Max waited, every fiber of his being focussed on Liz. As the silence lengthened, his tension increased until his body was vibrating with it, the miniscule movements stealing through the heavy air towards Liz. As the vibrating air reached her, her gaze lifted to meet Max’s. Her lovely eyes were black with pain, and as she locked eyes with Max, he felt himself being drawn out, into her gaze. Without a protest, without even a thought, he fell into her soul.

Anguish battered him from all sides, threaded with a sense of love so profound it left him weak with shame that he could ever have doubted. Liz drew him deeper still, to where her lifeforce formed images of the events in motion. Images that Max could not only see, but touch, taste, hear…feel. His body trembled in the grip of the emotions flooding through him, his blind eyes dark with Liz’s pain, streaming with her tears. This beautiful creature, this woman had made such a sacrifice—for love of him. Always and forever, for love of him. He swam in her love, feeling it embrace every muscle, every nerve, every thought. He was penetrated by her unswerving loyalty, feeling it pierce through all the suspicion and the heartache, replacing them with her endless trust, with her absolute conviction and belief in him. He knew, in a way that left no room for doubt or disbelief or denial, that Liz had not—would not—was utterly incapable of betraying him. Least of all in the way that she had made him believe.

Slowly, in tiny increments, Liz released Max from her hold on him. She did not know how she had accomplished this revelation, but even as Max withdrew his mind from hers, their connection was not severed. She could feel his wonder, his shame and guilt. Liz hastened to increase the flow of her love, sending wordless forgiveness that flooded into Max and burned away his remaining negativity. She felt him accept it, and joy exploded into her from his heart.

The heaviness of the silence evaporated and the air between them began to sparkle. It danced in time to their heartbeats, whirling faster and faster as it vibrated back and forth between Max and Liz. They were separated by only a few feet, but suddenly that was far too much space. Liz wasn’t sure if either of them moved but in the next moment Max had clasped her in his arms. He crushed her to his chest, burying his face in her sleek hair, one hand stroking her back.

“I thought I’d lost you. I didn’t know how to go on, or even who I was,” Max whispered into her hair. Liz’s throat tightened. She began to reassure him of her love when he looked at her, and her soft murmur changed to a gasp at the raw need in his eyes. Liz felt her body respond, arching into him even before she answered his unspoken question.

“Oh, Max. Yes,” she breathed, and his eyes blazed before he captured her mouth in a searing kiss. His tongue slipped between her lips, sliding against hers, and Liz moaned softly. The faint sound seemed to galvanize Max, and he began to kiss her madly, hot, fast kisses dancing across her cheeks, her eyelids; falling on her hair like rain, moving down her throat to her collarbone. He pushed the neckline of Liz’s sweater aside and fastened his mouth on her neck, sucking warmth to the surface of her skin. Liz cradled his head, fingers tangled in his hair as she tilted her head to allow him access. Max lifted his mouth away, leaving a red mark. He smiled.

“I remember the first time I did this,” he said. Liz blushed at the memory, and Max’s smile widened. He brushed wondering fingertips across her cheek, then drew his hand across the red mark on her neck, healing it. Liz’s skin glowed silver for a moment, then the light faded. Max watched it disappear, then met Liz’s eyes.

“Are you sure?” he asked, looking at her intently. Liz knew that no matter how much he wanted her, he would not force the issue if she truly did not want him to. She could feel a curl of fear amidst the hunger and anticipation she was receiving from Max through their open connection and she moved to quench it.

Liz grasped the hem of her sweater and lifted it up and over her head. She wore no bra. She spread her arms wide, reaching for Max. His eyes were like saucers at her brashness, and she giggled.

“Max, I love you so much. Nothing has ever felt so right as being with you.” She paused, gauging the effects of her next words.

“Make love to me, Max. Prove to me that you want me as much as I want you,” she said huskily, glorying in the firestorm her words unleashed in his eyes. Max’s hands reached for her bared breasts, no longer questioning his right to touch her. Instead, with his caresses Max claimed her, branding Liz’s skin with glowing trails of heat that followed in the wake of his ceaseless fingers.

Liz’s head fell back as Max bent to kiss the hollow of her throat. His strong hands gently stroked the sides of her breasts, his fingers spreading to cup and hold their weight. Ever so lightly, he brushed his thumb against her nipple, feeling it harden at the slight touch. Liz gasped, feeling Max smile against her throat.

“Mmm,” Max sighed as he drew back enough to look at her. “You feel amazing. Your skin is so soft…well, most of it is,” he chuckled, glancing at her breasts. His hands continued to tease her nipples, making them tight and hard with his caresses.

A little embarrassed, Liz pulled away. She froze as Max captured her gaze.

“Liz, I love you. I would never hurt you. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I just…I thought it would help you relax, actually,” he smiled ruefully.

Liz laughed, her flash of anxiety gone. Their empathic connection was still wide open, and Max immediately felt the change in her. His eyes burned into hers.

“Liz…may I undress you?” he asked. Liz felt her blood heat as Max took her silence for assent and moved towards her. He slowly undid the top button of her pants, then pulled down the zipper. His eyes never left her face as Max knelt in front of Liz and slid her pants down over her hips, catching her panties with his thumbs. He lifted each of her feet in turn to slip off all of her clothing. Max placed her clothes on the floor behind him, but did not get up right away. He was still looking into her eyes.

“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” Max breathed, almost in awe. Liz smiled; she could feel a little fear creep back into his desire. A little self-doubt. She pulled Max to his feet and ran her hands under his T-shirt, tugging it over his head and tossing it on the floor.

“That’s a little more even…but let’s keep going,” she said, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Max laughed a little nervously, and quickly removed the remainder of his own clothing. Liz’s eyes widened as his thick erection sprang free, and Max caught her little shiver of apprehension.

“Liz. It’s okay,” he soothed. “I won’t hurt you. Trust me, please.”

Liz looked back into his eyes. There was the Max she loved, his spirit shining out of those extraordinary eyes. Her last reservations crumbled before the love in Max’s gaze, a love she could feel enveloping her as she stepped into his arms and kissed him.

With her complete surrender, Max no longer struggled to hold back his desire. He opened himself to the tidal wave he could feel waiting, and as it crashed over him he picked Liz up and laid her on the bed. Max sank down beside her, maintaining that deep, mind-drugging kiss as his hands freely roamed Liz’s body.

Liz was drowning in the onslaught of sensation. Max’s tongue danced inside her mouth, seducing hers into a slow waltz while his fingers touched every inch of skin that he could reach. Finally his caresses brought his hand to the nest of dark curls crowning her thighs. As he delicately combed his fingers through the curls, Liz’s thighs opened beneath his touch.

Surprised, Max jerked his head back and his eyes flew open, to see Liz gazing at him with a dreamy smile.

“Please, Max,” she whispered. “I—I need…you to touch me.” She hesitated, then continued, “You do want to…don’t you?”

In answer, Max reclaimed her mouth as his hand slid between her legs. He shuddered as his fingers found her slick warmth, and he began a careful exploration of his love.

His fingers traced around her labia, pausing at her entrance. Max inserted just the tip of his pinky finger, slowly sliding it in and out of Liz’s body; gradually increasing the depth of his penetration as Liz became wilder in her movements. She made little cries of pleasure in the back of her throat with each tiny thrust, and Max could feel his self-control beginning to slip in reaction to her incredible responsiveness.

Beyond thought, Liz writhed under Max’s gentle ministrations. She gasped, “Max, please. Quit teasing me and finish it.”

Max chuckled and gently bit her lower lip. “With pleasure, my love,” he replied as his mouth trailed down her body. His fingers were still working their magic when Max’s drifting mouth settled onto Liz’s clitoris. She let out a low moan as Max began to lick her, flicking his tongue lightly across the hard nub of her clitoris.

Liz’s hips rocked in time to Max’s tongue, and as she became more frenzied he removed his finger from her body and held her hips firmly, moving his head to accommodate her motion. Her cries became louder, and Max knew she was close. He began to work her clitoris with just the tip of his tongue, applying pressure with each little lick.

Suddenly Liz clutched his hair with both hands, her legs closing reflexively around him as her orgasm ripped through her. Max could feel her whole body shaking with the force of it, and an echo of her pleasure communicated itself to him through their open connection. He groaned, almost losing it there and then, but as Liz’s shaking began to subside he sat up, reaching for his jeans.

Max removed a condom from his back pocket, and gazed at Liz. He’d never seen her look more beautiful, her body flushed with desire, her lips pink with his kisses.

Liz met his eyes and smiled, a little shakily. She was still reeling from the force of her orgasm, but she knew she wanted more. She wanted Max, all of him. Wordlessly, Liz sent her feelings down their open connection.

Max’s hands began to shake as he received Liz’s feelings. He exerted every bit of self-control he had to keep them steady enough to open the package and put on the condom. He knew from the tiny smile on Liz’s face that she was aware of the effort that it was costing him not to just take her, and that she appreciated it.

At last Max sheathed his erection in the latex. He lay down beside Liz on the bed again, and took her face in his hands.

“You know that this will change everything. For me, there is no going back if this happens,” Max warned. “I love you more than anything in this or any other world, Liz, and once we make love you are MINE—forever. I am going to ask you one more time: are you sure you want to do this?”

Liz stared into Max’s eyes. This was her beloved, her soulmate. Somehow, some way, they would make this work.

“Max,” she whispered, gripped by a force she could neither explain nor deny, “don’t you realize what you are to me? You’re the love of my life. There will never be another you.”

With her words, images came rushing into Max’s mind, echoes of those very words. All at once he truly realized how much it had cost Liz to lie to him. As he registered this further revelation, he kissed her forehead and brushed her hair back, looking at her tenderly.

“Elizabeth Marie Parker, may I make love to you?” he asked softly, letting his forgiveness and understanding travel along their open connection, alongside his love. Liz just looked at him for a moment, then she smiled.

Max felt a rush of emotion as he knelt between Liz’s thighs. She grasped his erection and guided him to her opening, looking at him all the while. Max pushed in a little and met resistance. He felt a stab of terror, and looked down at their joined bodies.

“I—I can’t. It’s going to hurt you,” he stammered, mesmerized by the sight. Liz laughed, a little breathlessly.

“It’ll hurt a little; I won’t lie to you. But pain shared is pain halved, Max. I think it’s worth it,” she declared.

Max looked at her. They locked gazes, staring into each other’s souls. Already linked in mind and spirit, they linked in body as Max thrust into Liz, penetrating her barrier. There was a flash of pain—for both of them—but they were too lost in each other to take notice of it.

Max began to pump slowly, sliding in and out of Liz in a steady rhythm. He could feel his own pleasure building as her satin warmth embraced him, and he knew that Liz could feel it too. Just as he could feel what it was like to have him inside of her.

As their pace increased Max and Liz never lost their eye contact. They were melting into one another, their thoughts and feelings swirling back and forth between them as their pleasure grew till every nerve in both of their bodies was alive with it, and with their love.

Liz reached climax first, and her clenching muscles sent Max plummeting over the edge with her. He exploded into her, both of them seeing constellations in each other’s eyes.

Gradually they came to a stop, Max resting most of his weight on his elbows. They stared at each other, realizing that what Max had said was true—they were bound together now, forever.

Max finally moved to one side, and Liz cuddled up against him. She noticed that although darkness had fallen outside, it wasn’t dark in her room. Puzzled, since they had not turned on a light, Liz was about to comment when Max laughed.

“Look, Liz. It’s us—we’re glowing!” he exclaimed, awe and amusement mingled in his voice. Liz looked at him, then at herself, seeing that it was true. Even as she looked, the faint silver glow faded until they were left in true darkness.