After a long silence, he spoke so softly that Liz had to strain to hear him. "That Sunday, when you came to me… When Tess had been there..."

Nodding in encouragement, Liz thought back to the telephone conversation they had the next evening about Tess’ appearance in his room and her subsequent disappearance from Roswell. She remembered Max had been so disgusted by the whole thing that he only gave her the barest details of what had happened. He had worried more about the fact that Tess had apparently been under the impression that Liz was pregnant and what that would mean for Liz’s safety. As a result, Nick had been instructed to never leave her side. That had only ended when Max was sure that both Tess and Nacedo had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth.

He finally looked at her, his eyes filled with torture. "Liz, she made me dream about you. I wanted to do things… I-I was… dreaming of using you in… such horrible ways. Ways that would hurt you… demean—"

She stopped his desperate rambling with a tender kiss. "It wasn’t YOUR dream, Max," she whispered against his lips. "Those things weren’t coming from inside you. They never would." She trailed her fingers over his cheekbone and lips.

He watched her intently, and as he did, it felt like a huge weight was lifting off his shoulders. It left him almost dizzy with relief and wonder about how deep Liz’s trust in him went. He curled her body against his, holding her tightly and whispered in her ear: "I used to dream about you loving me back, but it was nothing as amazing as this. As reality."

They spent the rest of the day in the room, watching a movie on TV, talking and finally lying in the bath together for about half-an-hour before having to go out to dinner with Diane.

Dinner was a fun affair, especially after Diane made a comment about how nice it was to see the sparkle back in Max’s eyes. Liz had had to put her ring back around her neck, because they wanted to wait until close to graduation before telling their parents about their engagement. They chatted about the course and Diane’s case, as well as what to do for Michael’s birthday that was coming up.

Afterwards, when Diane had left, Max and Liz bought ice-cream and went for a walk, looking in shop windows while holding hands. Max felt profoundly grateful again for the sense of normalcy his life currently had. No alien wars to be fought, no unwanted destiny hanging over their heads, no FBI hunters on their tails… just him and Liz, being a family.

He made love to her so tenderly back in their room that Liz had tears in her eyes when it was over. They fell asleep with Liz tucked tightly into Max’s body, her back against his chest and his arm draped around her waist. They were both tired after the physically draining night and the emotionally draining day they had, and being back in each other’s arms meant a good night’s sleep for both of them for a change.

Liz went out and bought them some bagels and coffee for breakfast while Max was still sleeping on Sunday morning. He was flying out again around lunch and she wanted this to be a private little breakfast for two. When she got back to the room, Max was in the shower.

She smiled to herself. Time to surprise him! She pulled off her clothes and sneaked into the bathroom to jerk open the shower curtain. Max stood waiting for her with a smirk and Liz belatedly realized that he had probably known the minute she had arrived in the room. This connection could be really annoying sometimes!

He lifted her in with him and kissed her soundly. "Have I told you you look cute when you pout?"

She smiled up at him. "Does that mean that you will kiss me again if I pout some more?"

He bent his head again and teased her mouth with light little touches of his lips. "Hmmm, I never need an excuse to kiss you." He swiped his tongue across her lower lip, making her gasp. You just breathing is sexy to me." "I brought breakfast," she said when he moved to kiss her again. "I don’t care…" he replied, sweeping her up and proceeding to ravish her thoroughly.

After breakfast, consisting of the bagels and the coffee that Max had heated again with his hand, they settled next to each other on the floor to catch up on some urgent school work they had to finish for Monday. Liz lay on her stomach, chewing a pen and Max ended up lying with his head on the small of her back, reading the next chapter of his English assignment. Even doing homework together was a tradition for them. They were both serious about studying and had gotten used to working together in a companionable silence.

A little later, Max came back from the bathroom and smiled when he saw that Liz had fallen asleep on her book. He picked her up gently and put her on the bed, brushing her hair from her face.

His tender touches woke Liz from her doze and she blinked up at him sleepily. "How long before we have to leave for the airport?"

He glanced at the bedside clock, already feeling a bit melancholy at the thought of leaving her again. "About three hours."

Turning over on her back, Liz looked up at him seriously. "Could you kiss me until then?"

He nodded and bent towards her mouth, but she stopped him. "I meant kiss me… all over, Max." She stared up into his eyes, underscoring her request with the need in her gaze.

Kiss her all over? Hell yes! Liz was always beautiful to him, but Liz looking all tousled and sleepy just sent him into overdrive. It still freaked him out sometimes. Liz Parker, the girl he had loved from afar for all of his life, was now a permanent resident in his bed. Not only that, she made love with him every chance she got. During those first few months in their new apartment, Max made a point of watching Liz sleep and wake up. He loved the way she looked in the mornings, her hair tangled around her and her face slightly flushed and more often than not, she still showed signs of having made love with him sometime during the night. The sight always took his breath away.

Liz sat up to allow him to undress her. He did it carefully, as if he were unwrapping a present. He felt her dark eyes on him as he bent to the task and her gaze never left him, even after he had laid her back down, bare to his eyes. Only then did he meet her gaze and purposely let her see his feelings in his eyes. You are so beautiful.

When his lips touched hers softly, Liz sighed and closed her eyes. "Max…" It wasn’t a question or a plea, just a statement of fact. She felt him move his mouth over her face and neck, moving lower and lower as he traced every inch of her with his lips. His touches were tender and light, making her shiver with delight. And when they finally came together much later, they stared into each other’s eyes. Each watching every emotion and sensation on the other’s face. The flashes were of their quiet moments together this time, moments that reaffirmed their love and commitment.

Later, they packed Max’s stuff and phoned for a cab. Just before they left the room, Max turned to Liz and took her face in his hands. "I love you," he said and kissed her eyelids, her cheeks and her forehead.

She threw her arms around his neck and rubbed her nose against his. "And I love you. Always."

Max grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder and took her hand as they left for the lobby. Inside the elevator, he hugged her close to his side and rested his cheek on the top of her head. The elevator stopped on the 32nd floor to let in the older couple that rode up with them the day Max had arrived. The couple smiled at them before turning around to watch the floor numbers go by.

Liz felt Max grin and she blushed. Wow, they had really been out of control when he first arrived! She stiffened when Max started rubbing his hand over her hip, moving closer to her breast all the time. She jerked back and gave him a stern look, but he just grinned at her innocently. "Just teasing you, sweetheart," he whispered in her ear. Liz felt a tug at her heart at the thought that he was leaving again. At least this time she was only sad, not as inconsolable as she had been last week. She idly wondered if it had to do with the fact that Tess was gone and she didn’t have to worry about Max this time.

They were quiet in the cab on the way to the airport, just snuggling together as closely as they could. When they arrived, Nick was waiting with Diane and his face was grim. Liz felt Max tense up next to her and wondered what was wrong now.

"Hi Max, Liz," Nick said. He always managed to look like he was battling not to bow when he greeted Max, Liz thought. "We need to talk."

Max just nodded and went to book in his stuff before they went to a coffee shop. After they had all been settled in with a cup of coffee, Nick started softly. "I have news about Tess and Nacedo." His statement was met with silence, so he continued. "They left earth."

"What?!" Diane cried.

Max’s grip on Liz’s hand tightened. "How? Where did they go?"

"We’re not sure. We think maybe they went to Eric’s planet. Ours was destroyed and there are only four more that are inhabited as far as we know." He paused before continuing: "I guess they could’ve gone to any of the four. All we know is that Nacedo was contacted and they were picked up in Frazier Woods early last Monday morning."

"So what exactly does this mean for us?" Max asked.

Nick sighed. "I’m not sure yet. They are gone for good, I would guess. But…" He met Max’s gaze. "But it may also mean that these other races now know you are still on earth. Alive."

Glancing at Liz, Max said: "There isn’t much we can do about that now. We just have to stay careful."

Nodding, Nick also met Liz’s worried eyes: "Don’t worry, I have people working on trying to find out where they are. And what they are doing…"

The boarding call for Max and Diane’s flight was announced and everyone walked to the exit. Max stopped Nick as Liz and Diane were saying good-bye. "Please talk to everyone. If anyone wants to leave earth, now that it’s possible, they are free to go."

Nick smiled at Max. "It was always possible for us to go to any planet we liked. We chose to be here, with you."

Liz came up to join Max and Nick left with Diane to give them a few moments alone. They hugged tightly, before Liz pulled back. "Max… If-if you need to go… I mean—"

He grabbed her face in his hands. "I’m not ever going anywhere without you. Don’t even think that!" He kissed her, promising his love with his touches.

They clung to each other until Max finally tore himself away and walked off with his hands in his pockets and his head bent. God, was it ever going to become easier to leave her?