She paced the length of her room impatiently as she waited for Liz to show up.  She felt antsy, but she knew she was just over reacting.  Glancing at the clock she continued her pacing.  "Okay…okay…you better have a good reason why you're late."  She mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ouch…damn it."  She screamed hopping on one foot as she stared at the evil radio she'd forgotten in the middle of her room.  Sitting on her bed she rubbed the limb in question with her hands.

"Calm down…calm down…"  She scolded herself as she willed the ach in her feet to end.  Grabbing the cypress oil off the nightstand by the bed she held it to her nose, sighing loudly, her eyes closed as the aroma slithered into her senses.  Seeing Liz hovering in the doorway, her pain forgotten she jumped to her feet.  "Jeez… you're here…you know waiting isn't my cup of tea…okay spill…what's going on here Liz?"  She demanded stopping only to catch a breath.  "I mean you're never…never late for anything and I mean anything…so are you going to just stand there or are you going to tell me what's going on here?"  She insists tapping her feet and closing her arms over her chest as she stared at Liz.

Liz shrugged for shoulder.  "I know…I sorry Maria…I just sort of bumped into someone."  She said not meeting Maria's angry stare.  She wasn't trying to be self-absorbed, she knew that Maria had something she wanted to tell her, something important, but she couldn't think straight.  So many emotions, so many memories was bombarding her that she wasn't even sure how she got to Maria's to begin with.

"Okay…sort of bumped into someone… who exactly are we talking about here?  Maria asked pulling Liz down beside her on the bed.

"It was no one important."  She said even though her heart was still racing inside her from his amazing kiss in the graveyard.  She just couldn't bring herself to talk about it yet.  What if it was just her imagination running wild?  Which it definitely could have been?  What if she dreamt the whole thing and she was going to wake up any minute to find herself alone in her room?  Shaking her head she closed her eyes for a few second.  No she definitely wasn't ready to talk about it.

"Wait a minute here…. are you trying to tell me you're over two hours late and this bumping into person wasn't even important?"  Maria demanded glaring at her.

"Yea, I guess I am… Maria.  She said looking around the room.  She couldn't make herself look into her eyes and lie to her.  God… she wanted to tell her, but she'd made such a mess of everything in the past year.  She practically declared war against her friends and even though her assumption was right, an alien killed Alex, the way she went about it…  How could she have done that?  How could she isolate everyone she loved from her?  Sighing she took a deep breath.  She knew the answer to that one, Tess.  Everything that has gone wrong in the past year always led back to her.

"Okay…look…"  Maria said cutting into her thoughts as she got to her feet pacing in front of her.  "We both know I'm going to get it out of you… why don't we spare each other the time and aggravation and you tell me now."  She insisted.

"There's nothing to tell Maria."  Liz reassured her getting to her feet.  "Look it's getting late I have to go."

"Wait… what about the mall…remember our strategy… to get away from the whole you know abnormal adventures in our lives."  She asked staring dump founded at Liz's behavior.

"I know…I'm sorry Maria.  Maybe we can do it tomorrow… okay?"  She said heading to the bedroom door.

"Liz…"  Maria called the antsy intruder threatening to over take her again.

"Yea…"  Liz stopped at the threshold, but she couldn't bring herself to turn and face her. 

"Are you alright?"  She asked closing her eyes for a second.  "I mean…I know something's wrong and I know that you're this independent soul, but you know that I'm here right… if you need me… I here."

 "Yea…I know Maria…. thanks."  She said before walking out of the door.

"I'm Liz Parker and it's been a really long time since I've written in this journal.  So many things has happen that I don't know where to begin.  I guess right now the most important thing is I spoke to Max today.  I mean we really talked to each other.  Everything I've been feeling for the past year, everything he's been feeling just sort of exploded between us when we finally faced each other one on one without the others hovering around us.  I told him about future Max.  I didn't want to, but Max's didn't give me a choice.  I don't know where we stand right now, but at least we won't be at each other's throats any longer.  God, If I could only make this year disappear, before Alex's death, before Tess arrived in our lives."

He stood and watched her as she sat in the lawn chair on her balcony adsorbed in her writing, his heart racing at the sight of her.  He didn't know why he was here he just couldn't stay away.  Silently he made his way to her as his eyes slowly roared her body from the top of her soft silky hair down to the leg she had tucked under her body.  He wanted to etch every single change in her beauty to memory.

"Somehow I knew you would be writing in your diary."  He said stopping in front of her.

Her heart slammed against her chest at the sound of his voice.  Closing her journal she looked up at him her heart racing.  "What are you doing here, Max?"  She asked staring up at him.

"I don't know."  He admitted moving closer to her.  "After our talk in the cemetery today…I just couldn't stay away…I…"

"What do you want Max?"  She asked him forcing the words through the lump that seemed determine to choke her.

"You!"

"Besides that?"  She asked a smile on her face.

"Is there anything beyond wanting you…Liz?"  He asked sitting down next to her on the lawn chair.

Rowing her eyes she put the book down on the ground next to her.  "Yea…right…"

"I just wanted to make sure what happen at the cemetery wasn't just my imagination."  He said looking at her intently.

"I've been wondering the same thing."  She confessed smiling at him.

"Liz…I…I just need to know if there's a chance for us?"  He admitted looking away from her, his heart racing.

"Max…I don't know.  I mean everything we've been through…everything we've put each other through."  She corrected her self.  "How can we just forget…forget the awful words we said to each other.  How can we just forget the pain we've caused each other?"  She demanded her eyes felled with tears.

"That's just it, Liz.  We don't…we learn from the mistakes we've made in the past.  We learn."  He said searching her face for her reaction.

"What have you learn?"  She demanded staring back into his eyes.  Everything in her wanted to take the question back afraid of what he would say, but she made herself wait for his answer her heart throbbing in expectation to his response.

Taking a deep breath he held her eyes with hers.  "I've learned… Elizabeth Parker that no matter what pain we inflict on each other I can't stop loving you."  He admitted his brows drawn into a frown as if his answer came as much as a surprise to him as it was to her.

Her heart seems to stop in her chest at his words.  How could he still love her so much after everything she's done to him?  How could he still want her after she pushed him to Tess… the person who killed one of their best friends… the person who betrayed him?

She looked away from him as her tears slide down her face.  Everything in her wanted to tow her arms around him and forget the past, but it wasn't that simple.  So much has happen… so much pain between them.

"Max…"  She cried wiping at the tears running down her face.

Taking her face between his hands he made her look at him.  "I love you… Liz."  He smiled down at her.  "I love you so much that it scares me, but I can't stop loving you no matter how much I've tried.  You're in my blood Liz, from the moment I set eyes on you in elementary.  So I guess you're stuck with me."  He said smiling down at her.

"God…" She roared jumping to her feet.  "Why do you always do this to me?"  She demanded.  "Just when I think I know you… you go and pull a complete turn around on me…damn…"

"Liz…"  He moaned his heart braking as he watched her turn away from him.

"Why…why…"  She demanded her tears blinding her.  "Why do you have this ability to make me love you even though I know I shouldn't?"  She asked.

"Liz…please look at me."  He said going to stand behind her.

"I can't…Max…I…can't."  She cried.

"Why?  Why can't you even look at me?"  He demanded his heart braking.  God… he can't lose her again… he can't.

"You just don't understand…I don't even understand it myself… Max…you're just…"

"I'm want…Liz.  What am I?"  He murmured pulling her soft body next to his.  He felt the sharp breath she took at the contact.  "What am I to you?"  He softly asked again.

"Everything."  She moaned turning and throwing her arms around him as she pulled him tightly to her body.  "Everything."  She repeated before she took his mouth wildly.  'I'm sorry.' She silently cried in her head.  'I can't let him go…I can't.'  For a spilt second future Max entered her mind, the terrifying future he'd map out for her, but it didn't apply any longer.  Alex's is dead; Tess was on Antar with Max's unborn son.  And even though she knew his son would be a heavy obstacle in their future life together she knew as the older version of himself once said the future is to be determined.  From this moment on we create our own destiny.

TBC