Crush (AU, CC, Adult) [COMPLETE]

This is the gallery for the winners of the fanfic awards to show off their fics, and their banners!

Moderators: Itzstacie, Forum Moderators

User avatar
nibbles2
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 754
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:01 pm
Contact:

In which bow chick a wow wow

Post by nibbles2 »

Happy new year all. Hope 2011 is a great year for everybody.

I hope you enjoy this part, it's one of my favourite parts of the fic.

Earth2Mama Yes, I know exactly what you're saying.

xmag Exactly. Liz needed to faced the past to move on.

Begonia9508 Thank you.

Alien_Friend Lol. I think this may be the first time anybody has ever wished that Liz had Maria's rationality and patience.

keepsmiling7 When she goes back to Boston will be able live her life and stop hating herself so much. She'll move on.

SmileeUK Longer even.

Eva Thanks.

Sundae Lol. Whup ah. I love Chandler.

valentinebaby Yeah, poor Michael, but don't worry – he'll get his.

sarammlover Thank you.

And as always, huge thanks to my beta Michelle in LA




CRUSH – THIRTY

Michael

Anna opens the door and her face lights up in a smile when she sees me. “Michael! What are you doing here?”

“I was wondering if I could have a quick word with you.”

“Of course, come on in.” She stands back and gestures me inside. I can see the moment she remembers that she's wearing her old sweats and a messy ponytail. Her smile drops. “Uh, I was just on my way upstairs to change. Make yourself at home, I’ll just be a minute.”

“You look fine,” I say quickly. Anna could take an hour to change her clothes. “This will only take a minute and I have to meet Kyle...” I’m just talking to thin air, she's already gone. I resist the temptation of walking out the front door and trudge wearily into the kitchen.

I really, really don't want to be here but when Olivia heard that I was dating Maria she asked me to come and talk to Anna, to let her know that I was with somebody else, because Olivia thinks that Anna still has feelings for me. I don't see why I have to be the one to tell her, I already broke up with her once. But Olivia pleaded, Isabel wanted me to come as well and even Maria thought it was a good idea so I had no choice.

I take a seat at the kitchen table and pick up the newspaper that's lying on it and turn to the sports section.

It's another fifteen minutes before Anna comes back down the stairs. She's now dressed in short shorts, a tight top and her hair is loose and curled. She flips her hair over her shoulder and smiles. “Can I get you a drink or anything?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks.” I gesture towards the chair on the opposite side of the table and she slides into it. “How's things?”

“Good. Work is slow at the moment. You?”

“Busy actually, there's always crime. How's your dad?”

“He's good, he's back to his old self.”

“That's good.” Ok, enough small talk. “So, uh, the reason I’m here is because I wanted to...” No, that doesn't sound right, let me rephrase. “I thought that I should tell you that I’m, uh, I’m seeing somebody.”

Her face falls. “Oh.” She looks away for a minute. “So, is it serious? Of course it's serious, you wouldn't be here telling me about it if it wasn't.”

I nod anyway.

“I hadn't even heard that you were dating anybody and usually...”

“We've only been seeing each other for a few weeks and we've kind of being keeping it quiet for a while until...” I trail off not sure how to explain it to her but in the end I just decide not to bother. Can I go now?

“So, who is she? Do I know her?”

“It's Maria Deluca.”

She looks surprised. “Isn't she kind of young?”

“She's twenty-two,” I say. I think I’ve done my duty here. But when I stand up to leave, I see a flash of pain cross her face and I realize that Olivia was right. That sucks, now I feel like a dick. “Sorry.”

Anna smiles sadly. “It's ok. Thanks for telling me.” I can see tears in her eyes.

“Sure. I’ve got to go now.” I bolt before she starts crying.

Once I’m in the safety of my truck, I breathe a sigh of relief. I feel like a prick though. She was hurt and I didn't want that to happen. Still, it's done now.

I turn the truck for Toby's Garage. Maybe I am a jerk, but I don't really give Anna much more thought. I’m on my way to pick up my new motorbike. I can't help grin in anticipation. I’ve owned motorbikes since I was sixteen but I’ve always wanted a Ducati. A couple of weeks ago, Kyle found me a second-hand one. It was in near-perfect condition, it just needed a little fine tuning and a new paint job. Today I get to pick it up and take it home.

I’m thinking that I’ll swing by Maria's and take her out to the desert, let the bike open up on the old highway and hopefully get Maria's engine really racing.

Toby's is closed by the time I get there, but there are still a couple of guys around finishing up some jobs or working on their own stuff. Kyle is sitting on a picnic bench out front. He looks at his watch pointedly when I pull into the lot.

“What kept you?” he asks as I walk over to him.

“I stopped by Anna's on the way over here to tell her about Maria and me.”

Kyle grimaces. “How'd that work out for ya?”

“It was ok. But I think Olivia was right about her still having feelings for me so now I feel like I was just rubbing her face in it.”

He grimaces again but then breaks out into a sly smile. “Now you just have to tell Amy.”

It's my turn to grimace. “Maria was off today and they're spending the day together and she was supposed to tell her but last I'd heard she still hadn't gone through with it.”

“Worried?”

I exhale. “I don't know. I’m not afraid of Amy, per se. I’m just worried that she won't approve and then things would be weird and awkward for everybody.” The truth is that Amy’s opinion matters to me. I’ve known her most of my life and she's one of the very few adults that I actually liked as a kid.

“I don't know what per se means,” Kyle quips, then he turns serious. “What I do know is that Amy will kill you with her bare hands if you hurt Maria. But I don't think you have anything to be worried about.”

I look at him, surprised at his serious turn.

“You have this reputation as a bad-ass troublemaker. But that comes from when you were a teenager. Anybody who knows you, knows that you're not that guy anymore. Look at you, you have a respectable job. You have a great house with an actual picket fence. You have a cute dog. You've been in long-term relationships. Face it, Michael... you're a grown-up.”

I give a mock shudder. “Shit, how did that happen?”

Kyle laughs. “No idea, I never thought you'd pull it off. Hey, at least if Amy does want to kill you, you'll be able to make a quick getaway.” He stands up. “Let's get your bike.”

He leads me inside to where my new bike is waiting. It's a magnificent, gleaming monster. It's so beautiful, it makes me a little hard. Kyle tosses me the key and I climb onto it and start the engine. It roars to life. I rev it loudly. It's music to my ears.

Kyle talks me though what repairs they've made. I pay him for the job and give him the keys to my truck to drop off at my house.

I take the bike out for a quick ride. It handles beautifully and I can't wait to really let it rip out on the desert roads with Maria clinging on behind me. Then taking her back to my place, or maybe even finding a secluded spot out on the desert.

I shake off those thoughts before I have an accident.

Ten minutes later, I park the bike in front of Maria's and jog to the front door. It's only after I ring the bell that I remember that there's a possibility that Amy Deluca now knows that I have been doing naughty things with her daughter.

The door opens before I can run away, but thankfully it's Maria who answers. “Am I glad to see you,” she exclaims. She steps out onto the porch, pulling the door behind her. “My mom is driving me crazy. She has been so crabby all day.”

“Does that mean that you didn't tell her?” I ask hopefully.

Maria shakes her head. “No. I’ll tell her when she isn't overdosing on her bitchy pills.”

“So you must be about ready to get the hell out of here. Want to go for a ride?” I gesture behind me to the new bike.

Her eyes light up. “Ooh, shiny. I can't wait to ride it. But Jim isn't back from Albuquerque yet and I don't want to leave mom on her own. He's going to be back in an hour or two. Can you wait until then?”

“Maria,” Amy calls from inside.

Maria sighs and opens the door, holding it open for me to follow her inside. “I'll be right back.”

She runs down the hallway and I step into the living room. Amy is sprawled on the couch. I think she's doubled in size since I saw her three days ago. “Hi, Amy.”

“Hello,” she returns grumpily. In all the years I’ve known Amy I’ve never known her to be grumpy. Pissed off, angry, combative; sure, but never grumpy.

Maria comes back in and smiles cheerfully. “Your bath is ready.”

“Help me up,” Amy commands.

Maria grabs her mother's hands and hauls her to her feet. “Do you need help getting into the bath?”

“I think I can manage that much myself, Maria,” Amy grouses and waddles off down the hallway.

Maria runs her hands through her hair in frustration. “You see? She's been like that all day. I’m this close to snapping.” She holds up her thumb and index finger barely millimeters apart.

I pause to make sure Amy is gone before I cross the room and take Maria in my arms. She responds eagerly, pouring her frustration into the kiss. When she pulls away, she sighs happily. “I needed that.”

She walks into the kitchen and opens the fridge. “Drink?”

“Yes please.”

“How did it go with Anna?” Maria asks, pouring a glass of iced tea and handing it to me.

“It was ok,” I shrug. I take a gulp and set the glass down before wrapping my arms around Maria's waist again. I nuzzle her cheek. “Mmm, you smell great. Peachy.”

“Apricots, actually. Mom and I had a pampering day. Facemask, pedicures, manicures, the works. Well, Mom had a pampering day. I just got a face mask.”

I run my lips across her cheek. It feels great, really soft. “I didn't think those things actually worked, but your skin feels amazing.” I nip her neck and suck on the pulse point below her ear, my hands slide over her ass, pulling her tight against me and crushing her against the counter top.

She gasps beneath my assault. “You know, I’ve heard it's going to rain later. Maybe we should postpone the ride and just go back to your place.” I lift my face from her neck and stare at her. She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. “I could ride your machine. Or a better euphemism than that.”

I chuckle. “And you're not going to go off with my sister in the middle of it and leave me with a massive case of blue balls?”

She blushes. “Not this time. Just make sure your doors are locked.”

“I'm locking the doors and putting the dog on guard duty.”

“Rockie?” Maria laughs. “Ooh, scary.”

I tickle her sides and lean in for another kiss. Slow and deep this time. Her hands slip under my shirt and she trails her fingers across my skin. I cup her butt and pull her harder against me. It's just getting steamy when she goes stiff against me and pulls away.

Fuck.

Without looking around, I already know that Amy is behind us.

I slowly step away from Maria and turn around to face my doom.

“Mom,” Maria squeaks. “I thought you were going to have a bath.”

Amy shakes her head. “Change of plans. I need you to drive me to the hospital. I’m in labor!”

“What? Shit!” Maria exclaims, rushing to her mother's side.

“Maria, language,” Amy admonishes.

“Sorry. Um, what do we do?” Maria asks, looking from Amy to me, panic clearly evident in her eyes. “Jim is in Albuquerque.”

“I'll drive her to the hospital,” I offer. “We can call Jim from there, he's probably on his way back already anyway. Maria, can you get Amy’s bag? You have one packed, right?”

Amy nods. “Yes. It's on the chest in my room. And can you grab my hairbrush and my toothbrush too?”

Happy to have a task, Maria runs off. I grab her keys from the counter and help Amy out to the Jetta. As she lowers herself onto the seat, another contraction hits and she grabs my hand hard.

“They're coming pretty quick now,” she pants.

“How long have you been having them?” I ask as she finally releases my hand. I start the timer on my watch.

“All afternoon,” Amy groans. “I didn't want to go to the hospital until absolutely necessary. And now, I think it's necessary.”

I look up at Maria who has joined us by the car. She mouths 'fuck' at me and climbs in beside her mother. I hand her my watch. “Time the interval between the contractions,” I instruct. I jump into the driver's seat. “We'll be at the hospital in a few minutes and if the worse comes to the worst, I have experience in these matters.” I say a silent prayer than it doesn't come to that.

There's a moment of silence before Amy speaks. “Just get me to the hospital, quick.”

Thankfully, I get Amy to the hospital and into the hands of trained professionals within a few minutes, and I’m spared seeing parts of Amy Deluca that I never, ever want to see. Maria rushes off with her mother leaving me to track down Jim. He never usually answers his cell when he's driving, so I have to call a few times before he eventually pulls in and answers. After talking to Jim, I call Kyle and let him know what's happening.

When I’m finished making the calls, a nurse directs me to Amy’s room. I pause outside her room wondering if it's safe for me to enter, when I hear Amy speak.

“I already knew about you and Michael, by the way,” Amy says casually. My heart pounds in my chest, waiting to hear what she has to say. Maria must give her some kind of non-verbal response because a moment later Amy laughs. “I’m your mother, Maria, I know these things. You've been together since the night you met up with Alex Whitman, right?”

“Ok, how did you know that?” Maria asks, sounding impressed.

“You came home that night floating about nine feet off the ground and you haven't landed since. Alex is a lovely young man but there's only one person who has ever been able to get that kind of reaction from you. Besides, I knew it was coming.”

“You did not,” Maria laughs.

“Maria, that boy has been sniffing around you for months. And we all know how you feel about him.”

I object to the term 'sniffing'.

“And you're ok with it?” Maria asks. “You're not going to run him off or threaten to kill him? That's most unlike you. You don't even have any problems with the age difference?”

“Sweetie, Jim is twelve years older than me. Besides you pass the rule.”

“There's a rule?” Maria sounds as confused as I do.

Amy groans for a minute. When she talks she sounds a little breathless. “Yes, the rule is that a man can date a woman who is half his age plus seven years.”

I never knew that. Quick mental calculation. Yes, Maria is old enough. Cool.

I decide then to risk entering, so I knock loudly and enter slowly, just in case. But Amy is under the blankets so I’m safe. “Hey. I spoke to Jim, he's going to be here in about two hours. Kyle is on his way down too. I’ll stick around until they get here, in case you need anything.”

“Thanks, Michael,” Amy nods.

A nurse enters then to check how far Amy is dilated so I make a quick escape to the waiting room.

Maria comes looking for me a few minutes later. “Hey. They don't think she's going to have the baby for a while. She's only at seven centimeters.” She wraps her arms around my waist. “Thank you for being here.”

“Are you ok? You look kind of pale.”

She shakes her head. “I don't think I can do this, Michael. I’ve only been to a couple of classes and I kept my eyes closed when they showed the videos. I don't know what I'm doing. She was in labor all day and I thought she was in a mood.”

I bite back a laugh and lean down and kiss her. “That was to calm you down. Maria, you'll be fine. The doctors and nurses know what they're doing. All you have to do is hold your mother's hand and be supportive. She just needs you to be there for her and you're the best person I know at that.”

Maria smiles at me. “Thank you.” She takes a deep breath. “You're right. I’ll be fine.” She slides her arms around my neck and pulls my head down for another kiss. “Ok, I’m going to go back in to my mom. I’ll see you later.”

“Hey,” I grab her before she leaves. “Just,don't look directly at it.”

“It being my mother's vagina?”

I cover my eyes with my hands, as if that will somehow expunge the mental image I’ve just conjured up. “Jesus, Maria.”

Maria laughs and pulls my hands away from my face and kisses me again. “Don't worry. Nothing is going to stop me from wanting to take your machine for a ride.”

“Promise,” I call after her as she walks down the corridor.

Her laughter is the only reply.

I fall back into my seat, close my eyes and say a silent prayer.

Hi Jesus, please, please, please, please don't let watching her mother give birth put Maria off sex for six weeks. Please let her be less of a wuss than I am. Sincerely, Michael.
***
Maria

James Valenti-Deluca Junior was born just after five this morning.

Michael was right. Childbirth is totally gross and terrifying. It’s also amazing and beautiful in its own way. And you can’t argue with the end result. My little brother is the absolute cutest, sweetest, most amazing, wonderful, adorablest, handsomest little boy that was ever born, ever, ever, in the history of the world. Of course, I may be a little biased. When I got to hold him for the first time, I bawled. I wasn’t the only one. Mom cried, Jim cried, Kyle cried.

By the time Jim drives us home it’s after seven and we’re both exhausted. We’re almost too tired to eat anything. Jim manages half a slice of toast before going to bed. I eat a couple of mouthfuls of muesli and then make the mistake of sitting down on the couch to take off my shoes.

I think I fell asleep before I removed the left one.

When I wake up, my two shoes are sitting neatly on the floor by the couch. The curtains are closed and there’s a blanket covering me. I can hear somebody moving around in the kitchen and the smell of cooking. I assume it’s Jim, but when I stumble into the kitchen, still half-asleep and with a glorious crown of bed-head, I find Michael there instead. I’d care more if I didn’t feel like a zombie right now.

He grins at me. “Hey.” He saunters over to me, pulling me close for a quick kiss. Quick because I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.

“Sorry,” I grunt when he pulls away with a grimace. I rub my eyes and stretch, trying to wake up. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost three. Are you hungry? I made a roasted vegetable tart.”

I look at him in surprise.

He shrugs bashfully. “It looked like the easiest recipe in your vegetarian cookbook.”

“Oh my God, you’re so sweet,” I coo.

He rolls his eyes. “Not really. I’m still hoping to get lucky.”

I slap his side playfully. “Did you get the picture I sent you? Isn’t JJ adorable?”

“Yes. Adorable.”

“Do you want to come to the hospital with me later to see him?”

“Sure, I guess.”

I lean towards him for a kiss and then remember my morning breath and pull away. “I’m going to brush my teeth.”

I shuffle off to the bathroom to clean my teeth, splash water on my face and comb my hair. Feeling more alive, I head back to the kitchen where Jim has joined Michael. He looks freshly showered and wide awake and he’s sporting the biggest smile I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s playing a video of mom holding JJ to Michael who is nodding along politely as Jim gushes effusively.

Jim smiles at me when I enter the kitchen and stands up to give me a hug. Something changed last night; he's gone from being the great guy that married my mom to being my step-dad. “Did you sleep ok on the couch? I didn't want to move you because you were sound asleep.”

“I slept great. I was so tired, I could have slept on a park bench,” I assure him. “Did you talk to mom?”

“I called the hospital. They said she and JJ were sleeping. I’m heading over there after dinner if you want to come with me.”

I pull out a chair and take a seat at the table. “Thanks, but I should call my aunts and I want to have a shower. I’ll go later.”

Michael serves up dinner which Jim and I set upon like a pack of starving wolves. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I started eating. I’ve devoured half of it before I realize that Michael is watching me expectantly. I chew the next mouthful slowly to taste it. He was a little heavy handed with the salt but other than that, it's perfect. “This is really good,” I tell him.

Once dinner is over, which takes all of five minutes, I go back into the den to call some of mom's relatives. I sent out a group text message this morning with the barest details and a picture of JJ and the voicemail is full of messages from friends and relatives calling for more details and offering congratulations.

Jim helps Michael with the washing up and then leaves for the hospital. Michael joins me on the couch and turns on the TV to a sports channel.

When I’ve made all the necessary calls, I toss the phone onto the cushion beside me and snuggle up against Michael's side. He wraps his arms around me.

“Jim told me to be good to you,” Michael tells me.

“Really?” I say fondly. “Aw.” We sit there in companionable silence for a few minutes and I feel myself drifting off to sleep. Shaking it off, I rise to my feet. “I'm going to go to the shower. Are you going to come to the hospital with me to meet JJ?”

Michael nods. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Cool.”

I hover for a moment, half tempted to ask him if he'll join me in the shower but I chicken out and take a shower by myself.

Once I’m out of the shower, I pull on my terrycloth robe and sit down at my dressing table to dry my hair. A few minutes later there's a knock on the door. “Come in.”

The door opens slightly and Michael sticks his head around slowly before entering and handing me the phone.

I take the phone from him. It's one my mom's closest friends on the phone. I fill her in with all the details. As I talk to Jean, Michael walks around my room picking up things and examining them. I pretend not to be paying attention to him. I raise my leg onto the bed and rub lotion into it slowly, then I casually let my gown slip off my shoulder. Michael pretends to be looking at the pictures on my poster-board but he's really watching me.

When I’m finished talking to Jean, I put the phone down and swing back around to face the mirror. Michael comes over to the bed and sits down on it, directly behind me.

“I'm kind of disappointed,” he says. I raise an eyebrow at his reflection in the mirror as I apply my foundation. “Yeah, I was expecting a shrine or at least some fuzzy photographs of me in my nuddy taken from the tree at the back of my house.”

I laugh, and blush too because once upon a time that wasn't too far from the truth. “No, but I do have...” I dig around in my jewelery box and pull out a pair of earrings, and slip them on. One is a banana, the other a pineapple. “These.” I swivel around to face him and display my ears.

He shrugs. “And they are?”

“You won these in a ring toss at a carnival once. Isabel thought they were tacky, your mom didn't like them, Liz didn't have pierced ears at the time, so you gave them to me.” I turn my head so he can see the banana dangling from my right earlobe. “As you can see I’ve treasured them.”

Michael leans forward and touches my ear to have a better look. As he touches me, our eyes lock and the air between us is suddenly charged. In that instant we both know what's going to happen. Slowly, he trails his finger along my jawbone and then down my arm until he reaches my hip. Then in one fluid motion, he lifts me from the stool onto his lap.

I untie the belt at my waist and he pushes the robe off my shoulder. Then he cups my face and crushes his lips to mine, as I unbutton his shirt and pull it off him. His arms come around me and he begins to lower us to the mattress.

“Wait, wait,” I say, pulling away from him and leaning back to reach into the drawer of my dressing table. I pull out a condom and wave it at Michael. “We will definitely be using these,” I tell him sternly.

Michael chuckles and palms the condom, pulling me back to him and lowering me to the bed. He kicks off his shoes and removes his jeans before lying down between my legs. I take the condom from him and sheath him in it. He brings his mouth back to mine, kissing me softly and deeply. His hands slide over my skin, stroking and caressing me. I scratch my fingernails down his back.

It feels amazing, I can't believe that it's finally happening. He slides in to me carefully. We take it slowly at first, but our rhythm builds. I cling to him. Michael buries his face in my neck, biting my skin.

I cry his name as I come and he moans loudly.

We lie there wrapped in each other' arms for a while before Michael moves onto his side and pulls me against him.

“Don't fall asleep, we have to go to the hospital,” I tell him, but my eyes are already closing.

“Ok.”

I’m just at the point of drifting off to sleep when Michael's voice startles me.

“I used to think that you were pretty cool,” he says.

I lift my head and stare at him in confusion. “Huh?”

“I mean, when you were a kid. I used to think you were cool,” Michael clarifies. Satisfied that he's not about to turn into a rat bastard, I lie down again, burrowing into his side. His hand strokes my back gently. “You were afraid of nothing. You were funny and cheeky and always getting into trouble. You never stopped talking and you would talk about the most random things. You were a feminist by the time you were six years old. I always thought you were cool, you know. I liked you, is what I’m saying.

I smile, touched by his bumbling attempts to let me know he cared. I have to bite my lip from telling him how I feel because I think it's way too soon to spill the L word and it would freak Michael out. “Thank you.” I groan and reluctantly pull myself out of his embrace and sit up. “Come on. We have to go and see mom and JJ.”

Michael sighs. “Let's just stay here.”

I bounce a little on the bed. Under any other circumstances I would be fully on board with his suggestion, but I really, really want to see JJ again. “No, we're going to the hospital. Come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can go back to your place.”

“Ok,” Michael sits up and pulls on his clothes. “I'm going to rock your world, by the way.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”
***
Last edited by nibbles2 on Mon Feb 14, 2011 7:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
nibbles2
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 754
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:01 pm
Contact:

In which Liz schools Max in playing pool

Post by nibbles2 »

Shazam! Another new part. I rule.

Earth2Mama Sending Michael over to Anna was a leftover from a subplot that I didn't go with. But basically, Olivia and Anna are pretty good friends. Olivia felt that Anna was still hung up on Michael and that the only way she'd move on was if Michael told her that he was dating somebody else. So that's all that was.

keepsmiling7 Thank you. The note to Jesus even made me laugh.

Alien_friend I’m glad you don't think it's cheesy because that was something I was really trying to avoid.

valentinebaby Well, the earrings are cute. That's why she kept them.

begonia9508 Michael doesn't really have a problem with the word vagina. He has a problem with his girlfriend's mother's / boss's wife's vagina.

sarammlover Yep, I’m kicking 2011's ass so far.

SmileeUK Thank you very much.

*Blondie* Yeah, verbosity has never been one of Michael's strong points.

Spacegirl23 I think this part might make you very sad. Sorry.

xmag Funny thing is that a few hours after witnessing the birth, Maria was jumping Michael's bones. If Michael had been the one in the labour ward, trust me, it would be Christmas before they did it.

tequathisy Yeah, Michael owes God a favour.

Rowedog Maria has been waiting eleven years for Michael to put his boy thing in her you know what so nothing was going to stop Maria getting down and dirty with him. Also, if you haven't updated your own fic in two months then you really don't have the right to mock me.

Sundae Yes. Yes. You were right. Enjoy.

Maipigen Aw, thank you. *blushes*

April Well, things with Alan aren't really ever going to go beyond starting to start because Liz will be leaving soon.

MorningStar Welcome, new reader! Glad you're enjoying the fic.

Cocogurl Thank you. As for why Michael went to see Anna, see the note to Earth2Mama above.

And of course, as always, thanks to Michelle in LA for playing the part of Beta.



CRUSH - THIRTY-ONE

Max

Friday night, at something of a loose end and craving Chinese-Mexican food, I wander into Señor Chow's. It’s surprisingly dead, for a Friday night. Only a few tables are occupied and there’s only one waitress who waves to acknowledge that she’s seen me before she disappears into the kitchen.

I head to the waiting area where I find Liz Parker stabbing angrily at a phone. “What is it with you and phones?” I ask.

She looks up, surprised to see me, and then back down at the phone. “They hate me.”

I take one of the empty seats near her. “Is that a new one?”

“Yeah, the other one gave up the ghost so I decided to treat myself to a smart phone, because I thought they looked cool. The guy at the store told me that an eight-year-old can use them. And what I need now, is an eight-year-old. It’s impossible.”

I laugh at her frustration. “I was the same the first time I got one. My ten-year-old neighbor had to show me how to use it. That wasn’t embarrassing, at all.”

Liz laughs. “Help.”

“Hand it over,” I smile. I take the phone from her and attempt to access the menus but after a minute of increasingly frustrated attempts I have to hand it back. “I think it’s faulty.”

“So, it’s not just me?” Liz asks brightly. “That’s a relief.”

The waitress joins us then and takes our order. She seems to have a hard time understanding that we want our orders separately. When she’s gone, I turn to Liz. “She thinks that I’m the cheapest date in the world, making you pay for your own meal.”

Liz smiles. “You’re flying solo tonight?”

“Yeah, Olivia is working. Isabel and Jesse are gone to an engagement party. Kyle and Tess are gone to Dallas to meet her parents and Michael…”

Liz sighs. “I know, he and Maria have discovered this thing called sex which apparently they have to spend hours at.”

I laugh and nod in agreement. “I do have other friends apart from those guys,” I add hastily. “But they all seem to be busy with dates or a few of them are at Joe Davis’s bachelor party. So I’m Billy-no-mates tonight.” I bite my lip then because I suddenly remember that Liz doesn’t seem to have any other friends in Roswell apart from Maria. Strangely, I think that apart from Maria my group is the closest thing she has to friends here.

“There was a group from work going out tonight, but I decided not to go with them,” Liz tells me. “All they do is talk about work. It’s Friday night and the week is over. I just want to forget about work for a while, you know?”

“Exactly. I had a tough week at work, all I want to do is blow off a little steam and forget about all the crap I have to look forward to on Monday, but if I go out with the guys from work it's all we talk about. Plus, my dad is the boss, so it's always weird when they start complaining about their workloads or what cases they've been assigned or whatever.”

I sigh and shift in my seat restlessly, not looking forward to going home to eat by myself and playing video games online. I look around the restaurant and my eyes fall on the pool table. That's what I'd like, a couple of beers and a few games of pool. I look over at Liz. “What are your plans for tonight?”

She shrugs. “I don't know. I haven't thought of anything beyond a Kung Po chicken burrito. I've been craving it all day. I'll just watch TV with my mom, I guess. Or read a book. Something very exciting anyway.” She doesn't sound very enthusiastic about her evening either.

Maybe I'm crazy to be even thinking this, but... “Do you want to hang around for a while, maybe play some pool?”

Liz looks stunned by my suggestion and for a moment she doesn't know what to say. Then she nods. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

“Cool. I'll set up the table. Do you want to tell the waitress that we'll eat here?”

“Ok.”

I get the table set up and Liz joins me a minute later with two bottles of beer.

“You can't play pool without beer,” she says sounding just like Michael.

I accept the beer gratefully. The first mouthful is like nectar. I can feel the stress of the week dissolve already. “Do you want to break?” I offer.

Liz smiles. “Thanks.” She selects a cue, lines it up and breaks, sinking two colors. She lines up her next shot and sinks that one, too.

Crap, she's good. “Where did you learn to play?”

“Michael taught me,” she says, sinking her fourth ball.

“Michael taught me too, but he taught me to be bad so he would always win.”

Liz laughs, causing her to miss the next shot. She straightens up and stands back as I take up position at the table. “He taught me so that I could hustle pool. He said it would be good to have something to fall back on if the ‘Harvard thing’ didn't work out.”

That does sound like Michael.

I take a shot and miss.

Liz winces. “Michael taught you badly, really well.”

She steps up to the table and clears it easily and enjoys doing so. When she's done, she shoots me a cocky grin. “So Max, how does it feel to have your ass kicked by a girl?”

“I am a man of the twenty-first century, I can take my beating,” I say. “Though, I think it’s pretty clear you cheated.”

“Oh yeah?” Liz raises an eyebrow. “How about another game and this time, I’ll play with my left hand. And you can break. Loser buys dinner.”

I weigh up my options. She’s pretty good but she’ll be playing with her weak hand and I’m not as bad as the last game suggests. “You’re on.”

I line up the balls again and break, sinking a colored ball. I make the next shot and miss on the third.

Liz slips off the stool. “Not bad.” She walks around the table, assessing the lie of the land before lining up her first shot. She clears the table in about three minutes.

I think I’ve been had.

Liz twirls the cue stick, baton style and grins smugly at me, raising her eyebrow.

“You just hustled me,” I realize.

“Can’t say that you weren’t warned,” she shrugs.

“Michael would be so proud,” I laugh.

“Knowing Michael, he would probably be prouder that I hustled you than when I graduate from Harvard.”

I laugh because it’s true. “Third time lucky,” I say as I line the balls up again.

“I doubt it,” Liz shakes her head, laughing. The waitress signals that our food is ready and Liz stands up. “Saved by the food.”

We take a seat at the table where our food has been laid out. There’s a moment of awkwardness as our eyes meet across the table. The one thing that I don’t like about Señor Chow's is the romantic atmosphere. The food is great, they serve great beer, they have pool tables; this would be the perfect place to hang out except for all the candles and the cosy atmosphere. The guys and I would never come here together.

“Has Michael taken you out for a ride on his new motorbike yet?”

“Nope,” Liz shakes her head. “We’re not allowed.”

“Not allowed?” I echo.

“Yeah. One time Michael was giving me a ride on the back of his bicycle and he hit a curb or something and we both fell off. He broke his arm and I had to get stitches.” She rubs the scar above her eye with her finger. “Mom forbade us from ever doing it again. So when Michael got his first motorbike she made him promise never to take me on the back. And he won’t let me ride it myself.”

“He allowed me to sit on it,” I boast. But I wasn't allowed turn on the engine.

“Lucky,” Liz jokes.

“Michael mentioned that you’re up for a scholarship. That’s amazing.”

Liz blushes. “Thank you. Yeah, it’s great. If I get it, Metachem would pay my tuition and I would be guaranteed a job when I graduate. But actually, today my boss told me that she’ll give me a job there next summer if I want it. My friend Alan thinks they’re grooming me as a future employee. So either way, I think I’ll be ok.”

“It would be nice to have your tuition paid though,” I say thinking of my own debts.

“Well, Grandma Claudia left me money so that covers my tuition and my living expenses. I kind of feel guilty applying for the scholarship when I don’t really need it.”

I wave my fork. “Don’t feel guilty about taking money from a major pharmaceutical company, relish it.”

“That seems to be the general consensus,” Liz laughs. “But I’m more worried about the poor student I’ll be depriving of the money.”

“Ah yes. They’ll probably end up being sold into white slavery and have to sell their kidneys. And as they lie on the table while a surgeon with suspect training hacks into them with a blunt scalpel without anesthesia, they’ll think to themselves, if only Liz Parker hadn't taken that scholarship. I hope you’re ready to carry that burden around with you forever.”

Liz stares at me in horror.

“Sorry. That was in very bad taste. I’m obviously joking,” I backpedal.

“You have a very warped sense of humor,” Liz says with a shake of her head, but her eyes are twinkling. “I guess I should have expected that from a lawyer.”

“Oh, the gloves are off.”

Liz laughs and pushes away her empty plate. “Let’s take this to the pool table.”

I order two more beers and follow her over to the table.

“Ok, before we start, I’m going to show you something,” Liz says. She hands me my cue. “You need to hold it like this.” She demonstrates with her own cue.

I lean over the table and try to imitate her, but Liz shakes her head and shows me again. When I still don’t get it, she leans over and physically moves my fingers into the right position.

“Now, don’t jab at the ball, slide it,” she instructs. She holds my arm and moves it back and forth in a gentle motion. “Got it? Now try it yourself.”

I do as I’m told and she nods in satisfaction.

“Ok, I think you’re ready to put up more of a fight this time,” she teases me. “But just to make it a little easier on you, I’m going to let you break first again.”

“Gee, thanks.”

She’s right. I make a better go of it the second time around but she still trounces me in the two games we play.

“You still lost to a girl, but at least you didn’t totally suck this time,” Liz crows as we put away the cues.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” I inform her haughtily.

Liz wrinkles her nose. “Really? It wasn’t much of a compliment.”

I make a face and pull out my wallet, throwing down enough to cover our two meals and the beers.

“No, I was joking about that,” Liz exclaims, reaching for her purse.

I put my hand on her arm to stop her. “I lost fair and square, even if you did use underhanded tactics, so dinner’s on me. With one condition - you don’t tell Michael that you beat me four times.”

Liz giggles. “Ok.”

“Just so you know, I’m going to be practicing religiously between now and Christmas so we can have a rematch. Prepare for defeat,” I warn ominously as we walk out of the restaurant.

“I look forward to it,” Liz says with a smile. We reach her car and she fishes her keys out of her pocket. “Good night, Max.”

“Night, Liz.”

I wait for her to start the car and drive off before I climb into my own.

I never would have thought that I’d have so much fun hanging out with Liz Parker, but I really enjoyed myself tonight. It felt easy and natural with her, kind of like it had been with Lucy. I really think that if she hadn’t pulled that stunt six years ago, I could really have fallen for this girl.
***
User avatar
nibbles2
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 754
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:01 pm
Contact:

In which somebody uses the L word!

Post by nibbles2 »

Earth2Mama You don't have to worry about it being too early for Max and Liz because after this part, we'll be jumping forward in time.

truluv Thank you. And why aren't you writing more?

MorningStar We shall have no smacking around of Liz, thank you. Two things that I like about your post – Brownies = yummy and Veronica Mars icon = awesome. I loved that line.

Begonia9508 Alan is really just a friend for Liz and a casual fling at best.

sarammlover Yeah, Max is over it, but 'Lucy' is a different story and you'll see more of that later.

Roswellian117 Um. Kissing is a long way off.

Rowedog The Chinese New Year doesn't being until February 3rd and as that is the calender I go by, I’m still within the time frame I set out. So there.

Alien614 Thank you.

Alien_friend On the other hand, if Liz hadn't been Lucy she would have gone off to Harvard with her confidence intact and without feeling shame and guilt every time she met a guy so she wouldn't have sabotaged every relationship she was in and chances are she would have met a really nice guy and fallen in love with him. Equally, with Lucy Max wouldn't have suffered with guilt and anger and self-doubt for so long either and he too would have developed a loving relationship with another girl and it would have lasted as he wouldn't have been subconsciously comparing her unfavourably to 'Lucy'

keepsmiling7 Funny you should say that about Olivia...

Sundae Yikes. I’m jumping forward in time, but not 68 years.

AlysLuv Thank you.

Cocogurl Well Michael thinks that hustling pool is an essential life school and so it was important to teach his little sister.

Cardinal LOL. I like that description, GPS and an Indian guide. Apt.

Spacegirl23 I’ve been asking how to get them together for two years and I’m not going to lie, I came pretty close to giving them both amnesia.

Eva I think that if I can get a candy to like my dreamer chapters that I’m doing something right.

Somewhere87 No. I’m glad you liked that part.

valentinebaby Not yet. I think.

twilight Not really a date. Just two friends hanging out. But easy to confuse the two.

SmileeUK I wish Senor Chow's was real. It looked awesome.

And of course, big thanks to Michelle in LA





CRUSH – THIRTY-TWO


Maria

“Does this shirt say 'I know what I’m doing here, I’m competent and smart, please don't fire me'?”

“That's a lot for a shirt to say,” Liz says. She tears her gaze away from JJ's crib and looks at me quickly and nods. “But, yes.” She smiles distractedly and turns back to JJ.

“Cool.” I toss the shirt onto the pile of clothes that I will be taking with me to Ruidoso. Pile is probably a strong word. It contains three shirts and a skirt. I hate packing. I add another skirt and decide that's enough for now before joining Liz on the bed to stare at my sleeping brother. “Can I just say that I’m glad I brought you along for this? You've been a big help,” I say sarcastically.

Liz laughs. I hate packing. And Liz is so good at it. So she promised to help me pack a few boxes for Ruidoso. But all she's done since she's got here is play with JJ. He's in my room at the moment so that Mom can catch up on her sleep. I feel kind of bad, I’ve been spending most of my nights at Michael's so I haven't been woken up at all hours like she and Jim have been so it's the least I can do.

“I've done enough anyway,” I decide. “I'll just buy more clothes.”

Liz glances shrewdly at my very overstuffed closet. “I think you have enough clothes, Maria.” Like that's possible. She jumps off the bed and grabs my arm. “Come on, I’ll help this time.”

Under Liz's strict supervision, I manage to pack all the clothes that will be suitable for work and a half-suitcase of casual clothes to wear on my time off. Thanks to Liz's anally neat folding technique I can even fit in some of my shoes.

“Think you could come to Ruidoso and unpack for me when I get there?” I ask hopefully.

“Sorry, you're on your own for that,” Liz says with a shake of her head. “I'll be back in Boston.”

I sigh and sink back onto the bed. “I can't believe the summer is almost over.”

“I know. It feels like only yesterday I was packing to come home and now I’m getting ready to leave again.” Liz sits down beside me and rests her head on my shoulder. “But I’ll be back for Thanksgiving, or Christmas. Possibly even both if my schedule allows it. And you'll come to visit, right?”

I nod my head. “Definitely. I’m not sure when yet, but I will come.”

“Ok. Let's finish this,” Liz says, standing to her feet and clapping like a cheerleader.

“I thought we were being sentimental and stuff,” I protest.

“Nuh-uh, you're not getting out of this,” Liz insists dragging me to my feet. She pulls open the top drawer of my dresser and regards my underwear. “Wow, you have a lot of padded bras.”

I cup my breasts. “I need them.”

Liz laughs. “More than a handful is a waste.”

“Yeah. The only problem is that Michael has really big hands.” There's a moment of silence as the double meaning of that statement sinks in, before I laugh and wiggle my eyebrows.

Liz makes a disgusted face at me.

I scoop out an armful of whatever I reach and plop them down onto the suitcase that's lying open on the floor. “There. Done.”

“You have about twenty bras and two pairs of panties there,” Liz points out. She toes the pile. “And a few pairs of mismatched socks,” she adds with a frown. Liz hates mismatched socks.

“I don't care,” I groan. I’ve had enough of packing.

“Maria,” Liz scolds.

“Fine. Jeeze.”

Liz really knows how to crack the whip. I’m glad she's here because there's no way that I would have ever managed to pack everything without her. She even lays out all my socks on the floor and pairs them off correctly.

We finish up as JJ stirs, and as a thank you for all her help I let Liz give him his bottle while I make a start on dinner. Mom joins us in the kitchen a little later looking rested and relaxed and “feeling human for the first time in days”.

Jim arrives home with Michael in tow. I can tell something is wrong immediately. Michael barely says hello to Liz and is marginally politer to my mother. He slumps into a seat in the living room and watches the news with a stony expression. Jim looks ashen-faced but is a little more genial. He comes into the kitchen where I’m making a salad to go with dinner.

“What's wrong?” I ask.

He pours himself a glass of water and sighs. He turns to face me and I realize that he's got his serious face on. My stomach immediately drops. “Do you remember the couple and the baby who were lost in the desert last month?”

I nod.

“We got word today that the baby died.” Jim looks grey.

“That's awful.” I feel a momentary relief that it's not anything about somebody I know, then feel guilty about that because I can clearly picture the images of that sweet little boy the papers carried after he was found. He was only a few months older than JJ is now. That thought makes me sick to my stomach. I look at him, nestled in Liz's arms and shake my head. He's so small and vulnerable. Then my gaze swing to Michael, so morose and quiet.

Jim nods, clearly upset himself. “Michael is pretty upset.”

I touch Jim's arm. “Are you ok?”

He shrugs. “I think so. It''s hard, you know? If we had found them earlier he could have survived.”

“I know. But you guys did everything you could. Whatever chance that little baby had was because of the quick actions of your department. There was nothing more that you could have done.”

“Thanks, Maria,” he says. I don't know if it helped him at all. I think that it's something that he's always going to carry with him. I look at Michael and see that he's bent over, his face in his hands.

“Hey guys,” Mom says, walking into the kitchen. “Did something happen?”

“Mom, can you watch the sauce?” I ask, leaving them alone in the kitchen. I join Liz and Michael in the living room. I pause to give JJ a kiss on his forehead. Then I turn to Michael. “Can you help me move JJ's crib back into Mom's room please?”

Michael drags himself silently to his feet and follows me into my bedroom. I close the door behind him and pull him towards me. He's so stiff and tense and he makes no move to return the hug at first but slowly his arms come around me and he holds me tightly, burying his face in my neck and breathing deeply. I rub my hands up and down his back and slowly some of the rigidity leaves his body.

“Are you all right?” I ask quietly. “Jim told me.”

“I'm ok,” Michael says against my hair. He pulls back and kisses me. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” I smile. “I'm here for you, you know that, right?”

He nods. “Do you have plans tonight?”

I shake my head. “Do you want to do something?”

“Yeah, let's take the bike out for that ride.”

“Can't wait.” We've been talking about going for a ride for a long time now but something always gets in the way. Sex, mostly. “Ok, let's move this and we'll go have dinner.”

Dinner is not the most fun meal I’ve ever had. Both Michael and Jim are quiet but they both seem to come around as Mom, Liz, and I keep up a steady stream of inane chatter.

Liz leaves after dinner and Michael helps me with the dishes before we say goodnight to Mom and Jim. I grab a change of clothes for the morning and we walk back to his place. I feed Rockie while Michael changes out of his uniform.

Soon we're on his bike, heading out into the desert. Michael sticks to the speed limit while we're in the town but as soon as we reach the old highway, he puts his foot down and increases the speed. It's exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I cling tightly to Michael's waist and try not to scream.

We leave the old highway and hit a dirt track leading through the desert. Michael is forced to slow down a little here, which I’m thankful for. I try to keep an eye out for landmarks so that we'll be able to find our way back in case Michael is just driving randomly, but after a while I realize that he seems to have a particular destination in mind so I stop watching the scenery and just enjoy the ride.

Eventually Michael comes to a stop at a small rock outcropping. He parks the bike, grabs a blanket from the compartment underneath the seat and takes my hand as we climb over the rocks. There's a small pool on the other side, glistening invitingly in the early moonlight.

“Wow, this is beautiful,” I exclaim. I wonder to myself how many girls Michael has brought out here in the past. This place has pad written all over it.

Michael disappears for a minute coming back with an armful of firewood. He throws it down inside a small circle of blackened stones, confirming my suspicions that he's been out here before. He gets a fire going quickly and sits back on the blanket.

I sit beside him, slip my arm around his waist and lean my head against his shoulder. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer. We sit like that for a long time as the fire crackles and the sky grows increasingly darker.

It's Michael who breaks the silence after almost an hour. “You see that thing out there?” He points in the direction of a lump a couple of hundred of feet away from us.

“The rock”?

“Yeah. It's not a rock though. It's the burned out remains of Hank Whitmore's brand new Chevrolet car.”

I squint into the distance, trying to make it out. “Oh. How did it get there?” I assume that Michael left it there, but I want to get him talking.

“Max and Kyle stole it and left it here,” Michael says, surprising me.

Max Evans?” I repeat.

“Yeah, and Kyle.”

Max stole a car?”

“And Kyle,” Michael says with the ghost of a smile.

My mouth opens and closes wordlessly several times.

“He won it, Hank I mean. KROZ had one of those hands-on-a-car competitions and Hank won it. Nobody has ever been able to explain how but he won it. He drove around like he was President of the town for two days after he got it. He even came into the Crashdown and called me trailer trash. Dad kicked him out and he went straight to a bar. When he came out, the car was gone. I was the number one suspect of course, but I had been working that night, - I even served Jim, so I was ruled out. Then about three days later, Max and Kyle drove me out here. And there was the car, just sitting there.”

“They'd stolen it?” I ask in disbelief.

“Yeah. I’m not sure how they managed it, but they did. So we torched it and left it here.”

“Huh! I can't believe that Max stole a car.”

Michael laughs. “Kyle did too.”

I laugh too. “I know, but I can believe Kyle stole a car. Is that part of your Mutual Destruction pact?”

“Actually, no,” Michael says with a shake of his head. “That's something else.”

“Are you ever going to tell me?”

Instead of answering, Michael pulls me to my feet. “Let's go for a swim.”

I look at the water dubiously. “Won't it be cold?”

“Maria, it's been warmed up by the sun all day. It'll be lovely.” He strips off his clothes quickly and jumps into the water. He surfaces and wipes his face. “It's lovely.”

I slip out of my clothes and dive in.

It's so freaking cold.

I surface, gasping for air. “You fucking bastard. It's fucking freezing.”

Michael laughs and splashes water at me.

I scream and make for the edge of the pool. Michael grabs me, pulling me back towards him and holding me tight. “You'll warm up in a minute.”

We splash around for a few minutes but I don't warm up at all, so I climb out and wrap myself up in the blanket and sit by the fire. Just as I’m warm and dry, Michael climbs out and wrestles with me for the blanket. I squeal in protest but to no avail. Michael manages to get the blanket off me. He pulls me back to him and wraps us both up in the blanket.

“I'm cold again,” I protest.

“Shut up,” he says softly, hugging me tighter and nuzzling my damp hair.

I stop protesting and relax into his embrace. His hands start moving softly and gently over my skin, smoothing over my goose-pimples and warming my skin, heating me up more effectively than any fire ever could. After a while, I turn in his arms so that I’m face him and give him the same treatment. Slowly, it turns more sensual. Caressing turns to kissing and eventually, slowly we make love. It's so slow and loving that it takes my breath away. Michael is usually gentle but it's rarely this slow and tender.

Afterwards as lie in each others arms beside the dying fire. Michael runs his finger slowly up and down my arm and I press my head to his chest, listening to his heart beat.

“Are you ok?” I ask quietly.

“Yeah,” Michael sighs. “Sorry about earlier. I was just...”

“I know. It's ok,” I assure him. I want to tell him that I love him but I’m not completely sure that he wouldn't freak out still. I don't think that he's ready to say it to me. This moment has been almost perfect and I don't want to ruin it by making it awkward.

We lie is silence for a while longer before Michael clears his throat. “Hey, Maria.”

I glance up at Michael's face. “Yeah?”

I feel him take a deep breath. “I love you.”

Oh my God.

I blink back tears and bury my face in his chest. “I love you too.”

Now it's completely, absolutely, wonderfully perfect.
***
User avatar
nibbles2
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 754
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:01 pm
Contact:

In which Liz bids adieu to Roswell, again.

Post by nibbles2 »

Firstly, thank you all for the nominations. You're all really kind.

Funniest Feedbacker
Angstiest Author
Best Author of a Candy Fanfic
Best Author of a Conventional Couple Fanfiction


Well done and good luck to all the other nominees. I will not be voting for you.

Alien_Friend To me, the friendships were just as important as the relationships between the two couples. I didn't show it as much but Max, Kyle and Michael are just as tight and as close as Maria and Liz are.

Earth2Mama Max was totally the ring-leader. It was all his idea but Kyle was the one who did the actual hot-wiring and driving.

sarammlover I thought that Maria was going to say it first, but Michael beat her to the punch.

valentinebaby Thank you.

truluv Good to hear.

keepsmiling7 Yep.

begonia9508 Thanks for reading.

tequathisy LoL yeah I’m very proud of myself at the moment for all these updates. Here's to keeping it up for Gold Diggers.

Sundae Aw, thank you. I might to a tag 68 years into the future. You never know.

Ally Wally Better?

xmag I love that everybody thinks Max and Kyle are good friends for stealing a car. I mean, they are, but it tickles me that you all agree with it.

Kay_b Not bad.

Roswellian117 Thanks.

StarCharms Liz and Alan aren't really in a relationship. He's just somebody to pass the time with while she's in Roswell. It's just fun and casual. But he's an important stepping stone for Liz.

SmileeUK

And Michelle in LA for betaing. Thanks.


Crush - Thirty-three

Liz

I smooth down my hair, straighten my dress and pick lint from it, reapply my lipstick, fluff up my hair again. Eventually I run out of stalling techniques, so I put everything back into my little beaded purse and leave the safety of the ladies room to rejoin the wedding party in the ballroom.

It’s filled up since I first arrived and I have to squeeze around people to make my way back to the table. I can see that although Alan still isn’t back, there are other people sitting in their seats now and I breathe a sigh of relief. When we first arrived, Alan darted away to get pictures taken and I was left sitting on my own at the table. Feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious I’d escaped to the ladies room to hide out for a while. I’ve come a long way this summer but I’m still too nervous to approach people and start talking to them, especially Roswellians, because I always feel that they’re judging me.

I slip into my seat and smile at the other people sitting around the table, before my eyes land on the woman sitting opposite me and I look at her in surprise.

“Hi, Liz,” Olivia smiles. “I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

“Hi, Olivia,” I say, still confused but then the answer pops into my head. “Newman! You’re related to the bride?”

“Yes. She’s my first cousin.” Olivia smiles again. “You must be Alan’s date.”

I nod in confirmation as Max joins us and takes his seat. He looks amazing in his suit. He hands a glass of wine to Olivia and greets everybody at the table before looking at me in surprise.

“I’m here with Alan Davis,” I explain. He must think that I’m stalking him; I seem to turn up everywhere that he is. Even when I was a kid and actually stalking him, I didn’t run into him as much as I do now.

However, if he thinks that he doesn’t show it. He just smiles and says hello. I feel more relaxed knowing that there are people that I know at the table. We get chatting to the other people around the table, a mixture of relations, friends and work colleagues of the happy couple.

Alan comes back a little while later, rubbing his cheeks. “They hurt from smiling so much,” he explains. He takes his seat and leans in closer to me to whisper in my ear. “I’m very sorry about this.

I frown. “Sorry about what?”

He nods his head towards the last two empty chairs at the table just as a very large man and his much smaller wife pull them out and sit down. “Hi Uncle Joe, Aunt Sophie.”

Across from me, Olivia grimaces before plastering on a polite but fake smile. One of Alan’s cousins groans quietly.

It doesn’t take long for me to understand the reaction. Uncle Joe quickly reveals himself to be one of the most tedious, annoying, boring people I have ever met. He completely and totally dominates the conversation around the table. No matter what the subject, he’s an ‘expert’ on it. When somebody asks Olivia about her time in South America, he jumps in and shares his opinion on the political situation there before Olivia even answers the question. When Alan is asked about work, Uncle Joe treats us to a seventeen minute tutorial on science. When I point out that he’s wrong about something and mention what I study at Harvard, he immediately launches into a ‘discussion’ with me about Ivy League colleges. By discussion, I mean that he answers his own questions before I can even open my mouth. We all try to talk quietly amongst ourselves, but he’s so loud that he drowns everybody else out

By the time the main course is served I want to jam a fork in his esophagus. Or my own. Whatever will get me away from here the fastest.

As we wait for dessert, I meet Max’s eyes across the table. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Before making pretending to stick his fork into his heart. I giggle. Just at that point Uncle Joe shuts up long enough to take a drink.

“So, Liz, you must be leaving soon,” Max blurts out in the momentary silence.

I nod. “The day after tomorrow.”

Uncle Joe swallows and opens his mouth but Max jumps in first. “Are you looking forward to getting back to Boston?”

“Yes,” I fire back before Joe gets a chance to speak. I raise my voice. “I’m looking forward to starting graduate school but I’m going to miss Roswell. Are you… looking forward to becoming an uncle?” It’s a dumb question, but I need to ask something before the conversation becomes a lecture on the architecture of Boston.

“Yes, very much,” Max responds immediately, raising his own voice to match mine. “Alan, what did you think of San Diego?” He asks the question like a quiz-master in the rapid-fire round.

“It was lovely,” Alan answers in the same tone as Max. He turns to one of his cousins. “Stella, what color did you decide to paint the house?”

She catches on. “Californian sunrise. Olivia, your dress is beautiful. Where did you get it?”

And so it becomes a game. We fire questions at each other, random, inane questions. And answer in the same way, sometimes with blatantly made-up answers. I tell the groom’s college room mate that I drive a mustang because it’s the first car type that springs into my head when he asks me what kind of car I have. The next three questions I have to answer are all from Max as he asks what kind of mileage I get, what horsepower it has and what kind of engine oil I use. I glare at him but he just grins in return.

Uncle Joe seems oblivious to what we’re doing and tries to interject numerous times but somebody always talks over him, or just plain ignores him. It’s rude, but no ruder than what he was doing to us.

When dessert arrives, he’s so consumed with eating that we can all take a deep breath and relax a little to enjoy the food and actually have a normal conversation. Although Alan is laughing so hard, he can barely breathe, let alone eat.

“Olivia, have you any plans to go back to South America?” one of the relations asks.

Olivia glances quickly at Max before looking back at the lady who asked the question. “Nothing concrete. But yes, I’m thinking that I’ll probably go back in a year or two. I want to increase my skills first and I’ll have to raise the money, of course. But hopefully I’ll get to go back.”

I look at Max. He seems a little surprised by her statement but not completely shocked. Or upset. It’s weird. I thought they were a loved up super couple. Michael has spent the last few days moping and sulking around because Maria is moving to Ruidoso for six months. Yet Max just shrugs and continues eating his strawberry crème brûlée.

Dinner is quickly followed by the speeches and then the band starts playing.

I dance a few dances with Alan and then share a few with some of the other men who were at the table. We’ve bonded now, and every time I meet somebody from our table they grin and wink.

After a couple of hours of dancing, I return to the table to take a break and have a drink. Alan is somewhere on the dance floor with his brothers. They have boundless energy and a rather unique style of dancing. It’s best to steer clear, I think.

I get talking to one of the other couples, Robert and Rachel. Rachel had actually lived in Boston for a while, so we have lots to talk about. Max and Olivia come back to the table after a few minutes though Olivia is whisked away for a dance by her father before her butt has touched the seat. Max talks sports with Robert while Rachel and I talk dresses. Suddenly Robert jumps up and hisses, “Run,” before pulling Rachel in the direction of the dance floor.

Max jerks his head in their direction. “Let’s dance,” he suggests.

I rise up and when I turn around I see the reason for the sudden exile. Uncle Joe is bearing down fast. I laugh and grab Max’s hand.

Just as we step out onto the floor, the music slows down. I expect Max to at least be uncomfortable, but he takes my hand and holds me as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

It feels strange to be this close to Max again. I try not to focus on how gentle he is, or how great he smells, or how firm he feels under my touch. I try not to stare into his amazing eyes.

We move around in silence at first but as we turn, I see Uncle Joe sitting at the table. “What do you think Olivia and Alan and everybody else at that table did to the bride and groom?”

Max looks puzzled at first but then he laughs. “I don’t know but it must have been horrendous. Kidnapped their puppy maybe?”

I laugh. “At least you know he’s a relative on the Davis side so if you and Olivia ever get married you won’t have to invite him.”

“True. But I do have an aunt with seven cats who can talk to her. She’s interesting,” Max jokes. Then he sighs. “But I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Crap. Did I just put my foot in it?

“It’s ok,” he smiles.

I look over at Olivia who is still dancing with her dad. “Did you know she was planning to go back to South America?”

“We hadn’t really discussed it. But I had an idea. I’d often catch her watching the news or reading a paper and she always got this look on her face, like a kid who’s been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.”

“And are you ok with that?” I ask.

Max shrugs. “It’s not really up to me.”

“I know. I meant, well, she’s your girlfriend. It must be hard to think of her going away to another continent.”

Max sighs and says nothing. He twirls me around and pulls me back in again, smiling at me. Just when I’m about to apologize for bringing the subject up he answers me.

“The truth is that I’m ok with it. I really like Olivia and I hope, we’ll stay good friends, but… there’s something missing there. When we first started dating, I thought it would happen but it hasn’t. I haven’t really felt that spark with her. My feelings for her have sort of… plateaued and I pretty sure she feels the same way. I’m not saying that I don’t care - I’m very fond of her, and I’ll miss her if and when she goes, but I don’t think this is a long-term thing.”

“It’s still pretty early in your relationship,” I point out. I’m kind of disappointed in a way. I like them together. And, also, deep down I think that I wanted Max to be gloriously, wonderfully happy because that would mean that I hadn’t damaged him irreparably.

“I know,” Max sighs. He shrugs again, my hand moves with his shoulder. “We were talking the other day, the guys and I, about how we all got girlfriends this summer. And the way Kyle and Michael were talking, it was like they both knew that Tess and Maria were it for them.”

“I don’t think you should compare your relationship to theirs. Everybody is different.”

Max smiles. “I know. But they found it, that spark. That indefinable connection that you have with the right person. I just don’t feel that way with Olivia. But that’s ok, I’m not in any rush to settle down. When the time is right, and the girl is right, I’ll feel that spark again.”

“Again?” I ask, wondering who he felt it with before. He gives me a meaningful look and I flush. Right, me. “Oh.”

He smiles ironically. “Yeah, oh. Sometimes, I wonder if…” he shakes his head and says nothing.

I don’t ask what he wonders because I think I can guess. He wonders if he would have felt that spark with me, if I had waited longer. Me too. Sometimes, when I’m with him, like at Senor Chows last week, it feels like that spark is there.

“Ten dollars says that the next time we dance at a wedding it will be Michael and Maria’s,” he says, changing the subject abruptly.

I laugh and shake my head. “I can’t picture Michael ever getting married.”

Max raises an eyebrow. “I can. I think he’d love to settle down. He’s ready for it. I mean, he has the dog and the house and now he has the girl. Mark my words; two, three years from now, we’ll be dancing at his wedding.”

“I look forward to it,” I smile. The music comes to and end and we separate. Alan and Olivia dance up to us. Max slips his arm around Olivia’s waist and I stand beside Alan.

“They’re going to finish up soon,” Alan informs us. “Last dance?”

“Sure,” I nod. I turn to Max. “Thanks for the dance. And for the rescue.”

Max laughs. “Sure. Hey, in case I don’t see you before you go — good luck in Boston.”

“Yeah, good luck,” Olivia chimes in.

“Thanks,” I smile at her. “And thanks,” I say to Max, hoping that somehow in that one word he’ll know just how grateful I am to him for everything.

He nods at me and then Alan whisks me into the crowd.
*
Two days later

Maria bursts into tears as soon as she comes through the door and sees me. I manage to remain dry-eyed for another two seconds but as soon as she wraps her arms around me, I’m a goner.

I’ve been dreading this moment. She’s leaving for Ruidoso now and I’m leaving for the airport in a couple of hours. The summer has gone by so quickly. It feels like only yesterday that I was packing to come, now all my stuff is packed and ready for the return trip.

Maria and I pull away after a few minutes and laugh at our own silliness.

“Let’s go fix our make-up,” I suggest. I pull Maria into my bedroom which now looks as bare and unused as it did when I first got here. But there are some differences, I’ve stuck up some photos and left some books here that I can read the next time I’m home. I’ve also left some clothes in my closet. Well, actually the laundry hamper but they’ll go in my closest when they’re washed. I like knowing that I’ll be able to come back and fit into my life again.

“Are you ok?” I ask Maria as she wipes away the tear tracks on her face.

“Yeah. No. I don’t know,” Maria laughs. “I’m just nervous about the new job and I’m going to miss you and JJ and Michael and everybody so much. It’s silly; I’m only going to be a few miles down the road.”

“It’s a big step,” I say. “But you’ll be awesome.”

“I know,” she brags, then laughs again.

I pull her over to the bed. “I got you something,” I say, picking up a gift bag.

Her eyes widen. “I didn’t get you anything,” she says in dismay.

“Oh. Well, in that case,” I tease, putting the gift back down.

“Gimme,” Maria protests, reaching for the bag. We mock wrestle for it for a minute and then I let her have it. “You didn’t have to get me anything,” Maria protests as she removes the gift and unwraps it.

“It’s nothing major. It’s just something that I wanted you to have.” And it’s only a tiny, tiny token of the appreciation and love that I feel for her.

Maria tears through the paper and coos when she sees what’s inside. It’s a double photo frame. On the left I have a picture of the two of us at my fifth birthday party. We’re both wearing pretty little party dresses with our hair in ringlets and ribbons. Our arms are wrapped tightly around each other and our cheeks smushed together and as we smile huge smiles for the camera. On the right, there’s a picture that was taken this summer. We’re both in a very similar pose, and coincidentally in dresses that are the same color as our earlier party dresses. Though we’re slightly drunker than in the first picture.

“It’s lovely. Thank you,” Maria exclaims, reaching out to hug me again.

I hold her tight, letting go reluctantly.

Our eyes meet and we both laugh, knowing that we’re on the verge of tears again.

Maria stands up. “I should go. Mom and Jim left before us and I don’t want to leave them waiting on the doorstep in this heat.”

We walk down the stairs together.

“They’re driving up too?” I ask.

“Yeah. Mom wanted to see the place I’m going to be living in, and Michael will need a ride home, so…” She shrugs.

We turn to each other and hug again.

“Promise you’ll come home again soon,” Maria pleads.

“I promise. Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. I got the Wheeler Grant, so I will definitely be back to work here next summer.” Actually, I didn't forget, I left it to the last minute to tell her in the hope that we could leave on a high and not in a flood of tears.

It worked.

Maria squeals loudly and hugs me again. “That’s great. I’m so happy for you.” She looks over at Michael and makes a ‘let’s move’ gesture.

Michael stands up and walks over to us.

I immediately throw my arms around him. He stiffens in that way he always does at physical contact, but his arms come around me and he squeezes me tightly before letting go. I hold on a little longer, just to annoy him, before pulling away. “Bye, Michael.”

“See ya, Liz. Don’t be a stranger,” he warns.

“I won’t.”

I follow them out to Maria’s car and hug Maria one more time before she climbs inside it.

They honk the horn and drive off. I wave until they’re out of sight.

Two hours later, I’m the one leaving. I say goodbye to my mother and climb into the car. I wave goodbye and then we’re off to the airport.

As we pass the ‘Thank you for visiting Roswell’ I remember how, six years ago when I left under a cloud of shame, that I had never wanted to see Roswell again. This time, tears trickle down my cheeks.
***
User avatar
nibbles2
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 754
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:01 pm
Contact:

In which it's two years later and somebody's getting married

Post by nibbles2 »

Natalie36 Keep those fingers crossed.

trulov The Spark is all important to Max.

keepsmiling7 Well, she was back for Christmas and Spring break. So a year isn't that long.

valentinebaby Uncle Joe was based on somebody I know. I try to avoid him as much as possible too.

Earth2Mama I think if Max didn't already know what the spark felt like, he might have been able to fool himself with Olivia.

Alien_friend You're totally right, Max has grown with Olivia and he's in a better place for the next one.

twilight It'll be soon and not soon at the same time.

Alien614 It'll fly by as if it was only a week or so.

Sptfire86 It was the fic equivalent of a double rainbow

tequathisy Yes, it was a summer of change for all of them, good changes.

Eva well Maria is splitting her time between Ruidoso and Roswell and it's only for six months. It will be a little longer for Liz.

Begonia9508 Liz has moved on. For now.

Kay_b Well, I think that if Olivia felt the spark she probably wouldn't be making any plans to go live in a jungle in South America again, right? There's no need to worry about her. I like Olivia and want her to be happy too.

Miss Rowe Is this better?

itsme69 Welcome to Crush. And to Roswell Fanatics.

Sundae Thank you. I’m coming around the 68 year tag. The girls will be 80 and the guys will be 86. The age gap doesn't seem so big then.

Cardinal You'll find out soon who gets married first.

SmileeUK Well Liz was home a couple of times before Summer but I’ve skipped all those.

AlysLuv It's just one of those things. Some relationships blossom and some fizzle out.

Roswellian117 Cookies please.

April Yep this fic is winding down. Only four chapters left.

And last but least my beta Michelle in LA Thank you.

So, We're jumping forward in time again. There are four chapters left to this fic, and they're kind of an epilogue.

Enjoy.


Crush - Thirty-Four

Two years later

Michael

Maria thumbs through her notebook frantically, muttering to herself and shaking her head before looking at me. “Something’s not right.”

Of course.

It totally figures. We’re getting married in twenty-four hours so of course something is wrong. Although, to be fair, so far we’ve been pretty lucky, the organizing has gone really smoothly. We got the church and the reception hall we wanted for the date we wanted, compiling the invitation list was easy. Maria even found The Dress really quickly. Everything else, the food, the cake, the flowers, all that other stuff fell into place hassle free. So it stands to reason that things are going to start going wrong now.

I adopt my best calming, authoritative police voice. “What’s the problem?”

Nothing,” Maria states, sounding almost panicked. “There’s nothing wrong. That can’t be right? Can it? I can’t have organized a whole wedding by myself this easily. I must have forgotten something or left something out. Something has to go wrong.”

I bite back a smile and pull Maria onto my lap. I remove the notebook from her hand and set it down on the table among the breakfast things. “Everything is fine. Amy and Mom and Isabel have all helped out and if there was anything you missed, then one of them would have caught it. Besides, you’ve been using that website checklist thingy and you’ve checked all the boxes on that, right?”

Maria nods.

“So don’t worry about it. We have the church, and The Dress and the food. Everybody we want to be there is going to be there. That’s the important stuff. Who cares if something else goes wrong?”

“You’re right,” Maria sighs. “It’s just that it almost feels too good to be true and that something has to go wrong.”

“I can get a really bad haircut if you want,” I offer with a grin.

Maria laughs, then bites her lip in that way she does when she has something to say that she knows that I’m not going to like.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she says, shaking her head.

“Maria.”

She sighs. “Ok. What are you going to do to your hair today?”

“I’ll probably just get it shaved off like I did last summer,” I lie.

Maria bites her lip again. Too easy.

“Will you just spit it out!” I exclaim.

“Please don’t shave your head for the wedding. You can do it after we get back from our honeymoon if you want but please, not before.”

“What do you want me do it with it?” I ask. I kind of have an inkling what the problem is here.

Maria shrugs. “Whatever you want. But something neat and tidy. And,” she shapes my hair with her fingers, brushing some to the side and neatening it up, “Like that. Please. But you don’t have to, if you don’t want to, just please don’t shave it.”

I tilt my head to the side so I can see my reflection in the oven door and smirk. Maria has no problem telling me what clothes to wear, what shoes to wear, what food to eat, what products I should use, what speed I should drive at, what activities I should do. But she has never once tried to tell me what to do with my hair. Even last summer when I shaved it, which she hated, she never said anything about it. I figure that the reason is because I dumped Isabel because she demanded that I cut my hair. Which is ridiculous. If Maria asked me to dye my hair pink, I would. I mean, I’d bitch about it for a year first and she’d have to do lot of persuading and nagging, but if it really, really mattered to her, I’d do it.

“Maria, I’m not going to call off the wedding just because you tell me how to do my hair.”

“I’m not telling you,” she protests. “I’m merely making a suggestion.”

“Just tell me how you want me to do it and I’ll do it.” I want tomorrow to be perfect for Maria because I know how much it means to her.

“Just do it like it is now, but a little tidier,” then she smiles sheepishly. “I already told Steve what to do.”

Steve is my barber.

I laugh and pull her in for a kiss. It’s growing deeper when I hear the tell-tale sound of an audience behind us and I pull away. Sure enough, Rockie and Perdie, the Dalmatian I bought Maria for her birthday last year, are watching us. Rockie looks bored, but Perdie is looking at us with great interest, her tongue hanging out and her head cocked to the side.

Maria laughs. “Now I know what’s going to go wrong.”

Upstairs, I hear the sound of a toilet flushing. “What?” I ask, pushing her gently to her feet so that I can stand up.

“Tomorrow, you’re going to have to stand up in front of all your friends and family, and work colleagues, and my work colleagues, and people that you don’t even know, and declare your love for me. That’s like the ultimate PDA, and you can’t even make out with me in front of the dogs.”

I pour batter onto the waffle iron and shake my head. “It’s different.”

“How?”

“It just is.” I can’t explain it, I don’t like making out when the dogs are watching us. It’s like doing it in front of children. It’s wrong. “And don’t worry; I’m not going to have a problem tomorrow. Max is going to get me well and truly drunk before the ceremony.”

“He better not,” Maria laughs, but she sounds deadly serious at the same time.

I just grin and wink.

Maria picks up her notebook again and runs through her check list again. “So you’re picking up your suit this morning. You have to collect the rings. Haircut at two and don’t forget to pick up Brian at four.”

“Actually, you don’t have to pick up Brian,” Liz announces as she pads barefooted into the kitchen. She pets the two dogs on her way to the fridge.

“Is he renting a car?” Maria asks.

Liz pours herself a glass of orange juice and drinks it down slowly before answering Maria’s question. “No. He’s not coming.”

“What?” Maria asks.

“He’s not coming,” Liz repeats. She accepts the plate of waffles from me and sits down at the table.

“Why not?”

Liz cuts her waffle carefully before looking up at Maria. “Look, there’s something I should have told you. Brian and I broke up a couple of weeks ago. It was mutual and I’m completely fine. He was going to come to the wedding but a friend of his got tickets to a concert he wants to go to, and Brian decided to go with his friend. He said that he didn’t feel like flying all the way here to attend a wedding of people he doesn’t even know and he’s never going to see again, which I can understand. But he said to wish you guys all the best. So, I’ll be going stag to your wedding.”

Maria reaches across the table and squeezes Liz’s hand. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes,” Liz says with a bright and genuine smile. “I’m really fine about it. We ended on good terms.”

“What happened? How come you guys broke up?” I ask, sliding back into my seat beside Maria.

“It was just the right time,” Liz shrugs. “It wasn’t really going anywhere and we both knew that. Besides, I’ll be moving back to Roswell and he’s going to be living in Boston so it was never going to work out.”

There’s a moment of silence while Liz casually eats her waffles.

“You’re moving back to Roswell?” Maria asks breathlessly. “Seriously?”

Liz nods, like it’s no big deal but she can’t stop the huge smile breaking out on her face. “Yeah.”

“OhmyGod, OhmyGod,” Maria shrieks, bouncing up and down on her seat. “What? How? Why? When?”

“Well, Roswell and Las Cruces. I’m going to do my doctorate at the University of Las Cruces and work at MetaChem part time. So I’m back for good, starting now.”

“Oh my God,” Maria shrieks again. She runs around the table and hugs Liz tightly. “West bedding present ever.”

Liz’s eyes meet mine and we both laugh. “West bedding present?” We both say at once.

“You know what I mean,” Maria blushes.

“No, I really don’t,” I tease her.

“Yeah, Maria, what’s west bedding?” Liz asks cheekily.

“Screw you guys, I’m going to take a shower,” Maria says haughtily. She turns on her heel and marches out of the room. The dogs follow her but she shoos them back.

I stand up and let the dogs outside. “Congratulations on the job,” I tell Liz.

“Thanks.” She starts telling me all the details and I half listen as I load the dishwasher, but I’m listening for the shower to start upstairs.

When I hear it, I close the dishwasher door and excuse myself to go upstairs and join Maria. Tomorrow we’re going to be a married couple so this might be the last ever chance I get to have sex.
*
Just about the only input I had into the wedding was with the menu for the meal tomorrow and picking the venue for the rehearsal dinner. I asked for it to be held at Senor Chow's and Maria was happy to go along with that. Mainly because I think she was happy that I had an opinion at all on the wedding event.

As it turns out, having it here was a stroke of genius. Thank you Max for the idea. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed; everybody is mingling and talking in a way that just wouldn’t be possible in a stuffy, formal restaurant. We even get to play pool.

Or at least, other people get to play pool. I have to be the polite host and mingle and talk.

Talking to everybody here gives me the impression that a lot of people have lost money because of me. Nobody thought I’d get married. Ever.

Funnily enough though, there haven’t been any doubts in my mind. I knew I was going to marry Maria pretty early on in our relationship. I remember clearly the first time I thought about it. It was when she moved down to Ruidoso. I dropped her down there and came back to an empty house, knowing I wouldn’t see her for a few days. I missed her. And I knew then that I was going to marry her one day. In fact, when I popped the question, it was Maria who was uncertain. She felt that she was too young. Amy had spent years drilling it into Maria’s head not to make the same mistakes she had and Maria had listened, had promised herself that she wouldn't get married until she was older. Thankfully though, I was too irresistible and she said yes.

I look across the room to where Maria is talking to her aunts. She is actually radiant. I’ve never really understood that expression before but I get it now. She’s got the biggest smile on her face, and her whole being is luminous. I don’t think her feet are touching the floor as she flits around, talking to everybody. That calms my nerves, because if she’s this happy then she can’t be having any doubts.

After saying hello to nearly everybody, I manage to make my way to the pool tables where Max, Kyle, Tess, Jesse and Isabel, and Max’s date Sarah are hanging out. As I approach, Sarah leans over the table to take a shot and sends the white ball flying towards me. I bend down and catch is as it bounces past my foot.

Sarah falls onto the table in a heap of laughter while everybody else just rolls their eyes. Max looks annoyed. I feel sorry for him. He’s been seeing her for a few weeks and while she seems nice and fun when she’s sober, she is incredibly annoying when she’s drunk. And judging by the loudness of her laughter, right now she’s very drunk.

Max looks at me apologetically. I shake my head and place the ball back on the table.

“I dooley,” Sarah yells, flinging her arms around me and laughing hysterically. I have no idea what that means. I push her off and take a seat beside Max. She doesn’t even notice and leans down to take the shot again. It’s probably not even her go, but nobody says anything. Maybe she’s just playing by herself.

Maria skips over to us, her path interrupted by Sarah who squeals something unintelligible at her. Maria just brushes past her and plops down onto the stool beside me. “She better not behave like this tomorrow.”

“She’s probably going to have a hangover tomorrow and be too sick to have another night like this. One hopes,” Max mutters darkly.

“Sorry, Max,” Maria sympathizes.

He really hasn’t had the best luck since Olivia went back to Peru, or Bolivia, or wherever she is. In the past year he has dated about a dozen girls, ranging from really great to Sarah. None of them have lasted longer than a few weeks. On the plus side, I don’t think he’s driving them away like he used to, I think that he’s just picking the wrong girls. He’s looking for something that none of them have been able to provide.

“If it’s any consolation,” Maria continues. “Liz is flying solo tomorrow as well. She and her boyfriend broke up.”

“Really,” Max asks, perking up a little. He watches as Liz approaches us.

She stops and looks at us warily. “Were you guys talking about me?”

“Yes,” I confirm, deadpan.

“Good things, I hope.”

“Hardly,” Maria snorts.

Liz giggles and sits down. “So, the question of the night seems to be when you guys are going to have babies. Mom and Dad are desperate for grand-babies.”

I groan. Yes, that is indeed the question of the night. If it was up to me, we’d start on it as soon as we hit Hawaii but Maria wants to wait a year or two first. Mom has been dropping massive hints about grandchildren; fortunately Amy and Jim have their hands filled with JJ so they’re not as concerned. I find it harder to say no to Amy than to my own mother.

“My mother is desperate for me to settle down,” Max says. He throws a look at Sarah who has given up on pool and is now trying, with great difficulty, to put her cue back in the holder on the wall. “I think she’ll have to wait a little longer.”

“Don’t remind me,” Kyle groans. “Amy keeps dropping hints about me getting married too. What’s the rush? I’m still in my twenties.”

Tess sniffs. “I’m going to get a drink.” She walks off without looking at Kyle.

“Drink?” Sarah repeats, tottering after Tess.

As soon as they're gone, Isabel leans over and thumps Kyle, hard, on the arm. “Idiot,” she hisses.

“Ow,” he protests. “What was that for?”

“For being an asshole, I bet,” Max tells him. “That poor girl.”

Kyle shrugs. “It’ll all come good in the end.” He grins and goes off to find Tess.

I roll my eyes. We all know that he’s planning to propose on her birthday next month and he has some big gesture planned. In the meantime, he’s trying to throw Tess off the scent by declaring loudly and repeatedly that he’s not interested in marriage. She’s either going to dump him or kill him first.

“Who wants a game of pool?” Max asks jumping to his feet.

“Let’s play boys against the girls,” Maria suggests, pulling Liz up.

“You’re going down, Parker,” Max taunts Liz.

“In your dreams,” Liz retorts. “We’re going to kick your ass.”

It’s a tight contest, but in the end, Max and I reign supreme. Despite Maria’s cheating.

Max does a bizarre victory dance in front of Liz that involves flexing his muscles and thrusting his head like a chicken.

“I don’t know what you’re so cocky about,” Jesse says. “You sucked. Michael practically beat them single-handed.”

“Ha ha,” Liz sing-songs. “Suck it. I would still beat you one-on-one.”

“All right, let’s see,” Max challenges.

“Why do you like being beaten so much?” Liz asks. She waves her hand to encompass the crowd around the table. “And this time, everybody is going to see it.”

I put my arm around Maria’s waist and pull her towards me. She barely notices because she’s watching Max and Liz so intently. I kiss her ear. “Are you having fun, babe?”

“What? Oh. Yeah, it’s great. I’m glad we came here. It was a great idea.”

“I know,” I gloat.

Maria doesn’t notice, she’s still watching the other two. I look over at Isabel and Jesse. Like Maria, Isabel is watching them intently but with a deep scowl on her face. Jesse is trying to distract her. I look over at Max and Liz who are jostling each other as they set up the table. Both of them are laughing, and they look for all the world like they’re together.

Since Liz came back to Roswell to face Max and everybody else, they’ve developed a friendship. They’ve never actively made plans to hang out with each other, but as Maria and I are dating, they’ve ended up seeing a lot of each other whenever Liz is back in town. They talk, they have fun, and they have weird competitions against each other. And when Liz is in Boston, they trade jibes and jokes on Facebook. If I didn’t know better, I’d call it flirting.

As I watch, Liz bends over to take a shot and Max pushes her hair into her face so she messes it up. She pushes him away, laughing.

And then it hits me. They are flirting.

They like each other. That shouldn’t really surprise me. Max had really liked Liz when she was pretending to be Lucy. I’ve never seen him like that over any girl, ever. He was head over heels for her. And obviously, Liz was crazy about him, to have done what she did.

Maria has said on more that one occasion that she thinks Max and Liz would have ended up together too, if Liz hadn’t pre-empted the natural flow of things. I’ve never even thought that anything could happen between them because of that, but as I watch Max try to put Liz off of her game, I see that I could have been wrong.

Max has forgiven her, truly and completely. He has moved on from what happened. Liz has blossomed so much since then, she’s really come out of her shell since that summer. They’ve developed a good friendship, a real friendship. In a lot of ways, now that I think about it, they remind me of how myself and Maria were before we took the leap into coupledom.

Now it makes sense why Max hasn’t been able to find the right girl. He found her eight years ago when he met ‘Lucy’. Now that girl is standing in front of him again. Happy, confident, beautiful Liz.

I guess the big question is if they can ever consider taking the next step, or do they both believe it’s outside the realm of possibility?

I lean in to whisper in Maria’s ear. “Do you think that anything could happen between them?” I nod my head in Max and Liz’s direction, but Maria knows who I’m talking about.

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I think they like each other but they both probably think they shouldn’t. But who knows? Now that Liz is going to be in Roswell… I could definitely see something happening.” She turns to face me. “How would you feel if something did happen between them?”

“Me?” I think about that for a minute and shrug. “I don’t know. It would be weird at first, I guess. But I think I’d get used to it. As long as they were happy and treated each other ok, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

I glance over at Isabel who is glaring at Liz and sigh. While Isabel has eased up on Liz a lot and has reluctantly accepted her as part of the group whenever Liz is in town, I don’t think she has forgiven Liz yet. Or ever will. Yeah, I can see Isabel being a big stumbling block.

“Hey, Max,” Kyle says, walking back up to us and interrupting the game. “Uh, Sarah’s sister is taking her home. She’s practically passed out at the bar.”

Max sighs and hands Kyle his cue. “Can you take over here? I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Why is her sister here?” Maria asks Kyle.

“Somebody at the bar called her to come get Sarah. Apparently it’s not the first time.”

Max comes back a minute later looking pissed off. He turns to Maria. “Sarah will not be attending the wedding tomorrow.”

“Ok,” Maria says, sounding relieved. “Uh, will you be bringing somebody else?”

“Nah, it’s too late to find a date now. I’ll just hang out with Liz.”

“Um, I’m not sure I want to hang out with a loser,” Liz jokes, lightening the mood.

The only person who doesn’t laugh is Isabel, she slams her glass down and stalks off, throwing an angry look at Liz. Jesse and Max both start to follow after her, but I find myself rising to my feet first. “I’ll go,” I tell them.

I’m not really sure what possessed me or what I’m going to say as I follow Isabel to the bar. She goes to the quiet end and orders a drink. I slip onto the stool beside her and order a beer.

We sit in silence as the barman fills our order and hands us our drinks.

“I like your hair,” Isabel says at last.

I touch my hair. It’s a little preppy for me but Maria liked it, as did my mother, so I can stick it for two days. As soon as the wedding’s over I’m going back to my old style. “Thanks.”

“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” Isabel says.

I smile. “Yeah, a lot of people find it hard to believe… You know, in high school I was sure that I’d end up marrying you.”

Isabel almost spits out her drink. “What? Seriously?”

“Yeah. I was seriously in love with you when we dated.”

Isabel snorts. “You certainly didn’t show it.”

“I know. And I know I wasn’t a great boyfriend back then. But I did love you.”

“Thanks, Michael.”

“You were a horrible girlfriend.”

Her mouth falls open in shock. “What?”

“Yeah. You bossed me around. You acted like you were ashamed of me. You never wanted to do any of the things I wanted to do. I wasn’t great, I know that. But I tried. And you never gave me any credit for that. And you broke my heart, Isabel.”

She looks stunned by that admission. “Excuse me? You were the one who broke up with me.”

I shake my head. “You told me that I couldn’t take you to the prom unless I got a haircut. And you were serious. If I didn’t cut my hair, then you didn’t want me to be there with you. We were in a serious relationship for a year and on the most important night of your life you didn’t think I was good enough to stand beside you. That hurt, Iz. So I took a stand. And maybe it was stupid to take a stand over hair, but it was the principle of the thing. And yeah, it broke my heart.”

Isabel looks down, shamefaced. “I’m sorry, Michael. I never knew.”

“Nobody knew.” Except Maria. She had been staying over that night and had wandered into the Crashdown kitchen on the hunt for ice cream. She’d found me on the couch in the staff room, crying. She never said anything to me, but she’d slipped her arms around me and soothed me until I stopped crying. Then she gave me a bowl of ice cream.

She told me once that that was the reason she fell for me. I don’t see the attraction of a guy acting like a big girl, but Maria is a little weird.

“I guess I was kind of a bitch back then,” Isabel sighs.

I nod. “And not just to me. You were a bitch to everybody. There were girls you wouldn’t talk to just because they weren’t popular like you. You’d look down your nose at them, and make them feel so insignificant. There were guys who would spend weeks trying to work up the courage to talk to you, and you would just dismiss them with one look. You were a total bitch.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Isabel exclaims, sounding upset.

“Because I want to make you realize that we all make mistakes when we’re kids. If I was the same guy I was in high school, there is no way that I’d have Maria. I’d probably be in jail. And do you really think Tess would stick around if Kyle played the field like he did back then? And Max… well, ok, Max was perfect back then, too. But, we all grew up and learned from our mistakes. You are an incredible social worker and a wonderful mother. I’m the Deputy Sheriff, and I’m about to get married. Kyle hasn’t cheated on Tess once in the two years they’ve been together.”

I take her hand and look her in the eye. “Liz grew up too. She’s not the same person she was back then. She made her mistakes, and she was punished for them. It’s time to let it go, Isabel. You were forgiven for being a bitch; it’s time to extend the same courtesy to Liz.”

Isabel sighs.

“As a wedding present to me?” I plead.

She says nothing for a while, but I can see her working it out internally. Finally she nods and smiles. “Does that mean that you don’t want the lamp we bought you? Because it’s really gorgeous.”

“Come on,” I say, taking her hand and leading her back to the others.

As we reach the group, Max is leaning over to take a shot. By the looks of it, he’s actually about to beat Liz for the first time ever. That is until Isabel pokes him in the side as she passes him, causing Max to completely fluff his shot and pot the white.

He shoots a surprised look at Isabel, who just smiles innocently. “What?” Then when Max’s back is turned, Isabel winks at Liz. Liz looks stunned but she recovers quickly to make fun of Max.

I take my seat beside Maria and put my arm around her. “I don’t know what you did but I love you for it,” she whispers in my ear.

I smile and steal a kiss.
***
Last edited by nibbles2 on Sun Feb 13, 2011 1:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
itsme69
Enthusiastic Roswellian
Posts: 0
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 4:29 am

Re: Crush (AU, CC, Adult) Chapter 33 - 02/13 pg 10

Post by itsme69 »

Thanks for the update!!! I loved it!!!!

PLEASE UPDATE SOOOOOOOOONNNNN!!!!!

Can't wait for the wedding and MORE Max and Liz!!!!!
User avatar
begonia9508
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 1125
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2001 2:37 am
Location: Somewhere lost in chocolat Land

Re: Crush (AU, CC, Adult) Chapter 33 - 02/13 pg 10

Post by begonia9508 »

The best part from this story in my opinion!!!...:lol: :lol: :lol:
Especially bc of Michael and what he said and did for his sister to Isabelle... who was certainly more than a bitch!
Back in time, I didn't like him that much for making Liz looks like a criminal when she did what she did with Max: He forgot that it's always need two to dance tango... and Max really never asked a lot of questions about Liz's identity
when he obviously didn't recoghized her!... but it's in the past now...

Michael is getting married and seems to evaluate things differently...

Loved how Maria wanted Michael all romantic with long hairs....and it's not a lot to ask anyway...

Thanks - waiting for more and thanks! EVE :wink: :mrgreen:
- Les jouissances de l'esprit sont faites pour calmer les orages du coeur!
- On reconnaît le bonheur au bruit qu'il fait quand il s'en va!
- L'amour vous rend aveugle et le mariage vous redonne la vue!
User avatar
nibbles2
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 754
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:01 pm
Contact:

In which Michael and Maria get married -SCREAM!!!!

Post by nibbles2 »

Earth2Mama Thank you. I’m really glad that you can see Max and Liz together now. I wasn't sure I’d be able to pull it off.

Twilight Aw, thank you.

Natalie36 Thanks

valentinebaby I’m glad you liked Michael's conversation with Isabel. I think he's the only one who could have said that to her.

Roswellian117 I know! After this, I have two parts to post. Two!

Alien_Friend I think that Max has been sowing his wild oats because he didn't get to do that after Lizgate.

keepsmiling7 Sarah is totally gone.

Cardinal I think that reset is a good word to describe where Max and Liz are now.

itsme69 Thanks very much.

Eva Thanks for being along for the ride.

begonia9508 Max didn't even know they were tangoing. He thought it was a waltx or something. Liz had a very credible fake identity. Max asked Michael, Kyle, Isabel and Maria about 'Lucy'. He tried to look her up in his yearbook. What else was he supposed to do?

sarammlover Yeah, I love Michael too.

Alien614 Well, there's always Gold Diggers. I’m waiting on Alison to get off her lazy arse so we can make a move on Table for four and I still have two auctions fics to write from over a year ago. I posted something on them last year but then stalled. I want to re-work them and post them soon (ish). So, stay tuned.

Xmag Hair and Food – that's my Michael.

tequathisy Yeah, Max and Liz's friendship is real and would exist without Michael.

Drogyn Yay. Glad you came around. So, when are you going to update WHM?

Sundae I had that story about Michael and Maria in my head since the beginning and wanted to use it for a long time but couldn't find a place for it to fit.

SmilieeUK I would be a terrible relationship counselor – I have no patience. I’d just tell them to cop on. So I guess I’ll stick to the writing. Thanks.

Kay_b Michael and Liz have never been close, even before the whole thing with Max. There's a big age gap between them and Michael just isn't that type, but he does love Liz and will come through for her when she needs him.

Rowedog I don't know how I did it either, I got lucky.

Almost at the finishing line now.

Crush – Thirty-Five

Maria

When I was a kid, I would wake on Christmas morning with the most delicious feeling of excitement and anticipation and nerves. Once I found out the truth about Santa Claus, that magical feeling went away. This morning, I feel like it for the first time in a long time. A quiver of excitement races through my body as soon as I open my eyes.

I’m getting married today.

Beside me in the bed, Liz mumbles something before turning over and snoring gently. I nudge her. “Come on, Lazy Parker. Rise and shine.”

Liz's response is to reach out and slap me. I duck out of the way and leap out of bed, pulling the duvet with me.

It takes a little more cajoling, and some tickling before I manage to get Liz out of the bed. Fifteen minutes later, we're dressed and making our way down the block to the park, the dogs in tow. I have a shovel, Liz has a backpack.

As it's not even six yet, the park is still closed, but we squeeze in through a gap in the fence.

Liz looks around the wide, empty space. “Do you even know where to look?”

“Yeah, it's right over here.” I lead her across the grass to a shrubbery area and push through the branches and trees until we reach the brick wall that divides the park from the office buildings beside it. I tap the one odd colored brick on the wall. “Here it is.”

Liz raises an eyebrow, impressed. “How did you remember this?”

“I see it every time I walk the dogs,” I say. I throw 'like a girl' so I’ve often had to wade through the bushes in search of an errant ball or Frisbee. I hand her the shovel. “Get digging.”

“Why do I have to do the digging?”

I display my nails, specially grown for my manicure today.

Liz sighs but gets to work. It doesn't take her long, we didn't bury it very deep, and soon we hear the clang of the shovel hitting the metal box that houses our time capsule. Liz hands me the shovel and pulls the box out of the ground. The plastic wrapping we had put around it has disintegrated but the box looks sound. We giggle with excitement.

“Let's go sit at the tables,” I suggest.

We make our way back to the picnic tables. I check on the dogs who are making the most of having the grass all to themselves and are running around like loons. The trot over to us to see if there's anything of interest, but seeing nothing run off again.

Liz and I sit facing each other, the box on the table between us.

“Wait,” Liz commands when I reach to open it. She reaches into her bag and produces a small bottle of champagne and two plastic glasses. She pops the cork and pours the bubbly liquid into the glasses before raising one for a toast. “To eleven-year-old us. We were kickass.”

“And to twenty-four-year-old us, also kickass” I say. We clink glasses and drink. “Ok, now can we open it?”

“Sure.”

It takes a bit of effort, but I open the metal box. The contents are in another plastic bag, everything looks to be in the same condition it was thirteen years ago. Liz lifts the bag out and lets the contents scatter out on the table. We sift through it. There are photographs of us. An article from the Daily Record reporting on a fun run with a photograph of Liz and me helping our parents man the refreshment stand. A report card belong to Liz. A tape I made of me singing a song I had written. And letters, addressed to ourselves.

Liz picks out her report card. Nine A's and a C for PE. “Mrs. Lomas was such a bitch,” she complains.

I laugh. That C was the only non-A that Liz ever got on anything. A blight on her otherwise pristine career which she has never been able to get over.

I pick up the letters, and hand Liz hers before opening mine. “Can I go first?”

“Sure.”

I crack open the envelope and pull my letter out, unfolding it.

Dear, Maria,” I read. “I hope that by the time you read this letter you are happy and well and have finally grown boobs.

Liz and I both laugh.

I look down at my chest. “Mmm, almost.”

“Go on.”

Here are my wishes. One. That I will be a famous popstar and have won either a Grammy or a VMA. Ok, I guess that's a fail. But, I wouldn't want to be a popstar for a billion dollars.”

Liz raises her eyebrow.

“Ok, for a billion dollars I totally would. But, I love my job and I have no regrets on that score.”

“Then I think that's win,” Liz declares. “Continue.”

Two: That you will marry Michael Guerin. And that's a win.” Liz and I bang our glasses together and drink again. “Ok, Three: That I will still be best friends with Liz Parker. Who? Four. That I will find my dad.” I pause as the last one sinks in and I feel a slight pang.

Liz squeezes my hand.

“Well, I found him and he was an asshole,” I shrug. “But I don't care. I have a step-father I adore and from today I am going to have a wonderful father-in-law.” Last night, Jeff took me aside and told me that he had always considered me family and he was really happy that it was becoming official.

“Are you ok?” Liz asks.

I nod. “The only thing that I wish was different is that I don't have a relationship with my sisters, or my half-sisters I mean. I would love to have been able to have them with me today. It would have been really cool to have them as my bridesmaids. You know, picking out their dresses, doing their hair, all that.” I shrug and smile at Liz. “But I have you. And you know what the best thing about marrying Michael is?”

“His money?” Liz asks innocently.

I pretend to consider it. “Ok, the second best thing.”

Liz laughs.

“The best thing about marrying Michael, apart from Michael of course, is that we get to be sisters,” I say seriously.

“We've always been sisters,” Liz tells me, smiling tearfully.

“Aw,” I tease, but genuinely touched at the same time. “Ok, enough of the sentimentality. We're on a tight schedule. You go.”

“Ok,” Liz agrees. She unfolds her letter. “Dear big Liz.” She stops and looks down at herself. “Am I any taller than I was when I was eleven?”

I shake my head sympathetically.

Liz sighs and continues. “I hope you're doing well and enjoying life. Here are my wishes for the future. One: Get into Harvard. Check. Two: become head of molecular biology research at Harvard..” Liz pauses. “SubstituteMetaChem for Harvard and that's still on. Three: See Machu Pichu. Check. Four: Stay best friends with Maria Deluca.” She looks up at me and grins. “Who? Five: Marry Max Evans. Damn, I was doing so well.” She rolls her eyes and laughs.

“There's still time for that,” I suggest.

Liz shakes her head. “I think alcohol at six in the morning wasn't a good idea.”

“Yeah, but I’ve seen you guys together, and you look like a couple. I think that he likes you.”

“It doesn't matter, Maria. It's never going to happen. It's like being friends with an ex. You can be friends but you can't cross a line.”

“Sometimes you can.”

Liz shakes her head, dismissing the idea. I decide to let it drop but I think that with a bit more time, things could happen between the two of them.

Six: learn to ride a horse. Did that, hated it. And that's it.”

I think we both achieved nearly everything we set out to, more or less. Our eleven-year-old selves would be very happy, I think.

I reach into the box for the last thing. A small velvet pouch with two friendship bracelets inside, with two charms, a silver moon and a blue star. The star is my something blue. “So, that was our time capsule.”

“We should do another one when you get back from your honeymoon and open it when we're fifty,” Liz suggests.

“Cool,” I exclaim. I look at my watch. “We should get back to the house and get ready. I need to have food or I will be ossified for the ceremony.”

“But that would be so much fun,” Liz protests.
*


“Something old, something new?”

I smile at mom and tilt my head so she can see the silver and pearl earrings I’m wearing. They were Nancy Parker's grandmother's and they'll be Liz's when she gets married, but I get to wear them today. “The earrings are old, and also borrowed. The bracelet is new,” I raise my wrist to show the delicate silver present which was a present from my work colleagues, and the little blue charm hanging from it, I had to transfer it as the friendship bracelet was too small and too green. “And the charm is blue.”

Liz nods in satisfaction. “Then you're good to go.”

I rise from the stool and look at myself in the full-length mirror and exhale slowly as butterflies dance in my stomach. How long have I been imagining this moment? How many times did I stand in front of this mirror with a pillow-case on my head pretending to be getting married? And here I am.

I look awesome. This dress is way better than an old pillow-case and my mom's slip.

My mother stands beside me. “You look so beautiful, Maria,” she wails.

I meet Liz's eyes and jerk my head towards the door, indicating for her to give me and Mom a minute together. She ushers my other bridesmaids out for photographs.

When the door closes, I grab Mom and hug her.

“Your dress,” she protests.

I loosen my hold on her so the dress doesn't wrinkle.

She composes herself and pulls away. She strokes my cheek and smiles at me. “I am so proud of you. I love you so much, you know that, right?”

I nod. I’ve never doubted that for a second. “I love you too, Mom.”

We turn, our arms around each other, to look at our reflections in the mirror.

“The Deluca ladies look hot,” Mom says.

I smile in agreement, suddenly feeling a little sad. This is the last time we'll be the Deluca ladies. I’ve decided to take Guerin as my last name so Mom has decided to drop the Deluca from her name and become a Valenti.

“It's the end of an era,” I comment.

“Yes. But the start of a wonderful, amazing new era for you,” Mom promises.

There's a gentle knock on the door and then Jim sticks his head inside the room. “Kyle called. They're at the church and everything's set. The car's outside.”

“I'll be right out,” I tell him.

He nods and leaves.

I check myself one last time in the mirror and smile at Mom.

“Ready?” she asks.

I nod.

Mom takes my hand and leads me out of her bedroom to the living room where Jim and JJ are waiting with Liz and the bridesmaids. They ooh and ah when I enter.

Jim steps forward with JJ on his hip. “You look beautiful, doesn't she Jay?”

JJ nods. “Boofitul.”

“Aw, thanks JJ. Kiss?” I tickle his side and blow a raspberry against his cheek. He giggles and squirms in Jim's arms.

“Are we ready to leave?” Jim asks.

Everybody looks at me and I nod. “Yes. Let's go.”

It doesn't take long to get to the church and before I know it, I’m standing in the lobby waiting for the processional march to play. My stomach is alive with butterflies and I think I’m having an out of body experience. I’ve never been this excited and nervous all at once.

Liz is the last bridesmaid to leave. She gives me a kiss and a wink before beginning her walk up the aisle.

Mom squeezes my arm gently. “Are you ok?”

“I'm about to faint,” I whisper.

“You'll be fine,” she laughs. Then the music changes. “That's our cue.”

I’m rooted to the spot. Mom tugs me gently and my feet start moving forward of their own volition. I’m so grateful that my mother has my arm right now, because I don't think I could manage the act of walking without her.

I’m aware of people turning to watch my procession but all I see is Michael, standing at the top of the aisle waiting for me. He looks as nervous and as excited as I feel.

It feels like the longest walk of my life but finally I’m standing at the top of the aisle. Mom lets go of my arm and steps forward. She takes Michael's hand. He leans down and whispers something in her ear. I can't hear what he says but my Mom smiles fondly at him and kisses his cheek. Then she turns back to me and takes my hand, passing it into his.

She pats our joined hands and smiles at me before stepping away to join Jim and JJ in her seat. Liz steps forward and takes my bouquet.

Michael squeezes my hand and we move into position in front of the priest.

The whole ceremony is a blur.

I’ve always wondered why the minister has to tell the bride and groom what to say at a wedding, because anybody who has ever watched TV surely knows what to say. Today I learn why. It's because the bride is having an aneurism brought on by excitement and happiness and can't get her brain to function enough to remember a few simple lines.

Although, I start coming around by the end of the ceremony and then I start giggling like an idiot. I blame the champagne I had this morning.

Michael just grins at me. To my delight and relief, he says his vows in a clear, decisive voice. There's no hesitation or reluctance. I really had wondered if he could get through that in public but it doesn't seem to faze him at all. I wish that I could say I sound as confident as he does, but I’m aware of my voice breaking as I promise to love and honor him.

And then finally the priest tells us “I now declare you husband and wife.”

Michael kisses me before he's even told to. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me flush against him, kissing me deep and hard. It's like a magic spell, the haze lifts and I slide my arms around his neck, holding him against me.

The congregation breaks out in applause and whistles.

Slowly, Michael pulls away and matches my smile with one of his own. I love his smiles.

I love him.

My husband.
***
User avatar
nibbles2
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 754
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:01 pm
Contact:

In which Max makes a momentous decision

Post by nibbles2 »

Wow - the penultimate chapter. Scary.

Enjoy.

keepsmiling7 Thank you.

Alien_Friend Aw, I was hoping for smiles. So that's good.

twilight Thank you. I’m a big fan of Maria and Liz's friendship and it was something that I really wanted to feature in this fic so I’m glad people liked it.

Earth2Mama I think Maria's mind will be on other things. Like her honeymoon.

begonia9508 I’ve never done the time capsule either. I wish I had been that smart when I was eleven.

Cardinal Aplomb. Love it.

itsme69 Thank you.

valentinebaby Um, somebody spilled red wine on their dress but it was nobody important.

Natalie36 Thanks.

*Blondie* It makes perfect sense to me.

Eva Thank you very much.

sarammlover I think the Max seed has long been planted in Liz's brain. Perhaps, Maria watered it.

smileeUK Guess you'll have to wait and see.

spacegirl23 Please don't die.

Kay_b Thanks Grandma.

tequathisy In a lot of ways, I think that the girl's relationship was the most important one of all in this fic.

Roswellian117 Thanks.

Drogyn Thank you

AlysLuv Spoiler Alert: There is some Max and Liz quality time coming up soon.

Sundae That is so cool. I’m kind of jealous. Sadly, that's the last of the candy so we won't get to see all those other moments. Well, I could keep writing this fic I suppose but then I’d never get Gold Diggers finished.

and Michelle in LA for betaing, thank you.


CRUSH - THIRTY-SIX

Max

“To Michael and Maria.”

All around the ballroom, people raise their glasses and echo the toast. “To Michael and Maria.”

“And now, over to the mother of the bride and the creator of that magnificent cake that we’re all dying to eat, Amy Deluca-Valenti.”

I hand the microphone to Amy and collapse into my seat to the sound of applause. As it dies down and Amy begins to speak, I heave a huge sigh of relief. Thank God that’s over. I’ve been worrying about that speech for weeks and having nightmares about forgetting it or being naked when I gave it. I checked my fly six times during the meal to make sure it wasn’t down.

Maria leans across Michael and touches my arm to get my attention. “Thank you, Max. That was lovely,” she whispers. “Even if you did make me out to be a psycho stalker.” *

I wink at her.

Amy makes a funny and very moving speech, followed by Jeff who is visibly emotional and then Michael rises to his feet and takes over. I know he’s been dreading this.

He thanks everybody who has helped make the day special for him and Maria, then takes a deep breath before launching into the second part of his speech.

“I don’t talk about my feelings a lot, but as you’re all here today so I’ll only have to do it once, I thought I’d make an exception. I know a lot of people never thought they’d see me up here, getting married. To tell you the truth, I never thought I’d see me up here getting married. But here I am. Looking around, all I can see is family and friends, the people that I love.”

That raises a few shocked eyebrows. I’ve known Michael since we were about six and this is the first time I’ve ever heard him use the word love for anything other than food or hockey.

Michael shifts awkwardly on his feet, hating this. Maria slips her hand into his free hand and he smiles down at her. He's clearly hating this but he's decided that he's going to do it and once Michael makes up his mind, he doesn't change it.

“When I was a kid,” he continues. “I didn’t have that. I didn’t have family or friends. I didn’t have anything really. I met Max at school when were five or six, and, actually, I used to steal his lunch until he started bringing in two lunches and somehow from that, we became friends.”

I grin to myself. It’s hard to remember that I used to be afraid of Michael.

“When I was eight, I went to live with the Parkers. I thought they’d be like all the other foster parents I had, but they weren’t. They were different. From my very first day there, they treated me like their son. For the first time in my life I had parents, and a little sister too. And because of them, because of the love and acceptance that Mom and Dad and Liz showed me, my circle grew. Suddenly I had grandparents, and aunts and uncles, and cousins. I was able to make friends, like Kyle and Isabel, the kids at school, and Amy, who worked in the Crashdown at the time. Later, Jim, and all the guys at work. All of you. Jesse, Tess… I know what it’s like not to have family and not to have somebody who cares, and it sucks. So having all of you in my life, it means a lot to me and I want you all to know that I… I love you all and appreciate everything you have done for me and given me in my life. Without all of you, I wouldn’t have Maria. And Maria is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, Goldilocks.”

Michael pulls Maria to her feet and kisses her as all around us, people applaud loudly. Many are wiping away tears. I myself, have something in my eye.

After the applause has died down, Maria releases her grip on Michael and takes the microphone from him. He sits down, unable to make eye contact with anybody.

“Nice speech,” I say to him.

Michael just shrugs uncomfortably.

Maria picks up a card with her notes on it, before putting it back on the table face down. There are tear tracks on her cheeks. She clears her throat and smiles. “I began stalking Michael when I was eleven years old. And I just want to say to all the lovelorn out there, that perseverance pays off. Hang in there and you’ll get your man, or woman. I’m living proof that dreams do come true. And now, I’ve been dieting for four months to make sure that this dress would fit today and that cake looks damn delicious so I think it’s time to cut it.”

The room breaks out into laughter and cheers as Maria pulls Michael over to the cake, which does indeed look damn delicious. The happy couple pose for photographs before cutting into the cake.

Waiters appear, to clear tables and make room for dancing.

The band strikes up and Michael reluctantly takes the floor with Maria. He doesn’t so much dance as shuffle around, but he’s smiling and looks surprisingly relaxed.

Michael had made us promise that we wouldn’t leave him out on the floor alone for long, so after a minute, I stand up and walk over to Liz and offer her my hand. She accepts and I lead her onto the floor. Kyle and Tess, and Isabel and Jesse follow behind us.

“I really liked your speech,” Liz tells me as we dance around.

“Thank you. Don’t tell my dad, but I spent more time working on the speech than I did on the case I’m supposed to be working on for the last month.”

Liz throws her head back and laughs. “I won’t say a word.”

We swirl past Michael and Maria. Michael has given up the pretense of even trying to dance and is just swaying on the spot. He’s still a few beers from tripping the light fantastic.

“So you must be pretty happy,” I say to Liz. “You and Maria are sisters now.”

“Yeah,” she smiles. “We were just talking about that this morning. It’s the only reason she married him, really.”

I laugh. “Michael said that you’re staying in Roswell for good.”

“Yeah. I’m going to be working in MetaChem full time starting next month and I’ll be going to Las Cruces once a month for meetings with my advisor there.”

“Are you sad to leave Boston?”

“A little. I’ll miss my friends. And I think I’ll probably miss the advantages of the city, too. It’s nice to be able to go to museums that don’t feature aliens and to have more than a choice of three for restaurants.”

“I know, I was the same when I first came back here. But now I find whenever I’m in the city, or Albuquerque, that it’s too busy and crowded, and after a few hours I just want to come home. Are you going to stay with your parents or get your own place?”

Liz groans. “I’ll get my own place. My parents are great and I love them, but I’m too old to still live at home. I have a few weeks off before work starts, so I’ll start looking for a place soon.”

“You know that I bought a house recently? Well, my old apartment is still vacant. It’s small but it’s quiet and secure, and rent is reasonable. Plus the landlord is great. I can give you his number if you like.”

“That would be great, thank you,” Liz says.

The song we’ve been dancing to comes to an end and we separate to clap. The floor is pretty crowded; I hadn’t noticed it filling up.

“Thanks for the dance,” I say.

“Thank you,” Liz smiles. Then she hands me a ten dollar bill.

I take it, confused. “What’s this for?”

“Last time we danced at a wedding, you bet me ten dollars that next time we’d be dancing at Michael and Maria’s.”

The memory comes back to me and I grin as I pocket the money. “Thanks.”

After dancing with Liz, I dance with my mom, Isabel, Maria, Tess, Amy Deluca who makes the best wedding cake ever, a couple of friends and my mother again. Finally, exhausted, I send my mother to sit down while I go to the bar to get drinks for us.

Liz is standing at one end, so I squeeze in beside her. “Hey. Having fun?”

“Hi, Max, - yes, lots,” she says. Her face is flushed pink, her hair loose and messy. She looks stunning. “I meant to say earlier that I’ll be around for the next two weeks and I won’t be doing much so, if you like, I can walk Rockie and Perdita for you.”

“Yeah? That would be great, I have a lot of work on at the moment so I’ll probably be working long hours. Thank you.” I’d promised Michael and Maria that I’d look after their dogs and keep an eye on the house but I’m going to be pretty busy catching up so that's a weight off my mind.

“No trouble,” Liz says with a smile.

“Don’t forget to take the pooper-scooper with you,” I tease.

Liz makes a face but she laughs. The barman serves her drinks, so she takes them and leaves. I order a beer for myself and a white wine for mom.

When I go back to the table, Isabel is sitting beside mom and they’re discussing dresses. I’m so tired from dancing that I sit down with them anyway.

“Maria’s dress is gorgeous, it’s lovely style on her,” Mom says. “Do you like it, Max?”

“Yes, she looks lovely,” I agree. I would have agreed even if she didn’t look lovely, because I know better.

“And the bridesmaid’s dresses are beautiful,” Isabel adds. “I love the one with the cap sleeves.”

“I like the halter-neck one,” Mom says.

I look over to where the bridesmaids and Maria are dancing in a group in the middle of the floor and notice for the first time that, although the bridesmaid’s dresses are the same color and mostly the same style, they have slight differences.

If I was asked, and I hope I’m not, I’d say that Liz’s one shoulder dress is my favorite. I watch her dance wildly for a minute, unable to take my eyes off her. She’s laughing as she dances and looks carefree and happy. She’s breathtaking.

“Liz’s dress is beautiful too, isn’t it Max?” my mom says, drawing my attention back to her. She’s watching me carefully.

I nod. “They all look great.”

“You looked like you were having fun, dancing with her earlier,” Mom probes.

My eyes slide over to Isabel who is watching me closely. I nod. “Yeah.”

“You two have become good friends,” Mom continues.

I nod again. “Yeah.”

“She doesn’t seem to have a date here with her, either.”

I say nothing, so Isabel tells Mom that “Liz and her boyfriend broke up recently because Liz is moving back to Roswell.”

“Oh, that will be nice for Nancy and Jeff.”

“Yeah, Michael and Maria are thrilled too,” I add.

My mom nods silently. I can tell she's not done with this conversation.

I decided to cut to the chase so I don't have to answer any more inane questions. “Why don’t you just ask me whatever it is that you want to ask?”

“Are you interested in Liz?” My mom asks bluntly.

I look over at Liz again. She and Maria are doing the Mashed Potato.

Am I interested in Liz?

I’ve been wondering a lot lately about what would have happened between Liz and me if she hadn’t pulled that stunt eight years ago. When I look at Michael and Maria and see how their relationship has blossomed and developed, I wonder if ours could have, too. When I spend time with Liz, it always makes me realize how she is exactly what I want in a girl.

Eight years ago, I met somebody amazing. She was funny and smart and we connected. I’ve never met a girl, before or since, who was as right for me as she was. When Liz first came back to Roswell, she wasn’t anything like ‘Lucy’, but as she has gotten her confidence back and has become more relaxed around me, I’ve seen that side of her personality emerge again. And I find that I still feel the same way. She’s still smart and funny and we still connect. Her name and her age might have been lies, but her personality wasn’t. That was the real Liz then, and this is her again now.

And yes, I am interested in her.

I’ve never really admitted that to myself before, and even now, I don’t think I would act on it. Because I feel that I shouldn’t. She hurt me and deceived me, so I shouldn’t date her. That’s the social convention. I would never advise a woman who was beaten by her husband to take him back. Or somebody who had been cheated on to take back the person who had betrayed them. Surely it’s the same thing with Liz. Right?

“Max?” Isabel prompts.

I nod. “Yes. I’m interested.”

Mom nods, like she knew it all along. Isabel doesn’t react at all.

“Are you going to ask her out?” Mom asks.

“I don’t know.” I turn in my seat to face her full on. “What do you think? What would your advice be?”

My mother takes a sip of her wine and considers the question carefully. “Well she wouldn’t be my first choice for you.”

I nod, having already supposed as much.

“I think that I would give you the same advice that I would give you if you were talking about getting back together with somebody who had cheated on you or stolen from you.”

I smile at how similar our thinking process is.

“Sometimes, some people do bad things to people they care about, or claim to care about. They cheat, they steal, they lie, they hit. They always say that they’re sorry and that it will never happen again. Some of those people are just liars, or cheaters or abusive and they will always repeat their offenses. And some of them are people who genuinely made a horrible mistake and who really won’t do it again. They learn from their mistakes and they grow from it.” Mom pauses and takes another drink. “I can’t say that I know Liz all that well, but I’ve watched from afar, I’ve listened to her parents and Michael when they talk about her, I’ve heard what you’ve both had to say about her.”

I glance over at Isabel, wondering what she has said to Mom about Liz.

Mom continues, “I think that Liz made a horrible one-time mistake. I don’t think that she would do anything like that again. What do you think?” She turns to Isabel first.

Isabel is quiet for a while. Then she shakes her head. “I guess I’d have to admit that it was completely out of character for her and I don’t believe that she would do anything like that again.”

“What about you, Max?” Mom asks.

“I know she wouldn’t do anything like that again. I understand why you guys don’t trust her. I wouldn’t trust anybody who hurt either of you.”

Thankfully Isabel doesn’t point out that I totally took Michael’s side when he broke up with her.

“As I said, Max,” Mom says. “Liz wouldn’t be my first choice. But I trust your judgment, and if you want to pursue something with Liz then I will accept that, and I will do my best to put aside my feelings and get to know her.”

I think that’s the best I could ever have hoped for. I look at Isabel, who I think will be a far bigger stumbling block.

Isabel watches Liz dance for a moment before turning back to me. “I agree with Mom. I’m not wild about the idea of you being with her, but I’m willing to give her a second chance. One second chance. That’s all she gets.”

I nod. Better than I could ever have expected.

Wow.

This is crazy.

We look at each other and laugh. Now what?

“I’m not going to ask her out right away,” I say. “I mean, up until a few minutes ago I hadn’t even considered the possibility. I need time to… to make sure.”

“That’s the smart decision,” Mom agrees.

I look over at Liz, it takes me a minute to find her, and she’s dancing with her dad this time.

I think I’m already sure. It’s just a matter of time.
***
User avatar
nibbles2
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 754
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 1:01 pm
Contact:

In which the fic comes to an end.

Post by nibbles2 »

Wow, hard to believe but I’ve actually reached the end of Crush. I’m a little bit sad (4%) and a lot smug (96%) that I have actually finished a fic. Go me.

Some of you may feel annoyed at where I’ve decided to finish the story. It was always my intention to finish here at this point and I’m not just cutting it off prematurely so I can get back to Gold Diggers. I think that it ends at a point where you know what happens next and the story has been about how they got to this point.

I want to thank everybody who took the time to read and leave feedback for me. This fic was kind of an experiment for me. I wanted to see the reaction to a fic where Liz was bad, where her actions were indefensible. Hopefully I managed that without destroying her character or turning her into a comic book villain. I was fully expecting to be run off the board by an angry mob but actually the reaction was great. I hope that you all got as much enjoyment from the fic as I did from reading all your comments. So, thank you

abs007 Addicted2AmberEyes Alien614 Alien_Friend Alysluv Angel eyes April Autumnfall3 Begonia9508 Behrluv32 Behrlyliz Behrstars Bella_svetlana *blondie* CandyXDreamer Cardinal cassie chanks_girl Claudia CrashandBurn8321 Christable Cocogurl cocopucks crazedearthgirl DaleStateShorty Danyel14 Destinyc dreambeliever DreamerLaure Drogyn Earth2Mama Emz80m Eva Evelynn girl afraid Heavenli24 itsme69 Janetfl Jull_ana Kachie Kay_b keepsmiling7 Kismet lilah lilikitcha Lover of Metallica Lyrallya Maipigen MariaDeluca285 Mary Mary maxandlizforever Mezz Michelle in LA Moomin MorningStar Natalie36 nitpick23 NotYourChick nwinchester OmegaRan1 PeaceLoveSurf Pijeechinadoll Polar vixen POM RhondaAnn RiceKrispy roswell4life Roswellian117 RoswellianBamaFan Rowedog Sarammlover Smac SmileeUK somewhere87 spacegirl23 Sptfire86 Starcharms Sundae tabata tamashii tequathisy TrudyGill23 trulov Twilight uw51 valentinebaby veronica vilandragirl Wench on a Leash xmag Yasmania Yayaliens Zoi


And of course, a big thank you to Michelle in LA who took so much time out of her busy life to beta all my chapters and their many, many typos.

So, that's enough out of me, here's the last chapter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something in my eye.



CRUSH-Chapter Thirty-Seven

Liz

With my job not starting for another three weeks and Maria away on honeymoon, I thought that I would be at loose ends the week after the wedding.

But, luckily that turned out not to be the case; A lot of the people who had come to Roswell for the wedding, stayed around for a few days afterwards. Our apartment was constantly full of aunts and uncles, or friends of my parents and it was always a tight squeeze at the dinner table. Alex Whitman and his fiancée Katie, and Tina and Jill stayed around for a few days too, so I hung out with them on a couple of occasions, too. I met up with Alan Davis for lunch one day.

I viewed a number of apartments, including Max's old one before settling on a really cute one that's walking distance from everywhere important. Then when my belongings arrived from Boston I spent a weekend moving in and getting everything organized just the way I like it.

So now, a week later, I’m exhausted and really glad that finally I’m at a loose end so that I can relax and take things easy before I start work and studying again. All I have to do now is walk the dogs everyday and catch up on some reading.

I usually have two books on the go at once; A weighty, worthy tome, and something lighter and fluffier to balance it out.

Today, as it’s such a beautiful day, I decide on light and fluffy and swing by the Guerins' to collect the dogs. Once we reach the park, I find a shady seat and let the dogs play on the grass. The book is great but it’s so hot and humid that it’s hard to lose myself in it. The dogs give up playing much quicker than they usually do and come back to sit at my feet. Perdita keeps whining.

“Ok,” I sigh, putting my book in my bag. “Let’s go home.”

Stepping out of the shade, I realize that the day has changed. It’s gotten heavier and darker. There’s a storm on the way, that’s why the dogs are acting this way. Neither of them like storms.

Once we get back to the house, Perdie darts inside and goes straight for the chair in the living room which she has claimed as her own. I can tell she’s nervous, even Rockie, who is much more easy-going than Perdie, is subdued. I haven’t the heart to put them outside in their kennels and as I can’t take them back to my place, I decide that I’ll just stay here tonight.

There’s food in the freezer and beer in the fridge and I can borrow whatever else I need from Maria.

I pick out a pizza and some garlic bread and put them in the oven. Outside, fat raindrops have started falling and the sky is so dark that I have to turn on the lights. As I’m crushing up the packaging for the recycling, I hear the sound of a key in the front door. My heart jumps at the unexpected sound but neither of the dogs seems all that perturbed.

“Hello?” I hear a voice call, recognizing it as Max.

“Hi, Max,” I call back, stepping into the doorway of the hall so he can see me.

Max is panting a little. He’s wearing sweats and a t-shirt which are dotted with little wet patches. “Hi, Liz. I came over to make sure the dogs were ok. They don’t like storms.”

“We just got back from the park a little while ago, and I decided that I’d stay here for the night.”

“Good.”

Outside a loud clap of thunder makes me shriek. I place my hand on my heart. “Sorry.”

Max smiles. “That’s ok.”

He walks into the kitchen and looks out the window. The rain is bucketing down now. He sighs. “Do you have your car?”

I shake my head.

“I ran over,” he says. “I thought it would hold off longer. You don’t mind if I wait it out here, do you?”

“Of course not. I’ve just put on a pizza, if you’re hungry, and there’s beer in the fridge. You can always depend on Michael to have beer and pizza.”

“Well, they are the major food groups,” Max jokes. He opens the fridge door and helps himself to a beer.

“And chocolate,” I add seriously. “And I know where Maria hides the good stuff.”

“So do I,” Max brags. “It’s in the jar behind the cereal. We raid it all the time.”

I shake my head. “Nope. That’s the dummy jar to put Michael off the scent. I’m talking about the home-made artisan chocolate that her mom stocks in her store.”

Max’s eyes light up. “Oooh, I love that stuff.

I check the time on the pizza and put the garlic bread into the oven. “I was going to watch a DVD,” I tell Max, as I walk into the living room.

“Cool.”

It takes us a little while to pick one but in the end we settle for Amelie. I’m guessing that one belongs to Maria. By then the pizza is done so I cut it into slices and bring it into the living room.

We watch the movie in silence, stopping it a couple of times to get more beer and to use the bathroom. I dig out the good chocolate while Max is occupied. I don’t want to give away Maria’s hiding place, she’d kill me.

The storm rages for a while and the lights flicker a couple of times, so I light a few candles just in case, but the lights remain on and the storm has passed by the time the movie is over.

Max started dozing near the end of the movie but he wakes with a jump when I stand up and start tidying up.

“Tired?” I ask.

“I’ve been pretty busy at work. We’ve got a case going to court next week and there’s a lot of work involved.” He rolls his neck to get rid of the kinks and stands up, stretching his arms over his head, showing me a glimpse of his incredible abs under his t-shirt. I look away quickly and go into the kitchen. He follows me. “What have you been up to?”

“I moved into my new apartment last weekend so I’ve been trying to get that the way I like it, and apart from that, I’ve been relaxing and taking it easy.”

“Where’s your apartment?”

“That new complex on Fairview. The bus for work goes right by it and it’s walking distance from home and from here, so it’s great. Really handy.”

“Yeah, they’re nice,” Max agrees. “I looked into buying one of them but in the end I decided that buying a house was a better long-term investment. It was such a pain in the neck though.”

I nod. “I can imagine.” I run the water until it’s hot and then plug the sink.

Max picks up a towel and waits. I wash a plate and hand it to him. “Did I tell you that Olivia Newman got engaged?”

“No. That’s great.”

“Yeah, she’s marrying a Canadian doctor. She’s been living with him in Toronto for a few months now.”

“So she won’t be coming back to Roswell?”

Max shakes his head. “Not to live anyway.”

“It seems like everybody I know is getting engaged or married,” I say. This week it felt like I was the last single girl in the world. I’m the only one of my cousins who is still single, all the others are engaged or married and having kids. All my old friends from high school are in serious relationships. As are most of my friends from Harvard, with the exception of my ex-boyfriend Brian and a couple of the more workaholic ones.

“Tell me about it,” Max agrees. “Once Kyle pops the question to Tess I’ll be the only one of my friends still in Roswell who isn’t engaged or married. I’d have to go to Dallas to find a single friend.”

I take the dried plates and put them away. When I turn around, Max is twisting the towel in around his hand.

“Do you ever wonder if we’d be together if… you know?” Max asks.

I’m so surprised at the question that I find myself answering it truthfully. “Yes.”

“And what are your conclusions?” he asks with interest.

“Um, hard to say,” I smile, trying to keep things light. “I still would have gone to Harvard and been away from Roswell, so probably not. But maybe we’d both be in serious relationships with other people, if we hadn’t spent six years as hermits because of what happened.”

Max nods to himself. “Maybe.” Then he shakes his head. “But I think I’d still be single because I just haven’t met anybody that I could have settled down with, and that has nothing to do with what happened.”

“Oh.” I don't know what to think about that statement.

“We’d definitely be friends,” he says suddenly. “I mean, we get along great so I think we’d be good friends. Like Michael and Maria were.”

For a moment, I forget to breathe. Slowly, I raise my shoulder in a shrug. “Maybe.”

“So maybe, we’re right on schedule,” he says.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, say in an alternate universe that the whole Lucy debacle never happened. You went away to college, I stayed here. You came back for all the holidays and our friendship grew into what it is now. Then, around about this time, you came back to Roswell.” He shrugs again. “So, we’re right on schedule.”

“For what?” I ask.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” he says enigmatically.

My heart is pounding so loudly in my chest right now. I’m staring at him and I can’t look away.

Max grins at me. “The storm has stopped so I’m going to go home. I’ll see you around.”

Somehow, I manage to start moving again. “Ok. Thanks for the company.”

“Sure. It was fun,” he tells me. He says goodbye to the dogs and I walk him to the front door. For half a nanosecond I think he might kiss me goodnight but he just smiles once more before stepping outside and closing the front door.
*
Two days after the storm, I come back from walking the dogs to find Michael’s garage door unlocked and open. My stomach plummets at first and I grab Rockie’s collar and slowly approach the door.

Perdie barks, in a non-alarmed way and slips around me and into the garage.

“Hey, girl,” I hear Kyle Valenti say.

I immediately let out a sigh of relief and let go of Rockie’s collar. He dashes inside too, and I follow behind.

To my surprise, Kyle is not alone. Jesse is also there. They’re pulling the cover off Michael’s Ducati. Michael left strict instructions that nobody was to touch that bike. He would kill them for even breathing on it.

When the spot me, they freeze with identical guilty expressions on their faces.

I fold my arms and raise an eyebrow. “Are you guys stealing that?”

“No,” Kyle protests at once. “We’re just borrowing it.”

“How did you even get in here?” Max and I were the only ones who were given keys. Because Michael knew that Kyle would try something.

Kyle and Jesse turn their heads towards the truck and Max steps sheepishly into view.

“I should have known,” I say with a grave shake of my head.

“In our defense, we’re only doing this because Michael is a thousand miles away and it will drive him crazy,” Max explains.

That's this defense? He must be a great lawyer.

“What are you doing?” I ask, curiously.

Kyle grins. “We’re going to send him pictures of us riding it. Want to get in on it?”

Since I’m not even allowed to touch the bike anymore because I once hit my car door off it accidentally, I immediately agree. “Absolutely.”

“You don’t happen to have the key, by any chance? Or know where it is?” Jesse asks.

“No. I think he put it in his safe deposit box in the bank.”

“Do you have the key for that?” Max asks hopefully.

I shake my head. “Sorry.”

“Not to worry, we’ll just have to go with the original plan,” Kyle decides. He wheels the bike out of the garage and out onto the street. Max carries out a stand and they arrange the bike so that it looks like it’s standing up.

“Ok, who’s first?” Jesse asks.

Kyle decides to go first. He climbs on and poses as if he’s riding it, while Jesse snaps a picture with his phone.

Max goes next, he drapes himself across it like a model on the front of a magazine and pulls a Blue Steel face. “How do I look?” he asks me.

“Not at all ridiculous,” I tell him. Then an idea strikes me. “You should take off your t-shirt.”

He sits up, removes his shirt and tosses it to me to hold, then resumes his previous position. I can only stand and drool. He has a body to die for.

Once Jesse stops laughing, he takes a couple of pictures of Max, then hands him the phone.

Jesse is about to climb on when a car pulls up and Isabel jumps out. “Jesse,” she shouts pulling him aside and talking frantically to him.

“You go,” Max suggests. He hasn't put his shirt back on.

I wonder does he wax, or shave his chest.

I force myself to turn away from him and stand beside the bike, trying to figure out what to do on it. Right then Jesse lets out a shout and I turn around to see what the commotion is about. He's spinning Isabel around and both of them are smiling and crying.

Kyle comes to stand beside Max, they're both smiling too. Even I am, their joy is infectious.

After a minute of kissing and hugging, Isabel and Jesse separate. “Can I tell them?” Isabel asks. Jesse nods and Isabel skips over to Max and Kyle. “We're getting a baby!”

“What?”

Jesse puts his arm around Isabel's waist and explains. “The adoption agency called and told Isabel that the girl we met with last week has decided that she would like us to be the ones to adopt her baby. Louise is going to be a big sister. We're going to have a son.” He's practically bouncing on the spot as he speaks. They look at each other and kiss again.

“That's amazing,” Max tells her, interrupting them to hug Isabel and Jesse. Kyle joins them in a four way hug and they all jump around for a minute, laughing as they do.

Max is still shirtless.

I’m still drooling.

Finally they calm down and break apart.

“Congratulations,” I tell Isabel sincerely.

She smiles warmly at me. “Thank you, Liz.”

Things are still weird between us but she's slowly warming up to me, which is nice.

“It's not one-hundred percent certain yet. She might change her mind, it's not uncommon for women to decide to keep their baby, so everybody think positive thoughts.”

“We will, every day,” Max promises and Kyle nods.

Isabel smiles again, but it fades into a confused frown. “What are you doing with Michael's bike?”

“Taking photos of us on it to send to him while he's in Hawaii,” Kyle answers. “You can have a go, after Liz.”

“Cool.”

“Liz, you wanna...” Max asks, indicating that I should climb aboard.

I sit on the seat, lean back and put my feet up on the handle bars.

Max laughs and takes a picture. “Done.” He gives me his hand and helps me off the bike. “Can I have my t-shirt back now?”

I look down, surprised that it's still in my hand. I hand it back to him and try not to stare too much as he pulls it back on.

Kyle is trying to convince Isabel and Jesse to pretend to be having sex on the bike, so Max and I lean against the fence, watching.

“What brought this on all of a sudden?” I ask, waving my hand at the bike.

“He's been sending us pictures of all the cool stuff he's been doing in Hawaii and rubbing it in our faces,” Max explains.

“Really? I didn't get pictures like that.” I got pictures of a gorgeous beach and a a chocolate cake that surely fell from heaven. I don't think they would have had the same effect on Max and the guys.

“Here,” Max says taking his phone out of his pocket and scrolling through the menus until he finds the photographs. There's a couple of Michael paragliding, surfing, an off-road vehicle, a hot tub.

“It looks amazing,” I sigh. I look over at the bike where Isabel is now posing with the heel of her stiletto on the chrome. “You do know that he's going to kill you all.”

Max laughs. “Hey, you're just as guilty as we are. Though if the rest of us stick together, I think we can lay most of the blame on Kyle.”

“Good plan, Batman,” I nod.

Max nods smugly. “I thought so.”

“Hey, you two,” Kyle calls, beckoning us over to join him and the Ramirez’s at the bike. “Tell them that they need to make like the beast with two backs. It will really screw with Michael's head.”

“And then he'll come back and kill us,” Jesse sighs. “I don't think so.”

I shrug my shoulder casually. “I think you should do it. Then, you stick a basketball up your sweater, don't tell him that you're adopting a baby and in nine months time you present Michael with the baby you conceived aboard his bike. That would really screw with his head.”

Isabel stares at me incredulously before she dissolves into laughter. The others join in. When they calm down, Kyle begs Isabel and Jesse to consider my idea but they flat out refuse.

Spoilsports.

Instead they climb on and Isabel wraps her arms around Jesse's waist in the normal manner.

“We need a group shot now,” Max decides aloud once Kyle has taken Isabel and Jesse's picture.

I reach for the phone. “I'll take it.”

Max frowns at me and shakes his head. “No, you have to be in it.” He looks around and spots two teenage girls sitting on a wall and watching us. He gestures for them to come over.

One of them takes the phone from him and stands poised to take the picture.

We pile onto the bike as best we can, but it's difficult with five of us. Kyle ends up mounting the front wheel. I just about squeeze onto the seat behind Isabel. Max stands behind me and leans close, trying to make it look like he too is on the back of the bike. He slides his arms around my waist and holds on.

I swallow nervously.

I have never been so aware of each and every molecule in my body as I am right now. I can feel his breath on my neck, his chest flush against my back, his hands splayed on my stomach, just inches below my breasts.

It takes eons before the girl thinks we're ready and snaps the shot. It's like each second stretches into hours. I can feel each beat of my heart.

And then she smiles and lowers the camera and Max releases his hold on me. I slide off the bike and step away, taking a deep breath to calm myself down.

I chance a look at Max and he smiles at me, his gaze heated.

I break the staring contest first and hurry away to tie up the dogs.

For a second there, I thought Max was having the same kind of reaction as I had.
***
“So now that all the excitement and stress of planning a wedding is over, you probably don't know what to do with yourselves,” Mom says.

Maria shakes her head. “No, I know what to do with myself. I’m going to relax and enjoy the fact that I never have to plan another wedding again.” She shoots a cheeky grin at Michael. “Or you know, not for a while anyway.”

Michael gives her the evil eye but he pulls her close and kisses the top of her head.

I sit back and watch them together with a goofy smile on my face. It's so great to see my best friend and my brother so happy and relaxed. And incredibly tanned.

They got back yesterday and we've all gathered together to look at photographs and talk about the wedding and the honeymoon. Maria hasn't stopped smiling since I saw her and even Michael is giddy and happy.

“Have you made any plans?” Mom probes.

I roll my eyes. “What Mom means is, are you now or will you soon be knocked up?”

“Liz,” my mother admonishes with a glare. But she turns back to Maria expectantly.

“We're going to enjoy married life for a while and then we'll see,” Maria says diplomatically.

“But, rest assured Mom, when the time comes, I know what to do,” Michael informs us all. “We've been practicing and I’ve gotten very good at it. I can get it done in three minutes.”

Michael!” my mother cries, covering her ears.

“Dude! Three minutes? That's impressive,” Max says, sounding very impressed indeed. “I'm nowhere near that. But I’m very out of practice.”

Michael nods sympathetically. “What you need to do is get yourself a wife,” he informs Max, giving Maria a squeeze. “And then you can get all the practice you need.”

“I'm looking,” Max says seriously. And then he winks at me.

Winks at me!

My mouth flaps open and I blush.

Maria stands up. “I’m going to make more coffee. Liz, will you help me?”

“Sure.” I stand up from my seat and follow her into the kitchen.

Maria shuts the kitchen door and drags me into the pantry, shutting that door too. “OhmyGoddidMaxEvansjustwinkatyou?” she squeals quietly.

“Yes! What the fuck does that mean?” I ask.

Maria bounces on the spot and grabs me. “He likes you. I knew it. He's been looking at you differently lately.”

I shake my head in emphatic denial. “No way Maria, that is so in your imagination.” But I think about things he has said and done recently and I think I have to agree.

“Liz, I’m a married woman now. I know these things,” she tells me in a superior tone.

I give her a gentle shrug. “Get out of here.”

We go back into the kitchen and Maria pulls a pie out of the fridge and starts slicing it expertly. Good to see that all those years in the Crashdown have paid off.

I think about what she said and how Max has been acting around me lately. It has been different. But what does that mean?”

I lean closer to Maria and whisper. “What do you think it means?”

“That he's openly flirting with you?” Maria asks. She pauses in the process of plating up the pie and puts down the knife. “I think it means that he likes you and wants to ask you out.”

“But, why?”

“Why?” Maria repeats. “Because you're beautiful and smart and wonderful and you get along so well with him. He's been dating a string of girls for two years now, and I’ve never seen him click with anybody they way the two of you click.”

“But,” I object.

Maria walks over to me and takes my hands in hers. “If Max was still hung up on what happened eight years ago, he wouldn't be winking at you.”

“So you think he's going to ask me out?”

“Yeah, I think he's working up to it,” Maria lets go of my hand goes back to the pie. “So, do you like him?”

“Of course. It's Max. I mean, I’ve tried not to, because I thought it was impossible. But...”

Maria sighs. “Believe me, I understand. I tried not to fall for Michael and look where that got me.” She flashes her left hand at me, showing off her wedding and engagement rings.

“Shiny.”

“This is so exciting,” Maria says giddily.

I can't help the grin that spreads across my face and even when I go back into the living room with Maria and I’m met with strange looks, I can't stop grinning.

My mom gives me a strange look. I hope she doesn't think that Maria just told me she's pregnant.

I sit down in my seat opposite Max and catch his eye. He smiles at me and I blush and look away.

When I look back, he's still smiling at me.
*
After hanging out with the Guerins for a while and getting all the gossip, I made my excuses and headed into town to run some errands.

First on the list is a new haircut. After rocking the long hair for most of my life, I’ve decided to make a change. It's to herald my entrance into adulthood. Now that I’m living alone and working full time, I’m finally classing myself as an adult.

After discussing it with the stylist, I opt for a shoulder length cut. She styles it with loose curls.

It's different, and I love it. It's definitely more grown-up, but I’m not sure that it signifies adult instead of student.

After leaving the salon, I go on the hunt for a pair of comfortable work shoes. Most of the time, I’m staring at myself in whatever shiny surface I pass.

I find the most comfortable shoes I can. Of course they also turn out to be the unsexiest pair of shoes ever.

My last stop is The Beanstalk, my favorite bookstore in the world. I pick out a few books before making my way up the winding stairs to the top floor where I order a cappuccino and a cupcake and take a seat at a table to leaf through the books and decide which one I want to get.

A few minutes later a shadow crosses my table and I look up to find Max standing beside me. He gestures towards the empty chair across from me.

“Hi, sure,” I tell him.

He sits down and puts his coffee cup on the table. “Hey. I like your hair.”

I touch my hair self-consciously. “Thanks. I thought I’d make a change for my new job.”

“When are you starting?”

“Monday.”

“Cool,” Max says. “Looking forward to it?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

He picks up one of the books from the pile on the table. “Photography? Are you into it?”

“I did a class back in Winneman Academy and I really enjoyed it. I always wanted to take it up as a hobby but I never really had time with school and stuff. So, it's my resolution now to take it seriously.”

“That's cool,” Max says. “Any hey, there is some spectacular scenery around here to take pictures of.”

I nod in agreement.

“Yeah. I’ve always had an affinity for desert photography. I think it reminded me of home when I was living in Boston.”

“That's great. There are some amazing spots out in the desert. Michael and Kyle and I found this amazing place and I don't think anybody else ever goes there. I should take you out there some time.”

I suck in a breath. Maria has told me all about the place Michael, Max and Kyle found in the desert. I feel heat rising in my cheeks and I try to force it down.

“You know, Michael has a place in the desert he takes Maria when he wants to get his freak on,” I point out, raising an eyebrow.

Max clears his throat and blushes. The he grins and shrugs at me. “It's a lovely spot.”

I can't come up with a smart comeback so I just smile. “I think I'll take your word for it.” I’m not going to a make-out spot with a guy unless we're dating.

We lapse into silence as we both drink our beverages. I pull off a piece of my cupcake and then slide the remainder across the table towards Max.

He takes off a small piece and pushes it back to me. “Thank you.”

We fall back into silence again. I pretend to be reading the book in my hand but I’ve just read the same sentence seven times without taking in a word.

Max's phone beeps and he reads the message and laughs.

I look up and I guess he can see the curiosity on my face.

“You know how Kyle's planning to propose to Tess and is trying to throw her off the scent by pretending he's anti-marriage?”

“Sure.”

“It's backfired. Tess figured it out and she told him that he made a good point and she totally agrees with him that marriage is pointless. He's totally freaking out.”

I laugh. “Poor Kyle.”

Max pockets his phone, still grinning. “Poor Kyle nothing. He's been torturing her for weeks. Turnabout is fair play, I say.”

“Does it freak you out that you're the only one of your friends who isn't married or engaged?”

He nods a little. “I wouldn't say it freaks me out but only because it makes me realize that we're adults now and we're not kids anymore. That's the scary part. I’m thirty now.”

“Thirty's not old.”

“Easy to say, little Miss Twenty-four year old.”

I laugh. “I guess.”

I notice the staff have started to close up so I gather my things and pick up the book I’ve decided to buy.

Max finishes his coffee and walks me down the stairs.

“I'm just going to pay for this,” I say, patting the book I’m holding. “I'll see you around.”

“Ok.” Max pauses like he's going to say something but when he doesn't speak I smile and turn away.

A second later, he touches my arm. “Hey, are you doing anything tonight?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Uh, you wanna grab dinner? With me?” Max asks nervously.

All the breath leaves my body in a whoosh. “Like, on a date?”

Max swallows nervously. “Yes. Would you like to have dinner with me?”

I bite my lip in a futile attempt at stopping myself from smiling like an idiot. “I'd love to.”

Max smiles back at me. “There's a really nice place called Emma's. It's new but it's really good.”

“Yeah, I heard people talking about it. It sounds great. Can I go home and change first?”

“Yes, absolutely,” he nods. He looks at his watch. “How about I pick you up at seven?”

“Perfect,” I smile. It's not quite perfect because by the time I get home, it will give me less than an hour to get ready. Thank God my hair looks awesome right now.

“Ok. I’ll see you at seven. For our date.”

“Ok.”

We stand motionless for a minute, smiling stupidly until somebody calls out that the store is closing. “I should go pay for this,” I say reluctantly.

Max nods. “Ok. I’ll see you at seven.”

I watch him walk away then skip up to the cash desk clutching my book to my chest and smiling from ear to ear.




Finis
***
Locked