With the exception of the one excursion to Las Vegas with Jim Valenti, Liz and Max kept a pretty low profile that first six months. Although they were invariably together – usually hand-in-hand – there was little of the awkwardness and fumbling usually seen with middle school kids taking their first attempts at boy-girl relationships – and certainly none of the acting out or in-your-face sort of stuff that some of their classmates – Pam Troy comes to mind – were doing.
To their parents it seemed -superficially – that little had changed. They bicycled to school together and bicycled back home. Generally they did homework together – and would sometimes get together after dinner for a movie on DVD – invariably in either the Parker of the Evans living room – and generally under the watchful eye of one or the other sets of parents. If they were at the Parker residence Max would say his goodnight to the parents after the movie and Liz would accompany him to the foyer for a quick and very discrete kiss – and that oftentimes just on the cheek – before leaving. If Liz was at the Evans house Max would dutifully escort Liz home – make sure that he greeted her parents and made polite conversation before again retreating briefly into the foyer with Liz prior to returning home.
Both parents noticed the change in their children – yet neither set of parents could really describe the change as anything but an improvement. The change in Max was the most profound. He would – perhaps – never be as outgoing as someone like Maria Valenti but his shyness had almost vanished. Oh, sure, he still was tied to Liz, but the nature of that relationship had changed profoundly. The love no doubt had long been there, but now there existed a self assurance – a realization that what he had always dreamed was impossible wasn't impossible at all.
Perhaps he realized that this world was indeed his and that for Liz to be happy he was going to have to be an active participant in the goings on in it. Liz too had changed – although perhaps her parents were the main ones to notice and mainly her mother at that. Liz still had ambition – and any number of plans – but she also had a contentment – a sense of knowing who she was and where her life was going that in its own way was almost as profound as the change in Max.
Despite the reservations that both sets of parents had about their childrens' youth and how suddenly they became engaged to each other the six months went surprisingly well. The kids had promised to take things slowly and they were doing precisely that. Their grades were good and – at least after the hubbub of the recall of the school board member – even their schoolmates and the school administration itself just gradually adjusted to the fact that they were always seen together – always hand-in-hand. If there was a kiss at school or a hug – or even an arm draped possessively around a hip – well, nobody ever saw it.
By the second six months Max had become somewhat of a fixture at the Parker household – as had Liz at the Evanses. Three days a week Liz would come to dinner at the Evanses – three days a week Max would have dinner with the Parkers. One day a week they would go out to eat together – although more often than not even that was in public at the Crashdown or double, triple, or quadruple-dating with one of the Valenti kids or Isabel.
After that first year little changed at school. Other kids were starting to pair up and attending dances. Of course few of these pairings were very persistent – and of those few that were Liz and Max were sort of accepted as background noise. They had been a pair since the third grade – they still were. They were now more sociable, less isolated, and even if Liz DID wear an engagement ring – they really didn't seem to be DOING anything about it. If anyone was watching boy-girl pairings, it was the unexpected ones. Ice Princess Isabel and a lanky computer geek – now that was news. The constant bickering of Maria Valenti and Michael Guerin – now their was a show. How those two stayed together no one understood – but stay together they did. The other Valenti child's ongoing relationship with 'the new girl' got less comment than the others – Tess saw to that. A lot of people somehow didn't even notice the girl – especially not if she noticed them first.
On the home front though, there were changes occurring. For one thing, Max was shaving every other day, rather than once a week if he needed to or not. Liz was – as her father described it – filling out. While their behavior around their parents seemed – superficially – unchanged, that was only because the changes were occurring so gradually – but over the course of the next six months the changes were real. For those who were paying particular attention – in this case Nancy Parker, the changes were noticed.
It was 11 PM on a Friday as Nancy drove up to the Evans door to pick up her daughter. It had been the night for dinner and a DVD for Max and Liz at the Evans residence. Diane met Nancy at the door and motioned her in.
“Want a cup of coffee? There was quite a fight over the DVD to be seen – Michael and Maria again – ultimately the girls won the vote when Max and Alex sided with them. It's a chick flick , “Say Anything...,” but it's not quite done. It shouldn't be long though...”
“OK, better make it decaf though. It's a little late for me to have regular. You have quite a crowd tonight.”
“Well, Maria and Isabel are going to have a sleepover at Tess's. I will be surprised if either of them get any sleep. More likely they will be up all night singing old Elvis songs. Kyle and Michael are going over to Alex's place. I believe it's going to be an all night video game tournament.”
“Hmm – I'm surprised Max isn't going too – or that Liz isn't going off with the girls...?”
“Max just wasn't interested I guess. Liz said that it's been a long week – that she'd rather go home and get a good night's sleep.”
“Mmmm,” nodded Nancy, sipping on her coffee.
Five minutes later the party broke up and the six other teenagers wandered off to their sleep-overs. Nancy watched in silence as Liz said goodnight to Max. The kiss was brief – but certainly not passionless. Oh, it wasn't the kiss itself really, it was the way her daughter leaned in to it – the way her body pressed against his – but what Nancy saw most was the look in her daughter's eyes – the longing there that was almost palpable. Max's eyes were much the same.
Nancy watched her daughter – whose hand seemed for some time unwilling to leave Max's hand – finally turn away with a deep sigh and look up toward her mother, she smiled back.
“I'm surprised you aren't going over to the Elvis show at the Hardings..?”
“No, I think I'll just go home and get to bed, Mom. Max and I are going hiking in the morning. I want to get a good night's sleep.”
As they left the Evans residence, Liz looked back and sighed, the look of longing still there. They drove home in silence and Liz kissed hr parents and went up the stairs to her room. Nancy quietly went to the phone and called Diane.
“Diane – would you meet with me tomorrow. I really need to talk with you?”
“Sure, Nancy. The Crashdown?”
“Actually, I'd prefer something a little more private. How about the Garden Cafe – for lunch? I'm pretty sure that neither of our husbands would be caught dead there – and this is sort of a girl thing.”
“Sure -what would be a good time?”
“Noon would be good.”
“That's fine – I'll see you there.”
Saturday, 12PM, The Garden Cafe
Roswell New Mexico.
Nancy had come early – talked to the proprietor – gotten the small private room in back. When Diane Evans came she was already seated. They ordered quickly – ate in relative silence – just superficial stuff – until the waitress had given them their check and they were sitting there by themselves over cups of coffee.
“OK, Nancy, we seem to be alone … What's this all about?”
Nancy sighed deeply. “Diane – before we have this discussion I want you to know – I love your son. From that very first day when I saw him standing there – staring down that big dog that I was sure was going to rip the throat out of my little girl – Max has always been so special to me. I need your advice on something – but I don't want you to think – ever – that I'm upset with Max.”
“What on earth is wrong, Nancy?”
“Diane – I want to share something with you about Liz. I know she was always the teacher's pet – the 'perfect Miss Parker,' but all those years she really wasn't that. For much of her life Liz was sort of self-centered actually. That doesn't mean she was a bad kid – but at times she could be pretty goal-oriented. Everyone laughed about her always having a plan – but even that was a part of her being self-centered.”
“Nancy, I don't think that Liz is like that at all...,” protested Diane.
“Well, today I think you are right. It's just that – I want you to understand how much of what I'm going to say is because of Liz and not because of Max.”
“Max hasn't done something....?”
“No, I told you – this isn't about Max. Well, that's silly, of course it is about Max. She certainly wouldn't be interested in anyone else but.... Oh dear, maybe I need to go back to the beginning...”
“I guess you do...”
“Do you remember the night we came back from Pine Lodge? Liz and I had our first woman to woman talk then. The whole idea of Liz being a 'scarlet woman' … well, it really hadn't bothered me because I knew it was just a ruse. I mean – the news about Max was a surprise – but I was so giddy about having my daughter back – and so concerned about the two of them not becoming some sort of sideshow in tabloids – and I guess I never even considered the possibility that the two of them being there that night might actually do something. Even when I heard the judge reading them the charges I really thought it was all just part of the cover story – even when that nice officer Benning came up to me after the hearing and said that she'd recommended to Liz she get herself evaluated for the morning after pill – I really just thought that Liz had made up a good story. But when we got back home I was so giddy about having my daughter back that that I went in to talk to her right after she got out of the shower. One look at her and that's when I decided she and I needed to talk.”
“The shower?” asked Diane, obviously uneasy.
“Now don't over-react – and certainly not toward Max. Liz only had about three bras back then. The one that she'd taken off – her sportsbra – covered more area than her two other bras. The one she was wearing didn't really cover the marks.”
“Marks...?”
Nancy looked at her friends wide eyes and shook her head gently. "
“Maybe we better go back to the REAL beginning so you can really understand," she said smiling. "...and you don't need to worry - it's OK."
Falling (AU, M/L Teen) Complete
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Hunter, Island Breeze, Forum Moderators
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/23/2010
"I'm not just sure when Liz started loving Max but it was early enough that sex really didn't enter into it. And Max – Max never really thought it would be possible to be anything other than a friend to Liz – at least not until the day before that night. Liz told me a lot of things – she was totally honest with me that night – and it really sort of opened my eyes.
The reason that Liz and Max had that falling out – well it was mostly Liz's fault. I hadn't realized how traumatized Liz had been during those few minutes she was kidnapped – first by what that beast did and said to her. She still – even after these years – couldn't bring herself to tell me what the kidnapper said. After that terrible man was killed – after your son almost died to kill him – well, I think she was so upset about Max almost dying that she repressed it for awhile. Whatever the case, it's clear that after that Liz was terrified of the whole concept of sex. I don't know if it was post traumatic stress or what – but Liz was so traumatized that the whole idea of being with a guy – ever – made her physically ill.”
“But surely she can get some sort of treatment – and what does this have to do with the night in Pine Lodge?”
“I'm pretty sure she doesn't need any treatment – not anymore. You see – she had this incredibly sweet and – I can only describe it as erotic although that doesn't do it justice - dream about Max. Actually, she believes it's more than a dream really. Maybe someday she'll tell you about the dream – it wuldn't be the same coming from me. Anyway – it sounds so like your son.
The dream was about Max and Liz being married – after their first child. It was that dream – her dream that sex – with Max – was not scary that seemed to both cure her and start the problem. Her dream of sex with Max was safe and fulfilling and loving – not terrifying or revolting. That dream, it turns out, was what healed whatever the words and actions of that horrible man did to Liz – but the same dream caused the problem between Max and Liz. You see, that's when she started putting pressure on Max to start doing boy-girl stuff. The strange thing was that this still wasn't about sex – not immediately anyway. It was sort of long term planning to implement that dream that – even if it isn't a dream – isn't going to happen for nearly a decade. Lizzy's always been one for long-term planning.
But Liz was pushing Max- she had a plan – and she got angry when he wouldn't follow along. I mean it was uncalled for – even if there had been no more to it than Max just not being ready, but as it turned out there was a lot more to it than that – more than you've ever heard. Anyway my 'perfect' daughter was spiteful and mean and even after Max did his best to patch things up – kept being her friend even though she had treated him horribly.
Even after Max had helped her at the regionals, it was Lizzy that got herself in trouble again up in Colorado – and again she did it by treating Max like a little vixen. That guy who drugged her – Max had warned her about him – warned her to keep away from him. She publicly humiliated Max and did just what he'd warned her against – and almost got herself raped and killed.”
“Nancy, Liz is a sweet girl.... she's always been Max's best friend. Kids make mistakes sometimes. They see things differently – get in to arguments. Even Izzy and Max have had their feuds over the years....”
“But that's just it. Liz was a child – and she was thinking about herself, not Max. Despite all he'd done for her – despite loving him even – she was still thinking like a child – thinking of herself. Well Diane, that stopped the night of the airplane crash.
Liz said that she'd gotten on the aircraft with Alexis. She hadn't talked to Max – didn't know what to say. She'd treated him – well, like crap really – and he'd saved her again and gotten himself arrested doing it. When they'd taken off she had been sitting nowhere near him – and maybe it was only destiny or something that caused her to be moved back there. Anyway – when the other aircraft hit and tore into the fuselage she felt the seat tumble away and knew she was dead. This was something, she knew, even Max couldn't get her out of.”
“Except.... he did.”
“Yes, but by that time Liz had changed. As she fell through the air – facing death – all she really thought of was Max. When they came out of the clouds and he was there – all she really wanted was to get to him – to be together when it happened. She went to him believing fully that she was as good as dead – her only hope that they could be together when it happened The strange thing was that this probably saved Max's life too – although she didn't find that out until the day before Jim Valenti brought them home. You see, Max wasn't trying to save himself. He was ready to die.”
“So he was trying to commit suicide that time? When Jim Valenti caught him at the quarry?”
“Liz doesn't think so. It was more like he just didn't care to go on. Liz found out later that Max really didn't believe he could ever be accepted by the people he loved because he was different.”
“Dr. Marquardt warned me of that. Feral children, he called them. He said because Max and Isabel weren't socialized normally, they might never consider themselves part of the human race – and that was without knowing how different they really were. I have to admit that this last seventeen months I have wondered many times how Liz could break through to him when I tried so many years without success.”
“Well, I wouldn't worry about it. Let's just say that you couldn't have used her method.
Anyway, sometime during that fall Liz ceased to be a spoiled child and became an adult – an adult who loved your son just as much as she always had, only now it wasn't about her dream or her needs – it was about his. Max exhausted himself stopping the two of them from hitting the ground, and Liz was hurt – but she wasn't thinking about her needs any more – she was thinking about his. She helped him and he helped her and – to this day, she says that week with Max was the best week of her life except for the fact that as they got near the end of it Max started getting more distant. Finally she found uot what the problem was. As much as Max loved her – as good as he'd been to her for all those years – even after she'd found out his secret and hadn't gone running from him in terror, Max really didn't think it would ever be possible for them to be any more than friends. Eventually he thought Liz would find some boy she liked – which certainly wouldn't be him – and he'd lose her. He believed it so strongly he wouldn't listen to reason. I guess your Dr. Marquardt was right. He was alienated – not because he WAS an alien – just because he couldn't bring himself to ever believe.”
Dianne nodded her head sadly. “I never understood why, but I banged my head against that brick wall for most of Max's life and never could get through.”
“Well, apparently Liz couldn't understand either – but she knew something was bothering him. Finally it got too much for her – she couldn't bear to see him hurt like that – so she came up with a plan to find out. She intentionally broke her leg to get him to connect his mind to hers so she could use the connection to tap into his brain and discover what the matter was while Max was busy fixing her.”
“Ouch. Of course, even if I'd known about his difference – I have no idea what I could have said to reassure him. Not if what we've been saying and doing all of his life didn't reassure him.”
“Well, Lizzy did. You have to understand my daughter – she's pretty goal oriented. Now that she was an adult – now that she knew what she wanted – she wasn't going to give up on your son. She told him that she was going to prove that he was wanted and accepted and loved. She told him that she was going to prove that she loved him and would always love him. That she'd do anything for him – I think she would have borne his child if that was what it had taken to get through to him.”
“They ….didn't???” Diane pleaded.
“No, what happened – I think – was that Max was forced to grow up real quickly. You see, this wasn't about passion – it was about love. Liz was scared – she was near her fertile period – she wasn't sure that it would even work – but Max was too important to her to not try anything that might work. This was all she could think of. This wasn't about passion so much as desperation. She was going to save Max's humanity – no matter what it took. And your sweet son grew up – and came up with the only way out that wasn't going to be a rejection of Liz. He took the friendship pendant and made it in to an engagement ring. You see, this really wasn't two adolescents in the mindless throes of hormone driven passion. It was two people who cared very deeply about each other. Two people who wanted – more than anything – for the other person to be happy.”
The reason that Liz and Max had that falling out – well it was mostly Liz's fault. I hadn't realized how traumatized Liz had been during those few minutes she was kidnapped – first by what that beast did and said to her. She still – even after these years – couldn't bring herself to tell me what the kidnapper said. After that terrible man was killed – after your son almost died to kill him – well, I think she was so upset about Max almost dying that she repressed it for awhile. Whatever the case, it's clear that after that Liz was terrified of the whole concept of sex. I don't know if it was post traumatic stress or what – but Liz was so traumatized that the whole idea of being with a guy – ever – made her physically ill.”
“But surely she can get some sort of treatment – and what does this have to do with the night in Pine Lodge?”
“I'm pretty sure she doesn't need any treatment – not anymore. You see – she had this incredibly sweet and – I can only describe it as erotic although that doesn't do it justice - dream about Max. Actually, she believes it's more than a dream really. Maybe someday she'll tell you about the dream – it wuldn't be the same coming from me. Anyway – it sounds so like your son.
The dream was about Max and Liz being married – after their first child. It was that dream – her dream that sex – with Max – was not scary that seemed to both cure her and start the problem. Her dream of sex with Max was safe and fulfilling and loving – not terrifying or revolting. That dream, it turns out, was what healed whatever the words and actions of that horrible man did to Liz – but the same dream caused the problem between Max and Liz. You see, that's when she started putting pressure on Max to start doing boy-girl stuff. The strange thing was that this still wasn't about sex – not immediately anyway. It was sort of long term planning to implement that dream that – even if it isn't a dream – isn't going to happen for nearly a decade. Lizzy's always been one for long-term planning.
But Liz was pushing Max- she had a plan – and she got angry when he wouldn't follow along. I mean it was uncalled for – even if there had been no more to it than Max just not being ready, but as it turned out there was a lot more to it than that – more than you've ever heard. Anyway my 'perfect' daughter was spiteful and mean and even after Max did his best to patch things up – kept being her friend even though she had treated him horribly.
Even after Max had helped her at the regionals, it was Lizzy that got herself in trouble again up in Colorado – and again she did it by treating Max like a little vixen. That guy who drugged her – Max had warned her about him – warned her to keep away from him. She publicly humiliated Max and did just what he'd warned her against – and almost got herself raped and killed.”
“Nancy, Liz is a sweet girl.... she's always been Max's best friend. Kids make mistakes sometimes. They see things differently – get in to arguments. Even Izzy and Max have had their feuds over the years....”
“But that's just it. Liz was a child – and she was thinking about herself, not Max. Despite all he'd done for her – despite loving him even – she was still thinking like a child – thinking of herself. Well Diane, that stopped the night of the airplane crash.
Liz said that she'd gotten on the aircraft with Alexis. She hadn't talked to Max – didn't know what to say. She'd treated him – well, like crap really – and he'd saved her again and gotten himself arrested doing it. When they'd taken off she had been sitting nowhere near him – and maybe it was only destiny or something that caused her to be moved back there. Anyway – when the other aircraft hit and tore into the fuselage she felt the seat tumble away and knew she was dead. This was something, she knew, even Max couldn't get her out of.”
“Except.... he did.”
“Yes, but by that time Liz had changed. As she fell through the air – facing death – all she really thought of was Max. When they came out of the clouds and he was there – all she really wanted was to get to him – to be together when it happened. She went to him believing fully that she was as good as dead – her only hope that they could be together when it happened The strange thing was that this probably saved Max's life too – although she didn't find that out until the day before Jim Valenti brought them home. You see, Max wasn't trying to save himself. He was ready to die.”
“So he was trying to commit suicide that time? When Jim Valenti caught him at the quarry?”
“Liz doesn't think so. It was more like he just didn't care to go on. Liz found out later that Max really didn't believe he could ever be accepted by the people he loved because he was different.”
“Dr. Marquardt warned me of that. Feral children, he called them. He said because Max and Isabel weren't socialized normally, they might never consider themselves part of the human race – and that was without knowing how different they really were. I have to admit that this last seventeen months I have wondered many times how Liz could break through to him when I tried so many years without success.”
“Well, I wouldn't worry about it. Let's just say that you couldn't have used her method.
Anyway, sometime during that fall Liz ceased to be a spoiled child and became an adult – an adult who loved your son just as much as she always had, only now it wasn't about her dream or her needs – it was about his. Max exhausted himself stopping the two of them from hitting the ground, and Liz was hurt – but she wasn't thinking about her needs any more – she was thinking about his. She helped him and he helped her and – to this day, she says that week with Max was the best week of her life except for the fact that as they got near the end of it Max started getting more distant. Finally she found uot what the problem was. As much as Max loved her – as good as he'd been to her for all those years – even after she'd found out his secret and hadn't gone running from him in terror, Max really didn't think it would ever be possible for them to be any more than friends. Eventually he thought Liz would find some boy she liked – which certainly wouldn't be him – and he'd lose her. He believed it so strongly he wouldn't listen to reason. I guess your Dr. Marquardt was right. He was alienated – not because he WAS an alien – just because he couldn't bring himself to ever believe.”
Dianne nodded her head sadly. “I never understood why, but I banged my head against that brick wall for most of Max's life and never could get through.”
“Well, apparently Liz couldn't understand either – but she knew something was bothering him. Finally it got too much for her – she couldn't bear to see him hurt like that – so she came up with a plan to find out. She intentionally broke her leg to get him to connect his mind to hers so she could use the connection to tap into his brain and discover what the matter was while Max was busy fixing her.”
“Ouch. Of course, even if I'd known about his difference – I have no idea what I could have said to reassure him. Not if what we've been saying and doing all of his life didn't reassure him.”
“Well, Lizzy did. You have to understand my daughter – she's pretty goal oriented. Now that she was an adult – now that she knew what she wanted – she wasn't going to give up on your son. She told him that she was going to prove that he was wanted and accepted and loved. She told him that she was going to prove that she loved him and would always love him. That she'd do anything for him – I think she would have borne his child if that was what it had taken to get through to him.”
“They ….didn't???” Diane pleaded.
“No, what happened – I think – was that Max was forced to grow up real quickly. You see, this wasn't about passion – it was about love. Liz was scared – she was near her fertile period – she wasn't sure that it would even work – but Max was too important to her to not try anything that might work. This was all she could think of. This wasn't about passion so much as desperation. She was going to save Max's humanity – no matter what it took. And your sweet son grew up – and came up with the only way out that wasn't going to be a rejection of Liz. He took the friendship pendant and made it in to an engagement ring. You see, this really wasn't two adolescents in the mindless throes of hormone driven passion. It was two people who cared very deeply about each other. Two people who wanted – more than anything – for the other person to be happy.”
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/24/2010
“So what does this have to do with …....marks?” asked Diane uncertainly.
“When Liz talked about the plan we all went along with it without hardly thinking. It was in its way – brilliant. I suppose Jeff and I expected that Jim Valenti would let the two of them off and they'd sit around playing cards or something until the deputy showed up the next morning. I mean, we knew Max was her friend a nd knew she cared for him – but I don't think we really understood her commitment because we still thought of her as a child. It was stupid – I mean Max was committed to her – even when he WAS a child. If we had actually realized the depth of that commitment - I just don't know? . We were both still thinking of her as a child – a child who AGAIN your son had saved – not an adult. If we'd really understood her plan we might have actually tried to stop her - and if we'd done that I think we'd have lost Liz forever.
You know – when Liz had been assaulted up in Colorado we gave telephone permission for a sexual assault exam. On the way to Pine Lodge Liz asked Jim Valenti if she would have to have another one – she was concerned that if she was examined ...”
“The examiner would know she was lying? The poor dear. I wish she'd have asked me. I'd have explained to her that she wasn't going to be examined – then she wouldn't have had to be embarrassed by asking Jim Valenti. Nobody was going to be able to tell she was lying.”
“I think you still don't understand Liz's mindset that night. If Jim had told her that she WAS going to have an exam the next day, Liz had no intention of BEING a liar.”
“Oh my...”
“My self indulgent daughter – the one who caused you son such unwarranted grief – was determined to take no chances with your son being spirited away to some government lab or something. When she said she was going to give him a cover story she meant every word of it. Even after she found out that going quite THAT far wasn't necessary, she decided to take no chances – and the funny thing is – like I said – this really wasn't about passion – it was about Liz taking care of Max. Oh sure, she certainly had future designs upon him, and I'm sure as teenagers the thought of doing something somewhat risque was sort of tantalizing – but what she engineered really wasn't so much about passion or even a guilty pleasure as it was about protecting Max.”
“And that was...”
Nancy blushed and shook her head. “Well, Liz sort of phrased it as a lab project. If enough suction could be applied to skin and maintained long enough the capillary integrity would be compromised causing a subcutaneous hemorrhage....”
“A hickey...?”
“The plan was for a number of hickeys – strategically placed where they would imply to the officer searching her that she and Max had spent a week of passion. Also strategically located where her father wouldn't freak out – not because he'd approve of where they would be – but because they'd be somewhere he'd never see them.”
“Oh dear...”
“Yes, Oh dear, indeed. But the thing was this was all done as part of a plan – not due to any sort of passion on the part of the two involved. As a matter of fact, Max wasn't expecting this until Liz sprung it on him. He had spent the week cuddled up to Liz but he really wasn't expecting something so physical at all – and it wasn't about passion for either of them. Oh, like I said, this was pretty risque and I have no doubt Liz was anticipating that this wouldn't actually be as uncomfortable as the term subcutaneous hemorrhage implied, but she wasn't expecting what happened either.”
“Well what DID happen,” asked Diane.
“As Lizzy described it – they became caught up in a positive feedback loop between each others midbrains mediated by sensory receptor input and resulting in an endorphin cascade.”
“What, may I ask, does that mean?”
“You are aware that the two of them are pretty much able to read one another's minds when they connect?”
“Uh-huh....”
“Picture this situation; suppose the first time you ever made out with a guy – that he could feel your every emotion and you could feel his every emotion. That you could not only know exactly where to caress him – how to caress him – to give him the most pleasure, but he could read you the same way. Then suppose as he was doing everything just precisely right to give you passion, you were doing it to him as well....”
“Oh my.....”
“Then suppose that you were not only feeling the pleasure his caresses gave you, but simultaneously feeling the pleasure you gave him. It wasn't really supposed to be about passion – but suppose the passion just overcame you?”
“Did they actually get to the point of....”
“No, not that Lizzy was any help in that. She said the passion was like a whirlpool sucking them both down – and believe me, I saw the look on her face when she said those words and have no doubt she would have gone willingly and without regret, trusting in your son to be by her side no matter what happened....”
“But they did stop in time...”
“Yes, Once again your son came through for her. Max stopped – he somehow got control of himself which is more than Lizzy did at first. Liz isn't sure how he did it – she had long since gone past caring – but he remembered the fear she'd had just the day before – remembered why he'd given the ring – and somehow he killed the connection between them.
Your son held her spooned against him as she struggled to get herself back under control– his back to her chest – I didn't want to know exactly where his hands were – but she said he just kept kissing the back of her neck and talking softly – telling her that THAT day would come some day, but that it was too early for both of them.
After awhile they apparently both drifted off and shared a dream. Which is how the police found them the next morning – Liz braless and definitely showing some capillary hemorrhage.”
“How bad was it...?”
“It's just as well Jeff didn't see it,” said Nancy. “But that's why I wanted to talk to you. You see, my daughter and your son have now been engaged for seventeen months. Liz has been engaged to a young man who fought for her – killed for her – protected her even from herself – provided water and food and warmth and kindness and caring to him – oh, I know, she was good to him in the malpais as well – but the thing is my daughter is a woman now. She's known a woman's passion and I can see it in her eyes every time she looks at Max. I can see it in his eyes too...
I'm afraid if I suggest going on the pill to Liz that I'll be sending her some sort of signal that I think she should let that feedback loop happen. But I'm also afraid that if she isn't on the pill and that feedback loop does happen that – well, I think it would be unrealistic to expect Max to tell her no again.
Jeff and I were only engaged for 4 months and once we knew – well the wait was agonizing. I was technically a virgin when we got married – but only just. I know they are a whole lot younger – but seventeen months is a long time for two people who already know how this is going to end up. What do you think?”
"Seven months, twelve days, fourteen hours and fifty-six minutes from the time we got engaged until Philip and I got married. What we did during that time – well, no comment. I certainly understand your concern. What can I do?”
“I think it would help if we could just talk to Lizzy – talk to her together - woman to woman to woman. Explain our concerns and offer whatever help is needed."
"We could take her to the mall in Las Cruces tomorrow - a girls day out shopping - then find a quiet place to talk to her...."
"I think that'd be best... Don't you?"
Diane nodded her head. She owed a lot to the young girl - to her new daughter. "Yeah, I'll be glad to go with you and talk to her, Nancy..."
“When Liz talked about the plan we all went along with it without hardly thinking. It was in its way – brilliant. I suppose Jeff and I expected that Jim Valenti would let the two of them off and they'd sit around playing cards or something until the deputy showed up the next morning. I mean, we knew Max was her friend a nd knew she cared for him – but I don't think we really understood her commitment because we still thought of her as a child. It was stupid – I mean Max was committed to her – even when he WAS a child. If we had actually realized the depth of that commitment - I just don't know? . We were both still thinking of her as a child – a child who AGAIN your son had saved – not an adult. If we'd really understood her plan we might have actually tried to stop her - and if we'd done that I think we'd have lost Liz forever.
You know – when Liz had been assaulted up in Colorado we gave telephone permission for a sexual assault exam. On the way to Pine Lodge Liz asked Jim Valenti if she would have to have another one – she was concerned that if she was examined ...”
“The examiner would know she was lying? The poor dear. I wish she'd have asked me. I'd have explained to her that she wasn't going to be examined – then she wouldn't have had to be embarrassed by asking Jim Valenti. Nobody was going to be able to tell she was lying.”
“I think you still don't understand Liz's mindset that night. If Jim had told her that she WAS going to have an exam the next day, Liz had no intention of BEING a liar.”
“Oh my...”
“My self indulgent daughter – the one who caused you son such unwarranted grief – was determined to take no chances with your son being spirited away to some government lab or something. When she said she was going to give him a cover story she meant every word of it. Even after she found out that going quite THAT far wasn't necessary, she decided to take no chances – and the funny thing is – like I said – this really wasn't about passion – it was about Liz taking care of Max. Oh sure, she certainly had future designs upon him, and I'm sure as teenagers the thought of doing something somewhat risque was sort of tantalizing – but what she engineered really wasn't so much about passion or even a guilty pleasure as it was about protecting Max.”
“And that was...”
Nancy blushed and shook her head. “Well, Liz sort of phrased it as a lab project. If enough suction could be applied to skin and maintained long enough the capillary integrity would be compromised causing a subcutaneous hemorrhage....”
“A hickey...?”
“The plan was for a number of hickeys – strategically placed where they would imply to the officer searching her that she and Max had spent a week of passion. Also strategically located where her father wouldn't freak out – not because he'd approve of where they would be – but because they'd be somewhere he'd never see them.”
“Oh dear...”
“Yes, Oh dear, indeed. But the thing was this was all done as part of a plan – not due to any sort of passion on the part of the two involved. As a matter of fact, Max wasn't expecting this until Liz sprung it on him. He had spent the week cuddled up to Liz but he really wasn't expecting something so physical at all – and it wasn't about passion for either of them. Oh, like I said, this was pretty risque and I have no doubt Liz was anticipating that this wouldn't actually be as uncomfortable as the term subcutaneous hemorrhage implied, but she wasn't expecting what happened either.”
“Well what DID happen,” asked Diane.
“As Lizzy described it – they became caught up in a positive feedback loop between each others midbrains mediated by sensory receptor input and resulting in an endorphin cascade.”
“What, may I ask, does that mean?”
“You are aware that the two of them are pretty much able to read one another's minds when they connect?”
“Uh-huh....”
“Picture this situation; suppose the first time you ever made out with a guy – that he could feel your every emotion and you could feel his every emotion. That you could not only know exactly where to caress him – how to caress him – to give him the most pleasure, but he could read you the same way. Then suppose as he was doing everything just precisely right to give you passion, you were doing it to him as well....”
“Oh my.....”
“Then suppose that you were not only feeling the pleasure his caresses gave you, but simultaneously feeling the pleasure you gave him. It wasn't really supposed to be about passion – but suppose the passion just overcame you?”
“Did they actually get to the point of....”
“No, not that Lizzy was any help in that. She said the passion was like a whirlpool sucking them both down – and believe me, I saw the look on her face when she said those words and have no doubt she would have gone willingly and without regret, trusting in your son to be by her side no matter what happened....”
“But they did stop in time...”
“Yes, Once again your son came through for her. Max stopped – he somehow got control of himself which is more than Lizzy did at first. Liz isn't sure how he did it – she had long since gone past caring – but he remembered the fear she'd had just the day before – remembered why he'd given the ring – and somehow he killed the connection between them.
Your son held her spooned against him as she struggled to get herself back under control– his back to her chest – I didn't want to know exactly where his hands were – but she said he just kept kissing the back of her neck and talking softly – telling her that THAT day would come some day, but that it was too early for both of them.
After awhile they apparently both drifted off and shared a dream. Which is how the police found them the next morning – Liz braless and definitely showing some capillary hemorrhage.”
“How bad was it...?”
“It's just as well Jeff didn't see it,” said Nancy. “But that's why I wanted to talk to you. You see, my daughter and your son have now been engaged for seventeen months. Liz has been engaged to a young man who fought for her – killed for her – protected her even from herself – provided water and food and warmth and kindness and caring to him – oh, I know, she was good to him in the malpais as well – but the thing is my daughter is a woman now. She's known a woman's passion and I can see it in her eyes every time she looks at Max. I can see it in his eyes too...
I'm afraid if I suggest going on the pill to Liz that I'll be sending her some sort of signal that I think she should let that feedback loop happen. But I'm also afraid that if she isn't on the pill and that feedback loop does happen that – well, I think it would be unrealistic to expect Max to tell her no again.
Jeff and I were only engaged for 4 months and once we knew – well the wait was agonizing. I was technically a virgin when we got married – but only just. I know they are a whole lot younger – but seventeen months is a long time for two people who already know how this is going to end up. What do you think?”
"Seven months, twelve days, fourteen hours and fifty-six minutes from the time we got engaged until Philip and I got married. What we did during that time – well, no comment. I certainly understand your concern. What can I do?”
“I think it would help if we could just talk to Lizzy – talk to her together - woman to woman to woman. Explain our concerns and offer whatever help is needed."
"We could take her to the mall in Las Cruces tomorrow - a girls day out shopping - then find a quiet place to talk to her...."
"I think that'd be best... Don't you?"
Diane nodded her head. She owed a lot to the young girl - to her new daughter. "Yeah, I'll be glad to go with you and talk to her, Nancy..."
Last edited by greywolf on Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/24/2010
11AM
Mesilla Valley Mall
700 South Telshor Boulevard
Las Cruces, NM
Even at New Mexico highway speeds it had taken almost three hours to get to Las Cruces and it wasn't like the mall was that much better than the one in Alamogordo – which would have been an hour less travel time each way. While Liz understood that some mother-daughter bonding was always nice – and the inclusion of Diane Evans was nice as well – she would have just as soon had those two hours to spend with Max rather than sitting in the back of the car listening to her mother and Diane talk. Particularly since they seemed to be struggling to find anything to say to her.
“Isn't that a beautiful blue sky, dear?” asked Nancy.
“Yeah, Mom ….. it's great.” Liz had been born in southern New Mexico. Sunny days were scarcely a reportable event. Obviously her mother was up to something.
“And isn't the desert beautiful...?” asked Diane.
“Uh-hu,” said Liz – her thoughts turning back to the desert 80 miles to the north – an area of sun-baked lava where she had spent one of the best weeks of her life. Apparently Diane was in on this too – whatever it was. She thought back to that week and smiled softly. “Yep, the desert has it's own beauty – no question about it.”
They turned in to the parking lot of the mall and the three of them went in. They hit a number of department stores – then Liz saw a boutique and asked her mother to go there. It was a little pricey but that wasn't too much of an issue.
She and Max had patented two other processes – both of them having to do with chemotherapy drugs. There had been a little girl down the street who had always waved at them as they jogged by when they went running together. She'd been gone for a week and when she returned she'd been very pale – and totally bald. They'd stopped and talked to her and found out that she had a type of leukemia. The chemotherapy she was getting was slowing it – but not stopping it. But Max was sort of intuitive about molecular manipulation. He could tell that if a couple of the drugs she was getting were modified – just a little bit – they'd be more effective. Of course, Max hadn't actually waited to do that – he'd just healed the girl. But after-wards Max had worked out what the drugs should have been like and they'd figured out how to make the stuff. Having neither the facilities or the expertise to get FDA approval, they had offered to license the patents to an existing drug company – on the condition that the drug be developed quickly and be made available cheaply. After some preliminary testing, the company had fallen all over itself to license the compounds and she and Max had gotten a reasonable advance on the future licensing fees. Between those two patents and the first two they had from the science fair projects Liz could afford to splurge a little if she wanted to. She shopped for about ten minutes while Nancy and Diane watched – then it was time for lunch.
“This place has the best Southwest food,” exclaimed Nancy, as she lead them to the small intimate restaurant that had a small room for each table – the reason she had driven them an hour past White Sands Mall in Alamogordo. It was just the intimate sort of place you could talk to your daughter – and Diane Evans – in privacy. Of course Nancy had forgotten just one thing. As they walked by the storefront before Ortega's Southwest Cuisine, Liz saw it.
The Mesilla Valley Victoria's Secret had a window promoting a lingerie sale. As she looked at the mannequin she couldn't help wondering how she'd look in THAT hot negligee' - not that anyone but Max would ever see her in it of course. “Bet he could manipulate the molecules of that right off me,” she mumbled as she vocalized the thought - starting to blush.
“I beg your pardon, dear?” said Nancy.
“Uh... nothing. Just figured that whoever wore that would probably catch her death of cold...” said Liz, trying to put the thought she'd just had out of her mind.
Nancy and Diane looked at her doubtfully – then looked up. Nodding to each other they ushered Liz in to the restaurant. Twenty minutes later the meal was eaten and the last of the flan was being scooped out of the little ramekins – and it was obvious even to Liz that whatever this whole day was really about was about to get started.
“Liz,” said Nancy, “... I'd … well we would like to talk to you about you and Max...”
“What about me and Max?” Liz asked, scooping the last of the flan from the dish carefully in an effort to avoid meeting her mother's eyes.
“Well, I realize you and Max have been engaged for a number of months now...”
“Yeah, well that would be 15 months, six days and 22 hours,” said Liz, looking at her watch … but who is counting?”
Nancy's eyes pleaded to Diane for help. Her friend did her best.
“Fifteen months – that's a long time. Sometimes it must seem like an eternity.”
In a lot of ways it actually hadn't been all that bad. Everything was on the table now. Plus, with their telepathy there really weren't going to be any misunderstandings. But the furtive looks between her mother and Diane were now starting to add up and Liz was getting a feeling just where today was going. She fought – successfully – to keep the smile off her face, and simply shrugged her shoulders. “It sure does...”
“Liz, I understand that it is hard sometimes.... I see you saying good night to Max, and it's obvious that your heart isn't in to going home and going to sleep.”
Liz nodded her head with apparent sadness. Actually, she rather enjoyed the dreamwalks with Max. They could cuddle up all they wanted in the dream-orb without even having to worry about feedback loops and her getting too carried away. “I guess not,” said Liz – trying to sound just as glum as she could. Apparently it was successful.
“We can appreciate that it must be difficult for you,” said Diane trying to keep up her end of the conversation while keeping Nancy out in the lead on this topic. That got a little head nod from Liz.
“What we were thinking is – well, I guess you'd only be human to wonder sometimes if the engagement wasn't too long?” asked Nancy cautiously.
“Only constantly...” said Liz. Of course there hadn't been a great deal she could do about that – at least not until today.
“I'm sure it's seemed like quite awhile to Max, too,” Diane said sympathetically, earning another nod from Liz.
“You know, Liz, we understand the two of you are only human – well, you are human and Max is mostly human,” said Nancy, fumbling for words.
“Yes, and all humans have their frailties – even Max …,” said Diane, just trying to keep the conversation going until Nancy could recover.
“You know, Liz, we really wouldn't be judgmental if you decided – you and Max that is – that you really can't wait – assuming that is that you took proper protection.”
“Wait...?” asked Liz, deciding there was no sense making this easy on either of them. She had them right where she wanted them now - right where she'd been working to put them for the last six months. “I'm not sure what you mean by 'can't wait' I guess.”
“I meant,” said Nancy, blushing,”... that if you and Max decided that you needed to be more intimate, we'd understand...”
“Are you saying that it would be OK with you two if Max and I were having sex?”
“Well, maybe not OK dear, but we'd certainly understand.”
“We would want you to be protected of course,” said Diane hurriedly.
Liz slid back from the table and looked at the blushing women intensely. “I do NOT need your permission to have sex with Max. I told Max 15 months, six days, twenty-two hours and 33 minutes ago that I'd have sex with him – he knows that – and I certainly didn't need permission from either of you to do that.”
“Well, of course, dear, we were just concerned that....”
“We aren't trying to interfere, Liz, just make sure that you two are careful...”
“But we haven't had sex yet, not that I'm not willing, not that he wouldn't do it if I asked. We haven't had sex yet because … well, I'm not the only one he loves.”
“Max loves someone else??” sputtered both women simultaneously.
“Of course he does,” said Liz. She looked at both of the women and shook her head. “Do you understand him so little? He loves you and his father,” she said, looking at Diane, then she turned her glance toward her mother and continued, “...and he loves you and Dad because he loves me and he knows how much I love you. Didn't either of you get it when he did all that maneuvering to get Lexie and Doug's parents to their wedding? Max doesn't want you to 'understand' that we've chosen each other to give our love to, he didn't want Daddy to 'resign' himself to Max and I someday doing ...it, he wants you to celebrate it.”
“Celebrate it....??” sputtered both women.
“Like Lexie and Doug's parents," said Liz, shaking her head in disbelief. "Max worried all of his life about the people he loved accepting him – now he wants more. I think all of his life he's loved me and kept me in sickness and in health.... but he wants to see his mom and dad in the front row when he promises to take me – to keep me only unto himself – and he wants to see my mom and dad there rejoicing in our happiness – not just accepting it.
Max wants that – otherwise I guaran-damn-tee you we wouldn't have waited – not if it had been up to me - and not if it hadn't meant so much to him. So if you really care – you really do want us to be happy – you'll sign permission slips for us to get married – then you'll get to join in our happiness and then I'll actually need to go on the pill,” said the blushing teenager.
The two women looked at each other – their eyes wide. They'd given Liz tacit approval to have sex with Max without being married. Having done that – how could they refuse the kids desire to actually be married when they did so?
“We'll have to talk to your father and Max's father about this, dear,” said a shell-shocked Nancy Parker. Diane was only capable of managing a head nod.
As they left the restaurant – the two older women still somewhat numb, Liz looked in the window at the negligee.
“Uh... I've got to make a stop in here....”
“OK...uh...we'll just wait outside,” said Nancy. Diane nodded again.
Mesilla Valley Mall
700 South Telshor Boulevard
Las Cruces, NM
Even at New Mexico highway speeds it had taken almost three hours to get to Las Cruces and it wasn't like the mall was that much better than the one in Alamogordo – which would have been an hour less travel time each way. While Liz understood that some mother-daughter bonding was always nice – and the inclusion of Diane Evans was nice as well – she would have just as soon had those two hours to spend with Max rather than sitting in the back of the car listening to her mother and Diane talk. Particularly since they seemed to be struggling to find anything to say to her.
“Isn't that a beautiful blue sky, dear?” asked Nancy.
“Yeah, Mom ….. it's great.” Liz had been born in southern New Mexico. Sunny days were scarcely a reportable event. Obviously her mother was up to something.
“And isn't the desert beautiful...?” asked Diane.
“Uh-hu,” said Liz – her thoughts turning back to the desert 80 miles to the north – an area of sun-baked lava where she had spent one of the best weeks of her life. Apparently Diane was in on this too – whatever it was. She thought back to that week and smiled softly. “Yep, the desert has it's own beauty – no question about it.”
They turned in to the parking lot of the mall and the three of them went in. They hit a number of department stores – then Liz saw a boutique and asked her mother to go there. It was a little pricey but that wasn't too much of an issue.
She and Max had patented two other processes – both of them having to do with chemotherapy drugs. There had been a little girl down the street who had always waved at them as they jogged by when they went running together. She'd been gone for a week and when she returned she'd been very pale – and totally bald. They'd stopped and talked to her and found out that she had a type of leukemia. The chemotherapy she was getting was slowing it – but not stopping it. But Max was sort of intuitive about molecular manipulation. He could tell that if a couple of the drugs she was getting were modified – just a little bit – they'd be more effective. Of course, Max hadn't actually waited to do that – he'd just healed the girl. But after-wards Max had worked out what the drugs should have been like and they'd figured out how to make the stuff. Having neither the facilities or the expertise to get FDA approval, they had offered to license the patents to an existing drug company – on the condition that the drug be developed quickly and be made available cheaply. After some preliminary testing, the company had fallen all over itself to license the compounds and she and Max had gotten a reasonable advance on the future licensing fees. Between those two patents and the first two they had from the science fair projects Liz could afford to splurge a little if she wanted to. She shopped for about ten minutes while Nancy and Diane watched – then it was time for lunch.
“This place has the best Southwest food,” exclaimed Nancy, as she lead them to the small intimate restaurant that had a small room for each table – the reason she had driven them an hour past White Sands Mall in Alamogordo. It was just the intimate sort of place you could talk to your daughter – and Diane Evans – in privacy. Of course Nancy had forgotten just one thing. As they walked by the storefront before Ortega's Southwest Cuisine, Liz saw it.
The Mesilla Valley Victoria's Secret had a window promoting a lingerie sale. As she looked at the mannequin she couldn't help wondering how she'd look in THAT hot negligee' - not that anyone but Max would ever see her in it of course. “Bet he could manipulate the molecules of that right off me,” she mumbled as she vocalized the thought - starting to blush.
“I beg your pardon, dear?” said Nancy.
“Uh... nothing. Just figured that whoever wore that would probably catch her death of cold...” said Liz, trying to put the thought she'd just had out of her mind.
Nancy and Diane looked at her doubtfully – then looked up. Nodding to each other they ushered Liz in to the restaurant. Twenty minutes later the meal was eaten and the last of the flan was being scooped out of the little ramekins – and it was obvious even to Liz that whatever this whole day was really about was about to get started.
“Liz,” said Nancy, “... I'd … well we would like to talk to you about you and Max...”
“What about me and Max?” Liz asked, scooping the last of the flan from the dish carefully in an effort to avoid meeting her mother's eyes.
“Well, I realize you and Max have been engaged for a number of months now...”
“Yeah, well that would be 15 months, six days and 22 hours,” said Liz, looking at her watch … but who is counting?”
Nancy's eyes pleaded to Diane for help. Her friend did her best.
“Fifteen months – that's a long time. Sometimes it must seem like an eternity.”
In a lot of ways it actually hadn't been all that bad. Everything was on the table now. Plus, with their telepathy there really weren't going to be any misunderstandings. But the furtive looks between her mother and Diane were now starting to add up and Liz was getting a feeling just where today was going. She fought – successfully – to keep the smile off her face, and simply shrugged her shoulders. “It sure does...”
“Liz, I understand that it is hard sometimes.... I see you saying good night to Max, and it's obvious that your heart isn't in to going home and going to sleep.”
Liz nodded her head with apparent sadness. Actually, she rather enjoyed the dreamwalks with Max. They could cuddle up all they wanted in the dream-orb without even having to worry about feedback loops and her getting too carried away. “I guess not,” said Liz – trying to sound just as glum as she could. Apparently it was successful.
“We can appreciate that it must be difficult for you,” said Diane trying to keep up her end of the conversation while keeping Nancy out in the lead on this topic. That got a little head nod from Liz.
“What we were thinking is – well, I guess you'd only be human to wonder sometimes if the engagement wasn't too long?” asked Nancy cautiously.
“Only constantly...” said Liz. Of course there hadn't been a great deal she could do about that – at least not until today.
“I'm sure it's seemed like quite awhile to Max, too,” Diane said sympathetically, earning another nod from Liz.
“You know, Liz, we understand the two of you are only human – well, you are human and Max is mostly human,” said Nancy, fumbling for words.
“Yes, and all humans have their frailties – even Max …,” said Diane, just trying to keep the conversation going until Nancy could recover.
“You know, Liz, we really wouldn't be judgmental if you decided – you and Max that is – that you really can't wait – assuming that is that you took proper protection.”
“Wait...?” asked Liz, deciding there was no sense making this easy on either of them. She had them right where she wanted them now - right where she'd been working to put them for the last six months. “I'm not sure what you mean by 'can't wait' I guess.”
“I meant,” said Nancy, blushing,”... that if you and Max decided that you needed to be more intimate, we'd understand...”
“Are you saying that it would be OK with you two if Max and I were having sex?”
“Well, maybe not OK dear, but we'd certainly understand.”
“We would want you to be protected of course,” said Diane hurriedly.
Liz slid back from the table and looked at the blushing women intensely. “I do NOT need your permission to have sex with Max. I told Max 15 months, six days, twenty-two hours and 33 minutes ago that I'd have sex with him – he knows that – and I certainly didn't need permission from either of you to do that.”
“Well, of course, dear, we were just concerned that....”
“We aren't trying to interfere, Liz, just make sure that you two are careful...”
“But we haven't had sex yet, not that I'm not willing, not that he wouldn't do it if I asked. We haven't had sex yet because … well, I'm not the only one he loves.”
“Max loves someone else??” sputtered both women simultaneously.
“Of course he does,” said Liz. She looked at both of the women and shook her head. “Do you understand him so little? He loves you and his father,” she said, looking at Diane, then she turned her glance toward her mother and continued, “...and he loves you and Dad because he loves me and he knows how much I love you. Didn't either of you get it when he did all that maneuvering to get Lexie and Doug's parents to their wedding? Max doesn't want you to 'understand' that we've chosen each other to give our love to, he didn't want Daddy to 'resign' himself to Max and I someday doing ...it, he wants you to celebrate it.”
“Celebrate it....??” sputtered both women.
“Like Lexie and Doug's parents," said Liz, shaking her head in disbelief. "Max worried all of his life about the people he loved accepting him – now he wants more. I think all of his life he's loved me and kept me in sickness and in health.... but he wants to see his mom and dad in the front row when he promises to take me – to keep me only unto himself – and he wants to see my mom and dad there rejoicing in our happiness – not just accepting it.
Max wants that – otherwise I guaran-damn-tee you we wouldn't have waited – not if it had been up to me - and not if it hadn't meant so much to him. So if you really care – you really do want us to be happy – you'll sign permission slips for us to get married – then you'll get to join in our happiness and then I'll actually need to go on the pill,” said the blushing teenager.
The two women looked at each other – their eyes wide. They'd given Liz tacit approval to have sex with Max without being married. Having done that – how could they refuse the kids desire to actually be married when they did so?
“We'll have to talk to your father and Max's father about this, dear,” said a shell-shocked Nancy Parker. Diane was only capable of managing a head nod.
As they left the restaurant – the two older women still somewhat numb, Liz looked in the window at the negligee.
“Uh... I've got to make a stop in here....”
“OK...uh...we'll just wait outside,” said Nancy. Diane nodded again.
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/25/2010
5PM Outskirts of Roswell New Mexico
The conversation on the three hour trip back to Roswell had been a good deal more lively than that on the trip to Las Cruces. Liz explained about Judge Parson's offer – that he would perform their marriage in Pine Lodge – that they could keep it low key – just friends and family – and that nobody else would have to know.
She knew that she was winning – even if she wasn't sure exactly how she knew. Somehow when she and Max had shared her dream-orb in those tiny caverns on the malpais – she'd just started being more intuitive. Since Max had been dreamwalking her ever since, this empathy that let her assess the true feelings of others had become even more acute. It wasn't the same closeness she had with Max - nothing was that close - but when they were this nervous, she could read their feelings pretty closely.
The idea that Max needed the acceptance of both sets of parents for his actions had found a responsive chord in Diane – and Liz had expected that. But the fact it had impressed her own mother almost as much had caught Liz by surprise.
Her mother did love Max – of course it was hard to avoid loving him - he'd saved her only child often enough. Unfortunately while she was winning them over that didn't mean any action was immediately forthcoming. Both Diane and her mother had refused to commit to anything – not until they'd consulted with her dad and Max's dad – and both women were dreading that conversation even more than they'd dreaded the one at lunch.
Given the few months left before she and Max turned sixteen, and the number of things she needed to do to get ready - including being on the pill for at least one cycle - she simply couldn't allow her mother or Diane to mull this over for a week before they decided how to break it to their husbands – which she was pretty sure was what they would prefer to do.
Tonight was her night to eat dinner at Max's – Liz and Dianne would be going there as soon as they dropped her mom off at the Parker residence – but what Liz really wanted was to get the parents together now – tonight if possible – to get this settled. Somehow she needed to keep that from happening by keeping the pressure on them. The question was just how to do that.... The idea came to her almost immediately. It was sort of dirty pool, but then all was fair in love and war, as the saying went. She loved Max - and she needed to get this settled.
“Do you mind if I run up to my room and put my new clothes away before we leave, Diane.”
“Not at all,” said Diane. Diane had been kind of hoping that she'd have a chance to talk to Nancy alone – to set up a meeting or two so they could discuss how to break the news to the guys that the kids were requesting permission to get married. Diane accompanied Nancy in to the house – waiting until Liz got ahead of them so she could speak to Nancy.
“You know, I think we may want to take a few days to discuss just how to break this to the guys,” Nancy whispered. Diane nodded. “Definitely, we need to take our time and figure out just how to present this...”
Ahead of them - up the stairs - Liz had just spotted her father.
“Hi, Daddy,” said Liz as she saw Jeff in the kitchen.
“Hi dear – how did the trip to Alamogordo go?
“Oh, we went to Las Cruces instead. The mall had a great boutique – I got a couple of nice blouses. See?" she asked, holding them up on their hangers
“Those are quite nice. What's in the other bag?”
Suddenly both Diane and Nancy froze – their eyes widening as they looked at each other. The other bag was the one from Victoria's Secret. They weren't altogether sure what Liz had bought – but it almost certainly wasn't something they wanted her father to know about just yet.
“I can't tell you. It's a secret. But you can try to guess....”
Both women began to breathe again...
“I'll bet it's a gift for Max – for his sixteenth birthday...”
“Close – it's sort of the wrapping for a gift for Max. I've got to go over to Max's for dinner now – but I can show you tomorrow morning.”
Diane turned to Nancy. “Any chance you and Jeff could come over for dinner tonight too? We can have that talk after dinner. Liz and Max are going to a movie with Isabel and Alex, and we'll have the house to ourselves. I think we need to get this out in the open before tomorrow morning.”
“I think,” said Nancy, nodding her head vigorously, “...that would be an excellent idea.”
The conversation on the three hour trip back to Roswell had been a good deal more lively than that on the trip to Las Cruces. Liz explained about Judge Parson's offer – that he would perform their marriage in Pine Lodge – that they could keep it low key – just friends and family – and that nobody else would have to know.
She knew that she was winning – even if she wasn't sure exactly how she knew. Somehow when she and Max had shared her dream-orb in those tiny caverns on the malpais – she'd just started being more intuitive. Since Max had been dreamwalking her ever since, this empathy that let her assess the true feelings of others had become even more acute. It wasn't the same closeness she had with Max - nothing was that close - but when they were this nervous, she could read their feelings pretty closely.
The idea that Max needed the acceptance of both sets of parents for his actions had found a responsive chord in Diane – and Liz had expected that. But the fact it had impressed her own mother almost as much had caught Liz by surprise.
Her mother did love Max – of course it was hard to avoid loving him - he'd saved her only child often enough. Unfortunately while she was winning them over that didn't mean any action was immediately forthcoming. Both Diane and her mother had refused to commit to anything – not until they'd consulted with her dad and Max's dad – and both women were dreading that conversation even more than they'd dreaded the one at lunch.
Given the few months left before she and Max turned sixteen, and the number of things she needed to do to get ready - including being on the pill for at least one cycle - she simply couldn't allow her mother or Diane to mull this over for a week before they decided how to break it to their husbands – which she was pretty sure was what they would prefer to do.
Tonight was her night to eat dinner at Max's – Liz and Dianne would be going there as soon as they dropped her mom off at the Parker residence – but what Liz really wanted was to get the parents together now – tonight if possible – to get this settled. Somehow she needed to keep that from happening by keeping the pressure on them. The question was just how to do that.... The idea came to her almost immediately. It was sort of dirty pool, but then all was fair in love and war, as the saying went. She loved Max - and she needed to get this settled.
“Do you mind if I run up to my room and put my new clothes away before we leave, Diane.”
“Not at all,” said Diane. Diane had been kind of hoping that she'd have a chance to talk to Nancy alone – to set up a meeting or two so they could discuss how to break the news to the guys that the kids were requesting permission to get married. Diane accompanied Nancy in to the house – waiting until Liz got ahead of them so she could speak to Nancy.
“You know, I think we may want to take a few days to discuss just how to break this to the guys,” Nancy whispered. Diane nodded. “Definitely, we need to take our time and figure out just how to present this...”
Ahead of them - up the stairs - Liz had just spotted her father.
“Hi, Daddy,” said Liz as she saw Jeff in the kitchen.
“Hi dear – how did the trip to Alamogordo go?
“Oh, we went to Las Cruces instead. The mall had a great boutique – I got a couple of nice blouses. See?" she asked, holding them up on their hangers
“Those are quite nice. What's in the other bag?”
Suddenly both Diane and Nancy froze – their eyes widening as they looked at each other. The other bag was the one from Victoria's Secret. They weren't altogether sure what Liz had bought – but it almost certainly wasn't something they wanted her father to know about just yet.
“I can't tell you. It's a secret. But you can try to guess....”
Both women began to breathe again...
“I'll bet it's a gift for Max – for his sixteenth birthday...”
“Close – it's sort of the wrapping for a gift for Max. I've got to go over to Max's for dinner now – but I can show you tomorrow morning.”
Diane turned to Nancy. “Any chance you and Jeff could come over for dinner tonight too? We can have that talk after dinner. Liz and Max are going to a movie with Isabel and Alex, and we'll have the house to ourselves. I think we need to get this out in the open before tomorrow morning.”
“I think,” said Nancy, nodding her head vigorously, “...that would be an excellent idea.”
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/26/2010
It was only fifteen minutes later that Jeff Parker followed Diane's car into the Evanses driveway. There was a twenty plus year-old Jeep there - up on jack stands - with two pairs of feet sticking out from underneath. Liz and Nancy were riding with him - Liz in the back seat.
In New Mexico you can get a Provisional Drivers license at fifteen and a half. Max already had his provisional drivers license now and Liz would take take her test next week. Normally she pestered her parents interminably about getting practice time behind the wheel - but not today.
Today Liz had been away from Max almost all day, and Jeff could see in her eyes that all she really wanted was to get there quickly - to be the first one out of the vehicle - which she was, even before the parking brake was fully set. He watched his daughter not quite run to that set of feet that belonged to Max - who had spent the day with his father helping to get the vehicle back in running condition while Liz had been on the girls day out to Las Cruces.
Max backed out from under the car as Liz came near - Jeff wasn't sure if she'd said something to announce her arrival or if it was just that sense the two of them had of each others presence when they were near - like reading each others thoughts. Whatever the case, Max had quickly crawled out from under the vehicle - his greasy hands dropping what appeared to be a U-joint.
Liz quickly went to him and was - well it would have been in his arms if he would have brought them down. He held his greasy hands aloft helplessly as she hugged his sweaty t-shirt covered torso – the young man obviously unwilling to touch Liz's white blouse even with his dusty forearms.
Maybe Max was unwilling to hold her right now - but it was clear he was enjoying being held - and it was clear from both of their smiles that greetings were going back and forth in whatever that telepathy was that they had with each other - their thoughts probably faster and richer than mere words could have conveyed.
Not for the first time he found himself regretting the talk he had with the young man a little over a year ago. He had been well intentioned – he knew – but what he said had been stupid, and he'd had that bludgeoned into him for the last year by the actions of the young man. He knew why he'd done it – he'd been scared – things had been happening much too fast.
It was – he thought at the time – insane that his little girl had somehow become engaged. The surprise of that at their young age had – in many respects – eclipsed the surprise of both the fact and the means of their survival – and had certainly been less welcome. But he had misjudged this young man and misjudged his daughter as well and regretted the mistake he had made more with each passing day.
He'd always liked Max – how could he help it? The boy had saved his daughter more than once. But just as he'd failed to realize that somehow in that week they'd spent together his little girl had become a woman, he'd failed to realize that Max had become a man. He'd retained his thought of Max as a somewhat socially impaired child – if an heroic one. In the last year he'd seen that the young man was anything but a child.
Both Liz and Max had changed markedly, and in Jeff Parker's opinion, very much for the better. He had always loved his daughter dearly but her faults – a driving ambition that sometimes pushed her to do things like nearly getting herself killed with exploding pressure cookers and a certainty in the rightness of her position that bordered on arrogance and yes – even the cruelty she'd shown to the young boy who had helped her so very often.
But that wasn't Liz anymore. She'd changed during that week out on the malpais. She'd not only become an adult – she'd become a woman as well – although it took him a few months to realize that. Max too had changed. Oh, perhaps there would always be a little bit of shyness about him – but he also had a new found confidence and – at least as far as the Parker family was concerned – was making a huge effort to try to make the situation as comfortable as possible for the parents of his betrothed.
No, he'd been stupid and – worse – he'd been wrong to talk to Max like that. Frightened as he'd been, he'd had no business implying to the young man that his fiance's father thought that he'd treat Liz disrespectfully or casually absent a warning from the old man – no business acting like that engagement ring was anything other than a symbol of the love between them. He'd been afraid – perhaps – that the child that Max had been would see that ring as a license to push Liz in ways that neither of them were ready for.
Of course, the last year had shown him that Max was no longer that child – that he was a young man – both considerate and caring of Liz. Jeff had realized it would have been smarter – he knew – to have just left those words unsaid. Liz and Max were betrothed – surprising as that was – and were both mature enough to work out the details of their own love life. Liz's father – he now realized – had no business making demands of anyone in that area.
He'd always known that Max would never willfully hurt Liz. It had just taken him time to realize that Max now had the insight and empathy to not accidentally hurt his daughter as well. That being the case – that was all any father had a right to expect or hope for from any suitor for his daughter. Of course the fact that Nancy had explained a six months ago that the ring Liz loved so much was sort of a counter-offer from Max in lieu of a deeper commitment to Max she had been willing to make had gone a long ways to raising his opinion of the young man as well.
No, Jeff Parker knew that he had no business having an opinion of when, where, or under what circumstances Liz and Max should take their intimacy to another level. Of course, as he watched them he had his suspicions that it hadn't happened yet. Partly, perhaps, it was because Liz had that same sort of longing look on her face that Nancy had the last month or so before their marriage. Sort of a – we know where this is going – why aren't we there yet – look. But like his inability to hug her back with greasy hands, Max seemed to be even more concerned with everything being right for Liz when the next step was taken - moreso even than Liz was herself – and it was obvious the young man had been holding back any public shows of affection with Liz that he thought might upset her parents.
In fact, he seemed to be embarrassed right now that Liz was hugging him in front of her – and his – parents. Happily embarrassed obviously – but embarrassed nonetheless – and without even a clean hand he could use to fend her off.
No, these two had been very good for each other. Max worked hard to be sociable when he was over for dinner – did his best to be part of their family rather than just Liz's boyfriend/fiance – and Phillip had told him Liz did much the same thing on the three days a week they had dinner at the Evanses.
'Face it, Jeff,' he told himself as he looked at Max – now starting to get his signature deer-in-the-headlights look as Liz was refusing to release him from her hug, '...your baby-lady chose well...
“You seem to have your hands full there, Max,” said Jeff.
“Uh, Hi Mr. Parker,” said the blushing young man. Liz looked up at her father and sighed – then let go of him.
“I'd shake your hand but....,” Max continued, waving his greasy hands to show his filthy palms.
“That's OK,” said Jeff, grasping Max's greasy right hand and shaking it, “... they wash. Looks like you need a new U-joint, huh?”
“Yeah, to go with the new transmission. The engine is actually not bad, although we had to rebuild the brakes almost completely.”
“It's looking good – when will it be ready?”
“Other than a little clean-up, it'll be ready when we get the new u-joint back in place. The auto part store is supposed to have it in by tomorrow.”
“Max says he's going to teach me how to drive a manual transmission,” said Liz, not holding on to Max any longer but not putting any distance between the two of them that she could really avoid either, Jeff noticed. Apparently it had been a somewhat lonely day in Las Cruces he thought, trying to stifle a grin.
Jeff looked around to make sure that Nancy was already inside with Diane. Fortunately she was.
“Well, may you have better luck with that than I had with trying to teach MY fiance how to drive a stickshift. I rebuilt the clutch twice – before selling my old Mustang and getting one with an automatic transmission.”
“Oooh – I'm going to tell....” laughed Liz.
“Don't you dare, young lady. I'll be sleeping on the couch for a week.”
“Yeah, well I wouldn't know about that,” said Liz, trying unsuccessfully not to blush.
[And not something YOU are going to ever find out about either] she thought quickly to Max.
As he watched Max suddenly blush, Jeff wondered what message had just gone to Max through their private connection. His guess, it would turn out, was pretty close to the mark. He fought back his smile.
'They really are good for each other...,' Jeff thought.
In New Mexico you can get a Provisional Drivers license at fifteen and a half. Max already had his provisional drivers license now and Liz would take take her test next week. Normally she pestered her parents interminably about getting practice time behind the wheel - but not today.
Today Liz had been away from Max almost all day, and Jeff could see in her eyes that all she really wanted was to get there quickly - to be the first one out of the vehicle - which she was, even before the parking brake was fully set. He watched his daughter not quite run to that set of feet that belonged to Max - who had spent the day with his father helping to get the vehicle back in running condition while Liz had been on the girls day out to Las Cruces.
Max backed out from under the car as Liz came near - Jeff wasn't sure if she'd said something to announce her arrival or if it was just that sense the two of them had of each others presence when they were near - like reading each others thoughts. Whatever the case, Max had quickly crawled out from under the vehicle - his greasy hands dropping what appeared to be a U-joint.
Liz quickly went to him and was - well it would have been in his arms if he would have brought them down. He held his greasy hands aloft helplessly as she hugged his sweaty t-shirt covered torso – the young man obviously unwilling to touch Liz's white blouse even with his dusty forearms.
Maybe Max was unwilling to hold her right now - but it was clear he was enjoying being held - and it was clear from both of their smiles that greetings were going back and forth in whatever that telepathy was that they had with each other - their thoughts probably faster and richer than mere words could have conveyed.
Not for the first time he found himself regretting the talk he had with the young man a little over a year ago. He had been well intentioned – he knew – but what he said had been stupid, and he'd had that bludgeoned into him for the last year by the actions of the young man. He knew why he'd done it – he'd been scared – things had been happening much too fast.
It was – he thought at the time – insane that his little girl had somehow become engaged. The surprise of that at their young age had – in many respects – eclipsed the surprise of both the fact and the means of their survival – and had certainly been less welcome. But he had misjudged this young man and misjudged his daughter as well and regretted the mistake he had made more with each passing day.
He'd always liked Max – how could he help it? The boy had saved his daughter more than once. But just as he'd failed to realize that somehow in that week they'd spent together his little girl had become a woman, he'd failed to realize that Max had become a man. He'd retained his thought of Max as a somewhat socially impaired child – if an heroic one. In the last year he'd seen that the young man was anything but a child.
Both Liz and Max had changed markedly, and in Jeff Parker's opinion, very much for the better. He had always loved his daughter dearly but her faults – a driving ambition that sometimes pushed her to do things like nearly getting herself killed with exploding pressure cookers and a certainty in the rightness of her position that bordered on arrogance and yes – even the cruelty she'd shown to the young boy who had helped her so very often.
But that wasn't Liz anymore. She'd changed during that week out on the malpais. She'd not only become an adult – she'd become a woman as well – although it took him a few months to realize that. Max too had changed. Oh, perhaps there would always be a little bit of shyness about him – but he also had a new found confidence and – at least as far as the Parker family was concerned – was making a huge effort to try to make the situation as comfortable as possible for the parents of his betrothed.
No, he'd been stupid and – worse – he'd been wrong to talk to Max like that. Frightened as he'd been, he'd had no business implying to the young man that his fiance's father thought that he'd treat Liz disrespectfully or casually absent a warning from the old man – no business acting like that engagement ring was anything other than a symbol of the love between them. He'd been afraid – perhaps – that the child that Max had been would see that ring as a license to push Liz in ways that neither of them were ready for.
Of course, the last year had shown him that Max was no longer that child – that he was a young man – both considerate and caring of Liz. Jeff had realized it would have been smarter – he knew – to have just left those words unsaid. Liz and Max were betrothed – surprising as that was – and were both mature enough to work out the details of their own love life. Liz's father – he now realized – had no business making demands of anyone in that area.
He'd always known that Max would never willfully hurt Liz. It had just taken him time to realize that Max now had the insight and empathy to not accidentally hurt his daughter as well. That being the case – that was all any father had a right to expect or hope for from any suitor for his daughter. Of course the fact that Nancy had explained a six months ago that the ring Liz loved so much was sort of a counter-offer from Max in lieu of a deeper commitment to Max she had been willing to make had gone a long ways to raising his opinion of the young man as well.
No, Jeff Parker knew that he had no business having an opinion of when, where, or under what circumstances Liz and Max should take their intimacy to another level. Of course, as he watched them he had his suspicions that it hadn't happened yet. Partly, perhaps, it was because Liz had that same sort of longing look on her face that Nancy had the last month or so before their marriage. Sort of a – we know where this is going – why aren't we there yet – look. But like his inability to hug her back with greasy hands, Max seemed to be even more concerned with everything being right for Liz when the next step was taken - moreso even than Liz was herself – and it was obvious the young man had been holding back any public shows of affection with Liz that he thought might upset her parents.
In fact, he seemed to be embarrassed right now that Liz was hugging him in front of her – and his – parents. Happily embarrassed obviously – but embarrassed nonetheless – and without even a clean hand he could use to fend her off.
No, these two had been very good for each other. Max worked hard to be sociable when he was over for dinner – did his best to be part of their family rather than just Liz's boyfriend/fiance – and Phillip had told him Liz did much the same thing on the three days a week they had dinner at the Evanses.
'Face it, Jeff,' he told himself as he looked at Max – now starting to get his signature deer-in-the-headlights look as Liz was refusing to release him from her hug, '...your baby-lady chose well...
“You seem to have your hands full there, Max,” said Jeff.
“Uh, Hi Mr. Parker,” said the blushing young man. Liz looked up at her father and sighed – then let go of him.
“I'd shake your hand but....,” Max continued, waving his greasy hands to show his filthy palms.
“That's OK,” said Jeff, grasping Max's greasy right hand and shaking it, “... they wash. Looks like you need a new U-joint, huh?”
“Yeah, to go with the new transmission. The engine is actually not bad, although we had to rebuild the brakes almost completely.”
“It's looking good – when will it be ready?”
“Other than a little clean-up, it'll be ready when we get the new u-joint back in place. The auto part store is supposed to have it in by tomorrow.”
“Max says he's going to teach me how to drive a manual transmission,” said Liz, not holding on to Max any longer but not putting any distance between the two of them that she could really avoid either, Jeff noticed. Apparently it had been a somewhat lonely day in Las Cruces he thought, trying to stifle a grin.
Jeff looked around to make sure that Nancy was already inside with Diane. Fortunately she was.
“Well, may you have better luck with that than I had with trying to teach MY fiance how to drive a stickshift. I rebuilt the clutch twice – before selling my old Mustang and getting one with an automatic transmission.”
“Oooh – I'm going to tell....” laughed Liz.
“Don't you dare, young lady. I'll be sleeping on the couch for a week.”
“Yeah, well I wouldn't know about that,” said Liz, trying unsuccessfully not to blush.
[And not something YOU are going to ever find out about either] she thought quickly to Max.
As he watched Max suddenly blush, Jeff wondered what message had just gone to Max through their private connection. His guess, it would turn out, was pretty close to the mark. He fought back his smile.
'They really are good for each other...,' Jeff thought.
Last edited by greywolf on Thu Jan 28, 2010 11:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/27/2010
The jeep restoration project was almost exclusively being done by his son, and Philip's role was mainly one of checking Max's work. His son was bright enough – he had no doubt about that – but that didn't mean that those people who wrote and edited the do-it-yourself repair manuals were either always bright or always clear enough in their instructions for even the most intelligent do-it-yourselfer to get the jeep safely restored.
Philip had approved of Max's choice of the refugee from an impound lot. He'd had to, since the title would be in his name for another 2+ years. Sure, Max could have afforded something better – could have afforded a new car if he'd wanted to spend the money from the patent advances and the royalties now starting to roll in from the propeller patent, and no doubt the pharmaceutical patents he co-owned with Liz would soon be swelling his checking account even further. That wasn't the point though.
A not yet sixteen year-old kid who didn't want to stand out at a small town high school simply didn't buy a new car. An older car – rebuilt well enough that it was safe to drive – would be something that didn't stand out in the high school parking lot. Moreover, Philip had fixed up an older car as a teenager, and his experience working on it had – he believed – been helpful not just keeping later cars going but understanding their care and maintenance as well.
But that still meant he wanted to check things – particularly critical things like brakes and a new transmission. Even a bright mind and an instruction book couldn't totally substitute for experience.
“I think you made a good choice getting the Borg-Warner four speed, son.” Philip said, flat on his back underneath the black jeep. “When you are off-road and need it, your first and second gears are lower than they would have been with the three-speed, so you'll have more torque and yet the fourth gear is actually higher than the top gear of the three-speed, so you'll get better economy in cruise. You did a good job getting it in, too. You'll have to check the linkages of course, but that's just an adjustment. You can probably do that from up above, unless the adjustment is too large. Get that new u-joint in and I think you're almost done.”
As he looked at his son's face he saw his eyes suddenly widen and a smile crease his face. “I think Mom is home,” said Max, even before Philip heard the car coming down the street. His father smiled. What that really meant was that Max had sensed Liz.
Max had been gradually more edgy from the time that Diane and Nancy had left with Liz until he got the cell phone call from Las Cruces telling him everyone was there OK and starting their shopping. She'd called him again just as they left – and he'd tried hard to concentrate on the jeep – and had gotten the transmission in – but it was obvious that Max was always more comfortable when Liz was near.
Liz was near Max a lot these days. Liz spent half her days at the Evans residence – Max half his days at the Parker residence – and even that didn't seem enough for either of them. Philip wasn't complaining about Liz being around so much – in fact tonight he was going to be very grateful.
With her mother spending the day shopping in Las Cruces, getting dinner ready had fallen on Isabel. A year ago that would have been a disaster. Philip loved his daughter but her mothers efforts to teach her the basics of the culinary arts had never really resulted in her being able to fix anything palatable. In addition to working with Max on schoolwork and figuring out how to synthesize the chemotherapy drugs that Max's powers had told him would be most efficacious for people like that little girl on Sixth street, Liz had worked tirelessly on Isabel's cooking.
Tonight Isabel would be on her own – providing dinner for the Evans family, Liz – who was practically family – and Alex, the young man who was taking up an increasing amount of his daughter's time – and her old man's concern. It wasn't that Philip didn't like Alex – he was a nice young man – it was just that he and Isabel seemed to have gone from not even knowing one another to a pretty solid couple in an exceptionally short time.
'Of course eighteen months ago you worried that she had all the makings of an ice princess and now that she's actually being kind and considerate and caring to a very nice young man, you are worried about that too,' he told himself. It wasn't easy being the father of a teen-age daughter.
As he slid out from under the car to follow his son, he saw that Diane was alone in her car but saw the Parker car right behind it. The car had scarcely stopped when the back door opened and Liz made a bee-line to Max.
'Now why does THAT not surprise me?' he asked himself rhetorically. Liz seemed as devoted to Max as he was to her. It seemed like it had always been that way - excepting their puppy love problems that one miserable summer. But those problems were no more - driven from existence by their fall from that aircraft and their week together and the commitment they had. It wasn't the ring - dearly though that girl loved that ring - but what it represented. Max had blossomed under Liz's love - the extent of the change in him still amazed his father. He'd always been a good kid - responsible - industrious - but now he had a joi de vivre that was so gratifying to a couple of parents that had wondered if he would ever truly be happy.
'He's sure happy now, Philip thought as he saw Liz hug herself to him - Max looking in puzzlement at his greasy hands - helpless to either cooperate or fend her off - and growing increasingly embarrassed as Jeff walked up to him. Liz was undoubtedly teasing him - which was good for Max. Neither he nor Diane had done that to him growing up - fearful it would drive him further away. Not now, it wouldn't. Oh, Max might always be a little shy, but with Liz around he was more confident in himself - more self-assured - than he'd ever been before. Liz had been very good for his son - and Philip loved her like his own daughter.
Philip watched Jeff smile as he strode up to the embarrassed Max.
“You seem to have your hands full there, Max,” he said.
“Uh, Hi Mr. Parker,” said the blushing young man. Liz looked up at her father and sighed – then let go of him. To Philip, Max looked slightly relieved at that. Of course, she only moved about an inch or two away.
“I'd shake your hand but....,” started Max showing a greasy palm. It didn't seem to bother Jeff who shook it anyway.
“That's OK, they wash. Looks like you need a new U-joint, huh?”
“Yeah, to go with the new transmission. The engine is actually not bad, although we had to rebuild the brakes almost completely.”
“It's looking good – when will it be ready?”
“Other than a little clean-up, it'll be ready when we get the new u-joint back in place. The auto part store is supposed to have it in by tomorrow.”
“Max says he's going to teach me how to drive a manual transmission,” said Liz.
Jeff seemed to look quickly toward the back door where Diane and Nancy had just disappeared.
“Well, may you have better luck with that than I had with trying to teach MY fiance how to drive a stickshift. I rebuilt the clutch twice – before selling my old Mustang and getting one with an automatic transmission.”
“Oooh – I'm going to tell....” laughed Liz.
“Don't you dare, young lady. I'll be sleeping on the couch for a week.”
“Yeah, well I wouldn't know about that,” said Liz.
Philip watched Liz blush – followed almost instantly by Max blushing. He picked up the roll of paper towels on the ground and tore off one and handed it to Jeff. He tossed the rest of the roll to Max, who caught it and at least got enough of the grease off his hands that he wasn't going to leave fingerprints when he went inside.
“Well Max,” said Philip, “...we have company for dinner. Looks like you need to hit the showers if you are going to be presentable at the table.”
“I guess I'd better at that, Dad,” said Max, walking to the back door and gesturing for Liz to precede him inside.
Liz smiled as she walked by him. [If you have any places you need scrubbed that you can't reach just give a call] she thought at him smiling.
Max's eyes widened and he blushed again. His eyes glancing guiltily at Jeff and his father. [Liz....]
She looked back, her eyes flashing him a smile. [I know you remember the night at the Sheriff's Office – don't tell me you didn't enjoy that....]
Max shook his head, blushing even a deeper shade of crimson as he followed her in {Of course I enjoyed it – but – but – but – do you know how distracting that is?]
[Max, you haven't seen distracting] Liz thought, a warm feeling of love coming through the connection, [Go take your shower – I'll be helping Izzy set the table – but you can still call me if you really need me.]
[Yes – and give my mother a heart attack]
Philip watched Liz and Max depart, only able to guess at the mental exchange going on between them. Even so, as an attorney he'd learned how to interpret body language and he certainly knew his son. His guesses about the ongoing exchange weren't far from the mark.
“I think,” said Philip, turning back to Jeff, “... that your daughter is sexually harassing my son.”
“I think, counselor, that she's probably guilty as charged,” replied Jeff.
Philip chuckled and motioned Jeff into the garage. There was a hot water tank and utility sink there in an area that had been built as a laundry area for the mother-in-law apartment overhead. It had been there when they'd bought the house, but they'd never put a washer or drier there. The small overhead apartment was used mainly for legal record storage. There was a large orange pump dispenser by the sink full of waterless hand cleaner. Both men used it and then wiped their hands with another paper towel before washing them in the tap.
“You seem to be taking Liz's relationship with Max awfully well,” said Philip. “... I'm still trying to come to terms with Isabel's feelings for Alex and how serious they've gotten.”
“Well, I've had a lot more time to adjust. I have to admit that I really didn't handle it all that well to begin with. I had a whole lot more condescension in my don't-you-dare-hurt-my-little-girl talk with Max the first time we took him on our Spring camping trip than was ever warranted – like Max would ever mean to hurt her....... I'd be the last to tell you you aren't entitled to over-react with your little girl...”
"The damnable thing is I know it's all stupid. First of all, Alex is a real nice kid. Secondly, before he came along I was half afraid that Izzy was going to be one of those Ice Princesses. The kind who hang out with the pretty people in school but have contempt for everyone? Then along comes Alex – about as nice a kid as you could ask for and the next thing I know is that they are a couple and I'm worried that he's going to hurt her somehow.”
“It doesn't matter how nice he is – he's taking away your little girl. It takes some time to adjust, but you'll manage. But as for Liz teasing Max, I think she does get a kick out of making him blush, but I think they both enjoy it. If they didn't, I think it would stop pretty quickly. Liz does love to tease though – I think that's probably why we are having dinner with you tonight.”
“How so?”
“I didn't find out until last night but apparently Nancy – and I think she roped Diane in on it as well – decided that given how long Liz had been engaged they ought to talk to her about – well I guess you'd say preparations she might need to make.”
“Preparations in regard to...?”
“Anything she might have not been paying attention to in sex ed...”
“They didn't...”
Jeff nodded his head. “They did, however I have a feeling she put them in their places. I noticed when she came home she had a package from Victoria's Secret, and when I asked her about it she looked back at the door that Nancy and Diane were outside of and said – well, it doesn't matter what she said – the intention I think was to rattle their cages and she certainly did that. No doubt that's why we are having an emergency post dinner parents meeting.”
“Well, hopefully Liz was just joking...”
“Joking or not, Liz has three patents – two of them with Max – in molecular biology. Liz didn't need a lecture on fundamental biology from her mother, and double-teaming her with Diane was really dirty pool, but mothers don't have any easier time of letting go than fathers do, I guess.”
“Well, it was well intentioned, I'm sure, and they thought it was in the kids' best interest.”
“I think if we really had the kids best interest at heart we'd just give them permission to get married as soon as it's legal and give them our blessing – of course I'm sure the girls would go ballistic if we even brought that up.”
“Well, they are a little young. Legally we couldn't even give them approval until they turn sixteen – which for Max is next week and for Liz is just a little over two months. Otherwise they wait until they are eighteen. Sixteen is awfully young though.”
“Yeah, and two years is an eternity when you are sixteen. So tell me, what's the advantage of having them wait the two years – not for us – for them.”
“Well, it would be two more years for them to be sure ….”
“Philip, that may be an issue for Max, but do you seriously think my daughter would change her mind – decide she liked someone else better? Max'd be a pretty damn hard act to follow for most guys, don't you think?”
“I suppose. And Max isn't going to change his mind – I'm sure of that. I try not to do divorce cases, but in a general law practice in a small town, sometimes it happens. Because of that I've got a little experience in break-ups - why they happen and why they don't.
But Max and Liz – uh-uh. Never going to happen. Too many shared experiences, too many things to reminisce about that you've only got one person in the world you can really share those memories with – and in their cases actually share the memories at that. No, the two years is just delaying the inevitable. My son is going to marry Liz sooner or later – as sure as the sun rises in the East and if they aren't still together fifty years later I'd be greatly surprised.”
“You know, Lizzy's room has an adjoining room we just use for storage. It'd be easy to knock that wall out, give them a bigger space – carve out another closet for Max. They'd have their own bathroom. No kitchen facilities, but there's a restaurant kitchen two floors down. They could live there until it was time to go to college...”
“No way. They spend more than half their time over there now. We can empty out the upstairs here in the garage – ship those old case files to a storage locker – and move them in right here. Heck we can even get a washer and dryer and put them in down here...”
Both fathers looked at each other – and then started to chuckle.
“We are going to have to learn to share them...,” said Jeff.
Philip nodded in agreement.
“Well, we could do both. We could fix this place up and move Max out here – Izzy has been coveting his room for years, the closet is half again as big as hers – and Liz could stay here half the time and I could help you with the modifications on Liz's floor at the Crashdown so the two of them could stay there the other half.”
Jeff took a deep sigh, shaking his head. “It still wouldn't work. Nancy would have a tizzy-fit if I even brought it up. I remember her telling Liz once that she never wanted her to stop being her little girl. She'll have difficulty enough losing her when she hits eighteen...”
“Yeah, I doubt that Diane would go for it with Max, either.”
From outside they heard the door open and Diane's voice. “Dinner in ten minutes you guys. Best clean up and get in here...”
“Coming, dear,...” said Philip.
As they started for the door booth men suddenly stopped.
“Aw hell, let's just bring it up after the kids leave and see what the girls say,” said Philip. “If worse comes to worst we can get a couple of sleeping bags and toss them on the floor upstairs until the girls forgive us and let us back in the house. At least we'll know we tried...”
“Hell, yes, let's give it a try,” said Jeff. They shook hands and left the garage, walking up the steps into the house.
Philip had approved of Max's choice of the refugee from an impound lot. He'd had to, since the title would be in his name for another 2+ years. Sure, Max could have afforded something better – could have afforded a new car if he'd wanted to spend the money from the patent advances and the royalties now starting to roll in from the propeller patent, and no doubt the pharmaceutical patents he co-owned with Liz would soon be swelling his checking account even further. That wasn't the point though.
A not yet sixteen year-old kid who didn't want to stand out at a small town high school simply didn't buy a new car. An older car – rebuilt well enough that it was safe to drive – would be something that didn't stand out in the high school parking lot. Moreover, Philip had fixed up an older car as a teenager, and his experience working on it had – he believed – been helpful not just keeping later cars going but understanding their care and maintenance as well.
But that still meant he wanted to check things – particularly critical things like brakes and a new transmission. Even a bright mind and an instruction book couldn't totally substitute for experience.
“I think you made a good choice getting the Borg-Warner four speed, son.” Philip said, flat on his back underneath the black jeep. “When you are off-road and need it, your first and second gears are lower than they would have been with the three-speed, so you'll have more torque and yet the fourth gear is actually higher than the top gear of the three-speed, so you'll get better economy in cruise. You did a good job getting it in, too. You'll have to check the linkages of course, but that's just an adjustment. You can probably do that from up above, unless the adjustment is too large. Get that new u-joint in and I think you're almost done.”
As he looked at his son's face he saw his eyes suddenly widen and a smile crease his face. “I think Mom is home,” said Max, even before Philip heard the car coming down the street. His father smiled. What that really meant was that Max had sensed Liz.
Max had been gradually more edgy from the time that Diane and Nancy had left with Liz until he got the cell phone call from Las Cruces telling him everyone was there OK and starting their shopping. She'd called him again just as they left – and he'd tried hard to concentrate on the jeep – and had gotten the transmission in – but it was obvious that Max was always more comfortable when Liz was near.
Liz was near Max a lot these days. Liz spent half her days at the Evans residence – Max half his days at the Parker residence – and even that didn't seem enough for either of them. Philip wasn't complaining about Liz being around so much – in fact tonight he was going to be very grateful.
With her mother spending the day shopping in Las Cruces, getting dinner ready had fallen on Isabel. A year ago that would have been a disaster. Philip loved his daughter but her mothers efforts to teach her the basics of the culinary arts had never really resulted in her being able to fix anything palatable. In addition to working with Max on schoolwork and figuring out how to synthesize the chemotherapy drugs that Max's powers had told him would be most efficacious for people like that little girl on Sixth street, Liz had worked tirelessly on Isabel's cooking.
Tonight Isabel would be on her own – providing dinner for the Evans family, Liz – who was practically family – and Alex, the young man who was taking up an increasing amount of his daughter's time – and her old man's concern. It wasn't that Philip didn't like Alex – he was a nice young man – it was just that he and Isabel seemed to have gone from not even knowing one another to a pretty solid couple in an exceptionally short time.
'Of course eighteen months ago you worried that she had all the makings of an ice princess and now that she's actually being kind and considerate and caring to a very nice young man, you are worried about that too,' he told himself. It wasn't easy being the father of a teen-age daughter.
As he slid out from under the car to follow his son, he saw that Diane was alone in her car but saw the Parker car right behind it. The car had scarcely stopped when the back door opened and Liz made a bee-line to Max.
'Now why does THAT not surprise me?' he asked himself rhetorically. Liz seemed as devoted to Max as he was to her. It seemed like it had always been that way - excepting their puppy love problems that one miserable summer. But those problems were no more - driven from existence by their fall from that aircraft and their week together and the commitment they had. It wasn't the ring - dearly though that girl loved that ring - but what it represented. Max had blossomed under Liz's love - the extent of the change in him still amazed his father. He'd always been a good kid - responsible - industrious - but now he had a joi de vivre that was so gratifying to a couple of parents that had wondered if he would ever truly be happy.
'He's sure happy now, Philip thought as he saw Liz hug herself to him - Max looking in puzzlement at his greasy hands - helpless to either cooperate or fend her off - and growing increasingly embarrassed as Jeff walked up to him. Liz was undoubtedly teasing him - which was good for Max. Neither he nor Diane had done that to him growing up - fearful it would drive him further away. Not now, it wouldn't. Oh, Max might always be a little shy, but with Liz around he was more confident in himself - more self-assured - than he'd ever been before. Liz had been very good for his son - and Philip loved her like his own daughter.
Philip watched Jeff smile as he strode up to the embarrassed Max.
“You seem to have your hands full there, Max,” he said.
“Uh, Hi Mr. Parker,” said the blushing young man. Liz looked up at her father and sighed – then let go of him. To Philip, Max looked slightly relieved at that. Of course, she only moved about an inch or two away.
“I'd shake your hand but....,” started Max showing a greasy palm. It didn't seem to bother Jeff who shook it anyway.
“That's OK, they wash. Looks like you need a new U-joint, huh?”
“Yeah, to go with the new transmission. The engine is actually not bad, although we had to rebuild the brakes almost completely.”
“It's looking good – when will it be ready?”
“Other than a little clean-up, it'll be ready when we get the new u-joint back in place. The auto part store is supposed to have it in by tomorrow.”
“Max says he's going to teach me how to drive a manual transmission,” said Liz.
Jeff seemed to look quickly toward the back door where Diane and Nancy had just disappeared.
“Well, may you have better luck with that than I had with trying to teach MY fiance how to drive a stickshift. I rebuilt the clutch twice – before selling my old Mustang and getting one with an automatic transmission.”
“Oooh – I'm going to tell....” laughed Liz.
“Don't you dare, young lady. I'll be sleeping on the couch for a week.”
“Yeah, well I wouldn't know about that,” said Liz.
Philip watched Liz blush – followed almost instantly by Max blushing. He picked up the roll of paper towels on the ground and tore off one and handed it to Jeff. He tossed the rest of the roll to Max, who caught it and at least got enough of the grease off his hands that he wasn't going to leave fingerprints when he went inside.
“Well Max,” said Philip, “...we have company for dinner. Looks like you need to hit the showers if you are going to be presentable at the table.”
“I guess I'd better at that, Dad,” said Max, walking to the back door and gesturing for Liz to precede him inside.
Liz smiled as she walked by him. [If you have any places you need scrubbed that you can't reach just give a call] she thought at him smiling.
Max's eyes widened and he blushed again. His eyes glancing guiltily at Jeff and his father. [Liz....]
She looked back, her eyes flashing him a smile. [I know you remember the night at the Sheriff's Office – don't tell me you didn't enjoy that....]
Max shook his head, blushing even a deeper shade of crimson as he followed her in {Of course I enjoyed it – but – but – but – do you know how distracting that is?]
[Max, you haven't seen distracting] Liz thought, a warm feeling of love coming through the connection, [Go take your shower – I'll be helping Izzy set the table – but you can still call me if you really need me.]
[Yes – and give my mother a heart attack]
Philip watched Liz and Max depart, only able to guess at the mental exchange going on between them. Even so, as an attorney he'd learned how to interpret body language and he certainly knew his son. His guesses about the ongoing exchange weren't far from the mark.
“I think,” said Philip, turning back to Jeff, “... that your daughter is sexually harassing my son.”
“I think, counselor, that she's probably guilty as charged,” replied Jeff.
Philip chuckled and motioned Jeff into the garage. There was a hot water tank and utility sink there in an area that had been built as a laundry area for the mother-in-law apartment overhead. It had been there when they'd bought the house, but they'd never put a washer or drier there. The small overhead apartment was used mainly for legal record storage. There was a large orange pump dispenser by the sink full of waterless hand cleaner. Both men used it and then wiped their hands with another paper towel before washing them in the tap.
“You seem to be taking Liz's relationship with Max awfully well,” said Philip. “... I'm still trying to come to terms with Isabel's feelings for Alex and how serious they've gotten.”
“Well, I've had a lot more time to adjust. I have to admit that I really didn't handle it all that well to begin with. I had a whole lot more condescension in my don't-you-dare-hurt-my-little-girl talk with Max the first time we took him on our Spring camping trip than was ever warranted – like Max would ever mean to hurt her....... I'd be the last to tell you you aren't entitled to over-react with your little girl...”
"The damnable thing is I know it's all stupid. First of all, Alex is a real nice kid. Secondly, before he came along I was half afraid that Izzy was going to be one of those Ice Princesses. The kind who hang out with the pretty people in school but have contempt for everyone? Then along comes Alex – about as nice a kid as you could ask for and the next thing I know is that they are a couple and I'm worried that he's going to hurt her somehow.”
“It doesn't matter how nice he is – he's taking away your little girl. It takes some time to adjust, but you'll manage. But as for Liz teasing Max, I think she does get a kick out of making him blush, but I think they both enjoy it. If they didn't, I think it would stop pretty quickly. Liz does love to tease though – I think that's probably why we are having dinner with you tonight.”
“How so?”
“I didn't find out until last night but apparently Nancy – and I think she roped Diane in on it as well – decided that given how long Liz had been engaged they ought to talk to her about – well I guess you'd say preparations she might need to make.”
“Preparations in regard to...?”
“Anything she might have not been paying attention to in sex ed...”
“They didn't...”
Jeff nodded his head. “They did, however I have a feeling she put them in their places. I noticed when she came home she had a package from Victoria's Secret, and when I asked her about it she looked back at the door that Nancy and Diane were outside of and said – well, it doesn't matter what she said – the intention I think was to rattle their cages and she certainly did that. No doubt that's why we are having an emergency post dinner parents meeting.”
“Well, hopefully Liz was just joking...”
“Joking or not, Liz has three patents – two of them with Max – in molecular biology. Liz didn't need a lecture on fundamental biology from her mother, and double-teaming her with Diane was really dirty pool, but mothers don't have any easier time of letting go than fathers do, I guess.”
“Well, it was well intentioned, I'm sure, and they thought it was in the kids' best interest.”
“I think if we really had the kids best interest at heart we'd just give them permission to get married as soon as it's legal and give them our blessing – of course I'm sure the girls would go ballistic if we even brought that up.”
“Well, they are a little young. Legally we couldn't even give them approval until they turn sixteen – which for Max is next week and for Liz is just a little over two months. Otherwise they wait until they are eighteen. Sixteen is awfully young though.”
“Yeah, and two years is an eternity when you are sixteen. So tell me, what's the advantage of having them wait the two years – not for us – for them.”
“Well, it would be two more years for them to be sure ….”
“Philip, that may be an issue for Max, but do you seriously think my daughter would change her mind – decide she liked someone else better? Max'd be a pretty damn hard act to follow for most guys, don't you think?”
“I suppose. And Max isn't going to change his mind – I'm sure of that. I try not to do divorce cases, but in a general law practice in a small town, sometimes it happens. Because of that I've got a little experience in break-ups - why they happen and why they don't.
But Max and Liz – uh-uh. Never going to happen. Too many shared experiences, too many things to reminisce about that you've only got one person in the world you can really share those memories with – and in their cases actually share the memories at that. No, the two years is just delaying the inevitable. My son is going to marry Liz sooner or later – as sure as the sun rises in the East and if they aren't still together fifty years later I'd be greatly surprised.”
“You know, Lizzy's room has an adjoining room we just use for storage. It'd be easy to knock that wall out, give them a bigger space – carve out another closet for Max. They'd have their own bathroom. No kitchen facilities, but there's a restaurant kitchen two floors down. They could live there until it was time to go to college...”
“No way. They spend more than half their time over there now. We can empty out the upstairs here in the garage – ship those old case files to a storage locker – and move them in right here. Heck we can even get a washer and dryer and put them in down here...”
Both fathers looked at each other – and then started to chuckle.
“We are going to have to learn to share them...,” said Jeff.
Philip nodded in agreement.
“Well, we could do both. We could fix this place up and move Max out here – Izzy has been coveting his room for years, the closet is half again as big as hers – and Liz could stay here half the time and I could help you with the modifications on Liz's floor at the Crashdown so the two of them could stay there the other half.”
Jeff took a deep sigh, shaking his head. “It still wouldn't work. Nancy would have a tizzy-fit if I even brought it up. I remember her telling Liz once that she never wanted her to stop being her little girl. She'll have difficulty enough losing her when she hits eighteen...”
“Yeah, I doubt that Diane would go for it with Max, either.”
From outside they heard the door open and Diane's voice. “Dinner in ten minutes you guys. Best clean up and get in here...”
“Coming, dear,...” said Philip.
As they started for the door booth men suddenly stopped.
“Aw hell, let's just bring it up after the kids leave and see what the girls say,” said Philip. “If worse comes to worst we can get a couple of sleeping bags and toss them on the floor upstairs until the girls forgive us and let us back in the house. At least we'll know we tried...”
“Hell, yes, let's give it a try,” said Jeff. They shook hands and left the garage, walking up the steps into the house.
Last edited by greywolf on Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:58 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/29/2010
The dinner was a rather complicated one - Rio Verde Shredded Pork & Roasted Onion Chili with Jalapeno Cornbread and a fresh salad - and Isabel had made it all by herself. A year previously Max would have already been contemplating making nopalitos out back as his best option for finding something edible and - more discretely perhaps - his mother and father would have been contemplating taking the car to the service station to 'top it off' and hitting the food mart for snacks. Not tonight though. The food was delicious.
"Izzy - this is really great," said Max [Thanks, Liz] he thought to the young lady he really believed to be the hero of the meal.
The other three Evanses - including Isabel herself - were thinking about the same as Max.
"Yes, this is really wonderful, Isabel," said Alex. [Not as wonderful as the person who made it though] he thought to her - they had just started developing their own private wavelength.
"Thank you, kind sir!" she said. [You're good enough to eat yourself, Alex.... Omigawd, did I think that out loud?] she thought fearfully.
As he watched his daughter and Alex both blush profusely Philip's eyes turned to Jeff's and he gave a sigh of resignation. Jeff just smiled.
"The food is delightful, Isabel, "...and that's coming from someone who runs a restaurant," said Jeff. Jeff recognized the recipes - a couple of Liz's favorites. He was aware - by rumor only of course - of how cooking-challenged Isabel had been before Liz's tutelage. Obviously his daughter had been successful - and just as obviously the lanky young man sitting next to Isabel and holding her hand under the table would benefit from that for a long time.
Diane and Philip and Nancy all chimed in - complimenting Isabel - at least allowing her to pretend the blushing was due to the compliments about the food rather than whatever had passed between her and Alex. Alex himself gradually recovered his normal coloring as talk around the table turned to repair of the jeep and the possible purchase of a well-used Honda by Alex.
Jeff wondered how THAT would go over with Philip. The state of New Mexico - in its infinite wisdom - had passed a law that limited first year drivers to a provisional license that was restricted. One of the restrictions was that these drivers could have - at most - one other passenger under 21 in the vehicle at a time. That pretty much meant that double-dating with Max and Liz for the next year wasn't going to happen. One of many unintended consequences of the legal system, no doubt, like the discussions they would soon be having where four adults - scared sh....well scared spitless, anyway - would soon be deciding what was right and wrong for a young man and a young woman who were themselves very aware - he was pretty sure - of what was the right thing for themselves.
And Jeff knew - as he watched his beautiful daughter and her handsome fiance talk to each other - socialize with their family and friend - that the decision wasn't really theirs to make. He would press the case - that they ought to just tell the kids they had the option - not push them either way - although as he watched his daughters face as she looked at Max he had little doubt what her decision would be - nor Max's decision either - the young man's eyes just sparkled when he was near Liz....
All too soon the commotion of the dinner was over - the teenagers clearing the plates and bringing out the dessert - Fruit Filled Chimichangas with Cinnamon Custard Sauce with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
"We're going to have to scoot to get to the movie on time," said Isabel. "We'll have our dessert when we get home later. We're going to have a little karaoke session in the den - Alex has the equipment set up. You guys are welcome to join us if you'd like,"
"Maybe we will at that," said Philip, "...just for a song or two."
Within a few minutes the four teenagers were walking off toward the center of town and the movie theater. It would be dark before they got back, but Jeff didn't worry. Liz was in good hands - so to speak.
It was almost three hours later when the teenagers returned. They went right to the den and soon the karaoke was going. They'd somehow acquired some more company - Maria Valenti was soon hogging the microphone - belting out old torchy rock Linda Ronstadt tunes to the embarrassment of Michael and the amusement of her brother Kyle and Tess. This happy party was interrupted though by Jeff Parker.
"Liz - Max - we'd like to see you in the kitchen for a moment."
They walked into the kitchen hand and hand - to face the three other parents looking up at them from the table. Diane and Nancy were smiling at them - their eyes blinking away moisture. Philip handed them each an envelope.
"Go ahead," he nodded to Liz, "... open it up..."
Liz opened hers first and read it. There was a standard permission form in New Mexico for this sort of thing - but it wasn't mandatory. Any written document that contained all the elements required was legal - and it was obvious that this one had been personalized with care and checked by two lawyers for legal sufficiency.
Max caught the flare of excitement as Liz read the letter. [What's wrong?]
[Nothing's wrong] she said, her love washing over him, [..you need to read your letter]
Max and Liz hugged each other and looked deep into each others eyes. Whatever passed between them was intense and personal. Then they turned and looked at their parents.
"Thanks guys," said a tearful Max, "... we love you all so much," finished Liz.
"Izzy - this is really great," said Max [Thanks, Liz] he thought to the young lady he really believed to be the hero of the meal.
The other three Evanses - including Isabel herself - were thinking about the same as Max.
"Yes, this is really wonderful, Isabel," said Alex. [Not as wonderful as the person who made it though] he thought to her - they had just started developing their own private wavelength.
"Thank you, kind sir!" she said. [You're good enough to eat yourself, Alex.... Omigawd, did I think that out loud?] she thought fearfully.
As he watched his daughter and Alex both blush profusely Philip's eyes turned to Jeff's and he gave a sigh of resignation. Jeff just smiled.
"The food is delightful, Isabel, "...and that's coming from someone who runs a restaurant," said Jeff. Jeff recognized the recipes - a couple of Liz's favorites. He was aware - by rumor only of course - of how cooking-challenged Isabel had been before Liz's tutelage. Obviously his daughter had been successful - and just as obviously the lanky young man sitting next to Isabel and holding her hand under the table would benefit from that for a long time.
Diane and Philip and Nancy all chimed in - complimenting Isabel - at least allowing her to pretend the blushing was due to the compliments about the food rather than whatever had passed between her and Alex. Alex himself gradually recovered his normal coloring as talk around the table turned to repair of the jeep and the possible purchase of a well-used Honda by Alex.
Jeff wondered how THAT would go over with Philip. The state of New Mexico - in its infinite wisdom - had passed a law that limited first year drivers to a provisional license that was restricted. One of the restrictions was that these drivers could have - at most - one other passenger under 21 in the vehicle at a time. That pretty much meant that double-dating with Max and Liz for the next year wasn't going to happen. One of many unintended consequences of the legal system, no doubt, like the discussions they would soon be having where four adults - scared sh....well scared spitless, anyway - would soon be deciding what was right and wrong for a young man and a young woman who were themselves very aware - he was pretty sure - of what was the right thing for themselves.
And Jeff knew - as he watched his beautiful daughter and her handsome fiance talk to each other - socialize with their family and friend - that the decision wasn't really theirs to make. He would press the case - that they ought to just tell the kids they had the option - not push them either way - although as he watched his daughters face as she looked at Max he had little doubt what her decision would be - nor Max's decision either - the young man's eyes just sparkled when he was near Liz....
All too soon the commotion of the dinner was over - the teenagers clearing the plates and bringing out the dessert - Fruit Filled Chimichangas with Cinnamon Custard Sauce with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
"We're going to have to scoot to get to the movie on time," said Isabel. "We'll have our dessert when we get home later. We're going to have a little karaoke session in the den - Alex has the equipment set up. You guys are welcome to join us if you'd like,"
"Maybe we will at that," said Philip, "...just for a song or two."
Within a few minutes the four teenagers were walking off toward the center of town and the movie theater. It would be dark before they got back, but Jeff didn't worry. Liz was in good hands - so to speak.
It was almost three hours later when the teenagers returned. They went right to the den and soon the karaoke was going. They'd somehow acquired some more company - Maria Valenti was soon hogging the microphone - belting out old torchy rock Linda Ronstadt tunes to the embarrassment of Michael and the amusement of her brother Kyle and Tess. This happy party was interrupted though by Jeff Parker.
"Liz - Max - we'd like to see you in the kitchen for a moment."
They walked into the kitchen hand and hand - to face the three other parents looking up at them from the table. Diane and Nancy were smiling at them - their eyes blinking away moisture. Philip handed them each an envelope.
"Go ahead," he nodded to Liz, "... open it up..."
Liz opened hers first and read it. There was a standard permission form in New Mexico for this sort of thing - but it wasn't mandatory. Any written document that contained all the elements required was legal - and it was obvious that this one had been personalized with care and checked by two lawyers for legal sufficiency.
- We, the undersigned parents of Maxwell Evans, give our legal permission for him to take in marriage Elizabeth Parker - but more than just the legal permission, we give our blessing and we welcome her into our family. She has been our son's friend and helper for much of his life and we can think of no finer partner for him - now or in the future. May their future years be filled always with joy and happiness and may they always know that we love them both.
Max caught the flare of excitement as Liz read the letter. [What's wrong?]
[Nothing's wrong] she said, her love washing over him, [..you need to read your letter]
- We, the undersigned parents of Elizabeth Parker, give our legal permission for her to take in marriage Maxwell Evans - but more than just the legal permission, we give our blessing and we welcome him into our family. He has been our daughter's friend and helper for much of her life and we can think of no finer partner for her - now or in the future. May their future years be filled always with joy and happiness and may they always know that we love them both.
Max and Liz hugged each other and looked deep into each others eyes. Whatever passed between them was intense and personal. Then they turned and looked at their parents.
"Thanks guys," said a tearful Max, "... we love you all so much," finished Liz.
Last edited by greywolf on Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 01/31/2010
Ten weeks later-
The wedding would never appear in the social page of any newspaper - it was purposely kept rather low key. Only selected friends and family attended and Judge Parsons saw to it that the county clerk didn't notify the press of either the issuance of the license nor the marriage itself. That did not mean the wedding was drab or plain, however. For those who were involved - for those who did attend - it was something of great beauty.
It was early Spring in the Lincoln National Forest - a time or rebirth and renewal and the small glen had been suggested by Vickie Benning - well Vickie Ferguson now. Apparently the date with Cole had gone pretty well.
Vickie had seen that the area was reserved for the special occasion and the old growth Ponderosa Pine towered above the small grove of budding Aspens - at this time of day letting only a single beam of sunlight illuminate the middle of the glen where the wedding party stood.
The bride wore an ankle length sheath style dress of white satin - off the shoulder - the bridesmaid dresses similar in light green. The groom and best man and groomsmen all wore single-breasted dark gray tuxedos. The eight of them - Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Alex, Isabel, Tess, and Kyle, all looked magnificent and the sunlight shown down on the bride and groom from up above as if God Himself were blessing their union.
"We are gathered together," said Judge Jaramiah Parsons, "...in the sight of God and these witnesses to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony...."
As the Judge intoned the vows the four person audiovisual team - the one that just happened to be in the area getting background landscape for a major Hollywood producer who just 'happened' to meet his old friend Ed Harding whose daughter was a bridesmaid in this wedding and volunteered their services - was recording a permanent record of the proceedings.
The cameras panned the faces of the happily tearful mothers of the bride and groom - their proud fathers - and seated behind them Cole and Vickie Ferguson, Lexie and Doug Hanover who had just finished their freshman year at Caltech, Emily Parsons, smiling at her husband as he read the vows to this young couple and perhaps remembering their own wedding day, as well as Ed Harding and Cal Langley sitting in back - looking insufferably pleased with themselves.
For a story that had started so many years before, it was only a few minutes before the finale.
"Maxwell, do you take Elizabeth to be your wedded wife - to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love, comfort, honor and keep her, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to her so long as you both shall live?"
"I do"
"Elizabeth, do you take Maxwell to be your wedded husband - to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love, comfort, honor and keep him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?"
"I do"
"What token of your love do you offer? Would you place the rings in my hand?
May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place that many will find there a friend. May these rings on their fingers symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts.
Maxwell, in placing this ring on Elzabeth's finger, repeat after me:Elizabeth, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."
"Elizabeth, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed," said the smiling groom.
[Elizabeth, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed.]
"Elizabeth, in placing this ring on Maxwell's finger, repeat after me: Maxwell, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."
"Maxwell, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed," said the smiling bride.
[Maxwell, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed]
Judge Parsons continued, "May you always share with each other the gifts of love, be one in heart and in mind, may you always create a home together that puts in your hearts, love, generosity and kindness.
In as much as Maxwell and Elizabeth have consented together in marriage before this company of friends and family and have pledged their faith – and declared their unity by giving and receiving a ring – are now joined.
You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each others best friend.
What, therefore, God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
And so, by the power vested in me by the State of New Mexico and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth."
[I love you, Liz] he thought.
"You may now kiss the bride," said Judge Parsons.
[I love you, Ma...mmmm]
[Sorry to interrupt]
[I'm not...]
And so it came time for the first dance, Max and Liz Evans in each others arms as Ed Harding sang The Hawaiian Wedding Songin his very best Elvis imitation through the sound gear that Cal Langley had just happened to have with him.
Then one of Cal's guys took over the DJ duties – first Thank Heaven for Little Girls for Jeff and Liz, then A song for Momma for Max and Diane. After that pretty much everyone was dancing.
After awhile the photographer pulled Liz and Max aside for some of the old traditional standby photos while the others continued to dance. Jeramiah & Emily Parsons happened to be standing by Diane Evans as the photographer had Max remove the blue garter from Liz's thigh – both of them blushing bright red.
“As hard as she tried to convince us that she was some sort of a scarlet woman 18 months ago, she is much more believable as a blushing bride,” said Jeramiah,
Dianne nodded her head. “Before we adopted him,” Diane said, “...Max really hadn't had that much of a life. I think Max has loved Liz from the very first minute he saw her, but somehow Max got the idea that Liz was untouchable. That week they were together she apparently decided to convince him that was not the case and in doing so she ALMOST got carried away. But they work well as a couple – each has strengths that offset the others weaknesses. I honestly don't think that week was about sex – but rather sending a message. I think the fact that they are here tonight means that the message was received – loud and clear. Tonight isn't about sex either really – although I have little doubt that will be a part of it. Mostly it's about that love.”
“I don't do a lot of marriages anymore – in fact except for the Fergusons there, I haven't done them in years – but I think this one is going to last a long time – probably as long as ours will,” said the Judge, smiling as he held the hand of his own bride of 48 years. She smiled as she looked back in his eyes - briefly transported back to their own wedding day.
The dancing continued into the night – but the bride and groom – the new Mr. and Mrs Maxwell Evans
departed at dusk – not in some fancy chauffered limousine – just in an old (but well maintained) black jeep, and not to some fancy bridal suite – but to a humble summer cabin five miles away. It was the same summer cabin they'd broken into 18 months previously – rented this time for the three days they had before they needed to get back to school.
They stayed in the same cabin where they had stayed before, slept – eventually – in the same bed in which they'd slept before. On the second day of this low-key secluded honeymoon they drove down to the malpais to have lunch – nopalitos and prickly pears – just for old times sake. A day later they were back in Roswell.
If anyone on the school board actually noticed Liz's second ring – or the one on Max's finger – they had the good sense not to make an issue of it. The faculty of West Roswell High pretended they were just another two kids going steady – even though they almost certainly knew better.
The wedding would never appear in the social page of any newspaper - it was purposely kept rather low key. Only selected friends and family attended and Judge Parsons saw to it that the county clerk didn't notify the press of either the issuance of the license nor the marriage itself. That did not mean the wedding was drab or plain, however. For those who were involved - for those who did attend - it was something of great beauty.
It was early Spring in the Lincoln National Forest - a time or rebirth and renewal and the small glen had been suggested by Vickie Benning - well Vickie Ferguson now. Apparently the date with Cole had gone pretty well.
Vickie had seen that the area was reserved for the special occasion and the old growth Ponderosa Pine towered above the small grove of budding Aspens - at this time of day letting only a single beam of sunlight illuminate the middle of the glen where the wedding party stood.
The bride wore an ankle length sheath style dress of white satin - off the shoulder - the bridesmaid dresses similar in light green. The groom and best man and groomsmen all wore single-breasted dark gray tuxedos. The eight of them - Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Alex, Isabel, Tess, and Kyle, all looked magnificent and the sunlight shown down on the bride and groom from up above as if God Himself were blessing their union.
"We are gathered together," said Judge Jaramiah Parsons, "...in the sight of God and these witnesses to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony...."
As the Judge intoned the vows the four person audiovisual team - the one that just happened to be in the area getting background landscape for a major Hollywood producer who just 'happened' to meet his old friend Ed Harding whose daughter was a bridesmaid in this wedding and volunteered their services - was recording a permanent record of the proceedings.
The cameras panned the faces of the happily tearful mothers of the bride and groom - their proud fathers - and seated behind them Cole and Vickie Ferguson, Lexie and Doug Hanover who had just finished their freshman year at Caltech, Emily Parsons, smiling at her husband as he read the vows to this young couple and perhaps remembering their own wedding day, as well as Ed Harding and Cal Langley sitting in back - looking insufferably pleased with themselves.
For a story that had started so many years before, it was only a few minutes before the finale.
"Maxwell, do you take Elizabeth to be your wedded wife - to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love, comfort, honor and keep her, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to her so long as you both shall live?"
"I do"
"Elizabeth, do you take Maxwell to be your wedded husband - to live together in marriage. Do you promise to love, comfort, honor and keep him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. And forsaking all others, be faithful only to him so long as you both shall live?"
"I do"
"What token of your love do you offer? Would you place the rings in my hand?
May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place that many will find there a friend. May these rings on their fingers symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts.
Maxwell, in placing this ring on Elzabeth's finger, repeat after me:Elizabeth, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."
"Elizabeth, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed," said the smiling groom.
[Elizabeth, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed.]
"Elizabeth, in placing this ring on Maxwell's finger, repeat after me: Maxwell, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."
"Maxwell, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed," said the smiling bride.
[Maxwell, you are now consecrated to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed]
Judge Parsons continued, "May you always share with each other the gifts of love, be one in heart and in mind, may you always create a home together that puts in your hearts, love, generosity and kindness.
In as much as Maxwell and Elizabeth have consented together in marriage before this company of friends and family and have pledged their faith – and declared their unity by giving and receiving a ring – are now joined.
You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each others best friend.
What, therefore, God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
And so, by the power vested in me by the State of New Mexico and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife – and may your days be good and long upon the earth."
[I love you, Liz] he thought.
"You may now kiss the bride," said Judge Parsons.
[I love you, Ma...mmmm]
[Sorry to interrupt]
[I'm not...]
And so it came time for the first dance, Max and Liz Evans in each others arms as Ed Harding sang The Hawaiian Wedding Songin his very best Elvis imitation through the sound gear that Cal Langley had just happened to have with him.
Then one of Cal's guys took over the DJ duties – first Thank Heaven for Little Girls for Jeff and Liz, then A song for Momma for Max and Diane. After that pretty much everyone was dancing.
After awhile the photographer pulled Liz and Max aside for some of the old traditional standby photos while the others continued to dance. Jeramiah & Emily Parsons happened to be standing by Diane Evans as the photographer had Max remove the blue garter from Liz's thigh – both of them blushing bright red.
“As hard as she tried to convince us that she was some sort of a scarlet woman 18 months ago, she is much more believable as a blushing bride,” said Jeramiah,
Dianne nodded her head. “Before we adopted him,” Diane said, “...Max really hadn't had that much of a life. I think Max has loved Liz from the very first minute he saw her, but somehow Max got the idea that Liz was untouchable. That week they were together she apparently decided to convince him that was not the case and in doing so she ALMOST got carried away. But they work well as a couple – each has strengths that offset the others weaknesses. I honestly don't think that week was about sex – but rather sending a message. I think the fact that they are here tonight means that the message was received – loud and clear. Tonight isn't about sex either really – although I have little doubt that will be a part of it. Mostly it's about that love.”
“I don't do a lot of marriages anymore – in fact except for the Fergusons there, I haven't done them in years – but I think this one is going to last a long time – probably as long as ours will,” said the Judge, smiling as he held the hand of his own bride of 48 years. She smiled as she looked back in his eyes - briefly transported back to their own wedding day.
The dancing continued into the night – but the bride and groom – the new Mr. and Mrs Maxwell Evans
departed at dusk – not in some fancy chauffered limousine – just in an old (but well maintained) black jeep, and not to some fancy bridal suite – but to a humble summer cabin five miles away. It was the same summer cabin they'd broken into 18 months previously – rented this time for the three days they had before they needed to get back to school.
They stayed in the same cabin where they had stayed before, slept – eventually – in the same bed in which they'd slept before. On the second day of this low-key secluded honeymoon they drove down to the malpais to have lunch – nopalitos and prickly pears – just for old times sake. A day later they were back in Roswell.
If anyone on the school board actually noticed Liz's second ring – or the one on Max's finger – they had the good sense not to make an issue of it. The faculty of West Roswell High pretended they were just another two kids going steady – even though they almost certainly knew better.
Last edited by greywolf on Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Falling (AU, M/L Teen) 02/03/2010
Epilogue:
It only lasted a year and a half – staying with the Parkers one night and the senior Evanses the next. Oh, it wasn't that there was any trouble in Max and Liz's marriage – that wasn't going to happen. It was just that they had their plans and they were sort of in a hurry. They hit the books hard and piled up the credits – graduating early and going off to Boston – where Liz Evans entered the six-year PhD program in Molecular Biology and Max entered in to the six year to an MD program at the Medical School. The money from their patents covered tuition and a two bedroom townhouse – big enough for them and for the friends and family that would occasionally get to the East Coast to see them. Concentrating on little but their studies – and each other – both got their programs done in five years.
Both Liz and Max returned to New Mexico – initially to Albuquerque where Max did a residency in oncology and Liz founded EvansBioMed, a research outfit that developed cutting edge anticancer drugs. Both of their sons were born in Albuquerque in those three years while their third child, a daughter, was born after Max completed his residency and the two of them moved back to Roswell. Max headed up the Roswell Memorial Oncology unit which – together with EvansBioMed, became nationally known for developing anti-cancer treatments that were then passed off to larger pharmaceutical companies for full-scale production while Liz and Max moved on to new challenges. At the age of twenty-eight, Liz went to Stockholm Sweden where – surrounded by her mother, father, Diane and Philip Evans, and her husband and three children, she was awarded a Nobel prize in Medicine
The other three couples, Isabel and Alex, Tess and Kyle, and Michael and Maria were all eventually married, the first two couples within months of graduating from high school, Michael and Maria almost a year later. Isabel and Alex and Tess and Kyle settled back in Roswell immediately after college. Michael and Maria actually stayed out in California for six years until Maria tired of singing the songs the companies wanted her to record and Michael got tired of the glitz of Hollywood. When Max and Liz finally moved back to town, the Parkers, the senior Evanses, and the Valentis were surrounded by their kids – and an increasing swarm of grandkids. Basically everyone just lived happily ever after – although when little Abigail Whitman went through the 'terrible twos' it got real interesting for awhile in Roswell New Mexico. Of course, that's a different story.....
The end.
It only lasted a year and a half – staying with the Parkers one night and the senior Evanses the next. Oh, it wasn't that there was any trouble in Max and Liz's marriage – that wasn't going to happen. It was just that they had their plans and they were sort of in a hurry. They hit the books hard and piled up the credits – graduating early and going off to Boston – where Liz Evans entered the six-year PhD program in Molecular Biology and Max entered in to the six year to an MD program at the Medical School. The money from their patents covered tuition and a two bedroom townhouse – big enough for them and for the friends and family that would occasionally get to the East Coast to see them. Concentrating on little but their studies – and each other – both got their programs done in five years.
Both Liz and Max returned to New Mexico – initially to Albuquerque where Max did a residency in oncology and Liz founded EvansBioMed, a research outfit that developed cutting edge anticancer drugs. Both of their sons were born in Albuquerque in those three years while their third child, a daughter, was born after Max completed his residency and the two of them moved back to Roswell. Max headed up the Roswell Memorial Oncology unit which – together with EvansBioMed, became nationally known for developing anti-cancer treatments that were then passed off to larger pharmaceutical companies for full-scale production while Liz and Max moved on to new challenges. At the age of twenty-eight, Liz went to Stockholm Sweden where – surrounded by her mother, father, Diane and Philip Evans, and her husband and three children, she was awarded a Nobel prize in Medicine
The other three couples, Isabel and Alex, Tess and Kyle, and Michael and Maria were all eventually married, the first two couples within months of graduating from high school, Michael and Maria almost a year later. Isabel and Alex and Tess and Kyle settled back in Roswell immediately after college. Michael and Maria actually stayed out in California for six years until Maria tired of singing the songs the companies wanted her to record and Michael got tired of the glitz of Hollywood. When Max and Liz finally moved back to town, the Parkers, the senior Evanses, and the Valentis were surrounded by their kids – and an increasing swarm of grandkids. Basically everyone just lived happily ever after – although when little Abigail Whitman went through the 'terrible twos' it got real interesting for awhile in Roswell New Mexico. Of course, that's a different story.....
The end.
Last edited by greywolf on Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.