A Beautiful Brain (AU, M/L, TEEN) [COMPLETE]

[Drogyn]

Title: A Beautiful Brain

Disclaimer: I don’t own roswell and I don’t own any of the characters

Pairings/Couples/Category: AU, No Aliens, CC, M/L

Rating: TEEN

Summary: When Liz is involved in an accident she slips into a coma. Six months later, she wakes up to find that her husband Max has left her.

Author's Note: Based on a challenge by Raychelxluscious. It’s my first crack at AU-fic so gimme a break if you hate it. As always, replies will be very much appreciated.

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“Liz, please wake up”, Max said with a trembling voice and tears in his eyes. “I need you. You have to wake up”, he whispered.

Max looked tired as he sat besides the hospital bed where Liz was lying in. She was wired to a monitor that showed no activity. Max stared at the monitor for a few seconds, hoping that it would come to life and Liz would just wake up and they could go home together. If he just wanted it bad enough, maybe it would happen. But it didn’t happen. Everything stayed quiet. All that could be heard were Max’ sobs as he held onto Liz’ hand.

Why? Why did this have to happen? Liz didn’t deserve this. It should be me lying there. Max carefully laid his face on Liz’ chest.

He thought back of yesterday-morning. Everything had been so perfect. They were both on their way to live the lives they always wanted. Liz was studying to be a molecular biologist and he was on his way to become a lawyer, just like his father.He and Liz celebrated their 6 month wedding anniversary. He remembered how lucky he felt. Most married couples barely communicated any more, but he and Liz were still just as much in love as they were three years ago, when they first met. They had spent the entire morning pretending it was their honeymoon and they had made love all around the house. He loved Liz and she loved him. What could ever come between that?

He knew the answer to that. That cursed accident came between them. He and Liz were walking across Baker street when this insane driver drove right at them. Liz had pushed him out of the way and the car had frontally hit her. When he got at the hospital, the doctors told him Liz wasn’t doing so well. She had slipped into a coma. Everything the doctors said after that was kind of a blur to him. They basically told him that Liz could still wake up but the longer it took, the less likely it was gonna be. He had sat by her bed since that moment, not wanting to go; wanting to be there when she woke up. Not if she woke up, but when she woke up. But it was now a full day later and Liz hadn’t woken up.

~~

“Hi Liz… happy anniversary honey.” He said, trying to sound somewhat cheerfull. “I know you don’t believe it, but we made it. One year”, he said with tears in his eyes. He then looked at Liz, who had still not woken up and was still lying in the hospital bed. It was months later now and it still broke Max’ heart everytime he came to visit. He sat down on a chair next to the bed and held her hand just like he did every day. “Please honey, it’s been six months now. Please come back. I…”, he begged, but he suddenly changed the tone in his voice “I can’t keep this up Liz. I… I die every time I step into this room. I’m sorry… but I’m not coming back. I just can’t. I’m really sorry Liz. I’ll always love you”, he said with tears streaming down his face. After he said that, he kissed her on her forehead and walked slowly to the door, not looking back.

If he had looked back, he might have noticed Liz eyes were slowly opening. She was just in time to see him walking out of the door and, if he had meant what he said, out of his life. “Max!”, she tried to shout but all that came out of her mouth was a whisper. She heard what he had said. He wasn’t coming back. All sorts of thoughts kept flooding her brain, but as much as she would like to jump out of bed, run after Max and have him answer her questions, her body refused every action. It only took a few minutes for some doctors to enter her room, but those minutes seemed like eternity to her.

~~


Max had really meant what he said that day. He really left her. He felt like he had no choice. It wasn’t like he didn’t still love Liz, he just got more depressed every day since she fell into her coma. Every day he would spend hours talking to her, praying that she would wake up, and every day when it wouldn’t happen it broke his heart again. After six months of this, he just couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to get away from this all. He just had to face it, she was never gonna wake up. He had the hospital remove his name from her records, packed his stuff and left town, never to look back again. Now why did he feel so bad?

He had talked to Maria the day before he left. He explained what he was going to do and asked Maria if she would mind if she would be listed as Liz’ contactperson for the hospital. Maria had screamed at him, just like he expected. It wasn’t like he blamed her for it or something, but Maria just had no idea how horrible this was for him. But when she understood there was no way to talk him out of this, she had no real choice but to go along to his proposal.

As Max stood in his new apartment in a new town, Maria’s last words echoed through his mind. “You’re not good enough for her, Max. Now get out of my face”, she had said. Maybe she was right; maybe he wasn’t good enough for Liz. He forced himself to let go of the thought and began settling in.

~~

When Liz was released from the hospital the day after she awoke, she discovered that Max had his name removed from all her hospital records and that he just packed his stuff and left town. She didn’t even know where he went. When Maria came to the hospital to pick her up that day, she had felt so lonely. Her own husband, who claimed he loved her more than anything had abandoned her. At that point Liz silently wished she hadn’t woken up at all.

Thankfully, Maria was still there for her. With tears in her eyes Maria looked at Liz when she came out of the elevator. Maria ran towards her friend and gave her a firm, yet gentle hug.

“Oh thank god Liz. Thank god you’re awake”, Maria sobbed.

Liz returned the hug, trying to look cheerfull. Maria, who had been Liz’ best friends for almost her entire life, knew she was feeling anything but cheerfull but decided to play along anyway. There were some topics she really hoped didn’t come up too soon, though she also knew it was just a matter of time before they did.

“Hey Ria, how’ve you been?”, Liz said feeling a little better every second as she looked at her best friend whom she loved very much.

“Pretty good. I have a boyfriend now and the two of us are living together”, Maria beamed happily. She had been dying to tell Liz for months and now she was finally awake.

“Ah, and what is the brave man’s name?”, Liz inquired.

Maria gave Liz a soft push against the shoulder. “His name is Michael”, she said smiling.

“How did you two meet?”, Liz asked, liking to keep the focus on Maria.

“Well, he’s an intern here. He explained what he does exactly but I keep forgetting. Something with heartsurgery and stuff.”

“He’s a cardologyst?”, Liz asked curiously. It took her a few seconds to realize what she just said. “I mean, he’s a cardiolyst… I mean, dammit!”, Liz shouted out. She ran away from Maria to one of the rearby waiting areas and sat down, her face buried in her hands. Maria walked after her and laid her hand on Liz’ shoulder.

“What’s the matter?”, Maria asked in the most caring tone.

“The doctors say it’s because I was in a coma so long. He said there was permanent braindage”, Liz explained, her eyes watering when she realized she made another mistake..

“So, does that just mean that you have to start using normal words that ninetyfive perfect of your fellow-Americans use?”, Maria asked, completely ignoring Liz’ mistakes, which made Liz feel just a little better.

“Among other things. I also have a problem with numbers. It’s hard to keep them apart.”, Liz explained, making Maria cry softly behind her, feeling sorry for her best friend but unable to change anything.

“Liz you’re gonna stay with me for awhile, okay?”, Maria suggested, pushing back her tears.

“Aren’t you living with Michael?”, Liz asked.

Maria balled her hand into a fist. “If he makes one wrong comment about this, I swear I’ll kick his ass”, Maria said without the slightest indication that she was making a joke. “Now come on honey, let’s go home”, she said, putting her arms around Liz encouraging her to stand up.

~~

Maria and Liz were driving to Maria’s house from the hospital. Liz had insisted that she would drive, but Maria didn’t let her. She understood that Liz wanted to show that she was not incapable of such things but with Liz just out of the hospital, Maria just didn’t wanna take the chance. Besides, if any of the dreaded subjects she had in mind came up, it’d probably be best if she was drving and not Liz..

“So… have you heard anything from him?”, Liz asked, finally bringing Max up.

“There you go, dreaded subject number one.”, Maria thought.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen him since the day before he left… which would be two days ago. I tried calling him but apparently, he already left. I’m sorry Liz, but he didn’t leave any forwarding adres.”, Maria said. She decided that since the subject had come up, she might as well be completely honest about everything and that meant telling her everything, no matter how painfull it was. She knew this was going to get ugly so she parked her car on the side of the road.

“Liz, there’s something else I gotta tell you. He… he’s not your husband anymore Liz”, Maria said softly.

“What?”

“I sorry Liz, but he filed for divorce about a week ago and… it was granted”

Liz wanted to die. She wanted the ground under her to open up and just swallow her. What did she ever do to deserve this? But she couldn’t speak. Couldn’t say a word.

“I’m sorry Liz, but it’ll be okay. You don’t need him. You deserve someone who won’t just pack up and leave when the going gets tough”

“What are you talking about?!”, Liz said with a little anger in her voice “He was everything for me, and now I lost him. And if that’s not enough, I also lost my home and I can very well kiss my dream to become a scientist goodbye. How can things possibly be okay?!”, shouted with tears flowing from her eyes.

“It has to be okay Liz, because you’re not someone who just hides in a corner for the rest of your life. You’ll find a way to be happy again… and until you do, I’ll be right here. No matter what”

Although it wasn’t exactly something she said but more the way she said it, she got the feeling there was something more going on. “Maria… what are you not telling me?”, Liz asked softly, dreading the answer.

“What do you mean?”, Maria replied in an innocent voice.

“You always were a terrible liar Maria. What are you not telling me?”, Liz asked again.

“God Liz, don’t you think you’ve been through enough for one day?”

“Did something happen to mom and dad?”, Liz asked with tears in her eyes.

Maria couldn’t help but cry and stare at Liz. She wanted to tell Liz that her parent were fine. That this was something she didn’t have to worry about. But that would be a lie. “They went to the Carribeans on a vacation to get away from all of this… they never made it. Their plane exploded mid-air.”. Maria felt sick telling her best friend all this but she couldn’t very well lie about it. That would only make things worse.

At the same time, all Liz could do was concentrate on her breathing, which was out of control. After a few seconds, everything went black as she lost conciousness.

~~

When she woke up, a handsome man was checking her pulse and took her temperature. He had a large nose and pouty lips and his hair was messed up, but he had a nice smile and could generally be considered goodlooking. She looked around to see that she was inside someone’s bedroom instead of the hospital. “Hey, you’re awake”, he said.

She then saw Maria standing right next to him with a worrying look on her face that seemed to relax a little when Liz kept her eyes open. “Hey Liz”, Maria said. “This is Michael”.

[Drogyn]

Hey all. I wanna thank frenchkiss70, FaithfulAngel24, Blink1lit, dreamer19, g7silvers and begonia9508 for their replies. To answer begonia9508’s question: yes, we will also see what it’s like for Max and see the story from his POV, but that won’t happen until chapter 3. Anyway, I hope to put the next part up very soon. Don’t forget to tell me what you think about this chapter.

“Hi”, the guy said. His voice was warm and soothing and in that instant Liz could tell he was a good guy. A kind of guy you could depend on. The kind of guy she thought Max was. Max? The events of the day shot through her brain, causing a tear to run down her cheek. She was happy for a few seconds again, but now everything was messed up again. She sat down, not wanting to cry but being unable to stop it. He hugged her and Maria was somewhat surprised that Liz let him.

After awhile, Michael let go of Liz. “Liz, you really need to get some rest”, he said. Liz wanted to tell him that she’d just been asleep for six months and that the last thing she needed was rest, but something about the tone of his voice made her push away those thoughts and she silently nodded as he showed her to the guest bedroom.

When he came back a few minutes later, Michael had another woman to comfort as Maria was sitting on the couch, tears streaming down her face. When she saw Michael approach, she turned her head away from him a little. “Sorry… I’m sure the last thing you want is two weeping girls”.

Michael sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around Maria’s body. “Don’t ever worry about that. She has every right to cry and so do you. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry”.

Maria sniffed and looked back at Michael. “You’re never gonna leave me like that, are you?”, she asked Michael in a trembling voice.

“No”, Michael said in a caring voice.

“What are we gonna do now? You don’t mind her staying here, do you?”, Maria asked in a begging voice. She had bragged about Liz that she would kick his ass if he dared object, but now all she wanted was for him to say he was okay with it.

In the next room, Liz was lying in bed, listening carefully to Maria and Michael. Her room was exactly above where they sat and the walls were ridiculously thin here.

“She can stay as long as she wants”, Michael said to Maria, looking her in the eyes to tell her he meant every word. “I understand why she’s your best friend. She seems really nice, and everything that’s happening is not…”, he said when he suddenly stopped. Maria turned towards him to see he was shivering. She had never seen Michael like this. He had always been the strong, caring guy but never was he the kind of guy who would suddenly break down in tears. And if Maria was not mistaken, he was about to.

Michael managed to fight back the overwhelming feelings that came over him. Why was he feeling this way? It was not like he was Liz’ best friend. He cautiously looked at Maria who was looking at him with amazement.

“Sorry”, Michael said, “I don’t know what came over me”

“You like her, don’t you?”, Maria asked. The tone of her voice was not a jealous one; if anything, it was a loving tone.

“I don’t know exactly why but yes, I like her a lot… I mean… not like her, like her”, he explained. He didn’t have to explain though. Maria could see it in his eyes. This was more than Maria had hoped for. She had hoped that Michael wouldn’t object against the whole moving in thing and that he would be civil to Liz, but to think he would actually care about Liz. She looked at Michael and kissed him, silently thanking god that she had found a man like this.

Upstairs in her room, Liz had stopped crying and was sleeping peacefully.

~~

Liz Parker sat nervously in the waiting room of Whitman & Whitman, the biggest lawfirm in Las Cruces. It had been two years since she had awakened from her coma and after an enormous amount of crying and a great deal of therapy, she had been trying to find a decent job for many months. But who would hire someone who had trouble with big words and had trouble with numbers like she had? She had been to dozens of interviews but she had never been hired.

Then, she heard about an opening at Whitman& Whitman. It was an opening for a secretary, which she was forced to admit to herself, was about the best she could hope for. Well, she had heard about Alex Whitman; the man she had the appointment with and who she would be working for if she got hired, and everyone seemed to think he was a nice guy. Maybe he would give her the chance she needed so much.

“Miss Parker? Mr Whitman will see you now”, a blonde woman called out to her. Liz stood up and walked after her, into Alex Whitman’s office. He was young. Much younger than she’d imagined him. He smiled at her. “Welcome miss Parker, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat.”, he politely said.

He then questioned her for more than an hour, asking about her and telling her about the company. In that hour Alex Whitman got to know Liz a little. He liked what he saw; she was nice, polite and representative. He got a nagging feeling something was wrong with her though. Everytime he asked her a question that required some thinking, she’d pause a second before every sentence. It’s not something that was really annoying, but it still bugged him.

“Liz, I’ll be honst with you and I want you to be honest with me. I think you’re nice, polite, representative and funny… but I need someone who can do the work as well. Now, I’ve noticed you’re taking a lot of pauses and you misunderstood me quite a few times.”, he said.

Liz swallowed. This wasn’t sounding too well and if she didn’t say something, she’d never get the job. And since he said he wanted her to be honest, she decided she would do just that. “Alright, I’ll tell you the truth”, Liz said hesitantly.

“Alright, I‘m listening”, Alex said as he sat back, his eyes focussed on Liz.

“Two and a half years ago, I was run over by a car. I’ve been in a coma for six months. When I woke up, the doctors say I have aphasia. I’m not very good with big words and numbers.”, she said, staring down.

“How about writing?”, Alex asked.

“It’s not good, but I can type over twohundred characters a minute”, Liz tried to recompose herself. Alex was definitely impressed with that. The average typist could only type about onehundred and twenty characters a minute. But still, he didn’t know if it was such a good idea, hiring someone with so many flaws.

Liz looked back at him. They both hadn’t said anything for almost ten seconds. Liz knew what he was thinking. It wasn’t the first interview that went this way. She figured he was thinking how to tell her she didn’t get the job. She hated this, having to explain these things to perfect strangers only to have them look down on you and send you away. But she was becoming desperate and she knew it.

Alex looked back at Liz, they both hadn’t said anything for almost ten seconds. Alex knew what she was thinking. A lot of people had probably turned her down because of her condition. Alex was unsure of what to do. He wanted to give her a chance, he really did. “It’d be nice to have a secretary like her”, Alex thought. He and his former secretary never got along well and even though she’d been pretty good at her job, he had considered firing her on more than one occasion… before she quit, of course. He then saw her looking back at him and for a second, he could see completely through her. She was desperate.

Alex walked around the desk and stood next to Liz. “This is it”, Liz thought. “This is the part where he sends me away”. But what he actually happened came as a shock to her.

“Alright Liz, I’ll give you a chance. You’re hired”, he said.

It took a few seconds to register what he said, but then she smiled widely and looked up at him. “Really?”, she asked nervously.

“Really... I’m sure we can work around the little kinks. I think you’re gonna do fine”, Alex said. Liz stood up and gave him a short hug. “Thanks Alex”, she said. Quickly realizing this is not your typical boss/employer behaviour, she quickly broke the hug and looked at him apologetically. He was smiling at her however. Liz was so nice and spontane. He was glad he found her. At least she’d make a long day seem a little less long.

“One thing Liz, when my wife Isabel is here… call me mr Whitman”, he said with a sheepish smile.

~~

“I can’t believe you’re moving out”, Maria said to Liz as she moved the last of her bags out of her room before handing them to Michael. They all walked towards Liz’ car and attempted to stuff these last bags along with the rest. Now that she finally found a job, things could finally return back to normal. She had stayed with Michael and Maria for two years though, and as much as she wanted her own life back, she was scared to death about leaving the only stable thing in her life. The only two people she had. But she kept telling herself: it wasn’t like she was moving across the country. Las Cruces was only a half-an-hour drive from Maria’s place.

“You know, I don’t know if I would have made it without you two… I wanna thank you for everything you’ve done”

“Just call me Saint Michael”, Michael joked as he squeeze the bags in the car. “Hmm… that actually has a nice ring to it”

“Liz, if anything goes wrong, you can always come back”, Maria said.

“And just remember Liz”, Michael said, “You’ve never been an inconveniance. We loved having you here”

Maria turned towards Michael and then back towards Liz. “What he’s trying to say is that he’s gonna have to get used to my cooking and the fact that he’ll have to do some chores himself now”, she said. Michael gave Liz an embarrassed look.

Liz hugged the both of them for a long time before stepping into her car and driving away to her new life.

Liz wasn’t away for ten seconds when Maria turned to Michael with a sad look “I miss her”.

~~

Today was an important day; her first day of work. She had been in front of the mirror for a long time this morning, deciding what to wear. Eventually, she decided to wear her favorite black dress since it made her feel a little more relaxed. She dreaded the moment of actually stepping in the building, but at the same time, she was looking forward to it.

When she arrived at Whitman & Whitman and walked through the main entrance, she felt relieved. Relieved that she had made it. She was finally herself again. She walked towards Alex’ office. The door was open and he motioned her to come in.

“Right on time. I like that”, he said casually. “Now Liz, what do you say we’ll give you a little tour through the office?”. Liz nodded. It’d be nice to meet the people and see more about this place.

The next hour they spent strolling through the building and talking to a lot of lawyers, secretaries and other employees. Liz was happy that the subject of her condition never came up. She figured he didn’t tell anyone, which she liked. Well, it’s either that or Alex gave everyone strict orders to keep their mouths shut. Some of the offices were skipped because of some important meetings that they shouldn’t interrupt but Alex promised she’d meet them later that day. Everything went so well, the people were really nice and she hadn’t had a problem with words all day.

When they finally came back to his office, there was a woman sitting in his office, waiting for him. “Hey, I’ve been waiting for you”, the woman said to Alex in a friendly tone.

Alex turned to Liz. “I’d like you to meet my wife”, Alex said.

Liz walked towards her and held her hand out. “Nice to meet you. It’s Isabel, right?”.

”Uh-huh, Isabel Evans. And you must be Liz”, Isabel said as she shook hands with Liz. “First day, huh? Must be scared.”

“It is, but mr Whitman has been really nice and shown me around and everything”, Liz said, trying not to show her stiffening when Isabel had said her name was Evans.

Isabel looked at Alex for a second, giving him a suspicious look, and then turned back towards Liz “Did he tell you to call him mr Whitman in front of me?”.

Liz didn’t know where to look. “Well, uuh…”, she stammered.

“Oh for heaven’s sake Isabel, stop the third degree.”, Alex said.

Isabel smiled at Liz. She felt like she knew Liz already and she liked her a whole lot better than that bitchy Tess, his last secretary. “Alright hun, just wanted to tell you that the Bridgers called and cancelled your two o’clock. I’ve rescheduled it for tomorrow at five. It’s in your schedule.”, she said. Then she looked at Liz. “This is gonna be your job from now on. Come on, I’ll show you where your desk is.”, Isabel told Liz. Isabel and Liz smiled at Alex as they walked out of the room.

A few minutes after Liz and Isabel were out of the room, three men came in, all dressed in fancy suits; obviously lawyers. “Hi Alex, just wanted to let you know we’ve settled the Waltham case.”, one of the layers said.

Alex looked up, visibly pleased. “How much?”

“Two million”, the same lawyer replied.

“Good job… hey I want you all to meet my new secretary”, Alex said and pushed a button on the intercom. “Sorry, I know it’s time to go home but could you come in here for a second?”, he asked as nice as he could. “Okay Alex”, Liz replied through the intercom.

Max Evans was shocked for a moment. For a moment there, that voice sounded like his former wife. “Don’t be an idiot. It can’t be her”, he told himself, but he felt uneasy anyway.

A few seconds later, Liz came in. The three lawyers turned around to face her. Two of them smiled and went over to introduce them but she was staring at the third one, and he was staring back at her.

“Liz?, he asked softy.

[Drogyn]

Thanks for the replies begonia9508, Emz80m, extingman, dreamer19, Gaby7tvm, RoswellLuver*16 and strawberry. I’ve been on a roll today and couldn’t just stop where I left off, so I already finished the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy.

“Liz? Is that you?”, Max asked again, staring at the beautiful brunette across the room. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Was that really Liz? His Liz? It couldn’t be; his Liz was in a coma. After several months, the doctors told him the chances of her waking up were practically zero. But he couldn’t deny what he saw, and what he saw was her.

Oh great, Liz thought. Of all the law firms in the world, he had to work here. That is just great. And the day was going so well. “Max”, she said with a cold tone in her voice. Liz decided not to say anything more to him and introduced herself to the other two lawyers. “Hi, I’m Liz Parker”, she said with a warm smile.

“God, I’m actually smiling”, she thought, “I should get an Oscar for this”

“Kyle Valenti”, one of the other lawyers said, introducing himself.

“Jesse Ramirez”, the other lawyer said. “So.. you and Max already know each other?”, he asked immediately after that.

“A long time ago”, Liz said to him with a cold tone in her voice, not bothering to give Max a second look. She then turned towards Alex. “I’m gonna go home Alex. See you tomorrow”, she said, trying to sound as normal as possible. And then she left.

“That was weird”, Kyle said. “Who is she, Max?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it Kyle”, Max said as he made his way out of the room to follow Liz. He was too late; the elevator doors closed in front of him. When he ran the ten floors down, he was just in time to see her drive away.

~~

When Max arrived at his apartment, he put his briefcase down near the door and sat down on the large couch in front of the TV. He didn’t bother putting on the TV. He had enough on his mind already. All he did at the time was sit and stare at the blank screen.

His thoughts were with Liz, as they always were. When he left his old life two years ago, he wanted to start over completely. That meant moving out of town and having no more thoughts of Liz, there would be no more crying at her bed, no more days of hoping she’d wake up and no more days when he came home and wanted to kill himself.

That was the plan. Great plan that turned out to be. Who was he kidding? He could have ran away to the other side of the world and it wouldn’t have made the slightest difference. There wasn’t a day that had gone by when he didn’t think about her. Sure it had gotten a little easier over the years but the feelings were still there.

And now she was back and he was mad at everyone, especially himself.

“Why the hell didn’t someone call me?”, he thought

“Because you cut yourself off, you moron!”, he answered his own question.

He had been so afraid that she would someday pass away and he didn’t want to be put through the whole thing again then, so he decided not to tell anyone where he went. He remembered he suddenly got a call from Maria a few months after she left. She had hired a PI who managed to track down a cell phone registered to his name. He didn’t even let her finish her first sentence. He had flatly said he didn’t wanna know and hung up. After that, he got rid of his cell phone and got a new one.

Max just sat there staring in front of him. Maria had wanted him to know Liz had woken up… and he hung up on her. At the time, Max was afraid Liz had died. He didn’t want to know. He thought it would kill him if he knew. So he hung up. Damn, he felt like such an jerk. Oh, who was he kidding… he was the king of jerks. He could talk about it any way he wanted, bottom line is he left his soul mate with absolutely nothing. Soul mate… a tear trickled down his cheek. He remembered he hadn’t cried since the day he saw Liz the last time.

“Oh for crying out loud, I have to do something. I have to talk to her”, he thought. Maybe he should wait until tomorrow, when she’d be back for work… if she came back at all. God, he even continued to ruin her life even now. Now he was sure, he had to talk to her.

But the problem was, he didn’t have her number. He considered calling Maria… but she’d probably kill him right through the phone. He considered it for a minute. What choice did he have? He picked up the phone and called Maria’s phone number. “Let’s hope she didn’t move”, Max thought as he pressed dial on his phone.

“Yeah, this is Michael”, a voice sounded on the other end of the line.

“This is Max Evans”, Max said, trying to sound as calm as possible, but Michael still heard he was shaken up.

“As in Liz’ ex-husband Max Evans?”, Michael inquired.

“Yeah”

“As in, the sadistic bastard who dumped her when she was in a coma?”, Michael asked, his tone getting more forceful.

Max could feel his eyes start to well up again. “Yes”, he said softly.

“What do you want?”, Michael said with a cold, unfriendly tone. He remembered that tone. It was the same tone Liz used on him back in the office.

“I want her phone number. I know you have it”, Max said.

“Sorry Max, but I can’t help you… or more precisely, I don’t want to help you. You have no idea what she went through.”, Michael said.

“Look, I wish things were different, but…”, Max said before Michael cut him off.

“Yeah, and I wish you’d drown in your own barf… I guess we’re both disappointed.”, Michael spat out

“Look, I know you think I don’t deserve it, but I really really need to talk to her”, Max pleaded.

“Oh well, if you really really have to speak her, then it’s okay”, Michael said in a sarcastic voice.

“Look, I’m sorry. I just have to talk to her”

“I don’t want your apologies Max, and neither does Liz. Don’t call again Max.”

“Wait, wait, don’t hang up”, Max said but before he even finished, he heard the dial tone. Michael had hung up. He couldn’t really blame him, especially after the way he treated Maria last time she called. He guessed he had no choice but to wait until tomorrow.

~~

When Liz got home, she went straight to her bedroom and lied down. Until Max had stepped into her life again, she thought the day went really well. She had already made several friends at work and everyone had been really nice to her. She had especially liked Isabel who seemed to have some sort of calming effect on her. Liz smiled. She was related to Max. She was sure of it now. She had thought of it when she heard Isabel’s last name was Evans but at that time, but she never thought she and Max would actually be related. But after seeing Max, she thought differently.

How could he just step back into her life again? Was this gonna be the story of her life? Was she just supposed to let her heart get shattered into a million pieces every time she saw him from now on. A part of her said maybe she should just quit and go far away, but opportunities like this didn’t come a lot for Liz. She just couldn’t afford walking away.

That’s what she told herself at least. In truth, she enjoyed seeing Max again after all those years. She couldn’t deny that she still loved him. But that didn’t mean she wanted him back. Hell no. She had always thought of Max as the guy who would stand by her no matter what? She didn’t think she could ever trust him with her heart again. And so silently swore she never would.

Besides, what was she worrying about? It was not like Max was still in love with her or anything. He had just been surprised at seeing her. If he had really cared, he would have called a long time ago. He was probably happy with a new wife and a new family.

“Well Max, I hope your happy now”, she said in a sarcastic voice.

~~

An hour later, Max was eating a microwave dinner alone at the dinner table. Usually, he would watch some TV but today, he seemed to enjoy wallowing in silence. He had taken a few bites of his dinner before the doorbell rang.

“Who is it?”, he shouted at the door.

“It’s me. Let me in Max”, Isabel said

“Go away Iz”, Max said as he took another bite of his dinner.

“Maxwell Philip Evans, open the damned door, now!”, Isabel shouted.

Max sighed and got up from his chair. When Isabel was like this, there was no talking to her. She would have stood there for hours until he would have opened the door. He walked towards the door and opened it, allowing Isabel to step inside.

“What do you want Iz”, he asked, a little more unfriendly than he intended.

“Alex called me. He said you were acting really weird. What’s going on?”, Isabel asked in a friendly tone.

“Can’t I just not talk about it?”, Max asked, not wanting to talk about it. He knew however that if she really wanted to know, she wouldn’t stop before he told her everything.

“When you’re talking with me, you don’t have the right to remain silent… now spill. Alex said it had something to do with that nice new girl, Liz”, Isabel said.

Max’ lower lip started trembling and he just stared at Isabel for a few seconds. Isabel realized that it definitely had something to do with Liz as the mere mention of her name was enough to upset him. She thought about it for a few seconds and then it hit her.

“Liz… your ex-wife Liz?”, she asked, startled. “Isn’t she in a coma or something?”

“Apparently not!”, Max said in a semi-angry tone

“Oh my god Max, I thought you said she would never wake up again.”, Isabel said

“That’s what the doctors said”, Max said, “…but apparently those doctors were almost as stupid as me”

“Almost.” Isabel replied. “So, what the hell are you gonna do?”

“I tried to talk to her after we met but she was gone too fast. I tried to call Maria to get Liz’ number but her boyfriend Michael was not exactly forthcoming”, Max explained.

“Not exactly forthcoming?”, Isabel asked.

“To use his exact words, he wished I’d drown in my own barf”, Max stated “He wouldn’t give me Liz’ number. I don’t know who else could have her number”

“Max, you’re my brother and I love you… but you can be such an idiot”, Isabel said. Max stared at her for a second. Had she actually said that?

“Talk to Alex… convince him you need her phone number. I know he’s working on the Berg case with Herb and Jake until late tonight. Go there, talk to him, get her number and for heaven’s sake just talk to her”, Isabel said before turning around and walking away, leaving Max alone in the room, staring at the open door.

~~

Less than half an hour later, Max was back at the office and standing in front of Alex’s office. He could hear people talking in the office. He took a few seconds to catch his breath and then knocked on the door.

“Come in”, Alex shouted from inside the office. Max opened the door and stepped inside. Alex was sitting behind his desk and two other men were using two large tables in his office to gather a large quantity of folders and notes.

“Max? Shouldn’t you be at home?”, Alex asked, a little surprised to see Max at this hour.

“I need a favour”, Max said

“I’m your man. What do you need?”, Alex said, happy to help his brother-in-law.

“I need Liz’ phone number”, Max said, instantly knowing that didn’t come out right.

“Oh… well sorry Max, I wish I could help you…”, Alex started

“Oh come on Alex. Please, I really need to talk to her. Isabel said you’d help me”, Max practically begged.

“Dammit Max, you know as well as I do that it’s against the law for me to give you that”, Alex stated.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about the law… now give me the goddamn phone number!!”, Max yelled loudly. The two men at the tables stared at him.

“Herb… Jake… would you excuse us for a minute?”, Alex asked politely and with a small smile on his face, which instantly disappeared when the door closed behind them.

“Listen Alex…”, Max started but he was broken off by Alex.

“No, you listen Max.”, Alex said “You’re my brother-in-law and you’re a pretty good lawyer, but if you ever talk like that to me in front of my people again, you’re gonna regret it.”

“Sorry, but what about the phone number?”, Max asked again

“I can’t give it to you Max. It wouldn’t be ethical”, Alex said

“No, ethical is calling my sister when something’s bothering you”, Max spat back.

“Alright, here’s what I’m gonna do… and this is not negotiable… you’re gonna wait outside while I call miss Parker. I’ll try to convince her to come here and talk to you. That’s the best I can do for you.”, Alex said.

Max knew he wasn’t gonna get any more out of it than this so he decided to do as Alex asked. “Thanks Alex”, he said before walking away.

Alex opened his schedule and looked for Liz’ number. When he found it, he picked up the phone and started calling. The phone went over six times and just as Alex wanted to break the connection, Liz picked up the phone.

“Liz Parker”, Liz answered.

“Hi Liz, it’s Alex”, Alex said

“Hi Alex, what can do for you?”, Liz asked, assuming it was something work-related.

“Max Evans is here and I’d very much appreciate it if you two would talk.”, Alex tried

“What did he tell you?”, Liz asked

“A little less than nothing. Look Liz, I know it’s not fair of me to ask you this. It’s your private life and I should respect that, but he’s my brother-in-law and I don’t want to see him miserable”, Alex said

Liz didn’t know what to say. She knew she had to face him sooner or later, and part of her wanted to talk to him too. She had been thinking about him ever since she got home today. Maybe talking to him was not such a bad idea.

“Alright, if that’s what you think is best”, Liz answered.

“Can you come to the office?”, Alex asked.

“Okay, I’ll be right over”

~~

Liz stood outside Alex’ office. She could hear Max and Alex talking. She took a few seconds to catch her breath and then knocked on the door.

“Come in”, Alex said from inside the office. Liz opened the door and stepped inside. She saw Alex sitting behind his desk and Max sitting at one of the large tables.

“Alright”, Alex said as he stood up and walked over to Liz , “This is the part where I leave you two alone”. Alex looked at Liz for a few seconds, giving her enough time to object and make him stay.

Liz knew what Alex was trying to do. He gave her a way for her not to be alone with Max, but she really didn’t want him to know what was going on. She still had some pride… not a lot, but some.

When she didn’t object, Alex walked out of the office and closed the doors behind him. Max stood up and walked towards Liz.

“Liz, I’m so sorry. I never should have left you. I…”, he said, giving her a begging look.

“What do you want from me Max?”, Liz asked softly and in a hurt tone

“I… my life has been so empty without you Liz.”, he said “Please, just give me a chance to make it up to you”

“And how exactly did you propose you ‘make it up’ to me. Buy me some flowers and I’ll forget about you running away from me when I needed you so much. Sorry Max, but it doesn’t work that way”

“I’m not saying that... God Liz, do you even know what I was going through?”, he asked.

“Yes I do”, she said bitterly. “I remember every single word you said. Do you know what it’s like, hearing everything someone says but being unable to even open your eyes. I was so close to passing away so many times, but somehow, hearing your voice kept me alive…. And then I woke up, and all I could do is wish I was dead”

“You… you heard me?”, Max asked emotionally

“I heard you Max. Every time you came by, you said how much you loved me and how you couldn’t live without me. But none of it was true, was it Max?”, Liz went on

Max was speechless. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what.

“I think you should be with someone you really love, someone you won’t abandon when things get tough.”, Liz said with a trembling voice.

“But I love you Liz, I really do. There has to be a way for me to show you”, Max begged.

“You’re two years too late Max”, Liz said as she walked towards the door.

“Tell me you don’t still love me”, Max said

“Me loving you has never been the problem Max”, Liz said before stepping out of the office. Max fell to his knees and looked at the door with tears in his eyes.

[Drogyn]

Alright, thanks for the great reactions g7silvers, Strawberry88, FamersAmers, Gaby7tvm, dreamerfiend, kay_b, Emz80m, CandyXDreamer and begonia9508. I love all the feedback you people give me. Don’t stop. I hope to have the next chapter ready this weekend.

Max blankly stared in front of him after Liz left the office. After about ten minutes, Alex walked back into his office to find Max still on his knees, staring in front of him. He hadn’t moved the entire time.

“So I take it, it didn’t go well?”, Alex inquired

Max looked up at Alex and stood up. “No… it really didn’t”, he replied softly.

“I talked to Izzy. You wanna talk about it?”, Alex asked. Max didn’t have to know that Isabel didn’t tell him anything. Alex hated being in the dark about things around him, and he just had to know what was going on with Max and Liz. They obviously knew each other and they obviously didn’t exactly part as good friends.

Max looked Alex straight in the eyes for a few seconds. “And what exactly did my dear sister tell you?”, Max asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“Well…”, Alex said, a little disappointed that Max had seen through him so easily. “…she managed to say absolutely nothing while we talked about it for ten minutes.”

“Sorry Alex, I know you don’t like it, but I don’t wanna talk about this”, Max said.

“I’m sorry too Max, but that’s not good enough”, Alex said. Max gave him a look of confusion and just a little bit of anger. “See, the thing is, I like Liz. I like having a secretary who doesn’t fight every decision I make and who doesn’t yell at me daily. Apart from a few small things, she’s perfect for the job.”, Alex said

“What are you trying to say?”, Max answered.

“I’m saying that I don’t want her leaving because of you… you know, like what happened with Tess”, Alex said dryly.

“Tess was a manipulative whore”, Max said, surprised that Alex would bring her up.

“Maybe, but she was a manipulative whore who you slept with”, Alex said calmly.

“Yeah, me and apparently the rest of the department”, Max shouted.

“Hey, I know she hurt you when she…”, Alex started.

“What? When I found out about the three guys she was screwing on the side?”, Max said surprisingly calm. “I honestly don’t care about Tess, and frankly I don’t think I ever really did.”

“Well, it sure sounded like you cared when you started yelling at her in front of the entire department. You do realize that’s why she left, right?”, Alex spat

“The thought actually occurred to me”, Max said sarcastically, “But like I said, I don’t really care”.

“But you say you care about Liz? Who is she Max? What did she do to you?”, Alex said, figuring this was the time to change the subject back to Liz.

Max looked at Alex for a few seconds. “It’s not about what she did to me… it’s about what I did to her. I loved her and I…… I’m worse than Tess”, he said.

Alex thought about it for a few seconds. Max had meant what he said. Max always meant what he said, especially when he was upset. He waited for almost a minute; waiting for Max to go on.

“What you probably don’t know about Liz is that she was involved in an accident a few years ago and she fell in a coma…”, Max softly said.

“Not to interrupt your story but I actually did know that”, Alex said quickly

“She… she was my wife at that time.”, Max said softly

~~

Meanwhile, Liz arrived home from the office. She had been shaking the entire drive over. What the hell was wrong with her? She did the right thing, she was sure of it. She couldn’t very well take him back after everything he’d done to her. But that look on his face when she left, it haunted her anyway.

When she stepped in the apartment, she saw a large bag standing in the hallway. That wasn’t hers. She walked to the living room and saw Michael sitting on the couch, trying to do some silly crossword puzzle but by the look of his expression, not doing too well.

“M.. Michael?”, Liz asked, surprised but very happy to see him.

Michael looked up. He didn’t hear her come in. “Hey gorgeous”, Michael said as he stood up and hugged her. “I heard what happened”

“You… you did? W.. w.. what did y.. you hear?”, Liz asked in a shaking voice.

Michael looked at Liz with a look of sorrow and disbelief. He hadn’t seen Liz like this for since almost two years ago. The day she moved in with them, and the day she learned about everything that happened, she started having trouble speaking. She started forgetting words and stutter her way through almost every sentence. After that, Liz had gone through countless hours of therapy and managed to recover more than most doctors had expected. She still had trouble with big words and her penmanship looked like hieroglyphs, but she had improved so much.

Not like she was now. This sounded a lot like Liz the weeks after she moved in. “Liz, are you alright?”, he asked, knowing fully well she was anything but alright. Liz nodded, wanting to speak as least as possible. “Two years of therapy down the drain”, Michael thought, “Thank you very much, Max Evans!”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”, Michael asked softly.

Liz slowly shook her head. “No, let’s just couch”, she said.

“Oh my god”, Michael thought, “this is even worse than I thought”. He understood what she meant though and they both sat on the couch where Liz lied her head on Michael’s shoulder and closed her eyes, imagining herself to be somewhere else.

~~

“What do you mean, your wife?”, Alex asked disbelievingly after Max told him Liz had been his wife.

“I mean it in the only way possible. Liz… me… married.”, Max said annoyed. He didn’t know why he was so annoyed with the question. Alex had every right to freak out or something.

Alex was beginning to catch on now. “You left her, didn’t you Max?”, he asked softly.

“Yeah… I couldn’t take it anymore and when the doctors told me she wasn’t gonna wake up anymore, I had to get away”, Max explained, his gaze directed at the floor.

“Well, what did you do when you found out she was awake?”, Alex asked softly

“I… I never found out. I didn’t tell anyone where I went”, Max said his words getting out slower and softer by the word.

“You’re right Max”, Alex said, causing Max to look at him in surprise, “You really are worse than Tess”.

“It’s not like Liz really needed me or anything. She’s always been more than capable to take care of herself.”, Max said, trying to defend himself; he didn’t know why.

“Jesus Christ Max, what do you think… that being in a coma for six months is like sleeping out on a Sunday afternoon?! She’s not the same. She’ll never be the same.”, Alex suddenly shouted.

Two words of that sentence kept ringing in Max ears. Six months? That means she woke up not too long after he left. That didn’t exactly make him feel any better to say the least. And to hear that there was something wrong with Liz…

“What’s wrong with her?”, Max asked

“She’s got aphasia Max”, Alex told him.

“Doesn’t that mean someone can’t form good sentences?”, Max asked disbelievingly, “She sounded perfectly fine to me a few minutes ago”

“Well, she’s obviously undergone a lot of therapy. For someone with her condition, she’s doing exceptionally well. It’s just some small things, big words, writing and such that her condition really shows.”, Alex explained

“Please Alex, help me out… I want her back… I need her”, Max practically begged.

“Max… listen to me and listen carefully. I’m going to explain the entire situation to you and I’m going to give you the complete and honest truth.”, Alex started. Max looked at him full of expectations.

“This. Is. Not. About. You.”, Alex said loudly, putting specific emphasis on every word. “Maybe you want her… maybe you need her… but did you ever stop to think about what she wants?”

“I know she still loves me”, Max says softly.

“Go home Max”, Alex tells him in a caring, yet forceful way.

When Max turns around and walks through the door, Alex says one more thing: “Think about what’s best for her”. After that, Max left the room.

~~

When he finally got home, he was exhausted. He spent the entire ride home thinking about what Alex said… about what Liz said… and he couldn’t stop thinking of it. When he stepped inside his apartment, he could hear some noise coming from the living room.

“Iz, if you’re here for another pep talk, I’m not interested. Go home!”, Max shouted. He walked into the living room and was more than a little surprised to see Maria standing right in front of him. “How did you….”, he asked but didn’t get any further.

“How did I find you? How did I get in? Why am I here? All good questions, but let’s address the more important question first… how big an idiot are you?!”, Maria said, her voice getting louder over the sentence.

“What do you want me to say? I made a mistake!”, Max shouted

“That’s the understatement of the century Max”, Maria said harshly

“I left, okay? I was stupid to do so, but there’s nothing I can do about that now, can I”, Max said loudly. “If it means anything, I’m sorry about what happened”.

“That means nothing to me Max”, Maria said coldly, “and I don’t think it means anything to Liz either, Max. Do you really think she’s waiting for you to apologize… like, that would make it all better. She doesn’t trust you Max. She’ll never trust you again”

Max had to take a few seconds to swallow and take it all in. “There has to be some way for me to earn her trust again. There has to be”, Max said, his voice becoming desperate.

~~

Meanwhile at Liz’ apartment, the doorbell rings. At that point, Liz was sleeping on the couch while Michael was watching some football game. Liz opened her eyes and wanted to get up but Michael motioned for her not to get up. He opened the front door and saw Isabel standing there.

“Hey. Who are you?”, he said bluntly.

“Sorry. I’m Isabel and I’m looking for Liz”, Isabel said

“Sorry. Liz isn’t feeling very well. Maybe later”, Michael said as he grabbed the door to close it.

“Please. It’s important”, she pleaded.

“Fine. I’ll check if she’s up to it.”, Michael said before closing the door, leaving Isabel in the hallway. One minute later, he opened the door again and allowed Isabel to enter. He then led Isabel to the living room where Liz was sitting on the couch, staring at her.

“Thanks for seeing me Liz”, Isabel started as she sat down next to her. “I’m really worried about Max, Liz.”

“You’re worried about Max?!”, Michael shouted.

“She’s his b.. brother”, Liz said to Michael. Isabel looked at Liz with her eyes open wide.

“What happened to you?”, Isabel asked Liz with a caring voice

“Max is what happened to her!”, Michael shouted. Liz gave him a look and shook her head, asking him not to do this.

“What do you w.. want?”, Liz asked Isabel, trying not to sound unfriendly

“When you were asleep, Max really wasn’t doing very well. A few months after that, a plane crash made it even worse.”, Isabel started

“What my parents have to do about this?”, Liz asked softly. She looked away from Isabel, ashamed of herself for not being able to speak normally.

Isabel paid no mind to it and gave Liz a questioning look.

“You.. don’t know? Max parents.. my parents.. were on the same plane… They died”, Isabel explained. “You can understand how Max took that”

Isabel paused for a few seconds.

“He.. he tried to slid his wrists. If I hadn’t found him a few minutes later…”, Isabel said, her eyes watering. “I convinced him to come here Liz. I know you hate me for it, but I didn’t want my brother to die”

Liz felt her eyes watering at the sound of this and even Michael didn’t know what to say for a second..

“Liz, he’s been acting really strange today… and I’m afraid he’ll try to hurt himself again”, Isabel sobbed. “I don’t know what to do here Liz”

“So what? You want her to go and throw herself at Max’ feet so he won’t feel so bad about himself?”, Michael said, having recovered from the initial shock, “How do we even know Max didn’t send you”

“Max would never do that”, Isabel said, looking at Michael. Then she turned to Liz. “You know that, don’t you?”, Isabel said to Liz. “Nobody knows about this Liz. Just me and Max, and now the two of you. Not even Alex knows. Max doesn’t want anyone to know what he did.. so believe me, he didn’t send me here”

“So, w..what do you want me to do?”, Liz asked.

“Talk to him… please”, Isabel asked softly

Michael decided it was enough at this point and gently grabbed Isabel by the arm. “Time for you to go”, Michael said as he gently tugged at her arm, telling her to leave now. Isabel didn’t object. She had told Liz what she wanted and could only hope Liz would talk to Max again. She stood up and let Michael walk her out of the apartment.

“Thank you for letting me talk to her”, Isabel managed to say before Michael closed the door between them.

~~

Back at Max’ apartment, Maria was still talking to Max… actually, yelling would be more like it. Max had sat down and Maria was towering over him.

“Let it go Max”, Maria said, “You’ve hurt her enough for one lifetime”.

“I need her Maria”, Max said softly.

“She doesn’t need you! What she needs is for you to go away and leave her alone!”, Maria said. She looked at Max one more time before storming out and slamming the door behind her.

[Drogyn]

Hi all, thanks for the replies brighteyes, dreamer19, FamersAmers, g7silvers, begonia9508, CandyXDreamer, foreverdreamer15, kay_b, extingman and Emz80m. A lot of good questions you all asked. Some of those questions are answered in this part, the others will be answered later, but don’t worry, all will be answered in due time. Anyway, I hope you’ll all enjoy this chapter and I’ll put the next one up a.s.a.p. This episode features a song: Lucky from Bif Naked. I’m not trying to steal it… I’m just borrowing it without permission

Maria enters Liz’ apartment, throwing her coat towards the coat rack and then walks towards the living room, a small smile on her face the entire time. She flinches when she hears a loud thump and looks back to see the coat rack had fallen over. In the living room, Michael was watching ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’. He saw Maria come in and smiled at her shortly before looking back at the TV.

“Hey Ria, so how’d it go?”, Michael asked without looking away from the TV

“Oh it was great… are you actually watching that?”, Maria said as she pointed at the TV.

“What?”, Michael asked, “What’s wrong with Buffy?”

“It’s so lame. I mean, like there are vampires waiting to kill us. Pfff. Next thing you know, they’re gonna be chasing aliens”, Maria scoffed.

“Hey, it’s a show filled with first class hotties. That makes me care surprisingly little about the storyline”, he says.

“God, sometimes you can be such a guy”, she sighed.

“Come on girl… you wouldn’t want it any other way. Now what were you saying?”, he moved back to the subject Max.

“You know I never thought that talking to Max after all these years could be so… liberating. I mean, all those things I had bottled up all those years, I could let it all out. Michael, you should have seen it, it was to die for.”, Maria said excited.

“Yeah, that’s kind of the problem”, Michael said, turning off the TV and looking at Maria. “We sort of had a visitor; Max sister. She left a few minutes ago…”

“He sent his sister?! Oh my god, he’s even more pathetic than I thought. I didn’t even know he had a sister”, Maria interrupted with a small smile on her face. When she looked at Michael and noticed he was not laughing, her smile faded.

“What’s wrong?”, she asked worriedly

“Well, first of all, he probably didn’t send her… and second of all, she told Liz a few things that maybe she shouldn’t have known, like that Max’ parents were on the same plane as hers when it exploded… and that Max tried to commit suicide awhile after that.”

Maria stared at him with disbelief. “He did… what?”

“Isabel, his sister, found him at home. He tried to slid his wrists. After that, she talked him into moving away from Liz.”, Michael explained.

“Don’t tell me she’s on her way there. Tell me that you convinced Liz to stay put.”, Maria said in a pleading tone.

“Don’t worry. She’s still here; sleeping. It's been a long day and she decided to sleep on it first”, Michael explained.

“Thank god. So, any idea what she’s gonna do?”, Maria asked

“No, and I don’t think she does either”, Michael said before changing his tone, “We should have told her about his parents”

“No, we did the right thing. He left her Michael. The last thing she needed to do was feel sorry for the bastard. Besides, it doesn’t really matter a lot”, Maria said loudly

“You don’t even believe that yourself. If it really didn’t matter a lot, you wouldn’t have kept it from her. And now she found out another way. It’s just wrong Maria”, he said back.

“So, what do we do?”, Maria asked Michael.

“Aren’t you in charge of this whole whacky expedition?”, Michael said sarcastically

“Alright, we can either talk Max into leaving or we can talk Liz into leaving. Those are our options”, Maria said.

“No Maria, there’s a hidden third option here. One we haven’t tried before.”, Michael said as Maria shoots him a questioning look. “Staying out of it”.

“Are you kidding Michael?!”, Maria shouted before quickly lowering her voice, “We can’t just do nothing”.

“Why the hell not? Liz is not a six-year-old here and she’s capable enough to make a decision for herself.”, Michael replied matter-of-factly.

“Not when it comes to Max, she’s not. What if she decides she wants to give that jerk a second chance and he leaves her again in a few years?”, Maria asked fearfully.

“Then at least she’ll be happy for a few years”, Michael replied calmly while Maria gives him a deadly stare. “I’m not saying I think she should take him back. I’m saying that we could trust her judgement”, Michael said, leaving Maria baffled.

At that point, the doorbell rang, breaking the silence. Michael looked at Maria for a second.

“Maybe it’s the sister again. Oh goody!”, Maria said sarcastically. Michael walked to the door and opened it to find Max standing in the hallway.

“Hey Max”, Michael said.

“Michael”, Max said with a nod

“Alright, now that we’re past the pleasantries, what are you doing here?”, Michael asked

“I came to talk to Liz”, Max said softly.

“How did you find her?”, Maria asked coldly. She had heard Max’s voice and had run over to Michael.

“Simple. I followed you”, Max said

“Honestly Max… stalking much”, Maria scoffed.

“Hey, I’m not the one who breaks into people’s houses”, Max said a little annoyed.

“You what?”, Michael said softly to Maria.

Maria shrugs at Michael. “The key was under one of the vases outside, just like he used to do before”.

Michael rolls his eyes but doesn’t really care enough about it to continue the subject. Instead, he turns back towards Max. “Max, why are you here?”, he asked.

“I told you, I need to talk to Liz”, Max said pleadingly.

“Sorry Max, but don’t you think she’s already been through enough for one day?”, Michael told him. Maria gave Michael a weird look. Was it her imagination or was Michael actually being nice to Max?

“I just want to talk to her… Liz!”, he shouted as he saw Liz standing in the background.

Liz stared at Max with a look of sadness. “Why was he here?”, she thought, “Wasn’t I clear the last time?”. She wanted so desperately to know what to do. She wanted to talk to Max.. but she couldn’t. She didn’t want him to hear her like this… like, this sad girl who can’t even get a decent sentence out of her mouth. So she just stared at him.

Max stared at Liz with a look of sadness. “She looks so hurt”, he thought, “And it’s all because of me”. He wanted to know so desperately what she was thinking at that moment. He just wanted to hold her and tell her it would all be okay. But she didn’t trust him. He could see it in her eyes. “She’s scared. Scared of me”, he thought.

“Please, just g..gone away”, Liz said softly.

Max looked at Liz with a look of pity, which he immediately knew was wrong. He may have been away from her for years, but he still knew Liz and he knew she hated being pitied. But she sounded so bad he just couldn’t help himself.

What was he supposed to do? Every decision seemed to be the wrong one. He couldn’t just skip town again. It would make her just as miserable as before because he knew, deep down, that she still loved him. He couldn’t convince her give him a second chance either… so what options does that leave? He could just back off until she was ready, but that’d just eat him up inside. “This. Is. Not. About. You”, Alex’ words echoed in his brain.

“It won’t be long. I just want to say one thing. You don’t even have to say anything back…”, Max said

“No max, you’re gonna leave right now, or I swear to god….”, Maria said until she was rudely interrupted.

“Maria, shut up!”, Michael said in a normal tone, causing a dumbfounded Maria to become silent and look at Michael. Michael didn’t look back at her, he looked at Liz who was still standing in the back. He judged from her look that she wanted to hear what Max had to say.

“Say what you wanna say and be quick about it”, Michael told Max.

Max looked at Liz. “I just wanted you to know that I’ve decided to stay away from you. I won’t come to Alex’ office unless it’s absolutely necessary and I’ll leave you alone. You don’t have to go away because of me and if you want to talk, Maria knows where I live. I’m sorry for everything Liz… I love you”, Max said before turning around and walking away, not giving the others a chance to give any kind of reaction.

Michael closed the door and he immediately got a deadly look from Maria. He looked back and saw that Liz had retreated to her room “Since when do you say ‘shut up Maria’ to me?”, Maria asked in a confused and slightly angry tone.

“What did we just talk about? We agreed to let Liz make her own decisions.”, Michael said.

“She’s not exactly capable of that right now”, Maria said with a hurt look.

“Yes she is! Don’t you get that? She’s hurting and she has aphasia, but that doesn’t mean that she’s an infant. Stop treating her like one”, he said loudly. When he looked at Maria and saw her eyes watering, he realized he had hurt her, but he had no choice here; he had to make her understand.

“I’m not treating her like an infant, you bastard. I’ve known Liz my entire life and I love her so much it almost hurts. When Max hurts her, he hurts me too. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”, Maria said in a hurt voice.

“She’s already hurting Maria”, Michael hissed, “She’s in pain either way. Do you think you yelling at Max is gonna make her feel any better?”

Maria couldn’t keep her tears in any longer and a tear trickled down her cheek. “No, I guess it doesn’t”, she quietly said. She then heard Liz approach them.

“Liz”, Maria said a little startled as she tried to dry her tears as quickly as possible.

~~

Max was sitting in his car in front of Liz’ place. He wanted to drive away, but he needed a minute to clear his head. Had he done the right thing for once? Would that be what was best for Liz? Well, at least he gave her the choice here. If she wanted to talk to him, she could always come to him. He so much hoped she would.

But most of all, he just hoped he made the right decision for once. “Well, you were bound to make a good decision some time”, Max muttered to himself aloud.

“Good decision?”, he thought to himself, “Did you not hear Liz just now?”. But deep down, he knew he did the right thing just now. He messed her up two years ago and he messed her up earlier that night… but now, he made the right decision… he hoped.

“Just give me a sign, okay. Anything”, he softly said. He didn’t know to who. He turned the radio on and listened to the words of the song.

It was a Monday, when my lover told me,
"Never pay the Reaper with love only."
What could I say to you except "I love you",
and "I'd give my life for yours."

I know we are.. we are the lucky ones.
I know we are.. we are the lucky ones.
I know we are.. we are the lucky ones, dear.

Remember the time we made love in the roses?
And you took my picture in all sorts of poses!
How can I ever get over you,
when I'd give my life for yours

I know we are.. we are the lucky ones.
I know we are.. we are the lucky ones.
I know we are.. we are the lucky ones.
I know we are.. we are the lucky ones, dear.

My dear,
Its time to say I thank God for you.
I thank God for you in each and every single way.
And I know...I know... I know... I know...its time
to let you know. Time to let you know. Time to
let you know. Time to sit here and say:

I know we are.. we are the lucky ones.
I know we are.. we are the lucky ones.
I know we are.. we are the lucky ones.
I know we are.. we are the lucky ones, dear.

We are the lucky ones, dear...

When the song finished, Max felt a little better. He didn’t know why, but he did. He gave one last glance to Liz’ place and then drove away.

~~

“She’s not exactly capable of that right now”, Liz heard Maria say from inside her room.

“Yes she is! Don’t you get that? She’s hurting and she has aphasia, but that doesn’t mean that she’s an infant. Stop treating her like one”, she heard Michael shout.

“Do they have any idea how amazingly loud they are?”, Liz thought. Michael was right when he said she wanted to make her own decisions. She didn’t want to have her entire life controlled by someone else; not even Maria. She sighed as she thought to herself how incredibly ungrateful she sounded to herself. It’s not like she didn’t appreciate what they did for her, but now she wanted to figure things out herself. She needed them for such a long time, but the thing was, she didn’t want to need them.

Michael understood. Why didn’t Maria? True, Michael had become like a brother to her, but hadn’t Maria been best friends with her for her entire life? Shouldn’t she know?

“I’m not treating her like an infant, you bastard. I’ve known Liz my entire life and I love her so much it almost hurts. When Max hurts her, he hurts me too. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”, Liz heard Maria say.

Liz was silent for a second. Well, she had been silent the entire time, but now it seemed like even her thoughts were silent for a second. Maria was in pain too and Liz never even saw it. Maria had always looked so strong. Sure, Maria had those moments when she would cry when something bad happened to Liz again, but Liz never got the impression that it was about something more than just sympathy.

Liz decided to not keep it inside and talk to Maria about it. She stood up and walked downstairs towards Maria. “Is she crying?”, Liz thought. It looked that way. Liz then saw Maria look her way as she was approaching them and she saw Maria wipe her tears away.

“Liz”, Maria said in a startled voice.

“You know, y..you two are not exlaccy quiet”, Liz said.

“What did you hear?”, Maria asked with a look of shock on her face.

“Enough”, Liz said, “Maria… I’m sorry. I…I know this must be painful for you too”, Liz continued emotionally, taking her time to get out every word right.

Maria walked up to Liz and hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry too. I’ve just been trying to make myself feel better here. I’m really sorry Liz”, Maria sobbed when they hugged even more tightly; it made them both feel so much better.

[Drogyn]

Hey all, thanks for the feedback again. Sorry this part took a little longer. I’ve been busy starting off a new polarizer fic (don’t kill me fellow-dreamers. I just want to try something different) and the board’s been acting weird for the past days. Anyway, I’m nearing completion of this fic. Just one or two parts after this one.

"Cheshire Puss", Alice asked, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to go", said the Cat.
"I don't much care where", said Alice
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go",said the Cat
(Charles Dodgson, Alice in Wonderland)

******

Liz, Maria and Michael sat together on the large couch in Liz’ apartment. Liz looked at the large clock in the back of the room. It read 9 o’clock. “Funny”, she thought. With everything that had happened this day, Liz could’ve sworn it was already far past midnight. She was tired, but at the same time, she felt amazingly awake.

“Are you mad at me for not telling you?”, Maria suddenly asked Liz

Liz knew what Maria meant. She had heard them talk about the fact that Max’ parents died in the same crash as her parents. She had also learnt that Maria kept that little bit of information from her deliberately. But how could she be mad about it? “No Ria, but I do want you to be honest with me from now on”, Liz said, amazed at herself for how easily that sentence had come out of her mouth.

“Alright”, Maria said softly

“I have a f..few questions”, Liz continued.

“Let’s hear them”, Michael said

“How come you never told me you knew where M…Max lived?”, Liz asked.

Maria looked at her with an apologizing look. “I’m sorry Liz, but I didn’t. He called Michael this afternoon because he wanted to get into contact with you. Well, since my phone registers the callers number and since Max used his regular phone, I was able to get his adress off the internet within five minutes. I didn’t know where he lived before today, I swear.”

Liz looked at Maria. Maria had hid something from her but she still trusted Maria. Maria, in turn, hoped that Liz would accept her answer. Did Liz still trust her? She was telling the truth now; if she had known where he lived before, she would gave confronted him much earlier. Maria smiled in relief when she could read in Liz’ face that Liz still trusted her.

“And another thing…”, Liz asked, “I don’t think I ever seeing his sister”.

Michael jumped to the answer of that question. “That’s because they sort of had this argument. I don’t know exactly what it was, but they hadn’t spoken in years. They met again at their parents funeral and they settled their differences”, he said.

“Yeah, it was sort of a last wish of their parents… that their only two children would stop fighting and be there for each other”, Maria added.

They were all silent for a minute.

Liz thought about what happened today. This morning, she was all ready to start a new life with a new job in a new town. But then suddenly, so many things happened with Max and his sister and Maria and Michael. Was it for the best? She thought so. She felt oddly liberated at this moment. Was it because she and Maria had just talked or was it about Max, who gave her the choice to decide what she wanted? She didn’t know, and she didn’t care. She felt better than she did this morning.

Maria thought of what had happened today. When she got home from work, she heard Michael on the phone. “I wish you’d drown in your own barf… I guess we’re both disappointed”, she heard him say. She waited a little longer, wanting to know who was on the other end of the line. “Was it an ex-girlfriend of his or something?”, she remembered thinking. And then she heard him say: “I don’t want your apologies Max, and neither does Liz. Don’t call again Max”. And then she heard him hang up. When she stepped inside the living room, she told Michael she overheard everything and convinced him to come here. And even though a part of her now figured that maybe she shouldn’t have come, she was still glad she did.

Michael didn’t think of much at the time. Both Liz and Maria are snuggled up against him; though Maria is in a slightly more romantic position, and somehow, he knew they were both gonna be okay.

~~

When Max came home, he walked straight to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. When he opened his bottle and walked to the living room, he heard a loud ring, just as he was about to take a sip. He immediately hoped it was Liz, but he figured the odds it was some supermodel with car trouble were probably greater than Liz coming to his place… at the time at least. He hoped, no he knew, that someday Liz would want to talk to him again. But that day was definitely not today.

One thing he was definitely not in the mood for was another lecture from Isabel. He walked towards the door and opened it to find a goodlooking blonde woman standing in front of him.

“Tess”, Max said in an unfriendly tone, “What do you want?”

Tess frowned at his lack of sympathy. “Oh, for god’s sake, don’t freak out on me again”, Tess said in a sarcastic voice, “I just want my necklace back… I think I left it here”.

Max looked at her and Tess could see that he didn’t believe her. He frowned at her and then began closing the door. “Goodbye Tess”, he muttered.

“Wait, please!”, Tess shouted before he closed the door. She sounded desperate, but in some weird way Max had never heard before.

“Please… I’ve been looking everywhere for it. It’s the only thing I have of my mother. Please”, she begged. Max honestly didn’t know whether it was a trick to get in or if she was telling the truth.

“Alright, look for it. But I’m keeping an eye on you the entire time.”, he said, deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt, but determined not to let Tess roam free through his apartment.

“Whatever”, Tess said hurriedly as she moved through the doorway and almost ran up to the bedroom.

“Weird”, Max said softly as he made his way upstairs without much hurry. When he arrived at his bedroom, he smiled while Tess looked in the closets and drawers and then got down on her knees and looked under the bed. She then saw a small jewelry box standing on one of the shelves and reached for it.

“Don’t touch that!”, Max suddenly snapped at her, immediately sorry for the rude way it came out.

Tess gave him an angry look. “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to be a little nicer”

“Being nice to you isn’t exactly easy for me ”, Max replied bitterly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”, Tess asked, visibly annoyed

“Well, I screwed my way through the entire department… no wait, that was you”, Max said sarcastically.

“What the hell does that have to with you acting like a human being?”, Tess snapped back, “Don’t tell me I hurt your feelings when I slept with someone else. I know that’s bull”. Max looked at her with a dumbfounded stare. “We had sex once and you were moaning a name that sure as hell wasn’t Tess. So don’t even think about saying you’re the one who’s hurt!”, Tess snaps.

For a moment, Max almost felt sorry for her.

“You know, in some cultures, women would slid the throats of men who do that.”, she added in a scary voice, meanwhile keeping her eyes locked with Max’.

And the moment was gone.

“Do you know what some cultures do with women who fuck every man they see?”, Max snapped back.

“Well, you managed to humiliate me in front of the entire office. Thank you very much for that Max Evans”, she said coldly. “Did I really deserve that?”, she asked, her voice suddenly completely different.

“Yes”, he said coldly and he could see that he hurt her.

Tess’ eyes fixed on one of the lower shelves. There laid her necklace she looking for. She grabbed it with an angry motion and walked towards the door. “I hope you’re happy now Max”, she shouted back at him bitterly.

He stood frozen for a few second until he heard the front door slam shut. Somehow, telling Tess how he felt hadn’t made him feel any better. He thought it would, but it really didn’t. He didn’t feel sorry for her. It was something else. He felt guilty.

“What kind of jerk am I?”, he thought to himself. He had spent the entire night trying to get Liz to forgive him, or at least talk to him. He had abandoned her in her greatest time of need. What could possibly be more wrong than that? And now Tess came to him and all did was say things that hurt her.

When the door slammed shut, he ran downstairs and out of the front door. He saw Tess getting ready to drive away, and he jumped in front of the car. Tess looked at him like he had gone insane and stepped out of the car. “Have you lost it?”, she shouted.

“I just wanted to say… I’m sorry. I’m the last person in the world who had the right to judge you and yell at you.”, he said softly.

Tess gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings Max. But I don’t think the sex meant any more for you than it did for me, so I just don’t get why you yelled at me in front of the entire office.”, she asked softly

“I don’t know either”, Max sighed. “It was the first time I… did that… since..”, he started. “Besides, I still have some pride.”, he added

“Well, you are forgiven. And anyway, it wasn’t like anyone at the office liked me or anything. Maybe it’s a good thing to be out of there”, Tess shrugged.

“Well, I’m sorry anyway”, he said.

“Thanks for letting me get my necklace back. I really does mean a lot to me.”, she said. Max gave her a small smile as to say you’re welcome. She then got back in her car and drove away leaving both of them a little relieved of the way things turned out.

~~

The next days were like torture for Max. He went about his business as usual but, as he expected, Liz was constantly on his mind. Several times, he got into his car and drove towards Liz’ house, only to turn back once he was there. So many times did he think about trying to talk to her again, but what else could he say? He would gladly turn time back and not leave her, but that’s not really an option. What else could he do but leave the choice to her. It seemed fitting too in some way. Still, doing nothing about it was something he couldn’t keep on doing for very long.

It was Friday afternoon now. He almost made it through the rest of the week without talking to Liz. He had asked Kyle to check up on her a few times which, thankfully for him, he had done without many questions. Now, the weekend approached and Max just had to know how she was doing.

“Hey Kyle, you think maybe you can…”, Max started to say

“Check up on that Parker girl again? Jezus Christ man!”, Kyle stated dramatically

“I thought you were a Buddhist Kyle, what’s with the JC?”, Max asked, trying to avoid having to talk to Kyle about Liz.

“Max, I’m touched that you want to steer this conversation towards my religion, I really am. But as much as I would love to teach you the ways of the Buddha, there is someone who needs to talk more than me.”, Kyle stated calmly.

“And who is that?”, Max asked, having no idea what the hell Kyle meant

“I said, you need to tell me what’s going on”, Kyle explained

“Come on Kyle, I just wanna know how she’s doing?”, Max said

“Then, what’s wrong with dropping by yourself?”, Kyle asked

“I told her I’d give her some space”, Max answered while giving Kyle a desperate look.

“Max, I really love ya… in a totally non-gay way, of course… but is having your friends spy on her a part of that space you’re giving?”, Kyle asked in such a calm voice that it started to annoy Max. “What the hell did you do to her anyway?”, he added.

Max thought carefully about his answer. “Does that really matter?”, Max finally said.

“That bad huh?”, Kyle shook his head in disapproval.

“Kyle.. you know, sometimes you can be really annoying”

“Yeah, I know… but seriously, who is she?”

“She’s just a friend Kyle.“

“Come on Evans. For cryin’ out loud, look at yourself! You’re pining over her like she’s your first, second and third love all at once, and now you’re telling me she’s just a friend?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it Kyle. Would you please just do it for me?”, Max sighed.

“Fine”, Kyle told him. “But someday, you’re gonna tell me the truth..”

“..the whole truth and nothing but the truth”, Max added. “I promise”

“But I won’t guarantee that day will be anyday soon”, Max finished in thought

~~

Liz is sitting behind her computer, typing like she’s on speed or something. That’s what it seemed like to Kyle anyway. When Liz saw Kyle approach, she stopped and smiled at him.

“Hey Kyle”

“Hey… I was just wondering how your first week was”, Kyle said. He knew it was a lame excuse but he didn’t know what else to say.

“Max sent you, d..didn’t he?”, she said.

“Am I that transparent.. or is he?”

“Honestly, you two are”, Liz said, giving him a glance

“I don’t suppose you wanna tell me why he won’t come to see you?”, Kyle tried

“Not really”

“You know, I think he really cares about you”

“Sorry Kyle, but he hurt me before and someday, he’ll do it again”, she said.
“Why did I tell him that?”, Liz immediately thought after that.

“Liz, let me share with you, some wise words spoken by the holy Buddha himself. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”, Kyle said.

“The Buddha sounds smart”, Liz said.

“He is. Look I know there’s something big going on with you and Max. I’m one of his best friends and he won’t tell me anything. The only thing I picked up is that you’re obviously angry with him”

Liz didn’t say anything. She didn’t know Kyle all that well and she didn’t want this to become common knowledge at the office. So she said nothing and hoped he would just leave. Kyle got the message and headed towards the door. He opened the door and stood still in the doorway for a few seconds.

“You know Liz, let me tell you another lesson I learned from the Buddha: holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”, Kyle said. And then he stepped out of the room.

[Drogyn]

Hey all and thanks for the FB. It’s really appreciated. Sorry for the long wait, but for some reason I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. Don’t ask me why. Anyway, I hope the next update will be sooner.

Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
--Buddha

~~

“Kyle! Kyle!”, Liz shouted as Kyle stepped out of the doorway. He had just imparted some Buddhist wisdom on her and she had to admit, she liked the feeling of peace he was radiating. Not that she could just forgive and forget, like he more or less suggested.

Kyle heard her calling out to him and stepped back into the doorway, looking at Liz. “Hmm?”, he said.

“W..would you like to have drink some coffee after work?”, she asked, flinching at the sentence she just formed, but trying not to let him notice.

“You and me… coffee?”, he asked. Liz nodded. “Is it necessary to wear a bullet-proof vest every time I see Max after this?”, Kyle asked; a smile forming on his face.

“It’s just coffee, not a marriage”, Liz said, smiling back at him.

“Well, okay. Want me to pick you up here… say around five?”, Kyle asked.

“Yeah… thanks”

Kyle then walked out of Liz’s office again and went straight to Jesse’s office where Jesse and Max were waiting for him. When he stepped in the office, Max immediately approached him and started asking questions.

“Alright Kyle, how is she doing? Is she alright? How mad is she at me?…”, Max started.

“Max… slow and steady breaths”, Kyle said, earning him a deadly gaze from Max. “She seems to be doing pretty good, Max”

“Did she say anything to you?”, Max asked cautiously

“Well, she said hi and all…”, Kyle started

“I mean about…”, Max interrupted

“About that great big secret the two of you obviously have? No”

“Well, thanks anyway Kyle”, Max said as he stormed out of the room, lost in thoughts.

When he left, Jesse approached Kyle. “Kyle… what are you not telling him?”

“Alright, keep your mouth shut to Max… but she asked me to have coffee with her and I said yes”, Kyle explained

“You what? You idiot! Max is gonna kill you”, Jesse shouted

“Yeah that thought had occurred to me, hence the not telling him. Besides, it’s just coffee, not a marriage”, he smiled, using the same words Liz used on him.

“Hey, it’s your ass.”, Jesse said as Kyle walked away.

“Hey Kyle!”, Jesse shouted after Kyle, who stopped and turns around.

“If he kills you, can I have your office?”, Jesse laughs

“Sure Jesse. And when your boss finds out you have a thing for his wife and fires you, do I get yours?”, Kyle said back with a grin on his face.

“How the hell do you know about that?”, Jesse asked with a worried look on his face that made Kyle smile even wider.

“Oh please, when she walks into the room you act like a schoolboy in love. I think one time, you actually used the word ‘alrightyho’”, Kyle said barely able to contain his laughter.

“I actually used that word?”, Jesse inquired

“Yes, and if I may say, that’s one of the few words you spoke to Isabel…. Not counting the kind of sounds you make when you’re taking a shit.”

“What? I have spoken to Isabel”, Jesse said disbelievingly

“Okay, when?”, Kyle asked, folding his arms

Jesse thought about it for a few seconds. “Oh screw you!”, Jesse shouted in defeat

~~

Later that day, Kyle and Liz are having coffee on a terrace in front of a small café.

“Liz, can I ask you a question?”, Kyle asks.

“Sure”, Liz responds

“Not that I don’t enjoy your company, but why did you ask me to come here with you?”, Kyle asks with a serious voice.

“Nothing big, I just like talking to you”, Liz said slowly

“Alright, because… I have a girlfriend. So just to be clear, I like talking to you too but that’s as far as it goes”, Kyle explained

“Thanks for being honest with me Kyle. But I wasn’t trying to hit on you or anything”

“I know that… I just wanted it out in the open”

“You know that? How did you know?”, Liz asked with a confused look. “Do you have some sort of Buddhist radar or something?”

“Come on Liz I’m a Buddhist, not an idiot…. despite what some people say”, Kyle said with a comforting smile. “You’re not over Max Evans and you know it.”

Liz flashes Kyle a small smile. “What did he tell you?”, Liz asks.

“Surprisingly little…. actually nothing, now that I think of it”

“Look Kyle, I…I understand that you wanna know about…..”, Liz started

“No Liz, you don’t have to tell me anything. It’s really something between you and Max. If you wanna talk about it, I’ll listen. If not, that’s okay too. Just understand one thing Liz… everything will eventually come out. It’s like Buddha says, ‘Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth’.”

“Thanks Kyle. I just d..don’t want this be office gossip for the next months”

“Liz…”, Kyle asks in a caring voice, “Is something wrong with you? You sound really incoherent”

“It’s nothing Kyle… j..just some medical condition I have. I have trouble forming words and sentences. It’s easier if I talk slower”

“You mean, like aphasia?”

“Yes”

“Isn’t that some sort of brain damage?”

“Yeah, I was in a coma for six months”, Liz said and she immediately slapped herself in the face… figuratively speaking, of course. “I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t tell anyone Kyle. Please? I don’t want everyone in the office giving me these pity looks”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone… including Max”, Kyle said. He looked at Liz and saw that she wasn’t very comforted.

“How about I give you one last quote… ‘You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough’”

“Buddha really said that?”

“He could have said it if he wanted to”, Kyle said making Liz smile again.

“Your secret’s safe with me Liz”, Kyle said.

~~

Later that day, Max Evans was sitting on a couch in a large office with a kind-looking blonde woman sitting in front of him. There was a name board on the table with the text ‘Lisa Green; psychologist / Marriage Counsellor’. Neither of them was saying anything until, after a few seconds, the blonde woman broke the silence.

“So Max, now that we’re past the awkward silence. Why don’t you tell me what’s up?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it”, Max said with a nervous look of his face

“Ok, what do you wanna talk about then?”, she asked as if Max’ answer was completely expected.

“Why don’t we talk about the weather”, Max asked with an awkward smile on his face

“It’s raining Max. Any other topics?”, she said calmly

“Am I talking to the psychologist or the counsellor here?”

“A little of both, depending on what you need”

She noticed that Max was still uncomfortable and looked closely at him. “Max, I can’t help you unless you talk to me. Everything you say will remain between us.”

“Well, I guess I have to talk to someone.. might as well be with you”, Max said with a sigh

“That makes me feel so special. Let’s have it Max”

“Well, my ex-wife has come to town and is now working at the same firm as me”

“Why don’t you start at the beginning Max?”

“Alright, about five years ago, I met a girl… her name was Liz”, Max said as a smile appeared on his face. “It was love at first sight. We dated and eventually got married. Everything was fine until she got hit by a car. She got in a coma.” The smile was completely gone now and his look was getting more grim with every passing word.

“Months passed as I kept visiting her, hoping she’d wake up. But she never did. After a few months, my parents and Liz’ parents were killed in a plane crash when they tried to get away from everything for awhile. I tried to hold on, but I couldn’t do it anymore. The doctors had almost no hope that Liz would ever woke up. Some stuff happened and I just had to leave.”

“Whoa Max. Hold on a second. You can’t say ‘some stuff happened’ to a psychologist”

Max sighed. He wasn’t gonna talk his way around that one. “I tried to kill myself. It was stupid and I was lucky my sister found me in time.”

“Okay, and then you decided you had to leave. That sounds understandable.”

“Not really. I didn’t just leave… I really left. Moved to another town, divorced and never gotten into contact with anyone there again”

The psychologist looked at him without saying a word, motioning him with her eyes to continue.

“Now that was more than two years ago. And last Monday, I saw Liz at the firm I work. She works there now. It turns out she...”. Max pauses for a minute and averts his eyes from the woman. “…she woke up when I left. But since I didn’t leave any way to contact me, she had to go through everything without me.”

Max pauses for a few seconds. “And now, every time I see her, I go crazy. Every time I don’t see her, I go crazy. I want her back, but she won’t let me……. What do I do now?”

“Alright Max, can I be completely honest with you?”, the woman asks and Max nods. “You really acted like a first-class prick. I can understand that you needed to distance yourself, but you never once thought of her; about what would happen if she ever woke up. You were acting really selfish.”

“I understand that, okay!”, Max practically shouts.

“Good, now that we’ve established that. Think about this from her perspective. Why on earth should she take you back?”

“Because I think she still loves me. People make mistakes all the time. Why can’t she just give me a second chance?”, Max asks, trying not to break down.

“Because you didn’t just make a mistake. You acted like a selfish jerk; a first class prick, remember? That’s not something you can just forget. Or did you expect to woo her with a few nice words?”

Now tell me about Liz. What was it like for her when she woke up? Did she have anyone left?”

“Yes, her best friend Maria and her boyfriend Michael. I heard that Liz lived with them for almost two years.”

“Uh huh, and how’s she been doing for the last two years?”

“She’s also got this weird thing when she speaks; she stutters a lot and sometimes she really doesn’t make sense. I think it affected her life a lot.”

“Alright, so let me try to summarize this. Tell me if I’m wrong.”, she said. Max nodded. “You were married to Liz and she got into a coma. You cut her off completely and left her for dead. When she woke up she had to deal with you being not there, her parents being dead, her brain smushed and all she had was two friends. Then you run into her two years later and now all you can think about is how much you want her. Did that about sum it up?”

Max looks at the woman for a few seconds. “When you say it like that, I don’t come off so well”, Max said in a sad voice.

“We already established that you acted like a prick. The real question is, what now?”

“That’s why I’m here. What should I do?”

“Max, what do you want to do?”

“I want to get her back. I feel like I’ve been dead since the day I first lost her”

“Alright, how did you try to do that?”

“We talked”, Max said softly.

“Is that a fancy way of saying, I begged for forgiveness?”

“Uh, yes kind of”

“And… what else did you do?”

“I decided to give her some space, so I promised her I’d stay away from her and if she wanted to talk to me, she could come to me”

“That was probably a smart move, but you do realize that if you wait for her to make a move, you’re gonna be waiting forever, right?”

“Huh?”

“Alright Max, can I give you some advice in a non-psychological way?”

“By all means do”

“Give her a week to let it sink in, maybe two. Then, if you really want her, try to win her back. Don’t just expect it to happen. Try to let her see you changed.”

“I can do that……. how do I do that?”

“Honest the god, Max…. be a man. I’m sure you can figure it out yourself”

“Any idea would be welcome. Any hint of an idea would be welcome”

“Alright, how is your relationship with these two friends…. Maria and uh.. Michael?”

“Well, she just wants me to stay away… he wants me to ‘drown in my own barf’”

Lisa can’t help but smile at the comment. “So I guess that any help from her friends is out of the picture?”

“I’m afraid so, but that’s probably what I get for being a dick”

“I see reality is sinking in… look I can’t give you detailed directions on how to win Liz back. I wish I did, but I don’t. Only real advice I can give you is to put yourself in her position.”

Max was silent for awhile and Lisa took that as a sign that he understood.

“Oh, and one more thing Max. If you somehow manage to get her back I can tell you that if you ever screw up like this again, she’ll never forgive you.”

“Right... thanks doc… I guess”

Max shook the woman’s hand and left the office

~~

Liz was sitting on the terrace in front of the café alone. Kyle had to leave and Liz felt like sitting here awhile by herself. So Kyle had said goodbye and Liz had sat at the table for almost twenty minutes.

“Liz?”, a voice sounded behind her

Liz turned around to see Tess standing there. Liz smiled widely at her.

“Tess? T..Tess Harding? Is that you?”, Liz said

“Yes, it’s me. God, it’s been ages”, Tess said with a smile, while Liz motioned Tess to sit down at the table. Tess did so immediately and looked at Liz.

“So how’ve you been?”, Tess asks

“Could’ve been better, but I can’t complain. How about you?”

“I’m doing pretty good actually. Got a nice boyfriend, still need a nice job”, Tess said

“Well, I have a nice job and I need a nice boyfriend. Wanna trade?”, Liz asked with a smile.

“Didn’t you get married like, two years ago?”

“Three actually, but who’s counting?”

“Didn’t work out? Sorry… didn’t mean to rub salt in that wound”

“Don’t worry. It’s been two years since he left. I’m over it”, Liz said with a convincing voice and the best fake smile she could muster. “But enough about me… you have a boyfriend. What’s he like?”

“He’s like, the perfect man. He’s gorgeous, nice and he knows very well how to please a woman in bed”, Tess said, causing Liz to cough up the coffee she was just sipping.

“I see you still say everything that shoots into your brain”, Liz said with a big smile.

“Hey, life’s no fun if you just keep things bottled up. You gotta let it all go sometimes”, Tess said with a smile

“Yeah, that’s something I still have to learn”, Liz said

“So, what do you do for a living?”, Tess asked

“I’m a secretary”

“So, no... what was it... molecular biologist?”

“I’m afraid not. I just couldn’t keep up”, Liz said with a shrug

“Too bad. So, how long have you lived here?”

“Since I started my new job… which is about a week”

Tess smiled an looked at her watch. She blinked a few times to see if it was really that late.

“Shit! Sorry Liz. I gotta run right now but would you like to have dinner tomorrow evening? We can catch up on old times”, Tess said excitedly as she stood up.

“Sounds fun”, Liz said

“How about six o’clock at Jeff’s Diner. It’s a small place on Park Street.”

“Alright, I..I’ll seen you then”, Liz said, her voice suddenly completely different, but Tess didn’t notice.

“Alright, if you need directions or something, give me a call. I’m listed. Now I really gotta go. Sorry.”, Tess said hastily.

“Okay, s..see you tomorrow”, Liz said as Tess walked away in a quick pace.

For a minute there, Liz had felt great. Just talking to an old friend, laughing about small stuff. But that only lasted a minute. Still, it was a step back in the right direction. Maybe there’s hope after all.

[Drogyn]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Expect the next part in a few days

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
--Albert Einstein

~~

After remaining at the terrace for another ten minutes, Liz got up, paid for her drinks and got to her car. This afternoon had really done her good. Kyle had something special, something that made you be able to relax when you’re with him. You know, like a good friend you’ve known for years.

And then she ran into Tess. She and Tess were close friends in highschool until Tess’ father found a job in another city. And now that Liz saw Tess again, she didn’t think about how much she hated her life right now, it was like she was back in high school for a few minutes.

Well, until a reference at Jeff’s diner made her think about her father. That slammed her right back into reality. “God, it all happened years ago. Why can’t I let it go?”, Liz asked herself many times the ten minutes after Tess left. After a while, it began to rain and Liz practically ran for her car. Thankfully, it was nearby so she didn’t get too wet. Within the minute, rain was pouring out of the sky at a tremendous rate. Thirty seconds outside and you would have been as wet as when you would have jumped into a swimming pool.

Liz started the car and drove home.

~~

When Liz got home and stepped through the front door, she was soaked. If possible, it rained even harder when she got home and even though she could park her car at ten seconds distance from her car, those ten seconds were enough. When she was inside, she noticed two coats hanging on the coatrack near the door. She recognized them as Michael and Maria’s coats. She walked towards the living room and smiled at the two of them sitting on the couch.

Maria spotted Liz first. “Hey honey, how’ve you been?”, Maria said.

“As well as can be expected.”, Liz answered with a small smile

“Hey Liz, why don’t you put on something dry and then we need to talk to you”, Michael said

“Okay”, Liz said cautiously and went upstairs to change.

Maria turned towards Michael. “You don’t think this is a bad timing?”, she asked

“No, I really don’t.”, Michael answered.

“I’m sure she’s gonna say yes. Well.. almost sure. She might say no. Oh god, what if she says no?”, Maria ranted.

“Calm down Maria, she’s gonna say yes; you and I both know that”, Michael reassured her.

“But she already has enough on her mind”, Maria said nervously

“I think that she’d gladly overload her brain for this”, Michael joked.

It took about three minutes for Liz to get downstairs; fully redressed in dry clothes.

“Any tips you could give Maria so she’d be able to change that fast?”, Michael blurted out when Liz stepped back inside. Maria gave no response, which alerted Liz that something was going on.

“Alright, what’s up? You guys sounded all serious”, Liz commented.

“Alright…”, Michael started, “We wanted you to be the first to know. Maria and I, we’re…”

“We’re engaged!”, Maria shouted in the middle Michael’s sentence.

Michael and Maria looked in each other’s eyes and smiled before turning back to Liz.

“Oh my god, congralations”, Liz said before running to Maria and hugging her. Michael got a loving hug right after that.

“And there’s another thing…”, Maria said, “I would very much like it if you’d be my maid of honor”, she said.

“Oh Maria, I’d love to be your maid of honor.”, Liz said with a genuine smile on her face.

Maria knew that Liz was probably gonna say yes, but she was still visibly relieved that Liz agreed. Maria had some friends, but none of them was as close to her as Liz.

The three of them exchanged some more hugs and they talked about the wedding. After more than an hour, Maria craftily managed to steer the conversation to Liz’ current situation.

“Alright Liz, so tell me the dirt. What happened this week?”, Maria asked.

“Sorry to dissapoint you Maria, but nothing happened.”

“You ceased to exist?”

“No, but I haven’t seen Max since he came here when you were last here. And that was what you were fishing for, right?”, Liz said rethorically.

“Well, you definitely sound a lot better Liz”, Michael said in an upbeat voice.

“I’m trying. It comes and goes”, Liz said

“So… nothing happened this week?” Maria asked

“Well, I met this really nice guy at the office and we went for coffee together”, Liz said.

“What?? And you say nothing happened?”, Maria practically shouts

“No, because it was just coffee”, Liz defended herself, “It’s not like I’ve got a crush on him or something. He’s just nice and I feel relaxed with him… you know, kind of like with the two of you”

“Honey, that’s the best kind of love. Tell me, is he goodlooking?”, Maria asked, earning her a glare from Michael.

“W..Well… that depends on what you call goodlooking?”, Liz stammered

“Come on Liz. You know what I mean. Brad Pitt, yes… Michael Jackson, no ”, Maria joked

“Well, I guess some people would call him goodlooking… okay, he’s a hottie. But that still doesn’t mean I’m attracted to him.”, Liz said

“So we’re talking about a goodlooking, nice lawyer who you feel relaxed with. Give me one good reason why you should give this a shot.”, Maria insisted.

“Because I’m not in love with him Maria… besides, I don’t think his girlfriend would appreciate it if I did. And did I mention he’s one of Max’ best friends?”

“No, you didn’t mention all that”, Maria said, a little dissapointed that this guy already had a girlfriend, not to mention that this guy was friends with Max.

“Oh, and I met Tess Harding from high school”, Liz said; changing the subject

“Tess Harding? ….You mean that blonde ho who kissed Patrick Culwood when he was clearly mine?”, Maria asked

“Come on Maria; Patrick didn’t even know you existed”

“That’s not the point”

“Alright, who is this Tess?”, Michael asked, hoping for Liz or Maria to explain what they’re talking about.

“Tess was one of my friends in high school until she and her dad moved to another town”, Liz explained.

“She was evil incarnate”, Maria said loudly

“Tess and Maria never really got along.”, Liz explained to Michael while glaring at Maria

“Liz, Tess drove everyone around her insane. Not just me”, Maria argued

“Alright Maria, just drop it. She’s very nice and we’re having dinner tomorrow evening”, Liz said calmly.

Maria looked sternly at Liz for a few seconds. Her look turned quickly into a smile. “Oh, who cares… I’m getting married”

A few hours later, Michael and Maria went home again. She and Liz agreed to meet next weekend to discuss the wedding some more. As maid of honor, she was supposed to help Maria with everything concerning the wedding.

After Maria and Michael went home, Liz went to bed early and slept peacefully for the first time all week.

~~

The next morning at nine o’clock sharp, Kyle walked into his office at the law firm. As he stepped in, he noticed that Jesse and Max were already there, reading through some files. When Kyle stepped in, they both look up.

“Hey Kyle. You finally got out of bed?”, Jesse asked

“Can you tell me why you’re in my office and not in your own?”, Kyle asked in return

“Because this office is bigger and has a better view”, Jesse said dryly

“God, I hate working weekends”, Max sighed.

“Tell, me about it”, Jesse said, “..but if we don’t have a solid case by 8am Monday morning, we’re in trouble.”

“Well, it’s not like any of us have someone anxiously waiting for us at home”, Max sighed

“Speak for yourself, Max”, Jesse blurted out

Max smiled at Jesse. “So you finally got over your whole Isabel crush?”, Max asked

“What? Is it like, written on my forehead?”, he asked Max before turning to Kyle, “Or did you tell him?”, he snarled at Kyle.

Kyle laughed at Jesse. “No no, don’t put this on me. I told you it was apparent.”

“Hmpf, well anyway, I was referring to Kyle’s girlfriend”, Jesse said, not noticing the stern look Kyle was giving him.

“You got a girlfriend, Kyle?”, Max asked him, “How come I didn’t know?”

Jesse closes his eyes and counts his tasks for today on his fingers: “Finish the case… steer clear of Isabel... don’t mention Kyle’s girlfriend.”

Max turns towards Kyle. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend? I thought we told each other that kind of stuff”

Jesse still had his eyes closed and was tapping his index finger. “Wasn’t there another thing?”, he softly said. But neither Max nor Kyle payed any attention to him.

“Come on Max, you’re not seriously gonna lecture me about sharing, are you?”, Kyle said, making it very clear that he was referring to the whole Liz situation.

Max knew Kyle had him cornered. Either he would have had to tell Kyle everything about Liz or he had to drop the subject. Problem was, Max wanted to know but he definitely didn’t want Kyle to know about Liz. Max figured that a little prying might get him the information he wanted. “Why didn’t you tell me? What’s the big secret?”, Max asked.

“No secret, I just wanna keep work and home separated”, Kyle said

“Bull. What are you not telling?”, Max insisted.

“Not nearly as much as what you’re not telling when it comes to Liz”, Kyle said, going in the counterattack.

“Liz and I have a history that I don’t wanna discuss because it happened a long time ago… what’s your excuse?”, Max responded, a small smile appearing on his face. He wondered what Kyle was gonna respond to this.

“Look, me and…. my girlfriend have just started dating. I don’t want it to be public knowledge. I don’t see the big problem.”, Kyle said, going back to the defensive approach.

“So you’re telling me that if you tell me something it becomes public knowledge?”, Max asked, a little insulted. “Why did you tell Jesse? Is he more reliable than me?”

“He didn’t tell me anything”, Jesse said, “I know as much as you do. He has a girlfriend. That’s it.”

“It’s not Liz, is it?”, Max asked with a big frown.

“No, they just went out for coffee”, Jesse quickly intervened

Kyle glared at Jesse as Max’ eyes grew wide. “What kind of idiot are you?”, Kyle asked Jesse.

Jesse gave Kyle a knowing look and tapped his index finger. “Oh right… don’t tell Max about Kyle’s date with Liz”

“It was not a date!”, Kyle practically shouted. “Jeez Jesse, how would you like me to tell Isabel about the inappropriate crush you have on her?”

Jesse decided that it’d probably be better if he didn’t talk anymore and backed off.

“Please explain this Kyle”, Max said in a forcefull tone

“Not much to explain. Liz asked me to have a drink after work and we did. Nothing more, nothing less. And she knows I have a girlfriend so there’s nothing going on between us”, Kyle said, hoping Max would accept this answer.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”, Max asked

“Because I knew you would overreact”, Kyle simply said.

“Guys, I really think we should start working on the case”, Jesse said, trying to stop the bickering.

“Can it, Isabel-lover”, Max spat at Jesse who quickly backed off. He then turned back towards Kyle. “We’ve been telling each other everything for over a year and now suddenly you treat me like you can’t trust me?”

“It’s not like that, it’s just that these are just things you really don’t wanna know”, Kyle said.

Max thought about it for a second and suddenly, everything became clear. “Kyle… what’s your girlfriends name?”, Max asked to Kyle.

Kyle didn’t say anything for a few seconds.

Max thought about his next question for a few seconds too. “Kyle… is Tess Harding your girlfriend?”, Max asked, staring directly at him.

Kyle took a second to think.

“That’s a second too long, Kyle”, Max commented. “God, you’re dating Tess?! How could you…”, he stops for a fraction of a second when he sees Kyle’s expression “…think I have a problem with that?”, he finished.

“Nice save man”, Jesse whispers to Max.

“Max, I don’t want to discuss this with you. I mean it…. But if you feel like sharing, you could explain why you’re so obsessed with Liz”, Kyle said

Max thought about it for a second. Maybe it would make things easier if they knew, but in the last minutes, it had become clear that Jesse wasn’t exactly a good secretkeeper. “You know, I’m gonna get some coffee. You two ladies work out your feelings.”, Jesse said and walked out the office.

Max looked Kyle in the eyes. “What do you know about Liz?”

“Oh, the usual… nice girl, twentythree years old, has aphasia because she was in a coma for six months… you know, the usual”, Kyle said with a sarcastic tone.

Max paused for a second. If he told Kyle, there was no turning back. “Liz was hit by a car. The car should have hit me, but Liz pushed me away and got hit herself.”, Max said softly.

Max paused for another second. “She was my wife Kyle.”

Kyle’s eyes opened wide. “What?! Your wife?!”, Kyle shouted.

“After she was in a coma for several months, the doctors told me it was highly unlikely that she was ever gonna wake up. So I…. I decided to leave. I never heard anything from her until I saw her in Alex’ office a few days ago.”, Max said

“Oh my god… and she never told you she was awake? How could she do that to you?”, Kyle said softly.

Max looked away from Kyle. “I… I didn’t leave a way for her to contact me. I didn’t think she was ever gonna wake up.”

“Wait a minute Max”, Kyle said, “Let me get this clear… you left Liz while she was in a coma and you didn’t leave any way for her to contact you if she would ever wake up?”

“That about sums it up”, Max said

“Why the hell did you cut her off like that?”, Kyle asked, not understanding any of this

“I’d been sitting at her bedside every night for months, praying that she was gonna wake up… I just couldn’t do it anymore. You have any idea how it feels to have your heart broken every day?”

“But why didn’t you leave some way to contact you?”

“I was afraid… afraid that someday someone would call to tell me she died. I didn’t think I could handle that.”, Max said softly

Kyle looks at Max for a few seconds. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re a dick?”, Kyle asked.

“Actually yes”, Max said without smiling.

“Good. Now what are you gonna do?”, Kyle said

“I’m gonna try to win her back one way or another”

~~

That afternoon, at two o’clock sharp, the doorbell rang at Liz’ place. When Liz opened the door, she saw a redheaded girl standing there with a big bouquet of white roses.

“Excuse me, are you Liz Parker?”, the girl asked.

“Yes that’s me”, Liz said looking in awe at the beautiful bouquet.

“Here you go”, the girl said and handed Liz the flowers. “Have a nice day”, the girl said and walked away. Liz closed the door and searched the flowers for a card. When she finally found it, she slowly opened it.

The card reads: What is the opposite of two? A lonely me, a lonely you.

[Drogyn]

Hi all, thanks a lot for the feedback. This part is a little shorter than usual but I wanted to post it anyway. Next part should be up at the end of the week.

Everything you loose automatically doubles in value
--Mignon McLaughlin

Liz was the first to arrive at Jeff’s diner. She was a few minutes early but since Liz hated to be late, she always left home early. As she made her way to her table, which the waiter showed her, she looked around the restaurant and saw that the place was nearly empty.

“Hmm, slow night”, she thought to herself.

She finally arrived at a table in the back where she sat down at a small table for two. It didn’t take too long for Tess to arrive as well. Tess noticed Liz as soon as she entered the restaurant.and smiled at her. The waiter escourted Tess to her table where she sat down opposite to Liz.

“Can I get you ladies anything to drink?”, the waiter asked.

“Red wine please”, Liz said.

“Make that two”, Tess added.

The waiter wrote the order on his notepad and walked away.

“Wow Liz, you look stunning”, Tess said, looking at Liz’ black dress which made her look even more beautiful than usual.

“Thank you, you don’t look so bad yourself”, Liz said with a smile, looking at Tess’ sleeveless light-blue dress.

“Why thank you, kind lady”, Tess laughed as she made a small bow. “So, had any trouble finding this place?”

“Not really, it was pretty easy to find. And did your boyfriend mind you spending a Saturday evening with someone other than him?”, Liz asked in return.

“Well, he had to work. Words of wisdom, if you want a man who’s home often, do not date a lawyer”, Tess said.

“You’re dating a lawyer?”, Liz asked, “I always thought of you as more the construction worker kind of girl”, Liz blurted out

“Hey!”, Tess said loudly, but she wasn’t offended or anything. “I’ll have you know… with a body like his, he could have been a construction worker"

“I don’t suppose he has friend with an equally good body?”, Liz asked

“Well, I actually dated his friend before I dated him”, Tess said

“Well? Spill”, Liz continued.

“Can you say, emotionally unavailable? He was the kind of guy that was thinking about someone else everytime we were together. Everytime we talked, I got the feeling he wanted me to be someone else.”

They paused for a second when the waiter brought them their drinks. When he walked away, Liz quickly resumed the topic.

“So you broke up with him because you had a weird feeling?”, Liz asked, a bit confused before she took a sip from her drink.

“No, I broke up with him because he screamed another woman’s name whe we were doing it. I hate to break it to ya, but I think a double date is pretty much out of the question”, Tess said, a small smile on her face.

Liz almost choked on the small amount of red wine she had in her mouth. “He.. screamed..”, Liz started before Tess interrupted her.

“..a name that definitely wasn’t Tess”, Tess interrupted, “I felt like castrating him at that moment. I mean, I’m not that bad looking, am I?”, she asked.

“Ouch… and suddenly, I’m feeling sorry for the guy”, Liz joked

“Don’t worry. I controlled myself; he’s still capable of reproducing”, Tess answered.

It amazed Liz how easy it was for Tess to talk about her boyfriend, her ex-boyfriend and all the intimate things they’d done. She figured she could never be this open herself.

“So, you got any stories to tell? What happened to the husband?”, Tess asked casually

Damn, that was exactly what Liz didn’t wanna talk about. She figured she had three options, she could either tell the truth, tell Tess she didn’t wanna talk about it, or just lie her ass off. Truthfully, none of the three seemed appealing.

“He just left one day. He didn’t even say goodbye”, Liz said. Sure, she left out the part about her being in a coma for six months, but it was basically true what she said.

“He just left? What kind of a bastard would just leave?”, she said in a shocked voice.

“That would be M..Max”, Liz said

Tess smiled at the mention of the name Max. “Funny, my ex-boyfriend’s name was Max too. I guess there’s something to learn from all this…”, Tess said

“You mean like, never trust a guy named Max?”, Liz interrupted

Tess smiled at the comment. “Yeah, something like that”

~~

Around seven, Max, Kyle and Jesse stepped inside Jeff’s diner. The three of them waited patiently for someone to get them to their table. After several minutes, in which the three of them had begun to get a little impatient, a waitress finally appeared to show them to their table.

When Kyle was about to sit down, he noticed Tess sitting at a table in the back. Tess noticed him too and smiled at him. He couldn’t see who she was sitting with, since Liz had her back turned towards Kyle’s table, but Tess had told him she was gonna have dinner with some old friend from highschool, so that was probably her. Max and Jesse hadn’t seen Tess and Liz and just sat down.

For obvious reasons, Kyle decided to throw Tess a smile and then pretend like he didn’t see her, listening to a political discussion Max and Jesse were in.

“Come on Max, you can’t possibly say that you think President Bush is a good president”, Jesse said

“I can and I will.”, Max said calmly

“The guy is like Atilla the Hun with nuclear weapons”, Jesse said with an indignant tone

“He hasn’t used those”, Max said before being interrupted

“…yet. But that’s only a matter of time. Look at how he invaded Iraq. Granted, that Saddam guy gives me the creeps, but 95% of the Iraqis can’t wait for us to get the hell out of their country.“, Jesse said

“It’s not what they want. It’s what’s best for them.”, Max defended.

“You know, I think you just recited Adolf Hitler’s motto”, Max spat back. Max looked at Jesse for a second; Jesse was really persistent when it came to his political views, not to mention agitated when you didn’t agree with him.

Max silently wondered how agitated he could get Jesse. “Are you seriously comparing the good and noble president Bush with Hitler?”, Max asked.

“How can you say good and noble without gagging? I mean, take a look at Afghanistan. Bush basically said to the Afghanistan government: You have to deliver the terrorist Osama Bin Laden to us. They of course said Piss off and leave us alone. So Bush invaded the country and years later, they still haven’t found the guy they’re looking for.”, Jesse lectured.

“What’s your point?”, Max said, having lost all interest in the discussion and now just trying to get as much under Jesse’s skin as possible.

“What if Bush gets, quote reliable unquote, news that the guy they’re looking for is in Pakistan or something. Bush won’t hesitate to attack that country too. They probably already captured the guy and just use him to justify all the wars Bush wants to have”, Jesse said

“I thought you were a lawyer Jesse. What you have there is unsubstantiated rumours, speculation and thoughts of what might happen someday”, Max said, not being able to hold a smile back. Jesse didn’t know what to say next.

“So Kyle, you and Tess?”, Jesse asked, quickly changing the subject and turning to Kyle

“Whoa, big discussion no no”, Max quickly chimed in, “You can’t just change the subject like that….. actually in this case, I can make an exception”, Max continued, turning to Kyle. “What about you and Tess?”

“Well, she and I got together not long after you yelled at her at the office”, Kyle calmly told Max. “She needed a friend and one thing led to another”

“You didn’t mind that she had already worked her way through half the department?”, Jesse asked bluntly.

“Alright Jesse, you’re my friend so I’m gonna try to pretend you didn’t just insult my girlfriend. And it wasn’t exactly half the department, it was just Max and Bobby. When Bobby dumped her, he started spreading the rumour that she did half the department.”, Kyle explained.

“So she was just fucking Bobby when we dated. That’s a relief”, Max said sarcastically.

“I don’t think you’re really in the position to judge here Maxwell”, Kyle said, barely succeeding in remaining calm.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right”, Max said softly, deciding to drop the subject “And Kyle…. don’t call me Maxwell.”

“Alright, I would really like to know what the hell you guys are talking about”, Jesse interrupted.

“Nothing important”, Max quickly said.

~~

In the back, Tess and Liz were busy enjoying their dinner. Tess had been glancing over at Kyle. Kyle, in return, glanced back at Tess every now and then but tried to keep it covert. He honestly didn’t know why; Jesse and Max already knew.

At Liz’ and Tess’ table, the conversation had turned to job openings. It’s really fascinating to see how these two girls can talk and eat at the same time without looking totally gross.

“So, you got a job as a secretary huh? You know of any openings where you work cause I’m desperate for a new job”, Tess asked casually.

“Sorry, I don’t think so… But if you want, I can ask Alex.”, Liz answered, “..my boss”, Liz added as an explanation.

“Thanks, I’d appreciate that?”, Tess answered

“If you don’t mind me asking… why did you get fired at your last job?”, Liz asked cautiously. It probably wasn’t very polite to ask.

“Actually, I wasn’t fired. I quit”, Tess answered.

“You quit without any prospect at another job?”, Liz asked, “What happened?”

“You know that ex-boyfriend I was talking about? Well, he started a rumour that I had been sleeping with half the department.”

“What a jerk”

“It was partially my own fault really. I started seeing someone else at the office before I broke up with him, but he started yelling at me in front of the entire office. It was sooo humiliating.”

“So you left?”

“Yeah, I kinda felt like I had to. Besides, I don’t think a single person was sorry to see me leave”, Tess said in a saddening voice before she suddenly brights up again, “Anyway, that’s when I got together with Kyle. He worked at the firm and he comforted me and before we knew it… what?”, Tess suddenly asked, seeing Liz’ puzzled face.

“You know Tess, I don’t like coincidences… Is Kyle’s last name Valenti?”, Liz asked.

“Yes, how did you know that?”, Tess asked, very surprised.

“You worked at Whitman and Whitman!”, Liz said loudly

“Okay, now you’re just freaking me out”, Tess said, still surprised, “How do you know all this?”

“I work there. I’m Alex Whitman’s assistant. That was your job, wasn’t it?”, Liz said, having totally figured it out.

“You do? So you know Kyle and Max and the others?”, Tess asked.

“Yeah…. “, Liz said but before she could say anything else, another question popped into her brain. “Wait a minute, does that m..mean that your ex-boyriend is M..Max Evans”, Liz asked in a trembling voice, afraid of the answer.

“Uh… yes….You’re not saying that Max Evans is the guy who abandoned you, are you?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying…. Oh god!”, Liz squealed. “I’m sorry, I gotta go to the bathroom”, Liz said quietly and quickly stood up and walked to the bathroom.

Kyle almost choked on his drink when he saw Liz walk away from Tess’ table. This could only mean one thing… trouble. But not wanting to be caught in the middle, he did the thing he thought was best; stay out of it. Knowing Tess, she and Liz had been talking about guys half the night and Kyle figured by the way Liz looked when she went to the bathroom, that she had found out about Max and Tess.

“What the hell are you staring at, man?”, Max asked as Kyle had his gaze focussed on the table in the back. Automatically, Max followed his gaze and saw Tess sitting at the back table, looking confused and shocked.

“Kyle, what is she doing here?”, Max asked, a bit upset.

“Don’t put this on her okay, she said she was having dinner with an old friend. She was here before us”, Kyle defended.

When Max turned back towards Tess, he was startled to see her standing right next to him. Without any warning or any explanation, she slapped him in the face hard before she walked back towards her own table, feeling just a little bit better.

For a few seconds Max was dumbfounded and unable to speak. When Tess was gone, he turned to Kyle. “I’m sure I deserved that, but why?”, Max asked.

“I believe your answer is right there”, Kyle said, looking at Liz who walked back from the bathroom to her table.

“If I’m asleep, wake me up now”, Max said as he saw Liz sit down at Tess’ table, unaware that Max was staring at her.

“Sorry Max, but you’re very much awake”, Kyle commented

“God, my ex-wife and my ex-girlfriend at one table. This is like, a nightmare. Could things possibly get any worse?”, Max said

Jesse leaned forward, wondering if he heard Max right. “Ex-wife?”

[Drogyn]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Sorry for the lack of updates but I’ve been away on vacation for awhile. My other fics are in dire need of an update as well, so I think the next part of this one will be about a week. If I have a lot of free time though, it may be sooner. If you hate cliffhangers you’re not gonna like me, I warn you. Anyway, enjoy.

Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.
--Ambrose Bierce

~~

Max stared at Liz with a horrified look. He knew things just got worse; he just knew it. The hard slap that Tess just gave him, which was still stinging by the way, just made sense. Liz had told her about him… and that meant that Tess had probably told Liz everything too. Liz would know that he and Tess had dated. She would know that he and Tess had sex. She would know how he ended the relationship after he found out Tess cheated on him. God, this was horrible.

“Ex-wife?”, Jesse repeated to an unresponsive Max. Max didn’t even hear him; he was focussed on the table where Liz and a fuming Tess were sitting. They hadn’t left yet, but they were clearly getting ready to do so as Tess called the waiter for the bill. He had never heard so much anger in her voice, not even when he humiliated her in the office. One glance in Kyle’s direction taught him that Kyle had never seen her this angry either.

“I know why Liz is angry, but why did I just get slapped by Tess?”, Max asked softly, more to himself than to anyone else.

“Well, I don’t know Max, maybe her hands were cold… Jesus Christ Max, think!”, Kyle shouted, causing several people to look up from their tables. Kyle took a few seconds and swallowed, trying to calm himself down.

“Am I invisible here? Hellloooooo?”, Jesse said, waving his hands in front of Max’s face, which Max just ignored.

“I’m at a loss here. Are you sure this isn’t just a very very bad nightmare?”, Max asked softly

“Positive”, Kyle said softly

“Ah, Jesse The Invisible. Sounds catchy. Maybe I could get a cape or something and fight crime”, Jesse mocked

“Max, do you want my opinion here?”, Kyle said to Max

“No, I really don’t”, Max said, knowing damn well what Kyle would say

“Well, you’re gonna get it anyway... Let it rest. Unless Liz comes to you, stay away from her. I’m sorry I have to say this, but…”, Kyle started.

“Criminals will never see me coming!”, Jesse continued.

“Shut up!”, Max and Kyle say in unison, causing Jesse to close his mouth in shock.

“Maybe I could still talk to her…”, Max said.

“And say what? Right now, Liz doesn’t believe a word you say, so what could you possibly say that would make her feel better? Either you let her cool down or you’ll just make it worse, take your pick”, Kyle said

“I don’t think she will ever cool down enough. I have no choice here; I have to talk to her”

“What about the whole, not talking to her plan you put into action less than a week ago?”

“That plan just blew up in my face. Maybe I should have just told her about Tess before.”

“Great thinking Max, now all we have to do is get in your time machine, go back a week and tell Liz that you fucked someone else.”, Kyle said sarcastically. Max frowns and is about to say something, as Kyle cuts him off. “No wait, if we have our time machine ready, maybe you can go back a few years and not dump the woman you claim to love when she’s in her most vulnerable state.”

Max swallowed hard and clenched his fist. He urge to lean over the table and shove his fist against Kyle’s head was overwhelming, but he held back.

“I have no choice here Kyle”, Max said softly

“You always have a choice Max. You just don’t like your options.”, Kyle said sternly

“I’ve been miserable for two years without her. And now she walked into my life again. What would you do?”, Max asked Kyle, his voice softening as he spoke.

Kyle thought about it for a second, wanting his answer to be exactly right. “I would stop thinking about myself and start to think about the woman I claim to love”

“But she’s miserable too, I know she is.”

“And you think that you can make it all better? You’re the one who got her in this situation in the first place”, Kyle answered, slightly incensed.

“Then I’ll be the one who’s going to make it right again…”

“…or make it even worse”

“How can it possibly get worse?”

“Things can always get worse”

“Can someone please tell me what you’re talking about?”, Jesse asked calmly, trying to give it another shot.

Kyle and Max both turned to him. “I’ll give you the short version. Liz is my ex-wife. I want her back.”, Max said

“Okay…then why don’t you go for it?”, Jesse asked softly

“Because the long version doesn’t sound as good as the short version”, Kyle interrupted. “In the long version, he dumped his wife while she was in a coma. He disappeared out of her life, thinking she would never wake up again and now suddenly, two years later, she walks back into his life again and he wants her back”

“O…kay”, Jesse said, trying to absorb all the information, “So, does she still love you Max?”

“I don’t know Jesse, I left my mind reading device at home”, Max spat back at Jesse.

“Max?”, Jesse said

“Let me guess, I’m a dick?”, Max asked softly, but with a sarcastic tone.

Jesse looked at Max and shrugged. “Yeah, that about sums it up”, Jesse softly said.

“I told three people about Liz, and all three told me I was a dick”, Max said, not to anyone in particular.

“Well, you kinda put the words in my mouth here”, Jesse said

“Very funny”, Max said, “I guess I have acted like a dick… but that was two years ago. If she would only give me a second chance…”

“You two will live happily ever after?”, Kyle interrupted

“Well, sort of…. Don’t you think that’s possible?”, Max asked

“Well, God works mysterious ways…”, Jesse said

“Buddha does so too”, Kyle agreed

“…in this case, his ways may be more mysterious than ever”, Jesse added

“Guys… this isn’t helping”, Max said with a hint of anger in his voice again

“Okay Max, let me say out loud what I’ve been trying to say this entire conversation. I don’t think Liz will ever take you back”, Kyle said, “I’m sorry Max. I like you and I like Liz, and I could pretend that you two could get back together… but we can’t ignore reality… and the reality is that you betrayed Liz and she’ll never forget that”

“Unless there’s something you didn’t tell me … I have to agree.”, Jesse added

“Jezus Christ Max, you left her for dead.”, Kyle continued, “Why on earth didn’t you leave a way for her to contact you? Why did you divorce her so soon?”

Max didn’t answer any of those questions. Instead, he got up and walked towards Liz and Tess who walked away from their table after paying the bill.

“Liz!”, Max shouted after her as Liz walked out the front door.

Liz froze in her tracks when she heard Max shout out her name. Before she knew it, he was standing right in front of her.

“Please Liz, let me explain”, Max begged her

“I don’t want to hear it”, Liz said coldly as she took a few steps.

“Please Liz. I need you to know that she…”, Max started but Liz interrupted him

“What? You’re gonna bring back the whole she meant nothing for me excuse? How many women you didn’t care about did you fuck Max?”, Liz asked, with apparent sarcasm.

“I never intended for something like that to happen and it only happened once… with Tess. We went out on a few dates and one thing just led to another. I felt really terrible the next day. I felt terrible because I didn’t love her like I love you. I didn’t really care about her”, Max said softly

“But you cared enough to embarrass her in front of the entire office”, Liz said sharply

“Okay, I could have been a little more tactful there… but she had sex with someone else. And not just anyone else; he was a colleague and a friend of mine. I was angry and I lost my temper. I’m not proud of it, but I did.”, Max said defensively

“You’re so full of shit Max!”, Liz shouted as she took a step towards him, looking into his eyes. It shocked Max a little; Liz would have never said that. “If you really didn’t care about her, you wouldn’t have done what you did. And now, you are the one who’s been fucking someone else and you expect me to just get over it?”

“I don’t expect you to just get over it, I just wanna talk about it”, Max said desperately

“We are talking about it, you imbecile… And I’m sick of it. I’m sick of everything, sick of this town, sick of this conversation and most of all, I’m sick of you. Why don’t you just leave me alone?”, Liz shouted as she turned to walk away

“Because I love you”, Max said

At that point, something came over Liz. She froze for a fraction of a second and then took a step back towards Max. Clenching her fist, she stretched her arm behind her and swung her fist towards Max face. When Liz’ fist collided with Max face, he lost his balance and fell back, hitting his head on the cold concrete pavement.

Liz’ expression quickly changed when Max didn’t get up. “Max?”, she asked softly. What did she do? Not thinking anything at the time, Liz knelt down and checked his pulse. He’s unconscious but he’s still alive. Thank god. “Max?”

~~

A little over an hour later, Liz, Tess, Kyle and Jesse are waiting in the hospital in front of the OR where several doctors are working on Max. No one is saying a word until a doctor comes out of the room and heads towards them.

“How’s Max?”, Kyle asked the doctor with a worried tone in his voice.

As the doctor tried to speak, Tess cut him off. “Say coma and I’ll scream”

The doctor fakes a little smile. “Don’t worry, he’s gonna be fine. He was lucky; the damage was minimal and he’ll wake up in about an hour or so when the anaesthetic wears off. We’ll run some more tests and I’d like to keep him overnight for observation… just to be sure. But my guess is he’ll walk out of here tomorrow.”

“Oh, thank god”, Liz whispers

“I thought you didn’t care”, Jesse couldn’t help but slip

“What’s that supposed to mean? It’s not like I want him dead”, Liz said back softly

“No, you punched him because you love him so much”, Jesse said sarcastically.

“Alright Jesse, shut up!”, Kyle hissed and turns back to the doctor. “Can we see him?”

“We’re busy running some tests. You can visit him in an hour or so when he’s awake.”, the doctor said calmly.

It’s not what they wanted to hear, but they all nodded to the doctor. The doctor then walked away. When he was gone, Jesse stood up.

“I’m gonna call Isabel. She’ll wanna know”, Jesse said before walking towards the exit to make a call with his cell phone.

“Sure, take any excuse you need”, Kyle calmly said

~~

“Liz? Liz?”, Max whispered slowly as he regained consciousness in a hospital room. His voice sounded weak, as you would expect from someone who’s lying in a hospital bed recovering from a blow to the head.

“No, it’s me”, Isabel said softly, silently thanking God that he woke up. It took longer than expected and she had been sitting here for almost half and hour. “How are you feeling?”

“All things considered, pretty good”, Max said as he forced a small smile on his face

“What happened, Max?”, Isabel whispered.

“You remember Tess?”, Max asks causing Isabel to nod, “Well, she turns out to be an old friend of Liz”, Max continued. He could see Isabel’s eyes grow wide. “Well, they had dinner at Jeff’s and so did me, Kyle and Jesse”

Max had to stop for a second because of a sharp pain in the head. When it subsided, he continued, “Turns out Liz and Tess had been talking about their relationships and they figured out they were both talking about the same guy… me”

Isabel just sat there and looked in silence.

“They didn’t take it too well. I followed Liz when she left the restaurant. I told her I loved her and she punched me. I lost my balance and I think I hit my head after that, I can’t remember”, Max finished.

“I’m sorry Max”, Isabel said softly

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine. Is… is Liz here?”, Max asked hopefully

“I think she’s outside in the waiting room”, Isabel said softly

“Can you ask her to come in… please”, Max asked.

“Okay… I’ll ask”, Isabel said as she smiled at him. She then walked out of the room and into the waiting room where the others were waiting.

“He’s awake”, Isabel said before turning to Liz. “He said he really wanted to see you”, Isabel said, her eyes locked on Liz’, knowing that Liz didn’t really want to see Max at this time, but determined to get Liz to see him anyway.

“Fine”, Liz just said. Isabel smiled and turned away. That was easier than she thought. Now let’s hope that he won’t piss her off again. Another blow like that and he might be less lucky.

Liz walked away from the other and into the room where Max was. Max watched her come in and sit by his bed without saying a word. They both sat there in silence for a minute.

“I’m sorry Liz”, Max said softly. Liz didn’t respond. “I woke up five minutes ago and all I wanted was for you to be here. Every second that passed by without you hurt me so much… that’s what it was like for you when you woke up, wasn’t it?”, Max asked. Liz looked away from Max so he couldn’t see a tear falling from her eye.

“Liz… I understand that you don’t trust me anymore. I know that I’ve made a lot of mistakes and that I hurt you a lot, but I really do love you. When I lost you in that car accident, my world collapsed. When I left, I broke all contact because I was afraid that… that one day, I would get a message that you would have passed away, and I didn’t think I could handle that. I know it’s no excuse for what I did, but I just wanted you to know that”

“I don’t know what to do anymore Max”, Liz responded, still turned away from Max.

“Do what you always did for all the years I’ve known you, trust your heart.”

Liz looked at Max, whose face was filled with desperation and looked into his eyes…

TBC (I know, I’m cruel)