How right we were to bring them all here! Back in their earth homes they were all ignoring the realities around them, not facing the decisions that had to be made. Decisions that would decide the rest of their lives… the rest of our lives. Decisions based on destiny… duty… and this unknown force that drives humans: love.

Max stared at Tess and in an instant, reality came crashing back. Nothing has changed. Tess was still his destiny, he still had no answers for Liz about how his life is going to turn out, and worst of all, it still seemed like he would have to leave to go to another planet soon. He felt like screaming at the unfairness of the whole situation, but instead he just said wearily: "Tess, please leave us alone. Liz and I need to talk."

Tess would have none of it. "I don’t think so! That didn’t look like talking you two were just doing!"

Max heard Liz gasp and looked back at her. Her eyes were swimming with tears and he felt like his heart was being torn to shreds. He instinctively took Liz’s hand, causing another outburst from Tess: "Hey! I’m still here!"

Max nearly lost it. "Get out, Tess! I’ll talk to you later!" Both Tess and Liz looked surprised at the authority ringing in his voice. Max’s leadership was becoming second nature and so did his expectation that people would obey.

Tess pinned Liz with a death stare, causing Max to move in front of her protectively. "Fine! But you remember that to the people in this camp, I am you wife! So you better start acting like a husband." She turned on her heel and flounced out, leaving a painful silence in her wake.

Max turned to Liz and touched her cheek gently. He didn’t know what to say to her. He wanted to tell her that what had just happened between them was how things were meant to be. That he loved her even more today than ever. That she was made for him and to be in his arms. That no alien bride from the past will ever change that. But his mind reminded him of a duty to a whole population. "Liz… love, I-."

"I can’t be your love, Max." Liz interrupted him, trying to ignore his distressed gasp. But she couldn’t ignore the hurt in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she covered his hand on her cheek with hers. "Max, I love you. I love you so much it hurts, but this situation is impossible…" She begged with him with her eyes not to make this any harder on her. "I need you to be what these people need you to be: their leader. You can’t do that being torn in two between me and… and Tess."

She was humbling him yet again with her unselfish love. Max bit his lip and stared at his hand in hers. It was where it belonged. When he finally looked in her eyes again, his voiced was strong and sure when he spoke: "Liz, I love you. I’ve always loved you and I promise you something today. I promise you that I will do whatever I have to do for us to be together. I’ll find a way. I can’t help these people without you. I can’t… and I don’t want to." He looked at her pleadingly. "Just… trust me, okay?" He took a deep breath and said something he had been afraid to say for so long. "And wait for me…"

Liz was overwhelmed. She so badly wanted to believe in Max. She wanted to believe that he could somehow create a future for them. She knew the longer she stayed with him, the harder it would be to let him go. But wasn’t love worth taking such a chance? Wasn’t Max?

Max watched anxiously as she thought about his request. He didn’t know what he would do if she said no. No wait, he did. He would MAKE her stay with him… even if he had to tie her to his bed! He had to stifle a groan as a picture of her tied to his bed filled his imagination.

Liz ended his daydream. "Yes, Max. I’ll wait." The next moment she was crushed against his chest, her head pressed under his chin. Liz reveled in the strength of the arms holding her, in the hardness of his body and in the emotion in his voice as he reiterated his promise: "I’ll find a way. I love you!"

Journal Entry 8

What is this desperate need to be physically close that rules these humans so? Even without genetic programming, the need arises and when denied, it becomes an obsession. In our culture, the need to procreate comes from DNA coding, but here it seems to be an involuntary part of being "in love". And we’re back to that concept: love.

Liz rubbed her face against his neck and shifted in his arms until she was sitting on his lap. Max helped her closer, but she couldn’t fail to notice that he was carefully keeping her away from the lower part of his body. Now that the emotional side of their reunion was out of the way and she saw a glimmer of hope that things might work out for them, she felt brave enough to be playful. Max has already acknowledged that he loved her, but now she wanted him to acknowledge that he wanted her too. Just like she wanted him…

Sighing languidly, she opened her mouth against the cords in his neck. Slowly running her tongue over his skin. Max jerked away in surprise. She looked at him, not trying to hide the desire in her eyes and he inhaled sharply.

"Liz." His voice sounded strangled. "We can’t… I have to sort out this mess first." But he wanted to give in and Liz could see it in his eyes. She decided to allow him a false sense of security for a few minutes.

Getting up from his lap (and noticing how reluctantly he let her go), she turned away to the door. "I guess I have to go find a place to sleep and then I’d dearly like to take a shower." She only walked a few paces before his voice stopped her.

"Liz wait." The inflection in his voice was eerily reminiscent of the one he used during their camp-out with their fathers a few months ago. She stopped but did not turn around. The next move was his.

Coming up behind her, he put his arms around her waist. He pressed his face into her hair and held her quietly to him for a few precious moments. Max knew he had to let her go, but he also knew this would be the last time in a long while that he would be able to be this close to her.

Liz tilted her head to the side and pressed her cheek to his. Her arms came up to rest on his and she tangled their fingers together. When Max still didn’t move, she turned her head further, her mouth inches from his. "Kiss me goodbye, Max."

Max closed his eyes and then opened them again as he turned his face to reach her mouth. He kissed her slowly and deeply while they stood as they were, her back to his front. It wasn’t nearly enough for both of them. Max shifted her slightly and pressed her head into his shoulder as he increased the pressure on her mouth. He let one hand move to her hip, while the other slid into her shirt once again. The skin of her stomach was smooth and taut and his fingers registered the tiny tremors that followed his touch. Liz made a small sound in the back of her throat, while her hands came up to circle his neck. This time no one interrupted them and Max finally let his hand come to rest in the hollow between her breasts. He pressed his palm against her, feeling the racing beats of her heart reverberate through his hand.

They pulled apart breathlessly. Staring into each other’s eyes for endless moments. ‘I love you.’ It remained unspoken, but rang clearly between them.

Liz turned towards him slowly, causing his hand to brush over her breast. The fleeting touch was electrical and she bit her lip to keep herself from crying out. She heard Max’s short expelled breath and when she finally faced him, his eyes were running hungrily over her chest.

Max was fighting to get air into his lungs. Lust was slamming through his body and the small rational voice inside his head was rapidly being drowned out. Pulling her to him forcefully, his mouth descended on hers again. He devoured her lips. His open mouth slanting over hers as their tongues tangled together. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and felt his blood race through his veins. This was heaven and he wanted it all.

A nagging little thought kept him from carrying Liz to his bed. He had a wife… Pulling away from her, he stumbled away a few paces, not looking at Liz. If he looked at her now, he would never let her leave. He jammed his hands into his pockets and spoke quietly, a note of desperation in his words: "Just go… please. I’ll see you later."

Liz was hugging herself to make up for the sudden chill of his physical absence. Watching him, she could see tension screaming from every line of his body. It was killing him to let her leave. Licking her lips that were puffy and tender from his passionate assault, she nodded and left quietly.