guelbebek, begonia9508, rie482, dreamsatnight, Earth2Mama, pandas2001, Behrystrwbry, trulov, orphyfets, L-J-L 76, BETHANN, Eliabeth Kivana
Part 10
Max looked at her disbelievingly. “Talk? About what?” he asked.
They had been separated for almost two years now, divorced 18 months and in that time Liz had never wanted to talk to him. Even when they had slept together to restore the connection three months earlier she hadn’t wanted to talk to him so he wanted to know what had changed.
Liz took a deep breath. “Can we sit down?” She asked. “This is going to be kind of hard, for both of us,” she said.
“Sure,” Max sighed.
“Maybe we could open the blinds first?” she asked hopefully.
Without a word Max went over and opened the blinds on the front window allowing the sun to pour through.
Liz watched as his muscles worked as he moved and she unconsciously licked her lips, something that did not go unnoticed by Max who raised an eyebrow at her.
“Um do you think you could maybe put a shirt on?” Liz asked then. “You’re a bit distracting like that,” she added pointing to his chest.
Max chuckled a bit before he took off towards the laundry room, when he returned he had a crinkled shirt on.
“Thanks,” she said.
“So what do we have to talk about?” Max asked a little bitterly.
“You and Tess,” Liz answered.
Max sucked in a breath startled by her bluntness. “Why now?” He finally asked her. “It’s been almost 2 years.”
“I know,” she nodded. “But I need to know some things,” she said.
“Why?” Max asked.
“Zan’s protector Cal taught them a lot more about themselves and who they used to be. Some of that information you should know,” she said. “But before I tell you there are some things I need to know.”
“Ok,” he sighed.
“What happened?” She asked then. “Why did you sleep with her?” She whispered.
Max didn’t know where to start but he knew that this was his last shot to try and convince her he didn’t mean for it to happen, nor did he want to.
“I never wanted it to happen,” he said firstly.
“I don’t know if it was all the time we were spending together training and jogging but one day I just started to notice things I never had before. I’d get aroused around her,” he explained dropping his head in shame.
“I just tried to ignore it, but then that day Tess asked to use the shower?” He asked.
“Yeah,” Liz nodded remembering that day. Her and Max had kissed and joked about him owing her some sex for getting out of bed to go jogging with Tess, and he had told her he loved her.
“I walked into our bathroom to have a shower assuming Tess was using the main one but she wasn’t. She had just gotten out of our shower.”
“Who made the first move?” Liz asked. It was a stupid question and meant nothing but she needed to know.
“Tess,” He said. “But I couldn’t stop her, it was like my body wouldn’t let me.”
Liz nodded; her theory was starting to sound absolutely correct.
“What about the second time?” she gulped.
“Liz,” Max whispered and when she finally looked at him he answered.
“I was drunk,” he told her. “I have no idea what happened, or if anything did happen.”
“You were naked,” she pointed out.
“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry but I just don’t know what happened.”
“Ok,” Liz nodded.
“Why now?” Max asked then. “Why do you want to know this after all this time?”
Liz began to start a couple of times but couldn’t fine the right words. She chuckled a little then. “This is harder than I thought,” she told Max.
Max just sat waiting patiently for her to speak to him.
“Ok, well I guess I’ll just come straight out with it. As you know you were sent here for your safety. You were supposed to train so you were strong enough to go back to Antar. Obviously everything got screwed up when you crashed though. The thing is that the plan was very carefully constructed and they put fail safes into place,” Liz explained.
Max wasn’t sure why she was telling him this stuff; she of all people should understand that he didn’t really care. Why wasn’t she telling Michael this instead?
“One of those fail-safes was to program your DNA,” she said and looked up.
Max frowned. “What do you mean?” He asked.
“I don’t understand how they did it and Zan doesn’t know enough to explain it but your DNA was programmed.”
“What was I programmed to do, Liz?” He asked.
Liz took a deep breath as she tried to get her emotions under control. “To create an heir with Tess,” she whispered.
“What?” Max asked.
“When you reached sixteen, Tess’ body was programmed to release some type of alien pheromone which would attract you to her,” she said. “Obviously that attraction would result in the two of you sleeping together and having a baby,” she said.
“But that didn’t happen,” Max said.
“It did for Zan,” she said.
“What are you saying Liz?” Max asked bluntly.
“Think about it. Tess didn’t arrive in Roswell till after your birthday and she was only here several months.”
“Ok.”
“What if the pheromone was programmed to release every year until the mating occurred?” she asked.
Max sucked in a harsh breath as he realised what Liz was saying.
“I don’t think either of you had any control over happened,” Liz said. “I think it was inevitable that you and Tess were going to sleep together unless you never met.”
Max let out a harsh breath and tears came to his eyes. “You mean all of this is because of some stupid programming?” He asked. “That I lost the best thing in my life because some stupid people in a galaxy I couldn’t give a shit about wanted to play god with my life?”
He was openly sobbing now and Liz was having a hard time fighting her own tears. Did he really consider her the best thing in his life?
“I am so sorry Liz,” he sobbed.
Unable to stop her a moment longer Liz flew into his arms and hugged him close to her body.
“Shh it’s ok,” she told him trying to coax him to calm down. In all the years she had known him she had never seen him like this.
“You deserved so much better than me,” he said. “I should have left you alone after saving you. You didn’t deserve the way I treated you.”
“Max you always treated me like a Queen,” Liz whispered. “It wasn’t your fault,” she told him.
“I should have fought it harder,” he said.
Liz smiled at him a little then. “You fought it for a long time,” she told him.
“Did you come all this way just to tell me this?” He asked then. There was a hopeful glint in his voice that maybe now Liz knew the truth she could forgive him and that they could be together.
“You and Tess had the right to know,” she nodded.
“You’re going to tell her?” he asked.
Liz nodded. “Do you know where I can find her?”
Max looked surprised that Liz didn’t know. “Um, at Kyle’s I guess.”
“Wh-what?” Liz said confused.
“Tess came back to town about 8 months ago and her and Kyle worked things out,” he explained.
Liz felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Even though she knew that Tess hadn’t tried to steal Max away from her it was still a blow to find out that the women who ruined her marriage was having her happily ever after. Liz didn’t know how Kyle had forgiven her.
Max could tell what Liz was thinking, he’d asked himself on a number of occasions why things had worked out for Tess yet not for him. He never found the answer.
“I’ll head over there tomorrow,” she said.
Max nodded and moved his arms as Liz began to get off his lap.
“Thank you,” he told her.
Liz smiled. “I should have told you months ago,” she said.
“What? How long have you known?”
Liz swallowed guiltily. “I found out just before you guys arrived in Vegas three months ago.”
“Why didn’t you say something then?” he asked.
“I didn’t know the full story and I had barely worked through it myself.” Liz tried to explain. “I always planned on telling you,” she said.
Max nodded.
Liz waited for him to say something else. Deep down she was hoping he would ask her if there was a chance for them, for him to tell her that he still loved her but he remained quiet.
“Are you happy?” he asked her simply.
“Excuse me?” Liz asked confused.
“In Vegas, are you happy?” he asked.
“I guess,” she replied.
Max nodded sadly, he understood now that Liz coming to Roswell to tell him about the programming didn’t change things. They were over and she had moved on with her life.
“That’s good,” he tried to smile but Liz could tell immediately that it was forced. “You deserve to be happy.”
Liz didn’t know what to say to him. It was obvious he was resigned to the fact that they were over and she felt tears spring to her eyes. She wanted to tell him that she had been happy with him but she couldn’t get the words to come out.
Max looked at the clock and sighed. “I have to get ready for work,” he said regretfully.
“Night shift?” she asked a small smile playing on her lips as she remember those nights he used to work when they were married.
“Um no, I offered to do a double for one of the other doctors. I’m just home catching a couple of hours sleep before I have to go back.”
“Oh” Liz frowned, that explained the dark circles under his eyes.
“You should really start looking after yourself a little better,” she told him.
Max smiled slightly, and then shrugged. “The only good thing in my life is my job,” he said.
His tone was dejected and his eyes dull and Liz knew he meant every word he said. He was no longer the Max Evans she was married to, he was dead. Killed by the people who set out when they created him to control his life.
“I’ll go then,” she said.
“How long are you in town?” he asked then
“For the week,” she said, she wanted to add that she hoped she would see him again but she didn’t think he would really believe her.
“Your parents must be really happy,” he said as he walked her to the door.
“Yeah, they are,” she replied.
“You should stop by for a burger,” she said then.
Max smiled sadly. “I don’t think I’d be very welcome,” he told her.
Liz nodded remembering the story her Dad had told her about throwing Max onto the street after he had come looking for her, and that he had been banned from the place ever since. As such her parents never set eyes on Max, or so they said.
“Bye Max.”
“Bye Liz,” Max said before he quietly shut the door behind her.
