Things had changed that Sunday night she had came to his room in such a state. After he had helped her connect with Max, he had sat in a chair and watched over her while she slept. She had started smiling at one stage and had stayed like that ‘til morning. He could see the difference in her when she woke up. She seemed… stronger somehow.

Liz fingered her engagement ring that she had put back on her finger from its chain around her neck after her last class today. She felt ready to explode with excitement. Ever since Sunday night, she had tried to push the ache in her heart to the background as the week progressed. She had set herself two goals: doing well in the course and making it to Friday so she could see Max. Amazingly, the week had sped by and after another bout of nausea on Monday morning, she had been fine for the rest of the week. Liz worked herself into a coma with the course. She did extra work, read until late and slept like the dead every night. But in spite of all her efforts, there had been a few occasions she had woken in the middle of the night, disorientated from a dream about Max and reached for him only to find him not there.

Nick had been amazing through it all. He accompanied her to and from classes every day. He went with her for walks when she got cabin fever from all the studying and he took her to dinner a few times. He ever teased her about some of the boys in her group who were clearly smitten with her. She hadn’t even noticed until he had pointed it out. Some of the guys there were sweet, and she liked chatting with them during class, but that was all. She firmly told them about her boyfriend back home. And if that didn’t work, it definitely scared them off that she had a bodyguard! She had heard some of the girls talk about her and Nick, wondering of something strange was going on with her. She just grinned silently to herself. Something strange was putting it mildly! She was practically married to the leader of an alien race living on earth. She would bet that THAT was the last thing they were thinking of about her. And right now, she could care less! Max was coming…

~*~*~*~*~*~

Diane watched Max as he sat next to her on the plane with his eyes closed and a look of intense concentration on his face. "What are you doing, Max?"

He smiled slightly without opening his eyes. "I’m feeling Liz coming closer…"

And again Diane was struck with the intensity of her son and Liz’s love. It still made her a little jealous that Liz knew parts of Max that she never would. Normally a mother would have moments of her son’s growing up that would be hers alone, but Max shared everything with Liz: every thought, every memory.

They were close to Boston now and Max rejoiced in the increasing strength of his connection with Liz. He couldn’t wait to see her again! He had dreamed of her all the time, normal dreams by his standards where they were together in a jumble of tangled limbs and from which he woke in a sweat of hungry desire, but none of them were similar to the one where she had come to visit him. That had felt as close to real as it could get. They had spoken on the phone several times a day and he shuddered to think what his phone bill would look like at the end of the month. He turned to his mother: "Mom, are you sure its okay about tonight? I mean…"

"Max, I understand. I’ll see you two for dinner tomorrow night, right? I’m tired tonight anyway and I have an early meeting tomorrow morning, so I think I’ll just go to bed early." Diane wondered what had possessed her to even suggest the dinner tonight in the first place. Apparently she had forgotten what it meant to be young and in love! Max had gently but firmly told her that he would rather be alone with Liz and that dinner tomorrow night would be better.

Staring out the window to Boston below, Max allowed himself one bad thought. Tess had disappeared again and that meant he couldn’t grill her about her comment that Liz was pregnant. Where had she heard that? And what did it mean for Liz? He had spoken to Nick about it, of course, warning him to be extra careful around Liz. Even though he was convinced that Liz WASN’T pregnant, Tess was apparently under the impression that she was and that put Liz at risk. But nothing had happened throughout the week and he remained puzzled as to what had become of Tess…

They were finally touching down and Diane could see the barely leashed excitement vibrating through Max as the plane taxied to the airport building. Diane smiled to herself. To most people he looked just like any other passenger getting off the plane, but if you knew him really well you could see all the emotions churning in his eyes. She was dying to see what her normally rather reserved son would do when he saw his girlfriend for the first time in a week. What could she say? She was living vicariously through the lives of her children.

Liz danced around Nick at the Arrivals Hall. Now that she’s lived through a week without Max, a few more minutes seemed unbearable. Nick sighed dramatically and she realized she must be getting on his nerves. He was only waiting until Max came and then he was catching a plane home for the weekend. His wife needed to see him too. She suddenly wondered about the silent woman in the background of Nick’s life. "Nick, do you… miss your wife? You know, as much as I miss Max?"

A shadow flitted over his face before he answered. "I miss her, but nobody misses anyone like you two miss each other!"

Liz nodded and wondered about the way these aliens seem to be put together with the aim of procreating without really looking into their feelings. It must be weird being with someone just for the sex. She couldn’t imagine having sex with someone she didn’t love. In fact, she couldn’t imagine having sex with anyone but Max!

She saw some of the people from her class waiting around a few feet away and waved at them timidly when she saw them staring at her. But all thought fled her mind when the doors whooshed open and the first people from Max’s flight came pouring out. She stood perfectly still, all her energy and attention focussed on that door until she saw his dark head appear. To finally see him nearly knocked the air from her lungs and paralyzed her momentarily before she started running towards him.

Max’s eyes had found her immediately and he dropped everything in his hands to come to her. He caught her against him as she flung herself into his embrace. Liz wrapped her legs around his waist as he wrapped her in his arms and buried his face in her hair.

They clung to each other for long minutes as Nick and Diane said hi and started organizing the luggage. Max twisted her hair around his hand and tugged her head back before his lips descended on hers passionately. It was a hungry, devouring, open-mouthed kiss and the world around them blurred into nothingness. He thrust his tongue into her moist mouth and explored every crevice while his hand fitted to the curve of her bottom, lifting her closer against him.

Liz was going under fast, his kisses always sent her world spinning of its axis. She speared her hands through his hair and brought his lips down on hers harder. After the long week of no touching, she wanted to feel every inch of him against her.

The haze eventually lifted from Max’s brain and he reluctantly tore his mouth from Liz’s. They were in a busy airport, with his mom and Nick looking on while he mauled Liz. Nice going, Max! He pressed his forehead against hers and tried not to notice how inviting her red and puffy lips looked. He let her slip to the ground, but held her against his body. There was no way an inch of space would be found between them this weekend!

Liz was still in a daze when she noticed the stunned looks of her classmates. The girls were gaping at Max while the boys were gaping at her. She blushed when she remembered how abandoned her reaction to Max had been. In class she was in control and bookish Liz, now they had seen her in a passionate clinch in an airport. She could just imagine what Monday would be like for her!

After a fleeting moment of embarrassment, Max decided he could care less that people had just seen him kiss Liz. That paled in importance to getting her back to the hotel as fast as he could.

They said goodbye to Diane as she left for her hotel and Max and Liz stayed to see Nick off. He was grinning as he waved to them before disappearing into the exit, making Liz’s blush worse. Everyone knew they were sleeping together, but it was kind of horrible to see the knowledge of what she and Max would be up to this weekend written all over Nick’s face.

Max wheeled her around and started determinedly for the door when they were interrupted by a voice: "Hey Liz!" He gritted his teeth as he turned, still keeping Liz plastered to his side.

Smiling weakly at the two girls staring with barely hidden interest at Max, Liz introduced Stacey and Kristy to him. "This is Max," she stated, not elaborating. If those two couldn’t see that this was her boyfriend, they were blind.

"Hey Max!" they sounded breathless and giggly, causing Liz to roll her eyes.

Sparing them only a cursory glance, Max said ‘nice to meet you’ politely, before saying to Liz: "We should go, sweetie."

Shivering from the heated way he stared at her mouth, she just nodded before bidding the two girls goodbye.

Watching their retreating backs, Stacey cried: "Oh my god! Where did she get HIM? I thought Roswell was filled with small-town hicks!"

Kristy agreed. "And did you see the way he looked at her? Talk about hot. What hotel does she stay in? Maybe we could go have breakfast there tomorrow morning, I wouldn’t mind seeing him again…"

Max bundled Liz into the nearest taxi and waited anxiously until she gave the address of her hotel before pulling her onto his lap and kissing her. His hands explored the curve of her neck and glided over the arc of her back, while his mouth wove more magic over hers. They only broke the kiss when the need for oxygen overwhelmed them.

Running his fingers over every inch of her face, Max whispered: "I missed that. Kissing you… I missed YOU!"

Liz leaned closer and slid her hand in between his jacket and his shirt until it rested over his racing heart. "Me too." The heat of his skin was evident even through the material of his shirt and she snuggled closer to him until her face was pressed into the crook of his neck.

"So tell me," his voice had a smile in it.

"Tell you what?" she mumbled against his throat, enjoying the little shiver that went through him when her breath collided with skin.

"Anything that would make this infernal ride shorter so we can be alone!"

Liz decided to tease him a little. "Oh, I didn’t know that you wanted to be alone… I have some new friends waiting to meet you at the hotel."

He was quiet for a few seconds. "Liz…" He pressed her hip closer to his body and into his arousal. "Trust me, we should be alone!"

Giggling softly, she gave in. "I was kidding! I’m gonna lock you in my room for the whole weekend so I can ravish your body."

He tugged her head back so he could look in her eyes. "I’m going to get you back for this, you know."

"Oooh, promise?" She licked her lips, in full teasing flight, making Max groan.

"Promise… But if we don’t start talking about your classes or something soon, we’re going to get into real trouble." His eyes were almost black and traced heated paths over her face.