“Hi,” she answered hoping he wouldn’t hear the surprise in her voice.

“How are you?” they said in unison.

“I’m good,” he said.

“I’m fine,” she answered, too.

“That’s…uhm…that’s good,” Max said. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She hasn’t changed at all. She was just as beautiful. Maybe even more so. Except for her eyes. There was something in her eyes he hasn’t seen before.

“I heard about your mom,” he said when she didn’t answer.

“Yeah?”

“How is she?”

“She’s doing…uhm…she’s Ok…I just actually …I was just at the hospital. So, yeah, she’s gonna be Ok.” She finally finished. She thanked God that Sarah stayed with her dad at the hospital.

“That’s good,” he said again. He was searching for something to say. He wanted to stand next to her for a little bit longer…to see her again. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind…all of them screamed, “Liz is here”…and he just couldn’t concentrate.

Liz felt the same way. So, after another moment of standing and just looking at each other she said, “I should probably go.”

“Right.”

“It was …it was good to see you,” she said softly, then turned around and walked towards her car. It took all of the will inside of her not to turn around.

She held her breath as she walked away from him, while Max watched her leave.

***********************************************************************

-Next day-

“So, are you Ok?” Maria asked after Liz finished telling her about her encounter with Max.

“Yeah…it was just…oh, I don’t know,” Liz said as she sat next to Maria. One of the waitresses didn’t show up and Liz offered to help. “All I know is that he probably won’t ever talk to me again.” She felt like she should have said something else to him.

“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Maria said. Liz followed Maria’s gaze and saw Max standing at the entrance.

Liz got up and walked up to him.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” he said, “I thought I’d go for a moon burger or something.”

“Well, you came to the right place,” she said as they made their way to one of the tables.

“So, what will it be?” she asked as Max sat facing the exit.

“Shouldn’t you be wearing a uniform?” he asked, because Liz was only wearing an apron.

“Oh, I think I grew out of them,” she said as she smiled at him.

“This place hasn’t changed at all,” he said as he looked around. He hasn’t been here since Liz left.

“Yeah, I know…” she trailed off as she saw Sarah running in through the back door. She thought her heart just stopped. She looked at her daughter, then at Maria. Maria, understanding, picked up Sarah and went into the kitchen. Liz exhaled. She didn’t even notice that she was holding her breath.

“Liz, are you Ok?” Max asked.

“Uhm…yeah…you know…I’m really sorry, but I have to…well, they’re moving my mother to a hospital in Albuquerque and my dad’s going with her, so I…I have to help him pack,” she blurted out. “So, I’m …I’m really sorry.”

“No, it’s Ok,” he said trying not to sound disappointed.

******************************************************************

Liz ran up the stairs and as she closed the door behind her, she saw her daughter playing with Maria. Maria looked up at her with concern, as Liz leaned back on the door.

“God, what am I doing?” she said more to herself than to anybody else.

*******************************************************************

-Two days later-

“Liz?” Liz turned around when she heard her name called out. She saw Kyle Valenti standing across the aisle holding milk.

“Kyle,” she smiled at him and then her jaw dropped as she realized that he was wearing a uniform. “A cop?”

“You say anything, I’ll arrest you,” he said as he gave her a hug.

“I thought this was the last thing you wanted to do.”

“Yeah, well, I guess my dad was right,” he answered.

“Well, I’ll call you if I need any help with parking tickets, Ok,” Liz couldn’t stop teasing him.

“How long are you in town for?” he asked.

“Another 2 weeks.”

“Well, maybe we can go for coffee or something.”

“Sure, I’d love that.”

“Great. Are you alone or with…?”

“Nope, alone,” she quickly said. “What about you? Seeing anybody?”

“I’ve been waiting for the right girl,” he said seriously.

Liz smiled at him.

“Well, I guess nothing changes,” Kyle suddenly said.

Liz looked up at him, not understanding what he was talking about.

“Evans,” he said, but she still stared at him with a question. “Still everywhere you are,” he finally explained as he pointed at where Max was standing.

Liz turned around and saw Max walking towards them. She smiled. Kyle was right. It seemed that Max was everywhere she was.

“Kyle,” Max said as he reached them.

“Max,” Kyle said, then turning to Liz, “So, I’ll call you.”

“Yeah, bye, Kyle.”

After Kyle left, Max said sarcastically, “I don’t think he likes me very much.” They both smiled.

“You busy right now?” he asked then.

“No, not really,” Liz answered, “Why?”

**********************************************************************

“I can’t believe it, it hasn’t changed at all,” Liz said as they walked around their old school.

“Yeah…I always come here whenever I’m in town,” he said. Liz looked at him understanding why. For a moment she felt like she was back in high school.

*********************************************************************

“I forgot how beautiful it is here,” Liz said as she and Max ate hot dogs in the park.

“So, how was Harvard?” Max asked.

“Well, it was…” she began to lie to him, but felt like she just couldn’t. “I…I didn’t actually go…to…Harvard,” she said instead.

“What? Wait, I thought you got in?” he said with surprise on his face.

“I did. I just…well. I got a full scholarship to Northwestern, so it was…that’s where I went.”

“Oh, Ok,” was all Max said. Going to Harvard was Liz’s dream and he just didn’t understand why she didn’t go. “So, how’s Chicago?”

“It’s great. Big. The weather takes a little getting used to…or a lot…but Sarah loves the snow,” she said as she smiled at the thought of her daughter making snow angels.

“Sarah?” he asked.

Liz’s smile disappeared. “Oh…well…she’s…she’s my friend,” she lied as she felt her heart racing. “So, how was the medical school?” she asked trying to change the subject.

“It was great,” he lied. He was miserable the whole time. He took as many classes as he possibly could just to keep busy. To keep his mind off of her. “I got a residency at one of the Albuquerque hospitals.”

“That’s great. Staying close to home.”

“Yeah. What about you?” he asked.

“Well, I actually just…” she didn’t know how else to say it, “I just graduated actually.” She said without looking at him.

Max didn’t say anything. He looked at her shocked. He couldn’t figure out why it took Liz Parker nearly 6 years to finish college. He didn’t know that Liz worked full time while taking classes part time.

“But I just got a great job at the University of Chicago.”

“That’s…that’s great,” he said still trying to figure out what happened in Liz’s life.

******************************************************************

By the time Liz got home the Crashdown was already closed.

“Hey,” she said to Maria who was watching TV. “Is Sarah sleeping?”

“Yes…and what do you think you’re doing?” Maria said as she turned off the TV and got off the couch.

“What are you talking about?” Liz asked as she went to check on Sarah.

“What I’m talking about?” Maria said as Liz went to kiss her sleeping daughter.

After Liz closed the door and went to the living room, Maria repeated, “What I’m talking about?…Liz are you insane?”

As they both walked down the stairs and into the empty diner Liz said, “Maria, would you relax. I ran into him in the store.”

“Yeah, how long ago?”

“Maria, would you stop? We were just talking, Ok?”

“Talking?…Talking? Liz, do you remember what happened the last time you were just talking? You ended up raising a child all by yourself.

Liz stopped and looked at Maria, “Maria, relax, nothing’s gonna happen. Max is not interested in me that way anymore.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why is he standing outside waiting for you?” Maria said as she pointed to the door with her eyes.

Liz turned around and saw Max standing outside looking at her. Liz looked back at Maria with a little bit of happiness shining in her eyes.

“Maria, please?” Liz said pleading for her friend’s approval.

Maria exhaled. “Fine.”

“Thank you.”

“But I’m staying over. Hopefully with me in the house, you two won’t do anything…that you’re not supposed to do.”

Liz smiled at her.

“You’re hopeless, you know that?” Maria said as Liz gave her a hug.

“Good night, Maria,” Liz said as she pulled away and walked over to open the door for Max.

**********************************************************************

Max was sitting at the counter as Liz was working on a snack for them.

“So, you and Isabel live together?” Liz asked.

“Yeah, Michael lived with us for a while, but then Isabel decided that she actually wanted to see the floor under his clothe, so he moved out,” Max said.

“So, where does he live now?” Liz asked as she put a drink on the counter. She really wanted to ask if Tess lived with them too, but she didn’t dare to. So, she was just asking questions about Isabel and Michael instead.

“He got a small apartment about a block away from us, so he still pretty much lives there, you know, just without the clothes horror.

Liz smiled.

“What’s this?” Max asked pointing to the cup Liz put in front of him.

“Cherry coke,” she said.

“You remembered,” he said softly as they looked into each other’s eyes.

“It’s not the only thing I remember,” she said.

They looked at each other for a moment, then Max said, “Liz, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why did…why did you leave that morning?”

It was the question he wanted to ask her for 6 years.
It was the question she was afraid to hear for 6 years.

Still looking into his eyes, she said, “There were so many reasons at the time,” and as Max stood very close to her, she continued almost whispering, “Right now I can’t think of any.”

Max put his hand over hers and slowly leaned in to kiss her. But as their lips almost touched, they heard a scream from upstairs.

“What was that?” Max asked.

“Oh, God…Sarah,” Liz said as she ran through the back door and up the stairs.

When she got to the living room, Maria was already up.

“Was it Sarah?” Liz asked her as she ran into the room.

“I don’t know,” Maria said following Liz into Liz’s old room where Sarah was sleeping. Max followed them both, not really understanding what was going on.

Sarah’s bed was empty. Liz picked up the blanket as if hoping that Sarah was just hiding. “Sarah!” Liz called out as she checked every corner of the room and the bathroom. Then she noticed that the window was open.

She crawled through the window and as she looked down she saw a car drive away fast. “Sarah!!!” Liz screamed.

Liz sat down on a chair trying to sort her thoughts. She knew she couldn’t afford to fall apart right now, but the tears still rolled down her face.

“Liz, what happened?” Max asked as he sat in front of her.

“They took her,” Liz said without looking at him.

“Who?” From the toys and the little dress that he noticed in the room he understood that Sarah was a little girl.

“The FBI…they took her.”

“Why would the FBI kidnap a little girl?” he asked.

With eyes filled with tears Liz finally looked up at him. This was not the way she wanted to tell him. But now…she didn’t have a choice.

“Because…because she’s your daughter.”

Max practically jumped up in shock. He looked at Liz in disbelief as his brain tried to process the news.