The scream startled the gunman into turning around and gave Max the precious seconds he needed to get between Liz and her attacker. The guy stared at Max, now blocking his view of the girl, and dropped the gun to waist height.

Finally recovering from his fear now that Liz was safely behind him, Max felt a white-hot fury taking over. He clenched his fists at his sides, taking a threatening step forward. He could see Marcus and Chris take up position behind the attacker, waiting for his signal. The guy looked over his shoulder and back at Max, understanding dawning on his face and alerting Max to the fact that this was no random attack. This guy knew exactly what the significance of the two men behind him was. The threat to Liz had been an attempt to draw Max out…

The guy suddenly grinned. "So, your weakness has a name!"

Both Max and his guards moved towards the attacker, but he vaulted across a table and stormed out the back, flinging Liz’s mom out of the way roughly. Marcus and Chris ran out the front to follow, but Max was at Liz’s side immediately. "Are you all right?" He picked her up from the floor and hugged her fiercely.

Liz was only now recovering from the onslaught of Max’s feelings. She hadn’t had time to register what she felt during the whole exchange with the stranger due to her concentration on Max. Now she started to shiver in shock. Shock that someone had threatened her life and shock that Max had put himself right in the path of danger for her.

"Liz…" Max was too emotional to get much else out. He didn’t know how, but he knew now that she had not really been in danger. That the gunman would not have pulled the trigger. And that he had accomplished what he had wanted today. To identify Max as the leader of the opposing alien race…

Clinging to Max until her shivering abated, Liz felt her anger at Max grow. How could he have put himself in danger like that?

Max had his face pressed in Liz’s hair, his hands rubbing her back and sides comfortingly. He felt the change in her demeanor immediately. She started to stiffen in his embrace a few seconds before squirming out of his hold. Max was baffled about her actions and the anger he felt coming of her in waves until he saw her glare at him. Then he knew and started grinning. "Liz…" He stopped when he caught a movement from behind Liz. It was her mother.

Maria had helped Nancy to her feet after the gunman had shoved her out of the way during his escape. Now she just stood back and watched the events unfold.

Nancy stared at Max as if she was seeing him for the first time. Her feet were taking her closer to the couple who was now watching her warily. She was trembling. "You… you just…" Liz’s mom could not make her throat work to tell Max that she had seen what he had done for her daughter. Tears were starting to gather in her eyes and Max let Liz go so she could hug her mom. Nancy held Liz close to her, but her gaze remained on the guy she had so easily dismissed as being bad for her daughter. Max locked eyes with her. Nancy saw so much more than she normally acknowledged in his eyes. So much more than mere teenage lust. She saw love and need and protectiveness shining from Max’s expressive eyes.

Liz pulled out of her mother’s hug. "I’m fine, Mom." She turned to look at Max. "I’m fine."

Nancy was still looking at Max. "Thank you for what you just--."

"I did it for me, Mrs. Parker." Max’s quiet voice interrupted her. "She means everything to me." He looked at her steadily, willing her to see how much he loved Liz.

Hearing a throat being cleared behind him made Max turn around to find Marcus and Chris standing there. They shook their heads indicating that they hadn’t been able to find the gunman, and then looked down immediately as if waiting for their execution. Max didn’t want to get into the whole issue with Liz’s mom watching. "It’s okay, we’ll talk later." The two shot apologetic looks at Liz and left.

Nancy watched this whole interlude with a small frown, noticing how Liz had immediately went back to Max when the two men appeared. She saw how her daughter pressed herself close to Max, her face in the crook of his neck. Nancy looked at Max. "Maybe you should take her to the hospital. Let them check her for shock…"

Max felt Liz’s nod and he suddenly wondered if she was more upset than he had realized. "Liz?"

Grabbing Max’s hand, Liz finally looked up into his face and let him see how desperately she needed to be alone with him right now. She saw comprehension dawn in his eyes and felt his body tense next to hers.

"I… I think that’s a good idea, Mrs. Parker." Max was not looking at Nancy, sure that she would be able to see what they were up to in his eyes. He put his arm around Liz and walked her out to the Jeep. "Where…?"

"Can we go to Michael’s apartment?" Liz had one hand clutched in the front of Max’s shirt, trying to breathe normally when all she wanted to do was kiss him and remind herself that they were both still alive.

"Yeah, I guess so. He went to practice with Nick." Max helped Liz in the Jeep and ran round the front. He tried to drive off slowly so as not to attract any more attention, but sped up as soon as he was out of sight from the Crashdown.

Liz clutched her hands in her lap, trying to keep herself from grabbing Max. She realized that this was probably reaction to the situation she just lived through, but she needed him right now. Needed to have him inside her, celebrating that she was still alive and able to love him.

The Jeep came to a screeching halt in front of Michael’s apartment building and they jumped out and ran inside. As soon the outer door closed behind them, Liz flung herself in Max’s arms. They kissed desperately and Max grabbed her bottom, lifting her up against him. Liz wrapped her legs around his waist and held on as he stumbled blindly along the hallway towards Michael’s front door.

Liz moaned into Max’s mouth, trying to get closer to him. She threaded her hands in his hair and urged his mouth into deeper contact with hers. His body heat scalded her and she grappled to come to terms with her sudden overpowering need for him to make love to her.

Max pressed Liz into Michael’s door as he waved his hand over the lock. He couldn’t stop kissing her. The fear and anger in his body had been replaced by something much more powerful: lust.

They nearly fell into the apartment when the door eventually swung open. Max recovered his balance enough to be able to kick the door shut behind him. Liz was already tearing his shirt out of his pants, needing the contact of his bare skin. He put her down on the kitchen counter, freeing his hands for more important tasks. Like undressing Liz…

Their union was urgent and fast, driven by the intense emotions of the past few hours. They were affirming their love, their life, their commitment and their togetherness with this act.

Liz caught Max’s face between her hands and her words came out hurried between gasping breaths. "I love you… so much. Don’t… ever leave me!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Max and Nick met during the late afternoon after Max had delivered Liz to her bed at home with strict instructions to take a nap. They drove out of town in silence until Max found a place to stop in the desert, away from the highway.

Nick came right to the point. "We need to have a meeting with you."

"We?" Max frowned.

"Yes, the council of our group. Some decisions need to be taken and you are the one that has to take them."

Max felt the now familiar panic threatening to overtake him. "What sort of decisions?"