Fan Fic and More

Posted: **Fri Jun 07, 2002 11:45 am**

Yeah, I'm with Max...lots of questions going on here!

Posted: **Fri Jun 07, 2002 12:16 pm**

Bringing in Serena is a very, very clever plot twist. You Rule!

Posted: **Mon Jun 10, 2002 11:32 am**

Thanks for all the great feedback, and I'm sorry it took so long to post this next part. Tomorrow is my birthday and I've been busy over the weekend with birthday festivities. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> Anyway, you won't find out about the FBI in this part...sorry...you'll have to be patient. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> Part 19~ The rest of the flight passes uneventfully and Max even gets a few hours of sleep. Liz watches him from across the cabin and longs to go talk to him. But there are too many people and this isn’t the right time. She looks over to see Michael and Maria passing glances and smiles back and forth. At one point, she sees them both get up and head to the back of the plane. She’s happy that she could finally do this for Maria. For the past three years, she’s tried to talk Maria into going to Michael but she wouldn’t listen to anything she said. She said that she was staying with Liz, and until Liz decided she was ready to go back and see Max again she was staying with her. It’s not that she’s decided to go back to Max, but she figured out about a year ago that they’d all be better off together. Serena helped her sort out her feelings for Max and Liz finally realized that she could try to be friends with him again. She missed talking to him and just being near him. She’s far from being ready to be in a relationship with him, but she thinks that she might be ready to try at being friends. She doesn’t realize she’s biting her lip until Serena nudges her and nods toward her mouth. “Stop that.” She whispers. Smiling, Liz stops her lip gnawing and grabs the in-flight magazine from the seat in front of her. She distractedly flips through the pages and goes over her plan in her head again for when they get to Paris. They’ve been to Paris before and she found that it’s a great place to disappear. It’s so crowded with people covering every square inch of the city, that it would be almost impossible for anyone to find them. Besides, she thinks with a smile, she loves Paris. Her smile disappears when she thinks about Max being taken earlier in Sydney. It was a stupid mistake agreeing to meet them when she knew it wasn’t safe. It wasn’t the right time to make contact, but after Michael told them Max saw her they had no choice. She had been aware of someone watching them for a couple of weeks. While she followed Max, Isabel and Jesse around the city, she saw others who were doing the same thing. It seemed as if they were focusing on Max, but she couldn’t ever be entirely sure that it wasn’t her they were following. She became pretty sure that it was Max being followed the same night that Michael called to tell them that Max saw someone. It was her. She was following too close and he turned around when she wasn’t expecting him to, obviously seeing her make a lame attempt to duck behind a tree. As the others were on their way to rendezvous with Max, Michael, Isabel and Jesse, she was tailing the men she had seen following Max over the last few weeks. But to her horror, she overheard their plans to move forward with an ‘acquisition’ and after following them for a short time, she knew where they were going. The bookstore. They planned on grabbing Max. It was too late to warn him…thank God Michael was there to blast out their tires or they would have gotten away. Her heart starts beating harder at the thought of how close they were to losing Max. The only thing she couldn’t figure out was how they knew Max was going to be at the bookstore at that time. Did they have extra surveillance on him that she didn’t see? Hopefully, everything would be fine now. They were all together and they had the added bonus of having 3 aliens and 2 humans with alien powers on their team. She repeated that mantra over and over in her head until she eventually nodded off the sleep. Everything would be fine now. The plane arrives in Paris sometime after dark and they all file out of the plane into the terminal dragging their feet wearily. When Michael steps through the doorway, he’s met with Kyle, Serena and Max. He looks around but can’t see Maria, Liz, Isabel or Jesse. “What’s going on?” He asks Kyle. “We’re meeting the others at a rendezvous point.” Serena says as Kyle leads her away and looks back to make sure Max and Michael are following. Michael looks over at Max as they walk through the terminal. His expression is a mixture of confusion, weariness, and frustration. “I’m sure Liz has everything under control.” He tells Max. He feels really bad about not telling Max what was going on back in Sydney and he knows Max is pissed. Max nods shortly at him as they continue to follow Kyle and Serena out of the airport and into a waiting cab. After almost an hour in the wildest cab ride he’s ever been on, Max watches as they pull up in front of a row of buildings in what looks like a busy area. Kyle pays the cab driver and surprises Max and Michael by speaking to him in French. Once they’re on the sidewalk, instead of walking to one of the doors facing the street, Kyle and Serena start walking down the street. A few blocks down, they turn into a small alleyway that leads between two buildings and it suddenly opens up into an interior courtyard. There’s a large fountain in the middle and among all the small trees, bushes and flowers are several benches and a circular path leading around the fountain. The buildings around them are three stories high and there are several balconies looking over the courtyard. Max stares in awe at how beautiful it all is. There’s ivy growing up the sides of the buildings and through the wrought iron balconies and most of the windows have soft lights coming from inside. Making their way up some side stairs, Kyle knocks on a door with the number 23 on it and it opens shortly after revealing Maria. She stands to the side as they all enter a bright, airy living room with little furniture. Along one wall is a row of windows with a door leading out to the balcony. Now that they’re in the safety of their privacy, Maria walks over to Michael and wraps her arms around him. They stand in the middle of the room hugging as Isabel comes up to Max and hugs him. “I’m so glad you’re ok, Max. I was so scared when I saw them take you.” She releases Max and walks over to Kyle. “And you! I’m so happy to see you!” She pulls him into a hug as well. “I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.” Just then, Max sees Liz walk into the room from the back of the apartment with Serena and they sit together on the floor, their backs against the wall, quietly talking. After Isabel joins Jesse on the floor, Jesse says, “I think we should explain to Max what’s going on before he explodes.” Max gives Jesse a grateful smile before sitting next to his sister and throwing his backpack next to him. Max looks over at Michael and Isabel who are looking at Liz, then him, with a mixture of relief and fear in their eyes. They can’t meet his gaze very long before they look down at the floor. Liz looks up at Max and says, “Yah…um…first, I guess you guys should know that this place is safe. We kept it after we last Paris the last time as a safe house.” She wipes her hands on her pants before tucking her hair behind her ear. Looking at Michael, she then looks back at Max and takes a deep breath. “We’ve been in Sydney for three months…watching you guys.” “What?! Three months?!” Max exclaims before looking at his sister and Michael, neither of which can look at him. “Michael and Isabel knew, Max, but I told them not to tell you. So don’t be mad at them.” Liz can see the anger in his eyes as he looks at Michael. “Max, I wanted to make sure it was safe before we made contact. And frankly, I didn’t think that if you knew we were there that you would just sit back and wait. I didn’t want you to know we were there because if it didn’t work out, if we weren’t able to make contact, I knew it would be harder.” Max knows that she’s right, but he’s pissed that she was so presumptuous about how he would react and he’s upset that at least Michael didn’t tell him. What about Michael? He would be just a devastated if he knew Maria was so close and didn’t get to see her. “I was gonna find a way for Maria to stay.” Liz says suddenly. Max’s head whips over to Liz. How did she know what he was thinking? Can she read minds now? Liz nods at him and says, “Yes. I can.” before turning to look at the others. “I decided that we would all be better off if we were together, instead of in two groups. We’re all in the same situation…it makes sense for us to be together.” Still reeling from Liz’s mind reading capabilities, Max is vaguely aware of Isabel asking about Serena and he looks over at the girl sitting next to Liz. She’s young, at least as young as they are. What  is her story? Maria, not letting go of Michael’s hand, says, “I met her at a job I had in London.” She smiles at Serena and says, “Remember what a crappy job that was?” The two girls laugh and Liz continues. “When I met her, you can imagine how shocked I was.” She looks over at Max before saying, “But I didn’t know if she was  the Serena so we kept her at a distance.” “Wait…what do you mean,  the Serena?” Jesse asks. “When Max came back from the future, he told me that she was a friend of his…and his Liz…and she was the one who helped him use the Granolith as a time machine.” Liz explains to Jesse and the others, glancing over at Max and seeing that he’s looking at the floor. “Anyway, we kind of hung out with her for a few months and Kyle and her got…close.” Everyone shoots a look at Kyle and he says, “What? I  am capable of dating girls without telling them your secret.” Smiling, Serena says, “Actually, it was Liz who spilled the beans.” Elbowing Serena, Liz says, “Great…thanks. Yah…obviously I’m the one with the loose lips in this group. She looks around at the not-so-amused faces around her and clears her throat. “So,  anyway, I was on duty one night…” “Duty?” Isabel asks, saying what Max, Jesse and Michael were thinking. “Patrol…stake out…on guard. Whatever you wanna call it. We take shifts…there’s always one of us on duty keeping an eye out.” Liz explains as she sees Michael shoot an accusing look at Max, who rolls his eyes and looks back at Liz. “Ok, you were on duty.” Max prompts her to continue. “Right. So, I was tailing Kyle and Serena while they were on a date and when they were crossing a street, a truck came out of nowhere. I think they guy driving it must have been drunk because he would have hit Serena. But I um…used my powers to throw her out of the way. The cat kind of got out of the bag then.” Liz looks over at Serena and they smile at each other, remembering that night clearly. “She took it pretty well. We were surprised she didn’t run screaming.” Kyle adds. “Apparently, from what I heard, I took it a little better than Maria did.” Serena smiles over at Maria. Maria rolls her eyes. “Ha ha. As much as I’m loving the walk down memory lane, I’m really tired. Can we pick this up tomorrow?” Isabel stands up and says, “Yah, I’m beat. Where do you want us?” “We have three bedrooms. Isabel, you and Jesse can take mine. It’s the last door on the right…the bathroom is on the left. If you need anything, let us know.” Liz says as she stands up. Kyle walks over and puts his hand on Serena’s back. “Well, night guys…it’s really good to have you here.” He looks at the three aliens and Jesse. “See you in the morning.” “It was nice to finally meet you guys.” Serena says before she disappears with Kyle into the back hallway. Before Maria takes Michael back with her, she turns to Liz. “You ok for duty, sweetie?” Liz nods and smiles at her. “Yah…go on. I’ll be fine.” She makes a shooing motion with her hands toward Michael and Maria. When they disappear, she turns to Max and says, “I’m sorry, but you’re stuck with the couch.” She gives him an apologetic smile as she goes to the closet and pulls out a pillow and blanket for him. “You’re staying up?” Max asks her, figuring that’s what Maria was talking about. “Um…yah. It’s ok, I know you must be tired. I’m just gonna go outside and keep and eye on things.” Liz says as she digs through one of her bags. He watches as she pulls a gun out of her bag and tucks it in her waistband at her back. “How’d you get that through security?” She wiggles her fingers at him and throws her jacket on. “If you need anything, I’d ask Kyle if I were you. He’s the first door on the left.” Max watches as she heads toward the door and he says, “Liz, wait.” She turns to look at him and he continues, “Do you want some company?” He holds his breath, hoping she says yes. She studies him a few moments and says, “You want to talk.” “Um…well, yah. I was hoping we could.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, thinking that she probably read his mind again. “If you want. If you don’t, that’s fine. I can just…um…” ‘God, shut the hell up you idiot!’ He thinks to himself. “Sure, Max. If you’re sure you’re not too tired.” Liz says, smiling at his nervousness. She walks back to the closet and gets out another jacket and tosses it to him. “It’s Kyle’s, but it should fit.” He puts the jacket on and follows her out the door, watching as she locks the three deadbolts before heading down the stairs. They walk silently through the courtyard and out to the street where Liz steps close to the building on the right and checks out the street in front. Apparently all looks clear because she turns and walks back to the courtyard and sits on one of the benches in the shadows. She motions for Max to sit next to her and she sits back, taking a deep breath. “This is why I picked this place. The courtyard is the only way in or out…plus it’s beautiful here.” “It’s nice.” Max says, cringing at his lameness. They sit in silence for a few moments before Liz says, “This is weird, isn’t it?” When she sees him look at her out of the corner of her eye, she continues, “I’ve imagined a million times what would happen and what I’d say when I saw you again. The way it happened was definitely not how I envisioned it.” She laughs softly. He smiles and says, “Yah…um…I think I’m still in shock.” He looks down at the hands tangled in his lap and glances over at her. “So, how was it supposed to go?” She rolls her eyes and smiles. “Well, you would have seen us in the bookstore and you would be surprised of course.” “Of course.” He smiles, amused at her story-telling tone. “Then, you would fall to your knees…sobbing…because you’re so sorry for being such a bastard and because you’re so grateful that I’m gracing you with my presence. You would beg for my forgiveness. And I’d think about it, right before I make you lick my shoes.” Max raises and eyebrow. “Lick your shoes?” “Yah…it’s either that, or kiss my shoes. I thought the licking was more degrading.” “Ah, yes.” Max nods his head. “And then? After the shoe licking?” Liz smiles and says, “And then, after making you wait for an agonizing, terribly large amount of time, I’d tell you that all of that’s in the past. And I’d say that even though you’re a selfish, inconsiderate, self-absorbed jerk, I’d like to try and be friends again.” Max can’t help but be mildly shocked by this new, outspoken Liz. But he likes it. And he can’t help the smile that comes to his face when he realizes that she said she wanted to try and be friends. That’s the best news he’s heard in three years. “It’s too bad the FBI interfered before that little drama could be played out.” He smiles at her. “Yes, it  was a mild inconvenience.” Liz chuckles. “You know, it probably sounds really lame right now…especially after your very detailed, and entertaining interpretation of how it should have gone…but I  am sorry. More than I can say.” Max looks over and catches her gaze. “And I do hope that we can work on that friends thing.” Liz smiles and says, “That could be doable.” “But I’m still angry at being kept in the dark. I’m not a child…and I really should have known what was going on.” Liz looks over at Max and senses that he’s angrier than he’s saying. “I know, Max…and I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at Michael. He would have done anything to see Maria and I kind of used that against him. I know it was wrong, but I wanted complete control over the situation.” Max smiles and says, “And you guys always told me  I was the control freak.” Nodding and looking down at the ground, Liz continues, “And if I’m really honest with myself, I didn’t want you to know because there was every possibility that we wouldn’t be able to bring the two groups together. And if I knew that you knew we were there…I don’t know that I would have been able to leave without seeing you.” She feels her face flush at her admission and looks up at him. “Does that make sense?” Max nods in understanding. It makes more sense than she knows. If he had known Liz was in Sydney, that the connection he had been feeling was real, he would have spent every minute tracking her down. There was no way he would allow her to just leave without being able to see her. He looks over to see her studying him and he realizes that she can hear everything he’s thinking. “I don’t think I can get used to you being able to read my mind. When did that start?” “About a year ago…probably earlier, but I thought I was just imagining things. It’s a little strange.” She smiles and looks back at the fountain. “So, can you hear what  everyone is thinking? Or can you tune it all out? Do I even need to talk?” Max grins at her as she looks over at him. She grins back and says, “Well, I appreciate the talking…without it, I’d just look like a crazy lady having one-sided conversations.” They both laugh before she continues. “For most people, I can only hear their thoughts if they’re close by. But for mental signatures that I’m familiar with, like Maria, Kyle and Serena, I can pick up their thoughts sometimes from a couple miles away.” “Wow…it must be strange.” Max says. “Yah, especially since most people don’t say what they think. Like you…just now…you were thinking that you wished you could hear what  I was thinking. Instead, you said it must be strange. Usually, I try to tune out what people are thinking, and just listen to what they’re saying. Or else I get confused and answer their thoughts instead of their voice.” “Oh God…this is bad. See, now, I’m thinking about all the things I don’t want to be thinking about because I don’t want you to hear.” Max is distressed, hoping she doesn’t know  everything he thinks about. Liz laughs and puts her hand on his arm. “Max…it’s ok. I can tune it all to the background. Besides, most people think about more than one thing at the same time…I have to concentrate to make out a single thought. Don’t worry…I try really hard not to invade people’s privacy.” She tries to reassure him. “It helps us out a lot, though, because I can instantly tell if there’s anyone around out to get us. Like on the plane…when you said you didn’t see anyone suspicious get on. I  knew there wasn’t anyone suspicious…without even looking.” Max relaxes and thinks about how advanced Liz is with her powers. If she can heal, read minds, manipulate structure, and blast people…she’s more powerful than any of them. How did that happen? He must have altered something in her brain when he healed her…maybe healing her twice made her powers stronger, just as Kyle feared. Does she have other powers that he doesn’t know about? And what about Kyle? What powers does he have? He realizes that he’s been silent for a while and looks over at Liz, expecting to see her looking at him…knowing everything he’s been thinking. But she’s leaning back against the bench, watching the water in the fountain. After a few more moments of silence, Max says, “I think Michael’s jealous.” Liz looks at him questioningly and he says, “He’s been on me for years about being more vigilant, to be more alert to what’s going on around us. Seeing how on top of things you guys are, I think it validated his argument.” “Max, I hate to say it, but Maria was right in the car. How could you be so oblivious to what’s going on around you? We’re not really safe anywhere.” Max sighs and leans back on the bench. “I know…I guess I just always knew that Michael would watch out for us. I don’t really know why I was so careless…I guess I thought that if we left the states, we’d be fairly safe.” “I don’t mean to lecture you, but all it would take is one mistake and it would all be over. It was too close in Sydney.” Max looks down at the ground. He’s embarrassed at how clueless he’s been while Liz knew everything that was going on. He’s surprised when he sees her put her hand over his. “It’ll be ok now. We’ll be ok.” Liz looks over at him and gives his hand a squeeze before letting go. She reaches around and grabs the gun from her back and holds it in her lap. “Who would have thought that I’d be toting guns around regularly?” “When I saw you in Sydney and you pointed that at me…I thought you were trying to shoot me. And the strange thing is, I didn’t even wonder why.” Max says as he looks at the gun in her lap. “Max! Why would I wanna shoot you?” “I can think of about 10 to 20 reasons off the top of my head right now.” He gives her a side glance before looking back at the ground. “Have you ever had to kill someone?” Liz frowns and after a few moments says, “I think I might have killed the man behind you in front of the bookstore. Besides that, there was the orderly at the base.” Max looks over at her but doesn’t say anything. “We’re being hunted. I won’t hesitate to kill someone who threatens any one of us. But I still have a hard time coming to grips with killing that orderly. Granted, we were being tortured but he wasn’t the one doing it. He was just doing his job. Everyday, I wonder if he had a family or children and I know that I took him away from them.” She looks out over the courtyard to the fountain. The trickling water is always soothing to her…she’d forgotten how peaceful it was here. “Liz, he may have just been doing his job, but he knew what his job was. It was to hold you prisoner while others tortured you. He wasn’t innocent and you were fighting for your life.” “I know. But I still think about it and I regret it every day.” Clearing her throat, she changes the subject. “Anyway, I want you and Michael to go to the shooting range with me soon. You should both know how to be comfortable carrying one and firing it. I’d like Isabel to go as well, but only if she wants to. If I remember right, she doesn’t really like guns. ” “Do Maria and Kyle carry one, too?” Max asks. “Yes. At all times, I insist. We can’t be too careful. I know you and Michael can use your powers, but it helps to have a backup. ” Liz says matter of factly. He looks at her few moments before saying, “Wow. I’m really embarrassed right now.” “You should be.” Liz says seriously, looking back at him for a second before a grin breaks out on her face and she slaps his arm. “I’m kidding.” He laughs and shakes his head before looking back at her. She looks different…more self-assured, more confident. It shows in her expressions and how she holds herself. “You should have seen Maria learning how to fire her first gun…” Liz laughs and tells him how Maria dropped the gun as soon as she fired it and landed on her butt. They spend the rest of the night telling each other stories of what’s been going on in their lives over the last three years. They talk about the cities they’ve been to, the things they’ve seen, and the people they’ve met. Before they know it, the sky starts to lighten and they can hear birds singing in the trees. Liz stands up and stretches as she says, “Someone else should be up by now…we can probably go in.” Max stands as well. “Liz…” When she looks over at him, he quietly says, “Thank you.” She nods and starts to walk away, but turns her head back to look at him. “Thank  you.” And she grins at him before walking over to the stairs and climbing them up to the apartment. Max watches her go in admiration…a small smile on his face…and he follows her up the stairs. ~TBC~ </center><center>You're going to be the death of me. Obi Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker Col Threadkiller is the coolest!<img src=http://www.roswell-orbs.com/smilies/coo ...

Posted: **Mon Jun 10, 2002 11:46 am**

*sigh* Angel, that was soooo good. It was wonderful awesome and incredible...and tomorrow is the BIG DAY...not only is it your birthday, which rates an awesome orb celebration but its BUFFY season 2 DVD release day...whoo hooo <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> <center>Margo is a Super ORB!</center><center><center>It all started with a boy, a girl and a silver handprint.<center>Countess Majiklmoon Mistress and keeper of the tunes</center></color~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm><img src=http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/image ... 2a.gif></a>

Posted: **Mon Jun 10, 2002 11:57 am**

Lots of candy moments to lighten my mood and Liz finally tells Max like it is. May I just add that just like Will Shatner, you RULE and I am not worthy. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)">

Posted: **Mon Jun 10, 2002 1:18 pm**

Liz’s mind reading capabilities...that sounds vaguely familiar. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> My Liz has that power too.... THis is great! Happy early Birthday! <center>*************<center>Roswell on Sci-Fi in 2003.<center>Got it?<CENTER>Get it?<CENTER>Good!<center><center>I think my muse is broke.<center><a href="http://blancadelic.com/quizzes/rosguyquiz.htm" target="new"><img src="http://blancadelic.com/quizzes/Max.jpg" border=0></a> <a href="http://blancadelic.com/quizzes/rosguyquiz.htm" target="new">Find your Roswell match </a> at <a href="http://blancadelic.com" target="new">Blancadelic.com</a>

Posted: **Mon Jun 10, 2002 1:26 pm**

Don't stop there...I need more..please

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2002 10:53 am**

Part 20~  Washington DC “Yes, honey. I have the list right here. I love you, too.” Matt Gerard ends the call with his wife as he glances over the week’s reports sitting on his desk. They’re having a party at the house the next weekend and she wants him to okay the seating arrangements. As the pile of reports gets smaller, he finally comes to the one that always makes his stomach roll. The damn aliens. The report is from his team in Australia and he’s not surprised to read that the aliens have eluded them again. He only had a small team there, one of a dozen spread out over the globe. There weren’t enough resources to send in reinforcements when the reports came in about the small group of aliens there. He lets out a breath of frustration as he remembers the ass chewing he got from the Deputy Director after their failed attempt to capture them three years ago in Roswell. In response, he had Meyers taken off as the lead agent and replaced him with another. He hates to admit that the new guy isn’t doing much better. Cringing as he reads through the report, he sees that his agents made a sloppy attempt to capture Max Evans in Sydney. Obviously, they moved too soon. He picks up his phone and calls Agent Noll. When he picks up, Gerard says, “I want you to concentrate on Europe. From our previous reports, that’s where our other group feels most comfortable and I’d bet that’s where the other group has gone as well after your botched attempt in Sydney.” “Yes, sir. Any particular place in Europe you want me to concentrate on?” Noll asks. “That’s your job to figure out.” Gerard says and hangs up. Setting the report aside, he picks up the list of seating arrangements his wife sent him and glances over the names on it. No, he can’t have his neighbors sitting next to his boss…they’re idiots. He picks up his pen and starts rearranging names.  Paris Early morning light filters in through the window and Michael can hear the sound of birds singing outside as he turns his head to see Maria sleeping beside him. He glances around the room and its sparse furnishings before leaning over her and kissing her softly on her forehead. Maria blinks her eyes open slowly and smiles. “Michael. Are you really here?” Michael makes a show of looking down at himself and feeling his face. “Yup, I think so.” She giggles and snuggles in closer to him. “Good.” “So what’s the plan now? Do you think Liz wants to stay here?” Michael asks. “I don’t know if there’s enough room here for all of us.” Maria answers as Michael starts kissing her neck. “Mmm…I think there’s plenty of room.” Michael says as he makes his way up to her lips. Down the hall, Serena and Kyle are getting dressed and Serena says, “So what’s up with you and Isabel? I caught a vibe there…should I be jealous?” Kyle looks up at her in surprise and says, “Me and Isabel? If you didn’t notice, she’s married.” “I know…but it seems like you two have a history together.” “As friends. That’s it.” He walks over to her and wraps his arms around her. “You have nothing to be jealous about.” She plays with the hair on the back of his neck and says, “That’s good. We should go check to make sure Max and Liz didn’t kill each other last night.” “Well, I didn’t hear any yelling or blasting going on, so I think it’s safe to say they’re both ok.” Kyle pulls back and pulls her hand toward the bedroom door. “Let’s go…I’m starving.” When they walk out into the living room, Kyle sees Max asleep on the floor next to the couch where Liz is sleeping. “Still alive.” He says to Serena on his way to the kitchen. “Oh, there’s no food…we should go get some before everyone wakes up” When they get back, Kyle sees that Max and Liz are still asleep but everyone else is up and sitting outside on the balcony. Opening the door, he hears Isabel say, “But Liz said that it was safe here.” “I just think we’ll need a bigger place since we’re staying together now. I don’t think she’ll want us to split up.” Maria says. “We come bearing breakfast.” Kyle says, setting his bag down on the table. Everyone hungrily tears through it, grabbing the bagels and croissants and juice greedily. “Help yourself.” He says with a chuckle. “We were just talking about our living arrangements.” Maria offers between bites. “I think this place is great…it’s beautiful here.” Isabel says as she looks over the balcony out into the courtyard. “Yah, Liz likes it here. It’s well hidden.” Kyle says as he sits next to Serena. “We’ll have to talk to Liz. I don’t know if room will be an issue since there’s always someone up keeping watch anyway.” Maria says. Isabel ruffles slightly at Maria’s comment. “Well, I think we should see what Max says.” Grabbing Isabel’s hand, Jesse says, “I think we can all talk about it. We don’t have to have a power struggle to see who’s in charge…we can all make decisions together.” “Well I don’t want Max making any decisions…I think we all saw how well he was doing in Sydney.” Maria snorts. “That’s not fair!” Exclaims Isabel. “We were just fine until you guys showed up and led the FBI right to him.” Raising her voice, Maria says, “The FBI was already there, we didn’t lead them to him, we  saved him from them.” “Hey, hey…come one. We don’t need to argue about this.” Kyle cuts in, hoping to diffuse the situation. “Everyone’s ok now, that’s all that matters.” Isabel and Maria glare at each other but don’t say any more. Maria’s still pissed about how Max treated Liz when she decided not to stay with him. And Isabel’s angry at how everyone is treating Max like he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Inside, Max and Liz are awake, listening to the argument outside. Neither one knows the other is awake as they both stare at the ceiling and cringe at Maria and Isabel’s words. Liz glances over at Max and sees that his eyes are open. She frowns and sits up. “I’m sorry about Maria. She’s just used to me making the decisions for all of us.” Max looks over at Liz and says, “It’s ok. If I know her, she’s pissed at me for how I acted before you guys left and she probably blames me for her not being able to be with Michael.” He sits up and rubs the sleep from his eyes. Smiling at how well Max knows Maria, Liz knows that’s why she’s mad at him, too…she just didn’t want him to feel bad. He sees Liz smiling at him and he says, “See, and I didn’t even need to be able to read minds to know that.” He grins at her and stands up. “Where’s the bathroom?” “On the left. There should be some towels in the cupboard if you want to take a shower.” She answers. Nodding, he makes his way to the bathroom as Liz goes outside to get some food. When he joins the others on the balcony a half hour later, Max is happy to see Liz and Isabel quietly talking together off to the side. After Isabel’s defensive tone earlier, he’s glad to see that she doesn’t have any animosity toward Liz just because Liz has been making all the decisions for them since they left Sydney. There’s a chorus of “Hey, Max.” as he sits down next to Michael and he grabs a croissant out of the bag on the table. “Morning.” After a few minutes, Maria can’t help but speak up. “So, Max…I guess we’ve all been waiting to hear what you have to say about what we should do.” She can’t help the slight annoyance that seeps out in her tone. Max looks at Maria sadly and takes a deep breath as he looks around. “Um…well, I think that you guys know what’s going on around here better than I do. I’ll agree with whatever Liz thinks is best.” When he sees everyone just looking at him, he continues, “Look, I’m not gonna give anyone orders, or tell you what I think you should do. I’m not in charge here…we make decisions together. That’s how it’s been for the last three years and I don’t plan on changing it now. If you guys feel more comfortable with what Liz says, that’s fine. She can get my advice whenever she wants it.” Everyone then looks over at Liz and she says, “Well, I think we all agree that this place is too small, right?” At the nods from the group, she says, “So, I was thinking, maybe we can look into the apartment next door that’s vacant. Maybe we can have both places and spread out more. I like it here because it’s secluded and not out in the open. What do you guys think?” Max is the first to speak. “I think that’s a good idea.” Everyone else quickly agrees and Liz says, “See, that was easy. I’ll talk to the landlord today and see what we can do.” “So what do we do about the FBI? How did you guys know they were in Sydney?” Michael asks. Kyle waits for someone else to answer him and when they don’t right away, he says, “We’ve known for a while that the FBI has several groups spread out looking for us. We saw one group in London, and another in Brussels. We assume that there are more and weren’t really surprised when we saw them following you in Sydney.” “Why didn’t you say anything in your emails?” Michael asks Liz. “The emails you were getting were from Liz?” Max asks. “Yah.” Michael says, looking sheepishly at Max. “The last few were…we also talked on the phone a few times.” “I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure if they were following you guys or us. I didn’t know for sure until the night Max saw me in the park.” Liz explains. “I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure which one of us they were after.” “How long were you following us?” Max asks her. “Almost the whole time we were there…three months. We took shifts but it was easier for me…because of my…abilities.” She answers. “Abilities?” Jesse asks. “You mean your powers?” “My mind reading abilities. It was easier for me to follow because I could stay further out of sight but still know where you were at.” “You can read our minds?” Michael asks, horrified. Nodding, Liz meets Max’s gaze and they smile at each other before she looks back at Michael. “Don’t worry, I try not to do it on purpose.” “So you know what I’m thinking right now?” Jesse asks incredulously. Liz looks over at him for a moment, then nods her head. “Yup. You’re wondering if Isabel can do it, too, and just never told you.” Jesse’s jaw drops open as Isabel whips her head around to glare at him. “Jesse! I wouldn’t keep something like that from you!” “I know….I just…it was just a thought.” Jesse looks back at Liz helplessly. “You guys, it’s not a big deal…really. Most people’s thoughts…you can’t take them seriously. And most of the time I tune them out. It’s just really helpful in telling if there’s anyone around who’s looking for us.” She hopes that they don’t get too freaked out by it. “I mean, jeez…think about it. If I had to listen to Kyle’s thoughts all the time…well, I’d have killed him by now.” She laughs with everyone else. “Hey! I’m a guy…what do you expect?!” Kyle exclaims at everyone’s laughter. “Oh my God…you should have seen Liz’s face when she first realized she could tell what we were thinking. She kept running from the room and yelling at Kyle, ‘Stop thinking!’” Maria laughs and kicks at Kyle. “Remember that?” “Remember? Yah, I remember that she couldn’t look at me for almost a month.” After the laughter dies down, Liz grins. “Just don’t…think at me really hard and we should be fine.” “So, you don’t think the FBI is a threat here?” Michael changes the conversation. “I wouldn’t say that…I just know that we’re safe here for now. I’m gonna go patrol today and see if I pick anything up, but I didn’t sense anything the last time we were in Paris…and we were here for several months before we left.” Liz says to Michael. “But I’ll tell you now, we live on the assumption that the FBI is  always a threat. We never let our guard down.” “We’ll do whatever you want us to.” Max says. “And it’ll be easier now…with all of us here, we can spread out the patrolling duties.” “Yah, we’re all in this together now.” Isabel grabs Liz’s hand and smiles at her. “One more thing.” Michael says as everyone turns to look at him. “How did they know Max was going to be at the bookstore? Did they just follow him there?” Liz looks around at them and admits, “I don’t know. I picked up that they received a tip, but not from who…or when.” Isabel looks alarmingly at Max. “Who else knew besides us?” She looks around at everyone on the balcony suspiciously. Max thinks for a minute and says, “Beth.” as he looks at Michael. “That morning, I told Beth that I needed to leave early to go meet someone at the bookstore.” “Who’s Beth?” Liz asks. And why would Max be talking to her in the morning? “My boss at the coffee shop I worked at. She’s the only other person who knew…it had to be her.” Max says, smiling internally at the hint of jealousy in Liz’s voice. Liz shoots him a look, letting him know she knows what he’s thinking. “Well, that seems to be the best explanation. I bet the FBI contacted her and was using her to get information about you. Who knows how long that was going on.” She looks over to see the sad look on Max’s face, and knows that he’s feeling betrayed by someone he thought was a friend. “I guess this proves that we can’t trust anyone.” Jesse says. “Shit, Maxwell, didn’t you go on a date with her? I wonder if she was working with them then?” Michael asks. Max’s eyes fly to Liz to see her looking at Michael in shock, then back to Michael. “It wasn’t a date.” “Whatever. “ Michael rolls his eyes. Max’s shoulders sag as he sees Maria giving him the evil eye and he looks down to the ground. “We just went to a movie.” He says defeatedly. After a few moments of silence where everyone looks at each other with a sense of expectation, Liz clears her throat and stands up. “I’m gonna go see if I can find the landlord, then I’ll patrol the neighborhood.” She looks at Isabel, Jesse, Michael and Max. “If you guys go out, can you take Maria, Kyle or Serena with you? I’ll feel better if you don’t go on your own.” When they nod, she turns to walk inside. Kyle sees Maria still looking at Max like he’s the devil, so he says, “Come on, Maria. It’s not like Liz didn’t have guys asking her out. They weren’t even together…and they were apart for almost three years.” He feels like he should defend Max for some reason…must be written in the Guy Code. Maria glares at Kyle and lets out an exasperated breath before standing up and storming inside. She expects to see Liz inside and is disappointed to see that she’s already gone. Pacing the living room, she looks back out the window at Max. She shakes her head and starts pacing. How dare he? He’s off, living a nice little oblivious life…dating…while Liz spends three years patrolling for FBI, keeping her and Kyle safe, and investigating anything and anyone that might pose a threat to them. There was a time when she wanted nothing more than her two best friends together and happy. Now…now she doesn’t want him anywhere near Liz. All he’s going to do is hurt her. Her thoughts are interrupted when Max walks through the balcony door and into the living room. “Maria.” She stops in her tracks and faces him with her hands on her hips. “Don’t you come in here with your cocker spaniel eyes, Max.” “I just thought…hoped…that maybe we could talk.” Max says gently. She eyes him for a few moments and raises her eyebrows. “Talk.” “Can we go somewhere…else?” Max looks back toward the balcony, then back to her. She sighs and walks to the closet where she takes out a gun, “Alright…but don’t make me use this on you.” and tucks it inside a jacket as she puts it on before turning and walking out the door, not waiting for him to follow her. Max follows her for several blocks, looking around at all the old buildings and the crowds of people making their way up and down the streets. It’s a sunny day and Max has to remind himself that he’s really in Paris. He looks off in the distance and can see the Eiffel Tower and wonders if it’s true that you can see it from any point in the city. Several blocks away, Maria steers them toward a small park area and she sits on the side of a fountain. Looking up at him, she says, “Well? You wanted to talk?” Sitting down next to her, he takes a deep breath. “I know you’re pissed at me.” He hears her snort, but continues, “And you have every right to be.” “Damn straight.” Maria harrumphs and looks away. “I’m an ass.” Max says. “Yup, you got that right.” “And a selfish jerk.” He continues. “Uh huh.” “And a self-absorbed, spoiled idiot.” Max smiles when he sees the corners of Maria’s mouth move up as she tries in vain not to smile. “You forgot childish and controlling.” Maria says, still not looking at him. Nodding, Max says seriously, “Right…completely childish and a terrible control freak.” He nudges her with his shoulder and says, “Come on…Liz already had me licking her shoes, can’t you at least look at me?” Maria turns her head in surprise and says, “She really made you do that?” Max laughs and says, “Apparently our first meeting didn’t go quite the way she planned…so no shoe licking.” “I can’t believe she told you that!” Maria finally smiles at him. “We talked for a while…all night, actually.” Max tells her. “And did you apologize?” “Of course. And I meant it. We agreed to work on being friends.” His gaze moves to the throng of people moving down the sidewalk. “Well, friends is more than you deserve…I hope you know that.” “I know. I’m sorry, Maria…really. I’m sorry you were away from Michael for so long because I was an idiot.” Max looks back at her sadly. “Stop looking at me like that, it makes me wanna scratch you behind the ears. And it’s not totally your fault. Liz decided to go on her own before your little tirade…and I chose to go with her.” Maria relents. She never could resist his sad look. “It wasn’t a date, you know. She kept asking me out after work and I told her I was already in love with someone else, but I’d go to a movie with her…as friends. I swear. I’ve been properly pining away for Liz all this time…you can rest easy.” “Well, that’s good to know. Now, tell me what you’re gonna do to fix this whole mess.” Maria says. “What mess?” “You and Liz. What are you gonna do to win her back? You have a plan, don’t you?” “Maria, there is no me and Liz. Like you said, I’m just lucky she wants to be friends. I can’t even hope for more.” Max looks down at the ground, feeling the futility of it all at actually hearing the words come from his mouth. “I have to tell you…that’s not much of a plan.” Maria shakes her head at him. “It is what it is. Besides, we have bigger things to worry about right now.” Maria sits back and rests on her hands. “We always have that to worry about. Life is short, Max, you only have today…tomorrow might not come. If I learned anything over the last three years, living like a fugitive, it’s that.” He looks over at her and says, “When did you get so wise?” “Ah, I’ve always been wise…you just chose not to listen.” She smirks at him before changing the subject. “So, what do you think of the whole Serena thing? Weird, huh?” Max nods his head and says, “Yah, a little. I mean, if it really is the same Serena it puts a whole new spin on my belief in fate.” “What do you mean?” Maria asks. “I mean, in the original timeline, I doubt that Liz met Serena in London like you guys did in this one. How did they meet in the last timeline? Was it sooner or later? Maybe in the other timeline we  did go to London, but I kind of doubt it. I used to think we were in charge of our own fates, but obviously we were  meant to have Serena in our lives.” Max looks over at Maria. “It’s all a little disconcerting, don’t you think?” Maria nods and says, “Liz and I talked about it…a lot. And I can’t say for sure if she’s  the Serena, but I think she is. I felt close to her from the beginning…like we’d known each other in a past life or something. Even if it isn’t her…you can trust her.” “If Liz trusts her, so do I.” Max says. Maria studies Max for a moment before asking, “So, you’re really on this I-don’t-want-to-be-in-charge kick, aren’t you?” He nods and asks, “Do you really want  me in charge? Come on…I think we all know how bad my decision making skills are.” “It’s not that you’re a bad leader, Max. You just make better decisions when we’re all working together…when you’re working with Liz. She helps you stay…strong…in balance.” “Yah, well, I think Liz does just fine without me. She seems to be doing a good job so far…I don’t need to step in and screw everything up.” Maria sighs and says, “You know, Max, Liz isn’t infallible. She’s not perfect. In fact, she’s made several mistakes along the way…but she learns from them and moves on. You need to get it out of your head that she’s better than you. Or better off without you.” “Well, we can’t all end up happily ever after like you and Michael.” Max says, hoping to steer the conversation away from him and Liz. “That’s true.” Maria stands up, indicating that she’s ready to walk back. “But Romeo and Juliette doesn’t have to end as a tragedy, either.” She turns from him and walks toward the street. ~TBC~ </center><center>You're going to be the death of me. Obi Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker Col Threadkiller is the coolest!<img src=http://www.roswell-orbs.com/smilies/coo ...

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2002 11:20 am**

Happy birthday, to you, happy birthday to you, Happy birthday, Dear, Angel13. Happy birthday to you. Oh, thanks for the lovely candy moments in this part. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> Good job.

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2002 11:34 am**

Angel...you are not supposed to give US birthday gifts like this wonderful part of your story <img src=http://www.theunholytrinity.org/cracks_ ... laughA.gif ALT=":lol"> great job as usual! <center>Margo is a Super ORB!</center><center><center>It all started with a boy, a girl and a silver handprint.<center>Countess Majiklmoon Mistress and keeper of the tunes</center></color~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm><img src=http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/image ... 2a.gif></a>

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2002 2:20 pm**

Thanks guys. <img src=http://www.theunholytrinity.org/cracks_ ... iggrin.gif ALT=":grin"> Man, someone just thrashed my story over on Jenn's board. I'm all for some constructive criticism, but geesh...if you don't like how I'm writing it, then don't read it. <img src=http://www.theunholytrinity.org/cracks_ ... leyes1.gif ALT=":rolleyes"> Poopyhead's trying to ruin my birthday by being mean. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"> </center><center>You're going to be the death of me. Obi Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker Col Threadkiller is the coolest!<img src=http://www.roswell-orbs.com/smilies/coo ...

Posted: **Tue Jun 11, 2002 2:26 pm**

who was rude enough to do that...and what is there to trash in your stor it's wonderful!  edited to say feedback has been neutralized! <center>Margo is a Super ORB!</center><center><center>It all started with a boy, a girl and a silver handprint.<center>Countess Majiklmoon Mistress and keeper of the tunes</center></color~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm><img src=http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/image ... 2a.gif></a> Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub84.ezboard.com/umajiklmoon.sh ... iklmoon</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/images/moon18.gif" BORDER=0> at: 6/11/02 1:31:56 pm

Posted: **Wed Jun 12, 2002 12:12 pm**

Part 21~ “So what’s this I hear about you falling off a motorcycle and breaking your back?” Max asks Kyle as they move bags to the apartment next door. “Oh man, did she tell you about that? About a year and a half ago, we were out riding a motorcycle I’d picked up in Portugal.” Kyle begins. “We? Who was with you?” Max interrupts. Kyle looks at him strangely and says, “Liz was with me. Didn’t she tell you?” Max drops the bags he was carrying onto a bed and says, “No. She left that part out.” “Figures. Anyway, we were out riding in the country…just relaxing…you know. And this dog comes out of no where, running right in front of me, so I swerved and ran off the road over the side of a bridge and into a creek. Total wipeout. Hurt like hell.” “You went over a bridge?!” Max exclaims. “What happened to Liz?” Kyle rolls his eyes and says, “Well, with the broken back and all, I didn’t really notice where Liz went. I think I blacked out for a while, but when I woke up, Liz was kneeling over me with her hands doing that glowy thing on my chest. That’s when we found out she could heal.” “Wow. You’re lucky.” Max says. “You’re telling me.” Kyle walks back over to the other apartment with Max following close behind. “There’s a certain sense of…calm relief…knowing there’s someone around who can heal you if you get hurt. You know?” Smirking, Max says, “Yah, I know.” “Right.” Kyle says before turning to Serena. “Ready to go get supplies?” “Yup. Come on…I wanna get back early so we can head down to the Seine before sunset.” Serena says, looping her arm through his. “See you later, Max.” Max watches them go, smiling at their apparent comfort with each other. That’s how Liz finds him when she walks into the room. “Judging by the smile on your face, you must really like that door.” She teases him. He turns to look at her, blushing with embarrassment and ducking his head while he unconsciously scratches behind his ear. “Yah, well, you know how I love a good door.” He smirks back at her. “Kyle and Serena decided to move to the other apartment, which leaves a bedroom here and two over there for us.” Liz thinks it over and says, “I think we should take both the bedrooms over there. We’ll be evenly spread out that way. What do you think?” “Sounds like a good plan.” He says. “I can only hope the door over there is as nice as this one.” He smiles and leaves a laughing Liz behind him as he walks out to the balcony to join Michael and Maria. Walking outside, Liz says, “Michael, I wanna take you and Max to a shooting range today and get you comfortable firing guns.” “Why? We have built in guns.” He raises his hand to her. “You might find yourself in a situation where you can’t use that one. It’ll be safer having backup protection.” She tells him. He shrugs his shoulders and says, “Ok with me. When do you wanna go?” “We can go now. Maria can stay here with Isabel and Jesse.” Michael stands up and turns to Maria. “You’ll be ok for a while?” Maria smiles and says, “I think I can manage.” She turns to Liz. “Be careful.” Nodding, Liz walks back in the apartment and out the door, Max and Michael following behind after she grabs a bag from the closet. They arrive at a shooting range just outside the city by cab and make their way inside where Liz speaks with a man behind the counter in French and grabs three headsets before walking down a hallway and into a large warehouse-type room and sets her bag on a table. She pulls three guns out and over the next hour, shows Max and Michael how to clean, load and fire them. After their last round, she puts the guns away and says, “Any time you go out, take one with you, especially if you’re going alone. We also have walkie talkies that we carry with us at all times. We’ll need to buy more now that there are more of us.” Michael smirks and says, “So do we have a curfew, too?” Liz smiles back at him and rolls her eyes. “No. But let someone know where you’re going and try to be on time for your duty shift. We’ll make up a schedule when we get back. We try to have someone on duty 24 hours a day…and it’ll be easier now with the four of you.” “Impressive.” Michael says as they make their way to get a cab back to the city. “You’ve really got things under control.” “Yah, well, it took a lot of trial and error to become the well oiled machine that we are.” Liz jokes. “Maria used to whine all the time about having to stay up all night and Kyle used to be late for his shifts and we’d be worried sick about him until he came back. It got easier when Serena eventually came to stay with us…and now…” She tilts her head up in thought. “We should only have to have duty about once every other day. Not bad.” “You must not have gotten much sleep.” Max says. “I don’t need a lot of sleep anymore. I think it may be a side effect…I don’t know…but I only need about four hours of sleep, sometimes less.” “Wow…then you’ll think I’m really lazy when I tell you I need 9 or 10 hours.” Michael says. Liz laughs and says, “Well, then, you and Maria should be happy. She’s the same way.” As they make their way through the city, Liz says, “We should practice a few more times, and I like to take everyone back about once a month for a refresher.” “Geez.” Michael says under his breath as Max shoots him a look to shut-up. When they get back to the apartment, Liz finds Serena in the new apartment putting away supplies that she and Kyle had gotten earlier. “Hey, Serena.” “Hey, Liz.” Serena smiles at her. “Have fun playing with your guns?” “Yes I did.” Liz says with a playful smile. “You going down for the sunset?” “After I get this stuff put away. You should take Max.” Serena gives Liz a knowing smile. “Oh…um…I have some stuff here to take care of. You guys can take him if you want. Maybe Isabel and Jesse, too.” Liz reaches into a bag and pulls out some bread and a bag of Cheetos. She lifts the bag up and says, “Kyle?” Serena smiles and nods as she rolls her eyes. “Well, I doubt Max would want to enjoy a romantic sunset on the Seine with  us, but I’ll see if the others want to go with us so you two can be alone.” Serena smiles even wider as she continues to stock the refrigerator, knowing she’s got Liz trapped. Liz looks at her in surprise. “No. I mean…” She lets out a frustrated sigh and says, “Fine, we’ll all go. Jerk.” And she throws the bag of Cheetos on the counter before stomping to the bathroom. Laughing, Serena walks across the hall to the other apartment and says, “We’re going on a field trip, everyone.” Maria claps her hands and looks out the window. “Is it time?” “Yup, grab your jackets everyone. You’re about to see the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen in your life.” She walks over to Kyle and puts her arm around his waist as he turns his head to smile at her. “Not the  most beautiful thing.” He tells her. “Awwww…how sweet.” Maria says as she puts on her jacket. “Can I barf now? You two are as bad as Liz and Ma…” She looks up at Max, embarrassed at her outburst, as Liz walks in. “I mean…um…yah, let’s go.” She quickly grabs Michael’s hand and drags him out of the apartment. Kyle looks over at Max as they head to the door and shrugs his shoulders, giving him a half smile, and walks out with Serena. Isabel and Jesse follow them and Liz waits for Max to walk ahead of her so she can lock both the doors before they all file out of the courtyard and down the street. As Liz walks with the others, she feels her face flush as she thinks about what Maria said. She was right, her and Max used to be like that. He was always saying the sweetest things, making Maria mad that Michael wasn’t more like Max. She looks ahead at the couples walking in front of her, then over at Max. He’s walking next to her, looking as uncomfortable as she probably looks at their obvious pairing. It can’t be helped, though. There are three couples, and her and Max. She better get used to being paired with him for everything. She knew this when she decided that they should all be together again as one group. As they make their way closer to water, Max can see more and more people gathering on the bridge up ahead. “That’s the Ile Saint-Louis.” Liz says to him, nodding up ahead. “See, up there on the left is Notre Dame. You know, every place in France is measured from a starting point there. They call it Point Zero.” Max looks ahead in wonder at the sight ahead of him. The sun is just starting to set, casting a golden color over the city and as they find a place next to the stone edge of the bridge, he gazes out over the water. It’s so peaceful here and Max suddenly realizes why Liz loves it so much. He looks around at the people…the couples…surrounding him, and knows why they say it’s the city of lovers. Serena was right, it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Then he looks over at Liz and changes his mind. She’s leaning on the railing, her gaze sweeping out toward Notre Dame, the sun turning her skin into gold. There’s a breeze that whips her short hair around her face and she looks over at him and smiles. “Isn’t it incredible?” She asks him. He nods slowly at her, then understands through the fog in his head that she’s talking about the view, so he turns to look in the same direction she is. “See the garden over there?” She points for him to see. When he nods, she says, “I used to go there all the time…it reminds me of your garden in Sydney.” She smiles over at him and he doesn’t think she’s ever looked more beautiful than she does right now. “I’ll have to go check it out, then.” He says, restraining himself with every fiber of his being from reaching out to touch her hair, or feel how smooth and warm the skin is on her face. He takes a deep breath and takes a small step away from her. What is he thinking? He needs to get himself under control…being here with her is wreaking havoc on his senses. He shouldn’t be thinking about her like this. They’re barely friends again...and even that’s on shaky ground right now. He breathes an internal sigh of relief when Michael walks over and says he wants to go because he’s getting cold and he quickly agrees to go back to the apartment with him. The others decide to stay, Maria going with Max and Michael. Liz watches them walk away with a frown on her face. What was wrong with Max? She thought she saw him take a step away from her a minute ago, like he didn’t want to be near her. Was he uncomfortable being around her? She looks back out over the water and sighs, hoping that she’s wrong. Several minutes later, she makes her way back to the apartment with Kyle, Serena, Isabel and Jesse. “That was wonderful…thank you for showing us. I think we’ll be going back to see that every night.” Isabel says dreamily as she and Jesse walk with their arms around each other. “You can come with us…we did this almost every evening when we lived here.” Serena tells her. That night, they sit around a table in the kitchen and come up with a schedule for duty. After a couple of hours, they finally have one neatly written out and they attach it to the refrigerator. “Looks like I’m first up.” Max says, getting up and making a sandwich before putting a jacket on. “See you all later.” Liz watches him go and she gets up to start gathering her things to move to the other apartment. When she’s done, she goes out to inspect the balcony and looks out over the courtyard. She can see Max sitting below eating his sandwich and she sits in one of the chairs to watch him in the dark. She feels guilty for doing it, but she can’t help but reach out to see what he’s thinking about. A smile comes to her face when she sees that he’s thinking about her on the bridge as the sun was setting. He’s thinking about how beautiful he thought she was and also how he had to get away from her before he touched her. So that’s why he stepped away from her. She watches as he finishes his sandwich and slumps back on the bench, swiping his hand over his face. His thoughts go back to the night she told him she was leaving without him and tears come to her eyes as he remembers begging her not to leave him. Not feeling right about intruding on his thoughts like this, she shakes her head and quietly gets up to go back inside. She can hear Kyle and Serena rustling around in their bedroom and she walks into the bedroom she picked for herself, unpacking her few things and putting them into the dresser. Thankfully, the apartments here come furnished. It’s not the best furniture, but it’ll do. She looks up when she hears a knock on her door to see Serena. “Whatcha doin’?” She asks Liz. Liz shrugs her shoulders and says, “Just unpacking.” “I saw you…out on the balcony sitting in the dark. You were reading his thoughts, weren’t you?” Serena walks in and sits on the bed next to Liz. Liz nods and looks down at the floor, ashamed. “It’s ok. You’re allowed to be weak, you know.” Serena tries to assure her. “It’s only natural for you to want to know what he’s thinking.” “Yah, but it doesn’t give me the right to intrude like that…without him knowing.” “Well, no. But geez, it’s gotta be hard to resist when you have the ability…for anyone. Don’t beat yourself up about it…no harm, no foul.” Serena puts her arm around Liz and smiles. “What I wouldn’t give to read Kyle’s mind sometimes.” “Believe me, you don’t wanna know what’s going on in there.” Liz jokes. “So…what’s the scoop? How are you…being around him again? Doing ok?” Serena asks, concerned for her friend. “I’m ok. It’s weird…especially since everyone else is all couply. But we talked last night…it’s all good.” Liz smiles at Serena, assuring her she’s alright. “Did you tell him…that you have all your memories back?” Liz shakes her head and says, “No…it never came up. I guess I should.” “Serena!” Kyle calls from the other room. “I need you…to um…help me.” Smiling knowingly, Liz says, “You better go.” Blushing, Serena gets up and walks to the door. “Get some rest, Liz. You don’t have to stay up…Max will watch out for us.” At Liz’s nod, she turns and heads to her bedroom…and Kyle. Liz lies back on her bed and sighs. She’s not the least bit tired…she’s used to being the one to stay up all night on watch. After a few minutes, she gets up in frustration and walks back out to the living room. She walks out on the balcony again, promising herself that she won’t look into Max’s head again, and sits down. She even makes some noise so Max will know she’s up there, further ensuring for herself that she won’t read his thoughts. Max looks up when he hears a noise above him and sees Liz sitting out on the balcony. He gives her a wave and a small smile before looking back out over the courtyard. Figuring that she can’t sleep because of what she told him and Michael earlier that day about how little sleep she needs, he wonders why she doesn’t come down and stay up with him. She’s probably used to being alone. Or maybe she’s tired of being around him so much. His musings are interrupted by more noise coming from up above. He looks up and after a few moments, he realizes that it’s coming from an open window next to the balcony that Liz is sitting on…and the sounds he’s hearing are Kyle and Serena…having sex. He looks over at Liz in shock and they both start laughing as Liz covers her face with her hands and shakes her head. After yet another “Oh God…Kyle!”, Liz turns her head toward the window and says loudly, “Oh God…Kyle…SHUT THE WINDOW!” They hear a loud thump and some muttered curses before the window slams shut. Max is still laughing and looks over to see Liz laughing, too. After their giggles die down, Max says, “Can’t sleep?” “No.” Liz answers. “Especially not now.” She nods her head toward the window and smiles. “Wanna come down and keep me company?” He asks her. She looks at him for a moment and nods. “I’ll be right down. You want something to drink?” “Sure.” He answers and watches as she disappears inside. A few minutes later, she walks down the stairs and sits next to Max on the bench, handing him a can of Cherry Coke. “Is this ok?” “My favorite.” He says, taking it from her. “You used to stay up at night, didn’t you? Is that why you can’t sleep?” “Yah. It was more convenient for everyone since I don’t need a lot of sleep.” “So I stole your job.” He jokes with her. She smiles at him and says, “Looks like it.” Fidgeting with her can of pop, Liz tries to block out the thoughts that are drifting to her from above. Maria’s up, and she obviously knows that Liz is down with Max…she can hear Maria practically shouting in her head ‘Don’t fall for the puppy eyes! I got sucked in earlier and it’s just plain embarrassing now!’ Liz lets out a short laugh and sees Max look at her, curious. She realizes that she just laughed at nothing, she points to her head and says, “Maria…she um…she’s just thinking really loud.” as she shrugs her shoulders and rolls her eyes at the absurdness of that statement. Max smiles in understanding and looks out over the courtyard. He had almost forgotten that she could read his thoughts, and he thinks back over the day wondering what she could have picked up from him. Liz looks over at him and sees his brow furrowed. She knows what he’s thinking without having to look. “Max…don’t worry. I’ll try not to read your thoughts without your permission.” Except for earlier, but he doesn’t need to know about that. He turns his head to her and says, “Then how did you know that’s what I was thinking?” She smiles and says, “Because I know you. I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at you…without using any powers.” Max nods and smiles slightly. He looks up at the trees in the courtyard as a breeze runs through the leaves. It’s chilly tonight and he wonders how cold it gets in Paris in the winter. After a few minutes of silence, Max says, “So, Maria said you had a lot of guys asking you out…why didn’t you go out with them?” She looks at the fountain and says, “I didn’t want to get too close to anyone…and I…” She stops suddenly. “What?” He asks. She looks at him and shrugs her shoulders. “I just didn’t want to.” She says softly before looking away. He nods and looks back out to the courtyard. When he doesn’t say anything more, she can’t help but say, “But you did.” Looking over at her quickly, he says, “It wasn’t a date. I made it clear to her before we went that…that I was in love with someone else.” as he looks down to the ground. “We were friends…or at least I thought we were.” “I’m sorry…that it looks like she was tipping the FBI off on you.” Liz puts her hand on his arm in an effort to console him. He shakes his head and says, “I should have been more careful. Just because we were friends…I shouldn’t have trusted her.” He looks over at Liz. “I just…it was nice, having a place somewhere away from Michael, Isabel and Jesse where I could pretend to be normal. Don’t you wish you could have that sometimes?” Liz nods her head. “Yah. But I guess this is our normal now. So, you made a mistake…we all make them.” “Not like me.” He smiles at her. “Well, one mistake in three years isn’t anything to beat yourself up about.” She smiles back at him and takes a sip of her soda. “So, tell me about the powers you and Kyle have.” Max says. Liz sits back and wraps her arms around herself against the chill. “Well, I can heal…pretty well as far as I know. And the mind reading thing. I can change molecular structure and move things…with my mind. Like when I shoved Serena back from that car. I can also blast things with that green energy thing…but I don’t like to, it’s not a pleasant feeling…kind of like electricity shooting through my body.” “Wow…that’s a lot. I wonder if you can do more. Have you ever tried to do more with your mind, like dreamwalk or mindwarp?” Max has to ask…knowing that if she has so much mental power, she might have more than she knows. “I tried to dreamwalk once, but it didn’t work. And I haven’t ever tried mindwarping.” “Maybe Isabel can help you try to dreamwalk again.” Max looks over at her and says, “Have you tried that thing…like you did when I was in New York…where you project yourself somewhere else?” Shaking her head, Liz says, “No, I haven’t tried it since then. I don’t think I’d know how to do it again.” “Well, it’s not like you don’t have more powers than all of us combined already.” He nudges her with his elbow. “We’re supposed to be the aliens, you know…and you’re making us look pathetic.” He smiles when she snorts out a laugh. “Yah? Well that  was my goal.” She smirks at him, enjoying their banter…feeling good about her decision to combine their two groups. “So, I think the others are expecting a duel between us over who’s gonna take charge. Should we pick our weapons now?” His smile fades slightly as he studies her face for a few moments. “Well, you’ve certainly inspired the loyalty of the troops, even Michael…which shocks me. I don’t know…Isabel and Michael have always looked to me to lead them. I think it must be ingrained in them or something, and Michael hates that I haven’t been doing what he thinks I should. Of course, I don’t think it would matter…he’d fight me no matter what I did. I lead, he hates my decisions…I don’t lead, he hates that I’m being passive.” He looks out over the courtyard and rubs his hand over his face. Why did anyone have to lead, why can’t they make decisions as a group? He looks back at her and meets her gaze. “I’m not a king, I never wanted to be one. I’d feel totally comfortable if you wanted to stay in charge.” Liz thinks about what he’s said and she knows that he would be a good leader. He was before, before they all got sidetracked and torn apart by Tess and her manipulations. He just made some bad decisions in trying to keep everyone together…and he ended up just tearing them all apart more. But she knows that if they all work together, he could be a good leader again, he just needs their support. “How about we do it together. Then everyone’s happy.” Max looks at her surprised. “Are you sure?” “Yah, I think we’d be good together, don’t you?” Liz smiles, then realizes how her statement could be interpreted and she blushes. Max is taken aback by what she says and he tries to calm the pounding of his heart. That’s not what she meant…she meant together as in leading together, not  being together. He shakes the thoughts that have suddenly invaded his head and says, “Yah…I do. I think it’s a good idea.” And he gives her a small smile before looking away. God, why is it so hard to get himself under control when he’s around her? He clears his throat and stands up. Stretching as he walks around the courtyard, he says, “So, Kyle told me about his accident. Were you hurt?” “Oh, he told you I was with him?” When Max nods, she hesitantly says, “Yah…um…I kind of cut my leg and broke my arm.” She decides he doesn’t need to know that the cut on her leg ran the whole length of it and was so deep she could see bone and muscle. “And you healed yourself?” Max is horrified at what could have happened to her and he wouldn’t have been there to help her. Liz nods and says, “I didn’t even know I was doing it. I was holding onto my arm and it just…happened.” She shrugs and continues. “I was pretty shocked when my arm suddenly  wasn’t broken. Then I realized what happened and I healed my leg before going to look for Kyle.” “I just can’t believe that you can heal now. That’s so…weird. What can Kyle do?” Max asks. “He can change things, and blast things. I know he can do more, but he doesn’t like to work on his powers…I think he’s afraid of them.” Liz tells him. “I’m pretty sure he can do something to other people…like change their way of thinking.” At Max’s puzzled look, she tries to explain. “Like, one time we were trying to get this guy to lower the rent on an apartment we wanted. He just wouldn’t budge. Then I noticed he looked at Kyle and” she snaps her fingers, “just like that he agreed on the price we wanted. There’ve been a lot of things like that happen and I don’t think Kyle realizes he’s doing it.” “He won’t talk about it?” Max asks. Liz shakes her head and he sits back down. “It’s too close to what Tess used to do. I bet he just doesn’t want to admit that he can do things like she did.” “That’s what I thought, too. So I don’t push him.” She says as she looks away. “I can’t blame him…it’s why I’ve never tried to mindwarp. Anytime I think about trying, I think about Alex.” “I can understand that.” He looks over at Liz and hesitates. “But…” “But we could really use the ability to mindwarp…I know.” Liz finishes for him as she looks up. “I just need to get past it. I  should get past it…she did sacrifice herself for you guys. You know…that night, when she told me she wanted to do one good thing with her life…I really believed that she meant it. I never told you that.” She looks at him to see a look of surprise on his face. “You remember that night?” He asks, wondering what else she remembers. He never even thought to ask if she had any more of her memory back, he just assumed that she didn’t. “Yah, I remember everything.” She says quietly as she meets his gaze. ~TBC~ </center><center>You're going to be the death of me. Obi Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker Col Threadkiller is the coolest!<img src=http://www.roswell-orbs.com/smilies/coo ...

Posted: **Wed Jun 12, 2002 12:25 pm**

Angel, are you sick? you implied a nice thing about Tess...do you have a fever <img src=http://www.theunholytrinity.org/cracks_ ... laughA.gif ALT=":lol"> great part <center>Margo is a Super ORB!</center><center><center>It all started with a boy, a girl and a silver handprint.<center>Countess Majiklmoon Mistress and keeper of the tunes</center></color~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm><img src=http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/image ... 2a.gif></a>

Posted: **Wed Jun 12, 2002 12:50 pm**

Awesome! and I can already see a portents of bad things to come. Four going daily to see the setting sun, tsk,tsk, I see trouble ahead. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)">

Posted: **Wed Jun 12, 2002 3:35 pm**

You have just sucked me into this story. I didn't think I was going to like it, but I just can't stop reading!!!! <img src=http://www.theunholytrinity.org/cracks_ ... xhello.gif ALT=":clap"> <img src=http://www.theunholytrinity.org/cracks_ ... xhello.gif ALT=":clap"> <center> It is always surprising how small a part of life is taken up by meaningful moments. Most often they're over before they start even though they cast a light on the future and make the person who originated them unforgettable. Anna and the King</center>

Posted: **Wed Jun 12, 2002 9:54 pm**

well, i'm totally loving this story. you're awesome angel! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"> <center>I want to be what I was when I wanted to be what I am now.</center>

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2002 9:08 am**

you are incredible...loved the sunset on the seine!

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2002 5:32 pm**

Part 22~ Michael feels the bed shift again and he turns over. “For God’s sake, Maria, leave them alone.” He reaches a hand up to feel for her blindly. Maria swats her hand at Michael from her perch at the head of the bed where she’s gripping the window sill and watching Max and Liz in the courtyard down below. “Shhh.” “Come on.” Michael whines as he reaches for her again. Shaking her head, Maria mutters, “She’s gonna cave, I know it. Be strong, chica.” Michael peeks his eyes open and groans when he sees Maria’s ass wiggling right above his face. With a growl, he reaches up and pulls her down to the bed and pins her beneath him. “Michael!” Maria gasps. “I need to keep an eye on Liz…make sure she doesn’t…” But she can’t finish when she feels Michael press his arousal into her. “Doesn’t what?” Michael asks as he leans down to suck on her earlobe. “Ohhhh…um…” She moans and closes her eyes. “I don’t remember.” Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Max can’t think of anything to say to Liz’s announcement as his jaw drops open slightly. He had hoped, dreamed that she would somehow get the rest of her memory back someday and he’s glad that she has those parts of her life back. “That’s…that’s great.” He finally croaks. “I should have told you last night…it just kind of…slipped my mind.” She cringes at her choice of words and now feels incredibly bad for not letting him know sooner. “I’m sorry…I…I guess I’m still trying to get used to the fact that you’re really here.” “It’s ok…I…” He swallows before continuing. “I’m glad you told me.” He suddenly feels antsy and can’t sit still. Liz watches as he squirms in his seat and knows that he’s uncomfortable. She longs to know what he’s thinking, but refuses to invade his privacy. “How long…have you remembered?” Max asks, still not able to look at her for some reason he can’t quite explain. “About a year.” She says softly. “It happened gradually, but I finally remembered everything about a year ago.” Max takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he runs his hand through his hair. “I’m glad…I just…” “It’s weird. I understand.” Liz finishes for him. “Believe me, I feel the same way.” He looks at her, confused, then wonders if she’s reading his thoughts…not that it would do her any good, because he’s not really sure what to think right now. “See, before, it was easier for you to keep your distance from me…knowing that I couldn’t remember.” Liz explains. Max raises his eyebrows and says, “Should I find a couch to lie on, Dr. Parker, before you continue your psychoanalysis?” She smiles at his teasing and says, “No, that’s only for the movies…you can just sit.” She clears her throat before continuing. “So, as I was saying…it was easier for you to be here with me now and keep your distance from me, try to be just friends, because I couldn’t remember our relationship anyway…not the end, at least. It was easier because it wasn’t like I was rejecting you after everything that happened between us, because I didn’t know everything that happened. But now that I remember you asking me to marry you…the night we made love…it adds this whole level of awkwardness to our situation now.” She tries to catch his gaze. “Am I right?” “Liz…I…I don’t want this to be awkward. I meant it when I said I wanted to be friends, and even though I’m glad you can remember everything, I won’t push you for anything more. I know that it’s impossible…I’ve spent the last three years coming to terms with that.” Max meets her gaze and she can see that he means every word he says. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Liz smiles and stands. Max watches as she takes a few steps toward the stairs and turns back to him. She reaches her hand into the neck of her shirt and pulls out a thin leather rope tied around her neck as she says, “I think I should go get a few hours of sleep now. I’m glad we could talk, Max, but remember…nothing is ever impossible.” Max looks down and sees the moonlight reflecting off the ring he gave her so many years ago as it dangles on the end of the piece of leather. He looks back to her face to see her smiling at him before she turns and walks up the stairs, leaving him alone in the darkness. At 5am, Max sees Kyle walking down the stairs and over to him. “Ready to be relieved?” Max stands up and stretches as he yawns. “Yah…thanks. Do you know if Liz is sleeping?” “Yah, she was in bed when I came down.” Kyle tells him. “Ok…thanks.” Max says as he makes his way up to the apartment. He’s exhausted and he peels his jacket off, falling into bed with all his clothes on. Liz wakes up with a start and looks at her watch. 7am. Groaning, she rolls out of bed and digs out some running clothes out of the dresser and heads to the bathroom. She pauses in the doorway of Max’s bedroom and sees him sprawled on the bed, fully clothed, sleeping. It’s still chilly this morning and she goes in, grabs a blanket from the closet and drapes it over Max. She smiles at the peaceful look on his face and turns to go to the bathroom. After changing and pulling her hair up in a small ponytail, she leaves their apartment and walks down the stairs to see Kyle sprawled out on a bench in the courtyard. Rolling her eyes, she walks up to him and pokes his arm with her foot and watches as he bolts awake. “I’m up, I’m up.” “I’m going for a run…I’ll be back in a while.” She tells him as she clips a walkie talkie to her waistband. “Try to stay awake.” She grins at him as she stretches and takes off jogging out of the courtyard toward the street. Kyle rubs his face and says to himself, “I hate guard duty.” as he stands up and paces around the courtyard trying to stay awake. After a few minutes, Liz falls into a comfortable pace as she jogs through the streets of Paris. She relishes her early morning runs, it helps her to clear her mind. But she’s having a hard time doing that this morning…her thoughts can’t break away from Max. As the sun climbs higher in the sky and her heart rate increases, she peels off her sweatshirt and ties it around her waist and her feet continue to hit the pavement. As she runs, her gaze is constantly on her surroundings…on every person she passes…every car. It’s a subconscious activity now, always keeping her mind open to the thoughts of the people around her. She thinks back to her conversation with Max the night before and her pace quickens. She feels so conflicted about being around him again. She’s torn between wanting to stay as far away from him as possible, fearing that all that can come from them being together is pain…and the urge to fling herself into his arms and never leave. By the time she circles back to their block an hour later, she’s covered in sweat and breathing hard from her exertion. She runs into the courtyard and doubles over, touching the ground and stretching her legs. She stretches for several more minutes and smiles at Kyle, who looks up from the book he’s reading, before running up the stairs and into her apartment. Stopping just inside the door, she isn’t expecting to see Serena and Max awake and sitting together at the kitchen table drinking coffee. Max looks up when the door opens and he feels like he’s just been hit with a sledgehammer when he sees Liz standing there…covered in sweat, wearing a small sports bra that shows stomach muscles he knows she didn’t have before. Her hair is pulled back but pieces have fallen out and are plastered to her face, which is flushed. He notices her arms newly well-muscled, too, before he realizes that he’s staring at her and he drops his gaze to his coffee, flushing with embarrassment. Serena smiles when she sees Max’s perusal of Liz, and Liz’s embarrassment at being so exposed. “Have a good run?” She asks Liz. Liz shakes her head from her daze and looks at Serena. “Oh, um…yah.” She walks over to the refrigerator and grabs out a bottle of orange juice and gulps the whole thing down, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before letting out a satisfied, “Ahhhh.” She leans against the counter and rolls her head on her neck, stretching the muscles there. “Liz here puts us all to shame by running like a maniac every morning.” Serena says to Max as she rolls her eyes. “I tried to go with her a couple of times, but I can’t keep up.” “You need to go more than twice, Serena…or you’ll never be able to keep up.” Liz smiles at her. “You and Maria…you two think exercise is turning the pages to the latest Vogue.” “Yah, well, I have my own exercise regimen…it involves two people if you know what I mean.” Serena winks at her. “I’m painfully aware of what you mean.” Liz rolls her eyes. “I get to listen to it every night.” “Well, my exercise is a lot more fun than yours…what are you up to? An hour every morning? Honey, that hour could be put to so much better use.” Serena smiles at the blush that creeps up both Liz’s and Max’s faces. Liz dumps her orange juice bottle in the trash and says, “I’m going to shower.” before she walks down the hall toward the bathroom. Serena looks at Max and says, “She’s so uptight.” “I heard that!” They hear Liz yell from the bathroom. “And I am not!” Serena laughs and sees a smile come to Max’s face. “So tell me an incredibly embarrassing story about Liz when she was in High School.” She asks Max with a gleam in her eye. Max looks up at her and furrows his brow. “I don’t know any.” He shrugs his shoulders and says, “She never did anything embarrassing.” “Nothing?” Serena exclaims. “I can’t believe that.” She eyes him doubtfully before saying, “Ok, then tell me one of  your embarrassing stories.” Max sits back and lets out a long breath. “Well, there was the time Kyle got me drunk…on one sip from his flask.” A big smile crosses Serena’s face and she claps her hands together. “Oh, do tell!” “It was Valentine’s Day, our sophomore year and the radio station set Liz up on this blind date thing. So Kyle shows up at my house with a car load of his friends, all drunk, and makes me drive them around and we ended up standing with a crowd in front of the restaurant Liz was at with her date. Kyle figures we both need to drown our sorrows with liquor and after one sip, I was drunk and before I know it we’d snuck into Liz’s bedroom and he was rummaging through her underwear drawer while I was using my powers all over the place.” Serena puts her hand up to her mouth and gasps. “Did he see you? This was before he knew about you, right?” “Yah, but he was too drunk to notice. Anyway, Liz and her date show up and catch us…it was a mess.” Max laughs with Serena and takes a sip of his coffee. Serena grins at him expectantly and says, “Well…what happened then?” “She was worried about me using my powers or saying something to Kyle about who I am so we took off…leaving her date and Kyle in her room. The radio station people were chasing us and I was busy trying to impress Liz with my powers.” He rolls his eyes as he laughs before continuing. “Anyway, we ended up at this concert the radio station was putting on and the DJ made Liz, me, Kyle and her date all stand up on stage and told us we all had to get Liz to pick which one of us she wanted.” “Oh my God! You didn’t…do anything stupid, did you?” Serena is finding it hard not to burst out laughing. “I don’t really remember what her date said, but when it was Kyle’s turn he had to go puke.” They both laugh at that before Max tells her, “And I just kissed her.” “Wow. So, I’m assuming she picked you.” “Oh…well, I um…kind of ran off after that. It was complicated.” Max says. Serena rolls her eyes and says, “Seems like it’s always complicated between you two.” Max looks up at her. “Yah, it is.” “Too bad…it doesn’t have to be.” She gets up to refill her mug before turning back to Max. “More coffee?” “Sure.” He hands her his mug. “So, what made you decide to join Liz, Kyle and Maria?” She sits back down and hand him his coffee. “I don’t know…I just felt really drawn to them. I don’t have any family and when I found out their, your, secret…I decided that they could use my help. I can’t really explain it.” Max studies her for a moment and says, “Liz told you…about who we think you are?” “Yah…how weird is that? I can’t tell you if I’m the same person, but it’s a strange coincidence, don’t you think?” She looks over at him to see him nod. “It’s all kind of surreal, I mean, a few years ago I was in London studying for my Engineering degree, happily and obliviously living my life, then BAM! It all changes in a minute.” “Engineering, huh?” Max asks with a knowing smile. She smiles back and says, “Yah…guess that adds to the evidence  for me being her. Not that I know anything about alien technology…but who knows…in 14 years, I might be a genius in the field.” She looks back toward the hallway and after hearing the water in the shower still running, she says, “I think it’s a good thing that you’re here.” Max just looks at her and shrugs his shoulders. “At least Michael can stop brooding over Maria now. And I think Isabel is really gonna like it here. Liz was right…we’ll be much stronger as one group.” “That’s not what I was talking about.” Serena says as she nods her head in the direction of the bathroom. “Look, we don’t know each other very well, but I feel connected to all of you for some odd reason and I’m a call-it-as-I-see-it kind of girl. I’ve been with Liz for almost three years, so I think I know her pretty well. And what I know, is that she needs you.” Max shakes his head and looks down at his coffee. “And from what I hear about you, you’re the king of passive-aggressive. So, I’m just gonna give you this one piece of advice.” Serena waits until he looks up at her before continuing. “You give Liz what she  needs, not what she  thinks she wants.” Suddenly, the front door burst open and Maria sweeps in. “Where’s the coffee? I was so disoriented this morning when I got up and there wasn’t any coffee.” Serena smiles and says, “Sorry, Maria. Maybe I can make some over there for you in the mornings so it’ll be waiting for you. Oh! And maybe, I can make breakfast and serve it to you in bed…along with the morning paper? How’s that sound?” “I can’t do smart-ass in the morning, Serena.” Maria rolls her eyes and accepts a cup of coffee from Serena, drinking from it greedily as she drops down in a chair. She looks around and asks, “Where’s Liz? Don’t tell me she’s sleeping.” “In the shower.” Serena tells her. “Well, I guess today is job day.” Maria laments. “Yah…I suppose some of us should start making some money. How are we on funds?” Serena asks. Maria looks up in thought and says, “I don’t think it’s critical yet. But we have this extra place and more mouths to feed.” She looks at Max and says, “You guys know how to speak French? You won’t be able to work if you don’t.” “No, but we can learn pretty quick. We already know Spanish…it shouldn’t take too long.” Max tells her. “Liz is usually the one who brings in the big bucks…she knows how to bartend so she gets pretty good tips.” Maria says. A couple of hours later, Max is finally showered and dressed and he walks out to the living room to find Isabel, Jesse, Maria, Michael and Serena sitting out on the balcony. When he joins them, he sees Liz down in the courtyard talking to Kyle. “Max, talk Michael into going shopping with us today. He needs more than what he’s wearing on his back. What has it been…three days that you’ve been wearing that?” She looks at Michael in disgust. “Shopping. Not exactly a Michael thing to do.” Max tells her with a grin. “I’m sure you can just get him some things.” “No!” Michael immediately says and Max gives Maria a knowing smile. “Fine…I’ll go.” Maria stands up with a satisfied grin on her face and says, “Ok…let’s go.” She turns to Max. “We’ve been waiting for you…Liz is waiting outside.” Max follows his sister through the door obediently. He didn’t even know they were going shopping, but he knows better than to object. He’s pretty sure it was Isabel and Maria’s idea. When they get to the courtyard, his breath catches in his throat when his gaze meets Liz’s. He’s surprised that she’s going with them, but they probably have other supplies to pick up other than clothes for him, Michael, Isabel and Jesse. An hour later, they’re all sifting through the racks in a second hand clothing store and Isabel already has an armload of clothes. Max looks over at her and smiles as she enthusiastically shows Jesse another find. He’s not having much luck, having only found a pair of jeans. “Want some help?” He turns to find Liz standing next to him. “Oh…yah, sure.” He says as he looks at the rack in front of him. It’s filled with colorful shirts that make him cringe. She smiles and walks to another rack to look through. A couple of minutes later, she walks up to him with several plain, dark shirts and hands them to him. “These look more like you.” She smiles down at the colorful display in front of them. “Yah…thanks.” He says with relief. “Come on…there are more pants over here.” She grabs his hand and pulls him to another section of the store. He happily lets her lead him and they soon find another pair of jeans and some brown slacks. As they’re laughing over a pair of gaudy plaid pants, they hear Michael a few feet away, “But what’s wrong with this shirt?” Max looks over to see Michael holding up a brown and yellow polyester shirt to a scowling Maria. He looks down at Liz to see her trying not to laugh. “There are so many things wrong with that shirt, I don’t even know where to start.” Maria says before pulling it out of his hands and slamming it back on the rack. By early afternoon, they’re all carrying more bags than they can manage…clothes, underwear and socks, shoes, four new walkie talkies, and more food…and they slowly make their way back to the apartments. When they unload all their bags and drop down in exhaustion, Liz says, “I’m going down to that bar we saw earlier…see if I can get a job. I should be back in a little while.” “Want some company?” Max asks her. She shrugs her shoulders and says, “Sure.” And they both leave everyone sprawled around the living room. “Man, she’s got too much energy.” Michael complains from the couch. “Exhausting, isn’t she?” Kyle says as he lies on the floor. After a few moments of silence, Isabel says, “So, who wants to start the pool?” Five pairs of eyes fly to her at once and Maria says, “I’ve got ten bucks says they’re together within a week.” “I’ve got ten on three days.” Kyle throws out. They all throw in their dollar amounts and time tables and Maria gets up to write it all down before stuffing the paper in the back of a drawer next to the refrigerator.  Prague Assistant Director Gerard steps off the private jet and meets Agent Noll at the bottom of the stairs. “So what’s the situation?” He asks immediately as the Agent falls into step beside him. “We’ve got six teams. Rome, Madrid, London, Dublin, Paris, and Amsterdam. Nothing yet.” Noll tells him. “Good. I want daily updates.” He tells him as they enter the small terminal. “Take me to the hotel and get Washington on the phone with me. I want complete cooperation from all the governments involved. I don’t plan on going home empty handed.” “Yes, sir.” Noll rushes ahead, cell phone pressed to his ear as he makes the necessary arrangements. ~TBC~ </center><center>You're going to be the death of me. Obi Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker Col Threadkiller is the coolest!<img src=http://www.roswell-orbs.com/smilies/coo ...

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2002 6:29 pm**

Angel glad to see your muse is back in action...you are incredible. I am ashamed to have my drivel on the same boards as your works of art! <center>Margo is a Super ORB!</center><center><center>It all started with a boy, a girl and a silver handprint.<center>Countess Majiklmoon Mistress and keeper of the tunes</center></color~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <a href=http://pub84.ezboard.com/bmajiklmoonsrealm><img src=http://members.aol.com/majiklmoon/image ... 2a.gif></a>

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