Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell, nor any of its characters. Wish I did though.
oOoOo
Chapter 28
When Max arrived at Claudia's house, he mustered up his nerve, took a deep breath and strode towards the front door. He knocked a couple of times before Nancy called out.
"May I help y— Max?" Nancy blinked twice. She couldn't believe that Max was really here.
"Hello, Nancy," he greeted softly.
"Look at you. You're all grown up now." Nancy took off her gardening gloves and moved beside Max to open the door. "Come on in."
"Thanks." Max walked in after Nancy. Memories of that day went through his mind in a flash. He had to shake his head lightly to clear his thoughts.
"Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"
"Um, some water would be nice. Thank you," Max said as he sat down on the couch.
Nancy came back with 2 glasses of ice cold water for the both of them. She handed one to Max. And Max nodded his thanks.
After Nancy settled herself on the couch, she spoke, "What brings you here, Max?"
"Um, was Liz here?"
"No, she's still at the restaurant overseeing the construction."
"Oh…" Max looked down in his glass.
"Why did you want to talk to her?" Nancy inquired.
"Uh, I called her on her mobile today and she really didn't want to talk. I figured if I came here, she'd at least hear what I have to say, even if I have to yell it from the other side of that door." He pointed towards the front door.
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that way."
Silence enveloped the house.
Nancy spoke again, "Max, it seems that you mean well, but I don't think this is a good idea. Liz…she's different from the Liz you used to know."
"Maybe, but I still need to explain why…why I did what I did back in high school."
"You mean when you told her that you would never fall for a maid's daughter?"
Max's eyes widened. "You…you know about that?"
Nancy nodded. "She told me when I caught her crying one night. We were still at your house that time."
Max was ashamed. "I'm really sorry, Nancy. I didn't mean that. You know me, even when I became rude to everyone, you knew there was something going on and tolerated my behavior. I know that's no excuse, but I just said that because I didn't want to hurt her."
"But you did, Max. More than you can ever know."
"That's why I came here to explain. A lot of things were going on that I couldn't tell anyone, not even my parents. I thought if Liz and I stayed together and my secret got out, she'd get hurt and I couldn't do that. She deserves more than that."
"I know. My daughter deserves the best and that's why I opted to leave as soon as she graduated. She needed a new start, away from the pain that you inflicted on her…"
Max bowed his head.
"…and on you."
His eyes went straight to hers.
"I knew you were hurting too. It was quite obvious." Nancy stopped for a moment. It was clear that she was waging an internal battle.
"There are a lot of things you don't know, the same way that Liz doesn't know a lot of things that you were going through as you mentioned. Secrets never did anyone any good especially if you're in a relationship. What are you going to do once you've said your apology?"
"I'd ask her to take me back."
"Do you still love her?"
"With my entire existence," Max said with conviction.
Nancy merely nodded.
"What happened, Max? What happened back then?"
"It's a long story…" Max began and relayed the events of the past 10 years of his life.
When he finished, Nancy felt pity for the boy she once took care of. "I'm sorry that you felt that you had no one to turn to. Your parents love you so much. You should have told them the day it happened."
"I know. Believe me if there was any way I could turn back time, I would in a heartbeat."
Nancy looked at the clock on the wall. She knew she still had time before Liz would come home. So she decided to tell him once and for all.
"Max, I know that you and Liz got intimate in this house."
Max blushed right down to the tips of his ears. "Uh…she told you that too?"
"She had to."
"What do you mean?" Max started to feel his heart thumping wildly.
"There was a time when we were still living with you that she had a scare…a pregnancy scare," Nancy said softly.
Max went pale, his skin was ghostly white.
"I've never told anyone, she asked me not to. I promised myself that I wouldn't get involved in Liz's love life. But everything that happened when you two broke up hurt her to the core. She's changed, Max, the same way you had back then. I wouldn't tell you this if I had another choice, but my daughter was slipping away and I think you're the only one who can help her."
'A pregnancy scare', those were the only words running through his mind. 'Oh God, what have I done?'
"Max?"
"W-Was it just a f-false alarm?" he stammered.
Nancy nodded. "She was a couple of days late, and she was so scared of what it could mean. It turned out that it was only because of all the stress she was going through."
This time, it was Max's turn to nod. "I'm so sorry, Nancy. If I had known…"
"There would be nothing that you could have done. It was just a scare, nothing more."
"You said you need my help. That she's changed. How?"
"I assume you've somehow talked to her a little on the phone?"
"Yes."
"Then you were probably a little surprised at the way she spoke."
Max nodded again.
"That's what she's like everyday, except towards me and to her friends. But to most people, and even to our employees, she's been known to be heartless and cold.
"What can I do? She won't even talk to me," Max asked, perplexed.
"I know that sometimes, I can still see glimpses of my Liz. Isabel gave her an album on that day we left. She still looks at it and sometimes she'd shed a tear or two at a particular page. I didn't know why but I stole a peek at it once. I didn't know what page it was but I saw the tear stains. It was a picture of her and the others at Winneman. At first I thought she was just missing them, but at the corner of that picture was you. You were staring at her and I guess Isabel managed to include you in the frame."
"I don't want to assume, but….do you think she still has feelings for me?"
"I honestly don't know, Max. She's so closed-off. I'm losing my grip on my daughter. You have to do something, break through the walls she has built up for herself. She's the only family I have left."
"I hope I can. But I don't want to push too hard. After finding out about that…what happened then, I don't know if it's right for me to enter her life again," Max said solemnly.
"You told me you still love her."
"And I do, with all of my heart. But…after all the pain I've caused her…how could I make up for all of it?"
"By loving her."
Liz couldn't focus on her work after that call from Max. 'What the hell does he want?' She kept racking her brains for answers but she couldn't come up with one. She tried to bury herself in her work and finding a more suitable house to live in if her mom was staying here. She never told her mother about her future plans, but in her mind, it was all set up. She'd find a better place than her grandmother's house for her mom, nothing overly fancy and insanely big, just the right size for Nancy and her when she visits. She'd finish the new branch, have a grand opening party then leave for Boston the next day. In her mind everything would work out all right. But her heart knew that leaving Nancy here would mean a more difficult journey for her.
For the past 10 years, her mother had been by her side all the time. She didn't know how to exist without her, but she knew she had to start somewhere and this would be the best place to do so. She could still come back anytime, she reasoned with herself.
When she was at Harvard, she hardly dated. She tried to have fun at parties she went to with her classmates, tried to have a social life, tried to date a couple of guys, tried to forget everything about Max.
All attempts failed.
Her last resolve was to bury herself in her work, and that was exactly what she did. Sadly, she also buried the old Liz along with it.
When she graduated from college, she immediately went to help her mother with their business. Putting in what she learned and earning more, had allowed their small catering business to grow into the well-known establishment that it was today.
She knew that some of her staff hated her, but she had always said that if they didn't like the job, they could leave. There were other people who would beg for their place. She would trap them at their own game and she came off as a bitch to everyone who saw this side of her. All the hurt she kept inside back then finally exploded, transforming her into this person she herself didn't even know. She made a vow that she wouldn't allow herself to fall for someone, to be in love and be vulnerable. However, there were times when she wondered when all this would end, if she would ever go back to being the sweet and kindhearted Liz she once was, the Liz who believed in love and all the magic it could bring. But more often than not, the answer she'd find from within was a big NO.
"I have to go, Nancy. Thank you for everything." Max stood from the couch.
"Will you help, Max?" Nancy stood up too.
"Of course I will, I just have to think of how I'm going to do it."
"Won't you wait for Liz? I thought you wanted to talk to her."
"I do, but…not just yet." Max walked towards the door.
"Max, were you at Tess and Kyle's wedding?"
"Yes I was."
"Why didn't you approach her then?"
"I couldn't. She looked happy…before she caught the bouquet." Max smiled sadly.
"You asked Michael to catch the garter didn't you?"
Max nodded. "I wanted to catch it for myself but I knew if I did that, she would have probably run off."
"Yes, she would have." Nancy gave him a small smile.
"I better go. I don't want her to catch me here."
Nancy nodded and walked Max to his car.
"Thanks again, Nancy, for taking care of Liz and for hearing me out."
"I know you, Max. I know you and Liz are right for each other despite everything that happened in the past. You just got sidetracked, but you'll find your way back to each other's arms soon. Fate had already given you a push in that direction, don't waste that chance."
Max stared at Nancy, remembering the lady who took care of him all those years ago.
"Don't worry, Nancy, I won't."
Max got in his car and drove off just in time before Liz parked where his car was a couple of minutes ago.
