Maria was of two minds. On the one hand, she had promised Liz to intervene on her behalf where Max was concerned. On the other hand, she knew how deeply Max loved Liz and how good they were for each other. While she stood there trying to decide what to do, Max gently steered her towards the bathroom, guided her inside and melted the lock. Maria just smiled, put the toilet lid down and waited to be rescued.

Max then went around the counter, took Liz by the elbow and led her out through the backroom and into the alley. Before Liz could protest, he took her quivering lips in his, tasting her, suckling on her lips until she moaned and opened her mouth, as he devoured her. His tongue quickly slipped inside, eagerly running it over her own. She gripped his sweatshirt in her tiny hands, afraid that she would collapse otherwise. He pulled her in close to his body as they rubbed up against each other, moaning each others names.

Then the images came! Max was overcome with the absurdity of his future self approaching Liz, and the request he made of her. How time and time again, she had sacrificed her own feelings for a future she would never know, but because she loved him with all her heart, she was willing to make these sacrifices. How the final betrayal was just as hard, if not more so, on her as it was on him. Liz broke away from Max, sobbing uncontrollably, shaking her head and screaming that she had tried so hard to do the right thing and look where it had gotten her. Max scooped her into his arms, and held onto her, until she calmed down enough to talk coherently.

He whispered into her ear and covered her face and neck with soft butterfly kisses. He held onto her for dear life, running his hands through her hair and up and down her back, telling her over and over again how much he loved her and that everything would be alright. Liz whimpered softly in his strong embrace, feeling safe and adored for the first time in months.

Max, too, was shaken to the core by what he had just seen. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Liz loved him with every ounce of her being. He also knew that he could never give her up and would never doubt her again. Of course, they still had this incredible, disturbing future to deal with, but it didn't look like Tess was going anywhere soon, after what he had just witnessed. They would just have to concentrate their efforts on resolving this problem.

He sat her down on a crate in the alley and rushed inside to free Maria from the bathroom. Then he asked her to cover for Liz for the rest of the shift and said he would explain later. Maria agreed readily, and Max hurried back out to the alley to comfort Liz. When she saw him, she lifted her arms and he swept her up into his eagerly. He held her for a while longer and then ran around the building to get the jeep. He picked Liz up and gently laid her into the front seat, while he raced back around to the drivers side, and eased out of the alley and out of town.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As the jeep headed out of Roswell, Max glanced over at Liz. He'd wrapped her in a blanket and she had finally drifted off to sleep. He stopped at a convenience store on the highway to pick up some food supplies and steered the jeep toward the cave and the pod chamber. When they finally arrived, Liz stirred from her trauma induced sleep and turned slowly to look at the man/boy she adored, as he returned her gaze lovingly. Tears shone in his eyes, as he reflected on what she had endured over the past few days.................and to think that it was all his doing! Albeit, a future version of himself............ but him, all the same.

"Liz", he whispered hoarsely, "please forgive me."

"Max", she shook her head ,"You did the right thing and I love you for it."

They moved slowly towards each other and embraced lovingly and gently. Both still in shock, they climbed out of the jeep and, grabbing blankets and food supplies, they walked shakily up the slope to the pod chamber. Once inside, they laid their bundles down, spread the blankets and lay down in each others arms.

They must have stayed like that for half an hour, just holding onto each other, breathing in each others scents and trying to come to grips with the events of the past few days. Since it was well past lunch time, Max dug some sandwiches he had bought out of his pack, and offered one to Liz.. They ate ravenously, hungry after the release of their pent up nervous energy . They felt much better and Max turned to Liz and asked her if she wanted to talk about it.

"Oh Max, I don't even know where to begin! It's so bizarre and crazy and scary and..........."

"Weird", Max offered.

"Yeah", Liz half smiled,"really weird............even in terms of our whole existence over the past year, this has got to be the weirdest thing we've ever dealt with," she admitted ruefully.

"Well Liz, if we use the past year as a reference, things are only gonna get weirder, dontcha think." He smiles weakly at her, and shrugged his shoulders apologetically..

Liz looked at Max and started to giggle nervously. Her laughter broke the tension and Max joined her until they were both rolling on the ground, faces red with laughter and tears streaming down their faces.

After they had calmed down, Liz turned to Max and asked him how much he had actually seen in the flashes, so he told her that he had seen himself arrive in a burst of light on her balcony, dressed in black leather and wearing his hair long like Tom Cruise in Magnolia.

Liz giggled at his description but had to admit that it was pretty accurate. She told him she thought he looked really sexy but that she didn't really believe it was him at first until he had convinced her.

"Max, when you told me that I had to make you fall out of love with me, I just couldn't believe it! But, you were so adamant that I was afraid to say no. And when we set you up with Tess at the Crashdown, you told me that we had eloped at age nineteen! Did you see that?"

"Yeah I did. I felt how happy you were when you heard that and then I felt how sad you were when you realized that it would never happen. God Liz! Nineteen! What were we thinking?"

"Actually, Max, it was my idea," she blushed.

"Oh, well I guess you really must have wanted to jump my bones," he smirked.

"You jerk," she laughed, as she playfully smacked him on the arm." Well, that proves you didn't see that conversation we had in my room later."

"No, I guess I must have missed that. What happened. What did I say?"

"Well , Mr. sex maniac, I'm not sure that I should tell you." she teased.

"Ah, c'mon Liz" he begged, and when she shook her head, stifling a grin, he leaned over and started to tickle her mercilessly, until she begged him to stop.

"Alright ,alright. I'll tell," she giggled in supplication. "Well, you showed up in my room the night of the Gomez concert to try to convince me to go..........just like last night, but with different results." She saw the stricken look on Max's face as he recalled the terrible events of the previous evening, and rushed on with her story.

"Anyway, whatever happened, we didn't go to the concert but, " her voice lowered, "we made love instead. And when I asked the future you how that could be, since I didn't have protection, you/he admitted that you did. And then I got really indignant and said something about Max the Saint walking around with condoms in his back pocket," she finished, looking up at him expectantly.

Now it was Max's turn to blush."Yeah, well you know, be prepared , I always say."

Liz gave him a hard look, so he continued, to try and salvage some of his dignity.

"Liz, I don't know what to say except that I guess in that respect, I'm definitely like every other teenage guy...........you know, raging hormones and all that. And after that night in the desert when we came so close....................well I didn't want to take any chances in not being ready, if, you know, you were, sorta." Max stammered, as he cleared his throat and glanced over at Liz under those incredible eyelashes of his. He waited with baited breath for her reply.

"Hmmm--well, I'll let it go for now, but only because I'm interested to hear what other flashes you saw," she acquiesced.. Max breathed a silent sigh of relief and moved on with his side of the story.

"I remember you coming into my room after I had done some pull ups and you seemed a little flustered because you told me to put on a shirt. Now, I got the distinct impression that you were a little turned on there Ms. sex maniac, if I'm not mistaken."he grinned devilishly at her, waggling his eyebrows.

Liz looked mortified but Max took pity on her and cupped her face in his hand."Now you know why I'm prepared Liz. I don't think it's just me, is it?" Liz just lowered her eyes and shook her head, blushing furiously.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

All this talk of sex was starting to heat things up in the chamber so Liz decided to take another tack. "So Max, what do you think of the Granolith as a time machine?"

Max stood and helped Liz up and they walked hand in hand towards the Granolith chamber. He peered at it in a whole new light--not that they ever knew its use before or, for that matter, how many other possible uses it had, but at least now they could attach some meaning to it.

"So, the future you and I stood here fourteen years from now, near the brink of Armageddon, and said our goodbyes for the last time". Max hugged Liz hard to his chest, as tears shimmered in his eyes and said in a low, husky voice" We can't let that happen, Liz. No matter what, we can't let that happen."

Liz looked up into Max's face and pulled it down in her cupped hands."Don't worry Max, we won't," she assured him. "We'll make sure that Tess stays and feels accepted," she vowed.

"Well, actually, Kyle seems to be handling that end of things. And doing a pretty good job, I might add," he confessed.

"What do you mean, Max?"

"I saw him and Tess earlier today in a very compromising position and they both seemed to be enjoying themselves, if you get my drift," Max answered conspiratorially.

"Max, were you spying on them?" Liz asked in surprise.

"Uhm, well yes and no," he admitted in embarrassment.

"Okay Max. What's going on?" Liz demanded.

"Look Liz, I was pretty upset last night, to say the least, as I'm sure you were. But when I got up this morning, I was determined to find out the truth, no matter what. I figured Kyle would be my best bet because I knew you weren't gonna tell me, so I followed him when he and Tess left the Crashdown this morning. They ended up at this park out on the highway and one thing led to another and................ well, when I left, things were really starting to heat up. Watching them made me think of you and how I felt about you and I was kinda horny and that's how I felt when I came looking for you!" he exploded.

Liz looked up into his handsome, boyish, loveable face and stroked his jaw. "How do you feel now, Max?" she choked out in a hoarse whisper, barely able to breathe.

His eyes focussed on her lips as she poked her pink tongue out and slid it along them invitingly. Max gulped in air as if his lungs had just collapsed and, cupping the back of her neck with his large hand, he drew her close to him . He could feel the sexual heat rising off her and groaned into her lips as he ravaged her mouth with his own. His tongue snaked into her mouth and she moaned in pleasure at the taste and feel of him. She wanted all of him deep inside her and sucked on his tongue, drawing more moans from Max.

They continued to mimic lovemaking with their tongues as their breathing became more laboured. Max ran his tongue along her jaw and up to her ear lobe, which he took between his full lips and drew it into his mouth lovingly. Liz leaned into his chest and sighed in ecstasy, as darts of pleasure rippled through her body, causing a hot pool of her juices to flow from her passage. She felt like she was on fire and she could feel the heat rising from Max, too. Max's chest was pounding as his heartbeat hammered under her ear.

They sucked in air as their chests heaved and beads of sweat broke out on their bodies. Max grabbed Liz by the hand and raced out to the blanket on the pod chamber floor. He sank down on his knees pulling her with him, running his tongue along her throat and into the hollow in her neck. Liz was tearing at his sweatshirt trying to get it over his head. She cried out in frustration, until he stopped laving her with his tongue just long enough to haul off his sweatshirt and t-shirt in one quick motion.

She ran her hands over the taut muscles on his chest and abdomen, and brought her mouth to his nipples, running her tongue between them and nibbling on them, causing Max to groan deeply, sending reverberations through his chest.

Max flung her down on the blanket. Then, he ripped open the snaps on her uniform and growled in pleasure as he ran his tongue along the swells of her breast peeking out from her bra. He continued over her abdomen, swirling his tongue in and out of her navel. His hands reached up to her breasts and kneaded them through her bra. Liz felt more hot fluid leak onto her panties and soon Max, too, sensed the moisture as it burned into his chest.

Liz writhed under his lathing ministrations, whimpering his name while she turned her passion glazed eyes toward the cave ceiling. Max removed one of his hands from her breast and moved it down to her burning mound. She was hot and soaking wet and it made him mad with desire. His heart was pounding in his heaving chest and his hand shook as it gingerly moved the crotch of her under wear out of the way to reveal her silken treasure. He eased his finger into her folds and along her heat until he found the entrance to her passage and slipped into the burning, molten tunnel. He watched in fascination as it disappeared between her swollen labia.

Liz was gasping for air as she felt Max's finger move in and out of her and soon, she was keeping pace as her hips rocked back and forth to match his rhythm She reached down with her trembling hands to touch his dark head while he continued his tonguing of her navel, sucking and sweeping as beads of sweat rolled from his face and neck onto her abdomen, mingling with his own saliva. He let another finger sweep inside her while his thumb creeped up to massage her swollen nub. Her hips shot up in answer to this new assault and she moaned loudly as she rocked and churned into Max's hand until she screamed in pleasure as her body shook in orgasmic release.

Max scooted up over her torso and held her tightly while her passion racked body continued to vibrate. Tears streamed down her face and she sobbed under the kisses that Max rained over her swollen lips.

"Liz, oh Liz baby. Oh God, I love you Liz." he rasped, as he drank in her sweetness.

"Oh Max, make love to me Max. Touch me everywhere, Max. Please Max. Don't stop!" she pleaded, as she held onto him tightly.

She gasped as his hands moved to release the clasp on her bra and pulled it off to expose her aching nipples. He looked at her in wonder as his mouth took one erect rosy bud , his tongue swirling around it creating waves of pleasure, as she grasped his head and pulled him closer. His hand cupped her other breast while his fingers gently massaged her left nipple. He suckled on her nipple until she almost passed out with desire and then he moved to the other one, loving it with the same reverence.

Liz's breathing became ragged as she tossed her head on the blanket, in delirium. She began to move her mound on Max's leg. She was so hot that it felt like she was melting his pant leg. Meanwhile, Max's arousal was threatening to burst out of his pants and she could feel its hardness pressing into her. Liz wanted to feel more of Max's skin on hers so she tried wriggling out of her uniform but Max was still attached to her breast like a suckling babe and didn't show any interest in letting go. She clawed at his back to get his attention until he quickly helped her off with the offending garment.

They were both flushed and soaked with sweat at this point. They were shaking with unreleased passion and started ripping off the rest of their clothes to feel closer to each other. They needed to be skin to skin and they needed it now! Before Liz could do anything , Max was pushing her back down, sliding along her body and diving into her hot wet mound. His tongue ran up and down her folds, circled her nub and dipped into her vagina. Her screams of pleasure echoed off the chamber walls. She wanted to taste him just as badly, so she swivelled around while still allowing him access to her mound and she took his penis in her mouth. They both groaned in ecstasy, as they devoured each other.

Instinct took over as they grabbed each others thighs and rocked back and forth in a frenzy of pleasure. Max's tongue kept up its journey along Liz's heat. The taste and smell of her was making him frantic while the feel of her mouth on his hard shaft was excruciatingly delightful. His senses were in overload but he didn't care if he died at that moment because he had never felt such pleasure before. He felt like he was spiralling out of control and it felt so good, he wanted to scream his pleasure.

Liz clung to Max as if her life depended on it. The feel of their bodies aligned while they were both experiencing such electrifying jolts of pleasure was beyond anything she had ever imagined. Their torsos smacked together as the sweat caused a suction between them and the steady staccato of its release was reverberated by the cavern walls.

His shaft was sliding in and out of her mouth now, creating its own rhythm. She sucked and nibbled on it, making primitive guttural sounds as Max ground his hips into her in a futile attempt to assuage his ache. She could taste drops of salty, silky liquid that were seeping out of the tip of his turgid penis and that was sending her into such swirls of drunken desire that she was grunting for more. She was greedy for his taste and she couldn't get enough of Max. She nuzzled his sack and he jerked and moaned desperately in response. His tongue was driving her to insanity and she just wanted to weep for the pure pleasure she was feeling.

Soon, they felt their bodies tense for their impending orgasm . Their grunts became louder and their bodies glistened with sweat as they neared their mutual explosion. Liz's vaginal walls began to contract as she leaked more of her hot liquid into Max's eager mouth. Max could feel his own release coming and he tried to move Liz's mouth out of the way but she refused to let go and so he came in great heaving spurts into her mouth, which she greedily gobbled with mounting desire.

Liz's body bucked uncontrollably as she came into Max's mouth over and over, the waves of explosion threatening to obliterate rational thought. Finally, they both collapsed, their bodies going limp. They still clung to each other, exhausted and panting, until they finally needed the touch of their lips again.

They slithered backwards up their bodies until their heads met and Max twisted around to face his lover. They rubbed their swollen lips gently against each others and whispered unintelligible words of endearments, as they gazed into each others eyes in wonder and adoration. Their rapidly cooling bodies were starting to tremble, so Max grabbed the extra blanket, hauling it over their love racked torsos. Liz placed her head on Max's chest as his heartbeat gradually slowed to normal and they both dozed in contentment, as the stress of the past few days finally took its toll. About an hour later, they woke simultaneously to find themselves mutually kissing and exploring each others bodies. They were in a heightened state of arousal, their bodies humming and vibrating and they realized something was happening that was beyond their control.

Their eyes were dark with passion and they were vaguely aware of a faint glow being emitted by the walls of the chamber. No words were spoken as Max grabbed the condom from the back pocket of his jeans, tore open the package and slid it on his rigid shaft.

Liz moved under him as he positioned himself at her entrance and slowly slid into her hot, slick passage. They both moaned softly as they maintained eye contact, marvelling at the overwhelming feelings of love and passion that had overtaken them. As Max reached her barrier, he hesitated, until Liz moved her body up with a powerful jerk. She sucked in her breath as she felt the sting of his entrance as he slid into her all the way.

Max was delirious with the sense of being gloved by Liz's tightness and warmth, squeezing his shaft so intimately. He, too, had felt the sting as he plunged through her barrier, and, as aroused as he was, he hesitated to go on. Liz soon overcame her discomfort, as she revelled in these new sensations. Her mind flashed back to last night, when she had vehemently denied her desire to make love to Max but, right now, she couldn't imagine anything more heavenly. They lay there, their bodies adjusting to these higher plateaus of pleasure, until they both started to rock in a slow, gentle dance of love.

They were acutely aware of each others thoughts and felt each others physical pleasure, as their bodies picked up the pace of their lovemaking. Their mouths and hands kept up a steady exploration as tongues collided with tongues , lips , faces and necks, and fingers and palms slid over taut muscles of backs and hips and thighs.

Liz instinctively moved her thighs up and wrapped her legs around Max's waist. She wanted him deeper inside of her and he drove into her eagerly as he grunted with the effort. She felt her nub being rubbed rhythmically as he thrust into her, and she started to pant with desire. Max could feel Liz's walls clamp down on him harder and they sighed and whimpered and moaned in unison as their release came closer and closer. Their chests heaved, as their lungs fought for every available molecule of oxygen. They moved faster and faster until their bodies jerked and bucked with their mutual passion. They cried out each others names as the sound echoed off the chamber walls, increasing the intensity of the glowing and setting up a low hum.

They stayed joined for some time, unwilling to break the connection that had formed between them.. It was as if a bond had been forged by their lovemaking and had sealed their commitment to one another forever. They basked in the afterglow and watched in amazement as the chamber walls reverberated their feelings in a metaphor of love. Slowly, their breathing returned to normal, and they reluctantly pulled away from each other. They lay with legs and arms entwined and shared gentle kisses, while whispering words of love along the way. The glowing gradually diminished in the chamber walls until it, and the humming, ceased. Max glanced at his watch and realized it was getting late. They slowly rose from their love bed and helped each other dress.

Reluctantly, they gathered their belongings and moved from the chamber out into the waning light of the rapidly approaching evening. They walked hand in hand back to the jeep and set their gear into the back seat. Max approached Liz as she gazed lovingly up into his eyes. He gathered her into a warm embrace, smiling down at her and kissing the top of her head. They sighed and held onto each other, breathing in the lingering scent of their lovemaking. Finally, they climbed into the jeep and began their journey home.