"Hi, Dad, I missed you earlier. How've you been? Did you miss me?"

"Lizzie, I'm so glad you're back! Yeah, sure I missed my little girl.........whaddya think?"

She smiled as she batted her eyes at him, knowing he worshipped her. This made her feel all the more uneasiness about her impending "problem". Disappointing her parents was probably the worst thing she could think of doing, next to hurting Max, of course.

They chatted for a while as they sat in the living room and then her dad said, glancing at the clock, "I'd better head off to bed, honey. It's 12:30 and I've got an early start tomorrow. You'd better get some sleep, too. Aren't you working the morning shift?"

"Yeah, I am. You're right, it is late. I'm off to bed, too." She gave her dad a kiss good night and headed for her bedroom. She freshened up in her bathroom and changed into her pajamas before settling into bed to call Max.

He answered the phone on the first ring.

"Hey gorgeous," he growled. "What took you so long?"

"Hi, hon. I was talking with my Dad for a bit and then I got changed into my P.J.s before I decided to call. I miss you," she murmured. "Are you in bed?"

"Uh, huh. Lying in your spot, actually. I can smell you here. Mmmm......... Not as good as the real thing, but it'll have to do," he sighed.

"I can smell your shampoo in my hair," she stated. "It's gonna be strange sleeping alone tonight, isn't it?"

"Oh god, Liz! I don't know how I'm gonna get through tonight, let alone two more years. We're just gonna have to take a lot more "trips" with our friends, I think.

"Yeah," she laughed. "A LOT more." She lay back on her pillows and covered up, snuggling her teddy bear. " Are you working tommorrow?"

"Twelve hour shift," he groaned. "Brody has some new displays he wants set up, and their's this seniors' tour due in at 2:00. It's gonna be busy! How about you?"

"I work eight to four. How about I bring you some lunch, say around 1:00? You'll need your strength for those old folks," she joked.

"Yeah, right! I can't wait to see you," he murmured as he sent a kiss into the phone."I love you."

She returned the kiss. "I love you, too," she replied sincerely.

They chatted on, talking softly and sending occassional love whispers across the lines, until they both fell asleep with the receivers to their ears. They awoke to their alarms at 7:00 a.m.

"Good morning, beautiful."

" 'Mornin', Max," she yawned. "Sleep, okay?"

"Uh, huh, except for this buzzsaw I kept hearing all night," he kidded her.

"Ha, ha, you're so droll! I didn't hear any complaints this weekend," she goaded him.

"No complaints, at all. Well, I've gotta shower and eat, so I'll see you at 1:00. Bye, I love you!"

"Bye, Max. Love you, too." She hung up the phone, and rushed around, getting ready for her shift. At 8:00, she went down to open the doors to the cafe, just as Max was arriving at the U.F.O. Centre across the street. She waved and smiled as she blew him a kiss. He returned the gesture and entered the building to start his work day.

She heard Maria come in the back door. She was working with Liz, today, too.

"Hey, Liz," she called out. "was your phone out of order last night? I tried calling you a couple of times and kept getting a busy signal."

"Oh," Liz laughed and explained how she and Max had fallen asleep while talking.

"Hmmm...........must be true love," she sighed and rolled her eyes.

Liz giggled as she puttered around the restaurant, filling the coffee machine and stacking clean cups and saucers. Customers were starting to arrive, and soon, the place was a hive of activity. They worked steadily through the morning, taking a much needed break midway, and then working through the lunch hour rush.

Madge came in to relieve them at Noon, while Maria took her lunch break. Liz opted for the 1:00 p.m.slot, so she could spend it with Max. She placed their lunch order at 12:50 and left with it, precisely at 1:00. She walked across the street, through the museum doors and down the stairs, where she saw Max trying to catch this little kid who was determined to run off with a miniature alien dummy. Liz watched in amusement, as he finally cornered the little guy, and brought him back to his mother, as he patted him on the butt. His mother thanked Max, before leaving with the screaming child in tow.

Liz continued her descent, where Max was waiting for her eagerly. He took her by the hand and led her into the backroom, reserved for the staff. She barely had enough time to place their food on the table, when Max scooped her into a warm embrace, covering her mouth with generous kisses. She giggled in delight as she tried to catch her breath.

"I missed you so much," he moaned into her hair. "Let's have dinner together,too, please?" he implored. "I'll never make it 'til 8:00 without seeing you."

"Hmmm............I'll think about it," she teased.

They sat down to consume their meal, since they were only allotted half an hour for lunch.

They watched each other with hungry eyes............hungry for love, that is. After they finished eating, Liz sat on Max's lap and snuggled into him, just enjoying his presence. They talked about their day, so far, and Liz commented on his future parenting skills.

"Nice moves with the kid, Max," she said approvingly. "You sure can chase after the little ones. I like your style."

Max grinned back at her. "You better watch it, Parker, or I may spank you if you get out of line."

"Is that a promise," she purred. "I'm still waiting for the one you said you'd give me this weekend," she whispered into his ear, as she nibbled on his lobe.

Max shivered in delight as she peaked his interest. "How about tonight?" he growled as he sucked on her neck.

It was Liz's turn to tremble, as she sighed," Oh yes, Max. Spank me."

He jerked away from her as his eyes darkened in arousal ."No fair, Liz," he complained. "Now look what you've done to me!" as he pointed to his awakened member.

Liz looked with interest at her handiwork, unzipped his fly, whipped out his penis and began stroking him vigorously. Max fell back in the chair and locked the door, as he let her take him in hand. There was no time for niceties, so it was over fairly quickly. She used a napkin to wipe him off, smiled down at him and kissed his flushed forehead, before leaving him to sort himself out.

"See you at 5:00, Lover Boy," she winked, as she giggled on her way out.

Max rolled his head back and laughed to himself. She definitely was going to be the death of him.

_______________________________

The seniors' bus arrived promptly at 2:00 p.m. They were all ambulatory, and walked around the exhibits with a great deal of interest, since many of them had been in their teens or early twenties when the so-called crash occured. Most of them had grown up in the immediate vicinity of Roswell, so they were quite familiar with the details.

Max was a particular favourite with this age group, with his quiet ways and gentle voice. He answered their questions politely and smiled engagingly at the elderly ladies, who welcomed any attention, especially from a handsome young man. One oldster watched his progress with affection. Her white hair billowed around her face, framing her amber eyes. She appeared to hang back from the group, waiting for a moment to catch Max alone.

"Young man," she called out to him as she saw an opening, " could you come over here and explain this to me?" she pleaded.

Max turned to her as she led him to a replica of an "orb". "These markings look very familiar," she said as she peered at him intently. "Do you know what they mean?"

"Sorry, Ma'm," he replied. "No one seems to know their meaning."

"They appear to be a form similar to an ancient language. I think I've seen something like this in a cave in Mexico, near one of the Maya ruins," she replied.

Max eyed her curiously. "When did you see them, Ma'm?"

"On one of my amateur archeological digs, last year. You see, I join these expeditions as a volunteer............it's great fun, and it takes me places where I normally would not go. I still have the brochure if you'd be interested in seeing it."

Max nodded his head eagerly, as she retrieved the booklet from her large carry all bag. She handed it to Max. "You may keep this one," she said. "I have another one at home."

"Thank you very much, that's very kind of you," Max replied gratefully.

"My pleasure," she smiled up at him. "You remind me of my grandson," she sighed. "I haven't seen him in a long time and it's so nice to meet someone who resembles him so closely. I suppose you have a girlfriend," she winked.

"Yes," he blushed. "She's very beautiful and I love her very much." He didn't know why he told her that, but he felt very comfortable talking to her...............almost as if she were family. It was strange how she made him feel so relaxed in her presence.

"She's a very lucky young woman, to have someone like you to love. Make sure you take good care of her," she said as she patted him on the hand and turned to walk away.

"Thanks again, Ma'm," he called out to her before she left with the group.

She turned and waved, beaming widely at him as she strode out of sight.

Max looked down at the brochure in his hand, deciding that he would give it more attention later. He returned to his duties, waiting anxiously for 5:00 p.m. to arrive.

_________________________________________

Liz was just finishing her shift, when she glanced out the window at a group of seniors boarding a bus outside the museum. She smiled inwardly, wondering how Max had made out with them, when an elderly lady caught her eye.............. she looked familiar to Liz, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her before. She racked her memory but failed to come up with an answer, and shaking her head in resignation, she returned to the apartment to change and get ready for her dinner date with Max.

Max glanced at his watch, noting it was almost time for his break. He waved to Brody, pointing at the time, and Brody nodded his head, as Max went up the stairs to meet Liz at the Crashdown. He ran across the street and opened the door to the cafe, striding in with purpose. The evening rush hadn't started yet, and he had half an hour to relax with Liz before returning to work to finish his shift.

Liz came out of the back just as he was about to go in looking for her. She kissed him hello, and they sat in the back booth, as Madge brought their preordered meal over to their table. They thanked her and sat facing each other as they began to eat.

"So, Max sweetie, how was your afternoon?"

"Pretty interesting, actually," he answered excitedly as he retrieved the brochure from his pocket to show Liz. He gave her a brief explanation of the old lady's visit and showed her the booklet. "I haven't had a chance to go over it yet. I thought you might want to see it with me. She was so sweet and seemed to be really interested in us. Kinda wierd how she almost seemed to know me."

Liz looked up sharply at Max. "What did she look like, Max?" she asked.

"Well, she had this fluffy, white hair and these big, goldeny- brown eyes. She was about your height and she had this great smile"

Liz paled as she set her drink down on the table. Max looked at her with concern. "Liz, Babe, are you alright? You look really white, like you've seen a ghost or something!

She eyed him carefully and replied, "I have, Max."

"What?!" he exclaimed. "What are you talking about, Liz?"

"Max, you just met your grandmother." She watched him try to absorb this information. He seemed to be having difficulty swallowing as he worked his jaw in uncontained emotion. His eyes glimmered with tears as she took his hand in a comforting gesture. He looked up at her from the table and whispered, "My Grandmother?"

"Yes, Max. I saw her as she left the museum today, but I couldn't remember where I had met her...................then,when I heard your story, I recalled my dream. It's her, Max. She's the one I saw in my dream," she replied in a hushed tone. She stared at Max, wide- eyed.

Max brought a trembling hand to his forehead, wiping the perspiration that had collected on it. "Can't just one day go by, without complications?" he cried. "Why didn't she tell me who she was?"

Liz watched him starting to crumble before her eyes. "Max, calm down," she said forcefully, gripping his hands in hers. "Okay, let's look at this logically. She obviously wanted you to see the similarities between the alien symbols and these ancient Mayan ones. Now, maybe she doesn't feel it's time to reveal herself to you, yet. She obviously has good intentions or she wouldn't have bothered to tell you her information. I think what we have to do now, is to study this brochure, find out what we can from it, and proceed from there. We'll get Alex working on the computer for our initial search and then we'll decide where to go next."

Max looked at her in wonder as he squeezed her hand in compliance. "Sounds like a plan, Babe."

She smiled at him reassuringly and leaned across the table to give him a kiss. "I love you, Maxwell Evans. Just you remember that."