“Girl, get your head out of the clouds.” She whispered to Liz, smiling.

Liz sighed. “I can’t help it, Morgan. He just does something to me- like I can’t concentrate on anything but him.”

“It’s called being in love, Lizzie.” Morgan replied, smiling. Liz smiled and stared at the beautiful diamond ring on her left hand. “But bioethics calls. We better pay attention cause I think this is going to be on the exam next week.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Liz said, shaking herself out of her daze. She listened intently to the professor.

“So can anyone explain to me the argument against the practice of euthanasia?” Professor Wallace asked. No one raised his hand and he sighed, shaking his head. “You, young lady.” He said, pointing to a girl. “In the third row, with the curly blonde hair. What’s your name?”

The girl smiled. “Tess.”

Liz’s blood ran cold. She knew it was her. The same Tess who had taken Max away from her all those years ago. Max had to choose between his destiny with Tess and his soul mate Liz. Her eyes narrowed into a stealthy glare that burned into the back of Tess. What in the hell was she doing at Boston University? Liz’s eyes welled up with tears as she listened to that sugary sweet voice that haunted her dreams. It was like her worst nightmare was coming true.

Morgan looked over at Liz while Tess was speaking. She was alarmed by her friend’s appearance.

“Babe, are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” She cried.

Liz quickly wiped her eyes and shakingly slammed her books closed. She threw her notebook and textbook into her messenger bag and ran out of the room. “Liz!” Morgan cried, running after her. The commotion caused the entire class to turn around, including Tess.

“Miss Parker? Miss Patrick?” Professor Wallace asked. “Hmm. I hope everything’s okay.” He said under his breath.

Tess grinned mischievously.

“That’s right. Run to your precious Max.” She thought. “You won’t have him for much longer.” She sent a telegraphic thought to his brain. An image of the two of them having passionate sex on Max and Liz’s bed.

* * * * * * * Max was falling asleep in his human relations class when he felt a charge go through him, then a flash of he and Tess making love on the bed that he and Liz shared. His stomach retched at the thought, but the images of Tess kept coming. The two of them kissing, the two of them as children in the pods. The night they realized Tess was one of them. The hurt in Liz’s eyes when she told Max she saw the two of them kissing. All the painful memories of their junior and senior years, as well as all the happy ones he had with Tess.

He was distracted from his trance by the sound of the door opening. He and several others in the lecture hall instinctively turned around. As his eyes fell on the visitor, his mind raced. He knew something was wrong. Was it Isabel or Michael? Alex or Maria? His parents? Her parents? His mind was racing. He jumped up and ran to her.

“Mr. Evans…” The professor said. “Please take your discussion outside.” Max wasn’t even paying attention to his professor; he was too busy focusing on Liz. He followed her outside the hall and looked into her eyes. He could tell she had been crying. Her eyes and face were red and puffy and she was out of breath. When they were safely out in the hallway, he hugged her to him tightly.

“Tell me.” He breathed.

“Tess.” She managed to whisper through choked sobs. “She’s…here.”

Max’s eyes got wide as all the memories of their junior and senior years at West Roswell High came flooding back to him. Tess had told him that they were destined to be together. She put him under her mind control, and he was convinced she was right. Liz broke up with him because she couldn’t stand to know that Tess would always be around, one step behind them. Without Liz’s support and love, he crumbled under his desire for Tess and fell under her spell. They were inseparable for over two years. He even gave up his virginity to her- something he had always thought he would reserve for Liz. On graduation night, Liz, who was headed to Boston University, had summoned all her courage to tell Max she still loved him and would never stop loving him. That was all Max needed to end things with Tess for good. Max drove Liz out to the rock formation where the foursome had crashed and had emerged from the pods almost twenty years before. They made love by the fire all night, and swore eternal devotion to each other, saying they’d never be apart again. Max, who had committed to going to Stanford University, withdrew his application and with his unblemished school record and perfect SAT score, managed to get into Boston University to be with her. Michael and Maria had moved to Santa Monica, California, and Isabel and Alex went to the University of New Mexico. They both had decided they would miss each other and their parents too much to go far away.

The day after graduation, Max ended his two-year relationship with Tess and she was never seen again. Max was upset at first, because he genuinely cared about her. They had come to earth together and he didn’t want any harm to come to her. Isabel and Michael were also upset. All three had felt like they’d lost a part of themselves when Tess left, especially Michael…Tess was his sister. Even after four years, he still hadn’t forgiven Max for pushing her away. Michael’s feeling of betrayal stung deeply and he still only talked to Max a few times a year.

“Where…is she?” He asked. He was relieved to know that there were reasons for his sudden visions of Tess- she was nearby.

“In my bioethics class. Morgan and I were talking and… the professor called on…her… to answer a question.” Liz said, her eyes cold.

“You didn’t know she was in your class until today?” Max asked, astounded.

“She wasn’t in there last week! She must have just enrolled here! Oh, God, Max…” She cried, burying her face in his chest. She kept telling herself that if she didn’t let go of him, maybe she could keep him away from Tess. “What are we going to do?” She finally asked him as he rocked her back and forth.

“I don’t know, baby. I don’t know.” He said, breathing into her hair and kissing the top of her head. He was filled with fear and a twisted sense of longing. He couldn’t control his attraction to Tess. Here he was, holding the love of his life close to his chest, and he couldn’t stop thinking about his high school girlfriend. His relationship with Tess was primal…chemical. He and Liz had something so much better than that ever was. Their relationship was romantic, personal- sensual, real. There was a vast difference between the two women and even after all these years and his true love for Liz, he still felt an attraction to Tess. He felt like it wasn’t up to him. Someone or something had set the wheels in motion…

And he knew his universe was about to come crashing down on him.

“It won’t be long now.” Tess said quietly to herself as she poked her head around the corner. Down an abandoned quiet hallway, she saw Max holding and cradling a crying Liz in his arms. “Just wait until he meets you,” She said, opening up her locket and looking at a small picture of a young boy. She kissed it and smiled. She pressed it close to her chest and quickly darted back around the corner and out the door so they would not notice her.

* * * * *

Liz was so startled about seeing Tess in her morning class that she went to classes with Max the rest of the day. She felt the need to be with him all the time, almost like protecting him. After Max’s organic chemistry lab, They jumped on the subway to their apartment near Harvard. As they sat together for the twenty-minute train ride, neither said a word. Max just held Liz’s hand, caressing and kissing it. She looked out of the window with cold, dead eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to show Max how scared she really was. As they approached their stop, they both picked up their book bags and filed off the train. Max instinctively grabbed Liz’s hand as they crossed the busy intersection and came within sight of their apartment building. He fumbled in his pocket for his keys and they climbed up the flight of stairs to their small apartment. It was warm and cozy with a nice view of Harvard Square. It was expensive, and they both had to work full time to pay for it, but they didn’t mind, because they were together. Liz worked at the Urban Outfitters store down the street and Max did work for a doctor’s office in Cambridge.

“When do you have to work tonight?” Max asked, breaking the ice as Liz flung her tired body, face first, onto their bed. She kicked off her shoes and sighed.

“Six to close.” She said, grimacing. “You’re working tomorrow right?” She asked.

“Yeah.” He said, grabbing her a Diet Coke out of the fridge. He knew she’d ask for one so he saved himself a trip and brought it into the bedroom. Liz stripped out of her jacket and socks and jumped under the goose-down comforter. She turned on the TV and flipped to her favorite soap opera, General Hospital. Max walked over to the bedside and kicked off his shoes. He put his bottle of water down on his nightstand and handed Liz her soda.

“Oh, you are too good to me.” She said, giving him a quick smooch. He smiled, peeling off his sweater and revealing only a tight white t-shirt underneath. He cuddled up with her and buried his face into her neck, breathing in her peach shampoo and sweet perfume. She smiled contently. This was her Max. He wasn’t acting any differently than normal. Every afternoon, they’d come back from class, he’d drink a bottle of water and she’d have a Diet Coke. They’d cuddle up in bed together. She’d watch her soap and he’d fall asleep. Sometimes he’d mumble things in his sleep, usually “Oh, that’s nice,” or “Oh, what a bitch,” responding to whatever Liz would scream at someone on the television. She looked at him and sighed. Oh, God, how she loved this man. If anyone or anything ever came between them, she didn’t want to live. She turned herself around in his arms so their chests were touching. She kissed each of his eyelids and left a trail of hot kisses from his cheeks down to his neck. He instinctively pulled her closer to him; his eyes still closed. Liz figured that he was nearing his dream state. He began moving his hands up and down her back, pulling up the back of her sweater so he could feel her soft skin. She threw her head back instinctively as she felt his hands move further down her back.

“Max…” She said quietly to him. “Wake up, baby.”