Diane smiled when she saw Max go into "protective mode", as Izzy put it, over the possibility that Liz might be in an uncomfortable situation. "Calm down, Max. I’m just going to get to know her better." She looked at him meaningfully. "Since she is apparently going to be a permanent fixture in your life from now on."

Still looking doubtful, Max glanced at Liz to see if she was okay with this. Her smile eased some of his fears and he reluctantly let her go again. "Okay, but--." He stopped when Liz squeezed his hand. Brushing her hair behind her ear, he leant down and kissed her gently before whispering: "Don’t worry."

They all walked with Max to the Jeep where the others were waiting impatiently. Alex couldn’t stop himself from getting in a sly jibe again. "Gee Max, was the stuff you went to get buried under the tent?"

"Alex!" Isabel cried scandalized.

Diane watched all this with a small smile. How things have changed! She had always been worried about her children, especially Max, being on their own too much and not having any close friends. Now she could see that there was an unbreakable bond between these six young people that was forged through the shared hardship of the past year. Max and Isabel not only had good friends now, they had an increased family. Her eye fell on Tess that was already sitting in the Jeep and was watching Max and Liz with an expression of hurt on her face. Diane still had trouble believing that not only was Tess supposed to have been Max’s wife, but also that she had tried to harm Liz!

Finally getting into the Jeep after hugging Liz for a last time, Max shot his mother another warning look before driving off. It amused Diane even more. Like a tiger protecting its wounded mate! Only Max’s mate wasn’t wounded and pathetic. Diane is only now realizing what a strong young woman Liz Parker really was. She watched as Liz stood staring after the Jeep until it disappeared from view, a wistful look on her face. Walking to Liz slowly, she put her arm around the girl that owned her son’s heart. "Let’s go do some girl talk!"

Liz blushed. Girl talk? With Max’s mom?

Diane cleared her throat. "Don’t worry, I really don’t want to know about my son’s sex life."

They sat down in the girls’ tent. One on each bed. An alien leader’s mother and his mate. Diane folded her hands in her lap. "So tell me everything about my son."

And Liz understood for the first time that Diane wasn’t about to try and keep her and Max apart. She was trying to get closer to the son she had never really understood. One she had loved in spite of his secrets. Because of his secrets…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sarah walked home slowly, trying to ignore the prickly sensation in the back of her neck. Where was Eric? He was normally so good at picking up on these things! Was that guy she saw earlier following her? And why? Deciding she couldn’t go straight home, she veered into a small mall complex. Maybe she could lose him in there… ERIC!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz and Diane talked about Max for hours, not noticing time passing. Diane watched the emotions flit across Liz’s face as she immersed herself in memories of Max. Liz explained how she felt when he healed her. How he had let her see his beautiful soul when he reversed the connection with her. Comforting her when her grandmother died. Their first kiss. Their first date. She literally glows when she talks about him! Diane realized.

Then they talked about Tess. Liz’s voice faltered slightly when she told Diane about seeing Max kiss the other girl. How afraid and confused Max had been about what was happening to him. But that he had kept on choosing Liz with his heart every time.

Lunch came and went. Philip brought them sandwiches when it became clear that they were not coming out of the tent soon.

Finally they talked about the bonding ceremony and Liz confessed that it felt like she had married Max that day. She desperately also wanted to tell his mom that he had asked her to marry him, but felt that that was a decision she and Max had to make together. Watching Diane anxiously, Liz held her breath while waiting for a reaction. Diane didn’t even flinch. She just nodded and said: "Congratulations."

Liz was so overwhelmed, she didn’t stop to think. She just jumped up and went over to hug Max’s mother. When she pulled back they both had tears in their eyes.

"I’m not going to lie to you. You and Max are going to have to face some tough times ahead." Diane brushed a strand of Liz’s hair behind her ear. "In addition to all these… special problems, not everyone is going to understand how rare the relationship between you two is. Even I don’t understand it completely, but… it is enough for me to see how much you two love each other. To see that it’s not just some teenage crush as I had feared."

Liz was crying for real now. Overwhelming relief was flooding her body at the knowledge that she and Max would have one less obstacle to their relationship. Relief that there was one less person they would have to lie to.

"Aren’t you ever afraid?" Diane’s voice was soft, genuine interest shining through. "After all that you’ve been through with Max… because of Max. Aren’t you afraid? I mean… the FBI, other aliens, Tess…"

Scrubbing at her tear-streaked cheeks, Liz tried to smile. "I’m more afraid of being without Max." She straightened and her next words made Diane’s mouth drop open. "Max is coming."

~*~*~*~*~*~

What the hell was his mother doing to Liz? Max felt such a jumble of confused emotions from her that he didn’t know what to think. The only thing he was really sure of was that Liz was crying. Which was why he drove the Jeep back to camp as if wild dogs were chasing him.

"What’s wrong with you, Maxwell! Are you trying to kill us?" Michael’s disgruntled voice broke into his absorption with Liz’s feelings. He didn’t answer because the camp was in sight.

Liz and Diane were just getting up from the bed when Max came tearing into the tent. He grabbed Liz to him, holding her close as he turned questioning eyes at his mother. "What happened?"

Struggling to move in his crushing grip, Liz answered the question. "Max! It’s okay! We’re just… happy."

He pulled away from her finally, brushing the tears from her cheeks gently. "Happy?" He looked at his mom who was also smiling.

"Yeah." Liz looked in his eyes, willing him to see all the things she couldn’t say in front of his mother. She supports us. In everything. "Everything is fine, Max!"

His unguarded reaction caught Diane unprepared. For one glorious moment, all the love and appreciation Max had ever felt towards his mom blazed from his eyes and it was an awesome sight. Diane marveled that she had thought for so long that her son wasn’t emotional. Now she knew he had just been keeping a tight control over himself. What a difference Liz Parker had made in his life!

His attention went back to his mate, his wife, almost immediately and Diane experience a twinge of jealousy that her son had chosen to reveal himself to this girl and not to her. That Liz knows parts of Max that she never had and never would. She knew Max loved her deeply, but there was no mistaking as to who the most important person in his life was. Liz Parker.

Diane resolved to talk to the Parkers and see if she could smooth over some of their fears about her son. As long as I don’t tell them the kids are having sex. I don’t think I would be as understanding if this was Izzy.

After Diane left the tent, Max lifted Liz up and kissed her breathless. She was laughing and clinging to him when he finally broke away. "What was that for?"

"For winning over my mother. For being wonderful. For being you." He looked so young and happy that Liz’s mouth dried. Why couldn’t things stay like this forever?

Coming back to reality, Max kissed the tip of her nose and her forehead. "Can I borrow your cell phone? I need to get hold of the Sheriff to find out how things are in town."

"Sure." Liz dug the phone from her bag and turned it on. "I didn’t want the battery to die on me out here in the middle of nowhere…"

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