~*~*~
Almost a decade later
~*~*~
When Max began drumming his fingers after Tess left in the Granulith, Liz freaked out. She called Kyle and Maria, meeting over at Maria's, and told them. Kyle stared at her, while Maria immediately jumped up.
"We have to tell him. We have to tell him now, or he'll think we're just conspiring against him again." Maria paced nervously, after her mother's mind warp and Kyle's, she was getting tired of Tess's powers.
"He wouldn't believe us!" Liz was tired of fighting with Max, she just wanted to be together with him again. Maybe it was nothing.
"No. Maria's right, we have to tell him. It could be something about Alex. It could be something important." Kyle looked down at his own folded hands.
Liz paced agitatedly, then slowed, collapsing on Maria's couch.
"Ok."
~*~*~
Max stared at Liz. She stared down, folding and unfolding her fingers and squirming in the booth's squeaky vinyl seat. Maria wiped down the counter for the 45th time.
"H--How do I get rid of it?" Max's eyes were wide, the only sign of his nervousness or fear. Trying to keep himself calm, he tried to think of intelligent questions to keep his mind busy. Liz wasn't fooled.
"I--We don't really know. If we tell you what we DO know, we're afraid it won't work, or that you might subconsciously suppress it. We'll all be around though, and we'll tell you if we find out more." Liz snuck a peek at Max and found his eyes. She ducked her head and bit her lip, unsure of how to make him understand. "Whatever information Tess suppressed, we don't want to lose it. It could be important to all of us. I mean--" Liz stopped when Max got out of the booth and slid into her side. Suddenly it was too close and too fast for Liz.
"Max..." She looked up at him through her lashes, and his fingers trailed along her cheek, brushing back her hair. She looked down, and she could feel his warm breath against her cheek and afraid to look up, afraid of what would happen if she moved. What about Tess?
She forgot completely about Tess when his fingers moved against her lips and down to touch her pulse. She forgot about not looking up and did, finding his eyes dark. He leaned toward her, keeping his eyes open as he brushed his lips against hers, gauging her reaction. Her eyes closed and she sighed at the first touch of their lips.
She smelled like warm jasmine, as opposed to Tess's apple scent, and he kissed her again, this time closing his own eyes. Maria snuck out, holding the bell and closing the door softly. They didn't even notice. Max threaded his fingers through her hair, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Liz shifted, and Max's other hand landed behind her on the seat to lean closer. She opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and Max's head flooded with images.
::Kissing Tess::
::Kissing Liz::
::The blood red sea::
::Meeting Tess at the Cliffs::
::Suddenly it was Liz at the Cliffs::
::Liz he first kissed while star gazing::
The images flashed from Liz to Tess to Liz to Tess to Liz until there was only a blur. Then darkness.
~*~*~
"I don't know what's wrong with him, he's healthy. I'm not good at this...Max knows more than I do. I should have learned..."
"Izzy, it's not your fault. It's difficult to learn."
Max's eyes fluttered and he groaned, the bright lights spiking through his eyelids.
"He's waking up!"
"Quick, go wake Liz!"
Max's eyes flirted with the idea of opening again, and finally did, still squinting. Liz stumbled into the room, rubbing sleep from her eyes and reaching for Max. He caught her fingers and squeezed, and she clasped his hand between hers.
He blinked rapidly as the images tripled, doubled, then focused. For a moment he stared, then blinked again.
"Alusia."
~*~*~
TBC...