Tess
Title: Serendipity (Every Path Leads to You)
Category: M/L F/F AU End of the World-ish yet not...oh forget it, just read on.
Rating: R (mostly for language).
Disclaimer: They're not mine. I just like to play with them. I'll give them back when I'm done.
Summary: Liz changed the future and set a course that led to yet another disastrous ending, the death of Alex, Max's betrayal, Tess getting pregnant and eventually the death of all who they love. Max takes a risk and goes back to stop the shooting in the Crashdown before it happens, but he couldn't have known what lay in store for them.
This was supposed to be a Christmas short story, but you know how that goes.
The good news is that this story is basically complete, except for an epilogue. Can't guarantee the quality, but it wasn't for lack of trying over the past 9 months. I will be returning now to my other abandoned fics, now that this one is finally out of my head.Special thanks to Gigo for plowing through a big portion of this at once. I don't know how she did it, but I am forever thankful.
You Only Live Twice - Coldplay
You only live twice or so it seems,
One life for yourself and one for your dreams.
You drift through the years and life seems tame,
Till one dream appears and love is its name.
And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on,
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone.
This dream is for you, so pay the price.
Make one dream come true, you only live twice.
And love is a stranger who'll beckon you on,
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone.
This dream is for you, so pay the price.
Make one dream come true, you only live twice.
Prologue
2014 - The Granolith Chamber
The very walls seemed to rumble with the force of the approaching ship. The destruction of Earth as they knew it was at hand, and there was nothing that could be done to stop it.
This was their last stand, their last chance to change their fate and the fate of the people they loved.
"I won't leave you," Max said in desperation.
"No, no, no. Max, you have to," Liz pleaded.
She looked into his eyes as he pulled her close and saw the torment that waged a battle in his heart at leaving her behind.
"If I'm successful, if I can do this, you and I won't exist. Not as we do now," he said.
She knew that everything rode on her convincing him that he had no choice.
"Max, if you don't do this, we're gonna die. Everyone will. Max, you have to do this. You have to try it," she said with a conviction she hoped rang in her voice.
"I'll never see you again," he said in an anguished voice.
They were still for a moment, realizing the enormity of what they were about to do.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"For what?" she asked.
"For every kiss, every smile," answered, willing her to see the love that had carried him through some of the worst times he could remember.
"Max, I don't have any regrets," she said.
Max activated the Granolith, inserting a crystal into the base of it.
A flash of light bathed the room, and he reappeared within the walls of the Granolith.
Liz stared up at his wavering form, praying for the strength she would need to face her last moments alone.
He put his hand out to touch the skin of the Granolith, and she raised her hand toward it.
The whirring of the Granolith grew brighter, and Max's form was washed out by the myriad of color bursting from it's interior.
The force of its power knocked Liz to the ground.
She was alone.
"Max!" she cried, looking around the chamber.
2010 - Desert Chamber - California
"It's over Max. Everything still wound up the same," Liz whispered.
She lay on the floor, the blood on her white shirt a stark contrast against the absence of color of her unnaturally pale skin.
Max leaned over her, tears brimming in his eyes. She touched his face.
"Everything you gave up, every sacrifice you made, it was all for nothing," he said angrily. "How could I have been so stupid? How could any future version of me have thought that the only answer was for us to be apart?" he asked.
"I love you so much," Liz panted. "I wish that...things could have been different."
"You listened to me the last time. It didn't work," Max said, shaking his head.
"Trust your own heart Max. You'll know what to do," she whispered.
"I don't want to leave you," he pleaded.
"Nothing is going to stop what's happening to me here. Go..." she said.
He lay his head on her chest, feeling her waning heartbeat against his ear.
"I can't," he whispered, his voice cracking.
"You can...you have to," she said.
He leaned up to place a long lingering kiss on her lips.
"What if I make things worse?" he asked, needing her reassurance.
"You can't," Liz gasped.
"I'll always love you, but you have to stop the shooting. You have to," she said.
"It means I'll never have known you, never have loved you," he said.
"Max, no one knows what the future holds. But this is our only chance. Once the shooting happened, there was no tearing us apart, even after Alex...even after Tess. It has to be changed before the shooting happened, before I saw into your soul and fell in love," she said.
"Liz, please, I don't know if I can do this," he said.
He brushed her hair off of her forehead, and she coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
"Do it. Do it for all of us Max," she whispered.
Max stroked her face, tears flowing freely.
Her breathing slowed and then stopped.
"No," he sobbed. "Liz..."
His kissed her, knowing it would be for the last time.
He gathered her to his chest, rocking her.
An hour later her body growing cold, he laid her down gently and stood, looking at the Granolith.
She was right. It was the only way. But would his heart survive not ever knowing Liz Parker as he did now? Would he know what he had missed?
He'd made so many mistakes. He'd hurt so many people.
Now it was time to make amends, even if it meant that he would never know Liz Parker's heart.
He walked over to the Granolith and slid the crystal into its base.
A brilliant flash of light bathed the chamber, and he was inside.
He could see his beloved lying on the floor.
His Liz, his beautiful Liz.
His hand trembled as he raised it to the inside wall of the Granolith, wanting to touch her one more time.
And then he simply vanished.
******
December 16, 2007
*~Liz~*
Liz Parker walked amidst the bustling crowd heading downtown on Fifth Avenue. The air had taken on a chill as the sun went down, and she could see her breath blowing out in small puffs before her face. She shivered a bit, and put her gloved hands in her pockets.
All around her people were readying for the holidays, laden with bags and packages, eager to get home to loved ones.
The bells of the Salvation Army volunteers rang through the air, accompanied by the muffled Christmas music that changed tune as she walked past each store.
Windows were decorated festively, keeping in tradition with the city's transformation at the holidays.
Liz sighed as she continued on. The holidays hadn't been easy the past three years without her parents. But with Maria, Alex and Kyle coming to spend Christmas with her this year, maybe things would be a little better.
Her heart felt heavy as she thought of her mom and dad, both killed in a fire at the Crashdown while she was away at Harvard her sophomore year. It happened right before she was supposed to come home for Christmas break.
The funerals were held a week before Christmas, and most of the town came. Her family was well-liked by most of the community.
Blurred faces all seemed to run together as she recalled that dark time.
In her grief, she remembered the arbitrary faces of some of her classmates over the two days of the wake, and Liz received offers of all kinds of help
But she didn't want any help. She wanted to be away from the pain, as far away as she could get.
She felt as if she were suffocating. She left to come back to school right after the burials. She didn't tell anyone she was leaving.
For three weeks, she locked herself in her bedroom in the apartment she'd shared with three other room-mates. Only Lydia remained at the apartment through the holidays, having lost her parents in a car accident a few years before.
She had tried to talk to Liz, tried to let her know that she understood what she was going through, but Liz wouldn't open her door. She barely got out of bed, making sure she left her room only when she knew Lydia was out. She didn't answer calls, and she barely ate.
She lay in a darkened room, dreading when classes would start again, not knowing if she would be able to function.
A week before classes were to start again, a bright sliver of light shone on her face from the open doorway.
She squinted and threw her blankets over her head.
"Lizzie," a voice said, and the blankets were pulled off of her head.
A cool hand touched her cheek and she closed her eyes.
This was just a bad dream, she thought. They aren't really here.
"Jesus Alex, look at her," she whispered.
"Lizzie sweetie, come on, let's get you out of bed," she said.
"Leave me alone," Liz answered in a flat voice, turning over.
"Liz you can't just lie in that bed forever," Alex said.
"Yes, I can," she mumbled, pulling the sheet over her head.
She felt herself being forcefully lifted from the bed.
"Leave me alone," Liz screamed, trying to kick her captor and failing miserably with the sheets tangled around her legs.
"Sorry, no can do," Alex replied, avoiding her attacks with relative ease..
Liz felt herself being carried out of the room, and she growled, hitting Alex in the back.
"Let me down!" she snarled.
"It's for your own good," Maria said.
Then she felt the cold porcelain beneath her back as she was dumped into the bathtub. She launched herself at them, trying to get out, but Maria had held her there.
"I hate you!" she screamed. "I hate you both! Leave me alone!"
She pushed against Maria but Maria only threw her arms around her, holding her in place.
And then a cold stream of water slammed on her head and she howled. Tears started to fall, tears she hadn't shed for her parents, for all that she'd lost.
Maria held her and Alex stroked her hair, both getting thoroughly soaked as Liz's sobs escalated into heart-wrenching wails.
A half hour later, cleaner and in warm clothes, Maria borrowing some of hers and Alex in one of her male room-mates jeans and t-shirt, Liz sat at the kitchen table while Alex made her some soup.
"Feel better?" Maria asked.
Liz nodded.
"Thanks," she said in a hoarse voice.
"You needed to get that out," Maria said.
"I know," Liz answered.
In that instant she realized that they'd traveled halfway across the country.
"What are you guys doing here?" she asked.
"Your room-mate Lydia called. She was worried, and she didn't know what to do," Alex said setting a hot bowl in front of Liz.
"Oh God, I'm sorry," she said, putting her head in her hands.
"Liz, don't shut us out like that again," Maria said. "You left without a word, and didn't return any of our phone calls. You had us so worried."
"I couldn't stay," Liz said, her eyes filling up again. "I couldn't...I just couldn't face anybody. I couldn't deal with it. The funeral...I know people meant well, but..."
"I know," Maria said, taking her hand, "but you have to snap out of this. Do you think this is what your parents would want? Do you think that they'd be happy seeing you like this?"
"I know," Liz said, her voice trembling.
"I'm going to stay with you for awhile," Maria said decisively.
"Maria no," Liz started to protest.
"Liz, don't argue with her. You know how she gets. Besides, without the Crashdown, she'd be stuck working with her mom, and you know how that would go," he said.
"It'll be great Liz," Maria said. "I can get a job, maybe do some singing...hey, you never know, I might be discovered!"
"I don't know," Liz said doubtfully.
"Come on, it'll be a blast," Maria coaxed.
"She isn't going to take no for an answer, so you might as well just give it up now," Alex said dryly, and Maria punched him.
"Ow!" he said, rubbing his arm.
"So it's settled," Maria said, turning to her. "Where do I sleep?"
*****
Maria had stayed in Boston with her until she'd graduated, and when Liz had been offered a job at Sloane Kettering as a laboratory assistant, they both decided to make the move.
Alex had finished his bachelors at Northwestern and was now attending graduate school at NYU. He kept a separate apartment, feeling the need to refrain from the "estrogen overload" he knew would be a given had he stayed with Liz and Maria.
Ironically enough, Maria *was* on the verge of being discovered. After a year and a half of singing in various dives around the city, a scout had taken interest in her work.
Liz put off attending graduate school for the time being. She had loans to pay, and she was burnt out after her four years at Harvard. She'd needed a break.
For most of the year, Liz kept herself occupied, but this time of year always brought melancholy to her normally busy life.
Maria said she needed a man to take her mind off of things. Alex always rolled his eyes when she said it.
The last time Maria had gone on her boyfriend rant, Alex had taken her aside afterward.
"You're special Lizzie, and someone so special deserves a love that will last a lifetime. There's nothing wrong in refusing to settle for anything but that kind of love," he said, giving her a hug.
She knew that Maria wanted her to be happy.
Hell, *she* wanted to be happy. But her work had become such a big part of her life, she'd barely had time for anything else.
But how pathetic was she, that her last long-term relationship had been Kyle Valenti back in high school? She knew he wasn't "the one", and they'd broken it off the summer after graduation, but she and he still remained close friends. In fact, she was excited that he was coming out to see them. It had been ages since she'd seen him. In fact, the last time she had was at her parents' funeral.
She sighed as she watched a couple walk by, laughing at their own secret joke, their hands entwined, bumping against each other with the easy familiarity of lovers.
A pang of yearning echoed through her melancholy heart.
She'd resigned herself to the possibility that she'd never find "the one". Wasn't it all just a fairy tale anyway? She'd been obsessed with Romeo and Juliet in her high school years, but the time that had passed had made her a bit cynical. After all, it all ended up badly for the star-crossed lovers, didn't it? Maybe true love wasn't all it was cracked up to be after all. School-girl crushes quickly became folly under the glaring reality of adult life. She'd only had one, and it was stupid. The boy had barely even glanced her way, though Maria wanted her to think differently.
No, she had not found that soul-searing love of her life, and she was starting to think that that kind of love didn't exist anyway. But something still held her back from taking that first step with anyone. It was almost as if she were waiting, looking for something, someone...
It was a crazy ideal, she admonished. Maria was right, she had to grow up and face reality.
Liz descended the stairs to the subway platform. A mournful version of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" echoed against the walls, amplifying the horn's noises, somehow making it seem even sadder.
She turned the corner just as the song ended, seeing the man against the wall with his case open on the floor. She dug in her pocket and threw in a few dollars.
"Merry Christmas, Miss," the man said with a smile.
"You too," Liz answered, starting to turn away.
"It's all gonna be looking up for you soon, Miss," he called out, and she turned back to look at him.
"I've got a sense for these things," he said, with a nod, and she turned with a wave back toward the turnstile.
She shook her head, rueful, as she swiped her Metro-Card and walked through.
If only it were that simple. If only people could see the future. But the future always held surprises, whether people liked it or not.
She stood on the platform, leaning against one of the columns, waiting for the sound of the approaching train.
She barely registered the argument happening not far from her, so used to the bedlam and noise that was such a part of city life. Sometimes it was better to remain oblivious to the talk of others around you, and safer.
Sometimes hearing the wrong thing could threaten your life.
She pulled her headphones out of her pocket and put them over her ears, turning on the mp3 player in her pocket. Maria had given her the new demo a few days ago and now seemed a good time to listen to it. She had enough of her own problems to deal with. She just wasn't in the mood to hear about this pair's drug deal gone bad.
"Don't give me any shit! I ain't doin' it until I get the money!" a harsh voice said.
"You'll do it, and you'll do it now," another voice hissed.
"Oh no you didn't! You didn't just threaten me..."
"I'll do more than just threaten you if you don't get your ass in gear NOW!"
"Fuck you man, fuck you," the other hissed, shoving him.
Liz remained with her eyes closed, barely hearing the scuffle, instead focusing on Maria's smooth alto voice. She really was amazing. Liz could just tell that she was going to go places. Maria always lamented that she'd be forever a waitress, but Liz knew she was so much more than that. She was bright, talented and funny, and she couldn't wait to be standing there behind the scenes when Maria came out onstage for her first big debut. She had no doubt it was going to happen, despite Maria's insecurities, and she just knew that it would be one of the happiest memories she would have. She was so proud of her.
"You want some of this?" the first man shouted, backing up as the other advanced on him.
"You want a piece of me? Well bring it on muthafucka!" he finished, as the other drew a knife.
"I'll fuck you up," the other growled, and the other laughed.
"You ain't got the balls!" he said.
"Aiight, you asked fo' what you get," the second man said as he launched himself at the first man.
Liz heard a shriek and opened her eyes.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. She saw the flash of the metal blade and a dark shape move toward the man standing with his back to her. The man jumped aside and her eyes widened as she felt the razor sharp metal slice through her coat straight into her stomach. The man's eyes widened in disbelief.
"I'm sorry Lady. I'm sorry. I need my fix," he whispered, pulling the knife back in reflex. She gasped as she slid down the column, Maria's voice still crooning through the headphones.
"Come on G! We gotta get the fuck outta here!"
Liz felt her vision blur as she watched the men run away from her.
People were running. What were they running from? It was getting so dark.
The burning was eating away at her insides, and she was tired, so tired....
She felt pressure on her thighs, heard the panicked cries as if from a distance.
Warm hands on her face.
She felt her eyes roll back into her head.
"Someone call an ambulance!" a woman shouted.
"Open your eyes. You're going to be all right, just open your eyes, and look at me. You have to look at me," an urgent voice whispered.
Something pulled her back.
It hurts, she thought.
She squinted, trying to focus on the dark shape above her.
The halogen light behind the face was blinding. The figure shifted and her eyes locked on the stranger's. They were filled with tears.
Beautiful.
"Are you an angel?" she slurred.
"No," he replied. "Look at me. Everything is going to be all right."
She felt warmth in her stomach, comforting warmth that took the burning away.
A soft gasp echoed in her ears.
It came from the stranger, her angel.
The eyes were so clear, so filled with pain. It was the only thing she could focus on. She couldn't look away. She could see every lash that framed them clearly. She saw his pupils dilate. His breathing seemed to become labored.
Was she dying? She thought.
It didn't feel as if she was. The burning was fading away.
A sense of calm and clarity came over her as the pain completely faded.
A harsh voice broke the trance she was in as her angel's eyes were suddenly ripped away from hers.
"Get out of the way!"
And he was gone.
"Wait!" she gasped, trying to focus her eyes in the direction he'd been dragged.
"Lady, just lie still," a voice commanded and her head snapped toward it.
"Go after him!" the officer yelled.
"No!" she said, trying to struggle free of the officer's grip. She caught a flash of an olive green trench coat, long dark hair and converse sneakers, and then he was gone.
"He didn't do anything! He was trying to help...I," her hand went to her stomach on instinct, expecting to feel blood, expecting to feel a wound.
But there was nothing.
*******
The two men moved toward the woman standing in an alley not far away from the subway stairs.
"The money bitch! Give us the money! We gotta get outta here!" the one man yelled impatiently.
The woman handed it over without argument, and they took off toward the opposite end.
"Well done gentleman," she said in a low voice. "It is time the King gets what he deserves."
TBC....