Liz slowly came out of the darkness. She thought she heard her mother calling her name. "Mo...Mom is that you?" she croaked. Licking her lips she tried again, "Mom, are you there?"

Nancy Parker jumped up from her chair. "Liz, oh Liz, your finally awake!" Taking her daughters hand, she rested it against her cheek.

The door opened then and Jeff Parker came into the room. Seeing his wife crying over their daughter, he feared the worst. "Nanc is she, is she," he stuttered.

"Jeff! Go get the doctor. She’s awake, she’s awake!"

A few minutes later, the doctor took Liz’s parents aside. "She seems to be coming around nicely. She does keep asking about someone named Max and if he’s been to see her."

The Parkers looked at each other and shrugged. The only people to visit Liz were her boyfriend Kyle and her two best friends Maria and Alex. They didn’t think Liz knew anyone named Max.

"Well," the doctor said thoughtfully. "There have been instances where coma patients have awoke and told about dreams they would have sworn were real. This is where Max could be coming from. Let’s give here some time to get use to the idea that she was in a coma for the last six weeks."

###

Maria poked her head around the door to Liz’s room to see if she was awake. She saw her best friend gazing out the window twirling a piece of her hair. Knocking lightly, she walked all the way into the room

"Liz?" she asked as she approached the bed. Maria wasn’t sure what to expect from her. The day before she had come by after school, like she had been doing since Liz went into the hospital and saw the Parkers talking to the doctor. Mrs. Parker had been crying and Maria had felt her heart sink.

Walking over to them, Nancy suddenly turned and saw Maria. "She’s awake, Maria!" she exclaimed,

Maria ran into Nancy’s outstretched arms and gave her a big hug. Mrs. Parker explained that Liz was a bit confused right now, but she should make a complete recovery.

Maria had been so relived. After watching over her friend for the last six weeks, she was starting to give up hope. Now it seamed a miracle that Liz was conscious and no serious damage had been done.

Liz turned and looked at her best friend. The first thought thru her mind was, How did Maria get her hair to grow so long so fast. Then she remembered that Michael could grow it to any length Maria wanted.

"Hi Maria, she replied, "Are you here by yourself?"

‘Yeah, Alex had to do something after school but he wanted me to tell you that he would be by as soon as he could."

Liz’s mind never made it past the name Alex. She stared at Maria in disbelief. Why would Maria say that Alex would be coming to see her when he had been dead for months?

###

Liz could believe what she was hearing "What about Max?" she asked. "Why hasn’t he come to see me yet?"

Maria gave Liz a puzzled glance. Since she woke up yesterday, Liz kept asking for someone named Max. Mrs. Parked had asked Maria who this ‘Max’ was but she didn’t have a clue.

"Liz, did they tell about what happened?" she asked warily.

Liz rolled her eyes in disgust. She replied, "Yeah, they told me that I was shot and that I’ve been in a coma for the last six weeks." Sitting up she demanded, "Now I want you to tell me what really happened."

Pulling up a chair, Maria sat slowly. Mrs. Parked had told her about the doctor’s theory and how Liz didn’t believe what she had been told. "What do you think happened, Liz?"

"Maria, come on, you were there. I was shot by some maniac and would have died, if Max hadn’t healed me. He saved my life!"

"Max who?"

"Max Evans. You know, tall, dark, not of this world."

Maria sat back with a sigh. She knew who Max Evans was. He was at the Crashdown the day of the shooting, him and his neanderthal friend Michael Gurien. If she remembered right, Max and Michael beat feet as soon as the coast was clear.

"Liz, Max was there but as soon as those jerks left, he and his friend ran out. He never came near you." Maria thought for a second and asked, "What do you mean he healed you?"

Luckily, Liz didn’t have to answer. Her door opened and in walked Alex. Tears welled up in Liz’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Alex came over to her and quickly glanced at Maria. Seeing her shrug, he bent and gave Liz a tight hug.

If this is a dream, don’t ever let me wake up, she thought. She couldn’t believe that he was really here. Pulling back, she looked into his beloved face and couldn’t help but smile at his perplexed expression.

Giving him one more quick squeeze, she finally let him go. "I’m so gland to see you feeling better, " he said

Liz gazed up at him in wonder. She hadn’t realized how much she missed his voice and his honest face. "I’m fine Alex, really. But if your here then maybe it was dream."

###

Later that night, Liz was again looking out her window at the night sky. She was trying to make sense of everything that happened. She was thrilled to have Alex back, but she knew that her had died. And what about Max? How was she suppose to live without him? He was the first thing she thought about in the morning and the last before she fell asleep at night. Her whole world revolved around him. How could she go back to a time when he wasn’t a part of her life.

Kyle was another problem. He had showed up a few minutes after Alex with a bouquet of flowers and a loving smile on his face. She remembered the way he kept trying to get Alex off the bed so he could be closer to her. Every time Alex went to get up, Liz grabbed his hand and made him stay.

Eventually her mom sent them home so Liz could get some rest. Well she wasn’t tired and she was sick of being in bed. She knew that it would take a few days to get her body up to speed so she could go home, but for now she was restless.

She wanted to see Max and hold him in her arms. She wanted to feel his lips crush hers and to feel his hands running thru her hair. Just knowing that he was hers ,used to make her feel safe. Now she felt like she was adrift in her own life.

Liz repressed the urge to call him, then thought, If I know his number, maybe it wasn’t a dream! Picking up the receiver, she dialed the number she new by heart.

"Hello?" said the husky voice on the on the end. "Hello, is there anyone there?"

Slamming down the phone, Liz tried to catch her breathe. Hearing his voice was enough to send her heart racing. It’s the same number! How is it possible that I know it? Maybe there’s hope, yet!

###

Two days later, Liz was allowed to go home. When she walked into her room, she stopped dead. All the reminders of her time with Max were gone. In the frame next to her bed was a picture of her and Kyle, not the one of her and Max.

Slumping onto the bed, Liz hung her head in defeat. No matter how much she hoped coming home would make her feel better, it didn’t. Her room is exactly like it was the day of the shooting.

Abruptly, she remembered her journal. After it went missing, she began hiding it and never told anyone where... Getting up, she moved her makeup table away from the wall. When her grandmother gave it to her, she told Liz about the secret drawer that could only be opened by pushing on three knots at the same time.

Putting her fingers on the correct spots, she pushed lightly and was rewarded by a small click when the catch let loose. Taking a deep breath, she slid the drawer all the way open and saw her journal where she had left it. Opening it, she flipped to the day after the shooting ......

###

"Maria, do you think Liz is okay?" asked Kyle. They were sitting at the counter of the Crashdown sharing plate of fries. "I mean, I know she is physically okay, but what about...?"

"Mentally?" supplied Maria. She picked up a fry and examined it. "To tell you the truth, I don’t know. Some of the stuff she was saying at the hospital was a bit weird,"

"Yeah. Why did she think Alex was dead? And why didn’t she want me to get close to her. I’m not sure if she didn’t want me near her or she didn’t want to let Alex out of her sight."

"Did her mom tell you about what the doctor said?" At his nod she went on, "That could be what’s happening to Liz."

"Maybe, but I’m not so sure. I was hoping to see her today ,but she was sleeping when I went up before." he said glumly. He was getting the distinct feeling that Liz wasn’t interested in him anymore.

"We should give her some more time to get adjust to being home."

"Your probably right," he said standing up. "Well I off to add more fame to the Valenti name."

"Don’t get yourself killed, " she laughed. "I saw some of you competition, and well lets just say that I’ve seen more compassion in a pit bull."

###

Maria finished up her shift and went up to see how Liz was doing. She quietly opened the door and looked to see if she was sleeping. The bed was rumpled, but empty. She saw Liz sitting outside, so she climbed out the window and sat down across from her.

Liz looked up and Maria saw she had been crying. Looking back down at her lap, she handed her the journal.

Maria took it and looked at the opened page. It was empty. Flipping back one page, she noted the date, the day of the shooting.

"Liz.." she began.

"No! Don’t say anything. I have to face the truth. Me and Max, you and Michael, Alex and Isabel, we were all a dream,’ She cried.

Ah Liz, I’m so sorry.... Wait, did you say me and Michael? Not that brute Michael Guerin?"

At Liz’s nod, Maria burst out laughing. When she finally caught her breath she apologized, "Sorry, sorry, I’m better now. Michael Guerin, huh? Well it sounds more like a nightmare than a dream. And Alex with the original Ice Queen? Whoa! Maybe in his dreams."

"Maria, it was so real. I can’t even begin to tell you how real it felt. Six weeks might have passed here, but there it was close to two years."

"Wow, two years? Do you have the answers to next weeks English test?"

"Maria! I’m serious. After Max saved me, our lives weren’t the same."

"You never did tell me how Max saved you, Liz"

"Well, " Liz replied remembering the way Maria reacted the first time she told her, she decided to be a bit vague. "All he did was place his hand over the gunshot wound and slowed down the bleeding until the paramedics came.’

"That’s exactly what the customer did for you. He said that we had to put pressure on it to stem the flow of blood. What we didn’t know is that the bullet had passed thru you and you were bleeding out your back."

Realizing Maria was reliving that day in her mind, Liz hurriedly said, "Yeah, that’s probably where I got the idea. You did say that Max was at the Crashdown that day. Maybe I substituted him for the other guy." But Liz new the truth. The bullet has lodged next to her liver and she would had died if Max hadn’t dissolved it and repaired her damaged flesh.

###

Maria was busting a table a few days later when Liz entered the restaurant, she was wearing her uniform and had just place her antenna on her head.

"What do you think your doing, missy?" Maria asked raising on eyebrow

"Getting ready for my shift," Liz replied with a smirk

"I thought you were suppose to be resting."

"I was, but if I stayed in my room for one more minute, my head would have imploded. Dad finally agreed to let me come down and help for a while. If I get tired, I’ll go back up and rest, I promise," she said raising her right hand.

Maria was skeptical ,but she understood how Liz felt. If she had her mother hovering over her every minute, she would loose it, too.

Going behind the counter, Liz began re-filling sugar jars. The bells on the front door rang and she looked up. In walked Isabel Evens in all her frozen glory. Liz had to stop herself from calling out to her. If things were back to they way they were before, Isabel didn’t know she even existed.

Grabbing a pad, Liz walked over to where Isabel was sitting. "Hi, can I get you something, " she asked.

Brushing her long blond hair over her left shoulder, Isabel looked up at Liz. Every time she saw those stupid uniforms, she wanted to vomit. "No, I’m just meeting someone here."

"Oh, okay, " Liz replied. "I’ll just leave a few menus for when your friend gets here."

By the time Liz had finished speaking, Isabel had dismissed her from her mind, She was pissed that Max had asked her to meet him here, of all places. Now she had to look at all the absurd alien crap surrounding her.

Liz went back behind the counter and proceeded to make a cherry coke. "Did she actually order something?’ Maria asked coming out of the kitchen.

"What? Uh, no, " Liz said looking down at the soda in her hand. "But I know she likes cherry cokes."

Maria gave Liz a strange look. How did she know what Isabel Evans liked to drink. She never came in there with her friends, only with her brother and Michael Guerin.

Before she could remark on it, the front door opened again. Liz turned around and froze. Max had just walked in. Liz couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was exactly like she remembered, tall, strong and handsome. Here was here only reason for living.

Blinking, Liz noticed who’s hand Max was holding. "Tess, she hissed and the glass she was holding smashed to the floor.

Turning around at the sound of braking glass, Max took in the scene behind him. A waitress had ducked down behind the counter to pick up the mess, while Maria DeLuca looked at her strangely.

Dismissing the incident, he slid into the booth across from his sister. He let go of Tess’ hand at Isabel’s stare, still wondering why she had taken it, in the first place.

"Hi Is, thanks for meeting us," he said with a grin.

"Why in the world did you pick here to meet? This place gives me the creeps, " she asked with a shutter.

Max just chuckled, he knew how Isabel hated coming in here. He turned to Tess and replied, "I wasn’t the one who wanted to talk."

###

"Oh my God, " exclaimed Liz. She bent over and started to pick up the pieces of broken glass. "I didn’t expect to see Tess so soon."

Squatting down next to her, Maria sopped up the soda with a towel. "Are you okay, Babe?" she asked

"Maria, when did Tess come to town?"

"You mean that girl with Max Evans?"

"Yeah, Tess Harding. Did she move to Roswell while I was in the hospital?"

"She transferred about a month ago. Liz, how did you know her name?"

Looking directly into her friends eyes she whispered, "There is a lot I know about Tess. The worst of it is that she is evil."

###

"I wanted to talk to you about leaving," began Tess. "I think we should get out of here before the sheriff starts asking questions again."

"How many times do I have to tell you, were not leaving. This is the only home we’ve ever known," Max said angrily.

Well, it’s apparently not a safe one," Tess shot back. "I almost didn’t convince the deputy about Frankie."

"Do you think the sheriff suspects anything?’ Isabel asked, looking over her shoulder.

Tess knew about Isabel’s deep running fear of being caught by the government. If this could get the girl on her side, she would play up the danger.

"Is, the sheriff is not watching us. Michael was able to convince Deputy Gordon that Frankie attacked Tess without provocation. Luckily, he saw the whole thing." Max said trying alleviate her fears. Michael had told him the real story, but Is didn’t need to her it right now. It was still something he wanted to take up with Tess, but not now.

"What we have to do is act like the normal kids we are. He has nothing to question anyone about, we’re safe."

Max gave Tess a warning glance so she shrugged her shoulders, and let the subject drop. She would go after Michael and get him on her side before trying to convince these two to go along with her plan. There was plenty of time to win them over.

###

"Alex, I think that there might be something to Liz’s dream," Maria said over the phone. "I mean, how do you explain her knowing about that Harding chick?"

Alex took a sip of his coke and said, "I think your jumping to conclusions, Maria. Maybe we talked about Tess while Liz was in the coma. She could have pick up on her then."

"How did she know it was her when she walked into the cafe? She also knows where Tess lives, explain that. Alex, you weren’t there. The look on her face when she told me that Tess was evil , was chilling, it freaked me out."

Why don’t we take her out tomorrow. We could help her get things straight in her head and I bet she needs to get away from her parents for awhile."

Good idea, I call her. Do you think we should ask Kyle to come? Liz has been blowing him off since she got home."

"Do your really want to spend the night with Kyle?" he asked sarcastically. At Maria’s snort he laughed, "I didn’t think so. He’s a big boy, he’ll get over it."

###

The three friends were walking down the street the next night, when Liz pointed to a nearby bench. After taking a seat, she turned to them and said, "Guys, I appreciate what your trying to do and I love you for it, but it won’t change the way I feel.

A month and a half may have passed for you, but over eighteen months has passed for me. I’m not the same person I was before I got shot."

"Liz, Maria and I aren’t the same either. Knowing that we almost lost you, made us look at life differently," Alex replied with a lopsided grin.

"God, seeing you lying there not moving was terrifying," exclaimed Maria."Believe it or not, all I could think about was myself."

"Big surprise there," mumbled Alex.

Maria reached around Liz and smacked him. "Shut up, computer boy," she teased. "What I meant was, I kept thinking ‘how was I to go on without you?’ You’ve been my best friend since kindergarten. We have so much more to do in out lives before we can call it quits. I was even mad at you for just lying there and not fighting to come out of the coma."

"It wasn’t that I wanted to be there and not here," Liz tried to explain, " it was that I didn’t know there wasn’t here. My life and yours too, went on. I had Max and you guys had Michael and Isabel. I won’t say that everything was perfect all the time, but to be loved the way Max loved me, made everything worthwhile."

"Isabel? Isabel Evans?!’ Alex exclaimed . "Me with the original Ice Queen?"

"Yeah, and Maria was with Michael Guerin," laughed Liz. She knew how much it grossed Maria out when she said that.

"Ugh! Liz how many times have I asked you not to say that. I really would like to keep my dinner where it is, thank you very much," Maria replied putting a hand over her stomach.

"Liz, what happened to make you wake up," Alex asked, getting serious again. This was the one question that kept bothering him.

Should I tell them the whole truth? Liz thought. They think that I’m crazy now, what will they think when I go talking about aliens?

Looking up at the starlit sky she decided that they were her friends and they deserved the truth. "Can you come over tomorrow night?" With their agreement, she continued, "I want to tell you everything from the beginning, but it will take a while and this isn’t the place to do it."

###

On the way back to the Crashdown, Alex and Liz were talking when Alex saw Michael and Tess sitting at a coffee shop down the way. Before Liz saw them, he pointed out a new bass in a window across the street. Pulling her toward it, he avoided what might have been a touchy situation.

"So what do you want?" Michael ask gruffly to the girl sitting across from him. He was pissed that she had come to the trailer he shared with his foster father. Thank God Hank hadn’t been home at the time.

"I wanted to know what you were still doing in this crappie town?" she asked before taking a sip of her coffee.

"What do you care? You come strolling into town and act like we’ve been buddies for years. How do I know your even on the right side?" he demanded.

"What side should I be on? I’m just as scared of the government finding out who I am, like the rest of you."

"Really? Then why did you go broadcasting your powers for everyone to see? Good thing for you, I recognized what was going on and was able to come up with a story for the cops."

"I panicked. I didn’t think Frankie would take things so far. I was the one who thought of hitting him with the board. I would be surprised if her remembers his own name."

"Even so, you need to be more careful. Since the crash, the people in this town will try to connect any thing weird with aliens. We don’t need the FBI sniffing around.Your not the only one who has something to lose."

Bastard, she thought. "That’s why I wanted to talk to you." Tess had steered this conversation perfectly. She knew that of the three , Michael was the most eager to leave. All he needed was a push in the right direction.

"I think we need to get Max and Isabel and get out of here. That way ,if anyone does come sniffing around, there won’t be anything or anyone to find."

She could see Michael debating with himself. He was torn between getting away from a horrible home life and the fear of the unknown. He wouldn’t leave without Max and Isabel, though, he relied on them more than he knew.

Getting up she said, "I think we should go and try to find some answers. Sitting around here hasn’t brought you any so far."

Michael watched her leave. She was right about finding the answers they needed, but for some reason he know that leaving Roswell right now wouldn’t supply them.

###

Maria and Alex were waiting for Liz out on the balcony. They knew that she felt very strongly about what happened to her and they had decided to listen to the whole story before coming to any conclusions. They owed her that much, anyway.

Liz climbed thru the window and put the tray she was carrying down on the table between the chairs. She knew that her story would take a while and she wanted to bring up refreshment now, so she wouldn’t be interrupted later.

Sitting down, she let out a sigh. She had been going over this in her mind since last night and she had decided to tell them as much and as little as she could. If they asked her questions outright, she wouldn’t lie to them, but she was going to condense as much as she could.

"I know you think I’ve lost my mind," she began. Holding up her hand to stall their denials, she continued, "If I was in your place, I might react the same way. What I’m about to say might make you think I really have gone over the deep end, but here me out."

With their agreement, she told them what had happened after she got shot. She told them how Max had healed her and how he asked her not to tell anyone what had happened. She explained, with a red face, why Max had risked exposing himself to save her and of his long held love for her.

She went on to tell them what Max, Isabel and Michael were and where they had come from. She briefly told about some of the experiences and danger they all faced by knowing what they were, but in the end it didn’t matter, they shared a bond with these other worldly people and their love was returned.

Maria asked how Tess came into the picture and Liz reluctantly told them that she was also an alien, part of the Royal four sent to earth from Antar, and was Max’s wife in their past life. Explaining how she betrayed them was difficult. She told how Tess tricked Max into sleeping with her and how she got pregnant as part of a plan to bring them back into the hand s of their enemies. It failed and she went off without the rest, to face Kivar, carrying Max’s son.

With those word, Liz had to take a brake. She still felt Max’s betrayal and every time he had mentioned finding his son, the knife in her heart would twist deeper and deeper.

After a few moments, she answered the question Alex had put to her last night, what happened to make her wake up? Facing the whole issue that Max had a child with someone else, she remembers wishing that things could go back to the way things were before he came into her life. Apparently, she got her wish.

Liz sat back when she was finished, waiting for the questions she new would come.

Okaaaaaay," drawled Maria. "So your telling us that these people are...Aliens?"

At Liz’s nod she continued, "And we all become involved with them? Why? Do we just go around and play house with these, with these.....?"

"You couldn’t say alien in my dream either," Liz laughed. "You wanted us to call them Czechoslovakians."

"Czechoslovakians?" asked Alex. Turning to Maria he asked, "Didn’t we study for a test in History while at the hospital? We were talking about the breakup of the Soviet Union."

"Yeah, I flunked it with flying colors, " she replied glumly.

"See Liz, you were taking things you heard in the real world and placing them in your dream," he explained, glad to have something finally make sense.

"Well, that doesn’t explain how she new about that Harding, chick," defended Maria.

"I take it you don’t like Tess very much, Maria?" Liz asked innocently

"You got it, babe. She’s been falling over any guy that has given her a second look and when one of them decided to take her up on her offer, she bashed him over the head.Don’t get me wrong, Frankie probably pushed her too hard, but he is still in the hospital with a concussion."

"Okay, you know things about Tess, but what else?" Alex asked, deciding to be the skeptic is this little Q & A session. "What, if anything, will lead us to believe any of this could be true."

"I can only tell you things to look out for." Liz replied. She could see Alex’s mind trying to work things out rationally. "Like Tobasco Sauce."

"What about Tobasco?" Maria asked.

"The four of them have this need to put it on everything. I’ve seen them pour it in soda and onto ice cream."

"Gross!" shuttered Maria. "It must be soo nasty to kiss them."

Alex rolled his eyes. Leave it to Maria to think of that! "You said that they have special powers, what kind and for what use?"

"Max, well he can heal almost anything if caught in time," she said and told them about him healing those kids with cancer in Phoenix. "Michael tends to blow things up, mostly. He was a warrior in his past life and Max’s second in command. Isabel can connect with people through dreams. All she has to do is focus on a picture of the person she is trying to observe, and then she can enter their dreams. Finally, Tess’ claim to fame is mind warping, I guess you could call it. She can make you see or do things without you knowing it. She is the reason you died, Alex."

"What did the little wench do?" demanded Maria.

She described how they had found out that Tess had been using Alex to decrypt a book for her and in turn she blew out his mind with her powers. To cover it up, she made his death look a suicide and had put a huge gash in the relationship of the six of them, but at the end, when the truth was revealed, it kept Max, Michael and Isabel here on Earth. Liz still hated Tess for doing that to her friend, even with him sitting in front of her.

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Alex asked, "Is there anything else we can look out for?"

"They try to keep things low key. Max broke a long held promise, by saving my life. Isabel and Michael were pretty mad at him for braking it, but I thank God that he did. Having Max love me, changed my life for the better." Well, almost.

Alex left shortly after she had finished . He said he needed some time to think things through and he would see them at school tomorrow. When he was gone Liz turned to Maria and asked, "Do you think I’ve lost it?’

"No sweetie, you haven’t lost it, you never had it to begin with," tease Maria. She ducked the pillow Liz threw at her and went on to say, "I believe you. What your telling me, is a little out there, though.

"Don’t get me wrong, we do live in Roswell, New Mexico, alien capital of the world, so it’s not the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard. It’s just, I not sure what to believe. If all you say is true and it happened, there where does that leave us? Do we really exist or are we some figments of someone’s imagination?"

"Good questions, I wish I new the answers, I’m just as confused as you are."

Standing up, Maria bent and gave Liz a hug. "I’m going to take Alex’s advice and think things over . I just hope I don’t run into the Royal Four, as you call them, on the way home, I might freak or something."

"I know what you mean, look how I reacted when I saw Max on Friday. I start back to school tomorrow and he is in some of my classes. I don’t know how to behave around him, we shared so much in my dream."

"You’ll be fine," Maria assured her. "Just act like he's from another planet, or something."

###

How am I suppose to ignore Max Evens when everywhere I turn, he’s there, Liz thought dejectedly. It was only third period and she must have seen Max five times already. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was watching her. She was also getting tired of people asking how she was feeling. The next person to ask is going to get a slap!

"Liz, are you okay?" Kyle whispered in her ear. She jumped, and in doing so, smacked him in the forehead with the back of hers. "Ow, what ya do that for, " he yelped.

Turning around she apologized, "Oh Kyle, I’m so sorry. You scared me!"

"Well , if you returned some of my phone calls, you would have remembered what my voice sounded like," he grumbled, rubbing his head.

"I uhm, well that is," Liz stuttered. "It’s just that I need to get things straight in my head and all. I wasn’t doing it to hurt you or anything."

"I know that. I’m glad your feeling better," he said and put his arms around her.

Liz stood stiffly in his embrace. Looking over Kyle’s shoulder she saw Max watching them from the end of the hall. She felt her face redden and she pushed Kyle away.

Kyle stepped back and held up his hands. "Okay, okay, we’ll take it slow for a while. I think we need to get re-aquatinted before moving on."

"Kyle, about us, " she began but was cut off when the bell rang.

Quickly kissing her cheek, he said backing away from her, "I got to get to class. Coach said if I was late for another one, he’d bench me for this week’s game. I’ll call you after practice," and off he ran.

Sighing, Liz took out what she need for the next few classes from her locker and headed in the opposite direction. Bio was next and she was dreading it. This was the first of three class she shared with Max and she wasn’t sure how she was going to make it through them intact.

Last night she had the most erotic dream about him and with every glance she had of him today, brought it to mind. The only way she was able to get back to sleep last night was to take a cold shower.

Walking into the Bio lab she took a seat a one of the lab stations. While she was recovering, she had been able to catch up on most of her school work. The lab experiments were the only thing she was behind on and she planned to do as many as she could today. Luckily, there was a substitute , so the class was scheduled as a free study.

Taking out her notes and opening her book Liz tried to immerse herself in the work. It only lasted a few minutes, when suddenly she felt him walk in the room and her concentration was shattered. There was no need to see if he was there, the connection was that strong. Maybe Max has been feeling this too. It would explain why he’s been following me around all morning.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to get control of her feelings. Tucking her hair back behind her ears, she refocused on the experiment before her. She was just finishing up her last diagram when she heard, "Hi Liz."

Spinning around she sucked in her breath. Standing behind her was Max, tall, beautiful Max. He was wearing that small smile he only gave her and her legs turned to jelly. Putting her hand on the table, she stabilized herself. She looked up into his deep brown eyes and felt her self drift away. Across her mind, she saw every kiss they shared and felt every caress. I took every ounce of will, not to throw herself into his arms. Her fingers itched to run thru his sable colored hair and feel his body press against hers. She had seen him many times today ,but being this close, almost stopped her heart.

Max looked down at Liz Parker with amazement. He had been there the day she was shot and had tried to go to her, but Michael held him back. In his moment of hesitation, that other guy got to her first and started first aid.

If it hadn’t been for his friend, he might have exposed their secret to the world, right then and there. His ears were still ringing from the lecture Is had given him, when Michael told her what happened. She had asked him why he would put them at risk, and all he could do was say, it was Liz Parker. She demanded to know what the hell that meant and all he did was smile. He was lucky she didn’t punch him too hard or his arm would still be black and blue.

Fortunately, Liz survived the gun shot, with a little help. What no one knew was that he had snuck into the hospital after hours, when her parents had gone to get some coffee, and helped with the blood loss and some of the tissue damage. He couldn’t risk healing her fully, but he did enough to get her out of danger. The coma wasn’t something he had counted on and he was unable to sneak back in, without help, and he already knew how the others felt about him trying to help in the first place.

"Uh, hi Max." Liz replied when she could get her brain functioning again. She could feel the blush rising on her cheeks so she quickly turned back to her work.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked softly. "We had a few labs while you were out."

Not looking up she stammered, "No, no that’s okay, Max."

"Well, if you get stuck, I be over by the window."

Nodding, she didn’t trust herself to speak. When he had moved away, she released the breath she didn’t know she held. Blinking her eyes, she held back the tears. Oh Max, how am I going to pretend I don’t love you. Every time I see you , I want you to pull me into your arms and crush your mouth to mine. This is going to be the longest day of my life.

Sighing, she gave herself a shake and turned her thoughts back to her experiments.

###

"Is it me, or had today been dragging?" Maria asked. The three of them were having lunch at there usual table in the quad. Alex was working on some music and grunted his response.

Liz was resting her chin in her hands. Somehow, she made it thru Bio and English and was happy that she only had one more class with Max in it, today. "I’m with you. I thought the days were long when I was stuck at home."

Maria was about to reply, when Michael, Max and Isabel walk outside. She gave Liz a nudge and pointed with her eyes, in their direction. Liz sat up and tried not to stare. Even thought she knew she need to stay away from Max, she couldn’t help looking at him. Her heart ached to call him over and sit with them.

Sensing she was near, Max looked around for Liz. He saw her sitting with her friends across the way and their eyes locked. Today had been agonizing for him. When he saw Kyle hugging Liz, earlier, he almost lost it. He knew, thru the connection he had made when he healed her, that things were not serious between her and Kyle. Liz liked going out with the star of the football team, but it was beginning to get old. Why she was letting him paw her in public, he didn’t know.

"Max? Yo Max?" Michael called. Waving a hand in front of his friend’s face, he finally got Max’s attention.

"What? Oh, you were saying, Michael." Max replied, refocusing on the conversation they were having.

"I think we should try dialing Tess back a bit. She had the nerve to come to my house this weekend, and kept harping about leaving."

"Yeah, she talked to us about it too." Isabel said sitting down at an empty table. She looked over her shoulder to where Max had been staring and saw Liz. I should have guessed. Max didn’t know it, but she was aware of his crush on Liz. Why he would go for some brainy girl ,was beyond her, but oh well. They had other things to worry about.

"You know, maybe she is right. Staying here hasn’t gotten us any answers to where we come from," Michael continued. He grabbed one of Max’s Twinkes and poured some Tobasco sauce on it. Taking a bite, he grinned in satisfaction.

"Michael, you know that now is not the time to leave. We need to finish school, then we can set out to find answers. Don’t you think our families would come looking for us?" Max reasoned. He wasn’t sure if he believed it or was just making excuses because he didn’t want to know where they came from.

"Speak for your self. The only reason Hank keeps me around is for the monthly check."

Isabel gave Michael a sympathizing look. She knew how much he hated living with Hank and he was stuck there until he turned eighteen. She tried to have him talk to her father about getting away from him, but Michael told her to keep her nose in her own business. "I think Tess is trying to get away from her father. She told me that he is cold and bosses her around all the time," she put in. She wasn’t overly fond of Tess, but she did feel a little sorry for her.

"Isn’t that too bad," Michael spat. "We all have our crosses to bear. "

"Okay, okay I’ll have a talk with her." Max said, tired of talking about Tess. He still wasn’t sue he could trust her. It was just a little to convenient , they way she showed up and made Michael aware of her powers. Something didn’t sit right with him about the whole situation.

###

"Breathe Liz, breathe," Maria said shaking her friend.

Liz let go of Max’s gaze and looked at her friend. "I’m fine, Maria. "

Maria looked skeptical and said, "Thank God there isn’t anything flammable in the quad, or we might have been in some serious trouble. The heat between you two could scald a cat."

"It was really weird, I couldn’t look away. God, what am I going to do?" she said in disgust, laying her head on the table.

"You could transfer to Alaska," Alex piped in. The looks that the girls gave him, made him bury his nose back in his song book.

"Great, look who’s coming this way,’ Maria said with a groan. "Sorry to bail on you kid, but I think if I have to hear another football story, I might have to haul off and slap him. See ya."

Alex also saw Kyle approaching and gathered up his things. "I have to agree, it was a long six weeks."

"Scared them off, huh?" Kyle asked sitting down next to Liz. "This worked out great. I had been trying to get you alone for a while now."

"Hi Kyle. I didn’t think I would see you until after school." Liz said not knowing what to say. She didn’t have the same feelings for Kyle as she did before she was hurt and she knew she had to tell him, but she didn’t want to hurt him.

"Well, I should be with the team, but I, uh, need to talk to you."

"Kyle, I need to talk to you too. The reason I haven’t call you back is..." She began when he abruptly cut her off.

"Liz, I know you have been avoiding me and I understand why," he said running his hand thru his hair. He hated that he had to do this to her so soon after getting out of the hospital, but he couldn’t change the way he felt. "I know that I haven’t been the greatest boyfriend, and I know that your parents must have told you that I wasn’t at the hospital everyday. The thing is, I knew things weren’t going to work with us before you got hurt. I just didn’t know how to tell you and then you got shot and things got scary."

"Kyle, wait a minute, slow down," she said placing her hand on his arm. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. Is he trying to break up with me? she thought in jubilation."Are you telling me that you want to break up?"

"Liz, I’m so sorry to throw this at you, with you just coming back to school and everything, but I need to focus on football and well, your kind of a distraction I don’t need right now."

Liz tried to hold back her giggle, but it slipped from her mouth. Seeing Kyle’s confused expression, she burst out laughing. She had been so worried about hurting him, she never thought that he might want to break up with her. She was so relived, she hugged him.

"Liz, I don’t think there is anything to be laughing about," he said over her shoulder. He had figured that if he told Liz that he didn’t want to date her, out here in the open, she might not make a scene and now she was laughing at him!

"Kyle, I’m not laughing at that," she said pulling back from him. "It’s that, I knew we weren’t right for each other and I didn’t know how to tell you. With everything that has happened, I wasn’t sure how you were going to take it."

"You want to break up with me, " he said, astonished. That had never crossed his mind.

"Now that we understand each other, it will be okay, don’t you think?"

"If you say so." Getting up, he asked, "So your really okay about this?"

"I’ll be fine. You go win some more glory for West Roswell High."

Shaking his head in wonder, he walked away from her. Across the quad, Max had watched the whole exchange with a sinking heart. Seeing Liz laughing and hugging Kyle, he thought he had read her wrong. Maybe she liked being the star athlete’s girlfriend and that she really loved Kyle. If that was so, what the hell was he going to do.

###

"So he wanted to break up with you?" Maria laughed after Liz told her what happened after she left this afternoon.

"Yup, he tried to let me down easy and I laughed in his face. Poor Kyle, he thought he was doing right by me and I go and crack up on him." The girls were sitting in Maria’s room. Liz was painting her toe nails a bright pick while Maria was looking thru some CDs.

"Oooo now I wished I had stayed. I would have loved to see his face."

"Well, I’m glad that it is finally over. I now can try and figure out if what I believe about Max and the others is true."

"Is that something you really want to know? If it is such a big secret, don’t you think they might try and stop anyone from finding out?"

"I have to know, Maria. If it isn’t, well, I haven’t hurt anyone, but if it’s true, Max must be having a hard time dealing with it. I know that it was a heavy burden for him, to be in charge and all."

"He was the king, huh? God, I can’t even begin to imagine what I would do if I had some special powers. I know a few people I would like to zap, given the chance."

"It bothered him, knowing that he was responsible for three other people. He took it seriously and it got to him sometimes."

"Do you hear yourself. You talk like these things have already happened. Liz, were not sure they are what you say they are. Let’s find out if your right before getting all weepy eyed, okay?"

Liz stuck her tongue out at her. She knew that Max needed her, now she had to convince him of that.