Part 13B
Liz woke up the next morning to a small, little body lying next to her. She turned around and smiled when she saw Arianna sleeping with her. Liz quietly lifted Arianna out of bed, making sure not to wake her, and walked into Mattie and Arianna's room. Liz almost cried at what she saw. Max had fallen asleep holding onto Mattie. Liz loved how much they looked alike. Mattie had Max's dark brown hair, amber-colored eyes, and his strong jaw. The only thing that was missing was Max's ears, not that Max complained. He was happy his son had Liz's ears. While Mattie was almost identical to Max and Liz, Arianna had light-brown hair and gray-ish colored eyes, looking almost identical to her Aunt Isabel. Liz set Arianna in her bed and went over to Mattie's bed and lightly shook Max awake. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If you wake up, you'll get a surprise." Max groaned, but got out of bed. Liz dragged him out of the room, shut the door and then pushed Max up against it.
That's what woke him up.
"What's with you?" Max asked.
"I missed you last night. But I really got to thinking about what we should do." Liz answered. Max grabbed her hand, brought her over to a chair and sat down. He waited for Liz to continue. "I think we need to go back." Liz whispered, not looking at Max.
"What?! Why would you want to go back there? They were awful people!"
"Max, I'm sorry, but they are my parents. Even if they are awful people. I should at least tell them that I'm okay."
"Liz, I don't know. What about the kids?" Max asked.
"We can leave them with your parents. You know they wouldn't mind, they love spending time with them."
"Liz-"
"Max, I need to do this. It would make me feel so much better. I..... I just need to do this, ok?"
Max thought it over, and realized that even if he didn't want to go back, Liz needed him.
"Okay, but we're not taking the kids. I don't want to risk it."
Liz smiled and kissed him, quickly deepening it. They were so into each other that they hadn't realized that someone had walked into their house.
"Ahhh....Jeez. You to don't waste one second do you?" Max's father asked. When Max and Liz had heard his voice, they broke apart as soon as they could, without looking at Phillip.
"Now, Phillip. Don't you go embarressing them." Diane turned to the young couple. "Don't listen to him, I understand the need to use every minute alone." She smiled when she saw the two of them blush. "Well, we just came over to see if they kids could spend the day with us. It's been such a long time since we last saw them."
"Actually Mom, you guys saw them yesterday." Max teased. Diane just shrugged and threw her son a smiled. "But yes, you two can have the kids. We were actually going to ask if they could stay with you for awhile. Liz and I have something important we need to deal with."
"Sure. I love those two little rascals. Can we go get them now?" Diane asked.
"Let Liz and I wake them up, first, and tell them what's going on. Then the two of you can take them."Max answered, grabbing Liz's handing and walking to the kids room.
"Don't get distracted on the way!!" Phillip called out to Max and Liz, teasing them for being together all the time. A few minutes later, Max and Liz came out, carrying Mattie and Arianna.
"They're all ready. You might have to tell them some stories to get them back to sleep, but they should be really good today." Liz told her "mom" and "dad". She looked at Mattie and Arianna. "Be good when your at Grandma and Grandpa's okay? I don't want you two misbehaving." She kissed Arianna and Mattie on the foreheads and handed them to Diane and Phillip.
AT PHILLIP AND DIANE'S HOUSE
"So, sweeties, would you guys like a story? It might help you get back to sleep." Diane asked her grandkids. Arianna nodded and replied, "We want the 'Princess Liz' story, please, Grandma."
"Oh..I don't know that one. How about you tell me, instead?"
"Momma and Daddy tell it to us all the time. It's about a young princess named Liz and she has two best friends named Alex and Maria, and her servants name is Isabel. One day Liz meets the stable boy, named Max, and the two of them fall in love and they get married. And so does Alex and Isabel and then Maria marries a man named Micheal. But Liz had to run away from her parents because they didn't approve of Max because he was the stable boy. Now do you know what I'm talking about, Grandma?" Arianna asked, after explaining the story.
Diane was just sitting there. She didn't know if they story was true or not. Then she realized that she didn't really know anything about Liz and her past. It was suddenly becoming so clear. Isabel, Alex, Maria and Micheal always came to visit Max and Liz, but Max and Liz never went to go visit them.
"Grandma? Are you okay?" Arianna asked.
"Sweetie, I want you to stay right here, ok? Grandpa and I have to go do something." She kissed Arianna on the head and ran out to Phillip.
"We have to go talk to Max and Liz, right now!" She grabbed Phillip and ran down the street to Max and Liz's house.
MAX AND LIZ'S HOUSE
Max ran to the door to answer the person who just happened to be almost banging it down. When he opened the door he saw his parents and was surprised, "Where are the kids? Are they okay?" Max asked, worried that something had happened to his kids. Diane pushed past Max and called to Liz, "Liz, honey, I need you to come out here!"
"Diane, what's wrong? Is it the kids? Are they okay?" Liz asked.
"The kids are fine. Really. We just need to talk about something important." Diane sat down in the closest chair and start, "The kids asked me to tell them a story. When I asked which one they wanted, they said, 'the Princess Liz story'." Max and Liz stiffened up when they realized where this was going. Diane continued, anyway, "I didn't know the story, so Arianna told me what it was about." She paused, checking out Max and Liz's structure. "Is it true? Are you really a princess, Liz?"
Liz woke up the next morning to a small, little body lying next to her. She turned around and smiled when she saw Arianna sleeping with her. Liz quietly lifted Arianna out of bed, making sure not to wake her, and walked into Mattie and Arianna's room. Liz almost cried at what she saw. Max had fallen asleep holding onto Mattie. Liz loved how much they looked alike. Mattie had Max's dark brown hair, amber-colored eyes, and his strong jaw. The only thing that was missing was Max's ears, not that Max complained. He was happy his son had Liz's ears. While Mattie was almost identical to Max and Liz, Arianna had light-brown hair and gray-ish colored eyes, looking almost identical to her Aunt Isabel. Liz set Arianna in her bed and went over to Mattie's bed and lightly shook Max awake. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If you wake up, you'll get a surprise." Max groaned, but got out of bed. Liz dragged him out of the room, shut the door and then pushed Max up against it.
That's what woke him up.
"What's with you?" Max asked.
"I missed you last night. But I really got to thinking about what we should do." Liz answered. Max grabbed her hand, brought her over to a chair and sat down. He waited for Liz to continue. "I think we need to go back." Liz whispered, not looking at Max.
"What?! Why would you want to go back there? They were awful people!"
"Max, I'm sorry, but they are my parents. Even if they are awful people. I should at least tell them that I'm okay."
"Liz, I don't know. What about the kids?" Max asked.
"We can leave them with your parents. You know they wouldn't mind, they love spending time with them."
"Liz-"
"Max, I need to do this. It would make me feel so much better. I..... I just need to do this, ok?"
Max thought it over, and realized that even if he didn't want to go back, Liz needed him.
"Okay, but we're not taking the kids. I don't want to risk it."
Liz smiled and kissed him, quickly deepening it. They were so into each other that they hadn't realized that someone had walked into their house.
"Ahhh....Jeez. You to don't waste one second do you?" Max's father asked. When Max and Liz had heard his voice, they broke apart as soon as they could, without looking at Phillip.
"Now, Phillip. Don't you go embarressing them." Diane turned to the young couple. "Don't listen to him, I understand the need to use every minute alone." She smiled when she saw the two of them blush. "Well, we just came over to see if they kids could spend the day with us. It's been such a long time since we last saw them."
"Actually Mom, you guys saw them yesterday." Max teased. Diane just shrugged and threw her son a smiled. "But yes, you two can have the kids. We were actually going to ask if they could stay with you for awhile. Liz and I have something important we need to deal with."
"Sure. I love those two little rascals. Can we go get them now?" Diane asked.
"Let Liz and I wake them up, first, and tell them what's going on. Then the two of you can take them."Max answered, grabbing Liz's handing and walking to the kids room.
"Don't get distracted on the way!!" Phillip called out to Max and Liz, teasing them for being together all the time. A few minutes later, Max and Liz came out, carrying Mattie and Arianna.
"They're all ready. You might have to tell them some stories to get them back to sleep, but they should be really good today." Liz told her "mom" and "dad". She looked at Mattie and Arianna. "Be good when your at Grandma and Grandpa's okay? I don't want you two misbehaving." She kissed Arianna and Mattie on the foreheads and handed them to Diane and Phillip.
AT PHILLIP AND DIANE'S HOUSE
"So, sweeties, would you guys like a story? It might help you get back to sleep." Diane asked her grandkids. Arianna nodded and replied, "We want the 'Princess Liz' story, please, Grandma."
"Oh..I don't know that one. How about you tell me, instead?"
"Momma and Daddy tell it to us all the time. It's about a young princess named Liz and she has two best friends named Alex and Maria, and her servants name is Isabel. One day Liz meets the stable boy, named Max, and the two of them fall in love and they get married. And so does Alex and Isabel and then Maria marries a man named Micheal. But Liz had to run away from her parents because they didn't approve of Max because he was the stable boy. Now do you know what I'm talking about, Grandma?" Arianna asked, after explaining the story.
Diane was just sitting there. She didn't know if they story was true or not. Then she realized that she didn't really know anything about Liz and her past. It was suddenly becoming so clear. Isabel, Alex, Maria and Micheal always came to visit Max and Liz, but Max and Liz never went to go visit them.
"Grandma? Are you okay?" Arianna asked.
"Sweetie, I want you to stay right here, ok? Grandpa and I have to go do something." She kissed Arianna on the head and ran out to Phillip.
"We have to go talk to Max and Liz, right now!" She grabbed Phillip and ran down the street to Max and Liz's house.
MAX AND LIZ'S HOUSE
Max ran to the door to answer the person who just happened to be almost banging it down. When he opened the door he saw his parents and was surprised, "Where are the kids? Are they okay?" Max asked, worried that something had happened to his kids. Diane pushed past Max and called to Liz, "Liz, honey, I need you to come out here!"
"Diane, what's wrong? Is it the kids? Are they okay?" Liz asked.
"The kids are fine. Really. We just need to talk about something important." Diane sat down in the closest chair and start, "The kids asked me to tell them a story. When I asked which one they wanted, they said, 'the Princess Liz story'." Max and Liz stiffened up when they realized where this was going. Diane continued, anyway, "I didn't know the story, so Arianna told me what it was about." She paused, checking out Max and Liz's structure. "Is it true? Are you really a princess, Liz?"