Chapter Text
Max had been alive again for 24 hours and he felt good. He didn’t really remember his life from before but he was programmed to learn languages and how to read people so he was getting by ok. He sat up against his fluffy pillows and glanced at the girl in bed beside him. Something inside him stirred at the sight of her and she had leapt right into bed with him so clearly he knew her before. He just didn’t feel anything for her anymore. Don’t get him wrong, the sex was amazing and he might just keep her around for that fact. But he wasn’t going to be moving her in any time soon. The girl shifted and reached out for him as she awoke. He rolled his eyes and stepped out of bed before she could reach him.
“Max?” The dark haired woman asked confused. When she didn’t encounter his skin next to her, she bolted upright like she was afraid. He searched his mind for her name but all he could think of were Echos. And that couldn’t be right. What kind of name would that be?
“Good morning.” Max collected up her clothes from the night before and tossed them to her. He pulled on fresh black boxer briefs and a white undershirt from his dresser and waited for her to get the hint.
“Morning.” She whispered confused. Her hair was wild from his fingers pulling it the night before and her lips were swollen from kisses. “Max, come back to bed. Then I’ll make you your favorite omelette later.”
“I’m already dressed. You can make me that omelette though on your way out.” She looked like he had struck her and it made him feel strange inside.
“Are you feeling alright? I just really missed you and need your skin next to mine. I need to hear your heart beating.” She looked confused and concerned. She still wasn’t getting it. When he just stared at her, She put her black lace bra on then pulled her red shirt over it. She followed with her matching black lace panties and black leggings.
“I figured, what with the crying when I slid inside you last night. What was your name again?” Max heard her gasp as he popped his head in his closet. He pulled on faded jeans with holes in them and a black shirt. Whoever he used to be had a closet full of pastel plaid. He would have to fix that.
“Liz. I’m your girlfriend, Liz.” Liz bit her lip and watched him for a flicker of recognition. When she didn’t get one, she padded to the kitchen to make his omelette. Liz played Bright Eyes while she made his breakfast with her brow creased in worry.
“What is this?” The song was making him feel weird. He didn’t like how she threw him off his footing.
“First Day Of Our Life. It’s our song.” Liz searched his eyes for something and must not have found what she was looking for, because she sighed and set his plate in front of him.
“Really? Why would we choose a whiny song as our song?” The song was too slow and the singer kind of sounded like a pussy. He didn’t get it.
“It was our first dance and when we fell in..” Liz started.
“Cool story. Sweetheart, you think it’s about time you head out?” He looked from her to the door and back trying to get her to understand what he was saying.
“But I live here.” She argued twiddling her thumbs nervously. “Max do you just need some space to adjust or something? Because I can go stay…”
“No. Pack a bag and go somewhere else. Thanks for breakfast, and the fuck. It was nice.” Max turned away from her dismissively and pulled on a leather jacket to go smoke outside.
Liz just stared after him before going to their bedroom to pack. She didn’t know what else to do. Something was very wrong with Max.
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Liz moved in with Isobel and they stayed up all that night fretting about Max. He seemed to be lacking in any normal emotions. He had definitely lost his soft edge. By 5pm the next day, they were at happy hour at the Wild Pony drinking away their feelings. As Liz was ordering her margarita with extra tequila, her favorite salsa song came on and she couldn’t help but shake her hips to the beat. She raised her hands above her head and danced to the Pitbull song. Suddenly, she felt a sting and jumped about a foot. Turning around she saw Max standing behind her and her heart soared with hope.
Max slapped her jiggling booty- hard- as he came up behind her. When she turned around, he flashed her an innocent smile. “Hi sweetheart. I’ll give you a dollar if you show me something I haven’t seen before.”
Liz just gaped at him. Her Max would never say something that crude. He was clearly trying to get some sort of reaction out of her so she just turned back around and took a big gulp of her margarita. Suddenly she felt Max against her back in a way that was so familiar to her but wrong. This wasn’t her Max.
“Why the cold shoulder?” Max whispered in her ear, watching her skin erupt in goosebumps. He still smelled like rain and it mixed with her desert rose scent perfectly. Liz had worked so hard to get him back but didn’t know how to adjust to the new reality. Liz’s back was so tense it was ramrod straight. “You didn’t mind spanking last night.”
Coming to her rescue, Isobel elbowed her way in between them. “Gross. I’m right here. I didn’t need to hear that. Like ever.” Isobel’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “What’s up bro? You come back in a bad mood?”
“I don’t know why everybody keeps asking me that. I feel amazing.” Max looked Isobel up and down. He wasn’t sure how Isobel was ever going to get a mate wearing so many layers. “You stop trying or something?”
“You leave your soul in the pod?” Isobel raised one blonde eyebrow at him sharply.
Liz grabbed her margarita and left them to go sit in a booth across the room where she could keep an eye on Max but not be taunted by his cruel words. On her way, she slammed into a warm body. “Seriously?!” She shrieked.
“Hey there. If it isn’t the sister of the wetback that killed my sister.” Wyatt Long smirked at her. Liz went to move around him and he followed her with his movements. “Where ya going?” Wyatt teased her.
Liz felt a sliver of fear then gasped as Max came around her and slammed Wyatt’s head into the pool table. “Apologize to the lady.” Max growled at him, holding Wyatt at a painful angle. It was so much like her normal, protective Max that Liz couldn’t breathe.
“What for?” Wyatt struggled to get free and Max pressed harder against his throat.
“Max” Liz pulled on Max’s sleeve to try to pull him out of the aggressive stance. “People are watching. You need to stop.”
Max made Wyatt’s head bounce off the felt on the pool table then let Wyatt go. “Get out of here. And don’t touch my things.” Max smoothed his hands down his black leather jacket looking for a pack of cigarettes.
The hairs on the edge of Liz’s arms were standing straight up and the lights overhead were flickering. She could tell that Max was holding back a lot of power and would explode if he didn’t calm down. Liz placed her hands on each side of Max’s face and stared into his eyes. “Easy, Max” She whispered. Max gazed into her eyes until she felt the hairs on her arms stand down and the lights stopped flickering with a hum. “There you go. It’s okay.” She soothed him, stroking his cheeks with her fingers.
Taking her hands in his, Max removed them from his face. “Well, unless you want to go have a quickie in the parking lot, I’m going to go smoke.”
“No thanks. And Max? You don’t smoke.”
“I do now.” Max strode out the front door of the wild pony, lighting a cigarette.