A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys. My other story Landslide is really starting to take off, but I promised to finish this one, and I will. Just bear with me when it comes to updates.

Disclaimer: Same.

ACT: 14

In the month since Liz decided to give her relationship with Max a second chance, she'd been happier than she could ever remember being in her entire life. It wasn't perfect happiness, but it was real. Seven years before she had still be a child with childish ideals and beliefs. Now that her eyes were unveiled, she viewed life more realistically.

For one thing, she no longer believed in ever after. This wasn't to say that she didn't believe in love. Because she did: truly, madly, deeply. Only now, love to her meant something more concrete. She believed that if two people were committed to each other, kind, considerate, and loving to one another, then the probability of them staying together was exponential. She believed that maintaining a good relationship was like solving a difficult equation. In other words: hard work.

When she'd explained her "new outlook" to Max a week after they'd gotten back together he laughed and said: "What a crock of shit." That it was her scientific mind doing the talking, not her heart. The next night he'd taken her out to dinner at Ocean & Vine in Santa Monica. There, they'd dinned on tiger shrimps and sea scallops. And at the end of the meal Max had the waiters serenade her. The Ballard was a little known 80's song called bring back romance. Liz had sat there starry eyed while Max mouthed the words along with the violins.

I've heard it said

That romance was dead and gone

And I almost believed it was true

To the moment you came along…

Well needless to say that night had put paid to her new theory. Apparently she was a hopeless romantic after all. That didn't mean she wasn't realistic though. Especially as she and Max had decided to inform their parent's about their relationship this time around. This was the reason she presently found herself standing outside her parent's house in a state of near hyperventilation.

"Just a moment," she heard her mother call as she rang the bell for the second time. Liz took several deep breaths and plastered a smile on her face just as the door swung inward.

"Hi Mom," she said, kissing Nancy on the cheek as she stood there in stunned silence.

"This is a surprise," Nancy said as she ushered Liz inside.

More than you even know, Liz thought as she watched her mother glance worriedly towards the living room.

"Jeff, Tyler, look who's here." Nancy said, giving the occupants of the room a heads up as they entered.

The moment was awkward to say the least.

Leave it to Tyler to make a bad situation worst. "Well, well, well, if it isn't her royal highness," his mouth was twisted into a smirk. "Come to pay the commoners a visit, have we? Pardon me if I don't stand." He made reference to the motorized wheel chair he resided in.

"Good to see you too Tyler," Liz said quietly, disregarding her mother's gasp of shock at Tyler's words. It never failed to bewilder her how her mother could still be so easily shocked by anything Tyler said or did. "Dad," Liz nodded towards a stern looking Jeff Parker.

"Liz," Jeff glanced up from his paper barely acknowledging her.

Liz sighed. If you think you hate me now daddy, just you wait.

"Would you like something to drink honey?" Nancy asked earnestly.

Leave it to her mom to play devils advocate. If neither her father nor brother planned to make her feel welcome than her mother surely would.

"No thanks. I'm good," she answered before taking a seat across from everyone. It was after six in the evening on a Friday night. Liz noted that her father had been reading the paper while Tyler and her mother watched the evening news. Nancy reached for the remote to switch the television off, and they all stared at her with varying degrees of curiosity.

Clearing her throat, Liz got straight to it. "There's been a new development in my life and I wanted you guys to hear it from me first." Looking down at the tightly clenched, white knuckled hands in her lap, she quickly blurted:

"ImdatingMaxEvansagain."

"You're doing what!" Jeff Parker's words held all the explosiveness of a nuclear bomb.

"You heard me the first time." Liz stared at her family defiantly. Her father's face was like a thunder cloud, while her mother just looked resigned. As for Tyler…well, his reaction worried Liz the most. He was eerily silent and his expression blank.

"Either you break it off now," Jeff stormed, "or you're no longer my daughter!"

"Jeff don't!" Nancy gasped.

Liz laughed humorlessly while staring at her father with bleak eyes. "I haven't been your daughter for seven years, so let's drop the pretense. We all know why I don't visit often."

"Liz—"

"No mom, it needs to be said. In fact it's long overdue." Mother and daughter stared at each other with sad eyes before Liz refocused her attention on her fuming father.

"You've treated me differently for the past seven years. You can barely look at me. And when you do, it's like I'm something dirty on the bottom of your shoe." Liz spoke raggedly as years of hurt built up in her chest. "Why daddy? What did I do that was so wrong?" her eyes pleaded.

"What did you do?" Jeff's tone was incredulous. "Not only did you betray me with my worst enemy, you're the cause of my son being in a wheel chair."

Nancy gasped raising her hand to cover her mouth as she stared from her husband to her daughter. The look on Liz's face was one of devastation. Exactly what Nancy had been trying to prevent.

Liz stared at her father with tears pouring down her face. So this is what he really thought of her. "You know what daddy," she said coming to her feet. "I never wanted to believe it before. But now I have to face the facts. "You're a small man," she watched as he flinched. "Instead of making something better of you're life, you've been too content hating the Evans. And look what it's caused. Yeah, maybe I do share in the blame for what happened all the years ago," she glanced pointedly at Tyler. "But it was you who sowed the seeds of hate in him. A hate so strong that it took a life," Liz's voice broke momentarily as she dwelled on the sweet little girl who would never know her real father. "So while you sit there lamenting over some stupid feud, maybe you should take the time to dwell on the real reason why your son will never walk again, why the Evans' have one less son, and why you'll never have any grandchildren," Liz said nearly blinded by tears as she ran from the living room.

"Liz wait." Nancy caught her arm as she was exiting the front door.

Liz turned to face her mother all the hurt and disillusionment she felt shinning in her chocolate brown eyes.

"Oh baby girl," Nancy said hugging her daughter tightly. Loosing her hold she whispered to Liz, "Find a way to happy."

"You don't disapprove?" Liz asked, staring at her mother intently.

Nancy shook her head smiling sadly. "The heart wants what it wants. You have no choice but to follow it."

-&-

"It's done," Liz said into the phone when Max picked it up. She was driving down interstate 605 on her way home.

"Do I even want to know how it went?" he asked from the other end. He'd wanted to go with her, but she'd refused saying his presence would only make things worse. By the sound of her voice he doubted that.

"It went." Liz tried to laugh but tears were clogging her throat.

"I'm sorry baby," Max said softly, sympathetically.

Liz cleared her throat. "How'd it go with your parent's?"

Max paused before speaking. "It went ok," he said in puzzled wonderment.

"What does that mean?" Liz asked, puzzled herself.

"It means there were no outburst, arguments, threats of disownment," Max joked unknowingly and Liz flinched. "Everything was quite civilized. My mother even expressed an interest in meeting you."

"Oh."

Max wasn't exactly sure what Liz's "oh" meant but it sounded incredibly sad. He knew just the thing to cheer her up. Unsurprisingly, she had Jessie had got on like a house on fire. They were so much alike. Both of them immensely lovable.

"I have someone who would like to speak to you," Max said into the phone.

His hushed tone gave Liz momentary pause until…

"Hi Liz," Jessie said excitedly into the phone.

"Hi munchkin," Liz said back and smiled as the child giggled.

"Daddy said you're coming over tomorrow."

"You bet your button nose I am." Liz listened as Jessie giggled again.

"That's great! I can't wait to show you the fabu clothes aunt Isabel bought for my brat dolls."

This time Liz was the one to giggle. Jessie was just too cute.

"Halfta go now. Daddy wants to speak with you. See you tomorrow Liz."

Liz smiled as she listened to Max shooing Jessie away.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much." Liz said, and she did.

"I love you Liz Parker," Max said his voice husky with emotion.

And this time, without pause, Liz said it back: "I love you too Max Evans."