Roswell Fanatics

Sorry about the wait. Again my muse is going haywire. But I'm back with a new part. There's only one more after this one... so I hope you enjoy!

<center>Chapter 20</center>

Her knee bounced nervously as she glanced at the clock. He was only five minutes late, but she couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that grew with each passing moment that he wasn’t here.

In the two months they’d been back together, Max had never been late in picking her up when they were going out. She couldn’t help but think back to that night ten years ago. She had felt the same way then when he never showed up. So she sat in silence, afraid if she turned on the TV, she’d see the same thing she saw then.

Another slow minute passed before she gave up and reached for the phone. Quickly dialing Max’s number, she anxiously waited for him to pick up and reassure her that he was alright and on his way to get her. But as the phone continued to ring, her worry deepened. She quickly left a message, hoping that maybe was in the shower or couldn’t get to the phone.

Another achingly slow minute passed before she grabbed the phone again, this time calling his cell phone. Her heart pounded in fret when she again received no answer.

She checked her watch again. Eight minutes late. Her knee bounced frantically and she waited.
***********

The first thing he felt when he awoke was a sharp pounding in his head, near his temple. He tried to move his hands to bring them to his aching head, but found that he couldn’t move them. As he came fully into wakefulness he groaned at the full force of it.

“Shut the fuck up!” a voice growled from beside him. He felt heavy metal hitting against his head, as the man pistol whipped him, almost sending him back into darkness.

His was vision blurry and his head pounded. He spotted movement out the corner of his eye. He opened his eyes wide when he saw a man, pacing the length of his room, muttering quietly to himself. He realized he was leaning against the foot of his bed, his hands tied to the leg of it.

Max swallowed the sudden bile that threatened to rise as he shakily rasped out a quiet, “Who are you?”

The man turned to him with wild eyes. Max quickly realized that he wasn’t all there. He figured anything could set him off and he thought it wise to stay calm and keep his mouth shut.

David let out a deep cackle as the gun dangled from his fingers. “You don’t remember me from high school?” As Max’s confused frown, he continued. “You stole Liz from me.”

Max’s eyes widened when he mentioned Liz. He was supposed to be with her now. How late was he in picking her up? Surely she would notice and wonder where he was. She was his only hope.

“I tried as hard as I could to be nice to that bitch and here you come and sweep her up with one look. I’ve been working on her for ten years and you get her in ten seconds.” He shoved the gun in his face, his hand shaking as his finger fluttered against the trigger. “I’m going to make her pay.”

Fear filled his heart. If he had hurt her, he didn’t know what he would do. “Please, don’t hurt her…” A fist to his face interrupted him, adding to the pain in his temple.

“She was mine until you came along,” David snarled.

Max flinched, knowing that this man was capable of taking his life and he prayed that his kids would be okay.

David cocked his gun. Max anticipated the pain, but it never came. Instead, the shrill ringing of the phone cut into the silence.

Max was silently thankful for the blessing.

David stalked to the phone, looking at the caller ID with a twisted smile. Max knew it was Liz calling.

The answer machine picked up the call and they listen to her massage in a pregnant silence.

Hey babe. Um… I don’t know if you’re there or not. Maybe you’re still in the shower or something. Uh… You said you’d be here at eight and its 8:05. I was just getting worried… you’re probably on your way now so I should just hang up. You would be late on the night of my surprise.

Max could hear the nervousness in her voice even through her attempt at a joke and his heart went out to her.

So um… if you’re still there call me when you get this so I don’t worry. Okay... love you. Bye.

The machine beeped and Max was close to tears. The thought that he might never see her again was twisting his broken heart.

“How sweet,” David cooed menacingly. He spied a picture of him and Liz, taken in his backyard sitting on the nightstand. He fingered it gently before chucking it across the room. Max flinched as the frame shattered against the wall.
************

Liz was livid with worry. He was fifteen minutes late. Something was wrong. Grabbing her purse and her keys, Liz headed out to her car and sped to Max’s house.
************

“I know you were planning on proposing tonight.” David made a tsking sound and rested the barrel of the gun against his cheek.

“I tried to get rid of you long ago Max, but you keep coming back.”

Max tugged on the rope that bound him to the bed. “What are you talking about?” he asked, hoping to keep him preoccupied while he tried to free himself.

“The accident,” he answered with a satisfied smirk. “I set the whole thing up.”

“You…?”

“I tried to warn you Max,” he said smoothly. “That night when you were leaving your pathetic job at the restaurant...” Again, Max frowned in confusion. He couldn’t remember. “That was me. I regret not stabbing you to death myself that night,” he spat as he played with the trigger. “Never trust other people to do your bidding.”

“Why are you doing this? Why…” Another punch to his mouth shut him up. Max slumped to the side, the pain in his head almost becoming too much for him.

David’s eyes darkened in rage and he pointed the gun at Max’s head, his finger straining against the trigger. “If I can’t have her, than no one will. I warned you Max. But you didn’t listen. You should’ve stayed away from her.”
**********
Liz couldn’t explain the relief she felt when she saw Max’s car in his driveway. But that still didn’t explain why he was late and wasn’t answering his phone.

She climbed out of her car and started up the walkway until she noticed that back gate open. Max never left it open unless he was back there. And if he was, what was he doing back there so late when he was supposed to be picking her up.

Her heels clicked against the concrete as she made her way to the gate and peered around the back yard. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but the screen of the back door swinging wide open in the slight breeze.

She stepped closer, only to find the wooden door slightly ajar. Why would Max leave the door open? It made no sense. Something was definitely wrong; she could feel it in her heart.

She stepped through the open door and into the kitchen. She could faintly hear the low voice coming from within the house. She didn’t recognize the voice as Max’s and she had a sinking suspicion who was talking and she quickly grabbed her cell phone and called for help.
*************

Max shook his head, silently pleading that he didn’t shoot.

He held his breath as David’s attention was averted to the photo of Max and his kids on the nightstand. Before Max could blink, the gun that was pointed at him, swing to the photo before a bullet shattered it into pieces.

Max jumped, shuddering in fear. There was no doubt that this man was off and wouldn’t think twice about going after his kids.

His kids. He would never see them again. He’d never hold them again and they’d be without both their parents. Fate couldn’t be that cruel to take him away from them, not when they were so young and needed him.

His babies. Tears escaped his eyes at the thought of them.

“You and those bastard kids of yours…” His chuckle was almost hysterical while Max fought back an angry retort, knowing that it would only get him riled up. He concentrated on getting out of the ropes.

“Did you honestly think that I would just let you steal her from me? You could never be what she needs.”

The ropes where bruising his wrists, as he twisted out of them but he couldn’t care less. All he wanted was to safely get back to his kids and Liz.
************

Her blood ran cold at the sound of the gun. A sickening feeling of dread washed over her and she knew she had to do something.

She needed to distract Max’s attacker, at least until the police came. She grabbed a heavy frying pan and spotted the ceramic vase she had given to Max when they were arguing over the fact that he needed to spruce up his house. She chucked the vase into the living room, watching as it hit the wall and shattered into pieces.

The voice from the other room stopped, and she waited, frying pan in hand.
************

Both Max and David turned their attention towards the door when they heard the crash. As David eased towards the door to inspect what happened, Max took the time to twist his hands free from the rope. Once he was untied, he quietly reached for the baseball bat he kept under his bed.

He eased to his feet, bat in hand, and hoped upon all hopes that he could get away as he angled the bat and got ready to swing.
***************

Liz heard the quiet footsteps and she waited patiently, the pan shaking in her hands, ready to use in self-defense. But before the steps reached her, she heard another shot and she jumped in fright for Max.

Without thinking of her own safety, she turned down the hall, spotting David standing in Max’s doorway, a smoking gun trembling in his hand. She crept behind him and swung the pan as hard as she could, connecting it with the back of his head.

He crumbled to the floor in a heap, giving Liz a view of the love of her life lying motionless on the floor in a puddle of his own blood.

“Oh Max,” she cried as she rushed forward. She pulled his torso into her lap, his head cradled in the crook of her arm. He was conscious, but his eyes were quickly falling shut. She took in his beloved face, battered and beaten. His lip was split and his nose was bleeding. His right eye was blackening and she ran a soothing hand down his cheek.

“Ellie,” he whimpered.

“Hold on Max, please hold on,” she sobbed. She pulled the sheets from his bed and pressed them to the wound in his stomach. If she lost him again, she didn’t know what she would do. She didn’t think she could deal with losing him twice in a lifetime.

“I love you Ellie,” he wheezed as he struggled to pull precious air into his lungs.

“I love you too baby.” She could faintly hear the sirens growing close and she was as happy as she could get in this situation that she called for help earlier. “Please just hang on. Help is on the way okay?”

“Promise you’ll be there when I wake up.”

Liz could faintly make out the police banging on the front door, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave Max. Instead, she nuzzled her nose against his cheek and said, “I promise.”

He smiled, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as the police broke down the front door.

Liz panicked, frantically trying to walk him up as the police and paramedics stormed into the room.

TBC……….

So here it is. The last part. It's bittersweet really. I just want to thank everyone for reading this and giving this a chance. To the feedbackers and the lurkers... This fic has been hard to write at times but you guys and your comments kept me going. Thanks again for your support and I hope you enjoy!

Tiffany

<center>Chapter 21</center>

Max groaned, his head lolling against his pillow as he came into consciousness. He sucked in a breath at the sharp pain in his abdomen, his brow creasing into a frown.

“I think he’s waking up.”

He was barely aware of his surroundings, barely able to make out the insistent beeping in the background before a small body crashed into him, practically knocked the wind out of him.

“Shit!” he grunted.

His eyes fluttered open to narrow slits and he caught sight of flowing blonde hair.

“Ugh... Maria.”

“God Max,” she cried as she cupped his cheeks between her hands. “You just love worrying me to death don’t you? I swear I’m going to have a head full of grays by the time I’m twenty-five.”

“How long was I out?”

“About a day in a half. But that was mostly because of the drugs they have you doped up on.”

Max almost snorted at that. From the pain he was in, he sure didn’t seem like he was on any drugs; at least not painkilling drugs.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s not your fault you big jerk,” she teased as she brushed away a few tears. She was so close to losing her big brother again and she didn’t know what she would do without him.

She glanced over to Liz, who could barely contain herself in the far corner of the room. Maria knew she was itching to get a hold of Max and Maria owed her, her life. If it wasn’t for her, no one would’ve known that Max was in trouble and he wouldn’t be here with her now.

Maria wiped away her tears that had fallen on his cheek and smoothed back his hair. “I’m going to go let everyone know that you’re awake and see if I can find your doctor.”

Max nodded, wincing at the pain in his stomach. “I love you Max.”

“I love you too Squirt.” She kissed his cheek before throwing a soft smile in Liz’s direction and leaving the two of them alone.

Max swung his gaze to the small girl that had captivated him for so long huddled in the corner, her eyes glazed with unshed tears.

“Ellie.”

She smiled, her tears finally falling as she quickly made it to his side, carefully crawling on to his bed so as not to jostle him much.

“Hi baby,” she cried as she ran her fingers through his hair. “God, I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had lost you.”

“I’m here, love.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. Her tears broke his heart and he chose to ignore the growing pain in his stomach and take care of his distraught girlfriend. “I’m okay.”

Liz rested her head beneath his chin, breathing in his familiar scent. His arms encircled her and she felt content. How she had gone through ten years without this was beyond her and the thought of losing any more time with him was terrifying.

“I’m sorry your surprise was ruined.”

“Max I don’t care about that. All I want is you.” She placed a soft kiss against his neck. “When I saw you lying there… God, Max. I can’t lose you again.”

“You won’t baby. I’m here,” he soothed as he stroked her hair.

“So what happened to David? Did they catch him?” he asked after she had calmed down.

Liz frowned. The thought that she had given him a second chance and he had turned and done something like this sickened her. If she could only get her hands on him… “He’s in police custody. They’re going to need your statement when you’re ready.”

Max nodded, his gaze dropping as he remembered what David told him. “He told me… he told me that he set up my car accident.”

“What?!” She sat up, her eyes wide.

Max jumped at her loud shriek. “He said that… I stole you from him and that he wanted to get rid of me. He said something about warning me before but I didn’t listen…” Max frowned, trying to remember.

“What? When did he warn you?”

Max shrugged. “He said something about me leaving my job at the restaurant and he should’ve stabbed me to death that night.”

“God… Max what is he talking about? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“I didn’t… I don’t remember. I’m sorry.”

She was shaking her head even before he could get the apology out. “No Max, it’s not your fault.” She returned to her former position, resting her head beneath his chin. “I just thank God that you’re okay.”

A knock at the door broke their moment. Liz sat up and wiped her tears just as Max’s doctor walked into the room. She checked him over before handing him a small button. Max frowned in confusion.

She smiled and patted his arm. “Morphine.”

Max quickly pressed the button, hoping to lessen his pain.

“I think there’re some people waiting to see you.” She pushed open the door, revealing his parents, Michael, Kyle and Maria.

He smiled and motioned for them to come in. “Hey guys.”

“Oh sweetheart,” Amy cooed as she reached his side. She pinched his cheek and leaned in for a hug. “How are you feeling honey? Do you need anything? Kyle, go get him some water.”

“I’m fine…”

“Nonsense. Kyle!” Amy scolded as she swatted at his son’s arm when he didn’t move. “Get your brother some water.”

“He’s got water on his table.”

Kyle pouted as he stepped away from Amy, narrowing avoiding another swipe. Max chuckled, then groaned in pain when the movement irritated his wound. “Amy, I’m fine, really.”

“You gave us a scare there,” Jim said.

Max ducked his head, grateful when Liz squeezed his hand in support. “Thanks for coming you guys.”

“Don’t get all sentimental and shit on us Max. A man gets shot and he turns into pansy ass,” Michael growled, though Max spotted his gentle smile as he wrapped his arm around Maria’s shoulder. Max knew it was Michael’s way of saying that he was glad that he was okay.

Max felt the pain easing a bit as the morphine kicked it, but he frowned as he looked around the small group that he called his family, finding two precious members missing. “Where are my babies?”

“There’re with Alex and Isabel at my apartment Max,” Liz answered. “They came out as soon as they heard what had happened. I didn’t want Adam and Grace staying here over night so they offered to keep them.”

Max nodded, already feeling drowsy again, but he had to do one more thing before he rested. “Guys, could I talk to Maria alone please?”

At Max’s request, the group filed out, albeit reluctantly, leaving the siblings alone.

She was immediately at his side, grabbing a hold of his hand. “What is it Max?”

“Did you tell Ellie what my surprise was about?”

She shook her head. “No. I didn’t get the chance. Why?”

“Because I still want to surprise her and ask her to marry me, but I don’t want to do it here. I want to wait until I’m better. Which means that you’re going to have to keep it a secret a little longer.”

“Max, no,” she whined. “I want you two engaged and I want it now,” she countered. It had killed her to wait as long as she did the first time. Why was she more eager about this than he was?

“Squirt, it’ll be a month at the most. I promise I’ll be engaged before Thanksgiving. If she says yes.”

Maria pouted, but reluctantly agreed. “Fine. But I don’t like it.”

“Noted. Could you please pass it along to everyone else?” Maria nodded. “Keep your big fat mouth shut. Don’t go blabbing to Ellie about this,” he teased.

“I won’t Max.” She kissed his cheek and let him rest.
**********

Liz waited patiently at Max’s bedside, her fingers sliding effortlessly through his hair as she watched him sleep. Adam lay peacefully asleep on the couch across the room while Grace was perched anxiously at the end of the bed, waiting for her father to awaken. They had been apart from their father for over two days now and the kids and Max were about to go crazy.

Liz had wanted to talk to him every since he had woken up the day before, but she was always either getting interrupted or chickening out.

Liz had a sinking suspicion that Max was going to propose soon, but in the mist of all the drama, that was the last thing on her mind while she worried if he would even survive or not. Now that she knew he was going to be okay, her eagerness to just be with him had increased. She wanted to wake up with him and go to bed with him every night. She wanted to be apart of Adam and Grace’s life, through every little moment.

“Ellie?”

Liz smiled when she saw that he was awake and staring up at her. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Better.” He brought their clasped hands to his lips.

Grace saw that her father was awake and quickly crawled up to greet him. “Dada!”

Max smile was a mile long as he took his daughter into his arms. “There’s my little love bug. Oh I missed you so much.”

“Dada go!” she giggled as he kissed her chubby cheeks.

“Have you been good huh? Have you been causing any havoc?”

“She’s been a complete angel. Both of them have,” Liz said as she gestured to Adam who was still sleeping soundly on the couch.

“I know you’re getting another tooth,” Max cooed at his daughter. “Does it still hurt?”

“She’s been whimpering a bit, but quiets when she gets her teething ring,” Liz explained. Grace simply buried her face in her father’s shoulder and quickly slipped into slumber.

“You know,” he started, turning his full attention to Liz, “I haven’t had a proper kiss from you in awhile now. I’m starting to go through withdrawals,” he pouted.

“So a kiss is what you want huh?” Max nodded eagerly. Liz readily complied, pressing her lips to his in a quick peck.

“That was a mere brush of the lips. I’m talking about a real kiss woman!” Liz laughed as she leaned in for another try. Her lips caressed his in a soft kiss until she opened her mouth as an invitation and it turned passionate and fierce. She felt it all the way to her toes as her tongue mated with his. Nothing was like Max’s kisses and living without them was just out of the question.

“That’s better,” he sighed when they broke away.

“Daddy?” They both looked across towards the sleepy little boy as he rubbed his eyes. Liz’s heart melted when she saw him. He looked just like Max it was unbelievable. “Daddy!” he said when he realized Max was awake.

He took off in a run and Liz lifted him onto the bed. “Hey sweetheart. How’s daddy’s little man?”

“Missed you,” he said, snuggling into his embrace.

“I missed you too champ.”

Liz smiled and then pulled her lip between her teeth. Now was as good a time as any to talk to him about what was on her mind. She just had to find the courage.

“What?” he asked when he saw the pensive look fall over her beautiful features.

“Max, I’ve been thinking about something… and I need to talk to you about it and I just want to know what you think okay?” He nodded and motioned for her to continue. “Well I’ve been spending a lot of time at your house with you and the kids and I’m barely at my apartment anymore. I just think… I think it’s pointless for me to continue paying rent there when I’m always at your place, you know?”

Max fought to hide his smile. He knew where she was headed with this and he was giddy with excitement.

“I totally agree with you Ellie.”

“Great. Then you know what I’m trying to get at. I mean, especially while you’re recovering, you’re going to need someone to help out with Adam and Grace.”

Max smiled at the wonderful wisp of a girl in front of him, chewing on her lip in nervousness. His heart melted and he found himself falling more than he ever thought was possible.

“Ellie, I think it’s the perfect idea for you to move in. I’ve wanted to talk to you about that,” he admitted, though when she moved in, he wanted her as his wife, but this would have to do until everything calmed down and he proposed.

Her face lit up, her eyes sparkling. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” He smiled and pulled her down to rest beside him, engulfing his little family in his arms.
*************

<center>Two Months Later</center>

Liz awoke, feeling the brisk air against her skin and she moved to snuggle against Max’s quiet warmth. Much to her disappointment, she found his side of the bed empty, replaced by a single red rose and a note lying on his pillow.

A beautiful rose for a beautiful lady

She smiled brilliantly as she breathed in the fresh scent of the rose before she threw back the covers and climbed out of bed.

A fresh blanket of snow had fallen last night and she was thankful that she was off for the weekend and Max had the day off. Christmas was two weeks away and she still had a little shopping to do. But today, she was just going to relax with Max and the kids.

After slipping on her robe and slippers, Liz wandered down the hall and into the kitchen where she found the man of her dreams flipping pancakes at the stove. Smiling, she crept up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his naked back.

“I really hope that that’s my gorgeous girlfriend behind me or she might walk in and get jealous,” he teased as he flipped the last pancake, and turned down the burner. He twisted in her arms and kissed her sweetly.

“Mm… Good morning,” she purred.

“Morning,” he smiled as he leaned in for another kiss.

“You’re up early.”

Max grinned. “I thought I would make you breakfast in bed.”

Though they had their arguments, since Liz had moved in nothing seemed to faze Max. She had been with him every step of the way, taking care of the kids and supporting him when he got frustrated while he was recovering.

David was convicted of attempted murder a few weeks ago, but pleaded mentally unstable which both Max and Liz had no doubt about now. He was sent off to a mental institute where he would serve his sentence. Liz was his backbone throughout the trial and he loved her even more for it.

He had yet to propose. He wanted it to be perfect for her and he never could find the right time. He was anxious for her to become his wife, but he wanted the best for her even while Maria pestered him for missing his Thanksgiving deadline, threatening his life if he didn’t get his act together soon.

But today was the day. He didn’t want to put it off any longer. He didn’t think that he could. Today, he was going to ask her to be his wife.

“Ellie, why don’t you get back into bed while I finish this up? I’ll bring it to you in a minute.”

With a final kiss, Liz skipped into the bedroom and hopped back in bed. Max followed her moments later, carrying a tray full of steaming food. He kicked the door closed behind him and made his way to her.

Liz squealed in delight as he set the tray in front of her and climbed in beside her. “I must’ve done something good.” Her gaze roamed over the delicious food. She didn’t know where to start.

“Why do you say that?” he asked innocently, hiding his secret smile behind his glass of orange juice.

Liz popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. “Because all week I’ve been getting special treatment. There’s been the bouquet of flowers that was sent to me in my classroom, the special dinners, the passes to the spa, the jewelry that some how found its way from underneath the tree and out of one of my wrapped gifts…”

Max snorted as Liz smiled innocently. “I swear I don’t know how that happened.”

“Sure.”

“Is all this leading up to a big surprise?” she queried excitedly.

His smile was mischievous as he scooped up a fork full of eggs. “You could say that.”

She latched onto his bicep as she bounced beside him. “Oh tell me!!” Her eyes lit up and a wide grin adorned her features. Max thought that she was the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.

“It’ll spoil the surprise now eat up.”

Seeing that he wasn’t going to budge, Liz settled for pouting beside him, hoping that he’d feel sorry for her and tell her.

He chuckled. “It won’t work.”

She sighed loudly before she dipped her finger into the syrup on her plate and wiped it on Max’s cheek. “Evil,” she growled. Max simply wiped it off, fighting off his laughter as he continued to eat.

“You know,” she started, “Alex and Isabel have their two month anniversary coming up.”

“Really?”

“Yep. They’ve been happily married for two months now.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, assessing his reaction. “Happy, happy, happy.”

“Good for them,” he said nonchalantly.

“Yeah. Um, I heard that Kyle wants to propose to Serena too.”

Max smirked. “Oh really. So soon?”

“Yeah. She just had a feeling about it. She just wishes that he’d get his ass together and propose already.”

“I’m sure Kyle will come around,” Max answered passively as he stuffed his face with toast to keep from laughing.

He knew what she was doing. She had been hinting that she wanted him to propose for the last month now and sometimes it got a little hard to keep from laughing at obvious she was sometimes.

Liz sent a hard glare Max’s way at not picking up on her hints. For a little over a month she was dropping hints all over the place and he never seemed to get it. She had wanted to propose to him, but Maria, Isabel and Serena had convinced her to wait. Liz’s fantasy had always been for the love of her life to completely sweep her off her feet and romantically propose to her. She was off her feet, now all she needed was the proposal.

Sighing in defeat for now, Liz returned her attention to breakfast and reached out for the syrup bottle. Smiling mischievously she tipped it over and poured a good amount over her neck and down her chest.

“Oh no,” she gasped dramatically, immediately catching Max’s attention. “Look what I’ve done. I’m just so clumsy sometimes.”

Max licked his lips, his eyes darkening. He knew what she was up to and he eagerly took the bait. Max moved the tray of food to the nightstand as she climbed onto his lap.

“Urg. Now I’m all sticky.” She looked up at him from beneath her lashes as she rocked against his already hardening member.

“We should get you cleaned up,” he breathed huskily, his hands already wandering up her shirt. He pulled the material over her head and tossed it aside. He lowered his head, hungrily nipping her neck as he licked the syrup away.

Max flipped them over and she laid flat against the mattress. Max hovered over her, latching on to her sweet mouth in a passionate caress. She shivered under Max’s hot touch and entrancing kisses as his lips trailed over her neck and down to the swell of her breasts. He licked her clean, enjoying her moans or pleasure as his hand disappeared into her panties while he flicked her nipple with his tongue.

Realizing that she was all clean and almost over the edge, Max released her from his hold and reached for the syrup bottle, pouring a small amount over her stomach. Liz shuddered as his tongue danced over her skin and then dipped into her belly button. He pushed her panties down her legs and kissed a trail up her heated body.

Using her feet, Liz pushed his boxers down his thighs. Max helped her when they got caught up on his stiff member. He tossed the material away and positioned himself above her.

“I love you Ellie,” he whispered against her lips.

“I love…” she started before she gasped as he entered her. They loved each other slowly, heating the cold air around them as they moved. They came together and after regaining strength in their sated limbs, they started it all over again the shower.

Adam and Grace choose that time to wake up when they finished showering. The four of them lazed around the house until Max left to shovel the snow. Liz smiled in adoration when she looked out the window and saw that he’d spelled out ‘I love you’ in the snow that had fallen on the windshield of her car.

He winked and trotted off to the backyard. When he came inside, she had hot chocolate waiting for him.

Later that night, as they lay in bed, Liz hid her pout against Max’s chest. Another day had gone by without a proposal. She wanted it so badly it hurt. She almost said screw the fantasy and proposed to him herself when he unraveled his arms from around her and reached into the drawer in the nightstand.

“Ellie, I forgot this one last gift that I bought. Could you go set it under the tree?”

He handed it to her and watched with a curious gaze as she growled at him before climbing out of bed. “Who’s it for?”

She glanced at the label. Liz’s Engagement Ring, it read. She made it halfway down the hall before it registered to her what she was holding. She stopped in mid step, her mouth wide as she gazed at the box in her hands.

“Oh my God!” she gasped. She returned into the bedroom, closing the door behind her so as not to wake the kids before letting out a loud shriek.

Max appeared beside her and led her to the window that looked out to the backyard. He pulled back the curtain and flipped the switch he had rigged up for this occasion. The words ‘Marry Me’ was strung in blaring red and green Christmas lights across the snow covered lawn.

Max smiled at the astonished look on her face. “With all the hints you were dropping, how could I not want to marry the most beautiful woman in the world?”

She turned to him, realizing he was waiting for an answer. Now that the time had finally come, she had no idea what to say. She could only nod as the tears filled her eyes and she choked back a sob.

Seeing Liz was still in shock, he patted himself on the back for a job well done and unwrapped the ring for her. It wasn’t until he slipped it on her petite finger that she launched herself in his arms.

“You waited until I had absolutely no hope left,” she laughed through her tears. “Geez Max, I could strangle you and kiss you breathless all at the same time. I thought I was being pretty obvious.”

“You were. I was just waiting for the perfect time,” he sighed as he leaned his forehead against hers. “We’ve weathered the storm Ellie. We’ve been up against all odds and won. Now it’s time for us to enjoy the calm. This is forever.”

Liz smiled, her ring reflecting the blaring lights from outside as she tightened her arms around his neck.

“This is forever.”

The End