"Sorry...." he mumbled, embarassed.

"Don't be..." Liz whisperd softly onto his neck. Max felt a shiver undulate throughout his body as Liz slipped her hands underneath his shirt onto his bare skin.

Liz was struggling to restrain herself. She wasn't ordinarily so physically forward, but it had been too long since she had held him, and the feel of his skin underneath her fingertips was doing things to Liz. She couldn't hold back anymore. He was holding her so tenderly, and the muscles on his back were so firm...

"Liz?" Max breathed out unsteadily.

Liz kissed the skin right below his ear. "Yeah?" she asked, not moving her lips from his neck.

"Um....we....uh...." he fought to regain his composure as Liz continued softly pressing her lips to his neck and ear. "We don't have to......do anything....that you....don't want to do...." he sighed and gave in to her kisses. She was making it pretty obvious what she wanted to do.

"Max?" Liz suddenly pulled away and looked into his eyes. He looked at her, waiting expectantly for any words out of her mouth.

"I think you know that I want this just as much as you."

Max again felt the familiar shutter travel through his body. It was the same shutter that he felt every time Liz was near, only now it was a thousand times as intense. And it was almost overtaking every fiber of his mind and body.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued looking at Liz. He honestly didn't know what to say. Liz leaned in and kissed him softly, just barely brushing her lips against his. Moving to his ear, she whispered as quietly as possible, "Make love to me, Max...."

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

Max knew it was coming. It would only be a matter of time before his want for Liz completely took over and rendered his brain helpless against it. Liz was beyond close to him. Her entire body was pressed against his own and her hands were wandering up and down his back, causing goosebumps with every move. Her lips were just barely touching his cheek, but her breath was hot against his skin. Her hair was falling all around her shoulders and touching the side of his face. And then she had asked him to make love to her.

It would all be over for Max if he didn't stop it soon, and he knew it. Liz moved to his lips and kissed him more deeply this time, every so slowly inching his shirt up. Max fought to regain composure. He could almost hear the argument going on inside of him between his body and his brain.

"Liz...." Max breathed out hoarsely as Liz continued trailing kisses down his neck, still trying to remove an uncompliant Max's shirt.

"Hmm??" Liz answered. She finally succeeded in pulling off Max's shirt. At which point, she took off her own and dropped it on the floor.

It had to end now. If Liz continued for one more minute, no, one more second, Max would be completely physically and mentally incapable of stopping anything from happening.

Liz was now kissing the skin on his chest softly, moving down slowly, pressing her almost bear body against him. Yes, it had to stop now.

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

"Liz, stop," he said more forcefully then he had intended. Liz stood up straight and looked at Max, clearly surprised. She didn't move her hands from around his waiste.

"We have to stop..." Max sighed in exaspertation. He reached around and gently removed her hands from around him. Liz looked at him, clearly hurt. She took a step back from him.

Liz felt the sureness she had possessed only moments ago fall away. She had been to forward, moved to fast. Maybe Max didn't want her as much as she wanted him? Maybe he didn't want his first time to be with her? What if he wasn't ready to give himself to her?

Max watched as feelings of hurt played on Liz's face. He immediately felt horrible for ever telling her to stop. Even if it was the "right" thing to do.

"No, Liz, I didn't--" Max started but Liz interupted him.

"No, you don't have to explain. If you don't want to....." Liz trailed off as her eyes began to fill with tears.

"No!" Max instinctively said the moment Liz began to mumble. "Liz," he sighed and tried to find the rights words. "There's nothing I want more than to make love to you..." he finished quietly. Liz looked up, surprised by his words. "But, it's just.....it's just wouldn't be right...." he sighed.

"Why?" Liz looked at him questioningly.

"Because...." he began. Max moved to sit on her bed and Liz followed to sit beside him. "I don't want our first time to be like this." Liz waited for him to continue. "Liz, the first time that we make love, I want to be there for you in the morning. I don't want it to just be a one night stand. I want it to mean something. Not just to me, but to you." He waited for her to say something.

"But what if we don't ever see each other again? I don't think that would exactly count as a one night stand, Max, given the circumstances."

Max laughed softly as Liz's honesty. "Liz, I didn't really want to say anything, because I don't really know when it will be, but I don't plan on staying gone forever."

Liz's eyes shot up from the floor. "What?" she asked frantically.

Max took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Do you remember when I told you that night in the Crashdown that I wasn't going to forget about you, or get over you?" Liz nodded slowly and continued listening. "Well, do you remember what I told you after that?"

Liz nodded again. How could she forget? She had heard those words every night. They had been her hope. "You told me that you were coming for me..." Liz said quietly.

Max nodded and took Liz by the hand. "I meant that. I'm going to come back for you, Liz. It doesn't matter how far apart we are, I'll always come back to you." Liz felt her heart begin to beat again.

"There's more," Liz laughed at Max's statement. "I said all that to say this. When I come back, whenever that is, I'm not going to leave ever again," Max stopped a moment before going on. "I'm going to marry you, Liz."

Liz felt her heart leap with joy as an uncontrolable smile lit up her face. "That is...if you want still want me...." Max began.

"If I still want to??" Liz questioned him laughingly. Max smiled back in response and reached to take Liz in his arms. It suddenly occurred to him that neither one of them were wearing a shirt, and Liz was unimaginably close to him, in several ways.