Happenstance ~M/L C/C~ Pt. 45 added 4/21

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Fri Aug 29, 2003 10:45 am

<img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... kliam3.gif ALT=":hotgreen"> <img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... kliam3.gif ALT=":hotgreen"> <img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... kliam3.gif ALT=":hotgreen"> Almost !! Almost !!! ahhhh !!!! *sigh* Why Michael had to show up !!! ?? why why ??? <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> Come on !! you stupid Isabore, spit out what you are hidding !!! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"> (cough cough ...is it too obvious that I don´t like her ?? ....at all ... <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> ) I can´t wait for the next part <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/princess.gif ALT=":princess">

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sat Aug 30, 2003 7:21 am

It took me a while to get around and read this but I finally di last night! And Ihave just one thing to say.... Why did Michael have to interrupt Max and Liz at that moment! Aside from that it was a great chapter (as always<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> ) but even though it made my dreamer heart sigh in satisfaction and my candy side was happy to see a little M&M, Isabel has got me worked up! When will she spill the beans?! What will be their reaction? And for God's sakes! Let Max and Liz kiss already!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/boldblue.gif ALT=":blue"> <img src=http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server- ... humpup.gif ALT=":thumbsup"> <img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... 55ad1f.jpg" style="border:0;"/>

Post by **Angel13** » Sat Aug 30, 2003 11:49 am

Part 14 On her way out of Max’s room, Liz stops and says to Michael and Isabel, “I want to thank you…for…everything.” Isabel smiles and says, “I’ll come get you guys when Cal is ready. We’ll find a way to fix this, Liz.” Liz nods, hoping she’s right, and turns to leave. She hopes they can fix it, because if she’s tied to Max Evans like this for the rest of her life…she doesn’t think she’ll be able to handle not being near him. Just being in a different room than him is making her insides twist, like something is being ripped out of her. She may have been in love with him her entire life, but this isn’t how she wants to be bound to him…because of some weird alien linking. If they ever do get together, it has to be because they both want it with all their hearts and souls…it has to be natural. An hour later, Liz is combing through her wet hair with her fingers and cursing the fact that she had to put her dirty clothes back on. At least she got to brush her teeth and wash her hair in a nice, cool shower. She always forgets how the desert manages to make its way into every part of your body. “Liz, Isabel said Cal was waiting for us in his suite.” Maria calls to her from the other side of the bathroom door. “Ok, almost done.” She takes one last look and shrugs…that’s as good as it gets. She opens the door and says, “You guys ready?” Alex stands up and says, “Ready is my middle name.” Maria laughs and says, “Riiiight.” They make their way to the end of the hallway and Alex knocks on Cal’s door. They hear him call out from inside to come in and Liz hears the door click open as Michael fills the doorway. He lets them pass through and shuts the door, following them back in. “Ah, there she is.” Cal says cheerily and stands when he sees Liz. “Feeling better?” She nods and takes a seat next to Maria at a small table. “Good.” He sits down again and says, “So, it looks like we have a little problem here.” “Is there any way to fix it?” Alex asks, anxious for Liz to be free of these people. Liz glances over, just in time to catch Max looking at her. He looks away quickly and she looks back at Cal. “I can remove the bond as long as it hasn’t been consummated…which it hasn’t…right?” He looks from Max to Liz. They both look at each other, remembering their shared encounter on the plane and Max looks back at Cal. “Right, it hasn’t. So you can undo it?” “I can. But you need to be sure.” He looks at Liz and says, “You’ll lose all your powers…at least your defensive powers as queen. I can’t undo what Max changed in you when he healed you.” “But I’ll stop sending out signals…right? I won’t attract anyone to me?” Liz asks, that being her first and foremost concern. “Nope. You’ll be plain old Liz Parker again. But I have to stress the importance of this. Once I remove the bond, it can never be replaced. Even if you were to get together some day down the road…you would never be his queen again.” He looks over at Max and says, “And you will never be able to bond with anyone…ever. You get this one shot and that’s it.” Silence descends on the room as everyone contemplates what this means. Liz’s eyes open wide. Max would never be able to have this bond with anyone else? “So, if Max falls in love and wants to get married…have a family someday, are you saying he won’t be able to?” Liz asks, worried about what this means for both their futures. “Max can do whatever he wants. What I’m saying is he’ll never have a queen by his side again. By making you his queen, he gave you powers…more powerful than his own. As queen, your duties are clear…you are to stand by the king, support him, fight with him, protect him and your children. The queen has a highly coveted role on our planet…she holds the power, especially after the heir is born. If he decides to have a family with a human someday, he can. But she won’t be endowed with any special rank or powers. She’ll just be human. If he chooses another hybrid…Ava for instance…she will not receive the rank of queen and she won’t receive any other powers than the ones she has.” He looks at Max and says, “Do you understand what I’m saying?” Max nods and looks down at the floor. He just wants Liz to be free, to live a normal life…no matter what it takes. There’s no sense talking about hypothetical marriages in his future. There’s only one person he’ll ever love. He looks back up at Cal and says, “Do it.” Liz sees Isabel looking at her…pleading with her eyes. She knows Isabel is thinking about Max’s safety, she is too. “But…” Cal is getting impatient. “Look, it’s nothing to worry about. Max isn’t going back to our planet, there aren’t any political ramifications for him here…there’s no reason why you both can’t go back to living completely normal lives. Don’t confuse the bond with love. He’ll be free to love whomever he wants. So will you. I don’t foresee any threats to his well being with Browan and Nicholas gone. So there’s really no need for him to have a queen on this planet.” “What about Khivar?” Isabel asks. “Isn’t he still a threat?” “Khivar can’t travel here. That’s why he uses skins. And now you know how to fight them, if they even bother coming after you. With Nicholas gone, they’re without a leader. What do you have left, 40…50 years? That’s a handful of sand on the shore of our existence. You were meant to live normal…human lives on this planet.” He sighs and says, “Not that I see how you deserve it, but that’s beside the point. You get a second chance…I just don’t understand why you’re wasting it.” “We ain’t wastin’ it.” Zan protests from the couch. “Come on.” Cal stands up and walks over to Zan. “You call hanging out on the streets, in the sewer, living life to its fullest?” He turns to Max, Isabel and Michael and says, “Your families gave you a gift and you’re pissing it away…hiding out in your loft. It makes me sick how ungrateful you are. You’ve wasted thirty years already. I’ll give you one piece of advice. Go out and live!” He sweeps his arms around the hotel room. “Go out and eat…go dancing…have lots of sex…fall in love. Do you know what I’d give to be able to do that?” He sits down, suddenly tired of talking. “I’d give everything.” Liz looks at Cal and feels sorry for him…realizing the root of his attitude. He’s jealous. Jealous that the people he’s sworn to protect have the very thing he’s always wanted. It must be lonely for him. “How long do you…I mean, how long…” “’Til I kick the bucket? Who knows? I could be around forever I suppose. That’s my job…to protect the royal four and their descendents. That’s what Browan couldn’t handle…he hated it here. The minute we crashed, I think he started looking for ways to get off this planet.” He sees the look on her face and says, “Don’t feel sorry for me, babe. I like it here, so don’t you point those big, sad eyes at me. Which reminds me, have you ever thought about acting? That face of yours would be gold on the big screen.” Liz bites her lip and looks at him in confusion. “Um…no…I um…no.” Where did that come from? “So, have you decided?” Cal keeps his gaze on Liz. Liz looks over at Max and they lock eyes for a moment before he sends her a small smile and nods his head once in encouragement. She hesitates, and then turns back to Cal. “Ok, I guess…do it.” Michael is watching Isabel and sees her frowning…thinking. He can almost see the wheels in her head spinning. He knows she’s worried about Max and what this will mean for him…he has to admit that he is too. But they can’t force Liz to be bound to Max for the rest of her life. He knows Max wouldn’t allow it even if she agreed. He leans over and whispers to Isabel, “It’ll be ok.” She nods without looking at him and says, “I hope so.” Cal tells Liz and Max to stand in front of him and he puts one hand over each of their hearts. “Is it going to hurt?” Liz asks Cal with a small voice. Max closes his eyes and uses every ounce of will power not to reach for her. “It might sting a little.” Cal tells her and she nods. She glances up at Max for reassurance but his eyes are closed…as if waiting for a deathblow and she quickly looks away, a knot forming in her throat. “Ok.” She whispers. Maria stands up, moving closer to Liz…fascinated. Cal’s hands start glowing and almost immediately, both Max and Liz grab the arm he’s holding them with as if trying to break free. Liz has her eyes squeezed shut and Maria sees tears start to force their way out down her cheeks. Cal has his eyes closed and Alex pops up out of his seat when Liz cries out, “Noooo…!” Michael grabs Alex and says, “Wait.” The glowing gets brighter and Max tears at Cal’s arm, screaming, “No!” Maria stares wide eyed as Cal finally releases his hold on them and they both drop to the floor. She rushes to Liz, falling to her knees and pushing the hair back from her face. “Liz!” “Wow. That was some crazy shit.” Zan observes from the couch…where he hasn’t moved from. Ava glares at him before joining Isabel on the floor next to Max. She sits back, seeing the pure anguish on his face and feels like she’s intruding. “Is he ok?” She whispers, but no one answers her. “Liz…can you hear me?” Alex says gently, wiping the tears from her face. She nods and looks up at him and he smiles at her. “There she is.” She takes a deep, shuddering breath and puts her hands over her eyes in an effort to both wipe them and stem the flow of tears. Her breath hitches and Maria rubs her back soothingly. She feels like she’s been split in half and her soul ripped from her body. Maria turns angrily to Cal and sees him slumped in his chair, sweating profusely. “You said it would only sting a little.” Cal wipes his face and in a raspy voice says, “Yah? Well they said the bond was never consummated…so we all lied.” Maria sits back and looks at Liz in surprise. But Liz is shaking her head…she says, “We didn’t…it wasn’t…” Cal takes a deep breath and says, “I would have never attempted a separation of a bond that strong.” Max waves off Isabel, who’s hovering over him and pulls himself up to sit in a nearby chair. Isabel asks, “So does that mean it didn’t work?” Max wipes his hands over his face and looks at Cal. Cal glances over at Liz then at Max and says, “It worked.” Isabel can’t stand the look of pure pain on Max’s face and she looks up at Michael helplessly. “Will they be ok?” Ava asks Cal. He nods and says, “Eventually…yah.” He stands up and adds, “But that’s gonna leave a scar.” He walks into the next room, wanting to be alone. “So…” Zan stands up and stretches. “I guess that’s it. It’s been real…Ava? We need to find a ride back home.” Ava looks around, not really sure what to do. “Ok...um…” She stands up and joins Zan, looking at Michael sadly. Michael glances over at Maria, doubting that they’ll be riding home with the humans anymore. He sees her looking at him and she shrugs. “We’re all going to the same place, right? It would be stupid if we didn’t all ride back on the plane together.” Maria looks down at Liz and asks, “Is that ok, sweetie?” Liz nods and struggles to stand up. She keeps her eyes on the floor and says, “I’m just gonna…I need to…” And she turns, rushing from the room into the hallway. “I’ll call and have them get the jet ready. I’ll let you know when we need to be at the airport.” Maria tells Michael before following Liz. “Cool.” Zan says, glad he won’t have to try to find himself a way back to New York. “I’m starved. Let’s go see what they got in the vending machines.” He says this to Ava and pulls her toward the door. “You got money, right?” Ava rolls her eyes as she follows him out. “Max…” Isabel kneels down in front of him but he puts his hand up. “Is, please…just…just give me some time here.” He rests his elbows on his knees and Isabel nods, stands up and moves over to Michael. “I’m going to take a quick shower. You gonna be ok?” She asks him. Michael nods and says, “Go ahead. I’ll let you know when I hear from Maria.” Isabel leaves Michael alone with Max and he sinks down in the couch and picks up the remote to the TV, feeling a little uncomfortable with all the emotion in the air. He just always feels so…useless. He figures Max doesn’t need him fussing all over him so he turns the TV on and starts flipping through the channels. He finds a soccer game and stops. They sit in silence for quite a while, not that Max is gonna complain. He just wants a little…silence. Finally, he straightens and grins a little when he sees Michael watching a soccer game. “What’s the score?” He asks, then tries to clear the croaking from his voice. “Belgium 2, Croatia nothing.” Michael says without looking at him. Max takes a deep breath and exhales loudly before standing up. “So what are we doing?” Michael looks up at him and says, “Maria’s getting the jet ready so we can go back.” Max nods and asks, “Where’s Cal?” He follows Michael’s nod into the next room and steps in the doorway. “Cal?” It’s dark and he can’t see. “Yah?” He hears, but can’t see where the voice is coming from. A lamp turns on and Max sees Cal sitting in a chair in the corner, smoking a cigarette. He looks at Cal curiously and Cal lifts the cigarette, looking at it. “Yah…bad habit. But it’s not gonna kill me, so…” He shrugs and puts it out in the ashtray next to him. Max steps in the room and says, “I wanted to thank you…before we leave.” Cal shrugs and says, “It’s my job.” “I know that you…don’t really want anything to do with us. Hopefully we won’t have to ask for your help again.” Max says. Cal studies him for a moment, then says, “You know where to reach me…if anything comes up?” Max nods and says, “I’ll only contact you if there’s an emergency.” The two men are quiet…studying each other. Finally, Cal says, “You know…the bond…because it was so strong I could only…” “I know.” Max interrupts him. “Don’t worry about it.” Cal nods and says, “Go…have a good life.” Max offers him a weak smile and turns away, walking back in the other room to get Michael. Cal watches them leave before turning the lamp off and lighting another cigarette. “While you can.” He whispers before taking a drag. ~~~~~~~~~~ Two hours later, they’re all on the jet as it taxis down the runway and takes off. As the plane rises, Liz stares out the window and can see the faint orange glow of the sunrise in the east. Maria and Alex have given her space and are sitting in the seats behind her. Zan and Michael are sitting up front devouring the food that Maria ordered the plane stocked with. She hears Zan call out to Ava and ask if she wants a sandwich. Max is sitting near them…quiet. She wonders if he’s feeling the same emptiness she is. She looks down and sees some headphones dangling from her armrest and she puts them on. It takes a couple minutes of fumbling around with the buttons before she figures out how to get music to play. She can’t find anything better than a classic rock station so she leaves it there, listening to the familiar strains of Cat Stevens and The Eagles. Closing her eyes, exhausted, she just wants to block out everything. Max regrets sitting up front as soon as Michael and Zan start stuffing themselves. The two have discovered a mutual love of hockey and Max is forced to sit through their debates about the merits of their favorite team. He sighs and looks out the window, wanting to move but not able to. The plane is small and there are only so many places to sit. He glances back a few times to check on Liz and sees her sitting in the opposite direction with headphones on. Each time he looks, she’s in the same position…and each time he looks, he sees the sympathy and pity on Alex and Maria’s faces as they look back at him. “Hey Max, you sure you don’t want one?” Michael asks, holding out a sandwich to him. Max shakes his head and closes his eyes. Maybe he’ll be able to sleep. He listens to the hum of the engines and tries to let them lull him to sleep. He jolts awake when the plane jerks and is surprised to see sunlight streaming through the windows when he opens his eyes. Looking out the window, he sees that they’ve just landed. Turning to Michael, he asks, “We’re there?” Michael yawns and nods. “Yah…you were out the whole way.” Max looks at his watch and sees that it’s 12:30pm New York time and lets his head fall back on the seat. “It sucks flying back east…we lose so much time.” Michael comments as he yawns again. “Yah.” Max agrees and looks out the window again, seeing the familiar New York skyline. When the plane taxis to a standstill, the pilot opens the cockpit door and lowers the steps leading outside. He stands at the top and waits for them to exit the plane. Max and Michael stand up and climb down the stairs first, followed by Zan, Ava and Isabel. Isabel walks over to Max and asks, “Did you get some rest?” He nods and squints in the sunlight, watching for Liz. Liz finally emerges from the plane followed by Alex and Maria. They make their way into the terminal and gather toward the front…awkward. It’s been such a crazy 24 hours and now no one knows what to say. “So…I guess I don’t have to tell you that it’ll be safer…for not just us, but you, if you don’t tell anyone about us.” Michael tells Maria, Alex and Liz. Maria nods and says, “Like anyone would believe what I’ve just been through.” “You don’t need to worry.” Alex assures him. “We won’t say anything.” “Well folks. Can’t say it’s been fun.” Zan says. “Keep your heads up…we’ll see ya around.” He claps Michael on the back and looks at Ava expectantly. “Go get us a cab…I’ll be out in a minute.” She tells him. “Sure thing.” He walks toward the door and turns before walking out. He mock salutes them before turning and disappearing outside. Ava turns to Max and says, “If you need us, call this number. Just leave a message tellin’ me how to find ya.” She scribbles a number on a scrap of paper and hands it over. “Thanks.” Max stuffs the number in his back pocket and says, “For everything. You didn’t have to help and you did…I appreciate it.” She nods and looks down, embarrassed. “S’nothin’.” She turns to Liz and says, “You stay outta trouble.” Liz gives her a small smile and says, “Yah…you too. Take care of yourself.” “I always do.” She says before giving them all one last glance and following Zan outside. “So.” Michael says, anxious to get home. He looks at Maria and says, “Thanks for the lift.” “No problem. Sorry about breaking into your apartment.” She tells him, remembering how pissed he was. “Yah, don’t worry about it.” Michael looks at Liz before glancing at Max. “Well, you ready to go?” Isabel can feel the tension in the air, so she steps forward and says, “You still have my card?” Liz looks up, confused for a minute. Then, remembering, she shakes out of her daze and says, “Um…yah.” “If you need anything…you know, if you need help with your powers or something…you can call me anytime.” Isabel feels awkward and doesn’t know what to say. Liz offers her a smile and takes a step toward her. She reaches up and pulls Isabel into a hug and says, “Thank you.” The hug takes Isabel by surprise, but she recovers and hugs Liz back. “I’m sorry…for the things I said…how I treated you.” Liz shakes her head and says, “No, don’t. It’s ok.” They pull away and Isabel grabs Michael’s arm and pulls him after her a few feet away. Maria watches them, and looks over at Liz, who nods at her. She grabs Alex and they join Isabel and Michael, letting Liz and Max have some privacy. “So…” Liz starts, arms folded across her chest…at a loss for words. “So…” Max answers, barely able to look her in the eye. Part of him wants to…to get lost in her eyes one last time…to memorize her face. The other part wants to get this over with quickly…like pulling off a Band-Aid. “So what now, Max? Do we just part ways and never see each other again?” She can’t read his face and she feels the loss of her connection with him more acutely because he won’t look at her. She didn’t want it to be like this. Max’s heart is racing. What is she asking? He looks at her briefly before looking away again. He can’t do this…his heart feels like a jackhammer in his chest. “Maybe that would be best.” He finally says. Liz bites her lip and watches the different emotions crossing Max’s face before he shuts down again. “Max…look at me.” She bends down, trying to catch his eyes, which are planted firmly to the floor. When he finally meets her gaze, her breath leaves her like she’s been punched in the gut. There’s so much pain there…and anguish. She’s suddenly hit with a sudden, painful realization. “Oh Max…what…oh God…” She reaches for him and he steps away. “Please…don’t.” He sees her eyes fill up with tears and he tries to smile. “Don’t Liz…it’ll be ok.” He clenches his jaw and steels himself before saying, “Go back to your life, Liz. Do this one thing for me…just…be happy. That’s all I want. I’ll be fine if I know you’re happy and living a normal life.” “Max…I…” She doesn’t know what to say and he puts a finger to her lips. “Shh. Please, Liz.” She closes her eyes and grabs his hand, holding it to her cheek. She steps toward him and puts her hands on each side of his face, pulling him down to her. She brushes her lips lightly across his, their tears mingling and she says, “I’m so sorry, Max.” Her heart is a dead weight in her chest…she never even thought… He wraps his hands around her and pulls her close, sealing their lips together and he kisses her…he kisses her like he’s always dreamed of doing. And it’s wonderful. She wraps her arms around his neck and feels him lift her off her feet against him. When she hears a soft cry from the back of his throat, she opens her mouth and deepens the kiss. She loses herself in the feel of him…the taste of him. She doesn’t want to let go and she holds on even tighter. But too soon he pulls away, resting his cheek against hers and slowly lowering her feet to the floor. His breath sweeps across her ear and he whispers, “Go…go now.” She pulls away and sees his eyes close as he lets go of her. Touching his cheek one last time, she turns and rushes from the terminal. Maria and Alex run after her and catch her outside, getting into a taxi. They get in with her and the cab pulls away quickly. “Liz, what’s wrong? What…did the bond separation thing not work?” She looks at Alex, concerned. Liz stares out the window, letting her tears fall. “No, it worked. For me…it separated me.” She looks at Maria and says, “But not Max…he’s still connected to me. He’ll never be free.” She looks away from a stunned Maria and back out the window as the cab speeds toward the city…and away from Max. ~TBC~

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Sat Aug 30, 2003 10:45 pm

Wow! That was exciting! So do Max and Liz get to join the mile-high club now... or does faking it not count? <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> <blockquote>Quote:<hr>He won’t have a problem conjuring up a fantasy of being with Liz…he has an entire library of them stored away. But knowing that she’ll see them fills him with dread. <hr></blockquote> That was funny. It was cool that Liz had fantasies of him, too... and similar concerns. And Liz got left all alone with the bad guys! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> How are they going to get her back? I thought Alex acted a bit brash whacking Max like that. I know he's protective, but this is Max and Liz, after all. Surely Alex doesn't really think Max would force or rape her. I guess it's because in this story, Alex has been so close to Liz, and Max has been gone. Glad you posted again! You sure were plotting while you were off! Great parts! <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ...   Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, Dreamer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div>

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Sat Aug 30, 2003 11:25 pm

Ah! Cal saves her... more than once. Liz having all those powers was cool. But at least she's still got the one's Max gave her when he healed her. And the bond break didn't work for Max but did for Liz? What is that going to mean for them now I wonder? A lot of questions! I'm looking forward to more. <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ...   Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, Dreamer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div>

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sun Aug 31, 2003 6:52 am

Now you know it would have been wrong to break thier conectiontotally<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/nono.gif ALT=":nono"> since we do need some sort of link between them but damn it! Why does it have to be this way? Why don't they realise their feelings for each other and act on them!? Yes, the kiss was wonderful but it was bitter sweet!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> Hehehehe, after all of the heartbreak and angst I still love thisstory. gotta say something about your writing doesn't it?<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> Looking forward to more and soon girl! <img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... 55ad1f.jpg" style="border:0;"/>

Post by **majiklmoon** » Sun Aug 31, 2003 1:57 pm

Oh Shoot, i'm a part behind. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> bbl when i've read <center>It all started with a boy, a girl, and a silver handprint.</center><center><a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm><img src=http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/image ... a></center>

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sun Aug 31, 2003 2:17 pm

Wow...Angel13, this is so incredible. You make me feel as if I'm write there with Liz as everything is happening

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sun Aug 31, 2003 8:44 pm

Okay, you left that in an <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"> spot. Why are you doing this to us?

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 11:16 am

<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> NOOOOOO !!!! I know you couldn´t brake the bond that easily , that wouldn´t be nice of you !! But why LIz´s allowed the separation to happen ???. Why didn´t they go and talk the issue a bit more ??? <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> I started to think that may be you did this so now Liz would be sure that they love each other because they love each other, and not for any bond or link. That will happen afterwards. And don´t think Isabore´s apology to Liz was enough for me. She didn´t tell her that she lied to her. She´s still <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"> I am amazed , like you always do with your stories. <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> *******Virginia returning to work, cause her co workers are starting to look at her with concern because she looks sad jejeje *********

Post by **Angel13** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 12:55 pm

Part 15 The mass of a planet won't change its' course Immovable Object, Irresistible force What set this all in motion before? Unknown, Unseen, Unheard, Obscure Astronauts in satellites don't hear a sound Earth below spins around and around Time carries on to the place we're bound Happenstance, Circumstance, future preordained? Divine Intervention, the fickle hand of fate? Does it really matter; are there choices we can make? Stop and smell the roses or hurry up and wait? Give or shall we take? Single Cell Monster from primordial soup Radiated slag from a nuclear coup Cro-Magnon killing with a club and his hands Now a mercenary man with a gun and a plan Act II is the same as the first We know our part, no need to rehearse Hope for the best, plan for the worst Happenstance, Circumstance, future preordained Divine Intervention, the fickle hand of fate? Walk the aimless shuffle or the line, long and thin? Faith in the eternal or trust what's within? One small life to give Live with a purpose Every life is short and swift Every day is precious Every moment is a gift Happenstance, Circumstance, future preordained? Divine Intervention, the fickle hand of fate? Fight for the future, and against the past Slow the fateful ending though we feel it coming fast We've only got today Don't piss our time away Three years later… Liz glides along the path in Central Park, losing herself in the rhythm and the sound of her feet hitting the pavement…her breathing controlled. With each exhale she surges forward. The sun is just rising…this is her favorite time of day. The city is quiet and she can be alone. She follows the familiar path around and back out of the park toward her apartment. She slows her pace and stops at the corner newsstand to pick up a paper before stopping in the familiar corner shop. “Mornin’ Liz!” She looks up and smiles at Joe. Since she started her early morning runs, she ends up being his first customer of the day most days. Today, he’s just filling the grinders with beans when she walks in. “Hey Joe…it’s starting to get cold out.” She walks up to the counter and drops her money on it before moving off to the side. “It’ll be snowing soon.” “Yah? Then what are you gonna do?” He asks her as he makes her usual. “Guess I’ll just run in my snow boots.” She smiles at him and opens her paper, waiting for her coffee. “So what’s the news today?” He asks her as she scans the headlines. She shrugs and says, “Not much.” before folding the paper back up and leaning on the counter. He hands her her cup and says, “Have a good one, hun.” and he moves back down the counter to help a couple that just walked in. She smiles at him and turns to put some sugar in her coffee before going. Tonight, she and Alex are going to a party being thrown by some NYU alumni and she’s excited to go. She hasn’t been out in a long time…at least out to something more than the local bar with Alex. As she sips her coffee, she thinks about the new dress she splurged on that’s hanging on the door of her closet. She spent way too much money on it, along with the shoes…but surely she’ll be able to wear it again. Distracted, thinking about her dress, she’s not watching where she’s going and runs into someone…spilling her coffee all over the place. Feeling bad, she turns to apologize but when she sees who it is, she rolls her eyes and smiles. “You did that on purpose.” Innocent, amber eyes open wide and look back at her. “What…me? Why would I do that on purpose?” “I don’t know, Zan…why do you do anything?” Liz shakes her hands, trying to rid them of coffee. “What are you doing here? Isn’t it kind of early for you?” He takes a step closer, wiping his hand down the front of her shirt to get rid of the coffee there, and grinning when she flinches and steps away. He raises his hands and says, “Just tryin’ to help ya out.” “I can do it myself.” She says, offended. “A’ight. Don’t get all pissy. I just wanted to see ya. That’s all.” He shrugs and tries to give her his best innocent look. Sighing, she softens and asks, “What’s up?” He puts his hands in his pockets and says, “I was just wonderin’ if you wanted to hang tonight. See a movie or somethin’.” “Zan…” She sighs. “I’ve told you…” “Yah, yah…I know. But we could just hang…like friends do, you know? I could even ask Ava to come.” “Sorry, I can’t. Anyway, I have plans tonight.” She shakes her head and says, “Zan, you have to stop this. You can’t…you can’t keep doing this.” He rolls his eyes and says, “Yah, I know. I don’t need the song and dance. I’m outta here…have fun at your party.” He walks away then and as she watches him she wonders how he knew she was going to a party. Sighing, she turns back toward her apartment. Zan. She’s never been sure about him, or what his motives are. He’s always around, showing up out of nowhere. Always asking her out. She’s met with Ava a few times…had coffee with her. She told Liz to just ignore him…that he was a pain in the ass, but he didn’t mean any harm. For three years now, Zan has been after her…trying everything in the Dating for Dummies manual. Sometimes he’s so sweet…but then he’ll turn on a dime, scaring her. She doesn’t know whether to feel bad for him…or to fear him. Since the first time she saw him she’s never trusted him, and she still doesn’t. Shaking off thoughts of Zan, she walks through the door of their apartment – after fussing with the five deadbolts Alex installed a few years ago – and sees Alex sitting in the kitchen. He looks over at her sleepily and says, “Hey.” before hanging his head over his cup of coffee…hoping the scent will permeate through his pours and wake him up. She walks into the kitchen and grabs some orange juice out of the fridge and a glass from the cupboard. “Hey sleepy. Long night?” When she doesn’t hear an answer, she turns around. Alex has his head down on the table and she smiles. “Alex.” She walks over and rubs his shoulder. “Aleeeex….wake up.” When he lifts his head she goes back to her orange juice and says, “Come on…you need to wake up. You have to stay up for the party tonight.” She turns around and leans against the counter, sipping her juice and takes in his haggard appearance with concern. “Are you ok? You’re not having…nightmares again…are you?” He shrugs without looking at her and says, “I dunno. I guess.” Liz frowns in concern. Ever since ‘the incident’, Alex has been having strange dreams and nightmares. Liz admits that she sees some weird things sometimes…almost like visions or something…like memories of things that never happened. But she writes it off to the events that happened three years ago…as something alien related. But there’s no explanation for Alex’s dreams. Liz urged him to start writing them down when they first started and she was shocked to see that some of his dreams were the same as things she was seeing. That’s when she thought of calling Isabel. But she thought Isabel wouldn’t know what it was either. Although, to be honest, she just didn’t want to call because she didn’t want Max to find out. Looking at the circles under Alex’s eyes, she decides that she does need to call Isabel. She doesn’t know what else to do, and Alex can’t go on like this. Some of his dreams are…disturbing at best. “Why don’t you stay home from work today…get some rest?” Alex stretches and stands up. “Now how would that look if I blow off work today and show up at the party tonight?” He smiles and says, “And there’s no way I’m missing that.” Liz watches him walk into the bathroom and she sits down at the table, spreading her paper out. She reads the top stories and flips to the art section…smiling when she sees the article about the party tonight. The alumni are having a benefit to raise money to help the research in her department as well as three other research teams. They’re auctioning off the work of art students at NYU. It’s usually quite a party…every year they raise money for a different cause and it usually draws an eclectic New York crowd. She’s been looking forward to it since they announced her department was one of the chosen benefactors this year. When she hears Alex walk out of the bathroom and into his room, she gets up and starts to get ready for her day. ~~~~~~~~~~ Isabel takes one last glance in the floor length mirror…smiles in approval…and grabs her bag from the bed. As she makes her way toward the kitchen, the front door opens and a flurry of brown fur barrels toward her. Holding her bag in front of her she says sternly, “Bailey, no!” before she gets accosted. The chocolate brown cocker spaniel immediately sits and looks up at her with his sad eyes and she bends down to scratch him behind his ear. “Sorry buddy, but you’re not ruining another pair of my pantyhose if I can help it.” Straightening up, she walks into the kitchen and glances toward the door. “I wish you’d teach him not to jump.” Max shrugs, hanging the leash on a hook by the door. “He’s just happy to see you.” She rolls her eyes as she reaches into the fridge for a bottle of water. “Yah…I’d be flattered if he wasn’t also happy to see the mailman, the paper delivery kid, and pretty much everyone else who comes within his line of sight.” Bailey wags his tail and follows Max into the kitchen, knowing that they’re talking about him. Max reaches into a box on the counter and throws a treat, which he deftly catches mid air. “Good boy.” Max says, and Bailey wags his tail even harder. When Max first brought Bailey home, Isabel was horrified at the prospect of having a dog in the loft. But she quickly fell in love with him…he was so tiny and cute…he looked like a little stuffed animal. Michael was a harder sell. He made fun of Max and the dog, saying it was a little girly dog and to not expect him to help take care of it. Max said he decided to get a smaller dog because he didn’t think it was fair to have a big dog in the city in an apartment where it wouldn’t get any exercise. Michael put up a good fight, but eventually fell for Bailey’s charms. Now the two of them hang out together most of the day…going to the park to play with the other dogs or just lazing around the loft. They’re like two peas in a pod…perfect for each other. Putting her bag on her shoulder, Isabel says, “I’m off. You still picking me up at seven?” Max nods and she says, “Alright. See you later.” And she heads out the door, stopping to rub Bailey’s ear again and baby talking him, “You be a good boy.” She gives him a pout to match the sad look he’s giving her and she leaves. After Isabel leaves, Bailey sits at the door and whines…waiting for her to come back. “Hey, get over here and stop acting like a puss.” Max says as he reads the paper, putting his hand down to scratch his ears when he walks over to sit by Max’s chair. When he’s done with the paper, he folds it up and tosses it on the counter and puts his empty bowl of cereal in the sink. He walks over to the chair and grabs his tie, throwing it around his neck, and his jacket. Grabbing his keys, he looks down at Bailey. “Gotta go, big guy. Go find Michael.” He watches the dog’s ears rise as he cocks his head to the side. Smiling, he walks to the door and leaves, knowing that Michael’s about to be woken up by a bunch of slobbery licks. As he walks to the subway, Max thinks about this thing they have to go to tonight. He knows he has to go…he wants to support Michael since he’s going to have three paintings up for bid. At least he’s comforted by the fact that Michael wants to go even less than he does. Isabel is excited, of course, and planned everything for them…down to the tuxes they have to wear. She’s meeting her current boyfriend there, Ben. Max met him once…he seems like a nice enough guy…but he knows Ben is just an accessory to Isabel. So now Max has to go pick up Isabel and Amy from their office. Amy works with Isabel and he’s known her for years. Isabel insisted he take her to the party and he agreed happily, knowing Amy doesn’t have any romantic interest in him. About eight years ago, Isabel tried to fix him up with Amy and he took her out…once. That night, she told Max she was a lesbian…but didn’t want anyone at work to know and begged him not to tell Isabel. So he breathed a sigh of relief and Isabel hasn’t stopped trying to fix the two of them up since. She arranges for Max to be Amy’s dates at company parties and get togethers and she’s convinced that if she keeps throwing them together, they’ll start dating. Max and Amy just smile and laugh, happy to go along with it as long as it keeps Isabel from trying to fix them up with other people. Instead, she’s focused her attention on Michael and she’s furious that he refuses to bring someone to the party with him tonight. ‘Better him than me.’ Max thinks as he steps onto the train that’ll take him to his office. He stands to the side and holds onto a rail, leaning against it and waiting for the train to start moving. This is both is favorite, and worst, part of the day. As the train gains speed, he closes his eyes and within minutes he can feel her…closer and closer…then she slowly slips away and he takes a deep breath, swearing he can smell her and not the foul smell of the subway. He happened to take this train one day…not his usual mode of transportation…and was caught off guard when he felt Liz so close to him. After searching the train frantically for her, he rushed out onto the platform and glanced at the subway system map. That’s when he realized…the train passes right underneath Liz’s apartment. Ever since then, it’s been his secret guilty pleasure. He knows he should stop…but he can’t. Just a few seconds each day, that’s not too bad, right? He justifies the small indulgence by telling himself this will be the last week. But then the next Monday comes and it starts all over again. It’s been two and half years now. When they come to a stop, Max steps from the train and climbs the steps to the busy street and to work. Next week…he’ll stop next week. ~~~~~~~~~~ Liz smiles at Alex when they walk into the large NYU ballroom. She’s been here before for seminars and lectures, but they’ve transformed it tonight for the benefit. The lights are dim and there are flowers everywhere. A small orchestra plays at the side and the room is filled with hundreds of people dressed in gowns and tuxes. “Wow.” Liz says. But suddenly, the room shifts and the people she’s surrounded by are kids…kids she knew in high school. She hears the muted sound of a band playing in the background and she looks next to her for Alex, but instead, she sees herself standing in the doorway…with Max. She has a flower around her wrist and he looks down at her with a smile. Prom…she’s at a high school prom. But she never went to the prom…and she certainly didn’t go with Max Evans. Looking around, she sees Maria walking across the room…Alex dancing with Isabel…and Kyle…dancing with Ava? She closes her eyes and when she opens them, she’s back in the NYU ballroom and Alex is next her. “Yah. I don’t think we’re classy enough to be here.” Alex winks at her and grabs two glasses of champagne from a passing tray. He has no idea she’s been standing there staring into space with her jaw open, so she smiles and takes a glass from him with a shaky hand, fighting to recover unnoticed. He holds out his arm for her and says in his best Thurston Howell voice, “Shall we, lovey?” She giggles and slides her arm through his, letting him lead her in through the crowd. It’s not the first time she’s had a vision like that and she shakes it off, trying to bring herself back to reality. As they make their way, Liz spots the head of her department and turns to Alex. “There’s Greg, I should go say hello.” Alex lets go of her arm and says, “I’m gonna go check out the food situation. Catch up with you later.” Liz grins at him and turns to walk toward Greg. When he sees her, his face lights up and he says, “Liz! Look at you!” He turns to his wife, Jennifer, and says, “Look what the cat dragged in, honey.” Liz has known Greg and Jennifer ever since she started at NYU and she rolls her eyes at Greg. She was one of Jennifer’s bridesmaids when they got married six years ago and they’ve been good friends ever since. “Oh my…Liz. You look gorgeous!” Jennifer exclaims, grabbing Liz’s hand and making her twirl around. “Doesn’t she look gorgeous, Greg?” “She sure does.” Greg beams down at her. Liz blushes and says, “Thank you.” Jennifer looks around and behind Liz and asks, “So…did you bring someone?” She looks at Liz hopefully. “Yes, I did.” Liz braces herself for Jennifer’s disappointment. “You came with Alex, didn’t you?” Jennifer says, her face falling. She wishes Liz would find someone. She’s beautiful, smart and successful. She just doesn’t understand why she doesn’t get out and date more. Liz nods and says, “He’s the perfect date.” “I really wish you’d give John a chance. He’s dying to go out with you.” Jennifer says. John is their neighbor and Greg and Jennifer have been relentless in their efforts to fix them up. “You know I hate being set up, Jen.” Liz says, raising her eyebrows at her, letting Jen know she doesn’t want to talk about it. “Alright…I give up. For now.” Jennifer says. She turns to her husband then. “I just saw Becky over by the food table, I’m going to go say hi.” He nods and Jennifer turns to Liz. “You really look wonderful, Liz. I’m so glad you came.” Then she was off, disappearing into the crowd. Liz looks up at Greg and smiles. “You know she means well. She just hates seeing you alone.” Greg says to her. “I know.” Is all she says. “So, how are your cultures coming?” He asks her, changing the subject…knowing she’ll be happier talking about work. “Great. I really think we’re making some progress.” She tells him and they easily fall into shoptalk. After a few minutes, he turns her around and says, “You really should look at some of this artwork. Some of it’s amazing. Jen’s already picked out a few she wants me to bid on.” Liz looks around at the temporary walls that have been set up to display the artwork throughout the room. “I think I will. I’ll see you later?” Greg nods and says, “I better go find my wife.” And he gives her a wink before walking in the direction Jen went. Liz makes her way over to some of the exhibits and sips her champagne as she slowly makes her way along with the crowd. She sees a lot of modern work…some of it totally out of her realm of understanding. One canvas she sees has a pair of underwear stuck to it and she wonders who would want that hanging in their house. She makes her way to one corner of the room where a group of people…some she knows…is gathered around one exhibit. She stands next to a TA she knows and they smile at each other before looking at the painting on the wall. “It’s really good.” The TA…Vanessa, Liz thinks her name is…says to her. “Yah.” Is all Liz can say as she studies the painting. She takes a step to the side, letting others pass her by as she tries to get a closer look. She takes a sip of her champagne and tilts her head to the side. It’s a large canvas…mostly dark…it almost has an impressionistic feel to it. In the lower right corner is a figure, a girl, sitting with her knees drawn up, her head resting on them and her hair draping down toward the floor. In the background, barely visible, she can see figures…people. But they’re distorted and you barely know they’re there. Along the top, she sees windows…roughly painted with broad strokes. As if the girl is being held prisoner. Liz’s heart stops and her glass freezes mid sip. She leans in a little further, studying the images on the painting…the windows, the girl’s long brown hair. “It’s you.” Someone says softly in her ear and she jumps, dropping her glass on the floor. Turning quickly to the side, she sees Michael Guerin bending over to pick up her glass and he stands up…setting the glass on a nearby table. “Michael. You scared me half to death.” She says, her hand going to her chest. “Wha…what are you doing here?” Her eyes involuntarily scan the crowd around them…wondering what’s going on…wondering if Max is here, too. Michael nods toward the painting and says, “It’s mine.” She looks at the painting again, then back at him…confused. “But…I didn’t know you…” She stops, realizing the absurdity of what she was about to say. Of course she wouldn’t know…she doesn’t know anything about Michael. “Are you a student?” He nods and scratches his eyebrow. “Yah. I decided to go to school a couple of years ago.” “That’s…that’s great.” She smiles at him. “You should have stopped by…said hi.” He shrugs and looks away. “Didn’t wanna bother you.” She looks at him for a few moments, a shadow of sadness crossing over her, and then looks back at the painting. “It’s…it’s really good.” Michael watches her face as she studies the painting. “Yah?” He waits for her to look back at him. “So, how have you been?” Now there’s a loaded question. He really wants to ask her about Maria, but can’t bring himself to. Liz nods and says, “I’m…actually I’m good. How about you…you know, besides going to school?” God, why doesn’t she just ask him and get it over with? He has to know she wants to know about Max. “Great.” He looks over her shoulder, seeing Max in the entrance with Isabel, then back down to her. “You know…” But he’s cut off before he can say anything. “Liz!” They both turn and Liz sees Greg walking toward her. As he walks up, he says, “I’m sorry…did I interrupt?” Greg looks at Michael with a smile. “Um…no. Greg, this is Michael Guerin. He’s one of the artists.” She points at the painting behind her and says, “He did that one, actually.” Greg reaches out and shakes Michael’s hand vigorously. “Wow. You’ve got a lot of talent. It’s great to meet you.” Greg puts his hand on Liz’s back and says, “My wife is definitely interested in that one…I’m afraid my wallet is going to get a workout tonight.” He’s grinning widely as he looks down at Liz, who smiles back knowingly at him. “Um…thanks.” Michael says, glancing at Liz. Wife? Liz is married? Greg turns to Liz and says, “You have to come dance with me…so I can show you off.” Liz glances over at Michael, then back to Greg. “Um…ok.” She looks back at Michael and says, “It was great to see you. You really should stop by the lab and say hi.” Michael nods and says, “Sure.” as they walk away toward the dance floor…his brow furrowing. He turns his head and sees Max again, walking toward this side of the room with Isabel, Ben and Amy. He was about to tell Liz that Max was going to be here when he saw Max walk in. But he didn’t get a chance to tell her when Greg came up. This isn’t good. Maybe there are enough people here that Max won’t see her. Taking a deep breath, he heads toward Max and Isabel. ~~~~~~~~~~ As they get closer to the campus, Max can feel the pull inside him. He wonders if it’s because this is where she works, but in the back of his mind he hopes he feels her because she’s here. He never thought that she might be here tonight. When they enter the ballroom, he freezes. She’s here…he knows it. “Max? What’s wrong?” Amy asks beside him…wondering why he stopped walking. When he doesn’t answer, she shakes his arm. “Max?” He shakes his head and looks over at her. “Sorry…I just…zoned out for a second.” She smiles and says, “Work?” He nods and says, “Yah.” He glances around the room again, hoping to see her. “Should we go find Michael?” She puts her arm through his and they walk further into the crowd. “I can’t wait to see his paintings. Isabel has been raving about them at work.” Amy says as she grabs a glass of champagne from a waiter. She knows Max doesn’t drink much so she just takes one for herself. They run into Isabel and Ben and Isabel says, “I think I saw Michael over there. Come on.” She grabs Ben’s arm and leads them to the far corner of the room. As they walk, Max scans the crowd for her. He knows she’s here…she’s so close he feels like he can almost reach out and touch her. They finally reach Michael and as everyone oohs and ahs over his paintings, Max stands back…searching. He vaguely notices Michael at his side trying to say something to him, and he looks over in time to hear him say something about Liz. “Liz is here.” He says to Michael, turning back to search the room. “That’s what I’ve been trying to say. Look, Max…there’s something you need to know…” Michael feels like he’s talking to a brick wall. Just then, the crowd parts slightly and he sees her. He freezes, air filling his lungs but not able to escape. He can’t believe he’s actually looking at her…in person. She’s dancing…wearing a long, red dress with her hair piled on top her head. Her head falls back in laughter and he finally notices her dancing partner. He’s older than she is, but not much…and he twirls Liz around familiarly…he holds her close and as they turn he sees the ring on his finger. “…she’s married.” Michael’s voice finally penetrates the fog in Max’s head. His heart drops into his stomach and the air in his lungs escapes shakily. Married. Michael’s voice echoes in his head until it finally sinks in. Isabel, having heard Michael steps up to Max and touches his arm…extremely worried. “Max…” Max shakes her hand off and says, “Don’t.” He hasn’t looked away yet…not able to pull his eyes away from her. He watches her easy familiarity with her partner…no, her husband…and sees her laugh again. The sound of her laughter reaches his ears and shakes him from the paralysis that’s overcome him. She’s laughing…with her husband. She’s happy. It’s what he wanted. Trying to push the pain away, he watches as her husband dips her back playfully and she giggles…swatting his arm to let her back up. Max smiles then, and feels tears stinging his eyes, threatening. He takes a deep breath and they retreat. “What’s going on? Am I missing something here?” Ben asks, wondering why everyone is looking at Max like he’s ready to self-combust. Max turns around then and says, “It’s nothing.” He looks at Isabel and offers her a smile before turning to Amy. “I don’t think I’m up for a party tonight. I’m really sorry…but stay…have fun.” Amy tilts her head and him and smiles. “Nah…if you wanna go, that’s ok. I kind of feel like crashing at home anyway.” “Are you sure?” He asks, not wanting to ruin the night for her. “Yah. Let’s go.” She senses that there’s someone here that Max doesn’t want to see and she looks at Isabel. “I’m sorry. Don’t be mad.” Isabel plasters on a smile and says, “That’s ok. I’ll call you tomorrow.” She can’t believe what she heard Michael say. Liz is married? She looks at Max sympathetically and thinks it’s probably better if he leaves. “I’ll see you at home later.” She tells him, touching his arm in concern. Max nods and turns to Michael. “Looks like everyone likes your stuff.” He nods at the people surrounding Michael’s paintings and his eyes fall on the one of Liz before he looks back at Michael. “Good luck.” “Thanks.” Michael says before Max says goodbye to Ben and he and Amy walk toward the door. ~~~~~~~~~~ When the song ends, Liz steps back from Greg and says, “You’re crazy!” And she smiles, seeing Jennifer walking up to them. “Mind if I cut in?” She asks, letting Greg pull her into his arms. “Go right ahead, I need some rest after dancing with him.” Liz says gratefully and walks away from the dance floor in search of some water. She glances toward the door and stops…is that Zan? What the hell? Anger welling up inside her, she makes a beeline through the crowd toward him. When she reaches the doorway, she sees him at the elevator and she calls out, “Zan…wait.” She walks angrily over to him, seeing red, and grabs his arm. “Zan, what are you…” Her voice dies in her throat when she sees that it’s not Zan, it’s Max. Max looks down at her in confusion. “Liz?” Was she just calling him Zan? Why would he be here? And why would she assume that he was Zan? “Max. I…I didn’t know you would be here.” She’s suddenly at a loss for words, and she notices for the first time the woman standing next to him, looking at her curiously. Glancing at Max, then back at the woman she says, “I um…I saw Michael…earlier.” He’s here with someone…a pretty someone. She’s tall and graceful, with long, blonde hair. Max sees her looking at Amy and sees the embarrassment in her eyes. “Yah…he told me you were here.” Liz turns to look at Max and he doesn’t understand what he’s feeling from her…hurt, confusion. “Oh…” She quickly looks down at the carpet and smoothes her dress…feeling like an ugly duckling next to this beautiful woman. He knew she was here and wanted to leave before she saw him. “Well, I um…I’m sorry…I just…” “Thought I was Zan?” His eyebrows rise with question. “Why would he be here?” She chews on her lip nervously and says, “This morning, he um…never mind.” She shakes her head, not knowing how to explain right now. Max watches her, his eyes narrowed. Is she in contact with Zan? What the hell is going on here? Amy gathers that this is the person Max didn’t want to see and tries to ease the thick tension in the air. “Hi. I’m Amy.” She reaches her hand out toward the girl. Max comes to his senses finally and says, “Sorry. Liz, this is Amy…Amy, Liz.” He watches as Liz reaches a shaky hand toward Amy and grabs it. “Nice to meet you, Liz” Amy says, pulling her hand away. “Um…yah. It’s…it’s nice to meet you, too.” Liz suddenly feels like her tongue weighs fifty pounds and she curses herself for feeling so awkward. She looks up at Max and swallows, the lump in her throat threatening to cut off all air to her lungs. He can see all the emotions running across her face and in her eyes. Why can’t he look away? He needs to get out of here…being near her is causing his insides to twist painfully. “We were…um…just leaving.” He says quietly, wanting the pain to end. Her face falls and she says, “Oh. I…I was hoping to we’d have a chance to…talk.” She hates the sound of disappointment in her voice. She’s thought about Max constantly over the last three years and seeing him now…she just wants to be alone with him. Talk to him. Kiss him. Oh God, stop it. It’s obvious he wants to get away from her and she can’t believe after all this time, she’s blowing it. She flinches when she hears the ding of the elevator, signaling its arrival. She looks over at the offending doors and says, “But…that’s ok. I don’t want to keep you.” She looks at Amy again and says, “It was really nice to meet you.” Looking back at Max, she says, “I…it was good to see you, Max.” She bites her lip, trying to keep a straight face. “Yah.” He says, aching to touch her…to talk to her…to hear the sound of her laughter again. He also wants to know what’s going on between her and Zan. “You too.” He feels the hated stinging in his eyes again and he looks away quickly. “We should be going.” He glances at Amy, who’s holding the elevator door open, nods and steps away from Liz. Glancing at Liz once more before the doors close, he sees her turn away and raise her hand to her mouth…as if trying not to cry…and another piece of him dies inside. ~TBC~

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 1:42 pm

No, <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/nono.gif ALT=":nono"> no no no no no no! You can'tdo that!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/nono.gif ALT=":nono"> See when they meet up 3 years lter they are supposed to work things out! Not leave with misunderstandings! <img src=http://www.contrabandent.com/cwm/s/cont ... m/sad2.gif ALT=":pout"> Come on! you're killing me here! Let them work it out!<img src=http://www.contrabandent.com/cwm/s/cont ... m/sad2.gif ALT=":pout"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> But i'll wait till you want to work it out! I love this story!<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> *sigh* <img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... 55ad1f.jpg" style="border:0;"/>

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 2:50 pm

<img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> You are killing me here !!! Please Angel !!!!!!!!!! I am at work and it´s monday show me some compassion !!!!!!! <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":(">

Post by **Angel13** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 5:49 pm

Part 16 She doesn’t know how long she’s been standing there and is brought back to reality by the sound of Alex’s voice. “Liz…there you are. I’ve been looking…” He stops when she looks up at him. “Liz…what’s wrong?” Her chin quivers and she looks away. “I wanna go home, Alex. Will you take me home?” Worried, he puts an arm around her and says, “Of course. What happened?” She just shakes her head and turns into his arms, the tears breaking free, unwanted. Confused, he looks around trying to figure out what’s going on but doesn’t see anything or anyone around them. He holds her close and says, “Shhh…it’s ok. Let’s get out of here.” He reaches over and pushes the button for the elevator, turning to shield Liz from the eyes of other partygoers. The last thing she needs is a bunch of people gawking at her. Just as the elevator arrives, Alex looks up and sees Isabel standing in the doorway to the ballroom. She’s looking at them curiously as he stares at her in surprise. If Isabel is here…maybe that means Max is here too and that’s why Liz is so upset. Cursing himself for leaving Liz alone, he rushes her into the elevator…glancing at Isabel one last time before the doors close. ~~~~~~~~~~ “What’s up?” Ben walks up to Isabel and turns her to face him. “I thought you were going to get us some drinks?” She looks over at him and says, “Nothing. I’m going now.” She smiles for him and walks away. She was surprised to see Alex here, and more surprised to feel the butterflies in her stomach when she saw him. But why was he leaving…with Liz? And why was Liz crying? As she walks across the ballroom, she looks around the dance floor and her eyes fall on him…Liz’s husband. Did he do something to Liz? Or did she see Max? As she waits at the bar, she watches the man on the floor as he dances with another woman. Does he even know that Liz left? Shocked, she sees them kiss and her eyes narrow on the couple. Determined to get to the bottom of this, she steps toward them as they walk away from the dance floor. Deliberately, she bumps into him and says, “Oh! I’m so sorry.” He catches her arm and smiles. “No problem. It’s a little crowded in here tonight.” “Yah.” She looks at him closely and asks, “Didn’t I see you dancing with Liz earlier?” He smiles and nods and she says, “Oh, I’ve been looking for her…I’m an old friend of hers, Isabel Evans.” She smiles and offers him her hand. “Oh…hi Isabel. Nice to meet you. Yah, I saw her earlier…don’t know where she went.” He shakes his head at her and looks to the woman next to him. “How about you, honey?” The woman looks around quickly and shakes her head. “No. I wonder where she went off to.” She looks at Isabel and smiles. “I guess it would be too much to hope that she met some nice guy and they’re off in a corner talking.” Isabel’s mouth drops in disbelief until she sees their matching wedding rings and realizes what’s going on. “Are…are you two married?” The woman smiles and says, “Six years now. Liz was one of my bridesmaids.” Isabel smiles thinly and thinks about the hundred different ways should could kill Michael. “That’s great! Well, if you see Liz…tell her I’m looking for her. It was nice to meet you…” She prompts the woman for her name. “Jennifer…and this is Greg. He’s the head of the research department Liz works in.” She says this proudly, beaming at her husband. “Right…well, have a great time tonight!” Isabel smiles and quickly escapes, scanning the crowd for Michael…the buffoon. When she gets her hands on him… She spots him close by, talking to someone and she makes a beeline toward him. When she reaches him, she grabs his arm and says, “I need to talk to you.” dragging him away without waiting for a response. She pulls him into a corner of the room and says, “You idiot!” “What?” He ducks away when she slaps his arm. “Liz isn’t married…that guy is her boss and I just met his wife…and guess what? She’s not Liz!!” She rolls her eyes and says, “God, Michael…what made you tell Max that? You know he was destroyed.” “Hey…how was I supposed to know? I was talking to her about my painting and he came up and put an arm around her…going on about how his wife liked my painting. I just thought…” He shrugs, thinking now that he made a pretty big leap in logic. Isabel sighs loudly and says, “Well, the damage is done. But you’re telling him when you get home.” He nods and asks, “You think we should call him and tell him now?” “No…he didn’t bring his phone with him.” Isabel sees Ben heading toward her and says, “Just…make sure you tell him tonight.” She starts to move away toward Ben, but not before she glares at Michael one last time. ~~~~~~~~~~ Amy glances at Max again. They’ve been walking for about fifteen minutes…she’d taken her shoes off six blocks ago. The night’s a little chilly but she insisted on joining him when he said he just wanted to walk home. She and Max aren’t close exactly, but they’ve been friends for years and she’s worried about him. She knows he doesn’t date much, Isabel talks to her about nothing but Max at work in her attempt to get them together. That girl at the party…Liz. Something happened there. She doesn’t know what, but she could practically feel their pain at seeing each other. Did he break up with her? Did she break up with him? Did someone cheat? And who’s Zan? There are too many possibilities…but one thing she did know was that they both still love each other. “So…” She says, deciding to start a conversation…whether Max joins in or not. “Liz seemed nice. Old girlfriend?” He doesn’t say anything for a while, but finally, “Not really.” He doesn’t offer more and she looks at him pointedly, letting him know she’s willing to listen. “Look, if you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s fine. But it might help.” He looks away from her and sighs, noticing for the first time how chilly it is. He looks back over at Amy and notices her bare arms hugging herself for warmth. Taking off his jacket, he drapes it over her shoulders and says, “Sorry…I’ve been in my own little world.” She smiles, grateful for the warmth and doesn’t say anything…waiting to see if he’ll talk. God knows she’s blabbed on to him plenty of times about her personal life. “She’s…we’ve known each other since we were kids. We grew up in Roswell together.” He says, not really knowing how to explain his relationship to Liz. “Ah…childhood sweethearts.” Amy says with a smile. Max shakes his head. “No…not really. We never really talked, or hung out in the same groups. She…I guess you could say I worshipped her from afar. I never had the nerve to talk to her.” Amy looks at him, disbelieving. “Are you serious? Why? I’m sure you had girls draped all over you when you were younger. Frankly, I’m sure you’d have girls draped all over you now if you’d let them.” She may be gay, but she’s not blind. Max smiles and says, “Thanks, but I don’t think so. Liz was the smartest, prettiest girl in school…I used to just watch her work in this restaurant her parents owned. I knew everything about her…what made her laugh…what made her angry. I knew what every smile she had meant…” He’s lost in remembering and looks down at Amy and realizes he must sound like a freak. “Sorry…I must sound like a stalker.” “Sort of…but it’s sweet.” She smiles at him. “So, unrequited love…I assume you did talk to her eventually.” “Yah…kind of. But by then it was too late…me, Isabel and Michael moved here.” He skips over what really happened, hoping she won’t ask more about it. “Then we ran into her a few years ago…but…it’s complicated.” “Why does it have to be complicated? You obviously have feelings for each other…and they go both ways…believe me, I could see that much. It’s so obvious.” She knows there’s more to the story but doesn’t want to poke her head where it doesn’t belong. “No.” He shakes his head. “No…she’s married.” He looks away then, and she sees the sadness return to his face. “Really? Hm.” She says, wondering. He sees her thinking and asks, “Yah, why?” “Oh, well, she wasn’t wearing a ring.” She shrugs. “And the way she was acting, I find it hard to believe she’s married to someone else. If she is, I feel sorry for the poor guy.” “Why?” She looks at him like he’s dense. “Because she obviously loves you.” He just looks at her a moment before looking away. No…she couldn’t have seen that, because all he saw was Liz’s nervousness. Of course, he was a little busy trying to keep his own emotions from getting out of control. “No…she can’t love me.” He says sadly. “Well, you should have at least put the poor girl out of her misery.” When he looks at her questioningly, she laughs and says, “She was so self-conscious when she saw you were with me. She kept looking at me, worried about what she looked like in comparison. I know body language…that girl was jealous. You should have told her we weren’t together…you know, like a couple. I felt bad for her. I’ve been in her shoes before.” He’s looking at her like she’s crazy and she rolls her eyes. “Men. I swear…I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with you. You never see what’s right in front of your eyes.” She shakes her head and smiles, playfully swatting him on the arm. ~~~~~~~~~~ When they get home, Alex leaves Liz to curl up on the couch…she hasn’t stopped crying…and goes to get the phone. He calls Maria and hands the phone to Liz while he goes in the kitchen to get some ice cream out of the freezer. When he comes back in with ice cream and two spoons, he sets it down on the coffee table as Liz sobs into the phone. “And he was trying to leave because he didn’t want to see me. And he was there with this woman…this tall, beautiful, gorgeous woman.” Alex hands her a spoon and hits the speakerphone button on the phone base. “Hey Maria, I’m here, too.” He says. Maria says hi to him quick before saying, “Liz, I don’t understand. I thought that bond thingy was the other way around…I thought he was the one still connected to you.” “He is.” And Liz cries even louder. “Well maybe it faded or something…I don’t know. But why are you so upset? I mean, did you want him to just sit around and pine for you the rest of his life?” Maria tries to reason with Liz. “No, of course not. I just…I just thought…I don’t know.” She takes a deep breath and eats a spoonful of ice cream…calming down. “I guess I just always had this hope…that one day we’d see each other again and…” She sniffles, wiping her eyes with a tissue. “And you’d both declare your undying love and live happily ever after?” Maria asks. “Is that what you want? Because Liz, I’ve never heard you talk about him like this…I’ve never heard you so upset about him. Not since…not since that day.” Her voice fades away…all three knowing she’s talking about the day Liz left Max at the airport. “Anyway, I don’t know what you saw tonight…or what you think you saw…that man is hopelessly in love with you. He always has been. If he thought for one second that you wanted to be with him, I just can’t see how he’d be able to stay away.” “I don’t know, Maria. I just…I wasn’t expecting to see him tonight, and when I saw Michael, I just…” “You saw Michael?!” Maria screams into the phone. Alex’s spoon freezes on the way to his mouth and he and Liz look at each other for a moment before they both break out in a grin. Liz scoops up some more ice cream and says innocently, “Um, yah…did I forget to tell you that?” There’s silence on the other end before Maria says, “Well, yah…but, that’s not important. Liz, maybe you should tell him how you feel.” “Why would I tell Michael how I feel?” Liz says deliberately. “We’re not talking about Michael!” Maria yells into the phone. Liz takes a bite of ice cream and with her mouth full, says, “Oh. Sorry. You know…he’s really talented.” Alex can practically see the steam rising from the phone. “Liz!” Seconds tic by, then, “So I guess it’s safe to assume you’re feeling better now?” “Yah. I just need to think about this…I wish I could just talk to him, you know? And I know he’s totally confused about the whole Zan thing.” “Zan? What’s he got to do with this?” Maria asks. Alex is wondering the same thing and looks at Liz. Liz sighs and says, “I saw Zan this morning. He was up to his usual bullshit. Anyway, when he was leaving he told me to have fun at the party tonight…only I didn’t tell him I was going to a party. I just thought…when I saw Max…I thought Zan had followed me there.” “Oh my God…did you call Max Zan?” Maria asks. “Yah…until I saw him up close.” “You need to call him.” Maria says. “You have his number…or at least you have Isabel’s.” Liz thinks about it and says, “Maybe.” “Liz, at least call him and tell him about Zan. You need to do something about him. He’s like, stalking you…I really think Max should know about it.” “I know…” Liz says, thinking about what she would say to Max if she actually did talk to him. “So did he ask about me?” Maria says and Liz and Alex look at each other with a knowing smile. “No, sorry Maria. But we didn’t talk long.” Liz tells her. “Ok, well…crisis averted? Can I get on with my evening now?” Maria’s tone is cheerful again and they can tell she’s trying to hide her disappointment. “Yah, thanks Maria. Sorry I freaked out like that.” Liz says. “No prob. You know I love you. I’ll talk to you guys later…I have to run.” “Bye Maria.” Liz and Alex call out before they hear the line go dead. Alex looks over at Liz and asks, “You ok?” She nods and says, “I’m better. I’m sorry I made you leave the party early.” “Don’t worry about it. Besides, I filled up on all the free food.” He winks at her before helping himself to more ice cream. “So…what’s the deal? Are you gonna call him?” Liz looks up and shrugs. “I don’t know…I’m scared.” “When has that ever stopped you?” “I just…I don’t…you know, if he really has found someone…I just want him to be happy and not screw it up for him.” Liz bits her lip, worrying about what she would even say to him if she did call him. She didn’t do a very good job of it at the party. “Maybe I’ll call tomorrow.” She says, looking at the phone. Alex pops up out of the chair and leaves the room…returning a couple of minutes later and drops Isabel’s business card in front of Liz. He scoots the phone closer to her and says, “No time like the present.” Liz recoils from the phone, absently wondering how Alex knew where to find Isabel’s business card. “No…he’s probably not even home yet. Plus, he was with that woman…I don’t…I don’t wanna bother him.” The thought of her calling and interrupting anything intimate going on between Max and his girlfriend makes her sick to her stomach. Alex shrugs and says, “Well, I’m gonna go change…maybe catch up on some reading. I’ll just let you do…whatever you’re gonna do. If you wanna talk, you know where I’m at. You should have told me about Zan showing up this morning.” He leans over and kisses her on the forehead and she turns to say something, but he’s already walking toward his bedroom. Liz stares at the well-worn card and flips it over with her finger. Written on the back is: home: 555-3779. She stands up and paces the living room…glancing over at the phone…thinking. Should she call? Would he even want to talk to her? What the hell is she gonna say? She sits down again and takes a deep breath, picking the phone up and dialing. ~~~~~~~~~~ Max unlocks the door to his loft and says, “Watch out, Bailey’s a little hyper-active when we first come home.” He walks in ahead of Amy. He felt bad about ruining her night and asked if she wanted to come up and watch a movie. Not having any other plans, she agreed. As soon as they walk in, the dog immediately assaults them as he jumps wildly around in excitement. “Alright…alright. Hang on.” Max throws his keys on the table and bends down to pay attention to him. “I just saw you two hours ago.” He says, affectionately scratching his ears. “You act like I’ve been gone for weeks.” Amy laughs and Max finally stands up. “I’m gonna go change. I’ll get some clothes for you from Isabel’s room…I’m sure she must have a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt somewhere.” Smiling, she says, “Thanks.” As he’s walking back toward the bedrooms, he hears the phone ring. “Could you get that? It’s probably Isabel checking up on me.” He calls out to her. “Sure.” She calls back, walking toward the phone. She picks up and answers, “Hello?” There’s silence on the other end and she says, “Hello?” again. “Yah, um…I was trying to reach Max Evans?” A small voice says on the other end. “This is the place. He’s changing…can I tell him who’s calling?” Amy asks. “Oh. Um…that’s…that’s ok. I’ll just…I’ll call back…” The voice sounds familiar and Amy realizes who it is. “Is this Liz?” She asks quietly. More silence, then, “Um, yah.” “Hi Liz, it’s Amy. We met earlier?” Amy says, not believing it…looking back toward the bedroom. “Oh, yah…hi. I’m sorry…I’ll just…I’ll call later…” Liz says, cursing herself for her stupidity in calling. “No! I mean…no, I’ll get him. I’m sure he’ll wanna talk to you.” Amy says, peeking back down the hallway toward where Max went. “That’s ok. I don’t wanna…please, don’t tell him I called.” Liz says this quickly, closing her eyes and holding her hand up to her head like a gun and shooting. Idiot! “Liz, wait. You have the wrong idea. Just hold on…I know Max will want to talk to you.” Amy impatiently taps her foot on the floor, looking once again at the closed bedroom door wishing Max would hurry up. “No, really. That’s nice of you…but I…” She opens her eyes and pulls the phone away from her ear when Amy starts yelling. “Max! Get out here…NOW!” Amy yells and Bailey starts barking. His bedroom door flies open and, satisfied, Amy sees him running out of his room pulling a shirt on and looking wildly around. “What…what’s wrong?” She smiles sweetly at him and says into the phone, “Here he is, Liz…hold on.” She watches his mouth drop open as she holds the phone out to him. He doesn’t move and she shoves the phone closer to him and whispers, “I’m gonna go. Good luck.” She gives him the thumbs up sign as he takes the phone. His heart is beating rapidly and he stares dumbly at the phone. “Max…you have to actually put the phone to your ear for it to work right.” He looks over at Amy as she winks and opens the door, letting herself out. Shit. He hopes she didn’t hang up. Quickly raising the phone, he says, “Liz?” ~TBC~

vecastone · Post by **vecastone** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 9:14 am

NOOOOOO YOU HAVE TO COME BACK HERE WITH THE NEXT PART RIGHT NOOOOOOOOW !!!!  <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"> <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"> cliffie !!!!!!

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 1:19 pm

How could you be so evil?!?! Why are you torturing us like this?!? Do you not know how much I hate cliffies at such points!?!?! Get back hereand update fast girl!!!!! <img src="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sra ... 55ad1f.jpg" style="border:0;"/>

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 3:41 pm

I don't know what to say. I read and feel like I am right there, feeling what they are feeling, seeing what they are seeing. All I can say is amazing, absolutely amazing! <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> BUT that is an absolutely horridplace to end this chapter! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"> <div style="text-align:center">Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.</div> <div style="text-align:center">Rudyard Kipling, English author</div> < Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub129.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsr ... lkitkat</A> at: 9/4/03 3:49 pm

Post by **Angel13** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:07 pm

Part 17 “Liz? Are you there?” He says again, hoping that she didn’t hang up when he didn’t answer right away. “Hi Max…I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.” Liz has her hand covering her eyes. What the hell is she doing? She should have hung up when Amy answered. “You’re not.” He says quickly, wondering why she’s calling him. “Is…is something wrong?” “No…I mean yes. I mean no…no it’s nothing like…that.” Why can’t she make her mouth work? She wipes her sweaty palms on her dress. “I just…I was wondering if we could talk.” “About what?” He closes his eyes, swearing to himself at how that sounded. “I mean, sure…of course we can.” She exhales slowly and looks down, seeing that her hand is shaking. “I can just call later…I told Amy that but she insisted…” “What? No, I can talk now. She left.” He has to keep her on the phone. “Oh, I’m…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your…your night.” Shit, what is she doing? He left the party with Amy and took her back to his place. Now Amy left because she called and Max is wondering why the hell he’s talking to her. “I’m sure you could still catch her…I’m sorry, Max. I’ll just talk to you later…” “No…Liz, wait.” He remembers what Amy said to him earlier and he says, “We’re not…Amy and I aren’t dating or anything. She’s just a friend.” Is that why she’s calling…because she thinks he’s dating someone? Suddenly he feels angry…she’s married, and calling him because she’s wondering why he’s moving on with his life, too? “Oh…good.” Liz says, relief washing over her. Now she feels better about calling to tell him what she wanted to. Good? A look of disbelief comes to Max’s face and he says, “Is that all you wanted? Because it’s not really any of your business, Liz.” He can’t help the anger in his voice. He would have never thought Liz would think this way…that she would relish the thought of him tethered to her forever while she’s able to just move on. It just…not her. “Max? No…I meant that it was good because I didn’t want…” “I don’t get it, Liz. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. And now…now that you are, why is it that you don’t want the same for me?” Max paces the kitchen, Bailey watching him with sad eyes…knowing his human is upset. “No…I do. I don’t think you understand.” Liz doesn’t know how this conversation got so out of control. Why is he yelling at her? Why would he think she would call and be happy that he’s not with anyone…doesn’t he realize what she’s trying to tell him? Maybe he does and just doesn’t want anything to do with her. “Max, listen to me.” “No. I don’t wanna hear anymore, Liz. Don’t call me about this again…please, just leave me alone.” He says this in a pleading voice before hanging the phone up. He stares at it for a minute before tossing it on the counter. He falls down into a chair and covers his face with his hands. Why? Why did she marry someone else if she still wanted to hold onto him? The Liz he knew wouldn’t want that. As he sits and listens to the ticking of the wall clock, he thinks that maybe he was too harsh with her on the phone. But dammit, doesn’t she know what talking to her does to him? Doesn’t she realize that it’s painful enough to know that she’s married to another man? Looking up, he sees Bailey looking at him expectantly and he drops his hands. “Come on boy…let’s go for a walk.” He goes to put his shoes on and grabs the leash before heading out the door…Bailey happily following. ~~~~~~~~~~ Liz stares at the phone, dumbfounded. What the hell just happened? Slowly, she lets the phone slip from her fingers and she stares at the business card on the table…mocking her. Standing up, she grabs the card and angrily rips it to shreds before throwing it in the trash. What made her think that calling him was a good idea? What possible reason did she have to think that he might still actually have feelings for her? She’s so stupid! She feels a tear fall onto her cheek and she wipes it away roughly. You will not cry…not anymore. Standing in the middle of the living room, she notices the dress she’s still wearing and rips it off on the way to her bedroom, throwing it in the corner along with her shoes. Falling back on her bed, she stares at the ceiling in the dark. Why would he want to be tied to her with some stupid bond? She’s been such an idiot…all these years…dreaming about having a relationship with him. Dreaming about seeing him again, picking up the phone to call but hanging up out of fear. He doesn’t want her. She closes her eyes and pictures the images from his mind that she saw when they connected…all of her…all from when they were kids. Opening them, she realizes that he grew out his crush on her. She saw what she wanted to see. God, she feels so stupid now because he saw what she’d been dreaming about with him. That damn bond…he must hate it…making him feel things for her that he doesn’t want to feel. Why did she let Maria and Alex talk her into calling him? She feels like the apartment is closing in around her…suffocating her. Smothering her with a blanket of a lifetime of wrong decisions…wrong paths taken. She’s 33 years old…this can’t be her life. Sitting up, all she can think is that she needs to get out of here. She needs to escape this mess her life has become and think. Standing up, she takes a deep breath and pulls her suitcase down from the closet. As she starts throwing clothes in, she hears a knock on her door and calls out, “Hold on Alex…I’m not dressed.” Throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweater, she says, “Ok.” When the door opens, Alex looks around the room then to the suitcase on the bed. “What’s going on?” He looks up at Liz who is pulling clothes from her closet and dumping them in the suitcase. “Liz?” “I have to get out of here, Alex. I just need to get away…somewhere…by myself.” Confused, Alex asks, “Out of the apartment? But where are you going?” “Out of the apartment…out of this city.” Liz says as she throws a couple of pairs of shoes in the bag. She turns to Alex when he doesn’t say anything and she says, “He doesn’t want me, Alex.” Her chin quivers again and she clenches her jaw. No more crying. “Liz…” He steps forward, but she holds her hand up. “No…don’t. I’m done crying. I just don’t know what I’m feeling right now…I feel like…I don’t know, it’s weird. I feel like I’ve been on this wrong path for a long time now. I just need to stop. I feel like things just aren’t right…like the world is out of whack or something, you know?” She looks at him, knowing she must sound like a lunatic, but doesn’t know how to explain herself any better. But instead, Alex just looks at her and nods his head. “Yah, I know.” “Really?” She looks at him…really looks at him and can see that he knows exactly what she’s talking about. He steps toward her, pulling her down on the bed to sit with him. “Yah…you know, those dreams I’ve been having? Ever since…” She nods, understanding that he’s talking about when she was taken by aliens…something they don’t ever say aloud. “It’s like…it’s like they really happened. Or…or like I saw it happen.” He runs his hand through his hair and says, “I just feel like what I’m seeing isn’t a dream, or something made up…but a memory…or other people’s memories. And sometimes…I know this is gonna sound strange, but sometimes I see things when I’m not sleeping.” He waits then…for her to tell him he’s crazy. But she doesn’t. She just looks at him and her shoulders sag. “Oh God…me too. Alex, I see things all the time. Images…like scenes from a movie. And I know they’re things that never happened, but they seem so real. And I have this strong sense of déjà vu afterwards. It’s the strangest things…I mean, most of the time it’s not even anything I would ever think about myself so I know I’m not making it up in my mind.” Alex stands up then. “You know when this all started. It has something to do with them, Liz. Do you think they’re doing this to us?” She shakes her head and says, “No, I don’t think they’d even know how.” “Yah, but Ava said she could make people see things…see things that weren’t really there.” Now that he knows Liz has been seeing things too, he’s convinced the aliens have them under some kind of mind control or something. “Alex, no. That was different. I saw a mind warp and these are nothing like that.” Liz stands up with him. “This is something else…like, we’re seeing things that really happened…but in another dimension or something.” She looks up at him and shrugs. “I sound like a lunatic.” Alex sits down and says, “You and me both.” He’s silent for minute…thinking. “I wonder if it’s been happening to Maria, too.” Liz thinks about it and says, “Don’t you think she would have said something?” “Yah…probably.” He says. “We got a little side-tracked. What’s this crazy talk about Max not wanting you?” She frowns and says, “He told me he didn’t want to talk about it and to leave him alone. He hung up on me.” She looks down at the floor, then takes a deep breath…looking back up at Alex, steeling herself for the pity she knows will be there. “It’s ok. I mean, it was silly. It was just this stupid thing I’ve had in my head for so long…I just felt…here…” She puts her hand to her chest. “…in my soul, that we were supposed to be together.” She shakes her head and walks over to her dresser. “It was just childish.” Alex frowns and says, “I have to admit, this is kind of coming out of left field for me. You haven’t said a word about Max for three years. But it’s not childish, Liz. You feel what you feel…no one can take that from you or say that it’s wrong.” A sudden thought pops in his mind and he can’t help but remember visions…dreams…that he’s had. A lot of them had Liz and Max in them. He even had one once where they had gotten married and they were all in some bar, dancing in celebration. Maybe it’s not so strange that she feels the way she does about him. “Liz, maybe we should call one of them…Isabel maybe. I can call if you don’t want to. I just think there’s something to this…something that has to do with them.” Alex says, knowing she won’t want to tell them about it. She surprises him by saying, “Yah. You’re probably right. But you call her.” “Alright. I’ll call her tomorrow, ok?” She nods and says, “I tore up her business card. It’s in the trash.” She looks up at him guiltily and sees him smile back at her. “So…” He looks at her half-filled suitcase. “Still running away?” She looks at her suitcase and sighs. “No. I guess I’m not going crazy…I’m staying.” He smiles at her sadly and leaves to go fish the card out of the trash and tape it back together. On his way back to his room, he stops at Liz’s door and says, “I’m gonna read for a while then hit the sack.” She smiles and says, “I’m going to bed, too…all of a sudden I’m just exhausted.” She sees him smile back and she says, “Thanks Alex…I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He nods at her and shuts her door. ~~~~~~~~~~ When Max gets back home, he’s not surprised to see Michael has returned. He’s sitting on the couch in sweatpants and a t-shirt watching TV. “Hey, how’d the auction go?” He says, hanging Bailey’s leash on its hook. Michael stands up quickly and turns around. “Where have you been?” He was worried when he got home and Max wasn’t there…but realized Bailey was gone, too. It was still a long time to be gone for a walk and Michael was almost ready to call Isabel. Max looks at him oddly and says, “I took Bailey for a walk. Why?” “Max, look. There’s something I have to tell you…about Liz.” He starts, but is surprised when Max turns away. “I don’t wanna hear it.” Max says from the kitchen. “No…I think you do.” Michael says, following him. “No…I really think I don’t.” Max gives him a warning glare and turns to go to his bedroom. Confused, Michael calls after him. “Ok. Just thought you should know that I was wrong…she isn’t married.” He shrugs and walks back to the couch…counting silently in his head. One, two, three, four… “What are you talking about?” Max appears in front of him out of nowhere. Michael grins and says, “Turns out that guy was her boss, not her husband. I made a mistake.” He shrugs and continues when Max doesn’t say anything. “He was talking about his wife and had his arm around her…I just assumed he was talking about Liz. Anyone would have made the same mistake…” “Shit!” Max says under his breath. “God damn it, Michael.” Max stalks away and rushes back to his bedroom. Michael’s just happy he didn’t get the crap beat out of him and rewinds the movie he was watching. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Max turns around in his bedroom, not sure about what he’s doing. Sitting down on his bed, he replays the conversation he had with Liz…both at the party and on the phone. Oh God…what was she trying to tell him? He wouldn’t even listen to her. Pulling his shirt off, he grabs another one from his closet and walks back into the living room. “And you didn’t think you should maybe…I don’t know…call and tell me this little piece of information?!” Max yells at Michael. “I did. But Isabel said you didn’t have your phone with you…so she said to tell you when I got home. Only you weren’t here when I got home.” Michael continues watching TV, hoping that’s the end of it. Buttoning up his shirt, Max looks at the clock. Fuck, it’s after eleven already. He glances at the phone and thinks of calling instead of going over there. No, he needs to see her…to explain. He can’t wait until morning…he has to go over there now. Grabbing his keys and jacket, he rushes out of the apartment…slamming the door behind him as Michael flinches on the couch. Max walks to the subway, going over what he’s going to say to her when he sees her. Apologize…no, beg and grovel for her forgiveness. Then he’ll just explain that Michael’s a total and complete jackass. No…no blaming. He has no excuse for how he treated her on the phone. She must hate him. Or at least think he’s gone schizophrenic in the last three years. When the train stops, he’s practically bouncing at the doors waiting for them to open. When they do, he bolts and runs across the platform and up the stairs to the street. Running as fast as he can to her apartment, he glances at his watch. Shit. It’s almost 11:30. When he finally reaches her street, he swears when he sees the lights are dark at her place. Running up the front stairs, he waves his hand over the door to unlock it before running up to the second floor and to the door he assumes is hers. He hesitates, looking across the hall…and knows that this door is right. He raises his hand and takes a deep breath before knocking. He waits for what seems like eternity and knocks again…a little louder. Mid knock, he hears a lock disengage, and another, and another…he looks down at the door and sees no fewer that five deadbolts in the door and he shakes his head. The door opens a crack and Alex appears, his eyes droopy. “Max.” He says it like he’s not surprised to see him here. “Alex…I…can I talk to Liz?” He looks at Alex hopefully. “She’s sleeping.” Alex looks at him and thinks it looks like he ran all the way across town to get here. “It’s late…why don’t you try calling her in the morning.” Max’s face falls when he realizes Alex isn’t going to let him in. “Please…I really…I have to apologize. Help me out here?” He pleads with Alex, trying to appeal to his I’m-a-guy-who-fucks-up-a lot sense. “Sorry buddy. Even if she was awake, I don’t think she’d talk to you right now. You fucked up. Go home and wait until tomorrow to apologize.” Alex starts to shut the door but Max stops him with his foot. “Wait.” He’s desperate. He doesn’t know what possesses him to say what he does next, but he does. “I’m not moving from this spot until you tell her I’m here.” Alex looks at him like he’s nuts and slams the door on his foot, making him pull it back. When the door shuts in his face, he hears the locks re-engaging and Alex’s voice from the other side of the door. “You fuck with these locks with your heebee jeebee shit Max, and I swear to God I’ll call the cops.” When the last bolt slips into place, Max hears Alex’s footsteps retreat and his head falls on the door. “Shit.” He rolls his eyes at his stupidity. Looking around the landing, he turns his back against the wall and slides down it…preparing himself for a long, uncomfortable night. As he shuffles back to his bedroom, Alex stops at Liz’s door and cracks it open. He sees her curled up in her blankets…still asleep and he closes her door quietly. He doesn’t know what’s going on with Max, but he’s not letting anything else happen to Liz tonight. ~TBC~

isndbreeze · Post by **isndbreeze** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 5:12 pm

Aaargh! Okay, Alex means well. He's trying to protect Liz. But... Now we have to wait for the next chapter! <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/cry.gif ALT=":cry"> I understand Michael's mistake, but it sure screwed things up. And Maria and Amy are the matchmakers. I like Amy. She's really perceptive. Now, this was very interesting: <blockquote>Quote:<hr>“Wow.” Liz says. But suddenly, the room shifts and the people she’s surrounded by are kids…kids she knew in high school. She hears the muted sound of a band playing in the background and she looks next to her for Alex, but instead, she sees herself standing in the doorway…with Max. She has a flower around her wrist and he looks down at her with a smile. Prom…she’s at a high school prom. But she never went to the prom…and she certainly didn’t go with Max Evans. Looking around, she sees Maria walking across the room…Alex dancing with Isabel…and Kyle…dancing with Ava? She closes her eyes and when she opens them, she’s back in the NYU ballroom and Alex is next her.<hr></blockquote> So Liz is seeing a whole different life or dimension or what was supposed to be or might have been or something. Very interesting! I can't wait to see where that goes! Great parts, as always! Angsty, but great! <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/love.gif ALT=":love"> <img src=http://www.majiklmoon.com/ezboardsmilies/ufo.gif ALT=":ufo"> <div style="text-align:center"><img src="http://users.aol.com/isndbreeze/skysymb ...   Gerry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hopeless Candy-Coated, Stargazing, Dreamer! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div>

Post by **roswellkitkat** » Sat Sep 06, 2003 9:13 pm

You're bad, bad, bad for leaving it like that! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"> Ok..so they are seeing this other dimension....they are seeing the lives they lived as we saw them...good twist! <div style="text-align:center">Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.</div> <div style="text-align:center">Rudyard Kipling, English author</div> <

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