[u]Part 15[/u]
It took Liz a moment to get her bearings. Alex's sudden move had thrown her backwards and she was presently sprawled across Max, who was struggling to raise his hand, trapped as it was under Liz. It took Liz less than an instant to realize that he obviously intended to put up his shield. She rolled, trying to help him to free his arm. The whole scenario was so ridiculous, she felt an hysterical giggle ready to burst from her, managed to stifle it, ordering herself not to lose control. She had already let herself freak out once today. It was [I]not[/I] going to happen again.
"Alex! Move!" Max ordered when he finally managed to shake free of the pile that he, Liz and Alex had created when Liz's best friend had jumped on them both.
It was only then that Liz managed to catch a glimpse of the expression on Kate Spencer's face. She looked just as surprised to see them as they were to see her - in fact, more so. Max's green force-field sprang to life in front of her, snapping and crackling, as though he didn't quite have it under control. Liz kept her eyes glued on Kate, wondering what the other girl was going to do. She was beginning to look like a cornered animal, backed up against the wall beside Liz's window.
Liz's eyes met Kate's through the shield, the other girl's terror palatable. As Liz watched, Kate closed her eyes and started to fade away, almost as abruptly as she had appeared.
"She's leaving," Alex whispered. His tone was odd. Now that they were relatively safe behind Max's protective barrier, her friend sounded almost.he wasn't disappointed was he? Liz stared at him, whipped her head around again when Alex gasped.
"Oh my God," Liz exclaimed as Kate solidified, her eyes opening wide in panic and then rolling up into her head. The alien girl collapsed in a heap in front of them. "Max!"
Max pulled his hand back, already on the move as the shield dropped. Liz followed him instantly, her heart in her throat as he fell to his knees beside the dark-haired alien.
"Max, be careful!" Liz murmured urgently. "It could be a trick."
Max shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "I don't think it is Liz. I [I]felt[/I] her lose consciousness."
Liz blinked. "What?"
"I felt it Liz. We connected on some level when our eyes met. The same thing happened this morning," Max explained, reaching out and gently pushing Kate's long hair off her face. "She wasn't blocking me because she was surprised to see me. We connected, not very deeply, but we did."
"What's wrong with her?" Alex demanded. Liz realized that he was standing beside her, shifting from one foot to the other nervously.
"I think she burnt herself out," Max replied, still frowning and staring at Kate's face. Liz, watching him, could almost see him trying to remember how he knew her. "I did it earlier this afternoon too - when I had my shield up at school." He glanced over his shoulder at Liz. "I think she was trying to leave again but couldn't make the trip twice in such a short amount of time."
"Max, how do you know all of this?" Liz asked, her heart beating quickly. How did Max know so much about Kate? They had never even exchanged two words!
Max shook his head, obviously as perplexed as she was. "I don't know Liz. I just [I]do[/I]."
Silence fell over the balcony, everyone still a little shocked by what had just happened and by the fact that one of their enemies had fallen into their hands so easily.
"What are we going to do with her?" Alex finally asked. "She's just going to teleport out again when she wakes up."
Max was staring down at Kate again, his brows knit. "We need to figure out a way to keep her here. We need to talk to her, need to figure out what they want."
Liz felt Alex's eyes on her. "Liz, you need to tell him."
Max glanced up. "Tell me what?"
Liz bit her lip. "It's what I was trying to tell you before Kate showed up." She could feel her heart thundering in her chest, wondered how Max was going to react to the news that she was just as alien as he was. "Max, it's not you they want. Not right now anyway."
"What?"
"They want me."
Max stared at her. "I don't get it."
"Max." Liz met his eyes squarely and made herself say it. She hadn't even quite accepted it herself yet, but she knew that she could no longer keep him in the dark. Not when Kate and Will kept popping up everywhere, putting him in danger. "Will told me this afternoon. I didn't believe him but when you and I connected a few minutes ago, I knew he was right." She paused, knelt beside him and took his hand. "I'm one of them."
Max's mouth literally fell open. "Wh.what?" He reached up and gently cupped her cheek. "Liz, did they do something to you?"
"Nothing Max. I swear it. All Will and I did was talk. And he told me that I'm like them.and you. That I'm not entirely human."
Max looked past her at Alex. "Alex, what did they do to her? And why did you come here? How did you know that this girl was coming?"
Alex sighed, closing his eyes briefly as though to gather strength. "Max, she believes it. That's all I know. They really do think Liz is one of them."
Liz felt a flash of annoyance that they were discussing her as though she wasn't even there. "Max, I need you to listen to me." He shifted his eyes back to her, looking a little shell-shocked now. "They hate you but they don't hate me. I'm going to get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing I do. I have to go back to talk to Will."
Max's lips pressed together at that, his disbelief not tempering his instant stubbornness when it came to her safety. "No. There is absolutely no way Liz."
Liz took a deep breath, forcing herself not to snap at him. Now was not the time for him to go all protective of her again. She had just as much invested in finding out the truth about all of this as he did! "Max."
"Um, guys." Alex interrupted. "We still haven't figured out what we're going to do about Sleeping Beauty here. There is absolutely no way to get her to stay once she wakes up. She can probably give us some answers, but she's just going to take off unless we can convince her otherwise."
"It doesn't matter," Liz insisted, now absolutely sure about what she had to do. "I'll go with her. It might be why she came here in the first place."
"Liz! You are not going to take off with some random alien!" Max exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"
"Max, you can't tell me what to do," Liz replied, scowling at him. "I absolutely know that they won't hurt me."
Max ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "How? How do you know it?"
"Max, it's because I'm who they say I am," Liz told him, gentling her voice. She knew that he was just scared and confused and still upset about the whole Future Max fiasco. Having all of this thrown on him in one fell swoop was a lot to ask of him. She knew that he didn't mean to order her around.
She reached out, touched his cheek. "Max, when we kissed, I had a flash of the first time you ever saw me.In this life anyway." She swallowed. "You [I]knew[/I] me. Just like you knew Isabel. Just like you knew Michael and Tess. Just like you know Kate. You recognized me. I [I]felt[/I] it."
"Liz, you're human!" Max argued. "We know that for a fact. For God's sake, it's how you got the proof about me. You compared our DNA!"
"Max, I [I]felt[/I] it okay? I'm not making this up!"
"Hello? Sorry to interrupt again here folks, but I'm seeing movement," Alex spoke up. "I think I should talk to her. I think she kind of trusts me. Maybe I can convince her to stick around while we get this all sorted out."
Liz's gaze was still locked with Max's as he appeared to be frantically searching his mind for the memories she had told him she had seen. He glanced down though as Kate continued to stir, her long eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.
"Where am I?" Kate struggled to sit up, her eyes glassy. Max automatically reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to support her. Liz grimaced, waiting for her to realize who was helping her. She saw the instant Kate tensed up.
"It's okay," Max said quietly. "I swear no one's going to hurt you."
Liz watched, a pang of something she didn't understand running through her as Max and Kate's eyes met and held. It wasn't jealousy exactly, but more like she felt slightly excluded. She realized that it was a familiar feeling, as though she had felt it many times before. Max and Kate seemed to be holding some kind of private conversation, one that shut out the rest of the world. Liz realized abruptly that they were connecting, were speaking to each other on another plain.
Liz was not at all surprised to see Kate's frame relax suddenly. "Zan?" She whispered, reaching up and touching Max's face with the tips of her fingers. "Why? Why did you have to change?" Her voice hitched slightly.
"I'm sorry," Max replied, sounding regretful. "I don't remember what you're talking about."
"No," Kate said. Liz watched in amazement as tears filled her bright blue eyes. "But you won't have to, will you? Because we're all doomed to live it again. It's only a matter of time."
With that, her eyes closed, her brow furrowed as though in great concentration and she disappeared.
Silence fell over the balcony again, emphasizing Max's ragged breathing. Liz wondered what on Earth Kate had shown him in their connection to put that look on his face. She had never seen him look so bleak. A shudder ran through his frame as Liz watched. Finally, Max raised his eyes to meet hers. "Did you see the way she looked at me? What kind of monster was I Liz?"
Liz's entire heart went out to him. She had never heard him sound so defeated, not even when she had continued to tell him to leave her alone. Had that whole farce really only ended a few moments ago? The whole Future Max fiasco seemed very far away now, totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things. All she knew was that she couldn't allow Max to be hurt anymore, whether physically or emotionally. He had been through far too much - first with Pierce, than with her, and now from a past he didn't even remember and, yet, was still being held responsible for.
Liz crawled over to him, wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, could feel him trembling. She held him tighter. "It doesn't matter. None of it matters."
"It does matter," Max murmured into her hair. "Everyone I care about is in danger because of things I did, things I don't even remember doing." He pulled back slightly so that their eyes could meet. "Liz, she's not evil. I just know it - I [I]felt[/I] it. And if they aren't the bad guys." He trailed off, his face hardening with resignation. "It can only mean one thing."
"No Max," Liz insisted, shaking her head. "It's not true. We'll make you remember and we'll find out for sure that it's not true."
"Liz, I [I]saw[/I] things when she touched me. She gave me flashes of what I did." Max's voice cracked. "They.they were horrible things. Courtney told me about some of them, but.I mean, I didn't know how bad it was."
"What do you mean?" Liz asked quietly. "What did you see?"
"Liz, I killed her. Her last memory from her past life is of me ending it."
******************************************
Alex crept past Max and Liz, who were totally wrapped up in each other, and through Liz's window, landing heavily in his rush to leave them alone. They had apparently forgotten his presence anyway, but he still felt like an intruder, watching Max melt down and Liz attempt to hold him together.
"Liz, I killed her. Her last memory from her past life is of me ending it." Max's tortured voice drifted through the window, making Alex cringe. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for Max to find out that he had apparently been a psycho-maniac in his past life. It did make him happy that he hadn't totally misjudged Kate, as he thought he had when she had appeared so suddenly on Liz's balcony. He felt a pang of guilt that he had so instantly assumed that she was there to hurt someone. He had trusted his gut up until that point. What had changed? Why had he been so willing to be believe the absolute worst about her?
[I]Maybe because if you believe the worst about her, even though you already know she's not evil, than you can still pretend that you're on the verge of actually escaping the alien abyss,[/I] that damn small voice in the back of his head taunted him.
[I]Haven't I already told you to shut up?[/I] Alex demanded wearily. He let himself out through Liz's door, made sure to avoid the living room of the Parker's apartment, where he could hear Liz's parents arguing about what to watch on T.V - the absurdity of their parent's obliviousness never ceased to amaze him - and trotted down the stairs into the back room of the Crashdown.
Alex blinked when, as he looked over the banister on his way down, his eyes met Maria's. She was staring up at him anxiously. "Alex? Isabel said you left! What are you doing up there? What's going on?"
Alex grimaced, stopping on the stairs, wondered if it was too late to make a strategic retreat. Because his gaze was moving from Maria, to Michael, to Tess, to Kyle.and, yes, to even the Sheriff, all of whom were still obviously waiting around for some sort of explanation as to what was going on. He also noticed that Isabel was nowhere in sight. "Er." He began weakly. "Max and Liz are still talking."
"About what?" Tess demanded, moving forward. "What can Liz possibly have to say that's taking so long? She's lost any right to even speak to Max after what she's done."
Alex narrowed his eyes at the short blonde, relieved that he could finally tell her to go jump off a bridge. "She's telling him the truth Tess," he snapped. "That she tried to save the world by pretending to sleep with Kyle because you're so selfish, you can't accept that he loves her. Because that's the kind of person Liz is. She puts other people before herself. Unlike you. All you've done since you've arrived in this town is mess with people's minds and, if Liz didn't do what she did, you would have left town and that would've screwed us all over big-time. Not that any of us would even miss you. At all."
The collective round of gasps made Alex close his eyes. [I]Shut up Whitman! Just shut up![/I] He couldn't help the small sense of satisfaction he felt at the sight of Tess's mouth hanging open in shock though. Of course, if she left town now, it would be all his fault. But he couldn't seem to make himself care. It didn't mean he didn't feel a pang of relief when everyone turned to stare at Kyle, who looked supremely uncomfortable.
"Hey, it wasn't [I]my[/I] idea!" Kyle exclaimed testily. He grimaced when his gaze met his father's. "It's a long story Dad. Trust me."
"I'm going up there," Michael said suddenly. "This secret stuff has gone on long enough. We're at war here. We don't have time for all this relationship crap." Alex looked at Maria, whose face had whitened at Michael's words. Alex felt an instant flash of anger at Michael, who was starting up the stairs. "Get out of my way Whitman."
Alex folded his arms, stared Michael down. "No. They need to be alone. It's why I left again."
"Why did you come back anyway?" Michael demanded. "And what the hell did you say to Isabel? She left a few minutes ago - looked like she'd been punched in the stomach."
"If she didn't tell you, then it's none of your business," Alex flared. He wondered where all this testosterone was coming from. First he punched Michael last week on Maria's behalf, and now he was ready to do it again, just because he felt like it. Was he going to turn into some sort of raging meat-head now that he'd started down this road? "And why did you let her leave anyway? You have enemies out there you know!"
"Funny," Michael snapped. "I [I]don't[/I] know that for sure, do I? Because no one [I]ever tells me what's going on![/I]" This last came out as a roar, making Alex jump in spite of his new spine.
"Well, don't expect me to start," Alex replied, forcing his voice to be icily polite. "It's not my job. I just seem to be the unlucky bystander to most of it."
Michael's nostrils flared. "Get the hell out of my way Whitman."
"No." Alex prepared himself for the blow he was sure was about to land as Michael's fists clenched at his sides.
"Okay, enough! Both of you." This came from the Sheriff. "I've tried to be patient here, but it's time to tell the truth Mr. Whitman. When I picked you up earlier, you told me you'd fill me in. It seems to me that there is something big going down and I need to know what it is. If you won't tell me, than I want you to go up there and get Max and tell him that I'm through waiting. I am the grown-up here and this is [I]my[/I] town. I've had just about enough of this."
"I don't blame you Sheriff." Liz's voice from above him made Alex look over his shoulder. She was coming down the stairs, Max behind her, his face expressionless. Alex noticed immediately that they were holding hands. He glanced down at Tess, who had apparently noticed as well. She looked as though she had swallowed something sour. "I don't blame any of you for being angry."
Alex stumbled down the stairs after Michael as Liz gently pushed his back to make him move out of her way. "Thanks Alex, but Max'll take it from here," she whispered to him as she passed. "I need you to stay here with me."
Alex blinked as Max stonily told everyone that they would meet out at the quarry in half an hour. He didn't appear upset any longer. But, then, if Alex was not mistaken, Max was very good at shutting down his emotions when they were inconvenient. The only person who ever made him face them was Liz and, for the moment, she seemed almost relieved that he was so calm.
Everyone else seemed to recognize that something momentous had taken place between Max and Liz upstairs and that neither of them was in the mood to argue, because they all filed out, not a single peep of protest coming from any of them. Only Maria glanced back once, her expression troubled.
"Where's Isabel?" Max asked Alex as the door swung shut behind the Sheriff.
Alex wished more than ever that he hadn't told Isabel to buzz off earlier. She had run off because he had hurt her feelings and now she was potentially in danger. "I think she went home," he offered weakly.
"Okay, I'll pick her up," Max sighed. The first sign that he was still upset appeared on his face as he looked down at Liz, his brow furrowed. "I don't like this Liz. Not at all."
She hugged him. "It'll be all right. They won't hurt me. I know it Max. And after I deal with this, there won't be anything standing between us anymore. We can finally be together." Liz pulled back, as Alex frowned, wondering how these two had gone from meltdown Max and Liz only a few minutes ago, to calm and purposeful Max and Liz. He could sense the underlying note of hysteria that they were both trying to control. He didn't like it. Not one bit. When Liz pretended to be "calm and purposeful," she did dumb things like pretending to sleep with Kyle. When Max became "calm and purposeful," bad things happened to him - like White Rooms and stupid destiny messages.
Liz reached up and brushed Max's hair off his forehead. "I'm going to find out the truth Max. I [I]know[/I] that you weren't like that. I know you. This is the only way to do it."
Max lowered his head, sighing heavily, until his forehead touched Liz's. "I love you. Whatever they tell you, you have to remember that. Please."
Liz kissed him gently. "Max, it's the only thing I do remember from before. You've always loved me and I've always loved you. Now we just need to find out why no one else knows it."
Alex stared at them, not understanding any of it. He wondered if they had forgotten he was standing right beside them again as they lost themselves in a series of lengthy kisses that made him blush. He cleared his throat. "Er, guys?"
Max and Liz broke apart slowly. "Sorry Alex," Liz said quietly. She kissed Max again, then pulled away, pushing him towards the door. "Go. I'll call you when I get home."
Max took a deep breath. "Okay. Be careful Liz. Please." With that, he turned on his heel and disappeared through the swinging door into the restaurant, so quickly, Alex realized that it was the only way he could make himself do it.
"Okay, Liz, what the hell is going on?" Alex demanded as soon as the door closed. His best friend was staring at it, a worried expression on her face.
"I hope he's going to be okay," Liz murmured. "He knows intellectually that whatever he did before isn't his fault, but his heart.He cares so much about hurting people Alex. He's going to feel guilty about it anyway."
She took a deep breath and turned to look at him. "I made him promise to tell Isabel everything. Maybe she can help him until I can again."
Alex stared at her. "I don't get it Liz. Why can't [I]you[/I] help him?"
Liz's expression hardened. "Because, as of right now, Max is my enemy. At least in public." She smiled grimly. "There's only one way to get to the bottom of this Alex. You and I are going to join the other side."
To be continued.
It took Liz a moment to get her bearings. Alex's sudden move had thrown her backwards and she was presently sprawled across Max, who was struggling to raise his hand, trapped as it was under Liz. It took Liz less than an instant to realize that he obviously intended to put up his shield. She rolled, trying to help him to free his arm. The whole scenario was so ridiculous, she felt an hysterical giggle ready to burst from her, managed to stifle it, ordering herself not to lose control. She had already let herself freak out once today. It was [I]not[/I] going to happen again.
"Alex! Move!" Max ordered when he finally managed to shake free of the pile that he, Liz and Alex had created when Liz's best friend had jumped on them both.
It was only then that Liz managed to catch a glimpse of the expression on Kate Spencer's face. She looked just as surprised to see them as they were to see her - in fact, more so. Max's green force-field sprang to life in front of her, snapping and crackling, as though he didn't quite have it under control. Liz kept her eyes glued on Kate, wondering what the other girl was going to do. She was beginning to look like a cornered animal, backed up against the wall beside Liz's window.
Liz's eyes met Kate's through the shield, the other girl's terror palatable. As Liz watched, Kate closed her eyes and started to fade away, almost as abruptly as she had appeared.
"She's leaving," Alex whispered. His tone was odd. Now that they were relatively safe behind Max's protective barrier, her friend sounded almost.he wasn't disappointed was he? Liz stared at him, whipped her head around again when Alex gasped.
"Oh my God," Liz exclaimed as Kate solidified, her eyes opening wide in panic and then rolling up into her head. The alien girl collapsed in a heap in front of them. "Max!"
Max pulled his hand back, already on the move as the shield dropped. Liz followed him instantly, her heart in her throat as he fell to his knees beside the dark-haired alien.
"Max, be careful!" Liz murmured urgently. "It could be a trick."
Max shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "I don't think it is Liz. I [I]felt[/I] her lose consciousness."
Liz blinked. "What?"
"I felt it Liz. We connected on some level when our eyes met. The same thing happened this morning," Max explained, reaching out and gently pushing Kate's long hair off her face. "She wasn't blocking me because she was surprised to see me. We connected, not very deeply, but we did."
"What's wrong with her?" Alex demanded. Liz realized that he was standing beside her, shifting from one foot to the other nervously.
"I think she burnt herself out," Max replied, still frowning and staring at Kate's face. Liz, watching him, could almost see him trying to remember how he knew her. "I did it earlier this afternoon too - when I had my shield up at school." He glanced over his shoulder at Liz. "I think she was trying to leave again but couldn't make the trip twice in such a short amount of time."
"Max, how do you know all of this?" Liz asked, her heart beating quickly. How did Max know so much about Kate? They had never even exchanged two words!
Max shook his head, obviously as perplexed as she was. "I don't know Liz. I just [I]do[/I]."
Silence fell over the balcony, everyone still a little shocked by what had just happened and by the fact that one of their enemies had fallen into their hands so easily.
"What are we going to do with her?" Alex finally asked. "She's just going to teleport out again when she wakes up."
Max was staring down at Kate again, his brows knit. "We need to figure out a way to keep her here. We need to talk to her, need to figure out what they want."
Liz felt Alex's eyes on her. "Liz, you need to tell him."
Max glanced up. "Tell me what?"
Liz bit her lip. "It's what I was trying to tell you before Kate showed up." She could feel her heart thundering in her chest, wondered how Max was going to react to the news that she was just as alien as he was. "Max, it's not you they want. Not right now anyway."
"What?"
"They want me."
Max stared at her. "I don't get it."
"Max." Liz met his eyes squarely and made herself say it. She hadn't even quite accepted it herself yet, but she knew that she could no longer keep him in the dark. Not when Kate and Will kept popping up everywhere, putting him in danger. "Will told me this afternoon. I didn't believe him but when you and I connected a few minutes ago, I knew he was right." She paused, knelt beside him and took his hand. "I'm one of them."
Max's mouth literally fell open. "Wh.what?" He reached up and gently cupped her cheek. "Liz, did they do something to you?"
"Nothing Max. I swear it. All Will and I did was talk. And he told me that I'm like them.and you. That I'm not entirely human."
Max looked past her at Alex. "Alex, what did they do to her? And why did you come here? How did you know that this girl was coming?"
Alex sighed, closing his eyes briefly as though to gather strength. "Max, she believes it. That's all I know. They really do think Liz is one of them."
Liz felt a flash of annoyance that they were discussing her as though she wasn't even there. "Max, I need you to listen to me." He shifted his eyes back to her, looking a little shell-shocked now. "They hate you but they don't hate me. I'm going to get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing I do. I have to go back to talk to Will."
Max's lips pressed together at that, his disbelief not tempering his instant stubbornness when it came to her safety. "No. There is absolutely no way Liz."
Liz took a deep breath, forcing herself not to snap at him. Now was not the time for him to go all protective of her again. She had just as much invested in finding out the truth about all of this as he did! "Max."
"Um, guys." Alex interrupted. "We still haven't figured out what we're going to do about Sleeping Beauty here. There is absolutely no way to get her to stay once she wakes up. She can probably give us some answers, but she's just going to take off unless we can convince her otherwise."
"It doesn't matter," Liz insisted, now absolutely sure about what she had to do. "I'll go with her. It might be why she came here in the first place."
"Liz! You are not going to take off with some random alien!" Max exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"
"Max, you can't tell me what to do," Liz replied, scowling at him. "I absolutely know that they won't hurt me."
Max ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "How? How do you know it?"
"Max, it's because I'm who they say I am," Liz told him, gentling her voice. She knew that he was just scared and confused and still upset about the whole Future Max fiasco. Having all of this thrown on him in one fell swoop was a lot to ask of him. She knew that he didn't mean to order her around.
She reached out, touched his cheek. "Max, when we kissed, I had a flash of the first time you ever saw me.In this life anyway." She swallowed. "You [I]knew[/I] me. Just like you knew Isabel. Just like you knew Michael and Tess. Just like you know Kate. You recognized me. I [I]felt[/I] it."
"Liz, you're human!" Max argued. "We know that for a fact. For God's sake, it's how you got the proof about me. You compared our DNA!"
"Max, I [I]felt[/I] it okay? I'm not making this up!"
"Hello? Sorry to interrupt again here folks, but I'm seeing movement," Alex spoke up. "I think I should talk to her. I think she kind of trusts me. Maybe I can convince her to stick around while we get this all sorted out."
Liz's gaze was still locked with Max's as he appeared to be frantically searching his mind for the memories she had told him she had seen. He glanced down though as Kate continued to stir, her long eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.
"Where am I?" Kate struggled to sit up, her eyes glassy. Max automatically reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to support her. Liz grimaced, waiting for her to realize who was helping her. She saw the instant Kate tensed up.
"It's okay," Max said quietly. "I swear no one's going to hurt you."
Liz watched, a pang of something she didn't understand running through her as Max and Kate's eyes met and held. It wasn't jealousy exactly, but more like she felt slightly excluded. She realized that it was a familiar feeling, as though she had felt it many times before. Max and Kate seemed to be holding some kind of private conversation, one that shut out the rest of the world. Liz realized abruptly that they were connecting, were speaking to each other on another plain.
Liz was not at all surprised to see Kate's frame relax suddenly. "Zan?" She whispered, reaching up and touching Max's face with the tips of her fingers. "Why? Why did you have to change?" Her voice hitched slightly.
"I'm sorry," Max replied, sounding regretful. "I don't remember what you're talking about."
"No," Kate said. Liz watched in amazement as tears filled her bright blue eyes. "But you won't have to, will you? Because we're all doomed to live it again. It's only a matter of time."
With that, her eyes closed, her brow furrowed as though in great concentration and she disappeared.
Silence fell over the balcony again, emphasizing Max's ragged breathing. Liz wondered what on Earth Kate had shown him in their connection to put that look on his face. She had never seen him look so bleak. A shudder ran through his frame as Liz watched. Finally, Max raised his eyes to meet hers. "Did you see the way she looked at me? What kind of monster was I Liz?"
Liz's entire heart went out to him. She had never heard him sound so defeated, not even when she had continued to tell him to leave her alone. Had that whole farce really only ended a few moments ago? The whole Future Max fiasco seemed very far away now, totally insignificant in the grand scheme of things. All she knew was that she couldn't allow Max to be hurt anymore, whether physically or emotionally. He had been through far too much - first with Pierce, than with her, and now from a past he didn't even remember and, yet, was still being held responsible for.
Liz crawled over to him, wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, could feel him trembling. She held him tighter. "It doesn't matter. None of it matters."
"It does matter," Max murmured into her hair. "Everyone I care about is in danger because of things I did, things I don't even remember doing." He pulled back slightly so that their eyes could meet. "Liz, she's not evil. I just know it - I [I]felt[/I] it. And if they aren't the bad guys." He trailed off, his face hardening with resignation. "It can only mean one thing."
"No Max," Liz insisted, shaking her head. "It's not true. We'll make you remember and we'll find out for sure that it's not true."
"Liz, I [I]saw[/I] things when she touched me. She gave me flashes of what I did." Max's voice cracked. "They.they were horrible things. Courtney told me about some of them, but.I mean, I didn't know how bad it was."
"What do you mean?" Liz asked quietly. "What did you see?"
"Liz, I killed her. Her last memory from her past life is of me ending it."
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Alex crept past Max and Liz, who were totally wrapped up in each other, and through Liz's window, landing heavily in his rush to leave them alone. They had apparently forgotten his presence anyway, but he still felt like an intruder, watching Max melt down and Liz attempt to hold him together.
"Liz, I killed her. Her last memory from her past life is of me ending it." Max's tortured voice drifted through the window, making Alex cringe. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for Max to find out that he had apparently been a psycho-maniac in his past life. It did make him happy that he hadn't totally misjudged Kate, as he thought he had when she had appeared so suddenly on Liz's balcony. He felt a pang of guilt that he had so instantly assumed that she was there to hurt someone. He had trusted his gut up until that point. What had changed? Why had he been so willing to be believe the absolute worst about her?
[I]Maybe because if you believe the worst about her, even though you already know she's not evil, than you can still pretend that you're on the verge of actually escaping the alien abyss,[/I] that damn small voice in the back of his head taunted him.
[I]Haven't I already told you to shut up?[/I] Alex demanded wearily. He let himself out through Liz's door, made sure to avoid the living room of the Parker's apartment, where he could hear Liz's parents arguing about what to watch on T.V - the absurdity of their parent's obliviousness never ceased to amaze him - and trotted down the stairs into the back room of the Crashdown.
Alex blinked when, as he looked over the banister on his way down, his eyes met Maria's. She was staring up at him anxiously. "Alex? Isabel said you left! What are you doing up there? What's going on?"
Alex grimaced, stopping on the stairs, wondered if it was too late to make a strategic retreat. Because his gaze was moving from Maria, to Michael, to Tess, to Kyle.and, yes, to even the Sheriff, all of whom were still obviously waiting around for some sort of explanation as to what was going on. He also noticed that Isabel was nowhere in sight. "Er." He began weakly. "Max and Liz are still talking."
"About what?" Tess demanded, moving forward. "What can Liz possibly have to say that's taking so long? She's lost any right to even speak to Max after what she's done."
Alex narrowed his eyes at the short blonde, relieved that he could finally tell her to go jump off a bridge. "She's telling him the truth Tess," he snapped. "That she tried to save the world by pretending to sleep with Kyle because you're so selfish, you can't accept that he loves her. Because that's the kind of person Liz is. She puts other people before herself. Unlike you. All you've done since you've arrived in this town is mess with people's minds and, if Liz didn't do what she did, you would have left town and that would've screwed us all over big-time. Not that any of us would even miss you. At all."
The collective round of gasps made Alex close his eyes. [I]Shut up Whitman! Just shut up![/I] He couldn't help the small sense of satisfaction he felt at the sight of Tess's mouth hanging open in shock though. Of course, if she left town now, it would be all his fault. But he couldn't seem to make himself care. It didn't mean he didn't feel a pang of relief when everyone turned to stare at Kyle, who looked supremely uncomfortable.
"Hey, it wasn't [I]my[/I] idea!" Kyle exclaimed testily. He grimaced when his gaze met his father's. "It's a long story Dad. Trust me."
"I'm going up there," Michael said suddenly. "This secret stuff has gone on long enough. We're at war here. We don't have time for all this relationship crap." Alex looked at Maria, whose face had whitened at Michael's words. Alex felt an instant flash of anger at Michael, who was starting up the stairs. "Get out of my way Whitman."
Alex folded his arms, stared Michael down. "No. They need to be alone. It's why I left again."
"Why did you come back anyway?" Michael demanded. "And what the hell did you say to Isabel? She left a few minutes ago - looked like she'd been punched in the stomach."
"If she didn't tell you, then it's none of your business," Alex flared. He wondered where all this testosterone was coming from. First he punched Michael last week on Maria's behalf, and now he was ready to do it again, just because he felt like it. Was he going to turn into some sort of raging meat-head now that he'd started down this road? "And why did you let her leave anyway? You have enemies out there you know!"
"Funny," Michael snapped. "I [I]don't[/I] know that for sure, do I? Because no one [I]ever tells me what's going on![/I]" This last came out as a roar, making Alex jump in spite of his new spine.
"Well, don't expect me to start," Alex replied, forcing his voice to be icily polite. "It's not my job. I just seem to be the unlucky bystander to most of it."
Michael's nostrils flared. "Get the hell out of my way Whitman."
"No." Alex prepared himself for the blow he was sure was about to land as Michael's fists clenched at his sides.
"Okay, enough! Both of you." This came from the Sheriff. "I've tried to be patient here, but it's time to tell the truth Mr. Whitman. When I picked you up earlier, you told me you'd fill me in. It seems to me that there is something big going down and I need to know what it is. If you won't tell me, than I want you to go up there and get Max and tell him that I'm through waiting. I am the grown-up here and this is [I]my[/I] town. I've had just about enough of this."
"I don't blame you Sheriff." Liz's voice from above him made Alex look over his shoulder. She was coming down the stairs, Max behind her, his face expressionless. Alex noticed immediately that they were holding hands. He glanced down at Tess, who had apparently noticed as well. She looked as though she had swallowed something sour. "I don't blame any of you for being angry."
Alex stumbled down the stairs after Michael as Liz gently pushed his back to make him move out of her way. "Thanks Alex, but Max'll take it from here," she whispered to him as she passed. "I need you to stay here with me."
Alex blinked as Max stonily told everyone that they would meet out at the quarry in half an hour. He didn't appear upset any longer. But, then, if Alex was not mistaken, Max was very good at shutting down his emotions when they were inconvenient. The only person who ever made him face them was Liz and, for the moment, she seemed almost relieved that he was so calm.
Everyone else seemed to recognize that something momentous had taken place between Max and Liz upstairs and that neither of them was in the mood to argue, because they all filed out, not a single peep of protest coming from any of them. Only Maria glanced back once, her expression troubled.
"Where's Isabel?" Max asked Alex as the door swung shut behind the Sheriff.
Alex wished more than ever that he hadn't told Isabel to buzz off earlier. She had run off because he had hurt her feelings and now she was potentially in danger. "I think she went home," he offered weakly.
"Okay, I'll pick her up," Max sighed. The first sign that he was still upset appeared on his face as he looked down at Liz, his brow furrowed. "I don't like this Liz. Not at all."
She hugged him. "It'll be all right. They won't hurt me. I know it Max. And after I deal with this, there won't be anything standing between us anymore. We can finally be together." Liz pulled back, as Alex frowned, wondering how these two had gone from meltdown Max and Liz only a few minutes ago, to calm and purposeful Max and Liz. He could sense the underlying note of hysteria that they were both trying to control. He didn't like it. Not one bit. When Liz pretended to be "calm and purposeful," she did dumb things like pretending to sleep with Kyle. When Max became "calm and purposeful," bad things happened to him - like White Rooms and stupid destiny messages.
Liz reached up and brushed Max's hair off his forehead. "I'm going to find out the truth Max. I [I]know[/I] that you weren't like that. I know you. This is the only way to do it."
Max lowered his head, sighing heavily, until his forehead touched Liz's. "I love you. Whatever they tell you, you have to remember that. Please."
Liz kissed him gently. "Max, it's the only thing I do remember from before. You've always loved me and I've always loved you. Now we just need to find out why no one else knows it."
Alex stared at them, not understanding any of it. He wondered if they had forgotten he was standing right beside them again as they lost themselves in a series of lengthy kisses that made him blush. He cleared his throat. "Er, guys?"
Max and Liz broke apart slowly. "Sorry Alex," Liz said quietly. She kissed Max again, then pulled away, pushing him towards the door. "Go. I'll call you when I get home."
Max took a deep breath. "Okay. Be careful Liz. Please." With that, he turned on his heel and disappeared through the swinging door into the restaurant, so quickly, Alex realized that it was the only way he could make himself do it.
"Okay, Liz, what the hell is going on?" Alex demanded as soon as the door closed. His best friend was staring at it, a worried expression on her face.
"I hope he's going to be okay," Liz murmured. "He knows intellectually that whatever he did before isn't his fault, but his heart.He cares so much about hurting people Alex. He's going to feel guilty about it anyway."
She took a deep breath and turned to look at him. "I made him promise to tell Isabel everything. Maybe she can help him until I can again."
Alex stared at her. "I don't get it Liz. Why can't [I]you[/I] help him?"
Liz's expression hardened. "Because, as of right now, Max is my enemy. At least in public." She smiled grimly. "There's only one way to get to the bottom of this Alex. You and I are going to join the other side."
To be continued.