Distance supposedly makes the heart grow fonder. Separation is meant to make me want you more. And I have to say in this case it's truer than any truth I've ever encountered. It'd rather die than go another minute without your heart.

Love always, Liz.

Liz Parker signed the email off with a small sigh and hoped he would get it before they travelled any further. The even of the past year had been excruciating and she had never wanted to have to hold on to memories of Max for so long. He replied when he could, but there was never really enough time to say anything properly. He'd never been good with words, and the lack of time caused him to be blunt and to the point, which he'd never really wanted to do. Not with Liz. He wanted to describe every thought, every dream to her, in hopes that when he returned, she'd still feel the same about him. When, IF would probably be a better way to put it.

She turned around slowly with closed eyes. Urging her tears to subside, to no avail of course. They coursed down her face like acidic rain and she made no effort to brush them away. Everything they'd be through together, but he'd refused point blank to let her come with them on this particular mission, it would take too long, and she'd be in too much danger, and if anything happened to her, she knew, Max wouldn't be able to fulfil his duty as King with the rest of the group.

Opening her eyes slowly, seemed to make the tears disperse slightly, and as her eyes started to focus again she made out a dark clad figure standing in her doorway. An overwhelming feeling of, relief? Was it? Or, desire? Certainly not. Then her eyes focused fully and the figure stepped forward into the light with a cheeky smile on it's face.

"Max!" Liz cried!

"Liz." he sighed desperately at his dark eyes burned soulful need into hers.

She ran over to him only to meet him halfway and become lost in his embrace. No words were needed as he gently wiped her tears away with his pinky finger and caressed her cheek what the back of his hand. Her tears abetted and she collapsed completely into his arms. He picked her off the ground, cradling her in his arms like a baby and lowered her softly onto her bed. She grabbed his hand as he straightened up, and pulled him down towards her.

"Please, don't leave me again."

"Never, it's over Liz, the war I mean, they're gone. We can have whatever kinda of normal you want now sweetie."

"Oh, Max."

With that he lay down next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Snuggling together so close that their unique scents mingled together and created a bubble of them around their togetherness.

Liz leaned her head back into him and he kissed her lightly on the temple. The sparks that emitted from her at that moment told him all that he needed to know. She wanted him, as badly as he wanted her.

She rubbed her hand across his cheek, "you need a shave."

"Yeah, never really got much time for that when we got back. I just came straight around to see you. Michael went to Maria's and Izzy went to Alex's. I have no idea where Tess disappeared to but I think she went to Kyle's."

With the mention of Tess' name Liz's body became rigid and she suddenly lost some of her warmth.

"Baby, what?" Max muttered, sounding concerned.

"Uh, nothing happened between you and Tess then?"

"Of course not, how could you think." Max stuttered and rolled himself away from Liz, their bubble seemingly popping.

"I just didn't know if you were going to go along with your destiny or not, you never seemed interested in Tess, but with things the way they were."

"My mind never thought of anyone but you. ever. and it never will."

"Max, I'm so sorry, how could I ever have doubted." Max pressed his finger gently on Liz's soft, supple lips, to silence her.

"Sshhhh, it doesn't matter. all that matters right now is you and me."

As the last sentence dripped into silence from his lips he looked deeply into Liz's eyes and smiled, "How about I go and have a shave then?"

"How about I help you?" Liz said cheekily.

"Fine then." Max grinned.

He got up off the bed and brought Liz with him. Hold her around the waist as they tried to simultaneously walk towards her bathroom. Giggling and stumbling, they tripped over each others feet and halfway ended up sprawled across Liz's bedroom floor in hysterics.

"This is almost how I imagined we'd be when you came back, Max" Liz giggled

Suddenly serious, Max asked, "How'd you know I'd be coming back at all?"

"I just did, somehow, I did. It helped me deal with whatever it was that I couldn't deal with at the time." She sombrely admitted.

"Oh, fair enough then." Max replied and wrestled Liz towards the bathroom door.

Liz giggled like a school girl, "Ahhhh, stop tickling meeeeeeee!"

"Ha! Never my love, you have succumbed to me, now you will pay! Hahahaha!" He bellowed evilly.

"Nooooo..." Liz squealed, playing the damsel in distress.

They both laughed madly, as Liz added, "Lucky my parents are away for the weekend, or we could be in real trouble by now. hehehe."

"I wonder what I could possibly say to them when they get back?" Max wondered, puzzled. "I suppose 'Hi' usually works."

"Yeah, 'I'm here to violate your first born' tends no to go down to well."

"Line stealer! Riley said that in Buffy!"

"So? It sounds cool!"

"Anything you say sounds cool." Max added flirtatiously.

He stood up and dragged Liz by her shoulders into the bathroom as she squealed with delight and amusement, thinking, "He's finally back, and he hasn't changed. Wow, I can't believe life can possibly be this good."

When they were in the bathroom, Liz said, "Do you just want a shave? Coz I could out the shower on for you if you want?"

"You look like you need one too." Max added.

"Hey! I just had.oh," she said, catching his drift, "Yeah I probably do."

"Heh, well then." Max snickered as he finished the last stroke of the razor.

"Well then..." Liz trailed off, not knowing what she'd got herself into.

"Hey you don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought I'd be a good experiment, you know, for the scientist in you." He added with an accent on the scientist, while wrapping his arms around her waist again.

"You want the first time we make love to be an experiment?!?" Liz gasped.

"No, no, you got me all wrong. I don't want to, make love, in the shower, just, experience each other's bodies, fully, before we do. And by no means does that have to be tonight, I couldn't imagine asked you to do something if you're not fully ready." "Oh." Liz said, with a sigh of relief. "What makes you think I don't want to? Or that I'm not fully ready?"

"Nothing, babe, I just didn't want you to think."

"Never, I was just teasing." Liz giggled.

"Oh, you.heh." Max sighed.

"So how about that shower?" Liz asked.

"Ok then." Max replied, "Do you want to do it? Or do you want me to?"

"Do what?"

"Undress you." He said it with such a definite confidence that Liz automatically became shy.

"You want to? I mean, I'm not all that special to look at."

"Liz! Don't ever say, or even think that! You are the single most beautiful girl I've ever seen, and nothing would give me more pleasure than to kiss every single place on your beautiful body." Max breathed, disbelievingly. How could she not think she was beautiful. Did I never tell her enough? Doesn't she believe me?

Liz looked up into Max's dark, beckoning, passion filled eyes, and blinked. "I've just never really thought I was anything. great. Until you." I never thought I was great until you came along, Max Evans, and saved my life, because you said you've always loved me.

"Until me?"

"Until you."

Liz ran her hand down Max's freshly shaved cheek and looked deep into his eyes.

"Can you just do it?" Liz beckoned.

"Do what?" Max replied, confused.

"What both of us have wanted to do since you walked through that door."

"Oh, THAT." Max smiled, as he leaned down and kissed her, square on the centre of her lips, his heat and passion filled her entire being as he rocked her right to her core. Her centre of gravity. She got so lost in his kiss that everything else just drowned out. As his tongue pushed gently against the outside of her mouth Liz parted her lips slightly, teasing him, then fully. He moaned as she sucked his tongue into her mouth and massaged it with her own. When they finally broke away, both gasping for air, everything around them seemed elementary and trivial.

"Screw the shower." They both said in unison.

As they both kissed each other madly, undressing each other, and lapping the skin in the places where the clothes once were, it dawned on Liz. This is going to change everything. She hesitated slightly and Max picked up on her thoughts.

"Only for the better though, babe." He murmured.

And it was only for the better.