Part 12

Liz stood with Michael, Maria and Alex outside the school Wednesday morning. Her three friends were laughing and talking about something excitedly, but she barely paid attention. Her eyes were searching the parking lot, looking for the exact second that Max and Isabel would arrive at school. She desperately wanted to see Max, to talk to him. Isabel had convinced her not to find Max the night before, to give him a few hours to be by himself, but Liz felt anxious, like Max needed her. Needed her to talk to, to explain things to, something.

She felt her heart beat rapidly as she heard the telltale sound of Max’s old jeep probably a block away. She saw the dark jeep pull into the parking lot and claim a parking spot and Liz was off at a run, determined to catch Max before he managed to duck away. She was breathless as she ran to the driver’s side of the jeep and finally stopped.

"Max—"

Liz’s face crumpled as she looked to see Isabel sitting in the driver’s seat. A quick survey of the jeep told her that Max wasn’t there. She met Isabel’s sympathetic eyes.

"He stayed home today. He told Mom that he was sick and since Max has never been home from school sick from anything it was everything he had to do for her not to call 911. He wouldn’t even talk to me, not really. I tried Liz, but he kept cutting me off. And then he slammed the door in my face. I’m sorry," Isabel said, sliding out of the jeep. Liz shook her head.

"No, it’s not your fault. It’s mine. I shouldn’t have let him walk away from me last night. He thinks that I think he’s some kind of freak or something and even though nothing could be further from the truth, I don’t know how to make him believe me," Liz said sadly. Isabel nodded.

"I think you’re right. He’s always been fearful of what we really are, ever since we were young. He has these nightmares that are so violent and scary that I’ve never been able to see what they are," Isabel said.

"Nightmares? How would you be able to see them?" Liz asked curiously.

"I can walk into someone’s dreams, see what they see, be a part of the world in their head. Once Max asked me to try and figure out what he dreams about, because maybe then he would understand why they are so violent, but I couldn’t get into his head, he was blocking me or something. He doesn’t always dream about them, but when he does, it even scares me," Isabel said.

"I think maybe he’s worried that they say something about our alien heritage, about who he is, and he doesn’t want to know. Sometimes not knowing is better than the truth," Isabel continued. Liz shook her head.

"I don’t think even Max really believes that. I know he’s scared, I could tell yesterday, but I also know that part of him wants the truth," Liz said, holding out her hand.

"Can I borrow your car?"

"Right now? Liz, school’s about to start!" Isabel exclaimed.

"I know, but there’s somewhere else I need to be right now. Please, Isabel," Liz said softly. Isabel nodded and handed over the keys. Liz climbed into the jeep and started the engine, putting the car in reverse with a lot of effort and pulling out of the parking space. Isabel watched her, her own face troubled, as Liz sped out of the school parking lot as the warning bell rang. Alex came up behind her, touching her shoulder gently.

"Hey, where’s Liz going?" Alex asked. Isabel turned to meet his eyes.

"I’ll give you one guess," she said dryly.

Max listened as his mother walked away from his room towards the kitchen. He sighed and glanced over at the plate of food she’d just brought in. He wasn’t hungry and even the tantalizing bottle of Tabasco next to the eggs didn’t look appetizing. He kicked off the sheets and comforter on his bed and sat up, staring at his flannel pajama bottoms. Even in his tank top he felt hot. He put his face in his hands and sighed.

He knew Isabel hadn’t been fooled. They never got sick. And he wasn’t sick, not physically anyway. He just kept seeing the look on Liz’s face, like a nightmare haunting him, that look that told him he could never be normal, that he could never be with her. And even though he’d tried to tell himself that it could happen exactly that way, somehow he’d hoped. He’d hoped it wouldn’t be. And even if Liz tried to convince him otherwise, he’d seen that look in her eyes.

Max turned his head as he heard the jeep coming towards the house. That was strange, school had started a few minutes before. Why would Isabel be coming back? Probably to convince him to come one more time. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want to face Liz, he didn’t want her to have to face him. When he heard the knock on the front door Max sat up even straighter. Why would Isabel knock?

Max felt his heart begin to beat faster and he realized that his body knew before his eyes could even rest on her. Liz was here, he was sure of it. And after the murmuring voices down the hall, coming closer, Max looked around desperately. Then he sighed, where was he going to hide? Under the bed? In the closet?

The slight knock on the door made him freeze and he waited, completely uncertain of what to do. There was a long pause and he could almost see Liz on the other side, her head leaning towards the door, her hand resting on the knob to turn it.

"Max?"

Max closed his eyes painfully at the sound of his name from her voice.

"Max, can I come in? Please?"

He tried to open his mouth, to say the words to make her go away, but the sounds just wouldn’t form in his throat. He just couldn’t make her go away, he couldn’t knowingly send her away from him.

"Max, if you want me to go, just say the words. If you don’t say anything in the next ten seconds I’m going to come in, ok?"

Max waited, ten seconds passing like ten years. Part of him wanted to say something, but his heart wouldn’t let him. He kept quiet and he waited, growing more and more anxious as the seconds ticked by. Finally, the door knob started to turn and he took a step back, looking up as Liz entered. She looked at him shyly and shut the door behind her, closing out the world.

"Your mom let me in," she explained.

"Hasn’t school started? I thought I heard the jeep," Max commented. Liz nodded.

"Yeah, school started awhile ago. I borrowed the jeep from Isabel. Max, I couldn’t just sit around at school while you were here, thinking about yesterday and thinking about what I was thinking," Liz said. Max held up his hands.

"Liz, you don’t have to explain—"

"Yes, I do! Max, I didn’t react the best way possible, and I’m sorry. I just never thought that we would ever find anyone else like Michael. You have to believe me Max, it doesn’t change anything about how I feel about you," Liz said forcefully. Max sighed.

"I want to believe that, I do. But I don’t know that I can. All my life I’ve felt different and I just don’t know that I ever actually can be normal. I want more than anything to believe you," Max whispered. Liz nodded slowly, then her eyes lit up and she stepped closer to Max.

"What if I could prove it to you?" Liz suggested. Max gave her a skeptical look.

"How could you do that?" Max asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I’ve connected with Michael before, when he’s healed me. I would get a rush of images from his mind, and that’s how I realized that he wasn’t human. I saw things from his life, images and things flashed into my mind and I knew how he felt about them. Maybe we can make the connection go the other way," Liz suggested. Max looked up at her, staring into her eyes, unbelieving. He couldn’t believe that what she was suggesting could even be possible. Liz took another step forward so that she was close enough to feel the heat radiating off him. Her voice lowered to a murmur.

"So you can see, you know that, that I’m still me."

Max studied Liz’s brown eyes, seeing no uncertainty, no fear. He realized that she wanted to prove to him that she hadn’t changed, that she was the same person. He nodded slowly, wanting more than anything to see where this might take them. It might give him the answers he needed, it might save him.

"I have to touch you," he whispered. Liz nodded and he reached forward tentatively, his fingers brushing her face and burrowing at the sides of her chin in the silky smoothness of her hair.

"Now just take deep breaths and try to let your mind blank out," Max said. Liz pulled air into her lungs and released it, making Max almost lose concentration at the feeling of her breath against his face, soft and warm. His eyes locked on hers and then he saw a flash of light. Images flew past him and he tried to blink, tried to slow them down.

He saw Liz as a little girl, finding Michael in the desert. Her gentle smile coaxed him near and he felt the overwhelming love she had for her adopted brother.

He saw the day Michael healed Liz, revealing himself to her. And he saw Liz’s gentle understanding, the way she took her brother’s hand and led him back to the playground.

He saw Maria, Alex, Michael and Liz, playing at the resevoir, laughing and having fun like ordinary teenagers.

He saw Liz, sitting on her balcony, waiting anxiously for Michael, her anxiety increasing with each passing minute. He saw the relief flood her face as she heard his voice calling from the ladder and saw his face over the edge of the balcony. And he saw the way she embraced him, tight and crushing.

He saw her sitting on the bleachers on the first day of school. He felt her fear as Kyle grabbed her and shoved her against the wall. Her terror screamed to him until suddenly it stopped and he was looking into his own eyes. He felt how she instantly felt safe, how she clung to him, how she needed him as he picked her up.

He felt how embarrassed she’d been, singing on stage in front of everyone at the Pizza Pan. But he felt how she wanted to say something somehow to him, anything to try and make him see what she felt for him.

He felt her terror as she realized he’d been shot, that he might die. Her grief felt like a knife in his stomach as she desperately called to him. And he heard her pleading, wishing him back.

He felt her confusion as she considered what her brother told them, that Max was one of them. Then the wonder she felt, the absolute joy that her brother was not alone almost knocked him over.

He felt her sadness as he ran from her, and how she felt for hurting him. She blamed herself and the only thing she wanted was to prove to him that she didn’t see him any different.

Max felt the flashes slipping away, becoming more transparent and he wanted to hold on. Liz’s mind was a safe, comforting place that he never wanted to leave. As the images faded into the shapes and colors of his room, Max realized he was still staring deep into Liz’s eyes. And she stared back, a look of surprise on her face. He was reluctant to pull away from her and unable to contain his joy.

Liz needed him. Her view of him hadn’t changed. He was still the same person to her. Max pulled her into a hug, crushing her against him and sighing with relief. He felt her relax in his arms as she hugged his shoulders tightly.

"I guess it worked," Liz said softly. Max finally pulled back and nodded happily. He touched her face with his hands, tracing her delicate jaw with his fingers. His head leaned down as he watched her breath quicken and her eyes begin to close. Her face turned up towards his and he finally closed his eyes letting himself go as he kissed Liz.

Max felt like all his defenses were down for the first time as he immersed himself in the feeling of her lips under his. How she responded, pulling him closer, moving her lips against him, hungrily showing him what she felt. Max realized that their connection had sparked to life again as they kissed and their hands roamed, touching as many places as they could find. Her firm hands holding the back of his neck, playing in his hair and tracing his shoulders urged him on as he pressed against her, his hands tracing around her waist, fingers dipping under her shirt. Suddenly she gasped and Max pulled away, instantly chiding himself.

"God, I’m sorry Liz, I shouldn’t have—"

"No, no Max, it’s not that," Liz was quick to insist. Her eyes were wide as she took deep breaths, her lips swollen and her hair rumpled from his touching.

"Did you see it? Max, did you see it?" she asked urgently.

"What? What are you talking about, what did you see?" he asked.

"When we kissed, we connected and I saw it, I saw in your mind Max. I saw where you, Michael and Isabel crashed. And I saw the one thing that scares you the most, the reason you have nightmares. Max, I saw everything."