AN: I am including two vignettes in this because the first is less than 200 words.

Hatred

The world was going to end, or at least that's what he said when he crashed onto my balcony that night. He said our love killed everyone near and dear. Our love. I guess I continued to fool him even then.

Maria thought I went along with it in order to save the masses but my motives were far more selfish. I let her think that because how do you tell your best friend, the sister of your heart, it was the love of her life's death and the prevention of it that moved you to such extremes?

God, he died. Michael died and if the future version of Max is to be believed, he never knew how she really felt. She didn't have the courage to truly follow her heart, instead capitulating to the idea of being Perfect Parker – a girl who always did the right thing for everyone other than herself.

I want to hate the messenger, the future who is proof of my weakness. I want to hate the current version for being blind to reality. But in the end, the blame and hate can only be laid at one door – my own.

~...~

Rage

Nerves frayed, she seethes as she swipes a towel over the table, brooding over a certain cantankerous alien cleaning the kitchen, wondering what has set him on edge this time. He's been testing her patience all night.

Actually, to be completely honest, it really started back in Las Cruces, when he sent the pulsing, red triangle sailing through the window, saving all of their lives.

"You want to stop daydreaming and move your ass, Parker?" Michael called from the kitchen, voice tight with irritation. "I'd like to go home sometime tonight."

Huffing, Liz spun around and glared at him through the order window, lips pressed together mutinously.

"Yes?" he challenged, raising a brow, face twisted in a derisive smirk.

Narrowing her eyes, Liz's blood boiled as she threw down her towel and stalked to the kitchen, slamming the door. "What crawled up your ass, Michael?" she grated.

"Nothing," he bit out, turning his back to her and attacking the grill with a wire brush, scrubbing with all the frustrated anger smoldering under his blank façade. God, he'd almost lost her in Las Cruces and she didn't even care.

"Nothing?" she scoffed. "Then what's with the attitude tonight?"

"I said it's nothing," he grit his teeth, scrubbing harder, brow pinched with annoyance.

"Right. Of course not," she snarked over her shoulder as she headed out the door. "That would imply that something made it past your stonewall."

His head whipped around and he stared after her incredulously, brush forgotten in his hand, indignant rage smoldering in his eyes.

Throwing the brush onto the grill, he ripped his apron off, tossing it on the counter and pursued the tiny brunette, lips tight with suppressed anger. So, she wanted to fight did she? Well, bring it on.

"Want to say that to my face, Parker?" he stalked over to her, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around, leaning over her menacingly, breath labored from the rage coursing through his veins. Damned if he was going to put up with the implication that he didn't care after everything he'd done to prove otherwise when they were in Las Cruces.

Stepping into him, not at all daunted by his intimidation tactics, Liz got in his face, meeting his glare unflinchingly. "Sure, Michael, I said something would have to get past your stonewall for that to happen," she grit between her clenched teeth, eyes flashing with irritation.

Letting out a primal growl of rage, Michael wrapped his hands around her upper arms, pulling her up to him, faces pressed nose to nose, his caramel eyes a blazing inferno. "Is that what you really think, Parker? Wait, why bother asking, of course you do. It's just me, right?"

She let out a little squeak as he gave her a little shake, her eyes widening in astonishment at the anger blazing out those typically indifferent eyes, and shook her head frantically, finally realizing what she'd implied in her fit of temper. "No. No, no, no, Michael…"

"Did you even think about what could have happened in Las Cruces if I hadn't followed you? Where you'd be if I hadn't been there to stop that bomb?" he grit out, ignoring her protestations as anguish filled him at the thought of how close he'd come to losing both girls. "You'd be lying right next to Alex and where would we be then? Do you think we'd survive losing all three of you?"

"Michael, no, I'm sorry," she cried, voice cracking as the reality of her actions hit her. She'd been so wrapped up in discovering Alex's murderer and proving it was alien related that she hadn't stop to think of how it'd affect the rest of the group. "I wasn't thinking…"

"That's right, Liz, you weren't thinking," he bit out, letting her go to shove his hands through his hair, pacing the length of the room in agitation. Liz stood stock still, remorseful eyes watching the frantic man pacing in front of her. Michael spun around to face her, fixing her with a fulminating glare, chest heaving with ragged breaths.

"You weren't even going to tell us where you went!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her. "If I hadn't pinned Maria down and gotten an answer out of her, we would have had no idea what happened! We'd still be looking for you frantically! And you have the nerve to say…I…you know what, screw this!"

Michael spun around to stalk back through the door but stopped after three steps, shoving his hands through his hair, taking in deep breaths to get his anger under control before the diner blew up around them.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Liz cried, face crumbling, heart cracking under the weight of her emotions. She'd never meant for this to happen. Never meant for it to go this far. Heart shattering sobs made her shoulders quake. "Oh God, Michael, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…I didn't want…I'm sorry."

His shoulders sagged, the anger draining from him under her remorseful pleading and squeezing his eyes closed, he took a shuddering breath. Resting his hands on his hips, he tipped his head back and trained his eyes at the ceiling, before turning back to face her.

Clawing at his eyebrow, he watched the sobbing girl with some discomfit, unsure of whether to take her in his arms and never let her go or shake her until her teeth rattled. Maybe he'd do both.

She covered her face with her hands, unable to meet the tall alien's eyes, horrified she'd taken her anger out on the one person who'd proven without a doubt he understood.

Giving in, he groaned and yanked her into his arms, wrapping her close to his heart, thankful for the rampant paranoia that made him follow the girls to Las Cruces; thankful that he has this opportunity to hold her in his arms rather than watching her being lowered into the cold earth that now embraces Alex.

"I know. Just next time you decide to go off half-cocked, tell me. Don't let me find out because I happen to catch you in the act," he choked, dropping his head to hers. "We've already lost Alex. I can't…we can't lose you too."