Right now there was nothing. Liz felt completely empty.

After their experience in the cave, all night Liz just felt like she was going through the motions, watching herself as Max walked her to her front door, reminding her softly that he was there to listen when she was ready. Somewhere down the line she had gotten into her pajamas and crawled into bed.

Now she just lay on her back, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling as she tried to figure out what had happened to her life. The loud clap of lightening outside didn’t even phase her, and the steady drumming of the rain on the balcony outside, that she normally found so comforting did nothing for her, as her mind drifted away to places it had never ventured before.

Who was she? All of her life, Liz had thought that she had herself, and her life, all figured out. She was Liz Parker, human girl, on a direct path to success as she earned A after A in school. She had two loving parents, amazingly loyal friends…her life was perfect.

There had been a slight sway in the course of her life after Max had entered it that fateful day in September, but in time Liz had come to realize that she didn’t need to change the direction of her path towards Max, rather just widen the road so that there was room for Max to walk beside her.

But now…Liz had just been told that everything she had worked for her entire life was pointless. She had a destiny, a purpose, to support Max as he fought a war for the freedom of his people. No, wait. That had changed too. Their people.

Their people…

Liz wasn’t even sure what to think of her own status anymore. Was she human? Or was she an alien? Her body was completely human. There was no question in her mind about that…but Liz was beginning to realize that her soul was something else entirely…something very not-human. She was beginning to understand why she and Max had been so drawn to each other from the start…their souls were connected…in a very alien way.

Max….

Suddenly Max’s actions in the past all made perfect sense to Liz. He had been watching her, in love with her, since they were little kids. That was just unnatural. And he threw all logic out the window to save her life…it was almost as if he instinctively needed to protect her.

Liz began to realize at that moment, that regardless of what Max Evans’ mind had believed all this time, his heart and soul had always known the truth. He and Liz belonged to each other.

It had been almost six months without any real interaction with Max. They hadn’t touched, hugged, or kissed in so long…and Liz was beginning to ache for him, more than she ever had before. It had taken every ounce of will power within her to stay away from him this long. She had thought he was Tess’s. And now…she had just been told that all of her efforts were pointless. Max was hers.

Max…

They were meant to be together. They had been married in a past life…in ALL their past lives. They were soul mates, one soul in two bodies. Without each other’s love, they were incomplete. This knowledge gave Liz strength. She didn’t need to run from the feelings inside her anymore. In an instant, Liz gave in, and she embraced the longing deep within her soul. The longing intensified into a powerful hunger for Max….one that Liz knew that she couldn’t ignore.

Liz sat straight up and stared out her bedroom window towards Max’s. She needed to see him. She needed to FEEL him. It was almost as if she didn’t have a choice…not that she would fight it if she could.

A mile away, Max was also having a restless night, as he lay in his bed in his usual boxers and tank top, listening to the rain as it pounded into the roof above him. He was worried sick about Liz. He had never seen her so upset before. Her entire life had changed on her in a matter of minutes, and the entire incident left her shell shocked.

Max desperately wanted to climb out his window and rush over to Liz’s, grab her up in his arms, and take all of her pain away. But he couldn’t. All Max could do was lie there and wait for her to be ready to come to him. Once she was ready, Max would pull her into his arms and kiss her breathless, and then he would kiss her some more.

He grinned at the thought, and amazement rushed over him once again. Liz Parker was his…forever. His soul mate. They were meant to be together. No one could argue it anymore. Nothing could change it. It was their destiny.

All he had to do was wait until she was ready, and he would wait…as long as she needed.

A slight tapping on the window interrupted Max’s thoughts, and he sat straight up in bed. Who could it be? It was pouring rain out… Michael? No…that was weird. Michael never came to Max’s window anymore…not since he got his own place. The skins? Unlikely.