Worth the Risk (Mature/Adult) Ch.20 1/15/06 COMPLETE!!

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Title: Worth the Risk
Author: To_Kiss_A_Frog
Rating: Mature/Adult
Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognize
Summary:Liz Parker is young, beautiful and has a great relationship with the guy of her dreams… or so she thinks. When she meets someone who’s wonderful, understanding and completely off limits, she has to ask herself whether or not her relationship can withstand her growing feelings for someone else and if it’s all ‘Worth the Risk’.


Thanks to Anniepoo98 for the wonderful banner!!!



Best Alot Alot Fic


Prologue

“Why are you all jittery?” Michael asked, quirking a brow after Liz nearly knocked over a group of salt shakers. Once could have been an accident, twice a coincidence but after the third time, he had to acknowledge that something was up with his best friend.

Liz blushed in embarrassment and mumbled a few words under her breath, all the while trying to focus on refilling the shakers before noon.

“What was that?” Michael persisted, unaware that a few customers had turned to stare and were now curiously watching the pair. Liz, unfortunately, did notice and shot Michael a reprimanding glance. “What?” he asked, unconcerned with the snooping patrons as he tried to figure out what had managed to get through her normally tough exterior.

“I’m not jittery” Liz quickly defended. “I’m just… a little nervous” she admitted and heaved a sigh at the expression Michael wore, knowing he’d want more of an explanation than that. “Kyle’s cousin is flying in today and I’m just scared he won’t like me” she confessed, feeling only a fraction better now that she’d admitted what had been on her mind for the last week.

“Why would it matter?” Michael shrugged, unable to see what the big deal was.

“Because the two of them are as close as any two best friends” Liz stated as though it should have been obvious. “They used to spend summers together when they were kids and when he went off to NYU after high school, the two of them e-mailed and IM’d each other all the time. He’s this… really big influence on Kyle and I’m scared that he won’t like me.”

“What’s not to like” Michael replied, finally drawing a smile from Liz.

With a lot more confidence than she previously had, Liz continued with her task until finally, Nancy Parker slowly ambled over, efficiently wiping the smile from her daughter’s face.

Catching sight of the older woman, Michael hopped up from his seat and led her to one of the stools. “Thank you Michael” she smiled kindly as she settled into the old vinyl seat. Her red hair, slightly speckled with gray, was pulled back in a loose bun that emphasized her tired face and sleep deprived eyes. It was a hard sight to see, for both Liz and Michael, who’d grown up inside each other’s pockets since they were four years old.

“What would you like Jose to make you” Liz queried in an effort to quickly divert the attention from her mother’s limited mobility, the result of a car accident five months before.

“A Will Smith, hold the onions” Nancy replied and twisted a discarded straw wrapper between her fingers. Michael recognized the sign and struck up a conversation in an effort to get her mind off the events of the last few months. Liz shot him a grateful look before hurrying off to the kitchen to place her mom’s order with the cook.

“Tell me something Mrs. P, why is it girls are so weird about dates?” he asked. “I mean, what’s wrong with going bowling one night instead of Chez Pierre or something? Doesn’t it count at all that we even want to go out?”

“Michael, you know I love you like my own but please don’t tell me you were bone headed enough to take Maria to a bowling alley on your one year anniversary” Nancy said in an affectionate tone that bellied the severity of her words.


“You see it as being a bone head, I think I did one of those romantic things Maria’s always nagging me for” Michael declared, drawing a laugh from Nancy who failed to see what was so romantic about a bowling alley. “It was where we had our first date” he shrugged and then flushed in embarrassment for sounding like a sap.

“You’re one of the good ones Michael, don’t ever let anyone tell you different” Nancy replied and quickly dropped the subject so as to not embarrass him anymore than he already was.

Before the silence became palpable, the bell above the door rang, signally the arrival of a new customer. Instinctively, both Michael and Nancy turned towards the sound and found Kyle, accompanied by a tall, dark haired guy who neither recognized. “Who’s that?” Nancy wondered as Kyle strolled over.

“Hey Mrs. Parker, Michael” Kyle greeted though his eyes remained wandering, silently pursuing the café for his girlfriend of two years. “I want you two to meet my cousin, Max Evans” he added distractedly.

“It’s nice to meet you” Max said politely and properly introduced himself.

“There she is” Kyle interrupted as Liz walked through the swinging door, unaware of what was going on at the counter. Taking advantage of her distracted mind as she stopped to rewrite the lunch specials on the chalk board, Kyle walked over and kissed her breathless. “Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

Liz felt her pulse race and her eyes widen as she realized his cousin had already arrived. “Oh my god” she silently cursed and frantically began straightening her clothes, convinced she was a mess after spending the entire morning waiting on tables for Agnes who had been a no show.

“Don’t worry, he’s gonna love you” Kyle assured when he noticed her distress. “Come on” he encouraged and left his hand lingering on the small of her back, silently offering his support.

Liz smiled her thanks, more than aware of how silly she was being, yet unable to help it. She just wanted too make a good impression on the one person who had always been there for Kyle, the person she felt as though she already knew personally from all the stories she had heard and silly anecdotes she had read.

“Max Evans, meet the love of my life, Liz Parker” Kyle introduced as their eyes locked and their hands touched.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback!!! I know that a lot of you are concerned about Kyle but I assure you that whatever happens, neither Max nor Liz are ruthless or mean in this

Chapter 1

“You look beautiful”

Liz turned at her mother’s voice and found Nancy leaning heavily against the doorframe, watching with a small smile on her face as Liz brushed her long, chestnut colored hair. “Come in, sit” Liz invited, already walking forward to take her mother’s arm and guide her to the bed. “I thought you were watching that show you like so much” she added and knocked away a small pile of clothes littering the mattress.

“The Closer” Nancy offered, absent mindedly. “And it ended five minutes ago.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes and Liz didn’t think it ever would again. After everything that had happened, she was amazed her mother still got up and dressed in the mornings but as it turned out, she was a lot stronger than Liz had ever given her credit for. “Where are you off to?” she asked, as though snapping out of whatever stupor she had just been in.

“Dinner with the Valentis” Liz said, unable to hide the nervousness still lingering after her earlier meeting.

“Okay…” Nancy said slowly. “Now do you wanna tell me why you seem terrified over breaking bread with a family you’ve known for years?” she questioned, tossing her daughter a knowing look.

“What did you think of Max?” she asked instead and parked herself, cross legged, beside her mom on the thick, crimson comforter. The scene was identical to thousands of others over the years.

Nancy remembered how it all started in pre-school when Liz was contemplating having a boy for a friend, going against all the other girls who swore boys had cooties. Then it was elementary and trying to figure out whether or not she should join a group popular or smart girls. Jr. High was when she decided it was time to start wearing a bra and shaving her legs. Finally it was High school and the question of which boys to date and what classes would best help her get into a good college.

Nearly two decades worth of discussions had happened on that bed and Nancy was glad that despite everything, there were still certain things that never changed.

“Nice… very polite… incredibly handsome” Nancy replied before turning her inquisitive eyes on Liz. “What did you think of Max?” she asked, knowing there was something behind the question that her daughter was fumbling around with.

“I thought he was nice too but… he seemed so aloof and I can’t help but worry that it means he doesn’t like me” Liz admitted and smiled when Nancy pushed the hair from her face. It was a gesture that was both loving and familiar, something her mother had always done.

“I know how important this is to you Lizzie, but give him a chance” Nancy wisely advised. “His uncle just passed away and on top of that, he had to uproot his life to come run a pub he never asked to own. He’s bound to have a hundred and one thoughts running through his mind right now.”

Liz sighed, knowing her mother was right. There were larger things happening than her insecurity which, if she really thought about it, seemed pretty silly in comparison. “Thanks mom” she said, offering the older woman a warm smile. “I guess I should get going. Are you gonna be okay here tonight?” she asked, desperately trying to hold back an expression of concern.

While Liz knew she couldn’t watch over her mother every hour of every day, she couldn’t help but worry. Nancy was strong and fiercely independent which was why Liz knew she would never ask for help, no matter how much she needed it.

“I’m fine” Nancy easily replied. “Now get going before you’re late” she encouraged and waited until her daughter was out of sight before she let her shoulders sag and her weariness show.


~&~&~&~&~&


“Hello darling, come on in” Jim invited and quickly ushered Liz inside. “I hope you aren’t hungry ‘cause Kyle’s out there manning the barbecue now” he stated, drawing a small, teasing groan from Liz. It was a running joke among the entire group that Kyle’s cooking should never be tried on an empty stomach. Most times the meat was burnt, a potato was undercooked and sometimes things were just raw.

“Don’t worry about it” Maria stated as she strolled into the living room. As usual, she looked completely chic in a flowing, Ralph Lauren skirt, matching top and Gucci pumps. “Mom made plenty of side dishes so we can all just eat that after Kyle brings the meat in” she said with an unconcerned shrug.

Growing up, Liz had been in different social circles than Maria. Though she came from an ordinary household, the blonde had been one of the beautiful people who ran with the rich and spoiled. However, despite her friendships, Maria had always been nice and easy to get along with, something that never changed even after she developed a successful career in song writing.

The shock of all shocks came the year before when Michael asked her out on a date and she happily accepted.

Liz always suspected that throughout high school, her surly best friend had a crush on the outgoing blonde. Michael, however, continued to deny that fact, even to this day.

“Hey, Uncle Jim. Do you have a fire extinguisher?” Max queried with nonchalance as Amy rushed inside behind him, frantically calling out ‘Fire!’

“Ah, hell” Valenti swore and with his wife hot on his heels, hurried out to help his son.

“Urg! Now my clothes are going to smell like smoke” Maria complained and walked off towards the kitchen. Their sudden disappearances left Liz alone with Max who appeared to be studying her curiously. With great difficulty, Liz struggled not to fidget under his scrutiny and even managed a questioning glance of her own.

“So, what do you think of Roswell so far?” she asked and mentally smacked herself for sounding so inane. She also remembered, belatedly, that this wasn’t his first trip to the Alien Town and only hoped he wouldn’t find her silly or absent minded.

“I think that… not a whole hell of a lot has changed over the years” Max replied, wearing an amused grin that quickly turned thoughtful or contemplatative. “You know, I remember you” he stated, almost as if he was simply talking aloud to himself. “You were just this gangly little kid… ten or twelve maybe, and you were hopping around your dad’s heals, spouting off poetry by Keats” he mused as Liz flushed pink at the accurate description.

While she didn’t remember that exact instance he referred to, the picture he painted sounded about right. She always used to follow her parents around with her nose buried in a book, reading or reciting the newest poem or haiku she had found and dubbed interesting. Most times, her mom would offer an indulgent grin and affectionately pat on her on the head while her dad would listen for only a few minutes before he’d begin to lose his train of thought and asked her to go silently read somewhere else.

“I wondered how a kid managed to find interest in Keats, much less understand it” he commented though not unkindly.

Before Liz had a chance to reply, Kyle sauntered in, covered in soot though Liz had no idea how he managed that, nor was she sure whether or not she wanted to. “Hey, you’re here” he greeted and moved in kiss her lips when Liz took an involuntary step back. Pointedly, she glanced down at the white blouse she wore then at the smoke covered shirt he wore. “Right, sorry. I’m just gonna go take a quick shower” he apologized and offered his cousin a quick grin before sauntering out.

Liz shook her head in mock exasperation as she watched her boyfriend trek through the living room, leaving a trail of soot behind. “Aunt Amy’s gonna be pissed when she sees that” Max commented, voicing Liz’s thoughts perfectly. “Excuse me” he added when his cell phone began to ring. “It was nice talking to you, Liz.”

As the night wore on, Michael eventually showed up and not long after, he and Maria disappeared to some unknown destination. Liz didn’t have to guess too hard as to where they had gone and what they were up to, a fact that Kyle, who had one too many beers, felt the need to point out. “You never could handle your booze” Max commented as he tossed Kyle’s arm around his shoulder and helped him into the passenger seat of his jeep.

It had always eluded Liz how Amy, Jim or Maria could drink anyone under the table, yet Kyle, who spent a great deal of time at cheerleader’s parties in high school and frat parties in college, was stumbling and bumbling after three beers.

Laughing, Liz reached around Kyle’s body to fasten his seatbelt as Max went back in side to bid his aunt and uncle a good night. “You’re so pretty” Kyle murmured and raised his hand to softly caress Liz’s cheek. “Love you” he sleepily added as his eyes fluttered closed. With a small smile on her face, Liz pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and swept the hair off his face.

“Love you too” she whispered in his ear. “Night Max” she added in a louder voice as she saw Kyle’s dark haired cousin emerge, weighed down by a stack of Tupperware containers. No doubt Amy had insisted he take all the leftovers since the sassy step-mother, knew the contents of Kyle’s fridge usually consisted of chocolate power bars, a couple of eggs and month old juice. Now that Max moved in, Liz wondered whether or not Kyle’s grocery shopping habits would improve.

“Are you walking?” Max queried with a frown as he realized there wasn’t another car in sight.

“It was a nice day and now it’s a nice evening so I figured I would” Liz replied when she noticed the furrow in his brow deepen. “What?”

“Why don’t you get in the jeep and I’ll drive you?” he suggested. “It’s never safe for to wander around at night, alone.”

“This isn’t New York, Max” Liz chided as she glanced around at the trees, hedges and flower gardens flanking the two lane street and sidewalks. “You can’t get any safer than a small town like Roswell.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t worry at all if this was Manhattan” Max stated as he loaded the filled containers onto the seat beside Kyle. “The town is loaded with people and flooded with light. Plus, you can usually find a cop on every corner” he explained and shot her another disturbed look. “The darkness in this town is too easy to hide in.”

While Liz was tempted to tell him he was overreacting, she found a strange sweetness in his paranoia and finally relented. “Alright. You can drive, but only because I think you’ll keep arguing until I agree and Kyle is scheduled to get sick soon” she explained, knowing very well, perhaps too well, just what happened when Kyle had enough alcohol in his system.

“I can live with that” Max grinned and gestured for Liz to climb in. “So what do you think of Roswell?” he eventually asked, repeating her earlier question. Liz, who had been staring out into the darkness, didn’t hear him the first time and emitted a loud gasp when he called her name out, effectively grabbing her attention. “Kyle never mentioned you were spacey” he commented.

“Funny… Kyle never mentioned what a big mouth you have” Liz fired back and blushed almost instantly after. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I just said that” she muttered darkly and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

“It’s really not a big deal” Max assured as he turned on Citrus and rolled to a stop as he tried to remember where the Crashdown Café was.

“Left” she directed absent mindedly.

“Anyway, like I was saying, it’s not a big deal” Max continued as he turned on Main and drove straight to the café. “I like joking around with people and have no time for people who can’t play along. At least you have fire in you. Just don’t be so quick to feel bad about it” he suggested and while Liz was tempted to give him another, unkind, response, she curbed the impulse as he pulled up to the front doors.

“Thanks for the ride Max” Liz stated and offered him a brief smile as he helped her climb out. “Thanks.”

“Sure thing” he nodded and waited until she had unlocked her front door and safely stepped inside before driving away.


~&~&~&~&~&


After spending a half hour soaking in a warm bath, Liz was just about to climb into bed when Nancy Parker’s disturbed cries had her running across the apartment to her mother’s room. There was no time for seconds thoughts as she pushed open the bedroom door and met with the sight of her mother writhing around, fighting some phantom foe.

With care and ease that seemed out of place among the commotion, Liz managed to rouse her mother from her nightmare induced battle with only a minimal amount of difficulty.

As Nancy’s eyes struggled to focus, Liz reached towards the nightstand and flicked the old Tiffany lamp on. The action flooded the room with a soft, yellow light and managed to push away the last vestiges of a dark night, five months before. “You okay?” Liz queried in an unconcerned voice she had practiced several times before.

Being a grown woman, Nancy hated to feel coddled, especially by her twenty one year old daughter. With everything that had happened in her recent past, she needed to hold onto her dignity as she felt it was really the only thing she had left that was hers.

“I’m fine Liz” Nancy replied with a forced smile. “I don’t even remember what I was dreaming about” she offered with an unconcerned shrug. She may have actually pulled the look off, if it hadn’t been for her eyes. The green orbs had always been windows into Nancy’s heart, a trait she passed along to her daughter. Right now, though somewhat murky, the windows shone fear and sadness, something that Liz had no problem noticing or understanding.

“Well I’m having a lot of trouble trying to fall asleep” Liz fibbed and fixed her mother with the patented puppy dog eyes. “Can I sleep with you tonight… please?”

A sucker for the eyes and more than aware of what her daughter was doing, Nancy pretended to think it over for a moment before she lifted the comforter up. A silent invitation.

“Thank you mommy dearest” Liz mocked with amusement now shining in her eyes. Reaching over again, she flicked the light off and waited to hear her mother’s even breathing before she finally allowed her own eyes to close and sleep to claim her.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and I'm really sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! Thank you though for reading and Hello to all the lurkers out there

Chapter 2

Dressed up in a blue and gold Comets t-shirt, jeans and a gold ribbon in her hair, Liz could have easily passed for a high school senior… at least that was what Nancy said when she walked in and saw her daughter’s attire. “I assume you’re going to the game tonight, sweetheart” she easily deduced and smiled reminiscently as Liz turned with a grin on her face.

“Yeah, I figured I’d go support Kyle since it’s his first game coaching the Varsity team” Liz answered as she sat down on her bed to tie the laces on her blue and white running shoes. “What about you? Going to any wild parties tonight?” she teased, good naturedly and smirked cheerfully when Nancy simply rolled her eyes and played along.

“Of course dear, what else would I be doing on a Friday night?” Nancy queried as though it should have been obvious. “I hear there’s a raging one over at the soap factory” she said in her best surfer voice.

“Okay, I go to the Soap Factory one time and you continue to hold it over my head” Liz laughed, quickly joined by Nancy who felt the need to point out one pertinent fact.

“Yes my dear, but it was that one time that you also got arrested” Nancy reminded while Liz immediately argued that Valenti dropped the charges because he believed she hadn’t been drinking the alcohol in her hand. Apparently, when the cops showed up to break up the party, some guys got scared and pushed their bottles onto other people which was how Liz and Michael got caught.

At the time, Michael had been known as a trouble maker, having had a rough past, and Valenti wasn’t quite as sure about his innocence as he had been about Liz’s. Thankfully, when Nancy showed up to pick up her daughter, she chewed the young sheriff out until he finally released Michael as well. To say that Michael had been flattered would have been an understatement. Suspiciously, Nancy anonymously received a bouquet of daisies the next day and Michael suspiciously acted cavalier when he saw them.

“Either way” Liz shrugged and quickly grabbed her purse when she heard a horn honk outside. “Ladies and gentleman, the impatient bellow of Michael Guerin” she announced as he beeped again.

“Be careful and wear a helmet” Nancy advised as Liz brushed past her with a ghost of a kiss against her cheek.

“I will, love you” Liz called out as she climbed through her window and down the ladder where Michael’s bike stood, parked in the alley. With years of experience, she easily hopped on behind him, fastened her helmet and held tight to his waist as he shot out into the street.


~&~&~&~&~&


“Tell you what. Why don’t you come by my place tonight” Kyle propositioned. “We’ll order takeout from Senior Chow’s and watch some really cheesy movie on TV” he suggested with puppy dog eyes and a pouting lip. A week had past since his first football game which was about the amount of time it had been since they last saw one another.

Due to all the hours Liz put in working on her correspondence courses and running the café, lately she had little time for dates and sleepovers with her boyfriend. Kyle always said he understood and didn’t even really complain when she came over with text books in her hand. Usually he just watched Sports Center or worked on his own class material while she spent most of the night studying or reading some new literary text.

It was his support and her desire to spend some time with him that had Liz mentally re-arranging her schedule to squeeze a date in. “You get the Chinese and I’ll get the movies” she negotiated with an impish grin that had Kyle groaning in mock torment.

“Alright… but I said cheesy, not chick flick” Kyle reiterated and left Liz with one last lingering kiss before he hurried out of the café.

“How’s the teaching coming along?” Nancy queried as she sat herself in one of the counter stools. As Liz turned away from the glass doors, the smile fell away from her face as another sleepless night reflected in Nancy’s eyes. Once again, she cursed Jeff Parker for all the damage he caused and swore that if she saw him again, he wouldn’t get away without a severe tongue lashing.

“Good” Liz quickly recovered. “He has an extra health class this year but it’s the new athletics period he’s really having a lot of fun with” she explained in reference to Kyle’s job at West Roswell High. “And… thanks to Coach Clay, he’s going to…”

“Hi, sorry to interrupt” a new voice spoke, drawing Liz’s attention to the beautiful blonde who had just walked in. Liz didn’t think she had ever seen the woman before but couldn’t help admire her poise as she stood, almost regally, waiting for one of them to answer whatever question she seemed to have. “I’m a little lost here and I was wondering if someone could tell me where Brewster Street was” she inquired.

“Hang a left at the end of this street, going west and keep going until you get to the third stop sign” Liz directed as the woman closed her eyes and pointed with each new direction. “Take a right and that’s Brewster Street.”

“Thanks. I really appreciated this” she smiled as the bell above the door chimed again.

“You know, you really shouldn’t let riffraff like her in nice places like this” Max stated, wearing a hard expression as the blonde turned to face him. Liz watched as her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched.

“And you… you little piss ant… need to pick up the phone every now and then. A sister does worry about her baby brother when she doesn’t hear from him for two weeks” the blonde commented just before she rushed forward and pulled Max into a warm embrace. Liz and Nancy both watched, surprised by the turn of events as Max wrapped his arms tightly around his sister. “Jerk” she added when she pulled back.

There were tears in the woman’s eyes that Liz pretended not to notice as she got back to work, wiping down the already spotless counter.

“Come on, I want you to meet some people” Max said as he guided the blonde forward. “Belle, meet Liz Parker and her very lovely mother, Nancy” he introduced. Apparently, her name seemed to spark something as Liz watched a momentary glint of recognition flash in the other woman’s eyes. “Ladies, this is my older and very annoying sister, Isabel” he added, only to get a shot to his ribs, courtesy of Isabel’s elbow.

“It’s nice to meet you, Liz. I’ve heard a lot about you from Kyle” Isabel said with a warm smile as she offered her hand to both Parker women. “And you, baby brother, are gonna buy me lunch” she added, ignoring Max’s groan as she grasped his arm in her hand. Much like a mother would with a child, she dragged him to one of the booths, amidst quiet chuckles from both Nancy and Liz.


~&~&~&~&~&


With Isabel’s unexpected arrival, Amy insisted that they all get together for a little family dinner, thus spoiling Kyle’s plans for the night. Liz, who found Isabel entirely interesting after a short chat, didn’t mind as much. “She’s a great story teller, huh?” Max commented as he stepped up behind Liz.

In front of them, the Valenti-Deluca family sat outside, enjoying the temperate weather as Isabel regaled them with a tale about the latest trip she had taken. Apparently, her long-time boyfriend, Alex, was a musician who had been touring for the better part of a year. With very little to tie her down, Isabel had picked up and gone along for the last leg of his tour. Currently, she was describing Los Angeles and the insane amount of traffic on the over-crowded freeways.

It was amazing that such an inane topic was interesting when told by her.

“If I had an older sister like Isabel, I would have made her read me bedtime stories until I was in high school” Liz replied, unaware of the small smile that crossed Max’s lips at her admission.

“Belle has always been a people person” Max acknowledged though there was something in his tone that had Liz looking away from the scene playing out before her. She noticed the way Max concentrated on the carrot stick in his hand, simply playing with it rather eating the vegetable. She wanted to ask what was wrong but didn’t feel as though she knew him well enough for such a question.

In the week and half that had passed since his arrival, they had seen each other only a few times and never alone. Usually he and Kyle discussed Roswell’s chances at a play off title or Max’s work at the pub. Liz found it strange that two people who were supposedly so close, didn’t seem to have much to say to one another. She kept that observation to herself, though.

“So what about you?” Liz asked instead, masking her features with a teasing grin. “If Isabel was the people person, does that mean you were the…”

“No” Max interrupted before she could finish. He rolled his eyes at her in response but took the bait, none the less. “The thing is… we both had a lot of attention. The difference is that she wanted and enjoyed it while I never did” he admitted.

It was almost as if he felt like he had revealed too much and quickly took a bite out of the carrot. As Liz opened her mouth to say something, though she had no idea what, Kyle appeared through the sliding glass door. “Hey, what are you two up to?” he queried as he wrapped his arms around Liz and rested his chin against her shoulder.

“Making fun of Isabel” Max stated, casually while Liz’s jaw dropped in shock. Quickly, she tried to defend herself when both Max and Kyle began laughing.

“It’s okay, I know he’s just teasing” Kyle assured her and placed a quick kiss to her cheek. “But why don’t you both come outside while the food is still warm” he suggested. “I swear I didn’t cook it” he added and raised his hands up in defense.

This time both rolled their eyes as they followed Kyle out into the yard.

The rest of the night was spent laughing over more stories… at least, everyone but Maria. Liz wasn’t sure why but she noticed that Maria and Isabel didn’t seem to get along that well. Kyle had never mentioned anything about their relationship though thinking back on it, she couldn’t remember Kyle ever really mentioning Isabel either.

Unfortunately, the visit was going to be a short once since Isabel needed to return to Albuquerque where she had lived for several years before going off with Alex. No one seemed too surprised and while Kyle talked to his dad about getting his help with something or another, Liz found herself alone with Isabel.

“So what do you do for a living, Liz?” she asked as a friendly smile lit her face. Behind her, Maria made a face as she kissed her mom goodbye and walked out. Again, Liz found herself incredibly confused by everyone’s behavior. Pushing that aside with a quick reminder to ask Kyle once they were alone, she smiled back and easily got locked in a conversation with the enigmatic blonde.


~&~&~&~&~&


At the end of the weekend, Isabel returned to Albuquerque and the two weeks that followed were strange, to say the least. Since then, Liz had seen very little of Max and would have been lying if she said she wasn’t curious about what happened during his sister’s visit. Even Kyle seemed a bit dismayed by his cousin’s recent behavior though he never asked Max anything about it.

“Long night at the bar” Liz queried as she looked up from her movie. Kyle had long since gone to bed, leaving Liz up with her studies. It was only after her eyes started to blur that she decided to forgo the books in favor of a good AMC movie.

“You’re awake” Max stated, then took a quick glance at the television screen to see what held her attention so late at night. “Animal Crackers” he declared in surprise. “Are you a Marx Brothers fan?” he asked and wasting no time dropping down on the couch beside her. Automatically, he reached into the popcorn bowl to grab a handful of the buttery kernels.

“Are you kidding? Old black and white classics are my favorite” Liz informed with a wide grin. “Though I have to admit, I didn’t peg you as a fan” she confessed as the two sat, entertained by the theatrics of Groucho Marx as Captain Jeffery T. Spaulding.

“Are you kidding?” Max mocked back a few moments later. “I love classics. Movies… music... cars. It’s all good” he stated.

In that instance, he seemed like Max Liz had initially met and not the moody guy who had been in and out of the apartment over the last two weeks.

“In fact, there is currently a beautiful car parked outside. A 1978 Camaro, sports rally, blue with leather seats, alloy wheels and tinted windows” Max said, admiringly. “I just wish I knew who owned it. I’d love to take a look inside, and if it’s a woman, maybe I can talk her into letting me drive it” he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“No chance in hell” Liz stated with utmost confidence as she hid a secret smile.

“Obviously you underestimate my charms” Max boasted teasingly. “I guarantee that if it is owned by a woman and she isn’t married, I can convince her to let me test drive her car, then maybe later… I’ll test drive her” he said with a chauvinistic smile adorning his overconfident face. It was that expression alone that had Liz playing back.

“Any girl, huh?” she asked in a voice laced with innocent curiosity. “So what about me? Do you think you could charm me?” Liz inquired with a demure expression adorning her face.

“Well you’re Kyle’s girl so I wouldn’t try” Max answered, logically.

“But if you wanted to try, do you think you could do it?” Liz persisted, leaning forward inquisitively as she awaited his answer. A smile continued to play on the corners of her lips, threatening to break out. It was with great difficulty that she managed to hold it in.

“Well, no offense, but if I really wanted you, you wouldn’t stand a chance” Max said in all seriousness. His confidence was ridiculously high, Liz couldn’t help but think. She assumed that years of serial dating, or so Kyle once mentioned, had probably played a big part in inflating his ego. It was also why she took great pleasure in knocking him down a peg or two.

“The car is mine, and no, you can’t drive it” Liz stated, enjoying the exact moment her words registered and effectively wiped the smug smile off his face.

“That car is yours?” Max asked incredulously, almost disbelievingly.

“It’s mine, and not only does it have the things you just described but that baby has all the original parts underneath the hood, slightly tweaked, and runs like a dream” Liz bragged as she made a mental note to thank Michael later for all his unwanted automotive tips and lessons. “Too bad you’re never going to get a chance to find that out for yourself” she rubbed in, pleased with herself for her one up.

“What are you doing up so late anyway” Max eventually questioned once he’d gotten his wits back. The slight irritation at being set up, however, was still present.

“My mind is still buzzing with limericks and narrative poems” Liz replied as she gestured towards the discarded literature books that littered the coffee table. She watched as Max lifted one and flipped through the old pages before placing it down again. “Boring?” she asked at the blank expression he wore.

Her eyes narrowed involuntarily as she turned to Max and noticed the smirk he wore.

“I made a garland for her head. And bracelets too, and fragrant zone; She look'd at me as she did love. And made sweet moan” Max recited, grinning as Liz gawked at him in surprise. “How do you think I recognized what you were reciting to your dad in the café?” he queried with his brow quirked in question.

“La Belle Dame Sans Merci” Liz murmured, recalling the poem with perfect clarity. “My dad didn’t even realize what I was reading until half way through then he got mad at me for reading something ‘dirty’ and took the book away from me” she remembered, voicing her thoughts aloud without even realizing it. “Ironic” she muttered as Max watched her with a curious look on his face.

“That’s the first time you’ve mentioned him” he observed while Liz realized her slip-up. “Why is that?”

“Why have you been acting weird since Isabel showed up and left?” Liz fired back and noticed the way his eyes lit with something, though she wasn’t sure what it was. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I pried first” Max reminded and took a quick glance at his watch. “It’s late and I’m wiped out. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow” he offered with a forced smile. “G’night Liz”

“Night” she responded to his back as he walked away.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hello all!! Well last night I couldn't sleep so I took a nap this afternoon and now I can't sleep again which is why I'm posting so late at night. Thanks to:
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for the wonderful feedback. Hello to all the lurkers and so without further ado...

Chapter 3

“I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She look’d at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna dew;
And sure in language strange she said,
I love thee true”

“Liz…Liz! Did you hear a word I just said” Kyle questioned as Liz tore her eyes away from the yellowed pages of Keats and ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci.’ Guiltily, she shook her head and closed the old book shut with a snap.

After the late night talk she had had with Max, Liz returned home the next morning and went in search of the book her father locked away, years before. She half wondered if he had just thrown it out and found herself pleasantly surprised when Nancy produced the volume from beneath a stack of papers in her bottom drawer.

“Has it always been in there?” Liz asked as she brushed the dust bunnies off the brown leather cover and gently fingered the embossed title. Originally, it had been a gift from her Grandmother Claudia who picked up the book during one of many archeology trips she took. She seemed to understand, better than anyone, what it was like to have a whimsical dream most discouraged.

“I’m not sure” Nancy replied, distracted as she settled into an arm chair by her window. With a remote in hand, she switched the TV on just in time to watch the local news. “I was looking for something a few months back and I remember seeing it then. Who knows when it got there” she quietly added.

Liz nodded once and realizing her mother was already lost in the weather forecast and weekly blotter, walked back to her room.

“I’m sorry, Kyle” she apologized and sat up from her lounging position on her bed. “What were you saying?” she asked him to repeat and tried to focus her attention on his latest story.

More guilty thoughts invaded her mind as she slowly began to tune out his tales of Paul Richards, the tailback who was fast enough to be a track star or Neil Delaney who easily threw forty five yard touchdown passes. It wasn’t that she was bored… per say, it was just her desire to keep reading.

Admittedly, old literary works were a guilty pleasure to Liz who hoped to one day became a newspaper reporter or fiction novelist. For the last couple of years, she even toyed with the idea of becoming a poet. Unfortunately, she and Kyle rarely saw eye to eye on what was an interesting topic of discussion. Though he was supportive, Liz could remember several times when Kyle simply changed the subject on her during a literary tirade. It was the one instance where he seemed to lack patience and while Liz understood, she also wished he would understand that she felt the same way about football.

Easily, she slipped back in time to when they first began dating. He had always been attentive… so incredibly sweet. Liz still thought that way about him, it was just that so much had happened in the last years. Both were a little different now and while that wasn’t bad, it was sometimes an adjustment.

“But enough about that” Kyle stated just as Liz tuned back in. “I was thinking that maybe you could come over tonight after I get back from my dad’s” he offered, referring to his afternoon of furniture moving. Apparently Amy decided that their living room set was boring and declared that it was time to spruce things up. Liz wasn’t sure what she had in mind but assumed it would take several hours to finish.

“I’d really like to” Liz said and instantly felt bad as a pleased grin formed across Kyle’s lips. “But I can’t. I have to take inventory and call our suppliers. Plus I still need to make out the schedule for next month” she explained as a long list of chores appeared in her mind.

Lately, she had been so preoccupied with school and watching over Nancy that she managed to fall behind with the Café. Now it was all just sitting there, waiting to get done, otherwise her mom would attempt to do it on her own. If truth be told, taking on anymore work was the last thing Liz wanted for her just then. “Can’t Jose or Jill help you?” Kyle tried to negotiate. “At least two or three minds will help get it down faster than yours alone” he reasoned.

Liz thought back to the date Jose mentioned the day before. He had finally worked up the courage to ask some leggy red-head out and she was loathsome to call and ask him to cancel. No matter how swamped she was, she also knew that it wasn’t the cook’s responsibility to take care of paperwork. As far as Jill, the assistant manager, she had worked the morning shift and late the night before. Again, Liz was loathsome to call her in after all the work she had been putting in recently, trying to help keep things running.

“I’m sorry” Liz shook her head, her mind made up. “But I’m gonna be flying solo on this one.”

He turned away from her, seemingly bothered. It was why Liz was surprised to see the smile that played on lips when he finally returned his gaze to hers. “Max isn’t working tonight. He’s trying out a new assistant manager and letting the daytime manager train him” he stated as though the declaration would have some effect on Liz. When she remained unfazed, Kyle shot her an exasperated look and further explained. “He can help you. He’s still just getting the hang of some things and it would be good for him to be around someone who’s experienced with business management” he stated as though it was the perfect solution.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to give up his night off, Kyle” Liz pointed out though she had to admit, the idea of having someone help her wade through the paperwork did sound appealing.

“I’ll call him now” Kyle stated and had his cell phone to his ear before Liz had the chance to say anything. Two rings later, Kyle began to con and cajole until Max finally caved in and agreed to meet Liz around closing time. “There… it’s all done” he said, obviously pleased with him. “Now I absolutely have to get going before Amy sends out the cavalry to come find me.”

Slowly, teasingly, Kyle placed a lingering kiss against Liz’s lips. He attempted to pull her closer just as his phone began to ring. “And there she is now” Kyle groaned as he checked the caller ID and hit IGNORE. “Get Max to drive you to the apartment and I’ll bring you back here in the morning, okay?”

“Sure” Liz agreed and smiled as Kyle nuzzled her neck. “Get out of here” she said with a playful shove when he attempted to pull her closer. “You don’t want to get on Amy’s bad side” she teased which seemed to be enough to throw Kyle into gear. With one last kiss on her cheek, Kyle left Liz alone with her books and her thoughts.


~&~&~&~&~&


Adorned in an old pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt, Liz pulled out her check lists and headed for the storage room. A quick glance at her watch determined Max was late though Liz saw no point in waiting around for him, wasting time when she could begin the work on her own.

“Alright, Parker, I’m out” said Andre, the part-time cook who was around when Jose wasn’t. “You want me to lock up?”

“No thanks, I’m expecting help” Liz smiled at the blunt seventeen year old who was constantly checking her out. She knew he was harmless and scared shitless of Kyle so she never made a big deal about his staring. “Have a good night” she wished and couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the mischievous glint in his eye. “Try to make it PG-13” she called out as she heard him walk through the swinging door.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” a new voice queried, causing Liz turn around so fast, she slipped on the ladder’s third rung. Max, who had been leaning against the doorframe, hurried forward just in time to catch her in his arms. “A lot of girls have fallen for me but this is a new one, sugar” he commented as Liz struggled to get down.

Obligingly, he lowered her until her old running shoes touched the ground. “Thanks” Liz murmured, flustered as she attempted to push the loose strands of hair away from her face. With a slight blush staining her cheeks, she quickly turned and picked up her discarded list. “Why don’t we get started?” she suggested though remained firmly planted on the ground.

Silently nodding, Max climbed the ladder with ease and followed Liz’s instructions. One by one, the boxes came down so they could check their contents and mark down what was needed. For the most part, they were silent beyond the occasional word or two communicated about their task. Liz, who normally didn’t mind silence, felt slightly uneasy with this one. It was why she was so grateful when Max got up to turn the kitchen radio on, filling the break and storage rooms with easy listening music.

“Listen… I wanted to apologize about the other night” Max stated as the two sat on the tile, surrounded by ketchup and mustard bottles. “I always say that I hate it when someone can’t take a joke but it’s just as worse when someone can’t take a question. So I’m sorry” he said, leaving Liz at a loss as to what she was supposed to say in return.

Biting her lip in contemplation, Liz made a split second decision. “He cheated on my mom” she stated and averted her gaze to the clipboard in her hand when Max turned his eyes up to her. “A woman who was literally half his age… she may have even been a senior when I was in junior high or something” she shrugged and took several deep breaths as anger began to seep into her bones in remembrance. “Anyway, it’s why I don’t talk about him.”

“I guess we both have shitty dads” Max commented in a voice so casual, Liz couldn’t help but look up at him in surprise. “You asked why I started acting weird after Isabel showed up… well it’s because she had some news… about our dad” he admitted while this time, it was Liz who stared at him curiously as he looked everywhere but in her direction. “Has Kyle ever told you anything about our family? Stuff that deals with my parents?” he queried.

“Not really” Liz admitted as she thought back to all the conversations they had about Max before he moved to Roswell. “I know that your parents aren’t married and never have been. I think Kyle mentioned a half-sibling or something but nothing elaborate” she stated, realizing that all the stories he told were about Max in college and Max as a kid. Thinking back on it, she realized that as much as he did talk about Max, there was so much he didn’t talk about.

“Isabel was a… surprise, I guess you could say. My parents weren’t married and had no plans to change that as far as I know” Max spoke candidly as they continued packing up the excess condiments. “I don’t really think I was planned either and when my mom was pregnant with me, she found out my dad had been cheating on her for a couple years. Turned out I had a sister, Lonnie, who was about Isabel’s age.”

The admission had Liz thinking back to her own father. She couldn’t help but be reminded of the way everyone found out about his indiscretions. The thought alone caused a pang in her chest, realizing that she also had a little brother or sister she would never know.

“After everyone found out, my dad took off a month before I was born and didn’t show up again until I was about four. By then, he had a wife and I had a brother, Zan” Max continued as a faraway expression took possession of his eyes. “Despite it all, Isabel and my mom never got along. Mom always said Isabel was too much like my dad… maybe she is” he shrugged. “I don’t know.”

That admittance alone spoke volumes to Liz. She began to understand that the reason everyone acted so strangely around Isabel was because she reminded them all of Philip Evans, the man who had hurt Diane Valenti, apparently for several years before disappearing. Liz wanted to reach forward. She wanted to take his hand in hers and tell him she understood, a lot better than he would assume. She wanted to but didn’t. Maybe she believed the gesture wouldn’t be welcome but in the end, Liz kept both her hands clasped in her lap.

“Anyway, this time around Isabel came bearing news about our dad’s new divorce. I guess you could call him a serial cheater” Max finally stated and because he seemed uncomfortable with all the sharing, grabbed the finished box and hefted it up onto the shelves. With ease, he pulled another one down to set on the floor and methodically, the two began dividing the Tabasco bottles from the salt and pepper canisters.

Frantically, Liz searched her mind for some sort of topic to lower the tension in the room. A distraction, however, came in the form of a song as one drifted into the next until an old Styx song began to play. “Every time I hear this song, I think of the movie Big Daddy” Liz admitted, thinking back to a time during her sophomore year when Michael forced her to tag along because he wanted to watch it. Liz had believed it would be like every other Adam Sandler movie and while it kind of was, she had to admit that it was still pretty funny.

“I like Hooters” Max stated, offhandedly in response as Liz’s eyes widened slightly. “I meant the restaurant” he added with a chuckle when Liz flushed in embarrassment. Irritated at his laughter, she rose from the floor and went in search of the shipping forms she needed.

Moments later, Max followed, prepared to apologize if need be. “Whoa there” he said and gently tugged Liz around to face him. Anger wasn’t present in her eyes but sadness lingered in the brown depths as the two stood in the quiet, makeshift office.

Frustrated, Liz swiped at her eyes to push away the stray tears that had fallen. “It’s stupid” she admonished and slowly lifted her hand. A sonogram dangled precariously from her fingers in a silent offering. “Its how my mom found out” Liz explained as Max studied the image and noticed the date on the bottom. Not more than six months had past since it was taken.

A silent question marred Max’s features as he searched for the right words. Seeing his attempt, Liz took the picture back and returned it to the bottom drawer of the desk, deciding her mom must have wanted to keep it, for whatever reason. Maybe it was a reminder not to feel bad about how things turned out. It was proof enough that Jeff Parker was a scumbag and definitely not worthy of sadness.

“The woman he was… was cheating with, ended up pregnant” Liz shared as the events of a half dozen months before played behind her eyes. “I guess he didn’t want to be a part of it so she got back at him by sending my mom the sonogram. It also came with a very detailed letter about everything that happened between her and my dad.”

Again, there was anger as she chose to leave out what happened next.

“So how did you find out?” Max asked, momentarily stunning Liz who recalled all her words in an effort to figure out how he had come to his conclusion. “You said that the sonogram was how she found out” he clarified at her expression. “You obviously found out some other way.”

With a small nod of acknowledgement, Liz took a few steps away from Max. She needed to distance herself from him now that he was so close to the heart of everything. Even Kyle, with all his care and concern, hadn’t noticed her slip when she first told him about everything, months before. The only one who had ever known exactly what she went through with Jeffrey Parker had been Michael. She could never hide anything from Michael and this had been no exception.

Now, Liz wasn’t sure whether or not she should continue. She wanted to say it didn’t matter… opened her mouth to tell him so but found another set of words falling from her lips. “She called my cell phone” Liz blurted out before she could stop herself. “Our phone numbers were identical except for one number, the last one. She called my phone by mistake and left a message in my voice box, thinking it was my dad’s. God, why am I even telling you this?” she asked herself and bit back a startled cry when she turned and bumped straight into his chest.

Instinctively, his hands reached out to steady her as she trembled in his arms. “You’re like a leaf in the wind” he commented and unconsciously pulled her a little closer. Liz felt the warmth radiating from his body and reveled in. She felt cold… so very cold as she relived the past in a matter of moments.

“Why am I telling you all of this?” Liz repeated in a quiet murmur that seemed appropriate under the circumstances.

“Maybe it’s because I understand” Max answered in the same quiet voice she used. “It’s hard to talk about pain with someone who has no idea what yours is like. So maybe… maybe we understand each other” he shrugged simply, deciding it seemed logical enough.

“Maybe” Liz agreed as she stared up into the soulful hazel depths of his eyes. “Maybe…”

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hi everyone! Once I sat down to write this fic, I couldn't stop, hence the quick update. Glad you're all enjoying this and I know that some are gonna worry about Kyle but things will work out well enough. Thank you to:
cocopucks
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dreamer destiny
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Erina258
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For your wonderful feedback!!! Hello to the lurkers

Chapter 4

“Something’s up with you” Michael declared as he accepted her bounce pass. Two dribbles later, he jumped up and nailed a seventeen footer that Liz automatically chased down. Around them, children laughed and giggled as they enjoyed their time on the swing sets and curving slides. Liz remembered the countless times she and Michael had played on the same playground as kids. He used to push her so high that she thought she could go to the moon if pushed a little harder.

“What makes you say that?” Liz asked, distracted as she passed the ball back to Michael for another shot.

“Experience” he stated and propped the ball on the concrete court as a makeshift chair. “Sit” Michael demanded and watched her roll her eyes as she complied. It was an old routine… a cross examination so to speak. Whenever one was hiding a problem, the other badgered, annoyed, yelled and pouted until the other gave in. Liz knew, from experience, that she was in for a long afternoon under the interrogation lights with Detective Michael Guerin. “Am I gonna have to drag it out of you or are you gonna make my job easy?”

Quirking a brow, Liz gave him an appraising once over while deciding to just give in. Admittedly, it was pointless to try and hide something from him when he’d eventually get it out of her later. “A few nights ago, I was stuck at the Crash doing inventory with Max” she stated, noticing the way Michael’s eyes narrowed slightly. He wouldn’t interrupt, she knew as much and continued on to the part that was confusing. “We started talking about some pretty personal stuff and I ended up telling him about my dad” Liz confessed while this time, Michael didn’t bother to hide his surprise.

“Kyle doesn’t even know about that” Michael commented, knowing exactly what she referred to.

“Which is why I’ve been trying to figure out why I told Max” Liz finished and heaved an irritated sigh. “Without going into details, his own home life wasn’t exactly a Norman Rockwell picture and he figures that’s why I told him. You know… similar backgrounds” she threw in.

“Makes sense” he acknowledged. After all, it was why Michael understood everything. He had been the poster child of an unhappy home life and explained why he spent so much time with Parkers over the years. “But I don’t really know what to tell you. Maria doesn’t ever talk about that stuff” he admitted with an apologetic look. “As far as she’s concerned, her family begins and ends with Valenti, Kyle and her mom” he mused, all the while Liz remained unsurprised by the information.

Maria hadn’t exactly been friendly with either Max or Isabel. Sure she was polite enough but there was obvious discomfort around one another. Liz couldn’t help but wonder why and tried to piece together anything Kyle had told her over the years that would have made some sense.

“So you don’t think it’s crazy?” Liz finally gave up and asked.

“I think you have good instincts” Michael eventually said. “For whatever reason, you felt like you could confide in him about your personal life. Maybe that’s telling you something about him” he stated with a pointed look that spoke volumes to Liz.

“Basically, you’re telling me not to worry so much about it” Liz asked though it sounded more like a statement to Michael’s ears.

“Exactly” he agreed and nudged her back until she fell off the basketball. “Now let’s play a quick game of HORSE. I got forty five minutes until my shift and I feel like creaming you, small fry” he taunted in a challenging way that had Liz narrowing her eyes.

“You’re on, Brillo head” Liz retorted and danced out of the way when Michael attempted to tackle her for the old nickname. Teasing one another throughout the game, the two friends played until they both collapsed in exhaustion from all the laughter. Michael left several minutes later, leaving Liz to look up at the sky as she tried to figure out the cloud shapes. It was also how Kyle found her a half hour later.

“Sweetheart, I don’t know if you got the memo but you’re not eight anymore” Kyle teased as he lay back beside her.

“Well aren’t you a charmer” Liz sarcastically retorted. “I thought you had practice today” she added as an afterthought. A glance to the right revealed the sun was still high in the air, just where it was supposed to be, determining that she hadn’t been out there alone for too long.

“We pushed it back an hour since some of the guys have tutoring this afternoon” Kyle explained and automatically took Liz’s hand in his. The gesture caused Liz to look down as his fingers laced with hers.

There was such a stark contrast between the two that she soon found herself studying the differences. Short and delicate linked with wide and calloused. Even now, years after playing the sport himself, his hands still looked like they belonged to a football player, Liz couldn’t help but think.

“You know, Kyle… I’ve been thinking about…”

“Kyle, hi.”

Both looked up as a shadow fell over their laying forms. Liz had to lift a hand to her eyes to shield away the sun as a head of blonde curls came into focus. “Hey” Kyle greeted in a friendly tone as he helped pull Liz up to her feet. “Liz Parker, this is Tess Harding” he introduced as the two women politely shook hands. “Tess is a speech teacher and the cheerleading sponsor at West Roswell” he explained with an easy grin at both.

“It’s nice to meet you Tess” Liz stated and felt mildly uncomfortable with the way Tess continued to smile like she was a contestant in a beauty pageant. “Um… I actually have to get back to the Crash but I’ll see you later Kyle” she excused and accepted the kiss Kyle bestowed on her lips. “Again, it was nice meeting you” she added to Tess and began the short walk to her car.

Maybe it’s fate, Liz couldn’t help but think to herself. Maybe she wasn’t meant to tell Kyle about everything just yet. Maybe…


~&~&~&~&~&


“I don’t get why she would go there” Michael admitted and reached out a hand to grab Liz as she paced by. “Sit, already. You’re starting to make me dizzy” he explained and tugged Liz down onto the couch beside him. He knew she must have been really preoccupied if she didn’t protest.

“He told her that the whole thing was this big lie” Liz eventually revealed. She seemed calm but Michael noticed the way her knuckles were quickly turning white as her fists tightly clenched. Soothingly, he took them between his own in an effort to settle her anger. “He had this whole story about meeting her at some convention or something. He says that she’s obsessed with him and is just trying to break up their marriage with an overactive imagination.”

Sadly, Liz looked down at the coffee table where the sonogram and letter lay. She wanted to tell her mom the truth about the voice message but never had the chance to. Now Nancy was over at the woman’s house and Liz feared what she would learn there.

“I’ll say one thing about the old son a bitch” Michael said as his own hands began to clench. “He’s got balls to tell a lie like that” he muttered darkly and nearly jumped when the phone began to ring.

Instantly, Liz leapt for the receiver, hoping that maybe it was her mom. She wanted it to be Nancy, saying that she was coming home.

“Parker residence” Liz answered. She was silent, listening and by the time the person on the other end hung up, she was pale as a ghost. The expression she wore chilled Michael who immediately came to her side. He asked who it was, barely keeping the demand out of his voice as Liz continued to stare, unseeing, ahead of her. “That was the hospital. Mom was in an accident.”

“No!” Liz woke, panting and sweating as her eyes slowly began to focus on her childhood bedroom. Looking around, she half expected to see four white walls and beeping monitors around her. It had been months since she had that dream and just as it had before, left Liz with lingering doubts of worry and angst.

Past memories had Liz climbing out of bed and tip toeing to her mother’s room. Quietly, she pushed the door in and stared at Nancy Parker’s sleeping form. She knew they were just dreams… that the events had already come and gone but Liz still found that she needed the assurance, needed to see with her own eyes that her mom was okay.

As quietly as she had walked in, Liz closed the door behind her. Now at a loss, she returned to her room and pulled a pair of baggy workout pants up her legs. She looked down at the plain white tank top she wore and grabbed a zip-up hoodie on impulse. With her keys in hand, Liz climbed out the window and down the ladder to the alley behind the café.

Initially, she thought a drive might be a good way to clear her head but now that she was out in the open, the idea of a long walk appealed to her a little more than a drive did. With her hands buried in her pockets, Liz looked both ways before crossing the street. She didn’t think about where she was going, she simply let her legs do the thinking for her.

“She’s stable for now, but the next twenty four hours are going be really touch and go” Dr. Mathews stated as he took Liz’s hand in a gesture of friendship. The middle-aged man had been a classmate of Nancy’s and had been a family friend for as long as Liz could remember. The fact that he was working on her mother now, filled Liz was a small sense of relief.

He would take care of her, Liz knew he would.

When she finally looked up, Liz realized she had walked back to the park. It seemed fitting, she mused. Some of her most frivolous times were spent there, laughing and joking with Michael like neither had a care in the world. She wanted that time back. She wanted to be able to drift from one day to the next with no worries beyond what she would wear or whether to eat pizza or Chinese.

Why couldn’t life always be that simple, she asked herself. Because nothing worth value ever comes easily, she instantly thought. Everything was a risk, a gamble and it was just a matter of picking your battles… deciding what wasn’t and what was worth the risk.

“Lizzie… you have to let me explain what happened” Jeff pleaded with his daughter for the right to see his wife. “You don’t understand and I … I need to see your mother. I need to see Nancy.”

“Why, so you can fill her head with more lies” Liz demanded and slapped her father’s hand away as he attempted to grasp hers. “I know the truth about you. Your precious little Gabrielle called my phone by mistake. So don’t even attempt to lie your way out of this one. This is your fault and nothing is going to change that” she declared, vehemently.

“Listen to yourself” Jeff lashed back as the concern slipped away, replaced by raw anger. “You knew but you never told your mother anything. Wouldn’t you say that this is your fault too? You could have stopped her from going to Santa Fe but you didn’t and now look at her! She’s lying in a damn hospital bed, fighting for her life!”

Liz would be lying if she said her father’s words hadn’t stung. On an intelligent level, she knew that the accident hadn’t been her fault but every time she saw Nancy hobble somewhere, the guilt returned full force. She couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if she had told Nancy in time. Would things have been better… or would they have been worse? The answer, unfortunately, was one she would never have.

“What’d I tell you about women alone in the dark?” It was funny, Liz hadn’t even heard him walk up as she sat, stilled on her favorite swing. He stepped out of the shadows, revealing tired eyes, most likely the product of a long night. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone and he carried a light jacket in his hands.

“What are you doing out here so late?” she asked and found herself gesturing to the swing beside her.

Obligingly, Max sat down on the old rubber seat and grasped the rickety chain links in his hands. “Just got out of work… saw you sitting out here when I drove by.” His answer caused Liz to look down at her watch. She hadn’t even bothered with time after waking up though now she realized it wasn’t nearly as late as she had believed. Just ten after two.

She half expected him to ask what was wrong. Kyle would have. Michael might have. Max didn’t. The air was still around them but it was slightly chilled. Summer had already given way to autumn and with the change came lowered temperatures and cloudy skies. “When Kyle told me that you were moving out here, I was so nervous I could hardly sit still” Liz found herself admitting as she drew pictures in the sand with the tip of her shoe.

“Why’s that?” Max queried, amused by the admission.

“He used to tell me all sorts of stories about you” Liz smiled back. “Crazy little tidbits about trouble you got into as kids. Touch football games in the street… finding the Sheriff’s stash of Playboys” she said with an impish grin that had Max laughing. It wasn’t a polite chuckle, it was a boisterous laugh that showed how amused he was by the memory. “He talked about you so much that I thought I knew everything about you” she added once their laughter had subsided.

“Thought?”

Liz smiled ruefully, realizing that there wasn’t much he didn’t pick up on. “Yeah… I’m not so sure about that anymore” she answered and spared him a brief glance before returning her attention to the little star she had drawn. “I guess I expected you to be just like Kyle. Easy going… sports nut… the kind of guy that’s fun to be around and easy to read.”

Kyle wore his heart on his sleeve and there wasn’t much going on in his head that she didn’t know about. Liz had always enjoyed that quality since she wasn’t much for playing games. Max was different than that, yet Liz found she wasn’t annoyed by it… she was intrigued by his mystery.

“So then tell me what I’m like” Max requested. He didn’t seem at all offended which Liz was grateful for as she tried to come up with an accurate enough description.

“You’re extremely perceptive” Liz began, finding that that one quality stuck out above the others. “It’s kind of unnerving sometimes” she admitted and softened the admission with a small smile. “You make me nervous and at ease at the same time which is… really strange. You don’t push but you somehow manage to convey your presence . There doesn’t seem to be anything easy about you.”

He seemed to be contemplating her words before finally raising his eyes to meet Liz’s. “Well then I guess that makes us even” he shrugged and kicked off the ground so that his swing began to sway back and forth. “Because nothing about you is easy.”

She narrowed her eyes at him but only pretended to be offended. Feigning incense, she followed his lead and began to swing, Neither said anything about it, but silently, they each tried to out swing the other. Max had strength on his side but Liz was smaller, allowing her to go higher.

Before she knew it, laughter was bubbling from her mouth as he grabbed her chain with one hand, attempting to slow her down. Liz smacked his hand away and tried to kick out at him when he got too close. Minutes past as they fought on their swings until Max grabbed her chain again. With momentum on her side, Liz ended up twisted until their swings were entangled with one another.

Laughing, she leant her head down against his shoulder in a gesture so automatic to have been thought out. Somehow, their legs managed to intertwine as their swings slowed to a stop. It was the second time in two nights that the two found themselves so close to one another. Liz didn’t want to think about the reasoning of that as they finally settled.

“I won” she declared in an effort to keep the moment light. Liz had no idea what was going on and quickly averted her eyes to anywhere but his. Finally resting on her lap, she noticed the way his hand flinched, as though he was going to lift it and thought better of it. She wondered but didn’t ponder on it for long as Max twisted her swing. Hands and legs tightly pulled in together, Liz swung in several circles before she finally untangled.

He smiled as she squealed in enjoyment but she never saw that. His eyes were serious again when she finally lifted her gaze to his face. “It’s really late” he commented though never looked at his watch. “Why don’t you come with me. I’ll give you a ride home” he suggested and while Liz was inclined to disagree, she found herself nodding in compliance. No matter what argument she came up with, she knew he wouldn’t leave her out there in the dark… alone.

It was in silence, walking only a few inches apart, that the two made their way to his jeep. Liz found her stomach tied up in knots though couldn’t figure out why. She guessed it was probably the thought of going back home, remembering the dream that had caused her to leave in the first place. Either way, she accepted Max’s hand as he helped her climb in his old, battered vehicle. “I always wanted a jeep when I was a kid” she admitted and glanced all around her.

“So did I” Max grinned as he threw the jeep into gear. A new silence filled them as he drove down the quiet streets. This one, however, wasn’t so bad.

All too soon, he was pulling up in front of the Crashdown. Liz bit her lip in apprehension, still a little wary of trying to sleep again. She knew that the dreams were usually few and far between but that didn’t mean she didn’t dread the idea of them when they did come. “Thanks for the drive” she found herself saying and slowly released her seat belt from the buckle. Everything she did was slow, trying to stall for as long as she could. “Goodnight.”

Nodding, Max waited until she had climbed out and began walking towards the alley when he called out, halting her in place. As she turned, she noticed he seemed to be struggling with something before finally smiling kindly. “I know you have a lot friends you can talk to but… well you’re welcome to add my name to that list” he finally stated.

Liz understood the offer. She also understood that though he never mentioned it, he did know something had been wrong. “Thank you” she smiled and walked away, comforted by the sound of his engine as she ambled up the ladder. He didn’t drive away until he saw her safely lift over the side of balcony. Only then, did he throw his jeep in gear and continue down the road.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

I can't seem to stop writing this fic so I guess I'll just keep going with the quick updates until my muse decides to go vacation. Thanks to:
Jason's Lover
linliz68
anonymousarfan
abbs007
kittens
vampyrax
Erina258
dreamer destiny
FSUMSW94
POM
cocopucks
for the wonderful feedback!! Hi to the lurkers *waves*

Chapter 5

“All thoughts, all passions, all delights,
Whatever stirs thus mortal frame,
All are but ministers of Love,
And feed his sacred flame.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Kyle questioned as a look of confusion marred his features. Only mildly irritated that he had interrupted her, Liz placed her book down with a single scrap of paper to mark her page. Uttering a small sigh, she searched for the right words to explain Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his famous poem, Love.

“The best way to understand it is to realize that the poem is really more like a story. See… he has the one love, Genevieve, and each line is telling the reader about…”

“Hold that thought” Kyle said with a raised his hand as his other searched his pocket for the ringing cell phone. Reaching for her discarded book, Liz continued reading the verses as Kyle argued with Coach Clay about changing plays two nights before a game.

“She listened with a flitting blush,
With downcast eyes, and modest grace;
And she forgave me, that I gazed
Too fondly on her face!”

“I’m sorry babe, but I have a half dozen plays to go over and fix up” Kyle apologized as he tossed his phone onto the nearest chair. “But I want you to stay and finish your work. I like knowing you’re just a room away” he smiled and waited until Liz nodded in agreement before placing a chaste kiss to her cheek. “I’ll be an hour or so” he added over his shoulder just before his bedroom door closed behind him.

Quietly sighing, Liz’s eyes continued to scan her text. It seemed to her that every time she and Kyle had a moment together, something, whether it was school, work or family, managed to come up.


~&~&~&~&~&


“It’s really picking up out there” commented one of the café patrons, an older gentleman in his mid-sixties. Liz turned at his observation and was inclined to agree with him as the dust swirled outside the glass windows. A storm was brewing, that much was certain. “I guess I should get home to the wife. The old woman never did like storms” he shared and pulled his old, plaid coat around his shoulders. “See ya around, little lady.”

“Bye Mr. Delgado” Liz called out and flinched as dust blew in through the open door.

“It’s really shitty out there.”

Liz turned as Michael, accompanied by Max, stepped through the recently doors. Michael, with his eloquent tongue, had been the one to comment on the weather as he quickly discarded his dust covered jacket. The action revealed a gold deputy’s badge pinned to his battered, chambray shirt. Even now, two years later, Liz still marveled that her best friend, former trouble maker extraordinaire, was now a law abiding deputy, diligently working hard and fighting crime for the Sheriff’s department.

“What a way with words your silver tongue has” Liz commented with a cheeky grin. Practice had her ignoring Michael’s glare as she automatically reached for the coffee pot behind the counter. Much like an old married couple, she poured the murky liquid while he added two packets of sugar. His hand moved away so that she could pour in a dash of crème while his reached for a spoon to stir the concoction all together.

“And how long have the two of you been married?” Max queried as he curiously studied the pair.

“Shut up” both simultaneously spoke, causing Max to laugh heartedly in response.

“What are the two of you doing together anyway” Liz questioned and attempted to ignore Max’s humored smile. It had been several days since she had seen him. Several days since that night in the park. Thankfully, she hadn’t had another nightmare though the remnants of her memories lingered even when she was awake.

“Uncle Jim” Max replied at the same time Michael answered, “Valenti.”

“And how long have you two been married?” she fired back with her own humored smile. Michael, apparently, was not amused.

When neither replied, Liz quirked a brow and waited for some sort of elaboration on their previous response. “Maria’s birthday is coming up next week and Amy got it in her head that she was going to throw some big party at their house” Michael finally explained with a slight grimace. “So she convinced Valenti that the grass needed to be trimmed, the flowers… hell I don’t know what she wanted with the flowers but she wanted something” he muttered darkly and shivered in remembrance of all her loud directing.

“The point is that he had us hauling shit… sorry, stuff, all over the place to make room for this or that” Max finished up and accepted the tall glass of cold cherry coke with a smile. Liz couldn’t help but smile back just as Michael’s scanner sprung to life.

“Damn” he swore and walked off to the break room for some privacy. Suddenly alone, except for a dozen or so other people, Liz opened her mouth to say something in the exact moment Max attempted to do the same. Both laughed at the coincidence but didn’t have a chance to say anything about it as a small group of customers walked up to the cash register, ticket in hand. “I’ll be right back.”

Quickly ringing up the family of four, Liz turned to stare out the glass as rain began to fall. Tiny droplets pelted the sidewalk and turned the dust to mud before her eyes. “Thank you, come again” she smiled politely and reached for the broom to sweep up all the dust flying in each time a customer came or went.

“Trouble” Michael stated, wearing a grim expression as he walked up to Liz. He gestured Max forward and turned his back to the café so the others wouldn’t hear him. “I just got a call from the station. They’re predicting a half dozen baby tornadoes sweeping the area” he informed as Liz struggled not to react. Michael knew, as well as she did, how much she detested storms so there was no point voicing it aloud. “I gotta get down to the station but… maybe you could stick around her for a little while” he added to Max.

It was on the tip of Liz’s tongue to protest but held it in. With Michael out and about and Kyle away at a football game near Albuquerque, Liz couldn’t help but take some comfort in the idea that at least Max would be around during the brunt of the storm. “Sure, it’s no problem. I just need to call the pub and make sure every thing is squared away with my staff.”

“You know where the office is” Liz replied with a grateful smile adorning her face. “Feel free to take as long as you need on the phone.”

Michael waited until Max was halfway to the break room before fixing Liz with an appraising stare. “Are you gonna be okay here?” he asked and unconsciously took her hand in his. Very few people saw this side to Michael Guerin. Most thought he was this tough guy, rough around the edges with an attitude to match his regular grimaces. None but a select few ever saw the caring side and the brother-like disposition he always took with Liz.

“I’ll be fine” Liz stated and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Really. Besides, Max will be here and I’ll have the café to keep me busy” she added when his expression still remained skeptical. “It was a long time ago, Michael. It’s all in the past.”

He wanted to protest, she knew it as well she knew her own name. He wanted to but knew he couldn’t. His job needed him and as much as he wished otherwise, he couldn’t stick around the Crashdown for very much longer. “Alright” he relented and grabbed her chin in his hand. He waited until her eyes met his before he issued a small series of instructions, ending with a brief hug that had Liz smiling.

Affection was something else he wasn’t too comfortable with.

Once he had finally disappeared into the stormy air, Liz returned to her task of sweeping up the dusty mess littering the tiled floor. Her back was to the glass as she gathered the dirt into a small pile near the checkout counter. Preoccupied, she didn’t hear anyone walking up nor did she see his eyes widen as a strong gust sent a small planter hurtling towards the window.

“Ah!” Liz screamed as she felt Max wrap his arms tightly around her form and spin her away from the doors. His body effectively shielded her as a hundred shards of glass flew and scattered along the floor. All the while, Liz kept her face buried against his chest, cradled in the protective cocoon he enveloped her in.

The other café patrons quickly launched up and huddled away from the intrusion. The large opening allowed even more debris to fly inside and settle amongst the people. “Are you okay?” Max asked and pushed the loose strands of hair away from her face. Wordlessly, Liz nodded, struggling to get her breathing under control as it beat wildly against her chest. His gentle fingers tilted her chin upward so that their eyes met in a silent conversation. She understood that he wanted to see for himself, whether or not she was truly okay.

“Thank you” she murmured before quickly averting her gaze. Time seemed to start again as she surveyed the damage and reluctantly stepped out of his embrace.

“Liz!” came from the break room, causing Liz’s own eyes to widen. Automatically, her legs carried her through the swinging door where she found Nancy, leaning against Jose. “Sweetie” she said and held her arms open for Liz to walk into.

“Are you okay” Liz questioned, unaware that her presence was soothing her mother’s frazzled nerves. Storms were at the bottom of Nancy favorites list though for an entirely different reason than Liz held. “Did you get hurt or… or anything?” she asked and took a step away with the sole purpose of looking her mother over with a critical eye.

“I’m fine” Nancy quickly assured and gently patted Liz’s cheek. “I was just worried about you.”

“I’m gonna leave you two ladies here and go help your friend find some boards for the windows” Jose volunteered and swept out of the kitchen. Liz found that her heart was still pounding violently while she walked Nancy to the old, battered couch lining one brick wall. She would have preferred to take her mom upstairs to the comfort of her own room but with possible tornadoes on the way, that seemed like a bad idea.

As the two Parker women sat together, listening as Jose and Max began hammering out in the café, they each became locked in their personal pasts. Memories of times better left forgotten refused to fade away as long as the wind roared and the rain pelted.


~&~&~&~&~&


As time wore on, the weather only got worse. Between Max and Jose, the broken windows were boarded up while Liz brought people into her office, one at a time, to call their families and let them know they were alright. Nancy’s idea was to get the grill fired up again and serve dinner to everyone, on the house.

So with an apron tied around her waist, Liz stood beside Jose, helping him build Galaxy subs. “When we’re done in here, your friend and I can go upstairs and bring your mother’s mattress down if it’ll help” he offered, causing Liz to take a quick glance out to the break room where Nancy sat, laughing over something Max said to her.

The sight was a rare one and Liz couldn’t help but smile at the sight. After everything that had happened in the past months, it was good to see Nancy smile. She didn’t do it nearly as often as she should. Then again, neither did Liz. “We’ll see what happens” Liz replied and reached over to grab the jar of pickles. “Hopefully the storm will settle before nightfall.”

While it would seem that the small, predicted cyclones were no more than strong gusts of wind, Liz knew that the weather could turn an angry shade of violent at any moment. She could only hope it wouldn’t happen. “So you never me about your date with Darlena” Liz commented, plastering on a teasing smile. “How’d it work out?”

“A gentleman never kisses and tells” Jose scolded, wearing a stern expression that had Liz quirking her eyebrows up in surprise. “So it’s a good thing I’m not a gentleman because let me tell you, she was…”

Liz stood, laughing as he relayed the gory details of his date with the buxom office secretary.

Years spent working for the Parker family had managed to bond the zealous cook to the remaining Parker women. Nancy easily thought of him as a fun loving nephew while he and Liz had a strange, gossipy type of relationship. She always figured it was because Michael refused to gossip, leaving her no choice but to spill juicy tidbits to the attentive cook.

What Liz didn’t notice was the way both Nancy and Max turned at the sound of her laughter. Nancy, who often worried about her daughter taking on too much, couldn’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief as she saw the years fall away from Liz’s face. Max, however, wore an unreadable expression as he gazed upon her. Thoughts were swirling inside of him, though buried so deep down that no one would have been able to understand them… or so he believed.

A ringing phone, minutes later, had Liz wiping her hands on the pristine apron and sprinting out of the kitchen to catch the caller. Quickly, she snatched up the receiver and breathed a quiet “Hello” in greeting.

“Hey baby, how’s everything down there?” Kyle immediately asked. Static filled the line, making it nearly impossible to hear his voice as Liz walked around, trying to get better reception. “Sorry. Are you still there?” he asked, moments later.

“I’m here” Liz answered as she leaned against the sturdy wood of her cluttered desk.

“Good. Listen baby, we’re not gonna be back tonight” Kyle informed. It was easy enough to hear the apology in his voice as he went on to explain that the weather was too bad to travel. “Coach Clay found some cheap motel that’ll give us a discount because of the weather. The entire team, cheerleaders and band members are all gonna stick around.”

Liz understood that if the weather was half as bad near Albuquerque as it was in Roswell, the safest bet would be stay where they were. “Just… just take care of yourself, Kyle” Liz finally replied. Despite her best efforts, she could shake the idea that something strange was about to happen. Maybe it was the product of fear and an active imagination. Liz assumed that was the answer but still…

“I will. You know, I love you and I’ll call again whenever I get the chance” Kyle promised in a quiet voice. Static returned just as Liz opened her mouth to return the words.

“I…”

And then the line went dead.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Warning! There will be some angst but by the next chapter, we'll have some more fluff and our dreamer couple will be another step closer! Thanks to:

anonymousarfan
ShatteredDreamer
L-J-L 76 - they aren't engaged but you'll get your answers soon
Lizza
abbs007
roswell3053 - hello and welcome to the story!
linliz68
Erina258
dreamer destiny
FSUMSW94
Kylie the control freak - Max is four years older than Liz. Kyle is two years older than her
vampyrax
POM
Jason's Lover
begonia9508

For all the wonderful feedback!!! Hello to the lurkers out there and I hope you all stick with me through this chpater and into the next, much fluffier chapter!

Chapter 6

As the night wore on, rain pounded the streets and buildings in thick sheets. The power flickered several times before finally deciding to remain off, bathing the café in near darkness. Thankfully, Liz had a penchant for candles and her private stash of the aromatic wax managed to keep everyone inside from bumping into anything.

“I think it’s time to figure out what to do with all these people” Max suggested in a soft whisper against Liz’s ear as the two stood together, surveying the scene before them. Less than a dozen customers sat around on the floor and chairs. Remnants of their dinner lay beside some while others continued to nibble on the remaining morsels littering their plates.

For the most part, they were quiet and hardly did more than sit and stare through the small slits of glass left by the planks of nailed up wood. When one did speak, it was usually to the person beside them and never anything more than a quick observation of the weather.

Nodding, Liz allowed Max to lead her back into the break room for some privacy. Nancy, who had quickly grown tired, managed to convince Liz that she would be fine for a couple hours upstairs. Her absence left a vacancy on the old battered couch for Max and Liz who got comfy on the worn, plaid material.

“The storm should slow down around midnight but a lot of these people are old and are gonna want to get some sleep” Max stated as Liz played with the frayed edges of the orange and blue accent pillow.

“I think we have some spare blankets upstairs but I don’t know if it’s enough for everyone” Liz replied and closed her eyes in thought. Quickly, she tried to remember whether or not the old camping equipment was still buried in the hall closet. She realized that some of it probably wouldn’t be very useful, especially the tents but if memory served, there were a couple of lanterns and sleeping bags.

When she was younger, Jeff decided they were going to make a tradition of going on camping excursions in Frazier Woods. He had seemed excited enough and bought a car full of gear in preparation of the first trip. The following year he had claimed to be busy which remained his excuse each time after that. Eventually, Liz got the hint and stopped asking.

The equipment wouldn’t have had any sentimental value to her father so as far as she knew, Jeff had left it all behind when he moved out, months before.

“I guess we could have someone sleep on this couch and maybe a few can huddle into the booths” Liz suggested though when she opened her eyes, she found Max staring at her curiously. “What?” she asked, self-consciously.

“Nothing” Max shook his head, hoping to clear the cobwebs away. “I just… I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to you that has you so terrified of what’s going on outside” he admitted as he gently pried her fingers away from the nearly mangled cushion. Liz hadn’t even realized she was doing it until she felt his hands on hers, loosening the knots in her knuckles with his thumbs.

Michael often did the same thing whenever something was bothering her though Liz found it had an entirely different effect when Max was the one doing it. “I um… so anyway, like I said, we could probably get everyone settled out in the café with um…” she trailed off, suddenly confused as her train of though completely deserted her. Frantically, she searched her mind and sadly came up blank. “I can’t even remember what I was saying” she confessed with a quiet, self depreciating laugh.

Frazzled and desperate to put some distance between her and Max, Liz rose to pace. She couldn’t figure our why she was feeling so strangely around him all of a sudden. It wasn’t as though the two hadn’t been alone before. It also wasn’t as if they hadn’t shared a couple of secrets between them which was why Liz didn’t understand what felt different this time around.

“Are you okay?” Max questioned from where he sat. She half expected him to grab her arm and tug her down as Michael would have. It only took a moment after to remember that Max wasn’t like that. When things were serious, he didn’t impose himself on anyone and he had never forced Liz to explain herself, no matter what the situation was.

When she turned to face him, Liz was fully prepared to tell him that everything was just fine. What she hadn’t prepared for was the genuine concern reflected in his expressive, hazel eyes.

“No… not really” she found herself admitting. On impulse, she returned to her place beside him and struggled for several moments before coming up with an adequate enough explanation. “Do you ever get this feeling like… like something is happening and no matter how hard you try, you can’t stop or control it?” Liz asked with an intense glint in her eyes as she met his gaze head on.

“They’ll always be something in life you can’t control” Max responded though it wasn’t the answer Liz had been looking for.

“Maybe I’m not saying this right” Liz murmured and buried her face in her hands. Again, she searched for the right explanation just as the echoing sound of more broken glass filled the air. The next second was followed by a small scream that had Liz’s blood running cold. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed and rushed up the stairs with Max hot on her heels.

With a second though, she headed straight for Nancy’s room where she found her mother leaning against one of the walls. Blood had already begun to soak through her thin, long sleeved shirt. The sight of it, so dark and thick nearly had Liz blanching in remembrance. “Oh my god” she repeated as a wave of dizziness had her head spinning.

“Liz” both Max and Nancy called out as the room seemed to close in on her. She could hear them but in her mind, they sounded so far away. Their cries became something else, belonging to someone else. When the darkness quickly found her, Liz welcomed it.


~&~&~&~&~&


Warmth. Cologne. Fresh rain. Softness.

They all comforted her and chased away the last vestiges of a traumatic past, relieved again in her sleep. “You’re awake.” He was quiet, almost as if he was trying not to disturb the night. Lazily… reluctantly, her eyes fluttered open until they were resting on his concerned and handsome face. “You okay” he asked and gently pushed the hair away from her face.

The action caused his hand to softly graze her skin. Liz found more comfort in the small gesture than she did in his words.

“What happened?” she asked. Slowly, she sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes with two closed fists. In that moment, she resembled a small child and Max couldn’t help but smile in response.

“You tell me” Max answered once she had returned her gaze to his. “One minute we were racing up the stairs to check on your mom and the next… you were out like a light.”

His words were like a key to a locked door. Instantly, Liz’s mind was flooded with what had happened earlier in her mom’s room. More than that, her mind was flooded with the root of her earlier anxiety. More images… voices… screams, some that were her own and more that weren’t.

Beside her, with a discarded book on his lap, Max continued to sit and watch as a myriad of emotions played themselves across Liz’s alert features. “Hey. Whatever it is… you can talk to me about it. I promise you can” he assured. It was tempting… too tempting. The concern tinged with curiosity reflected in his expression was hard to turn down.

For so long… too long, Liz had kept it all inside of her. It was her one secret. The secret everyone knew but didn’t know all about. Not her parents… not Kyle… not even Michael. Even at a young age she knew better than to tell Michael. He would have blamed himself, held himself accountable for something he would never have been able to control. She didn’t want that for him and as a result, kept certain puzzle pieces locked inside.

“Okay” Liz agreed in a voice so quiet Max almost had to strain to hear her. “But I need to check on my mom first.”

“She’s sleeping” Max stated. It was then that Liz looked at her window into the dark of night. The rain had stopped and it seemed that the wind had finally died down as well. The bright red numbers on her alarm clocked blinked an inaccurate time as Liz wondered how long she had been asleep. “The storm past about an hour ago” he informed as though sensing where her thoughts had headed. “They’ll be a big mess to clean up tomorrow but for now, everyone’s okay… and asleep.”

Nodding, Liz considered her options before nodding towards her window. “Come on.” With the warm, wool blanket wrapped around her shoulders, Liz climbed through the unharmed window pains and out onto her littered balcony.

Her favorite lawn chair was overturned, her plants bent in ungodly angles while small shards of broken glass from forgotten candle holders carpeted the concrete. Thankfully, with the overhang placed just right, there was a small area against the brick wall that had been spared from destruction and rain.

Wordlessly, Liz picked a spot on the floor and waited for Max, who held his own blanket, to join her.

Her first thought was to second guess herself but her instincts told her she could trust Max. Over the years, Michael had always said that he trusted her instincts. For whatever reason, he denied it was possible for her to make a bad decision when it really counted. Now, Liz hoped he was right and decided to trust his instincts as she opened her mouth to relay a tale she had never once spoke aloud.

“The first night you and I met, you reminded me of a memory. You said that you saw me in my parents’ café, following my dad around with a book of poetry in my hand” Liz began and raised her hand to push away a single tear that had fallen. She felt chilled, she always did whenever she thought back but having Max beside her, his shoulder pressed against hers made things a little easier this time. “You also said that you wondered how a kid my age even understood the words I read.”

“Right” Max agreed, nodding once.

“The first poem I ever wrote was when I was about ten years old” Liz admitted as she toyed with her hands beneath the blanket. “It was the only way I know how to express what I was feeling… what I was holding in” was her quiet confession. “Over the years I’ve revised it about a hundred times but no matter what I change… there’s something about it that always stays the same.”

Again, she halted herself, unsure of whether or not to take the next step. She knew that once the words were out, no amount of wishing would ever take them back. Liz knew this and still found herself reciting the answer to his earlier question. What happened?

“The rain outside usually comforts me
But tonight it gives me chills
Those cold lonely raindrops soaking
Into the ground and running down the hills
Before, I would sit watching and remembering
Things that used to be
But now I pray to forget
Those terrifying memories that still haunt me
I try to think of happy times
So I can forget at last
But as soon as I relax
In comes memories of the past.”

“You forget the square roots of certain numbers… the Gettysburg Address… the proper conjugation for past and present tenses… a thousand little pieces of information. Then there are these other things. Hurtful words… a person’s scream… the feel of dread in the pit of your stomach and no matter how hard you try, you will never ever forget them.”

He didn’t hesitate to pull her in his arms. Cradling her body with her head resting against his chest, Max ran his hands through her hair in a gesture meant to soothe. It would have been so easy to leave it at that… to try again later but Liz knew that if she stopped now, she may never work up the courage to continue. Even if she didn’t realize it at the time, she needed to continue.

“I used to love the rain” she murmured and allowed her eyes to flutter closed as she reveled in Max’s presence. “I loved to play in it. I wanted Michael to play in it with me so I ran all the way to his house. I knew I only had a few minutes to convince him.”

“Liz… you don’t have to do this if you…”

“No” she interrupted and forced herself up. “I’ve never told anyone this story before. Please don’t stop me now that I’m finally getting it out. It would be too easy to stop” she implored, fearfully. The idea… the words… all were things that couldn’t hurt her anymore though Liz had trouble remembering that. “Please.” She needed him to hear it as much as she needed to say it.

Crickets chirped from some unknown destination and the moon cast a soft glow over their faces. She saw his reluctance as he easily read the need she felt.

“Just promise me that when this is over, you’ll answer something else” Max negotiated, taking her hand in his. Liz, who didn’t believe there would be any harder question to answer, simply nodded in compliance.

“The story everyone knows is that I went to play in the rain and ended up too far away from home” Liz continued with an ironic expression as she thought back to all the trouble she had been in when they finally found her. “My mom, Michael… Kyle, they all think I’m afraid of storms because I got caught out in one, alone. I guess it’s not their fault though. I never told them anything different” she admitted and steeled herself for the final piece to the puzzle.

“Michael and I spent so much time together that we usually just walked in and out of each other’s houses. That night was no exception.” Desperately, Liz pushed away the ghosts and forced her eyes to remain open in hope that it would somehow make things easier. “Michael’s parents fought a lot, the whole town knew as much but I had never heard them. I never saw them” she corrected. “A neighbor…Mrs. Anderson, she heard the yelling that night. The sound of glass breaking.”

Liz didn’t have to try hard to hear it all over again. The ceramic vase Grandma Guerin had given them. The battered lilies strewn on the carpet in a puddle of dirty water. She screamed at him to let go. He was hurting her, she said. He was angry, he didn’t like being told what to do. A half empty goblet of wine…red. It stained the floor in a cross between purple and crimson. She remembered the shape it made. Like a cloud picture, she believed it was a strange, distorted star with four and half points instead of five.

“I ran away when I heard the sirens. I ran until I was too tired to run anymore and collapsed on the muddy ground” Liz admitted as more tears continued to fall. She never noticed them though. “He went to jail and Michael hasn’t seen him since. His mom tried to get past it but… she never could. You can see it in her eyes. There’s fear there whenever the thunder rolls or a door slams. She never drinks anything red.”

Liz remembered screaming at Michael on the Halloween after when he showed up on her doorstep as a vampire. Fake blood stained his fake, fanged teeth as he opened wide and in his best Transylvanian impression, asked to suck her blood.

“And in all these years, you never told Michael.” He asked the question though it sounded more like a statement. He already knew the answer. “Why?”

“Because he would have somehow believed it was his fault” Liz shrugged, thinking about how withdrawn he had gotten in the months after his dad’s arrest. “He already thought it was his fault that his mom got hurt, that he wasn’t there for her that night. He didn’t realize how well people hide things if they want to bad enough” she understood it only because she had done it herself. “He would have felt responsible for my nightmares too.”

“But why not Kyle?” Max then asked and without him saying it, Liz knew that this was his question. This was the one thing he wanted her to answer. “He would have understood.”

“Maybe” Liz mused and only because she had no other explanation, gave him back his words. “But it’s hard to talk about pain with someone who had no idea what yours is like. I don’t need to be a genius to see that you hold something inside that made you who you are today. I know your have a past and whatever it holds, somehow allows you to understand me when no else seems to be able to.”

He wasn’t thinking about it and neither was she. Tentatively, Max cupped her face in his hands and leaned his forehead down to rest against hers. The scent that was uniquely Max filled her senses completely. Liz found her eyes fluttering closed, her lashes grazing the surprisingly soft skin of his face as they did.

Liz had no idea what she expected to happen or what she wanted to happen, for that matter. Then when he finally lifted slightly to place a gentle kiss to her forehead, she wasn’t sure whether or not she was relieved or disappointed.

The poem is a real poem but for the life of me, I can't remember who wrote it. Just know that it wasn't me!

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Back again! Glad you're all enjoying this so far. Thanks to:

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Chapter 7

Liz heard the door open and close but before she could ask Kyle if he’d gotten everything, someone else came strolling in. “Evening sugar, what are you doing in here all alone?” Max asked as he hopped onto the counter beside several bowlfuls of food. He wore a playful grin that had Liz’s heart beating a little quicker.

Since the night of the storm, she couldn’t deny her feelings for him were changing. At first he had just been Kyle’s cousin. Then he became her friend and now… now Liz wasn’t so sure what he was to her anymore.

She realized that soon enough, she needed to sit down and think about what she truly wanted. On one hand, she was beginning to develop feelings for her boyfriend’s cousin. The idea was crazy, even to her own ears though she found herself powerless to stop them. On the other hand, she had no idea what Max was thinking. For all she knew, he looked at her solely as a friend to talk to and tease. For all she knew, this was just a passing attraction caused by lack of quality time spent with Kyle.

“Rocket science” Liz replied with a straight face. “How about you?” she politely returned.

“Undressing you with my eyes” he offered, shrugging his shoulders as though it were no big deal.

Liz rolled her eyes, dramatically before continuing her task. It was banter like that that had her wondering though she was too chicken to really analyze it. “I’m cooking and alone because Kyle went to the store to pick up a few things I needed” she explained and pushed past the small shiver she felt as he tossed her another one of his grins. “You want to help?” she asked, offering him the cutting knife she had been using.

“No thanks, but I’ll keep you company till he gets back” Max offered. “So tell me, dear, how was your day?” he asked, using a mocking tone to his endearment. Again, it was comments like those that made Liz wonder.

“Busy” she replied with her own shrug. “I’m working on this critique for my Creative Writing course. It’s due in a week and I’m having a difficult time trying to be critical and nice all at once” she explained. With her head still down, she pushed the contents of her cutting board into a bowl and reached for another potato to chop down.

“How’d the British Lit test go?” Max queried, surprising Liz that he’d even noticed her work, a few days before. After an early night at the pub, he had sauntered in, punchy with fatigue and had caught her studying in the living room as Kyle diligently worked on new plays in his bedroom.

“I’m thinking I aced it” Liz replied, confident enough in her grades and in her recent work. “Can you grab this for me?” she then asked, trying and failing to reach the bottle of garlic powder on the top shelf, along with all the other unused spices.

“What are you making anyway?” Max asked as he effortlessly reached up and grabbed the bottle she pointed to.

“Shish kabobs” Liz replied. “Thanks” she added with a grin and began seasoning the meat cubes and potatoes with the strong scented powder. “Do you want yours loaded?” she asked as an afterthought.

“With?”

“Meat, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions…” she trailed off, seeing the disgusted look on his face. “I take that as a no?”

“I hate tomato and onions” he replied, scrunching his nose in a very childish fashion.

“Me too, but Kyle likes them so…how about I make yours just like mine, loaded but with only meat and potato, unless you’d prefer yours with chicken, I have that too?” she offered just as the door opened and slammed shut again. Moments later, Kyle appeared, toting two overflowing bags of groceries.

“How about all three” Max suggested as he hopped down.

“Sure thing” Liz replied as she continued her work. Kyle made small talk as he and Max unloaded the contents and either stored them away or left them out for Liz to use. Without heat, he and Max debated the pro teams and their chances at making it to the Super Bowl. They laughed and ribbed one another, making it easy for Liz to see what had been missing between the two of them recently. Friendship.

Guilt overwhelmed her in that instant as she realized exactly what kind of damage her growing feelings would cause. Suddenly it became too much for her. “I um… I have to go and… I’ll be right back… in a few minutes” she fumbled and quickly bolted out of the kitchen.

Just before she slammed the door shut, she heard both Max and Kyle call out to her.


~&~&~&~&~&


“Are you kidding me?” Michael questioned, perplexed as Liz shot him a helpless look. “Okay, let me get this straight. You and Max have been spending some time together and lately Kyle hasn’t been around all that much.” Liz nearly rolled her eyes as he shifted into detective mode but remained quiet in hopes that he could somehow help her figure things out. “Max is easy for you to talk to. You’ve been confiding in him lately and he seems to be reciprocating that trust.”

Wordlessly, Liz nodded and bit her lip in apprehension as Michael processed everything.

After hurrying out of Kyle’s apartment, Liz found herself at a complete loss. She had no idea what she was doing and since she couldn’t exactly go to Max to talk things through, she went to Michael. While she had expected him to be surprised and even a bit weirded out, she didn’t expect the bark-like laughter that erupted from his mouth.

“What the hell is so damn funny?!” Liz demanded as he practically rolled around on the floor in hysterics. In all their years of being friends, she had never once seen him laugh so hard… or so loudly. “Michael Anthony Guerin! Stop!” she commanded in the most authoritive voice she could manage. Unfortunately, her ire only seemed to amuse him even more.

Five Minutes Later:

“Okay” Michael began again as he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes. “Sorry about that, it’s just… well you’re totally up shit creek without a paddle” he bluntly stated. “God, Liz, could you have picked a worse person to fall for?” he asked though his questioned lacked the bite she may have expected.

“Sometimes you don’t get to choose” Liz fired back. “After all, look at you. You chose Miss Pretty Princess who permanently has a stick up her ass.”

Michael only grimaced in response. The last thing he wanted was to get into a discussion about Max and Maria’s qualities. He knew as well as anyone else did that his girlfriend was uptight and was usually only polite rather than friendly towards Liz. He could admit that it bothered him but he didn’t dwell on it because he learned to pick his battles. In the end, he realized that having both Maria and Liz in his life didn’t have to be a contest and that neither would ever make him choose.

“Look, we’re not talking about me and my choices, we’re talking about you and yours” Michael stated in an effort to diffuse a possible argument. “Now I know that any best friend would tell you that you have to figure out which one you want and then encourage you to do something about it. So… that’s what I’m saying now. Spend some more time with Max and decide it’s just a crush because he’s paying attention to you or if it’s something real. Then you need to think about Kyle, specifically why you’re still with him” he suggested with an unconcerned shrug.

He made it sound so simple, Liz mused. Now she wondered if he was right.


~&~&~&~&~&


With Kyle at football practice and Jill around to run the café, Liz decided she was finally going to try out Michael’s advice. “I haven’t seen you do this in a while” Nancy commented as she appeared in Liz’s doorway. “What’s the occasion?” she asked, referring to the way Liz stood in front of her closet, surveying her choices.

“No occasion” Liz replied, hoping she pulled off the nonchalance she had been trying for. “I just wasn’t sure what to wear since it’s kind of cold but not really cold” she stated and silently pursued her sweaters.

“Hmm… I’d go with the red cable knit” Nancy suggested though when Liz turned to ask if she was sure, her mom was gone.

“Red it is then” she muttered under her breath and pulled the old gray sweatshirt off her form. Deciding that the jeans she wore were fine, Liz then piled all her hair up in a messy bun and coated her lips with a light sheen of shear lip gloss.

Then before she could talk herself out of it, Liz swiped the keys off her desk and climbed out her window. As she set foot on her balcony, she couldn’t help but think of how bare it looked now that all the candles were gone and some of her plants had been moved away. Making a quick mental note to stop by the store later to pick up some more of her favorite scents, Liz climbed down the ladder and jumped in her car.

It was now or never, she couldn’t help but think.


~&~&~&~&~&


It was the first time Liz had been to the pub since she was a little girl. ‘Jax’ had really been the Crashdown’s only competition for business which was why Jeff Parker had utterly detested the place. It hadn’t mattered to him that the atmospheres and even the food, were completely different, he had still refused to eat there.

Liz’s only visit had been when she was younger, back before Michael’s parents split up. It was Michael’s birthday and his parents told him he could pick any place in town to have his birthday lunch. Of course, Michael had immediately chosen the pub and begged to have Liz come along.

Not much, if anything, had changed since then. A mahogany bar still ran the length of one wall as two men stood behind it serving drinks. Both were clad in plain black t-shirts with the word Jax scrawled on their pocket in white. The three waitress that walked around taking orders and delivering food wore crisp white collared shirts with the sleeves rolled up and plain black skirts that barely grazed their knees.

“Well this is a pleasant surprise.”

Liz turned at the sound of his voice, a smile on her face. “Hey” Liz greeted and gave him a quick once over as he turned to call out to one of the bar tenders. “I decided I wanted something other than Sigourney Weaver meatloaf or Will Smith hamburgers. Think you can squeeze me in?” she asked, referring to the packed dining area.

“For you… I suppose I could make an exception” Max smirked and gently took Liz’s hand in his. She noticed that a couple of waitresses turned as they walked by, one in particular narrowed her eyes in obvious irritation as she saw Max lead Liz into his office.

Curiously, Liz observed the pictures hung haphazardly along the four walls while stood Max back and watched. Amusement lingered in his eyes and a small smile played on his lips. “Who are all these people?” she murmured, half to herself and half in question to Max. “I can only recognize a couple.”

He moved quietly as he came up behind her. Liz was too caught up in trying to place familiar faces to notice until his chest was pressed ever so slightly against her back. She felt her breath quicken, almost imperceptibly while he raised his hand to point out their identities. “That’s uncle Jack and my dad when they were kids” Max stated, referring to an old black and white portrait of two young boys fishing off a small pier.

“Where was that?” Liz queried, curious as she studied the way light reflected off the water. It appeared to be just before dusk and she imagined the colors must have been brilliant in the sky. Both boys were smiling cheesy grins at the camera.

“Baffin Bay” Max answered as his mouth hovered only a breath away. Liz found herself wondering how she never noticed before the way his scent seemed to cling to the air. It was smooth and subtle, clean and refreshing all at once. “There’s this tiny little town in south Texas, just by the gulf that’s great for catching trout and drum. My grandparents used to travel there every summer until my uncle was about fourteen” he explained with a small trace of nostalgia in his voice. Liz wondered how many times he had stories about that very place. “I suppose he and my dad had kind of outgrown the whole concept of family vacations by then” he quietly mused.

Nodding, Liz turned to the next picture and cocked her head back in question. “Who’s this?” she asked and found herself turning to face Max when he didn’t automatically answer. “Max?”

“That’s my younger brother, Zan” he finally replied and plastered a forced smile on his face. Liz saw the resemblance but didn’t mention that. “He was about… twelve, maybe. I’m not really sure” he added and looked to the next picture on the wall. “That’s Lonnie when she was just a kid and then Isabel.”

“And where are you?” Liz questioned with a teasing smile gracing her lips. She had noticed the sadness in his tone and desperately wanted to tell him she would listen if he wanted to talk. If nothing else, she at least owed him that but found herself unable to get the words out. “I don’t see your picture anywhere.”

“Ha! I took that damn picture down the second I set foot in this office” Max retorted with an amused grin. “The last thing I wanted was my staff walking in here everyday and seeing a picture of me as some scrawny kid with big ears, long hair and braces.”

Liz couldn’t help it, she broke into a loud fit of laughter as a mental picture surfaced in her mind. “That’s it… laugh it up” Max stated and defiantly crossed his arms over his chest as he stared her down. Despite his expression, Liz found herself laughing even harder. Tears of mirth rolled down her cheeks and her sides began to hurt as Max finally gave in and chuckled in spite of himself.

“Oh wow. I haven’t laughed that much in a while” Liz admitted once she had finally gotten her giggles under control. “It's just that… well I can’t imagine the boy you described when now you look like…”

“Like what?” Max questioned, amused as Liz blushed in embarrassment. She hadn’t meant to go that far and now that she had, Liz knew Max wouldn’t let up until she gave him an answer. Especially since she had just spent several minutes laughing at his expense.

“Like… a… grown up” Liz finished lamely. He didn’t buy it, she knew as much though he didn’t grill her as she had expected him to. “So anyway, about the food…?”

Taking pity on her growling stomach, Max ordered a couple bowls of stew and grabbed two Coronas from behind the bar. Again, the waitresses stared as he carried the items into his office where he and Liz ate and continued their story telling.

Max talked about what it was like to live in New York, including his favorite places to go and the friends he missed. Kyle had never mentioned how much Max bounced around as a child which was why Liz was so surprised to learn he had lived in five different places before returning to Roswell.

“I lived with my mom in Las Cruces until I was about six. Then Isabel got it in her head that she wanted to be with my dad so she took off to New Jersey where he was living at the time and I decided to stay with my grandparents here in Roswell” Max explained, pausing to take a sip of his beer. “When Zan was about three, I joined Isabel out there but that turned sour pretty quickly so I came back to Las Cruces. Afterwards it was Albuquerque with my other grandparents and then Manhattan for school.”

Apparently Diane Valenti had never completely trusted men after what Philip had done. From that point on she had random boyfriends though none ever stuck for more than a few years. Max, from what Liz gathered, had never liked any of them and especially detested the one she was currently seeing.

Ryan was seven years her junior and had his own daughter from a previous relationship. The eleven year old, Darcy, supposedly really liked Diane and even called her mom which was strange to both Isabel and Max. However, despite their feelings, neither mentioned the awkwardness of the situation since they both figured their mom deserved some happiness, even if they didn’t approve of her source.

In return, Liz shared a few of her own, happier memories. Before long they were both in hysterics over a mishap concerning Michael, a golden retriever and a bag of milk bones. “Mr. Evans.”

Both turned at the voice, revealing the red head that had been shooting the pair looks, off and on throughout the night. It seemed that each time either walked out to retrieve something else to drink, she had her hawk eye trained on their every move. “Yes, Pam?” he asked though didn’t bother to sit up in his chair or wipe the grin from his face as she frowned slightly.

“Um… there’s someone out here to see you. She says she’s your sister.”

That managed to remove the final traces of enjoyment from Max’s face as the door opened wider, revealing Isabel Evans. “Well don’t just stand there gawking, come give me a hug” she demanded.

Liz looked between the two siblings, unsure of anything except the apprehension in Max’s stance as he rose from his chair to comply with his sister’s request.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Okay, this chapter is a bit shorter than the others usually are but that's because it's leading up to the next chapter. Thanks to:

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Chapter 8

Later that night, once the sun had gone down and the moon was high in the sky, Liz sat out on her balcony with a book in her hand and a candle by her side. Recently, she had delved into the wonderful world of Flannery O’Conner and soon found herself addicted the realistic style she used in every short story.

“Liz” she heard, no louder than a whisper in the wind. Curiously, she put her book aside and leaned over the ledge where she found Max, hands in his pocket, rocking back on his heels. “Can I come up?” he asked when he caught sight of her.

Liz noticed the shadows in his eyes, even from a floor above him and quickly nodded. Stepping aside, she waited as he clambered up the loud, iron ladder and easily swung his body over the ledge. “Are you okay?” she asked, immediately knowing that he wasn’t. There was definitely something on his mind. Now she just had to wait for him to share it.

“Can we talk… for a little while?” he queried. Gone was the confident and teasing man from earlier in the pub, replaced by a tentative and seemingly uncertain personality. Liz decided it probably had something to do with Isabel’s arrival and nodded her compliance. Gratefully, Max smiled and slid down the wall so that he rested in the same spot he had claimed on the night of the storm.

He waited until she was seated beside him before beginning. “Isabel’s engaged” he informed without preamble.

“Okay” Liz said slowly as she tried to find the problem in those two simple words.

“She wants to have the wedding in New York… so that it’ll be closer my dad” Max continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “So that means my mom and Ryan will go and she’ll fight with my dad. He’ll be bitter and pissed off that she has someone while he doesn’t. Lonnie and Zan will probably both be there as well but they don’t get along with one another. Then on top of all of that, my ex-girlfriend called.” Liz hadn’t expected that final statement and uneasily tried to figure a way to ask him more about it.

“Um… well, to start with, why don’t Lonnie and Zan get along?” Liz questioned in a light voice. Without even realizing it, her hand had drifted towards his and seemingly without thought, he gently grasped onto her fingers.

“It’s the story of my dad’s life” Max retorted with a humorless laugh. “He cheated on my mom with Lonnie’s and then cheated on her again a couple years later with another woman, Sandra” he stated and leant his head back against the brick wall as his eyes closed in thought. “Of course, she got pregnant with Zan and he left Lonnie’s mom, Chloe. Since she was old enough to know the story, Lonnie always blamed Zan for splitting her parents up.”

Nodding, Liz held his hand a little tighter as she asked her next question. “What about the other part… why did your ex-girlfriend call you?” Her tone was light and almost indifferent. She hoped he hadn’t realized how curious she really was as he seemed to consider the question for several moments before finally opening his mouth with a response.

“Zan used to spend a lot of time with us when I was living in New York” Max stated and finally opened his eyes though they remained trained on some unknown spot in front of him. “He got to know Ava pretty well and she became like an honorary sister to him… kind of what Lonnie had never been” he shrugged though didn’t dwell on it. “Apparently he gave her a call when he found out Isabel was getting married in Manhattan and she wanted to find out if I’d be there.”

It was on the tip of Liz’s tongue to ask why they had broken up but despite all he had shared, she didn’t feel like it was her place to ask something so personal. “Well…” Liz trailed off and waited until he finally looked her. “That explains why you seem bothered right now but I don’t understand why you seemed so freaked earlier when Isabel first showed up at Jax” she admitted, thinking back to the look that almost resembled dread when Max’s older sister appeared in his doorway.

“I love my sister. She’s crazy and selfish and totally full of herself but I couldn’t not love her” Max stated, pausing to find the right words to finish. “But the woman is like a plague or something. There’s this dark cloud that’s always hanging over anyone in her path and I guess I just figured she had some kind of bad news for me” he admitted and seemed genuinely apologetic about his thinking.

For several silent moments, Liz struggled with the decision of whether or not to ask him something she had been curious about for some time. “What?” he asked, studying her face with a curiously intense expression on his. Liz didn’t bother to hide her surprise, causing Max to chuckle softly. “You just… you looked like you wanted to say something” he stated simply in response to her silent inquiry.

“I did… I do” she corrected. “It just seems like no matter how I word it, it’s still going to come off sounding rude” she quietly explained.

“Have you learned by now?” Max asked, rhetorically as he gently took her chin in his hand. With her eyes focused on his, he softly, almost imperceptibly caressed her skin before reluctantly lowering his hand. “You can’t offend me” he murmured and turned away. Moments later, Liz still felt the heat of his stare as she tried to compose herself.

When had it become so hard to talk to him, she wondered. When did all the crazy feelings she held inside begin to beat so boisterously in her chest every time he so much as looked at her? When… and then it hit her.

“Spend some more time with Max and decide it’s just a crush because he’s paying attention to you or if it’s something real.”

It felt like an avalanche of emotions slammed into her all at once as Liz finally saw the answer. It was crazy and irrational. Things were too complicated. There was no way they would ever work out yet still… she found herself unable to help every single feeling he stirred within her. She was helpless to stop it all and when she really thought about it, she realized didn’t want it to stop.

For the first time in her entire life, Liz felt the dizzying and out of control spiraling emotion of love.

It also scared her half death as she acknowledged it.

“Liz? Liz?” His concerned voice brought her out of her musing as she returned to the present. “Where’d you go just then?” he gently asked and took her hand back within the warmth of his own. Nervously, she looked down at their joined fingers and found herself comparing their hands, just as she had with Kyle at the park.

Short and delicate linked with long and graceful. He had beautiful hands, only slightly roughened by life yet surprisingly soft to the touch. His hands looked like they belonged to artist and briefly, Liz realized she had no idea what he had done before uprooting his life to return to Roswell. “What were you?” she questioned, much as a child would have.

“Uh… human?” Max guessed, wearing a quizzical expression that turned into a grin as Liz promptly scowled.

“No. I mean what did you do for a living before you moved back here? What did you go to college to become? Liz elaborated and watched comprehension fill his eyes.

“An architect” Max admitted with a small smile for Liz’s benefit. “I always wanted to be an architect and then when I graduated, I decided to keep going to school to maybe become an engineer or something.” He shrugged as though the idea was no big deal. Liz heartedly disagreed with that unspoken assertion.

“So why don’t you keep going?” she suggested and watched skepticism cloud his features in response.

“Because that part of my life is a closed chapter, Liz” Max informed and she could almost see him closing up before her. Desperately, she tried to think of some way to stop it when he opened his mouth to continue. “Uncle Jack would roll over in his grave if I just turned his pub over to a stranger. He wanted me to have the responsibility so I’m taking it.”

“But if he really cared about you, he’d want you to do whatever makes you happy” Liz argued before she could stop herself. He wasn’t angry, she told herself that but there was still something unknown in his eyes. Something dangerous.

“Do you always do whatever makes you happy, Liz?” he questioned, again with the intensity marring his handsome face. “Are you happy? Are you happy going to college through correspondence classes? Are you happy running the Crashdown instead of interning somewhere or focusing on whatever brilliant book you’re gonna one day write? Are you happy with Ky… are you happy?” he finished though Liz had heard the unfinished question.

Was she happy with Kyle?

Two months ago she would have said yes. Granted, they didn’t have a great love story. They weren’t Romeo and Juliet. They weren’t Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara. Yet still… Kyle loved her and in return, she loved him back. Now Liz wondered how she could have ever mistaken love for what she felt for Kyle.

He was sweet and kind and dependable. Liz couldn’t deny that she cared deeply for him but being around Max felt like something had awakened inside of her. He made her feel things so intensely yet at the same time, he comforted her with the simplest gesture. Though just as quickly as these thoughts bubbled to the surface, Liz forced them back down.

“Sometimes I’m really happy with my life” Liz admitted in a far away expression that explained more than her words could. “Other times I feel… cheated, I guess. I decide how unfair certain things are and then I turn around and I see my mom. She has trouble walking in the morning and there are always dark circles underneath her eyes. She’s always sad and I think, what right do I have to complain about my life when hers is so much harder.”

Sighing, both leaned heavily against the wall and stared out at the velvet darkness surrounding them. “I guess that sometimes, you and I are both weighed down by family obligation” he commented.

Liz nodded and couldn’t help but wonder whether he was talking about his uncle and the pub or Kyle and her.


~&~&~&~&~&


Liz didn’t see either Kyle or Max for two days after their late night conversation. It wasn’t avoidance, not really. Liz just needed some time to gather her thoughts, to figure out what she truly wanted. Then immediately after, she tried to figure out whether she could really ever have what she truly wanted.

“You haven’t returned any of my messages” Kyle stated as he appeared by Liz’s side.

Briefly, she glanced over at him and the confused expression he wore before turning her eyes back to the setting sun. She loved dusk just an ounce more than she loved dawn. There was something about the colors fading into the sky as darkness claimed possession of night that seemed almost magical to Liz. She had always believed so.

“I’ve had a lot on my mind” she replied in a voice so soft he had to strain to hear her. He took her hand, holding close as though it belonged to him, as though he had every right to hold her hand. Liz supposed he did. He was her boyfriend though it hadn’t seemed like it lately.

Running from practice to meetings to bedroom sessions with his playbook. Then she with her school work, the Crash and… and to Max. Without even noticing it, somewhere along the line, she had given him a place that had been reserved for Kyle over the last two years. It wasn’t intentional and it certainly hadn’t been planned, but it had happened.

“What sort of things?” Kyle asked, automatically. It gave Liz the impression that he did it out of habit, rather than genuine curiosity. She didn’t’ want that. She didn’t want to be anyone’s obligation, certainly not her boyfriend’s.

“Do you remember when you first asked me out?”

Baffled, Kyle regarded Liz with a strange look as he slowly nodded his head. “Yeah… how could I forget” he stated as both shared a small laugh in remembrance. “I was scared shitless you were gonna say no and even more afraid you were going to say yes” he admitted with a rueful smile that had Liz shooting him her own curious expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… I knew what kind of girl you were” Kyle shrugged as though he hadn’t just confused her more. “You’re smart and you always feel things so deeply. I guess I was scared that you would say yes and eventually you would realize I didn’t measure up to your standards. Then you would break up with me.”

The admission caused a pang in Liz’s chest. Did he really see her that way? Was that what she was doing now?

An image of Max flashed in her mind then. Specifically, she saw his eyes. They were always so intense whenever he looked at her. She noticed that he always tried to mask that but there were times, before he could reign whatever emotions he held in, she was able to glimpse it. She wondered if she looked at him the same way.

“When you look at me… do you feel things?” Liz queried in a small voice, laced with apprehension as this time, Kyle didn’t bother to hide or disguise the confusion on his face. Yet still, he didn’t ask.

“Yes. Of course, I feel things” he stated and almost instantly after asked, “Like what?”

And there was her answer.

[To_Kiss_A_Frog]

Hi everyone! I wanted to post last night by yesterday was pretty busy so I didn't get a chance to finish this until a little while ago. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to:

cherie - hi! welcome to the story
linliz68
Ellie - glad you're back with us!
txndreamer06
dreamer
destiny
cocopucks
FSUMSW94
Behrsgirl1230
roswell3053
anonymousarfan
Jason's Lover
vampyrax
POM
begonia9508
ellebea
Erina258
Maxsgurl - hi! thanks for coming out of lurkdom

For your wonderful feedback!! It's always very appreciated. Now... on with the show!

Chapter 9

For days, Liz had struggled with the realization that after two years, she had unknowingly taken her heart away from Kyle and given it to someone else. The truth was, despite all the problems she and Kyle were currently having and the feelings she had developed for Max, she admitted, at least to herself, that she was sad about the way things were about to turn out.

Steeling her resolve, Liz gently squeezed Kyle’s fingers before releasing his hand. “Do you love me?” she asked and rushed forward when he would have opened his mouth to answer. “Do you love me because it’s inevitable and impossible to deny or because you choose to love me?” she asked and didn’t pause, even when confusion lit his eyes. “Do you love me or are you with me because I’m familiar… because we’ve been together for so long that you only remember how to be with me?”

They were hard questions for Liz to ask. She knew they wouldn’t be easy for Kyle to answer. Yet still… she needed to hear him say the words, needed for him to hear himself say the words.

“Liz… what the hell is going on with you?” Kyle questioned though his voice lacked the angered tone which would have made him sound harsh rather curious. “Why are you asking me all these questions? What exactly are you trying to find out?” Liz wondered if truly didn’t understand or was just afraid to admit that he did.

“I love you” Liz began, forcing out a small smile despite the inner turmoil she felt. “You’ve been a huge part of my life for so long now but… but as much as you mean to me, I think we should break up.” She couldn’t take it back now that the words were out. Liz was glad for that because she didn’t want to take them back.

Gobsmacked, Kyle stared, unblinkingly as he tried to figure out whether he had heard Liz correctly. “You think… what?” he asked, holding a dazed glint in his eyes.

The strange thing wasn’t what he said or the way he reacted, the strange thing was what he didn’t say and how he hadn’t reacted. Obviously he was surprised and probably even upset but he wasn’t reacting like a boyfriend who was helplessly in love with his girlfriend. He reacted like a guy who felt out control because someone took his choice away. If Liz needed any further convincing that this was the right thing to do, his reaction was the final straw that would break the proverbial camel’s back.

“Kyle…we aren’t the same two people who started dating two years ago” Liz stated, deciding to take a different approach. “Couples who stay together are able to do it because they grow together, they grow with each other but you and I… we’re headed in two different directions right now and I just…” she trailed off when she realized her explanation sounded like something entirely different than what she was actually feeling.

“There is so much going on in our lives that we keep to ourselves” Liz began again. “There are things about you that I don’t ask because it isn’t important to me to know. That sounds mean, I realize it but… but it’s the truth.” Apology was in her quietly broken voice. “Then there are things in my life that you don’t ask. Things that are there but yet, you’ve never once wondered about them. That isn’t a relationship Kyle. It’s…”

“So then let me get this straight” Kyle replied as he cut off her words before Liz could utter anymore. “You want to throw two years away because football isn’t your favorite sport and because I don’t understand all those words and rhyme you study?” Disbelief laced his tone with a hint of anger around the edges. Liz had prepared herself for that, she just wasn’t sure what she would have done if he had been really saddened.

“Kyle. Football is your life. It’s your career and I can’t even make an effort to talk to you about it. Doesn’t that tell you something?” Liz questioned and continued when he opened his mouth to retort. “You have no idea what my favorite book is or… or why I began writing poetry in the first place” she stated.

Another image of Max flashed in her mind. This time she saw him as she had that first night on her balcony. He had listened to her poem as though he felt the words she spoke. He wasn’t bored. He didn’t stop paying attention. If anything, he seemed to sense the meaning behind the poem before she had to explain it.

Liz wanted that. She wanted to be with someone who didn’t need words to understand her. She wanted to want to know everything about the man she was with. Even if they were completely different or completely the same, she wanted to know that they loved. Truly, deeply and unfailingly loved. Maybe it was impossible and maybe she would never get that dream but that maybe not would turn into a definite no if she stayed with Kyle. Liz knew at least knew much.

“I want to feel like the world is at my fingertips just because you’re by my side but… I don’t.” It was her final admittance. Kyle didn’t need to know about her growing feelings for Max. It would only hurt him to know that his cousin had been the person to finally make Liz see all she was missing. All that her relationship with Kyle was missing.

“That’s the sort of thing that happens in movies and in the books you read” Kyle bit back. “It isn’t realistic.”

Liz thought about The Misfit and how the grandmother wrongfully believed he would never kill an old lady in A Good Man is Hard to Find. Then there was Ruby who was angry at her husband, Bill Hill when she believed he got her pregnant in A Stroke of Good Fortune. Realistic stories with realistic scenarios. No, she thought, it doesn’t happen in the books I read.

“I didn’t stop loving you, Kyle, I just realized that I don’t love you the way I thought I did” Liz attempted to explain but she knew it was no use. He didn’t understand. He didn’t want to understand… at least not right now. “The last thing in the world I want is to hurt you. We’ve been through so much together… so much. I just…” she trailed off again. More words refused to make their way from her mouth to his ears.

“So that’s it?” he asked and refused to look at her. Stubbornly, his eyes remained transfixed on the sight before them as the last sun’s rays began to fade into night. “I have no say in the matter?”

“Do you really want to be in a position where you have to convince your girlfriend that you should be together?” Liz asked back and wasn’t surprised when he had no answer to give.

Silently, they continued to sit and watch the sun go down. Each waited until the light had completely faded away and the first star appeared. Without another word, Kyle rose from his place on the ground and brushed the dust from his jeans. He wanted to say something, Liz heard the hesitation in his breathing. He wanted to but didn’t.

He walked away instead. Liz listened for his footsteps, waiting until nothing but silence remained to keep her company. She felt numb and sad all at once. Everything, every word played in her mind like a graphic picture. It was then, that Liz finally cried.


~&~&~&~&~&


Liz had no idea what time it was as someone gently prodded her awake. It took a great amount of effort to force her eyes open and when she did, she was met with the concerned face of her best friend. He didn’t say anything at first, just fingered the tracks on her face formed by dried tears.

In that instant, Liz became aware that Michael knew exactly what had happened. With a loud sob, she threw herself in his arms and cried against his chest. Michael’s arms were tight around her body, holding her close and making her feel safe. She wanted to believe that everything would be okay because he whispered it would be. Desperately, she needed to believe him, needed to somehow chase the sadness away.

The two friends sat, hunched together on the park grass for countless minutes. Gently, Michael rubbed his hands over her hair in a soothing fashion while Liz clung to him, crying out the last of her tears. Again, no words were spoken as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her fifteen feet to his motorcycle. No words were spoken as she fastened her helmet and climbed on behind him. No words were spoken as they shot down the street towards the Crashdown.

A best friend was supposed to have the ability to talk without words. A lover was meant to have the same ability. Liz had the best friend part down, now she wondered if she would ever have the lover part.


~&~&~&~&~&


Somewhere between relaying the entire conversation to Michael and shedding a few more tears, Liz fell back into a fitful sleep. Guilt clouded her dreams as she relived all the things she said to Kyle, including the things she didn’t. Liz knew, even in her dream state, that what had happened was for the best, but it was a sad thing to throw away two years of your life.

The next thing Liz remembered was waking up and finding someone sitting beside her. Male fingers ran through her hair in a soothing manner as the TV sounded in the background. At first she assumed it was Michael then realized it couldn’t have been. This touch was too gentle… to fluid to belong to her best friend. “Hey, you’re awake” a voice said, the face slowly coming into focus while Liz blinked, trying to get her bearings.

“Max” Liz said in sleep roughened voice. “What are you doing here?” she asked, gazing up at him curiously as he continued to play with her hair. She was happy to see him but didn’t exactly know what to say. What could she have said. ‘I broke up with your cousin because I’m falling in love with you?’

“Michael wandered into Jax earlier and mentioned what happened” Max answered and finally dropped his hand away. “Actually…” he corrected after several brief moments of silence. “The truth is that I have no idea what I’m doing here” he admitted, offering her a rueful smile when she stared up at him, owlishly.

“I’m glad you’re here… if that’s any consolation” Liz murmured and turned her eyes away when his intense gaze focused on her face. He was observing, appraising and Liz was scared of what he would find. Offhandedly wondering at the time, she glanced at the blaring red numbers on her clock, announcing the late hour twenty past one. “Do you wanna go for a drive?” she asked, suddenly.

Not missing a beat, Max replied, “Sure.”

Kicking the blankets away, Liz emerged from bed wearing a short pair of black running shorts and tight fitted wife beater. It was what she had changed into after Michael insisted she lay down. Seeing her dressed that way wasn’t a problem for either Liz or Michael. Simply put, they just didn’t think of each other that way but now, Max was staring down at her with an unreadable expression. Liz couldn’t help chill running up her spine at his smoldering look.

With a shy smile, she grabbed a large sweatshirt and pulled it over her body. “You drive” she stated and pressed her keys into his palm.

The rag top on her convertible remained up in an effort to fight away the late autumn chill. Aimlessly, Max drove down deserted country roads, all the while Liz stayed curled up on her side, staring out into the darkness. She wasn’t sure what she felt anymore. Sadness lay beneath the surface of her calm exterior but it wasn’t overwhelming or consuming. Now that things had settled, she was able to look back on her afternoon in the park and truly believe she had done the right thing.

“Tell me a secret.” The request came out of left field as her quiet voice broke the silence in the car. Briefly, Max glanced at her before returning his eyes to the road. He didn’t seem surprised and merely followed her lead.

“What sort of secret?” he asked back.

“The deepest, darkest most secretive secret you have” Liz returned, smiling mischievously when he tossed her a strange look.

“You don’t want to know my deepest secret” Max eventually stated and turned off towards a large outcropping. The area was large and spacious, illuminated only by the moon whose rays bounced off the ground.

“Why not?” Liz queried as the two stepped out into the night and climbed up onto the hood of car. Putting the top down would have probably been easier, he felt the need to point out while Liz quickly dismissed the comment. Instead, she focused on his earlier answer, deciding to prod him a bit. “Why won’t you tell me your secret? Did you kill someone or something?” she teased and in the process, drew a reluctant smile from Max’s lips. “Or are you some alien king from another planet?”

“Yep, that’s it. You figured out my secret” Max said with a straight face. “I’m an alien king from another planet, reincarnated and sent to earth after some madman killed me for my throne.” Unable to help it, Liz burst into a fit of laughter that Max quickly joined. Their amused sounds echoed around the vast emptiness around them, making it sound like twenty rather than two people were laughing.

“Wow. What a cheesy sci-fi show that would have made” Liz commented through her giggles.

At some point, her head found it’s way to the crook of his neck and rested there, enjoying his enveloping scent while his arms seemed to automatically come around her body. She felt safe in his arms, even a bit cherished. It was like coming home after a long, tiring day.

“If you could take back what happened today, would you?”

His voice was quiet, gentle as Liz’s eyes fluttered closed. “No” she replied and snuggled a little closer. He was warm but it wasn’t like being wrapped up in a thick blanket or standing in front of a fire place. With all her words she still couldn’t describe what he was like, what his presence felt like but her lack of explanation didn’t stop Liz from relishing the feeling.

“Why?”

Liz thought about his question and found a strange answer within her mind. “Do you ever listen to country music?” she inquired, still unable to throw him for a loop with the questions she asked and the things she wondered.

“Not particularly” Max answered.

“My mom… she recently started listening to it all the time and there’s this one song, My Valentine, by Martine McBride” Liz informed and settled a little closer when a light breezed rushed past them. “The first words personify what I believe real love should be. And the truth is that you could go through that entire song and I don’t think a single line would describe the relationship I had with Kyle” she confessed and was even prepared for his next question.

“What are the first words?” he asked while the quiet, masculine timber of his voice had Liz looking up at him with her own unreadable expression. “What do you think real love is?”

“If there no words. No way to speak. I would still hear you” she whispered as their faces hovered dangerously close together. “If there were no tears. No way to feel inside. I’d still feel for you.” She wanted him to kiss her, wanted to feel his lips. Quietly, she continued the song and chanced a glance at his eyes as she got towards the end. “All of my life. I have been waiting for all you give to me. You’ve opened my eyes. And showed me how to love unselfishly.”

Her voice murmured the last words. Their bodies were close enough to share a single breath between them. With a gentleness Liz had come to associate with him, he ran a single finger down her face and tentatively lifted her chin so that their eyes had no choice but to meet.

With baited breath, Liz waited.