Finally she stood, paused a moment more, and walked away, closing the door with a soft *snick* behind her. He opened his eyes, letting out a rush of breath. What had that been about? Granted, he was sleeping in her bed, but why was she up and around in the middle of the night?

He sat up, running a hand through his hair. He could still sense where she had touched. He certainly wasn't going to be doing any more sleeping tonight.

****

He stumbled out of bed the next morning, broad daylight streaming in through the windows. Since he had come here, he had not seen the light so bright in England. Generally, it rained. But today could be any New Mexico spring day, except for the pervasive damp that Max had almost become accustomed to.

He slipped his shoes back on. He was wearing the only clothes he had at the moment. He only vaguely remembered the night before -- Liz, so surprised to see him. Liz, easing him into her bed. Falling asleep surrounded by her delicious scent. Liz, coming into his room in the middle of the night--

No, that had to have been a dream. He had been so tired. It wasn't like her to do something like that. He yawned and stretched, heading toward the door. Just as he reached for the knob, it twisted in his hand. Puzzled, he stepped back.

Max looked at the goofy grin of Alex Whitman.

****

"Hey, Evans! Happy to see you're healthy! I heard you were just outside the cafeteria when it hit. You're damn lucky!"

"I know," Max said slowly, opening the door further. Beside Alex, gripping his hand tightly and wearing a slight smile, was Liz.

"Hello, Max," she said softly. "Did you sleep well?"

Stunned by this sudden display of formality from her, he blinked rapidly. "Uh...yeah. Really well. I guess you can have your room back tonight, huh?"

She shrugged. "It's all right. You can have it. I've found another one."

Max, his stomach sinking so fast he felt nauseated, was sure who she'd gotten a room with. "Yeah. Okay." With that he pushed past them, without so much as a goodbye or a farewell.

Alex turned and watched him stalk down the hall. "What on earth has gotten into him?"

Liz shrugged. "No idea."

He smiled, and leaned down to kiss her. "Hey Liz, I've got an idea."

"What?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"Wanna get married? Tonight, I mean. We can have the chaplain here perform the service."

Liz stepped back, her breath caught in her throat, obviously stunned. "I...Alex...I don't know."

His face fell. "You don't know?"

"It's -- it's too soon, we just got engaged..."

"Too soon? Liz, we've known each other forever, for as long as I can remember. And we've been engaged for too long. Six months."

"Alex...Alex, you didn't even write me."

His face was stricken. "Liz...you know what happened that night...what you...what we said... I was still upset..."

Liz closed her eyes painfully. "We'll get married, Alex. But not tonight. When this war is over, we'll be married. We'll have a thousand kids, and we'll be happy. But not now."

"Liz, I haven't even gone to war yet. For all we know, tomorrow I could be shipped out. I could be--" She put a hand over his mouth, shushing him gently.

Alex looked at her, the pain evident in his eyes. "I love you, Liz."

"I know."

****

Max sat in the cafeteria, surrounded by injured soldiers. He knew the bandage on his forehead made him look as though he'd been injured, but in reality he could have healed the wound at any time. But what if someone pulled the bandage off, or it fell off? What would they say? That he'd been faking? He and his sister had agreed to attempt to blend in. Their powers set them apart, but no one knew, so everything was okay. Max hated to think what might happen if the government found out that he could stop a bullet at a range of forty feet. They'd probably lock him in a glass room until they figured out how they could use him to exploit the Nazis. He'd heard stories, of especially gifted soldiers being "taken away." He wasn't sure what that meant, but he didn't want it to happen to him.

He was determined not to use his powers on the battlefield.

Right now, he was tempted to use them on Alex. He didn't really know why he was so upset. Yes, he did. But it didn't matter, and he had to get over it. Liz belonged to Alex, and that was that. They would be married and he had absolutely no say in it.

One of the soldiers near him whistled, and he looked up. There were Liz and Alex, hand in hand, headed directly toward him. He groaned a little.

He could hear the murmurs, "Sweet thing," "Damned Whitman, been here three hours and he's already hooked himself up with the local ladies." There was some laughter at one comment, and he saw Liz blush.

Alex bowed dramatically as he reached the table. "Gents, I'd like you to meet my fiancee, Elizabeth Parker."

Liz blushed again. One of the soldiers shouted from across the room, "Shit, Whitman! Wish my fiance just showed up on the other side of the fuckin' Atlantic! I need somebody to help keep me warm tonight! Hey, sweetheart, you want to help me out with that?" he asked with a grin, reaching for a petite blonde next to him. She scowled and shoved him away, running from the cafeteria. Liz tried to run after her amidst the laughter, but Alex held tight to her.

"See, that's why you'll never get any, Hinckley," Alex crowed. "You just ain't got my finesse!"

Liz rolled her eyes and sat down in an empty chair, Alex following her, reluctant to let go of the attention he had.

Max reached for her arm, but she noticed him out of the corner of her eye and yanked it away. No one noticed, but Max felt stung. How the hell was he supposed to get her attention? "Liz...hey, Liz!"

She ignored him, seemingly hanging on Alex's every word as he regaled them with the tale of his overnight train trip from Scotland.

"Liz...Liz!"

Liz glanced sharply at him. "Yes?"

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

She caught his double meaning. Her eyes narrowed angrily, and, pulling her hand out of Alex's, she stormed off in the direction the blonde had gone.

****

Max sighed to himself, watching the soldiers talk and laugh. He couldn't enjoy himself at all. He didn't know what was wrong with her. Sure, maybe it wasn't such a good idea for her to take him to her room and shut them in any more...was that it? Had Alex heard some rumor, and Liz was attempting to make up for it? It certainly hadn't seemed so from his demeanor.

Well, there was only one way to find out. Sudden cold shoulder or no, they were longtime friends and he had a right to know what was going on with her. He knocked on the door of the room where he'd spent the night. Apparently it wasn't quite his yet; the blonde girl - her name was Maria, he had learned - had told him she was here.

"Can I come in?" Max asked.

Liz shrugged, indifferent. Her hair fell in her face as she stepped away from the door. "Why are you here? Where's Alex?"

"He's off with the boys, gone out. Working off stress, I guess."

Liz sighed and collapsed onto the narrow cot. "Sure. All right."

"It's the truth," Max said, fiddling with his cap. He glanced around. The room wasn't exactly well furnished. Liz had been given a cot and a dresser with a mirror over it. The room was illuminated by a single bare bulb that hung from the ceiling, casting strange shadows on the walls. The bulb itself swung back and forth gently in the breeze coming through the window, making the shadows move eerily.

Liz looked up at him, her deep brown eyes hollow and recessed. She seemed thinner than she had been when they graduated. Her drab uniform hung off her gaunt frame. "Liz, are you all right?" Max asked.

She laughed, and it sounded as hollow as her features. "What do you think?"

He sat next to her on the bed. "I mean, we used to be great friends. Last night...now you're almost hostile towards me. Why is that?"

"You haven't figured it out? Jesus, Max, I thought you were smart."

Max shifted uncomfortably as she moved closer to him. "I just don't know what you want from me. I'm your friend, Liz. I'd do anything for you."

"Anything?" she asked, her face inches from his.

"Anything," Max replied, a little breathless.

Liz closed the gap between them and slid an arm around Max's neck, her hand coming to rest on the back of his head. "Then do this for me," she whispered, and her lips were on his in an instant.

Max kissed her back, his fuzzy brain screaming at him that this was wrong. It was wrong, and yet so right. He had been dreaming about it since she kissed him so briefly in Alex's room, her lips leaving a lingering impression. She was Alex's...had been since they were children. It was so unbelievably wrong...and yet Max couldn't have left the room, or even pulled away, if his life had depended on it.

Her slender fingers reached for the polished buttons on his uniform, undoing them so quickly Max could swear she was using powers like his. She reached inside his coat, running her hands along the muscles under his tee shirt. Max hissed, sucking in a breath.

Liz pushed him slowly backwards, helping him pull off his jacket and his tee shirt. She was so slim that he could barely feel her weight on him. He reached up to pull her blouse over her head. She moaned when he cupped her breasts gently. He reached behind her and unsnapped the clasp to her bra. He ran his thumbs over her nipples, feeling them harden.

Suddenly the reality of all this came crashing down on him. Alex's girl was cheating on him with his best friend, and that best friend was him. Fumbling, he tried to push her away. "Liz, no, we can't do this, Liz..."

She laid a finger over his lips, shushing him. She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his once again, and he tasted her sweetness, and was lost.

It was Liz's turn now; she unbuckled Max's belt and pushed the rough fabric of his pants over his hips. He stifled a groan as her fingers brushed against him. He reached for her heavy skirt, pulling it down. She leaned down and kissed him, hard, her lips forcing his apart. Max lifted his hands to push her silky hair out of her face. Her hands reached for his briefs, and, still kissing him, she slid over him and encased him in her hot warmth.

Max moaned into her mouth. He tried his best to keep his eyes from rolling back in his head. It had never been like this with Tess, ever. With Tess it was the classic wham, bam, thank you ma'am... and never anything more. He had never felt this complete, this whole. He could do nothing but watch her; she was an angel, the lightbulb behind her forming a halo as she arched back in sheer ecstasy.

Finally he regained his will and he reached up, running his hands over her breasts. She gasped and, taking it as a cue, began to rise and fall, sliding up and down his hard shaft. His hips rose and fell with her, and as she began to move faster and faster, he began to lose control. He traced his fingers down her arms, finding her hands and taking them into his. She squeezed his hands tightly, and he knew she was close.

"Liz...Liz, I'm going to..."

She rose again and he watched the muscles in her legs flex. "I know. I am, I'm so close..."

"Liz, I have to pull out, you have to move, we aren't using anything." He could barely get the sentence out. It took every ounce of willpower he had within him not to explode inside her sweet body right now.

"Oh," she moaned. "Please, please. I want you to come inside me."

Max groaned. His will snapped, and he erupted inside her. Her sigh gradually lengthened until it became a cry of pleasure, low and guttural and utterly erotic. She gripped his hand, her nails cutting into his callused skin, almost drawing blood.