Liz walked towards Max. She really didn't think that she would see him again so soon. Her mind searched for an excuse to get him to give her a little more time to think. When she saw his red rimmed eyes and lost expression she stopped herself.

"Max, what's wrong?"

"Isabel called me last night." Liz looked confused. "She's in Roswell." He stopped as he tried to clear the lump in his throat. "My father's dead."

"I'm so sorry." Max was comforted by the compassion he saw in Liz's eyes. "When did it happen?"

"Last June." Max struggled as his emotions threatened to overcome him. "Isabel thinks that if we had been here we might have been able to help him. That I might have been able to help him."

Liz couldn't imagine what Max was going through. To have the power to heal, and not to be there when someone you loved needed you. "Do you think you could have?"

"I don't know. I've learned a lot about my powers in the past five years. And their limitations. I can fix damage to tissue. Like when you were shot, I could repair the rips and tears in your flesh. Kind of like gluing it back together. But I can't make aged cells young again. I can't make cancerous cells stop reproducing. I can't change anything that the cells would naturally be doing. He had a heart attack. From what Isabel says his heart was always weak, we just didn't know. It's not an injury. I don't think I could have done anything."

Max looked calmer, as if just talking through it had relieved some of his guilt. "I'm sorry to have bothered you again so soon. I just needed someone to talk to."

Impulsively, Liz put her arms around his waist. "It's all right." Max barely dared to return her embrace. She felt so soft in his arms, so fragile. He breathed in the scent of her, just enjoying having her in his arms again. Liz felt heat where his hands were touching her and a tingling in her spine.

"Liz, what's going on here?"

"I'd better get going." Max turned to leave, but Scott stood blocking the door.

"Well, Max, what exactly were you doing with my fiance?" Max returned Scott's challenging stare.

"We were just talking."

"That's not what it looked like to me."

Liz had never seen the jealous side of Scott before. He had always been so kind and gentle. It frightened her to see him so close to losing control of his anger. He looked ready to hit Max. Liz had never seen him fight but she had no doubt who would win this match. Liz could see Max's hand twitch slightly, as he instinctively prepared to defend himself. "Scott, stop it. Max just found out his father died, he needed someone to talk to. I'm the only friend he has in town."

Scott backed down, looking genuinely remorseful. "Sorry, man. I didn't know." Scott seemed to brighten slightly as a thought came to him. "Guess you'll be leaving then? Going home for the funeral?" Liz could see that Scott's comment had upset Max again. She didn't like the look in Scott's eyes. She was talking before she realized what she was doing.

"Actually, Max's family had trouble reaching him, so he missed the funeral. Since we're the only people he knows here I was just about to invite him to dinner. You don't mind do you?"

Scott hesitated, surprised by Liz's sudden take charge attitude. "Well, I..."