Part 4

"Hey! Can I get some service out here?"

Maria poked her head around the back door of the Crashdown and rolled her eyes at Alex, who was waving his menu in the air from where he sat at their regular booth in the café. He gave her a grin and raised his eyebrows suggestively and she stuck her tongue out at him before she returned to job. She was helping Michael restock the supplies in the kitchen while Liz watched the front. All three were working the afternoon shift after their first day at school while Alex occupied the near empty dining room.

Liz walked over to Alex’s table and set his drink down without saying a word. She gave him a pointed glance and he smiled innocently before she moved back behind the counter, filling the coffee maker and moving to clean the milkshake machine. Alex was about to return to his book when he heard a car pull up outside the Crashdown. He turned to look and grinned at the sight of Isabel and Max Evans getting out of the jeep.

"I don’t think we could even try to be more blatant or obvious," Max muttered, gesturing to the UFO-themed restaurant. Isabel sighed and turned to face him.

"Look, Max, nothing is going to change the fact about who we are. Besides, wouldn’t it be better to hide out in the open, where no one would even guess? You can take your glass-is-half-empty viewpoint, but my glass is half full. Now, I’m going inside, because Alex, Maria, Liz and Michael said we should stop by. Are you coming?" she asked. Max looked around the quiet street and his eyes fell on the large green and yellow sign of the UFO Center across the street. And then he noticed the "Help Wanted" sign. He was starting to see Isabel’s point. Hide in plain sight.

"I’ll be there in a minute," he murmured. Isabel shrugged and walked inside the café, waving to Liz behind the counter. She turned as Alex called her name and she walked over, sitting across from him at the booth. She blushed at the way he was looking at her, his eyes unable to hide the quiet amazement. She wasn’t used to guys awed by her blonde hair and brown eyes, usually they looked at her like she was their next conquest. It was a change she found very attractive.

"Glad you could make it," Alex said.

"Where’s Maria?" Isabel asked.

"She’s in the back, doing some stocking thing with Michael. Slave drivers run this place, I’m telling you. Hey Mr. Parker!" Alex called. His voice had been low up until he called out his greeting to Liz’s Dad. Isabel stifled a laugh, remembering that Liz had said her parents owned the restaurant she, Michael and Maria worked at. She glanced back towards the kitchen, mildly curious about Michael. Ever since she’d met him she felt like she should recognize him. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew him. She shrugged as Alex began talking, she would remember eventually.

Isabel smiled as Liz approached their table, order pad and neon green pen in hand. She had to bite her lip so that she wouldn’t laugh out loud at the aqua and silver colored uniform Liz was wearing. But the girl seemed to be able to pull it off. Isabel watched Liz look at her and then look around briefly. She realized that Liz was looking for Max and she smiled. Both of them were so obvious, it was sickening.

Suddenly the front doors opened and Max came in, his eyes resting on Liz first and then casting a quick look at Alex and Isabel at the table before returning to Liz. He walked over and sat down next to Isabel, but his eyes never wavered from Liz’s. Both of them wore slight smiles and Isabel forced herself from rolling her eyes as she watched the exchange.

"Hey Max, what can I get you?" Liz asked softly.

"Cherry cola?" he asked. Liz nodded in affirmation and headed behind the counter to get his drink. Isabel caught Max’s attention with a wave in front of his eyes and he looked at her, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from Liz.

"Where’d you go?" she asked, naturally curious about what had delayed his arrival. He sat back, a proud smile on his face.

"I got a job."

Isabel felt her mouth fall open in shock.

"You got a job? How? Where?" Isabel asked. Max pointed across the street.

"At the UFO Museum. There was a sign, I asked about an application and the guy hired me on the spot. They must be desperate or something. I start tomorrow," Max said. Liz came over and put his drink down in front of him, catching the last of the conversation.

"That’s great Max! And you’ll be close to the Crashdown too! You don’t work on Wednesday, do you?" Liz asked. Max shook his head, unable to breathe. Why was she asking him when he worked? Did she want to do something?

"No, why?"

Maria’s voice carried across the dining room as she came from the back.

"Wednesday nights are kareoke night at the Pizza Pan. We never miss it," Maria said, elbowing Michael in the side as they came towards the table. Both Michael and Alex rolled their eyes a little, but Max noticed they didn’t look particularly unhappy.

"And since you two are new in town, you’ll have to join us in a song," Liz said, winking at Max. Her playful expression had him at a loss for words until he realized that Liz was suggesting that he sing. Out loud. In public.

"Um, I don’t sing," he tried to argue until Liz leaned over the table to look at him directly in the eyes. He forced himself not to glance down at the front of her uniform, because he knew it was low cut.

"Oh, you will sing on Wednesday," Liz promised before she was called back to the counter by a customer. Max watched her go, tuning out the conversation that Isabel and Alex were having. His eyes followed her as she smiled and laughed at what the customer was saying. He could tell she was listening carefully to what the woman was saying, her head was bent over and she wrote the order down on her order pad. Liz was nodding and turning to place the order when she bumped her arm against the edge of the counter.

Even though she was all the way across the diner, he heard her cry out. In an instant he was on his feet, crossing the room in three strides. She was clutching her arm as he came up next to her behind the counter. She heard his coming and she looked up at him, her expression pained. He could see she was trying not to cry and he touched her chin briefly.

"You ok?" he asked gently. She stood up straight and nodded.

"I’m fine. I just hit a bruise on my arm, it’s fine," she repeated. Max was doubtful, she was trying to hide her pain and it worried him.

"Are you sure?" he pressed.

"Yes I’m sure!" she snapped, her tone harsh. Instantly she was sorry and she looked at Max, seeing how he hadn’t even flinched or backed away. "I’m sorry, I guess I’m just getting a little tired with how everyone keeps asking me if I’m fine."

Max nodded in understanding, knowing that she hadn’t been angry at him. And even if she had been, he wasn’t about to let that scare him away. She seemed jumpy and he could tell she was tired.

"You’ve had a long day," he said, his tone low and soothing. She turned to look at him and smiled.

"Thanks for understanding Max," she said. He nodded, and was about to return to the booth when Liz looked behind his shoulder, towards the front door, and froze. He followed her gaze and tried not to wince as her fingers on his arm dug into his skin. A middle aged man had walked in and Max realized by the badge and gun he wore that he was the sheriff of Roswell. Max was still puzzled about why Liz seemed so scared, but Max stayed right next to her, waiting and watching. He got closer and Max read the man’s nametag. Valenti.

"Liz, how are you?" he asked as he took off his hat and regarded her carefully. Max thought he saw sadness in the man’s eyes and he realized the sheriff was feeling remorse for what his son had done. Liz swallowed carefully.

"I’m fine sheriff, really," she replied, her voice wavering just a little.

"I wanted to apologize for Kyle’s behavior earlier today. I know it doesn’t excuse what he did, but he hasn’t been the same since his mother left, he’s been so angry. He knows to stay away from you, and he’d better. If he bothers you at all, please tell me Miss Parker," the sheriff said. Liz nodded and he tipped his hat to her before leaving. Liz looked back at Max, her eyes full or fear and he turned her around to face him, knowing what she was afraid of without her saying it.

"He won’t come near you Liz, I promise," he replied. Liz nodded and instantly felt better. She believed him. Somehow she believed that Max would protect her. She finally released his arm with an apologetic smile and he smiled back at her. As he sat down on one of the stools on the other side of the counter she wondered how they’d already gotten to the point that she could read his expressions so easily. Because she could tell that he wasn't very open with a lot of people. But she could tell by his slight smiles and warm eyes what he was thinking. Shaking her head and trying not to stare she poured him another drink, setting it down in front of him.

"On the house. Thank you Max," she said, the last sentence coming out a whisper. He nodded sipped his drink as she worked behind the counter. As he reached for the bottle of Tabasco sauce next to the napkin dispenser and began to pour a heavy amount into his drink Liz’s head shot up in surprise. He was twisting the cap back on and caught the surprised look on her face.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just never saw anybody else except Michael who likes Tabasco sauce like that," she said, watching with a measure of amazement as he drank the cherry cola and Tabasco sauce.

"Weird taste buds, I guess," Max shrugged. She nodded and returned to her cleaning, looking up every few minutes as Max would ask her a question or she would ask him something about his home in Colorado. She didn’t even realize that hours had gone by until she saw that Alex and Isabel were gone and it was almost closing time. Max was still sitting at the counter when she came back from locking the front door. He smiled at her and she barely resisted the urge not to touch him in some small way. He’d stayed with her all afternoon, talking to her and keeping her mind away from Kyle. And she felt like she’d gotten to know him better.

"Guess I should head on home," Max said, his tone telling her he didn’t really want to leave. She grinned and nodded, comforting herself that she’d see him soon enough. She walked with him over to the door and let him out.

"See you tomorrow in school," Liz said, waving as he walked away. He raised his hand in response and nodded before disappearing down the sidewalk. She locked the door and finished closing up before heading upstairs.

Max leaned against the light pole outside the Crashdown and watched as the lights dimmed in the dining room and a light in the upstairs apartments went on. He’d seen Liz climb up the stairs and he assumed that she was in her bedroom. He pushed away from the pole and gripped the fire escape loosely with his hands. He was debating whether or not to climb up and make sure she was fine. She’d seemed ok, even after Kyle’s dad had come in. He’d kept her mind off of the events earlier in the day, telling her stories that he’d never dreamed he would have shared with anyone. Anything to keep her from thinking too much about what had been done to her.

The decision already made in his mind, he grabbed onto the ladder and climbed up as quickly and quietly as he could. He paused at the top and peeked over the edge, not wanting Liz to see him and think he was a crazy stalker. Max looked around the balcony and took in the lounge chair, cactus and candles. It looked like a place Liz went to be alone, a place where she could relax. He saw her move in her room and then she was standing near the window where he could see her.

She’d changed out of her uniform and into a pair of pajama pants and a white tank top. He felt his stomach threaten to heave at the sight of the bruises over her golden skin. The marks on her upper arms looked like fingerprints and they were an ugly green shade. As Liz turned to examine her arm he was faced with the expanse of her back and he struggled to keep silent at the sight of the dark red on her back where blood vessels had broken under the skin when Kyle had thrown her against the tile wall.

By her careful movements and her face scrunched up in pain he could tell she was stiff and hurting. As he gripped onto the ladder and fought internally over his desire to comfort her and his desire to stay hidden he heard a sound that made his heart ache even more. He opened his eyes and watched as Liz hugged her arms close to her body and began to cry.