Part 10
Liz sighed and closed her eyes, allowing her mind to drift back to the previous night’s events. She knew she should listen to Ms. Walker and that her mind should be on Thoreau, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything except what had happened between she and Max the night before. She felt the hairs on her neck and arms stand on end and a slight electric current pulsated through her body. She had done the extraordinary last night, conjuring an image of her future son. Then she had spent the night in Max’s arms, making love underneath the blanket of stars, building new memories in the place that had been so special to them. She suddenly felt alive, a chill shooting through her body, making her shiver, and wondered if these new sensations were the result of Max’s healing hands.
She opened her eyes and turned her palms upward for her inquiring mind to inspect. Her eyes widened in horror as a green electric-like pulses flashed outward from her palms to her fingertips. She balled her hands into fists, retracting her arms further into the sleeves of her sweater. She hesitantly looked over both shoulders, almost certain someone else had seen the crackling green light emitted by her hands, and leaned forward against the desk, pulling her hands underneath her chin.
“Liz?” Liz’s body involuntarily jerked as Ms. Walker touched her shoulder and she stared wide-eyed at the teacher. She swallowed and watched as Ms. Walker’s mouth move, but all Liz could hear was static. She tilted her head toward Ms. Walker, straining to make sense out of what the teacher was saying. She saw Pam Troy laughing out of the corner of her eye and Liz focused her attention on Pam, wondering what had happened that was so funny. It was then she realized that Pam was pointing at her, that Pam was laughing at her. Liz glared at Pam, ignoring Ms. Walker’s static tones and concentrated on Pam. Just as the sound of the dismissal bell began to empty to classroom, and caused Ms. Walker to abandon Liz’s side, Pam’s purse burst into flames. The horrified girl slung the charred remnants of her purse, still afire, out the second story window to the grass below. And when she turned around, she noticed Liz Parker was gone.
* * *
“I can’t believe Liz Parker did that, Pammy,” Tricia Rhodes said in her high-pitched voice as she sat down between Pam Troy and Vicki Delaney at their usual table. The three cheerleaders were flanked by several of Roswell High’s high-profile athletes, the group having met there for lunch for almost three years. They were members of the elite in Roswell High, and Pam always relished staring down her nose at any of the lesser Roswellians.
“I always knew she was a nut,” Pam announced in triumph. “There’s no way Kyle could have ever been interested in her unless she was controlling him. She’s so damn mousy.”
Three seats away from Pam sat Kyle Valenti, his interest now piqued in Pam’s comment containing his name. He could only assume Pam was talking about Liz, especially from her tone of voice. Pam had never understood why Kyle had not returned her advances at the end of freshman year, nor had she ever understood what Kyle had seen in Liz Parker. He twirled his fork around his macaroni and cheese, mentally debating with himself if he should interrupt the conversation or listen to what else Pam had to say. Hunching his shoulders over, he decided he’d listen for a little longer. If nothing else, it would be amusing hearing the excuses Pam could come up with for hating Liz.
“So your purse just caught on fire?”
“Right,” Pam squealed and Kyle’s shoulders shuddered at the timbre of her shrilly voice. He chuckled slightly when he remembered that no one dated Pam to hear her voice. “She was just staring at Ms. Walker like she couldn’t understand a word the woman was saying. Everybody was laughing. My purse was just the only thing that blew up.”
“What did Liz do,” Tricia asked, her eyes following Pam’s every movement as the three girls ate their lunches.
“I just told you,” Pam sighed, rolling her eyes. “Parker looked at Ms. Walker like she was a...an alien or something and my purse caught on fire. I had everything in that purse.”
“You do smoke, Pam,” Vicki argued softly, and Kyle felt himself smile at the thought of Vicki defending Liz. Vicki had done the same thing when they had briefly dated, telling Kyle that Liz would be cool about their relationship. “Maybe it was just your lighter.”
“It wasn’t my lighter, Vicki!. It was Liz Parker! She’s an alien freak that’s trying to kill me!”
Kyle grimaced at the decibel level of Pam’s voice. Despite its shrillness, it certainly carried. If too many people heard and believed what Pam was saying, it could screw up Liz’s life even more. While he was still hurt by what had happened to Tess and Liz’s involvement in it, Liz was still his friend. Now it was his time to defend her. “I highly doubt that, Pam,” Kyle’s voice retorted, his eyes cast pointedly at Pam from his seat at the end of the table. “Liz Parker isn’t that way and you know it. You’re just looking for someone to blame because you lost your little black book in your purse fire. Lay off Liz or I’ll be forced to tell what I know.”
“You don’t know anything,” Pam spat, standing up from her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re still under her spell.”
“You’re just jealous because you have to put out to get guys to fall all over you. I mean it, Pam, stay away from Liz.” Kyle stood up and walked toward Pam’s seat, his eyes never leaving the head cheerleader.
“I think Liz has been known to put out too, Kyle. She slept with you, after all, and now it seems like she’s moved back to Max Evans. Who knows who she’ll be doing tomorrow.”
Kyle stepped toward her when he felt Vicki’s slender hand on his arm. He glanced sideways at his ex-girlfriend and slowly returned to the original distance that had been between he and Pam. “Stay away from Liz, Pam,” Kyle commanded just before he spun on his heels and walked away from the table, a slight crowd growing as Pam’s antics had increased. He shoved his hands deeply into the pockets of his letterman’s jacket, wishing the earth would open and swallow him whole. At least if he were gone too, he might be able to find Tess so neither of them would be alone. The last person he expected to collide with as he made his way across the quad was a shaken and disheveled Liz Parker, looking like her world had just turned on its axis.
“Liz? Liz, what’s wrong,” Kyle asked, after regaining his footing from his collision with Liz. She had dropped the books she was carrying and both of them stooped to the ground to retrieve them.
“K...Kyle,” Liz questioned, her hand groping wildly for any part of Kyle’s body. “Really...you?”
“Liz, what’s wrong with you?” Kyle helped her by catching her wrist as it dangled in mid-air and almost retracted his hand when their skin made contact. Liz’s wrist was on fire, as if she were burning from the inside out. “What’s going on?”
“I...changed,” she managed to stutter and Kyle watched in horror as a green glow emanated from Liz’s body, rapidly attaching itself to Kyle’s where his hand held onto Liz. He glanced over his shoulder as the remaining students began to filter back into the school. Helping Liz to her feet and keeping one hand on her thigh to steady her, Kyle gathered Liz’s books under his arm and stood at her side. Then he placed his arm around her shoulders, tucking her body tightly against his, and proceeded to escort her toward his car and off from school grounds.
Brave New World (CC; M/L; Mature) COMPLETE -- 7/13/05
Moderators: Anniepoo98, Rowedog, ISLANDGIRL5, Itzstacie, truelovepooh, FSU/MSW-94, Forum Moderators
Parts 11-12
Part 11
Max sat in his final class of the day, alternating his eyes between his watch and the clock on the classroom wall. He and Liz had spent the entire night wrapped in each others arms and while he had felt happy before lunch, he couldn’t help the feeling of dread that was now plaguing him. He supposed it could be anything, but he had the distinct impression it was directly related to Liz. Mr. Seligman had kept them so busy in Chemistry that he and Liz had barely spoken about the events of the previous night. He hadn’t been able to spend lunch with her because of a meeting with the newest guidance counselor. He knew her parents would be back in Roswell by the time school ended so that quashed any thoughts of late night camping trips or sleep overs.
The final dismissal bell rang, waking him up from his daydream. Tucking his books underneath his arm, he walked briskly to his locker, retrieving only the bare necessities he would need to complete his homework assignments. He began to wonder about Liz, and after finding no trace of her in the hallway, he headed for the parking lot, hoping she would be waiting patiently for him at the jeep. Once he was outside the school, however, he found the parking lot almost empty, with no Liz in sight. No one was waiting for him at the jeep; the parking spaces normally filled by Maria’s Jetta and Alex’s Trans-Am were also empty. Chiding himself for his paranoia, he hopped in the jeep and drove toward his house.
* * *
“Mom! Dad!” Max stepped into his house, having been surprised to see both his parents’ cars in the driveway. He had thought his dad would be working late at the office on a new case, and was pleasantly surprised to find no odorous aroma filling the house from one of his mother’s newest creations. “Mom? Dad?” The last place Max expected to find his parents was half-clothed on their living room couch.
“Max,” Diane exclaimed, shoving Philip off her and quickly closing her blouse over her chest. “You...you’re home early. I...I thought you’d be at the Crashdown.”
Max dropped his back pack on the foyer floor, his mouth gaping open at his parents’ state of undress. Luckily for all parties involved, no major portions of skin were showing, and Max shuddered to think what he would have walked in on had he waited at the school any longer. “I...I’m on my way there now.” He stutter-stepped backwards, making a conscious effort to look anywhere but at the couch. “I...I’ll be home later. And I’ll call...first.” He spun on his heels and bolted out the front door, slamming it behind him.
“I’m not sure who should be more embarrassed here, Max or us,” Diane admitted while she rebuttoned her blouse and prepared to stand up from the couch.
“We’re all almost adults, Di,” Philip argued. “And now that we have the house to ourselves, I think we should pick up where we left off.” Philip wound his hands between Diane’s nimble fingers and her blouse and began unbuttoning it again.
Diane’s eyes widened as she felt Philip’s mouth attack her exposed neck. “Philip! What’s gotten into you?” Diane struggled against Philip’s grip, which only succeeded in making Philip hold onto her more tightly.
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“I didn’t say that,” Diane said, suppressing a giggle as they tumbled backwards onto the couch.
* * *
Max walked into the Crashdown, spotting Alex and Isabel almost immediately. He shrugged out of his brown leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack beside the front door. The cafe was surprisingly busy at 4:30 in the afternoon, mostly with high school kids, and Max nodded at Michael, who was in the kitchen. “Hey,” Max said to his sister and Alex as he slid into the booth opposite them.
“Hey,” Alex replied, and Max noticed how close Isabel and Alex were sitting. From his vantage point, it looked like almost every part of Isabel’s body was touching some part of Alex’s. It reminded him of the Twister-like entanglement he’d seen from his parents moments earlier. He quickly shook his head, trying to knock the image from his subconscious, and his face scrunched in a gag-like reflex.
“Max, what’s wrong,” Isabel asked, leaning closer to her brother across the table. “Did something just happen?”
“Only Mom, Dad and the living room couch,” he said, hoping Isabel would get the message without having to go into further detail.
“Oh, yuck,” Isabel gasp seconds later. “God, I...I won’t be able to look at the couch ever again.”
“At least you didn’t see it first hand,” Max replied, leaning back against the seat as Maria hurriedly placed a Cherry Coke in front of him. “Hey, Maria. Busy, huh?”
“Don’t you ever start with me,” Maria growled, her hand reflexively propping itself on her hip. “Liz is supposed to be here too. Did you lock her in the Eraser Room for later use?”
Max and Alex chuckled at Maria’s joke as Michael brought out the food Isabel and Alex had ordered. “Maxwell, where’s Liz? We’re getting our asses kicked.”
“She’s not here,” Max asked, his face suddenly paling. “I...I thought she’d be here with you guys.”
“We thought she was with you,” Isabel said before taking a sip of her smoothie. “That’s what we told the Parkers.”
“They were asking about her?”
“Geez, Maxwell,” Michael groaned in disgust. “They’ve been gone the entire weekend. I’m sure they don’t really care about seeing their one and only daughter.” Michael turned back to the kitchen, mumbling and shaking his head.
“I...I don’t know where she is,” Max softly admitted to Maria, Alex and Isabel. “I haven’t seen her since this morning.” He hesitantly glanced between his three friends. All of their faces were now starting to show the same concern as his. He took a large gulp of the Cherry Coke, his mind suddenly filled with endless possibilities of Liz’s whereabouts, but none of them did anything to comfort his terrified mind.
“She probably just fell asleep in the library,” Alex quipped, twirling a ketchup-laden french fry in front of his face. “That’s what I do when I go to the library.”
“I’ve gotta work,” Maria said, and promptly stormed away from Max, Alex and Isabel to tend to the other customers in the cafe.
“I’m sure she’s fine, Max,” Isabel offered with a smile, but her meager attempts at comfort did nothing to slow down Max’s overactive imagination. The possibilities were endless as far as he was concerned. Anything could have happened to Liz, and he had no evidence to go on. “Oh no. Kyle Valenti, twelve o’clock.”
Max turned to see Kyle talking very animatedly with Maria at the front door. At the same time, both of them turned toward Max, and Max felt his heart fall to his feet. Something had happened to Liz. Kyle’s reaction just confirmed it. How was it possible for a life to go from heaven to hell in a period of a few hours?
“I gotta talk to you, Evans,” Kyle said, leaning as close to the table as possible.
“It’s about Liz, isn’t it,” Max asked, not raising his head. He had begun to tear Isabel’s paper napkin to shreads the moment he saw Kyle and Maria talking, but the minor destruction had not helped calm him.
“Yeah,” Kyle responded hesitantly. “She’s at my house.”
“Your house,” Max asked louder than he’d intended, which was followed promptly by contact from Isabel’s foot to his shin. “Why is Liz at your house?”
“Just come on,” Kyle said, tilting his head toward the door. “She needs your help.” He shoved his hands back into the pockets of his letterman’s jacket and was out of the cafe before Max had any time to argue. Turning back to Isabel and Alex, his eyes widening with each passing second,
Max stood from the booth and ran after Kyle.
----------
Part 12
“What’s wrong with her,” Max questioned, closing the door of Kyle’s car as Kyle buckled his seat belt. “Why is Liz at your house?”
“She did something to Pam Troy.”
“What are you talking about,” Max asked, Kyle’s car already hurriedly traveling down Main Street toward the Valenti house. “What’s Pam Troy got to do with this?”
“I don’t know,” Kyle shrugged, making a left turn at the intersection of Citrus and Vine. “I overheard Pam talking about her purse blowing up and that Liz did it.”
“Liz can’t blow things up,” Max said, his voice tinged with anger. He started to continue and defend Liz to Kyle but, after glancing in Kyle’s direction, he could see that Kyle was genuinely concerned for Liz.
“I can’t help you, man. I just know what Pam was screeching about at lunch and that when I found Liz in the quad, she told me she’d changed.” Kyle glanced at Max, who had suddenly become unusually quiet. “This is alien related, isn’t it?” Max raised his eyes from his lap and sheepishly looked at Kyle momentarily before dropping his face back to his lap.
“Oh damnit, Evans. If Liz is going through all this shit, that means I’ll be going through it too.” Kyle squealed his tires as he pulled his car into the driveway and threw the car into first gear. “You aliens just have to screw everything up, don’t you?”
“Liz is different,” Max whispered as he unbuckled his seat belt, preparing to step from Kyle’s car.
“What’s that supposed to mean,” Kyle asked, slamming the car door behind him as he stepped onto his driveway. “You healed her, and then you healed me. If Liz is changing, that means I’m going to change too. I’m not a brain like Liz, but I can figure out remedial science equations. Alien healing equals alien...hybrid.”
“Liz was healed twice,” Max amended, staring Kyle directly in the eye. “So if Liz is developing powers or changing, it’s because she was healed twice.”
“Who healed her twice,” Kyle asked as he followed Max up to his front porch, his hands firmly planted in the pockets of his letterman’s jacket.
“I did,” Max replied softly. “Where’s Liz?”
* * *
“Gimme your coat,” Kyle said, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the back of the desk chair. Max wordlessly obeyed Kyle’s command and handed his brown leather jacket to Kyle. After the jackets had been tossed away, Max followed Kyle into the back bedroom. Kyle slowly opened the door and turned to look at Max.
The room had splotches of several pastel colors on each wall, and Max could only assume that Tess had lived in this room, given the patterns of the swirls of colors. Posters definitely belonging to Kyle hung on the walls and Max closed the door behind him.
“My dad’s at work,” Kyle whispered, stepping to the side, allowing Max full entrance into the room. “I thought it would be better here.”
“Where’s Liz,” Max whispered, unable to see very much in the dimly-lit room. Kyle wordlessly pointed to the twin bed resting against the wall, and Max’s face fell as he saw Liz cuddled in an embryonic position. “Oh, God, Liz,” Max sighed and rushed to her side.
“M...ax,” she stuttered, and Max placed his hands on either side of her face. Within seconds, his entire arms were engulfed in the green glow that had claimed him the previous night and Kyle earlier that day. “I...changed.”
“I...God, Liz, I’m so sorry.” Max pressed an innocent kiss to her forehead and closed his eyes, wishing he could heal her by sheer willpower. “I’ll be right back, okay.” Liz nodded and a smile appeared on her lips. After seeing her weak smile, Max was unable to control the urge he had to kiss her, and he lowered his lips to her, not caring that Kyle was still in the room. He felt Liz shudder against him and he pressed his hand gently to her stomach, deepening the kiss. In that moment, their connection sputtered to life and Max felt the unmistakable presence of another as their minds melded into each other.
“Max,” Kyle screamed, and before he could process any more of the thoughts running through his mind, Kyle had pulled him away from Liz and onto the floor. “What are you doing to her?”
“Wh...what do you mean,” Max asked, helping himself up and tenderly wiping his lips with his hand. “I...I -”
“Liz’s stomach was glowing,” Kyle said, pointing toward Liz’s stomach. “It...there was this green light coming from her stomach. Did you heal her?”
“I...I don’t think so,” Max replied, shaking his head. He ran his hands across his forehead, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration when he felt Liz’s cold hand brush against his. His eyes widened as he watched the outline of a tiny hand print form in the palm of Liz’s hand. Suddenly understanding what the other presence was in his connection with Liz, he closed her palm into a fist so Kyle wouldn’t see and brought it up to his lips. “I...I need to be alone with her. Is that okay?”
“What are you going to do,” Kyle questioned, squaring his shoulders over Max’s kneeling form. He crossed his arms over his chest and flexed the muscles in his upper torso for good measure. “I don’t know if I should leave you alone with her. If this is going to happen me -”
“What’s happening to Liz isn’t going to happen to you, Kyle,” Max answered, slowly standing to his feet with his hand still clasping Liz’s.
“How do you know?”
“Look, Kyle,” Max began, almost letting Liz’s hand slip from his grasp as he stepped toward Kyle. He quickly recovered it, and stepped closer to Liz’s bedside. “Just give me a few minutes with her so I can look over her...better. I just need a few minutes, Kyle.”
Kyle squinted at Max, his eyes drawn to the way Max was clutching Liz’s hand. Uncrossing his arms, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans. “Okay. I’ll give you a few minutes alone, but I’m timing you,” Kyle warned as he left the room, complete with accusatory finger point at Max.
“Thanks,” Max replied as Kyle closed the door behind him and Max quickly turned his attention back to Liz. He wound his hands underneath the blanket Kyle had wrapped her in and after several seconds, had successfully managed to untangle it from Liz. Most of her clothes were still on; Kyle had only taken off her shoes before wrapping her in a blanket and piling more on top of her.
“Kyle helped,” Liz whispered as she lovingly cupped Max’s cheek. Max closed his eyes, momentarily concerned for Liz’s rising temperature, but allowed himself to enjoy her touch. When he opened his eyes, she was smiling brightly at him and trying to sit up on the bed.
“No, Liz,” Max cautioned. “Just lie still, okay.” He removed her hand from his cheek, kissing her palm first, and raised the edge of her sweater so her entire rib cage was exposed. His eyes darted over her body quickly on their way to her face and he noticed that she had begun to breathe heavy, as if she were in anticipation of something. He dropped his hands to her stomach and noticed that he too was breathing heavy. Clearing his throat quickly, he placed his right hand on her stomach and allowed his mind to blank out. Within seconds, he was assaulted by images from Liz’s mind.
Liz, standing in front of a mirror, with a veil over her head.
A leather-clad version of himself with long hair and Liz dancing on her balcony.
The same version of himself and Liz with their faces almost touching.
A version of himself with a long scar on his left cheek kissing Liz on the observatory floor.
The scarred version of himself protecting Liz from the skins in Copper Summit.
He and Liz making love in the desert.
Colby as a toddler.
He, Liz and Colby as a family.
A tiny, dark-haired giggling girl, twirling around in a blue dress.
An unborn baby girl.
He fell forward her as he removed his hand from her stomach, his face reddened from the connection. He felt Liz place her cool hands against his cheeks and he closed his eyes, a smile instantly appearing on his lips.
“We’re having a baby,” Liz whispered as Max settled on top of her, their limbs immediately intertwining while they sunk lower into Kyle’s bed. It hadn’t been a question; Liz had known from the moment that Max touched her that she was pregnant. “Colby’s early,” she sighed, pressing her mouth to Max’s neck and playfully blowing air onto it.
“It’s not Colby,” Max replied, his voice husky and deep, as he wound his fingers underneath Liz’s sweater, inching toward her breasts. “We’re going to have a baby, Liz, but this baby’s a girl.”
Liz’s eyes widened and a smile quickly on her lips before she pressed her mouth to Max’s. Her legs wound around his hips and Liz adjusted underneath Max’s body while their kisses continued, sinking them lower into Kyle’s bed.
Max sat in his final class of the day, alternating his eyes between his watch and the clock on the classroom wall. He and Liz had spent the entire night wrapped in each others arms and while he had felt happy before lunch, he couldn’t help the feeling of dread that was now plaguing him. He supposed it could be anything, but he had the distinct impression it was directly related to Liz. Mr. Seligman had kept them so busy in Chemistry that he and Liz had barely spoken about the events of the previous night. He hadn’t been able to spend lunch with her because of a meeting with the newest guidance counselor. He knew her parents would be back in Roswell by the time school ended so that quashed any thoughts of late night camping trips or sleep overs.
The final dismissal bell rang, waking him up from his daydream. Tucking his books underneath his arm, he walked briskly to his locker, retrieving only the bare necessities he would need to complete his homework assignments. He began to wonder about Liz, and after finding no trace of her in the hallway, he headed for the parking lot, hoping she would be waiting patiently for him at the jeep. Once he was outside the school, however, he found the parking lot almost empty, with no Liz in sight. No one was waiting for him at the jeep; the parking spaces normally filled by Maria’s Jetta and Alex’s Trans-Am were also empty. Chiding himself for his paranoia, he hopped in the jeep and drove toward his house.
* * *
“Mom! Dad!” Max stepped into his house, having been surprised to see both his parents’ cars in the driveway. He had thought his dad would be working late at the office on a new case, and was pleasantly surprised to find no odorous aroma filling the house from one of his mother’s newest creations. “Mom? Dad?” The last place Max expected to find his parents was half-clothed on their living room couch.
“Max,” Diane exclaimed, shoving Philip off her and quickly closing her blouse over her chest. “You...you’re home early. I...I thought you’d be at the Crashdown.”
Max dropped his back pack on the foyer floor, his mouth gaping open at his parents’ state of undress. Luckily for all parties involved, no major portions of skin were showing, and Max shuddered to think what he would have walked in on had he waited at the school any longer. “I...I’m on my way there now.” He stutter-stepped backwards, making a conscious effort to look anywhere but at the couch. “I...I’ll be home later. And I’ll call...first.” He spun on his heels and bolted out the front door, slamming it behind him.
“I’m not sure who should be more embarrassed here, Max or us,” Diane admitted while she rebuttoned her blouse and prepared to stand up from the couch.
“We’re all almost adults, Di,” Philip argued. “And now that we have the house to ourselves, I think we should pick up where we left off.” Philip wound his hands between Diane’s nimble fingers and her blouse and began unbuttoning it again.
Diane’s eyes widened as she felt Philip’s mouth attack her exposed neck. “Philip! What’s gotten into you?” Diane struggled against Philip’s grip, which only succeeded in making Philip hold onto her more tightly.
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“I didn’t say that,” Diane said, suppressing a giggle as they tumbled backwards onto the couch.
* * *
Max walked into the Crashdown, spotting Alex and Isabel almost immediately. He shrugged out of his brown leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack beside the front door. The cafe was surprisingly busy at 4:30 in the afternoon, mostly with high school kids, and Max nodded at Michael, who was in the kitchen. “Hey,” Max said to his sister and Alex as he slid into the booth opposite them.
“Hey,” Alex replied, and Max noticed how close Isabel and Alex were sitting. From his vantage point, it looked like almost every part of Isabel’s body was touching some part of Alex’s. It reminded him of the Twister-like entanglement he’d seen from his parents moments earlier. He quickly shook his head, trying to knock the image from his subconscious, and his face scrunched in a gag-like reflex.
“Max, what’s wrong,” Isabel asked, leaning closer to her brother across the table. “Did something just happen?”
“Only Mom, Dad and the living room couch,” he said, hoping Isabel would get the message without having to go into further detail.
“Oh, yuck,” Isabel gasp seconds later. “God, I...I won’t be able to look at the couch ever again.”
“At least you didn’t see it first hand,” Max replied, leaning back against the seat as Maria hurriedly placed a Cherry Coke in front of him. “Hey, Maria. Busy, huh?”
“Don’t you ever start with me,” Maria growled, her hand reflexively propping itself on her hip. “Liz is supposed to be here too. Did you lock her in the Eraser Room for later use?”
Max and Alex chuckled at Maria’s joke as Michael brought out the food Isabel and Alex had ordered. “Maxwell, where’s Liz? We’re getting our asses kicked.”
“She’s not here,” Max asked, his face suddenly paling. “I...I thought she’d be here with you guys.”
“We thought she was with you,” Isabel said before taking a sip of her smoothie. “That’s what we told the Parkers.”
“They were asking about her?”
“Geez, Maxwell,” Michael groaned in disgust. “They’ve been gone the entire weekend. I’m sure they don’t really care about seeing their one and only daughter.” Michael turned back to the kitchen, mumbling and shaking his head.
“I...I don’t know where she is,” Max softly admitted to Maria, Alex and Isabel. “I haven’t seen her since this morning.” He hesitantly glanced between his three friends. All of their faces were now starting to show the same concern as his. He took a large gulp of the Cherry Coke, his mind suddenly filled with endless possibilities of Liz’s whereabouts, but none of them did anything to comfort his terrified mind.
“She probably just fell asleep in the library,” Alex quipped, twirling a ketchup-laden french fry in front of his face. “That’s what I do when I go to the library.”
“I’ve gotta work,” Maria said, and promptly stormed away from Max, Alex and Isabel to tend to the other customers in the cafe.
“I’m sure she’s fine, Max,” Isabel offered with a smile, but her meager attempts at comfort did nothing to slow down Max’s overactive imagination. The possibilities were endless as far as he was concerned. Anything could have happened to Liz, and he had no evidence to go on. “Oh no. Kyle Valenti, twelve o’clock.”
Max turned to see Kyle talking very animatedly with Maria at the front door. At the same time, both of them turned toward Max, and Max felt his heart fall to his feet. Something had happened to Liz. Kyle’s reaction just confirmed it. How was it possible for a life to go from heaven to hell in a period of a few hours?
“I gotta talk to you, Evans,” Kyle said, leaning as close to the table as possible.
“It’s about Liz, isn’t it,” Max asked, not raising his head. He had begun to tear Isabel’s paper napkin to shreads the moment he saw Kyle and Maria talking, but the minor destruction had not helped calm him.
“Yeah,” Kyle responded hesitantly. “She’s at my house.”
“Your house,” Max asked louder than he’d intended, which was followed promptly by contact from Isabel’s foot to his shin. “Why is Liz at your house?”
“Just come on,” Kyle said, tilting his head toward the door. “She needs your help.” He shoved his hands back into the pockets of his letterman’s jacket and was out of the cafe before Max had any time to argue. Turning back to Isabel and Alex, his eyes widening with each passing second,
Max stood from the booth and ran after Kyle.
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Part 12
“What’s wrong with her,” Max questioned, closing the door of Kyle’s car as Kyle buckled his seat belt. “Why is Liz at your house?”
“She did something to Pam Troy.”
“What are you talking about,” Max asked, Kyle’s car already hurriedly traveling down Main Street toward the Valenti house. “What’s Pam Troy got to do with this?”
“I don’t know,” Kyle shrugged, making a left turn at the intersection of Citrus and Vine. “I overheard Pam talking about her purse blowing up and that Liz did it.”
“Liz can’t blow things up,” Max said, his voice tinged with anger. He started to continue and defend Liz to Kyle but, after glancing in Kyle’s direction, he could see that Kyle was genuinely concerned for Liz.
“I can’t help you, man. I just know what Pam was screeching about at lunch and that when I found Liz in the quad, she told me she’d changed.” Kyle glanced at Max, who had suddenly become unusually quiet. “This is alien related, isn’t it?” Max raised his eyes from his lap and sheepishly looked at Kyle momentarily before dropping his face back to his lap.
“Oh damnit, Evans. If Liz is going through all this shit, that means I’ll be going through it too.” Kyle squealed his tires as he pulled his car into the driveway and threw the car into first gear. “You aliens just have to screw everything up, don’t you?”
“Liz is different,” Max whispered as he unbuckled his seat belt, preparing to step from Kyle’s car.
“What’s that supposed to mean,” Kyle asked, slamming the car door behind him as he stepped onto his driveway. “You healed her, and then you healed me. If Liz is changing, that means I’m going to change too. I’m not a brain like Liz, but I can figure out remedial science equations. Alien healing equals alien...hybrid.”
“Liz was healed twice,” Max amended, staring Kyle directly in the eye. “So if Liz is developing powers or changing, it’s because she was healed twice.”
“Who healed her twice,” Kyle asked as he followed Max up to his front porch, his hands firmly planted in the pockets of his letterman’s jacket.
“I did,” Max replied softly. “Where’s Liz?”
* * *
“Gimme your coat,” Kyle said, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the back of the desk chair. Max wordlessly obeyed Kyle’s command and handed his brown leather jacket to Kyle. After the jackets had been tossed away, Max followed Kyle into the back bedroom. Kyle slowly opened the door and turned to look at Max.
The room had splotches of several pastel colors on each wall, and Max could only assume that Tess had lived in this room, given the patterns of the swirls of colors. Posters definitely belonging to Kyle hung on the walls and Max closed the door behind him.
“My dad’s at work,” Kyle whispered, stepping to the side, allowing Max full entrance into the room. “I thought it would be better here.”
“Where’s Liz,” Max whispered, unable to see very much in the dimly-lit room. Kyle wordlessly pointed to the twin bed resting against the wall, and Max’s face fell as he saw Liz cuddled in an embryonic position. “Oh, God, Liz,” Max sighed and rushed to her side.
“M...ax,” she stuttered, and Max placed his hands on either side of her face. Within seconds, his entire arms were engulfed in the green glow that had claimed him the previous night and Kyle earlier that day. “I...changed.”
“I...God, Liz, I’m so sorry.” Max pressed an innocent kiss to her forehead and closed his eyes, wishing he could heal her by sheer willpower. “I’ll be right back, okay.” Liz nodded and a smile appeared on her lips. After seeing her weak smile, Max was unable to control the urge he had to kiss her, and he lowered his lips to her, not caring that Kyle was still in the room. He felt Liz shudder against him and he pressed his hand gently to her stomach, deepening the kiss. In that moment, their connection sputtered to life and Max felt the unmistakable presence of another as their minds melded into each other.
“Max,” Kyle screamed, and before he could process any more of the thoughts running through his mind, Kyle had pulled him away from Liz and onto the floor. “What are you doing to her?”
“Wh...what do you mean,” Max asked, helping himself up and tenderly wiping his lips with his hand. “I...I -”
“Liz’s stomach was glowing,” Kyle said, pointing toward Liz’s stomach. “It...there was this green light coming from her stomach. Did you heal her?”
“I...I don’t think so,” Max replied, shaking his head. He ran his hands across his forehead, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration when he felt Liz’s cold hand brush against his. His eyes widened as he watched the outline of a tiny hand print form in the palm of Liz’s hand. Suddenly understanding what the other presence was in his connection with Liz, he closed her palm into a fist so Kyle wouldn’t see and brought it up to his lips. “I...I need to be alone with her. Is that okay?”
“What are you going to do,” Kyle questioned, squaring his shoulders over Max’s kneeling form. He crossed his arms over his chest and flexed the muscles in his upper torso for good measure. “I don’t know if I should leave you alone with her. If this is going to happen me -”
“What’s happening to Liz isn’t going to happen to you, Kyle,” Max answered, slowly standing to his feet with his hand still clasping Liz’s.
“How do you know?”
“Look, Kyle,” Max began, almost letting Liz’s hand slip from his grasp as he stepped toward Kyle. He quickly recovered it, and stepped closer to Liz’s bedside. “Just give me a few minutes with her so I can look over her...better. I just need a few minutes, Kyle.”
Kyle squinted at Max, his eyes drawn to the way Max was clutching Liz’s hand. Uncrossing his arms, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans. “Okay. I’ll give you a few minutes alone, but I’m timing you,” Kyle warned as he left the room, complete with accusatory finger point at Max.
“Thanks,” Max replied as Kyle closed the door behind him and Max quickly turned his attention back to Liz. He wound his hands underneath the blanket Kyle had wrapped her in and after several seconds, had successfully managed to untangle it from Liz. Most of her clothes were still on; Kyle had only taken off her shoes before wrapping her in a blanket and piling more on top of her.
“Kyle helped,” Liz whispered as she lovingly cupped Max’s cheek. Max closed his eyes, momentarily concerned for Liz’s rising temperature, but allowed himself to enjoy her touch. When he opened his eyes, she was smiling brightly at him and trying to sit up on the bed.
“No, Liz,” Max cautioned. “Just lie still, okay.” He removed her hand from his cheek, kissing her palm first, and raised the edge of her sweater so her entire rib cage was exposed. His eyes darted over her body quickly on their way to her face and he noticed that she had begun to breathe heavy, as if she were in anticipation of something. He dropped his hands to her stomach and noticed that he too was breathing heavy. Clearing his throat quickly, he placed his right hand on her stomach and allowed his mind to blank out. Within seconds, he was assaulted by images from Liz’s mind.
Liz, standing in front of a mirror, with a veil over her head.
A leather-clad version of himself with long hair and Liz dancing on her balcony.
The same version of himself and Liz with their faces almost touching.
A version of himself with a long scar on his left cheek kissing Liz on the observatory floor.
The scarred version of himself protecting Liz from the skins in Copper Summit.
He and Liz making love in the desert.
Colby as a toddler.
He, Liz and Colby as a family.
A tiny, dark-haired giggling girl, twirling around in a blue dress.
An unborn baby girl.
He fell forward her as he removed his hand from her stomach, his face reddened from the connection. He felt Liz place her cool hands against his cheeks and he closed his eyes, a smile instantly appearing on his lips.
“We’re having a baby,” Liz whispered as Max settled on top of her, their limbs immediately intertwining while they sunk lower into Kyle’s bed. It hadn’t been a question; Liz had known from the moment that Max touched her that she was pregnant. “Colby’s early,” she sighed, pressing her mouth to Max’s neck and playfully blowing air onto it.
“It’s not Colby,” Max replied, his voice husky and deep, as he wound his fingers underneath Liz’s sweater, inching toward her breasts. “We’re going to have a baby, Liz, but this baby’s a girl.”
Liz’s eyes widened and a smile quickly on her lips before she pressed her mouth to Max’s. Her legs wound around his hips and Liz adjusted underneath Max’s body while their kisses continued, sinking them lower into Kyle’s bed.
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Part 13
Part 13
Kyle tapped his toes several times on the floor outside his bedroom window. He had given Max his allotted five minutes; the clock on the wall indicating that Max had been given almost ten minutes. Kyle crossed then uncrossed his arms, adjusting his weight from one leg to the other. He exhaled loudly and closed his eyes, wondering if Max could just sense his presence outside the door and was not coming out because he knew Kyle was waiting for them. He walked to the couch, vowing to himself to give them five more minutes to themselves before he promised himself he would break down the door.
* * *
“Are you okay,” Max sighed against Liz’s forehead, gently rubbing his lips across her smooth skin. “I don’t want you to have a...relapse or something.”
“I don’t know, Max,” Liz replied softly, tilting her head upward as she placed a kiss on Max’s throat. “It’s like once we connected, I felt better. It doesn’t really make sense.”
“So it’s almost like when we found the orb,” Max asked, tightening his arms around Liz’s waist, pulling her body as close to his as possible with their clothes still on. “When you had glowing hickeys.” He pressed his mouth to Liz’s, suddenly unable to stop the burning sensation building in his stomach.
“I remember the glowing hickeys,” Liz whispered as Max’s mouth trailed fire from her lips down to her collar bone. “I also remember that rash,” she mused, unable to suppress the giggle that erupted from her mouth.
As Liz continued to laugh, Max stopped his kisses and raised off of her, an angry look on his face. Liz pulled her lips into her mouth, drawing her hands over them to hide the smile that still lingered on her face. Max scowled at her momentarily before he began to wiggle his fingers underneath her rib cage, tickling her. Liz squealed and bucked her hips, propelling both she and Max off the twin bed and onto the floor with a thud. “Are you okay,” Max questioned, his hand unconsciously splayed against her lower stomach, their playful moment forgotten.
“I...I’m fine, Max,” Liz replied, sliding off Max’s stomach and leaning against Kyle’s bed. “I’m okay.”
“Liz,” Kyle called, pushing the door open with all his might. “Are you okay?” His eyes darted from the bed to the floor where Max was lying on his back and Liz was leaning against his bed, her knees drawn to her chest. “I heard a noise.” Kyle admitted as he rested his left hand on the door knob.
“I’m okay, Kyle. Thank you.” Liz started to stand and both Kyle and Max rushed to her aid. They reached her at the same time and, after Liz had automatically accepted Max’s guiding hand, Kyle awkwardly stepped away from the couple.
“So you’re cured,” Kyle asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Just like that? No more green sparks or alien heat strokes?”
Liz glanced at Max as she sank slowly back onto Kyle’s bed, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Max felt the heat from her stare and turned slightly toward her, his eyes unable to hide the look of guilt that flashed through them. Liz smiled warmly at Max before turning her attention back to Kyle, who was watching the wordless exchange in confusion.
“I’ll be outside,” Max replied as he threaded his fingers through his mused hair and ducked behind Kyle out of the room. Once the door was closed behind him, Liz released the breath she had been unaware she was holding.
“What’s going on,” Kyle questioned, sitting beside Liz on the bed while Liz settled her back against the wall. “Just talk to me, Liz.” The pleading tone of his voice startled Liz and she lowered her gaze back to her lap, unable to look at her friend.
“I...I’m different, Kyle.”
“Because of Evans,” Kyle said, the loathing in his voice unmistakable.
“Max saved my life, Kyle,” Liz said quickly, adjusting her position on Kyle’s bed so her body was angled slightly toward him. “When I was shot, Max risked everything to save me, simply because he loved me. He risked not only himself, but Michael and Isabel, and when you were shot -”
“I know,” Kyle interrupted, rolling his eyes heavily while following Liz’s train of thought. “He saved my life too. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it, Liz. And it doesn’t mean that I understand what’s happening with you.”
“It’s okay to be scared,” Liz said, her hand gently resting on Kyle’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I...I’m scared too.”
“Really?”
“The things I feel inside of me...they aren’t normal feelings, Kyle.”
“Great,” Kyle sighed as he fell onto his left side away from Liz’s touch. “As if I didn’t already feel weird enough just being a teenager, now I have alien mojo running through me.”
“Max healed me twice, Kyle. I think...that’s why this is happening to me.”
“What do you mean,” Kyle asked, returning at once to an upright position. “How did he heal you twice?”
“One Max was from the future,” Liz said as she placed her hand over her heart, her mind instantly returning to that moment in her room when she had seen Max’s silver handprint across her chest. He had traced the edges of the mark with his fingertips, and Liz shivered as the memory passed through her. “My heart stopped,” she whispered, allowing her hand to drop back to her lap. “He saved me.”
“So I’m not a martian?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Liz replied with a smile, turning her head toward Kyle. Kyle shrugged and nodded his head up and down, his gaze dropping to his lap. Liz watched Kyle for several seconds as a myriad of emotions crossed his features. She wondered if he would ever really understand just how important this moment was between them. Since Tess’ disappearance, Kyle had kept his distance from them, and at the time of his accusation of Liz’s involvement in Tess’ demise, Liz had wondered if she and Kyle would ever be friends again. She and Kyle had been brought back from death by an alien, something Liz considered to be special only between the two of them. Despite their former relationship, Liz now believed that she and Kyle had been connected by their respective healings, in a way so much more concrete than their romantic attachment. Before she could stop herself, Liz slid closer to Kyle and wrapped her arm around his back, leaning her head onto his shoulder.
Kyle felt Liz’s hair tickle his neck and her warm arm wrap around his waist. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Liz was firmly attached to the right side of his body and Kyle sighed in response to Liz’s action. Adjusting his body slightly, he wrapped his right arm around Liz’s back, pressing his chin to her forehead, and Kyle felt the walls of hatred he had built around his heart break away.
Kyle tapped his toes several times on the floor outside his bedroom window. He had given Max his allotted five minutes; the clock on the wall indicating that Max had been given almost ten minutes. Kyle crossed then uncrossed his arms, adjusting his weight from one leg to the other. He exhaled loudly and closed his eyes, wondering if Max could just sense his presence outside the door and was not coming out because he knew Kyle was waiting for them. He walked to the couch, vowing to himself to give them five more minutes to themselves before he promised himself he would break down the door.
* * *
“Are you okay,” Max sighed against Liz’s forehead, gently rubbing his lips across her smooth skin. “I don’t want you to have a...relapse or something.”
“I don’t know, Max,” Liz replied softly, tilting her head upward as she placed a kiss on Max’s throat. “It’s like once we connected, I felt better. It doesn’t really make sense.”
“So it’s almost like when we found the orb,” Max asked, tightening his arms around Liz’s waist, pulling her body as close to his as possible with their clothes still on. “When you had glowing hickeys.” He pressed his mouth to Liz’s, suddenly unable to stop the burning sensation building in his stomach.
“I remember the glowing hickeys,” Liz whispered as Max’s mouth trailed fire from her lips down to her collar bone. “I also remember that rash,” she mused, unable to suppress the giggle that erupted from her mouth.
As Liz continued to laugh, Max stopped his kisses and raised off of her, an angry look on his face. Liz pulled her lips into her mouth, drawing her hands over them to hide the smile that still lingered on her face. Max scowled at her momentarily before he began to wiggle his fingers underneath her rib cage, tickling her. Liz squealed and bucked her hips, propelling both she and Max off the twin bed and onto the floor with a thud. “Are you okay,” Max questioned, his hand unconsciously splayed against her lower stomach, their playful moment forgotten.
“I...I’m fine, Max,” Liz replied, sliding off Max’s stomach and leaning against Kyle’s bed. “I’m okay.”
“Liz,” Kyle called, pushing the door open with all his might. “Are you okay?” His eyes darted from the bed to the floor where Max was lying on his back and Liz was leaning against his bed, her knees drawn to her chest. “I heard a noise.” Kyle admitted as he rested his left hand on the door knob.
“I’m okay, Kyle. Thank you.” Liz started to stand and both Kyle and Max rushed to her aid. They reached her at the same time and, after Liz had automatically accepted Max’s guiding hand, Kyle awkwardly stepped away from the couple.
“So you’re cured,” Kyle asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Just like that? No more green sparks or alien heat strokes?”
Liz glanced at Max as she sank slowly back onto Kyle’s bed, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Max felt the heat from her stare and turned slightly toward her, his eyes unable to hide the look of guilt that flashed through them. Liz smiled warmly at Max before turning her attention back to Kyle, who was watching the wordless exchange in confusion.
“I’ll be outside,” Max replied as he threaded his fingers through his mused hair and ducked behind Kyle out of the room. Once the door was closed behind him, Liz released the breath she had been unaware she was holding.
“What’s going on,” Kyle questioned, sitting beside Liz on the bed while Liz settled her back against the wall. “Just talk to me, Liz.” The pleading tone of his voice startled Liz and she lowered her gaze back to her lap, unable to look at her friend.
“I...I’m different, Kyle.”
“Because of Evans,” Kyle said, the loathing in his voice unmistakable.
“Max saved my life, Kyle,” Liz said quickly, adjusting her position on Kyle’s bed so her body was angled slightly toward him. “When I was shot, Max risked everything to save me, simply because he loved me. He risked not only himself, but Michael and Isabel, and when you were shot -”
“I know,” Kyle interrupted, rolling his eyes heavily while following Liz’s train of thought. “He saved my life too. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it, Liz. And it doesn’t mean that I understand what’s happening with you.”
“It’s okay to be scared,” Liz said, her hand gently resting on Kyle’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I...I’m scared too.”
“Really?”
“The things I feel inside of me...they aren’t normal feelings, Kyle.”
“Great,” Kyle sighed as he fell onto his left side away from Liz’s touch. “As if I didn’t already feel weird enough just being a teenager, now I have alien mojo running through me.”
“Max healed me twice, Kyle. I think...that’s why this is happening to me.”
“What do you mean,” Kyle asked, returning at once to an upright position. “How did he heal you twice?”
“One Max was from the future,” Liz said as she placed her hand over her heart, her mind instantly returning to that moment in her room when she had seen Max’s silver handprint across her chest. He had traced the edges of the mark with his fingertips, and Liz shivered as the memory passed through her. “My heart stopped,” she whispered, allowing her hand to drop back to her lap. “He saved me.”
“So I’m not a martian?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Liz replied with a smile, turning her head toward Kyle. Kyle shrugged and nodded his head up and down, his gaze dropping to his lap. Liz watched Kyle for several seconds as a myriad of emotions crossed his features. She wondered if he would ever really understand just how important this moment was between them. Since Tess’ disappearance, Kyle had kept his distance from them, and at the time of his accusation of Liz’s involvement in Tess’ demise, Liz had wondered if she and Kyle would ever be friends again. She and Kyle had been brought back from death by an alien, something Liz considered to be special only between the two of them. Despite their former relationship, Liz now believed that she and Kyle had been connected by their respective healings, in a way so much more concrete than their romantic attachment. Before she could stop herself, Liz slid closer to Kyle and wrapped her arm around his back, leaning her head onto his shoulder.
Kyle felt Liz’s hair tickle his neck and her warm arm wrap around his waist. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Liz was firmly attached to the right side of his body and Kyle sighed in response to Liz’s action. Adjusting his body slightly, he wrapped his right arm around Liz’s back, pressing his chin to her forehead, and Kyle felt the walls of hatred he had built around his heart break away.
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Part 14
Part 14
“Is Liz okay,” Alex asked, startling Max from his thoughts. Max stood up from the sofa, his eyes scanning the room now filled by Maria, Michael, Isabel and Alex, the front door to the Valenti home wide open. “Max? What’s wrong with Liz?”
“She’s okay,” Max offered, stepping between Alex and Maria toward the front door. When he returned to the living room, the four newest occupants were in almost their identical positions from two days earlier when they had explained everything to Sheriff Valenti. “She’s with Kyle,” Max replied, pointing toward the closed bedroom door. All four heads whipped over their shoulders toward Kyle’s bedroom.
“How long have they been in there,” Isabel asked, threading her arm through Alex’s as they sat beside each other on the couch. “Is Liz talking to him?”
“Yeah,” Max replied as she sat on the arm of the couch, facing his four friends. “I left them alone almost fifteen minutes ago.”
“And you’re okay with them being alone,” Alex questioned, his voice inflection raising an octave in falsetto. “I mean,” he cleared his throat and glared at Isabel’s smiling face. “Kyle is the guy that said Liz killed Tess. You just left her alone with him.”
“I don’t think Kyle would do anything to Liz.” Maria said quietly. “Right, Max?”
“Kyle brought her here after she started glowing in the quad.”
“She’s glowing now,” Michael asked, standing up from his seat beside Maria. The room’s other occupants, particularly Maria and Isabel, flipped their attention toward him, and the glares he received hit him squarely in the chest. “I’m just saying,” he shrugged, closing his eyes to their leering assault. “If Liz is glowing, it kills the ‘hide in plain sight’ plan.”
“Is she okay, Max,” Maria asked, her mind more concerned with Liz’s problems that Michael’s problem with Liz.
“She seems fine,” Max sighed, throwing himself onto in the nearest chair. “She’s okay now.”
“And you’re sure?”
Max nodded his head, a slight smile appearing on his face. He knew Liz was fine, but he also knew Liz was pregnant with his child - an alien child - and that the news would proceed to shock their friends and family. He and Liz were normally so responsible, and while he knew he should be scared about Liz and the safety of their daughter, he couldn’t help feeling excited at the prospect of becoming a father, of holding his daughter in his arms, of making Liz his wife.
His reverie was broken when Kyle’s bedroom door opened and Liz and Kyle stepped into living room. He stood slowly, a smile slowly building on his lips. His eyes immediately went to Liz and wasn’t surprised when she returned his gaze full force.
“Liz,” Maria squealed, pushing past all those that stood between she and her best friend. Maria pulled Liz into her arms, crushing her against her chest, leaving Liz no choice but to wrap her arms around Maria and accept her friend’s fierce hug. “Don’t you ever do that to me again,” Maria exclaimed, her fingernails digging into Liz’s shoulders. “Do you know how scared I was? We couldn’t find you then Max couldn’t find you and you were with Kyle -”
“Let the other best friend through,” Alex commanded, gently moving Maria to the side with one arm while removing Liz from Maria’s grasp with the other. Liz smiled in relief and threw her arms around Alex’s neck. She could feel her blood pumping through her veins and even without looking at Max, she knew his eyes were keenly trained on her. Alex swiftly kissed her cheek, passing Liz behind him to Isabel. As Isabel swept her into her arms, Liz felt Max’s laugh echo through her mind and she glared at him when Isabel released her. He wasn’t supposed to know her thoughts all the time, and he certainly wasn’t supposed to know that Isabel had never hugged her before.
The crowd parted and Max extended his hand toward Liz. Never losing eye contact with him, she accepted it immediately and they wordlessly fled the Valenti home.
“Was that one of their moments,” Kyle asked, leaning against his bedroom door frame. “That’s what Maria makes fun of?”
“Yeah,” Maria replied as she walked back toward the couch, watching as Alex closed the front door. “That was one of their moments.”
“Liz was glowing,” Michael questioned gruffly, his steely-eyed gaze locking on Kyle. “Liz was glowing...in the quad.”
“That’s right,” Kyle responded, his head nodding slightly as Isabel and Alex settled themselves back in the living room.
“I think you’d better tell us everything that happened.”
“If Max and Liz aren’t worried about it, Michael,” Maria began but was cut short by Michael’s glare, silencing her instantly.
“If Max and Liz aren’t going to worry about it, someone has to. Come on, Valenti. Tell us what you know.”
* * *
“You’re really okay,” Max asked Liz, hugging her body against his as they settled onto the blanket underneath the setting desert sun. “I...I’ve never been so scared.”
“I’m fine, Max,” Liz replied softly as she turned her face upward, pressing her lips to his chin. “Kyle and I talked and we’re fine.” Threading her fingers through his, Liz brought their joined hands to her lower stomach, splaying Max’s palm across almost the entire width of her womb. “Everyone’s fine.”
“This is so amazing, Liz,” Max whispered in her ear as he pressed his palm against her stomach. “I mean, we’re going to be parents.” He felt Liz smile against his cheek and hugged her tighter. “Let’s get married.”
“What,” Liz questioned, shifting her weight so she could look at Max’s face. “Married?”
“You don’t want to,” Max questioned, his face bearing the shock of Liz’s response. Granted, they were young, but with a child on the way, Max had seen no reason to postpone the inevitable. He wanted to marry Liz, had thought of nothing else but having a future with her for months, years. “You don’t want to get married,” he asked again, his voice low.
“Max,” Liz sighed, taking Max’s face in between her palms, forcing him to look into her eyes. “I...it was just a surprise, that’s all. I love you and I love our baby. I want to be with you. I want us to be a family.”
“I’m sorry,” Max whispered, suddenly unable to stop his eyes filling with tears. He grabbed Liz and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her back. “I should have asked you better. You deserve so much better.”
“I deserve you,” Liz amended, placing several chaste kisses into Max’s hair and onto his cheek. “I think I’ve earned the right to finally be happy...with you. We’ve earned the right to be happy. Don’t you think?”
“I do,” Max replied, pressing his lips tenderly to hers. “I think we’re finally going to get our happily ever after.”
“Is Liz okay,” Alex asked, startling Max from his thoughts. Max stood up from the sofa, his eyes scanning the room now filled by Maria, Michael, Isabel and Alex, the front door to the Valenti home wide open. “Max? What’s wrong with Liz?”
“She’s okay,” Max offered, stepping between Alex and Maria toward the front door. When he returned to the living room, the four newest occupants were in almost their identical positions from two days earlier when they had explained everything to Sheriff Valenti. “She’s with Kyle,” Max replied, pointing toward the closed bedroom door. All four heads whipped over their shoulders toward Kyle’s bedroom.
“How long have they been in there,” Isabel asked, threading her arm through Alex’s as they sat beside each other on the couch. “Is Liz talking to him?”
“Yeah,” Max replied as she sat on the arm of the couch, facing his four friends. “I left them alone almost fifteen minutes ago.”
“And you’re okay with them being alone,” Alex questioned, his voice inflection raising an octave in falsetto. “I mean,” he cleared his throat and glared at Isabel’s smiling face. “Kyle is the guy that said Liz killed Tess. You just left her alone with him.”
“I don’t think Kyle would do anything to Liz.” Maria said quietly. “Right, Max?”
“Kyle brought her here after she started glowing in the quad.”
“She’s glowing now,” Michael asked, standing up from his seat beside Maria. The room’s other occupants, particularly Maria and Isabel, flipped their attention toward him, and the glares he received hit him squarely in the chest. “I’m just saying,” he shrugged, closing his eyes to their leering assault. “If Liz is glowing, it kills the ‘hide in plain sight’ plan.”
“Is she okay, Max,” Maria asked, her mind more concerned with Liz’s problems that Michael’s problem with Liz.
“She seems fine,” Max sighed, throwing himself onto in the nearest chair. “She’s okay now.”
“And you’re sure?”
Max nodded his head, a slight smile appearing on his face. He knew Liz was fine, but he also knew Liz was pregnant with his child - an alien child - and that the news would proceed to shock their friends and family. He and Liz were normally so responsible, and while he knew he should be scared about Liz and the safety of their daughter, he couldn’t help feeling excited at the prospect of becoming a father, of holding his daughter in his arms, of making Liz his wife.
His reverie was broken when Kyle’s bedroom door opened and Liz and Kyle stepped into living room. He stood slowly, a smile slowly building on his lips. His eyes immediately went to Liz and wasn’t surprised when she returned his gaze full force.
“Liz,” Maria squealed, pushing past all those that stood between she and her best friend. Maria pulled Liz into her arms, crushing her against her chest, leaving Liz no choice but to wrap her arms around Maria and accept her friend’s fierce hug. “Don’t you ever do that to me again,” Maria exclaimed, her fingernails digging into Liz’s shoulders. “Do you know how scared I was? We couldn’t find you then Max couldn’t find you and you were with Kyle -”
“Let the other best friend through,” Alex commanded, gently moving Maria to the side with one arm while removing Liz from Maria’s grasp with the other. Liz smiled in relief and threw her arms around Alex’s neck. She could feel her blood pumping through her veins and even without looking at Max, she knew his eyes were keenly trained on her. Alex swiftly kissed her cheek, passing Liz behind him to Isabel. As Isabel swept her into her arms, Liz felt Max’s laugh echo through her mind and she glared at him when Isabel released her. He wasn’t supposed to know her thoughts all the time, and he certainly wasn’t supposed to know that Isabel had never hugged her before.
The crowd parted and Max extended his hand toward Liz. Never losing eye contact with him, she accepted it immediately and they wordlessly fled the Valenti home.
“Was that one of their moments,” Kyle asked, leaning against his bedroom door frame. “That’s what Maria makes fun of?”
“Yeah,” Maria replied as she walked back toward the couch, watching as Alex closed the front door. “That was one of their moments.”
“Liz was glowing,” Michael questioned gruffly, his steely-eyed gaze locking on Kyle. “Liz was glowing...in the quad.”
“That’s right,” Kyle responded, his head nodding slightly as Isabel and Alex settled themselves back in the living room.
“I think you’d better tell us everything that happened.”
“If Max and Liz aren’t worried about it, Michael,” Maria began but was cut short by Michael’s glare, silencing her instantly.
“If Max and Liz aren’t going to worry about it, someone has to. Come on, Valenti. Tell us what you know.”
* * *
“You’re really okay,” Max asked Liz, hugging her body against his as they settled onto the blanket underneath the setting desert sun. “I...I’ve never been so scared.”
“I’m fine, Max,” Liz replied softly as she turned her face upward, pressing her lips to his chin. “Kyle and I talked and we’re fine.” Threading her fingers through his, Liz brought their joined hands to her lower stomach, splaying Max’s palm across almost the entire width of her womb. “Everyone’s fine.”
“This is so amazing, Liz,” Max whispered in her ear as he pressed his palm against her stomach. “I mean, we’re going to be parents.” He felt Liz smile against his cheek and hugged her tighter. “Let’s get married.”
“What,” Liz questioned, shifting her weight so she could look at Max’s face. “Married?”
“You don’t want to,” Max questioned, his face bearing the shock of Liz’s response. Granted, they were young, but with a child on the way, Max had seen no reason to postpone the inevitable. He wanted to marry Liz, had thought of nothing else but having a future with her for months, years. “You don’t want to get married,” he asked again, his voice low.
“Max,” Liz sighed, taking Max’s face in between her palms, forcing him to look into her eyes. “I...it was just a surprise, that’s all. I love you and I love our baby. I want to be with you. I want us to be a family.”
“I’m sorry,” Max whispered, suddenly unable to stop his eyes filling with tears. He grabbed Liz and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her back. “I should have asked you better. You deserve so much better.”
“I deserve you,” Liz amended, placing several chaste kisses into Max’s hair and onto his cheek. “I think I’ve earned the right to finally be happy...with you. We’ve earned the right to be happy. Don’t you think?”
“I do,” Max replied, pressing his lips tenderly to hers. “I think we’re finally going to get our happily ever after.”
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Part 15
Part 15
Liz nervously wrang her hands as she walked out of the east wing toward the quad. Today was the day she and Max had agreed to tell their family and friends they were going to have a baby and get married. After talking through their wedding plans two days earlier in the desert, they had agreed to wait to tell anyone about their news. It had almost destroyed Liz to keep the secret from Maria, especially when she was so happy and bursting to share with someone. Instead, she had started a new journal, specifically for the baby, the little girl they’d agreed to name Meg, so she would know how loved she was, if by no one else other than her parents.
She saw Max immediately and smiled brightly, watching as their friends talked and laughed over their lunches. Pressing her hand unconsciously to her stomach, she felt a jolt of power flicker through her body. She paused momentarily, her mind feverishly working to solidify a connection between she and her unborn daughter but was interrupted by Max suddenly appearing at her side.
“Ready?” Max wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his hand in the small of her back as he took her back pack from her.
“I think so,” she said, relinquishing the back pack to Max and tried to push the worrisome thoughts out of her mind. She was going to tell her friends she and Max were having a baby, and she knew the real worrying would begin when she and Max sat down with their parents later that evening.
“And I couldn’t believe Vicki Delaney did that,” Maria continued, smiling at Liz as she joined the group. “I mean, yeah, if your clothes catch on fire, anyone would freak out but ripping your shirt off so that you’re standing in the middle of class in your bra? I think she was just trying to get Seligman to give her a good grade. She just stood there for like, five minutes.”
“I didn’t think you could catch clothes on fire with Bunsen burners,” Alex questioned, a sly smile crossing his lips. “But if Vicki Delaney’s did, I might have to start sitting at Isabel’s table.” Alex flinched for the slap he knew was coming but continued to laugh, prompting the entire table to laugh with him.
“Not funny, Alex,” Isabel said. Her face was stony and serious but her eyes sparkled with mischief and Alex knew he wasn’t in real jeopardy.
“Is that possible, Liz?”
“What?”
“To catch your clothes on fire with the flame from a Bunsen burner?”
Liz laughed slightly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She felt Max settle onto the bench beside her: his thigh touching her thigh, his hand resting on the back pocket of her blue jeans. “I...I don’t know,” she replied sheepishly, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks. She cleared her throat quickly and returned her gaze to Alex. “I think you’d have to have a pretty hot flame or to mix certain chemicals together. It’s all just a matter of timing,” she said, turning her head sideways to look at Max. He smiled sweetly at her, making her blush resurface.
“What’s going on with you two,” Maria asked, leaning her elbows on the table. “Is this...alien related? If it’s not, stop it. You’re making me nauseous.”
“Well,” Max began, taking Liz’s hand into his and pulling them up to the table. “It is alien related but it’s good news,” he continued quickly, knowing Michael would be on the verge of an explosion if his questions were left unanswered too long. “Liz and I are getting married.”
“Well, duh,” Alex said, heavily rolling his eyes. “Anyone would have to be blind not to know that was going to happen down the road. Tell us something we don’t know.” Alex took a hefty bite of his hamburger while Maria, Isabel and Michael returned to their lunches.
“We’re going to have a baby,” Max whispered, unconsciously squeezing Liz’s hand as their eyes met.
The first response to their news was Alex’s choked scream and followed quickly by a series of hard taps to his back by Isabel. Maria’s mouth dropped open and she sat in stunned silence for several minutes, simply staring at Max and Liz. Michael was pleasantly subdued, which shocked Max and Liz more than Maria’s speechlessness. Liz had predicted that Maria would scream like she had when he found out the truth about the aliens and Max had predicted Michael would storm off only after reading them the riot act for their mistake. What they had not predicted was that Kyle would be standing behind them to hear the announcement.
“Liz? You’re pregnant?”
“Kyle -” Liz spun around at the sound of his voice. She could feel Max’s grip tighten on her hand and she lowered her head, dropping her gaze to Kyle’s shoes.
“When did you find out,” Kyle continued, his expression changing from neutral to anger. “Five minutes ago? Last week?”
“Kyle, I don’t think -”
“Is it a girl or a boy? You should name it Tess, if it’s a girl. Fitting tribute, I think.”
“You’re out of line now, Kyle,” Max said, standing up from the bench to face Kyle. “Liz said -”
“Liz killed her,” Kyle replied in a low tone. “Maybe not the Liz that’s here now, but some version of Liz Parker plotted to kill Tess and succeeded.” Kyle’s jaw twitched and he turned his attention to Liz. “She meant something to me,” he replied, his voice quaking with emotion. “She may not have meant anything to the rest of you, but she meant something to me.”
Liz slowly stood, her hand hanging loosely inside Max’s firm grip and her head creeping upward as she stood. Her eyes filled with tears and she swallowed slowly, her eyes never leaving Kyle’s face. Kyle, however, could not take another second of the look of horror and confusion that rested on Liz’s face and turned away from her, closing his eyes. He knew he had acted in haste, especially considering the conversation he and Liz had had earlier in the week. He was almost relieved when he felt Liz brush past him, their shoulders accidentally touching as she ran out of the quad. Almost relieved, but not quite.
“Don’t you ever talk to Liz that way again,” Max seethed, stepping toward Kyle, their chests almost touching.
“Or what,” Kyle snapped. “You’ll kill me too?” With that, Kyle stepped past Max and ignored the angry and confused stares from the table’s occupants. He continued walking until he was safely away from the innermost part of the quad then he sat down and instantly regretted what he had just done to Liz.
Liz nervously wrang her hands as she walked out of the east wing toward the quad. Today was the day she and Max had agreed to tell their family and friends they were going to have a baby and get married. After talking through their wedding plans two days earlier in the desert, they had agreed to wait to tell anyone about their news. It had almost destroyed Liz to keep the secret from Maria, especially when she was so happy and bursting to share with someone. Instead, she had started a new journal, specifically for the baby, the little girl they’d agreed to name Meg, so she would know how loved she was, if by no one else other than her parents.
She saw Max immediately and smiled brightly, watching as their friends talked and laughed over their lunches. Pressing her hand unconsciously to her stomach, she felt a jolt of power flicker through her body. She paused momentarily, her mind feverishly working to solidify a connection between she and her unborn daughter but was interrupted by Max suddenly appearing at her side.
“Ready?” Max wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his hand in the small of her back as he took her back pack from her.
“I think so,” she said, relinquishing the back pack to Max and tried to push the worrisome thoughts out of her mind. She was going to tell her friends she and Max were having a baby, and she knew the real worrying would begin when she and Max sat down with their parents later that evening.
“And I couldn’t believe Vicki Delaney did that,” Maria continued, smiling at Liz as she joined the group. “I mean, yeah, if your clothes catch on fire, anyone would freak out but ripping your shirt off so that you’re standing in the middle of class in your bra? I think she was just trying to get Seligman to give her a good grade. She just stood there for like, five minutes.”
“I didn’t think you could catch clothes on fire with Bunsen burners,” Alex questioned, a sly smile crossing his lips. “But if Vicki Delaney’s did, I might have to start sitting at Isabel’s table.” Alex flinched for the slap he knew was coming but continued to laugh, prompting the entire table to laugh with him.
“Not funny, Alex,” Isabel said. Her face was stony and serious but her eyes sparkled with mischief and Alex knew he wasn’t in real jeopardy.
“Is that possible, Liz?”
“What?”
“To catch your clothes on fire with the flame from a Bunsen burner?”
Liz laughed slightly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She felt Max settle onto the bench beside her: his thigh touching her thigh, his hand resting on the back pocket of her blue jeans. “I...I don’t know,” she replied sheepishly, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks. She cleared her throat quickly and returned her gaze to Alex. “I think you’d have to have a pretty hot flame or to mix certain chemicals together. It’s all just a matter of timing,” she said, turning her head sideways to look at Max. He smiled sweetly at her, making her blush resurface.
“What’s going on with you two,” Maria asked, leaning her elbows on the table. “Is this...alien related? If it’s not, stop it. You’re making me nauseous.”
“Well,” Max began, taking Liz’s hand into his and pulling them up to the table. “It is alien related but it’s good news,” he continued quickly, knowing Michael would be on the verge of an explosion if his questions were left unanswered too long. “Liz and I are getting married.”
“Well, duh,” Alex said, heavily rolling his eyes. “Anyone would have to be blind not to know that was going to happen down the road. Tell us something we don’t know.” Alex took a hefty bite of his hamburger while Maria, Isabel and Michael returned to their lunches.
“We’re going to have a baby,” Max whispered, unconsciously squeezing Liz’s hand as their eyes met.
The first response to their news was Alex’s choked scream and followed quickly by a series of hard taps to his back by Isabel. Maria’s mouth dropped open and she sat in stunned silence for several minutes, simply staring at Max and Liz. Michael was pleasantly subdued, which shocked Max and Liz more than Maria’s speechlessness. Liz had predicted that Maria would scream like she had when he found out the truth about the aliens and Max had predicted Michael would storm off only after reading them the riot act for their mistake. What they had not predicted was that Kyle would be standing behind them to hear the announcement.
“Liz? You’re pregnant?”
“Kyle -” Liz spun around at the sound of his voice. She could feel Max’s grip tighten on her hand and she lowered her head, dropping her gaze to Kyle’s shoes.
“When did you find out,” Kyle continued, his expression changing from neutral to anger. “Five minutes ago? Last week?”
“Kyle, I don’t think -”
“Is it a girl or a boy? You should name it Tess, if it’s a girl. Fitting tribute, I think.”
“You’re out of line now, Kyle,” Max said, standing up from the bench to face Kyle. “Liz said -”
“Liz killed her,” Kyle replied in a low tone. “Maybe not the Liz that’s here now, but some version of Liz Parker plotted to kill Tess and succeeded.” Kyle’s jaw twitched and he turned his attention to Liz. “She meant something to me,” he replied, his voice quaking with emotion. “She may not have meant anything to the rest of you, but she meant something to me.”
Liz slowly stood, her hand hanging loosely inside Max’s firm grip and her head creeping upward as she stood. Her eyes filled with tears and she swallowed slowly, her eyes never leaving Kyle’s face. Kyle, however, could not take another second of the look of horror and confusion that rested on Liz’s face and turned away from her, closing his eyes. He knew he had acted in haste, especially considering the conversation he and Liz had had earlier in the week. He was almost relieved when he felt Liz brush past him, their shoulders accidentally touching as she ran out of the quad. Almost relieved, but not quite.
“Don’t you ever talk to Liz that way again,” Max seethed, stepping toward Kyle, their chests almost touching.
“Or what,” Kyle snapped. “You’ll kill me too?” With that, Kyle stepped past Max and ignored the angry and confused stares from the table’s occupants. He continued walking until he was safely away from the innermost part of the quad then he sat down and instantly regretted what he had just done to Liz.
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Part 16
Part 16
Max found Liz in the most logical place he could think to look: the library. She was sitting in one of the deep-seated chairs beside the periodicals, her hands covering her face. As he stepped into the library, Max knew that she was crying, even without the connection they shared, and he crossed to her quickly. Once he reached her side, Max realized that he really didn’t know how to comfort Liz, except for the obvious thought of smothering her with kisses or taking her away from Roswell forever, but neither of those options would solve their problem at hand. So, instead of saying anything, he simply sat down beside her in an adjoining chair, content to let her talk when she felt ready.
“He’s just hurting, Max,” Liz mumbled, her face still covered by her hands. “He’s hurting more than we thought.”
“That doesn’t excuse what he said, Liz. I...I can’t believe you’re defending him.”
“I’m not defending him,” Liz whispered, wiping at her face and eyes with the backs of her hand. “I...I’m just willing to look at this...situation from his point of view. He cared for Tess and he lost her.”
“Losing someone doesn’t give him the right to say whatever he wants to you. He can’t talk to you like that.”
“Kyle is going to talk to me any way he wants to,” Liz said, turning slightly in the chair so she could see Max’s face. “You can’t be there 24/7 to protect me from Kyle’s hurtful language, anyone’s hurtful language.” She lowered her head to her stomach and pressed both of her hands against the zipper of her blue jeans. “People are going to have opinions, Max.”
“But Kyle’s opinion is wrong.”
“But it’s still his opinion. I...I can’t change what happened. I can’t go back in time and do this over. I don’t want to. I know what would have happened if Tess...” Liz paused and her bottom lip trembled in connection to the unshed tears pooling in her eyes. “I...I just want everyone to be okay. I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Max stood from his chair and dropped himself into Liz’s, pulling Liz carefully onto his lap. “No one is going to get hurt, Liz. I’ll make sure of that. I’m going to protect you, no matter what, but I think it’s best if you stay away from Kyle.”
“He’s my friend, Max,” Liz sighed as she rested her head in the crook between Max’s should and neck. “I’ll talk to him again. We can work this out. I know we can. I know Kyle and I trust him.”
“And I trust you,” Max replied, kissing her forehead as he pulled her body closer to his. “So we’re telling the parents tonight?”
“Right,” Liz said. “Kyle and I have a Western Civ. project we’ll be working on but I’ll meet you in the cafe when we’re done.”
“Are you sure you’re okay,” Max asked, tilting Liz’s face upward and quickly capturing her lips with his.
“I’ll be better very soon,” Liz replied again, pressing her mouth to Max’s.
* * *
Kyle squirmed as he sat in the Crashdown booth across from Liz. She had dutifully arrived at 5:30 just as they had agreed last week to work on their Western Civ. project, before Liz had known she was pregnant and before Kyle had hurt her again.
He watched her as she scribbled notes in her notebook, the crown of her head facing him. They hadn’t spoken since lunch and Kyle despereatly tried to think of something to say to smooth over the awkward silence between them.
“Li -,” he began but the words caught in his throat, causing him to cough. Liz hesitated in her work only for a moment, and when Kyle’s coughing stopped, her pencil resumed its furious pace. She didn’t even move, Kyle thought to himself, staring at the crisp part in Liz’s hair, slicing her brown locks into two even sections. That was when Kyle realized just how much he had truly hurt Liz with his rash words. “I’m sorry, Liz,” he whispered, lowering his chin to his hands. His face was level with Liz’s and he watched her closely for any response. “I’m really sorry.”
“Why,” Liz asked, her solemn face staring directly at Kyle.
Kyle stuttered and raised up, taken aback by Liz’s question that he should have known was coming. It was Liz - she always had a question in mind. “Why what?”
“Why are you saying you’re sorry? You obviously felt that way if you said it because you don’t say things you don’t mean. We both know that.” She traced her pencil across the top of the notebook, her head bowed just enough to avoid Kyle’s eyes.
“Liz, I -”
“I don’t know what it was like between you and Tess,” Liz interrupted. “But I do know how things would have turned out. She would have killed Alex and she would have hurt all of us in one way or another.”
“You don’t know that,” Kyle pleaded in a strained whisper, leaning across the table toward Liz.
“Yes, I do,” Liz replied louder than she had intended, slamming her pencil down onto the table, breaking it into several pieces. She pulled her lips in a tight purse against her mouth as she glanced around the cafe. No one seemed to notice the outburst or the green hue that flashed off of her hand when she broke her pencil. Her father and Maria were busy with the dinner rush and Agnes was taking another smoke break. Collecting the pencil pieces in her fist, she pushed them toward the napkin dispenser and turned her attention once more to Kyle. “I know what I saw, Kyle. I believe what Max told and showed me and I believe that Tess was capable of those things.”
“I can’t believe that, Liz. When she wasn’t around Evans, she was...different.”
“She always had a plan, Kyle. A plan to get pregnant with Max’s child and go home. A plan that would only profit her and her schemes.”
“She was making a life for herself here,” Kyle argued, pausing to look at Liz pointedly before adding, “with me.”
Liz exhaled and lowered her shoulders forward in a slouched position. “I wish you could see that everything is going to be better now that she’s gone.”
“I loved her, Liz,” Kyle whispered, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. “I loved her and you destroyed her.” Liz partially retracted from her position, her mouth open and her eyes wide in shock. “She was raised by Nasedo remember, and he told her humans were worthless -”
“Which is why she killed Alex,” Liz reminded him.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean to.” Liz’s mouth trembled at Kyle’s words, her mind repeating those same words only with Tess’ voice instead of Kyle’s. “It doesn’t matter now,” Kyle continued. “She’s gone, no thanks to Evans.”
“Max isn’t at fault here, Kyle.”
“All of my problems started because of Max Evans,” Kyle said, slinging his arm across the booth and pulling his leg into the seat.
“Do I have to remind you he saved your life,” Liz said, her palms splayed across the table and her body hunched toward Kyle’s side of the booth. “And mine.”
“And look where it’s gotten you,” Kyle countered, matching Liz’s position inch for inch. “You’re a different person now, a different species even, and you’re pregnant with an alien baby. We don’t know anything about them, Liz.”
“I do, and I trust Max. He won’t let me die.”
“You’re not willing to die but you are willing to put yourself, your family and friends and your child in danger? Who knows how many people are hunting Max, Michael and Isabel right now. You’re willing to become one of them, to be hunted like they are?”
A green shimmer ran over Liz’s body and she squeezed the corners of the table for balance as the room began to spin. Slowly, she closed her Western Civ. textbook and notebook and concentrated on Kyle’s face, the one in the center. “If changing is the price I have to pay for being alive, I’ll take it. I love Max, and I’m going to stand by him no matter what. I’ve got to go, Kyle.” She carefully slid out of the booth, clutching her books to her chest. Her legs were wobbly when she stood and the last conscious thought she had before the blackness overtook her was that she couldn’t feel her baby Meg.
Kyle watched in horror as Liz’s entire body glowed green. Her books were clutched tightly to her chest but he could see she was struggling to stand. He slid to the edge of the booth but by that time, Liz’s books had fallen to the floor with a crash and the drink glasses at the surrounding tables had shattered.
He glanced toward Maria, she and Mr. Parker standing at the pick-up window, and on Maria’s face he saw the helplessness he felt. Before he knew it, Liz’s body crumpled to the floor and Mr. Parker was at her side, hysterically calling Liz’s name. He bent down and lightly touched Liz on the shoulder, surprised by the silver sheen snaking its way down her lower body. “We’ve got to take her to the hospital,” Kyle heard himself say but he didn’t recognize his own voice. Mr. Parker mutely agreed and gathered Liz’s feeble frame into his arms.
Kyle stood up to follow them and glanced one final time at Maria, the telephone already attached to her ear and her mouth moving at a feverish pace, even for Maria. When she saw Kyle looking at her, she immediately dropped the phone and removed her antenna and apron, already sprinting toward him through the crowded cafe. Kyle grabbed her hand in support and together they ran outside to Kyle’s car.
Max found Liz in the most logical place he could think to look: the library. She was sitting in one of the deep-seated chairs beside the periodicals, her hands covering her face. As he stepped into the library, Max knew that she was crying, even without the connection they shared, and he crossed to her quickly. Once he reached her side, Max realized that he really didn’t know how to comfort Liz, except for the obvious thought of smothering her with kisses or taking her away from Roswell forever, but neither of those options would solve their problem at hand. So, instead of saying anything, he simply sat down beside her in an adjoining chair, content to let her talk when she felt ready.
“He’s just hurting, Max,” Liz mumbled, her face still covered by her hands. “He’s hurting more than we thought.”
“That doesn’t excuse what he said, Liz. I...I can’t believe you’re defending him.”
“I’m not defending him,” Liz whispered, wiping at her face and eyes with the backs of her hand. “I...I’m just willing to look at this...situation from his point of view. He cared for Tess and he lost her.”
“Losing someone doesn’t give him the right to say whatever he wants to you. He can’t talk to you like that.”
“Kyle is going to talk to me any way he wants to,” Liz said, turning slightly in the chair so she could see Max’s face. “You can’t be there 24/7 to protect me from Kyle’s hurtful language, anyone’s hurtful language.” She lowered her head to her stomach and pressed both of her hands against the zipper of her blue jeans. “People are going to have opinions, Max.”
“But Kyle’s opinion is wrong.”
“But it’s still his opinion. I...I can’t change what happened. I can’t go back in time and do this over. I don’t want to. I know what would have happened if Tess...” Liz paused and her bottom lip trembled in connection to the unshed tears pooling in her eyes. “I...I just want everyone to be okay. I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Max stood from his chair and dropped himself into Liz’s, pulling Liz carefully onto his lap. “No one is going to get hurt, Liz. I’ll make sure of that. I’m going to protect you, no matter what, but I think it’s best if you stay away from Kyle.”
“He’s my friend, Max,” Liz sighed as she rested her head in the crook between Max’s should and neck. “I’ll talk to him again. We can work this out. I know we can. I know Kyle and I trust him.”
“And I trust you,” Max replied, kissing her forehead as he pulled her body closer to his. “So we’re telling the parents tonight?”
“Right,” Liz said. “Kyle and I have a Western Civ. project we’ll be working on but I’ll meet you in the cafe when we’re done.”
“Are you sure you’re okay,” Max asked, tilting Liz’s face upward and quickly capturing her lips with his.
“I’ll be better very soon,” Liz replied again, pressing her mouth to Max’s.
* * *
Kyle squirmed as he sat in the Crashdown booth across from Liz. She had dutifully arrived at 5:30 just as they had agreed last week to work on their Western Civ. project, before Liz had known she was pregnant and before Kyle had hurt her again.
He watched her as she scribbled notes in her notebook, the crown of her head facing him. They hadn’t spoken since lunch and Kyle despereatly tried to think of something to say to smooth over the awkward silence between them.
“Li -,” he began but the words caught in his throat, causing him to cough. Liz hesitated in her work only for a moment, and when Kyle’s coughing stopped, her pencil resumed its furious pace. She didn’t even move, Kyle thought to himself, staring at the crisp part in Liz’s hair, slicing her brown locks into two even sections. That was when Kyle realized just how much he had truly hurt Liz with his rash words. “I’m sorry, Liz,” he whispered, lowering his chin to his hands. His face was level with Liz’s and he watched her closely for any response. “I’m really sorry.”
“Why,” Liz asked, her solemn face staring directly at Kyle.
Kyle stuttered and raised up, taken aback by Liz’s question that he should have known was coming. It was Liz - she always had a question in mind. “Why what?”
“Why are you saying you’re sorry? You obviously felt that way if you said it because you don’t say things you don’t mean. We both know that.” She traced her pencil across the top of the notebook, her head bowed just enough to avoid Kyle’s eyes.
“Liz, I -”
“I don’t know what it was like between you and Tess,” Liz interrupted. “But I do know how things would have turned out. She would have killed Alex and she would have hurt all of us in one way or another.”
“You don’t know that,” Kyle pleaded in a strained whisper, leaning across the table toward Liz.
“Yes, I do,” Liz replied louder than she had intended, slamming her pencil down onto the table, breaking it into several pieces. She pulled her lips in a tight purse against her mouth as she glanced around the cafe. No one seemed to notice the outburst or the green hue that flashed off of her hand when she broke her pencil. Her father and Maria were busy with the dinner rush and Agnes was taking another smoke break. Collecting the pencil pieces in her fist, she pushed them toward the napkin dispenser and turned her attention once more to Kyle. “I know what I saw, Kyle. I believe what Max told and showed me and I believe that Tess was capable of those things.”
“I can’t believe that, Liz. When she wasn’t around Evans, she was...different.”
“She always had a plan, Kyle. A plan to get pregnant with Max’s child and go home. A plan that would only profit her and her schemes.”
“She was making a life for herself here,” Kyle argued, pausing to look at Liz pointedly before adding, “with me.”
Liz exhaled and lowered her shoulders forward in a slouched position. “I wish you could see that everything is going to be better now that she’s gone.”
“I loved her, Liz,” Kyle whispered, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. “I loved her and you destroyed her.” Liz partially retracted from her position, her mouth open and her eyes wide in shock. “She was raised by Nasedo remember, and he told her humans were worthless -”
“Which is why she killed Alex,” Liz reminded him.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean to.” Liz’s mouth trembled at Kyle’s words, her mind repeating those same words only with Tess’ voice instead of Kyle’s. “It doesn’t matter now,” Kyle continued. “She’s gone, no thanks to Evans.”
“Max isn’t at fault here, Kyle.”
“All of my problems started because of Max Evans,” Kyle said, slinging his arm across the booth and pulling his leg into the seat.
“Do I have to remind you he saved your life,” Liz said, her palms splayed across the table and her body hunched toward Kyle’s side of the booth. “And mine.”
“And look where it’s gotten you,” Kyle countered, matching Liz’s position inch for inch. “You’re a different person now, a different species even, and you’re pregnant with an alien baby. We don’t know anything about them, Liz.”
“I do, and I trust Max. He won’t let me die.”
“You’re not willing to die but you are willing to put yourself, your family and friends and your child in danger? Who knows how many people are hunting Max, Michael and Isabel right now. You’re willing to become one of them, to be hunted like they are?”
A green shimmer ran over Liz’s body and she squeezed the corners of the table for balance as the room began to spin. Slowly, she closed her Western Civ. textbook and notebook and concentrated on Kyle’s face, the one in the center. “If changing is the price I have to pay for being alive, I’ll take it. I love Max, and I’m going to stand by him no matter what. I’ve got to go, Kyle.” She carefully slid out of the booth, clutching her books to her chest. Her legs were wobbly when she stood and the last conscious thought she had before the blackness overtook her was that she couldn’t feel her baby Meg.
Kyle watched in horror as Liz’s entire body glowed green. Her books were clutched tightly to her chest but he could see she was struggling to stand. He slid to the edge of the booth but by that time, Liz’s books had fallen to the floor with a crash and the drink glasses at the surrounding tables had shattered.
He glanced toward Maria, she and Mr. Parker standing at the pick-up window, and on Maria’s face he saw the helplessness he felt. Before he knew it, Liz’s body crumpled to the floor and Mr. Parker was at her side, hysterically calling Liz’s name. He bent down and lightly touched Liz on the shoulder, surprised by the silver sheen snaking its way down her lower body. “We’ve got to take her to the hospital,” Kyle heard himself say but he didn’t recognize his own voice. Mr. Parker mutely agreed and gathered Liz’s feeble frame into his arms.
Kyle stood up to follow them and glanced one final time at Maria, the telephone already attached to her ear and her mouth moving at a feverish pace, even for Maria. When she saw Kyle looking at her, she immediately dropped the phone and removed her antenna and apron, already sprinting toward him through the crowded cafe. Kyle grabbed her hand in support and together they ran outside to Kyle’s car.
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
Part 17
Part 17
“Maria? Maria!” Michael held the telephone out from his ear, inspecting the receiver as if he expected Maria to suddenly appear in his kitchen and continue her emotional outburst. Slamming the phone onto its base, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make sense of what Maria had screeched. Something about Liz fainting and glowing, neither of which sounded good in Michael’s opinion.
He pressed his fingertips to his mouth and willed his overactive imagination to be quiet so he could think. Maria had mentioned Kyle too, he remembered now, and that they were at the cafe. Grabbing his jacket off of the counter top, he rushed out of his apartment and hopped onto his
motorcycle, heading in the direction of Max’s house.
* * *
“Need any help, Mom,” Max sheepishly asked as he entered the kitchen from the hallway. He secretly hoped his mother had not planned an elaborate Martha Stewart-like meal for their dinner tonight. Liz and her parents were coming over and he knew he couldn’t carry on an adult conversation with an upset stomach made from experimental food.
“Oh, sweetie, thanks,” Diane replied with a smile and beckoned Max further into the kitchen. “If you would, set the table. Use the good linen. Does Liz like pot roast?”
“Yes,” Max said, a wide grin on his face. “Liz likes pot roast.”
“Oh good,” Diane continued, turning away from Max to stir a large pot on the stove. “I made pot roast, broiled carrots and baked potatoes. Do you think we need anything else?”
“What about dessert,” Max called from the living room, peaking his head around the adjoining wall. “Chocolate cake, maybe?”
“Max,” Diane playfully scolded as Max returned to his job of setting the table. “I know you love -” Diane stopped and Max turned the corner into the kitchen, surprised to see Michael standing in the doorway leading to the laundry room. “Michael? I...I didn’t know you’d be eating with us too. Max, set an extra plate for Michael.”
“No, Mrs. Evans,” Michael said, slowly stepping further into the kitchen. “I...I just came to talk to Max for a minute. Thanks.”
“Well, you’re welcome to stay. We’re having pot roast.”
“It smells good,” Michael replied with a tiny smile as Mrs. Evans turned her attention back to the steaming pot on the stove. He nodded his head at Max, and Max tapped his mother’s shoulder before following Michael out the back door.
“I’ll be right back, Mom.”
“It’s alright if Michael wants to stay,” Diane said in a hushed voice. “Okay?”
“Thanks, Mom,” Max said as he walked through the laundry room and out the back door. Michael was waiting for him on the small back porch. “What’s going on? You can stay for dinner if you want.”
“What’s up with that connection you and Liz have?”
Max rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his cargo pants. “You came over here to ask me that? Michael, I don’t know if you remember it or not, but this is a big night in my life.” Max glanced quickly over his left shoulder to see if his mother’s shadow was visible. “Tonight is when Liz and I tell our parents about Meg.”
“Meg? Who’s Meg?”
“Meg is what we’re going to name the baby.” Max stepped toward Michael as Michael’s face paled. “Michael? What is it? Why are you really here?”
“Just calm down, okay,” Michael said, pressing his hands onto Max’s shoulder to stop his forward progress. “I...it’s probably nothing.”
“If it’s nothing, then tell me.”
“Maria called me from the Crash,” Michael began, glancing at Max’s face to gauge how in detail his explanation should be. He still didn’t have all the details of what had happened; he only knew from Maria’s hysterical telephone call that something had happened and it involved Liz. “I...something’s wrong...with Liz.”
“She’s at the hospital,” Max whispered, his eyes widening as the implication of just exactly what that meant hit him. Spinning on his heels, he pushed the back door open, allowing the door knob to embed itself into the wall behind it. “Mom! Mom!”
“Max, honey, what is it? What’s wrong?” Diane appeared at the doorway leading from the laundry room into the kitchen.
“Liz is at the hospital. I....I’ve got to go to her.”
“Of course, sweetie,” Diane said, placing her hand on Max’s shoulder, guiding his further into the kitchen. “Let me call your father and we’ll drive you.”
“No,” Max shouted, causing both Michael and Diane to jump at the sound and harshness of his voice. “There’s no time. Michael’s going to take me. I’ve got to get to Liz.”
Max grabbed a leather jacket from the hanging coat rack and brushed past his mother and Michael in a dead run toward Michael’s motorcycle. Michael smiled weekly at Mrs. Evans before prying the door closed and following Max.
* * *
Max ran to the ICU wing of Roswell Memorial Hospital, followed closely by Michael. He had only been to this hospital twice before, once to visit Liz when her grandmother was ill and once after his car accident, but he seemed to know the hallways and corridors like the back of his hand. He rounded the final corner separating him from Liz and slowed immediately when he saw Kyle comforting a sobbing Maria.
Michael barreled around the same corner and almost ran into Max, having not anticipated Max’s immediate stop. “Oh, God,” he muttered, side-stepping Max and going straight to Maria. When Maria saw Michael, she immediately removed herself from Kyle’s arms and transplanted herself into Michael’s.
“Am I too late,” Max asked, his voice quaking with emotion as he staggered toward Kyle. “Is she -”
“She’s in a coma, you piece of shit,” Kyle spat as he connected a right hook to Max’s left eye, knocking Max to the ground.
“Maria? Maria!” Michael held the telephone out from his ear, inspecting the receiver as if he expected Maria to suddenly appear in his kitchen and continue her emotional outburst. Slamming the phone onto its base, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make sense of what Maria had screeched. Something about Liz fainting and glowing, neither of which sounded good in Michael’s opinion.
He pressed his fingertips to his mouth and willed his overactive imagination to be quiet so he could think. Maria had mentioned Kyle too, he remembered now, and that they were at the cafe. Grabbing his jacket off of the counter top, he rushed out of his apartment and hopped onto his
motorcycle, heading in the direction of Max’s house.
* * *
“Need any help, Mom,” Max sheepishly asked as he entered the kitchen from the hallway. He secretly hoped his mother had not planned an elaborate Martha Stewart-like meal for their dinner tonight. Liz and her parents were coming over and he knew he couldn’t carry on an adult conversation with an upset stomach made from experimental food.
“Oh, sweetie, thanks,” Diane replied with a smile and beckoned Max further into the kitchen. “If you would, set the table. Use the good linen. Does Liz like pot roast?”
“Yes,” Max said, a wide grin on his face. “Liz likes pot roast.”
“Oh good,” Diane continued, turning away from Max to stir a large pot on the stove. “I made pot roast, broiled carrots and baked potatoes. Do you think we need anything else?”
“What about dessert,” Max called from the living room, peaking his head around the adjoining wall. “Chocolate cake, maybe?”
“Max,” Diane playfully scolded as Max returned to his job of setting the table. “I know you love -” Diane stopped and Max turned the corner into the kitchen, surprised to see Michael standing in the doorway leading to the laundry room. “Michael? I...I didn’t know you’d be eating with us too. Max, set an extra plate for Michael.”
“No, Mrs. Evans,” Michael said, slowly stepping further into the kitchen. “I...I just came to talk to Max for a minute. Thanks.”
“Well, you’re welcome to stay. We’re having pot roast.”
“It smells good,” Michael replied with a tiny smile as Mrs. Evans turned her attention back to the steaming pot on the stove. He nodded his head at Max, and Max tapped his mother’s shoulder before following Michael out the back door.
“I’ll be right back, Mom.”
“It’s alright if Michael wants to stay,” Diane said in a hushed voice. “Okay?”
“Thanks, Mom,” Max said as he walked through the laundry room and out the back door. Michael was waiting for him on the small back porch. “What’s going on? You can stay for dinner if you want.”
“What’s up with that connection you and Liz have?”
Max rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his cargo pants. “You came over here to ask me that? Michael, I don’t know if you remember it or not, but this is a big night in my life.” Max glanced quickly over his left shoulder to see if his mother’s shadow was visible. “Tonight is when Liz and I tell our parents about Meg.”
“Meg? Who’s Meg?”
“Meg is what we’re going to name the baby.” Max stepped toward Michael as Michael’s face paled. “Michael? What is it? Why are you really here?”
“Just calm down, okay,” Michael said, pressing his hands onto Max’s shoulder to stop his forward progress. “I...it’s probably nothing.”
“If it’s nothing, then tell me.”
“Maria called me from the Crash,” Michael began, glancing at Max’s face to gauge how in detail his explanation should be. He still didn’t have all the details of what had happened; he only knew from Maria’s hysterical telephone call that something had happened and it involved Liz. “I...something’s wrong...with Liz.”
“She’s at the hospital,” Max whispered, his eyes widening as the implication of just exactly what that meant hit him. Spinning on his heels, he pushed the back door open, allowing the door knob to embed itself into the wall behind it. “Mom! Mom!”
“Max, honey, what is it? What’s wrong?” Diane appeared at the doorway leading from the laundry room into the kitchen.
“Liz is at the hospital. I....I’ve got to go to her.”
“Of course, sweetie,” Diane said, placing her hand on Max’s shoulder, guiding his further into the kitchen. “Let me call your father and we’ll drive you.”
“No,” Max shouted, causing both Michael and Diane to jump at the sound and harshness of his voice. “There’s no time. Michael’s going to take me. I’ve got to get to Liz.”
Max grabbed a leather jacket from the hanging coat rack and brushed past his mother and Michael in a dead run toward Michael’s motorcycle. Michael smiled weekly at Mrs. Evans before prying the door closed and following Max.
* * *
Max ran to the ICU wing of Roswell Memorial Hospital, followed closely by Michael. He had only been to this hospital twice before, once to visit Liz when her grandmother was ill and once after his car accident, but he seemed to know the hallways and corridors like the back of his hand. He rounded the final corner separating him from Liz and slowed immediately when he saw Kyle comforting a sobbing Maria.
Michael barreled around the same corner and almost ran into Max, having not anticipated Max’s immediate stop. “Oh, God,” he muttered, side-stepping Max and going straight to Maria. When Maria saw Michael, she immediately removed herself from Kyle’s arms and transplanted herself into Michael’s.
“Am I too late,” Max asked, his voice quaking with emotion as he staggered toward Kyle. “Is she -”
“She’s in a coma, you piece of shit,” Kyle spat as he connected a right hook to Max’s left eye, knocking Max to the ground.
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Part 18
Part 18
“Max,” Isabel called, rushing to her brother’s side as a shaken Kyle brushed past she and Alex. “Are you okay?” She dipped her fingers into the blood pouring down the side of Max’s face and onto the sanitary hospital floor. “Oh, God.”
“Leave it,” Max said while brushing Isabel’s hand away from his face. He accepted Alex’s offered arm and pulled himself to his feet. “How did you -”
“Mom called me,” Isabel interrupted, handing Max a pack of Kleenex from her purse. “Alex and I were in the park. She and Dad were right behind us when we came into the hospital. They should be here any -”
“Max! Isabel,” Diane called in a whispered scream. “Oh, thank God. How’s Liz? Do you know anything yet?” Diane quickly hugged her children and Alex as Philip placed his hand on Max’s shoulder.
“She’s in a coma,” Max answered, still dabbing at the blood on this face with several of the Kleenex.
“How did this happen?”
“That’s what we want to know,” a teary-eyed Jeff Parker asked, Nancy swallowed by his shadow. “We’d like to talk to you, Max, and your parents, too.” No one watching Jeff’s movements missed the angry glare he shot at Max as he turned toward the opposite end of the hallway. Max bowed his head and followed, as did Diane and Philip.
* * *
“Hello, Max, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. I’m Dr. Thomasin.” Max and his parents sat at the long conference table across from Nancy and Jeff. Max opened his mouth to speak to Liz’s parents but found himself suddenly without words. “I’ve already filled Mr. and Mrs. Parker on Liz’s condition but when they heard what I’d discovered, they wanted to discuss the situation with the three of you as well.” Max’s face paled and he unconsciously slumped lower into the leather chair. “I...I don’t really know exactly how to say this, and for that, I’m very sorry. This...this is not my field of practice -”
“What’s wrong, Dr. Thomasin,” Philip asked, leaning his elbows on the conference room table just as Max remembered his father doing during meetings at his office.
“Liz was pregnant.”
Max lowered his face toward his lap, the shocked gasps of his mother and the muffled cries of Mrs. Parker were too much for him to handle. He couldn’t imagine a worse way for their parents to find out; to know that Liz was in a coma was traumatic enough but to also find out she was pregnant. “What about the baby,” Max asked, not raising his head to meet Dr. Thomasin’s face.
“You knew,” Jeff seethed. “You knew Lizzie was pregnant and you did nothing to help her?”
“I love Liz, Mr. Parker.”
“You love her so much that you get her pregnant and sentence her to the life of a teenage mother? You don’t love my daughter. I should have forbidden you from seeing her after that stunt you pulled in the desert.”
“I love her,” Max argued, “and I want to marry her. I want to raise a family with her.
“Someday,” Diane interjected, “but not now, Max. You two are so young. You’ve got your entire futures ahead of you.”
“We’re getting married and we’re having a baby, Mom, when Liz is better.”
“The doctors don’t know if Liz will get better,” Jeff said, slamming his hands on the conference table and standing to his feel. “And as for the baby Liz was carrying -”
“Jeff, don’t,” Nancy cried, her hand weaving into Jeff’s. Jeff sighed heavily and returned to his seat, throwing a comforting arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“What about the baby,” Max asked again. “Is she -”
“I’m sorry, Max, but Liz lost the baby. I would say that the trauma her body experienced sent her into shock which caused the coma but we really don’t know. There doesn’t seem to be any medical reasoning for Liz’s condition. Pregnancies are terminated daily, whether by natural or unnatural forces, and neither I nor my colleagues have ever seen a case like Liz’s. I’m sorry,” Dr. Thomasin paused. “I...I wish I knew more to tell you.”
“Max,” Isabel called, rushing to her brother’s side as a shaken Kyle brushed past she and Alex. “Are you okay?” She dipped her fingers into the blood pouring down the side of Max’s face and onto the sanitary hospital floor. “Oh, God.”
“Leave it,” Max said while brushing Isabel’s hand away from his face. He accepted Alex’s offered arm and pulled himself to his feet. “How did you -”
“Mom called me,” Isabel interrupted, handing Max a pack of Kleenex from her purse. “Alex and I were in the park. She and Dad were right behind us when we came into the hospital. They should be here any -”
“Max! Isabel,” Diane called in a whispered scream. “Oh, thank God. How’s Liz? Do you know anything yet?” Diane quickly hugged her children and Alex as Philip placed his hand on Max’s shoulder.
“She’s in a coma,” Max answered, still dabbing at the blood on this face with several of the Kleenex.
“How did this happen?”
“That’s what we want to know,” a teary-eyed Jeff Parker asked, Nancy swallowed by his shadow. “We’d like to talk to you, Max, and your parents, too.” No one watching Jeff’s movements missed the angry glare he shot at Max as he turned toward the opposite end of the hallway. Max bowed his head and followed, as did Diane and Philip.
* * *
“Hello, Max, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. I’m Dr. Thomasin.” Max and his parents sat at the long conference table across from Nancy and Jeff. Max opened his mouth to speak to Liz’s parents but found himself suddenly without words. “I’ve already filled Mr. and Mrs. Parker on Liz’s condition but when they heard what I’d discovered, they wanted to discuss the situation with the three of you as well.” Max’s face paled and he unconsciously slumped lower into the leather chair. “I...I don’t really know exactly how to say this, and for that, I’m very sorry. This...this is not my field of practice -”
“What’s wrong, Dr. Thomasin,” Philip asked, leaning his elbows on the conference room table just as Max remembered his father doing during meetings at his office.
“Liz was pregnant.”
Max lowered his face toward his lap, the shocked gasps of his mother and the muffled cries of Mrs. Parker were too much for him to handle. He couldn’t imagine a worse way for their parents to find out; to know that Liz was in a coma was traumatic enough but to also find out she was pregnant. “What about the baby,” Max asked, not raising his head to meet Dr. Thomasin’s face.
“You knew,” Jeff seethed. “You knew Lizzie was pregnant and you did nothing to help her?”
“I love Liz, Mr. Parker.”
“You love her so much that you get her pregnant and sentence her to the life of a teenage mother? You don’t love my daughter. I should have forbidden you from seeing her after that stunt you pulled in the desert.”
“I love her,” Max argued, “and I want to marry her. I want to raise a family with her.
“Someday,” Diane interjected, “but not now, Max. You two are so young. You’ve got your entire futures ahead of you.”
“We’re getting married and we’re having a baby, Mom, when Liz is better.”
“The doctors don’t know if Liz will get better,” Jeff said, slamming his hands on the conference table and standing to his feel. “And as for the baby Liz was carrying -”
“Jeff, don’t,” Nancy cried, her hand weaving into Jeff’s. Jeff sighed heavily and returned to his seat, throwing a comforting arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“What about the baby,” Max asked again. “Is she -”
“I’m sorry, Max, but Liz lost the baby. I would say that the trauma her body experienced sent her into shock which caused the coma but we really don’t know. There doesn’t seem to be any medical reasoning for Liz’s condition. Pregnancies are terminated daily, whether by natural or unnatural forces, and neither I nor my colleagues have ever seen a case like Liz’s. I’m sorry,” Dr. Thomasin paused. “I...I wish I knew more to tell you.”
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Part 19
Part 19
“Kyle, wait,” Isabel called after Kyle as he stomped toward his car. “Kyle!”
“Go back to Max, Isabel,” Kyle replied harshly over his shoulder, fumbling in his pocket for his car keys.
“This isn’t helping Liz,” Isabel reminded him, causing Kyle to stop dead in his tracks and rest his palms on the front quarter panel of his car. “Liz cares about you a lot,” Isabel continued as she sped up to reach Kyle before he jumped in his car and drove away. “If she didn’t, she wouldn’t try so hard to make you understand.” Kyle’s silence left an opportunity for Isabel to continue and she did not waste it. “You didn’t see the other Liz, the older version. You didn’t hear the things she described, how different our lives would have been.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“There’s no way for me to explain it to you, to adequately justify what happened. Tess would have killed Alex. She would have destroyed all of us.”
“Maybe not.”
“You really don’t believe that, do you? Do you think that Liz is capable of lying when something as important as Alex’s life and all of our lives are at stake?”
“I saw her disappear, Isabel,” Kyle said, turning his head to the left, glancing at Isabel momentarily. “I watched her fade away and out of my life forever.”
“I saw it too and it was a horrible sight but you can’t keep focusing on that. Tess would have wanted you to live. She would have wanted you to be happy.”
“This thing,” Kyle began but quickly broke off as his voice cracked with emotion. He beat the hood of his car with his fist and Isabel noticeably flinched, for the first time realizing just how upset Kyle was over the whole incident.
“With Tess?”
“With Liz,” Kyle corrected. “It’s just too much. One week Liz is asking me to jump in bed with her for some God awful scheme then there are two of her and now she’s pregnant and in a coma.” He beat his fist against the hood of his car once more before dropping to his knees onto the asphalt, his face buried in the palms of his hands. Isabel watched in horror as the captain of the football and basketball teams crumbled at her feet, his pained sobs jarring his entire body. She had never witnessed a man cry like that before, and never imagined that Kyle Valenti could ever be capable of such emotion.
“Liz needs us to be strong,” she said thoughtfully, dropping to her knees beside Kyle, her hand resting gently on Kyle’s shoulder.
“What if she doesn’t make it,” Kyle questioned. “What if something happens -”
“You can’t think like that. If anyone can pull through this, it’s Liz Parker. She’ll make it, Kyle, but she needs us to be strong. We’re the only ones that can help her now.”
Kyle turned his tear-stained face upward to meet Isabel’s concerned face, a look of horror flashing through his eyes.
I need your help, Kyle.
Sure thing.
That’s my Buddha Boy. You’re the only one that can help me now.
“Kyle,” Isabel said as she squeezed both of his shoulders with all her might. “Kyle, what’s wrong?”
“She…she did something to me.”
“Who?”
“Tess.”
* * *
“I can’t believe we brought her to a hospital,” Maria whispered as she, Michael and Alex sat side by side on the leather-like chairs on the fourth floor of Roswell Memorial. “I mean, she’s different, you know. God, what were we thinking? They’re probably getting ready to send her to her very own White Room right now.”
“Calm down,” Michael cautioned, wrapping his arm around Maria’s twitching shoulders. “You did what you thought was best. There was no way to avoid bringing her here. Too many people saw it.”
“What exactly happened,” Alex questioned hesitantly while he offered his own support to Maria by grabbing her hand. “I mean, she and Kyle were talking one minute…”
“I…I don’t know. I was talking to Michael on the phone and the next thing I know, I heard glass shattering and Liz was unconscious. Mr. Parker just picked her up and we came straight here. Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“Parker? Of course,” Alex offered with a wide smile. “She’s resilient. She can survive anything.” He patted Maria’s leg vigorously, the smile never fading until he leaned back in his chair. “We can’t leave her in here though.”
“What?”
Alex leaned in close to Maria’s face so that he could see both Maria and Michael and making it almost impossible for anyone else to overhear their conversation. “It’s only a matter of time before someone takes blood, if they haven’t already. We don’t know the extent of Liz’s change and I’d rather have her in a coma say, at my house, than locked up in a White Room.”
“So you’re thinking of breaking her out,” Michael asked, leaning his elbows on his knees, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.
“More like just borrowing her until Max can heal her. It shouldn’t take long, right? If it’s planned correctly, we shouldn’t even have to leave the hospital.”
“Keep talking,” Michael suggested and the three friends put their heads together to formulate a plan.
“Kyle, wait,” Isabel called after Kyle as he stomped toward his car. “Kyle!”
“Go back to Max, Isabel,” Kyle replied harshly over his shoulder, fumbling in his pocket for his car keys.
“This isn’t helping Liz,” Isabel reminded him, causing Kyle to stop dead in his tracks and rest his palms on the front quarter panel of his car. “Liz cares about you a lot,” Isabel continued as she sped up to reach Kyle before he jumped in his car and drove away. “If she didn’t, she wouldn’t try so hard to make you understand.” Kyle’s silence left an opportunity for Isabel to continue and she did not waste it. “You didn’t see the other Liz, the older version. You didn’t hear the things she described, how different our lives would have been.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“There’s no way for me to explain it to you, to adequately justify what happened. Tess would have killed Alex. She would have destroyed all of us.”
“Maybe not.”
“You really don’t believe that, do you? Do you think that Liz is capable of lying when something as important as Alex’s life and all of our lives are at stake?”
“I saw her disappear, Isabel,” Kyle said, turning his head to the left, glancing at Isabel momentarily. “I watched her fade away and out of my life forever.”
“I saw it too and it was a horrible sight but you can’t keep focusing on that. Tess would have wanted you to live. She would have wanted you to be happy.”
“This thing,” Kyle began but quickly broke off as his voice cracked with emotion. He beat the hood of his car with his fist and Isabel noticeably flinched, for the first time realizing just how upset Kyle was over the whole incident.
“With Tess?”
“With Liz,” Kyle corrected. “It’s just too much. One week Liz is asking me to jump in bed with her for some God awful scheme then there are two of her and now she’s pregnant and in a coma.” He beat his fist against the hood of his car once more before dropping to his knees onto the asphalt, his face buried in the palms of his hands. Isabel watched in horror as the captain of the football and basketball teams crumbled at her feet, his pained sobs jarring his entire body. She had never witnessed a man cry like that before, and never imagined that Kyle Valenti could ever be capable of such emotion.
“Liz needs us to be strong,” she said thoughtfully, dropping to her knees beside Kyle, her hand resting gently on Kyle’s shoulder.
“What if she doesn’t make it,” Kyle questioned. “What if something happens -”
“You can’t think like that. If anyone can pull through this, it’s Liz Parker. She’ll make it, Kyle, but she needs us to be strong. We’re the only ones that can help her now.”
Kyle turned his tear-stained face upward to meet Isabel’s concerned face, a look of horror flashing through his eyes.
I need your help, Kyle.
Sure thing.
That’s my Buddha Boy. You’re the only one that can help me now.
“Kyle,” Isabel said as she squeezed both of his shoulders with all her might. “Kyle, what’s wrong?”
“She…she did something to me.”
“Who?”
“Tess.”
* * *
“I can’t believe we brought her to a hospital,” Maria whispered as she, Michael and Alex sat side by side on the leather-like chairs on the fourth floor of Roswell Memorial. “I mean, she’s different, you know. God, what were we thinking? They’re probably getting ready to send her to her very own White Room right now.”
“Calm down,” Michael cautioned, wrapping his arm around Maria’s twitching shoulders. “You did what you thought was best. There was no way to avoid bringing her here. Too many people saw it.”
“What exactly happened,” Alex questioned hesitantly while he offered his own support to Maria by grabbing her hand. “I mean, she and Kyle were talking one minute…”
“I…I don’t know. I was talking to Michael on the phone and the next thing I know, I heard glass shattering and Liz was unconscious. Mr. Parker just picked her up and we came straight here. Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“Parker? Of course,” Alex offered with a wide smile. “She’s resilient. She can survive anything.” He patted Maria’s leg vigorously, the smile never fading until he leaned back in his chair. “We can’t leave her in here though.”
“What?”
Alex leaned in close to Maria’s face so that he could see both Maria and Michael and making it almost impossible for anyone else to overhear their conversation. “It’s only a matter of time before someone takes blood, if they haven’t already. We don’t know the extent of Liz’s change and I’d rather have her in a coma say, at my house, than locked up in a White Room.”
“So you’re thinking of breaking her out,” Michael asked, leaning his elbows on his knees, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.
“More like just borrowing her until Max can heal her. It shouldn’t take long, right? If it’s planned correctly, we shouldn’t even have to leave the hospital.”
“Keep talking,” Michael suggested and the three friends put their heads together to formulate a plan.
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Part 20
Part 20
“You think this will work,” Maria asked. “I mean, I’m sure the Parkers will be with Liz 24/7.”
“And they definitely won’t let Max see her,” Michael agreed.
“That’s why we have to get the Sheriff’s help,” Alex said in a hushed voice. “He’s the law. He can get the Parkers to do anything.”
“Even get them away from Liz’s side,” Michael added, a gleam in his eye as he and Alex exchanged glances, on the same page.
“You’re willing to deceive our best friend’s parents?”
“Listen, Maria,” Alex began, wrapping his arm around Maria’s shoulder as the three of them leaned backwards into the chairs. “I know it’s not a great plan but it’s all I could think of on the fly. It’s not like all of the plans you and Liz come up with are great. Remember Copper Summit and Courtney?” He shot a knowing glance at Maria, who shrugged in response. “Anyway,” Alex continued, “the main thing is to get Max into Liz’s room so he can heal her.”
“What about the handprint?”
“What handprint?”
“Max leaves a silver handprint after he heals,” Maria explained. “Both Liz and Kyle had them. There’s no way a glowing silver handprint is going to escape a doctor’s exam.”
“You’re right,” Michael admitted, running his hands through his hair. “What else you got, Whitman?”
“Give me a minute,” Alex said as he crossed one arm over his chest and rested his chin on his fist. “I’ll think of something.”
* * *
“What are you talking about Kyle? I...I’m not following you.”
“Tess,” Kyle said. “I...I had a weird memory.”
“What was it,” Isabel questioned, leaning closer to Kyle, her hand still on his shoulder.
“I don’t know. Tess, she needed my help.”
“Why,” Isabel pressured as Kyle stood up from his hunched position on the asphalt parking lot.
“I don’t know,” Kyle groaned, pacing back and forth between his car and the jeep. “I just remember she needed my help. I can’t remember anything else.”
“This is serious,” Isabel replied as she tried to step into Kyle’s path. “Alex died because Tess’ mindwarp damaged his brain.”
“I could die,” Kyle shrieked, his face flushed in anger.
“I didn’t say that,” Isabel amended quickly, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was following their conversation too closely. The parking lot of Roswell’s only hospital was not the best place to have a discussion on mindwarp and brain damage.
“That bitch! I...I’ve been mourning her and she was using me. Do you know what this means,” Kyle asked, his eyes wild looking.
“It means we have to get you to Max,” Isabel suggested, placing her hand around Kyle’s forearm, intent on dragging him into the hospital. “Max can heal you if there’s damage.”
“It means that I did this,” Kyle continued. “I’m the person that hurt Liz and put her into this coma and made her lose her baby. This is my fault, all my fault.”
“No, Kyle,” Isabel argued as she pulled Kyle toward the entrance of the hospital. “Tess did this. Tess is to blame. She made her choice.”
Max made his choice. I need you to help me remind him it was the wrong one. Max needs to remember his destiny is not Liz Parker.
“Oh, God. Destiny,” Kyle groaned. “Something about destiny.”
“We’ve got to find Max.”
* * *
Dr. Thomasin left the conference room, Mrs. Parker following him after a brief conversation with Mr. Parker. Max laced his fingers together and rested them on the wooden table, anxious to get to Liz’s side. His mother placed her hand on his forearm as the door closed behind Mrs. Parker and Dr.Thomasin.
“I don’t want you to see Liz anymore,” Jeff began, his voice calmer than it had been since the pseudo-meeting began. “When Liz wakes up, Nancy and I are sending her to a boarding school in New Hampshire.”
“Please, Mr. Parker, I need to see Liz.”
“Max,” Diane said, the tone in her voice a warning that she was prepared to lecture him but she abruptly closed her mouth when Max turned his head toward her, his face stern, his eyes bright and determined.
“No, Max. You can’t see Liz.”
“I have to see her, Mr. Parker,” Max pleaded. “She needs me.”
“She already has everyone she needs. You aren’t to see my daughter again.” Jeff Parker stood and slowly exited through the same door as his wife and Dr. Thomasin.
“We’ll talk about this at home, Max,” Diane said as she stood from the chair and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. She gingerly touched Max’s shoulder, signaling him to stand up from the chair and Max slowly obeyed her unspoken command.
“I’m the only one that can save her,” Max muttered to himself, angrily standing up from the chair, slamming it backwards against the conference room wall. He stormed out of the room, leaving his bewildered parents no choice but to follow.
* * *
“I’ve got it,” Alex exclaimed, startling Maria and several elderly women across the waiting area.
“What,” Michael questioned as he reached across Maria to pull Alex down into his chair.
“The stones,” Alex whispered, returning to his seat with Michael’s arm firmly attached to his forearm. “The healing stones. You know, those stones that brought you back. They could work for Liz, couldn’t they?”
“Only one way to find out,” Michael replied as both he and Maria stood up from their chairs in time to see Max heading straight for them.
“We need to meet at your place tonight,” Max ordered, slowing his forward progress only long enough to talk to Michael.
Maria, Michael and Alex exchanged worried glances with each other as Max disappeared out of the waiting room.
“You think this will work,” Maria asked. “I mean, I’m sure the Parkers will be with Liz 24/7.”
“And they definitely won’t let Max see her,” Michael agreed.
“That’s why we have to get the Sheriff’s help,” Alex said in a hushed voice. “He’s the law. He can get the Parkers to do anything.”
“Even get them away from Liz’s side,” Michael added, a gleam in his eye as he and Alex exchanged glances, on the same page.
“You’re willing to deceive our best friend’s parents?”
“Listen, Maria,” Alex began, wrapping his arm around Maria’s shoulder as the three of them leaned backwards into the chairs. “I know it’s not a great plan but it’s all I could think of on the fly. It’s not like all of the plans you and Liz come up with are great. Remember Copper Summit and Courtney?” He shot a knowing glance at Maria, who shrugged in response. “Anyway,” Alex continued, “the main thing is to get Max into Liz’s room so he can heal her.”
“What about the handprint?”
“What handprint?”
“Max leaves a silver handprint after he heals,” Maria explained. “Both Liz and Kyle had them. There’s no way a glowing silver handprint is going to escape a doctor’s exam.”
“You’re right,” Michael admitted, running his hands through his hair. “What else you got, Whitman?”
“Give me a minute,” Alex said as he crossed one arm over his chest and rested his chin on his fist. “I’ll think of something.”
* * *
“What are you talking about Kyle? I...I’m not following you.”
“Tess,” Kyle said. “I...I had a weird memory.”
“What was it,” Isabel questioned, leaning closer to Kyle, her hand still on his shoulder.
“I don’t know. Tess, she needed my help.”
“Why,” Isabel pressured as Kyle stood up from his hunched position on the asphalt parking lot.
“I don’t know,” Kyle groaned, pacing back and forth between his car and the jeep. “I just remember she needed my help. I can’t remember anything else.”
“This is serious,” Isabel replied as she tried to step into Kyle’s path. “Alex died because Tess’ mindwarp damaged his brain.”
“I could die,” Kyle shrieked, his face flushed in anger.
“I didn’t say that,” Isabel amended quickly, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was following their conversation too closely. The parking lot of Roswell’s only hospital was not the best place to have a discussion on mindwarp and brain damage.
“That bitch! I...I’ve been mourning her and she was using me. Do you know what this means,” Kyle asked, his eyes wild looking.
“It means we have to get you to Max,” Isabel suggested, placing her hand around Kyle’s forearm, intent on dragging him into the hospital. “Max can heal you if there’s damage.”
“It means that I did this,” Kyle continued. “I’m the person that hurt Liz and put her into this coma and made her lose her baby. This is my fault, all my fault.”
“No, Kyle,” Isabel argued as she pulled Kyle toward the entrance of the hospital. “Tess did this. Tess is to blame. She made her choice.”
Max made his choice. I need you to help me remind him it was the wrong one. Max needs to remember his destiny is not Liz Parker.
“Oh, God. Destiny,” Kyle groaned. “Something about destiny.”
“We’ve got to find Max.”
* * *
Dr. Thomasin left the conference room, Mrs. Parker following him after a brief conversation with Mr. Parker. Max laced his fingers together and rested them on the wooden table, anxious to get to Liz’s side. His mother placed her hand on his forearm as the door closed behind Mrs. Parker and Dr.Thomasin.
“I don’t want you to see Liz anymore,” Jeff began, his voice calmer than it had been since the pseudo-meeting began. “When Liz wakes up, Nancy and I are sending her to a boarding school in New Hampshire.”
“Please, Mr. Parker, I need to see Liz.”
“Max,” Diane said, the tone in her voice a warning that she was prepared to lecture him but she abruptly closed her mouth when Max turned his head toward her, his face stern, his eyes bright and determined.
“No, Max. You can’t see Liz.”
“I have to see her, Mr. Parker,” Max pleaded. “She needs me.”
“She already has everyone she needs. You aren’t to see my daughter again.” Jeff Parker stood and slowly exited through the same door as his wife and Dr. Thomasin.
“We’ll talk about this at home, Max,” Diane said as she stood from the chair and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. She gingerly touched Max’s shoulder, signaling him to stand up from the chair and Max slowly obeyed her unspoken command.
“I’m the only one that can save her,” Max muttered to himself, angrily standing up from the chair, slamming it backwards against the conference room wall. He stormed out of the room, leaving his bewildered parents no choice but to follow.
* * *
“I’ve got it,” Alex exclaimed, startling Maria and several elderly women across the waiting area.
“What,” Michael questioned as he reached across Maria to pull Alex down into his chair.
“The stones,” Alex whispered, returning to his seat with Michael’s arm firmly attached to his forearm. “The healing stones. You know, those stones that brought you back. They could work for Liz, couldn’t they?”
“Only one way to find out,” Michael replied as both he and Maria stood up from their chairs in time to see Max heading straight for them.
“We need to meet at your place tonight,” Max ordered, slowing his forward progress only long enough to talk to Michael.
Maria, Michael and Alex exchanged worried glances with each other as Max disappeared out of the waiting room.
Last edited by JO on Tue Jun 28, 2005 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.