Part 24
"Is she okay?"
Max rubbed his eyes wearily as Maria came to join him on the roof of the secret exit from the dome. He eyed his sister, who stood about 100 yards away, under the star-studded sky, her arms wrapped around her middle, simply staring off into the desert. "I think she will be. She's still a bit shocked."
"Who hasn't been in the last twenty-four hours?" Maria asked wryly. "But I feel for Isabel. It can't be easy to hear that your first love fathered a child with someone else. Even if it wasn't Alex's fault." There was a pause. "I know that from previous best friend experience." Max knew that it was beyond Maria's loyalty to Liz for her not to get that little dig in.
"I know." It was all he could say. "Because, you know, even if it didn't look like it often, Izzy [I]did[/I] love Alex. She ran from it for a long time. I don't think she could quite deal with the fact that he was [I]so[/I] willing to accept her. And when she finally could, she lost him."
"I don't know what it is with you Czechoslovakians, thinking you're so unworthy of being loved." Maria sighed, throwing her arm around his shoulders, letting him know that she wasn't really trying to guilt-trip him. "You have totally sabotaged any chance at happiness you've ever had Max. I'm just glad that Michael has finally accepted that he's not going to escape me - ever."
"I'm really happy for you Maria." Max sighed.
"You sure sound it." She pinched him lightly.
"Sorry." He quirked a grin in her direction. "I really am. I guess I'm just tired." And he was. Exhausted - body and soul. He had felt this way ever since Liz had left to go meet Dan. He was jittery and nervous, but bone-tired as well.
The news that Isabel's husband was a card-carrying member of the Special Unit had not helped matters. Alien or not, Jesse was [I]Nasedo's[/I] son, who had not exactly turned out to the most loyal of protectors. Could they really trust him? And he still didn't understand exactly what it was that held his sister and Jesse together? How had they dealt with all the lies that existed between them?
Because they seemed happy. More than happy. Blissful. He wistfully wondered what their secret was.
"And worried." Maria was guessing. "She[I]is[/I] going to come back you know Max."
"As soon as she works things out in her head." Max agreed. "Iz is strong. And she's going to love Ben. He's a lot like Alex. Or at least Liz thinks so. I never knew Alex as well as I should have." He admitted quietly.
"You're right about that." Maria replied. "You didn't. You guys might not have thought that you were worthy of love, but it really didn't give you the right to throw it back in people's faces, which you did - a lot." Max swallowed, knew that she was right. He opened his mouth to admit it, but Maria was still talking. "Because Alex didn't just care about Isabel. He cared about all of you. But I wasn't talking about Isabel. I was talking about Liz."
Max looked at her, surprised. "I know. She promised Ben." He told her. "She wouldn't break a promise - especially not to him."
It was the one thing that Max knew above all others. That he could trust Liz Parker - with his life [I]and[/I] with the life of his son. And [I]not[/I] just because Ben was Alex's. It was because of who she was. Her character would not allow it to happen.
"Max, what are you going to do if Liz decides that she's marrying Dan?" Maria asked abruptly. "Because I really think that's a possibility. She is [I]totally[/I] freaked out. You make her feel totally out of control. And she's gotten used to control again over the last few years."
Max was silent for a long time. When he spoke, it was tentatively.
He knew what he [I]wanted [/I] to do. He wanted to throw Liz over his shoulder and carry her off into the sunset. He was struggling against he urge to [I]force[/I] her to accept what she already knew anyway. He was trying not to give in to the urge to kiss her, to make her see flashes, to [I] make[/I] her remember why what they were together could not simply be ignored.
They belonged together. Neither of them would ever be as complete with anyone else as they would be with each other - as they were [I]meant[/I] to be with each other.
But, the sheer irony of the whole situation was that, he had given up a throne for her in his last life. He was [I]not[/I] a king, had to stop thinking like the worst medieval example of all he hated about the idea of monarchy.
It was supremely ironic that in both lifetimes he had not wanted to be a king, was against the principle of it, and, yet, he had never stopped [I]acting[/I] like one. He could not seem to fix that aspect of his character, as much as he wanted to. Being treated as the be all and end all on Antar had not helped this side of his personality either. In fact, in some ways, it had made it worse.
He wondered if he would have been able to avoid this character flaw had he never known about his destiny. But he doubted it. He could remember instances long before Tess had come to town where he had tried to control events, had tried to make them turn out the way [I]he[/I] wanted them to. The time that Isabel had wanted to tell their parents in their sophomore year sprang to mind. Liz had called him controlling then, and she had been right. Thinking that he could take a step back from Liz after their first date and, yet, somehow still bind her to him, that he should expect her to [I]not[/I] move on, had been another example.
It had only been when he had completely [I]lost[/I] control that he and Liz had reached the best moments of their relationship. When he had been drunk the night of the Blind Date concert. When he and Liz had been under the power of the orb a few weeks after that.
Was there no middle ground for them? Could they not build a healthy relationship, one that would flourish and nourish the souls of them both?
"I don't know." He told Maria honestly. "At first, I just wanted to let her be with him, if that's what she wanted. And then I told her that I wasn't going to [I]let[/I] her waste her life on someone she didn't love." He raked his hands through his hair in frustration. "Everything I do is wrong. All I [I]really[/I] want is for Liz to be happy." He shook his head. "And I just can't let go of the fantasy that she [I]can't[/I] be happy unless we're together."
"This is a veritable mess, isn't it?" Maria sighed. "But I do think you have done one thing right Max. You have to know that you could have used Ben to get to Liz. But, as far as I can see, you haven't done that."
"I would [I]never[/I] do that!" Max exclaimed, truly horrified.
"I know you wouldn't." Maria replied affectionately. "And Lizzie knows it too. I told you before and I'm going to repeat it. You need to give her time. It might be [I]years[/I] Max. But you have to do it." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic, but I believe in happy endings, and I do agree with you. The only happy ending I can really see for Liz is with you."
Max grimaced. "It would be nice if she had her happy ending sometime," he muttered, thinking about Kadi and all she had sacrificed. He could see that Isabel was coming towards them, her arms still wrapped tightly around her middle, like she was desperately trying to hold in all the emotion that was longing to spill out of her.
"Do you want [I]me[/I] to talk to her?" Maria asked. "You guys have probably had about enough of each other for the night. That was some heavy stuff she dumped on you in there."
Max frowned, watched his sister approach. "How's Michael?" He asked, not denying what Maria had said. He didn't blame Isabel for doing what she had done - agreeing to turn him in. She had had little choice, but he couldn't help but wonder if her anger at him over his departure had not played a larger role in her decision than she was letting on. She [I]said[/I] that hadn't believed he was ever coming back...but, if that was true, why had she held on to her anger for so long? Why hadn't she just let it go?
No. His sister had known that there was going to be a reckoning in their relationship at some point. It had been brewing ever since he had first healed Liz.
It had been brewing for two lifetimes.
But he did not have the strength to deal with it at three o'clock in the morning.
"He's okay." Maria was saying. "He grabbed a sleeping bag and is trying to get some sleep. I think he's just trying to avoid how mad he is at Isabel. He never gave up on you Max. He always knew deep down that you'd be back, wouldn't listen to a single negative word about you. It was one of our major problems." She admitted with a grin, nudging him. "Because I can't say that a few not-so-flattering mentions of your name didn't pass these lips."
Max grinned despite himself. "I don't blame you Maria. You're a good friend. I was a screw up."
"That's right buddy. I wasn't just pissed off for Liz's sake you know. I was mad at [I]you[/I] for messing up your own life so completely." She shook her head. "What were you thinking? Tess? Why?"
Max looked away, could not meet her eyes. "You'd be surprised about that I think." He replied quietly.
"What is [I]that[/I] supposed to mean?" Maria demanded.
Max just shrugged. Isabel had paused, seemed unsure how to approach them. "Go talk to Izzy." He suggested. "My past mistakes will be dragged out many more times in the coming days I'm sure."
Maria scowled at him. "I don't think so bucko..." But she was cut off by the ringing of a cell phone. Or, rather, by the playing of the instrumental of one of Maria's major hits that Michael had played for Max when he had first gotten back to Earth. "Saved by the annoying little ditty." She wagged her finger at him as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Don't look at me like that!" She whispered, putting her hand over the mouthpiece. "It sucks. I know it! The price one pays for fame."
He rolled his eyes. It looked like he was going to have to be the one to speak to Isabel, although he couldn't figure out who would be calling Maria in the middle of the night.
Unless it was Liz. He glanced at Maria expectantly, but she had started to wander away, was speaking in a low tone into her phone, making it impossible for him to figure out who she was talking to.
But Isabel did not seem to want to discuss Ben at all. When he moved over to join her, his sister spoke to him distantly, "I think someone's coming Max."
His heart instantly skipped a beat. "Nicholas?" He demanded. Isabel had always had a strange connection to the little troll. Maybe she was feeling his presence in the near vicinity?
"No, it's not an enemy." Isabel shrugged. "But, whoever it is, they're not happy."
Max felt his pulse speed up in excitement. Could Liz be coming back so soon? If she was upset, was it because she had hurt Dan or because she was not pleased to be returning to anywhere near him, Max?
It seemed that his question was about to be answered though. He could see headlights bouncing across the desert far to the west, coming up to Atherton's house from the direction of the highway.
As the vehicle drew closer, he could see that it [I]was[/I] Kyle's truck.
But he knew almost instantly that Liz wasn't with him. If she had been, her presence would have called to him, as it had ever since he had first laid eyes on her again.
Something had gone wrong.
He knew it instinctively.
And so he almost attacked Kyle when the deputy finally pulled to a stop beside the other two cars. "What happened? Where's Liz?" He demanded, barely refraining from grabbing Kyle by the lapels of his jacket in demand of an explanation of why he had returned without Liz.
Max could feel Isabel moving up behind him, could still hear Maria's voice rising and falling softly off further away, as she continued to speak into her phone.
Kyle had pulled his hat off his head, was mangling it in his hands. He refused to meet Max's eyes. "Listen Max..."
"Kyle, what's wrong?" Max forced his voice to an even pitch, refused to reveal how worried he was.
Liz had promised that she would be back. If she wasn't back with Kyle, then [I]something[/I] had to have happened.
She had promised Ben. She would [I]never[I] break a promise to his son. He knew it.
Hell, even if she was still ticked off at him, she wouldn't break a promise to [I]him[/I] either. She never had.
And that's what her words to him had been before she had left. A promise that she would return to finish whatever it was that had sprung up between them again, angry or not.
[I]I will be back.[/I]
The words filtered through his brain, reinforcing the belief in the pit of his stomach.
"I don' t know what to tell you." Kyle was shaking his head. "She's going back to Roswell with Dan. She decided that all of this..." He waved his hand towards the dome, grimacing, "Was just too much for her. Her wedding is in just over a day. You've got to give her a break man."
Max exchanged a look with Isabel, looking for support that something was not right here.
His sister raised an eyebrow at him. "She loves him Max." She said simply, brutally. "You've got to accept that."
Maria had joined them, stood quietly to the side, her phone still clasped in her hand.
"Was [I]that[/I] Liz?" He asked, almost desperately. He knew he sounded pretty pathetic actually. But he also knew that he was right.
Something was seriously off with this entire situation.
Maria smiled at him sympathetically. "Yeah. She's just on her way to bed. She and Dan are heading back to Roswell in the morning. She was just checking in to make sure that Kyle made it back safely."
Her words hit him like a ton of bricks.
If she wasn't coming back, then she had lied. She had not only lied to [I]him[/I], she had lied to Ben.
She had lied to his son.
A flash of rage wound through him. It was so intense, he had to clench his fists.
But within seconds, his certainty returned, more secure than ever.
Because Liz Parker did [I]not[/I] lie. Not the Liz Parker he knew.
Well, that was not entirely true. She [I]had[/I] lied. She had once told him that she didn't want to die for him - and then she had thrown away their entire future to save his. All because he had asked her to.
She had lied then.
But only because she had had no choice.
And he knew that it had to be the case this time too. "Something's happened." He told Kyle evenly. "Tell me."
Kyle scratched his chin, stared hard at Max, exchanged a look with Maria, then broke. "Jeez. I told her this wasn't going to work."
"What isn't going to work?" Max asked impatiently.
But Kyle shook his head. "I can't tell you. I promised her. She's my first priority."
Max swallowed, tried not to kick something in frustration. He scowled instead, held out his hand to Maria. "Maria, can I please have your phone?"
"Max..."
"Please."
"Why don't you wait until morning?" Isabel suggested. "Maybe you'll be a bit calmer then Max. I don' t think it's a good idea for you to talk to Liz right now."
"I [I]know[/I] that she's doing this for a reason." Max replied, trying to sound patient. "Liz would [I]not[/I] lie to Ben." He raised an eyebrow at Maria. "She promised him she'd be back, so something has to have happened. Something that means that she [I]has[/I] to break her promise. If you won't tell me, then I'll just ask her myself. "
"You might as well give it to him." Isabel rolled her eyes. "He'll just go get his own phone."
Maria hesitated for one more second, then crumbled, handing him the phone.
Max hit the button which displayed the menu, found Liz's name easily, and hit enter.
He started to pace impatiently, waiting for her to pick up.
It seemed to take forever. He heard at least seven rings, growled in annoyance when the voice-mail kicked in.
Max thrust the phone back at Maria. "She's not answering. You just talked to her five minutes ago! Where is she?"
"Jeez Max. Calm down. She probably just turned her phone off for the night." Kyle interjected.
"Something's wrong here." Max repeated, for what felt like the millionth time. "I [I]need[/I] to know what it is."
"I [I]can't[/I] tell you." Kyle insisted.
"Maria?" Max turned to her again.
"Max, I really don't know what it is." Maria admitted. "She just told me she wouldn't be coming back and that I had to try and explain it to Ben."
With every instant though, Max could feel his anxiety rising. He clenched and unclenched his fists, briefly closed his eyes. His heart was racing now, but in a way that went beyond how worried and upset he was.
"Something's not right. It's all wrong." He muttered, pacing back and forth again.
"Max?" He could hear the concern in Isabel's voice, could feel Maria grabbing his arm, trying to make him stop.
But they couldn't stop him. He couldn't stop himself. He could feel consciousness disappearing, felt himself drifting away from them.
His last coherent thought was a name.
[I]Kadi.[/I]
To be continued...
"Is she okay?"
Max rubbed his eyes wearily as Maria came to join him on the roof of the secret exit from the dome. He eyed his sister, who stood about 100 yards away, under the star-studded sky, her arms wrapped around her middle, simply staring off into the desert. "I think she will be. She's still a bit shocked."
"Who hasn't been in the last twenty-four hours?" Maria asked wryly. "But I feel for Isabel. It can't be easy to hear that your first love fathered a child with someone else. Even if it wasn't Alex's fault." There was a pause. "I know that from previous best friend experience." Max knew that it was beyond Maria's loyalty to Liz for her not to get that little dig in.
"I know." It was all he could say. "Because, you know, even if it didn't look like it often, Izzy [I]did[/I] love Alex. She ran from it for a long time. I don't think she could quite deal with the fact that he was [I]so[/I] willing to accept her. And when she finally could, she lost him."
"I don't know what it is with you Czechoslovakians, thinking you're so unworthy of being loved." Maria sighed, throwing her arm around his shoulders, letting him know that she wasn't really trying to guilt-trip him. "You have totally sabotaged any chance at happiness you've ever had Max. I'm just glad that Michael has finally accepted that he's not going to escape me - ever."
"I'm really happy for you Maria." Max sighed.
"You sure sound it." She pinched him lightly.
"Sorry." He quirked a grin in her direction. "I really am. I guess I'm just tired." And he was. Exhausted - body and soul. He had felt this way ever since Liz had left to go meet Dan. He was jittery and nervous, but bone-tired as well.
The news that Isabel's husband was a card-carrying member of the Special Unit had not helped matters. Alien or not, Jesse was [I]Nasedo's[/I] son, who had not exactly turned out to the most loyal of protectors. Could they really trust him? And he still didn't understand exactly what it was that held his sister and Jesse together? How had they dealt with all the lies that existed between them?
Because they seemed happy. More than happy. Blissful. He wistfully wondered what their secret was.
"And worried." Maria was guessing. "She[I]is[/I] going to come back you know Max."
"As soon as she works things out in her head." Max agreed. "Iz is strong. And she's going to love Ben. He's a lot like Alex. Or at least Liz thinks so. I never knew Alex as well as I should have." He admitted quietly.
"You're right about that." Maria replied. "You didn't. You guys might not have thought that you were worthy of love, but it really didn't give you the right to throw it back in people's faces, which you did - a lot." Max swallowed, knew that she was right. He opened his mouth to admit it, but Maria was still talking. "Because Alex didn't just care about Isabel. He cared about all of you. But I wasn't talking about Isabel. I was talking about Liz."
Max looked at her, surprised. "I know. She promised Ben." He told her. "She wouldn't break a promise - especially not to him."
It was the one thing that Max knew above all others. That he could trust Liz Parker - with his life [I]and[/I] with the life of his son. And [I]not[/I] just because Ben was Alex's. It was because of who she was. Her character would not allow it to happen.
"Max, what are you going to do if Liz decides that she's marrying Dan?" Maria asked abruptly. "Because I really think that's a possibility. She is [I]totally[/I] freaked out. You make her feel totally out of control. And she's gotten used to control again over the last few years."
Max was silent for a long time. When he spoke, it was tentatively.
He knew what he [I]wanted [/I] to do. He wanted to throw Liz over his shoulder and carry her off into the sunset. He was struggling against he urge to [I]force[/I] her to accept what she already knew anyway. He was trying not to give in to the urge to kiss her, to make her see flashes, to [I] make[/I] her remember why what they were together could not simply be ignored.
They belonged together. Neither of them would ever be as complete with anyone else as they would be with each other - as they were [I]meant[/I] to be with each other.
But, the sheer irony of the whole situation was that, he had given up a throne for her in his last life. He was [I]not[/I] a king, had to stop thinking like the worst medieval example of all he hated about the idea of monarchy.
It was supremely ironic that in both lifetimes he had not wanted to be a king, was against the principle of it, and, yet, he had never stopped [I]acting[/I] like one. He could not seem to fix that aspect of his character, as much as he wanted to. Being treated as the be all and end all on Antar had not helped this side of his personality either. In fact, in some ways, it had made it worse.
He wondered if he would have been able to avoid this character flaw had he never known about his destiny. But he doubted it. He could remember instances long before Tess had come to town where he had tried to control events, had tried to make them turn out the way [I]he[/I] wanted them to. The time that Isabel had wanted to tell their parents in their sophomore year sprang to mind. Liz had called him controlling then, and she had been right. Thinking that he could take a step back from Liz after their first date and, yet, somehow still bind her to him, that he should expect her to [I]not[/I] move on, had been another example.
It had only been when he had completely [I]lost[/I] control that he and Liz had reached the best moments of their relationship. When he had been drunk the night of the Blind Date concert. When he and Liz had been under the power of the orb a few weeks after that.
Was there no middle ground for them? Could they not build a healthy relationship, one that would flourish and nourish the souls of them both?
"I don't know." He told Maria honestly. "At first, I just wanted to let her be with him, if that's what she wanted. And then I told her that I wasn't going to [I]let[/I] her waste her life on someone she didn't love." He raked his hands through his hair in frustration. "Everything I do is wrong. All I [I]really[/I] want is for Liz to be happy." He shook his head. "And I just can't let go of the fantasy that she [I]can't[/I] be happy unless we're together."
"This is a veritable mess, isn't it?" Maria sighed. "But I do think you have done one thing right Max. You have to know that you could have used Ben to get to Liz. But, as far as I can see, you haven't done that."
"I would [I]never[/I] do that!" Max exclaimed, truly horrified.
"I know you wouldn't." Maria replied affectionately. "And Lizzie knows it too. I told you before and I'm going to repeat it. You need to give her time. It might be [I]years[/I] Max. But you have to do it." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic, but I believe in happy endings, and I do agree with you. The only happy ending I can really see for Liz is with you."
Max grimaced. "It would be nice if she had her happy ending sometime," he muttered, thinking about Kadi and all she had sacrificed. He could see that Isabel was coming towards them, her arms still wrapped tightly around her middle, like she was desperately trying to hold in all the emotion that was longing to spill out of her.
"Do you want [I]me[/I] to talk to her?" Maria asked. "You guys have probably had about enough of each other for the night. That was some heavy stuff she dumped on you in there."
Max frowned, watched his sister approach. "How's Michael?" He asked, not denying what Maria had said. He didn't blame Isabel for doing what she had done - agreeing to turn him in. She had had little choice, but he couldn't help but wonder if her anger at him over his departure had not played a larger role in her decision than she was letting on. She [I]said[/I] that hadn't believed he was ever coming back...but, if that was true, why had she held on to her anger for so long? Why hadn't she just let it go?
No. His sister had known that there was going to be a reckoning in their relationship at some point. It had been brewing ever since he had first healed Liz.
It had been brewing for two lifetimes.
But he did not have the strength to deal with it at three o'clock in the morning.
"He's okay." Maria was saying. "He grabbed a sleeping bag and is trying to get some sleep. I think he's just trying to avoid how mad he is at Isabel. He never gave up on you Max. He always knew deep down that you'd be back, wouldn't listen to a single negative word about you. It was one of our major problems." She admitted with a grin, nudging him. "Because I can't say that a few not-so-flattering mentions of your name didn't pass these lips."
Max grinned despite himself. "I don't blame you Maria. You're a good friend. I was a screw up."
"That's right buddy. I wasn't just pissed off for Liz's sake you know. I was mad at [I]you[/I] for messing up your own life so completely." She shook her head. "What were you thinking? Tess? Why?"
Max looked away, could not meet her eyes. "You'd be surprised about that I think." He replied quietly.
"What is [I]that[/I] supposed to mean?" Maria demanded.
Max just shrugged. Isabel had paused, seemed unsure how to approach them. "Go talk to Izzy." He suggested. "My past mistakes will be dragged out many more times in the coming days I'm sure."
Maria scowled at him. "I don't think so bucko..." But she was cut off by the ringing of a cell phone. Or, rather, by the playing of the instrumental of one of Maria's major hits that Michael had played for Max when he had first gotten back to Earth. "Saved by the annoying little ditty." She wagged her finger at him as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Don't look at me like that!" She whispered, putting her hand over the mouthpiece. "It sucks. I know it! The price one pays for fame."
He rolled his eyes. It looked like he was going to have to be the one to speak to Isabel, although he couldn't figure out who would be calling Maria in the middle of the night.
Unless it was Liz. He glanced at Maria expectantly, but she had started to wander away, was speaking in a low tone into her phone, making it impossible for him to figure out who she was talking to.
But Isabel did not seem to want to discuss Ben at all. When he moved over to join her, his sister spoke to him distantly, "I think someone's coming Max."
His heart instantly skipped a beat. "Nicholas?" He demanded. Isabel had always had a strange connection to the little troll. Maybe she was feeling his presence in the near vicinity?
"No, it's not an enemy." Isabel shrugged. "But, whoever it is, they're not happy."
Max felt his pulse speed up in excitement. Could Liz be coming back so soon? If she was upset, was it because she had hurt Dan or because she was not pleased to be returning to anywhere near him, Max?
It seemed that his question was about to be answered though. He could see headlights bouncing across the desert far to the west, coming up to Atherton's house from the direction of the highway.
As the vehicle drew closer, he could see that it [I]was[/I] Kyle's truck.
But he knew almost instantly that Liz wasn't with him. If she had been, her presence would have called to him, as it had ever since he had first laid eyes on her again.
Something had gone wrong.
He knew it instinctively.
And so he almost attacked Kyle when the deputy finally pulled to a stop beside the other two cars. "What happened? Where's Liz?" He demanded, barely refraining from grabbing Kyle by the lapels of his jacket in demand of an explanation of why he had returned without Liz.
Max could feel Isabel moving up behind him, could still hear Maria's voice rising and falling softly off further away, as she continued to speak into her phone.
Kyle had pulled his hat off his head, was mangling it in his hands. He refused to meet Max's eyes. "Listen Max..."
"Kyle, what's wrong?" Max forced his voice to an even pitch, refused to reveal how worried he was.
Liz had promised that she would be back. If she wasn't back with Kyle, then [I]something[/I] had to have happened.
She had promised Ben. She would [I]never[I] break a promise to his son. He knew it.
Hell, even if she was still ticked off at him, she wouldn't break a promise to [I]him[/I] either. She never had.
And that's what her words to him had been before she had left. A promise that she would return to finish whatever it was that had sprung up between them again, angry or not.
[I]I will be back.[/I]
The words filtered through his brain, reinforcing the belief in the pit of his stomach.
"I don' t know what to tell you." Kyle was shaking his head. "She's going back to Roswell with Dan. She decided that all of this..." He waved his hand towards the dome, grimacing, "Was just too much for her. Her wedding is in just over a day. You've got to give her a break man."
Max exchanged a look with Isabel, looking for support that something was not right here.
His sister raised an eyebrow at him. "She loves him Max." She said simply, brutally. "You've got to accept that."
Maria had joined them, stood quietly to the side, her phone still clasped in her hand.
"Was [I]that[/I] Liz?" He asked, almost desperately. He knew he sounded pretty pathetic actually. But he also knew that he was right.
Something was seriously off with this entire situation.
Maria smiled at him sympathetically. "Yeah. She's just on her way to bed. She and Dan are heading back to Roswell in the morning. She was just checking in to make sure that Kyle made it back safely."
Her words hit him like a ton of bricks.
If she wasn't coming back, then she had lied. She had not only lied to [I]him[/I], she had lied to Ben.
She had lied to his son.
A flash of rage wound through him. It was so intense, he had to clench his fists.
But within seconds, his certainty returned, more secure than ever.
Because Liz Parker did [I]not[/I] lie. Not the Liz Parker he knew.
Well, that was not entirely true. She [I]had[/I] lied. She had once told him that she didn't want to die for him - and then she had thrown away their entire future to save his. All because he had asked her to.
She had lied then.
But only because she had had no choice.
And he knew that it had to be the case this time too. "Something's happened." He told Kyle evenly. "Tell me."
Kyle scratched his chin, stared hard at Max, exchanged a look with Maria, then broke. "Jeez. I told her this wasn't going to work."
"What isn't going to work?" Max asked impatiently.
But Kyle shook his head. "I can't tell you. I promised her. She's my first priority."
Max swallowed, tried not to kick something in frustration. He scowled instead, held out his hand to Maria. "Maria, can I please have your phone?"
"Max..."
"Please."
"Why don't you wait until morning?" Isabel suggested. "Maybe you'll be a bit calmer then Max. I don' t think it's a good idea for you to talk to Liz right now."
"I [I]know[/I] that she's doing this for a reason." Max replied, trying to sound patient. "Liz would [I]not[/I] lie to Ben." He raised an eyebrow at Maria. "She promised him she'd be back, so something has to have happened. Something that means that she [I]has[/I] to break her promise. If you won't tell me, then I'll just ask her myself. "
"You might as well give it to him." Isabel rolled her eyes. "He'll just go get his own phone."
Maria hesitated for one more second, then crumbled, handing him the phone.
Max hit the button which displayed the menu, found Liz's name easily, and hit enter.
He started to pace impatiently, waiting for her to pick up.
It seemed to take forever. He heard at least seven rings, growled in annoyance when the voice-mail kicked in.
Max thrust the phone back at Maria. "She's not answering. You just talked to her five minutes ago! Where is she?"
"Jeez Max. Calm down. She probably just turned her phone off for the night." Kyle interjected.
"Something's wrong here." Max repeated, for what felt like the millionth time. "I [I]need[/I] to know what it is."
"I [I]can't[/I] tell you." Kyle insisted.
"Maria?" Max turned to her again.
"Max, I really don't know what it is." Maria admitted. "She just told me she wouldn't be coming back and that I had to try and explain it to Ben."
With every instant though, Max could feel his anxiety rising. He clenched and unclenched his fists, briefly closed his eyes. His heart was racing now, but in a way that went beyond how worried and upset he was.
"Something's not right. It's all wrong." He muttered, pacing back and forth again.
"Max?" He could hear the concern in Isabel's voice, could feel Maria grabbing his arm, trying to make him stop.
But they couldn't stop him. He couldn't stop himself. He could feel consciousness disappearing, felt himself drifting away from them.
His last coherent thought was a name.
[I]Kadi.[/I]
To be continued...