Chapter Eighteen:
He sat by her window, his back pressed to the wall, eyes tightly closed. As his body trembled uncontrollable he forced air into his lungs. He didn't even remember walking to Liz's or climbing up her fire escape, didn't remember fallen to the ground, where he now sat. He tried to control the tremors raking over him, but he couldn't stop them no matter how hard to tried. He seemed to be in a daze as if the past hours events was just a dream, but he knew that it was very much reality. That he, Michael, Kyle and Isabel had kidnapped Mike and…and… groaning Max covered his face with his hands pressing the heal of his palms into his eyes.
Liz walked over to her window watching the stars in the sky a small smile on her face. She touched the cold glass for a moment before opening it and taking a deep breath of the cool air hitting her face. Leaning out slightly Liz stared up at the sky. Her heart slammed against her the wall of her chest at the sudden movement beside her.
"Max? What are you doing here?" She asked her surprise replaced instantly with concern as she took in his appearance.
"I don't know, Liz…I don't know why I'm here." Getting to his feet he started to move toward the fire escape. "I shouldn't be here. I'm sorry."
"Max…wait…please wait." She begged scrawling out of the window and going to stand in front of him. "Oh…my God…Max." She moaned touching his arm. "What's wrong? Are you sick?" She asked.
Bending his head he ran a hand through his hair then looked down into her beautiful eyes. He reached up and cupped her cheeks with his hands. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" He asked softly.
"Max…what's wrong?" She murmured, uneasiness settling inside her as she gazed up at him.
"Oh…God…Liz. I never meant for it to get so out of control." He said turning away. He couldn't face her. Didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes. "God…" He moaned. "I only meant to scare him, to make him feel what you've felt all these years. I never meant to…to…"
"What are you talking about?" Liz asked, holding her body stiff, her hands balled into fists at her side. "What did you do?" She demanded.
As he turned and looked at her he finally realized what had brought him here. Liz…he needed to be close to her, needed to reassure himself that he wasn't the monster that had attacked Mike in the desert. Somewhere in his dazed mind he knew that he had to be the one to tell her, before she heard it for someone else.
"Liz…" He took a step toward her, but stopped when she took a step away from him.
"What did you do, Max?" She asked again crossing her arms over her chest.
"I…"
"I heard my parents talking earlier." She watched his face for his reaction. "My dad received a phone call telling him that Mike was violently attacked tonight and was in the hospital."
"Liz…" He closed his eyes for a second, but forced them open again. He made himself look at her. He deserved this, deserved what ever she did. He knew better then to lose control to the extent that he had.
"What did you do me him?" She asked as she watched him struggle with the emotions inside him. "Max…what did you do?" She asked again, her tone less harsh.
"I never meant for it to get so out of control…please believe me…Liz…please." He begged his body heaving with so many conflicting emotions racing inside him. "I just wanted…I just wanted him to feel your pain, but…but when he was in front of me…when he made those comments about you. I…I…"
"Max, what did you do?" She demanded. "What did you do?"
"Oh…God…" He roared his eyes filled with tears. "We hurt him…we hurt him really bad, Liz. Try and understand…please. Try and understand." He begged.
"Why do you feel you always have
to fight my battles? God…Max…I love
you…I do, but you can't solve all my problems.
You can't take away all the things in my life that will hurt me."
"But I want to…Liz…I want to." He said,
his voice catching in his throat.
"But you can't. Don't you understand? You can't protect me from my life. Just like I can't protect you from yours even though everything inside me wants to."
"I've made a mess of everything, haven't I?" He asked, his heart racing as he waited for her answer.
"Yea…you did, Max. You did."
Every cell in his body seemed to collapse as he stared at her. He felt the blood running inside him stop it's rapid movement, refusing to give life to the rest of him. His body doubled its tremors as he turned away from her.
Taking his arm she turned him back to her. "Yes, you've made a mess of things, but I understand why you did it Max…I do understand." She cried, as she pulled him into her arms. As she held him she made herself admit. "I would have done the same for you."
"Oh…God. I love you Liz…I love you." He cried as he held her tightly to him.
"I love you to." She said as she stared blindly over his shoulder. It was like a switch had suddenly been turned on inside her as she held him. Everything in her past seemed to be so clear to her so suddenly. 'Why fight it?' The question screamed inside her. 'Why fight what you are?"
TBC
