Author's Note: This chapter contains Adult Content.

Part Eight

When he saw Liz approaching Dizzies Café through the big picture window in the front, he looked down at his watch, she was just as punctual as he remembered, and stood up to greet her.

"Hey," he said shyly and pulled her into a less awkward embrace than the one they'd shared the day before but that was nothing like the ones they'd had back in Roswell. 'Give it time,' he thought before he could censor himself, they would never be like they were back then.

He pulled out her chair and motioned her into it before pushing it in, returning to his own seat and gesturing for the waitress.

"What would you two like to drink today?"

"I'll just have water please."

"Vodka tonic."

His confusion at her request must have shown on his face because she shrugged while saying, "it's happy hour right?"

Actually it was only 12 but she was an adult and could make her own decisions.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Yes, I'll have the All American with fries and my friend will have…"

He watched Liz glanced over the menu, "I'll have a chicken Caesar wrap on wheat please."

They handed over their menus and looked at each other over the table with leery and expectant smiles.

He cleared his throat. "I never got to ask you about what you've been doing?"

"Everything I ever said I was going to," she replied with a smile, setting her elbows on the table and leaning further in, getting comfortable. "I made it into Harvard, got my degrees and became the scientist I always wanted to be."

He smiled at that, genuinely happy for her. "I'm so glad to hear that, I always wanted that for you."

He wanted to bite back his next question but couldn't stop himself from asking it. "What about your personal life?"

She looked up sharply and he ignored it. "You've gotta have some guy waiting at home for you every night."

A gentleman, upon seeing how flustered she was by the question, would've rescinded it and taken the conversation in a different direction. Max, on the other hand, just sipped on the water their waitress sat before him and waited for a response.

"Um," he watched her run a finger through the condensation on her glass. "There is someone. A bo..man," she corrected herself. "A man named James."

"James?"

"Yes, he's in the law field and he's brilliant," she replied with a too big smile.

"I would expect no less from you."

She looked away at that and picked up her glass to take a drink. "What's your girl do?"

He thought about contradicting her on Eliza being his girl but went with, "Graphic design," instead.

"An artist."

He nodded even though she wasn't facing him and couldn't see it.

She turned toward him quickly, smiling with a sharp edge. "The exact opposite of me."

He opened his mouth but ended up shutting it because he had nothing to say.

"I mean," she continued, "tall, blond and arty but we have the same first 5 letters to our names. Does that mean something," she asked on an edgy laugh even though she really wasn't looking for an answer.

"Liz…"

"I know," she said, talking over him. "We were having a good time and now I'm ruining it but you're going to have to tell me what happened that day."

"Liz…"

She leaned forward, "where were you," she spit through a closed mouth, "while I waited in that hotel room for…"

She stopped when the waitress came over and sat their plates down before she quickly went to make herself busy someplace else.

"I need you to tell me where you were right now max," and the hard edge had left her voice, only hollowness remained. "I know this is kind of out of the blue but I've been trying to guess for the last decade and I need to know for sure now."

He looked across the table at her, feeling miserable.

"Did you even love me," she whimpered, feeling weak and pathetic but unable to control herself.

He reached toward her and grabbed her hand. "I loved you more than anything."

"Then what happened," she asked, the vulnerability she'd just shown now completely hidden from view.

He shook his head, "I wouldn't even know where to start."

Liz pulled her hand out from under his, folded her arms across her chest, leaned back in her seat and set her mouth into a grim line.

"There's always a moment that kicks everything off right?"

He leaned back as well, resigned, and nodded.

"Start there."

Roswell, New Mexico: 10 Years Prior

"I love you Max."

He turned around and looked at her, in a white halter dress, uncomprehending, "excuse me," then narrowed his eyes, "how did you get in here?"

Liz seemed to shrink a little in uncertainty before squaring her shoulders and moving towards him. She looked down on him with a smile and said, "you told me you keep your key above the door," before leaning forward and grabbing his belt.

He caught her hand and his breath before stopping her, "what are you doing?"

She looked at him with an expression then that he'd rarely seen from her, one that showed no fear. "I would hope that was obvious."

Suddenly afraid of possibly having the thing he hadn't recognized wanting until he was 13 years old made him grasp her hands tighter instead of letting them go, "why now?"

She grinned and got to her knees in front of him with a shrug, "why not?

She had his belt open and his zip down and his tennis and boxers and jeans off before he could think up reasons why this shouldn't be happening.

Then her hand was on him and he wasn't thinking about much of anything anymore.

He let his head fall back, closed his eyes and focused on the feel of the glide of her hand, a little too tight, a little too rough, and he moaned as he spread his legs farther apart. His whole perception had been whittled down to a single point, the focus of which was his cock, so he didn't notice she had moved closer to him until he felt her mouth engulf the tip of him.

His hand flew up, looking for something to grab a hold of, something to keep him tethered to the earth and found nothing. Max closed his eyes tighter, focused on the newly heightened sensations. The wet suction of her mouth, the newly damp friction of her hand below that and noticed that his moans had taken on the quality of a trapped animal but couldn't summon up the energy to try and stop them.

She ran her tongue along the edge under the helmet and he gasped and reared up. She pulled her mouth off of him with a pop and laughed, "Gentle Max."

He swallowed, opened his eyes and lowered his hand to touch the side of her face, not truly believing this was happening, needing to look at her "Liz," he said but it sounded more like a groan and the smile slipped from her face as she took him back in her mouth and swallowed around his member.

He shut his eyes again, held his breath and bite his lip hard enough to draw blood, feeling like he was about to come. Trying to stymie it and let this last as long as possible, he decided to focus on his breathing: deep inhale, deep exhale but instead of dulling the sensitivity, it ratcheted the feelings up. He felt his breath catching and sparks that had been confined to his belly a moment ago started to wash up and outward from the tips of his toes to the top of head. He raised his hips up towards her and when she reached up and under his shirt to run her nails down his chest he felt the glimmer concentrated in his lower abdomen getting stronger and swirling tighter and faster until…

"Stop," he said quickly on an exhale but she was intent on her task and either didn't hear or ignored his request. He felt her use an edge of teeth on him and the ball of heat in his gut felt like it was about to detonate. Desperate to stop it, he used the hand currently balled up in her hair to pull her up and away from him harshly.

"Max," she squeaked out and he immediately let her go, getting to his knees and pulling her into his arms, kissing the side of her face and the top of her head where he'd grabbed her.

"I'm sorry Liz."

"That hurt," she whimpered a little and leaned her head to the side so he'd be able to get at more of her neck.

"I know. I'm sorry, I never want to hurt you," he breathed into her collar having picked up the hint.

"I didn't want to come yet."

She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and arched her back against him at that, "I was about to make you come?"

"Yeah," he said, realizing that she needed to hear it. He tugged on her ear lobe and pulled over one side of her dress, exposing her. She started to pant and turned her face to the side, blindly searching for his mouth. He gave it to her and palmed her breast, rolled the nipple between his thumb and middle finger, increased the pressure in small increments until she was trying to straddle his thigh and rolling against him like a wave.

"Let's go to the bed."

He shook his head, manhandled her up into the arm chair he'd just been in and grabbed the collar of his shirt at the back of his neck and pulled it over his head. He threw it across the room and looked back to see her smiling, "You look like a kid."

He kneeled in front of her with a smirk and grabbed her around the thighs, pulling her further down into the chair and closer to him, "I do?"

Her expression turned dark, "not anymore."

He kept his eyes on hers as he slowly pulled her dress up, past her thighs and up to her waist. He looked down then and stuck his finger into one side of her panties, "black lace, I never would have thought."

"Well I'm full of surprises today aren't I" she whispered coyly.

He smiled but didn't look up or answer, just bent one leg against his chest and unbuttoned her strappy sandal. He laid that knee over his shoulder and moved to the other foot to do the same. He reached up and grabbed the delicate fabric at either hip, only then did he catch her eye again, before pulling them down and sitting them down next to him. He returned one leg to his shoulder and put one across the arm of the chair, spreading her out for his viewing pleasure. He expected her to close her knees then, to push him away, try to interest him in something else like the other girls he'd been with had done at this point but she didn't. Just raised a brow and smirked.

My my, she was full of surprises.

He ran his hand up her side, palmed the breast that she had yet to hide and reveled in her sigh, he decided then to see what other sounds he could get out of her. A giggle when he sucked on her pinky toe, a gasp when he licked behind her knee and a high pitched whine as he nibbled the tendon between her pelvis and thigh.

Max looked back up at her, "I've never really done this to anyone before. Other girls never let me get this close."

He spread his hand wide over the hip of the leg that was thrown over the arm of the chair and let his thumb slide into the wet heat between her thighs. He watched her face slide into a soft wanting look before letting his gaze follow the action of his hand. He realized then how they must look. Him, totally naked and on his knees before her, she, fully dressed with her legs spread and he felt a tendril of dark heat shoot through his groin.

"You can tell me what to do."

His thumb found her clit on its own volition, as if he were in a trance, and started to rub. "Tell me to do it faster or slower or harder and I will. I'll do anything you tell me to"

She didn't look at him or even answer, just rolled her head from side to side and pushed her hips towards him, and she smelled so good, earthy and turned on, and he didn't wait for her to hear, just started to lower his head toward the apex of her thighs when she grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled him back.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer, just pushed at his shoulders and leaned against him until he was flat on his back on the floor. Then she was straddling him and he wanted to tell her to wait. That he wanted to make her feel as good as she'd made him feel earlier but all he could get out was, "condom?"

"I'm on the pill."

Then her hand was on him and she was fitting him inside of her and grinding against him and he was lost. She circled her hips with her eyes closed and reached back to untie the halter of her dress, letting the top fall down.

"Touch me."

He wasn't sure she even knew what she was saying, she just planted her hands on his shoulder and raised up on her knees before falling back onto him and repeating the motion again and again only faster and harder until he felt like he was about to lose it again. Max knew he couldn't hold it back this time, couldn't summon up the will to make her stop so he spread his hands across her hips instead and let his thumbs meet in the middle at her clit. Used them to push the hood against the bundle of nerves it protected in deep circles. Each going in the opposite direction and then she was moaning long and low and tightening up on him and he couldn't stop himself.

She was naked and wet and he was inside of her and she coming on top of him and he couldn't stop.

He rubbed her harder and she started to shake and he let it go. Groaned and watched her through hooded lids as she shook and panted before lying down on top of him.

"I love you," she muttered into his shoulder, already falling asleep.

"I love you too," he said, tired himself but wanting to get her in the bed before he let himself.

He laid her down and went to lie on his side facing her, "what about Kyle," she was already in that half awake, half asleep place and he didn't want to bother her but he had to know.

"I haven't spoken to him a while," she yawned, "I'm going to break up with him."

He wanted to argue but bite it back and nodded, "okay."

-0-

Max stood on the side of Roswell High right out of the sightline of Kyle and Liz who were currently arguing in the parking lot. He's wanted to be there just in case something happened, but Liz had assured him that Kyle was a stand up guy and wouldn't do anything to hurt her. He'd nodded and hugged her then did just as he wanted because he knew how upset he would be if he'd lost Liz.

Kyle threw his hands up and started to walk away when Liz stopped him and started talking, pulling him to look at her. They spoke for a while and her grip turned into a comforting caress as he nodded and pulled her toward him for a hug.

Max felt the hair on his neck rising, his hands turning into fists and even though the better part of himself knew this was just a good bye embrace, the other part saw his girlfriend in some other guys arms and he was striding across the parking lot and pulling Kyle off before he could re-think it.

"Max?"

He ignored Liz's shout and Kyle's confused expression. Just pulled his arm back and landed one right in the center of the other boys face. There was spurt of blood and Liz screamed high while throwing her hands over her face but the Max she knew was gone.

This was Hanks boy.

The one who knew if you wanted to keep something, you had to fight to protect it and he was willing to do anything to keep her. Kept punching even though Kyle wasn't trying to fight back until someone bigger came and pulled him off. He saw Liz leaning over Kyle and crying when Principal Lyndon stepped into his view with hard eyes. "We're going to go have a talk in my office Mr. Guerin."

-0-

Max sat in the dark in Michael's room as Diane, Phillip and Hank talked downstairs.

He turned when there was a knock on the window and seriously considered not opening it when he saw Liz's face. She knocked again and he sighed as he got up to pull it open. She climbed in and looked at him angrily for a moment before slapping him across the face.

"I told you I could handle it Max," she said angrily, "They're saying you've been kicked out. That they aren't going to let you graduate."

"They aren't," he replied flatly. "Lyndon said that since I was missing so much school and I already had disciplinary problems he wasn't going to try and work with me anymore."

Her anger faded away and she looked at him with a sad face.

"Who cares," he said flippantly while turning away, the last thing he wanted from her was pity. "Even if I graduated what I was going to do?"

"Anything."

"Come on Liz. I know you love me but you're not stupid."

She didn't say anything, just looked away so he continued. "Hank is down there losing his shit and I can't deal with him for another year."

"What do you mean," she asked lowly.

"I'm leaving."

There silence between them while she studied him, trying to see if he was telling the truth.

"Bring me with you," she said quietly.

"Liz…"

"I don't want to be anywhere you're not."

"What about Harvard? That's your dream."

"Dreams change."

He watched her, trying to gauge her seriousness, "are you sure?"

She smiled and threw herself into his arms. "I've never been surer about anything."

Something told him that this was wrong but he smiled and ignored it as he hugged her to him.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I don't know what happened out there."

"You're a jealous asshole that's what happened," she said on a quiet laugh.

He pulled away and brushed the hair from her face, "how's Kyle?"

Liz looked down and traced the lines on his left hand, "you broke his nose but other than that you're alright. Valenti wanted to press charges but Kyle won't cooperate and without a victim there's no case."

He nodded gently, "Thanks."

"He's not doing it for me. He knows what's happening with your dad and he's… got something new going on in his personal life so he decided to let you go. Nobody gets better in jail"

He smiled absently. "Are you absolutely sure that you want to leave with me?"

"Stop asking me that."

"Alright," he said on a laugh, "meet me at the Desert Rose tomorrow at two okay?"

She nodded and he led her to the window before opening it and helping her out, "Kiss me."

She smiled big and pulled his mouth against hers before separating with a big smack, "see you then."

He watched her climb down the trellis and disappeared around the corner before closing the window behind her.

"What are you doing Max?"

He turned when he heard Dianne's question. "We're down there, trying to talk your dad into letting us take you and you're up here planning to leave."

"Dianne…"

She put her hand up to quiet him. "I love you Max. You've got to know that by now right?"

He nodded.

"What do you think you've got to offer that girl? Where do you think you two are going to live? How are you going to support her when neither of you even have a high school degree?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Tons of people don't have a degree and they do just fine."

"Yeah, working at McDonald's or being a janitor for the rest of their lives and there's nothing wrong with those two things. They're both ways to make an honest living but don't you think you deserve more than that? Don't you think Liz can have more than that?"

He didn't respond and she just kept on talking.

"You'll be living in a one room apartment with 3 kids by the time you're 30 and she'll hate you. She'll resent you because she'll know what she could've been."

"She loves me."

Dianne nodded, moving back towards the door. "Right now she does but will she still feel that way when you guys can't afford to eat? You'll do what you want, you always have, but I hope you'll think of someone else first for a change."

Present Day

"I drove by that hotel about ten times before I decided that she was right."

He looked at Liz's emotionless face. "Please say something."

"You have no idea what…" she closed her eyes and shook her head while motioning for the waitress."Can I get a to go box?"

The girl nodded and scampered off to get it.

"Tell me what I have no idea about," he pleaded, trying to get her to stay so they could finally have this out, finally put it behind them.

"I'd rather not," she placed her wrap in the box and got up to leave when he stopped her.

"Well what happens now then?"

She didn't even look at him, just shook her head, "I don't know." with that she walked out the door.