CHAPTER 54
Maria

Maria laughed as she saw Liz yawn. For like the fifth time in ten minutes.

Liz rubbed her eyes and met Maria's eyes with a small smile. "What?"

"Tired?" Maria asked with a pointed eyebrow at her new-found friend, putting subtext into her question. There was something about Ms. Parker this morning. Even though they were up at 3.30 in the morning after having spent a mere five hours in the motel, Maria was pretty sure that Liz's lack of sleep wasn't only due to the short time spent in the motel.

Why?

Because Liz had the same look on her face as Maria was currently sporting. The shimmering glow of a night filled with love.

Lots and lots of love.

Liz shrugged and looked away, but not before Maria could see the fresh blush on her cheeks.

"Everyone's ready to go?" Max asked from outside the van and Maria's assumptions were confirmed as Max's relaxed face came around the corner and looked into the van.

"Oh yes," Maria replied and watched the wordless look of secrets pass between Max and Liz.

"Great," Max said, forcibly tearing himself away from Liz's eyes before sliding the side door to the van shut with a large bang. He was the designated driver today.

"How are you feeling?" Liz asked around another yawn and nodded to Maria's abdomen - to her unborn child.

The van was revving to a start and was rolling out of the parking lot of their latest temporary dwelling when Maria smiled at Liz, her hands unconsciously brushing down over her slightly expanded abdomen. "Good. The nausea has started to back off a bit."

Liz smiled and Maria noted something wistful in her expression. Liz put a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear as she said, "That's really good to hear. I would hate to be on the run while being pregnant; being nauseous at the same time."

Maria grimaced, thinking back on all the times along the road that she had swallowed back vomit, being too afraid of discovery to ask Michael to pull over for a stop. "Yeah, it's a vast improvement."

They were seated next to each other with their backs against the cold metallic frame of the van. Maria had her legs stretched out in front of her, but Liz was sitting cross-legged.

Liz caught onto Maria's discomfort and put a hand on top of Maria's, which was resting against the top of her thigh. "If you need anything, just let me know." Liz shrugged. "Maybe I can help."

Maria gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks. I'm sure I'll be needing more help as I grow bigger."

Liz looked across the interior of the van with unseeing eyes. "It's exciting, isn't it?"

Her mumbled question had Maria look at the girl's profile. "What is?"

"Having a baby," Liz answered, still staring off into nothingness.

"Yeah," Maria answered. "It's amazing."

Liz turned her head to meet Maria's eyes again. "Do you think your baby will have - you know - abilities?"

It was not difficult to discern what kind of abilities Liz was referring to.

"Maybe," Maria answered and shrugged. "It doesn't really matter."

"As long as it's healthy, right?" Liz asked, filling in the unspoken words.

"Yeah," Maria mumbled and looked down at her abdomen, as if she would be able to see through her skin at her creation.

She caressed her top-clad bulge and let her mind drift. Images of a baby gripping her finger, of a toddler learning how to walk, of a small child on a swing, running through grass and laughing. She always pictured a girl. She had a feeling it was going to be a girl.

"It's not even a child yet and already it's amazing."

Liz's voice brought her out of her futuristic dreams and she turned imploring eyes on Liz. "I'm sorry. What?"

"I…" Liz turned her eyes away, embarrassment coloring her cheeks, which confused Maria. Maria got the feeling that Liz wasn't only using a generic phrase, but referring to something specific.

"What?" she asked softly.

"I saw it. I saw your baby."

Maria felt her heart skip a bit and she actually gave a start as she searched Liz's profile. Searching out Liz's hand with her own, she grabbed onto it and squeezed. Her voice was breathless, anticipated, as she whispered, "You saw my baby?"

Liz nodded. "I'm sorry. I know it wasn't my place. That it was private." Liz glanced at Maria, but didn't meet her eyes. But she didn't refuse Maria's tightening grip on her hand.

Maria's eyes widened as she realized what Liz was hinting at. The connection. "You saw what Max saw…"

Liz bit her bottom lip and looked hastily at Maria before nodding. "I could see your baby. And even though it was still - I guess - an embryo, I could see what it was becoming-" Maria felt goosebumps spread across her skin at the awe in Liz's voice "- the transformation that hinted at a baby."

Maria gasped in wonder and felt a momentary sting in her heart. "I'm-I'm-," Maria stuttered before filling in sheepishly, "I'm jealous." She laughed and squeezed Liz's hand warmly. "I'm actually jealous."

Liz looked at her with cautious eyes, trying to gauge Maria's reaction. "It should've been you. It should've been you or Michael that got to see it."

Maria shook her head, filled with possibilities. "No… This is great news, Liz."

Liz looked worried. "It is?"

"Of course it is," Maria nodded eagerly. "This means that the experience can be shared." Maria watched Liz's eyes widen in understanding as she continued, "Maybe not with me because Max was already connected to me and I didn't see anything at the time. I should have if it were possible to be the subject as well as the object."

"But maybe Michael could-" Liz filled in slowly.

A glorious smile spread across Maria's lips as she nodded excitedly. "Exactly."

"What's that?" a gruff voice said from behind Maria, who Maria recognized as belonging to her boyfriend - the father of her child.

Maria leaned forward and gave Liz a peck on the cheek. A careful smile - not knowing how to react to Maria's exuberant affection - spread on Liz's face as Maria whispered with emphasis, "Thank you."


Liz

"Hey."

Liz didn't have to look to know who it was. She had felt him enter the small convenience store, located next to the gas station, through the connection that was still buzzing at a fever pitch between them. It had been doing so since last night.

She could feel her skin breaking out into goosebumps at the sound of his voice and her stomach curled in anticipation of his touch as his physical presence stepped within ten feet of her.

Liz didn't have to look to know that he was currently standing a foot behind her. She could feel the heat coming off his body, could count the fast rhythm of his heart as it reverberated through her system and she could feel what he felt when he saw her.

"Hey", she mumbled and closed her eyes, slowly wetting her lips.

She could feel his eyes on the back of her neck, traveling slowly up its curve to the thin skin at the back of her ear (for once, she had put her hair up in a ponytail) and how his gaze changed direction only to flow down the back of her jacket, down her legs.

She shivered with heat as she felt his gaze burn through her clothes, knowing that he knew exactly how she looked beneath those pieces of fabric. A soft moan escaped her lips as she remembered his lips - his tongue - tracing the indentions of her spine, placing kisses along the contours of her shoulder blades-

"You're in public," a sharp whisper interrupted Liz's trance and she blinked; her eyes springing open to the interior setting of the store.

Liz turned to look at the manufacturer of that interrupting sentence (Maria) with her heart thrumming in her chest and her legs being shaky and unstable. Through her dazed vision, Liz registered Maria's wink, before Maria disappeared up to the counter to pay for her bag of peanuts.

"Sorry," Max whispered next to her, and Liz's breath froze on her lips. Her eyelids felt heavy anew, longing to close - to revel in the feel that was all Max Evans.

Was it like this for all of Max Evans' sexual partners?

The thought of potential alternate sexual partners for Max Evans instantly sharpened her senses and brought her - partially - out of her sexual haze.

"That's okay," she breathed, suddenly breathless. She didn't dare to look at him, afraid that she might collapse into an orgasm on the spot. Instead, she kept her head down and reached for the bag of M&Ms in front of her.

His hand closed around her wrist, just below the hem of her jacket, and breath left her again. His palm burnt against her skin and she could feel the throb of her pulse against where his fingertips connected with the underside of her wrist.

"Are you okay?" he whispered and he was even closer now. He had taken a step into her personal space, his body (his oh so strong and masculine warm body) brushing against her side.

She was sure he could tell exactly how she was - what she was feeling - through their connection. But she loved that he needed to ask, that he needed to talk to her.

"Uh-huh," she nodded and licked her lips.

She felt the buzz of desire sharply increase and through him she saw herself slowly wetting her lips, which translated to him remembering her lips on his skin. She closed her eyes against the dizziness.

"Seriously, guys. If you want to get some, you should do it now. We have to leave."

Liz jumped at Maria's intruding voice, first misunderstanding the double entendre, before flushing red. She blinked up to Max's face, seeing his matching embarrassed expression. There was a smaller explosion as their eyes connected and Liz felt herself falling-

Max's grip on her wrist tightened and she fell back into her body. Stable - with both feet on the ground. A wrinkle of concern settled between his eyes and he whispered, "Really? Are you okay?"

She leaned in close to him, seeing his pupils widen as she closed the distance, leaving only an inch between their faces as she whispered, "Is it always like this?"

"Always like what?" he whispered back, his eyes caressing her face before catching onto her eyes again.

"Sex. With you." She felt embarrassed to voice it, even though - after last night - they were way past modesty.

He shrugged, looking down, and Liz felt a temporary chill through the connection. "I wouldn't know."

She bit her lower lip and looked up at him through her eyelashes, suddenly feeling self-conscious about having this discussion. None of them were aware of their surroundings, of the clatter and voices of the convenience store, as they stood staring at each other inside their bubble.

"No one has told you anything before?" she asked quietly, silently admonishing herself for bringing it up. Did she really want the answers to these questions? Did she really want to know about the ex's?

A fleeting smile touched his lips and he was looking at her pensively as he slowly brushed a strand of her hair, which had come loose from the ponytail, away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "You're the first."

She nodded and said simply, "Okay," before she realized that he might not just mean that no one had told him of their experiences before, but- Her eyes widened as she froze. "You're- I- We?"

His expression remained serious, in spite of her stammering, as he cradled her cheek in his hand and angled her chin so that his lips could meet hers softly. She felt the dizziness attack her again, the accumulation of strong feelings into that local spot where his lips touched hers, and braced her suddenly weak body with her palm against his chest.

He leaned his forehead against hers and she felt his breath against her lips as she whispered, "I was first. I was your first."

He didn't say anything, his silence confirming her words as his thumb slowly caressed her cheek.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

She felt his calmness through the connection, but she felt anything but.

She had basically attacked him yesterday and he had been a virgin.

Oh God, he had been a virgin.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly and she almost laughed at the absurdity.

Was she okay? What about him? He had sex yesterday - with yours truly - and she hadn't noticed his inexperience.

He had been a pro, for God's sake!

He had tended to her needs perfectly (she felt the heat spreading in her body at the memories that quickly invaded her senses) and they had fitted together so perfectly (the heat itched up her face). She felt the heat explode, making it hard to breathe and she stumbled a step backwards. She needed to breathe. Needed space.

She didn't dare to look up at him. Didn't dare to meet his eyes. But she could feel his gaze on the top of her head and hear his gradually increasing alarm through their connection.

"You didn't tell me," she whispered, so softly that he shouldn't have been able to hear her. But he did. They were so tuned in to each other that there were no secrets.

Well, there shouldn't have been any secrets.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this here," his voice broke through the blazing stuffed air around her.

She didn't know why she reacted like this. Maybe it was because she hadn't 'deflowered' anyone before. Maybe it was because she herself had had sex before, when she for some reason felt like she should have waited - waited for him. Maybe it was because she hadn't been able to tell, because his hands had moved so expertly across the expanse of her skin and his mouth had brought her to spinning heights. Over and over again.

Oh God.

She brushed her hands down her face and tried to take a deep breath.

And in the process of rubbing her fingers against her temples, her eyes closed, another voice broke through her inner monologue of self-blame, making her snap her eyes open in terrified shock.

"Lizzie?"

Staring back at her, next to a suddenly frozen Max, was the equally still face of her friend from her adolescence and the majority of her adult life.

Her voice was whispered and strained as she whispered, "Alex?"