Epiphany (CC,M/L, MATURE) CH 21- Complete w/ A/N - 7/2/07

[Tanya7496]

Thank you everyone for your patience and kind words. It's been a pretty strange couple of months. I'm sorry for such a huge delay on this next chapter. But I'm much better now and so is my muse, who seemed just as sick as I was. Luckily I only had to stay in the hospital a couple of days to monitor my blood pressure. Pneumonia is a sneaky illness. I didn't even know I was bad enough to be put in the hospital. Thank you also for maintaining your interest in this fic. It makes me smile knowing that people are actually reading and understanding my ramblings.

*Additional Notice* I know I said this was going to be the last chapter and I meant it to be but instead I had to split this last chapter up. It turned out to be almost 17 pages long. I feel when it's too long some of the meaning gets lost and people get bored. So this isn't the very end. I have the last chapter headed straight to my wonderful BETA and hope she can make sense of. I should have it posted very soon.

Any feedback is encouraged.


Chapter 20




Camille’s Boutique~ The next morning



“So Liz, what kind of look are you going for…” Maria asked as she lifted up a slinky red dress with spaghetti straps in one hand, “sex kitten…grrr…” and then lifted up an understated cream colored halter dress in the other. “or something more demure like this one?”

Liz looked at both. The red dress was amazing and she knew red was a great color for her but it wasn’t quite the look she wanted to convey on her first date with Max.

“I don’t think the red one would be such a good idea besides it looks like something Tess would’ve worn.” The thought of Tess seemed to always creep into her mind. It was effecting what she said to people, how she handled herself around Max, and now she was making clothing choices with her in mind. Hearing her name still felt like a punch in the stomach. Was it ever going to feel okay again?

Maria looked at the dress and nodded. “Eww…you’re right. We have to look for the antithesis of her style.” She put the dresses back on rack.

Liz shook her head. “No, we need to find something that’s a happy medium and more me.”

Liz began looking through the racks of skirts and stumbled across a pink one she liked and folded it over her arm as a possible choice. She hated to shop. Unlike most girls her age, like Maria, Liz found shopping tedious. But she wanted something new to wear and saw it as the first step in starting over with Max.

“Are you sure you’re cool with covering for me tonight? I wouldn’t ask if wasn’t important. You know that.”

“Yeah it’s fine.” Maria answered. “Besides Tracy and Gladys will be with me.”

Liz and Maria started searching again through the endless racks of cloths to find that perfect date outfit. Max hadn’t mentioned where he was taking her or what they would be doing once they got there so whatever she picked out had to be versatile for any situation. She spotted a pink tank top and cardigan set that matched the skirt perfectly and placed it over top of the skirt on her arm.

“How’s it been with now that your mom’s home?” Although she wouldn’t admit it, Liz knew Maria missed her mom being home with her.

“I love my mom, you know that, and I guess I’ve missed her being around but since she’s been back, she’s been really overprotective and a little edgy. She said yesterday that she forbids me to ever step foot inside the UFO Center again not even to deliver food.”

“Oh no Maria.” Liz gasped. “Do you think she remembers what happened?”

“No I don’t think so…not consciously anyway. I’m just thankful the finger tapping has stopped. It was driving me crazy before she went to Albuquerque.”

“How is your uncle doing by the way? Sean called me last weeks saying he’s been spending most of his time letting his dad win at poker and dominos but he seemed a little reluctant to talk about his dad’s illness.”

“He’s terminal that’s all I know.” Maria replied sadly and then inquired with a curious smile. “So you’re still in touch with my good for nothing cousin?”

“Not like that. He needed someone to talk to, that’s all. It’s sad that it takes someone dying to make you see how important that person really is to you.”

“That’s so true. It makes me think of Alex and how I should’ve spent more time hanging out with him the way we used to, you know. And all the things I wanted to say to him before…”

“Yeah, I regret a lot of things when it comes to Alex.” Liz looked off into space for a few seconds, remembering her part in Alex’s death. It still hurt so much to think about. She bowed her head, resigning herself to the fact that she couldn’t go back and change what happened as much as she wanted to. She was going to be forever haunted by the choices she made and the guilt associated with events that followed.

“Well, are you nervous about tonight?” Maria asked, changing the subject to Liz’s relief.

Liz nodded. “A little bit I guess. But I’m trying to keep my expectations low and not build this up to something it’s not.” Or something that I want it to be.

“How romantic of you.”

“I’m realistic. I love him so much and I want to start over but you know our track record. Not too promising.” She wanted more than anything to believe that going out on this date with Max could wipe the slate clean and they would live happily ever after. But Liz knew it was going to take more time.

“If it helps any, Michael said that Max was on cloud nine yesterday morning. He said it was the happiest he’s seen him in a long time. Even laughing and joking around.”

“Really?” Liz couldn’t help but smile. That was a far cry from the way Max had been recently. With all that had happened to him; Tess’s betrayal, finding out about what his future self did, and the nightmares about his son, Liz was amazed that he was able to bounce back so quickly. Did it really have anything to do with her? Although it was still present, she knew that the more time she spent with him the less her pain was over what he did. Was it the same for him? With all her heart she wanted to believe that.

“Yeah. In Michael’s words, ‘He’s a new man’.”


***************************

The Docks~



“I hate this job.” Kyle grumbled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt and then tiredly grabbed his toolbox off of the ground in front of the RV.

He shook his head thinking about the job he had just finished. Cleaning the septic system in a Winnebago had to be the most disgusting and degrading job he could think of. Why would anyone want to ride around in a vehicle they could crap in?

The RV Park was pretty much filled to capacity with kids running around and people firing up their barbeque grills. Kyle was glad to finally be leaving and getting away from the prying eyes of the onlookers watching his every move as he struggled at the job he hated.

On his way to his truck he heard the sound of hammering and then a familiar voice spilling out profanity coming from the other side of the trees near the docks.

Kyle walked the short distance and made his way through the trees. That’s when he saw Max Evan’s down on his knees on the wooden docks looking down at his injured thumb.

“Hey Evan’s!” Kyle yelled out. “What are you doing clear out here?” The RV Park and lake were on the outskirts of Roswell about a half a mile west of Frazier Woods. Kyle thought it was odd seeing Max alone in such a place. He prayed that Max’s reason wasn’t an anyway alien related. The last thing he needed was to have to fend off an evil space invader.

Max stood up. “I’m hanging up lights.” He’d spent the last hour and a half stringing lights around the surrounding bushes and now he was having a tough time attaching them to the dock. The last thing he needed was Kyle smart mouth distracting him.

“In June?” Kyle chuckled. “Little early don’t you think?”

Max rolled his eyes. “If you must know, they are for my date with Liz.”

“Wow. So she agreed to give you a second chance. That’s great man.” Misgivings aside, Kyle really did want to see Liz happy and the only time, to his memory, that she appeared truly happy was when she was with Max.

Max didn’t know what to say. “Um…thanks.” He was surprised that Kyle would feel that way. “Well I’d better finished up here.”

Kyle glanced over at the pile of lights on the dock that still needed to be strung. “I have my tools and I’m not lookin’ to get back to work anytime soon. Do you need any help?”

Max hesitated for a few seconds. He still didn’t know what category he put Kyle in his life. He was Liz’s ex-boyfriend; the same guy he caught in her bed. But he was also the same guy who seemed to always be there to help anyone in the group if they needed it.

He looked around at what he still had left to do and knowing he was running out of time, he said, reluctantly, “Sure, that’d be great.”

They worked amicably together throughout the rest of the morning despite the fact that very few words were spoken by either one of them.

After they were finished Kyle searched around for an extension cord and an electrical outlet. But he couldn’t find either.

“Hey man, how do you expect to light this up?”

“I have my ways.” Max answered with sly smile.

Kyle chuckled. “Oh…yeah.”

Max walked over to the tall pole near the dock, peered around to make sure no one was looking, and then placed his hand on it, sending a charge of his power to the lights. All around them the lights lit up, shining beautifully despite the fact that they were on in broad daylight.

Max leaned up against the pole with his arms folded across his chest proudly looking at the sight before him.

“That’s a pretty cool trick.” Kyle said looking around in amazement. “Liz will dig this.”

“I hope so. I want tonight to be special.” He glanced at Kyle and then blushed slightly from his admission.

A silence passed between them as they loaded up the trunk of Max’s car with the remaining lights. So much was still under the surface between them. Whether it was pride or it just who they were as men neither one of them were the type to open up about their feelings. They were old revivals who shared a connection to two women and they also knew that it was inevitable that they would cross paths because of the unique situation they both were in. One of them had to make the first move.

Max slammed the trunk lid down and looked Kyle in the eye. “Liz told me how you helped her last fall...you know with…the scene in her bedroom.”

Kyle stiffened, not knowing how to react or what to expect from Max. He prepared himself to get blasted or punched or both. “She did?” He asked then in a hurried defense, said. “Listen man, I was only helping Liz out. She came to me for help but never said why.”

“You were just being a good friend. A better one then I’ve been to her lately. I’m glad she had friends like you and Maria to lean on.”

Kyle only nodded.

“How are you and your dad holding up?” Max asked. He knew their lives had been torn upside down by getting involved with him and protecting his secret. Not only were they constantly put in danger but Valenti lost his job as sheriff because he helped them and they unknowing let a murder into their home and hearts. Max would always feel guilty over that.

“We’re doing better. It was tough at first but we’re managing.” Kyle looked uncomfortable with this discussion. It was still too raw for him. Getting through the here and now and not winding up on the streets were his main focuses. The paranoia and the nightmares that caused him to wake up in the middle of the night were something he couldn’t afford to dwell on.

“For what it’s worth, I know she cared about you.” Max added hesitantly and then continued. “I didn’t receive many flashes from Tess. I’m sure it because she didn’t want to me to see what she was up to. But the few times I did, I saw and felt how much you and your father meant to her. Nothing will ever make up for what she did to you and Alex…and everyone. I’m really sorry for what happened.”

Kyle stood speechless. The last thing he expected or wanted from Max was an apology and it made him wanted more then ever to haul off and punch him in the mouth. Everything bad that had happened to him and his dad in the past two years could all be linked to Max Evans in someway. There were so many times that he wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp but being the Buddhist that Kyle was kept him from acting out on his baser impulses. Not to mention logically he knew that he wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for Max healing him. To which he was truly grateful for. The prospect of being reincarnated as a gopher scared the hell out of him.

“Listen Max, I really can’t get into this with you. She did a number on my family so I don’t want to hear about her feelings for us.” Kyle jerked his tool box off of the ground and was about to walk back to his truck but instead stopped and without looking back at Max said, “You’re the last person that needs to apologize to me.”

“Thanks for today.”

Kyle turned around to face him and grinned. “Hey I didn’t do it for you. Just make her happy alright. She deserves to be happy for once.”

“That’s my plan.” He replied and then watched as Kyle strolled back through the trees.




******************************


Max’s bedroom~



This is ridiculous. Max thought to himself as his trembling fingers worked the buttons of his new shirt. Why was he so nervous? It wasn’t as if he was going out with a total stranger. It was Liz; the love of his life and the only person who knew him inside and out. But Max was all too aware of that fact that a lot was riding on tonight. Everything had to be perfect. She deserved nothing less.

He looked at his shirt again and shook his head. He had chosen the black short sleeved button down purely out of habit. Black was his usual color of choice. You couldn’t go wrong with black. But tonight called for something different, something that was a little more daring then the regular Max Evans would wear.

With that thought in mind, he moved his hand over his shirt, changing to the color to red, then green, and then finally to royal blue.

“Personally, I like the blue.” Isabel announced from his doorway. She walked over to him. “Maybe not so dark.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, changing the color to a lighter hue. “Now it’s perfect.”

He touched the collar of his shirt and smiled. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Now what about your hair? You’re not seriously going with it looking like that are you?”

“What’s wrong with the way I have it?” He asked defensively and then tried to smooth a few stray pieces that had fallen in his face. It had taken him almost twenty minutes to get his hair to the point it was at. He was never one to put much effort into his hair to begin with; just the monthly trim at Frank’s Barber Shop to keep it out of his eyes. But with everything that had happened in the last couple of months, his appearance was low on his list of priorities.

“Would you let me try something?” She had been dying to do a makeover on him since they were kids. The closest she got was the time Michael dared her to put makeup on Max after he dozed off during study hall in the eighth grade. She had never seen him so mad. He refused to speak to either of them for a week after he woke up and saw what they did.

She lifted her hand above his head but Max grabbed her wrist. “No…don’t.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t you trust me?”

“Do I really need to answer that? You’d like nothing more than to give me a hot pink Mohawk.”

She giggled. The thought had one time crossed her mind. “Listen if don’t like it we can easily change it back. Trust me Max.”

Her pleading reminded him of all the times she would beg him to teach her how to drive the jeep since it was a stick shift and she had only mastered an automatic.

“Alright but remember, nothing too trendy.” He pointed to her reflection in the mirror. “The last person I want to look like is Ricky Martin, so don’t even try it.”


With her eyes closed, picturing the style she was hoping for, she ran her hands over the thick unruly mass of almost black hair on his head and changed it subtly to a slightly lighter, sun tinted brown. Although still longer then he normally kept it, she thinned it out so it lay flat and layered. There was so much more she wanted to do but also knew if she changed it more he might not like it and there wouldn’t be a second chance to try again.

“Okay, how’s that?” She asked.

He inspected his sister work closely in the mirror and was amazed at how much he liked it. It wasn’t a drastic change but it was enough. He hopes Liz would like it. Her opinion was the only one that mattered right now.

“So that smile means that you like it, right?” She inquired.

He ran his hand through it and then nodded. “Yeah, I like it.”

He walked over to the edge of his bed and sat down to put on his shoes and socks.

“Why are you doing this anyway? You know helping me and all.” He asked, looking up at her questioningly. “It’s not like you’ve been a big supporter of me being with Liz in the past.”

Isabel sighed loudly and than sat down on the chair in front of Max.

“You know when you came to me after you spent the night with Tess and tried to confide in me about your feelings…”

“Iz, please.” Max pleaded. He didn’t want that part of his past brought up, not tonight of all nights. He was supposed to be thinking of only making Liz’s dreams come true and making her happy not be reminded of the night he spent with Tess. It was something he wanted to forget ever happened.

Isabel continued. “I treated you badly because I was so mad at you for not letting me runaway like I wanted to but that wasn’t the only reason. I was mad and hurt that you betrayed Liz along with yourself the way you did. You weren’t my brother, or at least you didn’t act like him anymore. And that was the last proof that you had completely changed.”

She shifted uncomfortable in the chair and accessed his reaction, which was one of confusion and pain. This was hard for her to say to him and not exactly to best time but it needed to be said.

“At first I hated the idea of you with Liz, I’ll admit to that. She was a human who you seemed to value more than keeping me and Michael safe. I knew you always had a thing for her but I figured nothing would come of it. She grew on me as much as I protested and acted otherwise and I knew she made you happy. That’s why I could never understand why you started getting close to Tess. It was upsetting to see you with her. I liked her eventually because she was like us and we had a lot in common. But once I knew that you’d given into this supposed destiny of yours, I just felt in my heart that I’d lost you for good.” The tears began to sting in her eyes and her throat tightened as she went on. “The brother that I loved and trusted was basically unrecognizable. He would’ve never hurt Liz that way or treated me the way you did.”

He got down on his knees in front of her and gently wiped the tears from her face.

“I’m so sorry for what I put you through. I can’t explain my actions. I guess I felt like everyone was turning their backs on me and there were things between me and Liz that were unresolved…private things that happened that I hadn’t totally dealt with. I was also trying to be the leader everyone expected me to be but the more I lead the farther away everyone went from me. I was still hurting because of the rift between Liz and I and I felt so responsible for what happened to Alex that I just couldn’t see what was really going on. And I think Tess took advantage of it and used it for her own purposes.”

He knew that sounded like he was laying all the blame on Tess’s shoulders. “I won’t give her all the credit though. I knew deep down what she was doing as far as trying to get close to me. She was friendly and supportive and said all the right things at the right time when I was feeling like crap about myself but I knew what I was doing…that night. I was just tired of fighting and hurting. And that single act of stupidity almost me cost me everything. Liz, you, Michael…myself.” He stood up and turned away from her. His back rigged as he relived those feelings again. “God when I think about how we almost ended up, it makes it really hard to live with myself.”

“Max, now you have a chance to be happy. That’s what I really want most for you. We can’t change what we’ve done in the past. I know that now.” Stood next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Liz is your future Max. She’s who completes you and I’m sorry I ever stood in the way of that.” She pulled him into a hug that almost squeezed the breath out of him.

They pulled apart and smiled at each other. “Thank you sis.”

She shooed him away and swiped a stray tear from her eye. “Ok enough with this melodrama. I’ve got shopping to do later.” She walked by the mirror and stopped to study her reflection. “I think I’m due for a change myself.” She muttered as her fingers glided through her long shiny blonde hair then wrinkled up her nose at the thought. “Nay. Why mess with perfection.”

Max laughed as he watched his sister walk to the door. “Have a great time. Oh and Max be sure to pack a condom in your wallet this time.”

“Isabel!”

[Tanya7496]

I'm sad to say that this is the very last chapter. I want thank you everyone for all your wonderful feedback. I have appreciated all of it more than you could ever know. This is my first fic and it's been a little bit of a rollercoaster through it all. But I love rollercoaster so I can't complain. I love you all for sticking around as long as you did and being supportive. I am truly amazed. I want to thank my incredible BETA and friend Roslover39. She the best.

A/N: It was like pulling teeth to get this last chapter done. I rewrote it and revised it several times and even now I'm not completely sure about it. But I have run out of juice. I hope it works and gives you the ending that is fitting for this fic even though it's bittersweet.

I tend to be inspired by music when I write. So when I heard the song Far Away by Nickelback way before it hit the radio's I was inspired to write Epiphany. I asked the talented POM/Erica to make me a video to help me during my writing process. She did a wonderful job on it. Some may have already seen it but for those who haven't check it out HERE

If you have any questions feel free to ask me and as always any feedback is encouraged.

*Song used in the chapter: Far Away by Nickelback*
*Dialogue from Busted was used in this chapter*
*************************************

Well on with the ending.....




Chapter 21



Outside the CrashDown Café~



This time, This place
Misused, Mistakes
Too long too late
Who was I to make you wait
Just one chance
Just one breath
Just in case there's just one left
'Cause you know, you know, you know

I love you
I loved you all along
I miss you
Been far away for far too long
I keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
Stop breathing if
I don't see you anymore

On my knees, I'll ask
Last chance for one last dance
'Cause with you, I'd withstand
All of Hell to hold your hand
I'd give it all
I'd give for us
Give anything, but I won't give up


He was early. Too early and he knew it. With all his nervous energy making him want to climb the walls, waiting at home proved to be too much for Max. So he drove around and then ultimately decided to go to the Crashdown and wait. But once parked outside he caught site of Liz and was momentarily frozen. She looked incredibly beautiful and happy as she moved around the inside of the café laughing and talking to Maria and Michael all the while nervously playing with her hair. Occasionally she would look toward the door when someone came in and then wrinkle up her nose in that endearing way Max loved whenever she was disappointed. Every move she made he watched and admired. He loved this girl. Not that there was ever a question in his mind—not even when they were at odds with one another and lines between love and hate were slightly blurred. His love was there waiting for him to finally wake up for real and see Liz and her place in his world beside him. Small as she was, Liz was the strongest person he ever knew. She fought fiercely for what she believed in and never faltered. He was in awe of the strength it took for her to stand up against four aliens to prove her beloved Alex didn’t commit suicide but was murdered.

The night was chilly and the slight breeze wiped softly through his hair as he leaned against the hood of his car with a bouquet of white roses in his hand. He shivered not from the chill in the air but from the aching reminder of his part in Alex’s death. If he had only trusted his instinct and kept Tess out of the group, Alex might still be alive and he and Liz wouldn’t have to be picking up the pieces of their shattered relationship. He shook off those ominous thoughts of what might have been the second they entered his mind and decided to once again concentrate on the present and what could still be for them. They could never go back and change the mistakes that were made on both sides. Forward was the only direction for them now. So when he looked at her now through his world weary eyes he didn’t just see Liz as the young girl who would cause his heart to race and his palms to sweat every time she looked his way, not that she didn’t still have that effect on him, but he saw his future with a home and family that loved without fear. A smile spread across his face picturing the two of them on a porch somewhere happily holding hands while their rickety bodies rocked back and forth in rocking chairs as grandchildren played at their feet.

That longed for image stayed with him while he strolled toward the entrance of the café. Before he made it to the doors he noticed Liz smiling brightly just as she walking out to greet him.

“You look amazing.” He handed her the flowers that were in his hand and then circled around her, inhaling her familiar scent that in his opinion put the sweet smell of the roses to shame.

“They're my favorite. Thank you.” She beamed at him. “So where are we going?”

“It's a surprise.” He smiled impishly, enjoying the sudden look of childlike impatience on her face.


******************************

Later that night…



The air in the parked car was thick and stifling despite the cool breeze passing over and between the two passengers, both struggling to catch their breaths. An oppressive silence had settled around them acting as an invisible barrier between them.

Did that really happen? Liz couldn’t quite get her mind around what had just occurred that night. She glanced over at Max hoping to get some kind of assurance that she wasn’t hallucinating or part of some horrendous cosmic joke. But nothing in his blank expression gave her comfort or helped her understand the events that had unfolded an hour before. Upon closer scrutiny she noticed that his hair was still damp from his impromptu swim in the lake and his face was nearly as white as his knuckles that gripped the steering wheel with all their might. She could see that the muscles in his jaw were clenching and the stiff set of his shoulders as he tried to maintain control.

Max felt as if he was being torn apart. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Liz after what happened. It surprised him that he had the capacity to drive her home in the state he was in. Part of him wanted to reach out to her and reassure her that nothing had changed and that he meant every word he said to her before but the other part of him needed space to sort out the immediate urge he felt to rescue his son who had just been born and was calling to him for help. If he tried to reach out, would she reject him? She had every right to. This wasn’t her burden. She could walk away and choose to never see him again. It was a thought that scared him to the core but he would understand.

How could this have happened? The night wasn’t supposed to end this way. This was their fresh start—their second chance. It had started out so promising. They were both in good spirits and optimistic when they arrived at the docks even touching and holding one another’s hands as they talked.

“It's kind of dark.” She said smiling, holding a single long stemmed rose in her hand.

Max placed his hand on the wooden pole and watched her face as all the lights that he and Kyle put up that morning came brightly to life.

He grinned proudly; knowing she was impressed by his handy-work. “Liz, I just want to put everything that happened behind us.”

She looked thoughtfully in his eyes and then started walking backwards as he walked toward her. “Yeah, you know that I would, too, if I had impregnated an alien killer who murdered one of our best friends and then left the planet with my unborn child.”

“So you're still holding on to that?” He replied half jokingly. He already knew it was going to be a long time before what he did was no longer an issue for them. It was going to take patience and understanding. He knew that. He was more than willing to give her all the time she needed.

“It's hard not to, Max. See, you slept with Tess, and then you got her pregnant. I don't know how to just move past that. You hurt me, you know?”

“Liz, meeting someone—someone like me, it attracted me.” Liz slipped an arm through his as he spoke. “I admit that. It was something I had to find out about, and now I'm over it.” He could tell by the way she stiffened that his answer didn’t quite come out the way he meant it to.

Stung, she pulled away from him and cringed. “It’s not that simple.” Was it all just out of curiosity? She wondered. He had to find out something. What did that mean exactly? The thought made her sick to her stomach.

He gently stopped her from retreating any further. “Liz, I’m here. I'm not going anywhere. Isabel, Michael, and I, we've lost our only way home. There's no way back. You're the only reason for me to—you’re my only reason.” He softly uttered with his voice full of emotion. “I want to be with you.”

“Tess is pregnant with your child. What about your son?” She asked pointedly, not taking her eyes off of his.

“There's nothing I can do about that. He's gonna be born in a... in another world, a world that I have nothing to do with. I've accepted it.” He paused for a second to dispel the tone of sadness and resignation from his voice and then continued. “Liz, you've paid a lot to know me. You've been hurt and you've been put in danger. Now I want to make that up to you. I want to make your dreams come true. Will you let me do that?”

She smiled from the tenderness of his expression and honeyed words that poured out from his perfect lips which were only a breath away from hers. He was so beautiful it was almost physically painful to look at him and have him that close. Who wouldn’t take him at his word and open their arms willingly and forget. She could believe him…almost. But something nagged at her. The same something that kept her away from him for four agonizing weeks while trying to come to terms with the fact that another woman was having his child and not her.

But in her weakness, she bit her lip and simply nodded her answer.

Overjoyed, Max wrapped his arms around her. “I love you so much, Liz.” He kissed her forehead and placed her tiny hand in his as they began to walk along the dock.

“Are you hungry? I made reservations at Senor Chow’s.” He put her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.

“I didn’t think you needed a reservation to get into Senor Chow’s.” She chuckled softly.

“You don’t exactly but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.”

“Well I’m really not that hungry. Plus we can’t really talk there.” She answered and then looked around. “You remembered how much I love Christmas lights. It’s really beautiful. I can’t believe you went to so much trouble for me. It must’ve taken you all day to put these up.”

“I had little help from an old friend.” He said, before sitting down on the edge of the dock, letting his feet dangle off the side. He reached for her hand, “Here come sit by me.” And helped her keep her balance while she took her heels off and positioned herself next to him.

“Who helped you? You said it was an old friend. Who was it?”

“Kyle. He was working in the RV Park near here and offered to help.”

“Wow.” She was actually surprised. Kyle and Max barely tolerated one another. There was still way to much water under the bridge between them to even suggest that they could be friends. “Did you two play nice?”

He rolled his eyes then smiled. “Yes. He was actually a big help.”

“Well that’s a relief.”

They sat in silence listening to the water lapping against the wood beams supporting the dock. The air still had a chill to it, now intensified by the breeze coming off the water. But they barely noticed with their bodies so close to each other.

Liz didn’t want this to end. She felt peaceful sitting next to Max without speaking, only holding hands and letting their connection do the communicating for them. She knew all too well that past the beautiful lights and serene location was the real world; the one that seemed to always try to tear them apart. If only they could escape and stay like this forever.

“What are you thinking about?” Max asked breaking the silence with his warm voice. “You look a million miles away right now.”

She thought for a second and sighed. “I wish we were a million miles away from here. I’d really love to go somewhere with you and really start over.”

He turned around and stretched out beside her, putting his hands behind his head to prop it up. “Oh yeah. Where would you go if you had the chance?” He inquired, looking up at her.

“I guess anywhere but here.” Roswell held too many painful memories. She looked bashfully at him. She knew she was being silly. This was a game she played with Maria all the time when life in small town Roswell got to them down. Max wouldn’t be interested.

“Tell me Liz. I know where I’d like to go.”

“Where might that be? Antar?” She asked wryly and saw him flinch. She didn’t mean for it to sound so harsh but it came out that way nevertheless.

“Hell no!” He answered emphatically. “I never wanted to go there in the first place.”

She raised her eyebrow in blatant disbelief. “Max…”

He knew she wasn’t buying that. “Ok I’ll admit, I was curious. I wanted to know where we came from. What it was like and whether or not it was how I saw it in what little memories I have. Not to mention the thought of seeing our biological parents for the first time appealed to me as well.”

“I guess that’s only natural.” Liz still felt sorry for him. Even though that part of him, the alien part, was something to this day she didn’t fully understand; to still be so unsure of where you came from must be hard for him. She reached out and touched his cheek. She couldn’t help it because despite what he did to her and what they did to each other, he was the love of her life.

“Liz, how can I explain to you what being on this planet means to me?” He grabbed her hand and pulled her down closer to him so he could look in her eyes. “It so much more than home to me…it’s where I belong…” He lightly brushed her hair off of her shoulder and grinned timidly. “That is as along as you reside on it with me.”

“Well if that’s the case, then this is the only place I want to be then.” She replied, with a sincerity that warmed him.

He grabbed her hand and began to tenderly stroke it while they continued to talk.

“So I've broken, like, twelve of my mom's rules already.”
“Rules?” he laughed. “She has rules?”

“Well, yeah. Yeah, since I told her that you broke my heart, without any of the alien details, of course. She thinks that we should just take things slow—just dinner, then straight home. No plans for future dates. No making out.”

“So I suppose skinny dipping would be against the rules, too.” He asked as he stood up. Remembering it was something “normal” teenagers did for fun at the lake at night. He wanted to be free and impetuous for a change. Give in to the side of himself that Liz brought out but that he, in the past suppressed.

“Uh-huh.” She chuckled, looking up at him.

Grinning mischievously, Max toed his shoes off and began slowly unbuttoning his shirt, never taking his eyes off of her as he stripped seductively.

“N…n…No, this is not happening. Ok, Ok, you've made your point. It's really not that funny. You can stop now.” She wanted to look away once he began to unbutton his pants but was unable to, and when he pulled them down and was standing in only his plaid boxers and black socks she felt the blood rise up to her cheeks. “What—Max…Max!” She exclaimed.

Just then Max dove off the dock into the cold murky lake, only to come back up to the surface within seconds with an exalted yell. “Whoo! Come on in. It's beautiful.”

“No, it's not. It is obviously freezing.”

“Come on, Liz.” His teasing tone made her smile a bit. “This is something we'll tell our grandchildren about. Come on in, Liz.” He pleaded, splashing at her. “Come on.”

“Fine!” He splashed at her again. “Ok? Fine.” She took off her sweater and threw it down. “Grandchildren? What are they gonna be, 3 feet tall and green?” She joked more or less to herself as she began to strip and then added so he could hear, “But, hey. I am not taking my underwear off.”

Suddenly, unbeknownst to Liz, Max began to struggle for air. His limbs failed to work and he felt as if he was drowning.

“And if my mother, like, ever, ever finds out about this, you are, like, so dead. Ok? Do we have a deal? Max. Oh, Max! Is that a deal Max?

“Liz.” He managed to choke out before he was bombarded with images and emotions that swamped him and tore at his heart.

“Huh?” She spun around and saw that he was face down, floating in the water. “Max! Max, oh, my god!” She panicked and dove in after him.


************************


Liz sat in the car emotionally and physically drained from having to drag Max’s catatonic body out of the lake and into to the car, and then while his body convulsed next to her she drove frantically to Michael’s, praying that he and Isabel knew how to fix him. She could still hear his weak and strangled reply, after a few deafening slaps in the face from Michael snapped Max back into the here and now.

“Something happened. I had this vision. It was my son. He's been born. He was reaching out to me. He's in trouble.”

“Say something Liz. Please.” Max pleaded.

“What do you want me to say?” She asked, not looking at him, staring out the windshield instead.

“Anything. You haven’t said a word since we left Michael’s.” He let go of his death grip around the steering wheel and reached across the seat for her hand. To his astonishment she didn’t pull away but held onto his hand.

She turned to look at him and then stumbled through her reply. “Max I’m just…I mean…what does this mean, you know, for us?”

“My son being born?” He asked even though he already knew. “I won’t lie to you. I’m scared for him and his welfare. I feel like I should be there to protect him but I’m here instead.” He felt her stiffen and pull away before he could finish what he planned to say. “Liz do you really take me for the kind of man who’d feel nothing for his child? He’s part of me despite who his mother is. I can’t abandon him.”

Liz knew he would do the responsible thing. That was type of man he was. She always admired that about him. But it still hurt like hell. She felt terrible and petty for her feelings of resentment toward an innocent child. She couldn’t help it. This was a part of him that he would never be able to share with her. No matter what she did in the future, it would never measure up to giving him his first child. She’d already lost the chance to experience their first time together. She felt her throat tighten and her eyes mist over with regretful tears.

“No, of course not—I know you’re not that kind of man.” She managed to choke out, swiping a lone tear from her cheek with her finger. “I just need to know where we stand. I mean this is a lot to absorb. You said you wanted to start over.”

“I still do—more than ever. Nothings changed.”

“How can you say that? You’re a father now.”

He nodded sadly. “Yes. It’s not something I planned or even wanted for that matter.” He stroked her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb, wiping away another tear that had managed to seep from the corner of her eye, and then whispered remorsefully, his voice catching in his throat. “I’d give anything for him to be yours.”

“But he’s not.” She replied sadly.

“It doesn’t matter, Liz. None of it matters anyway. Listen I’m here…like I said before, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. My place is with you. It always has been. I have to let go of that part of my life. I wish I could find him and bring him home so he can be safe. I can’t. But whether or not I ever find him, I still want you with me.”

He cupped her face with both hands and looked intently in her eyes. “We were meant to be together Liz. I was a fool to let you slip away from me once and I’ll be damned if I let that happen again.” He said almost desperately. Planting his lips firmly onto hers, he gave her all he had, pouring his love and regret and sorrow into a kiss that seared them both to their souls. Flashes passed between them both reminding them of the passion and love they once shared and could share again.

Liz was overwhelmed by not only his feelings of devotion for her but when she saw Max’s vision of his son and felt what was in Max’s heart she experienced a slight empathetic pang for this child that would never be hers but was part of the man she knew as her soulmate.

Still deeply locked together in each others arms, Max saw from the corner of his eye the lights in the windows above the café flicker wildly on and off. He couldn’t help but chuckle and pull away from Liz. “I think you’re late for curfew.”

“What makes you say that?” She asked as she tried to catch her breath and then glanced at her watch and gasped. “Oh crap! Two hours late to be exact.”

Max jumped out his seat and ran to her side of the car, opening the door for her. They walked hand and hand to the front entrance and stood looking at one another.

“Sorry that the date turned out the way it did.” He looked at her sheepishly. “Honestly, I did have a normal date planned.”

“It wouldn’t feel like a real date with you Max if it had been normal and uninterrupted. I wouldn’t know how to behave.”

“Was that sarcasm?” Max asked jokingly.

She thought about it and smiled. “I guess it was. But you have to admit it’s the truth. What’s the use in trying Max? We left normal along time ago.”

He couldn’t help but agree. “So that means you’re willing to go out on another not-so-normal date with me again?” He asked and then looked serious and worried all of a sudden. “If you don’t want to I’ll understand.” She had every right to walk away. It was the smart choice for her. But he hoped she wouldn’t because he honestly didn’t think he could survive if she did decide to turn her back on him. So he held his breath and waited.

“Max, I do love you and want to be with you. But I think we should take my mom’s advice and take things slowly and see what happens.” She sighed.

He grinned as he bent his head down and gently pressed his lips against her forehead. “I’ll take what I can get just as long as I get to be with you.” He spoke against her brow and then kissed it.

Just then the lights turned on, illuminating the café in front of them. Liz could see the angry face of her dad as he stood just outside the swinging doors to the kitchen.

“I better go or I’ll be grounded for life and the question of me and you dating will be a moot point.” Liz gave him a quick kiss on the lips, unlocked the door, and rushed inside, hoping her dad would believe the lie she was about to come up with off the top of her head.

***************************


After a minor altercation with her dad who appeared to be satisfied by her excuse for being late for curfew, Liz went up stairs and got ready for bed. She showered the lake water off her body and put on a fresh pair pajamas then preceded, with her journal in hand, through the window to her balcony, sitting herself down on her lawn chair to write.

The night’s events still vivid in her mind as she poured her heart out on to the paper in front of her.

I’ve always been one of those girls who followed the straight and narrow. Never stepped out of line or veered off my chosen path. One might have referred to me as an over achiever…a people pleaser…a type A personality. When asked where I would be in 10 years, with out a second thought, I had the answer. Not anymore. Nothing in my life now resembles the girl I used to be. I have seen things and done things that would shock and frighten people. I’ve lied to the people I love most in my life and did it with an ease that still scares me. I’ve been shot at, threatened, and had my heart broken. I’ve seen a glimpse of my future only to have it ripped from me and I’ve had to say goodbye to two men in my life that I loved very much. It’s been a long hard journey that despite the heartaches that I’ve caused and had to endure, I wouldn’t go back and change my life with Max. Yes, there are aspects that I regret and would like to have changed, like Alex’s death and Max sleeping with Tess. But I can’t look back. The time I’ve spent mending my heart has lead me to a revelation—an epiphany of sorts. The one and constant clarity in my life has been Max and good, bad, or indifferent, my life is with him no matter where the journey takes us.

THE END>>>>