Roswell Fanatics

“Max…” Liz panted out as she noticed the way he had pinned her hands over her head and was suddenly looking at her, like he was only seconds away from tearing her clothes off and taking her right there, his daughter’s presence apparently forgotten.

“Yeah?” he gulped, his eyes fixed on her lips as he licked his suddenly dry ones.

God, it had not even been forty-eight hours since he had last made love to her, but it felt like weeks already.

“Jay…” she whispered, her own eyes darting to their fortunately still oblivious daughter.

“Oh-kay…” Max coughed and suddenly said a little too cheerfully to be honest. “Playtime is over… I need to take a shower and you, young girl, you really need to sleep.” he announced then as he let Janelle slide from his back and laid her down again.

“Why?” Janelle protested weakly but Max knew that there was no way he could answer that honestly anyway.

’Because I can’t wait to have your mother all to myself and do things to her I hope you won’t hear about before a very, very long time!’, wasn’t exactly something you wanted to tell your child, however true that could be.

“It’s late for you, baby… and you still have school tomorrow.” Liz replied sweetly before he could himself and smoothed her hair away tenderly.

They both saw her pout, clearly not too happy with the answer, but she didn’t argue more than that once Max placed a soft kiss on her forehead and Liz took back the book they had been reading prior to Max’s arrival.

“Goodnight, sweetheart!” Max whispered then as he pulled the sheet around her body and smiled lovingly at her.

“ ‘Night daddy!” Janelle answered back and waved at him as he made his way out of the room, but not without throwing another smoldering look at Liz first.

Slowly he made his way to his own bedroom and couldn’t help grinning when the second he crossed the door he noticed the not lit yet candles that Liz had arranged all around the room.

Apparently his dear little wife had the same ideas in mind for tonight he had had himself since the second he had left her embrace the previous day. He just couldn’t wait of course and hoped that it wouldn’t take Liz long to lull their daughter into sleep, but like always when he was too eager about something, something else just had to come and ruin it apparently.

The shrilling sound of the phone interrupted his march to the bathroom and that shower he had planned to take before Liz joined him and he was quick to pick it up before it could ring for too long.

His sister had always had the worst timing, so he wasn’t more surprised than that to see that it was her, but he was pleased to hear her voice nonetheless since it had been close to two weeks since she had called him last.

The last time she had been nearly in panic because she had tried to call him a dozen of times at ‘her’ apartment and just couldn’t join him. Of course she had tried to call her parents then and when they hadn’t picked up either after a few times, she had been convinced that it something hadn’t happened to him, it had to have been to them then.

Max had had to calm her down then, which was no small fit once Isabel got all worked up, but in the end it was his answer to her question about where he had been and how came that whenever she called her apartment and that no matter the hour or even if it were in the middle of the night he was never there, that did it.

Once he had told her that he was back home and that everything was alright again with Liz, he had had to explain about almost everything as well, and she had been as speechless as his own parents had been when they had been told.

Isabel had just been a little more direct than they had been themselves once she had found her voice again and had told him that she would have never guessed that her brother was such an idiot and that she hoped that it would not only teach him to not be so trusting in the future but not to take his wife for granted ever again as well. She had just been a little more vehement than that of course, but since it wasn’t like he could dispute her words, he had let her have it with him before confirming to her that there was no way he would let anything or anyone come between him and his family ever again once she had finally stopped.

All in all, Isabel had been ecstatic of course to know about their reconciliation and just like her parents before her, she had said that she couldn’t wait to see them all together again.

The occasion was going to present itself in a few weeks anyway since it would be their father’s birthday and that was actually why she was calling again tonight.

Apparently, while she had already warned her agent that she would be going back to the States for at least a week, had booked a flight months in advance so she would be sure to not miss the day and had even already decided which clothes she would take and which she would leave behind because they wouldn’t be appropriate for Los Angeles weather, and so basically was as ready as she would ever be, his dear sister just couldn’t find her father the right gift.

Max wanted to laugh as he heard her ramble about the fact that she just couldn’t give him another sweater or shirt no matter how expensive they could be, or another pair of cuff links but that she was at a loss for ideas since her father already had everything he could wish for.

He found amazing that his sister, who was usually so ‘in control’ could now freak out because of a simple birthday present, but he knew better than to tell her that or make fun of her, or he knew he wouldn’t hear the end of it.

As it was, and without wanting to sound too rude, the only thing he really wanted was to hang up and go back to what he was about to do before the phone had crashed his plans.

Unfortunately, it took him still another twenty minutes or so before he could convince Isabel that anything she would get him in the end would please their father, because it would be coming from her, just like when they were kids and she thought that what she had made herself wouldn’t be good enough for him. Max was sure anyway that their father would be happy just with the fact that she was flying home and would be there for the occasion, and wouldn’t really care even if she didn’t bring him anything. Seeing his daughter again after several months would be enough of a present already.

Though he was able to hang up after a while, Max had been of absolute no help to his sister apparently, but he wasn’t more worried than that for her. He was sure she would find something in the end. She always did anyway.

She had made him waste some precious time however and so as soon as he had said his goodbye, he hurried to the bathroom, not even bothering with a change of clothes for the night since he knew well he wouldn’t have the need for them for a while. He had absolutely no problem picturing himself getting out of the bathroom clad in a simple towel and waiting for Liz lying half-naked on their bed.

Getting rid of the clothes he still wore in a matter of seconds, he couldn’t help expelling an appreciative sigh when he finally stepped under the warm water, his hands almost automatically going to rest on the tile wall in front of him so he could feel it pound against his skin.

He felt himself relax instantly and savored the feeling a few minutes before he reached for the soap with the intention to start washing so he could get out of there as fast as possible. He barely had it in his hands however, when he heard the shower glass-door being opened and he nearly dropped it when he saw Liz, in all her glorious nudity, entering and closing it softly behind her.

“Hey!” she breathed huskily as she stepped close to him and plastered her front to his back, the water sluicing on her own body and making her sigh just as contentedly as he had himself minutes ago.

“Hi!” he murmured back just as hoarsely, closing his eyes briefly when her arms came to wrap around his naked form and her lips connected with his wet skin. “Janelle?” he asked softly, though he suspected that she had to have fallen asleep or Liz wouldn’t be in there with him.

“Out like a light…” she confirmed as she kept dropping gentle kisses all over his back while her hands caressed the large expanse of his muscled chest.

One of them trailed up his throat after a while and when she reached his face, she turned it to her, her mouth covering his the second they could meet.

For long seconds, they kissed, lips meshing with lips, tongue chasing tongue, but when Max tried to bring her around so he could show her just how much he had missed her, she pulled away and made a tsking sound, before telling him to give her the soap.

Working a rich lather between her hands, she slowly ran her fingers up and down his back, a small smile grazing her lips when she caressed his backside a moment later and she heard Max groan her name.

He reached behind him to stop her hands, knowing that there wouldn’t be much of her teasing he would be able to take today, but he made the mistake of bringing them around to his chest instead, and no sooner had he done so that Liz was untangling their fingers and letting hers drift down to his groin, making Max suck in a audible breath when they closed around the solid erection he had developed in a matter of seconds upon her naked entrance.

Guess playtime was over for them, too, and it was time for more ‘serious’ business.

“Liz…” her name passed his lips in a guttural growl, his knees nearly giving out from under him when she slowly started to stroke his thick length.

“Yes?” she panted out from behind him, the fingers of her other hand dancing over his chest again while she nipped at the tender skin of his neck.

“God, baby…” he moaned out, going half crazy with the things she could do to him with a simple touch. With simple words.

“I want you so much, Max…” she whispered, picking up her motions, and she smiled once more when she felt his hips accompany her moves, making him slide faster into her hand.

Slowly but surely, she took him to the brim of insanity and Max nearly cried out in frustration when she abruptly stop only seconds before he could reach completion.

“Liz, please…” he groaned out before he could stop himself, his hand gripping at hers so she would not leave his length just yet, only to have Liz’s fingers close around the base of it, effectively delaying his release.

“Patience… I don’t want to waste your precious seed…” Liz declared softly, making Max snort a chuckle at her choice of words.

“Aren’t we just so romantic today?” he teased her but then couldn’t help but gasp when Liz squeezed his flesh a little harder than could be good for him at this point.

“You know I am…” Liz replied before she started to leave moist kisses over his shoulder then his collarbone and neck when she came around him at last.

Savoring the feeling for a few seconds, Max was just about to close his mouth over hers as she looked up, when she breathed against his lips, “I want you to come inside me!”

The sexy tone of her voice would have already been enough to make him lose his head but it was the way she pressed against him and rubbed her wet core against him that very nearly killed him on the spot.

With a primal groan, he cupped her face and crashed his lips to hers and Liz had barely time to react that she was pressed hard against the shower wall behind her.

She whimpered huskily when after what seemed an eternity spent devouring her mouth, Max released it just long enough to go and attack her neck as at the same time, one of his hands drifted between her slightly parted legs.

“You want me here?” he growled low into her ear, deft fingers teasingly caressing her nether lips.

“Yes, so much!” Liz croaked out and then couldn’t help crying out in pleasure when two of his digits entered her burning core.

Steadily he pumped them into her and Max was actually convinced he wouldn’t stop till he would have her stumbling over the edge, until he felt her tongue trace the rim of his ear and her next sentence made him freeze on the spot.

“I stopped taking the pill yesterday, Max.”

Liz knew the instant her words and their implication registered in his mind, because it was the exact moment his fingers stopped moving and suddenly poised at her entrance while his mouth stopped sucking avidly at her flesh, and she just couldn’t wait to see his face.

Like in slow motion, it lifted up from the crook of her neck and Liz had to bite her bottom lip not to cry when she saw the look he wore and discerned the fine sheen of moistness in his eyes.

“Y-You did?” he rasped out and then cupped her cheek when she nodded. “So that means…” he couldn’t help adding, although coupled with the few sentences he had heard coming from her mouth just minutes ago but hadn’t taken the time to analyze more than that at the time, he knew exactly what it meant.

I don’t want to waste your precious seed.

I want you to come inside me.

I stopped taking the pill.

No, it really didn’t take a rocket scientist to put it all together and figure that one out.

“Hmm-huh…” Liz just moaned but Max could see just how serious she was just by the look on her face.

“Are you sure, love?... because we d-don’t have…” he stuttered and insisted nonetheless, not wanting Liz to think that he had expected her to decide so soon.

The truth was that Liz had not consciously planned to stop taking the pill until the night before. Since that day at the hotel in Florida, she and Max had not talked again about the prospect of having another baby, though the thought had never been too far from both their minds to be honest, and Liz had kept taking it normally so.

Yesterday however, she had been just ready to when she had realized that it was her last tablet disk and then she had smiled as she had thought she wouldn’t have to rush to the pharmacy to get her new prescription this time like she had many times in the past, because she wouldn’t need it anymore for a while.

The way she was thinking, like it was already a done deal, hadn’t struck her until the next second, and then she couldn’t help grinning at her own reflection in the bathroom mirror.

She had looked at herself then and for the first time in a very long time, she had felt like everything was alright with her, like everything was finally perfect again in her life.

Nonetheless, after deciding to not even take the one of that day, she had taken the time to think about it and consider if this was really the right moment, if that was really what she wanted, but before she could figure it out, the phone had rung in the bedroom and after having dropped her pills on the bathroom counter, she had rushed to it, almost sure that it would be Max.

She had picked it up on the fourth ring and seen that she had indeed been right and when he had answered with a soft ‘Hey, *baby*’ to her ‘hello’, that was when, as crazy as it seemed, she had convinced herself that she would be making the right decision.

Of course if she had never wanted to pressure herself in any way, she hadn’t thought either that it would take her so little time to figure it all out and come to a decision, but she guessed she partially owed that to Max and how understanding and caring he had been ever since he had found out the truth. To that and probably to the fact that it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders since she had shared her secret, her burden, with him.

Everything had seemed easier for her since he knew. She felt like she could breathe again, without feeling like something was constantly pressing against her chest and she guessed that ultimately she had only been waiting for a sign.

She had gotten two in the end, as far as she was concerned, and she wouldn’t ignore them.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my whole life…” Liz stated as her arms wound around Max’s neck and she brought him closer to her, until his forehead was touching hers and her eyes looking directly into his. “I want a baby… I want your baby, Max!”she breathed out then and even if that wasn’t the most manly way to react, Max had to fight tears off at her declaration.

“I love you… I love you more than my own life… you know that, right?” he asked breathlessly before he pulled her flush to him and hugged her for dear life.

“I know… and I love you just as much…” Liz declared herself and let him hold her tightly for a few precious seconds before she pulled away.

“So… we’re really doing this…” Max murmured as his fingers trailed gently over her face before tucking wet locks of hair behind her ears, his eyes roaming hungrily over her features as he was struck once more with how gorgeous his wife was, and how any other child that would look like her would be beautiful as well and as lucky as Janelle had been.

He hoped their next child would look like her, too, in fact, because there was no doubt in his mind that then it could only be perfect.

“We’re doing this.” Liz confirmed softly, before a teasing smile grazed her lips. “As soon as you get started at least.”

The brilliant but wicked smile Max gave her in return caused her heart to skip a few beats, but the small cry she was ready to emit when he cradled her face in a firm grip died on his lips when they slanted over hers.

The way he kissed her then expressed even better than words could what he was feeling at that instant and Liz kissed him back with just as much fierceness and passion he could show himself.

They both knew that the chances she would get pregnant on their first try were slim, but when Max slid into her and started to pump in and out of her, she knew he would give her his best in any case. He always did.

How long it took them to accomplish that task wasn’t the more important anyway, they would get there eventually, but in the meantime there was no saying they would certainly enjoy the ‘trying’ part.


Liz smiled again now as she recalled how much ‘fun’ they had actually had since that moment in the shower.

It seemed unbelievable to her that it had only been four days ago but even more incredible was how many times they had actually made love since then.

Many times since that instant, she had wondered what exactly could have gone through Max’s mind once she had told him she had stopped taking the pill and if he had told himself that he would not stop until he would have gotten her pregnant, because he surely seemed intent on taking advantage of every opportunity they could have to be together, whether it was for a quickie like what he apparently planned for now, or for a full session of mind-blowing lovemaking.

Her whole body still felt sore from the day before and yet, Liz knew she would certainly not mind in the slightest if Max were to tell her that he wanted to take the day off and spend it in bed with her again.

Liz still giggled now as she remembered how he had woken her up on Sunday morning and planted a tray full of food on her lap when she had sat up, still drowsy from sleep, with a simple kiss and a ‘eat, you’re gonna need your strength’.

When she had looked at him quizzically and asked ‘for what’ exactly she would need it, he had just looked at her with a mischievous grin that would have already been enough to make her want to jump him then and there, and yet it was nothing compared with how she felt when he had told her exactly why.

“We’re having a marathon of sex!” he had announced huskily and Liz had nearly melted on the spot.

Even now, she didn’t know how she had still gotten the presence of mind to ask him how that would be possible with Janelle in the house, but there was no need to say that she had all but wolfed down her breakfast when Max had confessed that he had called his parents and they had already picked her up half an hour ago and that she wouldn’t be back until much later in the afternoon.

Liz had probably never eaten so fast in her whole life in fact, but she didn’t regret it because the countless times Max had loved her that day were definitely worth the few she had nearly choked on the food in her haste to finish.

There was no saying either that as pleasurable as it always was to make love with Max, it was made all the more exiting to know the reason behind their eagerness and need to join over and over again now. Janelle had not been planned after all, no more than the child they had unfortunately lost, and so it gave a whole new dimension to their lovemaking, knowing that any time they joined they could be creating a new life.

“Something funny?” Max demanded huskily when he heard her, never taking his lips from the column of her throat however, which not surprisingly caused Liz’s giggles to turn into low moans of appreciation when she felt his breath stir against her skin as he talked.

“N-No…” the monosyllabic word barely managed to pass her lips before she had to bite on her bottom one to prevent a groan as Max cupped her breasts through her shirt and she felt his thumbs tease the hard peaks her nipples had become. “M-Max!”

“You’re way overdressed for what I have in mind!” he whispered not long after and a mere second after having planted a mind-boggling kiss on her trembling lips, she felt him unbutton her shirt, three buttons coming undone before he was apparently satisfied with his work.

Liz was about to protest about the wisdom of such a move and suggest that maybe it would be in their best interest to keep as many clothes on as they could just in case they were indeed interrupted for whatever reason, when his mouth closed around one turgid nub through her lace bra and she instantly lost her trail of thoughts.

Nothing seemed to matter suddenly but the wicked things her dear husband apparently planned to do to her, which was most likely why it took them both several seconds to become aware of the commotion that was now taking place outside of the large office that till then hid them from the rest of the world.

Max’s hands were actually on their way to free Liz from the only garment that was still preventing him from getting exactly what he desired at the moment when the door of his office flew open and startled them both.

Well, apparently water sports weren’t for them, but neither was office fun, because if Courtney knew better than to enter without Max calling her in first, obviously someone else had no qualms doing so.

“I’m telling you, you can’t enter there!” Courtney’s impatient voice drifted to their ears but it was the irritated one that nearly covered it and the person that spoke almost at the same time that really drew their attention to the door.

“Max… what the…” Tess’s grand entrance was stopped short by the scene in front of her however, the sight of Max and Liz practically glued to each other leaving her momentarily gaping at them.

“Oh, man… on top of being a manipulative conniving bitch, she’s just got to have a bad timing, too!” Max, not caring if she could hear him or not, groaned and rolled his eyes before stepping away from Liz who as quickly and discreetly as she could, tried to rearrange her shirt. It was just on the tip of his tongue to ask if she didn’t see he was trying to get laid, even if clearly that would be a little hard now, considering that the sight of her was enough to make him deflate faster than anything else in his life ever had, but he refrained himself at the last second, knowing that it would certainly not help the situation. “Tess… you remember my wife, right?” he greeted instead, eyes fixed on the woman he wished he would never have to see again after today, her name leaving a sour aftertaste in his mouth.

Max had known of course that sooner or later he would have to come face to face with her, although he had let himself momentarily forget it would have to be so soon once he had been caught up in the passion Liz always evoked in him, but still even thinking he was prepared for such confrontation, the sight of her galled him and made him want to bring up the copious breakfast he had taken only hours ago.

Even three weeks after having discovered the true nature of the woman he had naively for a while considered a friend, he had yet to let his anger up and feared what he would be able to do to her if he didn’t manage to get rid of her as quickly as possible. Thoughts of murdering her and pleading momentary madness to get away with it were definitely not too far from his mind at that instant.

Liz herself felt bile rise in her throat at the sight of the woman she had thought she had to compete with for a while, but only because the mere thought of what she was capable of made her sick. Looking at her now, she had to wonder how she could have really been so stupid as to feel threatened by her.

No matter what he could have thought of her at the time, or what he could have felt for her, now that Liz could look at things with a clear head, she knew that Max would have never fallen for someone like her. And not only because she and Tess could be as different as night and day and therefore Max would have never chosen her unless he clearly wanted her polar opposite, but mainly because Tess Harding just reeked fakeness from every pore of her being and that was just not something Max could ever go for.

Oh, yes, she should have really known better, she found herself thinking again, but she guessed that now was not the moment to express her endless regrets once more.

“Max… I’m sorry… she just… I tried…” Courtney stammered uncomfortably, not wanting Max to think that she had not tried to stop who she knew could only be his ex-secretary from entering, but the other woman had all but pushed her out of the way and she had been powerless to do anything else in time.

She wasn’t sure she would have been able to really do anything anyway, considering how unstable that woman had looked when she had found her at what used to be her seat mere minutes after she had arrived herself, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to mess with her either, giving what she had heard about her ever since she had been hired.

Much to her relief however, Max seemed to understand exactly what had happened and how she felt.

“It’s okay, Courtney… I’ll handle it…” he told her quite calmly, although his gaze never left the curly blonde who had yet to move from the entrance, and understanding that he would let her know if he needed her for anything else, she batted a discreet retreat, all too glad to have the opportunity to get out of there herself.

She might not have known Max long but there was no doubt in her mind that she didn’t want to be anywhere near him if he exploded. And something told her that it wouldn’t take much for that to happen. She could practically see smoke pouring out of his ears, a stark contrast to what she had been used to see until now.

Caught off guard despite the circumstances by his sardonic greeting, Tess for her part didn’t really pay attention to what was happening around her or between Max and Courtney and she found the way to still wonder, even if that thought lasted only for a split second, if Max and Liz were back together and if her own deception had been discovered, before she realized how stupid it actually was.

Max’s wife wouldn’t be there and they wouldn’t have looked so cozy upon her entrance if they weren’t and Max would certainly not be looking at her like he currently was if he didn’t already, finally know. Not even when he had been at odds with his wife had he looked as angry.

Still, even knowing she was screwed, she chose to act as indifferently as she could, like it didn’t matter that she had probably lost any chance she could have had with him and wasn’t scared shitless at the thought of what would happen to her now.

“Whatever!” she answered almost disdainfully long after the question had been asked, before addressing what had made her all but barge into his office only seconds ago. “What is that woman doing at my desk?”

“Her desk now!... you don’t work here anymore!” Max’s answer was right to the point and impossible to misunderstand, and yet even knowing that that was the only way he could react after what she had done, Tess still managed to look astonished to hear him speak such final words.

“What? What the hell are you talking about?” she uttered with a calmness she certainly didn’t feel, her heart hammering in her chest at what it could mean.

If he were serious, she wouldn’t just be losing her job, she would lose the chance to see Max every day, and that was absolutely not tolerable.

“You heard me… you’re fired, Miss Harding… now your things are out there… take them and get of here!” Max informed her more clearly since she obviously didn’t get it and it was the impersonal form with which he addressed her, like they had merely been an employer and his employee all those years they had been working together that eventually made Tess lose some of her composure.

“No… no, you can’t… you can’t just fire me like that!” she replied, doing her best to not wince at how unsteady her voice sounded even to her.

Not even when she had found that Courtney… Whatever… sitting on her office chair had that thought really entered her mind. She had refused to let it enter her mind, and now she had to wonder how she could have not seen this coming.

There had been signs of course, like the fact that all the things she had left at Max’s apartment had been back at hers when she had come back from her vacation. Or that quite thick envelope that had looked official, probably her letter of dismissal, but that she had thought she would have time to open later and had forgotten about in the end. Or even worse, the fact that when she had gone to see Max mere hours after her return, he hadn’t answered and the key he had let her borrow for the time she had been staying with him had not seemed to work.

Yes, there had been signs alright but she had chosen to ignore them all.

She had preferred to believe that Max had returned her things out of courtesy, thinking that maybe she would need them, or maybe even just because she had indeed pushed him for too much too soon and that he had not been ready for what she wanted herself just yet and that was his way of answering to what had happened between them before she left, but even if it had indeed been that she had been ready to deal with it, she was a patient woman after all. She had also preferred to think that something had been wrong with the locks of Max’s apartment and that that was why she couldn’t get in.

What she had not been prepared to deal with, and still wasn’t truthfully, was the fact that she had been wrong about everything, and that Max had not only gone back to his wife while she had been away, but that that bastard had probably changed the locks voluntarily as well, or that he had without a doubt discovered all about her lies. Lies to his wife, lies about the flood. Lies she had pulled out every time she had felt the need to in fact.

Yet even knowing how deceptive she had been, or knowing that she had only herself to blame for what was about to happen to her, what she could really not help wondering about now however, was what bullshit Liz could have served him herself to have Max acting like a damned sick puppy in love again?

“Oh, I can… and I am… and be glad that’s all I do to you!” Max retorted through gritted teeth, the fury blazing in his eyes being enough for Tess to want to cower and do as he had asked.

Getting out of there before he completely lost his temper seemed like a good idea, but Tess wasn’t one to go down without a fight and moreover in front of the one she considered her worst enemy.

She could recognize defeat when she saw it and she knew that pleading with Max to reconsider or even giving him reason to understand why she had done what she had wouldn’t do her any good or get her anywhere, but if all was said and done that didn’t mean that she had to leave without retaliating and inflicting another major blow.

She knew just where to hurt when it came to Max’s wife, and if she could obviously not play on Max’s emotions anymore, she could definitely do so on hers.

“Oh, I see… is this how it’s gonna be, huh?... I’m going away and that’s it?... you’re ditching the mistress for the wife again now?” even as she said the words, she knew perfectly well that he would deny them right away, but she was sure of the damage they could do nonetheless.

All she had to do was to shatter the little trust and faith Liz had to have in Max again, and she wouldn’t win either. If she couldn’t have Max that didn’t mean that Liz would either. After all, they couldn’t have been together again for more than three weeks since she knew they had definitely not been before she had left, therefore their relationship was still fragile and she probably wouldn’t have any problem implanting doubts in Liz’s mind again. How close could they really have become again in such a short time anyway, moreover with their communication issues.

They could be married alright but they had never known how to talk to each other apparently or they would have solved many of their problems a long time ago if that were the case, and she doubted much had changed on that plane.

And even if it had anyway, she wasn’t taking any risks and if she had to lose everything that mattered to her, she would definitely do her best to make sure that Elizabeth Evans knew how that felt as well.

“Are you on crack?” Max spat out incredulously, that having probably been the last thing he would have thought would be coming out of Tess’ mouth.

He knew it was only meant to make Liz doubt him, but as desperate as she could feel considering what he was telling her, never in a million years did he think she could be so vicious as to try something like that with him present.

He darted a quick glance at Liz who hadn’t spoken a word until then and had just let him handle the situation, and the look of horror on her face was enough to prove to him that she was just as stunned, if not more even, as he was himself, and that she couldn’t quite believe either that Tess could be capable of so much.

“Look, it doesn’t matter… I mean the sex was great and all but if you want to call it quits that’s fine by me…” Tess seemed to momentarily gain confidence from Liz’s completely horrified expression and acting like, had she and Max really been lovers, she understood his decision, she went on but looked right at Liz as she spoke now. “If she’s too stupid to take you back, that’s her problem… but at least be honest with the girl… don’t you think she deserves to know what kind of man she’s married to?”

“What the fuck are you about?” Max didn’t even know what to answer to such allegations and almost right away turned to Liz, making sure she wouldn’t believe anything that would come out of Tess’ mouth being more important at the moment than to even bother correcting or contradicting her directly. “Liz, don’t listen to her… you know I wouldn’t touch her for anything in the world!”

“That’s not how you’ve always felt!” Tess insisted before Liz could even breathe a word to assure Max that her lack of reaction had nothing to do with any doubt she could have concerning Tess’ affirmation, but more with the incredible nerve she was realizing that girl possessed.

It was simply unbelievable that she could dare try pulling something like that now after everything she had already done, and even more when it basically went against everything she had tried to make her believe until then.

Months ago she was singing another tune, spewing left and right about the great love she and Max felt for each other, a love so strong in fact that he was ready to leave his family, his daughter, so that they could be together and create a family of their own, and here she was now, acting like what they had supposedly shared had just been a mere adventure.

Liz could only wonder then if Tess was really so demented and perturbed that she didn’t even realize how much she was contradicting herself, but what was sure was that she didn’t offer a very stable picture.

“You’re completely nuts!” Max only voiced out loud what Liz herself was thinking, before he added with even more disgust. “Look at you… do you really think I’d want to have anything to do with you?... I… you’re… god, I’d rather fuck an entire flock of… goats in heat before doing you!”

The words were spat out with such vehemence that they almost instantly made Tess gasp aloud, but Liz’s reaction was even more spontaneous.

Not having ever heard Max speak to anyone in such a way, she burst out laughing before she could stop herself, even if that was probably the last thing that was expected of her in such a situation.

“You son of a… s-son of a…” Tess spluttered, unable to comprehend that he could have dared say such a thing to her and humiliate her in such a way, not matter what she could have insinuated.

He had never been downright mean to her, or to anyone for that matter as far as she knew, and that he could now, with her, when his own wife was witnessing it was even more degrading.

It didn’t even come to her mind that she had brought it upon herself and that she only had herself to blame for it, or that considering what she had done herself she had no right to be offended. She was just too infuriated for that.

“What? Suddenly you don’t have anything to say anymore?” Max questioned, anger still obvious in his posture and tone, Tess taking a prudent step back when he advanced menacingly towards her and growled. “Get out of here, Tess, before I do something I definitely won’t regret.”

The threat was clear, yet it didn’t stop Tess from responding with just as much forcefulness.

“You think you’re going to get me out of your life so easily?” she cried out, thinking that he had another thing coming if he thought she was just going to let him be and go live the happy life with his wife while she was miserable.

“Well, you’ve got only yourself to blame for that, don’t you?” Max shouted back, advancing a little more upon her with each word he spoke. “I trusted you, Tess… I confided in you… I thought of you as a friend… and you… you very nearly destroyed my life… you nearly destroyed my family… the most… precious… thing in my life… god, I should just kill you for what you did to me… what you did to Liz… what you put us through all those months…”

By the time he had finished his speech, Max had Tess nearly backed into the wall, and she would have probably hit it if it hadn’t been for Liz stopping him.

“Max!” she hadn’t wanted to intervene, knowing that even more than herself, Max needed to get that out, but she didn’t think she had ever seen him as mad as he currently was and knew she just had to say something before it degenerated even more.

No one wanted to see Tess get what she deserved and pay for what she had done more than she did herself, but she was afraid to see what Max would do to her if she let him.

“She didn’t deserve you…” Tess yelled all of a sudden, pushing Max back with a strength he hadn’t been expecting and then started verbally attacking Liz because that seemed like the only thing to do now. “She cheated on you, that disgusting bitch… and you… you stupid pathetic fool… you just went crawling back to her with your fucking tail between your legs… you couldn’t just let go… no, of course not, you just…”

“Shut up, Tess… shut up or I swear…” Max roared out, reaching for Tess’ neck but was once more stopped by Liz before he could close his hand around it and attempt to squeeze the life out of her like he so wanted to. It was certainly for the best because with the way he was feeling at the moment, there was no saying how much he could indeed hurt her before he was able to control himself and stop. “What did I ever do to you, huh?... what the hell did I ever do to you beside befriending you?”

It was a question that didn’t really need an answer, and yet he couldn’t stop himself from asking it, still not understanding how he could have been so wrong about her, how she could have betrayed him in such a way when all he had ever done was doing his best to make her feel at ease in the firm, and do all he could so that they could have the best relationship possible, considering that they had to work closely every day.

“I didn’t want your fucking friendship!” Tess spewed out, looking like she had finally lost it and wasn’t in control of her reactions any longer. Gone was her apparently calm or indifferent façade, she looked near hysterics now. “Don’t you get it… I didn’t give a damn about your friendship… all I wanted was you… I-I wanted you to love me like I…”

“Love you?... love you, Tess?” Max interrupted her before she could say more and scoffed with disgust, staring at her like she had indeed lost her freaking mind or said the most preposterous thing in the world. “I wouldn’t have loved you if you had been the very last woman on Earth!”

“Oh, but you could love that cheating slut…” Tess accused furiously, shooting daggers at Liz who stepped just in front of Max as she heard her and wondered if Tess really had a death wish.

“God, I’m really gonna…” Max was only one step from wrecking Tess’ neck and ending her life now, and Liz had to exert almost superhuman strength to prevent him from reaching for her and killing the other woman.

“Max, it’s okay… don’t listen to her…” she soothed gently and cupped his face to make him focus on her instead of Tess, his gaze instantly softening when it settled on her. “I love you and that’s all that matters… nothing she says can change that… don’t stoop to her level… she’s not worth it…” she whispered to calm him some down, but Tess heard her nonetheless and couldn’t help from responding venomously.

“Oh, that’s sweet and all… but we’ll see how you feel when he kicks you down the curb… because believe me, sooner or later… he will… you’re not so special, don’t you think… and if it’s not for me, it will be for some-…”

Her rage had no limit now, but she wasn’t counting on Liz finding the only way that could make her close her nasty mouth.

“Oh, just shut up already!” she growled out and before she could stop herself or consider it twice, she punched Tess square in the face, the other girl stumbling backward with the force of the impact.

So much for not stooping to her level, huh? Well, there went that. But damn, if it didn’t feel good to get back at Tess in some way for once. At last.

“Wow, catfight!” Max cheered before he could think about it twice himself, only realizing what he was doing when he saw Tess recuperate from the shock and bring her fingers to her now split bottom lip, before she moved to Liz with the clear intention to retaliate.

“You bitch!... you’re gonna regret…” she threatened as she lifted up her hand and tried to slap Liz back, only to have Max grab her wrist in a vice grip and stop her half way.

“Just go ahead, Tess… try and touch my wife and you won’t live long enough to regret it!” he promised in a deadly tone that left no doubt about the fact that that was the very last thing she should think about trying to do if she wanted to keep breathing, and then he pushed her away like the mere fact of touching her was making him sick. “Now for the last time, get out of here before I forget my manners and hit a woman… or you, whatever the hell you’re supposed to be!”

“I’m gonna sue you for this… you’ll pay for this!” ignoring what Max had just said, Tess pointed a threatening finger to Liz and shouted almost at the top of her lungs, proving once more just how deranged she really could be.

“Sure, bring it on, Blondie… I already have the best lawyer in the world… you know where to find me… we’ll be waiting for you!” Liz replied back, a mocking smile on her lips that showed just how not scared she was and only seemed to infuriate Tess more.

In fact she was just about to throw herself at Liz and pull her hair out when two security guards erupted into the room and assessing the situation, addressed Max.

“Is everything okay, Mr Evans?” one of them asked, though he already knew something big might have gone on in there for Max’s new secretary to call them.

“It will be in a second!” Max answered and all but pushed Tess into their arms. “I want you to escort this woman out of the building… throw her out if you want… send her flying even if that’s what it takes… I don’t fucking care… I just want her out of my sight or I won’t be held responsible for my actions!” he ordered them and cast one last hateful glance at Tess before gathering Liz close to him, her presence near him being what he needed to calm down.

“Sure, sir!” the other security guard answered and immediately grabbed hold of Tess with the firm intention to do just as he had been asked.

“You can’t do this… you can’t… Max!” Tess cried out desperately when she seemed to realize that this was really the end of it, and she vainly tried to fight against the two imposing men holding her now. “Let me go, you idiots… just…”

“Oh, and Tess… I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for a recommendation… once I’m done with you… you won’t be able to find a job in this city anyway, so I’d start packing if I were you…” he suggested as she was led to the door by the two security guards, gesticulating and trying to hit everywhere she could.

“I’m gonna sue you, Max…. and you’ll regret the day you messed with me…” Tess shouted, turning around to glare hatefully at him, like that could have any effect on him at this point.

“Like my wife said… bring it on, sugar… I’ll be waiting…” he called out as she was taken away screaming and kicking, obviously not more affected than that by her promises to make his life a living hell.

Whatever other threats she made went unheard as she was led further and further away from them, and it was only once she was completely out of sight and Courtney had closed the door behind herself again that Max saw Liz wince for the first time.

“Dammit, it hurts!” she grumbled as she shook her hand in the air, only realizing now that punching Tess’ face had maybe not been the wisest thing she could have done. As glad as she was to see Tess shutting up at last, it wasn’t worth a broken hand, though since she could still move it quite easily, she had probably been lucky this time.

“Come here, my heroine…” Max immediately drew her to him and made her step between his legs while he himself leant against his desk.

Gently then, he cradled her hand between his and placed soothing kisses on her knuckles, only mildly relieved when he noticed they were not bruised or anything, and he only stopped when he was sure that his attention had gotten the desire effect.

“Better?” he asked a moment later when Liz was all but ready to melt into his arms.

“Yeah.” she breathed out, having most likely forgotten all about her pain the second she had felt his lips on her fingers. She could easily forget about anything else when he was this close to her.

“Beside that, you’re okay?” Max couldn’t help asking as his thumb tenderly traced her cheekbone, slightly concerned that she could have been upset nonetheless by what Tess had insinuated.

Even if he was convinced that she hadn’t believed a word of what she had said, he didn’t doubt that it had to have brought back not so pleasant memories at least.

“Yeah, but… it’s not over, is it?... I mean, do you think she’s really going to sue us?” Liz wondered aloud and Max noticed that as sure of herself as she had seemed to be earlier, she obviously was still somewhat afraid about the repercussions that firing Tess could have.

“She’s probably going to try and pull something like that, yeah… I don’t see her giving up so easily, but like I said, if it happens, we’ll be ready… and there’s no way I’ll let her win, you know that, so I don’t want you to worry about it!” he stated confidently, sure that if they went to trial anyway and Tess appeared anything like she had today, there was no way any judge in their right mind would side with her.

Beside, he knew that as long as Alex had his back, everything would be alright, and even Serena had promised she would testify if need be once she had heard the whole story. Apparently, Alex’s secretary had had her doubts about Tess’ sanity herself and learning all she had done had only proven to her that she had been right to think that the girl was really too weird to be honest by moments.

All in all and even despite what had happened today, Max wasn’t more worried than that so. He knew he could take Tess down if it came to that.

“Okay…” Liz nodded easily, believing him, and more than that, trusting him to do whatever had to be done if anything happened. She knew that Max would rather die than letting Tess hurting their family ever again. “I just… I can’t believe she was spurting all those stupidities.” she added as an afterthought, even if she definitely didn’t want to dwell on it too much.

More than anything, she just wanted Tess Harding to be out of their lives and forget that she had even existed.

“I can’t believe you punched her!” Max chuckled despite himself, still having a hard time picturing that his sweet little wife could have done that, even if he had indeed witnessed it himself or definitely thought that it had actually been well deserved.

He would have done it himself in fact if he hadn’t been sure his mother would have had a heart attack and died on the spot if she ever heard about it afterwards. She would have probably not understood where she had gone wrong with him, for him to resort to such methods.

“Well, she was getting on my nerves!” Liz had the grace to blush at that moment, admitting herself that her reaction had been quite out of character and not exactly something that should have normally been expected of her.

“Too bad she didn’t have any opportunity to fight back… I would have loved to see you shredding her to pieces!” Max joked, not wanting to embarrass her more than she obviously was by commenting more seriously on it.

“Oh, you would have, wouldn’t you?” Liz rolled her eyes and shook her head at him, thinking that it was certainly one of those guys’ things.

“What?... any man would love to see his girl fighting for him!” Max confirmed her thoughts, the look on his face almost screaming how ‘hot’ he actually thought that could be.

“Yeah… and the next thing, what? You’re gonna make me wear a nice combat outfit, take me for a walk and ask me to go and punch every girl that as much as look for too long at you?” she snorted sarcastically but then almost laughed aloud when she caught the glint in Max’s eyes as she said the words.

“Awww… you would do that for me?” he looked cute enough to eat as he asked her, but though his tone was still quite teasing, she couldn’t help answering more seriously.

“I would do anything for you!” she confessed as she cradled his face between her hands and punctuated the statement with a soft kiss.

“So would I, baby… so would I!” Max replied just as earnestly as he sensed the change in her, and kissed her as well, only maybe more insistently.

“Well, anyway… where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted?” Liz asked him quite breathlessly when they parted, her arms coming to wrap around his neck as if to show him that even if she had protested weakly in the beginning, she wouldn’t mind getting more of what he had apparently been ready to give earlier.

“Yeah, right there seems quite a good place to go back to…” he gave her a lopsided grin that would have made her melt into a pool of goo on the floor if he hadn’t been holding her tightly, and Liz knew he would be a willing and eager participant in whatever she could suggest herself at this point.

“I’m sure we could do even better, though…” she toyed with the buttons of his shirt and fluttered her eyelashes at him, and if it hadn’t even crossed his mind to resist her or deny them what they both obviously wanted, he was lost anyway at that instant.

“Oh, you bet we can…” he grinned widely then and cradled her hips, making Liz gasp when he lifted her up and deposited her on top of his desk again a mere second before he went to the door to lock it this time, so he would be sure that nothing, and no one could interrupt them again.

The predatory look he gave her then as he marched back to her was enough to make Liz’s pulse quicken, but when he grabbed her thighs almost roughly and pulled her flush to him before he crashed his lips to hers to kiss her senseless, she really wondered if she would survive the hour or so they still had until his first appointment and all he had in store for her.

She wouldn’t complain however, after all they had a baby to make and every opportunity to get a good head start on that ‘project’ was something she could only approve of and enjoy.

End of chapter twelve.

TBC…

(One chapter left and the epilogue, guys )

frenchkiss70 wrote:Rebby it's a great part, so now you can post it, there's nothing to change, you over achiever you!!!!

*LOL* you know me too well Have you seen the hour? So you can imagine how many times I have read, and reread this … now you, don’t be too harsh with Max

Author: Rebecca

Title: Before it's too late.

Rating: ADULT

Disclaimer: See first parts.

LairaBehr4 wrote:

RebeccaBehrEvans wrote:

Beautiful86 wrote:I think she forgot about us.

Yall think so?

I think so.

Well...FINE! Forget you!!!!!

LOL... I sooo haven't!! I'm almost done, I'm just struggling with one particular scene... can't seem to be able to write it like I want it... well, like I see it in my mind ... give me a few more days and you should have that new part! hopefully!

It's been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy more than a few days.


I'm just saying.

See, here I am at last... was that fast enough for you?

I have to hurry since I'm having some problems with my comp and it keeps crashing every other minute and I don’t want to see it happening again while I’m trying to post (already happened twice ), but know that I have appreciate every bump and feedbacks you guys posted... I hope you'll like this part, too!

Without further ado... for now

Posted in four due to length.


Chapter thirteen

“Liz?”

Silence.

“Liz?... baby, are you alright in there?” Max tried his best but he couldn’t keep the edge of concern off his voice the longer she took to answer him. “Liz?”

“Yeah…I… yeah, I-I’m fine… just… I’ll be out in a second…” despite her reply, it wasn’t nearly enough to make Max feel better, but he was glad nonetheless when he heard her flush the toilet and turn on the tap to probably splash some water over her face.

He hadn’t been able to enter the bathroom behind her since she had locked herself in this time, but he had witnessed that same scene enough times in the last week or so to know what was happening in there. And he had heard the way she had heaved and retched in there clearly enough to know that Liz was sick again.

Not long after she had finally spoken to him, he heard the door being unlocked and he did all he could to school his features and at least appear to be smiling, even when he knew he wouldn’t be able to really fool her for all that.

“Hey.” he whispered softly and stepped close to her but not enough to make her feel like he was smothering her.

“Hey.” she breathed back, her face still lacking color, but at least she didn’t look as green as she had when he had seen her rush past him and into the bathroom.

“You’re okay?” he asked tentatively as he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and tried to get a good look at her.

“I’ve felt better…” Liz admitted, leaning against his touch without realizing she was doing it but that was all the encouragement Max needed himself.

“Come here.” Tugging on her hand, he brought her to him and wrapped his strong arms around her, Liz resting her head on his chest the second he embraced her. “Is there anything I could do?”

“I don’t think so… but this… you holding me… it definitely helps…” Liz confessed in a breathy murmur, burrowing into his warmth and holding him back just as tightly as he could himself.

“Well, you know you just have to ask… if you want a hug… or anything else…” he told her, his nose nuzzling against her temple, his breath stirring against her skin and making Liz sigh softly.

“I know…” she said as she pulled away slightly and placed a soft kiss on those lips she loved so much. Lips that could undo her with words just as much as they could with their sweet caresses.

“You’re feeling a little warm.” Max noted as he stroked her cheek, a frown marring his brows as he spoke the words.

“I’m fine, Max… stop worrying…” Liz assured him, stopping his hand and lacing her fingers with his when Max reached out to feel her forehead as well.

“You know I can’t help it…” he conceded with a small smile and a gentle squeeze. “You sure you want to do this?... maybe you should rest…” he added nonetheless, knowing that that was really what she should do if she wanted to be reasonable but almost sure that Liz wouldn’t follow him on that. Unfortunately.

“Max… it’s Janelle’s birthday… we can’t cancel this or even just postpone it… she wouldn’t understand!” Liz scolded him and reminded him like he could have forgotten.

Today their daughter was turning six and she was having what was probably the biggest party a little girl her age could wish for and as much as Liz would rather stay in bed all day and rest like Max was suggesting, she knew there would be no way she could explain that to her dear daughter and not see her blowing a gasket over it.

No, considering that this was almost the only thing Janelle had been able to think or talk about for the past few weeks, she would definitely not be thrilled if Liz were to tell her they would have to do this some other day, no matter the reason.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t… but I’m more worried about you right now… I don’t want you to overdo it…” Max concurred but that didn’t stop him from telling her what was really on his mind at that moment.

“I won’t…” Liz promised in hope that it would be enough to appease Max some since, no matter how much he could protest, they both knew there wouldn’t really be any way around this.

“This house is going to look like a zoo soon, Liz… I just…” Max started nonetheless but was stopped mid sentence when Liz silenced him with another kiss.

“Yes, it will… I know that… but I can handle it…” she countered, although she didn’t bother contradicting him.

Between all of Janelle’s little friends, the few parents that would be accompanying them and staying, and their families and own friends, Liz knew that a ‘zoo’ was definitely not so far from what the reality of having all these people walking around their house would indeed look like.

“And I know you can… you just don’t have to if you don’t feel like it…” Max insisted one last time, ready to go and tell his daughter that they would maybe have to do this tomorrow or the next day and call everyone as well to let them know what was going on if he had to.

Liz was his first priority right now, even if he was already trying to think of ways he could somehow make it up to his daughter if it came to that.

“Max, I’m just fighting a bug or… whatever… and it’s not like I really have to be careful or anything…” the words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself and it would have been hard for Max to not hear the sadness in her tone, no matter how hard she could try to hide it.

They had been trying for that other baby they wanted both so much for over two months now, but much to their dismay they hadn’t been very successful until now and Max, though he tried not to let it show, was getting more and more worried about how much all this could affect Liz.

A couple of weeks after they had made their decision, Liz had noticed that she had missed her period and though she had only been a few days late, she had been positive that it could only mean she was with child. Ecstatic about the thought, she had purchased a pregnancy test and she and Max had been nearly bursting at the seams while they waited for the few minutes it had taken to know the result. Understandably so, both had been incredibly disappointed when it had shown that Liz was apparently and unfortunately not pregnant yet.

It had been just as hard a few days later when Liz had finally gotten her period and even worse when it had come naturally the next month. Each time she realized that it hadn’t happened yet despite how many effort they clearly put into the task, Liz seemed to get a little more depressed while Max himself grew more concerned and with good reason apparently.

About a week ago when Liz had started getting sick, she had seemed to perk up a little again and they had even gone to buy another test before taking it together, but once more it hadn’t had the result they had wished for.

What broke Max’s heart more than anything however had not been to see the single line staring almost mockingly back at him, but to see Liz completely break down because of it.

Before his eyes, she had lost it and cried until it seemed she had no tears left to cry and Max had honestly not been too far from losing it himself when he had seen just how much each new deception was hurting Liz.

It would have probably hurt less in fact if Liz had not been positively convinced that this time was the one. She had been absolutely sure when she had started feeling nauseous in the mornings that they would have something to celebrate soon. The disappointment and pain she had felt then once more when nothing had gone like she had hoped had been too much to bear and she had not been able to hold everything in any longer.

Max had been there to comfort her of course, just like he was again now, but his sweet reassurances weren’t enough to stop Liz’s mind from swirling with questions and fear.

“Liz, it will happen, okay...” he cupped her face and breathed out gently, although he was well aware that he would need more to make Liz feel better.

He had basically been telling her the same thing for weeks now, every time Liz brought her fears up. She tried to be as positive as he could be himself most of the time of course, but Max knew well that she couldn’t help wondering if her previous miscarriage hadn’t had consequences they hadn’t known about until then. Consequences that could maybe now influence on her ability to procreate again.

Max had tried to tell her that it was ridiculous and reminded her that many women had been able to have kids even after a miscarriage or worse an abortion but unfortunately it wasn’t apparently enough to appease Liz. No more apparently than when he reminded her that they had not been trying long enough yet anyway to lose all hope and get worried. Max had even read somewhere that generally it took a woman an average of 5.7 months to get pregnant once she had stopped taking the pill but when he had joked about that with Liz and told her that statistically they were still far from that mark, she had told him that she had no desire to be a simple ‘statistic’, what she wanted was a baby, their baby, and seeing that talking about it in such a way only managed to upset her more, he had soon dropped it.

“I know that... it’s just... I really thought...” Liz trailed off before she could once more voice out loud how convinced she had been that this time they had indeed succeeded. “... just forget it... it’s stupid... I know it will happen... I just need to be more patient...” she finished instead with more conviction and spirit than she was really feeling.

What she didn’t say however was that despite the fact that the last pregnancy test she had taken had turned out being negative as well, she had taken an appointment for a blood test nonetheless and would be going to get the results back in a few hours.

She knew she was most likely just setting herself up for another heartbreak but at least that way she would know for sure what was really going on with her. After all was it really normal that she was feeling so sick when they were in the middle of summer? Either this test would confirm what she thought, which was to say that she was indeed pregnant but for some reason the pregnancy test had not confirmed it, or she was indeed fighting a bug or whatever what was making her feel like her stomach was upside down every morning really was. In either case, she would know soon.

“It’s not stupid...” Max countered, his thumbs trailing lightly over her cheekbones, the tender smile he gave her being enough for Liz to know that nothing she could ever do or say would indeed ever be stupid in his eyes. “... but yes, apparently we’re going to have to be more patient... and maybe ‘work’ on it even harder... which I personally don’t mind...” he pursued as he planted a soft teasing kiss on her now smiling lips.

“I’m sure you don’t...” Liz replied, getting rather quickly caught in what had looked like an innocent enough kiss in the beginning, but was quickly turning into more.

“I would show you just how much I really don’t right now if your parents weren’t just down the hall...” he whispered huskily, nuzzling her neck in a way that made Liz’s knees all but give out under her.

“Hmm... save that thought for later tonight...” she moaned out as he nibbled at her skin, seeing herself that now was not the right moment, even if clearly that had never stopped them before.

She just had about a million things to do before everything was ready for Janelle’s birthday party and if they started getting carried away now, she was sure they would spend the day in bed and not for the same reasons Max had wished she would earlier.

“I will!” he said, knowing that she was right and that they should better not start something they probably wouldn’t be able to finish.

“I’m gonna hold you to that… but right now I should really go or I won’t be back before most of the guests have arrived.” Liz announced after having hugged him as hard as she could.

She needed to go and fetch Maria from the airport and she was already late as it was considering that she had been on her way just there before she had been seized by a wave of nausea once more and had to rush to the bathroom instead. It was a good thing she had planned her leaving so she would arrive with a good advance and therefore still had time to get there before Maria could arrive herself.

Her best friend was coming home at last after having been touring all through Europe and Asia and Liz couldn’t wait to see her again.

Sometimes it seemed incredible to her to think about all Maria had achieved in the last ten years or so. When she had announced her intention to leave for New York to try and see if she could make a career in the music industry, not many people had wanted to believe in her. Those who thought she could succeed could actually be counted on one hand, but she had shut all the others up when within the year and a half after she had left, her first hit had been played over and over on the radios.

Nearly ten years later, Liz had lost count of how many albums Maria had released but almost all of them had been N°#1 in the charts at one point or another.

Yes, Liz really couldn’t be prouder of her best friend. The only negative point was that her success had to come with a price nonetheless. Due to her busy schedule and the many tours that had followed and though she had moved to Los Angeles herself only a few years after Max and Liz had settled there themselves, Liz had not seen Maria in nearly a year and she knew she should really be grateful that she had even been able to make it in time for Janelle’s birthday. After all only the previous night, Maria had still been giving a concert in London and had hopped in a plane almost right after it to be able to be there this morning.

“I could go for you if you’d prefer me to…” Max couldn’t help proposing, momentarily pulling Liz out of her thoughts of how thrilled she could be to be only minutes away now from seeing Maria again.

“No, I’m feeling fine right now… and beside, some fresh air could only do me some good.” Liz appreciated his offer of course, but she needed those few minutes she would be able to spend alone with Maria to catch up on their lives before she had to share her with about half the people that would be at their house soon.

After all you couldn’t be best friend with one of the most famous singers around lately and hope to be able to keep her all to yourself with a bunch of kids who probably knew most of her songs better than Liz ever could and who would just about die to approach her.

Maria was no Britney Spears but if Janelle liked her music and had almost all of her albums -thanks to Maria sending those she thought Janelle could listen to even at her young age- chances were that her friends would as well and if they didn’t, Liz was sure that they had at least heard about her or seen her on TV and therefore the result would be just the same. Maria was a celebrity, there was no denying that, but as long as Liz could see her, she could deal with the rest.

Well, as long as they didn’t end up with a horde of reporters and paparazzi in front of her house of course, but since Maria was traveling alone and incognito, that shouldn’t be a problem.

“Okay… I’ll have Janelle dressed and ready for your return…” Max told her as Liz left his embrace and reached for the purse she had thrown haphazardly on their bed when she had been running to the bathroom.

“Thank you… I put two dresses on her bed already… just let her choose which one she wants to wear…” Liz informed him as they stepped to the bedroom door.

She certainly wasn’t worried since she knew he could handle Janelle just fine no matter how excited she could be about the day or if she had barely been able to sit still since she had woken up. Currently she was downstairs watching some cartoons on TV but Liz suffered from no illusions that this would keep her occupied much longer.

“Sure.” Max just said as he followed her out of the room and into the hallway.

“I’ll see you in a few!” Liz then whispered, standing on her tiptoes to give him a gentle kiss.

“Yeah!” Max replied simply, quite distracted by the way her soft lips felt under his.

He savored the taste of her for a few seconds, regretting that he couldn’t see it turning into something more and held her hand for as long as he could when she pulled away and started to move away from him.

“Liz?” he found himself calling her name at the last moment then, causing her to turn around before she could reach the first floor.

“Yes?” she uttered questioningly, thinking that maybe he had forgotten to tell her something.

There had been a time not so long ago when he was afraid of letting her get out of the house alone and the last thing he would always tell her when he had no choice but to let her go nonetheless had been for her to be careful.

Tess Harding had not been lying when she had said that she would make their lives a living hell, or at least she had surely done her best to do so.

Barely a couple of weeks after Max had fired her, he had heard from a friend of his, a lawyer as well, that Tess was looking for someone to represent her because she indeed wanted to sue him and Alex.

Surprisingly however, she didn’t seem to be able to find anyone who was willing to risk going against them. Much to both his and Alex’s amazement and just like they had themselves in reality, Tess had clearly underestimated their reputation.

From what he had heard, Tess had been livid and seething after having been turned down by one too many lawyers and had even created quite a scene at the last practice she had visited, but knowing that she would certainly not stop there for all that, Max had decided to take the initiative and do something himself. Even if -unless she forced him to of course- he hadn’t planned to really go through with it and it had more been to scare her into giving up if she knew what was good for her than anything else, Max had decided to sue her as well for sexual harassment, sending Tess an official document that stipulated that not only Liz, but Alex and Serena as well would be testifying if or when they went to trial.

The least that could be said was that after that, her reaction had not been long to come. On the same day she had apparently received that letter, Max had gotten a phone call, Tess screaming her head off about the fact that he couldn’t do that to her and what a bastard he was. Max had not acknowledged her pitiful cries however and had asked her instead if she really thought that any judge would favor and believe a simple secretary over a well known lawyer and if she really wanted him to bring everything she had done up in front of a court and that had shut her up, at least momentarily. When she had started screaming again, Max had simply hung up on her but not before having told her that she should better leave his family alone or he would be the one making her life a living hell.

If she had indeed stopped trying to sue him then after their heated conversation, what Max had not counted on, was for her to find another way to insinuate herself in his everyday life.

The first time they had noticed something was wrong had been just a few days after that phone call. When coming back from one of her morning jogs, Liz had noticed a car parked near their house, car that had already been parked there across the street the day before, and the day before that, and she had shared her suspicions with Max almost right away since they hadn’t known of anyone in their small neighborhood that had changed cars or was having guests for an extended period.

When he had tried to discreetly investigate however, the driver had apparently spotted him and had driven away before he could clearly see their face. The only thing he had really been able to see then had been a mop of blonde curls, but he had still wanted to believe that he was mistaken and that it couldn’t be who he had almost been sure he had recognized.

After that, the blue sedan that had been parked in front of their house had not reappeared, at least not there, but Max could have sworn that he had spotted it following him several times from his place of work to the different places he went to meet with clients.

The feeling of being almost constantly followed had made him uneasy of course, but he had thought he could deal with it, at least until he could prove that it was really who he thought it was, yet Tess -because it was indeed Tess who had been hanging around his neighborhood and following him around like some stalking psycho- had once more proven that she was just too dangerous to be ignored.

Following him was one thing, but Max had seriously lost it when Janelle’s school had called him to inform him that someone had tried to convince his daughter to follow them outside, the school noticing that something was wrong when Janelle had started screaming and kicking when they had grabbed for her and tried to take her with them.

How Tess had managed to enter the school premises during recess Max didn’t know, but he hadn’t needed to hear more than the description of the woman who had tried to drag Janelle to her car and had run away when the teachers had yelled for someone to call the police to know that the culprit had indeed been his former employee. Janelle had confirmed it later on anyway, when she had stopped crying long enough to ask Max why his ‘mean secretary’ had wanted to take her away.

Liz, who had arrived barely minutes after Max had himself, had been hysterical of course, and it had taken all of Max’s patience to calm them both down, though all the while, inwardly he had been swearing that this was the last time Tess Harding would come anywhere near his family. No matter what he had to do for that.

Liz had barely assured him that she would be alright at home with Janelle once he had dropped them off there, that he was going and pressing charges against Tess for attempted kidnapping, but if it had surprisingly not taken long to the police to find her since she had simply gone back to her apartment like nothing had even happened, what they had discovered there had been enough to make Max sick.

Apparently after having gotten fired, Tess had really hit rock bottom and stopped caring about anything but watching and following Max. Her apartment had looked like it hadn’t seen a cleaning in a long while, clothes and take-out boxes had been thrown everywhere, dirty dishes had been piled up in the kitchen and Tess herself had looked just as much a mess: the clothes she had been wearing looked like they hadn’t been changed for a few days now, her face had been devoid of any makeup and it had been evident she hadn’t made any effort with her hair either. Simply put the woman Max had seen that day had gotten nothing to do anymore with the quite elegant secretary he had been used to only weeks back.

She had also been barely coherent then when she had been brought in for questioning, but Max had refused to be moved in any way by her state or her obvious distress, even when one of the police officers had remarked that she was so far gone at the moment that she didn’t even seem to understand what she had done wrong. No, Max hadn’t cared at all. The only thing in his mind had been to make her pay, if only for how much she had scared Janelle and Liz.

Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to think like him and Tess had gotten out of there with barely a slap on the wrist, the judge who had looked over her case later having apparently taken pity on her and considered that Tess was more unstable and in need of some psychiatric help than she was really dangerous.

Beside emitting a restraining order that forbad Tess from coming anywhere within 500 feet from Janelle, Liz or him, ordering her to be medically followed up, and telling her that she would have to serve time at the next incident or if he had to ever see her in his court, nothing much had been done and of course the fact that he couldn’t even count on the law to get Tess out of his life had made Max furious.

From there he had taken it upon himself to make sure that Tess couldn’t bother them nonetheless and had hired a private investigator to follow Tess this time and inform him of her every move. Results had come quickly but the PI could only confirm that Tess had indeed moved to San Jose not long after her hearing.

She had asked if she could find a doctor there instead of staying in Los Angeles almost right away after having been informed of the terms of her sentence, pretending that she needed a change of scenery if she wanted to get better and that she had a brother there –brother that Max had not even known existed until then since she had always affirmed to have no family left- who was ready to take her in until she was ‘well’ again and the judge had not seen any problem with that.

Max had not been convinced at first, but after having that PI trailing Tess for a few weeks, he had been forced to admit that hopefully Tess wouldn’t be a problem for him and his family anymore.

That of course didn’t mean that he wasn’t fearing she would return one day and Liz knew how much it cost him still to let his guard down and not go all protective on her. If he could he would probably spend each single minute of the day behind her or Janelle, making sure that they were okay and that nothing could happen to them, but Liz had pointed out that they wouldn’t be able to just be and enjoy life if they had to always look over their shoulders, and Max had had no choice but to back off, or at least as much as he could of course.

The sound of his voice brought her out of her thoughts and to the present again now and she couldn’t help smiling lovingly at him when she heard him whisper a heartfelt ‘I love you’. No matter how many times he could say those sweet words she didn’t think she could ever tire of hearing them.

“Love you more…” she breathed back with just as much emotion in her voice and then she hurried downstairs before she could change her mind and she dragged him back into their bedroom to show him just how much she indeed loved him instead.

No, not a good idea at all when your parents were probably already up and about to get out of their room.

What she didn’t know though, was that their little scene had already had a witness, Jeffrey Parker having seen enough to know that he could finally stop worrying about his daughter.

When Nancy had called him months back from Los Angeles to tell him what had happened and that she had actually found Max and Liz reconciled instead of finding their daughter heartbroken like she had been expecting, he had been just as skeptical and had had the same doubts and suspicions about their sudden and miraculous reconciliation as she had herself, but he just had to look at how happy Max was making his daughter again now to know that this time they were in for the long run and that nothing would ever come between them again. Neither of them would let that happen.

Although he had not really talked about what had transpired between his daughter and her husband with her, he had nonetheless been privy to the details of the situation through his own wife and knew exactly what had happened, what a huge misunderstanding everything had been. Consequently he also knew of course just how wrong they had been about Max in the end and that had surely come a long way in forgiving him for how much he had hurt Liz in the past. He had eyes, too, anyway and he would have to be seriously blind to not see how much effort Max put in reminding Liz, and that as often as he could, just how much she meant to him.

Today was definitely not the first time he had witnessed such a scene, they had both been plenty ‘generous’ with the public displays of affection in the three days he and Nancy had been there, but it certainly warmed his heart as a father to see that after everything she had gone through, his little girl had found happiness again.

And if that grin on his son-in-law’s face was any indication, he was just as happy as he could make his daughter be.

No, there was really no reason for him to worry anymore, Jeff thought as he stepped back into the guestroom before Max had a chance to spot him and ask him what he was doing there, spying on them.
The least that could be said was that fetching Maria from the airport had been quite an adventure. If Liz had thought that it would be a piece of cake and that she would be in and out in no time she had been sadly mistaken.

It had taken them nearly half an hour just to exit the arrival terminal after Maria had gone through luggage claim and a young girl had recognized her, even with the sunglasses and summer hat she had been wearing, and from there everything had seemed to snowball. Liz had barely had time to hug Maria and tell her how much she had missed her that they were surrounded by a crowd of nearly hysterical fans. Used by now to such attentions, Maria had taken it all with the grace of a queen while Liz stood on the side, her mouth nearly hanging completely opened as she watched how her best friend traded autographs and smiles much to the pleasure of everyone present.

It clearly wasn’t the first time that something like that had happened and that she was there to see it live, it had happened just last year in fact before Maria had left and they had had the good idea -or maybe not- to go shopping in one of the most prestigious boutique of LA only to be practically assailed by a horde of fans, but even after having witnessed it many times, it still impressed Liz just the same.

The ‘fans’ had not been nearly as hysterical at home as they had been at the airport, fortunately, but Maria had had to sign many autographs there as well nonetheless in the first hour after her arrival and not necessarily for only the youngest guests.

Janelle had been ecstatic as well of course to see her famous ‘aunt’ and she had clung to her for a while before she had accepted to let her go and greet the other guests while she went and played a moment with her friends herself.

As for Liz, she had only had time to mingle among them a couple of hours or so before the bakery where she had ordered Janelle’s birthday cake had called to let her know that she could come and pick it up whenever she wanted since it was ready, and she had been out of the door again in no time, even despite Max’s insistence that he could go himself this time and that she should rest some instead if she could. No need to say that Liz had only needed to remind him that she would hardly be able to do any of that in a house full of people to have him let it go, although adding a kiss and a promise to hurry had been necessary as well.

When she came back over an hour later however, she wasn’t more surprised than that to see Janelle attached to Max instead of enjoying some time with her little friends. If she had always been really close to Max and had never minded spending more time with him than with anyone else, ever since the incident with Tess, Janelle had become even more clingy where Max was concerned and it had taken all of his patience and love to make her understand and be sure that he would never, ever let anything like that happen to her again, or anything else for that matter, because he would always be there to protect her. To protect them both.

The instant she stepped into her garden, Liz’s eyes automatically searched for them and she couldn’t contain a smile when she found Max lying on a chaise longue and talking with Michael and Jesse, with Janelle lying practically on top of him, her head resting on his shoulder while both his arms were around her. Even from the distance, Liz could tell that even if Max seemed to be an active participant in whatever conversation the three of them could be having, he was nonetheless very aware of Janelle’s presence as he couldn’t help touching her and drawing soothing circles over her back and it made her love him even more to see once more just what a fantastic and devoted father he was to their daughter. She surely didn’t need to be any kind of medium either to know that he would be just the same with any of their kids.

After having greeted a few of the guests she had not seen yet since they had arrived while she was out, Liz made a beeline to them, all the while trying to ignore how much faster her heart was beating since the last stop she had made before coming home.

Max spotted her as she was approaching and this time her heart almost stopped when he gave her one of those smiles she loved so much and that could make her melt on the spot. Suddenly there seemed to be no one else but her for him and it wasn’t surprising so if her own smile only grew wider.

Tenderly, she placed a soft kiss on Janelle’s crown after having ruffled her hair slightly, and then she turned to Max, her sweet lips taking his in a breathtaking kiss before he could even say hello to her.

“Hey…” she whispered gently when they parted, both of their breaths coming out in short pants.

“Hey back…” Max’s own voice was hoarse as he answered and the way he was looking at her was enough to give Liz shivers. “Not that I mind in the least… but what was that for?” he questioned huskily seconds later as he tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, apparently completely oblivious to the fact that Michael and Jesse were still around.

“No reason…” was Liz’s soft reply before she briefly pressed her lips to his once more. “I love you.”

“I love you, too!” Max replied instantly, but he couldn’t help looking at her closely all of a sudden, one of his eyebrows raising in silent question when he noticed a sparkle in her eyes. Sparkle that he was sure hadn’t been there when she had left. “What took you so long?” he asked then before he could stop himself, realizing for the first time that it shouldn’t have taken her more than an hour to go get Janelle’s cake.

“I had to take care of a little something but…” she started only to be brutally interrupted when someone picked her up and twirled her around before she could even protest.

“Parker!” that someone all but shouted into her ear and when they put her back down and she saw who it was, she could only smile and hug them once more.

“Adam!... oh, my god!...” she cried excitedly, pleased to see Max’s high school best friend after so long and not even bothering to remind him that she had not been a ‘Parker’ for a while now. Nor had she any intention of changing that either. She loved the name Max had given her and what it represented too much for that. “God, it’s good to see you! How have you been?”

The last time she had actually seen Adam Baker had been a couple of years ago when he had come to visit and although they had kept in touch constantly, she couldn’t be happier to see him again, or happier to know that from now on he would be around.

After many years working for Las Vegas Police Department, Max had told her just the other day that Adam had finally been transferred to Los Angeles and would actually be living not too far from them.

Yeah, as incredible as it could seem given his character, Adam had become a cop and a good one at that from what she knew, and as she looked at him now, all tall and handsome, Liz could only think that the police forces of Las Vegas had not been the only ones losing something valuable. Many hearts had probably broken all over the city since that guy had left, there was no doubt in her mind.

“Oh, I’m fine… and it’s good to see you, too, beautiful, believe me…” Adam answered almost slyly as he made a show of looking her up and down and no effort to release her just yet.

Which apparently wasn’t to everyone’s liking.

“You let go of my wife right this second or I’m gonna have to hurt you!” Max growled from next to them, causing both Liz and Adam to look back at him.

Adam only smirked as he noticed that Max had transferred Janelle into Michael’s arms and was now up and looking at him like he seriously meant the words, even when the slightly shorter man knew well that wasn’t truly the case.

“Seriously, Liz… what are you still doing with this guy when you could be with a stud like me?” he tsked and shook his head and Liz couldn’t stop herself from giggling in reaction, knowing him enough to be sure that he was only teasing and trying to get a rise out of Max.

“Sorry…” she whispered nonetheless, letting go of Adam at last and stepping into Max’s arms right away. She noticed of course the way Max looked back at Adam then, like it was taking all he had to not poke his tongue at his friend in triumph but she didn’t comment on it. “He’s kind of grown on me with the years… I’d miss him too much if I had to get rid of him now!”

“That’s her way of telling you, you have no chance in hell… she’s just too nice to tell you so to your face!” Max pointed out and pulled Liz as close to him as he could while he dared Adam to say anything to that.

“Your loss, gorgeous!” Adam winked at Liz and grinned at Max before looking around like he was searching for another prey. “I’ll be around though if you change your mind.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…” Liz replied as seriously as she could but couldn’t help the smile that teased her lips.

“No, you won’t…” Max stated almost in a growl, barely giving Adam a second glance when after a few seconds he seemed to have found what he was looking for and he moved away toward one of Liz’s single friends. “There’s no way you ever will have to!”

“That’s up to you I guess!” Liz answered huskily, pressing her body against his in a non-equivocal manner.

“Hmm… yeah… you absolutely won’t then … there’s no doubt to have about it…” Max caught her bottom lip between his and then bit softly on it, as if to say there would be hell to pay if it ever was any other way.

“I love when you get all jealous and possessive… that’s such a turn on…” Liz murmured into his ear in reply, making sure he would be the only one to hear her.

She couldn’t help feeling proud of herself however when she heard him groan almost right away.

“Why don’t we ditch this party for a while… and get back to ‘work’, huh?… what do you say?” Max proposed suggestively, his eyes roaming hungrily over her, like he was only seconds away from throwing her over his shoulder anyway and leaving with her, without caring in the least about how that would make them look in front of everyone present.

“As much as I want to… you know we can’t…” Liz said regretfully, knowing that clearly right now that was not a possibility, no matter how tempting what she knew Max had in mind could be.

“Can’t we?... really?…” he pouted and asked nonetheless, looking at Liz like he was just about to cry if she didn’t give him what he desired more than anything at that instant.

“Maybe later?” Liz offered, giving him a kiss that she hoped would be enough to make him wait patiently.

“Huh-uh?” Max moaned out as he nibbled at her lips, but before he could deepen the kiss he heard a groan behind him and was forced to stop.

“Here we go again…” Michael muttered, picking up Janelle and quickly moving away before she could see too much and risk being scarred for life. After all he knew all too well how carried away her dear parents could get once they started. “What about you and I take a swim in that pool before we eat?” he then proposed, sure that with how hot a day it was, even for summer, Janelle would certainly not protest.

“Really? Can we?” she asked excitedly, beaming at the suggestion. There was no way she could refuse considering that she had been dying for one of the adults to want to go swimming so she could go, too. She had even changed into her swimsuit earlier after having convinced her dad that she wasn’t really comfortable in the dress she had chosen and he had let her change into a pair of shorts and a spaghetti straps top.

She could of course have taken a dip with the other kids earlier in the small inflatable pool her father had installed this morning so they could refresh some if they were too hot, but what was the point when you could have the real thing? She wanted the real thing, and Uncle Michael was making her patience finally pay off, even if they would probably only be in a few minutes before they had to go and eat.

“Hey… anything for my favorite goddaughter…” Michael replied, his smile matching hers.

“I’m your only goddaughter, uncle Mike…” Janelle threw back saucily, leaving Michael speechless for a few seconds while her parents and Jesse, who had heard her, couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on his face.

“You’re too smart for you own good… you know that, kiddo?” Michael retorted with a shake of his head before joining in and laughing as well when Janelle just shrugged and smiled proudly.

“Not that I mind in the least the public display of affection myself… but seriously… when do we eat?” Max and Liz’s attention was brought back to someone else not long after Michael and Janelle had reached the pool when Kyle’s voice drifted to their ears.

Having Kyle here would have been totally unthinkable and what’s more would have felt awfully awkward a few months ago, but now he seemed to be completely at ease and to fit perfectly among their friends, and Liz knew that had much to do with the conversation he and Max had had the first time they had seen each other, not so long after Max had finally learned the truth about her and Kyle.

Max had actually needed to take her to work one morning because her car had refused to start and when he had come back to take her home that same day, he had come across Kyle in the parking lot before she had gotten out herself.

Now Kyle, since he had known by then what had happened and been told about what Max had believed for so long, had done his very best to ignore Max, sure that Liz’s dear husband had still not been, and understandably so, his biggest fan, but Max himself had not let that deter him, knowing that he owed the other man not only an apology but more than anything a thank you for all he had done for Liz while he had not been there for her himself.

Doing so had certainly not been easy however, and Liz didn’t know which one of them had been more embarrassed then, Max when having to say the words and tell Kyle how much he appreciated the fact that he had been such a good friend to Liz when she had needed one, or Kyle when he had heard them, but all in all she couldn’t be more glad that they had eventually buried the hatchet.

After all, Kyle had been there by her side when she had not known whom to turn to, and though she would have certainly not thought twice about distancing herself from him and not seeing him again, at least for a while, if it had come to that and that had been what Max had needed at the time, it would have broken her heart to have to do so nonetheless, even knowing that Kyle would have perfectly understood and not resented her in the least.

Fortunately, she had not needed to resort to that and if Max and Kyle would most likely not be found alone, swapping stories about their respective lives around a drink any time soon, at least they were able to make normal conversation and talk like acquaintances who were slowly discovering that they had more things in common than what they could have thought themselves at first.

Kyle had even come to have dinner with them a couple of times in the last months and they had spent a few nice evenings together, Janelle definitely enjoying Kyle’s sense of humor and all the stories he was able to come up with to make her laugh, and so it had only seemed normal, natural, to have him there among all their friends and family for her birthday. She probably wouldn’t have understood anything else anyway.

“Okay… okay, I can take a hint…” Max responded when Jesse added his two cents as well and Liz looked at him like she would definitely not mind herself if they ate soon.

Considering how many people they were having over, they had decided on a barbecue and salads and Max was suddenly very glad he had already started the grill earlier so all he had to do now was to flip the burgers and take care of the steaks, sausages and other choice of meats they would have.

Max was reluctant to let go of Liz however and therefore he couldn’t help smiling when she told him that she would help him, although she had to change clothes first. He wasn’t so sure it was for the better though, when she came back clad in a mini-skirt, like those rich people usually wore to go play tennis or those types of sport, and a backless top that left nothing to the imagination.

She wasn’t able to help much either since, fearing that grease would splash on her and she would risk staining her clothes or worse burning herself, Max barely let her do anything but hold a dish and hand him the meat that was on it.

He wasn’t going to complain for all that since she stayed close to him the whole time and every time her hands were free she couldn’t help wrapping her arms around him. Although he was regretting the fact that he had let his shirt unbuttoned since it was kind of hard to hide his reaction every time her fingers brushed against his naked skin.

“Feeling better?” he found himself asking after a moment while the burgers grilled, letting go of the utensils he was using just long enough to lovingly caress her face.

“Much!” Liz replied with a dazzling smile while she snuggled against him and Max was forced to admit that apparently the fresh air had indeed done her a lot of good.

That or there was something he didn’t know, he thought as she clung to him like she meant to never let go.

“Maybe you should go see a doctor nonetheless?” he suggested still despite her reassurance, if only so they would be sure she was indeed okay.

She should probably have done so as soon as she had started feeling sick but Liz had said that it was no use and that it would pass on its own once she had been sure that she hadn’t been pregnant and Max had not wanted to force her then.

“I’m fine, Max… I’m more than fine actually!” Liz declared quite enigmatically, but Max was stopped from commenting or even questioning her when she pressed her lips to his and gave him a kiss that was sure to leave his head spinning for a while.

“God, do you guys ever stop?... seriously, you just make me sick… how long have you two been married again?” from behind them Maria growled almost in disgust, like seeing them all lovey-dovey upset her, but as they turned to look at her and saw her smiling, they could clearly see that she didn’t really mean it.

In reality, she couldn’t be happier to see Liz and Max acting like they didn’t have a care in the world and only eyes for each other again. Even if she had not been there to witness it firsthand and had only heard the whole story when things had been going better again, she knew just how hard a year Liz had had, just like Max himself, and if there were two people in the world who deserved more than anyone else to be happy again, it was surely Liz and Max, there was no doubt in her mind.

“Shoo… go find yourself your own man…” Liz groaned back, making a non-equivocal gesture that could only mean Maria should better go away if she didn’t want to get hurt.

Maria herself only chuckled in reaction as she continued on her way and joined Michael and Janelle by the pool like had been her first intention. She couldn’t stop the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach as she approached the man who even nearly a year after the last time she had seen him and the thousands miles that had separated them for so long still managed to make her feel like she was a teenager experiencing her first crush.

She knew she should feel somewhat ashamed to have hidden something like that from her best friend, but the truth was she didn’t really even know what was going on with herself. She had thought that with time it would pass and that she would be able to forget the single night they had spent together over a year ago, which was why she had not even bothered mentioning it to Liz once she had been away, but clearly she had underestimated the power Michael Guerin could have over her.

She had known him for almost as long as Liz had herself, yet due to her crazy schedule she had probably seen him only a handful of times but she couldn’t deny that she had always found herself quite attracted to him, even when she hadn’t tried anything as she had been convinced that nothing could come out of it.

That at least had been true until two days before her departure a year ago. She had certainly not planned to sleep with him, that was for sure, but once he had kissed her in front of her front door after having taken her home from a dinner with Max and Liz, she had not been able to stop what had happened. One kiss had led to another and before they could reason with themselves, they had been tumbling into bed.

Not that she regretted what had happened between them, she never could, considering how satisfying and pleasurable that night had been, it was the morning after awkwardness she would have certainly done without. Neither she nor Michael had known what to say or what to do and consequently, they had both chosen to act like nothing had happened. They had not even really talked in fact, barely telling each other that considering the fact that she was leaving in a couple of days, they should probably leave things at that.

Maria had not seen him again before her departure and she had forced herself to not think too much about him or about their night together, but seeing him again now had thrown all those good resolutions right out the window. The only problem now was that she didn’t know how to behave around him, no more than Michael apparently did. She could see him throwing looks her way every now and then, but besides greeting her with a smile and a hug when she had arrived, he had barely said two words to her.

Which was why she was doing her very best now to catch his attention and she hoped that the skimpy bikini she was wearing would do the trick, although she had made an effort and covered her behind with a sarong. After all there were kids around and she didn’t want to scare or shock anyone.

From a few feet away, Liz took in the scene with a small smile, telling herself that she would need to have a little talk with her best friend as soon as they would find a moment alone. During the ride from the airport Maria had only hinted on her plans for the next few months, most of them regarding her career, while Liz herself beamed over how everything was pure magic again between Max and her and confessed their desire to have another baby, but Liz wasn’t stupid and though she didn’t remember Maria ever talking much about Michael, she could clearly see something was going on between those two. Her usually chatty friend seemed to be completely tongue-tied around Max’s friend and that was something that had certainly not happened enough in the past for Liz not finding it too weird to be honest now. And she wasn’t even talking about the sparks she could see flying every time Michael and Maria dared look at each other. Something was in the air, there was no doubt in her mind, which was a good thing as far as she was concerned. Maria had been alone for too long and if she had to see her hook up with someone, if only to have some fun for a change, there couldn’t be a better choice for her than Michael. He was one of the great guys and she was sure he could really make her friend happy.

There weren’t the only one Liz thought she should keep an eye on, though. The triangle Alex-Isabel-Jesse had caught her attention this morning and from the look of it and against all odds, it seemed that Alex Whitman was the one worming his way into Max’s sister’s heart. Not that Jesse wasn’t laying it on her strong and thick, he had barely left her side during the time she had been there herself, and though she had found him with Michael and Max as she came back, he had gone and joined her again almost as soon as the guys had split, yet Isabel seemed to have only eyes for her brother’s lanky associate, no matter how strange that could look to some and Jesse more particularly. He didn’t seem to want to give up however, if the way he was trying to catch Isabel’s attention right now was any indication, therefore this promised to become interesting sooner or later.

“You still with me?” Max’s voice pulled her out her thoughts and she smiled at him when their eyes met again.

“Yeah, sorry…” Liz shook her head and focused all her attention again on her loving husband who seemed quite reluctant to have to let her go.

“Help me finish this, then… I’m sure Valenti’s not the only one starving!” Max declared, noticing that more and more guests had taken seats around the different tables they had lined up to contain everyone.

“Sure… let me get them this already…” Liz said and moved to lay two of the plates of grilled meat they already had on the table, smiling as she saw some of the guests lick their lips in appreciation as they saw her approach.
Not an hour later, everyone was eating and chatting happily, Michael having taken over Max after a while when he was done himself so his friend could eat as well. As for Liz, she could tell everyone was satisfied with the lunch, even if she had barely touched her own food herself.

From time to time, she could see Max throwing her concerned looks from over Janelle’s head who sat between the two of them and she did her best to appease him with a smile or a short kiss each time, not ready yet to tell him why she was feeling so nervous and was hardly able to stomach any food. She had plans for that, all she had to do was to take care of a little something and get her daughter to cooperate, which shouldn’t be a problem. Janelle was so impatient to get to the cake and opening all her presents that she would probably do about anything Liz asked her.

Once everyone was more or less done and most of the plates had been taken and put away, Liz escaped a few minutes to finish was she had to do and when she stepped back outside, she wasn’t more surprised than that to see Max waiting for her, a questioning look on his face. Inwardly she thanked God all would soon be over because she knew how persuasive Max could be when he wanted to know something and she doubted she could hide what she was doing any longer than necessary.

She hoped he wouldn’t ask her where she had been and was actually pleased when Max drew her into his arms instead the second she stepped close enough to him for him to do so. He nuzzled her neck in the most distracting way, making her all but melt in his arms.

“Dance with me!” he breathed huskily as he pressed her body to his and pulled them to a side, already swaying to the music before Liz could even realize any was playing.

Apparently someone had cued up a CD while she had been inside, and Liz couldn’t help but smile back at Max as he looked lovingly down at her when she followed his lead.

Neither of them cared that they actually were the only ones dancing at that moment, they were just too lost into each other to see anything that was happening around them.

“We’ve had quite a year, huh?” Max whispered as one song turned into another and he briefly registered the lyrics.

“You can say that again.” Liz breathed back, leaning into his touch when she felt his fingers caress her face tenderly.

“I don’t regret it all though…” Max admitted softly before quickly continuing when he noticed the puzzled look Liz was giving him at his words. “I mean, don’t get me wrong… I absolutely hate that I hurt you so much… voluntarily or not… and even more to know all you’ve been through…”

“I know, Max… so do I…” Liz interrupted, knowing what he meant and feeling the same regrets even months afterwards.

It would probably take them both years before they could hope to forget all that had happened to them in that last one, but they were together again now and that was all that had to matter.

“But I don’t know if I would have changed… if I would have finally gotten my act together, if this hadn’t happened…” Max pursued despite the fact that he knew Liz probably didn’t want him to apologize again.

“Max…” she murmured weakly, but he didn’t let her go any further than his name.

“It’s true, Liz…. I was too blind to see what was happening around me then… and I’ve made a lot of mistakes because of that… mistakes I’ll have to live with forever… but I know now that I won’t ever make them again…” Max vowed, his heart in his eyes and there was no way Liz could doubt his sincerity. “I know it can sound stupid… but in a way I think I needed that… the thought of losing you, Liz… I mean really losing you… it very nearly killed me… but I think that was the only thing that could open my eyes and make me realize how stupid I was being…” he went on as his thumbs caressed her cheekbones with such tenderness, Liz wasn’t surprised to feel her eyes brim with tears.

“M-Max…” she croaked out his name once more, only to have a gentle finger press on her lips and stop her this time.

“You’re my life, baby… the only thing that matters… you and Janelle, I mean, and all the children I hope we’ll still have… and I won’t ever forget that again… not ever… I love you two more than anything else in this world… and I plan to spend the rest of my life reminding you of that… yes, every, single, day… for the rest of my life!” by the time Max finished, tears were glistening in his eyes as well, but he couldn’t care less at that instant because he was only speaking the truth.

This was nothing new for Liz of course, after all Max had been telling her practically the same thing for months, and what was more proving it to her every way he could, but that didn’t stop her from feeling overwhelmed with emotion.

“I love you!” was the only thing she could utter past the huge lump that clogged her throat at that instant, her fingers winding through his hair at the nape of his neck and bringing his face down to her for a scorching kiss. “Max… I-I…” she started emotionally when they parted, ready to forget about her little plan and tell him what she had waited to tell him for what seemed like an eternity already, when a tug on her skirt stopped her from going any further.

“Mommy, daddy?... can we open my presents now?” Liz was quick to brush her tears away before her daughter could see them and think that something was wrong, and she smiled as best as she could as huge hopeful amber eyes looked up to them.

Max was the first to completely recover and though she saw him swallow before he could speak again, he had Janelle up and in his arms a second later, effectively breaking the moment and postponing Liz’s revelation.

Well, maybe that was for the best nonetheless, Liz thought as she concentrated on her daughter in her father’s arms, although she would now have to find something else to convince Janelle to help since she apparently wouldn’t be able to use the presents as bribe.

“Sure, sweetie…” Max whispered after having sought out agreement in Liz’s eyes. “I think you’ve been patient enough.”

He reached for Liz before moving away, placing a tender kiss against her temple and taking her hand in his before he called out to all the guests and gathered them around the table they had deposited all the gifts on, Janelle squirming excitedly in his arms all the while.

Unwrapping the presents was a big affair and as she watched her daughter open gift after gift then go and dutifully thank every giver, Liz couldn’t help wondering where in the hell they would put all she had been receiving. Apparently many guests knew of her love for dolls and stuffed animals and she had received enough to completely redecorate her room.

Adam and Isabel had obviously remembered since they had both gotten her one, but Max’s friend had added a complete cartoons collection and his sister some clothes that were sure to have Janelle look fashionably ‘in’ when school would start again.

Those dolls and all the other ones she had received today were at least sure to never be ‘homeless’ since the Parkers had bought her a doll house that would no doubt easily contain them all. The house had probably cost a fortune considering its size, but when Liz and Max had hinted on the fact that it was really too much and they probably shouldn’t have, Nancy and Jeff had wanted to hear none of that, saying that it was well within their right to spoil their only granddaughter while they could.

Maria had been a little more original and forgotten the dolls in favor of a keyboard synthesizer, stating that one was never too young to start learning how to play, and since she planned to stay around for a while now, she would be sure to give Janelle some free lessons whenever she could.

From Alex she had gotten a brand new computer and a few games, which of course made her squeal in delight, at least until Max had said that they would have to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn’t spend too much time in front of the screen playing.

Michael for his part had decided to put his talent to contribution and had presented Janelle with the detailed plans of the tree house he planned to build for her. More than anyone, Max and Liz knew just how busy a man Michael was and they appreciated the effort he was putting, knowing that getting that house done would mean many hours of work on the weekends to come for him, to make sure that it was absolutely perfect. Michael being a architect and a perfectionist on top of that, they also knew that it would be nothing short of ‘grand’, even for a simple tree house, but even more than that, completely ‘safe’ for Janelle. Michael wouldn’t have suggested such a present if he couldn’t make sure of that.

There was also another gift that, although maybe far less expensive than some of the others Janelle had received, meant a lot to Max and Liz.

From Sarah Montgomery, the woman who had gotten into that dramatic accident that in a way had changed Max and Liz’s lives for the better, the woman who against all expectations had survived, she had received a complete ‘artist case’, with pencils, felt-tips, chalks, gouaches and everything she needed to let her imagination go wild on paper.

Due to Sarah’s condition and although she clearly remembered the woman who had let her play with her puppy for a while that day in the parking lot, Janelle had not seen her yet and probably wouldn’t until she would have been discharged from the hospital, but Max and Liz themselves had visited her several times since she had woken up nearly a month after her accident.

At first they had just tried to have some news through the hospital, but the different nurses Max had gotten on the phone had made it clear that they could only release information on a patient’s condition to the family, and since their mistake had long since been established, they had well known that Max wasn’t in any way related to the woman they had first thought was his wife.

Sarah Montgomery’s identity had been cleared up not long after Max had actually left the hospital that day when a friend of hers had presented himself looking for her after he had gone to the site of the accident, per her instructions, and had been faced with chaos and disaster instead. He had already called once before and had gone to about every hospital in LA in search of her, but since at the time everyone had been convinced that Elizabeth Evans was the one fighting for her life in one of their operating rooms, no one had been able to help him in his quest.

The hospital had a lot to make up for of course, and once they had had been given a name for the woman who had become ‘Jane Doe’ for them once Michael Guerin had come in to let them know of the confusion, her family and boyfriend had been immediately contacted.

It was actually only a couple of days after their return from Florida that Liz herself had thought about checking the purse she had not used since that day, and found Sarah’s wallet among her things. Liz had also been the one to suggest they tried to contact Sarah’s family to learn more about her whereabouts, and Max had been glad to see she understood his need to know how she was doing, even if they didn’t even know her.

Liz knew that it had been quite different for Max who, for hours, had been praying for a woman he thought was her, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t concerned herself as well for the woman with whom she had shared a brief moment. It could sound stupid said like that, but they had both known how much they owed that stranger.

Going with Max that first day had given Liz quite an insight on what Max had gone through when he had been there in those same hospital walls, fearing for her life, and she had known then that, even if he was clearly relieved that it hadn’t been her in the end, he would probably never forget the experience or the incommensurable fear he had felt during those few hours nonetheless.

She wouldn’t forget either how Max had stopped them only feet from reaching their destination and had nearly crushed her to him for interminable minutes, because he needed to ‘make sure that she was really alright and there with him, not lying still unconscious in a bed not far from there’ like he had said. The way he had trembled in her arms as she had held him back had been enough for her to know just how hard it had been for him to be there again and that he would certainly rather be anywhere else. Max had never been a fan of hospital, and his experience there had only reinforced that.

Sarah’s family had of course been overcome with grief, something that Max more than anyone probably could easily understand, but they had surprisingly been very understanding and accepting of Max and Liz’s presence nonetheless, mostly because they had heard through the hospital staff of what had happened, and knew exactly who Max was.

Much to his embarrassment, Max had even been thanked for having ‘beaten’ Ray Sullivan, even if they had all admitted that violence was never the solution. Max had wanted to do more than that though, and Liz hadn’t been more surprised than that when he had offered the Montgomery’s and Sarah’s boyfriend to help them sue the man responsible for Sarah’s condition, for free, if that was what they wanted to do. Though it hadn’t been Liz this time, it could very well have been, and if only for that, Max wanted to make sure Ray Sullivan couldn’t ever hurt anyone else again.

There had been no need for them to think about it of course, not when they had gotten the whole story and knew what a danger to others that man could be, and Sullivan had not known what hit him when he had been slapped with a lawsuit not so long after he was out of the hospital bed Max himself had sent him to.

Liz herself had been a little scared he would try to retaliate and sue Max back for what he had done to him himself, but apparently he had been intelligent enough to not make the situation worse. Given the circumstances, it had been in his best interest he tried to be as inconspicuous as he could.

Sarah had actually woken up a couple of weeks after Mr. Sullivan had been sent to jail with no chance to bail out before his trial, and with no brain damage whatsoever at that, despite the month of coma she had undergone. The doctors were also quite optimistic about her complete recovery and their chances to repair her face thanks to plastic surgery and make her look again like her former self.

Not surprisingly, Liz had found a new friend in Sarah, and though the later had not been so sure she had even wanted to keep her baby at first, once it had been gone the two women had all too naturally bonded over the loss only a woman who had gone through the same could understand. Hearing that Sarah had been pregnant and that Max had been told about it when the doctors had thought it was her who had been injured had also been a true eye-opener for Liz. Listening to Max tell her what it had felt like to think that she had been the one with child and understanding that he had really believed that she could have gone as far as making a baby with someone who wasn’t him, had eventually made her see how deep his fears that she had really been with Kyle had run and she had done her very best since then to prove to him that he had absolutely nothing to worry about. He was the only man she wanted. The only one she loved.

Given all that so, Liz hadn’t been surprised either to see that Sarah, even from the hospital where she would still have to stay for a few weeks, had remembered Janelle’s birthday and thought about getting her a present sent, and Liz promised herself she would make sure to thank her the next time she would see her. Maybe she could even have Janelle drawing something for her in thanks. It could be the first ‘art’ she would do with her new case.

Liz and Max themselves had been nearly the last ones to give her their gift and Liz didn’t think she had seen her daughter smile and talk so much as when she had seen her new bike in the garage, with helmet, knees and elbows protections and all. Considering how long she had been begging for one, complaining about the fact that the other one was too small for her now, her reaction wasn’t so surprising.

Liz had to admit however, that as much as Janelle could like the bike, Philip and Diane’s present was probably the one that would keep Janelle from sleeping tonight.

The look on her face had been too comical when she had opened the envelope they had given her, and everyone had laughed when she had looked at them with a quizzical look and they heard her ask them why they were giving her a simple picture of a small Labrador puppy.

The one she wore a few seconds later when they told her it was actually her puppy was just as priceless however, and nothing could have wiped the grin off her face after that, not even when Max and Liz had let her know that the young lab would indeed be hers but it would have to stay at her grandparents’ house until she would be old enough to take care of it on her own. That had been the only compromise they had made with Max’s parents when they had said they wanted to get her the dog she had been asking for for months now. Janelle herself didn’t seem to care as long as she had one apparently, but convincing her that they couldn’t go and see it right away because it wasn’t at the Evanses’ yet and they would only be getting it in a couple of days had been another story altogether.

Now half an hour later and after her mini-crisis was over, Liz was bursting at the seams, desperately trying to convince Janelle to pay attention to her and forget about all her new toys for a while.

“Okay… you know what you have to do, sweetie, right?” she asked once more, gently framing Janelle’s face so she would concentrate on her.

She understood that her daughter would rather play than do what she was asking her, but it was too important for her to give up or have it done wrong.

“Yes!” Janelle rolled her eyes and nodded, taking the stack of cards her mother was pressing into her hands and looking around to see where her father was. The sooner she got this done, the sooner she could go back to her dolls.

“Okay, go then!” Liz expelled a long breath and pushed her in Max’s direction, her heart thudding louder and louder in her ears the closer Janelle got to him.

As she reached him, Liz couldn’t help twisting her hands nervously, not sure she would only be able to go through the next few minutes.

Max was actually talking with his parents when he felt Janelle tugging on his hand and trying to grab his attention.

“Yes, sweetheart?” he squatted down to her level almost right away, but couldn’t help raising an eyebrow in question when he saw her extend a few birthday cards for him to take.

“Daddy, can you read them for me?... I can’t read all the words yet…” Janelle scrunched up her nose as she talked and Max couldn’t help smiling lovingly up at her.

Liz had been teaching her to read for a little while now, but sometimes Janelle still messed up letters so he wasn’t surprised by her request.

“Of course, honey… come here!” Max picked her up right away and moved to the nearest chair he could find and once he was settled, he pulled her on his lap, holding her tightly as he started reading the first one.

‘Happy birthday, sweetheart… Grandpa and Grandma love you!’, it said simply, Max having recognized his mother’s neat handwriting immediately.

‘Dear Jay… I hope you will like the house… you will have to make sure you invite me over once it’s done… Happy Birthday… Love you… Uncle Mike’, he continued with the next one, smiling at Janelle when she asked if the tree house would be big enough for both Michael and him having a tea party with her in there.

“I’m sure Uncle Mike will do his best to make that possible…” Max replied, already picturing how many times he would have to climb up that tree once the house would be done. All thanks to Michael’s brilliant idea. But then he guessed he could always have said no when Michael had told him about his plan and asked for permission.

The next cards were from Maria and from one of Liz’s friends, and the following from her parents, but it was the next one that was about to make Max’s heart stop almost completely.

At a distance, Liz was nearly biting her nails now as she waited for Max to come upon the card she had picked up herself on her way home today and had slipped among the others, when Kyle stopped next to her and grunted.

“Okay, what is it?... do I smell?... Do I have something between my teeth?” he asked Liz who only turned a distracted ear to him, too focused she was on what was happening a few feet away from her.

“What?”

“That Courtney girl… I swear I have tried about every trick in the book and it’s like she doesn’t even see me… Am I suddenly invisible?” he complained, wondering when he had lost his touch with women.

Usually he had no problem whatsoever scoring a date, but Max’s new secretary seemed completely impermeable to his charms and his attempts at seduction and that was making him more and more frustrated by the second.

“She doesn’t… and yeah, sorry, for her, you might as well be!” Liz answered matter-of-factly, completely missing Kyle’s frown as he heard her.

“Okay, thanks… but that’s not exactly what I wanted to hear!” he retorted, not sure he liked the fact that Liz barely seemed to be paying attention to what he was telling her.

Gee, what was wrong with him and women today?

“Kyle, sorry… but you don’t exactly have the body parts Courtney usually goes for!” she informed him with a sigh, but her eyes never left Max.

Butterflies fluttered like crazy in her stomach as she finally saw him open ‘her’ card, and she couldn’t help holding her breath in anticipation.

‘Congratulations’, Max read to Janelle, finding the front of the card slightly different from all the other ones he had read so far but not giving it more thought than that at first.

Not until he opened it completely at least and saw what was inside.

The instant he did, he sucked in a breath and felt his heart tightening in his chest.

His eyes swept over the black and white picture inside, taking in every detail, the date in one corner, July, 29th, today, the name in the other, Elizabeth Evans… but mostly the few blurred millimeters in the middle, and he thought he would stop breathing altogether.

There was barely anything to see yet, but it was there. As tiny as it could be… it was really there.

Liz’s words written not as neatly as what he was used to -probably due to the emotion she had to have felt when she had written them- confirmed what he was seeing anyway.

‘We’re having a baby!’, the letters seemed to blur the longer he fixed them, but that was the only thing he could see. ‘We’re having a baby!’

God, it all made so much sense now, why she had taken so much time to come back from fetching Janelle’s cake, why she had seemed on edge almost all day, and that something in her eyes he had not been able to decipher but had somehow known was important. They were having a baby.

“Daddy, what does this one say?” Janelle inquired curiously, sensing from her father’s reaction that this one was apparently different… maybe even important.

“It s-says…” his voice cracked as he started, and Max had to clear his throat before he could continue again. “It just says that this is one of the best days of my life!” his eyes met Liz’s across the distance and he couldn’t stop his heart from skipping a few beats when his gaze drifted lower and he noticed the way her hand rested almost protectively against her stomach.

“Sweetie, I’m sorry… why don’t you let grandpa continue with you?… I need to go talk with mommy for a moment!” Max said next and called for his father, suddenly in a hurry to be near his wife.

Kyle was still talking with her, having it seemed finally understood what the matter was with Courtney when Max strode determinedly to Liz, apparently with only one goal in mind.

“Kyle, why don’t you try talking to Serena instead… she’s been giving you the eye all day!” Liz observed almost too casually just as Max was joining them, her eyes suddenly seeing nothing but him.

“Really? She has?” Kyle questioned, a smirk playing on his lips at the possibilities and completely oblivious to what was happening just in front of him.

Alex’s own secretary was definitely his type as well, but he hadn’t thought she would be interested since she had barely answered him this morning when he had first introduced himself and tried to talk to her.

“Excuse us!” Max breathed out unceremoniously, grabbing for Liz’s hand and barely sparing Kyle a second glance.

“Hey! rude much, Evans, are we?... I was actually talking to her!” Kyle called out as Max all but dragged Liz behind him a second later and hurried into the house, but neither Liz nor Max heard him anymore.

Max didn’t stop despite Liz’s weak protests to slow down, until they were upstairs and in their bathroom, having carefully secured the locks on both that room door and the bedroom behind him so no one would even think about bothering them for a while.

Once inside the safety of those four walls, Max picked Liz up and laid her on the bathroom countertop before starting to pace before her, his eyes never leaving her stomach though, like he was trying to look right through her and see again what he had seen on the card he had just let fall near her on the counter.

“Max?” Liz whispered when after a few minutes, he still hadn’t done anything else yet. “A-Aren’t you going to say anything?”

Her voice sounded uncertain and clearly nervous, as if she wasn’t so sure all of a sudden that Max felt the same way she did at the thought of having a baby, and that was enough for Max to finally snap out of it.

“Are you s-sure?” he cupped her face in his hands and queried throatily, needing to hear her confirm verbally what he had glimpsed at on the ultrasound she had added to her card.

“Yes!” Liz just nodded, unable to say anything else. Not with the way he was now looking at her.

“A-Absolutely sure?” Max insisted despite her affirmation. One more reassurance that all this wasn’t a beautiful dream, that was all he needed.

“Yes, Max… you’ve seen it…” Liz replied huskily, understanding his incredulity for she had gone through the same only hours ago.

When the doctor had told her that the blood test she had taken the day before had revealed that she was indeed pregnant, she had not been sure she could really believe it. She had been so disappointed, and so many times, that she had known she wouldn’t be able to bear another disenchantment. That was why she had asked for an ultrasound to have it confirmed for sure and put all her fears to rest, and she had probably never been happier to see that Doctor Burrows, the mother of one of her students, was working today.

The woman had been all too glad to help Liz and make her pass that ultrasound, although Liz had made her promise to not talk about it with her son for now. She wasn’t her doctor after all and had only done it as a favor to her so she had probably no obligation to keep quiet, but Liz wanted Max to be the first one to know this time.

“But how… I mean, I know how… but when?... I-I thought… the test…” Max stuttered a little confused, having still a hard time believing it since they had done a test not so long ago and had thought she wasn’t pregnant then.

Surely an ultrasound couldn’t show if she was only what… a week or so pregnant, right? Could it? Ah, what the hell did he know after all!

“Apparently, just like the pill, pregnancy tests aren’t 100% accurate…” Liz revealed, having asked the same thing to Dr Burrows when she had confirmed the pregnancy. Having it not work was rare, but it did happen.

“How long… how far along are you then?” he gulped and stammered again, not so sure he even remembered how to speak.

“Around six weeks according to the doctor…” she replied softly, mesmerized by the way his eyes seemed to widen and mist over when he heard her.

“Six weeks…” Max repeated in awe, before dropping to his knees in front of her and pulling her top up so he could see her bare stomach. “Let me see!”

“Max! There’s nothing to see yet!” Liz let out a soft laugh at his action but it all but turned into a sob when Max ignored her protest and splayed his fingers over her midsection.

“Shh… of course there is…” he denied gently, his lips joining his hands in his caresses and leaving reverent kisses on her skin. “Hey, baby… I know you’re in there…” he cooed in a breathy whisper, making Liz lose her fight against the tears.

“God, M-Max…” she moaned out as they slowly rolled down her cheeks, but she made no effort to brush them away, her fingers were too busy running through his hair and holding his face to her to do so.

“You’re gonna be the most loved little girl or little boy in the whole world, you know that?… I’m gonna spoil you so much… you just ask your sister…” he went on like he could really be heard by what was not even considered a human being yet by some.

Max didn’t care however, it was his baby in there, growing inside the womb of the woman he loved more than life itself, and even after having only known for a few minutes about the existence of that child, he could already feel the same unconditional love growing inside him.

Liz chuckled through her tears then, briefly thinking that he was insane, but all in all she guessed she couldn’t blame him because she felt the same exhilarating joy he seemed to be feeling.

“So… you’re happy about it, aren’t you?” she questioned a second later, although the grin he didn’t seem to be able to wipe off his face was answer enough.

“Happy?” he parroted, still smiling like an idiot. “I’m over the moon!” he then confessed as he stood up, brushed her tears away and kissed her lips soundly. “Are you?” he asked then, his gaze softening when she looked back at him with so much love in her eyes, it made his chest hurt.

“You know I am, Max!” Liz confirmed, framing his face in her hands and giving him a long, loving kiss. “A-Are you scared?” she couldn’t help asking nonetheless as they parted, cursing herself a second later when she saw his smile falter slightly almost right away.

“A little...you?” he acknowledged, although he refused to let his fear damper the joy he felt at that instant.

Yes, he was scared and he would probably be every day until this baby would be with them and he would be able to hold it in his arms, but he was determined to not let that eat at them until the end of Liz’s pregnancy.

They would just have to be careful, or even more careful than they would have normally already been, now that they knew that miscarriages didn’t only happen to other people, and everything would be alright.

“A little, too, I guess… but we’re gonna be okay, right?” she whispered back and the vulnerability in her voice nearly brought Max to his knees.

“Nothing’s gonna happen to you or this baby, Liz…” he cradled her face in a gentle but firm grip and vowed with such determination that Liz could do nothing but believe he was right. “I promise you… I’m gonna be with you every second if I can this time… and I will take care of you two!... everything’s gonna be alright! I don’t want you to worry, okay!”

“Okay… I trust you!” Liz nodded and murmured, burrowing into his warmth when he pulled her into his arms and held her for dear life.

She knew that Max didn’t have any real power over things and that if something had to happen it would, no matter what they could do, but his reassurances and promises to be with her every step of the way were more than enough to appease her for now.

“We should celebrate this…” Max suggested out of the blue after a while, nuzzling Liz’s neck in a way that caused her to tremble from head to toes.

“Well, I don’t think I’m gonna do much drinking from now on, you know…” Liz remarked when he pulled away just enough to look at her with that sparkle in his amber eyes that said he was up to something.

“That wasn’t exactly the kind of celebration I had in mind…” he confessed huskily, nibbling at her bottom lip just long enough for Liz to get the idea and then before she could even answer, he had her up in his arms and was opening the bathroom door.

Liz gasped the second he lifted her off the counter, but she all too naturally wrapped her legs around his waist nonetheless and let him take her to their bed without much protest.

“God, I want you so much!” Max groaned out as he lay on top of her, his lips taking hers in a hungry kiss that said as much as his words.

Liz was just as much into it as he could be himself, at least for a while, but when she felt his hand traveling up her thigh and drifting under her skirt, she seemed to get back to her senses. Or as much as she could with what he was doing to her at least.

“Max… M-Max, we can’t…” she protested feebly, knowing that if she didn’t stop him now, there would be no way to stop him at all! “We have a house full of guests…” she reminded him, sure that he had forgotten since he kept sucking on her skin like he had not heard a word of what she had said first.

“No, we have a garden full of people… as far as I’m concerned, they’re light years away from here… from us…” Max countered shamelessly, obviously not caring more than that about what was happening outside or the fact that sooner or later people were bound to wonder where they had gone.

“Max… we really c-can’t…” Liz reiterated, even when she knew it would be no use.

Her husband was obviously very horny, and she knew she was powerless to stop him when he was like that. There was only one thing that could when he was in such state, and that was to simply give in.

“Yes, we can… unless…” Max trailed off awkwardly as a frightening thought entered his mind all of a sudden and he lifted his head from the crook of her neck. “We can, right?... I mean the doctor didn’t say… I-I wouldn’t want to hurt you… or the baby…” all playfulness left his face as he contemplated that possibility and though he would probably die a slow painful death if he couldn’t touch her for the next seven months or so, he was ready to do it if it meant that both Liz and their child would be alright.

“No… no, contraindications… we’re both fine…” Liz was quick to reassure him and her legs tightened reflexively around him when he tried to pull away from her. “We can make love…” she added huskily, not relishing more the idea of not being able to be with him during her pregnancy than he could himself.

Fortunately the doctor had told her that it was okay when she had questioned her about it herself, as long as she was comfortable with it and didn’t experience any pain during the intercourse. And pain was clearly the furthest thing from what she was feeling right now, or what she knew she would feel if she let Max finish what he had started.

Max seemed to consider what she was saying a few minutes and when she saw him smile she knew she had convinced him.

“You said it not me…” he answered slyly after a moment when he was sure there was no risks, getting back right on track and resuming his position on top of her almost right away then, though he did his best to not crush her. “I knew you wanted me!”

“I always want you!” Liz admitted breathlessly, getting lost in the sensation quite quickly again, although the thought of hitting him for being so smug wasn’t that far from her mind either.

“God, baby… I’ve been waiting for this all day!” Max moaned out, making quick work of getting her rid of her top and doing the same with his shirt in the next second, the groan he emitted when their naked skin touched at last reverberating loudly around them. “I’ve been wanting you all day!”

“I know…me t-too…” Liz panted out, arching into his touch as he cupped her bare breasts -thank God, she hadn’t been able to wear a bra under her backless top- and then trailed his lips down to suck gently on one. “M-Max…”

“Hmm… you taste so good…” he sighed huskily, laving her skin with his tongue, taking his time to drive her crazy. “… always so fucking good!”

He was succeeding quite well actually, and Liz was all but ready to beg him to end there the torture already when he drifted lower, dropping moist kisses along her ribs.

“My beautiful, beautiful wife…” she heard him whisper then, and she would have smiled, if his next words hadn’t made her suck in a breath instead. “Mother of my children… my little pregnant beauty…” his voice was hoarse as his lips left fleeting kisses over the expanse of her stomach now, the awe in his tone still so evident it caused Liz to swallow audibly, her throat suddenly dry.

Max didn’t seem to notice though, too busy he was ‘talking’ to her stomach.

“Daddy loves you… you know that, right?” he continued, like what he was doing was perfectly natural, or normal, and this time Liz couldn’t help chuckling quietly.

“Max, you’re sweet but… it can’t hear you yet!” she felt the need to point out, shaking her head at Max’s silliness.

“Oh, woman of little faith… of course she or… he can hear me… this baby knows who I am… it’s my child after all…” Max countered in a tone that seemed to say he couldn’t believe she was saying such things.

“Yes, it is your child… but trust me, Max, I am the biology teacher and I’m telling you… it can not hear you yet… it’s like physically impossible… it’s too small… barely the size of one of your fingernails yet…” Liz explained, although she had no intention of going into a full biology lesson with him.

Truthfully, she loved his reaction and the fact that he was apparently as completely thrilled with the prospect of their child growing inside of her as she was herself.

“Okay… but it will, right?... once it’s grown enough…” Max questioned with a slight edge of disappointment as he kept strumming his fingers ever so gently over her still flat stomach, probably trying to picture what the baby looked like right now after Liz’s description.

“Yes, it will… well, that’s the theory…” Liz reassured him, caressing his face and making him look up at her. “Our child will know you, Max… and love you as much as I do… you don’t have to worry!”

Liz could only guess what this was all about. She would carry their child inside her womb for nine long months and therefore would always share a special kind of connection with him or her, something that Max wouldn’t be able to experience, but Janelle was the living proof that Max didn’t need that to be just as close to one of his children anyway. From the get go, from the very second Janelle had opened her eyes and maybe more sensed her father than she had really seen him, something had passed between them, linking them in a way that nothing could ever break and Liz was sure that it would be just the same with this child as well.

“Our child… our little baby… do you have any idea how much I like the sound of that?” Max whispered gently, nuzzling against her stomach a few more seconds before he pulled himself up to his elbows and moved to be face to face with her again. “God, I love you… so much…”

His fingers threaded through the hair at her temple and he looked at her with so much reverence in his eyes, it nearly brought Liz to tears again. “Thank you, Liz!”

He didn’t need to say more for Liz to know exactly what he meant. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for making me so happy. Thank you for this baby. She knew because she was just as thankful for all of that, for him, as he could be.

“No, thank you!” she murmured back, moaning the next second when Max nibbled along her jaw line. “Hmm, Max… we still have guests, you know…”

“Is that a way to say we should hurry?” he laughed softly, moving to kiss her neck and shoulder blade.

“In essence… yes…” Liz panted out as Max reached under her skirt to tug on her panties. “But not too much either…”

“Not too much…” Max repeated almost gruffly, a little distracted by the task he was trying to accomplish.

It wasn’t so easy with Liz fighting with the drawstrings on his knee-length shorts at the same time, but a few seconds later they both had what they wanted, although Liz was a little surprised when she tried to get rid of her skirt and Max told her to keep it on.

She didn’t have time to protest however, because Max’s fingers tracing her nether lips and slipping through her wetness made her forget about anything else.

“Baby, you’re so ready for me!” he groaned out before sealing their lips in a hot, wet kiss that left Liz lightheaded.

“Then take me, Max!” she moaned in return, wrapping her legs around his waist and urging him to make her his again. There was actually nothing in the world she wanted more than that at that moment. Guests be damned for now.

“Yes!” Max grunted, the only thing he could do as he granted her her wish, and his of course, and entered her, his eyes nearly crossing once he felt her moist depths surrounding him completely.

He moved slowly at first, as if his new found knowledge made him fear he could hurt her even despite Liz’s earlier reassurances, until she made him understand in no uncertain terms that she was no fragile doll and ‘needed him harder’.

Instead of feeling him pounding into her like she was used to when she would normally voice such request though, he rolled them over so she was the one on top.

“Ride me, baby!” he commanded in a serrated breath then, his hands instinctively going to bracket her hips to help her in her moves.

At least that was his intention, but the instant Liz felt his touch, she laced her fingers with his and pinned his arms over his head, intending on driving him crazy for a while if she could now that she had the upper hand.

“Liz?” Max croaked out as she hovered over him now and rocked her hips only ever so slightly into his, which apparently wasn’t exactly to his liking at that instant.

He liked it slow like the next guy at times, but that was not what he wanted then. Besides, wasn’t she the one who had been telling him not two minutes ago that she wanted him harder?

“You wanted me on top… now I’m the one setting the pace!” Liz moaned out, taking her sweet time, and Max almost regretted having let her have control.

Of course he could probably release himself from her grip without much effort on his part if he really wanted, he was stronger than she could be after all, but he let her have her way for a while, mesmerized by the ecstasy he could see etch on her face, only mere inches from his.

He certainly loved seeing the glazed look in her eyes as she took him in an out of her body languorously. The flush that spread over her cheeks as she worked to bring them both so much pleasure. The way she caught her bottom lip between her teeth when it became almost too intense or how she tightened her fingers reflexively around his when it happened.

“God, you’re beautiful…” he blurted out hoarsely before he could stop himself, trying to seek her lips, but Liz evaded him with a sexy chuckle.

“Yeah?” she uttered in a whisper, her eyes sparkling at his words although she tried to play it down.

She certainly didn’t see herself as extraordinarily gorgeous or even less sexy, but through his eyes, every time he looked at her in fact, she indeed felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.

“Baby…” Max groaned out as his many attempts remained unsuccessful, his frustration growing by the second. “Come on, have mercy!”

“Like you usually have?” she teased in answer, picking up pace nonetheless since truthfully she was actually torturing herself as much as she was torturing him.

“I need your mouth!” Max growled roughly, briefly wondering how much more of this he could really take.

“Where?... here?” Liz demanded throatily, running her tongue along his jaw-line before she reached his ear and nipped gently at his earlobe. “Or maybe… here?” she relished in his groan of protest of course, knowing exactly where he wanted it. “What about here, baby?” she whispered a moment later as she deliberately licked at the corner of his mouth, the brief teasing contact being finally enough to make Max lose it.

With just enough strength to do what he wanted but not hurt her, he pushed on her hands and got free at last, his fingers immediately tunneling through her hair, grabbing a fistful of dark soft locks and bringing her lips to his for a punishing kiss.

His other hand traced her hipbone before reaching for her still covered bottom, and when he was sure he had her exactly where he wanted her, he drifted forward on the bed so he could anchor his feet on the carpeted floor and give himself some leverage.

“Two can play this game, love!” he all but roared out then as he started to pump inside of her like that was the last thing he would do, and Liz couldn’t do much more than gasp and moan at the sensation.

“M-Max… god…” she cried out, but anything else she could have said was lost in his mouth again, his tongue darting out to meet hers and mimicking the movements of his lower body.

“You like that?” he asked raggedly when they came up for breath, his own eyes nearly rolling to the back of his skull at the amazing feeling.

God, nothing should feel this good!

“P-Please… Max, please…” Liz’s moans were getting even more desperate now, and she barely resisted the urge to scream her head off when she felt Max’s grip her hips almost fiercely and start driving in and out of her so hard and fast she was convinced she would soon faint.

Fighting to get some air into her starving lungs, she sat up, the move sending Max even deeper much to both their enjoyment, and pressed her hands into his naked chest so she could have something to hold on to when she started to move almost as frantically as he could himself.

“Yeah… just like that, baby…” Max encouraged her, thinking that there was probably nothing sexier in the world than his wife, wearing nothing but a short skirt, riding him like there was no tomorrow.

Perspiration coated her chest, giving her skin a shine that only turned him on more and he found he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

She was truly the most gorgeous creature on this Earth, there was no doubt in his mind, he thought as his gaze lingered on her face, then drifted lower, like hypnotized by the way those firm mounds he loved so much jiggled with every one of her moves.

Max of course loved Liz’s breasts just like they were -oh, man, if he did love them- but there was no denying that the thought of her body experiencing particular changes, the thought of them filling out in preparation to nourish his child was an incredible turn on. The knowledge that they had accomplished what they had wished for for so long now surely didn’t make him want her any less either, on the contrary, and Max knew perfectly well that he wouldn’t be able to last much longer with all those thoughts swirling inside his head.

Sitting up himself, he cupped her breasts and suckled gently on them, alternating between one and the other, until he had Liz crying out in bliss once more.

“God… Max… I-I… I’m so close…” she whined out between gasps, her movements having no particular rhythm anymore. She just wanted to get there now. And fast.

“Yeah?” Max panted himself, his lips traveling to her ear and breathing huskily to her. “Then let go, baby… let go for me… I want to feel you come all around me!”

His gentle coaxing had apparently the desired effect and he had to smother her completion sobs with his mouth or she would have probably been heard by half the people who were downstairs. Feeling her wet walls clench around his own sex was enough to make him follow her as well, leaving them both trembling in each other’s arms. They actually only briefly parted when even just the simple material of her skirt became too much for Liz and she pulled it over her head in a haste to get rid of it now.

“Well… that was some celebration…” Liz was the first to talk again minutes later, effectively breaking the silence of the room as they still sat there for a while, still panting and clinging to one another.

“You can say that again.” Max concurred in a long breath, lying back down eventually and taking her with him, not quite ready yet to part from her.

Once completely on his back, he propped his hands behind his head and sighed contentedly, obviously very satisfied with what had just transpired.

Liz lifted herself off his chest where she had been lying only briefly when she heard him and couldn’t help rolling her eyes as she saw him smirk like the cat that ate the canary, his gleaming eyes riveted on the ceiling.

“You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?” she accused him and swat at his shoulder, knowing her husband well enough to know exactly what was going through that head of his. His smile of course only grew wider at her words.

“Yep…” he said unrepentantly but warding Liz’s hands off when she tried to hit him again for his smugness. “I knew I would have you!”

After all, he had only been trying to convince her to find a moment alone about a dozen times during the course of the day, never giving up despite Liz making him understand that they couldn’t, not when there were so many people around, but this was the proof that he had been right and always got what he wanted.

“You only had me because I wanted you to…” Liz let him know and pulled completely away from him now, although she took no true offence in his affirmation.

No matter how many times she could indeed have protested, she had well known, too, that they probably wouldn’t last the day without being together and ending just where they were. He just didn’t need to know that now.

“Aww, are you mad at me now?” Max stopped her before she could go too far and forced her to lie back down on him. “Come on, baby… don’t be mad at me!” he cooed in her ear then, holding her tightly so she couldn’t escape, no matter how hard she was trying to fight him off.

“Let me go!” Liz cried out between giggles when he started to tickle her and then rolled them over so she was once again trapped under him, the sudden move making her gasp the next second since he was still embedded inside her.

“Tell me you’re not mad, my love!” Max continued, pursing his lips and dropping apologizing kisses along her collarbone, kisses that caused Liz to involuntarily arch into him. “You know I can’t stand to have you mad at me…” he finished more hoarsely, his hips rolling into hers before he could even realize he was doing it and stop himself, and they both groaned aloud when they felt him stir inside of her again.

“Don’t… god, don’t start something you won’t be able to finish…” Liz warned him breathlessly, doing her best to not let herself be lured again by his languid movements.

It was easier said than done of course, but they really couldn’t afford to stay in this room much longer, it was already a miracle no one had come pounding on their door and demanded to know what they were doing.

“Who said I won’t?” Max asked in a grunt himself, all too ready actually to do just that. And Liz knew he would, too.

She was determined to not give in this time however, even if it killed her, and with a strength she didn’t even know she possessed, before Max could even react himself, she had them rolling over again to find herself on top once more.

“I say it!” she panted out and all but jumped off him this time before he could make her change her mind, ignoring the groaned ‘fuck, Liz’ Max emitted when he felt himself slip out of her all of a sudden, and even pushing him right back down when he attempted to sit up and catch her.

She couldn’t let him even just graze her skin, or she knew she would be lost. It had already been hard enough doing what she had just done, she wasn’t sure how long she could still be this strong. Probably not much longer actually.

“Liz, please…” Max’s quite desperate plea was almost her undoing. Almost.

God, what a woman had to do sometimes.

“Oh, no… you just stay right there!” she ordered rather sternly, making Max pout like a little boy who understood he was being scolded for being really bad and would get punished if he disobeyed again.

“Now I’m gonna go wash your smell off me… or everyone will know what we’ve been up to!” she announced a second later when she was positive he had taken her seriously enough to not even think about trying anything and following her.

“Hey, I will have you know that you smell even better with my smell on you… don’t forget that, woman!” he propped himself on his elbows and cried out, sounding slightly miffed even if he really wasn’t, but then he found himself groaning all over again when he saw Liz prance around the room, naked, apparently in search of the clothes she had been wearing earlier.

“Right, Max!” she just replied, seemingly unaware of what she was doing and what that was doing to Max, and she couldn’t help rolling her eyes when she picked up her now creased skirt and realized that there was no way she could wear it again like that.

Well, hopefully no one would realize that she had needed to change though, or she would kill her dear husband, she thought as she chose another one, as similar to this one as she could find it, and picked up new clean underwear as well, since the last ones were probably still ‘soaked’, thanks to that same husband.

A string of curses escaped Max’s mouth as he saw her bend practically at the waist to grab for her skirt and discard it in the next second and he wondered if she was torturing him on purpose or trying to make him pay for something.

Liz then heard him growl something along the line of she trying to kill him, and when she turned around one last time before entering the bathroom, she couldn’t help giggling almost evilly. That boner sure looked like it hurt, she thought as she saw him twitch the longer she looked at him.

Not long after he noticed her eyeing him with an eyebrow raised as if to ask if there was a problem, Max was throwing himself back on the bed and covering his face with both hands, and Liz couldn’t have stopped the laugh that bubbled forth even if she had been paid for it.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna… lie here for a moment longer…” Max muttered gruffly, mumbling something the next second about how all women were ‘teases’, even his own wife.

Letting him be for now, Liz pulled her hair up in a high bun and stepped into the shower right afterwards, knowing that this would have to be quick, mainly to wash the sweat off her body actually, and that she didn’t have time to linger. Part of her felt bad for Max of course, but he had brought it upon himself after all. He should know by now that it didn’t pay to be too greedy.

Only minutes later, she was exiting the shower cubicle and drying off when Max himself entered, still sporting a quite prominent erection.

“You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?” he threw her earlier words back at her when he saw her unable to hide a smile, but then couldn’t help but yelp when she slapped his bare ass playfully with her ‘yep’ as he passed by her to freshen up himself.

“You will pay for that… you know that?” Max promised as he rubbed his cheek, glared at her, and then stepped into the shower.

“Turn the water to cold, baby… I’m sure it will pass!” Liz teased in answer, apparently not more fazed than that by the threat.

She knew she would probably enjoy whatever way he would make her pay more than he would want her to anyway.

“Funny girl!” Max grunted back as he gave his erection a slight tug, but did as she said in the next second.

He resisted the urge to cry out when the cold water hit his skin, surely not wanting to give Liz the satisfaction of seeing he had listened to her, but the effect was almost immediate and Max was at least grateful for that.

Trying to ignore herself that Max was standing only a mere feet away, water sluicing over his hot body, Liz pulled on her clothes hurriedly before the sight made her lose her mind again and she offered him to give him a hand with his problem instead.

Once she was dressed, she turned to the mirror and couldn’t help but gasp when she was met with her flushed and quite disheveled reflection. The shower had apparently not helped with that since she had not wanted to wet her hair.

After having freed her long mane, she picked up a comb and tried to arrange her appearance the best she could, but she soon realized that that wouldn’t be enough.

Stepping to the sink then, she turned the tap on and splashed cold water on her face, dabbing more particularly at her cheeks in the hope that they would lose some of the rosy complexion that was a dead give away of their earlier activities.

Seeing Max stepping out of the shower didn’t help any either, and she was almost glad to see him dry off and dress about as quickly as she had herself.

Max was actually just putting on his shoes when he heard her sigh and he looked up to see her staring at herself with a slight frown marring her forehead.

“You really look…” stepping behind her, he started with a mischievous glint in his eyes, but Liz ramming her elbow into his side maybe a little harder than she had meant to was enough to make him swallow his next words.

“If you say ‘fucked’, so help me, Max…” she threatened as she sent him a death glare through the bathroom mirror and watched him wince in pain.

“God, freshly loved… that’s what I was going to say…” Max chuckled and amended while rubbing his side, although Liz was no fool and knew perfectly well that had not been his first intention.

There was no sugarcoating it here, however you wanted to look at it, she indeed looked… well, fucked. Thoroughly fucked and very well pleased actually, and everyone would know it if she couldn’t do something about those traitorous cheeks.

“And I’d love you some more if we didn’t have a house full of guests…” she rolled her eyes as she heard Max’s next sentence and briefly wondered if her husband didn’t suffer from some form of personality disorder.

“Oh, now that suddenly concerns you?” she accused with a disbelieving look but her gaze softened considerably and almost reflexively when Max pressed against her back and kissed a sensitive spot behind her ear.

“As I see it… if I want to… love you again today…” the way he trailed off before finishing his sentence was enough for both of them to know that he wasn’t picturing some gentle, tender lovemaking at that instant, and Liz found herself pinching his arm in retaliation for making such naughty thoughts cross her mind so soon after what he had already led her to do today. “I need them gone… and they won’t go anywhere if they don’t see us come back!”

The truth was that Max would gladly forget anyone in the world existed but the two of them if he could, but he knew well that was not a possibility. Further celebration would have to wait tonight, when everyone in this house would be asleep, particularly his in-laws and no one else could hear him make Liz scream for more.

“You’re one sick guy, Max Evans!” Liz declared, but strangely enough there was more affection behind those words than there really was any scolding.

“But you love this sick guy, right?” Max questioned rhetorically as their gazes met through the mirror, already knowing the answer to that question.

“You know I do!” Liz turned her head and looked up at him before cupping the side of his face and kissing him softly, but then she moved to splash some more water on her own face again, which caused Max to all but growl and grab for her hands.

“Stop it…” he said, turning her around and brushing strands of hair behind her ears when she was facing him again, the tenderness of the gesture in contradiction with how abruptly he had actually brought her around. “There’s nothing wrong with the way you look… I love that look on you… I love that I can make you look like that…” he probably couldn’t have sounded more possessive or caveman if he had wanted to, but he couldn’t help the way he felt either.

“I’m sure you do, macho man!... but I don’t want to go out there looking like a billboard ad for the Max Evans’s ‘sex is so good, don’t be ashamed’ campaign!” Liz snorted and joked, briefly imagining just what kind of slogan he would think about putting under a picture of her looking so… ‘freshly loved’… if he ever wanted to show his handy work to the world... ‘Max Evans comes, he loves… he always conquers… your satisfaction is guaranteed’… or maybe something more simple… ‘She tried it, Max Evans made sure she loved it.’... yeah, she was sure he could probably come up with about anything!

“Like I would even ever think about ‘advertising’ you and giving all those other guys in the world any idea… I’m not that crazy!” Max contradicted with a frown, certainly not liking the idea of any other man ogling his wife. “You’re mine… no one else’s!” he growled even more possessively then, taking her lips in a bruising kiss that unfortunately only fueled Liz’s desire again.

It was insane she knew, how he could get her all hot and bothered with a simple touch or kiss, but there was not much she could do about that. He had always had that effect on her and she doubted that would ever change.

“Max… g-guests…” was all she was able to utter when she felt Max’s tongue tease her skin once more a moment later and she acknowledged that it definitely had the power to make things get out of control quite quickly again.

“Okay… okay, you’re right… come on, let’s go… or I’m not getting out of this room until tomorrow…” Max sighed rather loudly at last, reluctant to have to stop yet knowing that he needed to be reasonable, but when Liz was ready to step back and go, she could only gasp as he picked her up and strode out of their bedroom.

“Max? What are you doing?” she demanded as she held on to him and had no choice but to wrap her arms and legs around him if she didn’t want to fall.

“I got you up here… it’s only normal I get you down!” Max answered casually, tightening his own grip on her when they reached the stairs and he proceeded to take them, very carefully, one by one.

“Max… I can perfectly walk on my own!” Liz remarked, although truthfully she didn’t mind that much Max’s action.

“I know you can… but humor me, okay?” he retorted himself as he crossed the first floor hallway and pulled away from her just enough to give her a smile that let her know how much that meant to him.

If he could hold her in his arms a few more minutes, he was certainly not going to refuse himself that.

“Is this what I have to expect for the next seven months or so?” Liz couldn’t help asking softly then, which made Max’s smile grow even wider. Apparently he liked to be reminded of her pregnancy as much as she could already like talking about it herself.

“Pretty much, yeah… I’m gonna pamper you so much, you’ll have to beg me to stop!” he told her seriously enough for Liz to know that he was certainly not past doing just that. “Do you mind?”

“Not in the least…” Liz breathed out just as they finally reached the kitchen backdoor and found themselves only feet away from the garden where everyone was probably waiting for them.

Max put Liz down then, more because stepping outside with her in his arms like that would draw too much attention on them at once than because he really wanted to, but when she reached for the door handle, he couldn’t help stopping her in her move.

“Wait… just one more kiss… before I have to behave…” he pleaded in a soft whisper, his forehead resting against hers as his hands framed her beautiful face.

“You, behave? Since when?” Liz snorted laughingly, but that didn’t stop her from already standing on her tiptoes to grant him that kiss.

“Don’t lie to yourself, sweetheart… you love when I don’t…” his words were only a hoarse murmur against her lips, making Liz long for his touch, and not for a second did it cross her mind to bother denying his words because doing so would indeed be lying.

“Shut up and kiss me!” she all but ordered in answer instead, her tongue tracing his bottom lip to give him more incentive if he needed any.

“Gladly!” Max groaned and sealed his lips to hers at last, leaving Liz so completely dazed she was actually grateful when he took her hand once they parted interminable seconds later and literally guided her outside, because she wasn’t so sure she would have been able to find the way on her own after such torrid kiss.

Man, that guy surely knew how to kiss you senseless!

Max tried to make as discreet a reentry as he could of course but apparently they had been gone long enough for Maria to notice and spot them as soon as they reappeared, and he wasn’t more surprised than that to see her comment on it, rather loudly, almost the second they joined her and the group she was with.

“Where the hell have you two been?” she exclaimed without even caring if there were children around who could hear her.

“Inside!” Max replied all too casually, which only made Maria stare harder at them, an eyebrow raising, as if to say ‘you’re gonna have to do better that that, buddy!’.

“Inside doing what?” she inquired, her gaze drifting from Max to Liz and back, and she got her answer when she saw her best friend bite her lip while an endearing blush all of sudden colored her cheeks. Add to that the fact that Liz had apparently changed clothes and Max’s hair was now damp and it was really a no-brainer. “Oh, no… don’t even tell me… I can’t believe you two!” she gaped at them, thinking that those two had no shame whatsoever, but the smile on her lips seemed to say that she understood them completely. After all she would certainly not mind getting some action of her own from the hunk sitting across from her, although they clearly weren’t anywhere near that stage again right now.

“Mind your own business, DeLuca!” Max threw back, the grin never leaving his face though, as he stepped behind Liz and gathered her close, circling his arms around her waist and smoothing his hands protectively over her stomach.

Maria could rib him all she wanted or question him until she was blue in the face, nothing could put a damper on his good mood. Not today!

Liz herself hadn’t said a word so far, but the matching smile on her own face as she laced her fingers with Max’s was enough to get the other people present just as suspicious as Maria could be herself.

“Jeez… must have been some damned good sex for you to be… glowing… like that…” Michael, never one to bother with niceties, commented not long after, actually enjoying the way both Max and Liz blushed even harder when they heard him.

“Shut up!” Max half-growled, half-laughed good-naturedly, taking advantage of the fact that Michael was sitting not too far from where he and Liz stood to smack, and not so gently, the side of his head.

“Hey, don’t hit him for telling the truth…” Kyle rejoined in a laugh, thinking himself that he had never seen anyone ‘glow’ that much after sex, no matter how good said sex could be. Maybe he could get some pointers here, although he didn’t really relish the idea of having to ask Liz’s husband for them. “Seriously, dude… what’s up with that?”

Liz wasn’t particularly at ease, being the center of attraction, and even less when their friends’ inquiries seemed to have garnered even more attention than she could wish for, but she couldn’t help smiling affectionately at Max when he nearly started jumping up and down, like a kid who was the only one in a huge secret and couldn’t take not revealing it to everyone any longer, and asked her if he could tell them.

Truthfully, Liz hadn’t really given any thought as to when they would break the news to their folks, but Max’s ‘please… pretty please… can I? can I?” and the way he almost begged her to let him tell them was what did it in the end. It coincided just with the Parkers and Evanses coming to join them as well, asking what was going on themselves, and the new arrival made Liz think that maybe it was meant to be. At least everyone she would want to know was already there.

“Go on!” Liz whispered softly to Max as he looked down at her hopefully, his eyes sparkling like she had rarely ever seen them.

“I love you!” he breathed back devotedly, before placing a gentle kiss on her soft lips and turning to their families and friends again. “I… sh-she… we…”

“Spit it out, man… you what?” Michael urged him on as Max stuttered uncharacteristically and definitely for too long to his liking. Whatever it was, it had to be some news for Max to be apparently ready to burst from joy one second and near tears the next.

“We-we’re having a baby!” Max blurted at last, squeezing Liz to him and using the same words she had earlier to let him know herself. “I-I’m gonna be a father… I’m gonna be a father!” he exulted joyfully then, unable to hide any longer the fact that he was probably happier at that instant than he had ever been in his life.

A chorus of ‘oh, my god’ and happy cries echoed around them then as the reason for their obvious happiness became suddenly clear for everyone and both Liz and he were almost immediately engulfed in hugs and congratulated, but it was the words of one now suddenly pouting little girl, hands on hips and frown in place, that had most women explode in teary laughter and men chuckling loudly as they turned to see Janelle standing behind them.

Janelle, who apparently had only heard the end of Max’s revelation and didn’t know what to make of it.

“But… you’re already a father, silly!... you’re my father!”

End of chapter thirteen.


TBC…

Here is Adam, just in case you don’t remember what he looked like and don’t want to go back to look for him … and you can find the song Max and Liz were dancing to here… It’s actually a Meredith/Derek clip but since I couldn’t find one with Max and Liz and I’m a huge fan of Grey’s Anatomy, I thought it would do, too… I’m sure there’ll be at least two people who’ll watch the clip more than once, anyway … the one who converted *me*, and the one *I* converted … Isn’t Derek/Patrick a hottie? He’s not Jason but I’d definitely not mind spending a moment with him… although I’m probably not old enough for him *LMAO* (Angie, thank God you got rid of that pic )

And with that said… stay tuned for the epilogue

Author: Rebecca

Title: Before it's too late.

Rating: ADULT

Disclaimer: See first parts

AN: Can you believe it? I barely can myself I’m here and I’m done with this story (done but quite sad to have to let go, is that normal? ) I know Epilogues are always important, so I hope I did this right Yep, I’m nervous! Lol

Anyway, I won’t be long right now, I just wanted to say a few things.

1)Someone mentioned Sarah’s dog and what had happened to him… well, that’s a good question I didn’t think anyone would mention it because I personally voluntarily didn’t I did think about it while writing that part about Sarah and while I know that the logical thing would have been to have him die in the accident… I just couldn’t do it and kill him he was so cute I still can’t decide if he died or not, so I guess I’d let you guys use your imagination as you will and decide of his fate on your own… just don’t tell me

2)[Laira, To missed opportunities I still felt bad for missing you in Washington but you’ll see that I thought about you a lot while writing this part. There are two little references to you in there I’m sure you won’t have any problem identifying lol (hope you won’t mind, but if you do just let me know and I’ll change it!)… Maybe next time?

And 3) I’m using a song in this part and giving a link so those who want can listen to it. It’s truly a beautiful song and I couldn’t help thinking of Max and Liz the first time I heard it… however as much as I like Lee Ryan’s voice, apparently the guy couldn’t dance to save his life, so maybe you shouldn’t actually ‘watch’ the video wouldn’t want anyone scarred for life and resenting me then

Okay, enough with my rambling… that’s it for now!

Posted in seven, due to length.

The feel of fingers softly caressing her face was the first thing Liz registered as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She blinked a couple of times and then she couldn’t help smiling tenderly as she came fully awake and saw Max, squatting before her, a look of pure love in his eyes as he gazed down on her.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” he whispered softly, his fingers brushing away a few tendrils of hair behind her ear, like he had done a million times before already.

“Hey, yourself.” Liz sighed just as quietly, closing her eyes almost instantly at the sensation. “What time is it?” she found herself asking distractedly a few seconds later, not sure she wanted to get up just yet.

Staying in bed all day had seemed more and more tempting lately and apparently, today so far, wasn’t so different.

“Just a little before eight... you told me to wake you up, remember?” Max reminded her gently, when he noticed her reluctance to keep her eyes open more than a few seconds at a time. “Janelle is about to leave.” he then added, remembering himself that that was why he had come upstairs in the first place.

He knew that no matter how tired Liz could be, she wouldn’t want to miss saying goodbye to their daughter before she left for school and as much as he wished he could let her sleep a little longer, he knew that Maria wouldn’t be able to wait much longer if they didn’t want Janelle to be late.

At a little more than eight months pregnant already, Liz wasn’t able to drive anymore –although she liked to remind Max every time she could that she would, too, if he hadn’t gone and suggested to her doctor that she convinced her she refrained from driving if she could do otherwise- and so their friends and family had been put to contribution and took now turns taking and bringing back Janelle to and from school when Max couldn’t himself.

“Oh, okay…” Liz sighed still somewhat tiredly, before giggling when Max nuzzled her neck. “Don’t start already!”

“Start what?” he asked all too innocently, but just ruined it all when he ran his tongue over her collarbone the next instant, causing Liz to moan before she could stop herself.

“Max!” she scolded him, thinking that he was definitely being cruel, considering he had to know this couldn’t go anywhere.

“Hmm…”

“T-Too close!” Liz tried to push him away before he could do more damage than he already had with a few simple touches, but her dear husband was nothing if not persistent.

“Not close enough…” he groaned back, knowing that she was probably right and that it wasn’t a good idea to start anything, but unable to help himself for all that.

It had been two weeks, one day and close to ten hours since he and Liz had last made love and he was certainly feeling every second of it. Not that it had really been by choice, but per suggestion of Liz’s doctor at one of her last visits after Liz had admitted to experiencing some discomfort during the intercourse now, they had thought it safer to abstain until after the baby’s birth. Which wouldn’t be until another two weeks and six days exactly, if everything went as planned at least of course.

Yes, torture, that was what it was to have to stay away from Liz. Or as ‘away’ as they had to, of course, because they had certainly found new ways to compensate that as best as they could.

Hearing Liz sigh his name once more however, made Max realize that he should probably not ‘harass’ her so early in the morning and learn to control his hormones instead, but that didn’t mean that it was in any way an easy task.

“Sorry…” he breathed out eventually, brushing a quick apologetic kiss over the upper swell of one breast that was picking above the hem of the wifebeater she had borrowed from him and was now wearing to sleep. “How are you feeling this morning?” he asked then, straightening up far enough to be able to look into her eyes and see for himself that everything was really alright with her.

He tried to keep the worry off his voice, but fact was that Liz hadn’t been feeling all so well these last few days and he couldn’t help himself.

“I feel fine.” Liz was quick to reply reassuringly, her hand tenderly caressing the side of his face.

She actually loved that he worried so much and was always hovering around just to make sure she didn’t need anything, but at only three weeks now from the birth prevision, she knew that what she was feeling was far from being abnormal. The baby had been kicking a fuss almost relentlessly for a couple of days now and she had been feeling a few cramps as well, but beside that, all facts considered, she was feeling pretty okay.

“You sure?” Max insisted nonetheless, lacing his fingers with her and bringing them to his lips.

“Yeah, sure!” Liz confirmed with a smile before trying to sit up, without much success unfortunately. “Help me.”

“Up… you go!” Max feigned to have to struggle as he held on her hands and helped her roll over and stand up, but then he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling when Liz hit his arm in retaliation.

“Not funny, Max!” she glared at him for a few seconds, but then her gaze softened considerably when Max cradled her close.

“I’m kidding and you know it… you’re beautiful…” he cupped her face and gifted her with a kiss that curled her toes and would have had her pushing him back on their bed and ravishing him thoroughly in the next second, if she hadn’t been so pregnant she was sure she wouldn’t have been able to pull it off.

Instead so, she tried to leave his arms, but Max stopped her before she could move too far.

“Where are you going?” he asked her before he could think about it twice, regretting it almost instantly when he realized that he was probably being much too protective and that too early in the morning for Liz’s liking.

“Bathroom… unless you want to go there and do that for me, too?” Liz replied but where Max expected to hear scolding or irritation in her voice, he found none, most likely because he understood Liz knew he would do it, too, if that weren’t a total impossibility.

After all, he had been that way all through her pregnancy. Doing everything he could to make her life easier and his best so she wouldn’t have to do anything herself if he could help it and so that she could concentrate her own energy on taking care of herself and their child instead, and although she felt like she was going stark crazy because of it at times, she couldn’t even find it in her to resent him, or be irritated with him because she knew that it stemmed from a good intention.

Max was compensating, she knew that. Trying to do his best to make up for all the things he thought he had done wrong in the past, all the time he had not been by her side when she had needed him before. She understood that all too well, and that was why she didn’t say a thing, even when sometimes she thought it was really too much.

Truthfully, Max had spent about every minute he could of her pregnancy with her, literally at her beck and call, only parting from her when he had no other way to do otherwise, but Liz surely couldn’t complain, because consequently, they had probably never been closer than they were at the moment, or had been all through her pregnancy.

Liz had actually only needed to put her foot down once, when after a week of her not feeling so well and staying at home, Max had literally planted himself in the back of her classroom the first day she had been back at school, with laptop and all, like that was perfectly normal, just so he could keep an eye on her and be sure she was alright.

Liz had not even noticed him at first, what with all her students filling her classroom at the same time, but she hadn’t been into her lecture two minutes when she had realized that half her students, mostly girls actually, hadn’t been paying the slightest attention to what she was saying, obviously more interested in whatever was happening in the back and whoever was sitting there.

When she had eventually spotted Max, she hadn’t even known if she should just go and kiss him breathless because she actually thought it was kind of sweet that he worried and cared so much, or just hit him for not having discussed his foolish idea with her first and being so protective. Too damned protective at times, really.

Keeping a smile on her face for her students’ sake, she had all but ordered her dear husband outside, ignoring the appreciative sighs and giggles his crossing the room elicited, and had done her best to not let her anger and embarrassment get the best out of her. The last thing she had wanted of course was to yell at Max and be heard by the whole school, but she couldn’t let him act like she needed constant babysitting from him either.

Max had tried to protest of course, arguing that it was just for his own peace of mind and that he never meant to make her feel like he thought she couldn’t take care of herself, but when Liz had told him that though she appreciated his obvious concern, that was exactly how he made her feel, Max had had no choice but to back off. He didn’t like it, didn’t like to have to leave her alone, even when he knew that it wasn’t exactly as if he really had a say in it and she needed to work, but the last thing he wanted was to piss her off in her condition.

It had been reluctantly so then, but Max had agreed to leave and let her do her job, even if Liz had had to promise him that she would call him the very second she started feeling ill again, or she thought that anything was wrong with the baby.

Fortunately, everything had gone alright that day and the following ones and Liz hadn’t needed to place that call, but she knew that Max had still kept worrying almost every day she had been working until the doctor had finally put her on maternity leave.

He would certainly again today, despite his efforts to hide it. She wasn’t working anymore but she needed to get to the school nonetheless, even if it would only be for a few hours.

Every year, the school was having a fundraising, the benefits of it going to different associations that came in help to children battling with various diseases, and like any other year, Liz had been actively helping, even with Max’s protests that for once, she should let someone else take care of it.

It had actually taken some time and a lot of persuasion on her part, but Liz had been able to convince Max nonetheless of how important it was for her to participate like anyone else, even despite her condition or the fact that he was convinced she would pop any minute now and she didn’t need the added stress helping organizing everything and making sure everything went well could cause on her.

Liz was in fact sure that Max was actually counting the hours until it was all over and she would finally be able to really rest, but she would be lying if she said that part of her wasn’t feeling the same way and wasn’t glad as well to know that it would be over in only two more days.

Max obviously remembered that, too, if the way he was behaving now was any indication, Liz thought as she exited the bathroom and saw Max opening the windows while whistling in time with the music playing on the radio, looking more relaxed than she had seen him be in a while.

The instant he saw her, he grinned at her and walked to her, making Liz giggle at his antics.

“I'm looking at you while you're sleeping here beside me…Oh, mere words can't explain the love I have inside…” he looked down at her mischievously as he reached her, swaying and singing along Lee Ryan’s voice, and causing Liz to wonder how he even knew the lyrics to that song. “It’s more than just a physical thing, I know… It’s something like a spiritual connection… I feel it in my soul, heart and mind… ”

“Max?... what are you doing?” Liz couldn’t help asking him as he reached for one of her hands and pulled her to him.

“Come on, baby… dance with me!” he coaxed her gently as he tried to make her move, but Liz didn’t seem that eager to follow his lead. “The sweetest thing is what you are… From you I'll never be too far… Please say forever you will stay beside me... ”

“Max…” she groaned as his hands descended to her hips and he all but forced her to roll them in time with his despite her obvious reluctance, or the fact that her now huge belly was definitely getting in the way.

You're my past, my future
My all, my everything

My six in the morning when the clock rings
And I open up my eyes to a new day

“Seriously… where is your sense of adventure, honey?” Max demanded with a teasing smile before he continued singing to her and started to dance all around her, his hands never once leaving her body however. “My laughs, my frowns… My ups, my downs… It's a feeling that you get… When you know that something's true… When I think of love I think of you… ”

“At this hour of the day?... somewhere under those covers!” Liz retorted, eyeing her bed with longing and fighting with herself to not push Max away so she could go and crawl back under the probably still warm sheets.

“Come on, for me… you know you want to…” Max encouraged her even despite her protests, aware that though it was still timidly and she was probably not conscious of it herself, she was slowly moving to the music on her own now nonetheless.

“Max… this is ridiculous… and I look horrible right now… and… and I-I just…” Liz started once more, but was cut off by the tender kiss Max placed on her lips almost as soon as she did.

“Uh-huh… You’re beautiful like the colors of the rainbow… Warm hearted like the rays of the sun on a summer day… ” Max breathed out to her, putting emphasis on the ‘beautiful’ and Liz knew he meant the words, even if they weren’t really his own. “And all I got to do is look into your eyes to lose myself… You're the substance of my dreams, epitome of woman… The only one I truly call mine… ”

Unable to resist him any longer, she didn’t even protest when he caught her hand this time and twirled her around, soft giggles escaping her lips when she ended up plastered to him when he was done with her, her back to his front, as they finally moved to the music completely in sync.

“The sweetest thing is what you are… From you, I'll never be too far… Please say forever you will stay beside me… ” Max murmured into her ear as he kept swaying and rubbing against her, one of his hands holding hers while the other caressed her swollen belly lovingly, the tenderness in his voice causing Liz to sigh contentedly. This song could definitely have been written for them because there wasn’t any doubt in their mind that that was exactly how they both felt about each other. Max was her world, just like she knew she was his. “You're my past, my future… My all, my everything… My six in the morning when the clock rings… And I open up my eyes to a new day… My laughs, my frowns… My ups, my downs… It's a feeling that you get… When you know that something's true… When I think of love I think of you…”

They were both so absorbed in what they were doing that none of them even noticed the little girl observing them from the doorway now, her eyes wide as saucers as she saw her father turn her mother around once more and start to dance up and down in front of her, his head and shoulders rolling from left to right, before he stopped and kissed her stomach while grinning like a demented fool.

You're my past, my future
My all, my everything

My six in the morning when the clock rings
And I open up my eyes to a new day

My laughs, my frowns
My ups, my downs

It's the feeling that you get
When you know that something's true

When I think of love I think of you

[ When I think of Love ~ Copyright © Lee Ryan]

“Daddy?” Janelle’s voice sounded half-scared, half- horrified, but it was enough for Liz to break from her thoughts and finally became aware of her presence. “Aunt Maria was right… you’re really too weird some times…” Janelle continued as Max eventually turned around and noticed her himself, only to find her looking at him like she thought he had suddenly gone crazy.

Not knowing what else to do, he turned the radio off and smiled somewhat sheepishly at her, but the smile quickly slipped off his lips when he heard what Janelle muttered under her breath next. “And I think I’m scarred for life.”

Liz had to stifle a giggle when she saw Max gaping at their daughter now, but she decided to not address the matter for the time being. She knew all too well what he could be thinking at that moment. She had had the same thoughts herself not two days ago after all, when Janelle had told her that she didn’t need to be behind her for everything anymore because she was a big girl now and would be a big sister as well soon.

“Hey, sweetie!” Liz whispered as she squatted down to her daughter’s level and embraced her a few seconds before releasing her with a soft tender smile. “You’re ready to leave?”

“Yes… Aunt Maria is waiting downstairs… I just wanted to say bye to you… and to the baby…” Janelle answered as she wrapped her small arms around her mother once Liz stood up again, placing a soft kiss on her belly, like she had been doing almost every morning since they had told her about the fact that she would be having a little sister or brother soon.

The day of her birthday, when they had sat her down to explain to her what was happening after she had heard Max’s comment about the fact that he was going to be a father, Janelle’s first reaction had been to ask if the fact that they were going to have another baby meant that they would love her less now, but Max’s fervent promise that they could have half a dozen more kids and it still wouldn’t change anything to the way they felt about her had apparently been enough to reassure her and make her suddenly happy and eager for the new arrival.

Max had then remembered thinking months earlier when he had had that conversation about babies with Janelle that he would just let his teacher of a wife explain the facts of life to their daughter when the time would come, and that was exactly what he did when Janelle had asked them how exactly the baby had gotten into her mother’s womb and how it would get out.

That was perhaps one of the most embarrassing moments of Max’s life and he had probably never been gladder than he had been once Janelle’s inquisitive mind had stopped coming up with questions and had just accepted the fact that the baby was there but that they would all have to wait to see it.

Since then she had asked a few questions, mostly when she saw Liz’s belly expanding as the months progressed, but she had seemed satisfied with Liz’s answers and Max guessed that was the most important. That and the fact that Janelle was already taking her job of a sister to heart and couldn’t wait for the baby to be born.

Max and Liz had done their best anyway to make sure she never felt threatened by the baby, spending as much time with her as they both could and including her in their decisions concerning the baby when it was possible. Janelle had actually been the one choosing the nursery theme and motifs and had even helped Liz decorating it once Michael and Max had been done painting it and putting in all the furniture, and truthfully Max couldn’t be prouder of his little girl.

Or was she really still his little girl?

Once done with Liz and the baby, Janelle turned to Max, who hadn’t moved a muscle since her comment about being scarred for life, to give him a hug as well.

“Bye, daddy.” She said, not so oblivious to the fact that her father was apparently barely able to reciprocate her gesture, if her next comment was any indication. “Don’t worry… I still love you, daddy…” she promised before sauntering out of the room, like she hadn’t just left her father completely speechless.

Max in fact didn’t say a word until Liz called his name when she considered he had been looking at the place their daughter had just vacated for way too long already.

“Where did my baby go?” he whispered then almost miserably once he snapped out of it, having a hard time believing that this was the same little girl who not so long ago still thought her daddy was some kind of superhero and looked up to him for almost everything.

“She’s growing up…” Liz acknowledged with a sad smile of her own, despite the fact that she knew there wasn’t anything they could do about it.

It was inevitable, she knew that, even if she wished it could be otherwise. The fact that she was going to be a big sister seemed to have made Janelle grow way beyond her age, or way faster than they had expected her to, but she was definitely no baby anymore.

“I don’t want her to grow up!... and… and you know what?... she’s really spending too much time with Maria!” Max stuttered and Liz would have probably laughed aloud, if he hadn’t actually sounded so indignant.

She knew he loved Maria like a sister himself and was as glad for her return as she could be herself, just as he was grateful for how helpful she had been since they had announced her pregnancy, but that didn’t change anything to the fact that in a way Janelle did look up to Maria and let her influence her.

Maria was who she was, eccentric sometimes and always too ready to voice her opinion, whether there were sensible ears around or not, but Liz knew that she did her best to be a good example for Janelle, moreover considering how much time they were spending together lately.

When she wasn’t touring or recording, Maria was actually the one with the most flexible schedule and she was all too glad to take care of Janelle when Liz was feeling too tired, or Max was just too busy juggling between his job and making sure that she rested as much as she possibly could.

Max however, was starting to think that Maria’s influence on their daughter wasn’t such a good thing after all and was actually doing more damage than good. Janelle wouldn’t have said such a thing to him or about him only a year ago after all, and he knew all too well from where she had suddenly picked up such expression.

On top of that, Maria and Michael were an item now -well, at least they were when they weren’t biting each other’s head off and swearing that they didn’t want to hear about the other anymore- which naturally in turn led Janelle to spend too much time with him as well, and if separately they were okay, together, they were a lethal combination if he had ever seen one. Max was actually more and more considering the fact that he should have a long and in fact overdue conversation with both Maria and Michael about what could be said and done in front of his ‘baby’ and what could surely not.

Yes, as much as he sincerely appreciated their help, he should really sit them down and talk to them and soon, before he wasn’t even able to recognize his once sweet child anymore.

“It’s not something we can stop, Max… you know that… she will grow up… whether we like it or not…” Liz stated wisely, all too aware that it wasn’t in their power to stop the hands of time.

“You bet I don’t like it!” Max grunted with a pout that had Liz cupping his face and kissing him soundly for how cute she suddenly thought he looked.

“She will always be your little girl though… and you know how much she loves you!” she reassured him, wrapping her arms around his neck as best as she could.

Her statement elicited another displeased groan from Max, but because he knew all too well that she would have an answer all ready to whatever he would still find to say about the matter, he decided to change the subject while he still could.

“Fine, whatever… now tell me, how is this little one doing this morning?” he asked softly all of the sudden, his hands splaying affectionately over her stomach.

“Well… either there are actually several of your spawns fighting in there… or your son is having a party of his own again... he’s definitely very active, that’s for sure…” Liz admitted as her hands joined his over their child and they both could feel just what she was talking about.

Despite how ridiculous he knew it was becoming, Max couldn’t help but smile widely once more as he heard her say ‘your son’. He had been doing so for weeks now and he didn’t think that the feeling of bliss that invaded him every time he heard such words, or thought about his son would ever stop.

He would have been just as happy if it had been a girl of course, but there was just something about the thought of having a little boy… something he couldn’t even explain with words but that filled him with incommensurable joy and made him the happiest man on Earth.

Truthfully, Max and Liz had not even wanted to know the sex of the baby before its birth this time and as hard as it had been at times to not change their mind and just ask to be told, they had managed to hold onto their decision almost all through the pregnancy, but apparently their son had wanted it otherwise. During their last ultrasound and while the doctor had just been making sure everything was alright, he had just been there, ‘displaying’ his family jewels for all the world to see and of course Max couldn’t have missed it even if he had been paid for it.

“Oh, yeah… that’s my son alright!” he had exclaimed with the shittiest grin Liz had ever seen him sport when she had asked the doctor herself if what she was seeing was really what she thought it was.

After that, there had been no way to stop Max from raving about all he planned to buy to his son, or to do with him once he would be old enough, and Liz couldn’t even feel disappointed over the fact that they wouldn’t have the surprise like they had first wanted it. Seeing Max so ecstatic over the news had just erased it all and if she had always said that the only important thing was for their child to be and stay healthy, she would actually be lying if she said that she hadn’t wished herself for the opportunity to give Max the son she knew he wanted so much.

“I think we have a future football player in there!” Max said playfully, quite unable to keep the edge of pride off his voice despite his best efforts.

“Well, yes, apparently… but honestly I don’t think I appreciate that much having my guts almost constantly kicked…” Liz admitted with a small grimace, but her frown almost immediately turned into a soft smile when Max took both of her hands in his and moved to their bed with her, sitting down himself while she stood between his parted legs.

“Aww… you’re hurting mommy, sweetie… what have I told you about hurting mommy, huh?” Max cooed softly, talking to the baby like he was right there with them already, and if she hadn’t seen him do so every day since he had learned about her pregnancy and wasn’t by then completely used to it, Liz would have certainly rolled her eyes, or thought he had lost it.

As it was, she let him be and do his ‘thing’, not even minding the fact that she could barely hear a word of what he was saying after that. She had stopped really listening anyway after that time she had laughed over something Max had said and he had told her that ‘if she didn’t mind, that was a private conversation he was trying to have with his child’.

“I’m starting to think Janelle was right… you are weird…” she lovingly ran her fingers through his hair but couldn’t help remarking nonetheless when he kept massaging her stomach and then pressed an ear against it, like he was actually waiting for an answer and wanted to make sure he wouldn’t miss it.

All he got for his trouble however, was another kick that had her wincing.

“Ah… but you love me anyway…” Max turned enamored eyes up to her, apparently done with his daily tirade to his child and Liz couldn’t help smiling down at him as well.

“Against my better judgment probably sometimes… I do…” she sighed softly but the way she cradled his face between her hands and rested her forehead against his own contradicted completely her words.

“Love you, too…” Max breathed out in answer, closing his eyes briefly when their lips met for a tender kiss.

They stayed like that for a moment, until Liz reminded Max that if she didn’t want to be late, they should better get showered now.

Max was all too eager to comply of course and it was hand in hand that they moved to the bathroom, safe in the knowledge that there wouldn’t be anyone to interrupt them today.

Once in, they undressed each other, the simple task made a little longer because they barely could keep their hands off each other, or help exchanging hungry kisses that surely didn’t help any with their ‘momentary imposed abstinence’.

It was with great reluctance so that Max parted from her, just long enough to turn on the tap of the shower and then let Liz step in first before joining her himself.

“Thank God this will soon be over… I don’t think we’ll be able to fit in here, together much longer…” Liz couldn’t stop herself from commenting as she noticed how little room they seemed to have to move now, what with her looking ten months pregnant instead of eight.

“What are you talking about? There’s room for at least two more!’ Max contradicted with a chuckle as he reached for her shampoo and applied it to her hair once he considered she had wetted it sufficiently.

“With me looking like a whale? I doubt it!” Liz snorted herself, thinking he was definitely sweet but a terrible liar. They wouldn’t be able to breathe in there if they had to let two more people in.

“You do not look like a whale!” Max denied almost in a growl, wondering what he would have to do to really convince her of that.

It wasn’t the first time he heard her say so, particularly in the last couple of weeks, but as far as he was concerned, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In his eyes, Liz couldn’t look more beautiful than she did while pregnant with his child and he only wished she could see herself as he saw her.

“Have you taken a look at me lately?... I’m so fat, it’s not even funny anymore!” she lamented despite his words, almost ashamed in fact to be standing there naked with him.

She knew that he didn’t care one way or another and that he loved her just the same, and she absolutely loved being pregnant herself, but she couldn’t deny either that she had put on much more weight this time than she had during her first pregnancy, or that that fact had been bothering her more and more as the weeks progressed and she saw herself changing so much. Gone were now most of her juvenile features and she really had a hard time recognizing herself when she looked at herself in the mirror at times, even when Max kept telling her that she was exaggerating and that she really hadn’t changed that much. Her cheeks were a little rounder than they had been a few months back maybe, but she was still as perfect to him as she had ever been.

“Stop it… you are absolutely beautiful…” Max swore as he turned her around once he had helped her rinse the suds from her hair and then tenderly framed her face. “… and do I need to remind you what happened the last time you said you were fat?” he then asked her teasingly, pleased to see her blush at the memories his words brought up.

No, she could surely not forget that day or how far he had actually gone to prove her just how wrong he thought she was.

“Brings back memories, huh?” a soft whisper caressed her ear and pulled Liz from her thoughts, a faint contented sigh escaping her lips as she felt Max’s arms wrap around her middle almost at the same time.

She let herself relax in his embrace a few seconds, before registering what he had said and frowning slightly.

“Memories? Of what?” she asked distractedly, wondering what he could be referring to, since she didn’t remember having been to a ‘party’ like this, ever!

Last year, Max had gone alone since they had barely been talking at the time, and the year before, Janelle had been sick and they hadn’t wanted to leave her in anyone else’s care so they hadn’t come either.

“Doesn’t it look a little like that frat party Michael dragged us to, our second year of college?” Max chuckled as he saw the way some people were dancing only a few feet from where Liz had been standing when he had found her again.

The few minutes he had spent away from her had felt like hours already to him, but he knew he had no choice. Most of the people there were people he knew, whether they were lawyers themselves or had been clients at one point or another, clients and lawyers who had been invited to the main branch of his own office Christmas party and he had to ‘mingle’ among them, no matter how much he loathed having to leave Liz on her own at times. After hours on her feet though, smiling at everyone that came greet her and Max, Liz was feeling rather tired and Max didn’t feel like imposing on her more conversation about contracts, courts and trials than necessary. At least when he could do otherwise.

“Oh, yes… now that you mention it… it does…” Liz answered, giggling herself when she remembered the famous party he was talking about, although she didn’t know what could be worse: a room full of inebriated teenagers, or one full of completely intoxicated lawyers.

The latest had probably more ‘class’, but maybe that was what made it worse in the end. Seeing grown-ups in tuxes and cocktail dresses drinking and behaving like they were seventeen again was something Liz was sure you didn’t get to see every day… and thank God for that. She was just glad to know that none of them would be driving after this, most of them having rooms booked for them here, or she just could imagine the carnage it would be on the road tonight.

“You feeling okay?” Max whispered tenderly as they both calmed down, his fingers trailing gently over the swell of her belly.

“I’m fine, Max… we are fine… stop worrying!” Liz replied just as softly, turning slightly in his arms to brush her own fingers over his cheek, the gesture causing Max to close his eyes briefly.

“Do you need anything else?” he asked her a second later, wanting to make sure she was as comfortable as possible, even if that meant he took the risk to have her send him on a quest for something he was not sure to find anywhere near.

Earlier in the afternoon, she had wanted a banana milkshake, extra-thick, and Max had needed to run down the street to find what she wanted since the Hotel they were staying at had run out of shakes, he had been told when he had gone and asked at the lounge.

Beside that incident at school over a month ago and one particularly tearful episode where Max had come home to find Liz crying her heart out in front of ‘Bambi’, with a very confused Janelle near her, wondering what in the world could suddenly be wrong with her mother, Liz’s pregnancy had gone pretty well and she hadn’t been as ‘hormonal’ as she had been while pregnant with Janelle, much to Max’s relief.

Her ‘cravings’ had been something else however and Max couldn’t even count anymore how many times they had him going out at all kinds of ungodly hours of the days or nights, but at least now he knew most of the places around or not too far from their neighborhood that were opened almost 24/7 and he was sure to never find himself in a bind ever again.

Not surprisingly so, one of the first things he had done when arriving in Santa Barbara and getting settled in the Hotel where the reception would be held and where they would be spending the night, was to take a quick walk around and taking note of all the food stores he could find close, so he would be sure he could have a chance to find whatever Liz could come up with here.

The milkshake had actually been easy to find, just as had been the pickles and extra hot Tabasco sauce she had suddenly craved during the dinner earlier, but Max knew all too well that that could change fairly quickly with his dear pregnant wife.

“No, I’m okay…” Liz promised, her lips grazing his in a tender kiss that had both of them longing for more. Longing for the moment when they could escape from the reception and go back to the intimacy of their hotel suite.

Unfortunately, they were interrupted before Liz could even suggest to Max that maybe they could leave discreetly for a while and be back later.

“Max Evans, is that any way to behave?” a cough and a teasing scolding made them part with a slight blush, both of them having momentarily forgotten where they had been.

“Mr. Nelson… it’s been a while!” Max greeted with a smile as he recognized one of his oldest clients who he fortunately had not had to deal with for a few months now, the sure sign that everything was alright for now.

“How are you, Max?” the other man shook his hand vigorously, although his eyes seemed trained on the beautiful creature his young lawyer was holding in his arms.

“I’m fine, Garrett!” Max answered, before realizing that he was being rude and had not even introduced Liz to the older man.

“Liz, this is Garrett Nelson… one of our good clients… and Garrett… this is my wife, Liz!” he introduced quickly, the way he looked down at Liz as he did so, showing just how besotted he was with the woman.

Not that he could be blamed. Garrett could perfectly understand why he would when said wife turned large doe eyes to him and greeted him with a shy smile. Her picture surely didn’t do her justice.

“No wonder this man here can’t bear to stay a minute longer than necessary at work… time is time, huh?” Mr. Nelson said to them after having kissed the back of Liz’s hand when she extended it to him and telling her what a pleasure it was to finally meet her after having heard so much about her. “But now that I see you, dear, who could blame him?... I’d be rushing home as well, if I had such a pretty little thing waiting for me there every night!” he couldn’t help adding with a wink that had Liz blushing while Max just tightened his hold on her, smiling like he had just been paid the most beautiful compliment anyone could ever pay him. “She’s a beauty, Max!”

“Yes, she is… she’s my beauty!” Max whispered affectionately, nuzzling Liz’s temple and not caring in the least about the stares they could draw.

More than of anyone or anything else in this world, Max was proud to call Liz his, and he could even less deny that even pregnant, she looked more beautiful and sexier than most of the women present tonight.

He had actually nearly had a heart attack when he had first seen her exiting their bathroom here, draped in a long-sleeved, low-cut royal blue dress that reached her feet and almost completely covered her but still accentuated beautifully her pregnancy, and he had had to exert superhuman efforts to not throw her down on the bed and have his way with her instead of going down to the reception hall where they were awaited.

“And I see you’ve been busy, too!” Garrett remarked impishly as his eyes stopped briefly on Liz’s pregnant belly. “When are you due, beautiful?” he asked then more seriously, the tenderness in his tone showing that he was sincerely interested.

“Beginning of March.” Liz revealed, confirming what Mr. Nelson had already suspected, that she was a little more than six months pregnant.

After all, the last time he had seen Max had been at the beginning of July and back then the young man hadn’t mentioned any pregnancy, which considering how much he dotted on his wife and talked about her without much prompting, seemed to prove that they had probably not known yet at the time, or he would have certainly been shouting it out from the rooftops for all the world to know.

“Well, congratulations to you two… I hope everything will go alright when the time comes!” Garrett told them with a genuine smile, truly happy for the couple.

Max was someone he really appreciated, a young, intelligent man who worked hard and always gave himself a hundred per cent for his clients, and he truly wished him, wished them the best.

“Thank you!” both Liz and Max answered together, both of them hoping for just the same thing.

After the scare they had had last month, they prayed each day that everything went alright and that nothing else happened until it was finally time for Liz to give birth. March surely couldn’t come soon enough.

Fortunately, Mr. Nelson changed the conversation direction almost right away after having wished them goof luck and for once, Liz was glad to hear Max and one of his clients ‘talking shop’. She really didn’t want to let her mind drift for too long to places she knew she really shouldn’t let it go. She didn’t even mind that much that the next half hour was spent talking about things she barely understood or knew of, having not even seen the minutes of the conversation pass this time.

“Well, as much as I appreciate talking with you two, there are still a few people I need to see… so, I’ll be leaving you two lovebirds… I’m sure you’ll find a way to entertain yourselves!” Garrett eventually said after a while, the way he almost sang his departing words enough to show he knew exactly what Max and Liz had been thinking about before he had interrupted them, and while Max just chuckled in answer as he said goodbye to the man, Liz felt her cheeks flame once more and couldn’t help wondering how many times she could be embarrassed in the space of a few minutes.

Once Mr. Nelson left, she turned completely in Max’s arms, her head resting against his strong chest while his fingers caressed the small of her back.

“That was…” she trailed off, not really knowing how to describe the encounter.

Out of all the people Max had introduced to her tonight, and there had been quite a lot considering how many had been invited to begin with, Mr. Nelson had certainly been the most talkative and direct, at least with her -most of the other people had simply greeted her and proceeded to talk to Max, while they all but ignored her once they knew who she was- she just couldn’t determine if that was actually a good thing or not.

“Yeah, I know… he’s something else…” Max seemed to get what she meant without her needing to say more, but Liz understood from his tone that while he apparently didn’t know what to make of the man himself most of the time, he liked him nonetheless.

“He sure was.” Liz just whispered, closing her eyes as she savored the feeling of Max’s fingers stroking lightly up and down her back now.

“You’re tired, baby?” Max breathed back, sensing her weariness even if he knew she would probably downplay it, like she had been doing almost all night for his sake.

“Hmm-huh… a little…” Liz admitted, not wanting to lie to him when she knew well he would see through her lies anyway.

She had been on her feet for a while now, if you didn’t count the break she had had while they were dining, and she was starting to feel it, even if she didn’t want Max to have to leave for good just yet because of her.

She knew that Alex and Jesse were still somewhere around and that they could perfectly represent their branch, but she didn’t want to bother them more than they probably already were with Max spending less and less time at the office lately.

The other reason she didn’t want to bother Alex in particular was because she knew he would surely want to spend as much time as possible with Isabel as he could and she didn’t want to ruin that.

They had been going out for a few months now, having gotten together barely a few days after Janelle’s birthday much to Jesse’s disappointment, even if he had taken it quite well in the end and hadn’t really resented any of them, and Liz knew that Isabel was considering moving back to the States and that her new relationship with Max’s associate had played a huge part in that decision, but for now Isabel was still officially living in Europe and only coming back when her schedule allowed it and understandably so they wanted to make the most of it.

Isabel would be gone for months again once the holidays would be over after all, and Liz cared too much for Max’s sister and friend to impose more on them just because she was pregnant and needed Max more than she already normally would. It just didn’t seem right.

“Do you want to go back to our room?” Max suggested almost right away, like she had known he would. After all, he had only been telling her to tell him the second she wanted to leave every other couple of minutes in the last hour or so.

“No, no yet… but I could use something to drink…” Liz responded, lifting her head from where it rested so he could see that she was really alright with staying a little bit longer.

“What do you want, sweetheart?” Max demanded instantly, ready to go to the end of the world for her if he had to.

“Water would be fine, Max!” Liz said with a soft smile, having noticed from the look on his face that he had been expecting something harder to find.

“Water?” he repeated, failing to stifle the small sigh of relief that escaped his lips. Not that he wouldn’t have gone to get whatever else she could have asked for, if she had wanted something else, but at least he was sure that they would have water here, which meant that he wouldn’t have to leave Liz for too long, and that was definitely something he rejoiced over. “Okay, water it is then… I’ll be… right… back…” he reiterated and promised to her when she nodded, punctuating his last sentence with a few kisses that he hoped would be enough to last him until he would be back by her side again.

Liz smiled and sighed as she watched him all but run to the free bar a few feet away, but she couldn’t help but frown a few seconds later, when she noticed a tall blonde following Max almost the instant she apparently saw him leaving her side.

She immediately recognized her as the woman who had dined at the next table and who accompanied an apparently wealthy but old man, and she looked briefly around, only to find him occupied with Alex’s father and one of his associates, completely unaware of what she knew his ‘date’ was about to do.

Max had barely reached the bar and ordered Liz’s water when he was accosted by what many men would have considered a ‘hot’ woman. Many men indeed, but not him obviously. Max only took a brief look at her make-up and the ‘ample cleavage’ she had apparently no problem or shame displaying for all the world to see and he immediately found her way too vulgar for his own taste.

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced… I’m Tracy Dempsey.” She whispered in what Max thought was supposed to be a sultry tone as way of greeting and Max had to resist the urge he felt to openly roll his eyes at her.

“Max Evans.” He just said back, not wanting to sound too rude since he knew that to be there, she had to have come either with one of his fellow lawyers or a client and he didn’t want to risk hurting anyone, but the way he ignored her outstretched hand couldn’t speak clearer of the fact that whatever she was there to offer, he wasn’t in the least interested.

It didn’t seem to faze her however, and this time Max couldn’t help but frown openly when she moved even closer to him, so close in fact that he could feel one of her breasts press against his arm now.

“I’ve been watching you for a while… and I was wondering…” she murmured into his ear, causing Max to take a step back the second he had Liz’s water and wonder how blind or stupid she could really be. If she had really been ‘watching’ him like she said, she couldn’t not know he was there with someone. Someone he was very clearly attached to, whether it was a wife or just a girlfriend, considering he had barely spent a few minutes away from her at a time. “Would you like to dance?”

It took a moment for Max to react, his eyes briefly drifting back to Liz, only to find her watching the scene with a disapproving frown marring her beautiful features, and it was with his gaze still fixed on her that he finally replied.

“See the gorgeous pregnant woman over there?” Max pointed out to Liz across the room, a reverent smile grazing his lips as he talked about her. “That’s my wife, and the only woman I wish to dance with… so as much as I appreciate the interest… I’m sure you’ll have no problem understanding why I’ll have to decline!”

‘Tracy’ seemed quite dumbfounded to have been so unceremoniously and easily rejected, probably used to having her way and whatever she wanted without much effort, but Max couldn’t care less and didn’t even wait for an answer before marching back to Liz, glass of mineral water in hand.

He reached Liz, still smiling brightly but the smile slowly slipped off his lips when Liz breathed a strangled ‘thank you’ when he handed her the glass and then proceeded to drink her water in nearly one gulp.

“Hey, slow down… there’s no hurry, baby… I’ll get you more if you want more…” Max tried to tease her, despite the weird feeling unfurling in the pit of his stomach, but it didn’t take him more than a few seconds to realize that it didn’t have the effect he had been aiming for. “Liz?” he whispered the next instant when she moved to a table near to deposit her now empty glass, wondering what could be suddenly wrong with her.

“I-I want to go back to our room now.” It wasn’t hard to hear the slight tremble in Liz’s voice as she spoke and Max found his anxiety growing by leaps and bounds in a matter of seconds, her behavior not making much sense at that instant.

She had seemed fine a few minutes ago. Tired but fine. And hadn’t she said just a short moment ago that she was okay with staying? What could have changed in only a few minutes?

“What? Why?” he asked quite nervously as he followed her to what was apparently the nearest exit she could find.

He didn’t even bother saying goodbye to anyone, almost sure that she wouldn’t wait for him if he wasted even a second trying to do so.

“You said that we would go when I wanted to go… I want to go back, now!” she reminded him thickly, but refused to look at him in the eyes as she talked, which only alarmed Max more.

“Why?” he insisted, trying to keep up with her as she crossed the long hallway like she couldn’t wait to get as far away from that place as possible. “Is there something wrong? Is it the baby?”

“No!” Liz just uttered, sidestepping him when he stopped in front of her after having managed to pass her and tried to make her look at him.

“What then, Liz? Are you feeling alright?” he asked then, not sure what to think anymore. She would tell him if there was something wrong with her or with the baby, right? “Liz, stop!... talk to me!” he sounded almost desperate now and he couldn’t help but gasp when he grabbed Liz’s arm as gently as he could but firmly enough to make her stop walking away from him, and her eyes met his at last.

“I-I saw you, Max…” the betrayed look she pinned him with at that moment was enough to chill Max all over, even if he still didn’t get what she was saying. “You were… looking at her… you… y-you were…”

“Huh?” not the most eloquent thing to blurt out for sure, but that was actually the only word that came to his mind then.

Surely she couldn’t be talking about Stacy… Tammy… Tracy… whatever the hell her name had been… he had barely glanced at her.

“You and that… blonde…” Liz confirmed however, spitting the words and causing Max to rush to deny whatever accusation he feared would leave her lips next. He didn’t even want her to just think about it.

“Liz… she just asked me to dance… and I…” he started, only to realize too late that that was apparently the wrong thing to say when he saw Liz’s eyes almost instantly fill with tears at his admission.

“Dance?... oh…” she repeated in a bruised tone that had Max cringing in answer. “Of c-course… and I bet… I-I bet you wished I wasn’t there so you could take her up on the offer, huh?... well, I-I… I’m so s-sorry for ruining your night…” her voice cracked a little more with each word she uttered and Max ached to see her like that, moreover when there was absolutely no reason for her to get all worked up because of what he had said, or what she thought she had seen.

None at all. He had not even just considered, not even for one single second, dancing with anyone but Liz.

“Of course not! Why would I want to dance with her? I didn’t even know her!” he replied right away but that was apparently not enough, if her next sentence was any indication.

Never in a million years could he have actually fathomed what she would say next.

“A-Are you… are you planning on leaving m-me now?” the words barely passed the huge lump clogging her throat and Max’s heart broke a little more when he saw the tears she had so valiantly tried to hold until now spill and roll down her cheeks at last.

No matter how irrational he knew she was being, what had happened was obviously hurting her and that was the last thing in the world he wanted.

“What? No!... Liz, what is all this about?” he cried out as he cupped her face, wondering how she could even think such a thing. “Baby?”

“I’m fat… and I-I… I-I’m ugly, M-Max… and I know… I-I…” Liz moaned out, making Max’s eyes nearly pop out of his head when he heard her.

“God, Liz… you…” he groaned out before trailing off when he saw a couple exit the reception hall and come their way, the sight making him realize that the hallway was certainly not the place to continue this, not with Liz so emotional, the potential of them creating a scene was just too great and he was sure Liz would regret it afterwards, once she would have calmed down enough to realize that this had no reason to be. “Okay, get in here.” He took her by the elbow and pushed her gently through the first door he found, only realizing once in that he had led them into the women’s restroom.

Quickly, he checked to see if the different stalls were empty and when he was satisfied that no one was there to hear their conversation, he turned to Liz again, cradling her close the instant he joined her.

“Sweetie, you’re pregnant with my child… and you look absolutely gorgeous… didn’t you see how everyone was looking at you?... you’re glowing, baby…” he vowed emotionally himself, brushing her tears away as he spoke, not able to stand the sight of them.

“They were thinking I’m f-fat… and all those b-beautiful… p-perfect women… they were probably wondering how you could be with m-me!” Liz denied miserably, remembering that the statuesque blonde had actually not been the only one approaching Max tonight, or just giving him the eye.

She hadn’t been the only one staring her down when they had spotted her near Max, either.

“They were not, on the contrary… you look stunning, Liz and I know I was actually the envy of every guy present!” Max assured her, only to have her snort audibly at his statement. “Liz, seriously… how can you think or… or even less say that I would leave you… now or ever!” he couldn’t help demanding then, clearly a little hurt by her previous comment.

After all they had gone through, surely she couldn’t be serious or really believe that he could ever walk away from her. Didn’t she know he had barely survived those months he had been forced to spend apart from her?

“Do I not show you enough how much I love you?” he found himself asking when Liz didn’t answer but just looked at him with eyes still brimming with tears. “How much I want you?”

He did his best every day to show her just how much she meant to him and how completely lost he would be without her, but if that weren’t still enough, he was more than determined to do more. Whatever it took to make sure she never doubted him. Whatever, to not see her cry like this ever again.

“You do… you… you d-do, it’s not that… I-I… I just…” Liz stuttered when Max kept looking at her pleadingly and she realized that her… ‘hormonal’ reaction, because that was probably only what it was, was hurting him.

Fortunately, she only had had a few ‘episodes’ with this pregnancy, but apparently, yeah… when she did get them, she surely didn’t do things half way.

“You just what? Tell me!” Max whispered tenderly when she seemed to hesitate, his forehead touching hers as he brushed a few soft strands of hair away.

“I just… I-I just don’t feel desirable right now… I’m just… fat…” Liz mumbled under her breath, refusing to meet Max’s eyes once more, which caused him to growl incredulously.

“You don’t feel…” he trailed off, not even comprehending how Liz could not see what he saw every day when he looked at her. What he was sure anyone but her could see. “God, baby… you are!... and sexy… and so hot…” he hissed fervently, framing her face between his hands and bringing her head up so she could see how much he meant every, single word.

“You’re just saying that because…” Liz started, but her next argument was cut short when Max’s lips slanted over hers, her head spinning when he was done with her.

“Because I love you!... and I want you!... every second of every day… pregnant or not… you’re the sexiest woman I know… trust me!” Max whispered lovingly, thinking that he was finally getting somewhere when he saw Liz dry what were apparently the last of her tears.

“Sexier than that blonde?” she asked nonetheless as she played with Max’s tie now and kept her eyes downcast, still remembering that said blonde really did have all the curves and forms in the right places, and how inadequate she had suddenly felt in comparison herself.

The little pout that pursed her lips was what did it for Max though, and very nearly drove him to ravish her right away.

“A blonde?... What blonde?” he asked teasingly, grabbing her by the hips and guiding them to the sink behind them before Liz could even realize what he was doing.

“Max!” she hit his chest, not finding his sudden ‘amnesia’ that funny.

Okay, now that it had passed, she was realizing that her reaction had been pretty stupid indeed, but that didn’t mean he got to make fun of her.

“Sexier than anyone!... you’re the only one I see anyway… the only one I want…” Max breathed out in a promise, his hot breath stirring against Liz’s neck and causing delicious shivers to course up her spine.

“Even now?” Liz asked in a trembling whisper herself, her eyes closing as she felt Max’s tongue tracing the rim of one ear.

“Particularly now!” he murmured back, leaving wet kisses along her jaw-line, while his hands found their way to her hips again and he lifted her up before she could protest.

“Yeah?” Liz gasped as she suddenly found herself sitting on the small countertop behind her, Max parting her legs and stepping between them the second he was sure she was settled comfortably enough.

“Oh, yeah…” was the last thing he said, and the last thing Liz saw before his lips descended upon hers, was the sexy smirk he sported and that seemed to say that whatever it was he had in mind, he was definitely going to enjoy every second of it.

Neither seemed to care much about the fact that they were in a very public restroom and that anyone could come in and catch them in the act at any given moment, they had obviously forgotten about whatever and whoever could be out of those four walls, just satisfied for now that they hid them from the rest of the world.

Hungrily they kissed, hands roaming over clothes, until Max couldn’t take it anymore, the need to be inside her being just too strong. He wished he could feel her skin to skin but since it was clearly not an option right now, Max just pulled her dress up, until it was pooling high around her thighs and then made quick work of helping Liz lose her thong, smiling mischievously when he put it in one of his pockets instead of just dropping it down.

Liz didn’t even comment however, too busy she was trying to get Max out of his pants and boxers, a sigh of relief escaping her lips when she eventually saw them on the floor.

“Max…” she gasped a second later when he stepped as close to her as he could and she felt the tip of his hardness grazing against her moist entrance.

“I want you so much, baby… so much…” Max groaned out, head falling against her throat, lips nibbling at her skin the second they came into contact with the soft tempting flesh she offered as she arched her neck invitingly.

“Then prove it, Max… prove me how much you want me…” Liz coaxed him in a throaty whisper, scooting closer to the edge of the countertop and bracing her hands behind her for support.

Another groan was all the answer Liz got and her moan blended with his when Max finally plunged into her wet core, leaving them both almost breathless.

“Tell me… b-baby, tell me if I hurt you, okay?” he grunted out as he started moving slowly, his hands bracketing her hips to give himself some leverage.

“I-I will… just don’t… don’t stop, Max!” Liz panted out, rolling her hips into his and sighing in bliss every time Max pulled out of her only to plunge right back in, going as deep as he could go without hurting her or the baby.

His eyes stayed trained on her face the whole time, looking for any sign that he was causing her any discomfort, but all he saw there was the way she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from crying out in pleasure, the way her eyes closed when he pumped into her even just slightly harder, or the way her lips parted as she moaned his name in that breathy, sexy undertone that just drove him mad and all but made his control snap. Only signs that she was enjoying this as much as he sure was himself.

He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to hold on considering how much he had been wanting her all night, and this time Liz couldn’t stop the long groan that spilled from her lips when Max’s deft fingers drifted between them and teased her clit in just the right way.

Only minutes later she was feeling the telltale signs of one incredible orgasm and she brought her legs higher up, her thighs flanking Max’s sides now and causing him to pick up pace when he understood just how close she already was.

They both moaned low in their throats when Max’s efforts seemed to pay off and they felt Liz’s wall fluttering around his hard sex, only a few more seconds being enough for them to stumble over the edge, together, panting and crying out each other’s names.

Minutes afterwards, they were still breathing hard and trying to bring their heart rates back to normal when Max cupped Liz’s jaw and let his forehead fall against hers.

“Are you okay?” he sighed, eyes trailing over her flushed features like he was seeing her for the very first time and had just fallen in love.

“I’m perfect, Max…” Liz whispered still a little breathlessly, fingers caressing Max’s face, until he reached for her hand and softly kissed her opened palm.

“I love you, Liz…” he breathed then, on his way to seeking her lips once more, when a sudden startled gasp made both he and Liz turn apprehensive eyes towards the restroom door.

“Oh, my god!” the blonde from before looked at them disbelievingly and cried out, and while Liz couldn’t do a thing but hid her face into Max’s chest and try to ignore the fact that her dress was still around her middle and Max’s pants still on the floor, Max just groaned, not believing his bad luck.

He didn’t care that much that ‘Tracy’ could see the back of his thighs, as long as the rest was hidden by his tux jacket, or even less that she could know without the shadow of a doubt about what they had been doing, but he knew how quickly and clearly uncomfortable Liz could become in such a situation and sparing her was the only thing he could think about.

“Do you mind?” he growled out before he could stop himself, not understanding why Tracy was staying there, her mouth hanging open, like she had never heard about sex, or least of all even seen two people together, instead of getting the hell out and letting them have a few minutes of privacy so they could compose themselves.

His obvious unhappy tone was eventually enough to snap the woman out of her torpor and she closed the door with a loud bang and another ‘oh.my.god.’ before leaving Max alone with Liz again.

As soon as Tracy left, he turned to Liz, asking her if she was okay while at the same time he scrambled to pull his pants and boxers up in a swift move.

“Did that really happened?” Liz moaned out, wondering if there would ever be a time when they would make love out of their bedroom and not get caught.

“Afraid so…” Max lamented sheepishly, knowing that this was certainly his fault. “You okay?... I-I’m sorry…” he apologized, tucking a few locks of hair behind her ears so he could have a clear view of her face.

“I’m fine, Max… a little embarrassed, but fine…” Liz admitted with a soft chuckle that proved that as embarrassing as this had been, she would survive and surely didn’t resent him in any way or even regretted what they had just done.

“Okay… I… we should…” he pointed out to the door, thinking that they should probably leave now if they didn’t want someone else to stumble upon them.

“Yeah…” Liz acquiesced almost right away, extending her hands to him so he could help her down and she could go clean up some before they got out.

She entered the first vacant stall and only remembered once in that she was missing something.

“Max… can you hand me my… uh, my panties, please…” she asked through the door, not exactly comfortable with walking around without underwear, moreover if she had to go back to that room full of people.

“Ah… I’m afraid I can’t do that…” Max responded, the smile evident in his voice, even if Liz couldn’t see his face for now. “But it’s not like you will need them any time soon anyway…”

“I won’t?” she demanded intrigued as she exited the stall and joined him by the sink. “Are we not going back?” she wondered as she washed her hands when he was done himself.

“Do you want to go back?” Max answered with a question of his own as he brought her against him, ready to do whatever she wanted.

“No… not really…” Liz admitted after a brief hesitation, as she toyed with his tie and looked at him from under thick eyelashes. “Unless… I mean… we can if… if you want to…”

“What do you want, baby?... what do you want to do?” Max insisted, knowing that she apparently had something in mind and she just needed a little push in the right direction to say what she wanted.

“You… I want you, Max… preferably alone… I… I want to go back to our room… and be with you… that’s what I really want…” Liz whispered at last, the look she gave him then almost enough to make Max take her again just where they were.

“Then that’s what we’ll do…” he breathed lovingly, kissing her lips softly before taking her hand in his and making his way to the door.

Hand in hand, they walked down the hallway and had almost reached the elevator when Liz remembered that in her haste to leave earlier, she had left the small purse she had been carrying somewhere by their table and Max immediately offered to go and get it for her while she waited for him by the elevator.

On his way in, he came across Tracy who apparently had decided to give it another try and see if the restroom was free now, and he passed her again when he was on his way back to Liz and she was exiting said restroom again herself.

He smirked at her this time, not in the least ashamed of what he had done earlier, on the contrary, and that was apparently what finally made Tracy snap.

“You know… you’re… you have absolutely no shame…” she accused hypocritically, like she hadn’t had the same thoughts in mind earlier when she had accosted him and wouldn’t have done exactly the same thing had she been given the opportunity.

“When it comes to my wife… none whatsoever, no…” Max confessed without the slightest shame or remorse, walking backwards and giving her a proud smile as she stood there, gaping at him once more, not believing his audacity. “Oh, and since I won’t see you again… Merry Christmas!” he called out from where he was then, although Christmas would only be in two days, and hurried to reach Liz.

Once he did, he called the elevator and had probably never been gladder than he was when it almost immediately arrived. He pulled Liz in before the doors were even completely opened and had her pressed against the wall before they could close again, both of them giggling like teenagers on their prom night.

And all the while… Tracy was still there… watching and cursing the small brunette who had managed to catch such man.
“I-I remember…” Liz found her self moaning, as she was brought back to Earth and in their bathroom again when she felt Max’s hand closing around one swollen breast.

“That was quite a night, huh?” Max sighed himself, his lips nibbling at her moist skin as his hands grew a mind of their own and started caressing the length of Liz’s body.

After that first time in the restroom, Max had made sure he showed Liz how much he wanted her, over and over again, until he was satisfied that she wouldn’t question him on that point ever again.

“Yeah…” was all Liz could answer at the moment, getting already lost in the incredible sensation only Max was able to evoke with a simple touch. “Max… what… what are you doing?” she couldn’t help blurting out a moment later, when one of Max’s hands drifted lower down her rounded stomach and it became clear that he had no intention to be satisfied with just a few simple strokes.

“Hmm… I want you so much right now…” he breathed hoarsely, his fingers reaching the apex of her thighs and brushing against her most sensitive parts.

Liz involuntarily arched against him, causing the prominent proof of his arousal to graze against her backside and both of them gasped at the contact. Instead of stepping away before they both completely lost control though, which probably would have been the thing to do, she rubbed against him sensually, making Max almost lose his mind.

“Baby… I know what the doctor said… I-I know what we decided… but let me touch you… I need to touch you…” Max pleaded before he could stop himself, knowing that if he couldn’t be inside her, he needed to be as close to her as possible.

He never would regret his child of course, but he couldn’t deny either that he missed Liz, missed making love to her completely, with no restrictions and without fearing that he would hurt her.

His sweet confession made Liz all but melt in his arms and she knew she wouldn’t be able to push him away or deny him anything even if she had been paid for it. Truthfully, she needed him as much, if not more, as he could himself and didn’t see any reason for them to not find pleasure in each other’s arms, or enjoy each other if they could.

“You’re gonna make us both late…” she remarked halfheartedly nonetheless, knowing that even if his schedule was more flexible now since he had cut down his hours at the office to work more from home and spend more time with her, it didn’t mean that he didn’t need to go in today, or that he could be late to the meetings she knew he had.

Her actions contradicted her words however, or at least showed that she was only saying as much because that seemed like the right thing to say, and Max couldn’t stifle another groan when one of her hands slipped between their bodies and cupped him before she had even finished her sentence.

“You don’t really work… and Alex and Jesse won’t mind anyway… what’s a few minutes?” he pointed out, eyes already closed in bliss as Liz slowly stroked his length, creating a maddening rhythm that had him nearly spilling on the spot. “God, Liz…”

His hips moved on their own, following her movements before he could stop himself, only to have him wonder the next second if that was really a good idea when his eyes nearly crossed at the amazing sensation.

The hand that was back cupping Liz’s full breast tightened its grip on her soft flesh and Liz’s throaty moan was what reminded that this was supposed to be about her first.

Trying to ignore how good it felt to have her hand wrapped around his engorged sex, Max concentrated on her again, his fingers seeking her hot center once more and making Liz instantly groan.

“Do you want me, too?” he asked thickly, digits drawing small circles around Liz’s clit before she could even think about formulating an answer.

“Huh-uh…” Liz whimpered at the feeling and lifted a hand up to cup the nape of his neck and bring his face closer. “So much…”

Turning slightly around then, she sought out his mouth and slipped her tongue between his lips when they parted for her entrance, Max’s soft groan being swallowed into her own mouth.

“It’s been so long, Liz… I miss you so much…” he grunted out when they parted, his fingers brushing through her slick folds now, finding her wet and so ready for him, it made Max want to plunge into her depths and never leave the place again.

He couldn’t however, much to his dismay, and knowing that he would only hurt himself more if he kept touching her there, he moved to her clit again and worked twice harder to make her come.

“M-Miss… I-I miss you, too…” Liz stammered shakily, hoping that she would be able to keep standing on her own two feet just long enough for Max to finish her off. “Oh, god, Max… M-Max…”

Her hips took a mind of their own then, coaxed by his own languid movements, and it wasn’t long before Liz felt herself let go, pleasure coursing through every nerve ending of her body, the sensation only intensified by the way Max kept kissing along her throat, down to her neck, then her shoulder and back again.

When she managed to catch her breath up minutes later, she turned around, giving Max a look that helped him as much to reach completion than the simple feel of her hand still on his aroused member already did. A few more strokes and he was lost, spilling over her hand before he could control himself.

When he was able to think more or less clearly again, he kissed her once more, tongue licking at the corner of her mouth, but pulled apart before it had any chance to go any further.

“I still miss you…” he sighed somewhat sadly, fingers threading through her wet hair.

“I know… so do I…” Liz whispered back, her head dropping to his chest, her hands caressing his sides.

Max cradled the back of her head then, his chin resting on top of it, and they stayed like that for a moment, until Max suggested they finished their shower and got out of there.

They didn’t wash one another like they would normally have however, both of them knowing that they would never get out any time soon if they did, but Max immediately went into ‘caring’ mode again once they were done.

Exiting first, he dried quickly and wrapped his towel around his waist before he grabbed for another one for her.

Wrapping her almost completely in it then, Max helped Liz dry herself before fixing it around her breasts so she wouldn’t get cold while he went to get her clothes.

When he got back, already fully dressed himself, he found her exactly where he had left her and he couldn’t help smiling at how cute she looked, sitting on their bathroom countertop, balancing her feet like a child, while she blotted the water off her hair with another towel.

Reaching her, he took it from her hands and finished for her, smiling the whole time like he was accomplishing the most interesting task in the world instead of something so simple, but Liz knew too well how much he liked to take care of her to say anything. After all, this was the same man who had gone as far as painting her toenails for her when she had complained that she couldn’t see them or reach them anymore with her pregnant belly in the way and had whistled the whole time, when any other man would have probably been blowing a gasket at just the thought of doing something so ‘unmanly’.

Once that done, she uncrossed her legs for him when he asked her to so he could pull her panties up and lifted slightly up from the counter so he could put them in place.

The next second he was taking off the towel that hid her body from his eyes, but handed her her bra so she could put it on herself this time. That actually had Liz stifling a smile. It was probably the only thing he hadn’t figured out yet, or it was just that he was surely more talented at taking them off than at putting them on, because she didn’t remember a time in all those he had helped her dress when he hadn’t let her do that on her own.

When she had accomplished her task, he helped her down and gave her the dress he had brought, Liz smiling broadly now when she noticed he had chosen one of his favorites.

“Why am I not surprised you chose this dress?” she teased as she turned around so he could help her zip up the red dress he had bought her a couple of months ago when they had gone shopping in Santa Barbara.

“It’s Valentine’s Day… it seemed appropriate… besides, you know how much I love you in red.” Max admitted appreciatively, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror and seeming to say that he found her even more beautiful now than he had already the first time she had tried it and he had fallen in love with it.

“Seriously? You do?” Liz questioned ironically, barely registering the urge she felt to laugh when she saw him smile sheepishly at her through the mirror. “I never would have guessed!”

Right, like it could really be hard for her to know when almost every piece of clothing he had bought for her in all the years they had been together had either been black or red.

“Hey, you don’t get to make fun of me!” he pouted in the cutest way possible, but there was absolutely no heat in his words.

“Sorry, you’re right… it’s not your fault you’re obsessed!” Liz amended and this time it did earn her a little slap on her cute little behind, Max grinning almost devilishly when she yelped at the contact of his hand with her backside.

“Okay… I get it… you’re a little sensitive about the subject…” she laughed the next second, as she decided to let him off the hook for now and tried to find her blow-dryer instead of scolding him for what he had done. “Now, help me find…”

Her sentence was cut short when Max appeared next to her before she could finish, with exactly what she had been looking for in his hand.

Ah, she knew that she kept him around for a reason. He always did seem to know what she needed.

“Thank you!” she breathed out lovingly, ready to take it from him, but Max just told her to turn around again and turned it on himself, proceeding to dry her hair straight for her, knowing that that was how she had meant to do it anyway.

When he was done minutes later, Liz herself proceeded to apply some light make up to her eyes, Max looking at her the whole time, until it was almost making her uncomfortable.

“What?” she asked with a nervous chuckle as his smoldering gaze swept over the length of her body, heating up her blood all over again.

“You look beautiful!” Max exhaled approvingly, stepping closer to her. “But there’s something missing.”

“Missing?” Liz repeated as she turned back to the mirror and checked her appearance once more.

What could be missing? She was dressed, she had brushed her hair and done her make up. She looked okay, didn’t she?

“Huh-uh…” Max mumbled under his breath, looking like he was trying to figure it out himself, but then he surprised Liz with his next request. “Close your eyes for a second.”

“Close my…” Liz parroted, really not seeing why he would want her to do that just now, or what that had to do with what was missing.

“Just do it, baby!” Max gently urged her on, and the brilliant, completely devoted smile he gave her then was enough for Liz to comply in the end.

She knew she could trust him anyway.

She heard him move behind her then, until he was plastered against her back and there wasn’t a millimeter of space between them, and then she felt a light weight settle between her breasts, her mind instantly trying to figure out what it could be.

“Open them now!” Max whispered into her ear, his arms wrapping around her from behind and holding her as close to him as he could once he was done.

Liz did as he said the second he gave her the permission, but then she couldn’t help gasping audibly when her eyes fell on the silver locket that was now around her neck. “Max!”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby!” he murmured for all explanation, the loving look he gave her then nearly making her melt on the spot.

“But we said… we said we wouldn’t exchange gifts this y-year…” Liz moaned out, finding the locket absolutely beautiful, but lamenting the fact that she didn’t have anything to give back herself.

Max had actually been the one to suggest they didn’t, since he didn’t want her to go out and spend hours looking for the perfect gift like she had done at Christmas and like he knew she would again, and now she felt stupid for having taken him up on the offer and not seeing that he wouldn’t follow his own suggestion.

“I’m not exchanging!” Max said lightly, clearly finding that it was no big deal, and brushed a tender kiss against her lips when she turned around in his arms, a frown still marring her forehead.

“But Max… I don’t have anything for y-…” another kiss interrupted her miserable observation, Max not wanting her to feel bad.

“I don’t care…” he promised her as he cupped her cheek and smiled down at her, but that still didn’t seem to appease Liz, he could tell. “Do you love me?”

“Of course I do… I love you so much…” Liz vowed fervently, wondering how he could even ask her such a question.

She loved him more than anything or anyone in this world, and more and more each day if that was possible.

“That’s all I want… I love you… you love me… I have you… that’s really all I need…” Max rejoined, his fingers caressing her face with such reverence, it made Liz’s next protest die in her throat.

She knew he meant each word, which was why the only thing she could do was swallow hard and nod, but that didn’t stop her from promising herself that she would ask Maria to take her to the nearest mall later today or tomorrow and find something for him nonetheless.

“It’s beautiful, Max!” she breathed out emotionally as she took a closer look at the fine piece of jewelry and noticed the meticulous carvings the surface was made of.

“Open it… there’s actually something inside.” Max told her then, fighting with himself to not reach out and help her when he noticed her trembling fingers trying to do what he had said.

“Oh, Max…” Liz’s eyes instantly filled with tears as the locket opened under her efforts at last and she saw what Max was referring to.

Inside, she found two small pictures facing each other. One was of Janelle baby, taken only a few days after they had left the maternity with her more than six years ago, she recognized. The second one was of Max and Janelle together, in a tight embrace, a miniature picture of the one taken by Michael a couple of months earlier after a day spent playing in the park nearby and which original she carried everywhere with her in her own wallet since he had given it to them.

“It’s p-perfect, Max… thank you…” Liz all but sobbed, unable to control the tremor in her voice.

Just like she had never taken off her charm bracelet, except when it was absolutely necessary, she knew she would never part from this gift either.

“There’s another small compartment… here…” Max revealed, taking the locket from her hands and showing her how to open the other side. It was empty for now, but he knew she would soon be able to add more pictures in there. “For the baby’s pictures…”

At that, and before she could stop herself, Liz lost the battle against her tears and they streamed down her cheeks, Max immediately brushing them away with the pads of his fingers.

“Don’t cry…” he pleaded, seeing her cry having definitely not been what he had wanted to accomplish.

“I’m sorry… I just… oh, god… d-damned hormones…” Liz whimpered out hoarsely before burying her face into Max’s warm chest, his arms immediately coming to wrap around her trembling form.

“I love you… and your hormones…” he kissed the crown of her head and gently rubbed her back to calm her down.

A few minutes later, his tender caresses seemed to have the effect he had been going for and she lifted her head up, gifting Max with a small shy smile that had his heart skipping a few beats.

“I’m better now…” Liz said to him when he just kept looking at her tenderly, like he was waiting for her to tell him that she was alright and the crisis had passed.

“Okay… then we should probably go…” he acknowledged, realizing that Liz’s colleagues would most likely have to wait for her if they didn’t leave soon.

“We should.” Liz confirmed but still took the time to stand on her tiptoes and plant a long, loving kiss on Max’s perfect lips.

Then when she considered she had thanked him enough for now, she took his hand and led them both out of the bathroom, ready to leave.

Max wasn’t having it however, and he all but dragged her into the kitchen so she could have a small breakfast, even if she kept saying that she was really not hungry this morning. He really didn’t care, she had to eat, even if that meant that they would be even more late.

Once she had swallowed every last piece of toast he had prepared for her and drank the glass of milk he all but ordered to drink, Max helped her find her shoes since she couldn’t find the ones she was looking for and once she had grabbed her coat and Max had taken everything he needed back at work, they finally left, both of them laughing on their way out when Max joked about the fact that dressed all in red like that, she looked like Little Red Riding Hood.

“Yeah, I’m sure Grandma would have liked seeing her this pregnant!” Liz snorted as they reached the car and Max opened the passenger door for her.

“As long as the father wasn’t the big Bad Wolf… can you imagine them?... going at it in the woods?” Max chuckled and shrugged in answer, his comment making Liz gape at him and cry out his name incredulously.

“What?” he asked a few seconds later when he had rounded the car and taken his place behind the wheel.

“You didn’t just say that!” Liz exclaimed, trying to hit me for the inappropriate reflection but Max caught her hand before she could touch him and draw her close.

His other hand found his way into her loose hair and when his lips closed over hers, Liz forgot everything about what she had been saying just a minute ago.

“Okay… Let’s go!” Max panted out when they parted a few seconds later, knowing that if they didn’t leave now, they certainly never would.
The drive to the school was actually spent in near complete silence, Max only breaking it when he noticed Liz wince a couple of times and asked her worriedly if she was okay.

“Yeah… he’s a-active… I told you…” Liz repeated reassuringly, rubbing a hand over her stomach in the hope that it would be enough to help her son settle some.

Max’s own hand joined hers almost right away, but when Liz turned to him with a gentle smile to thank him for always knowing when he was needed, she noticed at his look just how much it was costing him to not ask her if she was really sure and go into full worry mode. She appreciated the effort of course and laced her fingers with his then before bringing their joined hands to her lips and softly kissing his knuckles, letting the simple gesture soothe him.

Once they arrived, Max rushed to the other side of the car once more, helping Liz to get out, but while she expected him to say goodbye to her there, he didn’t. She should have known he wouldn’t in fact, after all the last few weeks she had been working, he had taken it upon himself to make sure nothing could happen to her on her way to her classroom and had walked her to the door every day, uncaring of how that made him look or of what people could think of it. Today wouldn’t be different apparently.

Still hand in hand, they reached the gymnasium where the dinner and the dance show the school was organizing would take place in two days and where she was supposed to meet with a few colleagues and volunteers, both of them quite reluctant to have to let go just yet.

Max drew her near the second they stopped, hugging her as close as he could and giving Liz the impression that he wouldn’t see her for days instead of the mere hours they would be separated in reality.

“You take care of you and this little one for me, okay?” he all but begged of her when they pulled apart, one of his hands drifting down to her womb and stroking it a few seconds.

“I will…” Liz promised right away, even if she knew that her words would most likely not be enough for him to not worry at least a little while she was out of his sight.

“And don’t work too much…” he added, his tone showing her that he would be way more happy if she had stayed at home, resting like he thought she should. It also said that despite that fact, he knew nonetheless that this was important for her and that was why he wasn’t dragging her back to the car with him.

“I won’t…” she nipped at the skin of his neck in answer, trying to distract him from his thoughts and what could easily become an anxiety fit, and she was quite satisfied of her accomplishment when Max groaned low in his throat and brought his lips down on hers for a mind-blowing departing kiss.

“You two put bunnies to shame…” a laughing voice interrupted them and when they parted Liz was relieved to see that the person having caught them was only Amanda Valence, Jim’s wife, and not someone else she would have felt way more uncomfortable with if they had been the ones witnessing Max and her behaving like the worst of teenagers she had to deal with here on a regular basis.

“Amanda, hi!” Liz greeted her with a slight blush nonetheless, sure that she looked positively ravished after such a kiss.

Max greeted Amanda warmly as well, having met her on a few occasions since Liz had started working there years ago, but as much as he appreciated the woman, he was glad nonetheless when she left after exchanging a few words with them and enquiring about Liz’s and the baby’s health, telling Liz that she would be waiting for her inside when she would be done saying goodbye to her dear husband.

“I have a few important meetings today… but you call me if…” Max started the moment they were alone again, but was cut off by Liz before he could complete his sentence.

“If I think there’s anything wrong… I know… I will…” Liz promised, hugging him briefly, or at least as best as she could with her swollen stomach between them.

She knew by heart his recommendations by now, after all he always told her the same thing every time they parted.

“Okay… I love you!” he whispered as his lips grazed hers briefly and then he leaned down to brush a tender kiss over the swell of her belly as well. “Be good with mommy… daddy loves you, too!” his voice was soft as he spoke but had Liz fighting tears once more at the amount of emotion she could clearly discern in it.

“I love you, Max!” she breathed against his lips when he straightened up, planting a quick kiss on them and then turning around to cross the gymnasium doors before she changed her mind about helping here today and begged him to take her back home instead, where he could spend the whole day with her, preferably in bed.

She barely turned around again when Max uttered a quick ‘bye’, afraid she would just rush back into his arms, and instead walked head high towards her colleagues gathered in the back of the large room, determined to ignore for now the sudden ache in her heart and the slight pain she was feeling all too frequently in her lower belly now.
Hours later and after many discussions about decorations, who should be sitting next to whom and who really shouldn’t, and she didn’t even know how many rehearsals for the show, Liz was positively exhausted. Exhausted and in pain, since her cramps had been amplifying the more she worked, yet, stubbornly, she refused to admit, at least aloud, what everything in her was telling her this was.

More than once, her colleagues and particularly Kyle had needed to tell her to slow down or sit down when they thought she had been on her feet for too long, but apparently she had done a pretty good job at convincing everyone that she was fine -a little tired but fine- since everyone had been more or less leaving her alone since lunch.

About an hour ago, she had talked with Max on the phone as well and he hadn’t been all too pleased to hear that she wasn’t ready yet to go home, a few details still needing to be finalized.

She knew that part of Max’s uneasiness was mainly due to the fact that he had a very important meeting now and it would be more difficult to join him then if anything were to happen, but that was exactly why she hadn’t told him how much more painful her cramps had become. She didn’t want him to miss that meeting if she could do otherwise, and so she had gritted her teeth every time Max had asked her if she was really alright.

Now she was just getting back from one of her too many trips to the bathroom, her son having apparently decided that it would be fun to find the best position possible to press almost constantly against mommy’s bladder and hold it, when she was intercepted by a few of her students who apparently were fairly flipping out about the approaching midterms.

Right there in the hallway, they asked her she didn’t even know how many questions, arguing that although Ms Stevens, her temporary replacement was a nice woman, she wasn’t her and wasn’t as good at explaining things to them, and Liz didn’t have the heart to tell them that she wasn’t officially working anymore, or that she couldn’t help. On maternity leave or not, she was still their teacher.

Finding her usual classroom vacant, she invited them to sit down so she could quickly go over their questions and the lesson they were having difficulties with, but almost regretted her decision when the word spread around and more of them entered to join in the fun. She welcomed them nonetheless, even knowing that it would take her twice as much time as what she had first planned with more people there, with their own interrogations, only lamenting the fact that apparently her break was really going to be cut short.

A while later, Liz had actually lost count of how many questions she had already been asked and had already answered to when sharp pain shot through he womb, giving her the impression that her son had suddenly decided to kick his way out.

She gasped in a startled breath and stopped mid-sentence to rub trembling fingers over her stomach.

“No, no, no, sweetie… you can’t do this to mommy now… you have to behave, remember?” she muttered under her breath, turned to the blackboard so her students wouldn’t hear her scolding her child when he wasn’t even born yet, but the pain only grew stronger instead of ebbing like she had been hoping for. “Oh, god… you’re gonna be as pigheaded as your father, aren’t you?” she grunted then, holding her stomach with one hand and hanging on her desk with the other.

“Are you okay, Mrs. Evans?” a young girl in the front row asked worriedly when she noticed her teacher in obvious pain.

“Y-Yeah, fine…” Liz answered quickly. A little too quickly to be honest.

“Are you sure?” the girl next to the first continued, obviously not more convinced by their teacher’s reassurance than her friend had been.

“Sure, yes…” Liz reiterated, but the way she suddenly doubled over in pain and cried out the next second belied her words. “Oh, god!”

Instantly students rushed forward to help her sit down when they saw her almost lose her balance and Liz started to panic when she heard some of them talking about calling an ambulance.

“No, n-no ambulance… I’m fine!” she all but shouted out, startling most of the people present, but her vehement cry that she was fine was fortunately not enough to make them believe her.

“Maybe… maybe we should get the school nurse…” someone else suggested, making Liz shake her head, although she couldn’t verbally protest this time.

She was too busy gritting her teeth and bearing down the pain.

Unfortunately for Liz and despite her muted protest, when she was able to breathe more or less normally again, someone had already gone and fetch the school nurse and the woman only had to take a look at her to assess the situation.

“Oh, my god, Liz… you’re in labor?” she blurted out before she could stop herself, causing the students around to gasp and Liz to glare openly at her.

“I am not in labor!” she retorted more curtly than she had meant to, but she refused, absolutely refused, to admit that the other woman could be right. She wasn’t in labor. She couldn’t be, it was too soon. She wouldn’t be in labor for weeks. “It’s just… just a few cramps… probably something I ate…”

“Cramps… right…” Nurse Anna repeated, but her skeptic tone showed that she was surely not believing it was only that.

Discreetly so, she asked the young man near her to go and call for an ambulance, even if the stubborn woman in front of her didn’t want to hear about it from what she had been told when she had been fetched.

“C-Cramps, yeah… it’s gonna pass…” Liz insisted, taking in huge gulps of air and finally standing up again when it didn’t seem that she would just collapse if she tried. So far, so good. “It’s passing.”

Her baby was alright. Her baby was just fine… Her baby was apparently already too damned stubborn to listen to her.

“Oh, god…” she groaned out again when she felt another one of her ‘cramps’ tear through her body, the flash of sudden pain nearly blinding her.

“Okay, Liz… obviously it’s not passing!” the nurse said, trying to reach for Liz, only to have her sidestep her before she could touch her. “Liz, maybe you should sit back down.”

“No… no, I’m fine… I just need… I-I need…” she trailed off as she started pacing back and forth and took long, deep breaths. “Max… I need Max…”

“Right, Max… we should call your husband…” the nurse acquiesced as she watched Liz’s pacing with a careful eye, looking for any sign that the ‘cramps’ were getting worse or closer.

“No, I… actually, we can’t…” Liz stopped suddenly, grimacing when she remembered that Max was in an hours-long meeting and that while she could probably call and interrupt and he would come running to her, she didn’t want to have to do that. “Max… he’s busy… important… he has an i-important meeting and I… we can’t… I’ll just wait… we’ll wait a little…”

Not wanting to upset her for now, the school nurse just nodded and let her have some space, hoping that the paramedics would get there soon and that they would have more chances convincing Liz that there was no way that this would just ‘pass’ on its own.

About twenty minutes later, she couldn’t help expelling a sigh of relief when she saw two paramedics crossing the threshold of the classroom Liz had obstinately refused to leave while it ‘passed’. A few students were still around, wanting to make sure their teacher was really alright, and Anna briefly considered asking them to get out so the EMTs could do their job and check on Liz, but she was stopped from doing so when the first paramedic assessed the situation herself and took the matter into hands.

“Okay, guys… there’s just too many people in here… everyone out… let this young woman breathe a little…” the uniformed woman announced loudly, pushing past a few students and joining Liz on the dais, her tone softening right away. “What’s your name, honey?”

“Oh, god… you called an ambulance? I told you not to call an ambulance!” hearing the new voice cut through the silence of the room pulled Liz out of her thoughts and her pacing and she instantly pinned Nurse Anna with a betrayed, angry look.

“Hi, I’m Anna Sloane, the school nurse…” Anna didn’t cower however, although seeing that look was pretty scary on such a usually nice woman. Instead, she addressed the paramedic, telling her what little she knew of Liz’s condition. “Her name is Elizabeth Evans… it’s her second child… she’s around 36 weeks pregnant and obviously the labor’s started…”

“Her name is Liz… she’s 37 weeks pregnant and she is not in labor yet… she would know if she were in labor, wouldn’t she?” Liz gritted stubbornly, resuming her pacing and ignoring the disbelieving look the second EMT was giving her. “There are just freaking cramps!... C-R-A-M-P-S, okay?”

“Okay, Elizabeth… I’m Laura Grey and this is Christina Wilson… now if I could just take a look at you… I’d be able to tell you for sure if you are in labor or not…” the paramedic introduced herself and her colleague, dropping her bag on the floor near Liz and quickly rummaging through it for what she would need.

“You don’t need to take a look at me… I’m fine…” Liz retorted, looking down at the cell phone she had retrieved earlier and that hadn’t left her hand since then. “And it’s Liz.”

She couldn’t help groaning inwardly when she realized that only twenty five minutes had passed since then and that it was probably too soon yet to call Max, no matter the fact that he would certainly kill her when he knew she hadn’t called him right away like she had promised she would if anything happened.

But she could do this without him, at least for now. When it would be time, she would call him and he would come and take her back home and once with him, she would be able to relax and everything would go alright. She had to believe that.

“Liz… could you just stop pacing for a moment, please?… I’d like to at least check your vitals… just to make sure you’re really alright…” Laura amended and insisted patiently, grabbing for Liz’s arm the next time she passed by her.

Liz instantly glared at her, but strangely she didn’t tell her to get lost like she so wanted to, thinking that maybe if she let her do what she wanted at that moment, they would leave her alone once she would have seen for herself that everything was perfectly fine with her.

She didn’t notice Laura’s frown once she was done however and just checked her phone once more.

Laura turned to the nurse who immediately sensed that whatever she had observed concerning Liz’s state was probably not something Liz herself would want to hear about right now. Consequently, she moved a few steps back and made sure Liz couldn’t hear them before asking the paramedic what she thought.

“She is fine… but it’s clear that she’s having…” she announced but was cut off before she could finish.

“Contractions… I know… but she’s just so stubborn…” Nurse Anna said, knowing Liz enough to know that if she didn’t want to hear about it, it would certainly take a lot of patience on their part to convince her that she needed to trust them and let them take her to the hospital.

“I can see that… I’m just afraid that if we don’t take her to the hospital now… it will be too late later!” Laura revealed with a worried frown, remembering that they had barely managed to get here themselves.

A truck had overturned on the main road to the school, spilling tons and tons of bottles of soda on the street and while they had been let through on their way here because they were paramedics, she wasn’t sure the way back would still be cleared if they took too much to leave.

“Too late?” the nurse questioned apprehensively, instantly fearing that something could be wrong with the baby.

“Not like that… there are both fine right now…” Laura was quick to reassure her, seeing that the nurse obviously cared about the young pregnant woman. “There’s been an accident on the main road to here and I’m afraid they’ll block the road completely before we’re out of here!”

“You know, I’m here… I can’t hear you but I know you’re talking about me!” Liz growled at them all of a sudden as she saw them whispering between themselves for just a little too long for her liking.

“Liz, can you tell me for how long you’ve been having those contr-…” Laura started asking, only to trail off abruptly when Liz glowered at her before she could finish uttering the word ‘contractions’. “Cramps… how long have you been having those cramps now?” she reformulated, waiting patiently for Liz to answer, even if it seemed evident that that was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Since… yesterday… y-yesterday night I think…” Liz admitted at last, tightened her grip on her cell phone and nearly splitting it in two as she did.

Okay, she would just wait still a few minutes and then she would call Max. Meeting or not.

“And they are getting closer, right?” was the paramedic’s next question and it immediately had Liz shaking her head in denial.

“No… y-yes… I-I don’t know…” Liz stammered, on the verge of tears now.

This couldn’t be happening. This just couldn’t be happening.

“Liz, honey, I know you don’t want to hear it but… from everything you are telling me and even what you’re not… and from everything I can clearly see… you are in labor and we need to get you to the hospital now…” Laura announced to Liz as calmly and gently as she could, not wanting to upset her more than she already obviously was.

“No, March 6th, that’s when I go into labor… not a day or even a second sooner!” Liz replied obstinately, even when everything told her that there were less and less chances that her words would indeed be true.

She and Max had actually been thrilled when March 6th had been announced as the supposed date for the baby’s birth once the second ultrasound had shown that Liz had actually been eight weeks pregnant instead of the six that had been announced to her the first time. They had even laughed at the fact that the baby would apparently share the same birthday as his future godmother if everything went well, Maria having been born a six of March as well.

Yes, March 6th had seemed like a good day to give birth. But February 14th… February 14th was not what they had planned or counted on. February 14th was just so… Oh, god, Max was so going to love this!

“Liz, you know better than that… you know that babies don’t usually care much about what the mothers want… they come when they want to come…” Laura stated wisely, her job having definitely shown her, and that on more than one occasion, that things didn’t always happen like you wanted them to happen, and moreover when children’s births were involved.

“Oh, but this is my child and he knows better than to try and mess with his mommy already!” Liz all but groaned, but the way she tenderly caressed her belly as she spoke proved that even if she did look angry, she surely didn’t resent her child that much for messing with her plans.

“I don’t think that’s how it’s going to work here… from what I’m seeing, it won’t be long before he makes his grand entrance.” Laura didn’t particularly enjoy having to say as much to Liz, but there wasn’t much doubt in her mind about how this would enfold.

She had been timing Liz’s contractions as best as she could with the woman’s obvious lack of cooperation, and she knew that she would soon be unable to pace like she currently was. In fact, Liz was probably unaware of the fact, but her pacing was only accelerating the process.

“Look, I know you’re trying to be nice and do your job and all… but I’m not budging… I’m not going anywhere until I call my husband…” Liz grunted before another long cramp made her hold her breath and grip the back of the nearest chair. “You can go… I didn’t call for you anyway… as soon as I get a hold of him… Max will take me to the hospital, or to wherever the hell I need to go to stop this!” she added once the pain passed some, promising herself that she would wait still a few brief minutes and then call Max.

“I can’t do that and you know it!” the other woman replied, ready to spend the day there if she had to but swearing that she wouldn’t budge either until she would have made sure Liz was alright and nothing could happen to her.

“Well, suit yourself… wait with me if you want but you’re only wasting your time…” Liz threw back, closing her eyes as pain hit once more.

Laura watched her then as she repeated a litany of ‘just a few minutes, just a few minutes, just a few minutes’ and decided that for now she would let her be.

She couldn’t exactly force her to get into the ambulance if she didn’t want to, but she at least could make sure that she would be ready herself for what she was sure would happen very soon now.

Addressing the nurse, she asked her to send someone for a few things she would need and hadn’t brought with her herself, and then demanded she find someone who could contain the crowd that had gathered in front of the room and was making way too much noise for her liking. Soon she would need all her concentration, as would Liz, and the last thing she needed was for that many people hovering around and distracting them.

A few minutes later, a gym mattress, a sheet and a few other utilities were brought in and she helped her colleague install everything before turning to Liz again. She was in fact all ready to try and convince her to sit down on the covered mattress so she could examine her, when she saw her dial a number on her cell phone and finally bring it to her ear instead of just keeping watching it.

Great, maybe they would get somewhere now.

Unfortunately for Liz, her call to Max’s office only confirmed what she had feared. Max was still out and Courtney was unable to tell her when exactly he would be back.

She knew what she had to do then of course, but still hesitated nonetheless. To call or not to call, that was the question. To call or… oh-kay, she was so calling now, she winced as the next damned, freaking, contraction nearly made her pass out and she understood that she had no choice left.

Dialing Max’s cell phone now, she couldn’t help cursing loudly when it went directly to voice mail. Why in the hell was he on voice mail now that she needed him when he was always so freaking anal about the fact that he wanted her to call him the second she felt anything wrong. Well, this was wrong. This was seriously wrong, and where the frigging hell was he now, huh?

“Max Evans, I don’t know where you are… or-or what you are doing… but you better get here, fast… I-I’m still at the school… and I need you… so get your ass here!” Liz all but groaned into the phone, only realizing when she was almost done that her tone would probably only get Max to freak out and as much as she wanted him there, she didn’t want to worry him or have him get into an accident in his haste to get here. “I really… I j-just… I-I really need you, okay?... just don’t break any laws but… get here as fast as you can, okay?” she amended a little more gently, snapping the phone shut when she was done and inhaling sharply.

Okay, now she just needed to wait. Wait until Max got there and everything would be alright.

“Liz, you should really sit now…” Laura suggested when she saw that Liz had finally made the call that hopefully would be enough to get her to be more reasonable, but the slight shake of her head seem to prove that it was not.

“No, I’m fine… fine and not in labor… nope… and Max will be here soon… so, perfectly fine here, see… I just need to be patient here and everything will be…” Liz started to ramble on, but she found herself trailing off awkwardly when she felt a rush a liquid suddenly running down her legs and wetting the front of her dress and she realized what had just happened. “Oh.My.God… did my water just… b-break?... no, no, no… this can’t… I c-can’t…” she panicked as she took a look down at her ruined dress and shoes and the small pool of water at her feet confirmed her own words.

So much for denying the obvious, huh?

“Okay, Liz… get on that mattress, now!” Laura ordered, snapping some gloves on and ready now to examine Liz, whether she was willing or not.

With her colleague’s help, she all but forced Liz into complying and ignored the woman’s protests when they helped her getting rid of her underwear. Laura’s fears were confirmed a second later when she checked Liz at last and found out that she was almost completely dilated already. It was no wonder though, if she had really started having those ‘cramps’ yesterday night already.

“Oh, god… I need to go to the hospital…” Liz finally snapped out of Denial-Land and moaned out, instantly trying to sit up when Laura shared her observation with her a minute after having warned her colleague and the nurse as well.

“No, Liz… the road is blocked now…” Laura started, having had confirmation by radio earlier when they had already started preparing everything for the potential arrival of the baby.

“I don’t freaking care about your damned blocked road… take detours if you have to… but I need to get to the hospital, now!” Liz cried out almost hysterically now, the last thing she wanted being to give birth here, in her school, in her classroom, with she didn’t know how many people watching.

A few teachers had come and tried to push the students away of course, like Nurse Anna had asked them to, but obviously unless they put someone to stand guard in front of the door, it wasn’t enough. The damned said door kept being opened almost every other minute, every time they managed to close it. Liz half expected people to whip out cameras and camcorders and film the whole thing, but then maybe it wouldn’t such a bad thing since it seemed that Max would be missing his own child’s birth, or at least a good part of it.

OH. GOD. She so couldn’t do this alone!

“Look, Elizabeth…” Laura started as patiently as she could, only to be brutally silenced.

“Liz!” the other woman spat through gritted teeth for the umpteenth time. God, was it that hard to understand that she didn’t like to be called Elizabeth? Or to realize that now was really not the time to piss her off?

“Liz, okay… I’m sorry but I believe that it’s already too late for that now… if we try to leave now, chances are you’re gonna have this baby in a moving ambulance and I don’t think you want that… do you want that?” Laura pursued, knowing that she for one would rather not take that risk.

If they did leave now, it could take them a while to get to the nearest hospital and she wasn’t sure they had that much time.

“No, of course not but…” Liz sputtered out miserably, not wanting that more than Laura obviously did, but there had to be another solution.

Dammit, if only she hadn’t waited so much and wasted so much time.

“No buts, honey… this kid is coming fast… this kid is going to come here… but more than that, he’s going to come now!” Laura intoned more firmly, wanting the other woman to understand the seriousness of the situation.

And Liz did. Unfortunately all too well, but she refused to do this alone!

“God, I-I need Max!... I need my husband…” Liz whined all of a sudden, cursing him and all that was alive for not being here already. He would know what they should do and what was best for the baby.

“Listen to me, Liz… I’m sure your husband is on his way… he should be here soon… but we’re gonna have to start without him…” the paramedic informed Liz, predicting from how close her contractions seemed to be now that it wouldn’t be long before she had to start pushing, whether she liked it or not.

“I will not start anything without Max…” Liz grumbled out, her nails digging into the sheet and the mattress under her as another contraction washed over her.

There was no way in hell she would have this child without Max. He had put it in there, he would be there to help her get it out!

“Mrs. Evans…” Laura enunciated more sternly then, even if unfortunately it didn’t seem to impress Liz in the least.

“God… what’s your name again?” Liz gritted out between painful breaths.

“Laura…” the paramedic answered awkwardly, not seeing what that had to do with anything now.

“Well, you listen to me now, Laura…” Liz hissed out, her tone being almost enough to scare the other woman. Almost. “You won’t take me to the hospital now?... fine by me… I don’t think I have a choice here, unless I want to go walking… which obviously I don’t…” she recognized then, apparently resigned to her fate, more because she knew that it was actually her own fault it was too late to leave than because she really liked it, but yes, she really did have no choice, given that she probably wouldn’t be able to get up now even if she were paid for it. “ But you have another thing coming if you think that I will have this baby without my husband being there to feel me crush his hand into dust… even if I have to clamp my legs shut tighter than Britney Spears’s supposedly were when she was pretending to still be a virgin in order to keep this baby inside until he fucking crosses that threshold… trust me, I will… but he will be here to feel my pain…” she finished with a long growl, convinced that she couldn’t make her point clearer.

Her rambling had actually left everyone close enough to hear her gaping at her and it took Laura a few seconds to recover herself.