Chapter 26

Liz hummed happily to herself as she filled her coffee cup. She never minded working on Saturday mornings because she liked starting her day when so many other people were still lolling in bed. She loved the way the early morning sunlight played across the café floor, and the expectant hush that hovered over the entire place. In just a few minutes, the breakfast crowd would begin arriving, and she and Maria would swing into action. But for now, it was just Liz and the quiet restaurant, everything still shiny and clean, and as she sipped her coffee, somehow she just knew this would be a perfect day.

Liz slipped onto one of the barstools, propping her elbows on the counter, and opened the Saturday newspaper.

Why should she think this would be a perfect day? She wondered. Given the way their conversation had gone with Tess, she had every reason to expect a potentially disastrous day. But Max had been surprisingly optimistic when he’d left the Valentis, and seemed to think everything might work out okay.

Even though Liz had berated herself for getting so angry during their conversation last night, Max had reassured her as soon as he’d climbed in the jeep. He really felt that she’d handled Tess in precisely the right way—and that somehow Liz’s honesty had turned the tide with her.

We’ll see, Liz thought, taking another sip of coffee. The front door opened and she glanced up to see Maria enter the café.

"Hello, my little lovebird," Maria beamed, waltzing toward her.

Liz smiled slowly in response. "And how exactly did I get that title?" she asked, turning on the stool to face her.

"Oh, I’d say because every time I saw you or Max yesterday, you were both totally beaming," Maria gloated, taking the seat beside her. "Yeah, I think that’s the best way to put it."

"Oh," Liz said shyly, awareness dawning. "We were that obvious, huh?" She laughed, dropping her gaze back to the open newspaper.

"I’d say so, chica," Maria replied. "Especially the one formerly known as Gloomy Max."

"Gloomy Max?" Liz raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Oh, you know," Maria continued. "The guy I’ve had to deal with for the last week. Correction—the past six months. Nope, Gloomy Max is gone, and now we have Euphoric Max."

Liz laughed, blushing slightly. It thrilled her knowing that she’d made Max so happy that even their friends could see it. But of course, his eyes were always so revealing—such a barometer of his emotions.

Like the night he’d found her in bed with Kyle. God, she never wanted to see him hurt like that again.

"I can’t say I’ll miss Gloomy Max myself," Liz replied quietly.

"So are you going to spill?" Maria pressed, stepping behind the counter for a coffee cup.

Liz suddenly felt her face flush much more deeply. She’d known Maria would press her for information, but suddenly she felt very exposed by the direction of their conversation. She wasn’t really prepared to share the intimate details of what had happened with Max yet. But Maria had such a way of simply pulling things out of her—of being able to thoroughly read her.

"Well, we talked… and worked things out," Liz’s voice trailed off. She didn’t know exactly what to say next. "And, well," she stalled, realizing that she was practically stammering.

She glanced briefly at Maria, who had frozen in the middle of pouring her coffee. "Oh. My. God." Maria’s mouth fell open.

"What?" Liz asked.

"You guys did it, didn’t you?"

"Maria…" Liz coughed, wrinkling her eyebrows together.

"You did. That’s why this look on your face… On Max’s face. Oh my God. You totally did it," Maria gasped.

Liz stood, distancing herself from Maria, and began prepping silverware. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. We got back together, that’s all."

"Lizzie. This is me," Maria said, stepping toward her. "Something big happened between the two of you, didn’t it?"

Now that was an understatement.

But admitting to their physical lovemaking seemed almost superficial compared to all that Liz knew had actually transpired with Max. There was so much she could never tell Maria—sacred things reserved only for Max and herself.

Liz stared down at her hands, and felt them begin to tremble. Maria was ruthless and Liz knew she’d never get away with hiding their lovemaking. She slowly met Maria’s questioning gaze.

"A lot happened Maria."

"Uh, huh," Maria answered, planting her hands on her hips. "And that’s why you are like bright red right now."

"We made love," Liz finally admitted in a quiet voice, sighing in heavy resignation. And then she couldn’t help but break into a giddy smile.

"I knew it!" Maria screamed. "I can’t believe it took you like two days to even tell me."

"Well, I wasn’t exactly ready to face the Spanish inquisition about it, okay? It was really… personal."

Maria grabbed her by the shoulders. "So, tell me what is alien sex like? You think its like human sex? Or better?" Maria began firing off questions more quickly than Liz could even follow. "Were there flashes? Did you see the home planet?"

"Maria!" Liz nearly shouted, swatting her arm, and glancing around the restaurant. "My dad’s coming downstairs any minute."

"Okay, but I need details, babe," Maria continued more quietly. "Lots and lots of details."

Liz thought a long moment, and wondered how she could even begin to share all that had happened in the past week. It seemed impossible to summarize the new bond she shared with Max—the way they’d joined so deeply. She glanced at her friend’s expectant face, and thought a long moment.

She didn’t want to expose the most intimate things at all, yet she did want to let Maria know what it had meant to her--how it had transformed her forever.

And one word suddenly rang through her mind very clearly. "Beautiful," she whispered. "It was more beautiful than anything I could ever have dreamed in my heart, Maria."

Liz was surprised to see tears spring to Maria’s eyes, and then remembered guiltily her uncertain relationship with Michael.

"Was it different?" Maria questioned softly. "I mean, than if he was… human?"

Liz nodded silently for a moment, and watched Maria’s eyes widen in amazement. "The connection is just… very intense," she answered.

"Oh, God. I knew it," Maria stomped. "See… Michael Guerin has ruined me for anyone else. If he doesn’t get his crap together I’ll spend my whole life wondering what I missed out on."

"Maria," Liz soothed. "Things with Michael are going to work out. You’ve just got to give it time."

"Yeah, right," she replied sarcastically.

The bell on the door chimed, signaling their first customer, and the two of them stepped apart quickly.

"Well, speak of the devil," Maria sang, a smug look of satisfaction on her face, as Max entered the restaurant. Liz glanced quickly in his direction and felt her face flush anew.

And felt completely guilty that he’d walked in on her discussing their lovemaking.

"Max," she coughed, stepping quickly toward him.

"Hi," he replied warmly, kissing her on the forehead. "I’m on the way to work, but I just had to see you for a minute."

Liz beamed up at him, their eyes meeting for a moment, and it seemed like the rest of the world might absolutely fade away around them. "I’m glad," she whispered, kissing him softly on the mouth.

"Uh, excuse me, but one thing I haven’t missed is the constant embarrassment of just being around the two of you," Maria quipped.

Max smiled gently. "We’ll try to be disciplined," he called in Maria’s direction, but his gaze never left Liz.

"Yeah, right," Liz whispered, dropping her eyes coyly. "Like in Chemistry yesterday?"

"Well, if you want a repeat right now," Max laughed. "We could try some kind of experiment while you wait tables this morning."

"No, Max, I don’t think so," Liz smiled.

He kissed her again, whispering in her ear. "Well just remember the offer stands if you get bored later. I’m right across the street."

"Don’t you recall how yesterday’s experiment ended?" she asked, punching him playfully on the arm.

Max kissed her again, this time nipping her ear. "That’s the problem. I do remember."

Liz shook her head firmly. "You’ve got to get to work and so do I," she reminded him, walking him toward the door.

"See, you’re always so practical."

"Oh, and you’re not?" Liz laughed, opening the door for him.

"Me?" he asked playfully. "Never."

"Bye, Max," she answered.

"I’ll call you later," he promised. "Bye, Maria!" he called over his shoulder.

"Bye, Euphoric Max!"

"Euphoric Max?" he asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Long story," Liz mumbled, nearly pushing him out the door.

"I'll bet," he laughed as he walked away, casting one last beaming smile in her direction.


The restaurant had rapidly filled with patrons, and now that eleven a.m. had arrived, things were positively bustling. Liz had to amend her earlier reverie--this was not her favorite thing to do on a Saturday. She could think of many better ways to spend her morning than managing their most demanding weekly crowd. Every direction she turned, it seemed that someone was raising a hand, needing just one more bit of cream, one more cup of coffee.

She hurried toward the order window, followed closely by Maria.

"Okay, so table five. What’s the deal there?" Maria asked.

"You mean the tyrant?"

"Yes, that’s exactly who I mean. He’s unhappy that the eggs came on top of the corned beef hash… and that they’re too runny. He wanted pineapple juice, not orange," Maria ranted. "Hello? How many needs can one customer possibly generate?"

"You do realize that the tyrant has convoluted and very specific needs designed for only one purpose?" Liz asked, grabbing her order, as she pushed past Maria. "To get attention."

"Yeah, right," Maria groaned and grabbed a glass of pineapple juice.

"So blow him off," Liz finished, heading back toward the busy tables.

Then she spotted one new customer who’d just taken a seat near the window, and her heart began beating wildly.

Tess.

I cannot deal with this right now, Liz thought, as she delivered table number nine’s order, hardly speaking to them at all. You don’t have a choice, a small voice reminded her. Because of who you are, you no longer have the luxury of certain choices… .

Liz groaned and headed toward Tess, who stared thoughtfully down at her menu.

"Hi," Liz began as she approached her table. She looked up quickly, her expression unreadable.
"You here for breakfast?" Liz continued, aware that her voice sounded far too peppy and cheerleader-like. God, rein it in, Parker.

"Not actually." Tess closed the menu, and handed it to her. "Look, I can see you’re really busy, so I’ll just… get right to the point."

"Okay," Liz nodded encouragingly, and tried to ignore the wave of fear that was swelling within her. "Sure."

"I just wanted you to know that I’m not going to be a problem for you and Max anymore," Tess continued quickly, and then glanced down for a long moment. When she looked up again, Liz saw tears shining in her eyes. "I won’t get in your way again, Liz."

"Tess…"

"I just wanted you to know that, okay?" she said finally, and stood from the booth before Liz could even formulate an intelligent reply. "Well, that… and that you guys can count on me."

Suddenly Liz was only aware of two things--the hammering of her heart and the Collective Soul song that suddenly seemed to be playing far too loudly.

And she couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response—she was simply too stunned.

"Okay," she finally answered lamely.

"You’ll tell Max for me?"

"Well, you could tell him. He’s working now… you could just walk over," Liz offered.

"No." Tess shook her head vigorously, and Liz could see the tears begin spilling from her eyes. "Please just tell him for me."

Liz felt something surprising stir within her, when she thought of how much Tess really did love Max—and remembered her own willingness to walk away from him. This had to be killing her, and yet she was doing it—and Liz couldn’t help but feel incredibly sorry for her in that moment, even with all their awful personal history.

Tess reached inside her purse, and removed an envelope. "And you can give this back to him," she said, handing her Marco’s letter.

"Tess," she called after her.

She turned quickly back, and Liz touched her lightly on the arm. "Thank you," she said. "I know how hard this was for you."

Then Tess did the strangest thing—she smiled at Liz, even with the tears gleaming in her eyes.

"Yeah, but it was the right thing to do," she said, and with that turned quickly and left the restaurant.

Liz stared down at the envelope in her hand and remembered her earlier premonition.

Maybe this really was going to be a perfect day.

Liz pulled Maria quickly into the back of the restaurant. "Has Brody ordered a sandwich yet?" she asked.

"No. Why?"

"I absolutely have to talk to Max," Liz answered, pacing back and forth. She rubbed her hands across her face. "Oh, please just tell me Brody will order something today," she begged the cosmos.

"Lizzie, sometimes you can be so dense," Maria laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Duh. If Brody doesn’t order something, Max will," she laughed. "Just so you’ll deliver it."

Liz suddenly calmed a bit. Of course, how could she have forgotten his old habit? Probably because they’d been apart for far too long.

"You’re right," Liz smiled. "Of course you are."

"Is this about Tess coming in?" Maria asked, her eyes dancing mischeviously.

"You saw?"

"Yes. What did the wicked witch do? Spill the whole destiny line of crap?"

"No," Liz nearly shouted with joy. She had to calm down—but she felt like simply dancing her way across the street to the UFO Center. "Oh, Maria…I wish so much I could tell you everything right this minute."

Maria looked out into the restaurant, then quickly back to Liz. "How about the short version?"

Liz groaned, because Maria had no idea what all was involved. "Well, how about that Tess is okay with our being together?" Liz’s voice lilted upwards at the end, singing with her excitement.

Maria placed the back of her hand against Liz’s forehead. "Are you somehow hallucinating? Is that what making love with an alien does to you?"

Liz died laughing. "I know. It’s unbelievable isn’t it?" she asked. "But it’s absolutely true, Maria."

Maria grabbed her hands and shrieked with her. "Can I just sing the song from the Wizard of Oz right now? Ding dong…"

"Maria!" Liz interrupted. "She was just really nice to me about this."

"Well, how about if I sing it in my head?"

"In the head is okay," Liz smiled at her, walking back toward the main area of the restaurant. Then she paused briefly, glancing back at Maria for a quick moment. "Man, I just love Saturdays!" she declared, swinging the door open in front of her.


By 1:30 pm, Liz was absolutely losing her mind. She’d been waiting patiently for almost two hours now, yet still no order had come in from across the street. The lunch crowd had finally started thinning out, and she would simply have to pay Max a visit if no order came in soon. She’d considered trying to connect with him, so she could share the amazing news, but somehow she really just wanted to see his expression when she told him. But just when she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer, Maria cornered her near the milkshake machine.

"Order from you know who," she said slyly. "Should be ready in ten minutes."

"Really?" Liz smiled.

"I think he ordered the Alien Euphoria Burger." Maria quipped. "Is that on the menu yet—or is that going to be a new addition?"

"I’ll talk to my dad about it," Liz joked back. "I’m sure he’d totally get the necessity."


Liz walked down the steps of the UFO Center and saw Max sitting at Brody’s computer. He glanced up at her immediately, and Liz realized with a little shiver of excitement that he couldn’t have possibly heard her yet.

He had felt her.

He rose to meet her at the bottom of the stairs and kissed her quickly on the cheek.

"I waited all morning for you to place your order," she whispered. "I’ve been dying to share something with you."

He slipped his arm gently around her shoulders, guiding her toward Brody’s office. "What’s going on?"

"It’s Tess," she began, and could see worry flash in his eyes. "No, no…it’s really amazing…she came in to tell me she’s okay with us," she grabbed his hand within her own. "With our being together."

Liz saw amazement dance across his features. "Really?" he asked quietly, but she could hear the excitement in his voice.

"Yes," she breathed. "Really. And she said we can count on her."

He stared down at the ground for a long moment, and Liz wondered what he was thinking—in fact, she almost began to worry. But when he met her gaze again, he was smiling so broadly that the expression on his face nearly took her breath away.

It was like a huge weight—something he’d been carrying for months—had been lifted off of him in that single moment. She threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly to her. He answered by pressing soft kisses against the top of her head, and she heard him sigh contentedly.

"Oh, Liz," he whispered. "It’s not like we needed her approval, but…"

"I know," she breathed. "I totally know."

She wasn’t even sure how long they stood like that, just holding one another, drinking in the scent of freedom. Somehow they both knew that the time had finally come for them to be together without challenge--without question--and for all of them to step into their true destiny.

And then she remembered something unexpected from Marco’s letter. He’d said that her gift was intuition… and maybe that’s how she’d known that it was going to be a perfect day. Because this was indeed perfection—and for as long as she lived, she would hold this moment up as a benchmark, something to measure all other moments by.

This was the moment when she and her love had finally been set free.