Craning her neck, Liz searched the large display room. She was in the Museum of Natural History with Max, Beth, Mike and Belle’s class. She was also supposed to be the chaperone of six ten-year-olds and she’d already lost them. Flipping her hair over her shoulder Liz sighed and scanned the room.

"Ok, lots of elephants, but no aliens," she muttered under her breath, casting an irritated glance at the herd of elephants frozen in time on display right in front of her. She was in the exhibit near the front of the museum where various animals were on display behind glass enclosures. She could have sworn that she’d seen Beth and Max chase each other into the room, but now she wasn’t too sure. The noises of all the children were distracting in the background, but she cleared her throat.

"Maxwell Parker!" she yelled, her voice carrying through the room. Immediately her son’s dark haired head popped over the edge of the balcony above. He sheepishly looked down at her and waved, he knew she meant business when she used his full name.

"Do you want me to come down?" he called back. She shook her head, indicating he should stay where he was. She’d really just wanted to know where he was. Glancing around, she saw the other four children assigned to her scattered throughout the room. She checked in with each one and then sat down next to the elephant display, waiting for when the kids would be ready to move on to the next exhibit. She closed her eyes briefly until someone said her name.

"Dr. Parker?"

She looked up and studied the man addressing her carefully, knowing that he looked familiar. He was short, barely taller than she was, with blond hair and a friendly smile. Her eyes lit up as she recognized him.

"Jeremy! What are you doing here?" she asked as she laughed and shook the hand of her former student.

"I work here now. I was just heading over to the labs when I saw you. What are you doing here? This isn’t the usual hanging place for Biology professors," he commented, raising his eyebrows.

"I suppose not, but it is a usual hanging place for the mother of a fifth grader on a field trip with his class," she replied. He nodded and sat down next to her after she gestured for him to sit. She smiled at him, he had been one of her most enthusiastic graduate students three years ago.

"What have you been up to Jeremy, aside from your job here?" she asked.

"Well, I got married last year," he said proudly. Liz grinned, seeing the ring on his left hand.

"Congratulations! I wouldn’t know her, would I?" she asked.

"Do you remember your teacher’s aide during chemistry three years back?" he asked, clearing his throat carefully. Liz thought for a second.

"Gwen? You married Gwen? That’s fantastic, she used to say you were the cute one in the class," Liz teased gently.

"There wasn’t anything going on during the class though, Dr. Parker, really—" Jeremy said, holding up his hands. Liz reassured him.

"It’s ok Jeremy, I wasn’t even wondering that," she said, touched by his insistence that she shouldn’t think badly of him. Jeremy glanced around the room.

"So, where’s your son?" he asked. Liz smiled and pointed to where Max and Beth had come downstairs and were now examining the cheetah display off to the side. Jeremy studied the boy and then looked at Liz.

"He looks a lot like you. Who do you think he looks more like, you or his father?" Jeremy asked. Liz paused for a second, realizing the question didn’t hurt as much as she would have thought.

"He looks just like his father," she said softly.

Max followed the director of the museum around to the front of the dinosaur exhibit. He dutifully took notes, balancing his tape recorder and pad of paper in his hands. Pivoting quickly, he avoided crashing into two small kids racing by. Must be another field trip, he thought absentmindedly as he tuned back into what Steve was saying.

"So, the new Triceratops skeleton will arrive by next week and will be a welcome addition to our already extensive exhibit," the director was saying. Max nodded and looked up from his notes.

"And there’s an opening gala event on April 15^th here at the museum?" he asked. The man smiled and nodded.

"Also a fund raiser for the other exhibits here at the Museum of Natural History. Will you be in attendance Parker?" he asked. Max nodded as he closed his notebook and pocketed in his backpack.

"I sure will, the paper wants it to be a follow up to this story. And this will be in next week’s Monday edition, so you can look for it there," Max confirmed, following Steve to the front of the museum. He switched off his recorder and was slipping that into the outer pocket of his backpack, listening to what Steve was saying when his eyes strayed off in the distance towards the animal exhibit just past the entrance to the museum. They were off to the side, with a partial view of the elephant herd when Max’s eyes locked on the woman casually sitting on the wood bench.

Before his mind could even rationalize what he was seeing, his heart started to thud in his chest. His hands shook and he couldn’t swallow, as he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Liz Parker. He didn’t even blink as a thousand thoughts ran through his mind as he stared at the girl he’d loved as long as he could remember and hadn’t seen in over ten years.

She looked amazing. And she looked exactly as he remembered her. His eyes darted over her figure, drinking in the long blue skirt and sandals she wore. She had a pale blue blouse on and her hair fell half way down her back, just as he recalled. Her hands were gesturing in the air and he watched as her face lit up in a smile. It took all his willpower not to run over to her, grab her in his arms and never let go. She was so close.

And yet, she was also so far away. He knew he couldn’t let her see him. He had no idea how she was in New York, but she couldn’t know he was there. Then the last ten years would be for nothing. Max stepped back, away from Liz’s line of vision, but close enough that he could still see the slender outline of her figure. Steve glanced back at him and followed him to the side, his face puzzled.

"Parker, what’s with you? Did you hear me?" he asked. Max shook his head.

"Uh, no, I didn’t. What was the question?" he asked, struggling to find his voice and not stare too intently at Liz. He couldn’t believe that she was right there, less than 100 feet away and he couldn’t touch her. He’d dreamed of seeing her again all the time, but he’d never expected his wish to come true.

"I was asking if you would be bringing anyone to the gala?" Steve asked slowly, then his eyes followed Max’s train of vision and he grinned as his eyes fell on Liz.

"When you set your goal, you do set them high! Forget about her Parker, she’s already taken," Steve advised, clapping Max on the shoulder. Max nearly fell over with shock.

"Wh-what do you mean?" he asked.

"Believe me, I’m not faulting your choice. Dr. Liz Parker would be perfect if she wasn’t married," Steve said pointedly. Max felt his heart sink and he suddenly felt cold. She was married?

"She’s a doctor?" he managed to ask. Steve nodded.

"Yep, teaches Biology and Chemistry at Columbia University. She was helping out with one of the benefits the museum was doing with the museum last year and I worked with her on one of the displays. I asked her out, before I noticed the ring and she turned me down, she said she was married," Steve said shrugging as though it were no big deal. Max’s eyes fell on the man Liz was sitting with. They were laughing and Liz put her hand on the man’s arm and smiled widely at him. Max felt the prickling of tears in his eyes as he realized he needed to get out of the museum. He couldn’t stand so close to her and not approach her. He started to back away from Steve.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned at the sick expression on Max’s face.

"Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve got a deadline. Thanks for the interview," Max said, his voice sounding hollow as he turned and walked as fast as he could without running from the museum.

When he got outside Max sucked the fresh air into his lungs and swiped at his eyes angrily. He’d nearly lost control inside, and it wasn’t a feeling he was accustomed to. Forgetting any ideas about returning to the office, Max crossed the street and entered Central Park. He kept walking, not really watching where exactly he was going until he came to an arched bridge. He dropped his backpack to his feet next to him and leaned his elbows on the rough stone, staring down at the still green water under the bridge.

For once, he didn’t know what to think. His mind buzzed with so many questions and he had no one to talk to. He cursed the situation he and Michael were in, angry and frustrated with where his life was. He didn’t even really have much of a life, alone in New York. He had a job, no friends and the one person he could talk to was studying cave drawings and UFO sightings in Venezuela. And the one person he’d been able to talk to about everything, the one person who had accepted him and loved him lived in the same city as him.

The one person he’d sworn never to contact again. His vision blurred as he realized there was no possible way he could stay away from Liz, knowing where she was. That was why he tried to get far away from Roswell, he knew he couldn’t be close to her.

It was time to leave.

"Max! Come back!" Beth laughed as she followed Max down the front steps of the museum. He turned back to look at her and he grinned, his eyes mischievous as he clutched her lunch bag in his hand. He finally stopped next to the street and she caught up with him, practically tackling him to the ground. Liz caught up with the kids, pulling the other four kids in their group behind her. Beth cringed a little at the look on Liz’s face. Her mother would hear about it later.

"Could you two stand still for more than two seconds?" Liz asked, fixing her stern gaze on her son. Max stopped squirming and stood up, carefully watching his mother. Liz sighed and brushed her hair back behind her ear.

"Okay, it’s lunch in the Park and then the scavenger hunt. Does everybody have their list of items to look for?" she asked, to which she got a chorus of yes’s. "Okay, since the class is eating together, you guys can eat with your friends and start the scavenger hunt. Don’t go out of view of the Lawn though, ok? I want to keep an eye on all of you."

Liz fixed them with another stern glance before dismissing them to scatter into groups to eat lunch. She sagged a little and looked over at Max who smirked at her.

"That was good Mom, you sounded real authoritative," Max replied. Liz ruffled his hair and smiled.

"I’m going to take away that thesaurus of yours. Go find Mike and Belle so we can eat. Beth and I will meet you in the Park," Liz said, reaching for Beth’s hand. Beth took her aunt’s hand readily, swinging it gently and they crossed the street, Beth talking animatedly. Max turned and searched the kids on the museum steps for a few seconds before he spotted Mike with Belle perched on his back. She was holding onto his shoulders as he tore down the steps towards Max. Max could hear Belle laughing down the street, her laughter was so bright. He motioned them over and they crossed the street with some of the other kids. They found Beth and Liz sitting under one of the trees, enjoying the shade. It was a warm March afternoon, spring had come early to the city after a brutal winter.

They ate lunch together like they always did. Max looked at his cousin and Beth and Mike. They’d never actually been apart and he couldn’t imagine not being with them all the time. Sometimes he could hear them in his mind, Aunt Isabel said that it was probably some of his powers beginning to strengthen. She spent a lot of time trying to help them to determine what powers they did have so they wouldn’t use them uncontrollably and around other people. He watched as Beth concentrated on the piece of leftover pizza she’d brought for lunch. His eyes widened as steam drifted off it and the cheese and sauce began to bubble just a little. Beth looked up and her green eyes met his proudly.

"Wow, that was cool Beth," he said. Beth smiled, thanking him silently and Max noticed his mother watching them carefully. Max sighed to himself, knowing she worried so much. He knew she worried even more because of what she’d gone through when she’d lost his father. Sometimes when she touched him he would catch flashes and pictures, emotions and thoughts from her past. He knew she missed him. And he knew what losing his father had done to her. What losing Beth and Michael’s father had done to Maria and how Isabel missed her brothers. Michael wasn’t technically Isabel’s brother, but that’s how she thought of him. He knew this because he could hear his aunt’s thoughts when she was near him.

He hadn’t told Isabel yet how strongly he could sense the people around him. It was only certain people, his family and people he was around all the time. He also felt some presences far away, like they were just out of his reach. He thought maybe it was his father and Michael, but he could never quite bring them close enough to tell. Isabel had also told them how they’d blocked her and kept her from finding them. Max wondered if he tried hard enough if be might be able to tell where they were. He munched on his sandwich, quieting his thoughts in case the others picked up on them. He didn’t think they could read people like he did, but he hadn’t told anyone yet. Not his mother and not even Beth. And he and Beth told each other everything. He didn’t want to get their hopes up.

He was just finishing his lunch when Beth pulled him up from the ground, giggling as she grabbed their lists.

"Come on Max! Let’s get started!" she exclaimed. Max nodded and ran after her, waving to his mom as they left. She waved back at them and Belle and Mike, who headed off in another direction.

"Beth! Wait up!" he called. She already had a pretty good lead on him, but he would catch her. Grinning, he followed her towards the outskirts of the Lawn.

Max opened his eyes against the bright sunlight of the afternoon sun. He glanced at his watch, realizing he’d spent nearly an hour staring at the water under the bridge. He couldn’t tear his thoughts away from the thought of how close she'd been. He could practically smell her perfume. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about her warm brown eyes. Straightening up, he resolved to return to the office, type up his last story and then turn in his resignation. He genuinely smiled for the first time in a long time. He would see Michael again very soon.

He was just about to lean down and pick up his backpack when he heard the sound of laughter coming towards the bridge from the main path. He could tell that it was a young girl and she was running, her footsteps sounding rapidly on the pavement. He turned to look and a girl with curly blond hair that reached down her back and laughing green eyes came to the foot of the bridge. She was looking behind her, but Max found something oddly familiar about her. He shook his head, it seemed to be the day for that. He knew that he didn’t know who she was though, he’d never seen her before, but still, she seemed familiar.

The girl turned her head towards him and her laughter suddenly stopped. She halted in her tracks and her eyes widened as she looked at him. Max took a step back, not wanting to scare her. His eyes grew concerned as she continued to stare at him. She was young and Max looked down the path, hoping she wasn’t alone in the Park. He heard the resounding sound of more footsteps and sighed with relief.

"Beth! I’m going to catch you!"

Max heard the voice and knew it belonged to the girl’s friend. She couldn’t seem to stop staring at him, dumbfounded until a boy her age tumbled into her from behind. She stumbled a little and grabbed the boy, turning him to look at Max. Max met the boy’s eyes and he immediately felt it.

They were connected somehow. He couldn’t explain it, just that it was like what he felt around Michael and what he’d felt around Isabel. Max was still taking in the boy’s brown eyes as he felt his heart skip again. He felt as though his mind was working slower than his heart, which had already found the answer to why he felt a connection with the boy in front of him. The girl nudged her friend excitedly, her eyes searching his. They almost seemed to communicate without words.

"Max! That’s . . .is that?" she asked. Max cocked his head, wondering if he’d heard her words right. As the boy, Max, looked back at him turning to speak, Max suddenly realized who he was looking at.

"It’s my father."