Liz climbed out a little more slowly. The warmth of the heater, and the hum of the jeep's engine had almost lulled her to sleep on the way over. She was just so tired. But she really wanted this time with Max, and she was determined not to waste it in sleep.

She followed Max a little way up the walk, then he turned and told her, "I'll meet you at my window, okay? I'm just gonna tell my parents I'm going up to bed, so we won't be disturbed."

Liz nodded, and headed around to his bedroom window.

She got there before he did, and after waiting a few moments, she pushed against the window experimentally. It didn't budge, and she turned and slumped against the house, stifling a yawn. Max probably hadn't realized it was locked, or he never would have allowed her to walk around out here by herself.

The thought made her shiver, and she pulled her jacket more closely around her as she peered out into the darkness and wondered if it was cloaking their unseen watcher right now. A slight breeze rustled through the trees as she strained her ears to hear anything out of the ordinary that might give away his presence if he was out there.

Motivated by uneasiness, she was struck with a sudden curiosity to find out whether or not she might be able to manipulate the lock on the window.

Without further thought, she turned to place her hand flat upon the glass directly atop the lock and concentrated hard, trying to remember everything the others had told her to do last weekend at the quarry when they'd been manipulating molecules.

When nothing had happened after a minute or so, she didn't think she was going to be able to do it, but suddenly a faint glow began to emanate from her hand, reflecting back at her through the glass, and then...click!...she was met with success.

"Ha!" she breathed in quiet triumph, grinning hugely.

Without warning, the curtains across the window were yanked aside, and she jumped in fright.

Max quickly pulled open the window as she threw her hand over her pounding heart.

"You scared me!" she exclaimed softly, then moved to climb up on the sill.

"Sorry," he apologized. "It wasn't locked. Why didn't you come on inside?" he asked, holding out his hand to offer her assistance.

She gave a self-satisfied smile as she perched on the window's ledge and said, "It was locked, but I unlocked it."

"You mean, with your powers?" he asked in surprise, then grinned at her smug nod. "Good job." he quietly praised.

As she slipped her hand into his to allow him to help her down, she couldn't help but remember the last time she'd come in his window like this, and she could tell by the look on Max's face that he was remembering, too. That time, she'd adamantly refused his hand. But it had only been because she'd known that if he'd touched her it would've weakened her resolve.

She didn't know how long she'd stood here that night, mesmerized by the bunch and release of the muscles in his strong back as he'd executed one slow chin-up after another. When she'd finally managed to make herself knock on his window, her mouth had gone dry when he'd turned to face her, and once he was in front of her, there had been that beautifully sculpted chest staring her right in the face. It had honestly made her knees go weak, and she just hadn't known how she was possibly going to be strong enough to do what she'd come here to do. She'd been afraid that even the simple touch of his hand would have been enough to make her surrender her purpose, and her speech about his life being too dangerous would've been history. So she'd sharply refused his help. And the look of hurt in his eyes had nearly broken her heart.

And there had been even worse to come.

Wanting to erase the memory of that hurtful night from both their minds, she pulled her hand from his, and slid it up his arm to slide it around his shoulders. Her other arm wound around his neck, and she pushed herself away from the window to let her weight fall against him. He quickly threw his arms up to catch her and pull her close, as she slid tantalizingly against the front of his body, making the breath catch in both their throats.

Now this was more reminiscent of a happier memory.

A slight smile tipped up his lips as he shared that memory with her, too, and once she was on her feet, he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers.

"You know, I really wanted to kiss you that day," he admitted softly. "The day you came after the pendant."

"Yeah, I really wanted you to kiss me," she added her confession to his.

"Think maybe...we could have a do-over?" he murmured, his lips already moving towards hers in teasingly slow increments.

"I don't see why not," she said in breathless anticipation, lifting her face up to his.

It had been three long days since they'd last kissed, and Liz felt as though she were absolutely starving for the taste of him. She knew that Max had to be feeling as hungry as she was, but still he seemed to move at a snail's pace, honing the anticipation between them to a keen edge.

The cadence of her heart quickened its tempo as she forced herself to wait- just wait- for that first sweet touch of his lips.

Finally- finally, his mouth closed over hers, hot and lush, and Liz moaned softly in blissful satisfaction. It felt even better than she remembered- hotter, wetter, sweeter- and she wondered how she'd possibly managed to survive this long without his kiss. His lips were magic, positively life-infusing, and she thought fleetingly that it was no wonder she'd been so tired lately. She hadn't been getting her daily recommended dosage of Max.

He delicately traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, and she willingly opened for him . Taking immediate advantage, his tongue came pressing inside the moist heat of her mouth in a tender invasion, and she eagerly welcomed the attack, silently urging him to take whatever he wanted. One of his hands slid up to tangle itself within the silky strands of her hair, while their lips avidly moved in relentless, clinging nibbles, as though this were the only sustenance they required to keep themselves alive.

Max greedily indulged himself in the scent, taste, and feel of Liz, until he felt as if he might be in danger of going into sensory overload. The kittenish curl of her tongue against his as she daintily lapped at the interior of his mouth sent tendrils of heat and desire coiling within him that had him reflexively tightening the arm wrapped around her waist, a move that brought their lower bodies more firmly into contact.

Gently sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, he held onto it briefly as he pulled back his head to change the angle of the kiss, then let it wetly slide from his grasp.

Liz's heart skipped a beat.

She always thought it was unspeakably sexy whenever he did that. She'd never thought to question where he might have learned it, she just thanked whatever instinct he possessed that guided him in it, and appreciated the fact that she was the only one who'd ever benefited from it.

Unless he'd ever kissed Tess that way.

As that insidious thought crept in, a crease formed between her brows, and she clung to him possessively as she lifted herself onto her toes and ferociously deepened their kiss.

Surprised by the sudden attack, Max's hand fisted gently in her hair, and he met the avaricious movements of her mouth with a fiery response of his own. His reaction set off a thrilling riot of sensation within Liz, and she gave a tiny whimper, muffled by the dark heat of his mouth.

Max leaned her slightly back over his arm, as his lips left hers to string a series of fierce little butterfly kisses along her jaw and down to the satin curve of her neck, and both of them gasped for breath in ragged pants. Moving her hands to curl around the sides of his neck, Liz tipped her head back, fully exposing her throat for his delectation.

As her lids were sliding closed, she happened to catch sight of the open window out of the corner of her eye, and she realized that they stood perfectly framed within its center, backlit by a soft pool of light from Max's desk lamp. It took a moment for her passion-fogged brain to assimilate why this was important, but she finally came to the reluctant conclusion that anyone could see them here.

"Um... Max?" she breathed, a quiver running through her body as his teeth and tongue gently began to make a sensuous meal of her neck.

"Mm-hmm?" he hummed in answer, his lips never pausing in their task of searching out the sweetest spots on the delicate column of her throat. It was a futile effort, Max realized vaguely. It all tasted like Liz and there was nothing that could taste any sweeter than that.

"M-maybe, ahh--" her breath escaped her in a rush as he found a particularly sensitive spot underneath the curve of her jaw, and he lingered there deliberately upon learning its affect on her. She cradled the back of his head while he gently suckled at the tender spot, and another soft whimper escaped Liz's throat.

A vague thought at the back of her mind called insistently for her attention, and she struggled to think clearly enough to bring it into focus.

As his tongue snaked a path down the side of her neck, she stammered weakly, "Max, maybe we... um- maybe we should move. A-away from the window. Someone.. might see."

"What?" His head came up in a sort of dazed confusion. Then he came to a slow realization of where they were.

"Uh, yeah. You're- you're right." He pulled in a deep breath to try and clear his head, then briefly closed his eyes and touched his forehead to hers.

"I'm sorry, Liz. You just...all you have to do is touch me, and I kind of- lose all common sense, you know?" he said with the barest hint of a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, um- I know the feeling," she answered wryly.

He leaned in to tenderly graze her lips with his own one last time, then forced his unwilling arms to release her.

He moved over to the window to push it to and draw the curtains across it, and Liz dropped to sit on the edge of his bed with a long sigh. She felt as though her body was crashing as it came down off an intense high, and all her exhaustion from the previous week seemed to catch up with her at once.

Max turned to find her drooping in tiredness, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "I'm fine. I'm--"

"Just a little tired," Max said right along with her as she completed the sentence.

Flushing a little, she said, "I guess I've said that a lot this week, haven't I?"

"Only just about every time I've asked if you're okay."

"Well, that's been a lot, Max. And, really, that is all it is. It's just been a crazy week, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," he answered sympathetically, then reluctantly said, "I should probably just take you home."

"Oh, but I just got here," Liz protested. "Can't we just... talk a little bit before I go? A-and maybe hold each other?"

He wasn't hard to persuade, since he really didn't want her to go either, but he made a show of sternness, saying, "Okay. But just for 30 minutes, alright? Then we need to get you home to bed."

"Yes, Max," she said in exaggerated submission.

He narrowed his eyes at her playfully as he crossed over to the bed, and she giggled softly.

Propping his pillows against the wall at the head of the bed, Max sat down and settled himself there, and Liz turned around to crawl up the length of the bed to his side.

His brain still a little clouded with desire, and his body most definitely still feeling its effects, Max swallowed hard at the unconscious seductiveness of Liz's movements as she advanced upon him on hands and knees.

Fire lit his eyes to a golden glow as he said huskily, "Just, uh...just holding and talking, huh?"

Recognizing the arousal in his eyes and the reason behind it, a sexy little smile tipped up her lips as she slowly drew out her crawling motions toward him.

"Well," she drawled, "Maybe one more kiss wouldn't hurt."

When she'd finally reached him, she braced her hands on either side of his hips, and looked into his eyes as she leaned in to kiss him. They were both conscious of where they were and how easily things could get out of control there, and their mouths met gingerly in light of that fact.

Liz nudged his lips apart with her own, then brushed against them again and again in languorous open-mouthed passes that were no less stimulating for all their softness. Max's hand came up to lovingly cup the back of her head while he kissed her back with lazy desire.

Their heads moved in perfect counterpoint as their mouths parted and came together in kiss after languid kiss, and for long, timeless moments, all that could be heard in the room were the tiny sounds of enjoyment Liz made deep in her throat.

"Mmm," she murmured, as her lips left his to trail along the strong angle of his jaw. "I've really, really missed you." Speaking between kisses as she made her way down to his neck, she told him, "I think... we need... a new rule."

Lifting his chin as her lips slid across his throat to the opposite side of his neck, he urged her on with his hand in her hair, and his brows pulled down in a frown as he rasped, "Another rule?"

"You'll like this one," she promised breathlessly, "Rule number 23:" she paused to place a string of gossamer kisses across his cheek, "We must kiss at least once every day... no matter where we have to sneak off to do it."

His lips curved against hers as they came together once again in a soft prolonged kiss.

When they parted, he said rumblingly, "You're right. I do like that one."

They smiled into one another's eyes.

Her arms threatening to give way beneath her, Liz brushed his lips with a final sweet kiss, before easing herself down at his side, and he wrapped an arm around her to tuck her in close.

Resting her head in the hollow of his neck, she yawned and began to play with one of the buttons on his shirt.

Frowning a little, she asked, "Max, could I ask you something?"

"Sure," he answered, pressing a kiss onto the dark hair at her crown.

Liz hesitated. She wasn't really sure if she even wanted an answer to this question, but ever since it had occurred to her, she couldn't seem to let it go.

"Um, I know I really don't have a right to ask you this. A-and if you want to just tell me it's none of my business, that's okay," she quickly assured him.

Frowning a little himself, now, he asked, "What is it?"

Liz took a deep breath. "When we were apart, did you, um...did you ever- you know...kiss Tess?"

Looking down at her in surprise, he said, "Of course not, Liz. Why would you even think that?"

Toying with his shirt button again, she shrugged a little and said, "It would be understandable if you had. I mean, you were hurt and confused, and we were definitely broken up. Tess was- well, she was there for you, and...she represents everything your future was meant to be, you know? I can see how you might be...curious, about that."

Taking a gentle hold on her chin, Max tipped her face up to his. His expression seemed to be a mixture of affectionate understanding and gentle chiding.

"First of all," he told her, "Tess represents my past. You're my future, Liz. Even when we were apart I could never seem to completely give up hope that that would still be true. And secondly, I've never had even the slightest desire to kiss Tess." He grimaced, then amended apologetically, "Never one of my own free will, anyway."

She pressed a quick kiss of forgiveness to the slight cleft in his chin, saying, "I'm sorry for even asking. The thought just kinda popped into my head and I couldn't seem to get it out till I knew."

"You'll never have anything to worry about as far as Tess and I are concerned, Liz," he told her reassuringly. Looking into her eyes, he said earnestly, "You're it for me. You always will be."

Her lips curved up gently, and her eyes meltingly told him of the depth of her love, while her lips seconded it. "I love you, Max."

"I love you, too," he returned softly, reaching down to capture her lips in tender kiss of affirmation. Liz stretched up to meet him, and responded with heart-stirring poignancy.

Their lips clung as they broke apart, and they shared a loving look before Max placed a kiss upon her forehead, and she relaxed back down at his side with a sigh of contentment.

There was a peaceful silence broken only by the sound of another yawn from Liz, then she said, "I may not ever have to worry about you having feelings for Tess, but we're always gonna have to worry about her as long as we have this whole...end of the world thing hanging over our heads. I haven't even had time to think about all that stuff this week. Do you think it's possible that she might feel something for Kyle?"

"I think it's a definite possibility," he answered. "I've been really watching them this week, and I've never seen Tess act the way she does when she's with him. They're always laughing and flirting. She seems almost...lighthearted."

"That's great, Max!" Liz quietly enthused. "He may be just what she needs. And, you know, when she first showed up in Roswell, Kyle was definitely interested in her."

"Yeah, but with them living in the same house now, and having just a platonic relationship, I think they might have it in their heads that they have more of a brother-sister kind of thing, you know?"

"Well, then, maybe we can just give them a little push in the right direction." She grinned up at him.

Smiling, he said, "Yeah, I've been thinking about that. I thought maybe we could see if we could get them together in situations that would make them look at each other differently, you know, see themselves as a couple."

"That sounds like a good idea," she agreed. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Yeah, I know we kind of put our weekend plans on hold after we found out we're being watched, but I think everyone could use a little down-time after this week. Most especially you," he said pointedly, "And we ought to be safe enough in a public place if we all stay together. So I thought maybe we could go ahead with it. Maybe go out to eat, then to the movies. Do you think you, Maria, and Michael could all get off Saturday night?"

"Mm, I don't know, Max. Michael and Maria can, they're scheduled to work during the day, but I'm supposed to work the night shift. I'll talk to my dad. Maybe I can switch with someone, or he or my mom might be willing to cover for me for a few hours."

He nodded. "If nothing else, I guess we could always come eat at the Crashdown and then go to a late movie when you get off."

Yawning, she nodded her agreement.

"Uh, do you think maybe you could ask Kyle if he wants to come?" Max asked. "He's kind of been avoiding me. I've tried talking to him a few times, but he just gives me one-word answers, and acts uncomfortable. I think maybe I make him think about things he'd rather not think about."

She lazily slid her arm around his waist and gave him a light squeeze. "He'll come around, Max. He just needs a little time to come to terms with all of this, you know?"

Nodding, he said, "Yeah. I just wish he'd talk to someone about it. I mean, we have no way of knowing what's going through his head right now. And we don't really even know if he's been changed like you have. You know, when I saved Kyle, it was kinda different from when I healed you. I didn't get any flashes from him. I just saw these blinding flashes of light and nothing else. I don't know why it happened that way, or even if that would make any difference in whether he was changed or not, but it makes me kind of curious." He paused thoughtfully. "As much as I'd like to find out about it, though, it's Kyle's life it'll be disrupting, so I guess we'll wait as long as we need to."

He fell into a contemplative silence, and after a few moments, he suddenly became aware of how quiet and still Liz had become. Tilting his head to see her face, he saw that she was no longer with him, and his lips tipped up wryly. He wondered how long he'd been talking to himself.

Lightly hugging his precious armful closer to his side, he dropped a kiss onto the top of her head, then rested his cheek there while softly stroking her hair.

He knew he needed to get her home, but he hated to wake her up, and it brought him such a warm feeling of contentment to hold her sleeping form in his arms.

Twice before he'd held her while she slept, and he had never slept so peacefully himself, than he had with her curled up at his side. It had been the most incredible feeling to wake up in the morning to find her limbs tangled together with his as she cuddled next to him. Of course, the last time it had happened, they hadn't gotten to enjoy that part. That had been the night Liz and the others had helped him escape the White Room.

His heart gave a sickening lurch at the memory of that experience.

He couldn't imagine anything else, though, that could have healed his heart and given comfort to his soul the way she had that night with her words of love, and the tender way that she'd held him. He'd found solace in her arms that night. They'd offered him respite and utter tranquility.

Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply of her scent, and marveled at all the emotion she was able to stir up within him even while asleep.

She truly was the miracle of his life.

With that thought, Max slid quietly into sleep alongside Liz.

zzz~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~zzz

Max woke with a start, his heart racing with panic.

He'd thought he was back in the White Room, and after his eyes had swung wildly around to take in the familiar surroundings of his room, he shuddered in relief to find that it had only been a dream.

As his heartbeat steadied, he slowly became aware of the severe crick in his neck that came from resting his head atop Liz's, and there was a prickling sensation in his arm where it lay underneath her body. It took a minute for the cobwebs of sleep to clear from his brain, and when they finally did, he realized that he must have fallen asleep shortly after she had. Looking at the clock, he saw that that had been over two hours ago. He really did have to get her home.

Liz made a tiny sound of distress in her sleep, and he noticed that she was breathing erratically. Frowningly, he wondered if that had been what had woken him. Was she having a nightmare, too?

"Liz?" he shook her gently.

"Max!" she violently jolted awake, fearfully crying his name.

"Hey. Shhh. I'm right here," he said soothingly, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her tightly against him.

Disorientedly, she clutched at his shirt, as her breath hitched sobbingly.

"Max?" she said in tremulous confusion. "A-are you okay?"

Bending his head over hers, he pushed her hair away from her face. Softly stroking its length, he answered, "I'm fine. You were just dreaming." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "A bad one?"

Her breath left her in a shaky rush and she nodded, then turned to bury her face in his chest, clinging to him tightly.

"It was awful," she said in a voice muffled by his shirt. "You were- you were in the White Room again...w-with Pierce."

Max's hand paused in its comforting motions against her hair, and he frowned in startlement. What were the odds of them both dreaming about the same thing?

"Really?" he asked in consternation. "What did you see?"

Shivering with remembered fear, she told him, "It was like I was there...watching, when it- when it really happened to you. Only- Michael and Isabel were there, too."

Max made a face of astonishment that Liz missed seeing as she continued to speak against his chest. "And Pierce was...hurting all of you, doing- things I've seen in flashes from you." Her arm tightened around him. "I wanted to make him stop, but it was like- no one could even see me. All I could do was just...watch him hurt you."

Liz turned her face into his neck, wanting to just block it all out. She knew it had only been a dream this time, but Max had really lived through some of those things, and it actually created a physical pain in her heart to remember how he'd suffered at Pierce's hands.

As Max's hand automatically went up to cradle the back of her head comfortingly, his mind raced.

She'd just perfectly described the dream he'd been having moments ago.

How was that possible?