"I need to take the baby," the nurse told him, smiling and blushing as she eased the baby from her mother's arms, "We have to run a few tests."

Her intrusion brought them plummeting back to earth. Reality had called. Max wanted nothing more than to continue kissing Liz, but Claudia had to be taken care of first. Max had to find out exactly what sort of tests they planned to run on his daughter. He gave Liz one, last regretful look and then followed the nurse.

She didn't go far, just across the room. Other nurses joined her.

"Excuse me, Miss," Max said, coming up to the table where they had laid his daughter, "but what are you doing with her?"

"We're going to take some blood and run some other tests," the one who had taken Claudia explained.

"What other tests?" Max pressed.

"Well basically a series of tests. . .we monitor the heart. . .motor skills. . .birth weight, just the basics."

"Can you do all those things without drawing her blood?" Max persisted.

"We draw her blood so we can test her for diseases and other abnormalities, Mr. Evans."

"Well, all that considered, I still don't want her blood drawn."

"Mr. Evans, I assure you-"

"Look the idea of you going near my newborn daughter with a needle freaks me out, ok." It was the truth, but it wasn't the reason he was fighting so hard against having Claudia's blood drawn. For the first time he realized just how complicated having his baby had made Liz's life. And yet she had done it anyway. "I don't care if you do the other tests," Max told her, "just no needles!"

"That's highly irregular. . ."

"It's what I want," Max insisted.

The nurse looked over towards Liz, who was watching them anxiously. Any minute, she thought, they're going to find out my daughter is an alien and then it will be all over. "Ms. Parker?"

Liz nodded jerkily. "I want that too."

The nurse then looked to Dr. Bolivar. He shrugged. "They're the parents, they make the call."

"We won't draw blood then," the nurse reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you," Max said.

The whole room heard Liz's sigh of relief.

Ten minutes later Liz was wheeled on a gurney to her private room while the nurses finished up the testing with Claudia. Max trailed along beside her silently, holding her hand, caressing the back of it with his index finger. Liz couldn't look at him. Now that the crisis with Claudia had passed her brain was suddenly flooded with flashes of the kiss they'd shared. She couldn't believe how easily it had happened between them, as if they'd never been separated at all. She slid a look to him from beneath her lashes. He was solemn, quiet. Liz wondered if he regretted kissing her.

When they reached the room the nurse took a moment to make Liz comfortable in bed and show her all the mechanisms to adjust the bed and call the nurses. When she finally left Max and Liz were extremely tense. Alone in the room they stared at each other apprehensively.

"Max," Liz began, "what just happened between us?"

Max slowly crossed the room. "I don't know."

"I mean. . .you kissed me."

He framed her flushed, confused face in his hands. "And you kissed me back."

Liz licked her lips nervously. "What does that mean, Max?"

A slow, sexy smile spread across his face. "It means I wanted to kiss you and. . . you wanted to kiss me." He was closer now, his lips hovering inches from her own. Liz felt her eyes begin to drift closed.

"And what about Tess?"

"What about her?"

"You're still with her."

"No, Liz," Max contradicted, threading his fingers through the hair at her temples, "I'm with you." Max sealed his mouth to Liz's, cutting off any further protests. He sucked softly on her bottom lip, ran his tongue along the sensitive inside skin. And Liz kissed him back. Holding his head closer so that she could gain deeper access. She needed his kiss.

She was starved for it.

The unleashed fury of their passion forced Liz back against the pillows. Max half leaned over her, his mouth slanting across hers fiercely, wanting more, tasting more. Liz felt her nipples harden instantly from contact with his hands. Max kneaded her soft flesh in his hands, rotating the pads of his thumbs against her throbbing nipples. Max could feel his arousal filling up the front of his jeans.

Max jumped away from Liz when the room door unexpectedly swished open. Maria took one look at their flushed and guilty faces and knew exactly what was going on. "You two should compose yourselves," she told them calmly, "cause you're about to have lots of company."

Hot on the heels of her warning Liz's room began filling with their friends and family. Nancy Parker took one look at Max and narrowed her eyes with dislike. "Max." She fairly spat his name in greeting.

Max smiled weakly. "Hello, Mrs. Parker." He stepped out the way so Nancy Parker could hug her daughter.

"Mom, don't be that way towards Max," Liz told her mother gently, "He's been here with me the entire time. He's been a real support." Nancy wasn't impressed but she gave Max a grudging thank-you for Liz's sake. She turned back to Liz. "I saw the baby, Lizzie. She's really beautiful."

"I'll second that," Jeff Parker said, giving his daughter a hug, "My granddaughter's the prettiest little girl in that nursery."

"She looks like Max," Diane Evans stated, smiling at her son, "Don't you think so, Phil? She has Max's ears." Philip Evans nodded like a proud papa.

"I'll say," Isabel teased approaching Liz's bedside, "but really Liz, she's gorgeous. Just like you."

"Oh, Isabel," Liz said as she pulled Isabel close, "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too," the once Ice Princess admitted for all to hear. Her eyes traveled around the room finally coming to settle on Alex. "I've missed all of you," she continued softly.

Alex ducked his head, pretending not to notice the look Isabel was giving him or Maria's glare for that matter. He joined the crowd around Liz's bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "She's a cutie, Liz. So what's her name?"

"Claudia."

"For your grams. . .that's cool."

"Yeah," Tess piped up, speaking for the first time since she'd entered the room. No one would have known she was even there if she hadn't said anything. "She is a really sweet baby, Liz," she said with a saccharine smile, "Maybe Max and I can give her some little brothers and sisters someday." Tess looped her arm around Max's waist. He looked very uncomfortable. A long, tense silence lagged in the hospital room. Isabel and Maria both glared at Tess, but Liz just smirked. Tess' comment seemed ridiculous to Liz considering ten minutes earlier Max had his tongue down her throat. As it was Liz just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever. You guys, I'm kinda tired so if you could. . ."

Everyone nodded in understanding. Nancy kissed Liz on the cheek. "We'll come back later this afternoon, baby," she told Liz as she and Jeff headed out the door. Diane and Philip Evans said their good-byes after. Michael, Alex, and Isabel followed suit, leaving Max, Tess, Maria, and Liz alone.

"Max, you don't have to leave," Liz said, throwing Maria a glare. But Maria refused her friend's silent command to leave and remained rooted firmly in place.

Before Max could accept Liz's invitation Tess spoke up, "I just told your dad you'd be in an hour, Max."

"Why would you do that?" Max burst out a little angrily.

"You weren't planning to spend the entire day at the hospital, were you?" Tess asked coyly.

"It's ok, Max," Liz reassured, giving him a soft look, "We'll talk later."

After giving Liz a swift peck on the mouth Max left with Tess reluctantly, but not before putting as much distance between the two of them as possible. Maria watched them closely, her lips pressed together tightly. When Max and Tess were gone she spun around to face Liz.

"What in the hell are you doing?"

Liz smiled widely, her face glowing with happiness. "Maria, I think I'm falling in love with Max all over again."

Maria slapped her palm against her head in exasperation. "Oh boy, here we go again."