A/N: To answer Alecia's question about fanatics, I guess there's a glitch with the new server and they're having trouble getting it up as far as I know, I don't fully understand it myself. On Wednesday they said it was supposed to be up this weekend but that hasn't happened. They're working as fast as they can. But I miss it too.

Lissa

Chapter 32

Kailyn stirred. Max looked down at the baby it had been a good half hour and he himself was starting to fall asleep.

She let out a little whimper as she opened her eyes. Her little face scrunched up and began to turn red. She was going to cry Max realized. He started rocking again and murmuring to her as he had seen Liz do earlier.

"Hush, don't wake Liz." Max tried. She let out a small cry.

Hannah's head popped up.

She smiled at him as she slid from Liz's grip and walked over. She patted Kailyn's cheek and handed him the bottle sitting on the table. "Try it."

He did and she quieted. Max smiled at Hannah. "You're a good helper."

"Grandma Amy showed me how." She said proudly. "I like to help."

"I'm sure you do." Max told her. She crawled onto his lap and they shifted so he could hold both of them at once.

"Hold it up, like this." Hannah's small hands directed his. "That way she doesn't get the bubbles they hurt her tummy."

They were silent for a moment as they both watched Kailyn with fascination. "Mommy says one day maybe I can have a sister."

"Maybe." Max told her. "You want a sister very much?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Natalie likes her sisters. I'd be nice to my sister and I'd help Mommy." She said earnestly.

"Maybe it's your mother you should be convincing not me." Max smiled.

They went back into a comfortable silence.

Liz opened her eyes and watched the exchange. Max was so gentle with Hannah, but she had known he would be. The picture in front of her with Max holding both girls made her heart melt.

"You're a natural." Liz complimented him, sitting up

"I have a good teacher here." Max nodded at Hannah.

"True." Liz stood. "Hannah, come take your medicine, just the cherry stuff now." Liz walked to the kitchen.

"It don't taste like cherries, Daddy." Hannah climbed down from his lap. "It tastes really bad."

Liz turned and locked eyes with Max. She had heard Hannah last night on the phone, but in person was so much more different, more personal, and intimate.

"You wanna stay for dinner?" Liz asked. "We're making pizza."

"If it's not too much trouble." He shrugged. "I'd love to."

"Does she feel wet, Max?" Liz measured out the medicine. She filled a cup of water so Hannah could rinse it down afterwards and handed both to her.

"What?"

"Pat her diaper." Hannah instructed helpfully. "Does it smush?"

"Yes." Max nodded vigorously and stood.

"Go get her bag and blanket, please, Hannah." Liz took the squirming baby from Max. "You're not just a little wet are you, honey?" Hannah laid the blanket down and Liz put Kailyn on it.

She changed her between leg kicks and a few unhappy whimpers.

Liz threw out the diaper, washed her hands and went to rinse out the bottle.

Kailyn kicked happily on the floor and laughed at something on the ceiling.

"She'll be ok?" Max joined them in the kitchen. "Just laying there."

"She'll play for a little while. Then she'll probably fall back to sleep." Liz began to get the ingredients out to make the pizzas.

"What do you like on yours, Daddy?" Hannah asked dragging a chair over to the counter. "I like only cheese on mine. Mommy likes pepperoni and olives." She made a face at that.

"I'll have the same as your mom." Max answered.

She made a face and stood up on the chair. Even on the chair she was still shorter than Max.

"Who braided your hair, Hannah." Liz asked as she set cut English muffins onto the pan.

"Daddy did." She plopped pizza sauce onto it and smoothed it around. "Now you put on the cheese." Hannah passed it down.

"This good?" He sprinkled some on.

"Yeah. One more." Hannah passed him another. "Those ones are mine." She hopped down from the chair, grabbed the two muffins and set them on the pan. "Now add the pepperoni and olives to those. For you and Mommy."

She arranged those as well.

"There, now we wait for them to be done." She instructed. She walked away to go play with Kailyn, leaving Max and Liz alone.

"You have quite the little master here." Max complimented her. "You did a good job, Liz."

Pleasure filled her that Max approved of how she raised their daughter.

"I didn't know you could braid."

"Little Miss teacher there taught me. Isabel wasn't home to do it. Thank you for letting me keep her last night, Liz, it meant a lot to me." He took a step closer to her.

"I would say it was my pleasure but it kind of sucked being alone last night." She said honestly. She had to lift her head higher to maintain eye contact with him since he was so close.

Pulling her against him, Max stared down at her. "Let's go out Liz, sometime during the week?"

"What about Hannah?" She whispered.

He wanted to say she could come too, but he and Liz needed time to talk to, to settle things. "I'll meet you for lunch."

"We'll see, Max." Her voice was quiet because her concentration was on settling the butterflies in her stomach. Standing there, against him, she couldn't think straight. "Let go of me, Max."

She pushed against his chest, and he tightened his hold. "No."

"Please, Max." She snuck a glance at Hannah who was intent on watching Kailyn find her hands. She turned back and found Max's face inches from hers. He was going to kiss her. Right there in her kitchen. Again. Her mind had been beyond muddled the last time. "Max."

Their hearts beat hard against each other. Her mind filled with nothing but Max. Max saw the change and was thankful because his mind had been nothing but Liz for the past few minutes.

His mouth was on hers. Her hands, which had been pressed flat against his chest to push him away, fisted then lifted to hold herself against the solidness of him. Her world tilted and she pushed closer to him, trusting him to anchor her.

An incessant beeping filtered through the haze.

"Mommy." Hannah called watching her parents. "Mommy."

Liz turned a confused look at Hannah across the room. "Yes?" She shook her head to clear it.

"The pizzas are done." She stared at them wide-eyed.

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Liz turned and got a pot holder out of the drawer in order to retrieve the pan from the oven. "I hope they're not burnt."

She set them on the counter. "Hannah why don't you go wash your hands and face so we can eat."

"I just did, before we made the pizza."

"Go do it again; you've been on the floor." Liz said more sternly.

Hannah walked off sneaking glances at them again.

"Max, you can't do that in front of her." Liz scolded as she busied herself with setting the plates.

"Why not."

"It might unsettle her, to see us together."

"She'll get used to it." Max shrugged, confident it wasn't an unsettled look on Hannah's face he had seen.

"Max, you have to control yourself, think of other things." Liz reprimanded.

"How can I think of other things, when all I can think of is you? You control my every thought, Liz. It's impossible not to think of you. When I kiss you, Liz, I'm in heaven."

"Max, don't say things like that."

"Like what, Liz." He stepped to her. "That I love you? That you are my everything, without you my world is empty?" He said his voice a fierce whisper. "I can't, because then I'd been denying myself, who I am."

Liz's heart fluttered. "Max." She breathed in quickly. "I love you too. But I'm not sure if it's the Max from five years ago, or the Max now. Do you love me for who I am now, or who I was, five years ago?" She answered.

He was silent, knowing she wasn't finished.

"Neither of us is the teenager we once were. We've both changed over the past five years. Until we figure out, and get to know each other again, we can't have anything between us."

"I think Aunt Isabel was mad about Monsieur Cuddles getting out." Hannah giggled over her pizza. "She gave Daddy a mean look."

"I would be too, so describe again this Monsieur Cuddles." Liz said not quite understanding what kind of pet her daughter had. "Do I get to meet him?"

"He's at Daddy's." Hannah shook her head. "He has to stay there, because the tank is really big, and heavy. But he's really little." She held her index finger and thumb in a circle. "That's his shell. He's smaller because he has to fit inside."

"And how did Ella take all of this?" Liz asked.

"She wants to eat him." Hannah said showing her horror at the thought.

"I say they just want to be good friends." Max smirked.

Hannah glowered at him. "No. You won't let her eat him?"

"No, I promise." He said seriously.

Liz stood to clear the table and clean up the dishes.

Kailyn kicked up a fuss at being left alone for so long. Unlike Liz's prediction she didn't want to go back to sleep.

Drying her hands on the dish towel, she picked up the baby. "What's the matter, baby."

Kailyn quieted immediately once she was in Liz's arms. She smiled happily and was content to stay where she was.

"Here, I'll clean up so you can hold her." Max stood as well. "Hannah would you like to help?"

This was something she was reluctant to do but she hopped down from her chair anyway.

They worked together, Liz only scolded once—albeit lightly—about them starting a water fight in her kitchen.

"I think it's time I leave now." He had things to find out and cases to work on. Slipping a glance at Liz and Kailyn, knew there was a really important one to get working on.

"Daddy, don't go." Hannah clung to his legs as he headed to the door.

"I have to Hannah, I have to walk Ella and water Monsieur Cuddles." He lifted her from his legs. He didn't want to leave either.

"Come on, Hannah. Daddy has things to do at home, sweet pea." Liz held her hand out. "Let's go bathe Kailyn."

"No." Hannah clung to Max. She started crying now.

It dawned on Max that he had only seen her cry once before, when she had mentioned Kailyn leaving yesterday. And then it was just tears. She was full on crying now.

"Can you spend the night, Daddy?" Hannah whispered.

"No, my princess." He told her. "You have Kailyn and your mommy."

"Please don't go." She whispered through a sob. It had been so perfect. Both her mommy and daddy together and a little sister, just like Natalie's family.

He stepped out of the house. Hannah still clinging to him.

"No!" She said fiercely as he took her arms from around his neck and set her down.

"I love you, Hannah." He told her firmly. "So very much."

Rubbing her eyes she whispered the words back. "Why do you have to leave then?"

"Because." He answered. He couldn't do this many more times. His heart was breaking inside. He wanted to stay, he didn't want to leave them. "I'll see you next week." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She just looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears and running down her face. Liz walked to the door Hannah wrapped an arm around her legs a pained look on her face.

"Please." Hannah whispered.

"I can't." Max told her. "Thank you, Liz, for everything." Max looked up at Liz who also had tears in her eyes before turning and heading down the stairs.

Hannah waited a few seconds before running to the landing. "Daddy, wait, please stay!" He was already gone.

She sat on the top step. She wasn't allowed to go any further. She sat there staring after him, willing him to come back to her.

Liz looked up when she heard the door across open. Maria and Alex looked out the door and then over at Liz. They gave her looks of sympathy and then closed the door again.

Liz's heart shattered in a thousand pieces.