Author: Meredith (roswelldreamer@aol.com)
Category: M/L future fic- YIPPEEE!!! :)
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Roswell belongs to the WB.
Author's Note: Takes place fifteen years after "Destiny". Liz ran down that cliff and never came back. This story does have some UC couples in it (Maria/Kyle, Isabel/Michael, Tess/Alex) so be warned.
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He hadn't woken up in a sweat for at least ten years.
He could still feel her tiny hands all over him, her voice whispering in his ear, her mouth encased with his own. He shuddered as he touched his hand to his heart. It was racing fervently in his chest- that couldn't be good. He growled as he looked over at the clock. The large red numbers glared back at him, mockingly laughing at him that it was 1:30 AM and he had to get his ass out of bed and go to work.
He didn't mind it one bit, though. He loved his job. He'd been working in Seattle Memorial Hospital for almost three years. Only one more month of residency to go before he could practice pediatric medicine on his own. He ripped the damp sheets off his body and climbed out of bed, walking into the bathroom and yawning. He had ER rotation again tonight and cringed at the thought. It killed him to know that he could save every gunshot wound victim that came through the doors with the palm of his hand- but had to resign to regular medical methods in order to keep his secret.
"Max, you are struggling, man." He said to himself as he caught a glimpse of his image in the bathroom mirror. His cheeks were sunken in and he had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. This graveyard shift was killing him. He had heard the expression "you've got to pay your dues" but this was ridiculous. He turned on the water in the shower and jumped inside the tub, relishing the feel of the warm water cascading down the crevices of his body. With every breath, he felt the memory of her surround him. Her eyes were haunting him, her lips begging him to remember her.
He hadn't seen Liz Parker since that day she left him in the cave.
No one had.
Through the years, few people had heard from her. She'd talked to Maria long enough to let her know she was staying in Florida with her aunt for good. Her parents sold the Crashdown and moved out there soon afterwards without an explination to anyone. Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess had fought hard against the evil aliens that had come to earth to destroy them and they had won. After high school, Max had gone to college to become a doctor. Isabel had tried to make it work with Alex for a while, but felt an undeniable pull towards Michael, and the two of them moved to New York City- she for modeling, he for art. Alex and Tess had gotten married and moved to California when they were 21, and Maria and Kyle were married with kids in Roswell. Kyle, naturally, had followed in his father's footsteps and become the sheriff of the town when his father had retired.
It had been so long since he'd even thought of Liz, or what they'd shared seemingly ages ago, though her virtual abandonment continued to sting his heart to this day.
What was so different about this night? Why could he sense her all around him? Why could he almost hear her crying out to him, to help her?
Something was wrong with her, that much he knew. But what?
He turned off the shower and grabbed a towel from the rack, drying himself off with it. Once he was dressed in his scrubs, he grabbed his car keys and headed to work with an image of Liz in pain seared onto his brain.
He felt like someone was squeezing his heart deep inside his chest. He forced himself to stop thinking of his lost love and to concentrate on driving. He didn't need to be wheeled into work on a stretcher.
His shift was painfully slow. The ER was fairly quiet for a Friday night. A woman who was in labor had come in and was quickly shipped off to Obstetrics, and a man who had accidently sliced his finger open with a kitchen knife had come in and had been quickly sewn up and sent home. He was sitting at the main desk, helping the nurse file charts at the front when the doors to the emergency room swung open and a bruised, battered woman wearing sunglasses and covered in a sweatshirt and sweatpants slowly walked through them and made her way to the front desk. Max walked towards the waiting room as he grabbed another chart, not even noticing the woman who had walked in.
"Oh, sweetie," The nurse said, gasping. "You need help- here, let me get you a chair..."
"No-" The woman moaned. "I--I feel better--standing..."
"You're shivering! Let me get you a blanket at least." The nurse said, running to a nearby blanket and grabbing a large white sheet from the warmer. The woman's teeth chattered as the nurse wrapped her in the warm blanket.
"Thank--thank you." She managed to stutter out as the nurse returned to her post at the computer.
"OK, now I need your name..." The nurse said. "What happened to you? Did someone hurt you?"
"I--I--you need my n--name?" She stuttered.
"Yes, your name. This is completely confidential, just for hospital records. What is your name, sweetie?" The nurse asked. The woman looked down at her feet and appeared to be thinking.
"Elizabeth." She whispered. "Elizabeth Par--, I mean, Elizabeth Evans."
"OK, Ms. Evans...take a seat right over there and a doctor will be with your shortly."
"Th-thank you." She said quietly, pulling the blanket closer to her and walking towards a remote part of the waiting room where no one was sitting. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head in them. She began to cry softly.
Max walked back towards the front desk and grabbed a stack of charts. "OK, it looks like I've got someone else who needs stitches, right?"
"Um, Dr. Evans, there's a woman here who needs to be seen immediately. She's sitting right over there-- I think someone has hurt her--very badly. She should be looked at right away." The nurse said with sad eyes.
"OK, thanks Teri." Max said, taking the chart from her hands and walking over towards where the woman was sitting. He kneeled down in front of her and she gasped with recognition.
"Hello, Ms. Evans...I'm Dr. Max Evans, why don't we go back to an exam room and we can talk about what happened to you?" He said, looking at the chart in his hands. The woman in the chair let out a quiet moan that sounded a lot like his names.
"Oh, my God--Max!" She said. His ears perked up at the sound of the voice he hadn't heard in fifteen years--well at least, not in his dreams.
He searched her bruised and battered face, pulling her sunglasses off and feeling his whole body turn to mush.
"Liz!" He cried out.
* * * * *
"Oh my God!" Max screamed. If he wasn't already kneeling in front of her, he would have lost all feeling in his legs by now. Her face was frozen in a look of utter shock.
"Liz- Liz what--what happened? Why are you...?" He dropped her chart on the floor with a loud clang and leaned towards her, putting his hands on either side of her face. His heart was being torn in a million different directions. "Liz, oh, Liz...God, I've missed you so much..." He threw his arms around her frail body, completely ignoring the fact that she was covered in bruises.
"Ouch!" She cried. He pulled away from her and saw the tears shining in her eyes. "Max..." She put a hand to the side of his face as her bottom lip quivered. "Max...I can't believe you're here...I prayed--" She was forcing herself to smile through the pain. Her body was a wreck but her heart was elated to see the only man she ever truly loved, worshiped, burned for...
"Shh..." He said, putting a finger to her lips to silence her. "We can sort out everything later. Let's go to an exam room so I can help you." He instinctively laced his fingers in hers and gently pulled her off the chair to lead her back to the exam room. They were almost through the double doors when she stopped in her tracks. He looked back at her with concern.
She flung her arms around him and crumbled. He cradled her in his arms as she buried her face into his neck, making it wet with her tears. He kissed the top of her head and ran his fingers through her hair, which was a little longer than it had been in high school.
He was almost afraid to find out what had happened to her. He could feel the anger in him rising like a hot flame consuming every part of his body. "Liz." He whispered in her ear. "Who did this to you? Tell me." He said firmly, pulling her away from him and placing his hands gently on her shoulders. Liz took a deep breath and exhaled. She knew this conversation would have to come one day. She just hadn't anticipated it being today.
"We should go somewhere private. There's a lot I need to tell you." She said, raising her left hand gently to the side of his face. It was then that he noticed the diamond ring on her finger.
* * * * *
"You knew the assignment long ago, Simon. Don't try to back out of it now."
"I hate him, I hate him, I do. But why did I have to do that to her? I think I'm falling in love with..." A blonde-haired, green-eyed man said. He was walking around his dark bedroom, staring onto the balcony of his apartment. He clutched the phone to his ear with contempt in his eyes.
"Don't even say it, Simon! You're an alien. Aliens are not meant to be with humans! You were sent to this planet to destroy the Zebuarian race, not to fall in love with a....pathetic human." The voice on the other end reprimanded him.
"She is not pathetic! Don't bring her into this!" Simon screamed into the phone.
"You're letting your feelings for this...creature...get in the way of your duty. Kill them- kill them, kill their mates, kill their children...kill all of them. Kill them or *you* will suffer the consequences!" The man on the other end seemed to be enjoying the idea of murder and mayhem.
"But...I just want to--" Simon tried to protest but was cut off by the phone. "..marry her." He pounded the receiver against his forehead and screamed with frustration, knocking over a nearby lamp. He got a flash as he cradled it in his hands. He remembered how he last used it and he began to feel sick. He ran to the bathroom and hovered over the toilet, wondering how in the hell he was going to explain this all to his girlfriend...
...if she was even still talking to him.
* * * * *
"OK, tell me where it hurts, Liz." Max said, gently holding the back of her neck while she laid on the examination table. He pressed two fingers into the side of her ribcage.
"OUCH! It's Elizabeth. I go by Elizabeth now." She managed to choke out through the pain. He hated that he was hurting her but he needed to know exactly where she'd been injured. He moved to the other side and pressed there, emitting the same response from her. "You can stop pushing all over me. I hurt all over. Is that good enough?" He pushed one more time in the center of her abdomen, right over her womb. "God, Max, I said stop it! Please!"
Max gasped at her coldness. He took his hands off her body and grabbed her chart from a nearby table. He silently started writing notes on it and she turned her head slightly to face him. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I didn't mean to--I didn't mean to yell."
"I understand, Liz--I mean, Elizabeth. You're in a lot of pain and it's serious." She tried to sit up in the bed but he quickly moved back towards her to push her body back into the bed. "Don't move, OK? I think you have a lot of internal bruising and maybe even some internal bleeding. We'll have to do an X-ray to make sure."
Elizabeth nodded as the tears formed in her eyes. "I guess I have to tell you, what happened--since you're my, doctor and all..."
Max grabbed her hand and kissed it. "As your doctor and as your...friend, I think it would be best for you to tell me. You don't have to tell me details, just general stuff. This guy needs to pay for what he did to you, Liz--I mean, Elizabeth."
She smiled at him. "You're still trying to protect me after all these years? You don't have to protect me. I can take care of myself, Max."
"I hate to be rude, Liz, but you didn't do such a good job of taking care of yourself tonight." She looked away from him as he tried to search her eyes for answers. "So...you going to tell me what happened?"
"It's Elizabeth."
"Quit dodging the question...you'll always be my Liz." Max said firmly.
Liz couldn't help but smile at his comment. She would always be "his Liz". Oh God, if things could only be different... "It's kind of...a long story..." She uttered out as the tears began coming again.
Max shook his head, taking her hand and holding it close to his chest. "Long stories later... tell me what happened to you tonight."
Liz took a deep breath and cringed, the tears of disbelief falling again.
"I was raped."
Max's heart squeezed painfully in his chest. He reeled with disgust. "WHAT?" He screamed, finally finding his voice. "I'll kill him! I'll kill him!" He jumped up and walked around the room, his face red with anger and his fists clenched together by his sides. "Who did this to you?" He kneeled down beside her, taking her hand gently and kissing it. He was openly crying now.
The look he gave her then was the saddest look she'd ever seen. Even sadder than the last time she'd ever seen him- the day she left him in the cave. She didn't want to tell him... she didn't want to break his heart again.
"My...fiance'." She said quietly.
Max gasped. "No." He shook his head. "Oh, God, Liz...let me help you, you have to get away from him! Why in the hell would he do this to you? Why would he want to hurt the most precious, beautiful, sacred creature on this planet?" He let the words fly out of his mouth, not comprehending what they meant.
*Now she knows, great. Now she knows you've spent the last fifteen years obsessing over her. Nice one, Evans.* Max thought to himself, pressing her open palm to the side of his face and closing his eyes at its soft warmth. His mind reeled with images of Liz being brutally beaten and sexually attacked by her fiance'... the images made him hurt so bad that he cried out in pain. Liz looked at him with regret.
"Max, he's never done this before...I don't know what got into him tonight..." She said, shaking her head from side to side and gently pulling her hand away from his cheek. "He's not a bad person, Max."
"Like hell he isn't, Liz. What's his name? Are you going to press charges?"
"No!" She cried, her eyes lit up with fear. "I mean, yes. I mean, no. I don't know!" She cried. "I'm confused, can we not talk about this right now Max?"
"Oh, Liz," He said quietly, still not quite believing that his angel was lying in front of him, beat to all hell and not wanting to do anything about it. He felt his heart breaking again in his chest. "I should have been there. I should have been there to protect you."
"Max, don't blame yourself. There's no way you could have possibly known what was happening to me! You didn't even know I lived in Seattle! I didn't even know YOU lived in Seattle! Oh, my God! Max!" Her stubborn mind finally wrapped itself around the concept- after all these years, fate had brought she and Max Evans together once more. She raised her hand to the side of his face, engaging him in a light, tender kiss. Max felt his legs give out under him and he placed both hands on the exam bed to support himself. He felt like he was floating. He hadn't kissed anyone in so long, let alone been kissed by the love of his life. She let out a small moan in the back of her throat as she deepened the kiss between them. Images raced in his mind of their whole life apart.
*Liz living in Florida, sunbathing with her aunt almost every day.*
*Liz speaking at high school graduation where she was the valedictorian.*
*Liz in college at Florida State, working intently on a chemistry lab.*
*Liz hanging out with her sorority sisters at bars and at parties.*
*Pulling out her journal and watching an old picture of she and Max fall out of it.*
*Opening up the acceptance letter from Harvard Grad School.*
*Working at a coffee shop and studying between breaks.*
*Meeting a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man and dating him.*
*The same blonde-haired man getting down on one knee and proposing to Liz.*
*Moving to Seattle and going to the University of Washington.*
*Smiling and kissing her fiance as he presents her with a gold name plate that read "Professor Elizabeth Parker-Brown."*
*Then, the terrible events that took place that very night....*
She pulled away suddenly, their eyes sealed with passion. He rested his forehead against hers and kept his eyes shut tight. He was afraid if he opened them, this would have been some really cruel dream.
"Liz..." He whispered, his voice barely above a moan.
"Max, we can't do this..." He softly captured her lips in his again. His lips traveled down to her neck, tenderly kissing every inch of battered skin there. "...Max, no... I'm with someone else..."
Max pulled his lips away from her neck and looked at her, devastated. He turned away as the tears rolled down his face. He then turned to her, his face full of determination.
"Tell me Liz. Tell me now. Tell me that you're not in love with me. Tell me you're not in love with me and after tonight, after we get you fixed up, you never have to speak to me again."
Liz's bottom lip quivered and tears threatened to spill over on to her face. She looked at her hands and whispered.
"I--I--can't!" She cried, beginning to sob. "I can't tell you that...because I would be lying... and we swore we'd never lie to each other...remember?"
Max's heart felt whole again for the first time in fifteen years. He managed to smile through the flurry of sensations running through his body and brought his lips to her forehead. He took a deep breath and said what he'd thought about saying every day since the one and only time he saw his real mother.
"I'm completely, hopelessly, unabashedly in love with you, Elizabeth Parker. No matter what you decide to do about him, that will never change." He said firmly, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it.
"Oh, Max..." She whispered, kissing his forehead, then planting tiny, soft kisses all over his face, just like she had done the night they rescued him from Pierce. Max felt all the pain and longing from the last fifteen years melt away. It felt like yesterday when they were in that van- when they'd professed their love for each other.
The time between then and now seemed to disappear into oblivion as she took his lips in hers once more, letting herself melt into his embrace. "Max, I love you, too...I love you so much." She breathed onto his face. "...Never stopped..." She managed to spurt out between loving kisses from him. She eased away from him carefully, burying her face in his neck and planting light kisses there as well, emitting a small moan of satisfaction from the doctor.
"Max, wait... wait... I can't do this... not yet..." Liz said, her eyes shut tight, shaking her head back and forth.
"Liz, don't say that-- don't ever say that." He pleaded with her.
"I mean, I'm *engaged*, Max! Engaged!"
"Engaged to a man who raped you! Doesn't that constitute a...clean break?" He asked in a hurt tone.
"I think something got into him tonight-- he wasn't normal-- he's not really like that..."
"You keep saying that...why? He claims to love you, but he beat you within an inch of your life--then raped you! That sure sounds like love to me!" Max said, standing up from her and moving across the room in frustration.
"Max, it's not that simple." She said quietly. "I love him, yes, but you know I love you, too."
"Do I?" He asked. She frowned.
"Of course you know. You were always in my heart... but what makes you think it can work between us this time? What about your destiny? What about Tess?"
"Liz! Stop it, will you? That was fifteen years ago! We defeated the evil aliens right after you left... they surrendered to us unconditionally... and as far as Tess goes,"
"You can tell me the truth, Max. Are you still with her?" Liz asked, her voice quiet with fear and anticipation of his answer.
Max had to laugh at that one. She sighed with relief. "We were never together, Liz! I haven't been with anyone since you left."
"Oh, Max... that's not how I wanted your life to be... I wanted you to be happy, to fufill your destiny with Tess..." Liz said, sadness and regret coloring her voice.
"You were my destiny, Liz. You always will be. We make our own destinies, remember?" He returned his hand to her face. "And as far as Tess goes, she and Alex started dating and now they're married with a daughter and a son."
"What?" Liz asked, almost laughing. "*My* Alex... and Tess? Married with kids?"
"I guess they were both feeling rejected." Max commented. "They have this mutual understanding that none of us can really grasp."
"*Rejected?* Did Isabel marry Michael? Oh my God...Maria must have been devastated..." Liz said, turning her head to the side and feeling her heart break for her best friend.
"Well, Maria was too busy with Kyle to notice." Max said, stifling a smile.
"Maria and KYLE? What? I thought they hated each other!"
"Liz, sweetie, we have enough time to catch up later. Right now, we need to concentrate on making you well."
"Wow...Maria and Kyle..." Liz said looking off into space and smiling as Max laid her gently down on the exam table and kissed her forehead.
"Now, if you decide to press charges...." He began, his voice turning serious once more. "We need to do this thing called a...a rape kit..."
"Max, I don't know..." She said, her face looking uneasy at the idea of sending her fiance' to prison.
"Liz, I promise, they won't hurt you. Another doctor will come in and examine you, collect the evidence they need...from you." He felt his face blush with embarrassment. "Someone else will come in and make sure nothing is going on, like the doctor isn't harassing you. I can leave and I'll come back when they're finished."
"No!" Liz cried. "I mean, I want you to stay. I need you to hold my hand, Max. Stay with me...please?"
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Whatever you need." He said quietly. She looked up at him and smiled sweetly. "If you decide not to press charges, we can just get rid of the evidence."
"OK. Sure, Max." She closed her eyes and tried to relax.
"But, in the meantime..." He pulled up the sleeve of her hospital gown and placed his hand over the bruises on her arm. She felt a warm, gentle heat radiate off him and the bruises and the pain vanished.
She smiled, looking up at him. "Thank you."
"It's the least I can do. I couldn't be there to protect you, but I can take the pain away... at least the physical pain..." He said, moving his hand to the back of her hospital gown, relishing in the feel of her soft skin against his hand as he healed the large gash on her back. He noticed the fingerprint-shaped bruises on her wrists and ankles and cringed. Those would have to stay for evidence.
"No, Max. You're wrong. You're taking away all my pain..." She said, her eyes fluttering closed, still not believing that he was standing above her, healing her for the second time in her life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
**I remember thinking
I'll go on forever only knowing
I'll see you again
But I know
The touch of you is so hard to remember
But like that touch I know no other
And for sure we have danced
In the risk of each other
Would like to dance
Around the world with me
I'll be falling all about my own thing
And I know your the heaviest weight
When your not here that's hung
Around my head
And your lips burn wild
Thrown from the face of a child
And in your eyes
The seeing of the greatest few
Do what you will, always
Walk where you like, your steps
Do as you please, I'll back you up*
-Dave Matthews
* * * * *
"Just one more step..." Max said, whispering into Liz's ear. "We're here," He added as he carried her up the final steps to his condo. "Keys?"
She nodded, handing him the key ring in her hand without opening her eyes for fear that the beginnings of morning light would sting her tired eyes. They had just finished talking to a police detective and had filed sexual assault charges against her fiance. Now, she just wanted to sleep...to forget about the horrible things that happened the night before and remember that she was in Max Evans' arms again.
Max managed to get the key in the door and bring Liz inside his home. She perked her head up as he carried her through the hallway into the main living area and up the stairs.
"Ooh! Max, I love your place..." She said, tilting her head to get another look at his living room and kitchen before he carried her up to his room. He kissed her forehead and laid her carefully on his bed. He had to work hard to push all the thoughts out of his head that were screaming at him to come out - just by watching her lying on top of his sheets.
"There will be time for the grand tour later. Now, we need to get you in bed to rest." He managed to choke out, letting the caretaker in him come out instead of the lover.
"Yes, Doctor." She said, giggling, her internal fire and life that was extinguished by her ordeal began slowly but gradually rising within her once more. He smiled back at her, happy to see that she was starting to push down the wall she'd built up around herself. Max walked over to her, handing her a pair of his pajama pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt for her to wear.
"Here, wear these. You'll be more comfortable. It may help you to get out of those clothes you've been in all night." Max said softly.
"Thank you, Max. What would I do without you?" She said, softly kissing him on the cheek and yawning.
Max sighed. "Let's not think about that anymore. It's in the past. Let's focus on the present... and in the present, you need to rest. Doctor's orders." He smiled. "You change and I'll go downstairs and get you some water."
"OK, Max. That would be wonderful." She sighed, pulling the covers back on his bed and burying herself into his sheets and pillows. He took one last look at her before jogging down the stairs to the kitchen. He felt so alive, so happy- this was so... right. This was meant to happen, Max was sure of that.
Liz changed into his clothes and pressed the hem of his Stanford University T-shirt up against her face, breathing in his scent and smiling. She was afraid to sleep, afraid that she'd fall asleep on his heavenly-smelling pillows and wake up alone again, it having all been some twisted dream. Max wasn't even gone for five minutes and by the time he came back, she was sound asleep with a smile on her face, her entire body wrapped tightly in his sheets.
How many times he'd dreamed of this...dreamed of Liz Parker falling asleep in his bed. Now it was really happening, and he could hardly believe it. He walked towards his bed, placing the glass of water on the nightstand and kneeling next to the bed, watching her sleep for a while before giving her one last kiss on the forehead and walking into his guest room to fall asleep himself.
Her strangled cry woke him out of a dead sleep around 9 AM.
"No!" She screamed, sitting up in bed with a jolt, her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow, sweat streaming down her face. "No, Simon, don't! Max! Max!" She screamed. Max bolted up from his bed in the guest room and ran into Liz's bedroom. He climbed into the bed with her and gently wrapped his arms around her.
"Liz...shh...Liz, I'm here...I'm here..." He smoothed her long brown hair that was pasted to her head with sweat.
"Max, oh Max, you're here! It wasn't a dream!" She said, burying her face in his neck and wrapping her arms around him as tight as she could manage.
"You had a nightmare, Liz?"
"Max, Simon killed you in my dream! He took you away from me! It was so real, Max, I thought it was happening-- I thought I was losing you all over again! I can't lose you again, Max!"
"Shh, shh, baby, you're not losing me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you until you're better."Max said, pressing his face into her hair and kissing it. "Do you want me to get you anything?" He started to stand up from the bed but she grabbed his arm frantically.
"No, Max...stay with me? Please?" Liz pleaded with him.
Max sighed. "Of course." He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "I'll just sit here with you until you fall asleep."
"No, Max..." She whispered. "That's not what I meant...I meant stay with me, hold me...I need to feel you...all around me." She wrapped her arms around herself. He looked at her with disbelief. She wanted him to hold her, sleep with her in his arms like they'd done in high school.
He couldn't get her in his arms fast enough.
Without a word, Max climbed into bed with Liz, pulling his body under the covers and lying with his stomach pressed up against her back, their hands resting together over her womb. He rested his face in the crook of her neck and breathed in the intoxicating scent of her. She could feel the breath escaping his nose, tickling her neck and she smiled, snuggling her body closer to his.
* * * * *
Max woke up with Liz still tucked in his arms. He smiled to himself as he watched her chest rise and fall under his favorite old T-shirt. He couldn't help but wonder if it would be just as wonderful to wake up next to her every morning for the rest of their lives.
Too much wishful thinking.
Max gently and carefully pulled himself away from Liz's arms. She barely noticed. She hadn't moved all night and she was currently wearing a smile on her beautiful face while she slept. He wrapped her back up in the sheets and kissed her forehead. He took one last look at her before he grabbed the cordless phone in his room and walked downstairs so he wouldn't disturb her.
He walked into the kitchen and scanned the phone list on his refridgerator. He found the number he needed and began dialing. The phone rang three times and he was tapping his foot with anticipation.
"Heh-lo, Valenti Residence."
Damn- not who he wanted to talk to.
"Hey, Kyle...it's Max."
"Evans-- long time, no speak man... save any lives today?" Kyle Valenti chuckled. Max smiled, catching the slight reference to the night he had saved Kyle's life when they were sophomores in high school.
"Actually... one- my life..."
"OK, I don't understand all the cryptic B.S. so why don't you get to the point?" Kyle said, looking over a stack of files spread out on the kitchen table. Maria breezed in the room then, a pad of paper and a pencil in her hand.
"Something amazing has happened... I wanted Maria to know that--" Max was interrupted by noise on the other end of the phone. "--Kyle, is everything OK over there?" He chuckled, knowing Hurricane Maria had stormed into town.
"Dammit, Kyle, how many times have I asked you to PLEASE not spread your work crap all over my kitchen table?" She cried, rolling her eyes and dropping her sketch pad on the counter. She reached into the fridge to look for a bottle of water and Kyle chuckled.
"Babe- you've got a phone call. It's Evans...he says something *amazing* happened?" He handed her the phone and she looked at him with confusion.
"Max?" She asked, holding the phone to her ear. "What's up? Is everything OK?"
Max sighed. "Everything's *more* than, OK, Maria... this is the best day of my life."
Maria squealed. "Are you getting married, Max? Oh, I'm so happy you're finally moving on with your life-- I'm so proud of you!" She said, making kissing noises into the phone.
"Maria, you should probably sit down..."
"What? What's he saying?" Kyle asked as he stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and his face pressed up next to the side of her head so he could listen in.
"...He wants me to sit down..." Maria said, starting to move towards the chair.
"I knew it, Evans! You're gay! I knew it all along! You're coming out of the closet! Good for you, man!" Kyle said, cheering. Maria smacked him on the arm and quieted him with a finger to her lips.
"Did Kyle just say that I'm gay?" Max asked, laughing.
"Don't mind him. He hasn't had his hourly feeding so he's a little antsy." Maria said, smirking at her husband. Kyle grabbed Maria's hand and kissed it, holding it between his own. "So, TELL ME! What happened?"
Max took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Liz is here."
"Liz!" Maria squeaked. "Oh, my God! Are you serious? Please tell me you're not kidding!"
"What's the matter with Liz?" Kyle cried. "Is she OK?"
"I'm not kidding, Maria...she spent the night here last night...she had kind of a...bad thing happen to her last night and she ended up in the ER where I work... " Max ran his hand through his hair nervously.
"Max! Oh, Max! Let me talk to her!" Maria cried. "Oh, I missed her so much!" Maria's eyes flooded with tears.
"She's sleeping... she had a... really rough night last night."
"Max, you're such an animal! Attacking Liz as soon as you see her- shame, shame, shame on you, young man." Maria said, mocking him and smirking.
"Maria, I didn't attack her... someone else did though." Max said with an angry tone.
"What? Who hurt Lizzie? Is she all right?" Maria cried.
"She's going to be fine." Max said quietly. "But...she was... Maria, she's engaged... she was beaten... and raped ... by her fiance' last night." The words were coming out fast and furious... although the words "engaged" and "raped" made his heart hurt.
Maria was silent. "Oh, no... Oh, God, no... poor Liz... Oh, my poor Lizzie!" She cried, tears streaming down her face. Kyle looked at her with concern and she gave him a tight hug.
"Darlin', what's wrong?" He breathed into her ear. "What happened to Liz?"
"Her fiance'... the bastard raped her last night." Maria cried, disgusted.
"What! Why? Her FIANCE'? She's engaged?" Kyle screamed, jumping up from his chair. He hadn't seen Liz in fifteen years but he still cared about her so much. "Poor Liz," He muttered to himself as he raised his hand to his forehead in disbelief.
"Max, listen to me, OK? You tell Liz that we love her so much, and we're so sorry... Oh, Max, this is terrible..."
"Maria, I've never felt so horrible in my entire life. I think the day she was shot is up there on the list too, but that wasn't as bad....cause I knew I could save her then... but this--"
"--Max, I hate to tell you this...but I've read stuff about this... about rape victims-- who completely...change-- their personalities..."
"Maria, I... don't think I know what to do... I mean what do I do? This horrible thing has happened, and there's nothing I can do to change that..."
Maria sighed. "Max, just be there for her, OK? Love her. It's the best thing you've ever done in your life. Just love her."
"Maria, loving her is the only thing I've ever done right in my life... believe me." He sighed, thinking of how beautiful she looked while she was sleeping beside him last night.
"Max-- you know that's not true. You're a doctor! You help people everyday of your life... you have done *plenty* of things right. Listen...I have these sketches I have to finish and fax to New York by 5, and Eliza has her dance recital tonight, but after that I'm getting on the next plane to Seattle and coming to see you guys." Maria said, firmly. She turned to Kyle. "Honey, will you grab me the phone book?"
"You're going to Seattle?" Kyle asked, grabbing the phone book from a nearby cabinet and placing it on the table in front of her. "But...it's our anniversary tomorrow, Maria...I thought we could go out or something...." His voice trailed off as he looked away. Maria looked at him and frowned.
"I'm sorry, hon, I guess it just slipped my mind..." Maria said, her eyes brightening with an idea. Kyle looked away with pain, but she kissed him and he smiled once more. "Why don't we all go... you, me, and Eliza? I know you'd love to see Liz too and Liza's never met her namesake..."
Kyle sighed, looking over at the stack of papers on the table he had to sort through. She knew what he was thinking and she quickly answered his glance. "Take it with you, hon!"
"Well... I guess a few days would be OK. And it would be nice to see Liz... and I guess Evans too." Kyle smirked.
"Great!" Maria cried. "I'll call you later to let you know when our flight comes in!"
Max smiled. It would be nice to see little Eliza again. She was blonde and cute and fun, just like her mom. "OK. I'm going to try to get out of my shift tonight so I can spend more time with Liz... so we can come get you guys at the airport."
"That would be wonderful...Are you sure you don't mind?"
"Of course I don't. I'm used to being up all night anyway." Max walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out coffee grinds and taking them over to the coffee machine.
Maria sighed, pressing forward. "Max, did she tell you why she never came back... never contacted anyone?" She asked slowly.
Max frowned. "I don't know, Maria... I'm trying not to assault her with too many questions right now. But we will talk about it eventually... I guess..."
"What do you mean, 'you guess'? Don't you want to know... everything?" Maria asked, sipping on her water and jotting down airline phone numbers.
Max paused. "All I know is that I love her with everything I have. She's here now, and I'm not letting her get away again." He said firmly.
Liz sat on the steps, listening intently to everything he said.
She was crying.
* * * * *
"Mr. Brown, open up, Seattle PD!" Four policemen stood outside Simon's apartment door and pounded loudly.
No answer.
"Mr. Brown... Simon Brown, open up right now... this is the Seattle Police Department. We have a warrant for your arrest..." They continued to pound.
No answer.
The taller man turned to the shorter one and nodded. "Bust it down." The four policemen began pounding on the outside of the door with their batons. They finally made it into the apartment and found the place empty.
One of the policemen picked up his radio and began talking into it. "Homebase, this is 44-10 Charlie. We were unable to serve the warrant to Mr. Simon Joesph Brown... he has vacated the premises. Over."
"Roger, 44-10 Charlie, come on back to the station."
******
"You were close... too close, Simon."
"Who cares? If they had arrested me, I could have busted out of jail... no problem." Simon Brown looked up from the folding chair he was sitting in as his superior officer barked orders and insults at him.
"No PROBLEM?" The older man screamed, getting closer into his face. "HERE'S the problem, Simon... you bust out of jail, they see you use your powers, then you'd have to kill them! You weren't sent here to kill pathetic humans..."
"Well I nearly killed Elizabeth..." Simon grumbled, glaring up at the man towering inches from his face.
"Get over it, Simon. You pushed her towards the subject. Your business with her is finished."
Simon paused, trying not to let his tears of frustration and anger spill over.
"Now what do we do?" He asked sheepishly.
"You know what you have to do."
"Don't make me shapeshift again, *please*?" Simon groaned. "Don't make me hurt her again..."
"Simon, you won't be going anywhere near Elizabeth Parker anytime soon."
Simon thought about what his boss was telling him. "But... I want to say goodbye... before I leave... this body." He looked down at himself and felt the tears begin to fall.
"NO!" The man yelled at him. "You must NOT pull the target towards you until the time is right! It will ruin everything! The moment he sees you, he will know who you really are! Didn't I teach you ANYTHING?"
"Stop yelling. What if I... what if I snuck into her place and waited for her there? To apologize? To say goodbye?" Simon pleaded.
The man glared at him. "Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me. Why are you bothering with this... human... girl? She means nothing. I am all that matters to you. Without me, you are nothing."
Simon clenched his fists together and clenched his teeth. "I have been in this body for SIX YEARS, Nathaniel. I was with Elizabeth for the last three! Can't you see? She's a part of me-- Simon Brown is who I am now... I don't want to let that go."
Nathaniel narrowed his beady eyes into a disapproving glance. "I'm sorry... but that's unacceptable. And if you don't change now, I will change for you... and I don't think you will like what I have in store for your NEXT six years..." The man smirked, holding up his hand to Simon's head.
"No!" Simon cried. "I'll do it." He stood still for a moment, bracing himself for the large burst of energy he would soon be using. He shut his eyes and breathed in deeply, moving his hand from his head to his toes, changing his form as he went. He was now a tall redheaded man with freckles and green eyes. "There- are you happy now?"
"Yes." The man said firmly, nodding his head with a smug look on his face. "Now... on to phase two."
"What's that?" Simon asked, looking at his new face in the mirror and frowning.
"We wait."
"Wait for what?" He ran his hands through his thick head of red hair.
"They will all come to Elizabeth, they all cared for her very much. The trap will be set. We'll be able to take them out one by one."
"I *won't* hurt her, I won't. Not again." Simon said firmly.
The man looked up at him and glared at him fiercely. "You will do as you're told. You will kill them, their mates, and their children."
"I can't take them all on at the same time, I'm only one... they will be too strong for me!" Simon cried.
The man smirked and walked towards a nearby cabinet, pulling out a small dark-colored vial. He put it into Simon's open palm. "Here. When the time is right, you will shapeshift into one of them and put this into their food. But make sure it's at a time when they're all together..."
"What is this stuff? And How do you know they will all come to see Elizabeth?" Simon asked, arching his eyebrow.
"It's a drug to suppress the neurotransmitters in their cerebral cortexes. Their powers will be rendered useless. And as far as bringing them all here... we can do some persuading." The man asked, pointing to his brain and smiling with sadistic glee.
* * * * *
"I can't believe it... he just vanished into thin air..?" Max commented as he cooked dinner for he and Liz. "Liz....?" He looked towards her, his heart wincing with the pain he knew she felt deep inside her.
Liz sighed, pulling her legs closer to her body and snuggling deeper into Max's couch. She pulled her engagement ring off her hand and stared at it for a moment. It was a beautiful gold band with diamonds in a marquis setting. She had treasured it until the night before. Max put the top on the tomato sauce he had been stirring and walked across the kitchen into the living room, kneeling in front of Liz.
"Liz... are you ready to take that off now?" Max asked her cautiously. "Cause I could fix it for you- but only if... you're really ready... to let go."
Liz's eyes were filling with warm, wet tears. She nodded without a word, squeezing the ring one more time in her hand before handing it over to him. He squeezed the ring in his right hand and held her hand with his left, concentrating on the ring. By closing her eyes and touching her hand as he held the ring, he was able to connect with her. Max cringed when he saw Liz kissing Simon passionately after he slipped the ring on her finger. He cringed as he got another flash of her throwing her head back in pure ecstasy as Simon had made love to her that night. Another flash came of her waking up the next morning, cradled in his arms as he watched her sleep. Max wanted so desperately to break the connection but something inside was forcing him not to sever it.
A flash of Simon came from her then... then another quick flash of him changing into an alien. Max felt a rush of fear wash over him at that moment. Something inside of him was telling him that Simon was someone dangerous... not only to Liz, but to himself and his family as well.
Max shrugged off this ominous feeling, chalking it up to the fact that he hated this guy with every fiber of his being for what he did to his Liz.
Within moments, the flashes ceased, and Max opened his eyes. He peered down at the object in his hand, which had changed into a wide silver band with the words "With you always" engraved on it. Max smiled as he looked at it. Liz peered into his hand to see what he'd made. She gasped.
"Max... it's so beautiful!" Without thinking, he took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger, leaning his face down to kiss her knuckles.
"I'm glad you like it." He smiled. She twirled it around on her finger so she could read what it said. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Oh, Max..." She said, raising her hand to the side of his face. He turned his cheek, kissing her open palm. She felt her eyes flutter shut as Max let his mouth linger on the soft skin inside her hand, her skin burning up from his hot breath. He let his lips travel in soft circles on her palm and Liz shook her head in protest. "No, Max, we can't...we can't be... the way you want it to be... not yet..."
"Just let me be here for you... let me be with you..." He pleaded, not allowing his lips to leave her hand.
"Max..." Her breath quickened as she felt his mouth move slowly and lightly up her arm, pausing a moment to heal the fading bruises on her forearm with a touch of his palm. "Max, stop. Please." Her voice went from a quiet plea to a vocal threat. Max broke contact with her arm and raised his eyes to meet hers. God, why did he have to look at her like that?
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He couldn't hide the upset tone in his voice.
"No, Max, you didn't hurt me." She smiled slightly, trying to handle the pain in his eyes and deep in her soul. "You could never hurt me. I'm just not... ready... for all this." She pleaded with him.
"This... what?" He looked at her, confused.
"You know, this... the kissing, the touching, the heavy breathing..." Liz shivered not so much from being cold but feeling a shockwave of desire course through her. Max grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped it around her arms, letting them linger there. "Max...please..."
He sighed, finally dropping his hands from her arms and back down to his sides, sliding to rest on the backs of his legs . "Listen... I'm sorry for freaking you out... it's just," he took a deep breath and continued, looking at his hands so he wouldn't begin sobbing with reckless abandon. "It's just that, I'm so madly in love with you that sometimes I can't see straight, and all I want to do is... touch you and hold you in my arms ... it's not fair to you and I'm sorry. I understand that you need your space right now."
Liz smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a gentle hug. He responded by raising his body higher up onto his knees and burying his face in her neck. She still hadn't grasped the depth of Max's love for her- she didn't know if she ever would again. At that moment, she just wanted to touch him, smell him, hold him, be protected by him.
Shielded by the darkness of the night sky, Simon watched the pair embrace from outside Max's living room window with a sadness buried so deep in him it was hard to comprehend. Until that moment, he had forgotten what was really important in all this-- the reason he was on this planet in the first place. Loving Elizabeth had changed him, made him forget who he really was. But now that he saw this... saw the gentle, quiet grace, the loving, unbreakable bond between Elizabeth and his greatest enemy awakened a fire buried within him that he'd tried to suppress for years. He cursed himself under his breath as he thought about all the years he'd wasted trying so desperately to be human, to be worthy of Elizabeth Parker's love. At the sight of Max Evans so gingerly touching, kissing, and holding her, Simon realized it wasn't worth it to try to be human anymore. He had lost so much by trying to deny who he really was.
He had so much time to make up. He would make his people, especially Nathaniel, all proud... single-handedly killing the enemy race that had overrun his planet for so many centuries before.
He would be the one to do it-- to kill the heir to the throne and his entire family and to bring his people to glory and power.
He would be the one to kill Max Evans.
*****
"No, God, Max!" Isabel Evans screamed, sitting up in bed like a rocket and putting her hand to her sweat-drenched forehead. Her heartbeat began to slow as she looked at her surroundings, realizing she was out of her brother's dream and safe in her own bed.
Just then, Michael Guerin padded in from the guest room, rubbing his hands over his face and yawning. "What's wrong?" He sat next to Isabel on her bed, watching intently as the beads of sweat rolled down her face and neck and down the rest of her body before disappearing underneath her nightgown.
She reached for his hand- something she hadn't done as long as he could remember- and sighed. "I don't know, Michael... I dreamwalked Max to see what was going on with him. I kept getting these signals from him in the past few days... like something had dramatically changed in his life. Since he isn't talking to me much lately, I decided going into his dream would be the best thing to do."
"Makes sense." Michael said, leaning back on the bed to rest on his elbow and yawning again. "What did you see?"
"Liz. She was... everywhere." Isabel said, looking off to the side and wrapping her arms around herself.
Michael rolled his eyes. "So what else is new?"
"No, Michael. Max hasn't dreamed of her in a while... I wonder what's changed?" Isabel asked.
"I don't know... I haven't seen Liz in fifteen years, so I'm not exactly an expert on the subject." Michael said, his heart quickening slightly as he remembered the good times they had with Maria, Liz, and Alex Whitman in high school before the whole "Destiny" fiasco.
Isabel sighed. "I'm going to call him the morning." She shuddered. "Michael... I think he's in danger." She said quietly but firmly.
Michael raised his eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?" He moved in closer to her.
"I don't know... I just *felt* something... I felt an *evil* presence in his dreams... like something was close to him... something dangerous." Isabel said, her eyes widening with fear as she recalled the feelings she'd had while walking through her brother's dream.
"Isabel, all our enemies are dead. We took care of them years ago, remember? You have nothing to worry about."
"How do we *know* that Michael? How do we *know* there still aren't people out there that were sent here to kill us?" Tears began slipping from her big brown eyes as she looked over at the picture of the little boy on her nightstand. Michael sensed what she was going to say and replied to her unasked question.
"Nothing's going to happen to him." Michael said firmly, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm just... scared... Michael. Even more so than when we were fighting them before... because now we have *him*... oh, God, Michael... if anything happened to Seth..."
"Nothing's going to happen to him." Michael said firmly as he looked into Isabel's eyes, trying to comfort her. "We'll protect him- whatever happens."
"Daddy?" A quiet voice echoed through the hallway. Michael looked at Isabel and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he left the room and walked into the guest room where their three-year-old son was sleeping with him. "Where are you?"
"I'm here, Seth. Mommy had a bad dream." Michael said, tucking himself back into the bed with Seth and kissing the top of his head, filled with thick ash blonde hair. "She's fine now. Go back to sleep."
Seth yawned and snuggled closer to the teddy bear he'd been holding tightly in his grasp. He called it "Max" for the Uncle who had given it to him the day he was born.
* * * * *
"Lizzie, it was *so* fun. I wish you could have been there. I was the best dancer in the *whole* recital..." Six-year-old Eliza Valenti smiled, her blonde hair pulled up into a french braid. She took another bite of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich that Max had made her before he went off to work. Kyle and Maria had gone out for their anniversary so Liz had babysitting duties.
Liz stared at the six-year-old across the table from her and smiled. She was so much like Maria... she was so much like Kyle. Liz was astonished at how much Eliza was a perfect mix of her two parents.
Did it *always* work out like that? Liz smiled as she imagined a little girl with slightly prominent ears, long eyelashes, defined cheekbones and long brown hair. "So, Eliza, did you and your Mom and Dad have fun at the aquarium?"
"Yes! We had so much fun and everyone was so nice. We walked by this place where people were *throwing* fish!" Eliza said, her mouth gaping with delight.
"Isn't that weird?" Liz asked before leaning her head closer to Eliza's face. "The first time I saw that, it freaked me out."
"I wasn't afraid." Eliza stated proudly. "I love this place... what is it called again?" She asked shyly.
Liz smiled. "Seattle. Seattle, Washington."
Eliza nodded. "And me, Mommy, and Daddy live in Roswell. Roswell, New Mexico."
"Very good!" Liz said, smiling. The sound of the phone ringing interrupted Liz and Eliza's little geography discussion. "I'll get it." She said, looking over once more at Eliza before picking up the cordless phone from its receiver. "Hello?"
There was a pause.
"Hello?" Liz repeated firmly.
"Can I... can I speak to... is this... Liz?" The voice shook on the other end of the phone.
Liz gasped. "This *is* Liz... Max is at work right now. Who is this?" She asked, her heart racing. She didn't have to ask who it was, she already knew.
There was another pause.
"Hi, Liz. It's... Tess."
Liz's heart dropped into her stomach. She forced herself to breathe.
*Breathe, Liz. She's different now. She's married to Alex. She's not going to hurt you ever again.*
"Tess..." Liz said anxiously. "It's been..."
"... a while, I know." Tess said, her voice wavering. "How... are you? How long... have you and Max...?"
Liz quickly answered her. "No, no, Tess... we're not *together.* We just recently... found each other again."
Tess wrinkled her brow. "Wait, you live in Seattle too?"
"Yeah. I've lived here for a couple of years. I'm getting my doctorate at the University of Washington."
"Weird!" Tess quickly finished her sentence. "Not that you're going to be a professor, but that... you and Max were in the same city... and never knew it." She couldn't help but grin at that fact.
Liz shrugged her shoulders. "Those things happen I guess."
"Well, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting you to answer Max's phone!" Tess said, giggling nervously.
"Yeah, I wasn't either. So how... are you doing, Tess? I mean, how's Alex? You're in... L.A., right?" Liz asked, trying her damndest to be friendly to the girl she used to despise.
Tess grinned at Liz's curiosity. "We're fine, thanks for asking. Alex and I have been married for almost ten years. He's a music teacher at a private high school in the Valley..."
"Alex is a teacher?" Liz smiled at their shared profession. Well she wasn't a professor *yet* but she had been a T.A. for microbiology for three semesters now. "That's so awesome."
"He's wonderful." Tess said, continuing. "I do P.R. work for the Walt Disney Corporation..."
"Wow! Tess, that's... so cool." Liz said, trying to contain her mild jealously that Tess had such a glamorous profession. "So, do you guys have any...?"
"Kids?" Tess smiled. "Yes, we have two. Angelique is eight, she's in third grade. Teagan is five, he's in kindergarten."
"Wow, Alex is a dad..." Liz smiled. It was all hitting her now. All her friends had grown up. She hated herself for missing it all. She didn't regret the decision she made to end things with Max and leave him to his duty... but she missed so much of Alex and Maria's lives, and that just wasn't fair.
"He's a great dad, Liz. You should see him with Teagan... he looks like a miniature version of him." Tess smiled.
"I'm sure he's adorable." Liz mused.
"Hey, Lizzie, who are you talking to?" Eliza asked as she finished her sandwich and walked over to Liz, tugging on her pant leg.
Tess's face scrunched into a puzzled look. "Is that Eliza?"
"Yeah." Liz said, smiling. She turned to the little girl at her feet. "I'm talking to Tess."
"Aunt Tess? Tell her I said 'hi'."
Aunt Tess? Liz looked at her with confusion. "Okay." Liz turned back to the phone. "Eliza says 'hi'."
"Are they visiting you?"
"Yeah." Liz sighed. "Max called her the night after he... found me. They came up right away."
Tess frowned. "Why didn't he tell us?"
Liz paused. "I don't know... everything has happened so fast... and Max is really busy now with his residency ending and everything... he's interviewing at practices all over town."
"But Liz, Alex would have loved to talk to you. Why didn't *you* call us?"
Liz paused. She really couldn't answer that question. "I guess... I didn't want to face the past. The past that I missed."
Tess was quiet, nodding. "You've been gone a long time, Liz. A lot has happened. And just so you know, Max and I... nothing ever happened." Even though she was happily married, she still felt a slight twinge of pain in her heart.
"I know." Liz nodded. "He told me. But that's not why I left."
"Look, Liz, I don't want to drudge up bad memories with you right now. It's been good to talk to you and I hope... maybe someday... we could be... friends?" Tess's voice rang with insecurity.
Liz's jaw dropped, her mouth hanging open so wide she could catch flies in it. *This* was Tess Harding?
No. This wasn't Tess Harding, this was Tess Whitman.
Liz paused. "Sure. I mean, yes. Yes, I don't see why not."
Tess grinned. "Good. Because if you are going to be a part of our family, I want us all to get along..."
"I'm not part of the family..."
"...Not yet." Tess said, smiling.
Liz couldn't help but grin. She felt like she was talking to a completely different person.
Someone... human.
TBC