It was a restless Liz that Max found a few hours later, pacing back and forth across her balcony, when he pulled himself up the ladder and over the ledge to her.

"What's going on?" Max asked, concerned with her unsettling energy.

"I talked to Maria…about Tess." Liz started quickly, pausing in her jittery movements, to turn and meet Max's eyes. "She said the same thing as Isabel…that we don't want to know and we're better off without her."

Max opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off as Liz continued.

"But that isn't it…Maria told me something else…she said I kept a journal." Liz started pacing furiously again, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "The thing is…I've torn my room apart again and again since loosing my memory, looking for anything to help me…and not once have I seen a journal. I asked Maria and she doesn't know where I hid it."

Liz turned back to Max, the determination in her eyes piercing right into Max's own.

"We need to find that journal, Max. It could have all the answers we're looking for. It could be the key to everything…I mean, it must have something pretty important to it if I kept it so well hidden…I didn't want anyone finding it, Max…which means there could be stuff about you in there."

Liz paused a long moment, staring stubbornly into Max's eyes. "I need you to help me find it, Max."

Max felt like his head was spinning, as he stared at Liz in disbelief. She was so determined, so amazing…but her mind was so completely focused on just one thing at the moment. It was overwhelming…the possibility before them, but it was also overwhelming to think that he and Liz had only known each other for a few days…and all they had done was hunt for information the entire time.

"Liz…just stop for a minute." Max pleaded, watching her frantic movements across the balcony. She froze, turning to meet Max's eyes curiously. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Liz…I love you. I love you so much it hurts. And I will do anything in my power for you. But I think we both need to stop and take a look at things here for a moment."

"What are you talking about?" Liz asked in a hesitant voice.

"Liz…we're living in the past." Max explained gently. "All we do when we're together is talk about what could have been in the past, what might have happened between us…we're not even looking at what could happen tomorrow between us, or a week from now, or next month…unless it has something to do with the search."

Max took a slow step towards her, closing the distance between them as he continued.

"I went home this afternoon, and I spent all afternoon thinking about this…thinking about us. Since the moment I met you I've felt like I've always known you, Liz. I know that my heart knows you…I know that I love you. But I don't really know you, Liz. I know the little things, but not the big picture…and I want to know you, Liz. I want to know every little detail about you…what your favorite flavor of ice cream is, what you like to do for fun, what kind of music you listen to…there's a million things I want to know. Will you let me learn all I can about you?"

"Of course!" Liz breathed dramatically. "I want to know all those things about you too…I guess that's why I've been searching so hard for our memories…because I know that I'm supposed to already know those things…I just want to remember."

"Why wait for the memories, when we're both standing right here, Liz?" Max questioned, leaving Liz standing there staring at him in amazement. "Look…I'm not saying that it isn't important to find out…I'm just saying that I want to do both…so how about if we cut a deal here. I'll help you find the journal tonight…and if we do find it we can study it together…and then tomorrow night we'll abandon the hunt, and just go out alone together…on a real date."

"Okay." Liz smiled shyly, her heart pounding happily at the thought of a date with Max…suddenly the journal was far from her mind, even as she turned and followed Max into her room, where he stood in the center of the room, studying his surroundings in depth.

"So where have you looked?" He asked her, forcing Liz back into reality.

"All the obvious places…my closet, under my bed…I tore apart my desk. Basically I've searched everywhere, Max. I don't know how it's possible that it could still be in this room."

"All the obvious places…except that if it deals with what we think it would deal with you wouldn't want to hide it in an obvious place…you'd want to hide it somewhere where no one would ever find it." Max's eyes were drawn towards the single brick wall of Liz's room. Determination in his step, Max quickly crossed the room to study the wall more closely.

"Max?" Liz asked curiously, as Max reached out and touched the wall with both hands, sliding his fingers up and down the rough surface, pressing against an occasional brick, tracing the edges…looking for something, anything. He started at the top, working his way gradually lower, until suddenly he froze, as a single brick wiggled beneath his fingers.

"Hmmm…what have we here?" Max smiled, as he loosened the brick with his fingers, pulling it from the wall. Liz quickly rushed to his side as he carefully placed the brick off to the side, carefully reaching one hand into the black cavern, and allowing it to linger on the smooth surface beneath her. Gently, she lifted the mystery object, carefully removing it from the hole, and gasped at the sight before her.

It was a framed picture, hidden from her own sight, with a thin layer of dust covering the picture. Liz lowered her face to the glass and gently blew the dust away.

"Wow." Liz gasped, turning the picture for Max to see.

It was them…a picture of them from before…probably before any of the problems that they were now slowly learning about. There was no hint of pain or fear in their eyes…laughter was the emotion lingering in the image…happiness…ease…peace.

They were sitting together, squeezed into a booth, obviously at the Crashdown, as Liz was donning her infamous antennae, and Max had one arm around her, pulling her close to him. They had two huge smiles on their faces…something that Liz already knew was unusual for Max…

Staring at the picture, Liz got a newfound sense of peace from the knowledge that there were times when she and Max were totally happy together…she didn't even stop to think about why the picture was hidden away from her own eyes.

Passing the picture to Max, Liz turned to him with a soft smile. "Would you put that somewhere where I can see it?"

Max nodded and grinned, moving across the room to her desk and setting it beside the picture of Liz, Maria and Alex that was there. Max paused, studying the other picture carefully.

"Hey Liz…who's this guy with you and Maria?" He asked curiously.

"Oh…that's Alex." Liz explained, as she reached back into the hole in the wall, feeling for anything else. "According to Maria he was my other best friend. He died in a car crash a few months ago." Her hand finally rested on another object, and feeling around the edges of it, Liz knew it to be a book. "Here we go!" She exclaimed, as she pulled it out. Turning the small brown book over in her hands, Liz softly murmured, "This is it."

"Why don't I go home, and leave you to read that." Max suggested with a half-smile.

"No!" Liz rebutted quickly. "I…I want you to read it with me. We both deserve to know, Max."

"Are you sure?" Max protested. "I mean, we're talking about your personal thoughts here."

"It's okay." Liz insisted. "We're in this together…remember? Come on…lets go sit outside."

Stepping through the window, it was a moment before Max sat down in the lawn chair, gesturing for Liz to join him. She sat between his legs, leaning back against his chest, and after a quick, sweet flash of the two of them sitting in the quad at school, sitting just as they were, kissing and holding each other gently, Liz opened the journal and started reading aloud softly.

September 23rd. Journal entry one. I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. After that, things got really weird. I was shot, while at work in the Crashdown, and as I was lying on the floor dying, Max Evans came up to me, and healed me with a touch, sending my whole universe into whack.

It turns out that he's an alien. I feel ridiculous even saying it, but it's true…the fact that I'm sitting here alive is evidence enough. And he's been watching me all his life, seeing me in a way that no one else ever has, and caring enough about me that he was willing to risk his entire life for me. Since then, nothing has been the same.

He wanted me to know that he was still the same Max that I've been going to school with for the past eight years, so he came to me and used his powers to give me a glimpse into his world, and what I saw changed everything. I could feel everything he was feeling. I could feel his loneliness. For the first time I was really seeing Max Evans, I saw me as he saw me, and the amazing thing was, in his eyes, I was beautiful.

Max Evans has put a force on me. It's like my whole life changed in an instant. It's just so ironic that when something like this finally happened to me, it was with an alien.

Max truly did put his life in jeopardy for me. Sheriff Valenti knew something wasn't right about my story…I think he suspected the truth, and we all came together: Max, Michael, Isabel, Maria and I, to throw him off our trail…I think it worked. At least for now. Max is safe, and my world has opened up to the possibilities of a whole new universe.

It's September 24th, I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life.