Liz was yanked out of her thoughts when she heard Alex, Isabel, and Kyle knocking on the door. Liz must not have noticed when Tess went into the back room. She walked over and unlocked the door letting them in. "Thank goodness you guys are here. We need all the help we can get for setting up!" Liz exclaimed.

"What a great greeting, I feel so loved!" Alex joked.

"Haha Alex, but seriously, Max will be here soon with Michael and everything needs to be ready. Maria and Tess are in the back, Kyle why don't you go see if they need help."

Fine, geez Liz you are so pushy!" Kyle bugged her. Liz smacked his arm playfully.

About 20 minutes later Max arrived with Michael. He was so surprised. They caught his face on camera. "Memories, Memories." Maria smiled.

"Blackmail, Blackmail." Alex joked. After saying hi to everyone he reached Maria. " Hey Maria, thanks for this. It's really great!" he gave her a quick hug before returning to the party.

Ten minutes later they were playing Truth or Dare. It was Michael's turn to ask a question." Liz, Truth or Dare?"

"Um... Truth," she smiled.

"OK, are you a virgin?" he asked.

Liz face went white. How was she supposed to answer this in front of Max? All she wanted to do was scream 'Yes I'm a virgin,' but she couldn't. She had to be strong for everyone. She looked at Kyle. Then her gaze went to Max. He wouldn't look at her. So Liz did what she had to do.

"No." she answered quietly. "No, I'm not a virgin."

"Max!" Isabel accused in a shocked voice.

Max looked at Liz then at Isabel. "It's not me," he replied sadly.

"He wasn't my first. "Liz finished for him. Her head was down but everyone in the room could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. Max stood up and ran to the door. "Max! Max, wait," he turned to face her with tears in his eyes. Then he turned back around and ran outside.

Liz ran out behind him. He might've let her go in may bit she wasn't going to do the same thing. She ran down the street in search of him. Finally she found him in his jeep. His head was leaning down on the steering wheel and tears were rolling down his cheeks. Just as he went to turn on the ignition Liz opened the car door and go in next to him. "Max can we please talk about this?" she asked him in a quiet voice.

Max turned to face her. "Get out of my car." he replied coldly.

"No!" she buckled her seatbelt proving to him she wasn't going anywhere.

"Liz, Get the Hell out of my car," he yelled.

"Max I'm not going anywhere until we talk." Liz was stubborn. As stubborn as Max was Liz was ten times more stubborn.

"Why don't you go talk to Kyle or did you already get sick of him like you got sick of me?"

"Look at me Max," he turned to face her. When he was facing her she slapped him across the face, "Don't you ever say anything like that to me again. I can't believe you would go and say that."

"I can't believe you would lose your virginity to Kyle but you did," he said "I guess we weren't soulmates after all. You were right Liz, I'm going to go fulfill my destiny with Tess, all night long." Max knew he had gone to far but he didn't care. He wanted her to hurt like he had even though the last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her.

Max had never seen Liz look so hurt. She looked like she had been punched in the stomach. "I can't believe this. Who the Hell are you? You know what I don't regret what I did with Kyle. He's human. He can give me everything you can't," she threw back at him. "Don't worry Max, It wasn't that I didn't like Who you were, but What you were was just a big problem. Did you actually think I would fall in love with an alien?" Liz knew she had done it. That was one of Max's biggest fears, that no one would love him because of what he was. " I wish you hadn't saved my life that day."

"Me Either. I've spent every day regretting it." That was it whatever hope there was for a reconciliation was gone because they were to stubborn to let go of the fight. Both of them were so hurt by the other that they weren't even thinking clearly. That is why they kept saying what they were saying.

"I hate you Max Evans." Liz screamed at him. With that she ran up to her room in tears leaving Max alone. Max sat in his car while Liz lay on her bed. Slowly as the calmed down their minds cleared and they realized the mistakes they had made by saying what they said.

~~~~~~~~

The next day Max went to the Crashdown in search of Maria. He missed their talks and the time they spent together. She had become a really close friend. He found her serving a table their drinks. "Maria when do you get off? We really need to talk."

Maria saw Max's face and knew it was important. "In about 5 minutes." Max nodded. He sat at the bar and waited until her shift was done. When Maria came from the back he directed them to the UFO center. They went into a little room in the back to talk.

"I've ruined it forever Maria," he shook his head sadly. "You should've heard the things I said to her. It was awful." Max told her everything that happened starting with Kyle and Liz in bed together all the way to the fight that happened last night. When he was finished Maria was speechless.

"Max, I understand. You were hurt. You couldn't help the way you were acting. When people are that hurt they don't think rationally. Now I know you and Liz and you are Very rational people and I know that you wouldn't just say things like this," she touched his arm and he looked at her. "Remember last year when Tess came to town? You kissed her in front of Liz and she forgave you because she loved you and believed in you. But then you went and said you had to see where those feelings led to and she still believed in you, trusted you, and forgave you. You know how it feels to be in the position she's in. She made the situation a lot easier on you when you realized once again that you couldn't live without her. Now wouldn't you want it as easy on Liz?"

Max smiled. Maria was right. Liz had stuck by him when he had been stupid and made a bad choice and he owed the same to Liz. Max nodded. "Well, My break is over so I have to get back but you think about it and I'll talk to you later." She gave him a quick hug before leaving back to work.

Max knew he should go talk to Liz but he couldn't seem to get the courage. He was plagued with questions. What if she meant what she said. What if she was finally saying what her mind wanted to say. He couldn't live with that. All he ever wanted was to be human so that he could love Liz and Liz could love him and then an amazing thing happened. She found out the truth and she still loved him. But then she went and slept with Kyle so everything was a lie. 'Max snap out of it,' he thought, ' you know you don't believe that and you never did.' He was right. He didn't believe that. When he had kissed her in the Congresswoman's office he felt something, and he knew she did too. He knew in his heart that she still loved him and he was going to stick by her until she was ready to admit it too.

Max ran across the street and into the Crashdown. As soon as he stepped into the Cafe Liz's head turned and saw him. She quickly ran into the back room. He saw Maria and smiled then ran into the back to find the love of his life. He found her in the back with her hands braced against a table with her back to the door.

"Liz..." she spun around. Her eyes filled with tears. Her body was shaking from the uncontrollable sobs she had to get out. He ran to her and took her into his arms. "Liz I am so sorry. I didn't mean anything I said last night I was just hurt. Really hurt but that isn't an excuse for what I said and I hope you can forgive me."

Liz looked at him as if he had gone crazy but in her eyes Max could see relief and hope. "Max you had every right to be as angry as you were. I should be apologizing after what I did to you and how badly I must've hurt you, it's no surprise you hate me," she turned away from him. "I'm sorry Max. I'll understand if you never want to see me again because of what happened." Liz was prepared to let him go fully but then he said something that surprised Liz and an eavesdropping Maria.

"I don't care. I don't care that you slept with Kyle. I don't care that I won't be able to be your first and make it special. And I definitely don't want you to ever think that I'll stop loving you. Last year when Tess came and I kissed her you forgave me you stood by me and you loved me, and then when I said I had to see where the feelings led to you still loved me and forgave me when I realized you were, once again, the only girl for me and I'm going to do the same for you," he said. Liz was crying now but they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of joy.

"Thank you Max, but I need you to promise me something. No matter what we have to make Tess feel like she is part of the group. She has to feel included."

"I don't know why but I'll do it. Anything for you. I love you Elisabeth Parker."

"I love you Max Evans."