Part 8
"So, Max Evans. We meet at last." Dan's voice dripped with venom. Max blinked.
"Do I know you?" Max asked quietly, pretending that he had never seen Dan before, because, of course, he was not supposed to have any idea who he was.
"Don't play games with me Evans. I certainly know [I]you[/I]." Dan replied. "I'm Elizabeth Parker's fiancé, but I'm guessing you know that." He stated it in a possessive manner, as though daring Max to nay-say him, like all he wanted was one excuse to attack him.
All Max could do was frown slightly at the way Dan called Liz "Elizabeth." It sounded weird. He didn't like it at all. It seemed formal and distant, sounded like this guy had absolutely no idea who [I]Liz[/I] Parker was. She was not [I]Elizabeth[/I] at all, who sounded cold and professional and grown-up.
But maybe she isn't your [I]Liz[/I] anymore, a small voice in the back of his head reminded him. Maybe she really is this man's [I]Elizabeth[/I].
Max forced himself to extend his hand. "It's nice to meet you. You're a lucky man." The words almost made Max want to puke, but he was [I]not[/I] going to mess things up for Liz with this person, even though he already absolutely despised him, couldn't even begin to see what Liz saw in him.
Dan ignored Max's hand, snarled. "I know I am. And I also know why [I]you're[/I] here. You've realized that you've lost her and you're going to try and take her back."
Max stared at him. "Er, actually, I'm here to visit my sister." He replied calmly.
"Bull." Dan snapped. "I know all about you Max Evans. You haven't been anywhere [I]near[/I] your sister in almost ten years. This is about Elizabeth, plain and simple."
Max raised an eyebrow. "I don' t think you know a single thing about me actually." He paused, couldn't resist adding. "And if you're so sure that you and Liz belong together, then why do you even care that I'm back? I haven't made one single effort to see her, have I?"
"You're here, aren't you?" Dan replied, his fists clenched at his sides, the fabric of his well-made coat rippling as he tensed. "She's staying here."
Max turned his head, stared at the house. He hadn't known that, silently cursed Maria for not telling him so. Was Liz in there too? Was he going to have to face both she and Isabel at the same time? He didn't know if he could do it.
But, on the other hand, he was beginning to realize, more with every passing second, that he wanted to be the one to tell Liz he was back. There was no question that her fiancé was going to tell her anyway and he decided that he did want to see the very [I]first[/I] emotion that crossed her expressive face when she saw him.
Because, he knew, that very first flash would give him some sort of idea about how she [I]really[/I] felt about his return. Liz could not hide that from him. Not if he saw it for himself.
"Well, why don't we go in then?" Max gestured toward the house casually. "You can see for yourself that I just got here."
His tone seemed to infuriate the biologist even further but Dan finally accepted this and moved ahead of Max, down the path towards the house, as though he wanted to be the first to see Liz, just to demonstrate his prior claim on her. Max rolled his eyes, but followed.
He was actually beginning to relax. It seemed that fate wasn't against him after all. This might not be as bad as he had previously envisioned, because with Dan around, Isabel and Liz were at least going to have to be civil. He was positive Dan had no idea about the alien stuff and because of it, they would not be able to really go off on him.
He knew that Dan did not know because he knew Liz and he knew that she never would have betrayed him that way - even after all he had done to her.
Max lurked behind Dan as he rang the bell. The porch light came on and the door opened a minute later. Isabel's husband, Jesse, who Max had only actually ever met that one time in Utah, when he had helped Max and Liz get off for armed robbery - Max wondered briefly if Dan knew about [I]that[/I] - stood there, a towel over his shoulder, a little girl in his arms.
"Hey Dan! What's up? Are you looking for Liz, 'cause she isn't here right now. Isabel told me she's taking some kid home from school." He glanced past Dan, froze. Max watched Jesse's eyes widen as he actually realized who he was.
"Hi." Max said. He didn't know what else to say. It sounded ridiculous, but what else did one say after disappearing for eight years? Hell, Max didn't even know if Jesse [I]knew[/I] the truth about his wife yet. He should have asked Michael about that one.
"Max Evans." Jesse glanced over his shoulder, shifted his daughter from one arm to the other. "Good Lord." Then he looked at Dan in confusion. "What the hell are you two doing together?"
Max almost smirked despite himself. The complete absurdity of this situation was increasing by the minute. "We just met." Max replied. "On the lawn."
"Oh." Jesse replied, frowning. "Okay. Anyway..." He glanced over his shoulder again, turned back to Dan uncomfortably. "Er - maybe you can come back later Dan. I'll tell Liz you stopped by." He grimaced at Max. "I think my wife and her brother are going to want some privacy to catch up."
"I'm not going anywhere." Dan said seriously.
Jesse stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay then. Er - why don't [I]you[/I] come in. Max..." Jesse glanced at him sternly. "You stay [I]right[/I] there. I'm going to get Isabel."
Max nodded. He felt his heart beginning to beat more quickly. He was only moments away from seeing his sister for the first time in over eight years - the sister he was unsure would be able to find it in her heart to forgive him.
Dan glared at him once more before following Jesse into the house. Max forced himself to sit on the stairs of the porch.
He sat there for over ten minutes before he stood up and started pacing. He glanced at his watch, then at the door, wondering what the hell was going on in there.
Five more minutes passed and still no Isabel.
And then he knew. She didn't want to see him.
It was confirmed when moments later the door opened and Jesse came out, a regretful expression on his face. "I'm sorry Max. She...she's..."
Max shoved his hands in his pockets, tried not to let the hurt wash over him. He didn't blame her really, knew that it was nothing less than he deserved.
He had abandoned his own sister - the sister he promised he would never leave behind. He had always thought that she would forgive him because the last thing she had ever wanted to do anyway was leave Earth, but he understood why she couldn't.
He had left [I]her[/I] when he had left Earth. Without even saying good-bye. He had told her that he would talk to her when he got back to Roswell and Isabel had had to live with the fact that that had never happened.
She had moved on. She didn't need a brother anymore.
"It's okay." Max tried not to choke on the words. He could see the sympathy on Jesse's face, knew instantly that Isabel's husband [I]did[/I] know the truth, that he knew where Max had been all these years. "Can you tell her that I found him and that I'm at Michael's if she changes her mind?" He paused. "Maria has the address." He turned. "Thanks."
"Max." Jesse called after him. "She [I]will[/I] change her mind. She just needs time."
"I know. Thanks." Max repeated.
He was sitting in his Cherokee moments later, hands on the wheel, staring out the front windshield.
That had gone [I]far[/I] worse than he ever could have possibly imagined. He had not thought that it could hurt so much, to be rejected by his sister, but it did.
He understood Isabel's feelings, but that did not mean that it did not hurt.
But, suddenly, he knew, with absolute certainty, that it was only going to get worse. He needed to see her [I]now.[/I] He could not just accept this. Ben deserved to have an aunt, his parents deserved to have their family whole again. Estrangement between he and Isabel was unacceptable.
Max climbed out of the car again, walked up the front path, onto the porch and into the house before he could change his mind. He noticed Dan and Jesse sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV as he moved past. He yelled out her name before they could stop him. "ISABEL!"
Jesse was on his feet, was in the hallway, his arms up as though to push Max back out the door. "Max, she's not ready! You have to give her time."
"No. Isabel! I'm not leaving until you see me." Max called out again.
"You can't play out that king card here Max." Jesse hissed. Max stared at him.
"I'm not." He replied. "I'm no king. I'm playing the annoying little brother card." He noticed Dan standing in the archway that led to the living room, an expression of disdain on his face. Max felt an almost irresistible urge to punch him, but managed to ignore it.
Really, what [I]did[/I] Liz see in this guy?
"He was always really good at it." Max whipped his head around. Isabel was standing on the stairs, staring at him. She had her daughter on her hip, as though as a shield. "You're okay?" She asked it grudgingly, but he could see a smile beginning to break out over her face despite herself.
"Yes." Max told her. "I missed you Iz."
"I'm still really pissed off at you." Her voice broke as she said it.
"I know."
"You always did have impeccable timing though Max." Isabel continued to smile through the tears that were streaming down her face, shaking her head ruefully.
"Why?" He asked, confused.
"Because I convinced her yesterday to try to forgive you." Max's heart stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. He watched Isabel's gaze sweep past him, settle on the person who had clearly just come through the front door.
He had never once forgotten what her voice sounded like. He had heard that all memories faded in time, but his of her had not even dimmed. The voice was as familiar to him as his own.
Liz.
"And I think she has."
Max turned his head.
She looked smaller than he remembered. Her dark hair was hanging loose around her face, shorter now than it had been when he left. Her face was slightly more mature, but all in all she had not changed a bit.
She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"But that's because she doesn't know what you've done." Liz continued.
It was only then that he noticed - [I]really noticed[/I] - the expression on her face.
Fury. Absolute, unadulterated fury.
And he couldn't help it. He smiled.
Because fury was an emotion. And [I]any[/I] emotion meant that Liz Parker was not ambivalent to him.
Which meant one thing to Max and one thing alone. He still had a chance to win her back.
"So, Max Evans. We meet at last." Dan's voice dripped with venom. Max blinked.
"Do I know you?" Max asked quietly, pretending that he had never seen Dan before, because, of course, he was not supposed to have any idea who he was.
"Don't play games with me Evans. I certainly know [I]you[/I]." Dan replied. "I'm Elizabeth Parker's fiancé, but I'm guessing you know that." He stated it in a possessive manner, as though daring Max to nay-say him, like all he wanted was one excuse to attack him.
All Max could do was frown slightly at the way Dan called Liz "Elizabeth." It sounded weird. He didn't like it at all. It seemed formal and distant, sounded like this guy had absolutely no idea who [I]Liz[/I] Parker was. She was not [I]Elizabeth[/I] at all, who sounded cold and professional and grown-up.
But maybe she isn't your [I]Liz[/I] anymore, a small voice in the back of his head reminded him. Maybe she really is this man's [I]Elizabeth[/I].
Max forced himself to extend his hand. "It's nice to meet you. You're a lucky man." The words almost made Max want to puke, but he was [I]not[/I] going to mess things up for Liz with this person, even though he already absolutely despised him, couldn't even begin to see what Liz saw in him.
Dan ignored Max's hand, snarled. "I know I am. And I also know why [I]you're[/I] here. You've realized that you've lost her and you're going to try and take her back."
Max stared at him. "Er, actually, I'm here to visit my sister." He replied calmly.
"Bull." Dan snapped. "I know all about you Max Evans. You haven't been anywhere [I]near[/I] your sister in almost ten years. This is about Elizabeth, plain and simple."
Max raised an eyebrow. "I don' t think you know a single thing about me actually." He paused, couldn't resist adding. "And if you're so sure that you and Liz belong together, then why do you even care that I'm back? I haven't made one single effort to see her, have I?"
"You're here, aren't you?" Dan replied, his fists clenched at his sides, the fabric of his well-made coat rippling as he tensed. "She's staying here."
Max turned his head, stared at the house. He hadn't known that, silently cursed Maria for not telling him so. Was Liz in there too? Was he going to have to face both she and Isabel at the same time? He didn't know if he could do it.
But, on the other hand, he was beginning to realize, more with every passing second, that he wanted to be the one to tell Liz he was back. There was no question that her fiancé was going to tell her anyway and he decided that he did want to see the very [I]first[/I] emotion that crossed her expressive face when she saw him.
Because, he knew, that very first flash would give him some sort of idea about how she [I]really[/I] felt about his return. Liz could not hide that from him. Not if he saw it for himself.
"Well, why don't we go in then?" Max gestured toward the house casually. "You can see for yourself that I just got here."
His tone seemed to infuriate the biologist even further but Dan finally accepted this and moved ahead of Max, down the path towards the house, as though he wanted to be the first to see Liz, just to demonstrate his prior claim on her. Max rolled his eyes, but followed.
He was actually beginning to relax. It seemed that fate wasn't against him after all. This might not be as bad as he had previously envisioned, because with Dan around, Isabel and Liz were at least going to have to be civil. He was positive Dan had no idea about the alien stuff and because of it, they would not be able to really go off on him.
He knew that Dan did not know because he knew Liz and he knew that she never would have betrayed him that way - even after all he had done to her.
Max lurked behind Dan as he rang the bell. The porch light came on and the door opened a minute later. Isabel's husband, Jesse, who Max had only actually ever met that one time in Utah, when he had helped Max and Liz get off for armed robbery - Max wondered briefly if Dan knew about [I]that[/I] - stood there, a towel over his shoulder, a little girl in his arms.
"Hey Dan! What's up? Are you looking for Liz, 'cause she isn't here right now. Isabel told me she's taking some kid home from school." He glanced past Dan, froze. Max watched Jesse's eyes widen as he actually realized who he was.
"Hi." Max said. He didn't know what else to say. It sounded ridiculous, but what else did one say after disappearing for eight years? Hell, Max didn't even know if Jesse [I]knew[/I] the truth about his wife yet. He should have asked Michael about that one.
"Max Evans." Jesse glanced over his shoulder, shifted his daughter from one arm to the other. "Good Lord." Then he looked at Dan in confusion. "What the hell are you two doing together?"
Max almost smirked despite himself. The complete absurdity of this situation was increasing by the minute. "We just met." Max replied. "On the lawn."
"Oh." Jesse replied, frowning. "Okay. Anyway..." He glanced over his shoulder again, turned back to Dan uncomfortably. "Er - maybe you can come back later Dan. I'll tell Liz you stopped by." He grimaced at Max. "I think my wife and her brother are going to want some privacy to catch up."
"I'm not going anywhere." Dan said seriously.
Jesse stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay then. Er - why don't [I]you[/I] come in. Max..." Jesse glanced at him sternly. "You stay [I]right[/I] there. I'm going to get Isabel."
Max nodded. He felt his heart beginning to beat more quickly. He was only moments away from seeing his sister for the first time in over eight years - the sister he was unsure would be able to find it in her heart to forgive him.
Dan glared at him once more before following Jesse into the house. Max forced himself to sit on the stairs of the porch.
He sat there for over ten minutes before he stood up and started pacing. He glanced at his watch, then at the door, wondering what the hell was going on in there.
Five more minutes passed and still no Isabel.
And then he knew. She didn't want to see him.
It was confirmed when moments later the door opened and Jesse came out, a regretful expression on his face. "I'm sorry Max. She...she's..."
Max shoved his hands in his pockets, tried not to let the hurt wash over him. He didn't blame her really, knew that it was nothing less than he deserved.
He had abandoned his own sister - the sister he promised he would never leave behind. He had always thought that she would forgive him because the last thing she had ever wanted to do anyway was leave Earth, but he understood why she couldn't.
He had left [I]her[/I] when he had left Earth. Without even saying good-bye. He had told her that he would talk to her when he got back to Roswell and Isabel had had to live with the fact that that had never happened.
She had moved on. She didn't need a brother anymore.
"It's okay." Max tried not to choke on the words. He could see the sympathy on Jesse's face, knew instantly that Isabel's husband [I]did[/I] know the truth, that he knew where Max had been all these years. "Can you tell her that I found him and that I'm at Michael's if she changes her mind?" He paused. "Maria has the address." He turned. "Thanks."
"Max." Jesse called after him. "She [I]will[/I] change her mind. She just needs time."
"I know. Thanks." Max repeated.
He was sitting in his Cherokee moments later, hands on the wheel, staring out the front windshield.
That had gone [I]far[/I] worse than he ever could have possibly imagined. He had not thought that it could hurt so much, to be rejected by his sister, but it did.
He understood Isabel's feelings, but that did not mean that it did not hurt.
But, suddenly, he knew, with absolute certainty, that it was only going to get worse. He needed to see her [I]now.[/I] He could not just accept this. Ben deserved to have an aunt, his parents deserved to have their family whole again. Estrangement between he and Isabel was unacceptable.
Max climbed out of the car again, walked up the front path, onto the porch and into the house before he could change his mind. He noticed Dan and Jesse sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV as he moved past. He yelled out her name before they could stop him. "ISABEL!"
Jesse was on his feet, was in the hallway, his arms up as though to push Max back out the door. "Max, she's not ready! You have to give her time."
"No. Isabel! I'm not leaving until you see me." Max called out again.
"You can't play out that king card here Max." Jesse hissed. Max stared at him.
"I'm not." He replied. "I'm no king. I'm playing the annoying little brother card." He noticed Dan standing in the archway that led to the living room, an expression of disdain on his face. Max felt an almost irresistible urge to punch him, but managed to ignore it.
Really, what [I]did[/I] Liz see in this guy?
"He was always really good at it." Max whipped his head around. Isabel was standing on the stairs, staring at him. She had her daughter on her hip, as though as a shield. "You're okay?" She asked it grudgingly, but he could see a smile beginning to break out over her face despite herself.
"Yes." Max told her. "I missed you Iz."
"I'm still really pissed off at you." Her voice broke as she said it.
"I know."
"You always did have impeccable timing though Max." Isabel continued to smile through the tears that were streaming down her face, shaking her head ruefully.
"Why?" He asked, confused.
"Because I convinced her yesterday to try to forgive you." Max's heart stopped at the sound of the familiar voice. He watched Isabel's gaze sweep past him, settle on the person who had clearly just come through the front door.
He had never once forgotten what her voice sounded like. He had heard that all memories faded in time, but his of her had not even dimmed. The voice was as familiar to him as his own.
Liz.
"And I think she has."
Max turned his head.
She looked smaller than he remembered. Her dark hair was hanging loose around her face, shorter now than it had been when he left. Her face was slightly more mature, but all in all she had not changed a bit.
She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"But that's because she doesn't know what you've done." Liz continued.
It was only then that he noticed - [I]really noticed[/I] - the expression on her face.
Fury. Absolute, unadulterated fury.
And he couldn't help it. He smiled.
Because fury was an emotion. And [I]any[/I] emotion meant that Liz Parker was not ambivalent to him.
Which meant one thing to Max and one thing alone. He still had a chance to win her back.