The flashes faded within moments, but the pain lingered, as did their lips, desperately pressed up against each other as Max and Liz tried to bury themselves within the present, within each other. They wanted to erase the memory from their minds, ignore the ripping pain in their hearts.
Liz's hands clung desperately to Max's T-shirt, as she pulled herself closer to him, whimpering slightly as she met each of his passionate kisses with an equally passionate reply. His hands stayed at her face, his thumbs brushed across her cheeks in a gentle caress, desperate to feel her, to be sure that she was real. Because in the flash that they had just experienced, their kiss was far from real…it was like Liz wasn't even there.
It was a reluctant couple which finally allowed their lips to separate, but their eyes remained locked, wide, shocked eyes meeting and conveying all the pain and regret that lingered from the flash.
"Okay, okay…so you proved your point!" Maria broke the moment, with an exasperated sigh. "I get it…you're back together now."
Michael on the other hand studied them a little closer, and instantly noticed that the mood had changed between them.
"Did you have a flash?" He asked them quietly.
"Yeah." Max replied breathlessly, his eyes never leaving Liz's, his attention totally focused on her and making sure she was okay. She still seemed dazed from the flash…and she was obviously fighting tears…her eyes were shining, hinting at a coming emotional outburst.
"Well what did you see?" Maria pushed, and Max froze. With all of Maria's doubts about their relationship, she didn't need to know what either of them were feeling right now…he and Liz both needed her to think that everything was fine.
"Nothing." Max replied quickly. "It's not important."
"Max!" Liz protested, shooting him a pained look, shocked that he would just blow off the flash as nothing.
"Yeah…come on, Max." Maria demanded further. "I doubt there's anything you could have seen that I wouldn't already know about. Just spill it."
"We just kissed." Max explained, with a flip of his hand, shooting Liz a gentle 'we'll talk about it later' look, nodding towards Maria, and praying that she would remember the point of this lunchtime gathering. "That was it. It was just a flash of a kiss that we had once before. No big deal."
"With you and Liz, it's always a bit deal." Maria replied dryly.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Pain…agonizing pain…confusion…betrayal…
And love…
"Were you watching?" Max demanded as he entered the senator's office, seeing Liz standing there guiltily, flustered at being discovered spying on him and Tess. Liz couldn't even find the words to explain herself, so Max continued. "So, it was all a setup?"
"Yeah." Liz admitted lamely, not knowing what else to say.
"You're trying to get Tess and me together?" Max asked in disbelief, as he desperately tried to wrestle more information out of her…trying to explain the pain he was feeling at the thought. The way Liz wouldn't even look him in the eye as she tried to explain herself.
"Look, I know that you must hate me right now…" Liz flustered, trying to find something, anything to stay to push him away further. She knew Max…she knew how he was going to react…but she never expected his reaction to be quite so extreme, as he shook his head in disbelief, before cupping her face with his hands and pressing his lips firmly against hers.
Liz had to fight back the gasp at his action, and the moan threatening to escape her throat. She couldn't react to this…she couldn't let him know how much he was getting to her…she couldn't allow him to discover that the first time their lips had touched in over four months was instantly turning her blood on fire, and making her desperate for more.
As he continued to devour her mouth…Liz wondered if he knew how much she was weakening under his embrace…particularly with the intensity that the flashes had suddenly overtaken her mind. As he pulled away, Liz tried to shake the memory of them from her mind, as she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the trembles coursing through her body.
"I felt that…" Max declared passionately. "…and I know you did, too, and I know you think that...that I need to let you go...for the sake of Michael, and Isabel, and my race...so you went to Tess. But she can't be you. Tess can never be you."
"Max, we have to stop this" Liz insisted lamely. "We have to. I am telling you that we have to.
"Go out with me on Friday." Max pressed quickly, desperate to get something, anything from her. "There's a Gomez concert in Santa Fe. I have tickets."
"No. No, Max. I can't go out with you ever again." Liz cried in frustration, even though her heart was begging her to say yes. She turned the begging to him, as she pleaded with her eyes. "Please stop doing this."
"I can't."
It had been hours since the flash…but the pain had lingered with them both, particularly since Liz couldn't get it out of her head…she couldn't ignore her determination to turn Max away from her at that moment, or the way the anguish had filled his eyes as she broke his heart.
Suddenly, Liz found herself full of doubt…not over her present feelings, because she knew without a doubt that she loved Max…even in the flash she knew that she loved Max.
The doubts were in herself. Liz couldn't figure out how Maria could hate Max so much when she, Liz, was the one to cause so much pain between them. She couldn't understand how Max could possibly just accept the flash as fact and then go on as if nothing had happened, when the evidence was right there in front of them both…and she was the culprit.
Liz was terrified of his impending reaction…sitting beside him in the Chevelle, parked in front of the Crashdown. She knew it was coming…they needed to talk before Liz's shift began.
The problem is that neither of them knew exactly where to start.
"I was in so much pain." Liz finally whispered, so softly that Max almost missed it.
They had been sitting there, lost in their own thoughts for so long, that it took Max by surprise. He turned to face her, waiting a long moment before speaking.
"I was so confused." Max softly replied. "I didn't understand what was going on. I still don't. All I know is that I was so in love with you…and you were trying to set me up with Tess…whoever she is. It hurt so much…particularly because I knew you didn't want me to be with her…you were just doing what you thought was best for me. How could you ever think that? You and I both know that I'm at my best when I'm with you. I need you, Liz. No one else."
"I know." Liz quietly cried, trying to ignore the tears that were slipping down her cheeks. "You need me, and I need you too. I don't know why I was trying to keep you away from me then, Max…but I swear to you…I won't do it again. I'm so sorry…for whatever I did."
"Liz…don't apologize." Max pleaded. "Whatever happened, it's in the past. We can't live in the past. We have to move forward with each other…not backwards. I mean…we don't know why any of that happened…and for all we know it was eventually resolved. Let's just learn from this lesson and move on. I mean…Maria has made one point totally clear…we've struggled through a lot to be together. The least we can do is take advantage of what we can have now."
Liz nodded wildly, wiping away her tears, before looking up into Max's eyes. "I agree. What's happened, has happened. We just have to be prepared that not all of these flashes are going to be easy to deal with. Whatever we see…whatever happens, we have to work through it together."
Max smiled gently. "We will, Liz. I can promise you that."
"Okay." Liz sighed. "I should get to work. Will you call me tonight after work?"
"Yeah…of course." Max agreed with a grin. "Phone date at 8 p.m. tonight."
