'It's hard to know when to say things and when to sit back and keep silent. Often enough, the one time you find yourself saying something is the one time when you shouldn't - when people are actually listening. Not just listening, but hearing too - and comprehending. And how do you take that back? Can words be revoked? Once they are spoken, it doesn't matter anymore - because once they've been spoken, they are brought into existence. After that, it doesn't really matter anymore.'

-from the later journals of Elizabeth Parker


Maria and Alex left the hospital with a bounce in their step. Liz had acted perfectly normal that morning. It was like she knew what happened, but wouldn't let it get her down. Liz wanted them to check on Max, Michael, and Isabel, and they argued with her all the way to the hospital. Though she was weak from blood loss, Liz still won. So off they trudged to check up on the "Czechoslovakians" and make sure they were doing alright. Maria knew what this really meant: do whatever damage control she could until Liz could handle it personally. Maria suggested grabbing them some coffee because she had the feeling that their night had been the same as her and Alex's: sleepless. They were probably like walking zombies right now.
Maria could tell that Alex wanted to badger her with questions, but he knew better than to ask right now. It was time to be the supportive friend. In his years of experience, Alex had learned to be the shoulder to cry on first, and to ask questions later.

Maria balanced the coffee as they got out of the car in front of the Evans' house. Michael hadn't been at his place, so she assumed he was probably here. Thank god Phillip and Diane were out of town visiting some friends. Alex glanced through the window as they walked up the driveway and saw Max, Michael, and Isabel in the living room deep in discussion.

"Well, they're both up and Michael's here too so I guess that will eliminate the need to ring the doorbell. I'm going to go check on Liz. She'll probably need a ride home."

Maria nodded, not really paying attention to what Alex had said. He got back in the car and pulled out of the driveway as Maria walked the rest of the way up to the front door. Her lack of focus automatically ended as she heard a clip of conversation from Max, Michael, and Isabel through the screen door, jolting her into awareness. She suddenly felt anger boiling in her stomach, hot like molten lava, and spiraling within her as she walked into the Evans' living room.

"I should have known, you fucking backstabbing traitors!" she yelled, her fury shooting through the room like an ice pick. Max and Isabel immediately felt guilty at being overheard talking about Liz so negatively, and Michael was just praying Maria wouldn't annihilate him on the spot. She flung the coffee she had brought for them at their feet and it splashed them as they stood up. "How dare you, any of you! She has risked her life for you so many times and this is how you repay her? Not to mention the fact that she's so busy fixing your stupid mistakes that no one can even recognize her!" she cried, her glare directed specifically to Max. "Her parents don't even know who she is anymore, and she's had to give up every friend she's ever known that hasn't been let in on your stupid little secret! Liz eats, sleeps, drinks, and breathes your lie everyday of her life. She has always given everything she has to the three of you and look where that got her." After sending multiple glares about the room, she looked pointedly at Max again and said quieter, "Liz has given up every ounce of happiness she has ever experienced to benefit the three of you and you don't even know it." Maria started crying then and they all stood there for a short while, afraid to say anything that may re-invoke Maria's anger.

Michael was first to break the silence. "Look Maria, we're sorry about what we said pertaining to Liz. But she's a different person, and frankly I miss the Liz I've been so envious that Max had in his life."

"It's called adapting," Maria stated caustically. "She's doing her best with what she has to work with, and she's doing a much better job than I ever would have. Liz deserved more than this, she deserved to be able to trust the people she calls friends!"

"And we deserve to know the truth Maria, not to be lied to by a girl too ashamed to fight her own battles and whose best friend does it for her!" Max yelled, his anger rising. The impact of Maria's fist sent Max sprawling to the floor, clutching his jaw. His anger dissipated and turned to horror as he wiped blood from his lower lip.

"I'm fighting her battles because she WON'T! She won't protect her honor; she'd rather have all of you think ill of her than to be forced to recount what she's had to go through. She's trying to spare you the pain of knowing what she knows; don't any of you ever hate her for that, for wanting you to have a better life." Maria paused, and focused her attention directly to Max who was still sitting on the floor. She bent down slowly and grinned at him like a Cheshire cat, making his blood run cold in his veins. "I hope she gets over this whole 'It's my duty' trip and tells you what's really going down. Hell, I'd tell you myself if I could but I'm a loyal friend and I won't do that to her." Max looked away, feeling the shame and guilt begin to eat away at him. Maria was right. He had told Liz he wanted to start again, to be friends. And here he sat, still holding her in contempt, still judging her, and still raising her up on an invisible pedestal that she herself had told him she could never live up to.
As if reading his mind, Maria said curiously, "Is that guilt I see on perfect Maxie's face?" Her face turned to stone. "You don't even know what guilt is. But you will, I can promise you that. I'd like to be there when she cracks and you find out the truth. Just to see the look on your face."

"Maria..." Michael tried to interrupt.

"Shut up," she said passively, all of her attention focused directly on Max. She sighed and shook her head at him as if it were hopeless to try and explain it to him. "Did you ever stop and think that just maybe the truth is worse than the lie? It won't set you free Max, it will suck you down into so deep a hole the likes of which even god himself has never seen." Maria laughed suddenly, cold and sharp as if she was an animal playing with her dinner. She turned toward Michael with a smile played across her lips. He had never seen Maria this dangerous before, this close to jumping off the edge. "This is all his fault you know," she said to Michael as she turned back to Max and wiped a stray hair out of his eyes, causing him to flinch. "If you would have stopped being such a dick to Tess, we wouldn't be in this mess. You keep fucking everything up and Liz is always right behind you in the shadows, picking up the pieces. I used to think you were the perfect guy. Liz was so lucky to be in love with someone who loved her as much as you did. Sensitive, humble, considerate, passionate, a king, a leader. Even after everything you've forced her to live through, I still consider you to be a decent guy, which is why I'm telling you this: you were right to put Liz up on that pedestal Max, to spend all those years believing you didn't deserve her because you don't. None of you deserve her." She paused for a moment as a thought crossed her mind. "How is Tess by the way? I'm sure you two have gotten pretty close by now. Does her body fit against yours perfectly like Liz's? Are her lips fuller? Softer?"

Max could take no more and stood up, anger and tears simmering in his eyes. "Fuck you Maria!" he yelled, enraged. "She slept with Kyle. She betrayed me and I'm being lectured on loyalty and trust!"

"You weren't even together!" Maria cried incredulously. "Not to mention that when she finally got you to come around enough to be a man and admit you two should be together(after all of those 'we're not meant to be' comments), in walks Tess and it's okay for you to slip her the tongue while Liz is forced to watch. Right after you'd given her your speech on how she was the only one for you. What do you call that, Max? Practice?" Maria screamed.

Michael and Isabel's jaws dropped as they looked to Max for an explanation. It dawned on them both suddenly, like hitting the eye of a storm. So that's why Liz was so edgy around Tess. Liz normally got along with everyone, and both Michael and Isabel had always wondered why Liz did everything in her power to be as far away from Tess as possible.
Max glared at Maria. "That was because Tess and I were designed to be together. I had no control-"

"But Liz didn't know that Max," Maria protested. "None of us did. And she stood by you regardless. Even after that second speech to explain what happened. 'It was more than attraction, Liz. I had a flash with her'" Maria imitated perfectly. "One of your and Liz's flashes Max."

"She told you about that?" Max choked out. He hadn't thought that she had told anyone because no one had treated him any differently than they usually did. He thought back to what he had said then and realized what it must have sounded like to her. It made him want Maria to beat the crap out of him. How could he have done that to her? Said that to her?

"Of course she did. She was on the verge of loosing everything she cared about. The point is that she still supported you. She set her feelings aside and put her own life on the line with Tess and Nesado. That is TRUST and LOYALTY." Maria replied sarcastically.

"Max, did you really do that to Liz?" Isabel gasped. Max tried to get a hold on his bearings.

"But that was different-," he barked.

"No it wasn't and you know it," Maria said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"-There were extenuating circumstances-" Max began again.

Michael scratched his forehead and asked quietly, "What if there were extenuating circumstances for Liz too?"

"There aren't any!" Max bit off flatly. "She would have told us what was going on." Michael was about to say something else when Maria jumped in.

"Stop siding with me, you hypocrites!" she shouted at Isabel and Michael. "You two should talk! Isabel, you used this destiny crap as an excuse to treat Alex like he didn't matter. And Michael, I caught you cheating on me with Courtney!" They both looked at their shoes, unwilling to meet Maria's dangerous gaze. "We don't deserve this, least of all Liz. She cares about all of you more than you will ever know, and I'm going to save her as much heartache as I can."

"God, is Elizabeth Parker all anyone thinks about?" Maria turned around and saw Tess standing in the doorway. "The door was open," she said, realizing her joke had not lightened their mood. "Max, are we going to the movie or what?"

Max remembered that in his frustration the week before, he had invited Tess to go see a flick. 'Oh no, could Tess have come at a worse time and said something more horrible than she just did? Definitely not.' Maria's eyes shot daggers at Max and she spat on the floor in front of the four of them.

"You are not welcome at the Crashdown, you will not speak to us at school, and don't ever, EVER come to us with your alien crap again or the skins and Khivar killing you will be the one thing you ask for before falling asleep every night. You all make me sick."

Maria wiped her eyes and attempted to calm down. Once she'd collected herself, she glanced at the four of them one last time before walking out the door, slamming it shut behind her. Tess had the feeling that she was not welcome at the moment, and followed Maria's cue. Isabel wiped her tears away from her cheeks and began to comfort her brother, who was undoubtedly in shambles. His face was stiffly set and only his eyes gave away the suffering he was being forced to endure.

Michael used his powers to clean up the coffee stains from the carpet and then sat back down in the chair he had previously occupied. Maria would probably never speak to him again. He really thought he was doing the right thing. This was all so out of character for Liz. She was "Miss Control", "Miss 'It's-not-possible-for-me- to-hurt-a-fly' Parker". Michael went over what he knew in his head. He knew that Liz was in some kind of trouble and Maria knew what it was, but neither were willing to fill in the blanks. He also knew who didn't know: Max, Isabel, himself, and probably Alex. Alex didn't seem to know what was going on with Liz at the Crashdown the night before. Michael also had a few things from earlier that morning. Tess and Kyle were the only other two people in the group. He was pretty sure Tess didn't know much (if anything), but he was betting Kyle did. Michael Guerin had found his mission. He was going to find out the truth; the reasons why Liz slept with Kyle and why she continued to lie to her friends about something that was obviously doing her harm. It never occurred to him that he might completely shatter the closely knit friendships in an irreparable way.