"Alright, I've seen enough," he said, setting the entire stack next to the portable stereo and turning to Liz. "No one in their right mind wants to bring in the new year while having Sheryl Crow and 98 Degrees blasted in their ears."

Liz didn't reply, only stared. "Luckily for you, I bring reinforcements," Alex continued, tossing a backpack onto the counter between the two of them. He unzipped the top and turned it sideways, spilling out a good thirty Cds in the process. "Behold: Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins--"

"Michael Jackson," Liz interrupted, laughing as she picked up the CD nearest to her.

"Liz, he's a god in the music world, soft and annoying music or not."

"Fine, fine, whatever," Liz gave in with a sigh. "I now pronounce you DJ for the night." Alex seemed satisfied, so she walked away to finish decorating the Crashdown. Paper streamers were strung neatly from one end of the room to another, confetti dressed the tabletops, and a large "Happy REAL Millennium" poster hung on one of the walls.

"Alright, my lovely public, let's get this thing started!" Maria announced cheerfully, jumping into the room. "Liz! Get dressed girl! Everyone will be here soon."

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Liz purposefully took her sweet time getting ready for the party, and it was awhile after she heard the music begin to blare signalling that guests were arriving before she made her way downstairs. Stalling for no reason, except the fact that she didn't care to be down there.

Apprehensively she surveyed her reflection in the mirror above her dresser. Cocking her head slightly to the right, she smoothed down the blood-red dress she had somehow been cajoled to wear. Tight, it was too tight. Showed too much, she worried to herself. But, then again, why did it matter? No Max tonight. No Max for her ever again.

"I wonder what he sees in me... what he ever saw in me," Liz mused aloud in a sullen tone. "He would hate this dress."

Perhaps that was true. As she spun around before the mirror, Liz's hair fanned out, and when she stopped once more in front of her reflection it fell around her face in a disheveled way that was very becoming. Pursing her lips, she reached for some gloss and smoothed it onto her lips, trying to mask her melancholy mood with a prettied-up face.

She stood as if in a trance while in front of that mirror until a knock pulled her back into the present. Turning slightly, she glimpsed Alex in her bedroom doorway. "What?"

"Maria was getting anxious. She sent me up here to drag you downstairs. Everyone's here: Michael, Isabel, Kyle..." Alex stopped speaking to give his best friend a smile that sought to reassure. "Max isn't here. As far as I know, Tess wasn't invited. Come on, we'll all have a fun time together."

'Max isn't here.' That's what Liz heard of all that. So he really did have plans. "Alex, you said Tess isn't here... Do you think she and Max are somewhere together?"

"I don't know." Tentatively Alex stepped into the room to pull Liz into a soft embrace. "I wish you wouldn't look so sad. It's a time to celebrate, Liz. A new year. We all get to start over. Make things better." He held her tighter before going on. "Don't let Max ruin this night for you."

Determined to keep from crying, Liz stifled a sob as she nodded and stepped away from Alex. "You're right... let's go downstairs."

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

"Wow, look who finally decides to show up," Maria joked as Liz and Alex emerged from upstairs. "I gotta tell you, Liz, you've really got that fashionably late thing down."

Liz heaved a big sigh and then laughed, looking around at her closest friends that were gathered to celebrate the holiday. Michael nodded over at her. "Yeah, good thing you finally showed up – Maria wouldn't shut up about how down you've been."

Maria shot him a playful smack. "It's called being a concerned friend, alright?"

"Thanks, Maria. But I'm okay." Liz forced out a grin to show she meant it. "So everyone stop standing around and looking at me. God, it's a party! Go do your little party thing."

As if on cue, Alex cranked the music up a notch. Shooting Liz a comforting smile, Maria lead Michael out into the center of the room. Liz had conveniently moved the tables to the outside walls of the room to make some space for dancing. Watching her friend sway to the music with Michael, Liz felt her heart crumble. Closing her eyes, she could envision Max and herself doing that very thing.

Refusing to re-open her eyes and be brought back to a reality she didn't care to live in, Liz constructed an entire fantasy in her mind. "Oh, Max, it was just a lie," she'd say as he stared into her eyes with that familiar burning intensity. "I would never ever sleep with Kyle, surely you must know that. But I had to lie in order to save the world. You came to me from the future – you said that our being together doomed us all from surviving in the years to come, and that you had to be with Tess. I had to make you be with Tess. Max, you came to me, you came back from the future to me, knowing I was the only one capable of saving you from destroying everything for everyone."

"I knew it couldn't be true," he'd say, believing her without the slightest hesitation, as was his downfall for being so smitten with her. "Liz, we'll find a way to still be together. Tess will understand if we handle it the right way. Denying our love is impossible, Liz. There's no way Tess wouldn't be able to understand that. Not after seeing the two of us together..."

"I've never seen anyone fall asleep standing up," came a sarcastic remark to yank Liz away from her reverie. Startled, she opened her eyes to find Kyle standing before her with a strange expression on his face.

Annoyed, she frowned. "I wasn't asleep, I was just thinking."

"About what?" he asked in his usual manner that showed he really couldn't care less.

"Nothing," Liz remarked, running a hand through her hair absently. "Well nothing of importance anyway. I guess I was just wondering where Max is tonight."

Kyle lifted his glass of punch up to his mouth to take a swig. Swallowing loudly first, he turned his attention back to Liz. "Max. You're thinking of Max? The guy I was supposed to pretend to cheat with you on for some unknown reason? Why the hell would you be thinking about him on a night like this?"

Sighing with frustration, Liz realized it was useless trying to level with someone like Kyle on this subject. With an irritated voice she stated simply, "I don't know."

"So hey, Liz, I was thinking that since Max and Tess seem to be missing, we'll be the two odd ones out. Which means, no new year's kiss. You wanna buddy up on that?"

"Whatever you say, Kyle," Liz said in return, her eyes looking elsewhere. In through the door came Max, decked out in a navy blue suit, complete with a tie. Seemingly reconsidering coming here, he glanced around uneasily.

"He came," Liz breathed, so faintly it was almost a whisper. Confused, Kyle turned around to see what she was talking about. Upon seeing the object of her attention, he gave Liz a look that she failed to notice, then made his way across the room to talk to someone more interested in a conversation.

Immediately Max's eyes locked with Liz's from where he stood feet away. The uncertainty in his expression mirrored that in hers. Liz stood frozen, uncomfortable being so trapped and caught off-guard. Unable to decide on a course of action, she just stood, refusing to take her eyes from Max, as he did the same.

Max's shoulders sunk after a few moments caught in silence, and he turned on his heel to head out the door. In a flash, Liz hurried after him, shoving through the doors into the cold night air. She stopped short as she pulled within inches of Max now on the sidewalk outside the Crashdown.

"...You came," Liz whispered when she feared that unbearable silence would start again.

"I should go," came the reply in just as hushed a whisper.

Liz bit her bottom lip and then let it go, a habit she had developed as a child when she was nervous. "Please don't..."

The torture was apparent in Max's eyes as she stepped in closer to him, pulling him into a hug. Hungrily his arms encircled her slight body, thankful to feel her warmth again. No words were spoken as the silence stretched long and unpierced. No longer able to hold the anguish in her heart, Liz let the tears streak her cheeks before they soiled Max's silk shirt.

The secret was pressing down on her conscience harder and harder with each passing day, and coupled with the undeniable love she felt for Max, together the two forces felt as though they were ripping her apart. In those moments as she was held in Max's arms, Liz feared soon all her resistance would be gone, and in her fragile state of mind she'd flee to his kiss and his touch, convincing herself that would make it all better.

Max didn't ask questions, although many had been circling through his mind since seeing the girl of his dreams in bed with Kyle. As she broke down, he felt her tears fall on him and held her close, like a friend. If it wasn't meant to be for the two of them together, then time would heal the gash in his heart and in that time he could be there for her, as a friend. As a soulmate, but not a lover.

Confused as he was about the entire situation, even why he had shown up on this night when everything in his mind had told him to stay away, Max buried his questions down deep. Although his heart cried out for Liz as her tears fell, and although he wanted to break down along with her, he stood strong for her sake. He would cry later.

Slowly Liz composed herself, and with her eyes shimmering still with the ocean she still had within her, she pulled away to look up at Max. Searching her brain for the right words, the right explanation, anything she thought might help, she came up empty. Not knowing what else to say, she voiced all that was needed. "I'm sorry, Max."

And then there was nothing further to say, so she left it at that. Max's face stayed expressionless, and it wouldn't be until later that he accepted those words as all that Liz could offer. Destiny would prevail and broken hearts of the past would be mended.

Squeezing his hand with faint strength, Liz turned and walked away.