Chapter 22

The sunlight was streaming through the crack in the curtains and managed to hit Liz right in the face.  She squinted in annoyance and snuggled closer into the warm arms that were around her.  Max unconsciously gathered her just a little closer, tucking her head under his chin.  Just then Liz was irritatingly aware of a poking sensation on her arm.  She rolled towards it and squinted open her eyes.

"Lizzie...we're hungry..." Abby whispered, trying not to wake Max.

Liz groaned and tried to disentangle herself from Max's embrace.  "Alright...just give me a few minutes and I'll see what we have to eat okay?  You might as well go wake up your sister..." she mumbled.  Unfortunately Max was not letting her go very easily.  Any attempts at freeing herself just managed to cause him to hold her closer.  Giving up, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Max...wake up..."  Not managing to get a response, she leaned in and kissed him.  Almost immediately he responded by kissing her back.  She pulled away slowly and he finally opened his eyes.

"Morning..." he said softly, a smile on his face.

"Good morning to you too, sleepyhead.  You're a bit of a pain to wake up..." she said, still slightly annoyed.

"But what a pleasant way you chose to do so..." he said, pulling her in for another kiss.

"Max," she said, pulling away again, "the girls are awake and they want breakfast.  And you know how they get when they're hungry..."

Sighing, he released his hold on her and flopped back against the pillows.  "You sure know how to ruin the mood," he mumbled.  Suddenly remembering what he had been thinking of earlier, he sat up on the bed and faced her.  "Hey Liz, I know you don't really like to talk about it and all...but are you sure the Mitchell's didn't have any other close family...like a brother or cousin or something?"

Liz wrinkled her brow in confusion.  "Yeah I'm sure.  Social services would have sent me to them if they existed.  What makes you ask Max?"

"I was just thinking about this really confusing flash I got from you at one point."

"What was it?"

"Well usually the stuff I see in flashes is stuff that for some reason or another is important to the person.  And I remember seeing this flash of you as a really little girl playing with a middle-aged man who was definitely not your adopted dad.  So I thought maybe you had an uncle or something...the odd part was that he seemed really familiar to me...like I recognized him...but couldn't quite place him.  Liz how would I recognize someone you knew when you were that young?  And if you don't have an uncle or something...why was this guy important enough for you to remember?"

"I don't know...I'm not sure I even know what you're talking about."

"What if I could show you what I'm talking about..."

"Through a flash?  Can you do that?  Control what you show me...?"

"Well if I concentrate really hard on that image...it should be the first thing you see...I think..."

"Okay then..."

He leaned towards her and gently kissed her, focusing all his thoughts away from what he was doing and instead on the image he had received from her.

Liz was concentrating on blanking out her mind when she was hit with the image of herself as a little girl.  She looked to be about three or four years old and she was sitting on the lap of a man who was approximately in his early twenties.  Max was right...he did feel familiar...but she couldn't figure out where she knew him from besides the flash and she had no idea who he was.

Max pulled back.  "Did it work?"

"Yeah...but I still have no idea who that is...but...I feel like I should know..."

"Well...maybe it'll come to you later.  For now," he said, standing up and stretching, "we better find those girls some food before they mutiny."

Liz laughed, still amazed that he was willing to put up with everything that was messed up about her life and still love her.  She hadn't thought anyone would ever do that.

He reached out his hand to her, gracing her with that smile of his that she was sure he didn't share with everyone.  She took his hand, allowing him to pull her up so that she was standing beside him.  She returned his smile before turning and pulling him towards the small kitchen.  "So what'll it be Max...Cheerios or Fruit Loops?"

Max made a face and closing his eyes, reached blindly for whatever his hands came into contact with first.  He grabbed the Fruit Loops and opened his eyes.  "Guess it's gonna be Fruit Loops today..."

Liz laughed, "You know it's your own fault.  You're the one who took them shopping..."

"And now I'm paying for it ...I know I know..."

"Fruit Loops!" Abby yelled, running into the kitchen followed closely by her sister.

Charlotte stuck her tongue out and scrunched up her face in disgust.  "Ewww...  Cheerios please."

Liz pulled a stack of small bowls from a cabinet and set them on the counter.  Max poured two bowls of Fruit Loops for himself and Abby and one bowl of Cheerios for Charlotte.  "Pick your poison Liz..." he said mockingly as he handed the girls their bowls.

The girls took the bowls from him and sat down at the small table.  "Milk please!" they chorused. 

Dropping two spoons on the table in front of them, Liz poured milk into each bowl and then walked back to where Max was standing at the counter.  "I'm not really hungry...I think I'll pass."

He shook the box and looked at her curiously.  "You sure?"

"Yeah.  I have to work in an hour or so and I can always get something there if I get hungry later..."

Max shrugged his shoulders in defeat.  "Whatever.  Just don't go complaining later because you trusted your daily nutrition to the likes of José."

"I promise I won't complain...about that," she laughed.  "Girls finish up your cereal and get dressed so you can go over to Emma's house.  I don't want to be late for my shift."

"You want me to drive you over?" Max asked between spoonfuls of Fruit Loops.

"If you're going that way..."

"Well it's my day off from the UFO center so I can go whichever way I feel like.  And today I happen to feel like sitting in my usual booth and watching my favorite waitress."

Liz laughed as she ushered the now dressed girls out the front door and across the street.  "Wow.  That's not how I would spend a day off."

"How would you spend your day off?" he said, helping Liz up into the Jeep and then crossing to the driver's side and climbing in himself.

"Hmm...well we'll have to wait and see if I ever get a day off."

Max grimaced slightly at the reminder of Liz's never ending work schedule.  He understood her reasons, but that didn't mean he liked her working such long hours.  He had tried to offer her some help in paying her rent more than once.  It wasn't like he needed all the money he made working at the UFO center.  The only reason he had the job to begin with was so that he could get out of the house and pay for gas money for the Jeep.  But Liz had refused his offer more than once, insisting that she could handle the rent herself.

Soon enough the Jeep came to a stop in front of the Crashdown.  Liz glanced at her watch and yelped. "Ahh!  I'm gonna be late!  And I still need to change..."  She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before she hopped out and started running towards the alley where the employee entrance was.  "Thanks for the ride Max.  I'll see you inside."

She let herself into the back room and hurriedly opened her locker to retrieve her uniform.  Turning around a little too quickly, she collided with Mr. Parker, who had just come out of his office.  "Ooooh... Mr. Parker!  I'm so sorry!  I'm just running a little late today and I still need to change..."

Mr. Parker looked confused for a second and then turned to look at the break room clock.  "Actually Liz, I believe you're about 10 minutes early."

She craned her neck to see past him and confirmed to herself that she was in fact early.  "Ooh I'm gonna kill those two!  They must have been playing with my watch again!" she fumed, annoyed at being rushed for no reason.

"Your sisters I assume?"

"Yeah...they can be quite a handful."

"They seem like wonderful girls though.  My wife and I never had the chance to raise any of our own..." he said quietly.

"When is Mrs. Parker coming back?" she asked, hoping to change what seemed to be a difficult subject for the man.

The sad look left his face and he smiled a bit.  "Oh she's due in tomorrow actually.  Nancy's been down in Florida visiting her sister since right before you came into town."

"That sounds lovely...  All those gorgeous beaches...and the ocean.  I've never seen the ocean before..." Liz sighed wistfully.

Mr. Parker smiled again.  "You know you remind me a lot of her...when we were young."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah.  Here look at this," he said as he walked into his office and handed her an old photograph of a man and a woman who looked to be in their early twenties.

She looked at the girl first and she had to admit there was a slight resemblance.  But it was the picture of the young man that made her gasp and almost drop the frame.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Parker asked, suddenly concerned.

"N-n-nothing," she stuttered as she handed the frame back to him.  "I...uh...really should get changed before I really am late." 

She hurried off to the ladies room, leaving a confused Mr. Parker standing there staring at the picture trying to figure out what had spooked his newest waitress.

Liz closed the door behind her and leaned against it, sighing as she slid to the floor.  She shook her head, still shocked and very confused.  "It's him!" she thought.

TBC...