Roswell Fanatics

I'm already back to post a new chapter! And it's all because of you Thank you for your wonderful words!! They touch a special part in my heart!

And about the poll... well, I realize that many of you read a lot of fics, and I know (judging from myself) that it can be hard to juggle a lot of fics, school and work and everything at the same time. Just finding the time to read the updates... sometimes it doesn't matter that you really really want to read an update - you just can't find the time. So... since the majority of you would want the chapters to be longer, but a lot of you are satisfied with the present lenght, I will lengthen them just a tag... But more likely the situation will be that some chapters will be shorter, some will be longer - just because I have to find the appropriate place to cut the chapter ...

Thank you for taking part in the poll though... it gave me a chance to make a slight appraisal of how many that read this fic... (Hey lurkers!!! ) and it was fun to know


Okay, getting off the ranting...


THANK YOU!!!!

Cassandra

frenchkiss70

Lorena

Lynn I forgot to ask you in the mails if your friend was okay... I hope she is... And I'm just going to tell you that I'm really excited about our new project And you're not the only one talking to your friends in English... Fortunately, my friends do the same thing to me... There are just some phrases in English that are so good - and we can't find the fitting words in English. And like you said, sometimes (okay, often) the English word pops up first, and then you can't find the Swedish/Dutch one...

Gigo Hey! I'm happy that you will be accessible again I'm posting this chapter too without your assistance, but I really missed your editing...

Phi Hi! Welcome to this fic!! Your description of a miserable Max was just so funny!! Hehe... would Liz have told Max about her father if Max hadn't told her he was leaving? Hmm.. probably not... that's just my Liz for you - not saying a word...

mezzi Hi!!! I'm so happy to see that you're still reading this fic!! I always love it when you guys stop by sometime to let me now that you're still reading and enjoying the fic

roswelluver

Jeni

Lelle Yeah... we don't want Tess anywhere near Max, right?

rossieaddicted





For those of you who are confused with Liz's behavior.... She's in total denial... Just to remind you, her father suffered from a heart-attack, and he's still in the hospital. But Liz hasn't talked to anyone about it. She has barely let herself think about it... She keeps bottling it all up inside, and sooner or later that drop that will make it all float over will fall...





Chapter 20

Liz opened her eyes to the sound of the alarm. She tiredly glanced at the red digital numbers, and the next instant her eyes were wide open.
”Oh no,” she mumbled. She had overslept. She must’ve put the alarm on the wrong time yesterday, or she had turned it off in her sleep. She scrambled to her feet, her feet getting caught in the covers.
”Oooh, stop it!” she frustrated ordered the covers as she tried to free herself from its teasing grip.
With a loud sigh she walked out of the bedroom, her mind considering what she could skip. She didn’t have to shower. She should eat something though. She walked into the kitchen, the pots slamming together as she tried to find the tea pot.
”Ohhh!” She slammed the door to the cabinet shut, giving up on finding the pot. She was going to heat the water in the microwave instead.

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Max jerked out of his semi-sleeping state by the sound of metal clinging and slamming against each other. He straightened, feeling the aching in his whole body; as if his limps had been put on his body in the wrong places, in the wrong way. He was very cautious to not be seen in the bright sunlight as he leaned forward to gaze inside the apartment.

Liz was walking around the apartment, making herself ready for work. But Max had never seen Liz act like that. It was as if he was seeing a replica of his sister getting ready for school. Liz’s movements were hasty and antsy, and her hair was flying around her face as she turned from one direction to the next. Her cool, casual and together exterior had been reduced to a faint memory. Max shot a glance at his watch. Yep, that was it. She was running late for work. But except for her slightly out of character behavior for the moment, the night had been normal. She had slept peacefully through it, as far as Max could see. And when Liz had left for work, he was to get back to the motel and start packing and book a flight home.

---------------------------------------

”Elizabeth, you’re late,” Mr. Smith said as Liz opened the door to the conference room.
”I’m sorry, Mr. Smith,” Liz said apologetically. She sat down in one of the chairs, and as discreetly as she could, started to unload the material to be discussed for the day, with the eyes of everyone else staring at her. She was trying her best to put up a shield to ignore the penetrating looks, but the day had started in the wrong way, and she had yet to regain her regular composure.

”Well, as I was saying,” Mr. Smith continued, ”This new center is our number one priority. Brian; you’ll fix the blueprints. Lisa, can you put together a questionnaire for the public-”
Liz’s brain was working fervently to rebuild every wall, because if she was confused and out of control unconsciousness was able to come back with a force that would drown her.

------------------------------------

Fifty minutes later

There was a knock on the door and a woman poked her head inside. ”Excuse me, but there’s a phone call for miss Parker.”
Liz looked at Mr. Smith for permission to leave, and he gave her a silent approving nod.
”Excuse me,” Liz said, getting up and getting out of the room.

Two minutes later she was walking back to her office, her mind a blur. She barged into the office in search of her purse. After rummaging through her desk, she realized that it was still in the conference room, with the rest of her things. She walked out of her office, constantly taking deep breaths, trying miserably to calm herself down. She was so preoccupied with the attempt to gather her thoughts, that she wasn’t looking where she was going. Before she knew what had happened, she found herself on the floor in the arms of someone.
She looked up and found the person she wanted to met - let alone touch!
”I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, trying to wiggle out of his grip.
”No problem, Liz,” he said. ”Let me help you.”
He started to move under her, making it more difficult for her to get up. Her legs were tangling up with his, and her frustration was growing as it seemed as if he was only making it more difficult to get away. Her heart was slamming in her chest and her eyes were stinging with tears threatening to fall at any second. She had to get out of there. She had to get out of there before they knew - before they found out.

”Let me go,” she said between gritted teeth.
”Calm down, Liz. I’m trying to help you.”
She finally rolled off him, but by then their little show had caught quite an audience. Her breathing was quick and shallow as her eyes frantically looked over the faces. She had to get out of there! She had to get out of there!
”Liz?” He stretched out his towards her face. She recoiled and started moving backwards.
”David? What’s going on?”
Her back hit the wall, preventing her from moving any further. She looked up through the wet and hazy curtain of unshed tears at the figure coming out from the mass of spectators. He came out of the lump of the imprecise crowd and materialized into a figure of his own. But she couldn’t recognize him. She didn’t recognize the man crawling towards her either. She only knew that she had to get out of there. Away from all the staring eyes and whispering voices.


”Elizabeth... What’s wrong?”
Mr. Smith moved towards the petite woman pressed up against the wall. As he got closer she flinched backwards, her head bumping into the wall, as she couldn’t get any further back. He furrowed his forehead as he saw the look of utter horror in her eyes.
”David, what happened?” he asked the blond man sitting on the floor, two meters away from Liz.
”She just bumped into me, and we fell,” David said, shrugging his shoulders.
Mr. Smith turned his attention back to Liz, and saw that tears were now running down her cheeks.
”Liz, are you okay?” he asked slowly.
She pulled up her knees to her chest and buried her face in her knees.
”Liz? Talk to me.”

She started to slide to the floor, her body falling sideways until her side hit the floor. She curled up into a fetus position. Mr. Smith looked at her with confusion and awkwardness as her cries echoed through the now completely silent office. Everyone had gathered around Liz, wanting to see what was going on.
”Judy,” Mr. Smith turned his head towards the red-haired woman on his left, ”can you get her cell phone for me?” He couldn’t get through to her, but maybe someone else could. Someone she trusted.
”Sure, where is it?” Judy asked.
”In the conference room, I think,” Mr. Smith said, ”In her purse.”
David disappeared to return only seconds later with the cell phone.
”Search for phone numbers,” Mr. Smith said.
Judy started pressing the buttons.
”There’s only two numbers; one to her father and the other one to someone named Max.”
”Call her father.”

Judy pressed the button to connect the call to Liz’s father and waited for someone to pick up. There was no answer.
”No one is answering, sir.”
”Try the other number.”
Judy dialed the number to the one named Max and waited for a reply. It only took two signals.
”Max Evans.”
”Hi. Uhm... I.. You..You have to come to Elizabeth’s work.”
”What? Who is this?”
”One of her colleagues. Elizabeth isn’t feeling well.”
”I’ll be right there.”
Judy disconnected the call and shot a glance at Liz before looking at his boss.
”He’s on his way.”

----------------------------------

Max rushed towards the elevators, and slid in before the doors closed. The elevator couldn’t go fast enough. Something was wrong with Liz...again. And he had to get to her - get her out of there. The pling of the elevator, announcing the arrival on the sixth floor, was the most beautiful sound he’d heard in a long time, and he slipped through the doors before they had a chance to open fully. He found himself in the same office as before, only this time it was silent. The only sound to be heard was the ringing of some telephones, which no one paid any attention. It was not difficult to spot the crowd of people, and he started to quickly move in that direction.

”Mr. Evans?”
He barely registered the question, his mind so focused on getting to Liz.
”Mr. Evans?”
He turned his head, his pace slowing down. It was the red-haired girl from the day before.
”Yes?”
”She’s over there,” the girl said, pointing towards the crowd. Yes, he had already figured that much out...
”Yeah..eh...thank you.”
The crowd parted, letting him pass through.

She was laying on the floor, her legs pulled up to her chest, her head buried behind her knees. But she was conscious. He could see the cries raging through her body, he could hear the cries echoing off the white starch walls. He fell down on his knees beside her, stretching out his hand to remove the curtain of hair preventing him from completely seeing her.
”Liz?” he asked softly.

Mr. Smith immediately recognized the man. It was the same man who had been suffering from epileptic seizures, and whom he had helped Liz rescue that night about a week ago. He felt his body relax as Liz didn’t move away from the man’s touch. Obviously they had made the right decision by calling him.


”Get me....out....of here,” Liz sobbed, her torn voice and her red pleading eyes looking straight into his, causing pain in his chest. It was as if his heart was being punctuated with needles, and the painful sticking were transferred out into his arms, and the fingers gently stroking her hair. He never wanted to see her cry again. He would do everything he could to not have her crying. He tucked his hand in the hollows of her knees, the other supporting her back.
”Put your arms around my neck,” he whispered.
With tears that seemed to have no end, running down her face, her arms encircled his strong neck. He lifted her upwards, cradling her close, trying to angle his arms so that her face was shielded from the intense curious looks of the spectators. Her face was buried in his shirt, her tears wetting it. The grip of her arms around his neck was tight, almost so tight it hurt. But he didn’t care. He only had one purpose to fulfill. Liz’s plea. That was all that mattered.

Mr. Smith watched the young man lift up Liz. It was not difficult to read all the hidden messages in their body language. They were close, really close. Liz trusted this man completely, and the way in which Max protectively cradled Liz to his chest proved just why.
Mr. Smith watched as the man started to walk off. But even though the man seemed uncaring to everything else but Liz, Mr. Smith got the deep feeling that he was in total control of the situation. That the man knew exactly what was going on around him. Just because not knowing would put Liz’s well-being at a risk.
”Mr. Evans, her purse,” Judy said, her red curls whirling around her face as she raced after the man.
The young man turned around, and Judy saw how Liz’s arms tightened around the man’s neck.
”Thank you,” the man said, and Judy nodded with a weak smile, silently placing the purse in Liz’s lap.
”You want me to call a cab?”


Max had already begun moving his legs again, as the question reached his ears. A cab? He hadn’t thought of that. He was only thinking of how to get Liz out of here, but it was quite some distance to her apartment.
”Yes, thank you,” he said.
The woman nodded, and hurried over to one of the telephones.
”Max...please.”
He looked down at the fragile body he held in his arms, understanding her plea perfectly. They couldn’t stay here any longer. They could wait down in the lobby.
He turned towards the elevator, pressed for the bottom floor, and waited. He could feel trembles going through her body, and his worries gradually intensified. What if she went into shock? What if she became unconscious again, like last time... The elevator door opened, and Max quickly stepped inside. He could feel her tense body visibly relax as the elevator doors closed.
”Liz, what’s wrong?”
He was still holding her, not wanting to let her go. Her face was hidden in his shirt.
”Just take me home...please.”
Max tightened his arms around her. Nothing could stop him.


TBC...

Hey all !!



Lynn Hi girlfriend. You said that you wanted to give Liz a hug. Well, Liz!!! Come over here! Lynn wants to give you a hug!! *a couple of seconds elapse* Um, she's not coming... but I guess if we let Max work a little on her she will open up...maybe. Yes, and the phone call wasn't so good either. You will find out more about that in this chapter. You know that song you recommended (by Tori Amos) "Silent all these years". I love that one! It's my new favorite. Especially the part 2 minutes into the song... Thank you so much for the feedback and all the bumps!!!

mrsjbehr You'll find out more about Liz's father in this part! Thank you!!

frenchkiss70 Thank you!!!

kay_b Hey! Welcome to this fic!! And thank you so much for the feedback!!! :D Unfortunately I can't answer your questions (as you might had expected...) But I can say that you have some very good thoughts, and if you hold on a couple of chapters I'm sure you will figure it out on your own... if I don't tell you all what's going on before that...

Lelle Thank you, Lelle!! I know how it feels to even try to think in English when you're tired, let alone write ! Thank you for the bumps!!

Gigo Yes, that was the finally straw for Liz. But fortunately Max hadn't left yet, and there's no way he's leaving now. And yeah, David is not the nicest guy!! And Liz certainly has some weird reactions when it comes to him, huh? Thank you for the feedback and all bumps!!

Cassandra Thank you!!

moonlight Wow.. thank you! I don't know what to say, but it means a lot that you spend so much time on feedback for my fic! And you were wondering who it was that was crawling towards Liz as she broke down at work. Well, it was David - whom she had "tripped over". Thank you!!!


LizzieEvans Hey Katie! I'm so happy that you've found your way to this fic of mine as well!! Welcome!! Thank you so much for the feedback!!



Okay, guys! Before I continue, I want to put a small disclaimer here. The lines in italics at the beginning of the chapter is the lyrics to Jewel's "Absence of fear". With that said, let's move on to the chapter, shall we?




Chapter 21


Inside my skin there is this space
It twists and turns
It bleeds and aches

Inside my heart there’s an empty room
It’s waiting for lightning
It’s waiting for you

And I am wanting
And I am needing you here
Inside the absence of fear

Muscle and sinew
Velvet and stone
This vessel is haunted
It creaks and moans

My bones call to you
In their separate skin
I make myself translucent
To let you in, for

I am wanting
And I am needing you here
Inside the absence of fear

There is this hunger
This restlessness inside of me
And it knows that you’re no stranger
You’re my gravity

My hands will adore you through all darkness aim
They will lay you out in moonlight
And reinvent your name

For I am wanting you
And I am needing you here
I need you near
Inside the absence of fear


Liz wiped her eyes in a desperate effort to remove the falling tears as she put the key in the lock. She was failing miserably. The tears kept falling and the only thing that kept her going was Max’s arm around her waist, supporting not only her weak and exhausted body but also her fragile mind that was dangerously close to slipping into the unconscious. To run away, to hide, to give up.
The keys slipped out of her hands. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,“ she sobbed.
“Shhh,“ Max’s soft voice hushed as he gently took her hand. “Let me.“
She closed her eyes, missing how Max didn’t need a key to unlock the door, as she tried to fight off the feelings of nausea.

Max opened the door, his eyes locked on her. She was leaning against the wall with her eyes tightly shut, tears running down her cheeks. The concern that had started out as a constant simmering under the surface since he had talked to her at her office about leaving for Roswell, had now been solidified into a knife, cutting through his heart every time he saw yet another tear fall down her cheeks.
“Liz?“

She nodded in answer to his unspoken question, and opened her eyes. The intensity of the emotions in her eyes forced him to avert his own. The emotions were unmasked, completely raw, and if what was displayed in her eyes was just a part of what she was feeling, he couldn’t understand how she was still living and breathing. His arm tightened around her waist and he pulled her flush to his side. They let their movements speak as they moved into the apartment. His gentle movements of support transferred the desires of his heart. He moved her towards the bedroom, but just outside the room she stopped.

“No....I gotta...,“ she mumbled. She quickly turned around, spinning out of his grip and dodged for the bathroom.
“Liz...?“
Max quickly went after her. He heard her retching before he saw her kneeling over the toilet. He kneeled down beside her, pulled her hair out of her face and supported her head with his free hand. Three minutes later, her body slumped over from sheer exhaustion.
“I’m sorry,“ she whispered.

“Don’t apologize,“ Max said, stroking her hair away from her forehead. He stood up and wetted a paper towel. He kneeled down in front of her again, and gently started to wash her face. The paper towel tenderly moved across her forehead and down over her flushed cheeks to remove the tears. It moved over her nose, and over her lips. Her red eyes followed his as the towel moved across her face, fresh tears building up in her eyes. Her mind was letting her remember, and it hurt. It hurt so badly. She had to get away from him. He was too beautiful, too pure to be harmed. But her heart was in deep conflict. She wanted him to stay. She needed the comfort he could provide her. She needed to heal, and her heart was telling her that he was the one to do it.

“I can’t,“ she whispered, her voice cracking with her tears.
Max put away the paper towel, and brushed his thumb over the tears on her cheek. “What?“
“You have to leave. I will hurt you if you don’t.“
Max’s thumb stopped moving. “What are you talking about?“
“I-I...you have to... I don’t want to hurt you,“ she sobbed. “You mean too much to me. You have to go.“
“Liz, what are you talking about?“ Max repeated, his voice more demanding.
Liz looked up at him, her bottom lip trembling. “Please Max,“ she whimpered.
“I’m not leaving you, Liz,“ Max said adamantly.

Liz closed her eyes, feeling relieved as well as guilty. “No, I’ll kill you.“
With that her head slumped forward, her chin hitting her chest. Max’s heart momentarily stopped, and his fingers surrounded her upper arms as he shook her.
“Liz! Liz!“
Her head rolled back, loose and limp as if her neck were the neck of a rag doll.
He lowered her down on the cold tile floor, not hesitating for a second to put his hand against her forehead, the other at the back of her neck. He focused on her. Her smile. The way her dark hair billowed over her slender shoulders and shone in the sunlight. The gentleness in her movements. Her laugh. Her giggle. Her shy looks. Her shining doe eyes. How her scent was the sweetest combination of strawberry and vanilla. But as he searched after her in his mind, to find a place to connect his mind with hers, he found nothing but darkness. He couldn’t get through. He pulled out again, feeling his mind falling back into his body, accustoming itself to its confinements.

“Liz!!“ he tried again, shaking her.
“I killed her,“ she wailed.
“Liz?“
“I’m so sorry. It was all my fault.“
Max shook her again, but her eyes were closed, her mind unresponsive.
“No, please. Don’t die. Don’t die.“
Max lifted her off the cold floor, and walked with her to the bedroom, a feeling as cold as ice spreading through his body at the inanimate nature of her body. If it weren’t for the eerie agonizing wails from her mouth, she could’ve been mistaken for a dead person.
He put her down on the bed, his hands starting to rub up and down her arms, hoping that the friction created between his hands and her sweater was enough to heat her dropping body temperature.

“Let me die, let me die.“
He couldn’t take this anymore. She was hurting. She was in pain. He moved his hand to cradle her face. Her face was really hot, in strong contrast to the chilliness of the rest of her body.
“Liz! Look at me! Look at me!!“ His voice was strong, demanding. He had to get through to her, and he was going to do whatever it took.
“I’m sorry, daddy. I’m so sorry!“ she cried.
“Wake up, Liz! You have to wake up!“
She inhaled sharply, her eyes flying open. She was staring at him, hysteria mixed with grief and confusion filling in her eyes.
“I killed her, Max. I killed her!“
“Who?“

“Mommy,“ Liz sobbed, her eyes filling with tears. Max put his arms around her, pulling her upper body up against his and holding her tight.
“You didn’t kill your mother,“ he whispered, confident that all the emotions flowing through her right now were confusing her.
“Yes. Yes, I did,“ she sobbed, “I called for her, and then she was....dead.“
Max stroked her hair, soothing her violent sobs as her body trembled against his.
“And now I’ve killed daddy.“
“What?“ Max pulled out of the embrace and searched her face. She was avoiding his eyes.
“Please leave... I’m dangerous to you.“
And all this time he had thought that he would prove to be dangerous to her.

“What happened to your dad?“ Max asked, searching her eyes.
Liz hesitated, as if she were afraid to tell him.
Max cupped her cheek with his soft palm. “Tell me.“
“He... he... It’s all my fault!“ Liz sobbed.
“No, Liz,“ Max said with such force that she immediately looked up at him. “This can’t be your fault.“
“It is-“
“Liz. Tell me what happened.“
“He…he had a heart-attack.“
“Is he...?“
Liz started crying again. “No.“ Her voice cracked. “But he’s in the ICU.“

“Liz, listen to me. He’s going to be okay.“
“The doctors say that he’s-“
“Forget about what the doctors say. He Is Going To Be Okay. I promise.“
Liz looked into his eyes and she saw the sincerity in them. Her heart cried out for her to trust him, to let herself be comforted by his words. Even though her mind told her that he could never really keep that kind of promise.
Her head started to slowly move up and down.

“Okay?“ Max asked.
“Okay,“ she sniffed, wiping some of the tears off her face with the back of her hand.
But Max wasn’t going to stop there. Liz had bottled up all of this inside of her for too long and it was something akin to a miracle that she hadn’t broken down earlier.
“Is your mother dead?“
She looked down at her hands and nodded.
Max placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “How did she die?“
She squeezed her eyes shut, and her hand started to move towards his mindlessly. Max saw her hand seeking his out, and he took it in his, squeezing it tightly.
“I killed her.“ Her voice was barely audible.

“How did you kill her?“ He was willing to go along with her belief that she’d somehow killed her mother if it would get her talking. There was no way this beautiful soul could kill her own mother.
Liz’s forehead creased in concentration. “I...I... I can’t remember.“
“Yes, you can. Search deep in your mind. The answers are there, you just have to access them.“
This was eating her up alive, corroding her from the inside and out. She needed to deal with it.
“I can’t.“ Her voice was small, desperate, and full of grief.
“Tell me about your mother,“ Max asked, trying another method.
Liz smiled weakly, her eyes still closed, as if the memories were difficult to access, to see, as if they were painful.

“She was beautiful.“
Max smiled softly. Like mother, like daughter.
“What was she like?“
Liz concentrated on the softness of Max’s palms against hers, letting his calmness fill her. “She was funny...and… and she could always make me laugh. She loved us...my dad and I. And we loved her so much. She used to tell me stories every night as she tucked me in. She always kissed me goodnight and told me how beautiful and.... and....special I was. After...her death, I hated that.“
“What did you hate?“
“Being special.“

Max could relate to that. All he had ever wanted in his life was to be normal, to be a human. Liz opened her eyes, looking directly into his soul. “It was because I was special that she was killed.“

Max shook his head, brushing away a loose strand of her hair from her face. “No. How would that get her killed?“
He knew how he could kill someone close to him because he was special. It had been one of his biggest fears growing up, and it still was. When he was little and had been having trouble controlling his powers he had been afraid that he would hurt someone with them. What if he suddenly set something on fire, or shot a deadly blow to someone? What if people from the government used people close to him in order to catch him?
“I don’t.... I don’t remember,“ Liz said. “I just know that who I am killed her.“
“Liz, our memory often deceives us. It can highlight some aspects of our memories that were in fact rather inconspicuous as they took place. And someone might have given you a false memory. Some one might have told you that it was your fault-“
Liz fervently shook her head. “No...“

“How old were you when it happened?“
“I don’t know... maybe five.“
“Five?“ Max raised his eyebrows. “You’re trusting a memory you had when you were five?“
He himself had no memories of when he was five, but that was because he was still incubated in pods at that time.
She dropped her eyes.
“It’s very fuzzy.“
He nodded.
“Max can we please not talk about this anymore?“ she asked quietly, her eyes studying how her hand was joined with Max’s. How right it looked. How right it felt. As if her hand were made to fit into his. She quickly shook off the thought.

“Liz, you can’t let this control you,“ Max said. She was so much in control that she was completely out of control. “You have to deal with it. I can understand if you don’t want to talk about it with me, but you have to be honest with yourself. If you bottle up all these feelings and thoughts inside of you, they are going to destroy you.“
Fresh tears sprung up in Liz’s eyes. The tears quickly filled her eyes, pushing out the excess of water down her cheeks.
She looked directly at Max. “What if he dies?“
Max took her other hand in his. “He won’t. Trust me on this, Liz. He won’t.“
“Are you still leaving?“
Max smiled weakly. Who was she kidding? Did she actually think that he was going to leave her in this condition?
“Of course I’m not leaving,“ he said. “Roswell can wait. You are far more important.“
She smiled weakly back at him, easing some of Max’s concern.


TBC...

Chapter 22


Max took a deep breath and started to walk down the white, sterile corridor. He had to do this. He had to do this for Liz. He wasn’t sure if she was able to survive the loss of the one person who was probably the closest to her. Her body would perhaps still keep going. Going to work, eating, sleeping. But her mind wouldn’t be there. She had been so close the other day. So close to have her mind give up and fall into oblivion. Was it the feelings of guilt and self-blame, that she probably had carried around with her ever since her mother died, which were the causes of her breakdown? Or was there even more behind it? He needed to get her talking. He believed her when she said that she couldn’t remember. Just as she couldn’t remember that she had been at a party... She had to fight the reflex to forget everything terrible, but she needed something to fight for, something to make her want to fight to stay in this world. And Max was going to try to give her one of those things today.

He nervously glanced down at the doctor’s coat he was currently wearing. He didn’t have much time. The molecules in his face felt out of place, pulling desperately to return to their normal position. He caught a glance of his own reflection in one of the windows, and he quickly averted his eyes. His reflection was freaking him out. His face was longer and thinner, as were his lips. His hair was blond, and his eyes were green. He was an exact replica of the doctor who had left the hospital ten minutes earlier.

He walked through the doors marked Intensive Care Unit, his eyes quickly seeking the room out. He opened the door and walked in, and stopped dead in his tracks. She wasn’t supposed to be here!
“Uhm... Miss Parker?“ he asked, concentrating to make his voice darker.
She whipped her head around, a startled expression on her face. When she saw him she relaxed.
“Hi, Dr. Simmons.“ The smile died on her lips as she caught his eyes. There was something about his eyes...
“How are you?“ Max asked. She had been sleeping as he left her this morning. How did she get here so quickly?
“I’m fine, thanks,“ she answered, studying him closely.

Max could feel her intense stares and started to distrust his disguise. But no one could recognize him, right? He met Liz’s thoughtful eyes. Right?
He started to move towards the bed. “You’re here early.“ He looked at her father, wondering what the best doctor-like thing to do was.
“Yes, I thought I would stop by before going to work.“
Was she going to work today? Only the day after she had an emotional breakdown? The words were out of his mouth before he had the chance to stop himself. “Are you going to work?“
She looked at him dumbfounded. Why did she get the impression that he was beseeching her?
“I-I mean,“ he stuttered, “you don’t have the day off?“
She was looking at him with a crease in her forehead, as if he were a code she was trying to decipher.

“No, I have a lot to do at work...“ she said. “How is my father, doctor?“
“I was going to give him a check-up right now. May I...?“
Liz nodded her head. “Yes, of course.“
Max looked at her. She had yet to move.
Liz was looking at the doctor she had only met twice before. There was something different about him. Something familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint it. It was like when an old memory was just within your grasp, but yet too far away to be able to get a hold off.
“Right.“ She turned around and started to walk towards the door. Max took a deep breath. So far, so good.
“Dr. Simmons?“

He turned his head to find her standing in the doorway.
“How long will it take?“
“Uhm...ten minutes...tops.“ Max answered.
“Thanks.“ And she was gone. Max exhaled the breath he had been holding, and turned his eyes toward Liz’s father, Mr. Parker. He was asleep, fortunately. The ECG by the side of the hospital bed monitored his heartbeats, the white lines moving into peaks and then diving into valleys, to move up into peaks again against the green background, the systematic pattern signifying the regular beating of his heart. The rhythmic pattern was the only outward sign that he still existed in this world.

Max took a hold of the drapery and pulled it around the bed, preventing curious eyes from seeing what no one was supposed to see. Max pulled up the journal by the end of the hospital bed and flipped through the thin documents; telling a whole life history. Liz’s father suffered from hypertension - high blood pressure. He could do something about that, right? He had never done anything like this before. The only extensive healing he had done was when he, one year earlier, had removed the tumors inside of Maria and all the sick cells multiplying throughout her body along with it. As his eyes fell on the sickly colored face of Liz’s father, he was relieved that he had read something about medicine.

Perspiration was already breaking out on his forehead. His palms were sweating. He had to focus. He closed his eyes and started to gather his energy. Pulling it together from every corner of his being. It gathered into a ball of energy ready for him to use. He opened his eyes again, the surroundings around him fading into a blur; the contours becoming unclear as the edges of Mr. Parker’s face grew sharper. His eyes focused on Mr. Parker’s closed ones. He lifted his hands to hover over the still form of Liz’s father, moving them slowly over his body. His hand worked as a link, letting his energy flow through his hand and scan the body. He concentrated on reading the energy levels in the sick body, to find the abnormalities. His hand came to rest slowly over the man’s heart, and he pressed it downwards, starting to surge his energy into the body. He slightly changed the size of the enlarged heart, making it easier for it to pump blood. He then moved on to follow every artery in the body, softening their walls from the fatal hardening, making it easier for the arterial walls to deliver oxygen to the brain, heart and other vital organs of the body.

The intervals between each peak on the ECG decreased, as Max pumped his energy into Mr. Parker’s exhausted body. Max pulled out of the connection with a gasp. He leaned against the bed, his forehead brushing against the covers. His legs were as weak as jelly, and he had to grab the steel handles on the side of the hospital bed to support his weight, and prevent himself from falling. His body felt worn, turned inside out. But he didn’t have time to stay; he had to go before someone noticed him. He made his way out of the room, his movements somewhat awkward and clumsy by the physical exhaustion, and the exit doors closing behind him as Liz returned from the waiting room to get back to her father.

----------------------------------------

He closed the door behind him, planning on returning to his hotel to retrieve some things. He wasn’t planning on leaving Liz’s side for a while. He stopped as he saw her coming around the corner of the stairs. A smile spread over her face as she saw him. She climbed the stairs towards him, her eyes shining. Max looked at her, transfixed by her glow. God, she was beautiful. She stopped in front of him, the smile never leaving her face and before he had time to react her soft lips brushed against his cheek. She pulled back, only to put her arms around him and bury her face in his shirt. Slowly, slightly confused, his arms went around her.
“He’s going to be okay,“ she whispered.
Max closed his eyes, the feel of her soft kiss burned on his cheek, and relished in the feel of her in his arms.

-------------------------------------

“The doctors are calling it a miracle.“
“A miracle, huh?“
“Yeah...“ Liz searched out his eyes. “The doctors said that he didn’t have much time left, and that there was a 85 percentage risk that he would die if he suffered yet another heart attack.“
Max nodded, drinking every excited movement Liz’s body made up with his eyes. He cherished her happiness and her newfound inner glow.
“And you know the really weird thing?“
“What?“
“He had these marks on his chest.“

Max straightened up in the armchair, his heart missing a beat. “Marks?“
Liz nodded. “Yeah, silver marks. They almost looked like a handprint.“
The beats of his heart were pounding in his ears. “A handprint.“
“Yes,“ Liz said and took his hand. Max looked at their hands as if hypnotized as Liz fitted every finger together. Her pinky with his pinky, her index finger with his, pressing every fingertip together. Her fingers were small in comparison to his. “Almost the size of yours.“
Max stared at her, his breathing more shallow and strained. She was still looking at their hands, feeling the tingling in her fingers where they contacted with his skin. When he didn’t say anything, she looked up to find him looking straight at her, and his reaction made her smile slip off her face. She instinctively moved her hand to his cheek.

“Max? Are you okay?“
He came out of his trance by the soft sound of her voice. “Yeah...yes.“
He brought up his hand and took a hold of hers that was lingering against his cheek. He moved her hand back to her lap. “What did the doctors say about that?“
“Well...they didn’t really say it was a handprint. They just called it marks, rashes actually. I just thought to myself when I saw it that it looked like a handprint.“
“Did you tell them that it looked like a handprint?“ Max asked.
Liz looked at his panic-stricken face, and frowned. “No....“
He visibly relaxed, and Liz was confused. He was acting really strange. “Max... you’d tell me if something was wrong, right?“
Max nodded absent-mindedly.

“Right?“ Liz asked again.
“They just thought it was rashes?“ Max asked.
Liz could feel her heartbeat speeding up. His behavior was worrying her. It wasn’t the calmness she was used to. He seemed eerily agitated.
“Yes,“ she answered.
Max quickly stood up. Liz looked up at him. He took up his jacket and pulled it on, and fidgeting with the zipper, he said, “I have to go.“
“Go?“

He was avoiding looking her in the eye. “I have to get something from the hotel.“
“Are you going back to Roswell?“
The hurt and anxiety in her voice stopped his nervous movements. It was as if someone had suddenly thrown a bucket of ice-cold water over him, and he realized what he was doing. He sat down again, and took both of Liz’s hands in his.
“No, I’m not leaving you. I’m sorry. I just...I’m not leaving you, okay?“
He was looking directly into her eyes, his statement adamant and firm. It left absolutely no room for doubts.

“Okay.“
“I’ll be right back. I just have to get some stuff from the hotel.“
“You know, Max. You really don’t need to stay here.“
They had never really met an agreement on him staying here. Max had more or less just decided to not leave her side. He had been very stubborn about it, and so she had silently complied. She had been too exhausted to protest. Not that she didn’t want Max there to keep her company; she liked how he made her feel. Cherished and… safe.
“I want to stay here, Liz. And you can’t talk me out of it.“
“I’d somehow got that impression,“ Liz said, the smile returning on her face.

Max gave her a lopsided grin, which made her all warm and fuzzy inside and she could feel the smile on her face grow bigger.
“I’ll be back in a second. Don’t let anyone in!“
Liz couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Yes, dad.“

---------------------------------------------

“Hey, Maria. It’s Max.“
“Oh hi!!“ A very excited voice answered him at the other end of the line. “You couldn’t have picked a better time to call. Michael is like-“
There was a rustle of noise, and Max had to put the phone at an arms length as Maria shrieked in the telephone.
“...bugging the hell out of me!“ she continued between giggles. “Michael!! Stop it! Can’t you see that I’m on the phone?!“
Grunts that could only belong to Michael were heard over the line.
“I don’t even want to know,“ Max said, unable to prevent a grin from spreading over his face.
“So, what can I do for you today, darling?“ Maria said with her best British accent.
“I have something to ask you.“

Maria grew quiet at his serious voice. “That sounds serious. What is it, Max?“
“Did you...“
“Michael!! I swear you’re gonna regret doing that!!“
Max sighed. This wasn’t going so well.
“I’m sorry, Max.“ Maria loudly and exasperatedly sighed. “Spaceboy thinks he can sneak Tabasco sauce into my milkshake. Yeah right. Like I’m going to touch that milkshake after this phone call anyway.“
“Maria...“

“Oh, sorry Max. Hang on a sec, would you.“
“Sure.“ Did he really have a choice?
He could hear Maria scolding Michael, and he was happy that he was only present over the phone line. Maria did not sound too happy.
“No one is messing with my quality time with Max,“ she said as she returned to the phone. “You’re still there, hun?“
“I’m still here,“ Max sighed.
“Max... is something wrong with Liz?“

“Uhm....sort of.“
“Did you kiss her?“
Max sighed loudly. “Maria!“
“Sorry, sorry! I guess you didn’t. What did you want to ask me?“
“When I healed you...did you get marks?“
“Huh? Marks?“
“Yeah…this might sound stupid, but did you get something that looked like a silver handprint on you.“

He was met with silence. When talking with Maria, silence was never a good sign. Maria was rarely silent.
“Yes, I did.“
“You did?!!“ Max was surprised. “Why didn’t you tell me?“ That didn’t sound like a Maria thing to do. He would’ve imagined that she had been freaked and come to accuse him immediately.
“I couldn’t.“
“You couldn’t?“
“Max, you’re my best friend. Even more now since I know about everything there is to know about…except some things I’ve chosen not to know about.“

“Yes....“ Max prompted.
“You were my best friend even then, and you were terrified after you’d healed me. You thought I was going to see you as some monster, right?“
“Mhmm.“
“I noticed the handprint like the next day, and you know me. I freaked. I thought I was going to go around with a freaking silver handprint on my stomach for the rest of my life. Sure, silver goes with almost everything, but I didn’t actually embrace the idea of having a handprint on my stomach while lying on the beach in my new bikini. Not like there’s a beach anywhere close by, but you know what I mean.“
She was babbling.

“Okay, and then I went through all my closets and cabinets. I think I tried about twenty different oils before calming down. You know which one made the trick? The one with eucalyptus...“
“Maria, is there a point in there somewhere?“
“Right, I’m getting to that. Hold your horses, healerboy!“
Healerboy? Okay, that one was new...
“Okay, so after I had, like, calmed down somewhat, I started thinking. My first instinct was to rush over to your place and ask you what your handprint was doing on my stomach, and strongly inform you that it was not wearing off...“

“That what was I figured you would do.“
“Well, then I realized that doing just that would not exactly make the situation any better. If I showed up at your place and showed you that you had marked my body, I would just add to your feelings of guilt. And we both know how much you like to wallow in your guilt!“
“Well-“
“So I said to myself: ‘Maria, if this is not gone within a week after numerous showers and a body peeling, you’re going to Max. But not before that.’ And one day after that, the handprint was gone.“
“It disappeared?“

“Yes, as if it had never been there to begin with. God! All that negative energy over nothing! I think I even spilled one of my fragrance oils...Wait! If I never showed the handprint to you, and it disappeared one day after, then how is it that you know about it?“
“I...uhm..“
“Oh my God. You’ve healed Liz, haven’t you? God! What happened to her?!“
“Calm down, Maria. It wasn’t Liz.“
“But it was someone!“
“Yeah, it was her father.“
“Her father?“
“He had a heart attack, and I tried to help him.“

“And now a mysterious handprint has turned up...Oh Max. I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you about the handprint. What if they decide to investigate it further.“
“I don’t think they will. The doctors are calling it rashes.“
“Silver rashes?“
“Uh huh.“
“Well, whatever works for them.“
Max smiled. “But it disappears right?“
“The handprint? Yeah, it disappears, Max. And it should do that on Liz’s father as well.“
Max let out a sigh of relief. Someone up there was being kind to him. Or so he thought....



TBC...

Hi all!

I’m back, with a large smile on my face... You know why? Because of your feedback, guys! Thank you!!


frenchkiss70 How is Max going to tell Liz about his otherwordly origin...well, I have something up my sleeve ... but you just have to hang in there to get the answer Thank you sooo much for the feedback!!!

Lynn Hey Lynn!! ”You know, he could also 'give' her other things worth living for... Like himself... I'm sure she'd love to live for him...” LOL! I’m getting there, believe me! “Can I pretty please say AMAZING?” Yes, you may I find myself quoting you as you quote me...lol. Thank you, girl, for all the wonderful feedback. Like I told you before, it’s that kind of fb that makes me want to go back to my room, press the on-button on my labtop and continue writing.

Lelle Hey Lelle! ”Josse, is that like in the books alien power. You know changing you outer apperience. Like Max does in the books to spy on Liz on her date, onöy he forgot to change his eyes.” I had completely forgot about that (maybe I should re-read those books.. ) But you’re right, he did do that in the books. “I know you read my rant over at "our" thread about all that was missing in the show. I'm glad I have you to really understand what true love is, and sharing it with us.” Wow, thank you, Lina. That means tons to me...especially since I’ve actually never been in love, not even had a crush (and I’m completely serious...). Thank you so much for the feedback!!!

kay Thank you so much for the feedback!!!!

Gigo Thank you so much, Liz, for editing, leaving feedback and everything!!

roswelluver Thank you!!!

Cassandra Hey Cassandra! You wrote, “i know it i know it i know it i sooooo know he was going to heal her father. ok so i didn't know it but the idea did creep into my mind i swear ” I believe you. I think you guys are starting to understand how my weird mind works , because you are getting better and better at interpreting the underlying meanings... Thank you so much for the feedback!!!

Liz "I knew Max would save the day!!!”. lol Of course, Max is our hero, right? Thank you so much for the bumps and the feedback, Liz!!

rossieaddicted I will try to go easy on you with the amount of angst, I promise Thank you sooo much for the feedback!!!

chinablueeyes Thank you so much for the feedback!!!

LizzieEvans Thank you so much for the feedback!!





Chapter 23


He knocked on the door.
“Come right in, Max. The door’s open!“
Max raised his eyebrows in surprise. How did she know that it was him?
He slowly opened the door, finding Liz talking with someone on the phone over by the kitchen. She smiled at him as their eyes met, and pointed at the telephone. Max nodded, and went over to sit down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, trying to be discreet as he watched Liz walk from one end of the kitchen to the other.
“No, I’m fine... Mr. Smith, I really need to work. I have tons to... I’m sure it was just a thing going around... I just needed to sleep...“ There was a pause. “Uhm... yeah... What? For so long? How about I only take the week off?“ She looked at Max, shaking her head in disbelief at him, rolling her eyes. “Two weeks? What am I going to do for two weeks?“ Liz put her hand against her forehead and nodded, as if she wasn’t over the telephone. “Okay, two weeks...yeah, I’ll do that...Yes, you too. Bye.“

With a sigh she hung up and slumped down on one of the chairs across from Max.
“What’s going on?“ Max asked.
“I’m being forced to take two weeks off from work,“ Liz said, pouting slightly with her beautiful lips. Max smiled. The majority of the population would be happy if their boss ordered them to take some time off.
“Was that your boss?“
“Yes,“ Liz answered. “He said I had to rest because I’ve been acting strangely... well, he didn’t really say I had acted strangely, but that was what he was thinking.“
“Liz, I think it’s a good idea.“

Liz rolled her eyes and sighed. “Not you too! Do you also consider me strange?“
“Nah-uh,“ Max said with a small smile. “Believe me, I know much stranger people than you.“
“Is that a good thing?“ Liz asked.
“Definitely.“
Liz put her forehead against the table surface. “What am I going to do for two weeks?“ Her muffled voice asked him.
“You can come with me.“
Liz looked up. “What?“

“You can come with me to Roswell,“ Max said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Are you serious?“
“Very serious,“ Max answered, looking ridiculously serious.
Liz giggled at his expression. “I don’t know Max...“
“Come on, Liz. I think you need to get away from this city.“
“To the desert?“ Liz asked incredulously.
“Yes, to the desert. You know, 104 degrees, sun, no moving vehicles, dust.“
“Sounds alluring.“
“You need this, Liz. Have you even been outside of New York?“

“Ah,“ Liz gasped offended. “Of course I have.“
“Aha? Where?“
“Uhm... Washington...“
There was a pause.
“That’s it?“ Max asked.
“Well… yes. But have you been to so many places?“
“One more than you...“
“Where? Roswell? That doesn’t count, Max.“
“When I was little my family took a trip to Florida.“

“Really?“
“Yes, so come on Liz.“
Liz looked at him with a dubious expression on her face. “I don’t know, Max. Maybe I should stay here with my dad until he’s fully recuperated.“
“Didn’t the doctors call it a miracle? I’m sure he’s going to be just fine.“
“Yeah, me too...but I don’t really want to leave so soon after I almost lost him.“
“Tell you what. How about I don’t leave for three days, and you spend as much time with your father as you can until then. Then you can decide if you want to tag along or not.“
“I don’t know...“
“I’m sure your father wants you to take some time off as well... Come on, Liz. Please....“
And out came the puppy eyes. As if she didn’t have a problem resisting him before.
She sighed in resignation. “Okay, you win.“
He grinned. Getting up from her chair, she said “And wipe that smug off your face,“ which only made him grin even more. Liz might come with him to Roswell! Could life get any better?

--------------------------------

New York City - Three days later


The rustle of the locks reverberated through the empty and quiet apartment. The door swung open to reveal three men in black suits.
“I want everything searched, and take samples of everything you can find. Hair, unwashed cups, check the dustbins for Band Aids... anything.“
The other two men nodded, and answered in unison, “Yes sir.“

--------------------------------------

Albuquerque airport - Later the same day

Liz watched the bags starting to roll in on the conveyor belt, her eyes searching for her own. Max came up behind her, having purchased some beverages. It was certainly hot in New Mexico today, and Liz’s body protested in every way possible. She was terribly thirsty, and her clothes, which felt to be in abundance, were sticking to her body.
Max put the coke in front of her while still standing behind her. “Here you go-“
He stopped as he saw her jump. She turned her head around and smiled relieved.
“I’m sorry, did I scare you?“ Max asked.
Liz shook her head. “No, no. I’m just... it’s just...I’m not used being out of town, and certainly not used to this heat!“

“I warned you about putting on that extra shirt,“ Max pointed out.
Liz took the coke from him. “Right.“
She opened the can, and put it to her lips, closing her eyes as she let the cold liquid float down her dry throat.
“A couple of days, and you’re used to it,“ Max said.
“At least it’s not raining.“ Liz put on a brave smile.
“At least it’s not raining,“ Max repeated. “Oh, there’s your bag!“

--------------------------------------

“There he is,“ Maria said to Michael, and then started waving with her hand, succeeding not only in grabbing the attention of her best friend but also half of the airport. “Max! Over here!!!“
“Maria, you don’t have to be so quiet. He will never notice you then.“
Maria awarded him with a glare for a fraction of a second for the sarcasm before she returned her attention back to the dark-haired man who was now walking toward them.
“Hi, Maria,“ Max said coming up to Maria. Maria pulled him into a warm hug.
“Hey you. Nice to see your beautiful face again,“ Maria said in his ear.
“I’ve missed you too, Maria,“ Max whispered back.
“Okay, enough with the mushy mushy,“ Michael said.
Max pulled away from Maria, raising an eyebrow at Michael. “Getting jealous, huh?“
“Haha. Very funny, Maxwell.“ Michael nodded his head pointedly in the direction of something behind Max. “Who’s this?“

For the first time, Maria noticed that Max wasn’t alone. A woman was standing behind him. Maria and Michael watched in fascination as Max stretched out his hand in her direction and she easily took hold of it.
“Guys, this is Elizabeth Parker,“ Max introduced.
Maria’s face lit up.
“Liz, this is Maria... and Michael.“
Maria stretched out her hand towards Liz, with a warm smile on her face. “Nice to finally meet you.“
Liz took her hand, and shook it, a slight hint of confusion marking her facial features. “Nice meeting you too.“
“I’ve heard a lot about you,“ Maria decided to clarify.

“You have?“ Liz asked, arching her eyebrows as she threw Max a suspicious look.
Maria giggled as Max gave her a look that clearly said ‘back off’. “Don’t worry, Max. I’m not going to embarrass you...“ She easily slipped her arm over Liz’s shoulder and as she swiftly passed Liz’s bag over to a slightly irritated Michael, she continued in a voice intended only for Liz to hear, “... at least not for now...“
Liz smiled at the blonde pixie, looking over her shoulder at Max. Max just helplessly shrugged his shoulders.
“Now I get why you preferred to hang out in New York instead of here,“ Michael said with a large smirk on his face.
“Michael,“ Maria said, stopping. “Behave yourself.“
Liz giggled and couldn’t help but wonder what she had gotten herself into.

----------------------------------------

“Are you sure you were to turn left there?“ Michael asked for the umpteenth time.
Maria let out a groan of frustration. “Can you please stop questioning my driving. You’ve said that every time I’ve made a freaking turn!“
“I actually have better things to do than to hang out in a car with you an entire day just because you can’t find your way out of Albuquerque.“
“Do you think you can do any better? Oh wait, I almost forgot, it’s not your car Michael! And no one forced you to come with...“
“Are they always like this?“ Liz whispered to Max. They were seated in the back seat with the expert drivers seated in the front.
“Basically,“ Max said. “Sometimes it really gets on your nerves, but you get used to it. The secret is to concentrate on something else completely, then you won’t even notice that they’re there.“

“What are you whispering about?“ Maria asked, looking at Max in the rear view window.
Max put on the most innocent expression he could muster, which had Liz struggling not to start giggling. “Nothing.“
“Nothing, huh?“ Maria asked. “Hey, Liz. You want to hear about the time Max kissed a frog?“
“Maria!“ Max exclaimed.
“What?“ Liz laughed, “You kissed a frog?!“
“Yes, it was-“ Maria started.
“Maria! Not another word, okay!“ Max warned.
“Aww... you’re such a spoilsport, Max. It’s just sooo cute. Isn’t it Michael?“
Michael turned around in his seat, grinning at Max. “Yeah, it’s just adorable.“
Max could feel himself turn beet red.
“We won’t laugh, right Liz?“ Maria said, looking at Liz who was already trying to suppress all the images her mind was conjuring up of Max kissing a frog.

“I was only six!“ Max said frustrated.
“I didn’t go around kissing frogs when I was six,“ Michael said.
“No, you were chasing girls,“ Maria retorted.
“Hey, which side are you on?“ Michael asked.
Maria ignored him, looking at Liz through the rear view mirror with sparkling eyes. “Max’s mom had read him this story about this princess whose prince had been turned into a frog by a witch, and the prince would only return to human form if he was kissed by the one he loved.“
“Maybe I should be driving,“ Michael remarked, as Maria seemed to look more at Liz’s in the rear view mirror than at the road.
“So the girl traveled around in the villages and kissed every frog she could find...“
“That’s really gross,“ Michael said. “Who would want to go around kissing frogs? Well, except for Max that is…“

Max glared at Michael, wishing he were somewhere else.
“It’s a fairytale, Michael,“ Maria sighed. “And the princess loved her prince...“
“Whatever...“ Michael said.
Maria sighed again. “As I was saying, after hearing that story, Max was convinced that he would be able to find his princess by kissing frogs...“
Liz looked at Max, and found him hiding behind his hands, his ears red.
“...but it only took him one frog, then he gave up on that idea,“ Maria finished.
“Then my alternative was much better,“ Michael said. “I would rather kiss girls than frogs, but hey - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.“
“Okay, now you’ve told the story. Can we please get off this subject?“
“Of course, Max,“ Maria said sweetly, and then caught Liz’s eyes, “Isn’t he just adooorable?“
“Maria,“ Max groaned.
“Max first kiss was with a frog,“ Michael said.
“Just kill me now!“

------------------------------------------

“Are you going to be sleeping at Max’s place?“ Maria asked Liz.
“Uh-huh, I think so,“ Liz said, glancing at Max for confirmation.
“Isn’t that a little tooo optimistic,“ Maria said. “Your apartment isn’t exactly the most spacious, Max.“
“I know... but I’ll just sleep on the couch. Liz can take the bed.“
“You don’t have to do that, Max.“
“You shouldn’t sleep on the couch, Liz,“ Max said, “I can take the couch, it’s no problem.“
“‘Cause you can crash at my place if you want to,“ Maria offered.
“Or mine,“ Michael said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“Michael, don’t even think it,“ Max warned.
“Thank you, but I think I’ll stay with Max,“ Liz said. Maria and Michael seemed like good people, but they were still strangers to Liz, and she would be more comfortable in Max’s company.
“Sure Liz,“ Maria said. “If you need anything... a testosterone free day or something...just give me a call, okay? Max has my number.“
Liz smiled. “I’ll do that.“

----------------------------------------

Max closed the door behind them, putting their bags down on the floor with a sigh.
“So, those were your friends,“ Liz said.
Max grimaced. “Yeah...entertaining, huh?“
She smiled. “Something like that.“
“So...this is where I live.“
Liz took a closer look around his apartment. It wasn’t as she had imagined a bachelor’s apartment would be. It was pretty tidy, and it carried a subdued comfort, making her feel instantly comfortable.
“I like it,“ she said, walking over to the large living room window. “So this is Roswell, huh?“
Max stepped up behind her. “Yeah, this is Roswell. A little more quiet than you’re used to.“
“Definitely.“
“You wanna wash up?“

Liz turned around and noticed how close Max had been standing. She found herself only inches away from his face. Time seemed to slow down and here eyes were automatically drawn to his lips. Those red, very kissable lips... She broke out of her momentary daze as he took a step back.
“Sorry,“ he mumbled.
She took a deep silent breath and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“It’s okay,“ she replied softly, suddenly becoming extremely aware of the sticky heat. “Can I take a shower?“
“Yeah, sure,“ he said. “Follow me.“

-------------------------------

“Shower’s all yours,“ Liz said, stepping out of the bathroom.
Max’s breath caught in his throat as he saw her step out from the bathroom, her body merely clad in a towel. His eyes drifted from her wet hair, to her bare legs.
“Max?“
He looked up into her face, feeling his face grow red with embarrassment.
“Yes, thank you,“ he stuttered.
As he passed by her, he caught a hint of her strawberry shampoo and the world seemed to slow down. His eyes pulled back to look at her. His movements faltered and he turned his head to watch her bare shoulders as she walked towards the bedroom. He could feel his insides heat up. He watched until she had disappeared completely from his view and took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom. It was going to be a cold shower today.

-------------------------------------

“Hey... what are you doing?“
She gave a startle at his soft voice from behind her.
She turned around and found him looking at her with that look she had grown to recognize more and more. He was once again worried about her.
“Do you play?“ she asked him, nodding into the direction of the piano at which she had been looking.
“Sometimes,“ he answered. Her eyes took in his wet hair and T-shirt that revealed his muscular arms.
“Would you play something for me?“ she asked.
His intense gaze was caressing her face, as it always seemed to do.
“Sure…“ he gave her a lopsided grin, “Any special requests?“
“Play something you like,“ she said.
“Okay.“

He walked past her, pulled out the piano stool and lifted the piano lid. It had been a while since he last played, but the keys felt natural under his fingertips. He put some pressure on the keys and gently pressed them downwards. The thin pieces of wood pressed on a string at the back of the piano, and a sound was heard.

Liz swallowed and closed her eyes as Max began to play. The slow music started to fill the room. The tones slowly drifted around the room, reaching into the previously untouchable parts of Liz Parker’s heart. She let the music fill her completely; let it awaken parts of her that had been put to sleep a long time ago. She didn’t notice as tears pooled in her eyes. She wasn’t aware of the fact that her legs had given out underneath her and that she slowly lowered herself down on the armrest of the couch. She was only aware of the music that Max’s hands created. Feelings long forgotten, even repressed, struggled up to the surface; taking their first breath of fresh reality. Faces she had tried to forget swam before her face. People who had entered her life, and who had left her.

The feelings slammed into her one after the other, and she lived through them one by one. Letting the music translate the deep and hurtful feelings into something bearable. Her tears mixed with the emotions, buffering their intensity. Shame, hurt, anguish, guilt, grief, loneliness, anxiety, abandonment, betrayal, loss, and an underlying intense longing to experience life; to live. The music, written by Mendelssohn, was so intense that her whole body shivered with each high note, her breath catching in her throat.

Max stopped playing; lifting his hands from the keys, and looked at Liz. His breath caught in his throat as he saw that she was crying. Her eyes were closed and she was sitting on the armrest of the couch. Tears were running freely down her cheeks. He went up from the stool, and knelt down in front of her. Her breathing was shallow, as if she were on the verge of completely stopping breathing. Without a word he put his arms around her and pulled her against him. She sank into his arms, holding him tight. They remained in that position for what seemed like an eternity. Max was there, comforting Liz as the feelings rippled through her. The feelings had to rip up the old scars so that they could heal properly. It was like a broken leg had not been properly set and had healed in the wrong position. To have it heal properly she had to relive all the pain and anguish.


TBC...

Hey! Yep, it’s me..back with an update!

Since I’m on the brink of collapse due to fatigue , I’ll have to skip the individual thank yous, okay?

But once again, THANK YOU all for the feedback!!!!!!!


Gigo

Jeni

frenchkiss70

HBGO

Lelle

Cassandra

LizzieEvans

roswelluver

Stephanie

Lynn

Liz

marteloise

Lilac Stardust





Chapter 24


“Do you believe in life after this one?“
“You mean like reincarnation?“
“Either that or another place.“
“Like heaven?“
“Yes.“
“I don’t know. I guess I’ve never thought about it.“
“The thought comforts me, that there is another place after this. That it doesn’t all end here.“
“My mother used to say that a person could have an old soul.“
Liz turned her head to look at him. “I think that’s a beautiful thought.“
Max diverted his eyes from mindlessly staring at the ceiling and met Liz’s eyes. “Do you believe there’s any truth in it?“
“Actually, I have living proof.“

He raised his eyebrows in curiosity. “You do?“
Liz smiled, turning her head back to look at the ceiling. “I think you have an old soul.“
Max looked at her, surprise etching his features. “You do?“
“Has your mother never told you that?“
Max turned his eyes back to the ceiling, following one of the shadows dancing over its surface with his eyes. “No…“
Silence fell over them, both staring up at the ceiling, immersed in deep thoughts. “Why do you think that?“
Liz smiled. “It’s just a feeling.“
“Aha...“
“Max...“
“Mhm..?“

“Do you ever get the feeling that you have met someone before? I mean, even though you’re absolutely certain that you haven’t, you somehow still recognize the person.“
“Like you have met that person in another place...in another life?“
“Yeah.“
Max turned his head to look at her again. “Yes.“
She diverted her eyes away from the ceiling once again and met his intense eyes. “I feel that way about you, like I’ve met you before. Somewhere.“
“As if I know you.“
“You feel that too?“
“How did you know to trust me when I first met you? I mean, I was pretty... impolite.“
Liz giggled. “You could say that... At first I was scared, but then I saw your face and I just knew.“
“Knew what?“ Even though the answer could already be guessed.
“That you could be trusted.“

He found himself being pulled in by the sincere shining of her big doe eyes. He was hypnotized by the small smile lingering on her lips and the way the shadows from the tree outside the window danced over her face. He sat up and looked down at her, stretching out his hand to her.
“What?“
“Come with me. I want to show you something.“
“What is it?“
His mouth curled up into a lopsided smile. “You’ll see.“
His easy smile made her feel warm inside, and she couldn’t help but smile too as she stretched out her hand and placed it in his and let herself be pulled up in upright position from the bed by his arm.

---------------------------------

“Where are we?“
“The desert.“
Liz slowly took in the surroundings. “It’s really quiet.“
Max nodded. “It’s what I like the most.“
“Isn’t it...too quiet?“
Max shook his head. “Sometimes it’s nice to only hear the wind.“
“But it’s almost windless...“
“That’s because you’re not listening.“
She looked at him and smiled. He opened the car door and stepped out. He rounded the car hood, holding her gaze the entire time, and stopped by her side to open the door for her.
He stretched out his hand towards her. “My lady.“
Liz took his hand and jumped out of the jeep. “Well thank you, my good sir.“
“You are most certainly welcome.“

Liz stilled in her movements, her smile faltering as she diverted her eyes up to the dark night sky. Max stepped up beside her, watching her as she was watching the sky.
“Wow,“ she breathed.
“What do you think?“
“I’ve never seen so many stars in my entire life.“
Her eyes slowly moved from one twinkling star to the next. “It’s beautiful...“
“I often come out here to think, all by myself.“
Liz tore her eyes away from the bright spots on the black sky and watched his profile. She had the feeling that he was sharing something profound with her by showing her this place.
“You never bring anyone else here?“
“No…“ His voice was barely above a whisper.
Liz got the strangest feeling in the pit of her stomach. The fact that Max was inviting her into something that he had never let anyone else into before made her feel very special.

When she didn’t say anything, he continued, “That would ruin the purpose of this place.“
She turned her eyes back to the stars. “To be alone.“
“Exactly,“ he said.
In that moment it felt as though they had reached some momentous milestone in whatever relationship was being formed between them.
“Then why did you bring me here?“ She couldn’t help but ask.
She could feel his eyes landing on her face, but she still kept her eyes locked on the starry night sky.
“I don’t know,“ he said slowly, “It’s just... I don’t feel the need to be alone... when you’re with me.“
His soft confession made her heart flutter, but she couldn’t make herself turn her head. Hence, while her body was reacting in the most bubbling manner to his statement, her mind had already started its slow retreat.

“We should probably get back,“ she said, “It’s getting late.“
Max watched her closely. When he thought that he had finally figured out something about her, she would baffle him with yet another act of confusing behavior. He couldn’t deny that it hurt. It hurt to see her pull away from him. He felt like they were playing cat and mouse. As if he were hunting her for answers, quietly begging her to open up to him. He had come close tonight. After she had broken down at the piano, he hadn’t been able to get her to talk about whatever was bothering her. But afterwards she had seemed more relaxed; as if her breakdown had disabled some of the walls that she had built up around herself, making it easier to talk to her about something other than the weather.

As he watched her tear her gaze away from the sky and slowly look at their surroundings, he knew that they were more or less back at square one.

--------------------------------

“You hungry?“
Max unlocked the door and held it open so that Liz could enter.
“Famished.“
“Good,“ he said, “I have just the cure for that.“
Liz turned around and watched his retreating figure disappear into the kitchen. “You do?“
“I’m going to cook something for you that you will never forget.“
Liz walked after him into the kitchen. “Really? Um…is that a good thing or a bad thing?“
He looked up from his ministrations with the contents of his kitchen cabinets and found her leaning against the doorframe. The darkness of the living room behind her was blending with the darkness of her hair, and enhancing her large, dark eyes. The soft light of the kitchen lamp danced over her face, catching her soft smile. He could feel himself melt at the sight of her.
“Hopefully good.“

“So, you can cook?“
“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Elizabeth Parker,“ Max grinned.
“Are we talking reheating pizza...or something more advanced?“
“Hey! Where’s the faith?“ Max pouted.
“Yeah, well... It’s better to have low expectations, ‘cause then you can only be pleasantly surprised.“
Max bent down and opened one of the lower cabinets to find a suitable pot.
“I don’t really know how I should take that,“ Max said.
“It’s my insurance, you know. Since I don’t know you, I don’t know what to expect.“
He looked up at her, feeling that her statement was loaded with a lot more than its intended lightness. “Well, life’s about taking risks, right?“
Their eyes locked and Max thought he saw something flash in her eyes. The first sign of any real emotion in the last two hours.

The clattering of pots falling out of the closet disrupted their staring contest. Liz moved toward him. “Maybe I really should be helping you.“ Her light and teasing voice broke the awkward silence.
Max got up from his kneeling position and sighed in mock exasperation. He put his hands on her shoulders, trying to ignore the tingling that exploded in his fingertips at the contact, and started to gently push her out of the kitchen.
“Go and do you nails or something,“ he said.
“I don’t do my nails,“ she said, feigning offense.
“Then do what ever you girls do when you have some time to kill.“
“We go shopping.“

“Right. And what do you do when you’re not going shopping.“
“We take loooong bubble baths with rose petals and burning candles.“
Max stopped, looking at her serious and somber face. “You really do that?“
“Of course. Do you think I call my girlfriends over and we have pillow fights in our underwear?“
An image of Liz in her underwear replaced the image of Liz in the bath, and he swallowed, quickly forcing the images away as he could feel his face getting hotter from her eyes.
He pouted with a hurt expression on his face. “You don’t?“
She shook her head, her facial expression serious but her eyes sparkling, as she, with a casual shrug, gave him a simple “Sorry.“

“Liz Parker. Do you realize that you might’ve just crushed my little teenage boy heart?“
Liz gave him a warm smile. He reminded her of a puppy. A very handsome puppy...
“Okay, okay. You’re right. We have pillow fights all the time! We don’t do anything else!“
“Thank you!“ Max said with emphasis. He removed his hands from her shoulders and stretched out his hand and switched on the living room light.
“Now,“ he started to move back toward the kitchen, “since I have a delicious meal to prepare you should...um... maybe....“
“Take my clothes off?“
Max stumbled, tripping over his own feet, and Liz had to suppress a giggle. His expression was priceless.
“Wh-what?“ he stuttered.
“Since I should be having a pillow fight in my underwear,“ Liz helped him out, “when waiting for you to get dinner ready.“

“Oh,“ Max said, an expression of embarrassment, confusion and slight horror on his face.
A giggle escaped over Liz’s lips, and her serious facade fell. “Relax, Max. I’m just kidding.“
“Yeah…yeah, I knew that,“ Max stuttered, a blush spreading over his cheeks.
“I’m sorry,“ Liz laughed, “I think I’ve spent far too much time with Alex.“
Max felt a sting of jealousy in his heart at the male name. “Alex?“
Liz smile faltered a little at the tone of his voice. “Um…yeah, my friend. You know the guy who was at my place earlier.“
A tall lean guy with dark hair flashed through his mind. “Right, Alex.“ But he couldn’t quite shake the disturbing feelings that had settled over him.
Liz smiled again, but Max could see that it was now slightly forced. His reaction was making her uncomfortable. “He has a really weird sense of humor, and I guess it has rubbed off on me.“

Max mustered up a soft smile. “Right... well,“ he gestured toward the kitchen, “I should probably...“
“Yeah,“ Liz said.
She watched him move back into the kitchen and was just about to sit down on the couch when Max’s voice stopped her. “Don’t start that pillow fight without me!“
She turned her head in his direction and felt relief spread through her body as she saw his easy smile.
“Don’t worry,“ Liz said.

--------------------------------------------

She watched her turn around, the warm smile shining on her face.
“I’ll be right back,“ she heard her yell as her eyes sparkled with life.
But then there was a loud drawn out honk, the sound resounding through her very spirit.
“Nooooooo!!!“

Max jerked out of his state of sleep, an anguished voice reverberating through the apartment.
“Nooooooo!!!“
He bolted up in a sitting position on the sofa, the last tendrils of sleep clogging his mind quickly disintegrating as his dazed mind quickly put two and two together. He was at home, in Roswell. With Liz. Liz was sleeping in his bedroom. And she was screaming. He quickly untangled himself from his blanket and rushed to the bedroom door.

She was in his bed but she was completely still. He quickly walked up to the bed, his eyes instantly falling on her face. Her face was contorting as if she were in agonizing pain.
He took a hold of her shoulders and shook her. “Liz!“
She whimpered, tears starting to run down her cheeks, but she didn’t wake up.
“Liz!“ He shook her again, harder this time.
She inhaled sharply and flung her eyes open. “Oh my God,“ she gasped.
“Liz...“
“I made her stop! I made her stop!“
“Who, Liz? Who did you stop?“

Her eyes were quickly moving over his face, her eyebrows creasing together in concentration. She moved her hands up to his face. “Who are you?“
Max could feel the cold hand of dread take a hold of his heart again. “Max....“
“Max.“ Her hands were lightly moving over his face, the lack of recognition still the most prominent part of her facial expression.
Max could feel his heart beating faster with fear as her eyes kept darting over his face, still without recognition. “Don’t you remember me?“

“You’re not Max,“ she whispered, “Why would you call yourself Max?“
Her confusion had now turned into concentration, as if she were trying to figure something out.
“Liz, I’m Max.“
“Liz...“ She shook her head as she repeated her own name, “Noo... why are you doing this? Why are you saying that?“
“Liz, I don’t understand what...“ His voice trailed off as she moved closer to him, her eyes fixed on his face in an almost hypnotic manner. He found himself trapped under her scrutiny, as if he were spellbound. Her hands were moving over his forehead, down his cheeks, over his jaw, her slow, gentle caresses leaving a trail of fire in their wake.
“Nîmre...“
Max’s head jerked in her hands at the word. “What?“ he breathed. “What did you say?“

Before he had time to register what was happening her soft lips were brushing against his. He could feel the softness of her lips, their warmth. His eyelids drifted close and his hands automatically found their way into her hair, cradling the back of her head and pressing her mouth closer to his. What started out as small ticklish tingles at the sensitive skin of his lips quickly spread throughout his body, making his whole body hum with electricity. And their lips were barely even touching. He started moving his lips over hers, but that’s when she pulled away. He instantly felt a coldness wash over him. He opened his eyes to see Liz move away from him. Even though her movements were strange, it was the look on her face that caught his attention.

“Liz…?“
“Max?“ her eyes were big and fearful, “What are you doing?“ She moved up against the headboard of the bed and pulled her knees up to her chin, trying to make herself as small as possible. Max started to move towards her, but stopped as she moved further away from him.
“Liz?“ His voice was timid and tentative. Trembling with confusion, he unconsciously moved his body towards her.
“Don’t touch me,“ she whispered.
There was a strong warning in her voice. A voice he hadn’t heard her use since the first time they “met“, when Liz had told him to get away.
“I’m not trying to...“ his voice trailed off. He was not trying to do what? Not trying to hurt her? Not trying to scare her? What had just happened? Suddenly she had been kissing him, and just as quickly she was moving away from him with a look on her face that made him feel like...a rapist.

“Please... leave,“ Liz whispered, her eyes trained on his face.
“Let me help you,“ his hand uncontrollably moved towards her, and his heart ached as she saw him recoil away from his hand.
“Don’t. Touch. Me.“ Her voice was slow, and cold. It made Max suddenly think of the neighbor’s dog, who would start growling in a cold relentless warning to back off. And he backed off. He could feel his heart shattering with every inch he put between him and her. The bed rose as he moved his weight away from it and, without turning his back on her, he moved out of the bedroom. He closed the door, and just stood there, his hand on the doorknob. From inside the bedroom he could hear her muffled crying, and the sound tore at his heart. Covering his head in his hands, he slowly slid down against the door.



TBC...

Hey all! I’m back... and soon we are going to venture into the repercussions of Max and Liz’s first kiss... That didn’t go so well, huh? I realize that I’ve once again confused you! But Liz’s mind is confusing... At least I can tell you that even if it looks dark now...things are going to get better soon, but of course when it comes to me, and my tendency to throw in angsty things everywhere, things are rarely really good...

Big hugs to everyone of you who have left feedback, and been bumping! And an extra thank you to those of you that put down (I don’t know how much time) on writing long feedbacks for me. You should know that your time is not waisted – at least not in my opinion . I soak every word up like a sponge. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE FEEDBACK!!!!!

marteloise

Jeni

Phi

HBGO

Liz

Lilac Stardust

roswelluver

Elizabeth

Lelle

Lynn

LttleMrmade

Dreaming of Roswell Forever

frenchkiss70

moonlight

Cassandra

Twilighteyes

LizzieEvans




Chapter 25


Max slowly opened the door and was met by Maria’s fresh face.
“Hey Max,“ Maria chirped, but grew silent as she saw his expression. She immediately knew that something was wrong and without a word she pulled him into her arms.
“What happened?“ she asked softly.
“I-I don’t know,“ Max whispered.
Maria pulled out of the embrace and held him at arm’s length, looking him sternly in the eye. “What happened?“
Her heart ached as she gazed at his face. She had never seen him like that before. Completely devastated and forlorn.
“I kissed Liz.“

Under other circumstances, Maria would have been squealing and bouncing with joy, but the fact that he seemed on the verge of tears stopped her from doing anything remotely close to that.
“I take it that it didn’t turn out so well.“
Max closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head.
“Where is she?“
“She’s in my bedroom.“
“Let me talk to her,“ Maria offered.
“You really don’t ha-“
“Max,“ Maria put a hand against his cheek and forced him to look at her, “Let me help.“
He looked at her for a few seconds and then nodded. It couldn’t make it any worse, could it?

“Okay,“ he replied. Maria didn’t know if she should cry, be angry with the woman who had put that expression on his face, or just remain calm. She pulled him into another hug.
“Don’t worry, Max,“ she said, “We’ll fix this.“
She could feel him nod against her shoulder.
Maria pulled out of his tight grip and offered him a weak smile of comfort. “Wait here.“
Like a little boy at a supermarket who had lost his mother, he nodded.
Maria turned around and marched up to the bedroom door. She didn’t bother knocking and just ripped the door open.

Liz was sitting on the floor, packing her bag, her head jerking up at the sound of the door opening with fear on her face. When she saw that it was only Maria she relaxed a little.
“Going somewhere?“ Maria asked casually. She couldn’t hide the slight cold tone to her voice.
“I’m going back to New York,“ Liz answered quietly.
Maria took a good look at the woman in front of her and felt anger bubbling in her veins. Max had never even hurt a fly and no one was going to hurt him like she just had.
“Oh,“ Maria feigned surprise, “I thought you were going to stay here for a week.“
“Things change,“ Liz murmured, shifting a little.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?“ Maria asked with just a touch of venom in her voice.
Liz looked up at her with an unreadable expression. “No.“
“So, why the sudden urge to go back to New York?“
“I have work to do.“

“You couldn’t have realized that before you spent hours on a plane flying across the country?“ Maria asked incredulously.
“Why do I get the feeling that this is the third degree?“
Maria clenched her hand into a tight fist to control the anger building up at Liz’s nonchalant question.
“Do you know just how much you’ve hurt Max?“
Liz looked up at her, pain flashing over her face. Without answering, she stood up and moved over to the nightstand to gather some of her things.
“I trusted you,“ Maria ground out through gritted teeth.
Liz snorted, her back towards Maria. “Trusted me? You don’t even know me!“
“It’s the kind of trust you acquire from hearing someone else talk about you. From hearing Max talk about you I actually thought I could trust you as much as he obviously does,“ Maria said, “But I guess that’s difficult for you to understand. You’ve probably never trusted anyone.“
Liz’s position prevented Maria from seeing her pained expression.
“Max had only had nice things to say about you and I actually wanted you to be together.“

Liz swirled around. “Together?“ she asked incredulously. “We were just friends.“
“‘Were’? Are you just going to abandon him now? Do you know how crushed he is at the moment? I’ve never seen him like that. And I’m not gonna let you, or anyone else, make him feel that way. You don’t even know him, because if you did, you would never do this to him!“
“I didn’t do anything,“ Liz murmured.
“Then tell me what happened.“
“I have no obligation to tell you anything.“
“What?“ Maria snorted, “You don’t have an ‘obligation’? This is no business proposal, honey. We’re talking about the most selfless person in the world. And I might not know you, but I’m going to be the one to pick up the pieces of Max’s broken heart after you ditch him so I have the right to know just what the hell happened!!“
“This kind person you’re talking about tried to kiss me... did kiss me,“ Liz said angrily.

Maria shrugged her shoulders. “So? What’s the big deal? He only kissed you.“
“I didn’t want to,“ Liz replied hotly.
“Yeah, okay. But then you only had to tell him to back off, you didn’t have to completely give him the cold shoulder.“
“You don’t know what happened,“ Liz said quietly, moving to sit down by her bag again.
“No. No, I don’t. So why don’t you enlighten me?“
“I don’t want to talk about it.“
Maria stepped closer, using all her strength to control her anger. “Listen missy! You might be able to just bash your eyelashes at Max and wrap him around your little finger, but don’t think that you can brush me off that easily!“
Maria was too angry to notice Liz’s discomfort as she fearfully started to inch further away from the boiling Maria.
“You might be able to stomp all over everyone else’s hearts. But you leave Max alone!!“
“Maria!“

Maria turned her head towards the doorway to find Max looking at her sternly. “Stop it!“
“She should know just what-“
“No,“ Max interrupted adamantly. It had only taken him one look at Liz’s face to know that Maria was only words away from causing a disaster. “Leave her alone.“
“What? You’re defending her?!“
“I violated her personal space,“ Max said, ignoring the fact that it had actually been Liz who had kissed him, “so she has every right to feel this way.“
“No,“ Maria protested.
“Maria,“ Max looked at her pleadingly, “please...just let it go. If Liz wants to leave then she can leave.“
Maria wanted to scream at Liz for the pained expression on Max’s face during his last sentence. And she wasn’t too happy with Max for defending Liz either.
“Maria, just let me talk to her.“

Maria knew that she had lost the battle even before she looked into his eyes. It was such a rare occasion that Max actually told anyone to do anything that when he did there was no doubt about what she should do. Comply.
Maria swung her head into Liz’s direction. She knew that Max could take care of himself, but even if he seemed strong now she knew that he was breaking apart inside. And it was hurting Maria to the bones that he was breaking apart over someone he didn’t even know yet.
“But Max...“
She met his eyes and grew quiet. “Okay,“ she mumbled and left Max and Liz alone.

Liz wasn’t looking at him, but was instead very focused on organizing her bag as if she hadn’t even been in the same room as the steaming Maria just moments before.
“So, you’re going home again? Back to New York?“
“Yes,“ she answered shortly, “I don’t think it was the right choice to leave my father. He might suffer another heart failure.“
Max knew for a fact that her father was just as healthy as anyone without a heart problem, but he couldn’t really tell her that.
“Liz, I’m sorry I kissed you.“
She didn’t answer.
“It was wrong of me to take advantage of you like that.“ She had been immersed in a nightmare, probably still with her mind trapped in that dream state, but he had been overcome by his senses. He could’ve pulled back, but he hadn’t. Being the person he was, he couldn’t help but feel responsible for what had happened.

Her hands were shaking as she reorganized the pile of clothes in her bag. Now sorting them by color instead of type. She was unconsciously buying herself more time, but still avoided his eyes. Max stepped closer but stopped as she shifted uncomfortably.
“Liz, please talk to me. I- I...“ I don’t want to lose you. “I don’t want you to leave.“
“Max, I can’t stay,“ she mumbled, her vision blurring with tears.

She was confused. Her inner state of emotions had become bundled up into confusing and indecipherable codes. She didn’t have the ability to read them, never mind understand them. Simultaneously, she was at the mercy of those emotions. For each and every emotion inside of her there was a counterpart. She was afraid, but at the same time felt safe. She was nervous, but also calm. She felt that Max had broken an unwritten trust between them, but she also felt that she could trust him with her life. She wanted to go home to the safety of her apartment, go back to her ordinary life where she knew what to expect. But she also wanted to break free and experience life. She wanted to live.
She could feel him looking at her intensely but she couldn’t make herself look at him.
“Tell me what’s wrong.“

The statement was short and firm, but what made Liz look up at him was the determination in his voice. She looked into his eyes and she could feel her heart falling apart. His eyes were shimmering with unshed tears and he looked so lost. Nevertheless, his eyes now held a determination she hadn’t seen there before. It intimidated her.
“I can’t,“ she whispered, holding his gaze.
“Why?“
“Please, Max. Just leave me alone.“
“Tell me why.“
Liz could feel frustration about her loss of control over the situation bubble up inside of her.
“I don’t want to tell you.“
“You can’t just leave because of a kiss, Liz. We have to talk about it. You can’t just run away.“
“I told you this would happen,“ she whispered. He had to strain his hearing to hear what she said.
“What do you mean?“
“I told you I would hurt you.“

“Yes, you did tell me that. But I chose to stay and I think I deserve to know what’s going on.“
Liz felt the frustration burning and turning into anger. She slowly rose from her seated position and turned her head away from him.
“I never asked for you to be in my life, Max! I don’t owe you anything!“
“Do you really believe that?“ Max stared at her back. She couldn’t even face him as she talked.
“Liz...“ He stepped closer to her, his voice softening. “Something is terribly wrong...and I can’t let you go back to New York.“
Liz swirled around, her eyes boring into Max. “Let me? You can’t ‘let me’? I’m sorry, Max, but I haven’t asked you to make decision for me.“
“You don’t have to, I can see it in your eyes.“
Liz frowned, staring at him, and with a snort she said, “You don’t see me-“
“That’s because you don’t let me!“ His voice increased in intensity as he stepped closer to her.

“No, Max...“ It was as if she had put on a mask for a play. Her features smoothed out and her face became indifferent, impersonal and apathetic. “I don’t want to tell you anything.“
Max met her cold eyes, not letting himself be intimidated by the fact that the person before him was no longer Elizabeth Parker. “I don’t believe you.“
She sighed. It was a tired sigh of resignation. “Just leave me alone, Max. I’m telling you now - once and for all. I don’t need your help. I don’t want your help. And I want you to stop digging into my past. That’s my past and no one else’s. You have no right to use me as some sort of science project - investigating me! I was doing just fine before you came along-“
“You were about to be raped! Is that what you wanted?“
“Of course not!! And I will always be grateful to you for saving me, but right now I need to be alone and I can’t have you or your weird friends looking over my shoulder, studying every move I make. God! You make me feel like a freak!“

Max cringed at her words. That was what he had always hated being called himself - even though people hadn’t used that exact word. But he had heard enough of it when he was little and had been a bit of a prodigy. He would never wish that upon anyone else, to be looked upon as something abnormal. Not special, but a freak. He wondered if he had really made her feel like a freak. He didn’t realize that it wasn’t Liz talking to him right now. It was her defense system. Max was getting too close and he had to be pushed away to a safe distance.

“I want to talk about this...“ Max tried.
Liz raked her fingers through her hair, pulling the loose strands up into a bun at the crown of her head and then releasing them to fall back against her shoulders. The act was repeated three times before she answered.
“Sometimes talking isn’t enough.“
Max sighed in frustration. God, she was so stubborn! One part of him just wanted to get out of there and let her have her wish, but another part of him - the one in charge at the moment - was telling him to keep pushing her for answers and not to let her get her wish. Somehow he had the strangest feeling that if he let Liz have her way now and go back to New York, something terrible would happen. He shivered as his mind was assailed by some of the images from his premonition. Images where he held Liz’s still and lifeless form in his arms, blood trickling down her cheek and legs, her eyes hollow and empty.

“Then tell me what to do.“
“Simple; leave me alone.“
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.“
She sighed. “Well, I’m returning to New York.“
“Then I’m coming with you,“ he countered stubbornly.
“I don’t want you with me,“ Liz snapped.
“That’s not your choice. You won’t even know I’m there. I will not interfere with your life any longer, but you can’t stop me from watching over you.“
“It’s called stalking,“ Liz bit out.
“No, it’s called protection.“
“Don’t you hear a word of what I’m trying to tell you? I don’t need your protection, Max!“
Liz didn’t know what to think or feel. Her mind and heart were going into two different directions, ripping her apart. Her mind was coaxing her to return to the safe shelter behind the protective walls she had built up around her personality, while her heart was pleading with her to stay with Max. Pleading her to talk to him and confide in him. She felt like a rubber band being stretched close to the breaking point. She felt that at any moment she could break - separating her mind from her heart. And she feared that wouldn’t be too good. That would be the end of it.
Max look at her as the silence surrounded them.

She averted her eyes and took a step back, fiddling with her watch.
“Can’t you see that I only want to help you?“ Max asked quietly.
“I don’t want your help,“ she mumbled. Max started to slowly walk towards her. She raised her eyes and watched him come closer. That’s when the whispers began.
“Max?“
Max stopped at the sound of her small voice. There was something vastly different about it compared to the voice she had used a couple of minutes before. He could feel a thread pulling around his heart, cutting into the cardiac walls, as he saw her face crumble in fear.
“Liz?“
She closed her eyes, trying to block out the voices filling the room. She could feel herself get cold and her breath kept catching in her throat. It sounded as if she was choking, gasping for air.

Max hastily stepped up to her, and took a firm grip around her upper arms. “Liz, what’s wrong?“
She opened her eyes, took a hold of Max’s wrist, and tried to pry his hands from her.
“Liz...?“ He held on stronger, as she started wiggle in his arms. She whimpered, tears starting to cascade down her cheeks. She doubled over when a fierce, hot pain stabbed through her lower abdomen, and nearly knocked Max down.
“Liz, what’s wrong?“ He was frightened now. What was going on?
“Just kill me,“ she whispered.
“What?“ Not sure he had heard her correctly.
“Just do it.“ Her voice was strained and she was holding her arms around her stomach, still gasping for air.
Max could feel his heart slam against his ribs as he tried to get her to straighten up again. “I’m not gonna kill you.“

“Get it over with.“ It was as if he wasn’t even there. As if it wasn’t really him she was talking to, but some invisible ghost.
“You’ve taken everything from me. I don’t wanna live.“
“What are you talking about, Liz?!“
He could feel her legs giving out under her as she sagged against him.
“No… Liz?!“
“Kill me.“ Her voice was hollow and indifferent. No emotions attached.
“What’s going on?“
The outside voice somehow changed everything. Liz stilled in his arms and she stopped gasping for air. Instead she was overtaken by powerful sobs.
“Max? What’s happening? What’s wrong?“
Max didn’t even turn around to look at Maria.
“Liz?“

“They took my baby. They killed my baby.“
He felt his throat tightening, and suddenly it was he who was having difficulties breathing. “Who did, Liz?“
“I don’t know. I don’t know.“
Was that the reason to everything? Her baby had been taken from her, and she had repressed it so much that it had become dangerous. Now it was spilling over, everything at once, and it was too much for her. But as Max lifted Liz up and placed her on the edge of the bed, kneeling between her knees and pushing aside her damp hair to look into her shimmering eyes, he deeply doubted that that was the real reason.
“Is she okay?“ He could hear Maria walk up behind him. He stroked a couple of loose strands of Liz’s hair away, which had become plastered to her face by her tears.

“I don’t know.“ His heart cried as he let the words float over his lips. He felt more helpless than ever before and it was killing him.
She looked up into his eyes and Max gasped at the intensity of the misery he saw within her.
“Liz?“ He could feel tears stinging his own eyes. “Please talk to me.“
“Max?“
“Yes, it’s me,“ he said softly.
“Please promise me something,“ Liz whispered.
Max eyes searched her face. “Anything.“
“Promise me that you will never leave me,“ Liz said.
“I won’t,“ he said, his hand pushing away another one of the damp strands of hair from her forehead.
“No, Max.“ Liz took a hold of his hand and moved it away from her face, cradling it between both of hers. “Promise me, Max.“

He tore his eyes away from her fearful ones for the fraction of a second it took to look at their entwined hands.
“Please, promise me.“ Her voice was more desperate now and he looked up to meet her eyes again.
“I promise with all my heart,“ he said softly, but firmly.
That was it for Liz. The last barriers she had fought so hard to hold up broke, and she started sobbing uncontrollably, leaning forward to lean her forehead against his chest. He put his arms around her and pulled her towards him. She sank into him, sliding off the bed and collapsing in his arms on the floor.

Maria looked at the couple, crestfallen. What the hell had just happened?


TBC...

Hi all!

Stephanie Thank you so much!!

Lelle Hej! About Maria. She kind of went into a protect-Max-at-all-costs rant... , so she didn’t really read all the subtle messages Liz was sending out to her. Only Max does that... You wrote; “Why does Liz say that Max kissed her, when it was like Max thought, the other way around?” Well, Liz doesn’t really remember anything... So when she kissed Max, she was still half-dreaming and not really conscious of what she was doing. You had a lot of other questions as well , but I can’t really answer them yet... But the answers will come...

frenchkiss70 Salut! You wrote; “What happened to her, was she in a transe or something. Who was she asking to kill her. Who took her baby, was it in this life?” Well, she was sort of dreaming... so she wasn’t really conscious (just semi-conscious ) The other questions...will have to wait ... But maybe...just maybe, she's soon ready to talk to Max...

Lynn Hoi! You wrote; "Will he tell her that she had been the one who had in actuality kissed him? For he takes all the blame, willingly let her accuse him, but it hadn’t been his fault at all. Okay, so maybe a tiny-winy-itchy-bitsy part of him had wanted to kiss her. Just a tiny little small part. Given is, that Liz nearly forced herself on him, like any other girl would have done in the same position… ” Hehe, I guess you’re right. If Max suddenly decided to kiss me...umm... I wouldn’t quite do as Liz did – pull away. Nooo... About the kiss. Liz doesn’t really remember that it was her that kissed Max. She was barely conscious at the time, and when she came to (maybe kissing Max sobered her up ), she found herself kissing a man she had just met...um...two weeks ago... But anyway...” Hmm… You’re making it really hard for me to chose someone’s side. Usually, I favor Liz in her fights. This time, though, Max is so hurt, and Liz is being so ungrateful. Her reaction is realistic, for I know that I easily get angry when I’m frustrated, confused or down. Like I said, this chapter has made me kinda confused myself…” Yes, Liz might appear a little ungrateful. But she’s really focused on pushing Max away, because she can feel that he’s demolishing her walls one after the other. And she’s afraid of what will happen when they are all gone... If you have lived that way your whole life, to show yourself vulnerable and exposed is pretty scary (it’s pretty scary if you don’t have any major walls...) “I really hope that she and Liz will learn to trust each other, so Maria’s trust won’t have to thrive on her trust in Max’s trust in Liz (:D this is getting confusing…) and will trust her for her, love her for her, and the other way around.” Now, that was confusing! But I got your point!

Gigo Hey! You wrote; “Actually, you know who Maria kind of reminds me of? Kyle in Stacey's (Cookieman1234's) "Finding Yourself". He was the same way with Liz, being all protective of her and stuff... If you haven't read it, you should.” The title sounds familiar, I’ll have to check that one out! Thanx for editing!!!!

Lilac Stardust Thank you so much!!

roswelluver Thank you!!

Phi Hey! You wrote; “Maria really flew off the handle but I think it was kind of sweet, it always annoyed me that more people didn't stick up for Max on the show.” Yeah, I know. It annoyed me too. It was always Max’s business to clear everything up, and when something did go wrong it was more or less his fault... But it was probably like that just because Max took a lot of it on his own shoulders too.

LizzieEvans Hey! You wrote; “That was a great part. I can't believe a kiss caused all that.” Yes, a kiss caused all that... But that’s probably not due to only the kiss, but what the kiss...means . Okay, I’m getting psychological again “So was it really Liz that asked him that he never leave her?” Well, since you all seem to believe that Liz was channeling some past experiences (whatever gave you that impression ...hmmmm...), I can understand that you are a little confused to if it was This Liz, or the Confused Liz ( ) that asked that question. It was Liz. Our Liz. This Liz. Yep... She’s starting to trust Max...and evidently wants him around

Liz Thank you!!!

marteloise Salut! You wrote; “the "kill me" statement is really intriging me ... it linked with the nightmare she had in chapter 7, didn't it?? she kind of relived it again ...” Girl, you have this story under control!! Since you are being so smart I’m gonna give you some more information... Yes, it is linked with the nightmare in ch 7. Everything is actually. It’s the same nightmare, but it manifests itself differently. It’s coming back in different shapes and forms... Obviously something Liz should be dealing with, so that she would stop having those nightmares...but it’s difficult when she has a tendency to forget the whole nightmare the second she wakes up... “is it because she is more and more close to max that she had those nightmares???” You are soooo close to figuring out my whole fic ! Oops, so now I’m not saying anything else...

chinablueeyes Hey! You wrote; “I have to say 'yea' to Maria for going off to Liz. She was only trying to protect Max, and didn't know Liz's condition. But maybe she can help be there for Liz.” That’s what I’m planning.... for Maria to be there for Liz too. They just have to get over their differences...

Cassandra Hey! You wrote; ”anyway i really liked the way maria is so protective of max but everyone is so confused liz is confused max is confused maria confused ” Yes, eveyone is confused. Maybe I should rename myself Master of Confusion ...

LeighAnn Ciao! You wrote; “I can't live without this fic!!!!!” Hehe... I hope you’re still alive, because here I come with a new chapter

BehrObsession Hey! Nice to see you here too!! Welcome!! Thank you so much for the feedback!!


And THANK YOU all of you guys who keep bumping! Especially with the new bumping policy I feel even more honored every time I receive a bump from you!!!


So, on with the chapter....




Chapter 26


“Where are we going?“
“I want you to show you something,“ Max answered with a large grin on his face.
Liz looked up at the large sign with neon blinking letters, spelling The CrashDown. She stumbled after him, her hand tightly gripping his, and came to a halt when she saw the people on the other side of the window. Max stopped as he noticed she wasn’t moving.
“Hey, you okay?“ he asked, looking back at her.
“Do we really have to do this?“
“I want to show you,“ Max said with a wobbly smile.
“Maria’s in there,“ Liz whispered.
Max turned around to face her fully, and in a soft reassuring voice said, “Then we’ll just have to talk to her.“

“She doesn’t like me.“
Insecurity was radiating off of her like a beacon in the dark.
“No,“ Max shook his head, “she doesn’t know you. It doesn’t help to run away.“
Max had begun to understand how Liz was dealing with obstacles and adversities. By avoiding facing them, choosing instead to run away and hide.
“I just don’t feel comfortable doing this,“ Liz mumbled, her eyes pleading with him not to force her to go into that restaurant.
“Liz, Maria’s my best friend. She has one of the biggest hearts of all the people I know. If there’s someone who would forgive you, it’s her. She’s always there, and that was what happened yesterday. She couldn’t bear seeing her best friend hurt, so she attacked you. That might not be right, but her intentions were good. Believe me, Liz. You have nothing to be afraid of when it comes to Maria. Once you earn her trust, she’s behind you one hundred percent...well, until you break that trust.“

Liz smiled weakly. “It must be great to have a friend like that.“
“It is,“ Max said softly, “So, are you ready?“
She knew she had to do this. She had to start turning her life around. She had to meet new people and let them into her life. She took a deep breath and nodded. Max gave her a proud smile and took her hand again.
“Then let’s go.“ He pushed the swinging doors open and stepped inside the busy restaurant. Liz stopped, looking around her in amazement. Little green men with big black eyes, and small smiling mouths were painted on the walls. The waitresses wore turquoise Star Trek uniforms, and antennae bounced on their heads. Along the walls were booths, which also carried a turquoise décor. There were alien straws, alien cups, cakes formed into alien heads, alien stickers, alien postcards, the ceiling lamps were formed into flying saucers...

“Oh my God,“ Liz breathed in amazement. She had never seen anything like it before. It wasn’t just that the alien themes were very elaborate, but rather the small town feeling that was penetrating everything in the restaurant. People were talking and laughing around her, and the atmosphere was so friendly and relaxed. So normal. So safe.
“It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?“ Max whispered in his ear. Liz felt tingles spread in the skin of her neck, down through her body, and to her toes as she felt his warm breathe against her ear.
“Uh huh,“ Liz nodded.
“Max! Over here.“
She turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice. Maria, whom she had already partly forgotten about, was seated in one of the booths with Isabel and Michael. She felt Max tug on her hand, and she could feel his eyes caressing her face. Without meeting his eyes, she knew that he was asking her if she was ready to face Maria. She gave him her answer by walking towards the booth.

“Liz, hey!“ Isabel said, her whole face brightening. “I heard a rumor that you had joined the unsophisticated community of Roswell.“
Liz smiled, genuinely happy to see Isabel again. “Yeah, I needed a change of atmosphere.“
“That I have no problem understanding,“ Isabel smiled, “But why in the name of God did you pick Roswell?“
“It was where Max was going,“ Liz said, and didn’t realize what she had said until she saw Isabel’s eyes widen in surprise, and Maria and Michael staring at her. She could feel her cheeks going red under their gazes. “I-I mean-“
“We understand you perfectly,“ Maria said warmly, “I would follow Max too. Didn’t you do that, Isabel?“
“What?“ Isabel asked, looking between Liz and Max.
“Go after Max?“
“God Maria, he’s my brother!“

“No kidding,“ Maria said sarcastically, “I mean - to New York. Wow, am I the only one with a brain here?“
“So, guys,“ Max said, feeling Liz’s discomfort and quickly wanting to change the subject. “What are you up to today?“
“Weeeell,“ Maria said, “I was thinking I would pay a visit to the theater - after I’ve gotten my manicure of the day. Then I will probably go shopping in our exclusive mall, and then...hmm... dinner at an expensive restaurant... Or I’m just gonna hang out here.“
Max chuckled, pulling Liz down beside him on the booth. “I can see that your love for Roswell hasn’t dwindled.“
“Liz…you are so lucky to live in New York,“ Maria said, turning to Liz, “That’s where everything happens. Nothing happens here!“

Michael shrugged his shoulders. “Then leave.“
Maria glared at him, and Liz giggled. Max was relieved to find Liz relax beside him.
“You wanna take Liz sightseeing?“ Isabel asked.
“That shouldn’t take long,“ Maria said in a joking tone.
“I would love to see Roswell,“ Liz said.
“Really?“ Maria scrunched her nose. “Well, if that’s what you want. Just remember I warned you about the high level of boredom that sightseeing might be connected with.“
“I think I can handle it,“ Liz said, “It would be nice with a little boredom for once, since I have such an interesting life in New York - which can get a little hectic.“
“Haha,“ Maria said, feigning hurt. “Don’t look down on the small people.“
Liz smiled, thinking that dealing with problems didn’t seem so difficult after all.

<center>----------------------------</center>

She was startled out of sleep by the doorknob turning. She blinked, trying to get her eyes accustomed to the dark. The door slowly opened, creaking with the movement. She swallowed and tried to keep her eyes open. She was just so tired. Through her foggy vision she saw the contours of a person standing in the doorway. She put down her hands in the mattress and pushed herself up in a sitting position, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. The person stepped further into the room, letting the moonlight seize their contours and expose the disfiguring shadows. She gasped and her hand flew up to her mouth.

“Mom?“
Her eyes widened in horrified terror as her ‘mother’ stepped farther into the room. The right side of the figure’s head was flatter than the left one, darker. As it took another step the realization hit her like a slap in her face. It was blood. The right side of her face was covered in blood, smeared into her auburn hair. Liz slowly pulled herself up against the headboard away from the person, her heart dying with fear.
“No… you’re not mom.“ It was a desperate effort to convince herself that the person with the cold, indifferent, staring, dead eyes wasn’t the one who had given her lollipops when she was little.

“No,“ she whispered brokenly as the person moved closer to the bed, dragging her legs along the floor, making a dull shuffling sound. Against her will, Liz’s eyes fell on the figure’s right arm, which hung unnaturally against their body and beat limply against their side.
“Please don’t,“ Liz pleaded, as the person got closer and closer to the bed. It raised a hand towards her, the long fingers thin and soiled. Liz started shaking her head, unintelligible words and sounds spilling over her lips.



She bolted upwards with a sharp intake of air, her eyes frantically scanning her surroundings. But she was alone. The room was empty and quiet with the moon safely shining down. Her whole body was trembling, the tears still wet on her cheeks. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest. She looked around the room again, somehow trying to assure herself that it had only been a dream. She took some deep breaths and then laid down. She closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep. A clock was ticking in the adjoining room, the air condition was lightly buzzing in the kitchen, the refrigerator clicked on, a cat meowed somewhere outside the window, a leaf was brushing against her window.

She sat up and threw her legs over the edge of the bed. She couldn’t go back to sleep. Her heart was slamming in her chest as if it were trying to break free and every time she closed her eyes she saw her mother, bloody and dead, walking towards her. She shivered and gasped at the sensation of the cold floor against her feet. She quietly made her way across the floor, and slowly pressed down on the doorknob. Almost expecting to see someone standing on the other side, waiting for her, she felt dizzy as she slowly opened the door. But there was no one there. The living room was as quiet as her room. She hastily glanced over at the sofa, where Max was sleeping. He was lying on his stomach, his covers almost completely on the floor.

She just stood there, looking at him for almost four minutes. Trying to convince herself that she was not alone, that Max wouldn’t let anything happen to her. But he couldn’t protect her from herself. He couldn’t protect her from her own mind.

She closed her eyes, shaking her head as if mentally trying to shake the image of the night’s visitor out of her memory, and turned towards the kitchen. She quietly opened one of the cabinets and retrieved a glass.
“Liz?“
The glass slipped out of Liz’s hand and plummeted through the air, reaching the hard floor with a shatter, disintegrating into millions of pieces over the floor.
“Oh god, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,“ Liz mumbled, getting down on her knees and starting to gather the sharp pieces together, not noticing as they cut into her soft flesh.
“I-I didn’t mean to scare you,“ Max stuttered, still groggy from sleep. He walked up to her, careful not to put his feet over any pieces of glass and turned on the fluorescent lamp over the kitchen sink. “Liz, get up, you shouldn’t do that with your hands.“

“I’m sorry, I’m so clumsy, I didn’t-“
Max put his hands around her wrists and pulled her up. Her bloody hands gleamed in the strong light. “God Liz, you’re bleeding,“ Max mumbled. He looked into her eyes and noticed that she was crying, her whole body shaking with sobs.
“Shhh, Liz. It’s okay,“ he said, a little puzzled. “It’s only a glass. I have lots of them, you know.“
She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to-“
“We have to take care of your hands,“ Max interrupted. “Come here. Watch out for the shards, they could be anywhere.“
He carefully led her out of the kitchen and over to the armchair, gently forcing her to sit down. That’s when he noticed that her knees were bleeding too, and there were some pieces of glass embedded in her skin.

“God Liz,“ he half mumbled, half cried. “You’ve hurt yourself.“
“I’m sorr-“
He met her eyes in the humble lightning. “Stop apologizing. You hear me? I startled you, okay? And it’s just a glass. It can be replaced. You can’t.“
She sobbed, nodding. Max rose, and said, “Let me get some alcohol to clean the cuts with.“
“Max?“
He stopped and turned towards her. “Yes?“
“I wanna talk now.“
He took one step closer to her, looking at her with slight confusion written over his face.
“I wanna talk about my mother.“



TBC...

Hi everyone! So, I’m back with an update, and I hope that you still remember what happened in the previous chapter because I more or less just ended it in the middle of everything (don’t I always ). Well, to refresh your memory, here’s one very brief recap. Liz had one horrible nightmare, and unable to go back to sleep, she went out in the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. Max wakes up by sounds coming from the kitchen, and as he goes to the kitchen to make sure that everything is okay he startles Liz, and she drops the glass. Glass breaks. Liz cut herself. Max tries to help. Well, you get the picture. Anyhooo, in her shaken condition, Liz get fed up with the nightmares controlling her life, and she realizes that she wants to tell Max about herself, and her past (at least one part, although a big one). And this is where we are right now...


rossieaddicted Hi! Nice to have you back! Yeah, the story is still a bit confusing, isn’t it? Well, I see that you have accepted your destiny... The things will become clear to you as the story unfolds...


marteloise More information on Liz’s mysterious background coming up...


Liz

Lporter wrote: Please update soon Josephin, you talk about me being a cliffhanger person....but look at yours!

Hehe.. I guess you’re right... We’re just as bad, both of us


BehrObsession

BehrObsession wrote: I hope dealing with the horrors she's been through will end the nightmares for Liz. Maybe, it will bring her & Max closer together too.

Well...maybe. It will at least take away some of her burdens, but I think you’ve gotten used to how I do things by now, and then you know that nothing is ever simple...


Lilac Stardust Finally, you’ll find out what happened to Liz’s mom... Well, at least some parts


Lelle

Lelle wrote: I thought it was great of Max to "lirka med" Liz to the Crashdown, and I liked the way Maria seemd to like Liz alot more now even offered a grand tour of Roswell. And that comment about going where Max was going :sigh: It was one of those Freudiansk felsägning (don't know what it's called in english). You know where you actually speaks the truth and what you are really thinking. Very cute!

Yep, I also studied psychology, which you probably have noticed that I use a lot. I love the Freudian slips, they are what makes conversations interesting. Seeing what people are really saying ...

Lelle wrote: Then wham, another one of those horrible nightmares. Is it just me, or are the getting worse. I hope it's just me.

Ahem... No, I guess it’s not just you...they are getting worse. Hmmm.. *Josephin taps her finger against her chin* I wonder what...or should I say who... caused that sudden explosion of horrifying dreams... Okay, I just gave you a major clue there...


Stephanie Yes, some questions about Liz’s past will be answered in this part...


chinablueeeyes

chinablueeyes wrote: Max needs to drop what hels doing after cleaning Liz's wounds up and jsut listen to her!! No interruptions!!!

Don’t worry.. Liz will have Max’s fullest attention...


roswelluver Yeah, finally Liz is ready to open up somewhat to Max and talk to him... This is a big step for her...


Phi

Phi wrote: At last, she wants to talk!!! And it only took a nightmare, a broken glass and one very sweet Mr Max Evans

Hehe...yeah

Phi wrote: I liked how Maria and Liz are so different but can get along so well. All Liz wants is the safety and normality of a small town. All Maria wants is the adventure and the danger of New York.

Precisely!


LizzieEvans

Katie wrote: I wonder what happened to her mother. It seems as though maybe she was their when whatever caused her mother to die happened. I'm happy she is ready to talk to Max about everything. She needs to get it all out otherwise she will never be able to move on.

And right you are! More informaton on what actually happened to Liz’s mother is to follow


Elizabeth Hi! Do you remember that you recommended that I should read “Finding Yourself”? Well, I’m approximately at chapter 98 now, and I can barely put it down. I almost missed my stop when traveling by train today because I was so immersed in the story. Thank you for the recommendation! It’s really a great fic!!

Elizabeth wrote: I got the impression that her mother was killed in some violent way, what with the bloody face and broken arm.

Yeah... It was a pretty horrible way to die...


Lynn Hiya! Thank you so much for all the bumps! They mean tons!! You remember that you promised to leave feedback for the previous chapter too in this one right ? Just kidding... You really don’t have to if you don’t feel up to it


HBGO Hmm... I was wondering... Does “HBGO” mean something, or are they just randomly picked letters? Sorry, I’m just curious... Anyway, you won’t have to live with the suspense any longer though (not for now at least )... The continuation is here...


frenchkiss70

frenchkiss70 wrote: I'm glad Liz finally relaxed with the gang and was able to face them and enjoy herself.

Yes, maybe she will eventually find the friends that has been missing during her whole life because she has lived so sheltered behind her walls...


Cassandra

Cassandra wrote: please let liz open up you can never know with you youre such a teaser

No, you never know with me, do you? But for once I’m going to give you some information about Liz’s past.... And even though I don’t really spell it out, I think you can more or less read between the lines and understand what exactly happened to Liz’s mom...


mareli Thank you!


LeighAnn Thank you!


Bumping people... THANK YOU!!




Chapter 27

Liz accepted the glass of water Max handed her. “Thank you.“
“You cold?“
She shook her head. “No…“
“Okay.“ Max sat down beside her on the couch, waiting for her to start talking. She snuffled, and wiped the lingering tears of her cheeks.
“Mmm... I don’t remember everything,“ Liz started.
Max nodded in silent understanding and she took a deep breath. She had never talked to anyone about this before. Not even her father.
“I remember my mom coming home from work while I was playing the piano. It was no different from any other day. I was usually playing the piano when they came home from work. My dad was already at home. I think he had the day off. He was cooking. He was never any good at that,“ Liz smiled sadly, “and after everything happened it took a while before he started cook again...to cook because he wanted to, and not because he had to.“

Liz closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her heart was hammering against her ribs. She knew that she needed to get this out but she was so afraid. Afraid to be rejected and to return to the deadly darkness she had momentarily visited after the accident.
“After dinner mom went outside. She was going somewhere...“ Liz shook her head in frustration, her hand against her forehead. “I just can’t remember where she was going.“
She felt Max hand close over hers and tried to gather strength from the knowledge that he was there.
“I just wanted to tell...wanted to tell her that…“ she started sobbing, preventing her voice from breaking through. “I’m sor...sorry.“
She heard Max shifting in his seat, moving closer to her. She heard him mumble words of reassurance, and his hand brushed her tears away.
“And that I loved her. I...I… I wanted her to know that I loved her…and then I killed her.“ She didn’t realize that she was crying or that Max arms had moved to cradle her to his chest. All she was aware of were the whispers in her head. Whispers of her betrayal. Of her murder.
“How did you kill her?“ Max whispered. She could hear the anguish and sorrow in his voice and realized that he was crying too. She clutched him closer to her, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

“There was a bus...“ Her voice was muffled in his shirt, but he heard her. He heard her every word with a piercing intensity. “I...I called for her, and she stopped...in the middle...in the middle of the...the...street.“
“Oh my God,“ Max whispered, mostly to himself, when he realized what had happened.
“I told her that I lo…loved her, and she smiled...and she...“ her voice cracked and she had to struggle to get the next part out. She was going to tell him everything. It was too late to stop. “She smiled…and I think she was about...to tell me that she...she...loved me...too. But then the bus... Oh my God!“ She started sobbing uncontrollably against Max’s shoulder and he cradled her close, trying to offer her as much comfort as he could. “I killed her. I killed her.“
“No, Liz. It was an accident. It was an accident.“
“If I hadn’t called her...“
“Then we don’t know what would happen...Liz, you can’t bury yourself in what ifs. You did not kill your mother.“
“Yes I...“

Max pulled her out of his arms and looked into her red, swollen eyes. “It wasn’t your fault.“
She wanted to believe him, she really did. But the guilt had been a part of her for nineteen years and it wouldn’t disappear that easily.
“Liz, you didn’t want your mother to die.“
Her face crumbled and she shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. “You just wanted her to know that you loved her. Liz, you didn’t do anything wrong.“
“Then why is she dead?“
“I wish I could answer that, but I can’t. I don’t know.“
She knew that he couldn’t give her that answer more than she could. But she needed an answer, and the answer that she had turned to over the years was that it was her fault. That she was to blame. Nothing just happened. And her mother’s death was her fault. A mental image of the nightly visit of her dead mother appeared in her mind, and she shivered.
“Could you...could you stay with me tonight?“

“You mean…?“
“I don’t want to be alone.“
“Sure,“ Max said softly and took her hand. She trailed after him, her free hand wiping the tears from her face. As soon as they stepped over the threshold to the bedroom she started tremble. Max turned and looked at her.
“Liz?“
She stepped closer to him, refusing to let go of his hand.
“It’s okay,“ she said and Max got the feeling that she was trying to convince herself more than him. He started to release her hand but she was still gripping it tightly He tried to capture her eyes but they were focused intently on the bed. Max nodded to himself.
“You should get some sleep.“
She sobbed and nodded. Max motioned for her to lie down, and without letting go of her hand he crawled up behind her.
“Could you hold me?“ He felt tears sting his eyes at the desolation he heard in her voice. He put his arms around her and spooned his body against hers. He felt her placing her hands over his and felt trembles go through her body from tearing sobs.

-----------------------------------

Liz moved her hand over the warm surface, feeling it moving slightly under her palm. She yawned and snuggled closer to the warm body. She felt a hand move into her hair and a smile spread over her face.
“Good morning.“ The soft voice drifted trough the mists of sleep and she slowly opened her eyes. She found herself lying with her head on Max’s chest. She would’ve thought that she would freak out if she found herself in bed with someone, but she didn’t feel that way. Not at all. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so good when she woke up. And it was not only because she was with Max. It was also because she had told him, told someone about something that had been buried deep inside of her for the longest time. Weighing her down. Now some part of that weight had been removed. Like a bad cell growth had been removed, leaving room for positive growth. She looked up and found him looking at her.
“Hey,“ she answered.
“How are you feeling?“
“Better,“ she said softly.
“You wanna have some breakfast?“
Liz smiled softly. “That sounds great.“

Max smiled softly and started to move from underneath her to get out of bed when Liz stopped his movements by wrapping her fingers around his wrist.
“Wait...could we...“
“What?“ Max asked as her voice trailed off.
“Could we just stay here for a while?“
Max looked into those big irresistible chocolate eyes and nodded. He laid back down again and Liz snuggled up to him.

Max tentatively moved his hand into her soft hair, letting it drift through his fingers as he repeatedly threaded his hand through the dark mass. He could not deny the churning feeling in his stomach, or the tingling in his skin as he felt her press up against him. He couldn’t deny that he was feeling things. That he had feelings for her. He still hadn’t forgotten the brief kiss they had shared. The very brief kiss. He would probably never forget it. If he died in the next second, that would probably be the last thing he thought about. He had to be honest with himself. There was nothing he wanted more than to feel her soft lips on his again. He had never kissed a girl before but if he had known that it felt so good he would have done it earlier. But somehow he doubted that it would have felt as great if it hadn’t been with Liz.

The problem was that he didn’t want to push her away. She had not reacted in the best possible way when they had kissed the first time. She didn’t even seem to like it. She was terrified. But something about it was off. He wanted to believe that it was her demons that had freaked her out, but that little nagging voice inside his head was only working to fuel his insecurities, and it was doing a good job...

“Max?“
Her voice broke him out of his reverie and he looked down at her as she propped her chin up on her hand to look at him.
“Yes?“
“How long have you known Maria...and the others?“
“My whole life....“ Max began, but then stopped himself. “No, that’s not true.“
Liz raised her eyebrows in confusion. “No?“
“Um…since I was six.“
“Oh, okay,“ Liz said, briefly confused about his guilty expression. She shifted a little, her bare feet coming into contact with Max. They both mentally gasped at the contact, but they were both very efficient at shielding their reactions.
Liz smiled timidly and said, “It seems like there is something else going on with that...“
Max crooked his head to the side. “Really? And Miss Never-reveal-too-much-information-about-herself thinks I should talk more about that?“

Liz rolled her eyes. “Well, I did give you some information yesterday, didn’t I?“
“Yes, you did,“ Max said, growing serious, “And I’m very proud of you for that.“
Liz ducked her head, a faint blush grazing her features. Max couldn’t help but smile.
“Don’t try to change the subject,“ she said, meeting his eyes.
“I’m not,“ Max said innocently.
“Ahh... well, it’s probably nothing then. It just feels like you wanted to tell me more about your childhood.“
Max diverted his eyes, the smile disappearing from his lips. Liz could feel his body tense against hers.
“You wanna talk about it?“ Liz asked.
“There’s nothing to talk about,“ Max said evasively. Liz scanned his face and put her head back down against his chest.
“Then we don’t need to talk about it,“ she answered.

Max stared up at the ceiling. Why couldn’t he tell her that? It wasn’t dangerous to tell her that he couldn’t remember anything before the age of six, right? That Isabel couldn’t remember anything from then either. That they were found in the middle of the desert in the dead of night and completely naked. That they couldn’t talk, couldn’t use the bathroom, couldn’t feel or smell. He could tell her all of that without revealing that he was Not Of This Earth, but he didn’t want her to see him as some kind of freak. What would she think of him if he told her all that? Maria hadn’t thought it was such a big deal, but she had always lived in Roswell. Everyone in Roswell knew about how the Evans had found Max and Isabel wandering in the desert.
“What are you thinking about?“

Once again her voice brought him out of his stumbling thoughts.
“Nothing,“ he answered.
“Mhm...“ Her voice was disbelieving. “Tell me something about yourself, Max.“
Max looked down at the crown of her head. She was looking at the wall, unconsciously moving her fingers over his T-shirt. She clearly had no idea what her innocent movements were doing to him.
“What do you want to know?“
“Anything. I hardly know anything about you,“ Liz said, “Let me see. What do I know about Max Evans? Well, you have a sister named Isabel. You were born and raised in Roswell, New Mexico. You work at a UFO center. You’ve been to Florida once. Your best friends are Maria and Michael. Hmm...Well, that was about it.“

“Things I know about Liz Parker,“ Max countered teasingly, “Lives in New York. Has never been anywhere else. Works as an architect. Hates the rain. Best friend...hmm...Alex, right?“
“Yes... maybe,“ Liz said, moving to look up at him again.
“I’d say I don’t know so much about you either,“ Max said.
“How about we change that,“ Liz suggested.
“I’d love that,“ Max said honestly.
“Then it’s decided then,“ Liz said, “Today is the official ‘Get-to-know-each-other’ day.“
“Aha, that day,“ Max said smugly.
Liz pushed herself up in sitting position. “Yes.“ Max looked up at her. Her long hair billowed around her face as she hovered over him. He could get used to that view.
“So, come on,“ Liz ordered.
“What?“ Max asked, distracted by how her tongue darted out between her lips and wetted them.
Liz rolled her eyes and took a hold of his hand, pulling him up. “I think that you just promised me breakfast a couple of minutes ago.“
“I can’t deny that,“ Max said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.



TBC...

___________________________

Okay, people... Things are getting a little bit brighter in the consecutive chapters . I'm putting the angst on a hold, and maybe...just maybe...things will start to heat up between a certain lead couple

Hi guys! Ahem... Just so you know, I'm not really here. I was just to burn a CD for my mother for mother's day and then I noticed that my wonderful beta-reader had sent me some chapters. Yay! So I just had to post. ::Josephin's looking around suspiciously:: So, if anyone asks, I'm in my room studying. Okay? Good.

Okay, this chapter is a short one (at least by my standards... ). Unfortunately/fortunately (it is all a question of perspective, isn’t it), the following parts will be a bit longer because I couldn’t cut them anywhere. But I’m sure you’ll manage


Thank you all for the great words and the bumps!!

mareli

BehrObsession

Phi

frenchkiss70

Elizabeth

Liz

roswelluver

Lynn

Lelle

rossieaddicted

Lorena

Katie



Chapter 28

Liz took Max’s hand and gave a short squeal of excitement. Max could do nothing but stumble after her helplessly. “What?“ he laughed.
“Please, please. Can we...?“ Max’s eyes left Liz’s excited face and followed her pointing index finger to the swing set located at the far end of the big park where they were walking. His eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Oh, please,“ Liz begged, pouting her lips.
“I really think we should get back to the CrashDown now,“ Max teased.
Liz bashed her eyelashes. “Please? Pretty, pretty, please with cherries on top?“
Max gave up. Why did he even try? If he couldn’t resist her when she was not pouting those red lips, and he sure as hell could not resist her now.
“Fine,“ he said, trying to seem frustrated.
“Yay,“ Liz said and jumped up and down with excitement.
“God, you’re acting like you’ve never seen swings before,“ Max said as he was dragged over to the swing set.

“I think they are fun, okay? Just humor me, Max!“
Liz sat down on one of the swings and set the small rectangular wooden seat in motion by pushing away with her feet. Max sat down on the seat beside her and found it much more entertaining to just watch Liz gliding through the air, her long hair blowing around her face than to join her in swinging. He could just watch her forever. Her face was rosy with exhilaration and she looked happy. Happier than he had ever seen her. She wore her hair down today. He knew that it meant something. For the short time he had known her, she had always kept her hair up. He had to admit that he liked it better when it was hanging free, framing her face.
“So, tell me something,“ Liz said while at the peak of the swing’s arc.
Max followed her descent with his eyes, and watched her come back and up again.

“Well, my favorite color is blue.“
“No, Max! That’s something kids would tell each other in third grade!“
“Are you making fun of me?“ Max said, feigning hurt.
“Well, you deserve it,“ Liz giggled.
Max chuckled. “I deserve to be made fun of?“
Liz nodded her head firmly as she glided past him. “Yes.“
“Okay, let’s play a game,“ Max suggested.
“What?“
“If I tell you something, you have to tell me something in return-“
“Well, that won’t be a problem,“ Liz interrupted.
“-within the same area,“ Max continued.

Liz stopped swinging her legs and Max could tell by her stance that for some reason that affected her.
“What do you mean?“ she asked.
“Simple,“ Max said, keeping his tone light, “If I tell you something about my family, you have to tell me something about yours.“
“Hmm…I’m not really sure I like this,“ Liz said.
“Why not?“
“Because it’s blackmail.“
“Oh, come on! It’s not,“ Max said with a smile.
“I don’t know,“ Liz said, no longer pushing herself higher on her swing.
“Liz...we were to get to know each other. I won’t pressure you for information. I just thought it would be fun.“

Liz turned her head and looked at Max, seeing the honesty and hope shining in his eyes.
“Okay,“ she sighed. “But you start.“
“Right,“ Max said, starting to push his feet into the ground to get his swing moving at the same pace as Liz’s. “When I was little I had a pet but everyone made fun of me for it because they didn’t consider it to be a pet.“
“What was it?“ Liz asked.
“A worm,“ Max answered.
“Really?“ Liz giggled, scrunching her nose.
“Oh no, don’t you start too! I actually saved it from being eaten by a pigeon.“
Liz couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, that’s noble,“ she got out between fits of laughter.
“I named it Mark.“

That was too much for Liz. She started to laugh so violently that her swing started to shake.
“You’d better be careful or you’ll fall off,“ Max said, feeling warmth spreading through his heart as her laughter filled the air.
“You named him Mark?“
“Yes,“ Max sighed, “He was my best friend.“
That sent Liz into another fit of laughter. “I’m sorry, Max.“ She dried her tears with one of her hands, her arm hooked around the rope holding up the swing so that she wouldn’t fall of. “That’s just so pathetic.“
“It is not!“
“Yes...it is,“ Liz laughed. “You have very weird relationships with animals.“
Max sighed but had to work to suppress a smile. “Don’t bring the frog into this.“
“Sorry,“ Liz giggled. “I can’t help it...“
“Your turn.“
“Okay,“ Liz took deep breaths to calm herself down. “Um...I had a pet too. A puppy.“
“Really? What did you call him?“

“Pluto.“
“Like in Disney?“
“Yeah. I loved Pluto and I was always nagging my parents to get me a dog, so for my fifth birthday they did. It’s funny though...“
“What?“ Max asked with a smile.
“I can’t remember what happened to him,“ Liz said, searching her mind.
Max smile slipped off his face. “You can’t?“
Liz cleared her throat and started to swing again, trying to distance herself from the memory.
“Let’s talk about something else,“ Liz partly suggested, partly pleaded.
“Okay,“ Max said. “Hmm... let’s see. I have this dietary quirk. I have to put Tabasco on everything I eat...“
“Really? Why?“

Max shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Food just tastes bland without it.“
“Maybe I should try it,“ Liz said.
“Believe me, you won’t think it tastes good.“
“Well, a lot of people use Tabasco,“ Liz said casually.
“Yeah, but I use it on chocolate bars, ice-cream, in milkshakes-“
“Okay, stop,“ Liz said, scrunching her nose. “That sounds really disgusting!“
“How about you?“
“Hmmm… Well, I don’t know,“ Liz said, thinking hard, “I guess I have horrible sweet tooth.“
“Can’t beat me there. So do I,“ Max said.
“I don’t believe you,“ Liz said.

“I put sugar in my sodas,“ Max said.
Liz opened her mouth in surprise. “I do that too!!“
“You’re kidding me!“
Liz shook her head, grinning. “No.“
“You’re not kidding,“ Max said, “Wow, I thought only Isabel, Michael and I did that.“
“What’s that? A food fetish limited to your gang? How about Maria? Why hasn’t she started with it too?“
Max looked down at his feet, realizing that he had said too much.
“I don’t know,“ he answered and then tried to smooth it over with a joke, “I guess it wasn’t her thing. She’s always had a mind of her own.“
An image of Maria entered Liz’s mind and she nodded. “I can understand that.“
“Okay, so...“ Max got a brooding expression on his face, “What is your best childhood memory?“ He knew that he was digging in unknown territory. The subject was a touchy one for Liz. She looked at something far away, a distant look on her face. Then she pushed away with her feet, setting the swing in motion again.

“Umm... I think it’s the day I got my puppy,“ Liz answered evasively.
“Okay,“ Max said, noticing her sudden mental distance but deciding not to push it any further. “Mine is definitely Disneyland.“
“You went to Disneyland?“ Liz asked with a look of childlike excitement on her face.
Max grinned at her expression. “Yeah, it was great.“
“I would love to go to Disneyland,“ Liz said dreamily while bending backward to give her swing more power. Max watched as her hair was caught in the wind and moved out from her body only to fall on her back again as she straightened up at the peak of the arc. The movements her slender body created were causing his body to react in the most heated of ways.
“You’ve never been there?“
“I thought you knew that about me,“ Liz teased while looking at him, the swing creaking slightly as she whizzed past him, “Liz Parker. Lives in New York. Has never been anywhere else. Works as an architect. Hates the rain.“

Max eyed her when she repeated what he had told her that morning word for word.
“You have a really good memory, don’t you?“ Max asked slowly.
Liz shrugged casually. “I guess.“ She started to slow her swing until it came to a halt and she turned towards Max, their faces only inches from each other. Max looked into her eyes, finding a new source of life and happiness shining in her eyes. Then, suddenly, the atmosphere changed. The molecules making up the air between their faces heated up and time slowed down.
“So, what do we do next?“ she asked, her shallow breaths caressing his face. She was so close. It would be so easy to just move closer and taste those luscious, red lips...
“Umm...“ was all Max could get out, too distracted to let a single word form itself in his mind. Liz could feel herself drift closer to him, the teasing smile slowly slipping from her face.

“Maybe we should get something to eat,“ she mumbled, her eyes drifting to his lips as the distance between them decreased.
“That’s probably a good idea,“ Max said slowly, his eyes focused on her moist red lips. They looked so soft...so tasty... He closed his eyes in anticipation of feeling her lips on his...
“Max!! Liz!!“
They jerked apart as if they had been burned and looked towards the source of interruption, carefully avoiding each other’s eyes. At the other end of the park they could see Michael walking towards them with a dog. Liz glanced at Max as he groaned.
“Oh no, not that dog!“



TBC...

Hi everyone!

So, I’m stopping by to update before I’ll go on my last lesson. Yay! No more school! At least not more for this year...

I would like to give big hugs to the people who have nominated me! Wow! To say that I was shocked is an understatement. THANK YOU!

And about this story. Well, Michael did have the worse timing. He’s more like Maria then he would like to admit . Too bad they aren’t aware of their feelings for each other yet... Hmmm...just like someone else we know , but that is about to change...
Max’s relationship with pets...yeah... It’s pretty weird, isn’t it? But we have to remember that Max is pretty withdrawn and shy and he doesn’t really trust people. So, when making friends there were Michael...and Isabel... and animals...

Cassandra, you were asking for some stargazer stuff... Well, it’s coming up. I just need to get all the lose ends together and...well, it’s a lot of things I have to work out before Alex and Isabel can meet again. But they will, I assure you .


Thank you all for the feedback!!!


frenchkiss

LeighAnn

BehrObession

Cassandra

marteloise

roswelluver

Elizabeth Thanx a million for b-reading!!

Twilighteyes

Liz Girlfriend, thank you so much for bumping!! It means a lot!!

Phi

Lelle




Chapter 29

Liz stumbled backwards as the dog jumped up on her.
“Michael, get that dog off of her!“ Max demanded.
“Torpid! Stop it!!“
Max and Michael shared a surprised look when Liz’s laughter tinkled through the air. The dog was licking her face, his front paws resting on her chest, his tail wagging back and forth in rapid movements.
“Who is this cutie?“ Liz got out between dog licks and laughter.
“Eh... my dog…“ Michael answered, feeling slightly confused. No one had reacted like that around Torpid before, maybe because Torpid had never acted so happy around anyone before. Michael raised his voice and sharply demanded, “Torpid, get down! Sit!“
After some sad hesitation the Labrador stopped assaulting Liz and compliantly sat down, his tongue hanging out from one side of his mouth as he urgently looked at his master for further instructions.
“What race is he? He looks like a Labrador, but…“
“He’s a mongrel. A mix between Labrador and German Shepherd, I think,“ Michael answered, scratching behind his ear. “So, what were you guys up to?“
Guiltily, Liz and Max glanced at each other and quickly answered in unison, “Nothing.“
Michael furrowed his brow in suspicion as he eyed the red color of Max’s ears. “Nothing, huh?“

“No, eh... we were just talking,“ Max said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Should he let his hands remain in his pockets, or should he keep them out? When he couldn’t find anywhere to put his hands other than his pockets, he tucked them back in again. Michael narrowed his eyes at his antics. That man was sooo gone.
“How old is he?“ Liz asked, hunched in front of the dog, scratching him behind his ear.
Michael shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno.“
Liz turned to look at him with a smile. “You don’t know? You don’t keep track of how old your own dog is?“
“Well, stuff like that never was one of Michael’s strong suits,“ Max informed her.
“Oh,“ Liz said in understanding.
“Two,“ Michael huffed.
“Sorry?“ Liz asked.
“I guess he’s two,“ Michael answered.
“Well, he’s just adorable,“ Liz turned her attention to the dog, “Aren’t you, puppy? Aren’t you just adorable? Such a little cutie.“
Michael and Max both rolled their eyes over Liz’s puppy talk.

“Michael found him out on the street when he was a puppy,“ Max explained.
Liz looked at Michael with interest in her eyes.
“I couldn’t just leave him there! He was all wet and shivering.“
Liz smiled warmly. In the short time she had known Michael, this was one side of him that she hadn’t seen before. But she had a feeling that his nonchalant exterior was just a facade. She could understand that. She lived her life the same way. Hiding behind a false exterior.
“That’s a beautiful thing to do,“ Liz said.
Michael looked down, a little surprised, and then he straightened up. “That’s what I said!“
Max sighed in trepidation. “Oh no, I can hear your head swelling, Michael!“
“Don’t sweat it, okay Max,“ Michael warned. “So, what are you guys up to today?“
“Umm...“ Max mumbled.
“We’re getting to know each other,“ Liz answered merrily.
Michael raised one of his eyebrows. “Really?“ He looked pointedly at Max. “Getting to know each other, huh?“
Max shot him a warning glare that Michael answered with a smug glance.
Her complete attention on the dog, Liz answered, “Yeah.“

“Are you doing that sightseeing tour? Maria’s gonna be so pissed if she finds out you did that without her.“ Max sighed and looked at Michael. Michael was grinning at him, obviously happy about the idea that Maria would be angry with someone else for a change.
“We’re not really sightseeing,“ Max denied, “We’ve only been to the park so far. We were going to find Maria after lunch.“
“Are you eating at the CrashDown?“ Michael asked.
Max shrugged his shoulders. “I guess so. What do you think, Liz?“
“Fine by me,“ Liz said, but turned her head to look at him as he chuckled. “What?“
“You really like dogs, don’t you?“ he asked.
“I love animals,“ Liz answered.
“They sure love you too,“ Michael muttered.
Max snorted. “Are you jealous, Michael?“
“What?“ Michael huffed. “No, I’m not jealous!“

“Torpid is not quite what you would call a social dog. He only appreciates Michael’s company. Well, until he met you.“
Liz giggled. “Why is he called Torpid?“
“He’s normally extremely slow,“ Michael mumbled, “But I don’t know what he had for breakfast, cuz he’s full of energy now!“
Max chuckled. He had no difficulty understanding why Torpid acted the way he did around Liz. It was just the force Elizabeth Parker put on you.
Taking a hold of Torpid’s collar, Michael said, “Are we going to the CrashDown or not? I’m starving!“

<center>--------------------------------------------------</center>

Liz watched as Max took the Tabasco bottle, removed the lid, and poured it over his banana split. He plunged his fork in the mixture, and moved the piece to his lips. The fork stopped mid-air as he caught Liz watching him with scientific interest flaring in her eyes.
“You want some?“ he teased.
She jerked out of the spell and smiled guiltily at being caught staring. “No, no. You eat it.“
“Okay,“ Max said and put the Tabasco covered banana in his mouth. Liz watched him chew with a mixture of nose scrunches and fascinated stares. Max took another piece and put it in his mouth. Moaning in pleasure, he leaned back in his seat.
“Good?“ Liz asked.
“Wonderful,“ Max answered after swallowing the mouthful.
“Can I taste?“
Max couldn’t hide his surprise. “You wanna taste?“
“Yeah,“ Liz said casually, as if it wasn’t really Tabasco on the banana split.

“Oookaaay,“ Max said slowly and put his fork in a piece of banana. As he raised his fork to give to Liz, Liz had already closed her eyes and was leaning towards him across the table with her mouth slightly open. Max found his body heating up quickly. His hand slowly moved to put the fork in her mouth and, mesmerized, he watched her lips close around the fork and pull backwards, her mouth slowly moving. Max had never seen anything so sensual in his life.
“Well…“ she said. It was enough to snap Max out of the spell.
“Did you like it?“ he asked, surprise etching his voice.
She opened her eyes and looked at him as a mixture of a smile and a grimace of nausea played over her face. Max automatically handed her a glass of water. She took it and tried to get it to wash away the taste from her taste buds.
She put down the glass on the table. “Eww... that was disgusting.“
Max casually shrugged his shoulders. “I told you that you wouldn’t like it.“

“Yeah, remind me to listen to you a lot more in the future,“ Liz said, lifting the glass again as the spicy taste stubbornly lingered in her mouth.
Max grinned. “No problem.“
The bell on the door chimed, announcing the arrival of a new customer.
“Hi Max!“
Liz looked up to find a blonde middle-aged woman approaching the table.
“Hi, mom,“ Max answered.
Liz momentarily looked at Max in surprise before turning her eyes back to the woman who was now smiling warmly and looking at her.
“Hello,“ Mrs. Evans said, reaching out her hand to Liz, “I’m Max’s mom.“
“Oh, mom, this is Liz Parker,“ Max said.
Liz took Mrs. Evans warm hand and shook it firmly. “Hi, it’s so nice to meet you.“
“I haven’t seen you around before. Are you from around here, or...?“
“I’m from New York,“ Liz answered.
Mrs. Evans face brightened in stunned surprise. “Really? So you met each other in New York?“

“Yes, mom,“ Max answered, glancing at Liz.
“That’s nice. Are you staying here long?“
“I don’t know actually. But I’m free from work for two weeks...“
“Oh, Max! We should invite Liz over for dinner-“
“Mom, really that’s not nec-“ Max protested. He wasn’t sure that Liz was comfortable enough to get the third degree by his mother. He knew how inquisitive she could be during dinner.
“I’d love to,“ Liz interrupted, smiling brightly at Mrs. Evans.
“Wonderful,“ Mrs. Evans said, clasping her hands together, “I’ll leave you two alone. I was just here to pick up a cake. I’m so happy to have you home, Max.“
Max smiled at his mother. “I’m happy to be home too.“
His eyes followed his mother as she walked over to the counter and they sat in silence until she was out of ear-shot. He turned his head back to Liz to find her looking at him with a brooding expression mixed with a small smile. As if she were trying to figure something out.
“What?“ he asked.
Liz dropped her eyes and unfolded the napkin beside her plate, only to fold it again moments later. “Nothing,“ she said innocently.

Max opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again. He watched how she methodically folded and unfolded the napkin and looked up at the sound of the doorbell to see his mother leaving the CrashDown with a small wave his way.
“You know, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to,“ Max said as he watched the door close after his mother.
Liz looked up at him, putting the napkin under her plate. “No, I want to go. Why wouldn’t I want to go?“
“Well, you don’t know my mother,“ Max said slowly.
“That’s one more reason to get to know her during dinner,“ Liz responded lightly.
“Are you sure?“
Liz sighed. “Max, could you please stop treating me like a nutcase?“
Max chin dropped. “What? I’m not treating you like a nu-“
“Yes, you are,“ Liz said, “You’re acting like I’m going to start climbing the walls if I encounter too much pressure or something.“

She was right. Not the part where he thought that she would start to climb the walls, but he was afraid that she would retreat into that black emptiness inside of her. That place where she was unreachable. Judging from what had been going on with her lately, what had happened to her ever since he’d known her, he didn’t think he was out of line to be afraid of what she would do next. He didn’t know how she worked. He didn’t know what triggered her ‘attacks’ or what brought her out of them. He didn’t know why one day she could laugh and talk like any normal being, and the next day she would talk about wanting to die and hanging onto a thin thread to remain conscious. It was that unpredictability that scared him. It was not knowing what to do. His mom might ask one wrong question and Liz would disappear, and that scared him. He didn’t want her to disappear. He wanted to protect her from it. But how could he when it was all in her mind and obviously too complicated for herself to handle alone.

“To be honest, your mental state isn’t exactly stable,“ Max said, deciding to be brutally honest.
Liz dropped her eyes, picked up a spoon and slowly turned it around on the empty plate which created a faint squeaking sound.
“It’s not like I can help it,“ she said.
“That’s exactly my point,“ Max said, “Do you even know when you are going to break down again?“
“I don’t break down,“ Liz protested, looking up into his eyes.
Max stared at her with disbelief. “Of course you do.“
“I’m fine-“
“Don’t even start with that. We both know that you’re not. Do you even remember when this happens or why?“

Liz slowly put down the spoon and reached for her purse sitting next to her in the booth. Without meeting his blazing look she mumbled, “I need some fresh air. Can we go now?“
Max reached across the table and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her movement. The warmth hit her like a strong wave, making her feel dizzy.
“Max...It’s just a dinner. I’ve been at dinners before and I’ve been doing all right.“
The last ‘dinner’ she had attended she had passed out and stayed unconscious for several hours after, but Max didn’t want to bring that up. “Okay,“ he relented, releasing her hand. “I know. It’s just dinner. But promise me, Liz, if you’re starting to feel weird or something, please tell me and we can just go outside for a while. Maybe that will help.“
Liz looked up and met his eyes with her own, which were pools of indecipherable emotions.
“Don’t worry, Max. I can handle it.“

<center>---------------------------------------------------</center>

The folder was slammed down against the wooden surface of the mahogany desk.
“Here are the results, sir.“
“All of them?“
“Yes. We also investigated those ‘rashes’ that were found on Jeffrey Parker following his remarkable recovery.“
“And?“
“No other cases of rashes like those have been reported. They are truly unique.“ The sarcasm was not lost in the utterance.
“And the test results?“
“The fibrous structure of the hair is human, the composition of the nails - human.“
“So, what are we dealing with here? Just a remarkable wonder kid?“
“Not exactly. We found a paper towel with blood on it. There is something odd about the blood cells.“

“What do you mean?“
“At first glance, they appear human. They look human, but there is something that isn’t right about the apportionment of the components in the blood cells.“
“What are you saying?“
“That Elizabeth Parker has either some unknown blood disease or she isn’t completely human.“
“What? Are you leaning towards that extraterrestrial theory again?“
“Actually, neither makes sense. She is far too human to be alien from a scientific viewpoint, but there is something about her blood cells. If even a small percentage of her blood cells were put into the circulation of a ordinary person, the blood cells would probably take nutrition from all of the vital organs. The affinity of her blood cells is higher than that of blood cells in a normal human being.“
“In English, please.“
“Let me put it this way. The blood cells in Elizabeth Parker are working a thousand times more efficiently than the blood cells of any other human being, but if we were to transfuse Elizabeth Parker’s blood cells into another person the recipient would die within a couple of hours.“
“Her blood is toxic?“

“You could say that. The blood cells would work like a sponge, draining all of the vital organs of their nutrition, energy, and oxygen, which would end in failure of all of the organs.“
“And how do you explain the rashes on her father?“
“All we know is that he was in a highly critical state before her visit that day, and was completely recovered after her visit, with rashes on his body. Somehow his daughter made him better. We don’t know how yet.“
“Well, you had better hurry up and find out. If Elizabeth Parker possesses only a fraction of the powers we suspect her of, she is dangerous to the human population and should be taken into custody immediately.“
“Yes, sir.“


And it's TBC...