I'm very very sorry that I've let this story remain without an update in so long... my beta's schedule never let up and so finally she just said to go ahead and post without that. So... I apologize you all had to wait so long to get a part that wasn't beta-ed, but this does mean that posts will actually get to be regular since I will just go ahead and post the parts once a week.
As promised this part is long, do enjoy!
Scottie- Thank you once again for your awesome comments! I'm glad Kyle's reasoning was believable (and best of luck to your kid next year!)
And YEAH! A comment on the song! I do try to match them with the part I'm writing and as mentioned on the first page, these songs do help the writing process along
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And about their destination... the answer shall be revealed!
So without much further ado,
PART 7
An hour later
Roswell Cemetery
As they past through the gates, they each took separate paths leading to a different friend. Even after all they had shared, some things were meant to stay private. Maria stopped in front of the grave already starting to show signs of age with moss growth. She wiped at it a bit, and then traced the lettering of her best friend’s name. As she reached the X she sat down heavily by the gravestone turning away from the wording to stare up at the sky. Her throat felt choked up with the unshed tears she desperately held back, struggling in their flood. Not knowing where to start or even how to start, she whispered in anguish the only thing she could think; the only thing she could feel, “I miss you. I miss you so much.”
~ ~ ~
On the other side of the cemetery Kyle stood, hands in pockets. He stoically stared down at the headstone still seeming freshly placed in the earth. He stood a bit off centered and a few steps away from the stone, remembering what had become of his friend’s body—his face.
*****
(One Hour after graduation at Roswell Memorial Hospital)
Kyle held on to Maria as they waited with the Evans, Jesse, his dad and Ms. Deluca for news about Max. From what his dad had said, there wasn’t much chance that Max made it. Still they couldn’t lose hope, though only four of them knew about it, Max had died and come back, so he could do it again—there was a chance. There had to be.
Unfortunately that chance was shot to hell when a doctor finally came to talk to them. His look was grim already deflating the small hope that wavered violently within them all, but when he took the Evans with him to speak to them privately, Kyle knew. Max was really gone this time.
The Evans came back, Mrs. Evans looking paler and more faint than before as she clutched tightly to her husband who seemed extremely tired. They told them that Max was already dead before he reached the hospital and the doctors had finally removed the bullets. The reason they took so long to talk to them was some identification issue. That’s when Kyle’s dad spoke up. “How could they not know it was Max? We all saw him. There couldn’t have been that many shootings today, he must have had his ID with him and besides, couldn’t they see his face?” His father’s voice had started to take a tone of incredulity.
“No.” Mr. Evans replied. All was silent in the waiting room as they all turned to stare at him. “They don’t know what happened to his wallet, but his face…” he trailed off for a moment to take a breath as his wife held on even tighter, if possible. “Those sons of bitches shot him a third time.” Mrs. Evans was openly crying by now and Mr. Evans did not elaborate.
Maria’s shock from the past hour’s events was beginning to wear off as it turned to anger. “What do you mean a third time? Where?” Her mom and Kyle tried to calm her down a bit, this was hard enough on the Evans without her badgering, but she fought them both off. “No! Where’s the doctor? I want to see Max. I want to see him!” She was screaming by now, and his dad had joined in to stop her.
But the struggling stopped when Mrs. Evans finally spoke. “His face. You can’t even tell…” she broke off as one more sob came out, “It was his face.” *****
Kyle sat down gingerly, angled in a way that he wasn’t over where his friend laid, but could still face the carved stone—Max Evans, 1983-2002, Beloved Son, Brother and Friend. “Evans.”
He waited a moment, almost as if he expected a reply. He sighed in frustration, “I can just hear your reply in my head. I don’t know if I should be happy about that. I guess it means I can’t forget about you and all you’ve done.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut. “That didn’t come out right. I…I just don’t know how to do this. I mean, it’s not like we had any real heart to hearts when you were…here. Well, except for that time I got you drunk. At least I think we did, still kind of hard to remember that night. But, I do remember thinking we had fun.” Kyle shook his head and laughed softly, “I keep having this image of me holding Liz’s underwear and well I’ll tell you that kept me going for the rest of the year.” He stared off unseeing for a moment, “Then I realized the truth…of well, everything—the entire year, you and Liz. I must say it took a long while before I came around to singing any of your praises. I know you saved my life, and I was obligated, but I never was truly grateful. I didn’t fully understand what it took for you to do that. And I guess, better late than never,” tears started to sting at his eyes, but he didn’t bother to wipe them away. “Thank you.” He released a shuddering breath, “thank you for putting yourself on the line all those times. Thank you for saving Liz. Me. My dad. All of us. I know you said you weren’t a king, well maybe not, but you’re definitely one thing… you’re a hero, Max. A real hero. And I finally understand what Alex meant that it is worth knowing. It was worth knowing you, the kind of person,
human, you were.” Kyle stood up, a tear slowly trailing down his cheek. He placed a hand on top of the grave. “I’m not sure I’ll be back again, but I said what I wanted to say.” He looked up and squinted in the pale sun, “Goodbye Max.” He stood there silent for a moment; then slowly walked away towards Maria.
~ ~ ~
(Song snippet from: Remy Zero’s Perfect Memory)
“I’m sorry I’ve been such a bad friend. I haven’t been back here since…you were placed here. It’s still so hard to believe you’re really gone—that they’re all gone. I’m sorry; here I am pitying myself again and… I can just imagine you already trying to comfort and reassure me. I know you’re there for me, for all of us… even if it is just in spirit, but I wish we could be there for you. That we
had been there for you when she did…God, every time I think of what she did to you, I feel like I could kill her, but she took that away too. I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand how Max, Liz, Kyle and Jim could be even that forgiving. I bet if you were given the choice, you’d be right there with them. She doesn’t deserve it—especially from the people she hurt and betrayed the most. What she did to you guys, the manipulation?!” her voice cracked at a high pitch under her fury, “…the absolute disregard for life—that is, other than her own. I…”
The pent up anger Maria was unleashing finally was stopped by a wave of sadness over the loss of life all around her. She remained silent for a moment trying to clear her head, her heart, of all the rage she had held on to so long. “You loved life so much, no matter what it threw at you. You cared about so many things—computers, your music, your family, your friends. You were the most loyal person I have ever known and I’m still proud to call you my best friend. Nothing will ever change that.” Another round of tears began to spill across her cheeks and she lightly wiped them away, “And I’ll try to be a better friend… actually visit you more often. I’ll really try. It’s just hard…just…” She pursed her quivering lips and looked away for a moment. Then a song drifted from her lips conveying what she had been trying to say so inadequately. “I'll remember you and all the things we used to do. And all the things we used to say.” She breathes deeply, “I’ll remember you…that way.”
~ ~ ~
“Maria?”
She looked up at Kyle and nodded. “Ok.” She lifted her hand to her lips, kissing them and then placed that same hand on Alex’s grave. She stood up; brushing lightly at the dirt on her legs and began down the path Kyle just came from.
He watched her retreating back for a moment before turning back to Alex’s grave. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and stepped closer. “Umm… hey man.” He placed his hands in his pockets, even after doing this once it still felt awkward for him.
“I…uh…never got a chance to apologize… I mean I was planning on maybe doing it after Evans’ funeral…” He shook his head slightly as the memory of that day came to mind, “but by the end Maria was barely holding it together… and I have to admit I was pretty close to losing it too. I thought it was hard enough burying one friend… but… and in front of all those people—those strangers…” He broke off as he placed a hand over his eyes to keep the tears at bay.
“Losing you guys all because of the secret we shared… I know how you felt about that, but I still feel like I need to ask—is it really worth it? For you both to die so young? For Liz, Isabel and Michael to give up their lives to go into hiding? For Maria to be crying practically every day? For the Evans, the Parkers and yours to lose their children? I don’t know… More often these days I’m starting to wonder… I know I will always value my friendship with you and the others… you guys were more…than I ever had given you credit for before. I wonder if I would have had the chance to know you guys so well without knowing the secret…without anyone knowing. Probably not. I… I just wish you guys had a chance to keep on,” a slight smile lit his face for a second, “riding for a while longer. Knowing and meeting them is one thing, but to be killed because of it or by them… you didn’t need that to happen to you to be unique. You were one of a kind all on your own Whitman. And I’m so sorry that I couldn’t stop this from happening. That I actually helped it happen. And I wish I could really hate her, but some part of me still holds on to the times where she genuinely seemed nice. I just… I don’t think I’ll ever really forgive myself for my part in your death. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Alex.”
At this point, his hand had found its way to resting on top of the grave as he kneeled in front of it, head bowed. He angrily wiped at the second tear to fall down his cheek that day, soon followed by another. He abruptly stood up and glanced in the direction of Maria to see if she was ready to go yet. He turned back to face the grave in front of him again, staring at the inscription as flashes of the past appeared in his mind. **Alex sitting next to him at school during lunch, looking hurt and confused as he accused him of spying for Liz; Singing American Pie when they were trapped by the killer blue alien crystals; Playing blackjack in Vegas; Carrying his lifeless body into his car.** “No!” He covered his face in his hands trying to rid himself of that image, but he could never forget that night, that moment,
never. He slowly lowered his hands and taking one last look at his friend’s grave he whispered, “I’m sorry.” He then backed away, almost running to his car.
~ ~ ~
(Song: Sarah McLachlan’s Angel)
“Hey girlfriend.” She tried to smile, but failed miserably as her tears spilled over into sobs. She kneeled down, shifting onto one side, legs behind her. She lightly trailed over the grass covering her friend’s body, as if with comforting caresses. As she sat there in silence, tears still marking paths down her cheeks, memories of the last time she was there filled her head—the funeral. She remembered feeling so lost, looking out at a crowd where the majority didn’t even know Max and wondering if she could get through the funeral without breaking down completely. Somehow she managed, the thought that ‘this’ was all she could do for him—to sing and pray his soul was finally at peace. She couldn’t let him down and she didn’t. As she began to talk to her friend, her fingers still trailing through the grass, she could hear the song she sang that day.
Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
“This almost seems familiar, me doing most of the talking, and you just sitting there, listening. You being there that summer meant a lot and I’m sorry that I wasn’t equally there for you.”
For a break that would make it okay
There’s always one reason
To feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
“You were always there to pick up the pieces, fix the mistakes of others. But when you needed that same help, we weren’t there…I wasn’t there to give you back your hope. I was hurting so much that night and it turned out it wasn’t exactly what I thought, but it did the damage…only the damage was done to you and your relationship.”
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight
“I thought I always saw you as you, but I realize I didn’t, not really. I saw the person who saved Liz with his alien powers and with that same alien heritage, proceeded to break her heart and change her life irrevocably. Yeah, yeah I actually picked up on some SAT words from Liz. Anyway, you were the guy I would measure Michael up to; you were the guy who just seemed so perfect that when…everything just went to hell…I didn’t recognize you anymore. But the thing is I never truly acknowledged who you were. I knew you as Isabel’s brother, Liz’s soul mate, Michael’s best friend, a good listener, an alien king, a healer, a Czechoslovakian. I really wish I had taken the chance that summer to actually get to know you. Know you beyond relationship and other-worldly troubles.”
In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of an angel
May you find some comfort here
“But I guess our lives are just one big cliché…I mean, I finally realized the kind of person you are through your actions. Both times you died; it was saving another one’s life. I’ve realized you were the person that followed his heart and each time you listened to it, it was protecting others at your own risk.”
So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There’s vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lies
That you make up for all that you lack
It don't make no difference
Escaping one last time
It’s easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees
“You were a miracle. Without you, I would have lost a best friend even earlier. I know you would argue at this point that everything afterwards—all the danger we were all put in, was your fault. But you see you were there to save us when you were able to follow your heart. You were a good man Max. And if you were given the chance, I’m sure you would have made a wonderful husband and father too. You were a great friend and because of you, we’re all still here, somewhere, and we’re ok. Rest easy, you don’t have to worry anymore. Just be.”
In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
Kyle stood behind Maria, the flowers they had bought for their friends in his hand. After seeing Maria still sitting by Max’s grave when he was done he decided to retrieve them from the car. “Hey…”
She looked up at Kyle and as her gaze began to drop, her eyes settled on the flowers in his hand. Her lips twitched upwards at the sight and she stretched out a hand towards him. He helped her up and handed the flowers to her and together they walked to the stone and gently placed them down. He caught her eye as she finished placing her kiss on Max’s grave. “Ready.” It was all she spoke. He held her hand, his left hand holding the flowers for Alex, and they stepped down the path away from the grave. A grave now graced with the presence of a single white rose surrounded in a bouquet of forget-me-nots.
You’re in the arms of an angel
May you find some comfort here
You’re in the arms of an angel
May you find some comfort here.
_ _ _
Later that night
Valenti home
Kyle was spent after his emotional afternoon. Visiting the graves of his two friends had taken their toll and he could hardly keep his eyes open. He fell heavily into his bed and quickly entered what should have been a dreamless sleep.
Images of white assaulted him. They swirled around him causing everything to appear blurred. Kyle couldn’t focus on anything and felt increasingly dizzy as he tried. He was about to shout out for it to stop, but he then heard something that made his blood run cold. “NO!” Kyle looked all around him for the source of the voice, to confirm if it was who he thought it could be, but all he saw was white. Dark blurry forms moved in front of him crowding around one corner. He began to feel pain and intense panic, more than this dream alone had induced in him. The swirling white began to fade back into darkness as he heard one more time, “No!” and with that Kyle woke up, the frightened voice still ringing in his ears.
'
But yes I shall listen to "the master, magikhands" and postpone starting the other story for a bit.