FanFic - Crashdown After Hours
"Always and Forever"
Part 5
by Linda
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, just borrowing 'em. I'll return 'em the way I found 'em.
Summary: Lots of my faithful readers wanted to know what happens to the eight kids in the end. What do Liz and Max's parents say when they tell them they are pregnant? Do they tell any of the parents that Max, Michael and Isabel are Aliens? Does Liz safely deliver the babies? What about the other couples? And what about Nasedo? For he's still out there...somewhere...
Category: After Hours
Rating: NC-17
Authors Note: If you haven't read my previous stories, "Us Six Against the World" or "Sense of Completion", it is recommended before reading this one. This is the last in the Trilogy. And, to make the time frame work in my story I have to make my characters start the timetable with Max saving Liz in their junior year, instead of their sophomore year of high school. Hey, what can I say? Author's license.. ;-)
Max cleared his throat and tried to look serious, but he couldn't help but smile. After what he had just shared with his mom, everything else would be easy.

He grabbed Liz's hand and eyed his mother, who waited patiently for the two teens to talk.

Diane Evans was not going to let this go easy. Just because her son was an alien, didn't mean he could go around and impregnate Liz Parker when they were both so young!

"Mom. I love Liz and I'm going to marry her. I've known since the minute I saw her back in third grade, that she would be the only one for me." He said honestly.

Diane's eyes warmed a little, and she smiled at Liz, knowing she couldn't ask for anyone better for her son, but she wanted more for both of them then to be so young and pregnant. "My God kids. You two are so young. And you're both bright and intelligent. Couldn't you have at least taken precautions?" she asked really trying to understand this.

"We did, Mom. Liz was on the pill. Only...we didn't realize that my being...different would make that form of protection...ineffective." Max cleared his throat. It was never easy talking about sex with a parent.

Diane realized how difficult it must have been for the two to even take the chance, not knowing the consequences of two separate races mating. "My God Liz, honey, are you okay? And the baby?" she asked with concern written across her face.

Liz smiled and nodded. "Yes. We've found out since, that we have nothing to fear. The babies should be fine." She said quietly, and her eyes softened as she unconsciously put a hand to her stomach.

Diane blinked. "Babies? As in two?" she whispered in shock.

Max grinned and nodded. "Yeah. Two. Can you believe it?"

Diane saw how happy Max was, and how content the two of them looked about all this and she sighed. She realized she needed to sit down. There was so much to deal with all at once.

Max and Liz exchanged worried concern and came over to the table to sit with Diane. They waited, letting her digest all she had seen and heard in the past half hour.

Diane took deep breaths, long calming ones, and tried to get all her thoughts straight before she spoke again.

"What--what do you plan to do? How do you plan to raise two babies? What about college? You're both so bright and had so many plans!" Mrs. Evans couldn't help but swallow her voice filled with sorrow.

"We're still going to go ahead with those plans." Max said in a soothing voice, knowing how high his parents and Liz's parents' expectations and hopes for them were.

"How? Do you know how much it's going to cost to raise one baby let alone two?"

"Mom, recently, we found out that...God there's so much to tell!" Max realized and wondered how much more his mom could take in one day. There was Jordan to explain, and all he had learned about himself and about Michael being their brother. Then there was the FBI and Nasedo as well. Max looked to Liz realizing how much there was yet to explain, and that they didn't have much time.

Liz looked at the clock. Her parents would be here in about an hour. Mr. Evans was due home before that.

"This is what you were going to tell us?" Diane finally realized when she saw them look at the clock and remembered the meeting.

"Only the part about the pregnancy and us getting married." Max gave a small smile realizing that that was definitely enough.

"Good. I think that will be enough for now." Diane swallowed and voiced her son's thoughts. "Are you planning on telling your parents everything, Liz?" Diane asked, serious now. She had so many questions. More questions than she had answers.

" I don't know. We know that the less people that know the safer it is. But I was going to wait and see how they take the pregnancy, and also...if the babies showed signs of Max's powers." She admitted to Diane and held Max's hand tighter.

"Powers...Max...what...what can you do?" Diane asked, and then looked to Liz. "And how did you...you're not--"

"No Mom. Liz is not an alien. But being pregnant by me, is giving her some of my hormones and stuff. She started getting these...symptoms after we...after she got pregnant." Max tried to explain, and both of them tried not to blush at Diane's staring between the two of them.

"So the babies could have...alien traits?" She asked in a whisper. And when they nodded she sighed. "Well, that certainly does add to the whole equation." She tried to think.

"Max, Liz, how are you going to go through with your future plans?" Diane couldn't help but ask again.

Max sighed and decided they didn't have much time; he would start with Jordan for now.

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Maria was behind the counter of the Crashdown when her mother came in with her daily delivery of pies.

Michael, who had been sitting at the counter talking to Maria, jumped up and took the pies from Amy DeLuca.

She smiled brightly at him. "Thank you, Michael!"

Michael just nodded and looked away, feeling self-conscious. It was still hard for him to accept praise or gratitude, but he was trying. Maria smiled at Michael and winked at him. Then she caught her mother's eye and nodded.

Amy DeLuca sat down next to Michael at the counter and looked again between her daughter and Michael. "Michael, could I ask a favor of you?" Amy asked.

Michael looked ready to bolt, but the look of hope on Maria's mother's face reminded him so much of Maria that he could only nod.

"When Jim and I get married...I don't have anyone to give me away. And I was wondering if you would do me that honor?" she said quietly, meeting his eyes seriously and waited.

Michael was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth then closed it, then opened it again but still nothing came out.

Maria giggled and Michael turned to her with a frown. Then turned back to Maria's mom. "Why me?" he finally managed to ask.

Amy met the young man's eyes with warm ones of her own. "Because you are important to my daughter and the only man I consider family right now." She answered.

Michael swallowed again and could only nod. "Yeah. I'd--I'd like that.." He managed to say then turned back to Maria when she took his hand.

Maria thanked him with her eyes and he felt good. He had just made the two DeLuca women very happy, and that pleased him.

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"Sit down Jeff, Nancy." Diane offered them the couch and watched her husband take the chair. "Would you like some tea or something?" Diane asked trying to keep the atmosphere calm. The three-seated adults were all tense, realizing that something was up for Max and Liz to need to talk to them all.

"Yes, thank you Diane. Do you need some help?" Nancy Parker asked and started to get up.

Diane waved her back down. "No that's fine. I've got it." She smiled and headed into the kitchen.

Nancy looked to where her daughter and Max were seated across from them on an oversized chair. She swallowed. She had been waiting for this. Both she and her husband had watched how much a part of each other's lives Liz and Max had become over the last two years, and had known that they were going to want more after high school. Nancy just hoped that between all of them, they could at least convince the two to wait until after college to get married.

Liz gave her mom a small smile when she caught her eye, but was relieved when Max's mom came back in with the tea. When Diane was seated on the arm of her husband's chair, Max and Liz looked at each other, took deep breathes, clasped hands and looked at the four waiting adults.

Max looked at Nancy and Jeff Parker who looked anxious, to his dad who met his eye with a serious one of his own. Max knew they all suspected something. He figured he should just get it out.

"Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Parker," Max started. He glanced once more at Liz who smiled up at him with all the love she had, and he couldn't help but smile back at her. She was his life. That was all that was important. He looked back to the adults, then to Liz's parents and met their eyes seriously. "I'm in love with your daughter. I have been as long as I can remember. We love each other, and we want to get married." He ended in a sigh.

Mr. Evans shifted in his chair, as if to say something, but his wife's hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked at his son, who was waiting for a response from Liz's parents. He sat back and waited.

Jeff and Nancy Parker also took deep breaths, exchanged looks, held hands and then turned to the two teens seated before them. "Liz, Max, we've known this was coming. You two have been inseparable for the last two years, and Max, we think Liz couldn't have found a better man, but can't you two wait until after college to get married?" Jeff Parker asked.

Liz bit her lip and looked at her parents. "So if we went away to the same college, and lived together, whether only sometimes, or if we didn't bother wasting an apartment and we just lived together all the time, you would prefer that to our getting married?" she asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Parker were caught off guard. Then Nancy looked at her daughter and gave her a small smile. "Well, at least you two are honest."

"Mom, you always told me not to be afraid to come to you with anything...and..." Liz started, but her mother held up her hand.

"I know. I know I did and I--your father and I meant that. We just want what's best for you. You have your whole life ahead of you and--"

"And we want it to be together. It will be together. But we wanted your blessings." Liz said softly, looking between both her parents.

Liz's parents knew that once Liz went away to college on her scholarship, that she no longer needed their permission. That Liz and Max were not asking permission, but rather their acceptance because they wanted to keep their parents in their lives.

"I love your daughter more than life itself, Mr. and Mrs. Parker. I'll take care of her always and forever." Max promised them, meeting their eyes levelly.

Nancy and Jeff looked at each other again, and then Jeff nodded with a small, sad smile to his wife. Nancy got up from the couch and came over to her daughter. Liz stood up and met her half way. "I love you baby. And we know that you'll take care of her Max." she said holding Liz and looking over at the young man who had won their daughter's love.

Nancy held Liz's face in her hands and then wiped a tear from her own eye and smiled a little. "It's just, you're our baby girl and we're not ready to let you go." She laughed softly.

"I know, Mom. Dad?" Liz asked, looking at her father who had been rather quiet.

He chuckled as he wiped a tear of his own before he too got up and hugged his daughter. Then he leaned over and reached out a hand to Max. Max stood up and then met his mom's eyes saw her nod seriously, and he took a deep breath.

"There's just one more thing." He started. He wanted to accept Mr. Parker's hand and acceptance, but not before he told them everything.

Liz came back to stand next to him and he put his arm around her. Liz put her arm around Max and held onto his side tight, looking up at him and met his worried eyes, before they looked back at her parents again.

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