"Hey Maria," he said, taking a seat on the stool in front of her.

"Well?" Maria prodded, pouring him a cup of steaming coffee. "How was New York?"

A dark cloud passed over Max's handsome features. "Fine." The cloud disappeared just as quickly as it had come. "I'm just glad to be home, well, back." "Did you meet with the..." She lowered her voice, although no one was around to hear her. The cafe was basically empty. "You know?" Max nodded. "I didn't make them very happy though," he said dejectedly. Maria patted his arm comfortingly.

"I'm sure you did the right thing, fearless leader," she assured him.

The warmth of Max's arm sent a sudden spark down Maria's spine. What the heck? She yanked her hand away quickly. Had Max felt that?

"Maria." The tone in his voice told her that he had. And, in true Max form, he wanted to talk about it. Maria mentally kicked herself for thinking he wouldn't notice. This was Max after all. This was a guy who saw flashes and could change the chemical structure of things with his bare hands.

Maria looked up and locked eyes with him. Bad idea. Max's eyes were a deep, soulful brown that could always burn through you. Maria had always admire the intensity of Max's eyes. That was, until that moment.

"Yes, Max?" Maria's voice was amazingly calm.

The bell above the cafe entrance jingled before Max could respond. More customers walked in. Maria breathed a sigh of relief at the distraction and rushed to get their order before they'd hardly had a chance to look at the menu.

Max watched from his place at the counter, silently sipping his coffee, complete with Tobasco sauce that Maria had set in front of him earlier. "Maria, can we talk now?" he asked as Maria skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Max, it's really busy in here and I'm the only one on duty," Maria said, putting a hand on her hip for effect. The place was just about dead and there was another waitress around somewhere, but Max didn't need to know that. "I really can't be distracted right now." "You're just like Michael!" Max threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

Maria felt her face heat up.

"I am not," she said indignantly.

"You run when it comes to facing waht you're feeling," Max said. "You run scared."

Maria sighed heavily. She wouldn't let this...ahem, Czechoslovokian...get the best of her.

"Bridget!" Maria called.

Almost immediately, a petite red-head materialized by her side.

"What's up, Maria?" the new waitress asked, her silver antennas bobbing from her headband.

"Cover for me for a sec," Maria motioned for Max to join her in the back room. "I'll be right back."

"Take all the time you need," Bridget said, smiling knowingly at Max and Maria.

Maria felt her face heat up. She wanted so much to wipe the smirk off Bridget's face. That girl didn't know anything about Max and Maria and "the secret" that could potentially destroy them.

"Come on," Maria barked at Max, grabbing his arm and pulling him behind her.

As soon as they'd disappeared behind the door, Maria spun around to face Max.

"Well?" Maria prodded. "What did you want to say to me?"

Suddenly, Max's arms were around Maria and he was kissing her. They were falling into a kiss Maria only read about in her mother's cheesy Harlequin novels.

In the back of her head, Maria knew it was wrong to kiss her best friend's ex-soulmate, or rather her sort-of boyfriend's best friend, but she couldn't stop herself. It felt so right. Max pulled away first, gasping for air.

"Wh-what was the for?" Maria stammered, desperately trying to form a coherent thought. She felt slightly dizzy.

"Maria, you forget who you're talking to," Max said, smiling slightly.

"What are you talking about?" Maria's heart was still hammering in her chest.

"I felt it," Max said. "That spark you felt. It went through me, too." "So, you're telling me this is some kind of alien-related thing?" Maria asked. "Did you get a flash or something?" "Yes," Max admitted. "Maria, I saw our future. You and me. On our wedding day." Maria's face drained of all color. "What?" she gasped. "But what about Tess? Isn't she supposed to be your destiny? And what about Michael? Aren't I supposed to love him?"

"I didn't say I could explain it," Max said. "I just know what I felt and what I saw. That's why I kissed you. To see if it was real."

"Is it?" Maria hated the way her voice squeaked.

Max pushed a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. Her scalp tingled at his touch.

"More real than I could've ever imagined," he said in a husky voice that made Maria's knees weaken.

"But what about Liz?" Maria asked.

"Maria, when I kissed Liz, I saw things. I saw her past. But when I just merely touched you, I saw our future. If I could do that with a simple gesture, can you imagine what I saw with our kiss?" Max told her.

"But what are we supposed to do now?" Maria asked, now on the verge of panicking. She longed for her relaxing oils or her nature music. They always seemed to relieve her stress.

Max silenced her with another kiss. This one was more electric than the first.

"Why don't you just let go and stop asking questions?" he asked.

"Because every guy I've ever trusted has walked away from me," Maria said. "I can't handle that kind of pain again."

Max took Maria's face in his hands. He stared into her eyes. A breath caught in Maria's throat. She was fairly sure he was looking into her instead of looking at her.

"Maria, please," he begged her. "Just let his happen. Don't think. I know it's crazy, but I think it's right. It's a long-shot, but I want to trust it. And I want you to trust me."

Against her will, Maria felt her face pull into a tiny smile. If Max could lay his heart on the line, then so could she. Maybe things hadn't worked out for her and Michael just like things hadn't worked out for Max and Liz. Maybe that just wasn't how things were meant to go. Maybe they'd gotten their wires crossed and had ended up chasing the wrong person. Maybe this moment was their real destiny.