Echo (M/L - Adult) (Complete)

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello everyone! As always, thank you for your wonderful feedback! The song used in this chapter is Come what May from Moulin Rouge.

Ellie
Jason's Lover
Mawrter4
begonia9508
RASaero611
believer_evans
behrstars
Roswell 10/2/00
tiredmuse


Chapter 11 - Come What May

After four attempts before achieving a successful take, Liz barely had enough time to race from the studio to her stylist’s boutique. As she pulled open one glass door and bounded over the threshold, a blonde woman in her mid thirties instantly appeared by her side, ready to sweep her into a nearby dressing room. “You’re late” Kathleen Topolsky stated with disapproval lacing her voice as she grasped the privacy curtain and pulled it across the doorway.

“I was recording” Liz stated, neither bothered nor offended by the scolding tone in the other woman’s voice. Outside the little cubicle she heard more voices, spoken in soft whispers followed by Kathleen’s clipped reply. Well accustomed to her stylist’s need to pitch a fit if things didn’t perfectly flow, Liz instead swung her gaze to the beautiful dress dangling from a satin coat hanger.

She had to say one thing about Kathleen though. After nearly seven years of being dressed by the eccentric, if not temperamental, blonde, there wasn’t a single time when Liz hadn’t been impressed by the choice of clothing or hair style chosen for her by Kathleen. The woman, simply put, was a stylistic genius. Her latest choice, a flowing white silk halter dress by Roberto Cavalli and strappy silver Manolo heels was perfect for the occasion.

“Are you almost done?” Kathleen asked, sounding slightly calmer than she had been a few minutes before. Her voice, however, was enough to jar Liz out of her musings and quickly had her pulling the floral, seventies style dress off her body.

“Just about” she answered and reached for the dress which flowed through her fingers like melted butter. Carefully, she stepped into the silken garment and pulled it up waist high before pushing her black lace panties down her hips. Always prepared, Kathleen had left a white thong, clamped onto another coat hanger, hanging on the second hook in the room. Once she had settled the small scrap of material in place, she grasped the thin halter straps and held them up so that they properly covered her bare breasts.

Sans shoes, she stepped out onto the plush carpet outside the dressing room and found Kathleen impatiently tapping her foot. Without a single word exchanged, she turned her back to the older blonde and waited for Kathleen to fasten the two straps behind her neck. “Alright” she said once the dress was firmly in place. Next, Liz headed over to the reclining chair where her hair dresser awaited.

Normally, hair was done first followed by makeup and lastly, the dress. Since Liz had been running late and appointments got jumbled in order to accommodate her, things were working in reverse. Carefully securing a terry cloth robe around her shoulders, she was pushed into the chair, had her dress rearranged in order to avoid wrinkles and leaned back as the stylist got to work. With her eyes closed, the make up specialist began applying shadow, liner and mascara to her lids and lashes. A light dusting of powder was all that her smooth complexion required followed by lip liner, lip stick and lastly, a small touch of gloss.

Everyone worked quickly curling, combing, spraying and anything else needed to transform her from a hippie looking flower child into a beautiful temptress.

Still sitting comfortably in her chair, Liz opened her eyes to find Kathleen kneeling down beside her. One by one, she secured the strappy shoes, the final touch to her angelic appearance. “Thank you” she said to everyone when she was allowed to stand and glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

In the beginning it made Liz uncomfortable to have people wait on her, catering to her whims. She had no problem putting on her own clothes and shoes but she quickly learned that it wasn’t the way things worked for celebrities. Kathleen believed in the whole nine yards. She once said that as a singer, Liz wouldn’t stop performing once she reached the chorus and as a stylist, she wouldn’t offer one service if she couldn’t offer them all.

Simply put, once she stepped through the glass doors, Liz was no longer allowed to do anything for herself. At times she still felt uncomfortable about it but she knew Kathleen wouldn’t have it any other way.

After placing a kiss against everyone’s cheek, Liz was handed a small silver clutch, no doubt containing her cell phone, keys, credit cards a single tube of lipstick along with a compact mirror. At least that was usually what Kathleen put in the purses after digging through Liz’s own bag for the essentials. Later, sometime during the following day, she would come back to retrieve anything else she left behind. Her discarded dress would most likely be dry cleaned and waiting in a protective plastic covering. Liz would tip extra and Kathleen would wave off any thanks.

It was just the way thing were.

Outside the door sat a stretch black limousine, complete with a tall, brown haired, broad shouldered driver in his mid forties who held the car door open for Liz to climb in through. After saying a polite thank you, she took her seat against the soft black leather and allowed herself a small moment to go over the song in her head.

Several years before, just prior to their first break up, Max and Liz had been asked to record another joint song. This one was to be used on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and would be lip synched by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor during the movie’s production.

By that point the two had developed quite a song writing reputation that neither was willing to jeopardize by their constant arguments. So one final time, they stepped into the recording studio together and spent hours tossing back ideas. Days passed with no progress beyond the basic instrumental skeleton. They could only agree on what they wanted the final result to be but neither knew how to get there.

Three days later they had the lyrics and music worked out. An additional two days past before they recorded and not more than a month later, Liz walked out on Max. They were fighting almost constantly by that point because she knew he was hiding things from her. The most likely assumption, at least in her mind, was that he was growing tired of her. Lonnie dismissed it, saying it was impossible because of how much Max adored her. It turned out she was right and Max was actually hiding a drug problem.

The two eventually reconciled and Liz tried to help him through it all. She thought she was succeeding until he began to slowly slip again. Countless times later, she said her goodbyes and got on a bus set to tour twenty seven states. It was the last she saw of him before the fateful call arrived from Maria, announcing what had happened to Sean.

“Ma’am?” the driver gently called out, careful not to startle her. “Are you ready?” he asked, gesturing towards the entrance into the Lincoln Center which already appeared to be buzzing with New York’s most elite socialites. Even from the outside, the building almost appeared to glow what with all the lights and candles flooding out from the inside.

“Yes” Liz replied and took a deep breath while her driver walked around to open her door. Smiling and offering polite thanks, she stepped onto the concrete sidewalk as gracefully as possible and was immediately assaulted by what felt like a hundred flashes. The press had swarmed the entranceway, hoping to get a glimpse of one of many actresses or athletes who supported the cause of the night. Liz, who was out of practice when dealing with tabloid reporters, smiled for a few moments before gliding towards the glass doors.

Some called out to her, asking how the new album was coming along while another handful, some more vicious than others, questioned her about Max. Thankfully, Lonnie had been able to keep their names out of the papers as of late but after their performance, it was a safe bet to assume the tabloids would no longer speculate. They would know the truth about their reconciliation. Already, Liz mentally prepared for the backlash. Who knew, certainly not Liz, what they would print?

Once she was safely ensconced in the black tie, ball gown laden room, Liz made the obligatory rounds. Now, more than ever, she missed her band. In the previous years they had stuck together, wandering in twos and threes, depending on who brought a date and who hadn’t. Alone, Liz smiled and laughed in all the appropriate places with all the appropriate people. She sipped champagne, sampled the canapé and complimented the hostess on her dress.

Max, however, was no where in sight though Liz had no doubt he was lurking around somewhere. He had never been one for photographs and mingling with the rich and spoiled. The only reason he ever endured benefits and black tie parties were either because he was performing or actually supported the cause.

“Darling, you look absolutely stunning” complimented Eileen Burrows, the event coordinator. Liz smiled her thanks, noting the way the taller red head scrutinized her with narrowed eyes for a fraction of a second before plastering a grin across her lips. She wasn’t fooled by the polite compliments or the fake smiles. Eileen may have pleaded amnesia but Liz would never forget the way she had blatantly thrown herself at Max four years before.

By that point everyone and their mother knew that Max and Liz were a couple. Yet despite his obvious adoration for Liz, Eileen hadn’t been able to resist propositioning him. The offer had crudely been a night of loud fucking, no strings attached.

After turning her down, Max told Liz straight away and barely managed to restrain the petite brunette when she threatened to knock Eileen’s teeth out.

Yet each year Liz showed up and as always, Eileen smiled and crooned like they were best friends. “The first speaker is about to step up to the podium so I suggest you head backstage now” she said in a sugary sweet voice. “Break a leg” she added before trotting off, presumably to guzzle down another round of booze before she was needed again. Liz had always found it interesting that a woman who was a cancer advocate smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish.

“Excuse me” she said, pushing down her inner cattiness as she turned and made her way through the mingling crowd.

“Hi Miss Parker” greeted an enthusiastic brunette who clutched a pen and scrap of paper in her hand. There was a high tech looking headset over her hair but the microphone was pushed aside as she approached, wearing a hopeful look. “I know you’re about to go on stage and all but…” she trailed off, all of a sudden seeming unsure of herself.

“What’s your name?” Liz asked with a smile and gently took the pair of items from the woman’s hands.

“Clara” the woman said and watched as Liz scrawled a personalized message onto the page, signing her name to the bottom. The woman, Clara, gushed proudly and hurried off when someone yelled at her through the headset she wore. Alone, Liz took several steadying breaths, all the while wishing she had had the opportunity to see Max before they went on.

The part he would play was only known by a select few who coordinated and ran the event. It was too late to take Echo off the programs so the audience had no idea Liz would really be singing a duet with her former, now current, boyfriend. Then because of the errands both needed to run beforehand, they weren’t even able to arrive together. “Alright Miss Parker” a new voice said, appearing by Liz’s side as stealthily as batman or any other comic hero. “You’ll enter stage left. Mr. Evans from stage right. The music starts and he walks out singing to the audience. You wait until he’s halfway up the stage before appearing through that curtain” he instructed, pointing vaguely in the general direction he referred to. “He turns, sings to you while you wait for your cue. Then you walk forward and the two of you can do your thing.”

Liz was amused by how elementary and complex the directions sounded at once. “Okay” she answered and accepted the cordless microphone handed to her.

Five minutes later a round of applause assaulted her ears. The lights dimmed beneath the curtain, replaced by a bright beam, presumably a spot light. A quiet, almost whimsical sound began to fill the air, halting the previous applause. By the now the audience had realized which song was about to be performed, specifically who was performing it.

“Never knew I could feel like this…. Like I’ve never seen the sky before.” Max’s voice was seductive as he leisurely strolled forward. Unlike all the other males in the room who had adorned ties and jackets for the occasion, he was dressed in a pair of black leather pants. His shirt was silk in the same midnight hue, tucked out and making him look like the bad boy they all remembered. His hair was still a little long and he hadn’t bothered with a razor. Liz felt her mouth go dry.

No one could have guessed it was the first time he had performed in over three years as he flawlessly stepped back into his role of being a crowd pleaser. Oddly enough, he had never tried to please anyone but himself when he sang yet night after night, the concert halls filled with fans eager to hear him sing. “Want to vanish inside your kiss…. Everyday I love you more and more.”

With the yards of white fabric flowing down her body Liz appeared to almost float across the stage. The crowd didn’t register, her mind set on one particular goal. A shiver wracked her body as Max turned and set his gaze on her, stepping closer so that they almost met in the middle. “Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings…. Telling me to give you everything…. Seasons my change winter to spring…. But I love you until the end of the time.” He sang to her a song they had never once performed. Eyes piercing, he raised one hand and gently caressed her cheek. “Come what may…. Come what may…. I will love you until my dying day.”

Liz slowly raised the microphone to her lips, all the while never allowing her gaze to wander away from the attentive expression Max wore. “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place…. Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace…. Suddenly my life doesn’t seem such a waste” he joined in. Of their own volition, their hands seemed to meet between their bodies, intertwining at the first touch. “Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide….”

“But I love you until the end of time”

Years before Isabel had once mentioned that she believed a man singing a song to a woman was one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs. At the time Liz had laughed it off because the reality was she had never been sung to before and wasn’t sure what to believe. Her time with Max changed that uncertainty. Long ago she learned that music was almost like foreplay when it came to the two of them. Both put so much of themselves into music that it was impossible not to feel a stirring when one heard the other’s voice.

Two hundred and fifty guests all but disappeared from both their minds as the song and their voices built up to the end. “Oh come what may, come what may…. I will love you until my dying day….”

Rather than the customary single round of claps, the pair was awarded loud, raucous applause from the stunned guests. By morning the tabloids and internet sites would be swarming with news about Max and Liz but for now, they thought of nothing but each other. “Give it up one more time for Liz Parker, front woman for punk band, Echo and Max Evans, former front man of the rock band, Livien!” the hostess encouraged while the pair snapped out of their haze long enough to bow courteously to the crowd.

Moments later they were allowed to disappear behind the curtain as the next entertainer was introduced. She opened her mouth to ask him how he was. She wondered if it was as easy as he made it look. Max seemed to know just where her thoughts were headed and instead lowered his lips to her lightly glossed ones. All thoughts of anything other than the feel of his prickly facial hair against her skin… the heat from his hands that she felt through the silk of her dress or the soft sweep of his tongue against her own were all pushed to the back of her mind.

Masculine and infinitely male, his presence dominated her own until she was left breathless and eager for more. “You look beautiful” he whispered against her lips before taking them in another searing kiss.

Event personnel wandered around them, passing with no more than second glance. They were professionals who were trained to see but not speak of the things they saw. “Take me home and make love to me” Liz murmured, tilting her chin upwards as he nuzzled her neck.

No other invitation was required as he took her hand in his and led her out through the stage entrance. Chilly night air swept across their skin when they walked out the door but their wait wasn’t long. Unlike the other cars secured in their valet parking spots, Max’s car sat on the curb, engine running. “Thanks” he said to the valet who had the easy job of waiting inside the car, keeping it ready for his exit. Like the gentleman he always was with Liz, he held her door open, waited until she climbed inside before going around the front of the car. With a grateful handshake and a large tip, Max bid the valet a good night and wasted no time taking his seat in front of the wheel.

Liz recognized the car as the one she had driven that night she found Max on the bridge.

“Thank you for doing this with me” Liz said once they had pulled away from the Lincoln Center. “Was it too terrible?” She hadn’t meant to ask that question but found the words flying from her mouth before she had the chance to reign them in.

Max didn’t immediately respond, obviously pondering his answer. Liz knew that she had basically tricked Max into agreeing though immediately after, she acknowledged that Max couldn’t be convinced of doing anything a part of him didn’t already want to do. “It was different” he finally said in a tone that could only be described as quiet. “But I don’t want to talk about that now” he added a beat later. “I just wanna take you to bed.”

Despite her desire to dig a little deeper, Liz recognized his unwillingness. One day soon she’d have to sit him down and finally get some straight answers out of him, she decided. But for now, she took a page out of his book and allowed the subject to drop. “Did you happen to see… anyone you used to know?” Liz queried as innocently as she could manage.

Max, who knew exactly what she was asking, tossed her a teasing grin. “I did” he acknowledged with deliberate slowness. “And to avoid it, I talked my way into a conversation between two old ladies, one who couldn’t hear and the other who couldn’t see” Max stated, laughter in his voice. “Then as soon as she turned I hauled ass back stage” he admitted smartly.

Rolling her eyes, Liz pretended to be unaffected, all the while doing an internal happy dance. One thing she definitely had to say about Max was that despite any argument or problem they had in the past, one thing he never did to piss her off was flirt with other women. He was faithful, something that couldn’t be said for many celebrities, especially ones that looked like Max did. She could even remember pointing that out once before, years ago. Max’s answer had been a simple “My parents cheat and I decided a long time ago that the last thing I wanted was to be like Philip or Diane Evans.”

As they finally pulled up outside Max’s building, he quickly pulled into an empty space, forgoing the use of the building’s garage in favor of quickly getting upstairs. With the tail of her dress grasped in one hand, Max’s hand wrapped in the other, the two hurried through the elegant lobby and made a beeline for the elevator doors. Alone and enclosed in the narrow box, they came together as naturally as taking their next breath.

His hands tenderly cupped her face as he sipped from her lips. It was a gentle kiss, one meant to convey all their love in a single moment. It left Liz feeling breathless, like she was floating on a puffy white cloud rather than standing within a rickety sounding elevator.

When the bell chimed, signifying the arrival of their floor, it took both a moment to get their wits back long enough to step out onto the carpeted hallway.

As Max fumbled with the keys, Liz got to work on the buttons of his shirt, deciding he looked much better as the bad boy in black silk and leather than all the other men at the affair in jackets and bow ties. It was also the last thing she thought about for several hours, aside from the intense, pleasured havoc Max wreaked on her body.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello everyone! Thanks for the wonderful feedback, glad that you're all still interested

tiredmuse
RASaero611
Morning Dreamgirl
killjoy
Jason's Lover
Roswell 10/2/00
begonia9508
Emz80m

Chapter 12 - Asleep By His Side

The next morning was a myriad of confusion as several bits of information were revealed. Alex called just before dawn to announce that Isabel had finally given birth to a set of healthy twins. Colin Edward and Sara Anne, both with tufts of blonde hair to match their mother, had opened their baby blue eyes long enough to greet the world before falling asleep in their hospital assigned cribs. Isabel, too wired despite her tiredness, couldn’t sleep a wink and kept her husband and sister awake with happy, motherly conversations.

Alex broke away long enough to make a round of calls. Liz, happy and sleepy all at once, offered her sincerest congratulations and promised to stop by as soon as visiting hours began. She’d have to get a bouquet of fresh flowers for Isabel and maybe some pink and blue balloons. Alex would probably be hungry since there wasn’t much of a chance he’d leave the hospital to find something decent to eat. She’d bring breakfast too, Liz decided.

Max, on the other hand, remained asleep beside her. One long arm was thrown over her naked stomach, holding her close to his warm body while his scruffy cheek rested in the crook of her neck. Her legs were intertwined with his as the two almost appeared to be locked in a full body hug. It had been the way they fell asleep a mere two hours before after a long night filled with passionate sex.

During their three years apart, Liz had resigned herself to the fact that she and Max would never be. She tried moving on, hopping from one bad relationship to the next after almost a year of moping and ignoring the opposite sex. It hadn’t been the men who were bad. They all treated her well and she had fun with some of them but there was no chemistry.

No one finished her sentences and she had no inclination to finish any else’s either. They didn’t know she dipped her hamburgers in ketchup instead of slathering it on inside. When she woke up in the middle of the night, sweat slicking her skin from her re-occurring dream of showing up to school naked, they didn’t provide any comfort. They didn’t realize it was a sign of nerves because of an upcoming performance. Then on top of all of the small things, no one made her skin tingle.

Since the first time his fingers brushed hers as he handed her back the guitar he had pilfered from her hand, Max had a way of making her skin tingle. She shivered when he stood close, felt goose bumps coat her flesh and chills dance up her spine with a single look.

Liz chastised herself so often then for comparing any of the men to her former lover. She acknowledged that maybe she had been romanticized by the songs and the memories of first love. It was then that tried coaching herself to remember everything that had gone wrong between them. There were enough bad times to make a dent in her reminiscent smile. So she focused on anything to make her frown in order to get past the difficult task of placing Max in the back of her mind.

It rarely lasted and before long, she found herself bidding another boyfriend goodbye.

In a moment of weakness she had confessed her feelings to Lonnie who listened with sympathetic ears. She had hoped to hear that it would eventually go away and instead received a blunt response that had Liz believing she would never entirely be able to move on. Lonnie declared Max would always be a part of who she had become because he was her first love. He had a piece of her, an important part of her heart and it was enough that no one else would ever be able to entirely possess it.

The assessment, so accurate it was eerie, only angered Liz who was still in denial. She wanted to prove everyone wrong, especially herself and pushed her relationship with Anthony, a brilliant law student. He was the reserved type, studious but incredibly sweet. He was just the type of man Liz needed to be with. So she tried making their relationship into more than it was ready for and in the process, alienated Anthony. When he eventually realized what the driving force behind her actions were, he had been hurt. Liz had felt guilty decided to take a break from dating.

Time had past and she really only missed the companionship of a boyfriend when it was late at night and everything slept. She couldn’t stop missing Max though, a fact that angered and saddened her at the same time. Liz had no idea he would one day walk back into her life and looking back on it now, shivered at the idea that it might never have happened. If her label hadn’t been bought out, she wondered if the loneliness would have ever subsided.

“Are you sure you aren’t just trying to find your past in a familiar face?” Lonnie had asked when Liz went to her with the latest development. As her publicist, Lonnie had to always be on top of her game, meaning she needed to know every change in Liz’s life. Admittedly, the question seemed out line but after a moment or two, Liz began to explain everything, words tumbling like water from a fountain.

She explained that it wasn’t about trying to recapture something, it was about giving in to a love that even time couldn’t dissipate. Neither pretended that the bad times didn’t happen, they just acknowledged that it didn’t define them. Time had past and they had changed but at the heart of it all, their feelings were still undeniable. Max was still the only person who could make her feel alive and safe. She didn’t guard her words or sensor her actions because they defined who she was and he loved who she was. They each accepted the role they had played in their break up three years before.

“He hurt me. We hurt each other and we broke one another” Liz had replied to Lonnie’s question. “And every time I look into his eyes, I can see the pain I caused… even when there’s love in them. I know he can see the same thing in mine. So no, I’m not looking for what once was. Because if that’s what I wanted, I wouldn’t be able to see the time we spent apart in his eyes.”

Lonnie hadn’t questioned her after that.

Sometime during her musings, Liz fell back to sleep for an additional two hours. By the time she awoke, Max was no longer laying beside her but the sheets were still warm and his scent still clung to the pillow. Deciding he would be back soon, she closed her eyes again, prepared to fall back asleep when her cell phone, an apparent alarm clock, began to ring. “Are you in the city” Jesse asked. His voice was no louder than a whisper but something in his tone quickly got Liz’s attention.

“I am” Liz tentatively replied. “Where are you?” she countered.

“I’m not sure… hold on” Jesse answered, followed by a rustling sound Liz couldn’t distinguish. “I’m in Chelsea… I think. Wait, yeah, I’m in Chelsea. Across the street from that little dive we ate at after our first recording” he described as Liz reluctantly pushed the sheet away from her body. She had received this call at least a dozen times before, not to mention the handful of stories she heard from Kyle and Alex when they had been the unlucky ones called.

“Twenty minutes” Liz assured as she dug around in Max’s drawer for something to wear. “Wait outside” she added as an afterthought and ended the call. All the clothes she had left there needed to be laundered so instead, she pulled on one of his old Knicks t-shirts and a pair of baggy, grey sweatpants. The scent of coffee wafted to her nose, temporarily halting her progress. Again, Liz was overcome with the desire to climb back into bed and wait for Max.

Shaking off the impulse, Liz stepped into the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face. She secured her hair up in a messy bun and went in search of Max. “You’re dressed” he noticed though he was not. Clad only in a pair of boxers, Max sat at his kitchen table, reading a newspaper. “Here” he said, handing her one of the sections.

Liz glanced down at the front page of the entertainment section and noticed a large, colored picture of her and Max singing to one another. Their hands were joined between them, her held tilted up towards him, his leaning down towards her and both looked completely enthralled with one another. “I’m glad you didn’t wear a tie” she smiled, staring down at the photo.

Liz knew that the next few days would be crazy. Lonnie would undoubtedly have to fend off phone calls from tabloids trying to confirm whether or not they were officially back together again. Max would be thrust back into the world of reporters, pictures and interviews, a world he had managed to stay away from since months after returning from rehab. That thought alone had Liz looking back up at him, an inquisitive expression adorning her face.

“I just got a call from Jesse” stated instead, deciding they definitely needed more time for the conversation she wanted to have. Max, who knew Jesse’s habits as well as anyone else, simply nodded, managing a small smile at Liz. “Isabel had her babies. Alex phoned me a few hours ago” she added while tucking the page safely away in his take-out menu drawer. “So I’m gonna run home after dropping Jesse off then I’ll swing by the hospital to visit for a little while. Do you have time to meet later?” Liz asked, deciding that maybe the time had come to reveal her song. It was the best way she knew of to explain what life had been like.

“I’ll be here” Max agreed, pushing his chair back over the tiled floor so that he could stand before her. “I have to swing by the studio to get some work done on your track before its released tonight but I should be back sometime this afternoon” he explained and cupped her face between his palms. Slowly, expertly he worked his lips over hers in a deep, sensual kiss. “Love you” he murmured while her eyes were still closed, savoring the feelings he had evoked.

Liz pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, looking up at Max with obvious affection. “I love you too” she said, offered him a brilliant smile and reluctantly stepped away from him.


~&~&~&~&~&


“Sweetie, you’re absolutely glowing” Liz complimented as she leaned down to press a kiss against Isabel’s cheek. Alex, who previously sat in a chair beside his wife, walked around the bed to envelop Liz in an excited embrace. His heart beat in a fast staccato beneath her cheek as he gently squeezed the petite brunette. “Congratulations, honey” she murmured to her longtime friend who had never looked happier.

After hailing a cab, Liz went down to Kathleen’s boutique where her car still sat parked. From there, she managed to find Jesse who waited outside as instructed. He looked tired with mussed hair, blood shot eyes and wrinkled clothing. Liz asked which bar he went to and what kind of girl he had gone home with. Jesse couldn’t quite remember the name of either and only managed to dredge up blonde as the woman’s hair color.

Since he mostly carried credit cards and very little cash on him, he had been unable to get his own cab since he wouldn’t have been able to pay for it. What money he did have on him had been used as tips to the strippers who’d danced around him the night before. Liz guessed the woman he had gone home with was probably one of the dancers but didn’t point that out, figuring Jesse would have guessed the same thing.

While he did see the inside of too many bars, strip joints weren’t places he frequented. But like any other celebrity, he got tired of having tabloids tail him into all the trendiest night clubs and sometimes craved the anonymity that came from hiding out inside a dark, seedy bar. Jesse appreciated beautiful women who didn’t want strings attached to their exploits, making his monthly visits to “D-D” the perfect solution.

It lived up to its name and every dance inside was a DD.

After dropping him off at his upscale apartment, Liz headed out of the city to her own home. There, she took a long shower and changed into a pair of comfortable vintage jeans, a thick red cowlneck sweater and a pair of high heeled black boots. She swept her damp locks into a high ponytail and packed a small bag to keep at Max’s apartment in place of the laundry she still needed to do. Her next stop had been a flower shop near the hospital where Liz picked out a bouquet comprised of French Alpine Tulips and various shades of roses. She grabbed a bundle if pink and blue balloons and on impulse, picked up a little teddy bear that said ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ for Alex.

Carrying all her gifts, she had been quite a sight as she stepped into the elevator and headed up to the maternity ward. Isabel gushed over the flowers and Alex proudly held the bear in his hand. “We wanted to wait until everyone was here but I can’t” Isabel stated and took Liz’s hand in hers. “We would like for you and Jesse to be Colin’s god-parents” she requested and held her other hand out to Alex. “Tess has already agreed to be Sara’s god-mother so if you agree, we’ll just need to ask Kyle and Jesse.”

The mention of Kyle reminded Liz that there was still a conversation she would need to have with her drummer. “Of course. I’d love to be Colin’s godmother” she added with a happy smile that only widened when she saw the looks of relief on Isabel and Alex’s face.

After a few more minutes talking with the proud parents, Liz walked over to the nursery and saw a pink and blue bundle lying in cradles that sat side by side with the name “Baby Whitman” printed on signs that faced the viewing window. From where she stood, Liz noticed their rosy cheeks and the slight flutter of their eyelashes as both babies slept. She felt tears spring to her own eyes and gently pressed her hand against the glass.

It was how Jesse found her five minutes later when he appeared by her side, still looking rumpled but showered. As casually as any brother would have, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and leaned her against him. “So I guess we’re godparents” he whispered, thinking a voice any louder would disrupt the sleeping babies.

Liz smiled through her tears.


~&~&~&~&~&


More than a dozen things conspired to keep Liz from having the two conversations she needed to have.

Max had to spend his entire day locked in the sound booth, perfecting the track that was to be messengered over to the radio stations releasing it that night. One DJ, the most popular in his time slot, decided that he would only debut the single that night if Liz agreed to do a radio interview prior to and after the release. It seemed that her performance the night before had everyone buzzing, wanting the inside scoop on the Punk Princess and her rediscovered relationship.

Liz, who had no choice in the matter, had to agree to do the interview and spent a portion of her evening answering as diplomatically as possible. When the DJ, who seemed to be trying too hard to act like Howard Stern, asked about Max’s prior stint in Rehab along with questions regarding Sean’s death, Liz decided she had had enough and pulled the headphones away from her ears. She tossed them aside, flipped the DJ the bird and flounced out like the Diva she had never been.

Brody called almost immediately after, apologizing for forcing Liz to take the interview and invited her to the studio where they were having a make-shift party. Thinking Max would be there, Liz agreed only to find out he had left the studio after finishing his work on the track. Liz tried calling his apartment and cell phone but received no answer. She wondered if he had heard the immature DJ and was taking time to think things over when he finally returned her call.

Max explained that Darcy had called while he had been on his way home, explaining that her mother was ill and that she would need to go upstate to see her. She hadn’t wanted Tyler to have to endure the long trip or see his grandmother looking worse for wear and had requested that Max look after her son until the following afternoon.

Currently, the two were back at his apartment with Tyler sitting on the couch, enthralled by an episode of Scooby-Doo.

Liz decided it would best to stay at her own place for the night since she had be up early the next morning to begin shooting her video. Plus she understood how much Tyler meant to Max and wanted to give the two some time alone together.

Once she was back home again, Liz tried calling Kyle, only to find out that he had flown to LA instead of New York when he found out he wasn’t needed for the benefit after all. Liz barely resisted the urge to growl at her friend who was beginning to try her patience. She realized he was hurting and acknowledged the part she played but was angered by the fact that he seemed more content with running rather than facing the problem.

Resigned to the fact that she would bide her time until he was ready to talk, she tossed the phone aside and slipped beneath her blanket. The fact that her pillows and sheets smelled like lavender rather than Max’s cologne and detergent saddened her. She had gotten so used to falling asleep by his side and had a difficult time finding sleep that night.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Thanks begonia9508 and Jason's Lover!


Chapter 13 - Too Close to Home

The director’s idea for Liz’s music video hit a little too close to home. He wanted to shoot parts of it in a warehouse set like a bedroom, used archive footage of her previous concerts with Echo and decided the clincher would be several shots on one of New York’s bridges. The male in the video was always seen as a shadow, his face was never seen. Liz had to spend minutes in a dark pool encased by Plexiglas, pretending that she was drowning and tried to kick free to the surface.

Her dress was white gossamer, floor length and her hair tumbled in windswept waves. Mascara and liner emphasized her eyes which had tears lingering in their corners. She only had to think of Joshua in order to make them fall. A single line in the chorus “I’m falling forever” warranted the bridge scene. Secured by bungee chords that would be digitally edited out later, Liz had to stand on the girder, throw her arms out and fall backwards. The finished product would cut to Liz in the pool, struggling to break free of the water’s invisible hands.

Liz’s new band was all dressed in black. They were meant to fade into the shadows, observers who narrated her song with the sounds of a guitar, bass and a set of drums.

It took three days to shoot since the bridge scenes could only be shot at night. The group had to travel an hour out of the city to the warehouse the director had chosen and then had to go back a day later when he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the effect.

By the time Liz was done with the video, Max had left the city. Brody was set to jet out to Chicago then Seattle where he would audition two up and coming bands. At the last moment, his daughter Sidney appeared on his doorstep after her mother insisted she needed time to herself. The two had had a short marriage, a difficult divorce and a hostile relationship afterwards. They only got along for their daughter’s sake though Brody was secretly trying to get sole custody of little Sidney and thus had to cancel his trip. Instead, he sent Max off in his place.

Max had called, explaining the situation to Liz who said she understood. Both had been in the business long enough to know that certain things couldn’t helped. No matter how famous you got, you were always on someone else’s timetable and sometimes there were engagements that couldn’t be rescheduled.

Liz, who still had last minute jitters about her next single, decided she needed to get her mind off the already perfected song. Instead, she booked a flight to Los Angeles, packed a bag and arrived at LAX several hours later. Without a second thought about it, she spouted off an address to the cab driver and sat back against the battered seat, preparing for the conversation she needed to have.

Twenty minutes later when the driver pulled up to the Omni Hotel, Liz still had no idea what she was going to say. “Thank you” she said to the driver and paid her fare. With only one overnight bag, she strolled into the hotel, requested a room and then asked where Kyle was staying. She understood that they usually didn’t give that sort of information away but since they new exactly who she was and who Kyle was, they spouted off a number without batting an eyelash.

Liz first stepped into her suite to deposit the bag. After walking past the sitting area, straight into the bedroom, a large king sized bed greeted her, covered in a cream and pale gold duvet. Several lamps were lit, brightening up the ivory walled room that had grown dark as the hours passed.

She placed her bag down on a leather arm chair that was buttery soft to the touch. An armoire holding an entire entertainment system was cherry wood, matching the writing desk and headboard, a stark contrast from the pale walls. Liz loved the Omni and always stayed there whenever her music brought her to Los Angeles.

Then realizing that she couldn’t put it off any longer, especially since Tess called nearly every day for an update, Liz pushed her key into her pocket and firmly closed the door behind her. Kyle was only a floor away so Liz decided to forgo the elevator and took the stairs up to the next floor. Walking past several number doors, she finally found the one the receptionist had given her. Hand poised, she knocked twice and waited to hear some sort of movement.

Several moments later, Kyle pulled the door open but didn’t seem too surprised to see Liz standing on the other end. Wordlessly, he stepped aside, a silent invitation. “I thought you’d have come home by now” she stated without preamble, deciding this conversation would work best if she was straightforward and honest with him. “You have heard about Alex and Isabel, right?” Liz then added.

“I heard” Kyle acknowledged and dropped down onto one of the cream colored couches in his sitting area. Empty wrappers and junk food crumbs littered the coffee table and a quick glance at the television revealed he had been watching a basketball. Lakers versus Knicks, one of Kyle’s favorite match-ups yet the volume had been muted. “I sent Isabel some flowers and some stuffed animals for the kids” he informed, sounding more tired than offended. Liz wondered if he had been sleeping.

“Kyle… you have to talk to Tess” she blurted out before she could stop herself. The look Kyle shot her quickly turned angry as he stared up at her. “If you’re pissed at her and want to break up, the least you could do is tell her to her face that its over. What you’re doing now isn’t being fair it’s… mean” she trailed off, finally realizing what all his jet setting had been about.

It wasn’t time Kyle needed, it was payback. He was trying to make her feel as hurt as he had been by her lies and knew the only way to accomplish that was to hit her where it hurt. Despite all her bravado, Tess was insecure at heart. The idea that someone she cared for was angry or that they would abandon her was a tough pill for Tess to swallow.

“Oh Kyle, please don’t do this” Liz implored and sat down beside him. She automatically reached for a cushion and hugged it to her chest as she tugged at his arm, forcing his gaze back to her face. “You are so much better than that. Don’t try to even the score because you’ll never make it. You’ll hurt yourself too much along the way” she advised, knowing her kind hearted friend was probably suffering just as much as Tess was because of his actions.

Rather than answer, Kyle turned back to the TV, pretending to be interested in the game. He let several silent moments pass before replying, “I saw the article in the paper about you and Evans.”

“So did everyone else in the country, apparently” Liz replied bitterly, thinking about some of the most recent articles regarding their relationship. She knew the press wouldn’t take it easy on them after their rocky history but she hadn’t anticipated they’d come out swinging with both arms. Some of their words were down right mean though Max swore he didn’t care what reporters believed. Liz knew he was telling her the truth and tried to be just as strong about it as he was.

“What’s it like?” Kyle asked, still unwilling to look her in the eye.

“Different” Liz replied. “Better, actually. He’s been through a lot, you know but inside he’s still Max. He’s just older and more mature… he’s amazing” she said then shut her mouth when she realized it sounded more like gushing than answering.

“What about all the stuff from before?”

“Its there” Liz said with a small shrug. “We don’t pretend its not but we don’t let it dictate who we are now. I mean, we’re different now because of it but we don’t hold grudges because of our past sins. We know that we both made mistakes but its in the past” she tried to explain, frustrated because she knew she wasn’t wording it right. “I love him, Kyle… and in the end it was all that really mattered.” Liz knew it sounded as though she was preaching to him but it hadn’t been her intention.

“I want to forgive her because technically she didn’t lie to me” Kyle stated in a quiet, pensive tone. “But she hid something… a part of her personality I didn’t know she was capable of. She blackmailed you for fuck’s sake!” he said, his voice rising as his anger began to spill over. “How do I know that there isn’t something else she’s hiding… something worse?” he demanded and threw his remote down on the coffee table in favor of pacing.

Liz felt a momentary sense of déjà vu, thinking of her conversation with him in Hollywood.

“You don’t know” Liz surprised him by saying. “Look, I’m not going to make excuses or apologies for Tess. She can do that on her own but you have to give her the chance to do it. She made a mistake, a big one but you have to make a choice. Do you love her enough to try to work things out? Do you love her enough to forgive her? Because if you do, go to her, talk to her and hear what she has to say. But if you don’t, then let her go, don’t string her along” she stated without remorse.

One of the hardest things Liz ever had to deal with was letting go of those she cared most about. Just because your head knew the answer didn’t mean your heart did but it was time for Kyle to decide which one to listen to. “I love her, Liz. That’s why it hurts so much” Kyle said through gritted teeth because he was fighting the tears she could see lingering in the corners of his eyes.

“Then go to her” she demanded in a strong voice. “Go to her, be angry with her and let her say she’s sorry. Let her make it up to you, let yourself forgive her but most importantly, keep loving her if that’s what you really want. Don’t walk away if you’re not ready to let her go.”

“You did” he said, though not meanly. “You walked away from Evans but you never let him go.” Liz opened her mouth to protest but found she didn’t have the words to. “We all knew it, Liz. The way you scoured the papers for some article about him. How you had to force yourself not to cry every time a radio station played his songs. You fell into one crappy relationship after a next. One had dark hair like his, one had the same color of eyes, one had the same kind of interests. You were always looking for his replacement because you couldn’t let him go completely.”

Liz sat back, gobsmacked by the realization that Kyle was right. It had never been her intention to look for a duplicate; she was just trying to find someone to fill the void his absence had caused. Had she really chosen men who somehow resembled the man she couldn’t stop loving?

“I may not have liked him then but if he’s really changed then I’m glad you’re back together now” he quietly added.

She nodded, unsure of how to respond. Kyle seemed to recognize her uncertainty and returned to his seat on the couch beside her. Reaching for the remote, he hit the mute button and a raucous crowd inside the Staples Center greeted their ears. Kobe swatted at the shot Stephon Marbury put up then took the ball down court for an easy lay-up. Larry Brown, New York’s coach, called a time out and the Laker Girls came onto the court to entertain the crowd with one of their cheers.

“I’ll talk to her” Kyle said simply. Liz nodded and the two spent the next two hours cheering for the home team to win.


~&~&~&~&~&


Liz stepped into her house and was greeted by complete silence. It didn’t used to bother her, especially after spending months at a time with three males and one wife on tour. Liz relished her silence because it was her time to think, to find the songs within her that would later become their newest single. Now the silence seemed almost mocking.

The messages on her machine were uninteresting and a quick call to her voice mail revealed that Max was stuck in Seattle because of a large storm that had swept the city and knocked out the power.

Slowly, she walked towards her bedroom door and pushed it open, revealing a neatly made bed covered by a white down comforter. A comfortable floral print chair and matching ottoman sat beside one window which was covered by white Venetian blinds and flowing white curtains. The floors were hardwood, leading into adjoining marble bathroom. There was a Jacuzzi bathtub inside, a double sink and matching accents to compliment the hues swirled into the marble.

The entire house was tastefully decorated for style and comfort. It had always been Liz’s haven but day by day, it felt less and less like home.

Without giving it a second though, she retraced her steps and went to retrieve the over night bag she had traveled with. After reaching for her purse and swiping at her keys, she hurried down the walkway to the garage and picked out her Viper.

Nearly an hour later, she pulled up outside of Max’s apartment building. Eyes forward, she walked through the lobby, straight towards the elevators that would take her up to his floor. His door was locked, three locks in all and Liz reached inside her purse to retrieve the keys Max had given her. It only took a moment to gain entry and soon enough she was pushing the door open. His scent enveloped like a warm, welcome blanket.

There was a toy car on the floor, red with a white stripe down the hood. Tyler had left it just beside the coffee table where a cartoon plate and matching cup still continued to sit. The blue and gold throw she had wrapped herself up in the last time they sat together watching a movie was still draped over the couch. An empty coffee mug sat on the end table, next to a notepad covered with scrawled music staffs and guitar tabs.

Curious, Liz walked over to the music room, masquerading as a guest bedroom and retrieved one of Max’s guitars. She reached for the notepad, set it beside her on the couch and positioned her fingers over the right chords. She didn’t have a pick on her and Max always managed to write tabs that stretched her fingers, causing Liz to fumble several times before she picked up the rhythm.

The song was one she hadn’t heard before and judging by its pattern, she assumed the music she played was meant to be the chorus.

Flipping through the pages, she found several other snippets of songs he had written. She couldn’t discern whether any of them were meant to go with one another and didn’t find a single lyric on any page. He had always written in a way that no could possibly figure out what he was trying to do until he explained it once or twice. He wasn’t like any other musician or producer, Liz thought. Musically, his mind worked in a way that was too advanced for anyone else to catch onto. Even Liz, who had worked closer with him than even his own band mates, didn’t always understand the direction he was trying to take until he played his song. Then it was like opening your eyes after being asleep for days.

“When did you learn to play guitar?” Liz queried as she and Max sat in his dressing room one hour before she was scheduled to go on stage. He was making last minute changes to some song he had been working on for over two days. It wouldn’t be released until his next album came out but he wanted it to be perfect before it came time to step into the studio.

“I started when I was about seven” Max surprised Liz. “I could hardly hold the thing, I had trouble getting my arms around it so I would lay it down on my bed, kneel down on the carpet and try playing like that” he said, glancing up to smile lightly. “So for my eighth birthday, my grandpa bought me this music book, a teach yourself sort of thing. Before long I could read music better than I could words and just kept going from there.”

Liz remembered thinking he was teasing her. She didn’t see how he possibly started out at seven but one look in his eyes told her he was being truthful. It was what he was born to do, she remembered telling him once they had begun dating. Even now it still baffled her how much music was a part of who he was.

Emitting a quiet sigh, she set the guitar down on the couch and ventured into his bedroom. After kicking off her shoes, she didn’t bother with the rest of her clothes and climbed into his bed. Liz closed her eyes and settled beneath the comforter. Unlike the nights she spent in her own home, sleep easily claimed her and with his scent clinging to the sheets, she could almost pretend he was sleeping right beside her.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! The song used here is 'My Immortal' by Evanescence. Thanks to:

Jason's Lover
Morning Dreamgirl
RASaero611
Ellie
killjoy
tiredmuse

Chapter 14 - My Immortal

With Liz’s first single being such a hit and all the press she was getting due to her now public relationship with Max, Brody wanted to ride the hype and pushed up the release of her second single. Max, who was being sent everywhere due to Brody’s personal problems, returned ahead of schedule. In his absence, Brody had yet to secure a piano player for Liz’s recording, putting the band in a bind as they scrambled to find a suitable performer.

In the end, Max decided to fill in for the recording and later they would find someone else to go on tour. He was agitated from all the flights, had no idea what time it was from traveling back and forth between time zones and just wanted to go to sleep. The fact that Brody had been paying more attention to arguments with his ex-wife instead of the company also seemed to grate on his nerves.

By the time he stepped into the studio that Friday night, all the boys in the band carefully kept their distance. Liz, who had experience soothing his frazzled nerves, leaned up to place a kiss against his lips and smiled when he held her close. “God, I missed you Parker” he murmured so that no one else in the room heard.

“How’d it go?” she asked, looping her arms around his neck and enjoyed the way he nuzzled her cheek. The boys all turned around, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing and Liz almost laughed out loud.

“Seven shitty dives, six different states, rain, wind, cold, heat and only one band was decent” Max replied while methodically running his fingers through her soft hair. The two had talked as often as possible but with their night and day schedules and all the traveling in between, they had only managed minutes each day. Now that he was home again, Liz couldn’t wait to catch up. “What about you? Anything new to tell me?” he wondered and ignored Brody who stood, waiting in the doorway like a timid puppy that hadn’t made it outside in time.

“Nothing that can’t wait” Liz shrugged and reluctantly released Max from her embrace. “Alright boys” she called out and turned to face her band. “Who wants to go first?” Each looked at one another, timid this time around because Max was the one who’d be mixing the song instead of Ethan. “Okay… then I’ll go first” she volunteered and shrugged at Max who hid a smirk.

“Jeremy, go into studio 4 with Ethan while I work with Liz here” Max instructed, taking pity on the nervous twenty year old. “Tim, start warming up in Studio 5. Paul, go into practice room 3 and make sure you have the bridge worked out.” The three males didn’t waste any time doing as they were told, leaving only Liz and Max standing in the center of the studio. “Grab your guitar and we’ll get started” he shrugged and couldn’t resist placing one more kiss against her lips before heading into the sound booth.

Max took his seat behind the sound board and played with the controls a little bit as Liz got settled on a tall stool. Her pick was new, her strings finely tuned and her strap adjusted perfectly. She plugged the amp into her guitar and reached over to set her levels. She turned back to Max, the expression on her face plainly informing him that she was ready to play. “Alright babe, I’m ready when you are” he said, giving her a thumbs up.

Nodding, Liz settled her fingers against the strings, took a deep breath and began to strum.


~&~&~&~&~&

After three hours of recording the instrumentals, the band took a quick break while Max mixed up a rough track for Liz to use as a guide when she sang. The boys ordered Chinese and sat on the studio floor inhaling the fried rice, egg rolls and sweet & sour pork as though it was their last meal.

Briefly, Liz took a moment to observe her band. Jeremy, the tallest and lankiest in the group reminded her of Alex. He had dark hair, always wore jeans, band t-shirts and a pair of old converse sneakers. Then there was Paul looked more like a surfer than a musician. He was the shortest in the group but was wide with muscle. His hair was blonde with just a hint of curl at the ends, his skin was tanned, revealing he was a native of California while his clothes suggested he had just rolled out of bed. Wrinkled and rumpled was what he was, reminding Liz of Jesse. The last in the group was Tim who was a bit shyer than the other two. When you got him talking he had at least a dozen knock knock jokes on hand and a slew of comic book facts to tell. He was on the dorky side but was also incredibly sweet. He was the one who made her think of Kyle.

Max had assembled a group of males Liz could be comfortable around who were also extremely talented.

When he finished the track, all the boys were herded back out into the hall while Liz placed a set of headphones on her ears. She reached for a bottle of water, took a long sip and waited for Max to give her the cue to begin. The moment of truth had arrived. It was the song she had been working her hardest on, the one that explained what her life had been like after their breakup. Then it came, the thumbs up from inside the sound booth.

Moments later the beautiful sound of a piano filled Liz’s ears. “I’m so tired of being here…. Suppressed by all my childish fears…. And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave…. ‘Cause your presence still lingers here…. And it won’t leave me alone….” The words smoothly fell from her lips. Her palms cupped the headphones against her ears so that she would have something to do with her hands. Eye lashes blocked her eyes from seeing anything as she concentrated on the music pulsing in time with each beat of her heart.

“These wounds won’t seem to heal…. This pain is just too real…. There’s just too much that time cannot erase…. When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears…. When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears…. And I held your hand through all of these years…. But you still have…. All of me.”

A rush of images assaulted her mind as she sang. That night on the bridge… the painful cries that fell from his mouth, the scent of alcohol on his breath… the vacant expression in his eyes. Liz thought about the day he taught her to drive a stick shift so that she could try out his Porsche. His patience and laughter each time the car turned off, despite the fact that every attempt stripped the gears. Sitting behind her on a bed, arms surrounding her as he tried to help her perfect a song.

“You used to captivate me…. By your resonating light…. Now I’m bound by the life you’ve left behind…. Your face it haunts…. My once pleasant dreams…. Your voice it chased away…. All the sanity in me….”

These wounds won’t seem to heal…. This pain is just too real…. There’s just too much that time cannot erase….”

All the nights she spent on the tour bus after leaving him behind, the dreams she had and thoughts she couldn’t let go of. The first time they made love because both were so frustrated with one another. The second time which was slow and tender. She remembered the way he looked down at her, the way his hands felt skimming her skin… the feel of his body pressed up against hers.

Liz thought about the day she learned his secret. The shame on his face and the anger in her voice as she yelled at him about taking drugs. The feel of losing her breath as she reminded him the person who drove the car that killed her brother had been someone who was strung out on coke. The promises he made about trying to give it up.

“I’ve tried so hard to tell myself that you’re gone…. But though you’re still with me…. I’ve been alone all along.”

The drums and guitar picked up, causing her heart to speed up in tandem with its beats. She listened for her next pick up and kept her eyes tightly shut. More images and words flooded her mind but she pushed past all of them as she heard her entrance.

“When you cried I’d wipe away all of your tears… When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears…. And I held your hand through all of these years…. But you still have…. All of me…. Me…. Hmmm….” Her voice faded out but Liz continued to listen until the sound in her ears faded out too. Only then did she open her eyes, shocked to find the tears inside them. She chanced a look at Max but found him staring down at the board. His hands moved up and down and she realized he was adjusting something on the track.

Liz heard him clear his throat a moment before he met her gaze. “Rest your voice. I’ll get the guys and we’ll play it back” he offered, leaving Liz to wonder how he felt about the song as he went out into the hall to retrieve her band mates. Ethan, who had been fine tuning the drum track in another studio, also returned though he took a seat beside Max in the sound booth.

Once everyone was seated inside the studio, Max hit the track, filling both rooms with the new song. Again, the piano was the first thing they heard, a little rough around the edges but easily cleaned up. Then Liz heard her voice and couldn’t help but look over at Max who was talking something over with Ethan. She saw the sound engineer nod twice and reach over to grab a pencil to write with. He focused on the paper, jotting down whatever instructions Max gave him.

Liz remembered when Ethan had just been an intern. He sat in the booths, working with the engineers when Livien used to record. He was extremely technical and amazing with percussion, piano and synthesizers but didn’t have a natural instinct. It was why he never cleaned voices.

As the song faded out again, Ethan cut the track and stood up to exit the booth. Max took another few minutes to write something down before he looked at the seated group. “Alright guys, you’re done for the day but we’ll need you back here tomorrow, same time” he instructed, waiting until the door had closed before finally returning his eyes to Liz. “Finger noise when you slide” he smiled, repeating one of the first things he ever said to her.

“What about the voice track?” Liz asked, unable to return the smile just yet.

“Your harmonizing with the piano is a little off in the end. Try taking it up an octave” he advised, not answering the way she hoped. “And there was a little fumble just before the bridge that you’ll need to re-sing. Other that I’d have to say it was pretty solid for your first take.” Liz had to remind herself that during recording time, he wasn’t her sounding board, he was her technical board. During all her time with Echo, not a single engineer had ever tried to critique her music, they only critiqued the way she played it. Because that was what their job was. After all, she hadn’t expected Ethan to comment on her lyrics.

“Right… so what did you need me for?” Liz questioned in a sharper tone than she had intended. “Since you kept me here even though you sent the guys home.”

Liz nearly apologized at the sight of his frown but tightly clamped her lips shut, preventing the words from tumbling out. “I kept you here because you have some promo thing in the afternoon and a radio interview afterwards. You’re gonna have to play for me now so I have enough to work with tonight and tomorrow” he explained, taking on the same professional tone she had used.

“Fine” she agreed and grabbed at her guitar. A few rough flicks turned her amp back up and she prepared to reclaim her seat when Max’s voice interrupted her.

“Forget it, go home” he said and rolled his chair to the back wall to replace the tape. His frown only deepened when he turned back and found Liz gaping at him, anger glinting dangerously in her eyes. “Your emotions are out of whack. You can’t sing when you’re like this because your pitch will be all over the place” Max explained though he could see his words did nothing to help the situation.

“Maybe my emotions are out of whack because you won’t talk to me” Liz countered. She set her guitar down and strolled towards the door, roughly pulling it open. She walked two feet towards the sound booth door and angrily stormed inside. “Why won’t you touch the lyrics?” she demanded, staring down at him and enjoying the height difference since he had yet to rise from his chair.

“Because the lyrics worked with the instrumentals. I have no notes on them” Max replied coolly, further angering Liz since he refused to loose his temper.

“Damn it, Max. Take off the producer hat for five minutes and tell me what you thought of the words” Liz yelled, grateful that the entire room was soundproof. “You have to have something to say about them, right?” she then asked, a little uncertain when he didn’t immediately respond.

“What do you want me to say about them, Parker? Do you want me to tell you I’m sorry that I hurt you?” Max questioned, considerably calmer than she was. “Because you already know that I am. Do you want me to tell you that I wish I could take back all the pain I caused you, because I would. Do you want me to wish it never happened, because I do. Or do you want me to tell you how beautiful the song you wrote is, because I can.” Liz felt herself deflate with each word, each declaration. “I’m sorry that I hurt you, I wish I could take it all back and I wish that it never happened. The song you wrote is beautiful.”

Had the words come from anyone else, they would have sounded smug and condescending but from Max, Liz knew they were heartfelt. He wanted to comfort her but knew that babying her would only sound patronizing. He had never patronized her and didn’t intend to start.

In a moment of weakness, Liz looked down at him and replied, “I want you to tell me that you love me. I want you to tell me that you’ll always love me.” It was more of a whisper than anything else but it went straight to Max’s heart.

“Come here” he said, gently tugging her down into his lap. “I know that things have been crazy. I’ve been all over the place and I know the press has been having a field day since we sang together” he quietly acknowledged. “But please don’t ever doubt how much I love you, Liz. Don’t doubt that I’ll always love you” Max said and tilted her chin down to meet his lips. “I was stupid enough to ruin things before but it won’t happen again” he promised and gently brushed the hair away from her face.

“I do trust you, Max. I guess my emotions have just been running high lately” Liz admitted and leaned her head down against his shoulder. “Between Kyle and Tess, shooting the video, getting this song finished and not seeing your for over a week, I’ve just been a little lost.” In all their phone calls, she didn’t mention how she had decided to stay in his apartment while he was away. She knew Max wouldn’t have minded but felt a little silly confessing that she couldn’t sleep unless she was in his bed. “I’ve just been holding on to the song for so long now and it’s finally out. You’ve finally heard it and it’s overwhelming.”

“I forgot how much of a handful you were” Max teased and received a blow to the ribs for his effort. “Bad time to joke?” he asked.

“Just a little” Liz stated but couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Listen… I’m not taking any more trips for a while, no matter what Brody has to say about it” Max informed as he ran his hand up and down her spine. His motions were soothing and gentle to Liz’s frazzled nerves. “We’ll work on the songs together. I’ll be on set for the next video and as for Kyle and Tess… well they can work on their relationship alone. You can’t take care of them if they aren’t willing to take care of themselves” he stated, figuring it was most likely Tess and not Kyle who was giving Liz problems.

Her manager was so caught up in trying to fix things with him that she had yet to mention anything to Liz about her reconciled relationship with Max. As predicted, Lonnie’s phone rang off the hook for days after the initial report and even two weeks later, she was still getting calls from reporters who wanted a quote. They wanted to know if Max would go on tour with Liz after the album broke and whether or not they had any plans on releasing a joint project.

Lonnie was even getting calls from people who wanted to book interviews with Max. She pointedly reminded them that she wasn’t his publicist and had no idea what his schedule was like. Their next question was to ask who his new publicist was.

Max couldn’t even remember when the last time he saw his old publicist was. Maria had been Livien’s manager and Liz briefly wondered if she was getting calls asking about Max. If she had tried contacting him, he hadn’t mentioned anything. “So unless you want me to lose my job, get your ass back in there so we can fix up the track” he teased with a playful slap against her ass. Liz rolled her eyes, pinched his arm and then hopped up before he had a chance to retaliate.

“You wouldn’t lose your job, Brody depends on you too much” she stated matter of factly.

“Well darling, you got me there. I guess my job is safe for another day” Max replied and gestured for Liz to go back into the studio.

Sighing dramatically, drawing a smile from Max, she did as she was told and returned to her stool. Since the guitar track needed more work, Liz sat back, placed the headphones on her ears and waited for Max to give her the go ahead. There’d be plenty of time to sing later.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Thank you everyone!!! I'm so glad you still lilke what I'm doing with this fic. Thanks for all your feedback!

tiredmuse
Morning Dreamgirl
RASaero611
Jason's Lover
Mica
begonia9508
Emz80m

Chapter 15 - Notebook Distractions

A week after her second single was released, Max and Liz sat together in his apartment, enjoying a much needed break. She had convinced him to watch The Notebook, popped a bag of popcorn and had sodas ready before he could change his mind. Clad in a pair Max’s boxers and one of his old t-shirts, Liz curled into Max’s side with a blanket spread over both their bodies. His chest was bare and he was covered only by a pair of grey sweatpants, sans boxers.

“I can’t believe I’m actually watching this” he muttered for the fourth time when Ryan Gosling leapt up onto the Ferris Wheel and tried to get Rachel McAdams attention. Small fingers pinched his arm, causing a loud yelp to escape his mouth. “Would you please refrain from trying to injure the boyfriend” Max requested in a snooty tone that made Liz snort mockingly.

“What you really mean is don’t injure my guitar fingers” she corrected dryly. “But that’s okay, I love you even though you’re a tyrant” she added and snuggled a little closer. Max’s protest died on his tongue as he felt her hand slowly wander down his chest. A whisper of a kiss was placed against his neck while her fingers danced a little lower.

Liz smiled slyly as she heard him trying to stifle a groan. She flattened her palm against his washboard stomach and gently rubbed back and forth, feeling the defined ridges with each pass. Liz had always believed Max had the perfect body. His shoulders were wide, his arms muscular and strong without being bulging. He had a broad chest with a light sprinkling of fine hair, leading down to drool worthy abs. Even his legs were muscular and still powerful from his days of running cross country in high school and the occasional basketball game he still played.

Moving even slower, she continued her journey downward until her fingers brushed the tip of his erection through the material of his pants. He was already hard by the time she took him in her hand, causing Liz to try and stifle her own moan of enjoyment. Her skin warmed just thinking about what he would feel like inside of her.

Despite any problem they had in the past, sex had always been the one thing they agreed on. Whether it was tender and slow or fast paced and loud, it was always explosive. Jokingly, they used to tell each other that the only reason they stayed together was because of how good the sex was.

Liz continued to tease him, all the while trying to pretend like she was paying attention to the movie. “A little to the left” he said and placed his hand over hers, guiding her to the spot he wanted her touch. He made loud, exaggerated noises and Liz smirked, knowing he was teasing her right back.

“Oh baby… oh baby… you’re the queen” he groaned and pushed his hips up towards her hand. By then Liz couldn’t stop laughing and sagged against his side. Her eyes watered and she gasped for breath while Max sat back, staring at her with unabashed amusement.

“You suck!” she stated childishly.

“No you suck” Max countered and glanced down at his erection then back at Liz. There was laughter in his eyes as he pulled her onto his lap and fused his lip against hers. There was nothing slow or leisurely about the way he kissed her breathless. An excited chill raced up her spine as she felt his hands inch up the hem of the large t-shirt she wore. Her skin was warm to the touch and smooth as silk as Max glided up her sides, stopping just below her breasts.

Liz felt her breath hitch as he began kissing down her neck, taking his time to lick and sample her skin. “Max…” she moaned when his hands glided an inch higher, softly caressing her breasts but careful to stay away from her nipples. To even the score she began rocking in his lap, grinding down onto his erection.

Max released her pliant flesh and grasped the hem of her shirt. In one swift tug, he had it over her head and tossed it aside. His kisses returned to her neck, trailing down too slowly for Liz’s liking. His hands continued their exploration and teased the waistband of the boxers she wore. Liz threw her head back, emitting a loud moan of approval when his lips skimmed the tops of her breasts. His fingers danced a little lower until the reached the slight opening on front of the boxer shorts.

“Easy access” he murmured against her skin and at once, thrust two fingers inside her while latching his mouth against one pink nipple. Liz cried out in pleasure and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, desperate to hold him in place. His tongue laved at her puckered nipple and gently scraped his teeth across the hard nub. When he was satisfied with the red mark he made on her porcelain skin, he gave the other side the same treatment.

Liz writhed around on top of him as he added a third finger to her drenched core. Shamelessly, she rode his hand until small spasms of pleasure began to dance up and down her body. Her breath became faster and she gasped when she felt his thumb join the fun, rubbing light circles against her clit. Liz’s moans became louder as she felt herself quickly going over. Max continued laving her nipples with thorough attention until the damn broke and she came, screaming his name in ecstasy.

Max watched a myriad of expression flash across her face, enjoying the look of fulfillment that quickly replaced all the others. Slumping forward, Liz rested her head against his shoulder, trying to catch her breath as he slowly pulled his fingers out from within the boxers. “Oh baby… oh baby… you’re the king” she smiled, drawing a grin from Max who simply sat back and held her body close to his.

Liz’s satisfaction was short lived as she shifted and felt Max’s erection pressing against her center. She raised her head to look him straight in the eye and slowly slithered to the floor in front of him. Her hands began rubbing him over his pants, causing one low groan of arousal from Max. Pulling at his draw string, she carefully pushed the waistband over his hard on and waited for him to lift his hips so that she could tug them all the way off.

His large and very thick erection sprung up the moment it was free. Liz licked her lips at the sight of it and leaned forward to swipe her tongue across the mushroom tip. One hand grasped the base, holding his cock exactly where she wanted it while the other hand gently began to fondle his sac. She continued to lick up and down its length and smiled when Max lowered his hands to bury themselves in her hair.

Teasingly, she nuzzled the tip against her lips, smearing the small drops of pre-cum onto her tongue. Max had thrown his head back to rest against the cushions and his eyes had closed in enjoyment. Liz continued to look up at him as she opened her mouth wide and took in as much of him as she could. “Hmm… Liz” he groaned as she slowly bobbed her head up and down over his length. She relaxed the muscles in her throat, trying to take him in as deep as she could manage. One hand continued to stroke what couldn’t fit while the other trailed up and down his inner thigh.

Of their own volition, his hips began to thrust upwards, trying to get closer to her warm mouth. Liz continued to suck tighter, remembering his earlier joke about it. Max’s answer was another groan while his breath began to come out in short pants. She could feel how close he was as his cock pulsed beneath her hand. Working him faster, she stroked higher and continued to pleasure him with her tongue and lips until she felt his release fill her mouth.

Quickly, she tried to swallow all of it and enjoyed the way her name fell from his lips in pleasure.

Crawling back up onto the couch beside him, Liz pulled his mouth down to hers in a fiery kiss. Seeing Max cum, watching his face as he found his release had turned Liz on. She was eager to have him buried inside her and made no secret of this desire as she began to rub his cock again, trying to bring it back to life. Thankfully he was young and virile, making his recovery time quick. “How do you want it” he asked while pulling the boxers down her legs.

He gently nipped at her skin and couldn’t help rocking his hips against hers as she decided where she wanted it. “Over the couch” she moaned and reluctantly pushed him away. Both stood and with her hands braced against the arm of the couch, she bent over in a silent invitation. Taking his cue, Max held his erection in his hand, teasing her wet folds with the blunt tip. Dipping in and out, he tested to make sure she was wet enough and barely held back from plunging inside. “Please don’t tease… not now” Liz said and wiggled her hips a little, hoping to tantalize him.

Max needed no further encouragement and eased himself inside her slick passage. Both emitted pleasured sounds at the feel of him filling her, stretching her with his thick erection. With his hands on her hips, Max held Liz in place and slowly pulled out. She was so tight, making it pleasurable even on the way out. Quickly, he pushed back inside and soon enough, they developed an easy rhythm. A string of loud moans accompanied every stroke. With one hand resting against the couch arm, Liz used the other reach behind her and began caressing any part of Max’s skin she could reach.

Leaning over her body, Max trailed his hands up to her breasts. His deft fingers pinched her nipples pleasurably as she began pushing back against him. Her folds were slick as Max pounded in and out of her body, causing Liz to emit loud sounds of appreciation. Max’s lips placed opened mouth kisses against her back and shoulders while Liz turned as best as she could to meet his lips. “Harder” she pleaded against his kiss and moaned lustfully when he started to hammer her body.

Liz felt the tell tale signs of release as her entire body began to shiver. Her breath came out in short pants and her heart beat sped up. Max’s fingers continued to work her sensitive nipples while his mouth wreaked havoc on any part of her skin they touched. His prick, hard and thick rubbed pleasurably against her clit each time his pushed inside her. Liz’s moans began to get louder until she felt a pleasure spike.

Her release washed over her like a tidal wave while her whole body was wracked with pleasured shivers. His name fell from her lips, a satisfied scream as her inner walls pulsed around him.

Slowly straightening, Liz raised her arms up to loop around Max’s neck behind her. His hands roamed her body, caressing the soft skin of her stomach and her pliant breasts. His fingers began to pinch her nipples again as his right hand trailed lower to rest just against her mound. They were still joined and slowly, teasingly Max began to lightly finger her clit.

Liz’s answering moan was loud and fulfilled.

Pulling out drew a groan of frustration from Liz and a sigh at the loss from Max. Turning her around to face him, he swooped down and captured her lips in a heated kiss. Her hands roamed up and down his back, enjoying the way the chorded muscles flexed beneath her fingertips. “How do you want it?” she murmured against his lips.

“On the bed… you below me while I pound inside of you” he whispered against her ear, causing another one of those delicious shivers to dance up her spine. Eagerly, Liz nodded and the two hurried into his bedroom.

Not bothering with the lights, they fell back against the mattress and rolled around until Liz lay beneath him. His body covered hers, holding her down against the mattress while one hand held her hands above her head. He wasted no time plunging back inside her wet, welcoming depths. “Max…” she moaned when he began to thrust in and out. Her finger nails dug into her palms as he quickly brought her to the brink of ecstasy again.

“You feel so good” he murmured and met her lips, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth to the same rhythm their lower bodies followed. Both were so wound up from their earlier foreplay and Liz from her earlier release. Fast and hard he hammered in and out. Liz felt the maelstrom of her release building again and began to scream as small spasms of pleasure raced up her body. Short, fast thrusts brought him closer and kept her screaming as it felt like one enormous orgasm after another.

He pistoned inside her drenched depths until he found his own release. A low groan accompanied him as he finally let go and shot wads of cum inside her welcoming body. Both cried out as he continued thrusting until she milked him dry.

Liz and Max were both sated and tired as he pulled out and rolled onto his side. Both dragged in deep breaths of air as their bodies tried to come down from the intense high. “You know I only wanted to get back together because of the sex, right?” she asked once her heart had slowed enough to speak.

“Why else would we get back together?” Max replied as small smiles of amusement formed on their lips. Rolling her eyes, Liz shifted onto her side so that they faced one another.

“Because you love me” she stated simply.

“Well I guess there’s that” Max said and pulled her to him for a soft, sensual kiss. As she settled into his embrace and closed her eyes, ready for sleep, Max couldn’t help smile as he realized how to get out of watching chick flicks like The Notebook. Sexual distractions.


~&~&~&~&~&


The following two weeks came and went with no major problems. Tess and Kyle were slowly on the road to recovery and Isabel had taken the twins home. Both parents definitely looked tired and sleep deprived the next time Liz saw them but their happiness was apparent in their eyes. Isabel, of course, had been the one to pull Liz aside and ask about Max. Apparently she had tried getting information out of Lonnie but when it came to her job, the other blonde was completely tight lipped.

Isabel sat, listening to Liz explain what happened to make her change her mind about Max. Alex was a little more skeptical but like Kyle, he remembered how unhappy she had been after their big breakup. He wanted her to be happy and that well wishing was what finally caused him to give in. Alex was still a bit skeptical but both were willing to give Max another chance if Liz was.

The recently released singles hit the airwaves and had managed to top the charts. ‘My Immortal’ was in its second week as the most requested. The biggest problem, however, seemed to be disk jockeys who tried to get too personal during interviews. The crowds were still curious about the particulars of Liz and Max’s original breakup and seemed determined to find out. Lonnie was particularly busy as she denied and confirmed rumors, all the while booking appearances left and right.

The video for ‘Going Under’ debuted on MTV and to Liz’s pleasure, perfectly went along with the song. She had been a bit skeptical at first but trusted the eccentric director who assured Liz it would be dynamite. The success was Brody’s reason for hiring the same guy to shoot Liz’s follow-up video.

Dressed in a long, flowing sleeveless red dress that was thin and soft to the touch, Liz was supposed to be the only color in a black and white video. Her hair was straight, falling down her back with small clips holding wisps away from her face. Her eyes were smoky, lined darkly and colored with a rich charcoal shadow swept over her lids. Her lips held the slightest sheen of gloss, her feet were bare and the thin straps of her dress were fallen around her shoulders.

The set was comprised of a large, old house. The walls were pale, the drapes black and the room was lit by the moon and various candles sprinkled throughout the set. The shot began with a silhouette of a man, hunched over a piano as he played the introduction. There were shots of Liz lying in bed made up of white rumpled sheets, of her hunched over, arms hugging her legs while candlelight flicked in the background. She pretended to be asleep and had to awaken abruptly, as though falling from a nightmare.

The camera focused on drops of water falling like tears from a person’s eyes. There were more shots of the phantom piano player and Liz fighting away shadows haunting the walls. She paced, she sat and she even ran out the door and out into a field that was waist high and covered by bright wildflowers. She had to cry and scream on cue. Then as the song picked up, the camera focused past the back of the piano player who wore a white shirt with a black tie loosed around his neck, and into a large, picture window where her band stood, playing their part. A faint white light trickled into the room, lighting the shadows of their faces before returning to the piano.

The actor who had been the body for the shot couldn’t play a single note so Liz asked Max to step in after the director promised his hands would be the only thing shown. His fingers, long and graceful floated over the keys as he played his part.

The video finally drew to a close with Liz laying outside on what was meant to be the roof of the house. There was a blue screen in front of her and a New York skyline would later by added digitally.

It took two nights to film since it was all shot on one location. The director seemed eager to get into his cutting room with the material and assured they would have another hit, ready to premier on MTV in next to no time. “I almost forgot how crazy this whole thing was” Max mused as he and Liz walked hand and hand back to his car. They were an hour and a half outside of the city though despite the time being close to midnight, neither was particularly sleepy. “You were amazing though.”

“I like that director” Liz replied with a shrug. “How long has Brody been using him?” she asked only to receive a shrug from Max who had no idea since he’d only been with company for a little over a year.

Liz knew that he wasn’t currently working with any of the other musicians at the label but before she began her own album, he had launched two others for two big time names. Everyone wanted Max either because of his reputation as a musician, a song writer or because of his success as a producer. Either way, with his name attached to any project, it was sure to get plenty of attention.

The two had just climbed inside her car, settled against the soft leather when Max heard his cell phone beep. He had left it inside so that it wouldn’t be a distraction during the shoot but the blinking letter indicated he had a voice message. Liz leaned her head back against the cushioned leather headrest and waited as Max listened to the caller. He was quiet and she assumed it was Brody, wanting to check their progress. However, when he set the phone aside, he had a strange look on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Who was that?”

“That was Darcy. She said Maria is trying to reach me” he quietly replied.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello everyone, thanks for your feedback! The next chapter has been posted at Roswellian Chronicles today if you wanted to jump to number 17 after reading this one.

Shadowlynxbehr
Jason's Lover
Morning Dreamgirl
FaerieQueene
begonia9508
killjoy

Chapter 16 - She said what?!?

<center>Gavin and Gwen or Sonny and Cher?</center>

Liz Parker, front woman for hit band, Echo, surprised fans over two weeks ago when she took the stage with former lover and current producer, Max Evans, for a Children’s Hospital benefit. The two are said to have re-kindled their once volatile romance, a result of endless hours working together to produce Parker’s solo album which is set to debut this February. Evans, who once fronted the hit rock band, Livien, performed for the first time in three years when he sang a duet they wrote together entitled ‘Come What May’. The song was used on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack back in 2001 and was the last ever duet the pair recorded before their widely publicized break up a year later.

Rumors continue to circulate that Evans is interested in a solo career for himself and used the opportunity to get fans accustomed to the idea of him performing without the stylistics of Michael, Rath and the late Sean Deluca.

Questions involving the circumstances of their first breakup coupled with inquiries regarding the death of Livien’s bass player, Sean Deluca, continue to remain unanswered by the pair who refuse to comment on either issue. Sources say Parker and Deluca were secretly involved which led to the demise of her relationship with front man, Evans when he learned of their betrayals. Did Max Evans finally forgive Liz Parker or are the two just swept up in the magic of their music?

And now the big question remains, How Long Will it Last?!?


“Seriously… can we sue this rag for printing that stuff about me and Sean?” Liz questioned and tossed the magazine aside in disgust. While she had learned long before not to take attacks from the paparazzi personally, at times, she still marveled at their ability to take a few far fetched ideas and spin them into some tale of deceit.

“We could try sweetie but it wouldn’t be too easy. Especially if they can find some roadie and pay him enough to say he saw you with Sean” Lonnie explained with sympathy in her tone and remorse in her eyes.

“Get Max to agree and we can release a joint statement from the two of you which should straighten out a few of these rumors” Tess added in a no nonsense voice. Since Kyle had returned and agreed to try and work things out, Tess had been on her best behavior. She had also thrown herself head first into her work in order to make up for all the time she spent moping around her apartment. “Though I have admit, I have no idea how they came up with some of this shit. Even I wouldn’t have used Sean that way” she admitted, frowning slightly at the article in another tabloid that also speculated on Liz’s relationship with her former friend.

“I don’t know why I thought this would be any different than when we broke up three years ago” Liz admitted, sounding self depreciated and genuinely disturbed. “God, don’t these people realize that I’m just a regular person too? Just because I have a career that’s publicized doesn’t mean they have any right to dig into my personal life.”

Liz felt angry and on edge. Ever since Max received that call from Darcy, letting him know that Maria was trying to find him, things had been strained. It was almost as if he had retreated back into his shell and refused to come out. What shocked Liz even further was his declaration that he didn’t want to, nor was he planning on seeing Maria. Liz couldn’t figure out what was going on and all her questions fell on deaf ears.

That was three days before and since then, they had gone back into the studio to finish up two other songs they had begun working on before the benefit. Liz’s frustration led her to act insubordinate whenever he asked her to do something which in turn, made Max act like the tyrant she knew and loved. Needless to say, the couch in the studio picked up a lot of mileage in those three days and though Liz’s body was thoroughly sated, her curiosity wasn’t.

“Honey, don’t get yourself worked up over a bunch skeezy reporters. It’s their job to make up shitty lies about people and it’s my job to fire back at them with both barrels” Lonnie stated, trying to soothe Liz’s pinched nerve. “You let me take care of this. Tess will take care of you and you will take care of your music. Simple as that.”

Nodding, Liz managed a small smile for her publicist. “Thanks… but I have to get going. I have some stuff to take care of before this afternoon’s fitting” she said, referring to the first of three meetings with the label’s stylist. First they would pick an array of outfits for Liz to choose from. The second meeting would consist of test shots that would later be used from her album’s promo. The final meeting would be the photo shoot for her album cover.

“Sure thing” Lonnie replied, offering one last encouraging smile. Tess, who was already yelling at someone on the phone, lifted her hand in a parting wave.

Liz didn’t stop to second guess herself as she rode the elevator down to the ground floor. It may have been the wrong thing to do but it wouldn’t be the first time Liz had made a mistake and it certainly wouldn’t be the last either. So with that in mind, she stepped into the cold New York air, savoring it for just a moment before hurrying down the steps to her car. She could only hope that her effort wouldn’t end up being a failed attempt.


~&~&~&~&~&


“Liz… hi, come in” Darcy invited and held the door wide open for her to enter. “You’ll have to excuse the mess. Tyler seemed to think it would be funny to bring every single toy he has into the living room” she explained but there was a hint of a smile playing against her lips and from the tone of her voice, she wasn’t nearly as upset about it as most moms would have been. “Can I get you something to drink?” Liz had to give her credit for acting so aloof when it was easy to see how curious she actually was.

“No thanks” Liz smiled and wrung her hand together, a nervous gesture as she tried to figure what she wanted to say. Suddenly her mouth dried up all thoughts of explanations flew out the window as Darcy glanced expectantly at her.

“Is this about Max?” she asked, helpfully when Liz continued to remain tongue tied.

“It is” Liz agreed. “Ever since he got your message about Maria, he’s been acting closed off and distant. Then every time I try to ask him about it he just changes the subject or tries to get into my… he changes the subject” she trailed off, embarrassed that she had almost admitted Max used sex as a way of distracting her. “And I would never ask you to tell me anything he’s ever told you in confidence. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on with him. I mean… he and Maria weren’t the best of friends but she was the band’s manager and they got along well enough.”

Darcy nodded then leaned forward in her seat and looked Liz straight in the eye. “I’m sorry, but before I say I anything I’ve gotta ask if you’re worried that he might start using again if things get a little rough?”

“No” Liz immediately answered, sounding almost appalled then tried to make up for it. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that to sound so rude. It’s just that… well, I trust Max and I know how important it is for him to stay clean. He wouldn’t jeopardize all he worked so hard for just because something made him uncomfortable or upset. He’s too strong for that.”

It had never once occurred to Liz that Max might fall off the wagon. He made his mistakes but he learned from them and owned up to them. Liz couldn’t imagine that he’d ever let himself go down that road again, not after all the pain and hard work it took him to get clean. Then Liz noticed the expression on Darcy’s face. She looked proud and even a bit wistful as she sat back against the cushions of her chair.

“You’re right. He’s too strong for that but I just needed to know you saw it too” Darcy stated after a moment. “I’ve always known how much the two of you love each other but I just needed to be sure you understood who he is today before I explain a little about what happened then” she said and Liz understood she was talking about the drugs and rehab. Max was a different person because of what he had gone through. He was stronger, more sensitive yet still rough around the edges. In so many ways, he was different from that person she met out on tour all the years before but he was still Max, and Liz loved him with all of her heart.

“I don’t know if Max ever told you this but after I had Tyler, he and Maria got into a really big argument” Darcy admitted after glancing towards one of the doors, checking to make sure her son wasn’t in ear shot. “He convinced me to finally call her up. Tyler’s her family too, you know and he convinced me that they deserved the chance to know each other. So I bit the bullet and made the call” she explained with a haunted look in her eyes, the same sort of look Liz occasionally saw in Max’s. “Maria was still so angry back then and she lashed out, accusing me of trying to keep her nephew away from her. Then she started going on about whether or not he was even Sean’s son.” Her eyes seemed to glint with anger at that admittance. “Now I’ll admit that I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my past but I loved Sean more than anything in the world and I never once cheated on him” she vehemently declared.

It was impossible not to believe her when she looked right in your eyes. Liz understood with that one look that even after all these years, she was still in love with Sean. Liz’s heart broke for Darcy, unable to imagine what it would be like to know you’d never again set eyes on the person you loved. There would never be another hug or kiss… another late night phone call or even another argument.

“So Max told her she was way out of line. He said that unless she found some way to accept what had happened, she would miss out on the chance to know Sean’s son” Darcy continued after taking a moment to calm her emotions. “Then Maria turned her anger away from me and onto him. She told him it was his fault that Sean was dead.” Liz was horrified at that admission and felt her anger spike with each word. “There was so much ugliness. She swore she would never forgive him and at one point, she actually had the gall to ask if he was Tyler’s father.”

Liz could admit that when she first saw Max holding a brown haired Tyler in his arms, she had wrongfully jumped to the conclusion that Max was his father. Then again, she hadn’t known Darcy was the mother and she was riding a tidal wave of emotions from visiting her brother’s grave. Up until then, she and Max tried to keep things professional between them and Liz had had no idea what had happened in his life since she had last been a part of it.

When Max said nothing had ever happened between him and Darcy, she believed him, no questions asked. Even before their big breakup, Liz would have believed him because plain and simple, Max wasn’t a cheater. He despised men who could love one woman while bedding another. The fact that Maria didn’t know that about him after all the years she served as a manager and friend seemed horrible. Liz almost felt like Max had been the one cheated by his friends.

“He defended me against Maria. No one but Sean had ever cared enough about me to do something like that and then here was Max, shielding me from her rants. I felt this overwhelming urge to protect him because of it and I lashed right back” Darcy said in a quiet voice laced with a hint of anger. “I told her the cold hard truth about me and her brother. How I wasn’t the one to get him hooked on blow and smack, he was the one who got me hooked. I told her about how he hated the way she treated him, like he was her kid and not her brother. She could be so shitty with him sometimes, you know. They all were. I mean, there was a reason why Max was the only one Sean told when I got pregnant. He was the only decent one in the group… the only one who saw more to life than an image.”

Liz understood that Darcy was referring to his penchant for privacy. He kept everything he loved out of the spotlight because he was the type of man who cared more about people than opinions and ratings.

“Maria eventually came around because was too scared of giving up her chance to know Sean’s son but Max… he never spoke a word to her again” Darcy concluded in a quiet voice. “The damage was done. He worked so hard to get his life straightened up and he wasn’t willing to let it fall apart around him because of her. He wouldn’t give her that power over him so he cut her out completely.”

So many things made more sense to Liz once Darcy had finished her tale. She thought back to the night she flew to New York to see him after visiting Joshua’s grave. The way he told her that the guilty weren’t meant to forget their sins. He wasn’t just dealing with his own grief and guilt but with the burdens placed on him by someone who couldn’t acknowledge whatever part she played.

Liz also thought about what Darcy said, about how everyone used to treat Sean. He was the goofball in the group, comic relief when tension became too thick. It was the role he played and one he enjoyed but there had also been a serious side to him. He was extremely talented and fiercely loyal. That was why Sean went out with Max that night but his death wasn’t on anyone’s hands. He made a bad choice and the people at the party made an even worse one.

“He loves you so much, Liz.” She was startled back to the present by Darcy’s unquestionable declaration. “He used to come over for a few hours every couple of days to watch Tyler so I could get some sleep. I had a bad habit of keeping the monitors on whenever anyone was around, even my mom but not with Max. I knew my baby was safe if he was around. So I lay down and close my eyes but I forgot to turn the monitor off. About an hour later I woke up and heard his voice. He was trying to get Tyler to sleep and singing one of your songs to him.” She paused, only for a second before giving Liz one more truth. “I truly believe you’re the sole reason he got clean. He wanted to make you proud, wanted to be something for you because you were his everything.”

Liz felt silly when tears gathered in the corners of her eyes but Darcy didn’t laugh at her. Instead, she reached over and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I want you to know how much I appreciate this” Liz stated once she’d reigned in her emotions. “I want to make it better” she shrugged. “I want to make things better for him.”

“Sweetheart, you already have” Darcy stated with utmost certainty. “The moment you walked back into his life you brightened it up.”

Their conversation was broken when little Tyler ambled into the room, rubbing two chubby fists over sleepy eyes. This time when Liz looked at him, she really looked at him. He had Darcy’s natural shade of brown hair and eyes but every other feature belonged to Sean. His hair had even begun to curl a little on the ends. Liz didn’t realize how anyone could actually look at his face and not know who his father was. She felt silly for not noticing it herself the first time they met.

“Hey sleepyhead” Darcy cooed and hefted the little boy into her lap. “Can you say hi to Liz? Hmmm? Can you say hi to Max’s friend?” At the mention of Max, his wide brown eyes searched the room, looking for his famed godfather. When he didn’t find the one he was looking for, Tyler buried his face in his mother’s neck and yawned widely against her skin.

“Hi” he mumbled sleepily. It was enough to make Liz smile brilliantly at him. This, of course, got his attention and he mumbled out a quiet “Liz.” Darcy had to laugh at their interaction and settled him against her so that he could look at Liz who sat in front of him.

For the next hour, Liz played with the sweet boy and chatted pleasantly with Darcy. It was with great disappointment that Liz had to leave if she wanted to make her meeting on time. Again, she thanked Darcy for everything she had explained and in return, Darcy invited Liz to stop by whenever she wanted for some coffee and more conversation. Liz got the impression that Darcy didn’t get much of a chance to talk with anyone besides her two year old and Max. So with a smile on her face, she said she’d be glad to then hurried out to her car.

Liz still had to find some way to talk with Max about everything she learned. Eventually he would understand what she had done but initially he’d most likely be a little peeved. Liz winced knowing that he’d most likely be more than a little peeved.

It wasn’t until she’d pulled up to the building that it occurred to her to come right out and ask him again. If he said no, she’d bat her lashes, kisses his lips, promise love and hopefully wear him down with gestures of sweetness. Assuming that didn’t work, she’d bully him with guilt and threaten to revoke sex. Didn’t men always cave when the idea of no sex came up, she thought? With those three options in mind, Liz plastered a smile onto her face and strolled in to see the stylist.




A/N:I know that some of you might be upset about what I did to Maria but please remember that everyone in this story has screwed up at one point or another. Hopefully Maria fans will give me a chance to work through this. Thanks again!

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello everyone! Thanks for the great feedback! The song used is Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne. I have also completely finished writing this fic and decided to stop it at chapter 20...so I'll post a new chapter a day for the next few days and by the end of the week, you'll have read the end of the fic. Thanks again!

FSU/MSW-94
Roswell 10/2/00
trulov
Emz80m
begonia9508
Jason's Lover
Smac

Chapter 17 - Slipped Away

“The day you slipped away…. Was the day I found it won’t be the same….” The words were the result of a grueling hour spent going tit for tat as they worked out the kinks and put a simple guitar riff to it. With flawless precision, Max accompanied Liz line for chord and together, the pair sat facing one another on the piano bench as she sang her heart out.

“I had my wake up…. Won’t you wake up…. I keep asking why….” Liz felt the music pulse in perfect time to heart as she rested a beat then picked up the next line. “And I can’t take it…. It wasn’t fake…. It happened, you passed by.” She let her eyes close and focused solely on the sounds Max’s fingers made on the guitar strings.

“Now you’re gone, now you’re gone… there you go, there you go…. Somewhere I can’t bring you back…. Now you’re gone, now you’re gone…. There you go, there you go….. Somewhere you’re not coming back….”

“The day you slipped away…. Was the day I found it won’t be the same no…. The day you slipped away…. Was the day that I found it won’t be the same oh….”

“Something’s missing” Liz stated once his fingers had stilled and her voice had faded along with it. “It seems kind of…”

“Hollow” Max offered and began adjusting his tuning as Liz nodded in agreement. “Okay, how about we try a drop A standard for the second to last verse on lead and rhythm can stick with the drop B?” he suggested and tried playing the guitar part again from the selected point. “How’s this?” he asked, referring to the deeper, and much fuller sound the instrument now produced. Liz closed her eyes and softly sang along, enjoying the way the guitar perfectly accompanied the tone of the song.

“That’s perfect” Liz said with a smile as her eyes opened and the song faded into the walls. “It makes those last verses seem more emotional” she opined and watched Max as he set the guitar down and turned to face the piano keys. They had decided to intro the song with a few piano strains, something simple but classy. “Wait, Max. Can I talk to you about something first?” Liz requested and placed her hands over his, enveloping them between her two palms.

“Sure, what is it?” Max queried and shifted so that he was once again looking directly at Liz.

“I have this problem” she admitted and watched his eyes fill with concern. “And it’s affecting the way I act around people. So I should talk about it, I should just put it out there but I can’t and I don’t know how to try.” Throughout her appointment with the stylist, Liz tried to come up with someway to talk to Max about what she’d learned from Darcy but continuously drew blanks. Then on her way into the studio, she realized that maybe the best way for him to understand where she was coming from was to put him in that exact same place.

“Hey, you know you can tell me anything” Max said and moved his hands up gently cup Liz’s face. Tenderly, he placed a kiss against her lips and looked down into her big brown eyes.

“So can you, you know that, right?” Liz asked with unmasked vulnerability in her expressive gaze. Max’s own eyes softened as he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. Liz draped her arms loosely around his waist as he held her close, so close that she could feel his heart beating against hers. “Max?” she quietly murmured.

“I’m sorry” he whispered in a voice so soft Liz barely heard the words at all. “I got used to holding it all inside. When you left, it was like I lost my girlfriend and best friend at once. I didn’t know how to deal with it anymore so I locked everything away.” Liz fisted her hands in the material of his shirt, trying to press herself as close to his body as possible.

“Do you feel this, Max? Do you feel me, because I’m here. I’m sitting right in front of you and I’m never going to walk away from you again” Liz vehemently vowed. “You don’t have to hide anymore, you don’t have to hold it in because I’m here. I bend but I don’t break.”

Liz felt tears gather in the corners of her eyes and didn’t bother to wipe them away. She held him even tighter, deciding it was never close enough. “I’ll try to explain it, but it’ll have to be later” Max finally said as his gaze caught sight of the hanging clock. The rest of the band was scheduled to arrive in less then three minutes and he knew it wasn’t enough time to get everything out. Liz nodded against him and reluctantly loosened her hold.

With a small and affectionate smile on his lips, he wiped the tears from her eyes and pressed one more, chaste kiss against her lips. “I’m not a religious man but I thank god everyday that you walked back into my life.” Her heart beat faster as the love she felt for the man sitting before her almost overwhelmed her. “I love you, Liz.”

“With all my heart, I love you too.”

“So you got a song for us or… what?” Jeremy trailed off as he and the other two band mates walked in and saw Max and Liz looking much cozier than they were comfortable viewing. “Or we could just come back later” he offered, apprehensively.

“No, it’s fine. Get in here, you have a whole song to learn” Max informed, his voice sounding much more stern and professional now that he was talking to the guys and not Liz.

Wordlessly, Liz picked up the discarded guitar and walked over to the stool set up in front of a microphone. The other three males took a seat in front of their instruments and began tuning while Max went to make copies of the music they had just written. “So this is… what, eight or nine?” Paul queried, referring to the latest song.

“Nine” Liz answered while thinking that they still needed to write four more before the album would be complete. A movie studio had called Brody to request Liz for the soundtrack of one of their upcoming movies. The song they wanted would be a cover of a much older tune and would come out as the tenth song on the new album. It cut down on their workload since the only thing they’d have to write would be a different instrumental arrangement. Two other songs could easily come from her book of lyrics and the final song was something Liz had once asked Max about but had never pursued.

She wanted to do one of his songs. He was entirely too talented to keep everything bottled inside and Liz hoped he would not only agree, but that she could do his song justice.

In a matter of minutes, Max had returned with three sets of sheet music and locked himself up in the sound booth while Liz and the band finished their warm up. “Ready when you are” he said into the mic and leaned back in his chair to listen as they all rested, waiting for the bass’ cue to enter and fill up the imaginary piano’s sound. One by one, they entered and kept their sounds low, learning while trying not to throw Liz’s voice cues off. “Cut” he called out, halting their progress.

All four watched as he entered the studio and sat back down on the piano bench. “It’s good, it really is but we need bigger” Max explained and played around with the keys, working out a counter part for the second chorus. “The song starts off real slow and soft. But as she tells her story, she starts feeling more. There’s anger and sadness and you need to back that up with a quickly progressing crescendo. Mezzo Forte to a quick Double Forte and then back down, ending with pianissimo. You got it?” he asked. “Good, let’s start again from the top.”

This time, he sat in and played the piano intro. His hands directed them when he wanted more or less up until the final few verses.

“Now you’re gone, now you’re gone… there you go, there you go…. Somewhere I can’t bring you back…. Now you’re gone, now you’re gone…. There you go, there you go….. Somewhere you’re not coming back….” He sang along with Liz, pushing her for more until she gave it her all and then quickly backed away.

Twice more and then Max finally called out that it was time to take a break. “That was amazing, exactly what I was looking for” he complimented as the three males slumped down tiredly. Liz was used to him and the feeling of being emotionally drained once your song was put to rest but her band mates weren’t. Usually Max worked out everything he wanted in a song and wrote it all out in between the staffs but since he hadn’t had the opportunity yet, he gave them all his notes while they played.

He loved music so much, playing it, creating it, everything about it that Liz could hardly believe he would never get out on stage and do it all ever again.

Another hour and a half of rehearsing past before Max finally dismissed everyone. They had strict instructions to be back at the studio the following day to begin recording and all three males knew better than to be late when Max gave them a time. It wasn’t fear, per se but more along the lines of a deep respect for someone who obviously knew a great deal about his craft.

“You ready to go home?” Max asked, interrupting Liz’s thoughts. The question did, however, make her realize that it had been days since she had been to her own house. It hadn’t been something that they sat down and decided, it was just natural for her to go back to his apartment at the end of the day. It was just natural for Max to refer to his place as their home.

“I’m ready” Liz smiled and handed Max her guitar case when he reached out for it. With their hands intertwined, they silently walked to the elevator and waited for it to take them down to the ground floor. The pair had arrived separately but left together as Liz’s car stayed tucked away in the building’s private garage. “You should see the dress the stylist wants to put me in for the promo shots” she stated once they were on the road to Max’s apartment. “It kind of looks like the one I wore in “Going Under” but it looks a bit more whimsical” she explained, thinking that the hyperactive stylist wanted to dress her something the exact opposite of the clothing she wore in Echo photo shoots.

He talked about windswept locks, dark eyes and low lighting. The dress seemed more like hundreds of strips of fabric than one actual piece of sewed up material. It was off the shoulder, flimsy and low cut, something he said would be perfect for someone with her small frame. Liz wasn’t sure to make of that comment but merely smiled and nodded.

“I’m sure you’ll look beautiful” Max replied, saying the absolute perfect thing, Liz thought. He had never cared much about fashion but listened to Liz talk about clothes and photo shoots simply because it mattered to her.

Their relationship had always been a good one because each was willing to become a part of whatever was important to the other. People said that there was no such thing as a perfect relationship but Liz believed theirs had been. It wasn’t about always agreeing and smiling, it was about always loving each other through the arguments and problems. It was about having support and understanding from your partner, even if they didn’t always see things your way.

Liz and Max had that but they were young and they both made mistakes. Now that three years had past and both had been able to live and grow on their own, they were still able to find the same things to love in one another along with a whole new list of qualities. They could make it, she thought. Drugs had been what ultimately tore them apart but they were also no longer in the equation. As long as they continued to have trust and faith, they would be able to get through anything tossed their way.

That conclusion brought Liz back to the discussion she wanted to have with Max.

She just needed him to let her in, even if she couldn’t solve his problems, she could stand beside him as he attempted to deal with them himself.

When they finally arrived at his apartment, Liz reached for the phone to order take out while Max went into the kitchen to get them something to drink. As she rattled off a lengthy order, Liz picked up the remote control and began flipping through the channels, looking for something decent to watch. Infomercial after crappy show, she went through nearly half the channels before finding Braveheart playing on HBO. The last thing she wanted was to watch the Mel Gibson flick but Max loved it so she left it there and tossed the remote aside.

“Trying to get an accurate body count?” Max teased when he walked in and saw what was showing on the television.

Liz promptly rolled her eyes and accepted the glass of iced tea Max handed her. “So…”

“So…” Max repeated and took a nervous sip from his glass.

“Okay, I’m not gonna beat around the bush here. Why won’t you talk to Maria?” Liz blurted out when the silence between them became palpable.

“Because we can’t trust each other” Max answered after a moment’s hesitation. “And because I decided a long time ago that life was too short to spend it surrounded by people who’ll never accept the apology they want you to give them.” Liz’s mind drifted back to all the things Darcy said earlier that day. She remembered what Maria accused Max of and her heart clenched at how much it must have hurt him.

“Baby, you were both going through a really rough time. You’ve changed, maybe she has to” Liz stated, knowing first hand how hard it was to lose your family. She had been sick with grief when Josh had died and understood that different people dealt with it in different ways, even if she didn’t agree with the way Maria had gotten through it. “Would you… could you tell me about it?” Liz asked and crawled into Max’s lap to hug and comfort him throughout what she knew would be a difficult tale to tell.

With a nod and a sigh, Max gave Liz a brief story about what had happened all those years before. Hearing it from his mouth, hearing the emotion behind his words made Liz so much angrier than when Darcy had revealed the gory details earlier that afternoon. He had come so far but when it came down to it, Max still harbored so much guilt over the part he played in Sean’s death.

The way he spoke, it almost seemed to Liz like it was a relief for him to finally get it off his chest. Whether he had been working up the courage or decided in the studio it was finally time to come clean, Liz didn’t know but she was glad that he was trusting her enough to make her a part of his pain. She wanted to help him heal and wanted for him to know that there wasn’t anything in the world that he couldn’t talk to her about. It hadn’t been her emotions talking when she said she’d never walk away from him again, it was the love she held in her heart for him.

“Maybe I can talk to her” Liz suggested when Max had grown silent. “No, wait I know it seems like a bad idea but think about it, okay. I know the two of you and I know what it must have been like for her. Maybe I can pave the way or… or find out whether it’s worth talking to her again or not.”

“It isn’t your fight, Liz” Max replied, tiredly.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Max Evans. I love you and I’d do anything in this world for you, just like I know you’d do it for me if the roles were reversed” Liz stated with unfailing certainty. “Baby, I need you to let me in. Not just a little bit here and there but all the way in. I need to know that your whole heart is in this. I need to know that you trust me with it.” It wasn’t a test, but Liz needed some sort of sign that the years they spent apart hadn’t weakened the bond they were capable of having.

With his hands cupping her face, Max dragged her lips down to meet his in a kiss filled with passion and heat. He quickened her pulse at the first touch and made her dizzy with want. “It’s yours. From the first time we kissed, its always been yours and it always will be.”

Their conversation was halted by the arrival of the takeout delivery man. Max got up to collect the bags of Chinese food while Liz went to refill their glasses. Technically, they hadn’t managed to solve anything but Liz knew they eventually would. After all, it was like someone famous had once said, “Love Conquers All.” And as cheesy as it sounded, she knew theirs could conquer anything, even a rocky past.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hi everyone! Thanks for all your great feedback! The song used is Imagine - Originally written and performed by John Lennon and later covered by APC

believer_evans
Jason's Lover
Morning Dreamgirl
Emz80m

Chapter 18 - Imagine

Six weeks went by in which Max and Liz wrapped up the rest of her album. A top photographer came in to shoot her cover, a release party was organized and a tour was outlined. Their only break in the month and a half of chaos came at the end of December. Christmas brought snow and ice, glossing the city of New York up so that it almost glowed ethereally. Liz had always enjoyed Christmas time and that year was no exception as she prepared to spend it with Max.

Officially, the two still maintained separate residences but Liz often went days, sometimes weeks at a time without seeing her house on Long Island. One day she happened to walk into Max’s bedroom, tired from a long photo session and longing for a soothing bubble bath. She went on a search for one of his t-shirts to put on afterwards and received a surprise when she opened the closet door and found the majority of her clothing hanging beside his. The rest had been stowed away in two of his four dresser drawers.

From the very beginning, Liz had basically been living out of a suitcase. She brought things from her home, sometimes unpacked them onto a chair and then took them away to be laundered as needed. It never occurred to her to ask for a hanger or drawer but it apparently occurred to Max.

The gesture was a sweet one that made Liz so happy she almost felt silly. That night, the two trekked out to the nearest tree lot and picked out the largest they could find. With a fire burning in the fire place, they made the perfect Normal Rockwell picture as they strung up lights and draped the tree in tinsel and colored glass balls.

Day by day, the bottom of the tree slowly began to fill with colorfully wrapped packages to each other and to their friends and family. Max had yet to speak with Maria and neither had Liz though it wasn’t for lack of trying on her part. Liz tried getting in touch with her old friend but the message on Maria and Michael’s answering machine said they were out on an early holiday and wouldn’t be back until the New Year. Liz could tell Max had been relieved because it meant a temporary holiday reprieve for him. She had yet to tell him about her conversation with Darcy and figured it would be best to keep it that way.

Isabel, who normally planned the Christmas parties, gladly handed the reigns over to Lonnie because she was too busy with the twins. Tess and Kyle, who were slowly but steadily on the road to reconciliation, had been invited along with Liz, Max, Darcy, Brody and the guys in Liz’s band. A few other individual friends had also been included but the biggest surprise was that Jesse was arriving as Lonnie’s date.

According to the tall blonde, the two had gotten drunk together one night and fell into bed. She said it wasn’t love but it was definitely great sex, something that worked just fine for both.

Love or not, Liz hoped that her publicist and long time friend might be able to tame Jesse’s wild ways.

Afterwards, when everyone had split up to enjoy the rest of their Christmas Eve, Max took Liz out to their bridge. “Over three years ago, we both stood here and said our goodbyes. We were supposed to let go of each other but I couldn’t do it. Even when we were apart, you were always with me… here” he said and placed Liz’s palm over his rapidly beating heart. “Nearly six weeks ago, we sat together and you told me that you needed to know I trusted you with my heart. I told you did and I’ve tried to show you every day since but I thought this might help.”

From within his jacket, he pulled out a flat, rectangular object wrapped in shiny silver paper. “I had no idea what to get you for Christmas and then I thought about everything you’ve said to me and I decided this was exactly what you wanted.”

“What is it?” Liz asked in a soft voice, choked up by the tears she was desperately trying to hold in. Her dress, a slinky red strapless number that fell to her ankles in the softest material billowed in the breeze while her brown waves whipped around her face. Max wore black slacks and white button down shirt tucked out, his leather jacket was the perfect compliment, making him look sexy and handsome at the same time.

Her hands turned the package over, feeling its weight while Max trailed his hands down her coat covered body to rest against her hips. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and then whispered in her ear, “My heart.” Eyes shining with emotion, Liz peeled the paper away to find a brown, leather bound journal with ragged, ink scrawled pages. “In rehab, they tell you to write your feelings down if you can’t talk about them. Sort of like your own personal therapy session. It was something I kept up with after I got out… at least until I’d ran out of pages to write on.”

Flipping through the book, Liz saw paragraphs of words, pages of what looked like incomplete songs and quotes from various places, including her own lyrics. “Max… I don’t know what to say” she murmured, her throat thick with emotion.

“Say you’ll love me forever” he whispered.

“Forever and a day” Liz vowed and pressed her lips up to his in a kiss filled with tenderness. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

“It is now.”


~&~&~&~&~&



“Is everyone having a good time?!” called out Kelly Clarkson, who along with Corey Taylor, was hosting the New Year’s Eve special at Club Deep. Her question was followed by a round of raucous applause from the excited and drunken crowd. “Alright everyone… give it up for A Perfect Circle, accompanied by Liz Parker singing ‘Imagine.’ Woo!!” The guests went wild as the deep sounding piano strains filled the dark space while single spotlights followed Liz and Maynard who appeared on the stage from separate sides.

For the night, Liz’s outfit was reminiscent of the clothes she wore when performing with Echo. A pair of tight black leather pants, high heeled stiletto boots and a white lace camisole covered her small frame as she swayed her body gently to the music playing behind her.

“Imagine there’s no countries…. It isn’t hard to do…. Nothing to kill or die for…. No religion too…. Imagine all the people…. Living life in peace….” Liz sang in a sexy voice, nearly an octave lower than she normally used. It was a perfect compliment to the bass and Maynard’s voice as he chimed in for the chorus.

“You may say I’m a dreamer…. But I’m not the only one…. I hope some day you’ll join us…. And the world will live as one….” Backstage, Max watched his girlfriend sing and couldn’t help but be proud of her. She had accomplished so much in her career and continued to grow as an artist. Her upcoming record was guaranteed to be a hit and already her tour was set. More venues wanted her but she was already booked for two long legs and the studio decided it was enough for her first time soloing.

“No need for greed or hunger…. A brotherhood of man…. Imagine all the people…. Sharing all the world…. You may say I’m a dreamer…. But I’m not the only one…. I hope some day you’ll join us…. And the world will live as one….” It wasn’t the most conventional New Years song to sing but Maynard insisted on it and the crowd seemed to love it as they responded with an almost deafening round of applause. Maynard, not one for public displays, simply gestured his thanks to the audience while Liz bowed first then waved to all the fans.

“Nice job” he said once they’d made it off stage. Coming from Maynard, it was the best possible praise one could get out of him.

“Thanks” Liz replied and waited until he’d walked away before leaping into Max’s arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as she planted a long, thorough kiss against his lips. “What a rush” she breathed out once the need for air became a necessity and the two reluctantly broke apart.

When Lonnie called to tell Liz she had booked her a New Years gig in Miami, Liz had been completely surprised. She figured her job for the night would be some swanky club in New York but as Lonnie pointed out, Miami was the new “It” city. It was actually a nice change getting out of the bitter cold for a day or two and both Max and Liz were enjoying the warmer city.

“You were perfect” Max said and trailed a series of wet kisses down Liz’s throat. Moaning, she threw her head back, granting him more access. “Hmm…” a voice cleared, reminding the pair that anyone in the backstage crew or any upcoming performer could clearly see them. Slowly, Liz slid down Max’s body as a set of keys was thrust towards her. “A chauffeured car is waiting for you out back and your bags have already been placed in your room. Number 1103.”

Tess and Kyle had come along for the party but while they planned to stick around the club until after midnight, Liz and Max had another idea. “Thanks” Liz said and was proud of Tess for the way she had been trying to be polite around Max. She obviously really wanted to gain Kyle’s trust back because she hadn’t said a single negative thing about Liz’s relationship since Kyle agreed to try and work things out.

“Just be careful” Tess replied, nodded once to Max and strolled down the hallway where Kyle stood waiting. Waving at the pair, he smiled and then held the door open for Tess to walk through.

“Ready?” Liz asked and received a mind blowing kiss in response. “Hmmm… let’s go” she eagerly suggested and held Max’s hand as they hurried to the back entrance of the club where their car sat waiting.


~&~&~&~&~&


Moaning, Liz slowly rode Max. His hands held her waist and her back arched as he pulled one rosy nipple between his lips. “Max… that feels so good” she whimpered and began grinding down harder against his thick erection. “Ah…” she panted when he began to thrust up into her drenched depths. An intense feeling of satisfaction began to travel up her spine as he used his hands to help her bounce up and down on his cock. “More… I need more” she moaned and instantly found herself being lifted and positioned flat on her back.

Max kneeled between her legs, gently pushing them wide open and wasted no time guiding his erection back into her wet core. “Ah!” they both moaned as he easily slid in and out. Liz clenched her inner muscles tightly around him and reached behind her to tightly grasp the headboard bars. With one hand on her hips, Max used the other to caress Liz’s smooth, sweat slicked skin.

As both felt their end near, Max began to thrust harder and faster, all the while palming her breasts and gently tugging on her nipples.

Her screams got louder as the first wave of pleasure washed over her. “Max!” she called out when he continued to pound inside of her, quickly building up a second orgasm. Her head rolled back and forth against the pillow as pleasure shot straight to her core.

Max thrust deeper and groaned as she held his erection tight within her wet walls. Hammering his prick harder with each thrust, their loud pants began to fill the air. Liz was the first to go over again and muttered incoherently as her body spasmed in ecstasy. Max was right behind her, shooting his seed deep within her welcome body.

Sated, they both rested on their backs and allowed the air conditioned air circulating the room to cool their heated bodies. “That was intense” Liz murmured and rolled onto her side to snuggle up against Max.

With his arm around her, Max welcomed the feel of her body pressed up against his and nodded his agreement. After over an hour and a half of foreplay and lovemaking, the two were finally satisfied enough to close their eyes and get some sleep.


~&~&~&~&~&


Liz was surprised but eager when she got a call from Darcy, informing her that Maria had come into the city to visit Tyler. Apparently she and Michael decided to stop in before returning to LA for Rath’s birthday. Liz immediately tried calling Max but his phone went straight to voice mail and then she remembered he would be stuck in meetings for the majority of the day.

Since her album had already wrapped and just needed to be released, Brody was anxious to get Max into the studio with one of the new artists they had recently signed.

So with only a hint of trepidation, Liz found herself knocking on Darcy’s apartment door. “Hi, perfect timing” the brunette greeted and pulled Liz into a friendly hug. “I just put Tyler down for a nap so you’ll have about an hour or so before he wakes up. Just try to keep it down, okay?” Her smile was encouraging as she led Liz into the kitchen where Maria sat, drinking a cup of coffee.

“Liz!” Maria greeted with no small amount of surprise. Michael was nowhere in sight and Liz was silently glad for his absence, knowing that it would put the two of them on equal footing. “I um… wow, what are you doing here?” she questioned though not meanly. Despite her seemingly good mood, Liz noticed that she had yet to rise from her chair. “Wait… that was a stupid question. You’re obviously friends with one another because of Max.”

“That’s right” Liz agreed and remained standing, enjoying the extra inches it gave her. “I heard you’ve been trying to get in contact with Max” she said, hoping that her lead in would prompt Maria to explain her reasoning. If it didn’t, Liz would have no problem flat out asking, she just hoped Maria wouldn’t make things too difficult.

“I have been” Maria acknowledged and pushed her coffee mug aside. “But he obviously doesn’t return my desire to talk” she added, leadingly.

“Do you really blame him for not wanting to talk to you after everything you said to him the last time?” Liz questioned, unable to keep the bite out of her voice when Maria acted so casual about the whole situation. It didn’t seem to Liz that her old friend was at all remorseful over the way things were left between her and Max close to three years before.

“We both[/i said harsh th]ings that day” Maria was quick to defend. “Yet I’m the one here, trying to mend fences.”

“Because you were the one who was wrong” Liz fired back, no longer caring whether she sounded politely curious or not. “Max didn’t do anything but defend himself and Darcy against your insane attacks. He didn’t go looking for trouble, trouble came looking for him in the form of a five foot four blonde sporting a vicious temper.” Once she got started, Liz found it difficult to stop herself from saying all the harsh things she felt since first hearing about the verbal abuse Max endured courtesy of the woman standing in front of her.

“You have no idea what happened, you weren’t here. You were out on your precious tour while the rest of us tried to pick up the pieces of our destroyed lives” Maria spat with so much venom that Liz hardly recognized her. “You have no idea what it was like for us.”

“Don’t I?” Liz demanded. “You’re the one who said I was the only one who could understand what you were going through, remember” she tossed back. It had been an accident that Maria knew anything about Josh. She simply walked in at the wrong time during one of Max and Liz’s drug arguments. “I know what it feels like because I lived through it. So don’t tell me that I don’t know what kind of pain a senseless death can bring.”

Silently, the two women became locked in a battle of wills. It was only Darcy’s arrival that broke their wordless stares. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. You aren’t the one I wanted to talk to, Max is” Maria stated flippantly, no longer resembling the woman who had just matched her word for word.

“Well maybe Max doesn’t want to talk to you” Liz informed with false sympathy.

Standing there, she realized that she was the wrong person to talk to Maria. She hadn’t realized how angry she was for the way the other woman hurt Max until she was right in front of her. Liz acknowledged that she wasn’t perfect and that she had done her share of damage to hers and Max’s relationship but she had never blatantly set out to hurt him. The fact that someone who once called herself his friend managed to do it, left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Darcy. I really didn’t come here to cause problems. I’m just gonna get going now” she said, offering her new friend an apologetic smile.

“I’ll walk you out” Darcy replied, leaving Maria alone to calm her temper.

“I really am sorry” Liz repeated at the door. “I thought that I could work this out for Max… that I could fix things for him but I think I just made it worse” she admitted, self depreciated.

“Believe me when I say that I understand how words can fly out of your mouth before you have the chance to hold them in. It isn’t easy, especially when someone wounds a person you love” Darcy sympathized and Liz realized she was thinking of past times with Sean. “Anyway, I’m sure Max will appreciate your effort and if he wants to, maybe he’ll have better luck with it.”

“Maybe” Liz agreed and offered one last smile before walking away.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hi everyone, we're almost at the end, just one more chapter after this one. The song used is Turn the Page by Bob Seger and I have to thank Realistic Dreamer for suggesting it to me

Jason's Lover
Morning Dreamgirl
behrstars
Ellie
Emz80m
Shadowlynxbehr
begonia9508

Chapter 19 - Turn the Page

With a blanket wrapped around her body, Liz sat curled up on the couch, waiting for Max to get home. The television was on but the amusing episode of the Golden Girls did nothing to ease the tension in Liz’s body as she tried to come up with a way to tell Max what she had done. Being entirely honest with herself, she silently admitted that she had no idea what sort of reaction he would have when he found out about her conversation with Maria.

On one hand, Liz wasn’t sorry for the things she said but on the other, she acknowledged that it wasn’t her place to berate Maria for any past sins. Max had been right, technically it wasn’t her fight but she couldn’t let him go through any of it alone. They were a couple and even if she wasn’t meant to defend him in this instance, she would sure as hell stand beside him while he defended himself.

“Hey” Max tiredly greeted a few minutes later, causing Liz’s gaze to snap towards the open doorway. He softly pecked her lips and walked into the kitchen to get himself something to drink. “Are you thirsty?” he called out and Liz heard the rattling of glasses as he moved around the kitchen.

“No thanks” Liz called back and nervously wrung her hands together as she waited for him to reappear.

“I hate meetings” Max declared as he strolled back in, carrying a tall glass of iced cold soda. “We’re looking at a release date set for four months so I’m gonna have to get back in the studio starting next week” he explained while Liz easily saw how disappointed he was that they wouldn’t have more time to themselves before she was set to go off on tour. The first leg would begin the day after the release party and would stretch out to the middle of March. A one week break would follow before Liz would have to finish up the second leg that would keep her on the road until the beginning of May.

“Max, there’s something I need to tell you” Liz blurted out before she lost her nerve. There was surprise in his eyes at her abrupt announcement but she barreled forward while she still could. “Darcy called earlier and said that Maria had come into the city to visit Tyler. I tried calling you and when I couldn’t get through… I kind of, sort of went there to talk to her” she admitted and closed her eyes, waiting to take whatever anger Max might have for her.

When Liz was met with a lengthy silence, she cracked one eye open and found Max staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Opening the other eye, she met his gaze and tried to explain when he raised a hand to stop her.

“You went to talk to Maria” he said, as though trying to process the quick confession he had just heard. “And what happened?” Max asked, sounding entirely too calm for Liz’s comfort.

“Well… it started out pretty civilly, I think and then I just sort of lost it” Liz sadly admitted. “I’m sorry, Max. I know that I should have waited to talk to you first but I just thought that if I could talk to her first, it would somehow make things easier for you. I didn’t factor in the possibility that I’d be so pissed at her that I’d end up doing more damage than good.”

His eyes softened and his hands tugged her closer so that she straddled his lap. “You’re right, you should have talked to me first” he stated firmly. “I’m not ready to talk to her and the truth is that I don’t know if I ever will be. I’m not sure if it’s worth it” he admitted with an unconcerned shrug. “But I get why you wanted to try. Thank you for that but there was a reason why I didn’t want you to do it. Now you know why.”

“So… you’re not mad at me?” Liz tentatively asked.

“No. Your heart was in the right place” Max answered and tucked her hair behind her ears before pulling her down for an innocent kiss. “Just take my word for it the next time I tell you I don’t want to do something” he added and felt Liz nod against him. “I love you, Parker. Thank you.”

Liz felt the tension roll off her in waves as she snuggled a little closer, resting her head against his shoulder. “Good. Because you’re stuck with me” she muttered stubbornly and missed the way Max smiled down at her in response.


~&~&~&~&~&


The following two and a half weeks passed by in a blur for both Max and Liz. The old saying about time flying when you’re having fun seemed to ring true for the pair who wondered where all their days had gone.

In an effort to keep busy when Max was in the studio working with his new artist, Liz spent her days visiting friends and preparing for the upcoming tour. She packed and repacked almost daily out of sheer boredom and felt a bit silly that the light of her day was actually nighttime with Max. In all their time together, years before, she had never been the kind of girlfriend that got antsy when he wasn’t around. Of course she missed him when she was on tour but there were plenty of distractions to keep her busy when she wasn’t performing.

Now, with nothing but time on her hands, the days went by entirely too slowly while her nights seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. All too soon the stylists began to call, wanting to confirm everything from hair to outfit selection for the release party.

An upscale club had been closed down and booked for the event. Friends, family and a couple dozen members of the press had been invited to come by, drink and listen to Liz perform. Other artists under the label were all set to attend as well as Ethan, who had put in so much overtime with Max to get the album cut in time. “Are you all packed?” Max queried as he sat at the edge of their bed, watching Liz scavenge around for her right shoe.

Against Kathleen’s advice, Liz had just gotten her hair done at the boutique and decided to get dressed at the apartment with Max instead. Truthfully, she just wanted to spend as much time with him as she could and didn’t want to sit downtown when she could be in their bedroom, soaking up his presence.

“Double checked this morning” Liz replied and rose triumphantly, carrying her shoe along with her.

That night she was wearing a black leather mini skirt and a silky black camisole. Her hair had been fixed in tousled curls that flowed down her back, making her look like sexy seductress. Max wore black slacks and a silver and black pinstriped button down shirt beneath a matching black jacket. Liz knew he would have been much more comfortable in jeans and was touched by his effort to dress up instead. “You look gorgeous” he complimented as Liz twirled around for him.

With a brilliant smile on her face, she grabbed her purse and jacket, “Hmm… so do you baby” she replied, then with obvious reluctance in her voice, said the dreaded words, “Its time to go.”

While both silently acknowledged that she was leaving the next day, words of goodbye had yet to be uttered by either. Going away had never been easy in the past but it was a necessary evil that came with a career in music. Max and Liz each accepted what had to be done but that didn’t make it any easier to bid the other farewell for over a month at a time.

“I can’t believe that when we started this album, you and I could hardly get through a session without fighting and now…”

“Now we still fight but at least we get to have sex afterwards” Max teased, trying to keep the atmosphere light as the company car, complete with their own chauffer, drove them to the party.

This time her smile seemed force as she flashed a pair of tight lips before turning to look out at the city around them. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Max queried and turned her chin to face him. There were tears lingering in her eyes and he wasted no time brushing them away. “Talk to me” he gently demanded.

“I’m going away tomorrow and all you want to do is make jokes” Liz all but cried then felt ridiculous for acting so emotional. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me I just… I don’t want to sweep it all under the rug. I want to be able to tell you how much I’m going to miss you.” Leaving him when things had finally started to come together would be hard for Liz, especially since she knew he wouldn’t accompany her to the airport in the morning, he never did.

They would say their goodbyes at the apartment and then she would climb into a car alone.

“Baby, I’m going to miss you too. I just don’t want to think about having to wave goodbye. I want to be with you tonight without having to worry about what’ll happen tomorrow” Max admitted and wrapped his arms around Liz’s small frame. Automatically, she melted against him and stayed that way until they arrived at the front of the club. Photographers had set up shop just in front of the entranceway, eager to get a picture of anyone famous while Max and Liz could practically feel the blinding flash bulbs on their faces.

“Here we go.”

The driver came around the car to open the backdoor, revealing Max who held his hand out to Liz. The paparazzi went crazy, snapping hundreds of pictures as the two clasped hands and casually strolled up the walkway. Some called out to the pair, hoping to get a better pose while others shamelessly shouted out questions regarding everything from the album to the most guarded details of their past. “This way” Simon said and led Max and Liz through the rest of the camera crazed reporters who got a little too close for comfort.

Just inside the doorway stood Tess who nodded to the bodyguard for safely bringing in his charges. “Sales are up, radio play is high and Lonnie got in at least a hundred inquires about you, the tour and of course, your relationship?” she informed almost immediately. “And, about an hour ago we got word that your first fifteen shows have already completely sold out” Tess added with an excited grin. “That’s a little more than half of your first leg.”

“Congrats” Kyle said as he appeared beside the trio. “Lizzie, you look great tonight” he complimented and pressed a brotherly kiss against her cheek.

“Can I have your autograph?” Jesse teased, arriving alongside Lonnie who looked happier than Liz had seen her in a long time.

Rolling her eyes, Liz laughed at her friends’ antics and slowly found herself relaxing. “Get yourself a drink, mingle and such but be ready to perform in two hours” Tess reminded before slipping into the crowd to presumably do the same things she had advised, drink and mingle. She was a master at schmoozing and used such parties to procure contacts and talk up her clients to anyone even mildly interested.

“You know, this is the first one of these parties I’ve ever been to where the majority of people around were sober” Darcy commented later that evening as she and Liz stood together talking. In her hand, she held a glass of mineral water with lime and took in the relatively tame scene around them. A DJ up on a raised pedestal mixed while couples danced and grinded against one another in the center of the room. Champagne flowed but no one seemed drunk as guests walked around or talked in small groups in the quieter corners.

The party, simply put, resembled the usual night out a club though Liz remembered the parties thrown on Livien’s behalf and understood Darcy’s comment.

Paparazzi had been locked out at a certain hour and that’s when all hell would break loose. Guest activities ranged from dancing, the kind that was one very small step away from being sex, to cutting up lines and rolling joints in the corners of the room. Music pulsed so loudly that it was impossible to hear yourself think while everyone, loaded up on shots and hard liquor, either danced or got high. Liz had been comfortable with it after the first couple of times but she never participated. Instead, she would sit up in the VIP room with Max or Maria and stayed around long enough to make sure the other women didn’t get the wrong idea.

Drunk and high, everyone could act like your best friend. Women threw themselves at Max no matter what their condition was and didn’t really care that he had a girlfriend who sat nearby. Liz hated those nights but she was young and came along anyway to show her support.

Max would get drunk and maybe even high though Liz had never known the difference, at least not at first. He was a tame drunk, though. Max wasn’t aggressive like Michael and Rath or overly friendly like Sean. Instead, he would drink and just sit there, kind of like he saw everyone through x-ray glasses. It was always uncomfortable for Liz who didn’t know what to do or say when he was like that. The only bonus for her had been that he became extremely horny when he was drunk, more so than when he was sober.

Liz enjoyed those nights.

As Liz and Darcy continued to talk, she watched Echo meet her new band mates with a small smile on her face. “Its weird, isn’t it?” Max asked as he appeared behind Liz and wrapped both arms around her.

“Just a bit” Liz agreed with a laugh and leaned back against his strong form. Looking at the two bands, it was almost like the before and after photos. Sure the guys didn’t look identical or even particularly similar but their mannerisms were very much the same. It was something in the way they stood or held a glass in their hands. “Brody, hi” she added when the executive decided to stop by and talk to Liz and Max.

Darcy politely excused herself and went to chat up Lonnie and Jesse, leaving Liz to the informal meeting Brody was trying to have with her. “There are enough venue demands to add a third leg” he stated with dollar signs in his eyes and informed Liz that another five shows had just sold out.

“No, I’m not doing a third leg” Liz stated with finality in her voice. “My contract is for two and anything afterwards is purely optional.” The idea of staying out on the road for an additional month was out of the question as far as Liz was concerned. Plus, she had her band to think about too. Touring was a whole new avenue for the three males and Liz wasn’t going to push them on their first time out.

The life of a rock star was portrayed as being one glamorous, never ending party. VIP access, beautiful girls, handsome men and more money than you knew what to do with. The reality, however, would have disappointed many.

Touring meant endless hours spent in a cramped bus, traveling from city to city. There were restless nights with no sleep, press photographers taking pictures of you after one of those nights and meals consisting of convenience store munchies. Days would go by without knowing what city you had traveled to, much less what state you were in. There were stints in nice hotel rooms but when the tour was strictly booked, you ended up spending only a few hours at a time in those rooms. It was long enough to take a shower, change and if you were lucky, grab a few hours of sleep before you were back in the bus again.

“Liz, you don’t understand how much money is involved here” Brody quickly argued.

“Yeah, I do, Brody” Liz argued right back. “This might be my first time as a solo artist, but it isn’t my first tour” she reminded.

“You have a lot of momentum right now and we should capitalize on it if you want to beat out Alicia Keys or Kelly Clarkson for best vocalist and if you want to beat out bands like Tool and Mudvayne for Album of the year” Brody advised, looking first at Liz, then at Max. Both knew the game well but neither wanted to admit that a third leg would be beneficial all around. “Think about it and let me know before the end of the week is up.”

“I don’t want to” Liz immediately said to Max and turned in his arms so that she could hug him back.

“We’ll figure it out” Max said, sounding as reluctant as Liz felt. Neither minded long tours before because they traveled together. Then when they ended up on separate tours, they always met up at some point for several cities before returning to their homes. It was different for both now that Max couldn’t just pick up and go whenever the mood struck. He had a job at the studio and a responsibility to the musician he was working with.

For the remainder of the evening, the pair stuck together as they made their rounds. Interviews had already been given under Lonnie’s supervision and all that remained was the performance of the night.

“I want to thank everyone for coming here tonight!” Liz spoke into the microphone, amidst thunderous applause from the club patrons. “This song is remake but it’s probably one of my favorites on this new album and I’d like to dedicate it to all my friends and family here tonight. I love you all!” The lights had dimmed, leaving only a single spotlight on stage that followed Liz around and left her boys in the shadows.

Her eyes landed on Max, who had written the entire new arrangement himself and who now stood off to the side with Darcy.

They eased into it, starting first with the guitar before the bass and drums picked up their cues. Liz loved the song first and foremost because the words reminded her so much of Max and secondly because it was so powerful without being overbearing. Then she sang, “When you’re ridin’ 16 hours, and there’s nothin’ much to do…. And when you don’t feel much like ridin’ you just wish the trip was through….

Here I am, on the road again, there I am, up on the stage…. There I go, playing star again, there I go, turn the page….

So you walk into this restaurant, strung out from the road…. And you feel the eyes upon you, as you’re shaking off the cold…. You pretend it doesn’t bother you, as you’re shakin’ off the cold…. You pretend it doesn’t bother you, but you just want to explode…. Yeah, most times you can’t hear ‘em talk, other times you can…. All the same old clichés, is it woman, is it man…. And you always seem outnumbered, you don’t dare make a stand….”

When she performed, everything but the music faded into the background. That night was no difference as she stood up on stage, singing with her whole heart while a group of three boys stood behind her, filling up her sound with theirs. It was almost euphoric and for a short time, Liz got to forget about everything and all the difficulties that lied ahead. There would be enough time for sadness later because there was no room for it on stage.

“Here I am, on the road again, there I am, up on the stage…. Here I go, playing’ star again, there I go, turn the page….”

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello everyone!!! Well this is it, the final chapter. I want to thank everyone who read this story because I really enjoyed writing it. The song used is "Born To Give My Love To You" and I'm not sure who the original singer is but the version I heard came from Martina McBride. Thanks to:

ISLANDGIRL5
Jason's Lover
Roswell 10/2/00
Morning Dreamgirl
Behrsgurl*87
Emz80m
Any lurkes out there

Chapter 20 - Give My Love to You

“All I ever wanted was to be at your service…. But now I’m alone…. Cause you were here and you’re gone…. And all I ever wanted…. Was to feel I had a purpose…. But now that’s all gone” Liz quietly sang along with her ipod, bobbing her head in time to the drum beats while around her, Paul, Jeremy and Tim tried not to laugh.

Since they first left New York, Liz would sit around the bus, listening to Livien’s old music while reading Max’s journal. It was her way of staying close to him while being thousands of miles away. The pair managed to talk on the phone almost every day but many of the conversations were brief due to fatigue on both their parts. However, during one of their more length calls, Max admitted that he and Maria had finally talked.

Liz had been surprised, to say the least but it all turned out to be an accident of fate. He had gone by Darcy’s apartment to pick Tyler up, unaware that Maria had showed up not more the ten minutes before. Darcy had had no idea the blonde was coming and was just as surprised by the whole thing.

Reluctantly, the two managed to say a few words to one another but by no means were they friends again. Max wasn’t sure if they ever would be but it was a start as far as Liz was concerned. The greater surprise, however, was that Maria showed up at one of her LA concerts and managed to wrangle a backstage pass out of some contact she had. There was remorse in her voice as she tried to explain her side of the story to Liz. Again, it didn’t completely mend things but it was a good start.

Her band mates were adjusting to life on the road and Jeremy had even decided to bring Sandy, his girlfriend, along on the second leg of the tour. She and Liz got along well and it was nice having another girl in a bus filled with testosterone but watching the two together made Liz miss Max even more.

He had managed to catch a few of her shows when they were on the east coast but since moving out to the west, he had been unable to get out of the studio long enough to see her again. At night, she closed her eyes and tried to picture his face, imagining the feel of his arms around her as she drifted off to sleep. Even when he wasn’t around, he was always with her.

“Hey, number one fan, do you have another band to listen to?” Paul teased as Liz began to sing another of Max’s tunes.

“Jealousy is very unbecoming” Liz stated with mock seriousness. “Just cause he could whoop your ass doesn’t mean you have to…” she trailed off, receiving a face full of pillow for her joke. “Alright, alright! Calm down children” she yelled with laughter in her voice. “At our next stop, I am so returning to my own bus” she informed in a snooty tone.

The three males along with Sandy occupied one bus while Liz was given one to herself. During the day, she opted to hang out with her band mates since it was too quiet by herself but there were times, specifically during Max’s phone calls, when she enjoyed the privacy.

The boys rolled their eyes and went back to their poker game. Liz scrolled through her ipod, looking for another song to listen to when she felt a light tap against her shoulder. “This is really embarrassing but… do you have a tampon?” Sandy whispered then quickly looked at the guys to make sure they hadn’t heard anything.

Liz nodded sympathetically, remembering how she had had the same problem her first time out. With all the traveling, you sort of forgot about little things like that and when it does happen, it isn’t easy to just stop at a convenience store when you’re in the middle of nowhere or have a bus full of boys waiting on you. “I should have one in my bag” Liz stated and pulled her large black tote up onto the bench beside her. “Yep, here we go” she said after digging around to the very bottom.

“Thanks” Sandy whispered and snuck over to the bathroom while Liz returned the headphones to her ears. A new song began to play and her eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the soothing sounds of Max’s voice.

Then, as suddenly as a clap of thunder in the sky, her eyes snapped open as she realized something had been absent throughout the length of the tour.

With the boys preoccupied, Liz waited until Sandy had returned from the bathroom before ducking inside. Quickly, she pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial. “Lonnie, I need your help.”


~&~&~&~&~&


Lonnie met up with Liz in Nevada just before her performance at the Palms Resort, an upscale establishment owned by billionaire brothers, Joe and Gavin Maloof. Liz had already dressed for the night in a pair of ripped blue jeans and a black, fitted tank top. Her hair was piled onto of her head in a messy bun and she looked, to all the world, completely confident. Lonnie, however, who had seen Liz through some of her toughest times easily saw the fear behind her eyes.

“You are a hard woman to track down” Lonnie said in greeting and pulled Liz into a comforting embrace. “Do you have a little time on your hands?” she then asked and patted her large purse which carried three different pregnancy tests.

“Jeremy, I’ll be back in a few” Liz said to her band mate and led Lonnie down the long corridor to her dressing room. Unlike many celebrities, Liz didn’t have a list of demands and requirements concerning her space. All that she asked for were five bottles of water, some towels and peace and quiet. A vase of white roses sat at her dressing table, a gift from the Maloofs who were looking forward to the concert, along with a large gift basket filled with an assortment of expensive swag.

“Okay, Liz… you need to stay calm, alright” Lonnie attempted to soothe and brushed the hair away from Liz’s face, much like an older sister would have. “The tour is already coming to a close so if you’re pregnant, you’ll have plenty of time to adjust. This is all going to be okay.”

“Right… it’ll be okay” Liz repeated, nodding several times like a nervous child on their first day of school. “Okay. So I’ll just take the tests and… and then we’ll see” she shrugged, looking so scared that Lonnie couldn’t help but hug her again. With a faint smile on her face, Liz took the white paper bag Lonnie handed her and walked into the adjoining bathroom. Her thoughts were jumbled and all over the place as she read the directions and carefully did as was instructed.

The idea that she could be pregnant left Liz feeling a little scared and nervous. In her heart, she knew Max would be a terrific father because he was such a compassionate man, one who was already so amazing with Tyler. What scared Liz was not knowing what kind of mother she would make. It wasn’t as if Nancy Parker was the greatest role model in the world. The woman had always cared more about her own feelings than the welfare of her children.

Then again, Liz thought, Philip had been a terrible father but his behavior hadn’t rubbed off on Max. Maybe Liz did have a chance of being a good mother despite her own personal experiences.

“What now?” Liz asked when she returned from the bathroom with all three tests.

“Now we wait” Lonnie replied and offered her friend a sympathetic smile. “It really is going to be okay, Liz.”

“I know.” Liz thought about the phone call she had gotten earlier on the tour, a call from a very unhappy Brody Davis. He said that the stockholders put it to a vote since there was so much deliberation and internal controversy over Liz’s contract and they had agreed on ending the tour after the second leg. Liz knew Max fought Brody tooth and nail after her first break back in New York.

She had been so tired and spent the week in bed with a fever and stomach flu. It never occurred to her, until now, that maybe she had been so sick because she was actually pregnant. So Max argued that it was in everyone’s best interest to quit the tour in May. He pointed out that it wouldn’t do any good to sell out shows when the lead singer was battling a cold that could take her voice on any given day.

As time past, Liz slowly started to feel better but she still had bouts of fatigue that had her sleeping for hours at a time in between shows. Jeremy had even commented that it was a miracle she hadn’t gotten anyone else sick. Again, Liz began to realize that maybe she couldn’t get the others sick because what she had wasn’t exactly contagious. “Well at least the tour was discontinued” she said for lack of having anything else to say.

“Sources say that Duke Benton was very adamant about it” Lonnie informed with a teasing hint to her voice, mocking the tabloid reporters who continued to fabricate articles of fiction concerning Liz’s life.

“Who?” Liz questioned, realizing that she had never once met the new owner or for that matter, ever heard his name before.

“Duke Benton… the owner of Antarian Records” Lonnie explained, shooting Liz an odd look.

“Why does that name sound so familiar” Liz asked, more to herself than to Lonnie. “Benton?” she whispered over and again before her eyes finally widened in realization. “Oh my god! Max is the owner” she declared just as the three minute timer went off, alerting both women that the tests were complete.


~&~&~&~&~&


“What time does your flight get in tomorrow?” Max asked while he set his levels and prepared to start recording. The album he was producing was almost entirely complete and Liz could hear how tired he was from all the late nights spent trying to clean up the tracks.

“Noon” Liz answered and tried to keep the smile out of her voice as the cab driver led her away from JFK. Her plan was a well thought out one that involved the cooperation of several people and so far, it was going off without a hitch, she excitedly thought. “I can’t wait to see you” she admitted and heard his answering sigh.

“God, I can’t wait to see you either” Max replied just as a loud noise filled the air, causing Liz to pull the phone away from her ear. “Sorry” Max said, a few moments later. “Someone dropped the high hat.” Liz grinned as the first of many distractions began. Max would undoubtedly be frustrated by the time she arrived but it would all be worth it in the end. Thankfully Ethan had been all for the surprise and put in extra hours to record the final track for Max.

“That’s okay, but listen… I have some last minute stuff to tie up. Can we talk later?” Liz asked in what she hoped was a tired voice.

“Sure thing, Parker” Max agreed and after a few more sweet words, Liz snapped her cell phone shut.

After figuring out that Max was elusive Duke Benton who owned 52% of the controlling stock, Liz called Darcy for confirmation. The other woman had been shocked and after finally admitting the truth, she asked how Liz had connected the two names together. “It’s a long, stupid story involving this big joke, Jem and the Holograms and GI Joe” she had answered, then picked Lonnie’s brain as to why Max would not only buy out the company, but keep it a secret.

“Think about it, Liz. The two of you hadn’t talked for three years and the way things were going, it wasn’t going to change any time soon” Lonnie eventually said. “Buying out your label forced the two of you to work together. You know what happens when the two of you start playing your music.” Liz supposed she could have been upset that he’d withheld the truth from her but she’d done the same thing about her knowledge of what happened with Maria. Plus, she realized, it was the only way he knew to try and bridge the enormous distance between them.

From there, a plan began to take shape.

Six years before, Max had been the one to make the first move. He kissed her first, loved her first and then put himself on the line with her months before when he bought out her label. This time around, Liz wanted to be the one to initiate that next step with him so she devised a way to make it all happen.

“Here we are Miss” the driver said over a half hour later when he pulled up in front of the recording studio. All her bags had been sent along with Tess who had actually been a big help to Liz, despite all her previous feelings towards Max. “Thanks” Liz replied and tipped him generously as she got out with her guitar in hand.

“Liz!” Lonnie called out as she caught sight of the brunette flying into the building. “I just got off the phone with Ethan. He has Max in studio 4 and you’re all set up in studio 1. Should I let him know you’re on your way up?” she asked and continued to walk alongside Liz to the elevator.

“Yeah” Liz nodded and tried to catch her breath and calm her racing heart as Lonnie texted the sound engineer.


~&~&~&~&~&


“What do you mean we have to move out? We just moved in here?” Max demanded in a frustration laced voice. The studio resembled a circus what with all the mishaps and problems popping up. First their was a problem with the sound board so they moved into a different studio, then after a lot of mix ups, they were finally ready to begin their last recording when Ethan declared that they had to pick up and move again.

“Dude, I’m sorry but we just did a sound check and its bouncing off these walls” Ethan tried to explain, bullshitting some problem with the acoustics in the room in relation to the synthesized sound they were using for the end of the song. It wasn’t a usual problem but it was a real one that happened some times and lucky for him, Max bought it. “Just head into studio 1 and set the levels. I’ll take care of everything else on this end” he volunteered and waited several moments after Max had left the sound booth before going out after him.

Quickly, Ethan locked the door from the outside, making it impossible for Max to get out and gestured to Lonnie who grabbed Liz and led her down the corridor. “Good luck” she wished with a smile and watched Liz open the studio door.


~&~&~&~&~&


The moment he looked up and saw her, dressed in one of her flowing hippy looking dresses, Max’s eyes widened in surprise. His first impulse was to go to her but when he tried opening the door, he found it was either stuck or locked from the outside. “Liz, I thought you were… how did you?” he trailed off, speaking into the microphone as she walked to the center of the room and sat down on one of the stools.

Without answering, she propped her guitar up on her lap and slowly began to glide her fingers over the strings.

“I don’t know what brought us here…. Something in the stars said you and me…. I don’t know where this feeling comes from…. Surely it was meant to be…. For I have known you even in my dreams…. My eyes are open, my heart can see….

As sure as stars light the midnight sky…. As sure as children wonder why…. As sure as newborn babies cry…. I was born to give my love to you…. Born to give my love to you….

Heaven must be holding on…. To all the love I’m feeling now…. Here we are this is the moment…. I believe its our turn somehow…. Hearts together, hands across the night…. One forever, finally in sight….

As sure as stars light the midnight sky…. As sure as children wonder why…. As sure as newborn babies cry…. I was born to give my love to you…. Born to give my love to you….

I was born to give my love to you…. I was born to give my love to you…. I was born to give my love to you….”

Her fingers fell away from the strings as she finally looked up at Max who stood, resting his hands just in front of the soundboard. “Before I let you out of there, I have something to ask you” Liz said and set her guitar down on the nearest stand. “See, I fell in love with you six years and I’ve never been able to stop loving you since. You’re everything to me, Max, even the music inside of me and I’m positive that you always will be. So my question for you, is will you marry me?”

With a small smile, she pulled the necklace up from where it was hidden beneath the bodice of her dress. Hanging from the delicate gold was a beautiful diamond engagement ring. It had been the one secret they kept out of the tabloids, an engagement that began and ended in four short months. After leaving him, she couldn’t bring herself to get rid of it and always kept it nearby. She hadn’t needed it once they began dating again but it had journeyed along with Liz during her three month tour. Now she was asking for permission to wear it again.

“Let me out first and I’ll give you an answer” he managed to say.

Nodding, Liz called out to Lonnie who barely heard Liz through the small opening between the sound proof door and its frame. A moment later she saw Ethan pull open Max’s door and then he disappeared out into the hall.

Slowly, he walked forward until he stood before Liz, towering above her. “I…” he opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the right words before swooping down and taking her lips in an explosively passionate kiss. Liz tightly wrapped her arms around him as he plundered her mouth and thrust his tongue out to duel with hers. With her body pressed tightly against his, she remembered the baby and reluctantly pulled away. “I’d marry you this second if I could” he said and pulled her close for another mind blowing kiss.

“That’s good” Liz breathed. “Because I’d really like to be your wife before the baby is born.”

Max was just about to take her lips again when the words penetrated his sexual fog. “The what?”

“I’m fifteen weeks pregnant, Max” Liz declared with a smile. “You’re gonna be a dad.”

He looked gobsmacked at first before the blank expression fell away and was replaced by a wide grin. “I’m gonna be dad” he repeated once to himself before he said it again out loud. “I’m gonna be dad… and a husband” he slowly added. His eyes landed on Liz’s hopeful expression and he quickly pulled her back in his arms. “Oh god, I love you so much” Max said with so much emotion and captured her lips, pouring all his love into the kiss.

“I love you too…Duke Benton” Liz said with her own grin.


~&~&~&~&~&


<center>Wedded Bliss and Bundle of Joy!?!</center>

Solo recoding artist, Liz Parker and producer husband, Max Evans welcomed their first child into the world on Saturday, October 28th. Both mother and daughter, Cadence Marie Evans, born at Cedars Sinai in Manhattan were each given a clean bill of health. Sources say that the young Evans child is already the apple of her parents’ eye.

Parker and Evans, who wed back in May, are currently residing in Parker’s Long Island home. As of yet, no plans of a move have been mentioned though both have decided to take some time away from their careers to care for the latest addition in their lives. At the last Grammy Awards ceremony, both Parker and Evans were nominated for and won Best Pop Vocal Performance as well as Song of the Year, respectively. The solo album also received the highest accolade possible when it won Album of the Year.

According to publicist, Lonnie Stevenson-Ramirez, the two who were once known as an unlikely pair, despite their undeniable chemistry in front of a microphone, are reportedly very happy and very much in love.

When asked how it felt to finally have her life wrapped up in a neat little package, Parker replied, “Nothing worth anything can simply be wrapped up neatly.” So there you have it, the punk princess and her prince of rock. It isn’t a conventional fairy tale ending but it’s their fairy tale ending.

<center>The End</center>