, was his body heat and his rhythmic heartbeat – her beacon of safety and contentment.

Nestled in his arms with her head resting against his chest, an uncontrollable smile of happiness swept across her lips. She closed her eyes, inhaled and savoured his scent, his heartbeat and the way it felt to be in his arms again.

Max Evans.

Tears filled her eyes as happiness twinged with sadness overwhelmed her.

The love of her life.

She shifted from her position and looked up at his peaceful slumbering face. Illuminated by the moonlight, he took her breath away. A wave of powerful love overcame her as she studied his chin, cheekbones and lips. Her mind marvelled at the number of times she had kissed those lips, the times they had kissed her, the sensations they had created – and then his eyes!. They were closed now, but she knew the intensity of his gaze and the emotions that had poured out only for her.

He has such beautiful lashes, she thought in wonderment and resisted the urge to lightly kiss them.

His hair settled over his forehead – the hair her fingers had trailed through numerous times. She held her breath, in fear of disturbing him, and carefully moved her arm. Her heart stopped for a moment as she felt him stir, she lay still until his heart rhythm settled. Then, she lifted her arm again and lightly trailed her fingers across his face, tracing his contours, settling on his lips.

"I love you," she whispered tearfully. She nestled closer to him and as if in response to her words, Max tightened his hold around her, pulling her closer to him, inhaling the scent of her hair.

Liz swallowed the large lump rising in her throat as more silent tears flowed. Clinging to the t-shirt he had borrowed from Michael's drawer, she rested her head against his chest and with a trembling voice, she whispered, "I love you, but I'm letting you go."

A smile swept her lips as once again, she was lulled by his heart beat, wrapped in his arms and wholely at peace, her heavy lids lulled her back to the realm of dreaming.

Ten minutes after Liz welcomed deep sleep, in a world where everything was the way it was supposed to be, Max smiled in contentment.

In Michael's room, asleep on his bed with Liz nestled in his arms, Max's smile mirrored that of his dream self. He inhaled her scent and with pure joy, he breathed her name, "Liz."

****

Saturday 2:30am

Mac looked at the final draft of her written plan with a mixture of apprehension and satisfaction.

The sound of the ringing phone drew her attention to her bedside table where her cell-phone rested. She was disappointed to find that the caller wasn’t Max, in fact, she had no clue who was calling her at two-thirty in the morning because they didn’t register on her caller id.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Yo Serena.”

Mac’s heart stopped. He had just called her Serena, no-one but Future Max had addressed her by that name.

“Who is this?” she demanded.

“It’s a mad long story so I’ll keep it tight. I’m Zan.”

Her mouth hung open in shock. He had just called himself Zan. The only Zan she knew of was Max and he was at Michael’s and didn’t possess big city street-wise speech.

“Is this some kind of joke?” she asked.

“I wish”, he snorted, “but ain’t gonna happen. Basically there’s two sets of us Royalty. The ones in Roswell and us in the Big Apple.“

Mac massaged her forehead in confusion.

There were two sets of the Royal Four? Future Max had failed to mention that. On a practical level, it did make sense but how could he not have known about them?

More importantly, before she could analyse the information any further and take it seriously, she had to make sure the weirdo on the phone was legitimate.

“Me and mine had a visit from Future Max…” he explained.

Okay, Future Max ding ding ding. There was the million dollar word.

“…he dusted Lonnie and Rath, told us what was what, what his plan was and about you.”

“Wait hold up.“

Her head was beginning to hurt from the onslaught of information. Duplicates were not factored into her plan, how could Future Max have not told her.

“There’s two sets of you?“, she said voicing her thoughts, “How come Future Max didn’t tell me that?”.

“Need to know basis,” Zan replied. “He visited us, then you, then Liz. Got it?”

“I’m listening,” she answered. That sounded like Future Max. He said he was telling her only what she needed to know, if he believed that the only way to save the world was to get him together with Tess, then she could see why the Dupes were not part of their conversation. This new revelation made her plan a little more complicated but with the inclusion of the Dupes, they could come out stronger than she had ever thought.

“Deal is, we’re the insurance if the Roswell set get dusted and I’m not waiting around for Khivar and his peeps to throw down.”

Mac couldn’t argue with him because she was doing exactly the same thing he was doing which was, taking into account Future Max’s orders and modifying them.

“So what’s your plan?” she asked.

“Dust up Little Nicky and the rest of the Skins. For that we need you here.”

Excuse me? Mac raised an incredulous eyebrow. The timing of the call was too much of a coincidence. She was just about to give Max some useful information when suddenly a call from his long lost Dupe came along?

“How do I know that this isn’t a step up?” she asked.

“The F man wrote you a letter telling you what’s what and sent you packing to Roswell,” replied Zan.

Mac had to accept the evidence of his legitimacy. No one but someone who had come into contact with Future Max could have known what Zan knew.

So I just don’t have one set to look out for, she sighed, I have another one.

“What’s the plan?” she asked finally.

“The Harvest is coming up for the Skins. They’ve got a place here and in Copper Summit. It’s a three man job at the least. The F man said to call you if we needed back up. We’ve got a two day window to get the job done here and then we do Copper Summit. You in?”.

Mac rubbed her face in fatigue. She needed Max to drop Tess and get back with Liz. Cutting down the lifespan of the Skins was an opportunity she couldn’t miss out on.
Mac wished that she had a double. Both Max and Zan needed her, she couldn’t be in two places at once and she couldn’t just lump all she knew on Max and then leave.

She came to a quick decision on what she had to do. She would tell Max the information he needed to know at the moment, go and help Zan and then come back and fill everyone in on the rest of her plan.

“I’ll take an early flight today and you better fill me in on the rest when I get there.”

“Done,” he agreed. “Hit me on my cell when you get arrival details, here’s my number.”

Mac wrote down his number and recited it back to him. “Got it.”

“Good, see you in a few hours.”

“Later.” She ended the call and threw up her hands in defeated acceptance.

Just when she thought she had everything sorted, something had to come out of nowhere and cause her to change her plans.

Jumping out of bed, she turned on her computer and booked a flight to New York.

****