Snapshot · (Roswell Fanfiction) · √

17. Crossing the Line

Cabin in Wisconsin
Two days before Christmas
(2004) Max is 19, Liz is 18

"How can you be that stupid?" Liz asked, staring at the TV screen.

"I've seen worse things."

Liz turned to look at him. "Worse than eating your own pee?"

Max nodded, taking a big bite out of his ice cream cone.

Liz grimaced as her eyes fell on the cone. "And I can't believe you're eating that at the same time."

He smiled at her, ice cream visible all over his front teeth, and mumbled out around the mouthful. "Dis is delishious."

"You're disgusting."

He refocused his attention on the TV. "But you love it."

"Oh yeah," Liz said sarcastically. "I soo love to watch ice cream run out of your mouth as you speak."

"You want some?"

She looked at him as if he had gone completely mad and then pointed at the TV. "There's a guy eating a freaking ice cream made out of a cone and ice that he peed on. And you're asking me if I want ice cream?"

He winked at her. "It's goooood."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it is."

The last word was drowned by the telephone and Liz jumped off the couch to answer. "'Lo."

Max turned his attention back to the TV where the group of guys continued to do stupid and very dangerous tricks. He snickered to himself. Those guys really were jackasses.

Liz plumped down next to him and he glanced over in her direction long enough to see the frown on her face. "What's up?"

"Michael's not coming home tonight."

Max scratched his eyebrow. That's odd. "Why's that?"

"Apparently they've shut down the road. Due to the heavy snowfall or something."

"Oh... So where's he staying?"

"He's just gonna go to one of the hotels for the night and hopefully he'll be able to get out here tomorrow."

"Okay," Max said simply. That's sounded alright to him. But after watching the movie for another ten minutes without a single comment from the usually very chatty Liz Parker, he looked over at her just to see her blue expression. "What's with the face?"

She raised her eyebrows at him, the innate defensive side of her nature flashing in her eyes. "This is how I look. Get over it."

Ignoring her comment, Max said, "I'm right here with you. I'll protect you."

The last sentence was said with a grin, but the truth of the message came through loud and clear.

"Michael will be fine," he added. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

"I know that," Liz said, rising from her seat.

Max watched her back as she started to walk away from him. "Then what?"

"It's nothing," Liz said, disappearing behind the kitchen counter of the open kitchen area.

Max and Liz were in a cabin belonging to Liz and Michael's parents. They had let them have access to the cabin probably to ease their feelings of guilt about not having time to spend Christmas with their kids. Not like that was anything out of the ordinary for the Parker kids. However, now they were old enough to be on their own without being supervised by nannies, housekeepers and other serving staff.