"It's really neat," Liz agreed. "You like your Uncle Max, don't you?"

Kelsey stopped twirling and looked at her. "Yeah, I do." She cocked her pretty head to the side as if listening to something. "And so do you."

"Excuse me?"

"I can tell. Your voice changes when you talk about him."

Liz swallowed, not sure what to say.

"But it's okay," the girl continued. "Because he feels the same way about you."

"How do you know that?"

"I just know."

Liz thought at first it was a child's fantasy, then remembered that Kelsey was not a normal child.

"Uncle Max and I are the same," she explained, sinking to the bed beside Liz. "We think the same. Sometimes I can hear what he's thinking."

"You can read his thoughts?"

"Not really. But I can feel what he's feeling. And he loves you."

Liz sat dumbfounded as Kelsey moved to her closet to hang up the dress. "Don't be afraid of it, Aunt Liz. He'd never hurt you." She shrugged her slight shoulders. "He'd never hurt anyone." She returned to the bed, and Liz was shocked when she boldly put her hand on Liz's stomach. "I can feel it - where he healed you."

Liz's eyes widened. "How?"

Another shrug. "I just can." She removed her hand, her green eyes looking intently at Liz. Then she reached up and put a hand over Liz' heart, her fingertips barely touching her shirt. "And I can feel him here, too."

Liz forgot for a moment that she was talking to a 12-year-old. There was something suddenly wiser than her years in Kelsey's eyes. Liz shuddered and Kelsey removed her hand.

"Want to see the shoes he bought me, too?" And just as suddenly she was just a kid again. _____________________________________________________________________

Liz stepped out onto the patio, her arms crossed over her chest. She breathed in the crisp night air. What Kelsey had done had freaked her a bit. Apparently having one human parent hadn't diminished her skills - it had enhanced them. Liz put her own hand over her heart, feeling its steady thump beneath her palm. What had Kelsey meant when she said she felt Max there? And, for God's sake, she was only 12! What did she know about affairs of the heart?

Liz looked up to the sky, saw a shooting star whiz out of view. Quickly, she clenched her eyes and made a wish, "God, let me figure out what she meant." She opened her eyes and let out a sigh. She wondered if Maria knew how creepy her daughter could be.

A squeak of metal on metal drew Liz's attention to her left. Max was sitting on the double glider, a drink in his hand.

"What are you doing?" she snapped, a little tense from her encounter. "Were you just going to sit there in the dark and stare at me?"

Max held up his hands, palms forward. "Not my intent, Liz. I didn't want to spook you."

Well, nothing could spook her more than her little adventure with Kelsey.

"Are you okay?" Max asked tentatively.

Liz swallowed hard, then nodded. Her hand was absently playing with her necklace. "I'm fine."

He scooted over on the glider. "Want to sit?"

Liz thought about it for a moment, then cautiously stepped forward. Her leg brushed Max's as she sat, and she could feel the heat of his body through his jeans. She remembered now how warm Max always was, how she used to like to curl up next to him and absorb that heat on a cool night. A cool night like this one.

"Is everybody here?" Max asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Liz nodded. "I think so. Alex and his wife just got here."

Max smiled. He'd always liked Alex and his geeky ways. Those ways had paid off, he'd heard - Alex was a professor at MIT now. And had a knock out wife, from all accounts.

"Isabel still here?"

Liz nodded again.

"Good, good."

She let herself give a light laugh. "Another niece for you to spoil, Uncle Max?"

"Well, none of my own, so you know…"

Liz met his eyes for the first time. It seemed like light years since she'd been this close to him - she had to fight off the urge to touch his cheek. His gaze didn't waver from hers, and a long moment passed.

"How are you, Liz?"

"Fine."

"Just fine?" His eyebrows rose and Liz thought he looked disappointed. "After all this time, is that all I get? Fine?"

Liz shifted uncomfortably. "What do you want to know, Max?" She was still unable to lie to him in any way.

There was another silence, then Max shrugged. "I want to know you again."

She swallowed again, felt her heart start to beat a little faster. "Why after all of this time?"

He shook his head. "Not after all of this time, Liz." He drew in a breath, cautious. "I've wanted you to come back so many times. So many times."

"You never - "

"I couldn't. I couldn't ask you to abandon the life you've made for yourself." Max looked down at the ground. "I didn't think you'd want to."

Liz realized her mouth was hanging open. Between Kelsey and Max they were both giving her the heebs. She decided to take a different tack. "What's in the cup?"

Max lifted the plastic cup. "Soda." He caught her amused smile. "What?"

"I just wanted to make sure you hadn't been drinking. I wanted to make sure you were going to remember what you were saying to me this time."

Max laughed the same boyish laugh she'd grown to love so many years ago. "No sparkling parking meters, I promise."

Liz laughed with him, remember that magical night. "Can you share that soda?" she asked. "I'm kind of thirsty."

Max handed her the glass, delighted at the intimacy of sharing a drink with her. "How long are you going to be in town?" he asked.

Liz swallowed the soda. "The rest of the week. Then I have to get back." Another disappointed look?

"Look, I'd like to spend some time with you. To catch up. I feel bad about the way I reacted when you were home last."

"Max, it's okay."

"No, I want to explain. I was going through some rough stuff at that point. I knew you were leaving, Michael and Maria had just got married, and I had no idea how to ask you to stay. Things were so bad between us when you left for college, how could I expect you to want to get back with me? And then there you were at the hospital, and I just knotted up inside. I couldn't even form words. I'm sure you must've thought I was blowing you off." His eyes studied her. "Didn't you?"

"Well, yeah…"

"I knew I blew it. I blew it 12 years ago with you, Liz. And I've never had the guts to tell you until now."

Liz was watching him, her brown eyes wide with the realization that all of the bitterness she'd felt toward Max the last 12 years had been founded on a misunderstanding. She felt the tears start to sting her eyes, but quickly willed them away.

"So, can I see you while you're home?" Max's face was full of hope.

Liz smiled, then nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

Then Max reached around her and put his arm across the back of the glider, his long legs starting the motion of the swing. He looked to the sky, smiling. "See that shooting star before?" he asked.

Liz grinned. "Yeah."

"This is what I wished for."

"Yeah, me, too."

_____________________________________________________________________

"Have you picked out names yet?" Isabel had Hannah over her shoulder, burping her. She and Lynn were perched on the couch.

"We can't agree on anything," Lynn laughed. "Alex is sure it's a boy, so there is the 'junior' factor to consider. I'm sure it's a girl. If we can't agree on the sex, how can we agree on the name?"

Isabel smiled. "Guess that's one thing I didn't have to worry about…"

Lynn's expression fell. "Oh, I'm sorry…"

"No, don't be. We're doing okay." She brought the baby forward, rubbing noses with her. "Aren't we?"

Lynn decided to change the direction of the conversation. "So, how did you come up with Hannah Elizabeth?"

"Well, Hannah was my grandmother's name. And I picked Elizabeth because of Liz."

"Liz Parker?" Lynn looked confused.

Isabel studied her for a moment, trying to determine if Alex had told his wife their secret. Ultimately, she decided he hadn't. "Liz was my brother Max's girlfriend for many years. And because of that, we all became friends - me, Liz, Max, Alex, Michael and Maria. She was the catalyst of that grouping. It seemed a nice way to thank her."

"Oh. Alex never told me…"

"It was a long time ago, Lynn. High school stuff."

Lynn nodded, knowing it was a part of her husband's life that she would never share. But, it was the same in every relationship - there was always a sense of having missed out on something. "I think you've done a wonderful job," she complimented, touching Hannah's wispy hair.

Isabel was truly touched. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."

Alex appeared in the doorway. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Lynn greeted him with a smile. "No, but you can keep Isabel company while I visit the little girl's room," she said as she rose to her feet. "Seems like all I do these days."

Alex touched her arm as she passed. He cleared his throat then sat down by Isabel. When he held out his hands for Hannah, Isabel willingly handed her over. She smiled as she watched Alex baby-talk and bounce the baby on his knee.

"It's good to see you, Alex," she said softly.

He looked up at her. "And you, too. You look good, not to mention - " he motioned to the baby girl. "She's just beautiful." He bit his lip. "Just like her mother."

Isabel smiled. "That's very kind of you, Alex."

"Not kind. Just true. Look, Is, I know we didn't part on good terms, but I'd like for us to be friends."

"Of course. We are friends, Alex." Her smile was warm as she spoke those words. She looked toward the hallway where Lynn had disappeared. "She's wonderful, Alex."

He nodded. "Yeah, she is. She's very smart - "

"And very pretty."

"Yeah, yeah she is." Alex handed Hannah back to her mother as an awkward silence ensued.

"Listen," Isabel said, cradling her baby. "I moved back in with my mom and dad after Jonathan was killed. I know my mom would love to see you, Alex. She always adored you. And I'm sure she'd like to meet Lynn, too. Why don't you try to come by some time this week?"

Lynn's voice interrupted Alex's response. "That sounds great. Don't you think, hon?"