Part 38
As Maria pulled the Volvo into the driveway of the Evans house on Murray Lane, Liz stared out the windshield, a half-smile on her face. There was a light on in the window of Max's bedroom, bringing back so many memories, it was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes.
She had had many hours to reflect on Max's strange behavior during the drive back to Roswell. After she and Maria had decided that it would be best to bring Isabel to her parents and Maria had told Michael and Max so via cell-phone, there had been very little conversation, other than a few comments from Maria about the fact that she couldn't quite believe that the disaster that had become their lives over the past week was finally almost over.
Liz was not stupid. It had not taken her long to understand what had happened to Max, why he had pulled away from her. It was the whole Dan situation of course. It had yet to be completely resolved. She had told him herself several times that she was planning to call off the wedding, but she didn't really blame him for not quite believing it. The whole process that had brought them back together had been so extreme and intense, it was only natural that he would think she might have doubts after everything had settled down again - especially after how many times she had told him that she could never be happy with him because she didn't trust him. He had told her a few times that he was not going to pressure her into anything. She had told him herself that all she wanted was a normal, happy life.
She had accepted that for her to be happy, normal was something entirely different from what it might be for someone else. Normal was loving [i] him[/i]. But he still did not completely understand that. They needed to talk, clearly, but she needed to break things off with Dan first. They both needed to be on a level playing field when next they spoke about the future.
She was angry at him for being afraid. There was no doubt that it was frustrating to always have to be the strong one when it came to their relationship. But he had been hiding from his emotions for his entire life. It was not a surprise that he might still do so on occasion, even after all they had been through together.
Khivar had told her that Zan's emotions had been what had destroyed him in his last life. But Liz had recognized long ago that it was Max's emotions that made him strong. He had just not quite accepted that himself yet.
He brought strength to their bond in other ways after all. If she was the backbone, he was the heart, so deeply concerned about the safety and well- being of all those he cared about, that it had even been used against him by his enemies. But it was not a bad thing - he just needed to learn to let go a little bit, to let those he loved make their own decisions, and yes, sometimes their own mistakes. He was beginning to do so, one example being his willingness to have Isabel decide Nicholas's fate. He had also been willing to let her, Liz, go if that's what she wanted, even though his gut instinct had been to hold on to her with every ounce of his strength.
He believed in her. Completely, implicitly. She knew it. That was not the problem. The issue was that he did not believe in himself. Even after all that he had done, all that he had accomplished, he still felt unworthy. And unless he could get over it, they were never going to be happy.
Maria turned off the ignition, let her head fall back against the seat. "The one thing we haven't discussed is how we're going to explain Ben to the Evans," she reminded Liz. "Max is going to be tied up at the police station with Kyle for a while. Should we tell them the truth?"
Liz was quiet for a moment. "Well, they already know the truth about Max and Isabel's origins. Isabel [i] had[/i] to tell them after Max disappeared, remember? I think it might be easier on them to hear that Max is back from us before he shows up here."
"I know Max will be happy with whatever you decide Liz." There was a pause. "Are things going to work out between you two?" Maria finally asked.
"I think so," Liz sighed. "We still have a lot to work out, but I know that I want to try."
"Liz, are you sure that your decision isn't just because of Ben?" Maria frowned slightly. "Are you sure this is what you really want?"
"I want to be happy Maria," Liz replied quietly. "He makes me happy. In spite of it all, he does. When he's not being a stubborn mule that is," she added wryly. "Ben is just a bonus." She glanced over the backseat at the still snoring Ben. She would have to ask Mr. Evans to come out and carry the little boy in. He really was too big for her to manage.
Maria had turned her head too. "Isabel? We're here."
Max's sister continued to stare straight ahead, no expression on her face. Liz and Maria exchanged a concerned look, Liz shaking her head as she opened her door. "Maybe her mother will be able to get through to her."
"I'll be right behind you Liz," Maria told her over the car. "I'll just get Lexi out of her car-seat."
Liz nodded, went to ring the doorbell. It was still early, eight o'clock in the morning. The Evans should be up though. Liz remembered, even after all this time, that they had always been early risers.
Diane Evans opened the door after a couple of minutes, surprise on her kind face when she recognized Liz. "Liz Parker! I haven't seen you in ages Sweetie!" Her expression changed completely though a moment later. "What's wrong? Something is wrong isn't it? You're supposed to be getting married this morning. I've been trying to call Isabel all night, but she hasn't answered the phone. She and Alexandra were supposed to be here last night to stay over for the wedding."
Liz reached out and took Mrs. Evans's hand. "They're both fine - well, mostly. Please don't worry." She nodded in the direction of the Volvo, where Maria was straightening with Lexi in her arms. "Isabel's in the car. There's something else…"
"What?" Diane's eyes widened with fear, slightly haunted as they had been every time Liz had run into her in the grocery store or at the Crashdown over the past eight years. As they had been ever since her son had disappeared.
"I have some good news and some bad news," Liz replied. "But first the good. Max is home."
Max's mother's eyes filled with tears of disbelief. "Liz…"
"It's true Mrs. Evans. He came back…to all of us."
Diane's smile was so brilliant as she pulled Liz against her for a hug, it was almost heartbreaking to have to tell her about Isabel and Jesse. But Liz did it. There was no choice. Isabel needed her parents.
Yes, Max's return was good news. But it had unearthed painful truths about the lives of those he had left behind that some might have thought better left alone. Isabel's marriage had been a sham and the consequences were going to have to be dealt with. Liz's relationship with Dan had also been less than she had pretended it was. She had had everything she had always wanted, but it had not brought the complete happiness she had envisioned.
But they all had a chance to rebuild now. It was going to take time and patience, but it would be worth it in the end.
Everyone was safe and [i] alive[/i]. It was a start.
*************************************************************
Liz glanced at her watch. Nine o'clock. She was supposed to be walking down the aisle in exactly two hours. She knew, without question, that her parents [i] and[/i] Dan were freaking out by now. She sighed heavily as she pulled the Volvo to a halt outside the Crashdown.
She sat staring at the restaurant that had been the center of her life during the years she had grown up in this town. She had learned to walk by clinging to it's tables, had done her homework at it's counter. She had earned the money to support herself during her years at Harvard serving it's customers.
She had come alive here on a September day in 1999 when Max Evans had patched a hole in her stomach that should have killed her. She should have been dead for the past ten years. But because of the brave act of one amazing boy, she had [i] lived[/i]. Yes, she had suffered, mourned, hated and had regrets during those ten years and, yet, the living had been worth it.
She was finally beginning to realize that pain was a part of life. And she was truly blessed because while she had had more than her fair share of grief, she had also experienced love on a level beyond what few could even imagine. As she sat staring at the doors she would pass through in order to completely change the direction of her life, she did not feel a single moment of doubt.
Doubts were over. She had made her choice. To her, Max was worth it. And soon enough he would begin to recognize it too.
She had left Maria behind at the Evans' after they had explained everything. Isabel had finally cracked slightly at the sight of her mother. She had climbed out of the car, walked into the house and had promptly fallen apart. The deep, wrenching sobs that had brought the poor young woman to her knees had only abated after Diane had rocked her like a baby for a long time. When Liz had left, mother and daughter had still been on the floor of the living room, Isabel's tears finally halted as they spoke quietly together, Diane attempting to help her child put her life back together.
Mr. Evans had helped Liz put Ben to bed in Max's old room. Liz had not been surprised to see that it had changed very little, that it had been maintained as something of a shrine to the Evans' lost son. She had seen the excitement in the eyes of the father as he had sat at the bedside of his new grandson, just staring down at him in amazement, glancing at his watch every few minutes, clearly willing the minutes by so that the little boy's father - his [i] son[/i] - would walk through the door and fulfill the wish of his heart for the past eight years. Liz had understood from Isabel that in some ways Phillip Evans had blamed himself for Max's departure, convinced that if he hadn't given his son the ultimatum about telling him the truth, if Max hadn't taken him at his word and moved out, none of it would have happened. Liz had stood with him for several minutes, her hand on his shoulder in comfort, but she had been acutely aware of the digital clock on Max's bedside table.
She had kissed Ben on the forehead, sweeping a loving hand through his blond curls before she left. He had stirred, opened his eyes, gazing up at her sleepily. "Liz?"
"Hi Sweetie. Go back to sleep. You're safe at your grandma and grandpa's. Maria's just outside. Your dad and I will be back very soon. We'll be here when you wake up again."
She had seen the flash of fear in his blue eyes, but it had almost instantly been replaced by a tentative trust. "Okay." He had closed his eyes again. She had been able to see him almost willing himself to fall asleep so that [i] very soon[/i] would come more quickly. It had almost broken her heart, but she knew that she had no choice but to leave him.
She had to get to Dan, had to tell him the truth. It was bad enough that she was doing this two hours before the wedding. Every minute she waited only made it worse.
And so she had left the Evans family in the care of Maria, who had agreed to wait for Max and Michael to return. She had been worried about Liz though. "Are you sure you don't need me to come with you chica?" She had asked with concern at the door as Liz had been leaving.
"Thank you," Liz had smiled affectionately at her best friend. "But this is something I need to do alone."
"Okay." Her blue eyes had met Liz's seriously. "What do you want me to tell Max when he gets here?"
Liz had sighed. "Don't tell him anything. He'll know where I am, and if he doesn't, well, then he can just wonder for a while." She might understand Max's fear, but it didn't mean she wasn't still peeved at him. He did deserve to suffer a little for doubting her. She was not a vindictive person, but, really, there was only so much angst one person could take.
And so now she sat trying to work up the nerve to break the heart of a man who had only ever been good to her. He was not the one for her, in the end, but she knew that he loved her. She was not looking forward to this.
"Get a grip Parker. You just killed an evil alien with your [i] mind[/i]. You can do this." But Liz knew that, in some ways, this was going to be worse. Khivar had been evil. Dan was not. He did not deserve any of this.
Taking a deep breath, she climbed slowly from behind the wheel of Isabel and Jesse's car, walked steadily towards the double-doors leading into her parents' restaurant, and pushed her way through.
The bell above the door rang through the empty restaurant.
Well, not entirely empty. Dan Riley sat at the counter, his back to the entrance, nursing a chocolate milkshake. She knew that he had likely only been back for a couple of hours - Michael had reported in their cell-phone conversation that Kyle and the others had only been a hundred or so miles ahead of them. He had not even changed his clothes.
Here was a man caught in abject misery. She had never had a chance to ask Max exactly what it was Dan thought had happened to him over the past week. All she knew was that he remembered nothing of what had really happened. She was going to have to tread lightly, which really did not seem fair since she was about to break his heart.
"Dan?" She kept her voice quiet, willing him to explode on her if he wanted to. He had more than earned the right to do so after all.
"Where have you been?" His voice was weary, soft. "Your parents told me that they've been trying you at Isabel's for the past two days and all they've gotten was an answering machine."
"I wasn't there." Liz walked towards him, slowly sat down on the stool beside him. "I was with Max." She could not lie to him about that. It wouldn't be fair.
"I thought so. When I saw him in Texas, I just knew that something weird was going on. I didn't think the love of your life would just accidentally show up a couple of days before our wedding." He stirred his straw in his milkshake, still did not look at her. "So, I guess there won't be a wedding now." He turned his head, his green eyes piercing on her face. "You still love him?"
"Yes." She wanted to take his hand in hers, comfort him somehow, but she knew that she didn't have the right. "I'm so sorry Dan."
He eyed her for a moment, then sighed heavily. "Please don't apologize Elizabeth. I think I've always known that I was really just a way to try and forget him." When Liz opened her mouth to protest, he held up a hand. "It's okay Elizabeth! Really. I'm glad that I could be that person for you. I knew what I was getting into when we started dating. You tried to tell me so many times before you finally gave in and said yes. I always hoped that you could feel for me what I knew you still felt for [i] him[/i], but I knew even when I proposed that it hadn't happened."
Liz frowned slightly. "Dan, why would you ask me to marry you then? You deserve so much more than half of someone's heart."
He crooked a smile at her. "I know it Elizabeth. But I think I was scared that I was never going to find that someone. I did love you - I [i] do[/i]…" he amended. "I really though that me loving [i] you[/i] could be enough. I never expected that I would let it go as far as I did, especially after what's happened in the last six months. But I just couldn't bear to hurt you again - not after what you had been through."
Now Liz was genuinely confused. "Dan, what are you talking about?"
"I've been so guilty for so long. I was willing to go through with it. I couldn't hurt you by calling it off. But fate stepped in, didn't it? He came back to you."
And suddenly Liz understood. She stared at him in complete horror. "You're in love with someone else too! Aren't you?" She could not believe that she had been about to marry someone who loved someone else. How could she have been so self-absorbed that she never even noticed? That he had cared about her enough to do it was even more amazing.
She reflected on all his manic behavior over the past week. All of his jealousy, his paranoia had been completely out of character. She had known it, but had attributed it all to Max's return and Dan's inability to accept that Max was going to be a part of her life, if only because of Ben. But it had all been an act, a performance played out by Khivar in possession of his body - Khivar pretending to act in the way he would have expected Dan to act in the situation he had been presented with.
Because Khivar had not known Dan, had not known that craziness and jealousy had never been Dan at all. And now Liz finally understood why. Dan had never been jealous because he had not been in love with her - at least not for a while. She still believed that he had loved her at one time. She did not doubt that. He was a good man. He never would have pursued her the way he did if he had not.
But her inability to truly let go with him had finally killed his love for her. She could not blame him, and yet she still felt sorry. He had not deserved to be hurt in that way.
And, in spite of it all, he had found someone else to love. Someone who could maybe love him back.
"Elizabeth, you have to understand, I do love you. I never expected it to happen. I don't think I ever really accepted that it was true - that I loved her. But when Kyle and I ran into her on the highway, when she told me that I had called her, had told her that I had something important to tell her, I realized that in my drunken stupor I must have finally realized the truth. It was the only logical explanation that I could come up with for why I would go on such a bender three days before our wedding." Liz grimaced slightly at that, sad that she had to allow him to believe the lie that he had been so irresponsible.
And as she thought about what he had said, suddenly it was all crystal- clear. "Vick! It's Victoria, isn't it?" He looked uncomfortable, but he nodded.
Liz frowned, slightly confused. She still wasn't really sure why Khivar, in control of Dan's body, would have called Vick. Maybe somehow, accessing Dan's mind as he had been, he had found out the truth, had figured that he would just cause more trouble for Max by bringing Victoria into the picture. But it was probably a question that she was never going to have an answer for so there was really no point in thinking about it.
The important thing was that, despite himself, Khivar had actually done a good thing in calling her. It had apparently forced Dan to confront his real feelings.
Somehow Liz wasn't surprised that it was Vick. They had all known each other forever after all - she and Dan, Kyle and Sarah…and Vick. Dan and Vick had never been inordinately close, but on further reflection, Liz could see how they might have seriously tried to make it look that way so that no one would recognize how they really felt about each other. She still shook her head in amazement though. "Does she feel the same way?"
"I think she might Elizabeth. She just never even thought it was a possibility though - because of [i] us[/i]. She loves you. There is no way that she ever would have interfered in our relationship."
Liz felt her heart lighten. Could the problem of Dan really be resolving itself so easily? It almost seemed unfair that she wasn't going to have to endure immense guilt over this. But she could not regret that her former fiancé was going to be able to move on quite nicely without her. She could only be happy for him.
Nothing was certain in life. Dan and Victoria might not end up together, but at least there was the potential. In the end, this break-up was the best thing for both of them.
"Oh Dan, I'm so sorry that I let it go this far. It wasn't fair to you at all." She allowed herself to take his hand in hers now, now that she knew that he would survive this, that she had not broken his heart.
Dan frowned slightly. "Elizabeth, I'm still worried about you though. How can you be sure that Max Evans won't hurt you again?" He shook his head. "I don't know him from a hole in the head, but I know that it almost killed you to lose him last time. How can you be sure that this time will be different?"
Liz sighed. "You know what Dan, I can't [i] really[/i] be sure. Max and I have been backwards and forwards for the past week - ever since seeing each other again. I do know he loves me and I know he came back [i] because[/i] he loves me. I have never doubted that. But he left me once and so I told him that I couldn't trust him and we couldn't be together. In the end though, I realized something. Giving our heart to [i] anyone[/i] is never a certain thing. Anyone can throw our trust back in our face. Max did it to me once, but I know, in my heart, that he'll never do it again. And I love him. I'm willing to take the chance with him. To me, it's just worth it."
Dan smiled at her, leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You are a very brave woman Elizabeth Parker."
Liz shrugged. "Anyone who takes a chance on love is brave Dan. But thank you." She stood up, hugged him close. "I never would have made it through the last few years without you. I will always love you for that and I will always be grateful. I hope that we can still be friends."
"Forever."
Liz stepped back, smiled at him again. "Well then Dan Riley, I have only one more thing to say to you." She held out her hand. He looked at her, a slightly befuddled expression on his face, but he took hers in his, shook it slowly. She grinned teasingly at him.
"My friends call me [i] Liz[/i]."
As Maria pulled the Volvo into the driveway of the Evans house on Murray Lane, Liz stared out the windshield, a half-smile on her face. There was a light on in the window of Max's bedroom, bringing back so many memories, it was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes.
She had had many hours to reflect on Max's strange behavior during the drive back to Roswell. After she and Maria had decided that it would be best to bring Isabel to her parents and Maria had told Michael and Max so via cell-phone, there had been very little conversation, other than a few comments from Maria about the fact that she couldn't quite believe that the disaster that had become their lives over the past week was finally almost over.
Liz was not stupid. It had not taken her long to understand what had happened to Max, why he had pulled away from her. It was the whole Dan situation of course. It had yet to be completely resolved. She had told him herself several times that she was planning to call off the wedding, but she didn't really blame him for not quite believing it. The whole process that had brought them back together had been so extreme and intense, it was only natural that he would think she might have doubts after everything had settled down again - especially after how many times she had told him that she could never be happy with him because she didn't trust him. He had told her a few times that he was not going to pressure her into anything. She had told him herself that all she wanted was a normal, happy life.
She had accepted that for her to be happy, normal was something entirely different from what it might be for someone else. Normal was loving [i] him[/i]. But he still did not completely understand that. They needed to talk, clearly, but she needed to break things off with Dan first. They both needed to be on a level playing field when next they spoke about the future.
She was angry at him for being afraid. There was no doubt that it was frustrating to always have to be the strong one when it came to their relationship. But he had been hiding from his emotions for his entire life. It was not a surprise that he might still do so on occasion, even after all they had been through together.
Khivar had told her that Zan's emotions had been what had destroyed him in his last life. But Liz had recognized long ago that it was Max's emotions that made him strong. He had just not quite accepted that himself yet.
He brought strength to their bond in other ways after all. If she was the backbone, he was the heart, so deeply concerned about the safety and well- being of all those he cared about, that it had even been used against him by his enemies. But it was not a bad thing - he just needed to learn to let go a little bit, to let those he loved make their own decisions, and yes, sometimes their own mistakes. He was beginning to do so, one example being his willingness to have Isabel decide Nicholas's fate. He had also been willing to let her, Liz, go if that's what she wanted, even though his gut instinct had been to hold on to her with every ounce of his strength.
He believed in her. Completely, implicitly. She knew it. That was not the problem. The issue was that he did not believe in himself. Even after all that he had done, all that he had accomplished, he still felt unworthy. And unless he could get over it, they were never going to be happy.
Maria turned off the ignition, let her head fall back against the seat. "The one thing we haven't discussed is how we're going to explain Ben to the Evans," she reminded Liz. "Max is going to be tied up at the police station with Kyle for a while. Should we tell them the truth?"
Liz was quiet for a moment. "Well, they already know the truth about Max and Isabel's origins. Isabel [i] had[/i] to tell them after Max disappeared, remember? I think it might be easier on them to hear that Max is back from us before he shows up here."
"I know Max will be happy with whatever you decide Liz." There was a pause. "Are things going to work out between you two?" Maria finally asked.
"I think so," Liz sighed. "We still have a lot to work out, but I know that I want to try."
"Liz, are you sure that your decision isn't just because of Ben?" Maria frowned slightly. "Are you sure this is what you really want?"
"I want to be happy Maria," Liz replied quietly. "He makes me happy. In spite of it all, he does. When he's not being a stubborn mule that is," she added wryly. "Ben is just a bonus." She glanced over the backseat at the still snoring Ben. She would have to ask Mr. Evans to come out and carry the little boy in. He really was too big for her to manage.
Maria had turned her head too. "Isabel? We're here."
Max's sister continued to stare straight ahead, no expression on her face. Liz and Maria exchanged a concerned look, Liz shaking her head as she opened her door. "Maybe her mother will be able to get through to her."
"I'll be right behind you Liz," Maria told her over the car. "I'll just get Lexi out of her car-seat."
Liz nodded, went to ring the doorbell. It was still early, eight o'clock in the morning. The Evans should be up though. Liz remembered, even after all this time, that they had always been early risers.
Diane Evans opened the door after a couple of minutes, surprise on her kind face when she recognized Liz. "Liz Parker! I haven't seen you in ages Sweetie!" Her expression changed completely though a moment later. "What's wrong? Something is wrong isn't it? You're supposed to be getting married this morning. I've been trying to call Isabel all night, but she hasn't answered the phone. She and Alexandra were supposed to be here last night to stay over for the wedding."
Liz reached out and took Mrs. Evans's hand. "They're both fine - well, mostly. Please don't worry." She nodded in the direction of the Volvo, where Maria was straightening with Lexi in her arms. "Isabel's in the car. There's something else…"
"What?" Diane's eyes widened with fear, slightly haunted as they had been every time Liz had run into her in the grocery store or at the Crashdown over the past eight years. As they had been ever since her son had disappeared.
"I have some good news and some bad news," Liz replied. "But first the good. Max is home."
Max's mother's eyes filled with tears of disbelief. "Liz…"
"It's true Mrs. Evans. He came back…to all of us."
Diane's smile was so brilliant as she pulled Liz against her for a hug, it was almost heartbreaking to have to tell her about Isabel and Jesse. But Liz did it. There was no choice. Isabel needed her parents.
Yes, Max's return was good news. But it had unearthed painful truths about the lives of those he had left behind that some might have thought better left alone. Isabel's marriage had been a sham and the consequences were going to have to be dealt with. Liz's relationship with Dan had also been less than she had pretended it was. She had had everything she had always wanted, but it had not brought the complete happiness she had envisioned.
But they all had a chance to rebuild now. It was going to take time and patience, but it would be worth it in the end.
Everyone was safe and [i] alive[/i]. It was a start.
*************************************************************
Liz glanced at her watch. Nine o'clock. She was supposed to be walking down the aisle in exactly two hours. She knew, without question, that her parents [i] and[/i] Dan were freaking out by now. She sighed heavily as she pulled the Volvo to a halt outside the Crashdown.
She sat staring at the restaurant that had been the center of her life during the years she had grown up in this town. She had learned to walk by clinging to it's tables, had done her homework at it's counter. She had earned the money to support herself during her years at Harvard serving it's customers.
She had come alive here on a September day in 1999 when Max Evans had patched a hole in her stomach that should have killed her. She should have been dead for the past ten years. But because of the brave act of one amazing boy, she had [i] lived[/i]. Yes, she had suffered, mourned, hated and had regrets during those ten years and, yet, the living had been worth it.
She was finally beginning to realize that pain was a part of life. And she was truly blessed because while she had had more than her fair share of grief, she had also experienced love on a level beyond what few could even imagine. As she sat staring at the doors she would pass through in order to completely change the direction of her life, she did not feel a single moment of doubt.
Doubts were over. She had made her choice. To her, Max was worth it. And soon enough he would begin to recognize it too.
She had left Maria behind at the Evans' after they had explained everything. Isabel had finally cracked slightly at the sight of her mother. She had climbed out of the car, walked into the house and had promptly fallen apart. The deep, wrenching sobs that had brought the poor young woman to her knees had only abated after Diane had rocked her like a baby for a long time. When Liz had left, mother and daughter had still been on the floor of the living room, Isabel's tears finally halted as they spoke quietly together, Diane attempting to help her child put her life back together.
Mr. Evans had helped Liz put Ben to bed in Max's old room. Liz had not been surprised to see that it had changed very little, that it had been maintained as something of a shrine to the Evans' lost son. She had seen the excitement in the eyes of the father as he had sat at the bedside of his new grandson, just staring down at him in amazement, glancing at his watch every few minutes, clearly willing the minutes by so that the little boy's father - his [i] son[/i] - would walk through the door and fulfill the wish of his heart for the past eight years. Liz had understood from Isabel that in some ways Phillip Evans had blamed himself for Max's departure, convinced that if he hadn't given his son the ultimatum about telling him the truth, if Max hadn't taken him at his word and moved out, none of it would have happened. Liz had stood with him for several minutes, her hand on his shoulder in comfort, but she had been acutely aware of the digital clock on Max's bedside table.
She had kissed Ben on the forehead, sweeping a loving hand through his blond curls before she left. He had stirred, opened his eyes, gazing up at her sleepily. "Liz?"
"Hi Sweetie. Go back to sleep. You're safe at your grandma and grandpa's. Maria's just outside. Your dad and I will be back very soon. We'll be here when you wake up again."
She had seen the flash of fear in his blue eyes, but it had almost instantly been replaced by a tentative trust. "Okay." He had closed his eyes again. She had been able to see him almost willing himself to fall asleep so that [i] very soon[/i] would come more quickly. It had almost broken her heart, but she knew that she had no choice but to leave him.
She had to get to Dan, had to tell him the truth. It was bad enough that she was doing this two hours before the wedding. Every minute she waited only made it worse.
And so she had left the Evans family in the care of Maria, who had agreed to wait for Max and Michael to return. She had been worried about Liz though. "Are you sure you don't need me to come with you chica?" She had asked with concern at the door as Liz had been leaving.
"Thank you," Liz had smiled affectionately at her best friend. "But this is something I need to do alone."
"Okay." Her blue eyes had met Liz's seriously. "What do you want me to tell Max when he gets here?"
Liz had sighed. "Don't tell him anything. He'll know where I am, and if he doesn't, well, then he can just wonder for a while." She might understand Max's fear, but it didn't mean she wasn't still peeved at him. He did deserve to suffer a little for doubting her. She was not a vindictive person, but, really, there was only so much angst one person could take.
And so now she sat trying to work up the nerve to break the heart of a man who had only ever been good to her. He was not the one for her, in the end, but she knew that he loved her. She was not looking forward to this.
"Get a grip Parker. You just killed an evil alien with your [i] mind[/i]. You can do this." But Liz knew that, in some ways, this was going to be worse. Khivar had been evil. Dan was not. He did not deserve any of this.
Taking a deep breath, she climbed slowly from behind the wheel of Isabel and Jesse's car, walked steadily towards the double-doors leading into her parents' restaurant, and pushed her way through.
The bell above the door rang through the empty restaurant.
Well, not entirely empty. Dan Riley sat at the counter, his back to the entrance, nursing a chocolate milkshake. She knew that he had likely only been back for a couple of hours - Michael had reported in their cell-phone conversation that Kyle and the others had only been a hundred or so miles ahead of them. He had not even changed his clothes.
Here was a man caught in abject misery. She had never had a chance to ask Max exactly what it was Dan thought had happened to him over the past week. All she knew was that he remembered nothing of what had really happened. She was going to have to tread lightly, which really did not seem fair since she was about to break his heart.
"Dan?" She kept her voice quiet, willing him to explode on her if he wanted to. He had more than earned the right to do so after all.
"Where have you been?" His voice was weary, soft. "Your parents told me that they've been trying you at Isabel's for the past two days and all they've gotten was an answering machine."
"I wasn't there." Liz walked towards him, slowly sat down on the stool beside him. "I was with Max." She could not lie to him about that. It wouldn't be fair.
"I thought so. When I saw him in Texas, I just knew that something weird was going on. I didn't think the love of your life would just accidentally show up a couple of days before our wedding." He stirred his straw in his milkshake, still did not look at her. "So, I guess there won't be a wedding now." He turned his head, his green eyes piercing on her face. "You still love him?"
"Yes." She wanted to take his hand in hers, comfort him somehow, but she knew that she didn't have the right. "I'm so sorry Dan."
He eyed her for a moment, then sighed heavily. "Please don't apologize Elizabeth. I think I've always known that I was really just a way to try and forget him." When Liz opened her mouth to protest, he held up a hand. "It's okay Elizabeth! Really. I'm glad that I could be that person for you. I knew what I was getting into when we started dating. You tried to tell me so many times before you finally gave in and said yes. I always hoped that you could feel for me what I knew you still felt for [i] him[/i], but I knew even when I proposed that it hadn't happened."
Liz frowned slightly. "Dan, why would you ask me to marry you then? You deserve so much more than half of someone's heart."
He crooked a smile at her. "I know it Elizabeth. But I think I was scared that I was never going to find that someone. I did love you - I [i] do[/i]…" he amended. "I really though that me loving [i] you[/i] could be enough. I never expected that I would let it go as far as I did, especially after what's happened in the last six months. But I just couldn't bear to hurt you again - not after what you had been through."
Now Liz was genuinely confused. "Dan, what are you talking about?"
"I've been so guilty for so long. I was willing to go through with it. I couldn't hurt you by calling it off. But fate stepped in, didn't it? He came back to you."
And suddenly Liz understood. She stared at him in complete horror. "You're in love with someone else too! Aren't you?" She could not believe that she had been about to marry someone who loved someone else. How could she have been so self-absorbed that she never even noticed? That he had cared about her enough to do it was even more amazing.
She reflected on all his manic behavior over the past week. All of his jealousy, his paranoia had been completely out of character. She had known it, but had attributed it all to Max's return and Dan's inability to accept that Max was going to be a part of her life, if only because of Ben. But it had all been an act, a performance played out by Khivar in possession of his body - Khivar pretending to act in the way he would have expected Dan to act in the situation he had been presented with.
Because Khivar had not known Dan, had not known that craziness and jealousy had never been Dan at all. And now Liz finally understood why. Dan had never been jealous because he had not been in love with her - at least not for a while. She still believed that he had loved her at one time. She did not doubt that. He was a good man. He never would have pursued her the way he did if he had not.
But her inability to truly let go with him had finally killed his love for her. She could not blame him, and yet she still felt sorry. He had not deserved to be hurt in that way.
And, in spite of it all, he had found someone else to love. Someone who could maybe love him back.
"Elizabeth, you have to understand, I do love you. I never expected it to happen. I don't think I ever really accepted that it was true - that I loved her. But when Kyle and I ran into her on the highway, when she told me that I had called her, had told her that I had something important to tell her, I realized that in my drunken stupor I must have finally realized the truth. It was the only logical explanation that I could come up with for why I would go on such a bender three days before our wedding." Liz grimaced slightly at that, sad that she had to allow him to believe the lie that he had been so irresponsible.
And as she thought about what he had said, suddenly it was all crystal- clear. "Vick! It's Victoria, isn't it?" He looked uncomfortable, but he nodded.
Liz frowned, slightly confused. She still wasn't really sure why Khivar, in control of Dan's body, would have called Vick. Maybe somehow, accessing Dan's mind as he had been, he had found out the truth, had figured that he would just cause more trouble for Max by bringing Victoria into the picture. But it was probably a question that she was never going to have an answer for so there was really no point in thinking about it.
The important thing was that, despite himself, Khivar had actually done a good thing in calling her. It had apparently forced Dan to confront his real feelings.
Somehow Liz wasn't surprised that it was Vick. They had all known each other forever after all - she and Dan, Kyle and Sarah…and Vick. Dan and Vick had never been inordinately close, but on further reflection, Liz could see how they might have seriously tried to make it look that way so that no one would recognize how they really felt about each other. She still shook her head in amazement though. "Does she feel the same way?"
"I think she might Elizabeth. She just never even thought it was a possibility though - because of [i] us[/i]. She loves you. There is no way that she ever would have interfered in our relationship."
Liz felt her heart lighten. Could the problem of Dan really be resolving itself so easily? It almost seemed unfair that she wasn't going to have to endure immense guilt over this. But she could not regret that her former fiancé was going to be able to move on quite nicely without her. She could only be happy for him.
Nothing was certain in life. Dan and Victoria might not end up together, but at least there was the potential. In the end, this break-up was the best thing for both of them.
"Oh Dan, I'm so sorry that I let it go this far. It wasn't fair to you at all." She allowed herself to take his hand in hers now, now that she knew that he would survive this, that she had not broken his heart.
Dan frowned slightly. "Elizabeth, I'm still worried about you though. How can you be sure that Max Evans won't hurt you again?" He shook his head. "I don't know him from a hole in the head, but I know that it almost killed you to lose him last time. How can you be sure that this time will be different?"
Liz sighed. "You know what Dan, I can't [i] really[/i] be sure. Max and I have been backwards and forwards for the past week - ever since seeing each other again. I do know he loves me and I know he came back [i] because[/i] he loves me. I have never doubted that. But he left me once and so I told him that I couldn't trust him and we couldn't be together. In the end though, I realized something. Giving our heart to [i] anyone[/i] is never a certain thing. Anyone can throw our trust back in our face. Max did it to me once, but I know, in my heart, that he'll never do it again. And I love him. I'm willing to take the chance with him. To me, it's just worth it."
Dan smiled at her, leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You are a very brave woman Elizabeth Parker."
Liz shrugged. "Anyone who takes a chance on love is brave Dan. But thank you." She stood up, hugged him close. "I never would have made it through the last few years without you. I will always love you for that and I will always be grateful. I hope that we can still be friends."
"Forever."
Liz stepped back, smiled at him again. "Well then Dan Riley, I have only one more thing to say to you." She held out her hand. He looked at her, a slightly befuddled expression on his face, but he took hers in his, shook it slowly. She grinned teasingly at him.
"My friends call me [i] Liz[/i]."