"So where are we going anyway?" Liz asked playfully, as Max pulled the Chevelle out onto the old highway.
Max smirked at Liz for an instant before turning his eyes back to the road. "It's a surprise." He chuckled.
Liz smiled happily at his response, turning her head to watch the beautiful trees go flying by as they headed further and further away from town.
Max had picked her up in the late afternoon, not long after school had gotten out, happy and carefree, and showing no signs of doubt, which left Liz breathing a sigh of relief. When she had brought up the night before, Max had just frowned and suggested that they talk about it later when things were more private, rather than talking about it in the middle of town. He just wanted to get away from it all.
That was where his plan for the evening came from. He needed to get Liz completely alone, away from all the distractions of the world. His mother had been more than helpful, especially when she heard that he was taking Liz out. Apparently his mom had a really high opinion of Liz and was thrilled to help with their relationship. She had eagerly prepared the picnic basket in the trunk for their dinner.
The desert surrounded them, the afternoon sun glinting off of the barren landscape, as the sun slowly lowered in the distance. They had been traveling down the highway towards Albuquerque, an unusual course of action for any Roswell teens, who rarely left the small town, boring as it was. As much as Liz pushed though, Max refused to give in to temptation, insisting that she would know what was going on soon enough.
Max surprised Liz by pulling off the highway about five miles out of Albuquerque, heading out into the desert towards a plateau in the distance.
"Max?" Liz asked one more time curiously as the plateau grew steadily closer.
"You'll see." Max laughed, causing Liz to groan in frustration, as he pulled the car to a stop beneath the rocks, opening his door and stretching his legs.
"This is it?" Liz asked curiously.
"This is the final stop for this train." Max joked. "All passengers are required to exit their cars, grab some supplies from the trunk, and follow me."
Liz grinned, always enjoying Max's playful attitude, as she opened the door and stepped out, following Max to the trunk of the car, where he pulled out a picnic basket, and handed Liz a large blanket.
"Come on, we're going to the top." Max explained, gesturing to the rocks before him, leading Liz towards a path on the side, and heading to the top. It was a relaxing hike, but Liz was relieved when they reached the top, ready to start whatever it was that Max had planned.
Max took the blanket from Liz's hands, spreading it across the flat rock face, and gesturing for Liz to sit, as he began unpacking the picnic basket, spreading the food before them. It was a simple picnic dinner…sandwiches, chips, and drinks, but perfect for the night, as Liz leaned back on her arms and stared off into the distance.
They had a perfect view of Albuquerque from where Liz was sitting, and she could see the city spread across the desert floor in the distance, amazed at how small it looked, compared to how large it actually seemed to her as a small town girl.
Liz squinted her eyes suddenly at the sight before her, as on the far side of the city, probably in the distant desert, she saw a huge, red balloon suddenly drifting upwards toward the sky.
"Max!" She gasped, "Do you see that?"
"Yup." Max replied, his smile evidenced in his voice, as Liz giggled ecstatically as another balloon, this one striped with a rainbow of colors went drifting upwards. "Have you ever been to this before? It's the annual hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque. My family went a few times when I was younger…there's pictures of us there hanging around the house. I can't remember what it was like, and it just looked so cool, I thought it would be fun for us."
"It's beautiful." Liz murmured in awe as she watched another balloon head slowly upwards.
"It's going to be going on all weekend." Max explained. "This is actually mostly just the trial runs, but I thought it would be fun to watch…and it would give us a chance to get away together and just…talk."
"Yeah…we need to do that, don't we?" Liz realized, sighing as she turned her eyes away from the unforgettable image of the balloons against the sunset, and met Max's gaze.
"I'm sorry about last night, Liz." Max stated firmly. "I was acting totally on my fears and emotions…I didn't mean to pull away like that. We both swore we would never do that to each other, and I just totally ignored it all. I'm sorry."
"Max…it's okay to be scared." Liz comforted him gently.
"But that's the thing, Liz. I'm not scared of this…of us. I know that you are what I want, Liz, and I never want you to ever doubt that."
"What are you afraid of Max?" Liz asked, gently studying his gaze as she waited anxiously for his reply.
"I think what I'm afraid of is the search that we're on for answers. We haven't even stopped to think about what it is that we're searching for…and everyone around us is telling us that we don't want to know. I can't help wondering if maybe they're right. And the thing is, Liz…I'd rather not know if it meant that I would loose you in the process."
"Is that really what you want, Max?" Liz wondered curiously.
"Yeah. I think so." Max confirmed a bit hesitantly, remembering Liz's obsessive reaction to finding her journal the night before. Suddenly he found himself doubting again…but this time doubting whether Liz would agree with him on this decision.
"I'm okay with that." Liz finally replied, making Max sigh heavily in relief. "The thing is, Max…the reason I wanted to find those answers so badly wasn't to find out whatever it was that tore us apart…it was to find whatever it was that brought us together. From the first moment I saw you in the hallway at school I just knew that you were important to me…that feeling is so powerful, I just wanted to know where it came from."
"And we discovered that last night." Max finished for her.
"Exactly." Liz confirmed with a soft smile. "So I can move on now that I understand that connection I felt. You saved my life Max…sometimes I wonder how I could ever forget that…but even now I desperately wish I could remember it the way I want to. How do you think it happened."
"I don't know." Max breathed in a distant voice. "But I can imagine what it would have felt like to be that close to loosing you…to see you dying. I probably could barely breathe, the pain in my heart was so overwhelming."
"And then you realized that you had the power in your hands to save me." Liz whispered, her eyes suddenly focused on his incredible hands, which were clenched in fists of fear.
"Suddenly everything must have changed for me." Max realized in a tone so soft it was barely audible. "For the first time in my life my…my alienness wasn't something to be afraid of. For the first time it must have felt like a gift, as I pushed my way towards your still body, and gently covered the wound with my hand, touching you for the first time, as I lost myself in healing you."
"With that one touch, I must have felt my whole body come back to life…and not just in the literal sense. You must have awakened my whole soul. I felt it the first time I saw you at school. Everything changed in that split second decision on your part."
"And it was worth it." Max swore passionately, as he leaned closer to Liz. "Because regardless of what else happened to us along the way, we're here, now, together."
"Yes…" Liz agreed passionately, as Max leaned closer, capturing her lips hungrily with his own.
