[u]Part 25[/u]
As she awoke to a splitting head-ache for the second time in twenty-four hours, Liz moaned. She felt a feather-light touch on her hair, became increasingly aware of her surroundings as she slowly drifted back to consciousness. She could feel that she was not alone, was reassured by it.
What on Earth had happened to her? The last memory she had was of Will handing her the scarf he said had belonged to Rowena and then everything had gone black.
"Will?" She managed to croak. The hand stroking her hair paused, then resumed it's gentle ministrations, although more tentatively.
"No Liz. It's me."
She struggled to open her eyes, feeling tears of relief forming beneath the lids at the familiar and beloved voice. "Max."
Finally his worried face swam into view. His eyes narrowed slightly as she managed to meet his gaze.
"What happened?" She whispered, reaching out and touching his cheek. "What's wrong?" It didn't strike her as odd immediately that they were lying side by side, nor that she couldn't for the life of her think how she had ended up in her own bedroom with Max.
A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes. "You don't remember?"
"If I remembered, I wouldn't have asked," Liz replied, wondered why he was being so cryptic.
His relief was so abruptly obvious, she blinked. "Oh thank God." The next thing she knew, he had pulled her into his arms and his face was buried in her neck. A muffled "Thank you God" reached her ears.
Liz allowed herself to enjoy the butterflies in her stomach for a moment, felt her strength increasing as she came more fully awake. Finally though, she pulled back slightly, smiled wryly at him. "Well hello to you too."
"Hi." His eyes were melting with some emotion she didn't understand. Her heart began to pound more quickly as his gaze lowered to her lips.
His kiss, when it came, was tentative. For Liz, it was too gentle. She wasn't sure why she felt impatient with it, but she did. Winding her fingers in his soft hair, she pulled him towards her, opening her mouth to him. He moaned, sending her blood speeding through her veins.
She rolled onto her back, bringing him with her. He was kissing her frantically now, his hand stroking down her side, causing goose-bumps to rise along her skin. When he started to rain kisses down her neck, she giggled as the most inane thought suddenly occurred to her.
Max pulled back, stared at her, his golden eyes completely befuddled. "What's so funny?"
"My head-ache.It's gone."
Max frowned slightly. "Headache? Oh God. Liz! I'm sorry." He pulled back further, taking his warmth with him. "I didn't even ask you if you were okay!"
Liz smiled at him. "I'm perfectly fine. Or I am now, thanks to your magic touch." Liz picked up his hand, watched in fascination as a light glow permeated from where their fingers were wound together. "Just having you touch me.It makes me feel better."
Max smiled slightly, bent his head and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She sighed, disappointed, when he sat up fully. "What happened Max? How did I get here?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" He asked, running a hand through his hair, which was still messy from where her fingers had been moments before. Liz smirked. She couldn't help it. He looked adorable.
"I remember Will giving me this." She raised her arm, blinked when she realized that the piece of cloth that she had wound around her wrist was no longer there. "What happened to it?"
"You took it off," Max replied quietly. Liz could feel his intent gaze. "Liz, it [I]did[/I] something to you. You're sure you don't remember at all?"
She frowned, searched her mind. "No," she finally said. She raised her gaze, met Max's. "What happened?" She whispered, her heart in her throat.
"I don't know how to explain it." Max trailed off, sounding frustrated. "She tried to make me understand why it had happened, but I was so desperate to get that thing away from you, I didn't really listen too closely." He looked right at her. "Liz, you were not yourself. You [I]became[/I] someone entirely different."
Liz stared at him, uncomprehending. There was only one person she could feasibly have become. "Rowena?" She finally whispered, unwilling - unable - to fully grasp that this, more than anything that had come before, proved that she was not of this Earth.
She was surprised when Max shook his head. "No. She said her name was Serena. Apparently Rowena had a sister. From what little information she gave me, it seems that they were twins. The scarf belonged to Serena, but it affected you because of your similar DNA." He paused, took her hand in his again, stroking lightly. "Liz, there is absolutely no doubt now. You [I]are[/I] Rowena."
Liz bit her lip, closed her eyes briefly. She didn't even know [I]what[/I] to think. She had pretty much accepted that Will was telling the truth before, but there were still so many unanswered questions. How had she ended up as Jeff and Nancy Parker's daughter? She knew for a certainty that she wasn't adopted. What on Earth had happened?
And she had a sister! Somewhere out there, her twin sister existed and she had never even known. How was any of this possible?
Serena. Liz shook her head in disbelief, Future Max's words about her "friend" Serena adapting the granolith for time travel.How could he have kept this from her? This was vital information.
But, of course, they had obviously found Serena in that past life. Future Max would have assumed that this would be the case in this life too. Which meant that she was out there somewhere. She really did exist.
"There's more Liz," Max said tentatively. She could hear the fear in his voice. She opened her eyes, wondered at it. His eyes were glued to her face, as though he fully intended to catch any reaction the instant she had it. "You were married to Will in your last life, but you never lived with him that way. Serena took your place. But Will doesn't know that. He always thought her to be you."
Liz blinked. "Where was I?"
Max smiled sheepishly. "Well, it turns out that."
But Liz cut him off, already knew somehow. "I was with you," she finished quietly. She was in absolutely no way surprised. The conclusion that there had been something between Zan and Rowena had been too obvious to ignore, although she had not really thought about it in any great detail. Because it was so evident, there was nothing to really think about. She searched his face. "Why do you sound upset about that?"
"[I]I'm[/I] not upset," Max replied. He stood, started pacing. "I'm thrilled about it."
Liz smiled slightly as she watched him. She tilted her head. "You sound it," she told him wryly.
Max paused, looked at her. "It's not [I]me[/I] I'm worried about," he said. "It's [I]you[/I]. Liz, this is all just crazy information. I don't even know how you're processing it. And none of it makes [I]any[/I] sense with what you've always known about yourself."
She shrugged. "I don't really have much of a choice Max. It's what [I]is[/I]." She narrowed her eyes. "I'll admit that I was a little freaked at first." She remembered back to how she had screamed when it had finally dawned on her that Will was telling her the truth, that somehow she had always known it anyway. Liz breathed a small sigh of relief that Max had not witnessed that.
"Liz, you were more than freaked."
Liz started. "Huh? How did you know that." She instantly thought accusingly of Alex. She was going to [I]kill[/I] him!
Max just looked at her, an eyebrow raised impatiently and the real truth dawned on her.
"Oh, the flashes." Liz grimaced. "Well, you have to understand Max."
"Liz, I [I]do[/I] understand," Max interrupted. "That's not the problem. The problem is how you're going to adjust to all this stuff. Because you are being [I]too[/I] calm right now. I don't like it."
Liz clambered off the bed, went and stood near him. "Max, I don't even know what you're talking about." She reached up, traced a hand down his face until he was forced to meet her eyes. "What is this [I]really[/I] about?"
She saw a vein convulse in his neck. He was quite obviously extremely upset about something. "Max?"
"Liz, I can't help but remember how you felt when Tess first came to town," Max finally said, so quickly, Liz knew that he was just trying to get it out. "You were [I]scared[/I] Liz. In spite of all you knew about me and Michael and Isabel, you were scared. And I didn't know what to do to make you feel less scared. Because this is damn scary stuff and I hate that you even have to feel this way at all."
She could feel her eyes widening as she listened to him. How did he even remember this? She [I]had[/I] been scared of Tess, but not because she was an alien, although it had seemed that way at the time. It was [I]Tess[/I] who scared her, because Liz had felt the threat inherent in the other girl, whether she was Nasedo or not. Reflecting on it now, it amazed her that she hadn't seen how her comments that day had affected Max though. Because Tess had ended up being one of them. And Liz had never made it truly clear that - to her - Max was not even different. He was just Max. If there was one person she would never fear, it was him.
"You're afraid I won't be able to accept it?" Liz asked. "That I won't [I]want[/I] to accept it?"
"That's not the only thing," Max sighed, his eyes drifting away again. "Liz, I feel like maybe you'll start to think that what's between us has nothing to do with [I]us[/I]. That it was inevitable, that we had no choice in the matter."
"What?" Liz exclaimed. "Of course I wouldn't think that Max! I don't even [I]remember[/I] Rowena. You don't remember Zan." She brought her other hand up, made him look at her. "Max, whatever happens, it's [I]you[/I] I love. It doesn't matter who the hell I was before, or who [I]you[/I] were. We may never have even found this stuff out. I have a feeling in that other timeline we never knew any of this - or at least not until it was too late." Which had to be true if they had known Serena. She shook her head, forced herself to concentrate on Max. [I]He[/I] was what was important at the moment. "None of it really matters when it comes to you and me. Even if it did turn out that it was me who was married to Will, I still would have fallen in love with and I would still love you now. You're the one I want, no matter what."
Max's eyes softened. He lowered his head until her arms were wrapped around his neck and their foreheads were touching. "How is it possible that I love you even more now than I did two minutes ago?" He demanded quietly. "I can't bear the thought of ever losing you Liz. It just freaks me out on a level I can't even express. If that makes me weak, then so be it."
He kissed her. The flashes were almost instantaneous, making Liz's knees weak. She felt his love for her so clearly, it was humbling. She kissed him back, throwing her entire soul into it, determined that he would understand exactly how she felt about him, that Zan meant nothing to her. She didn't even know who Zan had been. It didn't matter. Even if he had been the monster that he seemed in all the reports they had so far, she was so far from caring, it was ridiculous. Zan and Max were not the same.
It was in that instant that the flashes changed. Thoughts, [I]words[/I], raced through her mind, familiar, and, yet, she knew that she had never had or heard them before.
[I] "I will come back for you. We [/I]will[I] be together. I swear it."
"I will wait for you forever."[/I]
Flashes of various symbols, some familiar, others not.She had [I]seen[/I] them before though. She absolutely knew it.
And, suddenly, unbearable pain ripped through the connection, almost making her black out. [I]Zaaaaaaan![/I] It was so abrupt, she didn't have time to scream.
It took her several long moments to even get her bearings.
"Max," she gasped. She realized that somehow they had ended up back on her bed. He was panting against her neck. She could feel his skin burning against hers in a way she hadn't experienced since they had found the first orb in the desert months ago.
"God, Liz," he finally managed to breathe, rolling off of her. She turned her head. He had an arm thrown over his eyes. "What the heck was that?"
She reached out, traced a hand down his other bare arm, felt her eyes widen when a light glow followed the route her finger-tips were taking. "Max, look," she whispered, her awe so great, she felt tears welling.
Max opened his eyes, watched her hand intently. When he raised his gaze to meet hers, it had darkened considerably again. It was only then that Liz realized that his chest was completely bare. Where the heck had his shirt gone? She looked around, was astounded to see it on the other side of the room. Liz looked down, saw that the top buttons of her shirt were undone. In fact, one of them was gone. A dull flush crept up her cheeks. This was so [I]not[/I] good. How had they so completely lost control of themselves?
She looked back at Max, couldn't help the slight smile that wanted to break out across her face. She was a little upset, yes, but this was Max. It wasn't like it was unexpected. "Er, well.That was interesting."
Max scowled, did not seem pleased by her choice of words. It made her want to giggle, in spite of everything. If there was one thing Max hated, it was losing control. And there was absolutely no other way of describing what had just happened. He was opening his mouth to respond, but she kissed him again, succeeding in shutting him up.
This time there was nothing extraordinary about any of it. She felt it down to her toes as his hands twined in her hair, but there were no flashes. It was simply [I]them[/I] - Max and Liz. There was something reassuring in it.
He finally broke the kiss, brought her down gently so that her cheek rested against his pounding heart. "What the heck was that?" He repeated quietly after they lay there in silence for several long moments.
"I.I think it was from before," Liz admitted, tracing her hand down his arm again. No glow followed. She felt momentary disappointment. "For one minute, I remembered being her."
"Me too." Max sighed. "God Liz.Whatever happened to them, it was horrible."
"I know," she replied. She lifted her head so that her chin was resting on his chest, met his eyes. "It's not going to happen to us. I refuse to allow it Max."
He traced a finger down her cheek, a slight smile on his face. "How are you so strong?"
"You make me that way. No one is going to come between us ever again."
There was another pause. Liz closed her eyes, enjoyed the feeling of his fingers dancing through her hair. She didn't understand how he could drive her to a frenzy one instant and then, in the next, make her feel so peaceful, it made her want to cry. Was it any wonder she loved him so much?
The flashes started to return as she lay there, clearer now that she wasn't completely engrossed in him, wasn't completely distraught by the memory of the painful way Rowena and Zan had been torn apart. The symbols.where had she seen them before? Somehow she knew it was important.
"Max, did you see." she started to ask but it was at that moment that a knock came at the door. They both jumped, the strange other world in which they had been existing abruptly ended. Michael's voice came through the door, sounding impatient. "Yo Maxwell, what's going on in there? It's been forever!"
Max sat up, bringing Liz with him. "Oh my God! Isabel!" The expression of guilt that crossed his face made Liz's stomach drop. "What kind of ass am I?" He demanded. "Coming!" He called out to Michael.
"What's wrong?" Liz asked. "What about Isabel?"
"Nicholas kidnapped her," Max replied, sliding off the bed after planting one more firm kiss on her lips. She brought her hand up, touched her mouth, a slight frown on her face. A sense of familiarity ran through her at his action. The memory of it was just beyond her grasp.She almost groaned in frustration, forced herself to pay attention to what he was saying.
"Oh my God! Poor Isabel!" Liz exclaimed, jumping off the bed when his words penetrated. "What on Earth are we doing here?"
Max was pulling his shirt over his head. When his face reappeared, under his tousled dark hair, his expression was grim. "Will agreed to intervene. He and Kate said they had nothing to do with it."
Liz frowned. "You don't sound convinced," she said, watching him carefully. She absolutely knew in her heart that Will had no idea of what Nicholas was capable. It seemed that Max was not so certain though. But if he had trusted Will in the first place.
"Liz, he [I]gave[/I] you that cloth," Max told her. "He screwed with your mind. Whatever he might be doing right now, I can't trust that it has anything to do with saving my sister. And that's not the worst part. We let Alex go with them." He softened slightly as he seemed to become aware of the now troubled expression on her face. "We needed to make sure you were all right before we went in after them."
"Why?" Liz asked, surprised.
"We need you Liz. You're part of [I]our[/I] four square. Well, that's not the only reason," he amended. "I wouldn't have been able to think straight if I wasn't sure before we went."
She blinked, ignoring the second part of this statement, being as it was not unexpected. No, it was the first part she couldn't quite grasp. "What? What about Tess? What about Will?"
Max shrugged. "I have no idea. All I know is that we had a communication orb and you and I were the only ones able to make it work, even [I]after[/I] you thought you were Serena."
Liz raised her hands, rubbed her temples. "God Max. Can this get any more confusing?"
He reached out, grasped her elbow gently, pulling her towards him. "I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better," he replied. She stared up at him. "But there is one thing that there is no confusion about, one thing that I won't ever forget again."
She smiled slightly, already knowing where he was headed, but asking anyway, "And what's that?"
"You and I are meant to be Liz Parker. No matter how many of our past life wives or husbands show up in the future, no matter how many times you try and convince me otherwise - and this includes pretending to sleep with ex- boyfriends," he added, running his hand lightly through her hair, sending a shiver down her spine, "Absolutely nothing is ever going to make me doubt you again." Max kissed her lightly, taking her by the hand. "C'mon. We have work to do."
To be continued.
As she awoke to a splitting head-ache for the second time in twenty-four hours, Liz moaned. She felt a feather-light touch on her hair, became increasingly aware of her surroundings as she slowly drifted back to consciousness. She could feel that she was not alone, was reassured by it.
What on Earth had happened to her? The last memory she had was of Will handing her the scarf he said had belonged to Rowena and then everything had gone black.
"Will?" She managed to croak. The hand stroking her hair paused, then resumed it's gentle ministrations, although more tentatively.
"No Liz. It's me."
She struggled to open her eyes, feeling tears of relief forming beneath the lids at the familiar and beloved voice. "Max."
Finally his worried face swam into view. His eyes narrowed slightly as she managed to meet his gaze.
"What happened?" She whispered, reaching out and touching his cheek. "What's wrong?" It didn't strike her as odd immediately that they were lying side by side, nor that she couldn't for the life of her think how she had ended up in her own bedroom with Max.
A flicker of emotion passed through his eyes. "You don't remember?"
"If I remembered, I wouldn't have asked," Liz replied, wondered why he was being so cryptic.
His relief was so abruptly obvious, she blinked. "Oh thank God." The next thing she knew, he had pulled her into his arms and his face was buried in her neck. A muffled "Thank you God" reached her ears.
Liz allowed herself to enjoy the butterflies in her stomach for a moment, felt her strength increasing as she came more fully awake. Finally though, she pulled back slightly, smiled wryly at him. "Well hello to you too."
"Hi." His eyes were melting with some emotion she didn't understand. Her heart began to pound more quickly as his gaze lowered to her lips.
His kiss, when it came, was tentative. For Liz, it was too gentle. She wasn't sure why she felt impatient with it, but she did. Winding her fingers in his soft hair, she pulled him towards her, opening her mouth to him. He moaned, sending her blood speeding through her veins.
She rolled onto her back, bringing him with her. He was kissing her frantically now, his hand stroking down her side, causing goose-bumps to rise along her skin. When he started to rain kisses down her neck, she giggled as the most inane thought suddenly occurred to her.
Max pulled back, stared at her, his golden eyes completely befuddled. "What's so funny?"
"My head-ache.It's gone."
Max frowned slightly. "Headache? Oh God. Liz! I'm sorry." He pulled back further, taking his warmth with him. "I didn't even ask you if you were okay!"
Liz smiled at him. "I'm perfectly fine. Or I am now, thanks to your magic touch." Liz picked up his hand, watched in fascination as a light glow permeated from where their fingers were wound together. "Just having you touch me.It makes me feel better."
Max smiled slightly, bent his head and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She sighed, disappointed, when he sat up fully. "What happened Max? How did I get here?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" He asked, running a hand through his hair, which was still messy from where her fingers had been moments before. Liz smirked. She couldn't help it. He looked adorable.
"I remember Will giving me this." She raised her arm, blinked when she realized that the piece of cloth that she had wound around her wrist was no longer there. "What happened to it?"
"You took it off," Max replied quietly. Liz could feel his intent gaze. "Liz, it [I]did[/I] something to you. You're sure you don't remember at all?"
She frowned, searched her mind. "No," she finally said. She raised her gaze, met Max's. "What happened?" She whispered, her heart in her throat.
"I don't know how to explain it." Max trailed off, sounding frustrated. "She tried to make me understand why it had happened, but I was so desperate to get that thing away from you, I didn't really listen too closely." He looked right at her. "Liz, you were not yourself. You [I]became[/I] someone entirely different."
Liz stared at him, uncomprehending. There was only one person she could feasibly have become. "Rowena?" She finally whispered, unwilling - unable - to fully grasp that this, more than anything that had come before, proved that she was not of this Earth.
She was surprised when Max shook his head. "No. She said her name was Serena. Apparently Rowena had a sister. From what little information she gave me, it seems that they were twins. The scarf belonged to Serena, but it affected you because of your similar DNA." He paused, took her hand in his again, stroking lightly. "Liz, there is absolutely no doubt now. You [I]are[/I] Rowena."
Liz bit her lip, closed her eyes briefly. She didn't even know [I]what[/I] to think. She had pretty much accepted that Will was telling the truth before, but there were still so many unanswered questions. How had she ended up as Jeff and Nancy Parker's daughter? She knew for a certainty that she wasn't adopted. What on Earth had happened?
And she had a sister! Somewhere out there, her twin sister existed and she had never even known. How was any of this possible?
Serena. Liz shook her head in disbelief, Future Max's words about her "friend" Serena adapting the granolith for time travel.How could he have kept this from her? This was vital information.
But, of course, they had obviously found Serena in that past life. Future Max would have assumed that this would be the case in this life too. Which meant that she was out there somewhere. She really did exist.
"There's more Liz," Max said tentatively. She could hear the fear in his voice. She opened her eyes, wondered at it. His eyes were glued to her face, as though he fully intended to catch any reaction the instant she had it. "You were married to Will in your last life, but you never lived with him that way. Serena took your place. But Will doesn't know that. He always thought her to be you."
Liz blinked. "Where was I?"
Max smiled sheepishly. "Well, it turns out that."
But Liz cut him off, already knew somehow. "I was with you," she finished quietly. She was in absolutely no way surprised. The conclusion that there had been something between Zan and Rowena had been too obvious to ignore, although she had not really thought about it in any great detail. Because it was so evident, there was nothing to really think about. She searched his face. "Why do you sound upset about that?"
"[I]I'm[/I] not upset," Max replied. He stood, started pacing. "I'm thrilled about it."
Liz smiled slightly as she watched him. She tilted her head. "You sound it," she told him wryly.
Max paused, looked at her. "It's not [I]me[/I] I'm worried about," he said. "It's [I]you[/I]. Liz, this is all just crazy information. I don't even know how you're processing it. And none of it makes [I]any[/I] sense with what you've always known about yourself."
She shrugged. "I don't really have much of a choice Max. It's what [I]is[/I]." She narrowed her eyes. "I'll admit that I was a little freaked at first." She remembered back to how she had screamed when it had finally dawned on her that Will was telling her the truth, that somehow she had always known it anyway. Liz breathed a small sigh of relief that Max had not witnessed that.
"Liz, you were more than freaked."
Liz started. "Huh? How did you know that." She instantly thought accusingly of Alex. She was going to [I]kill[/I] him!
Max just looked at her, an eyebrow raised impatiently and the real truth dawned on her.
"Oh, the flashes." Liz grimaced. "Well, you have to understand Max."
"Liz, I [I]do[/I] understand," Max interrupted. "That's not the problem. The problem is how you're going to adjust to all this stuff. Because you are being [I]too[/I] calm right now. I don't like it."
Liz clambered off the bed, went and stood near him. "Max, I don't even know what you're talking about." She reached up, traced a hand down his face until he was forced to meet her eyes. "What is this [I]really[/I] about?"
She saw a vein convulse in his neck. He was quite obviously extremely upset about something. "Max?"
"Liz, I can't help but remember how you felt when Tess first came to town," Max finally said, so quickly, Liz knew that he was just trying to get it out. "You were [I]scared[/I] Liz. In spite of all you knew about me and Michael and Isabel, you were scared. And I didn't know what to do to make you feel less scared. Because this is damn scary stuff and I hate that you even have to feel this way at all."
She could feel her eyes widening as she listened to him. How did he even remember this? She [I]had[/I] been scared of Tess, but not because she was an alien, although it had seemed that way at the time. It was [I]Tess[/I] who scared her, because Liz had felt the threat inherent in the other girl, whether she was Nasedo or not. Reflecting on it now, it amazed her that she hadn't seen how her comments that day had affected Max though. Because Tess had ended up being one of them. And Liz had never made it truly clear that - to her - Max was not even different. He was just Max. If there was one person she would never fear, it was him.
"You're afraid I won't be able to accept it?" Liz asked. "That I won't [I]want[/I] to accept it?"
"That's not the only thing," Max sighed, his eyes drifting away again. "Liz, I feel like maybe you'll start to think that what's between us has nothing to do with [I]us[/I]. That it was inevitable, that we had no choice in the matter."
"What?" Liz exclaimed. "Of course I wouldn't think that Max! I don't even [I]remember[/I] Rowena. You don't remember Zan." She brought her other hand up, made him look at her. "Max, whatever happens, it's [I]you[/I] I love. It doesn't matter who the hell I was before, or who [I]you[/I] were. We may never have even found this stuff out. I have a feeling in that other timeline we never knew any of this - or at least not until it was too late." Which had to be true if they had known Serena. She shook her head, forced herself to concentrate on Max. [I]He[/I] was what was important at the moment. "None of it really matters when it comes to you and me. Even if it did turn out that it was me who was married to Will, I still would have fallen in love with and I would still love you now. You're the one I want, no matter what."
Max's eyes softened. He lowered his head until her arms were wrapped around his neck and their foreheads were touching. "How is it possible that I love you even more now than I did two minutes ago?" He demanded quietly. "I can't bear the thought of ever losing you Liz. It just freaks me out on a level I can't even express. If that makes me weak, then so be it."
He kissed her. The flashes were almost instantaneous, making Liz's knees weak. She felt his love for her so clearly, it was humbling. She kissed him back, throwing her entire soul into it, determined that he would understand exactly how she felt about him, that Zan meant nothing to her. She didn't even know who Zan had been. It didn't matter. Even if he had been the monster that he seemed in all the reports they had so far, she was so far from caring, it was ridiculous. Zan and Max were not the same.
It was in that instant that the flashes changed. Thoughts, [I]words[/I], raced through her mind, familiar, and, yet, she knew that she had never had or heard them before.
[I] "I will come back for you. We [/I]will[I] be together. I swear it."
"I will wait for you forever."[/I]
Flashes of various symbols, some familiar, others not.She had [I]seen[/I] them before though. She absolutely knew it.
And, suddenly, unbearable pain ripped through the connection, almost making her black out. [I]Zaaaaaaan![/I] It was so abrupt, she didn't have time to scream.
It took her several long moments to even get her bearings.
"Max," she gasped. She realized that somehow they had ended up back on her bed. He was panting against her neck. She could feel his skin burning against hers in a way she hadn't experienced since they had found the first orb in the desert months ago.
"God, Liz," he finally managed to breathe, rolling off of her. She turned her head. He had an arm thrown over his eyes. "What the heck was that?"
She reached out, traced a hand down his other bare arm, felt her eyes widen when a light glow followed the route her finger-tips were taking. "Max, look," she whispered, her awe so great, she felt tears welling.
Max opened his eyes, watched her hand intently. When he raised his gaze to meet hers, it had darkened considerably again. It was only then that Liz realized that his chest was completely bare. Where the heck had his shirt gone? She looked around, was astounded to see it on the other side of the room. Liz looked down, saw that the top buttons of her shirt were undone. In fact, one of them was gone. A dull flush crept up her cheeks. This was so [I]not[/I] good. How had they so completely lost control of themselves?
She looked back at Max, couldn't help the slight smile that wanted to break out across her face. She was a little upset, yes, but this was Max. It wasn't like it was unexpected. "Er, well.That was interesting."
Max scowled, did not seem pleased by her choice of words. It made her want to giggle, in spite of everything. If there was one thing Max hated, it was losing control. And there was absolutely no other way of describing what had just happened. He was opening his mouth to respond, but she kissed him again, succeeding in shutting him up.
This time there was nothing extraordinary about any of it. She felt it down to her toes as his hands twined in her hair, but there were no flashes. It was simply [I]them[/I] - Max and Liz. There was something reassuring in it.
He finally broke the kiss, brought her down gently so that her cheek rested against his pounding heart. "What the heck was that?" He repeated quietly after they lay there in silence for several long moments.
"I.I think it was from before," Liz admitted, tracing her hand down his arm again. No glow followed. She felt momentary disappointment. "For one minute, I remembered being her."
"Me too." Max sighed. "God Liz.Whatever happened to them, it was horrible."
"I know," she replied. She lifted her head so that her chin was resting on his chest, met his eyes. "It's not going to happen to us. I refuse to allow it Max."
He traced a finger down her cheek, a slight smile on his face. "How are you so strong?"
"You make me that way. No one is going to come between us ever again."
There was another pause. Liz closed her eyes, enjoyed the feeling of his fingers dancing through her hair. She didn't understand how he could drive her to a frenzy one instant and then, in the next, make her feel so peaceful, it made her want to cry. Was it any wonder she loved him so much?
The flashes started to return as she lay there, clearer now that she wasn't completely engrossed in him, wasn't completely distraught by the memory of the painful way Rowena and Zan had been torn apart. The symbols.where had she seen them before? Somehow she knew it was important.
"Max, did you see." she started to ask but it was at that moment that a knock came at the door. They both jumped, the strange other world in which they had been existing abruptly ended. Michael's voice came through the door, sounding impatient. "Yo Maxwell, what's going on in there? It's been forever!"
Max sat up, bringing Liz with him. "Oh my God! Isabel!" The expression of guilt that crossed his face made Liz's stomach drop. "What kind of ass am I?" He demanded. "Coming!" He called out to Michael.
"What's wrong?" Liz asked. "What about Isabel?"
"Nicholas kidnapped her," Max replied, sliding off the bed after planting one more firm kiss on her lips. She brought her hand up, touched her mouth, a slight frown on her face. A sense of familiarity ran through her at his action. The memory of it was just beyond her grasp.She almost groaned in frustration, forced herself to pay attention to what he was saying.
"Oh my God! Poor Isabel!" Liz exclaimed, jumping off the bed when his words penetrated. "What on Earth are we doing here?"
Max was pulling his shirt over his head. When his face reappeared, under his tousled dark hair, his expression was grim. "Will agreed to intervene. He and Kate said they had nothing to do with it."
Liz frowned. "You don't sound convinced," she said, watching him carefully. She absolutely knew in her heart that Will had no idea of what Nicholas was capable. It seemed that Max was not so certain though. But if he had trusted Will in the first place.
"Liz, he [I]gave[/I] you that cloth," Max told her. "He screwed with your mind. Whatever he might be doing right now, I can't trust that it has anything to do with saving my sister. And that's not the worst part. We let Alex go with them." He softened slightly as he seemed to become aware of the now troubled expression on her face. "We needed to make sure you were all right before we went in after them."
"Why?" Liz asked, surprised.
"We need you Liz. You're part of [I]our[/I] four square. Well, that's not the only reason," he amended. "I wouldn't have been able to think straight if I wasn't sure before we went."
She blinked, ignoring the second part of this statement, being as it was not unexpected. No, it was the first part she couldn't quite grasp. "What? What about Tess? What about Will?"
Max shrugged. "I have no idea. All I know is that we had a communication orb and you and I were the only ones able to make it work, even [I]after[/I] you thought you were Serena."
Liz raised her hands, rubbed her temples. "God Max. Can this get any more confusing?"
He reached out, grasped her elbow gently, pulling her towards him. "I have a feeling it's going to get worse before it gets better," he replied. She stared up at him. "But there is one thing that there is no confusion about, one thing that I won't ever forget again."
She smiled slightly, already knowing where he was headed, but asking anyway, "And what's that?"
"You and I are meant to be Liz Parker. No matter how many of our past life wives or husbands show up in the future, no matter how many times you try and convince me otherwise - and this includes pretending to sleep with ex- boyfriends," he added, running his hand lightly through her hair, sending a shiver down her spine, "Absolutely nothing is ever going to make me doubt you again." Max kissed her lightly, taking her by the hand. "C'mon. We have work to do."
To be continued.