Roswell Fanatics

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters from Roswell. I don’t own characters from “Friends” either. I just own the plot of this story. Please don’t sue.

Rating: Teen to Mature. I think. Maybe I’ll enlist some help if I want to go into adult territory.

Author’s Note: I’d like to say a quick thank you to April, pijeechinadoll, and Wench On A Leash for helping me brainstorm, and convincing me to post this. You guys are awesome. I will try to come up with a regular posting schedule, but for now, things will be posted as they are written. Bear with me please. Feedback is appreciated, as always.

Summary: A chance encounter at a coffee house brings together six friends. Together, they deal with hook-ups, break-ups, make-ups, and learning how to deal with daily life in the real world. The is lightly based on the TV show “Friends,” though the plot will differ from the storyline in obvious aspects.




Episode 1: The One With The Runaway Bride


Wonderful, she thought.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, it was raining. After all, it hardly ever rained in LA as it was. Don’t they say rain on a wedding day is bad luck? Whatever the superstition was, she was starting to think that maybe everything that was happening to her was a sign. A sign that she was making the wrong decision. That was the reason she was hiding out here, in the bathroom, instead of letting her girlfriends gush over how amazing she looked and how lucky she was to be getting married to someone who could take care of her for the rest of her life.

But did she really want to sacrifice love for security?

“Pull yourself together, Liz,” she muttered to the mirror. “Aaron’s a good guy, any woman would be lucky to be marrying him.”

Her expression changed as she said the words. She didn’t believe he was a good man. She believed he was a rich man. One that could provide her with the type of lifestyle she’d grown accustomed to.

She thought back to what she had seen a few days before. Was it stupid for her to be marrying a man she had seen making out with her supposed best friend? Probably.

It was that thought that made her come to the realization. I can’t do this, she thought as she started to panic.

She could hear footsteps coming down the hall. Oh shit. Here comes that backstabbing bitch now. Looking desperately for somewhere to escape, she spotted the window that led outside the church and into freedom.

As she got her legs through and reached down to pull up the train of her dress, she heard a knock, then a voice.

“Liz? Are you okay in there? Everyone’s waiting for you to start,” said Sarah, the maid of honor.

I swear, I could kill Sarah. Although I guess I should’ve seen that she felt something for Aaron. She’s always been jealous of me. Well, Liz Parker plays second fiddle to no one.

The door opened a crack and a painted blue eye could be seen. “Liz?” Opening the door wider, Sarah stepped into the now empty bathroom, noticed the open window, and ran out into the hall. Ripping open the doors leading into the chapel, the audience turned to look at her, expecting her to be the bride. Sarah managed to pant out two words.

“She’s gone!”
“I can’t believe you didn’t know she was seeing someone else. How could you not know?” Michael asked.

“I don’t know, I mean, she was always so attentive and it’s not like she ever just disappeared for long periods of time,” Max replied with a sad tone.

“But you were going out with her for like, a year. How did you even find out she was seeing someone else?” Isabel questioned. She felt bad that her brother was going through a bad time, but she never liked that stupid bimbo anyway. Deep down, Isabel was glad she was out of the picture.

“I kind of found them when I went over to her apartment.”

“Found them? Found them like, hide-and-seek? Or found them like… found them?” Alex said excitedly.

“Gee, I think I’m gonna have to go with the latter, Alex. I appreciate the sensitivity.”

“Hey, I’m sensitive. I’m just… curious. Like George.”

“Well, yes. I caught them making out when I used my key to see if her and her friend needed anything from the store.”

“Wow,” Isabel breathed. “I know I never liked her, but I never thought she could be that much of a bitch. I mean, cheating on you with another man? And I can’t believe you were so trusting that you didn’t suspect that her friend was something more.”

“Well, actually, you wouldn’t suspect anything either considering her friend was a woman.”

The looks of disbelief spoke volumes about what everyone was thinking. Max could understand that, considering he was equally as shocked when he saw what he did.

When everyone else started laughing, Max couldn’t help but laugh at the situation along with them. After all, at least he still had his best friends.
Liz ran for what felt like hours to her but was actually only 10 minutes for the rest of the world. She finally came to a stop at a quaint little coffee shop called The Daily Grind and decided she could use something to warm her up, considering it was raining and she was feeling cold. Walking up to the counter, soaking wet and in a wedding dress, she ordered a coffee and took in her surroundings. There were people scattered around on chairs and couches. Liz turned around to reach for her coffee and did a double take.

“Isabel? Isabel Evans?”

A laughing blonde woman turned around in her chair, a look of shock on her face. “Liz! Oh my god you’re… in a wedding dress.”

Looking down, Liz suddenly felt self-conscious. Must be because everyone’s staring at you now, she berated herself. “Oh… yeah, I was um…”

“Getting married?” Isabel offered gently.

“Yeah! Yeah… but um… not so much anymore.” And that’s when the rambling began. “I mean, I’m not stupid here right? I’m not completely crazy to be giving up a young, hot millionaire even if he’s cheating on me with my ex-best friend, am I?!”

“Oh um… no, no, of course not! You should be with someone who loves and respects you, and from the sound of it, this guy… doesn’t,” Isabel replied.

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I shouldn’t be thinking this is a mistake when I don’t love him anyway. I mean, who cares if I could be in Italy on my honeymoon tomorrow? Who cares if I could be opening hundreds of wedding presents? That shouldn’t matter!” The moment the words were out of her mouth, Liz sobbed like a baby. As if she hadn’t been telling herself these things for the past three hours. But to have to tell someone else about this, well… it just hurt. It didn’t matter that she and Aaron didn’t love each other. The fact of the matter was that putting so much into one thing and having it blow up in your face would hurt anyone.

“Well hey, it’s okay. Why don’t you come sit with me and have a cup of coffee, you know, take your mind off things?”

Glancing at the area Isabel had left, she noticed a group of people watching them closely. “Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”

“Don’t be silly, Liz, you won’t be intruding. Come meet everyone,” Isabel said with a smile.

Walking tentatively toward the group, Liz gave a smile and a tiny wave. “Hello.”

“Hey!” the table exclaimed.

Isabel started the introductions. Starting with Michael Guerin, a shaggy-haired man, who appeared to be checking her out, Liz went on to meet Tess Harding, a blonde woman who appeared to be in the middle of meditating and did not seem to take kindly to being interrupted, and Alex Whitman, a man wearing a business suit, gave her a sarcastic comment in greeting, but wasn’t altogether unpleasant.

“Oh, and you remember my brother Max, right?”

Max gave her a shy smile before returning to his coffee.

“Of course! It’s so good to see you again. And it’s so great to meet everyone,” said Liz, grabbing a chair from a nearby table. “God, Isabel, you don’t know how relieved I am to see you here. So tell me what you’ve been up to! I haven’t talked to you since high school, what have you been doing these past seven years?”

“Oh, well I went to FIDM, here in LA. It‘s the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing, and I got my degree in fashion design. And Max went to UCLA and got a degree in archaeology.”

“Oh wow, Max, that’s great!” Liz said.

“Yeah, it’s great, I just went out to Death Valley to look at some--” Max started.

“So Liz,” Alex said loudly, earning him a glare from Max, “before Max bores us all to death with his story so one of his descendants can excavate our bodies, why don’t you tell us a little bit about you?” Everyone laughed a little bit before turning to Liz.

“Well, I’ve known Isabel and Max since we were kids. We grew up on the same street, but then my mom wanted to move, so we moved and then we drifted apart a little bit and then I met Aaron and he asked me to marry him and I said yes and then I left. That’s about it,” Liz said. “I’m uh… sorry for rambling.”

“Oh, don’t even worry about it,” Tess said with a smile. “Alex rambles when he’s nervous and no one ever mentions it to his face. Well guys, I gotta go. I’ve got a massage patient waiting for me at my apartment.”

“You massage patients at your apartment?” Alex questioned.

“Oh, not all of them. Just the cute ones. See you guys!”

She left the group shaking their heads at her comment.
After coffee, Liz followed Isabel back to her apartment. Apparently Alex and Michael lived across the hall, but Michael frequently barges into Isabel’s apartment to raid the fridge.

Liz paced back and forth in Isabel’s perfectly clean living room, having a heated argument with her mother while the rest of the group tried to subtly eavesdrop.

“No, mother! Doesn’t what I want matter? What do you mean, sometimes?! No, mom, I am not going to marry Aaron, I don’t care how much money he has, I don’t care how many vacation houses he can buy me! Well, maybe I don’t need dad’s money. Well, maybe I’ll just stay here in the city then! Of course I know people here, I can stay at Isabel’s!”

Everyone turned to observe Isabel’s look of unpleasant surprise. “I guess she’s staying here with Isabel, then.”

“No! Goodbye, mother!” Liz hung up her phone violently. “God, can you believe her? I mean, it doesn’t even matter to her that I wouldn’t have been happy in that marriage. The only thing she can think about is the fact that she can’t say her daughter’s husband is a podiatrist!”

Isabel’s natural mother-hen tendencies took over at Liz‘s distress. She walked over to Liz and gave her a hug. “It’s ok, hun. You can stay here until you get back on your feet okay?”

Liz wiped tears from her eyes. “Thank you so much, Is.”

“Isabel, you should probably inform her about Shirtless Sundays,” Alex smirked.

“Liz, Alex has this delusion that some day we’re going to walk around the apartment on Sundays with no shirts on. I’d hate for his weird thoughts to become reality, so try not to be too kinky,” Isabel replied with a smile.

“Way to kill a man’s dream, Izzy,” Alex said as he and the others started walking back to Isabel’s apartment.

Isabel just rolled her eyes.


End Episode 1

Be brutal.

Oh wow! Thanks for such awesome feedback, guys. I've got a teeny bit of good news. I've got the important parts of the story pretty much planned out so I know exactly how I want everything to end up, I just have to continue writing in order to get there.

So it's 1:28am and I can't sleep, so I thought I'd post this next part since I'm continuously working on this. Still no idea if updates will be regular for now, but they'll be fairly frequent, so don't sweat, my pet!

nibbles2 - Thanks for the support. Compliments from you are just grand since I love your writing.
xmag - It took me a long while to figure out how to fit Maria into this. Everyone else was pretty easy, but I think I've come up with something that should be good for everyone.
begonia9508 - I love watching Friends re-runs too! I got the idea for this because I was re-watching the whole series.
destinyc - Glad you're liking the comedy! I'm trying to come up with some good stuff here, so the feedback helps.
chanks_girl - Thanks! I found it easy to incorporate the Roswell personalities with the Friends personalities because sometimes they were just so similar.
tequathisy - I think you'll find the way Kyle fits in pretty amusing.
killjoy - You've never seen Friends?! You should totally watch it! Unless you want to be surprised. In which case, I think you'll feel very surprised.
crazysnape - Nope, Maria will definitely not be Janice. Not sure if I'll even include a Janice character in this story, but you never know.
Hunter - I'm glad you love it so far! I really enjoyed writing that first part, and hopefully you'll keep loving it.
Natalie36 - Well I certainly hope it ends up being a great story.
April - Thanks hun! I'm trying to reveal as much as I can through actions and conversations, the way the show did it, but we'll see how it goes. You've been a great help and inspiration, so thanks for being April. <3


And now, on to Episode 2...



Episode 2: The One With Max‘s Crush

Liz spent the rest of the week recovering from her latest drama. In that time she got to know the rest of the group a little bit more. She found out that Tess was a massage therapist who was a little bit quirky and hard to get used to at first. Sometimes she said things that didn’t make sense, but she had good intentions. Michael was an aspiring painter, but sometimes his work was a little bit… out there. Alex did something that Liz had already forgotten and was the funny guy of the group. Max, of course, was an archaeologist, but during most of the year he taught a few classes at a junior college and worked at the Natural History Museum. He had just recently gotten out of a serious relationship that went wrong due to some major misunderstandings, mainly regarding the fact that the girl turned out to be in a serious relationship with another woman as well and didn‘t know who to choose; Max just made the decision for her. Isabel, always the picture of perfection, was working as a personal assistant to a fashion designer. It was her ultimate dream to design her own clothes and luckily she got to work under someone that did and gain knowledge about all the aspects of owning your own company.

The more she learned about her new, and renewed, friends the more she felt like a bum just sitting at the apartment all day wallowing in self-pity. So while everyone was at work, she went out to the mall to cheer herself up.

After a long day, she arrived at the coffee house that had become the best place to hang out (besides her and Isabel’s apartment), and sank onto a couch between Alex and Max where the rest of the gang was seated.

“Hey Liz,” Max greeted. Everyone followed suit.

Liz gave him a smile and returned the gesture, also greeting everyone else. “God, I’ve had such a long day.” The others wholeheartedly agreed.

“Tell me about it, I was on my feet all day running around getting everything ready for a fashion show in 3 days,” Isabel said.

“Yeah, we’ve got this big presentation tomorrow so my boss was constantly down our backs,” Alex added.

“I had the most awful massage clients today. One guy tried to grope me. And another woman, who I think may have actually been a man, kept touching my legs while they were on the table,” Tess said enthusiastically.

“The gallery didn’t like any of my paintings so they won’t sell them this time. You’d think they’d be able to appreciate the complexity of Calvin and Hobbes, but apparently it’s not sophisticated enough,” replied Michael.

“We just put in a new exhibit at the museum about the Neanderthals. I spent all morning setting it up,” sighed Max. He turned to Liz. “So what happened to you today Liz?”

“Oh I um… went shopping and they didn’t have the dress I wanted in my size,” Liz answered lamely, aware of the strange looks she was getting. “Hey, I can’t help it if shopping happens to cheer me up. I figured maybe a little bit of happiness would help motivate me a little bit.”

Isabel was the first to reply. “Uh, Liz… how did you pay for everything you bought?” She peered into one of the bags that Liz had brought with her. “Last time I checked you didn’t have a job.”

“Oh I just used my uh… *cough*credit cards*cough*.”

“And who exactly pays for your credit cards?” Alex inquired, raising his eyebrow.

“My um…”

“Your…?”

“Fine! My father pays for it okay?”

Immediately, Liz was being reprimanded.

“Liz!”

“You can’t do that!”

“I can’t believe you!”

“I know, I know, I promise I won’t spend anymore,” Liz said, putting her head in her hands. “After tomorrow.”

“No, Liz!” Isabel was looking at her sternly. “You have to make a clean break now. Do you want to depend on your parents for money for the rest of your life? Do you want them to have that much on you?”

“Well, no…”

“Then you have to take the first step.”
Liz sat at the kitchen table at Michael and Alex’s looking like someone had just run over her puppy. “Is this really necessary, guys?”

“Yes, Liz,” Michael said. “You don’t need your parents’ money. Now start chopping.”

“Fine,” Liz replied glumly. She put her hand on the food processor and took off the lid. She looked up at the others who gave her a strict look and picked up a card from the pile they had created with the cards in her wallet. She slowly placed each card in the food processor and hesitated when her finger reached the ‘on’ button. Luckily for her, everyone was there for moral support and Tess put her finger on top of Liz’s and pushed, effectively turning it on and destroying all of Liz’s “daddy-paid” credit cards.

“Oh yay!” Tess squealed. “I’ve never used one of those before.”

“Okay Liz,” Isabel started, “that was the first step of the process. The next step is what I like to call the ‘get a job before Isabel kicks you out for not paying rent’ phase.”

“Ugh, I know, Iz. I’ll start sending in resumes first thing tomorrow morning.”

“That’s great, Liz,” Max said encouragingly. “How about I um, take you out to breakfast so you can start your morning on the right foot?”

Alex and Michael glanced at each other and nodded slightly, indicating that they both sensed Max had a little crush on Liz.

“Really, Max?” Liz’s face lit up. “That would be so great! Anyway, guys, I’m gonna go to bed, I’m exhausted after this little ordeal. Max, I’ll see you at around… nine?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect. I’ll meet you at your place.” Max smiled at her. “Goodnight, Liz.”
As soon as Liz left, Alex and Michael were on Max like vultures on meat.

“What the heck was that, Maxwell?” Michael demanded.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know what we mean,” Alex said mysteriously.

“Ooh, we don’t know what you mean,” Tess said, pointing to herself and Isabel.

“No, Tess, I think I do know what they mean,” Isabel replied.

“So I’m the only one out of the loop?” she complained.

“Whatever, I’ll tell her,” Michael muttered. “Max has the hots for Liz.”

“What?!” Max yelled indignantly. “No I don’t, I mean, uh, she’s, uh, nice and everything, but I just don’t, well, you know, not that anything could ever, like, happen between us, because she’s, well, and I’m just--”

“Say no more, Max.” Tess looked to the others. “So Max has the hots for Liz.”

Isabel laughed. “Oh yeah, Max has had a crush on Liz since forever. Even when we were kids and we used to play together all the time.”

“What are you talking about?” Isabel gave Max an incredulous look. He sighed. “How do you even know about that? Was I that obvious?”

“Please, Max, the only person who didn’t know about your crush on Liz was Liz. She was too busy with all those jocks that competed for her attention.”
True to her word (and everyone else’s constant reminding and nagging), Liz turned in her resume to several catering companies. One of the things that Liz loved to do was bake (she even went to school and got a degree in baking and pastry arts, but had never worked a day in her life, therefore she didn‘t have any hands-on experience), so she decided to work toward her interests. However, after a week with no sign of an interview, Liz was feeling rather discouraged.

“Aw, cheer up, Liz, I’m sure something will come along,” assured Tess.

Liz, Tess, Alex, and Max were at the coffee house talking and trying to reassure Liz into hopefulness.

“You know, Liz, maybe you should consider looking for other jobs,” suggested Max. “At least that way you have some form of income coming in and you can still turn in resumes at places you really want to work at.”

“Maybe you’re right, Max,” Liz sighed. She couldn’t help but feel like a failure and it showed in her face.

“It’s okay, Liz. Everything’s gonna be fine, you’ll pull through this. Just remember that.”

“Thanks, Max, that means a lot to me.”

Max smiled. “Anytime, Liz.” Turning to ask Alex a question, the smile turned into a glare as he noticed the smirk on Alex’s face.

“Shut up,” he mumbled.

As Alex, Tess, and Liz chatted about ideas of where Liz could apply, Max couldn’t help but stare at Liz as he sipped his coffee.

God, she’s gorgeous. He had always thought so, but the years had made her even prettier than he remembered, if that was even possible. The truth was, seeing her again had brought back so many feelings that he thought he had forgotten. It was true that he had always loved Liz when they were younger. Unfortunately, he knew he never stood a chance with her, especially when compared to the competition. In high school, he was a geek, while Liz was beautiful and popular. She probably never would’ve given him a second thought back then.

But seeing her again made him think that maybe he had a chance now. Both of them were different than they were 7 years ago. Maybe I should give it a shot. The worst she can say is no. But the worst is… pretty bad. You don’t wanna embarrass yourself in front of her, Evans.

As he glanced at her once more, he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe the embarrassment would be worth it.

He took a moment to look at Tess, who had noticed the way he was looking at Liz, if the big smile and mischievous look on her face was any indication. Blushing, he looked anywhere but at Tess’s face.

An annoying ringing tone came from Liz’s purse.

“Hello? This is Liz. 2:30? Okay, that would be great! Thanks very much!” Liz looked up at the hopeful faces looking back at her. “I have an interview!”
A few hours later, Liz returned to the apartment she shared with Isabel, not looking very happy.

“Hey Liz! Alex told me you had an interview today,” said Isabel as she sipped some tea.

“Ohhhhh, God, Isabel, it went so bad. There’s no way I got that job.”

“You know, Liz, I always think that after an interview, I bet it wasn’t as bad as you think,” Alex said.

“I told the lady that was interviewing me that her cakes taste like crap and I don’t know why people even bother going into the store.”

“Well that… isn’t an insult at all,” Alex said. When Liz and Isabel looked at him like he had grown a third eye, he explained, “At least you didn’t tell her that she was fat. Now that would’ve been an insult.”

Liz’s guilty look said it all.

“Arg, I can’t help it,” she yelled. “I’ve never done an interview before, I didn’t know what to say, so I just blurted out the first things I could think of.”

“And the truth is what you decided to go with?” Alex asked skeptically.

“Well what else was I supposed to do? Lie?”

Both Alex and Isabel responded “Yes!”

“Liz, my girl,” he said, “you’ve got a lot to learn. Luckily you’re gonna have a suave, sophisticated person teaching you.”

“Okay, I’ll teach her,” Isabel agreed.

“I was talking about me,” Alex replied.

The only reply he got was laughter. Scowling, he joined them as they walked out the door to go to the coffee house and teach little Lizzie Parker a thing or two about how to land a job.


End Episode 2

Thanks everyone for the great feedback! I feel like this part might partially be crap, but this is what I came up with, and I didn’t want to keep everyone waiting too long.

I’m on my way home for a day since I found out I don’t have work. Enjoy the weekend! I’ll try to update before next Friday, but the next update will be Friday at the latest!





Nibbles2 - Kyle and Maria will make appearances at later times. As of now, it doesn’t look like Maria will be based on any Friends character (there was just no one that could possibly be a Maria), but Kyle will be somewhat similar to Mike. And of course I can fiddle with the stars for you.
Destinyc - Lol, yeah, I actually first considered having Liz be Monica, but I figured that Isabel and Alex already fit the Monica and Chandler role so well that I decided to turn Liz into the spoiled Rachel.
Tequathisy - No Paolo… exactly. But there will be obstacles in the way for Max and Liz to get through, so expect to hate some random people who are trying to get in the way of their destined love.
Begonia9508 - Thanks! I wanted to make it obvious that Liz has never really had a job before so she doesn’t know what to say to an interviewer. Glad you liked the part!
Chanks_girl - Thanks. J
Wench On A Leash - You know, I don’t know why it didn’t originally occur to me to have Alex and Isabel as Chandler and Monica, but when it finally hit me, it was like a “duh!” I’m glad I’m capturing it pretty well, I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to get the comedy part down, but it appears to be going pretty well so far. I’m really glad you like this Tess! I wanted to make her similar to Phoebe, but also give her this quality that I always imagined her having if she had been able to not be evil in Roswell.
Pijeechinadoll - I’m glad you loved it, Ping.
April - I was aiming for lightness the whole time. At this point, since I’ve gotten the important parts of the background done, I’m going to try to make it even more sitcom-y and have them all get into un-ideal situations. And I know what you mean about it being nice to see Liz in an “irresponsible” role (though I would say she’s more flaky than irresponsible at this point). I get so tired of Liz always being the good, nice, perfect one who can do no wrong. I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the turns this story will take.





Episode 3: The One With All The Nagging

Max, Isabel, and Alex sat at their usual couch at The Daily Grind.

“Where do you think everyone else is?” Isabel wondered.

Alex didn’t even look up from his newspaper as he answered. “Well, Tess is out with some guy she met at the library while she was at a book reading for erotic romance novels, Michael’s at the gallery trying to get inspired by some of the other pieces they’ve bought, and Liz is across the street at that little bakery.”

“What’s Liz doing there?” Max asked. “I thought she hated little bakeries like that.”

“Oh, she does,” was Alex’s amused reply, “but it was the only job she could get without any qualifications, so she took it.”

“I can’t believe she didn’t tell us!” Isabel said with just a hint of irritation. “I live with her!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sure she wasn’t aware of that rule in society,” Alex said sarcastically.

“Why don’t we stop by and see her,” suggested Max.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that,” Tess warned as she sat down with the others. “I just went in there to get a bagel, and I think she’s embarrassed to be working somewhere she hates.”

“Why do you say that?” Isabel questioned.

“Well, she glanced at me when I came in and ducked and ran into the back room. Just give her a few days to get used to the idea that she has to work there for a while before you try to buy some donuts.”

“So, Tess, how’d it go with that guy?”

“Oh, it went good. I’m going out with him again tonight,” Tess said with a smile.

“Really, he looked like a dud to me,” Alex stated. “I mean, the guy works at a library, how much fun can he be?”

“Ohhh yeah, that guy. I’m not going out with that guy.”

“What?” said Max, confused. “Then who are you going out with?”

“I met this really cute guy while I was out with Terry.”

“And who the hell is Terry?”

“The library guy.”

“So let me get this straight,” Isabel said slowly. “While you were out with this Terry guy, you made a date with this new guy?”

“Yeah, his name’s Jerry! Oh, I hope I don’t get them confused later.”

Everyone was left speechless.
That Friday night, Liz came back from work to find the other five members of their little ensemble yelling at a porn scene on TV.

“What the hell are you all doing?” she asked.

“Criticizing porn,” was Michael’s enthusiastic reply. “You should join in the fun!”

“As wondrous as that might sound, I’ve had a long day, so I think I’m gonna have to pass.”

“Oh yeah! How was work today Liz?” Tess said. “Did you have to hide from anyone else today?”

“No, thank God. I don’t know if there’s a world bulletin out there that informed everyone I was working at that hellhole, but whatever. I had the worst day today. Some pretty little princess wasn’t happy with the cake I decorated for her 16th birthday so she wanted the entire thing redone. I thought my boss was gonna skin me alive.”

“Gosh, how hard it must be to be rich and have everything, huh?” Alex quipped.

“Seriously,” agreed Liz, “I’m so glad I’m not like that.”

Everyone turned away from the porn on the screen to stare at her in disbelief.

“Well I’m not! At least not now.”

“Yeah, guys, we’ve gotta give Liz some credit,” Max defended. “She’s come a long way so far, I mean, she’s got a job and she’s out on her own and everything.”

“Okay, you’re right, Max,” Isabel said. “I’m really proud of you Liz.”

“Thanks, Isabel. I think I’m gonna call it a night, I’m dead on my feet. See you guys tomorrow.”

As soon as she shut the door, Max got up. “You know what, guys, I think I’m gonna head out too. I’ve got some stuff I’ve gotta take care of early tomorrow morning.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not gonna go home and think about Liz?”

Glacing quickly at Liz’s door to make sure she hadn’t heard, he turned to Michael with anger in his eyes. “Gee, Mike, did you say that loud enough? I’m not sure she heard you.”

“Oh,” Tess perked up, “I can go in there and tell her if you really want her to know.” She started to get up toward the door, but Max stood in front of her to block her way.

“I was joking Tess. Just go sit down. And for everyone’s information, I was going to return… her… stuff tomorrow. She left some things at my apartment and she’s coming over to pick them up early tomorrow morning.”

“Really, Max?” Michael asked. “Because we wouldn’t judge you if that’s what you really wanna do. We did spend 45 minutes watching a porno. I don’t blame you, at all, bro.”

“What the fuck is this stain doing on my carpet?” Isabel demanded. She was staring at a red stain about the size of a quarter on her perfect white rug.

As everyone started to insist on their innocence on the subject, Max took the opportunity to slip out of the apartment.
Michael and Tess sat on the couch at Michael and Alex’s apartment as Tess tried to explain the plot of Grey’s Anatomy.

“See, Meredith and Derek have this sort of on/off relationship going on, but right now they’re kind of on.”

“Wait,” Michael said, clearly having some trouble following along. “I thought this Meredith chick liked McDreamy.”

“Yeah, Derek is McDreamy. McDreamy’s just the code name the girls gave him.”

“Well, why the hell did they give him such a delicious code name?” Michael wondered. It always made him crave McDonalds.

“Can’t you already tell?” Tess asked in disbelief. “He looks just like that Ronald McDonald guy. Duh.”

“Why do you even watch this show? Everything’s so… dramatic.”

“Because I love all the medical stuff. All the blood and guts is really neat.”

“If you want to see blood, you gotta go to a hockey game with me. Plenty of blood right there.”

The door opened and Alex went straight to the fridge. “How come we never have any food around here?”

Michael turned to answer. “What are you talking about? We’ve got food.”

“Are you kidding me, Mike? All we have in here is a bag of cheetos and a questionable apple juice. If you’re so convinced we still have food, then where is it?”

“Isabel’s. But I wouldn‘t go over there right now, she‘s a little crazy.”
Isabel moved around the apartment at warp speed. She and Max were having dinner with their parents and everything had to be just perfect before they arrived. Although both Isabel and Max got along with their parents, the fact remained that Diane and Philip Evans were very criticizing of everyone.

Picking up the phone, Isabel dialed Max’s number. “Max, where are you?”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes, Isabel. You know I wouldn’t be late for mom and dad.”

“Okay, fine, but you better not be one minute late, Maxwell Evans.” Hanging up the phone, she finished setting the table and put the finishing touches on the steaks she had just finished making. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Max walked in and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek.

“Dinner looks great, sis.”

“Thanks. So how’d it go with the little witch?”

“She tried to get me to take her back. But I realize now that we just weren’t right for each other.”

“I see. And this decision has nothing to do with the fact that Liz is back in the picture, right?”

Max mumbled something unintelligible and quickly changed the subject. “So, Iz, how are things going with that guy you were seeing?”

“Oh, you mean Greg? We uh… broke up earlier today.”

“I’m sorry, Iz,” Max said, putting on his ‘concerned brother’ face. After a short pause, he perked up and continued. “But at least the focus won’t be on me when mom and dad start bitching at us about why we haven’t settled down yet!”

Giving Max a dirty look, Isabel was quick to retort. “It’s okay, Max, because at least I won’t get hassled about how the work I’m doing is completely useless.”

“Well at least --”

The knock on the door cut Max off. Isabel opened it to reveal her parents. They were both in their 50’s, though there was not one gray hair on either head, as they liked to keep up appearances at the club they were both members of. Reaching out to hug both of their children, they stepped inside the apartment.

“Hello, darlings!” Diane said. Looking around, she couldn’t help but add, “You couldn’t clean up a little before we came, Isabel?”

Clenching her fist, Isabel turned to Max and they exchanged a look of annoyance. It was going to be a long night.
“Mom, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I’m happy with my job. I actually enjoy digging up dead people in the ground, even if it means I don’t get paid as much as you’d like me to,” Max explained patiently. He knew his parents loved him, but his mom always harped on the fact that he didn’t have the salary of a medical doctor. As if it wasn’t enough that he had graduated early and as a result, gotten his PhD sooner than some archaeologists.

“I know, dear. I’m just saying, if you really want to be called ‘doctor’ then you might as well be a real doctor.”

Exasperated, Max got up and put his plate in the sink.

“So Izzybean, what’s new with you?” Philip asked.

“Not much, dad. I broke up with Greg the other day.”

“Oh Isabel, why?” Diane said. “How am I ever going to get grandchildren if you won’t settle down?”

“Mom, I’m only 25. I’ve got plenty of time to meet someone and start a family.”

“Well, we don’t! Don’t you want us to be alive to see your children, honey?”

“Can we not talk about that, please?” Isabel got up to clear the table while her parents went over to sit on the couch for a little while before they left.

As if on cue, Liz walked through the door.

“Oh hey, Mr. and Mrs. Evans.”

“Hello, Liz, honey. How are you since… the incident?” Diane somehow always knew everything that was happening with everyone’s lives.

“Oh you heard about that?” Liz said, embarrassed.

“Of course, dear, everyone at the club heard about it from your mother. You know how she likes to talk.”

“Uh, yeah…” Liz looked at Max and Isabel, who were shaking their heads behind their mother’s back, begging her not to leave them alone. “I’m really tired, actually, so I’m going to just go to my room and hit the hay. Good night, Mrs. Evans. Mr. Evans.”

“Good night, Liz,” Philip smiled. “Diane, honey, we should get going before it gets too late. You know how cranky you get if you don’t get enough sleep.”

Diane sighed. “Very well, Philip.” She turned to her children to say goodbye. “Have a nice night, dears.”

“We will, mom,” they chimed.

“And we’ll call you for dinner again soon,” Isabel added, much to Max’s chagrin. “Good night, mom and dad.”

Shutting the door, Max and Isabel both breathed a sigh of relief. “That went better than expected,” Max said.

Liz poked her head out of her door. “They’re gone?”

“Yes, and thank you for leaving us here to fend for ourselves, Liz. We really appreciate it,” Isabel said sarcastically.

Opening the door fully, Liz had changed into pajamas, which consisted of shorts and a tank top. Max could not help but do a double take and stare at how adorable she looked.

“Hey, Iz,” Liz said in defense, “with your parents, it’s every man for himself. Next time, give me a warning or something so I can make plans to not be here.”

“I don’t think so,” Max said, trying not to make it obvious that he was staring at Liz‘s legs., “If we have to put up with it, so do you. Anyway, I should go home. I’ll see you guys later.”

As soon as he was gone, Liz asked, “Was he acting funny just now or was it just me?”

Isabel just gave her a knowing smile. “Night, hun.”

I cannot thank you guys enough for your amazing reaction to this story. But I guess I'll have to over and over again considering this is only the beginning.

chanks_girl - Thanks! I was hoping that I could capture the characters well.
Ping - Lol, yeah thanks for giving me the heads up. I knew I would do that at some point in the story, don't expect it to be the last time!
nibbles2 - I know just what you mean, I loved Phoebe and Joey together too. They will have a lot more to do with each other in the future, but you'll see what I mean.
confusedfool - Thanks.
Christina - I'm having a hard time making Michael really, really dumb. I've tried to dumb him down a bit more, but I'm having the hardest time coming up with situations in which he could be dumb. I've got a really good idea of where Kyle and Maria will come in now, but they won't make their appearances for a while, unfortunately.
destinyc - I'm glad you don't feel like killing Tess! You'd be missing out on a whole lot of comedy.
begonia9508 - Everyone's their own person with a little bit of Friends characters mixed in.
April - Well you know how Joey is about sex. So you can bet there will probably be more mention of porn in the future. But I guarantee a happy Candy ending, so never fear!
tequathisy - Don't worry, I'm trying to mix in the group dynamics so that everyone always has a chance to get one-on-one time with everyone else. More Michael and Tess is definitely on the menu!
keepsmiling7 - Welcome to the fic! Thanks for reading!
dreamsatnight - Thanks! Now if only we could get an update on your end...
behrluv32 - Thanks.


I know everyone's interested on how Kyle and Maria will come in. I'm sure if you have watched Friends as religiously as I have, you might come up with some scenario for Kyle to come in. The storyline is not going to follow the show exactly, so Maria will be a total surprise for you all. Thanks for sticking with me, everyone.

Sorry if it's a little short, I've been quite busy with school, work, and a sick baby bunny to take care of.

And now, on with the show!



Episode 4: The One With Michael's Charm

It was chilly outside while Alex and Tess sat, sipping steaming hot coffees, at their usual hangout.

“Can you believe it’s November already, Tess?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“What do you have planned for Thanksgiving this year?” Alex queried.

“Oh, nothing really. You know, ever since my mom left me and my sister when we were kids, holidays haven’t been much of a big deal for me.” Tess took another sip of coffee, appearing quite cheerful to have divulged what most would consider private information.

“You have a sister? I never knew that.”

“Oh yeah! Mmhmm.”

“O…k. So anyway, I’m supposed to be having Thanksgiving dinner with my mom. Just me, her, and her new lover of the month. Whoop-de-doo.”

“It’s ok, Alex, I’m sure it won’t be that bad. At least you get free food.”

“That’s so not what the holidays are about, Tess. They’re about… your parents bickering about who cheated on who and then your dad walking out on your mom after she revealed that he was actually in love with a transsexual.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah.”
“Ugh, thanks so much for going with me to return that engagement ring, Max,” Liz said as she and Max sunk down on the couch in her apartment.

“It was no problem, Liz. It seemed like you could use the support. I mean, you were sitting at the coffeehouse staring at that ring for a good half hour without moving. Looked to me like you needed a little push.”

“Yeah, I appreciate it. Although you didn’t really have to literally push me out the door, you know.” Liz rolled her eyes at the memory. “Anyway, thanks again.”

“Would you stop thanking me,” Max demanded. “Once is enough, and like I said, I was glad to do it.” Glancing over at her, he added, “Besides, I got a free lunch out of it, so I’m not complaining.”

“Oh right, I’m sure you really enjoyed that taco I bought you. Your stomach probably isn’t even an eighth full with that measly thing, so don’t start thanking me for that.”

“You’d be surprised,” Max smiled back. “Maybe I’m a light eater.”

“Please, you’re related to Isabel. You can’t possibly be a light eater with all the scrumptious foods she makes. She’s probably better than me.”

“Are you kidding me?! Now, I gotta admit, Isabel makes the best food I’ve ever tasted, but her baking doesn’t hold a candle to yours. The whole world will go fat on the pastries of Liz Parker one day, I guarantee it.”

“Aww, Max, that’s so sweet of you,” Liz smiled. She reached out to pat his arm and quickly looked away, surprised by the shock that went through her body when she touched him. What the hell was that?

“What’s wrong?” Max asked, concerned by her changed of demeanor. He hoped that he wasn’t making her uncomfortable with all this flattery. But he wasn’t just trying to win her over, it was all the truth. Poor Liz had looked so lost when he had gone to get a nice cup of tea to combat the cold weather that he had to offer to help her. Don’t forget about the fact that you got to spend practically the whole day with her, doofus. That was definitely worth it.
Michael walked around the gallery where some of his art was being featured. He always tried to enjoy the paintings that other artists had done, but try as he might, he just didn’t get what they meant. He did enjoy the sight of the girl in front of him, though.

“Nice painting, huh?” he asked as he approached her.

She barely even glanced at him. It was obvious from the look on her face that she didn’t think too much of him at first glance. She did, however, have the courtesy to at least reply to his remark. “Nice? It’s more than just nice. It’s a work of genius.”

“So you really like this one, huh?”

Turning to face him, she spoke with a haughty look on her face. “Are you kidding? Look at the use of color and lighting. His technique is flawless. It’s better than you could ever do, I’m sure.” Her long brown hair swung over her shoulder as she turned to admire the painting again.

Well, this reaction should be fun, he thought with a smirk. “Oh, I never introduced myself. My name is Michael Guerin… this is my painting.”

As his words slowly sunk in, she turned to face him again, but this time she wore an entirely different expression on her face. “I’m Veronica,” she said seductively. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”

He couldn’t help the amused smile that appeared across his face. Works every time.
As she opened the door to her apartment, Isabel almost stumbled with everything she was struggling to carry in her arms.

Max paused the movie that he, Liz, Alex, and Tess had been watching to rush forward and help his sister.

“Isabel, what the hell is all this crap?” he asked.

“It’s stuff from work,” she replied tiredly, kicking off her heels and putting them neatly on the shoe rack by the door. “They needed someplace to store all this stuff for the night and my boss knows how clean I am so she made me bring it all over.”

Walking over to observe what she brought back, Liz squealed as she pulled something out of the box. “Oh my God, Iz, this is gorgeous! Can I…?”

“No, you can’t anything! Don’t even think about touching any of this stuff, if anything happens to it, I could lose my job.”

“Okay, okay, no need to get all panicky,” Liz grumbled, sitting back down on the couch.

“Sorry, I’m just so stressed out. This is an important week at work and my boss is really riding my ass.” Sitting down next to Liz, Isabel put her arm over her shoulder and shook her a little bit. Liz smiled back at her and put her head on Isabel’s shoulder.

Max, who had been sitting next to Liz before Isabel arrived, simply put on a frown and sat on the armchair.

“Geez, Max, turn that frown upside down. If you really wanna sit next to --”

“HEY Alex,” Max interrupted with a warning look, “how about a nice big cup of shut the fuck up?”

“Okay, enough talking, freakazoids,” Tess said. “I’m gonna unpause the movie.”

“Ooh, what are we watching?” asked Isabel.

“Lethal Weapon 4.”

“Why the hell are we watching that?”

“Oh, because me and Liz lost a bet to the guys, so they got to pick the movie. It’s actually kind of entertaining though. That old Chinese man is just too funny.”

“What kind of bet?”

“The guys bet us that Michael was going to sleep with this girl he brought back with him from the gallery about forty-five minutes ago,” Liz explained. “We said that he was just being a nice guy and showing her his apartment and some of the other stuff he’s working on since apparently, she’s such a big fan.”

“Well how do you know you lost already?”

Before anyone could answer, Michael came in wearing just a robe and went straight for the fridge. He grabbed some strawberries and the chocolate syrup that Isabel had, as well as her homemade whipped cream. Checking the freezer, he also grabbed one of Isabel’s frozen lasagnas. He closed the fridge and looked up at his friends, who were all staring at him, and simply smiled and walked back out the door.

“I guess that answers my question,” Isabel said.
Later that night, Max returned home to his own apartment. As he lay in bed, he thought of Liz.

She was easily the most gorgeous girl he had ever met. He had always had a thing for her, but she had always been his little sister’s best friend back then. Now that he was getting to know her better and they were becoming better friends, he couldn’t help but fall for her a little bit more.
Liz tossed and turned. Her mind was all over the place and she couldn’t fall asleep. She had felt something when she had touched Max’s arm today. She didn’t know what it was but it surprised her. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. On the contrary, for some odd reason, it made her feel giddy inside. Thinking about Max, Liz fell asleep with a smile on her face.

End Episode 4

Hello, ladies and gents! I'd like to take the time to thank you for being so patient while I obsess over something else. Hopefully this part doesn't suck.

And in response to dreamsatnight, yes, it's 10th week. Finals next week. Hooray.

And I gotta say, after watching the movie, Robert Pattinson got much much much hotter than I previously thought he was. So much hotter that I am now virtually obsessed with him and am plotting imaginative ways to kidnap him and make him my love slave.

Don't forget to leave feedback!


And now, on with the show!


Episode 5: The One With The First Thanksgiving

It was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and everyone was in a panic. In true Isabel fashion, she was planning a whole Thanksgiving dinner for her parents, Max, and herself. A whole Thanksgiving feast for only four people. The rest of the group thought she was insane to be cooking so much food, but she insisted that Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without a glorious dinner to eat, even if there weren’t that many people to enjoy it.

As was his tradition, Alex was boycotting this Thanksgiving, ever since his parents had split up during the holiday when he was a child. Although Isabel tried very hard to persuade him to have dinner with her family, he always politely declined.

Liz’s mother had invited her to go skiing with the rest of their family. Since she was too proud to accept their help with the plane ticket, she insisted on paying for it herself to keep her parents from having any ammunition on her. She was sure that her mother was just waiting for a reason to remind her that she could have had a much happier life if she had married Aaron. However, she was having some trouble coming up with the money, considering she now had actual bills to pay.

Tess’s elusive sister had called her a few days ago and asked her if she wanted to have dinner on Thanksgiving. Tess had accepted since she hadn’t seen her sister for a while.

Of course, since Michael had a large family, including both parents, and several brothers and sisters, he would be spending Thanksgiving with them. He was happy he would get to enjoy a mom-cooked meal and be with his family again. But things seemed to be going downhill for Michael. In fact, things were about to take a turn for the worst for everyone.
Michael emerged from his bedroom on Wednesday afternoon after a long night of painting and women. His feet dragged on the way to the kitchen to find something to eat. Alex looked up from watching “Harry Potter” and examined Michael closely.

“You look like shit,” he deduced.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” was Michael’s nasally reply. “Man, this sucks! Now I won’t even be able to taste my mom’s turkey.” Grumbling, he poured himself some cereal and sat down on the couch next to Alex.

Scooting away slightly, Alex unpaused the movie. “So you’re still gonna go home even though you’re sick? Aren’t you worried that one of your nieces or nephews are going to catch whatever you have? Like Hazel, for instance?”

“Nah, Hazel’s a tough kid. She can handle it.”

“Hazel was just born last month,” Alex said pointedly.

“Yeah, and she’s a tough kid already!”
Across the hall on Thanksgiving morning, Isabel was patiently chopping some nuts to add to her last minute stuffing. Liz sat at the table, impatiently making some frosting to cover the cake that Isabel had forced her to bake and lamenting on the fact that she had not been able to raise enough money to go vacationing with her parents.

“Liz! Would you stop freaking moping? You’re driving me nuts!” Isabel grumbled.

“If anyone’s going nuts, Isabel, it’s you,” Liz retorted. “No one forced you to do any of this you know. You just have this tendency to go psycho about the holidays.”

The psychotic gleam in Isabel’s eye made Liz cower. She was holding a knife, after all. When the phone rang, Liz hurried to answer it to put as much distance between her and her best friend as possible. “Hello? Oh, hi Diane!”

Isabel turned around with questioning look on her face.

“Oh, yes, Isabel’s right here.”

Putting down the potential murder weapon, she reached out for the phone. “Yeah, mom?… Okay, so what does that mean?… WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE CANCELLING? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH WORK I’VE DONE?… No… No, I’m not yelling, mom. Ugh, FINE! Whatever.” Hanging up the phone, Isabel screamed. She stormed to the couch and sat with her head in her hands, looking like she wanted to cry.

Tentatively, Liz sat next to her. “What happened, Iz?”

“They’re going to Vegas with a couple of their friends instead of having dinner with me and Max. God, I can’t believe I made all this food,” she gestured to the table which had a turkey, a ham, three different types of bread, two versions of mashed potatoes, corn, two different gravies, cornbread, three different stuffings, and Liz’s chocolate cake.

“Actually, technically, I made the cake.” She received a glare in response. “It’s okay, Izzy. Max will be here in a bit and I’m still here to pig out.”

“But you’re leaving!” Isabel wailed.

Liz looked at her confused. “No I’m not.”

“Yes, you are! You’ve got a plane to catch in a couple of hours. We all pitched in and bought you a ticket so you could go to Vermont with your family. I already packed your bag for you yesterday.”

Liz stood up with tears in her eyes. “Really? Oh, you guys are such good friends! I have to go thank everyone!” She opened the door to find Max already standing there with white flakes sprinkling his black coat.

“Oh, Max! Isabel just told me what you guys did for me and I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you! Wait, how'd you get snow on your coat? We're in LA.”

"Oh, it's not snow. Some kids were playing around with styrofoam outside the building."

She gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek and ran across the hall to thank Tess, Alex, and Michael.

Max walked over to his sister to give her a hug. “I take it you didn’t tell her that I paid for most of it, right?” Isabel shook her head and looked up at him with red eyes. “And I also take it that mom and dad called you too.”

“God, you’d think they would at least have the decency to let me know sooner. They know I always cook Thanksgiving dinner, and they just make plans anyway.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, Iz. I’m sure we can hassle Alex into joining us for dinner, even if he is morally opposed to the holiday.”

Isabel sniffled. She saw his hopeful smile and was glad that she had such an amazing big brother.
As Liz was in her room putting some finishing touches on everything Isabel had packed for her, the rest of the gang had filed into Isabel’s living room.

“Alex, so help me, you are going to join Max and I for Thanksgiving dinner or I will shove my foot so far up your ass you’ll be eating my shoe.”

Alex had the decency to look timid and gulped. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good boy,” Isabel smiled.

Michael cleared his throat and looked at Isabel and Max where they stood in the kitchen. “Actually, *cough* I was wondering *cough* if you had room for one more.”

“I thought you were gonna go to your family’s for Thanksgiving,” Alex replied, eyebrow raised.

Michael looked miserable as he answered back. “She won’t let me go home. She said the baby’s gonna get sick.” He made a face at that. “She’s tough!”

“I know, Mikey, it’s okay,” Tess said. A ringing from her pocket had Michael and Alex looking at her, while she stared, seemingly oblivious, back at them. The ringing stopped and Alex gave her a funny look.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone, Tess?” he asked slowly, as if sudden movements and sounds would frighten her.

Tess simply focused her eyes on him and smiled as if she had just realized he was there. “Oh, I just like when it vibrates.” She looked to see who had called. “Hmm, it’s my sister. I better call her back.” She stepped into another room and started dialing.

Max took Tess’s place on the couch with the guys. “How come you morons aren’t watching the game?” he said loudly. All three of the men looked around to see if any of the girls were looking.

“Turn on the TV so we can watch the parade, stupid!” Michael whispered to Max.
Tess came back into the room with a glum look on her face.

“What’s wrong, hun?” Isabel asked while setting the table for four.

“My sister just cancelled on me. Apparently she was supposed to be at this autograph signing thingy that her agent didn’t mention to her.” She rolled her eyes. “Man, I wish I didn’t have a famous sister.”

Everyone’s heads turned toward her at this.

“What?”
“Famous sister?”
“Who is it?”
“Is she hot?”

Tess leaned in closer to the group that was now crowding her. “Well, I’d tell you… but then I’d have to kill you.” A pause. “Literally. I hope you don’t mind setting an extra place at the table, Izzy. Looks like I’ll be joining you lovely people for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“How did we never know you have a famous sister, Tess? I don’t know of any famous people whose last name is Harding,” Isabel said, stunned, while automatically moving things over on the table to make room for Tess.

“Her last name isn’t Harding. We’re only half-sisters. And I don’t really talk about her that much. I like to keep her private life private.” Tess explained.

Liz chose this moment to come out from packing. “Yeah guys. Besides, I’m sure we’ll get a chance to meet her eventually. It seems like Tess actually likes her sister enough to introduce her to us someday.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Tess turned to Liz and gave her a hug. “Enjoy yourself in Vermont. We’ll miss you!”

“Actually, um… I appreciate what you guys did for me and all, but I was listening to everyone talking while I was packing up my make-up and well… I realized I’d much rather stay here and be with you all,” Liz said timidly.

Everyone clapped.

“Glad you changed your mind, Lizzie,” Michael said. “I’d hug you and all, but I don’t think you want to risk contamination.”

Isabel’s voice carried through the apartment.

“Time for grub!”

“I’d like to take the opportunity to laugh that all of your plans are ruined and as a result, you’re stuck here with me,” Alex said with a smug smile.

He was lucky enough to get away with a smack in the head from Isabel.


End Episode 5



edit: I'm surprised no one caught my slip-ups before I had time to fix them. Now you'll never know!

I'd like to thank all you lovely people for your feedback and bumps. Sorry for the delay, it's been a long, annoying month. One of our dogs was put to sleep, and our cat died yesterday, so I've been in a melancholy mood. But on the bright side, to cheer myself up, I've been watching a lot of Friends, which made me feel a need to write.

I had originally planned to get a part up before Christmas, but I will have another part up soon to catch up with current times.

And in case you can't tell, I've written Liz as if she were me. She does and says things I would totally say.

On with the show.



Episode 6: The One Where Isabel Gets Fired

“God, it’s fucking cold out there,” Liz said as she, Isabel, and Tess walked into The Daily Grind, arms full of bags from various stores.

“Liz, shut up, do you know how cold it is in other places?” Isabel replied. “God, I can’t even imagine how much whining you’d be doing if it were snowing outside.” Shaking her head and dropping her bags, she got up to order some hot coffee.

Pouting, Liz sank into the warm couch next to Tess. “I can’t believe it’s already December. Time’s just going by too fast for my liking.”

Tess turned slightly to look at Liz. “Do you want me to make it go slower for you? I think I can manage, but I’ll need you to get me a sundial and a map of Argentina.”

“Um… I think I’m good Tess. But thanks anyway.”

Isabel came back with three coffees and sighed in exhaustion. “So how much Christmas shopping do you guys have left? I managed to get something for Max, Michael, Alex, my parents, my cousins, and my grandma. I think I got pretty much everyone except for you two. But I already know what I’m gonna get you, so I don’t really have much shopping left to do.”

Liz groaned. “Why are you so freaking organized? I only got shopping done for my sisters and my mom today.”

Isabel glanced over at the amount of bags that Liz had. “How is that possible? You have more bags than I do.”

“Actually, I think she has more bags than you and me combined, Isabel,” Tess added.

“Well, I thought I might as well treat myself to something nice,” Liz squeaked, knowing that she was going to get scolded.

“Liz! You know you’re not living off daddy’s money anymore, you should spend more wisely,” Isabel chastised.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Must be nice being Isabel and having this dream job and getting free clothes and make-up and whatever else they give you for working in fashion.”

Liz glanced at Isabel out of the corner of her eye to see if her statement would have the desired effect. Usually, Isabel loved talking about her job and all the new clothes she got after fashion shows.

“Oh, speaking of which, I got this cute new Balenciaga dress the other day after a show. I have a date tomorrow night with that guy I met here the other day and I can’t wait to wear it.”

“Oooh, you mean that cute blonde guy that was checking you out at the counter?” Tess asked with a smirk.

“No, I have a date with that guy tonight. I’m talking about the other guy, the brown-haired one with the gorgeous smile.”

“Oh yeah, that guy was so hot,” agreed Liz.
Alex and Michael walked around the mall, looking as dazed as two half-baked teenagers. After hours of searching, they still couldn’t find gifts for the girls. Since Isabel had threatened to chop off their manhood if they dared to give her another joke present, and since they liked their manhood, they came to the decision that they would give her something that she would love. The problem was, Isabel was so picky that they couldn’t find anything in any store.

They had stopped by a few stores to get gift cards for Tess and Liz since they were equally as clueless about what to buy them. But Isabel had made it perfectly clear that she thought gift cards were too impersonal and that she hated it when people gave them to her.

“God, I cannot believe we’ve been here for three hours and we still cannot find a single thing to give Isabel,” Alex complained while collapsing onto the nearest empty bench.

“Well, you know what, we’ve still got a couple of weeks until Christmas. Why don’t we just come back?” Michael reasoned. He was so tired of walking around shopping. He had seen so many hot girls walking around doing their own Christmas shopping and Alex had stopped him from talking to every single one of them until they had finished their shopping.

Alex gave him a look that said all too clearly that he knew what was on Michael’s mind.

“Hey, I can’t help it if I happen to notice all the hot chicks, man. Maybe if you weren’t a little… gay you’d notice ‘em too.”

“I’m not gay!” Alex exclaimed in reply. “I’m just very focused on the task at hand. I’d like to keep my testicles exactly where they are, thanks very much. If you would rather have yours chopped off with Isabel’s favorite meat cleaver, then you go right ahead. I‘m keeping my balls right where they are.”

Michael shuddered. “Point taken. Let’s get moving then, shall we?”

Max sat at his apartment carefully wrapping all of the gifts he had purchased for Christmas. One of the annoying things about being Isabel’s brother was that he was forced to endure her during the holidays, which meant he had grown up being forced to help her make sure that everything was absolutely, positively 100% perfect. Although he had always hated it, as he grew older, he had to admit that it did have its benefits. At least he didn’t scramble around with the other last minute shoppers looking for that perfect gift.

He looked up as someone entered without knocking. I really need to start locking that fucking door, he thought to himself as he stared up at Isabel closing the door behind her.

“Oh God, I hope none of those are mine!” she said, turning around and covering her eyes.

Max rolled his eyes. “Please. With you popping by unexpectedly so often, I bought and wrapped your presents first.”

Isabel beamed. “I taught you well, young padawan.”

“Whatever, Izzy. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had a date with that ‘super hot coffeehouse guy,’ as Tess kept referring to him.”

“Oh. Yeah that’s over. He turned out to be such a douche.”

“Did you just call someone a douche?”

Isabel gave him the evil eye. “Shut up. Anyway, I just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to join the rest of us at the coffee house.”

“Um… yeah, sure. Let me just finish wrapping this really quick.”

Looking down, Isabel got a chance to look at what he was wrapping. “Aw, is that for Liz?”

It was an adorable figurine of Thumper from the movie “Bambi.” One of Liz’s little quirks is that she absolutely loved anything having to do with Disney. She had always actively collected Disney items when she was growing up and continued to as an adult. Coupled with her strange obsession with bunnies, Isabel thought that Max’s gift would be just perfect for Liz.

“Yeah, I was just shopping around Downtown Disney and I saw this at World of Disney and I just had to get it for her,” Max said enthusiastically.

“World of Disney, Max?” Isabel asked. “The prices on those figurines are unbelievable. How much did you pay for that?”

“Oh, not much.”

“Max.”

“No, really, Isabel.”

“Max.”

“Seriously.”

“MAX!”

“Okay, fine!” Max cowered. “It really wasn’t THAT much. Just a few hundred dollars.”

“Oh my God, Max, you spent $300 on that present?” Isabel said in disbelief. Max wasn’t cheap, by any means, but he was definitely against spending money on frivolous things. A statue of a bunny was definitely one of the things Max would consider unnecessary.

“Well… yeah,” Max replied sheepishly.

“Wow… you must really like Liz, huh?”

“Wha-- I-- no, I--” Max stammered.

“There’s no use trying to deny it, Max. You’re so obvious. And besides, I’m your sister. I know everything.”

Max looked at the smug smile on Isabel’s face and knew she was right.

“Ugh, Isabel. I don’t just like her. I think… I think I love her.”

“Love? That’s… that’s uh… that’s a big jump.”

“No, Isabel. I liked her so much in high school and then we all just drifted apart. And now she’s here and she’s grown into such an amazing person. I can’t help but love her.” The look on Max’s face as he told Isabel how he felt made her heart melt. She always wondered why Max never dated much or seemed very interested in women. Everyone knew that Max had a crush on Liz in high school except Liz, and everyone could see that he liked her a lot now… except Liz, of course. But Isabel had no idea that Max was actually in love with her.

“So…” Isabel started. “When are you gonna tell her?”

Max groaned before going back to what he was doing and ignoring his sister.
Liz was standing in the kitchen of the bakery, mixing all the ingredients for a chocolate cake into a large mixing bowl, trying to plan out the Christmas presents she was planning on buying for all her friends. She had planned to go shopping right after work but she wanted to be sure she knew what she was buying so she wouldn’t get sidetracked and end up shopping for herself.

She had already decided that she would get Michael a gift card for his favorite restaurant. Michael’s gift was the most obvious since the one thing he loved most in the world, other than sex and his stuffed Care Bear that he slept with at night, was food.

For Tess, she had found the perfect jewelry set at an antique store. She passed by the store on her way to work that day and thought that they would be just perfect for Tess’s quirky tastes.

As she poured the batter into a cake pan, and put it in the oven, she wandered around her mental map of the mall and came to a stop at a gadget store. She could probably find some interesting gadget for Alex.

I think I’m gonna have the hardest time finding presents for Max and Isabel. Izzy’s just so picky about her damn presents. Liz groaned inwardly at the thought of Isabel’s reaction to whatever present she decided on. Though Liz was the one who was considered the most materialistic, it was Isabel who returned the most presents because no one could ever give her something that she liked. She was so wrapped up in the holidays that if she got anything less than perfect, it was unacceptable, but she always put on a polite face in front of the gift-giver.

Crap, I wonder what I should get for Max, Liz thought. Lately, she had been thinking of Max a lot and she couldn’t figure out what it was she felt for him. She wasn’t quite sure yet if it was something more than friendship, but she was hesitant to find out.

She sat and thought about it for a long time, almost forgetting about the cake she had put in the oven. I hope they don’t mind it a little burned. I probably shouldn‘t have let my mind wander.

After decorating the cake and putting it into a box for the customers to pick it up, she clocked out, said goodbye to the boss, and headed straight to the mall.
The six friends sat at the coffeehouse during the weekend, all of their shopping done thanks to Isabel’s gentle prodding.

“I’m telling you, Isabel, elves really do exist!” Michael argued.

“Michael, there’s no way that elves can really exist,” Max said reasonably.

“Oh, yeah? Then what do you call that?!” He pointed outside the window of the coffeehouse and there was an old midget walking across the street with his arms full of presents.

“Well that’s… an elf,” Alex said, slowly sitting down, looking perplexed.

Isabel’s phone started to ring, so she quickly answered, not liking to leave people waiting.

“Hello,” she said cheerily. Her smile quickly turned into a frown. “Wait, what do you mean? But I was told I could take that home.”

Everyone looked at her. Her voice was getting squeakier the more she talked and she looked like she was getting more upset by the conversation.

“Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t know! Can’t I just give back the dress? Wha--?” She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it, not knowing what to say. She looked up at her friends, whose eyes were concerned. Tears started to form in her eyes and Max and Liz immediately went to her side.

“Izzy, honey,” Liz said slowly. “What happened?”

“That was work. Apparently I wasn’t supposed to take one of the dresses that I took and I… I got fired,” Isabel wailed.

While Max and Liz patted her on the back, Michael looked around at his friends and nervously chuckled, clearly uncomfortable with such an emotional situation. “Well I guess you’re not sending them a Christmas card this year, huh?”

Everyone merely glared at him.

“Geez, tough crowd.”

I'm back! I wrote a bit more for this part than normally, mostly because I love Christmas and since this is a Christmas part, I wanted to do it a little bit of justice. Sorry it's late for Christmas, but hopefully you enjoy it.

Thanks to the feedbackers! You guys rock!

P.S. April, I'll trade you parts for this story in exchange for parts from your story.



On with the show!

Episode 7: The One With The Christmas Slumber Party

Christmas Eve morning, Michael was in his apartment eating a pizza and watching “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” with a confused look on his face. A few minutes later, he chuckled.

“Heh, heh, Kate Winslet’s panties.”

The door opened and Liz walked in carrying bags of last minute presents.

“Michael, you gotta help me wrap all these things before we do our thing tonight!”

Michael gave her a disapproving look. “Liz, I can’t believe you waited this long to get these gifts! Isabel would be ashamed.”

“Yeah well, she’s been too distracted trying to find a job to notice that none of the presents under the tree say ‘From Liz’.” She paused for a moment to think about something. “You know, it’s a good thing Isabel planned ahead and bought everyone’s Christmas presents so early. She probably would’ve gotten so depressed knowing that she couldn’t make this Christmas perfect.”

“It’s too bad she hasn’t found another job yet. Who knew fashion expert person isn’t a job with a whole lotta options,” Michael said with a shrug.

The door flew open suddenly and Liz quickly ducked behind the counter in the kitchen, praying that it wasn’t Isabel and that she hadn’t seen the unwrapped gifts.

“Hey Mike, have you seen my Celine Dion Christmas CD?” Alex asked.

Liz popped back up so she was visible, eyebrow raised and looking at Alex with an amused expression. “Celine Dion, Alex?”

“I--well-- you’re not supposed to be here!” Alex said, storming out, the sound of Michael and Liz‘s laughter echoing into the hallway as he slammed the door and entered Isabel’s apartment.
Isabel sat in the living room surrounded by the perfect Christmas decorations she had set up a little bit after she had gotten fired. No matter what happened, nothing was allowed to ruin the Christmas spirit she worked so hard to maintain over the years.

She sighed as Alex came back from his apartment.

“Did you find it, Alex?”

“Yeah, it was underneath my copy of Jane Eyre,” Alex answered flippantly.

Much like Liz’s reaction to hearing about Alex’s love of Celine Dion, Isabel looked at him curiously. “What the fuck are you doing reading Jane Eyre?”

Alex thought about it for the moment. “Is there anything I can say that will make me seem manly at this moment in time?”

“No, not really.”

“Well then…” Alex decided that the best course of action was to just disregard Isabel’s question and her amusement. “So should we put it on now or wait until after the movie?”

“I think we should save it for when everyone gets here to open presents. It’ll be nice background music.”

“Oh, it sure as hell will,” Alex smiled. “I love her version of Blue…” Alex’s voice faltered when he saw the smirk on Isabel’s face, “…Christmas. Yeah, you should’ve just chopped off my testicles last week when I told you to get a job as Santa Claus at the mall. I might as well not have ‘em at all.”

Isabel laughed as she reached for the remote to turn on the TV.
When Max arrived at Isabel’s an hour later with his presents in a very large gift bag in one hand and an overnight bag in the other hand, Scott Calvin had already become Santa Claus and returned from the north pole.

Tess had arrived in her duckie pajamas a little bit after Alex and Isabel had started the movie. All three of them smiled at Max when he walked in.

“Hey bro!”
“Hey buddy.”
Grunt.

“What’s with Tess?” Max asked, puzzled, when he went to hug his sister.

“Oh, she’s never seen this movie before,” Alex explained. He was amazed at her amazement and innocence over all the Christmas movies they were watching.

“What?” said Max, surprised. “But it’s such a classic, how have you not seen this, Tess?”

Tess paused the movie and smiled at the TV before answering Max. “Well, you know how my mom left me and my sister when we were young? Well, my stepdad didn’t think that Christmas was so important after mom was gone, so usually he went out and got drunk and then one Christmas he was arrested for pleasuring himself in public.” She turned her attention back to the television as if she hadn’t just said something that was extremely depressing.

“Oh well that’s… a downer. Thanks Tessie.”

“No problem, Max!” Tess said, not turning away from the movie.

“So sis,” Max said, shaking his head and turning to Isabel. “What time is everyone else going to be here?”

“Well, Michael’s across the hall helping Liz wrap her last minute Christmas presents that she thinks I don’t know about. So I’m thinking they’ll be done in about half an hour. Now go put your presents under the tree and try not to mess up my perfect system by putting Alex’s stuff with Tess’s stuff, okay, Max? We don‘t want another repeat of last year‘s massacre.”

“Gotcha.”
Liz and Michael came in just as the movie was ending with the rest of the presents, not bothering to sneak them in since they found out that Isabel had known all along that they were frantically wrapping. After she had pounded on the door, demanding that they “hurry the fuck up,” as she so eloquently put it, they threw some wrapping paper and ribbon on the last of the presents and hurried over to Isabel’s.

“Hey, guys,” Isabel greeted them. “Put the poorly wrapped presents under the tree and change into your pajamas so we can start the next movie.”

“Yes, mom,” they chimed.

Liz went into her room to change into her Christmas pajamas, humming Christmas carols to herself, not noticing Max’s eyes following her every move.

Michael, on the other hand, went right ahead and took off his pants in the middle of the living room.

“God, Mike, keep it in your damn pants,” Tess said, covering her eyes.

“What?” Michael demanded. “I’m wearing my fucking pajama pants underneath for your information.”

“Oh. Well in that case, take it all off, honey!”
The six friends sat in Isabel and Liz’s living room watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” with only the Christmas lights shining around them. Everyone had changed for the slumber party and they were all snuggled up together. Isabel sat on the couch with a tissue in her hand, with Alex, Tess, and Michael on the floor in front of her. Tess had her head in Alex’s lap and her feet on Michael’s lap, while Liz sat on Max’s lap on the recliner.

As the movie concluded, everyone got up from where they were to stretch, except for Max, who seemed to have been enjoying having Liz so close to him, if the pillow he now had across his lap was any indication.

“God, I love that movie,” Isabel sniffled.

“I know,” Liz agreed. “It always makes me cry.”

“Liz, you’re generally just a crybaby,” Alex stated.

“No I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You cried yesterday watching a ‘Saved By The Bell’ rerun.”

“Hey, Kelly broke up with Zack for that fugly looking cradle robber, I think that my crying was fair!”

Everyone shrugged in agreement. There was silence for a moment before the clock began to chime.

“Ooh, it’s Christmas!” Tess exclaimed in excitement.

“Merry Christmas!” everyone shouted simultaneously, hugging the nearest person.

“Time to open presents,” Liz said happily. She skipped over to the beautifully decorated tree and sat down, beckoning everyone to join her. Everyone gathered around the tree and sat in front of their very organized pile of presents. Max’s pile was conveniently placed next to Liz’s pile, though neither noticed the secret smiles that Tess, Alex, and Michael passed to each other.

The sound of Frank Sinatra filled the room with a sense of joy as the group sat together.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on our troubles will be out of sight

“Okay,” Isabel said, “everyone takes turns opening one present at a time. Tess, you go ahead and open first, sweetie.”

“Yay! I’m so excited!” Tess reached for the top present and quickly ripped the wrapping paper off. “Oh my God, this is so cool!” She held up a Magic 8 Ball with a big grin on her face. “Now I can know everything all the time! Thanks so much, Mike.”

“Anytime, Tess.”

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yuletide gay
From now on our troubles will be miles away

“Okay, Mike, you next.”

Michael reached for one that was decently sized. “A new set of paints! Thanks, Iz. How’d you know?”

“Oh, probably because you mentioned that you had no more money for paint because you spent it all at the arcade trying to win a Curious George doll,” Isabel said sarcastically. “I’ll go next.” She opened the one from Tess and her eyes lit up. “Oh, Tess, this is perfect. I’ve been so stressed out lately, I could really use a good massage.”

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore

“It’s no problem, Izzy. And that‘s actually good for like, 10 massages. The benefits of working at a spa.”

Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

“Okay, Alex next.”

“Cool.” Alex ripped the ribbon off the first one he touched. “Mike, why the hell did you give me a picture of a kitten? Mike? Where’d Mike go?”

Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough

Everyone looked around and sure enough, Michael was missing. Just as Isabel was about to get up and look for him, Michael returned. He walked to where Alex was sitting and dropped a little ball of fuzz into his lap. “Merry Christmas, man.”

Alex’s smile was contagious as he held the gray kitten in his hands. “Mike, this is great! I can’t believe you got us a cat!”

“Well, we’ve been talking about getting a pet for a while now, and I know you had a cat when you were a kid. Plus, this lady was giving them away for free, so I figured the price was just right for my budget.” Michael patted Alex on the back, happy that he had picked the right gift for his best friend for Christmas.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

Everyone played with Michael’s gift for a while before Liz chimed in. “My turn!”

Liz opened one of the big presents. “Oh cool, baking crap! Oh my, this is a lot of stuff, Alex. Aw, I love it, thanks.” She crawled across the circle to where Alex sat and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Alex looked nervously at Max, who glowered at him in jealousy.

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore

Max took that as his cue to finally open one of his presents. The tag said it was from Isabel. He looked up at his twin sister’s face and smiled at the expectation he could see sparkling in her eyes. The girl might not have any source of income at the moment, but it warmed his heart to know that she could find joy in giving people things that she could’ve easily returned in order to save more money for herself. He had always admired Isabel’s compassion and giving nature, but he had never admired it more than now.

Leaning over, he hugged her lovingly. “Thank you, Izzy.”

Isabel laughed a little bit. “You haven’t even seen what it is, Max.”

“Yeah, but I know I’ll love it anyway.” He pulled off the top of the box and showed everyone the deluxe edition of all of the Harry Potter books. “Wow, Iz! This is great, I told you I’d love it.”

Alex snickered. “You read Harry Potter?”

Max mimicked his actions sarcastically. “Celine Dion, Alex?”

He laughed nervously. “Right, let’s not talk about it anymore, okay, buddy?”

“Agreed.”
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

“I’ll be right back, guys, I’m just gonna go put these away really quick,” Liz said, gathering all the presents she received in her arms. Everyone had finished opening their gifts 15 minutes before and were now preparing to watch “Christmas With The Cranks.”

She went back to her room and put the presents on her dresser, sighing.

Over the past few weeks, Liz realized that what she was feeling for Max was a crush. She had gone out with a few guys since Thanksgiving to try to take her mind off him, but that had done little good. Although, Liz smiled as she remembered, Max did seem kind of jealous when I met up with Dylan at The Daily Grind while he was there having coffee with Tess.

It was weird to think that he was the same guy she grew up with as a kid, he was so… hot now. She blushed just thinking about that. Ugh, I can’t believe I’m feeling this way about him. He probably doesn’t even notice me. He didn’t even give me a Christmas present, Liz thought sadly.

She had been excited to find out what Max would give her for Christmas and was overcome with bitter disappointment when she reached for her last present and found that it wasn’t from him. It made her glad that she also hadn’t put the present she had gotten for him in his pile yet. She was planning to give it to him in private, but now, the idea seemed silly.

All our lives I’ve always been his sister’s best friend. He probably only sees me as some spoiled little airhead crybaby whiner. How could I have let this happen? God, I’m so stupid.

She fell backwards onto her bed and put a pillow over her face to cover the obscenities she was screaming at herself.

Though the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough

Max stood outside Liz’s door while Isabel and Tess scooped some of Liz’s cookie dough onto a baking sheet. He had been debating whether or not to knock for the entire length of time it took Tess to call her sister and wish her a merry Christmas, while also exchanging details about the Christmas presents they received so far. He had been surprised that Liz hadn’t gotten him anything, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to give her her present.

“Would you just go in there already?” Michael demanded. “You’ve been standing there for the longest time, and quite frankly, I’m tired of looking at ya.”

Max rolled his eyes. “Fine.” Michael walked away with a smile on his face and joined his friends on the couch as Isabel read them “The Shoemaker and the Elves.”

Max raised his hand and knocked on the door. When it opened, his breath caught in his throat. I love you, he wanted to say. But he didn’t want to scare her away. He couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to see her every day now that she was back in his life.

“Hi Max! Is something wrong?”

Shaking his head out of his Liz-induced daze, he smiled at her before taking a step forward. “Nothing’s wrong, I was just wondering if I could come in for a while.”

“Uh… of course.” She stepped aside to let him in. Before she closed the door, she looked at Tess, Isabel, Alex, and Michael questioningly, but all they could do was smile at her secretively and go back to their story.
Liz closed the door to her Disney-themed room.

“So uh… what’s up, Max?” Liz asked. He may have been imagining it, but he thought he heard a sad tone in her voice.

“I just… wanted to give you your Christmas present without everyone around. I’d never hear the end of it from Mike and Al.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “You got me a Christmas present?”

“Of course, Liz. Why wouldn’t I?” Max asked confused.

“I thought that…” Liz trailed off. “Nevermind. Can I give you yours too, then?”

“You got me… oh, yeah sure you can.”

Liz opened her closed and reached up to grab Max’s present, but she couldn’t quite reach. She stood on her tiptoes struggled to pull the thing down, not managing to succeed. Suddenly, she felt Max come up behind her to get it himself. She couldn’t help but close her eyes as she took in the feeling of his body pressed against hers.

Max was having similar thoughts. As Liz turned to face him, he caught a whiff of her tantalizing perfume and nearly groaned aloud. Yup, this was definitely a bad idea. He took a step back and cleared his throat awkwardly.

Walking back to the dresser, he picked up his gift for her and they traded. “Merry Christmas,” they said simultaneously.

Max opened his first. Liz bit her lip nervously as she watched his face for a reaction.

Max’s mouth opened in awe. It was a simple gift, but it was perfect. Liz had given him an old black-and-white photo of him and her back when they had graduated, in a simple black frame. They were both laughing together, unaware of the camera pointed at them. “Where did you get this?”

Liz smiled, encouraged by his reaction. “My parents took it. It’s one of my favorite pictures. I had it in an album, but I thought I would give it to you because you don’t have any pictures of the two of us.”

Max crossed the room and hugged her tight. “Thanks so much, Liz. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

She looked up at him coyly. “If it means as much to you as it does to me, I think I have a pretty good idea,” she whispered.

“Your turn.”

Liz carefully opened the box that her present was contained in. After taking whatever it was out of the Styrofoam that was safeguarding it, she turned it around to see the front and tears formed in her eyes.

“Oh, Max, this is so beautiful. I can’t believe you got me this, I’ve wanted it for ages.”

“I know,” he whispered in her ear.

Liz raised her teary eyes to Max’s. She just couldn’t help but show him how grateful she was.

Max thought he was daydreaming the moment her lips touched his. What the fuck is happening? Am I really kissing Liz? Is Liz really kissing me?

They both backed away, eyes wide with shock, unable to say anything.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now

End Episode 7
Song used: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra

Hi guys! Thanks so much for being patient, life just got really hectic, as some of you know.

begonia9508 - I'm so glad you liked their Christmas! It's exactly what I would do for my Christmas, I just haven't gotten the chance to try it out.
tequathisy x2 - I was tempted to put in a Paolo and Julie, but ultimately I decided that I'm too much of a dreamer to make them wait that long. That's not to say that they won't have their fair share of Ross and Rachel drama though! Thank you for wishing me luck on my exams. Too bad the wishing didn't work.
destinyc
nibbles2
xmag x2 - Don't you worry, Tess and her sister will be nothing like Phoebe and Ursula. I just wanted to emphasize the Max and Liz, but everyone will get their turn.
CrashandBurn8321
April x3 - I hope you think this part is great too. I'm sorry that it'll take a while for Michael and Maria to happen, but thems the breaks, huh? I think you'll like it anyway.

Here's the long awaited part. I will try not to keep you waiting too long for the next one, especially since I left it the way I did.

Episode 8: The One Where Everyone Freaks Out

“You guys kissed? You kissed?”

“Yes, Alex, I don’t know how many times I have to repeat myself, but we fucking kissed okay?” A very frustrated Max ran his fingers through his hair as he glared at Alex, who still had his mouth open in shock. “Do you have to have that look on your face? Is it really that surprising that she’d kiss me?”

Alex chose that moment to close his mouth and shake his head. “No, no, of course not, it’s just… scandalous.”

Max gave him a funny look. “Did we suddenly get warped into ‘Recess’ and you just happened to get turned into an Ashley?”

“No, asshole, I’m just saying, I didn’t even know Liz liked you like that.”

“So she hasn’t said anything to you guys about it?”

“Not a peep. I don’t even think the girls know, you know how much they looooove the gossip.”
“You kissed him?! Like, kissed him kissed him?!”

“Yes, Isabel, can you stop screaming? Shit, I think dogs in Ohio can hear you.”

“Shut the fuck up, Elizabeth, this is big news!”

“Well I don’t want the whole world to know, God.”

“What does this mean?” Isabel asked, leaning in to Liz. “Are you guys a couple, are you guys fuck buddies, are you guys losers who just kiss and don’t talk about it?” Looking into Liz’s face gave her the answer she needed. “Are you fucking kidding me, Parker? You kissed my brother a week ago and you haven’t talked about it since then?”

“It’s only been six days, thank you very much,” Liz defended.

“Same difference, Lizzie. Why haven’t you talked to him yet?”

“I just… haven’t seen him since Christmas. I mean, I got scared and I left the room and we came out here and had our slumber party and then we didn’t get the chance to talk and now I feel like he’s just avoiding me because he didn’t want me to kiss him and I’m freaking out, slap me.”

Isabel laughed. “Okay why don’t you just take a breath before you hyper-ventilate, wimp?”

Taking a deep breath, Liz closed her eyes and put her head in her hands.

“Fuck. I hate men.”
“So how come you haven’t talked to her?” Alex asked as he took his first bite of a pepperoni Hot Pocket.

“I dunno, man. I just haven’t seen her since then.”

“She hasn’t tried to call you or anything?”

“No.” It took Max a moment to start panicking. “Oh my fucking God, what if she just doesn’t want to speak to me at all? What if this is just so awkward that our friendship is never the same again and she can’t even stand to be around me? What if—” The quick slap in the face that Alex had given him was enough to bring him back to his senses.

“Would you just shut the fuck up with your stupid assumptions and think logically for a minute?” Alex demanded.

“Yeah,” Max agreed dazedly. “I can do that. Logic. I think I’ve got it.”

“Good. Now let’s analyze this, shall we? You and Liz kissed. Even more important to this topic of conversation is the fact that she is the one who kissed you. Now, do you think that Liz would’ve kissed you if she didn’t feel anything for you?”

“Well, no, I guess not. I mean, she’s not a slut or anything. But God, do you really think she feels something for me?”

“I’m not a genius or anything, but I think I’m enough of a stud to know how a woman’s mind operates. Believe me, she wants you.”
“I don’t know about this, Isabel.”

“Come on, pansy, just dial the number. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“You mean other than being rejected and totally humiliated and possibly fucking up a relationship with one of my best friends?”

“Yeah, see, not so bad.”

Liz rolled her eyes, and continued to weigh the phone in her hand. The number was already dialed, all she had to do was press ‘send’ but she was having the hardest time making her fingers actually work.

Get over it, stupid. This is Max, of course he wouldn’t just ditch you even if he doesn’t feel the same way, Liz scolded herself.

“I’m gonna go lie down for a while and think things over.”

She walked toward her room and opened the door.

“Liz!”

Turning around warily, she stopped to look at her best friend.

“Everything’s gonna be fine. Just talk to him.”

Liz smiled and shut the door to her room, promptly collapsing on her bed.

She had had six days to figure out what exactly had made her kiss Max on Christmas. And now that she was finally able to admit that she wanted Max in every way possible, she was worried. What if he didn’t feel the same way? Could she really be okay with just being friends with him after her recent revelation? Even if she wasn’t, she would have to bear it. It didn’t matter if her heart would feel like it was being eaten by hungry carnivorous bunnies every time she was with him and not really with him, she would endure it because she couldn’t imagine Max not being in her life in any way.

Liz pressed the phone to her ear.
“Look, Maxwell, I don’t see why you’re being such a pussy about this. She’s just a girl.”

“She’s not just a girl, Michael. She’s Liz. Liz, who I was in love with for five fucking years of my life. Liz, who was the girl of my dreams.”

“Max, just make the call already. You guys are gonna run into each other tonight at the party, why make things awkward for everyone?”

Max looked at Michael, who was giving him a beautiful “you’re a fucking moron” face, and rolled his eyes. He then looked at Alex, who had been relatively silent since Michael had arrived home. Alex gave him a sympathetic look and shrugged his shoulders, letting Max know that he was on his own.

“Here.” Michael shoved the phone in his face. “Give her a call. You’ll never know unless you try.” Turning to Alex, he gestured that they should leave. “Let’s go get some pizza. I’m starving.”

“Didn’t you show up here with a footlong meatball sub that you devoured in less than five minutes?” Alex said.

“Yeah, stupid of me not to get my usual three. Come on.”

The pair walked out the door, leaving Max staring at the phone in his hand. When it made a shrill noise, he pushed a button and hesitantly answered. “Liz?”
After pizza, Michael and Alex decided to go to the coffee house, where they found Isabel and Tess sitting on their usual couch.

“Hey girls, what are you talking about?”

“None of your fucking business, Michael Guerin.”

“Max and Liz?” Alex offered.

“Yup,” Tess replied.

“Don’t you find it funny that we know how those two feel about each other and they don’t even know it?” Isabel asked. “I mean, seriously, how blind can they both be?”

“I know!” Tess agreed. “I feel like the fates are just laughing at them for not seeing what everyone else sees. Especially Liz. She must be a regular comedy act with the fates right now. I wouldn’t know though, I haven’t talked to them for a couple of weeks.”

“Well, I get how Max could be confused about Liz’s feelings,” Alex clarified. “I mean, personally I see it, seeing as I’m so great with women—”

Isabel took the opportunity to laugh hysterically at his comment, while Michael settled for a simple cough that sounded an awful lot like the word bullshit.

“—SO GREAT WITH WOMEN,” Alex yelled over the two, “but Liz’s actions definitely seem confusing. I mean, she obviously likes him the same way he likes her, so why would she freak out after kissing him like she did on Christmas?”

“Who knows? Maybe the mall scent over the years has fried her brain,” Michael said.

“Well whatever. We should get back to my apartment. The party’s in a couple hours and I need all of you to help me set up. And you still have to change.”

“What are you talking about, Iz?” Michael asked. “We’re already dressed.”

Isabel looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his Metallica t-shirt. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”

“No, I am not fucking kidding you, this is my favorite shirt, and I’ll be damned if I let you dress me up, Isabel Evans!”
Liz came back from the bakery with the cake that Isabel wanted for the party just as Isabel, Alex, Tess, and Michael were putting the finishing touches on the apartment. Isabel had decided to go with a masquerade ball theme and had managed to get Michael into a suit.

“How’d she manage to get you to wear that, Guerin? Sexual favors, perhaps?” Liz smirked.

Isabel walked over to usher her to her room to change. “Very funny, Parker. It just took a little bit of gentle persuasion.”

“Gentle persuasion?”

“In other words,” Alex explained, “she told him she couldn’t eat any of her food tonight if he didn’t change into the outfit she laid out on his bed.”

Glancing over at Michael from across the room, she noticed him glaring at Isabel’s back, nibbling on some of the hors d’oeuvres she laid out and mumbling “bossy wench” as he ate.

Shutting the door, Liz tugged her shirt off and put on the new dress she had bought.
An hour and thirty guests later, the party was well under way and Isabel was being the perfect hostess that she normally was. She was just about to blow a gasket that her brother hadn’t arrived yet when there was a knock at the door. Putting on a smile, Isabel opened the door to see Max standing in the hallway in a gorgeous tuxedo. Well, I can’t wait to see Liz’s reaction to this, she thought. If he wasn’t my twin, he’d look damn hot right now.

“Hey brother of mine. Is being fashionably late your new thing or do you just love driving me crazy?”

“Just trying to make tonight perfect, sister dear. I don’t think you’d appreciate it very much if I didn’t look my best. Especially since I have a date.” He winked at her.

Isabel frowned. “A date with who? You never mentioned you were bringing someone.”

“The most amazing girl I’ve ever met. I knew you wouldn’t mind since you’re always telling me that I need to find the woman of my dreams rather than wait for her to come to me.” With that, he walked away, leaving Isabel worrying as he poured himself a drink.

What a dick. God, I hope Liz can survive this.
Liz had just put the finishing touches on her outfit. She was wearing a short, but elegant black silk dress and had curled her hair, giving her an exotic type of look.

“Lizzie?”

“Come on in, Tess.”

She turned as Tess peeked through the door and let out a squeal. “Oh, Liz, you look so gorgeous!”

“So do you, Tess,” Liz replied warmly. Tess looked stunning in a knee-length pink dress (pink for you, April!) with her hair pulled into an elegant bun. “I bet you knocked your date’s socks off.”

“Well, I was hoping that maybe his boxers were what would come off, but I guess I could settle for socks too. Did you talk to Max yet?”

“Um, we talked a little bit earlier,” Liz said vaguely.

“Is that all you have to tell me? Shit, girl, spit it out already, what did he say?”

“We—”

A knock interrupted Liz’s answer and an exasperated Tess sat down dramatically on Liz’s bed.

“Liz, can I talk to you for a second?” Isabel asked gently as she opened the door. “Tessie, can I have a minute alone with her?”

“Of course,” said Tess as she skipped out of the room and back to her date for the evening.

“Liz, you should sit down, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Is everything ok, Iz?” Liz frowned. The look on Isabel’s face was really starting to freak her out.

“No actually, I just wanted to warn you that—”

Knock, knock.

Liz got up to answer the door and smiled. “Max, hi.”

“Hey Liz. I’m here to pick you up for our date,” he said charmingly. “Hey sis.” Max smirked at her. He knew that Isabel would be quick to jump to conclusions. She should’ve known him better than that.

Finally understanding what was going on, Isabel got up to return to the party. “Don’t be too long guys,” she said teasingly.

Turning back to Liz, Max held out his hand for hers. “Shall we?”
Alex and Isabel watched their respective best friends across the room. They hadn’t been able to part from each other since they arrived at the party, and it made both of them happy to see the couple finally come together.

“They look so perfect together, don’t they, Alex?”

“Yeah, I have to admit, they really do.”

“Do you ever… do you worry that you’ll never find something like that?” Isabel asked wistfully.

Alex turned to study her. “No, not really… even though my parents had the most dysfunctional marriage ever, I still feel like I’m going to find the right woman for me someday.”

Isabel smiled at his comment. Alex should’ve been ultimately screwed up by his childhood, but his comment gave her hope that if he felt he could find love, then so could she.

“You’ll find the right guy, Isabel. Luckiest guy in the world, if you ask me.” He winked at her and went to refill his drink.
You're in my arms
And all the world is gone
The music playing on
For only two

“Liz, why did you kiss me on Christmas?”

Liz looked up from where her head was on Max’s shoulder as they slow-danced. “Why do you think I did?”

Max swallowed. Here goes nothing.

“Well… I’m hoping that you didn’t just do it out of excitement. Or because I conveniently happened to be there.”

“Nope,” she said softly. “Keep guessing.”

So close together
And when I’m with you
So close to feeling alive

Smiling, he continued. “So then I thought about it. I decided that you probably weren’t daydreaming that I was Johnny Depp.”

She laughed at his attempt to keep this conversation from being too awkward. “Definitely not. Too old for me.”

A life goes by
Romantic dreams must die
So I bid mine goodbye
And never knew

“My mind told me that maybe it was just a bet. Or you did it as a favor to one of our friends, because they knew how I felt about you. No way Liz Parker would ever willingly kiss me.”

Looking into his eyes, she asked the question she had been dying to ask him for the past six days.

So close was waiting
Waiting here with you
And now, forever, I know
All that I want is to hold you
So close

“And how… exactly… do you feel about me, Max Evans?”


Taking a deep breath, Max stared at her face and answered honestly.

“Liz Parker…”

So close to reaching
That famous happy end

Her breath caught as he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.

“Hey guys, we’ve got fifteen seconds! Start the countdown!”

Almost believing
This one’s not pretend

“I am absolutely…”

“13! 12!”

Now you’re beside me

“Positively…”

“11! 10!”

And look how far we’ve come

“Head over heels…”

“9! 8!”

So far
We are
So close

“In love with you.”

Oh how could I face the faceless days
If I should lose you now?

Liz’s eyes sparkled as she studied him and saw that he was absolutely serious about his answer. It was more than she could even hope for. He loved her.

“7! 6!”

“And I’m hoping,” he continued, “that the fact that it took you six days to call me means that you were nervous about what my reaction was and not that you regretted that kiss you gave me. Did you regret it?”

She slowly shook her head, unable to form words.

“5! 4!”

We’re so close to reaching
That famous happy end

He leaned in further, so his lips were almost touching hers. “Then I’m also hoping that maybe it means…”

“3!”

Almost believing
This one’s not pretend

“…that just maybe…”

“2!”

Let’s go on dreaming
Though we know we are

“…you’re falling in love with me too.”

“1!”

Liz’s answer was to close the distance between them with a soft kiss.

“Happy New Year!”

So close
So close, and still
So far
Meanwhile, in the hallway, Isabel was left dazed after the kiss she had just received.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” said the deep male voice.

“Says who?” Isabel reached up to touch his face and kissed him again.



Song used: Jon McLaughlin – So Close

End Episode 8

Sorry if it's crap, but thanks for sticking with it. Summer is completely kicking my ass! My boyfriend is turning 21 tomorrow and I've been spending the last 3 weeks trying to plan a birthday party for him on Friday. As usual, people are pulling last minute cancellations and last minute confirmations on me, so I'm scrambling to figure shit out.

I love you guys <3


Episode 9: The One Where Michael Can’t Eat

“Oh, my God! So you guys are like, together now?”

Max and Liz smiled from the armchair they were sitting in. It was the day after New Year’s and although they would’ve liked to keep their relationship to themselves for a few more days, they both knew that nothing was a secret with Isabel always snooping around in everyone’s business, determined to know the latest gossip at all times. They had told all their friends that morning and the reactions ranged from overjoyed to complete boredom.

“Yeah, Tess, we’re totally together now,” Max said. “Did I just turn into an airhead? Because it sounded like I did.”

Liz looked up at him with an adoring expression. “Don’t worry about it, honey. You’re still a sexy airhead.”

He gave Liz a loving kiss and slowly unwrapped his arms around her. “As much as I’d like to stay here with you snuggled up against me, I have to go to work. I’ll come over tonight and we can watch a movie or something.”

“No, can do, loverboy,” Tess said. “We are having a girls night.”

“Oh,” Max said, disappointed. “Well, we’ll plan something for another night then. See you, girls.”

“Bye.”

Liz turned to Tess. “Girls’ night? I don’t recall us planning a girls’ night together.”

“That’s because I just planned it. Duh, Liz.”

“Can’t it wait? I really wanted to spend time with Max. You know, my new boyfriend?”

“Oh, you do, huh? So I guess you don’t want to find out as badly as I do who the mystery man was that I spotted Isabel sucking face with in the hallway during the party, right?”

There was a long pause.

“So does this sound like the kind of gossip that calls for non-fat ice cream or the regular ‘turn-you-into-a-lard-ass’ kind?”

Tess giggled.

“Oh, I think the second one is in order. Isabel sure has a lot of explaining to do when we get our hands on her.”
“I still can’t believe that Max hooked up and we didn’t,” Alex grumbled.

“I know,” Michael agreed. “Actually, I can believe you didn’t hook up. I just can’t believe I didn’t.”

“Fuck you.”

“Love you too, big Al.”

Max chuckled listening to the two of them banter. Nothing could ruin his day now that he was finally with his dream girl.

“Get that ugly smile off your face, Evans. Just because you got laid, doesn’t mean you gotta show off.” Michael reached for his fifth slice of pizza and practically shoved it in his mouth while he talked.

“Slow down, black hole,” Alex suggested, a look of horror on his face. “I can’t believe your parents raised you to eat like that.”

“Hey! Don’t you talk shit about my parents.”

“Believe me I’m not. I’ve met your parents and I’m inclined to think that a robot wiped your memory clean before leaving you on the side of the road at fifteen years old, where your parents found and took pity on you and raised you as their own. No way were you raised by the same people you introduced to me as your parents.”

Michael scowled. “You guys want another pizza? I’m still hungry.”

“I guess I could eat another slice or two,” Max said.

“Yeah, same here.”

“Okay.” Michael flagged down a waiter. “Can I get a large pizza with extra cheese, onions, pepperoni, sausage, bacon bits, and a side order of buffalo wings?” He paused while the waiter wrote down the order. “And a small pizza for my friends here.”

“Goddam, Mike, do you think you could eat any more?” Alex questioned.

“Hell yes, dumbass! Just because you’re a wimp who can’t eat like a real man doesn’t mean I don’t have to.”

“A wimp? No, no, my friend, I’m not wimpy. It’s a little thing called self-control. You know, that thing that keeps you from stuffing yourself until you explode? Oh, wait, you don’t have that.”

“Yes, I fucking do! I’ll prove it.”

Max laughed as he watched the two interact. “How the fuck do you expect to prove it, Mike? Not eat?”

“Aha!” Alex’s face lit up with a smile. He turned to Michael. “If you fast for a whole day, I will take back everything I said, and I will… treat you to buffets all day, every day for a whole weekend in Vegas.”

“You’re on, skinny boy! I’ll show you self-control. Now… how fast are we talking about here?”
“So what did he look like? Tall, dark, and handsome?”

“No, he kind of looked like a bum.”

Tess and Liz had been trying their hardest to figure out who it was that Isabel had been caught with. They knew that it would be hard to drag out of her. If she hadn’t already come gushing to them about it, she probably had her own reasons and knowing Isabel, she probably would not be ready to share the identity of her new boytoy until she was ready.

“Isabel was making out with someone that was bumlike? I thought she had better sense than that.”

“Oh, you were talking about Isabel’s mystery lover? I thought you were talking about that bum I saw while I was shopping in Melrose.”

“Tess, what the fuck do I care about a bum you passed in the street?”

“Well, he kind of scared me. I thought maybe you saw him too.”

“Tessie, honey, I wasn’t even with you. I swear, sometimes I don’t get you.”

“Well, that’s okay because I’m not a lesbian, you know.”

The door opened suddenly and both girls turned expectantly. However, it wasn’t Isabel who walked in.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Max,” Tess demanded. “I specifically told you to stay the hell away from this apartment. We are having a girls night.”

Max rolled his eyes. “Trust me, Tess, not my idea. But tweedle dumb and tweedle doofus over here thought they’d barge right over anyway. Besides, I missed my baby too much.” He walked over to Liz and gave her a tender kiss. Both pulled away, smiling. Their smiles quickly turned into glares when they heard a gagging noise and looked over at Alex, who was leaning over pretending to vomit.

“Okay, Captain Sappy, my turn to talk,” Michael interrupted. “I don’t need to hear you whining about how much you looooove Liz every day of my life.”

“Fuck off, twat.”

“ANYWAY,” Alex said, “I bet Michael that he couldn’t fast for a day. Just twenty four measly hours. All he needs to do is hold out until 3:00pm tomorrow. And if just happens to manage this impossible feat, I will treat him to non-stop buffets in Vegas for a weekend.”

This caught Liz’s interests. “Vegas? I wanna go to Vegas.” She turned to face Michael with a stern expression. “If you eat anything in the next twenty four hours, Michael, so help me God, I will feed you to the homeless.”

“What, you think I don’t wanna go to Vegas? That’s exactly why I’m here, you guys gotta help me take my mind off of food!” Michael walked toward the fridge and started to look for something to eat before his eyes went wide and he quickly shut the door closed again. “You see what I mean?! Who am I kidding, you guys can’t take my mind off food, nothing can.” He sat at the kitchen table and put his head down in despair.

“Well, since you think we’re so useless, maybe Liz and I will go back to discussing that guy that I caught Isabel sucking face with last night,” Tess said, slyly.

All three men turned abruptly toward Tess and Liz. Then after a pause, they all grabbed a chair and sat closer to the girls.

“Okay, tell me what you know,” Alex demanded, while Max got up to pop some popcorn.

Both Tess and Liz turned excitedly on the couch.

Liz was the one that spoke first.

“Tess caught Isabel making out with some guy yesterday!!”

“Okay, banshee, take it down a notch,” Michael said. “Who was it Tess?”

“Hell if I know. I didn’t see his face.”

Max came back with the popcorn and held it out for everyone to take some. Michael reached his hand in and lifted the popcorn to his mouth, while Alex and Max watched in amusement. Before he could get any in, though, Liz hit her palm against Michael’s forehead.

“Didn’t I just tell you not to eat? You still have twenty-two hours left of this stupid bet. Stupid.”

“Jeez, it’s only been two hours? I’m fucking starving!”

“You just ate before we even started the bet,” Max pointed out.

“And?”
At 9:00pm, Isabel arrived at her apartment and stood outside the door for a minute. She had spent the day with him at Universal Studios. It was spontaneous and fun, since neither of them had been there for a while. She had never felt this way about anyone before, but she knew that she had to hide it for a while. It would be hard for people to accept, and maybe if they knew that it wasn’t just a fling, they would take the time to try to be more accepting.

After their kiss at the party, Isabel had suggested that they leave for a more private place. They ended up at his apartment, where he had made her some dessert, which she hated to say was almost better than Liz’s chocolate cake, and they shared a little bit of champagne while watching a movie and ending up in bed. Waking up next to him brought back feelings that Isabel hadn’t felt for so long. When he asked her to spend the rest of the day with him, she couldn’t refuse, even though deep down, she knew that she shouldn’t continue to see him.

She wondered what her parents would think. It would be difficult to hide this from them.

As she turned the key and opened the door, she groaned inwardly.

And let the interrogation begin, she thought, as everyone turned and starting asking her questions at the same time.

[/center] * * * [/center]

By 2:00am, Alex and Max had left the apartment after hours of trying to persuade Isabel to tell them who her mystery guy is. She had managed to keep her mouth shut and was refusing to tell anyone who the man was until she knew whether he was a permanent fixture in her life. She had gone to sleep at 1:00am, saying she was bored of their idiotic theories, one of the more brilliant ones coming from Michael, who suggested that the mystery man was Max.

Michael and Tess were left awake, both of them sitting on the couch watching crappy re-runs on late night TV while Tess ate some chips.

“Do you have to eat those in front of me?”

“Oh, my bad. Do you want me to grab some better smelling ones?”

“No, Tess, they smell too delicious! I can’t believe I can’t eat for another thirteen hours!”

“Why don’t you just go to your apartment and go to sleep? Take your mind off eating.”

“Hey, that’s a great idea! I am so winning this bet.”

“Well, you still have time after you wake up before you officially win,” Tess reasoned.

“Ha, I don’t think so! I can totally sleep for thirteen hours. I’ll see you tomorrow, Tess, and this weekend, we are going to VEGAS!”

Michael hurried over to his apartment and left Tess sitting on her own.

“I am just so smart. Hmm.”

End Episode 9

Good news!

My laptop has been brought back to life (it's a Christmas miracle, I tell you) so I didn't lose any of the story! I will be posting something after the new year.