Roswell Fanatics

Ok thanks for the feedback you all are awesome..sorry that this is so late my computer was down. And because I forgot my disclaimer, The song on in the last chapter chapter in Liz's letter is "Im Not Supposed To Love You Anymore" by Byran White.


Chapter 9


When Max finally woke up his dreams were running over and over in his mind. He hoped that it hadn’t been a dream, but it was…just a dream. In his dream he was with Liz and AJ and together they were the perfect family, but in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. They were not a family. Liz and AJ were a family, and Max was the one outside looking in. It was like going window-shopping and seeing the perfect thing in the window. Something you wanted more than anything and the only thing separating you is the window. That was exactly how Max felt. The window was separating them, but it was a window he had built. He wanted desperately to get to the other side of the window, he just didn’t know how.

His father had been right about loyalties changing. In all of his years, he never would’ve thought his own family would turn against him, and yet here he was. His sister wanted nothing to do with him, his mother and father had taken in his wife, and his best friend and wife had become best friends. Nothing was the same. No matter how much he wanted to blame Tess for everything that had taken place…the blame lied with him. He had taken Tess’s advice and left. He had caused all of this damage, and now it was up to him to fix it, but how?

~*~*~*~*~

Kyle was up bright and early so he could go over and make sure Liz was ok. Over the last few years he and Liz had become great friends, so making sure she was ok was a major priority. Tess walked into the room with Ally and handed her to Kyle. He leaned over and kissed her good morning.

“Morning.” Tess said with a yawn.

“Morning. Sleep well?” Kyle asked her thoughtfully. He knew she wasn’t a morning person.

“I guess. I can’t wait to go home…I need to get out of this town!”

Kyle knew how much she hated it here, but he couldn’t leave until he knew for certain that Liz was ok. “I know, only a few more days. Max is back.”

Tess’s head shot up from the coffee pot and looked at Kyle. “What? When?”

“Yesterday. Apparently he’s been in LA just like we thought. He was living like five miles from us.”

“You don’t say? Has he seen Liz yet?”

“I don’t know. I’m gonna head over there to make sure she’s all right.”

Tess just rolled her eyes and thought to herself; ‘Have to make sure Liz is ok’ “Yeah, you do that.” She poured her cup of coffee and headed toward the bedroom brushing right past Michael.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. Listen, Michael, Max is back.”

Michael dropped his cup and looked at Kyle in shock. “When? Does Liz know?”

“I’m not sure yet. I know he went by the office to see Philip yesterday…that’s how we all found out.”

Michael shook his head in disbelief. “Poor Liz.”

Maria walked into the kitchen just then. “Why all the long faces?”

“Max is back.” Michael told her.

“What? When? Does Liz know?”

“We don’t know. He got back yesterday.” Kyle told her.

“Oh man. I wonder if he’s going to tell her?”

“He had better tell her, and she had better tell him about AJ.” Kyle stood up and went to look for Tess.

Tess was on the phone, pacing back and forth in the bedroom. “Max, answer the God damn phone!” But it just kept ringing until it went to his voice mail. “Max, it’s Tess. Call me the second you get this message.” She slammed the phone onto the cradle and began to pace again. “Shit, Max! Where the hell are you?” She was still pacing when Kyle came into the room.

“Are you ok?”

Tess shot her head up and looked at him. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just really worried about Liz, you know?”

Kyle didn’t believe that’s what was wrong with her, but he didn’t want to waste time arguing about it. “Yeah, I know. Hey, maybe we can stop by there this afternoon…I know Liz would love to see Ally.”

“Sure, that would be good.” Kyle kissed her fore head and left the room. Leaving Tess to get back on the phone to try to reach Max again.

~*~*~*~*~

Liz was getting ready when Maria pulled up into the driveway. She didn’t want Maria to come inside the house, so she ran out to meet her. “Let’s go.”

Maria looked at her funny. “Ok. Are you sure?”

“Yes, Maria. Let’s go.” Maria got back into the Jeep and took off. Liz was quiet all the way to the movie set. She just sat there and stared out the window. “Liz, are you ok?”

Liz looked up at Maria. “Hmm?”

“Are you ok? You haven’t said one word since I picked you up. What’s up?”

“Yeah, I’m just thinking.”

“About Max?”

Liz shot her head toward Maria. “How did you know?”

“You mean that he’s back in town? Kyle spilled it this morning. Listen, Liz, I’m not going to force you to tell me or to talk about it, but know that I’m here for you if you need me.”

“Thanks, Maria.”

“Anytime.” Maria smiled. “Now, let’s get this stuff unloaded…we have movie stars to cater too.” She raised her eyebrows a few times and hopped out of the car.

Liz sat there a few minutes thinking about what Maria had said. She didn’t really know what to do about Max, but she knew she needed to talk to him and confront him about everything that had happened. Pulling herself out of her thought, she got out of the car and helped Maria set up.

When they finished setting up they met with Jake. He gave them their passes and told them they could go out and wander around the set. Of course all they really wanted was to see the famous Alex Parker.

“Alex will be out and about. I can’t tell you what he looks like, but I’ll give you a clue. Think dark haired mystery man from an exotic place.”

Maria looked at Liz and winked. “Oh, Liz, your kind of Man!” Liz pushed Maria and they started off on their adventure.

They went around the set looking at the different trailers and signs and posters. Nothing that would interest most people, but they enjoyed it. Finally, they came to a trailer that said ALEX PARKER, so they stopped and Maria looked at Liz. “Do you think we should knock?” Maria was always one for fun.

“No I don’t. Let’s get out of here.” Liz turned around and was headed the other way when she heard Maria.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Maria demanded.

Liz thought it was probably one of the guys or Isabel so she turned around only to be face to face with Max. Max caught sight of her and froze. What was he doing here? Was this the big meeting he had to go to? Why was he coming out of Alex Parker’s trailer?

Max diverted his eyes from Liz and looked at Maria. “Long time no see, Maria. How have you been?”

“Cut the bull shit, Max. What the hell are you doing here?”

“I came to see Liz?”

Just then a man came up behind Liz and started to talk. “Hey, Alex. You’re wanted on set in five.”

Liz looked behind her to see the man, and then looked to see who he was talking to. She looked around only to realize he was talking to Max. Maria realized this too.

“You asshole! You were in Hollywood this whole time? You mean to tell me that Liz was taking care of your son while you were off playing Mr. Hollywood bigwig?” Maria pulled her hand back and swung, hitting Max square in the nose. Max grabbed his nose and a group of people rushed over to him as Maria and Liz walked away.

~*~*~*~*~

Later that Evening…

Liz was sitting on the sectional sofa when the doorbell rang that evening. She’d been watching TV with AJ, but he had fallen asleep. She got up and went to answer the door. She opened the door revealing Max standing there with two black eyes and a swollen nose. “Max, what are you doing here?”

“I came by to see you.”

Liz moved to the side and let him into the house. She closed the door and led him into the living room. AJ was asleep on the couch and wrapped up in a blanket. Max sat there and watched him.

“Wow…that looks really bad. Can I get you something for it?”

Max shook his head. “No thanks. It’s broken, so it has to heal on its own, but do you have any Tylenol?”

Liz tried to stop herself but she couldn’t, so she chuckled. “Yeah. Let me go and get it.” She left the room and Max stayed there…watching AJ sleep.

He was so peaceful and so beautiful. Everyone thought he looked like Max, but Max saw Liz in every way. Unfortunately, he had been cursed with Max’s hideous ears. Max laid a gentle hand on AJ’s head and moved a strand of his dark hair off of his face. Liz came back in with a glass of water, a straw, and four Advil.

“Here, this will help.” She handed them to him and he took them.

Max drank the water and handed the glass back to Liz. “You know, Liz, he’s so beautiful, but he was cursed with my ears.”

Liz laughed. “I love those ears. I think they’re great!”

“Well he won’t when he’s older, believe me.” They laughed a few minutes before stopping.

“If you want to talk I’m going to put him to bed. I don’t want him to wake up and hear something he shouldn’t.”

Max nodded in understanding. “Wait, Liz, can I come with you?”

“Yes. Can you pick him up?” Liz knew she really didn’t have the strength to pick him up today.

Max picked him up carefully, cradling him against his chest, and followed Liz to AJ’s bedroom. Max put him in the bed and Liz tucked him in. She kissed his forehead and turned to leave, but Max stood there watching him. “I’ve missed so much of his life.” Max stated regretfully.

Liz didn’t know what that was supposed to mean. “Yeah, Max…you have.”

“How do I make up for that?”

“I don’t know. That’s something you’ll have to figure out.” Liz stood there watching him as he bent down to the small bed.

“Good night, Alexander Jeffery. I love you.” Max whispered softly. As much as Liz wanted to believe that to be true, she didn’t know that she could.

They walked back downstairs and Liz took a seat in the chair while Max sat on the sectional. “So, I’m sure you have a lot to say to me.”

Liz just looked at Max…that was an understatement.

“Do you want to go first or can I?”

Liz looked at him keeping her cool. “By all means please go.”

Max got comfortable and then started. “Ok, I thought a lot about our conversation last night, and I remembered something. You told me you thought my leaving was your fault and you blamed yourself. Well, it was in no way your fault, and you can’t blame yourself for it. It was my fault that I left…all my fault. It was never that you didn’t love me enough or that you weren’t enough for me, so please I don’t ever want you to think that. You gave me everything you had, everything that you were, and all the love that I needed.”

“Obviously I wasn’t.” She shot back at Max.

“Excuse me?”

“Obviously I wasn’t all the love that you needed, because you slept with another woman, and then left me. I obviously wasn’t enough for you.”

“Liz, I was drunk.”

“And that makes it ok? You slept with her, Max. Granted your senses were inhibited, but that doesn’t make it ok. Then, instead of coming to me like you should’ve and facing the problem like a man, you ran away like a little boy. I was a big girl, Max, I could’ve handled it.”

“You would’ve left me.”

“Do you know that? That’s just what that bitch told you! Max, you could’ve come to me and talked to me. We could’ve figured out something. You know why? Because we would’ve been together. You and I could have handled everything together, but you just left.”

Hearing her speak those words, Max realized he could’ve been with her for the last three years. Yes, there would’ve been problems, but nothing compared to the hell they’d both been through apart.

Hey everyone...So wow ok on the feedback..I have to day thankyou for it, all of it. I made Max a character that you could have a feeling towards. Granted most of you feel emmence hatred for him, I got what I was shooting for, I got a charecter that I have actually found that I love and enjoy writing him. He isnt the best guy in the world but he nevertheless is still a man who loves his wife and his son and has made some stupid mistakes. But thank you for reading the story and liking it!! You all are awesome

frenchkiss70-Thanks for the feedback..I wasnt too sure how I was going to fix it either..but I think I have, and Liz wont take Max back jsut because they are supposed to get together!!
Alana- Thanks!! Liz still loves Max..she isnt too sure about him still loving her. She has her doubts. But she has been with him for 8 years and she cant just erase those 11 years and pretend like she doesnt love him.
behrlyliz- Thanks Ok Liz will get her fill of punching later on. Just wait!!!
RASaero611-Thanks
Kel1227- Liz has wanted to get things over with Max first before Tess, but in the next part she will get her say..everyone will get there say. The shit will hit the fan.
icequeen-you are right..max is going to have to take resoonisblity and Liz is going to make him. Maria and Isabel and Liz are going to get a hold of Tess in the next chapter.
g7silvers-Liz will get better, she is just in shock...she isnt really thinking about her right now. She is worried about AJ and she is trying to be calm about all of this. But it wont stay that way for long.
janesdilemma-Stepanie..you the bomb..thank you, I feel ya!!!! MUAH!!!
Emz80m-thanks emma..i am still writing you in,you are in my next chapter
begonia9508- you have to wait one more chapter..cause you will get it in 11
SAFIRESKYE26- thanks..for everything...you are awesome, gold star!!!
Lizza- she isnt going to take him back easily thanks!!!
extingman- thanks again..you are awesome!!
lizzy3686- thanks!!!

and for my secret fan...thank you and sorry you will get everything next post!!! Thanks!!!



Chapter 10

Liz sat like a statue on the couch watching Max. She’d finally realized she no longer knew this man at all. She tried to think of the last time she’d looked at him and really known him, but it felt like forever. The last time she’d recognized the man she’d fallen in love with was right before Alex’s death. After Alex’s death, Max quickly went down hill. He stopped coming home to Roswell, and become so distant. No, he was not the loving, caring, compassionate man she’d fallen in love with and married…he’d been different. Isabel’s birthday was the first time he’d even agreed to come home again. What could’ve made him change so much that he would cheat on her? Leave her? She didn’t know, but she was sure as hell going to find out.

Max sat there nervously as Liz stared him up and down. He was uncomfortable under her scrutiny, but knew she had every right to judge him. This wasn’t about making him feel better; this was about Liz and what she needed from him now. They hadn’t spoken in several minutes, which he realized was worse than her yelling. He wanted her to yell, kick, scream, fight…anything that might show she thought there was something worth fighting for. The silence was deafening, and he was unable to bear it any longer. Carefully, he broke the silence. “What are you thinking?” It was a dangerous question. That much he knew, but they had to get through this and silence wasn’t the way. Liz just continued to stare at him, her expression not even changing. He’d seen this stare before, but only once. It was exactly how she had looked at him when he told her Alex was dead. He’d never wanted to see that stare again, but he was seeing it now and this time it was his fault.

“I’m thinking about you being an actor.” Liz stated, still emotionless.

Ok, he knew he didn’t really want to know where this was going. “What about me being an actor?”

“When did you start acting?” She continued to stare at him, never breaking.

“About a year after I came out to California.”

Liz shook her head. “Who discovered you? You changed your name, why?” Liz was doing her best to keep her composure. Part of her wanted to scream at him and tell him to go away and never return, but now she had AJ to think of. If this had happened before AJ, she would’ve been hysterical by now, but for AJ’s sake and only AJ, could she refrain from telling Max Evans to go to hell.

“I changed my name so you couldn’t find me, and I only took roles in movies I knew you would never go see.”

Now that did it! “FUCK YOU!”

Max nearly jumped out of his chair when he heard Liz’s voice. He’d never known her to be like this under any circumstances, so the full weight of everything he’d done consumed him. He’d done this to her. Slowly, he raised his eyes and glanced at her. “Excuse me?” He asked quietly.

“You heard me! How dare you? You changed your name so we wouldn’t find you? What made you think we wanted to look for you? Then you only worked on movies I wouldn’t go see? Gee, Max, you really did want to get away from me, didn’t you? You know, Max…you sit there and tell me you don’t want me to feel like I wasn’t enough or that you didn’t love me enough, but you make it impossible to believe! Why are you even here, Max? I’ve been doing just fine on my own.” Liz could feel her blood boiling and her pulse racing. Just who the hell did he think he was?

“Liz, you have to believe me.” Max was on his knees in front of her now. Begging with everything he had left.

“Why? Why should I? Give me one reason to trust anything you say, because at this point, I don’t! For the last four years you’ve only given me reasons to hate you, so why should I trust you now? You tell me you’ve become an actor, changed your name, and only starred in movies you were certain I would never go see, and yet you have the nerve to ask me to trust you? That’s like asking me to forgive you. Why did you come back at all, Max? Did you really come to make things right, or did you come because you had to film on location and sooner or later we would’ve run into you?”

He knew she was angry, but he couldn’t let her believe that for a second. “No, Liz. My dad came to find me…”

“Oh, so Philip had to drag you home, because you wouldn’t have come otherwise?!?” Then, it hit her…he’d been dating Jessica. “What if I had come out with Aaron to see Jessica, what would have happened then? What would you have done?” Max opened his mouth and started to speak, but Liz put her hand up…“I’m not done yet, so don’t talk! I would’ve gotten off that plane completely oblivious, and assuming you would’ve picked us up, I would’ve seen you…then what? We pretend we don’t know each other? That wouldn’t have worked on Aaron, he already knows who you are. So tell me what would have you done?”

“I don’t know. I would’ve been shocked to see you. Not to mention seeing you with that bastard would’ve set me off...I would’ve done something.”

“Why?”

“Because he didn’t deserve you, and the fact that my wife was on his arm and I knew he was beating you…” Max stopped the second he realized what he’d just said. He saw the tears form in her eyes, making his heart break for her and everything he’d put her through.

“You knew? You knew he was beating me? Did you know it was me?” Max walked over to her and tried to touch her, but she jerked away from him. “DON’T TOUCH ME!”

“Liz…I swear I didn’t know it was you, otherwise I would’ve done something.”

“Like you cared!” Ouch, that hurt her! Liz had always hoped that if Max knew what had been going on, he would’ve come to save her and their son.

“I cared,” Max mumbled, trying to keep his voice from cracking, “I care, Liz…to know that he beat you, kills me. I may not have known it was you, but still…Liz, I did that to you. It’s me fault…I did that to you.”

Liz was fuming inside. Her dreams of Max being her hero and coming to her rescue were shattered. “Don’t lie, you wouldn’t have come back! I gave you everything! I gave you eight years of my life before you up and left! I gave you everything I had, everything I was, and this is how you repaid me…you slept with that BITCH behind my back! As if that weren’t enough, you talked to her, confided in her, asked her for advice, and then took it, leaving me alone. I’ll bet she even told you not to talk to me. Did she tell you to send the letters back as well? I went through so much, while you were out having the time of your life. I raised our son alone, I was beaten, put in the hospital, and now you claim you would’ve been there. You say you’re sorry, but are you? Are you sorry, cause I’m just not feeling it?” She blew the air she’d been holding out of her lungs, and sat down on the couch.

Max watched in awe as the tears quickly spilled out of her eyes. Everything she’d said was true, and he knew she was right.

“Well don’t just sit there, start talking. I want to hear your sorry ass excuse!”

“You’re right. You gave me eight years, and I took twelve. You were always there, loving me and supporting me…and I betrayed everything you’d ever given me and done for me, by sleeping with Tess. I was drunk, but that’s no excuse. I’m sure I could spend all night trying to make it up to you, but I know it wouldn’t do much good. To tell you the truth, if my father hadn’t come to get me, I wouldn’t have come back at all.”

Liz sat there in horror as he admitted he wouldn’t have come home. She’d held him up so high on a pedestal, but now he’d fallen. Liz had spaced out for a minute, but then she realized Max was still talking.

“I thought you were better off without me, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a single moment that passed that I didn’t think about you. I thought about you all the time and wondered where you were, and what you were doing. I never stopped loving you, Liz. Yes, I dated Jessica, so you’re probably thinking I moved on from you, but I didn’t. Liz, you were the first girl I ever loved, and the only one I’ve ever loved. You were the one woman I wanted to be with forever. There’s nothing that will change that. I want forever with you.”

Liz huffed in total frustration. His explanation seemed to get worse by the minute.

“But I know that’s not going to happen. I fucked up too badly, and I fucked you over. You’re right, instead of coming to you like I should’ve and faced the problem like a man, I acted like a boy. I went to Tess, took her advice, and ran. And yes, Tess told me to sever all ties with you. She said it would be pointless to try to explain myself. I thought if I left it would be better than you leaving me. I thought it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t bear the thought of you leaving me. Then, it would’ve meant that I had driven away someone I loved more than anything in the world, but I did that anyway. I left you and my son, whose life I haven’t gotten to be a part of. I know this is my fault, and for that I’ll forever be regretful. I’m truly sorry, Liz. Sorry that I didn’t love you enough to come to you with what I had done, sorry that I left you alone for the last four years to raise our son alone, and I’m sorry I made you feel like you deserved no better than that bastard that beat the shit out of you. I’m so sorry.” Max was crying now. For the first time in four years he let himself feel everything he’d kept locked away. He was truly sorry, but he didn’t know how to make her see that.

After listening to Max’s speech, Liz was crying too. “Sorry won’t make it better, Max. Just because you say you’re sorry doesn’t mean I’m going to run into your arms. I know everyone thinks we’re supposed to be together like we live in some fairy tale, but it’s more complicated than that. Don’t think I’m going to run into your arms and forget everything that has ever happened. You can’t just say you’re sorry, and expect it to be ok. Worse than that, I’m sure as soon as filming is over you’re going back to LA. Then what? What are you going to do? Go back to Jessica and pretend that you don’t have a family?”

Liz saw Max wince, so she felt bad for what she’d said, but she needed to know. Just then, her cell phone rang but she hit ignore and threw it onto the couch. Moments later the house phone rang, so Liz went to pick it up. “Hello.”

“Liz, it’s Kyle, we’re coming to see you.”

“Ah...” Before she could respond, Kyle had hung up leaving Liz with the phone in her hand. She hung it up and walked back to the living room.

“Who was it?”

“Kyle. He and Tess are on their way over with Ally.” A smile washed over Max’s face, which upset Liz. “What, you sleep with her, and then you smile about it?”

Max wiped the smile off his face. “No, I was smiling about Ally. She’s such a doll.”

That’s when the jealousy hit Liz. “You were there for Ally?”

“Yeah, from the time Tess gave birth to her.” He immediately saw the pain in Liz’s eyes.

Liz was jealous that he’d experienced everything with someone else, especially Tess, that he was supposed to experience with her and their child. The tears started to come, but she couldn’t make them stop.

“Oh, Liz…”

“No, please don’t say you’re sorry. Just don’t say it. If you were sorry you wouldn’t have done it.”

He looked at Liz and realized that all of the things Liz had dreamed about him doing with their son, he’d done with Ally, even though he wasn’t Ally’s father. Kyle was out searching for him and busy with work, so Max had experienced everything with Ally. Being born, crawling, walking, her first words, he knew all of it, but it had been with someone else’s child. “Liz, please...”

She looked up at him with the tears still evident on her face and her shoulders shaking. “She took it all. She took you. She won.” Liz thought about something her mother kept telling her over the last few years. “Liz, you can’t make someone stay who doesn’t want to stay, and you can’t steal someone who doesn’t want to be stolen.”

Liz finally ripped herself away from the internal battle being waged within her. “You didn’t want to stay, did you? Even if Tess had told you to tell me, you would’ve left wouldn’t you?”

“No, I would’ve. I would’ve stayed for you, and for our son.”

“But would you have stayed for you? If you weren’t happy, how were we going to be happy either?”

Max looked down and just stared at the floor. This wasn’t something he’d thought about. In all these years of running he’d made it about her, but it was really about him. He’d run away from her too easily, why? He’d always said it was to protect her, but he hadn’t protected her. Instead, he’d given her to the hands of the enemy. He’d left her here with Tess, Aaron, and a baby she’d successfully brought up on her own. He was really protecting himself. He wanted to protect his heart; he didn’t want her to leave him alone.

“Earth to Max.” He snapped out of it. “Would you have stayed for you?”

Max took a deep breath and locked eyes with her. “Yes, because the years without you have been nothing compared to what they could’ve been. I wouldn’t have stayed out of obligation…I would’ve stayed because I loved you.”

“But you didn’t… stay I mean…you didn’t stay.”

Again, Max walked over to the couch and took her hand in his. It was the first time since he’d been back that she’d let him touch her. He’d forgotten the feel of her hand and the softness of her touch. “How do I fix this? How do I make you see?”

Liz took her hand back from him. “I don’t know, Max, but I need to figure some things out. I need to figure out who I am, because, Max…I don’t remember anymore. I cant remember who I was, but I know that who I am now is not who I want to be. I don’t want to be the one that lets the boyfriend abuse her, or the cheating husband cheat.” He knew it was an analogy, but it still hurt. “The one thing I do know, is that there’s a little boy upstairs that has grown up without his father. That has to stop today! He needs his father, Max. Our problems have nothing to do with him, so tomorrow you’ll be his dad…whether you like it or not. If you don’t act like his dad, so help me, Max, I’ll make you sorry you were ever born.” Standing up, she smoothed her shirt and walked to the mirror to wipe away the tears, and mascara from under her eyes. “But right now, we have to deal with Tess and Kyle. I don’t know if everyone else is going to be joining us.”

“Ok then, let’s do this. I’m ready, are you?”

This time she took his hand and squeezed it. She wasn’t happy with him, nor was she ready to forgive him, but this was the first problem they were facing together after almost four years. While Liz knew they were angry, right now they needed each other.


TBC

Hey all....sorry this has taken me awhile.

Thanks for the feedback..you all are great...Thanks to Melyssa...you are awesome, you deserve a gold star!!! Love YA!!! Stephanie..thanks for the idea!!!! You are awesome!!! Hurry Back!!!!

Thanks again!!!

Chapter 11

Liz stood there, while the nervous feeling in her stomach consumed her. She thought about AJ, and how he would deal with this. Since children didn’t see all of the adult problems in the world, he would probably just be extremely excited that his daddy was finally home. He wouldn’t question where Max had been all this time; he was too young for that, so he would just be happy and content to have a dad. Liz couldn’t help but be afraid. Someday, this might be the one thing he would hold against her. She’d always told him, from the time he’d been born, that his father knew and loved him, but just couldn’t be around. What would he think of Liz once he found out the truth? Would he think of her the same way that she felt about her parents? Would he resent her?

Liz was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of the doorbell. Slowly and reluctantly, she stood up and went to answer the door. When she pulled the door open, there stood everyone. Not just Kyle and Tess, but everyone. She didn’t understand why everyone was here, but she stepped aside and let them in. She closed the door and just stood there, leaning against the door as if it were the only thing holding her up. This was the moment. The moment she’d known was coming, but had been dreading. How was she going to do this? After everything she’d been through the last few years she felt beaten and broken, but now she had to gather every ounce of strength she possessed to face her enemy. She took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. She was going to face this. She’d be damned if she was going to let Tess win this time.

When she turned around Michael was standing there. He pulled her close and held her as he whispered in her ear. “We’re here for you, Liz, and we love you.”

Liz squeezed him tightly and kissed his cheek before releasing him. “Come on…let’s do this.” She knew the others were probably clueless about what was really going on here, but it was going to come out, and she took comfort in knowing she wasn’t alone. They were going to be there with her.

She walked into the living room and found Maria and Max in a heated argument. “How dare you, Max Evans! You think you can just come in here and mess everything up? Your actions don’t just affect you, Max, they’ve affected all of us! Most of all, they’ve affected Liz and AJ! Do you have the slightest idea what you’ve put them through?”

“You think I don’t know that, Maria?”

“Apparently you don’t!” Isabel answered for Maria. She was so upset with Max. He didn’t seem to realize the hell he’d put them all through.

“Isabel, I know you’re upset, but if you’d just give me…” Max started, but Isabel immediately interrupted.

“No, Max. You have no idea what you’ve done, so don’t pretend like you do. You left all of us without so much as one word. You left everyone you loved, and everyone that loved you without any warning or explanation. We didn’t know where you were. Don’t pretend like you know anything about what you’ve put us through.”

“Give him a break, Isabel. At least he’s here.” Tess said in Max’s defense.

Just hearing Tess’s voice finally brought the strength she’d been so desperately trying to find to the surface. Watching her stand there so innocently, pretending to help after everything she’d done made Liz’s blood boil. Not only had she hurt Liz, but she’d taken AJ’s father away from him with her web of lies. She glared angrily at Tess and finally found her voice. “Yes, Tess, you’re right. He is here now, but what about a year ago? He could’ve, no should’ve been here, or wait better yet…he could’ve never left at all. No thanks to you.” Liz saw the confusion on everyone’s faces while they wondered why she was blaming Tess.

“Liz, it isn’t Tess’s fault Max left.” Kyle defended her despite the fact that somewhere deep down he knew she’d probably had something to do with it. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way, he didn’t want to, but he did.

“Tell him.” That was all Liz said to Tess, but Tess just sat there.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about. I think Aaron hit you one too many times.”

Kyle turned to look at his wife. Had she actually just said that? “Tess?”

Max knew he had to take responsibility for his actions, but it was time for everyone to know what Tess had done. He’d made his own decision, with Tess’s help, but she’d betrayed them all. Finally, he spoke up. “If you don’t tell them I will, so make your choice, Tess. You or me?” Max locked eyes with her and didn’t back down even as she looked at him in shock. Max waited, but she said nothing. “Fine, have it your way. Tess and I slept together before I left.” He’d had enough of these games. He was taking responsibility for what had happened, and so was Tess. He was tired of running, so he was going to face his problems. One way or another, he was going to make things right.

“Excuse me?” Kyle questioned in disbelief.

Maria’s mouth had dropped open, and Isabel looked at Liz who had tears in her eyes.

“Tess and I slept together on the night of Isabel’s birthday party.”

Everyone just stared at Max in complete shock, but Kyle had to know the truth. Could it be true? “How? I mean you were in the bathroom throwing up…that’s what Tess told me. When I went to go look for you she said you were in the bathroom throwing up. I was even going to send Michael in to check on you, but she…” Kyle turned to face Tess, “you convinced me not to.” Everything finally made sense. Kyle felt the pain all the way down to his core. It was true…he knew it. “I trusted you. I trusted you with my best friend’s husband and you betrayed me. You betrayed all of us!”

Maria was on her feet instantly and headed straight for Tess when Michael grabbed her arm. He shook his head no, so she sat back down.

“Oh please! You want to blame this all one me, but let me tell you something…Max wasn’t saying ‘No, Tess, I can’t. I have my precious Liz waiting at home’! He didn’t say a word, so you can blame this all on me, but he’s just as much to blame! It takes two to tango.”

“But he was drunk, we all saw that, and you took advantage of it. What, did you pretend you were Liz too?” Isabel spat out.

“Being drunk is no excuse.” It was the only thing that had escaped Liz’s lips since Max had spoken up. She realized in the moment that while Tess’s words were harsh…she was right. Max hadn’t said anything to stop her, and that hurt more than knowing they’d slept together.

“She’s right, me being drunk was no excuse for cheating on Liz. Even though I don’t remember much, I do know what I did was wrong. I hurt a lot of people…everyone I ever loved, so I’m sorry.” Max wasn’t dumb enough to think a simple apology would make things better, but he wanted them to hear it.

“So, you came back here to apologize for sleeping with Tess?” Isabel asked. “You didn’t come back to apologize for leaving and abandoning your family? All you care about is you! This is about making you feel better, isn’t it? Dad came to get you and told you what Aaron was doing to Liz, and that’s why you came clean! So this wouldn’t be on your hands? Well guess what, Maxwell…it is on your hands! All of it! Tess may have coerced you while you were drunk, but you did this! Now you have to start taking some responsibility for what you’ve done!” Isabel got up and left the room.

Moments later she found herself upstairs in AJ’s room. She watched him as he slept so peacefully. Even now, she couldn’t get over how much he looked like Max. Everything about him was like Max. He had the same looks as Max, and sometimes he would even act like Max. Then again, he also acted a lot like Alex. She continued to watch her nephew sleep until the door opened. Her mother was standing there in the doorway.

“Iz? What are you doing in here?”

Isabel turned to look at her mom and noticed that she looked older than she had two days ago. She smiled at her and got up. “Just watching Alexander. You know, he’s so much like Max. I’d never realized it until I watched Max tonight.”

“Are they still here?” Her mother asked, and Isabel nodded.

“Yes…they’re arguing. Mom, did you know that Max slept with Tess on my birthday?”

Her mother had tears in her eyes and looked at the floor. That’s where Max had gotten his inability to face situations. He’d gotten it from their mother. “Yes, honey…he told us last night at dinner. Your father already knew. He said Max told him in LA.”

Isabel shook her head. “Mom, how does Liz get past this? How does she survive? She’s already been through so much, and here comes something else.”

Diane ran a gentle had across her daughter’s head, smoothing her hair. “Baby, Liz is strong. She can do this, and she knows we’re here for her. Granted Nancy and Jeff might not be, but we are. She’ll be ok, and so will Max. He isn’t a bad person, Isabel. He’s just made some terrible mistakes. Come here, I want to show you something.” They walked toward her parent’s room, although the voices from downstairs could be heard.

“Why would you do that to me? To Liz?” Kyle didn’t understand. “You cheated on me! Max is at least sitting here with remorse, but you have none of that! Are you even sorry?” Tess just stared back at him. “You aren’t sorry…of all people why Max?”

“Because she took him! She took him and I wanted him back! I wanted what she took from me, so I took it back, and I did whatever I had to do to get it.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Liz asked. “What did you do? Were you the one that got him drunk? Exactly how much did you give him?”

Tess just laughed. “You assume I gave it to him? He took them…he ordered them.”

“How could you? Did I not give you what you needed? Did I not give you what you deserved? Why him? Why Max?” He was my friend. That was all Kyle could think about. He was one of my best friends and you destroyed that. He destroyed that.

“You couldn’t give me him.” Tess stated simply. “He was the one thing that was mine when we got to high school. He was the only thing, and Liz just took him.”

“You can’t take something that doesn’t belong to you.” Max said in an angry voice. “I didn’t belong to you. Liz didn’t take me away from you. I left you. I didn’t love you, and it wasn’t fair to string you along since it would end in heartache for you. You wanted what I couldn’t give you and that was my heart. I’m sorry for that, I truly am, but I never wanted to hurt you, or Liz, or anyone else! I did though, I destroyed my family and I have a SON that I don’t know! Why did you tell me he wasn’t mine?”

“You would’ve come back here and I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Why?” Liz asked. Still wondering how Tess could be so cruel.

“Because then you would’ve had your happiness, and I would’ve had this life. From the first moment Max came into my life all my dreams were always about him.”

Kyle couldn’t hide his tears any longer. Maria felt horrible for her stepbrother. She took his hand in hers, and squeezed it.

“You vindictive BITCH! You destroy lives! You let a little boy, that precious little boy, grow up without a father because you wanted something? You’re so cold. You have no heart. You have a man who loves you and that baby more than anything in this world, and you destroyed that. Why? So you could live a pretend life with Max? He would come over and what, you would pretend you were a happy family?” Liz was ready to attack. “You took my son’s father, and my husband! For what? Because you were jealous? I never would’ve done that to you.”

“You should leave.” Maria was furious and knew it was only a matter of time before she lost her temper. Just then Isabel came running down the stairs.

“You…” Isabel said to Tess. “How could you? What did you give him? What did you do to him?” The tears were flowing from her eyes. She held out a remote, and videotape in her hand, and shook it at Tess.

“Isabel, calm down.” Michael stood up and went to her.

“NO! Watch this!” She went to the VCR and put the tape in. She was so nervous that her hands were shaking, and she was having a hard time.

Liz went over to her and helped her. “Iz, what is this?”

Isabel looked at her sister in law. She knew Liz had refused to watch the tape before, but she would have to watch it now. “You have to see it, Liz. Trust me, you have to.”

Liz shook her head in agreement and sat down next to Isabel. Everyone’s faces were glued to the TV. Suddenly, the screen appeared and there was Max. He looked so handsome. Liz could still remember the way he smelled, and how he’d looked so perfect that night. She also remembered that when he’d come home, he’d smell like Tess’s perfume, and something else. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but now she knew. He smelled of Tess and sex. Her heart was breaking all over again.

“Lizzy, my Lizzy, how I miss you…you know I don’t think anyone is watching me tape this, but I am because I want you to know that I love you with all my heart and soul. I can’t think of a day when I haven’t loved you. All the way back to being in grade school, you were perfect, and beautiful, and I loved you even then. I know that I haven’t been that great of a husband lately…God knows that…everyone knows that. I’m stuck at this point where I’m not sure what to do. How do we go on? How do I move past Alex’s death? How do I forgive myself? You said something to me a couple of nights ago after our fight. I know you thought I was asleep, but I wasn’t. You told me that no one blamed me, and that I needed to let go. Well, I’m ready to let go, and I’m ready to move on. I can’t wait to grow old with you and watch our children grow up. I love you, Liz, always and forever. You are my heart.” He smiled and blew a kiss at the camera.

“Here it is…” Isabel said bringing Liz out of her moment. They all watched the screen as the camera was placed on the bar. They all saw it. There was Tess, slipping a pill into a drink glass. No one had to say anything…they all knew who the glass was for.

“You Bitch!” Liz was up on her feet in seconds, and Tess felt her face burn as Liz’s fist came into contact with her face.

“Liz!” Max called out. He had to run over and pull her off of Tess.

“YOU HAD TO DRUG HIM? YOU COULD’VE KILLED HIM! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GIVE HIM?” Liz was screaming as Max held onto her waist tightly with tears spilling down her face. When she stopped struggling and fell to the floor, Max fell with her. He hadn’t taken the time to realize that he’d been drugged. Tess had drugged him.

Tess sat there holding her face. She’d been found out! Now they all knew what she had done.

Liz started screaming again. “You wore my bra?” She looked at Tess with pure hatred in her eyes. “Did you pretend to be me too?” They all looked at Tess, who now had tears in her eyes.

“What do you want me to say?” Tess whispered.

“How about the truth.” Kyle stated. He stood there, holding Ally in his arms.

Tess wanted nothing more than to run to her daughter, take her, and get out of that house, but she knew they would never let her go. She sighed and knew that she had no more excuses…she had to tell the truth. “When I found out that Liz and Max were coming home I knew what I had to do. I went to Pam Troy, and I got whatever she was selling at the time. She told me to slip it into his drink, and promised me he wouldn’t remember anything. So when Liz got sick it was perfect…everything came together perfectly. I didn’t have to figure out a way to get him alone. I knew Max didn’t drink…I knew that because of Alex he refused. So, I got Isabel to convince everyone to do one toast. I got all of the drinks and I slipped the pill into Max’s drink. He drank it, and then after it started to take hold…I gave him more. Finally, he was so drunk he went willingly with me to the bathroom. I left him there, and told Maria he was throwing up so no one would look for us. I went back to the bathroom and I finished what I had started. I finally had my way with him, only it wasn’t what I thought…he thought I was you.” She gestured toward Liz.

“Excuse me?” Liz looked at her through her tears.

“The whole time we were having sex, he thought I was you…he kept calling me Liz.” Tess admitted.

Max couldn’t handle this anymore. “I have to go.” He stood up and looked at Liz. He could see the hurt in her eyes. “I just need some air.” And he took off. Liz was about to go after him when Michael stopped her.

“No, Liz…let me.” She nodded and Michael took off.

Kyle stood there, stunned and hurt. “ I’m going home, and I’m taking Ally with me. I don’t want to see you there.” He directed at Tess. He turned to Liz, Maria, and Isabel. “Goodnight, Liz. I’ll stop by tomorrow and we’ll talk. Maria, I’ll see you and Michael later tonight.” Maria nodded and Liz shook her head. Kyle looked at Tess one last time, and took off.

Max was outside looking at the sky when Michael came out. He sat down next to him on the side of the empty pool. “Hey, you ok?”

“What do I do?” Max asked Michael. Max didn’t know what to do. “You know, I came back here to prove something…to show I was a man, and that I could face up to all of these things I’d done. Now I realize I’m no man…I’m just a boy.” Michael sat there and listened. He really didn’t know what to say to Max. “I have a son that I don’t even know.”

“You’re right. You don’t know him, and you don’t know her either.”

“How do I get to know them?”

“You be there for them. You stay here and you face this. You work through it and you become a father to that wonderful little boy, and you help Liz. That’s all I can tell you.” He put his hand on Max’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Michael.” Michael smiled, and then stood up to head inside. Max was going to turn this around…one way or another.

TBC

Sorry that i numbered the chapters wrong...blonde moment!!! Thanks for the feedback and I appreciate it!!! And to let you know...I am putting Moving Forward on the back burner for a while...personal reasons!!

Thanks again.

Chapter 12

Kyle was the first one to leave the house. Right now he didn’t have a clue about what he was going to do, but he knew he needed to get away from there! It all felt like a dream, it had to be! If it wasn’t it meant the woman he’d loved his entire life had just confessed to always loving another man, even during their marriage. Then, she’d slept with the man she truly loved just to hurt to get back at one of his best friends. Kyle looked down at Ally, asleep in his arms, and wondered what he was supposed to do about her. If Tess was guilty of everything she’d just admitted too, he didn’t want her near Ally!

As he placed a sleeping Ally into the car he thought about Liz. She’d been through so much, and now he knew his own wife was to blame. He tried to keep his mind on Liz as he drove away, hoping if he just concentrated on Liz then he wouldn’t have to think about the hurt that was consuming him. For a brief moment he considered going back for Tess, but he knew he had to face the truth. Their marriage was over. The woman he thought he knew had never really existed. He drove down the dark, empty streets of Roswell with his whole world shattering to pieces around him.

~*~*~*~*~

Tess sat there in the Evans’ living room and continued to stare at her hands. Liz stood before her, her arms folded, and tapping her foot. She wanted to be anywhere but here, unfortunately she had no choice.

“You have nothing to say? How could you? After everything…how could you? How can you live with yourself? You’re nothing but a monster.” Tess didn’t look up at her, but instead kept her head down. Liz couldn’t deal with the sight of her anymore…she’d had had enough. “You know what, get out. I’m tired of this, so just get out.”

“Where am I supposed to go?”

“Like that’s really my problem? Where was I supposed to go, Tess? What was I supposed to do three years ago? Did you give a shit about me three years ago? I know you sure as hell don’t now, so tell me why I should I give a damn about you? No, just get out. Get out of here!” Liz’s temper had reached its boiling point and now she was screaming. Maria pulled her back and held onto one of her arms firmly, while Isabel held the other. They all watched as Tess got to her feet with tears flowing down her face. They had no sympathy for her after all the pain she’d caused. They all stared her down, the hate evident in their eyes.

When Max and Michael walked back into the house, they found the four women in a heated stare. Finally, Tess turned away from their glares and looked at Max, her eyes pleading with him to help her. Max looked toward Liz just as she turned to face him.

“Tess, I think you should leave…now.” Max said with pure disdain. He saw her tears begin to fall faster, but he didn’t feel sorry for her. She’d destroyed her own life and managed to ruin others, so to him…this was justice!

“Max…” Tess pleaded, but Max just ignored her. Instead, he turned away from her and walked over to Liz, Maria, and Isabel.

“Can I please speak to Liz?”

Maria was about to interject when Michael put his finger up to his lips telling her to keep her mouth shut. Maria and Isabel both looked at Liz and she nodded in agreement. They both released Liz’s arms, and stood back as she followed Max outside.

The night was warm, but Liz could feel the chills running up and down her body. She already knew what she had to do…the hardest part was doing it. She kept questioning herself in her mind…could she really do this? After everything she’d learned tonight, could she really end this? Max turned to face her, with tears in his eyes.

“I can’t even imagine what you must be feeling right now. I know sorry can’t even begin to express it, but I am sorry.” He hung his head low as he spoke to hear, unable to bear the pain in her eyes.

Liz wanted to tell him he was right, sorry wasn’t nearly good enough. Instead, she kept her mouth shut. She would wait until he was done.

“Tess did all of these horrible things, but her actions don’t make mine any less wrong. I know I can’t right the wrongs I’ve created over the last three years. I do know that. I wish to God it wasn’t true, but I know it is.” He stopped talking and looked at her. “What are we supposed to do Liz?”

Liz could hear the sincerity in his voice, and it broke her heart to be so harsh, but she had to be. She had to finish this. She’d been through enough; she couldn’t keep doing this to herself. To pretend like they were a family was a false hope…she knew that. They were no longer a we…there was Max and Liz, and that was it.

“There is no we, Max. There hasn’t been for some time now. There’s you and then there’s me, that’s it. We’re not together anymore, but we do have a son together, that’s what’s important now. So the question is what do I do now? Well, I move on. I get myself together, and try to find me again. Then, there’s what do you do now? You get your act together and get to know that little boy, because he sure as hell would love to know you. He’s innocent in all of this and I don’t think he should have to suffer anymore. After that, I don’t know. I think you need to figure out what you want to do. Are you going to be a movie star or are you going to be a father? Now I’m not saying that you can’t be both, but if you’re going to be a part time dad then I don’t want AJ to know you. AJ doesn’t need a part time dad. He needs a full time father. And believe me when I tell you it’s a full time job. So, if you aren’t up to it…don’t come around.”

She looked Max and saw the tears streaming from his eyes. She almost felt sorry for him, but it was time she took care of herself. “I know that sounds harsh, and it is, but he won’t understand if you appear, and then disappear again. So it’s up to you. There is one thing you need to understand though…I’ve struggled to take care of our son on my own, and I think it’s time you helped out. Even if you choose to stay out of his life I will take you to court and make sure you support your son.” She’d said everything she had to say, so she turned and walked away. Leaving Max alone by the pool…crying.

When Liz walked back inside she saw that Isabel and Jesse were leaving. Jesse had been extremely quiet tonight and Liz wondered why. “Jesse, are you ok?”

Jesse smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. “I love you, Liz…I’m sorry I said nothing, but I just didn’t know what to say.”

Liz pulled back and smiled at him, letting him know she understood. “I know, Jesse…I know.”

“Iz, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Please do.” Isabel hugged her tightly, afraid to let go. When she heard Jesse clear his throat she finally released Liz.

Liz saw them out and then turned to find Maria and Michael waiting for her.

“You gonna be ok?” Maria asked.

“Yeah…I’ll be fine…I’m a tough one!” She smiled at her best friend and they hugged. “Call me tomorrow.”

“Oh you know it, Chica!”

Liz kissed Maria’s cheek and then Michael pulled her into his arms. “We here, Liz. We’ll always be here.” Liz was almost in tears again as he pulled away. She kissed his cheek and let go. “Call us in the morning, ok?”

“I will…promise. Goodnight.” Liz shut the door behind them. Leaning her back against it, she let all the air out of her lungs. She was exhausted and she was going to bed. Max could show himself out.

~*~*~*~*~

Kyle was in the bedroom when he heard a soft knock on the door. “Come in.” He turned around to see who it was, and there she stood. Her blonde hair had been pulled up and her mascara was running. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I came to get my clothes.” Tess stood in the doorway, waiting to see what he would say, and hoping he would reach out to her.

“Well, don’t let me stop you. The suit case is over there.” Kyle sat there and watched as she retrieved the suitcase and placed in on the bed. With the same precision that she’d packed to come out here, she packed to leave. She pulled her clothes from the closet and put them in the suit case along with her toiletries and many of her other things. Before leaving she stopped and looked at Kyle. She could tell he was angry and heart broken. Kyle had always showed his emotions well, and now she could see the fury in his eyes.

“So…I’m going to be staying at the Tumbleweed…you can bring Ally in the morning.”

“No.” Kyle stated. Tess kept her head down. She’d known asking for Ally was a long shot, but she was her daughter. “She’s staying with me, Tess. First thing tomorrow I’m filing for divorce, and I’ll be asking for full custody.”

Tess shot her head up. “You’re divorcing me?” She asked in shock.

“Did you honestly think I would stay married to you after everything that was said tonight? You did, didn’t you? Unbelievable, you know that! I can’t believe you! You’ve got a helluva lot of nerve if you really thought I would continue to play house with you. After everything I know you’ve done, and everything that I know you’ll continue doing…after all the lies…NO!” Kyle stood up.

“You never loved me! You loved Liz…everyone loved that bitch! She did this! She turned you against me! She turned everyone against me!”

Tess was crying hysterically, but Kyle just saw how pathetic she looked. “She didn’t do this, you did this. You’re the one acting like the victim when in reality you aren’t. You have no one to blame but yourself!” Kyle crossed the room and opened the door. “You need help, Tess.” Kyle opened the door and escorted her out of the house.

Kyle walked back to the bedroom, and shut the door. He couldn’t believe she really had no idea that she was in the wrong. He slid down the wall, put his head in his hands, and sobbed. He’d been married to her for close to three years. To think that every time they’d made love, or kissed, or while they were together…she’d been thinking of Max. That killed him! He’d given his heart and soul to this woman, and she’d just ripped it out.

~*~*~*~*~

Max sat outside for a long time thinking about everything Liz had said. She was right…there was no we or us. They were now two separate beings that happened to share a child. A child he didn’t even know. He let out a long breath and heard the sliding glass door open. He turned to find his mother there. She said nothing, but walked over to him and sat down. She put her hand in his hair and rubbed his back. Several minutes passed by in total silence before she finally spoke.

“You want to tell me about it?” She had a knack for this kind of thing, and she was sure she could get it out of Max. Then, she could tell him exactly what she thought.

“Mom, I really screwed up, didn’t I? How could I have been so stupid? I let Tess decide my life, and it cost me my wife and my son. You know, Mom, for being as old as I am, Liz was right…I’m nothing but a boy.”

Diane looked at her son. She felt her heart break for him. Yes, he’d made so many mistakes, but he was still her son. “Max, you’ve been gone for four years now…you chose to listen to Tess instead of going to your wife…that isn’t a marriage, Max. That’s pretending you’re still in high school. You moved past that time, and yet you’re still stuck there. Max, when you left Liz was so lost. Her parents took off and told her that they didn’t want to be around. They actually blamed her for you leaving. In their eyes you could do no wrong, so it had to be Liz’s fault. So, you left, her parents took off, and she was left pregnant and alone. That’s a lot to deal with for even the strongest person. Then, Aaron came along. Your father and I stood back and watched it happen, because she asked us to. She thought it was all that she deserved. So yes, Max. You did mess up.”

Max lowered his head again, knowing his mother was right on the mark. His whole life was a mess, and he was to blame. “It’s funny, Mom…I look at her and I can still remember how she smelled in the mornings. I still remember the way she would smile when she got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Mom, I remember everything about her.”

“Max, can I ask you a question? Do you love her? I don’t mean care about her, but deep down in your soul, do you really, truly love her?” Diane already knew the answer to that question She’d always known, but she wanted to hear him say it.

“With all my heart.”

“And yet, you left her without s single word or second thought. You can say you love her, Max, but right now she needs you to really show her. She’s been through hell, and now she doubts everything about herself. She does need to hear it, Max, but mostly she needs to feel it. Do you understand the difference?” She waited for Max to nod his head, and then she continued. “If you want my advice, stop wasting meaningless words and start acting like the man I raised. If you love your family, then you’re going to have to work hard to prove it. Before anything else, you need to start with Alexander. So, you need to be here for breakfast in the morning. If you want to, you can sleep on the couch tonight.” Diane had said everything she had to say. She’d planted the seed but it was up to Max to make it grow. She knew he was a good man, but now he would have to fight until his very last breath to prove it. She stood up and touched his face. “Max, I’m your mother and I will always love you, but you have to make it right. You can’t expect someone to do it for you, and you can’t expect it to be easy. You just have to do it.”

“I know, Mom.”

“If you know, then be ready to prove it. You’ve been stubborn your whole life and fought for everything you ever wanted…don’t put any less of a fight into this. I think you have a chance to get your family back, but that road is very long. I know you’re up for the challenge, do you?”

Max watched as his mother went back into the house, and then he stood up. His mom was read…the world wasn’t going to meet him half way. If he wanted his family back, he’d have to fight like hell to prove he deserved it. Tonight he would go back to his hotel so Liz would feel more comfortable, but he’d be counting down the minutes until morning. Tomorrow morning, he was going to meet his son.


TBC

OK...so it is finally here!! It took me long enough to write it!!! I know I am sorry!!! RL calls...and now worries only three weeks till work ends so I will have more time!!! Thanks so much for the feedback I love it! Emma...thanks for the Idea...you know i think you are a genius!!! Melyssa...you know I adore you for editing!

Ok i will stop talking now!!!

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CHAPTER 13

Max walked back into the house to see if Liz had come out of her room, but then he realized she must’ve gone to bed. He couldn’t really blame her…it had been a hell of a day! He reached for the doorknob to leave, but something stopped him. He wanted to see AJ. He had to see AJ. Slowly, he climbed the stairs and went to AJ’s room, but he paused for a moment before pushing the door open. He knew that once he laid eyes on his son, he might not be able to leave. Quietly, he entered AJ’s room and there he was in all his splendor, sleeping.

Max sat down next to his bed so he could just look at him. Right now, all Max wanted was to be in his presence. He watched as AJ’s tiny chest rose up and down with each gentle breath he took. He couldn’t get enough of him. Max sat there for a long while just watching him sleep…he’d never seen anything so peaceful. Finally, he realized that this precious miracle was part of him. Together and very much in love, he and Liz had created this beautiful little boy. Max knew everyone had lost faith in him, but despite what everyone thought, this child had been created out of love. In that moment, Max knew there was no doubting that.

Then all of the anger hit him at once. He was angry with himself for never opening Liz’s letters, angry that he had listened to Tess, and angry that he’d ever left to begin with. But it was his anger toward Tess that was consuming him the most. He knew his fault in all of this, but he couldn’t comprehend that one person could’ve been so cruel. Why didn’t she just tell him the truth? Why did she have to be so manipulative? She’d helped to destroy all of their lives for her own personal satisfaction…that was unforgivable!

While he continued to sit there and watch AJ sleep, Max cried. He gently grasped his little hand and held on like it was the last time he would ever be able to touch him. There in the darkness he made AJ a promise. “Oh, AJ…I’m your daddy and you don’t even know me, but I promise that stops tonight. For when tomorrow comes, you will finally get to know me. I promise that I’m going to love you with everything I have I me, and I’m going to take care of you and your mommy. I won’t let you down again, AJ, so don’t you worry about anything.” Max continued to hold his son’s hand and cry.

Liz stood in the doorway and listened to Max with her heart breaking for him. Yes, she knew he had a lot to make up for, but she couldn’t imagine missing a moment of AJ’s life, and Max had missed so much. She walked into the room and laid her hand on Max’s shoulder. He turned around and looked at her, the tears evident in both their eyes. He turned back to AJ and reluctantly released his hand. He stood up and followed Liz out of their son’s room.

Max followed her across the hallway into her room. Liz could tell instantly just how nervous Max was. She turned around to look him in the eyes with her face completely void of any emotions. “I see you made your choice.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna stick around. I know it won’t be easy and I’ve already made so many mistakes, but I need to get to know my son…and you. I can’t do that in LA.” Max stood up straight; ready to take whatever she threw at him.

“No, I guess you can’t.” She said calmly, obviously throwing Max off guard. “Listen, I’m sorry if what I said to you earlier was harsh.” She continued to look at him while she spoke. There was no expression in her eyes and no feeling in her voice.

“Yes…it was harsh, but it was also true. I left you, so I know this is my fault. I wish I’d done things differently and I wish you and I were still together, but I understand. As much as I want us to be together, I know it isn’t going to happen.” Max watched as she hung her head. He could see the pain he’d caused her and it was like a dagger into his heart.

“Thank you for understanding that. It isn’t that I don’t…” she didn’t want to say it, but she had to. “It’s not that I don’t love you, because I do. I do love you, Max. I’ll always love you. I’ve loved you for half of my life, so I don’t know anything else, but I can’t keep doing this.”

“I know, Liz…I know, but I need you to know something. I need you to know that I love you, and although you may not have felt it because I haven’t shown it…it’s there.” He walked closer to her, expecting her to flinch, but she didn’t. “Goodnight, sweet Elizabeth.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. With every ounce of strength he had, he pulled away from her and walked to her door. “I’ll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams,” He smiled at her, “dream of good things…you deserve to.” He smiled again and closed the door behind him.

Liz stayed awake for a long time after Max left. She thought about everything he’d said to AJ and to her. Oh how she wanted to believe that Max had loved her and that he still did, but her lingering doubt always remained. She’d forgotten how he had always said goodnight to her when they were together. Every night, just before she’d fall asleep, he’d say “Good night, sweet Elizabeth, sweet dreams, dreams of good things.” Then he would kiss her and hold her tight. She’d felt so secure in his arms…it had been years since she’d felt so safe.

She hated feeling this way. She hated feeling like a large part of her was missing and she was helpless to fix it. Damn Tess! One way or another she was going to make Tess pay for everything she’d done to the people Liz loved, and for everything she’d taken away from her and her son. It was one thing to try and hurt Liz, but AJ hadn’t deserved what he’d missed out on because of Tess, and for that she would pay!

Liz got into the bed and pulled the comforter up to her neck. Tonight, she needed her dreams to take her away.

~*~*~*~*~

When Liz woke up the next morning she could feel the warmth of another body lying close to her. She rolled over to find AJ sound asleep in the bed next to her. He was so perfect, and everyday he looked more and more like his father. Liz could hear voices coming from downstairs, so she decided it was time to get up and make her way down there. She yawned and rolled out of bed. She glanced at herself in the mirror and realized she’d fallen asleep in her clothes. She found something else to put on and quietly left her room. She made her way down the stairs and saw Phillip and Diane sitting at the table, drinking coffee, and reading the paper. “Morning.” Liz announced as she entered the kitchen.

“Morning, sweetheart. Coffee’s on the counter.” Diane said, so Liz made across the kitchen to pour herself some, and then took a seat at the table.

“Max called.” Phillip said to Liz, his eyes never leaving his paper. “He had a last minute meeting with his agent this morning to negotiate his contract. However, he said he would like you to meet him in the park at eleven.” Philip announced to Liz.

Liz looked at him and continued to drink her coffee. “Did he say which park?” It was a stupid question! She knew exactly which park Max had meant. It was the same park Max had proposed in, the park where they’d gotten married, and the park that every significant thing between them had ever happened in.

“Yes, he did. He wants you to meet him at Main Street Park.”

Liz just nodded her head and continued to drink her coffee. Looking at the clock she realized she had about three hours before she would have to be there.

“He also asked that you not eat before meeting him.” Phillip finished.

Liz looked at her father in law baffled, and then she glanced toward her mother in law. Not eat? What was that supposed to mean? Liz was about to question it when suddenly AJ came into the kitchen and climbed into his mother’s lap. AJ was not a morning person! Much like his father, he needed time to fully wake up. He buried his head into Liz’s chest and lay there for a while. Liz kissed his head and cuddled him…she loved moments like this. Diane stood up and got him a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch. Liz and AJ hadn’t known that Max was supposed to come for breakfast, so to both of them it seemed like a normal morning. Diane placed the bowl of cereal in front of Liz, so AJ sat up and started to eat his cereal. Liz just watched him. AJ was so much like his father, yet sometimes he reminded her so much of Alex. His personality was a lot like Alex’s but his traits were all Max.

By the time he’d finished eating he was fully awake. “Morning, Mommy.”

Liz smiled down at his sweet face and kissed his head. “Morning, baby. What do you say we go to the park this morning?” AJ’s eyes lit up instantly, and the big smile she adored covered his face.

“When do we go?” AJ asked excitedly.

Now he was bouncing up and down on her lap full of excitement. “Well, go get ready. We’ll go see Aunt Maria and Uncle Michael, and then head to the park.” He giggled, hopped off her lap, and waddled his way up the stairs.

Philip looked at his wife and then to Liz. “Would you like one of us to go with you?”

Liz smiled. She knew Phillip was concerned and trying to make this easier for her. “No, but thank you. I think this is something I need to do on my own, but I’ll bring them both home to you as soon as we’re done.” She hugged them both, and then started to make her way to her bedroom.

As soon as she and AJ were both ready, Liz put AJ in her car, and headed over to Maria and Michael’s. She assumed Kyle had kicked Tess out, but then again she wasn’t too sure. They were married and had a child, so she didn’t know what Kyle would do. Liz just knew she didn’t want to face Tess, not yet. She knew sooner or later it would have to be done, but hopefully not today.

When she pulled up in front of the house, Michael and Kyle were loading up Kyle’s car. Liz frowned as they looked at her. She turned around and unfastened AJ’s seat so he could climb out. “Baby, run in and see Aunt Amy, and Aunt Maria.” AJ stopped as he passed his uncles to give them a quick hug and then took off running.

Liz waited until AJ was inside before she said anything. “You aren’t leaving, are you?” Liz knew what Kyle was going through, but she wasn’t ready to see him go.

“No. We’re packing up all of Tess’s things and taking them over to the motel. I think I’m going to stick around for a while.” She smiled and hugged Kyle tightly.

“Good…I’m glad. I have to meet Max at the park in a few minutes, but call me later and we can go get some coffee and talk.”

“Liz, why are you meeting Max?” Kyle asked curiously. He couldn’t understand why Liz would want to see Max right now.

Liz knew where this was coming from and she knew where it was going. “AJ needs to know his father, he has a right to know his father, and I can’t keep him from Max. So, I agreed to meet him at the park. It’s not for me…it’s for AJ.”

“Oh.” Kyle mumbled and continued to put luggage in his car.

Michael watched Kyle closely. Kyle had always been protective of Liz, and Michael knew this entire situation was killing Kyle. “Liz, do you need someone to go with you?” Michael asked her.

Liz smiled in return, appreciating the concern. “No, I can do it on my own, but thank you for the offer. I’m going to go in and see Amy and Maria before I have to leave.” She maneuvered around all of Tess’s stuff and made her way into the house. When she walked in she found AJ with Jim, Kylee, and Ally all playing on the floor. AJ was telling Jim all about going to the park with Amy and Maria listening in.

Liz walked over and plopped down next to Maria. “Hey, Chica. How are you holding up?” Maria held her hand and squeezed it.

“I’m fine. We’re going to meet M-A-X in about an hour.” Maria, Jim, and Amy all turned to look at her.

“Do you need someone to go with you?” They asked in unison.

Liz just laughed! That seemed to be the comment of the day! “No… I need to do this on my own. AJ needs to meet his father on his own.” Liz watched her son playing on the floor with his “cousins” and found it pleasant. She had always wanted more kids, but she’d known it wasn’t going to be with Aaron. The truth of the matter was, the only person she saw herself having kids with was Max.

Liz looked down at her watch and saw that it was half past ten. “AJ, we need to get to the park, baby. Give Uncle Jim, Aunt Amy, and Aunt Maria a hug and a kiss, so we can go. AJ made his way around to everyone and then ran outside.

“Call if you need me, honey…I can be there in a matter of seconds.” Jim told Liz. She smiled and hugged them all before she walked out the door, promising to call and give them all details later.

When Liz walked outside she saw AJ in Michael’s arms. AJ was telling Michael all about going to the park with his mom. Michael was being attentive and making extreme faces to mimic AJ’s actions, which made Liz laugh.

“AJ, you need to tell your uncles goodbye…we need to go.”

“Bye!” AJ hugged them both, and then went to the car.

“Remember, if you need anything don’t hesitate to call.” Michael and Kyle both hugged her and kissed her good bye.

“I will…don’t worry.” She winked and then helped AJ into the car.

As Liz drove to the park she could feel the knots forming in her stomach. She knew this was the right thing to do, but it wasn’t helping to calm her fears. Once they reached the park, AJ climbed out of his car seat and hopped out of the car. “Mental note to self put the child lock on.” Liz told herself as she got out of the car.

AJ grabbed Liz’s hand and pulled her toward the jungle gym. Liz took a seat on the bench and watched as AJ climbed his way to the top and started to maneuver himself on the piece of equipment. AJ kept glancing over at his mother, so proud of himself, and would then wave at her. Sitting there watching her son play, Liz realized this was the moment she’d been waiting three years for.

~*~*~*~*~

Max had been sitting in the parking lot for a few minutes watching AJ laugh and play, before he decided it was time to get out of his car. He looked in his rearview mirror to make sure he looked ok, and then stepped out. He’d been awake most of the night thinking about this very second, and now he was scared. Finally, Max started to make his way over to where Liz was sitting.

She was so beautiful! She was smiling at AJ and twirling her fingers in her ponytail. Max had always loved her hair like that. She looked so young and so carefree with her hair in a ponytail and a smile on her face. She looked just like the girl he’d fallen in love with so many years ago. He took his eyes of her and made a quick search for AJ, and there he was! He was playing on the jungle gym just a few feet away. They locked eyes and both stopped dead in their tracks.

Liz saw AJ’s expression change, so she turned around and saw Max standing there. He was wearing jeans and a leather jacket just like he had in high school. She loved to look at him, but currently his eyes were locked on his son. She took a deep breath as she turned her head back to AJ. “Alexander, come here.” AJ obeyed. Quickly he climbed down the equipment and made his way over to her. Liz picked him up and walked over to face Max. She was about to say something, but AJ beat her to it.

“Daddy!”

Max smiled at the little boy and with tears in his eyes he looked up at Liz. She was trying to hold AJ still, but then he stopped moving and whispered in her ear. “Mommy, you can let go now.”

Liz looked at her son and realized that it was time. It was time to let him go to his father. AJ had waited long enough. The moment she put him down, AJ ran straight to Max. He stopped in front of him and waited while Max knelt down so they would be face to face. One look into Max’s eyes told AJ all he needed to know. He took his tiny hand and reached up to touch Max’s face, and then he launched himself into Max’s arms.

Max held onto his son for dear life and cried. This was his son, and he couldn’t get over how right it felt to have AJ in his arms.

“ I love you, Daddy.”

TBC!

Hey all!! Thanks so much for the feedback. Ok special thanks to Melyssa on this one...I owe her my soul She co-wrote with me!!! Thanks for editing also..you are awesome..love ya!. Steph...thank you! I promise to have it out more regularly...work ends on Wednesday....Wooo Hooo Summer vaccation!! The song in this chapter is "Godspeed (sweet dreams)" By the Dixie Chicks

Thanks for all the feedback and to all of you lurkers ya all are awesome!

Chapter 14

Max watched in awe as AJ made his way around the park, anxiously climbing from one piece of equipment to another. In his whole life he’d never seen anything more perfect. He looked at Liz out of the corner of his eye and saw that she was smiling proudly at AJ. He’d loved her for as long as he could remember, despite what everyone thought, but what he felt for AJ was so strong that he couldn’t even compare the two. Turning all of his attention back to AJ he realized…AJ was his miracle.

Sitting there watching AJ play, so happy and carefree, Max felt a sense of peace he’d longed for and had yet to find. He’d made so many mistakes and missed out on so much of AJ’s life, and now here he was. Max knew he was a long way from making amends for the pain he’d caused everyone, and he wasn’t even sure it was possible anymore, but from this moment on he swore to himself that he would give AJ everything he had in him. He’d hurt everyone, including AJ by his absence, but he never wanted his son to feel an ounce of pain again. His son. Just thinking about him made Max’s heart race.

Max and Liz had been sitting there in silence for almost an hour, with the occasional wave from AJ as their only distraction. Max knew Liz was waiting for him to speak, but every time he considered opening his mouth the words just weren’t there. How could he put into words what he’d felt the moment he’d heard the word daddy? Of all people, he knew Liz would understand how powerful that moment had been for him, which is why he was so terrified to speak and risk screwing everything up again.

“He’s so perfect.” Max finally managed to say.

Liz shook her head and smiled as AJ waved again. “Yes…he is.” She had more to say, but this time she wanted Max to make the first move. To say that things were awkward between them would be an understatement, so Liz sat there patiently. She knew Max better than he knew himself most of the time, so she knew it wouldn’t be long.

“Liz, I…” Max started, but paused as his hands began to sweat. He was nervous, but this couldn’t be put off any longer. “I’m not going to make anymore excuses for what I did or why I left.”

“Excuse me?” Liz had been waiting for him to talk, but that wasn’t what she’d expected.

Max held up a hand in his defense. “Please…let me finish?” When Liz nodded, he continued. “I know that I could spend the rest of my life trying to make excuses for everything I did, but the truth is there are no excuses. I made so many mistakes, Liz, and rather than learning from them I continued to make them over and over again. I can try to place all the blame on Tess for her part in this, but I was…well am, an adult. I made my own choices and now it’s time that I take responsibility for them.”

“Ok.” Liz didn’t really know how to respond and she could tell he wasn’t finished, so she kept quiet.

“I know that I’ve apologized for everything I’ve done, but I also know that I’m sorry isn’t good enough. I hurt everyone I ever loved and words can’t fix it this time. I know I destroyed you,” he saw a tear slide down her cheek and wanted nothing more than to hold her, but he couldn’t. She wasn’t his anymore. “I know you have doubts of whether or not I ever loved you, but I want you to listen to me when I say I did and still do love you. They’re only words, I know, but I still needed you to hear them. You always said when we were younger that actions speak louder than words…well I’m determined to show you that I can be a wonderful father to AJ, and I hope to be able to show you that you can trust me again, but I won’t expect anything…I promise.”

“Thank you, Max.” Liz whispered.

“For what? They’re only words.”

“But it’s a start.” Liz brushed a tear off her cheek and smiled at AJ. “You know, you’re right…he is perfect.”

Max stared at his son again. “How do kids know so much? How did he know I was his daddy?”

Liz huffed…it was a damn good question. “Like I wouldn’t tell our son about his father...maybe for him it was like looking in a mirror.” Liz had never been able to escape the fact that AJ looked just like Max.

“Yeah,” Max nodded, “it’s just too bad he got my ears.”

Liz couldn’t have stopped her laughter if she’d wanted to, so instead she just enjoyed it. “Yeah,” she winked at Max, “poor kid.”

They were both still laughing when AJ came running to them ten minutes later.

“Hey, kiddo. You getting tired yet?” Liz asked as he yawned.

“Not yet,” he yawned again, “but I had to come get daddy. Daddy, will you play with me?”

“Sweetie, you look sleepy.” She could tell he was worn out, but she knew he wouldn’t give in. He was stubborn, just like his father.

Max looked at Liz with pleading eyes. “Just ten more minutes? Please?” He begged.

Liz giggled and then shook her head. “Alright…but just ten minutes, then we go home.”

Max and AJ raced off the moment the words left her mouth. Liz laughed at how much alike they really were. As they climbed on the playground equipment, most of which was too small for Max, Liz listened to AJ calling out repeatedly. “Daddy! This way, Daddy! Pick me up, Daddy!” It was enough to make anyone’s heart melt, but just when she thought she couldn’t feel any more joy than she did at this very moment, she heard it, “I love you, Daddy!” She’d waited for this day for so long, and it was finally here!

~*~*~*~*~

The day had been exhausting and Liz was ready to drop, but AJ was still on a high. After spending the majority of the day playing in the park, Max asked Liz if he could take her and AJ to dinner, and she’d accepted. She still felt a little awkward, but seeing the smile on her son’s face was worth every moment. AJ wanted Pizza so Max treated them to Papa Pizzoli’s, and then they had played games in the Arcade for what seemed like forever. Watching Max and AJ together felt more right than anything had in a long time, so Liz just sat and watched as Max taught AJ how to play Ski-Ball. It was obvious her son was having the time of his life!

Being with Max at Papa Pizzoli’s brought back old memories since they’d gone there on their first date. Papa Pizzoli’s had the best pizza and arcade games in town, and Liz had mentioned her love of Ski-Ball to Max. So Max had brought her here and they’d played Ski-Ball for hours. Liz, being the pro she was, beat Max at every game, and had teased him about it all night long. She always remembered that night, and as she’d watched Max show their son how to toss the ball up the slide she smiled. He’d been teaching AJ the same way she had taught him.

They were home now, but AJ had yet to slow down. He was sitting on Max’s lap and telling Philip all about how his ball had gone up the ski ball slide and made it in the hole. They all knew the ball had only made it into the fall hole, but AJ was so animated and excited that he’d gotten it into the hole at all.

“And, Papa, daddy taught me how to throw it up the slide!” AJ was waving his arms around and smiling, so they were all laughing and having a good time.

Finally, Liz saw the yawn she’d so desperately been waiting for, escape from AJ’s mouth. “Ok, buddy, I think it’s time for you to go to bed.” Liz stood up and walked over to Max to retrieve AJ, but he buried himself into Max’s chest. Liz realized that for the first time in years, she had to compete with someone else. Normally with anyone else, she just had to put her arms out and AJ would fall right into them, but with his newfound father, AJ refused to let go. He wanted to stay with Max. Liz wanted to understand, but she’d had AJ to herself for so long that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to. She was happy they’d bonded, but she wasn’t used to competing for AJ’s attention.

Max smoothed his son’s hair and watched as Liz took a step back. “AJ buddy, I think maybe you should go with mom.”

AJ took his head out of his daddy’s chest and looked up at him. “Will you come with us?”

Max looked at Liz and saw her nod of approval. “Of course I will, buddy.” Max stood up and AJ went to his mother. Liz took his small hand into her own, and then AJ took his father’s hand. Together, the three of them walked up the stairs.

When they reached AJ’s bedroom, Liz went straight for the dresser that held AJ’s pajamas, while Max watched AJ climb into bed. “Max, can you take him to brush his teeth?”

Max nodded. “Come on, little man, let’s go brush your teeth.” AJ hopped off the bed and ran past Max into the bathroom. Max noticed the small wooden stool sitting there and smiled. “You know, that used to be mine and your Aunt Isabel’s stool when we brushed our teeth.”

AJ looked up at his father. “Nama told me that.”

“She did? What else did Nama tell you?”

“That I got Superman pajamas just like you!”

Max smiled as he remembered his favorite pair of pajamas. “Oh yeah…well you’ll have to show them to me, but first let’s get those teeth brushed.”

AJ showed Max where his toothbrush and toothpaste were, so Max got it ready for him. AJ eagerly took the toothbrush and began to brush his teeth. Max watched at the carefulness that AJ brushed with, and knew Liz had taught him exactly how to brush his teeth and the proper way to move the toothbrush. Max couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ok, Daddy, I’m finished.”

“You’re done?”

“No, I’m finished.” AJ repeated.

Max laughed again. Liz! AJ hopped off the stool and Max followed him back to the bedroom. Liz was waiting for them with AJ’s Superman pajamas in her hands. The moment AJ saw them, his eyes lit up and he smiled.

“See, Daddy, I have them just like you!”

Max smiled at the joy he saw on his son’s face. AJ took the pajamas from Liz and quickly began to take his clothes off. “Liz?” She stopped and turned to Max and gave him a questioning look. “Doesn’t he need a diaper?”

Liz chuckled. She knew this routine like the back of her hand, so she knew he’d been potty trained since he was two. The only time he ever wet the bed was when he didn’t go to the bathroom before going to bed, but Max didn’t know these things. “No. As long as he goes to the bathroom before he goes to bed then he’ll be fine.” Liz turned to look at her son. “Speaking of…did you use the toilet before you came to change?” When he smiled up at her, she knew he hadn’t. She turned him around gave his bottom a pat “Go and hurry it up.” AJ giggled and took off running toward the bathroom.

Liz took a seat on the bed, and folded the shirt and shorts AJ had taken off. She knew they were just going in the laundry, but she felt like it had to be folded. Max watched her and laughed…she used to do that with his clothes. He would come home from work, take his dirty clothes off, and within seconds Liz would come in behind him and fold them before putting them in the hamper. “You still do that.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“Do what?” She asked.

“Fold dirty clothes.” He gestured toward the neatly folded clothes in her lap. Liz looked up at him and was about to say something, when AJ came bouncing back into room.

“Ok, Mommy, I went.” He announced.

She smiled down at her son and held out his pants so he could put them on. Then, she helped him with his shirt and turned his bed down. “Ok, baby, you have to say your prayers.”

AJ smiled and got on his knees. He paused for a second, and then whispered into Liz’s ear. “Can I say them alone tonight?”

Liz smiled at her son and nodded her head. She kneeled on the side of the bed next to him and he folded his hands. Max didn’t believe in God, so he just sat in the chair and waited.

“God bless Mommy. God bless Nama and Papa. God bless Aunt Mia and Uncle Michael. God bless Aunt Izzy and Uncle Jesse. God Bless Uncle Kyle and Aunt Tess and Ally. God Bless Grandpa Jim and Grandma Amy. God bless all of my toys and papa’s new pool, and God Bless Daddy. Amen.” Liz stood up and AJ crawled into bed. “Mommy, will you sing the song?” Liz smiled and started her song.

Dragon tales and the water is wide
Pirates sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you

Godspeed little man, sweet dreams little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angel’s wings
Godspeed, sweet dreams

The rocket racer’s all tuckered out
Superman’s in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon we’ll find the mouse
And I love you

Godspeed little man, sweet dreams little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angel’s wings

Godspeed, sweet dreams

God bless mommy and matchbox cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears amen wherever we are
And I...love you

Godspeed little man, sweet dreams little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angel’s wings
Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed...sweet dreams

When Liz finished, she bent down and AJ hugged her. “Goodnight, Mommy. I love you.”

She kissed him and smiled. “Goodnight, Baby…sweet dreams.” She moved out of the way so Max could say goodnight too.

Max knelt down next to him, and instantly AJ opened his arms allowing Max to fall into them. Max hugged his son and kissed the top of his head. “Night, Buddy.”

“Goodnight, Daddy. I love you.” He said as he yawned and started to close his eyes.

“I love you too.” Max kissed him one more time and then followed Liz out of the door.

Carefully closing the door behind him, Max watched as Liz made her way across the hall. He wasn’t going to follow her, but she stopped and turned around. “Come on.”

Max wasn’t expecting anything, but he quickly followed her into her room. The room was big and spacious, and even had its own living room. She walked over there and sat down, so Max immediately followed her. She sat on a white chair and smiled as she played with her hands.

“You remembered that I folded dirty laundry.” It wasn’t much, but it was something.

Max relaxed a little and smiled at her. “It was one of your quirks that I used to love. I would always throw my clothes on the floor, and then go into the bathroom. That’s when you would come in, pick them up, and fold them.” Max stopped for a minute, unsure about whether or not to continue, but then he did. “When I was in LA, I would come home and throw them on the floor…and pray that in the morning they were folded, but they weren’t…so I would fold them and throw them in the hamper.”

Liz smiled. “I thought you hated that I did that?”

Max just shook his head. “Liz… thank you so much for giving me this time…for letting me do this with you today. Thank you for letting me be in his life.”

“Well…it’s for him. He deserves to have you in his life. He’s always had Michael, Kyle, Jesse, my dad, your dad, and even Aaron, but he never had you. That’s what he needed more than anything. I saw it in his eyes.”

“So…do we need to work out visitation?”

“No. You can see him whenever you want, Max…I won’t keep him from you. I’ll probably move out of here soon, but you can come see him whenever you want to. If you want to take him to dinner you can. I would have no problem with it and I know he would love that…but you need to understand something, Max. I don’t want Tess near my son. I know you told her you didn’t want to have anything to do with her, but I know how she is. If you stay friends with her then that’s your choice, but my son will not be a part of that. I refuse to let him be a part of that. I won’t let him be subjected to her wickedness. Are we clear?”

Max understood that Liz just needed to know he wasn’t going to be around Tess anymore, and he could give her that. “It’s understood. And just so you know…I won’t be around her, Liz…I can promise you that.” He smiled at her and stood up from the chair. “Hey…maybe we could grab a bite to eat sometime, just you and me, I mean after things settle down.”

She smiled at him. “Maybe.”

“Yeah…maybe. Goodnight, Liz.”

“Night, Max.” Max looked at her for a long moment, and then made his way to the door, closing it behind him. After he was gone, Liz collapsed in the chair. How was she supposed to make this work? Just as she was about to get up, her cell phone rang. She looked at the Caller ID, Aaron she sighed and reluctantly flipped the phone open.

“Hey.”

TBC

Hi all!! Thanks so much for the feddback..you all are awesome..and to all you lurkers, thanks to you too! I know you are there! Thanks to Mels Bells for editing this Chapter for me!! Gracias!!!

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CHAPTER 15

“Elizabeth, please don’t hang up.”

Liz could hear the desperation in his voice, but after everything he’d put her through all she wanted to do was flip the phone shut! Unfortunately, because they had a history, something stopped her.

Aaron waited for a minute in silence, and then asked again. “Give me five minutes, please?” He begged.

“Five minutes.” Liz repeated.

“Elizabeth…I know I hurt you and I am so sorry. I feel horrible for everything I put you through, and I’m just so sorry.”

The only thing that had kept Liz from hanging up had been the possibility that something was really wrong, but now Liz was starting to get annoyed. “You know, you only have four minutes and thirty-five seconds left, and wasting it on an apology isn’t going to get you anywhere. I don’t forgive you! Plus, I’m not in the mood for this right now, so unless there is another reason you called…”

Aaron could tell she was annoyed, and that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted her to be annoyed, and he wanted her to get short with him. “There is another reason I called…since we’ve been apart I’ve found out a few things, and there are some things we need to talk about and sort out.”

Liz started to get a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, and then she felt her hands start to shake.

“So you and I are going to talk, and unless you want me to involve lawyers I suggest you meet me tomorrow morning.” He insisted.

“Lawyers? Why?” Liz didn’t understand where any of this was coming from.

Aaron smiled even though she could not see it. “Yes…lawyers. Let’s just say it would be in your best interest to meet with me.”

“How dare you…” The scared feeling had disappeared, but now she was furious.

“Elizabeth!” He interrupted.

Liz stopped when she heard the harshness in his voice, so she waited to hear what he had to say. She wanted to hang up desperately, but she knew Aaron well enough to be afraid of that tone.

“Be at the Tumbleweed at eight tomorrow morning so we can talk. And, Elizabeth, you know I don’t like tardiness.”

When she heard nothing else, she pulled the phone away from her ear and realized he’d ended the call. Angry and scared, she threw the phone on the chair across from her, and let the tears roll down her cheeks. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She knew, all too well, what Aaron was capable of and that scared her more than she wanted to admit. She wiped the tears from her eyes and sunk back into the chair.

~*~*~*~*~

Kyle finally pulled up in front of the Tumbleweed at around ten that night. He knew that he had to bring Tess her belongings, but he didn’t want to see her. He knew that if he truly looked at her and the person she really was, he would see that she’d never loved him, and that the last few years of his life had been a lie.

He drove the parking lot and flashed his lights once he was outside her room. He didn’t want to go in there, so he waited for her to see the lights and come outside. Within moments, she was standing in the doorway. She waved at him, but he held up his hand to indicate he’d be a minute. He placed his hands back on the steering wheel, and blew out the breath he’d been holding. He didn’t want to do this, but he had no choice. Finally, he forced himself to get out of his truck. This wasn’t going to be easy, but the sooner he went up there, the sooner he could go home.

“Hey, Ky.”

Kyle looked at her when he heard the sound of her voice. Immediately, he noticed that her eyes were swollen, and her blonde curly hair he’d always adored was pulled up high on her head. She looked like shit, but to him she was still beautiful.

“Hi. Listen, I have the rest of your luggage and I just wanted to bring it to you.”

Tess looked around him and into the truck. “You didn’t bring Ally?”

“No,” he stated in a serious tone, “I thought it was better to leave her with Michael and Maria, so I wouldn’t have to worry about her.”

She looked at him questioningly and frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kyle could hear the anger and hurt, but mostly the sadness in her comment. He put his hands on his face and rubbed the back of his neck. “Look…I don’t want to fight with you about this. I just didn’t bring her, ok? I need to unload this stuff, so where do you want it?”

“I guess in the corner right there.” She pointed and Kyle nodded. She watched as he went back to the truck and got her two suitcases out of the bed. He dragged them into the room and put them in the corner. He turned around and started to leave, but she stood in front of him.

“What?” He saw the look in her eyes and wanted to bolt for the door.

“Can’t we talk or do something? We have to try to work this out.”

He stared at her in disbelief…he knew she couldn’t be serious. Their entire marriage had been a lie, and here she was trying to pretend that she loved him. “Tess, you can’t make something work or even talk about it if it never truly existed…well at least it won’t in a matter of months.” He pushed passed her and grabbed the door handle.

“You can’t take her from me, Kyle…she’s all I have left.”

There was desperation in her voice, but he could no longer tell if it was sincere. “You should’ve thought about that before you did everything you did.”

“But it happened over four years ago!” The desperation in her voice was strong. “I didn’t even know Ally was going to come along!”

“And that matters? You continued to do it even after Ally was born, so why should I believe she’s a priority to you now? You did this and now you have to face the consequences of your actions. I’ve already spoken with Phillip Evans. I’ve filed for divorce and full custody of Ally.”

Tess started to cry and grabbed him by the arm. “You don’t really want to do that! Kyle, you know I’m a good mother!”

“No. A good mother would’ve thought about what she was doing, while she intentionally destroyed her daughter’s family. You’re not the kind of mother Ally needs, and one way or another I will protect her from you.” He swung the door open and slammed it shut behind him.

~*~*~*~*~

When Aaron’s phone rang, he checked the caller ID and frowned at the name. Tess was really starting to bother him. “Yes?”

“Aaron, Kyle’s taking her away from me! He’s taking Alex!”

“What? You thought he wouldn’t? You honestly thought he would just let you have her?”

“I don’t know what I thought, but I need a plan.”

Aaron frowned, knowing her plans always included malicious activities. It wasn’t that he wasn’t malicious, or that he didn’t enjoy watching these people suffer, but sometimes she took things too far. “No…you need to chill out for a while. You have too many things in motion right now…you throw another one in and you’re going to screw it all up.”

“Did you talk to Liz?” She asked.

“Yes. She’s meeting me here tomorrow morning at eight.”

“Do you really think this will work? Do you think you can get her to come back?”

Aaron smiled, sometimes Tess was so naïve. “Don’t worry about it, Tess. Why don’t you just worry about you, and let me take care of Elizabeth.” He didn’t wait for a response, but instead flipped the phone shut and smiled. Even if she didn’t go with the plan, he would make her. Elizabeth would do anything when it came to Max and Alexander.

~*~*~*~*~

Isabel was sitting in Maria’s kitchen holding Ally and talking to her. “How could something so precious come from something so wicked?” Isabel looked at Maria and frowned. She still couldn’t wrap her brain around the fact that Tess had planned and carried out such a hateful act. “I just don’t understand how she could do all of this and get it past us.”

“I can tell you how…we trusted her. We trusted her with our lives, and we trusted her with Max. She used that to her advantage. There was no way we could’ve known she was going to drug him or get him to have sex with her.”

Maria made a good point, but Isabel still didn’t understand why Max had left. “Why did he leave though, Maria? He could’ve stayed and talked to us, talked to Liz, and we all would’ve suspected something, right?” Isabel wanted to believe that they would’ve suspected something. They all knew Max well enough to know that he would never just cheat on Liz. They would’ve figured it out, and then they could’ve all been there to support Max and Liz, and to save Kyle from all the pain he was going through. “Instead, he just picked up and left without any warning, leaving nothing but a note and a song. And why wouldn’t he open our letters? I just don’t understand, Maria.”

“Maybe there’s more to this than we know, Iz. Maybe we should talk to your dad…I mean he’s the one who found Max, so how hard could it be to figure some of this out?”

Now Isabel liked what she was hearing. Maria was right. “Then we’ll go see my dad tomorrow, deal?”

“Yeah, I have to open the café but whenever is fine.” There was silence between them as Isabel played with Ally for a few minutes. “Hey, Iz?”

“Yeah?”

“How do you think Liz is doing? It’s only been a couple of weeks since she came home and now she got hit with all of this…do you think she’s ok?”

Isabel smiled at Maria. “I think Liz is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, and her strength will get her through this. I just hope she realizes that she needs to put herself and her son ahead of everything else.”

Maria shook her head and looked at the clock. She knew Kyle would be home any second and she couldn’t wait to find out what had happened.

When Kyle walked through the door and saw Ally, a smiled came to his face almost immediately and he took her from Isabel. “Hey, precious! Were you good for Aunt Isabel and Aunt Maria?” He kissed her gently and looked at the two women. He had to smile at how obvious they both were. “Ok…I know that you both want to know, but nothing happened. I unloaded her stuff, she got upset that I didn’t bring squirt here, and then fumed at me saying that I couldn’t take Ally because she’s all she has left.”

Maria huffed and crossed her arms. “Some nerve! From the way she makes it sound, you would think we had done this to her! Like we’re the ones that destroyed her life! Stupid bitch!” Isabel and Kyle both looked at Maria. “What? I’m sorry but if you mess with people I don’t give a rats ass about that’s one thing, but don’t mess with my family!” Maria crossed her arms and flopped down in a chair. Maria meant what she’d said…Tess had really screwed up when she messed with Maria’s family, and now she was adamant that Tess would pay for the pain she’d caused everyone!

~*~*~*~*~

Liz woke up to the sound of her alarm, and groaned as she hit the snooze button. Unfortunately, she knew she couldn’t hit the snooze button this morning. She had to get up, get ready, and be at the Tumbleweed by eight.

Reluctantly, she got out of bed and went to take a shower. She stood there for several long moments just letting the water run over her, while she thought about the events from the day before. AJ had finally met Max, and they’d really hit it off. She was so happy about that and relieved. She’d always imagined Max and AJ being together, and now that they’d met she couldn’t think of a better way for it to have happened.

She got out of the shower and quickly got dressed before heading downstairs. As she neared the bottom of the steps, she caught a glimpse of AJ and Max sitting on the couch in the den. Not wanting to disrupt their moment, she sat down on the stairs and watched them. AJ was sitting on Max’s lap, cuddling close to Max’s chest. Liz felt the tear roll down her cheek and quickly wiped it away. When she saw them both laugh, she decided to make her way into the den.

“Daddy, Daddy! C is for cookie!”

“Yep, that’s right. C is for cookie, car, cake, and cute.” Max smiled and squeezed his son close to his chest.

“Daddy, did you watch Big Bird when you were small?”

“Yup, Big Bird was my hero.” Liz smiled at his sarcastic ness.

“REALLY!” She couldn’t help but smile and laugh at how excited her son got, and that’s when Max heard her.

“Morning.” He smiled at Liz and AJ turned around

“MOMMY!”

“Hi, baby. Did you sleep well?” AJ nodded at her and she leaned down to kiss him. Then, she turned her attention toward Max. “How long have you been here, and how long as he been up?”

“I’ve been here since six thirty, and he’s been up since seven.” She smiled at Max, and then started to bite her bottom lip. Max knew she needed something or she wanted something…she didn’t just bite her lip for no reason.

“Max…I need a favor. You know I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

Max saw the desperation in her eyes. “Anything, Liz…you name it.”

“I need you to watch AJ for a little while. I just need you to watch him and make sure that nothing happens to him…at least till I get back.” She tried to lighten the tone of her voice.

Max was no fool and he could see the fear in Liz’s eyes. “Liz, what’s going on?”

“Max, I really can’t tell you, but if I’m not back in an hour remember that I went to the Tumbleweed.”

They’d always had a secret language between them, and he knew she was trying to tell him something. “Ok…I’ll watch him, no problem…just be safe.”

Liz flashed him a smile, kissed AJ goodbye, grabbed her keys, and headed for the Tumbleweed. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but she wasn’t even sure that she wanted to. She hoped that Max had gotten the message to maybe follow her, but if she’d wanted him to know to follow her, she should’ve flashed him a neon sign.

When Liz pulled up in front of the Tumbleweed, she realized she had no clue which room she was supposed to go to. She glanced down at the clock in the car,8:15 “Shit!” She continued to look around and finally saw him. He had emerged from room 123, so she drove over and parked in front of the room.

She didn’t want to get out of the car, but against her better judgment she did.

“Elizabeth, you’re late…and you know how I hate when people are late.” He put his hand on the small of her back, causing her to shudder at his touch, as he ushered her into the room.


TBC

Well here it is! And all that I have to say is WARNING! There is very strong violence in this chapter and if you don’t want to read it…don’t! I will understand!

This was a very hard chapter to write and thank you to the many of you who got me through writing it! Thank you to Mels Bells, I owe you big time for this one, you were like half of my brain, thank you so much for writing half of it! Stephanie thanks for the pep talk…I needed it! And Jazzy… thanks for the vote of confidence… I still hope you feel the same after you read it! Thank you everyone for the feedback I appreciate it more than you know!

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Ok so with out further ado here it is!

CHAPTER 16

He was squeezing her arm so hard; Liz knew he would leave a bruise. She didn’t feel safe with him, but then again she hadn’t for a long time. Why had she come here? She knew Aaron was dangerous, and yet she’d agreed to meet him anyway.

She tried desperately to wiggle free from Aaron’s grasp, but he was too strong. “Aaron, what are you doing? Let me go!”

Aaron smiled but refused to release her arm. “What, Elizabeth? No greeting? No how have you been? You know that’s not very nice.”

Liz’s heart was racing, but she had to stay calm. “Hello, Aaron. How have you been?”

Aaron brushed a hand along her cheek and continued to smile. “That’s my girl. I’d like to say I’ve been doing well, but you see,” he pulled her over to a chair and forced her into the seat, “my girlfriend took off and I just found out she’s been with her husband. Obviously, that didn’t make me happy.”

“Aaron, could we please just get to the point. You asked me to meet you…well I’m here. What do you want?”

A wicked grin flashed over Aaron’s face. “What do I want? Elizabeth, what have I always wanted, you and AJ…our family.”

Liz had known for some time now that Aaron was dangerous, but she’d never really thought he was delusional. “You’ve got to be kidding me?” When Aaron just continued to smile at her, Liz knew he wasn’t. So many thoughts were racing through her mind and she was terrified that he would in fact hurt her if he didn’t get his way. The only thing she knew for sure was that Aaron didn’t like open confrontations, so provoking him into one was the only thing she could do. “We’re not a family, you idiot! We never were! I’m back home where I belong now, and AJ is safe in his father’s arms as we speak.”

“Shut up, bitch!” Aaron swung his right hand backwards, instantly striking Liz’s cheek hard enough to send her stumbling back.

Liz raised a hand up to her mouth and felt blood trickling out. She’d gotten to him. While she understood this was a dangerous game she was playing, it was her only choice. “And you wonder why I left? I left because you’re a coward. Only cowards hit women because they’re too scared to fight with a real man.”

“I said SHUT UP!” Aaron walked over and started kicking Liz. She’d been bad, so she had to pay.

“COWARD!” Liz screamed, hoping someone might here the commotion.

Aaron finally stopped kicking her and started pacing back and forth across the room. “I didn’t want to do this! You made me do this!”

Liz spit blood on the floor and somehow managed to get back up on her feet. “I didn’t make you do anything. I was good to you, Aaron, but once you had me the good times were over.” She said coldly, letting all of her anger and resentment rise to the surface. She didn’t have a weapon, so she would use her anger to fight him.

“I was good to you! At least I tried to be, but you never listened!” He shouted back.

Liz smiled and stared him dead in the eye. “I hope you realize you’re wasting your time…I’m over you and I have no intention of coming home with you.”

Aaron lunged forward and grabbed Liz by the head and smashed it into the small dresser in the room. “Oh yes you are! We’re going to pack up all of your stuff and go home. No one wants you here, Elizabeth. Even your own husband walked away from you, leaving you alone and pregnant. Remember? Do you really think he was thinking about you when he was fucking my sister?” He saw the pain flare in her eyes and felt a slight triumph. “I’m sure he’s apologized and said he would never do it again, but who’s he kidding? Once a dog…always a dog.”

Liz could only lift herself up enough to sit on her knees. There was a sharp, shooting pain streaking through her head, and her vision was a little blurry. “And what do you think that makes you? Do you think you’re a man because you can beat up on a woman? Max is a hundred times the man you could ever hope to be!”

Furious, he walked over to her and pulled her up by her hair. He dragged her over to the bed and threw her down, and then he retrieved something out of his bags. “I told you I didn’t want to do this, but as usual you’re forcing me to do this.” Aaron revealed a knife he’d stashed away in his duffle bag. “Now…are you coming home with me peacefully, or do we have to do this the hard way?”

Liz spit the pool of blood out of her mouth and smiled up at him. “It will be a cold day in hell before I ever go anywhere with you again, and you’re even crazier than I thought if you think I would ever let you near AJ again.” She said coolly, making sure to appear calm even if she was terrified.

“Fine.” He held the knife up and turned it from side to side like a mirror. “I guess we’ll play my way.”

~*~*~*~*~

Tess had heard most of the noise coming through the wall. She could tell Aaron was making Liz pay, and for that she was grateful. Once Liz was out of the picture again, Max would have to come running back to her. Oh she knew he was mad right now, but he’d never let Kyle take Ally and abandon her. After everything they’d been through the past few years, she knew Max would come through for her. He was just as much Ally’s daddy as Kyle was, and when the right moment came…he would come back to her.

“Soon, my love. Soon.” She whispered as she pulled out a picture she’d always kept of her and Max.

Tess leaned back against the wall and continued to listen to Liz’s screams.

~*~*~*~*~

Max didn’t mind watching AJ. Actually, he enjoyed it. On any other day he would’ve been thankful to have his son all to himself, but not today. It wasn’t anything AJ had done wrong, but more a sense that Max should be somewhere else.

He glanced down at his watch for the twentieth time since Liz had walked out of the house earlier, but time just seemed to be creeping by. AJ was happily watching cartoons from the place he’d staked out on the living room carpet, so Max stood up and walked around. Something was wrong. He could feel it, but what?

Max picked up the phone and started to dial Liz’s cell phone number, but stopped halfway through. We’re just getting things back to the way they used to be. I don’t want to screw it up by interrupting her. He placed the handset back on the base and continued to pace.

Five minutes went by with the same uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t shake it. Something was wrong. Liz was in trouble.

“Max, I really can’t tell you, but if I’m not back in an hour remember that I went to the Tumbleweed.”

“Come on, Max…think. When Liz left here she was worried about something…what? Why did she tell me where she was going? Why would she go to the Tumbleweed? It wasn’t to see Tess, that much he knew. Liz would never be that afraid of seeing Tess. She was scared…I saw it in her eyes.” Max was blabbering aloud, so he didn’t hear his sister come in.

“It’s always the quiet ones.” Isabel teased when she walked in on her brother talking to himself. “Growing up I always knew you were odd, but voices? Hmm…”

“Knock it off, Iz.” Max growled.

Isabel set her things down and walked over to Max. “Aren’t we in a chipper mood this morning?”

Max couldn’t take it any longer. To hell with Liz’s privacy! She was in trouble and he’d be damned if he was just going to sit here and let something happen to her. “Iz, I need you to watch AJ for a little while.”

“But, Max…”

“No buts. Iz, I think Liz is in trouble…I have to go.” Max bent down to kiss the top of AJ’s head and ran out the door.

“I’ll be there soon, Liz. Wait for me…I’ll be there soon.” He sped away from the curb and headed for the Tumbleweed Motel on the other side of town.

~*~*~*~*~

Aaron slowly crawled on top of Liz as he fingered the blade of the knife. He was enjoying torturing her, and he could tell she was frightened. Her face had started to swell and he watched as the blood trickled out of her nose and mouth.

“Oh, Elizabeth…you’re making a mess, and we can’t have you making a mess, can we?” He reached for the towel he’d placed next to the bed and gently wiped her face, while staring adoringly at her creamy skin. She tried to wiggle free beneath him, but he grabbed a hold of her chin. “The more you move…the more it’s going to hurt.” Finally she stopped squirming, so he finished wiping her face clean. “Why do you make me do this to you, Elizabeth? You know how much I love you, but still you insist on trying my patience and pushing my buttons until I hurt you.”

The tears slowly made their way down her face as she tried again to free herself, but unfortunately she found it difficult to move with him sitting on top of her. “Please, Aaron,” she pleaded with him, “let me go.”

“Don’t fight, baby. It won’t hurt if you don’t fight.” He pushed her hair out of her face with the knife, scraping her forehead and leaving a blood trail. “Oops…look what I did.” He reached for the towel again and wiped the blood off her forehead. “Oh…that’s going to need stitches.” He smiled at her and slowly climbed off the bed. “Hold the towel right there, while I get something to put on it.” He was almost to the bathroom when he turned back around. “And, Liz…don’t try to run. It’s useless and I have other ways of hurting you.”

Ignoring his warning, the instant he was out of sight she grabbed a hold of the side of the bed to steady herself. She knew she had to get out of there, and she knew it had to be fast. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was going to be sick, but she couldn’t wait any longer. She tried to stand up, but quickly fell to the ground. One way or another, she would get out of here. Aaron’s warning played over and over in her mind, causing her to tremble. It had been about AJ, she was sure of it, but she was certain Max would never let him anywhere near their son. She could hear Aaron fiddling with things in the bathroom, and then she heard the water turn on.

“Elizabeth,” He called out to her, “I think you need a nice hot bath…it’ll make you feel so much better.”

He sounded so calm, which only scared Liz more. She felt herself start to panic, but she forced herself to start crawling toward the door. She didn’t have far to crawl, but in her current condition, it seemed like a mile.

Aaron came out of the bathroom to find Liz crawling toward the door. “Oh no you don’t!” He ran to her and picked her up. “You just like to fuck with me, don’t you?”

Liz could see the hatred flash in his eyes, but instead of showing him fear, she smiled. She’d made him even angrier, so he slapped her across the face sending blood splattering on to the wall and out of her mouth. Furious, she spit in his face making him jerk back.

“You bitch! You’re going to pay for that.” He wiped his face and started toward her. Liz did the only thing she could think of at that moment, she screamed.

~*~*~*~*~

Max pulled into the parking lot of the Tumbleweed Motel, and parked his car. He had no idea where Liz was or how he was going to find her, but he could feel it deep inside…he needed to find her and fast. He took a deep breath and climbed out of his SUV. He took a good look around him, but didn’t see anything that caught his eye as being different. The motel wasn’t that big, but he could feel the clock ticking, propelling him into action. He searched around the front of the small building, hoping to find something that might lead him to Liz.

Finding nothing out front, he wandered around to the side of the motel. He was about to head back toward the parking lot, when he heard a loud thud. He stopped and waited to see if he heard anything else, and that’s when he heard her scream.

“HELP!”

That was Liz, his Liz, and she was in trouble. There’d been something in her voice…fear, pain…he had to find her now! He looked up and came face to face with room 123. Quickly, he dialed 911. He told them where he was and what he’d heard, but then he slammed the phone shut. He had to get in that room if it was the last thing he did!

~*~*~*~*~

Aaron threw Liz down on the bed and held her head still. “I warned you not to fight me, but you just couldn’t listen! Now I have to punish you!” He raised his fist and punched her in the face, leaving his ring impression imprinted on her left cheek. Then he heard the pounding on the door and turned to look in that direction.

“LIZ, IT’S MAX! I’M COMING!”

Immediately, Aaron recognized the voice and started to laugh. He stared down at Liz, he then lowered himself until his lips were close to her face. “Your knight in shinning armor has come to rescue you, but is he too late?” Aaron put his hand over her throat and pressed down.

When Liz felt her oxygen being cut off she started to wiggle. She couldn’t breathe, which made all of her natural instincts to kick in.

Aaron kept his hand on Liz’s throat as he telling out to Max. “She’s dying in here, Max, and you’re gonna be too late.”

He was laughing harshly by this point, and Liz knew he’d lost it. Her eyes scanned around, but she could barely move and she couldn’t breathe. She looked to her left and saw the phone…it was her only option. It was close enough for her arm to reach, so she grabbed it and smashed it into the side of Aaron’s head. Aaron fell off the bed and the knife fell next to Liz. She grabbed it and held it to her chest. She was breathing hard and uneven, but she knew she had to get up. The pain in her body was excruciating enough to make her want to scream, and the pounding on the door was echoing through her head. Slowly, she made her way off the bed, and sat down across from Aaron.

Aaron rubbed the side of his head and felt the blood spilling from the wound made by the telephone. He’d never thought Liz had the courage to attack him let alone wound him, but she had. He smiled at the fact that she’d stood up for herself. This wasn’t the Liz he knew, but he liked this Liz…she was feisty. He patted the floor around himself, searching for the knife, but was unable to find it. With pain shooting from his head, and feeling slightly disoriented, he sat up in time to find a very bloody Liz pointing the knife right at him.

~*~*~*~*~

It took longer than he’d wanted, but finally Max busted through the door. His eyes quickly scanned for Liz, but instead he found Aaron lying on the floor in a pool of blood. “Liz?” He eyes continued to scan the room, but all he could see was blood. It was everywhere, what had Aaron done to her?

He continued to search the small room for Liz, and finally he heard the small cry. The bathroom door was closed, but he noticed a bloody handprint on the door. Max heard the sirens coming, and fearing the worst he pushed open the door slowly. “Liz…it’s me…Max.” He finished pushing the door open and saw blood on the tile and on the toilet…then he saw her. Liz was huddled in the space between the tub and the toilet, with the knife in her hand and tears rolling down her face. She was mumbling to her herself and stabbing the knife into the air.

He’d never seen her like this. Hell, he’d never seen anyone like this before. He walked over to her and crouched down. “Liz.” He whispered, but she kept stabbing the air and mumbling.

“Liz.” No response.

“LIZ!” He clapped his hands in front of her face. She jolted and looked up at him.

“Max?” The tears came fast and hard.

Her body was rocking violently back and forth, so Max pulled her into his lap and held her as gently as he could without hurting her. “Shh.”

Her body quit rocking, but he could feel her trembling. “It’s ok, baby. I’ve got you. I’ve got you now, so he won’t hurt you anymore.” He smoothed her hair back and rocked her as he listened to the sirens get closer and closer. “He can’t ever hurt you again.”

“Police!”

“We’re in the bathroom!” Max called out to the officer, but he continued to rock Liz. “Hold on, Lizzy bean, hold on.” The officer stepped into the bathroom and looked at them.

“Sir…are you ok?” The officer looked at Liz trembling in Max’s arms. “Is she ok?” Instinctively, the officer had his hand on his holster and looked around at the bloody mess.

“I’m fine, but she’s going to need an ambulance,” Max thought about Aaron, “I don’t know about the man in the room.” Max watched the officer get on his radio and call for back up and an ambulance. Everything started happening so quickly, but he held onto Liz as long as he could.

When the paramedics arrived they took Liz from Max’s arms, and the officer took Max. Suddenly, Jim came rushing into the room. “Max, what happened?”

“Liz came to meet Aaron.” Max stated, still in shock from what he’d witnessed.

Jim looked at him, a little confused. “What? When?”

“This morning…she didn’t tell me, but I got a bad feeling and came after her. When I got here, I found her like this and him life that.” Max pointed toward Aaron laying on the stretcher being zipped up in a body bag.

Jim looked over to Liz and saw her being treated by the paramedics. The scene looked like a massacre.

“We’re ready to go.” One of the paramedics said to Max, and Max turned to Jim.

“Could you call everyone and tell them what happened?” Max asked.

Jim shook his head and watched Max climbed into the ambulance with Liz.

~*~*~*~*~

Maria and Isabel were sitting in Jesse’s office working on his computer. “Ok, Isabel. Exactly what are we looking for?”

“I don’t know, anything that connects Tess and Liz…or anything that connects Tess to this whole mess.”

Maria didn’t know where to start, but like Isabel, she knew something was off about this entire situation.

The computer screen blinked and Maria typed in the name Tess Harding. She stared at the screen while it was searching for the information she needed. It took a minute or two, but it started to pull up files. Carefully, Maria looked under all of the names in bold until something caught her attention. “Isabel, look at this.” She lifted a finger and pointed at the name on the screen. “Dominick Burwell.”

Isabel cringed her eyebrows. “Wait…isn’t that Aaron’s last name?”

“Yep.” Maria confirmed.

“I don’t understand. Why would Aaron’s dad be listed under Tess’s name?”

“Well why don’t we click it and find out?” Maria moved the mouse into place and clicked on the link she wanted. The file opened and the two of them began to read it.

“Dominick Burwell married Cassandra Harding, ex-wife of billionaire Edward Harding, in a small private ceremony in Missouri today. Mr. Burwell has a son from a previous marriage to Missy Burwell and Harding has a daughter from her previous marriage to Harding. The couple is expecting their first daughter in May.”

Maria stopped reading and turned to look at Isabel. “They were in it together, Isabel.” Maria whispered in horror. “They’ve been in on it together this whole time.”

Both women sat there speechless until Maria’s phone ringing broke the silence. “Hello.” Maria said as calmly as she could manage.

“Maria, it’s Jim…you need to get to the hospital now!”

TBC

Hi all!! Here it is. Sorry it took so long to get out..so much going on and my health hasnt been the best! Melyssa, thank you...you are awesome! Gold Star for you!!! Thank you all so much for the feedback especailly for the last part, it was rough and you all made it easier! You are all awesome! Lurkers drop in and say hello!! And thanks to all of you who nominated me in the Memories nomination! I appreciate it..more than you know! The songs in this chapter are... Smile by Lyle Lovitt, Sweet Dreams (are made of these) by The Eurythmics and Making Memories of Us by Keith Urban!

Maxsgurl- Jennifer thanks so much! And the girls known more than they think they do or they are letting on.
Earth2Mama- you wont know everything about Liz just yet, but yes Tess sick bitch!! I give that to you!
RASaero611-Thank you..and you will find out more about Tess and Aaron in the next part.
icequeen-no Aaron didnt care about them it was more of a possesion attitude from him. And yes Liz is going to be a mess, but Max will be there for her! You are awesome and thanks so much!! *hugs*
SAFIRESKYE26- ditto Mels bells ditto!!
FSUMSW94-Thank you and Yes to all your comments! I agree! lol
g7silvers-Tess is exactly as you put it! And you were right!
behrlyliz- Thanks so much for the PM..you made my day! Didnt she do a great job of suming that up!! I think she did!
martine- Martine!! Thanks so much! And Tess's turn is coming up! She will get what she deserves! They are all going to get her!
begonia9508- Eve thank you so much! It wasnt surprising that they were related...they are both sick!
Emz80m- Emma thanks. I hope you are feeling better! Jessicw being Tess's sister and knowing about Max...I am going to make you wait for that part! But you will find out! I promise!!
othocfan4ever- glad you are here! And here it is!
cherie-thanks...it was pretty bad wasnt it
cocopucks- I am so glad you are back! I have missed you!!!
janesdilemma- I MISS YOU!! And I was sitting here doing all this and was getting worried when I didnt find you! But you were here!! Firstly I love that word!!! You are right the physical will go away but the emotional wont. Hense the cheek ring thing..always on the cheek...and I brought it out in her! Jessica is different from the other too and you will see that in a few chapters! You know I love ya and miss ya tons!!
Carebear79- I am so glad you left FB! Thanks for the confidence!
frenchkiss70- Ditto...I agree and she had a way with her words!!

Ok so without me rambling anymore!! Here it is!

CHAPTER 17

Tess had been listening to the chaos from next door, which thrilled her to no end. She’d been carefully watching out the window when the ambulance and police had arrived. It’s done! Liz Parker is gone from my life forever!

Tess had heard every word, every scream, every noise, so she knew Aaron had succeeded. She’d waited for this moment for so long, and finally…it was here. All of this meant she could move forward with her plan to reunite herself with Max. After all, he would need someone to lean on for comfort, and she was going to make damn sure that person would be her.

She gathered together a few items and headed for the bathroom. She was expecting a call very soon, and she wanted to look her very best.

~*~*~*~*~

Max ran a hand through his hair subconsciously as he paced the waiting room. They’d been there for almost two hours waiting for the doctors to tell them something, anything, about Liz, but so far nothing. Max glanced over at his family sitting around the room and found it comforting that they were there. He knew they were there for Liz, not him, but it was still comforting to know if he needed them…they were there.

So many thoughts were bouncing around in his head that it was making him dizzy. What if I’d gone with her? What if I’d figured it out sooner? If only I’d stopped her…they seemed to go on forever. He’d already made so many mistakes and today he’d made another one. He’d felt Liz’s uneasiness, but he’d let her leave anyway. He wanted nothing more than to kill Aaron for what he’d done to her…wait! Aaron’s dead! He’d been there, he’d seen it for himself, but it was just now coming back to him. Max had been so consumed in his worry for Liz that he’d forgotten she’d killed Aaron. What now? Will the police understand that it was self-defense? Valenti! I have to talk to Valenti! Dad! Dad can help her somehow, right? Max felt like he was going to be sick, but he wasn’t going to leave this waiting room, even for just a minute, until he knew for certain that Liz would be fine.

Slowly, he took a seat in one of the chairs and watched everyone and everything around him. He could see the fear in their eyes, but they were trying not to show it. A few feet away, his mother, Kyle, and Michael were playing twenty questions with a handheld game Maria had brought to the hospital. Desperately, trying to keep their minds occupied.

While he knew they were all scared, that little game seemed to be helping. He had to smile when he heard Michael complaining that the little game knew everything. Typical!

“Let’s see if it can guess a body part?” Michael said to Kyle with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Michael Guerin! How dare you!” His mother scolded him.

“Sorry, Diane.” Michael said in shame.

Max looked over to see Michael making a face and Kyle laughing at Michael’s expense. Then he noticed Maria, Isabel, Jesse, and his dad huddled together in the opposite corner, whispering quietly. While it did look suspicious to Max, he really didn’t care what they were talking about right now. He just wanted to talk to a doctor, any damn doctor! He stood back up and started pacing again.

Maria waited for Max to look away before she handed Phillip the piece of paper she’d been holding on to. He took it and quickly scanned over it with his eyes.

“I remember this,” Phillip stated as he finished reading the paper, “I should’ve known.”

“What do you mean, Dad?” Isabel looked at him confused. She’d been with Maria when she’d stumbled across it, but what did it have to do with her father?

Phillip looked up and saw the confusion in his daughter’s face, so he offered them an explanation. “It was a long time ago, you kids were still really young. I believe you and Max were five, maybe a little older or maybe younger, I’m not really sure. Tess’s parents got divorced when Tess was still a baby, and Tess’s dad received full custody of her…thanks to me.” He added, still feeling guilty. “After the divorce, Cassie met Dominic and they became involved. She got pregnant and to avoid any kind of a scandal, they got married. I guess I never put two and two together.” Phillip walked over and leaned against a wall a few feet away.

“Dad?”

“I never thought about it because Tess lived with Ed and Theresa, and Aaron lived with his mother. Tess and Aaron are related…I should’ve remembered this. ” Philip shook his head and looked down at the paper in his hand.

“Dad…Maria and I can’t help but think that maybe Tess and Aaron were working together on something.” Isabel admitted.

“Isabel, you shouldn’t be accusing them of something that might not be true. Aaron’s dead, so it can’t hurt him, but Tess is still very much alive. Accusations like this could do serious damage.” Jesse said defensively.

“It couldn’t possibly do more damage than what she’s already done to my family. In my opinion, she deserves whatever she gets! Jesse, there’s something fishy going on here! You need to open your eyes and see it.” Isabel took a deep breath to calm down, and then turned to face Maria and her dad. “We know there’s something more to this, Dad. It can’t just be a coincidence, especially since Max ended up dating Jessica. Whatever’s going on, I’m going to find out the truth…I owe that to Liz.” Isabel took the paper from her dad and gave Jesse a nasty look before storming off.

Maria sent Jesse and Phillip a sympathetic look. “It looks too suspicious, that’s all we’re saying. The fact that all three of them are related and all of this stuff is happening…we just wanted you to look into it.”

Philip put his hand on Maria’s. “I’ll start first thing in the morning.” He assured her.

“Thank you.” Maria said to Phillip, and then signaled for Jesse to go after Isabel. He rolled his eyes, but then took off. Phillip smiled, and then headed over to where Diane was sitting to make sure she was holding together. Then, Maria turned toward Max. It was time she did something that had been a long time coming.

Max was still pacing when Maria stopped in front of him. “You know, you’re going to wear a hole in the carpet.” She smiled at him and saw that he tired to smile back. “Come on…come sit with me for a second.” She took Max by the arm and led him to a set of chairs.

“Max…I want to apologize for the things I said to you the other night, it wasn’t my place. I’d also like to apologize for hitting you and breaking your nose…I had no right to do any of that. You were right…this isn’t my life and what happens between you and Liz is your business. Please understand, I watched her fall apart and I watched her pick herself up…I was afraid that I would have to watch it again. Most of all, I didn’t want her to go through that again.” She looked at Max with tears in her eyes. They weren’t spilling out yet, but she knew Max could see them.

“No, Maria…you were right. What I did affected everyone and I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t even begin to cover what I did…but I really am sorry.”

“But it’s a start.” Maria pulled him into a hug and held him there for a little while. She knew he probably needed some comfort right now. She could only imagine what he’d been through today, and although she didn’t agree with his actions, everything he’d been through in the last week was more than any one person needed to go through.

Just as Max released Maria, a doctor finally came through the double doors from the Emergency Room.

“Philip, Diane, she’s going to be just fine.” All of then breathed a sigh of relief as they listened to the doctor. “She has several broken ribs, a concussion, there’s no internal bleeding, but her kidneys are bruised. We stitched up the gash in her forehead, along with the gash in the top of her head. Now, we’re going to order an MRI later on tonight to make sure there’s nothing we’ve missed, so we’re keeping her overnight, maybe longer, to monitor her.”

“Can we see her?” Max questioned with his heart racing.

“They’re moving her from ER to a private room right now, but as soon as they get her settled the nurse will come and get you.”

“Thank you so much, Bill.” Philip shook his hand in sheer gratitude.

“It was no problem. She’s a lucky woman, and she’s a strong one. Not many woman make it out alive in situations like this.” He smiled slightly, and left them there to wait for the nurse to take them to Liz’s room.

Max watched as everyone went in and out of Liz’s room, and grew more afraid with each passing minute. Maria, Isabel, and his mother came out crying, and went to get some coffee. Then Michael, Kyle, and his dad came out with a look that clearly said they were silently cursing Aaron Burwell for everything he’d done.

Finally, it was Max’s turn. The lump that had settled in the pit of his stomach felt heavier, so he had to will himself to enter the room. He didn’t know if he could bear seeing her in this condition, but he knew he had to. He stood at the door, holding the handle, and trying to figure out what to say.

“Go on in…she asked for you.” He turned around to see Kyle standing there smiling. “She wants to see you, so turn the handle, open the door, and get yourself in there. If you don’t, you’re going to deal with a hundred and sixty pounds of Greco Roman wrestler who’s going to throw you in.” Kyle winked at him and Max smiled as he turned the handle and entered the room.

Instantly, Max’s eyes fell on Liz. She looked so small lying there, and the bed was huge compared to her. He studied her face for a moment, and saw the full extent of what Aaron had done to her. The right side of her face was swollen and bruised, and her jaw was two times the normal size and bruised. Her mouth was swollen with a cut in the corner of her mouth and her lip had been split. On her cheek, Max saw the imprint of a ring that must’ve been Aaron’s. She had stitches in her forehead above her right eye and it was bruised and swollen. Her hair was matted with blood, so he couldn’t tell where it was stitched.

As he stared at Liz’s bruised and broken body, he couldn’t believe that anyone would inflict so much pain on someone else. Suddenly, Max realized he was glad Aaron was dead. He knew it was wrong to be happy over a death, but all Max could think about was that Aaron couldn’t harm Liz. He could never lay a hand on her again, so she was safe.

Slowly, Max inched his way closer to the bed and pulled the chair up next to her. He put his hand on her head, being careful not to touch her stitches, and then he took her hand inside of his own. He smoothed her hair away from her face, getting her attention, and causing her to turn and face him. When she saw him she formed a slight smile with her lips, careful not to split her lip more than it was. “Hey, Lizzy Bean.”

There were tears forming in her eyes, because she didn’t know what she was supposed to say to him. Not only had she put her own life in danger today, but she’d also risked his and AJ’s lives today…somehow I’m sorry just didn’t seem like enough. She turned her head away from his so he couldn’t see her tears.

Max watched as she silently cried, but he wasn’t sure why she was crying. All he knew was that he needed to do something about it. He stood up and climbed into bed with her. Damn hospital policies! He didn’t care how inappropriate it was, she needed to be held and he was going to hold her. He positioned himself on the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

Liz felt his embrace and grabbed onto his arm. She held on to him and cried for a long time. When she finally composed herself she wiped away her tears “Max…I’m sorry.” She still wouldn’t face him, but she could feel his warm breath against the back of her neck.

“What are you sorry for?” Max had an idea of what it was she had to say, but he knew this was her time to talk and he was going to let her.

“I shouldn’t have gone there today…I know that now. I should’ve been honest with you and told you what was going on.”

Max figured she would blame herself, but he wasn’t going to let her. “Liz, you couldn’t have known what he was going to do.”

She smiled at the faith he had in her because she no longer carried that faith in herself. “Yes I did. I knew what he was like, Max…he’s done this before. Never this bad, but he’s done this before. I should’ve known, but I was so worried he would try to destroy me, you, and AJ…our family.”

Max smiled at the comment. It was the first time she’d ever referred to them as family, and it made his heart warm. “Liz, you went to protect our son, and to protect me. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to keep us safe…I just wish you’d said more so that I could’ve protected you. It doesn’t matter anymore, Liz…it’s over and he can’t hurt you anymore.”

Max’s words rang out in her mind. He can’t hurt you anymore, what did that mean? She knew that she’d hurt Aaron, but she didn’t know how badly. “Max?”

“Hmm?”

“How badly did I hurt Aaron?” She felt Max stop moving, and his body tense. Obviously, what he was going to tell her couldn’t be good.

“Liz, do you remember anything?” He felt her shake her head against his arm. “Ok…after you hit him with the phone do you remember anything?” Max didn’t feel her move or make a sound, but instead she just lay there silently thinking.

“It’s all kind of blurry. I remember knocking him off of me, and him dropping his knife. I picked it up…I picked up the knife and crawled over to him on the floor. When he saw the knife, he sat up and started laughing. Then he looked at me and said, “If you think that scares me, you’d better think again.” That’s when he charged after me. I held the knife in place so he couldn’t get any closer to me, but then I remember him falling to the floor in pain. He was trying to choke me! I had to do something!”

Max heard her sniffle signaling that she was crying. “Liz, Aaron is dead.” He saw her head move, and then felt her shoulders start shaking. He held her as she cried uncontrollably. She cried for what had happened to her, and for what she’d done.

~*~*~*~*~

Max walked into the house and found his mother and father sitting at the table quietly talking. “Max, how is she?”

Max ran his hand through his hair and scratched behind his ear. “She’s sleeping now, but she had a rough afternoon. I had to tell her about Aaron, so she cried most of the afternoon. In fact, she cried herself to sleep. The nurse came in and gave her pain meds, and said she’d be out for a good four hours at least.” Max glanced at the clock 7:00. “They’re going to let me go back after visiting hours. Thanks, Dad.”

Phillip smiled at his son; still so thankful he’d come home. “No problem. I explained everything to Dr. Rodriguez and he was very understanding.” Phillip had talked to Dr. Rodriguez about letting Max stay longer than normal due to the special circumstances, and to make sure Liz felt completely safe.

“Max, dinner is in the oven, so why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll make you a plate when you get out.” Diane said, enjoying the chance to nurture her son again.

“Where’s AJ?” He’d looked around when he walked in, but hadn’t seen him. With everything else going on, he wanted to hold his son.

“While you were still at the hospital we all went out to dinner, so AJ wouldn’t ask so many questions about where you and Liz were. Isabel has him, but they should be back in a little bit.”

Max shook his head as he realized he didn’t have any of his things here. “I don’t have…”

Philip stood up and handed Max his keys. “Michael and Kyle picked up your stuff this afternoon and brought it here. If they missed anything you can pick it up tomorrow.”

Max smiled and hugged his dad. It felt great to be home again. He headed upstairs and found all of his stuff in his room. They hadn’t missed anything that he could see. He grabbed some clothes and a towel, and then headed off to the bathroom.

Once he stepped into the shower he swore he’d never get out again. He let the water run down over his body with the hot water soothing his aching muscles. He hadn’t even thought about how much his body had been hurting until now.

He closed his eyes and immediately the bloody image of the room and Liz washed over him. Quickly, he opened his eyes and tried to shake the image from his brain. He couldn’t be weak, not now. Liz needed him, his son needed him, and he needed to be a rock for them. He wasn’t ever going to let them down again.

When Max finally got dressed and made his way downstairs he heard AJ’s excited voice, causing him to smile.

“Papa, Aunt Isabel took me to see the big cave.” His eyes were huge and lit up with excitement.

“Well it sounds like you and Isabel had a good time?” Phillip said to AJ who was bouncing around in his lap.

Max stood back for a minute and watched as AJ shook his head and smiled at his family. His son was so perfect! AJ was so much like Liz, and yet so much like him. Feeling like he’d been standing on the outside looking in for too long, Max entered the room. Max loved it when AJ’s face lit up at the sight of him.

“Daddy!” AJ hopped out of Phillip’s lap, and then ran and jumped into Max’s arms. He wrapped his little legs around Max’s waist, and held tight.

Max kissed his son and held him close. Right now, nothing could’ve felt better. “How’s my man?”

“Good, but I missed you.”

Max smiled down at the innocence in his son’s eyes. After everything that had happened today, it was exactly what he’d needed. “I missed you too! Did you have fun with Aunt Amy, and Uncle Jim, and Aunt Isabel?”

AJ shook his head, and then proceeded to tell his father every single detail about his day. Max could’ve listened to him for hours, but his eyes caught sight of the clock and saw it was nearing 8:30. “Whoa, buddy…its way past your bed time.”

AJ looked up at him and rubbed his eyes. “I want to wait for mommy.”

When Max saw AJ bite his lower lip it made his heart ache. “Well, buddy, come here.” Max sat down and pulled AJ onto his lap. “Mommy had to stay in the hospital, and she’s going to be asleep for a little while.”

AJ’s face darkened and he looked up at Max. “I don’t like that place, cause Mommy’s been there before. Aaron hurt her and she had to go.”

AJ’s bottom lip quivered, but he didn’t know what to tell him. His son was too smart for his own good, and he’d seen things he never should’ve had to see. Max was at a loss for words. He looked up at him mom and as if on cue she held out her arms for AJ.

“Mommy will be ok, baby. I promise she’ll be home in no time.” AJ took a hold of his grandmother and hugged her.

Max looked at his mother and saw how easily she handled the situation. She did it with such grace, like there was nothing to it. He knew he still had a long way to go on the parenting, and in that moment he realized it wasn’t going to be easy. He stood up and held his arms back out to AJ. “What do you say we go get ready for bed?” He saw AJ shake his head, so Diane handed AJ back over to Max.

“Daddy, you have to sing to me.” Max knew it was part of his nightly ritual, but Max had no clue what to sing. He was already exhausted just from getting him into bed, and now he had to sing. Everything he’d watched Liz do the night before had seemed so easy, but tonight AJ didn’t want to cooperate and Max was getting frustrated.

“Ok, what does mommy sing you?”

“Sweet Dreams.” AJ smiled big and Max cleared his throat.

“Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I…” AJ started to giggle, which interrupted Max and made him stop.

“No, Daddy,” AJ giggled again, “that isn’t the right song. Don’t you remember? Mommy sang it to me last night.”

Max hung his head. He didn’t know the song and he couldn’t sing it. “AJ, I don’t know that one. How about I sing you one that my mommy and mommy’s mommy used to sing to us?” AJ’s eyes grew wide and he smiled. Max laid down next to his son and let him curl up against him.

Smile, though your heart is aching.
Smile, even though it's breaking.
Though there are clouds in the sky,
you get by...
If you smile through your fears and sorrows
Smile and maybe tomorrow
you’ll see the sun come shining through.
If you just light up your face with gladness,

Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear may be ever, ever so near.
That's the time you must keep on trying.
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find life is still worthwhile
if you'll just smile, come on and smile.
If you just smile.

By the time Max finished the song, AJ’s breathing had evened out and he was asleep. Max slowly got up off the bed and kissed AJ on the forehead. He pulled the covers up to his chin and then turned the light off, closing the door behind him. He looked at his watch and decided to go back to the hospital for a little while to check on Liz.

~*~*~*~*~

Walking to her room was a chore, since she was on the 9th floor. It took two different elevators and fifteen minutes just to get there. Max sighed as he reached the nurses’ station.

“Good evening, Mr. Evans.” The three nurses at the station smiled and waved to him as he made his way to Liz’s room.

When he opened the door she was still asleep, but Dr. Rodriquez was in there checking on her. Max cleared his throat to get the doctor’s attention, but not loud enough to wake Liz.

“Ah good evening, Max. You’re back awfully late this evening.”

Max smiled and scratched behind his ear. “Yeah…you too.”

“I just came back to give her some more medicine and check on her. Philip and I are good friends and she means a great deal to our family. I’m going to take care of her as best as I can.” He assured Max.

“Thank you, from me and my son. I’m sure the rest of the family has gotten to you already.” Dr Rodriguez laughed and finished writing in her chart.

“She’s going to be out for a while, since we just medicated her again. Hopefully, she’ll rest peacefully for the rest of the night, but you’re welcome to stay.” He reached out and shook Max’s hand.

After Dr. Rodriguez left, Max walked over to the bed and watched Liz sleep. He’d done this so many times before…high school, college, after they’d gotten married, but watching her tonight was different. He’d almost lost her, which absolutely terrified him. He’d made so many mistakes, but he was here now and he’d almost lost her. Slowly, he took a seat next to her bed and continued to just watch her. Nothing was more peaceful than watching her sleep. Finally, Max climbed into bed with her and moved close so he could hold her.

She stirred in her sleep and he heard her whisper “Max” it was so quiet and so calm.

“I’m here, baby, and I’m not going anywhere ever again.” He kissed her forehead and held her close.

“I'm gonna be here for you baby
I'll be a man of my word
Speak the language in a voice that you have never heard
I wanna sleep with you forever
And I wanna die in your arms
In a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us

I wanna honor your mother
I wanna learn from your pa
I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw
I wanna stand out in a crowd for you
A man among men
I wanna make your world better than it's ever been

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us

We'll follow the rainbow
wherever the four winds blow
and there'll be a new day
comin' your way

I'm gonna be here for you from now on
This you know somehow
You've been stretched to the limits but it's alright now
And I'm gonna make you a promise
If there's life after this
I'm gonna be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss

And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us
I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you
And I'll win your trust making memories of us”

He finished singing and kissed her forehead again. “Sweet dreams, Lizzy Bean. Sweet dreams.”


TBC

I am sorry this took so long, Melyssa's husband was on vacaction and then she has had an ear infection in both ears!! And I have been on vacation in Laguna Beach so I apologize!!

I want to thankyou all for your amazing feeback, you all have been so great to me! I left you each a note at the bottom! And lurkers drop in and say hello or pm and say hello!! I am not too happy with this part I am not too sure about it! let me know what you all think!

Thanks to you Melyssa for doing this even with your ears and head!! much love!

And finally my Banner...made by Evelynn and I love it! Thank you so much!! You get an A for that one!!



Earth2Mama- Thanks for the thanks! You will be surprised to find out who nails Tess to the wall!
FSUMSW94- I seem to do that to a lot of people. You are so right, the emotional ones will always be there and we haven’t gotten to her dealing with any of this. She and Max keep putting it off! Max is not going to leave her and while many people are skeptical of that he is going to stand firm. You are only going to get part of Tess, but there will be a few chapters coming up dealing with only her. Thanks again for all the encouragement and support, it means a lot to me!!
icequeen- um yeah…I know I know. CHICA Tess isn’t going to get her phone call, but she is going to get a visit. …*PUNCHES* read at the bottom!!
Maxsgurl- I am sorry I made you cry… I did that to a few people! I love a man that can sing too, they steal my heart, and especially that song! *sniff sniff* Thanks… you know I think you ROCK too!!!
To_Kiss_A_Frog- So glad you joined us Cyn, and I am so up for another feedbacker…I love them!!
begonia9508- Thanks so much for reading and being here! It means a lot and the police wont hound Liz too much I promise!
behrlyliz- LOL…I just made you all cry!! Isn’t it sad that it can all be traced back to her and she doesn’t even care? Max has come far and he has had a lot of growing up to do, but he also has a lot of healing. And thanks for the PM and all the support and encouragement it means so much to me!!
AlexBalex- I adore that song!! He is changing isn’t he? Thanks for leaving feedback!!
cherie- Thank you so much for the feedback and he is growing up nicely I think! And I loved that song, I felt it fit how he felt about Liz and his future with her.
RASaero611- They will catch her…it might take a little while but it will happen.
Emz80m- I am too and thanks so much!! Check you email!
extingman- how much I have missed your feedback!! I am so glad that you left it for me!! You will find out more about Jessica as time goes on, right now she is just here but how she got to be there will come into place. Maria and Isabel are going to have to do a lot of explaining and it isn’t going to be good for anyone. You are right he hasn’t faced his demons and she hasn’t either and that is something that they are going to have to do…alone and together. Thanks so much for everything!!!
martine- Thanks so much and Max while he is learning and at times he is going to find this parenting this more than he bargained for he will prove himself! Thanks for reading!!
Ellie- You have me rolling…a few fries short of a Happy Meal… that was great. Yes she is that! A few fries short!! Jesse will come more into play in this and realize what he said was wrong…he will redeem himself. Thanks for reading!
adreamer- Thanks for reading and I am back
g7silvers- yes he does have to prove himself to Liz…that he does. But I don’t think he will have too much of a problem after this.
janesdilemma- There are no words for you!! But you know you had me in tears! Thank you so much for everything…you are awesome! And ditto back at you!
frenchkiss70- I think Liz will be ok with Jessica being there, hmm I don’t know! LOL! Give Max a chance he might surprise you!
Earth2Mama- thanks for understanding!
FSUMSW94-- Thanks for the bump!
icequeen- I know F for me!! All day today!! Thanks for the bump!!






CHAPTER 18

Liz slowly opened her eyes, trying her best to focus, and instantly saw Isabel sitting at her bedside. For a moment she was startled, wondering where she was and how she got there, but then the memories came flooding back. While her first instinct was to panic, she looked at Isabel again, reading the latest Cosmo, and couldn’t help but smile. Cosmo was usually the only thing that kept Isabel sane when everything became too much to handle, so Liz felt a quick pang of guilt knowing how worried Isabel must have been about her.

Isabel glanced up at Liz, as she had been doing periodically since the moment she’d arrived, and saw that Liz’s eyes were finally open and she was grinning at her. “Hey.” She whispered softly and slowly stood up. “Are you thirsty?” Liz shook her head, so Isabel picked up a cup and the pitcher of ice water the nurse had left in the room. She poured it carefully, knowing that her hands were shaking, and then leaned closer to Liz. “Here…drink slowly.” She held the straw up to Liz’s mouth and let her drink until she turned her mouth away.

“Thank you.” She whispered quietly since her throat was hurting, and then smiled at Isabel as she placed the cup back on the tray table.

“That’s what I’m here for,” Isabel teased, “I’m standing guard.” When Liz looked at her funny, she had to smile. “Max took AJ to the park for an hour and I was given strict instructions to watch you like a hawk.” She winked at Liz and sat back down. “I never knew my little brother had it in him.”

“What in him?” Liz’s mind was still a little fuzzy, so she didn’t exactly know what Isabel was talking about.

“The Nazi trait,” Isabel stated matter of factly, “and all this time everyone thought it was just me! But NOOOO! He pulled the whole if you leave so help me crap, and threatened me. Me! Can you believe that?” She huffed, causing Liz to laugh.

“Yeah,” Liz whispered, “he’s always had it in him.”

Isabel gave her a shocked, but playful look. “And you never said anything? All these years you let me think he was the nice one, and I was the obsessive compulsive one…now my feelings are hurt.” Isabel folded her arms across her chest and looked at Liz with her most pouting expression, but Liz just laughed again. “Some friend you are.” She winked at Liz as she flopped down in the chair to get more comfortable. It felt good to be laughing, and in that moment it felt good to feel like a time in her life when nothing had been wrong.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Max quickly made his way to Sheriff Valenti’s office in desperate need to find out anything and everything Jim had learned about Aaron and Liz’s case. Not to mention, he still had to give the sheriff his own statement. He’d figured it could wait until after Liz was out of the woods, but Deputy Hanson had called him and said it was best to come down to the station and get it over with. Finally, standing in front of Jim’s office, Max knocked on the door and let himself in. Valenti was on the phone so he gestured for Max to take a seat.

“Yes, and if you come into Roswell just call the number I gave you and we can set everything up…yes of course…thank you again.” Jim hung up the phone and looked at Max. He looked tired Jim noted, but then brought Max up to speed on what little he knew. “Aaron’s parents are coming into town to claim his body, which leaves me with tons of paper work, but they’ve decided to take him back to St. Louis.”

Max really didn’t care what happened to Aaron’s body, and he was certain Valenti already knew that, so he took it as more of a warning than a statement of the facts. Jim wanted Max to know Aaron’s family would be here in Roswell, and that he didn’t want Max to interfere.

“So, Max,” Jim leaned forward in his chair, “what can I do for you?” He already knew exactly what Max wanted, and seeing him here made it all the more real.

“I need to know about Liz, Sheriff. I need you to be honest with me…should we prepare for the worst?”

Jim understood what he meant and it broke his heart. He’d known these kids for years and watching what they were having to go through now was pure agony. He knew his son was hurting and that his entire world had been turned upside down, but he also knew this was going to be much harder for Liz to deal with than anyone else.

He sat back in his hair and sighed. “Max, right now we haven’t even gotten Liz’s statement, so we’re not sure what’s going on. There’s still a lot of information to factor in…I still need a statement from the both of you, and then I have to put it in a report for the D.A. to review. So what do you say we get yours over with?”

Max nodded, and then began to tell Jim the entire story, from start to finish, and explained in detail what he’d seen when he arrived at the motel.

When Max was finished, Jim closed his notebook and set it aside. “Well…now all we need is Liz’s statement and we can move forward from there. Hopefully, I’ll have some more answers for you very soon. Just hang in there, Max.” Jim attempted a smile, but knew he had failed miserably. “Listen…I have some paper work to finish here, and then I’ll be along shortly.”

Max shook his head and stood up. He knew Jim was giving him time to get to Liz and prepare her before he arrived. Calmly, he walked out of Jim’s office and headed back to the hospital.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Max opened the door to Liz’s room, he found both Isabel and Liz fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb Liz, he walked over to Isabel and shook her gently. In the process of doing so, he scared her and watched as she jumped up out of the chair.

“Sorry.” He was trying his best to conceal his laughter, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding it. Isabel threw the make shift pillow at him and groaned as she stood up straight. “Does your back hurt?”

“Ok…these hospital chairs were not built to make you feel comfortable. I’m thinking of starting the CFCHC.” Max sent her a confused look, so she explained herself before he had time to ask. “Coalition For Comfy Hospital Chairs!”

Max laughed and looked at his sister like she was insane. He’d definitely needed that! After a minute, he turned around so he could watch Liz. She looked so peaceful while she slept, but unfortunately he knew the peacefulness wouldn’t last.

“What am I supposed to do, Iz? What’s she supposed to do? So much has happened, and I don’t know if everyone will understand why she did what she did.”

Isabel could feel her brother’s pain, so she walked up to him and put her arm around him. “I know you’re worried, Max, but it’s going to be ok, and Liz is going to be fine.” She raised her arm and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

When he turned to face his sister, Max saw Valenti come into the room. Reluctantly, he proceeded to wake up Liz, but accidentally startled her. It took her a few seconds, but she collected herself and smiled up at him. Max wished this moment hadn’t come, but he knew it couldn’t be put off any longer. “Liz, Sheriff Valenti needs to ask you some questions about yesterday?” Immediately, he saw the terrified look in her eyes, and knew how afraid she was. “I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair back away from her face.

Liz took in a deep breath, still feeling a little groggy, and looked at Jim. “Hi, Sheriff.”

Jim looked down at her and felt his heart break all over again. He stared at the bruises and cuts that covered her body, and felt sick. She’d been through so much already, and here he was going to put her through more. “Liz, I’m sorry that we have to do this so soon.” He started and waited for some reaction from her. Then she smiled, which only made it more difficult.

“You have to do what you have to do. Real life doesn’t wait, does it?” She held her smile, hoping to put Jim at ease. He wasn’t her enemy…this was his job.

Jim smiled back at her, and sat down in the chair by her bed. Even with his presence, Max didn’t waver, but instead continued to hold her hand. “Ok, Liz…I need you to tell me everything that happened yesterday and how it happened. Don’t leave anything out no matter how small of a detail you may think it is, ok?” He had his pen and paper ready to take notes as soon as she was ready.

Liz started off by telling Sheriff Valenti about the phone call she’d received the night before she went to meet Aaron. How Aaron had said they had unfinished business that needed to be taken care of or he would get a lawyer. Repeating it out loud made her feel stupid for going at all, but then she explained her reasons for agreeing to meet him. She told Jim how much she feared Aaron, but that it didn’t compare to the fear she had for AJ and Max. She simply had no choice, so she’d gone to meet him the next morning. She went on to tell him that she’d intentionally told Max where she was going that morning, and then she went into detail about everything that happened after she arrived.

Valenti offered to stop when Liz broke out in tears, while Max insisted it was enough, but Liz wanted to keep going. She knew once she stopped, she wouldn’t be able to start up again…she had to get it out now. She told him everything she could remember up to the point where she had blacked out.

By the time they finished their conversation, Liz was in tears and Max was holding her. Jim quickly scribbled a few final notes down, and then looked up to meet Liz’s eyes. Liz could see the tears in his eyes as he stood up, shaking his head. He stepped closer to Liz’s bed and took her hand. “In my opinion, it looks like a good case of self defense, which is exactly what I’m putting in my report. I’m sure the D.A. will come to the same conclusion after he looks at it.” Jim gave her hand a squeeze and smiled. “You’re a brave one, Liz Evans. Now get some sleep.” He bent forward and kissed her forehead, then signaled for Max to come outside with him.

“I’ll be right back.” Max assured her, and then followed Jim out of the room.

Liz felt a little better after speaking to Jim. She’d been bottling up too much for way too long, and now…now she felt free from that world of secrets. She still needed to hear what Philip Evans had to say, and then she could feel more at ease.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Jessica walked up to the nurses’ station on the trauma floor and let out the breath she’d been holding in. She wanted, no needed to know what had happened to Aaron, and Elizabeth was the only person who could help her.

Slowly, she made her way down the corridor and stopped just outside of Elizabeth’s room. She paused for a minute, and then opened the door. The sight that greeted her was not the same Elizabeth with whom she’d shared so many moments with over the past three years. Looking at her now, she saw how broken Elizabeth appeared. In that instant, Jessica realized that had she not fought back and killed Aaron, Aaron would have killed her.

Quietly, she made her way over to the chair next to Elizabeth’s bed, but as she sat down she heard the door open. She turned around to see who had come in behind her, and that’s when she came face to face with Alex. “Alex?” She said as she stood up to look at him.

Although Max could see the tears in her eyes, his blood was boiling. “It’s Max. What the hell are you doing here? Hasn’t your family done enough?” He saw Jessica wince at the statement and she began to cry. Even through his anger, Max couldn’t help but feel for her. After all, he’d shared the past year of his life with this woman and cared for her, and yet here he was attacking her. “Jessica, I’m sorry.” He took a step toward, feeling like he should be comforting her like he had so many times before, but then he stopped.

Jessica had to stop herself from latching on to him and refusing to let go. He wasn’t hers anymore, maybe he never had been, so she forced herself to keep her distance. She watched as he started to open his mouth, but then changed his mind. They both knew he was apologizing for more than just lashing out at her…he was apologizing for the lie he’d lived day in and day out with her, but it didn’t make the pain hurt any less.

“I’m so sorry…Max. I knew that he used to hurt her, I just…I want you to know that I tried to stop him from coming here. When I found out your name wasn’t Alex, and that you were her husband, everything just pieced together in my mind. I mean it couldn’t have been coincidence that all of us somehow ended up together. You and me, Aaron and Ellie, Tess and Kyle,” she paused for a second, not wanting to admit the truth, “I mean that’s more than just a coincidence, right?” She already knew the answer before the words even left her mouth.

Max looked at Jessica with great sympathy, knowing in his heart she couldn’t have been part of this. True he’d felt the same way about Tess, but with Jessica he was certain. Liz started to stir in her sleep, so he lowered his voice. “Come on…let’s take this outside.” He led her out of the room and into the waiting room where most of their friends and family were waiting.

“What do you mean Tess and Kyle?” Max asked as they rounded the corner.

Kyle heard his name and turned to find his sister-in-law standing there with Max. “Jessica?” He walked toward her and immediately noticed she’d been crying. “Are you ok?”

Needing someone, she fell into his open arms. “We came to claim Aaron’s body.”

Kyle looked at her, but didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.

Max was more confused than ever. How did Jessica know Kyle? Aaron and Tess? What was she talking about?

“Kyle…we’re all siblings. My last name, Aaron’s last name…perfect match, didn’t you ever put that together? After all the times you, Aaron, Tess, and Ellie were around each other, it never occurred to you?” The fact that no one else seemed to be putting all of this together was starting to annoy her. Someone had to have known.

“Tess and Aaron?” Max looked over at a very confused Kyle, and then turned back to face Jessica.

She was starting to think they were all high. “You mean to tell me Tess never told you that Aaron was her step-brother?” Kyle shook his head and swallowed hard. Tess had always pretended to despise Aaron and now Jessica was telling him they were all related. None of it seemed possible. Just when he thought he’d heard the worst about Tess, more secrets came to light.

When Maria and Isabel entered the waiting room, they saw the confrontation already in full swing. Each of them wished they didn’t have to be a part of all this drama and heartache, but it was too late for that. Finally, the two of them approached the arguing group. Their faces must have been obvious, because instantly everyone turned to face them.

“Did you know?” Max demanded with Kyle right on his heals.

Isabel and Maria both shook their heads and Isabel started to explain. “We didn’t know anything until the other day…you know, the day Aaron was killed.” Isabel turned to face Kyle first. “Kyle, I’m so sorry Tess never told you. I know this must be awful for you.” She stepped forward and pulled Kyle into her arms for support.

Max ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He’d always thought of Tess as a friend. He thought they’d been close and that he truly knew her, but he’d been dead wrong. After everything he’d found out about Tess over the last few days, it really didn’t surprise him that there was more to her life than he’d ever been aware of. He glanced over at Jessica, who appeared to be as lost as the rest of them.

“You knew none of this?” Jessica asked and Max just shook his head and let out his breath. “How is that possible? What about family functions and weddings?” Jessica was almost in tears again. All of these people had been lied to, and in the end it had cost her brother his life.

Kyle looked at her sympathetically. “You and your parents didn’t come to our wedding.”

“Well…no. We were out of the country, but Aaron went for us.” Jessica said calmly.

“Actually, Aaron went to the wedding with Liz, because she’d been invited.” Now, Maria remembered the RSVP. Aaron and Liz were just becoming friends and Liz hadn’t wanted to attend the wedding alone, so he’d been her escort.

“Excuse me,” Kyle said after a moment of silence, “There’s something I need to take care of.” Kyle walked out of the waiting room, leaving everyone confused about was this new information meant.

~*~*~*~*~

Kyle pulled up in front of the Tumbleweed a few minutes later, and stared at all of the police tape and blinking lights. It was still hard to believe it was even real…it looked like something out of a movie. As he stepped out of his truck and took another look around, it all seemed a little too surreal for him. He was about to head for Tess’s room when something stopped him. Why hadn’t he noticed this before? Tess’s room was right next door to Aaron’s room where he’d been killed and Liz had almost been beaten to death. Everything about this situation made him sick, but he shook the uneasy feeling he had and headed for her room.

It didn’t take long for Tess to open the door, and Kyle instantly noticed that she was beaming. She’d done her hair and makeup, and looked like she was ready to go out. It was as if she’d been expecting someone.

“Kyle, this is a surprise. Come in.” She said sweetly.

Kyle slowly walked into the room and took a seat next to the wall.

“What brings you by? Did you bring Ally? How is she?”

Kyle wasn’t paying much attention to her because the noise the police were making in the next room was getting to his head. “Um…she’s fine. She’s with Amy and AJ today…we’ve all been at the hospital for the majority of the day.” He saw the look in Tess’s eyes and decided to play along with her…for now.

“Hospital? Why? Is something wrong?” She tried to sound worried, but he could tell by the sound of her voice she wasn’t the least bit worried. In fact, she had a coolness about her that scared him.

“Yes, something’s wrong. There’s been a death in the family.” He managed to produce tears for her, which wasn’t very hard. Especially since his friend, his best friend, had almost died at the hands of his brother-in-law. Everything he’d learned was almost too much to handle…he would have to tell Liz he’d been related to the bastard, and that was something he wished he would never have to admit. He kept his eyes focused on Tess, but she didn’t flinch or move at the news. She just stood there, already thinking she knew the truth.

“Who? What? When?” She rushed out, pretending to be genuinely concerned.

Again, Kyle was distracted by the noise from next door. The walls were obviously thin, because he could hear everything. How could any one think, let alone sleep, with all of the noise. “Doesn’t this bother you?”

Tess just looked at him innocently. “Does what bother me? Kyle, you aren’t making any sense. Who died?”

“The wall…” The Wall. That’s when everything really hit him. He could hear everything from next door, which meant she’d heard everything the day before. She’d heard Liz’s cries for help, knowing exactly what Aaron was doing to her. He looked up at her with fear and hurt in his eyes.

“Kyle, who died?” She asked again…a little too eagerly.

Kyle stood up and began to pace back and forth. “I don’t know, Tess…why don’t you tell me?”

Tess was a little taken back, but she was curious as to where he was going with this. “Kyle, I have no idea. You came to me, remember? What’s gotten into you?” She stepped closer to him, but he backed away from her. She could tell he didn’t want her to touch him.

“You heard it all…who died yesterday?” He asked her again.

“Kyle, I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

Now he could see right through her act. Why hadn’t he ever noticed it before? “You listened. You sat in this room and listened while Aaron beat her. You listened while he tore her apart and you did nothing. You heard her cries and screams and you just listened.” The look on Tess’s face confirmed it.

“She deserved it!”

Kyle stared at her in shock. There was no remorse in her voice, only satisfaction. Even after everything he’d heard, he hadn’t expected this. Suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach.

“That Bitch got what was coming to her! You can’t fuck with people’s lives and expect it not to hit you back! Karma, baby! I, for one, am glad she’s dead! Now Max will have wake up from this whole fantasy he’s been living in, and he will come to me.”

Kyle looked at her and laughed. “The fantasy he’s been living in? That’s like the pot calling the kettle black! He isn’t living in a fantasy, Tess, YOU ARE! To think, she was a friend to you, a good one! She was like a sister to you, and yet you did this to her! You caused all of this. What did you plan with Aaron? To go after Liz?” This time, she said nothing and that gave him the answer he’d been looking for. “You put all of this together from the very beginning, but I’ll bet you didn’t think your plan would back fire, did you?”

“What are you talking about?” She asked with pure hatred in her voice.

“You planned on Liz dying, well you got that wrong. It wasn’t Liz who died, Tess…it was Aaron.” At least now Kyle got the satisfaction of being the one to tell her.

Tess looked at him in total shock. “But…but you said…you said someone in the family.”

“Well, Aaron was part of this family…you being step siblings and all.” When her eyes met his, he could see the complete shock in those beautiful baby blue eyes.

“Who told you?” She hissed.

“Your sister Jessica. It seems she got to wondering how several people in our family had ending up dating or marrying someone from hers. You see, there was you and me, Aaron and Liz, and then there was Jessica and Max.”

“Jessica and Max?”

“Oh…you didn’t know Jessica was dating Max?”

“She said she was dating someone named Alex.”

Kyle saw her face turning red and smiled. Tess sat on the bed, the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. Alex was Max, and although she’d thought she was clever…she didnt think anyone would put it together but they has so she had to pretend to not know about Max and Jessica. “Stop it, Tess! You don’t care about anyone but yourself and the only reason you’re crying is because you got caught! Well, Tess honey, you’re going to get caught again, cause after this I’m going straight to my dad, and then to Max’s. By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll never see my daughter again!” Having nothing more to say, he walked to the door and looked back at her. “You did this to yourself, so sit here and contemplate that. Better yet, put it off for awhile because I’m sure you’ll have the next twenty years or so in the jail cell you’ll be residing in.” He opened the door, walked out, and slammed it shut behind him.

Kyle climbed into his truck and finally let out the breath he’d been holding. He felt the tears stinging his eyes and slowly made his way back to the hospital. He had to tell everyone exactly what he’d found out.

~*~*~*~*~

The entire Evans crew was still in the waiting room, hanging around and waiting for any news. Jessica and her parents had gone in to see Liz. The moment everything had been explained to them they went straight to Liz’s beside to apologize. They’d always loved her like a daughter, and while they grieved for their son, knowing what he’d been capable of made them thankful he could never hurt anyone again.

While they were in with Liz, Diane had called Nancy and Jeff to tell them what had happened. She felt they had a right to know what had happened to their daughter, but they were in the middle of a two-week jungle tour in the rain forest, and wouldn’t be able to make it out for another three weeks. When she finally disconnected the call, she was absolutely fuming. What was she supposed to tell Liz? “Oh sweetie, I’m sorry they didn’t want to come out of the jungle.” That was the last thing Liz needed to hear right now!

When she rejoined her family in the waiting room, she saw the rest of the family engrossed in a game of twenty questions. Then she saw that someone had brought in Scene It and a DVD player to hook up. There were even a few nurses on break playing games with them. Isabel and Maria were off in the corner talking to Philip and Jessica when Kyle walked in a few minutes later.

“I need Phillip.” Was all he said. Diane saw the look in his eyes and pointed toward the corner. Kyle didn’t hesitate. He rushed over to where Phillip and the girls were sitting.

“Kyle, guess what we found out?” They handed a piece of paper to Kyle, but he didn’t bother to look at it. He figured it would say the same thing he was going to.

“I know…Tess was in on it…she was in on everything.”

All of them immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at Kyle. He’d said it loud enough for everyone to hear and knew he was going to have some major explaining to do.


TBC