Max moved over to his bed and threw himself down on his back, brushing his hair back from his forehead. Although he was worn out, Max was afraid to go to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. He saw her beside him in the jeep, the desert behind her, her hair blowing in the wind. He saw her dark eyes staring up into his, a gentle smile curving her lips. He saw the pain in her eyes when she said goodbye and ran down the hill, away from the connection they shared, away from him.

It was hard to forget Liz when everything around Max reminded him of her. He remembered the smell of her hair, the warmth of her skin, the heat that he felt when his lips captured hers. He remembered the softness of her mouth, the easy way that his arms encircled her waist, the feeling of her body pressed against his. He could not remember a time when he had not been in love with her and, in truth, he did not want to. Max did not even know who he was without her. Her spirit had always been there, touching every part of his soul. She was a part of him, now.

It was this fact that made Liz's betrayal so completely devastating. Despite all her protestations, he knew that she remembered the moments they had shared, the memories of which would wake him during the night, or make him shudder during the long days that seemed to fade from one into another. How could she be so unaffected, when the slightest word or look from her completely shattered him, making everything fade away until only the two of them remained? The thought of Kyle, his arms wrapped around her lithe body, caressing Liz in ways that Max had only imagined...the mere thought was enough to drive Max insane. He really...he just didn't believe that she could do that to him. But she could and she did, Max reminded himself. He had been a fool to believe that it would work out between the two of them, that they could have a future together. He had never wounded her the way she had wounded him. Maybe she had loved him for a little while there, before things had become so complicated. But she had not loved him enough, not enough to make the sacrifices they needed to be together. Instead, she had left him alone in this no-man's land, feeling only half-alive as he stumbled from one day to the next. Seeing the photograph of the two of them resting on his desk, Max grabbed the frame and hurled it across the room. The glass hit the wall and shattered into pieces. Max rolled over, pulled his pillow over his head, and went to sleep.

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

Liz posted the order and slipped her pad back into her apron pocket.

"Another Rocket Dog, Michael," she said absentmindedly, smoothing out her uniform. Michael merely grunted and turned back to the grill. So much for intelligent conversation, Liz thought regretfully. Not that she really wanted to bond with Michael, but she could definitely use a little distraction from her present situation. Max was studying in the corner booth. He was doing an excellent job ignoring her, and the silence was deafening.

Liz sighed and began to wipe down the counter. She did not have any right to expect that Max would want to see her, talk to her, spend time with her again. Not after the way she had treated him...or at least, the way he thought she had treated him. It was not pleasant to be hated for a crime that she had not even committed.

The moment that Max, from the future, had revealed to her what it was that he wanted her to do, Liz had felt her stomach turn. He wanted her to give Max a reason to turn away from her, a reason to fall out of love with her. He wanted her to ruin the only thing in the world that mattered to her, to sever the bond that she and Max had spent all of last year cultivating. No, Liz reminded herself, it had taken more than a year to create this connection between them.

The night that he confessed his love to her, Max told Liz that ever since they were children, he had known that one day their paths would cross. The first time he stepped off the school bus and laid his eyes on her, he knew that their destinies were somehow intertwined together, that their happiness would always be wrapped up in each other. She remembered Max, the boy with the sad eyes who watched her as she played on the playground, in the lunchroom, at the Crashdown. If Max was destined to be with Tess, then why had they always been so drawn to each other? What was this intangible thing that had been pulling their lives together for as long as she could remember?

Liz knew what she had to do, but following through with Future Max's plan was almost more than she could bear. Severing her connection to Max was like denying air to her lungs. She felt an inexplicable tightening in her chest every time she thought about the two of them, and how happy they had been before...before. It felt like years since he had last held her in his arms, and she ached to feel him near her again. She remembered every moment with Max in intricate detail...the tingling sensation of his breath against her skin, and the way his hand fit over hers, like a glove. The special way that he looked at her, the look that made her feel as though she was the only person in the room. The way that his hands grazed her lower back, sending chills up her spine. The safety she felt when she was enfolded in his arms, as though no one could ever hurt her again. She remembered his eyes, his hands, his voice. She remembered everything.

Unable to resist any longer, Liz allowed her eyes to drift back to the corner booth. Max was gone, and most likely had been for some time. He was slipping out of her life as quietly as he had entered it. Liz sighed. She had performed a job well done. She had broken Max's heart, and he hated her for it. Now he could move forward with his real destiny and forget all about her. He didn't need her anymore

Every person has their breaking point, and Liz had met hers. She was tired of this place, tired of her life, tired of preserving this terrible lie. Suddenly, Liz was filled with the overwhelming need to be anywhere but here, working the late shift at the Crashdown Cafe. She took off her alien antennae and headed for the back door. Michael caught the end of Liz's departure, and stuck his head through the kitchen window.

"Liz," he yelled. "Hey! Where are you going?"