Love Conquers All -( CC A/U/ TEEN) 12/25/04 Pt 6 [WIP]

[candyfan4life]

Title: Love Conquers All
Rating: TEEN
Catagory: M/M, M/L, I/A
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell, Alex would've never died.
Summary: Two years into the future, a secret haunts six life-long friends. Frienships will be tested, and loves will be tested.


Love Conquers All

By: Proseeternally/Candyfan4life



Chapter 1



It was a snowy night in Roswell, New Mexico. Very typical for the middle of December. There was laughter coming from three collage girls that were exiting the movie theatre. Maria Deluca, Liz Parker, and Isabel Evans, life-long best friends had just caught the seven o'clock movie. Now, it was nine o'clock.

"So, how lame was that movie?" Laughed Liz, her long, brown, hair swinging in her face due to the wind.

"Lame?!" Isabel, the younger naive blonde asks in surprise.

"Oh, come on, Isabel! That movie practically had the word love written all over the screen." Exclaimed Liz.

"What’s wrong with that?" Isabel asks.

"Yeah, Liz you do have a boyfriend after all." Maria said a little confused.

For a moment Liz's blue eyes softened as she thought about her boyfriend, Max Evans. A smile came to her face, but she quickly hopped a train back to reality.

"Yes, I do have a boyfriend. It's not like I don't want anything to do with love or are against movies that are about love. That movie that we just saw was supposed to be the biggest horror film of the year, but it turned into a love story instead." Liz said, defending herself.

"I thought it was sweet." Isabel said with the same naive, sweet smile that she has always had.

"You would" Liz snorts.

"Yeah, you're like the love queen, Isabel." Maria jokingly agreed, her blonde, crimped, long hair blowing in her face.

Isabel tried to hide a blush as she thought about her boyfriend, Alex Whitman. Her face grew red. She lightly hit them both on the arm.

"I am not! What about you, Maria? You're the one who’s usually going on and on about your hot boyfriend. Your words, not mine." Isabel said with a smile, as she saw Maria's face blush, she knew she'd gained the upper hand.

Maria smiled as she thought about her own boyfriend, Michael Guerin Evans. Maria was about to answer with a comeback of her own, but decided to let it go. It was inevitable. They played this 'game' with each other every night.

"Look, I could very easily get you back, Izzy. I'm just choosing to take the high road this time." Maria responded after a moment.

"Well, I---" Isabel started to respond with a comeback of her own, but Liz interrupted her.

"Girls, girls! Lets cool it. Let it go. No one's gonna win this game. You all should know that considering you play it every night." Liz said a little irritated.

Liz loved her friends like sisters, but sometimes they could be a little childish. Maria had grown up considerably, she didn't have the same innocense that Isabel still had. Neither did Liz for that matter. Liz and Maria had been through enough hell to last an eternity. Liz looked at Isabel and sort of felt resentment. Resentment for what Isabel still had. Resentment for what she and Maria had lost. Liz and Maria will never have that same innocence that Isabel has. After everything the two of them went through last year, how could they?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~~Flashback to 1 year ago~

[i]"Tess, Tess, please don't do this!" Liz pleaded, terrified of the obvious insane woman with a knife in her hand, ready to plunge it into Liz's heart.

"Don't do what? Don't hurt you? Why not? You hurt me! You stole my boyfriend!" Tess Lions screamed insanely. [/i]

(A/N: I forget what Tess's last name is, so in my fic, both her's and Kyle's last name will be Lions)

[i]Liz looked at Tess with tears in her eyes and fear in her soul. Liz knew she'd have to keep it together or she'd have a breakdown. Considering her health concerns and Tess's craziness, it wouldn't be good for either one of them. She decided to tell Tess what she wanted to hear. Maybe Tess would drop the knife and go on her merry way. Liz knew subconciously that would never happen, but it was her only hope and right now she needed hope.

"You're right. I did steal him. It was wrong. So, so very wrong of me and I'm sorry." Liz said hesitantly.

"You're sorry?! Oh, that’s right! Everybody's always sorry. My mom said she was sorry for not buying me the Hanson poster that I wanted. Sorry is nothing!" Tess screams hatefully.

Tess gets a better hold of her knife and prepares to stab Liz with it. Liz had lost all hope and closed her eyes and prepared to die. Suddenly she heard a slump. To her surprise it was not herself falling to the floor from Tess's knife. It was Tess passing out onto the floor because Max had come and hit her in the head with a rock.

"Max, thank god!" Liz shouts gratefully.

"Liz, are you okay?" Max asked urgently. "She didn't hurt you, did she?" Max asked tenderly and pulls her into his arms.

"I don't think so. She just pushed me into that wall really
hard. God, Max if you hadn't come when you did she would've stabbed me." Liz says with tears in her eyes.

"Liz, baby, I'm so sorry about all this. I knew Tess was a mean, spiteful person before, but I had absolutely no idea that she was this crazy." Max said, wiping her tears from her face.

"There’s no way you could've known." Liz insists.

"Come on. I'm getting you out of here. First I'm gonna call the police, that way we can really get this whack job out of our lives for good." Max said as he looks at Lacey on the ground with disgust. His mind wanders how he could've ever loved her. How he could've ever thought she was 'the one.'

Max pulls out his cell phone and prepares to dial 911. Tess wakes up and gets up off the ground and grabs the same rock that Max had hit her in the head with. Before Liz can warn Max or even think, Tess hits Max in the head with a rock and he slumps down. He's still conscious though.

"Come on, Tess. You know you don't want to do this. You said you loved me. If you love someone, you don't hurt them. You would want that person to be happy. That is real genuine love." Max tried to reason.

"Oh, I think I do. I think I know what real genuine love is. I felt it for you. I loved you, Max. You ripped my heart out and stomped on it. You left me for her! You left me for that, that lying, manipulative, no-good homewrecker! For that unthinkable betrayal you must pay. So, Elizabeth congrats. You get to live. For the moment anyway. Max. Oh, my dear, sweet Max Evans. You must die." Tess screamed spitefully.

Tess raised her knife and prepared to stab Max in the heart with it. Liz stared at Tess and Max completely terrified. She knew what Tess was capable of. She knew that Tess would indeed murder Max right here, right now, right in front of her unless she could somehow stop her.

"Oh, god! Tess, no! Please, think about what your doing!" Liz pleaded.

"Sorry, Elizabeth. I'm done thinking. I'm done talking." Tess said dully.

"Tess, please no! Think about what you're doing! I'm begging you!" Liz screamed.

"You’re wasting your breath, Elizabeth." Tess replied coldly.

Liz knew that she was right. She knew that Tess would never listen to her. Tess was too crazy and insane to think rationally. Truth be told, Tess Lions as of right now didn't have a rational bone in her body. Liz also knew she had to think of something quick or she would lose Max forever.

Max is too weak from the rock to even begin to fight off Tess who has a knife. A very sharp, deadly knife.

Liz sees a gun in Tess's bag and goes over quietly and picks it up. Liz fires three bullets into Tess's chest and she slumps to the ground and this time doesn't get up. Liz stared at Tess, her entire body shaking. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. Liz was known for doing crazy things before. Liz always reacted on instinct. She always, always went with her heart. But this? Oh, she'd never even dreamed that she would commit a murder. She'd killed someone. She'd taken a life. Her, Elizabeth Parker had killed someone. The worst part of it was that Max Evans, the love of her life, he'd seen it all.[/i]

~~End Flashback~~


Love Conquers All


By: Candyfan4life



Chapter 2



"Liz, hello? Liz!" Isabel shouted.

Isabel had been calling out Liz's name for nearly twenty minutes and now she was starting to get irritated.

"Liz, I'm freezing. It’s not summer, ya know? I wanna go home." Isabel whines.

Liz finally comes out of her place of torment.

"Oh, sorry, Iz. I was just thinking." Liz responds a little dazed.

"Liz, honey what’s the matter?" Maria asked concerned.

"Nothing. It's nothing." Liz said, not wanting to burden her friends with her demons.

"Pretty big nothing. We've been calling out your name for about twenty minutes now. Sweetie, what gives?" Max asked concerned.

Max had just gotten there twenty minutes ago. He had been out getting a cappuccino. He saw Maria, Isabel and Liz. He had decided to come over and say 'hi'.

Liz saw Max there and knew she couldn't say anything now. It wasn't fair to Jesse. He'd felt bad and guilty enough of the Tess thing.

"It's really nothing, okay?" Liz insisted trying to make the terror, the torment, and guilt disappear from her eyes.

"You're thinking about Tess, aren't you?" Max asked seeing the torment in his girlfriend's eyes.

Max knew that Liz had been dealing with her demons. He really felt for her. He wished he could help, but he just didn't know how. After all, he'd had his own demons. Infact, he was still facing them. So, he knew that what Liz was going through was no picnic.

"Oh my god. Liz, you can't still be thinking about that." Isabel said shocked.

"It's the one year anniversary, Isabel." Maria said in a tone that said 'have some compassion'.

"Big deal. One year anniversary of a physco's death." Isabel said nonchalantly.

It's not that Isabel Evans was an unfeeling person. As a matter of fact, Isabel was the sweetest of them all. She doesn't know the whole story in this case. She doesn't know the months of endless torment that Tess had unleashed on her friends. She didn't know that Liz killed Tess to protect Max.

"How can you say that?! My god, Isabel! Have a little compassion for Christ sake!" Max snapped angrily at his sister, forgetting for the moment that Isabel doesn't know what he and everyone else knows.

"Compassion? Compassion for a physco? For a killer? That’s a new one." Isabel said harshly.

"Isabel, that’s enough! Just stop it!" Maria shouted.

Isabel sees Maria and Max's angry faces and Liz's tear-streaked one and begins to feel bad. She didn't mean to make anybody angry or anybody cry, she was just frustrated and confused.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just don't understand. I don't understand what all the anger and the yelling and the crying is all about. I just don't get it. I don't get any of this!" Isabel apologized frustrated.

"It's nothing, Izzy. Death just really upsets me. Remember the 9/11? After I saw it I cried for hours." Liz reasoned, trying to put her friend at ease.

The last thing Elizabeth Parker needed was for another person to know what she'd done exactly one year ago today.

"Can we go back to the dorms now? I'm cold and tired." Isabel complained.

"Yeah, lets do that. I could use some sleep and some warmth myself." Liz agreed.

"I need to make sure Michael and Alex haven't totally trashed the place." Max said with a laugh.

"You left Alex and my temperamental boyfriend alone?!" Maria exclaimed.

"Oh, come on. Maria, there’s nothing to worry about. They wouldn't hurt each other." Isabel said.

"Oh, you don't know Michael." Maria says with a laugh.

"You obviously don't know Alex, Isabel." Max accused jokingly.

"I know Alex better then anyone on this planet. He is not violent." Isabel said defensively.

"I never said he was. Isabel, have you ever seen Alex and Michael when they converse over sports?" Max asked pointedly.

"Yeah, okay. I may be a blonde, but I'm not stupid." Isabel said.

"Yeah, lets head out. Make sure my boyfriend is still alive." Maria said.

"You're worried about Michael? Alex is the one you should be worried about. He's the small one." Isabel declared.

"Iz, have you ever heard the phrase It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog?" Maria asked, repeating the phrase that her dad had said to her years and years ago.

May he rest in peace, Maria thought silently to herself.

She loved her dad and her mom so much, but tragically they were taken from her. Maria blinked back a couple tears as she remembered the night that her parents were killed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[i]"Mom, dad, I have a huge favor to ask you!" A ten-year-old Maria begs.

"What is it, Sweetie?" Amy Deluca asks.

"Don't say no until you hear me out, okay?" Maria said.

"When have we ever said no before hearing the whole story?" Rob Deluca asked.

"Oh, gee, dad I don't know! Like all the time!" Maria said sarcastically.

Amy and Rob laughed. They loved their daughter so much. She had such a high IQ and vocabulary for such a young age. They were absolutely convinced she'd make something of herself once she graduated high school.

"Anyway...you remember Michael Guerin, right?" Maria asked.

"Michael Guerin? You mean, Alex and Max's half brother?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. Well, you know how I've told you that I've liked him for like forever?" Maria asked, hoping her parents will get what her point.

"Oh, Sweetie! He asked you out!" Amy gushed.

"No, mom. I wish. Michael still doesn't know that I exist as anyone other then his bestfriend. He asked me to go to the movies with him. His mom is gonna pick me up tomorrow morning. Is it okay if I go?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, sure Sweetie. We have no problem with you hanging out with Michael. He's such a good friend to you." Rob said, looking at his wife for reassurance.

Amy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that’s fine, honey. What movie are you two gonna see?" Amy asked.

"When Harry Met Sally. I've been waiting so long to see that movie. I can't wait. I'm gonna call Michael and let him know I'm coming, then I'm gonna go to bed." Maria said.

"Okay, Sweetheart. I love you." Rob said.

"Oh, I love you too, daddy!" Maria said

Maria hugged and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, Honey." Amy said.

"Love you too, Mommy." Maria said

Maria hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek also. Maria then goes upstairs to her bedroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A couple hours later, Maria is in bed. She is tossing and turning in her sleep and doesn't realize that she left a candle on her bed stand burning. She was so tired that she forgot to blow it out. In her tossing and turning, she accidentally knocks it over. The fire is small at first, but it begins to spread. Everyone, including Maria is still sleeping.

The neighbors notice the house on fire and calls 911. The firefighters and police come. The firefighters go into the house and bring Maria out. Unfortunately, the house explodes after they bring Maria out. They cannot get to her parents. Maria sees that no one is going in and freaks out.

"What are you doing?! Aren't you gonna go in there and save my mom and dad?!" Maria shouted.

The firefighter looked at her and felt bad. He really felt for the poor girl. He had parents of his own and knew it'd kill him if anything happened to them, but he knew that this little girl's parents had not survived. They couldn't have. The house exploded.

"I'm sorry, but..." The firefighter trails off, not being able to break this to her.

He thought it'd be best if someone she knew better told her.

"No, no! Mommy! Daddy! No! Please, don't leave me here alone! Oh God! Mom! Dad! Mom! Dad! Please, come back!" Maria cried and collapsed to the ground .

The firefighter picks her up and takes her over to the paramedics to check for any injuries.[/i]

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Maria? Maria, are you alright?" Isabel asked concerned for her friend.

She seemed so far off.

Not one to show her emotions so openly she holds in the sobs that she so desperately wants to sob.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking that I cannot wait to get back to the dorm. I'm exhausted!" Maria said.

The gang heads out laughing and joking.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Somewhere in the shadows was not a laughing or even a friendly face. It was an evil, stone cold face. A face full of hate and a burning desire for revenge. It was a man in his late twenties. It was a man named Kyle Lions. Brother of the deceased Tess Lions.

"Laugh while you can, Kiddies. When I'm through with the six of you, there isn't gonna be a thing to laugh about. Each and every one of you is gonna get my special revenge. My best revenge." Kyle declares as his mind wonders back to that fateful night that happened exactly one year ago.

Love Conquers All


By: Candyfan4life


Chapter 3



[i]"Tess, Tess! Tess, are you alright?" Kyle asks fearfully as he sees Tess on the ground with three bullet wounds in her chest.

"No, Kyle. I'm not okay. I never will be again. I'm dying." Tess chokes out.

"No. Oh, dear god. You can't be. Who did this to you, Tessie?" Kyle asked using the nickname for her that he always used when she was hurt.

"Liz shot me twice. Max was gonna be with me. He decided that I was the one he really loved, but he saw Liz with a gun and feared for his life. The damn coward. So, he backed out on his commitment with me and went to that killing, spiteful, manipulative homewrecker."
Tess says explaining her lie.

"Listen to me, big brother. You must make them pay for what they've done to me. You must make Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Alex and Isabel pay." Tess urged.

"Why Alex and Isabel?" Kyle asked confused.

He understood why Michael and Maria had to pay. Maria was always sticking up for Liz and always stepping between Tess and Liz. And Michael, well Michael was always sticking up for Maria and putting himself between Tess and Max and Tess and Maria.

"Alex and Isabel must be hurt because it will hurt them." Tess explained.

"Ah, I get ya." Kyle says.

"I love you, Kyle." Tess whispered getting weaker.

"I love you too, Tess. I always will. You’re my little sister. I will carry out your.... no our revenge." Kyle promised tearfully.

"See you in the afterlife, big brother." Tess said, smiling weakly as she took her last and final breath, then the darkness claimed her.

"See ya, Tessie. I'll see ya." Kyle said, looking at his sister's now lifeless body.[/i]

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Yep. Only the best for my baby sister's killer and her accomplices." Kyle said.

Kyle then laughed an insane laugh that would make even the craziest person on earth cringe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Max. You're home." Alex greeted.

"Yeah, I sure am. So, I see you’re both still alive and kicking. Would you look at that? Be still my heart! The place isn't trashed either." Max said sarcastically, walking into the dorm.

"Yes, still in one piece. So sorry to disappoint you." Michael said sarcastically also.

Michael noticed Max's far off look and got concerned.

"Max? Buddy, you okay?" Michael asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about Tess." Max admitted.

"Tess? Tess Lions? Why would you think about that physco? Oh no. Don't tell me you still have feelings for her." Michael said in disbelief.

"Max, if you do then that’s bad. You're with Liz and..." Alex trailed off.

"Whoa, whoa. Where is all this BS coming from? Guys, any feelings I ever had for that lunatic died the minute she went after Liz." Max stated vehemiently.

"It's the anniversary. Makes sense why you'd think about her. I wonder how Maria and Liz are doing. This day can't be easy for either one of them. One year ago Liz was forced to take a life and Maria was almost killed." Michael said as his mind flashed back to that night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[i]"Michael Michael!" Maria screamed, terror in her body as she ran to Michael.

"Ria? Maria, what’s wrong? You’re shaking!" Michael said in concern for his girlfriend.

"It's Tess. Oh, God! She’s gone crazy, Michael! She’s gone insane! She tried to kill me. She had a knife and a gun and...oh, God!" Maria yelled still terrified from the encounter.

"Shh. Hey, Maria? It's okay. It's gonna be okay, Sweetheart." Michael said gently as he pulled her into his arms.

"Michael...Michael, I'm scared. God, I am so scared. I knew Tess wasn't exactly all there, but this?" Maria asked in disbelief

Tears are running down her face.

"Come on. Lets get out of here." Michael said, wiping tears off her face gently.

"What about Max and Liz? We can't just leave them here to fend for themselves. Not with that lunatic roaming around." Maria reasoned.

"I'm sure Max has already gotten Liz out of there and they are back at the dorms as we speak." Michael said assuringly.

Then, without another word, Maria let Michael lead her out of the dark tunnel and into the bright sunlight.[/i]

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Michael? Where'd you go?" Alex asked, bringing his brother out of his reverie.

"Oh, I was just thinking about Maria. I was thinking about that year ago when Tess tried to kill her." Michael admitted.

"It must've been so hard to see that kind of terror in your girlfriend's eyes. I just thank god that Izzy doesn't have to deal with the burden of this year. I thank god she wasn't there and doesn't know or have anything to do with this. It’s so hard for me to have to see my best friends in pain. It's like Tess is haunting you all even from her grave." Alex said with a sigh.

"I know what you mean. It's so hard to have to see the ones you love in pain." Max agreed.

"Liz?" Michael asked, knowing that's who Max was talking about.

"Yeah." Max admitted.

"How is she holding up?" Alex asked.

Max sighed.

"Not good. It's killing her inside to have to relive what she was forced to do to protect me and to protect herself. It's killing me to have to watch her relive it all. The burden of being forced to take a life. Even if Tess was a psychopath. I love her so much. I just wish so much that I could protect her from this. Make it so it never happened, but I can't." Max said with pain in his eyes, pain for Liz.

"Yeah, I understand exactly what you mean. Nothing is worse then seeing pain and terror in the eyes of someone you love and not being able to do a thing about it." Michael said thinking about Maria.

"The night Liz killed Tess she was so terrorized. She blamed herself so much." Max said as his mind wandered back to that night.


Love Conquers All


By: Candyfan4life



Chapter 4



[i]"Tess, no! Oh god, please no!" Liz screamed in terror as Tess raised her knife, ready to stab Max through the heart with it.

Liz quietly went over to Tess's bag, picks up a gun and aims it directly at Tess. She fired three bullets into Tess's chest. Tess slumped down.

Max looked at Tess's almost lifeless body and at Liz's shaking form. He couldn't believe what he'd just saw, what he'd just been a witness to. Not only did he witness a murder, but he witnessed the love of his life commit it. The worst part of all this was that she did it for him. She had reduced herself to murder to protect him. She had killed for him. She had protected him in the only way she felt that she could.

"Oh my god. What have I done?" Liz whispered horrified.

Max got up off the ground and went over to Liz.

"I killed her. Oh my god." Liz slowly admitted to herself, the realization dawning on her. "How could I have done this? Why did I do this? What was going through my head?!" Liz asked desperately.

"That you wanted to protect me. You wanted to protect yourself. This was not your fault. It was Tess's. You wanted to save the both of us. You are no killer, Liz." Max said firmly.

"What I did was bad, Max. Real bad. I murdered someone. Oh my god, I am a killer!" Liz said on the verge of tears.

"Liz Parker, I do not ever wanna hear you call yourself that ever again! You are no killer!" Max said more firmly this time as he grabbed hold of both her shoulders and shook her.

"Max, look at what I've done!" Liz ordered, shaking herself out of his grasp.

"Baby, you protected me. You saved my life. You did it at all costs. What you did was the most brave, unselfish act of love that I have ever seen. I admire you for it." Max confessed.

"Admire me? You admire me?! Max Evans, I killed someone! I committed a sin! A bad, unforgiveable sin.!" Liz exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down! I don't want anyone to overhear us." Max said worriedly as he scanned the room for someone, anyone.

"Why not? Why not? Everyone is gonna know soon enough. I'm going to the Roswell PD." Liz said.

"No! Liz, you cannot confess to the PD!" Max shouted adamantly.

"Keep your voice down! Wouldn't want anyone to overhear us or your plan to silence me." Liz said sarcastically.

"Hey, you stop that! You stop that right now! You know I love you and only want the very best for you. Look, Liz us turning against one another isn't going to accomplish a thing." Max rationalized.

"I know. You're right, Max. I'm just so scared. What if I go to jail? Look at Tess! Look at what I've done!" Liz shouted as she started to get hysterical.

Max hears police sirens approaching and knows he has to get her out of there like now. She is so upset and so full of guilt that she’s likely to say anything.

"Liz, honey, we need to get of here. The police are here. If they see the two of us and Tess, they could put two and two together. I know you're angry and upset, but baby...do you really wanna go to jail? Do you really wanna pay for something that wasn't even entirely your fault?" Max explained, hoping that his girlfriend would listen to reason.

"But..." Liz trailed off.

"But what?" Max asked softly.

"Nothing. Get me out of here, Max. Get me the hell out of here." Liz surrendered.

Max took her hand and lead her out the back way so the police wouldn't see either one of them.[/i]

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the guys were reminiscing about that night, the girls had some reminiscing of their own to do.

"What’s the matter?" Isabel asked as she saw Maria and Liz's troubled faces.

She knew something was up. She knew that there was something that she didn't know.

"What?" Maria and Liz asked simultaneously.

"What aren't the two of you telling me? The two of you look like you’re both lost somewhere. Somewhere dark. Somewhere gloomy. Somewhere that I cannot reach with my funny jokes and sarcastic remarks. Please, I wanna help." Isabel pleaded.

"Isabel, don't be ridiculous. It's nothing." Maria replied calmly.

"Maria, stop. I appreciate what you’re trying to do. Truly, I do. I appreciate you trying to cover for me, but it's time. It's time that Isabel knows the truth. We can't keep this a secret forever. Isabel is our bestfriend. She’s got a right to know." Liz reasoned.

"It's about Tess, isn't it? That’s why you two are always so sad, on edge, and freaked out half of the time. There’s more to what happened the night she died, isn't there? Way more. There is something huge that the both of you haven't told me." Isabel said half asking and half assuming.

"Yeah, Iz. There is. Alot more. That night...the night that Tess died, she tried to kill Max, me, and Maria." Liz confessed.

"Oh my god! No wonder you two always look so much on edge. God, I am so sorry. I didn't know." Isabel said apologetically.

"She played mind games with us for months before she led us to her house of horrors." Maria admitted.

"Oh my god. That’s awful." Isabel said sympathetically.

She really felt for her friends. She couldn't understand, cause she had never been stalked. She thanked god for that. She's seen what her friends had been through, she didn't know if she'd be able to handle it if she had to go through everything that her friends had and still are going through.

"That night she went physco. I mean, really physco. She had me backed up against a wall with a knife in her hand and told me to back her in hurting Max and Liz or she'd kill me. I said no. There was no way I'd ever turn my back on my bestfriends and side with a physco. That’s when she raised her knife and prepared to stab me in the heart with it. I kicked her really hard in the leg. I ran screaming for help. That’s when I ran into Michael. Thank god for Michael. If he hadn't been there I don't know what would've happened to me. I probably wouldn't even be standing here." Maria explained.

"She would've stabbed you? She would've killed you?" Isabel asked shocked.

"Iz, have you not heard a word Liz and I have said? Of course she would've gone through with it. She was crazy." Maria said.

"Tess was a very disturbed girl. Mentally, emotionally, she was crazy and and unstable. I mean, alot of that was my fault and Max's...after everything we did, well we put her through alot. She just couldn't deal with the possibility of losing Max. She just latched on and wouldn't let go, refused to let go. Tess had it in her head that Max belonged to her. That he was her trophy or prize that she could flaunt off to anyone and everyone. She believed that Max belonged to her for all time. When she saw how close we were. How close Max and I were; she began to feel threatened. It was purely innocent between Max and I. We were bestfriends. Things happened. The whole ordeal with Carlos...I went leaned on Max alot because of that, maybe more then I should've. Maybe I should've just gone to Tess instead, but I was closer to Max. I'd always went to him for everything. Tess didn't view it like that. She viewed me as a threat. A threat to her and Max. She wanted to get rid of me. She did a number of things that almost killed me and Max dumped her. He dumped her because he started to see what kind of a person she really was. He didn't wanna be with someone who would calculate and manipulate her next move. He couldn't even stand to look at her when he found out that she tried to kill me. He knew Tess was jealous. Hell, we both knew Tess was jealous, but we never imagined that she would go as far as murder. That thought never crossed either of our minds. Anyway, the night she died she led Max and I to her house...to her tunnel and I got there first. She was gonna kill me. I begged her to stop and think but she would hear none of it. She just went on and on about how I stole her boyfriend and that I had to pay for it. Max came and he hit her in the head with a rock. Unfortunately Tess woke up and hit Max over the head with that same rock and she prepared to stab him in the heart with a knife. I begged her not to. I pleaded with her, but she wouldn't hear of it. I had to stop her, Isabel. I had to think of something. So, I picked up..." Liz started to explain, but Max, who had just come in moments earlier interrupts her, hoping to save her from the agony of reliving that last part of that awful night. Of that awful nightmare.

"She picked up the same rock that Tess hit me with and hit her with it. Then she picked up her cellphone and dialed 911. The police came and Tess fought with them and they were forced to shoot her. Tess died instantly from two bullets that the Roswell PD fired into her. It was a really gruesome scene. It's haunted Liz ever since." Max said, explaining his lie.

"Max, no! Stop protecting me!" Liz shouted angrily.

"Liz, I---" Max starts to explain himself, but Liz interrupted him.

"Don't protect me! God, I am so sick of people protecting me like I'm this fragile piece of glass that’s gonna break." Liz shouted getting angrier by the minute.


Chapter 5



"What’s going on?" Isabel asked confused.

"Max, I really appreciate what you're trying to do for me. I know you just wanna protect me and keep me safe. It warms my heart to no end that you care so much for me, but the lies have gotta stop! I can't take much more of this!" Liz explained on the verge of losing it.

"Liz, baby, don't do this. Please, just stop." Max softly begged her.

"No, Max! I am not gonna stop! The lying ends here and now!" Liz shouted.

"Lying? Okay, now you really need to explain. What in the hell is going on here?" Isabel asked getting frustrated.

"Liz, maybe we should just let it go. It’s been a year." Maria said softly.

"Let what go? Would somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?" Isabel repeated.

"Isabel, the night that Lacey died it wasn't an accident. It was murder. She was murdered." Liz confessed.

"Murdered? Oh my god. Who would do such a thing?" Isabel asked.

Colleen knew that Tess was crazy, but murder is a sin. Isabel is a very religious person and she doesn't believe in murder. She's totally against it, no matter what the reason.

"I would. I killed Tess." Max said trying one last time to protect Liz.

He still believed that there was a chance to save her from confessing and possibly destroying her future.

"Max, no!" Liz shouted.

Liz was so furious that he was still trying to cover for her even after she specifically told him to back the hell off.

"I had every right to. Okay, maybe not every right, but she hurt Liz. She tried to kill her once before and something inside me just snapped. I grabbed ahold of her throat and strangled the life out of her. I don't regret it. I saved Liz. Liz is alive and that is all that matters." Max explained his lie.

"Stop it, Max! Stop it! No more lies!" Liz screamed getting even more angry and furious.

Max didn't say anything this time because he knew it'd only further upset her and she could have a stroke. He'd die if something like that happened to her because she was mad at him.

"Liz, sweetie...just calm down and take a deep breath, okay?" Max said gently.

"Max, I think it's time that we both stop interfering." Maria said softly.

"Thank you, Maria. I picked up a gun from Tess's bag and I shot her three times. I killed her. I murdered her. Whatever you wanna
call it." Liz said more calmer. A little bit of the weight of carrying this secret coming off her shoulders.

Isabel doesn't say a word for nearly twenty minutes. She’s too shocked to even move. Liz is the last person in this world she would've suspected was capeable of murder. She had looked up to Liz for most of the time she'd known her. Liz had always been an inspiration to her. She'd always wanted to be just like her. It was like her entire world had just flipped over.

"Oh my god. You killed Tess. You killed Tess." Isabel said trying to grasp this earth shattering information. "Who else knows about this?"

"Me, Michael, Max, Alex, Liz, and Tess." Maria answered, then she felt kinda stupid for saying Tess knew. "Which is obvious."

"Everyone knew?! Everyone knew except for me? It’s bad enough that you killed someone. You just go and decide to tell everyone like it's good news? That is sick. You’re sick. You are making me seriously sick right now. I don't, I can't stand to look at you. I can't stand to be around you right now." Isabel said disgusted and ran out.

"I should go after her." Maria sighed.

Liz nodded her head, motioning for her to leave.

"It's not that I'm taking her side. It’s just that this whole thing has pretty much turned her world upside down. I just don't want her out there alone. I don't want her to do something stupid." Maria explained.

"Maria, it's fine. Go." Liz ordered softly.

Maria looked at Liz and at the door that Isabel had exited minutes earlier. Maria was truly torn. She didn't wanna abandon one friend for another, but knew that was what she'd end up doing. She knew that she was pretty much gonna get screwed over either way. Maria picked up her coat and silently left.

"Liz, I'm..." Max started to apologize, but couldn't think of a thing to say that could possible make Liz feel better right now and just trailed off.

"Don't. Don't, okay? Just don't." Liz said softly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile Isabel ran over to the guy's dorm and knocked very loudly.

Maria managed to catch up with her.

Michael opened the door and is surprised to see Maria and Isabel standing there with very light pants on and tank tops with their coats on.

They must be freezing, he thought.

Either they were playing truth or dare and were dared to come over dressed like this or it was a spur of the moment thing and they were driven to run all the way over the guy's dorm dressed the way they were dressed.

"What's going on? What are you two doing here at three-thirty in the morning?" Michael asked seeing Isabel's stone-cold face and Maria's sympathy filled one.

"I'm so sorry, Michael. This is the last thing you need. You should be sleeping at this early hour." Maria apologized.

"It's okay, Maria. You know you guys are always welcome here. Isabel, did you need something?" Michael asked his little sister causciously.

He knew that if he said one thing wrong, the state that Isabel seemed to be in, she'd proboly snap at him.

"Did you wanna talk to Alex?" Michael asked warily.

With Maria he would expect something like this. Maria was very well known for being spontaneous and surprising people. It was one of the things that drew him to her in the first place. Isabel was a different story. That girl lived on sleep. He couldn't imagine her being out this early in the morning with class starting the next day and have no sleep. And that look...he'd never seen that look on her face before. He hadn't even imagined she was capeable of having a look like she had on her face right now. It was a face filled with anger and betrayel. He knew something was seriously wrong.

"Yeah, I do need to talk to Alex. Where is my lying, backstabbing boyfriend?" Isabel asked angrily as she charged through the door.

"Come on in." Michael said sarcastically.

"I know that comment was directed at Isabel, but could I please come in? I'm freezing out here!" Maria pleaded.

"Of course you can. I'm sorry, you must be freezing your ass off out there." Michael said ushering Maria inside. Nikolas closed the
door and grabbed a blanket out of the closet and put it around a shivering Maria.

"Thanks." Maria said gratefully.

"No problom." Michael assured her.

"Hey, Alex! Get your lying ass out here now!" Isabel ordered.

"Isabel!" Maria scolded, shocked at her choice of words.

***

"Okay, now I know something is wrong. Since when does Isabel swear?" Michael asked confused.

"Since she found out Liz killed Tess and Alex along with the rest of us kept it from her." Maria answered.

"Oh, dear god. She knows?" Michael asked alarmed.

"Oh, yeah. She knows." Maria confirmed.

"Oh, boy. I bet she layed into Liz and Max, didn't she?" Michael asked, just imagining the guilt trip she must've layed on his friends.

"Oh, yeah. She gave us an earful. It's nothing compared to the hell she's gonna give to Alex. And you. I figured you'd need someone on your side considering Alex is proboly gonna wanna save his own hide. So, if you need support, I'm your girl." Maria said.

"Even if I didn't need support, would you still be my girl?" Michael asked.

"Of course, silly. I will be your girl untill the end of time." Maria said.

Michael hugged her. He thinks about how lucky and blessed he is to have Maria for a girlfriend and a bestfriend. She is so sweet and so caring. He couldn't ever imagine his life without her.

***

"Alex! Alex Whitman, get out here now!" Isabel growled.

"Isabel, he's probably sleeping. Speaking of sleeping, aren't you exhausted? I know I am. We have classes in five and a half hours. So lets just get some sleep and when you wakeup your head will be much clearer. I promise. I never break my promises." Maria said.

"Not true, Maria. You lied to me." Isabel objected angrily.

"I said I never broke promises, I never said that I've never lied." Maria defended.

"Alex, get out here now!" Isabel shouted once more, ignoring Maria.

A sleepy Alex came out.

"Hey, Izzy. Baby, what are you doing here? It's three-fourtyfive in the morning." Alex asked a little concerned.

"Don't you baby me, Alex Whitman. You asshole!" Isabel yelled angrily.

"Isabel, I'm suspecting that since you've never sweared before...this means that you are mad at me." Alex assumed.

"God, you're quick. You just don't miss a thing, do you?" Isabel said sarcastically.

"Isabel, why are you mad at me?" Alex asked confused.

He'd known her since kindergarden and although she'd been mad at him before, she had never been this mad before. Not at him. Not at anyone.

"You are a lier! You are a pathetic lier! Thats why, Alex! For the past year you have kept a secret from me. I thought that we agreed that secrets are bad!" Isabel yelled hurt and angry.

"Alex, she knows that Liz killed Tess. She knows that you knew and didn't say anything. So, there is really no lie that is gonna save your hide. So, just stick with the truth." Maria advised softly.

Alex froze. He couldn't believe what Maria had just told him. His worst nightmare had come true.


Chapter 6



"Isabel, I know how you must feel." Alex said, trying to smooth things over.

He was trying to be comforting knowing that she must feel like her world has been turned upside down, but saying what he'd just said sounded stupid to him. The truth is he didn't know how she felt. He could in no way relate to the million emotions that she proboly had running through her right now.

"Oh, do you? Do you really, Alex?" Isabel asked sarcastically.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I think we should go get some coffee and some breakfast." Maria whispered to Michael.

"How are we gonna sleep if we're out getting coffee and breakfast?" Michael asked confused.

"We don't, Michael." Maria said annoyed.

She loved the man to death, but he could be kind of dence sometimes.

"You're gonna make me pay for the food and coffee, aren't you?" Michael asked.

"That's the general idea. Now, come on. Lets go load up on food and coffee." Maria said.

"For four hours?!" Michael asked shocked.

"Yeah." Maria answered.

"Oh, man am I gonna pay for this one." Michael muttered, thinking about the huge bill and how Maria got when she was hyped up on caffene with no sleep.

"Michael, do you want me to get grumpy?" Maria asked.

Michael looked at her and decided that a happy and hyped Maria was much better then a grumpy one.

"Okay, okay, but lets wait a minute. I wanna make sure Alex is okay. I don't wanna just bail on him." Michael said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sick! Thats how I feel, Alex! Actually, sick doesn't even begin to describe how I feel right now. I feel lost, lonely, confused, disgusted---" Isabel said, starting to throw out a mixture of emotions that are running through her, but Alex interupted her.

"Woah, woah. Disgusted? Iz, you should feel honor and pride for Liz. She did something so brave. She protected her boyfriend at all costs. She did the only thing she could do to save her future and Max's future. Their future together. She did the right thing, Izzy." Alex argued, standing up for Liz.

"The right thing?! Alex, she killed someone! How the hell is that right?!" Isabel shouted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Again with the language. She's really on a roll, isn't she?" Maria joked.

She stopped when she saw Michael give her a look that said Maria, this is no time for jokes.

"On second thought, Michael maybe we'd better stay. You defend Alex and I'll defend Liz." Maria suggested.

"Yeah, okay." Michael agreed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I never said it was right. I never said it was right. I never said it was good thing. I said that it was the right thing to do for that perticular situation." Alex explained.

"You think you can just dictate this? Analyze it?" Isabel asked.

"Isabel, would you please just listen to me?" Alex pleaded.

"I don't wanna listen to all of these bogus excuses. None of them count for anything. Liz killed Tess. She took a life." Isabel argued.

"I KNOW THAT!" Maria exploded shocking everyone in the room, even herself.

"I know that. I know that Liz took a life. I know that it wasn't right. None of what happened that year ago was right. I was almost killed last year. Max and Liz were almost killed last year because of Tess. Not to mention the months of endless torture she put us all through. If you wanna blame someone, then put the blame where it belongs. On Tess. Not on Liz. Not on Alex. Not on me, not on Michael, not on Max. This was Tess's fault. No one elses." Maria reasoned.

"Maria, I know what she put all of you through. I understand that she tortured all of you endlessly. I understand..." Isabel started to say, but was cut off by Michael.

"No, you don't! You don't understand, Iz. You can't possibly get what all of us have gone through because of Tess. You weren't there." Michael argued.

"Who's fault is that?" Isabel fired back.

"Isabel, don't do this." Maria said.

"It was your fault. All of you. You all said that you had something huge to deal with that night. I wanted to go. I wanted to help, to support, but you all convinced me it was nothing. So, don't you all try and lay the guilt trip on me. This wasn't my fault." Isabel declared.

"That's not what Michael is saying. No one blames you, Isabel." Maria said, defending Michael.

"Look, I know that all of you meant well, but it doesn't change the fact that you lied to me and that really hurts. I just don't know if I can forgive this." Isabel said.

"Isabel, please. I need you to. I don't wanna lose a friend. I don't want Liz to lose a friend. She needs her friends right now." Maria pleaded.

"Maria, I can try. I can try to forgive and forget, but it's not gonna be easy. I still feel this huge stab of betrayel. I can't help what I feel. Can you leave Alex and I alone for awhile? Michael, I promise you can come back to your dorm soon. This isn't gonna take long." Isabel said looking at Alex with a pointed look.

As much as Alex and Isabel didn't wanna admit it, they both knew what conversation was gonna take place once Michael and Maria left the room.

"Come on, Michael. Lets go get that coffee." Maria said softly, sensing that what would take place when they left, probably wouldn't be a makeout session.

Michael and Maria left hand in hand.

"Isabel, I know I kept something huge from you. I'm sorry." Alex apologized.

"Alex, I know. I know you're sorry. It doesn't change the fact that you lied to me. You kept a secret from me. We are in a relationship. You've just the broken one too many promises that you made me when we first got into this relationship." Isabel said.

"Isabel, please don't do this." Alex pleaded knowing exactly where she's heading with this conversation.

"You promised me that you would never ever under any circumstances lie to me. You promised you'd never do anything to shake my trust in you. You promised that you would never ever hurt me. You broke those promises, Alex. You broke them. I can't ignore that. I can't." Isabel confessed.

"Isabel, what are you saying?" Alex asked fearful.

"I'm saying that I can't be with someone that I can't trust. I can't be with a lier. I can't love a lier." Isabel said a little more harshly then she'd intended.

"Izzy, baby, please don't do this. I love you. I love you so much. I need you so much." Alex begged with tears in his eyes.

"Alex, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am. It's over." Isabel declared.

She ran out before Alex could see her break down crying.

Alex just stood there completely motionless. His girlfriend of five years and his bestfriend of nineteen had just walked out on him.

Michael and Maria walk through the door with snow and silly string all over them, laughing.

"Alex, you'll never believe what just..." Maria stopped midsentenced when she saw Alex's devestated face. "God, what happened?"

"Alex? Man, what happened to you? You look like hell." Michael said concerned.

"She left me, Michael. She actually left." Alex said, still not believing what just took place.

"Isabel left you?" Maria asked softly.

"She couldn't take the lies." Alex admitted.

"She left you because of Tess and Liz?" Maria asked shocked.

"Yeah. I broke too many promises. She doesn't trust me anymore. She said that she can't love a lier." Alex choked out with tears
pouring down his face faster than before.

"Alex, man, I don't know what to tell you." Michael said sympathetically.

"Well, I do. Alex, stop crying. Turn that frown upside down!" Maria said cheerfully.

Maria looked at his girlfriend like she grew a second head. Maybe the pressure of class and bearing the burden of what Liz had done had caused her to snap. He was genuinly worried for her sanity.

"Maria, Jay just lost the love of his life. What is the matter with you? Are you okay?" Michael asked.

"Alex, we'll fix this. Go get dressed and come with us to class. I guarentee that you will have Isabel back before the day is over." Maria declared.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maria was wrong. So very wrong. Alex and Isabel would be two lonely souls lost without the other for along time to come. There is nothing anyone can do about it. This is life's cruel injustice. It's fate.


TBC