Baby, It's You (CC, Mature) - Chapter 38 (Page 12) - Completed: 07/31/2021

This is the place to post all your General Roswell fanfiction. Any Canon fics, which pick up directly from any episode of the show and that focus on Max/Liz, Michael/Maria, Isabel/Alex or Isabel/Jesse, Kyle/Tess, or all the couples together! Rule of Thumb: If Max healed Liz in the Crashdown in September 1999, then your fic belongs here. If it picks up from the show in any way, it belongs here.

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Parker1947
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Baby, It's You - Chapter 4 - 05/09/2021

Post by Parker1947 »

Micah Isabel Max was thinking as he was sat and watched the prone figure of his best friend in his hospital bed. Someone who had befallen by a mysterious illness. Something so suddenly and without comprehension, and there was nothing Max could do despite being gifted with superhuman healing abilities. But those abilities stopped short at bringing his childhood friend, and brother back to today, as he also thought of the girl he viewed as his daughter even though she did not have his blood.

She was still his daughter.

She was in every other way that his son would be if he had ever showed his face. Chances of that are probably below nil by now he thought but Max knew his son was out there, somewhere in this world, or maybe not if he was on another planet or even alive at this point. Because he had yet to see Tess or to know whether they were even alive. So, it was all a bunch of assumptions at this point, and a vastly different life than he had wanted at one time. As he thought of the little girl who was now shopping with her aunt for a dress for the wedding.

Micah. he thought.

It was a complicated.

Micah who had been placed into his arms at birth was his child… and Max was not so proud of how he had made it happened having paid off her waitress of a mother because she had been a one-night stand of Michael’s before he had fallen ill. Not that the woman had not taken the money, signed the papers, and ran from Roswell, which is how he wanted it, with a signed agreement that she would have no role in her baby’s life before she turned 18, assuming his daughter sought her out at the time.

If it were to happen. It would be Micah’s choice, and only her choice. But for Max. It had been the only choice that could be made.

Although Max was not proud at giving a face to the town, or to his daughter that was faulty.

But then back then, in the beginning, Michal had taken his breakup from Maria badly. About as well as I did with Liz Max muttered to himself. But I did not seek company for my bed when I lost Liz. Michael had with many, and in the end, it had come back to haunt him with Yvonne. Once they graduated or did not graduate in Michael’s case, he had fallen into bad times, and tried to forget Maria who had by this time decided to stay in New York and had moved on. Months later, an ill-fated one-night fling had gotten a woman named Yvonne Simmons pregnant. A Cow Patties waitress. Yvonne had not wanted the baby.

And Michael had not wanted the baby.

Not Michael’s finest day Max would admit.

And so, Max stepped in, and paid off the mother, and got custody of the baby at birth. As he was hopeful that Michael would come to his senses but then his friend fell sick, and that was that, and Micah Isabel had come into his life at birth.

Max had been in the delivery room and taken the baby home and he had been in the child’s life ever since, and she had become his daughter.

And she called him Daddy even if he swore that he would tell her the truth when she was old enough to understand, but they were not at that point yet. His family, and Isabel treated Micah as one of their own because Isabel had understood the situation and was doing it to honor Michael as much as her brother was. Phillip and Diane were a little mystified, but they were not going to deny themselves a chance at a grandchild, and therefore they loved Micah every bit as their son did.

He might be raising Michael’s biological daughter, and she had grown into being his daughter, but it did not change that he wanted his best friend back.

And for Michael to live.

But that wish was starting to lose its potency if it ever was that powerful to begin with. “Michael,” Max murmured as he tried to break through the shell of his friend. “You need to come back,” he sighed. “For more reasons than you know” he said as he thought of his suspicions since he heard his daughter say the name of the older child, she had been talking to… Charlie Deluca. There was only one Deluca he knew, and it was Maria. And that child was not the same age as Micah, but older, and surer of his self… and almost a dead ringer for the man who was in the bed, unconscious.

And a dead ringer of the boy Michael had been once upon a time. When they first came to this planet, and before they met up a few years later, in school. “Oh, god” he muttered Secrets. They will get you every time “So, come on Michael. I think you might be surprised to find out what you have back here for you…” he asked. “You should be thinking of Maria, and maybe some unsettled ground there…”


*


“Thank you for dropping him off Liz,” Amy Deluca Valenti smiled as he looked at the couch that her grandson. A day she had not thought she would see, or that her daughter would allow happen but one that she was glad was happening at all. And while she understood why her daughter was reluctant, but there were factors in the story that Amy had not wanted to tell her daughter for fear it would her daughter hurt, and there really was nothing her daughter could do.

But one of these days her daughter would find out. And the same could be said for her grandson who was finally within Roswell limits.
While she knew that could pose unnecessary drama later... Amy was only grateful that Liz had dropped Charlie off so that he could spend some time with his grandparents. It was a chance that she did not get often with her grandson and therefore, she would relish it while she had the chance. Before he went home to his mother.

“I will try not to be too long,” was all Liz said he watched as Charlie watched the baseball game with his grandfather. As the women smiled at the boys yelling at the screen over some botched call or something, as Liz thought this was what Charlie was missing by Maria’s reluctance to bring him back to their hometown. To allow him to be exposed to his other family members.

Not that Liz did not know the reasons why Maria had stayed away. And she might have done the same thing if the shoes were other foot, although Liz did not know if she could have done the same thing because it would have been Max, she would have done that too. And Max is another story. All she could do was look at the little girl how does he have a daughter when I know he has a son out there somewhere in this world? Liz was hearing her brain ask her as she was trying to ignore it as she thought of the girl who had been looking up at Max with devotion and in seeing that. She knew he had to be an excellent father. A little girl she thought. Did he find happiness with someone else? And the mere thought made her ache and it tugged on her heart to know what she had thrown away.

As she got into her car and drove across town, to her appointment that she could not miss. Despite only arriving that day, but she needed to deal with this.


*

Two hours later,

The atmosphere tended to want to suck your hope out of you Max was thinking as he stood and watched Michael so oblivious to the world. It was so sterile, as Serena walked into the room once again, and acknowledged the fact so little had changed and yet Max could not help but acknowledge how so much had changed in the outside world. “You need to come back to us,” he whispered out into the empty room, as he saw the door being slid open, and Serena walking in. “I do want to thank you,” he murmured as he turned to his friend. “You know we would understand if you did look for other opportunities?”

“I like it here, and I want to see Michael come out of this” Serena muttered as she was at a loss to understand why the patient had not come back to them given that his results were so mystifying as there were no logical reason for his coma. And if not for the persistence of his friends in Max and Isabel. Any hospital would have long given up hope. And yet, he stayed with them, if every way except in consciousness. “Your town is interesting to me,” she smiled even though she was moon lighting across the street at another facility, because her only duties here was dealing with Max’s determination to keep his friend alive. “One of these days you will get your miracle,” she commented.

“If you think so,” Max muttered as he was not sure whether he could get a miracle on this one as he thanked Serena who he knew was trying everything, they could think of to bring her patient back to them. As he exited in the same fashion as he had entered. But with a heavy heart because of what his friend was missing out on, and what he was in many ways. Still, there was hope.

One always had to have a lot of hope. Sometimes it was the only thing that kept your going.

Because unfortunately he did share Serena’s belief that any other facility would have pulled the plug years ago. But Michael remained with them within this private institution that he and Isabel had created out of the wreckage of an explosion at Meta Chem that had taken place due to unrelated events that did not have anything to do with them.

Using funds real or power based to bring in all the equipment needed and hire the best. Serena had come to them straight out of school, as one of the best in her field. She had a lot to prove, and she had been trying ever since to find a way to bring his lost friend back, and his inability to have his friend back was not anything that Serena had done. Max figured his friend was being stubborn because there was no good reason why Michael was holding out on them. But he was not and therefore Serena was trying everything, and fortunately for them, that she stayed on the job.

He did not want to think it was hopeless.

Even if it had been five years. As he thought of little Micah Isabel and knew he had to pick her up, and so he was not really paying attention as he walked to his car as he looked across the street as they were in an industrial part of Roswell.

Lots of buildings were around them. And he stopped when he saw a familiar face come out of one across the street, as he wanted to stop his car once he got in and started it up and offer, he a drive home, but he was seeing she was talking on the phone and walking towards her own car.

Why was Liz on this part of town?

“They said the results will be to you by Monday at the earliest,” Liz was saying into her phone as she walked and not paying any attention to. “I am here on Tuesday before I start the journey back via New York, so call me, or we can schedule an appointment to talk when I am back home” she murmured as she saw out of the corner of her eye a familiar face in a car, stopping, slowly, and she froze in place. “I have to go.”

“Liz,” came the voice. “What are you doing here?” Max asked as he heard her talking about some results or something. But did not know what she was referring too, but he did know she was in the science field and working on genetics or something She deserves all the praise she has been given for her breakthroughs even if others got the glory. Max knew one day his ex would getting all the glory she deserved. “Is everything alright?”

Unable to speak.

Not knowing what he might have heard. Liz was unprepared for this. It was a risk she had taken by scheduling this appointment when she could have waited for another month. After all, Roswell was a small town. People talked, or saw things, all the time.

Which made the fortunate to have been in a different time once upon a time when everything exploded on them. Trying to do now, what they had done a decade ago. Would have been impossible, they both knew. And it is only 2009. “I am fine,” Liz said as she finally found a voice to speak. “It is work related,” she lied because this was anything by work related. Personal, very personal

“Oh,” Max nodded as it bought the excuse. “Do you need a lift?”

“No, I have my car” Liz sighed as she pointed towards the vehicle not that far away.

“Oh, right” Max said. “Anyways, if all is okay, then I will be on my way” he sighed as he longed to stay and glance into those eyes, but he resisted temptation as he drove off, as he was leaving Liz staring at the car as it drove away from her. Like he was curious about what she was doing in the area. She could not help but wonder why Max was even in the area. This is not exactly the place for him, she thought as saw across the street in the building that was once Meta Chem. She had heard of an explosion that had taken place there while she away at boarding school, and knew it had lit up the sky, but it seemed as if it was a medical facility, and it was called Meta Medical, and she checked she map she got out of the glove box and saw no listings for the facility It is unlisted she asked herself. Interesting, she thought, and she did not know what she was thinking as out of the window as she was starting her vehicle. She saw a familiar blonde enter the same facility grounds that Max had just exited.

First Max. Now Isabel?

“What is going on?” Liz asked but she knew she needed to get back to Charlie, so she drove back to the Deluca Valenti household and tried to ignore the questions swirling in her brain.


*


“One more Uncle Kyle,” said Charlie at the Deluca-Valenti household as they had been finishing up a video game competition. As Kyle who had arrived only after Liz had left and was now staying with his father and stepmother until his wedding day and had been bowled over by Charlie upon meeting him Maria is going to be explaining things he thought as only pictures, and phone calls had been their relationship because unlike Amy. Kyle and Jim had never ventured outside of Roswell to make any visits. It only been Amy who went on girl weekends to New York, or other trips with her daughter and grandson, and now Charlie was in Roswell and it was plain to see, as anyone could see why Maria was staying away.

No one else could be the father Kyle told himself as he watched as Charlie battled with him over some video game. Sighing because there was factors Maria did not know Kyle thought as he sat back down, and they were engaging in another battle when the door opened, and Liz walked in. Any thoughts of winning this time vanished. Smiling, all he said was “this is my exit” he muttered as he promptly got killed off by Charlie’s character. “You win,” he smiled as he got up. “Parker, nice seeing you.”

“Kyle,” Liz smiled as she walked in and instantly relieved to finally see a face that did not make her question what could have been, she thought as they embraced because this was their first seeing each other in many years. “I did not expect you to be here?”

“What can I say. Isabel takes pre-wedding traditions seriously,” Kyle laughed as he thought of his fiancé or in this case it was more me, he thought of his need to stay in his childhood home until his wedding. While his father rekindling things with Amy Deluca had cause some many renovations to the space. Still, it was his family home, and his father and Amy had offered that he stay “So, I am sticking close to here…”

“Is it not only the night before?” Liz asked with a laugh as they stepped back from their hug. “Not that I have any experience with that kind of thing” she though of her the miserable state of her own romantic life and how she had bucked away any chance of her relationships turning into anything meaningful. She never wanted to get to that point. But it did not mean she was not happy that her friends were getting that chance. Even if Maria’s life was also in the same rut as hers was, and they had been in sync in that too Maybe that should be telling us something?

“Neither do I,” Kyle murmured as they both knew it would be his first marriage. “But Isabel is a stickler for tradition and given that I had to be out of my place by today” he laughed. “While I did move everything into her house…” he murmured as he and Isabel had kept their separate places during their romance. Although he had spent most of the time at the home Isabel had been able to buy with her divorce settlement from Jesse. “Do you have to leave, or can you handle a drink?”

“I would say nothing strong,” Liz smiled as the looked back at Charlie who was having fun with the video game. “I have to drive,” she laughed. “If you have lemonade or something like that…”

“Yeah, I think we do” Kyle said as they walked into the kitchen while Charlie continued solo on the game. “It has been a long time?” he sighed as he thought of all the developments over the years since Liz left town in the wake of the changes that had taken over her life.

“Yes, it has been” Liz conceded as she did feel guilty that she had stayed away in the sense of what it meant to those she cared about. There were reasons she could not come back, but she missed out on those she did care about but staying away from Max seemed to be the most important factor at the time maybe I was wrong she could not help but wonder now Oh come on Liz, you can not be that weak? she muttered to herself. “Sorry…”

“That you could not see fit to find time for your hometown?” Kyle wondered “We might be small, but I thought we were pretty memorable” he laughed as they sat down at the table with their drinks. “Or was there something else keeping you away?”

“I was busy,” Liz lamely said, and Kyle could only laugh at the suggestion that she could not fit in the time when he knew that Jeff and Nancy were going to various places to meet up with their daughter. And when they did. His stepmother, Amy stepped in and ran the business. “And yes, Roswell is very memorable” she said softly as the reasons why they were memorable came to her mind. As her mind went back to the dark hair mystery boy who had captured her heart…

“I guess you were busy rocketing up there in the world of science” Kyle asked. “So, who would have time for their lowly hometown?”

“Yes, it has been an interesting time” Liz conceded as she thought of the many breakthrough she had been on the team of, and all the chances she had to make some valuable contributions. “Although I would never call you lowly,” she murmured with meaning.

“And I guess you got what you have wanted from your life?” Kyle asked as he was impressed by his ex-girlfriend’s ability to do something with her life. To contribute to the world of science, with discoveries that were meaningful and lasting.

“Yes, I did” Liz murmured but no I did not. Not by a long shot

“I am glad,” Kyle sighed as his face turned into a frown because of their reflection back to a time that was one crisis after another “I know how much those years took from you, and especially those last months” he murmured softly as he had witnessed firsthand how things had spun out of control for his ex-girlfriend and good friend. “It was hell of a time.”

“Yes, it was” Liz sighed as she did not regret getting out. Because of everything that had happened to her although she did regret that she could not make it work If only, but she knew that Max life was Roswell, and she needed to get out of their hometown to make her life make sense, and she knew she did not regret it even if she had given up the on lasting love to get her semblance of normal. “Yet you stayed?”

“I did not really have the funds to go elsewhere,” Kyle murmured as he thought of the climb his father had taken once he went back to the department. As most of his money from the shop went to supporting his father and himself until his father on his feet financially, and he had stayed despite his father finding something once again with Amy Deluca. Isabel stayed he murmured to himself. “I could see Roswell was the life I wanted, and eventually it brought me who I wanted” he sighed happily at the remembrance of how he finally got Isabel to notice him and give him the time of day romantically. “I only needed a new job.”

“And you found it?” Liz asked.

“Yes,” Kyle acknowledged. “Sports were the only thing I was good at” he sighed. “Even though I never was able to do anything with it…” he said of his dreams at one time of going somewhere professionally. But his talent did not run deep, but he had found his passion in helping those who were more talented than he was strive for that goal. At a high school level.

“I am sorry about that,” Liz sighed because she had known how much Kyle had enjoyed sports and she did know he was now a coach at their old high school. “I guess it better than being at the shop?”

“By a long shot,” Kyle laughed. “I am happy with the way my life has gone,” he acknowledged. I do not want anything more “This weekend will put it over the top,” he smiled “I am glad you ended up being able to come in for the wedding?”

“I hope I am not putting anyone out by making my decision so late,” Liz asked. “I know I kept you waiting for an answer…”

“I remained hopeful,” Kyle smiled as they sat at the table and shared non-alcoholic drink. “Although I never had to deal with what you had to deal with…” he sighed. “So, coming back to this town had to be a lot for you?”

“My schedule freed up,” Liz lamely sighed even though they both knew that was not why she had delayed saying she was coming back to Roswell for the wedding even if she initially has sent her regrets as she glanced around the Valenti house that had changed so much with Amy living here, as it has showed that time had indeed gone by, and they were not the same people they were in high school. “Speaking of that time. You never…” she asked as if they had not talked over the years but seeing each other face to face was different than talking over email or the phone.

“Nope, never” Kyle confirmed. “And I would think by now, well, I would know once way or another?”

“Weird,” Liz sighed as she that was the one thing, she could never figure out Why me? she muttered out loud, and Kyle caught it.

“You were special I guess,” Kyle muttered.

“Yeah, real special,” Liz murmured right back.

“That you were,” Kyle sighed as he though back to the child in the living room. “I figure we have danced around enough of the elephant in the room,” he sighed. “Are you going to explain to me what is going on with Charlie?”

“What exactly are you thinking?” Liz wondered as if she did not know what her former boyfriend was thinking of the child in the other room.

“I am thinking that he’s a dead ringer for someone we both know,” Kyle sighed. “I mean I was not that close to you people when we were kids. It was only in high school that magnified everything, but I remember one particular person…”

“Maria would rather you continue to ignore it,” Liz said softly as she thought of the conversations over the very subject that she had with her best friend. “You are not going to get anywhere by bringing it up with her.”

“I bet she does,” Kyle sighed.

“Kyle,” Liz murmured as she thought of the weight of on her friend’s shoulder “You can think what you want but it is Maria’s life, and she would rather you not think of it,” she muttered. “It is not that important in the great scheme of life” she sighed as she knew she was lying. As she knew it was important. Which is of course why she wanted to bring Charlie back to Roswell. So, that the boy could unsettle the ground. And Maria had known it and fought her on it but given Charlie’s mother was keeping the secret, she did not have that much leverage. Liz would never do anything to hurt her friend, but she knew that keeping Charlie in a bubble or on the East Coast was not going to stop the truth from coming out.

Because she could tell that Max had seen the truth when he had seen Charlie. Which meant they were already in unchartered territory.

Kyle could only shake his head. As he thought of the situation was a crappy one, he thought. Not that he especially cared about Michael, because they were never ones to truly mesh because they were two different people. But Kyle cared about Isabel and since Isabel loved Michael like a second brother, and Kyle did not want anything to hurt her, and he knew losing Michael had deeply wounded his fiancé. “All I was going to say is that it does not even matter whether Michael and Charlie are dead ringers for each other, because it is not like Michael is even around here anymore…”

“What are you talking about?” Liz asked stunned because this was the first time, she was hearing any of this WTF she muttered “Why would he not be in Roswell?” she wondered. “Where did he go?” because where Max and Isabel are, then Michael is never far away?

“Away,” was all Kyle would say as his face was telling a story that his words were not expressing, and Liz could automatically sense it.

“Kyle, what is going on?” Liz asked as she felt the undercurrents in the room shift.

“We all have our secrets. You or I are not different. Maria of course has them but in this case. Max and Isabel would prefer if it were not discussed,” Kyle sighed. “As much as I would love to tell you, but unfortunately, I must listen to them on this issue, as it is complicated, and to most everyone else in town who even care. To them, they think that Michael left town, and is out East.”

“Even from me?” Liz asked stung. “I think you know that I know complicated Kyle,” she sighed. “I mean I lived it for those three years,” she said as she reflected on the extent of what she had to endure during those years. As they were not for the faint of the heart. “It was my second nature. So, Kyle you are worrying me. What is going on?” she asked. “And to get the Tess treatment?” as they both winced at her reference because the blonde had been the worse thing the two of them faced. As Kyle more than anyone other than Max and Liz had faced lifelong burdens because of Tess’s time in their lives. They had not come out of it unscathed, and yet they had said that Tess had gone East when she had gone to Antar, and as far as she knew it. Tess was still gone…

“Ask Max” Kyle was all he could say even though he wanted to say more…

“Kyle,” Liz muttered because she was getting the feeling, she was not getting the truth, which she was not. “Why will you not tell me why?”

“Because I asked him not to,” came a voice of someone who was from Liz’s past. Someone she had not been especially close to because they had been two vastly different people as she saw a certain blonde enter the kitchen. Their personalities did not always mesh well with each other, but she had known they had someone they loved in common, even before the blonde fell in love with Kyle. Yes, Isabel Evans. That other person was Isabel’s brother. “Hello Liz…”

Max.

That brought an alliance between the two, but that alliance was not always the easiest one to sustain. Max was someone they both mutually loved, and Isabel did not always like how things were going or that Liz ultimately walked away from her brother. That caused a tension, although Liz had not been back since she walked away from Roswell during her senior year. So, it was hard to keep the anger going.

Isabel had already graduated and was married to her former husband. But still that did not stop Isabel from feeling like someone in control of her brother and did not want her brother to be hurt. And while she had been warned that Liz was back in town.

Now she was seeing it was the truth. Liz was back. Which would mean more turmoil for her brother.

“Yes, hello Isabel,” came Liz as she got up form the table and acknowledged Kyle’s fiancé, and her ex-boyfriend’s sister yeah, a complicated life I lead she muttered to herself as she saw Isabel continue to walk into the kitchen via the back door which is why they had not heard anything than the noise from the television as Charlie was still demolishing the game he was playing. “It’s nice to see you again after so much time…”

“Yes, because I take it that you are a last-minute addition to our wedding?” Isabel asked, unsure of how to handle this. Because she knew having Liz back, would cause her brother discomfort and angst, and she did not want that, but Isabel knew by now that her brother was a big boy who had made the choices he had in his life, and there was little she could do to get him to think otherwise, and she did not even want to try.

She was on the cusp of finding happiness. Happiness that would last this time.

And that meant she was more lenient to people who brought pain to her family, because she knew that it was her brother who had done his fair share within his relationship with Liz. And therefore, Liz was not the only one who had damage inflicted on her all those years ago.

After all it always takes two to damage a relationship.

Isabel could have said that herself because she had experienced it the hard way, and therefore she did not want to give Liz a hard time. Still, she was hesitancy because she knew what it meant to have her brother’s old flame back in town.

“As I was telling Kyle. My schedule changed, and therefore I wanted to be able to come back and see you guys take your vows and spend some time with my parents before I have to get back to my job and my other responsibilities” Liz could not help but sigh as she thought of her parents, and how she had treated them over the years “They have come to me, so it was about time that I came to them.”

Isabel nodded as she had known how the Parkers had gone on occasion to visit their daughter, and how they had been glowing from their trips when they came back. “I guess then I stand with Kyle and say I am happy you came to spend our day with us,” she smiled.

“Thank you,” Liz murmured. “It’s been a long time, and I have forgotten how much I have missed our hometown.”

“Have you?” Isabel asked as if she wanted to challenge that assertion. “I mean, have you missed Roswell?”

“Yes,” Liz murmured because it was the truth. She might have stayed away for many reasons, but they were never because she did not like her hometown, and she was realizing how much it had changed while she was gone, and how much she had missed it…

“We are happy you are back,” Kyle smiled. “We missed you, and we are glad you were able to come in for our big day.”

“I hope that you both know that you deserve any happiness that you can get, and I know the two of you will be very happy” Liz murmured and she knew it was the right thing to say because she and Kyle were better off as friends, and only friends, because only one person had been able to capture her heart, and she had yet to match that intensity, much to the detriment of her own social life.

“We appreciate it,” Isabel murmured as her face became melancholy because of what their group had lost over the years. “I only wish everyone we love can be here this weekend to celebrate with us.”

“Don’t we all” Liz simply nodded and knew Isabel had to be thinking of Alex. Alex Someone they had lost too early, and someone who should not have died, and especially not in the manner he did. “We all miss him.”

Isabel could only nod as she took Kyle’s hand, because it was not all she was thinking of, and only within this room, Kyle knew it, but still it did not prevent them from wishing for a better future than what was their past.

“Can I ask?” Liz asked as she was not ready to put her questions aside. Especially when she felt that there was too much she did not know. “What is going on with Michael?”

“I do not want to dwell on it,” Isabel murmured as it still pained her heart to know.

“I want to be a friend,” Liz sighed. “We all have a history, for good and for bad. And I cannot help but wonder what is going on, and think by now you can trust me to keep your secrets, and I know something is wrong, and I think I have earned that due my loyalty all those years ago?”

“It’s not like we do not trust you,” Isabel murmured even though she knew that Liz had earned their trust “I just do not like to acknowledge what is going on, and telling more people will only bring more angst…”

“Isabel, what is going on?” Liz asked. “I do not want to have to go ask your brother, and something tells me unlike you and Kyle. Your brother will tell me.”

“Would you tell Maria?” Isabel wanted to know.

“And why would I not?” Liz asked.
keepsmiling7
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Re: Baby, It's You (CC, Mature) - Chapter 4 - 05/09/2021

Post by keepsmiling7 »

Oh boy.....what a complicated situation.
Now some questions are answered.........we know who Micah's birth parents are.....
Yes Michael......you need to come back.
Too bad about the Meta Chem explosion.......
Wow!
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Re: Baby, It's You (CC, Mature) - Chapter 4 - 05/09/2021

Post by RoswellFan68 »

Maria has secrets. Isabel, Kyle and Max have secrets about Michael. Does Liz have any secrets?
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Re: Baby, It's You (CC, Mature) - Chapter 4 - 05/09/2021

Post by totallizfan »

Could Liz be visiting and Serena be moon lighting at the same facility?
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Parker1947
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Baby, It's You - Chapter 5 - 05/12/2021

Post by Parker1947 »

The next morning,


The sunlight was barely dawning, and Liz was jogging along the roads of her hometown. A small town she had been born in and had left prior to graduating high school even though she did have that accomplishment on her resume. And added to the document was an advance degree from Harvard University. So, yes, she has reached the heights that so few could reach from such a small town. Because if they had the abilities, then they might not have the financial means and she knew that had set back more than one fellow graduate back in her day. She had the chance to go out there into the world on her own. And now she was home to attend her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, and she had only been in town less than a day and she already swimming in angst that was reminiscent of the life she had been living in those days, before she finally took her life into her hands, and left this town.

Seeking out a new life. In her new world.

She had succeeded, in ways she could not have seen possible back then. Now, she was back as she kept running.

She was not an athlete naturally, and she did hate running, but she was jogging to lose weight. And it was good to persuade her mind to think, and to roll through the many developments of her life, and on this day, she had plenty of developments to run her mind through as she was trying to adjust to being back in her hometown.

Because being in Roswell was already messing with her mind, and in the process, it was giving her a sense of whiplash because had fought for so many years to overcome those memories. But now, “Call me back Maria,” she demanded into her headpiece connected to her phone as she had been trying to connect with Maria, but ultimately, she had hit a delay in that because she knew Maria was busy with the newest production, she was in.

One that she had strived for years to arrive at, and it was finally here. And Maria did not want old times to interrupt her moment in the sun. Liz did not want that either, because she was finding herself that stepping into city lights had all those memories, both good, and those that were bad roaring back into her mind.

And so, she needed the jogging to try to keep an even keel.

Charlie was meeting his grandparents for breakfast, and then Amy was going to take him shopping. Which meant the boy would be lavishly spoiled since Amy did not get the opportunity that often to spend all the time in the world with her only grandchild. So, Liz knew she was off the hook for the morning at least. And now she was running away from her feelings, as she ran down the path in the woods, and out onto the road, as she could not help but think about the night before…

“Why would I not tell Maria?” Liz was asking as they sat in the kitchen and it felt like they were in a showdown. One that did not make sense to any of the participants. “Maria does care about Michael you know.”

Isabel mumbled with an addition of a snort. “She had a good way of showing that concern, when she was the one who left him,” Isabel muttered as Kyle was obviously keeping an eye on the discussion without adding anything to it.

“She wanted to try to achieve her dreams,” Liz muttered as she knew something about chasing dreams and giving them up at the same time “You do not know what it is like to be apart of our drama that we had going in those days,” as she only got an ice stare from Isabel. “All I mean is that I loved your brother Isabel” ignoring the fact that she still did, “Of course, you guys did not make me get involved in it unwillingly. A large percentage of it was of my own hand, and therefore I wanted to be apart of it, but it does take a lot out of you. And Maria did not even have the mark of being changed by the circumstances of our drama, unlike me” she sighed. “We all know that she did love Michael, but Michael was not ready to give his all to them…”

“How do you know?” Isabel asked snidely. “He wanted her back. While she was giving him mixed signals the whole time…”

“It was a tense time, I grant you” Liz sighed. “We all made decisions we would take back or change,” she sighed. “Maria has been fortunate to achieve the success she had earned. I would think Michael would be happy for her, as we all should be” she murmured. “I would have wanted to know what was going with Max or you Kyle, even though we had a past, and I am no longer residing here in Roswell.”

“Keeping as few people in the know is better in the long run” Isabel murmured even though she was fighting a losing battle.

“Why?” Liz asked.

“It just is,” Isabel muttered, and it was clear to Liz that something was bothering Isabel and it was not going to be easy to get it out of the bride to be, and Kyle was not going to upset his fiancé, just days before the wedding and then everything changed and whatever predicament that Michael was finding himself in, was forgotten by the simple words…

“Aunt Liz,” came a small boy who entered the chaos of the kitchen, and the groans instantly from Kyle and then from Liz as Isabel’s eyes went wild when she saw Charlie for the first time…

“Yes, Charlie?” Liz asked.

“What is going on here,” Charlie Deluca murmured as he walked into the kitchen after getting tired of the game he was playing and did not realize what it meant to come in the kitchen now that Isabel was in the room. “I got bored, are we going back to our hotel room?”

“Soon,” Liz asked as she got up from the table and went to the boy as Isabel stayed silent as she watched the boy, and looked at her fiancé who nodded, and Liz sighed.

None of them knew what to say…

Kyle was the first one to speak. “I’ll turn on the television for you Charlie,” Kyle said as he left the kitchen with the boy who looked back and saw the astonishment in the woman that he did not know…

“You want to keep secrets; well, I am game for that” Liz murmured softly. “His name is Charlie” was all she wanted to say because it was not her place but knew that if she needed to get them to trust her with whatever was going on with Michael than she had to be honest.”

“Charlie?” Isabel asked.

“Yes,” Liz acknowledged. “After Alex’s middle name
Charles

“Oh god,” Isabel’s whispered as memories of their lost friend came roaring back. “Why did she not tell us?”

“She was scared,” Liz murmured. “She did not ask for the situation. It surprised her, and once you leave, it’s hard to come back again.”

“You did,” Isabel murmured.

“But I do not have the weight of that kind of secret” Liz murmured. “I still stayed away, and now I am back to get some closure on what happened ten years ago, and how everything changed seven years ago…

“Michael deserved to know…” Isabel sighed.

“I am not going to deny he did not” Liz sighed, as she knew that was why she wanted to upset the apple cart by bringing Charlie to Roswell, and she suspected Maria agreed for her to do it, so that she did not have to be the baddie, and she could stay out of the fray until she was brave enough to withstand the drama.

Isabel nodded.

“So, are you going to tell me what is going on with Michael?” Liz asked. “And why Max is raising a child that could look like Charlie’s younger fraternal twin?”


Isabel did not answer, and so Liz was jogging it out, as sunlight was starting to come out onto this day, and shine. She did not what was going on with Michael, or why Max nor Isabel did not trust her, but of course she had upset Isabel by showing up with Charlie.

It was clear whatever was going with Michael was a wound that Isabel was clearly not over, and so continued to run, and did not see where she was running until it was nearly too late, and all she saw was the blinding car lights, and swerving of a car as she looked at it as if looking into deer lights…

Before she fell to the ground…


*


“Shit,” came the cursing of the driver of the car as the car stopped. The day light was only beginning to shine, and so it was dark enough that the car lights had to be on as he drove, and he did not see the runner on the side of the street until it was too late, and he had to swerve, and it looked like he might have hit the person in a ball cap…

Stopping the car, he swung open the doors, and got out and then went into a state of paralysis when he saw that it was Liz on the ground.

“Oh god,” Max cursed as he immediately knelt to the ground. “Liz?”


*


She had only been unconscious for a moment or two but when her eyes opened, she could hear a familiar voice. A soothing one. A voice that belonged to someone she had fell in love with at sixteen, and who she had hurt with her departure seven years ago.

But who she had never forgotten, or fallen out of love with, much to the determent of her life, which was why she was conducting her life the way she was? God, you have a funny way of working you know she muttered to herself as she laid on a hard road, as she glanced into the eyes of the man she still loved.

She could not help but groan, and Max was immediately put-on guard “God,” she said in a curse as she continued to groan from the intensity of the impact of the road, and the road burn, and she was not convinced she did not have other injuries… why do I feel so numb?

As she heard, “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” Liz answered as she opened her eyes and glanced into the soulful eyes belonging to her dream guy.

Who was the one who had gotten away, and from the concern in his voice, and on his face? She knew it was him, who was the one who had been the car that had hit her, “Was it you?”

“Yes,” Max admitted as he was relieved to see that there was no blood, or at least initially, she seemed okay, but it still did not make him feel good “Sorry, but my mind was elsewhere, and it was still dark enough that I did not see you coming in your dark running suit, are you okay?

“I guess I forgot my wrist bands, which are more colorful, back in my room” Liz admitted as she had been in a rush to get out of the room. “I should have been looking where I was running. This might be my hometown, but so much of it is such a stranger to me…”

“Yeah, that can happen. And yes, unfortunately, we have changed some” Max asked. “Are you able to get up?” as he offered her hand, and she groaned again, and took it, as he pulled her up, and moments later, she was standing and even though she was banged up because of him he cursed, she still was beautiful. Even in the early morning hours. “Are you sure you are, okay?”

“Just some scratches, I think” Liz said as she tore her eyes from his searing eyes, and tried to take stock of how she was, and fortunately she did not see any blood collecting so she felt quite certain that she had escape injury, and yet she could help but wonder if was not just her body that had been affected by their run in as she tried to look for any other subject than about them “Is your car, okay?” she asked as she glanced over at the car that had brought her ex back into her life, on this morning. When all she had wanted was a simple run, to get out her frustrations.

“Fortunately, I swerved in time,” Max sighed or not so fortunately, not for Liz at least as he glanced down at the love of his life and cursed once more what he had just done. “I am sorry Liz,” he tried, and she smiled and tried assuring him it was alright. A simple glance was all it took for her to fluster him. And if he had not already known it. She was someone whose heart was still with him and had not left him in all these years, and now she was looking pale, and in shock with a few bruises starting to form. “Can I take you the hospital?” he asked out of concern for his former girlfriend.

“No,” Liz said shaking her head as the last thing she wanted to deal with on this day was a hospital. When she knew that they would just release her in the short order, so she would take the aches and pains and grin and bear it, and not let to it show because she could tell that Max was feeling the weight of what he had done. “Seriously, I am fine Max.”

“I would feel better if a doctor looked at you,” Max asked as she took an assessing glance over his ex, and wary of her claims of no medical attention “To be sure and all” he sighed even though it did not look like she was worse for wear. “Sometimes bruises hide the truth…”

I know Liz thought. And it did not have to be formed and noticeable bruises either because sometimes bruises provide cover and do not reveal the truth until the scabs come off, exposing everything to the world. But she knew on this morning. It was just a few aches and pains, and she was going to be fine. Except her heart was taking quite a beating. Because whenever she was near him, it was going a mile a minute, and she knew being hit by a car driven by the man she ached to be with, was not the reason why she was like this, as she tried to shake her head. “If anything is a matter with me, well, it’s not something you can fix,” Liz muttered as took a step, and saw that her feet were working, which was a relief. “Seriously Max, I am more than fine” she said a smile, and he loved ever inch of that smile, but still he was weary about whether to trust her, because she had an ability to say everything was alright, when it was nothing but…

“I hope so,” Max sighed as he felt the weight of what he had done “After all, it was my fault?”

“How about we agree that it was both of our faults,” Liz murmured as she looked around and saw where they were, and the sunlight was beaming down on them. God, I have to walk back she thought, and she did not have the energy or the will to do such, and almost like he was reading her mind is he she muttered. That was never Max she thought. That was more Isabel’s tendency to know what was going on in your mind.

“Can I drive you back to wherever you are staying?” Max asked as yes, he could not help but pick up what she was thinking. Not by mind reading because that was never him, but because he remembered every inch of her, and he had a knowledge of her, and seven years did not erase that…

“I think I can walk,” Liz said softly because she knew she was not going to try jogging yet, because she did sense the pain would be coming before long, and she did not know if that pain would be coming strictly from the aches and pains that she had suffered in the incident, or whether it would be about choices she had made when she was eighteen. She did not want to be imposing on her former boyfriend, and maybe the walk would do her good?

“I insist,” Max murmured with a smile as he desperately did want to spend time with Liz. As he was not rushing to get home anyways with Micah at school today, as he had no place, he wanted to be other than spending time with his ex-girlfriend. “Let me do this for you, okay?” he insisted. “It would be easier for me to handle what I did to you, if you let me make sure you get back to where you are staying…”

“Should you not have something to do to get ready for your sister’s wedding?” Liz asked.

“You know my sister,” Max smiled. “She has everything planned down the letter t,” he allowed. “And all I have to do is show up tonight at the rehearsal dinner.”

“Right,” Liz murmured.

“Let me do this for you,” Max asked as he reached out and took her hand in his, and opened the door of his car, and allowed her to get in, and Liz knew she was done for by taking this offer. “Whether you are bruised or not, you have to be sore, so why should I not try you back to where you are staying?” he asked. “Are you staying with your parents?”

“No,” Liz said simply.

“Then where are you staying?” Max asked he restarted his car.


*


“Did you know?” Isabel asked as she and Kyle were meeting for breakfast at the Crashdown. As both decided to stick with tradition and stay away from each other until the wedding, except for meeting up for meals, and now they were having breakfast and Isabel was only thinking about Charlie, and how complicated the situation was. “And if you did not know. How could you not know?”

“You know Maria just as well as I do,” Kyle sighed. “We might be family now, but we have never been close, and especially since she left town,” he muttered. “So, of course, I knew Charlie had been born. That there was a child. But I did not sit down and count the days since she left Roswell. And it is not like she told me who the father was. Which she did not. And afterwards, as we all know, she stayed away, and accomplished something within her career which allowed her to say away, and it would lead Amy to being the one who was going to her, and so, I had not seen Charlie in person and in the flesh until yesterday, and only pictures we get over the years only tell you so much” he muttered. “And they can hide so much too. If Amy knew, then she did not let it slip to me, or to Dad” and if Dad knew, which he probably did than he was not going to tell me.

“So much could have been different if Michael had been told” Isabel muttered stubbornly.

“Would it though?” Kyle asked as he figured the time had come to be honest. “We all know what Michael was back then, and the last thing he could have handle was a child. Whether it was by Maria, or by when it was happening to him a few years later, with Yvonne?” he sighed. “And how your brother had to step in to handle that mess?”

“Yvonne was different,” Isabel sighed even though she knew how her honorary brother was back then, and Kyle was not that far off. Michael would not have been able to handle having a child given all his baggage due the abuse he had suffered at the hands of Hank. “I would have to think he would be more present or helpful if it had been Maria?” she mumbled.

“I think you are giving him too much credit,” Kyle sighed. “I want to think that he would have been able to handle it, which is why I think Maria did not come back or at least tell him that he had a son because of the damage of those years with Hank, and Michael had only come so far out on his own. At the time, he would not have been ready for a child.”

“But she did not give him a chance,” Isabel sighed. “And she took a risk?” she sighed as she though of the boy she had seen the night before. Such a dead ringer for her lost friend. “If she had told him, then maybe things would have not happened in the way the did?”

What if’s only get us so far,” Kyle muttered. “No one knows the source of Michael’s sickness, and why he’s comatose,” he sighed as he did know how much it was breaking his fiancé’s heart to know there is little likelihood that he would be coming back especially because so far Max’s healing powers, or conventional science had not been able to aide in his recovery. “We really do not know if anything would have been different.”

“At least Michael then would have something to fight for” Isabel muttered even though she knew she was a little too stubborn within the situation because she remembered those days, well enough, just like Kyle.

“Well, he had the prospect of his daughter, Micah,” Kyle muttered. “If that she was not something to fight for. Then knowing Maria was out there with his son was unlikely to make a difference.”

“Yeah,” Isabel sighed because she remembered that time and how Michael had wanted to ignore Yvonne’s pregnancy, and how Max had stepped in to prevent disaster from occurring. Because to do otherwise would mean that a member of their squad, whether it was the newest generation member of not would have been out there in the world, either with an unreliable mother or being placed for adoption, which would have led to unpredictable times. So, Max had stepped in, and his paying off Yvonne had saved them a lot of worries.

Especially since they did not know what was going on with Max’s own son.

“If I had known, then I would have told you” Kyle promised.

“Would you?” Isabel asked.

“I love you…” Kyle sighed. “So yes, because we are starting a new life together tomorrow, so why would I want to keep a secret like from you?”

“I love you too,” Isabel smiled. “Look I am sorry for giving you a hard time on this because I do know we have a complicated family…”

Complicated is the easy word for it, Kyle mused to himself as he smiled. “I think I know what I was getting when I proposed,” Kyle smiled.

“Especially since I got an eyeful in high school. If I had not wanted this life than I would have ran the other way”

“This weekend is going to rival that, huh?” Isabel asked.

“I do not see how it cannot,” Kyle said realistically. “As we both saw in high school. Whenever your brother is in the same vicinity of Liz than drama is going to be not far off, and then we have the unknown in Charlie, and his mother, and how that makes an impact…”

Isabel sighed. “All we wanted was a simple wedding?”

“Given who you are… Asking for that was always going to be a pipe dream,” Kyle sighed as he took Isabel’s hand, as they got up from the table, and walked out of the Crashdown together, and they saw a car stopping in front of the condo building across the street…

“See, I told you” Kyle laughed as they saw that both Isabel’s brother, and Liz were in the same car, and she had a bruise on her face… “Should we ask?”

Isabel did not know…


*


As yes, the car was Max’s as it pulled along the side of the condo building across from the Crashdown. As both Max and Liz now sat in the car on the drive back into main part of town in silence, with neither knowing what to say. And because Max had finally gotten a destination out of Liz, and now he could only sit in stunned silence and even awe on the unreal circumstances, and how fate was bringing back into each a crossroads of sorts in each other’s life. “Are you serious?” Max was saying as the car stopped and stayed place. As neither of them were seeing Isabel or Kyle coming out of the Crashdown, as they finished their early morning breakfast.

“Why, do you say that?” Liz asked as she wondered why he seemed blown away when she had given him the address. As the drive had been short and memorable to be in the same vehicle together. With neither knowing how to talk to the other because so much was left unsaid, and in the past. So, she had given him the address, and remarked how bowled over he had been to hear the information. And now they sat in the car, outside of the building that once held so many memories for them.

“Because this building is where I am living with my daughter,” Max murmured, as he glanced over at the love of his life. Numbness and shock immediately went through Liz as she comprehended what her ex was saying. Are you kidding me she muttered to herself as she took of the building, and knew there were not many apartments in the building because they had kept the integrity of the building, and only built a few apartments and almost like she targeted on where he would be living if indeed, he was living in this building “Are you telling me you are in the one next to me?” he asked as he did the same assessment of the building.

“How would you know that?” Liz asked softly. “Yes, Charlie and I are in 2B.”

Unreal Max murmured to himself as he thought of how such a situation could have developed. “I know the owners of 2B always rent it out because they live outside of Roswell most of the year, so, they keep it purely as investment with an only occasional stays, but I guess I never figured they would rent it out for just the weekend?”

“I guess I got lucky,” Liz sighed as she still could not comprehend the situation, she was finding her in. I came here to get closure. Not to find myself drawn closer to Max she mused to herself. What are you telling me, god she muttered to herself?

She did not know as Max restarted the car, and went around the block, and parked in the lot, and saw Liz’s car, and was blown away by it. “It’s such an odd situation…” he murmured as he was still too stunned to think that this could be true.

“Yes, it is” Liz allowed, and she sat and glanced away in almost a trance and just when she went to open the door, she had seen that Max got quickly gotten out of the car and came around to her side and opened the door for her. “I am quite capable, you know.”

“Given I rammed into you,” Max said softly. “I get to be concerned, and overly cautious” he said as they walked quietly into the lobby of the old UFO Center. “Especially since you refuse to have me take you to the hospital to get checked out,” he muttered as they both looked at the building in front of them, as they both remembered their past “So, you must be shocked to see how much this place has changed?”

“Yes,” Liz acknowledged as she looked across the street at her father’s restaurant as they came around the corner. “Do you still work at the Center, wherever it is now located?”

“It’s nearby,” Max sighed as he thought of the newest location of his old haunt. “Down the street some…”

“Dad must have hated to lose the business that comes directly from the place?” Liz commented as they walked up the steps.

“Business always manages to find its way here to the Crashdown” Max commented with a smirk. “The tourism is always strong here in Roswell.”

“Because people will always want to believe?” Liz asked. Acknowledging the strange life that her ex was finding himself in. The fact her exit from town had led Max to a simpler life or how things had calmed down some over the years, and that the chaos they had lived seemed to have stopped by her going to boarding school, and staying there, and going elsewhere after graduation. “It still must be strange for you guys?”

“It is,” Max sighed as they stopped in front of Liz’s door Unreal, he commented to himself as it became a reality.

“You know you never did answer me,” Liz commented. “What do you do these days?” she could not help but ask because she was curious about what kind of life, he had been able to lead if for a moment she could forget that he was raising a young daughter who looked like someone from both of their pasts. She could not but still it did not stop from being curious about Max. I will always be curious about him…

“It’s complicated,” Max murmured. “You can say that Isabel and I have found ourselves independently wealthy, and we find our way to use our influence around…” he allowed, and it has allowed us to help Michael when most other hospitals would have given up…

“That is strange,” Liz asked as she unlocked the door and she entered, and Max stopped. Unsure of whether to come in, and Liz turned around and saw the awkwardness of Max in the doorway. “If you have a few minutes, you can come in?” she asked as knew she was asking for trouble by allowing him to come in, but like Max with her, she also had a hard time turning him away and every moment spent with him was full of memories, whether, intended or not.

“I have more than that,” Max smiled, and Liz muttered to herself Uh oh as she remained captivated by a simple smile as he entered the apartment.

Yes, it is not my injuries making my heart fly like it is she confirmed to herself. As a simple smile that made her heartbeat fast, and she knew she should be walking away because she did not want to be facing that, when she was desperately trying to move on, in a fashion that did not have her tied to Max, or to the past. “Right, after all, you are just next door” Liz asked as she still could not comprehend now things had gone since she came back to town. It was supposed to be about closure, and not about reigniting their flame as she moved onto a topic that she was divorced from and could not quite understand. “Where is Micah?” she thought back to the child whose name she had gotten from Charlie.
It was a situation that still mystified her…

As she could not help but know that there was a story there, and she was being denied answers, and it made her curious.

“School,” Max muttered. “I had just dropped her off, when I ran into you,” he sighed as he thought of his daughter. And yes, he knew that Liz would have questions. Because when she had left him, and left Roswell. He had a son.

He still had a son. But he was a boy who was out there in the galaxy, but still very present in his life even if he had been more of a consequence of past actions. And one he had never been able to be a father to, because Tess had taken him away, he had allowed her to, before really comprehending what he was doing. Only for the remaining months of his relationship with Liz to be defined by wanting to find his son and yet wanting to love Liz at the same time. Only for it to turn out to be about the woman who had deceived them and had taken his son with her.

And therefore, he had never seen his son…

And now he had a daughter…

And he could only think of what his ex-girlfriend had to be thinking.

Of course, it was seven years later. Both had changed. Neither of them was the people they were at fifteen, nor even at eighteen. Life had changed for both, and neither were the people in their memory’s banks, of when it had been simpler times When was it ever simple Max wanted to mutter himself because he had known too much had taken from them.

“We all have a right to our own lives. So, it does not matter to me,” Liz tried to say, and she knew she was failing because she knew it did matter to her. “It’s not like I am virgin anymore either,” she sighed, and she could see the dip on her ex’s face as she could not believe how she had blurted that out. “So, if you did move on,” she said trying to cover up her true feeling and pain at that assertion as she smiled inwardly at the knowledge that Max was jealous at the idea that she had not been lonely, which she had not been “That surprises you?”

“No,” Max was quick to say even though he could say he had been celibate since Tess. As no women had interested him since he had lost the one who still captivated his heart. And so, it did sting to know that Liz had moved on, even he knew that it should not have. Because of course, it is seven years later, and neither should have been waiting for some thing that was clearly not going to happen. “I want you to be happy, and I am glad you have found some kind of happiness.”

Liz could only nod Some happiness I found because she knew she had not been happy. She was single. She knew what Max had to be thinking, but she was not in a lasting relationship because the men she had been with had been cover, facades to cover that she had been running. I am always running. Since that day when she had run to boarding school and had not gone back. Leaving her parents, and leaving what she could have had with Max. When she had known he had wanted her. Which is why I did come back, for closure, so that I can stop running. But now she was afraid that she might not get what she wanted from this weekend.

So, she had covered it with a lot of sex with men who did stay beyond the one night. Much to Maria’s amusement because it had been Maria had seemed to be turned off by being with someone. Of course, having a baby at home, months after leaving the guy who had wanted you was a way of keeping men at bay. Except Maria was not trying to put herself out there, the way Liz was.

While Liz had taken the chance to explore. And now she was looking into the eyes of the one who had gotten away due choices they had both had made, and roads they had taken. And she was questioning the whole meaning of life. And what she wanted from it.

Once upon a time she allowed herself to believe everything would be so different as Liz did not respond to Max’s assumptions that her romantic life was full of fulfillment as they sat and just glanced at each other, and around the apartment that Liz was renting for the weekend, as neither knew what to say, because the past was complicated.

And neither knew what to say.

Finally, the impasse seems to break, as Max looked at his watch and decided it was time that he needed to go so not to overwhelm his ex more, not that he wanted to especially leave. Because he wanted to spend all the time in the world with this woman, but he could tell she was anxious, and he knew his leaving would dispel that anxiety in her. “I guess, I better go” he asked. “You probably want to rest a bit before you continue your day, and tonight,” he sighed. “I will see you tonight, right?” he asked of his assumption that if she was in town for the wedding. Then she would be coming to tonight. “You will be at the rehearsal dinner?”

“It’s at your parent’s place?” Liz asked as if she did not know because she had also gotten the invitation to come to the rehearsal dinner. And therefore, she and Charlie had plans to attend, and in the aftermath, Charlie would be spending the night with his grandparents. Charlie, she thought. Someone who should be anchoring her away from the past. Yet she knew the boy was spending more time with his grandparents than with her, so far, but she did not mind, nor did the boy, and they both knew Maria would not mind either, now that the dye had been cast, the secret was out. Not that she had been able to personally talk to Maria since she was in rehearsal all day. “I think I heard that,” she said softly, and Max laughed.

“Yes,” Max nodded. “You know my sister. She wants the glamorous wedding. The whole nine yards tomorrow. But Mom and Dad are hosting a more intimate gathering tonight, at the family home.”

“I am sure your parents are thrilled?” Liz asked without really answering his question about whether she would be attending and instead leaned on the fact she had known that the relationships within the Evans family had not always been so simple, or as happy, and it did a world of good to know tension had lessened over the years.

“They are,” Max acknowledged as if he could sense what his ex was thinking because she had been around for Isabel’s first wedding, and they both knew how that had gone at the time. “They are way more accepting this time, and that is good for my sister because you know last time…”

“Yeah,” Liz sighed because they both knew what had happened last time, and how things had been tense between the family on a whole number of fronts, and Isabel’s first marriage had not gotten the acceptance she would have wanted at the time.

“Thankfully, time has softened a lot of us on events of the past, and in our wishes for the future” Max sighed, as she got up from the couch, and Liz did too, and they stood in place instead of walking back towards to the door as if neither of them wanted to leave, and neither did. Even if sanity was starting to come to them, and Liz was trying awfully hard to stay away from the past and repeating past choices.

“I am glad,” Liz murmured as she felt like she was in a different time as she thought of what Max had gone through with his mother and father, and it did seem like things had changed for the positive over the time she had been away, and she was glad for that, as she smiled.

A simple smile that gave Max all the hope in the world. Even if he knew the hope would likely be futile. “Can I help with that?” Max said simply as he touched his hand on her face, acknowledging the bruise from the incident earlier that morning.

And the simple touch brought the memories flooding back to Liz, as she shuddered at memories flashes of them touching each other, and even kissing Oh god she whispered to himself as inwardly wanted to embrace the touch, but the other side of herself.

The one who had walked away, recoiled from it. And so, she stepped back, “Max…” she sighed.

“Sorry,” Max murmured as he reacted to her stepping back. “I was out of line?”

Yes, you were, but I loved every moment of that few seconds Liz wanted to say but all she could utter was. “I just think we need to be friends, this weekend, I mean” she sighed. “After all, I am leaving again once this weekend is over.”

“Right, you are” Max allowed because he did not want to think of her leaving this town once again, and his life. Now that he had a chance to see her, after so much time apart. But he knew to make sure they got through this weekend. They both needed to know where that line was, “We would not want to start anything we cannot finish?” he asked, like last time he muttered to himself. “I understand, but let me, you know…”

“What?” Liz asked, as if she did not know.

“Take that away,” Max asked as he took his hand once again and reached her forehead, and even this time, being forewarned. The result was still the same for her because she was taken away, a decade back, when her life changed, and she was forever a different person.

For good and for bad Liz thought as she felt the touch of her mystery man. “I do not want you to get any questions tonight that you need to explain,” Max thought.

“I could never blame you Max,” Liz smiled as suddenly she felt like a different person, as his hand dropped, and all she could do was look into his eyes. “But thank you for that,” she sighed, and “I guess I will see you tonight then?”

“Yes, you will,” Max promise with his sexiest smile, and the flutters continued once more as Liz could only step back, and then he was gone, and the door closed behind her, and all she could do was feel winded, and in awe. Because she had not felt this way. Not since those days seven years before, when everything was spinning out of control.

There had been only one man who could look at her like she was the only woman alive, as she leaned back against the wall, next the apartment door and felt as if her heart were not going to stop beating like it was… Oh god, she whispered out loud. “I am in so in trouble.”

“How am I going to last until Tuesday?” she thought of her assigned date that she and Charlie would be leaving this town.
Last edited by Parker1947 on Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
keepsmiling7
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Re: Baby, It's You (CC, Mature) - Chapter 5 - 05/12/2021

Post by keepsmiling7 »

Interesting.......Liz and Max living at the same place.
Also something else to question......how did Max and Isabel end up independently wealthy?
What happened to Tess and Max's son???
Yes Liz, you are in so much trouble now.
RoswellFan68
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Location: Charleston, WV

Re: Baby, It's You (CC, Mature) - Chapter 5 - 05/12/2021

Post by RoswellFan68 »

Give in to the temptation Liz. How did Max and Isabel get their money?
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Parker1947
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Baby, It's You - Chapter 6 - 05/14/2021

Post by Parker1947 »

She did not know hours later as she got out of the car. Charlie in his little suit was next to her. As they had parked outside on the street, in front of the Evans house. A house she had known so well from those days when she and Max had been in this thick of their turbulent relationship. Life changes in a split second, and yet some things always stay the same. And that was the Evans house. Looking so much like those years before, when she was always finding a way to come here, as she guarded her expectations for the night. Charlie had been spoiled by his grandmother and had come back with a mountain of toys and other fun things and with stories of spending time with his grandmother.

Liz could only smile when she had heard him on the phone with his mother. Maria taking a break amid rehearsals had called back, but Liz had been unable to say much because she still did not know what to say about Michael. So, she had passed the phone to Charlie who had been pestering her to let him speak to his mother, “Come on Aunt Liz, I want to speak to Mommy” and therefore, she had heard him chattering away of his adventures.

As she then got herself ready, and now she was standing outside the Evans home. And willing herself to want to go in and change her expectations of what the weekend will be because she knew too much exposure to Max was going to be hard thing to come back from.

Charlie only looked at his aunt with funny eyes as he did not get why she was so distracted since coming back to this town. Because he was anything by distracted. The boy was having a blast, and he did not see the angst that his aunt was dealing with. “Are we going in or not?”

“Of course, we are,” Liz smiled as she knocked on the door. And her stomach went into a deep dive when she saw who it was who was answering the door Oh god, she muttered to herself as the door opened and she saw the deeply handsome dark mystery man of her dreams looking at her, “Hello Max.”

“Liz,” Max said softly. “I was hoping it was you,” he smiled as for the last thirty minutes as people started to arrive after the rehearsal session at the chapel had ended, that he hoped each doorbell hit was Liz as he could not help but look at her during the formality that had gone without a hitch. Liz could feel the eyes on her as she worked in overdrive to try to stop herself from staring herself. As it was obvious that Max was going to Isabel best man as it was clear that Isabel did not have a close enough friend for the honor. And so, Max was going to stand up there with his sister.

Knowing this time, this marriage was the one she was destined for…

While he glanced at the woman who was his destiny, but fate had been cruel in taking her away from him.

Now, she was at his family home. “Come in, hello again Charlie” Max said as he tried to be welcoming because no one had uttered the possibility to the child of who his father was. Once he had showed up at the church.

Everyone could see it.

Charlie was oblivious to it. “Micah is in the kitchen if you two want to spend time together” Max said softly as he looked at the wariness on her ex-girlfriends face as neither talked about the unreal circumstances of the two children in their lives. Especially as the children had seen each other at the chapel and had spent time together.

Charlie nodded and walked off to the kitchen in search of Micah.

“Thank you,” Liz asked as she handled her coat to Max who was still feeling blown away to see his ex in their hometown. After so much time away from each other. And now she was back in his childhood home, and she was wearing a hot black dress, which was on the short side which is something she had bought before she had left New York when she and Maria had gone shopping because she had nothing except the most formal attire, she would need for her work functions. She had nothing to attend a wedding. Back in their hometown. And Maria had persuaded her to show how hot she was today, compared to who she had been at sixteen. So, it had given them something to debate as they shopped. And Maria had finally persuaded to buy this one, and the one she would be wearing for the ceremony. And Max was feeling faint to see her so grown up. As it was obvious to the both of them that it was seven years later, and they were no longer eighteen years old anymore…

“For what?” Max asked as he took Liz’s coat, and put it in the cupboard.

“Being good to Charlie,” Liz sighed as she could not help but feel weak around her ex. She could not even blame the collision she had with his car that morning. Because she knew the weakness was from something else entirely, desire she thought as she saw his eyes respond to her dress, and she wanted to have picked a more conservative dress but then she felt sexy to see his eyes on her, because she and he had not had many of those opportunities back when they were in high school because so much had gone wrong, when it was just starting for them.

“Why would I not be?” Max asked as they walked into the living room.

“Because you may have questions?” Liz asked.

“And you have them too, do you not?” Max murmured as they both had questions that were being left unsaid. “But neither of us are ready to go there, are we?” he asked and wondered to himself why they were not ready to talk about it because it was not like it was related to them in terms of their relationship, but in those secrets that their friends were keeping close to their heart. But then of course, one of their trademarks was that they never talked about the circumstances they always managed to find themselves in. Which is why we ended they both thought.

“Which is how Maria wants it,” Liz murmured.

“Right, which is what I gather, which is why I not asking the obvious” Max said as they approached the bride to be and her groom. “So, I guess, I will let the three of you visit, and hopefully we have time later” he murmured as he addressed his ex.

“Oh, I am sure you will manage to find the time,” Kyle murmured as Max walked over to speak to his parents Phillip and Diane who had been watching the scene unfold with their eyebrow rosed. “You are beginning to doubt your decision to come back to Roswell, about now, are you not?” he asked with a laugh as Kyle focused on his friend and his eyes went up at the attire Liz had chosen to wear, because it was so unlike his friend. And it allowed him to think that yeah, we are not sixteen anymore.

“Something like that,” Liz said softly as she walked Max walk away.

“But we are glad you did come, right Isabel?” Kyle asked as Isabel had been taking everything in and was amused by it.

“You got that right,” Isabel smiled because she had been observing how her brother had been interacting with people since he had shown up at the house with Micah that evening. And he had come alive when she had seen her brother and his former girlfriend together. And therefore, she could not help but wonder if despite the past giving her brother too much heartache once upon a time. Were the fates trying to right itself. Because she was starting to conclude that maybe for her brother to live again for something other than Micah or their hopeless quest to bring Michael back to them that it might take someone like Liz to give some meaning back to her brother’s life. “I am glad you came this weekend” she said of Liz.

While Liz could not help but wonder whether she should have stayed away…


*


“Are you alright son,” Phillip Evans asked as he watched his son come over after delivering a newly arrived Liz to visit with his daughter, and Kyle. As Phillip and Diane were just taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the fact, they were having an ability to have this day when the last one had gone so awry, the ensuing months only added to the frustration between him and Diane regarding their son and daughter. Now Isabel was settling down, and happy, and he and Diane were able to celebrate, and give their daughter the day she did always want for his life.

And it helped that they knew more the average person did of what was going on with their children.

Which was a long story, and not one Phillip was prone to think of on such a day, but now that his daughter was settling down in a union that was right for her. He could only hope the got the same for their son.

Whom they knew had been hopelessly single since Liz Parker had left town? And despite the confusing circumstance that gave them a granddaughter, and the loss of a grandson who was still out there according to his son. A discussion that was indeed rare too, and something they were not prone to get out of their son.

And now they were seeing their son’s high school girlfriend was back in town after leaving town in their senior year. She had not even come back for graduation. No, she had stayed away, and from the little he knew of his son’s love life. She had gone on to great acclaim in the science world, but she had not come back to visit her parents.

From what he knew. Jeff and Nancy would visit her away from Roswell, but she had not come back.

But now she was back.

With a boy who looked exactly like his kids’ best friend Michael when they were children when they had a granddaughter who looked almost like the boy’s twin, despite their obvious age difference. My children have confusing lives Phillip thought. “It cannot be easy?”

“It is not,” Max allowed as he saw the concern on his parent’s faces and wanted to tamper it down. “But Mom and Dad, I am fine. It is Isabel’s weekend. And my life is not that important to me…”

“To us, you are” Diane murmured as she glanced across the room at Liz who was still talking to her daughter and Kyle.

“Mom, it’s Isabel’s night” Max murmured as he glanced once more over at his ex-girlfriend and his parents acknowledged this with their glances at each other.

“You are right, it is” Phillip murmured.


*


“What are you doing?” Charlie Deluca asked as he walked into the kitchen after going to the bathroom, and spotted Micah against the swinging door, to the living room where all the adults were partying in celebration of the wedding that he had been invited to, the next day. Charlie still did not know what was going on. Or why people were looking at him oddly, as if they were seeing a ghost. Especially the woman he knew now was the bride-to-be of his uncle, and her brother, the man who his aunt was so smitten with…

After all Charlie was not stupid. He might be young. But he knew enough from living with his mother and being exposed to the Broadway community to know when it was adults being adults, and when men and women were looking at each other differently. While his mother might still be single. But he had seen it happen enough times with friends of hers, on whatever theatre production she was working on at the time.

Now he was seeing Micah with a glass up against the door, clearly spying on the festivities that they have been excluded from. “You could just go in and eavesdrop you know?”

“I know,” Micah said. “But they are too familiar with that with me, so I am curious about what is going on out there that Dad does not want me involved with” she muttered as the little girl was used to be sent to other rooms to have fun. When the adults did not want her to be in the room. And this night was not a kid friendly environment.

She was too old to be put to bed yet, so she was having fun. Although she was not used to having another kid, close to her age to battle against. She and Charlie had not spent much time together except for at the chapel during the rehearsal. Neither knew what to do with each other because they were getting the same vibe off each other, like they should know each other, and yet they did not.

Both were living different lives.

“Want company?” Charlie asked, he walked over. “I have a better technique for that…”

“How so?” Micah asked.

“I’ll show you how,” Charlie murmured as she did something with the glass, she handed him, and her eyes went wide when she saw green energy. “Whoa.”

“Whoa, what?” Charlie asked.

“What makes you do that?” Micah asked.

“I do not know, I just do” Charlie muttered as it was one of his quirks that he had begun to get a handle of since he turned five or so, when he first noticed it. And now he knew he had to be careful even if his mother did not know, and something tells him, she would have a fit because of the abilities he might have, and he also knew enough to know that he probably should not be showing in the presence of Micah. But Micah was strange, and Charlie knew that right away, which is why he had hitched onto her plan to eavesdrop on the adults only party going on.

“I am only asking,” Micah murmured. “Because I do the same thing,” she said showing her signs of green power. And Charlie could look at the girl like he was looking at someone completely different that he did just a minute ago. And he was… What the hell the nearly seven-year-old asked. “What is going on?”

“Who knows,” Micah muttered. “I am more interested in the adult’s conversation,” she commented. “Are you still going to help me?”

“Sure, yeah, I am” Charlie muttered as they went back to displaying some mischief while the adults in charge were oblivious.


*

While her son was discovering there was someone else nearly his age that was like him. Maria was at a bar, sitting and meeting with a friend after rehearsals. All she could think about was Roswell, and her attention had strayed constantly from the printed page that she was working on with her cast, and crew. And she had been called out on it, several times. “Your mind is obviously not here” Tanya commented as they sat and shared some beers. Fortunately, they had the rest of the weekend of off. Because the director had a last-minute commitment. So, she and Tanya Rhodes had gone drinking since they would not be on call until Monday.

“Sorry,” Maria muttered because it was the truth.

“Is your son off somewhere or something?” Tanya asked as she dug into the basket of chicken wings they were sharing.

“Yes, you can say that” Maria sighed. “Charlie’s been gone this week.”

“Where is he?” Tanya asked. “With his father?” she asked even though she would be surprised if he was because from the little that she knew of
Maria’s situation. Maria had full custody of the boy, and the boy had not been that much out of her sight, except when she was working.

“With my best friend, Liz” Maria commented. “We have been friends since childhood, and we both were invited to my stepbrother’s wedding back in our hometown. Because I had this to work on, I could not go, but because Charlie wanted to go to some expo nearby our hometown well Liz offered to take then, and then take him back home. So that Charlie can visit with my mother?”

“Wow, you are missing a family wedding?” Tanya asked. “You have some commitment for this play?”

“It could not be helped,” Maria muttered because she knew there were other reasons why she was staying away from Roswell. So, she continued with the pretense. “Of course, that was before Steven decided his own personal life was more pressing than rehearsals.”

“Yeah,” Tanya laughed as she thought of the commitments, she had sworn off only to learn she had the free time. “Although that does not explain why your head wasn’t in rehearsing today. Your son is in school right, so it’s not like it’s a new thing to be away from your son?”

“It’s just he is too close to his father, for my liking” Maria confessed.

“Whoa, he is” Tanya asked. “What is the situation there?”

“We were a thing in high school. We were on and off so much of high school that it was hard to know when we were on, or something real. Well, we were together, and we broke up during our senior year because I had enough of everything that was going on in our little world” which was an understatement she mused but continued “He disagreed with our breakup, but let me go, but wanted me back, and one thing led to another, and we slept together, despite being off. He though it meant something, but I at the same time had gotten this record deal so, of course, I took it, and came here to New York, and I never went back… even when the music deal turned out to be a dud, as I found work elsewhere. But then discovered I was pregnant. I chose not to tell him, and now Charlie has returned to my hometown, and his biological father is in the same town” Maria sighed. “As I said, I never told him about Charlie, and so, I cannot help but wonder how it is going?”

“Could you not just call?” Tanya asked. “If it is your hometown. Does your mother not still live there?” she asked as she knew that Maria had been raised by a single mother until her mother had gotten married after Maria had already left for New York. She and the other cast members had seen Amy Deluca a few weeks before when the mother had come to visit her daughter and grandson.”

“I have,” Maria muttered. And I am getting the run around. Liz is not telling me something, Maria could feel it.

“So, why the space cadet routine?” Tanya asked.

“There is something that I do not know,” Maria allowed. “There is something I am being left out of, and I do not like that,” she sighed because that was what she wanted by leaving Roswell and the alien chaos. But now that Liz was back there, Maria had the feeling that there was more happening than her friend was telling her because of what her friend had not told her on the phone earlier that day. “And with my son there, and so close, and because you could say that he has an obvious resemblance to his biological father. It is going to get people talking and asking questions. And because I have been working, I could tune it out, and leave it to my best friend to do the runaround, and I know Liz will do what I want, but naturally, I cannot help but wonder what is going on back there.”

“Then why do you not go? Tanya murmured. “When is the wedding?” Tanya asked.

“Tomorrow,” Maria allowed. She knew that the ceremony was in the afternoon, with the reception to be held in the evening.

“Then you have the time,” Tanya asked. “You have the rest of the weekend off do you not?” she asked. “Steven does not want us back until Monday, and you can probably push it a day or so, and call Chrissie in as your understudy?”

“I do not want to do that,” Maria muttered as she thought of her understudy. “This part is made for me. And I can’t ask that of someone else.”
“Chrissie is not you, and Steven might be impressed occasionally, but he is not going to hand the role to her unless you are bleeding on some road, and in intensive care and cannot do the part” Tanya said to encourage Maria. “Yes, previews are coming up. But it’s not opening night….” she murmured. “The critics will wait to judge…” they love to compare with the opening.

“Yeah, I know” Maria sighed as she glanced off.

“So, take the opportunity,” Tanya murmured. “It’s home, right, and I am sure your mother will be happy to have you there, even if it’s only for a few days?”

“I know,” Maria murmured as she knew she had been asking a lot of her mother to come visit her, when she never returned the favor as she looked at the singer on the stage and thought back to those days when she was having a blast of a time on stage of Cow Patties. How far I have come as she was on the verge of major success.

But why did she feel the draw to go back to old haunts.

“I am only asking for trouble if I go back,” Maria muttered.


*


“Do you want to dance?” came the words that Liz had been dreading as she was trying to make it through the night without spending any sizable time with Max. Max had kept his distance for the most part. Spending time with his parents or going and checking in on his daughter. She had done the same with Charlie. She knew the children were now up in Micah’s bedroom. The bedroom she had here when she came to visit her grandparents, or on occasion spending the night. It was Isabel’s old bedroom.

The kids were now playing some sort of video game set up to the television in the room. Keeping their company because they knew this was not the night for two kids. There were no other kids their ages, and they were the only one. Charlie had come with Liz because she could not keep him at the apartment alone, and with it being a Valenti wedding. Charlie could not go off with his grandparents until after the events of the night.

The last she had checked. The kids were in a spirited competition. Both claiming wins. And now she was back downstairs, watching as Isabel and Kyle celebrated their upcoming union. It was clear the Evans were a different family than how they were when she left town. Max and Isabel were much closer to their parents. And it almost seemed like the parents knew more than they had at the time.

Phillip and Diane were clearly relishing having the opportunity to celebrate with their daughter, after the last attempt had gone so badly. Families she thought. They can make you crazy she mused as she had stayed off the dance floor, and just watched, and stayed away from Max. But now Max had found her. “Do you want to dance?” Max asked softly, once again as Liz snapped back to reality as her stomach flipped flopped as she saw those eyes searing into hers, and she was almost lost.

“It probably is not wise,” Liz commented.

“Why not?” Max asked with a smile that defied reason, and she hated how she was responding to it.

“I am still sore; you know from this morning” Liz lied because she was feeling fine. And thanks to Max’s little move, she was showing no ill effects of the run in with Max’s car that morning. “I am not sure dancing would be a good idea.”

“Which is a cop out,” Max asked with a smile. “You look perfect to me,” he asked as he gave her his hand, and led her to the dance floor. “One dance. That cannot hurt, can it?” he asked as he wanted to spend all the time he could with Liz before the clock of this weekend runs out on them. “Come on…”

“One dance,” Liz asked.

“I promise,” Max said softly as moments later, they were in each other’s arms as a song played. “I am glad you came this weekend.”

“I am not sure this was a good idea,” Liz murmured not a good idea at all as she was trying to keep herself on a plain that would have a wall between them, but she knew the wall was crumbling as she felt the tender hold, of herself in his arms, as she did not know why god was torturing them like this, when he knew that this was not going to work.

If they could not work back in high school when they were younger, and immune to the horrors of the world once you were an adult. What was it going to be seven years later? Although one could say they had gone through all what they had to endure as a teenager so they could get to the point of being an adult and being immune to it. Nah, she thought. It would be too easy.

“How so?” Max asked as he felt like he was in wonderland having her in his arms as they just moved to the song.

“It opens up too much,” Liz sighed.

“Maybe it was time for those doors to be opened?” Max asked. “We cannot always stay behind the tree” he whispered, and she stopped as she was sure that she had heard him say something that to her before, back in high school. “It does no one any good to hide.”

“Whose hiding?” Liz asked. “And where did you get that tree analogy, because it is almost like I heard it before?”

“You probably have,” Max said softly. “I heard it from someone once,” he allowed as he did not want to mention the name Topolsky for fear that it would bring the memories of a nightmare three years for them, and how everything had twisted out of their control. “And it’s the truth. We have probably been hiding?”

“Whatever,” Liz sighed. “Sometimes it makes sense to hide,” she sighed as if she was trying to convince herself as she was talking. “We are two different people today Max. We are no longer sixteen, or even eighteen.”

“I know,” Max acknowledged it is pretty obvious that we have both changed and gotten older. “All I want to do is to dance with you…”

“We have responsibilities,” Liz murmured weakly.

“We do,” Max sighed. “All it is a weekend. A dance,” he murmured softly as she continued to have her heart race. “All I want to do is spend time together. Monday can be Monday,” he murmured. “We can deal with that when we have to. You are here. And you should embrace it and enjoy the weekend.”

“I should, shouldn’t I?” Liz asked as she knew it was her pattern to run from her feelings. Which is why of course she had run all those years ago and did not come home again. And even before senior year. She ran to Florida. That time, she had come back hardened and tried to restrain herself, only for that restraint to fall ultimately on deaf ears and she knew if she had come back from boarding school than the same would have happened, and she had needed to achieve normal. And she had, but at a cost.

“Yes,” Max murmured as they continued to dance, but too soon, the song ended, and they looked at each other with those eyes that were only for each other, and it scared them both. “

“I think I need some fresh air,” Liz said as she rushed away from Max, and out into the backyard. Max went running after her…

“Typical,” Kyle said as he was nearby talking to his father who only laughed. “Don’t you know that is the story of Max and Liz?”

“Very true,” Jim mentioned.


*


“Are you okay?” Max asked softly as he walked out into the backyard of his childhood home. A home that had given him comfort, even when things had not made sense when he first came to this planet and did not know what to make of this life he now was in once they had hatched from the pods, and Phillip and Diane had found them on the side of the desert, and ultimately had taken them into their home, and adopted them.

It had led to some rough times in adjusting to this life. But it was a life he did not take for granted because he had seen how it can be taken away, and that not everyone was as lucky as he and Isabel to have two people who loved them. Now, walking into the backyard, and seeing the woman he still loved staring out into the stars.

Stars that he had constantly looked at, wondering if his home planet wanted them back. But he was content and happy, and this was his planet. He had seen the other side and did not want to experience that. And especially not if it meant not having Liz in his life. Even if god had taken her away from him.

“Sure, why would I not be?” Liz asked as she turned and faced Max. “You should be back inside. You know it is your sister’s night, and her weekend.”

“It is,” Max acknowledged. “But she does not care about me tonight, or even tomorrow” he admitted. “So, I could not help but think of you because I do not want you to be unhappy,” he murmured. “And I know that I am upsetting you?”

“No,” Liz sighed as she knew she was feeling a lot of emotions but being upset was not one of them when h saw his eyes, and the power of his stare focused on her. “I am not upset,” she insisted. But I am still taken back in time to a time and place where life was always spinning out of control. I cannot be, whenever I see you Max, she mused without saying those words.

“Then why are you out here?” Max wondered.

“Thinking,” Liz sighed. “I have been gone so long, and now I am back” she allowed as she glanced into the eyes of someone who had meant so much to her at one time. “We are no longer the people we were back in high school.”

“As we said before, we all change” Max sighed. “I am no longer the person I was back then…”

“I can see that” Liz allowed as she saw the boy that she had loved at fifteen staring her, but he was no longer fifteen or the barely eighteen-year-old that she had left when she had run from his arms for something that made sense and now looking at the man, he was today, and it was making her question just what she had done in choosing to leave.

She loved her career, and what she had been able to build but it was always clear that she was missing something. Something crucial to her life.

Love.

She had never felt the love she had felt when she had Max in her life with anyone else. It was that powerful. But behind that love was a lot of growing up, and a lot of angst, and pain and it finally had built into being too much, and she needed to get away from it before they had done something to really mess things up, because they had blurred the lines too much with their conduct before she did leave.

She had not been the girl she was once. Being with Max and loving him had changed her fundamentally, and she needed time and space.

She had gotten it but now she was back surrounded by him.

“The last thing I would want to do would be to hurt you,” Max murmured as he came closer. “I have never wanted to hurt you. Which is why I forever haunted by our relationship. I know I changed you, and I messed things up for you…”

“You did not mess things up Max,” Liz sighed. “I have been able to achieve what I have because I lived…” she murmured. “And you gave me that chance.”

“You lived at an expense of what came next,” Max murmured.

“But that is life,” Liz sighed. “We all live the consequences of our actions, and our decisions. We make simple ones, and we make ones that dramatically alter our lives all the time. You and I are one of those moments. What started a decade ago changed both of our lives and made us who we are today. I do not regret that, okay, maybe some of the choices we did make. But I can say that we are stronger now than we were at the time because it tested us and made us stronger.”

“But I lost you,” Max sighed. “I wanted to experience life with you?

“Max,” Liz sighed.

“But it is the truth,” Max sighed once again. “We might have needed these years to be different people than who were at the time. Because nothing was going our way or the way we wanted it to be, but you were always my dream girl. Kyle is marrying the one he could not quite have until the circumstances were right, and well, you are that girl for me. Even if we are destined not to work out. I will always want you and want it to work out.”

Damn it, Liz sighed Why does he say things like that? She knew this was the last thing she needed to hear. “Max…”

“It’s the honest truth Liz,” Max said. “That is always will be what I want to be with you. I have learned what happens when secrets take over a life or a relationship and therefore total honesty runs the day,” he sighed. “I do not want that to be you, and me” he promised.

“Oh god,” Liz sighed as he walked closer to her. “Max,” she said a little too weakly.

“I have a life here, I have responsibilities. Micah, and my family, and I know you have made something out of the mess that I created for you, and I do not want to screw that up for you, but I want for one minute to think what it could have been like if the fates were to give us one thing, one second, one moment in time where it might work between us?”

“It will do us nothing to start something we cannot finish” Liz sighed.

“But is that not us to the tee,” Max asked. “If you really do not want me than you can walk away, and I will know we had our one chance and we can move on…”

“It solves nothing,” Liz tried to say as if she was trying to wack some common sense back into her, but she was in a losing battle, and she knew it as all she saw was his searing eyes. As if it was telling her to see him.

“Maybe not,” Max conceded. “But would it not feel right?” he asked as suddenly they were in each other’s arms and kissing as if they had finally found something that made sense in their complicated lives.

Lives that were of loss, and sacrifice.

For at least one minute as they kissed, everything made sense…

Although they were unaware that they had an audience of two impressionable youngsters, both staring out of Micah’s bedroom as they looked at each other. “Looks like your father is interested in my aunt?”

“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it” Micah asked as she glanced down at the man she knew as her father, as this was a strange sight because she had not seen anyone who interested her father since she was in his life, and now he was with someone she did not know, and she knew it would amuse her aunt because she seemed to think Liz was the answers to her prayers in relation to Micah’s father, and she was wondering if her Aunt Isabel was correct.
keepsmiling7
Roswell Fanatic
Posts: 2649
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:34 pm

Re: Baby, It's You (CC, Mature) - Chapter 6 - 05/14/2021

Post by keepsmiling7 »

Grandmothers are suppose to spoil the little ones.....
They all have confused lives indeed......and I'm afraid it is about to become more complicated.
We keep trying to remember this is Isabel's weekend......or is it??
Strange, both Charlie and Micah have special green energy......
Just one dance, that's all???
RoswellFan68
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 543
Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2017 9:52 am
Location: Charleston, WV

Re: Baby, It's You (CC, Mature) - Chapter 6 - 05/14/2021

Post by RoswellFan68 »

keepsmiling7 wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 2:11 pm Grandmothers are suppose to spoil the little ones.....
They all have confused lives indeed......and I'm afraid it is about to become more complicated.
We keep trying to remember this is Isabel's weekend......or is it??
Strange, both Charlie and Micah have special green energy......
Just one dance, that's all???
I have a feeling it will not be only one dance.
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