Liz blinked once in shock, and then felt the tears sliding down her face, as if they belonged to someone else. They tasted salty and they stung her eyes, but were they her eyes? She couldn't really feel them at all. Through all of the pain of the past two days, she had held on to hope. Hope that Max would be safe. Hope that Michael, Isabel, and Tess, would save him in time. Hope that he would come back to her. Hope that she'd hold him again and that they'd be together . . .

And, they were together now, but no amount of hope could change, or alter in any way, the words that had come from the image of his Mother. Liz knew that until the day she died, she would never forget the specter of that woman or be able to drown out the words that she had said without thought as to what she had done. She could have no idea that with her simple words she had just destroyed the last shred of hope Liz had left. Vaguely, she knew someone was talking to her, but how was she supposed to respond? Did she even have a mouth, or a tongue, or teeth? She couldn't feel them . . .

Max: "Liz. Look at me. . . . Liz!"

It was Max . . . Max was talking to her. She summoned up the will to move her head and found that it did move and now her eyes were meeting his. Max fell headlong into her eyes and felt every bit of the despair and hopelessness that Liz was experiencing. He reached out to pull her close and wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed against him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She was all right. Everything would be all right. He felt her lift her face and automatically bent his head to kiss her. In that moment, he knew. This was the last time he was going to hold her. She kissed him back, but already she was pulling away. He could feel her withdrawing and the pain she was in. Why was she giving up? Why? In the next moment, the answer became blindingly clear. She loved him.

Liz felt the numbing separation of her mind and her heart as she pulled away from the kiss and then the embrace and finally letting go completely. Here in this place, she could do what she had to do for his sake. But, she knew . . . sometime soon, she'd have to face that other place. The one where her broken heart was waiting for her. But, not now. Now, she had to let him go . . .

So, say a little prayer for me,
and I will try to choose . . . .
My dreams are not the issue here.
It's time to face the truth . . .

Liz backed away from Max and closed her eyes, stumbling blindly down the slope. Maybe if she kept them closed, she could shut out the pain that was waiting to devour her. As soon as the thought came, the first wave of despair swept over her head and through her body. No. The answer was not keeping her eyes shut. In fact, there was no escaping at all. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. As long as she had a heart it would continue to break . . . . .

Max watched as she faltered once and then continued walking away from him. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She didn't even look back . . . . .

Tess touched his arm, then, and he had to fight to keep from recoiling in pure revulsion. She backed away from him quickly with a gasp, as she felt the all-consuming need he had for the girl who was walking out of his life. She spared a quick glance at Liz, and for the first time realized the futility of her position. He would never love anyone else, with or without Liz in his life. The most she could ever hope for from him was a sense of duty. He would never love her. It was much too late for that. But, she was selfish enough to take it, even if that was all he had to give . . . .

Max felt the waves of pain coming from Liz even from this distance. He searched his mind and wracked his brain for some way to convince her to stay, but what could he say? She knew the truth and so did he.