The two thoughts repeated themselves over and over again through Max's head as Isabel disappeared behind his closing bedroom door.

"Isabel isn't Vilandra anymore." A logical voice in the back of Max's mind reminded him. "Just because Vilandra betrayed you for the skins doesn't mean that Isabel will."

But she did.

Isabel got them all captured. If it hadn't been for whatever Tess did, they'd all be dead right now.

"Would that be so bad?" Another voice spoke up, whispering in his mind. "At least in death there would be no more lies."

Max ignored that voice.

A few days earlier, he would have never even questioned Isabel's loyalty…but now…

Max knew that Isabel was sorry…but was sorry enough this time?

Max cut school the next day, hiding out in the desert all day climbing rocks and exploring caves. Desperately, he threw himself into whatever challenge came upon him. Anything…if he could keep his mind off of Liz, Isabel, and Michael.

None of it worked.

When he returned home late that evening, Max went straight to his bedroom, without a word to his family. He slumped onto the floor in the corner of his bedroom, and buried his face in his hands.

Max wasn't sure if he could take the pain anymore. It was all too much.

Max was sick of the lies. He was sick of wondering who he could trust, and who was going to betray him.

He just wanted the pain to stop.

One sole tear slipped out of Max's eye, and traveled the distance down his face, finally hitting the floor silently.

No…he wouldn't cry.

His body didn't listen to his mind. Once one tear was freed, the rest followed without question, and a river of tears flowed down his face in a rush, as sobs racked through his body.

"Stop crying!" He ordered himself, taking deep breaths to control his body again.

A soft knocking on his bedroom door startled Max.

"What." He asked in a weary, pain ridden voice.

The door opened, and someone stepped inside, silently shutting the door behind them.

Max didn't even want to look at anyone. He kept his face buried in his arms, as he began to speak, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Look…I don't want to hear any more lectured on how I need to open up to someone. I don't want to hear any more about how sorry Isabel is." He looked up to meet the eyes of the intruder, and found himself meeting the last eyes he expected to see…the beautiful doe brown of Liz Parker's eyes. "And I don't want to hear any more lies." He finished softly, staring at her in agony. "If you're just going to spout out more lies about how you don't love me and you wouldn't die for me, then just leave. I don't want to hear them."

"No lies." Liz replied softly. "I just want to talk to you… And for the record, I've never denied that I love you. I could never do that."

"So instead you just go off and pretend to sleep with Kyle…that's really showing your love, Liz." He cried out bitterly. "So what do you really want?"

Liz hesitated. "Are you…do you want to listen? I can leave…I'm sorry… Your mom let me in…I suppose she thought maybe I could help."

"Can you?" Max asked softly, suddenly sounding like a weak, scared little boy.

"I hope so." Liz responded. She slowly walked over to where Max sat in the far corner of the room, and settled herself sitting opposite him, legs crossed beneath her. Max's eyes never left her, as he studied her, half of his mind preparing him for the worst, while the other part of him prayed that he would finally hear the truth that he needed to hear.

Liz started speaking, her voice wavering under her words.

"Everything that just happened, with the skins, and everyone disappearing…it really shook me up. We had no idea what was happening, Max. Whether our parents and friends were alive. Whether we were going to live…I was so scared. And the only thing keeping me sane was knowing that you were okay. And then…we left to go try to fix everything…and I just…I cracked, Max. I was so scared that I was going to disappear, that I was going to die. I thought I would never see you again…and it killed me to think that I could die and you would never know the truth."

"The truth about what, Liz."

"The truth about why I did everything that I did. But I came to a realization, Max. Screw the consequences. I can't lie to you anymore. There has to be another way."

"Another way to do what?"

"Another way…" Liz paused and took a deep breath, before looking meaningfully into Max's eyes. "Another way to stop the end of the world."

"What?" Max gasped out.

Liz took a deep breath, trying to gather her strength to continue. "I know it sounds crazy…but just, listen to me. I swear to you, I'm through lying to you, Max."

"Okay." Max agreed softly.

"Okay. I had a…visitor…a few weeks ago, Max. It was…well, it was you. An older version of you, who traveled back in time through the granolith to see me. I know it sounds crazy, but he proved it to me, Max. It was you. He needed my help…he needed me to push you away, because our love brought the end of the world."

"What?" Max gasped. "How could…"

Liz cut him off. "Just listen. Without his interference, you would have kept pursuing me to go to Gomez with you. Finally you were going to come to my room that night…and I was finally going to give in. We were going to take our relationship to the next level."

Liz stopped talking and drew her eyes to Max's deep, dark pools of emotion meaningfully, loosing herself in them for a moment. She flustered, realizing what she was doing, and continued.

"Anyways, because of the new direction our relationship took, you pushed Tess away. She left Roswell, and we never saw her again. But without Tess you were weaker, and eventually the skins took over…"

"Bringing about the end of the world." Max finished for her.

"Yes." Liz affirmed for him.

"So you did all of this for me." Max realized suddenly. "Because I asked you to."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"It was you…I love you." They lost themselves in each other's eyes again, just basking in the presence of each other for a moment, before Liz began to speak again. "Max…everything I said to you, everything I did…it was all a lie. None of it was true. I'd die for you in an instant. I'd do anything you ask. I could never be with anyone else. You're my heart, my soul…my whole existence. Please don't tell me that things are unrepairable between us."

Max rocked himself forward onto his knees, so he could lean over and stroke the soft, warm skin of Liz's cheek. She shivered under his touch after being absent from it for so long.

"No…" Max breathed. "I don't things could ever be unrepairable between us."

"You'll give me another chance?" Liz begged him softly, though her mind was still focused on the feeling of Max's hand against her skin.

"I'll give you more than another chance." Max replied.

Suddenly she was in his arms, and his lips were pressed up against her own desperately, and they kissed with a fiery passion that was burning from months apart. They abandoned themselves completely to one another, unable to get enough of each other, never wanting to stop the feeling of being completely and totally lost in their embrace.

It seemed to Liz as though Max's hands were everywhere at once…on her face, her hair, her arms…he couldn't stop touching her. And she never wanted him to stop.

As his hands cupped her face, a connection opened between them, and their thoughts and feelings poured openly into each other's minds.

Liz could feel Max's pain, first initiated by Liz, and then eventually growing to include Isabel and Michael's betrayal. She almost cried out as his pain swept over her…it was so strong. Liz desperately wanted to take that pain away…ease it all into nothingness. It would take some work, but Liz knew that things could be repaired between her love and his family.

At the same time, Liz also realized that as much as she hurt Max…he had never stopped loving her. She swam in that love, letting it flow through her in waves. Liz couldn't get enough of it.

As Liz was experiencing all of this, Max saw everything that had happened to Liz, as she encountered the future version of himself, and saw him begging her for help. Max felt Liz's agony after every encounter with him, and realized just how much she didn't want to hurt him, but in turn, did it out of necessity. His Liz was so strong.

Together they felt complete devotion to each other, and swore, in that moment, to never loose faith in each other again.

No more lies…no more betrayals.