Liz Parker walked from the front door of West Roswell High School straight to her locker, not even stopping when she heard Maria DeLuca and Alex Whitman, her two best friends, calling after her from behind her. Liz’s head stayed down the whole way. She was hoping with all her might that Max Evans, the guy she’d practically killed last night, wouldn’t notice her. No such luck.

“Liz....” It was a soft murmur next to her ear. She tried to ignore the way lightning zoomed thru her at the feel of his breath on her neck, of his voice so close to her ear, of his body heat and his scent surrounding her. It was making her dizzy, not allowing her to think straight. It was making Liz want to do nothing more than turn around and throw herself into his arms and tell him that it wasn’t true, that she could never betray him in that way, that it had been staged.

She opened her locker, pulling out some books. Finally she turned to Max. There were dark half circles under his eyes and his skin was painfully pale. She tell it killed him to even look at her now, now that he believed she’d done something that hurt him so deeply, he’d never recover. She felt her heart wrench at the thought of never being able to kiss his soft lips again, or look into his deep, soulful hazel-brown eyes and see his love for her.

She just couldn’t take it.

Liz opened her mouth, then shut it again. She turned, shoved everything into her locker, and slammed it shut.

Then she turned and bolted out of the front doors.

Liz could hear Max’s breathless cries and hurried footsteps following her. She turned to look over her shoulder to locate him.

And tripped on an uneven crack in the sidewalk.

Liz landed hard on her hands and knees. She heard a bone pop in her leg and felt blood running out of scrapes on her palms, but ignored it. She tried to stand, but her left knee gave out. She landed on her bottom in the grass. Just then, Max caught up to her.

“Are you okay?” Max asked looking down at Liz, at her bloody palms and the hole in the knee of her jeans that provided a clear view of a huge bruise forming on her knee.

Liz nodded, hoping that would suffice him and he’d just go back to school and forget about her. He didn’t, of course. Instead, he kneeled down in front of her so he could see her eyes.

“Can you walk?” he questioned.

Liz shook her head. There was no reason to lie to him. Why was he doing this, anyway? Hadn’t she gotten him into enough trouble and put him thru enough pain already?

“Then I guess I’ll have to carry you back.” He got ready to hoist Liz into his arms.

“No!” she burst out. The tears started to roll down her cheeks, unbidden.

Max stared at her in bewilderment.

“How can you do this? After all I’ve done to you? Why won’t you just turn to Tess like you’re supposed to!?” Liz yelled between sobs.

“Because I love you,” Max replied softly, simply. “No matter what, I always will. Nothing can change that. Nothing.”

“But you can’t!” Liz screamed at him. “If you stay in love with me both our worlds will be destroyed!” Uncontrollable sobs erupted from her throat, cutting her off.

“What are talking about?” Max asked. “How?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“You can and you will,” Max argued quietly, determination coloring his voice. “We’re going to the cave and you’re gonna tell me everything.”

Liz fought. She couldn’t tell him, no matter how much she wanted to. She could already feel herself softening toward him, feel her resolve melting. If he didn’t leave right then and there, the fight would completely leave her.

Max finally managed to get Liz into his arms without being shoved away. She seemed to have stopped fighting. He walked purposefully to the Jeep, cradling Liz in his arms.

Max carefully put Liz into the passenger seat of the Jeep, then hopped behind the wheel. He started the engine, pulled out of the school parking lot, and headed toward the cave. Liz sat quietly, staring out the window the whole way. When they finally reached the cave, she turned to Max, tears shining in her eyes.

“I still can’t tell you,” she whispered, a tear spilling over and rolling down her face.

Max reached over and wiped the tear away. Slipping his fingers into her hair and looking into her gorgeous brown eyes, he replied softly, “You don’t have to.”

Liz’s eyes grew wide. She shook her head and opened the Jeep door, hurriedly trying to get away from him.

Max jumped out of the vehicle and ran after her. “Liz!” he cried after her. “Come back!” He started down the slope between the cave and the open desert.

Liz had a feeling of deja vu. Max was still yelling at her, she was running out into the desert.... Then she placed it.

Of course! This had happened back on that fateful day last summer, when Max, Izzy, Michael, and Tess found out their destinies. The one Liz wasn’t a part of. She ran faster. Ran so hard her lungs hurt.

Suddenly, Liz was down. All her breath left her in a whoosh as she landed on her stomach in the soft desert sand. Wheezing and groaning, she rolled onto her back.

Or tried to. Something was in her way.

Max! The realization hit her harder than the ground had. She rolled the other way and sat up, crawling quickly over to his still form.

“Max?” Liz cried breathlessly.

He opened his eyes, slowly shook his head. Then his lips quirked into a sad half smile. “I’m not letting you go this time.”

Tears glittered in Liz’s eyes as she figured out what he meant. Michael had stopped him from coming after her last time. But Michael wasn’t here now, and even if he had been, Max would have shook him off, told him to get lost.

Max sat up and looked into her eyes. His fingers went into her dark hair, massaging her scalp.

Liz’s eyes closed as she reveled in his touch. God, how long had it been? Days, months? It seemed like years. Or a couple eternities. A contented sigh escaped her lips, and she was lost.

Max was quickly losing his rationality. The texture of Liz’s hair alone was bringing back memories before Tess came. Before their lives were ruined. He tried to banish them, telling himself that Liz couldn’t deal with this right now.

Then he heard her sigh. A sigh of pleasure. And his resolve snapped. As the memory of their first kiss flooded Max’s brain, he covered Liz’s lips with his. Liz instantly gave into him. When he traced her lips with his tongue, she immediately opened her mouth. Then the images started.

As the kiss deepened, Liz became aware of some sort of silver cord, something that connected she and Max’s soul. She gasped. They really were soulmates! Why hadn’t she noticed this before? She was about to explore this new sensation more deeply when she felt something like electricity crackle through her.

The images hit her quicker than she thought they would. All of them were of she and Max together. :FLASH: Max healing her after she gets shot in the cafe. :FLASH: Their first kiss. :FLASH: Them dancing. :FLASH: The two of them in the desert the night they almost made love. :FLASH: The kiss they shared before she left him in the cave...

Wetness began pooling on her cheeks. It took her a moment to realize that it was Max’s tears that she felt running down her face. She quickly but gently pulled away from him, looking into his hazel-brown eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong, although she already knew.

“You saw,” she said softly, brokenly. It wasn’t a question.

He nodded. “I’m so sorry.”

He thought it was his fault. Liz took his face in her hands, wiping away some of the tears with her fingers. “It isn’t, wasn’t your doing,” she murmured, her eyes filling with tears, too. “Things happen. You can’t protect everyone from everything.”

Max shook his head again. “I don’t want to protect everyone,” he whispered, his voice shaking with emotion. “I just want to protect you.”

Liz threw her arms around him, hugging him close.

“Sometimes even that’s impossible,” she whispered close to his ear.

Max’s arms encircled her waist, pulling her even closer. “I love you, Liz,” he whispered back. “I’m sorry it causes more harm than good.”

“I love you, too, Max. You’ve done more good than you’ll ever know,” Liz replied. Then a thought struck her. “What are we gonna do about Tess?” she asked in alarm, pulling back and searching Max’s eyes.

“We’ll work something out,” he assured her. He leaned his forehead against Liz’s.

“We’ll have to.”

Liz was about to question him farther, but Max gently pushed her backward into the sand.

“Don’t argue with me,” Max growled, before once again attacking Liz’s lips.

When the two finally broke apart again, they were both breathless. Their lips were swollen and deep red; their eyes were dilated.

They took deep gulps of air, never losing eye contact. Finally, as Max wrapped Liz in his strong arms, she murmured, “Max, we need to get back to school.”

Behind her, Max kissed the side of her neck. Liz felt a soft flurry of breath on her throat as he murmured back, “No.”

Liz squirmed, trying to get away from the caress of his lips on her neck. “Max,” she moaned. “Let go.”

About fifteen minutes later, Max released her. She began to head back toward the Jeep, but Max stopped her.

He looked deep into her eyes and asked, “Is there any way we can try again?” His voice cracked.

Liz threw herself into his arms again, telling him there was nothing she’d like better as tears coursed down her cheeks.

Max held Liz as close as he dared as they drove back to school. He couldn’t help but smile as his girlfriend- he was so glad he could finally call her his again- snuggled closer and sighed. He kissed the top of her head, but didn’t dare take his eyes off the road. How was he going to get thru the rest of the day?! He gave a mental groan. All he wanted to do was hold her, kiss her. Make up for lost time. If they weren’t careful, they’d end up in one of the eraser rooms for the rest of the day. As they pulled into the school parking lot, he heard the bell for fifth period ring. “Last chance to escape,” he warned.

Liz thought for a moment, then said, with a smile, “Drive.”

No one saw them for the rest of the day.