~ chapter 11 ~

The steel prison door slammed behind them sealing in the pervading chill of the evening. At least that's the way it felt to Liz Parker when her mother ushered Max and Liz into her old bedroom, gave them a warm smile and closed her bedroom door bidding them 'good night' on her way out.

Prison. Where the socially deviant are left to contemplate the tragedy of their fate as they pay for their crimes. Where the reality of isolation shuts out a world of happily-ever-afters that, hoping against all hope, attempt to live in the imagination. Where the slightest hint of warmth and true affection are abandoned like an umbrella on a sunny day.

Considering her previous life mistakes and the crime of spying she was about to commit against Max Evans, it was completely fitting that Liz Parker would find herself here. In this situation. Torn between hope and despair. Where she was given a taste of her dream in one moment when the burning of Max’s amazing kiss could still be felt on her lips while the crushing blow of disappointment rang in her ears in the next heartbeat.

How in the world had this happened? Never in her wildest dreams did Liz imagine her parents were forward thinking enough to actually allow Max and her to co-habitat under their very own roof. She still remembered all of the anti-sex talks she got from them in high school. Something Maria said earlier clued her into the fact that Maria had a lot to do with the decision. In fact, Maria had even told Liz she could thank her later…for now she should just enjoy the unprecedented freedom.

Freedom. That was a laugh. She’d never felt so caged in her life. Under previous circumstances, Liz would have been more than delighted to oblige her parents' obvious attempt to accept Max in her life. She could have easily capitalized on the chance to make their pretend relationship a reality. Taken advantage of the close quarters to flirtingly dance her way into his heart. But not now. Not after those words that clearly showed where Max's mind…and heart…were had dropped so easily from his lips.

Could the situation get any worse? In close proximity to a man that stirred something deep inside of her…something she’d thought was dead long ago, something so basic to every human being that the absence of it in her life suddenly made Liz feel strangely cold and…inhuman. The need to be loved. The desire to love in return. She hadn’t allowed herself to desire love for so long now that the sudden impact of it as it washed over her in waves caused the hollowness in her heart to become even more acute. To suddenly have all of these feelings and desires and yet not able to act on the them…

Liz took a step forward and let out a sigh. This was going to be the longest week of her life.

She heard the plop of Max's bag behind her and felt her back stiffen instinctively. "So." Liz turned to face Max as he stood near the door his hands stuffed casually in the front pockets of his jeans, his eyes drifting with uncomfortable interest over the contents of her room. "This…is your room." He nodded in approval trying his best to calm the rapid pounding of his heart by destroying the oppressive silence between them. "It looks like you."

Liz glanced around with disinterest, her hands clasped in front of her. "It looks like the girl I used to be. She doesn't exist any more." The words came out more clipped than she'd planned, but no less true.

Max's eyes snapped to her face and he blinked quickly knowing he was the one that had put that harshness in her tone. A flicker of regret and pain flashed through his eyes and he took a step toward her determined to end this damned silence that was literally killing him inside. "Liz, look. About earlier…"

Liz painted on a fake smile and dismissed his attempt to apologize…or explain…or whatever he had just been about to do. "You know what, Max? It doesn't matter. You made your position clear, and I have no reason to argue."

Her eyes drifted to the bathroom door and her fingers pushed her hair back behind her ears as her mind frantically searched for a way to escape Max and these disturbing feelings welling up inside of her. Feeling that were getting dangerously close to springing from her eyes in the form of tears. "I'm uh…I'm feeling really gritty from the trip so…" She reached down and grabbed one of her bags. "I think I'm going to take a quick shower."

Max’s hand shot out to hinder Liz’s hasty retreat as she tried to brush past him. "Liz…please. Let me explain." The voice that pled with her was soft and full of emotions even Max couldn't describe yet.

Liz felt a thousand electric sparks tingling on her arm at Max’s firm but gentle touch and Liz abruptly jerked her arm away instinctively, defensively. The last thing Liz needed was another reminder of what she’d always wanted and what she now knew she’d never have. What she never deserved.

Raising dark eyes sparkling with angered pain to meet his earnest gaze, her voice was barely above a whisper and the tremor that accompanied her words sent a dagger straight through Max's heart when she threw his words back in his face. "There's no need, Agent Evans. The way I see it…we…both know what our…" She sucked air into her lungs as if it was almost painful. "…*duty*…is. I say…no matter how distasteful it may be…we do it…and go home."

A slight shake of his dark head was his silent protest. "But, Liz, I…"

Liz’s gaze faltered as she interrupted Max quickly. "That way we can get back to our lives…no tangles or messes. No harm done." Max saw her eyelashes flutter rapidly and knew why when he heard her voice fill with unshed tears. "Now, please…just…just let me go."

Max dropped his arms to his sides and hung his head in defeat as he heard the bathroom door slam shut and lock behind the girl of his dreams.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't like him." Jeff Parker plopped down on the large bed in the Parkers' bedroom and proceeded to take one shoe off then let it drop by the bedside.

"Jeff…" Nancy's warning voice called out to him from the master bath.

"No, now, Nancy. I mean it." Jeff's second shoe joined its friend with an angry plop. "He barely spoke a word. And when he did it was…was…"

"Was what?" Nancy Parker calmly came out of the bathroom and headed for her dresser while her husband searched for just the right word to describe his daughter's boyfriend.

"Beyond evasive. It was secretive and mysterious."

"Jeff, really." A roll of her eyes, and Nancy's comment was directed to her husband's reflection in the mirror as her hands deftly removed her earrings then picked up her brush.

Jeff shifted as he swung his legs up on the bed and proceeded to unbutton his shirt. "I mean it, Nan. That boy has secrets. Secrets that can hurt our little girl. I can feel it."

"Jeff." Nancy abandoned her dresser and came to sit next to her husband on their bed. She stilled his hands from his hasty and unsuccessful attempt to rid himself of his shirt. "The only thing I think will hurt Liz right now is if we don't accept Max into her life with open arms." A soft hand reached out and touched Jeff's face. "She's in love, honey."

"And I’m telling you…I looked in her eyes." Jeff persisted. "She isn't happy." He let out a sigh and jumped off the bed heading straight into the bathroom.

Nancy Parker tucked her legs under her and waited patiently for her overwrought other half to make his reappearance. It was kind of sweet, actually. Jeff's protective inability to let go of his little girl. But she was going to have to convince him to let some of that protectiveness go if this trip was going to be successful. And Nancy so wanted it to be just that. For all of them.

She honestly didn't know if Jeff could handle another eight years of not seeing Liz in the home she'd grown up in, surrounded by the walls that knew all her secrets. It had been hard on them when Liz had dropped out of their lives so suddenly. Not that they hadn't seen her over the years, because they had. During holidays at various relatives' homes and on trips they made to her place. But Liz steadily refused to return home to Roswell. Until Max Evans showed up in her life.

Max brought their baby home to them a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman. That, in and of itself, should move him to the head of the class. But Jeff was stubborn. And he loved his little girl. He wanted the best that life could offer Liz, and right now, the sadness in her eyes was telling him the best was not Max Evans.

Not that Jeff was completely wrong. There was a decided lack of sparkle in her eyes and a wistfulness in her sigh when her gaze fixed on Max's unsuspecting face. But Nancy noticed something that Jeff either didn't pick up on or consciously decided to ignore. Max's eyes held the same sadness…his sighs the same wistfulness. There was a hunger deep inside that boy and from the way his eyes greedily devoured Liz's every move, Liz Parker was the only girl in the world that could hope to fill the gaping void in his life…whatever it may be.

The depth of emotion she saw flitting through his dark amber eyes when he watched an unaware Liz wasn't the kind that came along every day. If they could just solve whatever was causing those longing looks between the two of them and not the closeness she suspected they normally shared, Nancy was convinced they'd have a match made in heaven on their hands. Maybe all it would take would be one night…in the same bed.

She had to convince Jeff to give Max a chance. For Liz's sake. For Max's sake as well.

Jeff reentered their room wiping his mouth with his favorite hand towel. He stopped short when his dark eyes found his wife propped against her pillows, silently waiting for his return. The steady gaze of her hazel eyes never wavered. Uh-oh. He knew that look. The one that meant his perceptive wife was about to show him the error of his ways. Taking a deep breath, Jeff tossed his towel to the side, lay down at the foot of the bed crossways, put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. "Alright. Let me have it."

Nancy smiled warmly and her voice echoed all the love in her heart for the man that had shared half her life with her. "Ok. First, I'll admit there was a bit of tension between them…"

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Jeff sat up and twisted to see his wife's reaction then fell back down on the bed when he saw her upraised eyebrow. He let out a sigh and turned the conversation back over to his better half. "Ok. Go ahead."

Nancy chuckled at the boyish look that crossed his expression and suddenly wondered what her life would have ever been like without the love of her life, Jeff Parker, in it all these years. Gratefully, that wasn't a question she'd ever have to answer. And if she could help it, Liz would never need ask the same question and receive a negative response.

Nancy leaned over and ran her hand over her husband's arm, her voice dropping to an almost cooing sound. "Jeff…can you tell me a time when you and I have gone to visit my parents when we didn't have a little spat beforehand or major tension when we walked in the door?"

Jeff Parker shrugged as best he could in his current prone position. "I guess not."

"Right. And every time…we'd wake up the next morning closer than ever because we'd been able to spend the night in each other's arms despite the roof we were under? We'd realized that our little fight had been brought on by fear and nervousness not lack of love? Or because we didn't belong together?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Jeff." Nancy stopped his protest easily with that one word and switched tactics. "You ever watch Cole Guerin when he's in the Crashdown?"

Jeff's eyebrows furrowed clearly not understanding where his pretty wife was taking this. "Yeah, but I don't see…"

"You ever see the way he watches Sierra while she's working?" Jeff nodded and turned his head to look at Nancy while she continued to lay her points out one by one. "How do you think he feels about her?"

Jeff started to chuckle as he propped himself up on his elbow. "You're kidding, right? It didn't surprise me in the least that he was the first one by her side when the shooting happened. That kid is head over heels for her. He can't take his eyes off her when she's in the room and when she isn't…" Jeff stopped mid-sentence his eyes widening with understanding. "…he barely says a word. He looks like he just lost his best friend."

"Uh-huh. Remind you of anyone that we know? Someone that we might have mentioned noticing back when Liz was in high school sitting in the same booth after school every afternoon that Liz worked? Ordering nothing but a cherry coke and taking the longest time to finish it?" Nancy asked as a smile started to form on her lips as she nodded her head slowly in a 'you-remember-don't-you' gesture. "Anyone we might have just officially met tonight perhaps?"

Hanging his head in defeat a moment, Jeff Parker nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah, I see what you mean."

"And the way Max jumped up when he heard Liz yell in the kitchen. He was so tender with her." Nancy's smile widened. "Oh, honey. I don't think we have anything to worry about. They'll be fine. And he'll take care of her." She wrapped a comforting arm around Jeff's shoulder. "In fact, it sounds like he's already done a pretty good job just tonight."

Jeff's head snapped up. "What do you mean? What happened tonight?"

Nancy scrunched up her face in uncertainty at the news she was about to share with her husband. "They…ran into Kyle Valenti on the way here."

"What?" Jeff sat up, his attention now completely captured by the news.

"I heard Liz telling Maria that the reason they were late was that she and Max stopped off at the old soap factory and Kyle showed up. Apparently, he and Max had a few words."

"They got in a fight?"

"No, no. They didn't fight." Nancy tilted her head to the side searching for the right words. "They just…well, let's just say that Kyle either isn't completely over Liz yet or he just doesn't like the idea of her being with someone else and in his face about it. And Max…" A light chuckle of admiration filled the room. "…Max just doesn't plan to be replaced any time soon. So, I'm thinking after a long trip, a run-in with Liz's ex-fiancé and the pressure of meeting us for the first time…maybe we should cut Max a little slack."

"You mean maybe *I* should." Jeff stated, reading between the lines of Nancy's conclusion. He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess you're right. O. K." Jeff's gaze drifted to the door. "So, is there something we should do to help them?"

"No. Not unless they ask." Nancy shook her head and took Jeff's hands in hers. "Jeff, I know it's hard to accept, but Liz is a big girl now. She's in love with a very fine young man. I know we don't really know him yet, but I can already tell…they compliment each other perfectly. They probably make a really good team in whatever they do." Taking her husband's face in her hands, Nancy smiled. "He's the one, Jeff. I feel it. She and Max can handle this…together. Ok?"

Jeff nodded his agreement and flashed his wife a quick smile though the doubt still remained in his eyes. "Ok. But if she needs us…"

"We'll be there for her." Nancy finished for him. "We'll be there…for both of them."

"Right. Both of them." Jeff took a deep breath, smiled then leaned forward and gave his wife a grateful kiss before slipping off the bed and inching his way backward toward the door. "So…I'll uh…be right back."

Nancy's eyebrow raised suspiciously. "Honey, where are you going?"

"Um, well…I just remembered…" Jeff's gaze faltered and his feet began to shuffle against the rough carpet as his hand gripped the door handle behind him. "I…I'm not quite sure if I…uh…locked the door…"

"Jeff…" Nancy tried to hold back the chuckle that was building inside her as she watched her husband blow her a kiss and slip out the door to go check on his little girl. She leaned back into her pillows with a wicked grin. "I just hope they locked theirs…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max Evans paced the floor a few more times then fell backward on the bed with a plop and a loud growl of frustration. Liz had been in the bathroom for twenty-two minutes and 36 seconds now. Taking a shower. That's what she said she was doing. Not that he doubted her. After all, he could hear the water running. It was just…

She was trying to get away from him and the bathroom was her escape route. He could feel it. Hell, he could see it. In every move she made. Every word she spoke. There was distance. Emotional distance firmly cemented by the wall he’d put up earlier. Her silence screamed out her uneasiness and agitation to him. And he hated himself for it.

Oh, she’d played the part perfectly. She held his hand. Though a little too tightly at times--in fact, he'd made a mental note at dinner to remember to heal the nail marks her grip had placed in his palms later on. And she smiled up at him. Though the truth be told, the smile was usually after a neatly placed jab had been delivered to his heart in the guise of a backhanded compliment or joke. And she had introduced him to her parents and Maria DeLuca as the man she loved. Actually, she'd hadn't used those exact words, but the assumption was already there so he let it go.

He watched her intently. Every move she made. Every word she said. He noticed the way her nose scrunched up adorably in disgust when she and Maria were recounting old high school days and certain classmate names were brought up…like Pam Troy, Tommy Webb and Stacy Burns. How she graciously offered to clean the table so Maria could get home to her live-in boyfriend. The way her eyes lit up with joy when she interacted with her parents.

But a shadow of hurt would extinguish the light in her eyes when her gaze met his. The hint of sadness in her smile when she felt it necessary to flash him one as her parents looked on. A chill of winter in her voice when she spoke his name or addressed him in any way. Even her laugh was hollow.

And now that they were sleeping in the same room, she was placing a physical distance between them as well. Not that Max thought that was *entirely* a bad thing. In fact, his rational brain saw her obvious aversion to his presence as a god-send. For a man whose whole life was based on control, this was one situation where control would be as lost to him as the Holy Grail was to the world. One night by her side in the same bed and Max might finally discover what it really meant to make love to a woman. Scratch the ‘might’. Nothing short of a chastity belt would be able to stop him.

Max let out a frustrated sigh at the thought. Thank God he was sleeping on the floor…

He lay there with hands behind his head and marveled at his plight. Here he was in Mecca. Liz's bedroom. On her bed. With no Liz. The gods were definitely against him. Because even if she was in this room…correction, *when* she returned to this room, there wasn't a damn thing he could do that he'd always dreamed of. The job forbade it. And as if that hadn't been enough, he himself had slammed that door shut when he lied to her and told her their earlier kiss had been all part of the job. 'In the line of duty'. God, who even *said* that any more?

What was worse…Liz wasn't mad at him. Ok. So, maybe she *was* mad. That much was clear when she practically shut the trunk lid on his head while he was trying to extricate his bags to take inside from the car. She apologized, of course, but when he received half a glass of ice water that she 'accidentally' knocked over into his lap his suspicions kicked into overdrive.

But anger wasn't ruling the distance she was putting between them now. Hurt was. He saw that clearly just a while ago when she’d been furiously blinking back tears. The tiny film of moistness she'd passed off all night as being because she was so happy to be home was actually because his lie had cut her. Cut her deep. Max Evans now knew what it was like to loathe himself.

Not only had he messed up with Liz, he'd messed up with her father as well. Max had seen the look on Jeff Parker's face a few times throughout the night after he'd absently attempted to answer a question. The look didn't bode well for in-law prospects. Or for creating a bond so he could get information on the shooting for the investigation…

In fact, the man must think Max was a total jackass or lunatic…or both. He'd been trying to get to know Max all night by fielding questions about his work, his family, his past. The only problem was Max couldn't concentrate on anything he said. All he could do was watch Liz. Check her eyes for sign of understanding or forgiveness. Push away the hunger that her every little move seemed to build inside of him. He found no tenderness in the depths of those vastly distant pools, and it only pushed him further into silence.

The only time he'd come close to feeling a spark of renewed connection was when he'd rushed to her rescue in the kitchen. She and Maria had gone to make a pot of coffee leaving Max, Nancy and Jeff in the living room to talk. Conversation was painfully stilted until they heard Liz's loud exclamation of pain…

And she'd remained that way for the rest of the evening. Approachable yet aloof with a bit of restrained affability thrown in for good measure. If Max didn't do something to change their situation, this investigation was as good as over.

Max let another deep sigh and glanced at his watch. Was she ever coming out of there? Maybe he should just hit the sack. It might be better for everyone all around. There'd be no more awkwardness when she finally felt it was safe enough to emerge from her hiding place and he just might find an answer to their problem in his dreams.

Yeah, that's what he'd do. He would just…

That's when he felt it. Another one of his powers kicking in. Max sat up straight and closed his eyes a moment. Just as he had trained himself to pick up on weapons, he'd also trained himself to pick up on recording devices. And there was one…in this room.

Trying to act casual, Max slowly stood from the bed and stretched with a yawn. He headed toward his bag which was still sitting by the door and realized he was going in the wrong direction. Much like the 'hot-cold' game, Max's senses would fade the further he was from the object and increase the closer he got.

He tossed his bag on the bed and felt his inner 'honing' device point him in the direction of the window. Rubbing the back of his neck wearily, Max slowly turned around as if he were once more taking in Liz's room. To throw off the suspicions of anyone watching him, Max took a detour to Liz's desk and he picked up a picture frame with Alex and Maria's picture lovingly encased inside. Replacing the frame, Max continued his visual journey through the room. When his gaze reached the window, he sauntered over and casually placed a hand against the wall staring up into the night sky never once letting on that he now knew exactly where a small video camera was set up…behind a plant on the ledge of Liz's window.

Well, damn. Looks like sleeping on the floor is out for tonight. A faint smile drifted over Max's face despite the obvious problems this new development could cause him. Now, if he could just figure out how he was going to get Liz to go along with his rapidly developing plan…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And you’re positive." Michael made the awed statement for what seemed like the tenth time since Cole began his tale.

"Yeah, Uncle Michael. I saw it with my own eyes. He used his powers to make the soap factory into…I don’t know…like a dance hall for her. And then…" Cole Guerin’s eyes lit up with excitement. "…it was so cool. He made a distraction by making the Sheriff think he was being attacked by a hawk, but there really wasn’t one. Why can’t we do something like that?"

"Something like what?" Maria’s voice called to her two guys from the office doorway.

"Cole here has a new hero, it seems." Michael replied drolly as he wrapped an arm around Maria's waist and tilted his head upward for a quick kiss before Maria slid onto his lap.

Cole opened his mouth to speak but Maria held her finger up to Cole. "First things first." She leaned in for a deeper kiss from Michael, which lasted the length of three rotations of Cole's eyes as he rolled them and scrunched up his nose at their public display of affection. "Mmmm. Hi." She whispered when she pulled away and looked up into Michael’s eyes.

A smile softened his usually unamused lips as he ran a hand through Maria's hair. "Hi."

Maria wrapped her arms around Michael’s neck as she settled against him comfortably then turned to Cole. "Ok. So what’s this about a new hero?"

Cole rolled his eyes and flashed Maria a quick grin. "Oh, nothing. I was just telling Uncle Michael about the new alien in town."

"Oh. You mean Max Evans?"

Michael pulled back and looked at Maria with surprise. "How could you know about this and not tell me?"

Maria shrugged. "I just found out myself. Max is Liz's hot new boyfriend. I'm telling you…that man has enough heat coming off of him he could probably set both our planet and yours on fire. We're talking serious sexual tension with those two."

Michael raised a semi-jealous eyebrow at Maria's description. "Oh, I see. So, what did he do? Introduce himself as Max, Liz Parker's boyfriend and Intergalactic Hottie?"

Maria shook her head and let out a loud sigh. "No, duffus."

"Oh, wait. Let me guess. Since he's Liz's new boyfriend and the two of you do so many things together you just automatically assumed he was an alien since you had one too?" Michael quipped sarcastically.

Slapping Michael playfully on the arm, Maria rolled her eyes at Cole. "Of course not, space-boy. But if I were you, I'd pull out Izzy's number. We need to call her."

"Why?"

"Because Max is her brother." Maria tweaked Michael on the nose. "That is how I knew he was an alien."

"My God. You're kidding me."

"Nope. Serious as a heart attack." Maria slipped off Michael's lap and moved to the desk to pull out his rolodex. "And speaking of heart attacks, I really don't want my best friend to have one if something slips and she finds out about Alex. Hence, the call to Izzy."

Michael let out a groan as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Great. First an FBI investigator hot on our trails and now this."

Scanning through Michael's rolodex, Maria's response was somewhat muffled. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about Liz investigating. She and Max are the real deal."

"How can you be sure?"

Maria turned to Michael with an upraised eyebrow as she handed him the card she'd been searching for. "Really, Michael. She's my best friend. Besides, I know the way an out-of-this-worlder looks when he's in love. Max has it bad…"

Cole nodded in agreement. "Oh, yeah. They were…" He uncharacteristically wiggled his eyebrows. "…*something* in the factory tonight."

Maria grinned, new excitement shining out of her green eyes. "Really? Do tell…"

"Hey! Guys!" Michael's voice boomed loudly in the room. "Can we please focus here?" His gaze shifted from Maria to Cole then back again. "Now, I know what you guys think you saw, and maybe it is the real thing. But, that doesn't mean they can't be working together or…" He held up his finger to stop Maria when he saw her mouth open in protest. "…or that they aren't investigating us. It still all too coincidental."

Michael looked away from Maria's perceptive eyes uncomfortably. "That's why I…"

Noticing the hint of guilt in Michael's eyes, she closed her eyes with a groan. "Oh, no. Michael, what did you do?"

Michael raised his head and prepared himself to face the DeLuca wrath with a smirk and a flippant response. "Care to watch home videos tonight, honey?"

Maria's hands firmly planted themselves on her hips as she turned on Michael with a glare. "Michael Thomas Guerin! You'd better not be telling me what I think you are!" Michael's silence confirmed Maria's fears. Then, she exploded. "Oh my God! You are! You actually set up a video camera…in Liz and Max's bedroom..."