Chasing The Risk
Written by Ann
e-mail: leann1092000@yahoo.com
Part Eleven
Spoilers: None
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell or anything associated with it. The only things I own is the idea for this fic and the following characters: Jerry, Claurice and Tom and a few side characters.
The song used is Total Eclipse Of The Heart by Bonnie Tyler.
Summary: Michael and Liz are in for some big changes.
After two hours of talking to Claurice, Liz drove to the little store downtown, then back to the house. Michael was still asleep. She hadn’t intended on staying gone so long but her and Claurice really hit it off and they couldn’t seem to quit talking about Michael and Jerry.
Carrying the bag into the kitchen, she unloaded them, putting some of the stuff away and searched the cabinets looking for a skillet to use. She was squatted down looking in the cabinets in the island when she heard a noise. Peeking over the counter, she saw Michael in the doorway rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.
“What are you doing up so early?” She asked him as she continued to look. Finally finding it, she stood back up and put it on the stove.
Michael moved his hands and looked over at her.
“Heard the front door close. Did you go somewhere?” he asked.
“Yep, went to look for a phone I could use without being traced. I wanted to talk to my parents.”
“All the phones can be traced.” Michael said, his eyebrow raised.
“Well unless you have one of those disposable ones but the nearest cell phone company is fifteen miles away.”
“So you didn’t call them?”
“Yeah I did.” Liz said, holding in her urge to laugh at the look on his face. If she’d only had a camera right then. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Michael Guerin, worlds most pissed off alien.
“Well I hope you weren’t too fond of this town cause we’re gonna have to leave now.” Michael said, trying very hard not to be a total ass.
“Michael relax. I used Claurice’s phone.” Liz said as she moved around the kitchen finding the utensils she would need.
“Oh, that’s even better. Instead of the FBI just knowing where we’re at, they’ll know who we’ve been associating with too.” Michael covered his face with his hands and closed his eyes. This was getting worse by the minute.
“Well unless we moved to Vancouver when I wasn’t looking, I think we’re ok for now.” Liz said.
“Vancouver? What the hell does this have to do with Vancouver?” Michael asked, frustrated.
“Claurice’s sister lives in Vancouver. It was her phone that she accidentally left here last time she visited. Anyway, she ended up buying a new phone and Claurice kept her old one but there were a bunch of minutes left so Claurice just kept the phone number.”
“So in other words, if the FBI goes looking, they’ll just hunt down Claurice’s sister.”
“No, actually. I wondered about that too but when we were talking, she told me that when her sister bought the phone, she had just gotten away from a man who killed some friends of hers. She was in the witness protection program at the time and under an assumed name that can’t be traced.”
“You actually asked her if it could be traced?” Michael asked as he made his way to one of the kitchen chairs and sat backwards in it, facing Liz.
“No. Give me a little more credit than that Michael. She told me that the guy tried to hunt her down but under the witness protection program, the identities they give you are completely untraceable. They gave her a new social security number and birth certificate and everything. Well after the guy got busted and she got out of the program, they helped her get a permanent identity that’s totally different from the one they gave her before so as far as any records show anywhere, the person she was is dead. They even issued a death certificate for all legal purposes.”
“I thought that stuff was supposed to be kept confidential.” Michael said.
“It is. She only told me because we were talking about an episode of Montel that was about some kids that ended up in the Witness Protection Program.”
“You like her?” Michael asked. He was glad Liz had another woman she could talk to.
“Claurice? Yeah I do. She’s nice.” Liz smiled. “So, you didn’t tell me. Did you get the job?”
“Yeah. I start tomorrow night.”
“Cool. Bar tending?” Liz asked.
“Nah. Cooking. Claurice was doing it all before and Jerry figured she could use some help.”
Liz nodded.
“So where’d all the stuff come from?” Michael asked, pointing to the counter.
“Oh, I went to the little store downtown to pick up a few things. There’s some orange juice in the fridge if you want some.”
Michael nodded and getting up from the chair, walked to the refrigerator, grabbing the carton. Finding a couple of glasses, he poured some in them both and handed one to her.
“Thanks.” Liz said as she took a drink and broke an egg into a bowl.
“Your welcome.” He replied. “Want some help?” he asked, pointing to the ingredients on the counter.
“Um..I got this if you want to peal some potatoes.”
“Ok.” Michael replied as he opened the bag of potatoes and grabbed a paring knife from the drawer. He had just gotten started when there was a knock on the door. Looking at Liz, he put the potato he was working on pealing down and walked to the door, opening it.
“Why are you knocking on your own door?” Michael asked Jerry as he stepped out of the way so the older man could walk in.
“I may own the house Michael but you and Liz are staying here and I believe in giving people their privacy. Where’s the little lady at?” Jerry asked.
“Kitchen.” Michael said as he walked back to the kitchen and resumed the task of pealing the potatoes.
“Morning Jerry.” Liz said when she saw him walk through the kitchen door.
“Morning beautiful.” Jerry said. He walked over and took a seat at the island. “Have a good night?”
“Yes, thank you. The bed was so comfy I didn’t want to get up this morning.
“Well good. I’m glad you were able to get some rest. You know, seeing the two of you cooking reminds me of mom when she was getting breakfast ready for the guests.”
“Guests?” Michael asked.
“Yep. This here used to be a bed and breakfast. Mom would stand right there at 6:00 every morning cooking breakfast and humming some Bryan Adams tune.”
“Bryan Adams?” Liz asked, surprised, a smile on her face.
“The one and only. She was a sucker for his music. Even went to a few of his concerts.”
“How old was she?” Liz asked.
“68. The last concert she went to was two months before she passed. I know because she drug me with her. Told me I would enjoy it whether I wanted to or not.”
Michael and Liz laughed. Liz walked over and opening a package of bacon, lay some in the bottom of the skillet and turned on the burner before pouring the eggs into a pan.
“What do you want me to do with these?” Michael asked about the pealed potatoes.
“Oh, they’re for hash browns. I’ll cook them as soon as the bacon’s done. The grease will help flavor them. You staying for breakfast Jerry?” Liz asked.
“I would love to, but I have to open the bar in about twenty minutes. That brings me to what I wanted to talk to you kids about.”
“What’s that?” Michael asked as he sat back down in the chair across the table from Jerry.
“Well I got to thinking about something after I left here last night so I after Claurice and I got home, I talked to her about it and she agreed with me. You two need a place to stay and it isn’t good for a house to stand empty without anyone to put any work into it. I’m too old and my back won’t let me do most of what this house needs. So here’s what we came up with. You stay here and open it back up for business. If you will pick up the annual taxes and utilities, whatever you bring in from the business is yours. It could use a good paint job and you’ll have to keep up with the lawn care and whatever else may come up, but I have no doubt that you’ll be able to do it.”
Michael and Liz looked at each other, eyes wide, mouths dropped.
“Why us?” Michael asked, looking back at Jerry. “I mean you barely know us.”
“True.” Jerry replied. “But Claurice and I have a good feeling about you two and we’re willing to chance it. Why don’t you two talk it over and let me know later?” He stood up and patted Michael on the shoulder.
“We will.” Michael said, looking up at him.
“Good. Well, I better get going. But before I forget Michael, I’m going to need a copy of your social security card and drivers license for our employee records and your insurance forms.”
Michael nodded. “I’ll bring them with me tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Well you two have a good day and let me know what you decide. You two stop by the house tonight if you don’t already have plans. We’re just across the street, on the corner.” Jerry said as he turned and walked out of the house, leaving a very shocked Liz and Michael.
Michael stood up and walked over to Liz. “Need any help?” he asked, his tone void of emotion.
“I’ve got it, thanks.”
Nodding, Michael realized how close he was standing to her and stepped back, swallowing the lump in his throat . “I’m gonna go get the rest of our stuff from the car.”
“Oh..ok.” she said, turning back to the stove, wondering why he kept pulling away from her. She fought hard to keep from crying about it. She knew he didn’t feel the same way she did about him but she had actually fooled herself into believing that would change. Wasn’t that the main reason she had called her parents this morning? She felt so stupid and angry at herself for being so naïve.
Michael walked out of the kitchen and out the front door, headed to the car. You almost blew it Guerin. He scolded himself. You have to keep your distance damn it. But what if Jerry was right? What if he was just using his past as an excuse to not open up and let her in? Would he regret it in the long run? It didn’t matter. What mattered was her safety and if he got that close, it would just be putting her in more danger. Or would it? Wasn’t she already in danger just by being at the Crashdown that day? No, he couldn’t think like that. He had to keep a clear head and remember the reason for his distance. But the problem was, he really couldn’t remember what that reason was anymore. Was it for safety or was it for his heart? Either way, it was tearing him up inside.
“Shit!” He spat as he threw open the hatch back of the car and grabbed their bags before slamming the door shut again. It was a miracle the glass didn’t break. He slowly made his way back to the house. When he opened the door, he heard music coming from the living room. Making his way there, he stopped in the doorway, dropping the bags on the floor. His mouth was open and his breathing increased. She was singing. Her eyes were closed and she was singing with the music. He had never heard her sing before but there was something about the combination of her voice and the words that made his breath hitch.
Turnaround, every now and then I get a
little bit lonely and you're never coming
round
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit tired of listening to the sound of
my tears
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit nervous that the best of all the
years have gone by
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit terrified and then I see the look in
your eyes.
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit restless and I dream of
something wild
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child
in your arms
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit angry and I know I've got to get
out and cry
Turnaround, Every now and then I get a
little bit terrified but then I see the look in
your eyes.
He stood there entranced, just listening. But something was off. It took him a minute to realize what that something was and once he did, it almost killed him. She was crying.
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart
Turnaround bright eyes, Every now and
then I fall apart
And I need you now tonight
And I need you more than ever
And if you'll only hold me tight
We'll be holding on forever
And we'll only be making it right
Cause we'll never be wrong together
He wanted to move. He wanted to walk over and wrap his arms around her but he couldn’t move. His legs wouldn’t let him. Or was it his heart? He was really beginning to resent that particular muscle.
We can take it to the end of the line
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks
I really need you tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Forever's gonna start tonight
Once upon a time I was falling in love
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart
He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t keep denying that there was something there. That he wanted her. He needed her. Closing his eyes, he fought with his heart and slowly made himself move. Eyes opening, he realized she had spotted him and was watching him walk toward her. The instruments played in the background as he found himself toe to toe with the one person he loved more than life. Being about a head taller than her, he had to look down at her.
He was scared. Terrified. But he’d be damned if he would keep letting that fear take over him. Slowly moving his head downward, he inched closer and closer to her. About two inches from her face, he moved back slightly, wondering if he was doing the right thing. But deciding there was only one right decision here, he moved back toward her. He could feel her breathing. It was warm and as unsteady as his. He had worried for a minute that maybe she didn’t want him. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw trust and something else he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Love? No. It couldn’t have been.
Deciding he was thinking way too much, he closed his eyes he put his hands on the small of her back. He was shaking as he continued his downward journey until his mouth very softly touched hers. He moved his head back looking for any kind of doubt in her eyes. Finding none, he moved back and again, touched her mouth with his. This time with more feeling, more passion than the first time. It felt good to finally be able to kiss her but the thing that felt even better was when she wrapped her arms around his neck. She wasn’t fighting. She wasn’t running away. She was kissing him back.
There was no denying it, he was lost. He had got caught up in the storm that was Liz Parker and there was no way of getting out of it. And quite frankly, he didn’t want out. This was the girl that he loved and he wasn’t about to hide it anymore. He had to break for air but wasn’t ready to let go of her. Wrapping his arms tighter around her, he put his head on her shoulder and just stood there holding her.
Everything about this door had been a complete shock. From Liz telling him about calling her parents, to Jerry offering them the business to him finally getting control of his emotions and taking the next step with Liz. At this point, nothing could shock him.
“Michael.” Liz whispered.
“Yeah?”
“Will you marry me?”
TBC…
Chasing The Risk (UC, Mi/L, Mature) Pt. 14 [WIP]
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Chasing The Risk
Written by Ann
e-mail: leann1092000@yahoo.com
Part Twelve
Spoilers: None
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell or anything associated with it. The only things I own is the idea for the fic and the following characters: Jerry, Claurice, Tom and a few side characters.
A/N: Thank you everyone for all the feedback! I know this is quite late but I had it almost done at one point and didn't like it so started over. Anyway, I hope you like it. I am starting on the next part now so hopefully it won't be quite as long. Thanks again!
Ann
Michael’s shoulders stiffened. He had to be hearing things. There was no way she just asked him to marry her. No, it was just his mind playing tricks on him. It had to be. He tried to shake it off. To pretend that it really was his mind but there was something there. Some nagging feeling that he really hadn’t imagined it. This wasn’t his life. He didn’t really have the house to live in, the business to run, the girl he’d wanted to be with. No, he was still in that trailer park and Hank was still beating on him. No one really cared and he sure as hell wasn’t getting marriage proposals.
Liz stood there, arms still around his neck holding him close. She’d asked him five minutes ago and he still hadn’t answered. Maybe he really didn’t want her. But if he didn’t want her, why would he kiss her? None of it made sense and all it was doing was upsetting her worse. She couldn’t tell which one of them was shaking more, her or him. Her mind was racing yet it always came back to the same conclusion. He didn’t love her. But she wasn’t ready to give up on him. Not now, not ever.
Confused and conflicted, Michael lifted his head and looked at her for a minute before slowly backing away. He had made it to the front door when she spoke again.
“Michael?” Liz asked, fear in her voice. Was he really going to just walk out when she just asked him to marry her?
Michael stopped. He had to stop this. He never should have let it go this far. It was too dangerous for her to be with him. He knew that. Had always known it but he let his damn heart control him. His anger was building. He wasn’t angry at her. He was angry at himself for being weak. Why didn’t he just go upstairs when he came inside instead of going to her? He knew better.
“Michael please. Talk to me.” Liz was pleading, a tear rolling down her cheek. He had shut down and it was killing her. Why wouldn’t he just talk to her? Was he mad at her? Did he hate her?
“It isn’t gonna happen Liz.” Michael spat out, glaring at her now. “I have no intentions of getting married and even if I did, I wouldn’t get married to someone I’ve only kissed once.”
Liz put her head down, trying to control the sobs.
“I..I thought…” Liz let the words trail off.
“It doesn’t matter what you thought. It isn’t going to happen so just forget it!” Michael shouted. He turned and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him as Liz fell down on the couch crying.
Michael slowly walked down the street toward the tavern. He could have taken the car, but he needed to have some time alone with his thoughts. He didn’t want to be mean. He wanted nothing more than to say yes to her but he knew he couldn’t do that. It would just be endangering her more than she already was and he wouldn’t do that.
“I really am a bastard.” He mumbled to himself as he continued to walk. Making it to the door of the tavern, he slowly pushed it open and stepped in, finding a seat at the bar. Sitting down, he stretched his arms out in front of him on the bar and lay his head on one of them, not really wanting to face anyone but at the same time, not wanting to be alone anymore.
“You do know you really blew it this time, right?” Michael heard him ask.
“I know.” He didn’t have to wonder how Jerry knew. He knew Claurice and Liz had become close and she needed someone to talk to too. If anything, he found it kind of funny how the news had already spread in the ten minutes since he left the house.
“What happened?” Jerry asked, taking the seat beside him.
“You already know what happened.” Michael mumbled.
“Yeah, but I want to hear your side of it. Besides, you need someone to talk to whether you want to admit it or not.” There was a long pause.
“She looked so beautiful.” Michael started. He didn’t really want to talk about it but for some reason, he couldn’t help it.
“I couldn’t keep pretending I didn’t care anymore. So I kissed her.”
“Did she kiss you back?” Jerry asked.
“Yeah, she did.” Michael nodded.
“Go on.”
“Then she asked me to marry her and I turned into the worlds biggest asshole. I yelled at her Jerry. I yelled at her for no damn reason!” Michael scoffed. The more he thought about the situation, the more pissed he got at himself.
“You had a reason. Just not a good one.”
Michael looked at him confused.
“Your insecurities are killing you son. You have to get a hold on it or it’s going to eat you alive and you’re going to spend the rest of your life miserable. And so will Liz.”
“She doesn’t love me Jerry.” Michael said, barely above a whisper.
“What makes you think that?” Jerry asked.
“I have my reasons to believe she doesn’t.” He said, thinking back to that night in the hotel. It’s the only explainable reason for why she wouldn’t have said that her name was the answer on that game they played.
“You know what I think it is. You don’t feel like you’re good enough for her. You see her as this beautiful woman, which she is, and you feel like she deserves better than you so you refuse to give in.”
“She is.” Michael looked up at him. “Do you have a phone? I need to call someone.”
“Yep.” Jerry said as he reached to his belt and unclipped his cell phone, handing it to Michael. “Don’t worry, it can’t be traced.” He said as he walked into the back room.
Michael looked at him confused. Why would he say something like that? Shrugging it off as a coincidence, Michael dialed the number.
The phone rang a few times before there was an answer. “Hello?”
“Mr. Par…uh..Jeff.”
“Michael?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Michael said. He didn’t want to admit to how he treated their daughter, but he needed advice from someone who knew her even better than he did.
“What’s wrong?” Jeff asked
Michael let out a deep breath.
“I screwed up.”
“You ran didn’t you?” Jeff asked. Michael pulled the receiver away from his ear and looked at it as if it had grown feet before putting it back to his ear.
“What?”
“Lizzie took the biggest risk of her life by asking you to marry her and you ran.” Jeff wasn’t mad, but he was greatly saddened for his daughter. And Michael. The guy had serious issues.
“I didn’t run.” Michael said. “I walked briskly.”
“Why?” Jeff asked.
“You know what I am Jeff. It’s dangerous enough for her. But at least this way, if we needed to separate, they wouldn’t be as likely to go looking for her. You add marriage to it, she’s gonna be one of their biggest targets. I can’t…I can’t do that. I can’t risk losing her to those bastards.”
“Have you stopped to consider that by what you did today you risked losing her anyway?”
“I know.” Michael said, dropping his head into his hand. “But at least I know she’s alive.”
“Michael, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Liz is a strong woman. She’ll fight for what she believes in until the cows come home but even she has a breaking point. You can only push so much. Now I know you did what you felt was right. And I commend you for that. But you have to learn to trust Liz. She’s smart. She isn’t going to just go do something that will put her or you in danger. Now I’ll admit, it petrifies me that the two of you are out there, trying to stay alive but I take comfort in the fact that you’re there for each other. Where one of you lacks, the other is strong enough for the both of you.”
“I do trust her. I trust her with my life. But it isn’t my life that I’m worried about here.”
“Michael, I asked you this the last time we talked and you evaded the question. So I’m going to ask again. Do you love Liz?”
There was no pause this time. No silence. Just a determined answer.
“More than life itself.”
Jeff smiled into the receiver.
“I can tell you for a fact Michael that Liz loves you. Whether she’s told you or not. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have called here this morning asking for our permission to marry you.”
“She did?”
“Yes she did. Our family has a strong belief that when a man wishes to marry a woman, he should ask her parents for her hand in marriage. Since the situation was reversed, and you told her about our previous conversation and how I said you are a son to us, she called here to ask for your hand. She wanted it to be perfect.”
“And I went and fucked it up.” Michael closed his eyes and shook his head.
“No. You made a mistake. We all make mistakes Michael. But only you can fix this one. Tell her how you feel. You can make it right. But you have to be willing to try.” Jeff said, hoping Michael would listen. He loved Michael, but he was as hard headed as an ox.
Michael knew what he had to do and it wasn’t going to be easy. But he had to try.
“Thank you.” He said to Jeff.
“You’re welcome son. Now go, tell Liz how you feel.”
“I will.”
Michael ended the phone call with Jeff and walked into the back room of the tavern. Finding Jerry, he handed him back the phone.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Get things figured out?” Jerry asked as he stocked the shelves.
“Yeah. I’ve got to go.”
“Good luck son.” Jerry said, smiling at Michael.
“Thanks. I’m gonna need it.”
Michael walked out and headed towards the house. It was getting cloudy and he knew it wouldn’t be long before the rain started again. For once, something in his life made sense.
He walked onto the porch and opened the door. The living room and kitchen were dark. She wasn’t in either of them or the bathroom. Figuring she was upstairs in one of the bedrooms, Michael walked up the stairs, taking two at a time. He searched from room to room not finding Liz. Making it to the room she was staying in, he opened the door and almost collapsed at the site in front of him.
Liz wasn’t there. And neither was her stuff. The only thing that remained, was a note on the bed. Michael walked over and picked it up and nearly choked on the words.
Michael,
I don’t know why you hate me so much but I can’t live like this. I guess I misread the signals because I thought things were going good. I know that me asking you to marry me was a shock but I don’t deserve to be treated like crap. I’m sorry I disrupted your life. Maybe we’re just better off apart. Goodbye Michael.
Liz
Sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor, knees raised, Michael felt so completely lost. She was gone. His life was gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It had been a week since Liz left. Michael knew where she was. Jerry had told him that she went home with Claurice and had been staying in their guestroom. But he couldn’t make himself go over there. Hell, he couldn’t make himself get out of bed, other than to go to the bathroom. He hadn’t eaten since the day before their fight. He’d lost a lot of weight and had a severe case of five ‘o clock shadow. He didn’t care. He just wanted it all to end. He wanted to die. He had nothing to live for anymore.
The rain had yet to let up, which caused a leak in the ceiling just above his head. Instead of moving, he just let it drip on him. He was numb. Oblivious to the things around him which is why he didn’t hear the bedroom door open.
“What are you doing?” Jerry asked, concerned but Michael didn’t answer. He just continued to stare at the wall, not blinking once.
“Michael, this isn’t healthy. You have to g..”
“Do I look like I care what is and isn’t healthy?” Michael asked, still not looking at him.
“No. You look like a jackass who can’t get over himself for two damn minutes to see what’s going on around him.” Michael didn’t respond.
Jerry sat on the chair across the room and looked at Michael. He looked sick. He was underweight and obviously hadn’t been sleeping much.
“She hates me.” Michael finally said.
“No she doesn’t.”
“She left me. That’s a pretty good sign that..”
“It’s a pretty good sign that she’s hurt. She doesn’t hate you. But you aren’t accomplishing anything by laying there, feeling sorry for yourself. Go to her.”
“What if she doesn’t want me going to her? Maybe she just want’s me to leave her alone.” Michael said, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over his eyes.
“You don’t really believe that do you? She doesn’t want you to leave her alone. She want’s to know you care. But the way you’re going now, it looks as if you don’t give a damn about her.”
“That isn’t true.” Michael said angrily, finally looking at Jerry.
“I know that and you know it. But she doesn’t. All she knows is that since she left, you haven’t once tried to talk to her.”
Jerry stood up and walked over to the bed. Reaching his hand down, he gestured for Michael to take it. When he finally did, Jerry helped him stand up.
“Now go and shave, then go talk to Liz. You owe it to both of you. You’ll want to go to her bedroom window though. Claurice is holding a tupperware party and you really don’t want to walk through the house when a bunch of old ladies are talking about plastic. It’s the middle window on the back of the house. Go get her son.” Jerry turned and walked out of the room. Michael could hear him walking down the stairs and had half a mind to lay back on the bed and stay there forever. But Jerry was right. He at least had to try. Even if it accomplished nothing else, he wanted Liz to know he cared.
He walked downstairs, which took great effort considering how weak he had gotten over the past seven days. He searched for a piece of paper but couldn’t find one. Getting an idea, he walked back upstairs to his room and found his journal. Well, the notebook he was using as a journal anyway. Opening it, he began to write. Twenty minutes later, he stood up from the bedroom table and walked over to the dresser. Finding something to wear, he changed, then ran his hand over his face to get rid of the stubble that had grown in.
Finally ready, he headed back down the stairs and out of the house. It was still pouring down rain but he didn’t care. He had to talk to her and that was all that mattered. He made it across the street to Jerry and Cluarice’s house and walked to the back where the window was. Slowly stepping up to it, he noticed it was slightly open and Liz was sitting on the bed, rolled up in a ball. She was pale and looked as lost as he felt. His heart ached at the sight.
“Go away Michael.” Liz said quietly.
“I need to talk to you.” Michael replied, putting his hand on the window. He wanted so badly to hold her.
“I don’t want to talk. I want to be left alone.”
“Liz. Please.” Michael said, almost in a beg.
“Go away. I don’t want to talk to you Michael.”
“Please just hear me out.” Michael asked, feeling his world slipping away all over again.
“I said go.” Liz said, never looking up at him.
Michael nodded and dropped the letter he had been holding through her window before walking away.
Liz began crying again. She didn’t want to turn him away but at the same time, she was too embarrassed to face him. He didn’t love her. He had proved that a week ago when he yelled at then walked out on her. But she still loved him and the pain of seeing him and knowing he didn’t care was more than she could deal with.
Seeing the piece of paper on the floor, she got up from the bed and walked to it, picking it up before returning to the bed to read it.
Liz,
If you’re reading this then you must not have wanted to talk to me. I can’t say that I blame you. I was an ass to you and I have no one to blame for you leaving but myself. I just wish things had gone differently. I wish I had had the balls to tell you what I was really feeling instead of yelling at you and storming out.
I’m not good with words. I hate showing emotions so I try to avoid it most of the time. That way no one really knows what I’m feeling. But I want you to know what I’m feeling. What I was feeling that night you left. So please just bear with me.
My whole life I’ve had to watch over my shoulder, just trying to survive. Hiding from this evil alien or that FBI agent hasn’t made it much of a life. The only time I have ever been really happy was when I was with you. But being with me is dangerous. I never know when someone is going to come looking for me and if they do, they won’t just leave people that are associated with me behind.
Damn Liz, I thought I had it all under control. I thought I had remembered everything but the one thing I forgot was to have faith in you. I was so convinced something bad was going to happen because with me it usually does and I am so scared of losing you.
I’m not perfect. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I can guarantee that I will make a lot more. But I never wanted to hurt you. I was trying to protect you whether you needed it or not. It’s no wonder I was killed in my last life. If this is how I was then, I probably had more enemies than Charles Manson.
For years people have been telling me I’m a screw up. They said I was stupid and didn’t do anything right. And every time, I fought with myself, telling myself they weren’t right. That they didn’t really know me. But they did. They were right. It just took you leaving to make me realize it. I was trying to make something right and I screwed it up and lost the one person who means everything to me. I’m not good at apologies. I suck at them actually. But I want you to know that I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you and I would give anything to have you not hate me. But I understand if you do.
I read your note. I agree that you are better off without me. But you’re wrong about me being better off without you. I am nothing without you. I’m sorry that I’ve screwed up your life and I’m sorry that you think I hate you. I could never hate you Liz. I hate myself, not you.
I didn’t run because I didn’t want to marry you. I ran because I did. Guess that’s one thing that will never change.
I’m sorry I hurt you.
I love you.
Michael
Liz finished reading the letter and wiped her eyes. Stuffing it in her back pocket, she ran out of the bedroom in search of a ride.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael had been walking around town for the last twenty minutes. He didn’t want to go home yet. He wanted the rain to keep falling on him. It was pouring hard and it was cold and it hurt when it hit his skin. But the pain wasn’t enough. He wasn’t hurting enough yet. He needed to feel the pain. To remember what he had put Liz through. He felt like he had to punish himself. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard the car pull up behind him.
Jerry had agreed to take Liz to look for Michael. They had been driving for about fifteen minutes when they spotted him walking down the middle of the street before walking over and collapsing on his knees the sidewalk. Jerry pulled over and Liz got out and looked at Michael. He was broken and crying, his face in his hands and his black Metallica t-shirt and loose blue jeans stuck to his body from the rain. Still crying herself, Liz quietly walked over and sat down beside him, not making her presence known. She sat there for a few minutes in silence. Michael had sensed her when she sat beside him but he hadn’t let on.
“Hey.” Liz said quietly. Michael didn’t say anything. Any other time, he would have tried to hide the fact that he was crying, but at this point he didn’t care.
“I read your letter Michael and now I want you to listen to me ok?” Michael nodded.
“You are not, nor have you ever been stupid or a screw up. You may not always make the best decisions but who does?” she got up and walked to the front of him, sitting in the street so she could see his face better.
“I don’t hate you. I never did. I was hurt, yes. I thought you didn’t want me.”
Michael shook his head. “But I..”
“No. Let me finish please.” Michael nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat..
“I don’t expect you to be perfect Michael. I love you the way you are. All I ever wanted was for you to feel the same way about me. There is no such thing as perfect. I know that. If there was, we wouldn’t ever learn from our mistakes. I’ve certainly made a few of my own but the biggest mistake was not telling you how I felt before asking you to marry me.”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference. I was so determined to push you away that it wouldn’t have mattered.” Michael said. He knew she said to wait until she was done talking but he couldn’t let her take the blame for this.
“Do you know how that makes me feel Michael?” Liz asked.
Michael looked into her eyes and spoke with sincerity. “I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t be. It makes me feel special. The fact that you would give up your own happiness to keep me safe means a lot to me Michael.”
“Aww, isn’t that sweet?” came a gruff voice, dripping with sarchasm.
Liz spun around as her and Michael looked up to see the man wearing a black suit standing in the street watching them intently. Michael and Liz looked at each other, then stood up to face the enemy.
“What do you want?” Michael asked.
The man let out a blight laugh. “Why Mr. Guerin, for someone whose so smart, you can be quite dense sometimes. You see, a little less than two weeks ago, you killed a good friend of mine. I plan to make you pay for that. Oh, but before I do…”
Before Michael and Liz knew what was happening, they were both grabbed from behind by two other men, being held tightly.
“These fine gentleman are Mr. Theu and Mr. Aurus. You can call me Mr. Raiz.”
“You see Mr. Guerin, I’m not a very forgiving person.” The man signaled to the man holding Michael, who roughly threw Michael to the ground on his stomach and shoved his knee into Michael’s back. Forcing a pair of handcuffs onto Michael, he stood him back up to face Mr. Raiz, who stepped forward and began punching Michael.
Jerry had been sitting in his car listening to a Bette Middler cd and reading an article in the latest NebraskaLand magazine, when he looked up to see Michael and Liz being held and Michael being punched in the stomach. Jumping out of his car, he stepped a little closer, but still couldn’t be seen by the others.
Getting bored, Mr. Raiz turned around. Michael looked over to Liz and mouthed for her to do what he does. Leaning his head forward slightly, he shoved it back as hard as he could, bringing it in contact with Mr. Theu’s nose. Hearing the cracking noise, Liz cringed as she repeated his actions.
Mr. Raiz turned around at the sound of bone cracking, to find Michael and Liz no longer being held and staring back at him. Pissed now that his plan didn’t work, he reached behind him and pulled a gun from that was tucked into the back of his pants. Pointing it at Michael, he pulled the trigger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz bent down to where Michael was laying on the street, a hole in his chest and a puddle of blood under him. Sobbing, she began to talk to him.
“Michael…Michael hold on. We’ll get help.”
“It’s too late Liz.” Michael whispered. “This is it.”
“No. NO, I don’t believe that Michael. You’re going to be ok.”
“Liz..” Michael coughed. “Liz…I love you.”
“I love you too Michael.” Liz cried, leaning down and kissing him on the mouth.
Jerry ran over and knelt on the other side of Michael.
“Michael, son, look at me.” Jerry said as he looked at Michael. Michael turned his head and looked at Jerry.
“It’s going to be alright son. Just keep looking at me.” Jerry reached down and put his hand on Michael’s chest. Michael choked as he felt the bullet shift in his chest, just before the pain disappeared.
Michael looked at Jerry. To say he was shocked, would be an understatement. Jerry had just saved his life. He was one of them.
Liz looked over to where the men who had held them before lay, then back at Jerry.
“Are they…are they dead?”
Jerry stood up and walked over, checking pulses. There was no doubt, they were all dead. The one who had held Michael had his nose driven into his brain. Dead on contact. The one that held Liz wasn’t hit that hard, but when she hit him, he lost balance, falling backwards and coming in contact with the jagged edge of a car fender, almost severing his head from his neck. The one that went by Mr. Raiz died from the blast that had been sent into him.
He walked back over to where Michael and Liz were at and nodded his head.
“They’re dead.” He said.
“How are we going to explain this?” Liz asked, panicking. “This is a small town. Somebody had to see what happened.”
“We aren’t going to explain anything.” Jerry said, nonchalantly.
“How can you be so calm about this?” Michael asked.
“Listen to me.” Jerry said. “This is an empty street. No one has lived on this street in fifteen years. The old school is the only thing the next block up and it’s been closed for eleven years. There is nothing else on this end of town. The closest vacant home is two streets over. No one saw anything.”
Liz let out the breath she had been holding and leaned down to Michael, wrapping her arm around him.
“So you’re like me?” Michael asked him as he pulled Liz closer to him.
“I am.” Jerry replied. “I will explain it all to you after we get these bodies moved.” He looked over at the bodies then back to Liz.
“Liz?”
“Yeah?” Liz asked.
“When did you develop powers?” Liz looked over to the side, not wanting to face either him or Michael.
“What?” Michael asked. “Liz doesn’t have powers.”
“Yes I do.” Liz said quietly, slowly turning to face him. “They just showed up about a week ago.” She paused, looking at the body of Mr. Raiz.
“I didn’t mean to kill him. I was just trying to stop him from shooting Michael. But Michael ended up shot anyway and that Raiz guy ended up dead. Gosh what am I?” Liz asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Max.” Michael said.
“What?” Liz asked.
“When Max saved you, it must have done something to you.”
“But why would it just now show up?”
“This has nothing to do with him.” Jerry said. “I’ll explain everything later. Lets get these bodies out of here.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Forty-five minutes later, Michael, Liz, Jerry and Claurice sat in Michael and Liz’s livingroom. They had taken the bodies to an old dried up well fifteen miles away and had only been back about ten minutes. They were tired and dirty and as of yet, no one had spoken. Michael couldn’t take the quiet anymore.
“So who are you?” he asked.
“I was waiting for that one. We’ve been searching for you for years.” Jerry said.
“We?” Liz asked.
“We. Claurice and I. She’s one of us too. Anyway, we’ve gone to pretty much every state south and east of here. We hadn’t covered the western states yet. You must have been in one of those.”
“New Mexico.” Michael said.
“Well that explains it.” Claurice said. “We were worried we would never find you.”
“Can we maybe skip to the part where you tell us who you are and discuss the geography lesson later?” Michael asked. He was still wary of these people. He wanted to believe they could trust them. He had grown to like Jerry and he knew Liz and Claurice had gotten close but not knowing how it was that they seemed to know who he and Liz were was unnerving to say the least.
Claurice and Jerry looked at each other and Jerry nodded to her before she turned to look at Michael again.
“We’re your parents.”
Michael’s jaw dropped. Turning to look at Liz, he realized her expression matched his. He turned back and looked at Jerry and Claurice.
“My parents? But I thought my parents were dead.”
“That’s true. We were. We had to die. It was the only way for us to leave to be here with you.”
“What do you mean?” Liz asked and reached over, grabbing Michael’s hand.
“Have you heard of Kivar?” Jerry asked. Upon Michael and Liz’s nod, he continued.
“Kivar wanted to rule Antar and was willing to kill anyone in his way to do it. He formed an army for the purpose of taking out the royal family. You were the King’s best friend. He made you his Second In Command, therefore making you a part of the Royal family.”
“So in reality, it was my fault Kivar went after you.” Michael said.
“Not at all.” Claurice answered. “By the time Kivar got enough followers in his army, most of the Antarian people joined up to stand up against Kivar and protect the Royals. We made ourselves easy targets but we fought for what we believed in. We had a strong army and were able to take out Kivar’s. However, we weren’t ever able to get Kivar himself. The war had spread and we were attacked by several other armies. None of the Royal family, including you , made it through the war. We almost gave up.”
“What stopped you?” Michael asked.
“We got word that the essences of the Royals was going to be put into human form and that you would all be sent to Earth in hopes of survival. As soon as we heard that, we had a trusted friend, Azlan, who was in charge of the essence retrieval of the Royals, do the same with us. We had ourselves killed and our essences put into human form. Then we went into hiding until we thought it was safe to come looking for you. We never found a safe time. You had already been here for close to five years by the time we were able to get away.”
“How did you finally get away?” Liz asked.
“Well Azlan, had been working on different forms of transport, trying to help us find a way to you. He created a portal to help us get here. With it being a time of war, we had to fight our way to get to it but once we did, the rest was easy. As soon as we got through, the port closed, never to be found again.”
“What happened to Azlan?” Michael asked.
“He jumped in with us but with him still being in his Antarian form, he didn’t live through the trip. We lost him about half way.”
The group fell into an uncomfortable silence. Michael trying to come to terms with the fact that he had a family. Jerry and Claurice realizing they had found their son, or rather, he found them. And Liz excited for Michael but confused about her powers. She had to step out for a minute.
“Um…I’m gonna get a drink. Anyone want anything?”
“A glass of water would be good.” Claurice said and Jerry nodded.
“Here, I’ll help you.” Michael said, getting up from the couch and following her into the kitchen. Michael walked over to the cabinet to grab the glasses, while Liz stood at the sink looking at him.
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy that you have parents.” Liz said as Michael handed her a glass.
“I am, it’s just weird you know? I mean for the last twelve years I didn’t think I had parents. But now I find out that I do and I’ve been living across the street from them for a little over a week.”
“Try to imagine how they feel. After searching for seven or eight years, they finally found you.” Michael nodded. Hearing him clear his throat Michael and Liz turned to look at Jerry.
“Hey. Claurice and I are gonna head on home. It’s late and we open the tavern at 6:30 in the morning.”
“Oh ok.” Liz said. “Oh wait a minute. You said you’d tell me about my powers.”
“That’s right. I did, didn’t I?” Jerry smiled, sitting on the stool. “Antarian men hold a great deal of power. A lot of which is never used, but is in a reserve of sorts. When the men meet the woman they are meant to be with, the power that was in reserve goes into the woman. It’s like another way of protecting her. It only happens when he meets that one woman that he will always be with and when they make a romantic contact. So when Michael kissed you last week, it triggered it. You are Michael’s one.” With that Jerry smiled and stood up, turning and walking out of the house with Claurice.
“And yet another way I’ve screwed up your life.” Michael said as he leaned his back against the counter.
“What?” Liz asked Putting the glass she had been holding down, and walking over to him, and putting one hand on the counter on each side of him.
“Hank was right. I’m a freak and all I’ve done is screwed up your life.” Michael said quietly as he looked off to the side.
“Michael, look at me.” He turned his head and looked down into her eyes, not saying anything.
Liz could see the conflict going on in his eyes. It was rare that Michael let anyone see him like this. So vulnerable and open. It made Liz proud to know that he would let her see him like that yet it saddened her how he saw himself.
“The things Hank called you, couldn’t have been farther from the truth. You are not a screw up or a freak or whatever else he said. Hank was a drunk who took pleasure out of hurting you. You didn’t do anything to deserve it. If anyone was a freak, it was Hank. Don’t you understand Michael? You have never screwed up my life. You are my life. You mean everything to me and I will spend the rest of my life reminding you of that.”
“Why?” Michael asked. How could she want him after the way he treated her?
“Because Michael, I love you. And no little fight is going to change that. You are more important to me than a few harsh words. That’s why.” Liz said as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“But there is one thing you can do to make it up to me.” She continued.
“What’s that?” he asked, willing to do anything.
“Change my hair back. I’m getting tired of blonde.”
Michael smiled as he reached his hands up to her hair, running them over the blonde strands and changing them back to their original dark brown color.
“I like it better this way.” He said.
“Really? Why didn’t you say something before?” she asked.
“You seemed to like it and it looked good. I just like your color better.” He shrugged before leaning down and kissing her, pulling her bottom lip into his mouth before pulling away.
“I need to call Max.” he said, pulling her hands off his waist and walking around her. Liz stood there looking wounded, wondering what happened. Michael turned to look at her and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” She threw her hands on her hips, her eyebrows furrowing in mock anger.
“Your face. You looked so wounded.” He said.
“Well you’re kissing me and thinking of Max. It’s a little distressing.”
“I w…”
“Were you thinking of Max the last time you kissed me?”
“Liz.”
“Cause if you were, I’m seriously gonna wonder about our relationship.”
“Liz!”
“What?”
“I need to talk to Max.”
“Yeah, I caught that.”
“No, I don’t think you did. I need to talk to him about something important.”
“Ok…” Liz said, looking confused.
“Liz, I have to talk to him. I can’t get married without a best man.”
TBC…
Written by Ann
e-mail: leann1092000@yahoo.com
Part Twelve
Spoilers: None
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: I do not own Roswell or anything associated with it. The only things I own is the idea for the fic and the following characters: Jerry, Claurice, Tom and a few side characters.
A/N: Thank you everyone for all the feedback! I know this is quite late but I had it almost done at one point and didn't like it so started over. Anyway, I hope you like it. I am starting on the next part now so hopefully it won't be quite as long. Thanks again!
Ann
Michael’s shoulders stiffened. He had to be hearing things. There was no way she just asked him to marry her. No, it was just his mind playing tricks on him. It had to be. He tried to shake it off. To pretend that it really was his mind but there was something there. Some nagging feeling that he really hadn’t imagined it. This wasn’t his life. He didn’t really have the house to live in, the business to run, the girl he’d wanted to be with. No, he was still in that trailer park and Hank was still beating on him. No one really cared and he sure as hell wasn’t getting marriage proposals.
Liz stood there, arms still around his neck holding him close. She’d asked him five minutes ago and he still hadn’t answered. Maybe he really didn’t want her. But if he didn’t want her, why would he kiss her? None of it made sense and all it was doing was upsetting her worse. She couldn’t tell which one of them was shaking more, her or him. Her mind was racing yet it always came back to the same conclusion. He didn’t love her. But she wasn’t ready to give up on him. Not now, not ever.
Confused and conflicted, Michael lifted his head and looked at her for a minute before slowly backing away. He had made it to the front door when she spoke again.
“Michael?” Liz asked, fear in her voice. Was he really going to just walk out when she just asked him to marry her?
Michael stopped. He had to stop this. He never should have let it go this far. It was too dangerous for her to be with him. He knew that. Had always known it but he let his damn heart control him. His anger was building. He wasn’t angry at her. He was angry at himself for being weak. Why didn’t he just go upstairs when he came inside instead of going to her? He knew better.
“Michael please. Talk to me.” Liz was pleading, a tear rolling down her cheek. He had shut down and it was killing her. Why wouldn’t he just talk to her? Was he mad at her? Did he hate her?
“It isn’t gonna happen Liz.” Michael spat out, glaring at her now. “I have no intentions of getting married and even if I did, I wouldn’t get married to someone I’ve only kissed once.”
Liz put her head down, trying to control the sobs.
“I..I thought…” Liz let the words trail off.
“It doesn’t matter what you thought. It isn’t going to happen so just forget it!” Michael shouted. He turned and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him as Liz fell down on the couch crying.
Michael slowly walked down the street toward the tavern. He could have taken the car, but he needed to have some time alone with his thoughts. He didn’t want to be mean. He wanted nothing more than to say yes to her but he knew he couldn’t do that. It would just be endangering her more than she already was and he wouldn’t do that.
“I really am a bastard.” He mumbled to himself as he continued to walk. Making it to the door of the tavern, he slowly pushed it open and stepped in, finding a seat at the bar. Sitting down, he stretched his arms out in front of him on the bar and lay his head on one of them, not really wanting to face anyone but at the same time, not wanting to be alone anymore.
“You do know you really blew it this time, right?” Michael heard him ask.
“I know.” He didn’t have to wonder how Jerry knew. He knew Claurice and Liz had become close and she needed someone to talk to too. If anything, he found it kind of funny how the news had already spread in the ten minutes since he left the house.
“What happened?” Jerry asked, taking the seat beside him.
“You already know what happened.” Michael mumbled.
“Yeah, but I want to hear your side of it. Besides, you need someone to talk to whether you want to admit it or not.” There was a long pause.
“She looked so beautiful.” Michael started. He didn’t really want to talk about it but for some reason, he couldn’t help it.
“I couldn’t keep pretending I didn’t care anymore. So I kissed her.”
“Did she kiss you back?” Jerry asked.
“Yeah, she did.” Michael nodded.
“Go on.”
“Then she asked me to marry her and I turned into the worlds biggest asshole. I yelled at her Jerry. I yelled at her for no damn reason!” Michael scoffed. The more he thought about the situation, the more pissed he got at himself.
“You had a reason. Just not a good one.”
Michael looked at him confused.
“Your insecurities are killing you son. You have to get a hold on it or it’s going to eat you alive and you’re going to spend the rest of your life miserable. And so will Liz.”
“She doesn’t love me Jerry.” Michael said, barely above a whisper.
“What makes you think that?” Jerry asked.
“I have my reasons to believe she doesn’t.” He said, thinking back to that night in the hotel. It’s the only explainable reason for why she wouldn’t have said that her name was the answer on that game they played.
“You know what I think it is. You don’t feel like you’re good enough for her. You see her as this beautiful woman, which she is, and you feel like she deserves better than you so you refuse to give in.”
“She is.” Michael looked up at him. “Do you have a phone? I need to call someone.”
“Yep.” Jerry said as he reached to his belt and unclipped his cell phone, handing it to Michael. “Don’t worry, it can’t be traced.” He said as he walked into the back room.
Michael looked at him confused. Why would he say something like that? Shrugging it off as a coincidence, Michael dialed the number.
The phone rang a few times before there was an answer. “Hello?”
“Mr. Par…uh..Jeff.”
“Michael?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Michael said. He didn’t want to admit to how he treated their daughter, but he needed advice from someone who knew her even better than he did.
“What’s wrong?” Jeff asked
Michael let out a deep breath.
“I screwed up.”
“You ran didn’t you?” Jeff asked. Michael pulled the receiver away from his ear and looked at it as if it had grown feet before putting it back to his ear.
“What?”
“Lizzie took the biggest risk of her life by asking you to marry her and you ran.” Jeff wasn’t mad, but he was greatly saddened for his daughter. And Michael. The guy had serious issues.
“I didn’t run.” Michael said. “I walked briskly.”
“Why?” Jeff asked.
“You know what I am Jeff. It’s dangerous enough for her. But at least this way, if we needed to separate, they wouldn’t be as likely to go looking for her. You add marriage to it, she’s gonna be one of their biggest targets. I can’t…I can’t do that. I can’t risk losing her to those bastards.”
“Have you stopped to consider that by what you did today you risked losing her anyway?”
“I know.” Michael said, dropping his head into his hand. “But at least I know she’s alive.”
“Michael, I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Liz is a strong woman. She’ll fight for what she believes in until the cows come home but even she has a breaking point. You can only push so much. Now I know you did what you felt was right. And I commend you for that. But you have to learn to trust Liz. She’s smart. She isn’t going to just go do something that will put her or you in danger. Now I’ll admit, it petrifies me that the two of you are out there, trying to stay alive but I take comfort in the fact that you’re there for each other. Where one of you lacks, the other is strong enough for the both of you.”
“I do trust her. I trust her with my life. But it isn’t my life that I’m worried about here.”
“Michael, I asked you this the last time we talked and you evaded the question. So I’m going to ask again. Do you love Liz?”
There was no pause this time. No silence. Just a determined answer.
“More than life itself.”
Jeff smiled into the receiver.
“I can tell you for a fact Michael that Liz loves you. Whether she’s told you or not. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have called here this morning asking for our permission to marry you.”
“She did?”
“Yes she did. Our family has a strong belief that when a man wishes to marry a woman, he should ask her parents for her hand in marriage. Since the situation was reversed, and you told her about our previous conversation and how I said you are a son to us, she called here to ask for your hand. She wanted it to be perfect.”
“And I went and fucked it up.” Michael closed his eyes and shook his head.
“No. You made a mistake. We all make mistakes Michael. But only you can fix this one. Tell her how you feel. You can make it right. But you have to be willing to try.” Jeff said, hoping Michael would listen. He loved Michael, but he was as hard headed as an ox.
Michael knew what he had to do and it wasn’t going to be easy. But he had to try.
“Thank you.” He said to Jeff.
“You’re welcome son. Now go, tell Liz how you feel.”
“I will.”
Michael ended the phone call with Jeff and walked into the back room of the tavern. Finding Jerry, he handed him back the phone.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Get things figured out?” Jerry asked as he stocked the shelves.
“Yeah. I’ve got to go.”
“Good luck son.” Jerry said, smiling at Michael.
“Thanks. I’m gonna need it.”
Michael walked out and headed towards the house. It was getting cloudy and he knew it wouldn’t be long before the rain started again. For once, something in his life made sense.
He walked onto the porch and opened the door. The living room and kitchen were dark. She wasn’t in either of them or the bathroom. Figuring she was upstairs in one of the bedrooms, Michael walked up the stairs, taking two at a time. He searched from room to room not finding Liz. Making it to the room she was staying in, he opened the door and almost collapsed at the site in front of him.
Liz wasn’t there. And neither was her stuff. The only thing that remained, was a note on the bed. Michael walked over and picked it up and nearly choked on the words.
Michael,
I don’t know why you hate me so much but I can’t live like this. I guess I misread the signals because I thought things were going good. I know that me asking you to marry me was a shock but I don’t deserve to be treated like crap. I’m sorry I disrupted your life. Maybe we’re just better off apart. Goodbye Michael.
Liz
Sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor, knees raised, Michael felt so completely lost. She was gone. His life was gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It had been a week since Liz left. Michael knew where she was. Jerry had told him that she went home with Claurice and had been staying in their guestroom. But he couldn’t make himself go over there. Hell, he couldn’t make himself get out of bed, other than to go to the bathroom. He hadn’t eaten since the day before their fight. He’d lost a lot of weight and had a severe case of five ‘o clock shadow. He didn’t care. He just wanted it all to end. He wanted to die. He had nothing to live for anymore.
The rain had yet to let up, which caused a leak in the ceiling just above his head. Instead of moving, he just let it drip on him. He was numb. Oblivious to the things around him which is why he didn’t hear the bedroom door open.
“What are you doing?” Jerry asked, concerned but Michael didn’t answer. He just continued to stare at the wall, not blinking once.
“Michael, this isn’t healthy. You have to g..”
“Do I look like I care what is and isn’t healthy?” Michael asked, still not looking at him.
“No. You look like a jackass who can’t get over himself for two damn minutes to see what’s going on around him.” Michael didn’t respond.
Jerry sat on the chair across the room and looked at Michael. He looked sick. He was underweight and obviously hadn’t been sleeping much.
“She hates me.” Michael finally said.
“No she doesn’t.”
“She left me. That’s a pretty good sign that..”
“It’s a pretty good sign that she’s hurt. She doesn’t hate you. But you aren’t accomplishing anything by laying there, feeling sorry for yourself. Go to her.”
“What if she doesn’t want me going to her? Maybe she just want’s me to leave her alone.” Michael said, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over his eyes.
“You don’t really believe that do you? She doesn’t want you to leave her alone. She want’s to know you care. But the way you’re going now, it looks as if you don’t give a damn about her.”
“That isn’t true.” Michael said angrily, finally looking at Jerry.
“I know that and you know it. But she doesn’t. All she knows is that since she left, you haven’t once tried to talk to her.”
Jerry stood up and walked over to the bed. Reaching his hand down, he gestured for Michael to take it. When he finally did, Jerry helped him stand up.
“Now go and shave, then go talk to Liz. You owe it to both of you. You’ll want to go to her bedroom window though. Claurice is holding a tupperware party and you really don’t want to walk through the house when a bunch of old ladies are talking about plastic. It’s the middle window on the back of the house. Go get her son.” Jerry turned and walked out of the room. Michael could hear him walking down the stairs and had half a mind to lay back on the bed and stay there forever. But Jerry was right. He at least had to try. Even if it accomplished nothing else, he wanted Liz to know he cared.
He walked downstairs, which took great effort considering how weak he had gotten over the past seven days. He searched for a piece of paper but couldn’t find one. Getting an idea, he walked back upstairs to his room and found his journal. Well, the notebook he was using as a journal anyway. Opening it, he began to write. Twenty minutes later, he stood up from the bedroom table and walked over to the dresser. Finding something to wear, he changed, then ran his hand over his face to get rid of the stubble that had grown in.
Finally ready, he headed back down the stairs and out of the house. It was still pouring down rain but he didn’t care. He had to talk to her and that was all that mattered. He made it across the street to Jerry and Cluarice’s house and walked to the back where the window was. Slowly stepping up to it, he noticed it was slightly open and Liz was sitting on the bed, rolled up in a ball. She was pale and looked as lost as he felt. His heart ached at the sight.
“Go away Michael.” Liz said quietly.
“I need to talk to you.” Michael replied, putting his hand on the window. He wanted so badly to hold her.
“I don’t want to talk. I want to be left alone.”
“Liz. Please.” Michael said, almost in a beg.
“Go away. I don’t want to talk to you Michael.”
“Please just hear me out.” Michael asked, feeling his world slipping away all over again.
“I said go.” Liz said, never looking up at him.
Michael nodded and dropped the letter he had been holding through her window before walking away.
Liz began crying again. She didn’t want to turn him away but at the same time, she was too embarrassed to face him. He didn’t love her. He had proved that a week ago when he yelled at then walked out on her. But she still loved him and the pain of seeing him and knowing he didn’t care was more than she could deal with.
Seeing the piece of paper on the floor, she got up from the bed and walked to it, picking it up before returning to the bed to read it.
Liz,
If you’re reading this then you must not have wanted to talk to me. I can’t say that I blame you. I was an ass to you and I have no one to blame for you leaving but myself. I just wish things had gone differently. I wish I had had the balls to tell you what I was really feeling instead of yelling at you and storming out.
I’m not good with words. I hate showing emotions so I try to avoid it most of the time. That way no one really knows what I’m feeling. But I want you to know what I’m feeling. What I was feeling that night you left. So please just bear with me.
My whole life I’ve had to watch over my shoulder, just trying to survive. Hiding from this evil alien or that FBI agent hasn’t made it much of a life. The only time I have ever been really happy was when I was with you. But being with me is dangerous. I never know when someone is going to come looking for me and if they do, they won’t just leave people that are associated with me behind.
Damn Liz, I thought I had it all under control. I thought I had remembered everything but the one thing I forgot was to have faith in you. I was so convinced something bad was going to happen because with me it usually does and I am so scared of losing you.
I’m not perfect. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I can guarantee that I will make a lot more. But I never wanted to hurt you. I was trying to protect you whether you needed it or not. It’s no wonder I was killed in my last life. If this is how I was then, I probably had more enemies than Charles Manson.
For years people have been telling me I’m a screw up. They said I was stupid and didn’t do anything right. And every time, I fought with myself, telling myself they weren’t right. That they didn’t really know me. But they did. They were right. It just took you leaving to make me realize it. I was trying to make something right and I screwed it up and lost the one person who means everything to me. I’m not good at apologies. I suck at them actually. But I want you to know that I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you and I would give anything to have you not hate me. But I understand if you do.
I read your note. I agree that you are better off without me. But you’re wrong about me being better off without you. I am nothing without you. I’m sorry that I’ve screwed up your life and I’m sorry that you think I hate you. I could never hate you Liz. I hate myself, not you.
I didn’t run because I didn’t want to marry you. I ran because I did. Guess that’s one thing that will never change.
I’m sorry I hurt you.
I love you.
Michael
Liz finished reading the letter and wiped her eyes. Stuffing it in her back pocket, she ran out of the bedroom in search of a ride.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Michael had been walking around town for the last twenty minutes. He didn’t want to go home yet. He wanted the rain to keep falling on him. It was pouring hard and it was cold and it hurt when it hit his skin. But the pain wasn’t enough. He wasn’t hurting enough yet. He needed to feel the pain. To remember what he had put Liz through. He felt like he had to punish himself. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard the car pull up behind him.
Jerry had agreed to take Liz to look for Michael. They had been driving for about fifteen minutes when they spotted him walking down the middle of the street before walking over and collapsing on his knees the sidewalk. Jerry pulled over and Liz got out and looked at Michael. He was broken and crying, his face in his hands and his black Metallica t-shirt and loose blue jeans stuck to his body from the rain. Still crying herself, Liz quietly walked over and sat down beside him, not making her presence known. She sat there for a few minutes in silence. Michael had sensed her when she sat beside him but he hadn’t let on.
“Hey.” Liz said quietly. Michael didn’t say anything. Any other time, he would have tried to hide the fact that he was crying, but at this point he didn’t care.
“I read your letter Michael and now I want you to listen to me ok?” Michael nodded.
“You are not, nor have you ever been stupid or a screw up. You may not always make the best decisions but who does?” she got up and walked to the front of him, sitting in the street so she could see his face better.
“I don’t hate you. I never did. I was hurt, yes. I thought you didn’t want me.”
Michael shook his head. “But I..”
“No. Let me finish please.” Michael nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat..
“I don’t expect you to be perfect Michael. I love you the way you are. All I ever wanted was for you to feel the same way about me. There is no such thing as perfect. I know that. If there was, we wouldn’t ever learn from our mistakes. I’ve certainly made a few of my own but the biggest mistake was not telling you how I felt before asking you to marry me.”
“It wouldn’t have made a difference. I was so determined to push you away that it wouldn’t have mattered.” Michael said. He knew she said to wait until she was done talking but he couldn’t let her take the blame for this.
“Do you know how that makes me feel Michael?” Liz asked.
Michael looked into her eyes and spoke with sincerity. “I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t be. It makes me feel special. The fact that you would give up your own happiness to keep me safe means a lot to me Michael.”
“Aww, isn’t that sweet?” came a gruff voice, dripping with sarchasm.
Liz spun around as her and Michael looked up to see the man wearing a black suit standing in the street watching them intently. Michael and Liz looked at each other, then stood up to face the enemy.
“What do you want?” Michael asked.
The man let out a blight laugh. “Why Mr. Guerin, for someone whose so smart, you can be quite dense sometimes. You see, a little less than two weeks ago, you killed a good friend of mine. I plan to make you pay for that. Oh, but before I do…”
Before Michael and Liz knew what was happening, they were both grabbed from behind by two other men, being held tightly.
“These fine gentleman are Mr. Theu and Mr. Aurus. You can call me Mr. Raiz.”
“You see Mr. Guerin, I’m not a very forgiving person.” The man signaled to the man holding Michael, who roughly threw Michael to the ground on his stomach and shoved his knee into Michael’s back. Forcing a pair of handcuffs onto Michael, he stood him back up to face Mr. Raiz, who stepped forward and began punching Michael.
Jerry had been sitting in his car listening to a Bette Middler cd and reading an article in the latest NebraskaLand magazine, when he looked up to see Michael and Liz being held and Michael being punched in the stomach. Jumping out of his car, he stepped a little closer, but still couldn’t be seen by the others.
Getting bored, Mr. Raiz turned around. Michael looked over to Liz and mouthed for her to do what he does. Leaning his head forward slightly, he shoved it back as hard as he could, bringing it in contact with Mr. Theu’s nose. Hearing the cracking noise, Liz cringed as she repeated his actions.
Mr. Raiz turned around at the sound of bone cracking, to find Michael and Liz no longer being held and staring back at him. Pissed now that his plan didn’t work, he reached behind him and pulled a gun from that was tucked into the back of his pants. Pointing it at Michael, he pulled the trigger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz bent down to where Michael was laying on the street, a hole in his chest and a puddle of blood under him. Sobbing, she began to talk to him.
“Michael…Michael hold on. We’ll get help.”
“It’s too late Liz.” Michael whispered. “This is it.”
“No. NO, I don’t believe that Michael. You’re going to be ok.”
“Liz..” Michael coughed. “Liz…I love you.”
“I love you too Michael.” Liz cried, leaning down and kissing him on the mouth.
Jerry ran over and knelt on the other side of Michael.
“Michael, son, look at me.” Jerry said as he looked at Michael. Michael turned his head and looked at Jerry.
“It’s going to be alright son. Just keep looking at me.” Jerry reached down and put his hand on Michael’s chest. Michael choked as he felt the bullet shift in his chest, just before the pain disappeared.
Michael looked at Jerry. To say he was shocked, would be an understatement. Jerry had just saved his life. He was one of them.
Liz looked over to where the men who had held them before lay, then back at Jerry.
“Are they…are they dead?”
Jerry stood up and walked over, checking pulses. There was no doubt, they were all dead. The one who had held Michael had his nose driven into his brain. Dead on contact. The one that held Liz wasn’t hit that hard, but when she hit him, he lost balance, falling backwards and coming in contact with the jagged edge of a car fender, almost severing his head from his neck. The one that went by Mr. Raiz died from the blast that had been sent into him.
He walked back over to where Michael and Liz were at and nodded his head.
“They’re dead.” He said.
“How are we going to explain this?” Liz asked, panicking. “This is a small town. Somebody had to see what happened.”
“We aren’t going to explain anything.” Jerry said, nonchalantly.
“How can you be so calm about this?” Michael asked.
“Listen to me.” Jerry said. “This is an empty street. No one has lived on this street in fifteen years. The old school is the only thing the next block up and it’s been closed for eleven years. There is nothing else on this end of town. The closest vacant home is two streets over. No one saw anything.”
Liz let out the breath she had been holding and leaned down to Michael, wrapping her arm around him.
“So you’re like me?” Michael asked him as he pulled Liz closer to him.
“I am.” Jerry replied. “I will explain it all to you after we get these bodies moved.” He looked over at the bodies then back to Liz.
“Liz?”
“Yeah?” Liz asked.
“When did you develop powers?” Liz looked over to the side, not wanting to face either him or Michael.
“What?” Michael asked. “Liz doesn’t have powers.”
“Yes I do.” Liz said quietly, slowly turning to face him. “They just showed up about a week ago.” She paused, looking at the body of Mr. Raiz.
“I didn’t mean to kill him. I was just trying to stop him from shooting Michael. But Michael ended up shot anyway and that Raiz guy ended up dead. Gosh what am I?” Liz asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Max.” Michael said.
“What?” Liz asked.
“When Max saved you, it must have done something to you.”
“But why would it just now show up?”
“This has nothing to do with him.” Jerry said. “I’ll explain everything later. Lets get these bodies out of here.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Forty-five minutes later, Michael, Liz, Jerry and Claurice sat in Michael and Liz’s livingroom. They had taken the bodies to an old dried up well fifteen miles away and had only been back about ten minutes. They were tired and dirty and as of yet, no one had spoken. Michael couldn’t take the quiet anymore.
“So who are you?” he asked.
“I was waiting for that one. We’ve been searching for you for years.” Jerry said.
“We?” Liz asked.
“We. Claurice and I. She’s one of us too. Anyway, we’ve gone to pretty much every state south and east of here. We hadn’t covered the western states yet. You must have been in one of those.”
“New Mexico.” Michael said.
“Well that explains it.” Claurice said. “We were worried we would never find you.”
“Can we maybe skip to the part where you tell us who you are and discuss the geography lesson later?” Michael asked. He was still wary of these people. He wanted to believe they could trust them. He had grown to like Jerry and he knew Liz and Claurice had gotten close but not knowing how it was that they seemed to know who he and Liz were was unnerving to say the least.
Claurice and Jerry looked at each other and Jerry nodded to her before she turned to look at Michael again.
“We’re your parents.”
Michael’s jaw dropped. Turning to look at Liz, he realized her expression matched his. He turned back and looked at Jerry and Claurice.
“My parents? But I thought my parents were dead.”
“That’s true. We were. We had to die. It was the only way for us to leave to be here with you.”
“What do you mean?” Liz asked and reached over, grabbing Michael’s hand.
“Have you heard of Kivar?” Jerry asked. Upon Michael and Liz’s nod, he continued.
“Kivar wanted to rule Antar and was willing to kill anyone in his way to do it. He formed an army for the purpose of taking out the royal family. You were the King’s best friend. He made you his Second In Command, therefore making you a part of the Royal family.”
“So in reality, it was my fault Kivar went after you.” Michael said.
“Not at all.” Claurice answered. “By the time Kivar got enough followers in his army, most of the Antarian people joined up to stand up against Kivar and protect the Royals. We made ourselves easy targets but we fought for what we believed in. We had a strong army and were able to take out Kivar’s. However, we weren’t ever able to get Kivar himself. The war had spread and we were attacked by several other armies. None of the Royal family, including you , made it through the war. We almost gave up.”
“What stopped you?” Michael asked.
“We got word that the essences of the Royals was going to be put into human form and that you would all be sent to Earth in hopes of survival. As soon as we heard that, we had a trusted friend, Azlan, who was in charge of the essence retrieval of the Royals, do the same with us. We had ourselves killed and our essences put into human form. Then we went into hiding until we thought it was safe to come looking for you. We never found a safe time. You had already been here for close to five years by the time we were able to get away.”
“How did you finally get away?” Liz asked.
“Well Azlan, had been working on different forms of transport, trying to help us find a way to you. He created a portal to help us get here. With it being a time of war, we had to fight our way to get to it but once we did, the rest was easy. As soon as we got through, the port closed, never to be found again.”
“What happened to Azlan?” Michael asked.
“He jumped in with us but with him still being in his Antarian form, he didn’t live through the trip. We lost him about half way.”
The group fell into an uncomfortable silence. Michael trying to come to terms with the fact that he had a family. Jerry and Claurice realizing they had found their son, or rather, he found them. And Liz excited for Michael but confused about her powers. She had to step out for a minute.
“Um…I’m gonna get a drink. Anyone want anything?”
“A glass of water would be good.” Claurice said and Jerry nodded.
“Here, I’ll help you.” Michael said, getting up from the couch and following her into the kitchen. Michael walked over to the cabinet to grab the glasses, while Liz stood at the sink looking at him.
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy that you have parents.” Liz said as Michael handed her a glass.
“I am, it’s just weird you know? I mean for the last twelve years I didn’t think I had parents. But now I find out that I do and I’ve been living across the street from them for a little over a week.”
“Try to imagine how they feel. After searching for seven or eight years, they finally found you.” Michael nodded. Hearing him clear his throat Michael and Liz turned to look at Jerry.
“Hey. Claurice and I are gonna head on home. It’s late and we open the tavern at 6:30 in the morning.”
“Oh ok.” Liz said. “Oh wait a minute. You said you’d tell me about my powers.”
“That’s right. I did, didn’t I?” Jerry smiled, sitting on the stool. “Antarian men hold a great deal of power. A lot of which is never used, but is in a reserve of sorts. When the men meet the woman they are meant to be with, the power that was in reserve goes into the woman. It’s like another way of protecting her. It only happens when he meets that one woman that he will always be with and when they make a romantic contact. So when Michael kissed you last week, it triggered it. You are Michael’s one.” With that Jerry smiled and stood up, turning and walking out of the house with Claurice.
“And yet another way I’ve screwed up your life.” Michael said as he leaned his back against the counter.
“What?” Liz asked Putting the glass she had been holding down, and walking over to him, and putting one hand on the counter on each side of him.
“Hank was right. I’m a freak and all I’ve done is screwed up your life.” Michael said quietly as he looked off to the side.
“Michael, look at me.” He turned his head and looked down into her eyes, not saying anything.
Liz could see the conflict going on in his eyes. It was rare that Michael let anyone see him like this. So vulnerable and open. It made Liz proud to know that he would let her see him like that yet it saddened her how he saw himself.
“The things Hank called you, couldn’t have been farther from the truth. You are not a screw up or a freak or whatever else he said. Hank was a drunk who took pleasure out of hurting you. You didn’t do anything to deserve it. If anyone was a freak, it was Hank. Don’t you understand Michael? You have never screwed up my life. You are my life. You mean everything to me and I will spend the rest of my life reminding you of that.”
“Why?” Michael asked. How could she want him after the way he treated her?
“Because Michael, I love you. And no little fight is going to change that. You are more important to me than a few harsh words. That’s why.” Liz said as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“But there is one thing you can do to make it up to me.” She continued.
“What’s that?” he asked, willing to do anything.
“Change my hair back. I’m getting tired of blonde.”
Michael smiled as he reached his hands up to her hair, running them over the blonde strands and changing them back to their original dark brown color.
“I like it better this way.” He said.
“Really? Why didn’t you say something before?” she asked.
“You seemed to like it and it looked good. I just like your color better.” He shrugged before leaning down and kissing her, pulling her bottom lip into his mouth before pulling away.
“I need to call Max.” he said, pulling her hands off his waist and walking around her. Liz stood there looking wounded, wondering what happened. Michael turned to look at her and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” She threw her hands on her hips, her eyebrows furrowing in mock anger.
“Your face. You looked so wounded.” He said.
“Well you’re kissing me and thinking of Max. It’s a little distressing.”
“I w…”
“Were you thinking of Max the last time you kissed me?”
“Liz.”
“Cause if you were, I’m seriously gonna wonder about our relationship.”
“Liz!”
“What?”
“I need to talk to Max.”
“Yeah, I caught that.”
“No, I don’t think you did. I need to talk to him about something important.”
“Ok…” Liz said, looking confused.
“Liz, I have to talk to him. I can’t get married without a best man.”
TBC…
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Roswell4ever1
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Chasing The Risk
Part13
By Ann aka imigensummers1
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Roswell or the books. I am in no way making a profit from this.
A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I intended to have this posted a few days ago, but finals have a way of taking over. I apologize for the delay and will try to have the next part out much quicker!
Part 13: All or nothing, Pt. 1
“Really?” Liz asked with a huge smile on her face.
“Unless you’ve changed your mind.” Michael replied as he got the coffeepot ready for morning.
“No! Of course not. I just…I didn’t know if you wanted to.” She said biting her bottom lip.
“Thought you said you read that note I wrote you.” He smirked.
“I did, but a lot has happened in a very short amount of time and I didn’t know if you had changed your mind.”
Michael looked at her, eyebrows furrowed. Why would he change his mind? Did she really think he would just walk away because he learned he had parents?
“Sit down.” Liz hopped up onto the counter, folding her hands and waited. Walking over to her, Michael stood between her knees, a hand on each of her thighs and locked his eyes with hers.
“You’re right. A lot has happened. There’s a lot about what we found out that I don’t know. A lot of answers I don’t have. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure things out and I’m coming up blank. But out of everything that happened today, there is one thing I’m positive about and that’s you. And I almost threw that away. I don’t deserve you.” He said, looking down at the formica briefly before resuming eye contact. “But I know I want you. And if you’re willing to be with me, despite how stupid I can be, then that’s all I need. I haven’t changed my mind. For once in my life I know what I want and I’ll be damned if I throw that away because I find out I have parents. You’re as much a part of my family as they are and I’ll spend the rest of my life reminding you of that. Not because I have to, but because I want to. I love you Liz and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to prove it.”
Liz wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t need you to prove anything Michael. I just wanted you to be sure. I didn’t want to push you.”
“You can’t push someone whose willing.”
Liz smiled. “So, you really think Max will come?”
“I don’t know. It depends on what’s going on in Roswell. But before I can ask him to come, I kind of need an idea for a date.”
“Well we could have a long engagement.” Liz said quietly.
“Yeah, see, I’m not very good at waiting.” Michael replied with a smirk.
Liz smiled. “Me either. Got any ideas?”
“I was thinking next week.”
“Next week?” Liz asked, still smiling, eyebrows raised.
“Yeah. See the way I was thinking is it took us three days to get here. If we plan it for a week from today, that will leave plenty of time for anyone who wants to come to get here. Which reminds me, you need to call your parents. Unless you want Jerry to give you away.” He joked.
“No that’s ok. I really like the idea of having my parents here. I always dreamed of having my dad walk me down the isle.” She said, smiling again.
After talking for another twenty minutes, they decided that the wedding would be on Saturday, November 1st at 11:00 am, at the Adams Church Of Christ. They originally planned on having it in their back yard but Nebraska winters were much harsher than those in New Mexico. The snow, which was now falling at a brisk rate, was a sure sign of that.
“It’s kinda funny you know.” Michael said.
“Hmm?” Liz asked, laying her head on his shoulder.
“Been best friends for ten years without ever thinking of it becoming something other than that, and now we’re planning our wedding.” He chuckled. “How do you think the others will react?”
There was no answer. “Liz?” he turned his head and looked at her, and smiled. She looked so peaceful when she slept. Lifting her head slightly, he moved from where he stood between her legs to standing beside her. Reaching his arm down, he curled it under her legs and wrapped the other arm around her back, picking her up, her head once again landing on his shoulder.
He carefully walked up the stairs to her room and lay her on the bed, pulling the blankets over her. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on her forehead before standing up and walking out of her room and toward his own. Opening the door, he crossed the room and lay on the mattress, thinking back to the events of the day.
He had parents, which was completely odd to him, but something he had always wanted. And something he was more than willing to accept. He had Liz, the woman he had been in love with for years but was too afraid to admit it to himself. And he had a future. Something to look forward to. He was actually getting married to the one woman he loved more than Metallica. Smiling into his pillow, Michael closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, he and Liz left the house at 10:25 to go in search of Claurice and her phone. They would have to invest in one of their own, but hadn’t had a chance to go in search of the phone company yet. There was one thing to be said for small towns. It was easy to find people, and this time, it was at the post office. As soon as she spotted her, Liz walked over and hugged Claurice.
“Hey there darlin. What are you two kids up to today?”
“Actually, if you don’t mind, we need to borrow your phone again.” Michael said, propping himself up against the door frame.
“Sure.” Claurice reached into her pocket and pulled the phone out. “I’ll be down at the bar. Just bring it down when you’re finished.” She smiled and walked to the door.
“Ok, thanks.” Liz smiled as she began dialing her parents number.
Claurice walked out of the small building and started down the street. Michael, not really knowing how to act around her and Jerry yet, stood at the door and walked her walking away, a battle going on in his mind. Before he could come to his senses, he walked out the door and yelled out to her.
“Mom.”
Claurice turned around and smiled.
“Thanks.” He said, smiling back at her.
“You’re welcome.” Claurice nodded and turned back around, continuing her walk down the street, a tear slipping from her eye.
Liz didn’t let Michael know that she had heard the brief interplay. She didn’t want him to feel self-conscience about it. Michael needed to be comfortable around his parents and making a big deal, would make that difficult for him. Smiling to herself, she hung up the phone.
“Get a hold of your parents?” Michael asked.
“No. Guess they’re not home. Here.” She handed him the phone. “You should call Max. It would probably be easier if they were all together, that way we won’t have to make five different calls on your moms phone.” Liz said as they started back up the street toward the house.
Michael nodded. “I’ll have them meet at the Ice House and call them there.”
“The Ice House?” Liz asked, confused.
“It’s a café over in Hondo. They have a pay phone outside that I can call them on. I don’t want to say where we’re at while they’re on one of their cell or house phones. Just in case.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” They got back to the house and Michael called Max’s cell.
“Hello?”
“Maxwell, get the group together and go to that place. You know, the place by the thing? Wait for the bell.”
“We’re on our way.” Max said, hanging up the phone. They had come up with several codes for letting each other know where to meet in the case that they would ever have to split up to lose the FBI or whoever else might be after them. It was a bit rough, but it worked for them.
Twenty minutes later, Michael dialed the number to the pay phone. Picking up instantly, Max said. “Hey. What’s up?”
“There’s been a development.”
“What kind of development?”
“Liz is getting married.”
“What?!” Max exclaimed. “When? To who?”
“Next week. To me.”
“WHAT?! When did this happen?”
“Last night actually. We’d like you all to be here.”
Michael could hear voices in the background. “What? What’s going on?”
“Michael and Liz are getting married.” Max said, still in shock.
“WHAT?!” This time it was everyone yelling.
“Wow.” Max said. “I just don’t know what to say. Congratulations!”
“Thanks man. So can you guys make it?”
“You know I’ll be there. Where are you guys at?”
“Virginia Nebraska.”
“Nebraska? Why Nebraska?”
“It’s just where we ended up.”
“It’s next week?”
“Yep, Saturday.”
“We’ll be there Michael. Congratulations again. I’m happy for both of you.”
“Thanks Max. Is Isabel there?”
“Yeah, hold on.”
“Michael? Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you’re actually getting married!” she screamed.
“Is, calm down.”
“Calm down? My brother’s getting married and I’m supposed to calm down?”
“No, you’re right. Keep yelling in my ear. I hear deaf grooms are really in style these days.”
“Shut up.” Isabel chuckled. “Crap, we’ve got to go, someone’s waiting for the phone. We’ll be there soon.” She said.
“Ok Is. Oh hey, before you hang up. Do me a favor. When you come, bring my Metallica cd’s with you ok?”
Isabel huffed. “I guess. See you soon.”
“Bye.” Michael hung up the phone. “They’re on their way.”
Liz shrieked. “It will so nice to see them. Here, let me call my dad.” Michael handed her the phone.
Fifteen minutes later, Liz hung up the phone. “They’re gonna talk to Max to find out where we’re at, and then leave this afternoon.”
“Sounds good.”
The next couple of days went by pretty quickly. Liz and Michael had everything ready for their guests to arrive and were both excited to see them. Michael had started his job at the tavern and Liz was getting things ready to start up the BnB. She planned on reopening it right after the wedding. They had both decided to stay here instead of going on a honeymoon. They couldn’t afford to go and both were tired of the road anyway.
It was now the night before everyone was supposed to show up. They had called and anticipated being there by 11:30 the next morning. Liz had gone down to the tavern and talked to Claurice while Michael worked. She enjoyed having someone she could talk to, without having to hide the fact that Michael was alien and she was turning into one. By the time Michael got off work, it was 1:00 in the morning and he and Liz were both exhausted. They made the short drive home and got ready for bed. They had a long day ahead of them. They walked up the stairs and kissed each other good night before going their separate ways, both falling asleep right away.
Michael jumped up from the mattress, sweat covering is body and breathing labored. The intense feeling had woke him and continued to course throughout him. He looked over at the alarm clock and realized it had only been twenty minutes since he had gone to bed.
He felt weird. Apprehensive. A rigid feeling in his muscles that were trying to overtake his entire body. The feeling of tiny pins running up and down his arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake and his hair standing on end. Even his bones were tense. It wasn’t a dream. It was a warning. He didn’t know what, and he didn’t know when, but something was coming. Something bad.
Meanwhile in Roswell, New Mexico…
“Hello?”
“CJ…It’s time. Move out now.”
“Moving. See you in about six hours.”
“Looking forward to it.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn broke and Liz began to stir. She never got up this early but was too excited to see her parents and friends to be able to sleep any longer. Yawning, she pushed herself up from the mattress and stood up. Taking the ten steps to the dresser, she picked out her outfit for the day and left the room, heading for the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she was walking down the stairs, clad in a pair of faded blue jeans and an olive green sweater.
When she got into the kitchen, she found Michael sitting at the table with his hands folded together and pressed to his mouth. He had a lost expression on his face. She feared that look. It always meant something was wrong. She had known him for seventeen years and had been his best friend for the last ten of those seventeen. She could pretty much read all of his expressions. His face was pale and it was obvious he hadn’t slept last night.
“What’s wrong Michael?” she asked hesitatingly as she sat across from him.
Michael didn’t look up. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“You’re up at 6:30 in the morning. You haven’t so much as looked at me and you have that look on your face that screams trouble. So what is it?”
Michael closed his eyes for a minute and took a deep breath. “Something’s gonna happen.” He said, the tone of his voice speaking volumes.
“Something bad?” she asked, already knowing what the answer would be. Michael nodded.
“Tell me what happened.” She said, worried.
Michael leaned back in his chair. I felt it last night. After you went to bed. I couldn’t shake it. So I called Jerry.” He paused.
“And?”
“He had the same dream. He felt it too.”
“Felt what Michael? What did you and Jerry feel?” Michael looked up at her.
“They’re coming Liz.”
“Who Michael? Who’s coming?” Liz was almost on the brink of panic. She had never seen Michael like this before.
“I don’t know. But whoever they are, they want us dead. And they’ll stop at nothing until they get what they want.”
“How…how do you…?” she trailed off. She didn’t have to finish her question for Michael to know what she was trying to say though.
“How do I know? I’m not sure. I just do.”
“How many of them are there?” she asked.
“A lot.” Liz closed her eyes, taking in the information. This was it. This is how they were going to go. Their final stand. She wasn’t afraid of death, but she didn’t want to die either. She wanted more time. More time with Michael. More time with her parents. Just more time.
“In order to beat them all, we’d have to have more manpower, which is something we don’t have.” Michael said. “There’s no way we can beat them alone.”
“Well then…” Michael and Liz looked up, eyes huge and mouths open when they heard the male voice. Both beyond shocked to see who it was.
“Isn’t it a good thing you don’t have to?”
TBC…
Part13
By Ann aka imigensummers1
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Roswell or the books. I am in no way making a profit from this.
A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful feedback. I intended to have this posted a few days ago, but finals have a way of taking over. I apologize for the delay and will try to have the next part out much quicker!
Part 13: All or nothing, Pt. 1
“Really?” Liz asked with a huge smile on her face.
“Unless you’ve changed your mind.” Michael replied as he got the coffeepot ready for morning.
“No! Of course not. I just…I didn’t know if you wanted to.” She said biting her bottom lip.
“Thought you said you read that note I wrote you.” He smirked.
“I did, but a lot has happened in a very short amount of time and I didn’t know if you had changed your mind.”
Michael looked at her, eyebrows furrowed. Why would he change his mind? Did she really think he would just walk away because he learned he had parents?
“Sit down.” Liz hopped up onto the counter, folding her hands and waited. Walking over to her, Michael stood between her knees, a hand on each of her thighs and locked his eyes with hers.
“You’re right. A lot has happened. There’s a lot about what we found out that I don’t know. A lot of answers I don’t have. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure things out and I’m coming up blank. But out of everything that happened today, there is one thing I’m positive about and that’s you. And I almost threw that away. I don’t deserve you.” He said, looking down at the formica briefly before resuming eye contact. “But I know I want you. And if you’re willing to be with me, despite how stupid I can be, then that’s all I need. I haven’t changed my mind. For once in my life I know what I want and I’ll be damned if I throw that away because I find out I have parents. You’re as much a part of my family as they are and I’ll spend the rest of my life reminding you of that. Not because I have to, but because I want to. I love you Liz and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to prove it.”
Liz wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t need you to prove anything Michael. I just wanted you to be sure. I didn’t want to push you.”
“You can’t push someone whose willing.”
Liz smiled. “So, you really think Max will come?”
“I don’t know. It depends on what’s going on in Roswell. But before I can ask him to come, I kind of need an idea for a date.”
“Well we could have a long engagement.” Liz said quietly.
“Yeah, see, I’m not very good at waiting.” Michael replied with a smirk.
Liz smiled. “Me either. Got any ideas?”
“I was thinking next week.”
“Next week?” Liz asked, still smiling, eyebrows raised.
“Yeah. See the way I was thinking is it took us three days to get here. If we plan it for a week from today, that will leave plenty of time for anyone who wants to come to get here. Which reminds me, you need to call your parents. Unless you want Jerry to give you away.” He joked.
“No that’s ok. I really like the idea of having my parents here. I always dreamed of having my dad walk me down the isle.” She said, smiling again.
After talking for another twenty minutes, they decided that the wedding would be on Saturday, November 1st at 11:00 am, at the Adams Church Of Christ. They originally planned on having it in their back yard but Nebraska winters were much harsher than those in New Mexico. The snow, which was now falling at a brisk rate, was a sure sign of that.
“It’s kinda funny you know.” Michael said.
“Hmm?” Liz asked, laying her head on his shoulder.
“Been best friends for ten years without ever thinking of it becoming something other than that, and now we’re planning our wedding.” He chuckled. “How do you think the others will react?”
There was no answer. “Liz?” he turned his head and looked at her, and smiled. She looked so peaceful when she slept. Lifting her head slightly, he moved from where he stood between her legs to standing beside her. Reaching his arm down, he curled it under her legs and wrapped the other arm around her back, picking her up, her head once again landing on his shoulder.
He carefully walked up the stairs to her room and lay her on the bed, pulling the blankets over her. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on her forehead before standing up and walking out of her room and toward his own. Opening the door, he crossed the room and lay on the mattress, thinking back to the events of the day.
He had parents, which was completely odd to him, but something he had always wanted. And something he was more than willing to accept. He had Liz, the woman he had been in love with for years but was too afraid to admit it to himself. And he had a future. Something to look forward to. He was actually getting married to the one woman he loved more than Metallica. Smiling into his pillow, Michael closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, he and Liz left the house at 10:25 to go in search of Claurice and her phone. They would have to invest in one of their own, but hadn’t had a chance to go in search of the phone company yet. There was one thing to be said for small towns. It was easy to find people, and this time, it was at the post office. As soon as she spotted her, Liz walked over and hugged Claurice.
“Hey there darlin. What are you two kids up to today?”
“Actually, if you don’t mind, we need to borrow your phone again.” Michael said, propping himself up against the door frame.
“Sure.” Claurice reached into her pocket and pulled the phone out. “I’ll be down at the bar. Just bring it down when you’re finished.” She smiled and walked to the door.
“Ok, thanks.” Liz smiled as she began dialing her parents number.
Claurice walked out of the small building and started down the street. Michael, not really knowing how to act around her and Jerry yet, stood at the door and walked her walking away, a battle going on in his mind. Before he could come to his senses, he walked out the door and yelled out to her.
“Mom.”
Claurice turned around and smiled.
“Thanks.” He said, smiling back at her.
“You’re welcome.” Claurice nodded and turned back around, continuing her walk down the street, a tear slipping from her eye.
Liz didn’t let Michael know that she had heard the brief interplay. She didn’t want him to feel self-conscience about it. Michael needed to be comfortable around his parents and making a big deal, would make that difficult for him. Smiling to herself, she hung up the phone.
“Get a hold of your parents?” Michael asked.
“No. Guess they’re not home. Here.” She handed him the phone. “You should call Max. It would probably be easier if they were all together, that way we won’t have to make five different calls on your moms phone.” Liz said as they started back up the street toward the house.
Michael nodded. “I’ll have them meet at the Ice House and call them there.”
“The Ice House?” Liz asked, confused.
“It’s a café over in Hondo. They have a pay phone outside that I can call them on. I don’t want to say where we’re at while they’re on one of their cell or house phones. Just in case.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” They got back to the house and Michael called Max’s cell.
“Hello?”
“Maxwell, get the group together and go to that place. You know, the place by the thing? Wait for the bell.”
“We’re on our way.” Max said, hanging up the phone. They had come up with several codes for letting each other know where to meet in the case that they would ever have to split up to lose the FBI or whoever else might be after them. It was a bit rough, but it worked for them.
Twenty minutes later, Michael dialed the number to the pay phone. Picking up instantly, Max said. “Hey. What’s up?”
“There’s been a development.”
“What kind of development?”
“Liz is getting married.”
“What?!” Max exclaimed. “When? To who?”
“Next week. To me.”
“WHAT?! When did this happen?”
“Last night actually. We’d like you all to be here.”
Michael could hear voices in the background. “What? What’s going on?”
“Michael and Liz are getting married.” Max said, still in shock.
“WHAT?!” This time it was everyone yelling.
“Wow.” Max said. “I just don’t know what to say. Congratulations!”
“Thanks man. So can you guys make it?”
“You know I’ll be there. Where are you guys at?”
“Virginia Nebraska.”
“Nebraska? Why Nebraska?”
“It’s just where we ended up.”
“It’s next week?”
“Yep, Saturday.”
“We’ll be there Michael. Congratulations again. I’m happy for both of you.”
“Thanks Max. Is Isabel there?”
“Yeah, hold on.”
“Michael? Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you’re actually getting married!” she screamed.
“Is, calm down.”
“Calm down? My brother’s getting married and I’m supposed to calm down?”
“No, you’re right. Keep yelling in my ear. I hear deaf grooms are really in style these days.”
“Shut up.” Isabel chuckled. “Crap, we’ve got to go, someone’s waiting for the phone. We’ll be there soon.” She said.
“Ok Is. Oh hey, before you hang up. Do me a favor. When you come, bring my Metallica cd’s with you ok?”
Isabel huffed. “I guess. See you soon.”
“Bye.” Michael hung up the phone. “They’re on their way.”
Liz shrieked. “It will so nice to see them. Here, let me call my dad.” Michael handed her the phone.
Fifteen minutes later, Liz hung up the phone. “They’re gonna talk to Max to find out where we’re at, and then leave this afternoon.”
“Sounds good.”
The next couple of days went by pretty quickly. Liz and Michael had everything ready for their guests to arrive and were both excited to see them. Michael had started his job at the tavern and Liz was getting things ready to start up the BnB. She planned on reopening it right after the wedding. They had both decided to stay here instead of going on a honeymoon. They couldn’t afford to go and both were tired of the road anyway.
It was now the night before everyone was supposed to show up. They had called and anticipated being there by 11:30 the next morning. Liz had gone down to the tavern and talked to Claurice while Michael worked. She enjoyed having someone she could talk to, without having to hide the fact that Michael was alien and she was turning into one. By the time Michael got off work, it was 1:00 in the morning and he and Liz were both exhausted. They made the short drive home and got ready for bed. They had a long day ahead of them. They walked up the stairs and kissed each other good night before going their separate ways, both falling asleep right away.
Michael jumped up from the mattress, sweat covering is body and breathing labored. The intense feeling had woke him and continued to course throughout him. He looked over at the alarm clock and realized it had only been twenty minutes since he had gone to bed.
He felt weird. Apprehensive. A rigid feeling in his muscles that were trying to overtake his entire body. The feeling of tiny pins running up and down his arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake and his hair standing on end. Even his bones were tense. It wasn’t a dream. It was a warning. He didn’t know what, and he didn’t know when, but something was coming. Something bad.
Meanwhile in Roswell, New Mexico…
“Hello?”
“CJ…It’s time. Move out now.”
“Moving. See you in about six hours.”
“Looking forward to it.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn broke and Liz began to stir. She never got up this early but was too excited to see her parents and friends to be able to sleep any longer. Yawning, she pushed herself up from the mattress and stood up. Taking the ten steps to the dresser, she picked out her outfit for the day and left the room, heading for the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she was walking down the stairs, clad in a pair of faded blue jeans and an olive green sweater.
When she got into the kitchen, she found Michael sitting at the table with his hands folded together and pressed to his mouth. He had a lost expression on his face. She feared that look. It always meant something was wrong. She had known him for seventeen years and had been his best friend for the last ten of those seventeen. She could pretty much read all of his expressions. His face was pale and it was obvious he hadn’t slept last night.
“What’s wrong Michael?” she asked hesitatingly as she sat across from him.
Michael didn’t look up. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“You’re up at 6:30 in the morning. You haven’t so much as looked at me and you have that look on your face that screams trouble. So what is it?”
Michael closed his eyes for a minute and took a deep breath. “Something’s gonna happen.” He said, the tone of his voice speaking volumes.
“Something bad?” she asked, already knowing what the answer would be. Michael nodded.
“Tell me what happened.” She said, worried.
Michael leaned back in his chair. I felt it last night. After you went to bed. I couldn’t shake it. So I called Jerry.” He paused.
“And?”
“He had the same dream. He felt it too.”
“Felt what Michael? What did you and Jerry feel?” Michael looked up at her.
“They’re coming Liz.”
“Who Michael? Who’s coming?” Liz was almost on the brink of panic. She had never seen Michael like this before.
“I don’t know. But whoever they are, they want us dead. And they’ll stop at nothing until they get what they want.”
“How…how do you…?” she trailed off. She didn’t have to finish her question for Michael to know what she was trying to say though.
“How do I know? I’m not sure. I just do.”
“How many of them are there?” she asked.
“A lot.” Liz closed her eyes, taking in the information. This was it. This is how they were going to go. Their final stand. She wasn’t afraid of death, but she didn’t want to die either. She wanted more time. More time with Michael. More time with her parents. Just more time.
“In order to beat them all, we’d have to have more manpower, which is something we don’t have.” Michael said. “There’s no way we can beat them alone.”
“Well then…” Michael and Liz looked up, eyes huge and mouths open when they heard the male voice. Both beyond shocked to see who it was.
“Isn’t it a good thing you don’t have to?”
TBC…
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Chasing The Risk
By Ann
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Roswell, the WB or actors.
A/N: Thank you everyone for the feedback! I hope this chapter answers some questions for everyone. Enjoy.
Summary: Previously on Chasing The Risk:
“In order to beat them all, we’d have to have more manpower, which is something we don’t have.” Michael said. “There’s no way we can beat them alone.”
“Well then…” Michael and Liz looked up, eyes huge and mouths open when they heard the male voice. Both beyond shocked to see who it was.
“Isn’t it a good thing you don’t have to?”
Part Fourteen: All Or Nothing part 2
You could have heard a pin drop in Milwaukee as quiet as the room had gotten. Liz looked from the man who spoke, to Michael and back to the man again before breaking the silence.
“What are you doing here?”
“We came to help.”
“We?” Michael asked.
“The others are in the living room.” The man said. He was a fairly tall man with a long narrow face and thinning brown hair. Worry manifested in his eyes. He clearly knew something and that fact made Michael more than a little nervous.
“Wait a minute. You’re here to help. Help with what exactly? And how did you know where we were?”
“I received a phone call early this morning. We’re here to help with the situation Michael. We aren’t the enemy.”
“A phone call from who?” Liz asked.
“CJ, thank you for getting here so quickly.” Jerry said as he walked into the room and over to the man, shaking his hand.
“Thank you for contacting me. I could always depend on you.” He replied.
“Alright, what the hell’s going on?” Michael demanded. “You two know each other?” Jerry nodded.
“Come on. Lets go in where the others are and we’ll explain everything to you.” Jerry said.
Michael and Liz followed Jerry and “CJ” into the living room, where they were shocked to find twelve other people waiting for them.
“Mom, dad!” Liz said excitedly, running over to her parents and hugging them both tightly. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them until they were in front of her. Nancy was crying when she broke the embrace and looked at Liz. “You look good honey.” She smiled and turned her head looking around until her eyes found their target.
“Come here Michael.”
Eyebrows burrowed in frustration of not knowing what was going on, Michael crossed the room to where the Parkers stood. Jeff reached out and shook his hand then pulled him closer, patting him on the back. “It’s nice to see you again son.” He smiled. Michael smiled back and was about to speak when he was caught off guard by Nancy who threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Feeling awkward at first, he looked at Liz. She smiled and shrugged at the embrace her mom had caught him in. Giving in, he put his arms around her waist and hugged her back.
He had never been the huggy feely type. He had always been too proud for it. But they had accepted him, knowing of his non-human status and that meant more to him than his damn pride.”
“Thank you for taking care of our baby.” She said through her tears. Michael looked over at Liz who was still smiling and was now crying herself. “You don’t have to thank me for that.” Stepping back, Nancy looked at him and noticed the bags under his eyes.
“You didn’t get any sleep last night did you?” she asked, concerned.
Michael shrugged. “Had a lot on my mind.”
“Speaking of that, we really should get this meeting going.” CJ Said. Michael and Liz walked over to the rest of their friends who were sitting around the couch. After catching up with everyone, Michael sat down, pulling Liz into his lap and bringing smiles to many faces of the people around them.
“Alright, what’s going on?” Michael asked.
“Well most of you know me as Alex’s dad, Mr. Whitman. But please just call me Charles or CJ. Jerry called me early this morning. We got here as quickly as we could.” He said.
“Well that’s all fine and well but let’s get to the point shall we?” Liz asked. “How do you guys know each other and what are you here to help with?”
“We live in Roswell Liz.” CJ said.
“No shit Sherlock.” Michael spat. Jeff smiled and looked up at CJ “Might want to get to the point. You’re not talking to ordinary kids here. They’re smarter than most the adults in that town.
“I was getting there.” CJ replied.
“No, you were dancing around it dad.” Alex spoke up. “Come on, we’re not toddlers anymore. Just spit it out.”
CJ smiled at his son, a look of fatherly pride in his eyes. “Roswell has a reputation for a reason. We’re all a part of that reason.”
“What exactly are you saying?” Michael asked.
“I’m saying we know what you are. What you all are.” He said, looking at Michael, Max, Isabel and Tess. “More importantly, we know who you are and we want to help.”
“Wait a minute. What do you mean you know what we are?” Michael asked, more than a little uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed. They had spent their whole lives hiding who they were and all these people knew the whole time?
“We’re not stupid Michael.” Another man spoke up. Michael turned and looked into the eyes of Phillip Evans. “We’ve known for years.”
“How?” Max asked.
“The bird. That was the first sign.” Diane said walking over to her kids. “We’ve always known you were special. But when you saved that bird just by touching it, things started becoming more obvious. We tried to tell ourselves that it was just a fluke. But then Liz got shot.”
“One minute my daughter had a bullet in her stomach. The next, it was gone. You can’t hide something like that.” Jeff said.
“You’ve known the whole time and never said anything?” Michael asked him, thinking back to when he told Jeff everything about who they were.
“There was no need Michael. We accepted you all a long time ago for who you are. Not the color of your blood cells. You may not be from here, but you’re far more human than a lot of people are. And I for one feel very honored to know you.”
“But when I called and had you watch that tape, you asked what I was.” Michael argued.
“I needed to see if you would tell me the truth Michael. That’s my daughter you ran off with. I had to know if we could trust you.”
“Do you?” he asked.
“With my life son.” Mr. Parker answered. Michael nodded. It felt good to know that there were people out there who accepted him for him. It was nice to know he didn’t have to hide around them.
“I wanted to tell you.” Isabel said, crying and looking at her mom. “But I was afraid you’d hate us.”
“Why would you ever think we could hate you? Honey, no matter where you came from, you’re our kids and we will always love you.” Diane hugged Isabel tight to her chest, her own tears falling. They stood like that, just holding each other for the better part of ten minutes before Diane walked over to grab the box of Kleenexes. Handing one to Isabel, she went back and stood next to her husband who was holding up surprisingly well.
Michael was about to speak when he noticed Kyle moving from where he sat next to Jim and walking over to Isabel, taking her hand in his and intertwining their fingers. She turned and smiled at him and for once, she looked truly happy. There was a gleam in her eyes that he had never noticed before. The same gleam that appeared in Kyle’s. He couldn’t help but wonder when this had taken place, but pushed it aside knowing he would find out later. Right now there were more important things to deal with.
“So what do we do now?” Kyle asked, looking at the adults.
“We fight.” Jim said solemnly.
“How many are we up against?” Tess asked, clutching onto Alex.
Jim looked at the kids that he had come to think of as his own. He didn’t want to answer the question, but knew he had no choice. They needed to know what they were getting themselves into.
“150.” He finally managed to say.
“150.” Maria repeated. “There are 18 of us, which means they automatically have a 132 person advantage and most of us don’t have powers.”
“I would rather not use our powers if we can avoid it.” Max spoke up.
“Why Max?” Jim asked, clearly confused.
“This is a battle we have to fight. We, as humans. Not aliens. For once in my life, I want us to be able to live without the alien stigma hanging over us.”
“I agree.” Michael said, nodding. “Besides, we need to save as much of our energy as we can in case some of us get hurt.” Looking around at the group of people who in the forty-five minutes went from mere acquaintances to allies he took a deep breath. “One thing we all have to consider here, is that we may not all make it out of this. Anyone who wants out, tell us now, before it’s too late.”
“We all knew the possible consequences when we came here Michael and we chose to come anyway.” Amy spoke up. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Michael nodded. “There are some answers we need before we go any further.” He said, looking at Jerry.
“Go ahead.”
“You told Liz and I once that Antarian men have power in reserve and when they meet the woman they’re meant to be with, part of it transfers to them.” He stated.
“That’s correct.” Jerry nodded.
“If that’s the case, how is it that Isabel and Tess have powers? They’ve always had them like Max and I have.”
Jerry smiled. “I wondered when this would come up. Normally, the women would not have powers until they bond with the man they’re meant to be with. However, there are two major factors to consider here. First, Tess and Isabel are of the Royal family. The Royals have greater powers than ordinary Antarians. And then there’s the fact that they aren’t on Antar. When being transferred here, they had to be given their powers for survival."
“How are they given their powers?” Michael questioned.
“That’s a good question. And one that’s difficult to answer. When human women are at a risk of premature labor, they are often injected with a substance that helps the baby’s lungs develop at a faster rate. Well that’s very similar to what happened with Isabel and Tess. Because they were being sent to Earth, in order to survive, they had to have their powers. But because they weren’t yet with the men they would always be with, the only people those powers could come from were the male figure closest to each of them. So their dad’s powers had to be duplicated or cloned, as they call it here, then transferred into them. You see Antar is far more advanced than Earth. Things have been going on there for years that are just now being discovered here.”
“So even though he’s dead, there’s a part of my real dad inside of me?” Isabel asked.
“Yes, but that’s not all. You aren’t the only ones carrying your dad’s powers.”
“What do you mean?” Tess asked.
“Well, like with Michael, when you meet the one person you are meant to be with, part of your powers transfer into them. Liz took on Michael’s powers, Maria took on Max’s.”
“Maria?” Liz smiled. “When?” she never knew that Maria and Max had been that close.
Maria smiled. “Last week.” Liz shrieked and jumped off Michael’s lap, running over and hugging Maria.
“Calm down Chica. I can’t breathe.” Maria laughed. Letting go, Liz chuckled and walked back over to Michael, resuming her position on his lap. “Sorry, got a little carried away.”
“So what about Isabel and Tess? Who di…?” she started to ask when she looked over and noticed how close Tess and Alex appeared to be and how Kyle and Isabel’s hands were so tightly folded together that their knuckles were turning white.
“Oh.” She smiled. “I guess we’ve missed a lot.”
“You never did tell us how you two know each other.” Michael said, motioning to Jerry and CJ “When you told me you were my parents, you said you’d been searching for me for years. Yet CJ, who’s known me most of my life, seems to be a friend of yours. How is it you never knew I was in Roswell?”
“Quite observant.” Jerry smiled.
“Have to be.” Michael answered simply.
“Wait a minute.” Maria said. “Did you just say they’re your parents?”
“That’s right.” Claurice answered. “We had been searching for Michael for years and just when we were about to give up, he came to us.” She smiled, looking at her son who was surrounded by his friends. It was nice to see he and Liz with people they could be comfortable with.
“This is where it gets complicated Michael. You remember me telling you about my parents owning this house?” Jerry asked.
Michael nodded.
“Well, they came here right after you all did. They were meant to be your protectors. But they were never able to find you.”
“Why were they our protectors? Why not you?”
“We were too emotionally attached to you. Had something happened to you, the chances of us being able to pull ourselves together enough to protect the others are slim. They would have never set parents up as protectors of their children.” Claurice said.
“Well after my parents passed away, that only left two people that could have been your guardians. Me or my brother.” Jerry continued.
“I thought you said there were six of you. Your parents and four kids.” Liz said, confused.
“That’s true. I also had two sisters. They were in the train with mom and dad. They didn’t make it either.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Liz said.
“Like I said before sweetheart, don’t be. Everything happens for a reason. But when that happened, it left my brother and I. He went looking for you. He found you eleven years ago but at the time Claurice and I lived in Missouri. We moved around looking for you and in the process, lost contact with my brother.”
Michael looked at Jerry and saw the look of sadness in his eyes. How long had it been since he’d seen his brother? Would he ever see him again? Was he still ali…? He was pulled out of his self-questioning when sudden realization hit him.
“Mr. Whitman’s your brother.” He said quietly.
“What?” Alex asked.
Jerry smiled. “That he is.” He said matter of factly.
“Wait a minute. Are you saying I’m an alien too?” Alex asked. He was beyond confused.
“We prefer not of this earth.” Max smiled.
“Cool.” Alex said in obvious approval. “So how is it you found each other if you lost contact with each other eleven years ago?”
“The internet’s a powerful tool son. When we realized that Michael was indeed our son and here, we started looking. It didn’t take too long considering the code names we’d set up years ago. I mean there aren’t too many Jock Van Itch and Ben McGay’s out there.”
It took a few minutes for the laughter to die down long enough for anyone to speak again.
“So why didn’t you try looking before?”
Jerry looked at Claurice then back at Michael. “We agreed not to.”
“You agreed not to?” He was beginning to get upset. Liz rubbed his arm with her hand trying to calm him down, but it was doing no good. “So what? You just didn’t give a damn if he found me or not? What the hell kind of parent just writes their kid off like that?” He carefully moved Liz off his lap, stood up and walked over to Jerry.
“Do you have any idea the shit I’ve been through?” he asked, voice raised and shaky. “Do you know that the man who’s care I was put in, the man who was supposed to raise and love me beat me every damn chance he got just because he could? Do you even give a damn?” His whole body was shaking. He learns he has parents just to find out they didn’t really care. It was a hard pill to swallow and he was choking on it.
He closed his eyes trying to push it out. Trying to push them out. He should have known better. Every time he let anyone other than Liz get this close, it always came back and bit him in the ass. Why should this time have been any different?
“You don’t understand Michael.” Claurice said softly.
“You know what? You’re right. I don’t understand. I don’t understand how any parent can not want to get to know their kid. But hey, I don’t have any of my own so I wouldn’t understand it now would I?” he bit out sarcastically. He was hurt and angry and just wanted to run. No one in the group understood what was going on. Why would they not want to know where Michael was?
Liz got up and walked over to Michael. Putting her arm around his back, she began leading him toward the kitchen.
“Michael wait. I have something to say.” Jerry said.
“I think you’ve said enough. Don’t you?” Liz asked, angry at what had just taken place. She might not have known what was going on in their minds, but one thing she did know that Michael had spent most of his life wishing he had parents. Then when he finally finds out he does, they tell him they didn’t want to know where he was. It was too much for anyone to take.
“Liz…please wait.” Claurice pleaded but Liz kept leading Michael out of the room. “We wanted to know where he was!” Claurice yelled, crying.
“You have a hell of a way of showing it.” Liz bit. “Do you have any idea how long he’s wanted parents? And he finds out he does, and for once in his life he’s truly happy. He felt complete for the first time just to find out it was a dead end road because they didn’t really want him. How the hell would you feel?”
She just about had him out of the room when she turned back to face them again. “You know what? Go home. We can talk about this later. But I don’t really want to look at either of you right now.”
“Kivar would have killed him.” Jerry said, stopping Liz in her tracks.
“What?”
“That’s why we didn’t want to know. Not because we didn’t care, but because we did.” He said, looking at Michael who was now facing him.
“He’s come after us before. We’ve always managed to fight him off but every time he comes, his army is bigger than the time before. We get warnings. Usually in our dreams, but sometimes it’s just a feeling. From those warnings, we know he’s coming and usually have an estimate of how many he has with him.”
“How many were there the last time?” Jim asked.
“Twenty.” Claurice answered.
“It was never a matter of us not wanting to be with you Michael. We did want to. That’s all we ever wanted. But we knew it wasn’t safe. We were hoping to be able to defeat Kivar before finding you, but we just weren’t able to do it. He has powers that none of us have.”
“We love you darlin’. Both of you.” Claurice said looking at both Michael and Liz. “We just want what’s best for you.” Michael nodded, Liz rubbing his back.
“We have to do this.” Alex said. “What about the FBI? If we draw too much attention, the Special Unit will kill us all anyway.”
“The FBI isn’t after you.” Jerry said.
“What the hell do you mean they aren’t after us? The Special Unit’s been after us for months. Those guys who showed up the other day were part of them.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. There is no FBI Special Unit. Those guys weren’t FBI. They were Kivar’s men.”
“Are you sure?” Liz asked.
“Positive.” Jerry answered.
“How do you know?” Kyle asked.
“The tattoos they had on their hands.”
“Tattoos?” Michael asked.
Jerry nodded. “They’re a combination of letters and numbers that all of Kivar’s men carry.”
“What do they mean?” Michael asked again.
“Not a damn thing other than they’re marked. It’s for show, not meaning.” He looked at the group. “The FBI was never involved.”
“So when can we expect them to get here?” Maria asked.
“They aren’t coming here. Too many people around. They’ll go to the nearest secluded place, which in our case is the football stadium ten miles out. It’s only used during football season which is over for the year.”
“When?” Isabel asked.
“Two days.”
“So in two days, we’re going to go against 150 people at a football stadium. What do we have to do to get ready for it?” Kyle asked.
Jerry looked at him, then at everyone else. “We start training. There’s no room for mistakes here. We give it our best or we die. It’s all or nothing.”
TBC…
By Ann
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Roswell, the WB or actors.
A/N: Thank you everyone for the feedback! I hope this chapter answers some questions for everyone. Enjoy.
Summary: Previously on Chasing The Risk:
“In order to beat them all, we’d have to have more manpower, which is something we don’t have.” Michael said. “There’s no way we can beat them alone.”
“Well then…” Michael and Liz looked up, eyes huge and mouths open when they heard the male voice. Both beyond shocked to see who it was.
“Isn’t it a good thing you don’t have to?”
Part Fourteen: All Or Nothing part 2
You could have heard a pin drop in Milwaukee as quiet as the room had gotten. Liz looked from the man who spoke, to Michael and back to the man again before breaking the silence.
“What are you doing here?”
“We came to help.”
“We?” Michael asked.
“The others are in the living room.” The man said. He was a fairly tall man with a long narrow face and thinning brown hair. Worry manifested in his eyes. He clearly knew something and that fact made Michael more than a little nervous.
“Wait a minute. You’re here to help. Help with what exactly? And how did you know where we were?”
“I received a phone call early this morning. We’re here to help with the situation Michael. We aren’t the enemy.”
“A phone call from who?” Liz asked.
“CJ, thank you for getting here so quickly.” Jerry said as he walked into the room and over to the man, shaking his hand.
“Thank you for contacting me. I could always depend on you.” He replied.
“Alright, what the hell’s going on?” Michael demanded. “You two know each other?” Jerry nodded.
“Come on. Lets go in where the others are and we’ll explain everything to you.” Jerry said.
Michael and Liz followed Jerry and “CJ” into the living room, where they were shocked to find twelve other people waiting for them.
“Mom, dad!” Liz said excitedly, running over to her parents and hugging them both tightly. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them until they were in front of her. Nancy was crying when she broke the embrace and looked at Liz. “You look good honey.” She smiled and turned her head looking around until her eyes found their target.
“Come here Michael.”
Eyebrows burrowed in frustration of not knowing what was going on, Michael crossed the room to where the Parkers stood. Jeff reached out and shook his hand then pulled him closer, patting him on the back. “It’s nice to see you again son.” He smiled. Michael smiled back and was about to speak when he was caught off guard by Nancy who threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Feeling awkward at first, he looked at Liz. She smiled and shrugged at the embrace her mom had caught him in. Giving in, he put his arms around her waist and hugged her back.
He had never been the huggy feely type. He had always been too proud for it. But they had accepted him, knowing of his non-human status and that meant more to him than his damn pride.”
“Thank you for taking care of our baby.” She said through her tears. Michael looked over at Liz who was still smiling and was now crying herself. “You don’t have to thank me for that.” Stepping back, Nancy looked at him and noticed the bags under his eyes.
“You didn’t get any sleep last night did you?” she asked, concerned.
Michael shrugged. “Had a lot on my mind.”
“Speaking of that, we really should get this meeting going.” CJ Said. Michael and Liz walked over to the rest of their friends who were sitting around the couch. After catching up with everyone, Michael sat down, pulling Liz into his lap and bringing smiles to many faces of the people around them.
“Alright, what’s going on?” Michael asked.
“Well most of you know me as Alex’s dad, Mr. Whitman. But please just call me Charles or CJ. Jerry called me early this morning. We got here as quickly as we could.” He said.
“Well that’s all fine and well but let’s get to the point shall we?” Liz asked. “How do you guys know each other and what are you here to help with?”
“We live in Roswell Liz.” CJ said.
“No shit Sherlock.” Michael spat. Jeff smiled and looked up at CJ “Might want to get to the point. You’re not talking to ordinary kids here. They’re smarter than most the adults in that town.
“I was getting there.” CJ replied.
“No, you were dancing around it dad.” Alex spoke up. “Come on, we’re not toddlers anymore. Just spit it out.”
CJ smiled at his son, a look of fatherly pride in his eyes. “Roswell has a reputation for a reason. We’re all a part of that reason.”
“What exactly are you saying?” Michael asked.
“I’m saying we know what you are. What you all are.” He said, looking at Michael, Max, Isabel and Tess. “More importantly, we know who you are and we want to help.”
“Wait a minute. What do you mean you know what we are?” Michael asked, more than a little uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed. They had spent their whole lives hiding who they were and all these people knew the whole time?
“We’re not stupid Michael.” Another man spoke up. Michael turned and looked into the eyes of Phillip Evans. “We’ve known for years.”
“How?” Max asked.
“The bird. That was the first sign.” Diane said walking over to her kids. “We’ve always known you were special. But when you saved that bird just by touching it, things started becoming more obvious. We tried to tell ourselves that it was just a fluke. But then Liz got shot.”
“One minute my daughter had a bullet in her stomach. The next, it was gone. You can’t hide something like that.” Jeff said.
“You’ve known the whole time and never said anything?” Michael asked him, thinking back to when he told Jeff everything about who they were.
“There was no need Michael. We accepted you all a long time ago for who you are. Not the color of your blood cells. You may not be from here, but you’re far more human than a lot of people are. And I for one feel very honored to know you.”
“But when I called and had you watch that tape, you asked what I was.” Michael argued.
“I needed to see if you would tell me the truth Michael. That’s my daughter you ran off with. I had to know if we could trust you.”
“Do you?” he asked.
“With my life son.” Mr. Parker answered. Michael nodded. It felt good to know that there were people out there who accepted him for him. It was nice to know he didn’t have to hide around them.
“I wanted to tell you.” Isabel said, crying and looking at her mom. “But I was afraid you’d hate us.”
“Why would you ever think we could hate you? Honey, no matter where you came from, you’re our kids and we will always love you.” Diane hugged Isabel tight to her chest, her own tears falling. They stood like that, just holding each other for the better part of ten minutes before Diane walked over to grab the box of Kleenexes. Handing one to Isabel, she went back and stood next to her husband who was holding up surprisingly well.
Michael was about to speak when he noticed Kyle moving from where he sat next to Jim and walking over to Isabel, taking her hand in his and intertwining their fingers. She turned and smiled at him and for once, she looked truly happy. There was a gleam in her eyes that he had never noticed before. The same gleam that appeared in Kyle’s. He couldn’t help but wonder when this had taken place, but pushed it aside knowing he would find out later. Right now there were more important things to deal with.
“So what do we do now?” Kyle asked, looking at the adults.
“We fight.” Jim said solemnly.
“How many are we up against?” Tess asked, clutching onto Alex.
Jim looked at the kids that he had come to think of as his own. He didn’t want to answer the question, but knew he had no choice. They needed to know what they were getting themselves into.
“150.” He finally managed to say.
“150.” Maria repeated. “There are 18 of us, which means they automatically have a 132 person advantage and most of us don’t have powers.”
“I would rather not use our powers if we can avoid it.” Max spoke up.
“Why Max?” Jim asked, clearly confused.
“This is a battle we have to fight. We, as humans. Not aliens. For once in my life, I want us to be able to live without the alien stigma hanging over us.”
“I agree.” Michael said, nodding. “Besides, we need to save as much of our energy as we can in case some of us get hurt.” Looking around at the group of people who in the forty-five minutes went from mere acquaintances to allies he took a deep breath. “One thing we all have to consider here, is that we may not all make it out of this. Anyone who wants out, tell us now, before it’s too late.”
“We all knew the possible consequences when we came here Michael and we chose to come anyway.” Amy spoke up. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Michael nodded. “There are some answers we need before we go any further.” He said, looking at Jerry.
“Go ahead.”
“You told Liz and I once that Antarian men have power in reserve and when they meet the woman they’re meant to be with, part of it transfers to them.” He stated.
“That’s correct.” Jerry nodded.
“If that’s the case, how is it that Isabel and Tess have powers? They’ve always had them like Max and I have.”
Jerry smiled. “I wondered when this would come up. Normally, the women would not have powers until they bond with the man they’re meant to be with. However, there are two major factors to consider here. First, Tess and Isabel are of the Royal family. The Royals have greater powers than ordinary Antarians. And then there’s the fact that they aren’t on Antar. When being transferred here, they had to be given their powers for survival."
“How are they given their powers?” Michael questioned.
“That’s a good question. And one that’s difficult to answer. When human women are at a risk of premature labor, they are often injected with a substance that helps the baby’s lungs develop at a faster rate. Well that’s very similar to what happened with Isabel and Tess. Because they were being sent to Earth, in order to survive, they had to have their powers. But because they weren’t yet with the men they would always be with, the only people those powers could come from were the male figure closest to each of them. So their dad’s powers had to be duplicated or cloned, as they call it here, then transferred into them. You see Antar is far more advanced than Earth. Things have been going on there for years that are just now being discovered here.”
“So even though he’s dead, there’s a part of my real dad inside of me?” Isabel asked.
“Yes, but that’s not all. You aren’t the only ones carrying your dad’s powers.”
“What do you mean?” Tess asked.
“Well, like with Michael, when you meet the one person you are meant to be with, part of your powers transfer into them. Liz took on Michael’s powers, Maria took on Max’s.”
“Maria?” Liz smiled. “When?” she never knew that Maria and Max had been that close.
Maria smiled. “Last week.” Liz shrieked and jumped off Michael’s lap, running over and hugging Maria.
“Calm down Chica. I can’t breathe.” Maria laughed. Letting go, Liz chuckled and walked back over to Michael, resuming her position on his lap. “Sorry, got a little carried away.”
“So what about Isabel and Tess? Who di…?” she started to ask when she looked over and noticed how close Tess and Alex appeared to be and how Kyle and Isabel’s hands were so tightly folded together that their knuckles were turning white.
“Oh.” She smiled. “I guess we’ve missed a lot.”
“You never did tell us how you two know each other.” Michael said, motioning to Jerry and CJ “When you told me you were my parents, you said you’d been searching for me for years. Yet CJ, who’s known me most of my life, seems to be a friend of yours. How is it you never knew I was in Roswell?”
“Quite observant.” Jerry smiled.
“Have to be.” Michael answered simply.
“Wait a minute.” Maria said. “Did you just say they’re your parents?”
“That’s right.” Claurice answered. “We had been searching for Michael for years and just when we were about to give up, he came to us.” She smiled, looking at her son who was surrounded by his friends. It was nice to see he and Liz with people they could be comfortable with.
“This is where it gets complicated Michael. You remember me telling you about my parents owning this house?” Jerry asked.
Michael nodded.
“Well, they came here right after you all did. They were meant to be your protectors. But they were never able to find you.”
“Why were they our protectors? Why not you?”
“We were too emotionally attached to you. Had something happened to you, the chances of us being able to pull ourselves together enough to protect the others are slim. They would have never set parents up as protectors of their children.” Claurice said.
“Well after my parents passed away, that only left two people that could have been your guardians. Me or my brother.” Jerry continued.
“I thought you said there were six of you. Your parents and four kids.” Liz said, confused.
“That’s true. I also had two sisters. They were in the train with mom and dad. They didn’t make it either.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Liz said.
“Like I said before sweetheart, don’t be. Everything happens for a reason. But when that happened, it left my brother and I. He went looking for you. He found you eleven years ago but at the time Claurice and I lived in Missouri. We moved around looking for you and in the process, lost contact with my brother.”
Michael looked at Jerry and saw the look of sadness in his eyes. How long had it been since he’d seen his brother? Would he ever see him again? Was he still ali…? He was pulled out of his self-questioning when sudden realization hit him.
“Mr. Whitman’s your brother.” He said quietly.
“What?” Alex asked.
Jerry smiled. “That he is.” He said matter of factly.
“Wait a minute. Are you saying I’m an alien too?” Alex asked. He was beyond confused.
“We prefer not of this earth.” Max smiled.
“Cool.” Alex said in obvious approval. “So how is it you found each other if you lost contact with each other eleven years ago?”
“The internet’s a powerful tool son. When we realized that Michael was indeed our son and here, we started looking. It didn’t take too long considering the code names we’d set up years ago. I mean there aren’t too many Jock Van Itch and Ben McGay’s out there.”
It took a few minutes for the laughter to die down long enough for anyone to speak again.
“So why didn’t you try looking before?”
Jerry looked at Claurice then back at Michael. “We agreed not to.”
“You agreed not to?” He was beginning to get upset. Liz rubbed his arm with her hand trying to calm him down, but it was doing no good. “So what? You just didn’t give a damn if he found me or not? What the hell kind of parent just writes their kid off like that?” He carefully moved Liz off his lap, stood up and walked over to Jerry.
“Do you have any idea the shit I’ve been through?” he asked, voice raised and shaky. “Do you know that the man who’s care I was put in, the man who was supposed to raise and love me beat me every damn chance he got just because he could? Do you even give a damn?” His whole body was shaking. He learns he has parents just to find out they didn’t really care. It was a hard pill to swallow and he was choking on it.
He closed his eyes trying to push it out. Trying to push them out. He should have known better. Every time he let anyone other than Liz get this close, it always came back and bit him in the ass. Why should this time have been any different?
“You don’t understand Michael.” Claurice said softly.
“You know what? You’re right. I don’t understand. I don’t understand how any parent can not want to get to know their kid. But hey, I don’t have any of my own so I wouldn’t understand it now would I?” he bit out sarcastically. He was hurt and angry and just wanted to run. No one in the group understood what was going on. Why would they not want to know where Michael was?
Liz got up and walked over to Michael. Putting her arm around his back, she began leading him toward the kitchen.
“Michael wait. I have something to say.” Jerry said.
“I think you’ve said enough. Don’t you?” Liz asked, angry at what had just taken place. She might not have known what was going on in their minds, but one thing she did know that Michael had spent most of his life wishing he had parents. Then when he finally finds out he does, they tell him they didn’t want to know where he was. It was too much for anyone to take.
“Liz…please wait.” Claurice pleaded but Liz kept leading Michael out of the room. “We wanted to know where he was!” Claurice yelled, crying.
“You have a hell of a way of showing it.” Liz bit. “Do you have any idea how long he’s wanted parents? And he finds out he does, and for once in his life he’s truly happy. He felt complete for the first time just to find out it was a dead end road because they didn’t really want him. How the hell would you feel?”
She just about had him out of the room when she turned back to face them again. “You know what? Go home. We can talk about this later. But I don’t really want to look at either of you right now.”
“Kivar would have killed him.” Jerry said, stopping Liz in her tracks.
“What?”
“That’s why we didn’t want to know. Not because we didn’t care, but because we did.” He said, looking at Michael who was now facing him.
“He’s come after us before. We’ve always managed to fight him off but every time he comes, his army is bigger than the time before. We get warnings. Usually in our dreams, but sometimes it’s just a feeling. From those warnings, we know he’s coming and usually have an estimate of how many he has with him.”
“How many were there the last time?” Jim asked.
“Twenty.” Claurice answered.
“It was never a matter of us not wanting to be with you Michael. We did want to. That’s all we ever wanted. But we knew it wasn’t safe. We were hoping to be able to defeat Kivar before finding you, but we just weren’t able to do it. He has powers that none of us have.”
“We love you darlin’. Both of you.” Claurice said looking at both Michael and Liz. “We just want what’s best for you.” Michael nodded, Liz rubbing his back.
“We have to do this.” Alex said. “What about the FBI? If we draw too much attention, the Special Unit will kill us all anyway.”
“The FBI isn’t after you.” Jerry said.
“What the hell do you mean they aren’t after us? The Special Unit’s been after us for months. Those guys who showed up the other day were part of them.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. There is no FBI Special Unit. Those guys weren’t FBI. They were Kivar’s men.”
“Are you sure?” Liz asked.
“Positive.” Jerry answered.
“How do you know?” Kyle asked.
“The tattoos they had on their hands.”
“Tattoos?” Michael asked.
Jerry nodded. “They’re a combination of letters and numbers that all of Kivar’s men carry.”
“What do they mean?” Michael asked again.
“Not a damn thing other than they’re marked. It’s for show, not meaning.” He looked at the group. “The FBI was never involved.”
“So when can we expect them to get here?” Maria asked.
“They aren’t coming here. Too many people around. They’ll go to the nearest secluded place, which in our case is the football stadium ten miles out. It’s only used during football season which is over for the year.”
“When?” Isabel asked.
“Two days.”
“So in two days, we’re going to go against 150 people at a football stadium. What do we have to do to get ready for it?” Kyle asked.
Jerry looked at him, then at everyone else. “We start training. There’s no room for mistakes here. We give it our best or we die. It’s all or nothing.”
TBC…