Elizabeth, kiki, Charisma (Oh! You got your Roswell DVD? I'm still waiting for mine. It hasn't been released in Europe yet…), Elementalmoon, and Bacio83 – Thank you so much for the feedback!!

Chapter 27


"She's beautiful."
He turned around towards the voice and his heart started to pound wildly in his chest at the sight of her leaning against the doorframe. What scared him, though, wasn't that he was able to see his dead wife, but that he didn't rejoice over the fact like he used to. Her sudden presence just made the guilt intensify.
"Who is?" he asked tentatively.
Tess walked into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Liz Parker."
Max didn't answer. A part of him was trying really hard to make the image of Tess disappear. Before, he cherished those moments, but today he knew with a sudden clarity that he shouldn't be able to see her and that it wasn't healthy.
Tess raised one eyebrow. "You want me to leave?"
"You're not real," Max murmured.
"Oh," Tess said, fingering on the quilt of the bed. "So… I'm not that important anymore? You are just going to forget me now?"
"You're dead," Max whispered, his heart aching just to pronounce the word that held such finality.
"Not as long as you keep me alive," Tess answered.
"You're only inside my head," Max mumbled. "You're only inside my head."
"You can't escape your own mind, Max. Either you let me go or I'll stay. You can't have it both ways."

Max looked up at her and stared at her face. That face was so familiar to him. He still remembered how the blonde curls felt against his fingers. He could still remember what her lips tasted like, the taste of her skin, how she smelled… But that was all just memories. He couldn't touch her now. He couldn't kiss her. He couldn't pull her into his arms and bury his nose into her hair. He couldn't even smell that familiar scent surrounding her.
"Do you know what day it is tomorrow?" Tess asked.
How could he forget? He had tried so hard to ignore it. But in his line of profession, being a teacher, it was inevitable not to keep track of dates.
"Yes," he whispered.
"He's a big boy now," Tess smiled. "Four years old."
Max nodded slowly, bending his head. He couldn't look at her. The guilt was driving him crazy. He could feel her eyes on him and he closed his eyes and tried to force the image of her out of his mind.
"You're in love with her," Tess said.
Max eyes opened wide and his head snapped up to look at Tess. She had the same calm appearance as she'd had for the last two years.
"No," he said.
She smiled. "You're in denial, Max. You always did wear your heart on your sleeve and I know you. I know your heart, Max. Even if you don't recognize it anymore, it's still a part of you."
Max didn't answer. He knew that she was telling the truth.
"Time's running out, Max. It's her or me. You have to make a decision. Soon."
Tess rose from the bed and walked up to Max, standing so close to him that he should've been able to feel her breath against his face. But he didn't. She didn't have a breath.
"Just remember who your soul mate is. No one can ever love you like I love you."
And with that she slowly disappeared.

He had to make a choice. If he chose Liz, he chose life. If he chose Tess, he chose death. The problem was, he might have already scared Liz away for good.

The musical score of a cell phone cut through the silence and confused he turned his head towards the sound. His cell phone didn't sound like that. Frowning, he walked out of the bedroom and started to walk down the hall in search of the source to the sound.

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"How are you feeling?"
Liz lowered her head under Maria's sympathetic eyes. She couldn't stand them. "Better."
She took out a box of juice from the fridge and searched for a glass in the cabinet.
"You sure?"
Liz poured juice into the glass and answered lightly, "Mhmm."
"Have you gotten over the shock yet?"
Liz looked up and met Maria's eyes with confusion. "What shock?"
Maria put down her tea cup and raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Of figuring out that you are in love with him. It took you long enough, if I might say so. I saw the potential right from the beginning, at that dinner at Isabel's.
At the mention of Isabel, Liz's eyes darkened and she soundlessly lowered her eyes again and started to sip on her juice.
"What?"
"What?" Liz countered, nonchalantly picking up the morning paper, pretending to be instantly captivated by the headlines displayed there.
"What's with the look?"
Liz sifted through the papers, with a face like stone. "What look?"
"The look you just had."
"I didn't have a look."
"Would you look at me when I'm talking to you?" Maria demanded, with a touch of anger in her voice.

Liz sighed and looked up, giving Maria a clear okay-what-do-you-want look.
"Did something else happen?"
"What would that be?" Liz retorted.
"You tell me."
Maria was staring her down and it was starting to make Liz uncomfortable. She wasn't used to lying and to suddenly have to lie this much was making her really uneasy.
With a frustrated moan, Maria covered her face with her hands and mumbled through her fingers. "God, this is like a bad soap opera. How much has happened that I don't know about?"
"You don't need to know everything about my life," Liz said, with the touch of a smile in her voice. "A girl needs to keep some secrets to herself."
Maria removed her hands, revealing stern eyes. "Liz! This is serious! I want to be able to help you, to support you, but how am I going to do that if-"
Her voice was cut of by the ringing of the phone.
"Uhm…" Maria hesitated. She really wanted to talk to Liz about this. She felt as if she was onto something here. Pointing a warning finger at her, she rose from her seat. "I'm not through with you."
Liz just rolled her eyes in reply and picked up the paper again.
Maria shook her head in near resignation and picked up the phone.
"Hello? Max? What…"

Liz's interest was peaked when she heard that name. His name. She tried to pretend that she was really reading but it was difficult to concentrate on keeping up a charade when she was trying to figure out what Max was saying at the other end of the line.
"Well, Max. I have a question for you. What the hell did you do to Liz?!"
Liz groaned and placed her head on the table surface. So much for being subtle.
"No…okay…yeah… But only for this time. You just… Max, just know that this isn't just about you. You're hurting Liz in the process. Right… Fine… Okay… Yeah, I'll tell her. Right. Sure. Bye."
Liz looked up at Maria as she turned towards her after hanging up the phone.
"Max," Maria said simply.
"Yeah, I got that."
"Apparently, you forgot your cell phone at his place and he said that you could come by and pick it up. If you wanted to."
Liz opened her mouth to answer, but Maria beat her to it. "But I really think that I should get it instead, since I don't think that he is that good for-"
"It sounded completely different yesterday," Liz said, "Then you wanted me to talk to him."
"I still think you should talk to him, but maybe it's too soon."
"There's no better time than the present," Liz said with a weak smile.
Maria sighed. "Right. But I still think…"
"I really need to talk to him," Liz interrupted. "And this is as good of an opportunity as any."
"Uhm…yeah," Maria said.

Liz rose from the chair and put the glass in the sink. "I guess I should go then."
"Already?" Maria asked surprised.
"Mhmm."
"Okay…"

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"…are warning about extremely strong winds. It is recommended that people stay inside…"
Max didn't register what was being said on the TV as he walked into the kitchen to, once again, rummage through the refrigerator. He felt jumpy and restless. Liz might not be coming over until later that night or not even today, which would mean that he would be going around being nervous all that time. He didn't even know why he was being this jumpy. He wasn't sure what had changed, but it felt like something had changed, changed on the inside.

"…has already caused a number of serious accidents…"
Max closed the door to the refrigerator, once again reaching the conclusion that there was nothing in there that would still his confusing emotions. He exited the kitchen area and walked into his office and switched on the laptop, hoping that some schoolwork could get his mind off Liz.

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"Maria! I'm leaving now!"
Liz bent down to put on her shoes and straightened up, picking up her purse in the process.
"Okay!" Maria's muffled reply was coming from the other side of the house. "Drive safely! There's a storm coming."
But Liz didn't hear those last words. She was already out the door.

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Max went back into the living room, passing the TV on his way. He finally noticed that it was on. The woman's voice on the news reached his ears and he walked up to the TV table, picking up the remote control and turning up the volume.
"…already mentioned, there have been several accidents. Some were caused by trees falling over the road, but the majority are car accidents and elderly people falling in the strong wind. Residents are advised to shut all windows."
The TV-hostess quieted and she put her hand against her ear, listening to something being said in the ear-shell.
"Okay. This just came in. There has been a serious collision between a car and a bus."
Max slowly sat down on the end of the couch, his eyes fixed on the TV-screen, as images of the car crash was being displayed on the TV.
"The collision was so violent that the car went straight off the road, spinning around several times before landing upside down. There was only one passenger in the car, a young woman, and according to our knowledge, she is alive, but unconscious. Rescue teams are trying to free her from the car."
Max wasn't really listening anymore. He was staring at the images. They didn't show much, and they were already back to filming the TV-hostess, but Max had seen enough in those short snaps of images to have a strong fear spread inside of him. His hands were shaking as he rose from the couch, picking up the phone. With trembling fingers he dialed Maria's number. The car in the news had been red, the same color as Maria's. It had been a Toyota, the same as Maria's. The camera had quickly swept over a road sign, showing that the accident had happened on the road Liz would take to get to him. Liz would borrow Maria's car. The short glimpse of the girl hanging upside down in the car in her seatbelt was enough to have Liz's face flash in front of his eyes.

With shaking hands he picked up the telephone and hit the re-dial button.
"Hello?"
"Is Liz there?" His voice was trembling, barely able to get the words out.
"Who is this?"
"Did she leave already?"
"Max? Is that you?"
Just then there was a knock on the door. Without really knowing what he was doing, Max put the receiver down, his eyes fixed on the front door, disconnecting the call.
He quickly started to walk towards the front door, so quickly that he stumbled over the end of the carpet. But he didn't notice. With the sound of his heart violently thudding in his ears he swung the door open.
"Max-"
That was all she got out before Max pulled her into the house. Before she could understand what was happening, Max was running his hands over the sides of her face, down her body, his eyes frantic and concerned. Frightened.

"Max?"
She could feel how her own heart was increasing in speed with every upset movement he was making. She could feel the fear and panic radiate from the tips of his fingers as they moved over her.
"Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly, his voice trembling.
"Yes," Liz answered, confused.
Max's eyes finally met hers and she involuntarily swallowed. She had never seen such raw emotions in anyone's eyes before, as the ones she saw in his in that moment. His grip on her upper arms was tight, almost painful.
"You sure?"
"Max, what…"
"Nothing happened?" Max interrupted, his hands now cradling her face, his eyes flicking over her face as if he was trying to prove to himself that she was there.
"Nothing has happened," Liz answered, trying to keep her voice calm. Whatever had happened, the last thing Max needed now was for her to freak out as well, even though it was tempting.
Max took a deep breath and stepped back, his hands reluctantly lingering against her skin before pulling back. "Okay…okay…"
"Max? What's wrong?"
His lowered his head and slowly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I just…"
He looked up again. "Are you sure that you are okay?"
Liz nodded. "Yes."
"Okay," he said again. "I think… I think I need to sit down."

He staggered backwards into the kitchen. Liz quickly scrambled out of her jacket and followed him, putting a supportive hand on his arm, afraid that he would fall before he had the chance to sit down.
"Max?" Something had obviously happened to put that haunted look in his eyes. "You want to talk about it?"
He shook his head as he lowered himself on one of the kitchen chairs.
"Okay…" She looked at him for a while, but as the seconds passed, she could feel him getting uncomfortable under the scrutiny of her looks, so she took a deep breath. "Uhm…maybe I should just take my cell phone and go ba-"
"No!"
His outburst was so sudden that she actually jumped, startled by the intensity of his voice.
"I mean," Max's voice lowered, noticing how he had scared her, "It's… there's a storm coming."
Liz nodded absently, her whole attention caught by his eyes as they looked at her worriedly.
"You shouldn't be out driving now. There's…Something can happen."
"Max… I can make it home. It can't be that bad. Besides I can't stay here anymore. It wouldn't be-"
"I wouldn't mind," Max interrupted.
Liz looked at him in surprise. "You wouldn't?"

Shakily, he rose from the chair, his height towering up over her. But it didn't intimidate her. She felt protected in his presence. Like he could protect her against anything.
"No," he answered. After some hesitation, he put his hand on her arm, a touch that made her eyes drift close and she swallowed to hide how her whole body reacted to the contact. "I don't want you driving in that storm, Liz. It can be dangerous."
As his words sunk in, she heard another voice behind her. The voice from the TV, summarizing the headlines. She looked over her shoulder at the TV, seeing quick images of what the storm had already caused in its wake. She recognized the road she had just drove on and the car lying upside down in the ditch after a collision with a bus. Suddenly it all made perfect sense to her. She turned her head back to Max. His eyes hadn't left her face that whole time and her breath hitched in her throat when she looked into his eyes. How was he able to do that to her? How was he able to cause all of these emotions inside of her?
"You thought… The accident… You thought," Liz stammered.
Max looked at her for a long time, before his hand came up to rest against her cheek. She instinctively leaned into his touch. He nodded in reply to her unspoken question, his eyes drawn to the smooth, perfect skin he could feel under his fingertips. The implication of what he must've gone through the last minutes hit her and she could do no other thing than wrap her arms around his neck and pull him towards her.
"I'm so sorry, Max," she whispered.

At first, he was surprised by her movement. But then her scent surrounded her and the warmth of her body pressed up against his grazed the surface of his dying heart. He didn't have the same control over his feelings whenever Liz was near and having her this close, feeling her small fingers threading through the hair at the back of his head, it was nearly impossible not to feel. His arms moved around her small waist, feeling the fragility of her body. She was so small, and he felt a newly awakened fierce need to protect her. The feeling was so strong it almost overwhelmed him. He didn't know where these feelings came from, but they were so familiar, as big a part of him as his love for his parents. There was something about Liz that was so natural that he was starting to feel like he couldn't exist without breathing in her scent and feeling her calming presence. He was getting increasingly dependent upon her and that made him conflicted. His heart was soaring, trying to take a hold of this opportunity to come to life again, yet at the same time it was trying to shield itself from getting hurt again.

He buried his nose in her hair, the scent of her strawberry shampoo filling his nostrils.
"You have nothing to be sorry about," he said quietly.
"You thought it was me, didn't you?" Liz asked. "The woman in the car accident. You thought it was me."
She could feel him nod against her throat and his arms tighten around her.
Max's defenses were falling apart, destroyed by the same thing that had put them up there to start with. Love. Her scent was filling him up, moving into the pores of his skin, and slowly making him addicted to her. A need was rising inside of him. A need to not only smell her, but also taste her. It was like a dehydrated man after being in the desert for days without any water. He needed her. He felt it in every part of his body. An ache so strong that it almost immobilized him.

Liz closed her eyes and let herself sink into the warmth of his embrace. She had never felt so protected before. She had never felt so safe. And there was something else there. She couldn't define it. She didn't have the courage to define it. But it was filling her. Filling up the voids inside of her. Making her come to life. So when she felt Max's lips brush against the side of her neck, her heart almost stopped. She fell completely still, waiting to see what he would do next.