Without opening her eyes, Liz slowly woke up. Her senses came back to her in pieces, first she felt the warmth all around her body from her head to her feet, which were carefully tucked under a fleece blanket. Next, she felt the soft feel of the cotton flannel shirt Max had been wearing under her face. The warm pressure of him against her side and his arm wrapped around her shoulders reminded Liz of her visit to see Max and what he’d finally said to her. They could be together. They were finally together. She curled up closer to Max, as if that was even possible, and listened to the sound of him breathing and felt the gentle rise and fall of his chest where her head rested against him. His hand was loosely holding hers, exactly as it had when they’d fallen asleep. Liz realized she should wake up and go home, she had to get some sleep before their trip tomorrow. She slowly opened her eyes, not really wanting to leave Max. All she wanted was to sleep in his arms all night.
As her eyes came into focus, Liz saw the sunlight pouring in through the blinds of Max’s window and she nearly shot straight up on the bed. She had slept in his arms all night. Liz sat up quickly and looked around the room, completely panicked. Her parents would be furious. She shivered at the loss of Max’s warmth around her as she swung her feet around to hit the floor, which barely touched it from the height of the bed. She looked back at Max where he continued to sleep, his face peaceful and calm. Her anxieties faded for just a moment as she leaned over and touched his face, smoothing back some of his ruffled hair. She had to hurry home and try to do some damage control. Liz heard the door to Max’s room begin to open and the panic arose again. She’d been worried about her own parents, but now she was about to be discovered in Max’s room, in his bed, by his parents. She looked around frantically and even considered hiding under the bed, but all her thoughts vanished quickly as Isabel stuck her head through the door.
“Liz! Come on, before Mom sees you in Max’s room,” Isabel exclaimed, motioning to her. Liz quickly got up, turning to give Max a quick kiss before leaving. He barely stirred as she left, joining Isabel in the hall.
“What--”
“Shh! I got home last night and when I came to knock on Max’s door I saw you guys sleeping and I knew it was already really late. I told Mom you were staying overnight, though I did say in my room, not Max’s, and I got your stuff from your house. Your parents think you spent the night over here last night,” Isabel explained. Liz breathed a sight of relief and grinned at Isabel gratefully.
“Thank you so much,” Liz said. Isabel gave her a bright smile.
“Well, what are friends for?” she replied. Liz was surprised at first but finally nodded. If Isabel was willing to be friends with her, she was not going to object. Max’s sister was one of the people Liz most wanted to count as a friend.
“Come on, you’d better get ready in my bathroom. Mom might be surprised if she saw you come out of Max’s bathroom,” Isabel said wryly, leading Liz down the hall. Liz blushed a little but followed Isabel after casting a glance at Max’s door. She knew she would see him soon, but she already missed the feeling of him next to her.
Less than an hour later Liz was getting dressed after her shower in Isabel’s bathroom. Her hair was still wet and she wrapped it up in a towel before she opened the door, letting the steam and heat from the bathroom billow out. She collided against Max as he was walking down the hall and his arms quickly went around her waist, catching her and pulling her against him at the same time. She looked up at Max and was pleased to see the playful smile that spread across his mouth as he looked at her. She took in his tousled hair and his eyes, still a little sleepy, with a smile of her own. He gently touched her face and leaned closer, breathing in the scent of the soap she’d used.
“I wish I could have woken up with you next to me,” he whispered, his face lowered close to hers. Liz’s heart skipped a beat as she listened to his voice. It sounded low and rumbled a little like thunder. His voice deepened when it seemed that he only wanted her to hear what he was saying. She finally regained her thoughts and cleared her throat.
“Maybe another time,” she answered playfully, purposefully teasing him as she leaned in closer, her mouth an inch away.
“I hope so,” Max replied, his eyes turning serious as he gazed at Liz. He was about to lean in close enough to kiss her when his sister’s voice cut in from just down the hall.
“Okay, are you two trying to get caught? I went to a lot of trouble so that no one would find you in Max’s room, so the least you could do Liz is to stay away from him for like two seconds! “ Isabel hissed from her doorway, trying to sound just a little threatening. She wasn’t really mad, even Liz could tell, but she was busy trying to protect them. Liz stepped reluctantly away from Max and he watched her go longingly. Even her bare feet vaguely reminded him of how her feet had been sold against him last night, how their legs had become tangled and he’d had no idea where he stopped and she began. Max ran a hand through his dark hair. He’d never slept better or felt more content in his entire life. He wondered how he would ever sleep again without Liz right beside him.
After showering quickly Max exited the bathroom and turned his head quickly at the sound of laughter coming from Isabel’s room. It was the very feminine sound of teenage girls laughing, a sound that he hadn’t heard often enough from his sister. Or from Liz, for that matter. He used to see Liz and Maria laughing in the hallways at school all the time, but since their lives had complicated greatly, that sight had been noticeably absent. He couldn’t help but smile at the sound, easily making out the velvety sound of Liz’s laughter and Isabel’s deeper laugh. The giggling that followed confused him until he realized that Maria must have arrived while he was in the bathroom. Shaking his head, he returned to his room, not really surprised when he saw Michael sitting at the computer, beating the computer at yet another game of solitaire. Michael looked up as Max entered and gave a nod as a greeting.
“Hey, you ready?” Max asked his friend. Michael nodded.
“As ready as I’ll ever be to spend an entire day in Maria’s car,” Michael commented. Max tried to hide a smile, but found he couldn’t.
“Does that mean you guys are on again or off again?” he asked.
“As of five minutes ago we are on again, but that could literally change at any moment. What about you and Liz? Are you still in that Mulder and Scully-esque state of will they or won’t they?” Michael asked, fishing for details.
“No, we’re actually firm on that point for the first time. We are definitely together,” Max stated firmly, thrilled at the sound of those words and the thought of Liz and him together as a couple. He no longer had to worry about other guys looking at her and wondering if they would walk up and start talking to her. They would know by the way he stood near her, by the way his hand rested on her back that she was his, and that he was hers. Her eyes looking up at him would discourage anyone from approaching them and he didn’t have to worry about what was appropriate and what wasn’t. He could touch her if he felt like it. He could kiss her if he felt like it. And he could love her just as he felt and no longer had to hide.
“Hey Maxwell, you still there?” Michael asked, waving a hand in front of his eyes. Max blinked and nodded, turning his attention back to Michael.
“Yeah, what?”
“Your mom’s calling from the kitchen, it’s time to pack up and hit the road,” Michael replied, grabbing his bag from the floor. Max nodded and grabbed his own, following Michael out into the hallway. He shut his door and looked down to Isabel’s door where Isabel and Liz were struggling with their own large and heavy bags. He walked down and leaned over to pick up Liz’s bag.
“Need some help with that?” he asked her. She looked up at him and nodded slowly. Normally she would have refused, determined to take care of herself, but something made Liz stop. Partly she knew that she let him carry her bag because she knew how happy Max would be that he was able to help her. She didn’t think it would matter if she told him he helped her every day. And partly she had to admit that she just wanted to see the muscles in his arms and his broad shoulders work as he lifted her luggage. Liz watched Max walk away with her luggage and her eyes continued to stare at the direction he’d gone until Isabel’s ranting under her breath caught her attention.
“You know, Max used to carry my luggage for me,” she pointed out. Liz smiled, knowing she was just getting some good-natured teasing. She’d come to be able to read the sarcasm that Isabel used as much more playful and much less insulting as they’d laughed while they’d been getting ready for the day in Isabel’s room. Liz leaned over and took the handles of one of Isabel’s bags, shouldering it with more than a little effort.
“Geez, Isabel, what did you pack? A set of encyclopedias?” Liz asked as she stumbled slowly down the hall, followed by Isabel.
“Nope, this one has the encyclopedias, that one has the bricks,” Isabel quipped from behind her. Liz laughter filled the hallway as the two girls made their way outside where the group of travelers was forming and loading up the cars. Alex and Michael saw them coming and quickly came to their aid, taking the bags and handing them to Max and his father where they were loading up the Evans’ van. After the van was full of duffel bags and the skies were secure on the rack on top of the roof, the group stood in a circle in the driveway to finalize the traveling arrangements. Since Phillip and Diane knew the exact route they were taking, they decided to take the lead. All the parents were riding in the van, with Maria following in her car with Michael and Max driving the jeep with Liz, Isabel and Alex.
“Okay, we’ll take a couple of breaks along the way, but we want to try and get there by dark. We’ve got an early start but a lot of road to cover, so we better get started,” Phillip commented. Everyone nodded and started to load up into their respective cars. Liz’s mother came over to her daughter and put an arm around her shoulders.
“How did you sleep last night honey?” Nancy asked. Liz smiled broadly, thinking of how well she’d slept with Max holding her all night.
“Really good, Mom, thanks. I guess we’ll see you guys at the first rest stop,” Liz said, hugging her mother quickly and waving to her father as they got in the van. She felt Max next to her and turned to look at him. Without a word he led her over to the jeep and gave her a hand up. She climbed into the passenger seat and turned to look at Isabel and Alex in the back seat. Alex was telling Isabel a story from one of his past skiing trips. All she caught was something about a snowman and how Alex had lost a ski and Liz smiled. Not because she knew what story he was talking about, but because Isabel was laughing at the memory Alex was sharing. Max climbed into the jeep and put the key in the ignition, starting the engine. He waited until the van pulled out, then Maria followed and he backed out of the driveway, forming the end of their caravan. Liz shivered a little even though she wasn’t really cold. Max noticed and quickly turned on the heater, directing the vents to her.
“Are you cold?” he asked, concerned.
“Not really, I just got a chill,” she replied, touched by how he worried about her.
“Just wait until we get to Snowmass. It’s pretty cold there,” he said.
“You know, I’ve never even seen real snow before,” she replied.
“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” Max replied. Liz smiled and settled down in her seat. It was about 400 miles to Snowmass and about two hours until they had planned to stop. That made for a pretty long trip and lots of car games. An hour and a half later they were running out of games to play, but Liz didn’t think she had ever laughed so much. Her stomach ached as she sat sideways to keep Isabel and Alex in sight. They’d been playing a game where one of them listed a category and everyone had to list something related to that item until they couldn’t think of anything else. Alex had been their main source of entertainment, wowing them with his knowledge of completely unrelated topics like state capitals and varieties of cheese.
“Okay, I’ve got a new one,” Max said, which caught Alex’s attention.
“Just as long as it’s not anything like elements of the periodic table or something. I’m on to you and Liz, Evans. Some of us aren’t science geeks,” Alex said.
“No, some of you are just computer geeks,” Liz replied. Alex pretended to be wounded as Isabel let loose a peal of laughter.
“Liz, how could you? You’ve crossed over to the other side. I see how it is. Well, I’ve still got Isabel on my side,” Alex said, putting his arm around Isabel’s shoulders. Liz watched as Isabel didn’t move for a second her smile frozen and then she seemed to relax against Alex, her smile turned on him. His arm stayed around her shoulders and they waited expectantly for Max’s choice of topics.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger movies,” Max suggested. Liz and Isabel rolled their eyes as Alex patted Max on the back.
“All right, that’s more like it! Predator.”
“Predator 2,” Max said.
“Predator 3.”
“Liz, there was no Predator 3,” Max said gently as Alex snickered in the back seat.
“Oh. Umm, True Lies! “
“Twins,” Isabel said. Liz turned to look at her.
“Really? Isn’t Danny Devito in that? How are we supposed to believe they are twins?” she questioned. Isabel nodded.
“I know, it’s totally not possible. I mean they don’t look anything alike--”
“Ladies, I think we’re getting a little sidetracked,” Alex said teasingly. “Back to Arnold. Conan the Barbarian. Max, you’re up!”
“Terminator.”
“Terminator 2! “ Liz smiled, glad to finally have an easy answer.
“Terminator 3.”
“Isabel, you’re suffering from the Liz Parker Syndrome. There wasn’t any Terminator 3,” Alex said. Isabel looked at him, smiling sheepishly.
“Oh, well, I knew that. Umm, well--” Isabel thought and tried to come up with an answer. Finally, she sighed. “I don’t know! I give up.”
“Thank you, Max, for coming up with a topic I can tackle,” Alex said.
“Yeah, well, I say we should do Meg Ryan movies next,” Isabel said. Alex began to look panicked until Max saved him.
“We’ll have to hold that thought. Our first stop is coming up,” Max said, guiding the jeep off the freeway, following Maria and the van. After everyone stretched their legs and walked around a bit they piled back into the cars again to continue heading north. Two rest stops and three hours later they stumbled out of the cars, Max looking a little weary from watching the road. Liz stood next to him, her eyes concerned.
“Are you okay? I wish I could drive for you, but I don’t know how to drive a stick,” Liz said. Max squeezed her hand gratefully.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see if Isabel can take us the rest of the way," Max replied, motioning his sister over. She agreed to drive the rest of the way and she took the driver’s seat, with Alex in the passenger’s seat and Liz and Max in the back. Max stretched out his legs as Liz tucked hers underneath her and tried to sit as close to Max as their seat belts would allow. He laid his head back against the seat and his arm along the back. Liz listened as Alex and Isabel discussed music over the low volume of the radio and she looked back at Max, who almost looked like he was sleeping.
“Max?” she whispered.
“Hmm?”
“Oh, I thought maybe you were asleep,” she replied. He smiled, turning his head to her.
“Not unless I can hear your heartbeat next to me,” Max replied. Liz eagerly moved against him, laying her head next to his and feeling the heavy warmth of his arm around her. He stroked her hair gently and she laid her hand on his chest. They stayed that way, listening to the soothing sounds of their breathing as they both fell asleep. A few more hours later, just after darkness fell, Isabel finally stopped the jeep at their resort in Snowmass. The sound of the cut engine was enough to rouse Max and Liz from their sleep and they woke up. The first thing Max saw was Liz’s face staring at him, and her eyes looking at him. Liz looked excitedly around and Max got out of the jeep, holding out his hand to help Liz out. She followed him and immediately felt the chill of a climate that was doused in snow. The air that she breathed in felt like it was pure ice in her lungs. The air was the coldest she’d ever felt and her arms went around her body, trying to hug any warmth close. She sighed as Max came up behind her and put his arms around her, pulling her back up against him.
She started to feel some warmth return to her body as she looked around, trying to see what she could in the dark. Unfortunately it wasn’t too much, just the mountains, covered in snow that almost glowed blue in the darkness by the light of the small slice of moon in the sky. She could make out some of the trees and the buildings lit up near downtown. By how clearly she could see the stars above she knew that there weren’t too many competing lights on the ground. The resort they were staying at was designed like a ski chalet; it looked like pictures she’d seen of houses in Switzerland. Liz wanted to see more of everything, but she knew that would have to wait until daylight. The parents returned from the front desk with keys and directions to their rooms. Liz held her breath, wondering what had been decided. This was the only part of the trip that hadn’t been discussed, where everyone was sleeping.
“Okay, we’ve decided that you kids will have a much better time if you stay together, but if there’s a hint of any trouble, the room arrangements can and will quickly change,” Jeffrey warned. He looked at Diane, who handed Max three keys and Liz three keys.
“Max, you, Michael and Alex have room 218 that has a door connected with the room next door, number 219. Liz, Maria and Isabel will have that room and the rest of us will be in room 220. Each room has two bedrooms and a pull out couch, so you kids can decide on sleeping arrangements amongst yourselves. Since it’s only a little after five we might as well unpack and try to take in some of Snowmass this evening,” Diane said. Everyone in the group nodded and started to unload the cars. It took several trips, but finally everyone got their things into their respective rooms. Liz watched Max enter the guys’ room and she entered the girls’ room, quickly walking to the adjoining door between the rooms. She unlocked their side and swung open the door to reveal Max doing the exact same thing on his side. She was immediately distracted by Maria, who was attempting to carry one of Isabel’s bags further into the room.
“Liz, could you give me a hand with this please?” Maria asked. Liz turned back to Max and he just smiled, understanding that they would be together soon enough. They both turned to leave, keeping the door wide open so that each person could hear the sounds of the other five moving around, arguing over who slept where, flipping on the TV and commenting on the interesting décor of the rooms. Liz smiled to herself as she unpacked her bags. The sounds reminded her of a busy house, full of a family. And as odd as it was, the six of them had become a family of sorts.
