Untitled (UC, Mi/L, PG, 1/1) COMPLETE

[burningchaos]

Untitled
Burningchaos
Roswell
Polar (Liz/Michael)
FRE
No warnings other then I might be a little off in the details as I am rusty…
Word Count: 946
Huh, I haven’t had the urge to write or read anything Roswell in months but this came to me unbidden while watching my son at football practice (real football with the cute little black and white ball, ya know?). It has nothing to do with this ficklet but here it is nonetheless. Feel free to tell me it sucks, point out mistakes the whole nine years. =)


Liz sat at the table tracing the scratches marring it’s vanier. In another ten minutes, she would be thirty. In another fifteen, it will have been six years since She and Max had gone their separate ways.

She’d made a life for herself during the intervening years. Rented a real house, bought furniture, planted a garden, found a job she loved and didn’t have to leave in a month. She loved her little town but lately she felt more confined than comfortable. She missed her family, her friends, she missed having people who understood her and that she could be completely honest with.

Standing abruptly Liz went and poured herself a fresh cup of coffee. Eight minutes
left. A brief smile crossed her lips as she remembered her first birthday on the road. Kyle had shoved candles in some cupcakes and the others sang to her as they sat on a picnic bench in a lush park that was so unlike her home that even than she missed it.

It was amazing how quickly everything had changed. For five years, everything had stayed the same. The six of them traveling in a van, and later a small camper, but in the space of a that sixth year they had fallen apart.

Kyle had left first, something no one expected. His powers had hit hard and fast leaving him open to every thought from every person walking around him. They were traveling through California when Kyle abruptly announced he was leaving them and joining Abhayagiri Monastery. He felt that only through his faith would he find the peace of mind and control he needed. They had driven him to the monastery and tearfully said goodbye.

Liz looked up at the clock, four minute left.

After that, Isabel left. Jesse found a way to get them new identities, new social security numbers, everything. He’d met them in South Dakota and that was it. Isabel was gone. Maria had quickly followed. She wanted to go home, and Jesse had told her it would be safe. So she did. She walked away with barely a goodbye.

She, Max and Michael had fallen in to a strange pattern in the weeks that followed. Max kept pulling away from her, from them, and Michael, whereas she and Michael became closer than ever. Max knew, he had to of known, but he seemed almost relived when he’d come home from work and find her and Michael snuggled upon the couch watching movies or laughing loudly while playing cards. In the end, they had all walked away from each other. They’d had too.

Now every year they placed coded ads in the New York Times to make sure they all knew the others were all right. This year Isabel had added sometime new, apparently she and Jesse now had a little girl. Maria had become engaged and even Max had moved on. Kyle was the same as always as was Michael. So was she.

Less than minute left. Liz leaned back against the counter and watched the seconds tick by. Midnight struck as she blinked. When her eyes opened, nothing had changed. Her house was still empty, the stifling silence still lay heavy in the rooms.

So much for birthday wishes.

Dumping her coffee in the sink Liz reached over and turned out the light. Bright light flashed through her windows as a car pulled into her drive. Her breath stilled in her chest as she waited to see who was in the car. Terror and hope warred in her.

The car door opened and a shadow separated it’s self from the vehicle’s and looked directly at her. Liz stepped back against the wall and waited. A knock reverberated loudly off her wooden door. Liz brushed her hands over her hair and skirt before opening the door.

“I told you I would be here.” Michael smiled at her despite how tired he was. Liz didn’t look fragile anymore. She’d lost the tight pale pinch that had been marring her beautiful face those last few days before they’d all left.

Liz stepped back from the doorway as he stepped in. “I promised, and you know I never break those.” He dropped his bag on the floor and pulled her close. He could feel her heartbeat fluttering and the catch in her breath as she buried her face in his neck. Six years was too long.

“I know but…” Liz knew she should have never doubted him. His hand traced the curve of her cheek and bushed away the hair that was falling across it. “I’m glad you here now.”

They had promised to find their own lives, to wait six years, to make sure what they had felt toward the end was real and not a proximity thing. Hell, he’d even tracked Max down. It had been more awkward than he’d expected but they’d gone for coffee and Max blatantly told him, before he asked, if he was on his way here. He’d barely said yes before Max had patted him on the back, threatened him if he hurt her, and sent him on his way.

So, here he was standing in the living room hugging the woman he’d loved for longer than he cared to admit and he was scared. “Is this alright?” He gestured toward his bag.

Liz stepped back, picked up the bag and smiled, all her anxiety had fled the second she’d seen him. “Close the door.” She’d made a birthday wish, and she’d received exactly what she wanted; Michael standing in her house, still wanting her as much as she wanted him. And for this moment, however brief it may be, her life was perfect.