*
Thanks all of you for the wonderful f/b. I appreciate it so much like you have no idea! 
~Max~
Closing my eyes briefly, I try to think of the right way to deal with this situation. Deep down in my heart, I think I always knew Mr. Parker played a part in all of this. But for Liz's sake, I tried to deny my instincts...I wanted to be wrong to protect her. Now it seems to have been useless from the very beginning because now the very same person I wanted to be protect is hurt beyond any level I ever anticipated.
It's because of me too. He did it because of me. Because I love her. I didn't want to risk this. But I couldn't stay away. I still can't. I need her in my life....just like she needs me. It's absolutely refreshing to know that but hurts all the same to be aware of all the things she has to give up just to be with me. Finding out that I marrried her had to have been the final straw for him. He never could stand us being together and this just proves how far he would go to rectify that. But it's not worth it to see the complete devastation on her face. Nothing is.
"I'm so sorry Liz." I say with total sincerity. She looks at me and nods knowing I mean the words wholeheartedly.
She looks at my parents first to say what she truly wanted to say all this time.
Why?
"Why...why would he do this to me, to all of us?" She whispers underneath a voice weary from tears. I get up from my seat and wrap my arms around her tightly.
"We don't know sweetheart. We really don't know." My mom answers first.
"This is just
incredible." Micheal says sarcasticly. "All this freakin' time it was him. We should've known. How come she didn't get a premonition of this?"
"Your not helping Micheal." I say warningly while running my hands soothingly in hair. "None of us anticipated this. It's a shock to everyone."
"I can't believe this." Maria says undoubtedly still grasping the situation. "I mean he's gotta know that contacting the FBI isn't going to solve anything, especially if his intent was to bring Liz back here. They'll definitely take her too. She's not the same anymore."
Liz removes herself from my arms and begins pacing the living room. She's gone from being heartbroken to completely angry now. It's evident in her stance.
"He did it because he doesn't care." She says with venom. "He
never could respect my decisions. He
always looked for some reason to separate Max and I and he thought this would surely do it. But he's wrong." She says in all seriousness.
"So let me get this straight, he did this because you and Max were shacking up?" Micheals asks evenly. "He contacts the fucking FBI because his daughter's sleeping with a guy he dislikes? That's why were in danger?"
"Micheal!" Maria reprimands for his bluntness.
I look around at all the parents and I see them not really taking effect to Micheal's words though I'm red like a tomato. The current situation's too dire.
"That's exactly what it is." Liz says. "He doesn't even care that Max is an alien or that I'm changed or all of the other possible reasons a regular person would blow a switch. It's all because that I chose Max over him." She finishes even louder than when she started.
Guilt. That's the prominent emotion I feel right now. I'm elated that she chose me. It's all I ever wanted. The fued that's brewing between father and daughter
isn't.
"Max don't." Liz says breaking into my thoughts. "Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. I want
you and that's all that matters. The one you all should be blaming is me. I'm the one that left the journal. It's my responsiblity." She says with all her ire dying out.
"No Liz." I say fiercely. "It's not your fault and it's
definitely not your responsiblity. You had no idea he was going to do this. You can't blame yourself for someone abusing your trust." I say gently.
"I just....I can't get over it, you know?" She says sadly. "I defended him to no end the other night when you guys just mentioned the possibility. I didn't even want to consider it and look where it got us. I feel like a complete idiot now. I'm sorry guys. I'm really sorry." She says starting to cry all over again.
"Liz." I whisper sorrowly. She walks purposely into my arms and I hold her while she quiets down.
I realize now that besides her anger and hurt at what her father did, that more than anything, she's embarrassed. She hates to be wrong and the fact that the very thing she denied with her whole being turns out to be true is killing her. Leave it to my totally unorthodoxed wife to be embarrassed at something she had no control over.
"What should we do?" Isabel says wringing her wrists. A habit she tends to do when she's nervous.
"What can we do?" Kyle says. "It's already done as it is. Confronting him won't help the situation. He's contacted the FBI for god's sake. I think it's way past trying to negotiate anything with him right now."
"He's right." Valenti steps up and places a hand on his son's shoulder."We can't worry with Jeff any longer. He's done his part. The FBI is out there and looking for us. We have to deal with them. That's most important now."
"We don't even know where they are for sure." Micheals says annoyed. "How do we deal with them when we don't know how to locate them first?"
"I'll go to him." Liz says wiping the rest of her tears with her hands."I'll go to him and make him tell me everything he knows."
"And how the hell exactly will you go about doing that?" Micheal says unbelievingly. "Use your powers on him? I'm sure it won't work."
"It won't work cause she's not going." I speak up. She looks up at me and I know she sees the decision already made in my eyes. She won't let me stay determined first without a fight of course.
"Max, who do you think he'd rather see? Me or you? Let me do this. I need to." She says beggingly.
It's extremely hard to deny her anything but I can't let her do this. Not by herself. Not with the FBI out there looking for her.
"No Liz. It's too dangerous. I won't take the chance of something happening to you. Not when I can prevent it. Don't ask me to." I say looking into her eyes hoping she sees my reason.
"He's right Liz. With everything that's going on, your the least of us all that should be out there." My dad says reaffirming my decision.
She sighs loudly and finally relents the discussion for now. I know she'll bring it up later. It's not her nature to give up. It's one of the many things I love about her.
"So what now? We go to bed and try to sleep with this looming over our heads?" Micheal says unyeildingly.
"There's nothing we can do right now Micheal." I say tiredly. "We've been driving for almost two days non stop to get here. We need to rest and we'll deal with it in the morning. I promise."
"Yeah sure." He says with sarcasm. "We'll just sit back and wait for something else to come up and then it's too late to do anything at all."
"I said we'd take care of it didn't I?" I repeat getting really irritated with his reluctance to just follow the rules for once.
"Whatever." He ends it with a scowl permanently etched on his features."I'm going to
bed." He says notedly before walking away with Maria hot on his tracks.
"Maria, where do you think you're going?" Amy yells to her daughter as she follows them down the corridor.
"I'll just go diffuse that upcoming disagreement." My mom says with a slight smile. "Come on Philip, let's go to bed."
"I'm coming. Let's show Jim and Kyle to their room for tonight."
"Come on Jim. You too Kyle." She beckons them forward. "And Max and Isabel, it's so wonderful to have you home again." She says with all genuine love in her tone.
"It's good to be home." I say with all honesty.
"Max you have your room up there still and I expect you to
use it wisely with eight other people in the house. Are we clear?" She says all motherly.
"Yes Mom, very clear." I say while tugging on my ear. Liz has her arms wrapped around my waist and I feel my embarrassment highten.
"Yea, I'm gonna turn in too." Isabel says unsuccessfully hiding her yawn. "Nite guys."
"Nite" Liz and I both say. I turn to her to observe if she's feeling better. Her tears are gone but she still looks broken.
I gently cup her cheek to garner her attention. "You ready for bed?" I say quietly while holding out my hand for her take.
She nods her head solemnly and takes my offered hand to lead her up the stairs. As we enter the room, I lead her to the bed and gently help her lay down and cover her up with the blanket. I sit down beside her and try to soothe her worries. If even for just tonite.
"Liz, I
promise you this'll all work out. I love you too much to see it all end badly. I'll take care of you. Whatever it takes, I'll protect you. Do you trust me?" I say looking into her eyes for the answer I'm desperately looking for.
She takes my hands and links them with hers before replying. "I trust you with my life Max. I know you mean every word."
I lean down to her and take her lips gently with mine before pulling back and resting my forehead on hers. "I love you." I whisper. Needing her to hear the words more than my next breathe.
She kisses me again and tangles her fingers with the hair at the nape of my neck."I love you too."
I smile at her and pull away reluctantly before standing from the bed.
"I'm gonna go see if Isabel has anything for you to sleep in okay. I'll be right back." She nods her head before turning over.
I walk down the hall and as gently as I could, proceed to harrass Isabel for anything she might have for Liz to wear. After she gives them to me, I return back to my room to see the bed empty and Liz no where in sight.
Before I panic, I drop the clothes on the floor and search the entire room. There's no way she could've went back downstairs without me having noticing her. I turn around and that's when I see it. My window wide open and the curtains blowing with the night air.
She's gone.
TBC......
Crystal
