Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:55 am
A/N: Hi, everybody thanks for the feedback sorry about the delay between posts... I'm trying to do better.
harroc83 - Don't worry Tess will be good from here on in.
Timelord31
maxandlizforever
Jennifer24
angeleyes
L-J-L 76
Luna_Seer - Well Max is 17, and Liz will be shortly...
blackknight1864
bluesands
SarahWhitman - Never I may ocasionally suffer from WB and RL, but I have this story all mapped out I have every intention of finishing it.
So with out further adu....
Chapter 11 -- Early Battles
Riandra found herself at the Temple of the Granolith for only the third time since Khivar’s insurrection. The first time had been over fifty years ago when she had helped engineer the rebirth of her children and sent them off to Earth with the Granolith. The second time had been mere months ago right after she was first contacted by her son and his queen.
Two days ago they had contacted her again. This time they informed her that they were once again in Roswell and the immediate threats had been dealt with. Now it is time to spread the word. The war for Antar would begin tonight.
General Volar was upset at her plan, but he was a practical man, and what she planned to do tonight was simply impossible. But what Volar failed to realize is that tonight the land they were reclaiming didn’t belong to the king nor did it belong to the people. Tonight they were reclaiming the continent of Nizo… and Nizo belonged to God.
Riandra may never have carried the seal as the current queen does, but she was bonded to the man who did for over sixty years. It left her sensitive to the workings of her Lord. Tonight the One who owns all the worlds and gives them to whomever He pleases will reclaim what is rightfully His.
It didn’t matter that what she was planning was impossible because Asheryah was a God who delighted in the impossible. It was He who would give them the victory tonight. All He requires is a few souls to stand in the gap and believe.
So here she was gathered with seven other dreamwalkers and thirteen mindbenders to accomplish a task that should take an army of millions.
Nizo is a continent about the size of Earth’s North America, shaped similar to Earth’s Australia. At the center of the continent is the mountain after witch the continent is named. On top of Mount Nizo is the city of Serejalmu, inhabited by half a million; in the center of the city is the Temple of the Granolith. Surrounding the base of the mountain and stretching out to the sea is one large city, Ramasia, inhabited by 1.5 billion people.
Some of Khivar’s most highly trained soldiers were stationed here, because this was the holy land and the religious order made no secrets about where their loyalties lie. They were loyal to Asherya and the king He anoints with the royal seal. Therefore Khivar new this land would be ripe for revolt against his reign.
Riandra stood in the center of the now empty Granolith chamber. The other dreamwalkers formed a circle around her and the mindbenders formed a circle around them.
Antar had grown strong and prosperous under the blessing of the Almighty, but they had also grown prideful. And in their pride they thought themselves self sufficient and they forgot their need of Him that blessed them. As a result Asheryah removed his hand of protection and allowed Khivar to teach Antar of their need. Now she needed to reverse their mistakes.
She dropped to her knees and interceded on behalf of her people, “Creator of all things, all mighty Sovereign, tonight we come before You and ask for You to shine Your favor once again upon us. Aid us this night as we cleanse the holy land of Your enemies. We ask for Your mighty power to fight with us tonight so that the worlds may know that the time of your servants reckoning is come to an end. That once again Antar’s king shall reign to Your glory.”
After her prayer she sent a signal to General Volar, and he raised the newly installed shield around the continent. The continent of Nizo was now isolated. All intercontinental transmat activity was interfered with except for the thirteen new transmats that were powered by the shield itself and controlled by the resistance. The shield would also act as a barrier to all matter, as well as to all energy above a certain intensity; effectively preventing any attack on the continent from the outside.
The mindbenders in the outer circle formed a connection, the dreamwalkers in the inner circle formed a connection, then both circles lent their powers to Riandra. As Riandra reached out with her mind she felt the Almighty’s power come and strengthen her further… she had known she would.
She began in the temple and circled outward toward the shores. She entered the mind of every individual on the continent. Those she found that were loyal to the Creator and therefore her son she left untouched. For those she found that were loyal to Khivar, she merged their conscious and unconscious minds putting them in a semi-permanent coma. For those she found who had neither loyalty, she mindwarped into reporting to one of the new transmat stations and leaving the continent.
All night she worked, sorting through minds one at a time. She completed her task just as morning was approaching. Once finished with the primary task she performed one final duty before collapsing into an exhausted sleep. She broadcast a message to everyone on the planet. A cross between a mindwarp and a dreamwalk, her image appeared in the clouds as she spoke, “People of Antar, Nizo is free of Khivar’s influence. King Zan lives and he has found the queen he had always been searching for. Khivar’s reign will soon come to an end.”
By days end, war had broken out all over the planet. Some entire cities immediately declared their loyalty to King Zan, in other cities there was a coup before the same result was achieved. In still other cities there was mass bloodshed between those loyal to Khivar and those King Zan; with the outcome still pending.
Nizo, the holy land, may have been freed in a night, without the loss of a single life, but the war for the rest of the planet would be long and bloody… and it began today.
When Riandra awoke she was in her chambers, General Volar was watching over her. She smiled up at him, “Do you believe now? Asheryah has reclaimed His holy land, now it falls to you and my son to reclaim our planet.”
General Volar was still incredulous. Yes he’d read in the sacred texts of when men and women of faith had been empowered by the Creator such that one could overpower a thousand and two could overpower ten thousand… but those were stories. Now he had actual proof of such a feat. Nizo overnight had become a safe haven for those who support King Zan. Anyone who wished to come in had to be transported through the shield via the transmat booths they controlled, and anyone coming in from the outside was mentally probed by three guards.
The news has spurred the war which had been cold for so long into a fiery battle. He already had heads of cities and military bases all over the planet reporting to him to coordinate the next stage and help free those cities which are currently of divided loyalty.
*Do I believe now? How could I not?* “Yes, I believe. Please forgive my earlier unbelief.”
Riandra dismissed his apology with a wave and asked, “How has Khivar responded?”
Volar answered, “Khivar has been moving troops around, squashing rebellions beginning with the cities in which he has the most support and working his way to the cities in which he has least support. We are doing likewise. Lines are being drawn, by current estimates it will be at least three months before each city has chosen sides and cleared out all the opposition. Then war will become a city by city siege as each side tries to take land from the other. There’s no telling how long that will take. But the war has most definitely begun.”
*********
October 15th, 2000
I’m Liz Evans. Next Monday is my birthday… I can’t wait. I know Max has been making plans for it, but he flags those thoughts private and asks me not to look. I can’t tell you how tempted I am to look anyway, but Max really wants this to be a surprise and I don’t want to ruin it for him. He is still walking on eggshells around my parents. We hold no delusions to the fact that they aren’t entirely happy about this marriage. We both know the only one of the parents truly supporting this marriage is Diane. (She insists I call her and Philip by their first names because Max and I are Mr. and Mrs. Evans now.)
However Philip has just about as much trouble saying no to her as Max has saying no to me. Therefore he signed. And the only reason my parents signed was because Max’s ability to manipulate and control a situation had been at its best.
First he had shocked them with proof that he had no trouble taking me out of the country, then he had described a worse case scenario where he indicated we were willing to run away again and, if that failed, go to great lengths to fight for our marriage. Then he had bribed them with not losing me by telling them we wanted to live under their roof and a willingness to take responsibility and pay rent. Then he’d played on their sympathies with our declarations of love. Then once his parents supported them, well he’d mentioned enough legal loopholes that would allow us to stay married and my parents didn’t know how difficult it would be to get those, but they did know his parents were lawyers and could make it easier. Then finally he had resorted to begging. No, my parents definitely do not support this marriage. Max merely managed to convince them that it was the lesser of the available evils. I think my mother is softening, but dad still doesn’t bother to hide his disapproval. I hope they can at least put it aside for one day next week so I can have a happy birthday. Max is coming to bed now so that’s it for tonight…
*********
Max woke up and smiled has he felt his wife snuggle closer to him. It was their morning ritual. The both left their dream world at the same time every morning. As they woke they teased each other before they made love and fulfilled each other’s needs. Then they took a shower together which usually included another round of love making.
On school days, they would then head over to the Parker’s dining room for a family breakfast.
He figured it was both a good thing and a bad thing that Liz came to breakfast blissfully happy every morning… A good thing because the Parkers would want their daughter to be happy; a bad thing because they could probably figure out the cause of that happiness and they probably weren’t too thrilled about that.
He knew they worried about Liz becoming pregnant too soon. But it’s not like he could tell them that because he was and alien, they had access to birth control methods that were fool proof.
But it seemed that the Parkers were gradually warming up to him. He assumed the fact that he and Liz were still doing well in school, and that they had started attending church services regularly, and the “Aura of Love”, as Maria had taken to calling it, which he and Liz exuded was helping. Nancy was definitely starting to come around… she’d even asked him to call her “Nancy”. Mr. Parker however was another story. Max decided he would have to talk to Mr. Parker and see if he couldn’t get him to put their differences aside for next Monday. After all it was Liz’s first birthday as his wife and he wanted it to be perfect.
As he began to make love to Liz he let his tension slip away, his nightmares of the white room had stopped after the experience with the Granolith. But lately other thoughts troubled his mind, namely the rising death toll back on Antar and the fact that there were enemies on Earth that they had not encountered yet… enemies that thanks to the orb transmission now knew their location.
He had made sure the five of them that had powers trained with them regularly. He knew that soon the danger would be here and they needed to be prepared. But for now he would put that aside and lose himself in the love of his wife.
It still amazed him that Liz was here with him, granting him unlimited access to not only her body but also her heart and mind. For as pleasurable as he found her body, and that he found very pleasurable; he derived even more pleasure from searching her mind for her dreams and fantasies and fulfilling them for her. And as pleasurable as that was he derived the most pleasure from knowing her heart.
She denied him nothing in that regard and he could experience all her emotions first hand. It amazed him that nowhere in her did she harbor even the slightest fear or disgust at what he was; that she trusted him implicitly; and she loved him completely. That any human knowing his secret could feel the way she did about him amazed him; but to know that the one that did was his dream girl herself… It was the most precious gift he’d ever received and he thanked God every chance he got that he’d been sent here… that he’d been allowed to marry this most amazing woman.
*********
Breakfast was subdued that morning and Max purposed again to talk to Liz’s parents to see if there wasn’t something he could do to fix this. After the meal he turned to Liz, “Go ahead and finish getting ready. I’ll join you in a little bit.”
Liz knew what Max was about to do and she loved him for it. As she left the room Max turned to the Parkers, “Nancy, Mr. Parker, I need to speak to you.”
Both of Liz’s parents looked resigned as they accepted his statement. Jeff spoke up, “What is it?”
Max looked thoughtful for a moment as tried to think how to begin this conversation. Quickly coming to a conclusion he began, “Do you remember the day you two agreed to sign our marriage consent forms?”
If looks could kill Max would have died from the glare he received form Mr. Parker. Max swallowed accepting their silent answer and asked rhetorically, “Do you remember Liz’s reaction to the news?”
Then he answered his own question, “She smiled so brightly it lit up the room, with a smile so genuine her eyes sparkled. Do you remember what I said next?”
He paused for a moment, meeting each of Liz’s parents’ eyes. “I said that I lived to create smiles like that. That’s still true today and I’ve made sure Liz has come to breakfast every morning with a smile like that. But every morning Liz leaves the breakfast table with a twinge of hurt in her eyes.”
“Now I can understand you’re not happy with me, and I understand why. I hope to have a sixteen year old daughter just like Liz twenty-five years from now, give or take. And if some boy does with her what I’ve done with Liz…” Max shook his head trying to refocus his thoughts, “I’m not sure how long it would take me to forgive him, but it would be a long time.”
“Liz doesn’t look at it like that though. All she sees is that the two men she loves most in the world can’t seem to get along, and it hurts her.”
“Now Liz’s birthday is coming up and I need twenty-four hours. I need twenty-four hours where you and I put aside our differences and act like we get along; twenty-four hours where two facts become more important than everything else. One, we both love Liz and two, we both want her to be happy.”
Max took a deep breath and continued, “I know I’m asking a lot; but if the German and British soldiers at the front lines in 1914 could call a cease fire to World War I and have a cross battlefield gift exchange for Christmas Eve then we should be able to do this.”
“So I need twenty-four hours where whenever we’re in Liz’s presence we act like we get along… so what is it going to cost me to get it.”
Max looked back and forth between the two parents faces. He broke the silence that followed his question by offering, “I could double this months rent, or I could work some projects around here, or maybe I could just arrange us some time alone together so you can yell at me till you’re blue in the face, or anything else you need. But please tell me what I need to do to make this birthday perfect for Liz.”
Max’s speech was the last straw for Nancy. The last of her resolve finally melted and she admitted to herself that Liz had chosen well. She’d been watch for the last month and a half and she knew what Max had said was true and more. She knew Liz was smiling happily not only when she came to breakfast with Max, but just about anytime Max was at her side. She’d noticed the devotion that flowed off them in waves… and truth be told, she wished that she and Jeff had what was so clearly visible between these two.
Her mind was made up she would support Max and Liz from here on in. She looked cautiously to Jeff and saw the obvious struggle on his face. She knew him well and she could just see the battle taking place inside him. The battle between the part of himself that didn’t want his little girl to be grown up yet; and the part of himself that knew the truth of Max’s words, that he, Jeff Parker, was the one currently causing his little girl pain.
It was clear when the battle ended because Jeff slumped his shoulders in defeat and dejectedly spoke, “Don’t worry about it Max, just keep her happy and be careful with her and we’ll be ok from now on.”
As Max’s words echoed through his mind, *One, we both love Liz and two, we both want her to be happy,* he reached out his hand for Max. Max understood and eagerly accepted it. Those two facts would be the bases of their new relationship.
harroc83 - Don't worry Tess will be good from here on in.
Timelord31
maxandlizforever
Jennifer24
angeleyes
L-J-L 76
Luna_Seer - Well Max is 17, and Liz will be shortly...
blackknight1864
bluesands
SarahWhitman - Never I may ocasionally suffer from WB and RL, but I have this story all mapped out I have every intention of finishing it.
So with out further adu....
Chapter 11 -- Early Battles
Riandra found herself at the Temple of the Granolith for only the third time since Khivar’s insurrection. The first time had been over fifty years ago when she had helped engineer the rebirth of her children and sent them off to Earth with the Granolith. The second time had been mere months ago right after she was first contacted by her son and his queen.
Two days ago they had contacted her again. This time they informed her that they were once again in Roswell and the immediate threats had been dealt with. Now it is time to spread the word. The war for Antar would begin tonight.
General Volar was upset at her plan, but he was a practical man, and what she planned to do tonight was simply impossible. But what Volar failed to realize is that tonight the land they were reclaiming didn’t belong to the king nor did it belong to the people. Tonight they were reclaiming the continent of Nizo… and Nizo belonged to God.
Riandra may never have carried the seal as the current queen does, but she was bonded to the man who did for over sixty years. It left her sensitive to the workings of her Lord. Tonight the One who owns all the worlds and gives them to whomever He pleases will reclaim what is rightfully His.
It didn’t matter that what she was planning was impossible because Asheryah was a God who delighted in the impossible. It was He who would give them the victory tonight. All He requires is a few souls to stand in the gap and believe.
So here she was gathered with seven other dreamwalkers and thirteen mindbenders to accomplish a task that should take an army of millions.
Nizo is a continent about the size of Earth’s North America, shaped similar to Earth’s Australia. At the center of the continent is the mountain after witch the continent is named. On top of Mount Nizo is the city of Serejalmu, inhabited by half a million; in the center of the city is the Temple of the Granolith. Surrounding the base of the mountain and stretching out to the sea is one large city, Ramasia, inhabited by 1.5 billion people.
Some of Khivar’s most highly trained soldiers were stationed here, because this was the holy land and the religious order made no secrets about where their loyalties lie. They were loyal to Asherya and the king He anoints with the royal seal. Therefore Khivar new this land would be ripe for revolt against his reign.
Riandra stood in the center of the now empty Granolith chamber. The other dreamwalkers formed a circle around her and the mindbenders formed a circle around them.
Antar had grown strong and prosperous under the blessing of the Almighty, but they had also grown prideful. And in their pride they thought themselves self sufficient and they forgot their need of Him that blessed them. As a result Asheryah removed his hand of protection and allowed Khivar to teach Antar of their need. Now she needed to reverse their mistakes.
She dropped to her knees and interceded on behalf of her people, “Creator of all things, all mighty Sovereign, tonight we come before You and ask for You to shine Your favor once again upon us. Aid us this night as we cleanse the holy land of Your enemies. We ask for Your mighty power to fight with us tonight so that the worlds may know that the time of your servants reckoning is come to an end. That once again Antar’s king shall reign to Your glory.”
After her prayer she sent a signal to General Volar, and he raised the newly installed shield around the continent. The continent of Nizo was now isolated. All intercontinental transmat activity was interfered with except for the thirteen new transmats that were powered by the shield itself and controlled by the resistance. The shield would also act as a barrier to all matter, as well as to all energy above a certain intensity; effectively preventing any attack on the continent from the outside.
The mindbenders in the outer circle formed a connection, the dreamwalkers in the inner circle formed a connection, then both circles lent their powers to Riandra. As Riandra reached out with her mind she felt the Almighty’s power come and strengthen her further… she had known she would.
She began in the temple and circled outward toward the shores. She entered the mind of every individual on the continent. Those she found that were loyal to the Creator and therefore her son she left untouched. For those she found that were loyal to Khivar, she merged their conscious and unconscious minds putting them in a semi-permanent coma. For those she found who had neither loyalty, she mindwarped into reporting to one of the new transmat stations and leaving the continent.
All night she worked, sorting through minds one at a time. She completed her task just as morning was approaching. Once finished with the primary task she performed one final duty before collapsing into an exhausted sleep. She broadcast a message to everyone on the planet. A cross between a mindwarp and a dreamwalk, her image appeared in the clouds as she spoke, “People of Antar, Nizo is free of Khivar’s influence. King Zan lives and he has found the queen he had always been searching for. Khivar’s reign will soon come to an end.”
By days end, war had broken out all over the planet. Some entire cities immediately declared their loyalty to King Zan, in other cities there was a coup before the same result was achieved. In still other cities there was mass bloodshed between those loyal to Khivar and those King Zan; with the outcome still pending.
Nizo, the holy land, may have been freed in a night, without the loss of a single life, but the war for the rest of the planet would be long and bloody… and it began today.
When Riandra awoke she was in her chambers, General Volar was watching over her. She smiled up at him, “Do you believe now? Asheryah has reclaimed His holy land, now it falls to you and my son to reclaim our planet.”
General Volar was still incredulous. Yes he’d read in the sacred texts of when men and women of faith had been empowered by the Creator such that one could overpower a thousand and two could overpower ten thousand… but those were stories. Now he had actual proof of such a feat. Nizo overnight had become a safe haven for those who support King Zan. Anyone who wished to come in had to be transported through the shield via the transmat booths they controlled, and anyone coming in from the outside was mentally probed by three guards.
The news has spurred the war which had been cold for so long into a fiery battle. He already had heads of cities and military bases all over the planet reporting to him to coordinate the next stage and help free those cities which are currently of divided loyalty.
*Do I believe now? How could I not?* “Yes, I believe. Please forgive my earlier unbelief.”
Riandra dismissed his apology with a wave and asked, “How has Khivar responded?”
Volar answered, “Khivar has been moving troops around, squashing rebellions beginning with the cities in which he has the most support and working his way to the cities in which he has least support. We are doing likewise. Lines are being drawn, by current estimates it will be at least three months before each city has chosen sides and cleared out all the opposition. Then war will become a city by city siege as each side tries to take land from the other. There’s no telling how long that will take. But the war has most definitely begun.”
*********
October 15th, 2000
I’m Liz Evans. Next Monday is my birthday… I can’t wait. I know Max has been making plans for it, but he flags those thoughts private and asks me not to look. I can’t tell you how tempted I am to look anyway, but Max really wants this to be a surprise and I don’t want to ruin it for him. He is still walking on eggshells around my parents. We hold no delusions to the fact that they aren’t entirely happy about this marriage. We both know the only one of the parents truly supporting this marriage is Diane. (She insists I call her and Philip by their first names because Max and I are Mr. and Mrs. Evans now.)
However Philip has just about as much trouble saying no to her as Max has saying no to me. Therefore he signed. And the only reason my parents signed was because Max’s ability to manipulate and control a situation had been at its best.
First he had shocked them with proof that he had no trouble taking me out of the country, then he had described a worse case scenario where he indicated we were willing to run away again and, if that failed, go to great lengths to fight for our marriage. Then he had bribed them with not losing me by telling them we wanted to live under their roof and a willingness to take responsibility and pay rent. Then he’d played on their sympathies with our declarations of love. Then once his parents supported them, well he’d mentioned enough legal loopholes that would allow us to stay married and my parents didn’t know how difficult it would be to get those, but they did know his parents were lawyers and could make it easier. Then finally he had resorted to begging. No, my parents definitely do not support this marriage. Max merely managed to convince them that it was the lesser of the available evils. I think my mother is softening, but dad still doesn’t bother to hide his disapproval. I hope they can at least put it aside for one day next week so I can have a happy birthday. Max is coming to bed now so that’s it for tonight…
*********
Max woke up and smiled has he felt his wife snuggle closer to him. It was their morning ritual. The both left their dream world at the same time every morning. As they woke they teased each other before they made love and fulfilled each other’s needs. Then they took a shower together which usually included another round of love making.
On school days, they would then head over to the Parker’s dining room for a family breakfast.
He figured it was both a good thing and a bad thing that Liz came to breakfast blissfully happy every morning… A good thing because the Parkers would want their daughter to be happy; a bad thing because they could probably figure out the cause of that happiness and they probably weren’t too thrilled about that.
He knew they worried about Liz becoming pregnant too soon. But it’s not like he could tell them that because he was and alien, they had access to birth control methods that were fool proof.
But it seemed that the Parkers were gradually warming up to him. He assumed the fact that he and Liz were still doing well in school, and that they had started attending church services regularly, and the “Aura of Love”, as Maria had taken to calling it, which he and Liz exuded was helping. Nancy was definitely starting to come around… she’d even asked him to call her “Nancy”. Mr. Parker however was another story. Max decided he would have to talk to Mr. Parker and see if he couldn’t get him to put their differences aside for next Monday. After all it was Liz’s first birthday as his wife and he wanted it to be perfect.
As he began to make love to Liz he let his tension slip away, his nightmares of the white room had stopped after the experience with the Granolith. But lately other thoughts troubled his mind, namely the rising death toll back on Antar and the fact that there were enemies on Earth that they had not encountered yet… enemies that thanks to the orb transmission now knew their location.
He had made sure the five of them that had powers trained with them regularly. He knew that soon the danger would be here and they needed to be prepared. But for now he would put that aside and lose himself in the love of his wife.
It still amazed him that Liz was here with him, granting him unlimited access to not only her body but also her heart and mind. For as pleasurable as he found her body, and that he found very pleasurable; he derived even more pleasure from searching her mind for her dreams and fantasies and fulfilling them for her. And as pleasurable as that was he derived the most pleasure from knowing her heart.
She denied him nothing in that regard and he could experience all her emotions first hand. It amazed him that nowhere in her did she harbor even the slightest fear or disgust at what he was; that she trusted him implicitly; and she loved him completely. That any human knowing his secret could feel the way she did about him amazed him; but to know that the one that did was his dream girl herself… It was the most precious gift he’d ever received and he thanked God every chance he got that he’d been sent here… that he’d been allowed to marry this most amazing woman.
*********
Breakfast was subdued that morning and Max purposed again to talk to Liz’s parents to see if there wasn’t something he could do to fix this. After the meal he turned to Liz, “Go ahead and finish getting ready. I’ll join you in a little bit.”
Liz knew what Max was about to do and she loved him for it. As she left the room Max turned to the Parkers, “Nancy, Mr. Parker, I need to speak to you.”
Both of Liz’s parents looked resigned as they accepted his statement. Jeff spoke up, “What is it?”
Max looked thoughtful for a moment as tried to think how to begin this conversation. Quickly coming to a conclusion he began, “Do you remember the day you two agreed to sign our marriage consent forms?”
If looks could kill Max would have died from the glare he received form Mr. Parker. Max swallowed accepting their silent answer and asked rhetorically, “Do you remember Liz’s reaction to the news?”
Then he answered his own question, “She smiled so brightly it lit up the room, with a smile so genuine her eyes sparkled. Do you remember what I said next?”
He paused for a moment, meeting each of Liz’s parents’ eyes. “I said that I lived to create smiles like that. That’s still true today and I’ve made sure Liz has come to breakfast every morning with a smile like that. But every morning Liz leaves the breakfast table with a twinge of hurt in her eyes.”
“Now I can understand you’re not happy with me, and I understand why. I hope to have a sixteen year old daughter just like Liz twenty-five years from now, give or take. And if some boy does with her what I’ve done with Liz…” Max shook his head trying to refocus his thoughts, “I’m not sure how long it would take me to forgive him, but it would be a long time.”
“Liz doesn’t look at it like that though. All she sees is that the two men she loves most in the world can’t seem to get along, and it hurts her.”
“Now Liz’s birthday is coming up and I need twenty-four hours. I need twenty-four hours where you and I put aside our differences and act like we get along; twenty-four hours where two facts become more important than everything else. One, we both love Liz and two, we both want her to be happy.”
Max took a deep breath and continued, “I know I’m asking a lot; but if the German and British soldiers at the front lines in 1914 could call a cease fire to World War I and have a cross battlefield gift exchange for Christmas Eve then we should be able to do this.”
“So I need twenty-four hours where whenever we’re in Liz’s presence we act like we get along… so what is it going to cost me to get it.”
Max looked back and forth between the two parents faces. He broke the silence that followed his question by offering, “I could double this months rent, or I could work some projects around here, or maybe I could just arrange us some time alone together so you can yell at me till you’re blue in the face, or anything else you need. But please tell me what I need to do to make this birthday perfect for Liz.”
Max’s speech was the last straw for Nancy. The last of her resolve finally melted and she admitted to herself that Liz had chosen well. She’d been watch for the last month and a half and she knew what Max had said was true and more. She knew Liz was smiling happily not only when she came to breakfast with Max, but just about anytime Max was at her side. She’d noticed the devotion that flowed off them in waves… and truth be told, she wished that she and Jeff had what was so clearly visible between these two.
Her mind was made up she would support Max and Liz from here on in. She looked cautiously to Jeff and saw the obvious struggle on his face. She knew him well and she could just see the battle taking place inside him. The battle between the part of himself that didn’t want his little girl to be grown up yet; and the part of himself that knew the truth of Max’s words, that he, Jeff Parker, was the one currently causing his little girl pain.
It was clear when the battle ended because Jeff slumped his shoulders in defeat and dejectedly spoke, “Don’t worry about it Max, just keep her happy and be careful with her and we’ll be ok from now on.”
As Max’s words echoed through his mind, *One, we both love Liz and two, we both want her to be happy,* he reached out his hand for Max. Max understood and eagerly accepted it. Those two facts would be the bases of their new relationship.