Chapter 3
It had been a good day. Everything about his work had gone so much easier with the memory of Liz in the morning fresh in his mind. He would probably trade his soul to be able to wake up to that sight every day. The problem was that even though he had tried to make Liz understand that he did not care for Tess romantically, she stubbornly continued to push him towards Tess - away from Liz. Once again, Max thought that something was not right. Liz was hiding something. After this morning, Max was even more keen than ever on finding out just what she was hiding. As he saw it, that was probably the only obstacle in his way of his and Liz's relationship. He had felt her love for him this morning - especially in the small kiss on his cheek that she had given him. The familiar electricity that had stirred inside his veins and arteries with that small kiss was enough to make him go weak in his legs. Once again, he was amazed over the power that small girl had over him.
With a small smile on his face he crossed the road outside the UFO center and entered the CrashDown. His eyes immediately sought her out. She was sitting on one of the chairs at the counter. As soon as he saw her face his smile faltered. She was pale and her hands were trembling ever so slightly in her lap. She turned her head, as if sensing his presence, and her eyes locked with his. She sent him a weak smile, which did funny things to his stomach. His protective nature kicked in full force and he purposefully strode up to her.
"Hi Liz," he said.
"Hay Max," she said and then it was just them in the room. Everything else around them dissolved into unimportant nothingness, becoming a blur of images. The sound around them disappeared and they were all that existed.
"Are you okay?" Max asked and tentatively brought up one of his hands and brushed a strand of hair off Liz's forehead.
"You seem to be asking that a lot lately," Liz pointed out.
"You have looked sick a lot lately," Max countered. "You look pale."
"Oh., but I feel a lot better now actually," Liz said and started to rise from her chair.
She actually looked better, Max noticed and moved a little so that she could stand.
From the back of the counter, Maria watched the whole scene unfold. Something was different. Max seemed to touch Liz more, in a more relaxed way and Liz did not pull away. They even did the whole Liz-and-Max-thing again - loosing themselves in each other's eyes and completely ignoring the rest of the world. "This is a good sign," Maria thought. "I wonder what really has happened between them since I left Liz yesterday after our little chat about eating better and looking out for ourselves."
"Can I help you with anything?" Max asked Liz when she started to wipe off one of the tables.
She smiled at him.
"You know what Max? Me - employer, You - customer. Me - work, You - sit down and order," she said.
"Yes, ma'am, " Max said and with a salute and a small chuckle positioned himself at his regular booth.
Maria looked up with a I-cannot-believe-this look in her eyes. "Okay, something is definitely different here!" she thought.
"Liz! You and me babe - out there - now!" Maria ordered pointing at the door of the employers' only room in the back.
"Maria, we're working," Liz started to protest.
"Oh, no no no," Maria said wiggling her index finger in front of Liz's face. "Don't try that on me. We are thirty minutes from closing time and the only customers here are an old man over there and Max. I think Max can handle himself a couple of minutes, don't you? And that old man - well, let's just say that he's been sitting here drinking that same cup of coffee - which by the way must be very cold by know - since three o'clock so I don't think he is going anywhere soon."
"Okay, okay," Liz laughed putting up her hands in a defensive manner in front of her. She let herself be dragged out of the room into the back by Maria, while Max watched with an amused expression on his face. He did sooo not want to be in Liz's shoes right now.
"Okay, spill!" Maria demanded as soon as they were alone.
"There's nothing to tell," Liz said, evasively.
"Oh, yes there is!" Maria said. "Max just chuckled, Liz - he chuckled. Do you understand the impact of that act? I have not seen our oh-so-very- uptight-control-freak Max Evans commit to any act that resembles laughter in any way in the last months. Not even a smile! And then he comes in here, after hours and hours of boring work at the UFO center I might add, and after making goo-goo eyes with you for a few minutes he suddenly chuckles. And, that's not even the most spectacular thing with this whole phenomenon. You, Liz Parker, princess of depression these last months, makes the joke that makes Max Evans chuckle. So you, girlfriend, have on the opposite very much to tell."
"Okay, Maria..breathe!" Liz laughed.
"And here we go again," Maria said unable to stop a smile of her own. "Liz Parker laughs! I am shocked - outraged!"
"Sniff some cedar oil, Maria," Liz said.
Maria just gave Liz a look that practically said "Spill or die".
"This morning I woke up to a very strange sight," Liz said.
"Ahaa," Maria said a bit confused, her voice prompting Liz to give her some more information to work with than that.
"Guess who I was pinning to the bed," Liz smiled. Maria's eyes went so wide that Liz was afraid they might fall out of their orbits.
"You didn't!" she said shocked to the bones of the images of a naked Max and Liz in bed together flashing through her mind.
"Nono, Maria," Liz said quickly. "We were both fully dressed."
"Thank God," Maria said but she still looked very suspicious. "But what was Max Evans doing in your bedroom acting the role of your pillow?"
"According to Max, he was worried about me so he went to check on me last night," Liz said. "I was having a nightmare and Max wanted to calm me down."
"And just HOW did he do that, if I might ask?" Maria asked a bit accusative.
"He just held me throughout the night," Liz said with a dreamy look on her face.
"Right, of course. It's Max Evans we're talking about here. The always in control, cautious Max Evans," Maria said with a sting of jealousy while she cast a look into the direction of her non-boyfriend Michael Guerin in the act of putting out a fire in the hamburgers on the grill in front of him with his spatula.
"He was just there for me, Maria," Liz said.
Maria watched her friend and it warmed her heart to see that a small part of that missed sparkle in Liz's eyes had returned. She put her arms around Liz and gave her a big hug.
"I love you, Liz," Maria said. "Even if Max decides to hurt you again, don't forget that I will always be here for you."
"Thanks Maria," Liz said. "I love you too. But you know, it was I who hurt Max, not the other way around."
"You were both hurting, Liz," Maria said. "All because of a special person which I am not so very fond of. and we both know who I mean."
Liz smiled at her best friend. Happy to have her support, through thick and thin.
"Now, Maria. If you are finished I have a certain gentleman expecting my service outside," Liz said walking pass Maria, through the doors into the dining area.
"And what service might that be?" Maria mumbled. Maria observed Liz's eyes meeting Max's and Liz was once again lost to the outside world.
With a dreamy smile plastered on her face, Liz made her way over to Max.
"And here we go again," Maria announced to herself.
"What happened to you?" Michael demanded in the tone of voice that was so characteristically the I-don't-trust-anyone Michael.
"What?" Max asked confused.
"I think what Michael is trying to tell you is that there is a difference about you, Max," Isabel said while keeping an eye on the people walking by them in the school yard.
"There's nothing different with me," Max said, crawling inside of his shell.
"Oh, come on Max, if even Michael notices something is different, something really is different," Isabel said.
"Oh, it's Liz isn't it?" Michael said. When Max looked up sharply with a bit of ."guilty expression," Michael thought. on his face Michael had his answer.
"Are you guys getting back together?" Isabel asked, not sure if she should be happy or not.
"No, we're not. By the way, that's private," Max said and poured some more Tabasco sauce on his potato chips.
"Since when do we keep secrets from each other?" Michael asked, unconsciously repeating the exact same phrase he had said when things had gotten so intense between Max and Liz during their search for the orb.
"Michael, back off. Nothing happened, and if it did it would be none of your business," Max said showing a bit of the latent authority that he had once held as a leader on a far off planet.
"Michael told me Liz was sick," Isabel said. "Is she sick?"
"I don't know," Max said and Isabel saw how his whole face practically transformed in front of her, now becoming etched with worry. "She passed out in the CrashDown, and she told me that she had a headache. That was all. However, Saturday when I came in after work she looked pale. But after a few minutes she seemed fine again. I don't know what's going on with her."
"You haven't gotten her pregnant, have you Maxwell?" Michael asked suspiciously.
"Michael!!" both Isabel and Max exclaimed simultaneously.
"Okay, okay.wrong question," Michael said with his hands in front of him.
Liz had felt edgy all day, and if that was not enough her headache had also returned - with full effect. She felt like someone had run over her head with a truck and all that was left was an aching mush. She was now on her way to her biology lesson - with Max. For the first time in a long time, she did not expect the worse. She did actually feel more comfortable around Max know. "Maybe sleeping in his arms does that to you," she thought. When she neared the classroom she felt his presence getting stronger. She was still amazed by the fact that she could feel him. Like they were connected all the time. When she entered he turned his head towards her. Their eyes met and he gave her a small smile. She smiled back, but due to the pain in her head she only managed a weak one that more looked like a grimace. "Damn," she thought when Max's eyes glazed over with worry, "now he's worried." She didn't like to worry him. He was too protective for his own good.
"Hi Max," she said, taking her place beside him and before he could open his mouth to ask the question she knew he would ask she said, "I'm fine Max, it's just the headache that has returned."
"Right", Max said and blushed a little self-consciously.
"Okay, class," Mr. Seligman started. "Today we are going to look into the small details of the human body and look at the electric transmission of the nerves in our bodies. How do electrical impulses travel throughout our body and make us react? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out!" He chuckled a bit at his own joke and Max turned his head towards Liz with a small smile at the lame joke. His smile quickly disappeared when he saw Liz slumped over the table with her head in her hands. Her hair flowed around her face, preventing Max from seeing her face.
"Liz, what's wrong?" Max whispered while Mr. Seligman in the background went on about post-synaptic transmission and neurotransmitters.
Liz did not seem to hear him and Max's worry increased.
"Liz, look at me," Max demanded softly. When she didn't look at him he placed a hand on her back to get her attention. He was rapidly pulled inside her mind. All around him he felt her pain, it was so intense it almost knocked him out cold. He knew that he had somehow connected with Liz and was inside her mind. But she was nowhere to be found. It was dark and cold and all that pain.
"Liz, where are you?" Max yelled blindly into the darkness.
"Max.," came a very small reply - so soft that he almost did not hear it. Almost.
"Liz, follow my voice, come to me! I'm here. You just have to follow my voice and I will bring you into safety," Max said.
"Max, " her voice called again, but a little stronger this time. "Don't leave me!"
"I won't, Liz," Max said, while frantically starting to search around the dark caverns of Liz's mind. "Follow my voice, Liz, and you will come home."
And suddenly she was there before him. But she was walking so slowly, as if every step was causing her pain. Max ran to her and swept her in his arms. She held on to him and started to cry.
"It hurts, Max," she cried. "It hurts so much. Please, make it stop!"
Her crying almost tore his heart apart but he still remembered where their bodies were - in biology in a room full of students. It was not a good place to become unconscious in.
"Liz, you have to wake up," Max said. "Then I will make you better, okay?"
Liz nodded and then Max found himself in the biology classroom again.
He felt the loss of the connection to Liz instantly. His loneliness clamped down on him. He looked beside him and saw into the eyes of Liz's dark- brown. They were a bit reddened by her crying and her cheeks were wet. Max looked up at the teacher to assess the situation. Had anyone noticed that they had practically been unconscious? The teacher was still going on about synaptic transmission, now having his attention on the board where he drew nerve-endings. Looking around the classroom, Max just found the bored faces of regular high school students - staring at the board, not quite registrating what was trying to be taught to them.
"Excuse me, Mr. Seligman," Max said while raising his hand in the air.
"Yes, Mr. Evans," Mr. Seligman said turning towards Max.
"Liz is not feeling too well, is it okay if I take her to the nurse?" Max asked.
Mr. Seligman turned his attention to the girl sitting on the left of Max and found that she did in fact not look too well.
"Yeah, I guess that would be okay, Mr. Evans," Mr. Seligman said.
"Thank you, Mr. Seligman," Max said and rose from his chair. He took a strong grip around Liz's waist to steady her when she stood and then pulled her to him to support most of her weight when they started to walk out of the classroom. Max felt all eyes on him and Liz while they walked out. Liz was oblivious to it all, except to the fact that Max's strong arm was around her waist making her feel better by the second.
When they came out in the hallway, Max propped Liz up against a wall.
"I want to check on you, Liz," Max said. "To see what's wrong with you."
"Okay," Liz said, still feeling weak from the whole ordeal in the classroom.
"It's probably better if we go somewhere more private," Max said. "Like.um, the Eraser room."
Liz subdued a smile at how cute Max looked when he in a self-conscious and embarrassed manner scratched behind his ear. Those cute ears that were protruding just a little from the sides of his head. "Okay, Liz, focus," she scolded herself. "He asked you a question. What did he ask you.? Right, the Eraser room. I would LOVE to be in the Eraser room with him. No, stop it Liz Parker. Max is worried about you and wants to help. Nothing more."
"Liz.," Max asked slowly, afraid that she was getting worse.
"Oh, we should head towards the Eraser room then," Liz said and leaned against Max again, signaling that she expected him to hold her close. Very close. "Stop it Parker," she thought.
Max closed the door to the Eraser room and sealed the lock with his powers.
"So.," Max walked up to Liz and put his hands under her arms, brushing along the sides of her breasts ever so slightly.
"Max, what.," But before she could finish that sentence, Max's strong hands had lifted her off the ground and put her on the table. She was now sitting on the table with her legs dangling in the air. Max was standing between her thighs. Liz's heart started to pound faster in her chest and her breathing quickening. Max, noticing the change in her breathing, thought Liz's heavy breathing was due to her health condition.
"Liz, are you all right?" he asked, worried once again.
"Yes, Max.I'm.uhm.fine," Liz answered.
Max noticed that Liz would not meet his eyes any longer. Had he done something wrong? Then he became aware of the fact that his hands were still cradling Liz's sides and he quickly removed them - brushing against Liz's breast once again in the process. Certainly not unnoticed by Liz. Max felt a rush of desire surge through him and he clenched his fists by the sides of his body to calm himself down. He was not here to maul Liz Parker! When calming himself down he looked up and was met by Liz's eyes. They were a nuance darker than usual - darker with.desire. "Oh God, that is not helping!" Max thought and stepped away from Liz a bit.
"Max.," Liz tentatively asked.
Hearing her small voice brought him back to the situation. Liz was sick, and he was going to help her.
"Liz, just look into my eyes and let your mind go blank," Max said. Liz nodded and Max placed both his hands on the sides of Liz's head, cradling her head in his hands, stepping closer to her in the process.
Just as he was about to enter her mind she pulled away from him.
"What-," he began confused and then he saw the flicker of fear in her eyes. "What's wrong, Liz?"
"I'm better now, Max. Really," Liz said and took up her hands around his and gently pulled them away from her face.
"Yeah, I know that. I can see that. But Liz, you were not okay five minutes ago. You were unconscious, Liz, or something worse and we need to find out what is wrong so I can heal you, so that it doesn't happen again!" Max said while in confusion watching Liz's eyes nervously dart around the room, looking everywhere but at him.
"It was probably just the headache, and I haven't eaten in five hours. I'm probably dehydrated or something," Liz said and pushed Max away from her to get enough room to slip off the table. When she landed on her feet she swayed a little, feeling that her legs were still weak. To stop herself from falling she reached out and grabbed a hold of Max's shirt. At the same time Max reached out and steadied her with his hand around her arm.
"We have more classes, Max," Liz continued talking so that Max wouldn't get a chance to tell her that she was still weak and still needed to rest.
"But Liz-," Max started but was interrupted by Liz.
"I'm fine, Max. I promise. Now, would you please unlock the door?"
Still a bit dazed with the quick turn of events, Max hesitated a moment or two before going over to the door and unlocking it. As he watched Liz - scurry out of the room and hurry down the hallway with a "see you later, Max!" - she reminded him of a prisoner that had been locked up for years and was finally set free.
It had been a good day. Everything about his work had gone so much easier with the memory of Liz in the morning fresh in his mind. He would probably trade his soul to be able to wake up to that sight every day. The problem was that even though he had tried to make Liz understand that he did not care for Tess romantically, she stubbornly continued to push him towards Tess - away from Liz. Once again, Max thought that something was not right. Liz was hiding something. After this morning, Max was even more keen than ever on finding out just what she was hiding. As he saw it, that was probably the only obstacle in his way of his and Liz's relationship. He had felt her love for him this morning - especially in the small kiss on his cheek that she had given him. The familiar electricity that had stirred inside his veins and arteries with that small kiss was enough to make him go weak in his legs. Once again, he was amazed over the power that small girl had over him.
With a small smile on his face he crossed the road outside the UFO center and entered the CrashDown. His eyes immediately sought her out. She was sitting on one of the chairs at the counter. As soon as he saw her face his smile faltered. She was pale and her hands were trembling ever so slightly in her lap. She turned her head, as if sensing his presence, and her eyes locked with his. She sent him a weak smile, which did funny things to his stomach. His protective nature kicked in full force and he purposefully strode up to her.
"Hi Liz," he said.
"Hay Max," she said and then it was just them in the room. Everything else around them dissolved into unimportant nothingness, becoming a blur of images. The sound around them disappeared and they were all that existed.
"Are you okay?" Max asked and tentatively brought up one of his hands and brushed a strand of hair off Liz's forehead.
"You seem to be asking that a lot lately," Liz pointed out.
"You have looked sick a lot lately," Max countered. "You look pale."
"Oh., but I feel a lot better now actually," Liz said and started to rise from her chair.
She actually looked better, Max noticed and moved a little so that she could stand.
From the back of the counter, Maria watched the whole scene unfold. Something was different. Max seemed to touch Liz more, in a more relaxed way and Liz did not pull away. They even did the whole Liz-and-Max-thing again - loosing themselves in each other's eyes and completely ignoring the rest of the world. "This is a good sign," Maria thought. "I wonder what really has happened between them since I left Liz yesterday after our little chat about eating better and looking out for ourselves."
"Can I help you with anything?" Max asked Liz when she started to wipe off one of the tables.
She smiled at him.
"You know what Max? Me - employer, You - customer. Me - work, You - sit down and order," she said.
"Yes, ma'am, " Max said and with a salute and a small chuckle positioned himself at his regular booth.
Maria looked up with a I-cannot-believe-this look in her eyes. "Okay, something is definitely different here!" she thought.
"Liz! You and me babe - out there - now!" Maria ordered pointing at the door of the employers' only room in the back.
"Maria, we're working," Liz started to protest.
"Oh, no no no," Maria said wiggling her index finger in front of Liz's face. "Don't try that on me. We are thirty minutes from closing time and the only customers here are an old man over there and Max. I think Max can handle himself a couple of minutes, don't you? And that old man - well, let's just say that he's been sitting here drinking that same cup of coffee - which by the way must be very cold by know - since three o'clock so I don't think he is going anywhere soon."
"Okay, okay," Liz laughed putting up her hands in a defensive manner in front of her. She let herself be dragged out of the room into the back by Maria, while Max watched with an amused expression on his face. He did sooo not want to be in Liz's shoes right now.
"Okay, spill!" Maria demanded as soon as they were alone.
"There's nothing to tell," Liz said, evasively.
"Oh, yes there is!" Maria said. "Max just chuckled, Liz - he chuckled. Do you understand the impact of that act? I have not seen our oh-so-very- uptight-control-freak Max Evans commit to any act that resembles laughter in any way in the last months. Not even a smile! And then he comes in here, after hours and hours of boring work at the UFO center I might add, and after making goo-goo eyes with you for a few minutes he suddenly chuckles. And, that's not even the most spectacular thing with this whole phenomenon. You, Liz Parker, princess of depression these last months, makes the joke that makes Max Evans chuckle. So you, girlfriend, have on the opposite very much to tell."
"Okay, Maria..breathe!" Liz laughed.
"And here we go again," Maria said unable to stop a smile of her own. "Liz Parker laughs! I am shocked - outraged!"
"Sniff some cedar oil, Maria," Liz said.
Maria just gave Liz a look that practically said "Spill or die".
"This morning I woke up to a very strange sight," Liz said.
"Ahaa," Maria said a bit confused, her voice prompting Liz to give her some more information to work with than that.
"Guess who I was pinning to the bed," Liz smiled. Maria's eyes went so wide that Liz was afraid they might fall out of their orbits.
"You didn't!" she said shocked to the bones of the images of a naked Max and Liz in bed together flashing through her mind.
"Nono, Maria," Liz said quickly. "We were both fully dressed."
"Thank God," Maria said but she still looked very suspicious. "But what was Max Evans doing in your bedroom acting the role of your pillow?"
"According to Max, he was worried about me so he went to check on me last night," Liz said. "I was having a nightmare and Max wanted to calm me down."
"And just HOW did he do that, if I might ask?" Maria asked a bit accusative.
"He just held me throughout the night," Liz said with a dreamy look on her face.
"Right, of course. It's Max Evans we're talking about here. The always in control, cautious Max Evans," Maria said with a sting of jealousy while she cast a look into the direction of her non-boyfriend Michael Guerin in the act of putting out a fire in the hamburgers on the grill in front of him with his spatula.
"He was just there for me, Maria," Liz said.
Maria watched her friend and it warmed her heart to see that a small part of that missed sparkle in Liz's eyes had returned. She put her arms around Liz and gave her a big hug.
"I love you, Liz," Maria said. "Even if Max decides to hurt you again, don't forget that I will always be here for you."
"Thanks Maria," Liz said. "I love you too. But you know, it was I who hurt Max, not the other way around."
"You were both hurting, Liz," Maria said. "All because of a special person which I am not so very fond of. and we both know who I mean."
Liz smiled at her best friend. Happy to have her support, through thick and thin.
"Now, Maria. If you are finished I have a certain gentleman expecting my service outside," Liz said walking pass Maria, through the doors into the dining area.
"And what service might that be?" Maria mumbled. Maria observed Liz's eyes meeting Max's and Liz was once again lost to the outside world.
With a dreamy smile plastered on her face, Liz made her way over to Max.
"And here we go again," Maria announced to herself.
"What happened to you?" Michael demanded in the tone of voice that was so characteristically the I-don't-trust-anyone Michael.
"What?" Max asked confused.
"I think what Michael is trying to tell you is that there is a difference about you, Max," Isabel said while keeping an eye on the people walking by them in the school yard.
"There's nothing different with me," Max said, crawling inside of his shell.
"Oh, come on Max, if even Michael notices something is different, something really is different," Isabel said.
"Oh, it's Liz isn't it?" Michael said. When Max looked up sharply with a bit of ."guilty expression," Michael thought. on his face Michael had his answer.
"Are you guys getting back together?" Isabel asked, not sure if she should be happy or not.
"No, we're not. By the way, that's private," Max said and poured some more Tabasco sauce on his potato chips.
"Since when do we keep secrets from each other?" Michael asked, unconsciously repeating the exact same phrase he had said when things had gotten so intense between Max and Liz during their search for the orb.
"Michael, back off. Nothing happened, and if it did it would be none of your business," Max said showing a bit of the latent authority that he had once held as a leader on a far off planet.
"Michael told me Liz was sick," Isabel said. "Is she sick?"
"I don't know," Max said and Isabel saw how his whole face practically transformed in front of her, now becoming etched with worry. "She passed out in the CrashDown, and she told me that she had a headache. That was all. However, Saturday when I came in after work she looked pale. But after a few minutes she seemed fine again. I don't know what's going on with her."
"You haven't gotten her pregnant, have you Maxwell?" Michael asked suspiciously.
"Michael!!" both Isabel and Max exclaimed simultaneously.
"Okay, okay.wrong question," Michael said with his hands in front of him.
Liz had felt edgy all day, and if that was not enough her headache had also returned - with full effect. She felt like someone had run over her head with a truck and all that was left was an aching mush. She was now on her way to her biology lesson - with Max. For the first time in a long time, she did not expect the worse. She did actually feel more comfortable around Max know. "Maybe sleeping in his arms does that to you," she thought. When she neared the classroom she felt his presence getting stronger. She was still amazed by the fact that she could feel him. Like they were connected all the time. When she entered he turned his head towards her. Their eyes met and he gave her a small smile. She smiled back, but due to the pain in her head she only managed a weak one that more looked like a grimace. "Damn," she thought when Max's eyes glazed over with worry, "now he's worried." She didn't like to worry him. He was too protective for his own good.
"Hi Max," she said, taking her place beside him and before he could open his mouth to ask the question she knew he would ask she said, "I'm fine Max, it's just the headache that has returned."
"Right", Max said and blushed a little self-consciously.
"Okay, class," Mr. Seligman started. "Today we are going to look into the small details of the human body and look at the electric transmission of the nerves in our bodies. How do electrical impulses travel throughout our body and make us react? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out!" He chuckled a bit at his own joke and Max turned his head towards Liz with a small smile at the lame joke. His smile quickly disappeared when he saw Liz slumped over the table with her head in her hands. Her hair flowed around her face, preventing Max from seeing her face.
"Liz, what's wrong?" Max whispered while Mr. Seligman in the background went on about post-synaptic transmission and neurotransmitters.
Liz did not seem to hear him and Max's worry increased.
"Liz, look at me," Max demanded softly. When she didn't look at him he placed a hand on her back to get her attention. He was rapidly pulled inside her mind. All around him he felt her pain, it was so intense it almost knocked him out cold. He knew that he had somehow connected with Liz and was inside her mind. But she was nowhere to be found. It was dark and cold and all that pain.
"Liz, where are you?" Max yelled blindly into the darkness.
"Max.," came a very small reply - so soft that he almost did not hear it. Almost.
"Liz, follow my voice, come to me! I'm here. You just have to follow my voice and I will bring you into safety," Max said.
"Max, " her voice called again, but a little stronger this time. "Don't leave me!"
"I won't, Liz," Max said, while frantically starting to search around the dark caverns of Liz's mind. "Follow my voice, Liz, and you will come home."
And suddenly she was there before him. But she was walking so slowly, as if every step was causing her pain. Max ran to her and swept her in his arms. She held on to him and started to cry.
"It hurts, Max," she cried. "It hurts so much. Please, make it stop!"
Her crying almost tore his heart apart but he still remembered where their bodies were - in biology in a room full of students. It was not a good place to become unconscious in.
"Liz, you have to wake up," Max said. "Then I will make you better, okay?"
Liz nodded and then Max found himself in the biology classroom again.
He felt the loss of the connection to Liz instantly. His loneliness clamped down on him. He looked beside him and saw into the eyes of Liz's dark- brown. They were a bit reddened by her crying and her cheeks were wet. Max looked up at the teacher to assess the situation. Had anyone noticed that they had practically been unconscious? The teacher was still going on about synaptic transmission, now having his attention on the board where he drew nerve-endings. Looking around the classroom, Max just found the bored faces of regular high school students - staring at the board, not quite registrating what was trying to be taught to them.
"Excuse me, Mr. Seligman," Max said while raising his hand in the air.
"Yes, Mr. Evans," Mr. Seligman said turning towards Max.
"Liz is not feeling too well, is it okay if I take her to the nurse?" Max asked.
Mr. Seligman turned his attention to the girl sitting on the left of Max and found that she did in fact not look too well.
"Yeah, I guess that would be okay, Mr. Evans," Mr. Seligman said.
"Thank you, Mr. Seligman," Max said and rose from his chair. He took a strong grip around Liz's waist to steady her when she stood and then pulled her to him to support most of her weight when they started to walk out of the classroom. Max felt all eyes on him and Liz while they walked out. Liz was oblivious to it all, except to the fact that Max's strong arm was around her waist making her feel better by the second.
When they came out in the hallway, Max propped Liz up against a wall.
"I want to check on you, Liz," Max said. "To see what's wrong with you."
"Okay," Liz said, still feeling weak from the whole ordeal in the classroom.
"It's probably better if we go somewhere more private," Max said. "Like.um, the Eraser room."
Liz subdued a smile at how cute Max looked when he in a self-conscious and embarrassed manner scratched behind his ear. Those cute ears that were protruding just a little from the sides of his head. "Okay, Liz, focus," she scolded herself. "He asked you a question. What did he ask you.? Right, the Eraser room. I would LOVE to be in the Eraser room with him. No, stop it Liz Parker. Max is worried about you and wants to help. Nothing more."
"Liz.," Max asked slowly, afraid that she was getting worse.
"Oh, we should head towards the Eraser room then," Liz said and leaned against Max again, signaling that she expected him to hold her close. Very close. "Stop it Parker," she thought.
Max closed the door to the Eraser room and sealed the lock with his powers.
"So.," Max walked up to Liz and put his hands under her arms, brushing along the sides of her breasts ever so slightly.
"Max, what.," But before she could finish that sentence, Max's strong hands had lifted her off the ground and put her on the table. She was now sitting on the table with her legs dangling in the air. Max was standing between her thighs. Liz's heart started to pound faster in her chest and her breathing quickening. Max, noticing the change in her breathing, thought Liz's heavy breathing was due to her health condition.
"Liz, are you all right?" he asked, worried once again.
"Yes, Max.I'm.uhm.fine," Liz answered.
Max noticed that Liz would not meet his eyes any longer. Had he done something wrong? Then he became aware of the fact that his hands were still cradling Liz's sides and he quickly removed them - brushing against Liz's breast once again in the process. Certainly not unnoticed by Liz. Max felt a rush of desire surge through him and he clenched his fists by the sides of his body to calm himself down. He was not here to maul Liz Parker! When calming himself down he looked up and was met by Liz's eyes. They were a nuance darker than usual - darker with.desire. "Oh God, that is not helping!" Max thought and stepped away from Liz a bit.
"Max.," Liz tentatively asked.
Hearing her small voice brought him back to the situation. Liz was sick, and he was going to help her.
"Liz, just look into my eyes and let your mind go blank," Max said. Liz nodded and Max placed both his hands on the sides of Liz's head, cradling her head in his hands, stepping closer to her in the process.
Just as he was about to enter her mind she pulled away from him.
"What-," he began confused and then he saw the flicker of fear in her eyes. "What's wrong, Liz?"
"I'm better now, Max. Really," Liz said and took up her hands around his and gently pulled them away from her face.
"Yeah, I know that. I can see that. But Liz, you were not okay five minutes ago. You were unconscious, Liz, or something worse and we need to find out what is wrong so I can heal you, so that it doesn't happen again!" Max said while in confusion watching Liz's eyes nervously dart around the room, looking everywhere but at him.
"It was probably just the headache, and I haven't eaten in five hours. I'm probably dehydrated or something," Liz said and pushed Max away from her to get enough room to slip off the table. When she landed on her feet she swayed a little, feeling that her legs were still weak. To stop herself from falling she reached out and grabbed a hold of Max's shirt. At the same time Max reached out and steadied her with his hand around her arm.
"We have more classes, Max," Liz continued talking so that Max wouldn't get a chance to tell her that she was still weak and still needed to rest.
"But Liz-," Max started but was interrupted by Liz.
"I'm fine, Max. I promise. Now, would you please unlock the door?"
Still a bit dazed with the quick turn of events, Max hesitated a moment or two before going over to the door and unlocking it. As he watched Liz - scurry out of the room and hurry down the hallway with a "see you later, Max!" - she reminded him of a prisoner that had been locked up for years and was finally set free.