posted on 24-Jan-2002 8:42:35 AM by majesty
Title: Pulse
Author: majesty
Email: majesty0000⊕hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, though Katims would never write Max and Liz this way, so just give me a little break. If there is ever an NC-17 Roswell eppie, I will gladly let the production office take me to court :-)
Rating: NC-17
Summary: A little A/U, purely an angsty sexual fluff piece. Future Fic. Post Destiny. Little depresso if you are a Candy, Stargazer, or Rebel. What can I say? I am a Dreamer *happy* I apologize for all the "home" references, but that is the one thing that bugged me in Departure. Song is called "All Mine" by Portishead. Heard a remix, and this is what came out of it. Read on.


BOSTON, MA

Closer. Getting closer. I can feel it in my blood. In my bones. It was always like this. It's been too long. Now I am finally allowed to feel. And I feel…God, I feel like I am going to explode if I get any closer. The anticipation has been agonizing. Four years. Four long, never-ending years. War. Death. Cruelty. Destruction. Chaos. Pain. Physical pain. Mental pain.

I've changed. How could I not? After everything I am still whole, though not the person I was. And yet, maybe in some ways I am. Something I thought long dead inside me has sparked to life. Being here. Being near. Now.

The streets are wet, the sidewalks shining in the isolated suns of the streetlights. Cold and damp, but alive. Everything is alive, and I can feel it pulsing through my body, pushing me on toward my destination, a beacon calling to me.

pulse... pulse... pulse...

The accents of the revelers on the streets are strange and wonderful. Laughter fills my ears drifting from an inebriated group moving onto their next destination. But I don't swerve in my purpose, though I am distracted by the sounds I have not heard for so long.

The heavy slap of the young man's boots on the pavement next to me echo through the street. He is nervous, yet strangely attracted by this loud, clean, less developed place. He would have died for me before he ever knew me as a person, because he knew what I represented. What my life represented. It's a heavy burden to bear, this loyalty. I was never at ease with it, and never will be. Because it is never what I have known. This place is all I had known for as long as I could remember, and I felt myself sliding into its rituals as if I had never left. But it was not complete. It would never be complete until I had what I needed. What I needed all along.

The heavy thump of techno bass is growing louder as we get closer, and it becomes a mantra, a heartbeat pointing me to what I have waited so long to rediscover.

I hope for the best and prepare for the worst.



********************

She stood against the bar, her best friend swaying to the music next to her. Finals were about to begin. She'd convinced her to come here. She quietly cursed herself for being roped into this once again.

She looked around at tight dresses and designer jackets mixed in with piercings and grunge-wear. High heels and obscene good looks mingled with street tough beauty.

Not her scene at all.

She looked over to find Maria frowning at her.

"Can't you take that stick out of your ass for one night?" Maria yelled in her ear.

Liz looked at her defensively.

"I do *not* have a stick up my ass!" she yelled back at her, as an impossibly good-looking guy in a crisp white shirt and pants that probably cost more money than a month's rent moved up behind Maria. He grasped her waist, moving with her. Maria didn't flinch feeling his hands tighten on her waist. Instead she just smiled at Liz.

"Learn to live a little Liz," she screamed. She'd put everything behind her a long time ago.

Liz felt anger rise in her throat. Just because this wasn't her scene, didn't mean that she didn't know how to have fun.

"Screw you Maria!" she yelled, irritated. "I am living!"

Maria smirked.

"Fine," she said loudly, turning to around to face the guy behind her.

"Buy my friend a drink!" she said in his ear, her hands on his arms. He paused, looking at Liz, giving her a smile, and nodded.

Liz was about to protest, but the look Maria gave her silenced her.

"Going to the 'Ladies'," Maria said smugly, prying herself from his grasp.

"Have fun," she whispered, and disappeared into the crowd.

Liz smiled uncomfortably at the guy who had now moved to stand next to her. Not bad looking at all, she thought to herself. Blue eyes, short black hair, a lethal body. She started to wonder what she had to lose. Why not?

"What's your name?" he yelled.

"Liz," she answered.

"Yours?" she returned.

"Jack," he said loudly.

"So Liz, what do you want to drink?" he asked.

************************

Giddy. She'd never let herself get quite this drunk. They tried to talk, or rather shout to each other, but the pounding music was a formidable obstacle, and so she drank more than she planned to.

But it was oddly freeing, wasn't it? Suddenly, her world didn't seem so small, her problems so great. Suddenly, she was not embarrassed to move to the music, in fact it called out to her.

Suddenly, instead of being the outsider standing at the bar, painfully uncomfortable, she was a part of it all.

He took her hand and led her through the writhing mass of people. She felt slightly dizzy as he helped her step up onto the huge circular dance floor. Around it a railing and a makeshift bar. People mingled and sat around the floor as it turned slowly, lost in the dancing, or looking for their next conquest.

His shoulders plowed a path through the crowd. Toward the center, he stopped, and his hands fell to her hips. She could feel the warmth of his hands through the thin material of the little black dress Maria had made her wear. Maria had also made her wear her hair up, curls just kissing her neck.

At the time, she felt like an alien in her own body, but now, as she looked up into her partner's blue eyes, she felt wholly attractive. She hadn't felt that way in a long time. She hadn't allowed herself to think that someone else might find her attractive.

His gaze slid down her body admiringly, and he pulled her close. The raging beat blasted around them as they started to move.

Maria found her way toward them, two other guys in tow. She smiled at Liz, as she started to move between the two of them, their bodies brushing hers in time with the beat.

Within moments, the dance floor had become even more crowded, and Liz found herself pressed up against a wall of bodies as the dance floor continued on its circular journey.

Liz felt her lower region brush up against Jack's, and she felt just how attracted he was to her, and it was oddly empowering.

Raising her hands above her head, she allowed him to pull her closer, his hands guiding her movements. She let her head drop back in abandon.

The music was intoxicating, a harsh industrial beat that pounded deep within her chest.

All around her, a moving wall of flesh, writhing, celebrating, becoming one.

Bodies brushed against hers but she didn't notice. All she felt were Jack's hands on her waist.

The alcohol she consumed further embedded itself in her system, making her sway a little drunkenly, his hands steadying her.

He took one away from her hip, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small strip of paper.

"Want E?" he shouted, and she shook her head, fully enjoying the buzz of the alcohol.

He shrugged and popped it on his tongue, shutting his eyes.

As he opened them a moment later, they'd become somehow softer, the eyes of dropped pretenses, she thought to herself as he stared down at her.

But they were the wrong color…

Is he what you really want?

She turned quickly. There was no one there.

That voice…

Her breathing quickened.

"Stop it!" she said to herself, and pressed closer to Jack. She could feel the light sweat underneath his shirt, and the play of his muscles beneath her fingers.

His rhythm was seductive, and she found herself getting drawn into it, pressing her body up against his, her hands thrown over his shoulders.

Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to?

A slight jostling from a gyrating body interrupted the moment.

He smiled at her, and she blinked.

Her head was spinning, reminding her of another time and place she wanted to forget.

Did you forget? I don't think you can…

She shut her eyes a moment and the world seemed to spin. She struggled to get her bearings.

"I'm going to get us another drink," he said, and she nodded, turning to the pierced guy next to her. His hands fell lightly at her waist and she pressed against him.

She would forget. She would.

Her eyes darted around, trying to find something static, something stable to lure her from the ceaseless call of the hedonism around her.

She stood still as she caught a flash of familiarity moving through the crowd. Eyes watching her. She could feel them, but as she tried to focus, they were gone.

And they were gone as soon as she registered them.

Forget…

Finals and graduation. New life and new beginnings. She needed that. She needed to lose herself tonight, in a different way than she'd ever done so before. Before she lost herself in books, to bury the pain. Now she would open her mind to whatever possibility presented itself.

The pierced guy seemed unfazed, lifting her, spinning her. The world was spinning. He set her down, and she quickly acclimated herself to his movements, turning, her hips moving, her hair swinging lightly as her head moved side to side.

An unseen finger ran down her neck, causing her to shiver. Her body hummed with the energy she was expending, the computer-simulated rhythms taking over her senses.

She turned and Jack was there, handing her the drink. She took it and drank it down quickly, dropping the plastic cup to the floor, as pressed against him, sliding down his chest and body, slowly coming back to a standing position.

His hand curled into her hair, pulling her head back gently, and she smiled, her eyes half-closed.

Mine…

Her eyes widened, and she slowly reached up, taking his hand out of her hair.

Maria looked at her concerned, coming to stand next to her.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah fine. I think I just need another drink," she said, and Jack nodded.

He moved off into the crowd, and Maria took her hand as a new beat began.

Together, they danced, Maria taking her hand and turning her. Liz struggled to keep the world on its axis. She'd definitely drank too much.

The club went dark for a moment, a new song transitioning.


All the stars may shine bright,
All the clouds may be white,



The strobes kicked up, thrusting everyone into stop motion, and she turned, searching, eyes squinted.


But when you smile,
Oh how I feel so good,
That I can hardly wait to hold you,



Again. Those eyes, and then darkness.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


God, she was too drunk.

She felt faint, as if the floor were going to drop out from beneath her.

Maria was moved away from her, caught up in the dance, moving to the remix, a bare-chested Adonis rubbing against her.

Behind her fingers encircled her waist. One lay tentatively on her stomach, while the other grazed over her hip, dangerously close to her center. Jack.

She had a sharp intake of breath at the electricity. She couldn't think clearly. The hand pushed against her hip, pulling her back into a hard body. The contact of her bottom against rough material caused her to gasp.

The hand remained on her hip, teasing her, as the other hand at her stomach slid up her rib-cage, resting just below her breasts. She felt a flick of desire uncurling in her womb at the touch.

Maybe it was finally happening. Moving on.

No. Never.


Enfold you,
Never enough,
Render your heart to me.



Hard thighs pressed against the back of hers. Hot breath breezed on her neck, making her dizzy. Was he making her sway like this, or was she imagining it?

Was she imagining the impossible hardened arousal at her back?


All mine,
You have to be



The thought of thinking of another like this made her ill. She shut her eyes tight.


She was going to be sick. She was going to pass out.

Her eyes blinked furiously, trying to maintain consciousness.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


"Jack," she said shakily, "Get me out of here. I…I can't breathe," she slurred, as her knees gave out, and everything faded but the music.

Strong arms caught her as she fell, dragging her back up, away from the floor.

She could feel her head lolling, and a hard forearm came up under her neck as another slid under her knees, lifting her effortlessly.

An unfamiliar voice shouted above the music.

"Get out of the way! Move out of the way!"


From that cloud, number nine,



She couldn't open her eyes to look at the one who was holding her. Because he wasn't *the one*. She cursed her traitorous body in one instant for it's reaction to Jack, in the next telling herself she should get over this. She should move on. The one she loved had a long time ago.


Danger starts the sharp incline,


Purposeful strides took them through the throng as she felt bodies brushing up against her legs.


Couldn't open her eyes.

She had a decision to make. Right now.


And such sad regrets,


She didn't know where he was going to take her. The only thing she did know was that she couldn't betray her heart. Ever.

A door swung open. More voices.


Oh as those starry skies,


The unfamiliar voice. Commanding.

"Out!" he said harshly. There was an irritated rumble from both male and female, and then gasps.

Bathroom, she thought hazily, remembering it was co-ed, as all hot clubs tend to be.

"I'll be outside," the voice said, shutting the door.


As they swiftly fall.


And suddenly, it was silent.

Everything was blurry, in slow motion.

She felt herself being sat gently on a wide padded bench, her back leaned against the wall. A seductive finger trailed from her cheek, to her neck, teasingly down her chest to the lip of her bodice, and was gone.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


She heard running water, and opened her eyes slowly, seeing the strobes that took residence even in the bathroom. In the corner, a counter with large mirrors lit with oversized globes casting soft light for those that chose to look in it.

She tried to focus her vision, seeing the back of him, white shirt and dark hair at the sink, running water on a towel.

"Jack," she began slowly.

"I know what you're thinking, and I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea," she said, squinting, trying to bring him into focus.


Make no mistake,


"But I'm not ready to do this," she said, as she heard the water turn off. He turned toward her, a fuzzy vision.


You shan't escape,


"I don't know if I'll ever be ready. There was this one guy that I gave my heart to a long time ago…God I'm drunk," she babbled, as she her lowered head watched his boots as they approached.


Tethered and tied,


"I just don't feel right about it," she broke off lamely, as the boots stopped in front of her.


There's nowhere to hide from me.


Knees appeared in front of her as he crouched, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was sure he already thought her pathetic. She felt the gentle trace of his tongue as he lightly tasted her neck, and she shivered. Fingers slid up her arms, eliciting goose-bumps in their path. Two hands cupped her cheeks, so much like she remembered…


Make no mistake,


"Drunk, you're drunk and imagining things as you wish them to be," she scolded herself. Yet she still couldn't raise her eyes and kill the mirage she'd created in her head.


You shan't escape,


"Look Jack," she tried to reason, "I know it sounds stupid…"


Tethered and tied,


"It doesn't sound stupid to me at all," a husky voice whispered in her ear, as his nose brushed her cheek, and she forgot to breathe.


There's nowhere to hide from me.


Couldn't be. Couldn't be.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


Her head snapped up and her eyes tried to focus, trying to erase the trick her mind seemed to be playing on her.

Those eyes. Jacks eyes were blue. These eyes were…

"God, you're still so beautiful," he said, his voice breaking.


All mine,


And his lips crashed on hers, and she felt the heat fully uncurl in her belly, unleashing the fury of desire held in check for so long.


You have to be


Suddenly, clarity was upon her, the alcohol gone from her system, but rational thought was out of her reach.

His teeth tugged on her lower lip, and his scent filled her nose, making her swoon.

She opened to him, and his tongue invaded her mouth, tasting her, caressing her tongue with his.


So don't resist,


A low keening moan rose from her lips at the erotic sensations his exploring created.

He dragged his lips from hers, kissing her chin, moving to the pulse on her neck.

"Ah…" she moaned.

"Is this a dream?" she whispered, gasping.


We shall exist


But somehow she knew it wasn't, because dimly, she heard Jack's muffled call outside the door, before the unfamiliar voice she'd heard answered him, telling him to let her be.

His forehead rested on her neck. She could feel his uneven breathing. She couldn't move.


Until the day,


"Please say you'll have me Liz," he whispered, his teeth lightly raking the sensitive skin over her pulse.



[ edited 6 time(s), last at 24-Jan-2002 8:53:59 AM ]
posted on 24-Jan-2002 8:43:18 AM by majesty
"I've been through hell and back because of a destiny I didn't want," he said, nibbling on her ear, as his hand gently touched her breast, dragging fingertips over her the sensitive tips, causing her to gasp softly.


Until the day I die.


"Please say that you could love me again," he whispered, his breath blowing lightly in her ear. She shut her eyes to hide the tears that were forming there.


All mine,


"Max," she breathed, opening her eyes again looking at him. His hair was shorter, his face harder. But not his eyes.


You have to be


His eyes were fairly burning, a golden amber color that was more beautiful than she remembered.

As if suddenly afraid of what she might say, he covered her mouth with his again.


So don't resist,


His hands moved down to her knees, parting them so that he could get closer to her.

She felt his heat before his body physically touched hers, as if he were the sun, throwing off radioactive desire that was soaking into her skin.

She felt herself respond to him, pressing closer, pulling him toward her by the collar.

She wanted to think about the implications of this, of his return, of whether he would leave again.

Every nuance of all the nights of unfulfilled fantasies she'd created in her mind after he'd left that summer with the others when she'd walked away from him at the pod chamber filled her mind.

But this was real.

This was real.

She wanted to feel instead of think.

She wanted to touch instead of talk.

For once.

His pulsing erection pressed up against her moist panties through his jeans, and she needed him still closer.

Her legs wrapped around his waist as his tongue traced her clavicle, his fingers slipping under the tiny straps that held her dress to her shoulders. Pulling them down, running his fingers down her arms, his hands grasped her waist as he ran his lips over her nipples protruding through the thin material of her dress.

She hissed as her stomach tightened with lust. Her hands moved to his head, grasping it from behind, feeling the little pinpricks of his cropped hair.

"Please," she whispered.

*********

She moved her hips unconsciously against him, and he groaned as he roughly pulled the dress down further, exposing the silky skin of her breasts. Concentrating on one, he hungrily traced his tongue in a circle, while gently teasing the other.

It had been too long, and even then it hadn't been like this. This intense. This...needful.

Then their closeness had been innocent, a promise of what to come.
This was a testament to what had never been.

There was desperation in his response to her that wasn't lost on her, nor was she immune to it.

Her hands slid down his neck to his chest, fingers trailing lightly over his abdomen, feeling his muscles respond to her touch as she moved lower, and still lower.

Reaching the waistband of his pants, she yanked on the offending shirt, pulling it up, needing to feel him, really feel him.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


His erection beat against her hand as she slid it over his pants, creating maddening friction against the straining material.

Time had stood still since he touched her, and now he couldn't get enough.


We shall exist


His fingers slid up the inside of her thighs, taunting her gently, as she reached for the button on his pants.

All these years to finally feel her touch. How had he survived it?

Her fingers grasped the zipper, pulling it down excruciatingly slow. The sound of the slow tear of the teeth, the feel of it against the almost painful evidence of his arousal was torture.

But that didn't pull him from his own ministrations, licking the underside of her breasts, causing her breath to exhale in short shallow moans.


Until the day,


And suddenly her hand was grasping him, and he felt a sizzling rush of desire tighten his whole body.

He grew harder, if that was possible.

With a low growl, his hand slid higher up her thigh, coming into contact with her wet panties.

For a moment earlier, he'd been nervous that she was going to take things further with that guy Jack. But he should have known better. He should have known a lot of things a long time ago.

Tess had found the way home, through Nasedo's revelation of the Granolith. She'd known all along how to get home. She just needed a way to make them all come with her. The message from their mother was true. But what Tess knew that they didn't was that there mother and father had perished the moment the pods were sent off to Earth.

They had walked into a living nightmare. Death, pestilence and starvation were everywhere. He didn't know their enemy before they arrived on Antar. But he was soon to find out.

What Tess didn't know was that they would not be delivered exactly where it had been planned. Instead of arriving in the now captured palace, they were transported into a killing field.

He'd seen much death and more horror than he'd ever thought possible. The only thing that had kept him going at night when he allowed himself to think about it was finding a way back to the only person who had ever made him feel whole.

The thought of her eyes, the way she looked at him, the way she had loved him, the way she had let him go to be what he had to be had given him strength when he wanted to lay down and die.

There was still so much to be done on Antar, but it was the furthest thing from his mind as he held her for the first time in four years.

Her hands slid around his waist, sliding behind him under his boxers, gently squeezing, letting him know that his fingers were working magic, but that she wanted so much more, and he forcefully pushed those thoughts to the back of his head.

His finger slipped under her panties gently, encountering her slick folds as she shuddered almost violently at his touch.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


He felt the rhythm of the blood flooding the veins in her most intimate area, gently throbbing against his finger, in synchronicity with the flash of the strobe in the corner of the room.

Under his knees he could feel the incessant vibration of the bass, driving them, goading them.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


"Tell me you still love me," he said fiercely, his free hand squeezing her hip.


Until the day I die.


She threw her head back as his finger entered her, stroking her.

She cried out sharply.


Until the day I die.


"Tell me!" he whispered desperately.

"I still love you Max," she moaned.


Until the day I die.


"I've always loved you. It's always been you," she said breathily.

"Only you," she whispered, attacking his mouth with renewed fervor. The buttons popped on his shirt as she ripped open in her haste.

She raked her fingernails down his chest as his finger quickened in its motions.

Her tongue grazed across his teeth slowly, then meeting his tongue with each gentle thrust.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


Her hands again slid under his pants and boxers, pushing them lower, freeing his erection.

She gently ran her palm from the base to the tip, and he tore his lips away, his eyes shut as she wrapped her hand around him.

Silken skin, nimble fingers, gentle pressure.

His shirt hung open loosely, and she pulled his hand away from her hip to pull it off.

He reluctantly pulled his hand from her to shrug it off.

Reverently, he lifted the dress up over her head as she slowly raised her arms, pulling it off and tossing it to the floor.

His movements appeared choppy to her under the schizophrenic lights.

He moved from between her legs, hooking her panties under his fingers, pulling them slowly down her legs.

She kicked them lightly off, never taking her eyes from his. He could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the hard peaks of her breasts crying out for his touch.

The memories of Antar threatened to bubble up again, and he struggled to keep them at bay, to lose himself in her arms.

He gently put his hands on her knees, afraid of what was going to happen when the joined, but as unable to stop it as he was to stop breathing.

Her hand reached out and cupped his cheek, her eyes telling him that she wanted this as much as he did.

Slowly, he pushed her knees apart, revealing her most secret place to his eyes, and his breath caught in his throat. A slick sheen appeared on his skin, evidence of his restraint.

He moved closer, his pants hindering his movements a bit, but he didn't care.

He reached out and touched her cheek, stroking it with his thumb, seeing the tears in her eyes.

But then she smiled at him, her eyes telling him that she still thought this a dream.

He moved into the vortex of her legs, his erection sliding against her wetness, and he closed his eyes, lowering his head as the enormity of it struck him.

She lifted his chin and brushed her lips over his, as his hands cradled her rib-cage.

There was no need to ask if either was ready for this. Four years had been too long.

She took him in one hand, guiding him as she moved to the edge of the bench.

She felt him slip into her slightly, velvet smooth and white-hot.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


She took a deep breath as she felt the insistent throb of him inside of her.

He raised his hand, blowing the light bulb on the strobe, leaving them in the soft light from the mirrors.

She placed one hand on his waist, the other at his shoulder, as she slowly pulled him toward her.

She felt him push deeper, inch by torturous inch, until he hit her barrier.

She lay her head on his chest for a silent second, and then raised it, looking into his eyes. Eyes the color of a caramel sun, pain floating behind them like little bursts of fire amidst the desire.

Her legs wrapped around his hips gently as she searched them, her hand moving further over his shoulder. With one powerful thrust, she pulled him violently to her, as she felt him push deeper, harder. Beneath her hand that slid to his back, she felt a thick cord.

Her cry rang out, but she never felt the pain of her barrier. Instead, she felt the instant connection as she touched the angry scar on his back.

The horrors he had seen. The terrible things he had to do while on Antar.

Night had fallen. Two weeks they'd been here.

She watched through his eyes as Tess looked on, Khivar's men slaughtering everyone around them.

They had taken Isabel down first. Cut her down without regard or remorse.

She heard his roar of as he saw the stunned anguish in her eyes as she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach as the skin continued to burn.

He tried to get to her, to heal her, but they'd blocked him. Michael tried to get in between them.

Michael, impulsive and brave to the end.

It was no fight. They'd overpowered him.

"Maxwell," he'd grunted as he fell to the ground, blood trickling from his mouth.

Max had fallen to the ground himself, dropped to his knees in shock and absolute horror.

Khivar had hit him from behind. He'd never even seen him.

They'd thought him dead.

He lay there for hours in agony, wishing to die.

And then his people found him.

His people healed him.

He vowed revenge for the death of his sister and best friend.

He'd become hard.

He'd killed.

He'd maimed.

Max the peacemaker.

Max the healer.

Max the killer.

He'd become the consummate King, hardened, ruthless, taking what he wanted, the palace, his land, the tyranny inflicted on his people, his family.

He'd taken Tess down exactly one year to the day that Isabel and Michael had been left to rot in that field.

Khivar followed two days later.

A worthy opponent.

But Max's anger was too great, his strength overpowering in his hatred.

He'd run Khivar through with an Antarian sword. He had put his hand on his chest as the blood slowly ebbed from him, his heart slowing.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


And then it stopped. And then he let himself feel. Finally.

His head fell back as a roar of such pain, such anger was finally let loose.

And for a moment he felt completely cold, completely devoid of feeling, and he it scared him to death.


The connection broke, and Max's face was pressed against her neck, and she felt his hot tears running down it, little rivulets sliding down her chest as his whole body heaved, strangled sobs wrenching from his body at all he had lost, all he had seen.

Her arms wrapped around him gently, rocking him, as she felt her heart twist painfully at all he'd been through. Hot tracks of her own tears streamed down her face as she whispered to him almost incoherently.

He'd waited. He'd waited because he knew she'd understand. He knew she'd be able to bear it with him. He knew she'd share his pain, even after everything. Even after destiny.

He'd lost everything. Everything except her. And now *she* was everything, his world, his heart, his love.

She lifted his chin, raining little kisses on his cheeks, willing him to know that she wasn't going anywhere, that she could bear it with him.

"You're home now Max," she whispered, kissing his forehead.

He raised his head and his eyes tried to convey what her words meant to him. But she knew it already.

His hand pulled the tie out of her hair, and it fell around her shoulders in a chocolate cascade.

He pushed it behind her ear.

He needed her. He needed to be inside her. He needed to connect with her, to feel human again. He'd waited so long for that.

Slowly, he pulled out of her, moving to stand before her, his eyes never leaving hers as he let his pants drop completely to the floor. He pulled one shoe off with his other foot, repeating the motion and then stepped out of his pants.

She held her hand out to him, and he took it as she lay back on the bench, pulling him down to her.

She felt his weight settle between her legs as she cupped the back of his head and brought his lips to hers.

She felt the rough texture of the sparse hair on his thighs brush against the softness of her inner thighs.

His hip-bone grazed against hers as she felt the hard muscle of his stomach rest against the softness of her own.

It felt...right.

More right than anything had felt for them in a long time.

Her tongue ran up the underside of his, tasting him, touching him.

She felt him pressing against her, restraining himself yet again.

She didn't want that.

He needed to let go.

She laid her hands gently at the small of his back, shifting to pull him in.

Again she felt the wondrous sensation of Max in her, around her.

She enveloped him, surrounded him.

He felt the blanket of the love she'd carried for him, that she'd saved for him all of these years.

Through their connection, he felt her heart encompass him, healing him, taking on his sadness as her own.

And it suddenly became bearable, because she shared it with him.

Slowly he slid deeper, feeling their connection intensify, until it seemed they were nothing more than light and air, insubstantial, melding, joining, bonding.

He felt the slide of her damp skin against his, the softness of her breasts cushioning his chest, their hard peaks grazing against the angled planes that were his.

One mind, one body, one breath. Silence except for two heartbeats becoming one.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


Slow rhythm becoming faster, urgent, demanding.

Hands everywhere, touching, comforting, loving.


Until the day I die.


He lost control, driving into her, wanting to be in her, wanting to lose himself in her embrace as she pulled him closer, still closer, with her hips, with her lips, with her mind, until together their souls touched, their bodies shuddering with the intensity of their release, and together, they cried out, their voices lost in the cacophony outside the door.

Their bodies tensed, unprepared for the intensity, and his head dropped to her chest, his hands under her shoulders, keeping their contact, skin to skin, heart to heart.


pulse... pulse... pulse...


He lay there for a long time, not wanting to let her go, afraid if he did, he'd lose her forever.

He'd been in the dark about so many things. It had cost him dearly. But he promised himself in that moment, that nothing would ever happen to her. He'd protect her with his last breath.


Until the day I die.

She gently stroked the cropped hair at the back of his neck, silent in the aftermath of what they'd just done.

"Are you going back Max?" she asked quietly.

He didn't answer right away. He slowly pulled away from her, moving to lay at her side, stroking her cheek.

"No," he said finally. "There's nothing to go back to. I did what I could there. There is no more Royal Family. The palace is now their congress. They didn't need me. They never did," he said.

"That's not true Max," she said. "You gave them back their freedom."

He didn't answer her.

"It cost you a lot to do that Max. Don't undermine what you sacrificed. Isabel and Michael were a high price to pay for that. They would be angry at you for thinking that what you did didn't matter."

"I don't want to be a King, Liz," he said quietly. "I didn't like myself when I was."

"You had no choice Max," she said.

"But now I do," he answered, looking into her eyes. "And I choose you."

"I choose to be just Max Evans. I choose to be human. I choose to love, and to be loved, because it's the only thing I ever really wanted, is to be loved by you," he said.

"You never had to choose that," she said, tracing little circles on his hip.

"It happened whether you wanted it to or not," she whispered.

"Take me home Liz," he said, sitting up. "Wherever it is that you're living now is where I want to be."

She took his hand, and he stood up, pulling her up from the bench.

He picked up her dress, putting it over her head, his hands gently smoothing it down over her hips.

Together they finished dressing and he turned to her.

"There's someone waiting for me that I have to say goodbye to. He's been with me since Isabel and Michael died," he said.

She nodded.

"I want you to meet him. I want you to know that my people are good. And I want...I want him to be able to tell them when he goes back that I found my beautiful Queen again," he said.

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she smiled at him.

"After that, we can just be, just the two of us. Destiny be damned," he said.

"I love you Liz Parker," he said softly.

"I love you Max Evans...*just* Max Evans," she said smiling.

He gently took her hand, and they walked out once again into the world, to face whatever it brought them.

Together.

End





[ edited 1 time(s), last at 24-Jan-2002 8:44:25 AM ]
posted on 24-Jan-2002 9:27:37 AM by majesty
Hehe,

Not exactly Baby *happy*

I haven't got the new pc, but I do have access to this board at work *happy* I am anxiously waiting for Fed-Ex to deliver my new pc.

I started this story about a month ago, but let it drop as I got into Flagellation and SOF, and yesterday, I decided to finish it up. When I started to read Darker Than Love, I had a giggle...that's why I waited to post this. I wanted to make sure we weren't working with the same idea, hehe. I am enjoying DTL, keeping up with it over here. It's a little confusing right now,, but I think at this point in your story we're supposed to be confused, and I think I know where it's going....I think *happy*

Can't wait to see where it goes! Thanks for the feedback!

majesty
posted on 26-Jan-2002 10:22:08 AM by majesty
Thank you guys again for the feedback!

Sugarplum, yeah the song itself is mind of sexy isn't it? *happy* A friend of mine had a bootleg industrial club mix of it that was just unbelievable. Very different, but still powerful....

Megan, I did write one other short story called "Arms Wide Open".

You can find it at

http://majestysfanfic.tripod.com/default.html

or at the Boardello. The URL is in my signature.

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to let me know you liked this,

majesty