Connections 14

The group sat in silence after Kareena left. Max suggested that they all take some time to think and everyone agreed. Max gently kissed Liz's forehead, then left the restaurant, Michael trailing him. Maria walked over to Liz and they held hands. Liz connected with her and Maria squeezed Liz's hand tightly.

Alex and Isabel sat next to each other in silence for a moment, their fingers intertwined.

Isabel turned to face Alex, "I'm going to go home and get some sleep," she replied.

"Alright," Alex answered her. He put his hand on the side of her face. Isabel sighed and the two leaned in and kissed. "I love you, Izzy."

"I love you too," Isabel whispered, "but I need to go home right now, otherwise I'd stay. You know that."

"Yeah," Alex said. Isabel got up to leave. She flashed him a radiant smile and left.

"Come on Maria," Liz breathed, "We've got customers." She dragged her friend to the back room. Liz waved her hand in front of Maria, then herself. In the blink of an eye, they were changed into their silver waitress uniforms.

"Wow! I don't think I'll get used to you and your powers too soon." Maria said, "but I like your having 'em. Sure makes changing for work a whole lot easier."

Liz smiled at her friend, and then headed out into the cafe to work her shift. She pushed all thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on her customers and their orders. There would be time later to think.

----LATER THAT NIGHT-----

Liz had told Maria to go on home early that night. She had protested, Liz insisted she could quickly and easily close up herself. So Maria had gone home. Liz finished closing up the Crashdown. She waved her hand in front of herself and her uniform transformed into her street clothes.

She ran upstairs to her room in search of something. She found her photo album and quietly walked back downstairs, careful not to wake her parents. Liz sat down in a booth, leaning her back against the wall. She curled up her feet beneath her and opened the photo album.

She roamed through pictures of her parents. Their wedding, anniversaries, birthdays...then a picture of her mother holding her in the hospital, her first birthday, her first day of kindergarten, and so on.

She looked through the pictures of her life with tears in her eyes. So many firsts, her first dance, first date, first boyfriend. Something was missing though. There was no picture of her first love, her first and only love. The tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of what it would be like to never have the chance to put a picture of him in there. If he wasn't part of her life, how could she?

"I need a picture," she whispered to herself. She put her hand over a photo that was a double of another and shut her eyes. She focused on Max's face and created a perfect likeness of him. She smiled at his loving face on the page. 'How could she ever live without Max? Was it even possible?'

Max walked up to the front door of the cafe. He looked in through the window and saw Liz sitting in a booth. He put his hand over the lock and opened the door. He let himself in and relocked the door. He stood for a moment staring at Liz. She was smiling down at something in her hand.

Max slowly approached her. She silently looked up and her smile brightened at seeing him.

"Hey you," Liz spoke quietly, putting the photo album on the table. "Come join me," she invited him to sit beside her.

"What're you looking at?" he asked her curiously.

"Just my photo album, "she answered him. She slid it in between them so he could see it too. It was still open to the picture Liz had made of him.

"I don't remember," he told Liz as he looked into her face and pointed to the picture of himself.

Liz smiled shyly up at him. "I'm glad. I just made it right now. There had been something missing, but I found out what and added it in."

"Liz..." he whispered, "I've been thinking, you know, about what my mother told us, and I realized I was going about my decision the wrong way. That's why I came tonight, we need to talk, together." Liz smiled up at him. She could see the love in his eyes and she felt complete just sitting there with him. If only it were all that simple.

"I love you so much, Liz, I don't think I could live without you, much less lead my people without you. But I can't just decide for us both. I couldn't live with myself if I took you with me and it made you unhappy. What do you want, Liz? You have so much here. I don't know that I could ask you to leave it all behind."

"Max, what is there here for me?" she deep into his eyes.

"Your family, your potential here, your future, so much is here, where your home is."

"My home is with you. My family is important to me and I'll never forget them, but my new family is you, Michael, Maria, Alex, and Isabel. You all are the ones I want to stay with forever. My future here isn't much anyway. I become a scientist, maybe I'll teach college, but think, Max, of how much I could learn if I go up there with you. There's so much."

Liz fell silent and her smile left her face. She turned her head away from Max and a tear fell from her eye. Max looked worriedly at her. He cupped her chin in his hands and turned her face towards him. "What...what is it Liz?"

"Oh Max. There are so many reasons to stay and so many to leave. They really would outweigh each other if weren't for you. I am so in love with you and I can't imagine staying here without you. When I look into my future, I always see you there with me. It scares me to think that you might not always be there. You were there for me that day I almost died here, the day my grandmother died, the day Nasedo kidnapped me, and today when I almost died again. If you hadn't come to my rescue today, Tess would've won and I wouldn't be here right now."

Liz couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Max pulled her close and let his fingers go through her hair as her body shook with sobs. Eventually she stopped crying and lifted her eyes to Max's.

"Yesterday at the cave, when you saw that image of your mother, you told me I was everything to you. I cherish those words, Max, and I always will, because you are everything to me. I can't explain it and I don't even want to try, but I love you more than anything," Liz replied, then added more softly, "I always will."

"Are you sure you want to come?" Max asked, his eyes brimming with tears of joy, already knowing her answer.

"Yes," Liz whispered.

"Then, Liz, I need to ask you, will you marry me?"

"Yes!"

Max laughed out loud as he stood up and drew her to him. He picked her up and swung her around. He gently put her down and looked into her deep brown eyes. The love he felt for her was strongly mirrored back at him. Liz smiled widely as he gazed down into her eyes. His lips were spread out in a beautiful grin. She had never seen him so happy, but then she'd never been so happy herself. Everything felt right. Standing there with Max, him holding her, everything.

Max bent down so that his face nearly touched Liz's. He kissed her lightly, out of joy, then deeply, out of love. Liz returned the kiss, savoring every moment. They broke apart and held each other's gaze.

Max caressed her cheek, but then he realized what time it was. Isabel would be worried about him; he had to get home.

Liz felt his thoughts and she nodded, releasing him. Max seemed surprised at her action, but then felt her connection and understood.

"I'll meet you down here tomorrow morning, alright?" he asked her.

"Sounds great," she answered.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Max pulled her close for one last kiss, and then let go. He smoothed out her hair and grinned. He would soon be able to hold her forever. Liz smiled and reached up to kiss his cheek.

"You'd better get home before Isabel sends out the Michael patrol."

"You're right," Max laughed. Liz herded him to the door and waved her hand over the knob, unlocking and opening the door.

"Tomorrow?" Max called out to her as he exited.

"Tomorrow." Liz reassured him and she followed his figure with her eyes as he took off towards his house. She smiled and hugged herself. She felt excited and nervous, but she thought of Max, and being able to always be with him, and her heart sang.

'Liz Evans' she thought as she locked the door from the inside. She walked to the booth she'd been sitting at and picked up her photo album. 'It sounds like it was meant to be.'

"It was," she told herself aloud, "We were meant to be."