"You realize you just risked your life." Michael said, making sure no blood was coming from his lip.

"Yeah." Alex said, trying to get the pain to cease in his knuckles.

"You're a really good friend."

Alex took a look at Courtney and said, "You call me that again, and I'm going to really kick your ass." And then he left the apartment in disgust.

He walked down the street where Michael lived. Pain still tingled in his knuckles, but it was worth it. Michael was a bastard and he deserved it.

He wanted to go back to the Crashdown, but he didn't want Maria to know what he had done. She didn't have to know. So he walked back to his house.

He sat down on his couch and flipped on the TV. After about an hour the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Alex? It's Liz."

"Hey, what's up? It's like ten o'clock."

"Yeah I know." She sounded like she was crying.

"Liz, what's wrong?"

"Can I come over?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

"Thanks, Alex." She hung up the phone.

He flipped off the TV and waited. After a few minutes the doorbell rang. He got up off the couch and answered it. As expected, it was Liz. "Hey, come on in."

"Thanks so much, Alex." She said. He noticed that her eyes were red.

They sat down next to each other on the couch. They hadn't been sitting there thirty seconds when Liz began crying. Alex wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his chest. He stroked her hair. "It's all right...it'll be all right" he said soothingly.

"No, it won't." She said tearfully. "I did something awful, and I can't take it back. Nothing will be the same. I just...oh my god."

"Shh...don't talk. It's all right."

So there they sat. Liz crying into Alex's shirt and he stroking her hair trying to make her feel better.

When it was bearing onto midnight she pulled away from him.

"Feel better?" He asked, handing her a tissue.

She shook her head. "Not really. I did the worst thing in the world..." She said, taking a deep, teary breath

He took her hand. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I betrayed Max."

Alex's eyes widened. It wasn't what he expected, but he didn't say anything.

Liz began crying again. "I slept with Kyle."

"What?" Alex said reflexively. He couldn't hold it in.

"I didn't. But Max thinks I did, and that's all that matters. And now he'll never trust me again. Alex, I screwed things up between us. But I did it to, my god."

"Shhh..." Alex said, pulling her close to him again. His mind raced. What she said made absolutely no sense whatsoever, but he knew it was important, and if she wanted to tell him the whole story she would in due time.

"Alex, can I spend the night here?" She asked, turning her head.

"Yeah, sure. I'll call your mom."

"Thanks, Alex."

He got up off the couch, laying her head down on a throw pillow. She was already asleep. He picked up the phone, and dialed Liz's number.

"Hello?" Came a sleepy answer.

"Mister Parker?"

"Yeh?"

"This is Alex. Liz is going to spend the night here, if that's all right. She's already asleep."

"Yeah. Sure, Alex." He hung up.

"Well, then. I guess that's that." Alex said to himself as he hung up the phone. Then he went to the closet and got some blankets. He pulled off Liz's shoes and then covered her up with the blankets. He kissed her forehead, and went off to his own bedroom.

*

"No, Max, come back! Come back!" Liz screamed.

Alex ran down the hallway and then into the living room. He knelt down by the couch. He gently shook his friend. "Liz, wake up...wake up."

She gasped as she woke up. "Oh, god, it was just a dream. It was a just a dream." She grasped onto Alex. "It was awful. He was walked away, and then he just disappeared...he just disappeared."

"It's okay. It was just a dream." He stroked her hair, trying to calm her down.

"But it wasn't a dream. It was real. It happened tonight."

"What happened?"

"I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone. The future depends on it."

He nodded. "Okay."

She looked at him. "I'd tell you if I could, if that makes you feel any better." She gave him half a smile.

"Not really, but it'll have to do." He said. "Come on. Go sleep in my dad's bed. He's not home tonight."

"Okay...and Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. You're a really good friend."

He smiled and helped her up. He led her to his father's room where she settled in nicely. He walked back to his own room, and got into bed. He thought about what happened that night. He stood up to Michael for a friend. And he held a friend in her time of need.

Though he wished he hadn't had to do either of those things, he felt good. Being a good friend was worth it all.

*

The next morning Alex woke up early, for being up as late as he was, around nine. He walked down the hallway to the bathroom. He looked into his father's room, where Liz was still asleep. He smiled to himself.

After taking a quick shower, Alex walked into the kitchen where he preceded to make breakfast for himself and Liz. Then the phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"This is Liz's dad. Is she there?"

He smiled. "Yeah she is, but she's still asleep."

"Okay, just making sure that you actually did call."

"No problem."

Alex hung up the phone. He began to break some eggs into a bowl when he heard a slight creaking noise. He looked up. Liz was standing there. "Good morning. Did the phone wake you?"

She nodded. "Making breakfast?"

"Yeah. Want some? I was making some for you anyway..."

She smiled and nodded again. She walked over and stood next to him as he made scrambled eggs.

"You want something in particular?" He asked, smiling at her.

"Yeah, I wanted to give you this." She took a step nearer to him and gave him a big hug.

"What's this for?" He asked.

"Just for being a great friend. Alex, you're wonderful and I'm lucky to have you as my friend." Liz said, letting go of him.

"The feeling's mutual." He said.

She grinned. "Come on, let's have breakfast."

"Mmm eggs...I think we have some orange juice in the fridge...."