Roswell Fanatics

Story Title: Dreams and reality
Author: KatnotKath
Rating: TEEN-MATURE
Disclaimer: I don't own them, just borrowing the characters.
Couples: M/L with CC
Summary: Starts sometime around series 1. Just the three aliens for the moment anyway. Max and Liz have just got back together. They start having some strange dreams while Michael finds some strange writing.
AN: Basically imagine that everything in the first series, up to where Tess appeared has happened, but over about three years. Oh and the cave will be mentioned, in this story the cave is more like that described in the Roswell High books and the three aliens found it some time ago.
I know that the summary is rubbish but I'm working on it ok .
Anyway, this is the first story I've posted, I'd love to know what you think.



Chapter 1

"I am so lucky to have you Max Evans." Liz Parker said, sitting back in the passenger seat of the jeep which was parked over the road from the Crashdown Café.

Max smiled then bent over and kissed her. "No, I'm the lucky one!" He insisted, putting his arms around her and giving her a hug. "Not many girls would be OK with…you know…" He didn't explain or elaborate on this statement but Liz knew exactly what he meant, his words could have no other meaning.

She smiled at him reassuringly. "It's part of you and it always will be but it doesn't change the fact that I love you." She held her breath for a moment as she realised that she had said the last bit out loud. She'd thought it so many times but she couldn't believe that she'd finally told him, that she'd actually admitted the strength of her feelings. Time and time again she had been over it in her head, what she’d say…and how he’d respond. For a moment she was worried, she didn't know what she would do if he told her he didn't feel the same way.

These worries were soon forgotten though as Max slowly put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. "I love you too Liz Parker."

"Max…" Liz started to say something in reply but was cut off as Max tipped his head towards hers and leant over her, kissing her on the lips. This was what she had dreamed of, he’d actually told her he loved her…no more arguments about it being too dangerous for her…just him and her… She readily responded and soon they were locked in a tight embrace, looking like they would never let go of one another again.

**********

Isabel Evans was sat on her bed painting her nails when she heard a noise coming from outside the house. Startled her concentration was broken and her hand slipped, resulting in a line of nail varnish on her finger instead of her nail. She hurried over to the window and looked out but the road appeared clear and she couldn’t see anything moving. Deciding that it must have been her imagination she went and sat back down to continue what she had been doing. She looked down at her nails, surveying the damage and frowned. For a moment she considered repainting the offending nail but within a few moments decided that she couldn't be bothered continuing. As she made this decision, she waved each hand over the other, removing the colour from her nails immediately. As she finished this there was another noise, it was much louder this time, and sounded like it was coming from outside her door. Nervously, she quickly replaced the lid of the bottle and then quietly crept over to her door. Opening it carefully, she looked out cautiously. She couldn’t see anyone directly in front and opened the door a little further so enabling herself to turn and look up the corridor. As she did this, she immediately realised what, or rather who, had caused the noise. Max, her brother was trying to sneak into his room quietly, without much success. Until then she hadn't realised that he'd been missing that evening but now all the pieces fell into place. She let out a small breath she didn’t realise she’s been holding in and laughed softly at herself, so that was it, Max had been out on one of his trips to see Liz no doubt, there was definitely nothing to worry about. Reaching for her dressing gown she removed it from the hook on the inside of her door and, after putting it on, slipped out of her room and crept out onto the landing. She stopped directly in front of her brother’s bedroom and knocked on the door, waiting for him to let her in.

Max was just about to get into bed when he heard a gentle tap on the door. Going over, he opened the door and found his sister Isabel stood outside. “Hey…” He greeted her.

“Hey…can I come in?” She asked him in a low voice.

“I suppose…if you have to…” Max replied. Looking at his sister, he had a feeling this could be the start of a lecture and he really wasn’t in the mood for something like that…he just wanted to enjoy the memories of his date with Liz that night. Isabel wasn’t put off by his obvious reluctance and nodded. He stood to one side and she walked into the room, sitting down and settling herself on the bed.

Max sighed. “What is it Iz…?”

She rolled her eyes and looked at him. “You know one of these days you’re going to get caught…mom or dad is going to be the one that hears you sneaking in instead of me and somehow I don’t think they’d be too happy!” Her tone was light and the lecture not serious but it got the message across.

“I’m always careful…you should know that…” Max responded seriously.

“Ok…I just worry that’s all…” Isabel told him quietly.

Max nodded. “I know…”

Isabel pulled her legs up under her, making herself comfortable on the bed. “So…where have you been all this time…? Cos I can’t imagine that Liz’s parents would allow her to be out with you this late…”

Max shook his head, frowning as he saw her moving into a comfortable position, he knew that it would likely mean she intended to stay a while... “No…I drove around for a bit after dropping Liz off.” He admitted. “I think I just needed some time to myself…to think about things. I lost track of the time…” He hoped that she might take the hint and leave him to be alone with his thoughts again.

“Ok…so what did you need to think about?” Isabel asked curiously. “Please don’t say you’re going to break up with Liz again though…you seem to have been getting on really well recently since you started going out…you make a great couple Max…” She told her brother.

Max shook his head, wishing that she’d drop the subject. “Yeah….no, don’t worry, that’s not it…” He reassured her quickly. “In fact it’s completely the opposite…I realise how stupid I was before…we get on so well and I’m so happy when I’m with her…how could I have ever decided it was wrong…?” He started to think about Liz and a smile appeared on his face.

Isabel groaned. “Oh…you’re getting too mushy for me!” She told him, half complaining.

Max chuckled and looked at her. “Sorry…I’ll try and keep my displays of emotion to a minimum…” He responded.

Isabel nodded. “So what were you thinking about anyway…?”

“You know…things…” Max answered vaguely. His thoughts had been quite private and he really didn’t feel like sharing them with his sister right then…no matter how much he might love her. His eyes started to wander and Isabel could tell that he wasn’t really paying much attention to her anymore. She stood up to leave the room. Her sudden movement jolted Max back to reality and he looked up at her. “What are you doing…?”

“I’m going to bed…it’s too early to sleep but I might try some dreamwalking…it’ll pass some time…” She looked back at him. “Either way, your mind is obviously elsewhere…and I don’t need to be a genius to guess where!” She smiled at him and walked towards the door.

“Just be careful…you don’t want to scare an-“ Max started to warn her but she was already gone. He shrugged and smiled to himself as he started to get ready for bed, thinking about the wonderful time he’d had that night with Liz. She was wonderful…he didn’t know how he could ever have been stupid enough to deny how much he loved her. Well all that’s over now…I’m never going to push her away again!

**********

Liz was lying in bed. She knew that she should be tired, that she should go to sleep, but she couldn’t seem to do so… She’d been lying there for over an hour, just thinking. That wasn’t unusual for her; she’d spent a lot of time over the past few years thinking about Max… She thought about the others too, particularly when something new had come to light, but with Max it was different. The others were her friends, but Max…there was no doubt in her mind that she loved him. The amazing thing was that tonight she’d actually come out and told him and he’d said that he felt the same. It was something she’d dreamed about for so long; she could hardly believe that it had actually become reality. Finally she got out of bed quietly and went over to the window. Lifting the sash she climbed out of her room onto the roof, quickly going to retrieve her diary from its hiding place in the wall. The important object safely in her hands, she climbing back inside and went back to sit on her bed. She curled up, leaning back against a big cushion and making herself comfortable before picking up and pen and opening the diary. Looking at her last entry she saw that it had been a long time since she last wrote, surprisingly there hadn’t been much to write recently, and even thought she’d started going out with Max again, somehow she didn’t want to write about it for fear of jinxing it. She knew it was time to overcome that fear…after what had been said that night there were some things she wanted to write down. Strangely enough when she picked up the pen, she sat for a few moments, uncertain about how to start. She knew what she wanted to put but just getting started was difficult. Once she started, the words seemed to flow easily and it was over half an hour later when she eventually put her pen down and re-read the entry. Smiling, she found that she felt much better for having put her feelings into words… There were a lot of very personal thoughts revealed but that was the point of a diary, and since the time when Michael took her diary, no one except herself had even seen the book never mind read the entries… As she got to the end of the page she stopped and paused for a moment before adding a final line. However much I don’t know about Max, I do know one thing, when I’m with him I feel complete and that’s the most important thing… She read through the entry again and then satisfied, she replaced the book in its hiding place and returned to bed. Curling up, she pulled the covers higher and laid her head back on the pillows. Suddenly she felt very tired. She yawned and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep quickly.

Ansleyrocks, begonia9508, Ladiea3, roswelluver, razz, destinysucks, youre my dreamgirl and FallenMagic, thanks so much for reading and the feedback. I'm really glad that you liked the first part.

Anyway, here's the second part, hope you all like it.

~Kat~

Chapter 2

“I had a really great time last night…” Liz blushed bright red as she heard Max whispering in her ear. She looked at him curiously. “We didn’t do anything special…just the normal…”
Max cut off any further comment, putting his finger to her mouth, silencing her before bending down and kissing her on the lips. “Just being with you is special; it’s magical…out of this world…” He kissed her again, pressing his lips against her and pulling her into his arms. Liz pushed away from him protesting. “Max, don’t…not here!” She couldn’t help but feel a little self conscious given that they were sat on the grass outside the school building where anyone could see. Max grinned at her mischievously. “Ok…well what about the eraser room then…?” He whispered in her ear.
“MAX!” Liz turned round to scold him but was prevented from continuing by the sudden arrival of her best friend Maria DeLuca. “So how are the two lovebirds?” She teased them as she came up behind.
Liz looked round and smiled. “Just fine thanks.” She replied laughing.
Maria nodded and grinned. “Ok well I’m sorry to break up this romantic get together, but we should probably be getting to class otherwise we’re going to be late…”
Liz blushed a little and nodded. “Ok…” She turned back to Max. “I’ll see you later…?”
He nodded. “You can count on it!” He confirmed. Reluctantly he let go of her hand and watched the two friends as they walked back towards the school building. He watched them go inside, chatting earnestly, then picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder, hurrying inside and hoping that he’s get to his next lesson without being late.

“So, did you have a good time last night?” Maria asked Liz. Her friend didn’t answer for a moment then smiled. “It was…” She paused. “…nice…” As soon as she finished, Liz saw the look of frustration she knew this would provoke, appear on her friend’s face. She laughed softly. “You don’t look happy Maria…” She commented teasing.
Maria didn’t look amused. “Nice…Nice…?” She exclaimed disgusted. “How can you say that…? IT tells me absolutely nothing!” She complained.
Liz smiled. “That’s kind of the idea…” She replied softly.
“Oh come on, you can do better than that!”
“Yes…but it’s personal…” Liz protested weakly.
Her friend didn’t seem satisfied. “So…?” She probed. “You’ve been going out with him again for over a week…nearly a fortnight…and you’ve given me nothing. Come on Liz, I’m desperate…” She pleaded. Liz sighed, knowing that her personal life wasn’t going to stay private for much longer. “Ok…” She gave in. “What do you want to know…?”
Maria smiled. “Well for starters what did you do?”
“We just went to see a movie then he brought me home…” Liz answered as vaguely as she thought she could get away with, avoiding giving out too many details. “It was nothing special, just normal…”
Maria opened her mouth, probably to probe deeper, but just at that moment Liz heard a loud clanging. Saved by the bell…I never thought I’d be so happy to go into Mr Miles’ Class… She thought as she pushed open the door of the classroom and sat down just as their teacher entered the room. Luckily Maria sat behind her in this class and, with the exception of notes, wouldn’t be able to communicate with her during class. Liz was relieved. It gave her a bit of breathing time, and an opportunity to think about what could say to Maria without going into details that she wanted to keep private. As Mr Miles started talking, Liz took a pen from her bag and started to take notes on a clean sheet of paper. At least temporarily she managed to forget all about Maria and her questions.

**********

“Hey guys.” Michael Guerin greeted the group sat around the table at lunch time. He dropped his bag on the floor and sat down. Max, Liz and Maria all looked up. “Michael…Long time no see!” Maria said pointedly, glaring at him. Michael sighed. He really wasn’t feeling in the mood to have to deal with Maria just then. He ignored her and looked across the table at Max. This didn’t help given that Maria was already mad and wasn’t about to let him get away with that. “MICHAEL GUERIN! Don’t you dare ignore me!” She yelled at him. Standing up, she grabbed hold of his arm, forcing him to get up, albeit reluctantly, and follow her over to a more private spot on the grass a little way away from where the group was sitting. Max and Liz looked at each other and laughed as they watched the couple.

“MICHAEL! We are supposed to be in a relationship!” Maria complained loudly. “That means that we go out on dates and talk to each other…it means that you don’t ignore me when I speak to you, and means that you should tell me where you’ve been for the last week!” She looked at him expectantly. “Well…?”
Michael sighed. “LOOK I’M SORRY…” He shouted back. “I just needed some time on my own to think about things!” He told her in an exasperated tone.
Maria glared at him again. “You always need time to think! Didn’t it enter your head that I might actually be worried about you…?” It was clear that she wasn’t happy and also wasn’t likely to let this go. Michael really wasn’t in the mood to talk about it, standing up and walking away back towards the school building. Maria followed him immediately, running after him angrily. “Where do you think you’re going?” She demanded. “We hadn’t finished talking!”
Michael shrugged. “I had!” He pushed open the door and they continued inside.
“WHAT? How dare you cut me off like that!” Maria continued yelling.
Michael frowned. “Look I’m sorry…ok…? I don’t know what else to say!” He leant over and kissed her, cutting off any retort she might have been about to deliver. The anger that Maria was feeling seemed to evaporate away as Michael kissed her and she kissed him back passionately. They were just passing the eraser room and Michael pulled his girlfriend to one side, opening the door and steering her inside before joining her and closing the door behind them.

Just after Michael and Maria went into the building the warning bell went off signifying that the first period in the afternoon would start in five minutes. Max and Liz got up and went inside. They were just heading back towards their lockers to pick up some books for the afternoon and quickly spotted their friends up ahead. It looked like the couple were still fighting. Liz rolled her eyes. “Do those guys ever stop?” She asked. “…arguing I mean of course…” She added quickly realising that her question was open to misinterpretation. Max was about to answer when they saw Michael suddenly lean over and kiss Maria. Liz laughed and Max smiled. “Does that answer your question then…?” He teased her. Liz swatted him with her arm, pretending to be upset he was teasing her and Max grabbed her arm playfully, stopping and pulling her towards him. They both laughed as they saw the couple in front disappear through a door at the side of the corridor, clearly everything was alright between their friends again…well for now at least… Liz felt Max pull her closer to him but this time didn’t pull away, remaining silent and enjoying the feel of his arms around her. After a few moments it was Max who broke the silence. “I’m going to have to go anyway…” He slowly lowered his arms releasing her from his embrace. Liz nodded. “Yeah…OK. See you in bio?” She asked.
“Sure.” Max gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then walked off down the hall towards his locker. Liz stopped at hers then, after unlocking it and opening the door, stood staring for a few minutes at the picture of Max she had taped inside the door. She couldn’t help thinking how lucky she was. Finally she tore her eyes away from his dark brown eyes and retrieved the books she needed. Shutting the door quickly, she replaced her padlock and started down the corridor towards her next class.

**********

“Right class, you can pack away your equipment now.” Dr Reynold’s called out as the bell sounded for the end of the day. Immediately everyone in the room started moving and talking. Dr Reynolds couldn’t help but think that it was amazing how fast the students moved when they were wanting to go home compared with at the beginning of the class. He watched to make sure that no one had any accidents and started to pack away his own papers.
“Hey…are you nearly ready?” Max walked back over to where Liz was just finishing clearing away the remaining equipment. She looked round. “Sure, just a minute.”
“Great…” Max picked up his books and shoved them into his bag while Liz did the same with her own. Smiling, she picked up her bag. “Are you giving me a lift home then?” She asked.
Max nodded. “Of course…maybe we could take a detour too…?” He suggested, looking at her face to gauge her reaction to this. Liz frowned. “I’d really love to say yes Max but I’m sorry, I have to work this afternoon and dad will go mad if I’m late!” She apologised, obviously meaning what she said.
“It’s ok…” Max replied amiably. “Can we meet up tonight then…after you finish maybe...?”
“Sure.” She smiled again. “Not too late though, you know what my parents are like…”
“Ok how about I pick you up about seven then?”
“Yeah, that should be fine. Where are you thinking of going?”
“I don’t know at the moment, you’ll just have to wait and see.”
As they neared the jeep Max dug around in his pocket for the keys. He opened the door on the passenger’s side so that Liz could get in, then went round the other side and seated himself in front of the wheel. He pulled out his keys and started the ignition. Liz looked over. “Don’t you need to wait for Isabel?” She checked.
He shook his head. “Nope, she’s getting a lift with a friend.” He checked his mirrors quickly and pulled the vehicle out of the parking spot. They drove along in silence for a while then Liz looked over at Max as she remembered something. “What did Michael find the other day?” She asked curiously.
“Huh…?” Max looked surprised. “What do you mean?”
“The other day…when he went out…he came back and he said he’s found something.” Suddenly she felt awkward asking. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry…” She apologised quickly. “I’m just interested that’s all.”
Max smiled and shook his head. “You’re not prying” He assured her. “To be honest I’d forgotten all about it. He went out to the cave and says that he’s found some writing on the pods. Apparently it’s very small which explains why we haven’t found it before…”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to…” She told him softly.
“No, I do, don’t worry…I want to tell you everything. The thing is that I don’t think it’s as important as Michael is making out…I mean even with the writing, we don’t know how to read it…it’s not in English and we don’t understand it. So if we don’t understand it what’s the point?” He smiled. “Besides, I’m quite happy as I am…with you!” He pulled the jeep over opposite the Crashdown café – the restaurant owned by Liz’s parents.
“Well I guess we’re here…” Liz started to get out of the jeep but Max stuck out his hand to stop her. “Wait…!” He pulled her back towards him and kissed her. “Maybe I’ll come in for a coke or something…” He told her, removing the keys from the exhaust.
Liz laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
Max grinned. “I can’t help it…you’re just too irresistible…”
“Alright then, if you’re coming inside come on…if I stay out here much longer I’m going to get in trouble for being late back!”
The couple got out of the jeep and walked into the café together, hand in hand.

begonia9508, roswelluver, SweetieTeeny, Ladeia3, destinysucks and FallenMagic, thanks for reading, glad you're all liking it. I have to appologise for not updating sooner but I've had a few busy weeks at uni with some assignments to hand in so I haven't had any time to type up the next chapter. Anyway, thanks for being patient and I hope that you like the latest part.

Chapter 3

“Where are we going?” Liz looked at Max curiously as he opened the passenger door of the jeep for her.

“To be honest I don’t really know…” Max admitted as little sheepishly as he got into the drivers side. “I just wanted to spend some time with you.”

Liz smiled. “Haven’t you been doing that for the past three hours anyway?” She teased him. Max had been sat at the counter for the complete duration of her shift, only leaving briefly when she knocked off to go home and get changed.

“You know what I mean…some time alone…” Max whispered, pulling her into his arms.

“You’re sweet…” Liz smiled and gave him a quick kiss. She felt his strong arms settle around her and leant back against his body. The couple sat there for a while, just kissing, cuddling and generally enjoying being close to one another then suddenly Max pulled away, sitting upright and starting the engine. Liz looked over at him surprised as she adjusted her position so that she was sat properly in the passenger seat once more.

Max must have seen the expression on her face because he looked across and smiled reassuringly at his girlfriend. “It’s ok…there’s just somewhere I want you to see…” He said by way of explanation. Liz didn’t ask what it was but simply nodded. It wasn’t important…it was good enough for her to know that Max wanted to show her something. They sat in silence as Max drove the jeep out the centre of town and out into the desert, both content to just know that the other was there. They continued to travel further from the centre of Roswell for about another half hour then, just as the sun was setting, Max pulled the vehicle off the road and parked up, cutting the engine. He got out first then came round to the other side to help Liz. Taking her hand, he led her over to a narrow path which led up the side of a large rock formation. As they climbed higher the ground become more uneven and Max moved slowly, not wanting to run the risk of either of them losing their footing. After a while the path seemed to level out a little and as she looked up ahead, Liz saw a small gap in the rocks. It hardly looked large enough for a person to fit through but Max headed towards it and she followed. As it became obvious that Max was intending to go through this gap, Liz realised that its apparent size must be deceptive. Indeed she found that it was as he led her through.

“Max…what is this?” She asked softly, ducking her head to avoid an area of low ceiling.

Max had to turn his head carefully to look back at her since the opening was only just wide enough for single file. “You’ll see in a minute…” He told her. They were in complete darkness, but the fact that Max kept his hand firmly wrapped around Liz’s meant that she wasn’t scared. She knew that Max wouldn’t be bringing her here if it wasn’t important. The thin passage continued for another couple of feet then appeared to open out into a much larger space. Although she couldn’t see him, Liz felt Max reach down, presumably to pick something up off the floor, and a moment later she saw the light of a torch break through the black expanse. Now that it was illuminated, Liz realised that they were standing in a large cave. Looking round, her eyes exploring each corner of the cave, she almost immediately spotted some cocoon-like objects, each surrounded by a thin metal framework.

She looked over at Max. “This is it isn’t it?” She asked quietly.

She didn’t explain what she meant but Max understood. “Yes…” He confirmed. “…this is where we were born and those are the pods.” He pointed over to the objects Liz had already seen.

“Why…? Max, why did you want me to come here?” She asked him, her voice soft and full of emotion.

Max looked straight into her eyes. “I know that I’ve refused to show you things before…I’ve kept you at a distance…but I know now that it was a mistake.” He drew her towards him. “I want to show you everything!” He stated plainly. His arms pulled her closer to his body and he leant forward to kiss her. Liz’s arms moved to wrap around his neck and the kiss became deeper and more intense.

Suddenly Liz found her head filled with a jumble of images. Within the stream of images she was able to pick out some memories that she and Max shared but as they continues, she became a little disturbed. She’d had flashes from Max before…but somehow this time they were different… She drew away from him.

Max felt her withdraw her arms and looked at her concerned as she backed away slightly. “Liz…what’s wrong?”

Liz looked straight at him, taking a deep breath before explaining. “I saw something…when we kissed…” She paused. “I can’t explain it though…I don’t understand what I saw…”

“It’s ok…” He stepped closer to her, putting his arm round her shoulders and coaxing her to sit down on the floor. Slowly, he put his hand up to her face. Liz nodded, knowing what he wanted to do. They both knew that they needed to make a connection…he needed to see what she had seen. Liz raised her head slightly and looked into his eyes. The connection made was instantaneous. Their bond was so strong that the physical contact was probably unnecessary…it would probably have been sufficient to simply look into each other’s eyes but Max wanted to touch her, he needed to hold her… Quickly he accessed the vision and together they watched it replay as though in slow motion. Although the flash had been short in length it contained a huge number of images. When she had received the vision the first time Liz had believed that she had been able to distinguish most of the images but now she realised what she had seen was only the smallest minority. As the vision ended, the couple broke apart. Neither of them said anything, they were both concerned and something was bothering them but neither of them wanted to be the one to voice their concerns. Finally after a few moments Max broke the silence. “They’re different from before aren’t they…?”

Liz nodded. “Yes…” She looked at him. “You don’t recognise the people in them do you…?” Her voice was a little shaky and her boyfriend pulled her closer, holding her in his arms. She looked up and saw him shake his head, confirming her suspicions. “But they came from you…like before…didn’t they?”

Max didn’t know what to say. He knew nothing for certain… The flashes they’d had when they found that object near the crash site had come from him…he hadn’t recognised or remembered the things that they’d shown but none the less he knew they’d come from him. Something about these flashes was different though. The others hadn’t shown people and these had. “I don’t know Liz…” He admitted softly. “I guess they did but I don’t know what that means…”

His girlfriend nodded and rested her head on his shoulder, leaning back in his arms. The couple sat there in silence for a few moments thinking about what they had just seen. After some time Max looked at her and spoke. “We need to speak to the others…” He decided.

Liz looked at him and nodded slowly. “You’re right…” She took his hand, allowing him to help her up and then they made their way back to the jeep carefully. They both got in and Max pulled his keys from his pocket, inserting them in the ignition and starting the engine.

“Should I call them…?” She asked him quietly, pulling her phone out of her bag.

Slowly Max shook his head. “No…I should do it…” He took the phone she offered and dialled a number. Lifting the phone to his ear he waited, listening to it ring on the other end. After waiting for a few moments he heard someone pick up on the other end and recognised his sister’s voice. “Is…? Good…” He waited for a moment as his sister’s response indicated that she needed to go somewhere private. “Is it ok now…?” He asked after a while. Receiving confirmation in the affirmative he took a deep breath and started to explain what he wanted. “We need to meet…all of us...” He listened as she replied. “…Yes, the whole group. I’ll explain everything later…ok right will you contact everyone else? Ok good, we’ll meet you…” He paused looking at Liz for confirmation that what she was about to suggest would be ok. She nodded quickly. “…at the Crashdown…we’ll be there in about half an hour…” Listening again, he waited until Isabel had finished. “Ok…we’ll see you there then…bye…” He hung up the phone and handed it back to Liz. Carefully he pulled the car back onto the road and they headed back into town silence.

**********

Half an hour later most of the group was sat around one of the tables at the back of the café. Max looked round at them all. “Where’s Alex?” He asked, referring to Alex Whitman, the last member of their group.

“He was having some difficulty in getting out…” Maria replied. “You know his mom and dad; they weren’t too keen on him going out so late without a really good reason…” She looked at Max. “He’ll be here though…don’t worry…”

“Ok well we’ll wait a few more minutes but then we should-“ Max started to respond but was interrupted by a knocking on the door. Looking up they all saw Alex waiting outside and Liz got up to let him in.

“Sorry guys…” Alex apologised as he joined them around the table. “My mom and dad took some persuading but it’s ok now.” He looked over at Liz who’d reclaimed her seat next to Max. “I hope it’s ok…I told them we’d forgotten about a test and wanted to do some last minute cramming…”

Liz nodded. “Ok, I’ll remember that in case they ask anything when I see them.”

The six of them had paired off into couples, Maria and Michael on one side of the booth, Max and Liz on the other while Isabel sat next to Michael with Alex stood beside her, his arm just resting on her shoulders. Max and Liz, and Michael and Maria had been involved for a while, on and off, of course but the thing between Isabel and Alex was just starting to develop.

“OK Maxwell…get to the point!” Michael looked at Max expectantly, obviously not happy about having been called out late at night.

Max didn’t respond at first, he looked around, from one face to another, thinking about everything that they’d already been through. It was good to know that they were all there for each other. Whatever happened they wouldn’t let each other down… Maria, Alex and Liz all knew the truth about himself, Michael and Isabel and yet they hadn’t been scared… Liz had accepted who he was and yet still said she loved him… He took a deep breath and then started to explain what had happened. “I took Liz up to the cave tonight a-“

Michael interrupted, preventing him from continuing. “You did WHAT?” He yelled.

Liz frowned. “Look unless you want my parents hearing you and coming down to demand what the heck is going on you might like to keep you’re voice down!” She told him pointedly.

Michael glared but didn’t say anything to her. “Maxwell…what were you thinking?” He demanded in a lower voice.

“I know that we’ve never shown it to anyone who wasn’t one of us but it just felt right…” He tried to explain to his friend. “I mean everyone around this table has done so much…risked so much…it doesn’t matter that they’re not the same as us Michael…I needed to show Liz!”

“It’s ok Max…I think you’re right.” Isabel agreed with her brother.

Michael didn’t look impressed. “Ok…so is that it…? Cos I don’t see why that warranted a meeting since you weren’t bothered what we thought about the idea before you did it!” He commented, obviously still annoyed.

Max shook his head and glared back at Michael. “No, that’s not it…that’s not the main thing…” He closed his hand over Liz’s and put his other arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer to his body.

“Well…?” Michael was looking at them expectantly.

“We kissed while we were there…” Liz blushed a little and Max paused, looking at her concerned.

“And?” His Michael started to tap his foot impatiently.

Liz nodded to show Max she was ok. “Go on…” She urged him.

“Max, what happened?” Isabel asked.

He looked round at the group before continuing. “Liz had a flash…”

“I don’t understand…you’ve had flashes before…why do you seem concerned about it?” Alex asked as he looked from Liz’s face to Max’s and back again. It was clear that something was bothering them.

Liz took a deep breath. “It was different from before…” She told her friends.

“Different how?” Isabel looked at her questioningly.

“In the images it contained.” Max responded. Liz nodded and took over. “They were different from before…usually they’re of me or Max…they’re our memories…” She paused. “…There’s only been one other time when they haven’t been like that and that was last summer, when we found that object…”

“Ok, so do you think that these flashes are supposed to lead you to something else…we never did manage to work out how to use that thing?” Michael asked, his attention now caught by the topic of the discussion.
Liz shook her head. “No, I don’t think so…that time the images were of places…this time they were of people…people neither of us have ever seen before that we remember…”

Isabel took this information in and then looked over at Max. “So what do you think it is…?” She asked him nervously. Sensing her concern, Alex pulled her a little further into his arms. She didn’t object, finding the feeling of his arms around her comforting.

“I don’t know…” Her brother admitted reluctantly. “We need to find out though, it could be important.” Everyone else nodded in agreement. “Look, I didn’t want to worry everyone but it seemed like you needed to know what was going on…it may be nothing but somehow I don’t think so…I think those flashes meant something and I’d like to know what!” He continued.

“It’s ok; you did the right thing…” Isabel told him in a soft voice.

Max nodded. “Thanks… You are the five people who I trust most in this world…I would trust any of you with my life…” He paused for a moment before continuing. “We’re a team and I don’t know what I’d do without you now.” He knew that some people might not like what he was about to say but it was time, it had to be said. He looked at Isabel and Michael. “It’s not three and three anymore…the six of us are in this together and we can’t continue acting as though we’re not!” Finishing with this he leant over and kissed Liz softly on the lips.

She smiled and kissed him back. “I love you…” She whispered in his ear.

Isabel grinned as she watched her friends and then stood up. “It’s getting late…mom’s going to be worried if we’re out much longer!” She reminded her brother as she slipped out of the booth.

Max nodded. “Ok well let’s meet tomorrow, that way we can talk some more about what we’re going to do…” He suggested. After seeing that everyone was fine with this suggestion he gave Liz a final kiss before going to join his sister and heading out the door.

Michael stood up to follow them but Maria grabbed his arm. “Not yet spaceboy!” She told him sharply. “Haven’t you forgotten something…?”

He looked puzzled. “Huh?”

Maria glared at him and Liz laughed. Alex chuckled. “I think she means she wants a kiss…” He told his friend.

Michael rolled his eyes but leant over to kiss his girlfriend. “Ok…happy now…can I go?”

“Do whatever you want!” Maria shot back at him.

“Ok…see you tomorrow then.” Her boyfriend didn’t seem to pick up that she was upset and instead simply headed out after his friends.

Maria looked at Liz after he’d gone. “He is unbelievable…why do I put up with him?” She started to go off into one of her rants.

Liz grimaced slightly and went over to her friend. “It’ll be ok…I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it…” She tried to sooth Maria. It took a little while, but with the addition of Alex’s help as well, she did calm down and once Maria was a little bit more settled, Liz went to try and find some sleeping bags for her friends. She returned quickly and soon the three of them were all settled. Alex slept on the living room floor upstairs and Maria on Liz’s bedroom floor.

Alex, roswelluver, Isabelle, FallenMagic and begonia9508, thanks for reading, I'm glad you're all liking the story.

Alex - I can give you a guarentee of no Tess in this story, however she might appear in one of the sequals which I plan to post in the future. I do hope that this won't stop you from reading though.

roswelluver and begonia9508 - you might have to wait a while to find out exactly what the flashes contained.

FallenMagic - I'm so pleased you think that I captured Michael and Maria well, they're the couple I'm most nervous about writing about.

Anyway, hope that everyone that's reading this is enjoying it. Here's the new chapter, I'd love to hear what you think.

Chapter 4

“WHAT?” Michael stared at Max, unable to believe his ears. He obviously didn’t like what his friend was suggesting. “Are you mad, no way!”

Max ignored Michaels objections. “I think we should take the others up to the cave today!” He repeated calmly. He didn’t expect Michael to be pleased but he honestly thought that they needed to do this. He was surprised to see his sister nod in agreement.

“I agree with Max!” She stated firmly. “We’ve shut the others out too much…they take risks for us and yet we still don’t let them in…it’s not fair on them.”

“But-“ Michael started to protest but was silenced quickly as Max cut him off.

“This is going to happen Michael!” He told his friend. “Besides, it’s probably the safest place we know of to go and talk…” He was counting on the fact that Michael wouldn’t be able to argue about the logic of this statement and waited to see if he would say anything more.

“What if someone follows us?” Apparently he wasn’t ready to give in quite yet.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “There’s just as much chance of that happening when you go up and we all know that you’re not about to stop spending time there…”

Michael sighed, knowing that he was beaten. He wasn’t going to be able to change Max’s mind, and now that Isabel was on her brother’s side too, he might as well give in. “Ok…but we have to be careful…”

“Of course we’ll be careful, we’re never anything but careful!” Isabel sounded fed up.

Michael shrugged as he got up from the bench they were sitting on and got ready to leave. “Whatever…” He muttered, grabbing his backpack and throwing it over one shoulder.

Max knew the two of them well and knew if they were allowed to go on this could develop into a major incident. He decided to cut it off before it could get any further. “Ok, so we’ll meet back here at four…I’ll tell the others…” He looked at his sister. “Coming Izzy…?”

She nodded, shooting Michael another cold look before grabbing her coat and heading back towards the school building. Max lagged behind a moment, trying to play peacekeeper like he had done so many times before. “Look, I know that you’re only trying to make sure that we stay safe, and I appreciate that, but it’s time to let the others in…they’ve proved that they can be trusted and now it’s time to show them that…” Michael didn’t respond and Max hoped that this meant he’d calmed down a bit. He looked at his friend as he picked up his bag. “Anyway, I’ll see you later…” He told Michael before heading off in the same direction as Isabel had a few moments before. Michael grunted and walked off in another direction. He still wasn’t convinced that this was the right thing to do, but it seemed that Isabel and Max had already made up their minds so he supposed he’d better just make the best of it…

**********

Max scanned the masses of students exiting the building once more then turned to his sister. “Isabel, can you wait here for Maria and Alex…?” He requested. He, Isabel, Liz and Mciahel were all stood at the arranged meeting point but so far there had been no sign of the others and Max was obviously eager to get going.

Isabel nodded. “Sure, I know where we’re going…”

The moment she agreed, Max started to head of the jeep, closely followed by Liz. Michael dawdled behind and Max yelled to him as he got into the driver’s seat. “MICHAEL, come on!”

The other boy shook his head, suddenly making a decision. “NO, it’s ok Maxwell…I’ll wait too, I need to talk to Maria anyway…” He called back before sitting down on the bench to wait.

Max wasn’t going to argue, and to be honest he was quite pleased to get some time alone with Liz, even if it was just driving up to the cave. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “Looks like it’s just you and me then…” He commented. Liz nodded softly, returning his smile. Max inserted and turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. He gave the others a quick wave and then pulled out of the car lot onto the road.

After watching her brother exit the school parking lot, Isabel looked round again, searching for Alex and Maria. Finding no sign of them, she checked her watch and started to feel just a little worried. It was probably nothing, but she always felt a little nervous when one or more of their group was unaccounted for. She looked over at Michael. “What do you think is keeping them…?” She asked him.

Michael could sense the touch of panic in her her voice and smiled reassuringly. “It’s probably nothing…Maria’s probably just running late, as usual!” He tried to convince her.

Isabel looked neither impressed nor convinced by this suggestion. “I don’t know, it’s way past the end of school now…”

“Look, I’m sure they’ll be fine, don’t worry!” Michael had little need to say this, for at that moment two figures came flying round the corner. He recognised them as they headed over. “See, here they are…” He told Isabel smiling. She nodded and stood up ready to go.

“I’m sooo sorry I-“ Maria started to apologise as she ran up but stopped as she suddenly noticed that Max and Liz were missing. She looked at Isabel. “Oh, we’re not the last ones then…?”

Isabel chuckled softly and shook her head. “Sorry Maria, Max and Liz have gone on ahead…”

Maria nodded. “I thought it was too good to be true…sorry I was late out anyway…”

Michael looked at her. “Well it would be something new if you weren’t…”

She glared at him. “If you want to travel in my car, which I assume you do since you didn’t leave with Max and Liz; I suggest you watch what you’re saying!”

Michael backed away slightly at the sharpness of her tone. “Hey, it was a joke; I didn’t mean anything by it…” He hurried to try and placate his girlfriend.

Maria didn’t look convinced but made no comment about this, instead heading over to her car, closely followed by the others, and getting in. Still in silence, she waited until the other three were all strapped in, ignoring Michael who had taken the passenger seat next to her, and then started the engine and headed away from school.

**********

“Come on…let’s go inside, the others will be here soon…” Max urged Liz softly, trying to get her to come inside the cave. After what had happened the previous time, Liz was understandably reluctant.

“No, better that we wait for them…” She tried to convince him. She knew that it was a weak argument but she just didn’t want to go into the cave until she had to…she was scared about what she might see… Max could sense the tension in the air. She was obviously nervous and he didn’t want to make it worse so gave in.

He pulled her into his arms. “It’s going to be ok you know…” Max tried to reassure her.

Liz cuddled up against him as they continued to sit in the jeep. She didn’t do it consciously, but couldn’t seem to help it. It was strange but they seemed compelled to move closer to one another. They started to kiss, slowly and softly at first but then more passionately. Liz tried to pull away at first. “Max, we shouldn’t…” She started to say, but her resolve only lasted a moment before she gave into the feelings of passion and love, allowing them to engulf her. It was as if there was no one else in the world but them…nothing else existed, just the two of them… They were completely engrossed in each other and didn’t even notice when a battered car slowly drove up and parked next to them…

Michael frowned as he saw the two figures in the jeep. It was obvious that they hadn’t heard the rest of them arrive. He stalked up to the side of the jeep. “Don’t let us interrupt you…” He made no secret of that fact he was unhappy.

Liz and Max had clearly been unaware of his approach and pulled away from each other guiltily. Liz blushed and looked down while Max looked over at his friend. “Sorry…we didn’t hear you…” He told Michael quietly. The way he said this showed that while he might have been a little embarrassed about being caught, he didn’t actually think there was anything wrong with what they had been doing.

Michael couldn’t believe it. “And that’s exactly the problem!” He shouted fuming. “You two are so wrapped up in each other that you didn’t hear us come up…What if it hadn’t been us, what if it had been someone from the FBI instead…? They’d have had no trouble with you, you wouldn’t have even known to put up a fight you would have been too busy with her.”

His friend shot him a warning look. He was skating on very thin ground right now. “Well you weren’t!” He replied sharply. Inside he knew that Michael was right but that didn’t mean he was going to let the other boy speak to either him or Liz like that. “Everything is fine and nothing happened!”

“GOD Max, you need to think about something other than satisfying your teenage hormones!” He ranted at Max.

It was obvious to the others that this could easily escalate into something more serious. Michael was already in a bad mood about the whole idea of bringing Maria and Alex up to the cave, not to mention the fact he still had a problem with the fact that Max had already brought Liz up the night before, and Max wasn’t likely to take the suggestion Michael had made about his relationship with Liz lying down. Isabel looked at Maria who nodded to show that she knew something needed to be done. Going over to her brother, Isabel started by trying to move the subject away from danger areas. “Guys, are we going in or what?” She asked quickly.

Maria nodded, taking her cue from Isabel and joining in by taking Michael’s arm, steering him away from Max. “Yeah, I’m dying to see this place…” He grunted. He still didn’t think that they should be showing the others, but if they were, he was looking forward to seeing what Maria thought of the cave.

Max made no comment but didn’t try to stop the other boy moving away. He climbed out of the jeep and went round to the passenger side to help Liz. She got out and he slipped his hand into hers, giving her assistance where needed as he led the small group up the rocky path. Isabel followed close behind him with Alex, and Maria brought up the rear with Michael.

Soon the group was all stood in the main chamber of the cave. They had spread out, again splitting into couples like the previous night with the exception of Michael and Maria. The latter of these two kept throwing the former angry glances, obviously unhappy that he had decided to sit away from her.

For a few moments no one said anything… Maria and Alex were just so amazed by the cave as they looked round that they didn’t know what to say. Since being told about it they had thought some about what it might look like, they’d tried to imagine it, but the reality was completely different from the ideas they’d come up with…

Finally Max broke the silence. “So…” He looked around at the group. “What do we do next…?”

Isabel looked at Max, obviously expecting him to say something else but surprisingly it was Michael who spoke next. “We need to find out what these visions, and everything else, means!” He stated simply as he looked at Max.

His choice of words struck Maria as strange. “What do you mean everything else…?” She looked at him. “Is there something else you haven’t told us about?” Her bright eyes were piercing as she started at her boyfriend, crossing her arms clearly wanting an answer. When he didn’t answer, she glared. “Michael Guerin…what are you hiding?” She demanded.

Max looked at her. “It’s nothing major Maria…Michael found some writing on framework which surrounds the pods…” He pointed to the cocoon-like objects Liz had spotted the night before. “We haven’t got a clue how to translate it though…”

Maria nodded, satisfied with this answer at least for now. “Ok…” She sat down on the floor to listen to what else the others had to say.

“I say that translating it is where we should start!” Michael told Max.

The other boy looked unimpressed. “Nice idea Michael…how do you suggest we do that…we don’t know how to translate it…” He put his arm around Liz’s shoulders protectively. “Personally I think our main priority should be to find out why and how Liz got those flashes…”

“Great…and that’s a much better plan, because we have somewhere to start…” Michael rolled his eyes. “We’re at just as much of a loss to find out what they mean, how, and why Liz is getting them as we are with the translating…at least the writing is likely to be important!”

Isabel saw Max give Michael a cold look and realised that once more this might be going to result in some sort of fight. “I don’t have a clue how we’ll go about it…maybe the content of the flashes might help, I don’t know…all I know is that we have to try!” Max sounded just as stubborn as Michael.

Liz looked up and saw the concern that was visible in Max’s eyes. “I’m ok…you don’t need to worry about me…we’ll work it out eventually…” She tried to calm him a little. It might have worked except Michael just didn’t know when to leave well alone.

“But Max…how can you just-“ He started to protest.

Alex saw that this was going to get ugly if he didn’t do something and soon. Racking his brains, he tried to think of something that might help calm both of them and after a few moments he came up with a plan. “Ok, maybe the writing on the pods would help us, if we could translate it…you said yourself that you and Liz had been close to the pods when you got the flashes…maybe the writing might have some clues as to what’s happening to Liz…” He knew it was a weak argument but he just had to hope that it might work because right at that moment in time he couldn’t think of anything else. “Look, I can run a decryption programme on it using the computer…assuming I can get a copy of the writing…I can’t guarantee that it will work but I think it’s our best bet for now…”

“Fine!” To the relief of everyone else, both boys seemed satisfied with this suggestion.

“I can get you a copy of the writing…I’ve got one at home…” Michael told him.

“WHAT?” This latest information threatened to undo all the good Alex had done. “Why do you do these things Michael…you’re obsessed…what would happen if someone found it...?” He demanded angrily.

Michael didn’t respond since he had already headed out of the cave. Isabel got the feeling that her brother wasn’t in a mood to just let it go and she went over. “Look, there’s not much else we can do until we have a translation except go over the flashes and I can help you do that at home…” She offered softly.

Realising that she was right, Max nodded slowly, “Yeah, you’re right…let’s go home…”

The others needed no urging and all headed to exit the cave, one by one as soon as soon as the words left his mouth. Once outside they all piled into the two vehicles and headed back towards town.

TBC

AN: oh by the way guys, I also have another story which I started posting in the AU section last week. Here's the link if anyone's interested:
http://www.roswellfanatics.net/viewtopic.php?t=5789

roswelluver, Eve, destinysucks, FallenMagic, nikki and cassie thanks for reading, it's good to know you're all liking the story.

roswelluver - I'm trying to write Maria and Michael as they were at this time, but I promise their relationship will get better later on.

Eve - the translation will feature later.

destinysucks - no, I'd never have guessed that you like Alex . Glad that you're liking the Isabel/Alex action though.

FallenMagic - glad you got the time, hope that the exams went well. I agree about Michael and Maria, I'm not promising much in this next chapter but I promise a talk will take place fairly soon between the two. Anyway, I'm glad you think I'm managing to capture Michael well, he's not an easy character to write sometimes and it's good to know you think I'm getting it right. Oh, and lastly, like I've said before, the translation is going to wait a bit but I have no intention of killing off Alex. (couldn't upset Jen like that )

nikki - thanks, hope that you like the next part.

cassie - A new reader! . Thanks for readying. Also, thank you so much for the comment about Michael, it's nice to know that I'm writing him correctly because as I've said before I can struggle with him.

Ok, well I hope everyone likes the new part.


Chapter 5

“Are you sure you can’t stay any longer…?” Max pleaded with Liz, wrapping his arms round her as he looked down. She leant back against his chest for a few moments but shook her head reluctantly. “Yeah, mom and dad weren’t that happy about me staying for tea anyway, it took enough to convince them to allow me to and even then they said I had to be back by ten since it’s a school night…” She explained. Max nodded and released her. She looked up and kissed him gently before sliding her legs out from under her standing up.

Max remained on the bed for a moment as he watched her start to put on her coat. Tearing his eyes away from the beautiful figure in front of him, he stood and picked up his own coat, putting it on before grabbing the keys for the jeep from the top of his bedside table. “Ok, I’ll run you home then…” He told her quickly.

Liz smiled, happily accepting this. She wouldn’t dream of refusing and besides, it meant they got to spend a few more minutes together. She stood in front of him, her hand in his, and reached up to press her lips against his once more. For a few moments she felt him respond, then out of the corner of her eye she noticed the clock on the wall…quarter to ten…the worry that she might be late back once again became a serious worry and she pulled away reluctantly. “We should go…” She told Max softly. He nodded, understanding, and the couple headed down the stairs together.

Max slipped into the living room to tell his mother where he was going. He knew that she wouldn’t object, but still wanted to keep her informed to make sure that she didn’t worry. “Mom…I’m just going to take Liz back…”

His mother looked up from the book she’d been reading startled by his appearance. “Oh, ok honey…don’t stay out too late…”

Liz smiled at Mrs Evans. “Thank you for having me…” She told her softly.

Diane returned the smile. She liked Liz. She seemed like a genuinely nice girl and there was no doubt in her mind that her son was smitten. “Not at all, it’s been lovely to see you…” She replied.

Max leant down to give his mother a peck on the cheek and then, taking Liz’s hand once more, the two quickly exited the room. Immediately heading out to the jeep, they got in and Max started the engine, pulling the vehicle onto the road.

**********

A short time later he parked up opposite the Crashdown and stopped the engine. Liz reached towards the door, about to get out. “Well goodnight…” She whispered.

Max nodded. “Goodnight…” He echoed her then, unable to resist, he pulled her back towards him, kissing her once more on the lips. Liz responded, kissing him back, and their embrace quickly became more passionate and the couple would have been happy to stay where they were but both knew that they couldn’t.

It was Liz who pulled away first, slightly worried about what might happen if she didn’t. Recently I just can’t get enough of him…we’re not ready for where this could go though…not yet anyway… She moved back. “Goodnight…” With this, she opened the door, got out and then ran across the road.

His gaze following her, Max watched as she opened the door and then hurried inside without looking back. He smiled as he watched her head of chocolate brown hair, which shone under the street lights, enter the restaurant. Not until she was completely out of sight did he restart the engine of the jeep and pull the vehicle away from the curb. She is just so beautiful and amazing…I love her so much it’s unbelievable… I never thought I’d feel like this about anyone…I’ve opened up to her completely, she knows what I am and it doesn’t matter… Everything is just perfect… He hardly registered the drive home; he had other things on his mind…

**********

Walking inside, Liz was relieved to see that her parents weren’t in the café. She acknowledged the waitress who was serving behind the counter and then headed through the doors at the back of the restaurant to make her way upstairs. Once on the stairs, she moved as quietly as she could, trying to avoid any creaky steps in an attempt to get upstairs without her parents hearing her. She knew she was only slightly late, but it had taken some work to persuade her mother to let her stay out later and if she could she’d rather not alert her to the fact that she’d broken the set curfew, even if it was only by a few minutes. She nearly got away with it, but just as she reached the top step, her mother came walking out of the living room and saw her. Liz cursed her bad luck. Great…I manage to get up the stairs without making a noise, and then get caught because she just happens to decide to cross the hall… She hoped that her mother might not have noticed the time and went over to give her a hug. “Hi mom…” Nancy looked at her daughter and it was immediately obvious to Liz that she knew exactly what time it was. Quickly, before she could say anything, Liz added an apology in an attempt to pacify her mother. “Sorry, I know I’m a little late…”

It had little effect; her mother was obviously not in a good mood Liz realised frowning. “Yes, you are late, and after the fact that I gave you a later curfew…”

“Look, I’m sorry…like I said, Max asked me to stay for dinner at his house.”

“I know you did…but tea does not necessitate staying out till ten on a school night…I allowed you to stay out later but I expected you to stick to the time I gave you!” She looked at her daughter. “It is still a school night…”

Liz nodded. “I know that mom…and I’m sorry…I’m going to my room anyway. I’ve got some homework I need to finish and then I’ll go to bed…” She didn’t wait to hear her mother’s reply to this, walking past her and through the door into her bedroom. As she closed the door behind her, Liz breathed a sigh of relief. She waited for a moment, worried that her mother would come storming into the room after her, then flopped down on her bed hoping that she’d decided to just leave it. I have got homework to do…but nothing for tomorrow and I really can’t be bothered… She laid back against her pillow thinking about Max. Just the thought of him produced a big smile on her face. For a long time she’d known that she loved him… Max was the one that had insisted it was too dangerous…that they couldn’t let anything happen…Max was the one who had said no when all her heart was saying yes… Finally that’s changed though… She smiles as she thought about the way Max had kissed her that evening. It felt wonderful…and just right… Closing her eyes, she smiled as the memory replayed in her head. She savoured every kiss and every touch. It’s me and him…together…and it’s perfect… Homework was the furthest thing from Liz’s mind…she knew that she’d never be able to concentrate on it, she couldn’t concentrate on anything except Max… I can’t keep my mind off him… Smiling as she thought about the feel of his lips brushing against hers, she stood up and started to get ready for bed. Exchanging her jeans and top for a thin strappy white nightdress, she slipped under the cover and pulled it up to her chin. Although she hadn’t felt it before, as she lay there thinking, it became clear she was very tired and it wasn’t long until her body gave into exhaustion as she fell asleep.

A short time later, the door to Liz’s room opened and her mother stuck her head inside. She’s been expecting to find her daughter still up and was surprised to find she was fast asleep. Nancy smiled as she watched her. She looks so peaceful…my baby girl…she looks so happy and content…I wonder what she’s dreaming about…?

[/i]~Dream~

Liz was at a dance. She saw Max standing in a corner of the room and went over to him. Without saying anything, he took her hand, bringing it to his lips before slipping his other arm round her back and starting to dance. The movements were so perfect, so smooth…it was almost like they were made for each other. Max spun her round and then the hall and music all melted away. She was still dressed in her Prom dress, and Max stood next to her as before, but the surroundings had changed. All the other couples who’d been dancing round them had gone…they were alone in the desert. Max took her hand and led her across the dusty ground. They walked hand in hand and then stopped at the foot of a rocky path. They-

~End Dream~[/i]

Liz woke up suddenly, her alarm ringing in her ear. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was half past seven in the morning.

**********

“LIZ, YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE!” Nancy’s voice came through the door. Liz was just finishing packing her bag for school and grabbed her comb, running it through her hair as she called back. “I’ll be right down!” Checking her appearance in the mirror, she grabbed her folder, shoving it into the bag which she picked up before making her way downstairs. Coming through from the back of the Crashdown, she saw her mother set a plate, containing a bacon sandwich, down on the counter and went over to retrieve it. She carried it over to the booth at the back of the restaurant and sat down to eat her breakfast. A moment later, she heard the bell ring as someone entered the Crashdown and she looked up.

Max walked into the restaurant and looked around, his eyes searching for his girlfriend. Spotting her at the back, he waved and made his way over.

Liz smiled at her boyfriend as he walked up. “You’re early…” She observed.

Max shrugged. “Maybe…are you complaining…?” He asked her sitting down opposite.

She shook her head and reached out to slip her hand into his. “No, I’m just surprised that’s all…”

He nodded, smiling and squeezing her hand briefly.

Liz finished her sandwich and wiped her hands on a napkin quickly. “Shall we go…?” She asked as she stood up.

“Now…?” Max was obviously surprised. “It’s still rather early isn’t it…?”

Liz looked over at her mother who was making no attempt to hide the fact she was watching her daughter. “Yeah well I can only take so long of mom watching my every move and I think I’ve just about had it for this morning…” She told him laughing softly.

Max nodded, understanding where she was coming from. Liz’s parents did have the ability to make him feel that his every move was being scrutinized and he had no doubt that if they felt he’s done anything they didn’t like they would do their best to prevent him seeing Liz. And that’s something which I can’t allow to happen…

The couple grabbed their bags but they were only half way towards the door before they were stopped by Mrs Parker. “Where are you going?” She demanded. “You can’t possibly need to set off yet…there’s still nearly an hour before school is due to start!”

Liz did her best not to show how eager to get away she was. “I know mom but we told Maria we’d go over and wait for her so we need to set off now…” She told her mother, hoping that she’d believe her. In actual fact she’d have said pretty much anything as long as it got them out of the restaurant and quickly… Her mother seemed satisfied at least for now, and she leant over, giving her a quick kiss before exiting quickly followed by Max.

Max glanced over at Liz as they came out of the Crashdown. He quickly caught up with her and slipped his arm round her waist. “So…are we really going over to Maria’s…?” He asked, whispering in her ear.

Liz giggled as the feel of his breath tickled her ear. “That tickles…” She told him grinning.

Max’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, sorry…I’ll have to take your mind off it then…” He leant towards her, kissing her gently on the lips.

For a few moments Liz said nothing. Wow…what a kisser…

Max looked at her. “So…?”

She remembered what he’d been asking and laughed softly. “No, she’s hoping that maybe Michael will come over so if we turn up as well I think that saying she’d be upset is an understatement…”

Max nodded. “Uh yeah, in that case I think I agree…we might be likely to get fried…” He commented opening the door for her. Liz climbed in and he closed it after her before going round and getting into the driver’s seat. “I just hope he does go though…” He muttered half to himself.

Liz heard this and looked puzzled. “What are you on about…?” She asked him curiously.

Her boyfriend shook his head. “Sorry…I was just thinking out loud really…that I hope Michael does go over to see Maria…” He looked at her. “I know that he loves her…he’s just afraid to admit it…” Turning the key in the ignition, he started the engine and started to drive down the road.

Mrs Parker watched as the couple crossed the road and got into the jeep which Max had parked opposite. She got the feeling that her daughter wasn’t being completely straight with the thing about Maria but she wasn’t sure so decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. She saw Liz lean over in the jeep to kiss Max and was a little surprised at how ‘involved’ they seemed to be. I hope that she’s not getting in over her head with him…He seems like a nice boy but nowadays you never really know… I don’t want her getting hurt or doing something she regrets… She sighed and, after seeing the jeep head off down the road, she turned round and headed back to continue cleaning the counter.

**********

A short time later, Liz and Max arrived outside the school. Max parked the jeep and turned off the engine before turning to look at Liz. She smiled and looked at him, her eyes twinkling. “Well it’s still early…I wonder how we can kill the time…?”

Max laughed. “Oh, I’m sure we can think of something to do…”

“Really…care to let me in on your ideas…?” Liz laughed playing along.

“I’m pretty sure you have a good idea of what I mean…” He reached out, slipping his arms round her shoulders and pulling her closer before lowering his head to kiss her. Liz didn’t hesitate to respond, her lips pressing back against his, and soon they were locked together in a tight embrace. They were completely oblivious to anything around them, as though they were the only people on earth, nothing else mattered…

**********

Liz pulled away from Max suddenly as she heard the school bell ringing. “Max…we’re going to be late!” She moved to grab her bag.

Max took her hand, guiding it away from her book bag and pulling her back towards him. “Let’s just stay here a few more minutes…it won’t make much of a difference…” He whispered in her ear before kissing her once more.

Liz would have liked to agree but she knew they mustn’t and remained firm. “No, if we wait a little longer we’re going to end up missing a whole period…” She didn’t know what was going on at the moment but they couldn’t seem to get enough of each other and when together, she realised, they were completely losing track of time.

Max sighed, realising that she was right and nodded. “Ok…I guess we should get going then…” He grabbed his bag and got out of the car to wait for her. Liz leant over to retrieve her own bag from the floor and then got out and joined him. She smiled at him, unable to resist kissing him once more, but pulled away quickly. “Come on…let’s get to class…”

Kitkat05, Isabelle, Natz and Roswelluver, as usual thanks for reading guys. I'm really happy you're still liking the story.

kitkat05 - well I know my mom would have been overprotective . Glad you like the story though.

Isabelle - romantic, me...? lol. Thanks for reading anyway. Hope you'll like the new part.

Natz - thanks, glad you're liking it.

Ok well hope you all like the new chapter.

Chapter 6

“LIZ!” Maria ran up to her friend, finally catching up with her as she stopped for a drink at the water fountain.

“Wh- Maria, you startled me…” Liz spluttered. She hadn’t heard her friend approaching but when she had called, Liz had moved her head. That wouldn’t have been a problem of course, if she hadn’t forgotten to switch the water off. Unfortunately that was exactly what she’d done, and had received a blast of water to the right side of her face, soaking her cheek and eye.

As Maria realised what she had happened, she laughed and pulled out a tissue which she then passed to her friend.

“Thanks…” Liz took it from her smiling and wiped her face as they wandered out into the school yard together.

“I have been looking to you for absolutely ages!” Maria complained as she walked with her friend.

Liz laughed. “Well you can’t have been looking for me for that long…” She commented, smiling at her friend’s usual exaggeration. “After all it’s only lunch time now…” She looked at Maria. “So have you brought your lunch?”

“Yeah…” She smiled and nodded. “Ok so maybe it can’t have been ages, but I have been looking for you…” Maria conceded as she stopped and sat down at one of the benches. Liz chuckled and sat down next to her friend. The two girls both reached into their bags and pulled out a pack of sandwiches.

Liz watched Maria carefully. “Ok, so what did you want to talk to me about…did Michael come over…?”

Her friend let out a bitter laugh. “Of course not! Why would you think that he would…he’s a complete and utter jerk!” However hard she was trying, Liz could see that Maria was very upset. It was written all over her facial expression. What a shame…I mean Max says that he loves her, and I know that Maria loves him…they just can’t seem to get it right though… She looked at Maria. “Come on…who do you think you’re fooling…I know you don’t mean that!” She told her friend softly while rubbing her back.

Maria refused to look at Liz at first. “I do!” She insisted without any conviction in her voice. She knew she wasn’t kidding anyone really, but she just didn’t want to admit the truth. “I hate him…he’s a complete and utter jerk and I never want to see him again in my life!” Her tone was sharp and angry but it was clear to Liz that this was a ploy to hide how upset she was. Having known her all her life, she could tell that Maria was only just succeeding in holding back the tears.

“Oh Maria…I know that’s not true…” She gave her a small smile. “You love him; any idiot can see that…”

Maria nodded slowly and played with a section of her hair. “Yes…I do…” She admitted reluctantly. “I do love him…I just wish he felt the same way…”

“I’m sure he does Maria…it’s just new to him…he’s scared to let people get too close…” Liz tried to reassure her friend, drawing on what Max had told her as much as she could without betraying his confidence.

Looking sceptical, Maria looked up at her. “You really think so…?” She asked doubtfully.

Her friend nodded. “Of course I do…I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t think so…” She assured her. She was pleased to see the faintest hint of a smile appear on Maria’s face and wished that Michael would realise how much he was hurting her. I know that Max says that he’s scared…but he’s destroying Maria’s confidence behaving like it is…she’s desperate for some sign that he cares…

Maria could tell that her friend was distracted but guessed it was something to do with Max. If he’s hurt her again I’ll… She looked right at Liz. “So, enough about me and Spaceboy’s disaster of a relationship…how are you…how are things going with Max…?”

Liz blushed as she realised Maria’s attention was now firmly fixed on her own relationship. “Maria…it’s…” She hesitated a moment and Maria misinterpreted this break.

She looked at her friend with concern. “What’s he done…doesn’t he know what a good thing he’s got?” Maria demanded angrily. “What is it with these Czechoslovakians…?” She grumbled using their code name for the aliens. She looked over at Liz puzzled as she suddenly realised she was laughing at her. “What, what’s so funny…?”

Liz tried to smother another laugh and struggled to regain her composure. “Oh…it-it’s nothing…” She chuckled. “Max hasn’t done anything…in fact things between him and I are great…” She smiled. “It’s just still new and I don’t really know how to describe it…”

Maria pretended to sulk. “You made me think there was something wrong…”

Liz giggled. “I’m sorry Ria…I was just searching for the right word…”

Her friend nodded. “So…found it yet…?” She asked her.

The eagerness of her voice made Liz smile and she thought for a moment. “Well…I guess the only way I can explain it is that it’s amazing…it feels so right…” She finally admitted.

“Wow chica…amazing is big – it’s huge!” Maria continued chattering excitedly. She hadn’t been expecting Liz to use that word but she was just so pleased she and Max finally seemed to be getting their act together. Anyone can see those two are meant for each other…

Having thought about it for a few more minutes, Liz tried again. “I don’t really know how to explain it properly…it’s like when I’m with him I’m complete…and when I’m not there’s something missing…”

Maria was just about to reply to this but suddenly became aware that Liz wasn’t paying attention to her anymore… She turned, following Liz’s gaze and immediately spotted Max, Maria and Isabel walking over in their direction. It was clear to her that as far as Liz was concerned right at this moment in time she could have grown wings and she wouldn’t have noticed. With Max there, her attention was focused completely on him. Wow…she’s got it sooo bad…

Liz smiled and waved at her boyfriend as she spotted him walking towards them. Once she was sure that he’d spotted them, she turned back to Maria but was pleased to see that she no longer seemed to be the focus of her friend’s attention…that honour went to a certain dark haired guy who was currently walking alongside her own boyfriend… Breathing a sigh of relief, she ran her fingers through her hair quickly as she waited for the others to join them.

“Hi guys…” Isabel looked round and immediately saw that the final member of their group wasn’t present. “Does anyone know where Alex is…?” She asked, trying not to show how disappointed she was that he wasn’t there. She’d been looking forward to seeing her boyfriend all morning and since she had no lessons with him in the afternoon, she really wanted to spend the lunch break with him.

Liz looked up and smiled. “Hey Isabel…no sorry I haven’t seen him…” She thought for a moment. “I seem to remember him saying something about doing some work in the computer labs if that’s any help though…” She offered.

Isabel nodded. “Ok, thanks…” She didn’t bother sitting down but instead headed off back towards the school building with only one thought in mind…she wanted to see Alex…

Liz nodded. “Ok…” Her smile softened as someone sat down next to her.

“Hi…”

The sound of his voice was enough to send tingles down her spine and Liz smiled at Max. “Hey…”

“You know that last period without you was pure agony…” He told her, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

Liz laughed softly as she felt this breath on her ear. “Stop it…that tickles…” She looked round. “And you shouldn’t say such silly things either…” She scolded him playfully. He was looking at her with those beautiful brown puppy-dog eyes and she could feel the warm feeling spreading through her body due to the fact he was near. This can’t be normal…it’s so intense…and soo wonderful… Any reservation she might have had melted away as Max bent over, pressing his lips against hers. The kiss lasted only a moment but made her feel like she was floating.

As he sat down, Max found himself scanning her, taking in her every line and contour. It was like an elixir and he lapped it up. She is so gorgeous… Without thinking, he leant towards her and pressed his lips against hers. Her skin’s so soft…like velvet… He didn’t want to pull away but he was conscious that Liz tended to feel uncomfortable when they kissed at school and he didn’t want to upset her so pressed his lips against hers for only a moment before releasing her.

As she felt him pull back, Liz opened her eyes again and found that Max was looking right at her. He looked amused. “What…?”

He smiled. “Nothing…nothing at all…I was just thinking how beautiful you are…”

Liz blushed. “Stop it…” She protested.

Max’s eyes twinkled. “Are you going to make me…?”

She laughed. “Maybe…later…” She was conscious that they were sat in the middle of the yard outside school. Not the most romantic…or private area… She picked up one of her sandwiches. “Want one…?”

Her boyfriend smiled. “Ok later…I’ll hold you to that…” Leant forward to whisper in her ear. As he finished, he pulled back and then continued at normal volume. “I’ve got my own…thanks for the offer though…” He pulled a package of sandwiches out of his own bag and then smiled as a thought occurred to him. “Unless you want to swap one…?”

Liz chuckled and shook her head. “No thanks…I don’t think I could eat it…I’m assuming it’s laced with tabasco as usual…?”

Max laughed and nodded. “Yeah…sorry…”

Maria looked away from the couple; they didn’t deserve to be spied on… She noticed Michael standing just at the side and got ready to move up. “Hi…are you wanting to sit down…?” She offered.

Michael shrugged. “I’m ok…I’d prefer to stand…”

He clearly wasn’t paying much attention to her and this was all it needed for Maria to break. She’d really hoped that Michael might come over that morning and since he hadn’t, the day just seemed to have gone from bad to worse. She wanted to believe what Liz had said…she wanted to think that maybe she and Michael could be as good together and Liz and Max, but right at that moment in time she couldn’t see it… “FINE!” She snapped. “You stand…I’m going anyway!” Standing up quickly, she grabbed her bag and ran off back towards the building without even saying bye to Liz.

Michael watched her go. He was confused. Ok…what just happened there…? He looked at Max. “What did I do now?”

“Nothing…that’s the whole point!” Max responded.

“Huh…?” He wasn’t understanding.

“You said that you didn’t want to sit when she was making room for you next to her. She wanted you to sit next to her and in saying you didn’t want to sit, to her you’ve said that you don’t want to sit next to her…” His friend tried to explain.

Michael still didn’t look convinced. “But I didn’t say that…I just wanted to stand…”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Look, she’s upset at the moment…she thinks you’re ignoring her and that you don’t care about her…” She looked at Michael accusingly.

He didn’t like the way she was looking at him. “Ok…I’m the idiot…” Michael mumbled apologetically. “Boy, I’m never going to understand her…”

“Well whatever you understand or don’t, I would personally suggest that you go after her…” Liz instructed him. “If you don’t she’d going to take it as a sign she’s right, and you don’t want her…”

Michael groaned. “Alright…” He sighed. “I’ll go try and find her. See you guys later…” He gave the couple who were still sat down a quick wave and then headed off in the same direction Maria had disappeared.

Once he was out of sight, Liz snuggled up against Max. “So…how was your morning…?”

He appeared to think for a moment. “Well it was ok…but not as good as it would have been if a certain brunette had been in my classes…”

Liz laughed. “Oh really…?”

He nodded. “Yeah really…I missed you…”

**********

Come on…concentrate…not much longer to go… Liz was sat in her geography class trying to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. Normally she didn’t mind geography but today she just couldn’t concentrate. Each lesson apart from Max that day had seemed to last an eternity…her mind was full of Max Evans, and she just couldn’t keep her mind on anything else.

“Miss Parker…”

Liz looked up and realised that Mr Born was staring at her. He clearly realised that she hadn’t been paying attention and didn’t look happy. She did her best to look apologetic. “I’m sorry sir…I’m not feeling very well, may I be excused to go to the toilet…?”

The teacher nodded and Liz quickly made her way to the door, relieved to escape. What is going on…? I just can’t get him out of my head… Slowly she started to walk down the corridor and, on reaching the door to the toilet; she pushed it open and went in. Going over to the hand basins, she decided to try splashing some cold water on her face, hoping to snap herself out of the trance-like state she was in. She turned on the tap but, after looking up at the mirror, just stood there, thinking and looking at her reflection.

“Liz…?”

She jumped slightly as she heard a voice behind. How long have I been standing here…? Turning round, she saw that Maria was stood behind, obviously having just entered the room. Liz looked at her friend, clearly surprised. “What are you doing here…?”

Maria didn’t seem impressed by her question. She was clearly concerned. “What am I doing here…? I want to know what’s wrong with you!” She looked at her friend expectantly.

Liz smiled softly, turning off the tap before looking back at Maria. “I’m fine…I feel fine…don’t worry…” She assured her.

“Well you told Mr Born you weren’t feeling well just over ten minutes ago…you don’t usually do that for nothing…” Maria pointed out.

Liz was shocked. Ten minutes…I’ve been stood here that long…? She tried not to show that there was anything amiss and shrugged. “I know Maria…I just couldn’t concentrate…I guess I’m tired…”

“You not able to concentrate…?” Maria looked at her friend, clearly surprised.

She nodded. “Yes me…I just can’t seem to concentrate on anything at the moment…” Well anything except Max… She added silently. It was almost as though Maria could hear her thoughts because it was clear she could tell there was something else.

“Anything except Max Evans…?” She guessed.

Liz smiled wryly, realising that she wasn’t going to be able to lie to Maria. She knows me too well…she’d never believe me… Slowly she nodded in response. “Yeah…you’re right…Max I can concentrate on…in fact I can’t get him out of my head…”

Maria chuckled. “You’ve got it bad chica…”

“I know…I-“ Liz broke off, realising that the smile had fallen from Maria’s face. “Maria…what’s wrong?” The bright smile on her friend’s face had been replaced by something resembling panic and Liz looked at her again. “Maria…?”

She looked over at Liz, her fingers fiddling with a loose lock of hair which had fallen forward onto her face. “Well I just thought…what if this is a side effect of…you know the Czechoslovakian aspect of a relationship…?” She appeared to be genuinely alarmed by this possibility.

Liz laughed. “I wouldn’t think so…” She assured her friend. “No, I think it’s just me at the moment…I guess I’ve been thinking about him a lot, just like I have over the last few years, the difference now is that it’s not all imagination…we’re actually together…finally…” She smiled and checked her appearance in the mirror before looking back at Maria.

Her friend didn’t seem to have been convinced. “How can you be sure…?” She persisted. “Are you positive it’s not…?”

She shrugged again. “Well no, I can’t be…” She admitted slowly.

“So you have to find out!” Maria insisted.

Liz didn’t look convinced. “Just how am I supposed to do that…and what am I supposed to do if it is…?” She didn’t like to think about the possible consequences if it was an alien complication to the relationship. I can’t continue like this…but at the same time I know I couldn’t continue without him either… She looked back up at Maria, knowing what was coming.

“Well I guess you stop seeing him…” Her friend said exactly what Liz expected. It was slow and obviously something she’d thought about before.

But I’ve thought about this too…I know that what I have with Max is something special…I can’t give it up… Liz bit her lip as she listened to what Maria had to say and then took a moment before answering. “No, I couldn’t…I need him…” Her tone was calm and collected. The words may have made her sound desperate but the way in which she said them did not. She was simply demonstrating the strength of her feelings.

“Chica…you don’t need him…you’re perfectly able to manage on your own!” Maria looked at her friend. “Don’t say this stuff…don’t make me think that knowing Max has changed you in a way that takes away your independence. I know Liz Parker…I’ve known her since I was this high…” She indicated a level around her knees. “…Liz Parker doesn’t need any man you told me that a long time ago!”

Liz smiled softly. “Ok…maybe I don’t need him…” She conceded. “…but being with him makes me feel whole in a way that nothing and no one else has ever done…” She looked at her. “Maria I love Max…it’s a strong emotion but I know what I’m feeling is true…I love Max Evans and I don’t ever want to lose him again…”

Maria sighed softly. She could see that the strong, solid, independent Liz was still there…but she was tempered by a slightly softer edge. Their experiences over the last few years had already changed her, they’d made her cautious, even more reserved at times…but even Maria had to admit that Max Evans seemed to bring out the best in Liz. The two were a match made in heaven and you only had to look at them to see how much love they shared. She knew in her heart that Max would never try to dominate Liz…and in turn Liz would never be dominated… They’d work together as they had done before…and despite all the crazy things which happened, somehow she just knew they’d get through them together. I just wish I knew the same about me and Michael… As she realised Liz was watching her, Maria forced herself away from her thoughts and smiled. “Ok chica…you win…but you know you have it really bad…right…?”

Liz nodded and chuckled. “Yeah, I know…” She looked at her friend. “Ok well I suppose we should be getting back to class…I think I feel a little better…” She started to step towards the door but Maria stuck out her hand to stop her friend.

“Wait…Liz…?”

She turned round. “Yeah…?”

“I need to ask you something…”

Liz smiled. “Ok, shoot…”

Maria shifted her feet, clearly uncomfortable and looked down at the floor, not feeling able to face her friend. “You and Max…have you…you know…?”

Liz’s eye’s widened as she filled in the gaps. “Slept together…? NO!” She said firmly, leaving now room for misinterpretation. “We’re not ready for that…we haven’t even talked about it yet…” She looked at her friend, clearly surprised. “Why do you ask anyway…?”

Maria shrugged. “I don’t know…I guess…I guess I wondered if that was why you and Max were so close…as opposed to me and Michael…I’m still finding it difficult to persuade him to spend time with me in a date sense…” She explained. The faintest traces of tears could be seen forming in the corners of her eyes and Liz could see she was upset. “I don’t know what it is…we just don’t seem to make a good couple…”

Her friend shook her head at this. “No Maria…it’s not that…you’re good together, I think you just both need some more time…” Liz hated seeing her friend like this. I wish Michael would get his act together… She slipped her arm around her friend’s shoulders and handed her a tissue. “It’s ok Maria…you’ll get there…” She smiled at her. “Come on, wipe your eyes…”

Maria nodded and took the tissue slowly. Before they left, she also used a bit of cold water to try and reduce the puffiness which betrayed the fact that she’d been crying. This done, she looked back up at Liz. “Ok, how do I look…?”

She smiled. “You look great…now come on, we should be getting back…it won’t be much longer anyway, the lesson’s almost over and then we can go home.”

Maria nodded and they left the restroom together, hurrying back to class.

roswelluver, Nikki, cassie and Natz, thanks for reading guys. I'm glad you're still enjoying the story.

cassie - thanks, I'm glad you like them.

Nikki - thanks, I'm glad you like the way it's going.

Ok well here's the next chapter, I'd love to hear what people think.

Chapter 7

~Dream~

He spun Liz round and then the hall and music all melted away. She was still dressed in her Prom dress, and he stood next to her as before, but the surroundings had changed. All the other couples who’d been dancing round them had gone…they were alone in the desert. He took her hand and led her across the dusty ground. They walked hand in hand and then stopped at the foot of a rocky path. They dropped down onto the floor, kissing and were oblivious to their surroundings. Suddenly he got up again and Liz did the same. He led her up a steep dusty path and then stopped. High above them towered a huge rock or boulder, but neither of them noticed. Liz backed up against the rocks and he started to kiss her more passionately now, his lips pressing against hers and their tongues battling…

~End Dream~

Max woke up suddenly sweating. He didn’t remember falling asleep and when he looked at himself, found that he was lying on top of the covers on his bed. He was fully clothed and his school bag lay on the floor next to the bed exactly where he had left it. On his bedside table sat the glass of, now flat, cherry-coke that he had brought up with him earlier that evening. Looking out of his window, he saw that it was pitch –black, clearly the middle of the night. This is sooo weird…the sun was still up last I remember… I was listening to music and then… He just didn’t know, clearly he must have fallen asleep, but when was a mystery. The CD, which he’d put on before lying down on the bed, was long since finished, and the room was silent except for the ticking of his clock. Checking the time, he estimated that he must have been asleep at least five hours, if not more. What happened to us only needing three hours…? He wondered to himself, puzzling over what might have happened as he went over to close his curtains. Next he slipped off his t-shirt that was soaked through with sweat, and replaced it with a clean one. He pulled a comb through his hair, all the while trying to make sense of what had happened. He looked over at the picture of Liz, which was sat on his bedside table, and as he did this, he remembered the dream… He’d dreamt of Liz before of course, there was nothing unusual about that, but there was something about this dream that bothered him. There was something different from usual, maybe it seemed more real… Don’t be stupid; dreams are just dreams…aren’t they…? He shook his head, for some reason, when he thought about these dreams; he couldn’t help thinking that they meant something… There’s just something about them…

**********

After sitting in his room for ten minutes or so, Max still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling he got when thinking about the dreams he’d been having. Clearly thinking about it himself wasn’t doing any good though, it was only making him more confused and mixed up. Maybe I’m just being stupid, making something out of nothing… Deciding that he needed a second opinion, he went over to his door and slipped out of his room onto the landing. He moved slowly and quietly, not wanting to risk waking his parents, and in a few minutes, found himself standing in front of the door to his sister’s room. There was no danger that he’d be waking her up, she was never asleep at this time…neither was he usually, they only needed about three hours of sleep, and they usually did this at the end of the night instead of the beginning since it meant they were asleep if their parents came into their rooms in the morning. Raising his hand, he knocked softly on the door with his knuckles and then stood, waiting for his sister to answer.

**********

Isabel was sat at her desk, putting the finishing touches to a piece of homework, which was due the following day, when she heard the knock on her door. With practiced efficiency, she shoved the book under a pile of papers, which were lying on her desk, and ran her hand through her hair to make it look like she’d just woken up. This was all done in case it was one of her parents because of course; she wasn’t supposed to be up at this time. As far as they were concerned, she went to bed at around eleven, and then got up in the morning. By changing into her nightclothes immediately, Isabel managed to keep up this pretence even on the rare occasions they had checked up on her. It took her only a few seconds to do all this, and once she was confident they wouldn’t be able to tell she’d been up, Isabel walked over to the door and opened it, letting out a small yawn as she did so to add to the effect.

**********

Max couldn’t help grinning as his sister opened the door. Izzy’s quite an actress, if I didn’t know better I’d think I had woken her up just now… Of course he did know better, Isabel always left her homework until the evening and he was fairly certain that somewhere under the mountain of papers on her desk would be his sisters English composition workbook containing an unfinished essay that was due in the following day. “Hey…” He greeted her softly.

Isabel was surprised to find her brother standing outside but she smiled, dropping the pretence of being tired as soon as she was certain their parents weren’t around. “Oh Hi…come in…” She stood back from the door, motioning for him to enter the room.

“Thanks…” Max responded, stepping inside in response to her invitation.

Isabel shut the door behind them, sliding her hand over the knob to ‘lock it’. The actual door had no locking mechanism, but by using her powers, she could ensure that it stayed shut and they wouldn’t be interrupted unexpectedly. He parents had often commented on the fact her door wouldn’t open, but they seemed perfectly happy with the explanation that the door simply stuck sometimes, so Isabel wasn’t going to object. Once she had done this, she looked round at Max and gestured towards the bed. “You want to sit down…?” She offered.

Her brother nodded and they both sat down. Max was beginning to wonder if this was a bad idea. “Look, if this is a bad time I can…” He trailed off; half hoping she’d give him an out.

Isabel shook her head. “No, it’s fine, I was just doing some homework, that’s all…” She reassured him quickly. Something about her brother’s expression and demeanour was telling her that something was wrong. He looked tense and she could almost feel his concern. “What’s up…?” She asked him gently.

Max shrugged; still not sure whether he was really ready to explain fully. “I don’t know, I guess I just really needed to talk to someone…”

She nodded and smiled. “Ok, well I’m all ears…what’s bothering you…?”

Looking round, Max stared out of the window for a moment before answering. “Well…” He started. “It’s about Liz…” He hesitated and his voice trailed off before he gave any details. This is silly, she’s just going to tell me I’m being stupid…dreams are dreams, they can’t mean anything really. I’m just dreaming about Liz because I love her, there’s nothing strange in that… Convincing himself that he was over reacting, Max shook his head. He couldn’t tell Isabel about this, what was the point…? “It’s nothing…” He tried to dismiss it lightly.

Isabel wasn’t convinced. She’d seen her brother’s expression when he’d come into the room, and even now he didn’t look happy. Something was definitely bothering him. “It didn’t sound like nothing…” She commented, looking at him expectantly.

Max shifted awkwardly, not sure how to reply to this. If he told Isabel about the dreams, that would mean revealing a little more about his feelings for Liz than he was really willing to do with his sister. He sighed and looked at her. “Ok, maybe it’s not nothing, but I can’t talk to you about it, not now anyway…I don’t think I’m ready…”

Isabel nodded. “Ok, I’ll accept that…” She smiled at her brother. “But when you’re ready, I’m here for you…I’m ready to listen…just remember that…ok…?”

He smiled. “Thanks Iz…I won’t forget, I promise…”

His sister smiled. “Good…”

“Anyway…” Max tried desperately to think of a way to change the subject. If they continued talking about this, he was likely to end up telling Isabel, and he wasn’t ready for that, not yet anyway… After a few moments thought, he came up with the perfect topic. “So, how are things going with you and Alex…?”

Isabel could tell what Max was doing, but didn’t object. If he wants to keep whatever’s bothering him to himself for now, that’s up to him…I’m sure I’ll find out eventually though… She couldn’t help wishing that he could have chosen another topic to focus on though, her relationship with her boyfriend wasn’t the sort of thing she really wanted to discuss with her brother. “It’s fine…” She answered vaguely, hoping that he wasn’t going to press for any details.

Max had to make an effort not to laugh as he say the uncomfortable look on his sister’s face. She had often pressed him for details about his relationships, and even complained when he’d tried to say he didn’t want to talk about it, but now the shoe was on the other foot, it was her turn to look uncomfortable. Remembering all the times when she had interrogated him, he decided not to pry any further. “Good…I’m glad…” He said simply.

Isabel smiled; relieved Max didn’t appear to be going to ask anything more. Things with Alex are complicated sometimes…and they’re wonderful…but they’re so different as well…

Max smiled as he read his sister’s facial expression. He didn’t have to ask to know she was thinking about Alex, she looked so happy… Isabel had changed a lot over the last two and a half years, and at first maybe he hadn’t been happy when she started going out with Alex. He hadn’t thought he was good enough for her, but then again he had never thought any of Isabel’s boyfriends were good enough for her; it was part of being an overprotective big brother. Seeing how happy Alex made his sister meant that Max couldn’t deny how good he was for her though. He was of course a good friend as well; part of the small group Max knew they could count on. Suddenly, he became aware that his sister was looking at him strangely, and he realised that he’d been sat starting into space. “Oh, sorry Iz…” He apologised, a little embarrassed. She gave him an amused look and Max decided it was time to leave. He said goodnight quickly, then returned to his room. Additional sleep that night was unlikely to be necessary, but being alone in his room, would enable him to think…

**********

Isabel tried not to laugh as her brother said goodnight hurriedly. She could tell he was embarrassed that she had caught him not paying attention from the way his ears had gone bright red. Max wasn’t one for being able to hide embarrassment well, and she often took glee in teasing him about the way his ears changed colour. That night though, she was content to let it go, simply nodding as he said goodnight, and closing the door behind him. As he left the room, her thoughts turned to Alex. She knew that she should go back to the essay she had been working on before Max had interrupted her, but her brother’s question about her relationship with Alex had caused her focus to slip away from her schoolwork. She smiled, and laid back on her bed, thinking. If anyone had told her two years ago that she’s be going out with a computer wiz, she would have told them they were absolutely mad. Throughout school, she’s always tried to project a confident facade which resulted in her being part of the popular group. She’d tended to shun guys who weren’t part of this group, and had laughed when one of her friends had first mentioned that Alex Whitman had liked her because Alex was definitely not part of her social circle at that time. Of course he wasn’t classed as one of the nerds, even though he was brilliant with computer, he had one thing that saved him from that fate, his band. Playing the guitar in a band meant that Alex managed to remain just on the outside of the non-popular groups, in the nexus between the two main social circles. It had been the same thing with Liz Parker, she was on the honour role, straight A-student, excellent in labs, but since she was good looking and had been going out with Kyle Valenti, she managed to avoid being one of the swots… Everything had seemed so simple for Isabel up to that day at the Crashdown… She’d known exactly where she stood at school, and which of the guys would make suitable dates. After Max had healed Liz though, everything had changed. Her social circle at school seemed to change, she ended up hanging round with Liz, Maria, Max and Michael much more than she had done previously, and when Alex had found out about their secret, he’d become part of the group too. As she’d gotten to know him better, Isabel had found herself drawn to him, the idea that he still liked her when he knew the truth made him more and more appealing. She found that he had a great sense of humour and that she enjoyed talking to him… So much happened…so much changed… She had to admit to herself that she had changed a lot too. She knew it was for the best though. She was happier than she had ever been before. Maybe I don’t fit into the popular circle as much as I used to…and maybe Alex isn’t the sort of guy I used to go for…but I’m happy…He loves me, and I love him…that’s what matters… I’ve still got Max and Michael, but I’ve got so much more as well… Liz, Maria and Alex, the three of them, my friendships with them, mean so much more than all the ones I had at school before. They know about me, the real me…I don’t have to keep secrets from them, and that’s so important… Tracey, Suzanne, they’d drop me in a second if they thought being friends with me would damage their social standing, but Liz and Maria, they’d never do that…I know that they’ll be there for me, and won’t let me down. She couldn’t help thinking how amazing it was, when Max had told Liz about them, she’d been petrified…she couldn’t believe that her brother had been so stupid and she was convinced that his belief in Liz would backfire. Now however, she couldn’t imagine it any other way. She knew that any fears about Liz had been unfounded. She, Maria and Alex would never betray them; Max, Michael, Liz, Maria, Alex and herself were a group. They’d been through an awful lot and had grown very close, almost like family… Previously she had thought that no one could understand them, but she had grown to know better. Maria, Liz and Alex stuck by them. They understood the dangers; they knew the truth and yet were still there. The three might not have been like her, but it didn’t matter, all that mattered was that they’d shown they could be trusted. As a group, the six of them were there for each other, and always would be…

**********

Michael stood at the window of his apartment and looked out. The sky was clear and his gaze was directed at the stars in the dark night sky, but his mind was not. His mind was elsewhere, focussing on something…someone else… Maria…he knew that he loved her, but he was too scared to admit it. It was all so new, he’d never had these sorts of feelings before and he didn’t really know what to do. I know that I’m hurting her…she wants more than I know how to give… He hated the fact that he was hurting her, and wanted more than anything to be able to stop doing so, but he needed some time… He just wasn’t ready to admit that he loved her…not out loud anyway… I know that it’s true in my heart, and I want her to know…but I’m so scared that if I do things will go wrong… Michael knew that he wasn’t good at these sorts of things, he struggled with relationships, he always worried that they might weaken him... What if something goes wrong…I can’t afford to be weak…I can’t afford for that to happen… He tried to block out the image of Maria’s upset face that had been fixed in his mind since their fight earlier that day. He couldn’t bare to think that he was the one causing her that hurt… I can’t continue like this… Things just have to change; I have to make this right. I have to get over this fear… I love Maria; I know that so why can’t I tell her. This stonewall that I’ve built up just doesn’t work anymore…I need to let her in, I need to let her know how I feel… I need to stop hurting her… With this resolution in his mind, Michael closed his blinds and switched off the music, which was playing, before getting ready for bed. He looked over at the small picture frame that sat on the small table next to his bed. She’s so beautiful…I just have to tell her…

roswellluver, isabelle and Sternbetrachter thanks for reading, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Isabelle - Maybe Isabel's not quite letting it go as much as we think... Anyway, glad that you're enjoying the story and hope that you'll like the new chapter.

Ok, well I know that it's been a while since I posted. I finished my exams last week :bday: (sooo cool not to be stuck revising all the time) and I finished typing up this chapter on Friday but didn't get to post it before I had to go to bed. Well I've been away this weekend, and didn't end up being able to post even though I had intended to so sorry again about the delay. Thanks for being patient and I hope that you think the wait has bee worth it .

Chapter 8

“LIZ!” Maria called to her friend as she ran up to her outside the school building. She bent over, breathing hard as she tried to catch her breath.

Liz looked round surprised. “Oh hi Maria…” She greeted her. She glanced at her watch as a thought occurred to her. “You know this must be a first…you’re not late…” She commented laughing softly.

Maria pulled a face. It wasn’t as though she could complain about her friend’s ribbing, she did have a reputation for being on the last minute all the time… “Ha ha, very funny…” She gave a wryey smile as she linked her arm through Liz’s.

Her friend grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I thought so…I-“ She was about to saw something more when she suddenly became aware that another person had also joined them. She looked round and smiled as she noticed that her boyfriend had appeared. “Hey…”

Max smiled back, standing next to her. “Hey…Look I don’t want to interrupt an important conversation, but if we don’t get a move on, were all going to be late…”

Liz nodded. “That’s ok, we were just going…” She told him.

Knowing that he didn’t have class with her that morning, Max nodded again and leant over, kissing her quickly before heading off in the opposite direction. “Ok, see you later then…”

“Yeah…” Liz stood for a moment, savouring the feel of his lips pressing against hers, then headed towards the building with Maria in tow. After a less than a minute, she stopped and turned back the way they had come, her eyes searching for the familiar dark hair that belonged to her boyfriend.

Maria didn’t notice when Liz stopped, but suddenly became aware that her friend was no longer walking with her and looked back. Laughing softly, she hurried back and grabbed her friend’s arm. “I think he can manage to walk to class without you…” She teased Liz lightly. She chuckled and looked at her friend. “You know you guys were always bad, but recently you’re getting even worse if that’s possible… I mean the way you look, it’s like you’re not going to see him again for a year or something silly like that…you’re going to be seeing him in a couple of hours, and you’ve got the whole afternoon in labs with him to look forward to…” She pointed out.

Liz sighed and nodded, knowing that she was right. It wasn’t that her body didn’t know that, but at the moment she just wanted to be around him all the time…

Maria could see that Liz still wasn’t completely back with her. “Come on…” She tugged at her arm. “We need to get moving as Max pointed out…otherwise you’re going to make me late…” The lack of response to this confirmed to her the fact that Liz wasn’t really listening…if she’d been paying one ounce of attention that remark would have been met by a barrel of laughter and probably a comment in response as well… “Liz…”

The tugging on her arm finally seemed to snap Liz out of the trance-like state she seemed to have been in and she looked over at her friend. “Sorry…what was that…?”

Maria rolled her eyes. “You really are hopeless at the moment…come on, I can’t afford to be late again…especially not after arriving early…”

Liz laughed and nodded. Together with Maria, she hurried inside and the pair made their way to their first class which was English.

**********

“Ah Mr Evans…so good of you to join us…” Mr Slate commented in a sarcastic voice as Max came into the room after the bell.

“Sorry sir…I had some problems with the car this morning…” Max knew that it was a silly excuse, and he didn’t like lying anyway, but there was no way he could tell the truth… Oh yeah, Mr Slate is really going to like it if I say that I stood outside, watching Liz, not moving until she had walked out of my sight… He could just imagine the response he would get if he admitted that, and it wasn’t one he wanted to become reality.

His teacher didn’t make any response, simply turning his attention back to the rest of the class while Max hurried to sit down. “I hope that you haven’t forgotten that your latest assignment is due by Friday…that’s just three days away.” He looked round the class. “I expect everyone to have handed in a piece of work, that is a minimum of two thousand words, at the latest by four O’ clock… Anyone that thinks they can get away with handing it in late, you are very much mistaken…I will not mark it and you will get a mark of zero!” He paused a moment, allowing this to sink in then turned back towards the board saying. “Right, get out your plays…Act on, Scene one…we read this through and discussed it last lesson so I now expect that you should be able to answer the questions I’m going to write on the board…” He picked up a piece of chalk and started to write out a list of questions. “Oh, and anyone who decides they want to mess around this lesson, that’s fine, but you’ll have all the more homework because I want these questions finished for tomorrow…any you have left over at the end of the lesson, you’ll just have to do tonight…”

There were a number of groans which sounded from the back of the class after this statement, but Max, realising that there was no point in complaining, simply dug his copy of the play out from his bag and started to write down the questions at the top of a sheet of clean paper. This done, he next opened the book, rereading the relevant scene quickly. He knew that he needed to work on his assignment that night so he wanted to get as much of this out of the way in class so as not to give himself even more to do that evening. Luckily for him, he was a quick reader, and soon he was able to start writing down answers to the questions which had been set. Of course it helped that he enjoyed what he was doing…he loved English and that made it a lot easier to try and put thoughts of Liz to the back of his mind and concentrate on his work. Even though he was able to do this though, he was never able to completely forget about her, and throughout the lesson, he knew that part of his mind was still focused on her…

**********

“MAX…WAIT UP!” Isabel yelled as she saw her brother rush past her.

Max slowed his pace slightly, hearing his sister, but didn’t stop.

Isabel chased after him. “Hey, what’s the rush…where’s the fire…?” She asked laughing as she fell into step with him breathing heavily.

“Ha ha, very funny…” Max slowed to a walk but still didn’t stop completely.

Isabel was puzzled. From the way that Max was walking she could tell he was in a hurry and from his demeanour she was guessing that something was wrong. “Max…what’s going on…where are you going…?” She asked, falling into step with him.

Max immediately felt guilty about the way he had spoken. I should have known better…now Isabel thinks that there’s something seriously wrong… He looked at his sister apologetically. “Look, there’s nothing to worry about…I’m just in a hurry…”

Isabel nodded. “Ok, so where are you going…what’s so important…?”

“The library…I have to get a book out so I can do an assignment…” Max responded.

“So…what assignment…why’s it such a rush…?” Isabel asked puzzled.

Max grimaced. “Um, well it’s due in on Friday…” He admitted reluctantly. “…and I haven’t even started…”

Isabel’s eyes widened. She regularly left things to the last minute, but that was just the way she did things…it most definitely was NOT how her brother worked… “Ok well that’s definitely not like you…” She commented.

Her brother shook his head. “No, I know it’s not…I just can’t help it though…I’ve had other things on my mind…been otherwise occupied…”

She nodded. “With Liz…” It wasn’t a question, just a statement of fact. No one could have missed the way that the two of them had seemed inseparable the last few weeks, even more than normal… That and the way that they both appeared distracted when the other wasn’t around…

Max wanted to refute this but knew that she was right. “Yeah…I guess…” He admitted. “We’ve been spending a lot of time together…”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “NO, I’d never have known…” She laughed. “Look Max, I’m glad that you seem to be getting on so well this time…and I’m delighted that you seem to have gotten over this conviction that you can’t have a relationship with her…but you can’t afford to let your social life ruin your school work…” She smiled at him. “I know how much your plans for college mean to both of you...I’d hate for all this to spoil it…”

Her brother pulled a face. “Yeah, I know all this…” He responded then looked at her. “Anyway, since when can you tell me all this…the number of times that you’ve been working late into the night to hand it in the next day…” He pointed out.

She shook her head. “No, that’s different and you know it…” She told him. “It’s a choice I make consciously…it’s how I choose to work…” She paused a moment then continued. “You on the other hand don’t like working that way…I know you don’t…you like to take your time over the work to make sure that you produce the best you can…”

Max couldn’t argue with her, he knew that she was right… The fact was that he’d been going to start working on the assignment the previous week, then he’d arranged to meet Liz at the Crashdown after school, and…well needless to say nothing had gotten done as far as work went… It had been the same each time they’d met…time seemed to be forgotten and while before they had often met up to do work together, at the moment it seemed that meeting up would only ensure that nothing was done… He’d never say that being around her felt wrong, but something was definitely strange… The way we’ve been just isn’t normal…Isabel’s noticed…Maria…something’s not right…

Isabel watched her brother, sure that he was thinking something, but he obviously didn’t want to volunteer his thoughts so she kept quiet and didn’t ask…if it was anything important she was sure that he would tell her eventually.

He shrugged. “Ok well I’m going to the library now, and then I’m working on the assignment tonight…” He assured her. “Liz has a load of work to do too so we’ve agreed not to meet up unless we get up to date with everything…”

His sister nodded. “Sounds like a good idea…so I guess I’d better let you go…” She commented as they stopped in front of the entrance to the library.

Max nodded. “Yeah, I right, I really do have to go…see you later…” He waved to his sister and then hurried in through the doors as Isabel walked away in the opposite direction, heading for her locker. Something about all that wasn’t right…Max and Liz just weren’t the sort to allow their relationship to take precedence over their work… She shook her head, unable to get rid of the nagging at the back of her mind. Something is very wrong…

**********

Trying to stifle a yawn, Liz covered her mouth with her hand and sighed as she finished another page of writing and turned it over. It was past eleven in the evening and she was sat working at her desk. She couldn’t deny that she was tired, but she knew that it would be some time before she would be able to go to bed, she still had too much to do…

She hadn’t been able to start until later than intended since her parents had asked her to do an extra shift in the Crashdown, but even if she had started earlier, Liz knew she would have been in for a late night… She’d allowed a lot of work to pile up, which was very unlike her usually… In the last few weeks though, she’d fallen behind in a major way it wasn’t that she hadn’t tried to get it done, but every time she had sat down she just hadn’t been able to concentrate… Even that night, she’d had to try so hard, and she knew full well that the work she had done was no where near her best. Usually, knowing this would mean she would simply continue working on it, but the lack of time she had, added to the fact she was still struggling to concentrate, all meant that she’d just have to be content to have completed the work on time…

Liz looked over at the clock again, desperately wanting to go to bed but knowing that she couldn’t. Trying not to think about how tired she was, Liz made herself a promise right then…she would never allow it to happen again… She didn’t know what had happened really, but it couldn’t be allowed to happen again…she was going to have to show some self discipline… Max and I might be drawn to each other and want to spend all our time together, but we both know that it just isn’t possible…we have to do other things as well… She knew it wasn’t that simple really though, something had changed…she didn’t know what, or why, but something was happening to make them act like this…and they needed to find out what… It isn’t just Max and I being silly…this is different…it’s so intense… She knew that she needed to talk to Max about it, but right now it would have to wait…she was only too aware that if she phoned Max, no more work would get done, so right now, work came first… She tried to push her concerns to the back of her mind and picked up her pen once more, looking down at her work and attempting to do some more.

roswelluver and Isabelle, thanks for reading. Sorry it's taken so long to get a new part out and thanks for your patience. I'm so glad to know that you're still enjoying the story.

Isabelle - sorry, no more hints about what the 'alien thing' as you call it is in this part. Amazingly, no M/L actually, which is very unusual for me . Hope you enjoy the new part anyway though.

Sorry about the time it's taken me to get this done. I did want to update both my fics before I went on holiday for a week but 'Family Connections' took longer than expected and I found I didn't have chance. Since I got back I've had some stuff to do and that, combined with trying to keep up with my rp posting has kinda meant that I've fallen behind with updating my fics. Again I'm sorry and I hope it won't be as long next time. Anyway, on with the new part . Thanks for being so patient hope that you like it.

Chapter 9

“Isabel, are you alright…?” Alex came up behind his girlfriend after class. She was stood just to one side of the main doors and was staring into space, her mind clearly elsewhere. Alex reached out slowly, placing his hand on his shoulder and as she felt him do this, Isabel jumped slightly and looked round.

“Oh Alex, it’s you…” She looked a little awkward. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you…” She apologised.

Alex nodding, having gathered that much from her reaction anyway. “No problem…are you alright though…?” He repeated a little concerned.

Isabel gave a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine…I guess I’ve just got a lot on my mind at the moment sorry…”

“No need to apologise Isabel, I’m just worried about you that’s all…” Alex sighed. “I gathered that you obviously had something on your mind though, I called to you as you left class but you obviously didn’t hear me…”

She shook her head. “No, like I say, I’m sorry… I’ve been preoccupied lately that’s all…” Isabel smiled reassuringly. “It’s nothing to worry about though, I’m fine…”

Reading between the lines, Alex nodded. “Is it Max…?” He asked softly.

His girlfriend was surprised by this. “Yeah…how did you know…?”

Alex shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess it’s just I could tell that you were worried about something…Max is your brother and it’s obvious that there’s something on his mind…” He paused a moment before continuing. “It’s natural that you’d be worried about him so I just guessed that it might be that…” He finished his explanation simply.

Isabel nodded. “Yeah, well you’re right anyway…it is Max…” She sighed. “I just don’t know what’s happening with him at the moment…” She admitted. The tone of her voice showed that this fact alone disturbed her…she was used to knowing what was going on…she’d always had a good idea of what Max was thinking and the thought that he was going through something and she had no idea what was not one that she liked.

Alex slipped his hand into hers, giving it a squeeze to try and reassure his girlfriend slightly. “I’m sure he’ll tell you what it is when he’s ready…”

“Yeah, I guess…” Isabel didn’t seem convinced.

Her boyfriend opened his mouth to attempt to reassure her again but as he did so, he remembered something. Suddenly he wondered whether it could be something more major after all… “Liz is the same…” He told Isabel slowly. “She doesn’t seem like herself and she’s even been behind in her work…”

Isabel turned sharply, clearly surprised by this information. “I know that Max said she had a lot of work…but I guess I just assumed that it was simply a case that she was working hard…” She paused a moment thinking, then murmured. “Liz never gets behind in her work…what’s going on…?”

Alex didn’t answer, recognising that this was a rhetorical question. Basically there were probably only two people who could answer that question…if they even knew the answer their selves…”

Remaining silent for a moment, Isabel thought over what Max had mentioned earlier in the week. “Max has been getting behind in his work too…he said something about being unable to concentrate on anything other than Liz…being drawn to her…” She explained slowly.

Alex nodded. “That sounds pretty much the same as Liz…”

Isabel nodded back, continuing to wonder what it meant. “Alex, have you managed to decrypt that writing yet…?” She asked in a low voice.

“Yeah, I’ve been running a decryption programme on it anyway…”

She looked at him questioningly. “And…?”

He shook his head apologetically. “At the moment, nothing…” He sighed. “Sorry, it’s going to take some more time…”

Isabel nodded. “Yeah, sorry I didn’t mean to push or anything…”

Her boyfriend shook his head again. “And I didn’t mean that I thought you were…” He told her hurriedly. “I wish it was faster, but it’s just not something the computer will wiz through… Unfortunately I can’t think of a better plan though, if we can decode the writing maybe it will explain what’s happening at the moment…then again maybe it won’t…” He sighed. “Either way though, it’s about all we have to work with at the moment…” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “You ready to go home anyway…?”

She nodded. “Yeah, just about…” She paused for a moment thinking, then added. “I should probably call at my locker first though; I think there’s something I need to pick up…”

“Sure.” Alex nodded amiably and the couple walked back along the corridor towards the lockers. They stopped in front of Isabel’s locker and she opened it, reaching inside and pulling out a thin textbook. She slipped it into her bag and then replaced the padlock before turning back to Alex.

He smiled. “Ok, ready now then…?”

“Yup, I think so.” Isabel returned his smile as she slipped her hand back into his.

Hand in hand, the couple walked out of the main school building and headed over to the car lot where Alex had left his car. He opened the passenger door for Isabel and waited until she was settled before closing the door and going over to get in the drivers side. Looking over at her he noticed that Isabel was fiddling with the material of her skirt. He started the engine then looked over at her, slipping his hand over one of her hands. “Hey, are you sure you’re ok…?” He asked her softly.

Isabel suddenly realised what she’d been doing and tried to smooth her skirt again. “Yes, I’m fine…” She insisted.

Her boyfriend looked unconvinced. “Look Isabel…I don’t want to push, and if you don’t want to talk about it that’s your choice, but I just hope that you know that I’m here for you…If you want to talk, or anything else, I’m here…” He told her softly.

Isabel nodded slowly. “Yeah, I know that…” She gave a small smile. “…and it means a lot to know that…thank you…” Leaning over, she pressed her lips against his. Suddenly, on impulse, as she pulled away she looked at him. “Have you got a lot of work to do tonight…?”

“No…I don’t think so…why …?” He asked intrigued.

The smile playing on Isabel’s lips widened slightly. “Well…I was wondering if you might like to come in for a while…” She paused a moment. “I guess that I’m in need of some time alone with you, if you’re available…”

Alex grinned. “Well, we have to do something about that don’t we…? I’d be very happy to oblige…”

Isabel smiled again and seemed to relax a little as Alex pulled out onto the road and headed towards her house. A little later he parked up outside and they both got out. Hand in hand, the couple headed inside, both looking very happy to be in the other’s company.

**********

“Yes…? Can I help you…?” Ms. DeLuca’s gaze fixed on the young man standing outside her front door. Something about him was strangely familiar but she couldn’t put her finger on where she’d seen him before. She wasn’t sure about him either…he seemed uncomfortable and shifty and she couldn’t think of any reason why this would be unless he was trouble…

Michael didn’t answer, feeling increasingly uncomfortable as he stood outside the house. He had come to see Maria, having decided that he needed to talk to her, but he hadn’t bargined on having to face her mother. The only piece of luck he seemed to have was that she hadn’t immediately remembered that he was the boy she had found in her daughter’s bed that night. He had little doubt that it wouldn’t take her long to remember though and he hoped to be well away by the time she did.

Amy looked at the boy again. “Can I help you…?” She repeated in a louder voice. She saw the young man in front of her shift his weight from foot to foot nervously before finally opening his mouth to speak.

“Hi Ms. DeLuca…is Maria in…?” Michael asked her awkwardly.

Ms. DeLuca had to really make an effort to hide her surprise. Maybe she should have a good talk with Maria, she had to make sure she wasn’t getting involved in something, or in some way that she shouldn’t… Unfortunately she couldn’t really think of a way to get rid of the boy without blatantly lying and so stood to one side nodding. “You’d better come in…I’ll go tell Maria that you’re here…” She turned to head upstairs but stopped as she realised something. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name…?” She looked back at him expectantly.

Michael forced a smile onto his face. “Oh…yeah…sorry…I’m Michael…” He told her, looking more nervous with every second that passed. He was more worried than ever that she would realise who he was before he had a chance to speak to Maria, and tonight NOTHING should prevent him from speaking to her, telling her what he had decided…

Amy nodded, the name sounding familiar but still being unable to place it. “Alright Michael, then I’ll go and tell Maria that you’re here…” She turned away from him and continued up the stairs to her daughter’s room.

Inside her room, Maria was sat on the bed music flowing through her headphones while she did her homework. Without realising it, she was singing along softly, absorbed in her work and completely oblivious to her surroundings. She didn’t hear her mother open the door, or walk up to her. In fact she only became aware of a second presence in the room when a shadow fell over the page of the text she was working from. She looked up, pushing the headphones back off her head, to see who it was. “Oh mom, it’s you…hi…” She smiled at her mother. She couldn’t help feeling a little shaken that she hadn’t even heard her mother enter the room. After everything she had been through with Max and the others she should have learnt by now to stay alert… It’s the music…I always allow myself to get lost in the song…

Maria’s mother assumed that the strange look in her daughter’s eyes simply suggested that she’d surprised her and smiled. “Sorry, I did knock but you can’t have heard me…” She apologised to Maria.

“Yeah…that’s ok…” Maria answered after a moment, struggling to tear her mind away from the possibility of what might have happened under other circumstances. “So were you wanting me for something…?” She asked after a moment.

“Yes, there’s a boy downstairs who wants to talk to you…” Amy responded, watching her daughter’s eyes to gauge her reaction.

Maria’s eyes widened as her attention was caught by her mother’s answer. “A boy…for me…” She paused a moment, wondering if it could actually be who she hoped before asking her mother. “He didn’t say his name was Michael did he…?” Her tone was hopeful, speaking volumes to anyone that knew her.

Amy nodded, her concern growing as she saw how excited her daughter had become. “As a matter of fact he did…I-“ She had been about to comment that he appeared familiar and ask her daughter if she had any clue as to why that might be, but before she could get any further Maria had rushed past her, flying down the stairs.

On reaching the bottom of the stairs Maria slowed down, not wanting Michael to realise just how happy she was to see him…well not until she knew what he wanted anyway… Pausing a moment, she ran her fingers through her hair and then pushed the door to the living room open.

Michael had taken a seat in there while he waited but as soon as she appeared, he stood up and went over to her. His arms wrapped around her frame, pulling her closer and engulfing her in a big hug. Once he loosened his hold on her slightly, he tilted his head and bent to press his lips against hers.

Maria could hardly believe what was happening. She hadn’t known what to expect, but this definitely wasn’t it anyway… “Micha-“ She started to say something but her boyfriend put his finger to her lips to prevent her.

“No, please Maria…let me speak first…” He looked at her. “I need to…please…will you listen to what I have to say…?” He sounded so sincere that Maria couldn’t help but nod and they sat down on the sofa together.

Michael was conscious that every minute he spent in the house it became more likely that Maria’s mom would remember who he was, but he also knew that what he needed to say had to be done here and now…not later… He took in the appearance of the young woman who sat next to him. Her eyes…hair…everything about her was so beautiful…she was like a goddess to him… Michael took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts. He knew what he wanted to say, but couldn’t think how to start. “Maria…I’m sorry that I’ve put you through so much, you don’t deserve it, you’re wonderful, kind and caring, and I know that I’ve hurt you so much…” He raised his gaze, forcing himself to look into her eyes and face the pain which he knew he would be able to see there…the pain he had caused. “I’m sorry Maria…I was scared…I was just so scared…” He couldn’t tell whether or not she thought that he meant what he was saying but ploughed ahead anyway. “I’ve never wanted to hurt you… I’m so sorry for the times I’ve done something like refused to sit with you, or speak to you…and I’m sorry that I’ve been such a jerk on the dates we’ve been on… I’m sorry for it all Maria…I love you so much and I hope that you believe me when I say I’m sorry… Can you ever forgive me for being so awful…?” He asked her hopefully, knowing that in truth he had no right to even ask. The amount of times he had hurt her, no one could blame Maria if she turned round and told him to forget it and get lost. Michael hoped with all his heart that she didn’t though…he didn’t know what he’d do if he lost her…

Maria was speechless for a moment. Of all the things she had imagined that Michael might have been about to say, nothing came close to the reality.

“Maria…?” Michael looked at her questioningly, worried by her silence.

Looking into his eyes, Maria could tell that he was speaking the truth. She had heard the depth of emotion in the words he had said and knew that he was truly sorry. Impulsively, she threw her arms around him. “Of course I forgive you…” She told him tearfully.

Michael took hold of her arms, pushing her away slightly and making her look straight at him. “I am really sorry Maria…I want to be with you…I know that now and nothing will ever change my feelings…” He reached out with one hand, wiping the tears away from the corners of her eyes before pulling her back towards him, bending over and kissing her passionately.

Maria gave into the kiss for a few moments but then, remembering where they were pulled away. “No, not here…” She told him. “My mom’s probably stood right outside the door listening…how about we go for a walk or something…?”

Her boyfriend nodded. “Sure, if that’s what you want…” He stood up, holding out his hand to her and, after she had taken it, walking over to the door. He reached out and turned the knob, walking back out into the hall with Maria.

As Ms. DeLuca saw her daughter come back out of the living room hand in hand with the young man who had come to see her, she suddenly realised where she recognised him from with a start. He’s the one that was in bed with her a couple of months ago… Her eyes narrowed as she watched him with Maria. Her daughter had insisted that nothing had happened that night, and she did trust her, but she couldn’t help worrying that she might be getting into something she wasn’t prepared for. “Maria…”

Maria looked over at her mother and seeing the look in her eyes realised immediately that her mother had remembered that morning when she had found Maria and Michael in bed together. They hadn’t done anything, but her mother had been furious and in truth Maria could understand why to some extent. She knew that her mother had by now blocked the incident out from her mind to a great extent and she had been hoping that it would remain in the past but as her mother looked back at her now she realised that was not going to happen. We have to get out of here…NOW! Without saying anything to her mother, she began to pull Michael towards the door quickly. As she saw her mother start to say something she cut her off quickly. “Mom, this is Michael…” She introduced him, trying to get out of the house without her saying anything. “We’re going out for a while…” She told her while opening the door.

Amy glared at Michael and looked back at her daughter, wanting to object but having no chance as Maria started to speak.

As soon as she had the door open, Michael didn’t have to be told by Maria that it was time to go. He looked back at Ms. DeLuca quickly saying that it was nice to meet her, then hurried out the door, closely followed by Maria.

Ms. DeLuca could do nothing more than watch as her daughter and the boy with her left the house. After remembering where she knew him from, she was rather uptight, but even she couldn’t deny how happy her daughter had looked when she’d found out he was there. She had been glowing as they had come out of the living room together and despite the fact she was concerned, part of Amy couldn’t help thinking that if he made her daughter so happy, surely this Michael couldn’t be that bad…

begonia 9508, isabelle, roswellluver, WomanofMystery thanks for reading guys, I'm glad you're all liking the story. I know that it's taken me a long time to get a new part out and I'm sorry, I know that I've said it before, but I am going to do my best to try and get back to regular updates again now.

begonia9508 - btw, am I ok calling you Eve, I know that you sign as that at the bottom of your posts...? Anyway, thanks for the praise and welcome back to the story . What's happening with Max and Liz...? Well at the risk of sounding like a real pain...I'm afraid you're going to have to continue reading to find out.

Isabelle - Good to be back . Thanks for the feedback, I'm glad that you're enjoying it. I'm afriad I'm giving nothing away about Max and Liz or the others though...I guess you'll just have to keep reading

roswellluver - thanks, I'm glad that you like them.

WomanofMystery - YAY, new reader . Welcome to the story, I'm really glad that you're enjoying it. Thanks for the feedback, it's nice to know that I'm getting it right.

Anyway, thanks for reading everyone. Hope that anyone else who's reading is enjoying it and I promise to try and update more regularly.
So, enough of me babbling on, here's the new part, I hope you like it and would love to hear what you think.

Chapter 10

“So you and Michael are getting on well then?” Liz asked Maria over the phone. She smiled at the obvious delight of her friend and waited a little longer, listening to what she was saying, before responding. “That’s great!” She told her friend enthusiastically. She was really happy for Maria. It had been obvious to most of them for a long time that Maria and Michael made a good couple. They were so different, like fire and water, but there was just something about them when they were together… It had taken Maria some time to admit it, but since she had, Liz knew it had been eating into her that Michael still refused to see it. She was just about to say something more when she heard her mother calling from downstairs. She sighed, waiting for Maria to finish her sentence, so as not to interrupt her. When her friend had done, she nodded, even though Maria wouldn’t be able to see. “I’m really happy for you Maria…but look, I’m sorry but I have to go. Mom’s calling me…” Immediately she heard Maria begin to protest but cut her off quickly. “I’ll call you back later, and then you can tell me all about it ok…?” She told her friend quickly, saying goodbye before she had a chance to respond and putting the phone back on the hook. Having done this, she heard her mother calling again and hurried out of the room to see what she was wanting…

Mrs Parker smiled as she saw her daughter coming down the steps. “Oh honey, I’m sorry to have to disturb you…I know that you had homework to do and all…”

Liz shook her head and smiled. “No, it’s fine mom…honestly…” She looked at her. “What was it you were wanting…?”

Mrs Parker sighed and went on to explain that one of the waitresses who was supposed to be working in the Crashdown that evening hadn’t turned up. “I’ve tried leaving a message on her home phone, but she hasn’t got back to me and she’s already a half hour late…”

Her daughter nodded, groaning inwardly as she realised what this all meant. “You want me to do an extra shift…?” She offered before her mother could ask.

“Would you honey…I know that you have been working a lot of extra hours recently but really there’s no one else I can ask…and even on a weeknight we need more than one waitress on at this time…” Her mother explained, looking relieved.

Liz nodded. “Sure, I understand…that’s ok mom, I’ll just go put my uniform on…” With that, she turned quickly and returned the way she had come, heading back up the stairs to her room to get changed. Closing the door behind her, she did not however immediately get out her uniform, but instead picked up her phone and dialled a number without thinking.

The phone on the other end rang twice before being picked up by a warm male voice. “Hello…”

Liz smiled as she recognised the voice. “Max…?”

“Yeah…” The voice on the other end sounded surprised. “Liz…is that you…?”

She smiled again, nodding out of habit, but adding, “Yes…” as she realised he wouldn’t be able to see her. “I’m just calling to say that I’m going to have to work tonight, and don’t know if you’re busy, or if you’d even want to, but if you’d fancy coming over for a drink, I’d really love to see you…”

“Of course I’d like to…but what about your schoolwork…?” He sounded hesitant and unsure.

“I finished it earlier tonight…I made sure I put in a late night yesterday and I’m up to date again…” She told him quickly, not wanting him to change his mind about coming.

She could almost hear the smile in his voice as he replied. “In that case, I’ll be over later…I’ve done mine too.”

Liz smiled as she heard this. “Ok, I’ll look forward to seeing you…”

“Yeah… Bye…love you…”

She blushed as she heard this. “Love you too…” She responded softly. “Bye…” Reluctantly, she put the phone down and pulled out a dress and apron from her closet.

Five minutes later she was stood in her uniform, behind the counter, serving a large group of youths who had just arrived having come straight from an after-school football match. She turned to the first one and smiled, holding her order pad ready. “What can I get you…?”

**********

Liz smiled as she saw Michael and Maria come through the door of the Crashdown together. Michael had his arm resting gently around Maria’s shoulder and the couple appeared to be talking animatedly. Completely oblivious to anyone around, they made their way to a table and sat down, still talking to each other. Liz grinned, pleased to see them getting on, then grabbed her order pad and went to take their order. “Hey guys, what can I get you…?” She asked as she reached the end of their table.

Maria looked up, startled. “Liz…” Her voice showed her surprise. “I didn’t realise you were there…you’re not supposed to be working tonight are you…?” She knew her friend’s shift patterns fairly well, and even given the extra hours she’d been working lately, she was certain she wasn’t supposed to be working…

Liz grinned. “No, but one of the other waitresses decided not to show…” She shrugged. “So I get to do an extra shift…it’s not like I can say no really since my bosses are my parents is it…”

Maria laughed. “Well no, I guess not…” She gave a wry smile. “I guess I’m glad I’m not in that situation…”

Liz smiled. “I don’t mind really…” She told her friend. “It can be a bit of a pain sometimes, but Max is coming over later so that’s a bonus…”

Her friend grinned. “Ah, so now we know the truth…” She joked.

Liz rolled her eyes, used to her friend’s teasing by now. She waved the order pad at them. “So…what’s it going to be tonight…?” She asked them.

Michael shrugged. “I’ll just have a cherry coke…”

Liz nodded. “Maria…?”

“I’ll have a piece of cherry pie and a soda.”

Liz nodded and smiled as she jotted it down. “Alright, I’ll be back with them in a few minutes…” She assured the couple as she moved on to take the orders from another table.

Maria watched her friend for a moment as she moved to another table and began to take down some orders. “Poor Liz…” She commented. “She’s been doing a lot of shifts recently…”

Michael shrugged; he hadn’t really noticed her doing any more than normal.

“Some of the girls…they’re hopeless…I don’t know why Mr and Mrs Parker put up with them.” Maria continued.

“Well they obviously do…and that’s nothing new…” Michael commented, growing tired of the conversation.

Maria nodded. “I know, they’re too kind…but there is something strange about it all…usually I’d be being asked to cover some of the shifts too…not just Liz…the Parkers both know that I’m usually willing to do some extra hours…”

Michael looked thoughtful at this. “Well…maybe it’s their way of trying to make sure that she’s kept occupied…by something other than Max… Nancy had made no secret over the last few years of what she thought of Max…it had taken a long time for her to accept the fact he was even a part of Liz’s life and even know she still tried to stop her daughter seeing too much of him.

Maria looked at him, surprised by the suggestion. “You might just have something there…” She commented thoughtfully.

Michael couldn’t help grinning, pleased by the unusual praise.

Maria shrugged. “Of course it’s not like Liz is complaining I suppose…its all extra money…”

“Why, is she saving up for something in particular…?” Michael asked curiously.

She nodded in response. “Yes, she wants to buy herself a new dress for the prom…”

Suddenly, it all makes sense and Michael nodded, understanding. “Ah, now I understand…if she buys her own, her parents won’t have any say in what it looks like…and she can choose her own…”

“Exactly…”

Michael grinned, slipping his arm around her shoulder and pulling Maria closer. “So…what’s yours going to be like…?” He asked her softly, leaning in to kiss her gently on the lips.

Maria suddenly pulled away. “Well…I don’t honestly know…I guess that will depend on who takes me…” She teased.

Michael was about to complain as she pulled away, but then her words began to sink in and he slapped his head with his hand as he realised why she was acting like this… “Oh boy…I’m hopeless…I haven’t asked you to the Prom yet have I…?” He asked, almost wincing at the realisation. He was surprised that Maria hadn’t had a go at him sooner.

Luckily for him, thanks to events earlier in the evening Maria was in a considerably better mood than she would usually have been and simply laughed at the look of horror on his face. Chuckling, she shook her head. “Well not as yet no…” She confirmed.

Her boyfriend was relieved to see that she didn’t appear too upset and fixed his eyes on her. “I’m sorry…” He told her softly in a sincere voice. “Maria…will you go to the prom with me…?”

Her face lit up immediately and Maria was unable to conceal how happy she was. Smiling, she reached up and kissed him gently on the lips. “Of course I’ll go…” She told him enthusiastically.

Michael grinned. “Great…”

She smiled. “Yeah…” Maria leant closer to him and reached up in order to whisper into his ear. “In that case, my dress will have to be extra special…” She told him suggestively. She would have liked to see Michael’s reaction in response to this, but just then she heard a sound coming from behind her and turned in her seat.

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to disturb you…I’ve just got your order…” Liz was standing at the end of the table looking extremely apologetic. She put the glasses and dish down on the table in front of them and then quickly left her friends and returned to the counter. It didn’t take a genius to realise they would rather be left alone right at that moment in time.

Maria watched her go, giggled and leant towards Michael, indicating that she wanted a kiss. He was only too happy to oblige.

**********

“Liz…” Mr Parker called to his daughter as he noticed a familiar figure enter the Crashdown.

She made her way over quickly. “Yeah, what’s up?” She asked him, hoping that nothing was wrong.

He smiled reassuringly. “Nothing’s wrong honey…but I think there’s someone here to see you…” He indicated the end of the counter. “You going to taking your break now…?”

Looking over in the direction her father had indicated, Liz spotted Max almost immediately, having sat down at the counter and waiting patiently. A smile played on her face. “Yeah, if that’s ok…” She responded to her father’s question, nodding.

“That’s fine…” He nodded his acceptance and watched as she slipped her apron off and went over to join the young man who had just arrived.

“Hey you…” Liz greeted her boyfriend as she sat down.

Max grinned. “Hey yourself…” He leant over and gave her a quick kiss.

Liz put on a pout. “That’s not much of a kiss…” She teased him.

Max laughed. “Maybe not…but I can’t see your parents being too happy if I gave anything more…” He commented, his voice turning serious.

Liz nodded reluctantly. “I guess that you’re right…” She accepted.

Max smiled. “So…are you on a break…?” He asked, taking in her lack of an apron.

She grinned. “I am now…”

“Alright then, how about we go for a bit of a walk…?” Max suggested. “Then maybe I can give you a little more…if you want that is…” He whispered.

Liz smiled back at him and laughed. “I think I like that idea…” She agreed softly, standing up. “I’ll just go tell my parents and go get my coat…I’ll be right back…” She assured him before hurrying off.

Max nodded. “I’ll be waiting…” He told her softly.

Liz slipped through the door at the back of the Crashdown into the staff room and went over to her locker, opening it and pulling out her coat. Sliding her arms into the sleeves of her coat, she grabbed her bag and headed back into the restaurant. Her mom and dad were both stood behind the counter and she went up to them. “I’m going for a walk…I’ll be back in fifteen minutes or so…” She told her parents quickly in a soft voice.

Her father nodded. “Ok sweetheart…you can take a little longer if you want though…it’s not that busy at the moment, I think we’re past the main rush…” He told her smiling.

“Thanks…” Liz smiled softly, fully intending to take him up on the offer. She turned to go, believing everything to be sorted, but apparently her mother had other ideas.

“You are just going to walk and talk I hope…” She commented in a concerned voice.

Liz turned back to her, exasperated. “Mom…”

Mrs Parker could see that her daughter was embarrassed. “Ok…I only say it because I’m concerned…”

Her daughter nodded. “I know that mom…but there’s nothing to be concerned about…Max would never hurt me…”

Nancy pursed her lips, not making any response to this particular comment. Instead, she continued the way she had started. “Just be careful sweetheart…”

Liz had to use all her self-control not to roll her eyes. She nodded in response to her mother, knowing it was far easier to just accept what she was saying than argue… Besides, the longer she argued, the longer it was until she rejoined Max… “I’ll be ok…we’re just going for a walk and I’ll be back soon…” She told her in what she hoped was a calm voice. With this reassurance, Liz walked back out from behind the counter and went over to where Max had now stood up. She smiled, taking the hand he offered, and together they left the café.

Mrs Parker looked on nervously as her eyes followed her daughter as she left with Max. She couldn’t help feeling nervous about the amount of time Liz was spending with him…she was still her baby after all. She turned to her husband, tapping her foot on the floor nervously. “Are you sure she’s ok with Max…?” She asked Jeff.

Mr Parker turned quickly to face his wife and nodded. I don’t see why not…Max is a good young man, he won’t let anything happen to her…”

His wife didn’t appear convinced. “I don’t like them going out so late…

Jeff sighed. “Honey, as much as we don’t want to accept it, Liz is getting older…she’s becoming a young woman and we have to treat her as one… You’re pushing her away by trying to control her so much…don’t you see that…?”

Nancy looked unsure. “I’m just scared that she’s going to get involved in something she shouldn’t…or that she’s going to get hurt…” She looked at her husband, trying to make him see it her way.

He nodded. “I know honey, but if we trust Liz, and she’s never given us a reason not to has she…?” He paused and waited for her to nod before continuing. “…We have to give her some freedom…we have to accept that she’s growing up, however hard that may seem to us…” He opened his arms, welcoming his wife into them and hugging her. “I think that Liz could do a lot worse than Max you know…he cares a lot about her…

His wife nodded. “I know, but it’s where that might lead that I’m worried about…” She admitted to him softly.