"Hey! If it isn't little Liz Parker." A voice said from behind her, making her pale.

"Let go of my bike Steve." She tried nicely at first. She never knew what mood Steve would be in.

"What if I don't want to Lizzie?" he smirked, coming around to face her while she stood with her bike between her.

He knew she hated the name Lizzie, which was why he used it. He was a bully and Liz, like everyone else, was afraid of him, but tried not to let him know it.

"What s'matter, Lizzie? Cat got your tongue?" he laughed and pulled on one of her braids.

Liz yanked her head back and her hair fell out of his grasp. "Leave me alone Steve. I need to get home." She tried to look bored, but inside she was shaking. Steve liked to hurt people, if not mentally, then physically. And since Liz didn't let names bother her, he usually liked to pull her hair or push her around.

"I don't want you to go home just yet Lizzie. I want to play some more." He laughed. Steve was 10 years old and not only much bigger than her, but also just down right mean.

Liz saw Steve's attention switch from her hair to her bike and she made her move.

She pushed at him and caught him off guard. Then she jumped up on the pedals of her bike and started to ride off.

"You little brat!" she heard Steve yell and then suddenly he had the back of her bike again and he yanked on it and sent Liz and the bike skidding and sliding across the black top.

Liz was shocked at first, to come face to face with the pavement, and then she felt the stings of scrapes all over her body. Her face, elbows, hands and knees were raw and she tried not to cry in front of Steve as he came to stand in front of her.

"Leave her alone." A tight voice said from behind Steve.

Liz just stared at the new boy Max. No one stood up to Steve. Especially not kids smaller or ones younger than him. And here was Max, much smaller in size than Steve, looking ready to kill.

"Oh yeah! Who says?" Steve smiled and turned to the new kid with pleasure. He looked the smaller kid over and laughed. He was going to have fun beating this little one up.

"Me. I say." Max stated and came to stand face to face with the big bully.

Steve grinned and shoved at Max. Even though Max had been expecting it, he was shoved back a bit but kept his balance and remembered what he'd learned about fighting. It was all in the moves. And in how much faster you were.

"Go away little boy. Me and the brat here aren't done playing." Steve laughed when he saw how easy it had been push the new kid.

Max suddenly charged and brought his head into the larger boy's stomach, catching him off guard and sending him flying to the ground with Max on top of him.

Liz just gasped at Max Evans as he attacked the much larger boy. But then cringed when Steve easily tossed Max off of him and jumped on Max and started beating on him.

Liz's eyes narrowed in anger now, and she jumped up and ran and dove on the back of Steve as he continued to beat on Max who was able to reflect some of the blows, but not all.

"What the hell!" Steve suddenly screamed when he felt little fingernails claw into his face and neck.

He was more stunned than anything else, and when he finally just shrugged Liz off of him, Max took the opportunity to send one more fist flying into the bigger boy, and he closed his eyes determined to make it a good one.

When the bigger boy went flying back about 50 feet, Max swallowed and paled. He realized it must be something to do with his special ability since it had caused the bully to be thrown so far, and he didn't even know he could do that.

Liz watched in amazement when Max punched the bully and knocked him back until he was stunned.

"What the hell…?" Steve said and shook himself and stood up. His jaw hurt and he knew he was getting a black eye. But he saw that the new kid didn't look so good either, so he figured he'd won for now.

Steve backed away, still stunned by the last punch the smaller boy had packed, and then to save face he pointed at both of the younger kids.

"This isn't over. I'll get you both, count on it!" He said and strode away.

Max was on his feet and ran to help Liz get to hers as soon as the bully turned away. "You okay?" Max asked gently. He looked at all the bloody scrapes on Liz and wanted to go back and kill Steve this time.

"Yes… are you?" she asked equally worried and she saw the already swelling eye and bruised cheek Max was sporting.

Max nodded, then blushed when Liz looked him over and then smiled widely. He wasn't used to a lot of attention, especially from someone so pretty and sweet, but he loved her smile. It did funny things to his tummy.

"Thank you Max." Liz said softly, and then hugged him suddenly.

Max, caught off guard froze and then automatically hugged her close to him and smiled. The black eye and bruised cheek were definitely worth it for this.

Liz jumped back and then bit her lip as she felt her face where it was bruising and bleeding.

Max hated to see her in pain and he reached up and touched her cheek gently. All he wished to do was take away some of the pain if he could, but as he touched her cheek, he noticed the cut starting to fade, and then their were flashes.

Max saw Liz as a baby in her mother's arms, and then the flash ended.

Liz saw Max standing on the highway looking at a pair of headlights. And then her flash was over.

Max pulled his hand back and his eyes widened. Did he do that? They both just stared at each other for a minute. Then he looked at her hand and gingerly covered the bloody raw cut that he knew must sting something awful, with his own hand.

Liz's eyes widened as she felt the sting and pain disappear when Max touched it. She looked from his face to their hands and she gasped when he removed his hand from on top of hers and there was no longer any sign of a raw scrap on her hand.

She had also gotten another flash of him being wrapped into a blanket by a woman.

Max had gotten a flash of Liz crying as she hugged some older woman goodbye.

Both Max and Liz looked from Liz's hand to each other and just stared. "What…?" Liz finally started to ask. She didn't know what to think.

Max just dropped her hand and stepped back as if burned. He was as shocked as Liz was. He HAD done that. He had healed her. And he had seen her when she was younger. Had she seen anything of him? He couldn't tell, and was afraid to ask.

Liz saw that Max was just as shocked, and she knew he was ready to bolt.

"Max…what…?"

Max shook his head and looked at Liz with desperate eyes. "I don't know." He whispered looking scared. "Please… please don't tell Liz. Please." He begged.

Liz nodded to reassure him. "I won't. I promise." She said and he knew she meant it. Liz would never tell.

Then he stepped forward again and lifted his hand to her cheek once more. He didn't want her to have a scar on her beautiful face.

Liz stood still, her eyes wide and meeting Max's intense ones. She knew what he was doing and she was humbled by it. She didn't understand it, but she knew Max was making her better. And she knew that her pain was Max's pain.

This time she didn't get a flash, but more of a feeling. A feeling of Max's pain as he looked at her in pain. She was confused by it all and pushed the thought aside. It was too much for her to comprehend.

Max felt her pain becoming absorbed into him as he healed her. He welcomed the pain if it meant it was leaving Liz. And then he continued on to her elbows and knees as well.

Liz just sat in shock at all that was happening, but she wasn't frightened. She had never felt safer or happier than she did now with Max Evans.

She felt as if she knew him. And she knew he felt the same way. She could FEEL what he was feeling. He'd been lonely and scared, but now he too was feeling happy. She knew he felt as if he'd known her forever as well.

Max walked along side Liz as she walked her bike toward her home. He didn't want to leave her alone in case Steve came back when he was gone.

At the door to the café, Liz smiled brightly and once again hugged Max as if she'd known him always.

Max hugged her back, swallowing at the emotions running through him just having Liz Parker in his arms, and it was a grinning Max that headed home.

*****************

Michael Guerin showed up for the first time that week on Thursday. Everyone was used to his absences for days at a time, and he knew the school never questioned his stepfather about his son being sick so much. He realized that the school believed whatever they wanted to believe so they could avoid problems.

Hank had finally gotten drunk enough to let Michael sneak out and go to school today. Earlier this week he'd had to be at Hank's beck and call as he drank and yelled.

With his head down, Michael entered his classroom. He didn't really care for school, but it was better than staying home with Hank, so he welcomed the place as a refuge. And he found it easy to learn, so he didn't have to put much effort into it.

Max was sneaking looks at Liz again when he felt something to his right. The desk next to him had been empty all week , but he'd known it belonged to someone since there were things in the desk. When a boy sat down next to him Max felt himself drawn to look at the kid.

Then his eyes narrowed, wondering why the other boy looked familiar, but then they widened when Michael Guerin stared right back at him.

"You?" Max whispered.

Michael too narrowed his eyes and then widened them in recognition.

Michael went back to the day he had pushed himself out of the funny chamber and had seen the other boy standing there while two other children were also pushing out of their chambers.

The four of them had spent two nights out in the desert only communicating in their heads. None of them had talked. They hadn't even known what that was. But he would never forget the two nights he'd been with the only family he felt he had.

He knew he was different, and had always wondered if the three other kids he'd been with those nights two years ago were like him. Different. He always hoped he'd find them again and now he had.

"I'm Max." Max stated, feeling overwhelmed but grateful that he had found the brother he felt he had lost that day two years ago.

"Michael." he mumbled and then gave a half grin when Max grinned. *************

Liz and Maria were sitting on the counter stools in the Crashdown Café on Friday afternoon, just beside themselves waiting for Saturday and Grandma Claudia's arrival.

They were drinking milkshakes and laughing, their feet dangling from the tall chairs as they swiveled them around.

When the bell above the door jingled, Liz felt goose bumps and swung her chair around toward the door to see Max Evans enter.

Liz's whole face lit up and she smiled as Max came to sit beside her. "Hi Liz." He said softly, then looked over at Maria on the other side of Liz. "Hi Maria." He said with a shy smile.

Maria grinned and stared at Liz and Max as they stared at each other. Seeing her friend so interested in this boy just amazed her. Maria admitted he was cute, but all boys were cute, so what made this one so special.

"Hi honey, what can I get for you?" a waitress asked as she noticed the boy who had come in.

Max reached into his pocket and took out some of his allowance and asked for a Cherry Coke.

Max and Liz didn't say much, they just smiled when there glances met, content just to sip their drinks and be near each other.

When the door jingled again, Maria's attention diverted from her friend and the new boy, to the man and the young boy who entered.

While Hank Guerin asked to speak to Mr. Parker, Michael came to sit at the counter as well.

"Hi Max." he mumbled, hating having to come in here with Hank. He liked Liz Parker okay, but Liz's friend just made him mad all the time. She was just too nosey and weird. And right now he knew she was staring at him.

"Hi Michael." Max finally noticed his newfound friend and brother, and greeted him.

"Hi Michael." Liz smiled over at the other boy. "Do you want a drink or something?" Liz asked.

Michael shook his head and lowered it. "No thanks Liz."

Maria's eyes narrowed and she realized that Michael probably couldn't afford it. Hoping down from her chair, she went around the counter and started filling a glass of Cherry Coke.

The waitresses were used to Liz and Maria helping themselves around the restaurant, so they didn't even pay attention.

"Here, it's on the house." Maria said and slid the glass across the counter at Michael Guerin and then smiled.

Michael glared at the drink and then Maria. "Don't take charity either." He stated irritably.

Maria didn't like the way Michael glared at her as if it was her fault he didn't want the drink. So she frowned back at him and shrugged. "Fine! Don't drink it. See if I care." She threw at him and then walked back around to sit again.

Now both Maria and Michael were glaring at each other.