Max wasn't normally one to overreact, but given the situation...

Alex watched him tug at his bottom lip nervously and shook his head.

"Max, relax. The plan is a good one. And you know as well as I do that Mr. Parker seldom responds to any situation with anything akin to logic. It's his only child, his little girl we're talking about. And that basically translates into one thing for him: Just say no."

Max sighed and leaned forward onto the desk, placing his head in his hands.

"Yeah, I know. And he's right, really," Max paused. "I never thought I'd want to get married this young. But, I do. I love Liz. I've spent two years proving that to her and everyone else. Why can't they just accept it and let us do what we want to with our lives?"

Alex nodded throughout the tirade and let a smile cross his face.

"Because what you guys have found is..." he shook his head as he continued. "It's very rare. For you, the rules can be broken. But for the other 750,000 just-graduated kids, getting married would be the first of many mistakes that lead to living in a shack down by the river."

"Well, he said he'd look over the proposal and let me know tomorrow."

Alex grinned.

"That's where you're going to get him. That proposal is a work of art. I know how Jeff Parker's mind works. On that sheet of paper is the answer to every question he's going to ask himself tonight. It'll work, believe me."

Max nodded and took a deep breath.

"If this works, you'll definitely have to be my best man."

Alex spun around in his chair with a grin, facing the computer again.

"Then get ready for a Sa-wingin' bachelor party."

******

"O-kaaay," Alex said with an uncomfortable smile, "maybe we'll put the bachelor party off for a while."

Max glowered, not necessarily at Alex, but in his general direction.

"I can't believe our parents did this to us... again. I can't do anything more than I've already done to gain their trust. Itıs ridiculous!"

Liz entered from the back room of the deserted Crashdown, settting down plates of fries in front of Alex and Max.

"I know, Max, Iım sorry."

Max looked up into her eyes.

"It's not something you can control, I know that." He gently tugged at her hand. "It's just... six whole weeks."

Liz sighed and sat beside him, pulling off her antennas.

"I can't believe it, either. What are we going to do?" She rested her head on Maxıs shoulder and he put his arm around her.

Liz snuggled in closer and sighed into his chest.

"It's like they don't trust my judgment at all. But what I don't get is, why now," she looked up intently at Max's face.

Max couldn't help his eyes from meeting Alex's quickly.

Alex jumped right in.

"It's probably just graduation and all that got them thinking about your future. You know, typical obsessive-compulsive knee-jerk parent reaction."

Liz sat up suddenly, her face a study of determination.

"You know, I ought to just threaten to turn down the scholarship to Stanford unless they let Max and I see each other."

Max immediately turned her toward him so that he could look her in the eyes.

"No, you will not turn down that scholarship," he said with finality. "It's too good of an opportunity for you. And they'd really hate me if you did that."

Liz's face crumpled.

"Oh, Max, they don't hate you. I think it's just that they sense this whole big secret about you and it makes them nervous. They like you... it's just... that they don't..."

"They don't trust me," Max filled in reluctantly.

Liz bit her lip and wished she could contradict him. She finally looked down. She knew it killed Max to be considered untrustworthy.

Alex decided to break the mood.

"So, the big internship thing, when do you guys leave," he asked with raised eyebrows.

"In two days," Max said without a smile. "And we won't be back until August."

Liz grabbed a french fry and munched on it with a grim expression.

"Isn't it interesting that your parents pulled this little trip out of a hat just when my parents were starting to freak out about us being too exclusive again? It really stinks to have your parents plotting against us, too."

Max couldn't help but smile.

"Liz, this internship was already on the table way back during the year. It just didn't get set in stone until a few days ago. But maybe I can turn it down."

Liz looked at him with sadness, "No you can't. But why do you have to go all the way to L.A. to work in a law office? Aren't there some around here you could work in?"

Max didn't answer, he just pulled her into his arms. They had been over this several times already.

She didn't need more words from him. She needed something else.

Looking at Liz's downcast face, Max made a decision. One that the Parkers werenıt going to like at all.

******

"I have to hand it to you, Maxwell, you are one responsible guy," Michael shook his head as he spoke.

Max just laughed.

"Yeah, well, I hate to tell you this, but you're no slouch yourself. I know you still like to think of yourself as the daring loner, but those days are long gone."

Michael just stared at Max for a moment. How did Max always do that? It was like having someone peek over his shoulder all the time. Stuff that Michael never even thought coherently to himself would just come out of Max's mouth. Stuff that made him realize things, face things that he didn't want to about himself.

"Yeah," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess you're right. But I'm not the one living on my own in L.A. for six weeks."

"You wish," Max said with grin. "But I won't be on my own. Izzy will keep me in line. And I don't think this job will be a breeze, either. We'll be working our butts off."

Michael shook his head. Only Max would be going to a city like L.A. to work.

"Alright, Mr. Dependable," he joked, referring to Max's title given to him by West Roswellıs senior class. "Just try and live it up a little bit, for me. You'll have the rest of your boring life to work and be settled down in marital bliss with Liz Parker."

Max frowned and looked around to see if Liz had heard Michael.

She was standing over by the jukebox, watching him with a wistful smile. Alex, beside her, noticed her lack of attention and waved his hand in front of her face. She jumped and smiled sadly at Max before looking back at Alex.

"Like I said," Michael continued from somewhere behind Max. "Marital bliss. You, my friend, are a goner."

Max had to agree. Liz looked so beautiful in the simple white tank and skirt she wore, thong sandals on her feet.

He felt his heart lurch as he thought of being without her for six long weeks.

Glancing back at Michael, he reached out and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"See ya' in six weeks, space boy."

Michael grinned at him sideways, "What, no poetry?"

"I'm not wastin' on your sorry butt. See ya'."

Max grinned back and headed over to Liz.

******

Max looked over at Liz as the silky darkness of her hair blew wildly in the breeze.

His heart beat rapidly as he contemplated his actions tonight. They had slipped away from his and Isabel's goodbye party early, just to be alone together for a few more precious hours.

He slid his hand over to Liz's, squeezing it just to remind her that he hadnıt left yet. She turned sorrowful eyes to him.

Max sighed and looked back at the road.

There was nothing to say, really. Over the two years that they had been together, they had never gone so much as a week without seeing each other. Going six weeks was going to be hard. Harder than their parents knew because of the unknown elements they always faced.

Going to a new place meant exposing themselves to a whole new environment with possible dangers. It wasn't exactly a comforting thought for any of them.

Of course, it had been a long time since anything had happened with the FBI or Nasedo. The three aliens had gradually abandoned the search for their heritage. Mainly, because the orb had revealed plans for Isabel and Michael to be together in order to preserve the species. They had been horrified enough to agree with Max to turn their backs on the life the orb and their people had apparently planned for them.

So, they buried the orb ten feet deep in the desert and left it.

Sometimes Max wondered if they had done the right thing. But the answer came back to him every time he looked in Liz's eyes.

Anything for her. Anything.

Glancing at the road, he realized that he had to do it. Right now.

He pulled the Jeep off the road and turned to answer Liz's questioning look.

"Liz, I..." a sudden rush of emotion choked his voice. "I... have something I want to say to you."

Liz's eyes were already pooling with tears, as they had been doing readily throughout this night.

"What is it," she asked softly.

"It's a letter I want to read to you," he managed to force out. He pulled his eyes away from hers with effort and reached into his coat pocket. Then he stopped himself.

"No, wait, this is all wrong," he said as he hopped out of the Jeep and came around to her side. He reached a hand out to her and helped her out.

She didn't let his hand go, but moved to stand close to him as he gazed down at her.

He was completely at a loss. The list of reasons not to do this was way too long for him not to feel a twinge of doubt. But looking at Liz, her brown eyes liquid, her gaze so loving, he knew he had to.

A smile danced across Liz's lips.

"You've got a secret, Max Evans," she said playfully. "What is it?"

He smiled, then leaned in to kiss her.

******

Liz closed her eyes and then blinked them open in surprise at the fervancy in his lips. She pulled back for a moment, raising a hand to caress his face as she read the desire in his eyes. Remembering it was their last night for many, she understood. She leaned in and began rhythmically caressing his lips with her own. Her tongue slipped inside his mouth and he moved his hands to her waist. Finally, he pushed her away gently, a smile on his face.

"At this rate, you'll never know what the secret is," he chided her.

Then he turned to walk into the desert, pulling her gently behind him.

Liz's mind began to wonder, began to hope as they mounted the large rock formation in front of them.

What was going on?

It had to be something monumental. The signs were all around her.

Her foot slipped on a rock and Max turned to help her regain her footing.

Infinitely careful, always so caring... her love.

Coming over the top of the plateau, Liz gasped at the sight before her. The nighttime sky was bright with stars, millions of them spreading out in all directions before them.

She didn't dare turn to look at Max.

Everything seemed to be waiting, holding its breath for the next words out of his mouth. Or was it just her?