Chapter Twenty-Five

He slammed the door forcefully behind him his body heaving from the rage still racing inside him.  'How dare they think it's okay to use me…how dare they?'

"Kyle…is that you?"  His father yelled turning from the baseball game he was watching.

Taking a deep breath he yelled.  "Yea…it's me."  Making his way into the living room he flopped down next to his father.

"Hard day?"  He asked grabbing the remote and turning off the television.

"Yea…I guess you can say that."  He said as he pulled air into his body, trying to control the rage inside him.

"Okay…why don't you tell me what's going on?"  Valanti said turning and giving him his full attention.

"Dad…I don't think you want to hear this."

"Why don't you give it a shot.  I'll let you know when I've heard enough."  He reassured him.

"Dad…"

"Kyle… just tell me what's going on."  He demanded forcing a smile on his face as he tried to ignore the uneasiness that suddenly strung inside him.

"You're not going to like this."

"Kyle!"

"Okay…okay…"  He said running his hands through his hair as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  "A few days ago Max, Michael, Isabel and I got together and we made Mike pay for what he did to Liz."

"What?  What do you mean pay?"  He demanded angrily.

"I…I didn't know what was going to happen, dad.  I swear…I didn't know." He said shaking his head as that night came crashing down on him.  "They hurt him really bad, dad."

"I heard that Mike was viciously attacked and in the hospital." He said rubbing his hand across his forehead.

"Yea…well if I wasn't there he would have been dead." He closed his eyes leaning his head back again the sofa.

"What are you saying Kyle?"  His father demanded. 

Sitting up he stared at his father.  "They lost it dad.  Once he was in front of them they lost it.  It was as if they couldn't control themselves any longer.  As if something inside them snapped."

"But they didn't kill the sorry bastard."  Valanti tried to reassure himself.  'At least they didn't kill him.'

"God…don't you get it."  Kyle demanded jumping from the sofa.  "They used me.  They used me, dad.  If I wasn't there they would have killed him…they would have."

"Kyle…"

"No!"  He cried staring down at his father is anger igniting inside him again.  "Don't you understand?  They used me."

"Have you talked to them about this?"  He asked.  When Kyle shook his head yes he demanded.  "What did they say/"

Kyle laughed covering his eyes as he sighed dropping down on the sofa next to his father again.  "Some scrap about trusting me to keep things understand control.  That they trusted me when they didn't trust themselves.  But that doesn't make it right…it doesn't make it right."

"No it doesn't."  Valanti agreed staring at his son.  "Kyle I don't think that they intentionally set out to use you.  I think maybe Max knew that once he was confronted with that monster he may not be able to control himself.  You saw him at Michael's. 

"Yea…I did."  Kyle admitted.  "God…dad…I thought they were going to kill him."

"If they wanted to kill him, why didn't they?"  Valanti asked staring intently into his son's face.

"Because…because I stopped them." He admitted.

"So Max was right.  He needed someone he trusted to keep things from getting out of control. Kyle I want you to tell me the truth.  Let's forget about the power thing for a moment…okay.  If this situation happen, with Liz and they were just ordinate kids and they asked you to come alone.  Would you have attacked Mike with the rest of them?

"I don't know." 

"Kyle!"

"Yes…okay.  I would have."

"So why didn't you?"  He asked.

"Because they do have powers and things were, way out of control.  They needed someone with a clear head.  Someone to…to…"

"Keep things under control."  Valanti finished his sentence when he trailed off.

"This is a tough situation for everyone involve…Kyle.  Liz, her parents, Max and even Michael…"

"Michael?"

"Think about it son.  He's lived his whole life in the foster system.  I've read his file.  I won't go into specify, but I will say if anyone knows what Liz's is going through it would him.

"Dad are you trying to say that…"

"I'm not trying to say anything, son, but that I understand why they did what they did.  No I'm not happy that they pulled you into it, but I think Max's knew his limitation and he was trying to be responsible."

"Dad…"  He didn't what to see it through their eyes.  He wanted to hold on to his anger.  If he was angry he wouldn't have the time or willpower to think about the fact that he'd only watched them make that bastard pay.  That he'd actually begged Max to save the life of the monster who tried to destroy someone he loved. 

Getting to his feet Valanti looked down at his son.  "Isabel called earlier for you.  She's waiting for your call."

"You already knew about this…didn't you?"  He demanded staring up at his father. 

"No…I didn't.  I knew something had happen.  It was in her voice.  She's really worried about you.  I think you should give her a call."

"So…it's alright that they used me?" 

"No…no…it's not, Kyle.  It's not all right that they used you.  Try and put yourself in their shoes.  They couldn't come to me.  Maria was definitely not an option.  Who else did they have to turn to that they could trust? What would you have done?"

Kyle watched his father walk away from him.  He didn't know what to think.  Was he so anger because he felt like they used him or was he just using that anger to hide behind the fact that he felt that he'd somehow failed Liz by saving Mike's life?  Jumping to his feet he shook his head to clear it as he headed to the phone to call Isabel.

'I'm Liz Parker and I know it's been a while since I've last written anything in this journal.  But I couldn't help it.  Everything has changed once again in my life.  I had my second meeting today with my therapist.  Only my second which should have been my sixth.  I don't even remember blowing off those appointments.  But then again I don't remember a lot of what I've done in the past few weeks.  I only know that during that lost time in my life I succeeded in hurting the most important person in my life beside my parents.  How could I have done that…how can he forgive me?'

He pulled himself over the latter watching her intently as he approached her.  He had to do this now.  Everything in him demanded that he did.  But as he looked at her sitting in the lawn chair on her balcony, so absorbed in her journal he had to fight the urge to turn around before she spotted him and go back home.

She watched him from the corner of her eye as she continued to write in her journey.  She saw him hesitate as if he wasn't sure he wanted to be here.  "Are you coming or going?"  She said not looking up at him as she continued to write in her journey.

At the unexpected question Max looked down at her intently, his heart beating wilding in his chest. 

"Coming or going?"  She repeated continuing her writing.  It wasn't that she was ignoring him.  She just didn't want to forget anything that she felt she needed to write down in her journal.  "Sit down Max."  She said waving her free hand to the seat next to her.  "I'm almost done."

He watched her as he did what she asked.  "Liz…"

She held up her hand her concentration embedded on what she was documenting.   "I'm almost finished."  She said as she kept her hand in the air. 

'Today begins a new day, a new era in my life and what happens from this moment on defends on me. Only me.  I am the only one who can determine what will affect me.  I understand that now.  I think for the first time in my life I really understand that I am the one who determines what I will allow to dominate me and what I will not.  All the crazy thing that's happen in my life, all the pain, the sorrow, even the happiness, I control the extent it impacts my life.  It's amazing to finally come to this conclusion after everything that's happen in the past few weeks.  But as I write these words I can't help but feel free.  For the first time that's exactly what I feel.  Free.'

Closing her journal she placed it down on the ground next to her as she looked up at Max tear's pooling in her eyes. 

"Oh…God…Liz."  She heard him moaned as he looked at the tears in her eyes.

"Max."  She whispered reaching her hand out and touching his face.  She wanted to make him understand that her tears was happy tears, but how could she without letting him read what she'd just wrote in her journal?

"Liz…"  He pulled away from her, his heart braking inside him.  When he left her earlier he was so happy that they had worked things out between them until he'd remember what he'd did to her. 

"What's the matter Max?"

He looked at her as he moved from on foot to the other.  "I'm sorry…for…"  He couldn't bring himself to say that he was sorry for hurt her.  How could he have ever done that to her?  How could he have hurt the most important person in his life like that?  "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand, Max…what are you sorry for?"  She asked staring at him confused.

"I…I hurt you, Liz.  I hurt you in a way that is unacceptable."  He cried turning away from her.  "Nothing excuse's what I did to you…nothing." 

As realization of what he was talking about hit her, she shook her head as a flesh roll of tears entered her eyes spilling down her cheeks.  Closing the distant between them she reached out and touched his arm.  "I forgive you, Max." She said.

"No…"  He pulled away.  "Don't!"  He roared his pain surging through him.  "Don't…because I can never forgive myself.  God…Liz…I physically hurt you."

"As I hurt you."  She countered. She had to make him understand…she had to.  "Thank you."

He stared at her shocked. She was standing in front of him thanking him for hurting her.  "Liz…I don't think you understand what your saying.  How can you thank me for hurting you."  He murmured staring at her confused.

"No…Max.  I don't think you understand.  Thank you for bringing me back to reality.  Thank you for loving me enough to force me to see what I was doing even though I fought you the whole way.  Thank you."  She said again trying to make him understand.

"God…Liz."  He moaned pulling her into his arms his body relaxing as he released the emotions weighing him down.  "I've missed you so much."

"Yea…well I plan on making up for lost time."  She said laughing as he smiled down into her face. 

"Is that a promise, Liz?"  He asked  "Because a guy can take something like that very serious.  In fact this particular guy plan on taking it straight to the heart."

"Does he now?"  She asked staring up at him.

"Definitely and we can start this weekend."

She drew her brows into a frown.  "This weekend?"

"Yea…someone forgot to tell you about our little vacation this weekend?"  Pulling away he cleared his throat and took a few steps away.  Moving his arm over his stomach he bowed.  "This…my beauty lady is your official invitation.  Will you please join me as well as a group of the most eccentric character's you will ever meet on this world or any other in our escapade of fun in the sun this weekend?"

She felt it start in the pit of her stomach.  It spread so quickly that she doubled over.

Tears running down her cheeks.  She tried so hard not to make a sound, not wanting to embarrass him, but she couldn't help it.  His actions was so unlike him that she couldn't no matter how hard she tried stop the sound of her laughter from escaping the tight hold she held over her mouth.

Closing the distances between them he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her upright.

"Is that a yes?"  He asked.  "Is that a yes?"  He asked again when she didn't answer him.

But she couldn't.  She couldn't stop the laughter controlling her as she pulled away doubling over again. 

"Liz…"

"Yes…yes…"  She choked out wiping her eyes.  "I would love to accompany you and the eccentric character's you mentioned."

"Yes?"  He smiled at her.

"Yes.  I can't wait to tell them your description of their character."  She laughed.  "Eccentric…God…and you actually bowed.  Wait until I tell Maria."

The smile left his face, quickly replaced with disbelief.  "Your not actually going to tell them about this are you?"  He asked.  "Come one Liz.  I know you wouldn't do that to me."

"Ohhhhh…but I have to Max.  I can't keep this one in. This one is definitely going down in the history books.  To be told hundreds of years from now to little kids sitting around a camp fire.  I can just see their little faces now…"

"You wouldn't?"

"And why wouldn't I?"  She asked.  "This is piece list information I'm holding here. So unless you can give me one good reason why not to share these…eccentric friends of ours knows all."

"Because you love me and I know you wouldn't totally humiliate me in front of our best friends."  He said closing the distances between them.

"Oh…Max…Max…you can do better then that."  She said laughing.

"Because I love you with all my heart and soul."  He said pulling her into his arms.  "Because you are the sun, the moon, the earth, Antar all wrapped up into one amazing gift to me."

"Oh…sweetheart that was so sweet, but this is colossal so I know you can do better then that."  She said her laughter suddenly evaporating from inside her, her heart racing as she looked up into his face.

Max stared down at her his heart racing as his body sensed the sudden change in her. Lowering his head he touched her mouth softly with his.  Moving his lips over hers slowly. He captured her bottom lip between his teeth gently for a few seconds before releasing it and continuing to glide over her mouth.  Pulling away he ran his hand in her hair cupping her head with his hand.

Holding her bottom lip within her teeth she moaned.   "Ummmmm….."  She closed her eyes for a second savoring the taste of him on her mouth.  "That was nice, but I know you can do better then that."

Groaning deep within his chest Max pulled her tightly into him taking her mouth wildly.  He moved firmly, hungrily over her mouth.  "Liz…"  He moaned, cupping her head with both his hands.  "open for me."  He murmured  "Oh…God…" He moaned when he was finally able to taste her completely, his body on fire for more.  He took her mouth wildly with his trying to make up for the lost time in that one kiss.

"Max….Max…."  She kept repeating as she held on to him pulling their bodies tighter together. Moving her lower body in a circular motion she caressed him.

"Yes." He moaned his eyes tightly closed as he mimicked her movement.  "I want you…God…I want you…Liz."  He moaned pulling his face away slightly.

She smiled up at him reaching out to touch his face.   "To be continued."  She said smiling despite the hunger racing through her.

Covering the hand touching his face he closed his eyes for a second trying to control his need for her.  "To be continued."  He repeated smiling as he stared down into her passion dazed eyes.  "Definitely."

'To be continued.'  It was what Liz always said when they reached a point that she wasn't ready for.  And even though he always wanted to go farther he'd always give the same response.  'To be continued...Definitely.'

Taking a deep breath he pulled farther away from her as he tried to control his need for her.  "So…is my secret safe with you?"  He made himself asks as he ran his hand through his hair.

"As long as you continued to pay off the way you just did…your secret is definitely safe with me."  She said smiling as she tried to lighten the mood.

"Blackmail?"  He laughed shaking his head as he moved to stand in front of her again.  "Well my precious, beautifully love.  If what I had to just endure this my penalty for you to keep such a…what did you term it…colossal… something about a history book and kids sitting around a fire… I will gladly pay the price for your silences."

Laughing her throw her arms around him.  "I love you."  She whispered.  "I love you so much."

He held her tightly to him rocking her back and forth as he closed his eyes.  "I love you to Liz…more then you'll ever know." 

TBC