Max was less amused by it all. Seeing Liz look so ravaged, as Maria had aptly put it, reminded him of how completely he had lost it back in the Pod Chamber. It also brought back his fear that he would somehow slip up and cause Liz’s parents to find out about him and Liz doing a lot more than kissing nowadays.

"Come on Max. Do you Samantha-Genie-Alien thingie and fix the damage you’ve done to Liz!" Maria dragged him closer.

Seeing the flash of guilt in Max’s eyes, Liz cupped her hand to his cheek. "I’m actually a little sad that you have to take this away." She smiled at his startled look. "I would’ve loved having a reminder of this afternoon for a while."

Her words were causing a riot of reactions in his body again, and Max bit his lip while softly running his hands over her face to smooth away the evidence of their passion.

Michael had arrived on the scene by then and he looked anything but happy. "Thank you, Maxwell! Great idea bringing the parents here!"

"What?" Max was confused by the sudden change in topic.

"Yeah, now I get to sleep with you and Alex. Nice going!"

Hysterical laughter broke out following his grumbled complaint. Yeah, thought Max, tell me about it!

Only after Maria was satisfied that Max and Liz looked "innocent" again, were they allowed to leave. It was quiet in the Jeep for the first few miles and Max glanced at Liz worriedly every few seconds. He was picking up concern from her, but he wasn’t sure what the origin of it was. Finally, he squeezed her hand that he had been holding in his lap to get her attention.

"It’s Sarah." Liz blurted out without preamble.

Max was lost. "Whose Sarah?"

"The girl in the Crashdown during lunch." Liz saw that Max was still confused. "I talked to her when Kyle arrived?"

He finally put a face to the name and nodded. "What about her?" Max was now remembering how intently the girl had been watching him. Almost as if she were studying him. And Liz.

"I met her in self-defense class. She seemed freaked about something and… she was nervous again today. I… I think maybe something weird is going on with her boyfriend."

Max was smiling at her indulgently. His Liz. Always worried about other people.

"I gave her my cell number. You know… to call me if she was in trouble."

"Uhm, honey? What exactly are you planning to do if she calls? I mean--."

Liz sighed. "I don’t know. But I can try to think of something." She smiled at him. "We can try to think of something, can’t we?."

Letting go of her hand, Max put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side. He placed a small kiss on her forehead. "Probably." Hell, he would do anything for Liz!

This seemed to satisfy Liz and he felt her concern ebb. His, on the other hand, was mounting with every mile they got closer to where the Sheriff would be waiting with her parents.

~*~*~*~*~*~

By sheer luck, they arrived simultaneously with the Sheriff at the agreed meeting point. Max gave Liz a final hug and took a deep breath before climbing out of the Jeep. The Parkers were staring at him suspiciously and their eyes widened in shock when Liz rounded the car to stand next to Max.

"Hey Sheriff." Max and Jim nodded at each other.

Jim Valenti did not envy Max his position. The Parkers had been upset when he told them to come with him for their own safety. They did not understand what was happening and his promises that all will become clear later only increased their fear.

Nancy spoke first. "Liz, what is going on here? Are you two in trouble?"

Jim turned back to her. "Its nothing illegal, Nancy. Just hear them out."

"Did everything go according to plan?" Max was talking quietly to the Sheriff, trying not to increase the worry of Liz’s parents. He took Liz’s hand without even realizing it, pulling her closer to his side.

Jim just nodded. "So far, everything seems normal."

"We caught the one from the Crashdown. Maybe he was alone…" But Max knew it was probably wishful thinking.

"What did you do with him?" Jim hoped there wasn’t another death that he would have to explain later.

Max looked at Liz briefly before answering. "He’s… incarcerated at the camp. He won’t bother anyone again."

Both Jim and Liz wanted to ask more questions, but realized this was probably not the best time.

Max looked at the Parkers. "Would you come with us, please?" He didn’t wait for an answer, but started helping the Sheriff to put Jeff and Nancy’s gear in the Jeep.

Jeff was bewildered. He was staring at Max as if he had never seen him before. The authority that rang from Max’s attitude was not what he expected from the quiet young man that usually hung around the café mooning over Liz.

Nancy, on the other hand, was getting more upset by the minute. "I demand to know what’s going on here! I’m not going anywhere until I get an explanation." She folded her arms. "Liz?"

Liz was getting distressed following her mom’s aggression. "Mom, I… please… We’ll explain everything, I promise."

Again it was the Sheriff that defused the situation. "It really is important that you go with them, Nancy. This isn’t a joke."

Nancy was staring at Liz. "Are you pregnant?"

Max came over immediately, reacting to Liz’s distress that was flooding through him too. He put his arm around her before answering. "No, she isn’t. This is something much more important. Please, just come with us."

Finally giving in, Jeff and Nancy piled in the back of the Jeep. But, their faces were clearly showing their reluctance.

Max helped Liz into the Jeep gently. He squeezed her hand to let her know that he knew how hard this situation was for her before going back to talk with the Sheriff quickly.

Nancy took the opportunity to lean forward and put her hand on Liz’s shoulder. "Liz, honey, its not too late. The Sheriff is still here. Did Max… Is Max in some kind of trouble? Tell us so we can help you! You don’t have to be part of anything he did."

Liz had tears in her eyes when she whirled around to her mom. "No mom, you don’t understand. He is doing this for you!" The next instant she felt Max’s arms around her, hugging her close.

"Is everything okay here?" But Max was looking at her parents over her head. His eyes were pleading with them: don’t do this to her!

When no one reacted to his question, Max pressed his lips to Liz’s forehead before rounding the Jeep and getting in. The drive to the camp was conducted in a strained silence with Liz clinging to his hand. Right now Max didn’t care that her parents saw how much they needed to touch each other, he just wanted to comfort Liz.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was late when they arrived at the camp. Nick was waiting for them and assured Max that they had dinner ready for everyone. He also reported that the Evans’ had arrived about an hour earlier and were in the dining tent already.

Jeff and Nancy looked at each other when they saw that everyone in the camp seemed to wait for permission from either Liz or Max before doing anything. A young guy had followed Liz’s instructions and left with their bags, while another was waiting patiently to show them to the place they referred to as "the dining tent". And what was this about the Evans’ being here?

Nick was casting worried glances in Liz’s direction until he caught Max’s look that said: don’t ask! He left with the reluctant Parkers after Max gave him the signal.

Liz walked straight into Max’s arms as soon as her parents were out of sight. They had kept glancing back at her and Max worriedly while walking away. She pressed close to his familiar warmth, clutching his jacket and her voice was muffled against his chest when she exlaimed: "This is hard, Max!"

"I know. We’ll get through this." He rubbed his cheek on the crown of her head, enjoying the silky slide of her hair against his skin. "Are you hungry?" When she shook her head, he said: "Why don’t you go lie down for a little while? I’ll come get you after dinner. Before we talk to all of them."

Liz was too tired and overwrought not to follow Max’s instructions, so he carried her high against his chest to the tent she shared with Isabel and Maria. This is so wrong, he couldn’t help thinking, she should be with me. He put Liz down on her bed and lay down with her, curling his body around hers. "I love you," he whispered in her ear as he held her.

Liz fell asleep almost immediately and Max gently extricated himself from her. The soft distressed sound she made when he left tore at his heart, but he couldn’t afford to be missing with her for too long. Not when he had to tell her parents the truth a little later…

~*~*~*~*~*~

In the dining tent, Maria was making a determined effort to keep a conversation going. Luckily she was supported by Isabel, Alex and Diane Evans, but the Parkers were quiet. They had looked to the Evans’ for answers as to why they were all here, but soon learnt that the other couple didn’t have a clue either.

Nick was talking with Marcus and Chris at the table next to the parents, trying to explain why they could not go back to Roswell right now to try and find more aliens. "We have to wait for Max. It’s his decision." He shook his head at their eagerness to fix this problem for their "royal couple."

Max arrived just in time to hear Marcus saying loudly into a suddenly quiet dining tent: "Nick, they are threatening Max and Liz! Our leader and his--." Marcus fell silent and gulped when he saw an angry Max bearing down on him. He looked around confused for a moment until he realized he had become the center of attention somewhere along the line.