Chapter 28
"This sucks," Liz stated from where she was sitting in front of a mirror. She was dressed in a red casual top and black slacks while she fussed over her hair, wondering if she should put it up or keep it down.
"I'm sure it'll be okay," Max told her. He was sitting on the bed behind Liz, watching her with a slight amused expression. Liz arched an eyebrow at him via the mirror.
"Max, we're having dinner with out parents," she reminded and Max nodded.
"I know but I don't get why you are so worked up about it, we have had dinner with the parents before," he reminded.
"Yeah, but not after the whole blow up I had with my parents when we came back from Las Vegas," Liz told him and Max sighed.
"Why don't you just ask your dad about your mother?" Max asked and Liz sighed.
"I want to but I'm scared – I feel like if I do that, then I'm admitting my entire life was a lie," she explained. Max leaned over and placed his hands on her shoulders before he kissed her collarbone.
"I know it's scary but if you keep putting it off, you'll never get past your fears," he told her and she nodded before she started fussing with her hair once more before she finally settled on having both. She grabbed the top part of her hair and pinned it up before she concentrated slightly on her bottom part of her hair and smoothed her hand over it, transforming them into curls.
Max arched an eyebrow when he watched his girlfriend do that and shook his head. "Impressive," Max told her and she smiled as she turned to face him.
"I try my best." Max leaned in and kissed her before he stood up, taking her up with him before they separated and headed out of the bedroom of the Parker's house to get a move on to the restaurant so they could make the parents.
"Do you have any idea how weird is it to feel you taking my powers and using them for yourself?" Max asked and Liz grinned.
"Put a whole new perspective on sharing doesn't it?" she asked and he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah – I wonder how till before you can use your powers yourself," Max told her and Liz shrugged.
"Ava didn't really give me a time detail, she just thinks you've changed me," Liz reminded and Max nodded.
"Yeah, but Sheila was an alien so you should have been able to use your powers since you were younger," Max reminded before he hit on something. "Maybe you did." Liz looked at Max.
"How do you mean?" Liz asked.
"Well, you're the ones who figured out most of it, I mean – you were right about Toloposky being an FBI, you were right that we could trust Alex, you were right when Toloposky came back and told us about Pierce – you were the only one, other than Alex who really believed that there was an alien hunter after us. You were right about Tess and Naesco, you were right about us being able to trust Kyle and Mr. Valenti," Max listed and Liz rolled her eyes.
"I never said you could trust Kyle," she reminded and Max smiled.
"Yeah, but you knew that Kyle was trustworthy and that he wouldn't give up our secret," Max reminded and Liz nodded as they went outside of the Crashdown and made their way over to the Jeep. Max helped Liz into the jeep before he rounded it and climbed in himself.
"How is your dad dealing with the whole Michael arrested?" Max asked as he put the jeep in motion and Liz winced.
"He fired Michael," Liz admitted and Max looked at her, shocked and Liz nodded. "I know, that was my reaction when I found out. I think Amy had been talking to Dad." Max sighed.
"Great, that means Michael will be looking for another job," Max told her and Liz sighed as she rested her head on the head rest before she reached out and touched Max's hand, the one that was on the steering wheel.
Max turned to look at her.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Liz told him and Max nodded as he pulled to a stop outside of the restaurant that they were meeting the parents in. They both looked at each other before they took a deep breath and got out of the Jeep. They rounded toward the front and Max took Liz's hands in his before they made their way over to the door and they stepped in and looked around.
"I don't see our parents," Max told her and Liz nodded.
"We must be early," Liz told him as a hostess moved toward them.
"Yes, can I help you?" she asked.
"We here under the name Evans/Parker," Max told her and the hostess looked through the small book she held in her hands till she reached the page that held their names.
"Follow me, please," she told them and they followed her till she reached a large table that consisted of 6 chairs. Max pulled out a chair of Liz, she smiled up at him before she sat down and Max sat down next to her.
The hostess brought out two menus and handed it to them. "Would you like anything to drink?" she asked.
"Could I have a glass of orange juice?" Liz asked.
"Cherry coke for me please," Max told her and the hostess nodded as she wrote them down on her pad before she left and Max opened the menu.
"What looks good?" Liz asked.
"Hm, the spicy chicken with wild mushrooms, pepper and fried rice," Max told her and she smiled. "How about you?" he asked as he closed his menu and looked at her.
"I'd probably have the same without the pepper, I don't want my food too hot," she teased him and Max laughed as he kissed her forehead.
"You don't know what you're missing," he told her and she arched an eyebrow.
"It helps I already have a hot guy on my hands, why would I need my food to be hot?" she teased back and Max arched an eyebrow, pleased with her teasing.
"Hot, huh?" Max asked as he placed his arm on the back of her chair and leaned in. Liz gave him a slow nod.
"Oh yeah," she told him as she eyed his body before flashing him a saucy grin. Max just leaned in and kissed her, hotly on the mouth, causing her to arch up into his body as a hand fluttered to the side of his neck, holding on as her fingers played with the strands of his hair at the nape of his neck.
The hostess placed the drinks down in front of the couple without interrupting them; she could see how much the pair of them was into each other so she just left them alone before walking off once more.
Max slid his hands around her waist, pressing her further into her body as Liz wrapped her other arm around his neck, holding on as he took her up high in pleasure. Liz let out a soft moan when Max slid one hand up her back and tangled it up in her hair.
Max loved her hair even more, she had been growing it longer and he loved it.
There was a cough. Max and Liz, slowly, pulled away from each other, lingering on each other lips before they opened their eyes. Liz smiled, softly as Max reached over and kissed her forehead before they both turned to see who interrupted them only to stand up with a bolt when they saw their parents.
"Mom, dad!" they both exclaimed and Diane smiled at the pair of them.
"Hey sweetie," she greeted as she reached over and kissed Max's cheek before pulling Liz into a hug. Phillip also pulled Liz into a hug before clapping Max on the back. He pulled out a seat for Diane and she smiled as she sat down, causing Liz to, discreetly, nudge Max understanding where he got his manners.
"Honestly Liz, do you think you could at least tone it down in public?" Nancy hissed before she took her seat and Jeff sat down.
"No one else seems to be complaining," Liz retorted as she and Max sat back down. She couldn't believe that her mom just got on to her and she had only just arrived. Now she dreaded the meal, wondering how long her mother's acts will keep up.
"Probably because they were too embarrassed," Nancy shot back at her and Liz sighed. Max just placed his arm on the head of the chair and stroked her curls, trying to comfort and calm her at the same time.
"Have you both ordered?" Diane asked; jumping in and changing the conversation, she did not like the way Nancy was treating Liz and tried to deflect it.
"No, not yet," Max told her with a grateful look. Diane winked at her son before she opened the menu.
"Do you two have any suggestions of food?" Phillip asked and Liz laughed.
"Max prefers spicy things, so unless you wish to be drinking gallons of water, you're better off staying away from him," Liz teased, causing Max to poke her side with his fingers, causing to jerk with giggles as she looked up at Max with a teasing look in her eyes.
Diane and Phillip just looked at each other with amused loving eyes. They loved the interactions between Liz and Max and were glad to see their son being more open. They had been worried about their son since they adopted him because he had been so closed, so quiet. To see him playing around with Liz was refreshing.
"So, what is going on with Michael?" Nancy asked. "He sure has become reckless over the time, hasn't he?" Liz placed her hand on Max's thigh to comfort him and to steel herself.
"Mom, that's a personal thing of Michael, it has nothing to do with us," Liz told her with a firm tone.
"I'm just saying that he is bringing a bad light to the Crashdown," Nancy told her and Liz rubbed her forehead when the hostess arrived.
"Hello, would you like to order?" she asked and Liz smiled up at her.
"Yes," she told her.
"I'll have the spicy chicken with wild mushrooms, fried rice and chilli peppers," Max told her as the hostess wrote it down.
"I'll have the same without the peppers," Liz told her and the Hostess nodded.
"I'll have the creamy chicken with mushrooms and roast potatoes," Diane told her.
"I'll have steak, well done and fries," Phillip told her.
"I'll have a steak too, well done but I'll have the side salad," Jeff told her.
"Just give me a salad and grilled chicken," Nancy ordered.
The hostess wrote down all the orders before she took the menu and walked away.
"So, how is school going?" Jeff asked.
"Fine, just glad that it's our last year so we can focus on college," Max told him and Jeff nodded.
"Have you thought about what Colleges you want to go?" Jeff asked.
"We're both applying for Harvard and Stanford. We're still looking at college applications to see where else we could go," Liz told him.
"We?" Nancy asked and Liz looked at her mother.
"Yes, Max and I want to go to same college together or at least in the same area," Liz told her and Nancy sighed.
"Don't you think that going to separate college might give you a better insight on your relationship?" Nancy asked. "Maybe you'll find that you are not that into each other as you think."
Liz stood up, abruptly before shaking her head.
"I need some air, let me know when the food come," she informed them before walking out of the restaurant. Max turned to face Nancy with a hard glare.
"We invited you here because Liz wanted to try and make amends with you after the whole blow up due to us going to Las Vegas but I'm not going sit here and let you degrade our love. While you like it or not, Liz and I are in love and we will be together. Either you accept it or lose your daughter," Max promised her before standing up and he left the Restaurant.
Nancy turned to look at Diane and Phillip with a shocked angry look.
"Are you going to let your son disrespect me like that?" she demanded and Diane shot her a hard look. She thought that they could have formed a bond due to their children being together but she, suddenly, glad that they hadn't.
"No, because all my son was telling the truth. I love Liz like my own daughter and I love how she brought my son out of his shell. I'm not going to stand by and watch you degrade my son's relationship. Yes, Phillip and I have our reservations but they have shown a remarkable maturity due to their relationship and I believe Max but I also believe that they will have no problem cutting you out of their lives," Diane told her. "They ran away last summer and lived perfectly fine on their own, I'm not going to give them a reason to run away again only not to come back this time because I wish to be part of their wedding and our grandchildren."
Nancy opened her mouth to argue when Jeff placed his hand on hers, causing her to look at him.
"Nancy let it go. Liz could have torn you a strip but she showed restraint and left to get her anger back under control. She's like Shila while you like to admit it or not and Shila could be very dangerous when she wanted to. Do not make me lose my daughter because you can't accept that she is now a grown woman and has a mind of her own," Jeff warned her.
The hostess arrived with the food and placed it on the tables before looking around and noticed the two missing customers.
"Do you wish me to go and tell them that their food is ready?" she asked and Diane smiled, gratefully, up at her.
"That would be nice, dear. I think they might be outside of the restaurant, near the small fountain," Diane told her and she nodded as she left.
Liz made her way over the small fountain that the council had put in. she kicked at the gravel stones in frustration at how her life was going. She couldn't believe her mother had the galls to try and play down hers and Max's love for each other and wished that she had left Roswell last summer. At least life would have probably been a lot easier if she had.
She hung her head as tears stung the back of her eyes; she hated how everything was. She missed being able to talk to her parents but she couldn't deny that she wasn't Nancy's daughter and how Nancy had treated her over the time. She wanted to know more about her biological mother but Nancy made it hard for her to ask her dad because all she had was a biting remark.
She ran a hand through her dark locks as she closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears when one slipped out beneath her closed eyelids, she bit her bottom lip as she tried to stop the sobs from coming when she felt warm hands on her shoulder. She felt herself being turned around and enveloped in warm arms and a hard chest against her cheek.
"Let it go," Max told her and Liz did, she cried into his chest over her frustration and her sadness at everything that had happened.
Max just held her head close to his chest as his other arm was wrapped around her waist and he rested his cheek on top of her head. His eyes were closed as he listened to his girlfriend's cries.
"It's going to be okay, I'm here," Max whispered as he rocked her from side to side, trying to comfort her as the best her could.
The hostess stopped from where she was, she bit her bottom lip as she was torn. She could clearly see that the couple was really upset but she also knew that the parents expected them back in for the food. Her decision was made when the man looked up at her.
"Five minutes," he mouthed to her and she nodded as she headed back into the restaurant and gave the parents the news before continuing back on her work.
Max looked back down at his girlfriend and kissed the top of her head as she continued to shudder every now and then. Soon, she managed to calm down and she looked up at Max.
"I'm sorry," she whispered and he looked at her, confused. "Your shirt," she motioned to his shirt and he smiled slightly when he saw the wet spot on his chest. He lifted his hand and placed it over his chest and dried the wet spot.
"It's okay," he told her and she nodded as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hands. "You okay?" he asked and Liz nodded.
"Yeah, better now," she whispered before she sighed. "I just hate that mum doesn't get me, that she keeps doing this," she admitted and Max nodded as he lifted his hand and used his powers to dry up her tears while under the pretence he was wiping her tears away.
"Our food is ready now, do you want to go and eat or do you want to leave?" Max asked and Liz straightened her shoulders.
"Let's eat, I'm hungry," she told him and he nodded as he wrapped an arm around her waist and they both walked back in, intent on getting their food and getting through the day.
Diane looked up and smiled when she saw Max and Liz making their way over to them and they both sat down.
"Are you okay?" Diane asked and Liz smiled at her.
"Yeah, thanks Diane," Liz told her and she tucked into her food.
"Are you going to stay over at our house tonight? I'm thinking of doing a BBQ," Phillip told her and Liz smiled.
"I would like that," she told him and Phillip nodded.
"Okay, invite the rest of your friends over, we don't get to see you lot as much these days," Phillip told them and Max nodded.
"I'm sure Kyle won't pass up a BBQ," Max told him as he took a sip of his drink and Liz laughed.
"I thought you were going to stay at home tonight," Nancy jumped in and Liz sighed.
"Yes, I was but I love BBQ and it'll be nice to catch up with everyone again," Liz told her before she turned back to her food then she turned to her dad. "Dad, could you tell me some things about my biological mother?" Liz asked and Jeff smiled.
"Yeah, she was a great woman and the one thing you should know is, she loved you very much. She was excited when she was pregnant with you and when she held you in her arms after you were born, I don't think I had ever seen a woman filled with that much love," Jeff told her and Max smiled as he kissed Liz's forehead.
"Most people seem to comment on Liz looking like her mother," Max told him and Jeff nodded.
"She does, except she is a little smaller than her mom, she nearly looks like a mirror of Sheila," Jeff told her and Nancy sighed.
"Must be talk about her?" Nancy asked and Jeff looked at her. "I'm pretty sure there is a better time to talk about her. Maybe, if Liz stays at home tonight, you could tell her all about Sheila." Liz just sat back in her seat before she started picking at her food, suddenly not hungry and Max sighed as he placed his fork down before turning to Liz.
"Do you just want to take the food as a takeout and leave?" he asked her and Liz looked up at him. She nodded and Max stood up before making his way over to the hostess and pointed back to the table. She nodded before she left and Max walked back over to them.
"Sorry, but Liz and I are going to leave right now. We lost our appetite," Max explained as the hostess came over with some plastics tubs and she placed separated foods into each other before placing them in a bag and handed them over to Max, who took it. "We'll see you tonight," Max told his parents before kissing Diane on the cheek and patted Phillip on the shoulder.
Liz just hugged them both before she hugged her dad. Max threw down some bills on the table. "That's to cover our share of the bill." With that, they both left the restaurant, leaving the parents behind.
"So, what are you going to do about your mom?" James asked. He and Maria were in her bedroom, lying on her bed, fully clothed and on top of the covers.
"I don't know," Maria told him as she looked up at him. "She's determined to blame Michael for everything and I can't even tell her why he wanted to rob the store!"
"I can't believe Tess just up and left like that, considering she is having his baby," James told her and she nodded.
"I know and he has been fired from his new job. I know that Mr. Parker wouldn't have fired him if it wasn't for Mom and Mrs. Parker getting on to him about it," Maria told him and James nodded.
"Why don't you talk to Uncle Jeff?" James asked and he looked down at her. "Your mom and Aunt Nancy is freaking because you got dragged into it and they feel that he is a bad influence. I know for a fact that Liz is getting the brunt of this from Aunt Nancy due to Max being Michael's best friend. If you spoke to Uncle Jeff and told him how you really feel, then maybe he'll give Michael his job back."
Maria thought about it before she nodded.
"Yeah, I mean, Michael is going through a rough time and he shouldn't be blamed. I let myself get involved in this situation, it's not like he dragged me into it. Just didn't warn me about it," Maria told him and James laughed.
"We're a such a group aren't we? One person does something and everyone else gets the blame for it," James told her and Maria rolled her eyes before she got up and pulled James up with her.
"Come on, we'll go and see Mr. Parker and get this sorted out for once and for all," Maria told him and they headed out of the house.
"Where are you going?" Amy asked.
"Down to the Crashdown to see Liz, she got into a fight with her mother today and she needs me," Maria told her. Amy nodded and they both left. "And technically, I didn't lie, Liz does need me," Maria informed James before he could scold her.
James just laughed as he helped Maria into his car before he rounded around the car and hopped in himself and they headed over to the Crashdown.
Max let himself into Michael's apartment and looked around. He and Liz had gone back to his house to eat the rest of their meal. Liz had been silent through the whole thing, which nerved him because he wasn't used to Liz being silent. He was getting annoyed with her mother's bluntness and wished that he could just take Liz away from Roswell for good but at the same time, he didn't want to cut off all ties with his family and he knew that Liz would regret it if she had left.
"Hey," he greeted once he caught sight of Michael. "I got your message, you've been fired?" he asked and Michael nodded.
"Yeah, someone stole a batch of Snapple's, put everyone out of the job," Michael told him and Max nodded as he sat down at the counter. "Want a drink?" he asked and Max nodded once more.
"That'll be great, thanks," Max told him and Michael opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Cherry coke, causing Max to arch an eyebrow as Michael moved back over to the counter. Max got up and moved over to the fridge, opened it and pulled out a Snapple and shook it in Michael's face.
"It's about the principles!" Michael shot at him and Max arched an eyebrow as he sat back down at the counter, confused to where the conversation was heading.
"Michael, how can it be about principles?" Max asked. "You stole the Snapple's and put people out of jobs."
"I know," Michael groaned and Max looked at him. "Then how come I feel like this?"
"Like what?" Max asked, confused.
"I don't know," Michael muttered.
"Human?" Max asked and Michael looked at him before he nodded.
"Yeah, I mean, you and Isabel are like brothers and sister to me. Maria, Alex and Liz are close to me too – but these guys…it's like they're friends you know?" he asked and Max nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, you feel like you can just be Michael around them, you don't have to hide from the law or lie about your secret because they have no clue about it," Max told him and Michael looked at him before nodding. "That's how I feel about Liz, except the fact that she knows our secret – she just makes me feel like Max Evans, just a guy who is in love, not an alien."
"Oh, I hate this feeling," Michael groaned as he slumped down and rested his head on his arms, causing Max to stifled a smile.
"Mr. Parker!" Maria called out and Jeff turned around from where he was standing behind the counter at the Crashdown.
"Hey, Maria," he greeted as Maria and James sat down at the counter.
"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Michael," Maria told him. "Could you give him his job back?"
"Maria, your mom and Nancy…" he was cut off by Maria waving her hand.
"Yes, I know, they basically threatened you to fire him but you have to give him his job back. Michael has some personal problems that involved the robbery. My mom just worries way too much about me because she's convinced that if Michael hangs around with me any more, he'll drag me back into something but he won't. I think he's realised that his personal problems are not going to get solved anytime soon," Maria explained to him and Jeff sighed. "Either that or give Max a job, you need another cook and I don't think Nancy will let you give Max a job as it means more time around Liz."
"Fine, I'll talk to Michael and see if we can come to some sort of arrangement and figure out what to do," Jeff told her, giving in and Maria smiled as she leaned over the counter and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks Mr. P, I'm gonna go up and see how Liz is doing, she and I were suppose to meet up today but Max called me and said that she got into a fight with her mom," Maria told him before she got up. She kissed James before she made her way into the backroom and headed up the stairs while James turned back to Jeff.
"So, what was the fight about this time?" James asked and Jeff sighed.
"Max, as usual," Jeff told him and James sighed.
"Listen, Liz really wants to find out about her real mother, its why she keeps setting these meeting up with you," James told him before shaking his head. "I suggest that the next time Liz makes a meeting like this, go alone. All Nancy is doing is destroying her and Max is furious to see that Liz is upset every time she goes to meet you."
"I know," Jeff hung his head and James sighed.
"That's the problem, you know Liz – Nancy doesn't. Fix it before you'll lose your daughter and you will if this continues." With that, James left the Crashdown to leave Jeff alone with his thoughts.
"So, what are you going to do about the Snapple's?" Max asked as he looked at the crate that was sitting on the counter.
"I'm going to return it," Michael told him as he stood up.
"And then what?" Max asked.
"Then they'll see they had made a mistake and will give us our jobs back," Michael told him and Max shook his head.
"That's not a plan Michael, it's a thought, you think that way then you think up another plan, a better plan," Max told him and Michael shrugged.
"I don't have one," Michael told him and Max sighed as Michael picked up the crate.
"Whoa, where are you going?" Max asked as he stood up.
"To return this," Michael told him and Max shook his head.
"Now? In broad daylight?" Max asked, incredulous filling his voice and Michael nodded.
"Yeah, see you later for the BBQ," Michael told him before leaving and Max sat back down at the counter, staring after Michael in disbelief.
"He's losing it," Max muttered to himself.
"Liz?" Maria asked as she made through her way into the bedroom and saw Liz sitting on the bed. Liz looked up at her and smiled.
"Hey Maria," she greeted and Maria sighed as she closed the door behind her and made her way over to the bed and climbed on it before pulling Liz into a hug.
"I'm sorry sweetie," she whispered. "Max called me and told you that you were going to need me due to your fight with your mother," she explained and Liz snorted.
"Why can't she just let me find out more about my mom without picking a fight with me?" Liz asked and Maria shook her head.
"I don't know but I left James downstairs with your dad, maybe he could talk some sense into him," Maria told her. Liz nodded before she pulled away.
"Phillip invited us all to a BBQ, do you and James wanna come?" Liz asked and Maria smiled.
"You know me, I'm up for a BBQ any time," she told Liz and Liz smiled back as they both relaxed back into the hug.
Michael made his way into the apartment, completely stuffed. He had just come back from the Evan's BBQ and was ready to hit the sack when there was a knock at the door.
He turned back to the door, curious to know who would be knocking since everyone he knew had a habit of just walking in. He opened it and saw that Mr. Parker was standing on the other job.
"Mr. Parker," he greeted. "Is there anything I can do for you?" He was curious to why Mr Parker was standing in front of his door.
"Actually, I was wondering, how do you feel about having your old job back?" Jeff asked and Michael looked at him before a small smile crossed his face.
"Great," Michael admitted and Jeff nodded.
"I expect you to be back on your regular schedule," Jeff told him before tipping his head slightly. "Night," with that, he left, leaving Michael standing the doorway, wondering what had just happened.
TBC
Sorry this took longer; I ended up having more to write than expected.