Prologue

******

"Whoa. Did you see that?"

"God, he’s got a baby."

Michael laughed. "I know. The whole place is going up. Tequila’s the man!"

"Okay, so how’s the kid sleeping through this?"

"Liz, you are in danger of over analyzing the Hong Kong action genre. It defies all logic. Just go with it. Besides it’s not asleep."

"How many people has he killed in the last two minutes?" Liz asked, revulsion and fascination warring on her face.

"By my count? Let’s see. The two guys down on the main floor, one in the stairway. We won’t count the big explosion because that was incidental. Four guys on this floor. And three have come through the door at him."

"Okay, so now his only exit is piled high with dead guys and flames and the building’s going to explode at any second and he has a baby."

"Window."

"Of course. How silly of me." Liz rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, he’s gonna swing out the window get away just as the building explodes, hand the baby to its grateful and miraculously still alive parents and then he’s gonna smooch the chick?"

Michael smirked. "You forgot to roll credits."

They watched the final minutes of the movie, alternately chuckling and grimacing. At last the credits rolled and Liz stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

"Did I miss the white doves? I think I missed the white doves," she said.

"You were getting popcorn."

"Damn."

"I could go back to that scene."

Liz waived her hands quickly. "Oh, hey, not on my account. I want doves I’ll watch Mission: Impossible 2 again. And that was painful enough the first time."

"C’mon this has to be worth another view," Michael pleaded, still chuckling.

Liz shook her head and laughed with him. "I thought you didn’t like Chow Yun-Fat."

"Nah, he’s really cool when he’s got a gun and he’s mowing down the bad guys. That Jane Austen Kung-Fu crap was too much for me."

"I thought it was a beautiful movie."

"See?" Michael said triumphantly. "Chick flick."

Liz punched his shoulder. "Pig."

"Damn straight," he pronounced loudly. "So, ‘The Killer’?" He held the DVD box up enticingly.

Liz was temporarily saved from answering by the buzzing of her cell phone. She reached over the side of Michael’s couch and pulled it out of her bag.

"’Lo?"

"Liz?"

Liz’s face lit up with a smile. "Hey Max. What’s up?"

"Not much. I stopped by the Crash to see you but Maria said you were out for the evening. Where are you?" He asked.

Liz let out a breath and steeled herself for what was to come. "Michael’s."

"Again?"

"It’s movie night," she muttered defensively.

She could hear Max sigh heavily on the other end of the connection. "We’re leaving in less then three days, Liz. You can’t avoid your parents forever."

"Oh yes I can."

"Liz, you have to go home to at least say goodbye."

"No I don’t."

"Let me talk to Michael."

"What? You’re gonna order him to take me home? Um, no," Liz leaned her head back against the couch and sighed. "I’ll go home. I just needed to get away for a little while. My mom started in on me again."

"About me or the internship?"

Liz hesitated for a moment before replying. "Both."

"Gonna stay the night?"

"Maybe."

"Why don’t you go stay with Maria?"

"Because then I’ll get a lecture from Amy. Michael’s good and lecture free. Jealous?"

"Hardly," Max snorted. He was silent for a moment and when he spoke again his voice was resigned. "So what was on the list for movie night tonight?"

Liz laughed. "You’re so easy Max."

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No. Never. Okay, so movie night. We started with Die Hard 3, cause, you know, it’s a classic, then we went to two Jet Li movies then moved on to a Chow Yun-Fat movie."

"Um, wow."

"Yeah, Michael’s trying to get me to go for a second Chow Yun-Fat movie but I think if I watch one more of these flicks tonight I’m going to have a hard time resisting the urge to shoot anything that moves."

Max laughed. "I know the feeling."

They both fell silent after that.

"So . . ." Liz prompted.

"I just wanted to check up on you. I didn’t see you today."

"I missed you, too. You could come over here, you know."

Liz made a point of ignoring Michael’s groan of disgust but she couldn’t ignore him when he tried to pull the phone out of her hands.

"Maxwell," he shouted in the direction of the phone. "You can survive for a day without seeing your girlfriend."

Liz fended him off and covered the phone with her hand. "Back off Guerin or I’ll zap your DVD player."

Michael’s eyes widened at the threat, then his brow lowered as he thought about it. "Can you do that?" He shook his head in irritation. "Never mind. I don’t want to watch you two drool all over each other for the rest of the night. On my couch!"

"You’ll get over it. Besides you hate this couch."

"It’s purple," he grumbled.

"It’s plum."

"Whatever."

"So change the color."

Michael narrowed his eyes, glaring at her, then he stood up abruptly and left the room. Liz shook her head. Michael’s control over his powers had increased dramatically, but there were some areas he just didn’t have the touch and his sensitivity to any shortcoming was still extreme. He’d probably resent it if she changed the color for him but she swept her hand across the fabric anyway, changing it from plum to forest green. Some days it was very cool to have alien powers, she grinned to herself.

Liz brought her phone back up to her ear and addressed her patiently waiting lover again. "Are you going to come over?"

"No, it’s getting pretty late and mom wants to take me shopping tomorrow morning," he groaned.

"Poor baby. Is Isabel going with you?"

"No, thank god!"

"Are you sure you won’t come over? Even for a few minutes?" She asked softly.

Max took a deep breath. "Three days, Liz. Three days and then we’ve got six weeks together."

Liz let her eyes drift closed. "Three days."

"I’ve gotta go now. I’ll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

Liz dropped her phone back into her bag and looked up to find Michael standing in the doorway between his kitchen and living room. He shifted his eyes deliberately from her to the couch and back again. Liz raised an eyebrow and waited for him to say something. Crossing the room silently, he handed her a bottle of Snapple and placed a fresh bowl of popcorn on his coffee table.

"Killer?" He asked.

"Oh god, please no more. I’m gonna have shell shock for a month." Liz gave Michael a small smile, apology offered, apology accepted.

"Max coming over?"

"No."

He threw himself down on the couch. "What do you want to watch?"

She got up to pick through his DVDs and videos for something slightly less violent. Grabbing a video, she held it up for his inspection. "Farscape?"

"Cool."

******

******

"The whole world says, I’m Great;
Great, yet unlike everyone else.
But it’s precisely because I’m unlike everyone else, that
I’m therefore able to be Great.
Were I like everyone else, for a longtime now I’d have
Seemed insignificant and small."
-- Lao-tzu

******

Maria Deluca stepped out of the hot, dry, summer air and into the pleasantly air-conditioned oasis of the Crashdown Café, goosebumps breaking out across her arms while her body adjusted to the abrupt but welcome drop in temperature. She nodded cheerfully to some of the regulars and one of the waitresses but didn’t stop chat, making her way instead, to the back of the restaurant and then up the stairs to her best friend’s apartment.

Knocking once on the door she pushed it open without waiting for a response and strolled through.

"Hey there, Mr. P. How’s it going?"

Jeff Parker was working on his computer and glanced up with a distracted smile at Maria’s greeting. "Oh, hi, Maria. It’s going fine, thanks. Liz’s in her room. Hey are you still planning on going out to visit her this summer?"

"Yeah, I forgot to tell you, I’m definitely going but I don’t know exactly what my plans are right now though. I still have to clear everything with my mom. But, I’ll give you plenty of notice. Promise."

"Well, if you could just give me a week or so, that’ll be really great. UFO conspiracies are bigger then ever and what with that satellite crashing down in the desert back in February tourism’s been up like I’ve never seen. It’ll be a hectic summer."

"No problem, Mr. P." Maria gave him a small wave and continued on her way.

She slowed down when she approached her friend’s room, the sounds of chaos drifted out into the hallway, things being shuffled, muffled curses, and the sound of slamming drawers. Maria stuck her head cautiously through the doorway and blinked in surprise at the disaster area in front of her.

"Liz?" She called.

"What?" Came a short, irritable reply from the general direction of the bathroom.

"Are you okay?"

Liz stepped out of the bathroom and glared at her friend. "I’m fine." Then she disappeared again.

"Hello, lovely Maria."

Maria’s head jerked around at the soft voice coming from the patio. She leaned her head out the window and greeted the speaker, who was lying comfortably on the deck chair. "Hey Tobin. Isn’t it kind of hot out there?"

"I am looking at the stars."

"It’s daytime."

Tobin shrugged, unconcerned. "I am mostly blind."

"Good point. But, it’s pretty hot to be hanging around out there, dontcha think?"

"Yes," he said simply, continuing his deep contemplation of the sky.

Maria rolled her eyes and pulled her head back inside. "Okay dude, but I don’t want to hear about it if you get a sunburn."

"I will try to remember that," Tobin laughed.

"Maria?" Liz called from the bathroom. "Do me a huge favor, please?"

"Sure babe."

"Could you start folding the clothes that are on my bed?"

"Yeah, of course." Maria crossed to Liz’s bed and stared stunned at the piles of clothes strewn untidily across it and the two large, empty suitcases laying open next to it. She picked up a t-shirt and shook it out. "Liz, seriously, are you okay?"

"What? Why?"

"You’re leaving tomorrow."

"Yeah?"

"And you’re still not packed?" Maria asked in disbelief. "That is so not like you. You should have been packed days ago."

Liz stepped out of the bathroom again, her makeup kit in hand. "Look, this is the new and improved me. The new Liz has better things to do then worry about packing her bags a freaking month in advance."

Maria snorted. "What? Watching action movies with an alien general, or was it making out with an alien king?"

"Both," Liz laughed and tossed her kit on the bed.

A sharp rap on the door announced the arrival of Alex, the other best girlfriend. "Hey, hey, it’s my two favorite girls."

"Hey Alex," Maria greeted brightly.

Liz winced slightly as she watched him limp painfully into the room. "I wish you’d let us heal that, Alex."

He threw himself down onto a chair and shrugged. "Nah. It’s gotta look good for my parents. I mean, it would be kind of strange if one day I’m in the hospital and the next day I’m dancing a merry jig. It’s not too bad any more." He shook his leg out, showing off its improving flexibility. "So, you’re packing."

"Hey, Liz, look, it’s Captain States the Obvious," Maria laughed.

"Give a guy a break," Alex groaned. "My small talk skills have been taxed lately. My Dad keeps trotting out relatives I didn’t know I had in a bizarre sort of ‘hey Alex we’re all glad you’re not dead’ parade disguised as a family reunion. So yes, stating the obvious is at least real. So, you’re packing."

Liz grinned at Alex and gestured expansively around her room. "No, not packing. I’ve just decided that I need to actually see everything I own all at once. No more of that hiding crap in drawers stuff for me, no sir."

Alex threw up his hand to high-five Liz. "Right on, Liz. Buck that neat freak system. I always knew you were a rebel deep down inside."

Liz laughed again. "Yeah, yeah. So I’m saving it until the last minute." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "God, I can’t wait to get out of here."

"You in that big a hurry to get rid of us?" He teased gently.

"No, of course not." She shook her head. "I just need to get away, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Alex told her seriously.

"Are you sure you won’t come out to Boston this summer?" Liz asked, almost pleading, but Alex shook his head.

"I don’t think so, Lizzy. My parents aren’t real big on letting me out of their sight right now. Besides, Is and I kind of want to be around for Kyle."

Maria gave up any pretense of folding clothes and sat down on the bed. "How’s he doing? I haven’t seen him at all since school got out."

Alex frowned slightly. "Some days are better then others. Being around aliens who can heal any wound makes you feel kind of invincible, even with all that insane danger around. They aren’t supposed to die. Not like that." He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "The royal guards around everywhere just rub salt in it. I think we could all use to get away from alien stuff this summer. Hopefully if it’s just Is and I hanging around we can avoid any big ET angst and maybe Kyle’ll deal better."

Liz nodded, understanding. When Tess had been killed and it looked like Alex wasn’t going to fare any better, Kyle and Isabel had spent a great deal of time camped out in Alex’s hospital room. The three had bonded together tightly during Alex’s recovery and she could easily understand their desire for a quiet summer. "Okay, but I’m really going to miss you this summer."

"It’s only six weeks. Besides once you and Max get away from here, the last things on your mind will be home and your best girlfriend Alex. Just promise me you’ll have fun," he ordered her.

Liz raised her hand solemnly. "I promise."

"Yeah, I know what kind of fun Liz and Max will be having all summer," Maria teased.

Liz arched her eyebrow dangerously. "You know that’s funny, ‘cause I thought I heard somewhere that Michael was coming out with you. I’m sure you two are going to have plenty of all kinds of fun."

Alex held up his hands in protest. "Please stop. You are going places my mind strongly resists visiting."

"Poor Alex," Liz chuckled.

"So anyway, on to this new and improved Liz," Maria said, returning to her clothes folding task. "What exactly does that entail?"

"My new and improvedness?"

"Yeah."

"Ah, well it’s a new philosophy I have," Liz began but was interrupted by the beeping of her alarm clock. "Hold on." She opened the window on to her patio and stuck her head out. "Tobin. Come in now."

"I am looking at the stars," he told her matter-of-factly.

"I don’t care. I told Sef I wouldn’t let you stay out there too long. In, now."

Tobin snorted in irritation. "Sef ruins all my fun."

"Tobin…"

He climbed reluctantly off the chair and with slow, plodding steps, approached the window. "Yes, my queen."

"Give it up," Liz warned and stepped back to let him into her room.

"Alex!" He yelled, brightening suddenly. "My good friend." He pulled himself up onto Liz’s desk next to Alex and smiled at him companionably.

"How ya doing, Tobin?" Alex laughed.

"Very well, when I can have my fun."

"And when you can’t?"

"Very ill."

Maria shook her head at the two of them and started handing Liz her folded clothes to pack away. "What’s he doing here?"

Liz shrugged and started stuffing her clothes into her suitcase. "He hangs out sometimes."

"How do you explain him to your parents?"

"I don’t. I mean, how could I? He’s just Tobin. That says more then any explanation I could give."

Maria nodded. "So is this part of the new and improved Liz? You don’t talk to your parents at all?"

"I never said that," Liz said sharply then she took a deep breath and smiled apologetically at Maria. "I’m sorry. It’s just that sometimes it takes way too much effort to explain things to them."

"Okay, so I don’t get you in any more trouble, what exactly do your parents know about this summer trip of yours?"

Liz dropped the pair of shorts she was holding into the bag and then sat down. "They know I’ve got an internship with the Wayland Corporation and they know that the same is true with Max. They’ve talked to Errol and he gave them the whole low down on Wayland, minus the alien part or course."

"They know you’re going to be basically living with Max for six weeks? And they haven’t tried to lock you away somewhere?" Maria asked, surprised.

Liz answered slowly, quietly, "Well, not exactly. They know we are both going to be in Boston but we kind of let them assume that we would be in separate apartments on the Wayland campus."

"Ahh," Maria muttered sagely.

"So. What about your mom? Does she know you’re coming out with Michael?"

"Oh well, that’s a strange story all its own," Maria said rather ambiguously.

"Hey Liz," Alex interrupted suddenly. "Tobin and I are gonna go get some ice cream. You guys want anything?"

Liz glanced at Maria and then shook her head. "No. We’re good, thanks." Then she turned back to Maria expectantly. "So what’s that about your mom?"

"Okay, well, I don’t understand it and I don’t know how it happened and I wasn’t there to see it but somehow Michael and my mom have formed this weird truce. She trusts him completely. I mean totally and completely. I have no clue what he said to her and neither of them would tell me what happened. My mom is actually happy," Maria was up and pacing around the room. "Happy, that Michael is going with me to Boston. It’s creepy weird," she concluded.

Liz blinked and pursed her lips in surprise. "Wow. That’s pretty cool." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You don’t think he told her, do you? I mean the alien thing?"

Maria shook her head vehemently. "No, no way, she’d be in a padded room right now if he had."

"I don’t know. I think you’re mom would actually take it pretty well," Liz murmured thoughtfully.

"Hmm, well let’s not test that theory just yet. So I’m a little freaked by it but I’m going to accept my good fortune and not question it right now," Maria told her decisively.

"Good plan," Liz told her with a laugh.

Maria stopped her frenetic movements around Liz’s room and watched her friend for a minute. The past four months had worked definite changes in Liz’s personality, while she was still the warm, friendly, intelligent Liz her friends loved and relied on, she’d acquired an edge to her that hadn’t been there before. It manifested itself in odd ways. Her sense of humor had taken a turn for the grim and she had less patience for obnoxious customers or questioning parents. Maria had decided that she liked the new edge in Liz, it wore away the air of naivete and lent her friend a more worldly maturity. She’d gone from a sweet science geek with hidden strength, to an obviously strong and confident woman. That’s not to say, however, that Maria wasn’t worried about some other effects of these new changes. The tension in the Parker family was readily apparent at all times with fights being the rule these days and Liz could turn moody and uncommunicative at the drop of a hat. She didn’t talk a lot about what happened that February but Maria knew there were aspects of that whole nightmare that were still eating at her friend.

"What?" Liz asked suddenly, not looking up from her packing.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Of course."

"Anything," Maria emphasized the word tightly, trying to make sure she had Liz’s attention.

"Maria," Liz said wearily.

"I’m not blind or stupid, Liz. Something’s bugging you and it’s not your parents. Do you at least talk to Max about it?"

Liz kept her head bent to her task but she nodded slightly. "Yeah. We talk a lot about it."

"Does it help?" Maria pressed.

"Yeah," she replied softly. "I’m sorry Maria. It’s just . . . just I’m not ready yet."

Maria waved her away. "No, don’t apologize. When you’re ready, you’re ready. Just so long as you can talk to somebody and if it can’t be me I’m glad it’s Max."

"Thanks babe," Liz smiled.

Maria smiled back and tossed one more shirt into an open suitcase. "Are we almost done here?"

"I think so. If I forget something I can always buy another. It’s not like I don’t have the money," she snorted wryly.

"Definite bonus to being royalty," Maria agreed. "And while we are on the subject I have to object to the fact that you changed the color of Michael’s couch. Isabel just about hit the roof when she saw it. She tried to change it again and I swear it took three of us to hold her back. She says the green doesn’t go with the décor. We had to hear about it all afternoon."

Liz was unsympathetic. "Why Michael let her talk him into letting her decorate his new place I will never understand. It’s his own fault he ended up with a purple couch."

"It was plum," Maria pointed out.

Liz made a face. "Whatever. He didn’t like it so I changed it for him. End of story."

"You tell that to Isabel."

"Fine. I will." Liz put the last of her clothing into the suitcases and struggled for a moment to close them up. Maria finally jumped up and sat on first one and then the other, allowing Liz to zip them up more easily.

Maria looked on with amusement as Liz pulled the heavy bags off her bed and let them drop to the floor with twin resounding thuds. "I bet Chief Ross is just about busting a gut over the fact that he wasn’t able to pack your bags."

"It would generate way too many questions from my parents if a supposed Interpol agent was going through my lingerie drawer," Liz snickered. "Whatever, I’m making Max carry these down. Let’s go get something to eat, I am absolutely starving."

******

Later that evening, as the sun disappeared and the temperatures dropped to something much more comfortable, Liz spent her last night at home that summer on her patio enjoying the warm desert night and the clear sky dusted with stars. So much had changed in such a little time and she wondered idly why that always seemed to surprise her. From that moment two years ago when she found out aliens existed, her life had been in a constant state of change. She did find herself wishing from time to time for just a moment to catch her breath and an opportunity to really see where she’d been and how far she’d come. So far she hadn’t been granted that chance and the never ending drive for answers kept her moving forward when she otherwise might falter. It wasn’t that she was unhappy with the state her life was in at present, it was more a general feeling that she might not know where she should go if she couldn’t get a good look at where she was coming from. And there were definite forces at work within her, changing the very core and chemistry of who and what she was. From a scientific point of view she was fascinated, from a personal point of view some days she was almost overwhelmed.

A small smile tugged the frown from her lips when she felt the warm presence of the one person who kept her together when she felt she was flying apart in a million directions. Closing her eyes she inhaled deeply as the tingling warmth flowed through her, calming her, and a few seconds later she heard the sound of soft footfalls in the alley below. She kept her eyes closed but her grin widened as he came closer and closer to her. When she felt him lean over her and felt his warm breath on her face she couldn’t keep in the laugh that tickled at her throat any longer. She opened her eyes and staring into the burnished gold of his gaze leaned up to accept his greeting kiss.

Max sat next to her legs on her deck chair and brushed a long lock of hair off of her face. "All packed?"

"Yep. No thanks to you. Hogging Chief Ross like that," Liz chastised teasingly.

"I’m sorry, baby, he’s all yours next time," Max responded with a soft chuckle.

Liz leaned forward and looped her arms around his neck. "Off on our next adventure are we?"

"Yep," Max brushed his lips across her cheek and slipped his hands around her waist. "You ready for it?"

"Yeah, I really think I am. Four months without some sort of earth shaking emergency and I’m getting bored." Liz said wryly.

"Hmm, and here I am thinking I’m taking you away from it all, far away from all this stress. A nice romantic vacation . . ."

"To Boston?" Liz laughed.

"Hey," Max objected indignantly. "I understand New England can be very romantic. Charming little inns tucked away here and there. Be nice to me or you’ll never find out," he warned.

She leaned on his shoulder and nipped lightly at his neck. "I’m sorry, I’ll be good."

Max shivered at her touch, despite the relative warmth of the evening air. "Good girl. How are your parents dealing with this?"

Liz sighed and rubbed her forehead on his shoulder. "Way to kill the mood, Max."

"I’m sorry sweetheart but I just want to make sure there aren’t going to be any problems before we leave in the morning," he told her gently, rubbing his hands soothingly up and down her back.

"They aren’t very happy but I’m pretty sure they actually liked Errol and they won’t deny me the chance to have an internship at one of the top bio-tech companies in the world. Be warned though, they are coming out to Boston at least once to visit this summer."

"So are my parents. Maybe we could coordinate their visits so they show up together. That might take some pressure off. Or at the very least keep the number of days they are going to interrupt us to a minimum."

"Hmm, maybe," Liz murmured and returned her attention to his neck. "I don’t want to talk about my parents any more, Max."

Max ran his hands lovingly through her hair and pulled back a bit from her to cup her face in his hands then he kissed her deeply and languidly. When at length they broke apart, Max decided he was more then happy to let the subject of her parents drop and focus on more pleasurable pursuits.

******

******

"You have got to be kidding me," Liz murmured as she climbed out of the car and looked up.

Max stepped up besides her, his gaze travelling up and up as well. "That’s big."

Liz glanced over at him. "That’s an understatement."

"Please, tell me it’s been converted into an apartment building," Max pleaded quietly.

Liz ran her gaze over the huge brownstone rowhouse in front of them. It was five stories tall, with four large black shuttered windows on each floor, and its left side partially covered in lush green ivy. The first floor’s windows each had flower boxes hanging from them, dripping with colorful foliage, and just above, at the base of the tall second floor windows a beautifully intricate wrought iron railing crossed the face of the building. The front entrance was recessed and above the street level four steps, there were small planters filled with flowers on each side of the steps and the side walls were paneled in cream painted wood. The door itself was quite imposing, black and shiny with brass hardware it spoke loudly, proclaiming the inhabitants’ status as wealthy and powerful.

Liz sighed and wished the Antarans weren’t quite so ready and willing to spoil their royal family. But it seemed that everything that touched on them was to be the very best and if it couldn’t be the Antarans were deeply shamed. Liz cursed quietly and wondered how she was going to explain this to her parents. The looks of their faces when they were told that Liz and Max would be flying out to Boston directly from Roswell on a corporate jet told Liz they knew something was going on but that they couldn’t quite wrap their minds around whether it was something good or something bad. And now this house. No, Liz corrected herself silently, this mansion.

Max let out a loud sigh of breath next to her and she watched him turn back to the car and address the civilian garbed guard removing bags from the trunk. "Where are we?"

"Your house, your Majesty," the man replied respectfully.

"My house," Max repeated tonelessly.

The door to the building opened and Chief Steward Ciarán Ross stepped lightly down the steps. "Ma’am, sir, welcome to Boston."

Liz nodded cordially to him, happy to see something familiar. "Thanks, Ciarán, it’s good to finally be here."

The Chief had flown out to Boston the night before, ostensibly to make sure everything was ready for their arrival, but in reality he’d rushed out to make sure the others didn’t overdo the welcome and in their enthusiasm make things more trying for Max and Liz. In the months the Chief had been with them he had learned what was comfortable to them and what was too much. He’d managed to keep the welcoming party to a minimum and saw to it only a handful of guards met them at the airport. Had fanfares and a huge crowd met them they probably wouldn’t have gotten off the plane.

"You had a pleasant flight, I hope?" Chief Ross asked.

"Very smooth," Max told him. "Um, where are we?"

"Beacon Hill, sir," the Chief answered quickly, understanding Max’s question as the guard had not. "This is Louisbourg Square." He gestured to the strip of green across the street bordered by a wrought iron fence and beyond that to another block of brownstone row houses looking back at them.

Max nodded and took in the sight of the square. "Have you been here before?"

"No, sir. Last night was my first here." The Chief then glanced up at the ominously darkening sky. "We should go in, sir, it’s supposed to rain today and it looks like it means to start any minute now. Bad luck, that. Your first day here and all."

"You go ahead, Chief," Liz said quickly, grabbing Max’s hand. "I just want to walk down the block. You know, get a better look at the place."

The Chief frowned at the idea of his King and Queen getting caught in a downpour but he finally gave them a small half-bow and turned his attention to directing the guard carrying the bags.

Liz tugged on Max’s hand and they started walking slowly down the brick paved sidewalk.

"That is not an apartment."

"No," agreed Max. "It’s not even just a house."

"God, I can’t believe they did that." Liz shook her head. "I’m terrified to see the inside. I’m sure it’s gorgeous. I don’t know whether I’m annoyed and feeling guilty because I’m being a bitch or if . . ." she trailed off, searching for the words to describe her state of mind.

"Or, if you’re elated and you feel like you just stepped into some dream where you won a jillion dollars in the lotto and you’re feeling guilty ‘cause you don’t know what you did to deserve it," Max finished for her.

"Exactly."

They stopped at the end of the block and watched the traffic rush by on Mt. Vernon Street, before turning back around and taking in the sight of the picturesque square.

"On the other hand," Max said reasonably, picking up their earlier conversation. "It’s our house. Ours. Not our parents." He smiled at the thought.

"Very true." Liz graced Max with a small smiled and tucked her arm in his. "Well then, I guess, we’d better be getting back to our house and face up to the weirdness that is our lives."

They strolled slowly back down the block and caught the eye of some of their new neighbors. Liz and Max noticed the other couple immediately and slowed when the well-dressed pair approached them. Liz felt Max tense up next to her and she slid her arm around his waist comfortingly but she understood his caution completely and she only relaxed slightly when she noticed one of their guards step up onto the sidewalk behind the newcomers.

"Hi, I’m Alice and this is my husband Doug. You must be Max and Liz," Alice greeted cheerfully.

Liz blinked in surprise at the greeting and Max stammered for a moment before clearing his throat and trying again. "Yes, we are. It’s nice to meet you."

The two couples shook hands and sized each other up. Alice was a slim, attractive woman in her mid-forties, but the years were starting to tell on her and she had a rather brittle look around her eyes, as if she was afraid her youthful façade would break at any moment. Her husband, Doug, was also relatively attractive though he was starting to go a little soft around the middle and he hid an extra chin behind his salt-and-pepper beard.

"We saw you arrive and thought we’d pop out to say hi," Alice continued, oblivious to Max and Liz’s residual shock. Doug made a small effort to smile but it was evident that he was not part of the ‘we’ that wanted to ambush the newest arrivals.

"And how are you finding everything here?" Alice asked with a blinding smile. "You know when we saw the decorators in the Lloyd house we just knew something was up. Didn’t we Dougie? I must admit, I don’t like the thought of corporate owned property in the square but my sister Laine swore that Wayland was a good family owned company. Only the best stock you know. Dougie told me it was probably just some of the family wanting to move back to the city. Didn’t you, sugar?" Doug grunted something unintelligible. "And at the last square meeting that wonderfully charming gentleman Mr. Errol, he comes to the meetings from time to time, told us that my Dougie was right. It’s good to see the house still in the family. I like to see that. Old blood, you know. Good breeding. Not like some of these new money people. They get lucky in the stock market, get a little money and think they know everything there is to know about society and barge their way into our neighborhoods. Simply garish manners. But we got lucky, I told Laine. I was always afraid Wayland would do something dreadful to the property, turn it into apartments or something just as frightful. Not that the square would ever let that happen, of course, but such an ugly thing, all those court dealings, I can’t stand them. What a perfectly awful waste of a day."

Liz was silently counting to herself, wondering how long the woman could go without drawing a breath, but finally Alice stopped and looked more closely at her two captives. "But, oh, my, aren’t the pair of you just darling? If you weren’t so adorable together I’d want to snatch you up for my own kids. It’s so difficult these days. Richard off to college in Oregon of all places, he simply refused to stay here and he’s dating a girl whose father owns a chain of, what was it Dougie? Oh, that’s right, they sell carpet. Can you believe that? What kind of business is that I ask? And Tiffany, well, at least she’s got the sense her brother missed out on, she’s gone off to Princeton. However, I want to know what’s so wrong with Harvard? I went to Harvard, my Dougie went to Harvard and it’s just across the river. They could stay at home and they wouldn’t be tempted to be seen with the likes of the Linoleum Princess or whatever her name is. Well, at least they’re home for the summer and I can keep a proper eye on them. Where do you go to school, dears?"

Liz felt like she’d just been sucked up into a tornado and set down suddenly, she got her bearings back before Max did however and braved conversation with Alice. "We go to school in New Mexico, right now. But, uh, it’s always been my dream to attend Harvard when I graduate."

Alice beamed at her and for a moment Liz wasn’t sure that she wasn’t still in danger of being ‘snatched up’ for the absent Richard. Though, maybe he wasn’t such a bad pick, he’d clearly been smart enough to flee to the other side of the country when he’d gotten old enough. "That is wonderful. Oh, I can get you an appointment and you can tour the school when you get a chance. How does that sound?"

"That’d be great. Thank you."

"Oh I’m absolutely thrilled to do it. Now, what are you interested in studying? I was a business major. Hard to believe isn’t it? But my father insisted."

Liz hesitated for a moment before answering, she couldn’t quite tell if Alice had stopped speaking or if she was just gathering her strength for another long-winded monologue. "Molecular biology. I’m, uh, fond of science."

Alice’s smile grew even bigger if that was possible; to the point that Liz was almost worried the woman’s face would actually crack. "My Dougie loves biology, don’t you Sweetie Pie?"

"I’m a doctor, Alice," Doug replied with the patient tone of the long suffering.

She ignored her husband and turned back to Max. "And how about you, Max? You’re awfully quiet. You remind me of my sister, Laine’s, son. James. I wonder about that boy sometimes. He says he wants to be a veterinarian."

Max shook himself out of his stunned state and managed a small smile. "I’m not sure yet. I don’t think I’ve decided."

"No idea at all?" Alice wheedled.

"Well, um, I thought about political science, or maybe law. My father’s a lawyer. Or medicine’s always a possibility."

"You sound like you have a great many interests, Max. Noble interests. So refreshing. That desire to learn and expand yourself." She looked him over predatorily. Clearly Max wasn’t safe from Alice’s matchmaking schemes for her children either. "But I hope you plan to take active participation in the family corporation, Max. There’s nothing I like seeing less then the younger generations not respecting and contributing to the hard work of the previous generations."

A threatening rumble of thunder saved Max from having to come up with an answer to that rather leading statement.

Alice tutted in irritation. "Well, I suppose that’s our cue to move along. We’re having a dinner party on Friday night, I’ll send around a proper invitation to you tomorrow but I wanted to catch you before you made any plans. Some of our other neighbors will be there and I know they’re all anxious to meet you. How jealous Cynthia will be when I tell her I ran into you two today," Alice fairly squealed in delight at her coup.

"We’d better let them get back to their house, Alice," Doug interrupted his wife. "I’d hate to have the next time I see them be when I’m treating them for pneumonia because you kept them out chatting in the rain."

"Oh really, Doug," she huffed. "They’re young and very healthy, they’ll hardly get pneumonia from a little rain, and I still have a number of questions for them."

"They’ve traveled a long way," Doug said tiredly and glanced up at the clouds. It was entirely possible that he didn’t care a jot about Max and Liz getting wet, but rather that he himself had no desire to stand outside in a thunderstorm. "I’m sure they’re tired and you know how the immune system gets when exhaustion sets in."

Another peal of thunder echoed menacingly around the square and Alice finally gave up her protests.

"I suppose you’re right. Max, Liz, it was wonderful to meet you," she grabbed their hands in a tight grip. "Remember to keep your Friday open."

"Of course," Max muttered quietly.

He and Liz stood still for a moment, watching Alice and Doug disappear into their house before yet another, louder clap of thunder shook them from their stupor.

"Saved by the act of god," Max sighed.

Liz chuckled softly. "That was scary. Tell me we have plans on Friday."

"I have no idea, but I really hope so."

"Hmm, if not we have three days to come down with pneumonia," Liz mused. "It’ll be tight but I think I can do it, how about you?"

Max rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If you get pneumonia then of course I won’t be able to leave your bedside until you’re well. So, yeah, that should work."

"Oh sure, I’m the one to get sick," Liz griped.

Max grinned over his shoulder at her and pushed open the door to their house. He stopped just inside and Liz had to push him out of the way to get past him. Once by him she took a good look around the entry hall and simply shook her head in bemusement. It was, as she’d feared, absolutely gorgeous. Not gaudy or over done, but tastefully and richly done. She could have sworn she’d seen it in Architectural Digest or some similar publication.

She resigned herself to the bizarre sense of humor fate seemed to have at her expense and decided not to fight something that simply had no need to be fought. To some she was worthy of this house and she wouldn’t embarrass them or shame them by refusing. "Come on, Max. Let’s look at it as karmic repayment for all the terror we’ve been subjected to," Liz whispered in his ear with a laugh.

Max nodded his head slowly and let his gaze wander down the long hall, past the gleam of the dark wood floors, through the soft glow from the elegant lighting sconces mounted on the burgundy walls trimmed beautifully in cream, over the expensive Empire furnishings and oriental rugs that decorated the passageway, to a bustle of activity in what appeared to be the kitchen.

"We deserve it?" He asked.

"We do," Liz confirmed.

"Good, ‘cause I’d hate to give it back before we got to try out the master bedroom," Max murmured with a wicked grin.

Liz blushed and rolled her eyes. "Men," she cursed.

Chief Ross clattered quickly down the wide carpeted stairs that rose off the right side of the entry hall. "Your Majesties," he cleared his throat, his own face flushing slightly at the smoldering looks being exchanged by the two young lovers. "I’ve set your things in your room, and I’ll see to getting them stowed away and I’m sure you’d like to rest and you’ll be wanting a tour of the house no doubt, but Errol says you’re to go into the office as soon as you can." The Chief frowned at that, clearly unhappy with the thought of making Max and Liz go out again just after they’d arrived. "You might want to grab a jacket and there’s an umbrella there by the door. The car’s being brought back around now. I do hate to push you off again so quick, though."

"It’s fine, Chief," Max assured him. "We’ve got a lot of questions for Errol, anyway."

******

What should have been short car ride from Beacon Hill to Wayland Corporate offices downtown Boston was a nightmare of traffic and road construction. Both Liz and Max were grateful they didn’t have to drive the obstacle course and since they weren’t in a particular hurry of their own they took the opportunity to enjoy getting another glimpse of the city.

"I think we could have walked here faster," Liz whispered to Max when they finally arrived at the office building.

"You’re right. But if they want to chauffeur us around, I’m not going to complain," Max replied. "That is our new strategy isn’t it?"

"It is. But, geez, I don’t think I’ve ever been glad to be from a small city before. That traffic was insane. I could definitely skip that."

They walked into the large open lobby of the building and were greeted immediately by some familiar faces.

"Lizzie, lass, ‘tis wonderful tae see ya. An’ Max ma lad, yer lookin’ fain," Torquil’s jovial voice boomed across the stately opening.

He crossed to them quickly and wrapped his massive, trunk-like arms companionably around their shoulders, leading them further into the building and towards the others waiting to see them.

Errol was the next to greet them, with his white mane of hair as unruly as ever, though it seemed he’d gotten his long beard trimmed since last they saw each other. "Your majesties, I’m pleased to see you’ve arrived safely. How was your journey?"

"It was great, thanks Errol. That’s quite a plane you guys have got," Max observed.

Errol raised one bushy eyebrow at his young king, then broke into a smile. "A tad ostentatious perhaps? It does make good sense, financially, to own our own jets, though. With as much travel as some of our people do, it is more economical in the long run and if we’re going to lay out that much money for transportation why be uncomfortable?"

"Good point," Max allowed happily.

"Let’s take you up to your offices and see what you think," Errol told them.

Max bent over and whispered in Liz’s ear, "We have offices."

"Of course we do," Liz whispered back.

They were led to the elevator and some additional introductions were made on the way, officers of the company and some additional personnel who merited immediate meetings with the royal couple. The were ushered out at the twenty-second floor and led through a lush office area to a suite of rooms which included two large offices that were separated by and shared an informal sitting room between them, a front reception area and waiting room, and a large conference room.

"You may of course decorate the rooms as you wish but we’ve tried to make them as comfortable as possible," Errol told them as he gave them the tour.

"They’re very nice," Liz told him truthfully, and they were. Each office was beautifully appointed with comfortable furnishings, tasteful floor lamps, and exquisite art on the walls and on dramatically lit pedestals. One office was obviously more feminine then the other but again not over done. Just a bit brighter with a splash more color here and there.

"I love it," Liz assured Errol who was looking a tiny bit nervous. He grinned gratefully back at her and led them back into the sitting room.

"So, how are you finding Boston?" He asked as they all took seats on the couches placed around a low coffee table.

"We haven’t been here very long but so far it looks like a really interesting town," Max said judiciously.

"Some o’ ra company officials wanted tae put the twae o’ ye out in ra suburbs. Figured it’d be safer, they did." Torquil informed them.

"Why didn’t they?" Liz asked.

"Torquil, and Chief Ross I should add, thought you might enjoy your time out here better if you had a bit more freedom. Boston is a good city. Fairly easy to get around in, a walker’s town really, with any number of things for you to do in your free time," Errol said. "I must admit I was one of the ones who wanted you out of the city. It would be easier to keep a guard on you if you were on an estate. Townhouses can present a challenge."

"An’ Ah told ‘em ye twae could take care o’ yersels," Torquil said with a smirk. "Ah’d say what trouble could ye get intae in Boston but Ah’m afeert ye’d take tha’ as a challenge," he laughed.

Liz glared at Torquil for a minute but couldn’t keep it up and ended up chuckling with him. "Fine. I have to say, that’s a beautiful house. We didn’t get the full tour yet but judging from the entry hall it’s magnificent."

Errol nodded. "It’s been in the Lloyd family for four generations I believe. Victor had no children and he left it to the company when he passed away. It’s been mostly empty for the last few years, but I’d been looking for an excuse to have it refurbished. And if you must be in town then Beacon Hill will be a wonderful place for you. Not too far from Charles Street and all the shops and restaurants. There’s a T stop, the Boston subway, a few blocks away, and you’re only a couple of blocks from Boston Common, the Charles River Esplanade is just down the street too. You’re right in the heart of it, as they say."

"I can’t wait to get out and have a look around," Max told him.

"Take tomorrow. Get used to the neighborhood."

"We met some of our neighbors today."

"Oh really?" Errol asked, surprised.

"Yeah Alice and Doug. I don’t think they gave us their last names. And unless you can rescue us we’re having dinner with them on Friday."

Errol waved his hand. "Them. They live two houses down, correct?" Max nodded and Errol continued. "Alice is quite the neighborhood busy body. Don’t concern yourself too much with her. I managed to make her suitably impressed by you before you even arrived. She’s quite easy that way. She should know but if it does come up, I’ve let on that you’re Victor’s grandson and heir. And Liz is your fiancée. Stick close to the truth but remember it never hurts to be as vague as possible with it."

Liz and Max knew that lesson already but nodded their understanding anyway.

"So what are we going to be doing here?" Liz asked. "I mean, what does our internship entail?"

"Oh, well, a bit of this and a bit of that. Learning the business if you will," Errol told her nebulously. "We’ll have you spend a couple of weeks in the offices here and then, Liz, I’m sure you’d like to go out to our labs. They’re only about forty minutes from here. Then if time permits we’ll take you up to our facility in Bangor, Maine. All in all you should have plenty of opportunity to explore Boston and New England in general."

******

The storm that threatened the city all day hung over it into the evening hours as well. The air in the city seemed charged with electricity and everything was holding its breath, waiting for the storm to break. Max and Liz got their tour of the house; they were suitably awed by all the rooms. They were fed a sumptuous dinner, though they insisted on dining in the kitchen, Max murmuring something about not being able to see Liz at the other end of the table in the dining room. Then, nervously, they retired to their room.

Liz disappeared into the bathroom while Max sat fidgeting on the couch in the sitting area on one side of the room. He got up and paced around anxiously but finally forced himself to take a deep breath and sit back down. He grabbed up the remote control to the TV mounted on the wall and flipped aimlessly through the channels.

After was seemed like an eternity Liz came out of the bathroom and softly called to him. "It’s all yours, Max."

He clicked off the TV and jumped up just a little to eagerly. Giving Liz a sheepish smile he went into the bathroom and prepared for bed.

Liz was wearing a light t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts and though it was still warm out she crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed at the goosebumps rising on her skin. Walking over to one of the large windows, she opened it up slightly and leaned against the casing and looked out into the night. The old-fashioned lamps were lit up and down the square but there was nobody out to illuminate. She looked past the trees in the green and up at the purple sky, heavy with the storm. Lightening flashed in the distance and the gentle breezed kicked up into a stronger gust. She could feel the cool, damp air on her skin and was amazed to realize that she could smell the ocean. She laughed softly at herself but enjoyed the novelty of the scent. Another flash of lightening and a crack of thunder shook the window.

Max stepped out of the bathroom, clad only in boxers, and saw Liz by the window, illuminated for an instant by the wild streak of lightening. He walked over to her quietly and slipped his arms around her waist.

"Why am I so nervous?" She asked him. "It’s not like we haven’t done this before."

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and bent his head down to rest it against hers. "It’s different now."

"How?"

"We’re going to be together for six weeks. This isn’t sneaking around, or taking advantage of a blizzard, or having one of us get up before dawn and go home. This is just us. No outside worries about being walked in on by one of our parents or Maria or something. This is our house, and our room, and our bed. It’s a big step." Max tightened his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. "If you’re too uncomfortable, Liz, nothing will happen. I understand."

Another roar of thunder drowned out Liz’s answer and he turned her around to face him. "Liz?"

She smiled up at him shyly. "That’s a big comfy looking bed."

Max felt a slow burn start in his stomach and spread throughout his body and he gave her a mischievous grin. "Yes it is."

Liz ran her hand up slowly up Max’s chest around to the back of his neck and pulled his head down towards her. "Wanna try it out?"

"I’d love to," he murmured, his own hands starting to wander across her body, up and down her back, then slipping under her t-shirt.

Liz pressed her lips to his and wrapped both arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, but after a brief moment broke the kiss and pulled back from him slightly. Her eyes traveled over his body and she seemed content to simply stare at him and run her hands lightly over his torso. Max couldn’t bear that torture for too long and he finally stepped up to her again and grabbed her face in both hands, kissing her hungrily. Liz broke away again and took a step back, laughing when Max growled at her.

"I thought you wanted to try out the comfy bed?" She purred.

"Are you teasing me?"

She smiled seductively. "Not yet."

Max stalked towards her, backing her up against the bed, he grabbed her around the waist and tossed her onto the bed and climbed up after her. Her hands started to wander across his body again, and she’d drag her nails across the most sensitive parts, drawing a hiss from him. Grabbing her hands, he pulled them up above her body and pinned her down with his weight. Liz took a deep breath and let her eyes flutter shut, enjoying peacefully for just a moment the heat and solidity of Max’s body on top of hers, but it didn’t last long before his mouth began to work its way from her mouth down her neck to her chest. Liz arched up against him and fought to bring her arms back down. When he moved one hand to push her shirt out of the way she was able to break free of his grasp and pull the offending garment off. As soon as her shirt came off it wasn’t but an instant later that they were both naked, arms and legs locked together, sweat slicked bodies twisting around each other.

They made love well into the night and when the storm finally broke and rain pounded against the windows, thunder crashed over the rooftops and lightening tore across the sky, neither of them ever noticed.

******

******

Max and Liz, with equal parts amusement and discomfort settled into their summer on Beacon Hill. For the most part they enjoyed their early days exploring Boston, but the storm that pounded the city on their first night, left a sticky blanket of humidity over everything. By mid-day the heat and humidity had them retreating to the air-conditioned havens of museums and shops. Liz, of course, was in paradise, surrounded as they were by history and academia and Max was more then happy to follow along, just glad to finally be out of Roswell for a time.

Friday came quickly, and at Errol’s strong recommendation, they accepted the invitation to the Alice and Doug dinner party. While they were hesitant about the whole scenario, they found they didn’t actually have to answer too many questions, Alice was more then willing to share their entire histories, as she knew them and with some favorable embellishment, with everybody who attended. Before they escaped for the evening, Alice invited them to a weekend party at their house on Nantucket, but Max and Liz begged off, claiming other obligations. Alice frowned, not pleased that her plans were thwarted, but she graciously assured them she understood they had other obligations and praised them for sacrificing their weekend so bravely. With relieved laughs Max and Liz strolled back to their house, happy and relaxed.

Lamentably, in the deepest hours of the night the bright pleasures of their days were shadowed by an old dread. Nightmares.

Liz’s eyes flew open and her lips parted with an almost silent gasp as she was torn viciously from sleep. Her heart was pounding frantically and with a shaking hand she lifted Max’s arm gently off of her stomach, not wanting to wake him, but it was all she could do not to fling his arm away and throw herself off the bed. When she was sure he was still sleeping she slid off the bed and away from it as quickly as if it were a nest of vipers poised to strike. Standing naked and panicked in the middle of the room was not an ideal way to spend the night but as she had for the past few nights, she could not make herself stay still in the dark. She pulled one of Max’s t-shirts off the bench at the foot of the bed and slipped it on, taking some small comfort from his scent, still lingering on the fabric.

She was learning to hate the night. Well, no, that wasn’t entirely true. It wasn’t the night filled with activity she despised. She loved the evening hours when she and Max would go out into the city and see some new sight, or lounge on the couch talking about anything and everything. It was the lonely night she dreaded, when she was the only soul stirring. The darkness seemed oppressive, smothering and when the dreams came, no power on Earth could keep her in bed. Not even Max’s solid presence at her side could hold her steady when she could do nothing but lie there and worry at her own thoughts and fears and half-remembered nightmares.

Walking over to the window she let her head rest against the cool pane and stared out into the dark. It was fast becoming a nighttime ritual. She would wake from some incomprehensible dream of whirling chaos and violence and slip soundlessly out of bed to keep watch on the night at her window. She cracked open the window slightly; letting the warm, humid air swirl into the cool air-conditioned room. The nights in Boston had been uncomfortably warm but Liz welcomed the heat now, letting it sooth her and wrap around her like a loving embrace. She relaxed against the windowsill, breathing in the night air and trying to fill her mind with distracting and trivial thoughts.

From across the room, noiseless in the dark, Max lay on his stomach, his head pillowed on his arm, watching her perched at the window. He’d woken at her strangled gasp but held himself still, waiting to see if she’d repeat her pattern of the previous three nights. The first night he’d tried to comfort her but at her stern rebuke he’d relented somewhat but he insisted on sitting up with her anyway, silently watching television, until sleep claimed her again. The second night had ended in an argument and Liz had gone downstairs to the library. Last night had been, by far, the worst; he lay in bed, sleepless, helpless and watched her stare out the window for hours. The bed was cold, empty and uncomfortable without her in it, and it was only with an iron will that he was able to keep himself in bed. Frustration was beginning to set in, though. They hadn’t even been in Boston a week and Liz had put up a wall he couldn’t seem to find his way around.

Max wasn’t able to stifle his sigh and he saw Liz’s back stiffen at the sound. He flipped himself onto his back and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "We can’t keep doing this," he said softly.

Liz made no reply and a straightening of her shoulders was the only sign he had that she’d heard him. Max bit his lip and rolled off the bed. He padded softly over to her and stood, staring down at her.

After a long moment of tense silence Liz glanced up at him. "Giving the neighbors a show?"

Max snorted. "It’s two in the morning, we’re four stories up and it’s dark in here. Who’s gonna see?"

Liz shrugged her shoulders indifferently and turned her attention back out the window.

Max bit back on his irritation and lowered himself down to sit next to her. "Are you going to talk to me or are we going to do this every night?"

"Go back to bed, Max," Liz replied sharply. "I’m really not interested in arguing with you tonight."

"I don’t want to argue, either, but I do want to know what’s going on with you."

"I’m just not tired, okay?"

Max sighed and shifted around to sit with his back against the wall. "What are they about?"

Leaning in against the sill, Liz shook her head. "I don’t know," she whispered.

"You don’t know or you won’t tell me?" Max pressed.

"I don’t know," she snapped. "I don’t remember anything."

"Really?"

Liz scrambled up from the floor and tossed a fierce glare in his direction. "Go back to sleep."

She angrily tore through her drawers for a pair of shorts and once found she pulled them on and disappeared out the door. Max growled with exasperation and pulled himself up to follow her, only hesitating long enough to grab up a stray pair of boxers. Liz could hear Max behind her and she sprinted down the stairs, hoping that if she started down quickly enough Max would take the hint and let her be. Max, however, had every intention of pursuing her tonight. He wanted to deal with whatever this was and not leave it to taint the rest of their vacation together.

Liz made it to the second floor landing well ahead of Max and moved swiftly down the hall to the library. Max entered the room just a few seconds behind her and stopping to lean against the jam, he stood watching her again. What he saw tore at his heart. She was sitting, curled into one corner of a long couch, biting down fiercely on her lip, tears welling in her eyes, but steadfastly refusing to cry.

"Liz, baby," Max called softly, his voice breaking. "Please."

Liz stared resolutely at a bookshelf, trying very hard to keep her emotions in check, but her efforts were betrayed by a single tear spilling down her cheek. She brought her hand up to brush the mutinous tear from her face but as soon as her fingers touched the wet track more tears ran down and her shoulders began to shake with uncontrollable sobs. Max was at her side in an instant, scooping her up into his arms. She tried to push him off but he refused to loosen his grip and sat down on the couch, pulling her onto his lap and tightly up against his chest. Liz remained tense in his arms for a long minute but finally she couldn’t keep it up any longer and she relaxed into his comforting embrace.

Liz eventually regained control of herself, her sobs subsiding, and she slumped exhausted against Max. "I really don’t remember," Liz whispered. "It’s just . . . it’s just this feeling of being so scared. So terrified. And I don’t know what it is. I hate feeling like this."

Max shifted on the couch, drawing his legs up, he settled in for a long night, and ran his hands through her hair and down her back. "When did they start again? Just after we got here? You didn’t have them on Tuesday."

"No, no. The dreams started again back in Roswell," Liz admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "Before school got out. Not every night but a few times a week."

"Oh jeez, Liz, why did you tell me?" Max queried softly.

Liz started to draw into herself again at his question and tried to move off his lap, but Max wrapped his arms more securely around her and bent his head to brush his lips across her ear. "I didn’t mean it like that, Liz. I’m just worried about you."

"Well you don’t need to be," she muttered petulantly.

With a laugh Max tucked her securely back under his chin.

Liz pulled away again and peered at him suspiciously. "Why are you laughing?"

"You’re so stubborn." Liz snorted derisively at that comment and Max hurried to reassure her. "I’d be more worried about you if you weren’t being stubborn."

"Watch it, Max," she warned.

Max sighed and leaned back against the cushions. "Oh, baby, what are we going to do?"

Liz sniffed mournfully and snuggled closer to him. "I don’t know."

"We need to talk about this."

"We talk a lot."

Max smiled. "Communication is important."

Liz rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You don’t agree with me?" Max asked, looking down at her dark head.

"Oh, I agree," she assured him dryly. She paused for a moment to collecting her thoughts but after a moment she just shrugged. "You start."

Since it was obvious she didn’t want to give up any more information then she had to, Max willingly took the lead in the conversation. If she was more comfortable answering his questions then bringing up issues that were bothering her on her own, he was happy to give her that cushion.

"You don’t remember anything about the dreams?"

"I already told you I didn’t," Liz retorted impatiently.

"Sweetheart, I am seriously worried about you. And don’t say I shouldn’t be," he told her firmly, cutting off any protests. "I’m worried you’re not dealing with stuff."

"Like?" she prompted, still refusing to give way.

"Like I know what happened in the Granolith chamber is still bothering you. Like I know you’re still freaked about your powers, however comfortable you are with them now. Like I know you hate not having any answers and it’s stressing you out and driving you crazy. Literally and figuratively."

"Gee thanks."

Max brushed his fingers through her hair. "I know you’re angry at your parents. Actually, I know you’re angry at a lot of things. I know you hate being so off balance because you think it makes you seem weak, even though you’re the strongest one of all of us."

Liz felt her cheeks heat at the compliment and quickly sought to deflect it. "And you’re not biased at all."

"I know you’re spending way too much time with Michael. You two have this whole personality merge thing going that’s creeping me out," Max teased gently.

For the first time that night Liz reached out to return Max’s embrace. Sliding her arm up around his neck, she hugged herself to him. "How many times have I almost lost you this year?"

"Liz…"

"We fought a war," she whispered into his chest. "We almost lost ourselves and the others half-a-dozen times over. We did lose Tess. You guys may have been prepared for this your whole alien-in-hiding lives but going to war was never on my list of things to do."

Surprised as he was by the bitterness in Liz’s voice, Max held himself still and silent.

"I killed a man . . . alien. It kind of scares me to realize that there isn’t even a tiny part of me that feels badly about that. He was going to kill you and so I killed him first. And I’d do it again, in an instant. Shouldn’t I feel some sort of remorse? But then I think ‘No, that was war. That’s what happens in war. They were the bad guys and they were going to kill everybody I love and turn my planet into a wasteland.’ I don’t have an answer for that. I don’t know where to even begin looking for an answer to that."

"I’m sorry, Liz, I wish I had it for you. I wish you’d never been put in that position."

"See and then we get to that. It’s okay for you to go out and have to go through all that? Why? ‘Cause you’re a guy? An alien? A king? I don’t think so. I’ve told you this before, Max, and I am serious, stop apologizing for our lives. It’s just life. Stupid, ugly things happen and look, like I just said, there aren’t any answers and it’s not your fault. God, I just can’t deal with your guilt either, okay?"

Max jerked back slightly, stung by her words.

Liz sighed, irritated with herself for her outburst. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I need answers Max. I need to know what I am. You’re right, I hate not having these answers."

"You know I understand. And I swear to you we’ll do everything we can to get you those answers."

"I know."

"But that other stuff, Liz," he said, directing the conversation back to what he felt were the most important points. "You’ve got to promise me you’ll talk to me when it gets too much. Just tell me what you feel."

"And you’ll do the same? Without fighting me on it?" Liz asked.

"Yes," he agreed quickly. "But I’m not the one who can’t sleep. I’m not the one with the nightmares. What can we do to get you to sleep through the night?"

"Help me find answers. If I’m doing something, if I feel like I’m not standing still, maybe I won’t be so . . . anxious. Nervous. Whatever. Then that other stuff . . ." she trailed off.

"Won’t be so overwhelming?" Max suggested.

"I hope so," she told him softly.

"We’ll start in the morning. I’ll get Errol over here and we’ll do whatever it takes," he promised her again. Liz nodded sleepily against Max’s chest.

Max cradled her against him, and stroked his hand gently up and down her back until she finally dozed off again. He waited a few minutes until he was sure she was sleeping soundly, then he carried her back up to bed, tucked her back in and pulled her snug against his side.

"Sweet dreams, baby," he whispered and kissed her temple lovingly before he too drifted back into sleep.

******

******

Max squinted up at the bright blue sky and wiped the beads of sweat off of his forehead. It was only a little after nine in the morning and already waves of heat rolled off the tarmac, shimmering and stifling. He forgot his discomfort as he watched the private jet taxi towards the hangar and the terminal he was standing in front of. A small smile tugged at his lips as it came to a stop and one of the crew opened the door and lowered the stairs.

"Hey good lookin'!"

The small smile turned into a grin. "You guys are late," he called back.

Maria stepped down from the plane and onto the blistering asphalt and heaved a dramatic sigh. "Traffic."

Max laughed and accepted a hug from her then looked past her and stuck his hand out to Michael.

Michael gave his friend's hand a quick shake, and then held his hand up to shade his eyes and looked around the airport. "Damn, you didn't tell me it was gonna be this hot here."

"Oh, so eloquent Michael," Maria rolled her eyes then slipped her arm around his waist, squeezing gently, silently telling him she was teasing.

Max just smiled, happy to see his friends, and led them into the cool sanctuary of the terminal. "Yeah, the weather guys swear Boston isn't usually this bad this time of year. Guess we just got lucky," he said wryly.

"Where's Liz," Michael asked curiously.

"Oh, she's got an appointment for a tour of Harvard. It was supposed to be yesterday but they had to reschedule it for some reason." Max shrugged slightly and looked at his watch. "She said she'd call when it was over and then we're going to meet her at our favorite deli for lunch. If that's okay with you guys."

"Only here a week and already a favorite restaurant. Boston's not going to ruin you for Roswell, is it?" Maria winked at him.

Max nodded his head eagerly. "It's just down the street from the office and, oh man, it's fantastic."

"You'd eat there every meal if Liz would let you, right?"

Max laughed. "Nah, but you guys will like it. It's a good place to hang."

Max led them through the airport to the car waiting in front for them. The driver stowed their bags quickly and held the doors open for them.

"We're going to go to the house first, Tim," Max told the driver as he climbed in.

"Yes, sir."

"Oh a car and driver, even," Maria sighed and ran her hand over the car's rich upholstery.

"Well I keep trying to get them to give me a car but the truth is I'm more then happy to let them drive me around Boston."

"Bad, huh?" Michael asked, glancing out the window.

"Just wait until we try to go someplace during rush hour," Max warned. "It's not too bad in the middle of the day and Boston's actually pretty easy to get around without a car. So, it's been cool."

Maria watched her friend closely then smiled at him again. "You sound happy, Max."

Max blushed, not used to such scrutiny but returned her smile after a moment. "Yeah, I guess. It's pretty nice to be away from things."

Maria nodded, understanding. "How's Liz?"

"Liz is good," Max said quickly.

"How is Liz?" Maria pressed.

Max frowned at her then darted a glance over at Michael.

Michael shook his head and looked back out the window. "Don't look at me, man, I don't know how she does it either."

"Max . . ."

"She was having nightmares for a while but she hasn't had one in a couple of days," he said quickly. "She's got a lot to deal with and not knowing what she is is getting to her, you know. But we've been talking about it and we've got the Wayland guys working on it, trying to find some information and trying to get together everything the Antarans can remember about the Granolith and stuff. She's doing better, honest. You can grill her at lunch," Max told her. "So, your turn. How's everybody in Roswell?"

"Jeez, Maxwell, can't even be away for a week?" Michael snorted softly.

Max shot a look at Michael but he knew his friend well enough to know the comment was made good-naturedly. "I've never been away before, Michael, and neither have you. See how you feel after a week away. So? Roswell? I talked to Isabel on Sunday but she was pissed at me about something. Any clues?"

"Yeah, probably the whole you're in Boston thing and she's being over mothered," Michael laughed.

Maria nudged him with her elbow. "Don't laugh too hard, pal, you were on the parental over-protect list, too."

Michael grinned at her. "Why do you think I'm laughing? I escaped."

"She could have come out," Max argued.

Maria nodded. "Yeah, well, your mom's not smothering her or anything, she's just like, well, everywhere. Anyway, Alex's parents aren't going to let him out of their sight any time soon and you know they don't want to leave Kyle alone."

"Have you seen Kyle? How is he?"

Maria shrugged. "We went out to dinner with Kyle, Jim and my mom on Friday. Kyle was just really quiet and pretty much limited his conversation to quoting Buddha and asking for the salt. But he looks a lot better," she quickly reassured Max when she saw the stricken look on his face.

"Oh, well that's good," Max replied quietly.

They fell silent for a moment and Max took the opportunity to point out a few landmarks as they passed.

"Do you like Boston?" Maria asked suddenly, trying to shake him out of his funk.

Max smiled. "Yeah. It's been fun, so far. Our neighbors are a trip and you'll probably get sucked into a god awful dinner party or two." Max stopped and laughed. "Wait 'till you see the house."

<<<<>>>>

Liz slowly walked across Harvard Yard, trying to take everything in. There were a few handfuls of students and scholars wandering through the yard with her, their focus was on their intense discussions, ignoring the maze of impressive structures surrounding them, as they headed on their way to important discoveries and dramatic debates. Liz smiled at the seriousness with which they carried themselves, so intent on their scholarly pursuits. It looked like fun.

"You’re such a geek, Parker," she muttered to herself, then laughed, filled with a sudden overwhelming excitement. She was at Harvard. Harvard University. She was walking through Harvard Yard. She'd dreamed of being here since she was small and now here she was unabashedly geeking out at everything she saw.

She shook herself out of her academia inspired bliss and looked down at the map in her hand. She was supposed to meet her student guide at the Widener Memorial Library and since there were roughly a billion buildings around she gave herself a mental pat on the back for having the foresight to bring a map. And looking at the map she realized that the Widener Library was the largest building on the Yard and she couldn't have missed it if she tried. She looked up and spotted it immediately and with another chuckled walked over to it.

Liz stopped at the bottom of the library's wide steps and looked around again. She wasn't sure who her guide would be, Apparently the person who was originally supposed to meet her had to have an emergency appendectomy the other night and they'd rushed to find another person to see her around. Normally the University gave free tours on weekdays to tourists and prospective students but overly friendly neighbor Alice had insisted that that it was unnecessary for Liz to have to hoof it with the tourists. Alice hadn't actually said 'hoof it', she'd said a great deal more but in the end it all came out the same. So with much arranging and calling in 'old friends', Liz had a tour guide all to herself and now she stood at the foot of a monstrous library waiting for … somebody.

There were enough people milling around that she wondered briefly how her guide would find her, then she rolled her eyes. "She just has to look for the girl staring around like some sort of lost hick."

"Well you don't look like a hick and since you found the library I'd say you weren't lost but you do look like you're waiting for somebody and if your name is Liz Parker then you're waiting for me."

A short, pretty girl, maybe a couple years older then Liz, walked over to her with an easy smile. Her hair was black, hanging just to her shoulders in a windblown style, and her eyes sparkled with green mischief. She was wearing a long, loose, patterned skirt, heavy black boots and a light blue t-shirt extolling the virtues of a band that had something to do with cartoon kittens doing kung-fu.

Liz flushed slightly that her not so silent conversation had been overheard and then flashed her guide a rueful smile. "Are you sure I don't look like a hick?"

Her guide smiled back and made a show of looking Liz over. "Not a hayseed in sight. You're clear."

Liz laughed then, deciding she liked this woman a lot. "Good. Then I am Liz Parker."

"Good to see you, Liz, I'm Serena Thibodeau and I'll be your tour guide today, keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and please, don't feed the students."

Liz drew a deep breath in shock, when Serena said her name, and couldn't help but step backwards. "Serena?"

Serena gave her a puzzled frown. "You okay, Liz?"

Liz blinked her eyes a few times as though to clear them and then gave a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I, uh, I just had a friend named Serena once," Liz covered quickly. "It's a pretty name."

Serena accepted the explanation with a nod. "Yeah, my mom's a fan of Edmund Spenser, though why of all the names Serena, I have no clue. I guess she was hoping I'd grow up to be serene or something." Serena laughed at that notion then gestured up to the building they were standing by. "Okay, so time for the tour. This is the Widener Memorial Library, home to 3.5 million books. I haven't read them all but according to my mother for as much as she's paying for me to go to school here I'd better before I'm done."

Liz couldn't help but laugh. "What are you studying?"

"Astronomy and Astrophysics with a side of Anthropology."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I was so excited to be accepted into Harvard I just couldn't make it past the A's in the course book. What about you? You're going to be a senior this year, right? What do you want to study?"

"Molecular biology," Liz replied quickly, confidently.

"Oh-ho, so I'll need to take you over to the science center."

"That'd be great."

"And I don't know who you know, but you've got a pass to get into most of the buildings." Serena handed Liz a small laminated ID card. "Usually they don't let tourists in and not even the prospective students can get into some of the libraries and buildings. Gotta keep it quiet for all of those studious students."

They spent several hours wandering through the grounds of Harvard. Serena pointed out historical landmarks, tidbits of interesting on the university's history and gave her the insider's tips into managing Harvard. Liz happily let Serena guide her on the 'non-standard' tour and laughed easily at her colorful commentary on the places and people of the school. The tour wrapped up back in the Yard next to the statue of John Harvard.

"Okay, now, rub his foot," Serena told Liz, gesturing towards the statue.

Liz eyed her suspiciously. "Rub his foot? Is this some sort of 'trick the gullible tourist' thing?"

Serena held up her hand, three fingers extended, "Girl Scout's honor. It's not a trick. You rub his shoe for good luck. C'mon, trust me." When Liz hesitated, Serena leaned closer to her and whispered conspiratorially in her ear. "You've got to do it. You'll never get into Harvard if you don't."

Liz still wasn't sure if she should trust the impish gleam in Serena's eyes but she tentatively stuck her hand out and rubbed the statue's shoe quickly.

"There. Now you're sure to get in. Excellent. I fully expect to see you next year."

"Well, I'll do everything I can to get here," Liz assured her with a grin.

"Good. Now, it's just about lunchtime, can I show you this awesome pizza place down by the river houses?"

Liz shook her head apologetically. "Actually some of my friends are coming into Boston today, I promised to meet them for lunch."

Serena smiled. "Sure, I totally understand."

"But, can I get a rain check? I mean, this is my first week in Boston and you've been here like a year and a half…"

"Oh, yeah, I can show you some good places to check out. Give me your number and I'll call you. Hey, I've got a couple friends who are in a band and they're playing a concert Friday night. They really don't suck too badly and the coffee dive they're playing at is an awesome place to hang. You and your friends should come."

Liz brightened at the thought. "Yeah, that'll be great. I'll ask them but I'm sure they'll want to go."

"Sweet."

Serena and Liz exchanged phone numbers and promises to call each other. Liz lingered in the Yard for a few minutes after Serena left, taking a last look and wondering yet again at the strange turns her life took.

<<<<>>>>

Maria glanced over her shoulder expectantly when Max's head came up suddenly, a smile crossing his face as he looked towards the entrance to the small Italian deli. When she didn't see anybody she turned back around and shook her head at him.

"You two," she muttered softly.

A second later the bell over the door rang and Liz came rushing into the restaurant.

Maria stood up. "Hey girlfriend."

"Maria, it's so good to see you." Liz threw her arms around her friend. After a moment, she stepped back and leaned over to pull Michael into an equally warm embrace. "It's good to see you too, Michael," she laughed when he patted her awkwardly on the back.

Max reached out and took her hand, tugging him into the booth next to him. "How was Harvard?"

Liz's eyes lit up, "Oh my god, you're not going to believe what I have to tell you. But first I'm hungry."

"I ordered your sandwich when you called. Should only be a minute," Max told her.

Liz smiled gratefully and took a sip of his drink. "Okay, so Harvard was really cool. Alice, bless her scheming little heart, got me a sort of all-access pass to everything. Even places you've got to jump through hoops to get in if you're a visiting professor or something. But, that wasn't the best part." Liz stopped when her lunch arrived and she took a hungry bite.

"What was the best part?" Maria asked impatiently.

Liz swallowed hurriedly. "My guide. She's awesome. A little strange but so funny and get this, I don't know if I'm freaked or not but her name is Serena."

Michael sat up from his slouched position in the booth and stared at her. "Serena, as in the chick future Max told you about?"

"Yeah. She's studying Astronomy, Astrophysics and Anthropology. I guess that part of the future is coming true." Liz's mood turned somber. "I hope that's the only part."

"Except for the marrying Max thing, huh?" Maria teased lightly, trying to lift the dark cloud that settled over the table.

"Well yeah. Okay I hope those are the only two things."

Max leaned forward, his elbows on the table, and turned his head, focusing completely on Liz. "Stuff's already changed, Liz. Just from what little he, I told you about the future. Right?"

"Yeah," she agreed.

"Then don't worry about it. We take each day as it comes. From what you've told me the future us knew even less about the Granolith then we do now. We're already one up on everything."

Liz frowned for a moment, seemingly puzzled. "You know what's funny? I'm not worried about it at all. I mean I was totally stunned when she told me her name but then it was just so natural and she was just so much fun to hang out with. I don't know what's going to happen now, with us and all that future crap but it just seems all open now. I guess it's sort of that there's some more confirmation of it but that we know we changed it, too. Weird as it seems I think I feel better."

"Well good," Maria said firmly. "'Bout damn time something good happened. When do we get to meet Serena?"

"Well she knows some guys in a band and they're playing on Friday night. Want to go?"

"Sweet. I'm very up on that. What kind of music?" Maria asked enthusiastically.

"I have no clue," Liz told her with a grin. "But she swears they don't suck too much."

******