“I thought it was time to come home, Max.” And because she couldn’t wait any longer she stepped into his arms. Mar didn’t know how long they stood there, pressed into each other’s embrace tightly, the snow falling around them. All he knew was that he was holding his wife, smelling her…oh god…it had been so long, too long.

“Max,” Liz finally said a few minutes later, “my fingers are beginning to go numb. Do you think we could take this inside?”

Her words brought Max reluctantly back to reality. He pulled away, clearing his throat in embarrassment. “How long have you been waiting?” he asked as he fumbled with the lock. A million questions were zooming through his head, but that was the only one he could think to form.

“About half an hour,” Liz said, shivering, “I guess you changed the locks cause my key didn’t work.”

“Yeah,” Max confirmed as he pushed open the front door. Once inside he clicked on the living room lights and secured the deadbolt on the door. When he turned back around Liz was in the middle of the living room, noting the changes in the apartment. She turned and gave him a speculative look. “You’ve been redecorating?”

“Maria….uh-,”

Liz nodded in understanding, needing no further explanation. “So where’s Claudia?” she asked, noting for the first time that their daughter wasn’t with Max.

“She’s with Alex and Isabel tonight.” When Max noted the disappointed frown that furrowed Liz’s forehead he quickly added, “We can hop in the car and head out there if you want.” He began to shrug back into his jacket.

“No,” Liz said with a sad shake of her head, “She’s probably asleep by now anyway.”

“Yeah…” Max could only stare at her, drink her in. He watched avidly as she removed her cap, running her fingers through her short, spiked hair. “Why don’t I take your coat,” he said, stepping forward to take her blazer.

“Thank you,” Liz responded and handed him the jacket. It didn’t escape her notice that they were speaking in polite phrases, like two people who barely knew one another. Liz didn’t need to have a BA in psychology to know that Max felt ill at ease with her. To be honest, Liz felt uncomfortable as well. She barely recognized anything in her own house anymore….

“Why don’t you sit?” Max suggested after he’d returned from hanging up her coat.

Liz sat down on the sofa, which was not the cream colored one they’d once had, but a black, leather one instead. Max sat down beside her. She gave him an uneasy smile. “A leather sofa….whose idea was that?”

“Maria. She said it was funky.” The look on Liz’s face clearly stated that she didn’t share that sentiment. “You don’t like it?” Max surmised.

“Just…why’d you get rid of our old one?”

“I just needed a change, I guess.” They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment. Liz picked at her nails. Max watched Liz pick at her nails. Each waited desperately for the other to break the silence. After a few minutes, however, when Max saw that Liz wasn’t so inclined he went ahead and took the plunge. “So how exactly did you get out of Cedar Ridge? You’re not AWOL, are you?”

Liz laughed at the alarmed concern she heard in his tone. “No,” she said, smiling, “I checked myself out. Legally, I could since I was the one who checked myself in.”

“Oh?” Max said, digesting that small tidbit of information. “How you get here?”

“I went Greyhound.”

“You rode a bus all the way from Pennsylvania to New York!” Max burst out, “Alone? Have you lost it?”

“How did you expect me to get here? Sprout wings and fly?”

“Well, truth be told I really wasn’t expecting to see you at all, seeing as how the last time I did you were threatening me with divorce.” Max’s brows furrowed together in sudden confusion. “And considering that…yeah, what are you doing here, Liz?”

“I live here,” Liz responded sarcastically, put on guard by the sudden attitude she heard in Max’s voice. Oh boy, she thought, mentally bracing herself, here it comes.

“And what happened to wanting a divorce? ‘Oh, get away from me, Max!’ You know, that whole spiel?”

“It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind,” Liz countered lightly, hoping to infuse some humor into a situation that was quickly turning serious.

“That’s mighty convenient for you, isn’t it, Liz?”

“Why are you suddenly getting so snippy with me, Max?”

“Maybe because I just remembered all the hell you’ve put me through in the last eight months! I was so happy to see you that I almost forgot that… I’m really pissed off at you right now!”

Liz felt her anger die before it had a chance to bloom. Max was well within his right to be angry with her. In fact, she had expected it. She did, after all, owe him an explanation for her behavior. More than that he deserved one. So instead of allowing her temper to flare, Liz took a deep breath and said calmly, “Look, I realize I have a lot of explaining to do-,”

“That’s the understatement of the century,” Max bit out derisively.

“-And I’d like to do that if you’ll let me.” Max folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the sofa, waiting for her to begin. “First of all I owe you an apology for the way I’ve been acting these last few months….” She went on to explain everything to him in minute detail from her devastation over Jeffrey’s death to why she had been pushing him away in the past months. By the time she was done it was two o’clock in the morning and they both were in tears. “….I know I’ve hurt you, Max…so much, but please, please…..forgive me.”

Max rubbed at the tears in his eyes. “It is not that easy, Liz. You bailed on me when I needed you more than anything….I don’t know if I can forgive you for that.”

“Max, don’t say that,” she whispered pleadingly. She reached forward to touch his cheek but he grabbed her hand before she made contact and pulled it away. His reaction caused renewed sobs to bubble in her chest.

“I don’t think I could take you touching me right now,” he told her painfully.

“Max,” she sobbed, “all I’ve wanted to do is touch you.”

“Just don’t,” he said, flinging down her hand, “I’m not ready.” At her heartbroken expression Max could feel his own tears start again but he fought hard to remain resolute. “I know you didn’t think you’d just show up after all this time and expect things to be the way they were before.”

“I didn’t, but I thought you’d at least let me try to make it up to you,” she whispered.

“By doing what? Going to bed with me?”

“If you want….”

Inside Max’s head fireworks were exploding. If he wanted? IF HE WANTED? Hell, yes he wanted! More than anything, to touch her body, to have her lay against him, to fall asleep next to her…it was the moment he’d been longing for, dreaming of. But how could he possibly make it so easy for her, after all she’d done….and after all he’d done? Only three days earlier he had kissed her best friend. It just didn’t seem right… Liz deserved more and so did he.

And so he looked her in the eye…and he lied. “No, I don’t want to.”

It was obvious the words hurt her. As soon as they left his mouth the color drained from her face. She shrank away from him, curling herself in a little ball on the sofa. Seeing her, Max knew he had to get out. He had to leave or all his good intentions would go to hell.