Here [M/L] {YTEEN} 1/1

[Gater101]

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Jason Katims, WB etc do.

Summary: Set after Grandma Claudia's death. Teen.


He hates this. He hates not being able to reach out and touch her, comfort her in the way he knows they both want him to.

All he wants to do was slide his hand into hers as she stands next to him, in black, tears strolling down her rosy cheeks.

He hates seeing her hurting like this.

But then, he realises, that she would be hurting even more if he hadn’t given them their last goodbye. When she had come to him asking him to heal her grandmother, he had been struck dumb. He knew it must have taken all her will power to do that.

But what he had said, it had been true: he wasn’t God.

But what he wouldn’t give right here and now – standing beside her in a black shirt and slacks in the blistering heat in Roswell at Grandma Claudia’s funeral – to be able to take this pain away from her.

He hears her sob and he twitches slightly, wanting to reach out and pull her into his arms.

He wasn’t even supposed to be here. He hadn’t even known the woman – and yet, here he was, taking the day off of school and standing in the front row as the casket lowered into the ground with the bereaved family, all because she had quietly asked him to go with her.

Kyle, he knew, was a few rows behind.

In the background, he can hear Maria singing, her voice catching in her throat as she tries to suppress her sobs.

Liz is having no such luck, as her body shudders and her sobs are muffled into her hand.

He watches, helpless, as the casket disappears from sight and the crowd begins to dissipate. He doesn’t move. Neither does she.

“Liz.” She barely looks up as her mother addresses her. Max hates her silence, her hurt. “We have to head back to the Crash Down, the car is waiting.”

Liz chokes on her sob and brings a hand up to her face to wipe away her falling tears. She isn’t ready to leave yet. He knows. He can feel it himself.

“I’ll drive her back, Mrs Parker, I have my jeep.”

The woman looks to Max then and studies his face, her eyes searching his for something and, seemingly finding it, nods.

“All right. You’ve been a good… friend to Liz,” she glances down for a second and looks back up to her daughter who still hasn’t moved and Max does the same.

He hates seeing her like this. It hurts him too. Her eyes are red, puffy and swollen; her cheeks flushed, a stark contrast to the rest of her pale face; her lips trembling and her shoulders shuddering.

“Don’t be long, Maria wants to talk to you but I’ll take her back with us.”

And then she was gone.

He wants to say something but doesn’t know what. Doesn’t know how. He wants to reach out to her, comfort her. He licks his lips and turns back towards the white, pristine headstone that glitters in the sunlight.

She quiets a sob. He pulls her to him. His arms wind around her waist, his chin resting on top of her head. She slips her arms around him, turns her ear to his heart and he closes his eyes. He can feel his shirt dampen but he doesn’t care. He can already feel the aching in his chest begin to disappear and he is glad. Tilting his head, he places a kiss to her hair and pulls her tighter to him, if that is possible, and breathes deeply.

He loves this. He loves having her in his arms, he loves comforting her, telling her silently that he is here for her.

And, somehow, he knows that she loves it too.