Part 9
Liz really could not believe that he had the gall to smile at her.
The Max Evans that she had known had rarely smiled. When he had, it had usually been a half-smile, shy, uncomfortable, like he was unsure that he was [I]really[/I] allowed to be happy.
This smile was flat out joyous.
It made her want to do one of two things.
The first was that she wanted to hit him - hard. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face - the face that had not changed one damn bit.
Except he [I]had[/I] changed she saw as she looked closer. He had lines on his face that had not been there before. There was also a new maturity in his hazel eyes, eyes that were exactly the haunted ones she had seen in her dream the night before.
She flashed momentarily to the first time she had laid eyes on Future Max - a Max [I]this[/I] Max would never be - her husband, her partner in bringing on the end of the world.
"Do you really see gray?" He had asked her, sounding non-plussed and a little put out. [I]This[/I] Max's hair was still as dark as ever, but there was no question that [I]this[/I] Max had more in common with Future Max than he did with the Max he had been when he had left her eight years before.
Max Evans had left Earth a boy on a desperate mission. He had returned a man - a man who looked like he had been to hell and back, but he had survived it and had come out the other side stronger and more sure of exactly who he was.
And the smile on his face was telling her that the man wanted [I]her[/I] as much as the boy had. Her anger seemed to be pleasing him rather than scaring him. It was disconcerting.
And it was also why the second thing she wanted to do was rush at him, wrap her arms around him and kiss him until she really believed he was back.
Damn him.
"What did he do?" Liz realized that Isabel was speaking. When Liz glanced at her, still standing on the stairs, clutching Lexi to her chest, she saw that Max's sister was looking for [I]any[/I] excuse to stay mad at Max. Because Isabel wanted to stay angry with her brother. If she was mad at him, he couldn't hurt her again.
But Liz could see that forgiveness was winning out over rage. The breakdown in Lexi's nursery the night before had been the first step towards achieving it. Actually laying eyes on Max, alive and well, had been the second. But she was hoping Liz would give her a reason to resist taking the third.
And Liz [I]had[/I] to tell her. Isabel needed to know the truth.
"He's been back for close to a month. And he didn't call anyone except Michael. AND he made Michael promise that he wouldn't tell us." Liz replied, turning back to stare at Max as she said it. She saw him flinch.
So he did feel guilty. Good.
"I'm sure that he had a good reason." Liz saw Max turn to stare at Jesse in surprise. Isabel's husband was gazing at Isabel with concern. Liz could tell that he wanted Isabel to forgive Max. Because Jesse would know how much Isabel had missed him - how much losing him had devastated Isabel. How much having her brother back would add the missing piece to Isabel's complete happiness.
"Max?" Isabel looked at her brother, clearly trying to mask the hope on her face.
"I..." Max was staring at Liz again, the smile on his face having disappeared. "I knew about Dan and I didn't want to interrupt anything." He said it quietly, glancing to his right as he said it.
It was only then that Liz became aware of the fact that her fiancé was standing in the doorway leading to the living room. She felt her face fall in horror. She frantically searched her mind, wondering whether she had truly given him any reason to think that she was anything more than ambivalent about Max's return.
She didn't think she had done anything [I]too[/I] incriminating. Other than display completely irrational rage that her [I]ex[/I]-boyfriend hadn't come to see her.
Not at all incriminating there Liz, she rolled her eyes mentally. She was dead.
"Honey!" She exclaimed, going over to hug him. "I didn't even see you there! What are you doing here?"
She didn't glance out of the corner of her eye to see how Max reacted to this. Really, she didn't. It wasn't her fault that she saw a scowl flash across his face momentarily. Really.
"I came to see you." Dan replied, his tone unreadable. "And was shocked to find Isabel's brother instead."
"Dan, I swear I didn't know he was here." Liz told him quietly, as she pushed him back into the living room so that they could have a little privacy. This was disastrous! She had admitted to herself that maybe she wasn't quite as over Max Evans as she had thought she was, but she certainly did not want to give up Dan for him. She had never expected that Max would actually show up while she was exorcising him.
Isabel had been right in her earlier assessment. With Max, timing had always been everything. It was almost as if he had [I]known[/I] that his hold on Liz's soul was finally going to be broken and [I]that[/I] was when he decided to come waltzing back into her life.
She could hear Max and Isabel and Jesse talking quietly in the hallway as she gazed up at her fiancé anxiously. She had absolutely no idea what Dan was thinking. Isabel had been right about one thing the night before when she had spoken about Dan. He was an awful lot like Max in the sense that he could so easily mask his real feelings.
Of course, Max had [I]never[/I] been able to mask his feelings around [I]her[/I]. At least not after he had healed her, after they had first connected. She had almost always known what he was thinking after that.
Liz shook her head, trying to forget that.
"I know it." Dan finally replied, pulling her against him. "I have to admit though Elizabeth, when I first saw him, I thought that you [I]were[/I] lying to me - that you had let him worm his way back into your life."
Liz pulled back. "Dan, I would never lie to you! Have I ever?"
Except for not telling him about the fact that she hated her job, that the [I]real[/I] reason she was working with Isabel was because she didn't want to follow the dream they shared anymore. Liz told the small voice in the back of her head that reminded her of this fact to shut up.
And just because she didn't want to work at Harvard anymore, it didn't mean she didn't want to marry Dan. She [I]loved[/I] Dan.
Which was why every fibre of her being was yearning to return to the front hallway, to talk to Max, to make sure that he was really okay, whole, safe.
Yes, she wanted to yell at him. But she also wanted to just stare at him, preferably for hours, convince herself that he was really back.
But she did [I]not[/I] want to touch him. Really she didn't.
Dan pulled her against him again. "No. You haven't. And I'm sorry I ever doubted you Elizabeth." But Liz could feel that he was still tense. She didn't blame him. She knew that [I]she[/I] as likely as stiff as a board in his embrace.
Because they both knew what she was going to ask of him. And it was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done.
Dan knew better than anyone exactly what Max Evans had meant to her once upon a time. Because [I]Elizabeth[/I] had never lied to him - about anything.
The fact that [I]Liz[/I] had lied to him from the moment they had returned to New Mexico...well, he would never know that. [I]Liz[/I] was not going to win. She was Dan's Elizabeth now and she only needed to prove it.
"Dan, I need you to go home now honey." Liz whispered against his chest.
There was a long pause. "I know." He said quietly.
There was nothing else to say. Because they both knew that unless the ghost of Max Evans - who suddenly was no longer so ghostly - wasn't dealt with, then their marriage was going to be a sham anyway.
Let the exorcism begin, Liz reflected grimly as she kissed her fiancé good-bye.
***********************************************************
"Are you going to tell me [I]why[/I] you didn't tell me you were back?" Isabel demanded. They had moved into the kitchen when Liz had taken her fiancé into the living room, in order to give them a little privacy.
Max had been relieved. He didn't think he could watch them together anymore. To see Liz melt against [I]him[/I] like that...He had felt a spasm of actual physical illness.
Besides, he couldn't think about Liz right now, could not reflect on the way she had reacted to him before she had become aware of Dan's presence. He owed his sister his full attention.
And he owed her a full on apology too.
"I told you why Iz." Max replied wearily, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table.
Jesse sat at the other end, Alexandra asleep against his shoulder, clearly there not to interfere in their conversation, but to support Isabel. It pleased Max. He was beginning to like Jesse more and more. It was ever more evident that Isabel was the most important thing in the world to her husband. His sister deserved that, had always craved it.
She had found security and happiness with Jesse Ramirez. Yes, she had missed her brother, but life had gone on for Isabel. The evidence of that presently slept soundly in her father's arms.
Max really looked at the baby for the first time since he had arrived. His niece. Isabel's daughter, named for their lost friend. Ben was absolutely going to love her. "She's beautiful." He told his sister, not meaning to change the subject, but wanting to tell her that before she threw him out, which was still an entirely too likely scenario.
Isabel's expression softened momentarily. "Liz told me yesterday that she thought she looked like you." His sister told him quietly.
Max felt his heart skip a beat at that, but he grimaced, joked. "Poor kid. I don't see it. As I said, she's gorgeous." But Max [I]could[/I] see the resemblance, saw traces of himself in Alexandra's little face. He wondered what it meant for the human genetic connection he and Isabel shared. They had learned all about Michael's gene donor, but had never found out anything about where he and Isabel had come from.
All that seemed so long ago now Max reflected, finding out about Laurie Dupree's grandfather. It was long before Ben was even born. And it was really beside the point anyway, the point being that he [I]was[/I] half-human, that he had chosen to live out that part of his heritage by returning to Earth. He didn't need to know where he had come from, but it was nice to know that he and Isabel were clearly linked through [I]both[/I] their human DNA and their alien essences.
"Max, really..." Isabel said urgently. "I need to know. How could you call Michael? Why didn't you call me?"
Max swallowed, saw the hurt on his sister's face. He could see that this was the crux of the issue. He and Isabel had always been the closest. She had been devastated that he had left her behind, when he had always promised that he would never do such a thing. And then, when he [I]had[/I] come back, he hadn't even come to her for help.
"I don't know Izzy. Really. You have to understand - it was a close thing when we got here. Not a crash exactly, but things were rough for the first couple of weeks. It took me that long to track down Michael." He paused. "I didn't want you involved in that."
"Is it safe for you to be here?" Isabel demanded, glancing in concern at Jesse and her daughter. Max felt his heart go out to his sister. He understood the fear she felt. He had felt it every day for eight and a half years - ever since he had first known of Ben's existence.
"Khivar is dead." Max said simply.
Isabel closed her eyes briefly. She sank into a chair beside Jesse, took her husband's hand in her own and squeezed.
"He came to me once. Right before we got married." She whispered. "I knew it when he died too. It was recently, wasn't it?"
Max stared at her, then at Jesse. Isabel's husband looked tense, but not at all confused, or even upset. He obviously knew all about Khivar and Isabel's relationship to him.
He felt a pang of jealousy. The way Isabel and Jesse [I]were[/I] together - they were clearly a unit. Isabel's husband knew everything about her, she knew everything about him... He could see it in the way they sat linked by their hands, linked through their daughter.
It was what he had always wanted with Liz. It was what he had had for such a very short time before Tess had entered their lives and had destroyed everything.
He was never going to have it now.
"He's gone." Max told them firmly. "I killed him myself."
Isabel's eyes flew to Max's face. "And...what about your son?" She asked, taking Alexandra away from Jesse urgently. The child squawked in protest, stuck her thumb in her mouth but settled against her mother's shoulder and went back to sleep.
"I have him." Max said, a small smile crossing his face. "And you've met him. Ben." He added simply.
Isabel's eyes widened. "Oh my God!" Her expression melted into one of annoyance. "Trust Michael." She muttered.
"I swear I didn't know you were going to be his teacher Iz. I wouldn't have done that to you without warning you." Max insisted. "That was all Michael's ludicrous idea."
She did not reply. "You still haven't answered my question though Max." Isabel finally said. "Dan was the reason you didn't tell [I]Liz[/I] you were back. I'm your sister. It doesn't explain why you didn't see me until tonight."
Max knew that how he answered this question was going to determine how his relationship with Isabel played out from this moment on. "I was scared." He admitted quietly.
Isabel did not say anything for another long moment, and then, "Why?"
"Because I broke my promise to you." Max replied. "I promised you I'd never leave without you... and I did."
"Yes, you did."
"I know that you might never be able to forgive me for it - for not even saying goodbye. But you have to know that there was only ever one person who could make me do that to you - and it was my son. And I got him back." Max stood up. "I understand if you can't get past it Izzy, but I want you to know that I am sorry." He paused, thrust his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "And know that I thought about you every single day while I was gone. You and Michael and Mom and Dad..."
He didn't add Liz. He knew that Isabel would already know that. Isabel had always understood about Liz, even if she had never approved precisely.
She had not approved, but she had understood. Because she had known that, to Max, Liz had represented being normal, had represented feeling human. And Isabel had [I]always[/I] only ever wanted to be human.
And she had made that life for herself now. He, Max, might not fit in anymore - her alien king brother, who represented a past she wanted to forget.
"I'll be waiting for you to call me Isabel." Max told her over his shoulder. "It's your choice. I won't bug you, I swear. And I'm sorry I burst in here like this." He glanced at Jesse. "It was selfish of me - I guess I did sort of play the king card." He added wryly.
He left. There was nothing else to do.
His sister did not stop him.
Max sighed heavily as he crossed the lawn. He had considered going through the front door, just to see Liz once more, but when she had not come into the kitchen, he had assumed she had left with her fiancé. He could see now that Dan's car was gone.
He wasn't surprised. There was really no need for her to talk to him. She was angry, yes, but, in the grand scheme of her life, he didn't really matter. Dan was her future. He was the one she would make sure everything was okay with. He was the one she would want to be with.
And yet it still hurt like hell that she had not stayed, at least to yell at him if that had been her desire.
He had been wrong that her anger was a demonstration that she still cared about him. That was nothing new though. Max had been wrong about many, many things in his life.
He had been wrong to expect Liz Parker to wait for him - both tonight and for the eight long years he had been gone, possibly dead for all she knew.
He had been wrong to desert her in the first place. Oh, how wrong he had been! He would regret it for the rest of his life.
"Max."
He was almost at his car when he heard her voice. It stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned slowly, not quite ready to believe his ears.
But she was there, sitting on the front porch, eyeing him warily.
"Liz." He breathed her name, tried to control the emotion that he [I]knew[/I] she would be able to hear in his voice.
She closed her eyes for a moment, seemed to shudder slightly. He bit his lip, waited for her to speak.
"Dan's gone." She finally said, opening her eyes again and staring at him. Her expression was no longer blank. Now it was hard, like she was getting ready to do something unpleasant, something she was not looking forward to, but that she wanted over.
Max felt his heart sink. "Okay." It was all he could say. He didn't know what she wanted from him.
"I need to talk to you."
"Okay." It sounded ridiculous the second time, but he [I]felt[/I] ridiculous, like he had no right to be standing here talking to her.
She stood up, smoothed down her skirt. She carefully avoided touching him as she walked past him, towards his Jeep. "Let's go somewhere else. I think Isabel needs to be alone for a while."
Max simply followed her. They were in the car before he spoke. "Do have somewhere in mind?" He asked tentatively.
"Yes." Liz replied. "The desert."
Liz really could not believe that he had the gall to smile at her.
The Max Evans that she had known had rarely smiled. When he had, it had usually been a half-smile, shy, uncomfortable, like he was unsure that he was [I]really[/I] allowed to be happy.
This smile was flat out joyous.
It made her want to do one of two things.
The first was that she wanted to hit him - hard. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face - the face that had not changed one damn bit.
Except he [I]had[/I] changed she saw as she looked closer. He had lines on his face that had not been there before. There was also a new maturity in his hazel eyes, eyes that were exactly the haunted ones she had seen in her dream the night before.
She flashed momentarily to the first time she had laid eyes on Future Max - a Max [I]this[/I] Max would never be - her husband, her partner in bringing on the end of the world.
"Do you really see gray?" He had asked her, sounding non-plussed and a little put out. [I]This[/I] Max's hair was still as dark as ever, but there was no question that [I]this[/I] Max had more in common with Future Max than he did with the Max he had been when he had left her eight years before.
Max Evans had left Earth a boy on a desperate mission. He had returned a man - a man who looked like he had been to hell and back, but he had survived it and had come out the other side stronger and more sure of exactly who he was.
And the smile on his face was telling her that the man wanted [I]her[/I] as much as the boy had. Her anger seemed to be pleasing him rather than scaring him. It was disconcerting.
And it was also why the second thing she wanted to do was rush at him, wrap her arms around him and kiss him until she really believed he was back.
Damn him.
"What did he do?" Liz realized that Isabel was speaking. When Liz glanced at her, still standing on the stairs, clutching Lexi to her chest, she saw that Max's sister was looking for [I]any[/I] excuse to stay mad at Max. Because Isabel wanted to stay angry with her brother. If she was mad at him, he couldn't hurt her again.
But Liz could see that forgiveness was winning out over rage. The breakdown in Lexi's nursery the night before had been the first step towards achieving it. Actually laying eyes on Max, alive and well, had been the second. But she was hoping Liz would give her a reason to resist taking the third.
And Liz [I]had[/I] to tell her. Isabel needed to know the truth.
"He's been back for close to a month. And he didn't call anyone except Michael. AND he made Michael promise that he wouldn't tell us." Liz replied, turning back to stare at Max as she said it. She saw him flinch.
So he did feel guilty. Good.
"I'm sure that he had a good reason." Liz saw Max turn to stare at Jesse in surprise. Isabel's husband was gazing at Isabel with concern. Liz could tell that he wanted Isabel to forgive Max. Because Jesse would know how much Isabel had missed him - how much losing him had devastated Isabel. How much having her brother back would add the missing piece to Isabel's complete happiness.
"Max?" Isabel looked at her brother, clearly trying to mask the hope on her face.
"I..." Max was staring at Liz again, the smile on his face having disappeared. "I knew about Dan and I didn't want to interrupt anything." He said it quietly, glancing to his right as he said it.
It was only then that Liz became aware of the fact that her fiancé was standing in the doorway leading to the living room. She felt her face fall in horror. She frantically searched her mind, wondering whether she had truly given him any reason to think that she was anything more than ambivalent about Max's return.
She didn't think she had done anything [I]too[/I] incriminating. Other than display completely irrational rage that her [I]ex[/I]-boyfriend hadn't come to see her.
Not at all incriminating there Liz, she rolled her eyes mentally. She was dead.
"Honey!" She exclaimed, going over to hug him. "I didn't even see you there! What are you doing here?"
She didn't glance out of the corner of her eye to see how Max reacted to this. Really, she didn't. It wasn't her fault that she saw a scowl flash across his face momentarily. Really.
"I came to see you." Dan replied, his tone unreadable. "And was shocked to find Isabel's brother instead."
"Dan, I swear I didn't know he was here." Liz told him quietly, as she pushed him back into the living room so that they could have a little privacy. This was disastrous! She had admitted to herself that maybe she wasn't quite as over Max Evans as she had thought she was, but she certainly did not want to give up Dan for him. She had never expected that Max would actually show up while she was exorcising him.
Isabel had been right in her earlier assessment. With Max, timing had always been everything. It was almost as if he had [I]known[/I] that his hold on Liz's soul was finally going to be broken and [I]that[/I] was when he decided to come waltzing back into her life.
She could hear Max and Isabel and Jesse talking quietly in the hallway as she gazed up at her fiancé anxiously. She had absolutely no idea what Dan was thinking. Isabel had been right about one thing the night before when she had spoken about Dan. He was an awful lot like Max in the sense that he could so easily mask his real feelings.
Of course, Max had [I]never[/I] been able to mask his feelings around [I]her[/I]. At least not after he had healed her, after they had first connected. She had almost always known what he was thinking after that.
Liz shook her head, trying to forget that.
"I know it." Dan finally replied, pulling her against him. "I have to admit though Elizabeth, when I first saw him, I thought that you [I]were[/I] lying to me - that you had let him worm his way back into your life."
Liz pulled back. "Dan, I would never lie to you! Have I ever?"
Except for not telling him about the fact that she hated her job, that the [I]real[/I] reason she was working with Isabel was because she didn't want to follow the dream they shared anymore. Liz told the small voice in the back of her head that reminded her of this fact to shut up.
And just because she didn't want to work at Harvard anymore, it didn't mean she didn't want to marry Dan. She [I]loved[/I] Dan.
Which was why every fibre of her being was yearning to return to the front hallway, to talk to Max, to make sure that he was really okay, whole, safe.
Yes, she wanted to yell at him. But she also wanted to just stare at him, preferably for hours, convince herself that he was really back.
But she did [I]not[/I] want to touch him. Really she didn't.
Dan pulled her against him again. "No. You haven't. And I'm sorry I ever doubted you Elizabeth." But Liz could feel that he was still tense. She didn't blame him. She knew that [I]she[/I] as likely as stiff as a board in his embrace.
Because they both knew what she was going to ask of him. And it was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done.
Dan knew better than anyone exactly what Max Evans had meant to her once upon a time. Because [I]Elizabeth[/I] had never lied to him - about anything.
The fact that [I]Liz[/I] had lied to him from the moment they had returned to New Mexico...well, he would never know that. [I]Liz[/I] was not going to win. She was Dan's Elizabeth now and she only needed to prove it.
"Dan, I need you to go home now honey." Liz whispered against his chest.
There was a long pause. "I know." He said quietly.
There was nothing else to say. Because they both knew that unless the ghost of Max Evans - who suddenly was no longer so ghostly - wasn't dealt with, then their marriage was going to be a sham anyway.
Let the exorcism begin, Liz reflected grimly as she kissed her fiancé good-bye.
***********************************************************
"Are you going to tell me [I]why[/I] you didn't tell me you were back?" Isabel demanded. They had moved into the kitchen when Liz had taken her fiancé into the living room, in order to give them a little privacy.
Max had been relieved. He didn't think he could watch them together anymore. To see Liz melt against [I]him[/I] like that...He had felt a spasm of actual physical illness.
Besides, he couldn't think about Liz right now, could not reflect on the way she had reacted to him before she had become aware of Dan's presence. He owed his sister his full attention.
And he owed her a full on apology too.
"I told you why Iz." Max replied wearily, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table.
Jesse sat at the other end, Alexandra asleep against his shoulder, clearly there not to interfere in their conversation, but to support Isabel. It pleased Max. He was beginning to like Jesse more and more. It was ever more evident that Isabel was the most important thing in the world to her husband. His sister deserved that, had always craved it.
She had found security and happiness with Jesse Ramirez. Yes, she had missed her brother, but life had gone on for Isabel. The evidence of that presently slept soundly in her father's arms.
Max really looked at the baby for the first time since he had arrived. His niece. Isabel's daughter, named for their lost friend. Ben was absolutely going to love her. "She's beautiful." He told his sister, not meaning to change the subject, but wanting to tell her that before she threw him out, which was still an entirely too likely scenario.
Isabel's expression softened momentarily. "Liz told me yesterday that she thought she looked like you." His sister told him quietly.
Max felt his heart skip a beat at that, but he grimaced, joked. "Poor kid. I don't see it. As I said, she's gorgeous." But Max [I]could[/I] see the resemblance, saw traces of himself in Alexandra's little face. He wondered what it meant for the human genetic connection he and Isabel shared. They had learned all about Michael's gene donor, but had never found out anything about where he and Isabel had come from.
All that seemed so long ago now Max reflected, finding out about Laurie Dupree's grandfather. It was long before Ben was even born. And it was really beside the point anyway, the point being that he [I]was[/I] half-human, that he had chosen to live out that part of his heritage by returning to Earth. He didn't need to know where he had come from, but it was nice to know that he and Isabel were clearly linked through [I]both[/I] their human DNA and their alien essences.
"Max, really..." Isabel said urgently. "I need to know. How could you call Michael? Why didn't you call me?"
Max swallowed, saw the hurt on his sister's face. He could see that this was the crux of the issue. He and Isabel had always been the closest. She had been devastated that he had left her behind, when he had always promised that he would never do such a thing. And then, when he [I]had[/I] come back, he hadn't even come to her for help.
"I don't know Izzy. Really. You have to understand - it was a close thing when we got here. Not a crash exactly, but things were rough for the first couple of weeks. It took me that long to track down Michael." He paused. "I didn't want you involved in that."
"Is it safe for you to be here?" Isabel demanded, glancing in concern at Jesse and her daughter. Max felt his heart go out to his sister. He understood the fear she felt. He had felt it every day for eight and a half years - ever since he had first known of Ben's existence.
"Khivar is dead." Max said simply.
Isabel closed her eyes briefly. She sank into a chair beside Jesse, took her husband's hand in her own and squeezed.
"He came to me once. Right before we got married." She whispered. "I knew it when he died too. It was recently, wasn't it?"
Max stared at her, then at Jesse. Isabel's husband looked tense, but not at all confused, or even upset. He obviously knew all about Khivar and Isabel's relationship to him.
He felt a pang of jealousy. The way Isabel and Jesse [I]were[/I] together - they were clearly a unit. Isabel's husband knew everything about her, she knew everything about him... He could see it in the way they sat linked by their hands, linked through their daughter.
It was what he had always wanted with Liz. It was what he had had for such a very short time before Tess had entered their lives and had destroyed everything.
He was never going to have it now.
"He's gone." Max told them firmly. "I killed him myself."
Isabel's eyes flew to Max's face. "And...what about your son?" She asked, taking Alexandra away from Jesse urgently. The child squawked in protest, stuck her thumb in her mouth but settled against her mother's shoulder and went back to sleep.
"I have him." Max said, a small smile crossing his face. "And you've met him. Ben." He added simply.
Isabel's eyes widened. "Oh my God!" Her expression melted into one of annoyance. "Trust Michael." She muttered.
"I swear I didn't know you were going to be his teacher Iz. I wouldn't have done that to you without warning you." Max insisted. "That was all Michael's ludicrous idea."
She did not reply. "You still haven't answered my question though Max." Isabel finally said. "Dan was the reason you didn't tell [I]Liz[/I] you were back. I'm your sister. It doesn't explain why you didn't see me until tonight."
Max knew that how he answered this question was going to determine how his relationship with Isabel played out from this moment on. "I was scared." He admitted quietly.
Isabel did not say anything for another long moment, and then, "Why?"
"Because I broke my promise to you." Max replied. "I promised you I'd never leave without you... and I did."
"Yes, you did."
"I know that you might never be able to forgive me for it - for not even saying goodbye. But you have to know that there was only ever one person who could make me do that to you - and it was my son. And I got him back." Max stood up. "I understand if you can't get past it Izzy, but I want you to know that I am sorry." He paused, thrust his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "And know that I thought about you every single day while I was gone. You and Michael and Mom and Dad..."
He didn't add Liz. He knew that Isabel would already know that. Isabel had always understood about Liz, even if she had never approved precisely.
She had not approved, but she had understood. Because she had known that, to Max, Liz had represented being normal, had represented feeling human. And Isabel had [I]always[/I] only ever wanted to be human.
And she had made that life for herself now. He, Max, might not fit in anymore - her alien king brother, who represented a past she wanted to forget.
"I'll be waiting for you to call me Isabel." Max told her over his shoulder. "It's your choice. I won't bug you, I swear. And I'm sorry I burst in here like this." He glanced at Jesse. "It was selfish of me - I guess I did sort of play the king card." He added wryly.
He left. There was nothing else to do.
His sister did not stop him.
Max sighed heavily as he crossed the lawn. He had considered going through the front door, just to see Liz once more, but when she had not come into the kitchen, he had assumed she had left with her fiancé. He could see now that Dan's car was gone.
He wasn't surprised. There was really no need for her to talk to him. She was angry, yes, but, in the grand scheme of her life, he didn't really matter. Dan was her future. He was the one she would make sure everything was okay with. He was the one she would want to be with.
And yet it still hurt like hell that she had not stayed, at least to yell at him if that had been her desire.
He had been wrong that her anger was a demonstration that she still cared about him. That was nothing new though. Max had been wrong about many, many things in his life.
He had been wrong to expect Liz Parker to wait for him - both tonight and for the eight long years he had been gone, possibly dead for all she knew.
He had been wrong to desert her in the first place. Oh, how wrong he had been! He would regret it for the rest of his life.
"Max."
He was almost at his car when he heard her voice. It stopped him dead in his tracks. He turned slowly, not quite ready to believe his ears.
But she was there, sitting on the front porch, eyeing him warily.
"Liz." He breathed her name, tried to control the emotion that he [I]knew[/I] she would be able to hear in his voice.
She closed her eyes for a moment, seemed to shudder slightly. He bit his lip, waited for her to speak.
"Dan's gone." She finally said, opening her eyes again and staring at him. Her expression was no longer blank. Now it was hard, like she was getting ready to do something unpleasant, something she was not looking forward to, but that she wanted over.
Max felt his heart sink. "Okay." It was all he could say. He didn't know what she wanted from him.
"I need to talk to you."
"Okay." It sounded ridiculous the second time, but he [I]felt[/I] ridiculous, like he had no right to be standing here talking to her.
She stood up, smoothed down her skirt. She carefully avoided touching him as she walked past him, towards his Jeep. "Let's go somewhere else. I think Isabel needs to be alone for a while."
Max simply followed her. They were in the car before he spoke. "Do have somewhere in mind?" He asked tentatively.
"Yes." Liz replied. "The desert."