"You did get that job? Oh honey! You mentioned you were looking into it!" Nancy Parker laughed and hugged her daughter again.

Liz watched her mom step back again, and then she took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm going to take courses towards molecular biology, and the lab is going to let me work there in an intern capacity. And Max. He's still going to the university of NM to study medicine." Liz continued, and looked to the Evans' now too.

"But..." Liz started to say, only Max squeezed her hand and she stopped.

He looked at her and then turned to her parents and his again. "We didn't plan for this right away, but we always planned to be together. Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Parker, Liz is pregnant with twins and I'm the father." He blurted out on a breath.

The room was completely silent. Liz swallowed and continued before they could blame Max. "And before you say anything, we did take precautions...they just didn't...work." She finished quietly and waited.

"My God Max." his father finally said.

Max looked to his father with steady eyes, waiting for whatever they had coming.

"Liz." Nancy Parker whispered and putting a hand to her mouth, she sat back down on the couch in shock.

"You...you kids took care and still--?" Jeff Parker tried to say. He tried to be rational, but it was so much to take in.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I would still be marrying Liz no matter what. But I know this will make it more difficult for us. But we've both figured out ways to make it work. It won't be easy, but we both want this very much." Max said and hugged Liz tightly, looking down at her and exchanging happy, content looks.

"Max. What about money?" his father said in frustration. He raked a hand through his hair and paced the room. "You kids may have a place to live free and clear for awhile, but when the babies come, God two of them! There'll be so many more expenses. Did you think of this?" he rubbed a hand over his face and turned back to the two teens.

Max nodded. He knew they were taking it much better than either he or Liz had expected, and he was glad that they at least had thought about all these things and had some answers for their parents.

"Yeah. Liz and I both have scholarships for school and Liz will be getting paid to work at the lab. And I'll be working there at night too. It will just be janitorial work at first, but it will pay enough so that we will be able to make it work."

"Max, have you thought how difficult med school alone will be?" his mother finally said. She had so many questions still, but the major ones had been answered.

"Don't worry Mrs. Evans, I'm going to be paid really pretty good at the lab, and I'll be working there full time for awhile." Liz tried to reassure them that Max wouldn't take the load alone.

"But Liz...what about your schooling? Honey you said you would be taking courses too." Nancy swallowed, still in shock.

"And I will." Liz nodded. "I will be taking them through correspondence and I can work on it at night and on the weekends. We know this isn't want you wanted for us. And it's not what we would have chosen exactly, but we realize that we don't have a choice now, and we are willing to do whatever it takes. Max will go to college and Med School and I will be able to keep us going on the pay they will give me for working full time at the lab."

Nancy watched her husband come back and sit down next to her, just as stunned and unsure what to say as she was. She held his hand and took deep breaths.

Mr. Evans looked to his wife who hadn't seemed as surprised or asked many questions. "Did you know about this?" he asked looking tired and old all of a sudden.

Diane put a hand to his face and nodded. "I just found out this morning, when I came back early from my meeting. I know it's a lot. I'm worried about them too, but they are two very level headed kids, for the most part," Diane said, and gave them a hard look which they knew they deserved, and then continued. "But it's done now, and I know that we can help them out too." Diane said and then walked over to stand near the still shocked Parkers. "I do know that even though it's sooner than we hoped, that Liz is the best thing that happened to our son and we always hoped that she would be our daughter too someday." Diane smiled at Liz.

Liz swallowed and felt the tears fill and overflow as she met Diane Evans' look. The she looked to Mr. Evans, who met her look, and then sighed and nodded.

"Oh God...they're just so young?" Nancy whispered and shook her head, trying to take it all in.

Liz let go of Max's hand and went to sit on the floor in front of her parents. She met their eyes and let them see the love and excitement in her eyes. "I'm so sorry we hurt you with this. I know you wanted more for me, but I'm not sorry that I'm pregnant. I love these babies so much already, and we will make this work. For some reason this happened, and we want to do what's best. And Max and I know that being together is what is best, has always been best for us." Liz said through her tears. She hugged both her parents as they leaned forward toward her.

"Are you okay? The babies are okay?" Mrs. Parker finally asked really looking at Liz now. Her daughter was a grown woman and what was done was done now. But she knew that both of these teens were smart enough and level headed enough to make the best of it and make it work. "How...how far along are you?" she asked, now looking into her daughter's eyes and seeing the total peace and contentment in them.

"I--I have eight more months." Liz answered honestly.

"What about a wedding? We...what are your plans?" Nancy swallowed again and cupped her daughter's face in one of her hands. She wondered if her daughter knew how much they loved her. She was their only baby and always would be.

"We'll have a small ceremony. You'll still give me away won't you dad?" Liz asked biting her lip. She knew this was a lot for them, but she wanted their acceptance.

"Of course!" Jeff Parker said and hugged his little girl to him again.

Mr. Evans came over to his son. Max met his eyes and waited. "Max, I can't say I'm thrilled about this, but I am proud of you for being responsible enough to do the right thing and to have made good level headed plans to help you out in this situation." He said and then hugged his son.

Max met his mom's eyes over his dad's shoulders and silently mouthed the words "thank you" to her.

Diane smiled, winked and blew him a kiss. It would be okay. Now she had one more thing to do.

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Isabel, Alex, Kyle and Cassie sat in their favorite booth at the Crashdown and waited. Isabel looked up at the clock again. "God I don't know how much longer I can wait. What if Liz's parents don't take it well? What if none of them take it well?" Isabel worried.

Alex put an arm around her and just held her. Kyle and Cassie just exchanged equally anxious looks.

"Hear anything from them yet, Is?" Maria asked as she and Michael came over. She nodded to Isabel's cell phone.

Isabel shook her head and sighed. "God what's taking so long!" she asked again.

"Well it takes awhile to bury the body of Max I'm sure." Michael remarked.

Alex and Kyle laughed but the girls all glared at him.

"What?! Kidding!" Michael rolled his eyes and then grabbed Maria around the waist when she tried to hit him. "Behave." He whispered in her ear with a grin.

"Oh my God! Here they come." Isabel said looking at the front of the store where Max was just opening the door for Liz.

The calm looks on their faces made the other six breath easier and relax.

"Max bro, you're still alive!" Michael greeted him.

Max punched Michael on the arm and grinned at them all. "Yeah. I can't believe how well it went."

Isabel saw a relaxed look in Max's eyes that she'd never seen before. "Max?" she asked hesitantly.

Max's eyes softened as they met his sister's. "Mom knows everything, Is. But only mom." He said and saw her eyes fill with tears of overwhelming happiness.

"Really?" she whispered still not quite believing it.

Max smiled at her and nodded. "She's waiting for you at home." He said softly.

Isabel sucked in her breath and gave a laugh and a cry. Then she turned to Alex.

"Come on." He said not even having to be asked for the ride home.

They watched Isabel and Alex leave and Cassie smiled up at Max. "I'm so glad for you guys. God, Isabel is going to be so happy."

"Yeah. Yeah she will." Max smiled remembering his mother's reaction to him.

"So, Liz, your mom and dad didn't kill Max huh?" Maria teased now.

Liz laughed and shook her head. "No! Although I think they almost died of a heart attack all of them, but...they were...really great." Liz said in an amazed voice.

"They know about BOTH babies?" Kyle shook his head finding it amazing himself.

"Yeah. They know everything. Well, everything about Liz and I and the babies." Max grinned sheepishly.

Then he saw Michael's quiet, closed expression. "Michael?" Max asked, and then realized what it was. "I told my mom about you too. She said somehow she isn't surprised. She smiled and looked happy about it. I know she'll want to talk to you, too, if that's okay. After Isabel."

Michael looked around at all the understanding faces and he did what he did best. He straightened and shrugged. "Hey, it's no big deal. I'm just glad she's okay with it and I know how much it means to Isabel." He said casually.

Maria gave him a hug and met his eyes with hers. "I love you." She whispered in his ear as she kissed his jaw.

"So, Liz, when's the wedding?" Cassie asked anxiously.

Max grinned and then turned Liz around to face away from him. "Max what?" Liz asked with a curious smile of her own.

But she gasped when she felt him lift the gold chain from around her neck and felt it slide between her breasts and leave it's warm place for the first time since he had put it on her.

Then she turned back to him and watched him slip the ring off of the chain and meet her eyes.

"Liz Parker, will you wear my ring now?" he asked in a husky whisper, and held up the ring for her.

Liz nodded as her eyes blurred with tears and held out her hand.

Max's hand was shaking as he placed the ring on her finger for the final time. Then he grabbed her up in his arms and spun her around as they both realized that they didn't have to hide anymore.

"It should be against the law to be that happy. What do you think Kyle? Can you check it out?" Michael grinned and winked.

The others laughed and Kyle raised an eyebrow. "I'll look it up."

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Isabel hugged Alex and watched him drive away. She was shaking but from happiness as she opened the door to the kitchen.

When she came in, she turned to find her mom smiling and standing in the middle of the kitchen.