All Bets Off - ADULT/CC *Thread 3!*

[madroswellfan]

~~~~~MAX~~~~~
It sounds so nice what she's said so far... but the way she's saying it tells me it becomes bittersweet. My arm around pulls her closer towards me and I gently caress her other hand. "If you don't want to go on Liz... I'll understand. But there's nothing you can't tell me if you want to."

What the hell is wrong with me.... and why is this whole...hugging thing growing on me? I really need to have a talk to myself later in a mirror...

[KarenEvans]

Isabel

"Don't worry...if neither of us feels up to it when we get back to my place then...well then there will be another time and place.I really do appreciate you taking my feelings and thoughts about the situation in to account Alex.It shows me you care about me." My attention is diverted when I see little rivers of ice-cream running down his hand and I grin

"Quite a mess you've made.I think the ice-cream in bed thing might be a bad idea after all.You would make a mess of my bed linen." I remark with a laugh

"You know, your skin actually tastes better."
"Thanks...I think." It's amsuing to see him trying to get all the ice-cream off his hand "Why don't you just go wash your hands in the washroom.Liz must have made some arrangements for a restroom,for both men and women."

[Sternbetrachter]

Alex

"Why don't you just go wash your hands in the washroom.Liz must have made some arrangements for a restroom,for both men and women."

"And waste this perfect tasting ice cream? No no, I never wasted ice cream before and I aint starting now, Ms. Evans." I reply with a grin. Having licked the last off, I add, "Okay, now that no ice cream can be wasted anymore ... do you spot a restroom somewhere?"

Looking around a bit, I glance over at Iz again, "And who said it had to be your sheets that would be ruined with ice cream?"

[littleroswell]

~LIZ~

I give him a grateful smile before gathering my courage to continue. "Well, we were really all very happy. Then, when I was nine, my mom found out she was pregnant again. My dad was really worried at first but mom told him it would be fine. The weird thing was that all the doctors all said things looked great, far better than they could have ever dreamed. I went to all the doctor appointments and to the parenting classes and stuff. My parents wanted me to be involved and I was in everything but watching that birthing video, they were smart enough to know I was too young for that, but I really loved being in the middle of it all. I guess I saw it as proof that this baby wouldn't replace me or something."

I can't hold back the tears anymore as the memories overtake me. "Then my mom went into labor. She was a couple of weeks early but the doctors weren't overly concerned about that. I don't remember much except that we were all in a room together waiting for my mom to get to the point where she could push. I've never seen my mom in that much pain but something went wrong. They had to rush her for a c-section and I was ushered out to the waiting room with my grandmother. We waited what seemed like forever and finally my dad came out so slowly and looking so...devastated and lost. I'll never forget the look on his face. They had lost not only my mother but also my baby brother." I sniffle and wipe at my face. "Dad just kept saying over and over, 'They said everything was going fine!' My grandmother was a rock during that time. That was the first period of my life when I saw my father cry. He was so lost that he threw himself into his work. I can't say that I blamed him. He was always traveling. He'd be home for my birthdays and other important events and he always called and sent presents and sometimes took me with him but it was my grandmother who stayed at home with me and was there for me and helped me get through that terrible time."

Remembering what a great and important person Grandma Claudia was tips me over the edge and I start really crying. "I got used to my life and went to school and everything...grew up and then I was 16 when Grandma Claudia had a stroke and died. I thought dad would stay home more then but he only traveled more. That's the only other time in my life I can remember him crying. She was his mother and they were close. He left me at home with a nanny of sorts with the title of housekeeper until I was 18."

I cry into Max's chest, realizing somewhere in the back of my mind that my behavior is appalling and I probably shouldn't have told him all this. But once I started, it just all came pouring out. It was like it had been locked inside me for so long that I couldn't hold it back another minute.

[madroswellfan]

(ooc: Hope this is ok... Is this too rushed? I was trying to get him to start being a better person...slowly.... but is this too much, cos I can edit...)
~~~~~MAX~~~~~
Wow... poor Liz... I have no idea what to do or say... its not that I'm awkward because she revealed so much...infact I can't help but be happy that she did. I just don't know what to say. I pull my arm even tighter around her and kiss her forehead gently. "I'm so sorry Liz... no one should have to go through that."

I gently rub her back in a comforting way. "Oh Liz..." I murmur before kissing her forehead once more. "Is there anything I can...do?" I ask, knowing there won't be but I feel I should offer anyway...just to let her know I care...

Hold up...did I just kiss her forehead?! I don't DO that! I mean....I kiss girls passionately! I do not go for all the mushy crap! Not after Jane. No way. Women are man eaters...

Just like me.

I flinch as the words come into my head. But I am aren't I. I've become something worse than Jane... and I'm powerless to stop it. No wonder Liz thought the worst about me. I'm worse than Jane... I don't even stop to get the girls phone numbers. And now I'm planning on hurting Liz too. Ok, she's a player Kyle says... but I haven't seen that yet. Maybe I should get out of this now before its too late.

But I can't. Something is stopping me. And I wish I knew what it was.

[littleroswell]

Occ: No, Mel, I think it was just perfect. After a revelation like Liz made, it's bound to bring out the good side of someone like Max.

~LIZ~

Oh god. His gentle touches and kisses go straight to my heart and I immediately start to feel better. I haven't been treated like this in a very long time. It makes me cry more. Sure guys pet me and kiss me but not like this...not just to comfort me or make me feel better. They usually only do what they want for what they can get out of it. Those thoughts make me feel a little guilty because I know that's not fair to at least a couple of the guys from my past. They really were interested in me but I couldn't commit or get serious in any way.

I pull back slightly from Max, enough to look up at him and see that he is sincerely and truly sorry for me and wants to comfort me. I feel a brief stiffening of him but it passes rather quickly and I wonder what made him do it. I sniffle over and over, trying to get myself under control again. "I'm sorry for dumping all that out on you like that. It's just that I feel like everyone I ever care about and let close to me ends up leaving me, except maybe Maria, Isabel and Tess." I give a soft snort. "I've never admitted that to anyone. I'm afraid of abandonment. According to that shrink I fired, it started with my mother's death."

Embarrased by my outburst and falling apart like that, I pull back to look back down at the ground again. Frowning at what I see, I holler down, "Gus, you can get this thing moving anytime!"

Gus looks up at me, cups his hands around his mouth and yells up, "Wish I could, Liz, but I ain't got nothing to do with it. This contraption really is stuck!"

I kind of feel a little green at his declaration and turn back to Max. Swallowing hard, I inform him, "I think we're really stuck!"

[madroswellfan]

~~~~~MAX~~~~~
I look at her. "Huh... really?" I say worriedly. I'm not exactly the best at heights. I swallow and decide to keep looking at her. It makes me feel better. I smile and gently hold her high. "Well I guess that means I have more time with you..."

I grin and kiss her hand gently.

What the hell is wrong with me... get it together....

"And Liz..." I gently cup her cheek and let my thumb trail gently over it. "You don't have to be embarresed... Its nice that you trust me like that..."

And I'm gonna break her heart...

"Besides... you did nothing wrong in yours. It couldnt be helped. And I'm sure that... whoevers out there... is looking after them and now. And I bet they're watching over you now, and that they're proud of you."

I bet my parents aren't proud of me...

[littleroswell]

~LIZ~

I feel the tears well up in my eyes again but this time, I have them under better control. "Thank you, Max, for saying that. I think I needed it," I say softly. Then I move as close as possible and try to lighten the mood a little. "How can I thank you for being such a great listener?" I ask seductively while playing with the top of his shirt.

[madroswellfan]

~~~~~MAX~~~~~
She went from crying to that? And she calls me the player.

Oh well why am I complaining...its a one night thing after all...
Right?

"No idea..." I murmur, trying to be non-chalont, but my husky voice is giving me away. "What would you suggest?" I ask.

Why is there something knawing at my stomach. Its kinda like the feeling you get when you don't feel well...

[littleroswell]

~LIZ~

I laugh at his face when I see the surprise in his eyes. In answer, to his question I say, "Max, you were really sweet to me and I haven't had that in a really long time and I'm extremely attracted to you. How about when we get down from here, we find a nice quiet corner and make out until we can sneak out of here and go back to my place?"

I wipe at my face again, trying to get rid of the remnants of my tears. I lean in a little closer and place my lips over his, keeping my lips soft and gentle but hoping he'll deepen the kiss.