1 Starting Over-4
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Few years after college. This is an AU.
Authors' note: This story is told from each of the characters' points of view. This may start out weird. But never fear, I'm a dreamer all the way (
1.1 Later that Night
1.2 Liz
Sitting here on the couch with Daniel, and Max, feels normal. I know it shouldn't. Ethan never just sits with us. He always has "other" things to do. I once asked what they were but he just shrugged it off. I've never asked again.
I looked around Max's apartment. I've been here like twice before but I've never really had a chance to look around. I looked around and spotted pictures of children, Michael, Isabel, everyone when we were in high school. Alex. Those were memories from before so I looked down. I looked directly on the stand above the television. There were two young girls about Daniel's age in the picture. The same two girls were also around the room. Were those Max's girls?
Max stood up and once again put Daniel on his bed. And came and sat down next to me. Not too close. God, he needed to sit closer. I scooted closer and pulled my legs up under me. I laid my head on Max's shoulder. He tensed then relaxed. "Max?" I asked quietly.
"Yes." He said softly.
"Will you tell me about your girls. Please." I asked on the spot what was I thinking?
Once again he tensed. What was I thinking? "Never mind, I didn't mean to ask such a personal question." I stammered an apology.
"No, no its ok. I'd love to tell you about them." He smiled then.
1.3 Max
At first when Liz suggested that I tell her about Evelyn and Elizabeth I was nervous. Then I remembered that it would be fine. It was just Liz. I smiled and started.
"We didn't know that we were having twins until they were actually born. Evelyn was our choice name if it was a girl, and Ryan for a boy. But when we had two girls we had no idea what to name the second one." I started and took a breath. My hand made its way to hers and covered it. "We were at a loss, then I said the first name that came to my head. Elizabeth." I said told her. "It was perfect. At the moment she would take any name so she said fine." I explained. "So I had my Evelyn Anne, and Elizabeth Anne." He said proudly.
"That's my name." Liz said quietly. It hadn't even dawned on me. I had known her middle name was Anne, but at that moment it did not whatsoever dawn on me.
"Really? Wow." Was all I could say. How weird was that. Except that my Elizabeth was an Evans, not a Tailner.
Where had that come from?
"Yes." She said. "What did they look like?"
"Well, my Evelyn, she had blonde, curly hair that covered her whole head. Her eyes were the deepest blue. She was loud. When she wanted something she was sure to get it. She was also the shortest of the two." I laughed how I missed them.
"She was a lot like her mother then?" Liz asked.
"Yes, in a way yes. She was very much like her mother." I said.
"Now, my Elizabeth, she was the taller, slimmer of the two. She had dark brown hair, dark, dark eyes, that seemed to go on forever. She was also the smarter of the two. They rivaled on intelligence, but when it came down to it Elizabeth was the brighter of the two. She was quiet. When she wanted something she was quiet about it. Most of the time we had to ask to make sure she had everything she needed." My voice was quieter and I hardly recognized it.
"It must be the name. Elizabeth only works for smart and quiet children." She said with a sly smile on her face.
"I think so too." I agreed with a smile. "If you saw them together from a distance you would never know they were twins. But when you knew them there was something there, I think it was the Evans' charm, that made them very much sisters." I said quietly.
Liz looked at me with mischief in her eyes. "Max, um, what Evans' charm?" She laughed.
It was so good to here her laugh. "Hey, what is it with the name Elizabeth?" She glared at me and then settled down back and rested her head on my shoulder again.
"They could already talk by the time they were a year." I started.
"Really, Daniel didn't talk until he was nearing 18 months." She said.
"That's when they're supposed to start talking. It was weird to have jabbering one-year-olds." I told her with a grin.
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7 Liz
He obviously loved his daughters very much. He's had this goofy grin on his face the whole time. God, if only Ethan felt this way about Daniel. What did he have against him?
"They were 18 months when they died." He said sadly. I gripped his hand tightly. He was going to tell me about how he lost his little pride and joys.
"It was a freak thing really." He said softly. "Remember that plane crash a few years back?" He asked. Of course that was horrific it had killed over two hundred people in it. "They were on that flight. Evelyn, Elizabeth, and Tess. They were on their way to visit Isabel in New Mexico. I was going to fly out the next day. I was supposed to leave that night as well but I had to stay here an extra night." He said he was holding my hand tightly.
He wiped away angry tears. He looked at me. Sadly, I have only seen that look one other time, when I had left after graduation. "I was supposed to be on that flight, Liz." He said in a strained voice.
"But Max, you were not on that flight, you were meant to be alive. You were meant to be here right now. You're supposed to be here having this conversation with me. Max look at me." I demanded, he was not going to feel guilty about this. "It was not your fault. Someone had to stay alive to tell of the two girls, and that someone was you." I said. He looked at me with such pain in his eyes. I was crushed.
I just hugged him; he let the tears run. He was opening up to me, how was I supposed to take this? I looked at him; I almost started crying as well. Slowly, ever so slowly, I leaned over and kissed him. It deepened. I don't know which one of us did it but it happened. I don't know how far it would have gone if we hadn't heard the small cry from within.
"Mommy." Came Daniel's voice. I scooted away from Max and rushed into the room. What had I done? I had kissed Max. I have kissed him. It has been six years since our last kiss what was I thinking. God, it was a good kiss. I can't fall for him. I have a family. But you want Max to be that family. Came a voice from inside. I wanted to agree with it. But I couldn't. I couldn't let that happen again.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Few years after college. This is an AU.
Authors' note: This story is told from each of the characters' points of view. This may start out weird. But never fear, I'm a dreamer all the way (
1.1 Later that Night
1.2 Liz
Sitting here on the couch with Daniel, and Max, feels normal. I know it shouldn't. Ethan never just sits with us. He always has "other" things to do. I once asked what they were but he just shrugged it off. I've never asked again.
I looked around Max's apartment. I've been here like twice before but I've never really had a chance to look around. I looked around and spotted pictures of children, Michael, Isabel, everyone when we were in high school. Alex. Those were memories from before so I looked down. I looked directly on the stand above the television. There were two young girls about Daniel's age in the picture. The same two girls were also around the room. Were those Max's girls?
Max stood up and once again put Daniel on his bed. And came and sat down next to me. Not too close. God, he needed to sit closer. I scooted closer and pulled my legs up under me. I laid my head on Max's shoulder. He tensed then relaxed. "Max?" I asked quietly.
"Yes." He said softly.
"Will you tell me about your girls. Please." I asked on the spot what was I thinking?
Once again he tensed. What was I thinking? "Never mind, I didn't mean to ask such a personal question." I stammered an apology.
"No, no its ok. I'd love to tell you about them." He smiled then.
1.3 Max
At first when Liz suggested that I tell her about Evelyn and Elizabeth I was nervous. Then I remembered that it would be fine. It was just Liz. I smiled and started.
"We didn't know that we were having twins until they were actually born. Evelyn was our choice name if it was a girl, and Ryan for a boy. But when we had two girls we had no idea what to name the second one." I started and took a breath. My hand made its way to hers and covered it. "We were at a loss, then I said the first name that came to my head. Elizabeth." I said told her. "It was perfect. At the moment she would take any name so she said fine." I explained. "So I had my Evelyn Anne, and Elizabeth Anne." He said proudly.
"That's my name." Liz said quietly. It hadn't even dawned on me. I had known her middle name was Anne, but at that moment it did not whatsoever dawn on me.
"Really? Wow." Was all I could say. How weird was that. Except that my Elizabeth was an Evans, not a Tailner.
Where had that come from?
"Yes." She said. "What did they look like?"
"Well, my Evelyn, she had blonde, curly hair that covered her whole head. Her eyes were the deepest blue. She was loud. When she wanted something she was sure to get it. She was also the shortest of the two." I laughed how I missed them.
"She was a lot like her mother then?" Liz asked.
"Yes, in a way yes. She was very much like her mother." I said.
"Now, my Elizabeth, she was the taller, slimmer of the two. She had dark brown hair, dark, dark eyes, that seemed to go on forever. She was also the smarter of the two. They rivaled on intelligence, but when it came down to it Elizabeth was the brighter of the two. She was quiet. When she wanted something she was quiet about it. Most of the time we had to ask to make sure she had everything she needed." My voice was quieter and I hardly recognized it.
"It must be the name. Elizabeth only works for smart and quiet children." She said with a sly smile on her face.
"I think so too." I agreed with a smile. "If you saw them together from a distance you would never know they were twins. But when you knew them there was something there, I think it was the Evans' charm, that made them very much sisters." I said quietly.
Liz looked at me with mischief in her eyes. "Max, um, what Evans' charm?" She laughed.
It was so good to here her laugh. "Hey, what is it with the name Elizabeth?" She glared at me and then settled down back and rested her head on my shoulder again.
"They could already talk by the time they were a year." I started.
"Really, Daniel didn't talk until he was nearing 18 months." She said.
"That's when they're supposed to start talking. It was weird to have jabbering one-year-olds." I told her with a grin.
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7 Liz
He obviously loved his daughters very much. He's had this goofy grin on his face the whole time. God, if only Ethan felt this way about Daniel. What did he have against him?
"They were 18 months when they died." He said sadly. I gripped his hand tightly. He was going to tell me about how he lost his little pride and joys.
"It was a freak thing really." He said softly. "Remember that plane crash a few years back?" He asked. Of course that was horrific it had killed over two hundred people in it. "They were on that flight. Evelyn, Elizabeth, and Tess. They were on their way to visit Isabel in New Mexico. I was going to fly out the next day. I was supposed to leave that night as well but I had to stay here an extra night." He said he was holding my hand tightly.
He wiped away angry tears. He looked at me. Sadly, I have only seen that look one other time, when I had left after graduation. "I was supposed to be on that flight, Liz." He said in a strained voice.
"But Max, you were not on that flight, you were meant to be alive. You were meant to be here right now. You're supposed to be here having this conversation with me. Max look at me." I demanded, he was not going to feel guilty about this. "It was not your fault. Someone had to stay alive to tell of the two girls, and that someone was you." I said. He looked at me with such pain in his eyes. I was crushed.
I just hugged him; he let the tears run. He was opening up to me, how was I supposed to take this? I looked at him; I almost started crying as well. Slowly, ever so slowly, I leaned over and kissed him. It deepened. I don't know which one of us did it but it happened. I don't know how far it would have gone if we hadn't heard the small cry from within.
"Mommy." Came Daniel's voice. I scooted away from Max and rushed into the room. What had I done? I had kissed Max. I have kissed him. It has been six years since our last kiss what was I thinking. God, it was a good kiss. I can't fall for him. I have a family. But you want Max to be that family. Came a voice from inside. I wanted to agree with it. But I couldn't. I couldn't let that happen again.