Max noticed the look Jeff Parker threw his way when he came in for breakfast and knew that Jeff and Nancy had talked about him and Liz. Max sighed. Between Jeff and Nancy he would normally have chosen Jeff, who seemed more placid and easy-going, but since this affects the apple of Jeff’s eye, Max wasn’t so sure that Jeff would be the easy one of the two parents. He resolved again that he would not give Liz’s parents any reason to distrust him. That thought was immediately put to the test when Liz ran her hand over his thigh under the table. Even if it kills him…

Breakfast was a subdued affair. Iz and Alex sat with the Evans’, answering questions about their exalted position in their race and also about the other aliens that were looking for them. Jeff and Nancy had chosen to sit away from everyone and they were talking quietly to each other. Max and Liz tried to ignore the questioning looks the Parkers’ sent in their direction every now and again. Maria and Michael have not appeared yet and Max had a suspicion they were in one of their two tents, making up for lost time. He laced his fingers with Liz’s and wished he could do the same: just be alone with Liz for a while. His discussion with Nick this morning had not yielded any new and brilliant ideas of how to handle the situation with the opposing aliens other than waiting until they came out in the open. And that the four of them needed more training.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sarah came out of the Crashdown frustrated. Nobody there had any clue where the Parkers and Liz were, only that they had gone some place for a holiday. Then she remembered. She had Liz’s cell number! Running to the nearest pay phone, she dialed the number with trembling fingers only to be met with the voice of the operator telling her that the number was currently unavailable and did she want to leave a message? Sarah jammed the phone back onto its cradle. That was when she saw the man across the street watching her. And she could swear that she knew him…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Philip had left with Alex to go look at the camp’s computer set-up and this left Diane alone with Isabel. Something neither of them minded. Isabel saw her mother stare at Max and Liz who were sitting close to each other at another table, talking and touching constantly.

"They seem unable to be away from each other, don’t they?" Diane’s voice was unreadable.

Isabel decided to keep her response light, not knowing where her mom was going with this. "Yeah, they’re practically joined at the hip. It’s quite nauseating really."

"I’m worried about them being… you know, sexually active."

Well, that didn’t work, Isabel thought about her ploy to lighten the mood. She shifted in her seat uncomfortable. "Mom, I really think you should talk to Max about it."

Diane didn’t respond, but kept on watching her son and the only girl that could make him lose his head.

"Have you talked to Dad about it?" Isabel asked nervously.

Sighing, Diane turned her eyes to the Parkers. "No, but I think I should tell him. And Jeff and Nancy."

Isabel nearly had a heart attack. "No, Mom! You can’t! They will kill Max!"

"Well, maybe he should have thought of the consequences before allowing the relationship to get so intimate."

"Mom…" Isabel began as she also turned to Max and Liz, seeing how lovingly her brother brushed his fingers through Liz’s hair and how adoringly she stared up into his face. "Max didn’t get into this lightly. He… he basically married her before they… before it happened." The last part was said in a whisper.

Diane stared at her beautiful daughter unbelievingly. "What do you mean he basically married her?"

"I mean that they are married, well it’s actually called bonded, according to the ways of our people." Isabel took her mother’s hand. "Look at him, Mom. He is never going to be with any other girl. It’s always been Liz. Only Liz. Ever since the third grade."

Still trying to comprehend what Isabel had just told her, Diane saw Tess entering the tent quietly and brightened. At least here was a safer topic. "Hey Iz. There’s Tess! How is she taking all this?" Diane waved at Tess who was ignoring everyone after a quick glance at Liz and Max. Tess went to sit alone at a table away from the other people, causing a frown on Diane’s face. "What is that all about?"

Looking at over at Max and Liz, Isabel took a deep breath. Time to tell her mom about the whole destiny fiasco…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tess, Michael, Isabel and Max were on their way for another practice session in the desert and Liz went outside with them, determined to stay as close to Max for as long as possible. She hated this enforced separation, even though she was used to being away from him a lot in Roswell, this camp was like their home where they were supposed to be together.

They found Michael and Maria waiting at the Jeep with Nick. Max just raised his eyebrows at Michael, who shrugged unconcernedly. His attention was only half on Michael since Liz was pressing herself to his side, keeping his body humming with awareness of her.

"Don’t you need to go get… stuff in your tent?" Liz was whispering to Max, not wanting the rest of the group to hear. She was particularly concerned about Max’s mom who knew about the extent of their relationship and was still staring at them intently as she had been since breakfast.

Max didn’t need to look at Liz to know what she was really asking. Being so close to her, he not only felt her need to be alone with him, he lived it. "Yeah…" He looked at Michael who was now starting to smirk. "Uh… I need to…"

"Go ahead! Take your time." Michael had trouble not grinning. Firstly it was not his style and secondly, Mrs. Evans was watching the whole scene with interest.

Max practically dragged Liz off to his tent and prayed that Alex wasn’t there. He swung her up into his arms and started kissing her before they were even inside.

Liz wrapped her legs around him, holding on as he continued to walk while his lips were hungrily devouring hers. She briefly wondered how he managed to do that. She would have had trouble just standing on her own under these circumstances!

He tore his mouth away from hers for a few seconds. "Because I have to!" he answered her thought before kissing her again, deeply and urgently, cradling her face with one hand. How did she do this to him? Time and time again he would decide to keep his hands off her for the sake of her parents and time and time again she managed to make him lose his head with merely a look or a touch.

Now it was Liz’s turn to pull away. "Because you make me lose my head too," her voice was breathless and thick with desire. "Don’t stop Max!"

They tumbled down on the nearest bed in a heap of tangled limbs. Liz arched her neck with a soft moan as Max kissed a path down to the neck of her T-shirt. He cursed the circumstances that kept him from doing anything more than kissing whatever was not covered by her clothes. He needed her. It felt like they haven’t been together for days…

"Max." Liz was trying to say so many things, but all she could manage was his name. I love you. I need you. I want you. You. You. You. She ached to become part of him and feel his hands on her bare skin. Instead she just curled her fingers around his biceps, reveling in the flexing of his muscles as he moved his hands over her.

Max returned his mouth to hers, his lips blazing a trail from her collarbone, up the side of her neck to her ear and over her jaw-line on the way. He invaded her mouth in a demanding kiss that she felt all the way to her toes.

Mine. You are mine. The thought nearly did Max in as he broke their kiss to look down on Liz lying underneath him. He loved seeing her like this. Like no one elsehas ever seen her before. And like no one else ever will in future. He loved knowing that no one but him will ever see how she looked in the throes of ecstasy. How gloriously flushed her cheeks were or how her hair streamed over the pillow in complete disarray. How moist and pink her lips were or how her breath came in tortured gasps. That his was the only name she would ever whisper in that special pleading way. Fear clutched at his heart unexpectedly. I can’t let anything happen to her. My Liz. My life.

Liz’s eyes flew open when she experienced the change in Max’s thoughts. One moment she was basking in his possessiveness and the next a cold hand ran down her spine. He was looking at her with so much love and protectiveness that she had to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. "I love you," she whispered. "You are my life too. I’ll help you find a way to end this war. And we WILL be together afterwards. Always."

He took a shuddering breath before the corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly. "You’d make a fierce enemy, almost-Mrs. Evans." He became serious again and touched his fingers to her mouth. "Thank you for saying that."

Someone was coughing outside. "Max!" It was Isabel. "We need to go now."

Sighing, Max called back: "I’m coming, Iz." He kissed Liz gently before reluctantly sitting up. Watching as Liz also sat up, he suddenly grinned. "You look ravaged again."

Desperately patting at her hair, Liz glared at him. "Well don’t just sit there looking smug about it! Fix me!"

When they finally hurried out of the tent, they ran into Diane Evans. She caught Liz’s arm when they walked past her. "Why don’t you and I spend the day together while Max and the others are away?"