His eyes returned to the couple who was now sharing lingering kisses. He smiled. It was good to see them so close and in love. Maybe one-day Nick’s own children could share the same happiness…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Max jogged across the street with his normal goofy I’ve-been-with-Liz smile. He slowed when he reached the opposite curb and his countenance turned serious again. He wished he could make a home with Liz somewhere, so that they could go home to each other every night instead of to separate houses in different parts of town. But here they were... Two teenagers with an out-of-this-world love and the threat of extinction from a rival alien race hanging over their heads. Max felt a moment of supreme panic. He was a 17-year old guy, for Pete’s sake! How was he supposed to cope with all this? He desperately needed some help. Max took a deep breath. He needed Sheriff Valenti.

Max halted when Nick blocked the entrance of the UFO museum. "Hey Nick." He saw a moment of concern flash in Nick’s eyes at the choked tone of his voice.

"We need to talk, Max. Its urgent."

Max’s panic flared up again, but he didn’t let it show. Instead he turned instinctively so that he could see Liz through the window of the Crashdown. She was safe and he saw her two "bodyguards", Marcus and Chris, arrive at the café. Max frowned. He needed to do something about it always being those two near Liz. Someone was bound to notice.

Nick cleared his throat, amused that Max was staring at Liz across the street. These two were so sappy! He repeated his request from earlier when he had Max’s attention back. "We need to talk. I’ll meet you after work."

Max nodded silently, his piercing eyes trying to pinpoint the reason for Nick’s request. Nick was unreadable as usual. Max turned back to the Crashdown. His heart ached for Liz. How was he ever going to prove to her mother that he wasn’t just another boyfriend that would hurt her daughter? How could he prove that he loved Liz more than his own life and never wanted to be without her? That he was addicted to her presence and needed her support to stay standing under the weight of the crushing responsibilities that he had so suddenly and unexpectedly inherited? That not only him, but his whole race of people would protect Liz with their lives? Max knew he HAD to find a way to get Nancy Parker on their side.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Liz had returned to her post in the café feeling warmed by Max’s protective and caring attitude towards her. When she was with him it was easy to believe that they would make it through all this because they were together.

She slogged through the afternoon shift. With only a few customers to serve, there was a lot of time to think about her life. Liz was sitting at the counter, staring into space when Maria’s voice interrupted her.

"Earth to Liz! He’s only across the street, you know!"

Liz grinned at her best friend. "Maria no! I was NOT thinking about him."

Maria gave her the ‘yeah right’ look. "So, I see we are yet again overrun by customers waiting to be fed with alien-themed fair." She looked at Liz again. "Okay, so what’s wrong?"

"My mom hates Max. She doesn’t like me seeing him and she’s quite obvious about it." Liz bit her lip. "Maria, I need him."

Maria put her arm around Liz. "She’ll come around. Come one, who doesn’t love Max?" Maria saw that Liz only smiled weakly at her attempt to lighten the mood. Hmmm, maybe she could sing Max’s praises with Mrs Evans at every possible moment to help Liz. Her thoughts were interrupted by Jeff Parker.

"Lizzie! Can I talk to you in the back, please?" Jeff’s voice halted his daughter on her way to pour coffee for a customer. She entered the back room to find her dad standing at the door, looking through the round window that gave him a view of the inside of his café. Liz briefly wondered if Max was out there, but realized she felt him still being in the UFO Museum across the street. "What’s up, Dad?"

"I was just wondering if you knew those two men sitting in the café?" Jeff motioned her closer to the window.

Liz had to stand on her tiptoes to be able to see through the glass. Her father was pointing at Marcus and Chris. Her heart fluttered nervously. Why was her dad asking about them? ‘Uhm… Why are you asking, Dad?"

Jeff turned to his daughter. "Because they’ve been here almost every day this summer and they keep watching you…" He didn’t even want to mention that it looked like they deferred to his daughter. That was way too weird and he was truly hoping that it had been his imagination.

What should she tell her dad? That she was basically the Queen of an alien race because she had "married" their leader? "Uhm…Dad--."

Maria barged into the back, startling Jeff and Liz but effectively ending the discussion. "I’m sorry, Mr Parker, but some of Liz’s customers are asking for her." With this, she basically dragged Liz out to the counter. She waved her hands when Liz glared at her. "What?! So I was eavesdropping!"

Liz shook her head. "Well, you saved my butt so I’ll ignore this lapse." She stopped and looked over at her guards. "Make sure my dad isn’t around, I need to get those two out of here."

As Maria went off to the back, Liz strode over to her protectors purposefully and tried not to laugh when she saw them blanch as a result. Wow, how weird was her life? "Okay, guys, you need to leave. Max is right across the street and I know some self-defense. Besides, my dad is asking questions about you two."

Marcus and Chris looked at each other. They had orders from Nick who claimed his orders were from Max. But this WAS Max’s mate and she way outranked Nick. They got up nervously when Liz folded her arms, staring them down until they were out the door.

Max watched from the inside of the UFO Museum as Liz’s bodyguards fairly slunk out of the café. He had felt a moment of fear and then annoyance from her and had of course rushed over to a place from where he could see her. She was scowling at Marcus and Chris fiercely and Max had to stifle a laugh. A laugh that died a quick death when he saw the other man standing outside the Crashdown window, apparently staring at Liz. Max cautioned himself not to be overly paranoid, but then the guy moved towards the door of the café, his eyes never leaving Liz.

Max broke into a run, bursting from the UFO Museum and onto the street. His heart was racing and he barely looked for traffic before he was dashing across the road. It felt like he was watching everything in slow motion. The guy stopping mere feet away from Liz, pulling out a gun, aiming at her. And Max was not going to make it in time…