Max had decided to tell Liz the truth, but he figured he would have had a little bit of time to find the right way, the right words.

The moment he opened his door and saw her standing there, his mind went totally blank. He just hoped that when he did finally open his mouth the words would somehow escape from his lips. On the other hand, Liz had read her journal over and over, but it was not all connected in a coherent way yet. Some of her memory flashes had become clearer and more vivid, but not enough to be considered a full recovery. She wanted to know all the details. She needed to know. As she read the words written by her own hand, part of Liz was terrified but another part felt safe.

Learning Max, Michael, and Isabelle were aliens was a shock to say the least, but the feelings and emotions underlying her words was unmistakable, she and Max had strong feelings for one another, feelings that went way beyond friendship. As they approached the playground, Liz could sense Max’s discomfort. She wanted to take hold of his hand as a sign that everything would be all right, but she didn’t know what to do. He must be so freaked out, Liz thought. After what seemed an eternity, they finally made it to their destination and sat on one of the benches.

They smiled nervously at each other, but both were hesitant to speak first.

Finally, Max broke the silence, “Liz, I’m sorry about what happened before, the first time you stopped by. At the time I thought it was the best thing to do for you … and for me,“ he looked up into her beautiful face and started to lose his train of thought so he looked away quickly and continued, “which is why I lied to you. I know I should have told you the truth, but I didn’t know how and I’m sorry for upsetting you.”

Liz sat intently listening to him, so he continued, “I thought that if I lied to you about the nature of our friendship and pushed you away, I would be protecting you. That being away from me would keep you out of danger, but after getting some sound advice from a rather unlikely source, I know I was wrong.”

Max was visibly shaking, so Liz reached over and put her hand over one of his and gave it a slight squeeze. Her hand felt warm and the feel of it relaxed him a little.

Her eyes pleaded him to go on, “Why were you wrong?” Then Max stood up and began pacing anxiously. “I was wrong because with everything that’s happened in the last few months, I knew I could trust you with the truth about me. Then you hit your head and forgot all of it. The slate was wiped clean, and I thought you would finally be safe, away from me.” He stopped pacing and looked in her eyes, “And that’s all I really cared about, you know. I didn’t want to hurt you anymore, but then I ended up doing just that anyway, worse than I thought.” He took a deep breath before he started again. “You see, Liz, the truth about me is …”

Liz stood up and took both of Max’s hands in hers and smiled sweetly, “Max, I know who you are. I mean, I know what you are.”

Max’s eyes grew wide with confusion. “I was on my balcony and I found my journal. That’s where I’ve been hiding it, and I read about what really happened at the Crashdown the day of the shooting and everything that has happened since then. I know the truth. And now I know why you lied to me before and I’m not angry with you. I understand that this whole situation must have freaked you pretty bad too.”

Max laughed softly, “Yeah, you could say that. Do you feel all right? I mean this must have shocked you.”

“At first I thought it was a really bad joke, and everyone was acting so strange. I mean, aliens? Get serious, right. I couldn’t get the whole truth from anyone, so when I found my journal I listened to the only person I knew wouldn’t hide anything from me … myself. I knew there was no way I would make up something like that. Plus I had been having some memory flashes and my journal helped to clarify them a little better. But, Max, I still don’t have my full memory. I mean I know what’s happened, but it’s only because I read about it. It’s almost like I was reading about someone else’s life instead of my own. Since I don’t remember the experiences themselves, it’s like I haven’t actually lived them. Do you understand what I mean?”

Max was still surprised that Liz was so handling it all so well. He knew he should have trusted her from the beginning with his secret, and he loved her even more for her willingness to help him right at this moment. She could have let him fumble his way through an explanation, but instead she made it easier for him to explain by meeting him halfway. He wanted her to remember his love for her and their strong connection. “Yes, I think I know what you mean. How can I help?”

Liz smiled nervously. She was still a little unsure of what she was about to suggest, and she paused, “I was thinking that since you healed a bullet wound before, that maybe now you could try to heal my mind. Maybe that would help bring it all back to me.”

“Are you sure?” Max inquired. A sad look swept over his face, “There have been some pretty scary moments since you learned the truth. Do you really want to remember all of the bad things that happened as a result of it?” He looked away from her, because he didn’t want to see her eyes if she said no.

She gently pulled his face back so that she could look directly at him, “Max, I know there were some scary moments, but I also know that I was never afraid of you. Not even once. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. I want you to do this.”

Max nodded and placed both of his hands on the sides of her head. They stared into each other’s eyes and he matched his breathing to hers. The connection was easier to make this time because of their strong bond. He found the damaged spot in her brain and healed it. The memories and emotions rushed at them like a tidal wave. The shooting, the Crash Festival, her grandma, Sheriff Valenti, and the feeling of love. Their love for each other was undeniable. Since Max healed Liz the first time, she had grown to love him deeply and intensely and Max knew that now.

He could feel it pouring out of her and it felt wonderful. And Liz could feel Max’s love for her. From the first time he reversed the connection to show himself to her to this very moment, she had known his heart belonged to her.

When the connection ceased, they both stood there motionless and Max did not take his hands away from her face, “Do you remember everything now? Are you OK?”

Liz had never felt anything so incredible in her life. She was completely bowled over by the experience and did not want it to end. “Yeah, Max, I’m fine. It worked. I remember it all.” Not wanting to break their gaze, they continued to stare into each other’s eyes and smiled a little.

“I remember all of the experiences and the feelings, good and bad. And I don’t regret any of it, because they brought me closer to you. Thank you for giving me this tremendous gift.”

Max was ecstatic. He knew that Liz, the girl he had dreamed of for years, loved him. There were no doubts. He could not push her away any longer, and he could not hold back any more.

“No, Liz, thank you,” he replied as he pulled her face gently towards his own. He touched her lips softly with his own, and when she kissed him back, her mouth was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. They wrapped their arms around each other, electricity coursing through their bodies, discovering that the safest, most wonderful place to be was in each other’s arms.

Liz rested her head on Max’s shoulder and squeezed her arms so tight he couldn’t take a breath, “Liz, it’s OK. I’m not choking.”

She laughed, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was squeezing so hard. I guess I’m just afraid you’re going to try and run away or something.”

He pulled back and placed his hands on her shoulders so that he was looking squarely at her, “I’m through running. When you got amnesia and forgot all about us, it made me realize how much I need you in my life,” he smiled, “and how much I love you. I don’t want to run from something that feels so right.”

She raised her face, rubbed her nose against his, and then softly kissed his lips, “So I guess that bump on my head turned out to be a blessing in disguise. This doesn’t mean you’ll only tell me how you really feel about me if I’m physically maimed or something does it?”

He laughed, “No, I’m officially retiring my running shoes, so no more concussions. Deal?”