He somehow managed to locate his jeep and drive home, mechanically. Tess had been in the park to offer a modicum of emphathy and, initially, it had served as a balm for his shell shocked nerves. It even got him passed his parents, who had been watching t.v. as he slunk into the foyer. They expressed surprise at his early return from the Gomez concert and when he mumbled something incoherent, a look of concern passed between them. They hoped that his summer moodiness wasn't returning , but let it go for now , waiting to see what the morning would bring.

The youth collapsed on his bed, willing himself to breathe. He sobbed silently and clung to his spread like a drowning man to his overturned boat.

Did it really happen? How could she betray their love? How could she lie there in bed with Kyle, so relaxed and enjoying their gentle pillow talk?" They both looked so guilty, while he stood there like a fool, gaping into her bedroom window, and clutching those stupid concert tickets in anticipation of an evening with his lovely Liz.

He didn't recall the tickets dropping from his hand, or the climb down the ladder, or how he eventually ended up on the park bench. He sat there like a statue, stunned and aching, his body leaden with shock, until he caught a movement in the shadows. His head moved imperceptibly as he saw Tess shuffling hesitantly towards him.

"Not now!", his mind shrieked. "Please go away," he moaned inwardly, but he gave in to her advances, because he didn't have the strength to object.

Now, as he lay in the dark , he replayed the evenings events over and over in his head, as if this self imposed torture would lead to some enlightenment.

"Fat chance, Maxi boy! You blew it with Liz a long time ago and you deserve everything you're getting now!" he chastised himself.

He might have even believed this silent tirade if he hadn't felt her attitude towards him thawing. He knew she still loved him, so why this sudden turn around? It just didn't make sense and he wasn't going to believe any of this until she told him the real story.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Liz awoke with a throbbing headache. She, too, had spent the night crying and aching for her true love.

"My God," she moaned, "how much more heartache can one person take before they break? How am I supposed to look Max in the eye ever again? If I know Max, he's not going take this lying down. How the hell do I keep getting myself into these ridiculous situations?!" she bemoaned.

"Alright Liz! Get a grip! You have to start planning for Max's counter attack!" she thought wryly. "Well, we all know his famous connections technique! That never fails to get results, so that's probably what he'll try first. No doubt, he'll probably catch me in the back room like before, and just launch a tongue twisting tonsil assault. Mmmm!" she licked her lips in anticipation.

"Omigod, Liz, control yourself! I'm definitely gonna need help with this one!" Liz grabbed the phone and dialled.

"MARIA!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Max slid out of bed feeling like yesterdays trash, after having slept fitfully. His feet plopped on the floor and he just sat there with his head cradled in his hands. He felt lousy, but better than he did last night.

"Things really do look better in the morning," he grudgingly admitted to himself. "Okay, now what do I do? I guess the most obvious thing is to just come right out and ask Liz what the hell is going on. But knowing Liz the way I do, that won't work! She can be as stubborn as me!"

"I could make a connection, but she would have thought of that, too, and is probably already getting Maria to help keep me at bay. Ah Maria, I can't wait to see your little bag of tricks!" he chuckled..

Max was actually starting to enjoy the challenge facing him but he still had to come up with some kind of a plan.

"Well, there is one other person involved in this little charade, and that would be Kyle. Hmmm, Kyle, if I know you, you conniving little weasel, you're the one to watch". And with that in mind, Max had made his final decision.

He headed for the bathroom to shower and shave. He actually started whistling and, as he left the bathroom, he bumped into his dad in the hall outside his bedroom door.

"Well, it sounds like your feeling a bit more chipper than you were last night," his dad smiled.

"Yeah, well Dad, you know what they say about it being darkest before the dawn," Max shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess I do," his dad countered with a wink and a grin, as he headed down to breakfast, just glad that Max hadn't backslid into his old ways.

Max dressed quickly in jeans and t-shirt and threw on his grey hooded sweatshirt and his sneakers before he started downstairs to grab something to eat. Isabel and his mom were already at the table discussing some shopping excursion, while his dad was just getting off the phone and grumbling about having to go into the office on a Saturday morning to finish some paperwork on a case he was currently working on.

"Hey, Max", Isabel frowned,"I heard about you missing the concert last night. Too bad! I hope it was nothing serious?" She eyed him curiously.

"Nah Iz, nothing to worry about. Liz and I just had a little misunderstanding."

"So that's what they're calling it now" he grimaced inwardly, "when you catch your ex-girlfriend in bed with her ex. Can my life get any more complicated? Hell, I hope not!" he sighed.

Max grabbed a bowl and filled it with cocoa puffs. He sat down with his sister and mom while he munched on his cereal and sipped a mug of coffee.

"So Max", his mom spoke up,"what are your plans for today?"

"I thought I might head over to the basketball courts and pick up a game with whoever," he smiled.

"Okay sweetie. Izzie and I are going to do some mother and daughter bonding over some shopping, so we'll see you later, okay?" she said, searching his face for any signs of stress.

"Yeah, sure Mom," he responded. "Have a great time."

Max raised his eyebrows at his sister who gave him a withering sneer in return." See ya later Max and don't sweat too much." she teased.

"Yeah, right Iz. Enjoy your bonding," he smirked.

Max finished his breakfast, put his dishes in the dishwasher, and ran upstairs to brush his teeth. He left the house, chuckling to himself as he hopped into his jeep. He didn't notice Kyle drive by with a look of astonishment on his face.

"Man, that guy must have nerves of steel after what Liz and I put him through last night! What the hell has he got to be smiling about? That sick son of a bitch! Wait till I tell Liz. She'll blow a gasket!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Liz was just coming downstairs in her uniform, ready to start her Saturday morning shift at the Crashdown.

"Hey Dad, what's up!"

"Oh, Hi Lizzie, I was just ordering some supplies and I noticed we seem to be ordering a lot more tabasco sauce than we did last year. Do you know anything about this, hon?"he asked, puzzled.

"No , sorry Dad, I can't help you there!" Liz hedged.

"Well, if this keeps up, we may have to raise our prices. Just keep an eye on it, will you sweetie?"

"Sure, Dad. No problem," she smiled.

Maria came bounding in at this point with a wide grin on her face.

"So Liz, I guess we have a tabasco thief on our hands, huh? Ah Chica, don't worry your pretty little head. I'm sure it's just some poor schmo feeling a little alienated!" she snorted.

"Maria," Liz shot her a look," will you please concentrate on the problem at hand right now!"

Maria looked puzzled."What problem, Liz?"

"The Max problem, Maria!" Liz rasped in exasperation.

"Oh, Oh yeah! Well, has Maxie poo shown that gorgeous mug of his here yet, today? Cause I'm ready for him Chica. No one, and I mean no one, gets past the DeLuca radar without getting zapped. Cute,hey? The zapped thing, I mean," she grinned.

Liz rolled her eyes at her best friend and groaned. "Maria, this is serious. I broke Max's heart last night, but from what I've seen lately, he won't give up without a fight and I don't think I can resist him any longer on my own and that's why I desperately need your help!" she pleaded.

"Believe me Liz, I know what desperation is and you've come to the right woman. But what I don't get is why you're trying so hard to turn Max away from you? He obviously adores you and I thought you were coming around. What happened last night, Liz?" she asked, as she wrapped her arm around her waist.

"Oh Maria, it's so complicated and I'm just sick of this whole mess! Please don't ask me to explain anymore! I just want this to end!" she sighed.

"Okay Liz. No more hassles. I'm right behind you, Babe." she promised, hugging her friend in comfort.

"Thanks, Maria. You don't know how much I appreciate this!"she said, hugging her back.

Liz walked out behind counter to stack some more clean glasses, when she looked up to see Kyle stride into the diner and take a seat in front of her.

"Hey Kyle," Liz spoke shyly. " What are you doing here so early on a Saturday morning?"

"Hey, Liz," he returned awkwardly. "I thought I'd drop by to see how you were doin', you know, after last night." he shrugged offhandedly.

"Oh," Liz answered meekly.

"So, how're you doin?" he insisted.

"Oh, o-okay. I guess," she returned hesitantly.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd heard from Evans, you know, since last night? I mean, did he call you, or did he come back and did you guys maybe make up or something?"

"No Kyle", Liz shook her head sadly. "Nothing like that happened. Why do you ask?" she queried, looking at him expectantly.

"Damn," thought Kyle. "Maybe I should keep my big mouth shut."

"Kyle, what's going on?" Liz asked.

"Look, maybe this is none of my business, but since I was one of the star attractions in last nights little play, shall we say, well, I thought after what I saw this morning..........."

"Kyle, what on earth are you talking about?"Liz pumped him impatiently.

"Liz" he blurted. "This morning , when I was driving by Max Evan's house, I saw him coming out of there with this big grin on his face." He gave her a sidelong look, trying to gage her reaction.

Liz looked at him in shock."What! Kyle, you must be mistaken! Why would Max be smiling after what happened last night? I mean, he looked so hurt, so upset, so devastated. No, Kyle, you must be wrong!" she exclaimed, obviously deeply shaken by this news.

"Look, Liz, I'm only telling you what I saw and that's what I saw! Sorry," he muttered.

"Omigod. did I dream it? Is the whole world going crazy? What is happening, Kyle? Maybe he's happy that it's finally over. Maybe he really doesn't love me anymore. Maybe......"

"Liz, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that we were aiming for here?" he stated matter of factly.

"Uh, yeah, of course. You're right Kyle." Liz shot him a flustered look. "Yes, that's exactly what we were aiming for," she whispered, as tears welled up in her eyes.

With that, Liz ran out of the diner and ran upstairs to her room and threw herself onto her bed, weeping uncontrollably.

"Liz, honey, what's wrong?" her mom called, as she came running into her room behind her.

Liz just looked tearfully at her mother, but was too upset to tell her what the problem was. At that point, Maria came into the room, having heard the tail end of Liz's conversation with Kyle, and told Mrs. Parker that Liz and Max had had an argument.

"Oh", her Mom said, nodding her head understandably."Well, sweetie, I'm sure you and Max will work things out. Just give it some time," she sighed, hugging her before she left Maria to console her.

"MARIA" Liz wailed, as she threw herself into Maria's arms.

"OH,Chica, I know, I know. It hurts. I don't know what you and Kyle did to Max last night, but whatever it was, seemed to have worked and it is what you wanted, so..........."

"NO" she screamed, "It's not what I wanted. It's what H......HE wanted.."(Of course, Maria had no idea that Liz was referring to her visit with future Max)

"Wait Liz, I thought this was your plan. Are you now saying that Max planned this whole fiasco, whatever it was?" she gave her friend a bemused look.

"Yes, Maria............ I mean, no. Oh I don't know what I mean," she shook her head in confusion. "Look, just forget about everything I just said, okay? I'm just really upset right now......and confused!" she sobbed.

"Okay, Liz. Look, I've gotta get back to work right now. As soon as you feel up to it, you can come back down, okay?" she soothed her.

"O...o..kay, M..M.ar..ia ," she sobbed, as she curled up on her bed.

Maria rubbed her back for awhile, before she finally went back downstairs to the diner, while Liz went into her bathroom to wash her face. She took a few deep breaths and headed back downstairs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, Max had been driving around town trying to finalize his plans. Somehow he had to get Kyle alone and get him to spill the beans. As he drove past the Crashdown, he saw Kyle's car parked outside. Max started to get a sinking feeling. Either Kyle was checking in with Liz to see whether or not their little scheme worked, or he and Liz were really involved!

"Come on now Max, get it together. Concentrate on one thing at a time, you idiot!"

Just then, Tess walked into the diner. Max parked the jeep and decided to wait in the alley across the street to see what would develop.

Kyle was still sitting at the counter when he heard the door bell jingle and he turned to see Tess strolling into the diner.. He'd left early this morning and hadn't had a chance to see her, so he was glad that she had dropped by. She saw Kyle, and sat down beside him.

"So, what got you out of the house so early on a Saturday morning?" she grinned.

"Well, you know what they say about the early bird and the worm," he dead panned.

"Oh, so this is a fishing expedition, is it?" she laughed.

"You could say that," he teased.

"So, what are you fishing for?" she smiled, as she cocked her head.

"Not much," he shrugged .

"Want some company?" she prodded him, as she lay her hand intimately on his arm.

He looked down at her hand and raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile creasing the corners of his mouth.

"Sure, why not?" he grinned

"Okay," she giggled, and they headed out the door to Kyle's car, her arm wrapped around his.

Kyle opened the passenger door and Tess slid into the seat while he hurried around to the driver's side, started up the engine and drove off. Max raised an eyebrow and drove off at a safe distance, in pursuit.

"This is getting more interesting by the minute" he thought, as he followed them out of town."At least it means he's not really interested in Liz---Or, I hope it does!" Ever the worrier, Max fervently prayed that this was the case.

They drove for a while until they came to a little park and truck stop. Kyle and Tess went inside and in a few minutes came out carrying some snacks and sat at a picnic table under a tree. They munched on their junk food and chatted amiably.

"So Tess, you were a little late coming in last night. Hot date or what?" Kyle teased.

"Well, actually, I found Max in the park in a pretty bad way, so I stayed with him for a while. He didn't seem to want to talk about it, but I could tell that he was pretty beat up over something. My God, when that guy gets depressed, he sinks so low! I hope I never know what that feels like!" she shuddered.

Kyle squirmed uncomfortably on the bench. "Yeah, sounds pretty gruesome. So I guess he made it home alright?"

"I suppose so. Why do you ask?" she said, as she turned to him questioningly.

"Oh, nothin'. I just saw him this morning, as I drove by his house, and he seemed okay to me, that's all."

"Hmmm, that's strange! Oh well, I guess he must possess remarkable recovery techniques-- either that or he's manic depressive!" she joked, as she rolled her eyes derisively at Kyle.

"Yeah", Kyle laughed nervously.

After awhile, they got up and moved over to some swings. Tess sat in one and Kyle pushed her, gently at first and then higher and higher until she started to squeal laughingly, begging him to stop.

Max watched all this with a smirk on his face. "So--- Kyle and Tess! Well, well, well," he smiled to himself.

As the swing slowed down, Kyle grabbed the ropes and pulled Tess around to face him. She looked at him expectantly, her cheeks flushed, as he lowered his face and gently brushed his lips against hers. Then he rubbed his tongue along her lips and she opened her mouth hungrily to give him access. Tess let go of the swing and pulled herself up into his embrace, with her arms wrapped loosely around Kyle's neck. As the kiss deepened, she moaned his name and he pulled her tightly into him.