Truth Doesn't Make A Noise (M/L. AU.) Part 14. 9/11.[WIP]

[Wench On A Leash]

Title: Truth Doesn't Make A Noise. AU. CC.
Author: Christina aka Wench On A Leash
Couple: Primarily M/L with some Mi/M
Rating: Teen? I guess.
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Jason Katims and Melinda Metz.
Summary: The Parkers move into town and Max is drawn to the young woman whose blank persona feeds his curiosity... *Note* This fic was inspired by the song "Truth Doesn't Make A Noise" by The White Stripes, other songs in this fic are "Name" by GooGoo Dolls as well as "Scarborough Fair" by various artists. If there are any more, they’ll be labeled accordingly.

AN- Alright, some of you may vaguely remember this fic from a looooooooong time ago. I was really on a roll with writing it, then real life came in and forced me to go in commission for a while. I've recently re-read it and decided to try and complete it. So, I'm hoping that by editing each chapter one by one, I'll be able to pick up the rhythm I had and finish it. *Gasp* It seems so far away, but I'll try.

So, here goes...

Part 1

The day they moved in was the day that the gossip started. Not just gossip at the local high school, but gossip throughout the whole suburb. The neighborhood had their own thoughts on the Parker family. One of the rumors was that the parents were overly strict and kept their daughter home and under their watchful gaze at all times. Another was that their daughter was a child prodigy. Max, he could care less about some new family in town. He'd heard enough rumors about enough new families to last a lifetime and frankly, it was just a way to strike at the boredom that every day life had to offer.

Max sat outside on his porch putting a new roll of film into his camera. For his senior year he decided to take photography, more of a blow-off class than anything else. He was surprised when he actually enjoyed what he was doing... who would have thought that Max Evans... Mr. Could Give-A-Shit Less about anything would enjoy taking snapshots of everything. His teacher, Mrs. Reed, had taken him aside one day and told him his pictures were unlike any she had seen before by any other students. He had this way of capturing the true essence in each of his photographs. In people; he captured their emotions, their beauty. In scenery, he captured the slightest oddity in a leaf; and turned it into a beautiful creation. His pictures were unique and his pictures were pure. Max smirked at the thought of his teacher telling him he was a good photographer, the first compliment he could remember ever getting. His parents were okay, they were just never home. His dad was always away for business trips being a prestigious lawyer and all, and his mother spent an abundant amount of time at some shelter for messed up kids.

Max set the camera in focus and zoomed in on the house across the street from his, the one with the lovely little white picket fence. This was the Parker residence. He saw the drapes to one of the rooms rustle and zoomed in more when he caught the glimpse of a girl with long brown hair draped around her face, almost as if to hide herself. Her eyes were dark, unknowing and uncaring as she stared blankly out the window. Max snapped a shot, already picturing an excellent black and white photo. The girl inside the window continued to stare, and Max had this sudden urge to walk to her house, stand directly in front of that window and stare back at her. His curiosity was piqued.

~*~

"Liz honey, dinner's ready,” Came a sweet, surprisingly calm voice from behind her. Liz continued to stare blankly out the window. The voice behind her sighed sadly and wrinkled fingers gently touched her shoulder. Liz suddenly whipped around and jumped back a few feet, as if she had been burnt. The woman gazed at Liz, into her eyes that looked so lost, so frightened, and she had to swallow before she could regain the strength to speak. "Liz, please eat dinner with me." Liz nodded before she walked into the kitchen. She took a seat and immediately fixed her gaze to the ceiling fan above the table. She watched it move, over and over, its steady rhythm calming her from reality. She was in a different world. She was in her own little world.

~*~

The girl was home schooled, which Max later found out when she hadn't been to school after a month of settling into the new house. He saw her once in a while, staring out the window with that same blank expression as always. He never really got a good look at her. All he could see was a slight glimpse of her face safely hidden behind her dark hair. He continued to take pictures of her, wanting to capture the truth behind her face. He wanted to know what emotions she so carefully masked, he wanted to know who she was. He wondered if it was even possible. The Parkers seemed like very private people. In fact, he’d hardly ever seen anybody leave the house.

Max stopped staring at the pristine house across the street and sighed before walking into his own house. He was surprised to find his mother there.

"Hey Max, I was just about to leave. I left a list of things we need from the grocery store." His mother stated, not even giving him a glance. Okay, so maybe he wasn't surprised. "See you later, honey." She said as she grabbed her purse and scurried out the door. His mother hadn't cared about him at all. He found it ironic that she spent her time at a shelter helping kids when he himself felt alone most of the time. She'd always leave post-it notes for him, directions on how to make food for himself, directions on what to buy at the grocery store and so on and so forth.

A few minutes after his mother left he went to the freezer and looked for a frozen pizza he could heat up. Sadly, he realized he'd have to get the groceries sooner than later. He reluctantly got in his car and drove off to the local grocery store. He swept through the aisle quickly, grabbing everything listed, as well as a couple DiGiorno pizzas for himself when he saw an elderly woman attempting to get ice cream from the highest shelf. The look of determination on her face made him walk over to her and ask her if she needed help.

"You're too kind," The woman responded.

"Umm, which flavor do you want?" Max asked.

The elderly woman's eyes flickered in sadness for a moment before she responded, "Vanilla." She said, then lowered her voice and added, "It's my granddaughter's favorite flavor." Max reached the top shelf and grabbed vanilla, handing it to the elderly woman. "Thank you..."

"Max. My name's Max Evans." He hadn't seen this woman before and vaguely wondered if she was in the Parker household. He had wanted to ask, but didn't want to be rude about it. The elderly woman smiled.

"Max Evans. I believe you live down the street from me. I'm Claudia Parker."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Parker" Max said as he extended his hand for a handshake.

"Oh, please call me Claudia. Mrs. Parker makes me feel so old". Max couldn't help but smile at the woman's friendliness. "Well, I better get home. Thank you for helping me, Max."

As Max drove home he spotted her walking down the street with only the ice cream in her hands. He saw sweat on her face from the heat and figured the ice cream would melt by the time she got home due to the sun's harsh rays. He pulled over and rolled down the window.

"Mrs. Par..err, Claudia, would you like a ride?" The woman didn't hesitate and walked to the passenger side, opening the door to get in.

"Thank you, I hope the ice cream didn't melt too much". Max drove in silence for the next 5 minutes and pulled into the woman's driveway. Claudia got out of the car and invited him inside for some lemonade. Max was surprised, he had heard enough rumors about the Parkers being cold and distant. He decided to go inside, maybe he'd get a glimpse of the girl who was always staring out the window.

He walked inside and was immediately overcome with a sense of coziness. The house was kind of dark, with its grandfather clock ticking away in consistent time and every small knick-knack perfectly in place. He noted that the house was spotless as he made his way into the kitchen and sat down. Claudia poured them lemonade and seated herself down across from him.

"I would appreciate it if you'd stop taking pictures of my granddaughter," she said out of nowhere. Max almost choked on his lemonade as a slight blush covered his face. He couldn't think of anything to say and the woman laughed. "It's best to leave her alone," she said as the laughter quickly faded and was replaced with sadness in her eyes.

"I don't know if I can," The words left his lips before he had a chance to process them himself. Claudia looked away, wondering if this young man was what her granddaughter needed. But the burden was too big, and the emotional conflicts raging through her granddaughter's brain were too great.

"Max, you haven't even spoken to her…"

"It's her eyes, they're so... blank."

The woman's eyes welled up with tears and she had to remember to breathe, "You're quite the perceptive one,” she stated quietly.

Just when Max began feeling guilty, he heard the squeak of a door opening and watched as the girl walked straight to the window and stared outside. Only this time Max realized she wasn't a girl. She was a woman. She had the body of a woman, but she looked so small and fragile. He felt this need to go over to her, to get a better look at her. But as he took slow steps towards her, he felt a hand rush to his arm and firmly halt his movements.

"You'll scare her," Claudia said. He stood in place as Claudia then moved to the young woman's side and said calmly, "Liz, honey, I want you to meet someone." He waited for her to turn around, acknowledge him perhaps. When she didn't, Claudia gave him a sympathetic look and tried again, "Elizabeth". Liz blinked and turned around. It was at that moment when Max met her eyes in close proximity that he realized she was beautiful.

[Wench On A Leash]

First off, thanks to all the wonderful feedback...

Morning Dreamgirl
Alien 614- I remember you!
begonia9508- Aww, that's so sweet about this story retaining it's magic. I'm glad you enjoyed it/ are enjoying it again.
PMP- Well, thanks for all the feedback the first time around. And thanks for the wonderful compliments.
Jason's Lover
pandas2001
youre my dreamgirl
Natz
Reamhar- Lol, thanks. This screen name actually came out of a joke with a friend when we were younger. It was through our phase of calling girls "wenches", and around the time that Korn's "Freak on a Leash" came out. So we put two and two together, and I found it amusing, so it stuck.
TrudyGill23
dreamsatnight
LairaBehr4- Aww, beautiful beginning? Wow, that's so sweet of you. Thanks.

Part 2

Her large doe eyes continued to stare. Max couldn't tell if she even noticed him. It seemed like she was looking beyond him, fixing her gaze on some inanimate object. He couldn't bring himself to say a single word. That blank stare in her expressionless eyes made him feel an overwhelming amount of pain inside. He wanted to see those soft lips smile, he wanted to see those chocolate eyes sparkle, and most of all he wanted to hear the sweetness of her voice. He hadn't heard one word from her, and had a feeling he wouldn't be hearing any for a long time. If ever.

Claudia stood in the background observing Max's expressions, and she knew that if anyone could help her granddaughter, he would be the one. From the look on his face, he cared for her. She smiled slightly at the thought of her granddaughter once again holding the compassion and spirit of a young child. Her smile quickly faded when her thoughts drifted off to the last time she remembered Liz being that jovial, innocent child she so desperately missed.

********************************
"Gramma, where is my brother?" Came the curious voice of an 8 year old. Claudia blinked back her tears as she tried to explain.
"Lizzie, your brother won't be back."
Liz turned her head slightly to the side and furrowed her brow like a puppy trying to differentiate what its owner was saying. She held that look as she felt a weariness take hold of her thoughts. "Is he with the angels?" Claudia nodded, unable to speak, and finally broke down into sobs. "So there’s only one me now?" Liz asked sadly.
"I'm sorry, honey, your twin is gone."
"Up there?" Liz asked, pointing her tiny, shaky index finger towards the sky. Claudia nodded, and realization dawned on Liz. Her large doe eyes filled with gloomy tears as she ran into the comfort of her grandmother's arms. "K.. Kyle is gone forever," Came the delicate words of a child losing her innocence. Forever.
********************************

"Elizabeth," came a dreamlike voice, snapping Claudia out of her reverie. She looked to Max and Liz, who were still standing across from one another. Claudia quietly made her way into the other room so Max wouldn't see the fresh sheen of tears now forming in her eyes, although he probably wouldn't have noticed considering the intensity of his gaze on her granddaughter.

Liz blinked at hearing her name and Max had to stop himself from reaching out to touch her. He didn't want to scare her.

"Liz?" Her eyes looked into his, and at that point he felt a light tug on his heart. His instincts took over and he gently reached out his hand to touch her arm. She flinched at the touch, but didn't back away. Her gaze moved down to his hand and slowly returned to his eyes with a cold stare. The look on her face intimidated him and made him pull his hand back.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, but his words were drowned out by the steady sound of a guitar. Liz turned towards the sound coming from the backyard and walked towards it while Max followed closely behind. He knew who was playing and smirked as he finally saw his old friend Alex sitting against an oak tree strumming the melancholy notes to Aerosmith's "Dream On". He watched Liz, and for a brief moment her eyes seemed to light up. The moment came and gone so quickly that he wasn't sure if he'd been imagining it or not. Claudia came out of her room and walked behind Liz, smiling as she too watched Alex play his guitar.

After the song finished Elizabeth turned and retreated to her room, shutting the door behind her. Max couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her mind.

"Claudia... she can talk, right?" Max asked.

Claudia sighed brokenly before answering, "She hasn't spoken in 4 years."

Max swallowed as he looked towards Liz's bedroom door. "How... how old is she?"

"17," Claudia looked towards Liz's bedroom door and knew this had to be a moment between grandmother and granddaughter. She only hoped that Max would understand. But she didn’t need to explain when his words cut in through the silence of the room.

"I better get going. I'm sorry." Max said quietly. He took a breath and went to let himself out knowing he shouldn't ask any more questions. He'd find out the truth when they were willing to tell him. He wouldn't push. He would wait. He would wait because Elizabeth Parker was worth it.

~*~

When Max got outside, he could still hear Alex's guitar and debated on whether to speak to him or not. He decided on the latter, not wanting to bother Alex and his love of the guitar. It'd be like someone interrupting him taking photographs, and he couldn't do it. Besides, he hadn't spoken to Alex much since his sophomore year, with the exception of the occasional "Hey man, what's up?" in the hallways. Max began walking towards his house thinking back to when he had turned into Mr. Football Hero. He hated the sport, couldn't stand it in fact, but he tried out and made the team to impress his parents. Unfortunately, his parents didn't seem to care about the time when he got all A's and was high school's favorite football player. He sucked at the game, but the girls still loved him, and when the girls hung all over him, the guys hung out with him to get into the girls' pants. When he transformed into Mr. Popular, he dropped his best friend Alex and spent his time with the football team. Max felt bad ending the only real friendship he'd had for something so superficial that only made him more alone in the long run. Now, he was no longer Mr. Football Hero, he was no longer getting all A's, and he no longer had a flock of girls at his side. All thanks to a Sean DeLuca moving in and claiming the "bad boy" roll along with the bitchy blond Tess Harding.

Max opened the door to his house, and the first words that left his lips were, “Who the hell are you?”

[Wench On A Leash]

Aww, thanks again for the feedback...

TrudyGill23
youre my dreamgirl
begonia9508
POM
pandas2001
PMP- I figured you would remember.
Jason's Lover
aussietrueblue


Part 3

Max looked scrutinizingly at the guy going through his refrigerator. He had on faded ripped jeans and a Metallica t-shirt. His hair was fairly long and a dirty blonde color. His eyes were cold and hard, and Max felt slightly intimidated, but he wouldn't show it in his own home.

Mr. Metallica rolled his eyes and responded, "Prick.”

Max blinked. He was getting furious. Some mysterious guy shows up in his house, scrounging around his refrigerator, and finally calls him a prick. The breaking point was when Mr. Metallica opened the freezer and took out a DiGiorno pizza.

"That's it". Max tackled the intruder and pinned him to the floor, "I'm serious. What the fuck are you doing in MY house?" Max leaned his elbow back and made a fist, ready to smash the guy's face in when he was interrupted.

"MAX! What in God's name are you doing?"

Max leaped up at the voice, "Mom?"

"So Michael, I see you've already met my son Max." She gave Max a look of disappointment before continuing, "Michael's from the Shelter, and he's going to be living here for a while." She smiled warmly at Michael.

Max's jaw dropped open. Here his mother was, the woman who was never there for him, the woman who never encouraged him to do anything, helping some low-life kid. He clenched his jaw and spoke forcefully.

"So why isn't he staying at the Shelter?" Max asked. Diane gave Michael another smile as she grabbed her son, excused them, and went to the other room.

"Michael... well, he… doesn't like people very much."

"Ha." Max snorted, "That's no surprise."

"I just thought it'd be good for him to live with us, away from all the kids from the Shelter."

As Max was listening to his mother talk, he realized this was the most she'd spoken to him in what seemed like forever. Maybe she never realized the abandonment he felt from her. He glanced into the kitchen at Michael and felt jealous, jealous that his mother was willing to help some other kid, and not be there for himself. And so Max decided to do what he always did, smile and nod.

"Okay mom, I guess that'd be good for him."

"Now go and apologize"

Max gritted his teeth in trying to control his anger and returned to the kitchen muttering a terse, "I'm sorry"

Michael smirked cockily as he took out the DiGiorno pizza from the oven.

Max left to the sanctuary of his room. His life was just getting better and better.

~*~

The next day at school Max walked through the halls and heard the latest rumors of the Parker residence from the cheerleading squad.

"I heard she has some serious mental issues," said a short curly haired redhead.

"I heard she has that disease where you can't go out in the sun or you'll die or something," said another, even more moronic blonde chick with a fake perm.

"I heard she was deaf," voiced the head cheerleader Tess, whom Max attempted to avoid by holding his Bio book to the side of his face but sadly, to no avail.

"MAX! Oh my God, Sean did the SWEETEST thing. He bought me a bracelet with our names engraved."

She continued to talk as Max looked around, obviously annoyed. Why would he care about what Sean got her?

"Umm, yeah. That's really great, but you know, can't miss Bio." He said and bolted away from the bouncy blonde.

Max didn’t pay much attention to his Bio lecture, instead his thoughts drifted to Liz. He felt sorry for her, all the rumors going around about her. He knew there was something devastating that had to have happened in her past, and he only hoped he could help her. Maybe become her friend, God he needed a friend, possibly even just as much as she did.

The bell rang, and Max headed outside with his camera to eat his lunch and take pictures when he spotted Alex with two girls from school, Maria and Isabel. Alex was clearly charming them, considering the amount of laughter coming from their usual spot by the big tree that offered them shade from the sun. Max smiled at the memory of he and Alex's friendship. Alex was always the witty one.

Max hadn't realized he was staring until Maria waved at him from across the lawn. He awkwardly waved back and Maria shook her head no and waved again, signaling that she wanted him to join them. He slowly made his way towards his former friend, and started conversation, "Hey guys."

Isabel rolled her eyes, "Do Maria and I look like males to you?" she responded with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Okay, maybe not JUST a hint. She was clearly pissed at him for leaving Alex.

"Hey man. What's up?" Alex asked.

Max looked to him and shrugged. It was hard for him to casually talk to Alex. He wanted to apologize for leaving him. He wanted to tell him how alone he felt when he ditched Alex for the "in crowd". He wanted to tell him how much of an asshole he was, but he didn't know exactly what to say. So he just chose a simple yet genuine, "I’m sorry Alex,"

Alex looked at Max a minute before he burst into laughter.

Max blinked, "Glad to know I've made you laugh?" He said questioningly.

Alex only laughed more, followed by the giggles from Isabel and Maria, until he finally managed to say, "Oh my God, Max Evans has just said he's sorry."

"That is something I have NEVER heard before." Maria chimed in good naturedly.

"Seriously though, it's all good man. I mean, if you hadn't ditched me, I wouldn't have found my two best galls," Alex joked, putting his arms around each of the girls’ shoulders. "What can I say, I am THEE ladies man."

Isabel rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide the smile on her lips. Max thought of Liz again, for the thousandth time that day, and thought of how he'd give anything to see that girl smile.

"So Alex, are you still playing guitar?" Max already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Alex himself. Smiling, Max took a seat on the lawn in the shade and listened to Alex stating all the songs he could play, and how he was writing his own music now.

"I see you've found a permanent liking," Alex smirked. Max looked confused, how did Alex know about Liz? "You know, that camera. I never see you without it."

Max looked down at the camera strapped around his neck. "Oh, yeah… I found something I have a knack for."

Alex smiled. "I knew you would someday, man"
~*~

Grandma Claudia knocked gently on Liz's door. Slowly, her granddaughter opened the door, giving Claudia permission to enter.

"How you feeling, honey?" Liz sat on her bed, gazing down at a framed picture delicately held in her hands.

Claudia sat next to her and smiled, "Your mother with her four favorite things. You, Kyle, your father, and her guitar." Back when things were simple. Liz turned her head to the side, looking at the picture she held of her family. All of which were gone. In one way or another, they were all gone. One had a chance to return, but would it ever happen? "Elizabeth. It's been 4 years, honey. Please, talk to me. Let me know you're alive…that you feel things. Liz, let me in."

This wasn't the first time Claudia pleaded with her granddaughter. She had tried therapy, but the overly priced psychiatrist said it was normal for a child to close themselves off when a traumatic event occurred. That with medication and love and support, she would get through it. Too bad they couldn't continue to afford the appointments.

Just when Claudia was about to stand up, Elizabeth hesitantly leaned forward and hugged her. Slow and awkward at first, but gradually Claudia could feel Liz clinging on to her like she was her lifeline. Claudia smiled as tears of joy filled her eyes. Maybe Liz wasn't talking, but at least she was doing something.

[Wench On A Leash]

Once again, thanks for the feedback!

PMP- Aww, thanks. I always pegged Alex as the forgiving type. He just seems very loyal and wise beyond his years.
begonia9508- Thanks so much for the continuous feedback.
youre my dreamgirl- Look, I'm spoiling you again with another update!
Jason's Lover
TrudyGill23- You're onto something there about Max. Maybe he should try talking to his mother...

So, onto the next installment...

Part 4

Max sat in his room loading a new roll of film into his camera when the house began to shake. Max grunted. The loud music reverberating throughout the house was the cause of his new housemate whose room just happened to be right next to his.

Max knocked on the wall and yelled, "Turn that down!” In seconds, he was responded by the even louder music of Soundgarden blasting through the wall. Max got up and made his way to Michael's room. "Look, this isn't your house. You may be living here for a while, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever the hell you want."

Michael looked at him for a minute before turning off the CD player.

Ah, silence.

"Thank yo-", but his words were drowned out by Alice In Chains. Max gave Michael the evil eye while Michael just ignored him and started putting posters of his favorite bands on the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Is it your goal in life to piss everyone off?" Max asked.

"Nah, only you,” Michael said nonchalantly.

Max got frustrated and bolted out of the house, leaving Michael in there alone. He looked across the street to Liz's house, and debated on whether to go there or not. He took a step that way, but then decided against it. He didn’t want Claudia or Liz to see him in an angry state. He needed to calm down, and he knew the perfect place to do that. So he took a walk to the park with his camera in hand.

Max set his camera to focus on a small child feeding ducks in the pond. His happiness and innocence was clearly evident on his face. Max snapped a shot as the kid's smile widened, watching the ducks attack the bread crumbs. Now this was calming. Maybe this was why Max loved taking photographs. Maybe it was the reason he was so good at it, being able to read people's thoughts, observe what they were thinking by their expressions. Max turned his head and caught sight of a middle aged man sitting on a park bench, looking sad and defeated. Max snapped a picture of him before leaving.

~*~

Grandma Claudia sat on the couch in her living room watching the television. On the screen Claudia saw Liz sitting in her father's lap, closing her eyes and listening to her mother's calming melody on the guitar. None of the three were smiling. They all just sat there in silence as they listened to the soothing music. Claudia studied the determined expression on her daughter-in-law's face. She was so strong in hiding her pain. Nobody knew how much her son's death affected her. Nobody knew of the painful guilt that welled up inside of her from the knowledge that her only son died while sitting in the passenger side of their car that rainy day she drove him home from soccer practice. Nobody knew of the everlasting depression that would later mark her own death.

Claudia's thoughts drifted back to the day... the day the family started to break apart.


*****************
Claudia was watching Liz that gloomy day when the rain began to pour to no end.

"Gramma, gramma. You gonna show me how to make cookies?" Liz asked excitedly, her big doe eyes pleading with her grandmother to show her how.

Claudia smiled as she was about to answer her granddaughter, but the ringing of the phone sounded through the harshness of the raindrops plunking against the windowsill, and Claudia answered it.

The next thing she knew she was at the hospital holding her daughter-in-law's hand while she cried, the thick cuts and scrapes clearly evident on the right side of her once flawless face.

"Is he really gone?" Nancy asked through her sobs.

Claudia took a deep breath, "The impact of the car on the passenger side was too… too much. He died instantly, before he could feel any pain."

Before he could feel any pain. Before he could feel any pain… the words echoed through her head.

Claudia glanced out the hospital window, seeing a frightened Liz curled in her father's arms.

****************

Just then a male voice cleared his throat and Claudia turned to the sound.

"I'm sorry, I knocked and nobody answered...I was worried that maybe something happened, and the door wasn't locked so I let myself in." Max said as he looked to the tv, noticing a small girl with long brown hair flowing down her shoulders sitting in a man's arms, a man who looked vaguely familiar to Max.

Claudia stopped the VCR and Max couldn't help but ask, "Was that Liz?" Claudia nodded in response. "She looks a lot like her mother," he stated.

"Yes, she does," Claudia half-smiled. "What brings you here, Max?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see if…"

Claudia raised an eyebrow, "You wanted to see Elizabeth?"

Max blushed. "Umm, something like that,” he said under his breath. Max gestured towards Liz's room, "May I?" Claudia nodded and went into the kitchen.

Max made his way to Liz's room and gently knocked on her door. In a few moments she opened it and he stepped inside. Her gaze was set on his face, and he saw something more than a blank stare this time. He saw sadness in her eyes. He felt a pang tug at his heart from the look on her face, but at least she wasn't in her trance-like state.

"Hi Elizabeth.” She made her way to her bed and sat down. He followed and sat across from her, his movements slow and tentative. He studied her for a moment and she studied him, her gaze finally focusing on the camera he held in his hand.

Max smirked, "This is my pride and joy." Liz continued to look at his camera. "Ever taken any pictures before?" Her gaze flew back to his face. At least she seemed to be responding more. She shook her head no, but so minutely that Max wasn't sure she even did it. He just had to trust his instincts on this one. "Want me to show you?" Liz looked at the camera again, and then back to his face before nodding slightly.

Max stood up and extended a hand towards Liz to take. She got up and looked at it blankly. He gently grabbed her hand and guided her out of her room, surprised she didn't pull away from him.

"Claudia?" Max asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I take Liz outside, maybe to the park for a little while." Claudia's surprise was clearly marked on her face as she looked to Liz and Max, their fingers entwined.

She walked up to Liz and asked, "Honeybear? Do you want to go with Max to the park?" Liz nodded shyly, and Claudia got so giddy that she clasped her hands together in delight. "Okay... then go." She encouraged. Ever since Liz hugged her that day, she seemed to be opening up more, slowly but surely, and Claudia couldn't deny Liz the right to experience life again.

~*~

Max walked hand in hand with Liz to the park, glancing at her every now and then.

"I come here a lot. It's one of my favorite places to take pictures and calm down. It's where I go to get away from everything, all my problems." He explained to her, knowing that she heard him, even if she didn't respond.

Once they reached the park, they sat down on the grass away from all the people. Max had a feeling that Liz wouldn't want to be around too many people. He looked around, his gaze catching a little girl being pushed on the swing-set by a young boy. He smiled and winked at Liz before taking a picture of the two cute little children. Liz studied how he worked the camera, focusing it and pushing a button. He handed it to her, wondering what even compelled him to let her use it. He never even let anybody touch his camera, let alone take a picture.

"You know... this camera means, practically everything to me. It's my only comfort at times." Max mentioned, feeling this pull to tell her his thoughts. He wasn't very good at opening up to people, but with her it seemed natural, probably the knowledge that she would just listen and not comment. Sometimes just having someone listen was enough. Max looked to her face, and she seemed to be focusing on his eyes. He felt embarrassed that he'd told her so much in that short moment and shrugged his shoulders, as if to erase what he'd just said. "Okay, just... just pick anything in here that you find beautiful, Liz, and just take a picture of it." He explained to her, trying to give her the tactic that worked best for him. Finding beauty in things was the key to capturing the essence of a photograph.

Elizabeth continued to look at him, into his eyes, and for a split second he could have sworn he had seen the sadness in her eyes disappear and a sparkle shine through, but then she turned her head away, looking around the park. Max followed her gaze over to an elderly couple strolling through the garden patch hand in hand, and smiled. This would make a lovely picture. Just as he turned his face back to Liz there was a flash.

And Max realized that he was the one in that picture.

[Wench On A Leash]

Thanks to

behrluv32
sprayedadhesive- by the way, I love your username
begonia9508
TrudyGill23
PMP
youre my dreamgirl - Yeah, it's fun to write Michael. And wow, the picture scene has always been one of your favorites. =) That means quite a lot to me. Thanks.
force
and LairaBehr4

Your feedback is very much appreciated.


Part 5

Throughout the rest of the day Max couldn't hide the smile that crept onto his face. Liz took a picture of him. He had told her to take a picture of something beautiful... and it was he whom she chose. He, of all people, knew the importance of that simple gesture. Liz seemed to hold a power over him, this captivating spell that entranced him with every little thing she did. Her face was so pure, so innocent, and yet so troubled and sad that he wanted to be the one to reach out and pull her out of the shell she kept herself in. He was determined to do that.

After Max walked Liz back to her house and made sure she was safe at home, he felt this need to share his feelings with someone. But who was there to share them with... His mom? No. Michael? Hell no. Max smiled. He knew someone he could trust.

~*~
Alex looked surprised as he opened the door, "Max? Hey, what are you doing here?"

Max shrugged, still smiling, "I wanted to visit an old friend."

Alex smirked before moving aside to let Max in. "You seem very happy," he stated. "I don't even remember the last time you seemed this happy, Max."

"Yeah, well... I found this girl."

Alex laughed. "You found this... girl. That says a lot, buddy."

Max laughed and looked at Alex. "Yeah… she's... you know… the ... well... you know Elizabeth Parker? She and her grandmother have been living here for about two months now."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "The-"

"No, none of those rumors are true, Alex. She's…she's…there's something about her. She's been through a lot, but she just, her eyes, they're so…and she's just…so ..."

"Beautiful?" Alex asked.

"That doesn't even seem like enough to describe her."

Alex chuckled. "Looks like Max Evans is in love."

Max shot Alex a glare. "I wouldn't go that far. I just, I want to help her. I want to be there for her. I want to… protect her."

Alex shook his head, "You've got it bad, Max." Max blushed. He had never mentioned girls like this before. Usually girls were coming on to him so much that he didn't have any real emotional feelings towards any of them. They were just there. Like Tess was just there.

"Hey, if it helps at all, I know how you feel," Alex began.

Max immediately looked up at him, "Isabel?"

Alex snapped his head up, "Oh my God, is it that obvious?"

Max nodded, "Yeah, it's pretty pathetic actually, but she likes you too. So I guess you're both pathetically obviously head over heals in love with each other."

Alex smiled, "You think?"

"I know. Believe me Alex, I've had enough girls hanging all over me to know how they act when they like you. Isabel's always smiling and happy around you. In fact, I distinctly remember her being Miss Ice Queen until you came around and softened her up." Alex had this goofy, dreamy look on his face.

Max was happy that he and Alex were talking like they used to, although he still felt he needed to formally apologize for the way he treated Alex.

"Hey, I'm really sorry for everything. You were my best friend and I just... left you for- "

"Don't worry about it, Max" Alex shrugged his apology off. "I know how you feel."

"So, are we friends again?" Max asked.

"Of course."

“Good,” Max said. “I’ll see ya around. Thanks for listening.”

Max turned around to leave, but as he opened the door Alex spoke, "Umm… you may have to face the Wrath of the Ice Queen for a while though. Heh..heh. She was the one who had to hear me bitch about your arrogance for a while."

Max winced, "Well, I deserve some sort of punishment." He shrugged to Alex before leaving.

What a great way to end the day. He was making progress with Liz, and he was gaining Alex's friendship back. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin his day.

He walked into his house and found Michael making out with a blonde chick on the couch, "Jesus Michael, get a room!" He yelled.

The two broke apart instantly and Max's eyes opened wide like saucers, "Maria?"

Okay, so maybe that could ruin his day.

~*~

Maria licked her lips and pulled her bunched up skirt down, smoothing it out. "Um... Max. What are you doing here?"

"This is MY house. MY house. Not Michael's, MINE!" Max yelled, aggravated. "Besides, what are YOU doing here?"

"It shouldn't be too hard to figure that one out," Michael said in his usual sardonic tone.

Max shot Michael a stern look, "Was I asking you?"

"No, but any idiot would kno-"

"Just shut up already!" Max said, furious.

"Ummm, I'll just be... going now." Maria said, creeping towards the door. She quickly opened it and slammed it shut in a hurry to get out of the house.

Michael sat back on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

"Thanks man," he said sarcastically.

"Asshole," Max muttered, turning to make his way to his room when he thought about how it was because of Maria's friendly invitation to sit with them at lunch that he and Alex were friends again. He stopped mid-step, his back still turned to Michael. "Just, don't be using her," Max said before continuing on his way to his room.

Michael heard the door slam shut before saying under his breath, "I'm not."

~*~

Despite last night's bad visual of Michael and Maria making-out, Max managed to get some sleep. And now here he was, in his school's dark room developing the two last rolls of film he'd taken. After setting up the equipment and performing a test run on the enlarger time, Max set the clock and watched the magic of art developing right before his eyes.

His amber eyes gazed with intensity as the image of Liz's blank stare hiding behind her dark brown, silky hair came into view. Max breathed in, as the power of that blank stare captivated his senses and made him want to see her after school and work his way on opening her up.

He continued watching all his other pictures come into focus, smiling at how wonderful the picture of the child feeding the ducks turned out. The little boy's eyes were opened wide as the duck charged at the breadcrumbs in the water, sending ripples of waves to splash around. The thing he loved most about this picture was the child's look of pure innocence.

Then Max saw himself. He smiled in remembrance of Liz taking his picture. He looked completely natural. Well, other than the look of contentment in his smile and the adoration shining in his eyes. Max knew that both of which were caused by Liz herself. Max had taken so many pictures of other people that he didn't have many of himself. This picture was priceless. Priceless because he rarely smiled. Priceless because he never had adoration in his eyes. Priceless because it was taken by Elizabeth Parker. The woman who had been making him smile more lately, the woman who he adored, the woman who captured his senses and made him feel.

Max's smile soon deteriorated, and he crinkled his brow curiously as the next photo came into view. His mouth dropped open and he was struck speechless as the man sitting on the park bench's facial features came into view. Max closed his eyes and opened them again to make sure he wasn't imaging it, but the man in the picture was the same man holding Liz in his arms in Claudia’s home video. Granted the man had more gray hair, wrinkles, and was considerably thinner than in the video, probably due to the stress of whatever happened. But the fact of the matter was that this was Liz's father he saw. Max had never seen the man at the Parker household and wondered if he was on some restraining order or something.

The knowledge continued to haunt Max during the rest of the school day. He didn't want Liz to be in any trouble. He didn't want her to hurt, she'd already been hurt so badly in the past, and he didn't even know what the reason was exactly. Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing, but then as his thoughts turned optimistic, an image of Liz with her blank stare came into his mind, and he knew the knowledge of Liz Parker's father being in the same area, at the very same park he took her to, was too great to keep from her.

The only problem now was how to tell Liz. How could he tell her he had unknowingly seen her father in the park and just happened to take a picture of him? Wouldn't she be freaked out that he even knew it was her father in the picture? The scary thing was, if he hadn't seen that video, he wouldn't have known. He would have seen that picture and just noted it as an expression of sadness, but now he knew that there was a whole story behind that picture.

Just like there was a story behind every picture he had taken that he never really thought about until now. But each time he snapped a shot, it was a picture of a particular moment in a person's life. An image that would be captured forever that held no lies. Memories of pain, heartache, love, death, and every other imaginable emotion could be captured in a picture.

In his hands he held a picture of Jeff Parker. An image of his story, an image of his truth. His eyes were full of sadness and distress. Words were lost on his lips, words were not needed to capture the pain he felt.

Talk never got to the matter of truth, words could be manipulated, but expressions could not be.

Liz Parker didn't talk, but she clearly observed. She understood that truth didn't make a noise. It was all in an expression, an expression that she wouldn’t show. Liz Parker didn't want anyone to know the truth. So she sat in her own little world, withdrawing herself from everyone so she wouldn't have to face the truth. But now it was time for Max to let her know the truth the only way he knew how. By showing her the picture and asking no questions.

[Wench On A Leash]

First of all, thanks to Jason's Lover, youre my dreamgirl, begonia9508, and DreamerMaxBehrian.

So, as you wish DreamerMaxBehrian, here's another update.


Part 6


His heart was pounding as he drove home from school, and the nervousness and worry creeping through his thoughts was what made him pull into his driveway instead of Liz Parker's. He knew he needed to calm down and think clearly before showing her the picture. He needed to be logical about this. He got out of his car and looked across the street to her house. He tried to remain calm, but to no avail. He knew the longer he'd hold out on letting her know, the more it would worry him.

Slowly, he grabbed his camera and the newly developed film and made his way across the street to her house. He stood motionless, staring at the door. All he had to do was knock and he'd be inside, but where would he go from there? He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and opened them, knocking before he had the urge to turn around and run back home.

It seemed like forever before Claudia came to the door, opening it and smiling sweetly at him.

"Max. Come in," she said, stepping to the side of the door to let him in. As soon as he’d done so, she looked up to him, clasped his hands in hers and said, "Thank you."

Max understood what she was thanking him for. Liz. Max was overwhelmed with the sincerity of her words, and his face paled at the thought of provoking anything to go downhill with Liz from there. He had opened her up, very slowly, and he didn't want to ruin it all in one foolish move.

Claudia noticed the look on Max's face and dropped her hands from his. "Max, sit down."

Max made his way over to the couch and listened to the grandfather clock chiming in sync with the beating of his heart. He was worried. So worried.

"What's wrong?" Claudia gently asked, searching his face.

Max took out the photos from his pocket and handed them to Claudia. She silently grabbed them, looking through the pictures. Max watched the expressions on her face. They ranged from a sweet smile and jovial eyes to a mild frown and a look of sadness, the same look of sadness Max had noticed in Liz's father's eyes.

"Poor Jeff," Claudia sighed as her thumb smoothed over his face.

Max looked confused. Claudia didn't act surprised or worried. Just sad. She looked up to Max's face that asked so many questions.

"Why doesn't he, does Liz know he's…” Max's head was so full of questions that each one ran into the next, until finally they faded into the back of his head.

Claudia sighed. "Max. I think it's time you know... what happened."

Max glanced up to Liz's room, her door shut as always, and looked back into Claudia's welcoming eyes.

"She was 8 years old. A regular, innocent child. Very naive. Very unaware of the cruelty life can throw at us... when she was forced to grow up too quickly. She had a twin brother, Kyle. They were so close. They could never be separated, and they even had their own secret language." Claudia smiled at the memory, even though her sentences were choppy and her voice ranged from its regular tone to a higher pitch. She sounded like she was on the verge of tears, but her determination willed her to continue the story. "It was rainy the day that Nancy went to pick up Kyle from soccer practice, and... there was a green light... so she proceeded to drive when she was struck on the passenger side by a truck, instantly killing him. Her son- Liz's brother."

Max's eyes, normally so strong, started to tear up the slightest bit. He felt compassion towards this gentle old woman as she told him the painful story, and all he could do was listen.

"Then it was just the three of them. Jeff, Nancy, and Liz. Liz never really got over Kyle's death. She started withdrawing herself from people. It wasn't anything extreme at the time. Her mother and father tried so hard to comfort her, and it was working. Liz began opening up and Jeff was happy. So happy. Whenever Nancy played the guitar, it brought Liz peace. We all took so much time worrying about Liz and her well being, that we never noticed Nancy." Claudia closed her eyes and took a long, drawn out breath before continuing. "Nancy's inner turmoil over losing Kyle, and the way she thought she could have stopped it plagued her. She hid it well. Busying herself with trying to help Liz, being the pillar of strength that held the family together. She began taking anti-depressants. I didn't know about it, Jeff didn't know about it. Only she did. Then... the 5th year… exact date of Kyle's death, she couldn't take the pain any longer. She killed herself by overdosing on those same anti-depressant pills that were supposed to help her."

Max closed his eyes, feeling the bitterness of pain hit him. How could Nancy be so selfish as to leave her daughter alone? Didn't she know Liz needed her? It must have been horrible on Liz. And Jeff. Claudia cleared her throat before finishing, "After Nancy's death, Liz completely withdrew from the world. She barely ate, barely slept, never talked, and lived in a shell. Jeff couldn't take all the emotional damage, and he thought it would be best if I take care of Liz. I meet with him occasionally now, to tell him how she’s doing. He needs time on his own, to deal with all of the emotional trauma he's had. He lost a wife through suicide, and he lost two children... one through death… and the other, through complete silence. He worries about her so much, but he can't stand the pain of seeing that blank stare in her eyes."

"I don't see how he could just walk out on her," Max voiced.

"It didn't even phase her, Max. It was like she didn't notice what was happening."

Max tilted his head down, running his fingers through his hair, as he now empathized with Jeff Parker. No wonder he looked so sad and defeated in that picture. He was lost. When Max looked up, Claudia finally broke out into painful sobs.

Max hugged her gently. "Claudia Parker, you're the strongest person I know."

Claudia pulled back and wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Max."

"So... Liz doesn't know that her father is…"

Claudia shook her head no, "It's best that she doesn't. Not yet."

Max nodded in understanding. Now he felt stupid and selfish for ever having considered showing Liz that picture of Jeff. It could have hurt her even more, and he would hate himself for being the cause of it.

"Here," he said, handing Claudia the picture of Jeff Parker. "Show her when you're ready, when she's ready." Max looked to Liz's door again, feeling emotionally drained. He couldn't imagine what Liz felt, what she was thinking. All the people she loved were gone, with the exception of her grandmother.

It was a horrible thought, to know that a perfectly normal family could be forced into such an endless cycle of problems.

"Max, I'm giving you a chance here. You can walk away now, before she's too attached to you. You know about what happened, and she's been hurt too much in the past. So if you won't be able to deal with it, then leave now. I can't afford to see her hurt again."

"Neither can I,” Max said breathlessly, "And as for walking away from her, I could never do that."

He let his feet guide him to Liz's bedroom where he softly rapped on her door. She opened it and let him inside. Instead of retreating back to her bed, she continued to stand in front of him. Max looked into that blank stare she once again held and he showed her, through the intensity of depth in his amber eyes, that he knew the story, and that he cared for her. He gently took her hands in his, intertwining their fingers together and spoke softly, "I know, Liz."

Her solid stance shattered as her feet crumpled beneath her and she lost her balance. Max pulled her to him, wanting to keep that unbearable pain away, wanting her to know he was there for her. That he would be there for her every step of the way, unlike her mother, unlike her father. But like her grandmother. He looked into her once blank stare, and saw emotion flickering in her large brown eyes. They widened in painful remembrance, and for the first time Max Evans saw tears forming in Elizabeth Parker's eyes. On impulse he pulled her towards him, wrapping her in his strong embrace, letting her head rest over his rapidly beating heart. He kissed her temple and ran his fingers through her hair, gently stroking it in a comforting manner.

"It’s okay, Liz. It's okay to feel, show me what you're feeling." He brokenly whispered into her ear, and he finally witnessed her resolve breaking when he felt her arms wrap around him, clinging onto him for dear life, followed by the softest of cries in her voice. The sound was painful and beautiful all at the same time. The moment was bittersweet. And it would be forever etched into his memory as he heard a click, and saw Claudia, with tears in her own eyes, holding his camera.

[Wench On A Leash]

Aww, thank you my loyal feedbackers. I'm glad those of you that have read this before still enjoy it, and those of you that are new are enjoying it as well.

Thanks bballchick_121- I'm glad you touched on Max seeming mature for his age. I wanted to convey how Liz is bringing out responsibility in him. And also since he's already gotten through the whole high school "Who am I?" phase by dropping Alex and realizing how insignificant the stage in his life as Mr. Football Hero was. Thanks for the feedback.
behrluv32- ^ Ditto
begonia9508
youre my dreamgirl
lizard_queen- Wow, thank you so much for that. It really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this further.

Part 7

That day had definitely proven to be intense for Max. He was overwhelmed with the knowledge of Liz's past and all the emotions it evoked within him. For the first time in his life, he cared for someone else more than himself. All his problems with his mother always ignoring him and his father never being home seemed so trivial when compared to those of Liz's.

He had expected something bad to have happened in her past, but he hadn't expected such a horrendous loss for her. His heart went out to her, and he wondered about her thoughts. He wanted to know her, what she was thinking, and be there for her to open up to. He was now determined to help Liz no matter how much effort it would take from him. She had cried in his arms, and it felt good to know that she trusted him enough to do so. He was starting to break that barrier she held over herself, and the thought alone filled him with happiness. Not a regular, giddy happiness, but more of a sullen, haunting happiness. He wasn't aware of what he was getting into exactly, the first girl he cared for had serious problems, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to be there for her.
~*~

Max and Michael hadn't spoken much. Not that they really ever had in the first place, but they hadn't even so much as argued ever since Max caught Michael making-out with Maria. Now, as the two guys proceeded to get ready for school, Max decided to interrogate Michael.

"You like Maria?" He asked out of nowhere, breaking the silence.

"What's it to you?" Michael shot back.

"She's a friend, and I don't want to see her get hurt... and look at you", Max said, pointing to Michael's grungy clothes and long hair, "you're the type of guy who'd just use her, and then drop her."

Michael clenched his jaw and his eyes immediately flashed with anger. If Max had been intimidated by Michael the first time he saw him, then he was ultimately fearing for his life with the look Michael was now giving him.

"Maxwell, you need to get your shit straight before you start stereotyping me." Michael spoke surprisingly calm, despite the cold gaze he continued to hold on Max.

"Why did my mother have to take you in?" Max asked, more to himself than to Michael.

"Your mother is a wonderful lady."

Max felt anger hearing someone else tell him how great of a mother he had. "To you maybe, but you're not me. You don't know my situation at all."

Michael raised an eyebrow, "Just like you don't know mine."

Max grew frustrated as he realized Michael was right. He lowered his voice, "She's never there for me. Never has been."

"Okay, oh selfish-one. And when have you been there for her? She's tried to reach out to you and you push her away. Are you even aware of how much your mother cares about you?"

Max's head shot up, "What do you mean?"

Michael shrugged. "At least you have a mother."

Max thought of Liz at those words, and immediately felt selfish. He gulped before changing the subject. "How'd you end up at the Shelter?"

Michael locked eyes with Max as he slowly and silently rolled up the sleeve of his Tool shirt to reveal the hideous scar of a cigarette burn engraved on the flesh of his upper arm.

Max looked down, "Your father?"

"We'd better get to school." Michael changed the subject, and the tone of his voice told Max that it was a painful memory best not to discuss.

Max nodded silently in reply as he led the way out the door of their house.

~*~

Max found school to be relatively boring. It was the same old monotonous routine day after day. His only versatile moment was at lunch, when he'd sat with Alex, Isabel and Maria. Maria seemed to look everywhere but at him, obviously embarrassed that he'd caught her with Michael. He'd noticed that every once in a while she'd be looking beyond him at something. Or someone. Probably Michael, Max guessed as he saw a sly smile grace her lips.

"So Max, what has inspired you to so graciously continue sitting with us poor, lost souls. And not with your..." Isabel turned her head and looked in disgust at Tess and Sean sitting at a lunch table making a show for the whole lunch period to see. "Oh... God. PDA. How disgusting. They could at least show some dignity."

"Isn't there some rule against Public Displays of Affection?" Maria asked.

"Heh, obviously unnoticed here." Alex stated. He slid his arm around Isabel, "What do ya say we give them our own little show of affection." He joked, winking at her.

Isabel laughed, "Alex, this is why we all love you so much!" She said, pinching his cheeks. "You're just so cute!"

"Hey, this body isn't cute." He said, releasing his arm from around Isabel and flexing it. "It's manly." He smirked. Isabel giggled, and Maria shot up…

"I just remembered… I have this... project thing. I need to finish it. Right now." She said hurriedly before giving Max a silent smirk and heading off in the direction to where Michael sat alone with a sketchbook in his hand. So Michael's an artist, huh? Max thought. You learn something new every day.

"You're awfully quiet today." Alex's voice interjected Max's thoughts. When Max didn't answer right away, Isabel took it upon herself to acknowledge him.

"Hey moron. Alex is talking to you."

He snapped his head back at them, and he saw Alex silently mouthing, "The Wrath of Isabel" to him. He burst into laughter.

"What's so amusing?" Isabel asked.

Max smirked, "Nothing really, something only a moron would find funny."

~*~

Claudia sat next to Liz on their living room couch, gently brushing her long dark strands of hair like she did when Liz was only a child.

"Elizabeth?" Claudia asked. Liz turned her head towards Claudia. "What do you think of Max?"

Liz's face turned a gentle pink, and she looked down. Claudia smiled at her granddaughter's response. It was nice seeing Liz show facial expressions and emotions. It was something that Claudia had wanted for so long. It was something that she took pride in. It was a moment that she relished and she didn't think she'd be able to tell Max just how much he had done for her granddaughter as well as for herself.

Just then a knocking sounded on the door, and Claudia went to answer it, knowing who it would be. Max came in and found Liz on the couch. He smiled at her and reached his hand out for her to take.

"Liz, I have a surprise for you." Liz's eyebrow wrinkled in curiosity as she slowly laid her hand in his. Max guided Liz over to where Claudia was, and she couldn't deny the pleading look in his eyes.

"Go ahead." Claudia smiled, and she watched the two leave.
~*~

"I hope you like it. I just, I remembered when you first heard it, you seemed drawn to it, and then I learned about how your... well, I just. I wanted to..." Max looked away, nervous. He wasn't exactly sure how Liz would take the surprise. He was hoping she'd like it. He'd give anything if she'd like it. As if Liz sensed his nervousness, she stopped walking, removed her hand from his and gently placed it on his shoulder. The simple gesture brought Max comfort, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and embrace her the way he had done the night before, but he didn't want to scare her. That was a completely different time and place, and now he didn't know how she would react to it. "The… the surprise is at the park." Liz nodded and removed her hand from his shoulder, only to bring it back down and twine her fingers with his. Max looked Liz in her beautiful, brown eyes and smiled in content. She was definitely making progress. She was beginning to feel. Now, all he wanted was to see her smile and hear her voice… for real this time.

As they walked closer and closer to the park, the faint sound of a guitar could be heard, and Max took a deep breath before glancing towards Liz. Her pace seemed to quicken, and she was now leading him towards the park. Max smiled and followed before gesturing to a nice, shady area below an oak tree for them to sit at. The sound of the guitar was echoed with the chirping of the birds, and Liz closed her eyes, unconsciously leaning her head back and letting it rest on Max's broad chest. Max felt his heart pound through his chest, and sighed in both relief and contentedness. Claudia was right, Liz seemed to find peace when she heard a guitar. He couldn't resist the urge to run his hands through her silky brown hair, gently watching as the strands slipped through his fingers. When the guitar ceased its sound, Liz opened her eyes. She was suddenly aware that she had rested her head on Max's chest, and was about to pull away in embarrassment, but she was reassured of her position when she felt his fingers playing with her hair.

Max looked down at her and his intense amber eyes bored into the brown depths of hers. She sat up and scooched closer to him. Max kissed her cheek, unable to control himself of that sudden impulse. She was just so innocent and vulnerable sitting there flushed with embarrassment. Max reached out and wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her towards him. He kissed her hair and whispered in her ear, "This is the first time I'm feeling too, Liz."

She slightly turned her head, and gave him the smallest glimpse of a smile. She ran her hand down his arm before grabbing his hand, bringing it towards her mouth, and shyly brushing her lips in the softest caress on his palm. Max felt her smile go through his body, sending a tremor of happiness into his heart and when she gently kissed him, he involuntarily shivered at the sensation. This was a moment that he wished he'd had on camera. But as he watched Liz look into his eyes with that vulnerable, questioning look of wonder, he realized that this was enough. Her smile was enough for him. Her smile was beyond enough for him.

Alex watched Max and Liz, amazed at their interaction. Max was being really gentle with her and she looked like she felt safe with him. The way they looked at each other with such intensity was beyond anything Alex had witnessed between any two people. Alex once again continued to strum his guitar, playing the melody of "Glycerine" by Bush.

'Yep', Alex thought to himself as he glanced towards Max and Liz, watching Liz lay her head on Max's shoulder and close her eyes. Max looked towards her in gentle adoration. 'Max is in love.'
~*~

[Wench On A Leash]

Thanks for the wonderful feedback...
bballchick_121
begonia9508
Liz86000
youre my dreamgirl
Jason's Lover
DreamerMaxBehrian- Thanks for that feedback. It really means a lot to me that what I was trying to convey is working. Alex was always wise and always a good friend on the show, and I wanted him to portray that here. I wanted to show that Liz is helping to change Max's life as much as he is helping to change hers. And with the Michael/Max relationship, well, just goes to show that certain bonds can be made with the people you least expect. Although I must say, the idea of Alex writing a song about Max and Liz is a very nice idea indeed. I'll have to keep that one in mind.

Part 8

Max tucked a strand of Liz's hair behind her right ear, "Liz?" She looked up at him. "Do you want to meet the talented guitarist? He's my best... well, he's a really good friend of mine." Liz looked down, her gaze focused on the raw dirt of the earth. She dropped her hand to the ground and started plucking at the strands of grass. "Elizabeth?" Max asked once again.

She looked up at him, a look of apology carefully etched on her face.

Max hugged her, "It's okay, Liz. We'll wait until you're ready." He said reassuring her. She smiled shyly in response and Max thought this was something he could get used to. Her lovely smile, despite the shyness in it, held so much purity and Max wondered how he went so long without seeing her smile. Now that he had witnessed it, he'd never want to go a day without seeing that smile on her face.

Alex watched the two, noticing them look into each other's eyes so lovingly. He decided to play a new song he was working on. It had a stronger sound, more powerful to the ear.

The rustling of leaves could be faintly heard behind the sound of the guitar reverberating throughout the park. Max turned his gaze away from Liz, wondering if it was possible it could be Jeff Parker. He hadn't thought of what would happen if Liz found her father at the park. The sudden thought worried him, and he looked down, taking a breath as his face paled.

Liz lifted her hand under his chin and slowly guided his face up to look at her. Once they were eye level, she gently cupped his cheek and crinkled her forehead in question, as if to ask what was wrong without speaking the words. 'How can a woman hold so much emotion with one look', Max thought. What was it about Liz that seemed to open him up so much? It was like she was controlling his emotions with each gaze or gesture she made. She had so much control over him right now that he wondered what would come over him if he heard her voice.

As Max and Liz sat in their own little dream world, the rustling grew louder and finally a high pitched shriek was heard

"Max!" He turned his head, wincing at the voice he knew so well. He looked to Liz, seeing this sort of transformation in her before his eyes. She was retreating back into her shell again. Her face that held such purity, and eyes that held him captive, suddenly turned cold and unresponsive. That blank stare he first witnessed in her eyes was back, and Max felt this unbearable pain course through his body.

~*~*~*~
My baby's got a heart of stone
Can't you people just leave her alone
She never did nothing to hurt you
So just leave her alone
~*~*~*~

He glared at Tess. Just then Sean came up, wrapping his arms around Tess possessively.

"Hey Matt." Max hadn't felt like correcting Sean. All he was worried about now was Liz. He stood up, hoping she would follow his lead so that they could leave. He knew that if Tess and Sean witnessed the way Liz was, it'd be all over school. And he didn't want that. It was Liz's private life, and it was cruel that gossip could be spread so quickly and harshly. Granted she didn't go to their school, but he still didn't want to hear snickering comments about her throughout the halls.

~*~*~*~
The motion of her tiny hands
And the quiver of her bones below
All the signs of a girl alone
Tell ya everything you need to know
~*~*~*~

When Liz didn't follow his lead, he glanced around nervously and bent down before her, attempting to take her hands in his, but was surprised when she pulled away.

"Liz?" He looked at her in confusion. He felt a harsh tremor of pain tear through his body, even worse than the pain he felt from once again seeing her blank stare. He had to gulp away the lump that was forming in his throat.

"Oh my God!" Tess shouted. "It's Elizabeth Parker." Sean waved a hand in front of Liz's face, and when she continued to stare blankly in front of her, he laughed. A harsh, mocking laugh.

~*~*~*~
I can't explain it
I feel it often, every time I see her face
But the way you treat her
It fills me with rage
And I wanna tear apart the place
~*~*~*~

"She's like a statue. I bet it's all just a front." He said. "Hey Liz," He bent down in front of her, looking at her face. When she held the same blank stare, he commented. "Wow, you're good at ignoring people. How about you stop the show and get up now." Liz wasn't fazed at all. She was enclosed in her shell, back in her own little world, the world where nobody could know what was going on in her mind.

Max harshly pushed Sean out of the way.


~*~*~*~
You try to tell her what to do
And all she does is stare at you
Her stare is louder than your voice
Because truth doesn't make a noise
No, truth doesn't make a noise
No, truth doesn't make a noise
~*~*~*~

"Leave her alone!" He demanded. Sean laughed in response. Max tried to wrap Liz in his arms, to shield her body away from the scrutiny of these people he once called friends. Only Liz didn't let him. Her only movement had been backing even further away from him. Max looked back to Sean and pleaded with him. "Please. Just go."

Tess whispered something into Sean's ear and he smirked.

"You were once like me, Max. You had it all, but who would have known that when Tess dumped you, you'd have lowered your standards…" He glanced at the zombie-like girl sitting at the base of the oak tree. "That much." The final straw was when he leaned toward Liz and gave her a little shove to try and get her to move.


~*~*~*~
I can't explain it
I feel it often, every time I see her face
But the way you treat her
It fills me with rage and I wanna tear apart the place
~*~*~*~

Max felt rage well up inside of him, and in a blind haze he found himself hauling Sean to the ground. Red fire was burning in his body, telling him to obliterate this evil, shallow, self-centered son of a bitch. He threw punches, one after another. He hadn't noticed the blood spilling from his opponent's lip, or spewing from his nose. All Max saw was a blur of red, and the more pain he felt, the more rage he felt welling up inside of him at the way Sean treated Liz, the faster, and harsher his punches became. He was like an animal, like it was a primal need to destroy his prey.

"Max!" Voices yelled for him to stop. He heard the high-pitched shriek of Tess before finally feeling himself being pulled away.

"No!" He shouted, as the waves of rage still overpowered him.

"Max. Please. I hate him as much as you do, but you gotta stop."

"Alex?" Max questioned as the red haze slowly dissipated. Max looked at Sean and almost puked. Sean's once perfect face had been dramatically altered. His nose was broken, and blood dripped down from every gash Max had caused. Bruises adorned his cheeks and flecked underneath his sunken eyes. Max turned his head away, breathing heavily.

Then he saw her. Liz was now huddled up into a ball. Her feet pulled against her chest. Her eyes were no longer blank, but looking at Max in… was that fear he saw?

"Liz..." He spoke breathlessly. "I..." And as it began to rain, slowly drizzling at first, he dropped to his knees in front of her. "Liz, I didn't mean to… I, he was disrespecting you. I couldn't…" The rain began to grow heavier now, as the drops pelted against the ground. The once blue sky transformed into an ugly, dark blue filled with grey clouds.

"Max?" Alex asked, as he saw even more fear growing in Liz's face. It was then that Max realized she wasn't afraid of him, but she was afraid of the rain… and as his thoughts once again became coherent, he realized why. Her brother died when it was raining.

Liz was still curled in the ball, shivering now. Max carefully curled his arms around her, bringing his forehead in contact with hers and whispered in her ear, "I’m taking you home now." He felt her slight nod against his forehead, before he scooped her up in his arms and carried her petite frame away. She tightened her arms around him in fear, and hid her head in the crook of his neck as if he was her shield away from the pain. Max quickened his pace and finally reached her house. He returned her home to Claudia. Once he released her from his arms, she ran into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Max cursed to himself under his breath. What was he going to do now?
~*~

[Wench On A Leash]

Thanks
bballchick_121
sprayedadhesive
youre my dreamgirl
begonia9508
aussietrueblue
dreamermaxbehrian-Thanks again for all that feedback. Back when I first started writing this I was 17 I think? So the idea of a restraining order hadn't even crossed my mind. In any case, we'll see how Liz and Max deal with this in the next few chapters.

Part 9

The next day Max forced himself to go to school. If he hadn't gone, he'd just be letting Sean and Tess win and he wouldn't stand for that. He tried not to think about Liz Parker, every time he did, it'd hurt. It hurt him so much the way she went back into her shell. Maybe it was inevitable that it would happen, but he couldn't help blaming himself for being part of the reason. He sighed as he walked over to Alex and Isabel.

"Hey,” Alex greeted him. "How is Liz?"

Max scratched his forehead, "I really don't know."

Isabel wasn't even aware that Max had been seeing Elizabeth Parker, all this was news to her. She didn't really think Max Evans would be capable of seeing someone like Liz. He was just too damn arrogant and selfish. All the while Alex and Max spoke, she kept a watchful gaze on Max.

"I just hope things don't get too out of hand." Max said.

Just then, Maria walked over to them, seemingly pissed off. "I hate men." She hmphed audibly. "I can't believe he won't come over here with me to meet my friends. It's like he doesn't want our relationship to be known."

Max looked over to Michael who was at his locker throwing glances at Maria and looking just as pissed as she was.

"Who?" Alex and Isabel asked in unison.

Maria shot a glare Michael's way, and when all their eyes turned on him, he slammed his locker shut and walked away.

"Since when have you been seeing that guy?" Isabel asked.

"Ugh. It's kind of a long story. Detention… he was drawing something and wouldn't tell me what it was. You know me and my curiosity, so I asked him very nicely if I could see the stupid drawing, and he wouldn't let me."

"Well, maybe it was personal to him." Alex interjected.

Maria shot him a glare. "Anyway, after I yelled at him, he had this look in his eyes." Maria started to smirk. "And then... it just happened."

"Okay. So you kiss once and that means you two are together?" Isabel asked.

"That wasn't the only time we...Ugh.. I need my Cedar Oil," Maria said, reaching into her purse.

The bell rang, signifying class, and Max reluctantly made his way to his English room where he noticed dozens of eyes on him as he made his way over to his designated seat. He listened quietly to the whispers throughout the room.

"Yeah, Sean was so drunk he couldn't fight back. I can't believe Max would just attack him like that, all because he was jealous."

‘Well, at least there are no rumors about Liz,’ Max thought.

"That Liz Parker girl is seriously fucked up. She's like, a mute or something."

Max felt anger boil within him and he turned around to the two girls talking. They must have thought he was stupid to not have heard them.

"Elizabeth Parker is a woman. She has more emotion and depth in her than the two of you put together. Don't ever speak that way about her again." He spoke with calm authority.

The two glanced at each other and then shut up.
~*~

Max was relieved when lunch finally came. He sat in his usual spot with Alex and Isabel.

"Where's Maria?" He asked.

"Uh, I think she and Michael made up." Isabel answered.

"Figures." Max said.

"Hey Max, have you heard?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I've heard all the rumors. I was expecting something like this to happen."

"Looks like your popularity just crashed down to zero, Max". Isabel stated.

"I don't care, Isabel." He said, not wanting to put up with her at the moment. He had too many things on his mind. He had to find out how to get to Liz again.

Isabel noted the defeated look in his eyes and decided to hold off on being a bitch... temporarily, at least. “Well, look on the bright side. At least you didn’t get a restraining order.” Is gave Max a half-smile.

Sean and Tess came strutting outside and a flock of people made their way over to the two. Who would have known that Sean being beaten to a bloody pulp would increase his popularity? He now held the "Innocent Victim" title while Tess just held the "Innocent Victim's Girlfriend" title. Fights weren't a normal occurrence in school, so when one happened, it was the talk for about a week.

"Don't worry Max. It'll die down eventually," Alex said reassuringly.

"I just don't like Liz being involved in this. I hate them for saying what they said to her. I hate them for provoking me to start something that would lead to rumors, but to tell you the truth, if fighting with Sean was able to create a diversion from rumors of Liz, then I wouldn't take it back for anything in the world."

"What if Liz is afraid of you now, Max?" Isabel asked.

"She's not." Max said. "I know she's not. But she's retreated back into her shell and I'm afraid it'll take a long time for her to come back out."

"Maybe she should get professional help," Isabel suggested.

"They tried it before. They didn't have enough money, and frankly, I don't think it would work. I can't see Liz opening up to someone she doesn't even know."

Isabel looked at Max, “You’re not such an asshole after all.”
~*~

Max was at home in his room, contemplating what to say to Liz. He was really beginning to get somewhere with her. Damn Sean and Tess for ruining his happiness. For once in his life he deserved to be happy. Why couldn't he have that? If Liz was happy, he was happy, and now Liz was just a shell of the woman she was starting to become. Just then a knock sounded on Max's door, interrupting his thoughts.

"Come in."

Diane poked her head through the door, "Hi Max." She smiled before walking in and sitting down on his bed. "Maxwell, is there anything you want to talk about?"

Max looked surprised that his mom was actually asking him something about his life. It had been too long since she'd done so, and he didn't want to tell her about Liz, Sean, Tess, Alex and Maria. So he shrugged, "No, not really."

His mother looked at him in exasperation, and then ran her hand through her hair. "Max. You never let me in. You're always pushing me away."

"What?" Max asked, his jaw dropping. He was pushing her away?

"Whenever I try to talk to you, you never tell me anything."

"You never ask me anything, mom. This is the first time you've actually shown a semblance of concern for me."

"I try to talk to you, but you have this look on your face. This 'don't bother me' look. You know how much it hurts me that it's easier for me to talk to the kids at the Shelter than it is to talk to you?"

Those words cut deep into Max's heart, and he winced. He was aware that he wasn't very open. Only recently had he been opening up to Alex and Liz. In fact, it was Liz that was beginning to open him up. It was she that was making him start to feel again. How could someone who doesn't speak a word open him up? He realized that in him trying so hard to get her out of her shell, it seemed like she was bringing him out of his own in this weird way. A way he hadn't recognized until now. Maybe he was more like Liz than he realized.

"Her name is Elizabeth Parker..." Max started, and then his mother sat down and listened as he told her about Liz, Sean, Tess, Alex, Maria, Isabel, and even Michael.
~*~

"Speaking of Michael," his mom began, "You may want to thank him."

"For what?"

"He encouraged me to try to talk to you again. Only to be more forceful this time." She laughed. "See, he's not so bad after all."

"I know he's not."
~*~

Grandma Claudia looked down at Liz sleeping in her bed. Not peacefully, but sleeping nonetheless. Liz never slept peacefully anymore. Claudia was so worried when it had started raining the day before, and was relieved when Max returned her home. But when Liz ran off to her room, Claudia knew something was wrong with the look of pain Max had on his face, and how he left without saying a word. She sighed, worriedly running her hand through her gray hair, and leaned down to kiss Liz on the cheek before leaving her room.

~*~
After Max told his mother about everything in his life, his mom gave him a hug. "We're finally talking Max."

"Yeah." He said, "I'm worried about Liz."

"I know, Max. Maybe you should just go and try to talk to her."

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"I'm scared of her not getting any better."

"Maxwell, don't think like that. The most important thing for you to do is to be there for her. By going over there, it'll show that you still care for her. Just because something happened doesn't mean you should hide yourself. Now go and talk to her."

Max got up, "Thanks, mom." He kissed her on the cheek before leaving.

Once Max left the house, his mother worked up the nerve to call his father.
~*~

After Claudia let Max in, he made his way to Liz's room and softly rapped on the door. She didn't answer. Max felt a tremor of hurt shoot through his heart, but then Claudia approached him and opened the door.

"She's sleeping. Just try not to wake her." She whispered.

Max nodded before quietly entering Liz's room. He saw her sleeping form on her bed. Her legs were scrunched up and she lay in the fetal position. Her brow was furrowed as if she wasn't quite at peace. He wondered if the previous day’s events had anything to do with that. He slowly walked to her bed and couldn't help but tuck that stray bit of hair behind her ear. She was so beautiful. With her eyes gently closed, and her arms resting on the pillow beside her. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her temple before silently whispering, "I love you, Liz."

Careful not to wake her, he made his way to the door and softly closed it behind him.

Only when she heard the door close did Elizabeth open her eyes. She blinked back tears and whispered a muffled, ever so faint, "I love you" to the closed door.
~*~

[Wench On A Leash]

Aww, thanks for the wonderful feedback
maya
DreamerMaxBehrian- You always leave such wonderful, lengthy feedback. I love it! And it really inspires me to continue writing.
you're my dreamgirl
Jason's Lover
Liz86000- Yeah, I was worried about how it would seem between Max and his mom. I was trying to get the point across that Max was being selfish and we were only seeing things from his perspective- that his mom was neglectful and such, but in actuality, he was also part of the problem too. As far as Micahel and Maria, they're the classic on-again, off-again couple, and I wanted to portray that in this fic. They have a passionate relationship, very volatile, and the fact that Michael didn't want to come over and see her group of friends wasn't necessarily because he wanted to keep it a secret, that was what Maria had thought, but he had his own reasons for not wanting to be with a group of people (the whole loner quality). Anyway, I'm really glad you like this story so much and are leaving me tons of feedback. Thank you so much!
begonia9508
candycane14- I'm glad you like this, and thanks for all the compliments.
Blink1lit

Part 10

Max walked home in silent strides. He wished that Liz was up so he could talk to her. And for a second he had the urge to turn around and go back there, but then his thoughts changed. Maybe she was purposely avoiding him. Maybe she was mad at him, or closing herself off from him again. He closed his eyes shut, as if to hide from the pain he felt. He ceased his steps and turned around to face her house. He loved her. He knew that much, and he'd told her. She hadn't heard him, but he told her, and that was all that mattered. He loved her, so if she wanted to have time to herself, he would give her that. He didn't know what else he could give her.
~*~

The following week, Max tried to put his emotions in check. He occupied himself with his camera, taking pictures of Alex with his guitar, the love of his prized possession clearly evident on his face. He took pictures of Isabel perking her lips into a smile while watching Alex play guitar, and pictures of Michael and Maria in a heated debate. Of course, his friends didn't know he'd taken these pictures of them. If they had known, the pictures wouldn't have been the same. He wouldn't have captured those precious moments the way they were actually portrayed. They would have been fake, and Max didn't want fakeness in his photographs. He wanted raw emotion. The raw emotion that he’d found hidden inside Elizabeth Parker.

The week after that he attempted to drown the feelings coursing through his veins out by listening to music. His collection of A Perfect Circle, The Cure, Silverchair, Pearl Jam, and The Counting Crows didn't help him. They only increased his thoughts about Liz.

His struggle to conceal his feelings about Liz ceased after two weeks of letting her have time to herself. He couldn't sit around and continue wondering whether she was doing well or not. What if his not being there made her worse? What if Claudia was mad at him for leaving and not checking on Liz? He hadn't seen her in two weeks. The longest two weeks of his life.

Max was torn inside. He was confused and didn't know what to do. Luckily Alex decided to drop by his house that night.

"What are you so worried about Max?"

"I just… don't know what to say to her. I have all these thoughts in my head, but I can't bring myself to get up the nerve to talk to her. I'm afraid she'll hate me for beating up Sean or something. And I don't want her to hate me." Max said softly.

"But I thought you told Is that you just knew she didn't hate you?"

"I thought I did. But I'm not so sure anymore. She was sleeping, Alex. Only she didn't look peaceful, and I can't help thinking that the reason she didn't look peaceful was because of me. I mess everything up. I ruined our friendship all those years back, I ruined things with my mom for all those years that are now wasted, and now I'm... ruining things with Liz." Max confided.

Alex patted Max on the back. "You know. I think you're analyzing this way too much. You should go and try to talk to her again. You're running away from things when you should be facing up to them."

"I will do that. But I want to do something special for her first."

"Like what?" Alex asked.

"I don't know."

Alex looked at Max in wonder, and when Max saw the look of question on Alex's face he rubbed his eyes and asked, "What?"

"You're just different, Max. Before you were never like this. You just… never seemed to care so much. You always seemed so bitter towards everything."

"Yeah, until you became my friend and introduced me to music."

"You were still bitter, only bitter with good taste in music.” Alex smirked.

"Yeah," Max smiled in remembrance.

"Remember the first time you heard Smashing Pumpkins?" Alex asked.

"Definitely. Music was like my sanctuary when I felt bad. And now I have my camera."

Alex smiled, "Well, what can I say. Music does help to change your mood."

"Yeah… it does." A smile crept onto Max's lips. "I think I have an idea, Alex."
~*~

Elizabeth sat on the couch with her feet pulled underneath her. She gazed out the window as she rested her head on her arm that was draped over the armrest.

Claudia watched her sitting there in silence. Liz didn't exactly withdraw the way she had done before. She wasn't completely in that shell of hers. She still responded with a nod or a headshake, and at least Claudia had that. Liz seemed more gloomy though, staring out the window with a look of loss in her eyes. Grandma Claudia sat down by Liz and asked very quietly, "You miss him, don't you?"

Her slight nod and look of false hope as she lowered her eyes down to the carpet said it all. Max Evans had done what Claudia hadn't wanted him to do. He hurt Liz. Unless he had a specifically good reason for disappearing without a word, she wouldn't allow him to see her again. Liz was treading on the thin ropes of a downward spiral, and if Max sparked more hurt to her granddaughter, Claudia feared that she would lose the strength to help Liz.
~*~

"Okay, let me get this straight?" Michael asked. "You're going to go and serenade Liz, and I'm supposed to wait in the bushes with your camera to take a picture of it all?"

"Yeah," Max said. "I want her reaction on film. I want that moment to be captured." He gave Michael a pleading look, "Please?"

Michael gestured over to Alex, "Why can't he take the picture?"

"Because he's going to be playing the guitar."

Michael raised an eyebrow, "Why can't I play the guitar and HE take the picture?"

"Because well, Michael, you have an electric guitar in which you play heavy metal music, and an acoustic would be more fitting for the song Max has planned for Liz." Alex explained.

Michael rolled his eyes, "So I'm supposed to be subjected to listening to a corny love song while you try and swoon Liz back into your arms?"

Max shrugged, "The song I have in mind isn't exactly corny. It's... fitting."

Michael gave him a long look before answering, "Fine, I'll do it."

"Really?" Max asked, clearly shocked.

"Only if you leave the house tomorrow. Diane's going to be at the Shelter, and I'm going to have Maria over. I'm cooki... um. I just want the house to ourselves. So, find something to do."

Alex blinked. "Did Michael just say he was going to cook for Maria?"

Michael gave Alex a stern look. "No. I. Didn't." He said slowly, enunciating each word.

Max and Alex couldn't help bursting into laughter. The thought of Michael cooking was hard to imagine.

"Hey," Michael began, "Hurry up and go do your Liz thing, Maxwell. I don't have all night."

Alex was the first one out the door, and Max stopped Michael quickly before leaving. “I just wanted to say thanks, you know, for my mom and everything.”

Michael nodded and shrugged nonchalantly. “Let’s go.”
~*~

Alex seated himself in Liz's backyard, right in front of his favorite Oak tree. He already made sure that his guitar was tuned before getting there. He gave Max the thumbs-up signal to show that he was ready.

"Maxwell." Michael whispered. Max hadn't heard him. "Maxwell!" He whispered a little louder.
Max snapped his head towards an annoyed Michael fumbling with the buttons on the camera. "How the hell do I work this thing?"

Max walked over to him, indicating how to zoom and take the picture. "You do know how to focus, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not stupid."

"Just making sure." Max walked below Liz's window and took one last glance at Alex sitting against the Oak tree and Michael behind the bushes. She wouldn't be able to see them from inside the window, which was a good thing. He didn't think she'd want to see anybody she wasn't familiar with after the ordeal with Sean and Tess.

Max cleared his throat and Alex started strumming the first chords to the song that Max had picked. It represented him and Liz perfectly. His feelings of abandonment had mirrored her own; even if they were not in the same way, they were in the same sense... and the lyrics flew forth from his lips, his strong, masculine voice deepening with emotion as he began,

"And even though the moment passed me by,
I still can't turn away
'Cause all the dreams you never thought
You'd lose
Got tossed along the way
And letters that you never meant to send
Get lost and thrown away"

He looked up as he sang, and saw the white drapes in Liz's room ruffle right before he started the second verse,

"And now we're grown up orphans
That never knew their names
We don't belong to no one
That's a shame"

He saw the drapes being pulled apart, opening up the view inside as the darkness from the cool night engulfed the brightness of the candlelight that shone through her window,

"You could hide beside me
Maybe for a while
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell em' your name"

And then he saw her face, illuminated by the light of the candles, hesitantly peaking out the window,

"And scars are souvenirs you never lose
The past is never far
Did you lose yourself somewhere out there?
Did you get to be a star?
And don't it make you sad to know that life
Is more than who we are?"

The stars seemed to brighten as the night grew darker, and the hint of a crescent moon emerged.

"We grew up way too fast
And now there's nothing to believe
Reruns all become our history
A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell em' your name
I won't tell em' your name"

Max's eyes started filling with the slightest hint of liquid, and he had to close them to control his emotions, causing his voice to grow shakier as he ended the song,

"I think about you all the time
And I don't need the same
It's lonely where you are,
Come back down
And I won't tell ‘em your name"

Max took a deep breath when he finished. He wanted Liz to feel safe with him, to know that she could trust him. And as he let out his breath and opened his eyes to gaze up at the light in his life, all he saw was complete darkness. She was gone. If a thousand knives had stabbed him in the back, he wouldn't have felt as much hurt as he did at that moment. A sharp jolt of pain etched an unbearable ache within his heart.

His eyes grew tearier, and he turned around only to find Liz standing before him. Her long brown hair danced wildly in the wind and her face was glowing in the light of the moon's rays. Her long white nightgown flew in the same direction as her hair and Max took a small step towards her, wrapping his arms gently around her small frame.

"Liz," He breathed her name in a whisper.

And she held onto him. Her right hand stroked the nape of his neck, easing the tension in it with the gentlest touch of her fingertips. Her left hand flew to his back, imprinting letters through his shirt... and Max realized she was spelling out I L-O-V-E Y-O-U.

He drew her closer, encircling her tiny waist within his arms, and slowly drew his hands up to tilt her chin. He brushed his cheek along the soft skin of her pale cheek before placing a gentle, caring kiss there and whispering, "I love you" into her ear.

She shivered at the warmth of his breath and closed her eyes. Max brushed his lips over her forehead and her eye-lids before finally reaching her soft lips.

He kissed her hesitantly and shyly at first, but when he felt the gentle pressure of her lips responding to his, instinct took over and his tongue darted out, licking the contours of her lips. The moment she parted them, his tongue gently made entrance and found hers. Their tongues danced together, a slow dance that was to be savored as if it were the last dance of prom. And when they both pulled away, the light in Elizabeth's brown pools shone vividly, and Max saw her lips turn up into a broad smile.

He closed his eyes, hoping he wasn't dreaming, and when he opened them, he was conscious of the click of a camera, and the music of Tonight, Tonight by The Smashing Pumpkins playing in the background.
~*~