Winner - Round 8
Title: Amaranthine (Eternally Yours)
Author: Selena
Rating: TEEN
Coupling: Dreamer, AU WITH aliens
Disclaimer: Roswell does not belong to me, it is the property of its rightful owners.
Summary: This fic is actually based on my very favorite novel, Beyond Forever by Debra Dier. The premise of love beyond forever and soulmates is one that has always thoroughly affected me, and I continued to see possiblities for it in Roswell fandom. So... here is my attempt.
Liz Parker finds herself visiting her parents new restaurant in Roswell New Mexico, when she meets a handsome stranger. Something about him strikes a very familiar chord, and when he explains why, the reason is far beyond anything she could have ever imagined.
Author's Note: A big thank you to Lissa for her beta-ing skillz. Luv ya sweets. And to Mary for the LOVELY banner. You rock babe!
Amaranthine (Eternally Yours)
Chapter 1:
It was you.
The dry, hot desert wind spiraled lazily around Liz Parker, as if whispering an untold secret. She closed her brown eyes, letting the feeling enrapture her, amazed at how she could almost repeat the words the wind could never say. She felt it travel through her thick brown hair, making it wild with excitement.
When she opened her eyes, they drifted upwards toward the sky, capturing the sparkle of the millions of stars shining effortlessly. It was one of her favorite places, and with each visit to her parents, she felt more and more drawn to the oddly shaped rock beside her, and how it held such a sense of familiarity.
Liz.
The wind whispered and she turned, convinced she had actually heard a voice. She looked up again, and pulled out her camera, to take shots of the bright sky. Venus was high and bright and it seemed that the Aries constellation was the brightest, clearly seen throughout the expanse of the heavens. She smiled, and then turned to take pictures of the desert night.
A soft beeping caught her attention. She looked down to see a flashing light on her phone. She had a voicemail. Of course, she had been gone far longer than she’d promised. She was sure it was her parents showing a very relevant concern. After all, it was nearly 11pm, and she was alone… in the desert. She laughed, wondering what her dear friend Maria would say.
“Crazy old Liz.” She said with a smile, and turned, ready to head back to her car. She looked around, confused for just a moment. She had parked down the road, and simply walked the distance. Now, she wished desperately that she’d thought to park right in the area. There was more than enough room. She pulled out her keychain flashlight and started to walk, when she was startled by a voice behind her.
“Lost?” She froze, feeling her heart stop within her chest. The word had been practically a whisper, deep and electrifying in its tone. She turned slowly, hoping to catch sight of the culprit.
“You really shouldn’t be out here all alone at night.” He said with a smirk on his lips. She flashed her light toward him, making his features glow. She couldn’t help but notice the strong curve of his jaw or the way his hair fell upon his forehead so softly. But, what most captured her were his eyes. Even in the darkness, they seemed to radiate with a warm glow, like that of a cooling embers. And despite her better judgment, she couldn’t look away.
“I was just going home.” She managed to scrape out, and cleared her throat, which was suddenly sounding incredibly thick. She kept her light shining on him; after all, he was a strange man, approaching her in the middle of the desert, in the middle of the night. Rationally, this was what serial killers and horror movies were made of. And still, she didn’t feel the need to run. Instead, there was an overwhelming feeling of security.
“Looking at the stars?” He suddenly looked up, and she froze, staring at his profile. He certainly had a knack for stunning her into silence. She looked up, trying to follow his gaze.
“Yes. I love the stars.” She said, as they continued to stare up, simply standing in comfortable silence.
“See Venus, right up there in the sky?”
“Yes, of course.” She listened with interest, swallowing up every word. They seemed to flow out slowly, like sweet honey on her ears.
“It’s part of a larger constellation of stars, Aries in particular, which during certain times of the year, changes its shape and forms the V-Constellation. It is the only constellation seen in that form both on Earth and on other planets.”
She let the silence linger for a moment and smiled.
“A star watcher, are you?” She said with a coy smile. Immediately after, she regretted it. What was she thinking? Flirting with a man she knew nothing about! And, who could very well be plotting to kill her.
“More of a traveler.” He said softly, turning his gaze toward her. And for a moment, it was as if she couldn’t move; she was simply stunned by his beauty. The moonlight seemed to cast a silver glow on his sun kissed skin which made him look like an old Greek statue. One of the ones she had spent so many hours studying in museums. “So, you must be the photographer everyone has been buzzing about in town. Elizabeth Parker?”
She felt her cheeks flush a warm red and looked away, hoping to avoid his glare.
“I didn’t realize there was word.”
“Roswell is a small town, word gets around quickly.”
“Of course. And, you… are a townie?”
“Originally, yes. I’d like to think so. Now…I kind of reside in between places.” He smiled suddenly, as if sharing in a secret joke. She found herself wanting desperately to be a part of it. Too desperate, really.
“How is it you know so much about stars?”
“I think of the stars as a map. They can always help you find your way home.” She looked at him carefully, exploring the way he spoke. Truthfully, the man was an intoxicating dream on all her senses. And, she knew very well how dangerous that could be.
“And, how could you possibly know if a constellation is seen from other planets?”
“There have been tales.” He said with a smile, as the soft beeping returned. She looked down suddenly, catching sight of the red light. Another voicemail.
“I really must go. It was a pleasure meeting you…”
“Max.” He whispered. “Max Evans.”
“Yes, a pleasure Mr. Evans.” She said and turned to walk back in the direction of her car.
“A pleasure, Miss Parker.” He whispered after her, as it traveled through the wind and swirled throughout her hair. She looked back, hoping to catch one last glance. Oddly enough, he was gone.
<center>***</center>
Liz drove up to her parents’ new establishment and smiled. It really was something to look at, despite how ridiculous the idea had sounded when they first pitched it to her. She stepped out of her new Toyota Prius, one of those hybrid cars that were safe for the environment. She had been thrilled to see she could do something good to save the atmosphere, and make the sky clearer, in order to catch the beauty of the stars.
She looked down at her watch and sighed, knowing she was in for an earful. Her parents still insisted on treating her as if she were a teenager.
She stopped in front of the café and smiled. Parker’s Music Corner Café. Quite fitting, when she thought of everything it was going to accomplish.
Maria herself had come in from Los Angeles in order to christen the place with her talent on opening night. It had brought crowds to Roswell like nothing ever before.
Now, her father sat on the small stage near the back corner and strummed his guitar softly, probably practicing for another performance that week.
She walked in slowly, letting the door close and ring the bell behind her.
“Do you know what time it is?” He said, without looking up.
“Yes, Daddy, I do. I was doing some research.” She said and pulled up a chair before the stage, watching him play. He looked up, his dark brown eyes looking at her with a hint of laughter. He had a few pieces of his dark hair over his forehead, and she could see that he was beginning to gray on the sides. Her father had always seemed so ageless.
“You can never get your mind off work, can you? The planetarium is miles away Lizzie. Leave it there. Enjoy your vacation.”
She looked up, meeting him with her bright chestnut eyes and reached up to tie her hair with the extra scrunchie on her wrist.
“As long as there is a sky above where I may be, I will be working. That is after all, what I do.”
“What is your fascination with the stars?” He asked, letting his hand linger on his guitar.
“I guess they just… remind me of home. I feel so very safe when I look up at the stars. Like finally, I know what my place is in the universe.” She stopped, catching herself before getting way too emotional. “Besides, I wasn’t gifted with music. I had to find something I was passionate about.”
She smiled and stood, heading over to the counter.
“Want a drink?”
“Sure.” She heard him say, as she grabbed two cups and put them on the soda machine.
“So, how was tonight?”
“Great. Another large crowd. I think for an opening week, we are doing very well.”
“Good, good.” She grabbed two straws and turned back toward her father. “Have you heard from Maria?”
“No, is she coming back? She really is a life saver, that girl. I’d pay her any amount of money to sing here again.”
“Dad, she’s like family, she’d never take your money, and you should know better than that.”
“Yea, well, I wouldn’t mind another night like opening night. We made so much money; I was all ready to open a new restaurant.” She laughed as she handed him his drink.
“Don’t get too ahead of yourself now. Besides, you all still need to come visit me in New York City. I can give you both free tours of the Metropolitan, the Museum of Natural History, and of course the Hayden Planetarium, where I work.”
“Of course, we’ll get there; your mom has been pestering me about it for months.” He put down the guitar and grabbed the case from behind his chair. He started packing it up slowly, as she sat and sipped her Coke, curling her legs beneath her on the chair.
“You know, I met someone out in the desert tonight.”
“There was someone out there at this crazy hour? Beside you? Who knew such people existed?”
“Whatever Dad.” She said, laughing at his sarcasm. “Anyway, I think he may be related to the Evans family, you know the lawyers.”
“Oh really, Philip and Diane? I didn’t know they had other family in Roswell.” Jeff closed the guitar case and stood up, finally moving toward the backroom.
“I think he might have been their son. He looked young enough. Max Evans?” She inquired, hoping far too strongly that they knew something about him. She had tried to avoid the overwhelming desire to look him up immediately, but the soft sound of his voice was still resonating in her ears. The way his eyes glowed in the moonlight, with that eerie iridescence, she couldn’t get the image out of her mind.
And now, she was trying to be as discreet as possible, by asking what she could no longer wonder about. Who was this Max Evans?
“Max Evans. It doesn’t ring a bell. But you know, sweetie, he may be a cousin or something. They don’t have any children.” He said as he reached the backdoor. Liz almost choked, as the fluid refused to go down her throat.
“What?”
“They don’t have children. They tried for years, but it seems Diane was barren. They were going to adopt, but they never found the children they’d been searching for.”
She felt the hair on her arms rise, forming goosebumps on her skin. He was right; he could have very well been a cousin or nephew. But something within her was scratching, as if there were something important she should remember, but couldn’t.
“Are you all right Liz? You look pale.”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. I think I’m going to bed. It’s been a really long night. Thanks Dad.”
“No problem sweetie. I’ll see you in the morning.” She went up the stairs toward the apartment above the café. Maybe with some sleep she’d be able to shake off the weird feeling. She would realize that the man in the desert was simply a kind man in search for conversation. There was no reason to feel so put out. Despite the fact that she was sure there was something about him, something she was supposed to remember.
<center>***</center>
Liz was the first to awaken in the house. As she made her way onto the balcony outside her bedroom window, she looked up at the bright blue sky, and the fluffy clouds slowly whirling by.
She looked around slowly, taking in every corner and stone. It was a comfortable sized balcony, and there were some patio chairs set out in different areas for some leisurely seating. She smiled, and sat down, stretching her legs out, wrapping her blanket around her pajama clad body.
She was plagued by an odd sense of déjà vu, which kept her looking around carefully, trying to make sense of what it was that seemed so familiar. But she knew, logically, that she had never been there before.
“Liz.” She jumped a bit, startled by the voice. She stood up and walked slowly toward the edge, looking down at the man at the bottom. In the sunlight, his dark hair was shining and suddenly, he looked up. She caught sight of his golden eyes, creasing at the edges with his smile.
She realized her confusion registered on her face when she heard him laugh.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” Max said softly, walking closer to the bottom of the building.
“What are you doing here?” She looked back toward her window, and then back down at the man at the bottom of the fire escape.
“I had to see you again.” He smiled, and then reached for the ladder.
“Me?” She looked down at her body, remembering she was in her pajamas and felt her cheeks flush.
“Can we talk?” The earnestness in his eyes flashed an image in her mind, of a star filled night, when she looked out over the balcony at a young man, with black hair and beautiful worried eyes. She shook her head, shaking away the vague image.
“How odd.” She whispered to herself, placing a piece of her loose hair behind her ear.
“What?”
“Umm… nothing. I… meet me in front of the café in five minutes.” He nodded and she ran back inside, throwing on a pair of jeans and a tank top, and putting her hair into a loose ponytail. She ran down the stairs and into the main restaurant area of the café. She stopped for a moment, seeing him on the other side of the glass doors, standing with his hands in the pocket of his jeans. She froze, remembering a similar image.
“This place is making me crazy.” She said, as she shook her head and walked toward the door, to unlock it and let him in. He walked in slowly, letting the door close softly behind him.
“I came to bring you something.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and handed her a pendant, with a strange symbol on one side.
Liz looked at it carefully, turning it around, and holding it firmly in her hand.
“What is it?”
“It’s a Native American pendant. It is the symbol of the whirlwind galaxy. I thought it was quite fitting, seeing how much you love the stars.”
She looked up at him, as if suddenly seeing him for the first time.
“Thank you.” It was all she could say. Then, there was a quiet calm between them.
Max reached up, and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. She felt her heart begin to race madly. He was after all, still very much a stranger. And still, there was something incredibly intimate about the gesture, something that sent her body into chills, and had her staring into his eyes, completely gone.
“You look lost.” He whispered suddenly, breaking Liz out of her reverie.
“Have you ever felt like you were walking through a dream? A half remembered memory, but you know it wasn’t real?” Her eyes never left his, and she could feel a rumbling low within her stomach.
“Yes.” Was all he said, as they stood, frozen in that moment, not recognizing anything else around them. “Especially here.”
“Why?”
“It’s your soul recognizing something your brain has not seen, but that your heart knows quite intimately.” His words struck a chord within her, as she thought of the countless pauses in time she’d experienced since arriving in Roswell.
“Lizzie!”
She turned, looking back toward the backroom door, in search for her father.
“I’m down here.” She turned back around, and her eyes grew wide. She was completely alone.
“Liz, sweetie, who were you talking to?” Her mother walked through the back door, a bright morning smile covering her face. Liz continued to look ahead, at the empty space that had been so full of life, so full of passion and so full of the mystery that was Max Evans.
“I just though… I was… nothing. I was just, trying to get my thoughts in order.”
“Do you want some breakfast, sweetheart?”
“Sure.” Liz shook her head, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She sat on the stool, in front of the counter, and leaned her hand on her cheek. She had a strange sense that something massive was about to happen, something that she somehow recognized, but knew nothing about.
And the feeling was terrifying, and still, completely exciting. She looked back out toward the glass doors longingly. There was something about Max Evans that triggered quiet parts within her soul.
<center>***</center>
“Liz, babe, this isn’t like you.”
“I realize that Maria, I just… maybe I’m just tired. I need to get more sleep.” Liz took a sip of her hot chocolate and looked up, feeling Maria’s gaze fixed upon her.
“Do you really think he’s just a figment of your tired overactive imagination?” Maria cut her chicken carefully, into small pieces, and placed a chunk in her mouth. Liz smiled, amused by her friend’s new, overly proper eating habits.
“No. I can’t imagine that he’d be fake. He just… he felt so real. I… felt him.” Maria stopped, and put down her utensils, as she looked around the restaurant carefully. They had gone to a restaurant in Santa Fe, in order to give Liz some time to get her thoughts in order. And despite the nice long drive, she was still talking about the dark haired mystery man. She knew she was obsessing, but she couldn’t help the thoughts that were plaguing her. The frozen moment in time when she held the pendant in her hands and his hand softly placed a lingering hair behind her ear. It had all seemed far too familiar, far too personal, and she had enjoyed it far too much.
“Well… what did he feel like?” Maria leaned back in her chair, as if awaiting an interesting story.
“Like I had known him my entire life, even though I know that I just met him last night.”
Maria’s eyes widened as she leaned forward.
“Oh my God.” She whispered, and Liz looked at her curiously, not liking the sound of her voice.
“What?”
“My mom was right.”
“About?”
“About how it’s possible for two souls to meet across time and space and find each other again.”
“Find each other?” Liz looked at Maria carefully. What nonsense was Amy DeLuca spitting out now?
“Liz, the reason he seems so incredibly familiar is because you knew him, in another life.”
“Another life?”
“Yes, soulmates. It’s quite possible that the two of you were lovers in your previous life, and now, he has come to find you again. Liz, this is huge!”
“Maria… I don’t think so. I mean, that just sounds….”
“Impossible? Everything is impossible until you see it for yourself. I’m looking right at it. You kept telling me that the minute you stepped into Roswell you had the strange feeling you’d been here before. This is not the Matrix sweetie, it’s not a glitch. Your subconscious is reacting strongly to the essence of this place.”
“You’ve been around your mother for far too long.”
“There’s a method to her madness.” Maria continued eating her chicken salad, and then stopped again, looking up at Liz with a question in her eyes.
“What?”
“I wonder… maybe the reason he’s approaching you is because although you don’t remember… he does.”
“Why would he remember and not me?”
“I don’t know. I’m not quite sure how all this destiny, intergalactic mumbo jumbo works. I’ll see if Mom has any books on it at the shop.”
Liz shook her head and continued eating her sandwich. But, something Maria said had shaken something up inside of her. She remembered the way he’d looked at her, as if he knew the deepest workings of her soul. And when he touched her, it was as if he’d touched her that way thousands of times before. Was it possible? Was it possible that Max Evans was there to remind her of a love they shared ages ago?
It was ridiculous, she thought to herself. But, there was a lingering doubt in her mind. A doubt that wouldn’t go away until she saw him again.
WELCOME to all. 
You all seem to be developing some great theories 
Anyway, I managed to get this chpt done on time, and that was awesome! Now to work on the next one! lol