Journal Entry 1
How different they are from us! We told them that we
were coming for them tonight. They seemed stunned. Suspicious at first, and
then stunned. We carefully watched their moves after we left them. They all
went to the other three… Why these particular people? What is it that drives
them together?
Max stood outside her window, staring at her sleeping
form. He couldn’t stay long, the others were waiting downstairs in the Jeep.
She was curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed, hugging herself and the
pain in his chest was becoming more unbearable with each passing moment. He
hasn’t talked to her much since that day she left him to his destiny at the
cave. They both knew why she did it, and he couldn’t blame her for knowing him
better than he knew himself. For knowing that he had to come to terms with all
these changes, before they could be together again. But now… now he had to
leave.
His feet felt like lead as he slowly approached her
bed. He prayed that she wouldn’t wake up, because he didn’t think he could go
through with this if she did. The moon found each shiny strand of her hair and
he ached to run his fingers through it one last time. He knelt by her bed,
staring at her face. She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
He clenched his hands in her bedspread in an effort to keep from touching her.
There were tear streaks on her cheeks and they made him die inside a little
more. "I love you, Liz. Always." His voice was barely more that a
whisper and thick with unshed tears. He placed the single white rose he had
taken from his mother’s garden on her nightstand. Looking back at her, he
repeated the promise that was written on the piece of paper that lay next to
it: "Forever." If it were ever possible, he would return…
~*~*~*~*~*~
It happened early this morning. He waited until the
Evans’ had gone to work before he went to see them. He told them his name was
Nick and that he had come to find his leader. He explained that there was a
group of them living here on earth. They were here to find Max and the others
and teach them all they needed to know before they could all return to their
planet. Max had demanded proof and he touched him, creating a connection that
flooded him with images. Images of their mother and their planet. Images of
them being put in the pods. Images of the crash. Max had stared at him in
disbelief. Nick had apologized for the short notice, but said that others knew
of them too by now and that they had to leave in a hurry. He would pick them up
tonight and take them to the camp. Max’s people were waiting…
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was late at night by the time they arrived at the
designated area where they were to be picked up. Max stood staring at the
lights of
He knew she still loved him, he knew he loved her,
but what could he tell her that would change his destiny? By some unspoken
agreement, they had decided to stay away from each other until they had more
answers. Being together only to be torn apart later would be too hard… He
didn’t want to leave, but how could he not do what she had freed him to do?
Learn about his history and figure out his destiny. More importantly, figure
out how she could fit into his destiny…
The were so caught up in their own little worlds of
pain, that none of them realized that one member of their alien quartet had
apparently not been invited…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 2
It has begun. I picked them up in the desert and gave
him his first test. The reactions were telling… The other two looked
uncomfortable, but the leader, he showed only shock.
Michael was the first to break the silence that hung
between them. "Why the hell isn’t he here yet?" Max turned around at
that, and for a moment, the other two saw a glimmer of the old Max, the one
that Liz had brought out from behind the tree. His eyes were filled with such
sorrow and loss for a moment, that Isabel gasped in reaction. Then the mask
slid back in place, cutting off all emotion from his onlookers.
"We’ll wait another hour, the we-." Max was
cut off by another voice.
"Don’t worry, we’re here!" Nick called from
the darkness surrounding them. "We had unexpected business to take care
of, but we’re ready to leave now." He came closer to Max, watching him
intently as he brought the person walking behind him into full view.
Tess.
Max stepped back involuntarily. The jumble of
emotions at seeing his "bride" rendered him speechless. Tess didn’t
have the same problem. She’s finally going to be alone with him away from Liz
Parker. Even though Max and Liz were not together, her presence in the same
vicinity as Max was still all that was needed to make Max focus on only one
thing: the slender dark-haired girl that held his heart. Tess smiled at him.
"Hi, Max! Can’t go home without me can you?" She walked over to him,
causing Max to retreat from her further. Tess stopped, uncertain. She had
assumed that the fact that Max and the others were here meant that they had
accepted their destinies. But Max was looking at her as if he was hoping this
was a nightmare that would go away soon.
Michael broke the tense silence. "Hi Tess. We…
ah, we’re just surprised to see you!" Isabel elbowed him and he realized
how that had sounded. "I mean we thought we’d meet you at the camp, I
guess…" He trailed off, not knowing how to help his friend… his BROTHER,
through this awkward moment.
"I can’t do this." Max’s voice was soft. He
turned around, looking towards
He turned to Nick, but continued to avoid Tess’ eyes.
"Let’s go. Isabel, Michael and I will follow in the Jeep." He spun on
his heels, not waiting to see if anyone was following his instructions.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 3
We will be arriving at the camp soon. The others have
ahead to prepare for their arrival. I can’t wait to see their faces when they
see our other surprises! But we’ll show them tomorrow. Springing Tess on them
was enough for one night. This experiment is turning out to be more interesting
that I anticipated.
The drive to the camp was completed in thundering
silence. Max had closed his mind off from everything and only concentrated on
following the taillights of the car in front of him. He was afraid to think or
feel, because he knew he would lose it if he did. His heart was torn into
little pieces by the goodbye to Liz and to top it all off, he would be stuck
with his destiny bride for however long this training is going to take. He
clutched the steering wheel in a death grip, not paying particular attention to
where they were going. He didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be in such
pain and not die…
They had driven for about three hours when the camp
came into view. It was a sprawling assortment of tents and vehicles and the
sight made Max feel sick. Yes, he had always dreamed of what meeting people of
his own kind would be like, but his dream had never looked like this. Somehow,
he had always pictured the scene to be more joyous. And in his dreams, Liz had
been at his side.
A small crowd had assembled by the time the vehicles
came to a halt in the middle of the camp. Max got out and helped Isabel alight
from the back of the Jeep. She clutched his hand desperately and he shook
himself mentally. Izzy, who was normally the Ice Queen herself, was scared and
he needed to be strong for her. He swallowed, fighting down all the emotions
that threatened to overwhelm him.
The people bowed low before them when the turned
around. Isabel had to fight down hysterical laughter. These people were
worshipping her controlling brother! She looked up at Max and saw his grim
expression as his hand tightened around hers. He was just as uncomfortable with
the whole experience.
Nick, with Tess at his side, stepped forward to
welcome them. "Welcome to all of you! We have waited and searched for you
for so long. Our people are proud to finally meet you and know that your
parents would have been thrilled to see how well you’ve grown up." Max was
getting irritated by the man’s speech. He desperately needed to be someplace by
himself so he could deal with all that has happened to him today.
He looked around at all the expectant faces around him.
They were all staring at him with a kind of awe and he wanted to scream at them
all. Scream at them for taking Liz from him. For reminding him that he was not
human. For expecting so much from a 17-year old guy. ‘Liz, I need you so right
now!’ But his mouth stayed shut.
When Nick finally ended his spiel, Max only mumbled:
"Thank you."
Nick took them to their tents afterwards, saying that
it was late and they were probably tired. Max and Michael got their own tents,
but Isabel and Tess shared one. They were too stressed and tired to question
why.
Max stumbled into his tent and crawled into bed.
Reaction was setting in. He had to fight down the tears and took deep breaths
to calm himself. He needed to rest so he could figure out what to do about all
he had learned today. He closed his eyes and prayed for sleep. Then he felt it,
a whisper of something at the edge of his consciousness. It went away before he
could grasp it, but for a moment, just for a moment, it had felt like… Liz was
near.
Journal Entry 4
All except Tess had a restless night. She seemed
happy to be out here, but then, she has been least affected by being on earth.
The second test proved to be a huge contrast to the first. We need to note the
behavior carefully to draw conclusions later.
"Liz!" Max awoke with a start the next
morning to unfamiliar surroundings, his heart was pounding and the sound of his
own voice rang in his ears. He had been crying out her name again. It had
become a regular occurrence since that day at the cave. He would dream about
her being with him, happy and carefree, and then suddenly the dream would
change and she would suddenly disappear from his arms.
He had slept fitfully throughout the nigh, his
awareness of Liz kept getting stronger. He even imagined her whispering his
name in one of the many moments he spent in that gray area between wakefulness
and slumber. How could that be? She was in
They were shown around the campsite during the
morning and Max was quite impressed at how well equipped it was. There were
bathrooms situated in some trailers as well as a communal kitchen and dining
area. He was getting very uncomfortable with all the stares and bows they were
attracting though. How weird that these people just accepted him as their
leader. He was also not used to being in the limelight like this. Max stopped
in his tracks when Nick seemingly deliberately skipped a tent during their
tour. A desperate need to see what was inside taking hold of him.
Michael, Isabel and Tess turned around questioningly
at his action. Max was staring at the tent they had just passed. His hands were
balled into fists at his side as if he was trying to keep himself from reaching
out to something. Iz walked over to him and touched his arm, making him jump.
"Max, what is wrong? You’re acting really strange."
Max returned his gaze to the tent. He had that
feeling again. The one he always got when Liz was near. It was like a feather
being run down his spine really softly and it made his body hum with awareness.
"I don’t know Iz, but I feel Li-." He cut himself off abruptly. How
could he tell Izzy about the weird awareness? He knew they were all missing
their significant others and continuing to harp on it will just make things
worse. He also didn’t want Tess to hear what he was experiencing. He turned
away from the tent. "Its nothing. I’m just… tired, I guess." But he
had to force his feet to move away.
Nick was watching all this from a distance, an
unreadable expression in his eyes. He waited until the group had caught up with
him again, noting the reluctance with which his young leader was dragging
himself away from the tent. He smiled at them when they drew close: "Let’s
go have breakfast!"
Breakfast was a subdued affair and it was clear that
three of the four new arrivals at the camp were under tremendous strain. They
were just pushing their food around on their plates, while Tess was chattering
away happily. Nick explained some of the activities at the camp, but he seemed
reluctant to answer their questions about their home planet. He also watched
Max continuously, a fact that didn’t escape either Isabel or Michael.
Max felt like he could jump out of his skin with
anxiety. The sensation that Liz was thinking of him was really strong and he
didn’t know what to make of it. He had never been this intensely aware of her.
Sure, they had shared flashes when they kissed and he could also always tell
where she was in a room without looking, but this was different. Was it just
because of his heightened emotional state and the fact that he worried that she
was upset about him leaving? Or was she in trouble? Fear for her was occupying
his mind and he had to fight to keep himself from jumping up from the table and
running to the Jeep to go home and find her.
The sudden silence around the table brought him back
to the present. Everyone was staring at him and he realized he must have missed
something during the discussion. Isabel was looking worried again and Michael
had a scowl on his face. Nick repeated his question: "Is something
bothering you, Max?"
Max looked at him, unsure of what he could, and
should, say. Nick was watching him intently and he saw something flicker in the
man’s eyes. It was gone before he could place it and Max decided that it was
time he took some action or he would lose his mind. "Could you show us
what’s inside that tent we missed this morning?"
He expected Nick to hedge or look concerned, but
instead he just smiled and nodded. "I think that’s a good idea."
Max fairly bolted from the table and waited
impatiently at the entrance for Nick to precede him. His heart was racing.
Somehow he knew that this tent held something important.
When they finally reached the tent, Max realized he
was trembling. What the hell was going on with him? He hoped it was just
reaction from all that transpired in his life the past few weeks, but deep in
his heart he knew that it had much more to do with this awareness of Liz and
that she needed him.
"Wait here for a minute." Nick was looking
at Max when he spoke.
Max gritted his teeth and nodded. This was
excruciating. He listened to the subdued voices coming from the tent, but
couldn’t place any of them.
Isabel was at his side again. "What is in this
tent, Max?" she whispered urgently. "Why are you so-?" She
stopped when she realized that Max wasn’t listening to her, but staring at the
entrance of the tent where Nick had disappeared.
Nick appeared in the door and motioned them in. Max,
normally such a gentleman, was the first in the door.
The inside was dim and Max blinked a few times to get
his eyes accustomed to the reduced light. Four people were standing to the
side, watching him anxiously. He swung in a slow circle, puzzled at the
barrenness of his surroundings. No furniture was visible, only three beds at
the far end. He suddenly felt like the breath was squeezed from his lungs by a
giant fist. The three beds were occupied and he knew, without being able to see
her, that Liz was in one of them…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 5
He knew she was here. I could see it in his eyes all
through breakfast. This human girl, to whom he has no genetic link, was close
and he was silently going insane because of it. I wondered how long it would be
before he would ask. I was surprised though, that he also knew precisely where
she was… But I was not surprised at his anger over our methods.
Max couldn’t remember moving from just inside the
door to the side of her bed. He only started functioning again when he dropped
to his knees at her bedside. It fleetingly reminded him of last night and that
awful farewell, but this time he didn’t hesitate, he grabbed her hand. She was
sleeping and didn’t move when he touched her. She looked angelic and peaceful
and he loved her even more.
He felt momentarily faint with the relief of seeing
her here and realizing she was not in any danger. "Liz!" His voice
was filled with all the love and longing he felt for her. He was dimly aware
that Michael and Isabel had run to join Alex and Maria at the other beds, but
he couldn’t take his eyes of Liz. He leaned forward and put his forehead to
hers, closing his eyes and whispering brokenly: "I’ve missed you…"
Instead of hearing her soft voice answering him, he
was assailed by images of the night before. Liz waking up soon after he left
and finding the rose. The tears coursing down her cheeks as she realized what
the scrawled ‘Forever’ meant. Her shock and fear as two men suddenly appeared
in her room, bidding her come with them. How she didn’t want to, but was told
it would save Max. How she was drugged in the car…
Max pulled away from her and whirled towards Nick,
fury in every line of his body. "What did you do to her?" he yelled,
advancing on Nick.
Nick held up his hands in defence. "I’m sorry,
but we couldn’t let them see how we got here. They’re fine! They will wake up
soon."
Max halted and turned back to look at the sleeping
Liz, loath to move far away from her. "But why are they here? Why did you
bring them here?" His voice had a mingled note of hope and desperation in
it.
Nick just smiled that enigmatic smile that they all
knew by now. "All in good time, young sir."
Journal Entry 6
It is amazing to watch them together. The air around
them is charged with unspoken emotions and they get wrapped up in each other
completely. How effortless it all seems!
Max went back to Liz’s side, his fingers skimming her
face reverently. Nick could only watch in wonder as his race’s young leader
leaned in and softly kissed the girl in the bed, uttering whispered professions
of love.
Tess was furious. The biggest obstacle between her
and Max Evans’ complete devotion was back. She folded her arms and glared at
her nemesis before erupting into speech. "They can’t stay here! It would
be too dangerous for us."
Nobody listened to her, they were all too absorbed in
the reunions.
"Max…" Liz called his name softly, still in
her drugged state. Tears leaked from her eyelids as she clutched Max’s hand
tighter.
Max made a distressed sound and gathered her into his
arms. He stood up and faced the silent audience. "I’m taking her to my
tent." His voice was determined and flat. He didn’t wait for any reaction,
but strode out with Liz cradled protectively in his arms.
A stir went through the camp following Max’s silent
progress towards his tent. He didn’t even notice. His eyes never left Liz.
Back in his tent, he lay her down gently on his bed
and slid in next to her. The bed was narrow, but that didn’t matter as he
pulled her flush with his body and encircled her with his arms. His heart rate
was still not back to normal and he willed himself to calm down for her sake.
So many thoughts were racing through his head. ‘Liz is here! Why did they bring
her here? She won’t be safe! Liz is here!’ He hugged her close as his heart and
soul sighed: ‘Liz is here.’
Liz whimpered softly and stirred. Confusion flooded
her. The last thing she remembered was the piece of material over her mouth in
an unknown car and the knowledge that she had somehow failed Max again. Then
she remembered that Max had left and she moaned, the sound full of despair.
Max gasped as the sound cut into his heart. He pulled
away from her. "Liz! You’re okay. I… You’re okay. Shhh."
Liz was afraid to open her eyes. Maybe if she kept
them closed, this dream would not end. She was in Max’s arms again and it was
pure bliss to relive the feelings of love and protection that always resulted
from that. As she slowly drifted closer to full consciousness, the sensation of
Max’s closeness increased. His arms were crushing her into his body, his breath
on her skin, his heart thundering in her ear and finally, his broken words of
comfort registered.
Liz jerked away from him abruptly, nearly tumbling
over the side of the bed before Max caught her. She stared at his wildly,
afraid to believe that what her eyes were showing her was the truth. Then she
saw the hurt look on Max’s face and realized that it was really him. He was
here… with her.
The fist crushing his heart was back. She was afraid
of him. Afraid that he would hurt her again! He had trouble getting his voice
to work: "Liz! Please… I…"
She didn’t give him a chance to finish. She flung
herself onto him and pressed her mouth to his. She kissed him desperately,
curling her arms around his neck and running her hands into his hair. Her
breathing was short and labored and the tears falling from her eyes wet his
face as she rained kissed all over it. "Oh god, I thought I would never
see you again!" she muttered against his lips.
She kissed him again, and Max finally came out of his
stupor. He encircled her with his arms and slid his hand into her hair,
deepening their kiss. He never wanted this moment to end. Liz was back in his
arms where she belonged and that was all that mattered.
The timber of the kiss changed slowly as desperation
was steadily replaced by desire. Max ran his hands down her back, sliding them
lower until he reached her thighs. They both groaned as he pulled her astride
his hips, her knees resting on the bed at his sides. He cupped her rear with
one hand, pressing her closer into his body, while he brought the other one
back up to press between her shoulder blades, sealing her to him from breast to
thigh. Their tongues danced against each other, tasting and caressing and Max
greedily caught each of her soft moans with his mouth.
Liz felt lightheaded. His heat was burning her
through her clothes and increasing the ache low in her stomach. She
experimentally rubbed herself against him, trying to assuage the building need
in her body. Her movements caused a trembling to start deep inside her body,
and only served to increase the instinctive need to have Max inside her.
Max moaned against her mouth and rolled her over
until she was pinned beneath him. Tearing his mouth away from hers, he kissed
down her jaw line to her neck, causing her to arch her head in ecstasy. He bit
down her neck to her T-shirt’s neckline and reached up to pull the shirt from
her shoulder. He ran his tongue over her collarbone, passionately tasting her.
Liz arched her body into his. "Max, please…
touch me!" She grabbed his hand and brought it to the exposed part of her
stomach where her shirt had ridden up.
Max pulled away to look at her. His eyes were dark
and hooded with passion. He was breathing like he’d run a marathon. His eyes
fell to her mouth, swollen as a result of his kisses and he watched as she
formed another plea. "Please…"
He took her mouth again almost roughly. Plundering
its depths in an almost frantic need to be as close to her as possible. At the
same time he slid his hand up under her shirt, trailing fire where he touched.
He hesitated when he reached her rib cage, just below her breasts. This was as far
as they’ve ever gone, but right now, Liz needed more. She put her hand over his
and urged him higher.
"Aren’t you two forgetting someone?" A
sharp voice intruded on their haze of passion. The both blinked in an effort to
find the origin of the intrusion.
Max finally turned towards the entrance to his tent,
his hand slowly slipping from underneath Liz’s shirt. The cold feeling around
his heart returned, because in the doorway stood his alien wife.
Journal Entry 7
How right we were to bring them all here! Back in
their earth homes they were all ignoring the realities around them, not facing
the decisions that had to be made. Decisions that would decide the rest of
their lives… the rest of our lives. Decisions based on destiny… duty… and this
unknown force that drives humans: love.
Max stared at Tess and in an instant, reality came
crashing back. Nothing has changed. Tess was still his destiny, he still had no
answers for Liz about how his life is going to turn out, and worst of all, it
still seemed like he would have to leave to go to another planet soon. He felt
like screaming at the unfairness of the whole situation, but instead he just
said wearily: "Tess, please leave us alone. Liz and I need to talk."
Tess would have none of it. "I don’t think so!
That didn’t look like talking you two were just doing!"
Max heard Liz gasp and looked back at her. Her eyes
were swimming with tears and he felt like his heart was being torn to shreds.
He instinctively took Liz’s hand, causing another outburst from Tess:
"Hey! I’m still here!"
Max nearly lost it. "Get out, Tess! I’ll talk to
you later!" Both Tess and Liz looked surprised at the authority ringing in
his voice. Max’s leadership was becoming second nature and so did his
expectation that people would obey.
Tess pinned Liz with a death stare, causing Max to
move in front of her protectively. "Fine! But you remember that to the
people in this camp, I am you wife! So you better start acting like a
husband." She turned on her heel and flounced out, leaving a painful
silence in her wake.
Max turned to Liz and touched her cheek gently. He
didn’t know what to say to her. He wanted to tell her that what had just
happened between them was how things were meant to be. That he loved her even
more today than ever. That she was made for him and to be in his arms. That no
alien bride from the past will ever change that. But his mind reminded him of a
duty to a whole population. "Liz… love, I-."
"I can’t be your love, Max." Liz
interrupted him, trying to ignore his distressed gasp. But she couldn’t ignore
the hurt in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she covered his hand on her cheek
with hers. "Max, I love you. I love you so much it hurts, but this
situation is impossible…" She begged with him with her eyes not to make
this any harder on her. "I need you to be what these people need you to
be: their leader. You can’t do that being torn in two between me and… and
Tess."
She was humbling him yet again with her unselfish
love. Max bit his lip and stared at his hand in hers. It was where it belonged.
When he finally looked in her eyes again, his voiced was strong and sure when
he spoke: "Liz, I love you. I’ve always loved you and I promise you
something today. I promise you that I will do whatever I have to do for us to
be together. I’ll find a way. I can’t help these people without you. I can’t…
and I don’t want to." He looked at her pleadingly. "Just… trust me,
okay?" He took a deep breath and said something he had been afraid to say
for so long. "And wait for me…"
Liz was overwhelmed. She so badly wanted to believe
in Max. She wanted to believe that he could somehow create a future for them.
She knew the longer she stayed with him, the harder it would be to let him go.
But wasn’t love worth taking such a chance? Wasn’t Max?
Max watched anxiously as she thought about his
request. He didn’t know what he would do if she said no. No wait, he did. He
would MAKE her stay with him… even if he had to tie her to his bed! He had to
stifle a groan as a picture of her tied to his bed filled his imagination.
Liz ended his daydream. "Yes, Max. I’ll
wait." The next moment she was crushed against his chest, her head pressed
under his chin. Liz reveled in the strength of the arms holding her, in the
hardness of his body and in the emotion in his voice as he reiterated his
promise: "I’ll find a way. I love you!"
Journal Entry 8
What is this desperate need to be physically close
that rules these humans so? Even without genetic programming, the need arises
and when denied, it becomes an obsession. In our culture, the need to procreate
comes from
Liz rubbed her face against his neck and shifted in
his arms until she was sitting on his lap. Max helped her closer, but she
couldn’t fail to notice that he was carefully keeping her away from the lower
part of his body. Now that the emotional side of their reunion was out of the
way and she saw a glimmer of hope that things might work out for them, she felt
brave enough to be playful. Max has already acknowledged that he loved her, but
now she wanted him to acknowledge that he wanted her too. Just like she wanted
him…
Sighing languidly, she opened her mouth against the
cords in his neck. Slowly running her tongue over his skin. Max jerked away in
surprise. She looked at him, not trying to hide the desire in her eyes and he
inhaled sharply.
"Liz." His voice sounded strangled.
"We can’t… I have to sort out this mess first." But he wanted to give
in and Liz could see it in his eyes. She decided to allow him a false sense of
security for a few minutes.
Getting up from his lap (and noticing how reluctantly
he let her go), she turned away to the door. "I guess I have to go find a
place to sleep and then I’d dearly like to take a shower." She only walked
a few paces before his voice stopped her.
"Liz wait." The inflection in his voice was
eerily reminiscent of the one he used during their camp-out with their fathers
a few months ago. She stopped but did not turn around. The next move was his.
Coming up behind her, he put his arms around her
waist. He pressed his face into her hair and held her quietly to him for a few
precious moments. Max knew he had to let her go, but he also knew this would be
the last time in a long while that he would be able to be this close to her.
Liz tilted her head to the side and pressed her cheek
to his. Her arms came up to rest on his and she tangled their fingers together.
When Max still didn’t move, she turned her head further, her mouth inches from
his. "Kiss me goodbye, Max."
Max closed his eyes and then opened them again as he
turned his face to reach her mouth. He kissed her slowly and deeply while they
stood as they were, her back to his front. It wasn’t nearly enough for both of
them. Max shifted her slightly and pressed her head into his shoulder as he
increased the pressure on her mouth. He let one hand move to her hip, while the
other slid into her shirt once again. The skin of her stomach was smooth and
taut and his fingers registered the tiny tremors that followed his touch. Liz
made a small sound in the back of her throat, while her hands came up to circle
his neck. This time no one interrupted them and Max finally let his hand come
to rest in the hollow between her breasts. He pressed his palm against her,
feeling the racing beats of her heart reverberate through his hand.
They pulled apart breathlessly. Staring into each
other’s eyes for endless moments. ‘I love you.’ It remained unspoken, but rang
clearly between them.
Liz turned towards him slowly, causing his hand to
brush over her breast. The fleeting touch was electrical and she bit her lip to
keep herself from crying out. She heard Max’s short expelled breath and when
she finally faced him, his eyes were running hungrily over her chest.
Max was fighting to get air into his lungs. Lust was
slamming through his body and the small rational voice inside his head was
rapidly being drowned out. Pulling her to him forcefully, his mouth descended
on hers again. He devoured her lips. His open mouth slanting over hers as their
tongues tangled together. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and felt
his blood race through his veins. This was heaven and he wanted it all.
A nagging little thought kept him from carrying Liz
to his bed. He had a wife… Pulling away from her, he stumbled away a few paces,
not looking at Liz. If he looked at her now, he would never let her leave. He
jammed his hands into his pockets and spoke quietly, a note of desperation in
his words: "Just go… please. I’ll see you later."
Liz was hugging herself to make up for the sudden
chill of his physical absence. Watching him, she could see tension screaming
from every line of his body. It was killing him to let her leave. Licking her
lips that were puffy and tender from his passionate assault, she nodded and
left quietly.
Max felt her absence immediately. The awareness of
her dimming to a soft whisper at the periphery of his soul. He was still
desperately trying to get his breath back, but his mind was already jumping
ahead to all the things he needed to get done. He needed to talk to that Nick
guy and find out exactly what the deal was with his "destiny bride".
He needed to know what was expected of him as leader. He needed to know how
long it would be before he could be with Liz again… he balled his hands into
fists as the sensations of touching her came rushing back. Dreaming of touching
her was one thing, but the reality was something else. Max wondered how on
earth he was going to keep his distance from Liz until he figured out a way to
be with her legally. Wanting her was an ache in his gut and it was going to
take all his strength to keep his hands off her from now on…
Journal Entry 9
Its always interesting to see what the addition of an
unknown element will do to an experiment. Whether the original elements will
retain their basic characteristics or whether they will change into something
new altogether.
When Liz came out of Max’s tent, the bright sunlight
hurt her eyes momentarily. The parting was bittersweet. She knows now that he
still loved her deeply and that he wanted to be with her more than anything
else. But Max’s overriding sense of duty was driving her crazy. Her heart was
wondering why he couldn’t just say ‘screw destiny’ and leave this place with
her, but her mind reminded her that she loved him BECAUSE he was so serious and
responsible. The only thing was, she didn’t think she could be without Max…
ever again! She had tried to do the noble thing, but it nearly killed her to
walk away from him like that. She could never do that again. Max had to find a
way for them to be together. He just had to!
Liz looked around at the assortment of tents and
trailers around her. She suddenly realized that she didn’t have a clue where to
go. The only time she’s been awake in this camp was when she was with Max just
now…
"Liz Parker?" A voice interrupted her
thoughts. The speaker was an attractive, tall man with piercing green eyes. He
wore a pair of jeans and a loose shirt, his faced was tanned and he had a mop
of sandy blonde hair.
Liz was feeling really uncertain of herself right
now, so she only nodded. She wished she could run back into Max’s arms and wait
for him to sort everything out, but Max had made it clear that he needed some
time alone.
The guy came forward with a smile, his hand
outstretched. "Hi, my name is Jans. Nick sent me to help you to your
tent."
Liz stared at him suspiciously, causing him to drop
his hand and broaden his smile. "Maria is waiting for you! And we’ve put
your bag in there already." He pointed: "Its this way."
Liz was really tired after all the stress of the
previous evening and the recent intensity with Max, so she followed him meekly.
After a while, she noticed he was staring at her and she frowned at him.
He looked away, embarrassed. "Sorry, its just…
you’re really lovely!" He blurted out. "Its like you shine from
within."
Liz’s face softened in a smile. "Thank
you." She knew exactly why she looked like that. Max Evans loved her…
Jans was being really charming, telling her what some
of the tents and trailers were being used for. He kept throwing glances in her
direction as he talked. He said that they were all really exited that their
leader and his family were finally here. Liz had been listening to the story
intently, desperate to learn everything she could about Max’s people. But his
last comment reminded her abruptly of the fact that, in the eyes of the
inhabitants of this camp, Max had a wife.
She was relieved when he finally stopped in front of
a tent, on the other side of the camp from Max’s, and said that this was where
she would stay with Maria. She tried to smile up at Jans before she went
inside. He was the only person apart from Max, Michael and Isabel and her human
counterparts that she knew here and who knows, she might need him again.
He stopped her, his hand on her arm. "That is
your bathroom trailer." He pointed past their tent. "And I’ll come
find you later this afternoon for the official tour." Liz smiled back at
him in thanks and went inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Lizzie!" Maria squealed as soon as she
laid eyes on her and nearly ran her to the ground. "I was beginning to
wonder what Max was doing with you!" She said with an evil grin. "And
from the looks of you, I was right to worry!"
"Maria!" Liz cried, mortified, but smiling.
"We… we had to talk about a few things…"
Maria was still grinning. "Hmm, yeah, those lips
are so puffy from a lot of talking! Riiight!" She hugged Liz and whispered
in her ear: "But I’m glad to see you smiling again, chica! I was
worried."
Liz couldn’t help blurting out the good news.
"Oh Maria, he still loves me! And he’s working on a plan to get out of
this destiny thing!" She hugged Maria again. "So tell me, how did it
go with Michael?"
Maria grinned and shrugged. "You know Michael,
non-verbal communication only! Not that I complained!" She was laughing
now. "Anyway, from the non-verbal communication I gathered that he wasn’t
too thrilled about his destiny either!"
The two friends smiled at each other. There was hope
after all!
"Let’s go shower!" Maria yelled. "And
then I need to find out how long we’re going to have to stay here!"
~*~*~*~*~
Max decided to go see the others after he had a
shower. A long cold one. He ran into Tess when he came out of the showers and
the look on her face told him he didn’t want to have this discussion right now.
"Max!" Tess planted herself in his path,
her hands on her hips. "You need to stop encouraging Liz Parker in her
fantasy that you two will get together some day. Its really unfair towards
her." Max gaped at her, but Tess continued blithely: "I mean, rather
break her heart now. Its not nice to prolong the torture!"
Max couldn’t believe his ears. How deluded was this girl?
Did she honestly see that scene in his tent and think he was HUMORING Liz? He
opened his mouth to retort, but realized they were gaining an audience, so he
pulled her into his tent by her arm.
Tess pressed against him as soon as they were inside.
"See, I knew you wanted me!"
Max stepped away from her. "No Tess, I’m sorry,
but I don’t. There’s only one girl I want and that’s Liz. How many times do we
have to have this discussion?" His voice was weary. "And I’m going to
be honest with you. If there’s any way out of this destiny thing, I’ll use it
to be with Liz."
Tess’ mouth drew into a thin line with anger.
"No Max, you are wrong and I’m going to prove it to you!" She stormed
out of the tent for the second time that morning.
Max immediately went in search of Michael and Isabel.
He found them in Michael’s tent. They looked a little happier than the last
time he had seen them, but not much.
Max frowned. "What’s up with you two?"
Isabel and Michael glanced at one another before Izzy
spoke: "Its just… we have Alex, Liz and Maria back here, but we’re living
in a fool’s paradise Max. We can’t be with them! Not here in this camp full of
people from out planet! People who are waiting for us to fulfill our destinies
and save our planet! I didn’t think our situation could get any worse, but it
has…"
Max had turned grim halfway through her speech.
"No Isabel. I don’t accept that. We need to talk to Nick to sort out what
our destinies entail exactly. I don’t see why I have to be with Tess for me to
help my people. I need Liz too much…"
Michael got angry. "Maxwell, this is about much
more than your idea of true love. This is about saving a planet. How can you be
so self-absorbed that you can’t see that?"
"I know that Michael! I WANT to help these
people, I just don’t see why it cannot be on my terms." Max’s voice was
rising in anger. "And we’re just assuming a lot of things about our
destinies, we need to go on real facts before we make a decision! And I’m not
letting Liz leave this camp until I have some answers!"
"Maxwell, I like Liz and she’s done a lot for
us, but this obsession with her has gotten us… has gotten YOU into a lot of
trouble before and you better get a hold of yourself. Liz is only a
girl--."
Max interrupted him. "No Michael. She’s not
‘only a girl’. She’s Liz." He said that as if it provided all the answers.
"I love her and I’m not giving her up."
A stunned silence greeted his announcement. Of course
they had all assumed that Max was in love with Liz, but hearing him say it out
loud was still a shock. Even more so because Michael and Isabel knew that Max
would not say something like that lightly.
After a few moments of silence, Max turned around.
"Let’s go find Nick."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 10
So they’ve all met with the humans. I knew the
questions were coming, but there was no way that I could answer them now
without hampering the experiment. Could physical attraction become a threat to
what is supposed to be? We needed to change the setting for the experiment one
more time to find some clues to this.
Nick was outside the tent when they came out. He
noticed that Isabel looked worried, Michael sullen and Max determined.
"Nick, we need to speak to you. Right now."
Max didn’t even realize how overbearing he sounded. Nick stifled a smile. The
past was slowly gaining on his young leader.
"Actually, I was coming to get you. We need to
start with your training-."
Max didn’t let him finish. "No, this is more
important. We need some answers."
Nick looked at him steadily. "No, your training
is more important. We are running out of time." He saw the shock in Max’s
eyes. "We need to leave the camp for a few nights to train. You better go
pack and get ready. We leave in an hour." He turned to Max: "I’m
sorry. We may get some time to talk in the desert."
He left them there, staring at his back as he walked
away.
~*~*~*~*~
Liz was lying on her bed when Maria came running in.
"Liz, they’re leaving!"
Liz sat up, a cold hand clutching her heart.
"What do you mean ‘they’re leaving?"
"Michael just told me that they were going into
the desert to train for a few days. And that we should stay here and stay out
of trouble."
Maria was on the way out again when she saw Liz still
sitting on her bed, hugging her knees. "Aren’t you coming to say
goodbye?"
"Is Tess going?"
Maria frowned. "Yes… but Lizzie, he loves you
don’t worry!"
Liz dropped her head to her knees. "Tess will
only cause a scene if I’m there, Maria. He knows I love him and that I’ll miss
him…" Her head snapped up suddenly. "No wait, could you give him
something from me?" She scrambled to her bag and dug out her journal and a
pen. She tore out a clean sheet and wrote something on it. "Here, please
give this to him. But don’t let-."
Maria sighed. "Don’t let anyone see. I know! I
don’t’ know why you and Max make everything so hard for yourselves, but yes,
I’ll give it to him." She left shaking her head.
Max, Tess, Isabel and Michael were standing at Max’s
Jeep with Nick when Maria arrived. She saw how Max looked beyond her, obviously
wondering where Liz was. His gaze came back to Maria and, not for the first
time, Maria marveled at the emotion Liz Parker was able to inspire in stoic,
serious Max Evans. She took a deep breath, walked over and hugged Max, handing
him the piece of paper so that no one else could see it. When she pulled away,
everyone was staring at her in surprise. Everyone but Michael, that is. Maria
chuckled when she saw the death stare Michael was giving Max. More non-verbal
communication!
Max was oblivious to all the undercurrents around
him. The piece of paper was burning a hole in his pocket and he excused himself
saying he forgot something in his tent. Running around the first corner he
could find, he stopped and opened the note. Her handwriting, so familiar from
all those combined biology notes, filled the page:
With this note I’m sending you a kiss for every
minute we’ll be apart. My heart is already with you, it always has been. But my
body will miss being close to you while you’re away. Come back soon!
Love,
L
Max took a deep breath and reread the note. He
couldn’t leave without saying goodbye! He took off in the direction of Liz’s
tent, praying that the group waiting for him will not come looking for him.
Liz was still sitting on her bed when Max came
barging in. He didn’t stop but scooped her up into his arms and kissed her. The
kiss was full of longing and hunger and desperation for the time apart that was
coming. Liz wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, marveling in his
passion. His tongue teased her lips until she opened her mouth and he made a
satisfied sound as he deepened the kiss. He used his arm around her waist to
lift her up into his body and his other hand tangled in her hair, arching her
neck to allow him complete access to her mouth.
Liz tasted all he didn’t have time to say on his
lips. That he would miss her. That he would come back. That he loved her more
than life itself.
They finally broke apart, both gasping for air. Max
hugged her against him so hard that she had trouble breathing. But that was
fine with her!
He finally stepped back from her and stared in her
eyes. "Liz…"
"I know. Me too…" She whispered back. Then
he was gone.
Journal Entry 11
The training went well. Michael needs some work, but
Max, he was focussed and effective. Was it because the girl wasn’t here? We
decided to increase the pressure on him, watching his reactions. Nothing really
affects him deeply, nothing but the possibility that the girl may leave his
life. The evidence is piling up.
They were gone for four days. Four days in which
Liz’s body was starting to ache from being separated from Max’s. She would wake
shaking and aroused during the nights, knowing without evidence that he was
thinking of her. Knowing that he had been dreaming of her… of them. She would whisper
his name: "Max…" hoping he would hear somehow and know she thought of
him too.
During the days, Liz, Maria and Alex spent most of
their time with Jans. He took them around the camp, had lunch with them, told
them stories about the people in the camp. He seemed entranced by Liz, his eyes
followed her everywhere and he touched her whenever he got a chance. Hugging
her lightly when she laughed, pushing her hair out of her face when it escaped
its ponytail. Maria and Alex looked at each other every time this happened,
wondering how Max would take all of this.
Liz didn’t seem to notice. Half of her thoughts were
always with Max. She wondered how he was doing with Tess. She had moments where
it felt like he was standing next to her, about to touch her and she could feel
the heat of his hand on her skin. These moments were so real that disorientated
her and she had to make up excuses for her lapses in concentration to her
friends. She was getting comfortable with Jans and was hungry to learn
everything that she could. She so wanted to make Max proud.
Most of the people in the camp were involved in
crafts that they could sell later to buy supplies for the camp. Maria had
immediately joined some women who were making clothes. Mostly shirts and
blouses in wonderful colors. Alex seemed a bit lost until he found out the camp
had a few computers from which the group was doing some research. He
subsequently volunteered to help with the software.
This left Liz alone with Jans again. So they talked
about biology and how little difference there was between Max, Michael and
Isabel’s bodies and those of humans.
~*~*~*~*~
Max was frustrated after the first two days of
training. Not with the training, but with Nick’s unwillingness to tell him
anything that would help him and Liz. He had carefully avoided answering any of
Max’s questions about his past. About their home planet and their parents. And
mostly about him being married to Tess.
Tess was also doing her best to make his life hell.
She practiced her mind control almost exclusively on him, sending him images of
them being together in the most basic of ways. It only started going better
when he exploded after a particularly graphic vision that left him trembling
with an assortment of emotions. Nick took her to the side and spoke to her
quietly while Max tried to get the images from his mind. They were so different
from the ones his imagination conjured up on its own accord. Those were filled
with images of Liz. Of how perfect she would look and feel, lying in his arms with
her bare skin next to his. He grimly realized that the only thing Tess’ visions
managed to do was increase his fantasies about Liz.
He would wake up in the night, his body hard and
aching, and his heart racing. The dreams of Liz felt so real that he was
surprised every time his hands didn’t find her next to him.
On the third night, Nick sent him to find Tess who
hadn’t returned from a walk in the desert. Max went, because he felt
responsible for all of them, but he was not prepared for what he found.
She was standing at the base of a rock formation, her
bare skin shimmering in the pale moonlight. Max was speechless. She smiled when
she saw him: "I was waiting for you." Her voice was soft and sultry
as she slid her hands over her naked body.
Max let his eyes travel over her. She was beautiful
and she was the first girl he had ever seen like this, but he felt… nothing.
His body remained unaffected and his heart untouched. This was nothing like her
mind control visions that created false reactions from him. This was real and
he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never feel about her the
way he felt about Liz. With Liz, his body reacted instinctively, explosively,
without needing conscious inducement from her.
Tess was coming closer and he held up his hand.
"No Tess, whatever you thought was going to happen here, its not." He
watched her halt in confusion. "Let’s just go back and forget this
happened." He turned around and started walking away. "I’ll wait for
you over there. Get dressed."
Fury took hold of Tess the likes of which she has
never experienced before. How could he be immune to her? He was a 17-year old
guy, for crying out loud. Even worse, he was an INEXPERIENCED 17-year old guy.
Little Miss Prim was the reason for his actions, she just knew it! Nick had
told her to stop with the visions and try the reality. To try and seduce Max
the normal, human way. And look where it got her! Max was even more determined
to stay away from her. She dragged her clothes back on, her movements jerky
with anger. She would just have to target the weak link in this triangle: Liz
Parker…
~*~*~*~*~*~
They arrived back at the camp late in the afternoon.
Maria and Alex came running up, exited to see their aliens again, though they
were careful not to hug or kiss them. If there was anything they learned these
few days, it was the high esteem the people in the camp had for their
"royal family" and their destiny. Max got out of the Jeep, his
tiredness disappearing in the light of the fact that he would see Liz again.
His Liz. He felt her near, but couldn’t see her yet. He listened with one ear
to the chattering around him, but his eyes were scanning the area for a glimpse
of her.
Then he saw her. His first impulse was to run over to
her and drag her back to his tent. Any tent. She had been away from him too
long and his heightened physical awareness of her was driving him insane. But
the reunion was not how he pictured it. Some guy had his arm around her and she
was laughing up at him. Max felt a red haze of jealousy settling over his
vision. It blurred everything but the view of another man with his hands on
Liz. He clenched his hands into fists and started towards them when Michael
grabbed his arm.
"Max! You can’t do this!" Michael’s voice
was low, but it held an urgent note. Max looked ready to kill the guy with Liz
and this would not be a smart thing to do with half of the camp’s inhabitants
staring at them. He took a step back as Max swung around, ready to flatten
whoever was keeping him from tearing the guy of Liz. He was stopped short when
he heard his name, said by the one voice that could always get his attention:
"Max!"
Liz had stopped a few paces away, trying not to
create a scene. She had seen Max’s reaction to Jans being with her and she desperately
wanted to tell him that he had nothing to worry about. She wanted to tell him
that her body had known the moment he had arrived back at the camp. That she
had to force herself no to run into his arms. That she had temporarily
forgotten the name of the guy with her when she saw him look at her.
She tried again, seeing the wild look still in Max’s
eyes. "Uhm… welcome back. I… WE missed you." Max was staring at her,
his eyes slowly running over her as if trying to see if Jans had left a mark on
her with his touch. She watched as the look in his eyes slowly transcended into
something new. Those wonderful hazel eyes were becoming darker as they traveled
back up her body from her feet. Stopping for a few moments in some places
before continuing their burning path to her face. It felt like he was touching
her with his hands, skimming his fingers over her naked skin and Liz forgot to
breathe. She crossed her arms over her chest protectively as his gaze finally
lifted from her breasts to her lips. His eyes were hungry and hot and created a
sharp need low in her stomach.
Michael still had a hold on Max’s arm and started to
drag him away from Liz. He had watched with concern while Max ate Liz with his
gaze. Hell, he was sure EVERYONE was watching Max devouring Liz with that look.
If he left him and Liz together like that for any longer, they would melt the
Jeep!
Max was looking back at Liz while Michael continued
to force him in the direction of the showers. ‘Tonight’, he thought. Tonight
NOTHING will keep him from Liz. Not his destiny and certainly not the
disapproval of his friends.
Liz blinked in surprise when Max finally disappeared
around a corner. She had heard the word clearly in her mind. Max had thought:
‘Tonight.’
Journal Entry 12
He rejects the destiny proclaimed by the orbs with
every new minute. We had hoped for… but this, it is so different from what we
were expecting. It affects the plan.
The camp was quiet and Liz could hear Maria’s deep
breathing in the dark tent next to her. Maria had returned from seeing Michael
earlier and reported what she knew of the training. It had gone well and Nick
seemed pleased, she said. Liz could sense there was something she didn’t want
to say, but didn’t ask. She was afraid of what it would be. She preferred to
remember the way she and Max had parted this afternoon. She hadn’t seen him
again. He didn’t come to dinner. Neither did Tess and Liz tried not to think
what that could mean.
She was lying on her bed, fully clothed. She wore the
same red button-down sweater she wore that night long ago when she and Max went
to the desert and found the orb. The sweater held some good memories. But she
was starting to feel like an idiot. It was really late and he wasn’t coming.
She had imagined hearing him think about tonight.
Sighing wearily, she stood up and started unbuttoning
her sweater when two arms circled her from behind unexpectedly. One hand caught
her hands, stopping them from completing their task with the buttons, the other
hand cupped her mouth to stifle her startled yelp. Her body told her it was Max
immediately.
Max practically carried her from the tent and only
stopped outside to put her down and enfold her in one of his jackets. Thrusting
her arms through the sleeves, he buttoned it quickly and took her hand. They
stared at each other for a few moments, both panting for air. Then Max turned
around and dragged her behind him into the desert. Liz had to run to keep up
and after a while she pulled on his hand, trying to make him go slower. She
only succeeded in making him pick her up. He hugged her tight against his chest
and continued his urgent flight into the night.
Liz was mesmerized by the play of his muscles she
could feel underneath his shirt with each stride he took. Yes, she had touched
that chest once, but never had the chance again and her hands were itching to
rediscover that smooth, hot skin. "Max." The word was slurred with
passion and it had an immediate effect on Max.
He came to halt near some rocks so suddenly that they
nearly toppled to the ground. He let her legs drop to the ground and they both
groaned as she slid down against his body. He ran his finger over her cheek and
down her jaw and watched as it finally came to rest on her mouth. That
beautiful, lush mouth that drove him crazy. "Too long…" his voice was
gravelly. He fused his mouth to hers hungrily while his arms crushed her to
him.
They kissed as if they were starving for each other.
Liz clutched at his shoulders, trying to remain upright. Their connection came
to life again, causing a momentary lapse in the intensity of the kiss. Max saw
some of what she had been doing the past few days, but most of all he saw her
waking up in a sweat after dreaming of him. And he saw the dreams. The same
dreams he had been having. Of them together, their naked limbs tangled in
passion.
Liz saw Max training with Michael and Isabel and she
saw… Tess… naked in the moonlight. She tore herself from Max with a cry of such
pain that it shocked Max out of his passionate haze. He caught her as she tried
to stumble away from him. "Liz, what…?"
Liz had her face turned away from him, trying to
twist out of his arms. She was saying ‘no’ over and over again.
Max forced her head towards him with his hand on her
chin. "What?" he cried, scared to see her like this.
Liz finally quieted down, but tears were squeezing
from below her closed lids. Max was getting frantic. "Liz! Please tell
me!" And for the second time in his life, her words threatened to bring
his world crashing down around him.
"I saw Tess. In the desert. Naked. With
you." Liz forced the words through clenched teeth, hoping to get through
this moment without crumbling completely.
"Oh god, Liz! That’s not what happened! I mean,
yes… she tried, but I…" Max was shaking so badly he had trouble forming a
sentence. "Just… please kiss me again. You’ll see. Trust me! Please!"
The desperate note in his voice got her attention and
she slowly opened her eyes. Max was wiping the tears from her cheeks with his
thumbs and his eyes were pleading with her. Pleading with her not to believe
the lie.
He leant closer, carefully watching her for any sign
of distress until their lips touched. "I love you." His breath
whispered over her lips with his declaration. He kissed her softly at first,
seemingly afraid that she would bolt, but when she didn’t, he deepened the
kiss. His tongue traced her lips, begging for her to open up to him.
Liz couldn’t fight him, not when he was kissing her
like this. Like she was the air he needed to breath. Her mouth opened with a
sigh and this time, the flashes were not painful at all. She saw him walk away
from Tess, unmoved by her nudity. And she saw him wake up trembling from a
dream later that night, the same dream she had been having over and over again.
The one in which he finally completed his possession of her: heart, mind, soul
and… body.
This time when they broke apart, it was to stare at
each other in amazement. They were having the same dreams!
Max reached out to take the clip from her hair. He
did it almost reverently, sliding his fingers through the softness as the
strands swung free. He inhaled her scent like a drug, needing it inside his
lungs, inside his body. Her eyes caught the light of the millions of stars
twinkling over their heads and he thanked the parents he had never known for
sending him to this planet. For allowing him to find Liz, his other half. His
soulmate.
As his hands lifted to the top button of his jacket
still enfolding her body, he saw desire flaring to life in her gaze. She
matched his action, her fingers finding his buttons and undoing them as fast as
she could. Their hands got tangled in their efforts to remove the clothes,
causing Max to drag her hands away from him and finishing his own buttons
first. Turning slightly away from her, he spread his jacket on the sand next to
them. When he turned back, Liz was opening her jacket and his heart stopped as
she slid the garment from her shoulders and laid it next to his on the ground.
Her action had caused the half-opened edges of her sweater, left like that in
their haste to get away from the camp, to pull apart further. The gaping
material revealed more of her soft, bare skin than he had ever seen.
"Liz." Her name was a hungry moan that
fired her blood to boiling point.
Max hauled her to him roughly, fastening his mouth to
hers, kissing her with almost violent passion. And Liz reveled in it. She
pressed closer, rubbing herself against him in an effort to appease the ache in
the pit of her stomach. Max picked her up and laid her on their jackets. He
knelt over her, his eyes dark with intent.
"Take of your shirt, Max." Liz was staring
up at him as he hastily complied, tearing the shirt open in haste. The sight of
him stole her breath. He was sleek and muscled and hard. She put up her hand to
touch him wonderingly and they both groaned at the contact. He let her caress
him for a while, watching with heavy-lidded eyes as her gaze traced the
movements of her hands on his body almost helplessly. His skin burned her hand
and she became aware of the labored movement of his chest under her hand.
Her touch on his stomach was electric and Max closed
his eyes in reaction. Liz let her eyes drift lower, from the ridged muscles of
his stomach to the front of his pants. He was very much aroused and she was
surprised to find that the thought didn’t scare her. In fact, it elated her
that she was doing this to him.
Max came out of his passionate trance when her hands
started roaming lower, to the edge of his pants. He caught her hands and
brought them to his lips. He kissed each finger before bending over her,
placing their linked hands above her head. Leaning closer to her mouth, he
growled: "My turn." He pulled her bottom lip into his mouth, nipping
at it with his teeth. Liz was making helpless little noises in the back of her
throat and each one exited him more. He curled her fingers into the edge of the
jacket above her head, silently commanding her to keep them there. Leaning away
from her, he did what he had only ever imagined doing. He undid the last few
buttons of her sweater and pushed it apart with a shaking hand. She was
completely naked underneath and her beauty stole his soul.
His eyes drank in the sight of her thirstily.
Memorizing every inch of exposed skin until looking wasn’t enough anymore. Liz
arched helplessly as he hesitantly touched her curves. His hand stroked a path
from the place on her stomach where he had healed her to the valley between her
breasts. She cried his name as he finally moved his hand over her breast,
causing a trembling to start deep in her body. She gave up her efforts to keep
her hands above her head. Instead, she brought her hands down, digging her
nails into his hard back as he kept up the torturous caresses on her flesh.
She pulled him down on her, bringing their bare skin into
contact. Max braced himself on his elbows, lost for a moment in the sensation
of feeling her breasts against his chest, unhampered by clothes for the first
time. He kissed her again, his lips causing a feast of sensations in her body
and she opened her thighs, allowing him to settle between them.
The heat blazed between their bodies and drove Max to
the brink of control. He rolled them over, so that she was lying on top of him,
cradled on his chest. Putting his arms around her, he pressed her to him urgently.
He ran one hand down the indentation of her spine until he could cup her rear,
arching her against his hardness, but also trying to still her instinctive
movements. His restraint was fast becoming a thing of the past.
"Liz." His voiced sounded drugged.
"Please stop… Please…" Nothing made much sense to Max right now. The
only thing he knew was that this was not the way he wanted their first time to
be like. Liz deserved so much more. She deserved not having the uncertainty of
his destiny hanging over them. She deserved a real bed in a nice room. She
deserved to have his promise to be eternally true to her. None of which he
could give her right now.
He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her
gently. "Please stop." He repeated softly, pleading with her not to
make this impossible for him. Because if she wanted to, she could break his
resolve. It would be laughably easy.
Liz could barely hear him above the pounding in her
temples. Her body was on fire and unsatisfied. She inhaled deeply as Max pressed
her face into his chest, slowly realizing that this wasn’t going any further
tonight. The thought made her unhappy and relieved all at once. But she could
feel little tremors still running through Max’s body underneath her and she
understood how hard this was for him. Damn his ever-present control! Sighing
against his bare skin, she vowed that when the timing was right, she would
strip Max Evans of every last drop of control. Even if it killed her!
Journal Entry 13
We decided to give them some of the answers they were
looking for. It was still not the ones they needed to hear, but it was
something. The impact was immediate and so exactly what we had expected. This
experiment is teaching us more in a few days than we had learned in years alone
in this camp.
They walked back to the camp silently, hand in hand.
Max had waited until their bodies had calmed down a bit and then gently and
lovingly fastened her sweater. His eyes drank in each disappearing inch of bare
skin as his fingers completed their task. He had helped her into her jacket and
hugged her fiercely before they started for home.
Stopping outside her tent, he told her earnestly:
"You are the most beautiful thing in my life, Liz Parker." He stepped
closer, leaning his forehead against hers in an action that was becoming
characteristic of their gentle moments. "I don’t want to feel like I’m
just having an affair with you. Like you’re my mistress or concubine or
something. I want you to feel like your… special." He pulled away slightly
and took a deep breath. "To feel like… like my wife."
Liz’s eyes grew large, staring up at him in shock. He
was watching her anxiously, as if waiting for her to deny what he had just
said. "Your… your wife?" Liz could barely get the words out. This was
turning into one of the most wonderful nights of her life!
"Yeah. I know its… soon and we’re really young,
but I want that, Liz. I want to marry you some day… I don’t know much about who
I am and what’s going to happen to me, but I’m sure of this one thing. You have
to be a part of the rest of my life!"
Liz interrupted his impassioned speech by flinging
her arms around his neck and pressing her face to his. "Yes! I want that
too. I want you to be mine forever."
Their kiss sealed this promise and it was a long time
before Max could get himself to leave Liz and go back to his tent. His heart
was singing with joy and tomorrow… tomorrow he would put an end to this destiny
lunacy forever.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess waited until Max was gone and Liz safely back in
her bed before coming out of the shadows from where she had been watching the
nauseating scene. Time to put her plan in action…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max cornered Maria after breakfast the next morning.
"Where’s Liz?" he asked worriedly. "She didn’t come to
breakfast."
Maria gave him an innocent look. "Hmmm, I don’t
know? Could it be that she is worn out from late night excursions into the
desert? Or from the dreams she had the rest of the night during which her
moaning kept ME awake?" She laughed at Max’s embarrassed look. "Yeah,
and you two used to say Michael and I were bad! Well Mr
Leader-of-an-alien-race, what did you do to her last night?" Her eyes grew
when a thought hit her. "You two didn’t…, you know!"
"Calm down, Maria! Everything is fine!" Max
steered her further away from any onlookers. He didn’t want his sex life,
however little that meant right now, to be overheard by the rest of the camp.
"Could you just make sure she’s all right, please? I have to meet with
Nick right now and I’m getting a weird sense from Liz right now."
"Excuse me! A ‘weird sense’? What the heck are
you talking about?" Maria’s voice was rising.
Max sighed. He loved Maria, but she was really too
much sometimes. "I can’t really explain right now, but I can ‘feel’ her
sometimes." He went on when Maria opened her mouth to ask more questions.
"I don’t know how it works either, so just trust me and GO, will
you?" To help her along, he gave her a push in the direction of their
tent.
Then he went to find Isabel, Michael and Tess.
"We need to meet. With Nick. Right now." The others looked at him in
surprise. They were getting used to Max using a tone of voice that brooked no
argument, but the urgent note was new.
They found Nick waiting for them outside the
breakfast tent. He always seemed to know where to be at what time, and Max
wondered about that for the umpteenth time. He was even more surprised when
Nick just quietly led them to the tent where Liz, Maria and Alex slept their
first night in the camp. Once inside he turned to Max and waited.
Max took a deep breath and sent up a small prayer
that this wouldn’t turn out to be the worst day of his life. "I need some
answers about the things we saw in the orb transmission." Both Michael and
Isabel gasped and focussed on Nick. The answers to Max’s questions meant a lot
to them too. Tess just folded her arms.
Max started with his most important problem.
"The orbs… it said I was sent here with my ‘young bride’. I want to know
exactly who that is and how it can all still be true if I’m a completely new
and different person here on earth?"
Nick saw the anxiety Max was trying to hide.
"Yes, Max you were sent here with your bride from your previous life. And
I think you already know the answer to your first question." His eyes went
to Tess, seeing the satisfied grin on her face.
Max felt like a huge fist was squeezing the air from
his lungs. "You mean I’m still married to her? Right now? How can that be?
I’m seventeen! I had no choice in the matter!"
Max was starting to yell and Nick held up his hand. "I
didn’t say that."
The silence following those four words was deafening.
Max had to stop himself from running over to Nick and shaking the truth out of
him. When he spoke, his voice was soft, but Michael and Isabel knew that this
soft tone meant Max was very angry. "Then what are you saying?"
"I’m saying that you were all sent here with
your genetically-coded mates from a PREVIOUS life."
"So we’re not… married in this life?"
Isabel’s voice was tremulous.
Nick seemed surprised that she had spoken. This had
been a silent duel between him and Max up to this point. "You need a
ceremony for that. A ceremony to make it official in this life. When you’re
ready, it will be performed." He waited for their reaction, his eyes
coming back to Max once again.
"What will happen if we marry someone
else?" Max heard the small gasp from Tess. "Will it impact on the
war? On our race?"
"Yes, it will." Nick said, an
unrecognizable emotion creeping into his voice.
Max still wouldn’t give up. "How?"
Nick stayed silent, causing Max to step closer to
him, his hands clenched in fists at his sides.
"HOW?"
"I can’t tell you that right now."
Max was losing his temper. "Why not?"
"Its not the right time," was the enigmatic
answer. Nick gave them one final look, his eyes lingering on his young leader
the longest. He could see the war going on inside Max. Then he stepped out of
the tent.
Max swung around to Michael and Isabel, running his
hands through his hair in frustration. "What is such a big secret about
all this? Why will they not tell us anything about our planet?"
Isabel stood up and put her arm around her brother.
"We have to be patient, Max. I’m sure there’s a reason. And at least we
know one more thing for now." She squeezed him and smiled. "No
bride."
Max couldn’t stop a goofy grin from spreading across
his face. "Yeah. I… I have to go."
Michael and Isabel watched him leave and turned to
each other. "So, we’re still family right? Brother and sister?"
Michael hugged her. "Yeah."
"So go tell her!" Isabel rolled her eyes.
Did she have to think for these two idiot brothers of her all the time?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max ran into a breathless Maria as he came tearing
around a tent on his way to Liz. "Max, she won’t wake up! You have to come
help her!" Maria sounded panicked.
The cold hand around his heart returned. Something
awful was going on with Liz.
Journal Entry 14
Maybe we made a mistake bringing her here… but no, it
was essential to the test.
Max entered Liz’s tent in a dead run, only to find
Jans on his knees next to her bed. Max was having a bad day and Jans got the
brunt of it. The first thing Jans knew was Max yanking him away from Liz with
such force that he ended up in a heap against the side of the tent.
"Stay. Away. From. Her!" Max’s voice sent
chills down the spines of the people that followed him into the tent. He
whirled on all of them. "Get out! All of you. She needs ME."
The tent was hastily cleared and Max turned to the
sleeping form of the love of his life. She was lying on her side, her face
turned towards him. A small frown was marring her features and he knelt next to
the bed. "Liz. Love… Please wake up!"
Only Max, who knew every gesture and feature by
heart, could see the little twitch of her mouth at the sound of his voice.
"Oh god, Liz! What is wrong? I love you!" He touched her face,
running his fingers over her cheeks and jaw line, willing her to wake up.
"I need you… What is wrong!"
Maria was hovering concernedly in the door. Liz was
her best friend and she was not afraid of Max, instead his disjointed
mutterings and gentle actions brought tears to her eyes. She caught sight of
Nick out of the corner of her eye, also watching this whole scene. He seemed
entranced by all the emotions on Max’s face: fear, love, despair, guilt.
Max suddenly turned around, startling all the people
standing in the door. His eyes were bright with tears when they finally located
Maria in the group. "Maria. Get Isabel!" Maria had barely swung
around to do his bidding when Izzy was rushing into the tent.
Isabel faltered when she saw Max’s face. He had only
ever looked like that once in his life. Just after Liz left him to his destiny
at the cave. "Max. I’m here. I’ll do it." She touched his shoulder
softly, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Liz.
Isabel watched as Max clutched Liz’s hand tighter,
not willing to let go. "Max, you have to let go so I can work with her.
You’ll just confuse her if…"
"I can’t." Max sounded more distraught by
the minute.
Isabel turned to Michael, who was hugging Maria just
inside the door. "Come help me with him."
Michael came forward and pried Max away from Liz. But
he only managed to move him a few feet. "Liz." There was a wealth of
pain in the one word.
Isabel put her hands on Liz and concentrated. It was
like trying to punch through a brick wall. But she could feel the anxiety
coming of Max in waves and, taking a deep breath, she tried again. This time
she could discern a terrified cry that shook her to her core and caused her to
jerk her hands away involuntarily.
Max was at her side immediately. "What!" he
cried, grabbing Liz’s hand again.
Isabel decided not to upset him further. "I
couldn’t get in."
Max turned pleading eyes to her. "Iz, please.
She’s my life…" Neither Max nor Isabel heard the gasp that went through
the small group of people still milling about in the door of the tent.
Isabel didn’t know what to do. Liz, or something, was
blocking her. She looked back up into her brother’s desperate face. "You
try. I’ll create the connection." She took his hand and put her other hand
on Liz. Closing their eyes, Isabel and Max concentrated. The power of feeling
pouring from Max to Liz made Isabel feel dizzy and she wondered how they all
could have been so blind as to make fun of the love between her brother and
this petite girl.
Max was crying out to Liz in his mind, urging her to
come to him or to wake up when he sensed another presence. His eyes snapped
open. "I’m going to kill her!" With that, he took off out of the
tent, scattering people in front of him.
"Oh god, Michael! Stop him!" Isabel cried,
pushing Michael after Max.
Michael wasn’t fast enough. He found Max already on
his way back, dragging Tess by the arm. Michael attempted to talk sense into
Max. "Hey Maxwell, calm down! You’re not helping Liz like this!"
Max just brushed him out of the way and pulled Tess
into the tent. "What the hell are you doing to her?" He spoke through
gritted teeth.
"Nothing!" Tess wailed. "She must just
be really tir-."
"NO!" Max yelled, making everyone jump.
"I felt you! In her mind. Undo whatever you did or you’re out of here. For
good."
"You’re insane!" Tess was struggling to get
out of his grip.
Black fury shone from Max’s eyes and his voice dropped
to just above a whisper. "No, insane is what I’ll be if anything happens
to Liz. She is the reason I’m on this planet. To love her. To have her love me
back, and so help me, if she’s not here anymore, you won’t be either. Now fix
it!" He pushed her towards the bed, still holding onto her arm.
Tess stared at him in fear. He was even more angry
than the time he thought she was Nacedo and that she wanted to hurt Liz. She
turned around. "Nick, help me!" she begged. But Nick just folded his
arms and watched her with an expressionless face. She turned back towards Max
and conceded defeat. His face told her that even if Liz were gone, she would
always be the one that held his heart. That there would never be anyone to take
her place.
Closing her eyes, she removed the part of her from
Liz’ subconscious that kept Liz afraid to wake up.
Tears began to seep from Liz’s eyelids immediately.
Max was down on the bed next to her in an instant, cradling her against his
body and wrapping his arms around her fiercely. "Love, please don’t cry.
I’m here…"
Isabel and Michael were herding all the onlookers
from the tent when Liz cried out in pain. It was the same awful sound that
Isabel heard while she was dreamwalking. The sound held such despair and fear
that it sliced through everyone close enough to hear.
Max felt like his heart stopped and he held Liz
tighter when she tried to struggle up. "Max, you have to let me go! You…
hurt… I can’t… No!"
"What are you talking about? Liz, whatever Tess
told you, its not true! I’m fine!" He held her face in his hands, kissing
her eyelids, cheeks, nose, anything that he could reach in a desperate attempt
to get her to calm down. He held her until the shaking lessened and she
reluctantly opened her eyes.
Looking up at Max, Liz saw the tears that threatened
to spill from his eyes. Reaching up a trembling hand, she cupped his cheek.
"I’m sorry. For scaring you."
Max inhaled deeply, relief etching his face and he
unconsciously repeated the words from long ago that started it all for them.
"You’re all right now. You’re all right." He cradled her to him,
rocking her, as much in an effort to calm himself as for her.
Liz clung to him. Here in his arms, she always felt
safe. She always felt like she was home.Max leant away from her. "Liz,
what happened? What did she do to you?"
Liz escaped his probing look by pressing her face
into his neck. He had to strain to hear her muffled words. "Can we talk
about it later? I… I’m… Its too soon. Please."
Max ran his hand through her hair, not knowing
whether to press for an answer or not. She seemed really upset still and he
didn’t want to make things worse. Taking a decision, he got up, hugging her
against his chest. Walking out of the tent with her, he passed Maria, standing
in Michael’s arms. "Please bring her stuff to my tent. She stays with me
from now on."
There were some stunned faces in the crowd, but Nick
wasn’t one of them. He watched as Max strode off with Liz still in his arms and
a small smile tugged at his lips.
Journal Entry 15
They have all chosen their human mates proving that
genetic coding CAN be overcome. This part of the experiment is complete. Now,
on to the next phase.
Max’s decision to have Liz stay with him had a
silent, but definite impact on the rest of the group. Although nothing was
discussed, Maria moved in with Michael and Isabel was really glad to get away
from Tess and into Alex’s tent. It was like all of them had waited for Max to
take the first step in defying their destinies.
Max hadn’t really thought his idea to keep Liz with
him through, but all he knew was that he wanted her near so he could at least
try to protect her. Yes, that was all. It had nothing to do with the fact that
waking up with her had been a lifelong fantasy of his. No, this was only for
Liz’s protection…When he was finally satisfied that she was relatively okay, he
had left her on his spare bed with Maria and Alex as company. Liz would still
not tell him anything about her experience and got agitated if he pressed the
issue. The remnants of the incredible anger that had slammed through him at the
thought that Tess would want to hurt Liz were still present and he needed to
get away to calm down or he would burst.Getting in his Jeep, he took off into
the desert, his hands gripping the steering wheel fiercely. He had to do
something to protect Liz from other attempts to remove her from his life. Also,
he needed help in protecting her. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t be with
her every second of every day. Driving around the desert aimlessly, Max could
come up with only one solution to his problem…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria was sitting with Liz’s head in her lap, while
Alex was giving her a foot massage. Neither of them were having any success in
getting Liz to talk about what had been going on in her dreams. Maria had tried
everything she could think of: best friends should help each other, Tess should
die, Pam Troy was a bimbo, Max without a shirt… Nothing. Liz talked to them
about everything but the topic they wanted to discuss. Maria finally decided to
use her trump card. It was low, but she had nothing else to use. "Lizzie,
you should have seen Max when we couldn’t wake you up. He was so out of his
mind. I think he was crying. You really scared him!"
This made Liz sit up and rub wearily at her eyes, where
tears were starting to form again. She would never forget that look on Max’s
face. She knew he loved her, but the desperate fear of losing her that he
exhibited today was absolutely scary. Never again would she doubt the depth of
his feelings for her.
Alex put his arm around his friend. "Liz, you
have to talk to Max. Its going to kill him if you keep stuff from him. He
wants… no, he NEEDS to help you."
Liz leant into Alex, into the embrace she knew so
well from many years of comforting each other. She wanted to talk to someone,
but not Max. She knew how he would feel if she told him what had been happening
in her head. Yes, she needed to talk to someone, but before that she needed to
do something special for Max tonight. To show him how much she loved him back.
"Maria, could you help me with something? I need
tonight to be special with Max."
Alex jumped up and held up his hands. "Whoa, I
don’t think I wanna be hearing this! And you better not be talking about… you
know what, missy!"
Liz smiled sunnily for the first time that day.
"No Alex, don’t freak. I just really want some alone time with Max and
after how I scared him today, maybe I could try and make up for it, you
know." She grabbed Alex by the arm when he tried to leave. "You must
help me. Keep Max out of here until we’re ready."
Alex sighed dramatically. Since he’s been friends
with these two, he always ended up being pulled into their schemes.
"Whatever. But I’m not promising anything. That guy is scary when he wants
to see you and people try to stop him!"
Liz hugged him. She knew he would come through in the
end. She turned to Maria after Alex exited. "Okay, let’s make some
magic!"
"Hmmpf!" Maria grumbled. "We need the
alien magicians for that!" But she dutifully sat down to listen to Liz’s
plan.
~*~*~*~*~*~
In the end, Alex didn’t have a tough task. Max only
came back after lunch and then he went to see Nick in his tent. They stayed in
there talking for hours. When he came out, he was cornered by Isabel who
insisted on trying to get the contents of his meeting with Nick out of him.
(Alex had enlisted her help.) Apart from saying that Nick was fine with the new
sleeping arrangements, Max was tight lipped about the rest. Isabel couldn’t
even get him to react so that she could surmise whether the meeting had been
positive or negative.
Finally Max had had it. "Izzy, could you stop. I
haven’t seen Liz all day and I want to make sure she’s all right."
Just then, Maria walked in and took over from Isabel
to delay him. She explained Liz’s day in great detail. From how long she slept,
to what she said and what she had for lunch. She only stopped when she saw that
Max was starting to get worried. Glancing surreptitiously at her watch, she let
Max go.
Michael intercepted Max on the way to his tent. Max
was starting to feel like screaming. Was he never going to see Liz again?
"Hey Max, Liz is still sleeping." Michael
was lying through his teeth. "I grabbed some of your stuff so you can have
a shower." He didn’t even wait for an answer, but dragged Max off.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was dusk by the time Max finally reached their
tent. He pondered for a moment on how wonderful that sounded. "Their"
tent. He had dreamed of having a home with Liz one day, but this will have to
do until then. He rubbed his hair with the towel Michael had given him.
Although, he had to wonder how Michael was able to so successfully organize a
clean set of clothes for him.
He stopped in his tracks when he entered the tent.
Candles were scattered throughout the room, giving the interior a golden glow.
A table had been set to one side, two place settings adorning it. But his
attention had only been half-fixed on all the trappings. His eyes had found her
immediately. She stood next to the table and she took his breath away.
Liz was wearing a white tank-top with spaghetti
straps that molded to her upper body. With that she had on a long, slim, white
skirt that fell to her bare feet and had a slit that came up to mid-thigh on
one side. The candlelight lovingly painted her skin with gold. She had a
hesitant smile on her lips and Max couldn’t get a word out.
Liz was getting worried when Max just stood there,
staring at her. The heat in his eyes told her that he was happy with her attempt
at romance, but she needed him to say it out loud. Putting her hands behind her
back, and trying not to notice how this made Max’s eyes drop lower from her
lips, she cleared her throat. "Hey."
Max finally dropped the towel that was still in his
hand. It was Liz’s turn to be struck dumb. He always looked sexy in jeans, but
tonight he was wearing a white shirt over it that was left unbuttoned.
"If you keep looking at me that way, we’ll never
eat." Max’s gruff voice interrupted Liz’s helpless inspection of his bare
chest. She pulled her eyes up hastily and hoped he couldn’t see her blush.
"Uhm... yeah. I just thought we could have a
quiet dinner. Together. I mean…" Liz was stammering and feeling more and
more like a love-struck teenager. What she and Max had was so much more, but
when he looked like this, hair mussed from the shower, shirt hanging open and
that gorgeous half-smile that he kept only for her, she was lost. "Would
you like to eat?" She ended lamely.
"Only if you kiss me first." His voice was low.
Liz didn’t need a second invitation, but walked over
to him slowly, enjoying the feel of his dark eyes watching her progress. She
marveled at how one look from Max could make her feel sensual and loved.
Max watched in fascination as her movements gave him
tantalizing glimpses of her bare leg. "You take my breath away." He
whispered in awe.
She reached him. "I love you." Standing on
tiptoe, she slid her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. The
kiss was long, deep and gentle. It was an affirmation of their love for each
other and a promise of so much more to come.
They pulled apart, sharing a smile. Neither of them
wanted this quiet and tender moment to end. Max threaded his fingers through
hers and led her to the table. He pulled out her chair and sat down across from
her, taking her hand again. They didn’t really notice what they ate. It didn’t
matter as long as they were together. They talked about school, what was going
on with their friends, how Maria had threatened Michael with death to get him
to co-operate with Liz’s little scheme.
Liz basked in each smile from Max. They were precious
to her because they were so rare. She knew he must be worried about a lot of
things and she didn’t want to add to his burden. Instead, she wanted to be the
one person that could help him lighten the load.
She waited until Max had finished eating and slowly
stood up to round the table. Max pushed back his chair to get up, but Liz
stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him provocatively while
sliding onto his lap. "Okay, Mr Evans. Dessert is on me."
Max’s last thought before her lips finally touched
his was that his day was getting better with every passing minute.
Liz sighed into his mouth, a
small, satisfied sound that they could finally be together like this again. He
tasted like heaven. His mouth was warm and soft and did magic things to her
body. She pulled away slightly when he tried to deepen the kiss. Tonight it was
her turn to seduce Max and she intended to make the most of it.
Licking her lips slowly and allowing him to watch
every movement, she kissed him again. But these were teasing little kisses,
feather-light touches on his lips that ended as soon as they began. Max was
starting to have trouble breathing and Liz enjoyed the feel of each hot gasp
against her lips. She leant in again, her lips a hairbreadth from his and let
her tongue drift over his mouth, tracing the contours. Max made a strangled
sound and brought his hands up to cup her face, pulling her to him and plunging
his tongue into her. The kiss was hot and frantic and told her that Max had
been keeping a hold of himself for quite awhile now. She gloried in his
closeness, running her hands through his hair and shifting on his lap in an
effort to get closer.
Max felt like his heart was going to explode with all
the emotions and needs crashing around in it. This wisp of a girl in his arms
could do more damage to him with one touch than any alien war could with
weapons. He wondered if she knew how much power she really had over him. Did
she know that he would kill to be with her like this? That he would go to the
ends of the earth to just hear her voice?
Liz was in her own little Max world. That place that
he created each time he was near. It was a place where everything was perfect
and she felt safe and loved. It was a place their connection made even more
special, because right now she could feel how much Max wanted to be with her.
It made her giddy with happiness.
When Max was satisfied that she wasn’t going to torture
him with those half-kisses again, he removed one hand from her face and cupped
the knee that was peeking out from the slit of her skirt. This caused Liz to
squirm on his lap even more and he dragged his mouth away from hers with every
intention of chastising her for trying to drive him insane. But as soon as his
lips left hers, Liz started to kiss a path down his jaw to his neck. She slid
one hand over his bare chest, running her fingers over the hills and valleys of
his body. Max could only close his eyes and ride the storm. As she moved lower,
her hair brushed over the skin of his stomach, creating such a riot of lust in
his body that he feared he was going to faint.
He allowed her to caress him until he couldn’t take it
anymore. He stood up with her in his arms and fused his lips to hers again. He
was getting drunk on her taste and her smell. He lifted her into his body with
one arm, letting her feet dangle off the floor. His other hand cupped her head,
arching her neck to allow him deeper access to her mouth.
Liz was floating. Being plastered to every inch of
Max was exciting her beyond belief. The heat was coming off him in waves and
his skin burned her fingers wherever she touched. She pushed his shirt off his
shoulders and Max managed to shrug out of it by shifting her from one arm to
other. Neither of them wanted to let go of each other for too long. Liz ran her
hands over his shoulders and his back, enjoying how his muscles contracted at
her touch. He truly was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. A groan
against her mouth told her that Max was privy to her feelings through their
connection.
Lifting her higher against him, Max flattened one
hand between her shoulder blades and pressed his mouth into the hot skin of her
throat. She was making those small helpless sounds again and he felt the
vibrations of each one under his lips.
Liz threw her head back, causing her long hair to
stream down her back like a dark waterfall. She needed to be even closer to Max
and she unconsciously wrapped her legs around his waist. The feeling of having
the insides of her naked thighs in contact with his skin was electrical.
Max didn’t know how much longer he would be able to
stay upright. One of the thin straps of her top had slid down her shoulder and
left him with a tantalizing amount of skin to caress. And he didn’t need an
engraved invitation. Her warm legs wrapped around his body were exquisite
torture and he couldn’t stop himself from cupping her rear with one hand. She was
amazingly small and fitted into his one hand. Like she was made to fit him.
"Max." The hunger in her voice was his
undoing and he walked blindly to the bed. Any bed. The nearest bed. When he
finally lay her down gently, he didn’t join her immediately, but stood staring
down at her. She looked absolutely ravishing… and ravished. Her hair was
streaming over the pillow, her lips were swollen from his kisses and her top
was peeling of her one shoulder. Her skirt had ridden up and showed her calves
and an arousing portion of her one smooth thigh. She was Max’s fantasy come
true.
He was just as breathtaking to Liz. His skin was
bronze in the candlelight and his eyes told her that he was the one man that
could and would eventually fulfill every dream she ever had. She held out her
hand to him, inviting him closer. He took it slowly and reverently, and joined
her on the bed.
Propping himself on his elbows, Max lowered himself
carefully until his body covered hers. Their bare stomachs pressed together and
heightened the flames in their eyes. He watched her face in fascination while
she ran her hands down his spine, her fingers finding the indentation and
following it to the top of his jeans. He saw her eyes grow larger when her
slight pressure on his lower back brought her into closer contact with his
arousal.
He gently brushed his forefinger over her lower lip
and looked at her seriously. "Liz, honey, don’t be scared. You know I
would never… I mean, I really love you and I really want to… uhm, make love
with you, but not now. Not under these circumstances. So… don’t’ worry,
okay?" Liz had watched him earnestly throughout his speech and by the end
he could see a small smile start in her eyes.
"Max, I trust you with my life and my heart, why
would I not trust you with my body? I know you. I love you. This will happen
when it should. Don’t think I’m worrying about you losing control or something
every time we’re together. I’m not. I’m just… yeah, I guess I’m just still
surprised sometimes that you feel this way about me."
Max had closed his eyes in reaction while she was
talking, but his eyes snapped open at the last statement. "Okay, have you
NOT noticed that I can barely keep my eyes or my hands of you?" he joked.
"Liz, sometimes I want you so much I can’t see straight, but I need for us
to be sure of where we’re going before we take that step. And I also need you
to know that its really hard for me to stop sometimes, so you’ll have to help
me. Making love is something precious and I don’t want us to just get into it
hastily. Besides, I think we have proven that there are some really fun ways of
being together without actually BEING together." The corners of his mouth
were curled in a sexy grin by now.
"I love you even more now, if that’s even
possible." Liz was starting to smile widely. She pulled his face down to
hers and purred: "Soooo, show me some of those fun things, Max." He
happily complied.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was woken sometime during the night by a whimper
coming from Liz. He had never made it to his own bed, instead his body was
wrapped around Liz’s, her skirt tangled around their legs. Liz made another
distressed sound and Max jerked upright. "Liz! Wake up, love!"
For a frightening moment there was no reaction and
then her eyes flew open. "Max!" she cried, her voice filled with
fear.
Max hauled her against his chest, rubbing his hands
over her back, trying to comfort her. "Shh, its okay. I’m here." He
waited until she lay in his arms quietly before he moved away so he could see
her face. She avoided his eyes and he grabbed her chin, lifting her face to
his. "You have to tell me sometime. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me,
love."
Liz just nodded mutely, but said nothing.
He sighed and hugged her close again. "Let’s get
you into some pj’s. We can’t sleep in these fine clothes all night!"
He found her pajamas on her suitcase and pulled her
up from the bed. She just stood there obediently as Max slid her skirt off her
and held the drawstring pants for her to step into. He gently fastened them
around her middle before grabbing the hem of her top and pulling it over her
head. His jaw clenched and he had to take deep breaths to keep his hands from
shaking as he helped her pull on her nightshirt, covering her nakedness from
his thirsty eyes. The task completed, he picked her up and slid her into the
bed between the sheets that were still warm from their earlier occupation.
He quickly stripped of his jeans and pulled on
sweatpants. Turning back to her, he didn’t know if he should join her again or
not, but she looked so lost lying in the middle of the bed, that he couldn’t
get himself to stay away.
Liz snuggled closer to his warm chest as soon as he
was in bed with her. She rubbed her cheek over his skin, taking deep breaths
and willing the demons that chased her in her dreams to stay away.
Max hugged her close. "I’m going to stay right
here." He kissed the top of her head. "And when you feel ready, you
tell me what is bothering you." He kept up the rhythmic caresses on her
back and soon Liz drifted into sleep again. Max couldn’t sleep. He watched over
her and wondered what she saw when she slept that scared her so much.
He also wondered what she would say if he told her
all that he had planned with Nick today. Nick baffled him. He didn’t even
flinch when Max made it clear that Liz was never leaving his side again. And he
seemed almost helpful with the rest of Max’s plans. A smile curved his lips at
that thought. Yes, he was going to make Liz Parker very happy, very soon!
Journal Entry 16
The tension levels have dropped dramatically since
the change in pairings. Training has improved and I am hoping the second phase
of the test does not affect this. Their bonds seem strong, but so much of it is
built on a fickle emotion. An emotion that is as foreign to us as it is
accepted by them.
Liz came awake reluctantly the next morning. She had
been dreaming of Max whispering sweet nothings in her ear and she didn’t really
want to face reality yet. She kept her eyes closed and wished she could return
to her dream world. How was she supposed to get up and go to work when she was
feeling this mellow?
"Hey, lovely sleepyhead."
Liz started in surprise and her eyes finally flew
open. She wasn’t in her bed at home. She didn’t need to get up to serve the
breakfast crowd at the Crashdown. She was very much in bed with Max Evans, who,
by the way, had his one hand under her shirt on her bare stomach. She looked up
at him suspiciously. "How long have you been awake and what have you been
doing to me in my sleep?"
Max was propped up on one elbow, watching Liz who was
lying on her back. He grinned. "Hmmm, wouldn’t you like to know? But I’ll
say this, I now know that you have a birthmark on your-."
"Hey!" Liz was mortified. And then she saw
the mischief in his eyes. "You jerk! You’ve been the perfect gentleman,
haven’t you?"
"Yeah. But I’m willing to change that now if you
like…" His voice had lost some of its mirth and was a few octaves lower.
Liz felt the change reverberate through her body.
He shifted closer to her, slinging one leg over hers
and effectively pinning her to the mattress. He trailed his lips over hers
softly, rubbing their open mouths together without deepening the kiss. "I
love you," he whispered against her mouth. "I wish I could wake up
with you like this forever."
Liz smiled. "Me too." She put one hand on
his chest, letting her fingers trail over his skin while she enjoyed his gentle
exploration of her lips. He was absently moving his hand back and forth over
her stomach, creating a tingling sensation deep in her body. She couldn’t stop
herself from arching up into that magic touch. She heard him inhale sharply as
he reared away from her.
Liz caught his hand and pressed it against her
firmly, just above the edge of her pants. "Do you even know how you make
me feel sometimes?" She looked up into his eyes, seeing the gradual
darkening of desire there.
"Tell me." His voice sounded strained, even
to his own ears.
Liz swallowed. How does she explain the things
happening in her body without sounding cheesy or trashy? Her gaze fluttered
away from his, embarrassed. But he has given her so much, she owed it to him to
at least try to explain. "I burn."
Max had been waiting patiently for her to overcome
her sudden bout of shyness. But he wasn’t prepared for the maelstrom her words
would create in his body, in his mind, in his soul.
Liz continued, a blush creeping over her cheeks.
"I ache here." She pressed his hand down on her stomach again.
"And…" she took a deep breath, waiting a few beats before moving his
hand to her breast. "And here."
Max felt like he had been hit by lightning. Liz
seemed unaware of the havoc she was creating. She was determined to give him
this gift of honesty and was concentrating on telling him how she felt by
finding the right words.
She suddenly looked up at him again. Her brow
furrowed. "Max, how is it possible that I know that you would make me feel
complete? That only you could fill this… this hollowness inside my body?"
Max could hardly speak, but she was looking at him with
such solemnity that he had to try. "The same way I know that being inside
you would complete me too." She nodded, accepting his explanation.
Curving his hand around her breast, he leant in and
kissed her with furious passion, hurling them both away into a place where the
only thing that mattered was the sensations they created for each other. Liz
arched into his hand and threw her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth down
on hers more firmly. She kissed him back with a ferocity that dazed him. Her tongue
glided against his as she fought him for entry to his mouth. He finally gave it
to her with a groan.
Liz shifted, allowing Max’s thigh to slide between
hers. She pressed against him and the feeling was incredible. It lessened the
ache in the pit of her stomach momentarily, only to bring it back thousand-fold
immediately thereafter.
"Maxwell!" Michael’s voice was an unwelcome
intrusion in their little heaven.
"Oh my god! Michael! Did I not tell you not to
come in here unannounced?" Maria was dragging Michael out of the tent,
casting an apologetic glance over her shoulder.
Max rested his head on Liz’s shoulder with a sigh.
"We really need to get a house far away from them one day!"
Liz was still having trouble grasping reality since
Max has not removed his hand from her breast yet. She tried taking deep breaths
to calm herself, but the only thing that accomplished was to accentuate the
feel of his hand on her heated skin.
Max finally lifted his head, smiling at her ruefully.
"You make me lose my head sometimes. I’m sorry I got so… out of
hand."
Liz ran her hand over his jaw. "I loved it. You
have my permission to do it more often!"
"I don’t think so! It will be the death of
me." He watched her in silence for a few moments before pulling away from
her and rolling onto his back. "Would you mind leaving me here on my own
for a while? I need to… to get my breath back."
Liz smiled. ‘Get his breath back indeed!’ "Yeah,
I’ll go shower." She gave him a quick kiss. "I’ll see you at
breakfast."
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was like old times. The six of them around a
table. Maria bickering with Michael. Alex being attentive to Izzy’s every need.
And Max and Liz having silent conversations with their eyes.
The other camp inhabitants watched all of this from
the sidelines. The loving looks and touches were something foreign to them and
they wondered at the emotions that drove humans to such actions.
With breakfast over, the three aliens departed for
some more training with Nick, but not after they said goodbye to their respective
other’s. It was such a relief not to keep from physical closeness in the
presence of other members of the camp.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 17
Love remains a confusing concept. What does it mean
to love someone? How far would you go for that love?
Liz felt a little lost as her two friends went off to
their respective "jobs" at the camp. She wandered around aimlessly
for a while before Jans found her.
"Hi." He looked at her closely. "Are
you okay?" He was obviously referring to the incident yesterday morning.
Liz blushed, sure that by now the whole camp knew of
her trauma. Not to mention the scene Max made after it. She couldn’t believe it
at first when Maria told her that Max had basically thrown Jans across the tent
for just being near her. That so did not sound like Max!
"Yeah, I’m fine now. Sorry about
yesterday."
Jans just smiled. "I can see how he gets that
way about you…" His gaze was intense and Liz squirmed under the weight of
it.
"So…" She began, not really knowing what to
say.
He seemed to snap out of his trance. Oh yeah, Nick
asked me to keep you occupied while… Max is away. Is there something you would
like to do?"
A kernel of a thought was taking shape in her mind.
She turned to Jans with a determined look. "Yes, actually there is."
She explained to him what she needed and almost laughed at the surprise on his
face.
Jans overcame his surprise quickly and then he had to
fight to stop himself from grinning contentedly. She was playing right into
their hands. And he was going to spend a lot more time with the lovely Liz
Parker from now on.
Max was in the showers by
the time Liz got back that night. Her whole body ached, but the smile returned
to her face when she saw the single white rose lying on her bed. He was so
sweet, but goodness knows what Max used to create the flower with in the middle
of the desert!
When Max returned, he found Liz lying facedown on her
bed and his first reaction was complete panic because something had happened to
her. He ran over to her bed and turned her over, causing her to wake up. Liz
was instantly shocked from her groggy state by the look on Max’s face.
Max hugged her close. "Don’t ever scare me like
that again!" He fought to breathe normally again. "Are you
okay?"
Liz rubbed her hands over his arms in a comforting
way. "I’m fine. Just really tired." She cupped his face and looked up
at him pleadingly. "Max, you have to stop worrying about me like this. You
can’t go around wondering what’s happening to me every time you leave me alone somewhere.
You have a very important job to do and you need to focus."
He looked at her seriously. "You’re asking me to
stop breathing." He stared at her quietly for a few moments. "It
would help if you tell me what happened the other night…"
Liz swallowed. "Max, its over now. I don’t want
to talk about it, please."
"Honey, you were really upset again last night.
I need to know what Tess did to you. This… whatever this is, will continue to
bother you until you talk to me… talk to SOMEONE about it." His voice held
a pleading note that tugged at her heartstrings. He truly was the most gentle
man she knew.
"I’ll try and talk to Isabel tomorrow.
He brushed a soft kiss on her cheek and pulled away.
"So, what have you been up to Ms Parker?"
She smiled, relieved that he wasn’t pushing the
issue. "Oh, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Nothing
important anyways." But she couldn’t hide the wince of pain as she got up.
Of course Max, who was watching her intently, didn’t
miss the small sign. He jumped up. "What have you been doing to
yourself?"
"Max, relax! I just carried some heavy stuff.
Nothing terrible." Liz was grinning at him. He was so cute when he got all
overprotective.
Max failed to see the humor, but he didn’t really
know what to say without sounding like he was trying to control her free time
as well. He tried for a joking attitude instead. "Tell whoever you were
helping that you need to be rested for when your leader comes home at
night!" That only earned him a slap on the shoulder as Liz breezed out of
the tent to the showers.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 18
Unknown elements. Testing the strength of the
original elements.
Maria nudged Liz during dinner, making sure that the
guys were involved in a discussion that diverted their attention. "Liz,
this is like déja vu! That Jans guy hasn’t taken his eyes off you the whole
night! Only I liked the way Max stared at you…"
Liz looked up only to see Jans drop his eyes to the
table. "Maria, don’t panic over nothing. And above all, don’t make Max
panic over nothing. He’s just helping me with some stuff."
Maria looked unimpressed. "There’s something
weird about that guy, I’m telling you. And may I remind you that I also told
you there was something up with Tess? And that I was right! What happened to
her anyway?"
Liz shuddered. "I don’t know and Max freaks out
when I talk about her. Maybe you could find out."
"Oh yeah, like Spaceboy is going to tell me
anything! Maybe we could pump the Ice Queen for answers." She looked
speculatively at Isabel, causing a frown on Alex’s face. "I’ll try later.
We are on the verge of being dragged off to their caves!" The last part
was said in a stage whisper, obviously aimed at annoying Michael who was
leaning over to grab her hand.
The others just smiled as the two went off, holding
hands while arguing.
Liz turned back to Max and caught him looking at Jans
with an unreadable expression in his eyes. She stepped closer to him, brushing
her body against his in an effort to get his attention. As usual, it work
instantaneously. "Let’s go home."
Max smiled at her unconscious use of the word and
turned her around in his arms so that her back was pressed against his chest.
Keeping his arms around her, he marched her out of the tent, their steps
matching instinctively. His thoughts went back to what he had just witnessed.
Jans had been staring at Liz with an almost hungry look in his eyes. And the
smile that he had on his face also disturbed Max. He wondered if he was just
being paranoid. Maybe he didn’t like the guy because he spent so much time with
Liz. Nick had said that he would ask Jans to look after Liz when Max was out of
the camp and Max had agreed reluctantly. He still had a very vivid memory of
Jans hanging all over Liz.
Back at the tent, Liz plopped down on her bed and
took out her journal. Max grinned at her. She looked so cure sitting
cross-legged on the bed and frowning in concentration. "So, am I ever
going to get to read that?"
"Maybe if you’re really good." She bit her
lip, pretending to think about it. "Its not as if there’s much in here
that you don’t already know. See, here I wrote ‘I love Max’. And here I put
‘Max is gorgeous’." Liz burst out laughing at his obvious discomfort. She
closed the book, deciding to rather talk to him about his day.
They had and awkward moment getting ready for bed
later, not knowing whether or not to undress in front of each other. Max solved
the issue by turning his back on Liz and giving her some privacy. That only
solved on of his problems, because he could still hear her movements and his
mind was supplying the visuals from last night to go along with them.
When they finally faced each other over the expanse
of the tent, the awkwardness returned. Again it was Max that broke it. "I
can’t imagine you sleeping anywhere but in my arms. Ever again." That was
all Liz needed to cross the divide and snuggle into bed with him.
Max caressed her cheek and kissed her gently. He
looked serious when he ended the kiss. "Liz, I need to talk to you about
something. Actually, I need to ask you something, but… its serious and I want
you to have time to think about it. Could you make sure that you could meet me
tomorrow night at six? I’ll come get you and we could go for a drive."
Liz sensed his nervousness and wondered what could be
so big that he could feel that way. "Max, if this is about the other
night-."
He stopped her with a finger on her lips. "No,
its … its something else. I don’t want to scare you, but I need to make
sure…" He didn't know where to begin without pre-empting the talk of
tomorrow night. He saw the fear in her eyes and all he could think of to say to
take it away was: "I love you. Always."
Journal Entry 19
This is an irreversible step for our race, for
theirs, for the two of them.
Both Max and Liz nearly overslept the next morning.
They had been lying awake most of the night, worrying and thinking, pretending
that they didn’t notice the other one was doing the same thing.
Max worried about many things, not the least of which
was the issue he had to discuss with Liz tomorrow night. It felt like a fist
was twisting in his gut when he thought about how she might react. Although
nobody probably knew Liz as well as Max did, they had only been together for a
short while and uncertainties still plagued him sometimes. He had held her in
an unconsciously tight grip, afraid that she might take flight.
Liz could feel the tension in Max’s body and wondered
what serious thing Max had to ask her. He was obviously in a state about it and
she desperately wanted to make things better for him, but that was impossible
if he didn’t tell her what it was. This led to another unpleasant thought.
Maybe Max was right. She would never recover from her awful experience if she
didn’t get it out in the open. She took a deep breath, deciding that she really
would talk to Isabel in the morning.
Liz woke first from her uneasy doze. Her face was
inches away from Max’s on the same pillow and she enjoyed the few minutes of
watching him sleep. His long eyelashes rested on his cheeks and his perfect
lips were slightly open, making her want to kiss him. He looked restless
though, his mouth moving as if he was talking to someone. She rubbed his arm,
draped heavily over her stomach, in an absent attempt to calm him down.
His words suddenly became distinguishable.
"Nooo… Liz. I can’t… don’t go…"
His voice was filled with such pain that Liz slid
closer to him, hugging her arms around his waist. "Max! I’m here!"
Her eyes were filling with tears at his tone. It reminded her of the flash she
saw from when he was with Pierce. He had been filled with an indescribable,
searing heartache that nearly doubled her over when she felt it too. She knew
he had been reacting to a blurry picture that Pierce had been showing him, but
she couldn’t make it out clearly and he wouldn’t tell her what it was.
His eyes popped open the same time his arms nearly
squeezed the breath from her. He pressed his face into her neck and mumbled:
"Please don’t ever leave me!"
Liz threaded her fingers through his hair soothingly.
"Hey, it was only a nightmare. You’re not getting rid of me that
easily."
He didn’t answer, but only kept up his crushing grip
on her. She realized he was trembling so she pushed his face away from her
neck, looking in his eyes and said: "I love you. Nothing will ever change
that."
He rolled her over and kissed her. The kiss was
filled with such force and desperation that it shocked Liz a little, but she
knew immediately that she wanted to help him ride out this storm. So she opened
her mouth wider, allowing him to plunder its depths and fight this demon
chasing him. His one hand twisted in her hair, arching her neck as his lips
moved down to her throat. His mouth was hot and hard and it felt like a brand
on her skin. She kept her hand in his hair, pressing him closer still.
The despair that filled Max when he dreamt of Liz
walking away from him just now was lifting little by little, and with it came
the realization that he was being rough with her. He pulled away to apologize,
but seeing her eyes shut in ecstasy seared away the guilt. Instead, her
expression caused such a kick of desire in his body that he knew he had to get
out of that bed fast. He rubbed his lips over hers one last time and sat up,
trying to ignore Liz’s sound of protest.
"If we don’t get up now, They’re going to come
look for us again." He tried to sound light, but he couldn’t look at her.
If he did, they would never get out of here. And then tonight would never come.
The knot in his stomach returned full force. Tonight…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz cornered Isabel after breakfast. "Could I…
could I talk to you please?"
Isabel looked confused for a minute. Why was Liz
talking to her and not to Maria? "Yeah, sure." She followed Liz into
the tent, still frowning.
Once inside, Liz started pacing. Isabel watched her
for a while until the pacing started getting on her nerves. "Liz, my
brother is besotted with you. And yes, he can be real controlling sometimes,
but if that’s why you guys fought -."
Liz had turned around to stare at Isabel. "No!
We haven’t fought. Its not that."
Isabel sighed dramatically. "Then what?"
Liz came over to sit on the bed with her. "Its…
its about the other night. When Tess… I need to talk to someone and Max…"
"Will just make things worse, right? It has
something to do with him, doesn’t it?" Isabel looked at her closely,
seeing how Liz paled at her last statement.
"Yes," she whispered.
"So tell me."
"It was horrible, Isabel. She kept showing me
these images of Max… dead." Liz barely heard Isabel’s gasp. "He died
over and over again. In different ways. Every time it was something I did that
caused it… I couldn’t get away from it." Tears were running down her
cheeks. "It was so real. I could see his blood. And I had caused that. I…
All I wanted to do was never wake up so that all those things could never
happen to Max."
Isabel hugged her. "Liz, the only thing that
would hurt Max, is not having you with him." Her words eerily echoed Max
‘s plea of this morning. "And Tess, well, she’s lost and desperate. All
she’s ever known was that Max was hers, and you were a threat to that. She
wanted YOU to give up on Max, because she saw very quickly that she would never
be able to get Max to give up on you. She talked to you before the cave too,
didn’t she?"
Liz nodded. "She said that if I really loved
him, I’d let him become who he really was. That he was someone very important
to your people and that I weaken him by loving him. That I take his focus
away." She bit her lip, the pain of that moment coming back to her.
"You see. She was trying to get you to leave
Max." Isabel smiled. "I’m glad she didn’t succeed totally. He was a
real pain to be around after you left." Secretly she thought that Max
would be livid if he knew Tess was behind Liz giving up on them at the cave
too. "I want you to know one thing, and remember that this comes from the
person who used to gag watching the two of you together, Max was lost when you
were gone. Your love makes him stronger."
The light was starting to return to Liz’s eyes.
"I hope you’re right… So where is she? Tess, I mean." Liz was almost
afraid to ask.
"She’s still here. But Max instructed Nick to
keep her away from us all or there’d be hell to pay. Max has never been angry
with you, so you won’t know this, but he can be really frightening when he’s
furious. And believe me, Tess was lucky to get off so lightly. He wanted her to
leave completely, but apparently she is needed for the cause or something. He
put the fear of the devil into her, she’ll leave you alone now."
Liz hugged her and whispered ‘thank you’. Izzy waved
it off. "Hey, you’re the reason I have Alex."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The hours dragged by with leaden feet for Liz. She
was worried about tonight. Particularly after Max had fairly bolted from their
tent this morning. She was working with Jans again today, but she couldn’t
concentrate on her self-imposed task. She also had to admit that Jans was
starting to bother her too. He kept touching her and looking at her in an
intimate way. She even caught him staring at her breasts once. Damn, Maria for
putting these doubts into her head. If she didn’t need him for her project…
When she finally got back to camp it was still
relatively early, so she went for a shower and lay down on her bed. It felt
like her heart was going to jump out of her chest with nervousness about
tonight. She got up when she sensed Max was near, not wanting to scare him like
last night. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized what she just did.
She SENSED Max. What was happening to her?
Closing her eyes, she concentrated on Max. Yes, the
Jeep just stopped near the dining tent. Liz ran outside holding her breath and
sure enough, Max was getting out of the Jeep with Michael. He turned around to
stare at her with wide eyes, obviously aware of what had just happened.
Max went to her immediately. He pulled her into his
arms not knowing what to say. He felt her reaching out to him to pinpoint his
position just now. How had she done that? And was she scared about this
development? "Liz?"
Liz saw the concern in his eyes. "What just
happened, Max?"
"I don’t really know. I just know that I’ve been
able to feel your presence ever since we came here. I knew you were in the camp
before Nick even told us. I’m not sure why its happening to you too, though.
Are you… does it bother you?
Liz wondered why a desperate note was creeping back
into his voice. "Its weird, but no, it doesn’t bother me." She rubbed
her nose against his neck. "Does that mean I could check on whether you’re
gracing some other damsel’s tent with your presence?"
He only smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah. Like that
would ever be something you’d have to worry about." He disentangled
himself from her. "Let me go get cleaned up. Why don’t you go have
something to eat before we leave." His eyes were avoiding hers again.
Liz wanted to scream: ‘NO! Tell me what it going on!’
Instead she dutifully left to go to dinner.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The ride in the Jeep was filled with a tense silence.
Max was clutching the steering wheel like it was a life raft and Liz felt her
nails bite into the palms of her tightly gripped hands. She had had an awful dinner
and ended up leaving not having eaten much. Their friends were nowhere to be
seen and neither was Nick. Only Jans had sat in his usual place, staring at
her.
Max cast a sidelong glance at Liz. His dream girl. He
didn’t need to be drunk to acknowledge that fact now. He tried to swallow past
the lump in his throat. He didn’t know what he would do is she didn’t…
He stopped the Jeep abruptly. Coming round the front,
he helped Liz out silently. His fingers closed around hers in a crushing grip
for a few seconds before he could finally get them to relax. He turned away
from her, frowning. How was he going to do this when he was a mess just
thinking about it?
Liz tugged him back around. "Max, if you don’t
talk to me now, I’m going to have a heart attack. Please, I can’t take this
anymore!"
Max knew he couldn’t postpone this any longer. He
took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Liz, I love you. More than
life." He stopped, trying to gauge her reaction.
She was staring up at him fearfully. "Max,
please… don’t ask me to leave."
Max looked stunned for a few moments. "What! NO,
never!"
Liz looked momentarily relieved. "Then
what?"
"I want… no, I NEED to make a commitment to you.
Somehow. And since we’re too young to get married, I thought…" How was he
going to explain all of this? "I talked to Nick. I said I wanted you to be
my wife. In our sense… I mean my race’s sense. There’s a ceremony…" He
suddenly found he couldn’t stop staring at Liz. She was starting to glow with
an inner happiness that nearly blinded him.
"Liz, please say yes. I know I’m asking a lot.
But I love you and I can’t bear losing you again. We’ll get married for real
someday, I prom -."
But Liz had thrown her arms around his neck and
pressed her lips to his. "Yes", she whispered into his waiting mouth.
Journal Entry 20
It had to be done. There was no other way.
Their kiss was filled with joy and promises for the
future. There were so many things to say and so few words to say them with. Max
was running his hands through her silken hair. How he loved to do that! And how
afraid he had been that he would never be able to do it again. Her lips tasted
like honey and like home, the home he had always been looking for. And her
body, that fit so perfect against his, promised him heaven.
Liz was floating. This was a moment she had always
dreamed of. Well, not exactly this, but this was so much better. Marriage could
come later, right now she would be Max’s mate. His chosen destiny.
Max reluctantly pulled his lips from hers. There were
many things still to discuss. Staring into her eyes, he wished he could freeze
this moment in time forever. To be able to see the sparkle that he put in her
eyes over and over again. He touched his fingers to her lips reverently. How
amazing that he had to travel across several galaxies to find the person that
completes him in a small town named Roswell…
Liz waited silently, sensing he had more to say. But
as he opened his mouth, his eyes caught something over his shoulder. Liz turned
her head to see what he was looking at, but there was nothing but desert shrubs
behind them. His attention was on her again when she turned back.
"Liz, I want you to know that I’m doing this
because I love you. I’ve been dreaming of marrying you since I saw you that
first time. But this is not how I wanted it to be. I wanted -."
Liz shut him up with a soft kiss. "I don’t
care."
If ever there were words that had the power to weaken
Max Evans, those three were it. ‘I don’t care.’ Those words that had started
his hope so long ago that Liz could love him back some day and now they meant
that she loved him. And that she didn’t care what the costs of that love were.
Smiling, he attempted to get the discussion back on
track. "Liz, there are always going to be people that want to hurt you
because of me. I can’t always be with you and if you’re my mate… my BRIDE, you
will have a whole race of people looking out for you. I need to know that
you’re safe, that your safety is the concern of other people too." He
regarded her seriously. "And I want you to know that this ceremony is a
promise for the future. A promise that I WILL marry you one day, because…
because that’s the human way."
Liz was trying not to cry, but his words were spoken
with such determination and tenderness that they went straight to her heart.
Picking her up unexpectedly, he carried her back to
the Jeep. "Where are we going?" Liz wanted some more alone time with
him. "Are we going back already?" Her disappointment could be heard
in her voice.
Max just hugged her closer for a few seconds, hiding
his smile in her hair so she couldn’t see it. He set her down in her seat and
kissed her forehead before moving around the front of the car to get in
himself.
Liz frowned when he drove in the opposite direction
of the camp. What was going on now? It didn’t take long to become clear. The
Jeep rounded a group of boulders to reveal all their friends and Nick. They
were all wearing flowing, white robes and smiles.
Liz started trembling and turned to Max. "Did
you…"
He just nodded, love shining from his eyes.
Maria and Isabel were at her side and pulling her
from her seat. "Come on. We have some work to do to get this show on the
road."
They dragged Liz away from the guys and Max watched her
go, his heart in his throat. He was startled from his thoughts when Michael
slapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Maxwell! You always have to
do everything first, don’t you."
Max smiled at his friend of many years, but Michael
jumped in before he could say anything. "I know, I know. Because its
Liz." Michael shook his head. "Anyway, let’s get you into the tux
before she comes back."
Max’s mouth fell open. "Tux!"
Alex was laughing by then. "He’s just joking!
Come on."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 21
I have performed many bonding ceremonies in my life.
They were all done to establish units for procreation. My final words always
completing the unit. But this time, the bond was already there. I only made it
official. I could feel their link and its power was awe-inspiring. How is this
possible? They have not been intimate. They are not genetically coded for each
other. They are from different races. This experiment becomes more important
for my people by the day.
Her beauty stole his breath, his heart and his soul.
She was a vision in white, her long hair flowing like silk across her shoulders
and her eyes shining like the sun.
He was the most magnificent man she has ever seen.
Her hero. The white material of his shirt falling loosely over his strong body.
His beautiful eyes filled with love for her.
They faced one another, surrounded by a circle
created by the linked hands of their friends. Nick was conducting the ceremony.
No words were spoken. He put a hand on Liz and Max each, causing sensations and
images to fly through their minds. They were not supposed to touch until the
end, but Max couldn’t stop himself from taking Liz’s hands. It caused Nick to
falter for a few seconds, thrown by the strong connection flowing between the
two young lovers.
They stared in each other’s eyes, seeing images of
their past together. Memories of shared kisses, shared pain and shared
pleasure. Then they saw the promises for the future. Their hopes and dreams.
Among them there were dark-haired children that made Liz gasp and Max grip her
fingers more tightly.
Nick ended the ceremony by putting his hands on both
their heads. ‘Now you are one.’
He stepped away, but Max and Liz didn’t even notice.
Max raised his hand to press it over her heart and waited while Liz mimicked
his gesture. "Liz, I love you. Always."
"And I love you. Forever. My Max."
They stared at each other for long moments, before
Alex’s voice broke the silence. "You may now kiss the bride!" Isabel
swatted him on his arm, but the onlookers were all relieved for the lightening
of the mood. They had all been fighting lumps in their throats.
Max kissed Liz’s smiling lips softly. Soon that
wasn’t enough and he lifted her up against him with an arm around her waist.
Their open mouths melded together hungrily until they started lacking oxygen
and the comments from the onlookers finally broke into their haze.
"Are you two going to be even worse now?"
But Isabel was smiling when she said it. She went over to hug her brother when
he finally let Liz down to the ground again. "I’m so happy for you."
She whispered in his ear.
Liz was being surrounded by Maria and Alex, while Max
still hung onto her one hand. Maria hugged her tightly and Alex kissed her on
top of her head. "Thanks for doing this, guys. I love you both so
much."
Alex was still grinning. "Yeah, the leader
wanted us here, its not like we had much of a choice! And this after I told him
you were going to say no…"
"Alex! You didn’t!" Liz hoped this was the
normal Alex banter and that he didn’t really do it, because it would have
played right into Max’s nightmares.
"Sheesh, relax. I’m not a complete idiot. I’ve
watched you moon over the guy for months, I knew you would say yes before he
even finished his question!"
"So does this mean you two will be having… you
know, a honeymoon now?" Trust Maria to home in on the most important
issue.
Liz felt Max’s hand tighten around hers and she knew
he had heard the question even though he was still talking to Michael and
Isabel. "Uhm… yeah, I think we’re going to wait with that…"
Looking at Max she found him staring at her with
heated eyes. ‘Or maybe not…’
Journal Entry 22
It was much too soon, but we had no choice.
It was dusk when they drove back to the camp. Max and
Liz were alone in the Jeep, the others having decided that they needed some
private time. Max had trouble concentrating on driving. He held on to Liz’s
hand tightly and only let go if he had to shift gears. He couldn’t let go of
her hand even if he tried, but the flashes that came with the contact were
heating up his blood unbearably. He had trouble deciding whether they were from
him or from Liz. They held images of the two of them tangled together in
passion and unleashed desire. Fighting for a normal breathing pattern, he
glanced at Liz, trying to discern if she were seeing the images too. It was a
mistake and he realized it immediately. Her head was thrown back against the
seat, her eyes closed and her breath coming in gasps through her slightly
parted lips. His eyes traveled lower helplessly, coming to rest on the agitated
movement of her breasts.
Liz was rudely plucked from her daydream when the
Jeep screeched to a halt. It took her a moment to gather her wits before she
could turn to Max. The question in her eyes died a quick death when she saw the
look in his. It felt like flames were burning her skin everywhere his eyes
touched and she watched him entranced, unable to look away. He looked hungry…
for her.
The spell was broken momentarily as Max got out of the
Jeep and rounded the bonnet. Liz could only watch in helpless fascination as he
finally reached her side and pulled her legs round so that she sat facing him.
His hands slid from her ankles over her calves under her skirt, the material
bundling on his wrists as his hands moved higher. Reaching her knees, he curved
his hands round the backs of her legs and pulled her towards the edge of the
seat. Staring into her eyes, he stepped closer, his hips slipping between her
thighs. Liz was powerless to stop the low moan that erupted from her throat and
she reached up to clutch at his shirt.
The initial touch of his mouth was surprisingly soft,
but the timbre of the kiss changed as soon as Liz parted her lips. Max accepted
the silent invitation by thrusting his tongue into her mouth causing passion to
explode between them. They kissed hungrily, desperately.
Max slid one hand from her knee over the silken skin
of her thigh to cup her bottom. The movement removed the impeding material of
her skirt and Liz wriggled forward until she could wrap her legs around him.
The strangled sound torn from Max’s chest was music to her ears.
Max tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her head
back so his lips can reach her neck. He ran his tongue over her skin, tasting
her as he went lower. Liz’s put her hands on his shoulders, leaning backwards
to give him access. The heat of his mouth caused an achy feeling of need in the
pit of her stomach. How much she needed Max to make love to her…
Max stopped when he reached the barrier of her top.
He desperately wanted more, but wasn’t sure how Liz felt about it. Meeting her
eyes, he saw the answer there and it nearly brought him to his knees.
Still watching her intently he moved back a bit and
caught the edge of her top in his hands. Liz lifted her arms, allowing him to
pull it over her head. Max sucked in and impeded breath as she was revealed to
him. She was gloriously beautiful. ‘And mine’. The thought was intoxicating and
arousing.
Liz stared at him breathlessly as he slowly lifted a
hand to cover the lace of her bra. The heat of his hand seared her skin and
caused a rush of sensations in her body. She arched into his hand
involuntarily, silently begging him for more. "Max…" His name was a
moan, a plea, a prayer…
Max gathered her close to him once again, the need to
kiss her overpowering him. Their open mouths clung together, their tongues
mimicking the most intimate of connections. Max kept up his caresses on her
skin, teasing her with soft touches until she was writhing against him in
reaction.
Liz tore her mouth away, breathing raggedly.
"Sh… shirt. Take off.." The words wouldn’t come out right. It felt
like her mind had left her body, as if he had somehow stolen her reason from
her. She urgently started pulling at his buttons, her fingers clumsy and
trembling.
Max shrugged out of the shirt as soon as she
completed her task, letting it drop carelessly to the sand. He dragged her back
into his arms, both of them sighing with the contact. He tightened his hold on
her until they were pressed together from shoulder to stomach. He used one hand
to slowly rub their torso’s together, causing a delicious friction of skin on
skin.
Liz arched her neck, closing her eyes in ecstasy. She
wrapped her legs around him again, instinctively rubbing their lower bodies
together and producing a tortured sound from Max.
‘I want you.’
The thought was simultaneous and shared through their
connection.
Max encircled her with his arms, hugging her to him
in a tight embrace. He was fighting for control over his body and he felt Liz
doing the same. Their hearts thundered in their ears and their breathing was
harsh and labored. They stayed like that for a long time, slowly coming back to
earth.
Max finally pulled away. "Let’s go home."
His eyes were saying what his mouth couldn’t. Tonight, everything was going to
change...
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 23
Let the second phase begin…
They arrived back at the camp to find a large crowd
waiting for them. All the inhabitants have gathered together and Max could only
hope they didn’t see the state he was in. He was really desperate to be alone
with Liz. It had not been his intention with the ceremony, but somewhere during
all this he had given up on waiting before they make love. He felt like he had
married her today and it felt right like nothing in his life ever had. She
completed him, she made him happy… and she made him human.
Liz also had trouble hiding her disappointment when
they were confronted with the crowd. She gripped Max’s hand for she couldn’t
bear not touching him right now. She caught Maria’s eye and was mortified to
see her friend’s knowing grin. Apparently it was obvious what she and Max had
been up to before they came back.
A silence settled over the crowd as Max helped her
out of the Jeep and they stood side-by-side in front of his people. Liz felt
his hand tighten on hers and she clutched his arm with her other hand, pressing
her body against his in nervousness. What are they going to do?
Then, as if following a silent signal, the crowd
bowed in unison.
Liz stared at the sight, unable to comprehend what
was happening. She looked up at Max and saw the relief in his eyes. He stepped
away from her slowly, gently disentangling himself from her and leaving her
alone in front of the crowd. Liz watched in awe, as it became clear that they
were honoring her. Not Max, but HER! She turned back to Max, tears filling her
eyes. This was so much more than she had ever hoped for. She had basically
stolen their leader from his intended wife and they still reacted this way. Not
knowing what she should do, she did the only thing she could think of. She
said: "Thank you."
Heads lifted up in the crowd at her soft words. A
soft clapping started and soon, the applause was thunderous. Liz stood quietly
throughout the display, her head held high. The only sign of her nervousness
was the hands gripping her skirt at her sides.
Max never felt prouder of her than right now. His
heart was about ready to burst and he had trouble keeping himself from going to
her and kissing her breath away. But this was her moment.
Nick went to Liz and presented her with a carved
wooden box, bowing low before her as she took it. His expression seemed faintly
sympathetic, but Liz didn’t have time to ponder this before she was surrounded
by people. She also didn’t see the two people standing at the edge of the
crowd, regarding the scene with cold eyes. Jans and Tess were both upset with
this development, but for very different reasons.
Liz was starting to get overwhelmed by all the people
trying to touch her. Maria and Alex arrived, herding her away from the crowd
and towards her tent.
Safely inside, Alex bowed low before her, trying very
hard not to laugh. "So, my Queen, why were you and our fearless leader so
long in returning to the castle?"
Liz blushed. "Shut up Alex!"
Alex folded his arms. "I don’t think that is
appropriate language for someone of your standing, young lady!"
Maria shoved him in the ribs before turning to her friend.
"Wow, Lizzie! This is all so surreal! One day I’m teasing you about the
quietest guy in school staring at you all the time, and now you’re basically
married to him and being treated like a queen! I feel like I’m in the twilight
zone."
Liz sighed. "Yeah, me too." She frowned.
"Where is Max?"
The topic of her question came into the tent as if
conjured by her thoughts. His face looked grim and Liz felt a cold shiver going
down her spine.
Alex and Maria had also seen Max’s expression and
quickly left the tent.
Liz swallowed, wondering why he wouldn’t meet her
gaze. "What’s going on, Max?"
Stopping in front of her, he took her hands.
"Liz… Love, I’m sorry. I… I have to leave." Hearing her shocked gasp,
his eyes finally lifted to hers. "It’s a crisis. I have to go, I’m
sorry."
Liz could barely get the words past the constriction
in her throat. "When?"
His eyes pleaded with her to understand. "Right
now."
Liz was suddenly gripped with an unnamed fear that
threatened to overpower her. Something was going to happen to Max if he left,
she just knew it…
Journal Entry 24
Physical contact for procreation and mating. Our
people never needed more. Yet, it means so much to humans. I wonder at this
need of theirs to touch. Does it create a closer bond than we could ever
manufacture?
"Max, please!" Liz clung to his hand and
her eyes filled with tears. She knew she should try to be strong, but this fear
was clawing at her with icy fingers. Maybe if she didn’t let him leave, nothing
would happen…
Max turned back after closing his bag and embraced
her. "Liz… Honey, don’t cry. What is wrong? You know I’ll be back."
‘But that’s just it’, she wanted to scream, ‘what if
you don’t!’ Instead she bit her lip and tried to climb into his body. Into his
welcoming, loving warmth that she couldn’t live without. "Please… please
be careful."
Max felt like his heart was being ripped out of his
chest. He never coped very well with her tears or pain. It was even worse when
he was the cause of it. What was going on with Liz? She was normally so strong.
He caught her chin in his hand and lifted her face so
he could look into her eyes. They were wet and fearful. "We have to go see
Nacedo. Something went wrong with his project or something. He said we must
meet him tomorrow morning and its really far to drive… Liz, please! I can’t
leave you like this."
A small part of her wanted to cry even harder, to
force him to stay, but she knew she could never do that. So she swallowed back
her tears and nodded weakly. "I’m okay. I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s
wrong with me." She flung her arms around his neck, hugging him
desperately. "I’ll miss you! Max, I love you so much."
Max lifted her up with one arm, so her face was on
the same level as his. He gently cupped her cheek. "I love you too. I’m
sorry I have to leave you tonight… of all nights." His eyes burned into
hers before he slowly met her lips. He poured all the love he felt for her into
that one kiss. Communicating the depths of his feelings for her without words.
Liz was crying by the end of the kiss. It felt like
she was kissing him goodbye forever. She had to force herself to let go of him
as he finally slid her back to the ground. She stifled her sobs and bit her lip
again, trailing behind Max out of the tent, her hand still gripped in his.
Max could feel the tension and distress from Liz
bombarding his senses. He had trouble propelling his feet forward to the group
waiting at the Jeep. Michael, Isabel… and Tess. Max felt Liz start to tremble
when she realized who was going with him. He didn’t know what to say to her.
She couldn’t still be worried that he would leave her for Tess, could she?
He stopped a few paces away from the others, the fact
that a lot of the camp’s people had gathered to watch them leave was barely
registering. "Liz." But he didn’t finish his sentence. Because in
Liz’s eyes were fear, not jealousy or doubt. Pure unadulterated fear. His
breath caught in his throat as he realized she was scared for him. "Honey,
I’ll be fine!" He tried to sound as reassuring as he could. "We’re
only meeting him and coming back. I won’t be gone for more than three days. I
promise!"
Liz brushed the wetness from her cheeks hurriedly.
She could see Tess watching her emotional display with disgust. The blonde girl
obviously thought Liz was overwrought because Max was leaving her alone for a
few days. She bowed her head and whispered: "Be careful. Please." She
prayed that Max would loosen his death grip on her hand, so she could run back
to the tent and break down in private, but he didn’t. Instead he pulled her
with him to the Jeep, seemingly unwilling to loose contact with her too soon.
Max flung his bag into the Jeep and checked that
everyone else was ready. Michael and Isabel said quick good bye’s to their
respective loves and got in the Jeep with Tess. Max looked at Liz. She looked
so small and vulnerable that he had trouble not breaking down and staying. She
was rubbing silent tears away again, trying very hard to be brave. He caught
her in a bear hug, pressing his face in her hair. "Oh god Liz, this is
killing me." He kissed her neck and shoulder and every place he could
reach, eliciting soft gasps from the crowd. His lips finally traveled over her
beloved face, gently covering her eyelids and nose, before he brushed her mouth
in a heartachingly sweet kiss.
Liz clutched at his shirt, kissing him back with
unexpected passion. She thrust her tongue into his mouth, her movements full of
urgency. She pressed her body into his, hoping his heat would burn away the
cold fear in her heart.
"Uhm, Max. I’ll take Liz now." Alex’s voice
was low and apologetic. He had inched forward after getting a look from Isabel
that he needed to break up this make-out session. He took a step back when Max
glared at him after lifting his mouth from Liz’s. He looked like he wanted to
hurt whoever tries to take Liz from him.
Liz was shivering. Partly from the reaction of her
body to Max’s kiss, but mostly from fear.
Nick appeared next to Max. "You must go
now."
Max had trouble getting his eyes to look at anything
but Liz. "I love you." His voice was strong and sure. Leaning down,
he placed another lingering kiss on her lips, before he pressed her into Nick’s
arms. "I hold you responsible for her safety." His gaze was saying
the rest. ‘She is my heart. If anything happens to her, you wouldn’t want to
live.’
"Max." Liz couldn’t say anything more. His
name has always been her mantra for warding of evil. Without thinking, she
clung to Nick’s arm in an effort to stop herself from running back to Max.
Max got in the Jeep and drove off, not looking back
at Liz. If he did, he would turn back around…
After a few miles, he stopped the car. "Michael,
please drive."
Michael looked at him in surprise. Max seemed truly
upset. In fact, he looked like he had tears in his eyes. It was on the tip of
Michael’s tongue to say that Max should get over it, he was only leaving Liz
for a few days, but Izzy’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.
Settling himself in the passenger seat, Max clenched
his hands into fists. They were separated by miles of desert sand and he could
still feel her emotions. He hated leaving Liz like that! Nacedo better have a
real emergency or he would definitely hurt the guy.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz stood staring at the place where the Jeep
disappeared for a long time. She didn’t even notice that she was still clinging
to Nick, or that he seemed at a loss as to what to do with her now. Neither did
she notice the quizzical glances from the people still milling about.
Alex and Maria eventually came over and took Liz from
Nick’s arms. She seemed dazed and Maria looked worried. "Okay Liz, you are
freaking me out here. What’s up with the tears? Prince Charming will be back in
a few days."
Tears welled up in Liz’s eyes again. "Oh Maria,
I have this terrible feeling about him! Something’s going to happen while he’s
away."
Maria hugged her tightly, looking at Alex over her
shoulder. Alex only shrugged, he was at a complete loss as to what was going on
with their friend. They ended up taking her to the tent and helping her to bed,
staying until she fell into a restless sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was dreaming of Max. He was smiling at her and
holding her hand. She felt enveloped in his love and was drowning in the warmth
of his eyes when unseen hands suddenly ripped him from her side. Liz screamed
as she ran in the direction she had seen him last. "Max!"
Comforting hands smoothed over her brow, chasing away
the terrors of her dreams. Max was back in her dream as if he had never left.
His voice calming her down and promising a beautiful future. Liz felt her fears
diminish as she snuggled closer to Max. Her rock and her other half…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had woken up with Liz’s cry for him ringing in
his ears. He was shaking in reaction, the fear in her voice was something he
never wished to hear for real. He hoped it was just his reaction to her
emotional state this afternoon and not one of those shared dreams of theirs.
But he suspected he was hoping in vain.
Isabel was driving now, while Michael and Tess were
sleeping in the back seat. A silent agreement between Isabel and Michael kept
Max and Tess from sharing the same space in the Jeep.
Max rubbed his face tiredly. He closed his eyes
again, picturing Liz as she had looked this afternoon during the bonding
ceremony. Every time he thought she couldn’t be more beautiful to him, he ended
up being proven wrong. He sighed. Was he ever going to get a normal life with
Liz? A house in the suburbs and kids? Could he even have kids? What would happen
if he made love to Liz? He had been ready to throw all caution to the wind
earlier today. All those years of wanting Liz Parker and she finally were his.
How was he supposed to live through this without losing his sanity or the girl
he loved more than life itself?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick continued running his hand over Liz’s hair until
she seemed peaceful. His eyes were closed as he concentrated on shaping her
dream. When he was satisfied that she was okay, he sat back on his haunches
next to the bed and watched her sleep. This frail-looking girl who had
bewitched his leader. This girl who was much more powerful than she realized.
Who was so much more important to his people than she knew. No, she was not
just important, she was vital.
The four neared the spot
where they had to meet Nacedo with dawn breaking over the horizon. Max had
barely slept all night, his mind occupied with Liz’s reaction to him leaving.
He had never seen her so scared in his life. At least he didn’t experience more
horrifying dreams with her, so it meant she had slept well.
He turned the Jeep off the road and drove into the
desert again, trying to make out landmarks to the spot they had to find. What
was up with Nacedo and his project? And why doesn’t he come to the camp? Why
couldn’t the other aliens see him? Was he afraid he would be followed? Max
shifted in his seat uncomfortably, he was starting to share Liz’s bad feeling
about this…
The other three were also starting to wake around him
in the Jeep. Michael was being his usual morning ray of sunshine and Izzy was
fixing herself with her powers. In no time she was back to looking like the
perfect Isabel Evans. Max hid a small smile. No wonder other girls hated his
sister!
Finally arriving where they were to meet Nacedo, they
got out of the Jeep to stretch their legs. They were about an hour early and
Max and Michael took the time to investigate the area. There was not a single
living thing in sight. Max eventually sat down on a boulder a little way from
the other three who were now unpacking their breakfasts. His mind automatically
wandered to Liz. It always did. He missed her. He missed waking up with her. He
grimaced. How was he ever going to go back to living in Roswell in his parents’
house and not sleep with Liz? She was his wi-. He stopped himself. No, she was
only his wife on some other planet.
"Earth to Max! Get off Planet Liz, would
you!" Michael yelled at him from the Jeep, snapping him out of his
reverie. His eyes caught Tess’ and for a moment he saw anger reflected there. Max
stood up. Whatever. He couldn’t care less what the girl felt after the way she
had treated Liz.
He was halfway to the Jeep when a blinding white
light engulfed them all…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 25
We watched her closely. She felt the disturbance in
the connection more strongly than I have ever seen. Its all up to her now…
Liz felt remarkably refreshed when she woke up. She
couldn’t remember having nightmares, which was amazing in light of the nauseous
feeling that immediately returned to her stomach when she got up. She was sick
with worry about Max.
Sitting back down on his bed, she picked up one of
his T-shirts and hugged it to her body. She could smell his distinctive scent
in the material and it made her heart ache with longing. Where was he now? Was
he safe? She closed her eyes and concentrated on Max, seeing if she couldn’t by
some miracle sense something.
The ache in her heart increased suddenly. Max! He was
missing her! She could feel it! Her eyes flew open in disbelief. How was this
even possible? Wasn’t he many miles away? She shook her head. It was just
wishful thinking on her part…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria looked at her sympathetically when she arrived
for breakfast. "You know Lizzie, the oversized look is so ten years
ago!" But her eyes said that she understood why Liz was wearing one of
Max’s shirts. They were all missing their aliens.
Nick was sitting alone at breakfast, keeping an eye
on Liz. His reasons were twofold. To ensure her safety and to watch her
reactions…
Liz was lifting her glass when it suddenly felt like
the life was being sucked out of her. She paled and started to tremble,
gripping the table to stay upright. "No…" she whispered. The world
was getting blurry around her. "Max!" This cry was louder, startling
her friends.
Maria and Alex jumped up, catching Liz as she slid to
the ground, white as a sheet. "Chica! What is it!" Maria sounded
hysterical.
Nick was at their side immediately. Liz was clutching
her heart, the one that had stopped beating when her connection to Max was
suddenly severed. Tears were running from her unseeing eyes uncontrollably.
"Max…"
Nick lifted her up and put her in a chair. He gently
pushed her hair from her face and lifted her chin. "Liz, what happened?"
"Max. Something happened to Max…" Liz was
trembling so much she could barely speak.
"Can you still feel him?" Nick’s question
resulted in shocked expressions from Maria and Alex.
Liz shook her head numbly. "No… Oh Max!
No…"
Nick took her face in his hands. "You have to
concentrate. We need to know if he’s still alive!"
Liz felt a blackness trying to overpower her. A void
of emptiness the likes of which she had never experienced. Was this what her
world would feel like without Max? Her breathing became erratic as despair
flooded her.
"Please Liz!" Nick’s voice intruded into
her little world of pain. "He needs you to help him. So that we can help
him." Liz still seemed dazed, so Nick tried again. "Liz, Max! Max
needs you!"
Liz stiffened at the beloved name. "Max."
Nick was on his knees in front of her now. "Yes!
Max. Is he alive?"
Liz curled her hands into Max’s shirt. She gulped in
air and bent her head, trying to concentrate. It was very difficult with all
the emotions crashing through her at the same time. How was she supposed to
find Max with all these distractions? Max… her heart and her soul. He couldn’t
be… dead! No, that would be too cruel.
She tried to picture him, the way he had looked at
her when he left. His eyes telling her that he was leaving part of himself
behind with her. Pleading with her to be safe.
She finally opened her eyes, looking at Nick
desperately. "Nothing. I feel nothing…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael was the first to come to. He scrambled to his
feet drunkenly, his eyes searching for the other three. Tess was lying next to
the Jeep. He felt for a pulse and found one, she was fine. He found Isabel in
the driver’s seat of the car, slumped over the steering wheel. Michael gently
lifted her out and laid her on the ground. Her eyes fluttered open as soon as
she heard her name.
"Michael, what happened?" She seemed
confused for a moment. Then she felt it. The absence of a connection that she
had lived with her whole life. Her brother. Max. She grabbed Michael’s hand.
"Where is Max!"
Michael looked worried. He had felt it too. "I
haven’t found him yet."
Isabel jumped up. "No… nonononononono…"
They searched the area, but there was no sign of Max.
"He’s dead." Tess’ voice stopped them in
their tracks.
Isabel swung towards her, fury in her eyes.
"Don’t ever say that! How can you say that? He is NOT dead! He is-."
"DEAD!" Tess yelled. "I feel it. We
had a genetic connection. There is nothing now. He is dead…" Her voice
trailed lower. "I’m sorry, but its true."
Isabel crumbled to her knees. She felt it too. Max
was gone…
Journal Entry 26
Something terrible has gone wrong…
"Liz, are you sure you feel nothing?" A
note of concern was creeping into Nick’s voice. Maria looked at him. He seemed
to be getting more agitated by the second.
And Liz, she was just staring at her feet, hugging
herself.
Jans appeared in the door of the tent, calling to
Nick. Alex and Maria watched as they conferred outside, Nick seemingly getting
distressed at something Jans had to say. Nick turned to look at Liz, his face
showing signs of anguish.
When Nick came back, he picked up Liz wordlessly and
carried her back to her tent. Liz curled up on Max’s bed, hugging his pillow to
her chest. She couldn’t stop crying. She didn’t even notice Nick’s stroking her
hair comfortingly.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 27
My heart aches for her, for us. When had I started
feeling these human emotions? Is this some power she has over us? The same one
she wielded so effectively over Max? And what could have happened to him? The
second phase was supposed to have been simple, no long-term damage done.
Instead I sit helplessly at her side, trying to stop myself from crying with
her…
Michael and Isabel sat in the Jeep despondently.
Isabel had tried dreamwalking to find Max, but she couldn’t reach him. They
were starting to fear the worst.
Michael hugged Isabel to his side. Max had just
always been there for them and it felt weird and scary to think of being
without him. Even though he drove them up the wall sometimes with his
controlling attitude, they had always counted on him getting them out of
trouble. How were they going to tell Liz about this? How do you tell anyone the
person they love is… gone?
But if he were dead, where was Max’s body? Michael frowned.
He had a feeling there was something weird going on here…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick sat watching over Liz the whole morning. She had
seemed to slip into a drugged state off exhaustion after a while, but he had
stayed at her side, knowing it was what Max would have wanted. Jans came to
report every now and again, but so far their people have found nothing…
Michael had called from a payphone to report what had
happened and to say that the three of them were staying at the site to see if
they could learn anything more. He didn’t seem surprised when Nick informed him
that they already knew. That Liz knew.
Michael ended the call by saying: "Tell her that
he was thinking of her when it happened."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria came during the afternoon. She felt awful for
her friend, especially now that she knew Michael was okay. She slipped into bed
with Liz, hugging her close. "Hey Lizzie, babe…"
This elicited the first real reaction from Liz. A
moan of such pain broke from her throat that Maria promptly burst into tears
with her. "Liz… he loved you so much!" It was all she could think of
to say.
"I just want to die… please, just let me…"
Liz’s voice was hollow and slurred. The pain was tearing her apart inside. It
felt like her whole body was in pain. The never-ending pain of loss. The pain
that was only interrupted by the flicker of something unknown at the edge of
her mind, like a thought that you can’t really get hold of. Liz closed her
eyes. She was just so tired… so empty, maybe if she just stopped breathing. The
little niggling thought became a scream: "Noooo!"
Liz jerked upright in bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick was on his way back when he heard Maria cry
Liz’s name. He broke into a run and burst into the tent. Liz was sitting up in
bed, Max’s pillow still clutched to her chest. Her eyes were closed and she was
frowning in concentration.
He fell to his knees at the side of the bed, staring
at her with a mixture of hope and dread.
Liz was reaching out with all of her mind. Nothing again.
Then she remembered Grandma Claudia. ‘Follow your heart.’ She let herself feel
all the love and anguish that her heart could handle and the whisper became
louder. ‘Don’t ever leave me.’
The relief flooding through Liz was indescribably
sweet. "He’s alive. Max is alive!" The outburst was followed by a
silent conversation with her soulmate. ‘I love you. I was so scared. I’ll find
you.’ The relief in her body intensified, telling her that Max had felt her
response.
She jumped up, scattering Maria and Nick before her.
"We have to go find him. He’s alive! We must go
Nick blanched at the authority in her voice, but
followed her obediently.
Liz faltered when they reached the car. Where do they
start looking? The desert was huge and all she could sense was Max’s feelings.
She turned to Nick, worry creasing her brow. "How are we going-?"
Nick interrupted her, his voice ringing with
certainty. "You will guide us."
"What do you mean? I can’t… I don’t…" Liz
was confused and scared. They were all staring at her with such hope.
Nick came to stand before her, blocking her view of
all the others. "Yes, you can. I know you can."
Liz looked at him for a few silent seconds, before
she just nodded her head.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 28
He is alive! They found each other and I felt so many
things coursing through my body that I nearly became dizzy. Relief, happiness,
pride… Yes, I was proud of her. How human that sounds! It's all up to her now.
Liz could barely sit still while they drove. She had
decreed that they start where Max was seen last. There was a drive of several
hours ahead of them, but Liz couldn’t sleep. She kept trying to connect with
Max. It only worked on a few irregular occasions. He seemed fine, but worried.
She wondered why until it dawned on her. He knew she was coming to find him and
he was concerned for her safety. Her always protecting Max!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was still having trouble recovering from the
sheer terror that had gripped him when he felt Liz giving up on life. His mind
kept screaming at her not to do it, that she couldn’t leave him alone on this
planet, HER planet, their planet... Until he finally felt her reaction.
Only then did he realize that he was leading her
right to him. Right into the trap with him.
It was dark in the space where he was held. He had
woken up in the darkness and had remained so ever since. He had no idea where
he was or why he couldn’t reach Isabel or Michael. He had been desperate enough
to even try to reach Tess. Nothing had worked until his body started shaking
with reaction. Liz’s reaction to his death. It came out of nowhere, but the
intensity of it shocked him into desperation. Desperation to reach her before
she gave up completely…
What was he doing here? Who had him? Liz was coming…
His mind grappled to handle the myriad of issues flying around in his head when
he heard it. A voice coming closer. "They will be here soon. We’ll wait
until she is here…" A cold and terrible fury took hold of Max then. For he
recognized the voice.
Journal Entry 29
We needed to get him out without alerting his
captors. We can’t afford to fight the other side now. Not with him vulnerable
because of her presence…
It was still dark by the time Nick’s group arrived at
the site where Max had disappeared. They were scattered in two vehicles, Nick
having brought some men along that Liz has never seen. She didn’t care about
anything but getting to Max. She had felt a wave of fury from him that scared
her in its intensity. That was quickly followed by total panic. All she could
make out from him was: "Don’t come." It didn’t make sense to her at
all, so she kept quiet, fearful that Nick would keep her out of the rescue
effort if he knew.
Isabel, Michael and Tess woke up from their restless
sleep in the Jeep when the lights of the two cars fell over them. Michael was
out of the car the minute he saw Liz. He pulled her into a rough hug.
"Liz, I’m sorry. You know he loved you above all…"
Liz had to fight the tears following Michael’s
actions. He hid such a soft heart beneath his sometimes gruff exterior.
"Michael, he’s alive!"
Michael searched her eyes uncertainly. He didn’t know
whether Liz was losing it or if he should start hoping with her.
Liz smiled up at him, conviction shining in her face.
"I felt him! He-."
"What nonsense!" Tess interrupted her.
"There is no way you could sense him. Firstly, you’re a human and
secondly, none of us feel him. I share a genetic connection with him. I would
be the first to know!"
The group just stared at her in silence. Then Michael
turned back to Liz. "So, you felt him, huh? What do we do now?" The
last part was aimed at Nick.
Nick looked at Liz. Michael looked at Liz. In fact,
everyone was looking at Liz…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was getting desperate. He had tried warning Liz to
stay away, but she had either not heard him, or she was ignoring him because he
could feel her coming closer. His stubborn, beautiful, wonderful Liz was
walking right into a trap.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was concentrating on pinpointing Max’s location.
It was very hard with Tess glaring at her and everyone else practically dancing
around her with anxiety. She eventually walked away from them, holding up her
hand when they tried to follow.
"Oh, please! How much more dramatic-"
"Shut up Tess!" Michael and Isabel talked
in chorus.
Liz had no idea what she was doing. She was going on
instinct here. She tried reaching out to Max again, but the feeling of panic
coming from him was drowning out everything else in her mind and she mentally
backed away again. What were they doing to him? Why was he so scared? She
turned around anxiously, her eyes finding Isabel.
Isabel was at her side immediately. "What is
going on?"
"I don’t know! He is really scared about
something and I can’t… It makes it hard to concentrate." Liz’s voice was
pleading. "Do you think you could try to use me to… to find him?"
Isabel paled. "He was afraid? What for? Are they
doing something to him?"
Liz looked away, avoiding her searching gaze.
"Uhm… I don’t know. He just seemed… panicked, I guess."
"Let’s do it then!" Isabel took Liz’s hand
and they both closed their eyes, looking for Max. She felt him immediately.
Izzy didn’t have time to be amazed at how strong the connection between her
brother and Liz was, she just yelled at Max.
"Max! Where are you? You have to help us find
you!"
Max sounded frantic. "Isabel! You have to keep
Liz away from me! It’s a trap for her… or me, I’m not sure. PLEASE! Just keep
her away!"
Isabel understood then. Max would never be in such
desperate fear for himself, only ever for Liz. "Okay Max, I’ll try, but
you have to tell me where you are!"
Max answered in a relieved tone. "I have no
idea. Its dark. And Izzy, please warn Nick. Its-"
The connection was severed unexpectedly, when Liz was
jerked away from Isabel. Isabel opened her eyes and found Jans basically
hugging Liz. He was mumbling something about being worried about her. Where the
heck had he come from? Isabel ws sure he hadn’t been in either of the two cars.
Liz was assailed by an avalanche of images while Jans
touched her. Some disturbing ones were coming from Jans himself, but the most
emphatic one coming from Max: a wave of extreme hatred. Liz pulled away from
Jans, realizing that Max had been reacting to Jans. Her eyes widened in shock
as she realized what it meant.
Isabel and Jans both made a grab for Liz at the same
time. Isabel was a second slower than Jans. He grinned at her while holding Liz
in front of him like a shield. "Sorry, she’s mine now! Since the leader
will be dead soon, I can reign by her side!"
The rest of the group had arrived by then. Nick held
them all back, not wanting Liz to get hurt. He glared at Jans. "What is
wrong with you! These are our leaders, our own people!"
Jans’ voice was condescending. "You are so
pathetic. Why does he HAVE to be our leader? Because he was born that way? I
don’t care for that anymore, especially in the light of what happened to our
planet. And getting little Liz in the process is just sweetening the
deal…"
"Our people will never accept you after this. It
will get you nowhere!" Nick’s eyes went to Liz. "Are you okay?"
Liz nodded. She had been taking deep breaths, trying
to stay calm, but that was a difficult task with Jans’ hand glowing on her
skin. She mustn’t think about Max either, because that just opened the
connection between them and she couldn’t afford to be distracted by his
distress. No, she had to keep her wits about her…
Michael was watching Liz worriedly. He never wanted
to be the person to tell Max anything had happened to Liz. She seemed so calm.
He wondered if it had anything to do with Max. Catching Liz’s eyes, it dawned
on him that she was trying to communicate something to him. He blinked in
confusion as he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was.
Liz gave up being subtle and mouthed to Michael:
"Be ready."
She didn’t give him time to absorb that before she
whirled around in Jans’ arms and kneed him in the groin. Luckily for her he had
not been expecting trouble from her. There was a stunned moment where the only
sound that could be heard was Jans’ groaning. Then both Michael and Nick were
on top of Jans, holding him down.
When Jans was effectively captured, Michael turned to
Liz in astonishment. "What the hell was that?"
But Liz ignored the question and walked over to Jans.
"Thanks for teaching me self-defense, you bastard! Now where is Max!"
Michael was the first one to burst out laughing. Max
was going to have a cow!
Journal Entry 30
A traitor in our midst. I still feel ill at the
thought. The phase WAS to find out how intense her connection with him was, but
without creating such pain for them both. Oh, Aaron and Kayla, if you could
only see…
They couldn’t get anything out of Jans. Liz was close
to tears with frustration because she really wanted to find Max. At least the
negative feelings from Max had subsided as soon as they had Jans under control.
Now, all she could sense was impatience.
Nick turned to them. "He must have had help with
this. He was with me in the camp while Max disappeared. We should still be
careful." He nodded at two of the other men present to take Jans away.
"Why don’t we just drive around a bit and I’ll
try to find him?" Liz pleaded with Nick. She hated standing around here.
"I feel like he isn’t that far away…"
"Lizzie, we’re in the middle of the desert!
Where would they hide him out here?" Maria was pressed to Michael’s side.
They were all still staring at Liz as if she had sprouted horns.
"I don’t know, Maria! But I need to find him. I
NEED him."
"Well, as long as I don’t have to be around when
you tell Max that you had Jans teach you self-defense…" Maria’s mumble
lightened the atmosphere for a few precious minutes.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The search seemed to take forever. Liz was getting
really tired. They had driven in ever-increasing circles in the hope that Liz
would sense something, but so far they had had little success.
Liz was in the Jeep with Michael, Maria and Izzy.
Laying back against the seat and sighing, she thought back to the afternoon
after the bonding ceremony. She had been in this same seat, but under very
different circumstances. She still remembered the heat and hunger of Max’s
gaze. How his hands had felt on her skin. How desperately she had wanted to be
with him… Her body suddenly started humming, making her sit up in her seat.
Michael saw the movement from the corner of his eye
and brought the Jeep to a halt.
Liz got out, hugging herself. She started walking
towards a group of rocks, her eyes closed in concentration. The other three
also jumped out of the Jeep and followed her with Michael hovering close behind
her to make sure that she didn’t fall or bump into something.
"He’s here… somewhere close." Liz’s voice
was soft.
Nick grabbed hold of her arm, holding her back.
"Let us do the rest. We cannot endanger you too." He eyed Liz warily
as she got a stubborn look on her face. "There are other people involved
with this, Liz, we’ll come get you as soon as he’s out."
Maria came over to hug Liz, effectively keeping her
from going with the rest of the group. Michael’s orders. Maria sighed. When had
Spaceboy gotten so responsible?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 31
I knew that I should not allow them to do this. But
these are extraordinary times for my people… for them. How much more must they
prove before we tell them everything? They need this… almost as much as we do.
The wait was agonizing for Liz. It felt like hours
since the rescue team had disappeared around the rocks. "What is taking
them so long, Maria?"
Maria had been wondering the same thing, but didn’t
want to alarm Liz. "Relax, chica. I’m sure they’re fine." ‘Or I’ll
kill them all myself!’ she thought.
Liz and Maria were sitting in the shade of the rocks
in an attempt to escape the scorching midday desert sun. Liz watched the
horizon shimmering with heat through half-closed lids. ‘If Max ever arrives,
I’m kissing him for three hours solid to make up for yesterday!’ She felt a
burst of happiness from Max and hoped Maria didn’t see her blush. This shared
connection thing could become a problem!
Her body told her he was near before she could see
him. She was up and running past a surprised Maria in an instant.
They nearly ran each other into the ground, but Max
caught her and swung her up in the air instead. No words were necessary. They
loved each other, they were happy they were safe and together, their connection
did the rest. Their kiss was filled with all the emotions sweeping through
them.
Max was holding her so tight, Liz could barely
breathe. She ran her hands over his body, trying to ascertain if he was indeed
not harmed. But all she felt under her fingertips were smooth skin and
gloriously firm muscles. Only her perfect Max, no worse for wear.
"Ahem…" Michael’s effort to break up the
reunion went unnoticed.
Max couldn’t stop kissing Liz. He had been so afraid
for her, afraid that he would never see her again. It put so much into
perspective. How short life could be and how one should make the most of every
moment. He stared at her when he finally lifted his mouth. Yes, that’s what
they should do… make the most of every moment they have together!
Nick’s voice finally intruded. "We should go
back and deal with these three."
Max and Liz were still looking at each other
intently. The others were starting to become uncomfortable with the long
silence when Liz suddenly nodded at Max before dipping her head and blushing.
Taking a deep breath, Max turned to Nick. "Could
you leave us the Jeep? We… ah… need some time alone."
Maria’s mouth dropped open. Surely Max Evans wasn’t
saying what she thought he was saying! She turned her eyes to her friend. Liz
was clinging to Max’s hand and staring at the ground. Maria walked over to Liz
determinedly, but she basically had to tear Liz from Max’s grip. "I’m
sorry Max, but I REALLY need to talk to Liz."
When she judged that she had dragged Liz away far
enough, she whirled on her. "Lizzie, what the hell are you doing! We don’t
know what will happen! What if-."
"I don’t care, Maria!" Liz interrupted her
with a firm voice. "This is not normal circumstances. Nothing about me and
Max is normal! I only know one thing: we love each other. That’s all that
matters to me…"
Maria stared at her speechless. Seeing the certainty
in her friend’s eyes, Maria gave in. "You better tell me everything
afterwards, girl! I have a stake in this too, you know!"
Liz was staring back at Max. "Yeah, I don’t
think I would tell you everything, Maria. Maybe just the important bits…"
She smiled as she walked back to Max, basking in his heated appraisal of her
progress. It was time for another first in her life. Yet another first that
would be the result of Max Evans…
Liz and Max watched as the
rest of the group trooped into the cars. They had found Jans’ car close to
where Max had been held and were taking it back. The cars eventually drove off,
leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.
Finally they were alone…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria was giving Michael the third degree about Max’s
kidnapping. "So where was he? And why couldn’t any of you guys sense him?
And –."
"Hey, slow down, cheesehead! One thing at a
time!" Michael sounded exasperated, causing Izzy and Alex to smile where
they were sitting in the back seat. Yeah, things were basically back to normal…
Sighing, Michael tried to relay the little he knew.
"They had him in this underground chamber, apparently it was fitted out
with some kind of metal that they thought would shield us from finding him.
Guess, they only figured on mind connections, not heart ones. Jans had planned
the whole thing, it just worked even better when Liz came out here to find him.
He initially just wanted Max out of the picture so he could take his place as
leader… and with Liz."
"Eeew!" Maria’s response echoed everyone’s
thoughts. "Hey wait, what about the message from Nacedo?"
"I’m guessing that was Jans too. There’s been no
sign of him around here and since the thugs knew where we were… But we’ll phone
him as soon as we can, just to make sure." Michael took Maria’s hand,
ignoring her surprised look at the gesture. "Let’s just get home, so we
can start forgetting about this whole mess."
"Sooo, I wonder what Liz and Max are up to right
now. Oh wait, no! I just had a mental image! I SO did not need to think that
about my friend! Just drive faster would you Michael! I need miles between me
and that image!" Alex was starting to babble at the end, causing
hysterical bursts of laughter from the other occupants of the car.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max helped Liz into the Jeep silently. What do you
say at a time like this? ‘I love you’? ‘Are you sure’? No, he couldn’t ask
that. What if she said no? Max didn’t think he could take a ‘no’ right now.
Liz waited until they were back on the highway,
driving away from Roswell before speaking. "Where are we going Max?"
Her voice sounded nervous and Max looked at her,
feeling guilty for his closed-off reactions of the past few minutes. This was a
big step for her too. He enveloped her hands that were folded in her lap with
one of his. "I love you." He took a deep breath. "We don’t have
to do this, you know."
"I know. Max, I love you. I want this… us."
Liz snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he drove.
"So really, where are we going?"
He leant his head on hers for a few seconds before
answering. "I thought we’d go to Carlsbad."
"Okay." Liz was starting to sound sleepy.
His heart filled with tenderness for her because she had not rested until she
had found him. Brave Liz. Beautiful Liz. His Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Standing in the hotel room, they looked at each other
shyly. Both of them very aware of the implied intimacy of the big double bed
next to them.
Liz started when she felt Max running his hand down
her arm softly. "Are you scared?" Repeating words spoken a long time
ago. He was gazing at her anxiously, not knowing how to ease her nervousness.
"Kiss me, Max."
He hugged her to him tenderly, slowly leaning down to
touch his mouth to hers. He kissed her gently, running his hands over her face
and into her hair. Trying to show her with his actions how precious she was to
him.
Liz leant into his welcoming warmth and felt her
fears disappear like the morning mist. This was Max. Her Max. Who loved her.
She had nothing to worry about.
Max pulled away from her and waited until she opened
her eyes slowly. "Why don’t you go take a bath and I’ll… uhm go out to… I
mean, I need to…" He was stumbling over his words, embarrassment tingeing
his cheeks.
Liz’s eyes widened in understanding. Right! Ever
careful Max remembering that they needed to take precautions. She nodded and
watched him leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The afternoon sun was casting long shadows outside
when Max returned. The room was quiet and he walked to the half-closed bathroom
door. Hesitating in the doorway, he wondered if he should just walk in. He
didn’t want to embarrass Liz. But he couldn’t stop his feet from moving
forward. The sight that greeted his eyes was breathtaking. Liz had fallen
asleep in the bath filled nearly to the brim with bubbles. Her skin was
glistening with moisture where it peeked from the water. Her beauty made him
weak. Weak with love. Weak with desire.
He lifted her gently from the tub, wrapping her in a
large towel. She murmured his name and pressed closer to him, causing a severe
reaction in Max’s body. The towel left so much of her uncovered that he couldn’t
help but stare. Her legs were smooth and shapely, dangling over his one arm and
doing wicked things to his heart and mind.He managed to get her to bed without
his legs giving out. Using the towel still wrapped around her, he patted her
dry as best he could without waking her. She seemed so tired and vulnerable, it
made his heart ache. He pulled the towel from her and slid her underneath the
covers, but it needed only the few seconds that the action took to sear her
bare form into his brain.
Cursing under his breath, he went to take a shower.
And to try and get himself under control.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz came awake when the bathroom door opened. She was
confused for a moment about how she had gotten to bed, but all thought fled her
mind when Max appeared in the doorway. He was wearing a towel and nothing else.
Liz’s eyes traveled across him helplessly, eagerly, hungrily. Over the dark wet
strands of hair falling over his eyes. Over his beloved face. Over the contours
of his chest and arms. Travelling lower until she forgot to breathe.
Max stopped when he realized she was awake and
watching him. His body came to life while her gaze caressed him. It was the
most sensual feeling he has ever experienced and he was afraid that he might
lose his sanity tonight. Lose it somewhere in Liz Parker’s exquisite body and
warm eyes…
He walked to the bed silently and sat down on the
edge. Pulling Liz upright, he smiled slightly as she clutched the sheet to her
chest. She smiled back up at him shyly, trustingly. His heart clenched in
sudden fear. What if he hurt her tonight? Not in the normal first-time sense,
but because he was what he was.
Liz saw the flash of fear in his eyes and placed a
gentle, warm hand on his chest. She felt the fierce thudding of his heart
against her fingertips. For an instant he seemed both humbled and profoundly
uneasy. Then he began to shake almost violently, the intensity of their
feelings overwhelming him.
"Liz." Her name was a plea, his voice husky
and low.
She watched as his eyes darkened, then blazed with
fire. She slowly slid her hand down from his chest to his bare stomach, hearing
his smothered groan.
Max reached out and pulled the sheet from her fingers
slowly. Uncovering her beauty to his thirsty eyes. He let his fingers drift
over her collarbone, caressing the smooth soft skin of her shoulder before
sliding lower, finally letting the weight of her breast fill his hand. She was
perfect.
Liz arched into his hand, her body knowing
instinctively what to do. His lips captured hers again. His tongue licking
inside the velvet depths of her mouth and setting her body aflame. His hands
covered her skin, touching everywhere he could reach, stoking the fires in her
blood. She drank in the hot male scent of him, wanting more.
Max lapped up each little sound exploding from her
throat. He lay down with her, managing it without breaking their kiss. He
pressed her against him, reveling in the feeling of her naked skin.
Soon the barriers of sheets and towels were too much
to bear and were removed. Throughout Max kept up the drugging kisses that
transported Liz to another world. She gloried in the heat and hardness of his
body. At how perfectly he fit to her. She rubbed herself against him trying to
soothe the ache in the pit of her stomach. Max was kissing her neck, her
shoulders, his lips covering every inch of her skin. He seemed to instinctively
know all the hidden spots where his lips would arouse her.
Max was dazed. How many times had he dreamed of this,
never daring to hope that it would ever come true. But here he was, and she was
a fever in his blood. He knew that being inside Liz Parker would be the closest
to heaven that he’ll ever be.
He came back to her mouth, kissing her swollen lips
softly before looking into her eyes. "Liz?" Asking her silently if
this was still what she wanted.
"Yes, Max… yes."
She undid him with three small words. Increasing his
desire for her until it felt as if he’d die if he didn’t have her. But he kept
himself in check. This was Liz. This was her first time. He needed to be
gentle.
Holding her gaze with his, Max completed his
possession of Liz with a smooth and careful stroke. She cried out and he held
her until she grew accustomed to his body. He was trembling with the effort of
keeping still, but he waited until she looked into his eyes and moved against
him experimentally.
Max gave in then, moving inside her until they shared
in the wild, mysterious, shattering joy of each other’s bodies. Liz clung to
him afterwards, thankful for his weight pressing her into the mattress. She was
afraid that her body was going to scatter into little bits following the
explosion of pleasure she had just experienced. This was where she belonged. In
Max’s arms. She knew she would never be able to live without this feeling again.
Max finally lifted his head from her shoulder. His
breathing still ragged. "Are you okay? Did I… did I hurt you?"
He saw her answer in her dazzling smile. Cupping her
cheek, he kissed her again. "Liz Parker, will you marry me?"
Max could practically hear
his own heart beating in the stillness that gripped the room after his
proposal. He stared down at Liz anxiously, but he couldn’t figure out what she
was thinking. For that matter, what was HE thinking? They were way too young to
get married, their parents will never allow it and did he really want Liz to
make such a huge decision right now? ‘Yes,’ a little voice inside his head
said. ‘I never want her to share herself with anyone but me. I want to make
love with her and wake up with her for the rest of my life. On this planet and
any other…’
Liz opened her mouth to speak, but Max rushed in
ahead of her. "I mean, will you marry me when we graduate? I know we can’t
right now, but I want… no, I NEED to hear you say yes very much right now. Liz,
no one will ever love you like I do."
Liz placed her fingers on Max’s lips, stopping any
further talking. She was amazed that he could still be uncertain about her
answer. How could he doubt that he was the person she wanted to be with forever?
But she knew the answer to that question. Because more than anything, Max still
feared that she would one day want someone normal. A small smile tugged at the
corners of her mouth. Like that was even possible!
"Yes." Soft and definite.
Max’s eyes widened for a moment and then filled with
tears. Happy tears. Relieved tears. Tears that showed Liz how much he had
wanted that to be her answer. And confirmed once again that she would never
find anyone to take Max’s place in her heart, in this galaxy or any other.
Max crushed her against him, his face pressed in her
neck. His aching lungs were reminding him to breathe, but he could care less
about air now. How does that compare with Liz Parker saying she’ll marry him?
He felt like he was floating on a cloud. Giddy and dizzy and indescribably
happy.
Liz ran her hands over his back, trying to comfort
him. He seemed really overcome with emotion and she marveled at the fact that
she had such power over him. It was an ego-boosting realization, but one she
must never misuse. Besides, he had the same power over her…
Max rolled to his side, pulling Liz with him. He
caressed her face as they lay staring at each other with their faces inches
apart on the same pillow. "Wow. We just… wow!"
Liz grinned against his fingers that were now tracing
her lips. "It took you long enough to notice that I am now officially
ruined, Mr Evans!"
Max’s half-smile had a devastating effect on her as
always. "Hey, if that means nobody but me gets to do this with you for the
rest of your life, that’s fine by me!" He became serious again. "Are
you okay? Nothing… uhm weird going on?"
Liz shook her head, still smiling. Max would never
change! She suddenly yawned.
Max tucked her hair behind her ear. "Go to
sleep, love."
"What about you? Aren’t you tired too?" Her
eyes were already closing. Max was safely back in her arms and all was well in
her little world.
"Yeah. But not too tired to watch you sleep for
a little while." He kissed her forehead and whispered. "I have dreamt
of this moment for as long as I can remember… I love you, Liz Parker."
"Love you too… Thank you for making this so
special…" Her words were mumbled against his chest. She fell asleep with
Max’s heartbeat in her ear.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 32
We held our breath until they returned. This wasn’t
part of the original experiment, but we needed to know anyway. Was it possible?
Did our plan work?
The Jeep came to a halt amid a hushed silence in the
camp the next evening. Max and Liz looked at each other. It was clear that everyone
had been waiting for their return. It felt really strange being among these
people when so much in their lives had changed in the past 24 hours.
If Michael didn’t have Maria in a firm grip, she
would have run to Liz screaming. Liz LOOKED fine to her. Does that mean…?
Max took pity on his friends who were very obviously
dying of curiosity and asked them to have coffee with him and Liz in the dining
tent. The six assembled around a table and all eyes were on Liz who was trying
very hard to hide her burning face in Max’s shoulder.
Maria finally couldn’t take it anymore. "So!
What happened! Did you… Was everything normal?"
"Jeesh, Maria, be blunt, why don’t ya!"
Michael didn’t sound as annoyed as he should have.
Max sighed, taking Liz’s hand. "Everything is…
fine. Normal. Okay? Okay! Subject closed from now on." He stared at each
of them in turn, causing all the open mouths to snap shut again. Noticing Nick
at the door of the tent, he waved him in. "What has happened to Jans and
his people?"
Nick looked away. "They have been taken care
of."
Max froze. "What do you mean ‘taken care
of’?"
"I mean he will never bother anyone again. We
really have to discuss some things, Max. Like Liz and the others returning home
to their parents soon."
A shocked silence greeted that statement. Go home?
Parents? They had all just assumed that Nick had taken care of that. Things had
been so abnormal since they arrived at the camp that they had just lived in the
moment.
Max was crushing Liz’s hand with his. He felt ill at
the thought that she had to leave. "Okay. So tell us what is going
on?"
Nick had trouble not grinning. It was clear that his
young leader was very unwilling for his love to leave the camp. "Well, we
let them think that you all went off on a two week camping trip with a group
from school."
Liz was getting agitated. She looked at Max,
remembering last night and… this morning. Boy, were her parents going to freak
if they knew what their little girl had been doing while ‘camping’! "How
did you do that? They would never just believe…"
Nick stopped her by raising his hand. "They
spoke to all of you the next morning and watched you being picked up by the
bus. It's similar to what Tess can do… We thought it best to handle it that
way. The point is, the parents are expecting you back day after tomorrow."
A collective gasp was heard from around the table.
Max spoke first. "What about our training and
all the other stuff that was so important that you brought us here." His
voice had an underlying tone of anger. "What is going on here? You can’t
expect us to fight a war-."
Nick held up his hand for the second time.
"There is much you need to know. About our planet, about your real
parents, about why you are here. Not just here in the camp, but here on earth.
The time has finally come to tell you everything..."
Six pairs of eyes were trained on Nick and he read
many different emotions in them. Hope, fear, eagerness, trepidation. He looked
at Max. How was he going to take the news? News that would forever change his
life and that of his friends…
Journal Entry 33
I dread the fact that I have to be the one to give
them the news. Aaron and Kayla, this was not what you initially planned, but we
needed to adapt. And it turned out so much better than we could have hoped for.
For the first time since they’ve known him, Nick
seemed uncomfortable and at a loss for words and Max felt like a big hand was
choking the life from him slowly. What was so awful that Nick would be so
distressed about telling them? He felt Liz lean against his side and snake her
arm around his waist. He glanced down at her thankfully, relieved that at least
one constant in his life was still present.
"There is no easy way to say this… But you were
all part of a test. A test that is part of an experiment for our people."
Nick was interrupted by a chorus of upset cries… from everyone but Max, who had
gone pale as death.
"Please! Just give me time to finish and
hopefully you will understand and forgive us for our methods. It was desperate
times." Nick looked at each of them in return, his eyes lingering on Max.
"Our planet has been destroyed."
His announcement was met with silence.
"We had originally planned to send Max, Tess,
Michael and Isabel to earth so that you could come back later, to save us. But
we never had time to complete that plan. Your ship crashed, but Nacedo was able
to save the four pods. As you know, he was later captured and by the time he
found the pods again, you three were gone and only Tess was left."
Nick bent his head. "Some of us, in fact all of
us in the camp apart from the children, fled just before the planet was
destroyed. We came here to earth about twenty years ago to find you." He
faltered. "I’m sorry, but your parents were… they were lost with the
planet."
Isabel had begun to sob softly and Michael was
staring at the table, utter desolation on his face. He was never going to meet
any real parents after all.
Max was numb. Should he feel something? He guessed
so, but Nick was talking about a planet and parents that he had never known.
Taking a deep breath, Nick went on. "Our King
and Queen were dead, but their children were still alive. Here, on earth. It
took us a long time to find you, but we eventually did after Nacedo managed to
learn from his army contacts that there was a suspicious shooting at the
Crashdown in Roswell and that the FBI was investigating it. I sent Nacedo there
to make contact with you, to test you to see if you really were the three
missing children we were looking for. It took some time, but when Michael left
that sign at the library, we were certain. So in essence, that day Max saved
Liz was the first day we had all began to hope again."
The group around the table seemed unable to respond.
"We have been watching you since that sign at the library. We were amazed
at first that you all seemed to have become almost human. That you could live…
among this other race almost effortlessly. And our initial plan needed to be
adapted after the destruction of our planet. We had been living in this small
community for twenty years. We needed to adapt or else there would be no legacy
of our once proud race but a group of stragglers dying out on a strange
planet."
"Since we had all been genetically programmed
with specific mates when we were born, we needed to see how that would be
affected if we lived among humans. We needed to see what would happen to our
children." He looked at Max again, but Max would not meet his eyes.
"We saw how close Max was to Liz, but we also knew that Tess was his
genetic mate. So we sent her and Nacedo to you to see what would happen."
Max’s head snapped up at this. He remembered the heartache Tess had caused Liz
and his eyes turned black with anger.
Nick continued hastily, but his voice was uncertain.
"We saw how you fought Tess’ hold over you. How important Liz was to you.
That there seemed to be something between you and Liz that was so much stronger
than our genetic coding. We didn’t know what that was, but we hoped it would be
something that could save us… something that all of us and our children could
use to become part of this planet." His voice trailed lower. "But we
were not prepared for it being so much more."
Max was starting to get up. "I don’t think I can
listen to much more of this! You treated us like lab rats!"
Liz held on to him. "Please Max, give him a
chance." They stared at each other, Liz’s eyes pleading as she rubbed her
hand up and down his arm. Everyone let out an inaudible breath as Max finally
sat down again, his mouth in a tight line and his actions clearly indicating
that he was doing it only because Liz asked him to.
Nick turned his attention to Liz. "We weren’t
sure what to do at first. But we knew we needed to find out what the potential
was for integrating with humans. So we brought you all here. To… to test the
strength of Max and Liz’s bond."
This time Liz gasped.
"It was so much stronger than we had ever
anticipated. I could see that first day that Max knew Liz was in the camp. He
even knew where she was. Nothing in our genetic coding was that specific. This
‘love’ you kept talking about was not something we were familiar with, so we
needed to explore the impact of it on genetic coding and on the possibility of
us staying here on earth, among humans. And before you ask, we had nothing to
do with Tess’ little attempt to brainwash Liz."
Liz could feel Max’s agitation rising, but she didn’t
know what to do to help him. This was probably the furthest from anything that
he had ever expected to hear. All she could focus on was the fact that nothing
that Nick had said so far meant that she and Max couldn’t be together for the
rest of their lives. Nick’s voice interrupted her reverie.
"It soon became clear how in tune Max was to
Liz. Just as he knew where she was, he also knew if something was wrong with
her. That left us with trying to see how Liz… how any human would fit in with
our race. It was more imperative to study her than any of you since… since she
was with Max, our leader. And because they seemed to have the strongest
bond."
Max felt like he was going to explode. How could Nick
just sit there and tell them calmly that he had been studying them the whole
time? That he had been studying Liz. He felt like strangling the guy. "This
is totally unacceptable to me. You put all of our lives in danger. You let that
Jans guy be with Liz everyday, not to mention that what you did led to Tess
trying to… How could you call yourselves our people if this is how you treat
us? Was the little abduction scene from yesterday part of the whole plan?"
Nick shifted in his seat. "Not entirely. We were
initially just going to test and see if Liz can sense you the way you do her.
Jans trying to… Jans distorted the whole plan. You were just supposed to be
missing for a few hours, until she could find you. We never intended for
everyone to think you were dead…"
Max was on his feet by now, but Nick pleaded with
him. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am about Jans… It was terrible to see
how devastated Liz was and I… I felt the same way. Devastated and guilty…"
"I thought you said you didn’t know
emotions." Max’s voice had a sharp edge to it.
Nick looked at Liz who was staring at him, her eyes
filling with tears. "Apparently we do… We just didn’t know we could, or
what they were. Liz, I’ve come to care a great deal about you. You see, Max and
Isabel’s father Aaron was my uncle. And I cannot tell you how much it meant to
me that you found Max for us yesterday. And that you love him so much."
The last part was said softly, hesitantly as Liz’s tears finally spilled over.
"Thank all of you, for loving these three and making them part of
humanity."
Max couldn’t stand to see Liz cry, so he took her
hand and pulled her up against his chest. He gave Nick a long look, one that
spoke of disillusionment and pain and started to leave the tent, Liz curled
protectively against his side.
"Max, wait." As always, Liz’s voice got
immediate reaction. Liz turned back to Nick. "Could you leave us, please?
We need to talk about this."
The six looked at each other after his departure. So,
there was no planet to go back to after all. No one would be coming for them
soon.
Isabel was still sad. "I think we need to give
ourselves time to let this all sink in. Why don’t we talk again tomorrow?"
It was a subdued group that got up from the table and
left for their tents in pairs. Many thoughts were going through their heads.
‘We are staying on earth for the rest of our lives. We will never meet our
parents. How is this going to affect us?’
Liz turned to Max when they got back to their tent.
She could feel his confusion, his anger and his pain and she hugged him, trying
to take some of it into her own body. His arms came around her in a crushing
embrace. She kissed him on his cheek. "It's going to be okay." She
prayed she was right.
Journal Entry 34
I am placing my hope in her. She is the only one that
can help him through this. The only one that can stop him from cutting himself
off from us forever…
Liz waited as Max clung to her. He was always so
strong and she felt humbled that she was the one he turned to whenever he
needed someone to share his burden. She wished there was something that she
could say that could help, but there was just too much to take in right now.
His parents and his planet was gone, his nephew had used him for an experiment,
and as usual, Max was worried about what all this would do to her. She knew him
so well by now.
Max suddenly shifted in her arms, leaning away so he
could kiss her. The kiss was filled with pain and desperation and Liz opened
herself to him, showing him all the love and support she feels for him. He kept
his kisses up for endless minutes, his mouth slanting over hers in a dance as
old as time.
He leant his forehead against hers when he finally
ended the kiss. "Liz…. I… I really need to… Please, can I just..."
He needed her. She felt his need crashing over her,
but also his concern that she might get the wrong impression about this. That
she might think that their relationship has now become only about the physical
for him. She kissed him softly and rubbed their noses together for a sweet
moment, before taking his hand and leading him to the bed.
He stopped her when she reached down to take off her
shirt. Staring into her eyes, his face held a look of such wonder and awe that
it completely arrested her attention.
"I love you. Only you. Only ever you." It
was a solemn promise that warmed her heart.
"Max, I need you to know that this commitment I
made to you… its for forever. No matter what happens from now on. Or what you
learn about yourself. Or how long it takes you to do whatever you have to do
for your people… I am yours. All of me. Always."
He stopped breathing at the last comment. ‘She is
mine.’ The thought made him feel protective and dizzy with lust at the same
time. Desire slowly won the contest, so he helped her to pull her shirt over
her head. She was perfect to him. She was everything he wanted or would ever
want.
Leaning in to kiss her again, he lifted her up and
placed her carefully on the bed. Kneeling over her, he continued to kiss her.
Kiss her like she was water after a long desert drought. He ran his hands over
her body, his fingers skimming her curves as if trying to commit them to
memory. She arched under his hands, stoking the fire in his blood to new
heights. He idly wondered how it was possible that she knew instinctively what
to do to increase his desire for her.
His hands and lips were magical. They made her feel
like she was in a different world. One where nothing but the two of them
mattered. She ran her hands under his shirt, relishing in the heat of his skin
and the velvet steel of his muscles. Pushing the shirt up and over his
shoulders, she had to tear her lips away from his to get him to take the shirt
off. He seemed reluctant to break contact with her. His breathing was ragged,
his face flushed and his eyes had darkened to a fiery black. His gaze, skipping
over her face and coming to rest on her mouth, caused a sharp ache in the pit
of her stomach. Liz raked her fingers down his back and pressed his lower body
into hers when she reached his jeans. They both groaned with the contact.
Max was frantic to have her. He needed to lose
himself in her and forget the things that Nick had told them today for a few
precious minutes. He basically ripped the rest of their clothes off, desperate
to feel her skin next to his. Closing his eyes, he concentrated for a moment on
the exquisite pleasure of having Liz in his arms before her moan brought him
back to the present.
"Max…please."
Their gazes locked as he joined them and they watched
the various emotions flitting across each other’s faces. Their connection
opened unexpectedly and flooded them with feelings and images that left them
gasping. It was the most intense experience not only being physically close to
someone, but to also share their deepest and most intense feelings. Nothing in
this world, or any other, could compare with this…
~*~*~*~*~*~
They met for breakfast the next morning. If anything,
the night has brought them closer to their partners. Alex and Isabel held
hands, while Michael had his arm around Maria’s shoulders. Max stood behind
Liz, his hands resting on her waist. They were all looking at him.
Max felt a lot calmer than yesterday. Being with Liz
had reaffirmed his faith in the possibility that everything could be worked
out. He had regained his balance…
"Okay, I think we need to all have a chance to
say how we feel about Nick’s experiment. Izzy, why don’t you start." Max
looked at her.
Isabel looked uncomfortable. "Well, I hate that
they brought us here under false pretences. And I really wanted to know my real
mother… I… I don’t know, Max, its all really raw right now. I don’t hate Nick,
if that’s what you’re asking."
Max turned to Michael, but he was staring at the
table sullenly. Maria nudged him in the side. "Whatever. He did what he
did, now we’re back where we started."
"Maria?" Max startled her.
Maria looked at Michael, not sure what to say. He was
not meeting her eyes. "I think that the guy was probably trying to do the
right thing, but he did it in a really misguided way. I don’t like that he hurt
all of you in the process, though."
Alex spoke up next. "It’s not really my place to
judge, because this affects the three of you the most. But I can see that he
would have been desperate, so I guess I can understand where he came
from."
"Liz?"
Liz swallowed nervously. For some reason she felt
like a lot was riding on her answer. "Max, this man lost an entire planet
of people. Your people. I don’t agree with his methods, but I think he was
trying his best." Her eyes pleaded with Max: "He was there for me
when you… I think he really cares about all of us. Yeah, I think we should give
him a chance."
Max was staring at her in surprise. He knew he
shouldn’t be, she was such a softhearted person, but after all that she had
gone through as a result of him and his race, she was still able to forgive.
Liz stepped closer to Max. "He wasn’t trying to
break us up during all this time. He was trying to understand how these people
could fit in on this planet. He did our bonding ceremony. He let us go off
alone the other night. He WANTS us together… I think we are stronger now
because of him. And Max, we CAN be together. Forever."
All eyes were on Max again. In the end, they were
looking to him to make a decision. Max turned away from the weight of their
stares. He remembered how devastated Liz had been about Tess and her
interference in their lives. Her inconsolable crying when she walked away from
him at the cave that day. That Liz was kidnapped by Nacedo. Drugged by Nick and
his people. How was he ever going to get past that? But on the other hand, Nick
had helped him that day that he decided to do the ceremony with Liz. Nick had
kept Tess from using anymore mind control on him. He had looked after Liz when
Max was not here. Max had also seen Nick’s bewilderment at feeling emotions and
it reminded him of when Izzy and him first came to stay with the Evans’. He had
felt lost and alone and confused. It had taken the love of his new parents and
the beauty and grace of a little dark-haired girl to teach him what it meant to
belong and be human. What it was like to love and be loved…
"I think we need some time apart from Nick and
these people to gain perspective. Right now I’m having trouble forgetting some
of the things that he was involved in. But… I agree that we should give him a
chance. Later. For right now, we need to come up with a plan on how we’re going
to handle going back home."
"Can we not just act like we did before all this
happened? You know, like we’re just a bunch of friends doing stuff
together?" Alex’s voice started wavering as he saw the look that passed
between Max and Liz. Oh boy, he had forgotten that things had REALLY changed
for them during these two weeks! He watched as Liz walked into Max’s arms like
it was the most natural thing in the world for her. He wondered what she was
going to tell her parents. He could picture it now: ‘So Mom and Dad, I never
really went on a school camping trip. I went off into the desert with an alien
race, basically married their leader and oh uhm… I ended up having sex with him
too.’ Yeah, that would go down
"I think Alex has the
right idea. We need to go back and act normal." Isabel aimed this at her
brother.
Max swallowed. He knew what they were all trying to
tell him. That he should "date" Liz like a normal guy. That they
should go to the movies or bowling or something that wouldn’t let on how close
they really were… physically and emotionally. He felt ill at the thought, but
what else could they do? Tell her parents everything? He suspected that would
only lead to him being barred from ever seeing her again, and that was not even
an option for him.
Liz stood pressed to him, her face buried in his
neck. As always, he smelled so… Max. Like home. But she could feel the tension
in his body and she knew that it was there because they had to go home. Going
home meant something completely different to them now. It did not mean their
parent’s houses or their bedrooms in Roswell. It was not a place anymore. Home
now meant each other…
She realized that she has started craving physical
closeness with Max. Being near him for the biggest part of each day was rapidly
becoming a necessity. She needed to hear his voice, look in his eyes, touch
him, make love with him… She needed it like she needed breath to stay alive.
Max held her away from him and ran a caressing hand
over her cheek. "Honey, Isabel and Michael and I need to talk about some
things. Could you guys let us do that?" But he pulled her back when she
started to leave, kissing her soundly in front of their groaning and griping
audience. Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered ‘I love you’ so that
only she could hear.
Liz grinned. "Me too."
Maria pounced on her as soon as they were out of
earshot of the three aliens. "SOOO???"
"Maria! What is wrong with you! You nearly gave
us all heart attacks!" Alex clutched his chest dramatically.
"Yeah, like THAT’S something I’m worried
about!" She dragged Liz over to her and Michael’s tent. "We want
details about… YOU KNOW! What happened? Did it hurt? Did he turn into something
weird? Did anything weird happen to you? What--?"
"Aaaahhh!" Alex’s cry halted Maria’s
questions. "I SOOO do not want to hear ANY of this! These are my two
friends, not to mention that I’ve know one of them since grade school! This is
just too…" He put his hands over his ears.
Liz smiled at her friends’ antics. Everything seemed
so… well, normal when they are around. "Don’t worry Alex. No details, I
promise!"
Maria’s face showed her disappointment at Liz’s
decision. "I don’t care if the wuss here is too pathetic to ask for
details, but I KNOW he doesn’t just think of Isabel as a friend and he’s also
dying to know if being closer is possible."
"Yes, Maria. It is possible. Nothing weird
happened--."
Maria was getting impatient. "Yeah, yeah,
whatever! Get to the good stuff!"
Liz had a dreamy look on her face by now.
"Uhm…yeah… Maria, I don’t think we should talk about this…"
"Oooh no! You’re not brushing me off about this.
I want to know! I NEED to know!"
Liz hugged her. "Maria, I love you, but this is
between Max and I." She leaned closer, putting her mouth to Maria’s ear.
"It will be wonderful for you too. When it’s the right time…" She
stepped away from Maria. "Now, why don’t we think up something nice to do
for the other three today. Its our last day here and with all the bad news we
could use some fun time."
Maria grumbled something under her breath, but sat
down obediently for the planning session.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was hugging Isabel. "Are you okay?" His
voice was filled with concern. He knew that the news must have been really hard
for Isabel. She had desperately wanted a real mother.
Blinking back tears, Isabel clung to her brother. She
still had him and Michael, she reminded herself. And she still had Alex…
"Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just need some time to… to adjust, I guess."
Max disentangled himself from Izzy and turned to
Michael. He had his back to them, his shoulders stiff and tense.
"Michael…"
"I don’t want to talk about it, okay
Maxwell!" Michael’s voice was harsh.
Sighing, Max decided to let things rest for a while.
His heart ached for Michael, who seemed more alone than ever now that his dream
of going home would never come true. "Okay, but we need a plan for going
home. And for what to say to Nick before we leave." Nick’s name brought
back memories of the past few days. Particularly of Jans. "What happened
to Jans and his cohorts?"
The question finally made Michael turn around.
"We don’t really know. They took them into this trailer and later came out
without them." He stopped, but Max was clearly waiting for him to
continue. He knew that Michael would never have left things at that.
"Okay, so I went back later. The trailer was empty."
"Empty?" Max was frowning. "Could they
have taken them somewhere else then?"
"Maybe. But there were some weird spheric things
in the trailer. Three of them…"
They looked at each other. "So, you think
they’ve put the guys in those spheres?"
"How the hell should I know, Maxwell! You’re the
leader. Go ask them!" Michael stomped out of the tent angrily.
Isabel stood up, but Max stopped her. "I’ll go
talk to him."
~*~*~*~*~*~
He found Michael at the edge of the camp, on his way
off into the desert. "Michael wait!"
"Leave me alone, Max!" But he stopped.
Not knowing where to start, Max was silent for a few
minutes. "Thank you, you know, for looking after Liz and everyone else
while I was gone. It meant a lot to me." Getting no reaction from Michael,
he continued: "And I’m sorry. About our home and your parents--."
"No Maxwell, you’re NOT sorry." Michael’s
voice was filled with hurt. "You’re not sorry, because now you can go on
living your perfect little life in Roswell. You can continue pretending the
Evans’ are your parents. And you can stay with Liz. Don’t pretend you’re not
happy about that."
Momentarily taken aback by the vehemence in Michael’s
voice, Max was unable to react immediately. There was truth in what Michael
said. Ever since that day in the cave he had started hating his destiny and the
fact that he would have to leave this planet that he had called home for so long.
He hated his former home for what it represented: leaving Liz, his parents, his
home…
"Michael, I… You’re right. I never really wanted
to go home. I only wanted answers to my past. Our past." He turned to
stare out into the desert, watching the horizon shimmer with heatwaves.
"But I also want you to know that you are my brother. Isabel’s
They stood side-by-side for a long time. Max started
when he heard Michael saying softly. "Yeah. You’re my brother too."
Max hugged him, not caring that Michael stood ramrod
straight while he did it. Stepping away, he smiled when Michael wouldn’t meet
his eyes. "Let’s go find our women before they cook up something scary for
us."
Michael looked relieved that Max wasn’t going to push
the issue further. "Hey, its not my girlfriend that nearly drop-kicked
that Jans guy into…" Michael trailed off when Max stopped in his tracks,
swinging towards him.
"WHAT!"
Holding up his hands, Michael tried to get out of his
slip. "Hey, I was just joking, okay!" But his nervous reaction told
Max that he wasn’t.
"Michael, what the hell happened! Did Liz… I
thought you guys handled Jans?" Max’s voice was rising and Michael REALLY
didn’t want to be the one telling Max about Liz and her self-defense classes.
Spotting Maria coming out of their tent, he started retreating towards her.
"I have to go. Maria is calling me…"
Max frowned as he watched Michael practically fleeing
from him. What the heck was going on here? Then he saw Liz coming towards him
and all thought flew from his head. His gaze hungrily took in her every
movement. He drank in the sight of the sunlight making her hair shine like a
halo. He watched how her clothes molded her body and his hands itched to do the
same. And her eyes, as always he could see into her soul through her eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he stopped himself from drowning in her gaze.
She reached him and stood on tiptoe to kiss him
lightly. "You look really serious." She stepped closer, pressing her
body to his and linking her arms around his neck.
He was sinking fast and he struggled to keep his head
while her presence was playing havoc with his senses… and his body.
"Liz." His eyes fell to her lips while she ran her tongue over her
bottom lip. Okay, maybe he could just kiss her once. Then they could talk…
Liz smiled against his mouth as he kissed her
hungrily. This was not what she had come over for, but the way his eyes had
burned over her while she was walking towards him had started that now familiar
ache in the pit of her stomach. And now he was finally kissing her. His mouth
fitting to hers so perfectly. Their tongues dancing together, alternating
between slow sliding caresses and urgent fights for dominance. It was hot out
here in the sun, but she hardly noticed. Nor did she notice the interested
stares they were attracting from fellow camp dwellers…
Max needed her closer. He never seemed to get close
enough to her unless he was inside of her. Part of her. He shifted his weight
and curled his hand around her rear, bringing her to stand between his legs. He
trailed kisses from her mouth over her jaw to her ear and enjoyed the harsh
impeded breath she took as a result. He liked the fact that she was not the
only one with power in this relationship… Power. That reminded him that he
needed to ask her something.
Liz moaned when he pulled away from her. "Max,
don’t stop. Please…"
He nearly succumbed again. Grabbing her hands from
his chest, he put them behind her back, holding her captive. Liz’s eyes flew
open. Her new position put her in delicious contact with Max’s body, but his
eyes told her that his mind and his body were in conflict at the moment. She
blinked up at him, confused by his stern expression. His question floored her
further.
"What is this I hear about you attacking
Jans?"
Liz bit her lip. Max was going to kill her…
Journal Entry 35
I still haven’t told them everything.
Liz ducked her head, trying to get away from Max’s
piercing gaze. Maybe if she explained that she did all of it for him… No, that
wouldn’t work. Max didn’t care about himself, he only cared about her… She
sighed, chewing her lip.
If he wasn’t so impatient for her answer, Max
would’ve been amused by her squirming. But she looked guilty of something and
his gut clenched at the possibility that she had put herself in danger.
Liz was getting desperate to get away from Max, but
he still held her hands behind her back in a firm grip. So she went for a low
dig. "Could you please let me go? You’re hurting me."
Max didn’t believe her for a second, but he let her
go anyway. "Well, what happened with Jans?"
Backing away from him, she gestured over her
shoulder. "Could we talk about this later? The others are waiting… we were
planning a picnic."
He grabbed her hand again, holding her back. "No
Liz. I need you to tell me now."
Liz squared her shoulders and stepped closer to him.
What was she so afraid of? This was Max and he loved her. He would never hurt
her. He might be really angry for a while, but surely she could seduce him out
of that? "Okay, but you have to promise me you will not flip out." ‘O
yeah great Liz, that line really worked on Maria last time…’
Max’s frown increased. He was liking the sound of
this less and less. "Liz." His sounded threatening.
Liz ducked her head again. She felt like a naughty
little girl when he spoke to her like that. How anyone knowing Max could not
see that he was born to be a great leader was beyond her. Then her eyes were
snagged by the triangle of skin exposed by the v-neck of his T-shirt. Goodness
he was hot!
"Liz!" O yeah, right, he was waiting for an
answer.
"Uhm, yeah, I sort of… I sort of had Jans teach
me self-defense." She was still not risking looking in his eyes. "I
figured that I should be able to look after myself and not just hang around
looking pretty on your arm. He was just teaching me some basic stuff."
The silence lengthened between them until Liz
couldn’t take it anymore and lifted her gaze to his. He was staring at her with
a small smile curving his lips. His eyes were heating up in a way that made Liz
feel deliciously desired.
"You are so amazing, do you know that?" His
voice had that husky timbre that had the power of making her knees go weak.
"And you really are trying to drive me insane…" Liz batted her eyes
at him innocently and grinned when she heard his barely audible growl.
"But if you don’t ask ME or someone we trust to help you in your little
schemes next time, I’m putting you over my knee!"
Instead of looking suitably chastened, Liz’s eyes
were sparkling. "Over your knee, huh? Okay!"
She laughed out loud at Max’s dumbfounded expression.
It was about time he learnt that not everyone trembled in fear in front of the
great leader! She pressed her body against his, enjoying its hardness and obvious
excitement. Granted, she did have an edge over most people with Max…
"Could we get this show on the road
already!" Alex shouted at them. He turned back to the others that were all
waiting for Max and Liz to finish whatever they were doing. "Honestly, we
are going to have so much trouble with them back in Roswell. First it was the
staring, now it’s the kissing and uhm… other stuff that I don’t even want to
think about. They are SO going to fail all their classes! Wouldn’t it be a sad
commentary on their race if their leader was a high-school drop-out."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The picnic was fun, but they were all very aware of
the fact that they were returning to Roswell tomorrow. And that they were
returning as very different people…
Max watched his friends talk and felt peace flowing
through his body. These were the most important people in his life and for a
brief span of time, they were all safe. His eyes came to rest on Michael, who
sat behind Maria, his knees bracketing her hips. He saw that the blonde girl’s
antics captured Michael’s attention completely at times and lifted the burden
of sadness and loneliness that he always carried with him. He caught Michael’s
attention and said quietly: "You
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was late afternoon when they went back. They were
subdued as all the couples were contemplating their last night together. Max
had trouble keeping his hands of Liz. They had all decided that going back to
Roswell and working summer jobs were the thing to do for now. They would try to
get away nearly every weekend, though. But it wouldn’t be enough for him. He
was addicted to her. Sometimes so much it scared him…
Nick was waiting for them when the Jeep came to a
halt in the camp. He watched as they piled out and noted that they were even
closer than before. He was relieved that the news about their planet and
parents hadn’t driven a wedge between them and their human partners. At least
that was something else that his people could feel comfortable about. Bonds
with humans can be stronger than those between aliens. He shifted his attention
back to Max when he felt the weight of Max’s gaze.
Nick cleared his throat. "I need to talk to you.
There is something important you must know before you go home."
The six looked at each other. They did not need
anymore bad news right now. Max, as always, took the lead by taking Liz’s hand
and pulling her into the dining tent with him.
Nick waited till they were all seated before talking.
"Have you all decided what to do?"
Only Liz could see the tenseness underlying his
question and she squeezed Max’s hand in an effort to get him to notice it too.
Max registered Liz’s small gesture, but was too anxious to be able to figure
out what she was trying to tell him.
"Yes. We need to go back home and regroup. We
would appreciate it if you could stay away from us for a while. Until I contact
you."
Nick was shaking his head even before Max had
finished speaking. "We can’t do that."
Max was on his feet. "You don’t understand. I’m
not asking you, I’m telling you. Stay away from us."
Sitting down heavily, Nick stared at the table.
"We can’t do that, because we need to protect you. I wasn’t lying when I
told you that another race is on earth too. The one that destroyed our planet.
And they want to destroy you too."
Max’s jaw hardened. "We can take care of
ourselves. We have until--."
"They would want Liz too now." Nick played
the only card that would ever make Max Evans stop in his tracks. He watched as
he saw the shock register in Max’s eyes. Shock followed by guilt. Guilt that he
had put her in more danger by making her his mate. Nick felt awful for using
this, but he had to. They all needed each other now.
"How would they know?" Max’s voice was
quiet.
"We don’t know enough about them to be sure. But
they will find you and they will find out that you’re with Liz." Nick
stood up too, his gaze pleading with his young leader. "We will do
everything we can to protect her. To protect all of you. But you can’t go off
without us now. It is too important that you stay alive."
Max felt like he had been kicked in the gut.
Everything he did seemed to put Liz in more danger. His tortured mind could
only come up with one answer to this problem. He had to stay away from Liz…
They were all waiting
breathlessly for Max’s reaction to Nick’s proposal. Max was standing like a
statue, the only movement his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. A
war was clearly going on inside him.
Liz could feel Max shutting down his emotions from
where she stood watching the face-off between him and Nick. He was mentally
stepping back from anything that could cause heartache to the people he loved.
To her…
Rushing into speech, Nick tried to defuse some of the
tension in the room. "We would stay out of your way, we would just… watch
over you."
Michael decided to step in since he could see Max was
seeing horror-movies about Liz being killed in his head. "Max, he talks
sense. As long as they don’t bother us, where’s the problem?"
Max finally came out of his trance. "Yeah, I
guess you’re right." He looked at Nick again and Nick flinched at the
desolation in his eyes. "Do whatever you have to do. But nothing that
influences our lives before you talk to me."
Nick understood exactly what he meant. No more tests
and genetic mates being sprung on them. And especially nothing that would upset
Liz. He wondered about the fact that Max seemed to avoid looking at Liz. What
was going on? He feared that his desperate attempt to get Max to allow them to
protect the three have backfired in some way that he had not foreseen.
Michael also watched Max’s reaction and he knew his
friend was thinking up ways to get Liz out of harm’s way. He also knew what Max
would come up with. Staying away from her… He had hoped Max had learned his
lesson the previous times he tried to stay away from Liz: never worked, never
would work, dead loss even trying. A movement from Liz caught his eye. She had
a determined look on her face and Michael promptly felt sorry for Max. He was
in for it tonight. And this time, Liz had even more weapons in her arsenal to
bring him to his knees. Yeah, what he wouldn’t give to be a fly on that wall!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max came back from the showers to find Liz packing.
She was wearing one of his shirts and her damp hair streamed down her back. His
heart stopped when he thought that this might be their last night together for
a really long time. Until he was sure she was safe…
Liz had felt his presence and knew he was watching
her, but she didn’t acknowledge him. The ball was in his court now and she
waited to see what he intended to do. His actions since their talk with Nick
had hinted that he was in one of his its-better-if-I-stay-away-from-Liz moods
and she was not going to stand for it. So she had taken a shower and put on one
of his button-down shirts… and nothing else. He was going to admit that he
wanted to stay with her even if she had to torture it out of him.
He watched her movements, graceful and sensual and he
felt torn in two. How many times had he stood at this crossroad before? And
where had all his previous decisions brought him? Right to this spot. This spot
from where he could watch his mate, his future wife, his lover and not be with
her? Could he even do that? He felt his resolve wavering in the light of her
spectacular beauty.
"Liz…" He needed to tell her. He needed to
tell her now or he never would. His eyes hungrily followed her movements as she
straightened from her task. The shirt reached to mid-thigh when she stood
before him and he couldn’t stop his hand from reaching out to touch the smooth
skin where the hem of the shirt ended. He wanted more than anything not to tell
her his decision tonight. He wished he could wait until tomorrow morning and
allow himself one more night with her in his arms. But that would be lying to
her. And she deserved better.
"Liz." But his throat wouldn’t work to tell
her they needed to stay away from each other. Not with her staring up at him
with lights and passion dancing in her eyes. Not with the heat of her body
teasing him with dreams of heaven. Not with the knowledge that he would never
love like this again.
"I can’t do this." He suddenly blurted out.
"I can’t be without you. Ever again!"
Liz had been steeling herself for the fight that was
coming and his words completely deflated her. "What are you talking about,
Max? Did you plan on being without me?"
He brought his other hand up to her face. "I
need you to be safe. I thought maybe… But I now know that more than anything, I
need to be the one to keep you safe. With me. Is that… Is that okay with you? I
mean, these guys will be looking for you and—."
"Max Evans! If you ever ask me again whether I
would be willing to take chances to be with you, I’m going to use my new
self-defense tricks on you! I love you! Together we are stronger."
Max stared at her in amazement. She had known all
along what he was so afraid to say. And she had been ready to battle him about it.
"I… I’m sorry?"
She retreated from him. "Do you love me?"
"Of course! How… How can you even ask me
that?"
"Would you love me whether or not we were
together?"
Max realized he was truly in trouble. Only an idiot
would not be able to see where this line of questioning was headed. "Yeah,
but Liz I--."
"But Liz nothing! They would use me in any case.
Because you love me. Not because we are dating or not."
Max held up his hands. Liz could be really scary when
she was angry. Really scary, but really sexy. "Hey! I get it! I… I’ll
never do it again?"
They stared at each other before bursting out
laughing. Max felt like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He
would keep Liz close. Well, not so close that her father would try to kill him,
but close enough that he could keep an eye on her. To see that she was safe and
also… because he loved looking at her.
Liz had seen the change in his gaze immediately. It
felt like fingers of fire were trailing her body wherever his eyes traveled.
She decided to give him what he deserved for even thinking of stepping back
again anyway, so she retreated when he came towards her.
Max stopped in confusion. Was she still mad at him?
His eyes widened and his heart slammed to a halt when he saw her unbuttoning
the shirt slowly, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Its good that you came to your senses, because
I was kind off hoping I wouldn’t have to show you that you would be missing
this." She slid the shirt off her shoulders, letting it trail from her
fingers as she finally walked towards him…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 36
They were going home. And I worry about them. These
human emotions of love and caring have overtaken our camp in the two weeks they
were here. We have set up teams to watch over each of them. We are working on
getting houses and other covers for this job. We cannot let the others find
them…
They were quiet on the way back to Roswell. Max held
Liz’s hand whenever he didn’t have to change gears and Michael and Maria sat
huddled together in the back seat. Isabel and Alex were in a car with Nick.
Max dropped Maria off first and waited patiently for
Michael to return from the farewell at her door. Michael was next, mainly
because Max didn’t want an audience for his goodbye to Liz. He stopped in the
alley behind the Crashdown, hoping it would give them some privacy. Liz was in
his lap immediately, kissing him passionately and urgently. Had it only been
about four hours since they were together this morning? Already they were
feeling the loss of their impending separation.
The lack of space was getting uncomfortable and Max
stumbled out of the Jeep with Liz in his arms. She curled her legs around his
waist and hung on, not breaking off the kiss. He ended up lifting her onto the
seat he had just vacated. His hands slid underneath her shirt, caressing the
soft skin of her back. How he loved kissing her!
"Liz!" Jeff Parker’s voice intruded into
their passionate haze with a vengeance. Max pulled away and looked at Liz
worriedly. This was not a great start to their new relationship. He had also
not made a great impression on the man he hoped to call his father-in-law
one-day! ‘Great going Evans!’
Journal Entry 37
They are home… literally. Back in the world where they
belong. The world that is so foreign to us, but one that would hopefully not be
as foreign to our children. And for now they only have to face normal human
problems…
Liz turned to her father who was standing in the
backdoor of the Crashdown, a frown creasing his face. Luckily the seat had been
shielding him from seeing too much of what was going on between her and Max,
but he probably saw enough of the heat of their kiss to get concerned. Liz
decided to play it cool, but she had trouble not shivering when Max removed his
hands slowly from beneath her shirt. "Hi Dad!"
"Hi Lizzie." Jeff watched Max with
suspicion. He remembered quite clearly that this was the same young man that
had kept Liz out all night not so long ago. They had managed to convince him
then that nothing too intimate had happened, but the kiss he just witnessed was
screaming of something he did not even want to think about. He saw Max
straighten his shoulders and face him squarely.
"Hi Mr. Parker." Max could see the various
emotions flitting across Liz’s Dad’s face and he didn’t blame him. He suspected
if he ever saw some guy mauling his daughter like that, he would flatten the
guy.
"Max." Jeff’s voice was neutral. He would
talk to Liz before jumping to conclusions. Apart from a few incidents, which
coming to think of it all included this Max, she had never given him and Nancy
anything to worry about. He stood his ground, making it clear that he wasn’t
going inside without Liz.
Max helped Liz get her stuff from the car and
unconsciously took her hand as they walked over to her father. Since Jeff was
still standing in the door, he ended up handing her gear to her father. Turning
to Liz, his voice was low when he said goodbye. He gripped her hand fiercely,
hoping that somehow she could feel how hard it was for him to let her go and
walk away. That she would feel how desperately he wanted to kiss her one last
time.
Liz smiled up at him, but her eyes were filming with
tears. She decided to ignore her father’s menacing presence and hugged Max
fiercely, whispering goodbye in his ear. She turned away quickly when she
disentangled herself from his arms, hoping to shield her wet eyes from his
gaze, but his voice stopped her.
"Liz."
He knew. He knew how she felt and it was killing him
to let her go like that. Liz knew she had to get away before she really started
bawling, so she just mumbled ‘goodbye Max’ and took off up the stairs.
Jeff observed this whole scene with trepidation. It
was clear that something intense was going on between his daughter and Max. He
wasn’t sure that he was all that comfortable with it. But he also couldn’t help
noticing how protective Max was of Liz. And that, at least, earned him some
points in Jeff’s book.
Max was staring at the top of the stairs where Liz
had disappeared. His heart ached for her. He wished he could go and comfort
her. He also wished that it didn’t feel like it would be forever before he
could see her again.
"So Max, what is going on between you and
Liz?" Jeff came right to the point.
Recovering from his initial shock at the question,
Max realized that a lot was riding on his answer. He needed to stick as close
to the truth as he possibly could, while leaving out the parts of an alien
bonding ceremony and an engagement. He met Jeff’s gaze. "I’m in love with
your daughter, Mr. Parker."
Jeff was speechless. What do you say to that? ‘You
are too young to know what love means’? ‘Break her heart and I’ll kill you’?
None of these responses seem fitting in the light of the sincerity in Max’s
eyes. So he ended up just nodding. "I’ll take her stuff up."
"Mr. Parker!" Max was taking a chance.
"Is it okay if I come pick Liz up for a movie tonight?"
The words hung in the air for a few tense moments
before Jeff turned back to Max. "Just don’t make it a late show, she looks
really tired." Again he couldn’t help but notice the happiness and relief
on Max’s face. He suddenly felt sorry for the guy. He obviously had it bad for
Lizzie.
Max stared after Mr. Parker and exhaled the breath he
hadn’t even realized he had been holding. Maybe, just maybe, things would work
out for him and Liz this time…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Journal Entry 38 (Final)
And so our experiment has come to an end. There is
hope for our people here on earth. A hope that started with the love between
our young leader and a human girl.
Love.
A word and emotion so foreign to my people now seems
like it was always a part of us. I watched the impact of this emotion on these
six young people and I’m stunned that the human race is not much stronger
because of it. Instead, they use this emotion to hurt and weaken one another.
Will this happen to my people once they integrate into humanity? Unfortunately
I think it would. In each race of people there are the good and strong, but
also the weak and evil.
Aaron and Kayla, your son IS the savior of our people
as we had hoped. Not in the manner you had initially planned, but in another
more exiting and surprising way. He led the way for integration into humanity
and showed us that we could learn to adapt on this new planet. He also showed
us that there are humans that could become even closer to us than any mate our
genetic coding could ever manufacture.
Her name is Liz.
She makes him strong and she loves him
unconditionally. She has character, intelligence and beauty. You could not have
chosen him a better mate yourselves. They have a connection the strength of
which I had never seen before. They shine when they are together. And yes,
physical intimacy with humans is possible. We still have to learn about
children, but I am positive that even that uncertainty can be overcome in time.
Your daughter is beautiful. She is strong and a
worthy princess for our people. She supports and helps Max because she loves
him too. Their bond is not one of obligation, but one of choice and caring.
Max’s second-in-command is a worthy warrior. I had
watched as he saved his leader’s life on more than one occasion. He is having
trouble adapting to human life, but I think he is on the way to finding
himself.
I am sad that these young people will never see our
beautiful planet. That they will never get to meet their parents. But they have
made a life for themselves here on earth. A good life. One filled with each
other and the humans that care about them.
We have a long way to go before we can rest easy
about our futures here on this planet. The others are here and we don’t know
how many they are or how much they know about us. Keeping these three important
members of our race alive is our goal now…
Friday night. He’s been gone
for a week. A long torturous week of not hearing his voice and not being in his
arms.
The Crashdown was basically empty apart from two men
sitting in one of the back booths nursing their coffees. Coffees laced with
Tabasco...
Liz hardly noticed Nick’s men (or were they Max’s
now?) hovering around her protectively anymore. She sat at the counter of the
Crashdown, her eyes unfocused as she stared out the window. Max… Her body
heated up just thinking about him. He was so perfect. Perfect that is, apart
from the fact that he insisted on good behavior from the two of them whenever
they were in a four-mile radius of their parents. His fear that her parents
would bar him from seeing her if they ever found out the nature of their
relationship completely overriding his baser urges. It drove her crazy! The
only times she and Max had really been together during this summer, was on
their infrequent weekend "camping trips". She didn’t see nearly
enough of him.
He was away a lot practicing his powers with Nick,
Michael and Isabel. They all figured they needed to get in as much practice
during the summer before school started again. At least there had been no sign
of the other alien race yet. She was actually starting to wish that school
would begin again, just so she could see him more often…
Liz sighed and closed her eyes, focusing on Max. It
was scary how easily she had gotten used to this connection they shared that
allowed them to pinpoint the other’s position. And the more she used it, the
easier it was becoming. Boy, would that come in handy when they’re back in
school! Eraser room meetings could now be orchestrated without the passing of
little notes. Where was he now? She concentrated harder and felt a sudden surge
of electricity on her body. He was on his way back!
She jumped off the chair and raced into the backroom,
finding a somber Maria at her locker. "They’re on their way back!"
she cried breathlessly.
Maria perked up immediately and hugged Liz. "I
LOVE your little radar for Max! I LOVE you!!" Maria turned into a
whirlwind of activity. "I have to go home and dress! I have to—."
Liz was laughing by now. "Maria, calm down! They
won’t be here for a while yet!"
"Hmpf! You are taking all of this WAY to calmly,
Ms-Queen-of-an-Alien-Race!"
Liz’s eyes widened as she spied her dad coming
through the back room swing door. "Maria!" she hissed warningly.
They both relaxed when Jeff gave them his usual
absent greeting. "Hey Lizzie. Maria. What are you two up to tonight?"
"Uhm. We’re going out to see a movie, Dad. You
know, girls night out."
Jeff looked at his daughter more sharply. Her eyes
were shining and she radiated excitement. He knew Max was gone with some of his
friends on a hiking trip and that Lizzie had seemed to lose her natural
liveliness while he was away. He frowned, wondering for the umpteenth time
about the intensity he could always sense just beneath the surface between his
daughter and Max Evans. Nancy was not too thrilled about the relationship, but
so far the kids had not given them any reason to panic. Max always had her home
by curfew and their embraces were within bounds. While he was around anyway...
But he remembered that kiss he witnessed when they returned from the school
camp quite vividly and he didn’t have any illusions that some heavy making out
were taking place when the parents were not around. They were normal teenagers
after all...
"So, just the two of you? Where’s Alex?"
Maria and Liz were practically dancing around with
impatience to get away from Jeff. "Oh no, he… uhm, he has a family thing
on tonight." Maria was praying that the topic of her lie didn’t just walk
into the café right then. "So, we need to go get dressed. Is it okay if we
leave you to lock up, Mr Parker?"
Jeff smiled, still enjoying the sparkle that was back
in Liz’s eyes. "Sure." He had barely finished the word before the two
girls were halfway up the stairs on the way to Liz’s room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
They waited in front of Michael’s apartment, but
Maria was driving Liz crazy asking where their guys were every few seconds.
"Stop Maria! I can’t concentrate if you carry on like this." Liz
waved her hand to get her friend’s attention.
"Liz. I love you, but you really have to start
getting better at this connection thing. I’m dying out here!" Maria complained.
Liz sat with closed eyes, ignoring Maria and taking
deep breaths in an effort to find Max. She had just managed to find their
connection when her door was pulled open and a pair of strong arms lifted her
from the car.
"Wow, I missed you!" His beloved voice was
gruff. He hugged her to him fiercely, nearly squeezing the breath from her
body.
Liz vaguely heard other exited voices, probably
Michael and Maria saying hi too, but all her concentration went into being in
the only place that she would ever call home again. Max Evans’ arms. She
pressed closer to him, trying to absorb his heat and scent into her skin. How
was it possible that the more she was with him, the more she needed to be with
him?
Max couldn’t take the chance of kissing Liz right
then. His body was feeling the weeklong absence sharply and he needed to get
her alone. "Let’s go."
Liz gave him a knowing look and turned to Maria.
"I’m going to phone my parents and tell them we’re seeing the late show.
Then I’m sleeping over at your house, okay?"
Maria grinned at her pleading look. "Sure,
Princess Leia! Go feed your alien. I’ll cover for you."
It said a lot for Max and Liz’s desperation to be
alone that neither of them reacted to Maria’s ribbing. Nick was taking Isabel
to Alex’s while Maria and Michael disappeared into his apartment.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The Jeep raced through the night and the wind whipped
Liz’s hair around her face. She couldn’t care less. She knew where they were going.
The pod chamber. It had become one of their favorite places to be alone since
they’ve returned from the alien camp. With their first few times Max had been
trying to exorcise the ‘destiny’ demons symbolized by the four pods. Later it
had just become one of the safest places for them to be together…
They stopped inside the chamber, out of breath from
the reckless run up the side of the rock outcrop. Sleeping bags lay on the
floor between them, undisturbed from the previous time they had been there. Max
lighted the myriad of candles around the chamber with a snap of his fingers and
then he was kissing Liz. Finally…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jeff Parker noticed that the two men that always
seemed to be around the café whenever Liz was working had left when she did. He
shook his head. Was his imagination playing tricks on him or were there all
sorts of weird things happening since Liz came back from that school camp at
the beginning of summer? Nancy kept saying that something strange was going on
with Max, but all Jeff could see was a boy that was totally smitten with his
daughter. Okay, maybe he was a bit
The door of the café jingled and Jeff turned to the
new customer. It was a lone figure with dark eyes. He stood for a moment inside
the door, scanning the empty room. He finally looked at Jeff, dismissed him,
turned around and left.
Jeff shivered. Now THAT was strange!
Max held Liz against him as
he struggled to get his heart rate and breathing back to normal. Their
lovemaking had been desperate and urgent, fuelled by a week of abstinence and a
need for each other that was growing instead of abating. Propping himself up on
his elbows, he stared at her beautiful face. Her eyes were still closed in
ecstasy and her hair was tangled around her where his fingers had so hungrily
and eagerly spread the silky tresses. When he held her in his arms, he could
tell how much she wanted to be there and it amazed him still. His life has
changed so much since that fateful day in the Crashdown last September. But if
all that had happened since had led him to this place, tangled in Liz Parker’s
loving embrace, then he would do it all over again if he needed to.
Max traced her face lovingly. He shaped her eyebrows
and her cute nose and caressed her cheek softly with his fingertips. He leant
closer to her and whispered ‘I love you’ against her waiting lips. Just the
simple pleasure of being able to say that as often as he wanted was precious to
him. No more destiny standing in their way. Just the two of them, pledged to
each other already and committed for life.
Liz smiled, almost purring at the sensations Max was
creating with his soft caresses. He literally had the most magic touch and he
used it on her regularly with devastating effect. Now that the worst of their
urgency had been dulled, they could enjoy just being together without worrying
about interruptions.
Max nuzzled her nose. "Am I getting heavy?"
In answer, she pulled him down to her, creating
electrifying contact between their bare upper bodies. "I missed you
terribly this time. A week is too long to be without you."
He sighed. "I know." Max kissed her
lingeringly, his tongue sweeping across her lower lip. "I think the others
saw that I wasn’t all that effective after being away from you for so long. So
we came back."
At this Liz’s eyes flew open. "Max, no please!
You mustn’t let me prevent you from doing your duty! I WANT you to do your
duty. Please. I just… I just miss you sometimes." The last bit was mumbled
with her head turned away.
"Only sometimes?" Max’s voice was amused.
"This is not something to joke about, Max. I
really, really don’t want to be in your way!" Liz was fast becoming upset
and it was showing in her voice.
"Hey! Look at me." Max gripped her chin and
turned her to look at him. "Part of my duty is to make sure that you are
safe too. You’re my family now and I need to have you as a priority in my life.
Don’t ever feel like you should be second after everybody else. You’re not and you
will never be!"
Liz bit her lip. "I just don’t want you guys to
get hurt because I kept you from preparing…"
"I promise not to let that happen, okay? Now can
we get back to being young and in love and alone in a place with millions of
stars to watch?" He got up and pulled one of the sleeping bags around him.
He opened his arms invitingly, his hands holding the edges of the bag.
"Are you joining me?"
Liz felt suddenly vulnerable lying there without
clothes or Max’s body to cover her, so she jumped up and rushed into his arms.
She slapped his chest at his knowing grin. "I’m not used to it,
okay!"
He hugged her to him again and pressed his face in
her hair. "And I love you for it…"
They were halfway out the cave when Liz remembered
that she should call her parents. "Uhm Max? Can you stay tonight or are we
going home?"
"I’m sorry, honey, but I should really go home.
Otherwise Iz will have to stay over at Alex’s so my parents won’t get
suspicious and then Alex’s parents would get suspicious... Its just too
complicated."
Liz nodded silently, hating the situation they were
in. She pulled Max with her to her phone and dialed her home number. When her
mother answered, she explained that Maria and her had decided to watch two
movies and would be home really late. Liz couldn’t help but wince when she
heard her mother’s hurried acceptance of her story, clearly still under the
impression that Max was away and all was safe for her little girl.
Max felt her tension and ran his hands over her
comfortingly. "Liz, I’m sorry. I know you hate lying to them. I do too.
But right now, I don’t see another way for us. I’m so sorry."
Turning towards him until she could snuggle against
his chest, Liz was quiet for a few moments. Finally she looked up into his
eyes. "Max, if the alternative is not being with you at all, then I’m
willing to do this."
Max picked her up and carried her out of the cave
into the open where galaxies of twinkling stars were shining down upon them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz slept late the next morning. She only had to work
the afternoon shift and her late night excursion with Max had tired her out. He
had insisted on stopping in the ally next to the café when they got back, in
spite of her worries that her parents might still be awake. However, the
darkness of the apartment eliminated her concerns. Max, being Max, wanted to
make sure that she got in her room safely, so Liz just smiled and humored him.
The first person Liz spotted when she came down to
the café just before lunch was Diane Evans. Liz faltered for a moment, not
really used to seeing Max’s mom eating at the Crashdown. In fact, the last time
Diane had been at the café was when she and Max had come home after finding the
orb in the desert. Of course Diane spotted her immediately.
"Hi Liz." Diane smiled at the girl that had
won her aloof son’s heart so resoundingly. She was still a bit amazed at the
fact that Max not only dated, but had a steady girlfriend.
Liz smiled back tentatively. She still wasn’t sure
where she stood with Diane. "Hi, Mrs. Evans. How are you?"
"I’m wonderful actually. Max and Isabel came
back from their trip last night." She watched Liz’s reactions carefully
and saw what she had suspected since Max had not hightailed it out of the house
at first light this morning. Liz knew about Max’s return.
"Wow! Uhm… that’s great." Liz was a
terrible liar and she suspected that Diane saw right through her little attempt
to insinuate that she had no idea Max was back. Then she hit on an idea.
"Yeah, he… he called me last night to say hi. I’m so happy he’s back. I
really missed him."
Diane was looking at her speculatively. "You two
are really very close, aren’t you?"
Liz wondered if this was a trick question, but the
expression on Diane’s face showed only genuine interest. She stated the truth
in a soft but sure voice. "I love him very much, Mrs. Evans."
Max’s mom nodded her head thoughtfully, taking in
Liz’s serious countenance.
The moment was interrupted by Nancy Parker’s voice.
"I’m not sure you should be throwing around words like love at your age,
young lady. It’s a serious statement to make." She turned towards Diane.
"Hi. Do you have everything you need?"
Diane smiled at Nancy and wondered about the fact
that she didn’t notice the hurt flashing in her daughter’s eyes at her words.
Did Nancy not know that she was belittling something precious and important to
Liz, even if she didn’t believe Liz knew what she was talking about?
Max chose that awkward moment to arrive at the
Crashdown and was stunned when he saw Liz surrounded by their mothers. He
walked over to her side quickly and took her hand. Whatever she was facing, he
would help her.
His mom observed the instinctive protective role Max
took in with Liz, obviously under the impression that she was being cornered.
Max turned Liz towards him, as if he could ward off any threats to her with his
body. And Liz, she was staring up at Max as if he was the answer to all her
prayers. It was a profound moment for Diane. Suddenly she saw her little boy as
a man.
Nancy saw the opposite. She saw a young man that
wanted her little girl to grow up too fast. A young man that was fast becoming
the most important thing in Liz’s life and thus had an increased ability to
break her daughter’s heart.
It was Diane that broke the tense silence first.
"Hi Max. I was just telling Liz that you were back, but she said that you
called her last night when you got home." She saw the tenseness leave her
son’s shoulders and the small, tender smile he gave Liz.
"Yeah. I was just coming to say hi before I have
to go to work." He looked at Nancy. "Is it okay if we go outside for
a little while?"
Her curt nod said it all. Nancy wasn’t all that
thrilled with the idea of Max and Liz being alone. But since it was broad
daylight, she couldn’t find a valid objection. "Just don’t be too long,
Liz. Your shift starts soon."
The two mothers watched with differing emotions as
their kids left the café holding hands.
Nick waited across the
street while Max and Liz talked in the alley next to the Crashdown. They seemed
deep in discussion and he didn’t want to interrupt. Instead, he scanned the
street to watch for anything suspicious. Nick’s people were still having
trouble with finding the right rhythm in integrating into the town while managing
to stay inconspicuous. They needed guidance and Nick had decided that their
young leader should be the one to provide it.
His eyes returned to the couple who was now sharing
lingering kisses. He smiled. It was good to see them so close and in love. Maybe
one-day Nick’s own children could share the same happiness…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max jogged across the street with his normal goofy
I’ve-been-with-Liz smile. He slowed when he reached the opposite curb and his
countenance turned serious again. He wished he could make a home with Liz
somewhere, so that they could go home to each other every night instead of to
separate houses in different parts of town. But here they were... Two teenagers
with an out-of-this-world love and the threat of extinction from a rival alien
race hanging over their heads. Max felt a moment of supreme panic. He was a
17-year old guy, for Pete’s sake! How was he supposed to cope with all this? He
desperately needed some help. Max took a deep breath. He needed Sheriff
Valenti.
Max halted when Nick blocked the entrance of the UFO
museum. "Hey Nick." He saw a moment of concern flash in Nick’s eyes
at the choked tone of his voice.
"We need to talk, Max. Its urgent."
Max’s panic flared up again, but he didn’t let it
show. Instead he turned instinctively so that he could see Liz through the
window of the Crashdown. She was safe and he saw her two
"bodyguards", Marcus and Chris, arrive at the café. Max frowned. He
needed to do something about it always being those two near Liz. Someone was
bound to notice.
Nick cleared his throat, amused that Max was staring
at Liz across the street. These two were so sappy! He repeated his request from
earlier when he had Max’s attention back. "We need to talk. I’ll meet you
after work."
Max nodded silently, his piercing eyes trying to
pinpoint the reason for Nick’s request. Nick was unreadable as usual. Max
turned back to the Crashdown. His heart ached for Liz. How was he ever going to
prove to her mother that he wasn’t just another boyfriend that would hurt her
daughter? How could he prove that he loved Liz more than his own life and never
wanted to be without her? That he was addicted to her presence and needed her
support to stay standing under the weight of the crushing responsibilities that
he had so suddenly and unexpectedly inherited? That not only him, but his whole
race of people would protect Liz with their lives? Max knew he HAD to find a
way to get Nancy Parker on their side.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz had returned to her post in the café feeling warmed
by Max’s protective and caring attitude towards her. When she was with him it
was easy to believe that they would make it through all this because they were
together.
She slogged through the afternoon shift. With only a
few customers to serve, there was a lot of time to think about her life. Liz
was sitting at the counter, staring into space when Maria’s voice interrupted
her.
"Earth to Liz! He’s only across the street, you
know!"
Liz grinned at her best friend. "Maria no! I was
NOT thinking about him."
Maria gave her the ‘yeah right’ look. "So, I see
we are yet again overrun by customers waiting to be fed with alien-themed
fair." She looked at Liz again. "Okay, so what’s wrong?"
"My mom hates Max. She doesn’t like me seeing
him and she’s quite obvious about it." Liz bit her lip. "Maria, I
need him."
Maria put her arm around Liz. "She’ll come
around. Come one, who doesn’t love Max?" Maria saw that Liz only smiled
weakly at her attempt to lighten the mood. Hmmm, maybe she could sing Max’s
praises with Mrs Evans at every possible moment to help Liz. Her thoughts were
interrupted by Jeff Parker.
"Lizzie! Can I talk to you in the back,
please?" Jeff’s voice halted his daughter on her way to pour coffee for a
customer. She entered the back room to find her dad standing at the door,
looking through the round window that gave him a view of the inside of his
café. Liz briefly wondered if Max was out there, but realized she felt him
still being in the UFO Museum across the street. "What’s up, Dad?"
"I was just wondering if you knew those two men
sitting in the café?" Jeff motioned her closer to the window.
Liz had to stand on her tiptoes to be able to see
through the glass. Her father was pointing at Marcus and Chris. Her heart
fluttered nervously. Why was her dad asking about them? ‘Uhm… Why are you
asking, Dad?"
Jeff turned to his daughter. "Because they’ve
been here almost every day this summer and they keep watching you…" He
didn’t even want to mention that it looked like they deferred to his daughter.
That was way too weird and he was truly hoping that it had been his
imagination.
What should she tell her dad? That she was basically
the Queen of an alien race because she had "married" their leader?
"Uhm…Dad--."
Maria barged into the back, startling Jeff and Liz
but effectively ending the discussion. "I’m sorry, Mr Parker, but some of
Liz’s customers are asking for her." With this, she basically dragged Liz
out to the counter. She waved her hands when Liz glared at her. "What?! So
I was eavesdropping!"
Liz shook her head. "Well, you saved my butt so
I’ll ignore this lapse." She stopped and looked over at her guards.
"Make sure my dad isn’t around, I need to get those two out of here."
As Maria went off to the back, Liz strode over to her
protectors purposefully and tried not to laugh when she saw them blanch as a
result. Wow, how weird was her life? "Okay, guys, you need to leave. Max
is right across the street and I know some self-defense. Besides, my dad is
asking questions about you two."
Marcus and Chris looked at each other. They had
orders from Nick who claimed his orders were from Max. But this WAS Max’s mate
and she way outranked Nick. They got up nervously when Liz folded her arms,
staring them down until they were out the door.
Max watched from the inside of the UFO Museum as
Liz’s bodyguards fairly slunk out of the café. He had felt a moment of fear and
then annoyance from her and had of course rushed over to a place from where he
could see her. She was scowling at Marcus and Chris fiercely and Max had to
stifle a laugh. A laugh that died a quick death when he saw the other man
standing outside the Crashdown window, apparently staring at Liz. Max cautioned
himself not to be overly paranoid, but then the guy moved towards the door of
the café, his eyes never leaving Liz.
Max broke into a run, bursting from the UFO Museum
and onto the street. His heart was racing and he barely looked for traffic
before he was dashing across the road. It felt like he was watching everything
in slow motion. The guy stopping mere feet away from Liz, pulling out a gun,
aiming at her. And Max was not going to make it in time…
A scream was torn from him. "
Liz had turned away from the
door after she threw her guards out on the street. She was quite pleased with
herself for being so assertive. Walking to the back of the café, a paralyzing
fear unexpectedly doubled her over. She didn’t hear the door jingle behind her
or see the man pulling the gun out of his pocket. She only saw her mother
standing in back door with Maria and turning white as a sheet. Then she heard
Max screaming her name in abject terror before she stumbled to her knees under
the crush of Max’s fear. His fear was for her, she realized.
The scream startled the gunman into turning around
and gave Max the precious seconds he needed to get between Liz and her
attacker. The guy stared at Max, now blocking his view of the girl, and dropped
the gun to waist height.
Finally recovering from his fear now that Liz was
safely behind him, Max felt a white-hot fury taking over. He clenched his fists
at his sides, taking a threatening step forward. He could see Marcus and Chris
take up position behind the attacker, waiting for his signal. The guy looked
over his shoulder and back at Max, understanding dawning on his face and
alerting Max to the fact that this was no random attack. This guy knew exactly
what the significance of the two men behind him was. The threat to Liz had been
an attempt to draw Max out…
The guy suddenly grinned. "So, your weakness has
a name!"
Both Max and his guards moved towards the attacker,
but he vaulted across a table and stormed out the back, flinging Liz’s mom out
of the way roughly. Marcus and Chris ran out the front to follow, but Max was
at Liz’s side immediately. "Are you all right?" He picked her up from
the floor and hugged her fiercely.
Liz was only now recovering from the onslaught of
Max’s feelings. She hadn’t had time to register what she felt during the whole
exchange with the stranger due to her concentration on Max. Now she started to
shiver in shock. Shock that someone had threatened her life and shock that Max
had put himself right in the path of danger for her.
"Liz…" Max was too emotional to get much
else out. He didn’t know how, but he knew now that she had not really been in
danger. That the gunman would not have pulled the trigger. And that he had
accomplished what he had wanted today. To identify Max as the leader of the
opposing alien race…
Clinging to Max until her shivering abated, Liz felt
her anger at Max grow. How could he have put himself in danger like that?
Max had his face pressed in Liz’s hair, his hands
rubbing her back and sides comfortingly. He felt the change in her demeanor
immediately. She started to stiffen in his embrace a few seconds before squirming
out of his hold. Max was baffled about her actions and the anger he felt coming
of her in waves until he saw her glare at him. Then he knew and started
grinning. "Liz…" He stopped when he caught a movement from behind
Liz. It was her mother.
Maria had helped Nancy to her feet after the gunman
had shoved her out of the way during his escape. Now she just stood back and
watched the events unfold.
Nancy stared at Max as if she was seeing him for the
first time. Her feet were taking her closer to the couple who was now watching
her warily. She was trembling. "You… you just…" Liz’s mom could not
make her throat work to tell Max that she had seen what he had done for her
daughter. Tears were starting to gather in her eyes and Max let Liz go so she could
hug her mom. Nancy held Liz close to her, but her gaze remained on the guy she
had so easily dismissed as being bad for her daughter. Max locked eyes with
her. Nancy saw so much more than she normally acknowledged in his eyes. So much
more than mere teenage lust. She saw love and need and protectiveness shining
from Max’s expressive eyes.
Liz pulled out of her mother’s hug. "I’m fine,
Mom." She turned to look at Max. "I’m fine."
Nancy was still looking at Max. "Thank you for
what you just--."
"I did it for me, Mrs. Parker." Max’s quiet
voice interrupted her. "She means everything to me." He looked at her
steadily, willing her to see how much he loved Liz.
Hearing a throat being cleared behind him made Max
turn around to find Marcus and Chris standing there. They shook their heads
indicating that they hadn’t been able to find the gunman, and then looked down
immediately as if waiting for their execution. Max didn’t want to get into the
whole issue with Liz’s mom watching. "It’s okay, we’ll talk later."
The two shot apologetic looks at Liz and left.
Nancy watched this whole interlude with a small
frown, noticing how Liz had immediately went back to Max when the two men
appeared. She saw how her daughter pressed herself close to Max, her face in
the crook of his neck. Nancy looked at Max. "Maybe you should take her to
the hospital. Let them check her for shock…"
Max felt Liz’s nod and he suddenly wondered if she
was more upset than he had realized. "Liz?"
Grabbing Max’s hand, Liz finally looked up into his
face and let him see how desperately she needed to be alone with him right now.
She saw comprehension dawn in his eyes and felt his body tense next to hers.
"I… I think that’s a good idea, Mrs.
Parker." Max was not looking at Nancy, sure that she would be able to see
what they were up to in his eyes. He put his arm around Liz and walked her out
to the Jeep. "Where…?"
"Can we go to Michael’s apartment?" Liz had
one hand clutched in the front of Max’s shirt, trying to breathe normally when
all she wanted to do was kiss him and remind herself that they were both still
alive.
"Yeah, I guess so. He went to practice with
Nick." Max helped Liz in the Jeep and ran round the front. He tried to
drive off slowly so as not to attract any more attention, but sped up as soon
as he was out of sight from the Crashdown.
Liz clutched her hands in her lap, trying to keep
herself from grabbing Max. She realized that this was probably reaction to the
situation she just lived through, but she needed him right now. Needed to have
him inside her, celebrating that she was still alive and able to love him.
The Jeep came to a screeching halt in front of
Michael’s apartment building and they jumped out and ran inside. As soon the
outer door closed behind them, Liz flung herself in Max’s arms. They kissed
desperately and Max grabbed her bottom, lifting her up against him. Liz wrapped
her legs around his waist and held on as he stumbled blindly along the hallway
towards Michael’s front door.
Liz moaned into Max’s mouth, trying to get closer to
him. She threaded her hands in his hair and urged his mouth into deeper contact
with hers. His body heat scalded her and she grappled to come to terms with her
sudden overpowering need for him to make love to her.
Max pressed Liz into Michael’s door as he waved his
hand over the lock. He couldn’t stop kissing her. The fear and anger in his
body had been replaced by something much more powerful: lust.
They nearly fell into the apartment when the door
eventually swung open. Max recovered his balance enough to be able to kick the
door shut behind him. Liz was already tearing his shirt out of his pants,
needing the contact of his bare skin. He put her down on the kitchen counter,
freeing his hands for more important tasks. Like undressing Liz…
Their union was urgent and fast, driven by the
intense emotions of the past few hours. They were affirming their love, their
life, their commitment and their togetherness with this act.
Liz caught Max’s face between her hands and her words
came out hurried between gasping breaths. "I love you… so much. Don’t…
ever leave me!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max and Nick met during the late afternoon after Max
had delivered Liz to her bed at home with strict instructions to take a nap.
They drove out of town in silence until Max found a place to stop in the
desert, away from the highway.
Nick came right to the point. "We need to have a
meeting with you."
"We?" Max frowned.
"Yes, the council of our group. Some decisions
need to be taken and you are the one that has to take them."
Max felt the now familiar panic threatening to
overtake him. "What sort of decisions?"
"Well, what to do about Tess for one. And about
our integration into the town. And about the fact that the other alien race
have found you and Liz." Nick stared at Max piercingly. "And the fact
that you’re not ready to deal with them yet…"
Liz woke up to voices in the
den of the apartment. She recognised her mom and dad, but the other male voice
momentarily confused her.
"…was outside taking out the garbage when the
guy practically ran me down. I thought he had robbed the café and ran down the
street after him to see if I could see his car or something. When I came back,
Nancy told me about the gun. Sheriff, you have to try and find the guy!"
Liz sat up when she heard her dad saying ‘Sheriff’.
Nancy was speaking now. "And he seemed to know
Max. Liz’s boyfriend. It was really strange, Sheriff." Liz’s heart sank.
Was her mother STILL suspicious of Max? "But he did save Lizzie’s
life…" Nancy sounded unsure of herself.
"Yes, they love each other very much." Liz
sighed in relief. ‘Thank you, Sheriff Valenti!’
Jeff sounded concerned. "There’s something else,
Sheriff. These two men have been hanging around the café a lot during the
summer. They seemed to be watching Liz and she seems to know them, but the
whole thing was just weird to me. What if they were helping this attacker from
today?"
At that, Liz jumped up and went to the den. Everybody
looked up when she appeared in the door. Liz looked at the Sheriff desperately,
trying to convey with her eyes that she needed to speak to him.
Jim caught on immediately. He looked at Liz’s
parents. "Would you mind if I talked with Liz alone for a while? I need to
get her version of the story." He took her arm and steered her down the
stairs to the café. Finding the café mostly empty before the dinner crowd, he
settled them both in a booth. "Tell me what happened, Liz."
Liz told him everything she knew about the afternoon.
They had seen the sheriff a couple of times during the summer after their
return from the camp and he had been informed about the existence of the group
of survivors. But now she finally told him about her bodyguards, Max being the
leader of his race, and finally about the other alien race that is seeking to
destroy them all. Jim was increasingly stunned as the story unfolded before
him. The magnitude of what these kids had to face was overwhelming and he felt
a renewed sense of responsibility towards them. He owed Max Evans the life of
his son, and he would never forget that.
Liz felt Max coming closer and hurried into the
request she had wanted to make to the Sheriff. Jim looked stunned at first and
then grinned. Little Liz Parker truly had spunk. He could see why Max was so
smitten with her.
Liz looked to the door even before Max was opening
it. "Don’t tell Max about this right now, Sheriff. I’ll talk to him
later."
Max made a beeline for Liz as soon as he came through
the door. Everything he heard from Nick this afternoon was threatening to
overwhelm him and he needed her calming presence. He slid into the booth with
Liz and leant in to kiss her, slowly rubbing his lips over hers. Their eyes
were warm when they pulled apart, both of them remembering what happened
earlier this afternoon.
Max was leaning in for another kiss when Jim cleared
his throat, amused that the two in front of him had become completely oblivious
to anyone else. He watched as they pulled apart, startled by the unexpected
intrusion. Jim’s eyes narrowed as he saw Max pull his hand away from Liz’s
thigh under the table. Was it his imagination or were these two becoming
comfortably intimate with each other?
"Hey Sheriff. How are you?" Max’s voice was
level. Frankly, he just had too much on his mind to worry about Jim Valenti
seeing him kiss Liz.
"I’m fine, which is apparently more than I can
say for you."
Max looked down at the table for a few moments, but
when he met Valenti’s eyes, his face was full of determination. "Sheriff,
I need your help with a few things." Jim just nodded, trying not to look
impressed with the young man in front of him.
Liz nudged Max. "If you let me out, I’ll go get
you guys something to drink." He gave her a small smile and slid out of
the booth.
He held out his hand as soon as he was standing and
pulled Liz out and upright. Max stopped her from moving away and turned his
back on Sheriff Valenti, in effect shielding Liz from him too. Rubbing his
hands over her arms and staring deep into her eyes, he asked: "Are you
okay? Did you sleep a little bit?"
Liz grinned up at him. "Yes Master!" She
sobered up when she saw a shadow flicker across his face. "Are you okay?
You look tired and…" She caressed his jaw and felt him sigh and lean into
her hand. She had wanted to add ‘worried’, but didn’t want to upset him
further. She could feel his tension and wished there was something she could do
to help him. So she did the only thing she could think of right now, she
pressed herself against him and whispered: "I love you, Max Evans,"
in his ear.
Max laced his fingers with hers and held onto her
hand when she backed away to go get their drinks. It reminded the Sheriff of
the time at the old mine just after they had sprung Max from Pierce’s compound.
He would never forget the way these two looked at each other during that
terrible day. Like they were each other’s salvation. And how they couldn’t stop
touching each other and how reluctantly Max had let her hand go when he told
Liz to go into the mine so he could speak to the Sheriff.
Max slid back into the booth after he had watched Liz
go. The seat he was in was an unfamiliar one. It faced away from the back of
the café where Liz was so he couldn’t stare at Liz. He met the Sheriff’s eyes
and took a deep breath. Time to be the leader of a people!
Max and Jim made plans until the dinner crowd started
coming in and taking up tables close to them. They had decided that some of
Nick’s men will be working for Jim as Deputies (not getting paid, so he didn’t
have to explain anything to his superiors) allowing them to act as bodyguards
to the teens and their loved ones without too much suspicion. Jim would also
start looking into any newcomers in town, trying to find the other aliens that
have apparently arrived.
When Liz came back to bring them yet another refill,
the sheriff looked at them both. "I think you need to talk to your
parents. It will be very difficult to keep you all safe being scattered all
over town like this. You need to be in one place as much as possible."
"No! We can’t…" Max sounded agitated and
Liz linked her arm through his, leaning her head on his shoulder. Max’s fear
for abandonment when his parents found out what he was, was still ruling him.
He never wanted to have anyone, let alone the only parents he has ever known,
to look at him in fear and revulsion.
Jim saw that the subject was a touchy one for Max, so
he dropped it with a final remark. "Just think about it. I have to go.
Tell your parents I’ll start looking for that gunman. And you two be
careful!"
Liz kept on hugging Max as the Sheriff left,
wondering how she could make him see that his fears were probably unfounded.
Anybody that would take in two six year-old kids and raise them as their own,
would probably accept their children being ‘not human’. And there was one thing
Liz was sure of, Diane Evans loved her children.
Max sighed. "I have to go. Nick asked that I
meet with our people’s council tonight… Will you be okay with Tess coming back
to town and working with us?" He looked at her probingly. "Because I
could--."
Liz stopped him with her fingers on his mouth.
"I’m fine with it, Max. You guys need her help and I," her eyes
starting twinkling, "I’ll just keep you too tired to be able to do
anything with her…" She giggled as Max’s eyes widened in shock. Shock that
was quickly replaced by indignation. Liz kissed his mouth before he could
retort. "I’m only kidding! I know you would never…" She kissed him
again, softly and gently. Her wonderful, loving and loyal Max. "I have to
tell you something, but you have to promise me that you won’t freak out like
last time."
Looking confused, Max mumbled: "Last time?"
"Yeah, uhm…I sort of… I asked the Sheriff for
details about some self-defence classes. I think I need some professional help
this time…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was grinning by the time she got to her new class
that night. Max had actually NOT freaked, trusting the judgement of the
Sheriff. He had even dropped her off at the class on his way out of town to
meet with Nick. However, she now has a training partner by the name of Marcus.
She stared around the motley group of people waiting
for the instructor of the class to show up. Everybody looked nervous, making
Liz smile. At least she was not the only newcomer here! Then her eye fell on a
tiny blonde coming through the door. The latest arrival was gorgeous and she
made quite and impression on the male population of the class. She actually
looked a little like one of Liz’s favourite TV characters, Buffy. The girl
looked around the class until she spotted the empty space next to Liz. She came
over and smiled hesitantly at Liz. "Hi, I’m Sarah. Do you mind if I use
this space?"
Liz liked her immediately. "Sure! I’m Liz."
She caught Marcus’ warning frown over Sarah shoulder, but decided to ignore
him. "Are you new in town? I haven’t seen you around before."
"Yeah, I just moved here with… with my boyfriend
a few days ago." Sarah looked away from Liz, but not before Liz had caught
her frightened look.
Liz had been involved with Max for far too long to
not wonder about the new girl and her barely concealed fear. She wondered if it
was a coincidence that Sarah had shown up around the same time the other alien
was trying to find Max? Liz glanced at her again. Well, she LOOKED harmless
enough…
Max was tired when he drove back
to Roswell after his meeting with the Council. They had looked to him for
answers and decisions and he tried to do it all justice. They needed to get us
much as possible in place before school started in three weeks.
He rubbed his face wearily and glanced at Tess in the
seat next to him. She was staring out the window, her face turned away from
him. He was giving her a ride home and she would stay in the house Nacedo was
still renting until the end of summer. Then they would have to get her a new place
to stay or the school will get suspicious. She wasn’t very friendly towards
him, but he could understand that. Everything she had ever believed to be her
future is gone now. He felt a little sorry for her, but the image of Liz lying
in that bed and not waking up because of her was still fresh in his memory.
His attention drifted to other more pressing
problems. Maybe he could graduate sooner. He knew he could probably use his
powers to process all the information he needed to study faster, but he never tried
it fearing it would look suspicious. So it had always been a struggle to be a
good student, but not one so good that he attracted attention. But if he
managed to graduate sooner, he could be with Liz sooner. And he would have
greater control over his own affairs without dragging his parents into the
whole mess that was his life.
Max’s throat constricted at the thought that his
parents would one day find out what he was. He didn’t think he could handle
that on top of everything else right now. Maybe one day when he was older and
married to Liz… Liz. If it wasn’t for her unconditional love, his life would
have been unbearable for him right now. But the hope of him and Liz being
together forever in the future, kept him going through the motions of being the
famed alien leader that he supposedly was.
After dropping Tess off at her house, he turned the
Jeep towards his home. His watch told him it was close to midnight and he had
to ignore the urgent calls from his heart and his body to go to Liz. They both needed
sleep and could do without the wrath of their parents. It was bad enough that
they had taken such a wild chance this afternoon in Michael’s apartment, but he
kept telling himself that it was extraordinary circumstances and that it would
not happen again. They did not need to get caught in a situation like that! The
only problem was, he has always had trouble keeping his hands off of Liz Parker
and now that they were intimate on a regular basis, he was even worse. It
didn’t help much that Liz apparently had the same problem with him. His heart
sped up at the memory of the way she had looked at him this afternoon. So much
need and longing had been in her beautiful eyes that she made him weak with
desire. He smiled. His Liz…
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Marcus and Liz came out of the class, tired but
satisfied, they saw Sarah being driven off on a motorcycle. Liz wondered about
the quiet girl again. She seemed to be almost desperate to learn some of the
techniques in the class and Liz was starting to suspect it had something to do
with her boyfriend. Maybe he was hurting her… Liz shuddered. She couldn’t even
contemplate being in an abusive relationship. Not when her boyfriend was the
world’s gentlest guy!
Marcus waited until he was sure she was safely in her
room before he waved to the guy on night duty in front of the Crashdown. His
muscles were stiff already and he grimly thought that guarding Liz Parker was
going to be the death of him. But hey, he was just glad to still be alive and
not in one of their prison spheres after what happened with the gunman this
afternoon. Max had been surprisingly calm about the whole thing for which both
Marcus and Chris were eternally grateful. Its not like they haven’t seen Max in
full flight while something was wrong with his Liz!
He needed to get home and start preparing for his
move to the little town of Roswell NM with HIS mate. At least he would get to
live in a real house for a change, but he wasn’t too sure about working for the
Sheriff of the town. Max trusted the Sheriff, but it was still a big leap for a
guy who spent his whole life in a camp away from human contact. He smiled when
he remembered the concentration and determination with which Liz had taken part
in the class just now. If the other humans were like Liz Parker, then he was
prepared to take the chance.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jeff and Nancy looked up as Liz came through the door
of the apartment. Their eyes widened in surprise at her attire. "Were you
at the gym?" Nancy was clearly stunned at the possibility.
Shaking her head, Liz grinned. "No, I’m taking
self-defense classes with someone from the Sheriff’s office!"
This seemed to surprise her parents even more. Jeff
and Nancy looked at each other. "Lizzie, could you sit down so we can talk
for a moment?" Jeff’s gentle voice was tentative. This was his only
darling daughter and he was really scared about what has been going on in her
life.
Liz bit her lip, fear of what they were going to say
taking hold of her. Please let them not forbid me to see Max! She perched gingerly
on the edge of the chair that faced the couch her parents were sitting on.
Her father looked uncomfortable before he started
speaking. "We just need to know what is going on in your life right
now."
"What do you mean, Dad?" Her voice sounded
amazingly calm to her own ears.
"We mean that there are strange things happening
ever since the beginning of the summer and we need to know if… if there is
something we should worry about." Her mother was looking at her intently.
"It’s… it’s not drugs or something, is it?"
Liz felt her mouth drop open. "Drugs! No! How
could you even think that?"
Her parents were shifting around in their seats,
clearly not sure how to handle the whole conversation. "What about Max? Is
he into anything illegal?"
"Mom, he saved my life today. He would never do
anything that would harm me. You have to believe that!"
"But why did it look like that man that attacked
you today knew him? And who were those two men that were hanging around the
café all summer and that helped Max today?" Her mother was getting
agitated.
Liz gripped the armrests of the chair, fighting for
calm. "Mom, I don’t know who that man was. And the two men that came in
probably know Max from his work at the UFO museum. It’s nothing sinister."
Liz knew she was floundering and didn’t know how to get out of this situation
without doing more harm to Max’s reputation.
"I think we need to talk with the
Evans’--."
"Mom!"
"Liz, you’re our little girl and we love you.
Surely you can understand that we worry about you being involved with Max? With
any boy for that matter?" Her mother was sounding firm now.
Liz realized that fighting against this now would
only cement her parents’ suspicions that something weird was going on with Max.
So she merely nodded with downcast eyes.
Her mother’s voice was soft when she continued.
"I saw how much he cares about you today. We just want to be sure,
okay?"
Liz nodded again. Tears were starting to gather in
her eyes. The day had been long and tiring. She needed Max. She needed his arms
and his soft voice telling her that she is safe and loved. Her phone started
ringing in her room, giving her the chance to escape. She knew it was Max
before she even picked up.
"Hi Max." Her voice was thick with unshed
tears.
"Hey love. Are you okay? I felt… What’s
wrong?" His voice was filled with concern.
"I’m just missing you… Sorry for being so
pathetic. How are you?" Liz heard the weariness in his voice and she
didn’t want to add to his burden tonight. They could talk about her parents
tomorrow.
He took a deep breath. "Tired. I just… I just
needed to hear your voice."
Liz wanted to burst into tears. She could feel Max
hanging onto normalcy like a drowning man and she desperately wanted to be able
to hold him and help him gain his strength back. "I love you, Max. I’ll be
here whenever you need me."
She heard his intake of breath before he said
quietly. "You don’t know how much it means to hear you say that."
Liz forced a smile into her voice. "Do you think
that maybe we could have one of those shared dreams of ours tonight? One of
those in which I don’t have to worry about you still respecting me in the
morning?"
Max’s soft chuckle warmed her heart. "We can
definitely try!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
On the other side of town, another girl was talking
to her soulmate. "I met her by accident. Liz was in my class
tonight…"
Max was putting the phone
down when Izzy came into his room. "How’s Liz? I heard about the gunman
from Maria."
He ran his hands through his hair before answering.
"She’s okay. I got there before he could do anything." His voice was
tired when he continued. "He was looking for me, Iz. How did he know to
come look for me at the Crashdown? How did he know about Liz?"
Isabel sat down next to Max and looked at him
worriedly. Her brother seemed… despondent. "Max…" She rubbed her hand
over his shoulder, feeling the tension knotting his muscles. "Is there
anything I can do?"
Yes, Max thought, help me be normal. But that wasn’t
in Isabel’s power. "Just… be careful, okay. They know we’re in Roswell and
they’re bound to find all of us sooner or later."
"Don’t worry about us. I’m spending most of my
day in Alex’s bedroom--." She swatted his shoulder when she saw his look.
"And no! It’s not what you think! Not that you’d be one to talk! But we
are doing research on the Internet to try and see if we can’t find something on
these other aliens. So far, there isn’t much to find." She took a deep
breath before plunging ahead. "But we did find a mention of the possibility
that a waitress was shot and healed at the Crashdown in one of the recent UFO
Today newsletters…"
Max’s head snapped up. "What!"
"Yeah, uhm… We saw it today. It was printed
about three weeks ago. There were no names in the article about who was shot
and who did the healing. They didn’t even ID their source."
"So that’s how they found us…" He clenched
his hands into fists. Will the one act that forever changed his life for the
better, also remain the one thing that will haunt him and every one close to
him for the rest of his life? He jumped up from the bed. "There must be
some other way for us to solve this thing between the two alien races! I refuse
to accept that we will be hunted for the rest of our lives. That Liz and I will
never have a…" he swallowed, "… a family."
Isabel inhaled sharply when she saw the torment that
flashed in Max’s eyes. Max had so many dreams that kept getting sacrificed to
the greater good. Sure, they all had dreams, but theirs were new and mostly
unformed. Max, on the other hand, has had years in which to build up the dream
of being married to the girl he had always loved. About having a house and
children. And about being normal.
"Max, we will work this out. Together."
Isabel hugged her brother. "Why don’t you go see Liz? I’ll cover for you
with mom and dad."
Max shot her a small smile. "Thanks, Iz, but her
parents will kill me." They’ll kill me anyway if they knew what I did with
their daughter this afternoon! "I’ll see her early tomorrow."
Isabel smiled at him knowingly. "You hate this,
don’t you. Not telling everyone that you two are… well, basically married
now."
"I hate a lot more than that. I hate that I
can’t be with her every second of the day. I hate that she is in danger because
I love her. I hate that I have to rely on other people to help keep her safe. I
hate that we will apparently never have a normal life." Max turned to find
his sister watching him with a concerned expression. "But I will still
take all this over my life before Liz was a part of it any day."
"Max." Isabel’s voice reflected her
concern. She had never seen Max so… weary. It was like he was pulling himself
through each passing second with the hope that it all would lead to a normal
life with Liz in the end. Like that was the only thing that kept him going.
Turning away to stare up at the V-formation in the
stars, Max shoved his hands in his pockets. "It’s okay, Iz. Sleep
well."
Isabel stared at his back for a few moments, before
leaving the room.
Max heard her startled gasp from right outside his
door. He swung around to find that one of his recurring nightmares had
apparently come true. His mom was filling the doorway, her eyes full of
questions.
"Max? What is going on here?" Diane’s voice
was uncertain, trying to make sense of what she just heard.
Isabel saw Max’s helpless and terrified look and
realized her brother was inches away from coming undone. On top of all the
events of the day, he now faced his second biggest fear. Apart from losing Liz
forever, Max was most afraid that their mother will find out what they were and
stop loving them. In contrast with Max, Isabel held on to the hope that her
mother would continue to love her unconditionally, in spite of what she was.
"What did you hear, Mom?" Isabel’s voice held a false tone of
cheerfulness.
"That… that Max and Liz are… married? That she
is in danger? I… I don’t understand?" Diane was floundering, her mind
filled with possibilities of the meaning of what she had overheard. She was
staring at Max, who had gone completely motionless. Her son’s beautiful eyes
were filled with terror. Terror directed at her. Diane couldn’t stand that look
in his eyes and she rushed forward, pulling him into an embrace.
"Whatever it is, Max, I’ll understand!" She
pulled away slightly, asking the question that had immediately popped into her
mind when she had heard Max and Isabel talking. "Is… is Liz
pregnant?" Her heart started beating again when she saw Max’s complete
shock at her question.
"No Mom! Liz is not pregnant!" Isabel spoke
up for her brother who still seemed unable to get his throat to work. "You
know Max, he worries about everything! And there was this gunman at the café
this afternoon that tried to shoot Liz. Max is just overreacting about the
whole thing." Isabel realized she was babbling, but she couldn’t stop
herself. "That’s why we love Max, he overreacts about everything!
Especially about Liz…" She kicked herself at the last statement, knowing
it had brought their mother’s attention back to the issue at hand: Max and Liz.
"I heard about the incident at the café and that
Liz is okay… Then what’s this about marriage?"
When he finally spoke up, Max’s voice was low and
full of feeling. "I’ve asked Liz to marry me." He locked gazes with a
speechless Diane. "She’s said yes."
Diane walked towards Max’s bed on unsteady legs.
"Honey, you are seventeen. How can you two be thinking of marriage? I
mean, I know you love her very much…"
"Mom, I have never loved anyone else in my life.
Only always Liz. I know what I want. What I need. Its Liz."
Staring up at her son, Diane Evans again saw a grown
man. She suddenly realized that she couldn’t remember when Max had ever been a
boy. It seemed that he had moved from being a child to a man without becoming a
boy in between. He had become a young man without her noticing. With this
realization, the concern about what exactly was happening between Max and Liz
reared its head again. "I can see that you’re serious about Liz. Are you
two… are you having sex?"
Max looked at her steadily. This was one lie he
wasn’t prepared to continue with. "Yes."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz couldn’t sleep. Something was going on with Max,
she could feel it. His emotions were like a roller-coaster and she guessed
something was happening with his parents or Izzy. She desperately wanted to
call him, but had to wait until she was sure she wouldn’t be interrupting
anything. Once again she wished she could be with him whenever he needed her.
Instead she could only close her eyes and concentrate on how much she loved him
and hope he would feel it. My Max. My everything.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Both Diane and Isabel stared at Max open-mouthed
after his confession. Isabel was sure Max had finally lost it. Was he insane
for admitting that to her mother? Her mom would probably take the news of them
being aliens better than what she had just heard!
Max was watching Diane with something akin to
contentment on his face. It felt good to finally be honest with her about
something. His mom, on the other hand, seemed unable to form a coherent
response and various expressions flitted across her face: shock, concern,
admiration, disappointment and finally, relief.
"I’m glad you felt you could tell me this, Max.
I don’t think you are doing the right thing, but at least now we can talk about
it." Diane was trying very hard to sound reasonable so she didn’t send Max
back into that aloof world where he had seemed to live before Liz Parker came
into his life. "Do her parents know about this?"
With one sentence, Diane wiped out all the positive
things Max had been feeling after finally revealing one of his many secrets to
his mother. He suddenly realized that his rash confession would probably lead
to the end of his relationship with Liz if her parents ever found out. Slowly
sinking down on his chair, Max’s eyes pleaded with his mother not to take away
the one thing in his life that made sense. Liz Parker.
Isabel backed slowly out of
Max’s room, her eyes fixed on her mother and brother who were still staring at
each other silently. Once in the hallway, she practically ran to her room and
called Maria’s cell phone. As expected, Maria was with Michael…
"Michael, you need to come to our house right
now. Max is… he needs us!" The phone went dead in her ear and she knew
Michael had heard the worry in her voice. Ever since that day when he killed
Pierce and worked through the intense guilt that came with that, Michael had
slowly been accepting his role as the soldier of the group.
Creeping silently back to Max’s room, Isabel was
surprised to find her mother gone. Max was still sitting in the same position,
his hands clasped between his knees and his head bowed. "What
happened?"
"She said she needed to think about this and
that we should talk tomorrow." It was so quiet in the room after he
stopped talking that Isabel imagined she could hear their hearts beat.
"Is she going to tell Dad?"
Max shrugged tiredly.
"I’ve called Michael. We need to talk." Max
looked up and locked gazes with her. Finally, he just nodded. Isabel went to
close the door and lock it.
Michael arrived 10 minutes later through the window.
His face was expressionless, but they knew he was worried.
"We need to tell our mother about us."
Isabel was looking at Michael, expecting his usual explosion of distrust. But
Michael was looking at Max and saying nothing.
It was Max that eventually spoke up. "I don’t
think we should…" But his voice lacked its usual sureness.
"Well, I think we should. Max, we cannot… YOU
cannot go on this way. We need you too much and you can’t worry about our
parents finding out all the time too. We need her, Max." Isabel’s wasn’t
pleading, she was stating a fact.
"I agree." To say that the silence that
followed Michael’s statement was deafening, was an understatement!
"Michael!"
"No Max, you are worth nothing to us if you go
on like now! You need to get you life sorted out, so we can concentrate on our
real problem: these other aliens that have found us." Michael had trouble
believing himself that these things were coming out of his mouth. But if
nothing else, this last year has taught him that he is much better off without
his stonewall around him.
"I still don’t think--."
Isabel interrupted Max. "I say we vote on this.
I say we tell her." She looked at Michael. He just nodded. "Its two
to one, Max."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Putting one foot in front of the other. That was all
Max wanted to concentrate on right now. He had climbed out of his window after
Michael and Isabel had left and went for a walk. His mind was playing a little
horror movie of what could happen when they told their mother in an endless
loop. He vaguely thought he should probably not be walking around alone while
these other aliens were out here looking for him, but he was too emotional to
care. His biggest fear had always been that he would not belong… anywhere. And
now that fear may come true.
Screeching tires had him whirling around and before
the car door opened he knew it was Liz. In the seconds that he stood rooted to
his spot and watched her run towards him dressed in her night gown, he
remembered something very precious. He DID belong. When her arms went around
his neck, gripping him tightly, he knew he was home.
Liz pulled back and gently wiped the wetness from
Max’s cheeks. He hadn’t even realized he was crying. "I was so worried!
Are you okay?"
Max pulled her into his body, his hands tangling in
her hair. "I am now." He placed his fingers on her lips when she
opened her mouth to press the issue. "Shhh, love." He leant closer
and whispered against her mouth. "We’ll talk later."
The kiss was gentle at first. As if Max was trying to
make sure this wasn’t a dream. He slowly rubbed his lips over Liz’s, finding in
her sweet taste a new belief in the good of the world. A new belief in destiny.
Because that’s what Liz was, his destiny.
His mind was screaming at him that this was neither
the right place nor the right time to start anything, but his heart wouldn’t
listen. It needed the salving only Liz’s love could provide tonight.
Liz was startled that Max would kiss her right here
on the street in the dead of night in a town where most people knew each other.
But she felt his feelings crashing through their connection and knew how much
Max needed their closeness right now. In response, she opened her mouth,
inviting him in.
Max groaned and suddenly the kiss changed. It became
hot, hungry and desperate. Max kissed her until they both needed oxygen
urgently. He traced the curve of her jaw with his tongue, making Liz cry out in
need. His hands slid from her hair down her shoulders until they came to rest on
the knot of her gown.
Some sane part of Liz’s brain was trying to tell her
that this was not a good idea and her hands covered Max’s at her waist. It
arrested his movements immediately. But her resolve wavered under his intense
scrutiny. Max was staring at her as only he could, making her knees weak and
her heart flutter. And her hands fell away ineffectively to allow him to pull
robe’s edges apart.
Max’s fingers were warm when they slid over the
exposed skin between her tank top and her drawstring pants. Liz’s head fell
back and she sighed with the wonderful feelings his touch evoked. He had magic
hands. Hands that healed. Hands that loved. Hands that could caress her soul
from her body.
Mesmerized by the creamy length of the throat that
was exposed to him, Max leant in and pressed his open mouth to her skin. He
could feel her pulse thundering under his lips and the rhythm heated his blood
further. Unthinkingly, he lifted her off her feet and into his body, his arms
around her like steel bands.
They kissed again while Max walked forward until he
could sit Liz down on the bonnet of her car. She wrapped her legs around his
waist and ran her hands through his hair. Max kissed her passionately, pouring
his love into her through the intimate invasion of her mouth. He ran his hands
up under her top, tracing the curve of her spine with his fingertips.
Liz arched into him, her body silently begging for
more. She pulled his shirt from his jeans and fleetingly remembered that she
had done the same thing this afternoon. It felt like such a long time ago.
Grazing her nails across the firm muscles of his stomach, she reveled in the
helpless groan that was torn from him. His skin quivered under her touch,
heating her blood further.
Max had to clench his hands into fists in the
material of her top to stop himself from stripping her naked. Things had
already gotten completely out of control and he certainly didn’t intend to make
love to her on a car in the street. Liz was still caressing him and he caught
her hands in his and held them captive behind her back in an effort to stop her
from driving him insane. He kept her body pressed to his while he waited for
his blood to cool down.
"Now can you tell me what happened
tonight?" Liz’s voice was soft and, knowing the topic was a sensitive one
for Max, she rubbed her cheek against his comfortingly. It didn’t help much
though, Max tensed up immediately as reality returned with a vengeance…
Isabel gripped the steering
wheel of her mom’s car so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The moment
she had been dreaming about and dreading at the same time has finally arrived.
They were going to tell their parents who they were. Her mom and dad sat
quietly in the back of the car, obviously confused and worried as to what was
so important that they needed to be out of the house to discuss it. Max sat in
the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing scenery. He seemed
more resigned to what was going to happen this morning and Isabel suspected
that it was the work of Liz. She knew that Max had gone for a walk last night
and returned around 03h00 after being dropped off by a car.
It had made up Isabel’s mind about something else.
Liz needed to be at this meeting with their parents for the sake of Max. Even though
he seemed outwardly calmer, she sensed her brother was still really close to
losing it. His fear that the only parents he had ever known would reject him
had taken on such gigantic proportions that he was barely able to think
straight about the issue. So she had phoned Liz early this morning and asked
her to meet them at the quarry. Liz had understood immediately and said she
would be there. Isabel cast Max a sidelong glance. He had loved Liz and
believed in her even before he really knew her and how right he had been about
her. She had not only changed his life, but also that of Isabel and Michael.
Diane and Philip looked at each other when Isabel
drove out of town. What on earth did the kids want to talk to them about? Diane
had only just recovered from discovering that Max had been sleeping with Liz
and now it looked like there was something even bigger that they wanted to
confess. She saw how tense Max was and she worried about him. While Isabel had
also been much more on edge lately, Diane was the most concerned about her
reserved and aloof son who seemed to carry so much bottled up inside him.
Liz was waiting at the quarry. She had told her
mother that she was going shopping with Isabel and her mom, after which she
borrowed Maria’s car to make the trip. She had had very little sleep last
night, thanks to her early morning rendezvous with Max. He had finally told her
about his conversation with his mother, about them, and Liz had blushed at the
thought of looking Diane Evans in the eye ever again, knowing she knew about
her and Max’s physical relationship. But all her concerns about that had paled
in the light of Max’s fear that his parents were going to freak when they knew
what he was. So Liz had held him in her arms in the front seat of her dad’s car
and told him: "Not WHAT you are, Max, WHO you are. You are still
you."
And here she was again, waiting to stand at the side
of the man who had become everything to her while he faced one of his biggest
fears…
When they turned off the highway on the dirt road to
the quarry, Max suddenly turned to Isabel and gave her a half-smile filled with
relief. Isabel was puzzled until he said quietly: "Thanks for letting her
come." She had forgotten completely that Max and Liz had this weird
connection that lets them know where the other one was all the time!
Liz was surprised when Michael suddenly appeared at
her shoulder. Looking up at him, she realized that this was very hard for him
too. He was so used to not trusting anyone but Max and Isabel for most of his
life that allowing anyone else that close to him was only done if he was forced
into it kicking and screaming. Liz felt a rush of tenderness for this man who
had not known real love for the most part of his life and was still prepared to
go against his instincts to help his brother. She turned to him and hugged him,
catching Michael by surprise. "Thank you. For doing this for Max."
Michael was hugging her back awkwardly when they
heard the Evans’ car arrive. Michael saw the moment of vulnerability flash in
Max’s eyes when he saw Liz in Michael’s arms. That Max could even for a
fleeting moment wonder about what he was witnessing, made Michael even surer
that they were doing the right thing. Max was starting to doubt things he knew
were true. Like Liz not ever looking at another man.
Liz went over to Max immediately. She had also seen
the look in his eyes and she was debating whether she should smack him for his
stupidity or kiss him senseless for still getting jealous about her. She
decided to keep it light when she remembered his parents were there too.
Max had other ideas. While Liz was still deciding if
it would be okay to kiss him good morning in front of his mother, Max was
reacting to the fear that had sliced through his body at the sight of Liz in someone
else’s arms. His mind KNEW that it meant nothing but friendship, but his heart
had gone into shock at the possibility that Liz might some day decide that she
needed someone else… So he grabbed her to him in a desperate hug when she
reached his side. He gave her quick hard kiss, one that reaffirmed his
possession of her. You are mine.
Diane and Philip were even more concerned when they
saw that Michael and Liz had joined them for this meeting out here in the
middle of nowhere. Diane couldn’t stand the suspense anymore. "Kids, what
is going on? " She looked at Max, who had finally managed to tear his eyes
away from Liz, but who continued to clutch her to him. "Does this have
anything to do with what we talked about last night? With you and Liz?"
Feeling Max tense up against her, Liz pressed herself
closer to him and concentrated on how much she loved him. His fleeting look of
relief told her that she had succeeded in diverting his attention to her
feelings, even if just for a little while.
Isabel and Michael turned to Max, waiting for him to
take the lead.
An eerie calm settled over Max. This moment had been
inevitable ever since the Evans’ had adopted him and Izzy. Only, the present
reality held so much more than he had ever anticipated. It had his best friend
and brother here supporting him. It also had the girl that carried his heart in
her little hands next to him, practically carrying him with her love.
Finding his mom’s gaze first, Max took a deep breath.
"We… we are not from… from earth." He saw the shock and disbelief
register in both his parents’ faces, but he decided to plunge ahead. "We
were in a crash… the 1947 crash and we’re not…" Human. But he couldn’t say
it.
"The 1947 crash? But that’s… that’s
impossible!" Philip laughed nervously, wondering if the kids were making
stupid jokes to get out of the real discussion. Whatever that was.
Diane, however, was watching her son. She didn’t know
what to believe yet, but she had seen so many little things that she could
never explain, that she couldn’t help but wonder.
"No, Dad. Its true." Isabel’s soft voice
got everyone’s attention. "We WERE in the crash. Then we were in
incubation pods until… until that day you found us. We’re… from another
planet."
Max flinched as both his parents gasped. He watched
them anxiously, waiting for any kind of response.
"When you say ‘we’, who exactly are you talking
about?" Diane was looking at Liz.
Isabel answered. "We mean me, Max and Michael.
Oh, and that girl Tess."
"Why didn’t you tell us before?" Diane was
groping hard to find some normal subject to talk about while her mind was
trying to cope with what she just heard. Her beautiful children were ALIENS!
"We didn’t want you to be in danger because of
us--."
"Danger?!" Philip interrupted Max.
Max let the floodgates open. He told them about
saving Liz and about Valenti and the FBI hunting them. About how Valenti
finally came around and helped them and about the other aliens that they met
out at the camp. The only things he left out were being captured by Pierce and
tortured as well as the whole destiny and leader thing. His parents would have
enough to think about without adding all that!
By the time Max was finished, Diane was crying. Her
mind had trouble coping with the fact that her children had been through so
much and that she had been oblivious to it all. "Max… Isabel…" But no
words came out. What do you say to something like this? Her gaze fell on Max,
who was still standing with Liz clutched to his side. His face was
expressionless, but Diane, with the instinct of a mother, knew that he was
afraid of what her reaction was going to be.
Taking two steps towards Max, Diane halted
uncertainly when Max retreated involuntarily, taking Liz with him. Diane looked
pleadingly first at Max, then at Liz. She watched in awe as Liz turned to Max
and got his attention immediately. The way her son stared down into the face of
the small girl in his arms made Diane fight back a fresh wave of tears. He
looked at Liz like she was his salvation. She saw how Liz’s gentle touch to
Max’s face seemed to comfort him and she was amazed when Max finally turned to
her after seemingly communicating with Liz without talking. Diane’s heart was
in her throat when Max started walking towards her, still keeping Liz’s hand
firmly in his. He finally stopped in front of her and his eyes spoke volumes
about his vulnerability. Not being able to stand this any longer, Diane wrapped
her son in her arms, hugging him lovingly. The tears that have gathered in her
eyes, finally spilled over when Max hugged her back with one arm. Diane caught
Liz’s relieved look and she mouthed ‘thank you’ to her.
After that, pandemonium broke loose. Everyone was
hugging everyone, including Michael, much to his chagrin. When they finally
quieted down a bit, Diane turned to Max. "So that’s how you healed that
bird? And put out the kitchen fire?"
Max nodded, smiling now. He felt as light as air, as
if the weight of the world has been lifted of his shoulders.
"And how he saved me." Liz smiled up at him
adoringly, making Max blush.
His father was still struggling to understand all of
the information he had just heard. "How do you do it?"
"We manipulate molecular structures among other
things." Seeing Philip’s confusion, Max thought he’d better just show his
dad. He picked up a rock and slowly slid his hand over it. He didn’t see the
surprise on his parent’s faces when his hands started glowing, but he did see
their stunned fascination when he showed them that he had shaped the rock into
a the form of a bird. He gave it to Liz, smiling his love at her. He turned
back to his parents. "Maybe we should talk some more later." He
nodded at a tearful Isabel, knowing she desperately wanted to talk with her
mom. "Why don’t you guys go on home. I will go with Liz and Michael."
Diane went over to Max and hugged him again. "I
love you. I always will, no matter what." She saw the tears shimmer in his
eyes and knew she did the right thing. He had needed to hear her say that. She
turned to Liz and pulled her into an embrace too. "Thank you for loving
him. It means a lot to me to see him so happy." She was rewarded with one
of Liz’s brilliant smiles. It was easy to see why Max thought she was the most
beautiful girl in the world.
They were all on their way to the two cars when Nick
suddenly appeared. Diane and Philip moved closer to their kids protectively
when they saw how the teens froze at his presence. They also noticed how Nick
aimed his request almost deferentially to Max.
"We have found one of them. What do you want us
to do?"
Diane and Philip were amazed. Obviously their kids
have not told them the whole story yet!
Max turned back to Isabel.
"I’ll handle this. Why don’t you guys go home?"
Isabel blinked at the change in Max. The
tentativeness and strain that had been a part of him for the last few days seem
to have vanished and she once again congratulated herself for forcing him to
tell their parents. The old Max was back!
Philip was not about to leave his son and his friends
in the hands of this weird stranger. "Who is this man, Max?"
Max smiled at his father, the happiness on his face
nearly knocking Liz to her feet. "We know him, Dad. He works for… with us.
Please meet Nick. One of the people we met at the camp."
Nick and Philip eyed each other warily. Both of them
were feeling the crush of responsibility for these young people resting on
their shoulders. Philip finally moved to get in the car with Isabel and Diane
when Max assured him again: "It’s okay, Dad."
When the car had disappeared from their sight, Max
returned his attention to Nick. "Is it the guy from the Crashdown?"
Nick merely nodded, his eyes meeting Liz’s
fleetingly. "He’s with Marcus and Chris at the moment." His comment
letting Max know that Liz’s two bodyguards hadn’t rested until they had made up
for not being there for her yesterday.
"I need to speak to him. With Michael. Could you
make sure that Liz gets home okay?" Max’s voice sounded deadly. Scary.
Liz didn’t want to get into an argument with Max in
front of Nick. He was the leader and she needed to assist him in his duties,
not undercut his decisions. But she really did not like what was happening now.
"Uhm… could you guys give me a few minutes with Max?"
Nick obeyed immediately, but Michael hung around. He
knew exactly what Liz was up to and he didn’t like it. He wanted him and Max to
deal with this alien without worrying about the sensitivities of some girl.
Even if that girl was Liz Parker, the glue that held the group of six together.
"Michael." Max’s quiet voice finally got
his feet moving.
"Honey--." Max tried to pre-empt what he
knew Liz was going to say.
"Hm-mm, don’t honey me. Max, I need you to not
leave me out of this. Please."
Max was having a hard time staying firm with Liz
looking up at him with her big doe eyes. She always knew just which buttons to
push to make him melt. But he couldn’t let her do that this time. "Liz, I
need you to go home and ask the Sheriff to meet with us. We need to get
everyone out to the camp again. And with everyone, I mean our parents too. You
have to start organizing things at the Crashdown so they would be able to
leave."
"They will never do it, Max." Liz shook her
head. She was also not sure if she WANTED them out at the camp. Not that she
didn’t want them safe. The camp was just such a special place for her that she
wanted to keep it away from her real life, so to speak. Besides, once there,
she would have to stay in her own tent away from Max. And that would just seem
so… unnatural.
But Max was firm. "That’s why I need to talk to
the Sheriff. He needs to help us get your parents out there." He caressed
her cheek with his fingers. "I want to end all of this as soon as
possible. So you and I can get back to our own lives. Where our biggest worry
is that our parents could catch us making… out."
Worry creased Liz’s face into a frown. "But Max,
my parents will find out about you…"
"I don’t care." He saw her surprised look.
"Liz, if you and I want to be together forever, they will need to know
sooner or later. I’m voting for sooner, then maybe they’d understand us
better." Max didn’t sound convinced of the last part, though.
Liz bit her lip. "Do you think it’s good idea?
Putting all of us together in one place?"
"I don’t see any other way. If we do it in town,
it would look really weird to everyone else, and if we don’t all stay together
until this is resolved… Well, we can’t guard everyone all the time." He
pulled her closer to him. "Do this for me, okay?"
Sliding her hands up Max’s back, Liz stood on tiptoes
and kissed him. She was still not convinced that it was a good idea to let Max
go to the other alien without her. That time when they all thought he was dead
was still fresh in her mind. But he needed her help now, so that’s what she’ll
do.
The kiss started out as a gentle good bye, but as was
the case with most of their kisses, it soon turned into something more than
that. Liz opened her mouth in response to his silent request for entry and Max
went under. How was it possible that she could still arouse him so quickly and
so easily? Sometimes all it took was a look from her and he was in trouble. It
felt like forever since they had last made love… and now he was bringing her
parents into this. Max felt like a bucket of ice water was thrown in his face
and he pulled back abruptly. Her parents were going to kill him. Hell, he would
have killed him if it were his daughter!
"Max!" Liz was looking at him strangely.
"Did you have a flash?"
Yeah, Max thought, of my imminent demise at the hands
of your father! "Uhm, no, I just--." He stopped when he saw the hurt
in her eyes, realizing that he had jerked away from a kiss with Liz! "Hey,
I’m sorry, I just…" He took a deep breath. "Let’s not tell your
parents about us until we’re 30, okay!"
Liz’s laugh was music to his ears and added fuel to
his desire for her. He better leave with Michael
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was a whirl of activity when she got back to
town. She phoned Maria and Alex and informed them that they were going
"camping" again. And she silently organized one of the reliable
waiters to take over the running of the café while she took her parents on a
"surprise holiday" that they knew nothing about yet.
While Liz was running around in the café, Sarah
arrived, looking around her curiously. Liz saw her and made her way over. She
was still wondering if the girl’s boyfriend was abusing her, and
surreptitiously tried to see if there were any visible marks on her. Nothing!
"Hey Sarah! How are you?" Liz saw Sarah
flinch in surprise.
"I’m fine, thanks." But Sarah’s smile was
tight and nervous.
"Did you want something to eat?" Liz, being
Liz, was wondering what was wrong with Sarah and how she could be helped. Maybe
I could send Max to scare the boyfriend…
Ducking into a booth, Sarah looked relieved to have
something concrete to do. "Yeah, uhm, could I have a cherry coke?"
Liz nodded and walked off to get the coke, still
frowning about Sarah’s weird reactions. She was filling a glass with the coke
when she felt Max coming into the café. A secret smile crept over her lips and
she pretended not to know he was there, continuing with her little task. Her
ploy had the desired results, Max was behind her instantly, his arms sliding
around her and pressing her back into his body. Liz didn’t hear so much as feel
the contented sigh that escaped her as she leant her head back against his
shoulder.
Sarah watched the scene from her vantage point at the
booth. So this was Max Evans…
Max kissed the side of Liz’s neck, slowly running his
lips over her soft skin until he could trace her ear. He heard Liz’s soft gasp
and relished, just for a moment, the fact that he could make her respond this
way. Liz put her hands over his on her stomach and tangled their fingers
together. Her actions inadvertently giving him tantalizing glimpses down the
neck of her uniform. Max closed his eyes, willing his body’s reaction under
control. How on earth was he going to keep his hands off of her while they were
back in the camp? Well, maybe being afraid of her father might help!
Liz angled her face so she could kiss Max. "Hey,
did everything work out?"
Not really wanting to talk about his morning with a
very cruel and angry other alien, Max just nodded his head. "Are things
organized here?"
"Yeah. The Sheriff should be here soon and I’ve
made sure that someone runs the café while we’re--." Liz faltered when Max
slipped two of his fingers between the snaps of her uniform and onto the bare
skin of her stomach. "Max…" His touch was making her tremble and she
had to struggle to breathe normally. "Max, please…"
He didn’t move. He couldn’t. Maybe they could stay
like this forever. He could hold her and touch her incredibly soft skin and her
scent could envelope him while her silky hair clung to his cheek. He would be
content to live like this... But then Liz shifted in his arms, her body
brushing against his and he knew he would never be content with just this. He
needed her as close as physically possible as much as possible. He needed to be
able to talk to her and hear her wonderful laugh. He needed her support and
loyalty. And most of all, he needed her love.
Pulling away reluctantly from Liz, Max smiled at her
besotted expression. "Who was the coke for?" He could see Liz was
struggling to return to reality and he softly ran his fingers over her cheek,
his heart felt like it was bursting with love for her. His Liz.
Grabbing the glass with a glare at Max, Liz made sure
that her body touched his when she brushed past him slowly, grinning when she
heard him inhale sharply. She turned back after she had rounded the counter, finding
his hot gaze on her. "Just getting you back for doing that to me!"
Max grinned and sat down on one of the swivel chairs
at the counter, following Liz’s progress through the café with his eyes. He
watched as she put the coke in front of a blonde girl and chatted with her for
a while. He sighed blissfully. For just a few minutes he could enjoy being a
guy in love with a gorgeous girl and imagining that the biggest problem he had
to face was working out when he could get her alone and out of that cute uniform.
His eyes slid to her cute bottom. The summer had not been entirely wasted on
issues alien, he had, for instance, learned that the Crashdown waitress uniform
took only a few seconds to remove… His eyes snapped up when he realized the
girl Liz was talking to was watching him ogling Liz. He saw a moment of
amusement flicker in her eyes before it was replaced with… fear? Max looked at
Liz again. He relaxed when she seemed unconcerned by the strange actions of the
girl.
"So, still staring at Parker I see! Its great to
know some things haven’t changed while I was away this summer." Kyle’s
voice interrupted Max’s musings.
"Hey Kyle." Seeing the Sheriff behind Kyle
immediately got Max’s attention, reminding him that he still had a lot to do
before they could all head out to the camp. Like making sure no one followed
the different groups going out there and putting the rest of the camp
inhabitants in danger. He cast a last glance at the girl with Liz, but she was
now smiling at something Liz was saying and he dismissed the incident from his
mind.
Max drove home deep in
thought. Firstly, the conversation with Kyle had been uncomfortable to say the
least. Neither of them knew how to act around each other. Thankfully Liz had
eventually joined them and helped smooth over the moment.
After Kyle had left, Max had organized with the
Sheriff to bring the Parkers to a point close enough to the camp where he could
pick them up. The sheriff and his deputies would also make sure that no one
followed any of the groups leaving town. It was up to the Sheriff to make up a
reason why the deputies had to do that. Now Max had to face his parents again
and convince them to go along with his plan…
His mom and Isabel were sitting in the kitchen,
holding hands and talking quietly when Max arrived. He watched them silently
for a few moments, his heart aching for the many years his fear had kept Izzy
from being this close to their mother. He hated breaking into this poignant
moment, but it couldn’t be helped. "Hey Mom, Iz."
"Max!" His Mom sounded really happy to see
him. Hopefully she had forgotten his rash admission about the nature of his
relationship with Liz! "Were you with Liz until now?" Scratch that
hope, Max thought. His mom couldn’t completely hide the suspicion in her voice
and he caught Isabel hiding a grin behind her hand. He shot her an annoyed
glare and tried not to look like a guilty schoolboy in front of his mother.
"Yeah…" He saw his mom’s eyebrows raise and
quickly tried to recover. "No. I mean, I was only…" Max finally gave
up, knowing whatever he said would sound like he was covering for an afternoon
of illicit love-making with his girlfriend. "Listen, I need to talk to you
guys."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Packing a bag for the "camping" trip her
parents did not know about yet, Liz pondered how different this was from the
last time she was going out to the camp. Then she had been out of her mind with
worry about Max and heartbroken about him saying goodbye to her. Now she knew
he loved her and intended for them to always be together. This time she was
going there as Max’s mate, his lover and with a song in her heart. This time
she knew a lot of the people that were going to be there: her friends, the
Evans’, her parents… Liz’s dreamy smile vanished when she remembered what her
parents’ presence in the camp would mean for her and Max: being separated from
each other!
Liz started flinging things in her bag in haste. Max
said he would be picking her up early so they could get out to the camp first,
and Liz was sincerely hoping it meant that they would have some alone time
before everyone else arrived. Even if that were not Max’s intention, she would
make sure that it became his intention!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had had a long and serious discussion with his
mom. He first had to explain that they were not the only alien race on earth
and a little of the history they now knew about the war. His mom’s tangible
fear tugged at his heartstrings and he was overcome with guilt for dragging his
parents into this. His parents’ only crime had ever been that they chose to
adopt two vagabond children, not ever suspecting that these two kids would one
day put them in mortal danger.
Diane was confused and worried but she folded before
Max’s complete sureness that this was the best option for them right now. She
could hardly recognized her quiet, reserved son in this mature and determined
young man sitting in front of her. This young man knew exactly what he wanted
and he made it happen. Even if it was still done with the gentleness that was
always so characteristic of Max.
Max waited until he was sure that his mom had phoned
his dad and that Alex and Isabel would take them to the camp later before he
left to pick up Liz. The sheriff had insisted that he would keep Kyle with him
and look out for his son’s safety. Max let that go because he didn’t think Kyle
would be in direct trouble. No, the main targets would be him, Isabel, Michael
and Tess… and his bonded mate, Liz. Max had another reason for moving everyone
out to the camp. He wanted the war to be waged away from innocent civilians and
the prying eyes of the FBI.
Liz was waiting for him outside the library as
planned. They had agreed that maybe it would be best if Max didn’t pick her up
at home where her parents could see her leave with a packed bag. They would
have enough explaining to do to her parents when they arrived in the camp!
Max’s gaze took in every little detail of her appearance as he drew closer. Her
hair shone in the sunlight and the only thing more brilliant was her smile. He
felt the warmth of that smile all the way to his toes and his heart contracted
at the thought that her parents might not take too kindly to the fact that
their little girl was dating an alien. He didn’t know what he would do if
someone ever tried to keep him and Liz apart. His mind shied away from that
possibility in complete denial. No, I could never allow that to happen!
Flinging herself into his arms as Max got out of the
Jeep, Liz pressed her mouth to his. She kissed him deeply and passionately and
Max responded immediately. How familiar his kisses had become to her and yet
they still had the power to lift her to undreamed of heights of ecstasy. She
trembled against him, her body reacting to his closeness. He was hard and warm
and incredibly sexy to her. How did I ever survive without this before?
Max slid his hands over her hips and had to forcibly
remind himself not to move them lower where he would be able to reach the
smooth skin of her thighs. Pulling away from her reluctantly, he rested his
forehead against hers, trying not to think about them having to hide the extent
of their feelings while in the camp. Max sighed, he was going to need constant
supervision from someone, because touching Liz has become second nature to him.
That on its own wasn’t so bad, the problem is that the touching normally led to
kissing, which normally led to making love… Something that did not need to be
public knowledge for now. Max was determined not to cause a rift between them
and Liz’s parents and that meant separate tents and abstaining from anything
too intimate.
"I love you." The words spilled from Liz’s
mouth unbidden.
The yearning in her voice was nearly Max’s undoing
again. This was what he had always dreamed of. Having Liz Parker say those
three magic words to him at every possible moment. Had she seen that during one
of her flashes, or was it just that she was the girl that fate had always
intended for him? The one that would complete him in every way? He lifted her
up against his chest, bringing her face-to-face with him. Staring into her eyes
he willed her to see the depth of his feelings when the mere words seemed
incapable of expressing them. "I love you, Liz." His voice was husky
with emotion. "You make me…whole."
Tears gathered in Liz’s eyes, her heart overflowing
with love for this man that was sent across the galaxies to become her
soulmate. She leant closer and pressed short, gentle kisses on his lips, over
his jaw and his cheeks. Finally she whispered: "Let’s go."
Max carried her to the Jeep and slowly settled her in
the passenger seat. He was reluctant to let her out of his arms for too long.
They were both very aware of the period of enforced separation that loomed over
their heads.
After they had left the town center, Max pulled Liz
over to lean on his shoulder, his hand coming to rest just above her knee on
the warm skin that was peeking from her mini-skirt.
Liz curled her body around Max’s arm and rubbed her
face against his shoulder. He smelled so… Max. She felt every ripple of his
muscles as he alternated between changing gears and caressing her thigh. A
sharp ache of desire had started in the pit of her stomach and was making it
increasingly hard to breathe normally. She looked up at Max, her eyes tracing
the contours of his nose and lips hungrily.
"If you keep looking at me like that I’m going
to have to pull over." Max was still staring straight ahead at the road,
but it felt like her hands touched his skin everywhere her gaze traveled.
Those words! They were almost exactly what Nacedo had
said to her that day in the convertible when he kidnapped her. Liz stiffened
for a moment in fear before she reminded herself that this was her Max. The one
that had just kissed her as if his life depended on it. She smiled at him when
he cast her a worried glance following her reaction. Yes, this was definitely
her Max.
Curling her legs under her on the seat and pushing
herself up into a kneeling position. Liz leant closer to Max and slid her arm
around the back of his neck. She let her open mouth travel across his jaw-line
to his ear slowly, laughing delightedly when Max jerked away in surprise.
"Liz…" Max sounded strangled. He was close
to having a heart attack. For one because she was out of her seat and if they
had an accident now she would be seriously hurt. But mostly, because she had
again managed to fan the flames of desire into a raging fire in his body.
"Yes, Max?" Her innocent words were
murmured against his ear, her lips and warm breath causing an instant reaction
in his loins. Her unoccupied hand was gliding over his chest, trailing heat
where it went.
Max had several urges simultaneously. He wanted to
yell at her that she was putting her life at risk by being out of her seat. He
wanted to close his eyes and drown in the sensations she was causing. And he
wanted to stop the Jeep as soon as possible so he could get his hands on her.
After fighting with himself for a few excruciating seconds, he went with a
version of the last thought. Catching Liz’s wandering hand in his, he pleaded
with her. "If you promise to sit in your seat, I’ll… I’ll drive us to the
Pod Chamber."
If he weren’t in such a state himself, Max would’ve
found the speed with which she obeyed him amusing. But his mind was struggling
to keep him sane enough to drive responsibly towards his new destination.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was quiet inside the Pod Chamber where Max and Liz
stood staring at each other. Max could not remember much of the drive, only
that he had wanted to get here as fast as he could without killing them. Now, finally
here, his eyes drank in the beauty of the girl of his heart with an intensity
that hinted at the desire he was barely controlling.
Liz was making an inventory of her own. He was the
most beautiful man she had ever seen and would ever see. Not just because he
was handsome, but because he was Max. She had had to sit on her hands all the
way here in an effort to keep herself from touching him again, but now that
they’re finally here, she was rooted to the spot. Her look pleaded with him to
take the first step, because right now she needed to be in his arms so much it
hurt.
The movement was so swift she hardly saw it.
Everything was a blur to her. She felt like she was floating and the only thing
that kept her grounded were his arms that bound her to him in a crushing grip.
She couldn’t get her throat to work to beg for the release of his mouth on
hers. All of this became irrelevant when the connection between opened with a
rush. The sensory overload that followed being able to feel all the needs and desires
Max was suppressing caused Liz to nearly faint. He was as desperate for her, as
she was for him.
Max gave up trying to think. He was being bombarded
with Liz’s needs and that was all he could concentrate on. She needs me to kiss
her. So he did. Hotly, roughly, hungrily. His mouth slanting over hers in a
dance as old as time. She was making soft moaning sounds in the back of her
throat that drove him closer to the edge. His mind was screaming at him
frantically to try and wrestle back control, but the little voice went unheard
among all the other sensations that cried for his attention. Like the way her
body fit his perfectly or how soft and smooth her skin was. Or how her mind was
telling him: Now, Max, now!
His shirt ripped in his haste to get it off. His
hands were shaking when he removed her clothes. Then, finally, he could touch
her bare skin.
She didn’t have enough hands. The ridiculous thought
popped fleetingly into Liz’s head as she tried to caress Max everywhere at
once. There was so much of him to enjoy: his soft hair, his glorious arms and
chest. But this was not a time for slow and gentle loving. So she wrapped her
legs around him, bringing him to where she needed him most.
Their union complete, Liz threw back her head in
complete abandonment. There was no bliss purer than this.
The storm that raged through their bodies finally
left them exhausted and replete in each other’s arms. Still sharing soft kisses
and finally able to whisper the sweet nothings that was normally part of their
love-making, they lay together, loath to end the union.
When Max finally drew back, he was momentarily
shocked at Liz’s appearance. Her lips were swollen and her hair tangled into a
mess around her face. It all told him one thing, he had lost control completely
and utterly. "Liz, I’m sor--."
She stopped him with her fingers on his mouth.
"I needed this. Maybe more than you did."
Max stared at her in amazement. She truly was the
most perfect girl in the world.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they finally arrived at the camp, they found
everybody running around preparing for the arrival of the two groups of
parents. Liz and Max were greeted reverentially and neither of them noticed the
weird looks they were receiving. Max had ascertained that Michael and Maria had
arrived with Tess already and that his parents were on their way with Isabel
and Alex. So far, everything had gone according to plan…
They were standing next to the Jeep, ready to go meet
the Sheriff bringing the Parker’s, when Maria ran up to say hi. Her mouth fell
open when she saw Liz. "Ohhh no, Lizzie, you’re not going to meet your
parents right now!"
Liz frowned at her. "Why not?"
Pulling her over to the side mirror of the Jeep,
Maria said: "Because you look completely ravaged that’s why! And don’t
think your parents won’t be able to figure out who did the ravaging. You two
are going to get in so much trouble, I’ll take a bet on that!"
Liz burst out laughing when
she saw her reflection in the Jeep’s mirror. She was flushed and her lips were
still puffy, reminding her of the explosion of passion she and Max had just
shared. They had been so wrapped up in each other on the way here, holding
hands, stealing quick kisses and generally basking in the afterglow of their
love-making, that they hadn’t paid attention to their appearances.
Max was less amused by it all. Seeing Liz look so
ravaged, as Maria had aptly put it, reminded him of how completely he had lost
it back in the Pod Chamber. It also brought back his fear that he would somehow
slip up and cause Liz’s parents to find out about him and Liz doing a lot more
than kissing nowadays.
"Come on Max. Do you Samantha-Genie-Alien
thingie and fix the damage you’ve done to Liz!" Maria dragged him closer.
Seeing the flash of guilt in Max’s eyes, Liz cupped
her hand to his cheek. "I’m actually a little sad that you have to take
this away." She smiled at his startled look. "I would’ve loved having
a reminder of this afternoon for a while."
Her words were causing a riot of reactions in his
body again, and Max bit his lip while softly running his hands over her face to
smooth away the evidence of their passion.
Michael had arrived on the scene by then and he
looked anything but happy. "Thank you, Maxwell! Great idea bringing the
parents here!"
"What?" Max was confused by the sudden
change in topic.
"Yeah, now I get to sleep with you and Alex.
Nice going!"
Hysterical laughter broke out following his grumbled
complaint. Yeah, thought Max, tell me about it!
Only after Maria was satisfied that Max and Liz
looked "innocent" again, were they allowed to leave. It was quiet in
the Jeep for the first few miles and Max glanced at Liz worriedly every few
seconds. He was picking up concern from her, but he wasn’t sure what the origin
of it was. Finally, he squeezed her hand that he had been holding in his lap to
get her attention.
"It’s Sarah." Liz blurted out without
preamble.
Max was lost. "Whose Sarah?"
"The girl in the Crashdown during lunch."
Liz saw that Max was still confused. "I talked to her when Kyle
arrived?"
He finally put a face to the name and nodded.
"What about her?" Max was now remembering how intently the girl had
been watching him. Almost as if she were studying him. And Liz.
"I met her in self-defense class. She seemed
freaked about something and… she was nervous again today. I… I think maybe
something weird is going on with her boyfriend."
Max was smiling at her indulgently. His Liz. Always
worried about other people.
"I gave her my cell number. You know… to call me
if she was in trouble."
"Uhm, honey? What exactly are you planning to do
if she calls? I mean--."
Liz sighed. "I don’t know. But I can try to
think of something." She smiled at him. "We can try to think of
something, can’t we?."
Letting go of her hand, Max put his arm around her
shoulders and hugged her against his side. He placed a small kiss on her
forehead. "Probably." Hell, he would do anything for Liz!
This seemed to satisfy Liz and he felt her concern
ebb. His, on the other hand, was mounting with every mile they got closer to
where the Sheriff would be waiting with her parents.
~*~*~*~*~*~
By sheer luck, they arrived simultaneously with the
Sheriff at the agreed meeting point. Max gave Liz a final hug and took a deep
breath before climbing out of the Jeep. The Parkers were staring at him
suspiciously and their eyes widened in shock when Liz rounded the car to stand
next to Max.
"Hey Sheriff." Max and Jim nodded at each
other.
Jim Valenti did not envy Max his position. The
Parkers had been upset when he told them to come with him for their own safety.
They did not understand what was happening and his promises that all will
become clear later only increased their fear.
Nancy spoke first. "Liz, what is going on here?
Are you two in trouble?"
Jim turned back to her. "Its nothing illegal,
Nancy. Just hear them out."
"Did everything go according to plan?" Max
was talking quietly to the Sheriff, trying not to increase the worry of Liz’s
parents. He took Liz’s hand without even realizing it, pulling her closer to
his side.
Jim just nodded. "So far, everything seems
normal."
"We caught the one from the Crashdown. Maybe he
was alone…" But Max knew it was probably wishful thinking.
"What did you do with him?" Jim hoped there
wasn’t another death that he would have to explain later.
Max looked at Liz briefly before answering.
"He’s… incarcerated at the camp. He won’t bother anyone again."
Both Jim and Liz wanted to ask more questions, but
realized this was probably not the best time.
Max looked at the Parkers. "Would you come with
us, please?" He didn’t wait for an answer, but started helping the Sheriff
to put Jeff and Nancy’s gear in the Jeep.
Jeff was bewildered. He was staring at Max as if he
had never seen him before. The authority that rang from Max’s attitude was not
what he expected from the quiet young man that usually hung around the café
mooning over Liz.
Nancy, on the other hand, was getting more upset by
the minute. "I demand to know what’s going on here! I’m not going anywhere
until I get an explanation." She folded her arms. "Liz?"
Liz was getting distressed following her mom’s
aggression. "Mom, I… please… We’ll explain everything, I promise."
Again it was the Sheriff that defused the situation.
"It really is important that you go with them, Nancy. This isn’t a
joke."
Nancy was staring at Liz. "Are you
pregnant?"
Max came over immediately, reacting to Liz’s distress
that was flooding through him too. He put his arm around her before answering.
"No, she isn’t. This is something much more important. Please, just come
with us."
Finally giving in, Jeff and Nancy piled in the back
of the Jeep. But, their faces were clearly showing their reluctance.
Max helped Liz into the Jeep gently. He squeezed her
hand to let her know that he knew how hard this situation was for her before
going back to talk with the Sheriff quickly.
Nancy took the opportunity to lean forward and put
her hand on Liz’s shoulder. "Liz, honey, its not too late. The Sheriff is
still here. Did Max… Is Max in some kind of trouble? Tell us so we can help
you! You don’t have to be part of anything he did."
Liz had tears in her eyes when she whirled around to
her mom. "No mom, you don’t understand. He is doing this for you!"
The next instant she felt Max’s arms around her, hugging her close.
"Is everything okay here?" But Max was
looking at her parents over her head. His eyes were pleading with them: don’t
do this to her!
When no one reacted to his question, Max pressed his lips
to Liz’s forehead before rounding the Jeep and getting in. The drive to the
camp was conducted in a strained silence with Liz clinging to his hand. Right
now Max didn’t care that her parents saw how much they needed to touch each
other, he just wanted to comfort Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was late when they arrived at the camp. Nick was
waiting for them and assured Max that they had dinner ready for everyone. He
also reported that the Evans’ had arrived about an hour earlier and were in the
dining tent already.
Jeff and Nancy looked at each other when they saw
that everyone in the camp seemed to wait for permission from either Liz or Max
before doing anything. A young guy had followed Liz’s instructions and left
with their bags, while another was waiting patiently to show them to the place
they referred to as "the dining tent". And what was this about the
Evans’ being here?
Nick was casting worried glances in Liz’s direction
until he caught Max’s look that said: don’t ask! He left with the reluctant
Parkers after Max gave him the signal.
Liz walked straight into Max’s arms as soon as her
parents were out of sight. They had kept glancing back at her and Max worriedly
while walking away. She pressed close to his familiar warmth, clutching his
jacket and her voice was muffled against his chest when she exlaimed:
"This is hard, Max!"
"I know. We’ll get through this." He rubbed
his cheek on the crown of her head, enjoying the silky slide of her hair
against his skin. "Are you hungry?" When she shook her head, he said:
"Why don’t you go lie down for a little while? I’ll come get you after
dinner. Before we talk to all of them."
Liz was too tired and overwrought not to follow Max’s
instructions, so he carried her high against his chest to the tent she shared
with Isabel and Maria. This is so wrong, he couldn’t help thinking, she should
be with me. He put Liz down on her bed and lay down with her, curling his body
around hers. "I love you," he whispered in her ear as he held her.
Liz fell asleep almost immediately and Max gently
extricated himself from her. The soft distressed sound she made when he left
tore at his heart, but he couldn’t afford to be missing with her for too long.
Not when he had to tell her parents the truth a little later…
~*~*~*~*~*~
In the dining tent, Maria was making a determined
effort to keep a conversation going. Luckily she was supported by Isabel, Alex
and Diane Evans, but the Parkers were quiet. They had looked to the Evans’ for
answers as to why they were all here, but soon learnt that the other couple
didn’t have a clue either.
Nick was talking with Marcus and Chris at the table
next to the parents, trying to explain why they could not go back to Roswell
right now to try and find more aliens. "We have to wait for Max. It’s his
decision." He shook his head at their eagerness to fix this problem for
their "royal couple."
Max arrived just in time to hear Marcus saying loudly
into a suddenly quiet dining tent: "Nick, they are threatening Max and
Liz! Our leader and his--." Marcus fell silent and gulped when he saw an
angry Max bearing down on him. He looked around confused for a moment until he
realized he had become the center of attention somewhere along the line.
Max stopped when he felt all the eyes in the room
turn to him. The four parents were staring at him in complete shock…
The shocked silence didn’t
last long.
"Liz is his what?" Jeff’s voice.
"What did he mean you’re their leader?"
Philip’s voice.
"Who is threatening you?" Diane’s voice.
"Where’s Liz?" Nancy’s voice.
Max held up his hands. "I promise to explain
everything. Just let’s all calm down, please." He turned to Marcus and
Nick, not noticing that Maria was sneaking out the door. "Can I talk to
you outside?"
Marcus was pale when he got up. Maybe Max would be
softer on him if he explained that he had had good intentions. It had just been
overrun by his big mouth. He meekly followed Max and Nick outside.
"That guy is in SO much trouble!" Alex was
trying to lighten the mood.
Nancy looked ready to burst into tears. "Would
someone please tell me what is happening? And where is my little girl?"
Leaning over, Diane placed her hand over Nancy’s.
"She’ll be fine. Max will make sure of that." She was taken aback
when she saw that this only agitated Nancy more. "Please trust him."
Everyone pushed their food around on their plates
until Max came back a few minutes later. All attention returned to him
immediately. He looked at Michael, Isabel and Alex. "If you guys don’t
want to be here for this, that’s fine. It’s mostly my problem anyway."
"No way, Max! We’re staying." Isabel
sounded firm. Michael and Alex nodded their agreement with her statement.
Max flashed them a grateful half-smile before sitting
down at the table with his and Liz’s parents. "Sorry Mom and Dad, but I
have to start at the beginning again." But Max felt the words get stuck in
his throat. He still had trouble admitting to people what he was. He was
staring at the table top, unsure of how to begin this amazing tale when a warm
hand covered his. He turned to his mother in surprised relief before finally
looking at the Parkers. "Isabel, Michael, Tess and I were… in the 1947
crash. We’re… from another planet I guess you could say." He stopped to
gauge the reaction of Jeff and Nancy to this.
"That’s impossible! Diane, Philip? Do you
believe this story?" Jeff sounded more confused than upset.
Philip nodded. "Just hear them out."
Max continued. "We were in incubation pods. We
were engineered from human material, so we are essentially human." He
needed to stress this for Liz’s parents. "We just have different blood and
some powers humans don’t have."
Nancy was looking dazed. "Powers?"
Isabel took up the story. "Yes. We can all do
different things. Max can heal. We can manipulate the molecular structure of
things…" She didn’t want to mention her dreamwalking and Michael’s
fighting abilities yet.
"Excuse me?" More confusion from Jeff. This
was just too incredible for him. Were all these people on some sort of
hallucinogenic trip?
Isabel picked up a fork from the table after Max
nodded at her. She slowly ran her hand over it, forming it into a knife. Gasps
could be heard around the table.
Maria arrived back in a rush, Liz in tow. She figured
Max could use all the help he can get with Liz’s parents, so she had sneaked
out to go wake Lizzie up.
Liz hurriedly went over to Max, but her eyes were on
her parents, trying to see what they were thinking. She sat down next to Max
and felt some of the tension leave his shoulders as she curled her hand around
his arm. He gave her a brief smile and returned to the conversation.
"Why… why are you telling us this?" Nancy
was whispering, her eyes filling with tears.
"Mom!" Liz got up again and went to her
mother. She hugged her. "Its okay."
Nancy touched her face. "How do you know all
this?"
Everyone was quiet until Diane spoke up. "Max
saved Liz’s life. In September last year, Liz was shot at the Crashdown."
Jeff jumped up. "I KNOW that isn’t true! I saw
her with my own eyes! She was fine… she just had… ketchup… on her
dress..." He sat down again slowly. "It’s not possible."
"It is, Dad. It really happened." Liz was
willing her parents to believe her. And Max.
"Liz honey, why are you doing this?" Her
mom sounded distressed. "We love you. Whatever is really going on… you can
tell us!"
Liz stared at her mom and suddenly knew there was no
other way. She had to show them. She grabbed a knife from the table.
Max was on his feet instantly. "No!" he
cried, rushing over to Liz, but he was too late. She had slashed her forearm by
the time he reached her.
The wound wasn’t too deep, but the sight of the blood
dripping onto the white tablecloth froze the group into stillness. Everyone,
but Max that is. He was already cupping her arm in his hand, his other hand
gently cradling her cheek. "You didn’t have to do this!"
Smiling through the pain, Liz just stared up into his
eyes. She knew the drill by now. It only took a minute then the pain was gone
and Max’s hand stopped glowing. "Are you okay?" Max sounded worried
even though he must know she was fine. Liz touched her fingers to his mouth and
nodded.
Everyone, including their friends, were staring at
Liz openmouthed. Liz’s mom was crying openly now.
Max felt awful for them. At least his parents had
always known him and Iz and had suspected something was weird, but the Parkers
didn’t have that benefit. They were just suddenly confronted with too many
shocks. One: aliens were living among us. Two: these aliens had strange powers.
Three: their only daughter had been shot some months ago. Four: an alien had
healed Liz from the fatal gunshot wound. Five: Liz is dating said alien. Six:
Liz has obviously been leading a life they knew nothing about for close to a
year. And now Max had to tell them: "There’s more…"
He led Liz back to her seat and took a deep breath.
"All these people in this camp are aliens. From my… our race. Our planet
has been destroyed in a war and they escaped just in time to come here to find
us. I’m… we’re…" Max faltered, not knowing how to tell these people that
they were basically royalty.
It was Liz that continued. "Max is the leader of
his race. Like their King. His people came here because Max, Michael, Isabel
and Tess were initially sent to earth so they could go back later and save
their planet. Only, it was destroyed. And now they have to stay here on earth.
With us."
Another thundering silence enveloped the table. Max
didn’t know whom he must worry about most: his own parents or Liz’s.
Philip recovered first. "I still don’t
understand why we’re all here though?"
Max grimaced. "Uhm… There’s another alien race
on earth. The one that destroyed our planet. And they’re looking for the four
of us. And Liz." He glanced at the still crying Nancy who was now being
held by Jeff. "The guy that was in the Crashdown the other day. He was one
of them."
Jeff homed in on the only thing that made any sense
to him right now. "Why do they want Liz?"
Max looked him straight in the eye. "Because I
love her and they know they can get to me through her."
Something else was coming back to Jeff now.
"That guy that you just hustled out of here. He said something about you
and Liz. What did he mean?"
Max caught Diane’s eye guiltily. "He meant she’s
my girlfriend. So please know that all these people in the camp, they want to
protect her too." Please, Mom, don’t say anything! he silently prayed.
"So that’s why those weird men were hanging
around Liz at the Crashdown all the time! They were looking out for her."
Jeff looked like he had just seen the light. He stared at Max for a long time,
still not sure that the young man was telling him everything. "You saved
Lizzie’s life. Thank you." He leaned over the table, holding out his hand
for Max.
Max felt such a rush of emotions when he accepted
Jeff’s hand that he had trouble getting the words out. "I did it for me.
She means everything to me." He saw Liz’s mom’s head snap up at the words
he had spoken to her after he had fended off the gunman at the Crashdown and he
wondered how she was going to react to all this.
Liz slid her hand into his. "Mom?"
"I don’t know what to say… I never knew… but
still… I… thank you, Max." Nancy smiled tentatively at Max through her
tears.
Max smiled back. The first full-blown smile from him
the Parkers had ever seen and they were stunned. Jeff, because he truly thought
that Max was the most serious young man he had ever met, and Nancy because the
smile made Max look even more handsome than he normally did. No wonder Liz
can’t see straight around him!
"I’m sure you all still have a lot of questions,
but it’s been a rough day." Max was taking charge again. "Why don’t
we talk more tomorrow?"
Isabel got up. "I’ll show you where your tents
and the bathrooms are." She started out of the tent with four very
emotional parents in tow.
Liz jumped up when her parents got to the door and
ran over to them. She hugged them both and whispered: "I love you."
This led to hugs between all the parents and their kids and it took a long time
before Iz could get them all to leave again.
When Isabel returned, they all stayed to chat while
Max and Liz had dinner.
"Nice save on the girlfriend thing, Max!"
Maria was grinning.
Alex chimed in, turning to Isabel. "So Iz, how’s
the new Marcus-shaped welcome mat in front of the dining tent doing?"
Max was too happy to be baited by his two wacky
friends tonight. "I didn’t kill him. I just pointed out that it was not
necessary for the whole world, and especially for our parents, to know about
the bonding thing." Or about the sleeping together thing either! He rubbed
Liz’s arm where the wound was that he had healed a few minutes ago. "But
if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I’m putting you over my knee! You
scared the crap out of me."
Liz just smiled and kissed him on his nose. Typical
Max overreaction to anything that happened to her.
"Well, I’m just rearing to go to bed. With Max
and Alex." Michael sounded grouchy. "Have I remembered to thank you
again for that Maxwell?"
Maria slid her arms around his neck. "Well,
maybe if you stopped whinging, I would walk you to your tent. We could take the
scenic route…"
Michael jumped up immediately. "See ya!"
They left with the laughter of the others in their
ears.
Isabel and Alex followed them soon afterwards,
leaving Max and Liz alone.
Max pulled Liz onto his lap and pressed his forehead
to hers. "Thank you… for helping me today." He kissed her softly,
careful not to let things get out of hand.
"My parents seemed to take it pretty well."
Liz hoped she was right. She slid closer to Max. "Now let’s just be us for
a little while, okay?" She sighed. "Before I have to go sleep with
Maria…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Where the hell is Devin?" The voice
belonged to a tall dark man. "He hasn’t returned since this morning!"
"Calm down, honey! I’m sure he will turn
up." Sarah ran a comforting hand over her boyfriend’s back. She took a
deep breath and decided to just blurt out her own news. "Liz Parker and
her parents are gone. I haven’t seen Max either. I’m worried, Eric…"
Max trudged out of the
showers just after dawn the next morning feeling as if he had hardly slept at
all. Which was basically true. He had taken Liz to the tent she was sharing
with Izzy and Maria and it felt like he was tearing off his arm when he had to
let her go inside. Then, when he got to bed, he lay awake worrying about what
the next day would bring. Liz’s parents seem to take all the revelations pretty
well, but maybe they were just too overwhelmed and stunned to really think
about everything they had heard. What would they do when they had time to take
all of this in? The fear that they would decide Liz should not be seeing him
was starting to become an obsession with him. If he felt ill just because Liz
was sleeping a few meters from him in the camp and not WITH him, he hated to
think how he would feel if he weren’t allowed anywhere near her. Breathe, Max,
just breathe… That’s not going to happen!
The first pink streaks of sunrise were creeping
across the desert but Max didn’t see any of it. His eyes were glued to the
opening of the tent where Liz was sleeping. His awareness of her and the
constant hum in his body told him that she was still in there. He imagined her
lying in bed looking all tousled and sexy and had to take a deep breath to
still his body’s immediate response. Her parents are here too, he reminded
himself.
He was just turning away when the object of his
musings came out of the tent looking exactly as he had imagined: tousled and
sexy. Max was mesmerized as he watched her walk over to him. She was in her normal
sleepwear: drawstring pants and a cropped tank top that allowed him glimpses of
her bellybutton.
Liz had woken up knowing that Max was just outside
and that he was thinking about her. She had felt his desire to see her like a
palpable thing and she instantly got up to make her way to him. When she laid
eyes on him, her breath caught in her throat. He was drop-dead gorgeous. His
damp hair was clinging to his forehead and his shirt was only buttoned halfway.
And the way he looked at her! The heat in his gaze caused a mad fluttering in
her belly and she knew, just KNEW, that no other man would ever have this
effect on her.
Max stood rooted to the spot until she reached him.
He felt momentarily disorientated with all the feelings washing over him. His needs.
Her wants. An overwhelming love. All thought went flying out the window when
she fell into his arms as if she was born to be there. Maybe because she was…
He ran his fingers through her sleep-mussed hair, loving the feel of the silky
strands against his skin. "Liz…" he breathed her name against her
lips, softly kissing her until she whimpered for more.
Grabbing a handful of his hair, Liz tugged Max’s
mouth into closer contact with hers. She needed him to let go of the passion
she could sense just underneath the surface of his control. She provocatively
ran her tongue over his bottom-lip, nipping at it with her teeth until Max gave
in and deepened the kiss. Liz sighed into his mouth as his tongue glided over
hers, mimicking a more intimate act. She leaned her upper body away from his
without breaking the kiss, her hands frantically opening the buttons of his
shirt. They both groaned when she pressed herself against his bare chest after
accomplishing her task.
Max curled his right arm around Liz’s waist lifting
her up and depositing her on the lowest step of the shower trailer. The action
brought her on the same level as Max and her arms instinctively went around his
neck as they adjusted to the new angle. Max was drowning in sensations. Her
warm curves pressed against his skin, her hands weaving magic all over his
body, her tongue dancing with his and driving him insane. He ran his hands up
under her tank top, relishing the smoothness of the skin of her back.
Arching involuntarily and shivering from the slam of
desire following Max’s caress up her back, Liz slid her hands into the back
pockets of his jeans and urged their lower bodies closer. She needed to feel
all of him. She needed to feel his body’s reaction to her. She needed--.
"Liz!" Her mother’s voice snapped both her
and Max out of their passionate hazes. Her mother was standing a few steps
behind Max and her face was filled with shock.
Liz slowly removed her hands from Max’s butt and
stepped down to round Max and face her mother. She purposely stood in front of
Max, not wanting to increase her mother’s shock. That only helped a little bit
since her mom now had a chance to fully take in her attire. "Hey
Mom!" Liz heard her voice waver and was grateful when Max slid his hands
down her arms to take her hands, lacing his fingers through hers.
Nancy was speechless. Her mind was still grappling
with the fact that there were aliens all around her and now she had to contend
with this. Her little girl in a passionate embrace with her boyfriend. An
embrace that screamed of the fact that a lot more than handholding had been
going on between these two for some time. How should she handle this? Apart
from the fact that the man Liz was clinging to so trustingly was an ALIEN, Liz
was much too young to be so intensely involved with anyone.
"Morning, Mrs. Parker." Max’s quiet voice
broke into the silence. He was really angry with himself for letting things get
so out of hand between him and Liz, because in the process he had jeopardized
his fragile relationship with her mom. He watched her carefully, trying to see
what she was going to do now.
Nancy was flustered by the fact that Max was
regarding her steadily, not slinking away guiltily as she had expected him to
do. "I… Liz why don’t you go shower and dress. I need to talk to you
later." She folded her arms and watched as Liz turned to look at Max
questioningly. Liz only started leaving after a small nod from Max.
Nancy and Max stared at each other. They both wanted
all of Liz, but for very different reasons. Nancy wanted Liz to remain her
little girl. The girl that she could protect and love and be the most important
person to. But right now, the young man looking at her seriously was
threatening all of that. Nancy no longer had the ability to protect Liz because
everything that threatened her now was unknown to Nancy. And from what she had
just witnessed, Liz was not her "little girl" anymore either.
Somewhere along the line, she had become a young woman and Nancy knew it was as
a result of Max Evans. She bit her lip. She didn’t want to lose Liz’s love and
she was at a loss as to how to handle this situation without endangering her
already strained relationship with her daughter further. Everything in her
demanded that she drag Liz away from Max as far as possible, so that he could
never touch her daughter again. But the rational part of her told her that such
an action would just alienate her from Liz.
Watching the various emotions flit over Nancy’s face,
Max held his breath. He didn’t know how to show Mrs. Parker that he would never
hurt Liz intentionally. Or that he would stop breathing if he ever had to live
without her. "Why don’t we go get some coffee? And talk?" Max didn’t
have a clue what he was going to say to Liz’s mom, but he had to try.
The dining tent was deserted, but there were flasks
with hot water for coffee on one of the tables. Max made the two coffees
silently while Nancy sat down at one of the tables. When he finally sat down
across from her, he saw that she was staring at the table, apparently deep in
thought. "Do you have any more questions, Mrs. Parker?"
"Why Liz? Of all the girls in Roswell, why did
you get involved with my daughter?"
Max blinked, thrown by the question. "There’s no
one reason I can give you. I just knew she was my other half when I saw her for
the first time. It wasn’t a conscious decision."
"When was that?"
"The third grade." He saw her eyes grow
round.
"Are you telling me that you have been--."
Nancy stopped herself.
"In love with Liz since the third grade?
Yeah." Max was still watching her steadily.
"But that’s absurd! She never mentioned you! She
couldn’t have known you. She--."
Max interrupted her gently. "This isn’t about
her. It’s about me. Me telling you that there never have been, nor will there
ever be any other woman in my life but Liz."
Nancy was speechless for the umpteenth time that
morning. It didn’t last long. "Did you two sleep together last
night?"
Max’s gaze didn’t falter from hers. "No."
Max tried unsuccessfully to ban the image of Liz lying underneath him in
abandon in the Pod Chamber yesterday afternoon from his mind.
"Why couldn’t you have left her alone? How am I
supposed to protect her from all the strange things that threaten her now? As a
result of you."
Nancy’s outburst momentarily surprised Max.
"Would you rather that she died that day in the Crashdown?" his voice
was quiet, but it had a devastating impact on her. She crumpled before his
eyes. "I will protect her with my life. I can promise you that. No, I can
promise you more than that. All my people will protect her with their lives.
They know she’s my… they know how important she is to me." Max caught Nick
waving at him from the door of the tent. He turned back to Nancy. "I know
I can’t answer all your questions satisfactorily, but… just please trust me
when I say that I plan on putting an end to all these threats to Liz."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Eric paced. Sarah watched from the bed, getting more
nervous with each step her took. Something was definitely wrong. Devin has now
been missing for a day and a night. Where was he? And what happened to Max and
Liz? Just when she had started to hope that they were the people that could
help her, they went missing. She gripped the mattress, staring at Eric and
trying not to let the fear squeeze the breath from her body…
Liz hurried towards where
she had last seen her mom and Max. Relief flooded through her as she rounded a
tent and saw him, amazingly still alive and deep in discussion with Nick. Max looked
up as soon as she neared and gave her a small ‘everything’s okay’ smile. Liz
walked into his arms without a second thought. She knew she was interrupting
something, but right now she needed the warm comfort of Max’s embrace too much
to care. Just for this one time she would pull rank as Max’s mate and his first
priority…
Nick watched as the two young lovers traded short,
quick kisses, oblivious to everything around them. He wondered what had
happened that morning to make them so upset? Maybe it was something he could
help with.
Max finally pulled away from Liz, his fingers gently
caressing her cheeks and mouth. He leant his forehead against hers. "Your
mom’s still inside. I talked to her about us." Seeing the shock register
on her face, Max realized that she had misunderstood him. "No! Not about…
I mean I told her how we felt. How I felt."
"How did she take it?" Liz’s voice was low.
Max sighed. "She seemed fine, but I can’t really
tell." He brushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want
to go in and talk to her?’
Now it was Liz’s turn to sigh. "I guess I
should…"
After another lingering kiss with Max, she went into
the tent.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah stood outside the Crashdown, wondering how she
was going to find out where Liz and her parents had gone. By now she and Eric
had concluded the same thing. Something had happened to Devin. He had been
their point man for so long that they were a little lost without him…
She hadn’t told Eric she was coming here. He would
flip, and besides, she wanted some answers before she talked to him. But she
desperately needed to see Liz. And more importantly, Max. Maybe between them
they could avert a tragedy.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz found Nancy staring at nothing in particular when
she arrived in the dining tent. She suddenly felt very sorry for her mother who
had to contend with an amazing amount of new and strange information. Sliding
into a seat across from her, she gently said: "Hi Mom."
Nancy looked at her for a long quiet moment. "He
loves you very much, doesn’t he?"
Not bothering to ask whom she was referring to, Liz
simply said: "Yes."
"How could I not have noticed that your life had
changed so much this year?" Nancy’s eyes were starting to fill with tears.
"How did we drift so far apart?"
Liz leant over and took her mother’s hand. "I’m
sorry, Mom. It was mostly my fault. I…" She struggled to find the right
words. "You have to understand that I was doing everything I could to
protect Max." Seeing the confusion on Nancy’s face, Liz realized that
there was still so much that her mom didn’t know. "Mom, after Max healed
me, the FBI came to town looking for him. He became hunted because he loved me
enough to take the chance that people would find out what he was so he could
save me. Can you understand that I needed to help him? At any cost?" She
looked pleadingly at her mother. "First, it was Sheriff Valenti. Then the
FBI sent a woman to teach at our school so she could try and get evidence about
Max being an alien."
Wiping at the tears that were coursing down her
cheeks with her hands, Nancy could only stare at her daughter dumbly. While she
had been worrying about whether Liz was having sex with her boyfriend, Liz had
been worrying about her boyfriend being hunted by the FBI.
"When the teacher ploy didn’t work, they sent
the FBI’s elite alien hunter unit in. The guy posed as one of the Sheriff’s
deputies and they finally caught Max." Liz’s eyes clouded over in
remembered pain. "They caught him because he was trying to save me again.
Mom, the things they did to him… He never talks about that day."
Nancy finally found her voice. "Then how do you
know what had happened to him?"
Liz wondered briefly if she could tell her mother
this. "Mom, I don’t know if you’ll believe me when I tell you."
Nancy was desperately trying to catch up with her
daughter’s life, so she decided its better to know bad stuff than to know
nothing at all. "Try me."
"Sometimes… I can see things. From inside his
head. We… we have this connection." Liz struggled to put what she and Max
shared into words. "I feel what he feels, I can see what he thinks and I
can see some of his memories. Like the crash."
Fear. Pure unadulterated fear was coursing through
Nancy’s body. Accepting that there were aliens living on earth, was one thing.
Finding out that they could put thoughts in one’s head was quite another. Her
voice quacked when she spoke again. "You mean you can read his mind. Can
he read yours… and mine?"
"No Mom!" Liz could see that her mother was
starting to freak out. "It’s not like that! It’s… it’s only when we
kiss," she finally admitted. "And it’s only between me and Max. The
others haven’t experienced this. We don’t really know why it happens with us.
It just does." She decided to plough ahead and tell her mom of all the
strange things that happens to her around Max Evans. "We can also sense
each other’s presence. I can tell where he is most all the time. And… and
sometimes we dream the exact same dreams." She took a deep breath.
"So Mom, you have to believe us when we tell you that this… what’s between
Max and I. It’s something amazing and deep and forever."
"Are you sure you don’t just think you love him
because he is handsome and he saved your life? And because this is strange and
new and exiting?"
"Mom, how can I make you see that’s not true.
That I know in my heart that I was meant for Max?" Liz spotted Nick just
outside the door, watching her with concern. She turned back to her mother.
"I’m coming right back. Maybe I can try something."
She bounded over to Nick. "Could you help me
make a connection with my mother?"
Nick blanched. "Maybe we should ask Max--."
"No! Please, I need your help! Only…" She
leaned closer. "I need her NOT to see about me and Max… you know, being
intimate." Liz blushed at the last part. It’s not like it was exactly a
secret in the camp, but still…
Nick still looked doubtful as she dragged him over to
her mother, who was watching this with obvious trepidation. "Mom, this is
Nick. He is like Max’s nephew, I guess. Nick, this is my mother."
Nick came through with flying colors. He basically
bowed in front of Nancy. "It’s a great honor to meet you, Mrs. Parker. Liz
is very important to our race."
Talking before her mother could ask what Nick’s last
statement meant, Liz tried to allay her mother’s fears. "Mom, I’ve asked
Nick to help me make a connection to you. It’s sort of similar to what Max and
I share--." She held up her hands when Nancy opened her mouth to protest.
"Please, just give this a chance."
After Liz nodded at him, Nick placed his hands on
both her and her mother’s heads. Looking at Liz, he gently stressed.
"Think ONLY of you feelings for Max."
Closing her eyes, Liz conjured up the image of Max in
her mind. She saw him with her heart and she heard Nancy’s gasp when the force
of her love for the gentlest alien on earth flooded her mother’s consciousness.
Nancy didn’t see any images, she just experienced her
daughters feelings first hand. Complete love and trust. Respect and admiration.
A sense of belonging. Tenderness and protectiveness. When Nick finally lifted
his hands from them, she stared at Liz as if her daughter were a stranger.
Which, in essence, she actually was…
When Liz opened her eyes, it was to stare into the
hazel gaze of her other half. He was watching her with an awed expression and
she felt an overwhelming urge to run over to him and fling herself in his arms.
She saw Max’s eyes darken in reaction before they both looked at her mother,
remembering that she was still there.
Nancy was getting up from the table unsteadily and
Max was beside her instantly to hold her steady. As soon as she found her
balance, she turned to him. "I don’t understand what just happened. I
don’t understand what’s going on between you two. But I do know one thing. If
you ever hurt my daughter, I will personally make your life a living
hell." With that, Nancy started out of the tent.
"Mrs Parker." Max’s quiet voice stopped her
in her tracks before she reached the door and she absently wondered about the
obedience he so effortlessly commands. He was staring at her earnestly.
"If I ever hurt Liz, my life would a living hell ALREADY."
Nancy’s shoulders slumped. How on earth do you
counter a comeback like that one? Maybe, just maybe, Max Evans was worthy of
the intense love her daughter felt for him…
When everyone finally
arrived for breakfast, Max and Liz felt like they had already been up for
hours. Which they essentially have, but it was an emotionally trying few hours
which made it seem longer. Liz clung to Max’s hand, still recuperating from the
conversation with her mother. She wasn’t quite sure if her conversation with
her mother was successful or not…
Max noticed the look Jeff Parker threw his way when
he came in for breakfast and knew that Jeff and Nancy had talked about him and
Liz. Max sighed. Between Jeff and Nancy he would normally have chosen Jeff, who
seemed more placid and easy-going, but since this affects the apple of Jeff’s
eye, Max wasn’t so sure that Jeff would be the easy one of the two parents. He
resolved again that he would not give Liz’s parents any reason to distrust him.
That thought was immediately put to the test when Liz ran her hand over his
thigh under the table. Even if it kills him…
Breakfast was a subdued affair. Iz and Alex sat with the
Evans’, answering questions about their exalted position in their race and also
about the other aliens that were looking for them. Jeff and Nancy had chosen to
sit away from everyone and they were talking quietly to each other. Max and Liz
tried to ignore the questioning looks the Parkers’ sent in their direction
every now and again. Maria and Michael have not appeared yet and Max had a
suspicion they were in one of their two tents, making up for lost time. He
laced his fingers with Liz’s and wished he could do the same: just be alone
with Liz for a while. His discussion with Nick this morning had not yielded any
new and brilliant ideas of how to handle the situation with the opposing aliens
other than waiting until they came out in the open. And that the four of them
needed more training.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah came out of the Crashdown frustrated. Nobody
there had any clue where the Parkers and Liz were, only that they had gone some
place for a holiday. Then she remembered. She had Liz’s cell number! Running to
the nearest pay phone, she dialed the number with trembling fingers only to be
met with the voice of the operator telling her that the number was currently
unavailable and did she want to leave a message? Sarah jammed the phone back
onto its cradle. That was when she saw the man across the street watching her.
And she could swear that she knew him…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Philip had left with Alex to go look at the camp’s
computer set-up and this left Diane alone with Isabel. Something neither of
them minded. Isabel saw her mother stare at Max and Liz who were sitting close
to each other at another table, talking and touching constantly.
"They seem unable to be away from each other,
don’t they?" Diane’s voice was unreadable.
Isabel decided to keep her response light, not
knowing where her mom was going with this. "Yeah, they’re practically
joined at the hip. It’s quite nauseating really."
"I’m worried about them being… you know,
sexually active."
Well, that didn’t work, Isabel thought about her ploy to lighten the mood.
She shifted in her seat uncomfortable. "Mom, I really think you should
talk to Max about it."
Diane didn’t respond, but kept on watching her son
and the only girl that could make him lose his head.
"Have you talked to Dad about it?" Isabel
asked nervously.
Sighing, Diane turned her eyes to the Parkers.
"No, but I think I should tell him. And Jeff and Nancy."
Isabel nearly had a heart attack. "No, Mom! You
can’t! They will kill Max!"
"Well, maybe he should have thought of the
consequences before allowing the relationship to get so intimate."
"Mom…" Isabel began as she also turned to
Max and Liz, seeing how lovingly her brother brushed his fingers through Liz’s
hair and how adoringly she stared up into his face. "Max didn’t get into
this lightly. He… he basically married her before they… before it
happened." The last part was said in a whisper.
Diane stared at her beautiful daughter unbelievingly.
"What do you mean he basically married her?"
"I mean that they are married, well it’s
actually called bonded, according to the ways of our people." Isabel took
her mother’s hand. "Look at him, Mom. He is never going to be with any
other girl. It’s always been Liz. Only Liz. Ever since the third grade."
Still trying to comprehend what Isabel had just told
her, Diane saw Tess entering the tent quietly and brightened. At least here was
a safer topic. "Hey Iz. There’s Tess! How is she taking all this?"
Diane waved at Tess who was ignoring everyone after a quick glance at Liz and
Max. Tess went to sit alone at a table away from the other people, causing a
frown on Diane’s face. "What is that all about?"
Looking at over at Max and Liz, Isabel took a deep
breath. Time to tell her mom about the whole destiny fiasco…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess, Michael, Isabel and Max were on their way for
another practice session in the desert and Liz went outside with them,
determined to stay as close to Max for as long as possible. She hated this
enforced separation, even though she was used to being away from him a lot in
Roswell, this camp was like their home where they were supposed to be together.
They found Michael and Maria waiting at the Jeep with
Nick. Max just raised his eyebrows at Michael, who shrugged unconcernedly. His
attention was only half on Michael since Liz was pressing herself to his side,
keeping his body humming with awareness of her.
"Don’t you need to go get… stuff in your
tent?" Liz was whispering to Max, not wanting the rest of the group to
hear. She was particularly concerned about Max’s mom who knew about the extent
of their relationship and was still staring at them intently as she had been
since breakfast.
Max didn’t need to look at Liz to know what she was
really asking. Being so close to her, he not only felt her need to be alone
with him, he lived it. "Yeah…" He looked at Michael who was now
starting to smirk. "Uh… I need to…"
"Go ahead! Take your time." Michael had
trouble not grinning. Firstly it was not his style and secondly, Mrs. Evans was
watching the whole scene with interest.
Max practically dragged Liz off to his tent and
prayed that Alex wasn’t there. He swung her up into his arms and started
kissing her before they were even inside.
Liz wrapped her legs around him, holding on as he
continued to walk while his lips were hungrily devouring hers. She briefly
wondered how he managed to do that. She would have had trouble just standing on
her own under these circumstances!
He tore his mouth away from hers for a few seconds.
"Because I have to!" he answered her thought before kissing her again,
deeply and urgently, cradling her face with one hand. How did she do this to
him? Time and time again he would decide to keep his hands off her for the sake
of her parents and time and time again she managed to make him lose his head
with merely a look or a touch.
Now it was Liz’s turn to pull away. "Because you
make me lose my head too," her voice was breathless and thick with desire.
"Don’t stop Max!"
They tumbled down on the nearest bed in a heap of
tangled limbs. Liz arched her neck with a soft moan as Max kissed a path down
to the neck of her T-shirt. He cursed the circumstances that kept him from
doing anything more than kissing whatever was not covered by her clothes. He
needed her. It felt like they haven’t been together for days…
"Max." Liz was trying to say so many
things, but all she could manage was his name. I love you. I need you. I
want you. You. You. You. She ached to become part of him and feel his hands
on her bare skin. Instead she just curled her fingers around his biceps,
reveling in the flexing of his muscles as he moved his hands over her.
Max returned his mouth to hers, his lips blazing a
trail from her collarbone, up the side of her neck to her ear and over her
jaw-line on the way. He invaded her mouth in a demanding kiss that she felt all
the way to her toes.
Mine. You are mine. The thought nearly did Max in as he broke their kiss to look down on
Liz lying underneath him. He loved seeing her like this. Like no one elsehas
ever seen her before. And like no one else ever will in future. He loved
knowing that no one but him will ever see how she looked in the throes of
ecstasy. How gloriously flushed her cheeks were or how her hair streamed over
the pillow in complete disarray. How moist and pink her lips were or how her
breath came in tortured gasps. That his was the only name she would ever
whisper in that special pleading way. Fear clutched at his heart unexpectedly. I
can’t let anything happen to her. My Liz. My life.
Liz’s eyes flew open when she experienced the change
in Max’s thoughts. One moment she was basking in his possessiveness and the
next a cold hand ran down her spine. He was looking at her with so much love
and protectiveness that she had to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat.
"I love you," she whispered. "You are my life too. I’ll help you
find a way to end this war. And we WILL be together afterwards. Always."
He took a shuddering breath before the corners of his
mouth turned upwards slightly. "You’d make a fierce enemy, almost-Mrs.
Evans." He became serious again and touched his fingers to her mouth.
"Thank you for saying that."
Someone was coughing outside. "Max!" It was
Isabel. "We need to go now."
Sighing, Max called back: "I’m coming, Iz."
He kissed Liz gently before reluctantly sitting up. Watching as Liz also sat
up, he suddenly grinned. "You look ravaged again."
Desperately patting at her hair, Liz glared at him.
"Well don’t just sit there looking smug about it! Fix me!"
When they finally hurried out of the tent, they ran
into Diane Evans. She caught Liz’s arm when they walked past her. "Why
don’t you and I spend the day together while Max and the others are away?"
Max and Liz looked at each other. Not again!
Max pulled Liz away from his
mother and into his body. "Mom," he said warningly.
Diane smiled when she saw Max go into
"protective mode", as Izzy put it, over the possibility that Liz
might be in an uncomfortable situation. "Calm down, Max. I’m just going to
get to know her better." She looked at him meaningfully. "Since she
is apparently going to be a permanent fixture in your life from now on."
Still looking doubtful, Max glanced at Liz to see if
she was okay with this. Her smile eased some of his fears and he reluctantly
let her go again. "Okay, but--." He stopped when Liz squeezed his hand.
Brushing her hair behind her ear, he leant down and kissed her gently before
whispering: "Don’t worry."
They all walked with Max to the Jeep where the others
were waiting impatiently. Alex couldn’t stop himself from getting in a sly jibe
again. "Gee Max, was the stuff you went to get buried under the
tent?"
"Alex!" Isabel cried scandalized.
Diane watched all this with a small smile. How things
have changed! She had always been worried about her children, especially Max,
being on their own too much and not having any close friends. Now she could see
that there was an unbreakable bond between these six young people that was
forged through the shared hardship of the past year. Max and Isabel not only
had good friends now, they had an increased family. Her eye fell on Tess that
was already sitting in the Jeep and was watching Max and Liz with an expression
of hurt on her face. Diane still had trouble believing that not only was Tess
supposed to have been Max’s wife, but also that she had tried to harm Liz!
Finally getting into the Jeep after hugging Liz for a
last time, Max shot his mother another warning look before driving off. It
amused Diane even more. Like a tiger protecting its wounded mate! Only
Max’s mate wasn’t wounded and pathetic. Diane is only now realizing what a
strong young woman Liz Parker really was. She watched as Liz stood staring
after the Jeep until it disappeared from view, a wistful look on her face.
Walking to Liz slowly, she put her arm around the girl that owned her son’s
heart. "Let’s go do some girl talk!"
Liz blushed. Girl talk? With Max’s mom?
Diane cleared her throat. "Don’t worry, I really
don’t want to know about my son’s sex life."
They sat down in the girls’ tent. One on each bed. An
alien leader’s mother and his mate. Diane folded her hands in her lap. "So
tell me everything about my son."
And Liz understood for the first time that Diane
wasn’t about to try and keep her and Max apart. She was trying to get closer to
the son she had never really understood. One she had loved in spite of his
secrets. Because of his secrets…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah walked home slowly, trying to ignore the
prickly sensation in the back of her neck. Where was Eric? He was normally so
good at picking up on these things! Was that guy she saw earlier following her?
And why? Deciding she couldn’t go straight home, she veered into a small mall
complex. Maybe she could lose him in there… ERIC!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz and Diane talked about Max for hours, not
noticing time passing. Diane watched the emotions flit across Liz’s face as she
immersed herself in memories of Max. Liz explained how she felt when he healed
her. How he had let her see his beautiful soul when he reversed the connection
with her. Comforting her when her grandmother died. Their first kiss. Their
first date. She literally glows when she talks about him! Diane
realized.
Then they talked about Tess. Liz’s voice faltered
slightly when she told Diane about seeing Max kiss the other girl. How afraid
and confused Max had been about what was happening to him. But that he had kept
on choosing Liz with his heart every time.
Lunch came and went. Philip brought them sandwiches
when it became clear that they were not coming out of the tent soon.
Finally they talked about the bonding ceremony and
Liz confessed that it felt like she had married Max that day. She desperately
also wanted to tell his mom that he had asked her to marry him, but felt that
that was a decision she and Max had to make together. Watching Diane anxiously,
Liz held her breath while waiting for a reaction. Diane didn’t even flinch. She
just nodded and said: "Congratulations."
Liz was so overwhelmed, she didn’t stop to think. She
just jumped up and went over to hug Max’s mother. When she pulled back they
both had tears in their eyes.
"I’m not going to lie to you. You and Max are
going to have to face some tough times ahead." Diane brushed a strand of
Liz’s hair behind her ear. "In addition to all these… special problems,
not everyone is going to understand how rare the relationship between you two
is. Even I don’t understand it completely, but… it is enough for me to see how
much you two love each other. To see that it’s not just some teenage crush as I
had feared."
Liz was crying for real now. Overwhelming relief was
flooding her body at the knowledge that she and Max would have one less
obstacle to their relationship. Relief that there was one less person they
would have to lie to.
"Aren’t you ever afraid?" Diane’s voice was
soft, genuine interest shining through. "After all that you’ve been
through with Max… because of Max. Aren’t you afraid? I mean… the FBI, other
aliens, Tess…"
Scrubbing at her tear-streaked cheeks, Liz tried to
smile. "I’m more afraid of being without Max." She straightened and
her next words made Diane’s mouth drop open. "Max is coming."
~*~*~*~*~*~
What the hell was his mother doing to Liz? Max felt
such a jumble of confused emotions from her that he didn’t know what to think.
The only thing he was really sure of was that Liz was crying. Which was why he
drove the Jeep back to camp as if wild dogs were chasing him.
"What’s wrong with you, Maxwell! Are you trying
to kill us?" Michael’s disgruntled voice broke into his absorption with
Liz’s feelings. He didn’t answer because the camp was in sight.
Liz and Diane were just getting up from the bed when
Max came tearing into the tent. He grabbed Liz to him, holding her close as he
turned questioning eyes at his mother. "What happened?"
Struggling to move in his crushing grip, Liz answered
the question. "Max! It’s okay! We’re just… happy."
He pulled away from her finally, brushing the tears
from her cheeks gently. "Happy?" He looked at his mom who was also
smiling.
"Yeah." Liz looked in his eyes, willing him
to see all the things she couldn’t say in front of his mother. She supports
us. In everything. "Everything is fine, Max!"
His unguarded reaction caught Diane unprepared. For
one glorious moment, all the love and appreciation Max had ever felt towards
his mom blazed from his eyes and it was an awesome sight. Diane marveled that
she had thought for so long that her son wasn’t emotional. Now she knew he had
just been keeping a tight control over himself. What a difference Liz Parker
had made in his life!
His attention went back to his mate, his wife,
almost immediately and Diane experience a twinge of jealousy that her son had
chosen to reveal himself to this girl and not to her. That Liz knows parts of
Max that she never had and never would. She knew Max loved her deeply, but
there was no mistaking as to who the most important person in his life was. Liz
Parker.
Diane resolved to talk to the Parkers and see if she
could smooth over some of their fears about her son. As long as I don’t tell
them the kids are having sex. I don’t think I would be as understanding if this
was Izzy.
After Diane left the tent, Max lifted Liz up and
kissed her breathless. She was laughing and clinging to him when he finally
broke away. "What was that for?"
"For winning over my mother. For being
wonderful. For being you." He looked so young and happy that Liz’s mouth
dried. Why couldn’t things stay like this forever?
Coming back to reality, Max kissed the tip of her
nose and her forehead. "Can I borrow your cell phone? I need to get hold
of the Sheriff to find out how things are in town."
"Sure." Liz dug the phone from her bag and
turned it on. "I didn’t want the battery to die on me out here in the
middle of nowhere…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah wandered around the mall, the sensation that
she was followed had faded, but she had to make sure. Her heart had not stopped
pounding yet and her confusion as to why she was being followed had not abated.
Did they know what she was up to? Who was her stalker working for? She bit her
lip in an attempt to stem the tears. She was so afraid. She had been living
with fear for the last few years of her life, but this was different. This was…
evil.
Dinner was a somewhat
happier affair. The four parents have become used to being in the camp. Jeff
and Philip spent the day wandering around with Alex, while Nancy had spent most
of the day in her and Jeff’s tent, trying to come to terms with everything she
has learnt.
The six friends shared a table, while the parents
were seated at another table. Max informed the group that the Sheriff hasn’t
seen anything to worry about yet. Max’s frustration at the lack of developments
was visible. He so desperately wanted to get whatever was coming over with, so
he could start building his life with Liz. He didn’t even want to think about
the possibility that things may not turn out well for his people. Looking at
Liz and running a caressing hand over her hair, he knew that he had to make
every second count with her. Just in case…
"I’ve been helping with searches on the
Internet," Alex was saying. "We are looking for anything that might
give us a clue where these other aliens are. I mean there must be more of them,
right?" He realized his blunder when Isabel gasped next to him. Nice
going, Whitman, scare the people more, why don’t ya! "By the way, what
happened to the one you guys caught?"
Max and Michael looked at each other before Max
returned his attention to Alex. "He is… in jail, so to speak."
Alex frowned. "What jail?"
"Our jail. Here in the camp." Max was
shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "With Jans and his friends. Don’t
worry, he won’t be coming out."
"Did the goon have a name?" Alex was
intrigued.
"Devin."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah was getting tired. She had wandered around the
mall for a few hours by now and it was starting to get dark. She needed to get
home to Eric. But what if something had happened to him too. What if he had
disappeared just like Devin? She resolved to try phoning Liz again.
This time the phone just rang for a long time before
the voice mail picked up. Sarah gritted her teeth in frustration. Now she
didn’t have a choice, she had to leave a message…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz sensed something was wrong with Max. His levels
of worry were spiking dramatically and he had sounded distracted when he spoke
to Alex. She put her hand on his thigh under the table, trying to calm him. His
only reaction was to take her hand in a crushing grip.
"Wow, that’s cool!" Maria was grinning.
"You have some sort of alien jail thing here in the camp? I never knew
that!"
Michael was also staring at Max, wondering what the
heck was up with him. Max had gone silent, so Michael tried to answer the
questions about the "jail". "…like pods… spheres… keeping him in
stasis…"
His explanation went over the heads of the rest of
them, all of them were turning their attention to Max by now. Liz finally broke
the tense silence. "What’s wrong, Max?"
He blinked, as if coming out of a trance. "I
don’t know. Something… I just feel something bad is going to happen."
This reminded Liz of the feeling she got before Max
went away and he was abducted by Jans and his goons. A premonition of doom. She
looked around the group. They were all upset by Max’s statement. They have been
together too long to ignore stuff like this.
The tension in the group rose steadily as dinner
progressed. The three couples all held hands and sat as close together as
possible. Finally Maria, spoke up: "I have a plan for tonight. I think we
all need it." All heads turned to her as she spoke in hushed tones.
"I propose we… change the sleeping arrangements a little tonight. After
everyone else is asleep of course…"
Michael was already nodding his acquiescence.
"Let’s see, three groups, two tents. How do we
handle that one?" Maria was frowning.
Liz and Max shared a look. "We’ll go, uh… stargazing."
Liz didn’t meet her friends’ eyes. They were the only couple that could
potentially be in real trouble if the new arrangement was discovered, so it was
better to be as far away from the camp as possible.
Now everyone around the table was nodding. They all
needed to be with their other halves tonight. Who knew what tomorrow would
bring?
The parents again saw how incredibly close the six
were. But they also saw how serious they all seemed. Diane cringed at how
unfair it was to these teenagers that they didn’t get to enjoy much of their
youth. She watched her daughter lean against Alex and smiled. She had talked to
Izzy again after they had returned from their training session and now felt
comforted that she didn’t have to worry about her relationship with Alex yet.
Now Michael and Maria… that was another story. They seemed combustible together
and it was probably only a matter of time before they take the next step. It
was still amazing to her that Michael actually had a girlfriend! But, as always,
her eyes were drawn back to Max and Liz. They functioned like two halves of a
whole. Continuously aware of each other even if they weren’t together.
After everyone had coffee, which were heated by hand
by the three aliens to the amazement of their parents, Max got ready to leave
for a session with the Council. He leaned towards Liz and whispered:
"I…love…you," between lingering soft kisses. Finally pulling away
slightly, he touched his forehead against hers, still trying to cope with the
uneasy feeling assailing him. Suddenly he needed to hear Liz say it too and
opened his mouth to ask her.
"I love you, Max Evans." She cupped his jaw
in her hand and nuzzled his nose before softly rubbing her lips over his.
"Guys! Dining room. Where people eat?" Alex
interrupted them with his usual ribbing. "Is it possible that you two can
get any happier?"
Max just smiled at him when he got up. He would be
really worried if Alex didn’t give them a hard time after that display. He
placed a final kiss on top of Liz’s head and departed to Alex’s
stage-whispered: "Eeew!"
Liz just shook her head at her friend, smiling. She
was really worried about Max. He was clearly having trouble dealing with
whatever was bothering him. Tonight, I will make him forget for a while,
she promised herself.
Tess arrived for dinner later, clearly not happy
about the fact that they were all still there. She went off to sit on her own
away from everyone again. Liz looked at Isabel. "How did it go today? With
her?"
Shrugging, Isabel tried to make Tess sound as
unthreatening as possible. "Like that." She nodded towards her.
"Never said a word. Stayed away from Max. Practiced a bit. Stayed away
from Max. Had lunch. Stayed aw--."
"Isabel!" Liz interrupted her with a grin.
"I didn’t ask because I was worried about her and Max. I asked because I
just wondered how she was."
"Well, all I can say is, whatever Max threatened
her with is working. She scampers away every time he gets near." Iz looked
over at the blonde.
"Who can blame her?" Alex said. "I have
never seen Max so mad in my life. I thought he was going to kill her!"
It was quiet for a while as the group thought back to
the time Tess had made Liz unable to wake up by messing with her mind and how
Max had completely freaked out about it.
Alex sighed dramatically. "Yeah, never mess with
Mrs. Max!"
The mood lightened considerably.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah crept out of the mall with her instincts on
full alert for anything or anybody that looked suspicious. She had reached the
other side of the street when a hand suddenly grabbed her arm, making her jump
with fright.
Whirling around, she felt relief flood her body.
"You scared me! I thought you were someone following me! You shouldn’t
sneak up on people like…" Her voice faltered when she saw the look in his
eyes. It wasn’t the one she was used to. It was one that told her she was in
serious trouble.
Blackness enveloped her before she could open her
mouth to scream.
Liz gripped Max’s hand
tightly as they walked away from the camp. She could feel how tense he was and
she desperately wanted to make him feel better. So tonight, it was Max Evans’
turn to be loved properly! She swallowed at her thoughts. That’s if I don’t
die from embarrassment while trying to do it…
It was late and there were millions of stars up in
the inky black sky. They had quietly traded tents and partners and she and Max
had left a happy Maria and Michael in the girls’ tent, while Isabel had gone to
join Alex. Max and Liz were the designated waker-uppers for tomorrow morning,
since they had to return from the desert early enough not to get caught.
Max was carrying a duffel bag in his other hand with
some blankets for them and now they only had to get far enough away from the
camp to ensure that no one could hear them or come investigate. For what Liz
had planned, she didn’t need an audience…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah awoke feeling like she had a hangover. The room
was pitch black and for one wild moment she hoped she was home, in bed with
Eric. Slowly inching her hand away from her body, she came in contact with the
edge of the narrow cot. Nope, definitely not in bed with Eric…
She struggled to remember what happened. She
remembered being afraid and going to the mall, phoning Liz. Liz! Maybe
she’ll get my message! Not that my message said anything about me being
kidnapped or where I am right now… It’s hopeless! Unless Eric…
A narrow beam of light suddenly fell across her as
the door opened a crack. It all came back to her in one horrible flash. Seeing him
and blacking out. She struggled to sit up, not wanting to show him how afraid
she was. "What do you want?"
"I want both of them. In one place. And you’re
going to help me do it!" The evil grin on his face made her feel sick. How
had she never seen this side of him before?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Stopping when they found a rock outcrop that leant
some semblance of shelter, Max silently threw the open blanket on the cool sand
before looking towards Liz. The sense of dread was still with him and he felt
like a big fist was slowly squeezing the air out of his lungs. One torturous
inch by one torturous inch. Looking at how the moonlight glinted in Liz’s silky
hair and seeing the stars twinkle in her eyes, he knew only one thing could
make him start to breathe normally again. Being with Liz.
Liz walked into his waiting arms without a word,
knowing he needed her there. She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his,
tugging his head down towards hers. Their kisses were lingering and gentle, a
sharing of love and comfort. A way of saying I love you without words.
She ran her hands under his jacket, sliding it off his shoulders, but had to
forcibly move his hands off her waist so she could push it those final few
inches until it tumbled to the ground. His arms came around her again
immediately and she reveled in his strong embrace and drugging kisses for a
while longer.
Stepping back from Max, she almost smiled at his
confused look. "Take off your shirt, Max." He blinked once and then
slowly did her bidding. His hands slid frustratingly slowly from one button to
the next until Liz felt she could step forward and rip the final buttons open. Was
he doing this on purpose? She looked up into his eyes and saw that he
wasn’t. He was watching her warily, trying to figure out what she was up to.
Her grin made his eyes widen. Boy, Max Evans, if you only knew!
Max felt his blood starting to rush through his veins
at the look she was giving him. She looked… like he was her next meal. He let
his hands drop to his sides when the shirt was finally open and stepped towards
her, but she retreated. What the heck was she up to?
"Take it off completely." Her voice was low
and husky and Max felt it vibrating through his body. Obediently he shed the
shirt, letting it drop carelessly to the ground.
Liz felt momentarily weak as she watched the
moonlight caress his bare skin. He was gloriously beautiful. His groan alerted
her to the fact that her feelings were clear to him through their connection.
She moved closer to him, catching his hands when he reached out to pull her to
him. "Put them behind your back and keep them there," she whispered
as she brushed her body against his.
"Liz." His voice held a warning note that
Liz decided to ignore. She walked around his back and helped him clasp his
hands together. She slowly ran her hands down his arms, tracing the contours.
Then she leant forward and pressed her open mouth to his shoulder blade,
running her tongue over his warm skin. He trembled under her hands and Liz felt
elation at her feminine power over him.
Moving around to face him again, she dragged her
nails just above the waistband of his jeans until she could spread her fingers
over his lower abdomen. He sucked in a sharp breath in reaction, his head
dropping forward to his chest.
This was one of her fantasies coming true. Max stood
like a statue while she caressed him, his only movement the frantic rise and
fall of his chest as he fought for breath. Liz shaped his chest with her hands
and her fingers, stopping in some places and skimming over others. Her mouth
was dry as she watched the effect her touches were having on him. His muscles
contracted under her fingers and his skin was covered in goose bumps. Licking
her lips, she kissed his skin again, alternately nipping him lightly with her
teeth and then soothing him with her open lips and tongue.
She was driving him crazy. Max felt the muscles in
his arms strain with the effort of keeping his hands behind his back. Her hot
breath on his skin caused such a riot of lust in his body that he felt faint
for a moment.
"Liz, please honey…"
She took pity on him, pressing her body to his and
sliding her arms around his neck. "No touching yet," she whispered
against his lips.
He kissed her hungrily. His open mouth slanting over
hers as his tongue delved into her mouth, trying to make her as desperate as he
already was. Her soft moan was a sweet reward.
Pulling away, Liz heard Max’s harsh breathing with
joy. Normally, he was the one driving her to the brink of insanity with his
kisses, now it was her turn. She gently pushed him down on the blanket,
watching as he curled his hands into the material to keep them off her. He was
looking up at her with hooded eyes, his desire blazing at her from their
darkened depths. She stood in front of him and began undoing the buttons of her
sweater.
He watched helplessly as she let the sweater slide
down her body, revealing her nakedness to his ensnared gaze.
"Oh god, Liz!"
She was straddling him the next instant, bringing
their bare upper bodies in electrifying contact. She kissed his face, his neck
and his chest as she pressed him back on the blanket. Max was amazed that the
material he was clutching didn’t shred between his fingers.
Rubbing herself all over him, Liz crawled over his
body with closed eyes, going on touch alone. It was heady and arousing, the
heat of his skin and his scent driving her crazy with desire. Finally lying
down on top of him, her body telling her she couldn’t take much more of this
before going over the edge, she ran her tongue between his lips, silently
begging him to take over.
The next moment she was crushed underneath him, his
hands in her hair as he kissed her passionately, roughly. She arched into him,
the feeling of his aroused weight pressing her into the blanket indescribably
erotic. When he finally moved his hands over her body, molding her curves with
his fingers, she couldn’t stop the low moan that erupted from her throat.
Their sense of urgency increased and Max hastily
removed the last of their clothes. He took a moment to stare down at her
uncovered beauty, the moonlight making her seem ethereal and breakable. He
faltered fleetingly in fear of hurting her, but the thought fled his mind as
she pulled him down to her, finding his lips with hers. "Make love to me,
Max."
He closed his eyes as he slid inside her, wanting to
enjoy every single second of the sensations that came with it. It felt so
right. The stillness lasted only for a breath before her movements underneath
him hurled him into an abyss of reactions. Their actions were synchronized and
urgent, slowly building toward the explosion that left them both gasping for
breath and shaking.
How did I ever live without this? The thought was simultaneous.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sarah was cold. Her body ached from the hard cot she
was lying on and her heart ached for Eric. She was so afraid he was going to do
something crazy. And now she was afraid for Max and Liz too. She hardly knew
them, but she felt an enormous kinship with Liz. After all, they were very much
in the same boat…
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was still barely light out when Liz and Max made
their way back to the camp. They were both close to exhausted, not having slept
much the night before. Liz looked at Max who was looking decidedly more relaxed
than he had last night. It was worth all the aches in her body to see the
difference in him!
They woke up their friends as quietly as possible and
everyone stumbled back to their own beds for a few more hours of sleep.
However, Max couldn’t sleep in spite of his tiredness
and lay staring at the roof of the tent. The vice around his chest, that had
disappeared for the few blissful hours he had spent lost inside Liz, was
returning. Something terrible was going to happen today, he just knew it…
Liz slept right through
breakfast and Max told the girls not to disturb her. He only went to say
goodbye before the four and Nick left for some more training. It wasn’t really
training per se, more of a honing of their skills and powers. There wasn’t much
else they could do at the moment, just wait for any news from Roswell.
She was lying on her side, her head cushioned on her
bent arm when he came into the tent. Max felt like he stopped breathing for a
second while staring down at her beauty. He knelt by her bed and gently
smoothed her hair away from her face, smiling slightly as she murmured
"Max" in her sleep. He always knew loving Liz would be the best thing
in life, but nothing had prepared him for the even better thing of being loved
back by Liz. So completely and overwhelmingly. He remembered the way she had
looked last night, naked in his arms in the moonlight and was again humbled by
the extent of her love for him.
Sighing, he bent his head and brushed his lips over
her cheek and forehead. "I love you, Liz. Be safe today, okay?" He
kissed her again, this time softly on her lips. Lips that clung to his even
though she hadn’t woken up yet.
Max was solemn by the time he got back to the Jeep.
His mind was churning with the sense of worry that had overtaken him again when
they got back to the camp this morning. He spoke briefly to some of Nick’s men,
his men, about making sure that everyone in the camp was safe and saw
from their looks they weren’t fooled, they knew he meant Liz.
Isabel looked at Max concernedly when he finally got
in the Jeep. "Are you okay, Max?"
"I just… I have a bad feeling." He stared
in front of him before starting the Jeep and driving off.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was not happy when she finally woke up around
10:00 and realized Max had left while she was sleeping. She felt like she had
failed him somehow. What sort of a leader’s mate was she that lay in bed all
morning while the others were working to save their race?
Maria burst out laughing when Liz grumbled to her
about it. "That’s SO like you, chica! Why don’t you just do the radar
thingy you do with Max and let him know you’re awake so you can stop walking
around like a little thundercloud?"
Liz sighed and concentrated on Max. His presence was
a faint hum at the edge of her consciousness. "He’s too far away."
She suddenly felt like crying. Okay, Liz, this is really taking it too far!
"So, do you have to do anymore parent bonding
today?" Maria was still grinning impishly. "Cause I’m thinking it
should really be fun talking to Max’s mom or your own with all those memories
of last night in your head!"
"And I’m thinking that one night in the arms of
a certain other male in this camp has made you way too chipper this early in
the morning!"
Maria wasn’t perturbed by her friend’s surly mood.
"And maybe I should warn Max that you turn into Grumpy if he keeps you
awake for most of the night! Or… ah… wasn’t it Max doing the keeping awake
bit?"
"Maria! I’m so not discussing this with
you!"
Sighing dramatically, Maria shrugged. "Well
okay, but I have to tell you that that glowing thing you did while sleeping
could become problematic. Maybe it’s from too much… uhm… alien contact?"
Liz’s panicked expression sent her into another fit
of giggles. "Gotcha!" Maria hastily departed the tent when Liz
advanced on her threateningly.
Liz decided to go take a shower, although she was
loath to wash Max’s scent off her for some reason this morning. Grabbing all
her stuff together, she spotted her cell phone where Max had left it the
previous evening. Might as well check my messages quickly…
~*~*~*~*~*~
The light blinded Sarah when the door to her cell
opened abruptly. "Well, well, well! I’m hearing poor Eric is running all
over town to try and find you! How careless of him!"
Sarah was suddenly furious. "How could you do
this to him!" She shrank away from her captor when he leaned over her
menacingly. "Because he is a weak and pitiful fool who is ignoring
everything important to us."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The message was panicked and breathless. "Liz,
its Sarah. I really need to talk to you. It’s about Max… and you. I can help
him… We need to avert a tragedy. Please, I need to see you."
Liz was freaked. Why does Sarah want to help Max? Did
she know something? What was going on? Had she completely misjudged Sarah? Liz
paced in the tent, her shower completely forgotten. It sounded so urgent.
Making a decision, she grabbed a jacket and ran to find Maria.
The first person she saw was Diane, sitting with her
mother. This slowed her momentarily, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted
now. She needed to help Sarah… and Max.
Not finding Maria fast enough, she grabbed Marcus.
"I need a car. I need to go to Roswell real quick."
Marcus nearly fainted. "Oh no! I don’t think
so!" Realizing he sounded a bit impudent, he rephrased his last statement.
"Uhm… I mean I don’t think that’s a good idea. Who knows what could
happen!"
Liz was not about to be swayed. "Then come with
me, but we have to go!" She dragged him over to where some of the camp’s
all terrain vehicles were standing.
"Liz!" It was Diane, with Nancy in tow.
"Where are you going?"
"I have to go something in Roswell urgently. It
won’t take long."
"Shouldn’t you wait for Max, honey? It might be
dangerous!" Diane was trying to sound calm and rational.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Mrs. Evans,
but Max is too far away and this is really important." She pointed at
Marcus. "I’m taking him with me, don’t worry!"
Everyone was surprised when Nancy stepped forward.
"I’m coming too."
"Mom no! I don’t think--."
"It’s not a request Liz. I’m going!" Nancy
sounded uncharacteristically firm. And before Liz could say anything else,
Nancy was in the car with Marcus. Sending a last look at Diane, who seemed
really upset, Liz got in the car too. "Let’s go," she instructed
Marcus.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was having trouble concentrating. A feeling of
dread had settled in his stomach and he was starting to feel physically ill.
When he botched yet another attempt at sending a bolt of energy towards a
nearby rock, he gave up. "Guys, can we go home?"
All eyes turned to him. "Why?" It was
Isabel.
"It’s getting worse. I think we all need to
stick together at the camp." I need to see Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After they arrived in Roswell a few hours drive
later, Liz realized she had no idea where to start finding Sarah. So she went
to the last place she saw her, the Crashdown.
They sat outside in the car because Marcus didn’t
want them exposed. They were all still supposed to be on holiday…
Liz was just losing her patience when Marcus suddenly
slumped forward in his seat, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. Liz
lunged towards him, her heart stopping in her chest when she realized he was
dead.
A shadow loomed at his window and Liz looked into
cold blue eyes that froze her in place. The guy pulled open the car door and
shoved Marcus out of the way before either Liz or Nancy had time to react. Liz
turned to her door and was clawing at the handle when she felt a hand descend
on her shoulder. "Max!" her mind cried out before she was plunged
into darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max!
Hearing that beloved voice cry his name in such
terror, made Max start to shake violently. Michael grabbed the wheel just in
time to stop Max from overturning the Jeep. Fighting incoherence, Max could
only say: "No… Liz."
No one asked what had happened. They all knew. They
have Liz…
Liz was crying in her
drugged state, tears slipping continuously from beneath her eyelids to slide
down her cheeks. What have I done? Why didn’t I think before running off to
Roswell with just my mother and Marcus? Marcus is DEAD because of me! Where is
my mother? Max will be coming and they will take him too… Oh god, what have I
done!
Liz!
She could feel the presence of Max in her mind and
desperately tried to block him out. Her despair heightened when she realized
that that was basically impossible. Max was the origin of their connection and
his connection to her was stronger than hers to him, so he got in easily.
I’m sorry, Max.
So much pain from both of them it threatened to
overwhelm her. Why does she keep on doing this to him? She was his greatest
weakness…
No, you’re my greatest strength! Don’t give up on us.
Max…
No Liz. I’m never letting you go again!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Isabel gasped when she let go of her brother, breaking
the connection with Liz. Max hadn’t been able to reach her on his own while she
was drugged and Izzy had to dreamwalk to help them. Looking at Max, she saw him
wipe at his eyes surreptitiously and she marveled yet again at how strong the
feelings between Max and Liz were. And at the fact that they were sent across
galaxies so that her brother could find a love here on earth that would
ultimately save their people.
The Jeep bumped over the rough terrain as Michael
drove to the camp at break neck speed.
"I shouldn’t have left her this morning!"
Max burst out. "I knew something was wrong."
"Yeah well, she shouldn’t have gone off on her
own either!" Michael sounded harsh.
"Shut up, Michael!" Max was losing his
temper.
"Okay, guys!" Isabel was left trying to
make peace between her two very different brothers once again. "You are
both worried about her, I know it. So let’s not fight! Max, did she say
anything that could help us?"
He shook his head mutely, the connection hadn’t
lasted long enough.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Diane and Nick were waiting for them when the Jeep
roared into the camp. Max jumped out before it came to a complete standstill,
practically running towards his mother.
"She left with Marcus and Nancy to go to Roswell
a few hours ago…" The terrified look on her son’s face alerted Diane that
something had already happened to Liz as she had feared.
Max took several deep calming breaths, putting his
arm around his mother’s shoulders. "Let’s all go meet in the dining tent.
We need to come up with a plan."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Waking up slowly, Liz felt her whole body ache.
Blinking her eyes a few times, she wondered why she couldn’t see? Finally she
could make out a thin sliver of light that seem to be coming from underneath a
door. Darkness. She was in darkness.
A soft sobbing close to her interrupted her thoughts.
"Mom?" She crawled towards the sobbing, bumping into legs on the way.
Hands gripped her shoulders, leaving her gasping in fear.
"Liz?" The soft voice seemed vaguely
familiar.
"Yeah?"
"It’s… Sarah. I’m so sorry that he found you.
Because of me."
"Sarah! What is going on? Who has us here? Why
does he have you too?" Liz realized she was firing questions at poor Sarah
and decided to change her tactics. The sobbing hadn’t stopped yet and she now knew
it was her mother. "Just give me a few minutes, I have to get to my
mom."
Finally locating her mother’s slumped form on the
floor, Liz put her arms around Nancy. Her mother stopped crying immediately.
"Liz? You’re safe? Thank god!"
"Mom, I’m so sorry! This is my fault. I should
have waited for Max. I --."
"Max! Isn’t he the reason we’re in this mess
from the beginning?" Nancy had trouble not yelling.
"No Mom. I’m the reason we’re in this
mess…" Liz spoke softly, trying to understand that her mother’s reactions
were the result of fear, not hatred towards Max. "We just need to hang on,
he will come and find us."
Nancy was speechless. The quiet and unshaken trust in
her daughter’s voice completely silenced her.
"No one knows where we are." Now it was
Sarah’s turn to sound despondent.
"Max can find me. And he WILL." Liz tried
to allay the fears in the room without actually telling Sarah why Max would be
able to find her.
Sarah was quiet for a few moments. "Your
connection is that strong?" Her voice was filled with wonder… and envy.
"Eric just sometimes senses intense emotions from me."
"What are you talking about? Sarah? Who are
you?" Liz was starting to get a weird feeling about the girl.
"Uhm… How much does your mother know about…
about Max?"
"Enough. Tell me!" What if this were part
of an elaborate trap for Max!
"I’m… Eric is… Eric is the leader of his people.
People that came to earth originally to find… Max."
"To destroy Max, you mean!" Liz was getting
upset. "And I thought you wanted to help us! You just wanted to find Max
so that you could--."
"No!" Sarah cried out. "Eric doesn’t
want that anymore. But some of his people, they told him that Max wanted to
kill him first. So we came here. But I saw you two together the other day. Max
is not a killer and I thought, maybe if you and I could get them together we
could stop this madness. But then Devin disappeared and --."
"Devin tried to kill me the other day." Liz
interrupted her.
"What! But that’s… Eric didn’t tell him to do
that! Maybe that’s why… Oh god, Liz! They are going to kill Eric
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max paced during the meeting. Liz was finally awake,
but her emotions were fluctuating wildly and he couldn’t make out clearly what
was going on. "Maria, I need you to call the Sheriff and have him try and
see what he can do in Roswell so long. Michael, I need you with me. You’re our
protector…" He shared an intense look with his second-in-command before
continuing: "I’m going to try and see if I can’t connect with Liz one more
time, maybe she can give us some clues that will help us to find them."
Max looked up as he saw Nick entering the tent after
speaking to some people that were standing outside. "They are worried
about her, Max. You should talk to them." Nick’s quiet voice was firm.
Their Queen was missing.
"Later," Max nodded and glanced at Jeff. He
hadn’t said a word yet, but was sitting as if in a daze next to the Evans’.
"Mr. Parker, I’ll find them. Both of them."
His words brought a flicker of hope to Jeff’s gaze.
"What should we do, Max?" Isabel didn’t
want to feel useless.
"I need you here, coordinating things from this
end. I don’t want a surprise attack against the camp while we’re away. Where’s
Tess?" Max looked around, seeing her standing behind Nick. "You’re
coming with us. We will probably need your mind warp powers."
Nick stopped him before he left the tent. "Max,
do you know what Liz did with that carved box I gave her after your bonding
ceremony?"
Max was confused. What did this have to do with
saving Liz? "Yeah. Its in our… my tent. Why?"
"You need to give it to Isabel, in case…
something happens. It should always be in the hands of whomever is going to
bear our next king."
Going pale, Max fought the instinct of shouting that
nothing will happen to Liz. Because he knew that he couldn’t promise that.
"Come with me then."
Jeff had watched this whole interlude from the side.
Even in his terrified state, he couldn’t miss the words "bonding
ceremony" and "whomever is going to bear our next king". His
mind grappled with finding the significance of these words, the only thing
making sense to him right now was that Liz and Nancy were missing. And that Max
Evans was apparently the only person that could find them…
The preparations were made
quickly and efficiently while Max went to his tent to retrieve Liz’s wooden box
and to try and connect with her one more time. Isabel went with him.
Finding the box underneath the bed that he and Liz
had shared while they were in the camp the previous time, Max stared at it
after he put it on the bed.
"What’s inside?" Isabel was speaking in a
hushed voice without realizing it.
"I don’t know. Liz and I never got around to
looking." He met Isabel’s gaze. "And I wouldn’t feel right about
opening it without her now."
Isabel nodded, understanding what Max was trying to
say. That Liz will be coming back to open the box herself and that Izzy would
only be keeping it temporarily. In Max’s heart, the box will belong to Liz no
matter what.
Sitting down on his bed, Max had to close his eyes to
stop the torture of remembering how Liz had felt curled up in his arms here
that few nights so long ago. Taking a deep breath, he vowed that he would
experience that again, even if he had to die trying…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz sat with her arms hugging her knees against the
one wall. By some silent agreement, she and Sarah had given her mother the cot
and Nancy was sleeping fitfully on it now. Looking at her watch, Liz saw that
it was only 18:00. It felt like they had been here for ages. She was too far away
from Max to feel him properly and she was getting lonely without his constant
presence in her mind. On top of all the shocks she had received after listening
to Sarah, another one was added. The guy holding them was one of Devin’s
friends by the name of Tim. Sarah wasn’t sure if there would be any other
people working with him.
Sarah was sitting cross-legged across from Liz and
stared at the floor blankly. Eric was probably going out of his mind with worry
by now and she prayed that he was being careful while he looked for her. So
far, she had only seen Tim here and she wondered if he was working on his own.
Somehow she had trouble acknowledging that some of Eric’s people were betraying
him like this. He was put on earth to come finish a war that he barely
remembered and meeting and falling in love with her, had made him even more
uncertain about the terrible task he was here to complete. She looked over at
Liz. "You seem really sad."
Liz wiped a tear from her cheek, not noticing her
mother had woken up next to her. "I miss Max. I miss… his presence."
Seeing Sarah’s confusion, she decided to elaborate. "Max and I we… we feel
each other. All the time, but right now he’s too far away for me to really feel
him."
"Wow. Eric and I, we love each other a lot, but…
you and Max. You seem like two parts of a whole." Sarah sounded a little
jealous.
"Uhm, yeah. That’s a good way of putting it.
It’s like I can’t breathe if he’s away from me for too long, you know?"
Liz’s heart ached. She wanted Max here. She wanted him to put his arms around
her and make her feel safe. She wanted to tell him that she loved him one more
time. She bit her lip, trying not to start crying for real. "How did you
and Eric meet? How did you find out he was… alien?"
Sarah looked down. "My story is not as fairy
tale like as yours, getting healed from a gunshot wound! I was… I ran away from
home when I was younger. The short version is that he found me on the street
one night and chased two guys off that wanted to--. Anyway, I didn’t have
anywhere else to go, so he took me with him. We were friends for a long time
before he finally allowed us to be more."
Smiling wistfully, Liz nodded. "Max was the
same. He was so scared he would hurt me because he was different. It took him
forever to kiss me! Wait a minute! How did you know Max healed me?"
Now Sarah was smiling. "We saw the story on the
Internet. On one of those conspiracy sites. We just had to find out who was
healed and who did the healing. We chatted with some people in Roswell, they
all said that the rumor was that you got shot and that a guy named Max Evans
had saved you. They always laughed while telling us this crazy story! Then I
saw you with Max the other day and I just knew. The way you two were with each
other. The way he looked at you. Like you were his everything…"
Neither of them realized that Nancy was listening to
this whole conversation with baited breath. There was so much about her
relationship with Max that Liz had never told her.
Sarah continued. "We were always travelling in a
group. We were about 15 people. I woke up one night and heard some of the
others arguing with Eric about me. He finally told them that he would make his
own decisions and that he would tell me what he was cause I had a right to
know. He told me and I realized I had always sort of known that he was
different. I didn’t care. As long as he loved me."
"So you’re…?" "Human? Yeah. Just like
you." Sarah paused. "Maybe not exactly like you. What happened between
you and Max? Why are you two so connected?"
"We don’t know either. It was just always sort
of there after he healed me." Liz didn’t want to share too much details of
her life with Max with this stranger. Some things were too precious to just
tell anybody.
Oh Max! I miss you…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was getting frustrated because all he could get
from Liz were feelings, so he turned to his sister again. "I need your
help."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz, love! Are you okay?
Liz leant her head back against the wall with a gasp,
startling Nancy and Sarah. "It’s Max!" Max was inside her head!
Talking to her!
Max! I love you! There was no time like the present to make sure that he knew that.
Me too. Next time I hear that, we will be together, I
promise. Do you know where you are?
Nancy and Sarah watched in awe as Liz shook her head
sadly, obviously having some discussion in her head that they couldn’t share.
No. We’re in a small room and its dark all the time.
Max you have to listen to me. It’s really important. You have to find a guy
named Eric. He is Sarah’s boyfriend and Max… he’s the leader of the other
aliens--.
WHAT!
Max’s rage nearly overwhelmed her.
No Max! You have to listen. The guy holding us. He
worked with Devin and he is part of a group of Eric’s people that are trying to
perpetuate a war between our two races. Liz didn’t even realize she used "our" when talking about
Max’s people. Sarah is with us and she says the kidnapper’s name is Tim.
Maybe Eric can help you find us. Liz had never talked so fast in her life,
but she was afraid the connection would be broken before she could get all the
details to Max. Max…please be careful. I couldn’t bear it if anything
happened to you!
Liz. I…
Another presence suddenly joined the connection,
making Liz shiver.
Tess.
Get out, Max. Isabel is starting to look pale.
Honey, I… I’m coming. Hold on.
Then he was gone.
Liz came out of her daze to find two pairs of eyes trained
on her. Meeting Nancy’s gaze, she smiled. "Max is coming."
The door opened suddenly. "Weeell, that’s nice
to hear! I’ll start preparing for the party immediately. Can’t have the King of
our enemies arriving without some pomp and ceremony!" Tim snarled at Liz.
"And I know just what will make him feel welcome… Smelling the fear of his
precious human mate."
They were in three cars, Max
wasn’t taking any chances. They would go into Roswell separately to ensure that
they didn’t cause any unnecessary suspicion. Max had also phoned the Sheriff to
check on anybody named Eric (not that knowing his first name helped a lot).
They had to try…
Michael kept throwing side-ways glances at Max. Max
had been calm for a while after talking to Liz, but now he seemed frantic. He
was staring out of the window, his hands clenched in fists on his thighs.
"Maxwell…"
"Just drive, Michael. Please don’t ask
anything." Max didn’t want to discuss anything about his feelings in front
of Tess who was sitting silently in the back seat. He was trying to keep
himself together, but it wasn’t easy. Something was seriously wrong with Liz.
He sensed a mixture of fear and anger from her that made his heart pound in his
chest. What was he doing to her? If her hurts her I’ll kill him.
They met Jim Valenti in front of his office. He
watched with concern as Max got out of the Jeep. "Are you okay, son?"
Max nodded mutely, but Jim saw through him. Max’s
body was racked with small, almost imperceptible tremors and the Sheriff
marveled again at how intense the feelings between Max and Liz were. Max could
say what he liked, but Jim knew he was quietly going out of his mind about Liz.
"Let’s talk in my office." Valenti led them
inside. The discussion went quickly. The bottom-line was that they needed to
find Sarah’s Eric and convince him to help them. He was the only one that might
possibly know where Liz, Nancy and Sarah were kept.
"Well, I have three guys under surveillance
right now that may be this Eric guy. One of them was hanging around the
Crashdown a lot and one of the waiters called asking us to check him out."
Max jumped up. "Then let’s do it!" He was
getting more desperate to find Liz by the minute.
Everyone followed Max out of the door, but halted
when Max made a strangled sound and grabbed the doorframe with a shaking hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"No Tim! Please don’t do this!" Sarah
cried. She was cuffed to the wall, he hands above her head. Tim had made sure
that she was cuffed first, wanting to humiliate the human that wormed herself
into his race as much as possible. He had held Nancy by the throat while busy
with Sarah, thereby ensuring that Liz didn’t try anything. Then he had cuffed
Nancy to the cot. He had no real use for her, but her presence kept the fear of
the other leader’s mate on an acceptably high level. Of course Liz had made a
fuss when he worked on her mother, so he had to silence her for a while. He
looked at Liz lying crumpled on the floor, blood trickling from her lip where
the back of his hand had caught her. What is it about these pathetic women
that so ensnared Eric and Max?
Nancy was crying. She seemed to do that a lot lately,
but right now was the first time she truly realized how much her daughter had
gone through during the last year. She had listened to some of the stories of
what had happened to Liz, but now she saw.
Liz was only out for a few seconds. She moaned softly
as she came to. "Max…"
"No, your precious Max has not pitched up to
save you yet. Methinks you have too much trust in him." Tim dragged her
upright roughly, his fingers bruising her upper arms. "Now, let’s get you
all trussed up for the feast."
Liz glared at him. She would not give him the
satisfaction of crumbling. She could feel Max was closer and the knowledge kept
her going. She closed her eyes and bit her lip as Tim cuffed her to the wall
too.
Max…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael grabbed Max, holding him upright. "Hey
Maxwell!"
Max gripped the doorframe so tightly, that his
knuckles turned white. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The others watched
as he pulled himself together with effort. "We have to hurry.
Please." He spoke through stiff lips, his voice low and urgent. Hold
on, Liz, I’m coming! Michael and Jim glanced at each other, knowing that
something had happened that Max wasn’t sharing with them. "Max--."
But Max was already moving out towards the Jeep
again. It felt like a white-hot knife was twisting in his gut. Only he wasn’t
sure if it was as a result of fearing for Liz or the hate he was starting to
feel for the guy hurting her. For she was hurt, of that he was sure…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz felt the cuffs biting into her wrists as she
basically hung from them against the wall. She was still a little dizzy from
that backhand Tim had dealt her, but the sight of her mother close to losing it
made her doubly determined to remain strong. When Max came she would give in to
the blackness trying to overwhelm her. But only after she was sure he was safe…
"Mom, it will be okay. I promise."
"How can you say that?" Nancy sounded
choked.
"Because I believe in Max."
There was a flicker of hope in Nancy’s eyes.
"Liz, I can see how much you trust in Max, but did you see how easily this
Tim killed Marcus? He didn’t even touch him! How is Max going to withstand
that?"
"Tim was a warrior on Eric’s home planet. They
are deadly, killing machines. That’s why he was sent here. To be the one to
finally… kill Max." Sarah sounded tired.
Feeling the blackness coming closer again, Liz closed
her eyes and concentrated on breathing again. A few silent minutes later, her
eyes snapped open. That’s it! Soldiers needed a war to feel useful. The
soldiers were revolting against Eric’s pacifism. "How many soldiers
came with Eric?"
Sarah’s eyes were fluttering closed, she was
obviously not going to be conscious for much longer. "Sarah, please! It’s
really important! How many soldiers?" Liz was close to yelling, hoping to
startle Sarah back. It worked partially.
"Wh-- What?"
"How many soldiers?" It hurt to talk by
now, because her lip was starting to swell. And every time she spoke the cut in
her lip started bleeding again.
"I think… I think ten? But I’m not sure…"
Think, Liz, think! Knowing she had to let Max know about the soldiers somehow. But she was
feeling faint, they not eaten all day and being beaten didn’t help much either.
But I have to help Max.
Nancy watched in growing admiration as Liz fought to
stay conscious. Her face showed the signs of Tim’s assault, and she could see
red welts starting to form on Liz’s wrists. All this for Max Evans…
"Liz, honey, are you okay?"
"Have to talk to Max…" Liz mumbled.
Nancy thought fleetingly that Liz was delirious, but
then she remembered how earlier Liz had seemed to talk to Max.
Liz felt herself slipping away from reality. No…
have to warn Max! Warn him that—something important. Warn him… But he was
waiting for her, in that dream world where she couldn’t feel the pain. He stood
there as beautiful and strong as ever, holding his arms open for her to run
into. She flung herself into his embrace and whispered: "Hold me,
Max." And because this was her dream, he said: "Always. My Liz."
~*~*~*~*~*~
In the end it was laughably easy to find Eric. Max
and Michael both saw him at the same time. He was sitting on the edge of the
pavement across the street from the Crashdown and, ironically, right in front
of the UFO Museum. The others stood back, watching as Max approached Eric.
Michael kept a watch out for Eric’s men. Surely they couldn’t be far away…
Max halted a few feet away from Eric. He knew that he
should hate him, but just like with Tess, he felt nothing. He remembered
nothing. All he saw was a guy with sadness lining his face. Max saw the moment
Eric became aware of his presence. His body tensed perceptibly and he slowly
stood up.
The others watched, holding their breaths, as the
leaders of two alien races faced each other on a street in front of a cheesy
alien museum in a small town in New Mexico.
Liz felt light as air and
heavy as lead at the same time. Max was making love to her, slowly and gently,
but only her mind was reacting. Her body seemed incapable of feeling anything
but pain. What is wrong with me? Making love with Max had never equaled
pain before.
"Liz. Liz!"
Someone was calling her name insistently and the
voice was a jarring note in her dream. She wanted to be alone with Max, to find
that wonderful oblivion he always brought her, not listen to that irritating
voice. Liz concentrated on Max instead, and for a few seconds she found the
bliss she always did in his arms and caressing hands. "Max, please…"
The note in her voice was one Max would recognize immediately. It was the one
she always used to beg him to stop torturing her and fill that place inside her
that was created for him.
On the other hand, it was not a tone of voice Nancy
Parker had ever heard from her daughter. It silenced her momentarily in her
efforts to wake Liz up. Liz’s voice spoke of a longing and desire so intense
that Nancy had trouble identifying it with her always cool and in control
child. She took a deep breath, trying not to think of what it meant. Truthfully
she didn’t know what her reaction would be if her growing suspicions were
confirmed. She knows what it SHOULD be, Liz was her daughter after all, but
after experiencing all she did the last few days, she was just too confused to
indulge in her normal mother responses.
"Marry me, Liz." For a moment, Liz grinned.
This was so typically Max. She had already said she would, but he kept worrying
that she would change her mind. Like that could ever happen!
"Liz! You have to wake up!" That voice
again! Would the person not just go away? Couldn’t they see she was busy with
more important things? Like answering Max who was now starting to look worried.
Touching her hand to his lips, she promised:
"Yes Max, I’ll marry you…"
Nancy blanched after hearing Liz’s soft words. Marry
him! She hoped this was a dream… "
"What’s wrong, the little princess still out of
it?" He walked over to Liz, running his hands over her arms and sides. "These
human girls. So weak and pathetic, but so beautiful to look at."
Liz came to with a shuddering cry. Hands that were
not Max’s were on her body and it made her feel dirty. The pain in her arms
fleetingly overwhelmed her and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Why would he choose you over his intended
mate?" Tim was looking at her calculatingly. "Unless you were giving
him something to make it worth his while. I mean, Sarah was only too happy to
grace the bed of MY esteemed leader. But not those of any of us lowly servants,
though." He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "Why is
that? Is it because they are Kings?" He pulled Liz towards him sharply by
her hair. "Come on, you can tell me!"
Liz had trouble not whimpering from the pain. She blinked
furiously to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She would not give
him the satisfaction.
"Leave her alone!" Nancy’s voice was sharp.
Tim turned towards her, still holding on to Liz’s
hair. "What is your problem? She’s not yours anymore, she’s the mate of an
alien leader. You should rather be worried about yourself, lady."
"Mom." Liz’s voice was weak and unsteady.
Nancy recovered from Tim’s attack remarkably quickly.
"She will always be my daughter, no matter what. But you’re right about
one thing, she is Max’s… mate and he is not going to take kindly to the way
you’re treating her!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Eric looked at Max warily. "Who are you?"
But he knew. Somehow he knew that this was the Max Evans he had heard so much
about since he came to Roswell. Was he coming to gloat over taking Sarah
from me?
"Max Evans. Some of your people have Sarah. And
my Liz." Max figured he would get straight to the point, hoping that it
would circumvent any misunderstandings between them. He saw Eric’s eyes widen
in shock, then he felt Michael’s presence behind him. Looking over Eric’s
shoulder he saw two men bearing down on them, obviously some of Eric’s
bodyguards.
Eric took a while to recover from Max’s unexpected
news, but he held up his hand, halting the advance of his men immediately.
"What are you talking about?"
"Maxwell, this is not the place." Michael’s
quiet voice reminded Max that they were on a public street.
"Would you mind if we go inside to talk?"
He gestured at the UFO Museum. Seeing Eric’s hesitation, Max reminded him of
their priorities. "Please. We need to find Liz and Sarah before it’s too
late." Max prayed that it wasn’t too late already. His connection with Liz
had simmered down to a hum in his mind, telling him she was either asleep or unconscious.
His mind kept creating the most awful scenarios of what was happening to her
and it drove him crazy with worry.
Eric followed him inside and they left Michael and
one of Eric’s men at the door. Two deadly sentries intent on protecting their
leaders at all cost.
It happened just after Max had relayed to Eric what
he knew about the kidnapping. He had included everything that Liz had managed
to tell him, but just before Eric could respond Max felt such a surge of
emotion from Liz that he felt dizzy. To compound things, he now felt a presence
with Liz that could only mean one thing. Tim was touching Liz. Max was overcome
with such fury that his vision blurred for a moment as he jumped up from the
table. Eric stared at him in surprise as he prowled around the room, clenching
and unclenching his fists at his sides. How was he going to think rationally
about finding Liz if all he was consumed with was how scared Liz was and what
exactly this guy was doing to her. Breathe, Max, just breathe. Getting hysterical
will not help Liz…
"What’s going on?" Eric sounded concerned.
Max was still fighting to regain his composure. He
closed his eyes, but it immediately intensified his experience of the pain and
fear coming from Liz. He clutched at the nearest solid thing, trying not to
sink to the floor under the weight of the sensations. "Liz! Liz, I’m
coming. I promise," he whispered.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz! Liz, I’m coming. I promise.
That beloved voice was the final straw that made
Liz’s tears spill over. He was here! He was near! He had to be, otherwise she
wouldn’t have heard him so clearly. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to
ignore the pain and the fact that Tim was still running his hands over her
body. She needed to tell Max what she had learned earlier. Please Max. You
have to hear me.
Inside Roswell, Max’s head flew up as he heard Liz’s
plea. Liz! Are you hurt?
Relief flooded her body as she heard Max’s reply. He
could hear her too! Liz told Max what she had figured out about the soldiers
revolting as quickly as she could, not knowing what Tim was going to do next.
She kept her eyes closed tightly, her mind going a-mile-a-minute to Max.
It didn’t take long before Tim realized something was
going on. He dug his fingers into her throat, lifting her up by her neck.
"What are you doing?"
Liz whimpered, fighting to breathe.
"If you’re communicating with your alien
husband, tell him what I’m doing to you." He grinned. "If he’s
anything like that wimp Eric, it will drive him to come running over here in a
blind rage. Nothing like rage to stop one from thinking rationally, is
there?" He brought his other hand to the place on her stomach where Max
had healed her so many months ago.
It felt like someone was pressing a fiery hot poker
against her as his hand started glowing next to her skin. Liz cried out in
pain.
Michael came in a dead run as he heard Max’s roar of
anguish. He found Max against the wall on the one side of the room and Eric
standing on the other, watching his purported enemy in total confusion.
Max felt the power building in his body until he was
close to exploding. Liz’s screams were echoing in his mind, driving him insane
with reaction. I need to protect her… I want him dead! As the thought
echoed through his mind, an explosion of white light momentarily blinded him. But
how? I had my eyes closed. It must’ve been in my head…
It felt like a bolt of electricity had run through
her body. It hadn’t hurt her, but Liz was barely conscious as it is, so she had
trouble registering any coherent facts. She heard her mother scream and
wondered what had happened. Liz coughed, realizing the pressure on her throat
was gone. As her swimming senses became clearer, she noticed the burning hand
on her stomach was gone too.
She was blinking furiously, trying to clear her
blurred vision when Nancy’s tremulous voice intruded upon her efforts. "Oh
my god, Liz. What have you done?"
Liz finally noticed Tim lying at her feet. Looking
very much dead.
Max felt like he had been hit
by a sledgehammer. The way he always felt after using his powers, only
multiplied by ten. What the hell had just happened? His mind immediately
searched for Liz, making sure that she was okay. Reassured when he found her
life force flowing through him strongly, he turned to Michael dazedly.
"What just happened?"
Michael was staring at him strangely. "Why don’t
you tell me, Maxwell. You sort of blacked out there for a while."
"Blacked out?" Max frowned. "That’s
all? You didn’t see a bright light? Like the sort you create?"
Michael raised an eyebrow. "No… You yelled, I
came, you fell against the wall and blacked out. Is Liz all right? I
thought…"
It all came back to Max in a rush. The hatred
building against Tim who was torturing Liz. Feeling her intense pain. Talking
to Liz. Talking to Liz? That had only happened, sort of, while he was
being kept by Jans and his henchmen. How had they managed it now?
Max… It
was whisper-soft in his mind. Tim is… he’s dead, Max. And I think, I killed
him!
Max was completely stunned for a moment. Liz killed
Tim? Liz killed anybody? How is that even possible? He felt her distress levels
spiking and tried to calm himself so he could speak to her rationally. Liz
honey, it’s okay. Whatever happened, we’ll figure it--.
No Max!
Liz was starting to sound really upset. My Mom said he looked like he was
hit by lightning while touching me. And I… I felt this surge of electricity.
Max, I’m really scared! What is happening to me?
Michael watched in concern as Max suddenly went pale.
"Maxwell…"
"We have to find her, Michael! Now!" Max’s
tone brooked no argument. They turned to Eric. "Where would Tim have kept
them? Is there any place--."
"Yes." Eric straightened. If only he had
known earlier his own people had Sarah. His mind reeled with the fact that he
had been betrayed like this.
"Let’s go!" Max had to force himself to
partially block Liz’s distress from his mind. He needed to concentrate on
finding her first.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was having a hard time not falling to pieces
completely. She was light-headed and nauseous, her body was bruised and burnt
and at her feet lay a man that she had apparently unwittingly killed. Her
mother was staring in front of her like a zombie and Sarah was still hanging
from the opposite wall, unconscious. Liz felt that there wasn’t much more she
could take before going insane. She was clinging to the only thing that she
could. Max was coming...
She risked a glance at Tim. He looked like he was
just sleeping. Only he wasn’t breathing at all. It was scary looking down at
the man that had nearly killed her and that so obviously wanted to kill Max. I’m
glad he’s dead. The thought shocked and sickened her. But it was true. He
would have killed any of them without blinking…
"Mom, are you okay?" Liz could barely talk.
She was shivering violently from reaction to her ordeal.
Nancy stared up at her daughter. Okay? That probably
wasn’t the word she would use! She had just witnessed a crazed alien assaulting
her daughter and then watched him being thrown off Liz like he had touched a
live wire. All this while Liz was close to being unconscious from the pain. She
nodded mutely and couldn’t believe the next words were coming out of her mouth:
"I wish Max would get here…"
She heard Liz’s gasp and didn’t blame her for being
surprised. She had all but told Max to stay away from Liz. But now, after
getting to know Max a little better these last few days, she, just like
everyone, was instinctively turning to Max to fix everything. More than that,
she was hoping he would save Liz. Which was ironic really. She acknowledged for
the first time that she didn’t need to protect Liz from Max, she needed Max to
protect Liz from the world. And somehow she just knew that he would…
~*~*~*~*~*~
They met outside with the Sheriff, Tess and Eric’s
men. Eric explained that one of the places they had rented when coming to
Roswell had large a basement. He suspected that’s where Tim was keeping the
women.
Max was quiet while they discussed tactics, letting
Michael do the planning and talking. It was clear that his friend and
second-in-command was really good at this, fitting naturally into his role as
protector and soldier. Max, not knowing all the details, had decided not to
tell anyone about Tim’s possible demise yet. Or of his suspicion that his
intense reactions to what Liz had been going through had somehow caused the
guy’s death.
They phoned Isabel at the camp, telling her only that
they were making progress and ascertained that everything over on her side was
still normal. Then they executed their plan, with Michael in the lead.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was deathly quiet in the room. Liz was slowly
losing her grip on consciousness, sliding into a foggy world of terror only to
fleetingly come to, before starting the slide into oblivion again. She so
wanted to stay alert so she could help Max when he came, but right now she was
losing the battle. And, in the process, delirium was setting in.
Nancy monitored Liz worriedly. The burn on her
stomach looked serious, while a heavy bruise had formed around her throat. Her
eyes had drifted closed and she murmured unintelligible things every now and
again. Nancy was not surprised when the only word she could make out on
occasion was "Max".
It was a half and hour later when the door opened
first at a crack, only to be thrust open completely when the guy saw Tim
sprawled on the floor. He rushed in, kneeling next to the body, before turning
frightened eyes to the three women. Finding two of the three unconscious, his
gaze finally rested on Nancy. "Who are you?" his voice was filled
with fear and awe.
Nancy had a wild urge to laugh hysterically. This guy
obviously thought she was the one that had killed Tim. Instead she just stared
at him mutely. Anything to spare Liz another session of torture.
Nancy slumped on the cot when Tim was dragged from
the room and the door securely locked behind them. All her bravado had
disappeared. She looked over at Liz again, she was turning paler and her body
shook with tremors. She was going into shock.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"She’s there." His voice was quiet and
sure. They were all assembled about a block away from the house and Max was
staring at it as if he could see through the walls. He turned determinedly to
Tess. "We need a distraction. See how many of them you can get to come out
of the house." She nodded, not meeting his eyes and started to walk away.
Max grabbed her arm, spinning her back towards him. "But if you betray me,
I swear--."
Tess jerked her arm from his grip. "Don’t worry.
I’ll do my part to save your precious Liz. But see what she has gotten herself
into yet again. She is a liability. Now our people have to run over to try and
save her from her--." She shut up when Max and Michael advanced on her,
fury on their faces. Glaring at them one final time, she stalked away bitterly.
Michael watched her retreating figure. "I hope
this works, Max."
"It has to, Michael, I can’t lose her." Max
felt his throat tighten. Yes, Liz was in that house, but her presence was
slowly dimming…
Nancy was still watching Liz
when she saw her daughter’s eyes flutter open. "Max is here..." Nancy
had to strain to hear the words, Liz’s voice was so weak. Making a Herculean
effort to lift her head, Liz said: "Mom, you have… have to keep me… awake.
For Max… to heal me…"
So Nancy did what she did when Liz was little. She
told her a fairy tale. "Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, there
lived a handsome young prince who had always dreamed of a beautiful dark eyed
girl with hair the color of chocolate…"
Tess was standing across the street from the house
with closed eyes and created an illusion of Eric arriving at the door. When one
of his soldiers opened the door, fake-Eric told him he knew where Max was and
that four of them should come with him to go "finish this off". Not
knowing how to ignore Eric’s request without tipping him off that they were
busy with something he wouldn’t like, the men followed him, right into the trap
that Nick and his men had set around the corner.
Michael had held a firm grip on Max’s arm, preventing
him from storming into the house unprepared while all this was happening. Max
kept reaching out to Liz with his mind: Liz! Just a few minutes longer,
love… He was rewarded every time with a small surge from her.
When Michael was satisfied that the other men were
gone, he took his contingent into the house after commanding Max to stay back.
Max just looked at Michael and shook his head. He would be right there
alongside his friend and brother.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"…so the little Prince saw the girl from his dreams
with the long dark hair and he knew her immediately. He so wanted to go and
meet her, but he didn’t want to frighten her, so he--." Nancy jerked when
she heard the sound of running feet upstairs. What was going on up there?
Looking over at Liz, she saw that her eyes had drifted closed. "Liz honey,
you have to wake up! Remember, Max is coming."
Liz forced her eyes open, but everything hurt so
much. Not just her wounds and bruises, but her heart. It was Max. He was
hurting because he was afraid for her. She HAD to keep fighting this urge to
sink into oblivion. She had to do it for Max. She wanted him to be proud of
her…
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was over in a matter of minutes. By the time Eric
and Max arrived it looked like the house had been hit by lightning. There were
burn marks on the walls and bodies strewn over the floor. Max felt ill when he
saw that one of the bodies was one of his own people. He frantically looked for
Michael and found him kneeling on the floor in the hallway in front of a door.
His hand rested on the melted handle of the door. Looking up when Max arrived,
he mumbled: "She’s down there." He waved weakly at the door. "I
had to keep them away…"
Max didn’t have words to thank him for making sure
that nothing more happened to Liz. Michael, who had been dragged into trusting
other people kicking and screaming, was now prepared to give his life for the
girl that had started it all for them.
"Just go, Max. I’m fine."
Max opened the melted lock by waving his hand over it
and ran down the stairs. He nearly fell over his own feet when he finally
reached the bottom and when he straightened, the sight of his beloved Liz
cuffed against the wall with bruises covering her, brought tears to his eyes.
He was next to her instantly, his hands reaching out to lift her against him
gently. "Oh god Liz! I’m so sorry." He held her with one arm while
the other waved the cuffs off her wrists.
Carrying her to the cot where Nancy was still
sitting, he put her down at the foot of the bed, his tortured eyes taking in the
damage that had been done to her. The anger was building inside him again, but
he forced himself to concentrate on Liz.
Nancy looked on as Max ignored the tears coursing
down his cheeks to tilt Liz’s chin up, begging her: "Please open your
eyes, Liz. You need to look at me!" If she had any doubts that Max was
feeling terrible about Liz being in this situation as a result of him, it was
erased by his broken voice and shaking hands.
"Come on, Liz! We still have that box to open.
We still have to get married. You promised. And… and I need you. Please."
By this time, the tears running down his face was basically blinding him, so it
took him a while to realize Liz was looking at him.
"You came…" Her voice was barely above a
whisper.
"I’ll always come when you need me." His
vow was solemn before he put his hand over her stomach to start the healing
process.
It took a long time and Max was weakening, but he
kept going. Fighting the damage to her body with everything in him. He felt his
energy leaving him and flowing into Liz through his hand that was covering the
spot where he had healed her from the gunshot wound more that a year ago.
Michael came in silently, releasing Mrs. Parker from
her cuffs and making sure that Eric and Sarah were okay. Now they were all just
watching Max and Liz.
The flashes were upon him in a rush. He saw himself
making love to Liz the previous night. Her kidnapping and Marcus being killed.
He saw every minute of her ordeal and cried out with the pain. Falling to his
knees beside her, Max fought to keep himself linked to her, until the healing
process was complete. Tim had basically started to burn her insides with his
hand. And Max felt the killing rage return.
When he finally took his hand from her, he just
keeled over until he rested his face in her lap. My Liz. You’re safe now.
He desperately wanted to heal her other bruises, but he didn’t have the
strength right now. A beautiful smile stole across his lips when he felt her
slide her fingers into his hair. < you,>
It was another profound moment for Nancy. Yet again
she was being confronted by the fact that whatever was going on between Max and
Liz, was not normal. Not for two teenagers and not even for most adults. It was
something amazing and special. Something that deserved special treatment from
her.
Max was eventually able to crawl onto the cot and he
stretched out on it, pulling Liz to him until he could curve his body around
hers. The others looked at each other and realized they were intruding on a
private moment, so they went upstairs to assess damage and let everyone else
know they had lived through this.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Isabel was ecstatic when they phoned her to say
basically everyone was fine. She informed them that Mr. Parker and her parents
were coming back to Roswell right away. They all just wanted to be home now
that everything seemed to be over. Isabel, Alex and Maria would wait for Max,
Michael and Liz back at the camp. They all agreed that they needed some time
there to recuperate before returning to their normal lives in town. And none of
them said it, but they needed time with their partners to reaffirm their
relationships.
It was an hour later before Michael finally had the
nerve to go downstairs again to get Max and Liz. It was really late at night
already and they still wanted to drive back to the camp. He found them in the
same position that they had been left. Max was still curled protectively around
Liz and sound asleep. Michael winced when he saw Liz’s face and neck where the
welts from Tim’s rough handling of her were still clearly visible. No wonder
Max lost it at the UFO Museum. He had probably felt this happening… Walking
over, he shook Max’s shoulder. "Wake up, buddy, time to go home."
Max tightened his hold on Liz instinctively, not wanting
anyone to move her from his arms. He woke up groggily as the shaking continued
and stared at Michael uncomprehendingly for a few seconds before everything
came back to him. He pulled away from Liz slowly, not wanting to wake her and
kept his hand on her to ensure that she could feel his presence still. He
opened his mouth to speak to Michael when his eyes fell on the cuffs still
hanging from the wall. Compressing his mouth into a thin line, he got up from
the bed and picked up Liz. "Let’s get out of here."
Upstairs, Max was surprised that all the bodies were
gone and the house looked fine again. How long had he been asleep?
"About an hour." Michael answered him.
Spying Mrs. Parker sitting on one of the couches
looking lost, Max went to sit in a chair near her with Liz still in his arms.
"I’m sorry, Mrs. Parker. For all this."
Nancy held up her hand. "No, I’m sorry. For not
trusting you with Liz. I see now that I was wrong."
Max stared at her in surprise and felt one of the
weights he had been carrying on his shoulders, lift. "Thank you."
They sat quietly for a few minutes, content to just
listen to Liz breathing when Eric and Sarah came in, holding hands and looking
happy. Max got up and carefully put Liz next to Nancy on the couch.
Straightening and turning to Eric, he stood eyeing
him from across the room. "I want this to end…"
Bowing his head, Eric said softly. "So do
I."
Nancy held Liz against her
side as she watched Max and Eric look at each other. This felt a little surreal
to her. Here in the middle of small Roswell, NM, she was watching the leaders
of two different planets, both of them still young men, preparing to hold peace
talks. She hugged Liz closer as Liz started squirming and moaning softly.
The sound brought Max back to Liz’s side immediately.
He looked at Nancy, waiting for her to hand Liz over to him. It was a symbolic
moment and they both knew it. Nancy hesitated, still holding her little girl in
her arms, her gaze locked on Max who was standing next to them silently. Her
mind was made up for her when Liz whispered: "Max." Looking up at
him, she slowly allowed him to take her daughter, now a young woman, from her
arms. And she finally conceded, Liz wasn’t hers anymore, she now belonged to
Max…
Max held Liz high against his chest, walking away
from everyone so he could calm her down in private. "Shhh, love. I’m here.
You’re safe." He talked in soothing tones that gradually lessened her
distress. He wished that this was all over so he could take her back to the
camp and just hold her for hours until this whole nightmare faded for the both
of them.
Liz’s eyes fluttered open, fastening on Max
immediately. "Max, could you kiss me? I need… need to feel you…"
Still holding her against him, he bent his head and
softly covered her mouth with his. It was a slow, gentle and beautiful kiss. A
reaffirmation of their love and a promise of the future to come. Their lips
clung together, it felt so familiar and yet so new. Max kept the kiss
feather-light, not wanting to hurt her still bruised face and neck. He
continued to caress her lips until he heard her sigh against him. Pulling away,
he saw that she had once again fallen asleep. He pressed a kiss on the soft
skin of her cheek and her forehead and again thanked whatever providence had
brought him to this place in his life.
Taking Liz back to Nancy, he went to see Eric again.
They needed to finish this so he could start making plans for the rest of his
life. The rest of his NORMAL life with Liz. And they needed to wait for Jeff
Parker and his parents to arrive, since Jeff probably wanted to see his
daughter.
Michael was standing outside the room when Max came
out. He looked uncomfortable. "We, ah… We took care of all the bodies, but
I thought…" Michael was uncharacteristically hesitant. "I thought
maybe you’d want to see…Tim." He looked at Max worriedly. "If you
don’t, I’ll--."
"No. I want to see him." Max didn’t know
why he wanted to see the guy that did all that to Liz. Maybe a perverse wish to
ensure that he really would never be able to bother them again. Maybe he just
wanted to see the first being that he ever… killed. He felt nausea rise up in
his throat. I killed someone… But then he saw the guy. And he remembered what
Liz had looked like when he found her. How intense the pain had been that she
had had to live through. His anger at Tim returned full force. "She just
loved me. That’s all she did," he whispered at the dead man. "Why
didn’t you just come after me?"
"Maxwell…"
Max waved his hand to silence Michael. "We must
never allow something like this to happen in our people, Michael. Promise me
that we will never use innocent people to reach our goals."
Michael’s answer was quiet. "You know we never
will. You would never allow it, and I would never do it."
Max nodded, his eyes still on Tim.
"What exactly happened to him?" Michael was
curious, since the guy was already dead by the time they had stormed the house.
"I killed him." Max sounded tired.
"What are you talking about? You were nowhere
near--."
"Through Liz. I killed him through Liz. I WANTED
to kill him for what he was doing to her and we were connected… our minds. I
felt so much hatred and anger I thought I was going to explode." Turning
tortured eyes to Michael, he said: "He was literally frying her inside,
Michael. I… I just… I wanted him dead. So much." Looking away again, he
continued in a dead voice: "The next moment there was this bright light in
my head and Liz… Liz said it was like an electrical charge had gone through her
body. Killing him." Max rubbed the back of his neck. "I can’t believe
I did that to her. She saw this man die and she thought… she thought she did
it."
Michael was completely stunned by this story, but he
kept his feelings to himself when he saw how upset Max was. "He was trying
to kill HER, Max. He probably would have if you hadn’t stopped him."
"Maybe… But is this what’s going to happen every
time I get so angry?"
"You weren’t just angry, Max. You were
completely overwrought. How many times in your life is that going to happen.
These were rare circumstances. You thought Liz was dying. Hell, she probably
WAS dying." He put his hand on Max’s shoulder. "You need to move past
this. She needs you."
Max was quiet for a long time before he nodded his
head. "Thank you, Michael. For everything."
When he left, Michael stared down at the body of Tim.
His mind was still grappling with what the guy had been capable of, but maybe
this whole mess had led to one good thing. No more looking over their shoulders
in future, waiting for the evil aliens to attack. He bent down and picked the
body up. Time to bury the past.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max and Eric faced each other across the dining room
table. There wasn’t much to say. Neither of them wanted to continue the war
they had been intended to continue. In the case of Max, he had no planet to go
back to. His only home was here, on earth, with Liz.
"I’m not going back to my planet. I hope they
will assume that I’ve done my duty and leave us both alone from now on."
Eric sounded tired too. He had been living on the run for so long that it
seemed quite amazing that he would never have to live like that again. His mind
struggled to accept that he would be able to go live somewhere, with Sarah,
permanently.
Max interrupted his thoughts. "I guarantee that
my people will leave you alone."
Eric nodded. "I…" He wondered if he could
say the same. After all, it had been his soldiers that created this whole
crisis. "Those of my men still with me will do the same for you." He
took a deep breath. And may no-one from my planet come here one day to try
and finish us both off.
They both got up and walked towards each other,
shaking hands to seal their deal.
Eric swallowed. "I’m sorry. About Liz. Sarah
says she is a courageous lady."
A small smile slid over Max’s lips. "Yes. She
is." I’m so proud of her.
"I wish you both well." Eric’s sincere
statement surprised Max.
"You too. And Sarah."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was much later when Max finally woke Liz up so he
could fix her bruises. He didn’t want her father to see her like this. She
opened her eyes partway and stared into his eyes trustingly when he told her
to, not really awake yet. Max smoothed his hands all over her body, not
noticing that Nancy was looking on attentively.
Max shoved the anger and hurt away again that
threatened to return as he saw all the damage that had been done to Liz. When
he finished healing her, he continued touching her. Taking simple joy in being
able to still have her with him.
Still not fully alert, Liz felt the heat starting to
flow through her when Max caressed her tenderly, his hands finding all the
places on her body that they knew so well by now. All the places that he loved
to touch. He skimmed his fingers over her hair, her shoulders and her arms,
lacing their fingers together fleetingly before continuing. He curled his hands
around her hips and slid them down her thighs, before slowly shaping her
calves.
Nancy watched as Liz threw her head back, arching
into the hands caressing her and the thought that had lain at the edge of her
consciousness for a while now became more insistent. The easy and familiar way
in which Max was touching Liz coupled with the instinctive and ardent response
from Liz screamed of one thing. Physical intimacy. For a wild moment, Nancy
wanted to run over and rip her daughter away from Max, but even as the thought
raced through her mind, she cast it aside. She cast it aside because she saw
the tender way in which Max lifted Liz up to cradle her against him, pressing a
gentle kiss on her forehead. After everything that she’s seen today, worrying
about Liz’s sex life seemed so trivial…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Everyone had nearly fallen asleep by the time the
Evans’ and Jeff Parker arrived at the house. Eric and Sarah had left for their
own place, while Nick and the rest of the guys had already gone back to the
camp.
Jeff rushed over and grabbed his wife in his arms
before pulling Liz from Max’s lap. Hugging his still sleeping daughter, he
looked over her head to Max: "Thank you. For both of them."
Max merely nodded only to be engulfed in the embrace
of his own parents. Diane smoothed his bangs from his forehead lovingly.
"So it’s over now?"
A light began to shine in Max’s eyes as he looked at
Liz who was now waking up from her father’s tight hug. "No, Mom. It’s only
beginning…"
Max glanced at Liz sleeping
with her head on his thigh as they sped through the early morning darkness back
to the camp. Michael was driving and Max and Liz were in the back seat. He slid
his hand through her hair over and over again, simultaneously caressing away
her fears and reminding himself that she was with him and fine. A deep
shuddering breath racked his body as he thought back to almost losing her. His
mind had trouble wrapping around the concept that he would have had to go on without
her.
It had taken him a long time to pry Liz from her
father’s arms and then Jeff wasn’t very happy with the fact that Max wanted to
take her back to the camp. Nancy finally ended the silent tug of war between father
and mate when she stated simply that Liz NEEDED to go back. Jeff relented, but
only after soliciting Max’s promise that he would call the next day to make
arrangements for when Lizzie was coming home.
Waking up, Liz felt surrounded by Max’s love and
warmth. She felt a lot better after basically sleeping ever since Max had
healed her. Stretching, she rubbed her cheek lovingly against the hard muscles
of his thigh. I’m alive. I made it. The thought brought tears to her eyes
that slid onto the material of Max’s jeans. She curled her hand into his thigh,
alerting him to the fact that she had woken up.
Max shifted sideways, pulling Liz up against his
chest and holding her tightly. "The bad stuff is over now, love. From now
on, it’s just you and me."
She clung to him, desperately wanting to believe what
he promised. But she also knew that even though the threat of other aliens
might be gone, they will always have to be wary of the FBI.
Max lifted her chin with his hand, forcing her to
look into his eyes. "We can handle them. Together we can handle
anything."
Liz’s eyes widened. "How did you know what I was
thinking? Did you hear my thoughts? Like… like before?"
He shook his head. "No. I didn’t hear you. I
just knew what you were thinking because I know you. We will be okay,
Liz."
Nodding her head, Liz snuggled closer to him. They
watched the darkness speed by outside the Jeep for a few silent minutes before
Liz spoke again. "Max. Thank you for--."
He stopped her with his fingers on her lips.
"Don’t say that. You don’t have to."
Running her hands over his face, Liz noticed the
tired lines around his eyes. She remembered that they hadn’t slept much the
previous night and then to have a day like this on top of that, Max must be
exhausted. He had kept on going until he had her back safely after which he
healed her, using more of his energy. And since then he had been watching over
her. Liz marveled that she could be loved like that. That someone as amazing as
Max Evans could make her the most important thing in his life.
Scooting back, she pulled Max until his head rested
in her lap this time. Threading her fingers through his hair, she whispered:
"My turn to watch over you now. Sleep, Max."
Max wanted to resist, but felt the exhaustion
overwhelm him now that the adrenaline stopped rushing through his veins. He
threw his arm over Liz’s thighs, hugging her legs and ensuring that she
couldn’t leave without him noticing before he finally let sleep take him over.
Liz leant back against the seat, her hands still
cradling Max’s head. How strange her life had become since falling in love with
Max. But even stranger was the fact that she wouldn’t change a second of it if
it meant that in the end she would be holding Max in her arms like this.
Catching Michael’s eye in the rearview mirror, she gave him a small smile. He
smiled back crookedly. Both of them were aware that the man lying in Liz’s lap
fast asleep, was the center of their worlds. That without him, there would be
no group of six or any alien/human relationships between them…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn was breaking when they finally arrived back at
the camp. Liz lightly shook Max’s shoulder and grinned when he grumbled and
pulled her under him. "Max!" But he was kissing her already, still
not really awake. Liz had trouble not going under from his sensual attack, but
she pushed at his shoulders not wanting the rest of the camp to see them this
way.
In the end, Michael brought the Jeep to a lurching
halt, nearly causing Max to fall off the back seat and jarring him awake
abruptly. Max glared at Michael while trying to make sure that Liz wasn’t hurt
by Michael’s actions. Michael just ignored him and jumped out of the car where
he was promptly run down by Maria.
Max helped Liz from the Jeep and they turned to find
that all the inhabitants of the camp had assembled to meet them. Pulling Liz to
his side, Max explained about the peace with Eric’s people and this led to a
deafening cheer of joy rising from the crowd.
After quietening down, their eyes turned to Liz and she
took a deep breath, ducking her head shyly. When she finally looked up, she
spoke softly: "Thank you very much for supporting Max and I through this.
Thank you for the men that went with him and… just, thank you."
This resulted in beaming smiles that widened when Max
and Liz went to hug the mates of Marcus and the other guy that was killed
during the raid, whispering their condolences. Max finally turned to everyone
and said: "If you all don’t mind, Liz and I need to get some more rest
before breakfast."
They left ignoring all the amused looks and knowing
grins.
Liz tugged on Max’s hand when they were away from
everyone else. "I really, really need to take a shower."
His eyes slowly heated as he said. "Okay. So
we’ll take one."
Nick saw them entering one of the bathroom trailers
together, carrying some clothes and he discreetly sent someone to go make sure
that they would not be disturbed.
Max stopped Liz when she started undressing herself.
"Let me. Please." He stripped her of her clothes gently, in the
process making sure that he had not missed any bruises. They both gasped when
they saw the silver handprint on her stomach, practically in the same place it
had been on that day that started everything between them.
Liz took his hand and fit it over the print
carefully. "You did it again, Max. Marking me. As yours."
He looked up at her surprised. "Is that what it
felt like for you then?"
"It felt like… like you changed me. But later I
realised that you marked me that day. Here." She pressed his hand into her
stomach. "And here." Sliding his hand up to cover her heart.
Max was overwhelmed. Her love for him poured over his
senses, filling him with happiness. He hugged her against him deciding that he
had to find a way so that Liz Parker never went very far away from him again!
They both undressed him, their hands tangling
together, before Max lifted her up and carried her into one of the showers. The
water sluiced over them, and he held her against him as they gloried in the soothing
water. Eventually, he leant Liz against the side of the stall and washed her
tenderly. His eyes followed the path of his hands hungrily and in the process
he was driving himself insane with desire. He knew that not even his tiredness
would keep him from making love to her soon. She let him live one of his
fantasies when she allowed him to wash her hair. He took his time with it,
gently massaging the shampoo into her tresses before rinsing them out again.
She was arched over his arm to allow the water to slide to her hair and Max
couldn’t help leaning in to capture her breast in his mouth.
The action tore a small cry from Liz and she
instinctively pulled his head down to her harder. He kissed a path from her
breast to her mouth, hungrily closing his lips over hers. They kissed each
other breathless. Glorying in their life and love.
Dragging his mouth away from her, Max looked at her
wryly. "You make me lose my head sometimes!"
Liz smiled at him, a slow seductive smile that rocked
him to his toes. "Then I’m hoping you’re not too tired to lose your head
again when we get back to the tent."
He pulled her against him, whispering in her ear.
"I will never be too tired to make love to you. Only too tired to do it
standing up in a shower stall every once and awhile." She shivered from
the sensations his husky voice was creating in her body.
"So let’s finish up and get out of here."
Max thought he had died and gone to heaven when she slid her soapy hands over
him. He ended up pressing his hands against the side of the stall, leaning over
her and trying his best to grab a normal breath every now and again. He
couldn’t hide the extent of his arousal and he didn’t want to. He ached to be
inside her and finally he couldn’t take it anymore. Turning off the water flow,
he enveloped her in a towel and rubbed his hands over her body, simultaneously
warming her up and drying her off. He stopped Liz when she wanted to help him
too, his voice gruff. "Not a good idea right now, honey…"
They dragged on their sweats and hurried out of the
showers to their tent, not even noticing the guy following them to take up
station a ways away from their tent. Hopefully out of earshot, but close enough
that he could intercept any unwanted visitors.
Once inside, they stripped by silent mutual consent
and got in bed. Max pulled Liz flush with his body immediately, just holding
her against him for a few minutes. His body was screaming at him to complete
their union, but he needed to go slow. He had nearly lost her yesterday and he
needed more than anything to show her how precious she was to him.
He was propped up on his elbows and Liz watched the
emotions flash in his eyes while lying underneath him. She felt all of them
through their connection, but seeing them in his glorious hazel eyes, meant so
much more.
He broke the silence abruptly. "I want us to
make a promise to each other." Liz just kept looking at him expectantly,
so he continued determinedly. "Yesterday… I had this feeling that
something was going to happen and I…" His face contorted in pain. "I
ignored it and look what happened."
"Max--."
"No. Let me finish, Liz. I promise to never
ignore my premonitions again, if you promise to never, ever again not come to
me when you need help with something." Liz’s eyes widened in shock. He had
every right to be angry with her for taking off for Roswell alone yesterday and
she swallowed.
"I’m sorry. I thought--." Her voice was
thick with tears.
"No, Liz. This is not a blaming session… I just
need us to promise each other that we will never repeat the mistakes we both
made yesterday. I… I never want to be so scared again in my life!" He
brushed her hair away from her face. "Okay?"
"I promise." Liz made a solemn promise to
herself too. She promised herself that she would never scare Max again if she
could help it and that she would also show him how much she loved him at every
possible occasion. Starting right now…
She curled her leg over his, in effect bringing him
to rest between her thighs, causing a helpless sound from Max. Lifting herself
up on her elbows, she pressed closer to him and lifted her mouth to his. He met
her halfway and kissed her deeply, tenderly, completely. She put her arms
around his neck, hanging onto him until he relented and moved them down onto
the bed. Opening her mouth under his, she caressed his tongue with hers,
enjoying the groan that her actions elicited from him. Her body took over from
her mind, moving underneath him in a dance as old as time. Her hands shaped his
chest and his back, dipping lower until she could curl her fingers into his
thighs.
The action made Max jerk, startled. But only for a
second, then his mouth was back on her skin. He bit a path down her neck to her
throat and slid his arm underneath her, arching her up so his mouth could reach
her breast again. It was amazing, having her open to him like this. He closed
his eyes for a moment, enjoying the taste and sound of her. His Liz. His love.
His life.
Their union was gentle and slow, Max put his hands on
either side of her face and stared in her eyes as he joined them. The feeling
was indescribable. It felt like they were falling into each other… until they
were one body and one mind. He moved inside her gently, the images of her
bruised body still fresh in his memory. He didn’t want to hurt her, but wanted
to love her until she forgot the violence that had been done to her.
Liz watched him in awe. How dark his eyes became when
filled with passion. How tenderly he held her and how deeply he moved inside
her.
The end rushed upon them unexpectedly. Hurling them
away on a sea on sensation, their bodies wracked with explosions of fire. They
forgot to breathe as they rode out the storm, feeling not only the physical
sensations of a pulsating release, but also the emotional sensations of being completely
in tune with each other’s feelings.
They clung to each other until the last tremors deep
inside their bodies stopped. Max rolled them over, while staying inside her.
Right now, this was the way he wanted to fall asleep. Still joined to Liz. And so
he did. With her whispered: "I love you, Max Evans," still ringing in
his ears.
They had woken up to a feast
brunch a few hours later. It wasn’t huge, but Nick and Isabel had organized an
al fresco brunch with tables in the open air where the food would be served.
Many of the camp’s residents were there when Max and Liz arrived, hand-in-hand.
They were stunned when they saw everything. Isabel just grinned at them
proudly: "We felt it was time to enjoy life, here on earth, a
little."
Max was smiling broadly, nearly taking Liz’s breath
away. "I agree." He hugged Liz, dressed in a flowing skirt and
tank-top, against his side and pressed a kiss on her hair. "I need to talk
to some people. Will you be okay?"
She nodded at him. Actually, she would rather drag
his cute alien butt back to their tent, but she couldn’t very well do that
right now, could she?
"Liz!" Max sounded strangled and she
realized that he probably knew what she was thinking. He was looking at her
with warm eyes and Liz revised her earlier thinking. He was NOT going to be
allowed out of her arms for too long…
Max got away from her as fast as his feet could carry
him, causing some strange looks from the other people present. Normally he was
glued to Liz’s side, but here he was putting as much distance as he possible
could between them. The only thing that prevented any alarm about possible
problems between their leader and his mate, was Liz’s tinkling laugh following
Max’s retreating back.
Maria was at quickly at Liz’s side. "You have to
teach me THAT trick, chica. Max ran like the hounds of hell were at his
heels!" She flung her arms around Liz. "I was so scared for you,
Lizzie. I’m so glad you’re back safely. Max dragged you off to his cave so
quickly last night that I didn’t get to see you. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I’m fine now. More than fine." She
looked over at Max, who had gone into leader mode on the other side of the
brunch gathering with some of the group’s Council. Turning back, some of the
shadows of yesterday invaded her eyes. "But it was awful, Maria. The guy
was… he was evil." She looked back at Max, who was now staring at her with
concern, obviously picking up on her emotions. She gave him a small smile to
indicate she was okay. He kept watching her, though, and she decided to mess
with his mind a little, purposely remembering her feelings at seeing him in all
his naked glory in the shower this morning. She had to bite her lip at her
body’s immediate reaction. Max’s eyes widened in shock and he gave one step in
her direction before remembering himself. Liz felt quite smug with herself.
"Hello Lizzie!" Maria yelled in her ear,
making Liz jump. She had completely forgotten that Maria was with her. She shot
a glare at Max. It wasn’t his fault, but she could blame him if it suited her.
He wasn’t looking at her, but the small half-grin on his face told her he was
laughing at her, the bum.
"You two are sooo bad! I thought you couldn’t
get any worse, but… apparently doing the wild thing has done even more damage
to your brain cells!" She looked at Liz intensely. "Is it THAT good?
I mean, cause… Michael and I… we’ve been, you know, thinking about it."
"Maria!" Liz exclaimed happily. "Yes,
it’s THAT good between Max and I, but it is because we were very sure it was
right between us." She took Maria’s hands. "So, what I’m trying to
say is, make sure everything between you two is as it should be before, you
know."
"I know. And don’t worry. I‘m working on the lug
and he’s gonna cave soon. Believe me!" They hugged each other again. Great
friends to the end.
After Maria went off to bug Michael some more, Liz
stood watching Max interact with his people. She could do that all day, just
stare at Max. The way he moved, the small gestures he made, his facial
expressions, the way he listened to people talking to him as if they were the
only ones there. However, all that staring at him always had the same effect on
her. A slow throbbing was starting deep in her body and she had to stop herself
from running over to Max and dragging him away.
Max was totally aware of Liz’s intense regard as he
moved around to various people. It covered him like a cloak and he was too
afraid to look at her for fear of losing his tenuous control. She could undo
him with her gaze. With her eyes that promised him untold pleasures and her
body that promised unimaginable fulfillment. Probably one day, he would be able
to look at her and not want her so intensely, but for right now, that was
impossible. And he had so much to do that he couldn’t afford to let her
distract him for a while. Taking a deep breath, trying to bank the fires in his
body, he turned to Nick and waved Isabel over as well. "I need you
help…"
Liz was in a daze. She remember speaking to some people
and she supposed whatever she had said made some sense, but all her
concentration was on the tall, dark man that moved with such ease through the
crowd. Her body was heating up slowly but surely, and after a while she
realized she was clenching her fists in her skirt in an effort to stop them
from trembling. She watched his lips shape words and she remembered how they
had felt against her breast. She watched his hands emphasize a point and
remembered how they had branded her skin. She watched his body move so
gracefully and remembered how knowingly and completely it had invaded hers.
"Are you okay, Ma’am?" Liz came back to the
present, realizing she was hyperventilating and her cheeks were burning. A girl
standing next to her was looking at her strangely. She was about the same age
as Liz. Liz glanced at Max again and touched her cheeks with her fingers. Boy,
how does he do this to me? He’s not even looking at me and I’m in this state!
What will I do when he DOES look at me? Melt into a puddle? Her answer came as
Max turned to her slowly, his eyes finding her slim ankles and travelling up
over her body, resting a few seconds in some places before travelling further.
By the time he reached her face, she was shaking and her heart was pounding.
She so desperately wanted to be with him right now.
"Ma’am?" The voice broke into her haze and
she blinked at the girl before blushing again. The girl looked from Liz to Max
and back again, sighing enviously. "I wish a hunk like that would look at
me that way some day!"
Liz’s gaze was inextricably drawn to Max again. He
was still staring at her with hungry eyes. "Maybe one will some day,"
she answered the girl.
The girl sighed again. "Yeah, but will he be
such a hottie!" She gasped as she realized she had just spoken of her
leader in such a way to his "wife". "I… I’m sorry! I shouldn’t
have--."
Liz waved her hand dismissing the apology.
"That’s okay. He has that effect on girls." And especially on me! Her
body continued to hum with awareness of him, the ache low in her belly growing
imperceptibly but steadily as the morning progressed.
Max was going under fast. He could feel Liz’s desire
flowing over him in waves. If he normally has trouble keeping his hands off
her, how was he supposed to do it when she so obviously WANTED them ON her. He
had just decided to chuck all this for a while and started towards her when he
was interrupted by Izzy’s voice calling everyone to take their places for
brunch.
Finding that he and Liz were sitting on opposite
sides of a table, Max glared at Isabel. She only batted her eyelids at him
innocently, saying: "The way you two have been going on, I decided this
was the best way to stop any possibly embarrassing making out scenes from
happening at the table…"
Liz tasted nothing of what she ate. She and Max kept
staring at each other, the world fading into nothingness around them.
Alex leaned over to Isabel. "Well, I see your
plan worked. Now we’re back to the incessant mooning! No, wait. This isn’t
mooning, it’s…" He faltered.
"Hunger." Isabel completed his unfinished
thought. "I think this is worse than mooning. At least we didn’t know what
the mooning could lead to!"
"Aaaaand, let’s talk about something else
please! What was Max whispering to you about?" Alex moved his attention
away from the other couple.
"He is working on one of his Liz schemes again.
And we are going to need your help too…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
It felt like hours before they could get away. Max’s
hand was warm as it wrapped around Liz’s pulling her away from everybody and towards
the Jeep. Whatever was going to happen now, cannot happen here in the camp. He
needed some place where they didn’t have to worry about being interrupted, or
even worse…heard.
They didn’t look at each other as they drove away
from the camp. It had been torture to wait this long and both of them felt
ready to explode. He halted the Jeep close to a small cave they had found one
day while training.
Liz was moving to get out, but he caught her arm,
stopping her movements. "Wait."
His voice was rough and created millions of
goosebumps all over her body. Liz couldn’t catch her breath as he rounded the
Jeep, a blanket in his hand. When he reached her side of the car, he looked at
her with heated eyes. "I’ve wanted to do this all morning…" He put
his one arm around her waist sliding her closer to the edge of the seat, before
lifting her against his body, her legs dangling against his. The action brought
them flush against each other from shoulder to thighs and they both groaned at
the contact. He moved his mouth towards hers, stopping when he was a mere
breath away. "Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?"
Liz had trouble speaking, so she only whispered:
"Me too," before closing the gap and covering his mouth with hers.
She unleashed a storm in the process. He ravaged her lips, invading her mouth
with shocking swiftness and Liz felt such an explosion of desire that a wave of
dizziness threatened to overwhelm her. Her resulting moan seemed to spur him on
and he whirled towards the cave, still carrying her against him and only
tearing his mouth from hers for the few seconds it took to get them safely
inside.
Flinging the blanket on the ground, he set her on her
feet, but didn’t let her go. Instead his hands slid underneath her top, finding
her curves and filling his hands with them. Liz was clawing at his shirt,
needing him to get it off so she could touch him back. He relented, ripping the
shirt off with a swift action before pulling her back against him roughly. Her
top was removed without ceremony and she gasped as he bent his head to her
breast. Her knees threatened to give out underneath her and only his arms
holding her upright were keeping her from sinking to the floor.
She was literally being devoured. There wasn’t an
inch of her that he didn’t taste with his mouth and tongue. She clutched her
fingers in his hair as he moved over her, not able to do anything than cry out
helplessly from each new sensation. Please Max… Please! She raked her nails
over his back, trying to communicate her urgency to him without words.
It worked only partially as he slid his hand between
her thighs, producing an answering flood of warmth from her. She rubbed herself
against his hand, but it wasn’t nearly enough. She needed more. She needed all
of him.
Max dragged in a deep breath, fighting for air in the
heady passion-filled atmosphere of the cave. He reared away from Liz, staring
down at her face that was filled with such ecstasy that it momentarily blinded
him. Then the need to be inside her overwhelmed him and he gave in. Entering
her in one smooth stroke and binding them together physically. They stilled for
a moment before the intense desire that had brought them to this place overtook
them both. Moving together, they strove desperately for that mind-numbing bliss
only they could bring to each other. And when they reached it, it was a
shattering explosion that caused the external world to recede for a few minutes
in front of the ecstatic oblivion that they found in each other.
They lay together afterwards, their passionate cries
still echoing in their ears and their bodies racked with shuddering breaths.
Max lay with his head on Liz’s shoulder, hoping that things could always be
like this between them. That they would always be able to find such incredible
ecstasy in each other’s arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Back at the camp, Izzy was welcoming back her parents
and the Parkers with a forced smile. They had phoned the parents this morning,
inviting them back on Max’s orders. But now Max was missing. With Liz. Which
meant only one thing… She looked at the Parkers, who were talking to Maria, but
kept looking around anxiously for their daughter. Where the hell were they? How
am I supposed to explain their sudden disappearance to her parents? Izzy
resolved to smack her brother if he ever re-appeared. Honestly, the things he
got up to because of his obsession with Liz!
Nancy came over to Isabel first. "Hi Isabel.
Uhm… Where is Liz? And Max?" Isabel grimaced. Obviously she wasn’t the
only one worried about the fact that Max and Liz were missing TOGETHER…
Liz was threading her
fingers through Max’s hair while he lay on top of her, dozing. They were both
thoroughly tired after the late night and their strenuous morning and being
held by Max like this was only second to making love with him. She didn’t want
to break the magic spell of this moment, but she had a suspicion that it was
getting really late. "Max, what time is it?"
Moving his arm so he only had to open one eye to
squint at his watch, Max nearly had a heart attack when he saw the time.
"Oh my god!" He jumped up, pulling Liz upright. "We have to get
back!"
Frowning at him in confusion, Liz pushed her tangled
hair out of her eyes. "What’s going on? Are we late for something?"
He looked at her with worried eyes. "Yeah. I
called our parents to come in for… for a reunion. They should be at the camp
already." And this time they’re REALLY going to kill me! Not exactly the
impression I wanted to make before I talk to them.
This spurred Liz into action. She ran around finding
her clothes that were strewn all over the cave and pulling them on hastily.
After she finished dressing, she turned to Max. "I guess you have to fix
me again, huh?"
In spite of the situation, Max had to grin.
"Yeah. And I’m starting to like doing it too!" He ran his hands over
her, removing all traces of their passionate union. After that he grabbed her
and slung her over his shoulder, causing a loud shriek from her. "Let’s
go, woman! Before your dad comes looking for me with a shotgun!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Back at the camp, Isabel was trying to salvage the
situation. "Uhm… Liz and Max went to see someone quickly. They’ll be back
just now. In the meantime, I need to speak to the moms." She saw the
frowns on Diane and Nancy’s faces. Smiling at them nervously, she added:
"Girl talk." She looked at Alex pleadingly. Help me!
"Uhm…" Alex moved forward hesitantly.
"Why don’t we all go get something cold to drink?" He looked at Jeff
and Philip, who nodded reluctantly.
Isabel herded the moms away and hissed at Michael
when she passed him: "Wring his neck when you see him, please!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
The jeep arrived back at the camp in a cloud of dust.
Michael and Maria stood waiting with folded arms for the two lovers to get out
of the Jeep.
"I can’t believe this," Max muttered to Liz
as he helped her out, "Michael is going to give ME a speech about
responsibility." He shot her a glare when she laughed. "This is all
your fault, you know."
Michael pounced on him immediately. "They’re
here already, Maxwell. Great way to start the ‘I want to—‘."
"Michael!" Max’s voice cut into the rant.
"If you don’t mind, can we talk about this later?" He gave Michael a
meaningful look that was enforced by Maria slapping Michael’s shoulder.
Michael clamped his mouth shut, glaring back at Max.
If Max would only quit with the never-ending romantic surprises he plans for
Liz, then the rest of us can stop living in fear of blabbing about them all the
time!
Maria took hold of Liz’s arm, pulling her in the
direction Isabel had disappeared with Diane and Nancy. "We better let your
mom see that you are not permanently attached to Max by now!"
Liz cast a glance to Max as they walked away. When oh
when will my life return to normal?
"So Liz, how is that woman you guys went to
see?" Maria practically yelled at Liz when they neared the tent Izzy had
taken the moms to.
"Maria!" Liz had nearly jumped out of her
skin when Maria went on like that.
Leaning over, Maria whispered conspiratorially in her
ear. "Just letting you know that Iz told the parents that you and Max had
gone to see some person… You know, to get you two off the hook for not being
able to keep your hormones in check." She pointed at the tent. "They
are in there. Now, at least
Glaring at Maria, Liz tried to defend herself.
"Maybe you and Michael should just get it over with already, because if
you’re going to be this way about Max and I all the time…"
"Whatever, Lizzie!" Maria seemed
unperturbed by Liz. In fact, she seemed particularly chirpy…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max found his and Liz’s dads in the dining tent with
Alex, who seemed really relieved to see him. He had a moment of complete
embarrassment, looking at the man whose only daughter he had just been intimate
with. But this was not a time for embarrassment. It was a time to take action…
And make one of his dreams a reality.
"Hey Dad. Mr. Parker. I’m sorry you had to wait,
but I really need to talk to both of you…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz found three pairs of eyes on her when she entered
the tent with Maria. And none of them looked fooled as to where she had just
been. Or more accurately, what she had just done. She felt a dark blush creep
over her cheeks. What had become of the old calm and logical Liz Parker? Sighing,
Liz recognized that THAT Liz Parker had apparently disappeared somewhere in Max
Evans’ arms.
Amazingly enough, no one said anything about her and
Max.
"Liz honey, you look wonderful!" Nancy got
up to hug her daughter, silently admitting that her decision to let Liz come to
the camp after her ordeal yesterday had been the right one. Liz looked healthy
and the stars in her eyes were back.
Diane also smiled at Liz. "You had us all really
worried yesterday! I’m so glad everything worked out." She looked at
Nancy. "Do you mind if I borrow Liz for a bit? I just want to talk to her
about yesterday and I’m sure you don’t want to relive everything…"
"Sure." Nancy accepted so quickly that Liz
was concerned. What is going on with everyone? They are all acting so weird.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nancy arrived at the dining tent to join Jeff, Philip
and Max. Upon seeing her, Alex jumped up and invited Philip to go see the
computers again. Philip shared a look with Max, knowing where this is going
after what Max had just asked them and got up to leave.
This left Max alone with Nancy and Jeff, and suddenly
he was scared. What if they say no?
"Uhm…Mr and Mrs Parker, I… I wanted to ask you
something. Important." He stared at them trying to gauge their reactions.
Jeff was looking confused, but Nancy watched him warily.
Taking a deep breath, he plowed ahead. "I cannot
tell you how much I love your daughter. I don’t think there are words to
describe it…" Seeing Jeff’s eyes widen, he realized how sappy he was
sounding. "And I know this must all seem incredibly strange to you, me
being… you know, an alien. But I want you to know that Liz will always be my
first priority."
Jeff was finally catching on. And he didn’t like it
one bit. "What are you trying to say to us, Max?"
Max shifted in his chair, this was going worse than
he had hoped. "I’m saying that I love Liz and I want to marry her one
day." Hearing Jeff’s indrawn breath, he rushed ahead. "But since we
can’t get married right now, I want you to attend our bonding ceremony."
Jeff looked at Nancy. "Bonding ceremony?"
"It’s like a marriage for my people. Please, it
would mean a lot to Liz. And me." Max’s voice was quiet.
"And what rights would this give you over my
daughter?" Jeff was starting to get worried. Too many little things he had
seen and heard the last few days are starting to make sense to him.
Max hesitated, not sure how to answer the question.
And not sure whether he should admit that Liz was already his alien wife and
that he only wanted to do this so she could have something close to a real
wedding with her parents present. He looked up at Jeff and decided to go with
the truth. "It would make her my wife."
Jeff was flabbergasted. "Your… wife! I don’t
think… She is way too young to make such a decision. Nancy?" He couldn’t
believe she hadn’t gone through the roof by now.
But Nancy was still watching Max. "You’ve
already done it, haven’t you?"
Max paled, thinking for a wild moment that she was
talking about them having sex. "If you mean the bonding ceremony… yes, we
have." He saw that Nancy didn’t act surprised, so he continued. "It
gave her the protection of all my people. That’s why they are all looking out
for her. I needed to protect her as much as possible."
"So you’re doing this re-bonding only for
Liz?"
"And for you. So you can share in this with
us." Max was starting to hope that maybe Nancy would help him.
"Please."
And she did. "Then I agree."
Jeff was looking at his wife like she was losing her
mind. "What?" He turned to Max. "I’m not agreeing to this! Lizzie
is too young and you will only use it as an excuse to… to…" He couldn’t
even say it. The thought of his daughter having sex was just too horrible to
think about.
Nancy took his hand. "Jeff, after everything we
saw the last few days, I don’t think we can treat this as something other than
a rare occurrence that we could either approve of and share, or deny and be
left out of. They are ALREADY bonded. They have ALREADY made a commitment. And
I, for one, would like to share in this with our daughter." She also
turned to Max. "And whatever else forms part of their marriage. Well,
that’s up to them."
Seeing the way his wife was looking at Max, Jeff
blanched. He finally admitted what he hadn’t wanted to all along. It is too late.
My Lizzie already belongs to the young man across the table. Heart
Something flashed in Jeff’s eyes that made Max’s fear
that Jeff was actually going to kill him, return. There was nothing he could do
but meet the eyes of the man who had sired the love of his life and pray that
his feelings for Liz were clear. "She means everything to me, Mr Parker.
Please, give us your blessing."
The silence following his request was deafening…
When Jeff just kept staring
at him without saying anything, Max started to panic. How could he let Mr
Parker see that he would never allow Liz to be away from him again, even if
that meant going against her father? That in Max’s list of priorities, being
with Liz beat out everything else by a mile…
"Mr. Parker…" His voice was hoarse,
pleading.
Nancy came to his rescue again. "Jeff, he
doesn’t HAVE to do this. If he wanted to, he could have done with Liz whatever
he liked with no commitment and leaving us clueless. This is a chance for us to
share in our daughter’s life." She met Max’s relieved gaze. "In her
love."
Jef was quiet for a long time. So long that Max felt
his heart stop when he suddenly looked up. "Fine."
The happiness that coursed through Max was
indescribable and he felt lightheaded with relief. Jumping up, he made a solemn
vow to Jeff. "I can promise you one thing for certain, Mr Parker, I will
NEVER stop loving Liz."
Jeff arose too. "You better not. And you better
be… careful with her." The way he looked at Max made it clear he wasn’t
talking about her heart. For Jeff HAD seen a lot the past few days and the one
thing he didn’t have doubts about was Max’s feelings. But the physical intimacy
was another thing altogether…
Max nodded, trying not to blush. "I
promise." He took Jeff’s outstretched hand, giving him and Nancy one of
his rare broad smiles.
Isabel was hovering outside nervously when Max came
out. Seeing her brother’s smile, she flew into his arms. "Oh Max! I’m so
happy for you." Before he had time to react, she pulled away. "And we
have so much to do to get ready." She took off, only to be stopped by
Max’s call.
"Hey Iz! Remember to bring the box."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria had dragged Liz into her and Max’s tent,
claiming she wanted to discuss Michael’s latest weird actions and proceeded to
illustrate in great detail how she was having trouble getting him to open up.
It took close to two hours to get through the talk and Liz was feeling really
sorry for her friend by the end. Poor Maria, falling in love with a guy who
felt so much, but said so little about it.
And what was up with Max? She hadn’t seen him since
he disappeared with the dads and his feelings were incredibly strong.
Happiness, relief, anticipation. Liz couldn’t help but wonder what on earth was
going on.
After the talk, Maria and Liz went to shower. The day
had been incredibly hot and they were sticky. Maria had also mentioned that the
camp was holding a special dinner for the parents and they should try to look
nice. So they primped themselves in the bathroom trailer, before Maria decided
what Liz should wear. She pulled out a flowing long white dress from pure
cotton, that would fit Liz’s form snugly. "Oooh, chica! You should wear
this. Max will flip!"
Eyeing the dress suspiciously, Liz said: "Where
did you get that from, Maria? I don’t own something like that."
"How should I know where it came from? It was
just… here. Maybe someone from the camp left it here for you. You know, cause
you’re like, their Queen and everything." Seeing Liz still hesitating, she
added: "I heard Prince Charming LOVES you in white…"
"He does?" Liz nearly swooned. And took the
dress from Maria.
Maria grinned behind her hand. Lizzie, you are sooo
easy! Just mention the magic name and you’ll do ANYTHING!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was watching his sister in amazement. She had
organized basically everybody in the camp and in no time, the place was looking
festive. Cloths and lanterns (for when it gets dark) decorated the area, while
everyone appearing seemed to wear white. When Max asked Nick about this, he
said it was the tradition for a bonding ceremony.
Max had to smile at himself. Here he was, nervous as
hell and it was his SECOND time doing this with Liz. It was not as if she would
say no or anything, but… I just want it to be perfect for her.
His smile widened when he felt his mom’s arms going
around his waist. "Hi Mom." He put his arm around her shoulder.
"Thank you for being so great about this."
Diane grinned. "Here you are the first to get
married while your father and I were worried at once stage that, you know… you
weren’t interested in girls at all."
Max grinned back. "No, you were right. I WASN’T
interested in girls. I was only interested in Liz. And she seemed… like an
impossible dream for so long that I…"
His mom gave him a hug. "Well, I’m glad she realized
what a wonderful son I have. And that she loved you enough so that you could
finally tell us about yourself." Mother and son smiled at each other.
"And I can’t NOT see you two together anymore." She was silent for a
few seconds. "Max, honey, you are being careful, aren’t you? I mean with
Liz and…"
"Yeah Mom. I am."
And that was the end of that.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nancy arrived at the tent just as Liz and Maria were
finishing up. Liz had a moment of panic because the tent was clearly shared by her
and Max. His stuff was everywhere. She looked at her mother anxiously, but saw
nothing but a film of moisture in her eyes.
"Mom?" Liz was puzzled.
Nancy waved her hand. "Don’t mind me. I’m just
happy you’re here and fine and…everything." She hugged Liz tightly.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Mom." What was going on?
Liz was getting more concerned by the minute.
"Hey!" Maria’s happy voice interrupted the
moment. "I think it’s time we get to that dinner. Right Mrs Parker?"
Liz got more alarmed as her mother wiped tears from
her eyes, before nodding. "Mom, are you sure you’re okay?"
"Fine, Lizzie. Let’s go."
The camp was deathly silent when they walked over to
the dining tent. Not a soul was in sight, adding to Liz’s concern. Before they
could reach the dining tent, Liz saw her father waiting for her. He held out
his arms for her and she went over to hug him, not noticing that Maria and
Nancy silently disappeared.
"Liz… Are you happy with Max? I mean really
happy?" Jeff wanted to be absolutely sure.
Surprised by his question, Liz nodded her head
emphatically. "Yes, Dad. He is… my other half. Why?"
Not answering her, Jeff turned her away from the
tent, taking her hand as he led her around it to a clearing in the middle of
the camp. A clearing that was filled by all the inhabitants waiting silently on
both sides of a pathway that led to… Max.
Tears blurred Liz’s vision for a few seconds. Tears
of happiness that she was so lucky to be loved so completely by Max Evans. But
she blinked them away because she didn’t want to miss a single second of this
moment.
She met Max’s stare and didn’t take her eyes away
from his for the time it took her father to lead her towards him. The silence
of the crowd enveloped them as she proceeded down the path. Everyone was aware
of the significance of this moment. Even though they all knew that their leader
and Liz had been bonded before, this was like the public ceremony that allowed
the whole group to share in the poignant moment. And it was like nothing they
had never seen before. Their ceremonies had always been for practical purposes.
Now they saw one being performed for something altogether different. For love.
It shone from Max’s eyes as he watched his future
walk towards him and it shone from Liz’s eyes as she stared at the center of
her universe. It was breathtaking to watch. The emotions humming between them
were palpable. So much that even the humans among the group felt them.
The silence was only broken by Jeff’s whispered:
"Be happy!" when he handed Liz to Max. Symbolically confirming the
reality that his daughter had belonged to Max Evans from the moment he had
healed her in a café in a small town in New Mexico more than a year ago…
The sun was just setting
over the horizon as the ceremony started. It was a strange and wonderful
experience for the Parker’s and Evans’. Nick presided over the ceremony and he
motioned the four friends and four parents closer to Max and Liz. They
complied, linking hands to form a circle around the couple. This time Nick
didn’t even blink when Max took Liz’s hands against tradition again. As before,
he marveled at the strength of their connection. And it was even stronger now
that they have been intimate…
The utter silence throughout puzzled the parents at
first until they were also privy to the rush of images flowing through the
group.
Max and Liz seeing each other across a playground for
the first time when they were small children.
Max and Liz working together in the bio-lab, smiling
at each other shyly.
Max healing Liz from the gunshot wound. "You’re
all right now."
Standing together at the Crash Festival. "It’s
not safe." "I don’t care."
Liz falling into Max’s arms through his bedroom
window and again standing close together before she left. "If anything
weird happens… anything at all, you come back." "I promise."
Max and Liz’s many almost kisses.
Having fun together at the old soap factory.
Their first kiss.
Their first date. "This is the best night of
your life."
"Maybe that’s what we both need right now… to
take a step back." "I just wanted… to remember."
Kissing each other breathless in the back of the
Crashdown, images of Max’s planet rushing through Liz.
"Then tell me, Max… what’s my destiny?"
"I only know the part I’m hoping for."
"You’re the one, Liz. The only one."
"I’m in love with Max."
"Get out of here!" "Not without
you…"
Max’s anguish when he thought Pierce had killed Liz.
"You’re what kept me alive, Liz. The thought of
you. The way your eyes look into mine. The touch of your skin. Your lips.
Whether I die tomorrow or fifty years from now, my destiny’s the same. It’s
you, Liz. I love you." "I love you."
"But you mean everything to me." "Good
bye, Max."
Being in the camp the first time and their mutual
distress over not being able to be together.
Liz being afraid to wake up one morning because Tess
made her think she would cause Max’s death.
Their first bonding ceremony. "My Liz.
Forever." "Always. My Max."
Max getting kidnapped and Liz finding him via their
connection.
Making love for the first time. "Will you marry
me, Liz Parker?" "Yes!"
The torture of being apart when they went back home.
Facing the gunman that threatened Liz at the
Crashdown.
Going back to the camp and telling their parents
everything.
Getting through the ordeal with Tim. "I never
want to be so scared in my life, ever again!"
And through it all, the little group around Max and
Liz could feel their emotions with every new development. Wonder. Awe.
Happiness. Sadness. Fear. Relief. Despair. Joy. Need. But underlying all these
emotions was the most overwhelming one of all. Love, so pure and encompassing
that it threatened to blot out everything else.
As before, the images of future promises made Max and
Liz gasp with wonder. This was the second time they saw the two dark-haired
children, laughing and playing. Mommy! Daddy! Come look!
Max pulled Liz closer to him, not caring that he is
breaking the rules somewhat. Nothing about him and Liz had ever followed the
rules anyway. With Nick’s Now you are one ringing in his ears, he promised Liz:
"I know that this will never be normal, but I will always love you. More
every day."
Leaning away from him, Liz smiled into his solemn
eyes. "What’s so great about other people’s normal? This is OUR normal,
Max." She leant her forehead against his. "And I wouldn’t change it
for the world. I love you."
This time, Alex didn’t need to tell Max to kiss his
"bride". He kissed her passionately, uncaring that their parents were
witnessing the whole thing. Holding her tightly against him, he underlined his
promises with his lips against hers. Invading her mouth deeply, but gently.
Relaying his happiness that finally they have found some kind of peace. Their
parents knew and understood and for the first time, the curse of their destiny
wasn’t hanging over their heads. He could just be Max Evans, almost husband to
Liz Parker, the most beautiful girl in the world.
Liz curled her arms around his neck, lifting herself
closer to his mouth. He wove such magic with his lips that she always went
under with a sigh. No one could kiss like Max. Every kiss was different. And
she gloried in them all. Pined for more of them. Needed them like she needed
air to breathe. To Liz, Max was the center of her world now. And he always
would be.
Isabel had to squeeze Alex’s hand to keep him from
making another silly crack about Max and Liz. He always got uncomfortable when
things got so intense, so he always tried to lighten the mood with one of his
jokes. Instead, he now looked at the parents, wondering what they thought of that
small flash with their children making love. Maybe Nick had included that on
purpose? Diane and Nancy had tears in their eyes, while Jeff looked
shell-shocked. Alex hid a smile. The poor man was probably only now realizing
how little he had known about his daughter’s activities during the summer.
Philip also had a stunned expression on his face. Probably amazed that his son
was having sex… with a GIRL! Another close call or Alex would’ve snickered. He
received a glare from Isabel again and sighed.
Max and Liz eventually broke away from each other
reluctantly. He pressed her face into his neck, not wanting to let her go
completely just yet. The end of the kiss was the signal for the crowd to begin
a rowdy cheer, alerting the couple of the fact that they were not alone. They
smiled at each other, wide happy smiles that left no one in doubt as to their
feelings.
"Well, I guess its congratulations AGAIN you
two!" Alex came forward first to shake Max’s hand. "Although, HOW
many times can you marry one person? Cause, I’m thinking we are going to have
to do this again in a church in a few years time, are we not?" He slapped
Max on the back, grinning before he turned to Liz. "Ah, unhand the girl
Max!"
Liz smiled happily at Alex as she wriggled from Max’s
grip to hug her friend. "Thanks Alex. For everything."
"Hey, he’s not me, but I guess you could’ve done
worse!" He hugged her back.
Isabel threw her arms around Max and pulled her
parents into the embrace too. This was the way she had always dreamed things should
be. No horrible secrets from her parents, no evil aliens on their tails and
everyone happy.
Michael and Maria got their turn too. Michael, of
course, being uncomfortable with all the touching going on, but enduring it
because he actually was quite fond of Liz. Besides, if it weren’t for her, him
and Maria would never have really met.
Liz’s parents waited until she had been congratulated
by basically everyone before coming forward. This was an emotional day for
them. Their little girl had grown up without them noticing and now she wasn’t
their little girl anymore. She was someone’s wife in all but name.
Liz walked into their arms and held on tightly.
"I love you," she whispered to them. "Thank you for doing this.
For understanding…"
Jeff didn’t really know what to say to her. That she
was ecstatically happy was obvious. That she came to life whenever Max was near
was obvious too. But he still had trouble with the fact that the young man in
question had been sleeping with his daughter for close to two months now. His
head was reminding him that this was Max and that there wasn’t much more he
could do to prove how much he loved and cared for Liz. But Jeff’s heart was
having a hard time not wanting to take Liz somewhere where he could make sure
that Max Evans can never touch her so intimately again. He held her much longer
than was needed. Until he caught Max’s eye over Liz’s head and saw the
understanding there. It made him feel a little bit better that Max could
imagine feeling the same way about his own daughter some day. About that little
dark-haired girl they just saw. The one that was the spitting image of her
mother…
Liz went back to Max’s side when she managed to get
her father to let her go. She slid under his arm naturally, snuggling close to
him. The other people were moving off to the tables with food and they finally
had time alone. She stood on tiptoe, kissing Max softly. "Thank you."
He smiled down at her. "No, thank YOU." He
kissed her again, this time with more urgency. When she responded, sliding her
tongue into his mouth, he groaned and pulled away. "How long has it been
since we made love?" The words were whispered against her sensitive lips,
making her shiver.
"Too long."
"Hey, get over here you two. Food first."
Isabel sounded amused.
Max took Liz’s hand, leading her over to their table.
He shared a grin with his sister when he saw that she put them next to each
other this time.
Izzy couldn’t help getting in a dig at her brother.
"I didn’t want a repeat of this morning." And promptly burst out
laughing when Max turned red. "That’s for leaving me to try and explain
where you two were when the parents arrived."
Dinner passed slowly with everyone in good spirits.
Max held Liz as close as possible throughout the meal, actually wishing that
everyone would leave already. Yes, he loved them all, but right now, he just
wanted to be alone with Liz. It was just too amazing. They were together
officially with parental consent now. No more sneaking around and hiding.
Nick suddenly appeared before them, holding out the
carved wooden box that he had given Liz the previous time. "Oh, my
box!" Liz exclaimed, holding out her hands.
"Yes, it’s yours." Nick looked at Max.
"You two should open it together."
Max got up. Finally, a valid reason to get Liz out of
here… Picking her up and holding her against his chest, still clutching the
box, he said: "Thank you everyone! Good night." He walked away with
some very amused chuckles in his ear.
"Max, wait!" His father’s voice halted him.
Turning around, he found Philip and Jeff coming towards him. Maybe I was too
optimistic about the parental consent! He let Liz slide down till her feet
touched the ground and watched their fathers warily.
Philip looked at Jeff before speaking. "Uhm… We
were thinking. You know, that cabin we have near Carlsbad? Well, why don’t you
and Liz go there for a few weeks? Until school starts again."
Max’s mouth fell open. What! They were offering them
a HONEYMOON? "Uh… Sure. Thanks Dad!"
Then it was Jeff’s turn. "And when you get back,
we want you and Lizzie to stay with us. I mean, there’s a small apartment at
the back of the café... We haven’t really used it in a long time. We were sort
of waiting for Liz’s Grandma Claudia to come live there some day, but… Well,
you can have it now."
"Dad!" Liz flew into his arms, leaving a
stunned Max to just stare at Jeff. Not only was he allowing them to be
together, he was HELPING them be together.
"Wow! Thank you, Mr Parker. This… It means a
lot."
"Well, I didn’t want my Lizzie too far away from
me just yet." His eyes told Max how hard this was for him and Max felt for
him. Not being close to Liz was his worst nightmare too.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Back in their tent, he whirled Liz around, kissing
her breathless. Words cannot describe how happy he was right now. "I love
you, Liz Parker!"
"And I love you, Max Evans."
They stood in front of each other silently for a few
seconds, just basking in their togetherness and love. Max slowly lifted his
hand to her face, gently tracing the beloved and familiar contours.
Liz held her breath, her eyes fluttering closed at
the wonderful sensation. "Max…"
There it was again. That tone of voice that Max’s
couldn’t resist. His name on her lips like benediction. He stepped closer, his
hands sliding down her hips to gather the long dress and lift it over her head.
His breath caught in his throat when her body was revealed to him. She was so
tiny and yet she held such power over him. He let her undo his shirt and push
it off his shoulders. And watched with awe as her fingers found the fastening
of his pants. She glanced at him shyly, still not used to undressing him. It
endeared her to him even more. But he waited quietly for her to finish, even
though his body was screaming at him to hurry the task so he could have her
back in his arms.
Liz stood to her feet once she had rid him of his
last clothes. Her eyes caressed every inch of him until he moaned her name
helplessly and reached for her. His kiss was hard and urgent, passionate and tender
at the same time. He hiked her up against him, cupping her rear and moving her
legs around his waist. Her heat scalded him and drove him towards the bed.
Liz didn’t even notice how gently he put her down.
She was too busy glorying in his touch and kisses. Exalting in how aroused he
was. She raked her nails over his back and thighs, urging him closer.
They took turns in adoring each other’s bodies.
Running their hands and mouths over each inch of skin, but always coming back
to share long, hot, wet, drugging kisses. Kisses that eventually weren’t enough
anymore, because they were too reminiscent of a more intimate act.
Max held Liz to him for a few moments, before moving
to enter her. "I love you," he vowed again as their bodies became
one.
Nothing could compare to having Max inside her. To
the feeling of fullness and completion that it brought. Her sense of wonder
about this always lasted only seconds until her body took over. Wanting more
than just him inside her. Needing him to move within her in that way that
brought her such ecstasy. Needing to hear his heart pound in rhythm with hers
and to finally hear his cry of fulfilment mingle with hers.
She gasped as Max pulled her legs around his waist,
locking her ankles behind his back. Arching her neck, she clutched at his
shoulders as she rode out the storm. Her vocal cords were unable to do anything
but produce desperate sounds in the back of her throat. Her mind could only
scream his name repeatedly. Over and over until she tumbled over the cliff.
Max felt her release and moved faster, never wanting
this moment to end. But it always did in his total loss of control. He poured
himself into her until he nearly passed out. Then he held her against him until
they both came back to earth. "Wow!"
She smiled at him, her eyes still squeezed shut.
"Yeah wow is right!" She rubbed her cheek against his chest. "I
guess I should have known that if you kissed as well as you do, you would be
great at this too."
Max felt slightly embarrassed. It was a compliment,
but he never really thought of himself in those terms. Good kisser. Good lover.
He was just Max. Totally in love with his dream girl.
Close to dozing off, Max remembered the box. He
lifted his head, running a tender finger over Liz’s nose. "Hey, sleepyhead.
How about we open that box of yours now?"
This had Liz’s eyes flying open. She had completely
forgotten about the box! She pushed Max away grabbing the nearest piece of
clothing – his shirt, and pulling it around her body.
Max chuckled at her enthusiasm and grabbed a pair of
boxers to put on. "Don’t make me think you’d rather open the box than be
in my arms or anything."
Liz just grinned and whacked his shoulder. "You
jerk! Of course that’s not true." But her haste to get the box in her
hands belied her words.
He caught her hands before she could open it.
"Nick said… this box should always be in the hands of the woman who will
bear the next… leader of my people." He was looking at her seriously.
"We never really talked about… children, because I… I never thought I
would ever be able to… you know--."
"Max, I want to have your children. I want to be
the mother of those two beautiful kids we saw." She cupped his cheek in
her hand. "I want them, because they would be yours. Ours."
He sighed. "I want that too. So much."
Kissing her tenderly, he covered her hands on the box
with his own, helping her to open it. A soft humming started inside the box and
suddenly an image rose from its depths. It was a family tree of Max’s
ancestors. It listed the generations of couples that produced the leaders of
his planet. And right at the bottom with a space for the name of their child,
the next king, it now listed Max Evans… and Liz Parker.
THE END
Max slammed his book closed
with a satisfying thud and rubbed his face tiredly. Finally, the assignment was
done. What was wrong with these teachers that they could give such huge
assignments so early in the year? But now, at close to midnight, he was
finished and could go to bed.
Arriving in the bedroom, his heart softened as it
always did when he saw her. She was sleeping on her side, one arm curled under
her pillow and the other flung out to his side of the bed. So she would know
when he joined her. His Liz. She had wanted to stay awake with him, so he had
had to bully her to go to sleep earlier. She had been dead tired after working
at the cafe until ten.
They were in their senior year now and have managed,
with some assistance, to dodge any problems about their living arrangements so
far. And thankfully their families and friends had gotten used to them living
together here by now. Because it had been very awkward in the beginning to say
the least. They had had a long talk with their parents when they got back from
their "honeymoon" at the Evans’ cabin near Carlsbad about how to
handle their situation. Obviously the school authorities would not be thrilled
about two teenagers living together, so the cover story was that Max was living
in the apartment on his own, while Liz was still living in her room upstairs.
With her parents. Max had been uncomfortable under the scrutiny of Jeff Parker
in the beginning. After all, he was sleeping with the man’s daughter
practically under his own roof. But thankfully Liz’s dad had not said a word.
Max wished he could make Jeff believe that he would never intentionally put
Liz’s future in jeopardy. It’s not like he could really promise anything,
accidents happen, but he could assure her dad that he was taking all the
precautions possible to circumvent an unplanned pregnancy.
Their new home was a small apartment at the back of
the Crashdown, no more than a bedroom, bathroom and living area with
kitchenette, that had been given to them by Jeff Parker after their second
bonding ceremony. But to him, this little flat was the world. It was home to
him and Liz. It was home because she was here.
Pulling off his shirt and jeans, he slid into bed.
Taking her hand, he kissed her knuckles lightly and smiled when she mumbled
"Max". It was not very modern of him, but he liked knowing that she
was his. In every way possible. Heart, mind, soul and body. He brushed her hair
from her face gently and waited for her inevitable squirm towards him. They
couldn’t stop touching even when they slept. He would wake up if he couldn’t
feel her somehow. Of course, their friends would be gagging again if they knew
this. Max and Liz got enough ribbing for not leaving each other alone when they
were awake as it was. But everything they’ve been through to get to this place
in their lives had made them treasure each moment together. Even when they
slept.
He wrapped his arms around her when she instinctively
snuggled close to his side. Mine. My Liz.
Max was warm. He always was. His body gave off heat
even in wintertime and Liz had often wondered if it was another one of those
alien things. Like making her see flashes when he kissed her or talking to her
telepathically when things got intense for either of them. Liz was in that
place between slumber and wakefulness as she pressed her nose into the place
where his neck and shoulder met, breathing deeply. He smelled so... Max. And it
was amazing that being allowed to do what she was doing now was still such a
pure joy to her. Sharing a bed with Max, touching him whenever she wanted,
sleeping in his arms all night. After all, she’s been doing it for longer than
a year. "I love you," she breathed just before drifting off to sleep
again. She needed to tell him that as often as possible. They have learned that
every second counts...
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Honey, have you seen my bio book?" Max
yelled over his shoulder. He was stuffing books into his backpack in
preparation for another school day. Summer was over and they had been back at
school for a month now. Liz was in their bedroom, and he heard her giggle at
his predicament. She had such wonderful laugh and he was grateful every time he
got to hear it. His life was glorious.
Liz had so many dreams about her future. Dreams that
Max planned on helping her achieve. Studying molecular biology. Marrying him
legally. Having that little boy and girl they saw during their bonding
ceremony. But first he had to find his bio book and get to school on time.
"Liz! Please, I need--."
She appeared at his shoulder, holding his book out to
him with a smile. "You left it in the bedroom."
He caught her around the middle when she turned to
leave, pulling her back against him. They found each other’s mouths
instinctively, kissing slowly and deeply, savoring the sensations that came
with the kiss. Max sighed into her mouth: "Good morning."
Pulling away, Liz grinned up at him. "You are
the best kisser, but Maria’s coming to pick me up in a few minutes." She
stood on tiptoe and kissed him again. Maria needed some help with a history
project and Liz promised to go with her to the library before school. Besides,
it didn’t hurt that she and Max arrived at school separately every once in a
while. The honking of a car horn outside ended the kiss.
Max watched indulgently as Liz skipped into the
bedroom to get her book bag. "Hey," his voice halted her on her way
out, "I love you." That earned him a brilliant smile and another
quick kiss before she ran out.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The school day was uneventful apart from a new
teacher for history… and Tess coming back to town. Liz nearly dropped her books
when she saw the blonde in the hall for the first time. Tess had disappeared
after they had broken Liz out of Tim’s clutches and no one had heard from her
ever since. Now, a year later, she was unexpectedly back. And Liz had to wonder
why...
However, all thoughts of Tess flew out of her head
when her bio teacher told her just before lunch hour that she had been chosen
to go to Boston for a two-week biology course. The school was sending her
because she was the best biology student they had. She nearly hugged Mr Davies
in joy. One of her dreams was coming true!
"When do I leave, sir?"
Her teacher smiled at the way she was dancing around.
"At the end of the week. I’ve written a letter to explain to your parents.
They will let you go, won’t they?"
Liz’s smile dimmed a little. Two weeks without Max!
"Yeah, I’m... I’m sure they would."
He gave her a thick envelope. "All the details
are in there. We can talk again before you leave."
Liz practically sprinted down the hallway to find
Max. He was waiting for her in front of her locker, smiling broadly. He
obviously knew already that she had some good news. Liz felt a tug at her
heart. She dearly wanted to go, but this would also be the first time in more
than a year that she would be away from Max. She walked into his outstretched
arms, feeling them wrap around her.
"Let’s go talk in the eraser room." She
stepped back from him and pulled at his hand until he followed her obediently.
Max locked the door of the little room behind them
out of habit and waited for Liz to share whatever it was that had made her so
happy. He had been overwhelmed by her joy earlier, feeling it crash over him in
a wave.
Instead of talking to him, Liz launched herself into
his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him hungrily. She
pressed herself against him, tasting and teasing his lips while pressing
herself against his body’s instinctive response to her. She had caught him by
surprise, and he groaned as he cupped her bottom in his hands, lifting her more
securely into him.
"Liz, sweetheart--."
She kissed him into silence. "Don’t talk right
now," she whispered against his mouth. "Kiss me, please." She
silenced him with her lips again when he wanted to protest. "Just for a
few seconds?"
So he gave in and slanted his lips over hers,
thrusting his tongue inside deeply, tasting her. Tasting her surrender and her
passion. And her desperation to be with him… completely. Now.
Max reared back, lifting one hand from her bottom to
run his fingers over her cheek. He stared at Liz searchingly. Her happiness was
still there, but he also sensed some sadness. "What’s wrong?"
She clutched his shirt, torn between her joy at the
chance she was getting and the sudden panic about being away from him for two
weeks. Get a grip, Liz, she berated herself silently, it’s only two weeks!
"I’m going to Boston for a biology course. It’s sort of an honor. Because
of my grades. But I—"
Hugging her close again, Max felt his heart swell
with pride. "That’s great! Congratulations!"
Starting to feel her excitement return with his
enthusiasm, she smiled against his throat. "Yeah, but Max… It’s in Boston!
And it’s for two weeks!"
He pulled her face away from his neck, looking deeply
into her eyes. "Yeah, and I’ll miss you. Terribly. But this is such a
great opportunity and we have the rest of our lives together, Liz." But he
knew it was his mind talking, not his heart. His heart didn’t want her to ever
be out of his sight.
Her eyes turned smoky and Max knew he was in trouble.
"We’ll just have to make up for lost time now…
right?" Her sultry voice slid over his senses like smooth chocolate. She’s
had a year to learn various ways to drive him crazy and there were many. He was
so nuts about her it didn’t take much from her to turn him on. He tried to be
careful, really he did, but sometimes, like now, when she was wrapped around
him and looked like she wanted to lick him from head to toe, he forgot why…
He was wavering, she could see it. His eyes were
growing darker, but his mind was keeping his hands from doing anything just
yet. So, he needed a nudge…
Taking his hand from her cheek, she pulled it down
until it hovered just above her breast. Leaning in, she spoke with her lips
just brushing his: "Quickly, Max."
His harsh indrawn breath only barely preceded his hand
covering her breast.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria was giving Michael a lecture about eating
healthy and trying to force him to eat some fruit out in the quad when she saw
Tess coming towards them. Her mouth dropped open. "What is she doing
back?" Of course everyone spun in their seats to find out what she was
talking about. "Great! Real subtle, guys!" Maria mumbled, glaring at
Isabel and Alex.
They all exchanged glances. No one was sure what to
make of Max’s bride-that-never-was. She DID help them get Liz from that evil
Tim’s house last year, but she had also been quite scathing about humans… and
Liz in particular. Not to mention that she had tried in various ways to keep
Liz and Max apart.
"Hey, guys!" Tess sounded cheerful.
Too cheerful, Maria thought. Last time they had seen
her, she had barely spoken to them after Max threatened her with death if she
ever came near Liz again.
"Uhm… Hi Tess," Isabel slipped into her
perfect hostess routine. "How have you been?"
"Hmpf," Alex muttered under his breath,
"you mean WHERE have you been!"
"I’m great! It’s so wonderful to see all of you
again." Tess waited two beats before asking: "So where is Max… and
Liz?"
Maria and Alex looked at each other. Here we go
again!
Some sane part of Max’s
brain could not believe he was doing this. It’s not like they’ve never done it
before here in the infamous little Eraser Room, but still… Every time he would
berate himself afterwards because he and Liz did not need any unwanted
attention right now. If they could just get through this year without getting
in trouble, they would be okay. But here he was, trying to get some of their
clothes out of the way as quickly as possible and still kiss her. He felt
lightheaded. And hot. And very, very aroused. How does she still do that to him?
Oh, married life is going to be bliss!
Liz was alternating between kissing Max and helping
him get her underwear off. But finally, he was where she wanted him, inside
her, and she bit her lip to keep quiet. Keeping quiet was a must in school and
even at home, where her parents slept a floor above them. She wrapped her arms
around his neck and her legs around his hips, clutching him to her tightly.
Max whirled them around and pressed Liz’s back to the
wall for leverage. Oh, how he loved this! Making love to Liz was the best thing
in his life. Heck, Liz was the best thing in his life, period. He kept watching
her face as they moved together. Seeing all her emotions flashing in her eyes.
Her emotions and her ecstasy. As he watched, her eyes widened and then fluttered
closed in response to her impending orgasm. And he heard her moan in his head:
Maaaax! It was always worth holding off on his own pleasure to watch hers. And
to know that he did that to her. Him. Max Evans. Alien. So he held her and
watched her, changing their rhythm to please her more.
Her eyes opened unexpectedly. She looked at him
languidly and clenched her inner muscles around him while whispering: "One
day I’m going to drive you so crazy that you’ll forget to worry about my
pleasure first…" She moved again, breaking Max’s control and hurling him
into that dark void of sensations where only she could join him. Holding on
tightly, she whispered in his ear: "Say my name."
"Liz! Ah god, Liz…" It was breathless and
hoarse. Said between gasping breaths. But oh so worth it.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The silence at the table following Tess’ question
about Max and Liz was deafening. The four friends were all looking down at the
table, trying to avoid Tess’ searching gaze.
"Uhm… Probably around somewhere," Isabel
eventually said vaguely.
"So where have you been, Tess?" Michael
asked abruptly. Finesse was not in his vocabulary.
She wavered a second. "I went to Nacedo. I
stayed in an apartment there and went to school. He looked after me."
"Are you insane? We don’t want the FBI to get
suspicious of us again!" Isabel was angry.
"Don’t worry, he changed into someone else when
he was with me. He’s got things under control at his side." Tess was still
cheerful and… nice. What is up with her? Maria wondered.
Max and Liz chose that moment to come strolling out,
looking for all the world like a very happy couple. Max had had to use some of
his "magic" again to ensure that what they had been up to in the
Eraser Room was not immediately obvious to everyone else. But he left Liz’s
teeth marks in his shoulder, so he could remember later.
Liz felt Max tense up beside her and knew immediately
what had caused it. In all the excitement about her course and the ecstasy of
their little tryst, she had forgotten to warn him that Tess was back. And of
course she would be the first person they ran into!
Max took Liz’s hand and gripped it tightly. He always
felt wary around Tess. Never in his life would he forget his complete fear and
panic when Liz didn’t wake up one morning out in the camp. And when he found
out it had been Tess meddling with Liz’s mind, he was close to physically
hurting the girl. So, from then on, he kept Liz away from her as far as
possible and although he never said anything out loud, he had been relieved
when Tess disappeared last year. It left him to concentrate on what he wanted
to concentrate on - him and Liz.
Maria watched Tess closely when they saw Max and Liz
approach. She had never trusted the other girl and wasn’t about to start now.
There was a flicker of something in Tess’ eyes that Maria couldn’t quite place.
It seemed to be a mixture between anger and fear. It made no sense to Maria.
She turned towards Max and Liz and saw the possessive way Max was treating Liz.
Maria smiled. Good boy, Max! Show her where your loyalties lie.
Moving around so he and Liz could sit on the opposite
side of the table from Tess, Max tucked Liz into his side closely before
acknowledging the other girl. "Hi Tess," he said mildly, "this
is a surprise."
Smiling brilliantly at Max, Tess replied: "Yeah,
I felt too alone out in Washington. No one of… my kind around, if you know what
I mean."
Yeah right, Maria thought, you mean no one like Max
around!
"Hi Tess," Liz spoke up, trying to cover
for the fact that Max’s face had darkened in anger at the mention of
Washington. She rubbed her hand over his thigh comfortingly under the table,
trying to calm him down. "How have you been?"
"I’ve been good actually," she turned her
eyes back to Max, "just lonely as I said."
Liz felt like laughing out loud. What was Tess
thinking? That she would get Max back? Because that was never going to happen.
Not only would Liz not allow it, but Max was also not remotely interested in
her. And Liz would know, because Max was getting angrier with every word coming
our of Tess’ mouth. She slid her hand higher on the clenched muscles of his
thigh, stopping just short of actually groping him.
Max grabbed her hand and gave her a mock glare. Did
he not just make love to her? And now she was getting to him again! She was
going to be in soo much trouble when they got home! He glanced back at Tess,
who was watching this little interlude with an unreadable expression, and
decided suddenly that she should under no circumstances find out about their
living arrangements. He looked back at Liz, staring into her eyes and willing
her to hear him. Don’t tell her that we live together, please honey!
Giving a small nod, Liz indicated that she had heard
him. However, she was not the problem, their friends were. They needed to talk
to the other four soon.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After lunch, which was a strained affair to say the
least, they all went their separate ways to class with Tess running to catch up
to Max as he strode down the hallway.
"Max!"
He turned around reluctantly, waiting for her to
reach him. "Yeah?"
Tess faltered a bit at his unaccommodating tone.
"I really need to talk to you. About Nacedo. Can I come see you at your
house after school?"
His first impulse was to say NO WAY! But he tamped
down on that, reminding himself that Tess could just give them more trouble if
they treated her in the wrong way. "Uhm… yeah, I guess." He would
have to go home early to prepare his parents for the shock that he would
actually be in his room for a change. He and Liz went there for supper
regularly, but now he had to make it look like he lived there again. Max
sighed. Great! Here we go with the sneaking around again.
She smiled at him, a nice bright smile that made him
even more suspicious. What had happened to the sullen girl that ranted about
how useless Liz was? Something was up and he needed to be vigilant. Especially
about Liz. If something happened to her…
When Max turned away and walked off to his class,
Tess frowned. She had tried to get into his mind again, only to be confronted
with images of Liz in the throes of ecstasy. Apparently the fact that Max was
now "getting some" regularly was making him a useless target for mind
games….
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had phoned his mom from school and explained everything.
It was easy to get her to help him. She loved Liz and also still remembered the
incident with Tess. So when he got home, he found clothes on the floor in his
room, and some of his books on his desk. In short, he found your normal teenage
room. He could hug his mom.
Arriving not long after Max, Tess was surprised to
find Mrs Evans home. Diane opened the door for Tess and let her in. "Max
is in his room, I’ll bring you some sodas."
Max got up when Tess entered the room out of habit.
His mother had drilled manners into him and that was not something you just
forget. He indicated the chair and waited until she sat down. "Okay, what
about Nacedo?"
"First let me say that I feel terrible about how
I acted last year. You know… about Liz. I was hurt…"
Max’s jaw was tight. "Well, Liz was hurt about
us kissing, and she didn’t go around hurting you, did she? Anyway, what were
you doing in Washington with Nacedo?"
She turned huge hurt eyes on him. "Well, I
needed to get away and he was the only person I could think of to go to."
"You do realize that you put all of us in danger
again by doing it, don’t you?" Max was still struggling to keep his anger
in check. He felt flickers at the edge of his mind every now and again, making
him think that Tess was trying her mind warp powers on him again. Whatever, he
only wanted Liz now and that was so not going to work!
"I’m sorry Max, but I didn’t know what else to
do! No one else wanted me…" Her lip trembled.
Max sighed. "What about Nacedo? Is there a
problem?"
She looked away. "I don’t really know how to
tell you this. You’re going to be… hurt."
"Just tell me." Max suppressed the urge to
shake it out of her. Please not anything about Liz!
"Nacedo, he said, that he could not allow you to
be with Liz…"
With her words ringing in
his ears, Max had the uncontrollable urge to laugh. Long and hard. Not allow
me? That was rich coming from someone that was supposed to be a servant!
"So how exactly is he going to stop me?" Max asked with a half-grin.
"Uhm… he didn’t really say exactly. Just that we
needed a pure alien heir to the throne, not some half-breed--."
Max was on his feet, towering over her. "I don’t
care what he thinks is best. I’m doing what I KNOW is best. Liz and I are
bonded now, and there’s nothing anybody," he looked at her meaningfully,
"and I mean, ANYBODY, can do to change that."
Tess cowered away from him for a moment before he
felt the tug at his mind again. Looking at her steadily, he purposely
remembered him and Liz opening the wooden box with the family tree inside. The
one that listed the current King as Max Evans, his mate as Liz Parker and had
the space below their names for the future King. The one that would be born to
him and Liz. He saw her eyes widen in shock and knew he was right, she had been
trying to play mind games with him again. "As I said, nothing will get
between me and Liz again. Remember that."
"I just wanted to warn you. I’m not trying to
stir up trouble." Her voice sounded high and fearful.
"Well, as you can see. Everything is fine here.
Was there anything else? I really need to go." Max had decided to go talk
to Nick about this thing with Nacedo. Even though he didn’t believe for an
instant that Nacedo based his threats on something real, he didn’t like the
fact that Nacedo had such a disregard for humans. It might make him do
something stupid to Liz.
Diane was just coming down the hallway with two sodas
when Tess brushed past her in a sulk, mumbling: "Goodbye, Mrs Evans."
She watched the girl disappear out the front door and
turned to her son. "Well, want to have a drink with your old mother?"
Smiling at her, Max took the soda with one hand and
hugged her with his other arm. "Thanks for helping, Mom."
"Is everything okay? She isn’t… she’s not going
to harm Liz again, is she?" Diane looked up at her tall son worriedly.
"I don’t think so. I think she was trying her
luck to see if maybe she could cause some trouble again." At least I hope
so! Max thought.
He sat down with his mom at the kitchen table and told
her about the course Liz was going on at the end of the week. Trying to sound
as cheerful about it as he could.
Not fooled, Diane said: "You’re going to miss
her, aren’t you?"
Max looked at the table, a feeling of loss already
settling over him. "Yeah." The word carried a lot more emotion that
its single syllable warranted. He jumped up suddenly. "I need to go
home."
Diane just smiled as he kissed her cheek and took
off. She understood what he was actually saying: I need to go to Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria had driven Liz and Michael over to the
Crashdown after school and Liz shared her news with her two friends.
"Boston! Lizzie! That’s so cool!"
"Hey! Watch where you’re driving,
cheesehead!" Michael yelled from the back, but he gave Liz a little smile to
show his happiness about her achievement.
After all the details had been spilled, there was
silence in the car for a few minutes. "How are you going to cope? Without
Max I mean?" Maria’s voice was soft.
Liz felt her heart lurch again. "I’m sure I will,
Maria. It’s just two weeks…" She was trying to convince herself too.
"He’s gonna miss you a lot." Maria covered
Liz’s hands in her lap with one of hers. "Don’t worry, we’ll make sure
he’s okay."
The two friends smiled at each other with years of
understanding and loyalty.
When they reached the café, Michael went to the
kitchen to start his shift and the two girls went to the apartment to talk.
Both their shifts only started later.
"So chica, are you okay with leaving Max here
alone while you-know-who is back?"
Liz shrugged. "She doesn’t bother me, Maria. I
mean, I would KNOW as soon as something strange is happening to him."
Maria looked unconvinced. "It’s just… I saw the
way she was looking at you two and… something’s up. Something weird. And now she
wants to see him after school? Alone? What’s up with that?"
This reminded Liz of her and Max’s decision. "Oh
Maria! Please don’t let her know that Max and I are, you know--."
"Doing the nasty every chance you get?"
Maria was grinning evilly.
"No! Maria! I mean living together… What do you
mean ‘every chance we get’?" Liz planted her hands on her hips
indignantly.
Maria was laughing openly by now. "Just what I
said! You two are insatiable! We can’t leave you alone for a few minutes and
you two are at it!" Hearing Liz’s shocked gasp, Maria continued teasing
her control-freak friend. "Admit it! You can’t keep your hands of
his--."
"Maria!" Liz was blushing furiously. Mostly
their friends discretely avoided the topic of her and Max’s sex life and even
Maria has made a point of not saying too much about it. This was new to Liz,
realizing their friends did indeed know and speculate about all her and Max’s
disappearances.
"Okay, okay, I’ll stop if you tell me
details!" She flopped on Liz and Max’s bed with a flourish.
"No way!" Liz was outraged.
Maria rolled onto her stomach and propped her head in
her hands. "Please, Lizzie. Michael and I are gonna… we decided to… you
know."
Liz was stunned. "You mean you two actually
talked about it before doing it!"
"Haha, you crack me up!" Maria pulled a
face. "I’m serious, Liz! I’m… I’m kinda nervous about the whole
thing."
Liz’s face softened. "Maria, Michael is a normal
guy. Nothing weird will happen."
"It’s not just that. I’m not good with
pain…"
Hugging her friend, Liz didn’t really know what to
say. "Just… tell him to be careful and to take it slow. You’ll be
alright." She smiled at Maria. "And it gets better really fast, I
promise."
Maria hugged her back. "Ugh, what’s becoming of
this world when I get sex advice from the most prim and proper girl in
school!" She giggled. "Ever since you got involved with a certain
alien, you have become impulsive. Oh the horror!"
They were still laughing when Max arrived in a rush,
faltering when he saw Maria was there. "Uhm, hey Maria."
"Hey Max. We’re glad to see you lived through
your session with Cruella DeVille!"
Max just mumbled: "Thanks," before leaning
down to kiss Liz. His mouth lingered on hers.
Maria cleared her throat to get their attention back.
"So what did she want?" She watched as Max straightened and started
caressing Liz’s hair.
He shrugged. "She was going on about Nacedo.
Nothing we have to worry about right now." But Liz could feel the tension
in his body, both physically and mentally. As well as his need to be with her
right now.
Folding her arms, Maria huffed: "So basically
she just wanted to get you alone. Max, you have to--."
"Maria, could you maybe let me talk to Max
alone?" Liz interrupted her friend.
Maria looked from Liz’s imploring face to Max’s
unreadable one. "Oookay."
Liz followed her out the door. "I’m sorry. He…
We need to talk right now."
"Are you sure your connection with him isn’t
misinterpreting ‘talking’ with something, ah… else?"
Liz laughed. Maria could be really mischievous
sometimes. "Just go… make sure Michael doesn’t kill Jose and burn the
burgers or something!"
Max was still standing in the same position in their
room when she got back. "Honey, what’s wrong?" She put her arms
around him.
He pulled her into a crushing embrace, burying his
face in her neck. "I love you."
"I know." She ran her hand through his
hair, rubbing his back with her other one. Concentrating on their connection,
she made sure that he felt her love and support.
Finally, Max lifted her up and sat down on the bed
with her in his lap. "Sorry, I just freaked out because you’re going to be
away for two weeks." He traced her features with his fingers as if trying
to memorize every inch.
"Are you sure everything is okay with
Tess?"
"Yeah," he looked into her eyes, "she
spouted some nonsense about Nacedo being against our bonding. Nothing that I
was too concerned about." He kissed her softly. "Don’t worry about
her, Liz. She’s nothing to me."
Leaning her forehead against his, Liz gloried in being
in his arms. "I know that. I’m not worried about you. I’m worried she
would try something desperate."
Pulling away, he slid his hand under her skirt:
"Well, I’ll talk to Nick later tonight. When you’re at work." Liz’s
head fell back as his hand moved higher. "But for now I think I need to
start making up for when you’re away…" He flipped her on her back and
proceeded to kiss her everywhere… as well as all the important places in
between.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria slammed a plate down in the kitchen. "I
hate some of these customers! Nothing is ever good enough for them!" She
glared at Liz who was smiling. "And if you don’t stop looking like the cat
that got the cream, I’m going to kick your butt!"
"Sorry, Maria! I’m just happy." Liz danced
out of the back room with a grumbling Maria behind her. They both stopped in
their tracks when they saw Tess coming in, with a handsome guy hanging onto her
arm.
"What the--?" Maria muttered under her
breath.
Tess saw Liz immediately and came over. "Hey
Liz. Maria." She motioned at the guy next to her. "This is my
boyfriend, Neil."
Maria was speechless, so Liz had to stammer:
"Nice to meet you, Neil." The guy was looking at her strangely.
"Uhm… Are you staying? Can I get you guys something?"
"Oh yeah, we’ll go get a booth and look at the
menu." Tess dragged Neil off.
Maria turned back to Liz. "Okay, what the hell
was that? She suddenly has a boyfriend? Out of thin air? And one that looks
like THAT!" They glanced over at Neil. He was tall, blonde, blue-eyed and
well built. Your average All-American guy. Who was still looking at Liz…
Liz started towards the booth, but halted when Maria
grabbed her arm. "I think I’ll go. That guy seems weird and I don’t like
the way he’s staring at you!"
"Maria! You’re always such a drama queen. He’s
not interested in me."
"Who said he was interested? He looks at you
like you are some… I don’t know, experiment or something." Maria was still
watching Neil. His gaze hasn’t wavered from Liz and Tess didn’t seem to mind.
"Where’s Max?"
"He went to see Nick. I’m sure its
nothing." But Liz sounded uncertain. She had to admit the guy was creeping
her out. "Okay, you go help them. But I’m telling Michael he needs to keep
an eye on what’s going on out here."
She went to the kitchen as Maria walked up to Tess
and Neil. "So, what will it be?" She watched Neil watch Liz walk
away. "No, she’s not on the menu. And as Tess can tell you, you don’t want
to upset her boyfriend." She smiled sweetly at Neil.
He just grinned back, unmoved by her threats.
"Well, we’ll see won’t we?"
Maria glared at him before turning to Tess.
"Great taste you have, Tess! Now what do you want?"
"There’s no need to be so rude, Maria. We just
want some cherry cokes. With lime." Tess sounded hurt.
"Oh, and I’ll take your friend too." Neil
yelled after her as Maria left for the back. "To go. She looks like she
would be great company," he said smugly when Maria whirled around.
"Is there a problem here?" Max’s quiet
voice stopped any angry retort from Maria.
Everyone turned to him, but his eyes were on Tess and
Neil. Max had heard the guy’s last remarks and had understood it was aimed at
Liz. Looking into the guy’s eyes, he realized that this wasn’t just some
ordinary obnoxious client. Something else was going on here…
Tess grabbed Neil by the
arm. "Let’s just get out of here!" She looked at Max. "He’s
just…"
"Annoying?" Maria provided. She had moved
to stand next to Max, while Liz and Michael watched from the kitchen.
Thankfully it was close to closing time and there were no other customers.
Max was still trying to figure out what bothered him
about the guy, apart from the fact that he was a complete jerk. He watched Neil
carefully while speaking to Tess. "Aren’t you going to introduce me?"
Tess’ brilliant smile was back. "Oh yeah, this
is Neil. My BOYFRIEND." She stressed the last word, hoping for some
reaction from Max.
Nothing. No visible reaction from Max. Just a
continuation of his cautious regard of Neil, before glancing between Liz and
Maria. "Are you two okay?"
Giving him a warm smile for including her in his
concern, Maria answered. "Yeah. He was just being a creep about Liz."
Maria turned to Neil. "This is Liz’s boyfriend. I’d take note if I were
you."
Looking at Liz now, Max didn’t even hear what Maria
said. He was silently waiting for Liz to give him an answer. She nodded at him,
her eyes assuring him that she was fine and he relaxed his stance.
Liz was overwhelmed by how much she loved this quiet man.
Her Max. He had a presence about him that just permeated a room and with a few
words he had ended a potentially problematic situation. Not to mention that, as
always, he was so protective of her. How could a girl not love that? She felt
safe and loved whenever he was around and it sometimes scared her that she had
come to depend on him so much. Not that he would ever leave her, she knew that,
but it was frightening how important he was to her. She had gotten used to
their connection quickly and now it bothered her when it faded into a distant
hum at the edge of her mind on the occasions they were far away from each
other. She liked knowing that she could share his feelings and sometimes even
his thoughts. But most of all, she was in awe of the love he felt for her.
Nothing in this world, or any other, could be better than that. She prayed
every day that she could make him happy and give him the life he deserved.
Blissfully ignorant of the exchange between Max and
Liz, Maria was in full PI mode. "Sooo, Neil… is it? From where did you
suddenly appear? Its not like Tess told us she had a boyfriend or
anything." Maria folded her arms.
"He came from Washington. To surprise me. We met
there." Tess answered for Neil.
Narrowing her eyes, Maria thought: Aha! Now I have
her. She never was the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. "Oh really.
If Neil here became your boyfriend in Washington, then why were you so alone
there that you had to come back here? Or wasn’t that what you told us this
afternoon?" Maria put her hands on her hips and looked Neil up and down.
"Although, after meeting him and seeing what a charming personality he
had, I’m actually not surprised that you hightailed it away from him."
Liz heard Michael make a strangled sound next to her.
She couldn’t make out if he was stifling a laugh or whether he was getting
upset about Maria.
Tess was pushing Neil towards the door by now, but he
turned to Max. "Nice friends you have here, buddie. You should know that a
person can be judged by who he chooses to associate with." His eyes went
from Max to Liz fleetingly before he disappeared through the door.
Maria whirled around and waved her hands in the air.
"Okay, what WAS that? He is like the creepiest guy ever and Tess DATES
him? I smell something rotten!"
"I agree." Max was still staring at the
door. He was not stupid enough to miss the significance of that last statement
of Neil’s. The only person he could think of with that attitude would be
Nacedo, and he was supposed to be in Washington. "I’d phone Nacedo, but
they are only going to take a message and have him call me back. So, we won’t
know where he’s phoning from."
Liz and Michael both came from the back. Max took a
seat at the counter and he pulled Liz between his legs when she reached him,
kissing her softly. "Hi honey, I’m home," he said with a half-smile.
Laughing, Liz hugged him tightly. "Have I told
you how much I love you recently?"
He smiled at her, remembering how she had said it
repeatedly earlier when they were together. "No."
She looked taken aback for a moment before she saw
the glint in his eyes. Then she leaned forward, pressing herself against him to
whisper in his ear: "I love you so much it hurts. Even if you are getting
old and starting to forget things." He jerked away from her, surprised.
She looked at him coyly: "Maybe I wasn’t screaming it loudly enough this
afternoon…"
Max nearly fell off the chair. Sometimes his lovely
ladylike Liz surprised him with wild statements like that. He inhaled sharply
when she leaned in again. "Maybe I’ll have to
By now Max was grinning. He slid his hands from her
waist to cup her butt and pulled her closer between his legs. "Maybe
you’ll have to. But I think I’m going to forget again, so… I’ll need regular
reminders."
Liz nuzzled his face. "You can count on that, Mr
Evans!"
They shared another lingering kiss before Liz turned
around in his arms to look for Michael and Maria. They were arguing again, but
Michael put a stop to that when he grabbed her and kissed her hard, causing
chuckles from Max and Liz.
"Michael, why don’t you and Maria take off. I’ll
help Liz clean up here." Liz was leaning back into Max’s chest and she
shivered when the rumble of his voice traveled through her.
Both Michael and Maria threw Max grateful looks and
it didn’t take them long to be ready to leave. This caused Liz a lot of
amusement, since she had an idea why they were in such a hurry. She left the
circle of Max’s arms reluctantly to finish up the last of the cleaning. She sighed
to herself. It was Tuesday night already and she had to leave on Saturday. Time
was just passing too quickly for her and work and school kept her from being
with Max as much as possible before she left.
She heard Max lock the doors and carry some stuff
into the kitchen where she was cleaning the counter. Her hands halted their
movements when she felt him come up behind her. Liz held her breath and closed
her eyes as she waited for him to make a move. He didn’t. Instead he just stood
quietly, close enough for her to feel the heat of his body and hear the sound
of his breathing. She KNEW he was looking at her and she could sense all his
wants and desires through their connection. He was seducing her without even
touching her. She felt her breathing become shallow gasps, her body start to
tremble and that now familiar ache settle in the pit of her stomach. She
clutched the sides of the counter, trying to hold herself steady when all she
wanted to do was to fall backwards in his arms and have him touch her the way
she craved. "M-Max!" His name was a heated whisper.
She shuddered when his hand gently pulled the
fastening from her hair, before he slowly spread her hair over her back, while
carefully avoiding touching her anywhere else. She was aware of him rubbing her
hair between his fingers leisurely and it was driving her crazy.
A helpless sound escaped her throat.
He moved his body closer until it was flush against
her back, pressing her into the counter. He bent his head until his cheek
rested against hers and she felt his eyelashes flutter against her skin. As
Liz’s head fell back against his shoulder, he laced his fingers through hers on
the counter. His lips started tracing the line of her jaw, barely grazing her
skin. When he reached her ear, he spoke quietly: "Do you remember the
first time I kissed you here on this counter?"
"Y-yes." She had trouble speaking.
He touched her earlobe with his tongue before
continuing. "And do you know how many fantasies I’ve had of making love to
you on this counter ever since?"
"No." It was a sigh.
He let go of her hands and found the top snap of her
uniform, opening it before moving onto the next one. "Ever since that day,
when I see strawberries, I think of that kiss." Her uniform was open to
the waist now and he slid his warm hands inside, splaying his fingers over her
stomach just underneath her bra.
"Oh… me too." It was true. Strawberries
would forever remind her of that day when she experienced for the first time
how complete and devouring Max’s passion for her was. Liz held her breath as
his fingers reached for the front clasp of her bra.
"Tell me how you felt that day." His voice
was gravelly and low.
"Like fire was running through my body."
She bit her lip as the bra fell away and his hands replaced the silk against
her skin. "Like I’ve been waiting for that moment my whole life. I
couldn’t get close enough to you." She arched against his magic touch.
"Like I would die if you stopped kissing me… and like I would die if you
didn’t." Her hands fluttered to cover his, urging him to increase the
tempo of his movements. "And I knew no one else… no one else would ever
make me feel that way. Only you."
"Feel what way?"
"Like you could fill this hollow place inside
me. That you were meant to be inside me. Inside my body, inside my skin, inside
my heart."
He spun her around with a growl and lifted her up
onto the counter. His kiss was hard, hungry, hot. He took her mouth almost
roughly, kissing her desperately while his hands made sure she was ready for
his body’s possession. Their lips clung together, stifling their cries when he
made his fantasy came true. He was making love to Liz on the counter top that,
to a large extent, symbolized the beginning of their physical relationship.
Only tonight, there were no strawberries getting in
the way…
~*~*~*~*~*~
"What are we going to do? He doesn’t plan on
giving her up." Tess sounded petulant.
"We’ll find a way. She’s leaving at the weekend,
isn’t she? We’ll work on him then…"
Liz was lying contentedly in
Max’s arms. It was really late by now, but neither of them really wanted to
sleep. Instead they wanted to savor every minute they still had together before
she left. He had carried her back to their room, still half-undressed after
loving her thoroughly in the kitchen, and finished undressing her gently before
putting her to bed. Now they lay snuggled together, just talking about stuff
and touching each other. She was curled on her side next to him, her head on
his chest and her leg thrown over his hips. Max had one arm around her
shoulders, his fingers idly threading through her hair and the other was
drawing lazy circles on her thigh.
This was one of her favorite places to be. Lying with
her cheek pressed to his warm skin where she could hear the thunder of his
heartbeat in her ear. Her thoughts drifted to her impending two-week separation
from Max and she bit her lip. How on earth was she going to make it?
"You will make it." Max’s quiet voice broke
into her musings. "And so will I." The last part was said more to
himself. He put his hands on her waist and moved her higher on the bed until
her head lay close to his on the pillow. Turning on his side, he looked at her
gravely: "Will you go on a date with me?"
He always managed to make her smile. "A
date?"
"Yeah," he hesitated before continuing.
"Our moms want to give you a farewell dinner on Thursday, with the parents
and our friends… So, Liz Parker, lady of my heart, will you go on a date with
me on Friday night?"
She pursed her lips, teasing him. "Hmmm, I’ll
have to check my calendar and get back to you…"
He pulled her closer. "How about I kiss you
until you say yes?"
"Okay--." But he didn’t give her a chance
to finish. He kissed her deeply, his tongue stealing over her lips and into her
waiting mouth. She tasted his love on his lips and felt his need in the
caresses of his tongue. Liz ran her hands over his arms, enjoying the hard
muscles and the heat of his skin. And suddenly his mouth was gone, he had moved
back until their lips were just touching.
"Open your eyes."
It was a gigantic task to get her heavy eyelids to
move so she only made a muffled sound of protest. Her eyes flew open, though,
when he touched his tongue to her bottom lip.
"Look at me, sweetheart. Look at me when I kiss
you." His amber eyes were dark and clear, staring into hers… into her
soul.
He touched his lips to hers again while holding her
gaze. Even though he was so close to her that her vision blurred, it didn’t dim
the intensity of the emotion she saw in his eyes. It was like being burnt by a
flame. It was nothing alien or incredible, just plain human feelings. How much
he loved her shone from his dark eyes together with the satisfaction that she
was his.
Liz felt a whimper starting deep in her body and it
grew to a shout in her mind. Yes!
Max reared back from her. "Yes?" His eyes
traced her lips, swollen and puffy from his kisses. "Yes to what?"
Liz had trouble breathing, the man should be issued
with a warning label: LETHAL KISSER. "Yes… to anything."
He grinned, a smug, wonderful grin. "So, yes you
will go out with me
"Yes," Liz sighed.~*~*~*~*~*~ The next day
arrived sunny and warm and gave no indication that it would turn out so crappy.
Max had left for school early in the hopes that it would keep Tess from finding
out that he was not living with his parents anymore. So Liz had to wait for
Maria to come pick her up for school and Maria was late. Late, but glowing.
"Oh my god Maria!" Liz cried when she saw
her friend and the perpetual smile on her face. "You two did it!"
Maria was completely giddy. "Yeah we did and
wow! No wonder you can’t get enough, it’s like a drug!"
This led to a whole discussion on poor Michael’s
performance on the way to school, so they were even later when they arrived.
Liz could only hug Maria when they finally got out of the car. "Be happy
Maria. Or I’ll kick his butt."
Grinning, Maria corrected her: "You mean or
you’ll send Max to kick his butt."
"No, you’re my best friend, I’ll do it
myself."
The two girls were late for their first class and got
tardy notes from their teacher. The day just got more insane from there. Liz
seemed to run into Tess around every corner and although the blonde smiled at
her every time, Liz couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Her bio teacher wanted to see
her over lunch to discuss some of the details of the course she was going to
attend and that kept her away from Max too. She was starting to feel like there
was a conspiracy to ensure that she saw as little as possible of him before she
left when she trudged into the girls’ locker room for the second to last period
of the day.
Maria was there, still dancing around on a cloud of
Michael-induced euphoria. "Lizzie, we are going shopping this
afternoon!"
Liz would rather go home and be with Max.
"Why?"
"Because, chica, you and I both have dates with
two intergalactic hotties on Friday and I intend knocking Spaceboy to his knees
with some new and sexy underwear!"
Liz was starting to grin by now. Maybe Maria had a
point, she could also do her part to make their last night memorable. It’s not
only Max Evans that can think up amazing things to make life romantic!
"Okay, I’m in! I think I’ll need a new dress
too." Liz was determined to be something right out of Max’s fantasies on
Friday.
They were all filing out into the gym when Maria
looked back and grabbed Liz’s arm. "Ahem… you’re gonna be late for
gym."
"Maria, what are you talking--." But she
felt him. Max was here. Liz whirled to the outer door and saw him standing just
inside, looking at her.
"I’ll cover for you," Maria whispered,
"but don’t take too long…" Then she was gone and the locker room was
blissfully quiet.
"Max--."
He closed the distance between them quickly. "I haven’t
seen you all day. And I was going to go crazy if I can’t at least kiss
you." He caught her against him and kissed her breathless, holding her
tightly to him while he devoured her mouth. Liz stood on tiptoe and kissed him
back, caressing his tongue with hers while her body sighed finally! Was she
ever going to get tired of being kissed by Max?
Maria rushed in a few minutes later, causing Liz and
Max to jump apart. "Okay Lizzie, long enough bathroom break! The teacher
is getting antsy." She grinned at Max who was still staring at Liz’s
mouth. "Bye Max!" She dragged a dazed Liz out of the locker room.
"I hope you can think of a plausible explanation for the fact that you
look like someone just kissed the daylights out of you!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz and Maria hurried to Maria’s car after school,
only to see Tess get in the Jeep with Max. He shot Liz a ‘I’m in hell’ look
before driving off. Maria watched the whole thing with disgust:
"Relentless much?"
Liz sighed. She would much rather worry about how
much time she could still spend in Max’s arms before she left, than worry about
what Tess was up to again. "Let’s go Maria!"
"Nope, we’re waiting for the Queen of Shopping
to join us." Maria grinned. "Isabel would NEVER forgive us if we went
to the mall without taking her."
"You’re right," Isabel said from behind
them, "I wouldn’t. Besides, no one knows those two idiotic boyfriends of
yours better than I do, so I figured you could use my help."
"Whatever," Maria said. "As long as it
gets his motor running, I’m happy."
Isabel turned to Liz. "Where is Max going with
Tess?"
"I have no idea," Liz shrugged, she could
feel Max’s annoyance at his situation and she felt really sorry for him. Tess
was truly becoming stalker-like.
"Well, I just want to warn you that she came to
our house really late last night wanting to see Max. So I told her he was
helping you close up the Crashdown and that I didn’t know when he would be
home." Izzy looked at her sympathetically. "Trust Max to get the
bride-from-otherwordly-hell!"
Liz looked at Isabel assessingly. "Well, then
maybe Max should sleep at your house tonight…"
Both Isabel and Maria looked
at Liz with shock on their faces. "You’re kidding, right?" Maria
spoke for both of them. "You want the guy who crashed the girl’s locker
room so he could kiss you to sleep ALONE in his room at his parents’ house
tonight? Three nights before you leave for two weeks?"
Liz gave them a superior look. "Did I say he was
sleeping there ALONE?"
It was quiet for a moment in the car before Maria
stated: "I was gonna say… The guy’s gonna explode." All three girls
erupted into laughter after her deadpan statement.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max gave Tess a sidelong glance and wondered how on earth
he always seemed to end up with her the last few days. He wondered what Liz was
doing, sensing her mirth through their connection made him long to be with her
to share in whatever was making her laugh. His hands curled around the steering
wheel at the thought of that beautiful laugh that had the power to warm his
heart. He sighed wistfully, unaware that Tess was watching all of this with
narrowed eyes.
"Where can I take you? Where do you live
now?" Max suddenly realized he had been so wrapped up in making sure that
Tess doesn’t upset Liz, that he hadn’t even bothered to ask about Tess’ life.
Tess looked flustered for a second. "Can we go
talk at your house? I… I live in a dingy motel on the outskirts of town… I
really don’t want to go there. Your house, it’s like a second home to me."
Max decided not to react to that last statement.
"Tess, I appreciate that you have a lot to say to me, but can we keep the
talking to school hours from now on? Liz is leaving soon and I’d really like to
spend as much time with her as I can."
"Well, this is important to me." She
sounded petulant and turned her head away until Max drove up to his house.
This time, when they went inside, no one was home.
Max assumed his parents were still at work and Izzy, who knows where she was.
He stopped in the living room, not wanting Tess in his bedroom with no one else
there. He just watched her as she paced and wrung her hands.
"Firstly, I wanted to explain about Neil…"
"Tess, I don’t care who you date. Just please
don’t put us in any danger." Max’s decent upbringing won out again.
"Are you sure you want to be with him? He looks kind of…"
"Yeah, I know. But he’s obsessed with me, can
you imagine that?" She smiled at him coyly.
Not really knowing what to say to that, Max just nodded.
"Well, be careful. Was that all you wanted to talk about?"
"No!" She stopped in the middle of the
room, staring at him accusingly. "Max, I was supposed to be the queen of
our people. You took that from me! You can’t take away my right to be the mother
of the next king too."
For a minute, Max was too stunned to move.
"Tess--."
She walked closer to him, forcing Max to take an
involuntary step back. "You owe me a baby, Max. Your first--."
"Whoa, whoa!" Max held up his hands.
"Are you insane? There is no way I’m having a baby with anyone but Liz.
And as for me taking away your right to be--. Why am I even explaining this to
you? You need to get a life, Tess! Your own."
"No Max, you need to realize that I am right.
This baby should be an alien, Max. Just like the two of us. Not some
watered-down version."
It felt like all the blood was rushing to his head,
making him see Tess through a red haze of anger. She wasn’t just talking about
any baby, she was talking about the son he had seen in the future vision with
Liz during the bonding ceremony. The one with his eyes and his mother’s laugh.
And even though that little boy doesn’t exist yet, he felt fiercely protective
of him already. Tess looked at him imploringly. "Liz doesn’t need to know
at first--."
Deep breaths. I have to take deep breaths or I will
hurt her. "I am only going to say this once and if you or Nacedo ever come
to me with a stupid idea like this again, I will not be responsible for my
actions. Liz and I are bonded. She is my wife now, you KNOW that. Every one of
my people accepts that. I don’t intend to have children with anyone but my
wife. I don’t owe you anything. The rules changed as soon as we came to earth
and our own planet was destroyed."
"But Max, I WANT to be the mother of the heir."
"You see, that’s the difference between you and
Liz. She is unselfish." He breathed deeply again to stay calm. "Now,
will you please leave? This has gone too far. Stay away from me. Stay away from
Liz. Go live your own life." He shoved his hands in his pockets in an
attempt to keep himself from doing her harm.
She had given up all pretence of nicety and was
staring at Max with hatred. "You are making a big mistake. What if she
leaves you? How do you know--."
"Because I know her. Heart, mind, soul and
body."
They stared at each other in a silent battle of wills
until the slamming of car doors outside broke the silence.
"Liz is here." He said it quietly.
"Could you leave now?"
Tess waited until Liz, Isabel and Maria arrived in
the living room before taking her leave. Let Liz Parker see that she had met
Max alone in his house. Maybe that will give the mousy earth girl a reason to
pause. She was not giving up on Max Evans yet… He was going to have a great
dream tonight. At least, he’s going to think he was dreaming… and not about
Liz. She would be there to guide this "dream" and in the process
hopefully ensure that she got pregnant…
Max couldn’t remember when last he was so glad to see
Liz. He felt almost dirty after the conversation with Tess and all he wanted to
do now, was to go home and lose himself in Liz. He pulled her into an embrace
and held her tightly.
Isabel could see her brother was upset and worried
about going through with the lie that the girls had dreamed up to help Liz
surprise Max later that night. "Are you okay Max? What did she want this
time?"
Liz felt Max tense up and wondered what had
transpired before they arrived. She gently rubbed his back, hoping to comfort
him.
"About Neil and some other stuff. Did you have
fun with whatever you were up to?" He was trying to change the subject and
it was obvious to everyone.
"Yeah, we went shopping, but… Liz ran into that
Bio teacher of hers there." Isabel decided to go ahead with their plan.
Even though Max might be upset now, he would thank her later!
Max was still not letting Liz go, so he talked to
Izzy over Liz’s head that he had firmly tucked into his neck. "You did?
What did he want?"
"Uhm…" Maria and Isabel looked at each
other.
"He wants to see me tonight to go over some more
stuff." Liz’s voice was muffled at first before she managed to at least
move her head so she could look up into Max’s face. Just in time to see it
fall. "I’m sorry, honey. Could you maybe have dinner with your parents?
I’ll call you when I’m done."
Max didn’t like it. He wanted to go home with Liz
right now. But he stopped himself, this was for her after all. "Yeah,
okay, but I think my parents are going to get sick of me real soon. They
haven’t seen me this much in a long time."
Maria went ahead to her car as Max and Liz trailed
behind, hand-in-hand. "So what did you buy?" Max sounded indulgent.
Liz smiled up at him happily. ‘You can see on Friday
night." She stopped and turned to him. "Are you sure you’d be okay
eating dinner here?" She was starting to feel guilty about lying to Max
since she could feel that he was still somewhat upset about his encounter with
Tess.
Sighing, Max pulled her to him again. "I really
wanted to go home… with you. But this is important, so I’ll live." He
kissed her sweetly, threading his fingers through her hair. Then he walked her
to Maria’s car and kissed her through the open window again before they drove
off.
Back inside, Max ran into Isabel in the kitchen. She
handed him a soda and sat down at the table. "Max I wanted to talk to you.
Actually tell you something. About Tess." She saw Max’s wince at the name.
"What did she say this afternoon?"
Max debated about telling Iz. He needed to tell
someone, but he didn’t want the story to get back to Liz. On the other hand, he
couldn’t very well talk to either Michael or Alex about it since he didn’t
think either of them would understand about him wanting a baby with Liz so much
it hurts. Not right now, of course, but someday.
"Max?"
Isabel’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Making a
decision, he looked at her. "She wants to have a baby with me. She claims
I owe it to her to let her produce the next… king." Max was still
uncomfortable with the title. To him, his little boy would be just that, his son.
Not the future king of some alien race he never knew.
Isabel was speechless.
He looked at his sister imploringly. "Please
don’t tell Liz, okay Iz? I don’t want her to get upset about this."
Finally finding her voice, Isabel was spluttering in
anger. "What… what did you say to her?"
"I told her she was insane and that she should
stay away from me and Liz."
"What does Nick say about all this?" Isabel
remembered Max saying earlier at school that he had gone to see Nick.
"He thought it was ridiculous. He knew that
Nacedo had been sent to guard us, but he doesn’t know him personally, so he
couldn’t help me too much. But he is going to Boston with Liz for me." Max
paused. "I still have to tell Liz about it. She’s not going to be
happy."
Isabel looked at him sharply. "Are you getting
one of your premonitions about Liz again?"
He shook his head. "No. I’m just taking
precautions." After being silent for a few minutes, he burst out: "I
wish I could go with her. I hate being away from her for that long!"
Diane Evans had arrived just in time to hear her
son’s outburst. She hugged him from behind and whispered in his ear:
"Well, maybe I can help you a little bit with that problem…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was nervous. She watched from outside Max’s
window as he pottered around his room. It was close to nine by now and she had
been waiting for the right moment to put her plan into action. Sure, she had
sometimes taken the lead in their lovemaking, but tonight she needed to be so
much more. She needed to be Max’s fantasy-come-true and she was flying by the
seat of her pants. Not that she wore any…
Max whirled around went he heard the soft knock on
his window. He knew it was Liz even before he reached it. What was she doing at
his window? And what was she doing wandering around alone in the dark? He
jerked the window open and found her standing outside in a coat that nearly
reached her ankles. "Liz, what--."
"Help me in, Max." She held out her hand
and he took it involuntarily.
Liz climbed through gingerly, not wanting to ruin her
surprise for him by letting him see what she was and wasn’t wearing underneath
the coat. She looked up at him when she was finally standing inside.
"Could you lock your door?"
Max was amazed. What was going on with Liz? But… he
could think of only one reason why she would want him to lock the door and his
eyes widened. She was still watching him steadily and he eventually complied.
Walking back to her after completing the task, he halted when she held up her
hand.
Her eyes fluttered away from his shyly for a moment
when she started to undo the belt of the coat. Max realized he had stopped
breathing as he waited for her to make the next move. Then her gaze locked with
his again as she slowly opened the coat to reveal a lace nightgown. It hid nothing
of her body but merely served to highlight all the erotic hills and valleys
that he loved so much. She let the coat fall and he prayed his legs would not
give way as he took in her beauty. The gown fitted her upper body like a second
skin, it stretched over her breasts only to flare into a short skirt that ended
just above mid-thigh. His eyes drank in every minute detail of her and stored
it to memory. God, she is beautiful. And mine. The thought went straight to his
loins.
"Tonight is for you, Max." Her voice was
breathy and sultry and low. And filled with desire for him. He couldn’t speak
to save his life.
Liz walked towards him slowly, swaying her hips
slightly and glorying in the dazed look in his eyes. She wanted to drive him
crazy with desire tonight. She wanted to give him a night he would never
forget. She wanted to show him that even though he thought she was a princess
and a lady, she could be something from his fantasies when they were alone like
this. That she had a side only he could bring out and that only he would ever
see.
Max was rooted to the spot with all the conflicting
desires raging through his body. He wanted to grab her and rip the gorgeous
gown off her and take her quickly. He wanted to take it slow and torture them
both to just this side of insanity before finally making them one. But most of
all he wanted to wait and see what she had cooked up for him in that pretty
little head of hers.
Liz felt heavy with lust. Her body was screaming for
his. But she had to move slowly at first, otherwise her plan of making him lose
that famous control of his would never work. She watched him from underneath
heavy eyelids as she carefully undid the buttons of his black shirt. Pushing
the shirt from his shoulders, she raked her nails over his chest, hearing the
hiss of his breath with satisfaction. He brought his hands up to capture her
face so he could kiss her, but she evaded him. She waited until he let his
clenched fists fall back to his sides before stepping closer again. She leaned
in and ran her tongue lightly over the bunched muscles of his upper arm before
moving on to his chest. He was panting by now, his eyes almost black as they
followed her movements hungrily.
She took her time. It was glorious to be able to
touch him like this. She tasted the saltiness of his warm skin on her tongue
and reveled in the ripples under his skin wherever her hands roamed. After long
moments of exploring his chest, Liz slid to her knees and nuzzled his navel.
"Ah, god, Liz!" It tumbled from his lips
involuntarily.
She smiled slightly against his skin, enjoying the
power she held over him at this moment. She explored the textures of his
stomach, from the smooth tanned skin around his navel, to the softer, more
sensitive skin just above the waistband of his jeans. He trembled violently
when her tongue traced the fine arrow of hair disappearing into his pants. She
pulled back slightly and looked up at him. Her Max.
He could not form a coherent thought. She looked
sultry and innocent at the same time as she stared up at him with her flushed
face and her moist lips. A lady and a vixen all rolled into one. She was still
watching him when she licked her lips and moved her hand to trace his hardness
through his jeans. He drew a harsh impeded breath and wildly tried to find
something to hold onto… or he would melt at her feet.
She undid his pants and pulled them down together
with his boxers before returning her hands to his body.
"Liz… Liz, I need…" He needed to sit down
somewhere. He needed to be inside her. He needed her to stop caressing him so
intimately. He needed her to continue.
She understood, because she got to her feet and
pushed him to his bed, following him down when he collapsed on it gratefully.
Liz straddled his legs and replaced her hands with her mouth on his body. Max
nearly came off the bed. He tangled his hands in her hair, no longer able to
keep from touching her and urged her closer, faster, harder. She did all that
and more.
The only thing he could hear was the roar of his
blood in his ears and the thundering of his own heartbeat. And all he could
feel was her sweet hot mouth doing magic things to his body.
Pulling away from him when she felt his body
tightening, Liz laced her fingers through Max’s as she moved over him. Their
hands gripped tightly as they fought the urge to moan out loud. They stared at
each other as she slowly sank down on him, taking him deep inside her.
She was a fever in his blood. One that he never
wanted to get rid of. His eyes raked over her body that was still thinly
covered by the nightgown. Her breasts heaved with her tortured breathing and
her hair fell around her face in a tangled mass his fingers had created. All of
a sudden, Max didn’t have the strength to take it slow anymore. He ripped his
hands from her grip and curled them into her hips, holding her tightly as he
moved urgently, desperately inside her. He gave up trying to be in control and
to wait for Liz. Instead he let his body take over and it had only one goal –
to imprint itself so deeply on Liz Parker that they could never be two entities
again.
And Liz let him. She gave him free reign over all of
her body. It was incredible, watching Max in the throes of a blinding ecstasy
that she had brought him.
When the first signs of their release started pulsing
through their bodies, Max reared up and pulled Liz against him, taking her lips
forcefully to dampen the sounds they were both making. He held her and kissed
her until the shudders in their bodies started dying down before falling back
to the bed and taking her with him. He wanted to tell her what it meant to him
that she did all this for him, but he was too tired to talk. Instead he held
her cradled against his body, his arms around her like steel bands.
"Wow." It was all he could muster. He felt
her smile against his skin as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Neither Liz nor Max were aware of the figure that
arrived at his window not very much later. Or of the terrible rage that infused
their watcher’s body as she saw their tangled limbs and satisfied, sleeping
faces. Even an idiot could see what had taken place here tonight. And even an
idiot could figure out that Max Evans was not going to dream about anyone else
but Liz Parker tonight…
"This is just heartbreaking
to watch." Maria and Alex were standing at Maria’s locker and looking over
at Max and Liz who were basically clinging to each other at the other end of
the hallway. This had been going on all morning. It was clear that the
impending separation was creating panic in both their friends and they didn’t
let any opportunity pass to at least touch each other. Not that they ever did,
but this was… desperate.
Liz had her hands bunched in Max’s sweater. She
grimaced to herself thinking it was hard to believe she had been such a
seductress last night when she acted like such a pathetic little girl today.
The only thing that made her feel slightly better was the fact that Max was
acting the same way. Like he was afraid to let her out of his sight because then
she would disappear sooner.
They had been woken up this morning by a knock from
Max’s mom, telling them that she made breakfast early enough for them to be
able to go by their apartment before school. Liz had felt like a complete idiot
when she had to borrow some of Max’s boxers and a T-shirt to be able to appear
at the breakfast table. She wondered what Diane would’ve thought if she pitched
up in the coat!
Max had held her hand tightly as they drove home and
again when they drove to school. In fact, he hadn’t let go of her hand at all
when she was remotely within touching distance. It had made for some
improvising in the bio class when she had to take notes! But she knew how he
felt and she was grateful that they were going through the same thing so she
didn’t have to explain her need to be near him.
Tess was mysteriously missing from school today and
Max could care less. His main goal for the day was to be near Liz as much as
possible. Not in a sexual way, but to hear her voice and her laugh, to feel her
soft skin and to smell her scent. He was really going to miss doing all those
things, so he was frantic to make up for that time now. What his mom was
planning was going to help and he loved her even more for it, but it still
didn’t come close to him actually BEING with her for those two weeks.
The bell for the next period was ringing and Max
reluctantly let Liz go. They had different classes until lunch so he whispered
in her ear: "Meet me here again for next period." When he lifted his
head he saw one of the guidance counselors watching them, so he stepped away
from Liz and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Liz nodded her head silently. She could do this. It’s
not hard. She had been without Max for most of her life, two weeks should be a
breeze! She sighed as she walked away from him. Two weeks would NOT be a breeze
because in the meantime she had found out what it meant to be loved completely
by him. She had learnt what a pure joy it was to be held in his arms and most
of all how amazing it was to be allowed to love him back.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The others left them alone during lunchtime and they
ended up driving off campus to a nearby park. Max wasn’t hungry, he just wanted
to hold Liz for as long as he could. He stopped under the shade of a tree and
pulled her into his lap. They sat huddled together for a long time with Max
sliding his fingers through Liz’s hair. He suddenly smiled and tilted her chin
up: "We must look like a sorry pair from the outside!"
Her mouth smiled at him, but her eyes were sad.
"I know. We can do this, Max. We did it before and we’ll do it
again." She pulled his head down and kissed him, her lips warm and moist
against his.
I could kiss her for days. Max held her against him,
just letting their mouths say what their hearts were feeling. It was peaceful
and wonderful… until the flashes started. Flashes of Tess talking to him about
having a baby and that his first born should be a pure alien. Everything he so
desperately wanted to keep from Liz. He should have known she would find out
one way or the other…
Liz jerked back as if she was stung, her eyes wide
and shocked. "That’s what she wanted? Max--."
Max put his fingers over her lips. "Sweetie, I
didn’t want you to see that. She’s… she’s just talking crazy. That’s never
going to happen." He looked at her closely. "You know that, don’t
you?" He had to make sure. He would never forget the look on her face
after she had seen him kiss Tess that time. He remembered so clearly the
complete and utter panic that took hold of him when she came into the Crashdown
the day after the kiss and ignored him, making him realize she had seen him
with Tess. It was one of the most awful moments of his life. He had been
confused and scared about what Tess was doing to him, but most of all he had,
for a fleeting moment, had to face the fact that he may lose Liz. And the
thought had made him frantic. Amazingly enough she had believed in him then,
but he had always wondered afterwards if seeing that kiss had made her
vulnerable about his faithfulness when it came to Tess.
"I know, Max. I know you won’t let that
happen." She looked away from him. "It’s just… it’s Tess and we don’t
know what else she will try."
Max gently pulled her back to face him. "It will
NEVER happen. No matter what she tries." He pressed his lips to her
forehead. "I’ll let you know if something starts happening that… that I
can’t handle alone. I promise." He watched her bent head for a few
seconds. "Hey. Look at me." He waited until she met his gaze.
"Never. I promise. Besides, I think last night was enough to last me a
lifetime!"
That made her blush, thank god! Max really wanted her
to forget about his horrible discussion with Tess yesterday. They only had a
day-and-a-half left before she went to Boston and he didn’t want it to be
ruined with nonsense from a lunatic.
Liz squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. Although
last night had been absolutely incredible, she felt really weird about it in
the light of day. She loved that she had made Max so happy, but the things she
had done! Well, suffice to say, she would only ever do them for the guy holding
her right now like she was the most precious thing in his life: Max Evans.
~*~*~*~*~*~
They had made it through the day, but not without
some problems. As the day progressed, Max and Liz realized that they were
always being watched by some sort of authority figure. Either a teacher, a
guidance counselor or somebody always seemed to be around them, so they had had
to tone down their touching and hugging and it was killing them. Why had they suddenly
become so interesting for the school authorities? They had been left alone
until now, so what had changed?
Max waited by the Jeep for Liz. Where was she? Almost
all the kids have left the school already and still no sign of his beautiful
other half. He closed his eyes and concentrated until he could sense that she
was somewhere in the school. So he waited some more…
Liz shifted from one foot to the other. Her bio
teacher was droning on about the two-week course coming up but she just wanted
to leave. She knew Max was waiting outside for her and her mind was just
beginning to drift when the teacher said her name loudly. She looked up at him.
"I asked if something was bothering you, Miss
Parker?"
"Uhm… No Sir. Why would you ask that?" Liz
looked at him curiously.
Her teacher sounded serious. "It’s just that I
don’t want you to lose your focus here. I know you’ve been dating Max Evans for
a long time, but you need to remember that you are young and will still have
many other boyfriends. None of us here at the school want to see you doing
something stupid that may ruin your life."
Liz had stopped breathing while he talked.
"What… what exactly do you mean by that?"
"I mean there are stories about you and that
boy… Anyway, don’t do anything that would jeopardize your career and going to
college. That’s all I’m saying…"
Liz was in a daze. The teachers were talking about
her and Max? Why? She was relieved when her teacher finally let her go. She ran
outside, straight into Max’s arms.
"What’s wrong?" he said worriedly. Liz was
normally not someone to get so upset without a serious reason.
She told him about her weird conversation with the
teacher. "It sounds like they’re going to investigate us, Max!"
He hugged her tightly. "Hey, calm down. Our
parents will help us. We’ll get through this." It seems like that was all
he was saying lately: We’ll get through this. How he wished that they could
just get school over and turn eighteen so he could just be with Liz without all
this trouble! "Why don’t we forget about all this until you come back?
Right now, we need to get home because my mom has been cooking for a week for
tonight!" He was glad that he managed to get her to smile.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The dinner was held in the Evans’ dining room and
everyone was there. Liz’s parents, Isabel, Alex, Maria and Michael. Liz was
sitting at the head of the table with Max to her right. The group was
boisterous and it brought some sense back in Liz’s life. She looked around the
table indulgently. This was her family – all these people. Last year she would
never have thought that they would all be together like this, but here they
were. One big happy group. Her eyes fell on Max who was talking to his mom
earnestly and Liz marveled at how completely he gave people his attention. It
was like you were the only person in the world when he was talking to you. Then
she felt his hand slide over her knee, just below her skirt and she had to hide
a smile and correct her previous thought. He would always have some attention
left over for her, no matter who he was talking to…
~*~*~*~*~*~
For yet another night, Tess had to turn away from the
Evans’ house without getting to Max. It seems that there was a party going on
judging from all the cars in the driveway. Well, she was not giving up yet! Her
plans were starting to come together. Max Evans will get her pregnant come hell
or high water…
Dinner was a huge success
that was interspersed with the usual bickering from Maria and Michael. While
returning from taking some dishes back to the kitchen before dessert, Liz was
stopped in the hallway by Jeff who gave her a hug. "I’m so proud of you,
Lizzie. I was a bit worried, you know, about the impact living with Max would
have on your grades, but you showed us that we did the right thing to believe
in you two."
"Thanks, Dad." Liz hugged him back,
fighting back tears of happiness. Her father loved her very much, of that she
was sure, but to hear that she was still making him proud was a wonderful gift.
And it helped alleviate some of her anxiety about the actions of the teachers
today. Max was right, their parents WOULD help them.
When she got back to the table, Max gave her a wicked
half-smile and moved his chair deeper under the table and closer to her. He
then proceeded to hook her right leg over his left knee so that her calve was
dangling between his legs before softly tracing his fingers over the inside of
her knee. Liz nearly swooned. He was doing all this with a straight face while
talking to her parents! She was going to… she was going to… Holding her breath,
she eventually decided she was going to kill him if he stopped.
"Lizzie! Are you okay?" Maria was looking
at her strangely and Liz feared she was doing a very poor job of hiding the
fact that Max was caressing her inner thigh in a very intimate manner. Everyone
turned to her at Maria’s question, including Max, whose eyes were dancing with
mirth. Mirth and desire…
Liz concentrated on breathing evenly before she
attempted to answer, but this was a near impossible task with Max continuing
his lazy stroking of her thigh. "Yeah… I-I’m fine." Was that her
voice that sounded so… choked? "I… I guess I’m just tired." She was
doing everything she could not to look at Max again. That would be fatal.
Narrowing her eyes, Maria leaned closer to Liz:
"Cause you look a little flushed."
Damn Maria and her suspicious nature! She KNEW
something was going on and she seemed determined to embarrass Liz. Liz smiled
brightly at everyone: "No, I’m fine." She pinned Maria with an
innocent gaze: "And how was your date with Michael last night?" She
listened to Maria splutter with satisfaction. Maria won’t try to get her like
this again soon!
Max’s hand was still inching slowly higher on the
inside of her thigh and Liz was glad they were eating ice cream for dessert or
she would have burst into flames! She was just starting to panic about moaning
aloud when her dad stood up and cleared his throat, mercifully putting an end
to Max’s teasing.
"Lizzie, I know I just told you, but we are all
really proud of this accomplishment of yours. So we thought we’d give you a
little congratulations present from all of us." He came round the table
making Max and Liz scramble to get back in their normal sitting positions
before he reached their sides. He handed Liz a brightly wrapped package, but
did not leave immediately. Instead he put his hand on Max’s shoulder: "And
we would all like to thank Max for not keeping Liz from her studies too
much!" Everyone burst out laughing when Max turned red.
Liz smiled up at her dad, knowing he was saying a lot
more with the comment to Max. She knew how reluctantly he had given her into
Max’s care and now he was saying that he was finally sure he had done the right
thing. She clutched the present to her chest: "Thanks guys. I will miss
you all…" Her voice started wobbling at the end and she looked desperately
at Max who immediately took her hand in a comforting grip. They looked at each
other for long seconds before Max lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles
tenderly.
"We’re going to miss you too, Liz," Diane
spoke for all of them as she looked at her son’s other half lovingly. How
quickly this slip of a girl had become a part of the Evans family and what a
difference she has made in all of their lives. Max was a whole new person
without the shadows of loneliness that had lived in his eyes for so long and
Isabel had a whole new group of real friends instead of the bunch of popular
girls she used to hand out with. But most importantly of all, Diane and Philip
were now part of their children’s lives and their secret.
As usual, Alex couldn’t take the emotional moment for
too long: "Jeesh, Liz, would you open the present already? I’m sure my
money didn’t just pay for pretty wrapping paper!"
Laughing, Liz gave in and tore off the wrapping to
find a beautiful leather-bound folder with notepaper inside. Her eyes widened:
"Its beautiful!"
"We though you could use it to attend classes
with in Boston," Nancy said. "It will remind you of us."
"Yes it will. Thanks everyone." Liz was
starting to feel a little weepy. She had never thought of herself as
particularly close with her parents, but ever since they had all been at the
alien camp last year, the group has become tightly knit. There was nothing like
sharing a secret to bring people together.
Good byes were said not much later and Liz felt the
tears well up in her eyes again when she hugged Max’s parents. Diane whispered
that they would look after Max for her and pressed her into Max’s arms where
Liz promptly shed a few tears against his warm chest. She looked over at Philip
and Diane after getting control of herself again: "I’m sorry that I’m
acting like such a baby. I’ll bring you something from Boston."
Max kept his arm around her as they walked to the
Jeep. Liz would still see her friends tomorrow at school and would say good bye
to them then. Right now, he just wanted to get her home so they could have some
quiet time while she packed. He settled her in the Jeep and walked around the
front to get behind the wheel. Looking over at her, he saw some lingering tears
shimmering on her lashes and knew it was not only because she wasn’t going to
see their parents and friends for two weeks. It was about him. Max leaned over
to slip his arm around her shoulders and press his lips to her cheek before
leaning his forehead against her temple. "Honey…" He didn’t really
know what to say since they both felt the same way.
Liz turned her face until their lips were a mere
breath apart. "Just… just kiss me, Max. That’s all I need right now."
He took Liz’s face in his hands, letting his thumbs
caress her soft skin before he settled his mouth on hers. It was a sweet and
gentle kiss with their lips rubbing over each other softly and their tongues
touching tenderly. Two years ago, Max would never have dreamed that he would be
making out with a girl outside his parents’ house in his Jeep, let alone the
fact that the girl would be Liz Parker. Even more incredible was the fact that
he was not worried that his parents might see them. How strange and wonderful
his life had become.
After kissing the remnants of her tears from her
eyelids as well, Max pulled Liz down until her head rested on his thigh before
driving back to their apartment. Liz clung to his thigh and he stroked her hair
whenever he wasn’t changing gears. He marveled at the contrasts in Liz. Here
she was in tears because she was going away for two weeks, while this was the
same girl who had dragged him away from the FBI, jumped in a river with him and
faced the torture of another alien alone. She was amazing. She had so many
different sides: a little girl when she was sad, a tigress when someone close
to her was threatened, an innocent in so many respects and a seductress in
others. And he loved every part of her.
It was late, but Max still made sure that no one was
around to see him and Liz enter their apartment. They didn’t need any more
trouble just before she left. He swung her up into his arms and kicked the
front door closed behind them. "Let’s get you packed, young lady!"
Liz pressed her cheek against his and wriggled in his
grip. She hated packing and would much rather do something else than sort out
her luggage right now. She squealed when Max dumped her in the middle of their
bed and went to retrieve a suitcase. Sitting up, she gave him a sultry look
causing him to grin.
"Batting your beautiful eyes at me is not going
to put clothes in this bag." He tilted her head for a quick kiss.
"The sooner you get packed, the sooner I will be in that bed with
you." He grinned again when she got up reluctantly and started flinging
clothes on the bed. "You look cute when you sulk." That earned him a
blouse against the head.
They packed her stuff quickly and the longer the task
went on, the quieter they both became. Max was desperately trying to stay in a
good mood and not ruin their last few days together, but it just felt like a
giant fist was squeezing the breath from his lungs when he thought about Liz
being so far away from him. He worried about a lot of things. That was him: Max
Evans, worrier. He worried about Liz’s safety while in Boston. She could get
mugged, be in a car accident or have more alien trouble. He worried that she
will enjoy being in Boston so much that she will forget all about him. Okay, so
he knew that won’t really happen, but he was not being real rational right now!
He worried about all the guys that are going to flock around her and that he
wouldn’t be there to make sure they know she was his. He worried about--.
"Max!" Liz’s voice broke into his thoughts.
"Honey, NONE of the things you are worried about is going to happen."
She looked at him with love shining from her eyes and Max cursed the fact that
in times of intense emotion, like his current panic about her leaving, she
could basically read his thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, he realized the time had come
to tell her about Nick. "Liz, sweetie, I asked Nick to go with you."
He watched her carefully to gauge her reaction. "I know I’m probably
overreacting, but please--."
"Max, its okay. I knew you were going to do
something like this. I wish we could live differently, but this is our normal…
remember?" She smiled when she saw his relief at her easy acceptance of
his plan.
"Okay then. Nick will meet us at the airport.
He’s flying out with you." Max was taking her to the airport in
Albuquerque early on Saturday morning from where she would fly to Boston. He
traced a finger down the side of her cheek. "And he knows he’s dead if
anything happens to you."
Sitting down in his lap, Liz wrapped her arms around
his neck. "But what about you? Are you sure you’re going to be okay here
with… Tess and Nacedo?"
Her concern made him love her more. He wasn’t sure
what she thought she could do if she was here, but she would’ve made an effort.
"I’m sure you have the whole gang rallied up to protect me… so I’ll be
fine. And she isn’t coming near me again after that nonsense she tried
yesterday."
Liz nodded, but her brow was still creased by a frown
so Max got up with her in his arms and carried her into the bathroom where he
put her on her feet. "Let’s get you out of these clothes…" He smiled
when he saw her eyes light up. "And into the bath."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz woke up before dawn on Friday morning feeling completely
sick. She was cuddled warmly by Max’s arms and her body was still lax from all
the loving attention it had received from him. He had been tender and thorough.
And Liz had loved every minute of it. But now she was violently nauseous, so
she stumbled from his embrace and the bed in a desperate attempt to get to the
bathroom.
Max was jolted awake when Liz flew from his side and
he heard her being sick in the bathroom. He jumped out of bed, still
half-asleep but very concerned about Liz. He found her crumpled next to the
toilet, looking pale. "Oh my god, Liz! Are you okay?" He shoved a
cloth under the tap to wet it and knelt next to her, gently wiping her face.
She nodded weakly. "Ugh… I must’ve eaten
something last night. I feel better now, though." She ran her hand over
his cheek. "I’m sorry if I scared you. Now go away so I can clean up with
some dignity."
Max left reluctantly and sat at the edge of the bed
waiting for her when she finally emerged from the bathroom. He didn’t say
anything, but pulled her into a hug when she reached him. As if he needed more
worries to add to those he had already dreamed up, he now worried that Liz was
going to some strange city without him when she was ill. Or pregnant…
Liz had only started feeling
better by mid-morning and Max had hovered around her in concern all the time.
After her pre-dawn bout of nausea, Max had brought her some orange juice and
held her in his arms in bed until they had to get up for school. Of course, he
had nearly had a heart attack when it became clear that she actually intended
going. He had wanted her to stay home in bed… and he had wanted to stay with
her so he can look after her. But Liz had been feeling better after breakfast,
so she vetoed his objections.
Driving to school, Max had given her worried glances
all the time until Liz cried: "Max! You are driving me crazy! I am
FINE." He had just given her an unbelieving look, but had at least tried
to act more casual.
Max was fighting hard to keep his panic under
control. Liz had seemed fine when they reached the school and he had checked
her out every chance he got throughout the morning. The color had returned to
her cheeks and the smile was back on her face. But he couldn’t shake the worry
that something was going on with her. He hadn’t said anything this morning
about the fact that she might be pregnant. If she were, there was nothing they
could do about it now and he didn’t want to worry her before she went to
Boston. On the other hand, did he want her so far away from him in that state?
Who knew what would happen to her? He was not exactly a normal guy… And how
could she be pregnant? She was using birth control pills and had been ever
since they had gotten back from the camp the first time. Granted, they haven’t
been using anything else lately, but the pills had seemed to work fine for
months now. He shoved his hand through his hair in agitation. If only there was
some way he could make sure she was fine!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So Max tells me you were sick this
morning." Maria leaned against the counter in the girls’ bathroom and
looked at Liz. "Are you okay?"
Liz sighed. "Max is overreacting. I was
nauseous. It passed. I’m fine now."
"Chica, you know you might be…" Maria
floundered, wondering if Liz was purposely ignoring one of the obvious
potential causes for her sickness. Taking a deep breath, Maria decided to wait
before creating panic until there is more proof of a possible pregnancy. One
morning of nausea does not a baby make! "You didn’t seriously think your
better half would NOT freak if he saw you ill, did you? How long have you known
Max Evans again?"
Turning to look at Maria, Liz put her hands on her
hips. "Did he send you in here to check on me?"
"Damn! I told him you would figure it out."
Maria grinned at her. "So what do I report to him?"
Sighing, Liz picked up her backpack and took Maria’s
arm to steer her out of the bathroom: "Let’s go tell him he’s busted. And
then maybe I’ll drag him into the Eraser Room to show him how fine I am…"
A few minutes after they left, one of the stalls
opened and a very pissed Tess Harding came out. It was time to phone Nacedo, it
sounds like the earth girl may be breeding…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Everything went well until lunchtime when Liz
suddenly became sick again and fled the table in the quad where all her friends
were gathered. Max took off after her and found her in the nearest bathroom,
which he entered without even bothering to worry about the modesty of any girls
that may be in there. Luckily, there was only one sophomore busy admiring herself
in the mirror and who was too shocked to see one of the school’s biggest
hotties come storming in after his girlfriend to make too much of a fuss.
He found her hunched over in one of the stalls and
dropped to his knees next to her. "What is wrong with you?" he cried
in despair. This was horrible. He could heal bullet wounds, but he couldn’t
help Liz when she was feeling so awful. He brought her some water and watched
her in growing concern as she cleaned herself up in front of the mirror.
"Max, please stop worrying. I’m sure its
nothing." But she sounded weak even to herself.
Max looked at her for a long moment. "I’m taking
you to a doctor."
No amount of protesting from Liz could sway him and
before she knew what hit her, they were in the Jeep on the way to the emergency
room.
Max died a thousand deaths while he watched the
doctor run all sorts of tests on Liz. He hated not knowing what was going on or
how to help her. So he did the only thing he could, he held her hand fiercely.
The doctor returned after completing some forms to go
with the blood work: "Should I run a pregnancy test too?"
Max felt his heart lurch and looked at Liz, whose
eyes were wide with shock. It seemed so much more real now that someone else
was voicing the possibility. "Yes," he said softly.
"P-pregnant?" Liz was getting dizzy. She
had been blocking out the possibility ever since this morning, but now she
admitted that deep down she HAD been worried about it. Glancing anxiously at
Max, she wondered what he thought. Would he hate her for making them parents so
young?
"Never." He answered her thought. "I
love you."
Liz closed her eyes but felt the tears squeezing from
beneath her lids. "I’m sorry."
Max was on his feet in an instant and cradled her against
him. "For what? We both did this. And maybe you’re not… so let’s just deal
with whatever the doctors say, okay?"
When the doctor came back, she found Liz huddled on
Max’s lap and marveled for a moment at the strong bond she could see between
these two young people. "You can get dressed now and go home. We’ll phone
you later with the results."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had refused to take her back to school and now
Liz was tucked into their bed with Max making her some of Maria’s herbal tea in
the kitchen. When he came back he lay down on the bed with her, looking at her
seriously. "It’s killing me, Liz." For a blind moment she thought he
was talking about her possible pregnancy. "I hate that you are going to be
in Boston and maybe ill or… pregnant. And alone." He trailed his fingers
over her lips, concern marring his features.
"I know." Liz kissed the fingers that were
caressing her. She was feeling great again, these bouts of nausea seemingly
coming and going at intervals. "I promise I will call if something weird
happens." He nodded, but did not look like he was feeling much better, so
Liz slid closer to him and pulled him into an embrace. "It’s going to be
okay."
She rained little kisses all over his face while
pressing herself against him and trying to absorb all his worries into her
body. His only reaction was to hold her so tightly that she could barely
breathe. "Max, honey, do you still want to take me on that date
tonight?"
His head jerked up: "Why? Are you not up to it,
cause I --."
"No, I would just need some air to stay alive
until then," she reminded him gently.
"Oh god, I’m sorry!" He loosened his hold
and Liz pushed him on his back so that she can curl up on his chest.
Not much later, Liz’s cellphone started ringing and
they looked at each other before Liz answered. "Oh, hi Mrs. Evans…. Yes he
is. Oh! Yeah, I’ll tell him. I’m sorry, I wasn’t feeling well so he brought me
home… No, I’m fine now… Okay, bye." She looked at Max. "The school
was looking for you so they phoned your mom. She’ll phone them back to say you
weren’t feeling well."
Max sighed, worrying about school was not very high
on his list right now. He pulled Liz back to him and slowly flattened his hand
against her womb. Was his baby growing in there? It was a scary and wonderful
thought. Scary, because they were so young and because they knew nothing about
human/alien babies. Would Liz even be okay? And so wonderful, because he had
never thought he would be able to have children, much less with Liz.
Liz held her breath as she experienced every one of
his feelings through their connection and she realized how much they both
wanted this baby. And how much they would love him or her when they arrived.
And for the first time since Liz was so ill that morning, both of them smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess stood in Liz’s room and knew that Liz hadn’t
slept there for a long time. The room looked pristine, almost untouched and
very few personal items littered the place. A picture of her and Max was pinned
to a board over her table, but the rest of the stuff was old. Clenching her
fists, Tess had trouble controlling her rage. She couldn’t believe that the
Parkers let their precious little girl move in with Max. Because that is now
becoming crystal clear to her. Max and Liz were shacked up together somewhere.
She hated Liz Parker. She hated the girl who had
everything she had been told was hers. Liz had Max swooning at her feet. Liz
had the position that Tess had always believed was hers. Liz had the adoration
and protection of Max’s people. And now, Liz apparently had the next King in
her womb.
Tess stared furiously at the picture of Max and Liz.
Max was a weak idiot who was ruled by his indiscriminate heart. Yes, he was a
babe and Tess wouldn’t mind getting in his pants, but she didn’t really care
about him all that much. She wanted what he represented. Being royalty. Being
revered by an entire race. Being important.
She would have to take action on this. Nacedo had
been nothing short of livid when she spoke to him about Liz’s pregnancy. Tess rolled
her eyes. When push came to shove, Max Evans had been just like any other guy,
his hormones ruled his head. And while Nacedo makes sure that dear Lizzie does
NOT produce the heir to the throne, Tess would make sure that Max’s hormones
work in the right direction this time. Hers.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The phone jarred them awake and Liz blearily fumbled
for it while trying to disentangle herself from Max. She suddenly didn’t have
the guts to speak to the doctor and Max took the phone from her after seeing
her pleading look. Liz was dying while he spoke to the doctor, his face gave
nothing away and all he did was hold her hand tighter and tighter.
When Max switched off the cell phone he turned to Liz
with a mixture of emotions in his eyes. Leaning forward slowly, he pressed his
forehead against hers and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Max?" Liz didn’t know what to make of
Max’s reaction.
"Sweetie, I’m sorry…" His voice was choked.
"We’re… we’re not going to have a baby…"
Hot tears rushed into Liz’s
eyes as she absorbed the news. No baby. No miniature version of her and Max
yet. She should be glad… and she was… to a certain extent. They were really
young and had lots of time to have kids. But it hurt too, because for a few
brilliant hours she had been dazzled by the thought that she was carrying a
part of Max inside her.
"Liz… We WILL have a baby one-day. I
promise." Max felt the same weird mixture of happiness and sadness, but
uppermost in his mind right now was the doctor’s diagnosis of Liz. "Honey,
they couldn’t find anything wrong with you. The doctor thinks it must be
stress." He tilted her face upward with his hands. "Do you… do you
think she’s right?"
She tried to evade his gaze. That gaze that saw
everything and more. That saw things she wanted to hide from him. From herself.
What could she tell him? That she worried about leaving him here alone with
Tess around? That she knew he wouldn’t purposely get involved with Tess, but
that she sometimes had trouble forgetting that kiss and how Tess had managed to
invade his mind and turn him into someone none of them recognized? That she
felt ill at the thought that she would not see Max for two weeks, not hear his
voice or be in his arms. That she was scared of going to Boston on her own and
that she was frantic about not making the grade during the course. Could all
this truly be making her so sick?
"Liz…" He forced her to look into his eyes.
"Is there anything I can do? Please tell me how to help you."
Not wanting to get into a discussion about all her
fears and especially about Tess, Liz smiled: "You can let me out of this
bed so I can start making myself pretty for our date tonight."
He looked unconvinced. "Are you sure? Cause we
can just stay in…"
"No way, Max Evans! You owe me a date." She
cupped his face. "I really am fine now. And I’m going to go dress
upstairs, so I can make an entrance when you come get me."
Max REALLY didn’t want Liz to leave his sight right
now. "You don’t have to do that. I could… wait outside in the kitchen or
something."
Liz laughed, a tinkling, beautiful laugh and Max
relaxed perceptibly. "No, I have this all planned out. I’m going to knock
your socks off, but I need to make an entrance for that. So, I’m going
upstairs." She gave him a quick kiss before climbing out of bed and
starting to gather all the stuff she would need.
Max watched her, wondering what went on in her head.
It really was annoying that he couldn’t control this connection, because right
now, he knew she was upset about the baby and a lot of other things, but he had
no idea about what. Well, tonight he planned on erasing some of her demons.
Liz struggled upstairs to her old room with her arms
full of cosmetics and clothes bags. She wanted Max to never forget this night
for the rest of his life. Not only has she bought a dress that’s going to make
his blood pressure soar, she also bought some very sexy red underwear. Red for
love. Red for desire. Red for her heart that belonged to Max.
Liz shivered when she entered her room. A weird
presence seemed to linger there and she defensively clutched everything in her
arms closer to her chest. She looked around carefully, but all her belongings
were in their normal places, so she decided she was just overreacting from all
the shocks she has had to face today. Once in the shower, she let the tears
flow freely. Crying for a baby she wasn’t having and for all the fears that
lived in her heart on the eve of her departure.
Max paced in their bedroom, trying to pass the time
as he waited for the appointed hour when he could go upstairs to get Liz. His
mind whirled with all that has happened in the last 24 hours. For a few hours,
he had thought he was going to be a father. It made his knees weak to think
that he could have children. For many years, Max had not allowed himself to
think of the future because he had always assumed he wouldn’t have one. At
least not a normal one. Not the one he would have dreamed of where a girl with
chocolate colored hair and eyes loved him to distraction, accepted his alien
side and gave him children and a normal life. He hadn’t even thought about
going to college!
But now that he had Liz in his life, his future
suddenly became something he should think about and plan for. Going to college,
making sure that he could look after Liz… and their future children were all
things that were becoming increasingly important. He sat down on the bed, his
gaze falling on a framed picture of him and Liz. She was laughing up into his
eyes and her mouth was moist and puffy from a kiss. At first he had been annoyed
that Maria had sneaked up on them to take the picture, but he changed his mind
when he saw the result. Now he treasured this photo of Liz being happy and in
love with him.
But he hated being away from her for this
hour-and-a-half she needed to get ready. Each minute was one less he could
spend with her before she went away. On the other hand, he planned something
really special for tonight and he should do everything in his power to make
this night as memorable for Liz as he possibly could. So he went to the phone…
~*~*~*~*~*~
She made his knees weak when he finally saw her. She
was in a red dress that ended just beneath mid-thigh and had a demure high
neckline. Her arms were bare and her hair was piled on top of her head in
elegant disorder with loose tendrils falling around her face. And her eyes!
They were glowing even though a hint of sadness still lingered and tugged at
his heartstrings.
"You take my breath away," he murmured
quietly when he reached her. He desperately wanted to kiss her and skip the
dinner and dancing part to go directly to what he had planned for later, but
that would put all her efforts to look beautiful to waste. Instead he ran a
caressing hand down her arm and watched as goosebumps appeared on her skin.
Liz shivered at his touch and turned her face upwards
to find his dark eyes devouring her with barely suppressed hunger.
"Max…"
"Hey you two!" Jeff Parker’s voice
interrupted their moment. "Don’t you look spiffy!" He beamed at them
with pride, not noticing that he had not managed to gain their full attention.
"Yeah, Dad, we’re going out... Bye." Liz
sounded as distracted as she felt. She couldn’t manage to tear her eyes away
from Max’s dark and possessive gaze to save her life.
Jeff sounded taken aback when he answered: "Oh…
yeah sure. Okay, bye. Enjoy yourselves."
Then they were finally and mercifully alone and
outside next to the Jeep. Liz hung onto Max’s hand when they stopped next to
her side of the Jeep. "You can kiss me, you know. I can always fix
my--."
He didn’t let her finish, but pulled her into his
hard body and plundered her mouth. It was a kiss born out of deep need and
want. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, vaguely hearing her soft sound of
pleasure through his swimming senses. He ran his hands from her face, down her
arms to slide around her rear and bring her closer to him. This led to a
whimper from Liz, who stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck. Max
needed to touch her and he moved his right hand from her bottom to the small of
her back… only to encounter bare skin!
Tearing his mouth from hers, he didn’t even try to
control his ragged breathing as he moved both his hands over her back
experimentally. All he encountered was smooth, gloriously bare, skin. His
throat wouldn’t work, so he slowly spun her around in his arms until he faced
her back. From the broad band of the dress circling her neck, her back was
exposed almost to where the swell of her buttocks started. His eyes halted on
the small of her back and the little mole there that he loved to kiss. He
slowly traced a finger down the indentation of her spine and whispered:
"God, you’re beautiful."
Liz leaned back into him and gloried in how warm his
skin was. "Max… let’s just … let’s just stay home."
His hands flexed on her hips for a moment before he
turned her so he could lift her into the Jeep. Running his fingers over the
soft skin of her thigh, he looked up at her: "Don’t worry, we WILL be
coming home. And then… then we will love each other all night long."
~*~*~*~*~*~
The restaurant was subdued and elegant. Liz took in
her surroundings and did not notice all the looks she was getting from the
other men in the room. Max noticed, however, and fluctuated between being
flattered that his girlfriend was making such an impact and wanting to drag her
out of the place so only he could see her looking like this. His eyes followed
the gentle sway of her hips as she walked in front of him to their table. His
hands were itching to curl around her body and make her move that way against him.
Liz felt his regard like a physical thing and her
body reacted to it instinctively. Her heart pounded in her chest as she
followed their waiter to a table next to a small dance floor. The place was
gorgeous, but Liz hardly noticed. She was only aware of Max’s heat mere inches
from her back and wondered wildly what the reaction of the other patrons would
be if she turned around and—
Max made a strangled sound behind her, causing their
waiter to look around in confusion. When he found nothing wrong and only the
two flushed young people behind him, he shrugged and indicated their table. Max
pulled out Liz’s chair, not wanting the waiter to do it and couldn’t stop
himself from leaning forward and brushing his lips softly over her bare
shoulder after she sat down.
Dinner was a strange mixture of intense emotions and
fuzzy details. What they ate was not as important as looking in each other’s
eyes. What they said with their mouths didn’t matter as much as what they were
saying with their hearts.
I love you.
I want you.
I need you.
You. Only you.
Max eventually took her onto the dance floor, using
the time to smooth his hands over her body and let his lips linger on her
temples, her cheeks, anything he could reach. He listened for her sighs,
needing them as much as he needed air.
Liz pressed herself to him as closely as she could,
not caring that people were staring at them. She needed to hear his heartbeat
underneath her cheek. She needed to listen to the unevenness of his breathing.
She needed to feel the hard excitement of his body against hers.
Finally neither of them could take it anymore and
they made their way out of the restaurant and back to the Jeep. This time Max
lifted her into her seat before kissing her. He held her hands, lacing his fingers
with hers as his mouth wove magic on hers. Their tongues caressed and dueled
and made silent promises of more to come. And Max had to fight to keep his
hands from taking that dress off her.
He drove them out of Roswell and Liz looked at him
enquiringly before she realized that she knew the route. It was one they had
driven many times before. It led to the Pod Chamber. Liz could feel Max’s
intense need to be at the Chamber as well as his excitement about whatever he
had planned for them there. Knowing Max, whatever it was, would be wonderful.
He came round the Jeep and helped her to the ground.
"Are you cold?"
Liz shook her head. How could she be cold when he
looked at her like that? His eyes burned into hers before slowly journeying
down her body and igniting fires wherever it touched. She was a quivering mass
of desire by the time he reached her feet. Kiss me, she silently begged him.
"If I start now… I’m not going to stop and… I
really need to do this." He took her hand and led her up to the entrance
of the chamber, opening it and stepping inside. The normal eerie glow in the
chamber illuminated their faces as Max finally halted in front of his pod and
turned to her. Liz held her breath as she saw his serious face.
"Liz Parker, this is where I started my
existence on this planet. But… my life here started when I healed you. And… my
happiness when you started loving me." He tenderly wiped a stray tear from
her cheek with his forefinger. "I… I don’t know if you really know how
much it means to me that I get to be with you everyday. To fall asleep beside
you at night and to wake up with you in the morning. I don’t know what I did to
deserve this… you… but I don’t want to ever be without you again." He took
her left hand and pressed a light kiss on her palm before looking at her with
shining eyes. "I know I’ve asked you before and… and you said ‘yes’, but
now I’m asking you officially." Liz’s sharp intake of breath accompanied
him taking out a diamond ring from his pocket. "Will you marry me, Liz
Parker? And wear my ring?"
Not able to speak just yet, Liz merely nodded and bit
her lip as he slid the ring onto her finger, kissing it when it was in place.
They leaned against each other with their foreheads touching as they tried to
recover from this intense moment. Suddenly, both of them saw a flash of a
little boy skipping around in a garden. Liz jerked away from Max in surprise.
"Max!"
Max was equally stunned. This was the first time they
saw a future vision without the help of Nick. When he found his voice, he
assured her. "That’s our son, Liz. We WILL have him one day." He
moved closer to kiss her, but she pressed him back with a hand on his chest.
"I need to say some things too," she said
softly. "I need to tell you that I never knew what love was until you came
into my life. And that… that you are my everything, Max Evans. That I knew that
day you saved me that no one will ever touch me that way again. Every moment
with you is perfect. I love that I can talk to you and that you will listen.
And that you think I’m beautiful. And that you have risked your life for me so
many times. That you love me so well." Max swallowed around the lump in
his throat. "I… I love you. So much."
He kissed her then. Gentle, loving kisses that warmed
her heart and spoke of his love more eloquently than the heavy ring on her
finger. His tongue swiped across her lower lip, tracing the contours and
speeding up her heart rate. Then he pulled back, his hands sliding over her
hips. "Let’s go outside."
Liz let him lead her outside, but cast a longing
glance to the sleeping bags lying in the one corner. They never had gotten
around to removing them after the need for a private place to make love far
away from parental eyes had passed.
Once outside, Max stood staring up at the stars for a
moment before turning to Liz. "I always thought that that was what I
wanted," he motioned upwards with his hand, "all those stars up
there. But now I know that the only stars I really want… are the ones in your
eyes when you look at me." He smiled crookedly at his sappy comment. It
was sappy, but true.
Liz turned away from him and looking at the stars
with a smile. "Don’t knock those stars, one of them sent me you."
Grinning at her comment, Max moved to stand behind
her, slipping his arms around her waist and pressing her back against his
chest. He felt her take a deep breath and knew that the time for talking was
over…
Tess had been waiting in
front of the Evans’ house for hours. Where the hell were Max and Liz? They had
disappeared in the middle of the school day just after she had overheard Liz
being sick and she hasn’t seen them since. Liz wasn’t in her room and Tess had
assumed that Liz had basically moved in with Max at the Evans’. However, there
has been no sign of them so far and the light in Max’s room stayed resolutely
out.
Nacedo had decided that he would leave Liz alone
until she returned from Boston as it would be easier for them to take care of
her "condition" then. In the meantime, he instructed Tess to work on
Max in Liz’s absence. She should use her powers to get him to sleep with her as
many times as possible, they had to make sure she gets pregnant before Liz gets
back. Tess had been reluctant to tell Nacedo that she was having trouble with
putting images in Max’s mind and had merely hinted that while Liz was around,
Max seemed to be less receptive. Nacedo’s answer had been: "Just do
it."
So here she was, across the street from Max’s house
at ten at night and no sign of the alien leader and his pet obsession yet.
Needless to say, she had tried to use her supposed connection to her
genetically bonded mate, but to no avail. Not even a little spark of Max
anywhere in her mind. Damn Liz Parker and her big doe eyes that had thoroughly
enslaved Max!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz smiled a secret little smile as she felt Max’s
body harden against hers when he pulled her closer. He was in for quite a
surprise later! But for now, she relished feeling his heat against her, enjoyed
his hands shaping her hips and waist and held her breath every time his fingers
just brushed the undersides of her breasts. Her body was responding to his
caresses, readying itself for his possession. She could feel the liquid heat
pool between her thighs and hear the thundering of her heart in her ears.
Closing her eyes, Liz basked in her love for Max and his love for her. He was
right. They WILL have that little boy one-day. They had many years of loving
still to come and there was no need to hurry into anything. She rubbed herself
lazily against him and heard his soft groan. In the meantime, they could
practice the process of actually making the baby. After all, practice makes
perfect…
Leaning back into his chest, she lifted one arm and
wrapped it around his neck, curling her fingers into the soft hair at his nape.
Her other hand dropped to find his hand splayed over her flat stomach and moved
it higher towards her breast. She needed his touch there now. "Stop
teasing me, Max." Her voice was husky with need.
Arrows of pleasure shot through her body at the first
touch of his fingers and she arched into his hand, silently begging for more.
How could such a simple action cause such a riot of sensations? And such
overwhelming desire? She answered herself immediately: because it was Max. No
one else had ever touched her this way, but she instinctively knew that no
other touch would feel like this. She had been halfway correct when she told
Max that time after Michael had returned her diary that she had tried to write
down everything so that one day she would remember what it was supposed to feel
like when someone touched her like that. Now she knew, NO
Turning Liz’s face towards him with one hand, Max
slid his other hand from her breast to her side and underneath the material of
the dress. Although he had suspected as much, his fingers found confirmation
that she was not wearing a bra. The feel of her soft, warm curves filling his
palm was arousing and intoxicating. He loved touching her like this. When his
lips captured hers, he moved his other hand into her dress as well. Liz moaned
into his mouth, her body moving restlessly against his and heating his blood to
fever pitch.
He kissed her and touched her until it felt like he
would explode if he couldn’t have her soon. "Liz, we have to go
home." It was said against her lips, between hot kisses.
"Why?"
Max pulled away a little. "Because I don’t want
you to remember our last night being about me not controlling myself enough to
get us home and to our bed."
"And if I want to remember it like that?"
She pressed his hands to her breasts for one last time before turning in his
arms and looking up at him. "Just you, me and the stars, Max…"
He was speechless. She WANTED him to make love to her
here?
Stepping away from him completely, Liz lifted her
hands and undid the halter-top of her dress. She let the material drift slowly
down her body before it caught on her hips. Max couldn’t help himself and
nudged the material further down her body with one hand.
"Wow…"
The dress had fallen in a crumpled heap on the ground
and Liz stood in front of him wearing a red garter belt, silk stockings and a
red lace thong. The roaring in his ears got louder. She was a glorious goddess
with an angel face and mostly he just wanted to treat her like a princess. But
then she does something like this and all his good intentions fly out the
window. The moonlight was bathing her skin in a soft glow and Max wanted her
with an intensity that scared him. He wanted her to be his, he wanted to be a
part of her, he wanted to be so deep within her that it was hard to tell where
he ended and she began. And he wanted it all right now. "Liz…" It was
a soft sound. Tell me we have to go home. While I still have some semblance of
control over myself.
"I want this, Max. I want YOU. Here. Now."
But still Max clung to his last shred of sanity and
picked her up to carry her inside to the sleeping bags. He slid her to her feet
next to his pod and looked at her for a long moment, trying to memorize the way
she looked tonight. So incredibly beautiful… and almost naked.
She came into his arms eagerly and slanted her mouth
over his, drowning him in the sensation of having her pressed against him while
her tongue did magic things to his. His hands drifted down to the bare cheeks
of her behind and he curled his fingers into her flesh, pulling her into his
arousal urgently.
She leant away from him unexpectedly. "I want to
be outside under your stars with you, Max."
Like he could ever say no to anything she asked of
him! So he gathered up the sleeping bags and took her outside again. The
moonlight made the scene look magical and somehow it seemed fitting that he
would make love with Liz here in this place that used to symbolize that he
couldn’t have what he really wanted. Her. His only love. This place that used
to symbolize a destiny he didn’t ask for and a bride he didn’t want.
Liz undid the buttons of his shirt, scraping her
nails across his skin before leaning forward and trailing her tongue over his
chest. She felt him shudder and stepped back, even though his disappointed
groan nearly did her in. Looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes, she
hooked her thumbs in the sides of her thong and pulled it down slowly. She had
always wanted to try this ever since she had read about it once in one of
Maria’s romance novels. By putting your stockings and garter belt on first, you
can take of everything else later without removing those two articles.
Max felt the air get knocked out of him when she
straightened and smiled at him with a slight blush. How lucky could he get? Not
only does he have Liz’s love, but she was doing her best to fulfil every
fantasy he had ever had… and even some he hadn’t been creative enough to think
up! He couldn’t take much more, so he scooped her against him and ravaged her
mouth while his hands trailed fire all over her body. He wanted to touch her
everywhere at once. He could feel her wet heat pressed against his arousal and
knew he needed to taste her. Everywhere.
Liz nearly fainted when he sank to his knees in front
of her and proceeded to kiss her stomach and thighs before moving to her
center. She clung to him, her eyes closed and her head thrown back as she
experienced the explosion of fire in her body. He kept the intimate caresses up
until her knees gave way and he finally slid her underneath him on the sleeping
bags. He held her gaze as he got rid of his last clothes, the dark desire in
his eyes making her dizzy and breathless. Her mouth went dry while watching the
moonlight dance over his body. He was gloriously beautiful… and hers.
Max grabbed hold of her hands, turning her left hand
so that the diamond ring caught the light as he pushed into her urgently. He
wanted to be gentle and slow, but he couldn’t. She had turned him inside out
tonight. So gentle will come later. Right now he was desperate to make her his
in the most primitive of ways.
Liz wrapped her legs around his hips, grinding
herself into him as her nails dug into his hands. It was explosive and fast and
exactly what she wanted. Amazingly, her release came first and triggered his.
And the way her name was torn from his lips was a memory she would always
treasure.
It took them a long time before they could move
again. They helped each other dress, but Max shoved her thong into his pocket,
saying with twinkling eyes that he needed to get it framed or something. Liz
whacked his chest: "You jerk!"
He just grinned and bent down to brush his lips over
hers. "I love you." Thank you for being my fantasy.
Liz stopped smiling when the reality of her impending
departure hit her again. "Oh Max, I don’t know if--."
"Shhh." He stopped her with a finger on her
mouth. "Let’s not think about that tonight. Let’s just go home and love
each other some more." He waited until she nodded before taking her hand
and leading her back to the Jeep. Lifting her inside, he covered her with his
jacket before moving around to get in himself.
They drove home in silence, with Max casting glances
at Liz every few minutes.
"What?" Liz asked with a smile as she
huddled deeper into the jacket. It smelled like Max and it was having a
profound effect on her.
"Do you have any idea how sexy you look right
now? And how hard it is for me to forget that you are wearing practically
nothing underneath that dress?"
She breathed his name, moving restlessly on the seat
and wishing they were home already.
He watched her for a few more minutes, before lifting
one hand from the steering wheel and placing it on her thigh. His hand caressed
her lazily and moved ever closer to where she wanted it most. Arching towards
his touch, she begged him: "Max please…"
Max held his breath and waited until he turned the
last corner on the way to the Crashdown before giving in to her plea and
letting his fingers find her heat. Both of them gasped in reaction and Max tore
his hand away to park the Jeep behind the café with her disappointed moan
ringing in his ears. He pulled her over to him as soon as the car came to a
halt and she wrapped her legs around him as he stumbled to their front door and
into the apartment.
Tumbling onto the bed, Max tried, for a vain moment,
to remember if he had closed the door, but all that paled in importance to
loving Liz. This time, he tore their clothes off in haste and didn’t have the
patience to take off her stockings. Then he was inside her again and her sigh
of contentment went straight to his heart. Now that he was where he wanted to
be, he could slow down. Resting his forehead against hers, he felt an ache grow
in his throat. "Oh god, Liz, I’m going to miss you!"
Tears welled up in Liz’s eyes as she clung to him.
"Me too." The separation loomed over her menacingly and she was
starting to panic. "Promise me you’ll think of me. And promise me you’ll
look after yourself. And that--."
He kissed her into silence before catching her tears
with his tongue. "Sweetie, you know I will. Not having you near will be a
constant ache in my heart." He took a deep breath. "Stay with Nick,
okay? Don’t go off on your own and… and phone me whenever you get a
chance." He looked at her seriously. "Remember you are looking after
the most important person in my life… Promise me you’ll be careful."
She nodded mutely and they made love with tears in
their eyes and hearts. Praying the night will never end and that if it did… the
next two weeks will pass quickly.
They slept fitfully, with Max lying awake and
watching Liz most of the night. She clung to him in sleep and murmured his name
a few times, the sound tugging at his heart.
Liz was dreaming of Max. He smiled at her and mouthed
that he loved her when suddenly his face froze and Tess appeared at his
shoulder. Panic flooded through Liz when she saw the blonde girl glare at her
maliciously before tugging Max away from Liz. Liz struggled to cry out, but her
vocal chords didn’t work and she was immobile, only jerking in fear when Nacedo
suddenly appeared at her side to grab her left hand. He tore the ring off her
finger and hissed in her ear: "This belongs to Tess!"
"Noooo!" Max nearly had a heart attack when
the pain-filled moan suddenly erupted from Liz’s throat. What was happening to
her?
Hugging her closer, he was suddenly in her dream,
being dragged away from her by Tess while Nacedo was hovering menacingly next
to Liz. Fury rolled through him at the sight and he ripped himself from Tess’
grasp while yelling at Nacedo: "Leave her alone!" He was at Liz’s
side instantly and the other two faded from the dream. A dream! It was only a
nightmare, he told himself as he held her shaking body. A nightmare that said a
lot about what Liz’s biggest fear was... He silently cursed Tess and Nacedo for
making Liz feel this way. But most of all he cursed his weakness of last year
when Tess first came to town. He put his hands on the sides of Liz’s face and
reaffirmed his promise to her here in the dream plane as well: "Never,
Liz. She will never manipulate me again." And he promised himself that
too. Whatever it takes, that girl will not get the better of him…
Morning came too soon and
Max had trouble waking up because staying in that place of slumber meant that
Liz was still with him. That she hadn’t gotten on the plane to Boston yet…
Liz, on the other hand, woke up feeling nauseous
again. The first fingers of dawn were creeping over the horizon and this time
she literally sneaked from the bed so as not to wake Max. Huddling on the floor
in the bathroom, the nausea didn’t go away, but at least she wasn’t being
physically sick this time. She didn’t want Max to know how scared she was,
because that would only make him more upset about the fact that she was
leaving. And besides, she was just being a child about all this. None of her
fears were going to realize! Max would not let Tess get to him. He was stronger
now… and closer to Liz than ever before.
When she felt a little better after drinking some
water, Liz went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. A huge bunch of white
roses stood on the counter, making her smile because Max had obviously intended
to give it to her last night. He was so sweet!
Max came awake with a start, panicking for a moment
because Liz wasn’t next to him before his senses registered the smell of coffee
and breakfast permeating the small apartment. Liz appeared next to the bed with
a tray in her hands and his heart melted as she smiled at him sweetly. "You
didn’t have to."
"I know. I wanted to." She sat down across
from him and placed the tray between them.
Max grinned when he saw the single white rose she had
added to the tray. "I’m sorry, I wanted to give them to you last night,
but we sort of got side-tracked."
"Yes, we did. But it was worth it."
She looked so beautiful to him, perched on the bed in
one of his old T-shirts, looking tousled and sexy. "But I had this whole
plan of seducing you with a rose…" he said with gleaming eyes.
Liz glanced at the clock and grinned back at him.
"Well, we have two hours before we have to leave…"
His eyes turned dark, a sure sign that she was
getting to him, but he made her eat some of her omelet first, claiming that it
would be a long time before he could look after her again. When he was
satisfied that she had eaten enough, he took the tray to the kitchen and
returned with the roses. He made Liz stretch out on the bed on her stomach and
proceeded caressing her all over, first with a rose and then with his mouth…
until she begged him to make love to her. It was another slow and gentle union,
tinged again with sadness and a little desperation because this would be the
last time for a while. When they got up to shower much later, rose petals were
scattered all over their bed and the floor… and some were even stuck in Liz’s
hair.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The drive to Albuquerque was conducted in silence.
Liz wiped at the tears threatening to overflow from her eyes every few minutes
and Max gripped her hand and clenched his jaw to try and control his feelings.
This would have been so much easier if he didn’t worry about Liz’s
stress-related sickness and about Tess and Nacedo basically breathing down
their necks. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore and pulled to the side of the road
before lifting Liz into his lap. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and brought
her hand with their engagement ring to his lips. "God, I’m going to miss
you so much!"
Liz just nodded, not able to speak around the lump in
her throat. She suddenly threw her arms around him and kissed him desperately,
willing him to see all her emotions through their connection. Their tears mixed
on their lips as they kissed.
Please be safe!
Please be careful.
I love you.
I love YOU.
Nick was waiting for them when they arrived at the
airport. He gave them one look and took Liz’s luggage before going off to get
it sorted out.
Liz’s hand was going numb from the crushing grip Max
had on it. But she didn’t complain, it was comforting that she wasn’t the only
one coming apart at the seams. If only she could stop the stupid tears from
rolling down her cheeks incessantly, then maybe she would be able to get on the
plane with some dignity. That didn’t seem to be a possibility right now though,
because the closer they got to the checkout counter, the worse the ache in her
heart became. "Max…"
He stopped and turned towards her immediately, his
eyes clouding over when he saw the tear tracks on her face. "Let’s get you
booked in, then we’ll talk, okay?"
The task was completed soon, with neither Max nor Liz
noticing the interested and sympathetic looks from the airport staff. Max left
Liz briefly to talk to Nick for a few minutes, after which Nick left for the
departure hall to wait for Liz.
Watching him walk back to her, Liz had trouble not
flying into his arms. She might as well have, since Max pulled her into a
fierce hug as soon as he reached her.
The woman behind the counter watched the couple
embrace and marveled that after all her years of working in this small airport,
she still got to witness something new every once in a while. It was clear that
the impending separation was breaking the hearts of the young couple in front
of her. She heard their whispers of love and wondered how two people could look
so much a part of each other at such a young age. They were teens, that was
clear, but the way the intense young man held the beautiful girl close to his
heart was breathtaking to see and it made her long for something similar.
Max kissed Liz softly, his lips tracing a loving a
trail across her face before he leant his forehead against hers.
"I love you, Max. So much. I don’t know how I’m
going to make it through two weeks without you…" Liz bit her lip to stop
its quivering.
Her words made Max come to a decision. He had wanted
to surprise her, but seeing her so sad was killing him. "Sweetie, I’m
coming up to see you next weekend." Her head jerked up and the light that
started to grow in her eyes assured him he was making the right choice by
telling her. "My mom has to go to Boston to see some clients. She said I
could go with—"
"Max!" Liz cried. She hugged him closer,
joy starting to dissipate some of her sadness. He lifted her up and swung her
around in a small circle before sliding her back to her feet and kissing her breathless.
The kiss was long, intense and deep and spoke of a love that transcended time
and distance.
When they finally pulled apart, a chorus of applause
broke out around them. Both Max and Liz flushed when they saw the small crowd
of spectators beaming at them. The moment was short-lived though, as they heard
the call for Liz’s flight. Ignoring all the people still milling about, Max
turned to Liz. "Call me, okay? About anything. And if you feel sick
again—"
Liz stopped him with her finger on his mouth. "I
promise." The tears were welling up in her eyes again. "I’ll miss
you!"
He just nodded and kissed her again before dropping
his arms from her slowly and stepping back. He had to shove his hands into his
pockets to keep them from hauling her back into his arms and taking off with
her to someplace they would never have to be apart again.
Blinded by her tears, Liz hurried away from him. I’m
coming back, I’m coming back, she repeated to herself as she walked. She had no
idea where she was going and was relieved when she felt an arm encircle her
shoulder and Nick’s familiar voice telling her to come with him.
Bracing himself against the glass with one arm, Max
stood at the window and watched her plane take off, his mind frantically
clinging to the link of their connection. As the plane grew smaller in the blue
sky, he had to sink into the nearest chair following the disorientation that
resulted from the rapid fading of his connection to Liz. He sat resting with
his head in his hands, waiting for the dizziness to pass so he could go home.
Home to Roswell… alone.
Tess watched his pathetic actions from the other side
of the hall. She had never seen such a sad display of emotions from two people,
one of whom were supposed to be this strong leader of a whole race! Oh wait,
she HAD seen such displays before, and, not surprisingly, the same two people
were involved. She saw Max stagger to his feet after a few minutes. Good. He is
weak. That will help a lot.
Lying back in her seat with her eyes closed, Liz
finally managed to get herself under some sort of control. Nick had gotten her
onto the plane and into her seat and he was now sitting beside her, reading
quietly. She was already missing Max, it felt like a hollow void had appeared
where her heart used to be and the fact that their connection had died down to
a barely discernable whisper at the edge of her consciousness didn’t help much.
Nick watched from the corner of his eye as Liz took a
few deep breaths and squared her shoulders. He smiled slightly. Not that he
needed any reaffirmation, his "experiment" with the two of them last
year already proved how intense Max and Liz’s connection and love were, but
seeing them this morning made him glad his people hadn’t decided to force their
young leader into a bonding Max would have hated. It was still weird to him
sometimes, to accept the human way of choosing a mate through love and not have
one thrust upon you by your parents and then made acceptable through genetic
coding.
"Thank you, Nick."
He started at Liz’s sudden quiet statement. "For
what?"
"For always being there for Max and I." She
looked at him with her serious brown eyes and Nick understood a little more of
Max’s complete devotion to this girl. She inspired it so effortlessly. "I
mean you have your own wife and here you are going off with me because Max
asked you." She faltered a bit before asking: "Why are you doing
it?"
It was his turn to look serious. "Because he
asked me to." It was a simple answer that said so much about his
relationship with Max. It said that he was doing it because technically Max was
his superior and could order him to do anything and he would obey. It also said
that he was doing it precisely because Max had ASKED him and not ordered him.
Nick had come to respect Max Evans for who he was, so when Max arrived at his
home with the tale of Nacedo and Tess’ reactions to him being bonded with Liz,
Nick knew he would help him. It angered Nick to no end that Nacedo had become
so self-righteous while living on this planet. It was completely crazy that
they would have to protect their leader and his mate from one of their own.
"I can hardly feel him anymore," Liz said
sadly.
Nick understood immediately. She was talking about
her connection with Max. He smiled at her bent head. "I can help you with
that…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Arriving back in Roswell, Max headed to his parents’
house. He didn’t really want to go to their apartment, its emptiness would just
remind him of Liz’s absence. He was actually not surprised to find his sister
and three friends waiting for him around the kitchen table when he entered his
old home.
Maria jumped up first, coming over to hug him.
"Are you okay?"
Max just nodded. His mind going to Liz instinctively.
Was she okay? Did she feel sick again? He glanced at his watch, wondering how
long before she would call to say she had arrived in Boston safely…
"We’re taking you bowling, Max," Isabel
announced, getting up from the table.
Max couldn’t help but be amused. He had trouble
picturing Isabel and Michael in a bowling alley! But hey, he needed something
to take his mind off the fact that Liz was steadily flying further and further
away from him. "Okay, but I have to go to work later this afternoon."
~*~*~*~*~*~
In another part of Roswell, Tess was with
"Neil", preparing for her visit to Max tonight. Neil/Nacedo held his
hand over her womb and grinned with satisfaction. "Well, the little earth
girl couldn’t have left at a better time. You are ready." His smile
vanished as he suddenly glared at Tess threateningly. "This is your final
chance. If this doesn’t work, nothing will…"
Liz called Max at work at
the UFO museum when she arrived in Boston since Max was working until closing
time late the afternoon. It was horrible for Max as he could hear the tears in
her voice as she spoke to him. She told him that the flight had gone well and
that she was now firmly ensconced in her hotel room and that Nick had managed
to get himself a room on the same floor she was staying. Everything was fine,
in other words.
Writing down the number to her hotel, Max swallowed
as he thought of sleeping alone tonight. "I’m going to stay with my
parents this week, okay Liz? If you need me, I’ll be there…"
"Okay," she said softly.
"I’ll call before you go to sleep later.
And…" He faltered, not knowing what to say. He didn’t want to be talking
to her, he wanted to be WITH her. "I really want to hold you right
now!"
Silence greeted his fierce statement, before Liz
said: "I love you, Max. I-I’ll talk to you later."
Cursing himself for only upsetting her further, he
mumbled: "Yeah. Bye sweetheart."
Milton came bustling into the office and gave him
strange look. "What happened to you? Cat died?"
Giving him a weak smile, Max tried to get a hold of
himself. "No, Liz is in Boston."
"Ooooh," Milton said as if that explained
everything. In fact, to Milton, it did. Max has been working for him for a long
time and he would have to be blind not to notice how besotted the guy was with
his Liz. Milton patted Max on the back sympathetically. "First time
without her, heh? You’ll live."
Max sighed. "Yeah, I know."
Milton grinned. "But I can see that you would
miss her. A cute thing, your Liz. And what guy wouldn’t miss being looked at
like you are the best thing since chocolate!"
Max couldn’t help but chuckle at that comment. Milton
was a funny guy.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was just starting to seriously mope when Nick
came to get her, announcing that he was taking her out to dinner. After seeing
her less than enthusiastic response, Nick decided to take action: "I’ll
make you a deal," he said, "you tell me when you need Max and I’ll
boost your connection. I know you’ll miss him all the time, but he wouldn’t
want you to not at least enjoy SOME of the trip, okay?"
Taking a deep breath, Liz realized he was right.
Being pathetic all the time was not an option. She was a big girl and she could
surely live for a week without Max by her side. She had his love and she could
phone him at any time. And Nick was here to help her when things got
unbearable. Getting up, she squared her shoulders and pinned Nick with a
determined gaze: "Deal! Let’s go have dinner."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was catching up on some reading later that night
when Michael appeared at his window. "Wow, this brings back some
memories!" Max said drily. "What are you doing here?"
Looking sheepish, Michael scratched his head.
"Maria made me come. She didn’t think you should be alone tonight."
Not knowing what to say, Max merely nodded his head.
Maria was apparently in ‘Operation-Never-Leave-Max-Alone-for-an-Instant’ mode
again. Not that he complained, he had had a weird feeling of being watched all
afternoon.
Michael flung himself on Max’s bed, dissatisfaction
with his current location screaming from every line in his body. Max suddenly
felt guilty. "Hey, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. I’m sure
I’ll be okay."
"Yeah, you don’t know Maria. She threatened me
with horrible punishments if I left here tonight." Michael sounded surly.
Grinning, Max felt some of the tension leave his
body. His friends would be here for him, he shouldn’t even have tried to handle
all this alone. "Like what?"
"Like no sex for a week."
Max winced. "Hey, that’s too cruel. I’ll have to
talk to her."
Michael sighed long-sufferingly. "She’s a hard
woman, I tell you." He was quiet for a moment before continuing: "You
know that time you said friends didn’t keep such things from each other?"
Nodding, Max remembered talking to Michael about
seeing flashes when kissing Liz and Michael had claimed to have experienced that
several times.
"Well, Maxwell, you should’ve told me it would
be so amazing. You know, being with her."
This elicited a full-blown grin from Max. "I had
no clue you would take so long to take the final plunge, so to speak! You and
Maria were always so hot and heavy, I thought—"
"Yeah, whatever." It was clear that this
whole discussion made Michael uncomfortable. "Let’s just say, I’ll do
whatever she tells me now."
They looked at each other with understanding.
"Man, we’re whipped!" Michael stated disgustedly.
"It still beats being without them," Max
said matter-of-factly. This only reminded him of Liz again and he rubbed his
hands over his face before glancing at his bed. This would be the first time in
over a year that he would sleep without Liz in his arms…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess stood outside Max’s window and glared at
Michael’s sleeping form on the floor. What the hell was he doing here?
Everywhere Max went today, he had been surrounded by people and she was getting
irritated. Also, Max wasn’t asleep right now. He was lying in his bed, staring
at the ceiling and Tess just KNEW he was thinking of HER. It was disgusting,
really. She turned away from his window angrily and jumped in her car,
adjusting the mirror so she could see herself. What was wrong with Max Evans?
She was gorgeous! How could he not want her? How could he keep lusting after
Liz Parker when she was so… so boring! She had no chest to speak of and always
wore such prim outfits. And her hair! It was BROWN, for crying out loud. Brown
and flat. Tess jerked the mirror back in place and took off with squealing
tires. Tomorrow night… she would get him tomorrow night.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max only vaguely registered the sound of screeching
tires outside, his mind was focused on Liz. When he had spoken to her a while
ago, she had sounded better and had told him about the little restaurant near
the harbor where Nick had taken her. They also planned to do some sightseeing
the next day and Max was relieved that Nick was looking after her so well. Now
if he could only get through this night, it would be one less he had to live
through before he could see her again. Turning on his side, his eyes fell on a
picture of her he had on his nightstand. The moonlight helped him pick out her
features, but most of all, the picture had captured her sparkling eyes. Oh god,
I miss her.
Closing his eyes, he could still hear her parting
words. Dream of me, Max. And he did…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was surprised when she actually enjoyed Sunday.
Nick took her all over Boston and they even made a quick stop at the college
where she was taking her course so she could see the place. She still found
herself looking around for Max to show him something or tell him something, but
luckily Nick seemed to understand and didn’t comment on her lapses. She got
tired late in the afternoon and Nick grinned when he saw her yawning behind her
hand for the umpteenth time.
"Sorry!" she said with a blush. "I
didn’t sleep much last night."
"So I gathered. Why don’t we make it an early
night tonight? We have to be up early for your course tomorrow."
"Oh Nick, you really don’t have to go with me.
I’m sure I’ll be—"
But he interrupted her. "You’re kidding me,
right? You might not be in awe of Max’s position, but I sure am. I grew up
hearing about him and there’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight these two
weeks. Even if you technically outrank me and can order me away!" He
smiled at her embarrassed countenance. "I’m just pulling your leg. I want
to go with you. For Max and for me. You are like my sister, you know!"
Liz couldn’t help but smile at him for saying such
sweet things. "Thank you."
Nick shook his head, thinking that that was such a
Liz thing to say.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Isabel sat with Max in his room and he gathered that
it was her turn to watch over him tonight. They had spent the day with their
parents, something that was rare these days, and Diane had made a ton of food
for Sunday lunch to celebrate. But now that the sun was setting and the normal
Sunday afternoon quiet was stealing over their small town, Max was feeling
melancholy. Normally, he would be in bed with Liz right now, either napping or
talking or making love. Anything that included a lot of cuddling was part of
their late Sunday afternoon ritual. He missed that. He missed being able to
touch her and talk to her. He missed Liz.
Isabel saw everything that went through her brother’s
mind on his face. "Do you want me to help you dreamwalk her tonight?"
Max was tempted for a few seconds, but he needed to
be alone with Liz, not have Izzy there too. "No, its okay. I’ll phone her
later."
"How are things with her?"
"Nick says she’s fine. You know, doing stuff
like preparing for the course."
"You sound bummed," Isabel said with a
small laugh. "Not liking that she didn’t fall apart completely without
you? And what’s with the ‘Nick says’ thing? Is he reporting in every night or
something?"
Max didn’t answer immediately.
"He is!" Isabel cried. "Max, I can’t
believe you!"
"Whoa," he held up his hands, "he just
tells me how she is. It’s not like I’m spying on her or anything. I just… I
want to know that she’s okay, that’s all. And you know Liz, she would not tell
me if something’s wrong."
Isabel just shook her head. "Well, I’ll be next
door if you need me. Tell Liz I said hi when you talk to her."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Much later, after he had talked to both Liz and Nick,
and had taken a long shower, Max finally dropped into bed. He had trouble
sleeping last night and the only real rest he had was when he was dreaming about
Liz. Thank goodness, it had not been an erotic dream. He had plenty of those
about Liz normally and he would’ve hated for Michael to hear him or something!
But tonight, he was finally alone in his room, so he could
dream whatever he liked. He put his hands under his head and stared up at the
ceiling until the flutter of the drapes in front of his window reminded him of
the night Liz came here wearing that sexy nightgown and a coat. A small smile
stole over his lips as he remembered how innocent and provocative she had been
all at once. His mind had no trouble conjuring up the image of her, he knew
every part of her body like the back of his hand. It had been so strange in the
beginning. Making love came naturally, but being naked and allowing each other
the freedom to explore had been something else. Liz had this thing that she was
not voluptuous or sexy enough and that he would get tired of her body. So he
had to patiently and tenderly break down all her reserves about herself. He had
shown her over and over again what she did to him. How much he wanted her. He
smiled ruefully. And now a year later, he wanted her even more. He never got
tired of looking at her. She was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
Outside, Tess waited in the shadows for him to fall
asleep. He had that idiotic little grin on his face that he always got when he
was thinking about Liz and Tess grit her teeth in fury. Well, let him dream
about his little mate. She would even help him dream some more later. He was
going to have the hottest dream about Liz she could conjure up and in the
process, Tess would be there to let him live his dream. She would have to be
careful though, little Liz Parker was probably not all that adventurous and she
didn’t want Max to get suspicious. Smiling gleefully, she watched as Max
drifted off to sleep. Have sex with Liz all you want in your fantasies, lover
boy, it will be my body in your bed!
Max jerked awake and found
that he was drenched in sweat and shaking. What is wrong with me? He had been
dreaming of Liz, nothing strange there, he dreamt of her often. But tonight the
dream was… disturbing. Something about Liz in the dream felt off. Maybe, it
wasn’t her, it was me. The way I was thinking of Liz was… animalistic. He
blinked and rubbed his hands over his eyes. I never want to treat Liz like
that. What is going on? And then he saw her. Liz. Standing at the foot of his
bed, naked. Max stared at the vision, if he hadn’t talked to Liz a couple of
hours ago on the phone, he would swear it was her. Was he still dreaming?
Sitting up, he realized his body was not reacting to
her like it usually did. In fact, he should have been hyperventilating from
excitement by now. He would have been normally, but instead he felt slightly
nauseous. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Liz was flaunting her
body at him. She never did that. If there was one thing he loved about Liz, it
was her shy sensuality. Nothing overt or slutty, just a way of being with him that
made him certain that he was the only guy she would ever be so intimate with.
This is wrong. Something is SERIOUSLY wrong.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz ran down the hotel corridor barefoot to Nick’s
room and knocked on the door urgently. He jerked it open seconds later, looking
over her shoulder with concern. "What is wrong?"
Now that she was here, Liz wasn’t sure what to say.
She had an awful feeling about Max? Something was happening to Max, but she
wasn’t sure what? "Uhm…"
Nick pulled her into his room. "Did something
happen to you?"
"No, I-I need Max," she finally managed.
Actually, she had a feeling Max needed her, but that was beside the point now.
She gripped Nick’s hand fiercely. "Please!"
Shoving the questions he still had to the back of his
mind, Nick decided that he had seen enough of Liz and Max’s connection to put
stock in their feelings about each other. He led her to his bed and pushed her
down gently. Putting his hand on her forehead, he ordered: "Sleep. I’ll
boost your connection. Then it’s up to you two…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was still staring at the apparition in his room.
"Who are you?"
‘Liz’ blinked and then smiled at him coyly.
"What do you mean, baby? It’s me, Liz." She came around the bed.
Baby? Liz NEVER called him that. And her walk, it was
all wrong. The grace of Liz’s movements had always mesmerized him, but this
was… His mind suddenly cleared and he jumped off the bed, away from ‘Liz’.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the faint murmur of his connection with
Liz and he felt it become marginally stronger. When he opened his eyes, ‘Liz’
was gone and a very naked Tess stood on the other side of the bed.
The rage that took hold of him was fiery hot and
burned through his veins like lava. Max clenched his hands to fists next to his
sides in an effort to keep himself in check. "Get out of here. Now."
"But Max—"
"Out! Now. And I never, ever want to see you
again." He saw the fear in her eyes. "I mean it, Tess. If you ever
come near me again, you will join Jans and Tim in our prison."
Her anger boiled over. "You are a weak idiot and
ruled by your hormones, Max Evans! You are NOT what our people need. As for
your little plaything, she is a pathetic human that is going to mean the end of
your royal line. You mark my words. She will be your downfall! Her and that
little brat she is carrying!"
But this time Max was around the bed and had taken
hold of her arm. He propelled her towards the window: "Get out and go
learn what it means to be human. I suggest that you do, because we are on earth
now, forever." He spun her back when she started going through the window.
"And hear this, if ANYTHING happens to Liz, there will be no place far
enough to hide from me."
He waited until she disappeared from his sight before
stumbling back to his bed and dropping down on the edge. He rubbed at his eyes
furiously, trying to rid himself of the memory of everything that had happened
here tonight. He started when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Max!" Isabel whispered urgently,
"what happened? I heard voices…"
"Tess came." Max sounded numb. He wanted
Liz, he needed her to get these images from his head.
"Are you okay?" Isabel felt horrible. She
had thought that everyone was overreacting about the need to watch Max every
minute. Now she realized that they were right. Tess was a psycho. And Max was
really upset.
"Yeah. I woke up before she could… God, Iz, she
made me dream the most horrible things about Liz! How can I ever look her in
the eyes again?"
"That’s crazy, Max. It wasn’t you! Liz will
understand."
He turned tortured eyes on his sister. "What if
Liz sees this in my mind one day?"
"Then she’ll also feel how repulsed you were
with it all, won’t she?" Isabel was trying to be reasonable, but it was
clear that only Liz would be able to get him out of this mood. Why does she
have to be halfway across country, right now? She watched as Max suddenly
stiffened and closed his eyes. What was going on?
He whispered the answer reverently: "Liz…"
Isabel stared at Max as he seemed to faze out completely.
She knew he was in trouble. Across thousands of miles, Liz KNEW. How amazing
was that? Getting up silently, she left Max alone with his soulmate.
Max fell backwards on his bed, keeping his eyes
closed because it helped him concentrate on his connection with Liz. It had
been like the flick of a switch, one moment a faint hum, the next a dull roar
in his ears as Liz’s presence flooded his consciousness. Her love washed over
him in a wave and it felt like light was slowly seeping into the darkness that
had engulfed him moments before.
How I wish you were here, love! I-I really need you
tonight. He felt her wonderful smile and it warmed his heart a little more.
I AM there. In your dreams. Just go to sleep. I’ll
wait. It was silent for a few minutes as he just basked in her aura. I was so
worried, Max. I’m glad you’re okay now. You scared me.
He never wanted to hug her more in his life. Thanks
for coming. For being here…
It was agonizing, trying to fall asleep. The harder
he tried, the harder it was. He was literally desperate to fall asleep so he
could meet her somewhere, anywhere in that dream world. So he asked her to talk
to him. She told him stupid stuff from her childhood, about her toys, about
Maria and Alex when they were little… until, finally, he drifted off.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was weird. He was still lying on his bed with his
eyes closed when he abruptly stood in a meadow he has never been, but that felt
so familiar. But that only occupied his thoughts for a few seconds, because
coming towards him was a vision. Liz seemed to float as she moved and he wanted
to drop to his knees in gratitude because he could see her. She was wearing a
wispy white dress that billowed around her ankles, but didn’t hide much from
his hungry eyes as the breeze molded it to her body.
Max was staring at her like he couldn’t quite believe
his eyes and Liz decided to take matters into her own hands. She ran to him,
flinging herself in his arms and wrapping her arms and legs around his body. It
felt so real, his body was hard and warm against her, like it always was. So
she set the final test, she kissed him. And they both moaned at the contact.
They were coming alive in each other’s arms and it
only took Max a few seconds to take charge. He held her to him with one arm,
while the other hand curled into her hair and held her still while he plundered
her mouth. This was what he wanted with every fiber of his being, to hold Liz
and ravish her and make her his. To be in her embrace and in her body. In this
he didn’t want to be normal. He didn’t want to be one of those guys lusting
after anything in a skirt. He only ever wanted Liz.
Liz threw her head back and moaned his name as his
lips traveled over her jaw and down her neck. He was kissing and nipping a
trail of fire over her skin and she was melting from his heat. He kissed her
through the thin material of the dress, but Liz squirmed because she needed his
touch on her bare skin. And, because this was a dream, the dress disappeared
like mist from her body. Max’s groan when his mouth suddenly encountered skin
was music to her ears.
They tumbled to the grass while Max kept up his
hungry, almost desperate kisses. His mouth moved over her stomach and for a
fleeting moment, he remembered the few hours that he had thought his baby was
in there. Lifting his head, he caught her gaze: "Liz…"
"Don’t stop, Max. Please," she whispered.
She didn’t want to think about sad things. Right now, more than anything, she
needed Max to make love to her. He was still hesitating, so she sat up and
pushed him on his back before straddling his thighs and wishing his clothes
away too. She stared down at him for a long time, her eyes moving over every
inch of his body like a tangible caress. She watched as his breathing became
labored and his hands clenched on her hips in reaction. She studied every
minute little reaction of his body with rapt attention, the darkening of his
eyes, the dull flush that crept over his cheeks, the little tremors of his
muscles, the harsh sound of his breathing. "You are so incredible,"
she blurted out and wondered how many girls from school secretly envied her
this. That this man and this body were hers.
Max hardly heard her. His heart was thundering so
loudly that it drowned out all the other sounds. Could she not see that she was
killing him? That he needed her hands and mouth on him or he would surely die?
She reacted like she had heard his every thought and
slowly leaned forward until she could trace her fingers over him. She watched
him shudder and ran her tongue over every inch of skin she could reach.
Max closed his eyes and drowned in the sensations of
her caresses until it felt like he was just a hair’s breadth from exploding. He
rolled her under him in one fluid move and entered her at the same time. Their
sighs were the only sound in the silent meadow as they did what they were born
to do, become one. One body, one soul and one heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Tess stormed into the motel room where she had been
staying and found Nacedo waiting up for her. "It didn’t work, okay!"
she yelled at him. "It’s NEVER going to work! It’s like she has put a
block on his mind. I can’t get in." She was close to tears from
frustration. "And he threatened me if anything happened to his precious
Liz. I hate him. I hate her. I hate them all!"
"That’s good, because we are leaving,"
Nacedo said calmly.
She swung around to face him. "What do you mean
‘leaving’?"
"I mean, I have been contacted. And we’ll be
going to a place where we will be appreciated. This infernal planet will never
see us again, and neither will Max Evans and his brood!"
Nick glanced at Liz next to
him in the taxi, she was literally bouncing around with anticipation. And why
not, they were on their way to meet Max and his mom at the airport! He wondered
how she could think she wasn’t all that beautiful. To him it was easy to see
why Max couldn’t see straight around her. Her eyes were shining and that
stunning smile was permanently etched on her face right now. In short, she was
glowing.
Things had changed that Sunday night she had came to
his room in such a state. After he had helped her connect with Max, he had sat
in a chair and watched over her while she slept. She had started smiling at one
stage and had stayed like that ‘til morning. He could see the difference in her
when she woke up. She seemed… stronger somehow.
Liz fingered her engagement ring that she had put
back on her finger from its chain around her neck after her last class today.
She felt ready to explode with excitement. Ever since Sunday night, she had tried
to push the ache in her heart to the background as the week progressed. She had
set herself two goals: doing well in the course and making it to Friday so she
could see Max. Amazingly, the week had sped by and after another bout of nausea
on Monday morning, she had been fine for the rest of the week. Liz worked
herself into a coma with the course. She did extra work, read until late and
slept like the dead every night. But in spite of all her efforts, there had
been a few occasions she had woken in the middle of the night, disorientated
from a dream about Max and reached for him only to find him not there.
Nick had been amazing through it all. He accompanied
her to and from classes every day. He went with her for walks when she got
cabin fever from all the studying and he took her to dinner a few times. He
ever teased her about some of the boys in her group who were clearly smitten
with her. She hadn’t even noticed until he had pointed it out. Some of the guys
there were sweet, and she liked chatting with them during class, but that was
all. She firmly told them about her boyfriend back home. And if that didn’t
work, it definitely scared them off that she had a bodyguard! She had heard
some of the girls talk about her and Nick, wondering of something strange was
going on with her. She just grinned silently to herself. Something strange was
putting it mildly! She was practically married to the leader of an alien race
living on earth. She would bet that THAT was the last thing they were thinking
of about her. And right now, she could care less! Max was coming…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Diane watched Max as he sat next to her on the plane
with his eyes closed and a look of intense concentration on his face.
"What are you doing, Max?"
He smiled slightly without opening his eyes.
"I’m feeling Liz coming closer…"
And again Diane was struck with the intensity of her
son and Liz’s love. It still made her a little jealous that Liz knew parts of
Max that she never would. Normally a mother would have moments of her son’s growing
up that would be hers alone, but Max shared everything with Liz: every thought,
every memory.
They were close to Boston now and Max rejoiced in the
increasing strength of his connection with Liz. He couldn’t wait to see her
again! He had dreamed of her all the time, normal dreams by his standards where
they were together in a jumble of tangled limbs and from which he woke in a
sweat of hungry desire, but none of them were similar to the one where she had
come to visit him. That had felt as close to real as it could get. They had
spoken on the phone several times a day and he shuddered to think what his
phone bill would look like at the end of the month. He turned to his mother:
"Mom, are you sure its okay about tonight? I mean…"
"Max, I understand. I’ll see you two for dinner
tomorrow night, right? I’m tired tonight anyway and I have an early meeting
tomorrow morning, so I think I’ll just go to bed early." Diane wondered
what had possessed her to even suggest the dinner tonight in the first place. Apparently
she had forgotten what it meant to be young and in love! Max had gently but
firmly told her that he would rather be alone with Liz and that dinner tomorrow
night would be better.
Staring out the window to Boston below, Max allowed
himself one bad thought. Tess had disappeared again and that meant he couldn’t
grill her about her comment that Liz was pregnant. Where had she heard that?
And what did it mean for Liz? He had spoken to Nick about it, of course,
warning him to be extra careful around Liz. Even though he was convinced that
Liz WASN’T pregnant, Tess was apparently under the impression that she was and
that put Liz at risk. But nothing had happened throughout the week and he
remained puzzled as to what had become of Tess…
They were finally touching down and Diane could see
the barely leashed excitement vibrating through Max as the plane taxied to the
airport building. Diane smiled to herself. To most people he looked just like
any other passenger getting off the plane, but if you knew him really well you
could see all the emotions churning in his eyes. She was dying to see what her
normally rather reserved son would do when he saw his girlfriend for the first
time in a week. What could she say? She was living vicariously through the
lives of her children.
Liz danced around Nick at the Arrivals Hall. Now that
she’s lived through a week without Max, a few more minutes seemed unbearable.
Nick sighed dramatically and she realized she must be getting on his nerves. He
was only waiting until Max came and then he was catching a plane home for the
weekend. His wife needed to see him too. She suddenly wondered about the silent
woman in the background of Nick’s life. "Nick, do you… miss your wife? You
know, as much as I miss Max?"
A shadow flitted over his face before he answered.
"I miss her, but nobody misses anyone like you two miss each other!"
Liz nodded and wondered about the way these aliens
seem to be put together with the aim of procreating without really looking into
their feelings. It must be weird being with someone just for the sex. She
couldn’t imagine having sex with someone she didn’t love. In fact, she couldn’t
imagine having sex with anyone but Max!
She saw some of the people from her class waiting
around a few feet away and waved at them timidly when she saw them staring at
her. But all thought fled her mind when the doors whooshed open and the first
people from Max’s flight came pouring out. She stood perfectly still, all her
energy and attention focussed on that door until she saw his dark head appear.
To finally see him nearly knocked the air from her lungs and paralyzed her
momentarily before she started running towards him.
Max’s eyes had found her immediately and he dropped
everything in his hands to come to her. He caught her against him as she flung
herself into his embrace. Liz wrapped her legs around his waist as he wrapped
her in his arms and buried his face in her hair.
They clung to each other for long minutes as Nick and
Diane said hi and started organizing the luggage. Max twisted her hair around
his hand and tugged her head back before his lips descended on hers
passionately. It was a hungry, devouring, open-mouthed kiss and the world
around them blurred into nothingness. He thrust his tongue into her moist mouth
and explored every crevice while his hand fitted to the curve of her bottom,
lifting her closer against him.
Liz was going under fast, his kisses always sent her
world spinning of its axis. She speared her hands through his hair and brought
his lips down on hers harder. After the long week of no touching, she wanted to
feel every inch of him against her.
The haze eventually lifted from Max’s brain and he
reluctantly tore his mouth from Liz’s. They were in a busy airport, with his
mom and Nick looking on while he mauled Liz. Nice going, Max! He pressed his
forehead against hers and tried not to notice how inviting her red and puffy
lips looked. He let her slip to the ground, but held her against his body.
There was no way an inch of space would be found between them this weekend!
Liz was still in a daze when she noticed the stunned
looks of her classmates. The girls were gaping at Max while the boys were
gaping at her. She blushed when she remembered how abandoned her reaction to
Max had been. In class she was in control and bookish Liz, now they had seen
her in a passionate clinch in an airport. She could just imagine what Monday
would be like for her!
After a fleeting moment of embarrassment, Max decided
he could care less that people had just seen him kiss Liz. That paled in
importance to getting her back to the hotel as fast as he could.
They said goodbye to Diane as she left for her hotel
and Max and Liz stayed to see Nick off. He was grinning as he waved to them
before disappearing into the exit, making Liz’s blush worse. Everyone knew they
were sleeping together, but it was kind of horrible to see the knowledge of
what she and Max would be up to this weekend written all over Nick’s face.
Max wheeled her around and started determinedly for
the door when they were interrupted by a voice: "Hey Liz!" He gritted
his teeth as he turned, still keeping Liz plastered to his side.
Smiling weakly at the two girls staring with barely
hidden interest at Max, Liz introduced Stacey and Kristy to him. "This is
Max," she stated, not elaborating. If those two couldn’t see that this was
her boyfriend, they were blind.
"Hey Max!" they sounded breathless and
giggly, causing Liz to roll her eyes.
Sparing them only a cursory glance, Max said ‘nice to
meet you’ politely, before saying to Liz: "We should go, sweetie."
Shivering from the heated way he stared at her mouth,
she just nodded before bidding the two girls goodbye.
Watching their retreating backs, Stacey cried:
"Oh my god! Where did she get HIM? I thought Roswell was filled with
small-town hicks!"
Kristy agreed. "And did you see the way he
looked at her? Talk about hot. What hotel does she stay in? Maybe we could go
have breakfast there tomorrow morning, I wouldn’t mind seeing him again…"
Max bundled Liz into the nearest taxi and waited
anxiously until she gave the address of her hotel before pulling her onto his
lap and kissing her. His hands explored the curve of her neck and glided over
the arc of her back, while his mouth wove more magic over hers. They only broke
the kiss when the need for oxygen overwhelmed them.
Running his fingers over every inch of her face, Max
whispered: "I missed that. Kissing you… I missed YOU!"
Liz leaned closer and slid her hand in between his
jacket and his shirt until it rested over his racing heart. "Me too."
The heat of his skin was evident even through the material of his shirt and she
snuggled closer to him until her face was pressed into the crook of his neck.
"So tell me," his voice had a smile in it.
"Tell you what?" she mumbled against his
throat, enjoying the little shiver that went through him when her breath
collided with skin.
"Anything that would make this infernal ride
shorter so we can be alone!"
Liz decided to tease him a little. "Oh, I didn’t
know that you wanted to be alone… I have some new friends waiting to meet you
at the hotel."
He was quiet for a few seconds. "Liz…" He
pressed her hip closer to his body and into his arousal. "Trust me, we
should be alone!"
Giggling softly, she gave in. "I was kidding!
I’m gonna lock you in my room for the whole weekend so I can ravish your
body."
He tugged her head back so he could look in her eyes.
"I’m going to get you back for this, you know."
"Oooh, promise?" She licked her lips, in
full teasing flight, making Max groan.
"Promise… But if we don’t start talking about
your classes or something soon, we’re going to get into real trouble." His
eyes were almost black and traced heated paths over her face.
Liz wiggled against him one last time, before starting
to tell him about the work they had been doing in class. He asked questions and
responded, but all the while his eyes burned over her mouth and promised of
untold delights to come when they could finally be alone…
Liz dragged Max through the
lobby of her hotel only to have him pull on her hand until she stopped.
"Shouldn’t we book me in or something?" He was breathing hard, and
not from walking fast either.
"No, it’s a pay per room hotel, they don’t care
how many people are in—"
"Let’s go then." He steered her towards the
elevators, his urgency to get to her room returning in full force. He waited
impatiently until the doors of the elevator have slid closed behind them before
turning Liz into his arms and swooping down on her lips eagerly. She tasted sweet
and hot at the same time. Intoxicating. A whole week of abstinence has
increased his need for her to almost unbearable levels. She moaned into his
mouth when his hand splayed over the small of her back to press her into his
body. She had just curled her hands around his neck when they dimly felt the
elevator jerk to a halt. They managed to break apart before the doors opened to
allow an older couple to enter.
Max pulled Liz to stand in front of him as they
looked at the backs of the newcomers who pressed the button for a floor a few
below theirs. He clasped Liz around the waist to keep her from pulling away
from him and cast a glance at their companions in the elevator, but they seemed
oblivious.
When he felt Liz relax in his arms, he slowly
maneuvered the zipper at the back of Liz’s dress down soundlessly. She
stiffened but didn’t say a word. He laid the palm of his hand against her bare
back and gave Liz time to step away if she wanted to. She didn’t. Instead she
stood rigidly facing forward, holding her breath and waiting for his next move.
Keeping an eye on the two people in front of them, Max let his fingers glide up
and down the path left by her zipper. Liz shivered, then leaned back into him,
her sigh almost inaudible.
Trailing his fingers up her back, he felt the pattern
of her spine, traced the gentle curve of her shoulder blade and found the soft
skin under her arm. Liz’s body rose and fell as her breathing became more
labored. She was forcing herself to stay in control, he knew, because so was
he.
With slow, easy strokes, he caressed her side, up and
down under her arm, delighting in her soft skin under his fingers. With each
upward stroke, he moved his fingers closer to her front. Liz leaned back, the
soft grinding movements of her hips against him increasing his arousal.
When his index finger stroked the soft flesh of her
breast, his efforts were rewarded with a small spasm. Was he driving her as
crazy as he was, he wondered? He knew he would go mad if they didn’t reach her
room soon.
When the elevator stopped at the 32nd floor the
couple stepped off. As soon as the doors closed, Liz spun around in his arms,
her face flushed. "Kiss me, Max."
It was an order Max wouldn’t dream of ignoring, and
he lost himself in the kiss for the next three floors, lost to everything
except the throbbing in his own body and the ambrosia of her mouth under his.
This time the doors had opened on their floor already
before it finally dawned on them that they should probably get off. Max turned
Liz around in his embrace and held her flush against his body as they walked to
her room. It took some coordinated steps, but their feet found the same rhythm
without them even noticing. Liz was too absorbed in his breath skating across
her cheek as he held his bent head next to hers, while Max was trying not to
lose it from the way her body swayed against his as they walked.
Then finally, FINALLY they were in the room. Max
dropped his backpack with a slight shrug of his shoulder before returning both
arms around Liz’s waist again. It was glorious to just hold her like this. Her
hands came up and her fingers entwined with his. He listened to the rhythm of
her breathing for a few moments, trying to get himself under some sort of
control. If he made love to her now, it would be over quickly. Right now, he
wanted nothing more than be inside her as fast as he could and she deserved so
much more than that. His gaze fell on the ring sparkling on her ring finger and
he slowly rubbed his finger over the sign of his possession of her. It still
surprised him how his primal instincts just kicked in with Liz. He WANTED her
to be his… and he wanted the whole world to know that she was.
"Liz?" his voice sounded strained.
"Hmmm?" She wriggled against him, making
him groan.
"I-I don’t want you to think that all I want is
to—. I mean—"
Smiling, she leaned her head back on his shoulder. He
was worried that she would think all he wanted from her lately was sex. "I
know. We talked on the phone all week. Time to stop talking, Max…"
He took a deep shuddering breath. "I love
you."
"Show me."
Just like that, she snapped his control and he pulled
her around to him roughly, his mouth immediately capturing her lips. He pressed
her into his body while his mouth played over her neck as she threw back her
head.
"Please," she whispered and he pulled back
to gaze into her eyes. The desire she saw there was enough to make her knees
weak.
He lifted her hands to kiss her fingertips as his eyes
continued to promise unimaginable pleasure. "My Liz." The way he said
it, with that husky catch in his voice that shot straight to her loins, made
her chest constrict with emotion.
"Yes," she acknowledged. That she was.
He pulled her to him again. His kiss, powerful and
possessive, cut off speech and coherent thought until nothing was left in her
except a wild hunger. She rubbed herself against him, soaking up his heat,
tasting the luxury of his lean, hard body. She moved her hands over him and he shuddered
under her touch, his reaction sending her own passion soaring to new heights.
She WANTED him to shudder, to cry out her name in ecstasy, to find absolute
pleasure in her touch.
His hands stroked her legs, moving higher underneath
the short skirt until she sighed his name into his mouth. He pulled her with
him to the bed, managing somehow to end up on top of her as they sprawled
across the cool sheets.
"Close your eyes," he said, and when she
did, he kissed each eyelid, a feather kiss that made the rest of her body
tingle in anticipation.
When he started to peel off her dress, she raised her
hips in accommodation. "Can I open my eyes?"
He brushed a kiss across her lips. "No."
His lips burned a path down her neck, his breath hot
against her body. His hands caressed her, sliding over her skin and preparing a
trail for his mouth to follow. She reached up for him, but he pulled away,
catching her hands.
"Not yet."
He moved away from her momentarily, jerking his
clothes off in haste before coming back to her. With one motion, he turned her
over on her stomach. She stayed still as he curled himself against her. His
tongue traced patterns on the back of her neck, sending bursts of ecstasy
racing through her.
While his lips roamed her back and shoulders his hand
slipped down, caressing her bottom. She held her breath as the caresses slowly
became more intimate.
Liz moaned. He was like a fire that was spreading
through her being. A fire she needed and wanted. So much she thought she might
die if he did anything so foolish as to stop making love to her.
"Max, please."
Max was fighting his own battle. Agony. Not being in
her was such sweet torture, but he wanted to savor these moments, to draw out
her pleasure for as long as possible. He was awed by her response to him, so
honest and so intense. He rolled her over and inhaled sharply when he saw her
flushed face. She opened her eyes and smiled, shy and trusting and hungry at
the same time and he knew he couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else touching
her.
"My Liz," he repeated. He kissed her
briefly, then slid his kisses down her chest to her navel, where his tongue
flicked over her bare flesh. Her heard her small sound of surprise when she
realized he wasn’t stopping there.
"Max…" Another helpless moan.
Heady from the desire in her voice, he moved lower
until he was kissing the tender inside of her thigh. Her breathing was coming
faster and faster, her sighs music to his ears.
Liz gloried in his mouth on her body, weaving
incredible magic and intensifying the ache in her stomach until it was a sharp
and piercing need for him to become one with her. When she finally couldn’t
take it anymore, she pulled him up to her and he kissed her savagely, deep and
hard, until she slid her mouth from his and breathed one word against his lips.
"Now."
That one soft word almost hurled him over the edge.
He took one sweet moment to memorize the passion and love in her eyes before
finally entering her in one smooth stroke. None of the dreams he had this week
compared to the reality of being inside her. He moved urgently, with Liz
matching him until she cried out his name in release. He felt his body join
hers too soon, and at the same time, not soon enough.
Afterwards, she snuggled against him, her back
pressed against his chest. Max draped an arm over her. He felt like he’d
claimed her again. She was his.
Liz chuckled softly at his thoughts. "Yes, I
am."
He nuzzled the back of her neck, breathing in their
combined scents. "I missed you so much."
"I know. This week felt like it would never end.
I kept waking up because you weren’t here, next to me."
He was quiet for a while. "Are you sure you’re
not sick anymore?"
She nodded. "I’m fine now. Why?"
"It’s just that… We don’t really know if that
pregnancy test would work on you, do we? I mean… because of who I am…"
She had wondered the same thing. "I guess… But I
don’t FEEL pregnant, Max." She twisted onto her back so she could see his
face. "Don’t you think I would feel something?"
He lifted himself on one elbow and rested his other
hand on her womb. "I think you probably would. I mean, you and I share
this connection, can you imagine how strong one between you and our baby would
be?" He sounded slightly envious, bringing a smile to Liz’s lips.
She touched her fingers to his mouth. "But you
will always be my first love, Max Evans."
His eyes glittered down at her before he asked
tentatively: "Would you mind if I… if I tried something?"
Not even asking what he wanted to try, she nodded
trustingly and watched as he splayed his fingers over her stomach and closed
his eyes in concentration. Liz literally held her breath as she waited for him
to finish.
When he finally opened his eyes, he continued staring
down at her stomach before saying softly. "Nothing."
She touched her hand to his cheek again and brought
his face down until their foreheads were pressed together. "I knew that.
I’m sorry."
"Its okay. I suppose I knew too. I just wanted
to be sure…"
"We have time, Max. Why don’t we concentrate on
being the two of us first."
He moved his head until his lips just touched hers
and smiled against her. "I can do that."
This time their union was gentle and slow, and they
fell asleep in each other’s arms afterwards dreaming of a bright and happy
future together.
His whole body ached, but
Max could care less. It was a good ache. One that confirmed that he had gotten
very little sleep last night. Liz’s hair was spread over his chest and he ran
his fingers through the silky tresses softly as he watched her. He was sprawled
on his back, with Liz draped over him almost like she wanted to make sure that
he couldn’t disappear without her knowledge. He risked a glance at the bedside
clock and saw that it was 09h00 already. He supposed they should get some
breakfast, he couldn’t expect Liz to get all this exercise and not get hungry!
Not opening her eyes, Liz smiled against his warm
skin. This was one of her favorite things in life, waking up in Max’s arms. His
gentle stroking of her hair made her feel like a pampered cat, she just wanted
to lie here and purr. Last night had been nothing short of incredible, but they
ended up so exhausted early this morning that nothing could keep sleep away
anymore. She shifted slightly, still too lax to really move, but trailed her
fingers over Max’s stomach, watching the little tremors under his skin follow
her touch. Max had been mortified when she saw one of his dreams from last week
in a flash. Being Max, he tried to control his waking fantasies so that she couldn’t
see anything really wild by accident when they kissed or made love, but he had
no control over his dreams. She had always known that he had a thing for her
hair, but seeing that dream of his completely stunned her. So he liked having
her hair all over him? Hmmm, she could do something with that knowledge later…
Grabbing her hand to stop her from creating a problem
for him, Max brought it to his mouth for a kiss before asking: "How about
some breakfast, beautiful?"
Finally opening her eyes, Liz pouted at him and moved
over his body until she lay completely on top of him. She rested her head on
her crossed arms on his chest and wriggled around until she was comfortable,
pretending not to hear Max’s soft gasp. She faked a surprised look when his
hands came up to grip her hips and still her movements.
"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked with
a strained voice.
She giggled. "No… So are you hungry?"
"Yes!" It was a low growl and had very
little to do with food. His hands were now stroking her bottom and the backs of
her thighs.
She looked at him for a few moments, enjoying the
look of intent desire on his face, before she got up and tossed: "I just
have to take a quick shower," over her shoulder at him.
Max was flummoxed. He lay on the bed and watched her
cute tush disappear into the bathroom and wondered what the hell had just
happened. The little minx had completely played him! Throwing back the covers,
he grimaced as he got out of bed, his muscles were still screaming in protest.
No time to worry about that now, he had to get back at Liz for this one.
He caught her stretching her body in the bathroom and
she looked at him with a blush. "I overextended some parts of my body, I
think…"
Guilt came tearing through Max. "Oh god, honey,
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—. I mean—. I should’ve treated you better!"
Why hadn’t he realized before that if his body hurt, Liz’s must feel ten times
worse. He rushed over to her side. "Let me help!"
"Max!" Liz cried in exasperation. "Did
it look like I was complaining last night? Or that I’m complaining now for that
matter?"
He was unconvinced. "No. But you never complain
about anything." He took a deep breath. "Maybe we should just… just
take it slow today."
Liz gaped at him fleetingly before narrowing her eyes
sternly: "No Max. We’re NOT going to take it slow. YOU are going to fix me
up and then the problem will be solved."
His gaze flickered away from hers uncertainly.
"I guess… Liz, I don’t want you to feel like… like you have to."
"Don’t make me show you how stupid that comment
is, Max. What is wrong with you? I thought we were past all this?"
Suppressing the horrible and demeaning image of Liz
still imprinted on his memory from that Tess-induced dream he had last Sunday
night, he tried to collect himself. "I-I just—. Just let me help you.
Please."
Liz looked at him assessingly and wondered what had
made him so paranoid about looking like he was abusing her body.
He pulled her into the shower with him and, together with
the warm water, his gentle hands chased all the aches from her muscles.
Afterwards, she stepped closer to him and gave him a sweet kiss. "Thank
you. My hero."
Max blushed before staring into her eyes intently.
"Liz… I-I love you. So much. And… and I would never treat you like… like a
thing, to be used. You know that, right?" He sounded anxious.
Frowning, Liz cupped her hand over his cheek,
ignoring the water that threatened to run into her eyes as she looked up at
him. "Yes, Max. I know that! And there is a big difference between what
happened last night and using me. We made love. YOU made love to me. Every
touch spoke of love. That’s not using me, that’s loving me."
Some of the fear drained from his gaze as he brushed
her hair back from her face repeatedly. "Promise you will tell me if you
ever feel like I was—"
She stopped him with a finger on his lips. "No,
I won’t promise you, because it would never be necessary. Max, you would never
do that!" She waited a few beats before continuing. "Please tell me
what happened to make you feel this way? Was it… was it me? Was it something I
did?"
His eyes widened in shock. "No!" he fairly
yelled. "I mean… no. Its… its nothing. I’ll stop. I promise."
He was hiding something from her and Liz felt a
little hurt by it, but she decided not to press the issue now. Instead she
handed him her shampoo and let him wash her hair. By the time he was finished,
they were locked in a tight embrace, kissing as if they hadn’t already tried to
make up for the week apart last night.
Max carried her back to their bed, not caring that
they left a wet trail from the bathroom. He kissed her softly and tenderly,
sucking at her lower lip while his hands held her close to his heart. They had
just tumbled onto the bed when the phone started ringing. "Ignore
it," Max muttered against her throat.
"What if its your mom?" Liz said
breathlessly and fumbled for the instrument while trying not to get too far
away from his mouth.
"I don’t care. Leave it." He attempted to
catch her flailing hand, but she managed to evade him and grab the phone.
"Hello?" Liz bit her lip in an effort to
stop a moan as Max’s lips drifted over her shoulder blade and moved lower.
"Hi Liz?" The voice sounded unfamiliar and
Liz thanked her lucky stars that it WASN’T Diane Evans who would have had no
trouble guessing why Liz was sounding so strange.
"Yeah?"
"Its Stacey and Kristy and the gang! We thought
we’d all have breakfast together here at your hotel? You haven’t eaten yet,
have you?"
Liz was having serious trouble following the
conversation. Max had progressed to her stomach and was busy drawing lazy
little patterns with his tongue low on her belly. What did the voice say? Oh
yes, something about breakfast. "Uhm… ahh… breakfast. Yeah, breakfast
seems…like, ah… like a good idea."
"Okay great! We’ll meet you in the restaurant
downstairs! Is Max coming too?"
Squirming under Max’s continued attack of her body,
Liz tried to concentrate. Max… Something about Max coming… Liz bolted upright
in the bed, startling Max. She was completely panicking. Did she say something
to give them the idea that Max was… that she was…
"Liz? Will Max come down to breakfast too? We’d
all like to meet him."
Oh. OH! ‘Max coming’ referred to him going down to
breakfast with her. Not… She cleared her throat. "Yeah, he’ll be
there."
Max was mock-glaring at her when she finally put the
phone down. "Did you just tell someone we’ll have breakfast with
them?"
Her eyes widened. "Yeah… Max!" she cried,
"this is all your fault! You distracted me. Now I can’t even remember who
I talked to!" Liz searched her memory wildly. It was a girl. Yes! That’s
it, it was Stacey. Max was going to kill her… "Uhm, well, Stacey and some
of the people from my course is downstairs for breakfast…"
"Stacey?" Max looked blank.
Liz leapt from the bed, ignoring her body’s protests
that it was frustrated and needed Max more than breakfast. "Get dressed,
Max! They’re waiting and I really don’t need to give them more fodder for
gossip."
Max observed her frantic running around the room with
amusement. "Do you have any idea how cute you look right now?" This
halted her momentarily and she blushed.
"Max!"
He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay. But
you owe me. Big!"
They arrived downstairs 15 minutes later. Liz
blanched when she saw that 4 other people were sitting at the table with Stacey
and Kristy. They had brought two guys and two more girls from her class. The
girls were all gaping at Max and Liz held his hand tighter, trying not to glare
at them. They were obviously here to scope out Max and she wasn’t about to
share him with anyone else during his short time here.
Max gave her one of his crooked half-smiles before
doing the round of introductions. Liz felt marginally better that he didn’t let
go of her hand while doing it, but she couldn’t believe the blatant way these
other girls were flirting with Max! She had forgotten that in Roswell, everyone
knew her and Max were together, so none of the girls, bar the occasional brazen
hussy, even bothered anymore. Seeing girls throwing themselves at him like this
was a new experience for her. Not all of them were that obvious. It was clear
that Stacey was hanging onto Max’s every move but she did nothing except
giggle. However, the one other girl, Erica, was definitely trying to get Max’s
attention.
It didn’t take long for Max to become irritated and
frustrated. He had dragged Liz’s chair close to his before sitting down and he
made sure that she was within touching distance… and that he was touching her. His
body was screaming for more of her, but here he had to sit and listen to silly
giggling about things that weren’t even funny to him, while the two guys were
making puppy eyes at Liz. He stared them down. Damn! Where was alien death ray
vision when you needed it? He ate some stuff, but he didn’t really notice what
it was. His attention was focussed on Liz and on how long it would take her to
eat what she had left on her plate.
Liz turned her head and her eyes met Max’s. She fell
into his gaze headlong and forgot all about the rest of the group. His eyes
were sending her a million messages at once and she watched in slow motion as
his hand came up to brush her hair behind her ear.
He dimly registered that Erica was saying something,
but his mind had trouble making that a priority above the feel of Liz’s silken
hair and skin against his fingers. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Her beautiful
luscious mouth…
"Max?" His name being said rather
petulantly brought him back from the brink. He shot Liz another glance before
turning to answer the girl. Damn, what was her name again?
They made an effort from then on to stay part of the
discussion around the table, but their intense awareness of each other was
unmistakable to the rest of the group. They did stuff instinctively, like pass
each other the salt, without being asked. Liz gave Max one of her packets of
sugar when their coffee arrived, because he liked his sweeter than she did
hers. It was effortless and obvious. This was a real couple, not a teenage
fling.
After the group had left, Max looked at Liz,
wondering what she wanted to do now. He knew what he wanted to do, but maybe he
should stop acting like a sex-starved barbarian for a few hours. That image of
Liz from the Tess-dream flitted across his mind again. "So, do you want to
show me a little of Boston?" he forced himself to ask.
Liz glanced at him uncertainly. Something weird was
going on with him again. She felt it through their connection. Something was
still bothering him. "Yeah… I guess." No, I don’t want to. I want to
go back to my room and just be with you!
They ended up on a train and Max pressed Liz’s back
against him, folding his arms around her as they stood in the packed car. They
were both quiet and he wondered what she was thinking.
When they got off at their stop, Liz turned to him
and said solemnly: "I want to go back, Max. I’d really rather just be with
you than…" She waved her hand at their surroundings. "Please?"
Her voice became even softer: "Unless you really want—"
He grabbed her face in his hands, relief flooding
through his body. "God no! I thought… Nevermind! Let’s just go back, this
was a really stupid idea!"
"So this was all for my benefit? Because you had
some crazy idea that I wouldn’t want to—"
He kissed her hard. "I’m sorry. Sometimes I
forget that I should just be me with you. Just be honest…"
She met his eyes. "Yes, you can be a real idiot
sometimes. Now let’s go back so I can punish you for this!"
He grinned at her, looking for all the world like a
young man in love, instead of the leader of an alien race with lots of
responsibilities. He took her breath away when he looked like that. Maybe the
hair thing would be a good way to start the rest of their day in bed…
It was the second time that
they ran breathless through the lobby of the hotel in their haste to get up to
their room. This time, Max held his hand over the controls of the elevator and
they managed to make it up to the 35th floor without interruptions. He backed
her from the lift while still kissing her, but that was going to take too long,
so he swung her up into his arms and fairly jogged to her door. The key was in
his pocket and Liz took her time fishing it out until Max threatened to drop
her if she didn’t stop teasing him. She relented and he kicked the door shut
behind them gratefully.
Liz enjoyed feeling him move against her as he let
her slide to the ground. She looked at him through her eyelashes as his hands
cupped her rear and brought them closer together. "Max?"
"Yeah?" He was leaning his forehead against
hers, his eyes closed.
"Take off your shirt." That got his
attention.
She stared in his eyes, watching them grow darker as
the seconds ticked by. Then he slowly backed away from her and started
unbuttoning his shirt. It seemed to take forever for Liz. She watched
dry-mouthed as more and more of his skin was revealed until she stepped forward
and pushed the shirt from his shoulders. He looked at her, clearly realizing
she was up to something and that she should make the next move. Liz smiled slightly.
Max was a clever guy.
Shrugging out of her jacket and blouse, she wriggled
out of her white jeans next, knowing that Max was following her every move
avidly. When she was clad in just her panties and tank top, she straightened
and let her eyes drop to his pants. "Everything else too."
Max swallowed, an endearing sign telling her he was
getting nervous about her plans. But he didn’t say anything, just yanked off
the rest of his clothes before looking at her again.
Now it was her turn to swallow. How can a man be this
beautiful? Even stranger was that a man this beautiful, inside and out, was
interested in her…
"Hey," his soft voice stopped her thoughts.
His knowing gaze told her he knew she was having one of her moments of
self-doubt.
She collected herself and pulled him to the bed.
"Lie down," she instructed, "and no touching!"
His eyes jerked to hers at her last statement. But
still he said nothing and did her bidding by lying down on the cool sheets and
placing his hands flat on the bed at his sides.
Liz walked to the foot of the bed, hiding her flaming
face with her hair. I can’t believe what I’m about to do! But then her eyes met
Max’s and she could see his hungry desire and his overwhelming love for her,
and she knew that she would do this for him. Exactly because he has never asked
her to live out one of his fantasies and had chosen to expend all his energy on
living out hers. But she suddenly panicked that she would make a hash of her
attempt at seduction. She swallowed again and decided that the worst thing that
could happen was that he could laugh at her, and knowing Max, that would never
happen.
"Liz?" His voice startled her from her
contemplation and she blushed when she found that she had been staring at his
body while worrying about her next move. "Honey, you don’t have to…"
This brought her head up sharply. "No, I want
to, I’m just a bit…"
"Shy?" he provided with a tender smile. Did
she have any idea how sexy she looked to him, standing at his feet with a soft
blush creeping over her face and neck? His chest constricted from the force of
his feelings for this girl. This is why he wanted her so much, because she was
such a tantalizing blend of innocent and temptress. He sat up, desperate to get
his arms around her and hug the breath out of her.
This snapped Liz out of her moment of nervousness.
"Hey! Get back down, Mister."
He lay back down slowly, suddenly unbearably exited.
He watched with heavy eyelids as Liz crawled onto the bed and swiped her long
hair over one shoulder so it spilled down in a beautiful chocolate waterfall.
And suddenly he knew what she was going to do. Oh god!
Liz ran her hands over his feet and calves
unhurriedly, letting her fingers shape him. She looked up at Max who was
clutching the sheets already, his face a study in suppressed hunger. He was
watching her every move avidly, like he couldn’t bear to miss one second of her
seduction. She knelt next to him and bent over, her hair sliding over his skin
as she trailed her lips over him. She moved up at a leisurely pace until her
lips reached the sensitive skin of his hip.
A sound, something between a groan and a moan, was
torn from Max when Liz’s hair fleetingly caressed his arousal. His hands were
reaching for her before he even realized it. He pulled her up to his mouth
urgently, fusing his lips to hers and kissing her hard. He was losing control
at an alarming rate… a frightening rate. He squeezed his eyes shut, pulling
back from her and taking deep breaths. This was too much. If this went on, he
would hurt Liz.
"Look at me, Max," Liz instructed him in a
firm voice. She had heard every thought that just went through his head. He
didn’t respond immediately, so she cupped his face and forced it up towards
hers. Kissing him tenderly on each eyelid, she ordered again: "Open you
eyes."
Max did so reluctantly, still desperately trying to
get himself under control. He blinked when he saw the unconditional love
shining in her eyes.
"Stop this," she said softly. "You
will never hurt me."
"Liz…"
She leant closer to his mouth. "I love making
you lose control. It doesn’t happen often enough. Being a bit rough sometimes
is fine with me." She straddled his hips and started sliding downwards,
her hair drifting over his chest like soft silk, causing goosebumps on his
flesh and tremors in his muscles. Dipping her tongue into his navel, she met
his gaze: "Let go, Max. It’s allowed…" Then she moved lower.
Max arched off the bed involuntarily. The feeling of
her mouth and that hair that has bewitched him for so long, caressing him so
intimately was causing an explosion of lust in his body. His mind grappled to
contain all the desires he felt as she used her hair to outline and trace every
inch of him. He was shaking with the force of desire coursing through him.
"Turn over…" By now, Max was in no state to
resist and he meekly complied. His hands curled into fists on the pillows as
his mind’s eye conjured up images of what she looked like while tantalizing
him. He heard the rustle of clothes as Liz undressed, only to return to sliding
her body and her hair over him, from the backs of his thighs to his shoulders.
Strands of her hair spilled over his cheek and into his mouth when she finally
lay stretched out fully on his back. He dragged air into his lungs with great
effort, hearing his own panting echo loudly in the room.
She nuzzled his ear, snaking her tongue out to trace
its contours and he groaned again, starting to twist around so he could get to
her. She stopped him with gentle but firm hands. "Not yet…"
Desperate. Liz wanted him desperate and completely
out of control. She wanted him to do the worst thing he could to her so she
could prove to him that he would never treat her badly. That even when he lost
control, he would still treat her like with love. So she wriggled a bit lower,
until she could press her face between his shoulder blades. Even his back is
sexy… It was a stray thought. She ran her hands over his arms, feeling the
muscles strain as he tried to keep himself still. Curling one hand around his
right bicep, she moved the other until she could slip her index finger into his
mouth. Making a small sound when he swirled his tongue around it, she took
turns with her other fingers, allowing him to wet each one in turn. Trailing a
wet path from his mouth, she let her fingers drift down his side before sliding
her hand between his body and the bed. Max moved slightly to allow her access.
Her hand found the ridges on his stomach, but that was not her target. As her
hand found his arousal, she nipped his shoulder blade with her teeth before
smoothing the little mark over with her tongue.
Max was close to having a heart-attack. Her touch was
driving him insane and to feel her warm body lying flush on his back, with her
hair drifting lightly over his sensitized skin, was just making it worse. Yes,
he always wanted her, but this was…
He grabbed hold of her one arm to hold her steady as
he rolled over. It was such a swift move that Liz only registered the change
when she was settled on his chest, her hips trapped between his thighs. She
stared at the dazed look in his eyes with astonishment. He looked… primal.
He was close to the edge, Max realized. He needed to
give himself time to recover marginally… But as he watched, Liz licked her lips
and moved lower, her hair obscuring her actions. Max lost it then, completely.
He jerked her up, turning her on her back and entered her with a driving force
just this side of violence. He dimly heard her cry out his name, but his body
was beyond his mind’s control. He dragged her legs around his hips and braced
one hand on the bed as the other gripped her rear, lifting her into each
thrust. He had no idea what he was doing, he only knew he had to get inside her
as deeply and completely as he could. Until their bodies were meshed into one.
That’s what he wanted, for her to become a part of him. Liz was scratching his
back, making keening sounds that only increased his desire. The explosion that
slammed into him nearly caused him to black out and it took a few minutes for
his head to clear. Liz was shuddering in his arms, their bodies seemingly
locked into place from the intensity of what just happened. Max wrenched his
head up, urgently searching Liz’s face for any sign that she was hurt or upset.
He found her arched backwards in abandon over his arm, her eyes closed in
complete ecstasy and her breath racing from her lungs.
"Liz…Oh god, I…"
She opened her eyes with difficulty to meet his
anxious gaze. "Oh Max, that was… incredible!"
That floored him.
He finally let go of her bottom, laying her back down
on the bed gently, but Liz refused to unlock her legs from around him.
"Stay with me…"
"I’ll crush you."
"No you won’t."
But he moved them until they lay on their sides,
their heads sharing one pillow. Liz pouted as he moved out of her. Running his
fingers through her hair, his eyes avoided hers. "I-I don’t know what came
over—"
She cupped his cheeks and forced him to look at her.
"You lost control. And it was awesome." His eyes flickered away from
hers again. "And I didn’t break in two. In fact, you nearly made me see
stars." She realized how that sounded. "I don’t mean the normal
flashes you give me… Max! I didn’t see any flashes! Did you?"
"No," he said wonderingly, "but I was
so out of it, I don’t think I would’ve noticed." He looked at her closely.
"Are you sure you’re okay?"
There was only one option to that question.
"Connect with me. Find out for yourself."
His hands shook as he placed them on her face. The
connection was instantaneous, a mere widening of the link that already existed
between them. Her ecstasy washed over him in a wave, covering him with her
glory in the way he had completely lost himself in her. He took a deep
shuddering breath, relief and profound gratitude flooding over him for finding
her. Liz. His other half. "God, Liz…"
Tears welled in Liz’s eyes as he rubbed his lips
gently over hers. They shared long, deep, tender kisses that spoke of a love
found only rarely in this universe. I love you, she told him over and over in
her mind.
Afterwards, he pulled her into his side and she lay
her head on his shoulder, throwing her leg and arm over him. He picked up her
hand, lacing their fingers together. He rubbed his hand over her empty ring
finger. "So have you thrown my ring down the drain already?" he asked
amused.
Liz’s sharp intake of breath sounded loud in the
silent room. "I took it off to shower earlier and then…" She looked
up at him in concern. "I’m sorry, Max! It’s just… I’m not used to wearing
it on my finger yet since I can’t really wear it to school, so…"
He kissed her forehead. "Don’t panic. I knew you
left it in the bathroom. I’m just pulling your leg."
They lay quietly for a few minutes, before Liz asked
the question that had been burning in her mind all morning. "So, are you
going to tell me what made you so weird with me earlier?"
Max swallowed. Damn.
Liz lifted herself on one
elbow, looking down at Max. He had literally frozen after her question.
"Max?"
After a long silence, he spoke so softly that Liz had
to strain to hear him. "That Sunday, when you came to me… When Tess had
been there..."
Nodding in encouragement, Liz thought back to the
telephone conversation they had the next evening about Tess’ appearance in his
room and her subsequent disappearance from Roswell. She remembered Max had been
so disgusted by the whole thing that he only gave her the barest details of
what had happened. He had worried more about the fact that Tess had apparently
been under the impression that Liz was pregnant and what that would mean for
Liz’s safety. As a result, Nick had been instructed to never leave her side.
That had only ended when Max was sure that both Tess and Nacedo had seemingly
disappeared off the face of the earth.
He finally looked at her, his eyes filled with
torture. "Liz, she made me dream about you. I wanted to do things… I-I
was… dreaming of using you in… such horrible ways. Ways that would hurt you…
demean—"
She stopped his desperate rambling with a tender
kiss. "It wasn’t YOUR dream, Max," she whispered against his lips.
"Those things weren’t coming from inside you. They never would." She
trailed her fingers over his cheekbone and lips.
He watched her intently, and as he did, it felt like
a huge weight was lifting off his shoulders. It left him almost dizzy with relief
and wonder about how deep Liz’s trust in him went. He curled her body against
his, holding her tightly and whispered in her ear: "I used to dream about
you loving me back, but it was nothing as amazing as this. As reality."
They spent the rest of the day in the room, watching
a movie on TV, talking and finally lying in the bath together for about
half-an-hour before having to go out to dinner with Diane.
Dinner was a fun affair, especially after Diane made
a comment about how nice it was to see the sparkle back in Max’s eyes. Liz had
had to put her ring back around her neck, because they wanted to wait until
close to graduation before telling their parents about their engagement. They
chatted about the course and Diane’s case, as well as what to do for Michael’s
birthday that was coming up.
Afterwards, when Diane had left, Max and Liz bought
ice-cream and went for a walk, looking in shop windows while holding hands. Max
felt profoundly grateful again for the sense of normalcy his life currently
had. No alien wars to be fought, no unwanted destiny hanging over their heads,
no FBI hunters on their tails… just him and Liz, being a family.
He made love to her so tenderly back in their room
that Liz had tears in her eyes when it was over. They fell asleep with Liz
tucked tightly into Max’s body, her back against his chest and his arm draped
around her waist. They were both tired after the physically draining night and
the emotionally draining day they had, and being back in each other’s arms
meant a good night’s sleep for both of them for a change.
Liz went out and bought them some bagels and coffee
for breakfast while Max was still sleeping on Sunday morning. He was flying out
again around lunch and she wanted this to be a private little breakfast for two.
When she got back to the room, Max was in the shower.
She smiled to herself. Time to surprise him! She
pulled off her clothes and sneaked into the bathroom to jerk open the shower
curtain. Max stood waiting for her with a smirk and Liz belatedly realized that
he had probably known the minute she had arrived in the room. This connection
could be really annoying sometimes!
He lifted her in with him and kissed her soundly.
"Have I told you you look cute when you pout?"
She smiled up at him. "Does that mean that you
will kiss me again if I pout some more?"
He bent his head again and teased her mouth with
light little touches of his lips. "Hmmm, I never need an excuse to kiss
you." He swiped his tongue across her lower lip, making her gasp. You just
breathing is sexy to me." "I brought breakfast," she said when
he moved to kiss her again. "I don’t care…" he replied, sweeping her
up and proceeding to ravish her thoroughly.
After breakfast, consisting of the bagels and the
coffee that Max had heated again with his hand, they settled next to each other
on the floor to catch up on some urgent school work they had to finish for
Monday. Liz lay on her stomach, chewing a pen and Max ended up lying with his
head on the small of her back, reading the next chapter of his English
assignment. Even doing homework together was a tradition for them. They were
both serious about studying and had gotten used to working together in a
companionable silence.
A little later, Max came back from the bathroom and
smiled when he saw that Liz had fallen asleep on her book. He picked her up
gently and put her on the bed, brushing her hair from her face.
His tender touches woke Liz from her doze and she
blinked up at him sleepily. "How long before we have to leave for the
airport?"
He glanced at the bedside clock, already feeling a
bit melancholy at the thought of leaving her again. "About three
hours."
Turning over on her back, Liz looked up at him
seriously. "Could you kiss me until then?"
He nodded and bent towards her mouth, but she stopped
him. "I meant kiss me… all over, Max." She stared up into his eyes,
underscoring her request with the need in her gaze.
Kiss her all over? Hell yes! Liz was always beautiful
to him, but Liz looking all tousled and sleepy just sent him into overdrive. It
still freaked him out sometimes. Liz Parker, the girl he had loved from afar
for all of his life, was now a permanent resident in his bed. Not only that,
she made love with him every chance she got. During those first few months in
their new apartment, Max made a point of watching Liz sleep and wake up. He
loved the way she looked in the mornings, her hair tangled around her and her
face slightly flushed and more often than not, she still showed signs of having
made love with him sometime during the night. The sight always took his breath
away.
Liz sat up to allow him to undress her. He did it
carefully, as if he were unwrapping a present. He felt her dark eyes on him as he
bent to the task and her gaze never left him, even after he had laid her back
down, bare to his eyes. Only then did he meet her gaze and purposely let her
see his feelings in his eyes. You are so beautiful.
When his lips touched hers softly, Liz sighed and
closed her eyes. "Max…" It wasn’t a question or a plea, just a
statement of fact. She felt him move his mouth over her face and neck, moving
lower and lower as he traced every inch of her with his lips. His touches were
tender and light, making her shiver with delight. And when they finally came
together much later, they stared into each other’s eyes. Each watching every
emotion and sensation on the other’s face. The flashes were of their quiet
moments together this time, moments that reaffirmed their love and commitment.
Later, they packed Max’s stuff and phoned for a cab.
Just before they left the room, Max turned to Liz and took her face in his
hands. "I love you," he said and kissed her eyelids, her cheeks and
her forehead.
She threw her arms around his neck and rubbed her
nose against his. "And I love you. Always."
Max grabbed his backpack and slung it over his
shoulder and took her hand as they left for the lobby. Inside the elevator, he
hugged her close to his side and rested his cheek on the top of her head. The
elevator stopped on the 32nd floor to let in the older couple that rode up with
them the day Max had arrived. The couple smiled at them before turning around
to watch the floor numbers go by.
Liz felt Max grin and she blushed. Wow, they had
really been out of control when he first arrived! She stiffened when Max
started rubbing his hand over her hip, moving closer to her breast all the
time. She jerked back and gave him a stern look, but he just grinned at her
innocently. "Just teasing you, sweetheart," he whispered in her ear.
Liz felt a tug at her heart at the thought that he was leaving again. At least
this time she was only sad, not as inconsolable as she had been last week. She
idly wondered if it had to do with the fact that Tess was gone and she didn’t
have to worry about Max this time.
They were quiet in the cab on the way to the airport,
just snuggling together as closely as they could. When they arrived, Nick was
waiting with Diane and his face was grim. Liz felt Max tense up next to her and
wondered what was wrong now.
"Hi Max, Liz," Nick said. He always managed
to look like he was battling not to bow when he greeted Max, Liz thought.
"We need to talk."
Max just nodded and went to book in his stuff before
they went to a coffee shop. After they had all been settled in with a cup of
coffee, Nick started softly. "I have news about Tess and Nacedo." His
statement was met with silence, so he continued. "They left earth."
"What?!" Diane cried.
Max’s grip on Liz’s hand tightened. "How? Where
did they go?"
"We’re not sure. We think maybe they went to
Eric’s planet. Ours was destroyed and there are only four more that are
inhabited as far as we know." He paused before continuing: "I guess
they could’ve gone to any of the four. All we know is that Nacedo was contacted
and they were picked up in Frazier Woods early last Monday morning."
"So what exactly does this mean for us?"
Max asked.
Nick sighed. "I’m not sure yet. They are gone
for good, I would guess. But…" He met Max’s gaze. "But it may also
mean that these other races now know you are still on earth. Alive."
Glancing at Liz, Max said: "There isn’t much we
can do about that now. We just have to stay careful."
Nodding, Nick also met Liz’s worried eyes:
"Don’t worry, I have people working on trying to find out where they are.
And what they are doing…"
The boarding call for Max and Diane’s flight was
announced and everyone walked to the exit. Max stopped Nick as Liz and Diane
were saying good-bye. "Please talk to everyone. If anyone wants to leave
earth, now that it’s possible, they are free to go."
Nick smiled at Max. "It was always possible for
us to go to any planet we liked. We chose to be here, with you."
Liz came up to join Max and Nick left with Diane to
give them a few moments alone. They hugged tightly, before Liz pulled back.
"Max… If-if you need to go… I mean—"
He grabbed her face in his hands. "I’m not ever
going anywhere without you. Don’t even think that!" He kissed her,
promising his love with his touches.
They clung to each other until Max finally tore
himself away and walked off with his hands in his pockets and his head bent.
God, was it ever going to become easier to leave her?
Liz wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched him.
She was turning into a real cry baby! Nick joined her and they went to watch
the plane take off into the blue sky. Pressing her hand against the glass
window, Liz sent a silent prayer to the machine that was carrying Max away from
her so swiftly: "Please get him home safely, he is my everything…"
**
I’m finally going home! Sitting on the plane next to
Nick, Liz reflected on the past week. Monday had been utter hell of course. The
story about her "hottie" boyfriend and her uninhibited behavior
around him had done the rounds and she suddenly found herself the center of
attraction in the class. The girls wanted to know everything about Max and
those that had seen him gushed endlessly about how sexy he was. Liz wanted to
knock their teeth out, he was hers and they shouldn’t be talking about him like
that! She even contemplated putting her ring back on to shut them up, but the
idea of ruining the surprise for her friends and family stopped her.
The guys… well, they apparently just wanted HER now.
‘We didn’t know you were such a warm-blooded babe, Liz!’ She ignored them for
the most part, but she could see that Nick got annoyed with all the little
comments and cautioned him not to do anything about it. He gave her a look that
said Max would have a fit about this if he knew, but left it there.
Luckily the course had gotten more intense as the
week progressed and everyone reverted to studying almost non-stop. The best
candidate from the course would get a college scholarship for the first year
and it was a sweet incentive indeed. Liz ended up just missing the prize but
she was proud of herself anyway. Not as much as Nick though, who had
immediately phoned Max to spill about her wonderful course grades. Liz looked
at him indulgently. He was acting more like a big brother every day.
Nick grinned back at her. He had a lot to be happy
about. He was delivering Liz back to Max safely, for which he was eternally
grateful. Awful things always seemed to happen to one of them when Max and Liz
were apart and he never wanted to be the person to tell Max Evans something was
wrong with his Liz. But here they were going home, Liz was fine and he could
just imagine Max pacing with anticipation in the arrival’s hall of the
Albuquerque airport right now!
His smile vanished as he contemplated the whole mess
with Nacedo and Tess. They haven’t been able to find them yet, but it was
difficult when they had to rely on members of the other races for information.
He couldn’t really risk sending out a lot of communications since that would
only alert other aliens of his group here on earth. And earth was not ready to
hear that an alien King and some of his people had been living among them for a
while! Nick decided to only talk to Max or Liz after he had something concrete
to report. They needed to live normally for as long as they could.
He would also not tell either Max or Liz about the
guy he intercepted in front of Liz’s room one night. One of her classmates who
decided to come find out if Liz was as hot as everyone told him. Nick had been tempted
to rough the guy up a little, Liz WAS the mate of his leader after all, but in
the end, he settled for scaring the living daylights out of the guy.
Afterwards, he couldn’t help thinking that his race’s strategy of bonding a
male and female sometime during puberty was maybe not such a bad idea. It cut
out a lot of this macho fighting over one woman.
Max sat in the airport with his hands clasped between
his knees, looking outwardly calm when he was anything but. Liz was coming
home! He had left his four friends in the middle of decorating Michael’s
apartment (much to Michael’s disgust) for a homecoming party that would take
place later tonight. But first, he was taking Liz home to their apartment for a
private homecoming celebration.
After he came back from Boston last Sunday night, he
had moved back into the apartment. With Tess gone and knowing that there was
only a week left before Liz returned, he felt like facing the empty apartment
again. He had needed to feel Liz’s presence around him and having her things
all over the place, her scent permeating all the rooms, helped a little when
missing her got too much to bear. It also helped when he started finding little
notes she left him all over the place. Stuff like: I’m missing hearing your
voice right now and You’re the love of my life were scribbled on little pieces
of paper in Liz’s meticulous handwriting. He found them in his underwear and
socks, in the coffee can, inside some of his notebooks… They made him smile and
love her even more. Not all were so innocent and romantic though, and these
made him ache to hold her again.
School had seemed empty without her. He missed
meeting her at her locker or just hearing her voice. Not that he was allowed
much time to himself. Maria and Michael were all over him and he couldn’t
remember seeing so many movies in one week in his life. Only after he pleaded
that he needed time to study, did they allow him a night alone.
The plane touched down with a soft bump and Liz had
to fight down the urge to jump and run through all the people to get to Max.
Stay calm, she cautioned herself. She thought she was doing well until Nick
handed her her carry-on luggage from the overhead compartment and she realized
her hands were shaking. It seemed to take forever to walk off the plane. Liz
felt close to hyperventilating and she had to remind herself to breathe
normally as she followed the queue of disembarking passengers. However, all
rational thought flew out of the window when she caught sight of Max, waiting
just inside the arrival hall door for her, his hands in his pockets. Their eyes
met first, sending each other messages over the space that still existed
between them. The next moment she was in his arms, being held tightly against
his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face closer
into his throat. Her heart was singing: I’m home! I’m home! I’m home! Home was
in Max Evans’ arms… wherever he was.
"Wow, I missed you!" His voice was rough in
her ear and he still did not let her out of his arms. "I’m so proud of
you." They weren’t kissing, but just stood clasped in a tight embrace for
endless minutes until Max finally noticed Nick standing off to the side.
"Hey Nick. Welcome back."
Liz could hear the rumble of Max’s voice under her
ear and nothing had ever sounded so sweet. She twisted around in Max’s arms and
beamed a brilliant smile at Nick. "I don’t know how to thank you. For
looking out for me these two weeks."
"Me either," Max added. His eyes told Nick
everything he didn’t want to say in front of Liz. Thank you for keeping her
safe. Thank you for bringing her back.
"Well, I’m off. My wife hasn’t seen me in a
week!" Nick picked up his bags. "Take care, you two," he said
before disappearing to where he had left his car.
Max turned Liz back to face him and cupped her cheeks
with his hands. His eyes traced her features for a long time, until Liz curled
her fingers into his sweater and tugged him closer. "A kiss would be good
now!"
He was grinning against her lips: "Minx!"
The kiss was tender and full of love, their mouths fitting together perfectly.
It lasted for long breathless minutes before Max lifted his head and said:
"Let’s go home."
He took her hand and grabbed her luggage before
steering her outside to the Jeep. The ride home was lengthy and Liz twisted
around in her seat so she could watch him drive. Being away from him for almost
two weeks made her appreciate simple pleasures like this again. Max kept
flashing smiles at her and touching her when driving allowed it. So finally,
Liz gave up trying to stay away from him and maneuvered herself so she could
lie with her head on his thigh. It was glorious to feel the heat of his skin
through his khaki pants and she rubbed her hand over his leg, just enjoying
being close to him again.
Max brushed her hair from her face tenderly until his
fingers could skim over the soft skin of her face. She was just perfect to him.
Tiny and beautiful and wonderful and perfect. His Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was late afternoon when they got home and Max took
her up to say hi to her parents first. They were overjoyed to see her back in
one piece, not to mention beaming with pride because she did so well during the
course. Max hung back to allow them some time together and watched indulgently
as she dug small gifts for her mom and dad from her bags. They promised to have
lunch together the next day and Liz walked back into Max’s embrace before
turning to say good-bye. Her mom had tears in her eyes again, but she just
waved them off when they asked about it. "I’m fine. Go."
When Max and Liz had left the apartment, Nancy turned
to her husband. "She’s grown up, Jeff! She doesn’t need me anymore."
Jeff just held her and refrained to mention that Liz had apparently stopped
needing them as soon as Max Evans had entered her life. He was used to Nancy’s
bouts of sadness because Liz was not her little girl anymore. He felt the same
way. It was hard watching his little princess look at another man like he was
the center of her universe. And he tried not to think too much about the fact
that Max was all too intimate with Liz. He was just happy that they hadn’t lost
Liz completely during all the craziness that took place last summer.
Downstairs, Max picked Liz up to carry her into the
apartment, making her laugh delightedly. A laugh that turned into a surprised
gasp when she saw the bunches of flowers that adorned the small apartment. They
were everywhere, in the kitchen, the bedroom and even in the bathroom. She
swung around to Max who was clearly enjoying her reaction. He held open his arms
and she flung herself into his chest. "I love you! You are the sweetest
man alive!"
"Welcome home," he whispered against her
hair, holding her tightly.
Finally moving away, he took her hand and led her
into the bedroom. He reached out and took the ring from her neck, sliding it
from its chain before slipping it onto her finger. Lifting her hand, he kissed
the finger with the ring on. "I wish you could wear this already," he
said wistfully.
"Me too." She leaned closer to him,
silently asking him to kiss her.
He caught her face in his hands, resting his forehead
against hers. "Liz, I-I want to take it slow right now. I want to feel
every second of being with you, so don’t make it impossible for me, okay?"
Smiling she stepped into his body and looked up at
him through her eyelashes. "Are you saying that I could make it impossible
for you?"
"Yes!" he groaned, grabbing her hips and
moving her back a bit. "You know very well you can drive me completely
insane if you want to, so please… just let me do this."
Seeing that he was completely serious, Liz nodded her
acquiescence. And she wasn’t sorry. For Max undressed her slowly before running
his hands and his mouth over every inch of her skin. He kept the pace of their
lovemaking languid and tender in spite of her pleas and it all built to a
wonderful explosion for both of them. Liz ended up lying boneless and
completely satisfied in his arms, wondering again what she had done to deserve
this.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The party with all of their friends later that night
was fun, mostly because Michael kept grumbling about how the girls had turned
his apartment into something from a freak-show carnival for which Maria smacked
him every time. Liz had to tell stories of Boston and of her course mates and
Maria regaled everyone on the latest embarrassing gossip going around school.
Liz watched as they consumed all the pizza that was delivered and sighed. It
was good to be home.
~*~*~*~*~*~
They were jerked awake by loud knocking on their door
the next morning. "What the hell?" Max glared at the clock before
stumbling out of bed and yanking on some pants. "Stay here, love, I’ll go
see who it is." He gave Liz a quick kiss on her shoulder and left.
Liz, being Liz, didn’t follow orders, but grabbed her
robe and got up. When she arrived in the living room, she was just in time to
hear Nick saying: "I have news…"
Hearing Liz’s soft gasp, Max
turned to her and held out his hand. Liz rushed to his side, feeling his arm
drape across her shoulders as he pulled her into the warm comfort of his body.
Nick held up his hands. "Don’t worry! It’s good
news actually."
Max relaxed visibly and he hugged Liz closer
instinctively. "Is it about Tess and Nacedo?"
Nodding, Nick thrust his hands through his hair.
"Yes. I don’t think they meant to, but they’ve actually done us a huge
favor."
Max motioned Nick towards a chair in the living room
and sat down with Liz on his lap. He unconsciously rubbed his hand over her
back comfortingly.
"She told them that everyone from our race but
her and Nacedo had perished with the planet or in the subsequent crash here on
earth. She has convinced them that she is the only surviving royal and she is
being treated like a queen on Dendar."
"Dendar?" Max looked perplexed. "Is
that the planet where Eric and his people come from?"
"No. I guess I should explain better. I had
hoped we could put everything behind us after you and Eric made peace,
but…" He looked over Max’s shoulder in contemplation. "You see, there
are… WERE five planets in our solar system. Our planet, Antar, and Eric’s,
Tresar, were at war most of the time. The other three planets were always sort
of neutral, mostly due to the fact that they had no real natural resources that
were of value to us, so nobody bothered them. We assumed there were spies all
over the other three planets, so we decided to send you all to a planet no one
has ever heard of when the war came to a head. Earth was the only place we felt
certain you could be hidden for a long period of time without detection. When
Antar was destroyed, my group had to decide whether we would go to one of the
other three planets and claim refugee status or whether we would come here. We
came here in the hopes that you were still alive… and that we could find
you."
"But… can you leave? I mean…"
"No. Apparently your… I mean the Earth’s
atmosphere was… We could land, but our ship didn’t make it in an effort to
return to space. It was the same thing that happened to the ship you came
on."
"So how did Tess and Nacedo leave?" Max had
a crushing grip on Liz’s hand by now.
"I’m guessing that there is new technology by
now. That whoever contacted Nacedo from Dendar was able to pick them up in
Frazier Woods and leave again."
Max nodded. He was too stunned to speak. This was a
lot to take in.
It was Liz’s turn to slide a comforting hand over
Max’s shoulder now. "Uhm… Does that mean you guys are stuck here? Forever?
And that everyone thinks Max is… is dead?"
"Yeah. Essentially." Nick was watching Max
who was staring at the floor with an unreadable expression. "We have
people we can contact on Dendar now, if you want to…"
Max was shaking his head before Nick even finished.
"No. Let them think we are dead. That means they will stop looking for
us." He paused before continuing softly. "My planet’s name was
Antar?"
"Yes. It was a beautiful green planet, filled
with life. A little like earth in some places, I guess."
Max has lapsed deep into thought and Liz and Nick
give each other a knowing glance before Nick got up to leave. "I’ll see you
guys again soon. Good luck with going back to regular old West Roswell High,
Liz."
After seeing Nick out, Liz returned to find Max
leaning forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees. Climbing in behind his
back, Liz straddled his hips, slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her
cheek against his warm skin. "Are you okay?"
His fingers laced through hers as he sighed.
"It’s just weird, you know. My planet was always this… this far-off dream.
Hearing the name has made it more…"
"Real?" she asked, rubbing her face against
his bare back.
"Yeah."
Liz wrapped her legs around his waist, enveloping him
with herself as completely as she could. "What can I do?"
He was quiet for a long time. "Just-just be you.
And be with me."
"Always." She kissed the indentation of his
spine and felt some of the tenseness leave his muscles. "Max… You know you
should probably… discuss this with Michael and Isabel." She was almost
afraid to mention this. What if Michael decided that he wanted to go? What if
they all went to this other planet to see what it’s like?
Max tugged at her arm. "Come here," he
commanded. She moved around until she was straddling his lap. He cupped her
face and stated: "You KNOW I will not leave you here. If the others want
to go, we’ll go. All of us." He looked at her for a few more seconds
before he kissed her sweetly. Their lips clung together as their tongues dueled
and danced for a few endless moments. His voice was rough when he spoke against
her mouth: "Now can I stop pretending that I don’t notice you aren’t
wearing anything under this robe?"
Grinning, Liz wiggled in his lap. "I noticed you
noticed!" She ran a hand over his face. "I’m sorry about just now.
I-I just can’t be without you."
"I feel the same way, so I guess we can stop badgering
ourselves about it. We’re never going to be apart again for long periods, I
won’t allow it." He slid his hands under the edges of her robe, parting it
and baring her to his eyes.
Liz clutched at his shoulders, her head falling back
and exposing her neck to him. His lips descended on her throat, nipping and
licking at her skin until she sighed with pleasure. "You should…
probably-probably call… Michael and…"
"Later," he mumbled against her, his breath
feathering over her heated skin. "Much later…"
~*~*~*~*~*~
They finally called a meeting with the others late
the afternoon. Lunch with Liz’s parents had dragged past for Liz. She was truly
worried about especially Michael’s reaction to the news of the possibility of
visiting the other planets.
Everyone sat around Liz and Max’s living room like
they have so many times before. But it felt different this time. There was
tension in the air.
Liz ran around bringing everyone sodas until Max
finally put an end to her restlessness by grabbing her hand and pulling down
next to him. They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment before Max
turned to the other four.
Watching Max as he quietly but firmly explained what
happened to Tess and Nacedo and that the possibility existed that they could
visit these other planets if they wanted, Liz couldn’t help but be impressed
with him. He had an inner strength that was inspiring to watch. Liz wondered at
the fact that he was so… intact, in spite of the insanity that had taken place
around him for most of his life. He had remained the gentle soul that she first
got to know so long ago. But now she knew that underneath that gentle exterior
ran a vein of steel. He absolutely deserved to be the king of an entire race.
This stray thought made Liz’s heart stop in her chest. He deserved so much more
than a mundane life here on earth. A life with an ordinary human wife, a white
picket fence and a boring office job…
As the odd gasp indicated, Max had his little
audience’s complete attention as he relayed all he knew. Observing the
reactions of everyone, it became clear to Liz that this afternoon was going to
have a definite impact on the group. Michael was starting to clench his jaw
while Maria was sending little worried looks at him. Alex sat with a stunned
look on his face and Isabel’s eyes were filling with tears. Liz unconsciously
moved closer to Max and he put his arm around her to fit her to his side.
"We need to discuss what we want to do,"
Max said as he met everyone’s gaze in turn. "Iz?"
"I don’t know. I don’t think I can decide that
right now…. I need to think about it first."
Max nodded. "Michael?"
Michael stared at the floor before glancing at Maria
quickly. "I need time too."
"Maria?"
Maria seemed a bit surprised that Max would want her
opinion too. "I…" She looked at Michael. "I can understand it if
you want to go find out more about the other planets. I-I could support
that." Her voice was soft at the end.
Giving her a small encouraging smile, Max looked at
Alex.
"Hey, travelling through space? I could do that…
You know, if… you guys wanted me to go." He avoided looking at anyone in
particular.
Hugging Liz harder, Max answered for both of them.
"We would rather not go right now. They think we are dead, so we have time
to be normal for a while. We could finish school first and maybe go later. I
don’t think this is a one time only opportunity." Max and Michael were
looking at each other now. "But if it’s really important to any of you
that we go soon, then we’ll go."
Liz held her breath to see if Michael was going to
fight Max about the way he was handling this whole thing, but it didn’t happen.
Instead, Michael got up and said to Maria: "Let’s go. We’ll talk about
this again later, Maxwell."
It was quiet after everyone had left and Liz busied
herself with tidying the living room. Max stood at the window, his hands shoved
deep into his pockets. When Liz finally joined him, his beautiful hazel eyes
were solemn. "I’m going to ask you this for the last time." He took
her hands in his. "I know you love me. But… I thought things were going to
be normal from now on. That you and I will have the future we’ve always dreamed
of. But Liz, I-I don’t think that is going to happen. There is always going to
be something that crops up." His gaze wavered from her steady one.
"Are you really prepared for everything that will result from being with
me? To give up on so much? To have no security about the future? To maybe go to
some strange planet without your family…"
Her smile made him falter.
"Yes," she answered simply.
"Liz…" he sounded dubious.
"Yes, Max," she stated more firmly. Moving
closer to him, she speared her fingers through his hair. "You matter more
to me than any of those things you mentioned. And the only security for the
future I need is that you will continue to love me. And you will, I know
that."
"Yes!" he said fiercely. "Yes, I
will."
Hearing his vow ringing in her ears, Liz buried her
face in his chest and felt his arms wrap around her. Please give me strength to
never disappoint this man! she prayed silently.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After that, things went back to normal. They went to
school, they studied, wrote exams and went to the movies. It was like everyone
had tacitly agreed not to discuss the possibility of leaving the planet again.
However, as the weeks progressed, Max and Liz realized they had a much more
immediate problem to deal with. One that had nothing to do with alien destinies
or interplanetary travel. No, it was very much a teenagers-living-on-earth
problem. And for once, it was one that alien powers couldn’t solve…
Max found Liz in front of
her locker. She had been back from Boston for months now, but midterms were
taking up most of their time and they hardly saw each other. Even though they shared
an apartment and a bed, they haven’t really had time to talk lately. Most
nights one of them fell asleep while the other was still studying, so quality
time together had been scarce and they were both starting to feel it.
"Hey sweetheart," Max said as he reached
her and slipped his arms around her waist. Liz leaned back into his chest
immediately. "How did the exam go?"
She sighed. "Fine, I guess."
Rubbing his cheek against hers, he smiled. His Liz
always sounded like this after an exam only to get the highest marks in the
class when the results came out. "I miss you," his voice was low and
raspy.
Liz spun around in his embrace, lifting her arms
around his neck. "Me too!"
Max had to reign in his impulse to swoop down on her
mouth and plunder her lips. They were still in school and were trying not to
cause any more problems for themselves or their parents until Liz turned 18
too. Which, thankfully, was soon. But he couldn’t keep himself from kissing her
softly for few seconds, trying not to let things get out of control. Liz made a
soft sound against his mouth and he felt the answering kick of desire in his
gut.
When he pulled away, he noticed one of the teachers
standing at the other end of the hall watching them. As soon as the teacher saw
that Max was looking at her, she turned and walked off. Max frowned,
remembering that the teachers had started to show more than a passing interest
in him and Liz before she went on course. He moved his hands away from Liz and
shoved them into his pockets. Why could they not just be left alone? It was not
as if their grades were bad or anything!
Liz was blinking up at him, disorientated by his
sudden withdrawal. "What’s wrong. Max?"
"The teachers… We have to be careful, Liz."
Seeing her face fall, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear tenderly.
"Just for a little while still, okay?"
She nodded mutely. She was getting so sick of being
in school and having to explain to people about her and Max. Just a few more
weeks, then she would be 18 too and they could stop worrying about authority
figures paying them too much attention…
~*~*~*~*~*~
***TWO WEEKS LATER***
Everyone was at the Evans’ except Liz. Max had called
a secret meeting to discuss the plans for Liz’s 18th birthday. She had managed
to surprise him with a small gathering for his birthday, and he intended to
make hers special as well. Also, this party would mean the end of them hiding
the true nature of their relationship to everyone. He planned to tell the
others about the engagement then before going public with it.
The last two weeks had been hell. It was clear that
they had become the target of an investigation and Max had taken to sneaking
around in the middle of the night again. He hated it. He hated that Liz had to
move back into her old bedroom and that he was staying in their apartment
alone. He hated having to climb up her fire escape in the middle of the night
to be with her and he hated that they had to organize times to see each other.
Having sex with Liz in the room next to where her parents were sleeping was not
fun. It put a severe cramp in their relationship and he took to dragging Liz
off to the apartment only to take her back again later when he wanted to be
alone with her. They were both starting to feel the effects of too little sleep.
Only one more week, he promised himself…
"Maxwell!" Michael’s voice interrupted his
thoughts. "Could you get back from Planet Liz so we can finish your latest
little scheme, please? And where is the lovely Miss Liz anyway?"
Max stilled for a moment, remembering the last time
when Michael had accused him of being on Planet Liz. It had been moments before
Jans had abducted him into that underground bunker, making Liz think that he
was dead. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the memory. It still hurt
when he remembered how afraid he had been that Liz would give up on life… to be
with him. "She’s with her Bio teacher. They’re discussing her college
plans."
This caught the attention of their parents.
"Have you guys decided your college plans yet?"
Max hesitated. He had received the letters from
Harvard yesterday and he intended to surprise Liz with hers on her birthday.
"Yeah, we have…"
"And?" "And we’re both going to
Harvard."
This announcement led to pandemonium. All the parents
bore down on Max, hugging him while getting emotional about how wonderful their
children were.
Max finally had to put a stop to it all by holding up
his hands. "Please! Liz doesn’t know yet. I want to surprise her with her
letter. She got a scholarship to study molecular biology."
"She did?" Nancy burst into tears again.
"What are you going to do, son?" Philip was
looking at Max.
"I’m going to study medicine. I want to get into
medical research…" Max had thought long and hard about what he wanted to
do with his life. He had talked to Liz about it for hours. He never really
thought about his future much until this last year. Together, they had decided
that Max was better off not becoming an actual doctor, too much chance of him
getting into situations where he might want to use his powers. Instead, Max
would get into research into incurable diseases since that would allow him to
remain true to his healing nature without him having to have too much contact
with other people. Max was actually starting to get exited about going to
college. He was still working on a few details, like where they would live, but
he was already sure of one detail: Liz Parker would be Liz Evans before she
started her first class at Harvard!
After all the excitement had died down and they
finalized the plans for the little party for Liz, Max went home, hoping that
Liz wasn’t there yet so he wouldn’t have to explain his whereabouts. He found
the apartment empty and made his way through to the Crashdown, finding Maria in
the back putting on her apron. She smiled at him: "Better be careful,
lover boy, I see our guidance counselor out in the booths."
Cursing under his breath, Max looked out through the
window and sure enough, there was Mrs. Moore sitting primly at one of the
tables. When he turned back he surprised a solemn expression on Maria’s face.
"What’s wrong?"
"I-I’m just going to miss you and Lizzie when
you go off to college, that’s all…" She trailed off.
Max nodded. He had also wondered how they were all
going to cope with the group breaking up. They had gotten used to doing most
everything together and it would be strange to be without this support network
all the way out in Boston. He put his arm around Maria. "I know, we’ll
just have to make an effort to see each other regularly." But they both
knew it would never be the same again…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz bounced into the café a few minutes later, dying
to see Max and tell him about her afternoon with her teacher. However, she was intercepted
by Maria who quietly pointed out that now was NOT a good time for Liz to look
like she was running to the backroom for a secret rendezvous with a certain
dark-haired boyfriend of hers. Liz had to relent and went upstairs to her room.
Her phone was ringing when she got there.
"Hello?"
"Hey Liz." Max’s voice slid over her senses
like warm silk.
"Max! Where are you?"
"I’m at the UFO Museum. I wanted to ask my
girlfriend if she would like to have dinner with me at the Crashdown. Do you
think she would agree to that?"
"I don’t know," Liz answered with a smile
in her voice. "I hear there are teachers hanging out at that café lately
and maybe your girlfriend would want to do stuff to you that those teachers
shouldn’t see?"
"I know about the teachers. I thought maybe they
would stop being so suspicious if they saw me having dinner with my girlfriend
in a public place for a change?"
"Maybe…"
"I do intend being alone with her later, though.
But don’t tell her, it’s a surprise."
Liz pretended to think about it. "Hmmm, you
sound like a nice guy to date. It’s a pity you already have a girlfriend. Is
there any chance you might consider cheating on her with me?"
He chuckled. "That depends."
"On what?"
His voice lowered. "On whether you are as
beautiful, smart and sexy as she is."
"I think you might be surprised!"
"Meet me downstairs in 10 minutes? I’ll give you
my verdict then."
"Okay!" Liz was grinning when she put the
phone down. She dashed to her closet, throwing a skirt and blouse on her bed to
change into. For some silly reason this felt like a date. She and Max went out
every so often, but mostly their real dates were few and far between.
Especially with all the studying they’ve been doing lately…
When she arrived in the café in rush a few minutes
later, she saw Mrs. Moore chatting with her dad and Max in his usual booth. She
said a perfunctory ‘hi’ to the teacher and her father and went over to join
Max. He got up as she approached, his eyes sweeping over her appreciatively.
They kissed quickly, both aware of the teacher’s attention.
Max took both of her hands in his when she settled
across from him in the booth. "You are right, you are just as gorgeous and
sexy as my girlfriend."
Liz was squirming under his warm gaze. "Oh? And
what about smart?"
"Well, I’d need to talk to you for a bit to know
that, wouldn’t I?"
Liz glanced at the teacher, who was still sneaking
glances at them while drinking her coffee. "Max, this is horrible! I hate
having to hide like this."
"I know, sweetheart. But you’ll be legal soon
and then I’m giving up on any and all pretence." He rubbed his thumbs over
the backs of her hands. "I love you. We have coped with worse things than
this."
"I know. I’m sorry." His caresses on her
hands grew softer, more sensual, as his eyes traced the contours of her face.
Liz felt herself flush and she licked her lips instinctively.
This caused Max’s eyes to turn a shade darker as they
fixed on her moist mouth. "When was the last time I kissed you?"
"I-I think very… early this morning?"
He moved his fingers onto her wrist, feeling her
pulse race under his touch. "Liz…"
They were interrupted by a throat being cleared
loudly next to them. Maria still had the worst timing ever.
"Hi, I’m Maria and I will be your waitress
tonight. Can I get you some drinks?" It was clear that she had a hard time
not laughing.
When both Max and Liz just stared at her, she put her
notepad away. "Oh-kay! So I’ll come back later. But you two should really
get a room, you are making the other patrons jealous!"
They looked at each other and smiled when Maria left.
"I thought we’d get better if we lived together," Max said ruefully.
"Yeah, me too. But unfortunately I now know that
you even look sexy brushing your teeth!" Liz grinned at Max’s embarrassment.
He recovered quickly. "Please don’t make my mind
go to images of you in a towel! I’m desperately trying to keep my cool
here."
Liz tangled her feet with his under the table, making
Max gasp. "I like you when you’re not—"
"Miss Parker? Could I speak with you for a few
minutes?" The voice belonged to Mrs. Moore.
Liz met Max’s gaze. She wondered how much of their
conversation the teacher had heard. "Uhm… Sure."
Max gave her hands a squeeze before she got up to
follow the teacher to the back room. He wished he could go with her to face
whatever this was.
Liz turned to Mrs. Moore when they were alone,
looking at her expectantly.
"I just talked to your father about you and Max
Evans," Mrs. Moore began. "And I think we have to straighten a few
things out…"
Max watched with a frown as
the teacher and Liz disappeared into the back. What was going on?
"Hey Max," Jeff sounded upbeat, but his
face turned serious when he saw Max’s look of concern. "What’s wrong?
Where’s Lizzie?"
Gesturing towards the back room, Max said: "That
teacher took her back there. What did she talk to you about?"
Jeff was frowning now. "She wanted to know if we
were aware of the fact that you two seemed too close. I told her that we were
well aware of how serious you two were about your relationship and that the
school should only concern itself with your grades."
The two most important men in Liz’s life shared a
look, before Max got up from the table. "Let’s go see what’s going
on…"
Relief flooded through Liz as the backroom door swung
open to reveal Max and Jeff, both with mirroring determined expressions.
Mrs. Moore blanched when she was faced with all three
of them.
"Is there a problem that I’m not aware of?"
Jeff asked her.
"Ah… no, I just wanted to make sure everything
was fine with Liz," Mrs. Moore replied.
Max took Liz’s hand in his, squeezing it in support.
"Everything is just wonderful, Mrs. Moore,"
Liz said quietly while moving closer to Max.
Jeff had had enough. "Mrs. Moore, I would
appreciate it if the school butts out of my children’s private lives. They are
doing exceptionally well in school and that is all that you need to worry
about. Trust me when I say that neither Max nor Liz has been hiding anything
about themselves from us or the Evans’. I trust them. Also, Max is already 18
and Liz will be 18 soon, so I guess what they do in their off time is up to
them. Surely you have better things to do than go around checking up on
students after hours?"
Both Max and Liz stared at Jeff in amazement. He
normally cannot be described as a vocal person and here he was telling off
their teacher!
Mrs. Moore seemed at a loss as to what to say to
Jeff. She gaped at all of them for a few seconds and then mumbled: "Well,
everything is fine then so I’ll… just leave."
Max hugged Liz against him when the teacher left with
Jeff in tow. "What do you say we kick this dive and go home? To OUR
home," he whispered in her ear.
Nodding against his shoulder, Liz inhaled his scent
deeply. She loved being close to him and being able to smell him. It was such a
unique Max scent: warm, exotic, exiting and sexy. And right now, it made her
want to be with him so badly. To be able to press her skin against his. Yes,
Max Evans had put a force on her…
~*~*~*~*~*~
***
Liz rolled over onto her stomach and found Max’s side
of the bed empty. She opened one eye to see the time on the bedside clock. Too
early for him to be up yet. The next moment, something soft slid over her bare
shoulder. Shivering, Liz tried to turn over, but Max covered her back with his
chest, nuzzling her cheek before placing light little kisses all over the side
of her face.
"Happy birthday, sleepyhead," he said
softly, his breath feathering over her sensitive skin. "How does it feel
to be 18?"
"Hmmm…" She contemplated the sensation of
the warm skin of Max’s bare chest sliding over her back as his one hand gently
moved her hair away from her neck and spread it over the pillow. "I’m
liking it so far."
He reared away from her a bit and this time she saw
what it was that he was sliding across her skin. It was a white rose. Max used
it to trace all of her features, taking his time with her mouth, still keeping
her virtually pinned underneath him.
"Max!" she gasped, desperately wanting to
be able to touch him back.
"No, wait," he said. "This is the
first time I’m making love to you legally and I intend to do it
thoroughly."
He caressed the indentation of her spine with the
rose, slowly pushing the sheet that covered her lower. Then he followed the
same path with his lips. Finally, he tore the sheet away completely, leaving
her totally bare to his eyes. Instead of continuing his caresses, he carefully
fit his body to hers, not lying on top of her, but covering just enough of her
so that she could feel his skin next to hers. She lay facing away from him and
he pressed his cheek against hers again. "I love you, Liz," he stated
simply.
Tangling her fingers with his, Liz felt like her
heart was going to burst with happiness. "And I love you."
Curling his arm around her waist, he moved her onto
her side, still facing away from him and pressed his face into her hair.
"You mean everything to me…"
Liz inhaled sharply. "Thank you, Max, for not
giving up on me. Ever." Last time he had said those words Liz had felt like
her heart was being ripped out. She had known then that he meant them, but also
that a destiny he didn’t ask for didn’t allow him to mean them. Walking away
from him with those words ringing in her ears had hurt so much she could hardly
breathe. This time she knew he meant the words too. And this time, he was
allowed to say them. And that made her gloriously happy.
He allowed her to turn towards him and she faced him,
her heart clenching at the blinding joy she could see in his eyes. "I’m
going to do my best to always make you this happy, Max," she promised him,
touching her fingers to his mouth.
Rolling them over unexpectedly, Max settled his body
on top of Liz’s, again marveling at how tiny she really was. So tiny and yet so
made for him.
Liz held her breath until he angled his head and
tasted her soft mouth with a devastatingly direct hunger that shot right down
to her toes. Her lips burned and her thighs trembled as he rimmed her parted
lips with the tip of his tongue, teasing her, making her desperate for his
invasion of her mouth. When his tongue finally tangled with hers, it
electrified her, tore a moan from her throat and sent her hands into his hair,
pulling him closer for more.
Their connection flared to life, showering them in
images of themselves, entwined in passion and lost within each other. Max
trembled against her and she knew he was trying to keep himself in control so
he could pay full attention to what he was doing to her. The rose he had been
caressing her with lay forgotten next to them on the bed as his hands shaped
her curves, trailing fire where they went.
Max fought his own urgency as he watched Liz’s
reaction with dark, heated eyes. She arched underneath him, her head flung back
and her eyes shut tightly as she instinctively tried to get closer to his
arousal. He teased her by keeping his body just far enough away that she
couldn’t quite manage to touch him properly.
She reached up to him suddenly, finding his mouth
again for herself and parting her lips to the invasion of his tongue. He
shuddered violently against her, his control slipping as he kissed her back
with raw, hungry force.
His hand slipped lower, touching her intimately,
making her whimper and writhe underneath him. "When you respond like that,
all I can think about is being inside you." It was a groan against her
lips, his voice hoarse with passion.
"Then please… please, Max!" she begged. And
he complied, entering her slowly to extend their pleasure. He gripped her hips,
halting her frantic movements against him, changing her rhythm to fit his. He
kept their advance to that final peak gradual, making sure that the release
would be explosive. And he held Liz tightly as she shuddered in his arms, his
name tumbling from her lips with that little catch in her voice that he loved
so much. He watched as she came undone in his embrace, her fingers digging into
his shoulders and her breathing rapid and labored. This was his Liz. The one no
one but him had ever seen…
She finally opened her eyes and wrapped her legs
around his hips. Her voice was still husky when she promised: "Your turn,
Max…" And sent him over the edge with a small movement of her hips.
"Oh god, Liz…" Coherence left him as he
rode out the storm she had stirred up inside him. And for a few exquisite moments,
Liz Parker was in complete control of the leader of an entire alien race…
~*~*~*~*~*~
She was all dressed up and had no idea where she was
going. Liz smoothed her hair once again as her eyes wandered to the Harvard
acceptance letter that lay on her dresser. Max had finally gotten around to
give it to her this morning and she had promptly burst into tears with joy. Her
dream of studying molecular biology at Harvard was coming true. And even
better, she was going there with Max…
The school day had been uneventful, apart from her
friends surprising her with a cupcake and a birthday candle during lunch in the
quad. And, of course, Maria doing a loud rendition of "Happy Birthday to
You" which made them the center of attention and made Liz dive into Max’s
shoulder to hide her face.
Oh, and Max dragging her into the Eraser Room saying
that this was the last time he could make-out with her on her birthday in this
little room. And boy did he make it count! Okay, so the day had not really been
uneventful…
Now, here she was, waiting for Max to finish dressing
so he could take her out to dinner somewhere. She fingered the chain around her
neck carrying her engagement ring absently. Max had given her a delicate charm
bracelet for her birthday, one that had little stars and planets hanging from
it. He had had a lopsided grin on his face when she opened it, saying he had
thought it was a fitting gift.
Max halted in the door of their room, watching Liz
sit at the dresser. She looked ethereal with the lights dancing from her hair
and turning her smooth skin into the color of moonlight. She took his breath
away. He watched as she turned towards him, a smile lighting up her whole face.
"Lord, you’re beautiful…" he said wonderingly.
Liz blushed and stood up, suddenly unnerved by his
intense appraisal. "And you are biased."
Smiling, he countered: "So what if I am?"
He caught her hands when she reached him and kissed her softly on the tip of
her nose. "Ready?"
"Yeah."
Max told her that his parents wanted to wish her happy
birthday in person and that they had to stop by his old house first. Diane and
Philip met them in the hallway, hugging Liz before taking her into the den
where all her friends and her parents were congregated.
"Surprise!" Maria yelled. When she noticed
she was the only one she glared at her friends: "How do you all expect to
graduate when you can’t even follow simple instructions?" The same thing
had happened during Michael’s birthday party and Maria was getting tired of
trying to teach them how to throw a successful surprise party.
Liz was happy nonetheless and she finally got Maria
to stop calling their friends names. She got more presents, among others a
sweater from Isabel with tiny buttons down the front that Isabel claimed was
actually a present to Max, causing him to squirm in embarrassment and everyone
else to laugh at his discomfort. She also got a leather case from her parents
who could finally beam at her proudly about Harvard.
It was late when Max finally pulled her to her feet
and the room went quiet. Still holding on to her hands, he took a deep breath
before saying: "Liz, I-I talked to your parents and… I asked them if I
could marry you."
Liz stopped breathing as his hands found the chain
around her neck and lifted his engagement ring from its nestling place between
her breasts. The ring was still warm from her body heat when he slipped it onto
her finger.
"They said yes." His eyes met hers
unwaveringly. "So will you please wear this on your finger from now on?
And never take it off again? And marry me soon?"
He smiled as he watched her eyes fill with tears
because he knew her answer before she even said it out loud. Yes!
"Yes."
Applause broke out around them as they kissed softly.
"Finally!" Michael grouched.
"Oooh, a wedding!" Maria’s gleeful voice.
"I’m choosing my own bride’s maid dress!"
Isabel sounded firm.
"Oh god! Another wedding!" Alex whined.
But the only thing Liz and Max heard was their own
thoughts. I will love you forever…
They got married in the
sunshine on the Saturday after they all graduated from high school. The wedding
was small and was held in a small chapel with only their parents, friends and
Nick and his wife in attendance.
Of course, the school authorities had had trouble
with two of their students being engaged so openly and Michael was never going
to let Max forget that their "fearless leader" had needed his lawyer
dad to help him with this problem. Philip and the rest of the parents had
eventually convinced the school board that Max and Liz knew what they were
doing, was not going to disrupt school activities and had full parental consent
for their actions (even though they technically didn’t need it).
Max had chafed under all this attention. He wanted to
live his life with Liz and not be subjected to interrogation for it. He had had
enough of that from Nacedo and everyone else already. For the first time, it
irritated him that he couldn’t tell these people to take a flying leap and that
Liz was already his two times over according to the laws of his own people.
But, eventually, it all blew over and the stares and whispers following Max and
Liz in the hallways of West Roswell High died down.
Preparing for a wedding while trying to study for
finals put a lot of strain on everyone. Isabel and Maria bickered endlessly
about their bride’s maid dresses until Liz decided on a color for them and told
them that they could each fashion a dress to their own tastes. For the rest,
Isabel took care of planning the small reception that was to be held in the
garden of the Evans’ home. At first, Maria and Liz had tried to help, but
Isabel got scary so they just gave up.
The day had finally arrived. Max felt like a huge
fist was squeezing his chest and he thrust his hands through his hair for the
umpteenth time that morning. Liz had been staying with her parents since
Thursday night and he had only gotten to see her for a little while last night.
He wasn’t worried about Liz not showing up, he was worried something horrible
would happen to ruin this day that he had been dreaming about for so long. He
kept locating Liz through their connection, making sure she hasn’t been
abducted or something. He knew he was being ridiculous, but there have been
quite a number of moments during his life where he had been afraid that he would
never see Liz again and he never wanted to relive them. Especially not on their
wedding day…
"Maxwell! Would you quit wearing a groove in the
floor? It’s not like the girl can escape you or anything!" Michael was
supremely irritated with the whole affair. Figures that his leader would be a
complete sap for a girl.
Max just sighed. How could he explain his fear to
Michael? Michael lived life in broad strokes, Max lived in small nuances. They
saw life from two very opposing angles. "I know she will be here, Michael.
I-I just want everything to be perfect."
"And here I was starting to think maybe you and
Isabel weren’t really related," Alex stated from his position slouched on
the couch. They were waiting in the side-room of the chapel for the appointed
wedding hour and Alex and Michael were getting really bored with everything.
Trust Max to take this whole commitment thing to the extreme!
Liz was staring at herself in the mirror. She was
nervous, really nervous. Not about Max. Never about Max. She was nervous about
something going wrong today. She was, after all, Miss-Gotta-Have-A-Plan Parker.
A small smile touched her lips. Actually, soon it will be Mrs-Gotta-Have-A-Plan
Evans. Liz Evans. Her smile grew to a delighted laugh. Mrs. Liz Evans!
"Liz, babe, not a good time to be losing it,
okay?" Maria arrived in a rush. "Isabel is freaking out over the
napkins that are all wrong and you are standing here laughing. What’s up with
that?"
Whirling around, Liz hugged Maria. "I’m going to
be Mrs. Liz Evans, Maria!"
Maria pulled away and smoothed her dress. "And
why is that such a big deal? It’s not like you haven’t been practicing signing
that name for years now. Or that you haven’t been LIVING and acting like Mrs.
Evans for the last two years. Or that anyone of us ever doubted this day would
finally come. Or that—"
"Okay Maria! I get the point," Liz cried.
She was deliriously happy and Maria was not going to rain on her parade.
"Well, then put on your dress, girl! The man is probably
going to beam you there with some of his freaky alien powers if you don’t
arrive on time!"
Nancy came in to help Liz dress. She was emotional
and ended up wiping some tears off when she saw Liz in her wedding dress.
"How do I look?" Liz asked nervously.
"Absolutely gorgeous," Nancy said past the
lump in her throat. "My baby… All grown up!"
"Max is going to die, Lizzie," Maria added
softly.
"I agree," Isabel spoke from the doorway.
"You look stunning. Dark-haired girls always look better in wedding
dresses."
Giving her a look, Maria came over to hug Liz
carefully. "Max is one lucky alien, chica."
"Thank you."
"Now let’s get this show on the road!"
Isabel clapped her hands, back in organizer mode.
Max stood perfectly still at the front of the chapel,
his mind busy talking to Liz.
After watching this for a few minutes, Michael
slapped him on the back. "Not the time to space out, Maxwell. I hear cars
arriving."
"I know. She’s here," Max answered, turning
to the door.
Isabel and Maria came in first, smiling broadly at
the group of men standing at the end of the isle. "Well, that’s probably
the closest I’ll ever get Michael Guerin to an altar," Maria said from the
side of her mouth to Isabel.
"Hmmm, don’t be so sure!" Isabel whispered
back, startling Maria.
Max gave both girls a perfunctory smile, but his
attention wandered to the door again. And then she appeared on the arm of her
father… Her dress was the color of ivory and the strapless bodice fit her
curves perfectly. The skirt of the dress was wide and swirled around her as she
moved. In her hair, she wore the white roses that he had given her last night.
Liz felt Max’s gaze wander from the top of her
upswept hair to the tips of her shoes peeking from beneath her dress. When his
eyes met hers again, they were warm and filled with love and wonder.
I didn’t think you could get more beautiful, his mind
whispered to hers.
I love you, Max Evans! she whispered back.
"Be happy, honey," Jeff told her before
kissing her lightly and giving her over to Max.
They stared in each other’s eyes, oblivious to
everything around them. Max lifted his hand and reverently touched her cheek.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to
join this man and this woman…" The preacher went through the motions, but
Max and Liz couldn’t stop looking at each other. Their hands were tightly
entwined and for a fleeting second, they saw two little children playing in a
garden again. Both of them gasped at the vision.
Their "I do’s" were said softly, but
firmly. They were only confirming again what their hearts have known for a long
time. They belonged to each other.
Liz felt absurdly pleased when she slipped the ring
on Max’s finger. Finally, an outward sign that he was hers! She saw from his
half-smile that he knew what she was thinking.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may
kiss the bride!"
Max ignored Alex’s ‘like he ever needed an invitation
to do THAT’ and wrapped his arm around Liz’s waist, lifting her up against him
until she was eye-level with him. "I love you, Liz Evans!" He said
clearly before swooping in to kiss her mouth. Most wedding kisses were quick
and tame, but not this one. Max practically devoured her lips, sliding his
tongue against hers as his other hand came up to cup her cheek.
Liz put her arms around his neck and let herself be
swept away by his passion. She kissed him back ardently, letting him see into
her soul with each kiss.
As always, it was Alex that broke up the moment.
"Okay you two, isn’t that what got you in this mess in the first
place?"
Finally letting Liz slide down his body until her
feet touched the ground, Max grinned at her. Liz looked completely dazed and…
ravished. And for once, he didn’t have to try and ‘fix’ her up so no one would
know.
They finished the formalities and emerged from the
chapel with rose petals raining down on them. Maria and Alex were taking
pictures and Alex commiserated with Philip for having to drive the car with the
newly weds. "They gonna suck face all the way, Mr. E! You do realize that,
don’t you?"
Philip watched his son, who had seemed very
uninterested in girls for a long time, in the rearview mirror, kissing his new
wife as if the world would end if he stopped. Tearing his eyes away when Liz
climbed on Max lap, he ruefully admitted that it sure looked like they had had
enough practice with kissing.
Back at the house, Isabel glared at Max for ruining
Liz’s make-up and waved her hand over Liz’s face to fix the damage. Max could
care less. He grabbed Isabel around the middle and kissed her cheek.
"Thanks for everything, Izzy!"
They ate, they danced, they chatted. It was a
wonderful, sunny day and everything that the new Mr. and Mrs. Evans had wanted.
Liz threw her bouquet to the only two unmarried girls
in the room, and Maria caught it! Michael just raised an eyebrow until Max took
off Liz’s garter (he took his time with it) and walked straight to Michael to
hand it to him personally. Michael was completely flummoxed and stood there
gaping at them all while their laughter filled the garden.
Max and Liz had asked to go the Evans’ cabin in
Carlsbad for their second honeymoon too, and Max was driving them up there in
the Jeep. Alex had made sure that the Jeep looked like a carnival, filled with
balloons and streamers and saying "Just Married" on the bonnet.
Max swung Liz, still wearing her wedding dress, into
the passenger seat and they finally waved goodbye to their families.
"You could’ve given me some time to get out of
this dress before we left, you know!" Liz smiled at him.
Giving her a disbelieving look, Max stated simply:
"If you thought I would’ve let anyone but me take that dress off you
today, you were sadly mistaken…. So you will wear that dress until I can
undress you. Okay, Mrs. Evans?"
Opening her mouth to say something, Liz decided that
her first action as Max’s wife would be to follow this order of his. He was a
King after all…
The drive to Carlsbad was
longer than they remembered. Max and Liz kept stealing glances at each other,
wanting the ride to be over so they could be closer.
Max’s eyes wandered over Liz’s bare shoulders to the
swell of her breasts, just visible above the top of her bodice, for the
umpteenth time. What was it about seeing the bare shoulders of a girl that was
so alluring to guys? Liz shifted towards him and he jerked his gaze back to the
road. Good lord, you’d swear he’d never seen Liz before! Although, it has been
a few days…
He had taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves
before getting in the Jeep. His tie was undone and the first few buttons of his
shirt were open and Liz practically drooled at the sight of all that skin.
"Max…" Her voice was low and sultry and
when he looked back at her, she was leaning towards him. Nothing in the world
could’ve stopped him from staring at her curves again. What he wouldn’t do to
be able to run his tongue along the edge of her dress right now…
"Would you just stop and… and kiss me.
Please…"
Belatedly he realized that she must’ve been aware of
his thoughts all along. Adhering to her request, he pulled the Jeep off the
side of the road, driving a small way away from the highway. When he turned off
the engine, the only sound that could be heard was their labored breathing. Max
shoved his seat back as far as it would go and lifted Liz onto his lap, his
eyes never leaving hers. Her dress billowed around them and Liz pulled it from
between them as she straddled his hips with her silk-stocking clad legs. I’m
just going to kiss her, he told himself. Our first time making love as a
married couple is NOT going to be in this Jeep!
But all thought flew from his head when Liz pressed
her mouth against the warm skin of his throat and touched him with her tongue.
His head was spinning and he only realized she had unbuttoned his shirt when
her hands glided over his bare stomach. He gasped involuntarily and cupped the
back of her neck with his hand, pressing her closer to him. While his mind was
trying to hold onto some semblance of control, his body was betraying him at a
dizzying speed. This was Liz in his arms, his WIFE, and she was still wearing
her wedding dress…
Liz lifted her lips from his chest and quickly closed
the distance between them, placing her mouth against his as she whispered:
"Stop thinking, Max, I want you to—"
She never got to finish her sentence, because
suddenly and totally unexpectedly she heard Max groan deep down in his throat,
and the next minute she was being dragged tightly against his body as his mouth
opened over hers. His one hand cupped her face and his lips moved against hers
with devastating passion. It made her whole body ache for more intimate
caresses from him. As if on cue, his other hand slipped to her side, moving
slowly upwards before finding the curve of her breast. His fingers trailed over
the smooth, soft skin at the top of her bodice, causing fire to fly through her
body.
Her pulse was racing underneath his touch and Max
desperately wanted to press his lips over her heart. Liz shivered as his mouth
started to caress the delicate curve of her throat. He put both hands around
her waist, lifting her higher against him so that he could finally fulfill his
fantasy.
"Have you got any idea just how much I’ve been
wanting to do this?" he whispered against the skin just above her bodice.
"How much I’ve ached to kiss you like this all day?"
There was no space for a flirty answer. Even though
Liz had been perfectly aware of what was going through his mind while they were
driving, his mouth was making it impossible for her to do anything but whimper
his name.
He took his time, leaving a trail of wet kisses over
the swell of her breasts deliberately and carefully, making sure he didn’t miss
a spot. His body was tight, crying out its need for this girl in his arms, but
he had been fantasizing about this for too long to hurry it. Resting his hands
on her ribcage, he lightly ran his thumbs over her as his tongue traced the
line of her dress above her breasts. Liz whimpered again and he pressed his
mouth to her sensitive skin, this time sucking lightly. Liz’s moan was loud in the
silent night and it reminded Max that this was not where he wanted to finish
what they had started.
She moaned again when he pulled away from her, this
time in disappointment. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him
tightly as he fought to calm himself down. "Oh lord Liz,I’m sorry! I
should never have… I just wanted to…" He felt her nod against him jerkily
in understanding. Neither of them had thought things would get so out of hand.
They sat like that for a long time, Liz cradled
against Max’s chest as he rubbed her leg soothingly. When he felt like he could
function again, he gently lifted her away from him. "Are you ready
to—" But his eyes fell on the light marks he had left on her skin and
desire streaked through him again.
Liz was watching him with wide eyes. "Yeah, I
think we should go…"
"Maybe we shouldn’t do the abstinence thing
again soon," he said wryly, trying to lighten the mood, but only eliciting
a weak smile from Liz.
He helped her back onto her own seat, trying not to
look at her. They better get to that damn cabin soon!
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was dark when they arrived at the cabin and Max
made Liz wait in the Jeep so he could unlock the door and turn on the lights. Liz
watched him disappear into the cabin and had a few minutes to reminisce about
the last time she was here. There had been time for nothing but her and Max.
Being alone together. It had been a time that was precious to both of them.
He appeared next to her and stared at her for a few
seconds before tenderly lifting her from her seat and cradling her against his
chest. Liz was looking into his eyes so adoringly that it felt like his heart
was going to explode with all the love her felt for her. How did he deserve
such devotion?
It felt like she was floating when he carried her
from the Jeep. She had a fleeting glimpse of an inky black night with millions
of stars twinkling down on them before they went inside and Max dropped a kiss
on her mouth. "Thank you," he said softly.
"For what?"
"For marrying me today. For looking so
beautiful… Most of all for loving me back." So many emotions clouded his
voice.
"No Max, you made ME the happiest girl alive
today." She reached up and kissed him again, her lips lingering over his.
He had been walking to the bedroom at the back of the
cabin, but his footsteps suddenly faltered. "Are-are you hungry? It’s
kinda late…"
Smiling up at him, Liz allowed all her desire for him
to shine from her eyes. "No. I want you to make love to me. That’s all I
need right now."
She heard his breath stop and start again at a faster
pace. His gaze drifted down to her mouth, still swollen from his kisses.
"Yes," he answered and proceeded into the dark bedroom.
"Max?" she questioned. "I want to
see—"
The room was suddenly filled with candlelight that
cast a warm glow over everything. Max let her slide down to the floor slowly, a
small smile tugging at his mouth. "I want to see too…"
He stood her in front of the tall antique mirror that
was perched in one corner of the room, turning her towards it and wrapping his
arms around her waist from behind. Liz was stunned at the way she looked.
Flushed. Aroused. Lips swollen and puffy. Breasts heaving as she tried to catch
her breath. Was this what Max saw when he made love to her? Her questioning
gaze met his in the mirror.
He laid his cheek against hers and brought up a
shaking hand to touch her mouth. "You are always so beautiful to me, but
this… this just floors me. Every time." He trailed his hand down and
smoothed it over her breast, listening to the small sound she made.
"Because this look is because of me. For me. It’s MY look, Liz." He
turned his head until he could kiss her jaw line, his unoccupied hand splaying
over her stomach and pressing her back against his hard body.
He was so obviously aroused that Liz sighed and
leaned into his caresses. He kissed her shoulders as his hand continued to
tease her through her dress. When his warm lips reached the sensitive back of
her neck, she trembled as he ran his tongue over her skin. "Max…" Her
fingers curled into the material of his pants, clinging to his hard thighs to
stay upright. Her eyes were drifting shut but she fought to keep them on the
reflection in the mirror. Seeing Max’s hands against her was incredibly erotic.
He was kissing her shoulder blades now, his hands
abandoning their other tasks to find the first tiny button at the back of her
dress. He knew he could cheat and open this dress with a wave of his hand, but
tonight he wanted to savor every moment of taking this dress off her. He opened
each little button slowly, kissing the skin he was revealing. The row of
buttons ended on the curve of her bottom and he stood slowly to his feet when
the last one was undone.
For some reason, Liz was clutching the dress to her
chest and her breath stopped when Max’s dark eyes met hers again in the mirror.
Slowly and deliberately, his hands peeled the back of the dress open and crept
inside to slide around her torso. Without realizing it, Liz lifted her hands
slightly to allow him to cup his hands over her breasts. Then he stepped closer
until he was pressed against her back. "Let go, love." It was a soft,
but firm command.
Her fingers obeyed automatically and the dress
slithered to the floor, pooling at their feet. Liz was left wearing a scrap of
silk and her stockings. And Max’s hands. The sight made her dizzy with desire.
So much that she couldn’t wait any longer for him to finish this torment and
take her.
She spun around in his arms, moaning his name against
his lips and pressed tiny kisses against his mouth, his jaw, his throat. She
pressed her body even closer to his, moving frantically against him, bestowing
feverish, eager kisses against whichever bit of him she could reach.
"Oh god Liz, slow down, honey…" She could
hear him protesting, but at the same time his hand came back up to cup her
breast.
Liz shuddered in sensual delight as he touched her
and her eyes, bright with passion, found his to silently beg for more. She put
out a shaking finger to trace his lips, her eyes widening as his tongue snaked
out to touch it. Holding his gaze, she pulled her finger away and deliberately
brought it to her own mouth, curling her tongue around it.
His whole body seemed to be caught up, galvanized by
the fierce shudder that racked him. His hands cupped her breasts and his mouth
covered hers. Liz could feel his hands shaping her as they slid down her back
before coming to rest on the rounded curves of her bottom. He bent his head and
caressed her breast with gentle, slow strokes that increased the ache in the
pit of her belly and made her move feverishly against him.
Her hands found his shoulders, shoving the shirt from
him so she could reach his back as he continued his tormenting caresses on her breasts.
"Yes!" she told him fiercely and suddenly his urgency returned.
Pulling away from him, she told him hotly: "I
want to see you, all of you!" Her hands were reaching for the fastening of
his pants, but he stepped away from her and completed the task himself.
Now it was Max’s turn to stand enthralled as her
hands moved over his body. She knew every hill and valley. She knew what
reaction he had to each place she touched. Her fingers trailed over his hard
stomach, feeling the muscles clench under his skin. He groaned as her hand
closed around him and explored him deliberately.
Drawing back from him, Liz looked at the bed and then
at him, but before she could say anything he was removing her hand from his
body and telling her hoarsely: "My turn again…"
She stood perfectly still as he removed the rest of
her clothing. The sensation of his hands sliding down her thighs to remove her
stockings and then moving back up over them far more slowly made her feel as
though she was melting from the inside out. As she closed her eyes he stood up
and picked her up in his arms, carrying her over to the bed. Laying her
carefully on it, he started to touch and caress her.
This was heaven. Max kissed his way down the length
of her body, dimly hearing Liz’s soft moan when he reached her thighs. He took
his time exploring her, adapting his touches to her reactions. It was
intoxicating to listen to her moans and sighs, to hear his name torn from her
throat. Then she was pulling frantically at his shoulders, whispering thickly,
the words almost lost against his chest: "Please, Max…"
He moved onto her, INTO her, slowly – too slowly. Her
hands slid down his back, urging him faster, deeper and she felt him pause. But
her body wouldn’t let him. She needed more…
Her needs slammed into his mind and Max nearly lost
it on the spot. "Liz!" Her name was a fierce moan that was still
echoing around the room when he gave up trying to slow them down. Their union
was intense and their release mind-blowing. They were alternately kissing and
crying each other’s names while the waves washed over them.
Max collapsed against her afterwards wondering how it
was possible that this could just get better every time. He was completely and
utterly addicted to making love with Liz. His Liz. His wife.
Holding her tightly, he rolled them onto their sides,
so they lay looking at each other. He brushed her hair tenderly from her face,
remembering belatedly that he had not removed the roses and pins before making
love to her. He did so now, pulling each rose and pin from her hair carefully
while she watched him.
When he was finished, Liz took his hand and kissed
each finger reverently. "I love you Max Evans. And I-I promise to always
make you happy, as happy as you make me," she declared fervently.
He was smiling when he kissed her mouth. I know you
will, Liz. I know you will… His new wife had made a huge difference in his life
already. She had made him look forward to the future…
**** SEVEN YEARS LATER****
Max felt the now familiar excitement take hold of him
as he parked the Jeep in their driveway behind Liz’s little car. THEIR driveway
– as in his and Liz’s. The house was small, but it had a yard and Max and Liz
had fallen in love with it when they first arrived in Albuquerque a year ago.
It had reminded them a little bit of the yard they kept seeing during their
visions.
They had finished their studies at Harvard and, while
they would’ve liked to stay in Boston and work at Harvard, there were no
positions available at their former university, so they had decided to move
closer to Roswell. Closer to Max’s people. Closer to their families. And to a
place where both of them could work in their chosen fields.
Michael and Maria, who were finally living together
after years of arguing about it, had moved out here four years ago, while Alex
intended to follow them here when he finished his studies at MIT at the end of
the year. Isabel had moved to Albuquerque when Michael and Maria did, unwilling
to be too far away from all her family. She lived in an apartment in the city
and was designing for a local boutique.
Studying at Harvard had been one of the most
wonderful and toughest things Max had ever done. They had lived in a small
apartment on campus, doing everything they could to limit financial expenses,
but Max wouldn’t have traded the experience for the world. It had taught them a
lot about each other, more than they had ever learned while living at the back
of the Crashdown under the protective wings of their parents. They had learned
to work hard to reach their goals and to still make time to love each other
while being under enormous strain. They had even bickered a few times about
silly things, the way married people did. The first time, it had ended with
them staring at each other in surprise after which they proceeded to rip each
other’s clothes off. And since then it had become an unwritten rule of sorts,
any disagreement was solved before bedtime and forgotten in each other’s arms.
He was eager to get home, Liz had a few days off from
work and she was busy doing some interior decorating to their house. He loved
helping her. Actually, he loved doing anything with her because they mostly saw
each other after work lately. They were both working at the University of New
Mexico, Liz at their School of Medicine Molecular Research Center and Max at
the
The front door was locked, they had never really
managed to get rid of their sense of caution. Stepping inside, he yelled:
"Hi honey, I’m home!" He still got a kick out of that.
"I’m in the kitchen," Liz called back and
he veered off to his left towards her voice. Only to nearly have a heart-attack
when he found her perched precariously on a tall ladder, painting the ceiling.
"Liz!" he cried and hurried over to take
hold of the ladder. "Get down from there!"
She blinked down at him in surprise and got that
stubborn look on her face that he normally thought was really cute.
"Liz," he warned her, "don’t make me come up there to get
you!" He could see that she was still contemplating whether or not to
actually obey him, so he added: "I’ll paint the ceiling. Please, just come
down from there."
As usual, the subtle approach worked better on his
wife than the authoritarian one. Liz gave an exaggerated sigh before asking
impishly: "Can I decide what you wear while you’re painting?"
"What?" He was stumped, but if it got her
down from there, he would agree to anything. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."
She fairly bounced from the top of the ladder,
causing Max to hold his breath until he could grab her around her waist to lift
her down. She resisted him and climbed down until she reached the
second-to-last rung and was face-to-face with him.
Turning around, she let go of the ladder and wrapped
her arms around his neck before nuzzling his face. "Hello Max," she
said and swiped her tongue over his bottom lip. His lips parted instinctively
as his arms slipped around her waist and pulled her closer, but she backed away
before he could kiss her. "Repeat after me: Liz is not an invalid. She can
do things without hurting herself."
He grinned at her, not embarrassed in the slightest
that he was still so overprotective of her. "Whatever."
"Wrong answer!" She cupped his cheeks and
lowered her voice suggestively: "If you say it, I might make it worth your
while…"
Schooling his face into a longsuffering expression,
he said: "I guess, but I’m kinda getting tired of always having to give in
to your sexual advances—"
Score! Liz’s mouth fell open in shock and he burst
out laughing before picking her up from the ladder and spinning her around.
"I’m joking, love! I can’t believe you fell for it."
"You absolute jerk!" Liz cried. "Put
me down so I can kick your butt."
He dumped her onto the kitchen counter and caught her
hands in his, just to make sure she didn’t get a chance to use them on him. She
was wearing cut-off denim overalls splattered with paint. Her hair was covered
by an old faded bandana and she had white sneakers on her feet. She looked
incredible sexy… and really pissed! Max panicked immediately and let go of her
hands. "Liz, sweetheart…"
The next moment Liz had wrapped her legs around his
hips and grabbed his shirt to yank him against her. Max was unprepared for her
move and stumbled forward, nearly falling on top of her until he braced himself
on the counter with his hands next to her hips. Liz attacked him, there was no
other way to describe it. She wrapped herself around him and kissed him
senseless. She kissed him until he felt faint with lack of oxygen and saw stars
exploding in his head. She ripped his shirt open, buttons flying everywhere,
and scratched her nails over his chest and abdomen. She sent him wicked
fantasies through their connection and Max nearly went over the edge. His hands
plucked the scarf from her hair, but before he could do anything else, Liz had
pushed him backwards. She caught him off guard again, so she easily moved him
away from her.
"Are you two at it AGAIN?" Maria’s voice
floated in from the kitchen window. "Would you start acting like you’re
not 17 anymore?"
Liz ran her gaze over Max deliberately. He was
panting like he was about ready to die. His hair was completely mussed, his shirt
was hanging open, he had marks on his chest and his mouth was showing the signs
of her attack. But best of all, he seemed completely and utterly stunned and
confused by the sudden changes in her actions. Liz hopped off the counter,
brushing against him as she passed him on her way to the door. "Payback’s
a bitch, Mr. Evans."
His groan was loud and heartfelt. Several things
bugged him right now. Firstly, why on earth were they living in the same city
as Maria, who apparently made it her business to show up at inopportune moments
like these? Secondly, what the hell just happened? Thirdly, Liz was seemingly
trying to ensure that he would not live through the next five years to see his
30th birthday. Fourthly, his body was ready to explode and there was nothing he
could do about it now. Apart from taking a cold shower… Damn it, he was going
to get Liz for this one!
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he passed Liz and
Maria in the hallway. "Well, hello to you too, Prince Charming!"
Maria grinned at him. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"To the shower!" he muttered with a glare
in Liz’s direction. Their laughter followed him to the bathroom.
"Lizzie, you’re going to kill the guy,"
Maria sounded sorry for Max.
"Don’t worry, he knows very well he can get back
at me easily."
Maria flung herself down on the couch in the living
room. "Admit it, Liz. You love that he acts around you like he does. And
if you won’t admit it now, I could lend you Michael Guerin for a while. Trust
me, you’ll see the difference immediately!"
Liz was grinning. "Okay, I admit it. I love
being the center of Max’s universe. But it’s only fair, since he’s the center
of mine too."
"Argh! You two are the worst! How long has it
been now? Nearly 10 years that you are together? And STILL you are the two
biggest saps on the planet."
They heard the shower being shut off and Liz jumped
to her feet. "Just excuse me a minute, Maria, I’ll be right back."
She returned with a broad smile on her face and Maria
looked at her suspiciously. "What are you up to?" "Just picking
out some clothes for Max," Liz answered vaguely. "I actually needed
to talk to you about this weekend. Nick and his wife are coming up to come show
us their new baby and I was wondering if Alex could maybe stay with you guys? I
don’t think our house can take four more people!"
"Alex is coming? Great! Sure he can." Maria
looked pleased. "So, we’re finally all going to be together for a weekend
again, heh? It’s been a long time."
"Yeah. And I can’t wait to see Nick’s little girl!"
Liz’s eyes were shining as she talked and Maria couldn’t help but wonder if Liz
was starting to feel that it was time she and Max got pregnant themselves.
"How’s Michael?"
"You know, grouchy and horny. Same as
ever," Maria replied. "He is starting to do well with his paintings,
though. I think it freaks him out a little."
Liz turned serious after a few moments. "Maria,
I know we never really talked about it, but… do you think we should have forced
them to go to that planet in high school? I sometimes wonder if maybe they
would’ve gone if we weren’t around."
"THEY made the choice, Lizzie, not us. Michael
never asked me about it, he just decided to stay and never said a word about
it. Besides, did we really want to know what a planet that would embrace the
blonde as a Queen would look like?"
Liz glanced in the direction of the kitchen where
they could hear Max moving around. "It’s just, they have this whole other
side that they continue to deny because of us, Maria. Max tries so hard to be
just human sometimes that it scares me. He’s… he’s so much more. But he doesn’t
allow himself to be because of me."
Maria was shaking her head. "I still say, it was
THEIR choice, Liz."
"I guess," Liz answered softly. Thoughts of
Max’s alien heritage had been plaguing her more and more recently and she
couldn’t help but wonder if it was coming from him. That she was feeling things
he was trying to hide from her and from himself. She was glad Nick was coming
over the weekend, it was time she talked to him about this.
Jumping up, she waved Maria out the door. "I
need to finish this house before the guests come over, so I’ll see you
around."
Maria kissed her on the cheek impulsively. "Its
going to be fine, Lizzie. Now go watch Max paint, I can see you are dying
to!"
Liz was still grinning when she got back to the
kitchen, but the grin fled her face as soon as she saw her husband. He had
actually put on what she told him to and she wondered at how clueless Max can
be sometimes. He truly had no idea why she had dressed him up in one of his
oldest jeans and a T-shirt with the arms ripped off. Her mouth dried as she
watched him stretch towards the ceiling. His jeans were riding low on his hips
and the shirt let her see every movement of muscle in his arms as he worked.
He knew she was there, watching him, but he decided
to finish the ceiling first before acknowledging her. Let her stew a little for
working him up like that earlier. When he finally dropped the paint roller and
looked over at Liz, the look on her face was incredible. She was literally
stripping him with her eyes and Max felt that look reverberate through his
entire body. He never tired of Liz wanting him. It was as astonishing and heady
to him now as it had been in high school.
She knew every part of that body intimately. She had
seen and explored it thousands of times, but it still had the power to take her
breath away. Not because he was merely beautiful, but because it was HIM.
Wonderful, amazing, sexy Max Evans was inside that body.
He fairly flew off the ladder and came to her,
scooping her into his arms. "We’re not going to get interrupted again, are
we?"
Liz laughed breathlessly. "No."
"Good," he fairly growled. "You owe me
some serious loving, Mrs. Evans!"
So she began making up for earlier while he was still
carrying her to their room…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick looked around the circle of people gathered at
his house. The Council. The meeting had been short and to the point. "I
will talk to him this weekend. We have to act quickly…"
When Liz woke on Thursday
morning, her whole body ached. She had apparently overdone it a bit with the
painting and gardening the previous day, not to mention baking for the weekend.
Max had only come home late, after she had fallen asleep on the couch waiting
up for him. She vaguely remember him carrying her to their room and kissing the
tip of her nose and her lips before she had fallen asleep again.
Max was holding her against him, his arm slung around
her waist and his hand splayed over her stomach. She could feel his breath on
her bare shoulder and smiled contentedly to herself. She would never get used
to waking up in Max’s arms. From that very first time in their sophomore year
out in the desert near the old radio tower, she had remembered to be thankful
for every time she could experience this pleasure. Of feeling his body pressed
along her back and relishing the protective and possessive way he held her even
in sleep. She loved this man more every day!
Glancing at the bedside clock, she saw that it was
still early enough for her to make Max his favorite breakfast before he had to
go to work. Moving slowly, so she wouldn’t wake him, Liz slipped from Max’s
hold. He mumbled her name and she turned around to kiss him softly: "I’ll
be right back."
She skipped downstairs wearing one of Max’s old
T-shirts that reached her thighs. She had learnt not to run around the house
without clothes since their elderly neighbors had the habit of popping in at
the most inopportune times. She and Max loved Mr. and Mrs. Kellerman and they
had them over for tea occasionally, but there had been some near misses when
they had come over unexpectedly. Of course, the Kellermans thought it was
"cute" that their young neighbors were so in love, but it created for
some panic in the Evans household! Liz prepared the blueberry pancakes quickly
so they would have time to sit and chat while they have breakfast, then she
doused Max’s stack in Tabasco sauce and hers in maple syrup before taking it
back to the bedroom together with a coffee for each of them.
Placing the tray next to the bed, she crawled over
Max quietly, but she could see from the twitching at the corners of his mouth
that he wasn’t sleeping anymore. She straddled his waist and leaned over him
until her face was mere inches from his. Liz kissed his eyelids, his forehead,
his cheek bones, his nose and by the time she kissed his mouth, he was kissing
her back and running his hands down her back to cup her bottom.
"Hmmm," she murmured against his lips, "I’m not breakfast."
He made a disappointed sound and pulled away.
"You’re not?"
"No!" she laughed one of her wonderful
laughs, warming Max to his toes. "Your OTHER favorite is." She
located the tray next to the bed and made him sit up so she could place it
between them. The way his eyes lighted up was enough payment for her efforts.
Men were so easy to please, feed their appetites, and they were happy!
"I heard that!" Max mock glared at her.
"I’ll have you know that it takes more than jut food and sex to make me
happy."
Liz popped a piece of her pancake into her mouth,
making a whole show of licking the syrup from her fingers. His attention was
arrested immediately. "Like what?" she asked innocently.
He looked completely befuddled for a moment and Liz
burst out laughing again. "Eat your breakfast, honey!"
Later, as she was putting the dishes into the washer,
Max came breezing into the kitchen, wearing his lecturer’s outfit: khaki
chino’s, a crisp white shirt and a tie. He grabbed her around the waist and
lifted her up against him to kiss her. "I love you, sweetie! Thanks for
breakfast." He put her down again and kissed her forehead. "What are
you up to today?"
"I have to go into town to get some stuff for
the spare bedroom, like a crib!"
They looked at each other quietly after the mention
of a crib. It had been their decision to wait with having kids until they had
completed their studies and had settled down. Max traced her cheek with his
fingers tenderly. "I love you," he repeated seriously before kissing
her hard.
Liz watched him leave, he seemed reluctant to go and
kept looking back at her. "Bye, Max," Liz said when he finally turned
to go. A feeling of melancholy had suddenly overtaken her. She always hated
saying good-bye to Max. Normally they were rushing to work and she didn’t
notice it so much, but with him leaving her here in the quiet house that
smelled like him was depressing her. She moved to the bathroom quickly to take
a shower so she could get everything done that she needed to today. Maybe she
would go by Max’s class and sit in, that would help her get through the day
until she could see him again…
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was the period before lunch when she made it into
the building where Max taught his class. She had managed to buy a little crib
that still needed assembling, something Max could help her with tonight and
everything else was now set for Nick and his family to come visit.
The class hadn’t started yet and Max was writing
something on the board while the students were still talking to each other. Liz
slipped into a seat at the back of the lecture hall and looked around her. She
had come to some of his classes before, just to listen to his voice and watch
him work. He didn’t mind and she got to see him during the day.
"I hear he has a really pretty wife." The
voice came from one of the girls sitting to her left. Their eyes were on Max,
so Liz assumed they were talking about him. Her own eyes drifted to his butt
and she breathed in deeply, starting to feel all tingly. Max’s writing
faltered. Damn, he knew she was here, that puts an end to her surprise.
"That would explain why he doesn’t ever look at
any of the girls in his classes. It’s a shame, though, I had contemplated
failing my labs so I could get tutoring from him." By this time, Liz was
grinning and she caught the eye of the girl talking. She was cute and she
frowned when she looked at Liz.
Max had turned around by now and his eyes searched
the class until he found her. He quirked an eyebrow at her and she gave him an
innocent smile, batting her eyelids. The girls next to her turned to her,
obviously intrigued that their teacher was showing some interest in someone in
the class.
"Are you new?" It was the chatty girl
again.
Liz kept her eyes on Max while answering: "No,
just here for the view."
They giggled. "Yeah, he is pretty gorgeous,
isn’t he?"
Liz was tempted to say ‘you should see him naked’,
but didn’t think Max would appreciate her putting ideas into the heads of his
students. So she just smiled serenely and sat back in the chair, observing him
work. The class hung onto his every word and so did she. Eventually, it was
time for questions and she listened to him explaining a few concepts to the
students. She had to forcibly reign in her reactions to hearing his voice as
this would surely reach Max through their connection and distract him.
After class, the students filed out and she remained
in her seat and raised her hand. "Ah, Sir? I have a question?"
Max came over, climbing the stairs slowly to reach
her. He stopped in front of her desk and leaned over, bracing himself on his
hands. "Yes Miss?"
His voice had turned smoky and slid over her nerve
endings like silk, causing her to shiver. "Can I get some special
tutoring? I think I’m having trouble concentrating in your classes…"
"As long as you can come to my house, I guess it
can be arranged," he whispered against her lips, finally kissing her.
"But, you’ll have to come at night, I don’t want my other students to
think you’re getting special treatment." The last part was mumbled into
her mouth.
"Oooh, I like being the teacher’s pet!" She
smiled at him and he lifted her out of the chair to kiss her more deeply.
"Can you have lunch with me?" she asked
breathlessly as they broke apart.
"Yeah," he laced his fingers through hers
and they stared into each other’s eyes.
"Uh, Mr. Evans?" It was the girl that had
sat next to Liz and her eyes widened when she saw Max holding hands with Liz.
"Oh, sorry, I just wanted… I could come back later."
Max smiled at her. "No, it’s okay, Julie. Meet
my wife, Liz."
"We’ve met, sort of," Liz informed him and
had to stifle a laugh when the poor girl turned all shades of red. It must be a
bit embarrassing knowing you had drooled about your teacher in front of his
wife.
Max, as usual, was completely clueless and wondered
what had transpired that he missed. Liz just kissed him again and said ‘I’ll
wait outside’ before leaving him and his very uncomfortable student to
themselves. She could just imagine what the girl was going to tell her friends
after this!
Liz went back home after lunch. She felt restless,
though, and wandered from room to room in the house, touching things idly. A
feeling of worry had settled in her stomach and she couldn’t shake it off. What
was going on? Maybe she was just starting to feel the effects of wanting a
baby. Staring at the little crib that still needed assembling, Liz sank to the
floor in the spare room and admitted it for the first time. She wanted to have
Max’s baby. Not at some undetermined future date, right now! But Max seemed so
happy with the way things were at the moment, what if he told her he didn’t
want to have kids so soon? Tears slipped from her eyes as Liz grabbed a pillow
from the bed and curled up on the floor. She was starting to shake and her mind
sorted through all her reactions to try and find a reason for her emotional
state. She knew this was not really about a baby, she had only felt like this
once before in her life, that time in the camp just before Max was abducted.
This was how Max found her when he got home later
that afternoon. He had had a disconcerted feeling the whole time since Liz had
left him and, while he knew some of it was coming from her, he also recognized
that a large part of it was originating from deep within himself. He tried to concentrate
on work, but eventually gave up and went home a little early. He had panicked
stupidly when he found the house silent and their bedroom empty. He knew she
was in there somewhere, but reason always seemed to flee him when it came to
Liz.
His heart contracted when he saw her curled up on the
floor in the spare room, tear-tracks still visible on her face. He knelt on the
floor next to her and scooped her up into his arms tenderly. She pressed
herself to him immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck in a death-grip.
"Liz?"
Her eyes had flown open at the sound of her name.
"Make love to me, Max! Please! Now."
He carried her to their room knowing he needed it as
much as she did. Maybe even more. For close to seven years they had lived their
normal happy lives, but both of them knew that something was going to happen to
them soon and they had no idea what it was or how to stop it…
He stood her in front of him
in their room and tenderly undressed her, trying to ignore the shaking of his
own hands. He kissed each inch of skin that he bared, loving her with every
breath that he took. Silent tears still coursed down her cheeks, but as he
caressed her, they started to dwindle. When he was finished and she stood
before him, naked and vulnerable, he wrapped his arms around her and held her
tightly. "Whatever it is, love, we’ll face it together." He didn’t
need to voice the fears that were coursing through them both, their connection
made it unnecessary.
She reached up to cup her hands over his cheeks and pulled
his face down to her. "I love you, Max Evans. So much."
Then he kissed her.
It was a long, slow kiss that seemed intended to
arouse as much as reassure. Max’s mouth moved against hers with erotic
expertise. His left hand trailed down her back and settled at the base of her
spine, urging her closer with a splayed-finger caress. She arched into the
embrace, headily conscious of the hardening thrust of his lower body. Their
tongues met and mated. The kiss deepened, became more demanding. Desire flooded
her, but Liz knew she was not the only one trembling when Max finally lifted
his mouth from hers.
"Let this be only about us right now," he
urged in a deep, dark, velvet tone.
Lifting her right hand, Liz lightly caressed the side
of Max’s face. A hint of new beard growth abraded her fingertips as she traced
a line from cheekbone to chin. "Yes," she said in a throaty whisper.
"Just us." And she pushed the horrible fears to the far corner of her
mind.
He charted the swell of her breasts with his hands like
he has done so many times before, but it never failed to electrify her. She
arched into his caressing, claiming palms, shifting in an effort to increase
the intimacy of the contact. His hands tightened against her flesh and
something deep inside her spasmed in response.
They kissed again. Deeply. Deliberately. Not noticing
that Max’s hands had begun to glow against her skin. Liz communicated the depth
of her love for him through that kiss. That no matter what, she would always be
by his side, supporting him.
Max’s shirt came off. Liz kissed along the hard edge
of his collarbone then licked against the hollow at the base of his throat. The
salty tang of his skin lingered on her tongue. His pulse, when she found it,
was rapid and intense.
He lay her down on their bed gently, his hands
gliding upwards between her legs.
"Please," Liz begged softly.
Max took off the last of his clothes and stretched
out beside her on the bed, his hand finding the curve of her breasts. Liz was
staring up at him. Her cheeks flushed with passion, her lips parted and moist.
Her eyes locked with his in a long moment of wordless communication. Max
whispered her name, then used his right hand to trace the arch of her brow and
the slim elegance of her nose. He followed the outline of her mouth with his
fingertips, a sensual thrill spearing through him when her tongue stole out to
lick at him.
Their kiss was hungry and urgent. Max felt Liz’s arms
encircle his neck and her fingers sliding into the dark disorder of his hair.
He devoured her responses like a starving man, all thoughts of anything but Liz
have fled his mind. Right now all he could concentrate on was her. Only her.
Shifting his position slightly, he kissed downward from
her face. He lingered for a few seconds at the pulse point at the base of her
throat. The pounding of her blood was intensely, unbearably exiting to him. His
mouth found her breasts, his tongue laving and shaping their beautiful contours
making her sigh.
His hand left a glowing trail as it slid down to the
apex of her thighs, finding her wet heat. Those soft, intoxicating sounds that
he loved were escaping Liz’s throat again, increasing his desire and feeding
his possessiveness.
Liz moved her hips against his touch, slowly and
inexorably edging closer to that final release. His hand was doing magic things
to her, creating little explosions just underneath her skin that was more
intense than usual, but she was too intent on experiencing them to wonder why
that was.
Drawing on everything he knew about making love to
Liz, Max held her trembling on the edge for several fevered moments, then
tenderly urged her over the brink. She came apart against his hand, crying his
name into the stillness of the room.
Only then did he shift himself, parting her thighs as
he moved up and over her. Their gazes locked as he joined them with a single,
gliding stroke.
Her hands were clutching at him and he gripped her
hips, holding her still for a few seconds as he tried to stem the tidal wave of
passion building within him. Every nerve in his body was clamoring for release,
but he refused to give in to it.
The flashes were unexpected and nearly blinded him.
He saw how much Liz wanted him during class today. He felt her desperate need
for him from this afternoon, the one that had called him home. And he
experienced her sadness about a baby. A pregnant Liz. The thought rocked him to
his toes. "Oh God, Liz!" It was torn from him as the image of his
pregnant wife formed in his mind.
Liz was beyond hearing anything. She was shaken to
the core by the feeling of coming alive everywhere his hands touched. She saw
herself from this morning, wearing his shirt and smiling and experienced the
rush of warmth and love he had felt watching her. The awareness of her during
class and the urgency to come home, knowing she needed him.
He dimly realized that something was different this
time. Their feelings were more… intense. He finally started moving inside her,
slowly at first but more urgently when he felt, HEARD her response. Finally!
Max felt her body clench around his as she found
fulfillment. He moved one last time, driving her to a keening cry that
dissolved the final shred of his control. He gave himself over to the woman in
his arms and in turn received the most perfect pleasure a man could experience.
It was more than a sexual climax.
It was utter and absolute completion.
Afterwards, when his heartbeat had slowed and his
breathing pattern smoothed, Max gathered Liz’s sated, seemingly boneless body
into his arms and held her close to his heart. "I love you," he
whispered into her hair.
His hands had not stopped glowing yet…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick was staring at his new baby girl as his wife
packed for their visit to Max and Liz. They were driving up to Albuquerque
early tomorrow morning and would meet Liz at the house since Max was still
working. He hadn’t seen them in the last few months due to his wife’s pregnancy
and his unwillingness to leave her alone during that time. Madelaine. That was
her name. The name of the newest little alien on planet earth. He took a deep
breath and said a silent prayer that her life would be less complicated than
his had been. Maybe one day she would also find a human that would love her as
much as the ones that were involved with their royal family.
The rumblings that all was not well on Dendar had
begun a few months ago. They had only received ad hoc reports since Nick was
still trying to keep the fact that a last outpost of survivors from Antar was
on earth a secret. His mouth thinned. They have had seven years of peace and
tranquility during which he had almost stopped worrying about his King and his
future. Almost.
During the times he had visited Max and Liz in
Boston, he had had trouble reconciling the happy couple with the two young
people who had been through so much while still at school. And he had silently
continued to marvel at the depth of their love for each other.
In seven years, not one of their group had gotten
close to a human. They had friends, yes, but no one has gotten involved with
anyone that he knew of. It was weird. Maybe it was the genetic programming that
still influenced them. Maybe it was just plain old fear. After all, it had
taken Max the best part of eight years before he got together with Liz and then
only after a near fatal incident.
He glanced at his sleeping daughter again. Maybe the
next generation…
How would Max react to the news he would carry with
him to Albuquerque this weekend? How would Liz? Nick still vividly remembered
the two weeks they spent apart when Liz went to a course in Boston. And this
would be so much worse. At least they didn’t have children yet.
And at least he had spent the last seven years
teaching Max Evans about his history. Not a lot at a time, but he knew enough
about what it entailed to be the King to be able to fulfill that role. As for
the rest, Nick was surer than ever now that Max was older that he had the
makings of a fine leader.
He would need all of that now.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The sun was setting and finally the earth started
cooling down a bit in the New Mexican desert. Liz was still sprawled on top of
Max, dozing while he kept her protectively close. She could feel from the even
way his chest moved under her cheek that he was fast asleep, but she didn’t
want to open her eyes yet. If she did, Max’s embrace would not stop that dark
feeling that crouched at the edge of her consciousness from haunting her
anymore.
She felt tears well up in her eyes and this made her
roll off Max, afraid that the moisture would touch his skin and wake him up.
She curled into a little ball on her side next to Max. She wanted to scream and
rant, do anything to make this impending sense of doom go away. But she didn’t,
because nothing would help. All she could do was pray that, when the time came,
she and Max would handle what was coming well.
Max’s heat suddenly enveloped her from behind. Even
in sleep, he had missed her and searched her out. He pulled her back against
him so that she lay spooned against his body. Pressing his face into her hair,
he muttered: "Love you, Liz..."
She squeezed her eyes shut, love for Max overwhelming
her. Now that she knew what it felt like to be loved so completely, how would
she ever live without it?
His arm slipped around her waist, his fingers
splaying over her stomach tenderly as he kept her close to him.
And again, neither of them noticed the faint glow of
the hand he had flattened over her womb.
Leaving Liz on Friday
morning was one of the hardest things Max had ever had to do. He had held her
against him until the very last minute, not knowing what to say, but knowing he
needed her near. She had walked him to the Jeep, clutching his arm and Max had
kissed her desperately and lingeringly, crushing her tiny body against his
before he finally left. She had looked so small and vulnerable standing in
front of their little house when he looked back at her in the rearview mirror.
He had told her over breakfast that they needed to
talk. Them having a baby was such an important topic that he didn’t want to
rush it. And it worried him that Liz seemed so scared about his reactions. Had
he somehow given her the idea that he didn’t want a baby? The thought of Liz
pregnant with his children made him dizzy and the possibility that he might
someday have a child of his own was just magical to Max.
Yes, he and Liz really needed to talk. Right now
would have been the perfect time to start their family, but instead this
feeling that something was about to happen to them just won’t go away, and
sadly that would have to take precedence right now…
A shiver of apprehension ran down Max’s spine as he
worked in the lab. He knew it was from Liz again. For some reason, their
connection has spiked to previously unknown levels and it literally felt like
he was inside her body, experiencing everything with her. And all she wanted
from him now, was to come home…
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was lunchtime when Nick, Grace and little
Madelaine finally arrived at the Evans house in Albuquerque. They had stopped
often for Grace to feed the baby and for them to stretch their legs.
Liz came out to meet them when she heard the car
arrive and Nick hugged her impulsively. He could see sadness lingering in her
eyes and wondered if somehow, she knew that he has come to turn her life upside
down once again. But Liz said nothing and played the perfect hostess.
Grace showed Liz her daughter proudly. Liz was their
Queen after all and, in spite of years living on earth, that was still a big
thing to Nick’s wife. While the women cooed over little Maddie, Nick carried
their luggage inside and settled things in their room. He noticed a lot of
changes in the little house, it was clear that Max and Liz had worked hard on
it since he had last been here. The place looked like a real home, cozy and
filled with loving reminders of the life shared by its owners.
They had lunch outside in the garden in the shade of
a big old tree and Nick and Liz caught up with each other’s lives. They had a
soft spot for one another and it showed. Maddie slept right through her
parents’ lunch and only woke up when they went back into the house.
"Why don’t you guys go rest until Max comes
home? I’ll look after Maddie," Liz offered. She could see that both Nick
and Grace were tired after the long drive and probably also from the pajama
drill of the night before. Their grateful acceptance confirmed her suspicions.
While the tired parents napped, Liz lay on the living
room carpet with Maddie propped on her little mattress next to her. She was
really tiny and really perfect to Liz. The thought brought fresh tears to Liz’s
eyes. Would she and Max ever have a little perfect person like this in their
lives? A tiny version of them both rolled into one?
When Max got home a little later, he found Liz still
in the same position, watching Madelaine sleep. The sight nearly took his
breath away and he had to lean against the doorframe to steady himself. For a
brief moment, he could picture his own little family together like that.
After he recovered, he walked over to Liz quietly and
knelt down next to her to kiss her cheek. She turned her face to him and he
whispered: "Hi." Placing his hand on her hip, he rained light, soft
kisses on her lips, making her smile.
In between all this, Maddie woke up and started to
whimper. This got Max and Liz’s attention immediately and Max helped Liz
upright so she could pick the baby up. He sat with his back against the couch
and watched as Liz gave Maddie a bottle. Another kick of raw emotion in Max’s
gut caused him to sit up straighter and gently brush Liz’s hair back from her
bent head. She gave him a watery smile and he knew he needed to hold he again.
So he pulled her back until she could rest between his legs, lying back against
his chest while she fed the baby. Max put his arms around both of them, just
staring down at the beautiful scene in awe.
Grace arrived in the room in a rush a few minutes
later, clearly concerned that she had left her baby alone too long and imposed
on Liz in the process. She faltered when she saw the scene in front of her.
"Hi Max," she said softly and bowed her
head at him without thinking.
Max smiled at her. "Sorry, that I’m not getting
up. It’s good to see you again!"
Grace hurried forward and lifted Maddie from Liz’s
arms. "I’m sorry! You should’ve woken us!" She looked embarrassed.
"I guess we were more tired than we realized."
Max had felt the tiny shiver that went through Liz
when Grace took the baby and he hugged her tighter against him fleetingly
before getting up. Nick had also arrived and the two men greeted each other
warmly.
"Congratulations with Maddie. She is
beautiful," Max told Nick.
"Yeah, it’s hard to believe she is mine,
right?" His comment made everyone smile.
"Okay," Liz announced brightly, "I
have a LOT of people coming over for a barbecue tonight, so I have to get
started on the preparations." She was holding on to Max’s hand tightly
while she spoke. "So you guys have to go do the men stuff outside."
"I’m on it," Max informed her, "just
let me get out of these work clothes. Would you all excuse me?" He gave
Liz another quick kiss and left.
Liz and Grace went to the kitchen to start with the
salads and Nick watched some TV while he waited for Max to finish showering.
Max had sort of hoped Liz would come to their bedroom, because he suspected she
needed a hug, but when she didn’t he sought her out in the kitchen.
He smiled at Grace who was sitting at the counter and
put his arms around Liz from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. Liz
stopped working and leaned back against him with a sigh. They stood like that
for a few moments, no words were needed between them. Then Max kissed Liz’s
cheek and went outside with Nick.
Not long after that, Michael and Maria arrived with
Alex and Maria immediately took to playing with Maddie instead of helping with
dinner. "What can I say, Space Boy is not with me for my cooking!"
"Lizzie, looking good!" Alex yelled when he
came in, resulting in a startled whimper from Maddie.
"Alex! Do you mind!" Maria hissed at him.
"Baby in the kitchen here!"
Holding up conciliatory hands, Alex made a show of
tiptoeing over to Liz to kiss her cheek. "Hi Alex."
Michael preferred looked at Maddie from a distance.
She seemed real cute, but he had no experience with babies and felt
uncomfortable around them. "Nice baby," he told Grace before
hightailing it outside with Alex.
Isabel arrived later and the group was complete. They
ate outside in the garden at a huge old wooden table that Liz had found in some
thrift shop. And for a little while it seemed that everything was just as it
has always been. Isabel and Alex continuing their weird
friendship/relationship, Michael and Maria bickering and Max and Liz holding
hands.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Later that night, when everyone had finally left or
gone to bed, Max took Liz’s hands in his. "Sweetie, I know we have to talk
about some things. About-about us starting a family for one, and—" He saw
her pale and hastened to add. "I WANT a family with you, Liz. Please don’t
think otherwise. We just have to discuss a few things first, okay?"
She nodded, feeling more relieved than she hoped she
let on.
"So, let’s make a date to talk on Sunday night
after everyone has left." He brushed his fingers over her jaw line before
pulling her flush with his body. "We’ll be alright, I promise."
Liz so desperately wanted to believe him, but some
things were too big even for a King to fix.
Max lay awake for a long time, wondering what Nick
wanted to discuss with him. Nick had cornered him just after the others had
left and Liz was still outside saying good-bye to tell Max that he needed to
talk to him about something urgent. And that it was better that he and Max talk
alone first. He unconsciously held Liz tighter to him. He had a horrible
feeling about this…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Although Max had been very reluctant to let her go,
Liz and Grace left for the city early on Saturday morning to do some shopping.
Grace claimed the shops in Roswell seriously lacked when it came to baby stuff.
Max didn’t really want Liz to go because he could
feel the sadness and worry come off her in waves. It was very strange to him,
because on the other hand, she seemed to be glowing. Not literally, but
something inside her just shined.
Nick watched as Max practically hung onto Liz’s hand
until they were in the car. Max kissed Liz through the open driver’s window and
made her promise that she would drive safely. Even Liz looked a little amused
by his anxiety attack. It made Nick feel even worse, because just like they did
so many years ago, Max and Liz were aware of something brewing on the horizon.
Max was wary as he sat outside with Nick in the
garden and Nick’s jittery actions just confirmed his suspicions that something
was up. "Right, what do you need to tell me?"
Staring at his feet, Nick wondered where to begin.
"A war is brewing between the four planets. Peace talks are starting
soon."
All the blood was draining from Max’s face. No, no,
no, no…
"The Tresarians specifically asked that our
planet be represented before they would come to the talks. Max, Tess is going
to represent our planet during those talks." Nick paused. "Unless you
go…"
It was all he could do not to say ‘NO’ immediately
and hope that the whole mess will just go away. Instead, he took a calming
breath and asked: "Why do we even need to be there? It’s not like we have
a planet left." Please don’t make me go to another planet without Liz…
"Eric’s planet is by far the strongest in the
group. If Tresar does not agree to peace, there will be war. Alliances are
being formed, Max, and we need to end this once and for all. We cannot hide
here forever. Would you really want your children to grow up like you did?
Forever hiding from something? Because the possibility would always exist that
the Tresarians could find out where you are. That you are still alive. And that
you have kids."
The vice around his chest was tightening. "When
would I have to go?" His voice was soft, strained.
"As soon as possible, there have already been
skirmishes and lives lost," Nick sounded very serious. "Max, I know
this might look like it’s not your problem, but your father used to dream of
uniting the five planets in a federation. Many people up there still believe in
what he stood for. And you could save millions of lives. I don’t think we
should leave our heritage and the future of four planets on the shoulders of
Tess…"
Max was staring at the tabletop. Silent. Thinking.
"I would propose that you take Michael and
Isabel too. So that the whole Royal family is there. Strength in numbers as
they say…"
When Max still didn’t say anything, Nick prompted
him. "What do you say, Max? Will you do it?"
There really was only one answer, Max could give his
friend. "Yes…"
Relief flooded Nick as he
heard Max’s firm answer. "You will?" It had been easier than he had
thought it would be.
"But…" Max met Nick’s gaze steadily.
"Liz is coming with me."
Opening his mouth to protest, Nick realized he
should’ve seen this coming. Max wouldn’t go anywhere without Liz. But this was
not a good idea. "I don’t think—"
Max interrupted him. "No, Nick. I’m not asking
you, I’m telling you. She’s coming with me."
Nick was quiet for a long time. "I know how you
feel about this… about her, but we don’t know what the reaction of the other groups
will be to her. We don’t know what to expect on the other side at all. There
might be danger."
A determined light was shining in Max’s eyes by now.
"If there’s danger, I’d rather have her with me. They are bound to find
out about her anyway. They could get to her here too." He rubbed his face
tiredly. "We promised each other we would listen to our premonitions
after… after last time. And this time I feel she needs to go with me or
something will happen to us." He pinned Nick with another steady stare.
"I promised her, Nick. And I will keep that promise. Those people need to
recognize that Liz is my wife. Not Tess."
Nick decided to try one last time. "You probably
won’t see her very much over there. You will be so busy—"
"I don’t care. She is really upset and there is
no way I’m leaving her here. Even if I only get to see her for half-an-hour
every day, it’s better than not seeing her at all." He was silent for a
few moments. "In fact, I think all six of us should go."
Nick blanched at that. "All six of you! Max,
with all due respect—"
Max silenced him by holding up his hand. "You’ve
taught me a lot about being a good leader, but there is one thing I learnt all
by myself. Our group is stronger when we are together. Liz and I are stronger
when we are together… I will have to discuss it with them all first, but if
they want to go, we’ll take them." Max didn’t know how to explain this
feeling that he shouldn’t let Liz out of his sight right now. This sense of
something happening to Liz was overpowering and threatened to drive him crazy
with worry. No, there was no way he was going anywhere without her…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shopping for baby clothes with Grace was really hard
for Liz. Firstly, she couldn’t help wondering if she would ever be doing this
for her own child, and secondly, because she could feel Max’s increasing
agitation. They were both really upset about this "premonition" of
theirs and Max’s worry seems to be getting worse.
And why was their connection so strong? Instead of
the vague sensing of his feelings when they weren’t physically close, it felt
as clear as when he was inside her. As when they were making love. It both
scared and exited her. It exited her because she never feels this close to Max
unless he was making love to her and it scared her because she feared it meant
something bad was going on.
And it was.
When they got home, she could see on Max’s face that
something had happened. He looked at her with an intensity that threatened to
steal her breath away. And he crushed her to him as soon as she was out of the
car. Liz felt her throat close up with fear, but she put up a brave face until
they were alone.
Grace and Nick had gone to their room to put baby
Maddie to sleep and Max took the chance to take Liz to their bedroom. Just
inside the door, he jerked her against him and kissed her passionately.
Desperately. Possessively. His movements lacked their usual grace and instead
were laced with urgency. Max Evans was completely off balance.
Liz gave herself up to his caresses with wild abandon
in the hope that it would chase away her fears. She knew she should be asking
questions, but right now she just wanted to bask in being with Max. In his love
and in his embrace, which still was the only place in the universe where she
felt truly complete.
He couldn’t stop kissing her. He needed to tell her
what was going on, but he was afraid to let her out of his arms. Afraid that,
for all his bravado with Nick, his world really was coming crashing down on
him. Instead, he let his mind talk to hers.
Liz, I need you. So much. Now more than ever. Please
go with me.
The emotions and words rushing at her from Max were
threatening to drown Liz. There was so much to take in, but most of all, she
was shocked by the panicked need she felt from Max. For her. She tore her mouth
from his, gasping for breath and grasping at Max’s shirt in desperation.
"Max, you’re scaring me! Please tell me what is going on?"
He wanted to, but suddenly a lot of what Nick had
said made sense. What if taking Liz to Dendar would put her in danger? He
didn’t know anything about the planet other than that Tess had apparently
survived there with her human body. But what if there was something different
about him, Michael, Isabel and Tess that he didn’t know about? Something that
could make a life and death difference to Liz?
Again, Liz could feel and hear everything as if he
was inside her mind. She slowly sank onto the bed, with Max still clinging to
her hands. "You have to go to Dendar?"
"Yeah," Max looked tortured. "But I
want… need you to go with me. Will you?"
Opening her mouth to speak, it promptly felt like Liz
was being sucked into a tunnel. A black void. Dizziness overtook her and she
only managed to whisper ‘Max’ before she lost consciousness.
"Liz!" Max cried as he caught her. He lay
her down on the bed gently and stretched out next to her, touching her with
shaking hands. He ascertained very quickly that she had just passed out and
that everything else seemed to be fine. His heart was pounding with reaction to
seeing her slump to the floor like that. Of course Liz had gotten the flu a few
times since their marriage, it was not like Max wasn’t used to her getting
sick. But he still freaked out every time it happened. She was his Liz, damn
it, and he hated that things happened to her that he couldn’t fix.
She had never passed out before, though. He tenderly
caressed her face with one hand as he whispered in her ear: "Please wake
up, Liz. I love you…" He kept murmuring soft things until he could feel
her stir against him.
"Max?" Liz’s voiced was husky, confused.
"I’m here, love."
"I’ll go, Max. Of course I’ll go." Her
voice was gaining strength.
Max stared at her in amazement. Here he was, still
trying to recover from her fainting spell, and she was already talking sense.
But when he looked in her eyes, he could see she was dazed and he realized that
her answer had nothing to do with recovering, but everything with her anxiety
about him leaving. "Shhh, sweetie, let me get you some water, then we’ll
talk, okay?"
She watched the door of the bathroom until he
returned. Liz wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but she knew she was
worried about not seeing Max again. She relaxed only when she saw him striding
towards her with a glass of water and a wet cloth in his hands. His eyes were
haunted, making Liz tearful. She had done something cause that look. "I’m
sorry, Max…"
He was beside her immediately. "For what? No! I
just-I just panicked when I saw you like that, Liz. I-I never want to face
being without you."
Liz grabbed the hand he was using to wipe her face
with the cloth. "Never. Where you go, I go."
Max inhaled sharply at her words. They were
everything he needed to hear at this moment. "Liz, it may be dangerous.
And your job… I don’t know how long we will be gone. And there’s a war
brewing—"
"I don’t care," she said promptly, making
Max’s heart soar. "I only know that I want to be wherever you are."
He kissed her softly, rubbing their lips over each
other while cupping her face. "‘I love you’ seems so insufficient to
explain how I feel about you."
She put her hands on his face too. "Max, you
made me ME. How much more do you need to say?"
Closing his eyes, Max breathed deeply as emotion
threatened to choke him. He didn’t know how to answer, so he hugged her to him
again, praying his embrace would speak for him.
When they had both calmed down a bit, he got back to
the reason for his earlier panic: "What happened just now? Are you ill?
Did you eat? Are you—"
Liz kissed him to stop the barrage of questions.
"I don’t know, love. I just… I think it was because I was so worried about
you. And I’m tired. I haven’t been sleeping all that much lately."
They looked at each other with comprehension. It was
the same reason why Max had tired bruises under his eyes.
"I’m sorry, Liz." She looked at him with
alarm, so he hastened to finish. "For making your life so uncertain."
"I told you before. I have the only certainty I
will ever need – your love. The rest are mere details." She cuddled into
Max’s warm body and sighed. That horrible feeling that has been plaguing her
for days seemed to have lifted somewhat. Maybe because they now knew what they
had to face.
Max was rubbing her back soothingly. "I’ll get
everyone here tomorrow and we can decide on a plan of action."
She nodded, that sounded like a good plan. "So,
why are we going to Dendar?"
And Max realized she had said she would go without
even knowing why… He lifted her higher up against the pillows and kissed her
breathless. "You are so amazing!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick paced in the spare room later that night. He had
talked to Max and Liz for a long time and Liz seemed even more determined to go
than ever. On the one hand, he knew that letting her go would make Max more
productive. If she were left behind on earth, the majority of Max’s attention
would go into worrying about her and missing her. But if she went, who knew
what could happen? Nick was sure Tess wouldn’t appreciate having her exalted
position taken from her again. By none other than Liz. Not to mention that he
worried that the Tresarian request to have the Antar Royal Family represented
during the talks may be a trap.
But what alternative did he have? His spies on Dendar
were relaying the imminence of war and it seemed like Max was the only one that
could make a difference. Not to mention that Max could be fulfilling one of his
father Aaron’s dreams – uniting all the planets in their system.
He worried about Liz. She was the glue that kept the
aliens and humans together and they have put so much faith in her link with
Max. What if something happened to her on Dendar? He had no idea what awaited
them there. He sat down heavily on the bed. He will discuss the final plans for
their departure with Max tomorrow. He needed to get transport for them, which
meant contacting Dendar officially. And that meant that the fact that the King
of Antar was alive and well and living on earth would not be a secret anymore…
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz lay in the circle of Max’s arms and felt more
peace than she had in a few days. She could see the stars through their window
and she wondered at the fact that she might be among them soon. How weird was
that? Humans have been trying to travel in space for decades and were very
proud of themselves for reaching the moon. Well, here she was, a girl from a
small town in New Mexico, about to travel to another galaxy.
She turned on her back and Max shifted automatically
to accommodate her changed position with the ease of years of practice. He lay
on his side, his face pressed into the crook of her neck, his even breathing
caressing her skin. Liz tangled her fingers with his that were splayed over her
stomach. That’s when she saw it.
His hand was glowing. Not brightly, but definitely
glowing.
Her gasp woke Max up and he looked at her, blinking
sleep from his eyes. "Is something wrong?" he asked with concern.
Liz brought his hand up from her stomach to press her
lips in his palm. The glow died out immediately after his hand left her body.
"No! Everything is fine."
He kissed her softly. "Are you sure?"
Nodding, Liz prayed that he wouldn’t force the issue
and most importantly that he wouldn’t learn anything from their connection. She
gave him another quick kiss and rolled onto her side with her back to him.
"Just hold me, that’s all I need."
He pulled her flush against him and Liz waited until
she could hear him drift off to sleep before she carefully splayed his fingers
over her womb again. The faint glow started almost immediately.
Breathing deeply, Liz cautioned herself to remain
calm. She was really afraid that she knew what was causing this. And with that
knowledge came the decision that Max should not find out about this before they
left for Dendar, or he would never let her accompany him…
Complete and utter hell.
That was what Liz experienced during the next few days. Keeping a secret from
Max was hard at the best of times, but keeping from him that she suspected she
was pregnant was almost intolerable. She was scared, exited, worried and elated
all at the same time and not having Max as a safety net during these emotional
times was putting a lot of strain on her. For one thing, she still wasn’t sure
that she really was pregnant and she desperately wanted to keep the info from
Max until there was no way they could be separated again.
But worst of all was not sharing with Max that his
child was probably growing inside her. This was one of those times that a
couple should be experiencing everything together. She swung from being at the
heights of ecstasy about her possible pregnancy, to the depths of despair about
Max not knowing. Under normal circumstances, Max would have been ecstatic, but
with the threat of them going into a war zone, Liz knew he would worry. She
still dreamed of being able to share this agonizing and exiting time with him.
She wanted to see his face when she told him, she wanted to experience every
one of his feelings when he found out, but most of all, she just wanted to be
close to Max again.
She had purposely kept herself away from him as much
as she could without raising too much suspicion. Luckily, there had been a
million things to do and Max was too tired to do anything but hold her late at
night. And her fainting spell was still vivid in his memory, making her efforts
to look too tired for anything physical look plausible. He had given her a few
worried looks, but mostly he treated her like she was made of fine porcelain.
He touched her gently, held her hand and kissed her softly, but nothing beyond
that. He seemed to sense her need for a bit of distance and Liz knew that any other
time, he would have confronted her with her actions by now. She was relieved,
but it was also horrible. She needed him. She needed him to make love to her
and be close to her. Her body needed his with a vengeance, but she couldn’t
risk him seeing too much via their connection. And it was slowly killing her…
~*~*~*~*~*~
On Sunday, everybody had been there for lunch and Liz
had watched as their eyes grew bigger while Max explained the situation on
Dendar and the need for him to go there. Sympathetic glances had been sent her
way until Max made it clear that Liz was going with him. Those same eyes grew
even wider when Max had announced that Michael and Isabel should go to Dendar
too and had asked Maria and Alex to join them in going.
The discussion had been short. Michael and Isabel
would never let Max go alone and Maria and Alex did not want to miss out on
travelling to another galaxy, let alone have their significant other’s go off
without them. Liz could feel Max relaxing next to her as they all agreed to go.
He gave her one of his crooked smiles and squeezed her hand to tell her how
happy this made him.
"I’m only going to kick the scrawny butt of one
Tess Harding to the curb when we get there," Maria had announced to them.
"I just know this is all her fault."
"Just so long as you do it from behind Mr.
Shoots-Energy-Bolts-from-his-Hands over there," Alex had countered,
pointing at Michael. "Otherwise your single-handed attempt at saving the
universe will be very short-lived."
Nick had hovered on the periphery of the meeting, his
agitation clear to everyone. He still wasn’t convinced that it was a good idea
for all of them to go, but Max had spoken and it was up to him to make sure
everything went according to plan. Their plan.
Nick was of the opinion that their transport would
arrive the next weekend at the earliest, so they would all meet on Friday night
in Frazier Woods to wait for the ship. He also hoped they wouldn’t lynch him
for the adjustments he had made to their travel arrangements. But he was doing
it because he had to… He told them all to pack light just before he left with
Grace and Maddie for Roswell on Sunday afternoon.
Everyone had agreed to organize unpaid leave from
their jobs and congregate in Roswell again as soon as they have their affairs
settled. Members of the alien colony would mind their houses and pay their
bills and everyone was too afraid to ask how they would accomplish that. Max
and Liz had to work until Friday and in between, Liz talked to their elderly
neighbors to look after their garden. Max worked very late most nights since he
had been in the middle of a big project when all this came down and he wanted
to finish as much of it as possible before he left.
This gave Liz more breathing space, but by Thursday
she was ready to climb the walls. It was not that she and Max couldn’t go a few
days without physical intimacy, they have been together for close to 10 years,
after all, but not being allowed to be with him was a completely different
kettle of fish. It made her fixate on the absence of sex all the more.
She was feeling fine so far. She had some
intermittent dizzy spells, but as luck would have it, Max had not been around
for any of them and they weren’t too bad. Only a few more days, she promised
herself. As soon as they were on that ship and there was no way he could send
her back, she was telling him everything. She hoped these other aliens had a
way of confirming pregnancy, because if the conception happened when she
thought it did, it was way too soon to go to a human doctor yet. There were
some tests that could tell if you’re pregnant as early as seven days after
conception, but they were not all that conclusive. And there was no way she
would be able to hide a visit to the doctor from Max. He would go into orbit
about it, would want to go with her and know exactly what is going on and she
would cave. No, she would have to wait.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was exhausted when he finally got home close to
midnight on Thursday night. There had just been so many things to concentrate
on that he felt like he had been through the wringer. Things were intense at
work. His boss had not been too thrilled about him going away unexpectedly for
an indeterminate time so he was working his butt off to finish a few things
before he left. Added to that he had been in contact with Nick all the time,
trying to find out as much as he can about what was going on up on Dendar to
prepare himself.
Nick had informed him that the ship was on the way
that would pick them up and also that the news about his existence caused quite
a stir on the four planets. Max hadn’t asked, but he knew Nick would be
monitoring the reactions of Tess and Nacedo to their imminent arrival. Seeing
them again was not something he was looking forward to.
And then there was Liz. She had become distant and
quiet and if he didn’t know better, he would swear that she was trying to block
him from reading too much of her emotions. He didn’t know what to think about
her actions. Sometimes when he was at work, he would experience such intense
emotions from her that he would have to stop what he was doing and take calming
breaths. The problem was that those emotions were so jumbled and wide-ranging
that he couldn’t figure them out. And every time he asked her how she was, she
told him ‘fine’ with a smile. It was starting to drive him crazy.
He wanted to give Liz the space she so obviously
needed, but he also wanted to fix whatever it was that had her so emotional.
The main thing stopping him was his fear that she was panicking about going to
Dendar with him. He really didn’t want to know that, because it might indicate
a deeper fear within her that they haven’t had to face for many years. His
alien side. What if, after all these years, him being "not normal"
was finally starting to bother her? He stopped himself from thinking about that
possibility too much. Along that road lay madness. Because in spite of the
threats of hordes of aliens trying to kill him and the uncertainty of venturing
into an unknown galaxy, the one thing that frightened Max Evans above all else,
was the possibility of losing Liz. The house was quiet when he entered it and
he felt a pang of sadness when he realized it would be their last night in
their little home for a long time. He found Liz already in bed, the sheets
tangled around her hips as she slept on her side, her arm clutching his pillow
to her chest. She was wearing silk pajamas with spaghetti straps that he had
given on a whim a few years ago. One of the straps had fallen off her shoulder
and her smooth thigh was thrown over the sheet. Her pj’s had ridden up to her
hips and the sight of all that golden skin reminded Max that he hadn’t made
love to his beautiful wife in a week. He walked closer to the bed and tenderly
stroked her hair back from her face. How he loved this woman! She was the air
that he breathed and was imprinted on every cell of his body.
Liz rolled towards him when she dimly sensed his
hands touching her. "Oh Max…" It was barely audible. She didn’t want
to wake up and face the reality of another night lying next to him without
getting too close.
Max froze. Her instinctive movements and soft sigh
had shot straight to his loins. He wanted her so much he could taste it. But he
fought down his impulse to just wake her up in the most primitive of ways and
instead he leant down and kissed her cheek tenderly. She was so small and
fragile, and he still had trouble getting that image of her fainting out of his
mind. So he forced himself away from her, going to the bathroom to shower.
Waiting until he disappeared into the bathroom, Liz
slowly let out the breath she had been holding and rolled onto her side again.
She had came fully awake at his kiss and had prayed that he wouldn’t do more
than kiss her. She could feel his need for her and tonight she had very little
fight left. Her body craved his hands and his mouth. And her mind craved its
deep connection with Max’s. She lay listening to the water running in the
bathroom and her mind created the visuals involuntarily. There wasn’t an inch
of that body that she didn’t know intimately by now. How she longed to just
give up her efforts to stay away from him and walk into that bathroom. Then she
remembered why she was doing this. Curving her hand over her belly, she
reminded herself that the alternative was Max leaving her here and going off to
another planet for who knows how long. No, she had to stay strong. Only a few
more days…
By the time Max dropped heavily into bed, Liz had
herself more or less under control again. She stayed on her side, facing away
from him and listened to him shift around to get settled. He lay quietly next
to her for a long time, his breathing telling her that he wasn’t sleeping. She
desperately thought of things like their garden and her work to make sure that
nothing about her situation escapes into his mind.
Max was still trying to get the humming of his body
under control, so he lay with his hands under his head and stared up at the
dark ceiling. He wondered what tomorrow would bring. He couldn’t even imagine
what a space ship looks like, let alone what it would feel like to travel to
another galaxy. They were truly venturing into the unknown.
Sighing softly, he admitted it. He missed Liz. He
missed knowing what was going on in her head and her mind. He missed kissing
her breathless and hearing her moans.
Moving onto his side slowly, his eyes traced the
indentation of her spine and the way her glorious hair spilled over her
shoulder and the pillow. Reaching out a hand, he touched the silky tendrils
gently, rubbing them between his fingers and the thought of how she sometimes
drove him crazy with that hair came unbidden into his mind. He clenched his jaw
against the riot of lust streaking through his body at the memories. He shifted
closer to her, reveling in her scent and her heat.
He needed to touch her. He would do it softly so he
didn’t wake her up, but he needed to run his hands over her skin just for a few
blissful moments. Liz was used to having him all over her in her sleep, so he didn’t
think she would notice. He started with her hip, gently rubbing the silk
material of her pajamas underneath the palm of his hand. The friction was
delicious, but he needed to feel her bare skin, so he moved to her arm. He
trailed his fingers up to her shoulder lightly, vaguely registering the
goosebumps that followed his touch. How could skin be this soft?
Sliding closer without even noticing it, he finally
found himself pressed against her back, their naked thighs touching. He knew he
was driving himself insane, but he couldn’t stop.
It was all she could do not to throw back her head
and beg him to take her. Liz was starting to shiver under his hand and she bit
her lip to make sure that her breathing didn’t give her away. She had been in
trouble as soon as his hand had touched her hair. Max pressed his lips against
her shoulder, lightly tasting her skin with his tongue before pulling back.
Getting carried away was not a good idea. Instead, he slid his arm around her
waist and pulled her more tightly into him. It was excruciating inhaling her
intoxicating scent and feeling her fit so perfectly against his body.
"Liz," he whispered her name against her hair. So much was locked up
in that one little word. His love, his desire, his possession and his awe.
As his hand brushed the silk out of the way to cup
her breast, Liz gripped the sheet and spoke to the maybe baby inside her: ‘You
better be in there, because I am giving up your daddy’s loving for you! And you
can’t even imagine how hard that is for me.’ As his hand continued to slowly
graze her breast, Liz decided that she needed to do something for Max too.
"I love you, Max," she whispered softly, hoping he would think she
was talking in her sleep.
Hugging her closer, Max tried to stop his suddenly racing
heart. All his suspicions were confirmed. Liz was awake, but didn’t want him to
know because she didn’t want him to make love to her. What was going on?
By breakfast, Max felt ready
to have a nervous breakdown. Liz was avoiding his gaze this morning and he
wondered again if he shouldn’t just come right out and ask her what was wrong.
Somewhere during the night, Liz had turned to him in her sleep and had clung to
him with such desperation that he had contemplated waking her up to find out
what is going on. It was clear that she was distraught about something and Max
didn’t have a clue what it was about. He had decided somewhere during the dark
hours that he would talk to her before they left for Roswell late this
afternoon, but now he wondered if he would make it until then.
He watched her getting ready for work with dark eyes,
and Liz chewed her lip incessantly trying to stop herself from falling apart
completely. He knew, she told herself. Of course he knew she was silently
freaking out! How could he not know when she was acting so strange? Max was so
in tune with her that there was no way she could hide her distress from him for
any length of time. She was putting on some eyeliner when she realized that her
eyes were wet with tears.
"Liz?" Max was suddenly standing behind
her, looking at her in the mirror with such love and anguish on his face that
she crumbled. She heard her own sobs echo through the room and the next instant
he had scooped her up from the chair and was cradling her against him. She gripped
his shirt and pressed her face into his neck, crying as if her heart was
breaking.
Max sat down on their bed and settled her in his lap,
stroking her hair with one hand as the other arm crushed her against him. Her
sobs were tearing into his heart like sharp claws, each one hurting more than
the next. "Please-please tell me what is wrong?" He could barely
speak around the pain in his chest.
In response, Liz just cried harder and increased her
grip on him. He concentrated on her feelings through their connection,
deciphering fear, loneliness, uncertainty and heartache so severe it stopped
his breath. His own fear that this was about him increased tenfold. "Liz…
please, I-I just… please!" he begged incoherently.
His warmth was all around her and Liz slowly calmed
down somewhat. She was still afraid that he would find out too much, but at
least she was back in his arms for a few precious seconds.
He was shaking.
Against her, Max was shaking in reaction to her
inconsolable tears and Liz’s guilt about lying to him and being distant from
him spiked. Would he ever forgive her for doing this to them? Would he ever
forgive her for not telling him?
"Not telling me what? Forgive you for
what?" he asked frantically.
She jerked away from him in a panic, realizing
belatedly that he had heard her thoughts. The hurt in his eyes when she did
that nearly caused another breakdown. "I-I really want to tell you, Max,
but… I can’t. Not right now… Please!"
She was starting to cry again and Max alternated
between wanting to force whatever it was out of her and trying not to upset her
more. "Please let me help you," he ended up whispering painfully,
hoping against hope that she would give in and tell him. Her words had created
a vice around his chest. ‘Forgive… doing this to them… not telling him…’ His
mind was making up the most horrible scenarios of what all this could mean and
he lowered his eyes from hers when she didn’t respond right away.
Wiping away the moisture from her cheeks, Liz looked
down on his bent head and felt the full force of his torment slam into her. Oh
God, how selfish was she being? "Max…" She ran her hand over his
cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck to lean into him. He trembled
against her again. "I love you," she whispered against his skin.
"More than ever. More every day."
She felt him nod above her, but he didn’t say
anything. "I WILL tell you. I promise. Just give me some time.
Please…"
"Okay," he didn’t sound sure he was doing
the right thing.
He had no experience with Liz not telling him things.
Usually he was the first person to know everything she did and felt. An ache
settled in his heart and it took him a few moments to identify it as
loneliness, something he had never felt since he got together with Liz. He only
remembered it from all those years he was watching her from afar. Seeing her
experience things that he wasn’t a part of had been terrible. Knowing she was
experiencing things now that he wasn’t a part of after being in her mind and
body for 10 years was excruciating. Suspecting that this was happening because
of him was even worse.
He drove them to work in silence. Liz had felt him
starting to shut down his emotions as soon as they had gotten up from the bed
after their "talk" and she was worried. She finally took his hand
when he wasn’t changing gears and was silently relieved when he didn’t pull
away from her physically too. When he parked in front of her lab, she flung her
arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back desperately
before kissing her good-bye softly.
Liz turned around when she reached the front door of
the building and saw him still sitting in the same place, his head bent, his
eyes closed and his hands gripping the steering wheel. It hit her again: she
was hurting him. She was hurting the most important person in her life.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick had organized a place for them to camp in
Frazier Woods that was far away from prying eyes. He brought a few of the other
men from the camp with him and they had set up tents and other essentials for the
group that was coming later that afternoon.
It had been hard for him to choose, but he had to
take some people from the colony with him on the trip and leave others behind.
Max and his family will need protection and advice while on Dendar and needless
to say, all Max’s people wanted to share in the honor of going with him. In the
end, he had decided on 20 men. Enough to keep an eye on all the members of the
Royal Family as well as impress the leaderships of the other planets.
He was worried about Max, though. Every time they had
spoken on the phone, Max sounded more tired. And this morning was even worse.
Nick was of the opinion that something was seriously wrong with Max. And that
could only mean one thing. Liz. He would have to keep an eye on them tonight to
see what was going on. Nick had trouble believing that after all this time and
after all they’ve been through, a trip to another planet could cause problems
between Max and Liz.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael, Maria, Isabel and Alex were all driving down
in Isabel’s car. They had invited their parents to meet them in the woods to
say good-bye since no one really knew when they were coming back. None of them
were looking forward to the farewell scene.
The bickering had started even before they were in the
car.
"Isabel, what the hell do you have in this
bag?" Michael exclaimed as they loaded up the car.
"Shut up, Michael. Everything is weightless in
space," Isabel had countered.
"Oooh! In that case, I expect to be carried
around a lot, Space Boy," Maria said. She was grinning from ear-to-ear at
Michael’s ‘I’m in hell’ look.
He got in the car and mumbled: "I wonder if
maybe sound doesn’t carry in space either."
"I heard that!" Maria yelled from outside
the car.
"I wonder if they have electricity so I can
power up my lap top and take notes?" Alex was leaning against the car with
a far-away look in his eyes.
Maria burst out laughing. "You’re kidding me,
right? Electricity? These people heat stuff with their hands, why would they
need electricity?" She fell unexpectedly quiet before suddenly screaming:
"Oh. My. God. I’m going into space!" She jumped into the car and
grabbed Michael’s arm. "What if we don’t come back? I’m too young to be
floating around in the stars for years! And you haven’t even married me, you
bastard! I’ve been living in sin for years and it’s all your fault. I can’t die
now. Michael—"
"Would you quit yelling in my ear? Everything
will be fine. Tess lived through this, so why won’t you?"
This halted Maria for a few seconds before she
gathered steam again. "Because her hair color is fake? Because she is
shorter than I am and have bigger boobs? Pick your reason!" She took a
deep breath. "If something happens to me up there, I’m kicking YOUR ass,
Michael Guerin! If you hadn’t abducted me in high school, I wouldn’t be in
this—"
Michael eventually shut her up the only way he knew
how. He kissed her.
"Finally," Alex muttered to Isabel.
"Step on that pedal and let’s get there before she comes out of her
daze."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max finished a little early with his project and
decided to go see if Liz could go home early too. He parked outside her lab and
went in, the receptionist knew him well by now and she just waved him to the
back with a smile.
His heart slammed to a halt when he found Liz being
hugged by one of her co-workers. His mind was screaming at him to calm down,
that this was nothing, but his heart urged him to go over there and rip the guy
away from Liz. Instead he just clenched his hands into fists and hovered in the
door. Liz saw him and for a fleeting moment, her face lit up like it always did
when she saw him. But then that horrible distant look that he was starting to
hate with every fiber of his being slipped into place again. He felt like she
had kicked him in the gut.
Liz felt the dark emotions coming off him and she
moved away from her colleague. She was so happy to see him, but then she
remembered that she couldn’t get too close right now. She walked over to him
meekly and hugged him lightly. His arms were around her immediately and he said
‘Liz’ in her ear. The tone of his voice clearly said ‘You are mine’ and Liz
allowed herself to bask in his possessiveness for a few moments.
"Can we go?" His voice sounded strained.
She nodded and grabbed her stuff and Max took her hand
as they walked out. This normally would’ve been a sweet gesture, but at the
moment it felt more like he was trying to keep her from running off without
him.
When they got home, Liz started gathering their bags
in the bedroom, trying to ignore the fact that Max was watching her intently
again. This was killing her.
He spoke unexpectedly, causing Liz to flinch.
"Do you… Would you rather stay behind?"
Terror flew through Liz. No. No, no, no, no.
"NO!" She rushed over to him, grabbing his upper arms in desperation.
"No, Max, please! You can’t… you can’t leave me behind. Please…"
Tears were shimmering in her eyes and Max was taken
aback momentarily by the desperation in her voice before sweet relief flooded
through his body. She DID want to go with him. He touched her face gently,
wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Liz, you’re scaring me. Something is
happening to you… to us, and I don’t know what it is or how to fix it." He
pressed his forehead against hers, squeezing his eyes shut. "I really need
you right now. All of you, not just the little bits you’ve been giving me this
past—"
Her strangled sob interrupted him.
Liz put her arms around her husband, pushing closer
until it felt like she would climb into his body. She wanted to tell him, she
really did. This was too hard. Maybe he would still let her go and if he didn’t
she could stow away or something.
"Liz?"
She continued to cling to him. "Max, I… I’m… I
think I’m…"
She couldn’t finish the
sentence. Not even the intense concern on Max’s face could get her throat to
work. She literally froze in his arms.
His mind was racing. "Liz, love if you’re sick
or… or something, please tell me now and I’ll stay here with you."
"No. No, I’m not sick," she said in a small
voice. "And you have to go, it’s important."
"Cause if you’re sick, we should rather be here
on earth with human doctors for you. What if they don’t know anything about
human physiology on Dendar?"
All her resolve not to tell him came roaring back at
his last statement. He would panic about them not being able to look after her
up there and now it seemed he wouldn’t only not let her go, he would stay
behind himself. She couldn’t allow that. "Max, I’m not sick, I promise.
Besides, you studied medicine, you could help me well enough." She tried
to get the courage to leave his embrace. "And we have to go, those people
need you."
He didn’t want to let her out of his arms. Lifting
her chin with his fingers, he pleaded with her again: "Let me in, Liz.
Please..."
She squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a tortured
breath. How much more of this could she take? "I will, just not right now.
Please understand." She had to keep him from finding out before they left
at all costs. This was Max. Overprotective, slightly obsessive with her Max
Evans. While he normally was a rational, thinking person, all that flew out the
window when it came to her. He WOULD make her stay here, but she now realized
that that wasn’t the only thing she had to worry about. He would also stay WITH
her and never let her out of his sight, because he was still worrying about the
effects of his alienness on their relationship and on her. She could just
imagine how paranoid he was going to be about her situation and what will
happen to her as a result of it. "I love you, Max. Always. Please, you
have to go to Dendar and take me with you."
The hurt in his chest had subsided somewhat after her
pleas to go with him and his realization that whatever was happening was not
due to doubt about him. He sighed and hugged her harder before letting her go.
"Maybe we should get a move on then?"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick watched as Grace fed their baby. He was
completely baffled as to why Liz had called him on Thursday to specifically ask
that Grace go with them to Dendar. He had asked her, but all she would say is
to just do it for her. Grace had been surprised to say the least. Why would
their Queen want her along? Now he was even more glad that he changed the
travel arrangements, the group was getting bigger by the minute.
Glancing at his watch, he noticed that the first four
would be arriving soon if they had left Albuquerque when they planned to. He’d
better go check how dinner was getting along. Everyone was bound to be hungry
when they got here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Michael, I don’t mean to upset you since you
can probably squash me with one hand and all, but are you SURE this is where we
are supposed to meet our guide?" Alex was peering into the darkness around
them nervously.
"Yes. I’m sure," Michael said irritably. If
one more person says anything…
"It would just be really ironic if we missed our
ride into space, you know." Michael turned around from the front seat to
glare at Alex, who wasn’t fazed by it at all. "It would be like, sorry, we
would’ve loved to help you sort out your intergalactic problems, but we got
lost in the woods on earth."
"Alex!" Isabel hissed. Things in the car
had gotten tense a few hours back while they were still on the road and Alex’s
jokes wasn’t helping any.
A light suddenly glowed a little way in front of the
car and they all sighed in relief.
"So, what’s the magic password?"
"
~*~*~*~*~*~
When they arrived in the make-shift camp, Sheriff
Valenti and their parents were there already. The Parker’s stood to the side,
observing the reunion between Isabel and Maria and their parents. Jim Valenti
and Amy got married a couple of years ago and she had finally been let into the
secret of the spikey-haired boy that loved her daughter.
Nancy was clinging to Jeff’s hand, trying to cope
with yet another huge unexpected development in her daughter’s life. She knew
that Liz and Max would be arriving much later and she was scared that she
wouldn’t have enough time to properly say good-bye to Liz. Heck, what was she thinking?
A week wouldn’t be long enough to say good-bye.
A few tables were set in the middle of the tents and
everyone gathered around them for dinner. Talk was subdued as everyone was
aware of the imminent departure of a large part of the group.
The men that were accompanying them went to bed
early, conscious of the important task they would have to perform from now on,
while Nick went to man the communicator, waiting for the signal that their ride
has arrived. He didn’t think it would be here before Saturday night, but still.
The four friends remained around the table with their
parents, drinking coffee and waiting for the two most important guests to
arrive. The six of them were all sharing one big tent tonight and Nick
apologized profusely when he told them that it had been easier to organize a
few large tents than around 15 small ones. Michael was about to grumble about
it when Maria had hit him in the arm with a threatening look.
So far, so good.
~*~*~*~*~*~
She had driven the first half of the route to
Roswell, but now Liz was sleeping in the passenger seat, leaning against the
window. Max had stared at her intermittently while driving, marveling again at
the inner glow that she seemed to have. The moonlight shone on her pale skin
and he felt an incredible need to just kiss her again.
What was going on in her beautiful head? And why
would she still not want him to know? Her words clearly told him that she loved
him as much as ever and that there was no way she would allow him to leave her
here on earth, but her actions were saying something else. She had avoided
physical contact from him for a while now and that made him worry. Had he done
anything to make her scared of him? He couldn’t remember being rough with her
the last time they made love. In fact, that Thursday afternoon had been one of
their most beautiful moments together, he had never felt closer to her and that
said a lot.
He cursed his baser instincts silently. All this
enforced abstinence was beginning to play havoc with his body. He craved Liz.
He craved her kisses and touch. He wanted to lose himself again in that
blissful oblivion only she could give him. What kind of a person did that make
him? They have been together for so long, surely he should be able to keep his
hands off her for a while if she needed him to? He glanced at her again. Her
lips were slightly parted and looked so inviting. Maybe just one kiss…
Liz was jerked awake when the Jeep came to a halt
next to the highway and she looked at Max in sleepy confusion. "Is something
wrong? Are you tired? Should I—"
Her next words were lost against Max’s lips as he
cupped her face and tilted it up for his kiss. Liz was caught completely
unaware by his move and she went under without a second thought. It had been
too long to go without the magic of Max’s kisses…
He kissed the corners of her mouth before running his
tongue over her bottom lip. Her small gasp went unheard but was definitely felt
against his moist lips. "Liz," he breathed against her, not willing
to break the contact to form the word.
The kiss deepened, became more urgent as Liz wrapped
her arms around his neck, her hands finding the soft hair at the base of his
skull. Max made a helpless sound against her lips as she opened her mouth for
him instinctively. Kissing him was like breathing. And she hadn’t done enough
of that lately.
Max was pulling her onto his lap when the flashes hit
her. Max watching her being distant these last few days, seeing her being
hugged by her colleague, feeling his distress, loneliness and fear when he
thought she was having second thoughts about going with him to Dendar. She
suddenly knew she had to stop this kiss, before he saw too much. Pulling away
from him gently, she trembled at the distressed sound he made. She pressed her
forehead against his. "We have to go, Max." They were both breathing
hard, reminding Liz a little of how he sounded when he made love with her. She
searched his eyes frantically, trying to see if there was any sign of him
having seen what she was so desperately trying to hide. Nothing. Just his warm
gaze regarding her hungrily. "We have to go," she repeated.
"Yeah," he replied in a husky voice.
Liz breathed a silent prayer of thanks for her narrow
escape. Her secret was apparently still safe.
Max pulled the Jeep back onto the road, still trying
to calm down his overheated body. He smiled slightly when Liz arranged herself
across the seat so she could lie with her head on his thigh. The move brought
back such memories that he had to swallow down the lump in his throat. He
stroked her hair tenderly like he always did and for a moment, he fooled
himself into thinking that everything was the same as it always was.
But it wasn’t. Liz had pulled away from him once
again. And the only flashes he got while kissing her, was from earlier this
morning and how sad she had been. He really didn’t want to relive her
inconsolable crying. He had also felt her desperate fear that he would leave
her behind. Why would she even think that? There was no way he was going far
away from her ever again. He looked down at her face and noticed the circles
under her eyes. Unless she was sick, then he would have to reconsider
everything.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They finally arrived at the camp at around eleven at
night. Everyone swarmed around them in excitement. Max allowed Liz some time
alone with her parents, but he could see she was exhausted, so he dragged her
off to bed with a firm statement that everyone could talk to everyone else
tomorrow morning.
Six cots adorned the tent and Max grimaced when he
realized that he would be sleeping without Liz glued to his side for the first
time in many years. He bullied her into bed and kissed her forehead, forcefully
having to ignore the sad look in her eyes when he got up to leave. She wanted
space and time and he would give it to her. Or die trying.
Outside, only Michael was still sitting at one of the
tables. "What’s up with you and the princess?"
By now, Max knew Michael cared a lot about Liz, so he
didn’t take offence to the "princess" reference. "She’s very
tired. We had a rough week." That was the understatement of the year.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked up at the stars and continued to
try and ignore the niggling little thought that had been terrorizing him ever
since he kissed Liz earlier.
There was another presence in their connection. A
faint, but definite other presence had shared the link between him and Liz
during that kiss.
Liz didn’t sleep well at
all. Although she didn’t have to worry about getting too close to Max during
the night for the first time in a week, she missed his comforting warmth next
to her. She woke up several times during the night and turned to look over at
Max in his bed every time. He seemed to be sleeping deeply so she would breathe
a relieved sigh.
All this awake-time gave her the space to think about
a few things. What was going to happen to her body if she were pregnant? This
was the first human-alien pregnancy she knew of and, even though they had seen
those flashes of two beautiful and healthy kids during the bonding ceremonies,
they didn’t really know what sort of things went on during the pregnancies.
Maybe she should have talked more with Max about this before getting herself
into this situation. No, she couldn’t have. She HAD planned to talk to him
about it so that they could decide together on when they wanted to have a baby.
But then that Thursday afternoon happened and she had gone completely off the
rails worrying about what was going to happen to them, so it was Saturday by
the time she realized that she had forgotten to take her birth control pills
since Thursday morning.
What if Max is going to be really angry with her?
What if he hated her for getting them pregnant and lying to him about it so he
wouldn’t leave her behind? What if he sends her home after finding out? Her
mind whirled with thoughts of things that could still go wrong. She fully
intended telling Max the first moment they had alone on that ship, there was no
way she would last much longer with the way things are between them. And she
had to know what his reaction to the possible pregnancy would be.
She closed her eyes and pressed her hands over her
womb, wondering if she really was carrying a little part of Max inside her. The
thought made her completely giddy and she tried to sense if something felt
different. It was silent inside her for a few moments before she became aware
of a slight vibration underneath her fingers and a soft echo of something in
her mind. Her eyes flew open and she saw a faint amber glow leaking through her
fingers. She had to hold onto the sides of the cot when the certainty slammed
through her. She was pregnant with Max Evans’s child!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was barely light out when she awoke again, this
time with the most brilliant smile on her face… and a feeling of complete
nausea. She risked a quick glance at Max and, seeing that he was still
sleeping, she stumbled out of the tent with her hand over her mouth. She prayed
that no one would be around to see her being sick.
Luck was on her side and she managed to make it away
from the camp into the woods without an audience before retching her guts out.
As she rested her forehead against a tree afterwards, she thought grimly that
it would be just like Max’s child to wait until she was sure she was pregnant before
starting to make her sick. She splayed her hands over her womb again and felt a
wave of intense emotion wash over her. "Hello, baby, this is mommy. I love
you so much already and… your daddy will love you too once I tell him about
you." She rubbed her hand tenderly over her stomach that had started
glowing slightly. "Your daddy is the most wonderful person in the world.
You will see that once you’re here. He is gentle and kind and so protective. He
will make sure that you have a wonderful life. He gives the best hugs when
you’re sad and he always listens to everything you tell him. He will be so
happy about you. You have always been one of his dreams. A dream I had prayed I
could make real for him."
Starting to walk, she found a small stream nearby and
cleaned herself up as best she could. Then she sat down on a soft patch of
grass and talked to her baby some more. "Me and your daddy love each other
very much." She grinned a little. "You will have to learn to leave us
alone if our door is closed, but I’ll tell you about it when the time comes.
For now, just know that we really want you." She leant back against a tree
trunk. "He is a very special person, your daddy. A King. A very important
man to our people. And he is a great researcher. I know it sounds like I’m
gushing, but it’s all true. He gets a little annoying with the protective thing
every now and again and I’m guessing you’re going to have the same problem with
him, but you will just have to forgive him for it. It is all because he loves
you so much and cannot stand terrible things to happen to you." Tears
welled into her eyes. "That’s why I cannot tell him about you yet. He will
make me stay behind and I cannot bear to be away from him for too long. Or he
will stay behind with me, and he has all this responsibility on his shoulders.
I would feel horrible if I kept him from them. He needs to go stop a war. I
know it looks like I’m taking you into a very dangerous situation, but my heart
tells me we have to be with your dad while you are still inside me. I don’t
know why, but being his child, you will soon learn to trust that instinct that
comes from being an Antarian. How do I know this, you ask? Because your dad
healed me a very long time ago… and in the process, he changed me to be his. So
him and I are linked. Have you felt that? My link to him? If you have, I’m
sorry that you must experience how sad we both are at the moment. It’s because
I can’t tell him about you yet and he misses me."
The tears were flowing down her cheeks now. "I
miss him too. But I guess I don’t have to tell you that. Hopefully it won’t be
much longer. We are going on a long trip later today. And then I will tell him
everything. He will want to be introduced to you, so you must stay awake for
that, okay?" She wiped the moisture from her face with a watery smile.
"After that you should probably sleep, I need to be alone with your daddy
for a while to make up for all this lost time."
She had no idea how long she sat there, just
immersing herself in the feeling of the little life growing inside her and her
reminiscing about Max. Suddenly, she felt a wave of panic through her
connection with Max and jumped up, knowing he has found her missing.
Concentrating on letting him know she was alright, she turned so she could go
back to the camp, only to realize she had no idea how she got here. She had
been feeling so horrible that she hadn’t paid attention to her route. Damn!
Okay, she would just have to keep concentrating on Max and see if she could
locate him. That worked, so she started walking back to camp. She had only gone
a few steps when he crashed through the bushes in front of her.
"Liz!" He grabbed her against him.
"You scared the crap out of me! Why are you here?"
He was looking at her searchingly and Liz bowed her
head. "Sorry, I woke up early and decided to go for a walk. I guess I got
a little lost."
Max lifted her chin and saw the faint remnants of her
tears on her face. He cupped her face tenderly and rubbed his thumbs over her
cheeks. "Oh God, Liz… I don’t think I can do this much longer. I need for
you to tell me…" He watched as she bit her lip and her eyes flickered away
from his. Gritting his teeth against the desire to force her to tell him, he
pressed her face into his shoulder. "It’s okay… I’ll wait a little longer,"
he promised above her.
They walked back to the camp hand-in-hand and Liz
found almost everyone there waiting to see if Max had found her. She felt like
a real idiot and apologized profusely for causing such unnecessary worry.
Breakfast was organized at the tables again and Liz
prayed that she wouldn’t get sick from the smell of the food.
Nick reported at breakfast that he had received a
notice from their transport very early that morning. "The first ship will
be here around 8h30 tonight."
Max looked at him sharply. "What do you mean
‘the first ship’?"
Nick looked nervous. "I had to order us two
ships to get us to Dendar, because… because you can’t all go on one ship. It’s
too dangerous. It’s the same reason the President and Vice-President of the USA
never travel in the same plane. If the plane goes down, they’re both
gone."
Liz groped for Max’s hand. Nick couldn’t be thinking
of not putting her and Max on the same ship, could he?
"What exactly are your plans?" Max asked.
"I’m thinking that you go in one ship and
Michael and Isabel in the other. That way, there will always be one of the
members of the Royal Family around."
"What if they take out both ships at the same
time? I don’t like this, I should be with Max," Michael said unhappily.
"We’ve thought of that. The ships are not taking
the same route." Nick sounded surer of himself after no one had shouted at
him yet.
"What about us?" Maria asked, looking death
rays at Nick. Liz silently thanked her best friend for asking what she so
desperately wanted to.
"You all go with your partners." He looked
at Liz. "But maybe the Queen should—"
"No," Max said immediately. "She goes
with me."
Nick just shrugged. He hadn’t really thought he would
get that one past Max.
Liz felt herself relax. If they had put her on a
different ship as Max, she would’ve gone over the edge right here at the
breakfast table!
"Okay, so Max and Liz will go first. Does
everyone agree?" Nick looked around the group and monitored all the
nodding heads. Michael still looked like he wanted to object, but he let it go
once Max agreed to the arrangements.
~*~*~*~*~*~
They spent the rest of the day with their respective
parents, saying good-bye and promising to come back. They were all planning to
come back, they just didn’t know when that would happen.
Max talked with Jim Valenti for a while too. Jim was
just blown away by the fact that the group was going to another planet. He
wished he could tell his father about all this, it would give the old man back
his faith in himself. That he had been right about aliens being on earth all
this time.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz was dying to tell her parents that they were
going to have a grandchild, but the fact that Max doesn’t know yet held her
back. It would be so wrong for her to talk about this with anyone else before
him. So she kept her hands carefully away from her stomach and pretended that
everything is as it always was.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sun was setting slowly in the west and the group
had gathered around the tables again to wait out their last hours on earth. The
communication said that the second group would be picked up closer to dawn as
it takes a few hours for the shuttle of the ships to make the return journey
from the dark side of the moon.
Max had watched Liz closely the whole day. That faint
new presence in their connection was now discernable even when they weren’t
touching. He had wondered at first if someone had gotten to Liz and that that
was why she acted so strangely the last few days. But in the end, he had
discarded that theory in light of her inner glow and the fact that she seemed
fine other than about the physical contact with him. The only other possibility
was one he didn’t even want to think about right now. It was too scary and
wonderful at the same time…
~*~*~*~*~*~
The arrival of the shuttle was anti-climactic. No
really bright lights flashing and lazer beams coming from the hull. Just a
sudden whisper of wind in the air and then it was there, right in front of
them.
Nick was taking 10 men with him, Grace, Liz and Max
on the first ship, and they all stood waiting as the door quietly slid open.
Max and Liz stood slightly in front of the group so that there could be no
mistake about the identity of the leader of the group. Liz had tried to step
away from Max a little, but he had taken her hand firmly and gave her a look to
say she shouldn’t be silly about not being at his side.
Maria had to clap her hand over her mouth to stop
herself from giggling hysterically when she saw the two new aliens step out of
the ship. Maybe they should’ve asked what these beings would look like, she
though wildly. They were really… short! They didn’t have three eyes or pasty
gray bodies, in fact, they looked more or less like humans, apart from being
really short. She estimated that they were about 5 feet tall, about the length
of her and Liz. Michael, Alex and Max looked like giants against them.
The two aliens moved until they stood in front of Max
and bowed deeply.
Maria had another hysterical thought. How were they
going to communicate? She had seen Mars Attacks! one too many times to be
comfortable about this.
The one alien handed Max a small rectangular piece of
steel that started glowing as soon as Max touched it.
"We are honored," the being said, making
the group gasp when they could all understand him. "That is a translator,
we had it programmed for your language too, that is why you can understand us.
We have to go soon, we don’t want to be here too long."
There was a final flurry of good-byes that left Nancy
and Diane in tears and then the group was led into the smallish shuttle.
Everything inside was made of a metalish material that shone dully in the light
inside the ship. They shown to seats and before long they experienced that
falling feeling in their stomachs during take-off. Max and Liz watched through
a window as the earth quickly became smaller below them. It was the weirdest
experience of their lives.
Max held Liz against him and ignored the strange
looks he got from the aliens on board. They would just have to get used to him
having her at his side.
Liz leaned her head on his shoulder and wondered how
long it would take to reach the other ship so she could talk to Max. In spite
of the strangeness of the whole experience, her need to speak to Max was still
uppermost in her mind. When had she gotten this blasé about being around
aliens?
~*~*~*~*~*~
They arrived at the huge ship that hung silently
behind the moon about three hours later to a huge welcoming party by another
group of small aliens. They told Max that everyone in their galaxy had feared
that Aaron and Kyla’s children would never return and how honored they were
that he was gracing them with his presence.
He would have to get used to being called all sorts
of exalted names, Max guessed, but for now it was still a new thing. He thanked
them for their hospitality and introduced Liz to them as his wife. The group
turned to her and bowed again, but Max and Liz could see they were baffled about
her.
They were all taken to another floor on the ship
where the sleeping quarters were and shown to some rooms, which were more like
cells, very small and cold-looking. Liz could just imagine Alex’s reaction to
all this: ‘I feel like I’m on Star Trek’.
And then they were finally left alone.
"Max?" Her voice sounded strained and
shaky.
He turned so that he stood facing her. Everything he
could read from their connection (and there was that new presence again)
shouted that she was in a complete panic about whatever she wanted to say.
"I-I… need to… to tell you something now,"
her lips were trembling so much that she could hardly talk.
Max took her hand in an effort to calm her down.
"Sweetie, it’s okay. I think—" He faltered when he saw that Liz had
put her hand on her stomach… and it was glowing.
"Oh my God, Liz…" he whispered just before
she flattened his hand over her stomach too. The glow appeared again, only in a
different color and the new presence in their connection became stronger. His
earlier suspicion had been right, his wife, his mate, was pregnant!
He kept staring at his glowing hand on her womb and
her soft ‘I’m pregnant, Max’ barely penetrated his haze. My baby is in there!
"God, Liz!" was all he could think to say.
There was a roaring in his
ears and his world shrank until all it consisted of was his glowing hand over
his unborn child. A wave of joy and humbleness crashed over him, forcing him to
his knees in front of his silently watching wife. He forgot to breathe as the
reality sank in. He was going to be a father. This was incredible, wonderful
and scary all at once. He ran his hand over Liz’s flat tummy again, smiling a
beautiful smile as the red glow followed his hand.
He didn’t even realize that he had tears in his eyes
as he looked up at Liz, his gorgeous, amazing wife. "We’re pregnant?"
As if he still didn’t really believe it. Max felt the lump in his throat get
bigger as he lifted Liz’s shirt to look at the bare skin of her stomach. She
was so small and flat, how can there be a baby in there?
Liz watched his actions in awe. For a moment, they
were just Max and Liz Evans, newly expectant parents sharing in a profound
moment. She could feel Max’s joy and wonder at this development as if it were
her own.
"How… when…" Max was incapable of anything
coherent yet as he traced the soft skin of her stomach with shaking fingers.
"I think last Thursday when you got home
early…" She didn’t tease him about the ‘how’ question, the moment was too
precious for that.
"Liz… you’re giving me a baby! I-I dreamt,
but…" He brought her closer to him and unzipped her low-slung jeans.
Peeling away the flaps from her body, he pressed his lips against her lower
belly over and over again. "My baby," he whispered against her skin.
"I love you." He pulled back a bit and put his hand back on her
stomach, reveling in the immediate glow that resulted in his touch. Then he
realized Liz was trembling. He kissed her stomach one last time, whispering ‘be
good to mommy’ softly so Liz wouldn’t hear.
He climbed to his feet and caught Liz’s hands in his.
Her head was bent and he could feel her worry about what he would say. And
there was a lot that he wanted to say, but first he needed to kiss Liz again.
In spite of the kiss from yesterday, it felt like he hadn’t had her in his arms
for years. He lifted her chin gently and covered her mouth with his. It started
out tenderly, him tracing her lips with his tongue and tasting her sweetness.
Then she moaned quietly into his mouth and the hunger for her returned in full
force. He kissed her urgently, penetrating her lips with his tongue deeply,
drowning in her magic.
Liz wanted to cry with the relief of being able to
kiss him back without worrying what he might see. She threw her arms around
him, clutching at his hair to pull him down on her harder. The force of the
kiss increased, their lips meshing together in desperate urgency.
This time, Max felt Liz let him into her mind and
heart again. The relief that went with the full return of their link nearly
made him dizzy. He felt her pain and confusion of the last week, her panic over
being left behind by him and her tentative joy about her pregnancy. He felt how
many times she had cried and saw her dizzy spells and this morning’s bout of
nausea. That tore him from his haze very quickly. "Liz! Are you okay? Has
anything strange happened? Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling sick?
And—"
Liz pressed her fingers over his mouth. He was
wearing the signs of their intense kissing session and she just wanted him to shut
up and kiss her again. "Everything is fine. It’s just the glowing so far.
The rest is normal." She pressed herself closer to him. "I missed you
so much, Max! I’m so sorry about not telling you sooner. I didn’t really know
for sure until last night…"
This reminded Max of all the things they needed to
talk about. Moving over to the bed, he pulled Liz down on his lap and brushed
her hair behind her ear. "Tell me everything," he asked seriously.
Glancing in his eyes, Liz saw only loving concern and
took a deep breath to spill the beans about her actions and decisions of the
last week. Please, Max, don’t hate me!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Maria was seriously grumpy when they were woken to
wait for their shuttle a few hours before dawn on Sunday. And Michael’s unintelligible
mumbling when she nudged him to get up was just making things worse. "Get
up you big lug," she finally yelled in his ear, eliciting a muffled curse
from him. "Some soldier you would make," she told him haughtily and
breezed out of the tent. She found Isabel outside, staring up at the stars.
"I wonder if they made it okay? And where they
are right now." Isabel sounded uncharacteristically lost. In spite of all
her bravado and iciness, she relied on Max a lot.
"I’m sure they would’ve communicated to us if
something went wrong," Maria tried to cheer up her friend.
This time, the group was not surprised at the sudden
appearance of the shuttle and the second group was whisked into the ship
quickly.
"So how long will it take for us to reach
Dendar?" Alex asked as soon as he had a communicator.
"About six rotations of your planet," their
host answered. "The ship with the King will take one rotation
longer."
Maria looked baffled and Alex told her: "Six
days, he means six days for us, seven for Their Royal Aliennesses."
"That’s not a word, Alex!"
"Hey, we’re in a space ship on our way to some
distant galaxy, I don’t think making up words is a big problem right now."
Michael cornered David, one of Nick’s men. "Is
there any way you can communicate with Nick? We need to know if Max and Liz are
okay."
"Yes, Sir," the man answered respectfully.
"I’ll do it right away."
It took a few minutes, but they all sighed in relief
when Nick’s voice came from the orb. He assured them everyone was fine, but
Michael insisted on talking to Max directly. There was an awkward silence
before Nick said: "Max and Liz are in their room right now, I don’t want
to disturb them."
Alex promptly burst out laughing. "I cannot
BELIEVE those two, they’re at it in space already!"
Michael decided to let it go, but asked Nick to get
Max to contact him as soon as he appeared.
Maria wasn’t laughing. "Am I the only one that
thought there was something wrong between Max and Liz yesterday?"
This shut Alex up quickly. Reluctant nods could be
seen all around the group.
"Lizzie was acting really strangely and they
weren’t all over each other like they normally are."
"It’s probably just an argument. They will get
over it, they always do," Isabel stated calmly, more calmly than she felt.
Max had been upset about something, she had definitely seen that.
A silence descended on the small group. If things
could go wrong between Max and Liz, could the world end too?
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had listened quietly to Liz’s account of how she
got pregnant, why she didn’t tell him and why she felt she had to keep away
from him. He didn’t know how to react or what to think about it. On the one
hand, he felt like she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him about her
situation. He hated knowing that she had been going through all that alone.
Moreover, he couldn’t help worrying that he was taking his pregnant wife into a
possible war zone. He didn’t even want to contemplate anything happening to
them.
Liz had fallen silent after she told him everything
and waited for his reaction with a bent head. She was unconsciously clinging to
his hand with both of hers, her throat closing up with fear about what he would
do and say now.
"Liz," his voice was soft, "I want our
baby, I really do. I cannot tell you how it makes me feel to know that there is
a little part of me growing inside you." He stopped briefly. "But I
wish you would’ve told me. What we went through this week… I never want to feel
like that again."
Biting her lip, Liz swiped at the moisture on her
cheeks. Had she broken something between her and Max that could never be mended
again?
"But… I guess I can understand why you did what
you did. You’re right, I would’ve made us stay home." He pressed his
forehead against her hair. "Somehow I have trouble finding a war in
another galaxy as important as making sure that you and our baby are
safe…"
"No Max," Liz said worriedly.
"I-I don’t know what to do now, Liz. Tell me
what to do, because everything inside me is screaming for me to make them turn
this ship around and take us home. I can’t lose you!"
Liz turned her body in his lap so that she could rest
her forehead against his. "I’ve asked Nick to bring Grace. She’s been
through this and she will help me. And my heart tells me that I have to be with
you while I’m pregnant and didn’t we say we would listen to our hearts from now
on?" She felt him nod against her. "Please, Max, let me stay. I
promise I’ll be careful and that from now on you will be the first to know
exactly what is happening to me and our baby."
He was torn, she could feel it so she pulled back and
stripped her shirt from her body before placing his hand back on her womb. Both
of them stared at the glow appearing under his touch. Liz realized for the
first time that when Max touched their baby, both his hand and her stomach
glowed. With her it was only her stomach. "He knows you," she
whispered to Max with happy tears in her eyes and heard Max’s sharp intake of
breath at her statement.
Max sat like that for a long time before he gently
lifted Liz from his lap. "I need to think," he told her and felt his
heart contract at the flash of hurt he could see in her eyes. He helped her
take her jeans off before tucking her into bed and kissing her forehead. "Get
some rest."
She watched him walk to the door with more tears in
her eyes. Was she ever going to stop crying? She held her breath as he
hesitated and turned back to come kneel at the side of their bed. He pulled the
covers off her and kissed her belly softly. "Bye, baby. Let mommy get some
sleep, okay?"
"Max…" Liz pleaded.
"Just rest and I’ll be back later," he said
as he tucked the bedcovers back around her.
"I love you," she called after him and saw
him falter before he finally left the room. Turning on her side, she folded her
arms around her stomach and cried, great, racking sobs that stemmed from the
relief she felt at not having to hide from Max anymore and her anxiety that he
would decide to send them back or something equally unacceptable. She could
feel his fear and confusion through their connection and wished there were some
way she could make this better for him. He had reacted so calmly to all this,
it reminded her a little of when her diary got lost in their sophomore year.
That was the time she realized fully what a gentle soul Max Evans had.
Somewhere through her tears she felt a warmth
underneath her hands and the feeling chased away most of her sadness. When all
was said and done, she was still carrying Max’s child inside her, nothing could
take that away from her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max stood at one of the big windows of the ship,
staring at the stars and planets rushing past at a frightening speed but he
didn’t really see them. His mind was whirling with all that he had learnt in
the last few hours. He was so afraid that something might happen to Liz while
they were on Dendar. But wasn’t it better for her to be pregnant among other
aliens that wouldn’t be suspicious if anything weird happened to her in the
process? He had never been as confused as he was right now. His heart was
telling him to take Liz with him wherever he went and to never let her leave
his side, but his mind was pointing out everything that could go wrong.
"Max?" Nick’s voice interrupted his
musings.
He turned to Nick who was watching him anxiously and
blurted out: "We’re going to have a baby!" A silly smile settled on
his face and wouldn’t go away again. Whatever else happened, this what was
mattered. His Liz was carrying his child.
Nick’s mouth fell open and it took him a while to
recover enough to say: "Congratulations!"
"I have to go see Liz again," Max informed
him, suddenly in a hurry to go back to their room.
Nick watched him rush away and grinned broadly. Wait
till he told the rest of Max’s people! Celebrations were in order, the heir to
the throne was finally going to arrive!
When he entered their room,
Liz was sleeping on her side, her arms folded around her middle and with dried
tear tracks on her face. Max felt horrible. She had kept all of this from him
because she knew him so well. She had known that he would completely overreact
if he found out she was pregnant. And he had proven her right.
He walked closer to the bed, his eyes never leaving
her face. In spite of her recent bout of tears, she was breathtaking. Her inner
glow was visible even in sleep and Max dragged what he presumed to be the
Dendarian version of a chair closer to the bed so he could watch over her. He
longed to get in bed with her and just hold her until the torture of this last
week faded into a distant memory, but he was afraid that he could hurt her now.
What if this was like when she has her period? He knew all too well about
cramps and sensitive breasts. On the other hand, he had no knowledge whatsoever
about pregnant women, let alone women pregnant with alien babies. He would
really have to talk to Nick and Grace about this.
What would happen to Liz? They were both pretty much
human, but what if the baby needed vitamins and nutrients that could only be
provided by another alien? He had never felt so out of control in his life.
Things were now happening to Liz that he could do nothing about and he just
knew this pregnancy would be the death of him.
He leaned forward in the chair, softly brushing her
hair from her face. "I love you, sweetheart," he whispered. With
every breath she took, Liz made his life more complete.
Jumping up, he knew there was at least something he
could do to make things safer for Liz. He went to Nick and Grace’s room and
knocked on the door softly. Nick opened the door and he could see in their
shining eyes they had been talking about his baby. This thought brought another
stupid grin to his face. Good lord, he was going to be a father!
"Congratulations, Max," Grace said
respectfully.
He smiled at her broadly, not seeing her eyes widen
at the unexpected sight. "Thank you. I really need to ask you two a favor.
Actually, two favors."
Nick was already sighing. "I know. Don’t tell
anyone else Liz is pregnant yet, right?"
Max gaped at him fleetingly, before recovering.
"Yeah. It’s just, Tess and Nacedo— I really don’t want her to be in danger
because of this. And if anything happened to my child… Anyway, I want you to
post two guards to her round the clock." Nick was nodding his ascent.
There were only a few Antarian survivors left in the universe, making the
pregnancy of their Queen a huge issue. "And those men should stick with
her no matter what she says! No more slinking off because Liz had a privacy
fit."
"Yes, Sir." Nick had trouble hiding his
smile. Max was going to be hell to live with until that baby came. "What
was the other favor?"
"I-I need you two to come talk to Liz and I
about this pregnancy at some stage. I have no idea what to expect and Liz… she
doesn’t have her mother or anybody else here that can give her advice.
Grace…"
"I’ll be here for her, don’t worry."
Max felt relieved. He felt like he had accomplished
something useful for Liz. Wow, his Liz was pregnant!
"Okay… then… I’ll go back to her. She’s sleeping…"
"Pregnant women need their naps," Nick
informed him. "Excuse me for asking, but how far along is she?"
"We think about a week-and-a-half." Max
felt really uncomfortable discussing the conception stage of this joyous event.
Everyone knew he had sex with his wife, but he preferred the exact dates and
times to stay private. "Well… I’ll let you know when we can meet with
you."
"Wait, Max! Michael wanted to talk with
you."
Max gritted his teeth, he needed to be with Liz. He
didn’t want to miss a second of his baby growing inside her. "Okay,
fine."
~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael and the gang had arrived on their own
transportation ship by the time Nick contacted them. The discussion was short
and to the point. Yes Michael, everyone was fine and they were on their way.
Yes Maria, we all have small rooms too.
"Geesh, did Max sound a bit hyper to you guys
too?" Maria asked after the connection was broken.
Everyone looked at each other and said ‘something
with Liz again’ all at once.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max retook his seat next to the bed, his eyes tracing
Liz’s delicate features lovingly. He suddenly remembered a poem he had found
for Liz on their first Valentine’s Day as a married couple.
"I love you, before long I die,
I have travel’d a long way merely to look on you to
touch you,
For I could not die till I once look’d on you,
For I fear’d I might afterwards lose you."
She had been his wife for close to eight years now,
and sometimes he still felt like this poem. Like he had traveled the vast
expanses of space just to behold her. Being with her was like holding a
fleeting moment of perfection in his hands and sometimes he feared that it
might all suddenly and inexplicably slip through his fingers. That the universe
would get tired of their perfect happiness and take it away from them.
He was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice Liz
had woken up until she spoke his name.
"Max?"
He was on his knees next to the bed instantly.
"I’m so sorry, love! I needed to think, there is so much to consider. But
please don’t ever think that I would send you away. I just want you to be safe.
You and our baby." His eyes begged her to forgive him for making her cry
again. "I love you so much, Liz."
She sat up and touched his face. "I’m sorry too,
for keeping this from you. For making us both so miserable the last week…"
Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead against his. "Max, we’re having
a baby!"
The wonder in her voice echoed his own feelings. This
was yet another wonderful chapter in their lives. "Yes," he whispered
back. "Thank you for giving me this gift."
"I missed being close with you so much,"
she added after a while.
"Me too."
"Will you just hold me then? Please, I-I missed
your touch…"
She was looking at him with her fathomless dark eyes
and he fell headlong into her magic. "Yes." He kicked off his shoes
and climbed in behind her back, pulling her against him and wrapping his arm
around her waist. Her head was cushioned on his other arm and he inhaled the
sweet scent of her gorgeous hair with great relief. It was so good to have her
back in his arms without any barriers between them.
He felt her tangle her fingers with his that were
resting on her tummy and she languorously rubbed his hand over her skin. Max
had to remind himself forcibly that his hand was covering his unborn child in
an effort divert his concentration from the fact that her skin was soft and
warm and that his fingers were drifting dangerously closer to the edge of her
panties.
Liz was in heaven. After nearly a week-and-a-half of
serious torture, she was free to do anything she liked with Max again. She
could feel his conflict about how much he should allow himself with her, but
she was determined to change his mind. So she pressed herself back against him,
irritated by the fact that he was still wearing clothes.
Rolling over onto her back, she looked up at Max
through her eyelashes and licked her lips before sighing: "Max…" She
knew just which buttons to push and he inhaled sharply at the sultry huskiness
of her voice.
One kiss won’t hurt, will it? Max couldn’t ignore
that he had his wife wearing very little clothing in his arms again and, most
importantly, WILLING after what felt like forever.
The kiss was gentle at first, gentle enough for Liz
to wonder whether he would be able to resist her after all, but almost
instantly they caught fire from each other, and by the time it was finished she
was pressed fiercely against him, her hands hard across his back, offering him
all he wanted.
"God Liz," Max muttered as his mouth
touched the long line of her neck, not just once but several times, the brief,
fiery graze of his lips sending wild little shudders through her whole body.
"I don’t want this to get out of hand—"
He didn’t try to pull away but she tightened her arms
around him anyway.
"I’m staying," he promised her.
"You’re not getting away from me again."
Liz smiled against his throat and slid her hands
under his shirt, forcing him to lift himself up so she could take it off.
"Liz…" he sounded strained but lay back down with her after his shirt
went flying to the floor.
Still smiling, she ran a light finger across his
chest, the skin felt smooth and flexible.
"Don’t do that," he said, his beautiful
voice husky with desire.
"Why?"
"Because I can’t give you anything more than
just comfort right now. You are—"
"Not made of porcelain." She lifted herself
on to an elbow and smiled into his face, letting her hair fall around it like a
curtain.
He looked at her with brilliant eyes, no longer trying
to hide his hunger and passion. "Liz, we have to be careful, we don’t know
what can—"
This time she stopped him by covering his mouth with
hers.
Feeling her desire through their connection was his
undoing and he resisted only a second. As her hand moved across his chest,
spreading wide until she could feel the solid, rapidly speeding beat of his
heart beneath her palm, the tip of her tongue traced his lips with delicate
precision, outlining the top lip, then the more sweeping arc of the bottom.
He groaned deep in his throat and his arms came up
and caught her, iron bands around her pliant, yielding body, pulling her over
him so that she could feel his warm skin, the need and passion in him that more
than matched hers. He touched her with such devouring yearning that she
couldn’t help but respond.
Max’s breath hissed between his teeth when she curved
her hand around his hip and pulled him close against her so that, mouth joined
to mouth, their bodies were welded together by the fire leaping from one to the
other.
The fire was threatening to consume him and steal his
reason.
Max pulled away from her in a panic. "Liz! I’m
sorry. Did I hurt you? We should be careful," he repeated his previous
statement.
Liz was confused by his sudden withdrawal before it
dawned on her that Max apparently now thought he shouldn’t make love to her.
She was too mad to get anything out and concentrated on making sure he felt
each and every one of her feelings through their connection.
Holy crap. He was reeling from all the emotions Liz
were sending him. Not least from her intense need for him to make love to her.
"No, Liz," he practically moaned. "We have to make sure
everything is fine with you and our baby first. Please don’t make this
impossible for me!" He was shamelessly begging. This was tearing him in
two opposite directions. His mind had now placed her in a different category:
mother of my child, while his heart and body was screaming at him that this was
his lover and wife and he needed her just as much as she needed him.
"Liz, please," he begged again, holding his
breath as she watched him steadily. It would take very little to push him over
the edge and she knew that. He wondered what she would do. Did he mention that
this pregnancy was going to be the death of him?
Liz felt an unreasonable
urge to either scream or cry. Didn’t he want her anymore now that she was
pregnant? No, that’s not it, their connection made it very easy to feel how
wrong that assumption was. He DEFINITELY wanted her. So then, how could he do this
to them both?
Horror tore through Max as he saw her eyes fill with
tears and he sat up quickly to pull Liz back into his arms. He knew she needed
him, but he was afraid of what making love with her would mean for their baby.
And now there were no doctors that could tell them what would be harmful and
what not. As he felt her tears against his neck, he castigated himself for
making Liz cry again. That would make it two times in a few hours already. What
sort of a husband was he?
After getting herself under control somewhat, Liz
pulled back to look into Max’s concerned and tortured eyes. Sighing, she
admitted that all her tears had accomplished was to make Max more certain that
she should be coddled. Not really what she had in mind for the two of them! She
wiped the moisture from her cheeks determinedly and pinned him with a gaze.
"Max, I am pregnant, not ill. And what both our child and I need right now
is for you to love me, not to try and keep us apart as much as possible."
She could see Max wasn’t being swayed so she tried a low blow. "The baby
can feel when I’m upset, Max, and that is not a good thing." His eyes grew
large at her statement. "People have been making love while pregnant for
centuries, so it’s not like we will be breaking any physical laws or
anything," she ended. She couldn’t believe she had to resort to emotional
blackmail to get her own husband to make love to her. She was used to being
loved in abundance and having had very little of that for a while was
disconcerting and with her pregnant hormones going nuts, Max was in deep
trouble.
"Uhm… Liz…" Max was at a loss. He had all
sorts of horrible images flying through his mind of what could happen to Liz if
he actually had sex with her and he no idea how to explain them to his
obviously perturbed wife. Heck, some of them were silly even to him!
Liz suddenly climbed out of bed, standing in front of
him wearing only a few delicious scraps of silk and lace. Max felt his temperature
skyrocket. She was exquisite. His eyes clung to her curves, from the lush line
of her lips to the sensual flare of her hips. Oh, how he wanted to bury himself
inside her once again…
She made sure he had a good look before turning to
the little bathroom type thing leading from their room. "So, how do the
showers on this ship work?"
He decided it was a good thing she wasn’t looking at
him, because his stupidly confused expression after her unexpected question
would surely have had her in stitches. He buried his face in his hands, trying
to ignore how uncomfortable he was sitting around in a pair of pants while
being really aroused. When he eventually felt strong enough to face her again,
he found she had disappeared into the bathroom.
Her shriek seconds later had him sprinting to the
other room, nearly falling over his own feet in haste.
She was standing inside a little cubicle that emitted
a low hissing sound, her hands covering her eyes as she was engulfed in what
looked like a fine mist. Max panicked and slammed his hand into one of the
buttons next to the door of the cubicle. The sound and the mist disappeared
immediately and the door slid open moments later. "Liz!" he cried as
he lifted her out and hugged her tightly.
Desperately blinking the moisture from her eyes while
trying to get her hair out of her face, she mumbled: "I’m fine, just
soaked."
Max helped her with her hair, using his powers to dry
out the moisture and leaving it lying down her back smoothly.
Still really upset with his stubborn refusal to make
love with her, this irked Liz even more and she glared at him. Get your hands
off me, you smug Alien idiot! Just because your hands glow you think you can do
everything.
Max heard her thoughts clearly and backtracked
warily. What on earth was wrong with Liz? He thought he had been helping her.
They stared at each other from a few paces away. This was not at all what Max’s
dreams about a possible Liz pregnancy had looked like. He had had visions of
her glowing with health and enjoying every moment with him. Of being blissfully
happy. Of them planning a nursery and picking out names. He definitely had not
had visions of being on Liz’s bad side all the time. "What happened?"
he asked cautiously.
Liz waved her hand at the cubicle. "The stupid
thing went like a tornado suddenly and I couldn’t see to turn it off…" All
of a sudden her mouth started twitching and she burst out laughing.
What the hell? He wasn’t sure if he would get lynched
for joining in her mirth, so Max just smiled at her. "Maybe we should get
someone to come show us how things work in this room," he stated dryly.
"Maybe…" Liz’s voice had turned husky again
and he noticed her eyes were trained on his damp chest. His body reacted
helplessly. Her naked body glistened with moisture. She was gloriously,
breathtakingly sexy. He watched as she came towards him, seemingly in slow
motion, and trembled as her hand splayed over his chest.
Liz leaned forward and caught a few drops of moisture
from his skin with her tongue. He was so beautiful. She felt the muscles jump
in reaction to her touch and she stepped even closer, opening her mouth against
him. His muffled groan barely reached her ears, she was too intent on enjoying
every inch of him.
He couldn’t help himself. His hands found her waist
and slid down to cup her behind, lifting her to her toes and arching her into
his hardness. Her hands were digging into his upper arms as she moved her
assault to his neck.
"Liz…" He had meant it to be a warning, but
it sounded more like a plea. She was a witch, ensnaring him in her magic and
making him lose his mind.
He tasted warm, male and incredibly arousing. She
trailed her open mouth over his throat, her tongue tracing little shapes
against his skin. She could feel his chest heave against her and hear his
labored breathing and it made her deliriously happy. Nipping at him, she
thought fiercely that his body was hers. It had always been. No one else had
ever done what she was doing and no one else had ever made him respond this
way. Her mouth reached the firm line of his jaw, but before she could explore
further, he had turned his head so that their mouths met.
He plundered her mouth with open desire, long past
the stage of even trying to hide his passion and Liz reveled in every minute of
it. Her body rejoiced and her heart sang when she felt Max’s surrender. Felt
him giving up on trying to keep things low key between them. Finally, they
would be together again…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There had been some confusion on the other ship when
it became clear to the Dendarian hosts that the two Antarian visitors intended
to share their rooms with their companions. Their hosts didn’t say much, but
Maria surmised that males and females did not normally stay in one room on
Dendar. She wondered if King Max had had the same problem on his ship. Probably
not, he would’ve just waved his hand and everyone would’ve been falling all
over themselves to do his bidding. Wait a minute, that sounded a lot like Liz…
Maybe she was from Dendar too, Maria thought amusedly.
The small rooms were clearly meant for one person,
but Maria left Michael under no illusion that he could kiss any type of
physical interaction good-bye if he let her stay somewhere else, alone between
all these aliens.
Isabel had decided to test her royal status and had
asked for two adjoining rooms, which they managed to find for her. Even though
she and Alex were close, she needed her space. Sharing a bed not much larger
than a single was not her idea of fun.
By unspoken agreement, the four of them met each
other again in what looked like a lounge type area after settling in their
rooms. The chamber had a huge window/porthole from which they could watch the
stars fly by.
"This is, like, so surreal," Maria said in
a hushed voice. "I can’t believe I’m hurtling through space at a dizzying
speed!"
"Yeah, it makes trying not to overspend on
groceries at the end of the month look a little less important, doesn’t
it?" Alex stated dryly.
For Isabel it was a different experience. It felt
almost… familiar. Sharing a glance with Michael, she knew he felt the same. It
was familiar not in the same sense as her home on earth was, but in the sense
of having experienced this before. It was a little disconcerting and she
scooted closer to Alex.
Maria was fiddling with buttons situated underneath
the window, when suddenly a soft siren sounded from further down the hallway.
Michael dragged her away and scowled at her. "Are you insane? You could
open this window or launch a missile or something!"
Folding her arms across her chest, Maria stared at
him irritably. "Well then get one of these very short little aliens to
give us the guided tour and explain how I can get something to drink on this
vessel. Or I WILL be opening this window!"
"Wuss," Alex hissed under his breath when
Michael held up his hands in surrender and took off to find someone that could
help them. "Thanks Maria, I could eat any type of alien food right now,
that’s how hungry I am!"
"I’m a waitress and let me just say, this race
will not win any wars if it depended on their hospitality!" Maria huffed.
But all this bravado was a show to hide her true feelings. Maria Deluca was
terrified. She was in space, for crying out loud! What was she thinking coming
here? Oh yeah right, she was thinking she couldn’t let Michael go off to some
other planet to meet some new alien girlfriend. She glanced bitterly at Isabel.
From what she had seen of alien women, in other words Isabel and Tess, they
were all beautiful. There was no way that she would allow Michael Guerin to go
live among such women alone.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max tamped down on his urgency. Under normal
circumstances, he would’ve taken her quickly, but he felt that he needed to do
this right this time. Liz was whimpering against his mouth, begging him
silently to make them one soon, but he kept on kissing her. Sliding his tongue
over hers and worshipping her with every movement of his mouth and hands.
"I love you," he had pulled back just a
fraction to whisper it against her lips. He felt the shudder that racked her
slim body as his breath feathered over her moist and sensitive mouth. Finally
letting go of her rear, he put both his arms around her waist, hoisting her up
against him until her legs dangled against his, and walked back to the bed without
breaking off the kiss. He couldn’t have, even if he wanted to. He was like
someone that had found a spring in the desert after dying of thirst for days.
He drank his fill from her mouth. He had been starved for her kisses, something
he hadn’t really admitted to himself until yesterday. It probably was an
understatement to say that they kissed a lot usually, and this past week they
had barely kissed once. He was mystified that he had managed to live without
Liz’s kisses for so long.
He let her slide to the floor beside the bed, gasping
as he felt her bare skin move against his. Electrifying. It felt so
electrifying to have her in his arms like this. He lifted her arms around his
neck and gently trailed his hand down her sides until he reached her upper
thighs before moving them around to the back and letting them glide upwards
over her bottom, the curve of her lower back and up to her shoulders. Slowly
letting himself rediscover the wonders of Liz’s body. They needed oxygen, so he
ended the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.
Liz’s heart was overflowing. "My love," she
said softly. He had been the most wonderful husband any girl could ever wish
for through all these years, and now he was going to be a wonderful father.
Max had one final moment of uncertainty. He wrapped
his hands around her tiny waist, his thumbs meeting at her bellybutton. The
soft glow was back immediately. "Liz, what about our baby, wouldn’t this
be… weird for—"
"I told the baby to sleep so we could be alone
for a while," she said with a small smile. He looked so cute when he was
flustered. "No seriously, Max, our baby is only a few cells big right now.
I don’t think he’d mind." She reached down to find his hands and moved
them upward to her ribcage, letting them linger tantalizingly close to her
breasts. Max’s gaze had dropped to follow the path of his hands.
"Okay?" she asked him gently.
He swallowed and nodded solemnly, his eyes never
leaving her curves. "Yeah." And he moved his hands the final few
inches.
Michael returned with a
small delegation of Dendarians who bowed formally in front of Isabel and then
invited their guests for a tour of the ship. It was awesome for the four
friends. Everything in the ship gleamed or was made of something that looked a
lot like plastic. There were buttons for almost all the things you’d want in
your room.
"Room service!" Alex whispered to Maria.
Which it was, sort of. It was not like a tray of food magically appeared out of
the wall like you sometimes see on sci-fi shows, but you could place an order
and then go eat it in the dining room a few minutes later. This caused a tussle
between Alex, Maria and Michael. Alex and Maria were starving and wanted to eat
immediately, while Michael pointed out that he had basically forced their hosts
to show them the workings of the ship and they should at least finish the tour
first.
"Space boy!" Maria began threateningly
until she saw that the four Dendarians that have been showing them around were
watching her with expressions varying between alarm, shock and amusement. Damn,
they could understand what she was saying! She had forgotten that. "Ah…
sorry," she finally managed with an apologetic smile while ignoring
Michael’s glare. "Please, let’s continue." Where was Liz when she needed
her? Surely Liz would never cause such a scene in front of their hosts. On the
other hand, Liz was now a Queen and no one would dare say anything if she DID
create a scene. Liz just had it all...
Alex asked endless questions of their tour guides. He
was fascinated by the technology on the ship. How they communicated (mostly
telepathically), how they navigated (they had trained "navigators"
doing the steering, not computers or machines). It seemed that the Dendar
nation depended a lot more on people than on technology, something that
interested Alex to no end. They were shown how to operate all the gadgets in
their rooms, from the showers (yes, they do have water on Dendar), to the
Dendarian version of a toilet, to their food orders and how the chute type
thing in the bathroom worked that cleaned clothes.
They were also shown how to expand a bed until it fit
their bodies, making Alex exclaim, "nifty" with a sly look at Isabel
who had to try and hide her smile.
Then finally, they could eat. They asked their hosts
to order them something, since they had no clue what Dendarian food was like.
And all went for a shower before what would essentially be brunch for them.
They sat around the table and stared at the strange
stuff on their plates. Alex was hungry enough to try everything, so he relayed
his findings about each new dish to his companions with relish. "This
tastes like broccoli." "A little bit like chicken." "Oooh,
bread!" After a while, all his comments got to the rest of them and they
all started eating. Overall the stuff wasn’t bad!
"Oh!" Alex cried out suddenly, turning red
and grabbing his chest.
"What?!" Isabel sounded frantic.
"Can’t breathe… Food may be poisoned…
Help," he ended pathetically, making gasping sounds and clutching at
Isabel. All his antics brought a small group of Dendarians over.
"Quit it, Alex!" Maria said
matter-of-factly, whacking him behind the head. He sat up straight immediately
and looked fine.
"I can’t believe you did that!" Isabel
hissed at him.
Michael just burst out laughing. "Good one,
Whitman!"
When Maria and Isabel joined in the laughter a few
moments later, Alex knew he had accomplished what he wanted to, to lighten the
tense and uncertain mood that had been part of the group ever since they got on
this ship.
And their Dendarian audience just stared at each
other in wonder about this wacky group of people.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Surely she was made for this. For having Max’s hands
on her body, his thoughts in her mind and his baby in her womb. His fingers
lingered possessively on her sweet curves and Liz trembled with pleasure
beneath his touch. She arched her back sensuously against the pressure of his
hands as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Liz . . ." Max’s grip tightened, and he
pulled her closer. She sank into his kiss, exited by the urgency of his touch
that matched her own need. Locked in his arms, her breasts pressed against the
strength of his chest and her body ignited by the sensation of skin against
skin.
Their kisses became deeper and more demanding and,
still kissing almost frantically, they fumbled with desperation to rid Max of
the last of his clothes.
Liz’s senses were spinning with exhilaration and the
pent-up desires of the last week-and-a-half. At last she could touch him and feel
him again, at last his mouth was on hers and his hands were sure against her
skin, at last his need was as great as her own.
Max lifted her onto the bed and followed her down.
"Do you know what it’s been like, not being able to really be with you these
last few days?" It was a moot question, she knew exactly how he felt. He
was kissing her eyes and her ears and her throat and then her mouth again.
"I’m sorry," she reiterated, running her
hands greedily over his body. "It was hell for me too."
He rolled her beneath him and took her face in his
hands, smoothing back her tousled hair. He looked into her eyes and there was
such warmth, love and desire in his expression that Liz felt herself dissolve
with happiness.
"Tell me if something hurts you…" he asked
tenderly.
He was still worried about her pregnant status.
Pulling his head down to hers, she breathed, "Yes," against his lips
and invited more deep sweet kisses.
Max smoothed his hands over her slenderness, still
amazed that she was so small and yet pregnant. His gaze lingered possessively
on the soft curves of breast and hip, on the smooth, slender line of her thigh
and the silken warmth of her skin. Liz tried to reach for him to pull him back
to her mouth, but he only smiled and continued his devastating assault on her
senses by kissing her all over, slow, tantalizing kisses that burned over her
skin and left her shaking with desire. He spent a few extra moments with his
lips pressed to her stomach and whispered, "I’m borrowing mommy for a while"
into her bellybutton before moving lower.
Hearing her little moans was music to his starved
ears. It felt like ages since he had heard them last. They spurred him into
increasing the intimacy of his touches and he kept that up until Liz was
quivering against him and begging him for release. But still he took his time,
his mouth retracing its path back up over her belly, teasing her taut breasts
and drifting lovingly up the pure line of her throat to recapture her lips.
Liz’s fingers dug into his back. She felt on fire and
she urged him closer, demanding to be fulfilled until finally she could feel
him enter her flooding warmth. They both groaned with a mixture of relief and
pleasure while Liz wrapped herself around him and gave herself up to the
glorious rhythm of their bodies moving together.
Max kissed her every time their movements allowed it.
He literally worshipped her with each stroke of his body and his tongue,
wanting to give her back some of what she had given him: herself and their
baby. That’s why he didn’t rush this, how ever much his body demanded him to.
This moment was incredibly special to him. He basked in the intensity of their
connection, his mind ablaze with images of him and Liz together from that day
they had conceived their baby. It stopped his breath.
Swept along by and irresistible force that grew ever
stronger, faster and more urgent, they clung to each other with hot mouths and
hungry hands.
Max buried his face in her hair and murmured her name
in that sexy husky tone of voice he always had when they were making love. He
would say her name with a little hitch that always increased her desire,
because it was a tone he used uniquely for her. She arched her head back,
beyond speaking, beyond thinking, beyond anything but feeling. He filled her,
and it was as if every nerve down to the tips of her fingers thrilled with
awareness of his hard, strong body that was taking her to the limits of
sensation. She could feel his hands, insistent against her breasts, could taste
his mouth and smell his hair and touch the sleekness of his skin, but as the
rhythm grew even those senses dissolved beneath their shared excitement.
"Thank you," they both whispered at the
same time and their gazes locked as finally the explosion of release washed
over them. It was said for so many things, for saving each other’s lives, for
loving one another, for making sacrifices, for always being there, for making
dreams come true. And most importantly, for completing each other. They lay
staring at each other afterwards, eternally grateful that they could share this
again.
Carefully rolling them over so Liz was lying on top
of him, Max made sure he stayed inside her for a while longer. He had missed
this so much, he had to make up for lost time. He stroked Liz’s hair and asked:
"How did you know you were pregnant? You said you knew last night?"
Liz wriggled around until she could lay with her arms
folded on Max’s chest, resting her chin on her hands.
"Lord, Liz!" Max gasped, stilling the
movement of her hips. "I think I’ve done an admirable job of not mauling
you in your delicate condition until now, don’t make it impossible for me to
continue."
Just smiling at him serenely, Liz knew she was going
to get this nonsense out of his head soon. "I suspected when you put your
hand on my belly one night and it started glowing, and I was sure when my
stomach glowed when I touched it last night. And when I got nauseous this
morning…" She trailed off, kicking herself for reminding Max of her
morning sickness when she saw him pale.
He felt completely overwhelmed by everything this
pregnancy entailed. He had no problem with going off into the wide expanses of
space to stop an interplanetary war, but coping with Liz being sick, worrying
about the safety of her and their baby, and trying to do things right for them
was threatening to drown him.
"Max?" Liz’s soft voice called him back
from his dark thoughts. "We have each other. Everything will be
fine."
Slowly trailing his forefinger from her forehead,
down the slope of her nose, over her lips to her chin, he marveled again at how
trusting Liz still was about the world. After all that has happened to her
since got involved with him, she still believed that as long as they were
together they would be able to face anything. And maybe she was right.
He moved her onto her back again and scooted down so
he could lay his head on her belly. He felt Liz thread her fingers through his
hair as he concentrated on the faint link he had with his baby through Liz. The
link did not yield anything concrete yet, just a faint hum of life that hovered
at the periphery of their connection. His baby was alive and safe and growing.
And he would always be able to check on it himself. He smiled against Liz’s
skin, kissing her stomach softly. It was starting to feel a little more real to
him. "Daddy loves you, baby." He kissed her again and looked up to
meet Liz’s gaze. "And daddy loves mommy even more for giving you to me.
And I promise to look after both of you."
Liz drew him back to her and they kissed. A long,
slow, deep kiss that spoke of love and commitment and promises for the future.
A kiss that was rudely interrupted by a commotion
outside their door.
"No, you can’t go in!" That sounded like
one of his men.
"I have to see him!" A female voice cried.
"There has been a terrible mistake…"
Feeling like he would rather
just ignore whoever was making a fuss at the door, Max pulled himself from
Liz’s intoxicating embrace to get up and drag on his clothes. He gave Liz a hot
look and leaned over to kiss her hard before whispering: "Don’t move, I’ll
be right back."
She hated that he had to go, but she was sleepy
again, so Liz decided that this would be a good time for a nap. She concluded
that she would have to train her body to nap whenever Max was busy with other
things, that way they could make the most of their time together. But right
now, the release of all the previous week’s stress, the adrenaline rush of
making love and the fact that she finally felt whole again caught up with her,
making her eyelids droop before Max had even opened the door. She rolled over
onto her side and pressed her face into Max’s pillow, inhaling his scent that
still lingered there. Her life was perfect…
Max opened the door to find David and James, the two
guards he had instructed Nick to post to Liz, trying to bar a
distraught-looking Dendarian girl from entering the room. "What is going
on?" he asked, watching the girl’s eyes widen in shock at his appearance.
"Sorry, Max," James said. "She was
going on about some mistake and that she had to see you. We tried to keep her
quiet until… until you could see her."
"That’s okay. What is the problem?" Max
turned to the girl, who looked positively frightened now.
She bowed low before stuttering. "There has been
a big m-mistake with y-your room. You should not be in here. T-this is for a
normal p-passenger. My Commander is furious. I-I humbly apologize for
this!" She was looking at him as if she feared he would order her
execution for this mishap. "We need t-to move you im-immediately."
Max had trouble not grinning at the poor girl’s
panic. "That’s okay, uh… what is your name?"
"Shilla," the girl whispered fearfully.
"That’s okay, Shilla, we were not
inconvenienced." Max wondered what Liz would think of having to get up
now. "Uhm… let me go check on my wife and I will tell you when we can
move."
Shilla just nodded mutely, apparently struck dumb by
the fact that the King was not angry about the whole mess. And boy was he tall
and good-looking!
"Don’t worry, he is not you run-of-the-mill
royal," James informed her kindly. In fact, he was probably the furthest
you’ll get from one, he thought amusedly. Not that that made his people love
him any less.
When he reappeared, Max told Shilla that Liz was
sleeping, but that he would move her to wherever they needed to go.
It was a strange procession that trekked down the
corridor. David and James, each carrying a bag, followed Shilla, who kept
looking over her shoulder at Max and Liz in amazement.
Max had bundled Liz into one of his sweaters and
wrapped her in a blanket, before picking her up and carrying her to their new
room against his chest. She hadn’t even stirred, apart from mumbling his name
and curling her one hand into his shirt.
The chamber they were shown to was huge in comparison
to the one they had just vacated. It had a lounge (or audience room as the
Dendarians called it), two big bedrooms each with their own bathroom, a kitchen
and a dining area. Max took a quick glance at everything, but didn’t take much
notice.
Shilla pointed at one bedroom. "That would be
the Queen’s room and that one is yours…"
Max, James and David faltered at the statement. David
and James stared at Shilla in mild shock and then looked at each other
meaningfully. Max merely turned around towards "his" room.
Shilla hurried after him. "Ah… the Queen—"
"Stays in my room," Max informed her
firmly. "Always."
James and David waited out in the lounge area for Max
to put Liz to bed, but Shilla had never heard of such a thing so she followed
Max into his room, not sure how to handle this. A man and woman sharing a room?
It was not that Dendarians didn’t have sex or form a life partnership, but they
didn’t share rooms for long periods. Or handle their mate like she was the most
precious thing in the universe. They cared about each other, but it all took a
backseat to intellectual undertakings.
Max put Liz on his bed gently, making sure that she
is warmly snuggled into the blanket. He had to sit down by her side when she
wouldn’t let go of his shirt. Smiling slightly, he rubbed the back of her hand
until she eventually let go of his shirt and grabbed his hand instead.
Shilla felt awkward, like she was intruding on
something. "Uh… Was-was there anything else you needed? I-I was assigned
to be the your servant while you’re here."
"You could get us something to eat in an hours
or so, if that’s possible?" Max felt weird ordering someone around.
"Yes Sir," Shilla said quickly, all too
glad to be getting out of the room. After observing that tender moment, she
realized that she better not be barging into this room unannounced in future.
David and James were grinning when Shilla came
rushing out of the room. Lesson number one for the Dendarians, never try to
separate the Antarian Royal Couple!
After taking their luggage from David and James, Max
retired to their room as the two guards went back outside to stand at the outer
door of the suite. He looked at his watch, seeing that it was late morning on
earth. He had just joined Liz again when she reared upright with her hand to
her mouth. Max, realizing she had no idea they were in a new room, jumped up
and helped her to the bathroom.
Liz felt wretched, hanging over the sink until the
nauseous feeling got better. Max was hovering behind her in concern, holding
her hair out of her face with one hand and rubbing her back with the other.
Somehow this all felt like his fault. If he hadn’t gotten her pregnant, she
wouldn’t be this sick.
"Please stop, Max," Liz managed weakly,
still bent over the sink. "You are upsetting me with those thoughts."
"No, Liz… honey please don’t get upset," he
sounded worried. Good, Liz thought, otherwise he was going to drive me crazy
with all the guilt-trips. "Is there anything I can do?" he was
clearly lost.
"Could I get some crackers…" then she
remembered that she was on an unfamiliar space ship, "or whatever they
have that is similar? I don’t think I can stomach anything else right
now."
"Sure," his relief in finally having
something concrete to do was evident in his voice. Liz was still clinging to
the sides of the basin when she felt Max hug her tightly from behind. He kissed
her ear and murmured: "I love you." Then he was gone.
Wow, she felt like she had been put through a ringer.
What happened to the woman who just about forced her husband to make love to
her a few hours ago? After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she eyed
the shower longingly and decided to try again.
The shower was in a different place! And much bigger
than the one she got stuck in this morning. Liz wandered out of the bathroom in
amazement. Wherever they were now, was huge. Apparently Max could not only do
magic with his hands.
Walking around the suite in an effort to find Max,
she rounded a corner into the lounge area and surprised a girl with short black
hair that had just arrived from the outside.
It was Shilla’s first good look at the real Queen of
Antar. They were about the same length, but the Queen’s hair was long and shiny
and their eyes were a different color. Shilla thought Liz was beautiful, even
in her disheveled and strangely clothed state. "Oh, you’re awake!"
Shilla exclaimed and bowed deeply again. "I brought some food and bread
like the King asked."
Liz felt like a complete idiot, standing there in
Max’s sweater (how did THAT happen?) and being honored for being a Queen. And
why does the poor girl look so worried? "Thank you very much!" Liz
could feel that her bout of morning sickness had left her hungry. "What is
your name?"
"It’s Shilla. And I am your servant on the
ship."
Walking closer, Liz smiled at the girl. "Hi
Shilla, I’m Liz. I hope Max wasn’t too hard on you about my food?"
Shilla was stunned. Who was this friendly woman?
Shilla had heard a lot of stories about the Antarian Queen that found refuge on
Dendar so long ago. And how sad it was that she was widowed so young. However,
a lot of other things were whispered about the blonde Queen as well. How she
was living it up and lording it over other people. Then they got the news that
the King wasn’t really dead but was coming to the peace summit. And that he had
another mate. And that the woman on Dendar wasn’t really the Queen! All this
was really confusing to Shilla. Everything but the fact that this woman with
the deep brown eyes was apparently completely different from the fake Queen.
And that it was very clear that the King had no uncertainty about which one was
his mate. Just wait till she told everyone!
"Where is Max?"
"He said that he had to go see Nick quickly and
to make sure you had everything you needed."
This made Liz’s smile broaden. "Since you are
going to be around Max and I often, I should warn you that he tends to go
slightly overboard about me. It’s best to humor him, that lessens the tension
considerably."
Shilla found herself grinning back at Liz
instinctively.
"Do you think you can show me how to operate the
shower? I desperately need to clean up even more than I need to eat." She
didn’t want to tell the girl that the sight of the food was causing her nausea
to return.
"Oh, yes! Of course," Shilla said eagerly.
She rushed into the bathroom ahead of Liz and proceeded to give Liz a lesson in
Dendarian technology.
"Tell Max I’m in here when he gets back,"
Liz told Shilla as she shooed the girl from the room.
Max arrived a few minutes later with Nick and Grace
on his heels to find the tray of food still untouched in the dining area and
Shilla hovering outside their room. He frowned at Shilla. "Where’s Liz?
Why hasn’t she eaten yet?" He was past Shilla and into their room before
she could answer him.
He found Liz in what could only be described as the
"drying cycle" of the shower. No dirty towels will be lying around on
this ship! Max was amused when she eventually emerged dry from the cubicle.
"That is handy," he joked.
Not wasting time, Liz crossed the distance between
them and pressed herself against him. Twining her arms around his neck, she
told him: "And this one can take two of us at the same time…"
She had barely finished when he was kissing her. They
had so much time to make up for…
Liz unbuttoned Max’s shirt and splayed her fingers
over his warm chest, feeling his heart race under her hand.
"Liz…"
She ripped his shirt from his pants and stood to
tiptoe so she could deepen the kiss. Hunger unfurled in the pit of his stomach,
but…
"Liz… Nick is—"
She ran her tongue over his, rubbing her nakedness
against his bare chest. Fire exploded between them. Fire fueled by intense need
and desire.
"Oh god, Liz…" His hands fell to her hips,
lifting her until she could wrap her legs around his waist. Both of them
groaned at the contact.
Max put his arm around Liz’s back and the force of
his kiss arched her backwards. Liz had her hands in his hair, holding his mouth
to hers, drinking from his lips.
Sanity returned gradually to Max, reminding him that
there were people waiting for them outside. He pulled away from her, but nearly
gave in again when he saw how puffy and moist her mouth was from his assault.
"No, Max. More," she tugged him back,
"I need more."
The plea made his gut clench with desire. "Nick
and Grace are outside. I asked them to come and talk to us about the
pregnancy," he told her hoarsely while his eyes clung to her mouth.
Liz battled with herself. She was torn between her
need for Max and her need to know about their baby.
In the end, Max made the decision for her. He gently
extricated himself from her arms and legs and led her to their room. "Get
dressed while I take a shower," he ordered her softly. His dark eyes swept
over her hotly one last time before he left her.
A tearful Grace rushed over to her when she emerged
from the bedroom. "We are SO happy!" she said as she hugged Liz
impulsively.
"Yes we are," Nick added with a smile.
"This is a wonderful time for our people. One we never thought we’d have
again. You and Max are giving our race a great gift."
"Thank you," Liz replied, touched by their
intense interest in her baby. She put her hand on her stomach, causing the
faint glow to start up again. "Now I need to know everything about an
alien pregnancy!" She grinned suddenly. "And how to handle an
overprotective alien husband and father-to-be."
A timid knock on the door
stopped the baby talk before it even began. Nick went to open the door and
found Shilla on the other side. "I brought some water and drinks for
everyone," she said breathlessly. She had thought she would hate catering
to royalty who in general were notorious for their demanding personalities, but
so far she liked the Antarian Royal Couple. And if being nice to them would
gain their favor and some really great gossip for her, all the better.
Nick showed her where to put everything and told her
that Max and Liz would call her if they needed anything else. Shilla exited the
suite disappointed that she couldn’t stay and hear more about the royal couple.
How did they meet? Where did the fake Queen fit into all this?
Max emerged from the room, his damp hair still
clinging to his forehead. His searching gaze went to Liz immediately,
ascertaining her position and her health in one long sweep.
Food! Liz attacked the spread of breads and other
things, her hunger finally catching up with her. It was only after she had
eaten two pieces of bread and returned with a plate laden with food she didn’t
recognize, that she noticed the amused looks from Max, Nick and Grace.
"Yes, you’re definitely pregnant," Nick
laughed. "Grace made me crazy with her cravings for weird foods and her
constant eating."
Max ended up moving their whole discussion to the
dining table, so that he could have brunch while Liz would be close to more
food if she needed it. He cast a look at Liz, who was still happily tucking
into her food, before asking Nick and Grace: "So tell us what to
expect?"
It was Nick who answered. "We can tell you how
it was for us, but…"
"But what?" Max was immediately alarmed.
"It might be different for you two,
because…"
"Because we’re different?" Max sounded
slightly bitter. Why could he not just have been a normal guy? What if
something happened to Liz, the center of his universe? Or to his baby? He would
just—
"Max!" Liz’s voice halted his thoughts. She
scooted closer to him and put her arm around his neck to pull his head down to
hers. Kissing him softly, she murmured, "Stop that!" against his
mouth.
After getting him to nod, Liz turned to the other two
people in the room again. "How long does an Antarian pregnancy last?"
"Six months," Grace grinned. "A lot
better than the human nine months…" She faltered a bit. "But…"
"Mine might take anything from six to nine
months because I’m human?" Liz helped her out.
"Yeah."
"What about the birth?" Max didn’t even
want to think about Liz having to go through some weird alien birth thing.
"Just like the human one." Max wasn’t sure
if that was better either since it meant Liz would go through all that pain.
"Only the father does not attend the birth, we have other women in the
room. Our children are bonded closely with their mothers, not really with the
fathers, but—"
"No way!" Max said immediately, not
noticing Nick’s grin. "There’s no way I’m letting Liz do this alone."
"But," Nick continued as if Max had not
interrupted, "we know it will be different with you two." He was
amused that Max still thought none of them knew how he got about Liz. That Max
thought that any of them would have any illusions about him letting Liz out of
his sight for more than a few seconds during the pregnancy, let alone the
birth.
"What was that about weird cravings?" Liz
asked when she saw that Max had calmed down.
"I wanted food at strange times at night," Grace
replied. "And I couldn’t eat anything sweet. But you might have different
cravings. It differs from person to person."
Sharing a glance with Max, Liz wondered how to
approach the issue of sex. She desperately needed Nick and Grace to assure Max
that everything was fine, but how do you ask someone that? Why didn’t she buy
that book about pregnancy like she planned to just before they left? She felt
Max’s hand closing around hers under the table in an effort to calm down her
babbling thoughts.
"And I slept a lot," Grace continued,
unaware of the small interchange between her leader and his wife. "I was
dead tired a lot of the time."
Liz saw Max’s eyes widen and she sighed. Now he would
bug her to sleep more. She threw him a sly grin and deliberately thought: I
promise to take a nap every time you make love to me. His small gasp made Nick
and Grace look at him strangely.
"What about morning sickness?" Liz asked
Grace innocently, ignoring Max’s stunned glare.
"No, nothing like that for me. Why are you
sick?"
"Yeah, I get nauseous late in the mornings.
Nothing serious, though," she added for Max’s benefit. "Could
you-could you feel Maddie? Sense her? Before she was born I mean."
This seemed to confuse Grace and Nick answered.
"No. Grace only formed a link with her after she was born. She had to make
a connection with her first." He stared at Liz intently. "You mean
you sense the baby?"
"I do too," Max said after Liz had nodded
silently. He squeezed Liz’s hand. "It’s like a third person has become
part of our connection. I can feel… It’s like a small hum of life. Nothing more
yet."
"Wow!" Nick sounded awed. It seems that
somehow this intense connection between Max and Liz that was there even when
they hadn’t been bonded yet is going to exist between them and their children
also. This reiterated Nick’s belief that his race had done the right thing by
sending their young King across the galaxies, because in the end fate had
decreed a different path from the one they had worked out for him. Fate had decreed
that he had to meet a tiny dark-haired human girl with eyes like chocolate that
would steal his young heart and keep it forever. And this one event meant that
the Antarian people were slowly learning how to incorporate strong emotions
into their bondings. Max and Liz had amazed him once more.
Staring into each other’s eyes, Max and Liz missed
Nick picking up a bundle from next to his chair. He cleared his throat to get
their attention and they turned to him after Max touched Liz’s cheek softly
with his fingers. "I brought you some traditional Antarian clothes,"
Nick announced. "If you like it you can have some more made on the
ship."
Liz clapped her hands in glee. "Antarian
clothes? Can I go try it on?" She looked at Max expectantly.
"Since when do you ask my permission to wear
anything?" he asked in amusement, only to kick himself when he saw a dark
shadow flicker over her face.
"I’m just…" Liz sounded subdued and she got
up to take the clothes Nick held out and left the room in a hurry.
"Liz…" Max jumped up in a panic. What
happened just now? What had upset her? He glanced at Nick who also looked
concerned and an amused Grace. "What just…? I have to go…"
"Her hormones are going crazy, Max. It’s nothing
she has control over. You will just have to be patient about her being so
emotional," Grace informed him kindly.
"And give her whatever she wants!" Nick
cried after him as Max dashed out of the room. "It’s the best way to
ensure no tears."
He found her sitting on the bed, staring at the heap
of clothes next to her. Falling to his knees in front of her, Max looked at her
anxiously. "What is wrong, love?"
"These are Antarian clothes, Max," Liz said
softly and Max cringed.
"I-I know, Liz. And I-I’m sorry that I’m not…
human. This must be so—"
"No!" She looked at him with wide, moist
eyes for a moment, touching his lips with her forefinger. "It’s not that.
You are perfect for me."
"Then what?" Max was both relieved and
confused.
"I’m not…"
"Not what?" He grabbed her hands in his,
urging her to meet his gaze. She wouldn’t.
"Not really Antarian," she finally
whispered, trying to pull her hands from his grasp. "I shouldn’t be
wearing this."
It dawned on him then. Liz would be as much of an
outsider on Dendar as he had been on earth. And he remembered vividly how
terrifying that had been. Fearing that you would be outcast for what you were.
Wanting so desperately to be part of something, but never really achieving it.
Not until Liz Parker had let him into her heart. He felt his chest constrict
with emotion. "No, you’re right. You aren’t Antarian. You’re the Antarian
Queen. And my wife. The person who makes my life perfect. That’s all that
matters."
Tears filled Liz’s eyes. She understood a little
better about Max’s life on earth now. How he must’ve felt being one of a
handful of very different beings on earth. She risked a tentative peek at him.
"So, it would be okay for me to wear this?"
He tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
"I think Nick would be offended if you didn’t. And so would I. I want the
universe to see you are mine." He kissed the backs of her hands before
saying with one of his crooked smiles: "And you better listen to me, I’m
the King around here."
She flung her arms around him, nearly toppling him
over backwards. "I love you so much… King Max."
He chuckled against her hair. "Groveling will
get you everywhere!"
Pulling back, she gave him a sizzling look.
"Will it get you inside me? Soon?"
His groan was heartfelt even as his hands brought her
closer to his body. She was going to be the death of him! His head was spinning
with all the emotional changes he had to cope with. First she wrings out his
heart with her soft words and pain, and now she made him want her again.
Disentangling himself from her hastily, he lifted her back onto the bed and
stood back. "Why don’t you try on the clothes and I’ll go talk to Nick…
I’ll send in Grace." Lord, was that his voice that sounded so strained?
He literally fled the room.
Grace arrived a few seconds later, looking concerned.
"Max was in a state! Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Liz said with a secret smile.
"I’m fine now."
Grace laid out the clothes while Liz got out of her
jeans. It consisted of a long flowing robe, a tight-fitting top and a sheath
skirt with two slits on the sides coming nearly to mid thigh. It was white with
some dark-green trimmings at the seam of the skirt and around the edges of the
robe. It had the symbol that was on Atherton’s pendant on the two flaps of the
robe too.
"That’s the seal of the Antarian King,"
Grace pointed out. "Your seal now."
This made Liz inhale sharply and she touched the seal
in awe. Who knew when she went to River Dog so long ago, she had been clutching
the seal of her future in her hands? She dressed slowly with Grace fussing
around her. Grace had tears in her eyes when Liz was finished.
"I never thought I’d see someone in this
again," Grace said softly. "My Queen."
Liz hugged her spontaneously, ruining the solemn
moment. "Thank you."
"Let’s go show Max." Grace was smiling.
"He will be stunned."
"Wait, Grace!" Liz urged her back into the
room. "I-I needed to ask you something."
Grace looked at her sympathetically. "I didn’t
want to say anything in front of Max. I know you two… uhm… I needed to warn
you, though. I didn’t want sex when I was pregnant. Poor Nick was…" she
trailed off when she saw Liz look at her in total consternation.
"What?"
"You didn’t?"
"No. I just wanted to be left alone. Why?"
The blush creeping over Liz’s face told her even
before Liz started talking. "I-I don’t have that symptom. In fact, I feel
the exact opposite!"
It was Grace’s turn to be speechless. "You mean
you… Uhm, well… Don’t tell Nick, he will be disappointed that he doesn’t have a
human mate after all!"
"Yeah, but Max treats my like I’m going to
break!" Liz burst out. "And it’s driving me insane! I need to know
for sure if it would be okay for us to, ahh, you know."
"I’m sure it is," Grace assured her.
"Besides, you two would know if something went wrong with the baby through
the connection."
Liz bit her lip and nodded.
Out in the lounge area, Nick was looking at Max
seriously. "You need to keep an eye on her for a while." He met Max’s
concerned gaze. "This is the first time a human is pregnant with an
Antarian baby. We don’t know… I mean, her body might reject…" Nick felt
awful when he saw the distress growing in Max’s eyes. "I’m sure everything
will be fine. We must just make sure in the beginning. I didn’t want to alarm
Liz." He knew he was babbling now. "Just watch her carefully. The
connection with the baby will help." Max was staring at the floor now, his
jaw clenched. "It’s just a precaution, Max. I’m so sorry to even say it.
Your body is mostly human, so I’m sure she’ll be fine."
But Max had heard only the first part. Liz could be
in danger from his baby.
"Max?" Liz’s voice made his head snap up.
She stood a few feet from him.
He stood up slowly and heard a roaring in his ears as
he stared at her, looking so familiar in the Antarian royal garb. Dizziness was
overtaking him as he kept staring at her in shock. A rush of images he knew,
but didn’t know flew through his mind.
"Max!" Liz cried, rushing forward as she
saw him stumble back into his chair, white as a sheet.
Still staring at her, he whispered:
"Shani…"
Pacing in their room,
Michael fought the panic that was rising in his chest. Maria was sleeping
soundly in their bed, having claimed that the ungodly hour she had to get up at
this morning was finally catching up with her. He stopped next to the bed for
the umpteenth time, staring down at the earth girl he tried so hard to keep at
arms length. First, he hadn’t wanted to admit he was in love with her. He had
cursed Max for his blind devotion to Liz and for the danger he had put them all
in by saving her life. Then he had envied Max for having Liz, someone who loved
him back in spite of what he was. Then he had cursed both Max and Liz for
saddling him with this exasperating girl that just wouldn’t leave him alone, no
matter how hard he tried to piss her off. She had broken him down, bit by bit
until he ended up admitting he loved her and living with her in Albuquerque. He
wasn’t even sure how that happened. It just did.
And now she was on this ship with him, going to who
knows where. He had thought it was his dream, to see the other planets even if
he couldn’t ever see his own. Now he was starting to doubt that. He still
wanted to see the planets, but not if it meant that he could lose Maria.
Grimacing, he remembered all the times he had scoffed at Max for worrying about
Liz. Now here he was, doing the same thing. He might be dragging her into a
war. Or to a place where he wasn’t the only amazing alien (apart from the very
unavailable Max Evans) around her.
What if he lost her without ever making a real commitment?
Her words from the car have been haunting him. You haven’t even married me, you
bastard! I’ve been living in sin for years and it’s all your fault.
She was so right.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Isabel was sitting in the lounge area of the ship,
watching the comings and goings of the short Dendarians with an expressionless
face. From the outside, she looked like the Ice Princess she always tried to
emulate, but in the inside she was quaking. She hadn’t wanted to leave her
quasi-normal life on earth for a planet unknown, but Max had needed her to
come, so she came. And now she was really scared.
The Dendarians have been nice to them all and very
deferential to her, but she missed Max. This is first time she had ever felt
completely out of her depth, and her brother, with his broad shoulder, wasn’t
there to make her feel better. For a fleeting moment, the resentment she had
felt when Liz first became the most important person in Max’s life resurfaced.
In spite of Liz saying that she wasn’t trying to take Max away from Isabel, she
had. She had made Max hers so completely that the rest of them became an
afterthought. And the worst was, she didn’t even have to do anything, she did
it by just being her. By being Liz.
Sighing, Isabel shook herself. She was being unfair.
This is the first time that she really needed Max that he wasn’t there for her.
A few years ago, he had flown down from Boston to be with her when she had had
trouble with her career. And apparently Liz had made him come. Not to mention
all the times he had listened to her prattle on for hours on the phone about
her strange relationship with Alex. Max loved her just as much as always, he
just wasn’t WITH her as much as always.
"Do you need anything, Your Highness?" It
was the girl who had been appointed her servant on the ship.
"No thanks," Isabel said automatically, not
really looking at the girl. She was too overwrought to bother about being nice
right now. Maybe she could get Michael to contact Max again…
"Iz, are you okay?"
Or maybe she could just talk to Alex about
everything.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Everyone was staring at him in shock and he still
couldn’t take his eyes of Liz. Liz who was wearing his royal seal. Max’s vision
was starting to blur and it felt like his head was being split open with pain. "Shani,"
he said again, grabbing his head and squeezing his eyes shut. Who the hell was
Shani? And why did he remember seeing Liz in the royal garb before?
"Liz?" he pleaded, trying to get up and go to her, but the pain in
his head forced him back in his chair with a groan. She would be upset, he knew
that much even in his half-dazed state. He needed to get to her.
Liz had gone rigid when he called her
"Shani". It was the first time in his entire life that Max had
mistaken her for someone else and it shook her to the core. She felt sick with
fear that Max was starting to remember some great love for Tess or whoever this
Shani was as a result of going back to his alien roots. Forcing herself to take
a shuddering breath, she took a halting step forward.
"Oh God," Max moaned, clutching his head in
his hands. "What is happening to me?" It was a hoarse whisper.
"Liz… Liz, please?" he begged again.
Not able to take his pain any longer, Liz pushed her
panic to the back of her mind, rushing forward to drop to her knees in front of
him. "I’m here!" she cried softly, running her hands through his hair
and raining little kisses on his bent head, over his hair and his forehead.
Max was starting to shake, images of Liz wearing that
white and green royal outfit and laughing gaily were still spinning through his
head. He saw her in a garden, in a huge ballroom among many people wearing
similar clothes, looking up at him with wide eyes and a moist mouth. He groaned
again. And throughout the visions, he kept hearing himself say ‘Shani’ over and
over again.
Nick was next to them in an instant. "Let me try
to help," he urged Liz, pulling her away from Max.
"No," Liz pleaded just as Max moaned again,
reaching out blindly towards her. Nick let go hastily and Liz fell back against
Max. He wrapped one arm around her, pressing her against him and muttering
hoarsely: "Don’t leave me again, please… my Shani…"
"Max," Liz said urgently. "It’s not
Shani, it’s Liz." She hugged him closer. "Please let Nick help
you."
He held her more tightly before mumbling
"okay" and letting her out of his embrace. "Don’t go." Max
felt sick and dizzy, but he knew he should not let Liz leave before he could
clear up this Shani mess. Why did he keep on calling Liz Shani?
Nick gingerly put his hand on Max’s head, making a
connection. He was hit with the images that have been haunting Max and with the
blinding pain that went with them. He tried sending Max some calming thoughts
and felt the pain recede after a while as the images stopped. When he stepped back,
all he could do was stare at Max in amazement.
Max’s gaze found Liz immediately. She was sitting on
her heels a few feet from him and looked ready to bolt. Her teeth were worrying
her bottom-lip and her hands were clenched together in her lap. "Liz, come
here," he sounded like he had cotton wool in his mouth.
"Please," he added and held out his hand to her when she didn’t
react. He still felt wobbly, but he wanted her back in his grasp before he
asked Nick what the hell had happened to him just now. It was suddenly very
important that he not let Liz leave this room. "Please," he repeated.
His beautiful amber eyes were pleading with her and
their connection told her that he didn’t understand what had transpired either.
She shook off the paralyzing fear that had come back as soon as she saw that he
was better and moved towards him cautiously. Everything inside her screamed for
her to find out who this Shani was and to do it now, but she heard herself ask
"Are you better now?" first.
She was still out of his reach and Max fought down
his worry. Liz looked fragile and skittish, causing Max to talk to her in a
soothing voice. "I’m fine now… love," he added deliberately.
That galvanized Liz into action and into his arms.
"I was so scared for you, Max! Are you sure you’re okay now?" They
were both trembling and holding each other tightly.
"Yeah."
Nick and Grace had been observing the whole scene
from the sidelines. It was clear that Max had remembered something from his
past, his previous life. The one in which he was married to Tess. And it was
also clear that Liz had been really thrown by him calling her Shani, although
that puzzled them both.
Max finally turned to Nick, still keeping a firm grip
on Liz. "What WAS that?"
As soon as he spoke, Liz started wriggling in his
arms. "I-I need to go," she said.
"Why?" Max asked suspiciously. He was glad
now that he had her firmly anchored to him before starting the discussion with
Nick.
"I-I need to go to the bathroom." She could
see he didn’t believe her, so she added hastily. "I f-feel sick
again." That was a complete lie. "Please." She just couldn’t sit
here and listen to a tale of Max’s previous love.
"Liz—" He clearly didn’t believe her.
"Max!" she tried again.
"I’ll go with you then," he floored her by
saying. He didn’t make a move, though, just sat there watching her with hooded
eyes.
"No, you need to talk to Nick and… and I’d
rather not hear this if you don’t mind," she finally admitted. His eyes
darkened with pain and she felt like a heel. "Unless… you really want me
to stay," she whispered. Why was she acting so selfishly around him?
Because you’re deathly afraid of losing the one thing you always counted on,
his complete and total love. Something you’ve never had to share with anyone
else before. Since he was eight years old, Max Evans had loved her with all of
his heart and nothing had ever threatened that love. Even though she had
sometimes feared that they would not end up together, she had never feared that
anyone could take her place in his heart. She did now. She could fight any
living threat to their love, but she could do nothing against an
all-encompassing passion from a former life.
"Yes, I want you to stay," Max stated
firmly. He could sense her fear and he needed to clear up this whole thing
before it got out of hand. "It’s about you too," he told her. He
turned back to Nick questioningly.
"I think you have remembered something from your
past," Nick said carefully. "Although I am not sure how what you’ve seen
is possible."
Max looked at Liz’s downcast head. "I saw YOU,
my love," he informed her huskily. "You wearing these clothes in
places we have never been."
Liz felt her breath hitch in her throat. "That
can’t be."
They stared at each other before looking at Nick, who
seemed as lost as they were.
"Maybe you were remembering… Tess and your mind
just put… m-me into the images somehow…" Liz stopped when Max shook his
head with certainty.
"No." He met her gaze, stating firmly.
"It was you."
The simple statement stopped her heart just like it
did when she was sixteen. Her eyes glittered when stared up at him. "How
do you know?"
"Because I know YOU. I’d know you
anywhere." He sounded so sure of himself.
"This is not possible, Max. Forgive me, but your
parents showed me all there is to show about your previous life before they
sent me to earth, and there was definitely no one there that looked like Liz.
And…" he cast an apologetic look at Liz, "you were definitely married
to Tess. Not for long, but you were."
"What did Tess look like then?" Max had
tightened his arms around Liz at Nick’s last statement.
"Exactly like she looks now. And besides, Liz is
completely human."
"Then who is Shani?" Max asked. He was even
more confused now. He still did not remember Tess at all, yet these images of
Liz wearing his royal seal was as clear as day.
Both Nick and Grace looked at him strangely.
"There is no such person as Shani, Max."
"He definitely called me Shani. Maybe she was
someone his parents didn’t know about or show you?" Liz asked with her
heart in her throat.
A light went up for Nick as he saw the anxious faces
of his King and his mate. They both thought that Max had had a vision of some
former love called Shani! "There definitely is NO such person as Shani,
unless someone on Antar had a very strange sense of humor…"
In no mood for kidding
around, Max gripped Liz even tighter to him and glared at Nick. "Would you
mind explaining what you are talking about?" He risked a glance at Liz
when he felt her tremble against him, but she was turned away from him.
Nick was staring at Liz too, seeing her pale face and
shaking hands and kicked himself for making things worse. "Yeah, uhm…
‘Shani’ is an Antarian word. It’s an endearment. It means ‘love’ or ‘beloved’.
Sorry, I-I thought you knew that…"
The air rushed out of Liz’s lungs, leaving her
deflated. Here she was, all geared up to hear about the wonderful
"Shani", the love of Max’s previous life and all he had been doing
was calling her "love" in his own language?
Max was starting to feel lightheaded. "How would
I have known that, Nick?" He sounded tired. "I have never even HEARD
Antarian."
"I’m so sorry," Nick apologized again.
"I didn’t realize…"
Relieved tears were starting to gather in Liz’s eyes,
alerting her to the fact that she was on the verge of a serious emotional
meltdown. Her shoulder had been pressed against Max’s chest, but now she
twisted her upper body until she could bury her face in his neck, breathing in
his warm familiar scent. As she did this, she felt the small tremors traveling
through Max’s body intermittently, rudely pulling her back from the edge of her
own feelings. Jerking up, she hastily wiped at her cheeks and searched Max’s
face. He was breathing raggedly, the aftereffects of his intense flash
obviously still crashing through his body. Not looking away from him, she
firmly told Nick and Grace: "We can talk about this more later. Could you
please let Max get some rest?" Her voice wavered, indicating her own
distress to the listeners.
Max didn’t object, confirming Liz’s suspicions that
he was feeling worse than he let on. "Thank you for talking to us and-and
helping Max."
This was Nick and Grace’s signal to leave the Royal
Suite and they did so hastily, glancing over their shoulders at the two young
people clinging to each other on the chair.
Reaction was setting in for Max. That vision had been
so vivid and the intense emotions going with it had shaken him. His head was
spinning with all it could mean. Had he somehow known Liz in his past life? How
was that even possible? Why did he call her Shani in the vision? No name, just…
Shani. My Love. Was it a future vision? How could it be when she wasn’t
pregnant? Did the vision take place on Dendar? Thank God it wasn’t the name of some
other woman. HAD he loved someone else in his previous life? Why was the vision
so hard on his body?
"Max?" Liz’s voice broke into his thoughts.
"You need to go rest, come on." She had to tug herself out of his
tight hold to drag him up from the chair. For a fleeting moment it amused Max
that Liz probably thought she could manage moving his entire weight around with
her slight frame and heaps of determination. But the amusement fled before his
weakness. He felt like a truck had run him over.
Maneuvering Max to their bed, Liz let him sink down
on the edge and began to take off his clothes. She unbuttoned his shirt with
unsteady hands, while Max just sat quietly, still shaking. It reminded her so
much of when they found him after Pierce had tortured him, that Liz couldn’t
stop a hiccuping sob from escaping her throat. She bit her lip determinedly,
now was not the time to come undone. She had to make sure Max was okay first.
Shoes next. She knelt in front of him, taking off his
shoes and socks and fighting the urge to hug his legs and never let go again.
She swiped at her eyes again before climbing to her feet. "Lie b-back so I
c-can…"
He fell onto his back heavily, his eyes still on Liz.
He could see how valiantly she was trying not to cry. "Liz…"
She ignored his weak plea, undoing his pants and
tugging it off his hips and down his legs. When he was down to his boxers, she
managed to drag the blanket from underneath him and cover him with it. Only
then did she meet his gaze, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "Max Evans,
no one will ever love you like I do," she whispered. "Please don’t
ever forget that."
"Liz…" he tried again, cursing his weak
body. She was backing away from him. "Liz!" panic laced his voice
now.
"I-I’m just gonna…" she gestured over her
shoulder at the bathroom vaguely.
Another short, sharp pain shot through his head when
he saw her turn her back on him and start to leave. "No," it was
barely audible. "Don’t disappear again please, Sh… Liz."
The utter desolation in his tone made Liz swing back
towards him, the Antarian robe whirling around her feet. The dazed look in his
eyes and the frantic expression on his face made her run back to the bed. What
on earth was going on with Max? He looked like he thought she was leaving him
forever!
"I was just going to take this off," she
assured him. And cry my eyes out in the other room where you can’t see it.
"I’m not going far."
"No," he said again. "Stay here, where
I can see you."
Leaning in to kiss his forehead, Liz promised him she
would. He grabbed her hand, holding onto her and refusing to let go even when
she starting struggling out of the clothes. She ended up with the robe and the
top bunched around her left wrist. "Max, honey, you have to let go for a
minute." She felt horrible for disturbing him, cause it looked like he had
fallen asleep.
Max was standing in a clearing in a forest, his eyes
hungrily drinking in the sight of the girl twirling in front of him. His heart
ached from her beauty and grace and he felt a strange desperation that he
needed to catch her in his hands and make her his. Then, in the blink of an
eye, she was gone, leaving him with an ache tearing at his heart with sharp
claws.
She had gently pulled her hand from his grasp and was
in the process of stripping the long skirt down her legs when she heard the
soft, distressed sound he made. Forgetting about the skirt, she tumbled onto
the bed, heedless of crumpling the material and hugged him, cradling his head
against her chest and whispering incoherent words of love.
He woke up abruptly, relaxing immediately when he
felt Liz’s familiar warmth and shape next to him. He could hear the frantic
beat of her heart under his ear and the sound calmed him down. Slowly,
carefully, he lifted his hand to place it against her belly, watching as the
soft amber glow appeared. He wistfully thought that he would be content if he
could stay like this forever. Hearing the heartbeat of his beloved wife and
seeing the gentle light that signified the life of his unborn baby. The terror
of watching Liz disappear in the dream was finally receding in her presence.
Many conflicting emotions were crashing around in
Liz, halting her from normalizing her breathing. Everything that had happened
this morning indicated to her just how much she loved this man that was lying
in her arms and caressing her stomach. The possibility of losing what they
shared was frightening to her.
And she worried about Max. What was happening to him
and will it harm him? A little bit of the fear she had felt when Michael got
sick in their sophomore year had seeped back into her heart. What if something
happened to Max that she couldn’t help him with? What if Nick couldn’t help him
either?
But worst of all were Nick’s words that still rang in
her ears. You were definitely married to Tess… She had known that, of course.
But hearing it so bluntly from someone that would know beyond a shadow of a
doubt made it real for the first time. Why did it feel like he had cheated on
HER by being married to someone else in his previous life? Her mind painted
sickening pictures of Max being happy with Tess, touching her and kissing her…
and most of all, making love to her. But he chose ME this time, she told
herself. It didn’t help. Before he had been hers, Max had belonged to someone else,
and the realization made it hard to breathe.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Shilla shifted from one foot to the other, trying to
ignore the stares of Max’s guards. She had no idea what was going on inside the
suite, only that Max’s advisor and his wife had came out and told her to wait
until she was called back in before going to get the dishes. The couple had
looked worried and she wondered if the King had been harsh with them or
something. On the other hand, Max had been nothing but polite with her so far
and the Queen did not look like she lived in fear of her tyrant husband. In
fact, she looked like she was very sure of the King’s affection and very much
pampered.
Were all these Antarian’s so tall? Why then was the
fake Queen so short? And Queen Liz? She was short too. There were whispers that
she was not Antarian at all. She wondered if that was true. The King had lived
on earth for most of his life, so it was possible in theory, but then what
happened to the Antarian way of bonding mates genetically when they were young?
There must be more to this story!
There were other whispers among the Dendarian
servants. That a third ship was on its way to Dendar for the peace summit. One
that carried another important visitor.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had no idea how long he laid there, lost in his
thoughts and the closeness of his little family. Liz was really quiet and he
had assumed she had fallen asleep, so he continued to draw little shapes on
Liz’s tummy, watching as the glow followed his finger and small goosebumps
lifted on her skin. She was wearing a snow-white pair of bikini panties that
rested low on her stomach and gave him access to a lot of space to play with
his baby. He felt slightly envious that his child was getting to be inside Liz
for so many months, sharing a physical bond with her that couldn’t be broken.
And he wished their baby could stay inside her until they got back to earth
safely, that way he would only have to keep an eye on Liz and not on some
helpless little person that couldn’t fend for himself too.
Finally noticing that Liz still had the skirt wrapped
around the lower part of her legs, he roused himself enough to remove it for
her. Afterwards, he sat on his heels, letting his eyes travel over her cute
little feet and her shapely legs, pausing briefly on the scrap of silk of her
underwear to skip to the flatness of her stomach. Helplessly, he reached his
hand out again, touching her skin reverently and marveling about the miracle
that was taking place inside her right now.
Liz sucked in a tortured breath at his warm touch and
squeezed her eyes shut. She had turned her head away from him while he
undressed her, hoping he would think she was still sleeping. Her throat felt on
fire from keeping in the tears that threatened to spill over at the images of Max
with Tess that were still haunting her. How selfish was she being? He had had
this whole other life before he even knew she existed, how could she hold it
against him that he had fallen in love then too?
Of course Max had felt the gasp and his eyes flew to
Liz. He had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts, that he had failed to
notice she was awake. Awake and distressed. Lying down next to her, he ran his
hand over her shoulder and up her neck, attempting to pull her face towards
him.
She resisted.
Tess. She was thinking about him being married to
Tess. His heart contracted.
"If you don’t look at me, how can I tell you how
much I love you?" he asked softly.
Another gasp.
"And… that I KNOW I have never loved like this
before?" He let his hand drift to her throat, resting against the
fluttering pulse there.
"And that I never will again?" He felt her
swallow convulsively.
He was breaking down every fear she had until only
little shards of them remained embedded in her heart.
"And that I love it when your eyes go that deep
green color when you want me?"
A small chuckle. "My eyes are not green."
She finally turned her head towards him slowly and met his gaze.
He moved closer, rubbing their noses together.
"Like I would ever really make such a mistake." His hand brushed
through her hair. "Liz—"
But she moved until she could kiss him, pressing her
lips against his and wriggling closer until she was plastered to every inch of
him. She wanted oblivion from her thoughts, she wanted his lips and hands to
make her feel all the things he had just said. She wanted to drown in Max.
He slipped his arms around her, one hand cupping her
rear and the other the back of her head and kissed her deeply. Her mouth opened
underneath his with a small sigh and he eagerly swept his tongue inside,
tasting her sweetness and her complete surrender. She threw her leg over his
hip and the kiss became harder, more urgent.
Liz sucked on his tongue, hearing his small groan and
tried to move even closer to him. He rolled them over so that she was sprawled
on top of him, her hair falling around their faces like a curtain.
Max…
Liz, my love. My Shani…
As the last endearment echoed through her mind, the
flash hit her. Max was standing at a big window overlooking a dark garden. Around
him people in traditional Antarian clothes were milling about at what looked
like a party. He seemed like the only stationary object in the whole scene. Liz
was overcome by the extreme sadness that radiated off him. His head was bent as
if he was under pressure from some great force and his hands were bunched at
his sides. He looked hopeless and utterly dejected. Until a blonde head
appeared next to his shoulder: "My husband…"
It was Tess. Wearing the Antarian Royal seal on her
clothes.
Liz broke away from Max’s
kiss and stared down into his startled eyes. Her heart was beating double-time.
"What did you see?" he asked anxiously.
Too tired to try and pretend anymore, Liz simply
said: "You and Tess."
Max felt his heart plummet to his feet. "Liz,
I’m—"
"No Max," she stopped him. "You WERE
married to her and I-I just have to deal with it. I’m acting so childish about
all this." She looked away from his penetrating gaze. "I just… I need
a little time to adjust. I’m sorry."
He nodded slowly. "But only if you promise not
to shut me out as part of this dealing process. Please Liz, I don’t think I
could take that."
"I promise. And… I’m sorry about this. I’m sorry
for ever dating Kyle too, because… because now I know what you must’ve felt
like."
That’s true, Max admitted grimly. He liked Kyle, he
really did, but he would always remember seeing Kyle with his hands on Liz in
high school and feeling like he wanted to die as a result of it. "So,
we’ll work through this together then?" He had to make sure.
"Yes," Liz nodded against his chest.
"I’m sorry," she repeated.
"We weren’t together then, Liz." He was
obviously talking about more than the Kyle-thing. "But I’m sorry
too," he added. He was sorry for so many things. For coming into Liz’s
life with the baggage of a whole other life resting on his shoulders. For
dragging her into all his alien messes. For the fact that they would have to
watch her very carefully during her pregnancy to make sure his baby doesn’t
hurt her.
So they just held each other tightly, hoping that
this will pass too.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After an hour had passed, Shilla had politely asked
the huge James to go see if maybe she couldn’t go sort out the remnants of the
brunch Max and Liz had had. James had seemed reluctant, but did so anyway. She
again wondered at the intense protectiveness these Antarians felt towards their
royal couple. This went way beyond just making sure they were safe, it was a
nearly obsessive effort to ensure their privacy too.
She was allowed into the dining area with strict
instructions from James not to go anywhere else in the suite. This made her
blush, because she realized that the guards were apparently under the
impression that she would disturb their King and Queen having sex. This amazed
her. On Dendar, men and women bonded and made children and from then on, sex
was like exercise. You made a proper appointment with whomever you wanted it
and left afterwards. It had no impact on your bonded mate and only depended on
your physical needs. On Dendar, this level of physical closeness by two bonded
people was unheard of.
Blushing even harder, she admitted to herself that
she could definitely understand Liz’s willingness to remain close to Max. He
was going to make waves among the women on Dendar. Just like his fake Queen had
with the men.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael was in an awkward situation. He had just been
approached by the ship’s second-in-command to tell him that there were women he
could "schedule" to be with if he needed. He had to hastily explain
that they did things differently on earth and that he would not be needing any
entertainment.
But when he got back to his room, Maria was waiting
for him, her foot tapping with impatience. Her stormy eyes informed him that
the offering-of-women deal had become known to her somehow. He was going to
kick Alex’s ass!
"So where’s your bit-on-the-side?" She
asked as soon as she saw him.
"Right in front of me," he retorted, taking
the wind from her sails.
"Guerin!" she yelled at him in
exasperation.
"Don’t yell, DeLuca," he answered.
"They don’t know… how things work with us." As soon as the words left
his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake.
Maria narrowed her eyes at him. "And how DO they
work with us?"
Scratching his head, Max’s second-in-command was
struck speechless once again by the only girl who had ever managed that feat.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Watching Liz out of the corners of her eyes, Shilla
wondered again what was going on with the Antarian royal couple. The atmosphere
in the suite has been subdued for the past two days, even when Max was not
here.
The King was busy in meetings with his Advisor and
the Dendarian elders on the ship for most of the day each day, but he came back
to the suite often, apparently to check on Liz. Shilla always enjoyed the soft
way he spoke to his mate, but she wondered why their eyes seemed to cling
together so desperately while they were together. And why they suddenly touched
each other so tentatively. She could see that James was worried about them too.
Having made it her business to get to know as much as she could about the hunky
Antarian royal guard, she quickly noticed the anxious glances he cast at them
whenever Max or Liz wasn’t looking.
This couldn’t go on any longer. Liz was miserable and
she needed Max. She loved him with every fiber of her being and he loved her
back. Surely they would be able to handle the odd upsetting vision between the
two of them?
Max left late in the mornings, staying with her as
she retched her guts out in the bathroom. He was gentle with her as always and
slept with his hand on her stomach at night, but they kept each other at an
emotional arm’s length, afraid of a recurrence of the flashes that reminded
them of Max’s past.
It had to stop.
During the days, Liz roamed the ship with James and
David at her heels or sat in the suite talking about the progress of her baby
with Grace. These talks always brought tears to her eyes and made her miss Max
even more.
She needed Max’s kisses and love like she needed air
to breathe. She craved him. And she had to make the first move to change
things.
When Shilla arrived with the dinner stuff, she found
Liz pacing the lounge nervously. "You look lovely, Your Highness!"
she exclaimed spontaneously. Liz wore a short black skirt and a red sweater
with little baby buttons down the front that was molded to her body.
"Thank you," Liz smiled at her, but Shilla
could see that the Queen’s attention was only half on her. The other half was
watching the door. She was obviously waiting for Max. They saw each other a
lot, in Shilla’s opinion. The King left late in the mornings and she was not
allowed inside until he was gone. He had also been to see Liz earlier today and
had only left her alone again just after lunch.
It amazed Shilla that these two have been bonded for
so long and yet they still acted like this. On the other hand, maybe the Queen
WASN’T waiting for the King. Maybe she had decided to avail herself of the male
entertainment on the ship and was expecting her company any minute now. That
would be strange to Shilla, because they had all heard about the huge fit the
King’s Advisor had thrown when he was told to inform the King of the female
"entertainment" that was available if he wanted it. The Advisor had
reportedly told the informant in no uncertain terms to not even MENTION the
idea to the King.
Shilla had just finished setting the table for
dinner, still astonished by the Queen’s obviously jumpy attitude, when the door
opened to reveal Max.
She was about to have her first lesson in ‘Max and
Liz Passion 101’.
Stopping just inside the door, Max felt his heart
slam to a halt when he saw Liz slowly rise from the chair she had been sitting
in. It was clear that she had dressed for him. Wearing one of his favorite
sweaters, the one with the seemingly millions of little buttons that drove him
crazy when he wanted to get it off her, and a skirt that made his temperature
skyrocket, she was a huge temptation.
Completely forgetting that she had wanted to ask
Shilla to clear out once she had finished preparing the dinner, Liz could do
nothing but melt in the heat of Max’s eyes. He was staring at her with
questions in his eyes. Are you sure? What if…?
Taking a small step forward, she whispered: "I
don’t care."
Max felt his world tilt. He closed his eyes for a few
seconds and then opened them again to trace the slim lines of her calves and
thighs, the curve of her hips encased in that sinful skirt and the little piece
of skin visible between the cropped sweater and the top of the skirt. His gaze
clung hungrily to the swell of her breasts, taking note of the agitated state
of her breathing. His body was acutely aware of the fact that they had only
made love once in the past two weeks.
Shilla watched as Liz took another little step that
turned into a run as she fairly flew at Max. He caught her against him as if he
had done it millions of times before and lifted her up into his body with one
arm. Their mouths crashed together and Shilla distinctly heard the Queen’s soft
moan. She was completely speechless, vacillating between being utterly shocked
at the abandon she was witnessing or hopelessly charmed that two people could
be like this with each other. Excessive emotion was not common on Dendar.
She knew she should leave them to themselves, but she
couldn’t. They were blocking the only exit.
Liz ran her hands through Max’s hair, mussing it
completely in her attempts to pull his mouth down harder on hers. His hand
gripped her hair as he angled her head to allow him maximum invasion space. His
tongue caressed the inside of her mouth deeply and intimately, causing all the
heat in her body to pool at the juncture of her thighs in a moist rush. She
arched even closer to his arousal, rubbing herself against him in an age-old
effort to both incite and relieve.
Tearing his mouth away from hers, Max kissed a trail
from her jaw to her throat, his body trembling at the relief of doing something
so familiar again. He found the pounding pulse point at the base of her neck
and rested his sensitive lips against it fleetingly.
"M-Max," Liz managed. "I love you. I
missed—"
Another kiss ended her efforts to speak. He ate at
her bottom-lip, causing sparks to ignite behind her closed eyelids. Sparks that
made her realize she hadn’t had a flash yet. A harsh sound slipped from Max’s
throat when she broke away and stared up at him with bright eyes.
"Nothing," she breathed.
"Oh god, Liz," was all he could manage as
his temperature spiked even higher. He forgot everything. He forgot that he was
worried about what could happen to her if he made love to her too roughly. He
forgot all his intentions to find out what had happened when he was married to
Tess before subjecting her to more visions. He forgot about dinner and that
they weren’t alone in the room.
Staring up at him, Liz saw his eyes darken and knew
she had gotten through to him. "Max?"
She was asking him to make love to her. He swallowed
before saying: "Yes!"
They left an open-mouthed Shilla gaping after them as
Max carried Liz into the bedroom with long strides. She was starting to gain a
new respect for the Antarian way of life!
He was tearing at the
buttons of her sweater when it hit him: she was pregnant! He shouldn’t be
attacking her like some sex-starved maniac. But Liz was all over him, she had
managed to open his shirt before they even entered the bedroom and she was
nipping at his skin in that maddeningly arousing way she had perfected over
their years together. They were just inside the bedroom door that had silently
slid shut behind them and the bed suddenly looked a long way off to him.
"Liz," he begged, trying to pull her away from him and calm down
somewhat before making love to her. If he did it now…
Determined not to let him slow them down, Liz
wriggled in his arms until he let her slide down his hard body. She looked up
and met his dark and hungry eyes, letting him see exactly how desperate she was
for him. She felt light-headed and heavy at the same time, desire for this man
in front of her making the blood rush through her veins at a dizzying pace. He
was holding her by her shoulders with unsteady hands, inadvertently pulling the
edges of her half-undone sweater apart. Liz licked her lips, tasting him in her
mouth. And wanting so much more.
His eyes were drawn helplessly from her moist mouth
to the swell of her breasts, still encased in a lacy bra, when she took a deep
breath. She’s pregnant, he repeated to himself even while his fingers found the
last buttons of her sweater and ripped them open. He kissed her again, a hard,
bruising, deep and desperate kiss that forced her mouth open underneath his.
Her tongue met his halfway and he heard his own groan echo in his ears. God,
they’ve been married for nearly eight years, and she still drives him insane
with lust. He urgently shrugged off his shirt before finding the fastening of her
bra, ridding her of that too and bringing her against him. The rubbing together
of their bare torsos inflamed him further.
Liz whimpered when her sensitive breasts came in
contact with the hard muscles of his chest. Some sane part of her brain was stunned
at her wild behavior. Yes, she always wanted Max, she even sometimes got a
little out of control while making love with him, but this… She was practically
clawing at his back to get him inside her. If she had not lost the ability to
talk coherently, she would have begged him to make them one quickly. To do it
before she exploded into tiny pieces. She had never felt so out of control in
her life.
"You’re pregnant, sweet…" It was a slurred
mumble as Max tried one last time to slow down the juggernaut of their passion.
The only answer he got was a low moan and another nip at his chest.
He gave up. Let the consequences be on his head, but
he couldn’t help himself anymore.
He wrapped Liz in his arms and kissed her with the
pent-up hunger of their time apart. Her mouth was as urgent as his and he
covered her face with kisses, breathed in the seductive scent of her hair and
moved her back against the wall for support as they both trembled with the
force of their release from the restriction they’d imposed on themselves.
With his hands free to revel in the soft curves of
her femininity, his mouth sought hers again, loving it, caressing it. Her arms
were around his neck now, her body arched against his, her fingers curling into
his hair, holding him to her, wanting him.
He was painfully hard within the constriction of his
pants, desperate for the release only his Liz could give him. And she was
burrowing even closer to him, the quiver of her thighs revealing the same
feverish desire that gripped him. Their connection consisted only of their
desperate desire to consummate, leaving no place for shared visions or flashes.
His hands found the hem of her skirt and pulled it
up. The silky scrap of her panties was moved apart easily to give him access to
the intimacy he craved. She was wet with need for him and he gloried in the way
she shuddered as he stroked her.
"Max, please." It was a soft cry and a gasp
all in one.
"Liz… I’m dying for you…"
Still keeping her pinned to the door, he got his own
clothes out of the way and slid inside her, hearing her soft relieved sigh.
She lifted her leg, opening herself further,
sensuously stroking his leg with it. Only a shallow penetration was possible
and the teasing of it was driving him crazy with excitement. He shoved his
pants further down his thighs, filled his hands with the soft roundness of her
bottom and hoisted her up, the explosive tension inside him demanding the
thrust that took him deep inside her, fast and strong and intensely fulfilling.
Liz moaned his name in his ear, his possession of her
so incredibly needed and satisfying. She wound her legs around his hips,
sinking him even further inside her.
Then there was a moment to die for, a moment of
stillness, of exquisite appreciation of how it was to be together like this, so
deeply co-joined, owning an inner-world that was uniquely theirs.
Her hands clutched at his shoulders, fingers digging
into his flesh as though they, too, would claw inside. Her head was thrown
back, exposing her long throat, and there, at the base of it her pulse visibly
throbbed. Max kissed it, drew on it, loving the sense of her heart thrumming
with his.
He felt her muscles start to spasm around him and
abandoned the kiss to ride the gathering storm of sensation, pushing it until
the waves of her release rolled through him and tilted him over into his own
release. The intensity was blinding and he didn’t even hear himself call her
name. Liz. Love. Shani.
She slumped over him, hugging his head and he buried
his face in the heaving softness of her breasts. He wrapped her fiercely in his
arms to prevent her from slipping away from him, holding onto their intimacy as
long as he could. Her fingers stroked his neck as though gentling him and he
felt a rush of tenderness for the woman she was, the mother she would be.
Only when she stirred did he become aware of his
surroundings again; the bed not a few feet from them, the soft vibration of the
ship underneath his feet, the fact that their guards and a very surprised
servant girl were probably on the other side of the door.
"Max…" she whispered, her breath warm on
his skin, alerting him to the shift that had to be made.
Liz leaned back against the wall. Max lifted his
head. Her face was flushed, her eyes glittering, her mouth slightly parted as
though her lips were too sensitized to close. She met his gaze intently.
"I love you. That is more important than anything else." Telling him
indirectly that whatever his past held, she was his present and future.
"I’m sorry for…" He couldn’t even say it.
He had taken his pregnant wife against a wall!
She smiled at him crookedly. "Yeah, I can’t
believe we just did this."
Alarm ripped through him, making him irrational.
"But you wanted it?" he pressed.
"Yes," she answered fiercely. "More
than anything."
His fear dissolved into a relieved and happy grin.
"Do you think you could let me stand on my own
two feet again?" She sounded unbearably happy and his body reacted to that
note in her voice that he had missed so much.
Nodding, he kissed her to make up for the more
intimate disconnection. He clenched his jaw when he saw that Liz was still
wearing her skirt and was walking unsteadily to the bed. Cursing himself, he
kicked off his pants and caught up with her, swinging her into his arms and
carrying her the final few paces before depositing her on the mattress. Sinking
to his knees next to the bed, he helped her take off the skirt and her
underwear, trying not to notice how languidly she stretched as soon as she was
naked.
He had more pressing problems than his rapidly
returning arousal. Pulling her closer to the edge, he let his hands run over
her body, trying to ascertain if he did any damage with his wild behavior.
Liz shivered underneath his light touches, still
needing more of him. She could see that he was back to ‘my pregnant wife is
made of porcelain’ mode and she reached out to smooth the frown from between
his beautiful eyes with her finger. "Max…" her voice was sultry and
low. He had just managed to make her feel like the most desirable woman in the
universe and she could also feel the vestiges of his desire for her still
reverberating through their connection. She licked her lips. She wanted more.
Still valiantly trying to ignore Liz’s attempts at
distraction, Max finally let his left hand rest on her belly, exhaling in
relief when the glow appeared. Leaning forward, he rained tiny little kisses on
her stomach. "Sorry, baby. I’m sorry I was so rough with you and mommy."
Finally giving up on the subtle approach, Liz grabbed
his head and pulled it up to her. "Well, mommy isn’t sorry that you loved
her like that." She kissed his warm mouth, running her tongue over his
lips until he opened them with a small exclamation. The kiss was seductively
sweet at first, before it turned fiercely passionate. "Love me some more,
Max. Please…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shilla had hurried out of the suite as soon as the
entryway was clear and she fled past James with heated cheeks, not hearing his
soft "Thank God". She had never in her life witnessed such raw
emotion and it made her feel funny inside. She couldn’t help but wonder if
James would ever look at someone the way Max had looked at Liz. She had thought
that Antarians were more or less the same than Dendarians. They mated, they had
sex, but they never gave in to intense emotions. But watching that scene just
now had made a tiny part of her wish that someone would be so intense about her
one day.
James, on the other hand, felt like sending a rejoicing
message to all the Antarians on the ship. Max and Liz were back to their old
ways! They had all watched with trepidation as their royal couple struggled
through this rough patch, all silently praying that this would pass. None of
them wanted to see either Max or Liz looking as sad and unbalanced as they have
for the past couple of days. It affected the group. But only the famed
passionate encounters of Max and Liz could send poor Shilla running for cover
like that. Emotion like Max and Liz’s were still a rare thing among Antarians,
but they had gotten used to seeing it whenever the two visited the camp in the
desert. It would be new to the Dendarians though. James grinned to himself,
glad he would be there to witness all the shocks that would follow the arrival
and stay of the King and Queen of Antar on Dendar!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I can’t believe they have the nerve to come
here!" Tess was furiously pacing her room in the Dendarian palace.
"They are obviously intent on ruining my life at all costs."
The man lying on her bed watched her progress with
dark eyes. He was enjoying her passion. "I have to go soon, it will be
light. Come back here."
"Is sex all you care about?" she flung at
him. "He will take away my position, I tell you!"
"We won’t let them. This is all part of my big
plan." He sounded sure of himself.
"It better be," Tess pouted. "Your
position would be in trouble too, you know."
"If my plan works, no one would ever doubt my
position again."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max and Liz were finally having the dinner that
Shilla had left them hours before. She sat on his lap wearing one of his shirts
and he was in a pair of sweatpants. They were trading kisses between eating,
incredibly happy to be close like this again. They only had a few nights left
on this ship before they would reach Dendar, and Max had an idea that he would
be very busy once they were there. So, they had to make the most of their time
left here.
He absently rubbed his hand over Liz’s stomach and
pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "Tell me the truth, are you really feeling
okay?"
Her tinkling laugh lifted his spirits. "Yes,
Daddy, I’m fine."
His breath hitched in his throat at the term. Daddy.
Emotion suddenly choked him and he pressed his forehead against Liz’s. "If
I haven’t told you before… You have made my life complete, Liz Evans."
She hugged him back. "I only ever wanted you.
Our baby is a bonus."
They held each other tightly. Could their lives get
any better?
Let it not be said that she
was a slow learner, Shilla thought as she served lunch to Max and Liz a few
days later. It was a ritual now, Max would arrive in the suite at various times
throughout the day and she would leave. Unless she was asked to stay. Those
were her favorite times since she got to see Max and Liz together and what an
education she was getting! They always held hands when they were near each
other, like they just HAD to touch in some way. And the looks that they shared
just blew Shilla away.
Her second favorite was sitting with the Queen and
just chatting. Liz liked to talk about her home on earth and her parents. And,
of course, about how wonderful Max was. Shilla was slowly gaining an
understanding for this most unusual couple. She now knew that Liz was not
Antarian but human, and that the King had chosen her of his own free will. And
that they had bonded twice and also "got married" according to the
earth’s traditions a long time ago.
The only weird moment had been when Shilla had
cautiously asked about the other Queen that was on Dendar and where she fit in.
Liz’s eyes had fleetingly clouded over before she said simply that Tess was
supposed to have been Max’s mate. Shilla had left it at that. Especially after
she got a stern look from Max when he arrived for lunch that day and had spoken
softly with Liz. She hadn’t been able to hear what they were saying, but she
did take note of the soothing way in which Max stroked Liz’s hair. And the
intense way he had kissed her before he left. Over and over until Liz finally
pushed him out the door with a small giggle.
Shilla had still not figured out why the King left so
late in the mornings. He was clearly up for a while by the time he went to his
meetings and sometimes he was frowning fiercely as she passed him on her way
in. On these occasions, she would find the Queen looking pale. She had also
noticed that the Queen got dizzy on occasion. Shilla hoped the Queen wasn’t
sick or something, because she didn’t think either of these two people would
make it without the other!
And now it was the day before they would arrive on
Dendar. The excitement on the ship was as palpable as the tension in the
Antarian group. Even James, who normally was quite friendly with her, had
become stern and quiet. Nick and Grace were having lunch with Max and Liz and
they were talking about the big celebration that would be held on Dendar for
Max’s arrival.
"So the other ship will get there today?"
Liz asked. She couldn’t wait to tell Maria about her news. She would have to do
it in some soundproof room, though.
"That’s what they tell me," Nick answered.
"I will speak to Michael again later today."
"I think we should ask them to stay on the ship
until we’re there too. I’d like for us all to arrive together," Max said
as he took Liz’s hand and kissed her knuckles. He could feel her excitement at
seeing their friends again.
"I will contact him again later then you can
talk to him," Nick answered. They had been communicating with Michael and
the others twice daily during the trip.
"Where are we going to stay when we’re
there?"
Nick looked at Liz. "Well, there is some good
news. Max’s parents had a suite in the Dendarian palace. It’s like a house
within the palace. They are preparing it for you all."
Max and Liz had the same thought immediately.
"Where is Tess staying?"
"She apparently has her own rooms somewhere else
in the palace. I have no idea why she isn’t staying in the royal suite."
Nick smiled at their obvious relief. He paused before saying: "We have to
talk about money, Max."
"Money?" It was the first time this ever
came up.
"Yes, obviously your family had a substantial
fortune before the war with Tresar. While some of it was very definitely lost
when the planet was destroyed, Dendar served as a base for ‘banking’ if you
like. A lot of it may still be available once we get there."
"Money?" Max seemed unable to grasp the
context.
"Well, not really money as you would know it
from earth. But resources and jewels that are very valuable in our
galaxy." Nick didn’t mention that he hoped the family jewels were part of
what was left. Better to leave that as a surprise for when they are found.
"Yeah, uhm… I think you’d better handle the
finances," Max told Nick dryly.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael and Maria had had one of their infamous fights
and took to glaring at each other whenever they were in the same room. Michael
had unfortunately made too big a deal of being happy to get off the
"blasted ship" and for finally getting away from having Maria, Isabel
and Alex "yapping" in his ears all the time. The truth was, he had
cabin fever…. And he needed Max’s advice on how to get bonded to Maria.
Commitment and romance was not his strong suit.
Isabel, on the other hand, had taken to her exalted
position like a fish to water. She wore the Royal Antarian garb almost daily,
liking the identity it gave her. They had talked to Max earlier and decided to
wait for him and Liz to arrive before shuttling down to Dendar. As she stood in
front of the large window in the lounge area and stared down at the silent
planet that drifted just below them, she felt a stab of pain that they would
never get to see their own planet. That Antar was gone and so were their
families.
Hearing the voices of Alex and Maria behind her, a
smile returned to her face. But she had Max and four wonderful friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Cleaning the kitchen after lunch, Shilla dropped
everything when she heard a soft gasp from the dining area. She found Liz
sitting on her heels on the floor, clinging to one of the chairs and looking
deathly pale. "Queen Liz!" she cried and rushed to her. "Are you
okay?"
"Very dizzy," Liz mumbled, raising a
shaking hand to her face.
"Should I go get the King?" Shilla asked
anxiously. Max and the others had left a few minutes ago and this was the only
answer Shilla could come up with.
"No!" Liz yelled weakly. "No please…
Just help me to bed. Need to lie down for a few minutes."
Practically dragging an unsteady Liz to the bedroom,
Shilla was close to panicking. If the King got upset when Liz was merely mildly
distressed, she could just imagine how he would react if he knew about this.
She helped Liz onto the bed and hurried off to get her something to drink. When
she put that next to the bed, Liz asked her to go get Grace, but she ran into
Max outside in the corridor instead and he looked at her with alarm.
"The Queen… nearly fainted," Shilla blurted
out breathlessly, seeing the shock register on Max’s face just before he
sprinted back to the room.
Ignoring the nervous Shilla, who was hovering in
their door and wringing her hands, Max dropped to his knees next to the bed
where Liz lay with her eyes closed.
"She shouldn’t have told you," Liz smiled
weakly when he put his hand on her forehead.
"Lord, Liz! Don’t scare me like this! What
happened? Is it our—?"
Nodding slightly, Liz finally managed to drag her
eyes open. "It happens sometimes, love. It’s normal." At least, Liz
HOPED it was. This was the worst dizzy spell she’d ever had. She felt such
tenderness for Max as he knelt helplessly by her side. He hated this, that much
she knew. He hated not being able to help her. "A kiss would make me feel
better."
He kissed her on her forehead, then on her eyelids,
then on her cheeks, on her nose, on her chin, all the while murmuring soft
words of love to the mother of his first child. By the time he reached her
inviting mouth, she was smiling. The kiss was long and wet and sweet. They
tasted each other gently, tongues caressing and exploring, lips brushing for
endless moments.
When they finally broke apart, they smiled at each
other lovingly before Liz finally noticed the anxious Shilla still standing at
the door. "I’m fine now, Shilla," Liz assured her too. "But
could you still go find Grace, please?’
Shilla nodded, trying to swallow past the lump in her
throat. She had been really scared that something terrible was happening to
Liz. And then to witness that tender scene! She was starting to suspect that
emotions were infectious.
Liz waited until Shilla had left before lifting her
shirt and placing their linked hands on her stomach. They both stared at the
glow that appeared. "See, our baby is fine."
Max looked at her seriously. "Liz, I love our
baby, but you have to know that you are my first priority right now. And…"
His eyes skittered away from hers. "And that is an alien baby you’re
carrying. We don’t know what… You have to promise to tell me if you feel
something’s wrong, okay?" He met her gaze imploringly.
"Max—"
"I know you think I need to concentrate on other
things right now, and that you should… rather keep some stuff from me, but… but
I beg you not to." He touched her face with his free hand. "Cause not
knowing is just going to make me worry more."
Biting her lip, Liz realized that what he was saying
was true. From their connection, he would pick up that something was wrong, and
if she denied it, he would just freak even worse.
"Promise me," he stressed.
"Okay. I promise." She watched him relax
and put her hand on his cheek to pull him closer. She was starting to feel
weepy and kissed him softly. "I love you so much! Don’t ever leave
me!"
His first instinct was to panic about why she was
suddenly feeling so vulnerable but when he looked into her moist eyes, he
realized this was hormonal. She didn’t really believe he would leave her. So he
just said, "I promise" quietly and tenderly wiped the moisture from
her cheeks.
Max was ushered out when Grace arrived, much to his
disgust. And Grace had barely returned from the lounge area when Liz burst into
great racking sobs. Grace patted her back and waited to hear what this was all
about.
"I’m so scared, Grace!" Liz was lying on
her side, crying into Max’s pillow. "I don’t want to see Tess again. I
don’t want to wear that damn Antarian outfit again. It hurts him."
She sounded incoherent to Grace.
"What if all this familiar alien stuff makes him
want to go back to Tess? What if something happens to my baby?"
"He would never stop loving you," Grace
tried to stop the avalanche of tears. "And Nick says he was very unhappy
when he got married to her."
"But what if she was better than me in
bed?" Liz practically wailed. "What if he remembers that now? Oh God,
he’s only going to stay with me for the baby!"
"It will never happen," Grace tried again,
only making Liz cry harder. She was starting to gain respect for the calm way
in which Nick had handled her own outbursts when she was pregnant with
Madelaine. Getting an idea, she quietly motioned Shilla closer and sent her off
with instructions.
A few minutes later, Grace put a gurgling Maddie next
to Liz on the bed. The little girl regarded the weeping lady curiously before
reaching out her tiny hand and grabbing Liz’s nose. This caused a fit of
laughter from Liz and Grace sighed in relief. Max was handling the next
emotional outburst himself!
Still feeling unsteady from
her bout of morning sickness, Liz sat among their luggage and waited for Max
and Nick to finish the preparations for their trip down to Dendar. She smiled
as Shilla came in and gestured for the girl to come sit with her.
"I wanted to give you something for being so
patient with me and Max during this week." Liz handed Shilla a pendant
with the Antarian royal seal that she had asked Max to make the night before.
"I feel like you are the only Dendarian that I know and I want to thank
you for being so nice to me. To us."
Shilla smiled broadly. "No, thank you! I really
enjoyed working for you. And…" She wondered how much she could say without
giving offence. "And I’m really glad you two are happy again."
"Yeah, we are," Liz said, fighting off the
flash of fear and hurt she felt at the prospect of seeing Max’s former bride
again. He loves me so much, why can’t I get past these irrational feelings?
Maybe because Tess had once turned Max into someone even he didn’t understand
himself. What if she could do it again? Liz glanced at the bag carrying her new
supply of Antarian royal clothes. It was in various designs, but all were
either white with dark green markings or dark-green with white markings. She
still hadn’t worn any of it again after that time that Max had the flashback to
his past life. She had an awful feeling that it was seeing her in those clothes
that brought all that on. Seeing Max in such pain had been horrible, not to
mention that it included him having flashes about Tess. And you, the little
voice reminded her.
"Shilla?" Liz’s voice stopped the girl from
leaving the suite. "Would you be able to join us on Dendar? I mean come
and help us… me, when we live in the Dendar palace?"
Shilla was nodding already, with shining eyes.
"I’m going to need help with the Dendarian
customs and… and help with hiding my condition for as long as possible."
Liz watched Shilla anxiously. She was taking a big risk in telling her about
the pregnancy, but she would need Shilla if she stayed with them.
"Your-your condition?" Shilla had paled at
the statement. She rushed over to kneel at Liz’s feet. "Are you ill?"
"No!" Liz smiled down at her. "I’m
pregnant."
There was utter confusion on Shilla’s face for a few
moments. "You mean you… you still have the baby inside you?"
Liz was frowning now. "What do you mean?"
"I mean… How far along are you?"
"About 3 weeks, why?"
"Oh! Well, then its not too late yet."
Liz was starting to doubt whether she did the right
thing by telling Shilla. "Too late for what?"
"For harvesting the cells and putting them in a
breeding pod." Shilla was looking at her strangely.
"You mean women on Dendar don’t carry their
babies inside them until they are born?"
"No!" Shilla exclaimed. "It’s much
safer in the…" Her voice faltered. "You carry the baby the whole time
on earth?"
"Yes." Liz put her hand on her stomach,
seeing the faint glow moments before she heard Shilla gasp. Looking up at the
girl, she said: "See, how can I not have this magic happening inside me?
It’s a little part of Max and the feeling is incredible."
"Can I—" Shilla reached out a hand and Liz
allowed her to touch her tummy. The glow stopped as soon as Liz took her own
hand away.
"It only glows for Max and I," she
clarified when Shilla looked at her questioningly. "So, will you help me?
But you have to promise me that no one else will know about this baby until we
feel its safe."
"Of course!" A lot of things were starting
to make sense to Shilla now. Carrying a baby inside you for such a long time!
How strange was that? But if Liz and Max felt they wanted to do things this way
as well as keep the baby a secret, she would honor their wishes.
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Max came back to the suite later, he found Liz in
their bedroom, wearing the Antarian royal outfit of white with the dark green
markings. She hadn’t seen him yet and he grabbed onto the door, holding himself
steady as another flash of Liz, sitting and writing in a book, tore through
him. She was always alone in the visions, but he could hear his own voice,
calling her Shani. He concentrated on steadying his breathing, but Liz had felt
him and turned around, rushing to him as she saw his pale face.
"Are you okay?" She sounded distressed.
"I KNEW this was going to happen again! But Shilla told me—"
"Liz, sweetness, I’m fine." He touched her
face gently. "I just saw you again."
They walked over to the bed together and sat down.
"Max, what is going on? Why does this happen every time I wear these
clothes? Shilla told me there would be an official welcoming committee and that
I should dress like the Queen. I’m sorry! I don’t want to hurt you," she
babbled.
Max caught her hand. "Shhh, I’m fine. No
piercing headaches this time." He rubbed his thumb over her wrist
soothingly. "I spoke to Nick and we still don’t know why I see flashes of
you. There was no one like you in my life that anyone knows of." He didn’t
want to tell her too much of what Nick had said about his marriage to Tess, it
was too confusing. "All I know is that my marriage to Tess was arranged,
so don’t worry, okay?"
Nodding mutely, Liz leaned into Max’s shoulder.
"Did-did you sleep with her when you were married?" The question was
out before she could stop herself.
"I-I don’t know," Max sounded defeated.
"I’m sorry."
Liz crawled onto his lap and nearly choked him with
her embrace. "No, I’m sorry. It was an unreasonable question. I’m so
sorry…"
They kissed each other desperately, trying to assuage
some of the hurt and uncertainty they felt. "We’ll be fine," Max
whispered against her mouth, wishing he really were sure of that.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, Maria was driving everyone insane on the
shuttle. She could hardly sit still and she was chattering incessantly about
how she had missed Liz and "even Prince Charming" and WHEN were they
getting to the other ship?
Michael was starting to feel like his head was going
to explode. He was just about to yell at Maria when they felt the soft bump of
the shuttle docking. "About damn time," Michael muttered under his
breath.
The doors opened to reveal a smiling Nick… and behind
him, Max and Liz.
"Chicca!" Maria squealed, shoving everyone
out of her way to fling her arms around Liz. The two friends hugged tightly,
while Max went over to hug his sister.
"I missed you," he told her quietly.
"Me too."
Behind them, the luggage was being carried onto the
shuttle as the Antarian Royal Family, their friends, Advisors and guards all
filed onto the shuttle.
Maria, Alex and Liz sat together to catch up, as did
Max, Michael and Isabel.
"You look like you belong in that outfit,"
Maria told Liz enviously. Maria was wearing a similar outfit in dark blue, but
without all the markings and seals. Liz glanced at Max and he smiled at her
encouragingly. The guys all wore Antarian clothes too, snug-fitting pants and
vests with a billowing robe over it. Max was wearing the dark-green of his
family, while Alex and Michael’s outfits were various shades of blue.
"This is SO bizarre!" Maria continued.
"I cannot believe I am in some strange galaxy wearing a weird clothes.
Hey, I’ve never even been out of the US until now." She glared in
Michael’s direction.
Liz was bursting with her news, but she couldn’t risk
telling Maria while they were surrounded by strangers on the shuttle. Knowing
Maria, her shriek would be heard in the neighboring galaxy. Shilla appeared at
her elbow at some stage, bringing her a snack. Liz caught her arm when she
turned to leave. "Everyone, this is Shilla. She will be working for us in
the palace too. Shilla, these are my friends Maria and Alex."
Shilla bowed her head to them respectfully. "I
have heard so much about you."
"Yep, the super humans from earth! That’s
us," Alex grinned at her.
Maria had been staring at Liz with narrowed eyes.
"What’s with the snacking? And why are WE not getting any food?"
"Oh sorry!" Shilla exclaimed, glancing
nervously at Liz. "I’ll go get some more…"
"No, it’s okay." Maria waved at her.
"I just really want to know why Liz is apparently eating enough for two
now…" Her eyes widened. "Oh. My. God! Liz Evans! You aren’t!"
"Maria!" Liz tried to catch her friend’s
wildly flailing arms. "Shhh! Calm down would you." She shook her head
at Max who was on his feet and ready to come over.
"Okay, what the heck are you screaming about
Deluca?" Alex was staring between Liz and Maria.
Max had ignored Liz’s indication that he should leave
her to handle this and ordered the group of friends into a nearby little room. He
grabbed Liz’s hand and followed a still hyperventilating Maria, a perplexed
Alex and an irritated Michael and Isabel into the room. After the door closed
behind them, Max pulled Liz to stand in front of him. "We have something
to tell you all," he stated.
Maria kept on muttering ‘oh my god’ over and over
until Michael put his hand over her mouth. "What is up with you two?"
Not really knowing how to say it, Max brought his and
Liz’s linked hands up and placed them over her stomach. He could see from the
stunned expressions around the room that the glow had started up again.
"We are going to have a baby," Liz said
softly.
"Wow." Alex was the first to say something.
"Lizzie!" Maria screamed again and launched
herself at Max and Liz, only escaping knocking them over because Max braced
himself against the door. She hugged them both tightly.
"I’m amazed that it took so long the way you two
are normally at it!" Alex again.
Max was looking at Isabel. "That’s great,
Max," she finally said, sounding unsure.
Michael was another story altogether. "I’m
sorry, but are you insane, Maxwell! I can’t believe you would do this when you
knew we might be going into war?"
"Michael—"
"Whatever! You always do what you want
anyway." He stormed out.
Holding Max back, Liz told him quietly. "I’ll go
talk to him."
She found Michael standing in front of one of the
windows. "It’s not his fault, you know. It’s mine."
As loudly as Michael always yelled at Max, he never
could quite manage it with Liz. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, this was not planned and is entirely my
fault. I lied to Max so he wouldn’t find out and leave me behind."
"Why would you do that?" Michael sounded
agitated. "How are we supposed to protect both you and the baby?"
"I-I just couldn’t be without him, Michael. It’s
selfish, but I’d rather be here with him when something goes wrong, than to be
safely on earth and maybe never see him again." She touched his arm
tentatively. "Please don’t make this harder for him. You know Max, he is
already freaking out as it is."
He was silent for a long time before sighing:
"Okay."
They turned around to find Max watching them from the
entrance to the room. Liz walked over to him immediately and snuggled into his
embrace.
Michael walked past and just said:
"Congratulations, Maxwell."
Liz felt Max relax and press a kiss on her head.
"That went well," he said laconically.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The crowd awaiting them on Dendar was huge. They
disembarked the shuttle in a large building, with Max and Liz leading the way.
Max held Liz’s hand resolutely, not allowing her to slink away and blend into
the rest of the group. The commander of their ship led them towards a group of
formally dressed Dendarians that Max assumed was the King and his family.
There was clapping and singing and when they were a
few steps away from the welcoming committee, a small blonde launched herself at
Max crying: "My husband! You’re back!"
Several things happened at
once. Max’s heart plummeted to his feet. Maria gasped in outrage. Michael
cursed. Some of the Antarian guards rushed over.
And Max felt Liz flinch next to him. He gripped her
hand tighter as James stepped between them and the oncoming Tess. Without even
looking at Max, James took Tess’ arm firmly and steered her to the back of the
little Antarian group. To say Max was relieved was an understatement. There was
no way he wanted to have this confrontation in public and James had handled it
perfectly. He had made Tess a part of their group without having her too close
to Max and Liz.
Furiously tugging to get her arm out of James’ grip,
Tess was fuming. "Get your hands—"
"Nice to see you again, Tess," Michael took
up position on her other side. "If you promise not to make a scene, we
promise not to hurt and humiliate you in public."
He had to fight to keep himself from glancing
backwards to see what was going on with Tess, but Max knew he shouldn’t
acknowledge her in any way right now as it would only add to the spectacle. So
instead, he took a deep breath, pulled Liz closer to him, whispered "my
Shani" in her ear, and continued walking towards the Dendar Royal group.
Liz wanted to die. If it weren’t for Max’s arm around
her waist, she would’ve run away by now. Tess had managed to make her feel like
the "other woman" in Max’s life. The one that stole him from his
legitimate wife. She didn’t even want to know what the people of Dendar thought
about her already! Then she heard him call her "my Shani", my love,
and she realized that the only opinion she cared about was his. Max Evans. Her
husband three times over. So she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head
proudly. She may not be seen as the true Queen of Antar, but she was the true
love of the King of Antar.
The King of Dendar was exceedingly polite to them
both, welcoming them to his planet and expressing the wish that Max’s presence
would have a positive impact on the peace talks. He also "cordially
invited" them to a function in their honor that would be held the
following evening.
After saying a few words of thanks, Max motioned his
group out of there. He needed to be alone with Liz. And he needed to sort out
Tess.
Their suite in the Dendar palace was mansion-like.
And the silence that thundered between the members of the group was
overwhelming as they waited in the entrance hall for Nick and his men to finish
their inspection of the place. Tess had started saying something, but Michael
had slapped his hand over her mouth and kept her in pinned to his side.
However, he could not stop the glares she was throwing at Max and Liz.
Max had turned his back on his former bride and
pulled Liz into his arms so she could rest her head on his chest. He rubbed his
hands over her back soothingly. He could feel how tired she was and he just
wanted to get her to their room so she could take a nap.
Shilla was stunned yet again. She stood to the side,
waiting for instructions and trying to understand the obviously strained
atmosphere. She had been amazed when the "fake Queen", as she has
started referring to Tess, threw herself at Max during the reception. As far as
she understood, Tess had not been bonded with Max, so what was she doing acting
like he was hers? Shilla could just imagine how poor Liz was feeling. But at
least it looked like Max was aware of that and trying to help her.
"Everything is fine," Nick announced from
the top of the staircase and Max turned to Michael.
"Wait here with her, please." He took Liz
and Maria upstairs. The rooms that were supposed to be his and Liz’s were
magnificent. It consisted of two bedrooms and bathroom and an "informal
living area". Max halted in the door of the one bedroom, feeling that dull
ache he had learned to associate with the resurfacing of his old memories
suddenly pressing down on his temples. He grabbed for something to hold onto,
and found only Liz.
Staggering under his unexpected weight, Liz managed
to push him against the wall to hold him upright. "Max!" she cried.
"No," he sounded weak. "Get me out of
here," his voice got a little stronger. "Please, Liz."
They stumbled out of the room and into the other
bedroom, Max started feeling better immediately.
"What did you see?" Liz asked him anxiously
when he was seated on the side of the bed.
Max was still taking deep breaths in an attempt to
get himself to calm down. "Uh… nothing specific. I just had… this feeling.
This awful feeling." He had felt dread and despair while going into that
room. And he had seen a brief flash of Tess, grinning up at him seductively. He
was betraying someone. His Shani.
"So we’ll just stay in this room then," Liz
said firmly. She had a feeling he wasn’t telling her everything, but right now,
she didn’t want to know. Because whatever he wasn’t telling was bound to be
about Tess.
Pulling Liz onto his lap, he nearly crushed her in a
hug. "I have to go talk to her. I have to get her out of our lives for
good." He brushed her hair behind her ear. "Why don’t you take a nap
until I get back?"
They kissed softly, longingly, lovingly. "I’ll
be back," Max whispered as he rested his forehead against hers. "I
love you."
"I love you too."
He found Michael downstairs, glaring at Tess who was
obviously trying to mind-warp the people in the hall. "Stop that,
Tess." His voice was hard and uncompromising.
She whirled towards him. "So Max Evans, King of
Antar returns from the dead. Imagine my surprise to see my beloved DEAD
husband!"
Max just got more angry at her sarcasm. "I was
never you husband in this life, so just give it up. What do you want?"
She sauntered over to him. "Why King Max, I want
to be Queen. How many times must I tell you this?"
"That’s not going to hap—"
"I’m not asking you to give up little Lizzie
Parker—"
"It’s Liz EVANS now," he broke into her
chattering, seeing her falter with satisfaction.
She recovered quickly. "Whatever. You can keep
her as your mistress, just let me have the title."
"That is never going to happen and you know it.
I will never degrade Liz like that. She is my wife, my mate and my Queen and
you better accept it or I WILL announce your scam to the planet."
"Don’t threaten me, Max Evans. I know things
about this war that you don’t. You are going to be in way over your head. And
you wouldn’t want something to happen to your precious Liz while you are off
fighting a war, now would you? You should have just left her at home."
Max started towards her, but was stopped by Michael’s
hand on his arm. "So help me, Tess, if anything happens to Liz, I’m coming
after you." His voice was quiet, deadly.
"You are so out of your league here. Think about
my offer, I want an answer before the celebration tomorrow night."
"You HAVE my answer. It’s NO."
"Then I will just have to make sure that my
position is clear during the party," she announced smugly and flounced out
the door.
Max was furious. He couldn’t remember ever being this
angry in his life. "James…"
"I’m on it," James answered promptly and
left to follow Tess.
"What are you going to do, Maxwell?"
"I’m going to make sure she doesn’t attend that
party tomorrow night, that’s what."
Michael nodded, he didn’t really know what to say to
his friend.
"Michael, have you maybe… started remembering
stuff from our life on Antar? Or of being here on Dendar before?"
"No." Michael was looking at him strangely.
"Why?"
"I keep getting these-these flashes that I can’t
make sense of. Nick can’t help me either. He only told me that I definitely WAS
married to Tess and that it was arranged. And that I was miserable."
"So what… are you getting flashes of you and
Tess?"
"Only two. The rest are… about Liz."
"What? Maxwell, that’s impossible. Maybe you
just have her on the brain—"
"No Michael. I see her wearing these Antar Royal
clothes. And I kept calling her ‘Shani’ during these flashes."
"Ooh, calling her someone else’s name is NOT
fine."
"It means ‘Beloved’ in Antarian." Max could
see that Michael was completely floored.
"Whoa."
"Yeah," Max sighed. "It’s driving me
crazy. I don’t know what to tell Liz. I don’t know what the hell happened while
I was married to Tess. I don’t know if I knew Liz when we lived on Antar…"
He thrust his hands through his hair in frustration.
Michael watched him pace in silence. "Yeah, I
was wanting to ask you something too." Why did Michael sound so tentative?
"I-I uh… I want to get bonded to-to Maria," Michael was staring at
his feet causing Max to grin. This was going to lead to another ear-piercing
shriek from the lively pixie. "I need you to help me, you know, plan
things."
Wiping the grin off his face so as not to increase
Michael’s nervousness further, Max said solemnly: "Sure I’ll help."
The two friends looked at each other. They had come a
long way. From bickering and fighting to a place where each of them knew that
the other got their back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
James waited around the corner to see which room Tess
entered. He also caught a glimpse of a man waiting for her, his back turned to
the door. Well, this certainly is interesting. Maybe Shilla can find out who
Tess was seeing…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max found Liz sleeping in their bed and Maria
standing at the window. "Hey Maria," he said softly, going over to join
her.
"Hey," she smiled up at him before risking
a glance at Liz. "Did you get rid of the pest?"
He grinned. "Sort of. Is Liz okay?"
Maria looked over at her sleeping friend again.
"I guess so. This pregnancy is not going to hurt her, is it?"
"I-I don’t know. So far she seems fine apart
from the glowing stomach and morning sickness."
"This is just killing you, isn’t it?" She
stared up at him shrewdly.
"I… I would rather have done this on earth. I
don’t like that I’m going to be away from her a lot while I’m here…"
"Well, she has me."
"I know." He hugged her spontaneously.
"Thank you for accepting me in her life from the beginning."
"Are you kidding?" Maria was laughing.
"I told her you might be like those spiders that ate their mates after having
sex when I found you two in Michael’s flat that first time. Boy, you two were
all over each other!" Max was blushing. "Not that THAT has changed!
Just so you know, I was ready to kick your ass if you did anything that would
have hurt her."
"THAT much I knew," he assured her.
"Do you think you could let me have some time alone with her? We could all
meet for dinner later. Just tell Shilla if you need anything."
He sat down on the side of the bed after Maria had
left, softly brushing his hand over Liz’s hair. He would wait until she woke
up, but it was time to make some new memories here on Dendar.
A warmth was invading her
womb, making Liz smile before she even opened her eyes. She was lying on her
side and as she fought her way up through the layers of sleep, she felt Max
gently caressing her stomach with the backs of his fingers. She found him lying
next to her, his dark and expressive eyes resting on her face.
"Hey sleepyhead," he said softly and lifted
his hand to her face, continuing his caresses on her cheek. "Feel better
now?"
"Yes," she smiled at him. In quiet moments
like these, when it was just the two of them and their love for each other, it
was easy to forget that Max was anything other than her husband and the father
of her unborn baby. To forget that he was the King of another planet, that he
had had a destiny to fulfil and that he currently had a lot of lives depending
on him. In these moments, he looked at her in a way that made her feel like
they were the only two people in the universe. That she was all that mattered
to him. That the universe could shiver into nothingness around them and he
wouldn’t care. "And you?"
"I’m fine. I have all that I need right here
next to me." He leaned in for a kiss, tenderly brushing his lips over hers,
but not allowing it to deepen too much. "I have good news," he
breathed against her mouth.
"Mmmm," she didn’t want him to stop kissing
her. "Michael is finally going to pop the question." He grinned when
she jerked away in surprise.
"You’re kidding!"
"Nope. He is really nervous and we have to help
him. So don’t tell Maria, okay?"
She flung her arms around his neck, pushing him onto
his back on the bed and crawling on top of him. "Maria is going to be so
happy!"
He closed his eyes to enjoy the little kisses she was
raining all over his face. "Hey, if this is the response I get, I’ll have
to get Michael to propose more often."
She pulled back from him and shivered as he slid his
hands under her top to caress the bare skin of her back. "You know very well
that you don’t need any gimmicks to get such a response from me…" She
sighed again as his hand moved higher and found the clasp of her bra.
He pressed her upper body tightly against his by
flattening his one hand between her shoulder blades. His other hand moved into
her hair, holding her face immobile as he trailed moist kisses from her lips to
her ear. "This is the honeymoon I never had the previous time I was
here." His breath tickled her ear. "It should’ve been you…"
She kissed him urgently then, trying to eliminate
whatever it was that he was remembering from the last time he was here, in this
suite. "It’s me now, Max," she promised him.
Need. Pure unadulterated need washed over her as Max
finally allowed the floodgates of their connection to open. Trembling under the
force of his need, Liz opened her mouth wider, allowing him complete access.
He sat them both up to slide Liz’s top and bra off in
one smooth movement before pulling off his own shirt. His hands met at the
small of her back and slowly trailed upwards until he could press her against
his warm skin again. Both of them gasped at the electric contact.
Liz had to bite down a moan when his hands continued
to roam her back and sides as he captured her lips again. Her breasts were
starting to become sensitive due to her pregnancy and the friction between
their bodies was exquisite.
She was straddling his lap, clutching at the solid
muscle of his upper arms, leaning into the kiss, her body curving into a taut
bow before relaxing against his.
He kissed her eyes shut, then his mouth lingered over
the smooth cream column of her throat, until he smiled against her skin and
murmured: "You are so beautiful."
They undressed each other further, getting in one
another’s way and then his heated mouth found the fine skin at her waist.
Liz looked down at the dark head moving against her
and her heart swelled. Sudden tears blurred her vision; she lifted a hand and
ran it through the black silk of his hair, cupping his cheek as he turned his face
into her glowing stomach. How she loved him!
He kissed her navel, his tongue searching out the
small indentation. The intimate touch sending quivers through her. "You
are gorgeous too," she told him huskily.
He laughed and kissed her mouth and her throat, and
the junction of neck and shoulder, biting it gently, letting her feel his
undisguised passion. It stopped her breath in her throat.
This time, their movements were unhurried. To Liz, it
felt like everything had gone into slow motion. The way his hand stroked her
skin, the powerful thud of her heart in her breast, her boneless lack of energy
as she ran her fingers through his hair and curled her hand around his neck,
feeling his life-force pulse against it. Her eyelids were weighted in anticipation.
Max’s kiss told her he had searched the universe for
her, and that she was more precious to him than life itself. His touch sent
fire through her, her breath lodged in her throat when he kissed her breasts.
Instinctively, Liz held his head there for a long moment, reveling in the
responses of her body.
She moved against him, quick, involuntary movements
and she felt his reaction, growing, urgent, but instead of taking her, he said:
"No, not yet."
She protested, but he kept on caressing her, until
her body was aching with the need to take him inside her.
"Touch me," he finally said.
Drawing a long deep breath, Liz put her hand up to
his shoulder, feeling the muscles bunch and quiver beneath her fingers. His
skin was hot and she could smell the scent of his arousal, male and incredibly
stimulating. Slowly she ran her hand across his back, down the sleekness of his
spine and over the taut muscles of his backside. A groan was torn from deep
within his throat.
Liz kissed his shoulder, then bit it, then licked the
small red crescent she had made. From the corners of her eyes she noted his
reaction, his smile, the way his eyes gleamed and darkened. He touched her
breasts again, causing an ache to unfurl deep within her. Her hips were moving
against him and she slid her hand down his body, touching him intimately.
"No," Max said in a strangled voice, it
would be over too soon.
But Liz laughed at him, a smoky, seductive sound,
before bending to flick her tongue across his chest. She pressed herself
against him until he groaned something in a shaken voice and rolled her over,
filling her with one hard thrust as though his life depended on it.
Stabbed by hunger, she ran her hands once more down
his back before pulling his hips towards her. "I need you, Max."
He looked at her for a long moment before replying:
"I need you too." They moved together then, increasing their pace
towards that ultimate release that they craved so much. Liz cried out as the
waves of ecstasy flowed through her and Max followed instantaneously, racked by
the same flood of sensation. They lay panting in each other’s arms afterwards,
basking in the completion only they could bring each other.
Max finally braced himself on his forearms and
brushed her tousled hair from her face. "New memories."
It sounded like a promise.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shilla was starting to lose hope. She had been
chatting with some of the other servants in the palace at James’ request, but
so far, no one was able to help her about the gentleman in Tess’ bedroom. All
she had managed to find out was that there had been a steady stream of men
visiting that bedroom in the past few years.
If ever Shilla had doubts about the way that Max had
handled his destiny and his choice, they were eradicated by this news. She also
made sure to tell the others about the amazing relationship between the
Antarian Royal Couple, knowing that the news would soon reach everyone of
importance in the Palace. But she kept carefully quiet about Liz’s pregnancy.
By tomorrow night, there will be no doubt who Max’s real mate is…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz had taken Maria for a stroll through the palace
grounds late the afternoon, giving the guys the chance to prepare for Michael’s
proposal. They were surrounded by 10 men and no amount of pleading from Liz’s side
to decrease the number had made an impression on Max. If someone wanted to get
to his wife and child, they would have to go through quite a few bodies to do
it. He had kissed her hard before they left, telling her to stay in contact.
"Check in time, chicca," Maria told her
with an amused grin while folding her arms and waiting for Liz to concentrate
on letting Max know where they were and that they were still safe. "Boy,
that man is adorable when he freaks out over you like this."
"Haha, let’s go back and dress up for
dinner."
"Why?"
"Because… it’s our first dinner together and
I-I’m trying to help Max make new memories here in this place." Liz hoped
that sounded convincing.
Maria looped her arm through Liz’s. "Eew, it
must be a bit disconcerting for him to suddenly remember doing the nasty with
Tess…" She felt Liz go rigid next to her and hastily tried to fix her
blunder. "Damn, Lizzie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…"
"It’s okay. He doesn’t exactly remember that
yet. Just that they were married…"
Stopping to pull Liz around to look at her, Maria
took her hands. "You know that will never happen again, right? That she
might be his past but—"
"I know. Thanks for telling me again,
though."
Maria hoped that Max has remembered all he was going to
remember about his marriage to Tess. And for once, she was glad she didn’t get
flashes of Michael’s past when he was with her, because she was very sure that
she would not take seeing him and Isabel together very well. "He’s crazy
about you, Liz. What normal husband makes love with his wife at all hours of
the day after nearly eight years of marriage?" Liz was starting to grin.
"Come on, I SAW how you glowed when you came out of that room this
afternoon!"
"Maria!"
"And I SAW King Max’s silly I’ve-been-getting-happy-with-Liz
smile! We’ve been seeing it for years and we were all just too polite to say
anything."
Neither of the two women noticed that all the guards
were trying to hide their own grins by now.
"Let’s go get dressed, Maria." Liz’s cheeks
were flaming. She had no idea that they were so obvious!
Max was waiting in the entrance hall when they got
back and he looked at Maria as if she was losing her mind when she burst into
hysterical giggles upon seeing him.
"She’s just-just insane," Liz assured him
as she kissed his warm mouth quickly and bundled Maria upstairs to where Isabel
was waiting. It was make-over time!
The guys just stayed out of the way until all the
primping and dressing was done upstairs and they watched appreciatively as the
girls all came down the stairs in evening wear.
"Whoa, Michael, who managed to get you into a
tux?" Maria walked over to her boyfriend of many years who seemed struck
dumb at the moment.
Max sighed, took Liz’s hand and led them all outside
to a large balcony from where they could see the three moons that orbited
Dendar. A small table with two place settings was waiting for them.
"Don’t tell me this is one of Max’s little Liz
schemes—"
"Maria," Michael interrupted her and led
her over to the table while their friends stood waiting at the door.
"What?" She truly seemed at a loss and
looked over at Liz who was smiling at her broadly. "What?"
"Maria…" Michael was struggling again.
"This is for you. For us."
"I don’t… MICHAEL GUERIN!" Her sudden
shriek made everyone jump.
"I-I don’t want you to live in sin anymore, so
will you—"
"Yes!" She flung herself at him, raining
kisses all over his face before finally pulling back. "Wait, you
This made them all burst out laughing and Nick took
that as his cue to appear. Maria cried her eyes out throughout the bonding
ceremony. She couldn’t believe this was finally happening. For once, she was
not one of the people in the small circle around Max and Liz, but was inside,
with her space boy. Surrounded by her friends. Her mother would be so proud!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Later that night, while Max was lying in bed holding
Liz and staring up at the ceiling of their room, his mind returned to what had
happened in that other bedroom. He knew he had to go back there and see if
maybe he couldn’t remember something concrete.
He gingerly moved away from Liz, but kept his hand on
her bare arm until she got used to not having him plastered to her back.
Crossing the little lounge area, he walked resolutely towards the closed door.
Nothing was worse than uncertainty.
Pushing the heavy door open, he immediately felt the
pressure in his temples. Not even bothering to turn on a light, he fumbled his
way to the bed and sat down. He heard voices in his head.
His own, indignant: "I can’t do this,
Mother."
A female voice: "It’s for the best, Zan. She is
a beautiful and wonderful girl."
His again, upset. "She’s not…"
"She’s not who? What is going on with you these
last few months?"
Despair washed over him as he heard himself plead:
"Please don’t ask me to do this…"
He was shivering by the time the flash ended. This at
least confirmed what he already knew, he had not wanted to marry Tess.
Rubbing his face tiredly, he became aware of Nick’s presence
in the room, watching him silently. "Liz sent me," he clarified.
"She thought I might be able to help you."
"There is something about this room…" Max
waved his hand.
"It was your parents’ room whenever the family
stayed here. It became yours once you married."
"Where did I sleep before..." He couldn’t
even say it.
"In the room Michael and Maria are
sharing."
Damn, there was no way he was bothering those two
tonight, but he desperately wanted to go to that room to see if he remembered
anything from there. Maybe tomorrow…
"Nick, are you sure there was no one like Liz
around on Antar? Could she have been in my life without any else’s
knowledge?"
Taking a long time to answer, Nick finally stated:
"I don’t know, Max. I’m beginning to think your parents showed me what
they wanted me to see. If I had not heard some stories about you and-and Tess
from the elders, I wouldn’t have known you were unhappily married. They
certainly did not show me that. I only saw scenes from your life at war,
growing up… Only one or two things from when you were married." He met
Max’s gaze in the moonlight. "If you are asking whether you might have had
a mistress… I guess its possible."
Max stared at his clasped hands. It was possible,
yes, but why did he feel like he wouldn’t have done that to Liz even then? His
heart rebelled at the thought. No, whatever his Shani had been in his previous
life, she had not been his mistress.
The day of the ball was
hectic. After breakfast, Nick had hustled Max out of the suite for an endless
round of meetings and discussions, leaving Maria and Shilla with their hands in
their hair as Liz cried her way through her first bout of nausea without Max.
They managed to get her back in bed later, where she curled up clutching his
pillow as her sobs turned to hiccups. "Why do I have to share him with
these people?"
Normally unselfish Liz Evans was having another
hormonal breakdown and if Maria didn’t fear for her life, she would have
laughed hysterically. Liz was acting so… NOT Liz. Now Liz was punching the poor
pillow in what Maria suspected was an effort to get back at Max for leaving her
here. Poor guy, he would really need all his Prince Charming qualities to see
through this pregnancy! Alex was off with Michael, "scoping out" the
palace, while Isabel was working on what everyone will be wearing during the
function.
By mid-afternoon, Max had met a dizzying number of
officials from the four planets, all of who immediately wanted him to hear
their side of the story. He had politely asked all of them to wait until the
talks start for real.
They had still not gotten word from James about who
Tess was seeing. James had been instructed to stay glued to Liz’s side at any
moment that Max was not with her, so he had posted two other men to continue
monitoring Tess’ movements. She had not left her rooms all day and the men
watching her had orders not to let her attend the function.
When Max got back to the suite, he found his wife in
his sister’s room, being fitted for an Antarian evening dress. There really was
no such thing, but Isabel had decreed that she was not going to the function in
the normal top, skirt and robe. So she was "tweaking" their
traditional garbs a little.
He watched them in silence from the doorway for a
moment, smiling as he felt Liz’s joy at his presence. Isabel would not let her
turn around, though, so he walked closer and kissed Liz’s neck.
"Hey."
"Max!" Isabel said in irritation.
"Don’t get in my way."
"Hi Max," Liz answered. "How was your
day?" She sounded worried. "Did all the meetings go okay?"
Completely ignoring Isabel’s warning, he stepped
closer until he was against Liz’s back and encircled her waist with his arms.
"It was fine. How was yours?"
"Ugh, I was really sick this morning, but other
than that, nothing to report."
"Max Evans, get out of this room!"
Isabel was glaring at him now and Max sighed before
kissing Liz’s cheek. "See you in a little bit."
He left and found Michael and Maria on their way out
to the balcony. "Hey. Would you two mind if I just went in your room for a
while? It was my room when we were… here before."
Maria immediately looked alarmed. "Are you sure
you should do it now? What if—"
"I’ll be fine, Maria, don’t worry."
"Maxwell—"
"I’ll be fine. Don’t be too long outside, we
don’t want to be late for the first intergalactic party on our honor!" He
gave them a small smile and waited till they had gone out before entering their
rooms.
He braced himself for the images that would assail
him, but none came. Curious, he stepped further into the lounge and walked over
to the bedroom. His bedroom. A flash of familiarity washed over him as his hand
pressed against the door.
His heart was starting to pound. What would he
remember when he got inside? He was so afraid that it would be something that would
be horrible to Liz. Taking a deep breath, he slowly stepped inside, his eyes
finding the wide bed immediately. He had known exactly where it was in the
room!
The dull ache in his temples was back, but not nearly
as intense as last night. He gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed. The rush
of images nearly knocked him to the floor. It was Liz. Liz everywhere. Liz in
the sun, in the moonlight, in the dark. Liz outside, in a ballroom, in a space
ship, in this room. Max fell backwards onto the bed, trying to catch his breath
and calm his heart rate. He felt a desperate longing as he watched her visage
floating across his mind’s eye. She was smiling at him, laughing at him,
looking at him seriously. Looking at him with passion in her big doe eyes. Shani.
She was always just out of his reach, and he felt his urgency increase. He
needed to get a hold of her, make sure she could never just leave. Need crashed
over him. "Don’t leave me, I need you." His voice sounded strained
and hoarse in the silence of the room. "Please, she means nothing to
me…"
Cool hands cupped his face and he felt the sweetest
relief. It lifted his body on a swell of pure gratitude as he finally managed
to grab onto her and hold her to him. "You mean everything to me." It
was mumbled into her hair, the silky tresses smelling so wonderfully familiar.
He was shuddering in reaction, clinging to her as if she would disappear into
thin air if he allowed even a millimeter of air between them.
"Max?"
The soft question invaded his churning mind,
smoothing it over with a gentle touch. "Oh God, I thought you had left me!
My Shani." He gripped her hair in his fist, pressing her face into his
neck as his other hand swept down her back to urge her body into closer contact
with his. "I have to do this. Please understand. I hate this… She’s not
you."
Holding him tightly, Liz tried to make sense out of
all the things that he was muttering. So far, all she knew was that he seemed
to believe that she had left him in his previous life.
"She’s not you," he repeated in a defeated
voice. "What can I tell them? They’ve never seen you! I can’t explain how
I feel to them. This feeling inside me… it’s not something our people
know." He pressed his mouth against her temple. "You taste so sweet.
How did I know this is what you would taste like? It scares me."
Inside his mind, Liz was sitting and listening to him
intently, her head tilted to the side slightly. She had never looked more
beautiful to him. But her eyes were filling with tears, causing a sharp
stabbing pain in his heart. "Don’t cry. She’s not you. She can never be
you, but… I don’t know what to do!"
"You have to follow your destiny."
The soft words made him reel in shock. "Don’t
ask me to give you up, please." She was disappearing in front of his eyes.
"Please…"
It was a frantic sob. It was too much for Liz. Max
was literally coming apart emotionally, she felt his despair and loneliness as
if it were her own.
"Max!" She pulled her head back so she
could press her lips against his. "Max, look at me."
She was kissing him! Confusion assailed him as he
felt her warm mouth move over his. She was kissing him! His hands found her
face as he opened his mouth, kissing her back. It was a bruising kiss. One that
spoke of so many emotions. I love you, she told him over and over through their
connection. I’ll never leave again. He couldn’t get enough of her lips. To
finally be able to kiss her like this was overwhelming and glorious. Their
tongues mated and he had a sudden vivid picture of them tangled together on a
bed, bodies striving for the closest contact possible between two people. He
trembled at how right it felt. "Liz…" His eyes blinked open at the
name. Liz?
Reality came back with a rush. Max broke away from
Liz, gentling his embrace as he stared at her in shock. Her mouth was puffy and
red from his hard kiss and her hair was in total disarray. "Liz?" He
smoothed a trembling hand over her cheek and jaw.
"You were remembering things, but you were very
upset, so I came closer and-and you grabbed me."
Comprehension was finally setting in. He remembered
sitting down on the bed and then the visions had hit him. He sat up carefully,
lifting Liz to sit on his lap. "Did I hurt you?"
She shook her head. "Are you okay? I was scared
that you wouldn’t… come back from wherever you went."
"Yeah. I… It was… upsetting."
"What did you see?"
"You again. You everywhere. I was trying to
explain to you about marrying Tess, I think. You were crying and you told me to
follow my destiny. Then you… disappeared." His tortured gaze found hers.
"It felt like part of me was ripped out."
"I’m sorry, Max. I’ll never leave again. I
promise." She leaned her forehead against his and repeated her vow.
"I promise."
"I don’t understand this. How could I know you,
be in love with you? You are human. Antarians didn’t know love."
"They must have known it at one stage, they have
a word for ‘beloved’" she pointed out.
"Yeah." Max’s forehead was crinkled in
thought. Why did he keep seeing Liz alone in these memories? And why had they
both been saying things they had said to each other in this life of his on
earth? Nothing about this made sense.
"We should go get dressed for the ball,"
Liz reminded him gently. "Will you be okay to go?"
He nodded and lifted her to her feet so he could
stand up. He caught her hand when she turned away to go. "Liz, I-I just
want to say thank you. For making this life of mine so perfect. I have never
had an unhappy day since we got together." He kissed her lightly.
Smiling up at him, Liz countered: "Well, I don’t
have a previous life that I know of to relate this one to, but I can honestly
say that I won’t need another one to find happiness. I love you, Max
Evans."
She gasped when he swung her up in his arms
unexpectedly. "Max! What are you doing?"
"I need to take a shower. And I need for you to
take it with me." A short and simple answer, hiding so much more.
"Only if I can work the soap buttons," she
grinned up at him impishly.
They had reached the hallway, causing everyone to
stop and stare at them.
"Oh crap, we are SO going to be late," Alex
exclaimed after them. "Do you not fear the wrath of Princess Isabel? Are
you insane? Don’t DO this, Max! I beg of you! For the sake of humanity… err,
Antarianity." His dramatic antics had everyone laughing loudly.
But Max and Liz were ignoring them totally…
Butterflies were fluttering
wildly in Liz’s stomach, and for once, it had nothing to do with the half-alien
baby she was carrying. They were outside the hall where the ball in their honor
is being held and from the din coming through the doors, there were LOTS of
people there. She was practically clinging to Max’s hand and arm while she
concentrated on taking deep breaths to calm herself. She needed to be poised
and graceful, not hysterical and embarrassing tonight. This was for Max.
She looked completely gorgeous. Max had stared at her
in awe when she finally emerged wearing a snow-white dress that reminded him
slightly of her wedding dress. The bodice hugged her curves while the skirt was
wide and full. His Royal seal was put around the seam of the skirt as a dark
green border. She looked like she was floating when she walked. He needed to
thank Izzy for this later.
Now they were waiting to be officially introduced and
Liz was trying very hard not to let her panic show. He pulled her in front of
him, smiling down into her anxious eyes. "Don’t worry, sweet, everything
will be fine."
"How do you know? I could trip over my dress! I
could spill stuff. I could—"
Max stopped her babbling by kissing her soundly. The
sensations of their love-making in the shower not too long ago were still with
them and the kiss quickly turned steamy. He curved his arm around her waist,
bringing her as close to him as her wide skirt would allow and urged her mouth
to open wider for him.
Isabel’s scandalized exclamation went unheard.
Lifting herself onto the tips of her toes, Liz kissed
Max back with ardor. She gloried in him licking her lips and sucking on them.
In his possessive embrace. In the way his mind whispered ‘My Shani’ to her.
A sudden silence brought Max back to his senses. The
doors to the hall had opened and everyone was staring at them in complete
amazement.
"Errr, the King and Queen of Antar and their
families," the announcement eventually rang out.
Max felt awful when he saw the shock on Liz’s face.
Coming to a sudden decision, he stepped forward with Liz and said: "Ladies
and Gentlemen, meet my Shani and my wife, Liz." Everyone was bowing low
before them when Max dipped Liz over his arm and kissed her again. This was met
with a huge roar of applause and some relieved sighs from behind Max and Liz.
"I love you, you romantic idiot!" Liz said
to him when she was finally on her feet again.
"And I’m going to kick your ass," Isabel
hissed at him when she swept past.
"Glowing and grinning again, Lizzie," Maria
was laughing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The two men guarding Tess’ door had stopped her from
leaving earlier when she wanted to go to the ball. Their ears were still
ringing from her furious shrieking, but now everything seems quiet in her
rooms. They kept watch anxiously, knowing how important this was to their King.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
James was standing to the side of the crowds milling
about in the big hall, his eyes never leaving Liz. She was surrounded by
important women from Dendar, as well as various apparently fawning men. Max was
on the other side of the hall, talking to the King of Dendar and some of his
closest aides, but James noticed that Max also kept an eye on Liz. Which is why
it was so amazing that none of them saw anything coming.
One moment all was well, the following Tess was next
to an oblivious Liz with a furious expression on her face. Max was halfway
across the hall before anyone else had even moved. A terrible fear had taken
hold of him and caused adrenaline to pump through his veins like crazy. James
was shoving people out of the way ruthlessly as he also bore down on his Queen.
"So you think you’re the Queen now?" Tess
suddenly said in Liz’s ear, grabbing her arm and holding her immobile. "I
don’t think so."
"Tess!" Max cried, but he was still too far
away to really do anything.
"Oh, look! He sure is predictable. Right on cue,
my darling husband." Tess was grinning at Max’s stricken expression.
"Liz, love…" Max felt tears come to his
eyes as he saw the trust in Liz’s gaze.
Everybody around them was frozen in shock as Tess
held a glowing hand to Liz’s head. "Tell them she is not really your wife,
and I’ll let her live."
"Tess…" Max felt dizzy with all the
emotions crashing over him. He needed to keep Liz safe and he had never hated
Tess as much as he did that minute. "I’ll do anything, please… Just let
her go."
"That’s clever of you," she smirked at him
as Max watched the tears run down Liz’s cheeks helplessly. A little circle had
formed around them by now, Michael, James, Isabel, Alex, Nick, Maria and some
more of the guards were standing tensely on the periphery of what now seemed to
be a final showdown.
"So tell these people, Zan. Tell them you really
were married to me and this is just your little mistress. And while you’re at
it, tell dear Lizzie how hot we were together."
Max swallowed. "I-I love you, Liz." He
stared at her, willing her to see what a lie his next words were going to be.
"I—"
"This is an outrage!" The voice of the
elderly King of Dendar boomed across the strange gathering. "What is the
meaning of this?" He had walked over with difficulty and was looking
between Max and Tess.
"I apologize, Your Highness," Max said
quietly, his eyes never leaving Liz.
"I wish merely for the King of Antar to announce
me as his true Queen and admit that this is his royal concubine," Tess
announced. "It is my rightful position and I want it officially
declared." She cast a sweet glance at the elderly King. "I’m sorry I
had to resort to this, but my husband seems intent on ignoring my
existence."
"I remember you two being bonded here in this
palace at a big function many rotations ago." The King’s announcement made
Tess grin as Max cringed and Liz bit her lip. "But I also remember that it
was a political liaison that Zan was not too happy about." Everyone stared
at him in shock. "Also, that was previously. As to what is true during
this life, that we can easily determine."
"How?" Tess’ voice had gotten an edge.
"This is a HUMAN girl, she is not Antarian—"
"That doesn’t matter. If they are bonded, there
is a way." The King turned to Max. "Do you agree to this test?"
"Yes!" Max was overjoyed. Only the glowing
hand against Liz’s head kept him from any rash actions.
Liz felt a piercing heat invade her brain.
"Max…" she whispered before blackness enveloped her.
A roar of pure rage erupted from Max as he jumped
forward to catch Liz in his arms. He jerked her away from Tess, just as James
yanked Tess away from Liz. The force broke the hold she had on Liz.
An all-consuming fear took hold of Max as he knelt on
the floor, cradling Liz. She was completely still in his arms.
"Oh my God, Max!" Maria was at his side
immediately. She gave his dazed face one look and shook his arm. "Snap out
of it, you have to see what’s wrong! Max! Liz and the baby need you!"
He felt like everyone was talking to him down a long,
dark tunnel. Liz needs you. It echoed in his mind and he took a shuddering
breath before moving his hands over her head gently. "Liz, baby, you have
to let me in…"
He got no response.
Your baby needs you. Maybe he could try… He put a
shaking hand on Liz’s stomach, nearly sobbing in relief when the glow appeared
immediately. He concentrated on the presence of his baby, finding it and using
it to find Liz. "I love you. Come back to me. Please. Come back."
Even the carefully emotionally controlled Dendarians could not fail to be moved
by what was happening. Maria and Isabel were in tears with Max, while Michael
and Alex tried very hard not to lose it themselves.
Please help me help Mommy. We can’t be without her.
Max was talking to his baby in desperation by now. While his mind knew that his
baby was barely three weeks old and not much bigger than a few cells, his heart
refuse to go on facts right now.
The heat under his hand became more intense and
suddenly he was in! He desperately healed blood vessels and cells in Liz’s
brain, as he begged her to fight. He was nearly finished when he had a flash of
himself holding the hand of a little boy as they watched the most important
woman in their lives smile at them.
Both Max and Liz opened their eyes at the same time,
grabbing each other in a fierce grip as they trembled in relief. No words were
spoken, they knew exactly how the other one felt.
Very soon, a towering rage started replacing Max’s
relief and he finally looked up at Tess. She quaked when she saw his death
glare. "Tess—"
The King of Dendar stepped into the fray again.
"We will give you a few minutes to recuperate from this, but then I will
have to make a ruling." He looked at Tess. "You have made a serious
accusation against the King of Antar and I have to warn you, if this proves
false and you have threatened the life of the true Queen of Antar, there will
be serious consequences."
Max could barely control himself. "No, I want to
finish this now." He got to his feet and held Liz against his side. She
was leaning against him for support.
The King nodded. "Give me your hand." He
held out his hand to Tess.
Still in the firm and hurtful grip of James, Tess
held out her hand reluctantly. After motioning Max to do the same, the elderly
King moved their hands until their palms faced each other, a few inches of
space between them. He closed his eyes, apparently concentrating on something.
The hush in the crowd became even more quiet as a faint glow appeared between
Max and Tess’ hands, depicting a swirling blue mist with no real shape or form.
The Dendar King’s face gave nothing away as he
dropped Tess’ hand and lifted Liz’s. Her eyes clung to Max’s, she had no idea
what the glow meant, but surely it must mean something.
As soon as their palms faced each other, a bright
light appeared between them, one that slowly condensed into the form of the
Antarian Royal seal. Max gripped Liz to him tighter as they saw the proof.
"Just as I suspected," the King announced.
He pointed to Max and Liz. "Bonded and consummated in this lifetime."
He waved at Tess. "Bonded but not consummated in a previous
life-time." He motioned his own guards over. "Take her away and
incarcerate her." He looked at Tess again. "Be glad we don’t punish
people with death anymore, for what you did was surely enough to warrant such a
sentence. As it is, you will not be seen on this planet or any other, ever
again."
Max hardly heard the other King as he apologized for
what happened and told Max to take Liz for some rest and see if they can join
the party again later. He lifted Liz up against his chest and left the ballroom
with long strides, his little band of friends hurrying behind him.
"Max, I’m okay," Liz tried.
"I’m not," was all he said in reply.
Back in their suite, the others watched him take the
stairs at a near run and disappear into their rooms.
"Oh my God," was all Maria could get out.
"Ditto," Michael said.
"So… he DIDN’T sleep with Tess in his previous
life? Way to go, Max!" Alex didn’t mean it to sound flippant, just amazed.
How the hell were the rest of them supposed to live up to Max?
~*~*~*~*~*~
In the room, Max put Liz carefully on the bed before
kneeling next to it, taking her hand and dropping his head to the mattress.
Then he did something he hadn’t done in a long time.
He cried.
Liz slid to the floor and wrapped herself around him,
crying with him for so many reasons. For the fear and terror they had both
felt. With relief that they were safe now. For knowing that they truly were
linked in the eyes of the universe. For finally having Tess out of their lives
for good. And for finding the most precious love the universe could produce.
And for now knowing they were going to have a son…
It was late by the time they
returned to the ball as Max and Liz had had a lot to talk about. They arrived
in the hall to another round of applause and more deep bows and smiles. Maria
and Alex took to partying in abandon due to the relief of not being scared
about Tess anymore. Maria had attempted to drag Michael onto the dance floor
but he bluntly refused, so she was out there now with Alex, getting into moves
that these poor Dendarians have never seen in their lives.
This time, James stayed right next to Liz, not caring
if he got in the way of some fancy Dendarian that wanted to talk to her. Max
had also been at her side for most of the time, but now he was talking to the
old King of Dendar in the corner. Although the three girls were mostly taller
than the Dendar men, it was clear that Liz, Maria and Isabel were being greatly
admired for their beauty.
"So you knew me… before?" Max asked the
other King.
The old man looked at him speculatively. "Yes.
You do not remember?"
Carefully choosing his words, Max’s gaze found Liz in
the crowd before turning back to the King. "Only bits and pieces. Did I
get married here?"
"The bonding ceremony was conducted on Antar,
but the celebration was held here on Dendar. The war was getting more intense,
so your parents thought it best. You were… killed a few weeks after the
bonding. In the war."
Max was quiet for a long time. "This may seem
like a strange question to you, but… do you know if I was… involved with
someone else before the bonding?"
The King looked at him strangely. "Actually, no.
Your mother always said you were a loner and she was getting worried that you
would never settle down with your chosen mate. That’s why they finally pushed
through the bonding with Ava… Tess."
Max bent his head as the familiar feeling of despair
flooded him again at the memories of his "wedding". He kept feeling
that he was betraying someone. Betraying Liz. "No one else, huh?"
"Not that we were aware of. Why?"
"I-I just keep remembering someone else. And no
one can tell me if I really knew her or not." His eyes met Liz’s across
the room, she was surrounded by men.
"Well, you might ask some of the servants. They
usually know everything. I’m sure there are still some around that might have
been working here then." The King watched Max nod but his eyes stayed on
his mate. "I need to urge you to some caution about something else."
He waited until he had Max’s full attention. "Remember that these peace
talks are necessary because of the threats made by Tresar. Well, the current
military ruler of Tresar, Dak’or, is a hard man. It was him that asked for you
to be here and I suspect he wants to make sure no one from Antar will ever
bother him again. Be careful of him."
"Where is he? Still on Tresar?"
"No, he has been here on Dendar for some time.
Threatening us with war unless we all agree to Tresar’s domination in this
galaxy." The King’s eyes narrowed. "Their young King was sent on a
mission many rotations ago and never returned. We all wondered what happened to
him. You haven’t by any chance run into him somewhere?"
Thinking back to a strange meeting on a street in
Roswell many years ago, when two former enemies had both been frantic enough
about their women to forget that they used to be out to destroy one another.
Max saw the strained face of Eric, the once King of Tresar in his mind’s eye as
Eric told him that he just wanted to disappear and enjoy his life with HIS
human love, Sarah. "Uhm, no, not that I know of."
Looking over at Liz again, he saw that she now had
even more guys around her. "Excuse me, Your Highness."
None of the men were really bothering her, but Liz
still felt relief when she saw Max striding over to her purposefully. She
maneuvered herself away from the group and met Max halfway.
"Dance with me?"
"Always," she told him as he pulled her
into his arms.
"I wonder if those two ever do anything that
doesn’t look like a slow-motion scene from a Mills and Boon romance," Alex
asked Maria from where they were still dancing gaily.
"No. They are Cinderella and Prince Charming or
hadn’t you noticed?" Maria glanced at Michael who was watching her with
brooding eyes from the side of the hall. She smiled at him brilliantly.
"We got the screwed up members of the gang. On the brighter side, Lizzie
is going to look like a beached whale soon because Prince Charming can’t keep
his, err… hands to himself while I will still be gorgeously thin. It would
probably be the only time I was the tiniest girl in this little group, so I’m
gonna enjoy it while it lasts."
Max twirled Liz around the floor, hugging her close
to his body and resting his cheek against her hair. A shiver went through his
body when he remembered how close he had been to losing her. "You are so
precious to me, do you know that?"
She looked up at him. "Because of the precious
cargo I’m carrying?"
His eyes widened in alarm. "No Liz, that’s
not—"
"Don’t worry, I’m kidding. I know you love me
for more than being the mother of your baby."
"You better believe that," he said
feelingly and kissed her in front of the many witnesses.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
***TWO MONTHS LATER***
The peace talks had been dragging on for months and
Max was losing patience with it all. He spent endless hours in meetings,
talking to all the sides. He flew all over Dendar to various meeting places,
pleading various cases, but whatever he came up with, Dak’or refused the idea.
He wanted Dendar to submit to his rule peacefully, or there would be war.
In the process, Max and Liz saw very little of each
other. Many nights he would come in late to find that she had tried to wait up
for him and had fallen asleep on the couch. And when he was away from the
palace on one of his trips, they would not see each other for days. Max was
starting to hate Dak’or with a passion for keeping him away from Liz during her
pregnancy. She never cried when he took his leave of her, but he knew she did
as soon as he was out of sight and the knowledge would put him in a foul mood
for the first part of each trip. It hadn’t taken long for his traveling
companions to learn to stay out of his way after he said goodbye to Liz every
time.
And at the rate things were going now, they would
never sort out this mess…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max had gone to see Tess just before they put her in
the sphere. He had wanted to know where Nacedo was, but she had just laughed in
his face, saying that he would never find the shapeshifter again.
"And I would watch my mousy wife and kid if I
were you, Max Evans. Dak’or will avenge what you have done to me once he rules
everywhere. And he will let me out of here."
That was how Max found out who Tess had been sleeping
with lately.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Observing the cocky Dak’or from the other side of the
negotiation room, Max wondered how the man can still be so arrogant while there
were rumors of an uprising coming from Tresar. But he dismissed the thoughts
from his mind as an image of Liz came into his mind’s eye. Tonight he was
flying back to see her, come hell or high water. Even if he could only be with
her for an hour before he needed to come back to this outpost, he would still
go.
The rumblings of trouble on Tresar reached the Dendar
palace too and Shilla raced down the corridor to find Liz. She eventually
located her outside on the balcony with Maria. "Your Highness!" Her
cry made the two women jump in surprise.
Seeing the hopeful look on Liz’s face, Shilla felt
like kicking herself. Max and Michael have been away for a week and Liz was
slowly wilting in Max’s absence. "Sorry for interrupting. It’s just
that…" She sent Liz an apologetic glance for not bringing her the news she
was hoping for. "There are rumors that the King of Tresar had returned to
his planet and that he is taking back power! Dak’or is being overthrown!"
"You’re kidding!" Maria said. "Wasn’t
Eric the King of—"
Liz sprang to her feet, her eyes filling with hope.
What if Eric could finally end the long negotiations and Max can stop being so
involved? What if this meant that she could see Max for more than a few hours
at a time?
Cold fear followed hope. What if Dak’or did something
desperate to the delegations of the other planets that were congregated at the
outpost for the negotiations? What if something happened to Max? She put her
hands over her stomach defensively. Daddy will be back, sweetheart. I know he
will. But she was talking to herself more than to their little boy.
"Uhm…" Shilla was still shuffling around
nervously. "There is something else…"
Liz looked at her fearfully. "What?"
"I think I have found someone that may have
known Max in his previous life here. Someone that may be able to answer some of
his questions."
Not sure how to react to this news, Liz looked at
Maria before asking: "You have? Who?"
"It’s an old woman. She says she was Max’s
servant when he used to stay here." Shilla hoped that she had done
something good, but Liz was reacting strangely.
"I want to go see her," Liz announced
suddenly.
"Chicca, I think you should wait for Max."
Maria had risen in concern. "He’s gonna flip if you do this without
him!"
"Maria, we don’t know when he is coming back
and… I need to know. It’s about my life too."
"I still think—"
But Liz was determined. "I’m going, Maria."
She turned to Shilla. "Find out if she can see me later this
afternoon."
Shilla curtsied and quickly left. What had she done
now? The old woman had seemed a bit creepy, but she seemed to know a lot of
things about Max. Maybe she would have some good news for Max and Liz.
Or maybe she wouldn’t…
Smoothing her hands over her
stomach and waist in front of the mirror, Liz felt tears welling in her eyes.
Who was she kidding? She HAD no waist. This is what Max will see whenever he
finally came back from the outpost. Her new, fat body! Tugging her top
downwards to fit it more snugly over her curves, she thought wryly that maybe
her slightly bigger breasts would make up for her growing stomach. Max had
never said anything, but she knew she was not as well endowed as a lot of other
women. And men like that, don’t they? What did he see in her? The tears were
starting to spill over now.
"Lizzie?" Maria came in as Liz spun around
guiltily from the mirror and tried to wipe away her tears. "What is
wrong?"
"I’m fat!" Liz cried in despair.
"And-and… how can he love me?"
"Whoa! Liz, calm down, babe. I don’t think it’s
good for Max junior if you get so upset!" She hurried over and dragged Liz
away from the mirror. This is ANOTHER melt-down you owe me for, Max Evans!
"Besides, are you high? Max practically drools over you all his life and
you think he doesn’t think you’re pretty?" She patted Liz’s back when Liz
collapsed on the bed. "Lizzie, love is about so much more than what the
other person looks like! If I hear him one more time about your laugh or about
how smart you are, I’m gonna barf. You’re his best friend too, you know."
"I know, but—"
"No, see, you have to count your blessings,
because you got the alien with actual communication skills. Me, I have to go on
grunts and other nonsensical sounds to know what Michael is trying to
say."
"But I want him to like what I look like too!
And I’m… not…" Liz sounded silly even to herself.
"Excuse me! Did he, or did he not drag you out
of an official dinner last week when he got back?"
"Yes…" Liz answered in a small voice.
"You’re not going to tell me it was because he
wanted to
"No."
"And that he couldn’t stand to see you undressed
or to touch you?"
"No." Liz was smiling by now.
"Didn’t think so. Lizzie, I wish you could see
the way he looks at you sometimes when he thinks you won’t notice. He adores
you." She rubbed Liz’s arm. "And now you’re giving him something no
one else ever has. A son." She giggled. "So I’d say it’s safe to
assume that you are just this side of a goddess to him right now."
"Ugh, Maria! I am SO lame! Nearly four months
pregnant and really hormonal. How do you all live with me?"
"Well, mostly ‘cause we don’t have a choice! And
because Max threatens us with horrible torture if we don’t pamper you."
They laughed together until Liz sobered up.
"Maria, I miss him so much!"
"I know. I miss Space Boy too…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max rubbed his face tiredly. The afternoon session
was not going well. Gee, that’s a surprise. Dak’or has changed his demands yet again.
Now he wanted the King of Dendar to relinquish his position as well. The man
was clearly getting more power hungry as the negotiations progressed. It was
like he was deliberately playing games with them all for his own amusement.
Well, Max was not amused.
One of Dak’or’s advisors was droning on about the new
ruling structure they envisaged for the Whirlwind galaxy when Max felt a shiver
run down his spine. He looked at Nick and Michael, but neither of them was
showing signs of anything but extreme boredom. His connection to Liz was still
stronger than normally through his son, but they were basically on opposite
sides of Dendar at the moment. This feeling wasn’t coming through their
connection, it was more like a… premonition.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The old woman had consented to see Liz late the
afternoon. James had thrown a huge fit when she told him to let her go alone
and refused point-blank. In fact, his exact words were: ‘there is no way in
hell you are going in there alone’ and when she mentioned that he was being
real snippy with his Queen, he pointed out that he was only following the VERY
SPECIFIC instructions from his KING. No amount of sulking from Liz’s side had
worked, so when she started off to see the woman, she had James, two other men
and Grace in tow.
Her name was Hora, she told Liz. They were sitting in
one corner of a huge room, with Liz’s entourage watching them carefully from
the other side. Hora had stated that her knowledge was for the ears of Liz
alone, so everyone else had had to move back.
"I remember you," were the first words from
her mouth, making Liz shiver. She had strange, intense eyes that were watching
Liz enigmatically. "I can’t believe he is making the same mistake
again."
What did that mean? "Was I here? Did I know… Zan?"
Her heart was going like a trip-hammer.
"Yes," Hora answered. "Although I
wished you didn’t, you and Zan knew each other."
A cold hand was starting to close around Liz’s
throat. The woman did not look very friendly. "What do you mean? Why does
no one else remember me then?"
"He snuck off to see you and only about three of
us knew. He was completely besotted with you. We had never seen anything like
that here on Dendar. It was like you put him in a trance and he cared about
nothing else but you."
Biting her lip, tears started forming in Liz’s eyes.
"But… I loved him too, right?"
Hora looked at her coldly for a long time. "I
don’t see how you could have."
This elicited a gasp from Liz. "W-why?"
"Because you were seeing someone else too. And
you got pregnant by that someone else. Ironic in the light of your present
condition, isn’t it?" She leaned forward and put her hand on Liz’s stomach
for a few seconds.
The tears spilled over now. Everything inside her was
screaming NO. No, she could never have done that to Max. "I-I don’t
remember any of it."
"Maybe that is for the best then. He never knew
about the other man’s baby. You left him before he found out. He was devastated
and I think it made him reckless during the war." Those eyes pinned Liz
again. "Recklessness led to his death."
A sob escaped Liz as she placed one hand over her
womb and the other over her mouth. It felt like a white-hot knife was twisting
around and around in her heart. "No…"
"Yes."
"No…" She was starting to feel dizzy.
"P-please…"
James was at her side, glaring at Hora. "What
did you tell her?"
"The truth."
James looked at Liz worriedly. She was staring in
front of her in a daze, her cheeks wet with moisture. "Let’s go. This was
a bad idea," he told her and gently helped her to her feet.
"You will begin to remember soon," Hora
called after her as James practically carried her out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The memories started flooding over her after she had
lain on the bed listlessly for an hour.
And each one made her more sick.
Teasing Zan until he panted for her but never
allowing him more than short touches and kisses. Meeting him in all sorts of
places to tease him some more. Sex with some other man she couldn’t see the
face of. Finding out she was pregnant about the same time Max heard about his
bonding with Tess. Telling Max to follow his destiny and seeing him break down
and cry, begging her not to leave him.
Her whimper brought Maria and Grace out of the chairs
they had been occupying next to her bed. "Lizzie, what did she say to you?
You are scaring us!"
Maybe I could just stop breathing, she thought idly.
That would be so much better than to see Max’s face when he remembered what she
had done to him.
"If she told you some crap story about Max not
loving you, it’s a lie. You KNOW that!" Maria tried again.
This only led to another soft moan from Liz.
One of James’ men came in quietly and spoke to Grace
and James. "I can’t get hold of him. The guards are saying that the door
to the negotiations room is locked and they are not allowed in, so they can’t
go tell him." Max, if ever there was a time you should rely on your
connection with your wife, this would be it, James thought.
Panic permeated the Antarian royal suite. News about
Liz’s complete breakdown had soon reached everyone’s ears and there was a
constant stream of anxious people to the little lounge outside Max and Liz’s
room. No one knew what to do and everyone was praying that Max returned soon.
Also, that they would not be around to see his reaction when he saw Liz.
Liz continued to swing between hysterical thoughts
that what she was remembering could not possibly be true and a horrible
suspicion that she had really betrayed and used Max like that. It felt like
thousands for voices were all yelling in her head at once and she didn’t know
how to make them stop.
How would she ever look Max in the eyes again? How
could he ever trust her? Oh god, but I’ve done nothing but love him during this
life! Please let him remember that too. A helpless sob was torn from her throat.
"I love him," she whispered, causing everyone to run to the bed
again.
"Where the hell is Max!" Isabel said from
the doorway. "He is the damn King, why can someone not break down the door
wherever he is and get him out here?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max was in agony. He had started feeling nauseous
somewhere during the late afternoon and had just started to rise to get out of
there when Dak’or barred the doors from the inside. Furious words were flung
around the room and finally it became clear that the Tresar King had taken back
his throne and was on the way to get rid of Dak’or too.
It was killing him. He needed to get home because
something was going on with Liz that threatened to force all the air from his
lungs. She was alive, that much he knew. But she was in absolute emotional
distress.
Dak’or was still standing at the door, his men
keeping an eye over the
As they did that, several things happened all at
once. The door was blown in from the outside, throwing Dak’or to the floor. Max
felt a dull ache in his shoulder from what must have been a shot from one of
the guards’ blasters. He didn’t care, he stumbled over the fallen men until he
could reach Dak’or. Grabbing him by the lapels, he jerked him upright and they
both came face-to-face with Eric.
"Max, nice to see you again!" Eric was
beaming. "And thanks for holding him for me."
Shoving Dak’or at his once-again King and pressing a
hand against his bleeding shoulder, Max ground out: "Eric. Nice to see you
again, but I have to go. Can we catch up later?"
"Sure!" Eric was puzzled, but he definitely
needed to sort out some things here as well. "Say hi to Liz from Sarah and
I."
That made Max falter on the way out. "Yeah.
Bring Sarah to the palace soon. Sorry about this." But I HAVE to go, my
heart is calling me home.
Stumbling outside while ignoring the wound in his
shoulder, Max shouted at his guards to get a move on so they could leave. Then
he saw their faces and felt despair rip through him all over again. They all
looked like they knew something terrible and didn’t want to tell him.
"Let’s go," he told them once again.
They didn’t need to tell him.
His heart was being torn into little pieces inside
his chest as he could literally hear Liz’s heart break over the thousands of
miles separating them. He needed to get to her before she gave up completely…
Drifting between slumber and
wakefulness, Liz heard someone say: "He’s coming," in a voice that
sounded more like "Thank god, he’s coming." A sudden soft fluttering
in her womb made her jerk upright and put her hand on her stomach.
"Lizzie?" Maria and Grace rushed over
again.
"He moved…" she whispered. This made her
cry again, because she realized how selfish her thoughts were. She was carrying
Max’s baby and she owed it to him and their son to get herself under some sort
of control. Max so loved this baby… She swiped at her eyes with one hand,
keeping the other over her son. A sudden bout of extreme nausea had her running
for the bathroom where she threw up violently.
Shilla watched all this and wanted to cry. SHE had
been the one to take Liz to the old woman and SHE was the one responsible for
all this. Turning away blindly she ran straight into James, who caught her in
his arms. This turned her tears into outright bawling and he took her away from
Liz’s room to sit her down in the dining room.
"It’s my fault!" she burst out as soon as
she was seated. "What did that horrible woman tell her?"
James rubbed her hand, absently wondering why the
girl’s tears made his heart ache. "We didn’t know what she would tell Liz.
We still don’t know what it was. Stop blaming yourself." Shilla turned
wide, wet eyes on him and James was jolted by a sudden desire to kiss her. He
blinked.
"I need to go find out!" Shilla announced
abruptly, jumping up from the table. "There must be some horrible mistake.
Max wouldn’t have done anything to make her feel this way…"
"I’ll go with you," James heard himself
say. What was happening to him? He watched Shilla hurry out in front of him and
felt an urge to protect her. No, he was doing this for Liz and Max. Yeah, that
was it…
People scattered in front of Max as he strode into
their suite. His shoulder was still hurting like hell because Nick had only
been able to heal him partially. Nothing hurt as much as his heart, though. He
wanted to see Liz desperately, but he was also afraid of what he would find. On
the way over, the guard that had gotten the message had only told him that Liz
had spoken to some lady that claimed to know him in his previous life and that
she had completely broken down afterwards. He relayed James’ exact words as
well: "Tell Max we are extremely concerned and he needs to come home right
away." Again, it struck Max that everyone referred to wherever Liz was as
his home. And how right that sounded…
He ignored Alex’s "its about time," and
entered their bedroom in a dead panic. Maria and Grace got to their feet
hastily, staring at him fearfully, but Max only had eyes for Liz who was
sitting on the side of the bed. A stabbing pain ripped through his heart when
he saw how forlorn she looked.
"Hi Max." But she wouldn’t look at him.
More pain sliced through him.
Everyone else rushed from the room as he sat down
next to her. "Don’t I get a kiss?" He had meant it to sound
light-hearted, instead it sounded desperate and scared. What could I have done
that was so awful she wouldn’t even look at me?
"I-I’m afraid."
He inhaled sharply. "Of me?"
"No!" She was shaking her head sharply.
"No…"
"Then what? Liz—"
"Of what you’ll see," she interrupted him.
That shut him up. His mind struggled to cope with the
change in direction. He had been sure the old woman had told her about his past
life and what he’d done… "I… Love, I don’t understand?"
"Max?" She turned agony-filled eyes on him.
"You know that I love you more than life itself, don’t you? That I would
never do anything…" Her voice trailed off as she saw the blood on his
shoulder. "What happened to you?!" She cried, jumping up.
"Nevermind that right now!" he said harshly
and grabbed her hand as she was pulling the edges of his clothes out of the way
so she could inspect the damage. "Tell me what the hell you are talking
about!" He jerked her forward until she stumbled onto his lap.
Taking hold of her chin firmly, he urged her:
"Tell me."
It came out haltingly. "She told me that you
knew me. That you were… That I had…" But her eyes kept straying to his
hurt shoulder. "Max! I’m so sorry for what I did then. I would never do
that to you this time, please believe me! I love you so much. Please…"
This was even more confusing. SHE had done something
bad when he knew her before? He had trouble marrying the sweet girl with the
wide emotion-filled eyes from his memories with someone that might have hurt
him in some way. He pulled her against him with his good arm and pressed his
lips against her temple. "I know you love me, Liz," he assured her.
"How could I not after all you’ve sacrificed for me?"
She made a small hiccuping sound and turned her head
so that his lips rested against her forehead. He took advantage of the little
sign, sliding his hand into her hair and tugging her face back so he could kiss
her. He kissed away her tears slowly, carefully taking note of all her
reactions and any sign she might want to pull away. He needed to know what the
woman had told her about their past, but even more than that, he needed to kiss
her and make her feel secure in his love again. So he kept on brushing his lips
over her cheeks, eyes, nose and forehead, feeling her relax slightly in his
arms. She was starting to cling to him now and he took it as a good sign.
Moving his mouth over hers, he whispered against it:
"I will never stop loving you. You’re my Shani, in this life and any other
one."
She yanked her head back so suddenly that Max was
stunned for a few seconds. "What!"
"That’s just it, Max. I think our… our love in
your previous life might have been a-a lie." Her head was bent again.
A giant fist was squeezing his chest. "Why-why
do you say that?"
"Oh Max! I was a horrible person in that
life!"
"No, you were not," he sounded so sure of
himself that Liz felt a momentary flicker of uncertainty. But then the images
of her in that other man’s embrace appeared in her mind’s eye.
"I was…" She said in a defeated tone. She
had to have been to take this beautiful man’s unconditional love and trample
all over it like that.
He pulled her closer again, pressing his face in the
hollow between her neck and shoulder and gently moving his hand over her womb.
He barely had a chance to register the faint ache in his shoulder before the
flashes hit him.
Hearing the older woman’s cold words to Liz. Telling
Liz how she betrayed him. Touching Liz, touching his baby. He growled in anger
when he saw that and pressed his hand over her belly harder. Faint, blurry
images of Liz with another faceless man, his hands all over her. Seeing the way
Liz had teased him, used him.
"Oh my god!"
"Max, I’m sorry! I don’t remember! I love
you—" She was weeping again, trying to pry his hand away from her stomach.
"How the hell could she do that to you!" he
cried, furious at the weird old woman for putting Liz through such torment.
"And why did James allow her to put her hands on you!"
It took her a few seconds to fully comprehend that he
wasn’t angry with her. She looked up at him in stunned surprise. He looked
absolutely frightening. "M-Max?"
Hearing his name in her wonderful voice brought him
back from the brink. There would be enough time for retribution later. Right
now, he held one very fragile and precious woman in his arms. "I don’t
believe any of it, Liz." He touched her wet cheek. "That isn’t you.
That is not the you I fell in love with when I didn’t even know what love
meant. And that isn’t the you my heart found again when I got a second chance
at life." He tilted her face so he could look into her eyes. "Please.
You shouldn’t believe that either."
She bit her lip, wanting so desperately to have as
much faith as he did. "But-but I remembered things on my own. Those
things… How…"
"I don’t know." His mouth thinned in anger.
"But I sure as hell am going to find out!" He stroked her hair.
"My memories of you are so clear, love. And not at all similar to what you
saw."
"Maybe you just remember stuff the way you
wanted them to happen…"
"I don’t think so. I never wanted you to leave
me, and you did. And it hurt like crazy." He kissed her nose again and
rested his forehead against hers. "Let me show you?"
Fear raced through her. What if what he showed her
confirmed her memories? Then a little voice inside her said, ‘but what if it
didn’t?’ Knowing she was doing this for them both, she finally nodded
tremulously.
Putting his hands on the sides of her face, he
unexpectedly brushed his lips over hers first. "I love you, okay? Remember
that."
"Yes," she breathed, staring up into his
warm amber eyes. She faintly remembered her first time seeing inside his soul,
his intense words: ‘just let your mind blank out…’
The flashes were vivid and she caught her breath at
the way she looked at Max during them. Her past self was just as smitten with
her alien king. The flashes showed her herself in places her own memories
didn’t. She was wearing different clothes and she talked and laughed and told
him ‘I love you’. She heard him call her ‘Shani’. And finally, she saw a quick
flash of herself when she was 8 years old wearing her cupcake dress.
Max was watching her anxiously. "Now do you
believe me?" It sounded like a plea.
"I don’t remember any of those things, Max. Why
do I remember other things?"
"Because we still haven’t figured out what
really happened in my past life. How can you be completely human now?" He
pressed his face into her hair. "Just-just know that none of that matters
to me now. In this life, you have been all my dreams come true."
"You have been mine too. I can’t imagine my life
without you. And… I don’t want to," she assured him softly.
"We’ll find out what all this means, Liz. I
promise."
They kissed again, a slight edge of desperation still
lingering in the kiss. Raw need raced through their bodies in response to the
contact.
His mouth traced heated paths over her cheeks and jaw
line until he reached her throat and groaned: "I really want to make love
to you right now, but my shoulder is killing me."
Her shocked gasp made him smile. "Don’t worry, I
forgot about it too. Let’s just go find Nick and see if he can finish what he
started." He helped her to her feet and curved her tightly to his body
before opening the door to their room.
A host of anxious faces looked at them, only to clear
up as they saw the possessive way in which Max and Liz held each other. A
clapping started that grew to a crescendo as everyone felt the need to get rid
of the negative feelings of the last few hours.
That was when Shilla and James appeared, assisting an
ancient woman with unseeing eyes between them. Max felt such a rush of
familiarity that he had to blink away the tears.
"Zan?" Her voice was old and raspy, but it
echoed in his mind, reminding him of days long past. ‘Zan get down from there!’
‘Zan, your father is coming, you better get cleaned up.’
"Rula?" The name tumbled from his lips
unbidden.
Her brilliant smile confirmed it all. "You sound
just the same."
Shilla and James brought her closer since Max seemed
to be rooted to the floor. Everyone else was staring at each other in
bewilderment.
"Max? Who is this?" Liz asked softly and
watched as the old woman’s head swiveled towards her. Her next words caused a
silence to ripple across the room.
"Have you really finally found her?"
"Yes," Max
answered without thinking. Then his brain caught up with his heart. "Wait,
found who?" Max wondered if he sounded as befuddled as he thought.
"The girl you were dreaming of all your
life." Rula answered as they helped her down into a chair. It was eerie,
she looked like she was staring right at him. "You used to tell me she had
silky hair that fell like a rich waterfall down her back. Eyes that were like
that of a doe, dark brown, sparkling and filled with emotion." Everyone
was turning to Liz as Rula continued. "You said her voice was husky and
called you home. That she was tiny and perfect and fit right under your chin.
That her laugh gave you goosebumps and seeing her made your stomach
rumble."
Max was slack-jawed. "I-I DREAMT of her? You
mean I never actually knew her?"
A small laugh bubbled from Rula’s throat. "No,
Zan. You always were a dreamer. At first I thought it was just that, dreams.
But then you grew older and you kept on telling me about what you dreamt and it
seemed so real. You begged me not to tell anyone, you said she should be your
secret until you finally find her. Your Shani, you called her." This
elicited a gasp from everyone in the room and Liz’s eyes were misting over.
When Max finally found his voice, all he could manage
was: "Liz, this is my nanny." He pulled Liz closer and picked up
Rula’s hand. "Rula, this is my Shani. My Liz."
It was a profound and emotional moment for the three
of them. Max remembered that this woman in front of him had been like a mother
to him, while Rula softly held onto the hand of the girl that had bewitched her
prince even before he knew her.
"Do you feel us much for him as he does for
you?" she asked of Liz.
"Yes," Liz answered simply.
"That is good then." She touched Liz’s face
and slid her hand over her hair, her smile widening when she felt the long
silky tresses beneath her fingers. She lingered over Liz’s slightly bulging
stomach, saying: "Are you pregnant?"
"Yes," the softness in Liz’s voice said a
lot about how she felt about her pregnancy.
Rula’s inspection eventually found Max and Liz’s
linked hands. They couldn’t bear letting go of each other, even while they were
hearing the most wonderful news.
"Can I speak to Liz alone?" Rula was still
holding onto their hands.
"Uhm," Max was reluctant. He still had the
vision of that other old woman touching Liz in his head. Who WAS she then?
"It’s okay, Max," Liz smiled up into his
worried face.
Everyone watched as Liz led Rula into her and Max’s
bedroom. She cast a last glance at Max before closing the door behind them.
Max swung around to locate Nick. "Would you try
getting this shoulder healed completely now?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Tell me about Zan… Max as you call him,"
Rula invited as they sat down on the bed.
"Okay," Liz wondered where to start.
"He is the gentlest person I’ve ever met…" She told Rula about
watching him in school, wondering about him, thinking that he was so out of her
league. About that day in the Crashdown when he risked all he was to save her.
She told Rula how smart he was, that he had a degree in medical research, that
he really was the great leader his parents had foreseen. That he was the best
husband she could have asked for. That he did little things for her out of the
blue. How much he loved their son already. His loyalty to his friends and
people.
"You sound just like he did all those years
ago," Rula finally interrupted her.
"I do?" Liz was embarrassed.
"Yes." She smiled. "Completely
besotted. It worried me at first, because he was so adamant that you were out
there somewhere and he just needed to find you. He was living his life in his
dreams. And I knew he was meant for another. The day his mother told him he had
to bond with Ava, he came to me. He was so distressed. He said you would leave
if you knew about her. I told him you were a dream and that he could make his
dreams go the way he wanted to. He just looked at me strangely and told me,
‘she’s real and she is going to think I’m betraying her’. I thought he was
exaggerating. But then I saw him again after the bonding. He was so sad. ‘She’s
gone’, was all he said. And I knew then, that you were his other half. That he
would not rest until he found you."
"It was chance, really, that he was sent to
earth by his parents." And Liz would thank whatever providence had made
that happen until the day she died.
"Was it really chance?" Rula rubbed her
hand over Liz’s womb. "Or was it destiny?"
The word made Liz flinch. For a long time, ‘destiny’
meant that Max could not be hers.
"Tell me about the baby."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max rubbed his shoulder, which was now more or less
completely healed. "Will someone please tell me who this other woman was
that talked to Liz?"
James and Shilla glanced at each other and stepped
forward as the others silently left the lounge for other parts of the royal
suite.
Noticing that James took Shilla’s hand before she started
speaking, Max suddenly realized that a romance had apparently bloomed under his
nose without him noticing it. He bet Liz knew, though, she always noticed stuff
about people around her.
"I was asking around to find someone that could
help with what happened in your past life," Shilla informed him. "And
Hora, she contacted me. She knew so many things about your life on earth and
about your bonding to Tess, that I thought…" Shilla hung her head.
"I’m sorry, I should’ve waited for you to come back before telling
Liz."
"Yeah," Max sighed, "you
should’ve." His voice was mild. "Where is this woman now?"
This time James looked reluctant. "It-it wasn’t
a woman. It was… Nacedo."
Max jumped to his feet. "Nacedo?"
"Yes, and we managed to catch him as he was
leaving the palace. He’s outside with Nick."
Max was past them before the sentence was finished.
He found "Ed Harding" outside and grabbed him by the throat.
"Max!" Nick yelled. "Stay calm."
"Did you do anything to Liz?" Max asked him
angrily.
"Oh damn," Nacedo said in a sarcastic
voice, "does that mean she’s still around? I thought for sure she would
kill herself after seeing her less than sterling past."
"She is stronger than you would ever know, you
bastard." Max gripped him tighter, causing him to cough. "I saw you
put your hand on her, did you do anything to her?"
"N-no," said with difficulty around the
fist gripping his neck. "Only helped her with some memory retrieval."
Max fairly threw the man at Nick. "Take him to
join his wonderful Tess. I never want to see him again."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rula finally left some hours later after Max had worn
a groove in the floor outside his room. "You were right, Zan," she
told him as she was leaving. "She was worth waiting for."
He found Liz still sitting on the bed when he rushed
inside. "I love you," he blurted out and hauled her against him.
Liz trembled violently as he groaned her name between
hungry kisses. She needed to tell him their son had moved, but this moment was
for them only. He was holding her so tightly that she suspected she would be
slightly bruised, but she didn’t care. She wanted, NEEDED, him to hold her like
that tonight. To want her like that, with the same wild intensity that she
wanted him.
He kissed her as though he couldn’t get enough of
her, memories from those dreams from his previous life dancing through his
mind. He remembered wanting her, dying to kiss her and never being able to. His
hands shaped her body, quietly taking note of the minute changes his baby has
wrought on her as he molded it against his own.
"Oh god, I want you… Shani."
His hands were on her hips. She could feel the
hardness of his body as intimately as she could feel the eager swell of her own
breasts and the sharp, intense ache low down in the pit of her stomach…
He undressed both of them quickly, allowing Liz only
a few moments to assure herself that his shoulder was fine now before laying
her down on the bed and following her to pull her into his embrace again.
Familiarity, far from decreasing the intensity of her
love and desire, had only fed it, so that now merely the act of running her
fingertips caressingly down his spine was enough to stir their bodies into
swift arousal.
When she kissed him, tracing the hard line of his
collarbone, she heard him moan softly under his breath, his hands sliding up
over her body, cupping her breasts gently, caressing them. He gathered her up
against him, slowly kissing her breasts, bathing them in moist heat that
instantaneously turned her bones to liquid, his hands slid to her thighs
stroking shape of the firm outer flesh and then more urgently stroking her soft
inner skin.
Her body was eager and waiting for him, her quick
moans of pleasure joining the other sounds of their love-making; the silken
stroke of skin against skin, the slow suckle of Max’s mouth, the urgency of the
low groan of pleasure he gave when she touched him intimately, closing her
fingers around his flesh and caressing him. He was so vulnerable to her when he
was like this, so much in need, the words he whispered to her, as well a the
movement of his body, openly showing the depth and intensity of his love for
her.
Something about the way Max watched her when she
looked at him and kissed him intimately increased her aching tenderness for him
and deepened her love. Now, as she caressed him lovingly with her lips, it was
an attempt to show him how much he meant to her. The fulfillment of every male
fantasy, she acknowledged: a woman worshipping at the fount of a man’s most
essential maleness.
Tears formed in her eyes as she felt the tender way
he twined his hands in her hair as soft gasps escaped his lips. What had she
ever done to deserve this man’s love?
It was his turn then. Max rolled them over and
touched his mouth to her skin, her throat, her breasts, the soft, smooth,
slightly swollen skin of her waist and stomach and moved lower.
Liz shuddered as she looked downwards to see his dark
head pressed against her body, her fingers reaching out to tighten convulsively
in his dark hair as his fingers caressed her moistness. She could feel the
warmth of his breath as he touched her gently with his tongue, and her whole
body started to shake.
"Max, please…" It felt like ages had passed
since they were together last and she needed him desperately. When he gave in
to her imploring, she could taste her body in his kiss.
Her back arched and her soft cry of pleasure as he
entered her was lost beneath the fierce pressure of a kiss that mimicked the
slow thrust of his body within her own.
Her body closed possessively around his, so sensitive
to him that every movement he made sent new pleasure spinning through her.
"Look at me," Max had commanded as he’d
entered her, the intimacy of the shared eye contact, and the shared sensations
of their connection, had heightened their experience.
Their movements increased slowly until it reached an
explosion of pleasure and release, so intense that they cried out each other’s
names, their eyes filling with emotional tears.
Max stared down at her, seeing her struggle to get
her breathing under control, and he knew. This is what he searched for through
two lifetimes. His other half. The other part of his soul.
In the darkness near dawn,
Liz shifted against Max’s warm, hard body and curved instinctively closer, her
hand splaying over the smooth planes of his chest, her cheek resting against
his shoulder. "Max," she breathed, he had been away for so many
nights during the last few months. Instant recognition combined with an instant
contentment, and she would’ve drifted away again had he not tangled a hand in
the mane of her tumbled hair, tipped her mouth up and kissed her.
It was like coming alive. Every skin-cell suddenly
flamed into red-hot life, a kind of frantic, feverish hunger possessing her.
Her response was so intense it swallowed her alive.
"Max…" She gasped again as he pinned her to
the mattress beneath him and kissed her breathless, his mouth, hard, hungry,
hot, exiting her beyond bearing.
In the darkness, there was no warning before his
mouth closed round the engorged bud of one swelling and sensitive breast. The
sensation hit her with stunning effect. Her neck extended in an arch, a stifled
moan torn from her when she felt the erotic brush of his teeth. There was no
time for anything, not a single thought, nothing but the raw driving intensity
of need screaming through her veins.
His lips skimmed a tormenting path over the quivering
muscles of her belly, his hands parting her thighs before he was kissing her
intimately.
She was at screaming-point when he moved over her,
every shred of physical awareness centered on the ache of emptiness between her
thighs. And then he thrust into her and she moaned and arched in one taut
movement, her body clenching on a pleasure so intense that she was utterly
possessed by it. Her fingers raked down his back in reaction and her teeth
nipped at the strong column of his throat, reveling in the raggedness of his
breathing and his groan.
After that there was nothing but the long, pulsing
drive for satisfaction. It went on and on. She hit the heights fast, unable to
reign back the flood of release, but he didn’t stop. She had barely hit the
ground level again before the frantic climb back up began. When the second
climax whooshed up inside her she was wiped out.
He shuddered above her, every muscle clenching taut.
She put her arms around him, holding him tightly.
"Wow, I’m sorry," he whispered after they
had calmed down. "I’m just… starved for you, I guess." He rested his
forehead against hers.
"Me too," she whispered back.
He pulled out of her reluctantly and moved them so
she was lying with her cheek on his chest. It was quiet for a long time as they
watched the room get lighter.
A faint fluttering in her womb had Liz grabbing for
Max’s hand and pressing it against her. "Max!"
He stared at her in confusion. "Is something
wrong?"
"No! He moved!" She met his gaze. "Our
son moved!"
Max was speechless as he pressed his hand over the
spot where their son was. He kept remembering the serious dark-haired little
boy that had held his hand and helped get his mommy to come back to them. When
nothing happened, he looked Liz. "What did it feel like?"
She touched his cheek, wishing he could experience it
with her. "Like some butterflies were flying around in my tummy."
He nodded solemnly and dropped his gaze to where his
hand was covering the smooth skin of her stomach. Covering his baby. "I’d
love to—" A light vibration against his hand stopped his words.
Liz saw his eyes widen and close as he concentrated
on the very faint feeling.
"Wow."
When he opened his eyes again, they were moist. He
moved lower on the bed and rested his cheek against her tummy while his fingers
trailed over her skin. "Hey little guy. Sorry that Mommy and I got so
upset yesterday. We love you," he glanced up at Liz, "and each other
very much." He placed little kisses around her bellybutton. "And
Daddy promises to be around more from now on. For you… and for Mommy."
It was light outside when Liz woke again. She found
Max on his side next to her, his hand on her stomach. His gentle kiss was
heaven.
"I love you." He sounded like he was afraid
she would have forgotten it since last night.
She laced her fingers with his. "I don’t deserve
you," she told him seriously. "How can I live up to how long you have
loved me?"
Tightening his grip on her fingers, he took a deep
breath. "It’s not about how long either of us loved the other, it’s about
how happy we’ve made each other during the time we’ve had together. And trust
me, Liz Evans, my last life-time had only a few moments of happiness, when I
was dreaming of you."
She opened her mouth to answer, but he put his finger
over her lips. "And you’ve given me enough during this life-time to last me
another few. Let’s just think about the future from now on, okay? The past’s
demons are behind us now."
Nodding, she kissed him for being the sweetest alien
in the universe. "Do you have to go back to the negotiations?" she
asked him when they finally broke apart.
"I don’t know. I have so much to tell you that I
didn’t get around to last night." He smiled crookedly at her. "Let me
get us breakfast, and we’ll talk."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The reunion was sweet when Eric and Sarah arrived
later that day. Sarah and Liz hugged each other tightly and Sarah and Eric were
joyful when the heard that baby will make three for the Evans’ soon.
"How did you know to come back now?" Max
asked Eric when they all finally settled down in the little lounge off his and
Liz’ bedroom.
"I’ve had informants on my planet for years and
I heard how Dak’or was running the place into the ground. I figured the best
time for me to come back and get rid of him was while his attention was
directed at the peace negotiations. I’m sorry it took me so long to get
everything sorted out on the planet."
"So, what about the peace talks?" Liz
asked. Please let them be over so Max and I can live our normal lives again.
Eric grinned and reached out to take Sarah’s hand.
"I told everyone they could keep their planets as long as they left mine
alone. So, I guess you could say peace has been reached."
The relief that washed over Liz tilted her hormones
into madness again and she burst into huge racking sobs that didn’t stop even
when Max pulled her into his warm embrace and let her cry against his chest.
She vaguely heard him thank Eric and find out some of the final details of the
talks, but she could care less. All she wanted to do was go home to their
little house in Albuquerque and have her son.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In the end they stayed another week. A week that saw
James and Shilla become an official item. Max had smiled warmly at them when
James came to ask if Shilla could accompany them back to earth.
Max had spent a lot more time with Rula too, learning
about his past. He also met with the King of Dendar and Eric to finalize the
peace agreement. Nothing felt as good as signing ‘Zan’ at the end of the
document.
But most importantly, he had kept his first promise
to his son and stayed with Liz as much as possible, talking to his unborn baby
and making up for lost time with his wife. He got quite good at handling her
emotional moments, causing Maria to complain that it was unfair how perfect
Liz’s life always was. When Alex pointed out that Maria could have Liz’s life
if she were prepared to accept that all sorts of evil people would be trying to
kill her off all the time, she changed her mind.
A huge crowd saw them off when they left. This time,
they all traveled on the same ship and the atmosphere was almost party-like.
Shilla had gotten a little more used to all the antics of Max and Liz’s
friends, but she was still getting used to the tingly feeling that overcame her
every time James was near. Not to mention the melting sensation when he kissed
her!
Their reception on earth was laughably small in
comparison to the fanfare of their departure from Dendar. Nick had managed to
contact his people to let them know the approximate time of their arrival and
when the shuttle’s doors slid open, a hushed little group of parents and
members of the alien colony waited for them in the dark of Frazier Woods.
Isabel and her mom were in tears, and Max took the
opportunity to hug them both. Liz was being embraced by her parents who noticed
her growing stomach immediately. This led to more hysteria from their parents
and Max smiled at Liz, both of them knowing that their son was going to be
spoilt rotten by his grandparents.
They stayed over in Roswell for a few days, telling
their parents and the Valentis all about their adventures. Needless to say, Amy
was very happy to hear that Michael had finally gotten around to marrying her
daughter, but she made it clear that she expected him to get the official paper
here on earth too. Isabel and Alex seemed closer, but were still taking things
slow. Nick, Grace and Maddie returned to their home in Roswell after Nick
performed the bonding ceremony of James and Shilla. And Liz had only smiled
when Shilla told her shyly afterwards that she hoped she could also experience
a little of the passion that Liz knew on a daily basis.
Some things were private, though, and none of the
parents ever heard about an alien prince that dreamed about his perfect mate
and only met her in his second chance at life on a planet far away from his own.
***THREE MONTHS LATER***
Max was ready to lose it. Liz has been in labor for
six hours and he couldn’t take it anymore.
They had all been surprised when it became clear that
their son was going to be born seven months after being conceived. When the six
month alien pregnancy period had lapsed, they had all just assumed that Liz’s
pregnancy would follow human rules, so Max nearly passed out when she woke him
up earlier this morning to say that the baby wants to be born. A few frantic
phone calls later, the birthing team was on the way and Max was left trying to
cope with the first stages of Liz’s labor on his own.
He had tried not to panic, he really did, but at the
first sign of the pain Liz was in, he nearly freaked. He attached himself to
her side and refused to be moved, even when Grace got irritated with him for
being in her way after she arrived with her birthing team. He was deathly
afraid that something would go wrong and he wouldn’t be near enough to fix it.
Their room in their house in Albuquerque was crowded with Grace and two other
women from the colony, who had been slightly taken aback by his resolute
presence at Liz’s side. So far, he ignored all the bullying looks and
concentrated on Liz who was coping much better than him.
A small whimper from Liz alerted him to another
contraction coming on and he pressed his face against the side of her head as
he held her hand through it. He kept his other hand on her stomach, trying to
send heat and healing through to Liz. He waited until she started taking great,
racking, relaxing breaths before kissing her cheek. "I love you. You are
doing great," he told her.
Glancing at him wryly, Liz knew he was not as calm as
he tried to sound. In fact, he looked ready to keel over. She caressed his face
with a smile. "Breathe, Max."
"God, Liz, there must be something I can
do!" he burst out. She was so tiny. In spite of being seven months
pregnant, she was still petite and he wasn’t sure her body could take this
battering. Actually, he wasn’t sure HIS body could take the battering. Surely
he could help the process along. Why did he have these stupid powers if he
couldn’t use them to save Liz all this pain? Surely there was some way he could
hurry up his son’s entrance into the world.
"I’m fine so far. I’ll let you know if I need
help," she promised him. To tell the truth, she felt a little sad that her
little boy was not going to be part of her body anymore. She’s gotten used to
having him inside her and sharing such a strong connection with him. Even
though she didn’t want to have the last three weeks of her pregnancy over again
(she had been HUGE), she would miss the closeness with her son.
"How long is this still going to take?" Max
asked Grace.
"I’m guessing about two more hours?"
Max paled, but didn’t have a chance to say anything
before he had to help Liz through another contraction.
"Maa-aax!" Liz cried as the pain sliced
through her belly. The others were awful, but this one felt like a thousand hot
knives were cutting into her. Tears formed in her eyes as she gripped his hand
and looked wildly at him. Something wasn’t wrong, was it? She had been able to
cope with the pain so far, what was going on now?
"Grace!" Max called wildly. "What is
going on?"
The other two women stared at their King, they had
never seen him like this before. "Calm down, Max," Grace commanded
him. "Things are just starting to move faster now. It’s normal."
Taking deep breaths, Max tried to get a hold of
himself. Little did he know, his worst nightmare was just beginning!
Liz was in a fog of pain and finally her calm fled
her completely. Her eyes flew open, huge and hopelessly woebegone. "It’s
horrible, Max," she wailed.
"I know, I know," he tried to soothe.
"You don’t know," she cried. "It’s not
you suffering this… this…" She moaned and bent forward, huddling over the
pain of the contraction.
She was right to some extent, he thought frantically.
Some of the pain was seeping through their connection, but none of it would be
as intense as she was experiencing it. "Roll onto you side, Liz," Max
urged. "I’ll rub your back."
"It won’t help," she sobbed.
"I’m sorry, love, but it’s all I can do for you
right now…"
"Don’t just say you’re sorry, DO
something," she moaned.
Max got his hand working in circular caresses on
Liz’s lower back, adding some alien healing power to the mix, and leaned over
to kiss her ear. "I love you so much. This will be over soon."
"You’re only… saying that to make me…"
Grumbled between gasps of pain.
"No!" he cried out in sheer desperation.
"It WILL end soon or I’ll…" He glared at Grace. "Please hurry
this up!"
"Max?" a breathless question.
"Yeah?" Lord, will this never end?
"He should have… have a name…"
He leaned forward to kiss her again. He kissed her
all over her flushed, beautiful face. "You pick one. Right now, I’m too
upset with him for making you suffer like this."
Shock registered in her eyes and he knew he had said
the wrong thing.
"He’s YOUR… son!"
"I know! I’m sorry, it’s just… Can he come out
of there already!" He pressed his forehead against hers. "I hate
seeing you like this."
"You better… be nice to… him when he’s born.
You’re… responsible…" She was starting to not make sense anymore.
"I know," he muttered. "I’m not
touching you again!"
Liz moaned again and Grace glared at Max. "Are
you crazy? Stop saying stupid things to her, she is having your baby!"
Nodding meekly, Max resolved to keep his mouth shut
until his son is born. He broke his own rule immediately. "So, what do you
want to call him?"
"Head’s engaged," one of Grace’s assistants
informed them. "You’ll feel like bearing down soon."
Max kept rubbing her back, hoping it helped. How
useless men of all species were when it got to the crunch of actually giving
birth!
A groan of sheer anguish rattled his nerves anew. Liz
rolled onto her back, desperately trying to stick to a breathing pattern. He
grabbed her hand and her fingers dug into his like talons as she lurched
forward. He quickly slipped his arm around her shoulders, hugging her
supportively. His heart was hammering.
Suddenly it was all action. Instructions and
encouragement were being called out. Liz was frantically trying to follow
orders. Max heard himself echoing what everyone was saying, wildly anxious for
it to be over.
Then a tiny baby slipped into Grace’s hands and the
distinctive cry of a newborn silenced all of them. Liz fell back onto the
pillow exhausted.
"It’s okay," Max murmured, stroking her
damp hair away from her damp forehead. "He’s born. It’s over. And I love
you more than I can ever say."
She smiled weakly at him. "Me too. Can I see
him?"
He dragged himself away from her reluctantly. His son
was being wiped and was yelling his dislike of the outside world. He stared at
the little waving arms and feet in awe.
And then the next King of Antar was placed in his
arms.
He didn’t even notice the tears in his eyes as he
looked in his son’s eyes for the first time. A rush of such protectiveness
overwhelmed him that he had to take deep breaths to get his body to work again.
"Max?" It was a profound moment for Liz,
watching her son and her husband bond like that.
Her voice snapped him back and he carried the baby
back to Liz and carefully laid him across her bare tummy, just under her
breasts. "Liz…" It was a choked sound as they stared down at the
perfect little person their love had created.
Max touched his finger to his son’s little hand and
the baby grabbed it, causing a bright glow at the point of connection. Max’s
harsh inhalation of breath was loud in the room and his wet gaze searched for
Liz’s. "He is so perfect. You are so perfect." His heart was
literally overflowing with relief and joy.
It was a moment Max would never forget.
The most perfect moment.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz woke up later, groggy and disorientated and her
hand automatically drifted to her tummy, a soft, spongy, deflated tummy. The
baby! She’d had the baby!
Her eyes opened in a flash. The room was filled with
white roses, spilling over every available surface. Emotion threatened to choke
her when her gaze found Max sprawled in a chair next to the bed, his head
dropped onto his chest, eyes closed, fast asleep. And next to him, still
clutching his finger, their son slept too in his own little bed.
She relaxed onto her pillow and reveled in just
looking at the two of them. Max was the loveliest man. His black hair was
mussed, lending an endearing, almost little-boy quality to his handsome face.
Of course, his eyes changed that when they were open… such powerful, riveting
amber eyes. And his body was all man… the sexiest, most exiting body a woman
could ever know and be pleasured by.
She was so lucky to know him, even luckier that he
loved her. And it wasn’t because he was gorgeous on the outside. What was
inside was best of all… gentleness and a caring, giving heart, lined up with a
strength of character that didn’t shy at anything that he considered had to be
done.
Her gaze shifted to their son. He was really tiny and
already had a mop of black hair, just like his daddy. How could you love someone
so shatteringly that you’ve only known for a few hours? And how amazing that
just looking at him made the pain of bringing him into this world recede.
As if aware that she was awake, Max opened his eyes
and looked at her with such tenderness that tears welled up in her eyes. He got
to his feet, gingerly dragging the little bassinet closer to their bed so he
didn’t have to remove his finger from their son’s grip. Perching on the side of
the bed next to Liz, he slid his free arm between her shoulders and the
pillows, hugging her against him tightly.
"Thank you for the roses." She snuggled
closer against his chest as he rested his chin on her hair.
"Thank you for my son." He kissed the top
of her head before pulling back slightly so he could meet her eyes. "And
thank you for loving me enough to go through all that to give him to me."
She smiled up at him. "Max, women have been
going through all that to have babies forever, I’m not special."
"You are to me. And other women did not have to
worry about giving birth to a half-alien baby. Weren’t you ever worried that
something strange might happen?"
"No," she whispered. "I knew
everything would be perfect."
His fingers threaded through her hair and gently tugged
her head back. He kissed her, not hungrily, not passionately, more as though he
was slowly relishing and deeply valuing every nuance of her love and response.
A small whimper from their son broke them apart. Max
looked at her wryly. "I think he’s hungry, but his dad is going to have to
teach him better timing. I’m not having another Maria around that interrupt us
every time we get intimate." He picked the baby up and placed him in Liz’s
arms and stretched himself out next to them on the bed.
"I think we should call him Matthew," she
stated firmly. "Because he is a gift."
Nodding, Max touched his finger to his son’s cheek.
"Hi Matthew." He watched as Liz started feeding Matthew. "We’re
glad you’re finally here." He leaned over to whisper to his suckling son.
"We love you."
Later, after he put the sleeping Matthew back in his
bed, he came back to join Liz, wrapping her in his warm, comforting embrace.
"I thought you weren’t touching me again,"
she teased him.
Grinning, he kissed her nose. "Well, maybe no
touching was a bit extreme. I just meant no sex ever again!"
Snuggling closer, she smiled to herself. She was
going to enjoy changing his mind…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
***THREE YEARS LATER***
Liz heard soft whispers next to her bed and had
trouble not smiling. Max had obviously decided Matthew was finally allowed to
meet his new little sister and was telling him the rules about being close to
mommy and little Belle-Mari. His soft and serious: "I promise,
Daddy," made Liz love her little boy even more. It reminded her of all the
times during the past three years that she had found Max and Matthew talking to
each other seriously. They played together a lot, but those quiet moments
together were the most special to witness.
Max watched as Matthew raced to his mother first. He
looked at her with anxious eyes before hesitantly touching her hand. He was his
mother’s little boy and he loved her to distraction. Maria had told him how
distressed Matthew had been while Liz was giving birth and the tear-tracks had
still been visible on his cheeks when Max went to get him so he could come see
for himself that everyone was fine.
Matthew turned to Max, his eyes huge and concerned.
"Are you sure mommy is okay?"
Walking closer, Max lifted him up so he could sit on
the bed with Liz. "Yes, she is. You know how much I love mommy and that I
won’t lie to you. She’s just very tired."
"I’m fine, sweetie," Liz didn’t want him to
be so worried so she opened her eyes to reassure him.
"Mommy!" Matthew whirled to her and flung
his arms around her neck, making Max wince. "I felt you hurt."
She met Max’s eyes over Matthew’s head. Why hadn’t
they thought about Matthew’s connection to both of them? No wonder he was
upset. "I’m sorry, sweetheart. Everything is over now." She rubbed
his back. "Why don’t you let daddy show you your sister?"
"Okay," he bounced back like only a
three-year old could.
Max took him over to look at his newborn sister and
he grinned with Liz when Matthew stood on his tiptoes next to the little bed to
see her. "She’s red," he announced.
"She will be for a little while still," Max
told him.
Apparently not able to tear himself away from
watching Belle-Mari, Matthew remained at her side, clinging to the sides of her
bed. "Hello Belle," he whispered, making his parents smile.
Joining Liz on the bed, Max kissed her forehead.
"Did I do better this time?"
"Yes, you were much calmer," Liz chuckled.
"And you didn’t even threaten to never touch me again!"
"I learned my lesson. Look what not touching you
last time brought us." He waved at their daughter. "Besides, you were
made to be touched by me." Leaning closer, he brushed his lips over hers,
kissing the girl he first fell in love with, his best friend, the woman he
married and the mother of his children.
Liz wrapped her arms around his neck, glorying in the
way he kissed her and the way he loved her as she had from the moment he first
touched her. It was a sin that no one else would ever get to experience this.
Sparing a thought for the rest of the universe’s women, she told them all
silently: Sorry, ladies, he’s mine and I’m keeping him!
They never saw Matthew leaving the room to find all
their family and friends waiting outside. His grandparents, Mr. and Mrs.
Michael Guerin, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Whitman, Nick and Grace, James and Shilla
were all waiting to get a chance to see the latest little Evans since they had
been too late to attend the previous birth. Matthew looked at them with a scowl
and his exasperated exclamation was loud enough for his parents to hear.
"They’re kissing again!"
A few words that meant so much more.
It meant that all was right with the world.
THE END
THE WAY YOU LOVE ME – Faith Hill
If I could grant you one wish
I wish you could see the way you kiss
I love watching you, baby
When you’re driving me crazy
It’s not right, it’s not fair
What you’re missing over there
Someday I’ll find a way to show you
Just how lucky I am to know you
You’re the million reasons why
There’s love reflecting in my eyes
I love the way you love, the way you love me
There’s nowhere else I’d rather be
To feel the way I feel with your arms around me
The way you love me.
