"Amazed" by Lonestar

Everytime our eyes meet,
this feeling inside me
Is almost more than I can take,
baby when you touched me,
I can feel how much you love me,
and it just blows me away,
I've never been this close to anyone or anything,
I can hear your thoughts,
I can see your dreams.

I don't know how you do what you do,
I'm so in love with you,
It just keeps getting better,
I want to spend the rest of my life,
With you by my side, forever and ever,
Every little thing that you do,
Baby I'm amazed by you.

The smell of your skin,
the taste of your kiss,
The way you whisper in the dark,
your hair all around me,
Baby you surround me,
you touch every place in my heart,
You know it feels like the first time, every time,
I want to spend the whole night in your eyes.

I don't know how you do what you do,
I'm so in love with you,
It just keeps getting better,
I want to spend the rest of my life
With you by my side, forever and ever,
every little thing that you do.
Baby I'm amazed by you.

* * *

"Max... wait! We have to stop!" Liz Parker gasped for breath, running down the dark streets of Roswell, New Mexico behind Max Evans - but a Max Evans like she had never seen him before...

"Let's just keep running," he said "you and me, away from here, away from everything. I see everything so clearly now. We'll go someplace where no one knows us... As long as we're together, nothing else matters."

"You're drunk.. nothing that you 're saying is true."

"It's all true, Liz - it's how I really feel. It's all just magic when I think about you." Max touched his hand to the street lamp, and suddenly they were showered with reflections, like from a giant mirror ball.

"Max! Turn it off, anyone can see!"

"And when I'm not with you... I go crazy." He touched the hood of a parked car, and the car alarm began to wail.

"Max..."

"And when you're here.." he touched the hood again, and the wail turned into a tinkling music box.

"Oh, Max, please!" Liz said, worried.

He turned and looked at her. "You're my dream girl, Liz."

"And what if I believe you tonight?"

"Then we live happily ever after." He gave her a sweet drunken smile.

"And then what about tomorrow, when you go back to realizing who you really are and all your fantasies go away?"

"I'll still have you."

"This can never be normal, Max.."

Max walked away, touching the parking meters - sparks lit up like Roman candles. He turned and looked at her, his face illuminated by the sparkling light of his improvised fireworks, looking proud of who he was, of what he could do -

"What's so great about normal?"

Liz smiled and looked at him. Why was she arguing with him - why was she trying to be the sensible one? Here he was, declaring his love for her - working miracles, just for her. Sweet, gentle, drunken Max.

She shook her head. "Nothing's great about normal," she said, walking towards him, putting her left hand on his chest, over his heart.

He reached for her face and kissed her. She saw herself again through his eyes - when she was little - playing pool on their date, when they were at the dance - every different image of her stored in Max's heart. So much love...

He stepped back, looking at her, catching his breath. "Don't you see?"

Liz nodded. Running away suddenly sounded so tempting. Not just away from this crazy blind date contest and the obnoxious D.J., but away from Roswell, where she used to think nothing ever happened, and now it seems things never stopped happening -most of them bad. Away from all their problems.

Away from Maria and her well-meaning meddling, from her Dad's ever watchful eyes and her Mom's cold disapproving stare. Liz didn't know why, but sometimes her Mom really didn't seem to even like her, let alone love her. Maybe because her Dad loved her so much? Well, her problems with Max were bad enough right now, without trying to figure out her parents' problems!

She would also be glad to run away from Kyle moping around after her, and Sheriff Valenti's sharp eyes, always watching, waiting. Even away from Isabel and Michael, their anger at her for coming between them and Max, Isabel's fear that she was taking Max away from her.

She couldn't believe Max would even consider leaving them. What would it be like, she wondered, not to constantly be interrupted by Isabel, Maria, Alex, or Michael's latest crisis. What would it be like to have Max Evans all to herself?

"Where could we go, Max?"

"Run away! Doesn't matter... Just.. away. You and me." Max looked young for 16, but drunk he looked closer to 6. "Wait!" Max pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. "I have a car!"

"But you're drunk, Max - you can't drive.."

"It's okay...it's not my car. C'mon!" He grabbed her hand and they were running again.

Liz was clutching at a stitch in her side, carrying one shoe, when they finally stopped.

"OK, hop in," Max said.

"Max! This is Kyle's car!"

"Yep, he gave me the keys. Said I should take care of it for him."

"I don't think that includes driving it, Max."

"No.. no, he INSISTED I drive it! Get in! It'll be fun.."

Sometimes you have to follow your heart, Grandma Claudia had said. Suddenly Liz was tired of being cautious and sensible. Max might be drunk for the first time in his life, but he was still Max - being drunk just made him less afraid, made him free to love her and say so.

"Well, okay - I guess we could take a little ride."

He held the door for her. "You can't let me drive alone," he said smiling. "I'm drunk!" He walked around the other side and hopped over the door and landed in the driver's seat behind the wheel in one smooth movement, graceful as a cat.

"Max.. maybe I should drive.. maybe this isn't such a good idea..Ahh!" She ended with a shriek as Max gunned the motor, tromped the gas, and peeled rubber of out Roswell.

"Slow down, Max!" Liz yelled over the whine of the engine, "We'll get killed!"

"Uh-uh. Alien reflexes... Like that!" He tried unsuccessfully to snap his fingers, but he was too drunk.

The scenery was flying by in a blur. Liz had to do something. "OK, but the police will stop us.. And they'll want to know why you are in Kyle's car... and where we're going... And then we'll have to go back."

Max thought about this and eased up on the accelerator. They slowed down to only about 10 or 20 miles above the speed limit.

"Where are we going, Max?"

He glanced at her. "Someplace... magic. Someplace pretty - like you." He touched the radio and it began blasting. He beat time on the steering wheel and started singing along.

Liz laughed. She didn't know who this sweet, goofy, exuberant loving stranger was in the car, who had taken Max Evans' place - but she knew she loved him.

They drove north, out of Roswell, up 285. They drove for a long time, laughing and singing along to the radio, the wind whipping at their hair - Liz was glad she had hers up. The sky was filled with a million stars. * * * They passed a commercial strip of glittering lights and colorful blinking signs, advertisments for gambling at Indian casinos.

"See, I told you... magic!" Suddenly Max slammed the brakes and pulled the car into a parking lot, to a building next to one of the glittering casinos, the tires squealing in protest.

Liz looked up at the huge heart-shaped neon sign. "Wedding Chapel."

"Whaddya say, Liz? Let's get married."

"Max! We're only 16..."

Max held his index finger across his upper lip. "I could grow a mustache, then I'd look older.."

"No, Max!"

"But when I kissed the bride.. it might tickle. Hmm.. I don't suppose YOU'd look older with a mustache," he gave a drunked chuckle. "C'mon!" He hopped out of the car, ran around, opened her door and tugged at her hand eagerly. "Let's go, Liz... You can't live happily ever after until you get married."

"Max, we can't do this!"

"Why not? People get married all the time. See... "wedding performed while you wait" he read - C'mon, you can be Mrs. Max Evans."

"Max, no!"

He stopped and looked at her, his face falling into a pouty frown. "You... you don't love me, Liz? You don't want me?"

"Oh, Max... of course I love you.. It's just..."

"Ahh.. you don't like the name Evans! I could change my name to Parker... How about Parker-Evans.. we could always hyphenate.."

"Our names are not the problem, Max.. We don't have a license.. we don't have rings... We're only 16!"

Max furrowed his brow. Then he looked around, bent, and picked up a few pieces of flattened aluminum can off the asphalt. He squeezed them in his hand and shut his eyes. When he opened his fist, there were two beautiful silvery rings, decorated all around with strange alien symbols, like the ones they had seen in the cave with Riverdog.

"Max.." Liz breathed, awed by his casual display of his powers. "They're beautiful..."

"Just like you." He slid the smaller ring on her finger, but it didn't fit. He slid it off again and made an adjustment. He pocketed the rings. "C' mon!" * * * An older Native American woman with a big hairdo looked up as the two teens walked in. They both had dark hair and dark eyes - especially the girl, but she wasn't sure if they were from the reservation; she didn't think so. The girl was dressed up, but the boy was casual. In her experience, the boys usually came in wearing the suit from their prom. All those powder blue frilly shirts! She smiled.

"We'd like to get married, please," Max said, as if he were buying an ice cream cone.

"How old are you, son?"

"Sixteen, ma'am."

"You got proof of that?"

Max pulled out his wallet and handed her his license. She jotted some things down and handed it back.

"You need a birth certificate. Did you bring that?" she asked.

"I don't have one," Max said sadly shaking his head, "I wasn't born..." "He was .. um.. abandoned.. as a baby," Liz explained quickly, "He's adopted."

The woman gave Max a sympathetic look.

"And you, Miss?"

Liz opened her tiny purse and pulled out her I.D.

"Well, state law says you can get married at 16 - with your parents' permission. Are your parents here, son?"

"Um.. No ma'am, they.. couldn't come."

"And you have their permission?"

"I left it in the car.. Liz, wait here... I'll be right back.." He ran out.

"Max!"

The woman smiled - she'd seen plenty of prospective bridegrooms bolt out that door.

Max came in and handed her two sheets of paper, looking really pleased with himself.

Liz glanced at them - they were permission slips for the class field trip - Kyle must've left his in the car. Only now, there were two of them - and instead of field trips, they said "permission to get married" - and if she didn't know better, she would swear that one had been signed by her dad!

The clerk's lips twitched, suppressing a smile. "Mighty official-looking, son. Never saw parents send along a form letter before."

"Our parents... are very efficient," Max said solemnly. "My dad is a lawyer. He likes form letters."

"Are you drunk, son?"

"Yes, ma'am... a little."

"Well, at least you're polite about it."

"Thank you."

"Not too drunk to know what you're doing?"

"No, ma'am. I'm marrying Liz because I love her. We're going to be together forever - live happily ever after." He smiled.

She looked sympathetically at Liz. "Girlfriend in trouble?"

"Oh, I think she probably is," Max agreed and nodded, not knowing what the woman was referring to.

"Big trouble," Liz said, nodding. This was like the strangest dream, only it wasn't ending. She kept waiting to wake up.

"Fill out these forms, then," the clerk said. "Marriage license is $35. The fees are listed right up there on the wall."

Max was glad he always carried a lot of cash with him, just in case he ever had to leave Roswell in a hurry... And they did leave Roswell in a hurry. He smiled. Max maneuvered the pen with difficulty, had trouble remembering. He asking Liz for the answers. She couldn't help but giggle.

Max handed the woman the forms. "So, are we married now?"

"No, son, that's just the license. You two go on into the chapel - it's through those doors." * * * They stepped through two swinging doors with heart-shaped stained glass windows. Liz looked around. The wedding chapel was a little tacky, but not as bad as that motel on 285 where they'd found Michael and Maria. Actually, it was more nice than tacky, almost like a little church. An elderly man sat dozing in a chair.

"Customers, Charlie," the woman said loudly, following Liz and Max into the chapel. The old man woke with a start.

"Mr. Evans and Miss Parker... they want to get married," she said.

"Oh, well, then, congratulations! You've come to the right place." He pulled his suspenders up over his shoulders and shrugged his arms into some sort of black robe. He put on his glasses and gave them a closer look. "You two look mighty young to be getting married... Marriage is a serious business."

"She's my dream girl..." Max said happily.

"We're soul mates," Liz said at the same time.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"Sounds good enough to me..."

The woman handed him the paperwork and went back out to the office. He glanced over it and shook his head. He cleared his throat and opened a book. He pressed a button and recorded music started playing.

Max lifted his head like a dog catching the sound, and looked around. "That' s nice."

"Bring any witnesses?" the man asked.

"Why, are we under arrest?" Max asked solemnly.

"Lurleen, come in here and be our witness... that'll be an extra $10." * * *

.... by the power vested in me by the State of New Mexico and by the tribal government, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Max turned to Liz. His eyes were shiny with tears of happiness. He put his hands gently on either side of her face, studying her, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. Then he bent forward and kissed her.. sweetly, gently.. worshipping her lips with his own. Liz felt the connection opening up between them...

But then, Liz felt something falling on her hair. She opened her eyes and looked around.

Lurleen was tossing a handful of heart-shaped confetti on them. "It's on the house," she said with a smile.

"C'mon, Mrs. Evans.. let's go!" Max said, happily picking pink and red confetti out of his dark hair.

Lurleen cleared her throat and held out her hand. "The confetti was on the house - you have to pay for the ceremony."

On the way out, Max stopped and put his hand on a slot machine near the door. Quarters came spilling out.

"Max! Stop that!" Liz said, looking around nervously in case anybody saw him using his pwoers.

He scooped the money happily into his pocket. "Told you, Liz. Today is my lucky day!" * * *

"I thought you said you'd be Mr. Parker," Liz teased as they went out into the cool desert night.

"Okay, I will if you want me to," he said, doubtfully.

Liz smiled, "Kidding," she said.

"I could be Parker-Evans.. and you could be Evans-Parker."

"Too confusing," she said, still feeling like they were in on some terrific joke.

What had started out as the strangest, most embarrassing night of her life - and then, the strangest and craziest joyride of her life - the most crazy, impulsive thing that sensible Liz Parker had ever done, had turned into the strangest and most wonderful night of her life.

She knew she must be totally insane... but she and Max belonged together. And now they were - in the eyes of God, in the eyes of the government. Man and wife. Nothing could come between them. She twisted the lovely ring on her finger, wondering if, like Cinderella, in the morning it would turn back into a piece of a beer can. She wondered if Max would still be so happy when he sobered up - and turned back into Max again.

Max stood outside and studied the stars, a dreamy grin on his face. He looked so young. 'Boy and wife' was more like it she, thought. What had she done?

"What if.. you need to go home, Max?"

"We're running away, remember?"

"No, I mean... home," She pointed at the sky.

"Then you'll have to come with me," he said firmly.

"What if I can't, Max? What if they won't let me?"

"Then we'll just stay here. It doesn't matter... as long as we're together." He bent and kissed her cheek gently. "You know what the best part of being married is?" he asked.

"No, what?"

"I can kiss you anytime I want. I can kiss you forever!"

"I think we'd get hungry, just kissing forever, Max." She sighed.

"Mm! Hungry! Let's eat!" Max grabbed her hand and ran toward Kyle's car, pulling her along.

"Do we have to run everywhere, Max!"

"We're running away! You have to run!"

They got back into the car. Max kicked a bottle on the floor. One of Kyle' s beers. He held it up. "A toast to the bride!" He tipped it up and drank the dregs from the bottom of the bottle.

"Max! No! You're drunk enough!" Liz cried, pulling the bottle away, relieved to see it was empty. "Besides, you don't want Kyle cooties!"

Fireworks went off in Max's head.

"Car's hungry, too," he said, looking at the gauge, "We should feed it some gas."

"I should call my folks.. They'll be worried."

"We're running away, remember. Shhh.. it's a secret." His tongue felt heavy again.

"They'll be worried, Max. We have to call them. Your folks, too."

"OK.. tomorrow.."

"Tonight."

"Later.."

Liz smiled, "Are we having our first fight already?"

Max looked thoughtful. "We might have had one before..." He stepped on the gas and they were off. * * * "Anyway, we'll have to give Kyle back his car," Liz pointed out. "We should call him too. He's going to be really upset, once he sobers up enough to know his car is gone." Once he finds out I eloped with Max Evans.

"Mmm.. don't want to start life together as car thieves. OK - we'll eat... and get gas.. and go home... bring home the car.. And then run away again. No, wait! How about if we call him and leave the car someplace for Kyle to find..." Max's alcohol-befuddled brain was incapable of coming up with a good plan.

"The police station... We could leave it at a police station, with a note. And the Sheriff could call Kyle's dad!" Liz said.

"They all know each other," Max agreed, with the wisdom of drunks.

"But if we leave the car at a police station, then what will we drive?"

Max shrugged. "Denny's! We'll go to Denny's! You can have breakfast for supper!" Max announced, as if that solved everything. * * * The restaurant was nearly empty at that late hour. A few truckers in flannel shirts, men in grimy baseball caps and t-shirts nursed cups of coffee, tucked into mountains of scrambled eggs. A few gamblers from the casinos, who had managed to tear themselves away from the tables to eat - or who only had the price of a cup of coffee left.

"Hey, everyone!" Max announced to the whole dining room , "Liz and I just got married! And you're all guests at our wedding reception, so.. have a good time!"

Some of the patrons smiled, some nodded or shook their heads, a few muttered gruff congratulations.

A weary waitress came over. "Well, let me show you to the honeymoon booth, then." They followed her. "You two elope?" she asked.

"Yes," Liz said breathlessly, "I don't know what I was thinking!"

"Elope... cantaloupe.. Can't elope tonight, honey... Hey, do you have any cantaloupe?" Max asked the waitress, then continued toying with the words. "Ellipse.. .eclipse... I love your lips. Did I ever tell you how much I love your lips..." he said, looking dreamily at Liz. "They are so... red." He bent and gave Liz a quick kiss.

Oh, brother, the waitress thought. "He drunk?" she asked Liz, inclining her head in Max's direction as if he wasn't there.

"Is it that obvious?" Liz shrugged and smiled.

"Ain't it always the way," she said.

"Oh, he's never been drunk before..." Liz started to defend him.

"That's what they all say, honey," she said, handing them menus.