posted on 10-Feb-2003 9:03:50 PM by Anniepoo98
1-5-1


Thanks to Liz Park for the absolutely wonderful banner!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Title: Seconds to Oblivion
Author: Annie
Summary: Not going to summarize this one. Just read it please. You know you want to!
Disclaimer: You all know I don’t own them, no matter how much I have the habit of taking them for my own personal means.

He sat on the balcony, waiting for her. The cool New Mexico air swirled around him, bringing with it the scent of the desert. For a moment he remembered what should have been. The air had crashed through the window that night, cooling their bodies as they laid on her bed. "The first," he whispered.

Then, he felt her. Even though she was moving quietly, her soul cried out to him.

She walked over until she was standing right in front of him. He could feel her slender fingers gently brush against his forehead, pushing a strand of hair aside. He looked up at her. The dark eyes he loved so much were brimming with tears she was desperately trying not to shed.

"The first," she asked, studying his face.

"I was just remembering," he confessed, holding himself back. It didn’t matter what was going on around them, he simply wanted to make that sad expression on her face disappear. "That night was… well…"

"Perfect," she finished for him.

Scooting over on the lounge chair, he motion for her to sit. "Yes, it was."

Silence fell on them for a moment. He could hear each and every breath she took, some even and calm, others short and mournful.

"Do you ever think it will happen again," she questioned softly.

He could hear the plea in her voice. This entire time he had choose every movement, every word careful, trying to keep the entire situation as easy as possible. Those few words from her made him realize just how stupid he was.

Reaching out, he took one of her hands in his. He watched them mix with his own. Then, he closed his eyes and committed to memory the weight of her palm, the softness of her skin. No amount of time was ever going to be long enough for this. He wanted to belong to her forever.

But she didn’t belong to him anymore.

Letting out a sharp hiss as a sudden stab of pain jolted through him, he dropped her hand and opened his eyes to look at her face.

She examined his face, concern lacing her features. "Max," she whispered.

It was beginning. The reality of just how close his ending was crushed him underneath their weight. And he wasn’t going to let go of this world until he at least gave her some hope. So he finally let his mouth move before he thought about what was going to come out of it.

He spoke of Kyle, of other guys that would be lucky to enter her life, and of a future that had yet to be determined. Finally managing the courage, he gazed into her eyes.

He saw himself in their dark depths.

"Could you dance with me," she asked meekly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

The expression on his face must have been priceless. "What?"

"I wanna have my wedding dance," she explained.

Nodding his head, he stood up. An ache spread through him, like his body was aging beyond it’s years. But she needed this.

Holding out his hand, he knew that deep down he needed it too. Tonight had destroyed everything he had ever wanted and held so dear. If it was just him, it wouldn’t have mattered, but he had drawn her into this too. There was no way he could deny the both of them one simple moment.

She brushed up against him, and for an instant he felt seventeen again. Then, another flash of pain ripped through him. He mustered up every ounce of strength not to flinch, but he could feel it. His body was breaking up, evaporating from this timeline that he never belonged to. The seconds were ticking away.

Looking down at her, the way the innocent pleasure of the dance made her face light up, he knew that was the last memory he ever wanted to have. Liz Parker. The way her delicate hand fit into his own. The precious smile that made her glow brighter than all the stars in the sky. The grace in her movements as they danced.

Max close his eyes, holding on to each of those seconds as they molded into moments in his mind. They would be his forever, even if it was only a few seconds more.

The air around him shifted as he twirled her, much in the way he had the night of his wedding to her. He only had fourteen years with his Liz that night after they made love, and he wondered if all of it was worth it. After all, wasn’t fourteen years with Liz better than a lifetime without her?

Another second passed, and Max wondered where his Liz was. He hoped that when he faded away he would join her somehow. Their world wasn’t perfect, but it was theirs.

Slowly opening his eyes for one more look, Max saw a youthful version of his love peering at him. This world belong to her now.

She moved to spin again, and Max felt his breath hitch is his chest. A tendril of her hair breeze against his cheek and another second passed.

It was his last.

The next second brought oblivion.



[ edited 2 time(s), last at 10-Feb-2003 9:33:38 PM ]
posted on 12-Feb-2003 10:11:23 PM by Anniepoo98
Hmmmm... a sequel you say.... posssible companion piece. I can see the possiblities. Grrr... and you just had to challenge me. Let me give it some thought!

Annie*happy*