Max froze at the question, and felt the blood drain from his face as he stared at Liz, fear open on his face. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone…his life depended on it. She would never love him if she knew what he was…
But it seemed from the flashes that she already knew once…
"Max…please." Liz pleaded in a gentler voice this time. She was quickly regaining control over her own emotions, but still was left with a lingering sense of confusion. "Max…I need to understand what I saw in those flashes…please, just tell me."
"What did you see?" Max asked in a distant voice.
Liz's heart clenched at his emotionless tone…he was already beginning to distance himself from her…she didn't know what she would do if she lost the one person she felt a true connection with since loosing her memory.
Liz took a deep breath and tried to push all of her fear out of her voice, making it as comforting as possible as she responded.
"In the first flash…I was so mixed up…I was afraid of you, but as afraid as I was I wanted you more than anything…I knew that even if I wasn't saying it. You wanted to show me that you hadn't changed to me…as if something had happened that would have changed everything. So you touched me and showed me…you showed me through memory flashes like the ones we've been having who you really are…and in doing so…I saw the most beautiful soul I have ever known."
Max's distant eyes flickered with emotion, but Liz continued before responding.
"I think the second flash was actually earlier than the first…because I didn't know any of this in that one. All I knew was fear and confusion…my guess is that you had just told me your secret. You were begging me not to tell anyone…you said your life depended on it." Liz paused, focusing her thoughts before continuing.
"The only thing that makes sense is that you have a secret, Max. A big secret…an impossible secret…about yourself. Somehow, I found out your secret, and it brought us together. Max…whatever it is, I already know…my heart already knows…my memory has just forgotten. You don't need to be afraid to tell me…I've already accepted it once. Please, Max…just tell me."
Liz was relieved to see Max relax a bit, as he let out the breath that she didn't know he had been holding.
"I…I've wanted to tell you since the first moment I saw you…in the hallway at school." Max mumbled shakily. "But I never thought I'd be able to…I never thought that it was possible that you had already known."
"Maybe you wanted to tell me because me knowing has been able to comfort you in the past." Liz suggested softly. "Maybe it helps you out to give you someone you can share with."
"Maybe." Max agreed.
Turning away from Liz, Max took a few steps away, running his hands through his hair nervously, as he tried to collect himself, pacing back and forth nervously. Liz waited patiently, silently, knowing it was possible that all Max needed was time. Eventually he turned back to her, gazing at her with serious eyes.
"Liz…you're sure?" Max asked softly. "This could change everything…how you see me, how you see the world…maybe even how you see yourself."
"I don't care." Liz stated bravely. "I need to know you, Max…all of you. If this will help us be close again, it's worth it."
Max nodded, smiling briefly, obviously pleased with her reaction, before his brow furrowed nervously again.
"Liz…you got it right when you asked me what I am. I'm…different, Liz…different from you, different from my parents, different from my family, from everyone around us."
"Different how?" Liz pushed gently, still waiting to hear whatever it was that would shock her so completely.
"Different in the sense that I'm…well…I'm not human, Liz. I think I was in the 1947 crash, Liz…I think…well I know actually…I'm an alien, Liz."
"An alien." Liz repeated. "You're an alien."
"Yes." Max confirmed again.
"Okay." Liz replied easily.
Max stared at her in surprise, waiting for further reaction. His eyes widened further when she met his gaze evenly and didn't freak out.
"You're not going to flip out, run away screaming…anything?" Max asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I told you I wouldn't." Liz laughed, grinning at him and lightening the heaviness of emotions that had seemed to overwhelm them. "Max…I knew it had to be something big…I was prepared for a huge shock. Plus…like I said before. My heart already knew…it was just really reminding myself. The moment you said it I knew it was true."
Liz's laughter warmed Max's heart, and suddenly it hit him smack in the face that Liz wasn't going to flip out…she had accepted him that quickly, that easily. Unable to hold it back any more, Max broke out into a huge grin…determined, he crossed the distance between himself and Liz in two short strides, pulling her quickly into a tight, warm embrace.
Nuzzling his face into her neck, Max sighed happily, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair.
"You're not going to freak out." He murmured happily, just as the flashes overtook their minds.
"Everyone we touch gets hurt in some way or another." Max cried sadly, as his eyes met those of the girl who had not only stolen his heart, but then broken it into a million pieces. After all that had happened between her, he had finally begun to let her go…and now she had come back…but Max knew deep inside that she was clinging to something that no longer was. He needed to let her go... "5 years from now, I don't want you to open your eyes and realize that...that you missed out. You're part of the group. You always will be. But you need to be allowed to...to grow."
Liz felt her eyes stinging from the tears that were already promising to fall. She knew what this moment was…it was goodbye. The goodbye that she had never allowed them to have before now. The goodbye that her heart still didn't want.
Desperately needing to feel him one last time, Liz leaned towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She knew he needed it too when he fell into her embrace, nuzzling his face into her neck.
"Why can't you come with me?" Liz breathed softly, desperately longing to stay with him as much as she knew that it was time to let go.
"Because I can't." Max murmured into her shoulder, as he breathed in the familiar scent of her hair…just one of a million things he missed about Liz Parker. " But I'll be watching you, Liz Parker. Wherever you go...and I'll be here when you get back."
As the memory faded away, Max pulled back, squeezing his eyes shut, desperately trying to push away the pain in his heart that lingered from the flash. It was overwhelming…he didn't know pain like that was possible. It was heartache, longing, desire…all mixed with the need to let go.
"I'm…I'm sorry." Max stammered, opening his eyes, and gazing at Liz in shock. "I just wanted to touch you…I didn't think…I didn't meant to cause a flash."
"Yeah…we're going to have to be careful about that." Liz's own voice was faltering as well, and Max could tell the flash had shaken her as much as it had him.
"I…I've never felt so much pain." Max anguished, his eyes glazed over with unshed tears as he tried to process the flash. "I don't even know where it all came from. It overwhelmed me so much…but in the flash I was used to it…like I'd been living with it for so long that I had learned to ignore it. But it was still there…whatever it was…it was why I was letting you go. I think I was doing what I thought you wanted."
"I didn't though." Liz cried, her own heart overwhelmed from the emotion. "I wanted to be with you more than anything…but I wasn't letting myself. I don't know why…"
"We hurt each other." Max realized softly. "All that pain…all that horrible, horrible pain. We caused it all. That's why everyone is trying to keep us apart…Maria…Isabel… They love us so much that they don't want to see us hurt each other again."
"We won't let ourselves." Liz stubbornly insisted. "We can't stay apart just because we hurt each other once! If we want to be together we deserve the chance, Max. We can learn from our mistakes as we get our memories back." Liz reminded him, as she began to pace in front of him in determination.
"Just look at that flash we just had." She continued. "We were in so much pain, letting each other go, even though both of us still wanted to be together. We just have to ignore our minds sometimes…listen to our hearts. If they're still drawing us to each other than we must be doing something right!"
"I know." Max sighed. "I agree completely. I just wish that they would let us do this on our own. By keeping us apart they've actually slowed down the process of us regaining out memories. It was wrong of them."
"It was wrong of them." Liz agreed. "But they did do it because the love us…that deserves some justification. I'm going to talk to Maria about it…about us. She's just going to have to get used to the idea of us being together."
"Us…we're together?" Max asked hopefully, a boyish grin gracing his face.
Liz blushed shyly, realizing for the first time what she said.
"Well…we could be. If you want to that is." She stammered.
"I want to." Max replied simply.
Max took a step towards her, reaching to caress her cheek, when suddenly he froze about an inch away from her skin.
"What?" Liz asked, concerned by his reaction.
Max chuckled softly. "I don't think we need any more memory flashes right now…that last one was pretty harsh."
