Awakening

Sombrely, Maria watched as Max ran his hands over Michael, healing the bruised, bloody wounds that had been caused by Michael repeatedly hitting Kyle's fist with his face. Her stomach rolled at the sight of so much blood. Head wounds always bleed like a bitch, she remembered. She shook her head and cleared her mind, before it dragged her down into the sordid memories of a girl she no longer was.

"So, yo man here didn't take da news well huh?" Zan chuckled, breaking Maria's reverie.

Maria smiled back wanly, "I don't think anyone took anything well this evening."

Max sat back and released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "He looks like he's going to be okay, I think we should let him rest. It's been a rough night. Though, what were you and Isabel thinking, ambushing all of us with this! Michael with the others…us with Michael?"

Maria's eyes narrowed to dark green slits. "And what were you thinking, not telling us you had seen him? If he hadn't come home that night, were you ever going to tell anyone? Were you ever going to tell me?!"

Embarrassed, Max looked down and around the guest bedroom. To be honest he wasn't sure. Maria was so unpredictable. They had lost her for years because of Michael; he hadn't wanted that to happen again. Max was only starting to know the new Maria, he didn't want to chance it. Because of him and his selfishness in the past, he had cost Maria her best friend…


Shouts could be heard from outside of the door. Max hesitated before knocking and listened instead.

"This is all YOUR fault!"

"Oh go away Liz; I've had enough of your prissy life pushed in my face. Go and cry into a pillow somewhere." Maria's voice sounded bitter and tired, like she was finally beyond caring for anything other than oblivion. After 6 months of acting positive, happy and generally unbreakable, Maria finally crashed. She had spent the remaining 6 months either sleeping or getting trashed.

"Oh, shut up Maria. You know this is your fault. If it wasn't for you and your worthless fling, Max wouldn't have left me. We're soulmates. We're supposed to be together and you ruined it! I've had enough of this self-pitying rubbish. Why in earth are you even like this? We all know that you and Michael weren't really anything to each other; he's already shown you that. Your entire relationship was just convenience and lust. That's why he found it so easy to just walk out the door. Just like your father."

There was silence.

Max pressed his ear closer to the door.

CRASH!

The noise reverberated through the house, making Max jump several feet into the air. Quickly, he used his powers to unlock the door and ran full pelt into the living room. Liz was laying in a heap against the far wall and Maria was stood over her, her face was screwed up in anger, a flush covering her cheeks and her fists so tightly clenched that Max could see faint traces of the bones underneath.

Max ran to Liz and checked her pulse. It was steady. Maria barely spared him a glance. She just laid back down across the dirty beige settee, closed her eyes and repeated the only thing she had said to him for the last year. "Have you found him yet?"

Max muttered a 'no' and scooped Liz up into his arms to carry her home.

"Max?"

Max turned towards the thin tired girl that once used to be his friend, "Yes?"

"I don't want to see Liz again. Make sure you tell her that when she wakes up. And if you have no news, I don't want to see you either." Maria's voice, once so melodic was now emotionless and it hurt Max's heart to hear such empty syllables. She sighed and started to drift back asleep, cuddled up in the foetal position. "I just want to be alone…"


Maria relented slightly after seeing pain flash through Max's eyes. She may have her Michael back but Liz was lost forever and that was something Max had to bear. "Sorry, I know you would have told us." Maria smirked slightly, "Girlfriend, I don't think you will ever know how to lie, I still need to teach you to play poker properly."

Zan interrupted their apologies, "yo guyz he's awake."

Michael started to open his eyes as a steady beat of pain coursed through his temples. He felt like a spaceship had landed on top of his head. His eyes met large green ones, eyes that were obviously relieved to see him. "What happened?" He asked groggily.

Maria laughed; the happy tinkling sound filled the room. "You fainted, big man. Full on swooned like one of those sissy girls from Jane Austen books." He coloured slightly and glanced around the room.

"I think I've got a concussion, I keep seeing two of you Max."

Zan smirked and knelt forward. "It's Zan – I'm Max's clone."

Michael gazed at Zan and Zan's piercings, "Max's clone? Well of course, that seems pretty reasonable. Wouldn't want just one to act like a pain in the ass."

Max laughed, "Well he's definitely going to be fine. We'll tell you all about it downstairs."

"Great…downstairs…with everyone." Michael mumbled.

Maria's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, Kyle won't punch you again and my mom left. You have a few people to meet and a lot to hear about."

"Pfft if Kyle wants to have another go, he won't get me by surprise again. I can take him." Michael argued as Maria smiled softly, yes he was definitely going to be fine.

Maria supported Michael and helped him walk down to the garden table where everyone else was eating and nervously waiting for his reappearance.

Tess gave Kyle a glare and small kick. "Sorry Michael for hitting you." Kyle mumbled. Maria had to almost stifle a laugh at his petulant face, still such a kid.

"No problem Kyle. I would have hit me too." Michael mumbled and sat down next to Maria.

"Yo Michael, I'm Ava. Didn't really get ta introduce maself 'fore you fainted."

"Hi Ava. So it's Ava and Zan right? Okay…before we start going into what I've obviously missed, can we eat? I'm starving!"

The group laughed and Jim sounded an appreciative "Hear, hear."

Isabel smiled as she watched her family eat the food she had prepared with such gusto. It was nice to have Michael back. It was nice that old wounds were beginning that journey of healing.

Authors Note:
The next part is almost finished, I just thought I'd get this one up here for now.

dddynamite - hey thanks for feedbacking :) hope this was soon enough

AgathaN - hey:) thanks, yeah was pretty intense - the one following the above should be fairly intense too.

Magali - wow thanks so much for the fb, makes my day when people love the fic. yeah...when he learns about rath, it will be very emotional.

islandgirlzee - yay a new reader, im so glad you like it. i hoped this would be quite different to many i have read. my spin on liz and max is a fairly tragic story in itself when its fully written

Paradise Desdemona - lol i should be thanking you, im overwhlemed with how much people responded to what has been the hardest part to write :D yeah i love that he fainted heheh.

Scorpio6 - nope no liz and eventually you will find out why she's been missing from so much. glad you're enjoying it, thanks for the fb.