When Love & Loss Collide(M/L Teen/Mature) [COMPLETE]

[KatnotKath]

Story Title: When Love and Loss Collide
Author: KatnotKath
Rating TEEN/MATURE
Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Roswell, the characters or situations. Just begging permission to borrow them to play with .
Couples: M/L with CC
Summary: What happens when two people, both having suffered great losses, with two very different pasts get thrown together. Does love span across realities, and how will the whole group deal with the new twists which come their way?



AN: Okay, I know I have two other fics on the go, and I know you might think this is becoming a habit, but the fact is I've been having a really tough time lately with RL, and it's been majorly impacting on my writing. I've been fighting back the impulse to start anything new for a few months now, but when this idea occured to me last week, and I realised it was something I might actually be able to write lol, I just couldn't resist any longer. The earlier chapters for this are shorter than my usual ones I know, but I hope they'll get longer as I go along. Anyway, I hope you'll like the story, and here's the first chapter:

Chapter 1

"Please Liz, you have to go, you have to keep her safe..." Max begged his girlfriend as they stood in front of the Granolith in the cave. How he knew what it was called, much less how to work it, was a complete mystery to him, but he did... He knew exactly how to get the two people that meant the most to him out of here, to save them...

Liz looked up at him through tear stained eyes. "I can't...Max please don't ask me to leave you here... I couldn't bear to lose you, I need you..." She sobbed.

Her boyfriend took hold of her arm, causing her to look up. "Liz, we're not going to get out of this..." Already he could hear the signs that his friends were beginning to fall in the battle. "We're not going to win this, it's over... I can save you though, I can make sure that you and she are safe..." He forced himself to hold her gaze. "I need to do this Liz, I need for you to go, and then I know that you'll still be there...

Another crash outside sounded as though it was threatening to cause a cave in and she looked around desperately. "Come with me then...?" She begged him. In truth she knew it wasn’t going to happen, but she had to ask… She needed Max, she always had, and she always would…

He shook his head sadly. He wished he could give her what she was asking for…but he knew that he couldn’t… As much as he wanted to save himself as well, as much as he wanted to have that future he had always dreamed of, he knew it wasn’t going to happen… He had responsibilities… "You know that I can't do that... I can't just leave Isabel and Michael to deal with this, to face defeat...I have to stay with them..." He swallowed and reached up, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb. He hated to see her cry…

Things shouldn’t have turned out like this… If only there had been another way… He shook his head, going over the decisions he had made over the years. "I'm sorry baby...I should have told you about all of this so much sooner, and I should never have brought you up here today..."

Liz buried her head in his chest, sobbing desperately as she clung to him, needing to feel his arms around her one more time. "It's not your fault...you didn't know..." She struggled to get out.

Max looked torn. "I know I didn't...but I should have...I should have known what she was like, and I should have done something about it in the past when I had a chance!" He stated, his hate for the girl they were talking about coming through loud and clear. He couldn’t believe now that he had actually trusted her… He should have seen through her at the beginning… Instead, because he hadn’t…this had happened…he had failed everyone… And now…now this was all that was left… It was over for him, over for Isabel and Michael… It didn’t have to be for Liz or her though…he could save them, he could, and would…

She shook her head, she knew he would never have done that... "No...because that's not you..." She looked up at him, trying to smile although failing miserably. "You don't kill people. You save them...." She paused for a moment and then added, "Like me..."

Despite the situation, Max couldn't help giving a tiny smile as he nodded. "Yeah...like you..." He shook his head and reached up to cup her face in his hands. "I could never regret a moment, you know that don't you...? Not one second... I love you more than anything in the world, and I know it hasn't been easy, but it has been worth every struggle and difficulty..." He bit his lip, swallowing and trying not to completely lose it.

Liz nodded, her big brown eyes looking up into his. "I know..." She responded softly, hardly able to speak. She couldn't believe this was happening - well no, that was the wrong way to put it - she didn't want to believe this was happening... She drew in a ragged breath. "I wouldn't change anything about what happened either...it was perfect...always..." She struggled over the words, needing to know that he knew she had never had any doubts.

Stood there together, both were frozen, unwilling to part, knowing that this was the last time each would hold the other like this.

The sound of another blast forced Max into action again though as he gently pulled back. "You have to go...we're cutting it fine as it is..." He told her, the tears in her eyes matched by those in his. He didn't want her to go, not really...but he couldn't let her stay either... Staying would be suicide, and he had to know they had survived...

Liz could hear the urgency in his voice and it was as though the cave literally rocked from the next explosion. "What are they doing?" She asked in a shaking voice.

Her boyfriend shook his head. "I don't know Liz, but it's not important either...what is important is you and her, we have to get you out of here...please, don't fight me anymore, there's no time..."

She bit down on her lip, blinking in an attempt to stem the tears, but it was no good. She couldn't be brave, she couldn't put on a front...she needed for him to see how she felt, she needed to show him that her feelings were true... Reaching up, she traced the line of his jaw with her finger, committing every little detail to memory as she closed her eyes and then reached up.

Without even thinking about it, Max leant towards her, his lips meeting hers. They didn't have time for this really, but neither could let go of the other without saying goodbye... Without feeling that embrace, that connection, one more time...

His lips were like heaven, a soft velvet cover which she wanted to lay on. His hands were comforting and strong, and for one moment, she could imagine that everything was just back to normal... It was just them; together...

But it wasn't, and the crash which came next reminded them of it. Max pulled away, resting his finger on her lips for a moment. "Remember me...?" He requested of her.

Liz swallowed, the tears threatening to overwhelm her. She reached up, her fingers closing over his and clinging to it like a lifeline. "Always...I could never forget you..." She promised him. Bringing his finger to her lips again, she kissed it gently, fighting the desire to fling herself back into his arms. It was what she wanted, but it couldn't be... She knew what she had to do... With a trembling lip, she stepped back, her eyes never leaving Max. "I love you..." She told him in a broken voice.

He nodded. "I know baby...I love you both of you...too...I always will, in this life and beyond..." Further noises outside caused him to trail off, looking round desperately fearing the worst. Time was growing short, it was now or never... He waited until she was in position, then moved to the front of the machine, waving his hand over the base to reveal a control panel. The symbols which appeared over it looked like complete hieroglyphs, yet somehow he understood them... Although his memories of his past life were something close to non-existent, the moment he has entered the cave, something had seemed to awaken inside of him...

"MAX!"

He looked over, his heart in his throat as he saw Michael carrying Isabel into the cave.

"You don't have much time..." His friend told him, setting the unconscious figure down on the floor and looking round at the door. He had managed to seal it, just...but as soon as 'she' got here that would be pointless... This place was made for the four of them...she had just as much access as any of the others...

Max nodded. He wanted to go over, to tend to his sister, but he knew there was something more important to do first. There was no time left now to set it carefully, to make a choice as to where it would send them, but away from here was enough... Quickly pressing the buttons needed, he looked over and watched as Liz appeared, seemingly inside the Granolith now. He saw the clock light up, counting down the seconds, and moved forward, touching his hand against the surface.

Liz did the same, fitting hers over his through the glass. "I love you...always..." She told him, and then was gone....

Max’s hand slid down the smooth surface as he dropped to the floor… “I’m sorry…I’m sorry for everything…” He whispered softly, from the empty space that had been occupied by Liz a moment earlier to where Michael was stood tending to Isabel. He swallowed and forced himself up into a standing position, scrambling over to the two of them as the cave was rocked by another blast.

“How much longer…?” Isabel asked weakly, her eyes fluttering as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She reached out with her hand for her brother, needing him…

He shook his head. “I don’t know Izzy…I don’t know…” He took her hand, squeezing it and making a connection. He was about to try and repair the damage done, but turned as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Michael shook his head. “Don’t…she’ll only be in more pain that way…”

Max swallowed and nodded, realising that he was right… Instead, he pressed a kiss to the top of his sister’s head, and allowed her to pass away as peacefully as possible.

“You did what you could man…” Michael told him, looking at his friend before turning back to the cave entrance. It wouldn’t be long now…

“I wish I could believe that…I should have done better, for all of you…” Max responded. He shook his head and slipped to the floor. “It shouldn’t have been like this…” He repeated over and over even as the roof of the cave fell in….

[KatnotKath]

Wow, to say I only posted this the other day that's a lot of responses lol To_Kiss_A_Frog, SpiderGirl, ashley_cutie, flyawayraven, StormWolfstone and taressa05, thanks so much for the feedback, I'm glad you like the start.

To_Kiss_A_Frog - I have to admit I had tears in my eyes when writing some of it, it's a new venture for me, I just hope it works out

Spidergirl - Well it's going to be a ride that's for certain lol. I'm not sure you'll find this next chapter any happier either, but I have faith, I'm sure life has a way of working things out

flyawayraven - who is the other he's talking about, well I'm afraid that won't be answered in this chapter, but it will be soon I promise.

Storm - well from you that's a real compliment . Now all I have to do is keep it going lol

Okay, so I'm not promising to update this regularly all the time, but at the moment this is being written quickly so you get another part sooner . This next might confuse you, but I promise, all will be revealed shortly. Everything will fit together eventually lol

Anyway, enough of me babbling I guess, on with the next part. Hope you all approve:

Chapter 2

"Max..." Isabel knocked on the door softly before pushing it open. She bit her lip as her gaze fell on the figure of her brother. He was sat on the bed, staring down at a frame which he held in his hands. "Max...are you okay...?" She asked gently, walking over and taking a seat next to him on the bed. She reached out to touch his hands.

Max looked up, almost surprised as though he hadn't heard her come in. In fact, he probably hadn't she knew... The last month since... Well, since the FBI had caught up with them in Bridgeport... To tell the truth, none of them had been the same since then...not that it was surprising...

Since leaving Roswell, the group had fallen into something of a pattern... The longest they stayed in one place was about a month, usually picking up some work in cafes or shops - nothing permanent, and nothing that required references of course. The necessity of cash in hand meant that they were paid less they knew, but it was a fact that they had to accept... Had Alex been there they might have set up new identities, but without him the others wouldn't have had a clue where to begin. Instead, they resigned themselves to below minimum wage pay, simply concentrating on being thankful they were alive.

When they could, the group got three rooms usually... One for either Max and Liz or Maria and Michael, the other two shared boy/boy girl/girl, by those remaining. Usually they'd hang around long enough to cover their travelling expenses, or until the waitresses etc that they were covering for came back, whichever came first...

Travelling had of course been a huge part of the routine... They liked to travel distances in bulk, and the van was often used for at least a few days at a time.

Things hadn't been great, but there had been something of a sense of normal... Things continued like that for about over a year, and then everything had fallen apart...

Since then, it seemed that all the group had been able to do was keep going...keep moving, because that was what they had to do... Max had closed himself off from them all, refusing to talk, and hardly seeming to care about anything... He was unshaven, his hair was lank and dull, but he just didn't care...

Max shook his head, running his hand through his hair and pulling it down over his face, hardly noticing as it caught on the rough surface of his unshaven face. "How can I be Izzy..." He responded, shaking his head again and dropping his head to stare at the photograph he held.

Again she reached out, this time to touch the photograph... "You look happy..." She commented softly. Her brother and Liz might not have had a traditional wedding, but the group had managed to put together the important parts... A white 'dress', flowers...the rings - well Max had done that himself of course... There had been no doubt that the two of them had been happy...

For her, it had of course been something of a time of mixed emotions... She was delighted to see her brother so happy...to see the young couple doing what everyone had always known deep down they would... But then it also made her think about what she had given up... Jesse...her husband...the man she loved more than life itself... Liz had Max, and Maria had Michael... She just had her memories... She knew that Jesse would have come with her had she allowed him, but she couldn't do that to him... The moment they had left Roswell, they had been leaving behind their life as they had always known it... She couldn't ask him to do that too... He had a career...a life... He wasn't part of this, not like the others...

Still, there had been many times since they left that she had wondered what it would be like if he were there... Despite the fact that she had tried to give him back her rings at Graduation, she hadn't been able to take them off a second time... She knew perhaps she didn't have the right to wear them, but she couldn't help it...she needed to...

Happy...? Max nodded silently. That day had been the day of his dreams... The day he had never thought would come when he was younger... He had been walking on air most of the night before, and that day, seeing Liz looking so beautiful... Despite the fact that it might not have been as would have been planned, the day couldn't have been more perfect as far as he was concerned...there was only one thing that was important, and that was the fact that it was him and her... Nothing else could have spoilt that wonderful day... "We were..." He responded in a hushed tone.

So much had changed since then though... That day, twenty-nine days ago exactly, he had felt as though his life ended... So much had been taken from them, and now, he just didn't know if he had any fight left... What was the point...? Where was it getting them...? The FBI had taken their homes, their families from them... Tess had taken Alex, and now... He shook his head, wanting more than anything to believe that there was another explanation, that it had all been a mistake....

Maybe if they had done things differently...? Or if he had refused to let Maria and Liz work there without one of the guys being present too...?

They had needed the money though... Both girls had said they were perfectly capable of coping on their own, and everyone else had accepted it... The guys had found some work at some of the bars, and Isabel was temping at a nightclub... When work just wasn't available for them together, the simple fact was that they couldn't afford to be picky... Although their powers could theoretically 'make' money, it was far too risky given all the security features they would have to duplicate. They had to earn their money, to earn enough to pay for the things that they needed...fuel, food, accommodation... They had been just about cleaned out at their last stop, and although originally had hoped to be able to stay a while to 'stock back up' as such, the surprise return of the waitress' Liz, Maria and herself had been filling in for put paid to that idea. Bridgeport wasn’t ideal, being much smaller than usual, but it had been the next place on the map, and even by the time they got there, they had been in desperate need of funds... The jobs they had found hadn't been best, and no one had been keen on the fact all three girls were working without one of the guys nearby, but the fact was they needed the money...

"Max...?" It didn't take much for Isabel to guess what he was thinking. "This wasn't your fault...this wasn't any of our faults... We didn't know they were so close..." She tried to tell him.

Max pulled away from her arms. "We should have done though! We should have known, we should have moved on...before..." He trailed off, clearly close to breaking point, as he traced the face of the smiling brunette in the picture.

Isabel swallowed, watching him in silence. Max had always been the strong one...the one to turn to when things got hard... He had been the one they could rely on no matter what. He had been the strength of the group, and seeing him like this, she just didn't know what to do...she didn't know how to play that role... "Max...?" She reached for her brother again, causing him to look back at her. "Listen to me, we didn't know...we did our best, we did what we could..."

"It wasn't enough though...we were too late..." He shook his head again. "If we could go back, change what happened... Maybe there was another way...maybe it didn't have to happen that way..." He began to go over the decisions he had made over and over again. He had to have done something wrong... It wasn't meant to have happened like that... They had all looked to him for leadership, and he had failed them...

Sighing and shaking her head, Isabel ran her free hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face. For a while after leaving Roswell she had gone back to being a blond, then later moved onto a deep red. The style she had also lengthened, using something of 'alien persuasion'... It was a good disguise, but more than that, it helped her to move on from who she had been when she left Roswell...and that was what she needed...

She swallowed and bit her lip. "Please don't do this to yourself...this wasn't your fault..." She tried again. "You didn't know, you couldn't have known...none of us did..."

Her brother dropped the photo frame down on the bed and stood up. He walked over to the window, facing away from her to keep his sister from seeing the tears that hung in his eyes. "I'm the leader, I'm supposed to know!" He stated in a dead voice.

The leader... When they had been talking about leaving Roswell, he had said he was giving up the throne... That the decision had to be made by everyone individually... He had meant it... But that was when they were talking about all leaving separately... disappearing into the night one by one, or in a two in the case of Liz and himself... When it had come to it, and in the end they had left together, as much as he might not have wanted it, he found himself back in that now familiar position...the leader of the group... Whatever he said about not being the one in charge, everyone still looked to him to guide them, to decide what to do... Their locations were chosen as a group of course, but how long they could stay, when it was time to go...those were his decisions to make...and he had let them down...

"I let you down..." He repeated the words that were going over and over in his head out loud now.

Isabel looked up sharply. "NO! YOU DIDN'T!" She insisted. The tears, which now crept from the corners of her eyes, glistened in the light as she shook her head over. "You didn't let us down Max... You did what you could...just..."

"It wasn't enough..." Her brother finished off the sentence as she trailed off, certain that he knew what she was feeling. His voice was little more than a whisper now, and he refused to look at her, turning towards the window, although his sister was in little doubt that he wasn't looking out...

"Oh Max..." She stood up, going over to him. She wanted to be able to tell him it would be okay...but right at that moment in time, she was having doubts it would be...

Her brother pulled back, avoiding her arms as he walked back over to his bed and grabbed the jacket that was lying there. "I'm going out...I'll be back in time for work..." He told her in a strangely calm voice before walking out of the room.

Isabel watched him go and then sank down onto the bed, holding her head in her hands. She just didn't know what to do.

"Isabel..."

She looked up, hearing a knock on the door. Kyle was stood in the doorway.

She swallowed, forcing back tears which were threatening to flow and attempting something of a smile. "Hey..."

Kyle shook his head, hardly fooled by her attempt and walked into the room. "I saw Max walk out...thought the room would be empty..." He commented, taking a seat next to her much in the same way she had with Max.

Isabel looked at him and shook her head. "No...I guess I just needed to sit a few more minutes..."

He nodded. "How's he doing...?" He asked her gently, offering her his arm if she wanted it, but not pushing. He and Isabel were just friends...Jesse was still too fresh in her mind, shown by the rings on her finger, to allow for anything else, and he always left it up to her to set the boundaries...

Isabel was weary...she was tired and worried about her brother. She gave a slight nod, to convey thanks, as she gratefully allowed herself to relax somewhat into his arm.

Kyle tightened his hold just slightly, but still not so much that anything could be made of it... He was just a friend, offering comfort... Despite the fact that he had asked a question, he knew that she would answer when she was ready, and not once did he press, just waiting...

Even thought it was probably only a few minutes, Isabel felt as though they sat there an age. She continued to fight back the tears, which threatened to break through, and finally looked up at him. She bit her lip and shook her head. "Not good..."

Her simple response came as no surprise to Kyle, but at the same time he knew she needed to say it... They were all hurting, but Isabel was the one who perhaps could best understand how Max was feeling... She had been the one who had taken on the task of trying to keep everyone going, and he knew that she probably needed to accept a bit of support herself, as well as giving it... He nodded silently, waiting a moment and then turning his head to look back at her. "And you...?"

Isabel shook her head desperately. "Honestly Kyle...? I don't know..." She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face once more even though gravity would cause it to fall back in seconds. She wondered about going short again...maybe at the next place they stopped...

Kyle noticed how she was gripping her hair. "Hey...careful, you're going to pull it out if you're not careful..." he told her, only half joking.

Isabel turned her head slightly and brought her hand down. She hadn't even realised what she was doing...

"Isabel...seriously...are you okay...?" Kyle asked again. He knew okay might not be the best way to describe it, but she couldn't think of anything better right at that moment in time.

She pulled back from his arms, shaking her head again. "I just hate seeing him like this... I just don't know what to do..." She murmured over almost as though to herself.

Kyle nodded. "I know Izzy...I know..." He responded, for the first time being the one to reach for her as he pulled her back into his arms, rocking back and forth almost as one would rock a baby.

[KatnotKath]

taressa05, Storm, To_Kiss_A_Frog, roswells_hope_lily, Isabelle, Angelic Vixen and Alice (I know you can't post here ladies, but I didn't forget you ), thanks so much for reading and I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. I'm sorry that it's a bit confusing at the moment, but I promise that it will begin to clear up shortly. I'm sorry to have to do it this way, but it wouldn't have the same impact if I explained in the first chapter hehe.

I believe this chapter answers a burning question most people have brought up, hope the answer won't disappoint...

taressa05 - Can I call you Dani? Anyway, it's always fun to make up theories...my lips are sealed for the moment though so if you want to know, guess you'll have to keep reading

Storm - so glad :D

To_Kiss_A_Frog - thanks for the compliment, glad you like the way I'm writing it. I am sorry about the confusion, but if you like it because of that, I guess it's fine lol

roswells_hope_lily - you'll find the answer to your question in this next chapter I believe. Hope you approve...

Isabelle - Aww, thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Alice - As you'll see, you weren't far off with some of your theories...as for the rest, I guess you'll have to wait and see . Thanks for reading though, I know you're busy with revision at the moment. Good luck with your exams

Angelic Vixen - I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapters, as for your problem with it of there not being enough here's another chapter Hope you enjoy it.

Okay, so I have to give some thanks and credit to Isabelle who's been helping me (albeit without knowing the details that go with it) with the locations for this fic, thanks very much .

That done, I think the only thing left is to leave you with the new chapter... Again it's not as long as I might like, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. As always, I'd love to hear what you all think.

~Kat~

Chapter 3

Liz looked around in amazement as the cave, and more importantly Max, disappeared in a flash. Apparently the Granolith, as Max had called it, was indeed capable of what he had said... Where she was, and more importantly perhaps when, she had no idea...but when it came down to it, she was alive...and given the situation a moment before, that did seem like something of a miracle.

Her surroundings appeared unfamiliar but her best guess was that they definitely were not in Roswell, or even New Mexico... Of course other than that, as to where and possibly more importantly when, she had no idea. It was probably a good thing they weren't in New Mexico though...after all, she'd only be heading away from there if they were... As much as she might want to go home, or see what was there to go home to anyway, she knew that she couldn't...

"Mommy...?"

She looked down, almost having forgotten about the little girl in her arms for a moment. "What sweetheart...?" She asked her softly, reaching out to push a stray strand of hair out of her daughter's eyes.

"Want down!" She pointed to the ground and then began to try and push her mother's arms away.

Liz shook her head firmly. "No Emily, it's not safe, not yet..." She told her in a no nonsense tone. Given that she had no idea where they were even, she had no intention of allowing her two-year-old daughter to go toddling about. Emily liked to stand on her own two feet now that she could walk, but in this case it simply wasn't up for discussion...

The little girl pouted for a moment, looking away. "Where's daddy? Daddy gone...?"

The innocent childlike comment caused Liz to burst into tears. She didn't want to believe that he was really gone... She should have stayed... And done what...? She shook her head at her thoughts. She knew as well as Max that they weren't going to win... They had been caught completely unawares, and the simple fact of the matter was that they were outnumbered and outgunned... Had she stayed with Max, well, she didn't really need to wonder what would have happened... She had done the only thing they could…their daughter was the most important thing here…and keeping her safe… That didn’t mean she didn’t wish there had been another option though…

"Mommy...why you sad?" The little girl reached up, her brow creased in confusion, touching the salty tears that were beginning to creep from her eyes. She didn’t like seeing her mommy unhappy…

Liz swallowed, trying to put on a front so as not to worry or upset the little girl. She forced something of a weak smile for the benefit of her daughter, boosting her up her hip again and shaking her head. "It's not important sweetheart..." She told her softly, before beginning to look around again, taking in her surroundings in more detail now. She had to be strong for her daughter…

They were in the middle of what looked something like a park. In the distance, she could see a number of tall office blocks that told her that she must be in a reasonable size city. Of course finding out where was her first requirement, along with a date preferably... A displacement in time wouldn't be such a bad thing, making it far harder for anyone to locate them, as long as it wasn't too great a displacement... She didn't fancy trying to live as a single mother in the seventies, or for that matter in twenty one hundred...

"Where are we?" Emily asked in her simple way. She clung to Liz a little tighter now, having suddenly realised that she didn't actually recognise the area. Her big brown eyes were open wide as she looked around and took in her surroundings.

Her mother shook her head. "I don't know sweets..." She responded, kissing the top of her head gently and looking round again. There was nothing she could see that was revealing as to location, but she supposed the best thing she could do was probably take a bit of a look around and see what she could find... As she stood around, trying to decide which way to go, she shivered, for the first time realising the temperature was much lower than it had been back home. That could indicate two things... That while it was summer when she had left, it was now winter, or that this place, wherever it was, was simply much cooler than it was in New Mexico. Both were possible of course, but noting that the trees appeared to have lost their leaves, she decided the former was more likely.

She looked down at her daughter, worried that she too would be cold, her lightweight jacket providing little warmth, but for now she didn't seem to have noticed the drop in temperature at least for the moment.

The sound of a car horn honking in the distance brought her mind back to more important matters, like finding out where they were… Liz shook her head, mentally telling herself to concentrate and opting to go down the path. It seemed as good a direction as any other... She had no idea what she was going to find, but there was only one way to see...

"Me walk...?" Emily tried again a few minutes later. She looked up at her mother, those doe eyes she had inherited from her wide and pleading.

Liz sighed and took a breath. She just wasn't going to hear the end of this... After a moment, she nodded, although didn't immediately set her down on the ground. "Alright, but you promise me you don't let go of mommy's hand, and you don't struggle if I need to pick you up again..." She told her sternly. Emily was usually good if she was made to understand the importance of doing as she was told, and if she continued like this, the two of them weren’t going to get anywhere…

Emily nodded solemnly, giving the impression of understanding, and accepting the terms. She gave a big smile as her feet touched the path, and began to walk next to with her mother as they continued along the path again.

Liz held her little hand tightly, looking round in all directions for any sign of danger as well as information now.

"Spare some change for a poor old woman..."

She turned sharply, hearing the voice and her gaze falling on a figure on the bench. She shuddered slightly at the sight of the drunk who had spoken, urging Emily along without responding. Probably she was harmless, but she’d far rather be safe than sorry… Her daughter’s safety was her number one priority…for the moment, that was all she cared about.

The little girl stopped after a moment, bending down to try and pick something up off the ground. She tugged on her mother’s leg.

Liz looked down, sensing that she had stopped moving. She was about to try and hurry her along, but she saw something in her hand and she crouched down so that she was level with her daughter. “What’ve you got there…?” She asked her softly.

The little girl smiled again, holding up a shiny new nickel. “Money…”

Liz laughed softly and nodded. “Alright, well you look after that won’t you…” She told her seriously.

“Okay mommy…”

Liz smiled, watching her daughter with some amusement as she carefully dropped the precious coin into the pocket of her jacket. Waiting until she was done, she straightened back up and then held out her hand again as the two of them resumed walking.

As they reached the entrance, Liz looked up, reading off the name on the sign above. Asbury Park, NJ…they were in New Jersey... She smiled at the basic information, and reaching down, she lifted Emily back up into her arms, aware that they would now be crossing some roads and not wanting to risk having her walking. The little girl was good to her word, and made not a sound...

"Okay...so I know where we are...now comes the question of when...?" Liz murmured to herself softly. A newspaper page blew along the pavement, bushing against her leg and she looked down. An idea forming in her head, she secured it with her foot in order to prevent it blowing away again and bent down to picked it up. It was something of a mess, and she guessed it was at least a couple of days old, so the date wouldn’t be accurate, but at least it would give her some idea... Holding it at the edges and trying to avoid getting her hands too dirty, she straightened it out as best she could, not letting go of her daughter, and peering at it in the dim light provided by street lamps.

"Me help..." Emily waved her hand over the page, instantly cleaning it up.

Liz looked round sharply for any sign of anyone that might have been seen. On seeing that they were alone, she couldn't help smiling though – like father like daughter... "Thank you sweets...but you know we have to be careful about you doing that..."

She nodded. "I know mommy...I’m sorry…"

“It’s okay honey…just let’s be careful okay…?” Liz kissed the top of her head again, cuddling the little girl close, as she read off the date from the top of the page. "19th November 2003..." She smiled and nodded. "I think we can deal with that...now, how about we go see about getting something to eat, and then see if we can sort somewhere to stay...?"

Luckily, ever since Emily had been born, Liz and Max had both taken to carrying an amount of money around for emergencies... With both his and hers put together, she should have enough for a meal and then an evening's board, even if that was all... Tomorrow she would be able to see if their bank account still existed here, and if not, well she guessed she would have to deal with when it came...

Emily clapped her hands in agreement, smiling and then rubbing her stomach slightly. "Me hungry..."

She was so cute like that... Liz shook her head and nodded. "Alright, let's go see what we can find then... Crossing the road as she came to the lights and they flashed for pedestrians, she headed in the direction which she believed, or rather hoped, would take them into the main area of the city, or at least somewhere they might be able to find food and shelter - not that she had been there before, but hopefully she would be right...

[KatnotKath]

taressa05, Isabelle, WildSphinx, begonia9508, Alice, To_Kiss_A_Frog, thanks for reading and also so much for the feedback, it really does help. I'm glad you're enjoying the story

taressa05 - I'm sorry you're still lost, I'm not sure this next chapter is going to help any with that but I promise it will begin to fit into place in time. So glad you like Emily though, I have to say I think she's sweet too.

Isabelle Thanks, so glad you like Emily too

Wildsphinx - glad you think so, and here you go then

begonia9508 - Can I call you Eve? Maybe you're right, but it's not going to be plain sailing I'm afraid. Btw, don't know if you're still reading it, but a little plug here, I updated Family Connections as well today, if you're interested.

Alice - Oh I do feel special hehe - of course you do know I expect FB on the board for FC as well now I'm glad you like Emily, and motherly Liz is certainly interesting to explore for me. As for your blank on the alien part LOL - I did wonder when you were talking about it. Thanks for the feedback anyway, so glad you're enjoying the story and I'm relieved to hear you think I'm doing okay with the angst - my first real venture into that...

To_Kiss_A_Frog - can I call you Cyn? I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and as for what kind of world, that will be revealed in time hehe. Hope you like the new chapter.

Okay, so yet again I'm churning out a new chapter for this fic lol. The chapters are shorter, but that seems to mean more regular updates as possible so maybe it's not such a bad thing. I'm glad you're all enjoying the story, sorry if it's a little confusing at the moment but I hope things will begin to explain themselves in the next few chapters or so. Enough of me babbling though, here's the new chapter, I'd love to hear what you think:

One note, I'm sorry if the price I give for a drink isn't realistic...over here in a bar it's not unknown for them to cost £2 or over, so I'm going on that...


Chapter 4

Asbury Another city just like all the others... Sometimes he wondered whether it wouldn't be better just to stop running, for him to give himself up and hope that would be enough...that Isabel, Michael and the others would be safe then... He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. He just didn't know if he could continue like this anymore... It was hard enough before, but now...without her... He shook his head - it should have been him... Anyone but her... He looked down, blinking back tears as his gaze fell on the gold band that still sat on his finger. He knew perhaps he should take it off, but as yet he hadn't been able to get himself to do that... He needed that sign, he needed to show that he loved her...that he always would...

He had been walking around the streets, pretty much without a location in mind, ever since leaving Isabel a few hours earlier… He had just needed to get out, to get away from the hotel…

The sound of a clock chiming in the background reminded him of the time and he looked up. He had about ten minutes before he was supposed to be leaving for work... Great, and he hadn’t had anything to eat yet… He sighed and shook his head again, hurrying back towards the hotel and up to his room to get changed.

He was thankful that everyone else seemed to be out - probably already heading to work... He knew they were only trying to help, but sometimes he just needed to be alone...to be allowed to think about things without constantly being asked if he was alright...

All right...? Would he ever be all right again...? He had lost his wife, his soulmate... He had left his parents back in Roswell, and his son he had given up for adoption... He had his sister, and his friends, but somehow, it just wasn't enough anymore... He loved his sister, he cared about his friends, but everything that had made his life worth living it seemed, he had given up or lost…

What would have happened if he had kept Xan…? Or even if he, Isabel and Michael had left all that time ago…? Alex would still be alive…maybe Liz would be with Kyle…? He couldn’t help going over and over in his head all the choices he had made, searching for the one where everything had gone wrong…

They had been so happy…for that short time, they had been so happy… Travelling around like this wasn’t ideal, but it had been enough…it had been enough, because they had each other… Now…well, he didn’t know what he had…

Still, for the group he had to go on, he had to force himself to continue... With this in mind, pushed open the door and went into the room. He grabbed his trousers from the closet, pulling them on, followed by his shoes and a clean shirt. Personally he hated his job at the bar, but at least it paid decently... Maria and Isabel were working the graveyard shift at some diner, and Michael and Kyle had managed to get jobs as bouncers at a club. All in all, they probably were better off financially than they had been in some time, but no one really cared... Who cared about money at the moment…not him, that was for certain…

Grabbing his keys, he checked the clock again, leaving Kyle and Michael a note just in case they were back before him and were wondering if he had ever come back, and threw his jacket over his shoulder as he headed out of the room.

Five minutes later, he was walking in the back door of the bar that thankfully was just up the road from the hotel they were staying at currently.

"You're nearly late!" The tall, dark haired, Latino American guy called Danny who shared his shift told him, looking round sharply as he heard the door open and he saw Max enter.

Max shrugged, hardly caring what the other guy wanted to say. "Nearly, but not quite..." He took off his jacket and headed over to join him.

As the two of them headed through to take over from the earlier shift, immediately he could hear it was going to be a busy night.

"All yours guys... " Andy and Tim grinned as they dropped the beer cloths they were holding at the entrance of their successors.

Max nodded, as usual making little conversation as he headed over to where there were a group of guys waiting to be served. It was an unsaid agreement...generally he left the girls to Danny... This had of course provoked a few 'suggestions' as to why, but he really wasn't bothered... Chatting up the girls like Danny did just had no appeal... Turning his attention to the first group of guys, he grabbed a glass. "Okay guys, what's it going to be?"

**********

A little later in the evening, it had quietened down some and he was drying off some of the glasses.

"You know I never will understand your attitude towards the girls..." Danny commented as he walked up and grabbed a cloth to do the same. "I mean why work somewhere like this, if you don't like girls...?"

Max looked unimpressed. "Well how about for the money..." He shrugged. "And as far as not liking girls, I like girls...or rather I liked a girl...my WIFE!" He indicated the ring on his finger. "Look Danny, can you please just drop it...we have plenty to do and I'm really not in the mood to talk..."

"You never are..."

He shook his head, drying off another glass before turning as he sensed someone waiting.

"I'm going for my break, be back in fifteen." Danny grinned as he looked back a moment, seeing the group of girls that was gathering. It would do the guy good...

Max opened his mouth to object as he saw the girls, but shrugged and sighed as he realised it was already too late. "Alright ladies...what can I get you..." He asked politely, offering a smile.

The drink orders came in quickly, most consisting of wines, or spirits and mixers, but one of the girls obviously had her eyes on something a little more. She was small and blond, kind of reminded Max of Tess, and was the last sort of girl he would be interested if he were looking - which he wasn’t anyway… "You know I've been coming here a couple of days now...I was beginning to think I was never going to get a chance to speak to you..." She told him with a little smile. She reached out to touch his hand, and frowned as he drew it back quickly.

"Well then, can I get you something to drink...?" He asked evenly, already knowing he didn't like the way this was going.

She smiled again. "Sure...a slim line vodka lemon for me thanks..."

He nodded, quickly fixing the drink and setting it down in front of her. "That'll be three dollars ninety." He told her, keeping the forced smile on his face.

The smile dropped abruptly from her face. "Oh...I thought maybe you might like to treat me..." She suggested softly, reaching out again to touch his hand.

Max shook his head mentally. Why did he always get these blond bimbos... All he wanted to do was just get through the night and then go back to the hotel, fall into bed and be able to sleep... That was the only time he was happy...when he was sleeping and dreaming...of that beautiful brunette, and the life they had wanted to have together... That little house, those beautiful kids... A life, a real life without all the running from the FBI... Something that just wasn't going to happen... Forcing himself to turn his attention back to the blond, he shook his head firmly, pulling back his hand sharply. "Nah...the boss wouldn't like that..." He glanced at the clock, noting that Danny's fifteen minutes were up. "Danny, get out here, I want to take my break!" He called into the back, waiting only long enough for the other guy to return before heading out back himself.

**********

“So I told him that I so wasn’t interested…I mean why would I take him back after that…?”

Max nodded, hoping that his disinterest wasn’t too obvious as he stood ‘listening’ to one of the girls who had cornered him in the last few minutes. For once she didn’t seem to be interested in him, but the last thing she really wanted to hear about was her romantic woes… He sighed and glanced over at the clock discretely, relieved to find there were only another ten minutes or so of his shift left. Ten minutes and then he could get out of there… “Right…well can I get you another drink at all…?” He asked trying to veer the conversation onto something that might give him an escape.

“Oh sure, a white wine and lemonade…” She flashed him another smile.

Max nodded, excusing himself quickly and making a retreat.

“Boy, those are some sweet girls…” Danny commented, looking over at the group as Max began to fix the drink. She shook his head and whistled. “Perfect timing too you know, just as you knock off… You want me to fix you a drink for after…?”

Max glared and shook his head quickly. “I told you Danny, I’m just not interested… In fact, I’m more than not interested, I’m TAKEN!”

Danny grinned and shook his head. “Well those girls don’t seem to bothered about that…maybe you shouldn’t be either…?” He shrugged. “Besides, if you’re so taken, why have I never seen the little misses around here…you keep her locked up at home or something…maybe you don’t trust her, or want to keep her all to yourself…”

At this suggestion, Max had to fight hard to keep his anger under control. “NOT FUNNY!” He stated firmly, clearly not amused by his workmate’s sense of humour…

The other guy sniggered, holding up his hand in mock surrender. “Okay…cool it guy…I mean I’m just suggesting that you might like to take up something of what’s on offer… I mean who’s going to know if you stay for an extra drink…maybe we were a bit busy and you did an extra hour - I certainly won’t tell if you don’t…”

Max shook his head again. “Get it into your head okay man, I’m NOT interested…” He grabbed the drink he had just prepared and headed over to deliver it to the girl in question. After doing this, he managed to avoid the group for the next ten minutes, declining an offer to join them later, and the moment the minute hand left the hour, he dropped his towel. “Okay, I’m off…I’ll see you same time tomorrow…” He told Danny. The number of people was dying off, everything getting ready for the bar to close, and it was hardly going to take two to tend to the needs of the few people at the bar… Besides, the girls who were waiting probably didn’t want a drink…

Danny hardly even looked round, busy talking to his current group of girls. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay…Suzanne here would really like to get to know you better…”

Max shook his head, not even offering a response to the suggestion. “See ya…” He called out, continuing through to the back and then grabbing his jacket. Pulling it as he headed out the door, he looked round for a moment, considering his options. He could go back to the hotel, and go to bed…or, he could see about getting something to eat…

As much as he was looking forward to those few hours of escape when he could sleep, he had to admit he was feeling the lack of food from his omission of a meal earlier in the night. Besides, maybe seeing his sister and Maria was exactly what he needed… “Okay, I’ll pop in and see if I can catch Maria and Isabel then…” He murmured to himself as he made the decision.

[KatnotKath]

Isabelle, WildSphinx, Cyn, Dani, Begonia9508, Raychill and Ellie, thanks so much for reading and telling me what you think, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story.

Isabelle - as you say, it's not so simple anymore, from either side...

Cyn - well here's another fairly quick update - and I think you'll find things are beginning to come together at the end of this part... Although there's still a long way to all the same. I hope I'm not confusing you too much, but glad you're enjoying it anyway.

Dani - I believe you'll find the answer to your question in this chapter

Ellie - Strictly speaking they're not being reunited you know...given they haven't known literally 'each other'. Still, hope you like the new chapter

For the moment, my muse for this is behaving extremely well, hence yet another chapter. I won't promise to update this regularly all the time, but I'll do my best to do so when I can.

Slightly off topic, although still related to this, I have spoken to a couple of poeple about this already, but I'm wondering what the general concensus is... I have plenty of info and ideas going round in my head regarding Liz's background... Do I try and put as much as I can into this fic, or use just what is neccessary for undertstanding this, and then write something of a companion fic, or a prequel, eventually, to show her story up to this point...? Tell me what you think, I'm interested to see in order to be able to think about how to go forward from this

Anyway, I know I'm babbling yet again, here's the new chapter, and as always, I'd love to hear what you think

Chapter 5

"Maria, order up!"

Turning quickly at the sound of her name, Maria hurried over to the service hatch, picking up the two plates that were waiting. "Thanks Paul..." She flashed him a smile and went over to deliver the food to the couple who were waiting in the corner. Picking up another two drinks orders on her way back, she headed for the counter, waiting until Isabel was free and then passing them on. "OOoh...one of these days we are going to be able to find something that isn't the graveyard shift...right...?" She looked at her friend pleadingly.

Isabel laughed softly and sighed as she began to fill the orders. "Maybe..." Two years ago she would have turned her nose up at doing anything like this... The one and only time she had helped in the Crashdown had been when Liz's Grandmother had been in hospital, and she had hated every minute of it. Things had changed big time though...since leaving Roswell behind, she had done a lot of things she would never have imagined, and working as a waitress was certainly nothing unusual...

Maria waited until she was done, then setting them on a tray went to deliver them to the correct tables. Returning with the empty tray a few minutes later, she leant against the counter, trying to stifle a yawn. "Sorry...I guess I'm just tired..." She admitted. The last stretch of driving had been hard, and it had been a long time - well probably about a month really, since she had really had a good night’s sleep…

Her friend nodded, smoothing her apron and tightening her ponytail. "Yeah...I guess we all are..." She murmured softly.

For a moment there, Maria could almost have imagined things were back to normal...or at least the way they used to be... She shook her head and sighed. It never was going to be back to normal though...not after what had happened... She bit her lip and busied herself cleaning a few glasses as she headed behind the counter. Keeping busy was basically the only way she knew how to deal, to get through day to day…

"You okay...?" Isabel asked her friend softly, reading the expression on her face easily.

Maria swallowed and shook her head. "Sorry Izzy...I know that you don't need me like this too...I guess I just can't believe that she's gone..." She sighed and ran a hand through her short curly hair as she admitted her feelings. She tried to be strong, especially since she knew how hard this all was on Max in particular, but sometimes she just couldn’t…

"I know Ria...I know..."

She shook her head again. "Boy I mean I'm desperate...I mean for a moment I even thought I saw her earlier this evening..." Maria sighed as she thought about the way she had almost completely made a fool of herself. She had known it was impossible, but she couldn’t help thinking, just for a few minutes… Of course it was true that the young girl sat at the back of the diner might have bore some resemblance to her friend, but Liz was dead... As much as she didn't want to believe it, she had been there when it happened... There was no room for illusion, she knew what she had seen... Liz was gone...

Isabel forced a weak smile for her friend and reached over to squeeze her hand. "It's okay to miss her you know Maria, and it’s okay to show it...we all miss her..." She might not have been the biggest fan of Liz Parker when she was younger, but since they had left Roswell and she had become Max's wife, and even before that if she was honest, she had come to realise just how important she was to the group... That much was plain from the effect her loss had on the group... Liz might not have been a traditional leader like Max, but she helped to keep the group together, and the fact was, that the group just wasn't the same without her...

Besides, Liz had become a close friend…she had given up so much for them all, and after everything that happened after it came out that Tess had killed Alex, she knew that she had loved her brother more than anything… They had been a group, close, like family…and now, without her, it was like they were a jigsaw with a missing piece…

Maria reached up, dabbing at her eyes as she realised she was in danger of crying. "She was my best friend...I thought she'd always be there..." Her response came out as something of a whisper and she dropped down into one of the stood by the bar.

Isabel checked to see that all the customers were happy enough, then slipped out from behind the counter, coming round to join her friend and pulling Maria into her arms. She had become something of the comfort figure of the group she knew, and right at this moment in time, it looked like Maria was in desperate need of that... "Cry if you want Maria...it's better out than in..." She told her softly.

"Excuse me...?"

The two girls pulled back from each other, Maria getting up to go see what the guy at table three wanted. Isabel shook her head though, reaching out to stop her. "I'll go...you hold the fort here okay...?" The counter was pretty quiet at the moment, so by leaving Maria with that, at least she would be able to take a bit of a break even not literally...

Maria sniffed and nodded, wiping her eyes. "Okay...thanks Isabel..."

She smiled and nodded as she pulled an order pad from the counter and a pen from her apron. "No problem...be right back…"

**********

A couple of hours later, the girls were coming to the end of their shift. Everything was winding down and as the bell rang to indicate the entrance of a new customer, Isabel turned to tell whoever it was that they had just finished serving. As she saw who it was however, she smiled and beckoned the figure over. "Hey Max...didn't expect to see you here..."

He shrugged and shook his head. "No...well I kind of didn't manage to get anything to eat before work and I was wondering if it would be too late to grab something here...?" He knew it would be cutting it fine, but had thought it would be worth a go.

Maria grinned as she headed over to join them. On hearing his request, she shook her head. "I'm sure we should be able to come up with something..." She looked over at him. "Hard night...?" She asked softly, reading his weary expression easily.

"Something like that..." Max sighed and nodded.

Maria couldn’t help thinking that there was something else. “Want to talk about it…?” She asked easily. That ‘girlfriend’ relationship she and Max had developed that summer, that seemed like hundreds of years before, still held strong, and if there was anyone he would open up to, likely she knew it would be her…

While they were talking, Isabel left them to slip into the kitchen. Paul had finished a couple of minutes before, but the grill should still be aired, and with the use of her powers she should be able to fix a burger or something for her brother. He certainly looked as though he needed something...

Max shook his head. “Maybe later Ria…but I really don’t want to go through it at the moment…”

She nodded, understanding that this was one occasion not to push. “Okay…well if you ever want to talk…”

He gave a weak smile. “Sure…so how's your night been anyway...?" Max asked, diverting the conversation in her direction as he took a seat at one of the stools.

She shrugged as she slipped behind the counter and headed for the drinks machine. "Oh you know...the usual... You want a drink...?"

"Sure..."

She nodded. "Don't tell me, Cherry Coke right...?"

Max gave a weak smile and nodded. "Right."

"Coming right up..." She looked over to the serving hatch. "Isabel...you want a drink before we knock off...?"

Isabel stuck her head out of the hatch and nodded. "Sure, I'll be right out...got a burger coming for you Max..."

Her brother nodded and looked round. The diner was pretty quiet by now, it being early hours of the morning. "How about I help you tidy up...?" He suggested, standing up and heading over to clear one of the now-empty tables.

"I thought you'd had a long night...why not take the opportunity to sit down and rest...?" Maria asked him laughing as she fixed the drinks and then headed over to swap the sign on the door to 'closed'. They wouldn't chase out those remaining customers until they had to, but nothing more would be served from this point.

Max shrugged and then shook his head. "Honestly Ria, I like to keep busy..." He told her in a low voice, carrying a number of empty plates over to the serving hatch and passing them to his sister. It was so true...keeping busy was the only way he got through day to day...

Maria didn’t know what to say to that… She did exactly the same thing after all… Keeping busy meant that she could keep her mind off other things…

"Yeah, well how about you busy yourself eating this..." Isabel suggested, shoving a plate with a burger and chips on, through the hatch. "Go sit down and eat, we'll join you shortly!" She instructed in a no nonsense tone which told Max she was in her mothering mood.

Max sighed and nodded, realising there was little trouble objecting to his sister. He gave a small smile and took the plate. "Okay...thanks Izzy..." He nodded and headed over to take a seat at one of the front tables while his sister and Maria busied themselves tidying the rest of the tables.

While the girls tidied up, Max began to eat his burger, using his own powers to give the chips an extra boost of heat as he realised they were already cold. “Are you guys nearly finished…?” He called out to them as he took a sip of his own drink and motioned to the other two glasses on the table in front of him. “You do know these are going to be going flat…?” Besides, he knew the two were supposed to have knocked off a couple of minutes before… They wouldn’t get any extra money for this, and it wasn’t as though they weren’t tired… In another circumstance he might respect their consideration of the single remaining customer at the back of the diner, but in this case, he just wanted to see them pack up and get everyone back to the hotel safely…

Apparently realising that they were wanting to close up, the young girl sat at the back began to collect her things together, few as they were. She lifted the little girl with her and stood up, sitting her on her hip and leaving some money to pay for her bill.

Max smiled, satisfied as he vaguely noted her movement. Now his sister and Maria would be able to finish up, and they could get moving. He reached again for his burger, taking a final bite and then picking up a couple of fries. A moment later he dropped them though…

"DADDY!"

Max looked round, and all eyes were immediately focused on the little girl...

[KatnotKath]

Dani, Cyn, begonia9508, Isabelle, rigel, behrlyliz, thanks so much for reading, and the feedback of course and I'm glad you're liking the story. I hope anyone else who's reading is enjoying as well of course.

Dani - looks like you're getting your wish... My muse continues to co-operate on this, and thanks to a drop in the heat (at least temporarily) I actually managed to get a new chapter written this weekend. Here's your answer, although there's still a lot more to come.

Cyn - A solo Max and solo Liz yes, but single...? That's a matter of opinion as to how they feel, and for the moment I don't think either is going to feel single. Remember that both have been in serious relationships, and even if they are 'Max' and 'Liz', it's not their original partners...

begonia - all will be revealed...maybe not fully as yet, but I promise it will come

isabelle - I'm glad you're enjoying the story anyway, some of your quieries will be answered in this part, others I think I have already adressed individually

rigel - I was wondering how long it would be until your question about ages came up. All I will say is that the next few chapters will give some answer I believe. Sorry, don't want to give it away yet though. As for timelines, yes Max is from the show timeline, and I will confirm that Liz is not from the FM timeline, this one's come directly from my mind hehe. Glad you're enjoying the fic anyway thanks for reading.

behrlyliz - welcome to the story, glad you like how it's going so far. I hope this next part will answer some of your questions.

Anyway thanks again for reading. I really hope you all enjoy the new part and I'd love to hear what you think.

Chapter 6

"Mommy...hungry..." Emily grumbled again, struggling in her mother's arms as they headed through the town. It had been way after her bedtime when they had gone up to the cave, and by now she was getting rather cranky.

Liz sighed and cuddled her close, knowing it was probably the best she could do. Her daughter was never very easy to handle after being woken up at night and it was little surprise she was starting to fuss. "I know sweetheart...we'll find something soon..." She continued through the streets until she spotted a late night diner, at which point she headed over and pushed open the door. Heading over to a table at the back, she set Emily down on the seat next to her and ordered some food for the two of them.

Looking over at as a red-haired waitress returned to the counter. She couldn't help thinking she looked a little familiar, but waved it off as being unimportant. She'd never been here before, so how would anyone be familiar?

"Mommy...?"

She turned to look at her daughter again. "What is it honey...?"

"Are we going to see daddy again...?"

Liz swallowed and bit her lip. She pulled the little girl close. "It's okay honey...it's okay...I'm here..." She didn't want to answer that question, although she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid it for long. How was she supposed to tell Emily that her father most likely died only moments after they were transported here...and even better, that in truth he would have died over two years before the current date... She shook her head, trying to blink back tears the tears which hung in her eyes as a waitress brought over two plates of food. "Thank you..." She said in almost a whisper, concentrating her attention on cutting up the food to make it easier for her daughter. "Come on, how about you get something to eat...?" She tried to coax her, setting the plate in front of Emily and pulling the other towards herself. She picked up her own burger and took a bite. "Come on sweetheart..."

Emily shook her head stubbornly. "Not hungry!" She responded, apparently having changed her mind.

Liz rolled her eyes and sighed. Two years of looking after her daughter had taught her well and she knew she wasn't going to win in this case. "Alright...I guess you're sleepy then are you...?" She knew it was already a late night for Emily when they came out, and it was hours since that now. She lifted the little girl up onto her lap, wrapping her arms around her and smiling as she rocked her back and forth. No one could argue that she had been ready when she had her daughter, but when it came to it, was any mother really ready...? She had been young certainly...unprepared and things hadn't been easy, in the end though, she had been happy... Maybe it had been a lot sooner than planned, but those last two years had been the most amazing she could imagine... Juggling school, working and looking after Emily had been difficult, but Max had been there for her thought it all, and seeing her daughter every day made everything worth it...

Emily's hands closed into fists as she snuggled up on her mother's lap. She drew her little legs up tight and stuck her thumb in her mouth as she closed her eyes leaning against her mother.

Usually, Liz would immediately tap her hand to stop her doing this, but on this occasion she just didn't have the heart... It was going to be hard enough for the little girl to adapt to this new life they were going to have to build, the least she felt she could do was allow her this little comfort... Instead, she simply pulled her baby close, rocking back and forth and pressing her lips down on the top of her head. Her long brown hair mixed with the matching tresses of her daughter as they fell forward and silent tears began to run down her cheeks.

How was she going to do this...? Those three years ago she had been so scared, but that was nothing compared to now... She had always known that Max was going to be there... Perhaps not as much as they wanted, but he wasn't going to just leave her to deal with it all by herself... They had got through it all together, and she had always believed that in the end, they would get their 'happy ever after' - perhaps not the one she had imagined when she was younger, but a good future, together, non-the-less...

Now though, now where was she...? She was in an unfamiliar city, a single mother with a two-year-old daughter, and no idea of how she would be able to provide for the two of them... For the first time in her life, she was completely on her own - with the exception of Emily - and it was up to her to deal with this...

Max wasn't going to come through the door, walk up and kiss her, he wasn't going to carry Emily around on his shoulders, and she wasn't going to be working in the Crashdown... She was never going to see Roswell, or any of her family...again...

That night they would be all right of course...she could afford perhaps a couple of nights board at a hotel if it were cheap enough, but then what...? She needed a job, somewhere to stay, and if that weren't all enough, she was going to need to sort something in the way of childcare unless she managed to find some amazing job where they didn't mind her bringing Emily along...

The last two years she had never slacked, but at least she had help from Max and her parents... She had managed to continue at school, and the last thing she had expected was to end up as a high-school drop out as it seemed she would now... They had made plans, getting to go to college, moving in together…looking after their daughter, and being a family… They’d been through a lot, but they had always been determined to make it…

Those plans were now like a distant memory though…a dream that just wasn’t going to come true… Max was gone…there wasn’t going to be a ‘happy-ever-after’ ending… She wasn’t going to have a perfect white wedding, walking down the aisle to the man she loved…she wasn’t going to lay beside Max at night, other than in her dreams, and she wasn’t going to have that little sister or brother they had always planned, albeit some time in the future, for Emily…

Still, looking down at the little girl in her lap, she promised herself that she would find a way... She had to... This little girl meant more to her than anything else in the world, and no matter what she had to do, she would make sure she was alright... It wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to make it work… She would give her a good life, she would provide for her daughter and look after her…she was all she had left…

Sighing, she made sure her daughter was secure, using one arm, and reached with her free hand for the half eaten burger on her plate that would be long cold by now. She closed her eyes for a moment and brought the bun to her mouth. She took another bite and pulled a face. It wasn't great, but then again it wasn't bad either... Just general fast food...

For the next hour, she sat, thinking everything over, considering what her choices were, and trying to work out what to do next. Already it was two in the morning, according to the clock on the wall of the diner, so whether she would bother about a hotel room that night was debatable...maybe she'd just see how long she could hang here, and see if she could find some twenty-four hour place then... Paying out for a couple of coffees or something was bound to be cheaper than a hotel room, however cheap, and either way, it would be best not to have to pay out money or less than half a night when, when all was said and done, she wasn't too sure that she would be able to sleep even if she did have a bed to lay down on...

She finished up her soda, getting a coffee to follow, and thanked the waitress as she brought it over. Drawing the cup to her mouth, she took a sip of the black liquid, drawing in a sharp breath as the caffeine hit the back of her throat. That was strong...but then again it was probably a good job, just what she needed right now...

Noticing a newspaper that had been left on the table in front of her, she eased Emily back onto the seat, checking that she wasn't going to fall before slipping out of the booth and retrieving the paper and returning to her seat. Opening the paper to the jobs page, she laid it down on the table and reached into her bag, pulling out a pen as she poured over the ads. A waitress, a shop assistant...? A secretary - maybe if she was a bit older, but she didn't imagine she was what they would have in mind... A childcare assistant...? She gave a wry smile as she read through the description...now that she could do, although of course she didn't have the official qualifications wanted... Sighing, she circled a few more waitressing ads knowing that they were the most likely to be possibles...

By the time she had finished, she had about five possibles... Folding up the page, she slipped it into her bag, vaguely registering the voice of a guy as he said something about drinks going flat. She looked up and checked the time with the clock on the wall. Noting how late it was, she vaguely remembered seeing something about opening times on the door and realised that the remaining two waitresses were currently tidying up. It was time to go… Sighing, she picked up the bag of stuff she always carried around for Emily and then reached over for her daughter, lifting her in her arms and settling her on her hip.

The little girl hardly seemed to notice, her sleep continuing undisturbed as Liz stood up and made ready to leave. She pulled a note out of her pocket, calculating quickly from the menu on the table that it would cover what she had ordered and a slight tip. She knew it wasn't as much as they would probably like, but if she was honest, she couldn't even afford this little... The only thing which made her, was her own experiences... She knew how hard waitresses worked, and the pay was hardly great...they deserved some thanks, however little...

Setting the money down on the table, she eased out of the booth, heading down on the diner towards the door.

As she reached for the door, pushing it open however, Emily began to stir in her arms. "DADDY!" She cried out.

Liz looked down, ready to try and sooth her, thinking that the little girl had been having a bad dream or something, but as she did so, she suddenly she realised that her daughter's attention was focused on someone inside the diner. She turned slowly and her eyes widened. It couldn't be... It was impossible… He was older certainly but... "Max...?"



AN: After the FB last time, I just want to clarify something... Isabel and Maria weren't the only waitresses who were on duty when Liz came in and ordered her food. She was served by another woman, and only saw Isabel - who has red hair of course - from a distance.

[KatnotKath]

Dani, Cyn, monkeycgm, Ellie, Isabell, Sweet Liz, Rigel, behrlyliz, and anyone else that might be reading, thanks for reading and hope you're enjoying the story.

Dani - I'm afraid that I can't guarantee plain sailing from here on, but I'm glad you like the fact that it was them anyway. I'm afraid I couldn't resist with Emily, the idea was too tempting lol. As for ages, I'll tell you that part of it is right, but to find out exactly you're going to have to wait and see I'm afraid.

Cyn -

So things are probably going to be weird and i get what you mean, while this is still Max and Liz, they aren't each other's Max and Liz. They lived different lives, had different problems and such.

Exactly, these are two very different people with different experiences.

monkeycgm - well this next part provides some of the answers, glad you're enjoying the fic, thanks for reading.

Ellie - Isabelle's explanation does pretty well, but I know it can get a bit confusing... I get confused about it, and I'm writing it lol.

Hopefully now that she and Max have met up again things will get better.

That could depend on what you class as better... I'm afraid they're not just going to fall into each others arms

Isabelle - thanks for providing the explanation, you're incredibly good at looking deeper to fill in the gaps lol. Anyway, glad you're enjoying the fic and hope the next part doesnt disappoint too much, I know it's not compeltely what you were expecting.

rigel - you got it, they're going to have a lot of things to work through.

Behrlyliz - glad you're enjoying, info should be a little more forthcoming at least in the next few chapters

Okay, so I'm managing to keep up with updating once a week pretty much it seems . My muse is co-operating...so much in fact that I keep working on this when I should be doing other things

Thanks for all the great feedback, I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story. Hope you like the new chapter, I'd love to hear what you think.

~Kat~

Chapter 7

Max looked in amazement at the young woman in front of him. It couldn't be... He had seen her body... And yet despite all this, there were some differences yes, but everything inside him was crying out that this was Liz...

"Max...?"

Maria looked at Isabel, wondering if she was really seeing this or if it was all something of a dream... This Liz certainly looked different from the young woman they had lost a month ago - not least because of the little girl she had with her who she didn't even question was hers, but at the same time there was that look in her eyes, that face... She had thought she had seen it earlier in the evening and dismissed it as her imagination, but now she wasn't so certain...

Isabel swallowed and shook her head, as much at a loss about this all as anyone else... Certainly it looked like Liz...with some differences of course...but how...?

Liz looked almost as though she was about to faint, her eyes taking in the three people in front of her as her mind went over what had happened less than five hours ago for herself. They couldn't have survived...it was impossible...

Noticing that she looked a little unsteady on her feet, Maria darted over, pulling out one of the chairs. "W-why don't you sit down...?" She suggested hesitantly, not really sure what to say. For once in her life, she had been left completely speechless… This was impossible, and yet she was here…and it was happening…

She nodded uncertainly, worried that if she didn't accept, she might drop Emily. "Okay...thanks..." She sat down on the chair, nursing her daughter, who was already by now falling back to sleep it seemed, on her lap.

The group stood around in silence for what seemed like an age, no one knowing what to say really. Finally, it was Max spoke. "I-is it really you...?" He asked in almost a whisper...

Liz looked up at him, having been watching Emily sleeping. She gave a somewhat uncertain smile and nodded. "I-I was about to ask you the same question..." She swallowed and shook her head. "What happened...how did you survive...?" She had been there, it had been hopeless, no chance they believed… What could have happened to change that…?

The others looked at her blankly. Isabel dropped down onto one another free chair. "I don't understand...I mean it was you that..." She trailed off, not wanting to put it into words.

Max had been silent again, hardly hearing his sister’s words as he studied the figure in front of him. While Liz had cut her hair soon after leaving Roswell, this girl's hair was longer than he had ever seen Liz's... Her appearance might suggest she was a little younger than he remembered, although the child with her belied that, but even so, despite all the differences, he didn’t doubt it was her… Even if she looked completely different, he would always know it was her... She was his soul mate, his other half...he could never not know...

Maria’s gaze drifted from Isabel, to Max, and then to the girl in front of her. Despite the differences, she was still so much like the girl that had been her best friend for so many years… It wasn’t possible, and yet it seemed it was… She shook her head completely at a loss as to what to say. "I-I'm gonna call Michael and Kyle..." She looked over at the girl again and then headed into the back to make the call. Whatever was going on, she knew they needed to be there...

Max barely registered what was being said... His gaze had fallen on the girl's left hand, noting the lack of her rings...the rings he had placed there around sixteen months ago on the most perfect day he could imagine… "Why aren't you wearing your rings...?" He asked softly, reaching for her hand. The absence of them cut into him, he didn’t want to believe that she would have made the decision to take them off voluntarily…

Liz pulled her hand back sharply, surprised by the question and a little shaken by the emotions evoked as she felt him touch her. Her eyes suddenly caught the shine of a ring as the light reflected off the gold band on his left ring finger. She felt a lump swell up in her throat, tears welling up in her eyes as she found herself wondering who had put it there. She had always imagined it would be her…not too long after her eighteenth birthday… "What do you mean my rings...I never had a ring…you always said you were waiting until we were old enough...I guess you decided to move on after sending me away though!"

It wasn't that she would have wanted him to close himself off, but if, but some amazing chance, he and the others had actually survived, she couldn't wanting to believe that he would have tried to find her...to track down where he had sent her and bring her back... From the look of the ring on his finger he hadn't though...he had found another, forgotten about her...and Emily…

Max looked at her shocked by the suggestion. He couldn’t believe that she actually believed that… "What do you mean move on...? I could never have moved on from you...” He swallowed, his gaze resting on the ring on his finger. Till death do us part - that was what he promised…he just hadn’t expected it to be so soon… Forcing himself to look back up, he met her eyes, speaking directly from his heart. “It's four weeks since, but even after four years, or even fourty there will never be anyone else for me..." He shook his head, suddenly registering the last of his words. Sending her away...what was she thinking...?

Liz suddenly felt something of a sense of realisation settle over her... They didn't know that much about the Granolith...so what if it could transport not only through time and space, but reality too...? Maybe this wasn't 'her' Max... Certainly it would explain this strange situation...although it could make everything even more weird... She shook her head silently, looking down at Emily and rocking her daughter back and forth again.

"Liz please, talk to me, I love you, I always have, always will..." Max went to reach for her hand again, but then pulled back, remembering her earlier reaction. He fell silent, his pleas falling off, as he watched her with the little girl that was so obviously her daughter... He wanted to ask whose she was, but another part of him was scared to hear the answer…

**********

A short time later, Kyle and Michael came through the door. Little had happened since they were called, generally the four of them just having been standing, or sitting, in silence... Isabel barely even registered the fact that she had already locked up, but looked over as they entered. "Hey guys..."

Kyle waited a moment, making sure he locked the door again behind them, before heading over to join them.

Already Michael was in the thick of it though, immediately deciding that action was called for... "WHAT ARE YOU?" He demanded, holding out his hand in a threatening motion. "You tell us now or you'll regret it..."

Liz stood up, automatically holding Emily close to her body in a protective manner at the threat. No one would hurt her daughter while she still had breath in her body... Acting more on instinct than anything else, she quickly aimed her own hand up at one of the lights, causing it to explode before taking advantage of the distraction to bolt for the door.

Kyle immediately dived to grab her, catching her in his arms. "Not so fast!"

Liz cried out, struggling in his arms. "LET ME GO!" She demanded. The fact that Kyle was here would seem to back up the theory that this was definitely an alternative reality, because in her own, Kyle had definitely NOT been part of the secret.

Max turned sharply. Whatever the others might think, right now, all he saw was the fear in her eyes. He also realised that if this continued, the little girl in her arms was almost definitely going to wake up, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her... This was going to end...NOW! He looked round at his friends, the air of authority coming through clearly in his voice. "Kyle...let her go! Michael, sit down and shut up - if I want a macho show, I'll tell you, but for now can you please just cool it!" He looked over at the girl who was the image of his dead wife. "We won't hurt you...either of you...I promise...won't you sit back down?" He requested of her softly.

Liz pulled back from Kyle as he released her, holding her daughter more tightly and looking round, fear apparent in her eyes. Max's words seemed to cause them to soften slightly though, and she gave a small nod of agreement. "All right... Would you mind if we sat at one of the booths though...that way I can lay her down...?" She asked hesitantly, indicating the little girl who was now once more fast asleep in her arms.

Reading her trepidation and nervousness, despite the fact she was still uncertain of this girl, Isabel couldn't help wanting to put her at ease. "Sure...of course we can..." She looked round a moment, noting the time again. "In fact, maybe we should adjourn from here back to the hotel...it would certainly be more comfortable...?" She suggested after a moment. She didn't know why, but it just seemed a natural thing to do...

Michael looked less than impressed, but everyone else seemed to agree that this was a good idea. For the next fifteen minutes, Max and Liz sat in silence, watching each other, while Maria and Isabel finished their tidy-up. Michael and Kyle began to pull down the blinds, and when everyone was done, they made ready to leave.

"Ready...?" Maria looked back at the two of them as she went to grab her bag from the back. Isabel was already stood waiting, and Michael and Kyle had opened the door and were stood outside.

Liz nodded. "Okay..." She stood up, reaching for her bag again after making sure Emily was okay.

As she did so, Max stuck out his hand to stop her though. "Wait...why don't you let me...?" He suggested softly. He still didn't have a clue what was going on, but the bag looked heavy when combined with the little girl she was carrying too, and it seemed like the least he could do...

Hesitating a moment, Liz seemed to think before nodding slightly. "Okay...thanks..." She smiled softly, standing carefully with her daughter, and heading out the door with the rest of the group.

[KatnotKath]

Dani, Cyn, begonia, behrlyliz, monkeycgn, rigel, Ellie and Isabelle thanks for the feedback, glad to see that you're all still enjoying the story.

Dani - well Micheal is the protector of the group, it might be thought of as a natural reaction I guess...

Cyn -

I'm curious whether or not Max and Liz would be able to sense one another or at least sense Emily??

Not so much sensing, but it's an instinct I think... I don't know if I'm explaining that well, but hopefully the new chapter will explain some of Max's thinking at least.

monkeycgm - I'll be trying to show some, although given the way this story is growing anyway I think I might be going with the serparate story to show in more detail. I promise I will try and cover the important bits as we go along though.

isabelle - well remember that this is early hours of the morning, so she is tired... She's with mommy, and sees 'daddy', so what more can she want? lol. You're right about Liz of course, if anyone tried to take Emily off her I imagine they would meet quite a show of resistance, even if it was a version of Max.

My muse is still cooperating on this, I had planned to post a second chapter last week, but as you might have noticed, I'm from the UK, and last Thursday kinda threw me into something of a spin, while I had intended to update that evening, I actually didn't want to do anything like that, and simply spent the time watching the news, and chatting to some friends. It's taken me some time to catch up on all the stuff I was supposed to be doing at that point so I'm a bit behind schedule, sorry about that but I hope you'll understand.

Anyway, I'm here now, and ready to update, so I guess all that's left for me to say is hope you enjoy the new chapter and thanks for reading.

Kat

Chapter 8

"Alright, so we're back, now we want answers!" Michael stated as they walked into the room he, Max and Kyle had been sharing during their stay. The walk back to the hotel had passed in pretty much silence, and he was fed up with waiting... As far as he was concerned, they had waited long enough...

Max glared at him, silently telling him to calm down as he watched the young woman in front of him. She had barely said two words on the walk over here, and now that they had got back to the hotel, she was looking around something like a nervous kitten. The way she held the little girl she was carrying, and the look in her eyes all told him she was scared, and that was the last thing he wanted... "Would you like to settle her first...I'm sure she would sleep more peacefully in a real bed... We'll just be in the other room when you're ready...okay...?" He suggested softly, trying to put her at ease. Whatever was going on, however incredible it sounded, he was convinced that this was Liz, and he would not allow Michael, or any of the others to upset her. They would give her as much time as she needed... He motioned to the others, indicating that they should move into the adjacent room to allow her some privacy, and left her to it...

Liz nodded softly. "Okay...thanks..." She waited until they had gone, and then moved over to one of the beds, pulling down the covers with her free arm while continuing to support Emily with the other. Once she was done, she laid the little girl down, removing her shoes, trousers and socks with practiced ease. Next came her top, and once she was done, she pulled up the covers, kissing the top of her head gently and brushing back the thick dark hair. "Night night baby...mommy loves you..." She whispered softly, watching her daughter for a moment.

Meanwhile in the other room, Michael shoved the door to and didn't pull any punches. "What if she's a shapeshifter or something? Maxwell maybe your brain has gone on holiday because of her appearance, those dark brown eyes you fell for all that time ago, but we don't know anything about her, except she looks like someone we know is dead!" He shook his head and a light above them exploded.

"MICHAEL CALM DOWN!" Max snapped, waving his hand and repairing the lightbulb quickly. One thing he wasn't in the mood for was dealing with one of Michael's tantrums.

Maria stepped forward, putting her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Michael cool it...please...?" She requested softly. She didn't know why, but she felt as though she could trust this girl, and she knew she had to try and make Michael see this too...

"I don't see why everyone is so willing to trust her, and I mean who is she, where did she come from, and how did she find us...?" Michael pulled back from her and dropped down on one of the beds. He just didn't get why everyone was so mad with him when all he was trying to do was his job, to protect them...

Max shook his head not knowing what he could say to make him understand. Everything that Michael was saying as true...and yet, he knew he was wrong... There was just something about her...something which made him certain... He dropped down onto the bed opposite, facing his friend as he looked up. "Michael...did you really look at her...? Because I did, and I saw someone that I could never mistake for another... I saw Liz..." He ran his hand through his hair and bit his lip as his gaze fell on the photograph of the group which Maria had put on her bedside table. This girl's appearance might be slightly different, but it didn't matter...it was Liz...

He shook his head. "No, she can't be Max, because that's impossible! LIZ IS DEAD MAXWELL! We all saw it, and you need to get over it!" Michael yelled at his friend. He knew it had been difficult for Max, he knew that Liz had meant a lot to him, but he had to accept the fact that she was gone... None of them wanted to, even he missed Liz in his own way, but the simple fact was that she was dead... No one could bring her back... Whoever this girl was, she couldn't be the woman they had lost...

Isabel stepped forward now, feeling that she needed to try and diffuse this before it became a major problem... "How about I go see if she's done...then we can TALK calmly, and maybe get a few answers..." She tried to suggest, looking at both boys pointedly. From what she had seen of the girl, the last thing she needed was for Max or Michael to go off on her...

Max nodded quickly. "Okay then...but I'll go check on her...be right back..." Walking over to the adjoining door, he pushed it open and looked into the other room. The sight which met him couldn't fail to make him smile though... Liz was curled up next to the little girl she had just tucked in. It appeared she had fallen asleep, her head resting on the pillow and her hair mixing with that of her daughter. Obviously she was tired, and she looked so peaceful... He just didn't have the heart to wake her...

Walking over to the bed, he picked up a blanket from the one next to that on which she was sleeping and shook it out, pulling it up over her gently and watching the two of them sleeping in silence. Part of him was so scared about what the presence of the little girl could mean, of whose she was, but then another part of him couldn't help feeling unbelievably comfortable with the two of them around... Somehow, it just felt right in a way he couldn’t explain...

"MAXWELL, ARE YOU COMING?"

Michael's voice coming booming from the other room caused him to look up sharply, his eyes quickly returning to the figures in the bed for fear they might be woken. Seeing that their sleep was undisturbed it seemed, he left them lying there and hurried over to the door, slipping into the other room and closing the door behind him firmly.

Michael looked over, a frown appearing on his face as he saw Max was alone. "Where is she?"

"Sleeping..." Max responded. "She's tired, as the rest of us are too..."

Michael's lips thinned. "I don't care if she's tired, I want answers!"

"Well tough!" Max's response was sharp. "I don't really care what you want or not... We are going to leave her to sleep" He looked over at Maria. "I think that you and Izzy should probably take the other beds in there tonight..." The comment was clearly not a suggestion, but an instruction, and left little room for objection.

She nodded immediately. "Sure...we can do that...right Isabel...?"

The other girl nodded, giving a small smile. "Sure we can...no problem..." She paused a moment and looked at the clock. "And on that note, I think I'm gonna go to bed anyway...it's been a long day, and I'm imagining that tomorrow is not going to be any shorter..." She gave a little wave to the others and looked over at Maria. "You coming yet, or..." She trailed off, but was sure Maria would understand.

Her friend nodded quickly. "Yeah...I'll be along in just a minute...I just need to grab a few things for tomorrow..."

Isabel smiled softly. "Sure..I guess I should do the same..." She reached over and pulled open one of the drawers, grabbing a night dress and a clean top for the following day. "Night guys..."

A few minutes later, the three guys were left alone in the room. Michael looked far from happy and the tension could have been cut with a knife. "Okay, so we just wait until tomorrow..." His words came out as short and clipped.

Max nodded, completely ignoring Michael's obvious displeasure. "Right, and for now, we sleep..."

Kyle looked around the room suddenly realising something. "Uh...not really wanting to get into this because I can see it has the potential to become very ugly, but am I the only one noting a major flaw in this...there's only two beds, and three of us..." He indicated the beds awkwardly.

"Nice point Kyle...but I'm sure his Highness here will have some solution for that..." Michael commented, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Max glared at him. "Michael QUIT it..." He warned. "As for another bed, I guess one of us is on the floor...the girls have the sleeping bags in here somewhere though, and it's not like we haven't done this before..." He paused a second and then added, "I guess all we have to do now is find one of them..." After thinking for a moment, he headed over to the closet, opening the door and peering in. Luckily his first guess appeared to be right, and a moment later he pulled out a small, light-weight roll-up sleeping bag. "I'll take the floor...you guys take the beds... Now please, let's just get some sleep, I have a feeling we're going to need it..."

Effectively closing the conversation with this, he unrolled the sleeping bag, laying it out on the floor and beginning to undress. He wasn't sure how well he was going to sleep, but at least there would be a beautiful brunette waiting when he woke up...

[KatnotKath]

First of all, thanks for all the good wishes regarding what happened over here.

Begonia9508, Cyn, Dani, Ellie, behrlyliz, Storm, rigel, Isabelle and Vixen thanks so much for reading, and of course the feedback whether on the actual board or elsewhere, I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying the story.

Begonia - as you say, that's Michael...he does mean well though I'm sure

Cyn - I'm glad you understand what I mean, I wasn't sure if I explained well. As for Q&A, could be a while before everything is answered, but this next chapter might help a little.

Dani - Some answers here for you I hope, although for actual detail you might have a wait a little longer

Ellie - As you say, Michael has good reason to be suspicious, and it's only natural, he's just trying to protect his family as I imagine he would in such a situation. You're right about it not being easy for Max, or Liz either I imagine given she's suffered the same. It's certainly not as simple as just taking up where they 'left off' with their respective Liz and Max...

Storm - YAY you read it :D. So glad you're caught up, and delighted to hear that you like the story. It's something of a new venture for me of course, but glad to see you think I'm handling it well. As for your own writing, it always seems to flow to me

rigel - Can you really imagine Michael keeping a low voice...? lol

isabelle - You are very perceptive . As for the wedding photograph, I will try not to disappoint, but while it features in this chapter, I don't think that's quite the way you're meaning lol. I'm glad that you think my Max was so 'Max' with that...it just seemed that the right thing to have him do, and I guess I was right lol, coming from you that's a definite compliment. Delighted to see you're still enjoying the story, and of course hope you will like the next chapter.

Okay, so originally I was intending to post this over the weekend, but it was rather more busy than expected and I was too tired. Hope you won't hold that against me too much, I did have a seven hour journey back home on Thursday, and then the same, albeit split by about 5 hours in London - busy day - on Sunday. I'm exhausted!

Anyway, enough from me, here's the new chapter, and as always, love to hear what you think, hope everyone reading enjoys it. Assuming my muse continues to co-operate I would hope to be updating again sometime over the weekend at the latest (:shock: - me, giving a timetable for updating, I know, well I'll hope to be able to stick to it anyway )

Kat

Chapter 9

Isabel sighed as she laid down on the bed. Her gaze fell on the picture which stood at the side of the bed. Reaching out, she picked it up and held the frame up in front of her. Her gaze drifted from the smiling brunette in the photograph next to her brother, to the young woman who was sleeping in the bed next to her.

What had she been through...? The girl lying there looked so similar, and yet everything about her spoke of such a different life... Her appearance, the little girl with her...

A vague idea forming in her head, she turned the frame over in her hand, loosening the fastenings and removing the back. Flipping it back over, she picked up the small photograph and the tips of her fingers brushed Liz's face as she closed her eyes. It wasn’t actually her…but it was enough to provide the correct focus…

As she opened her eyes, she found herself standing a little distance away from a young girl and boy playing and talking in the school playground. Max and Liz... A little way off she could see a younger version of herself, skipping and talking to Maria and Michael... Although in her own past the five of them had barely known each other before that day in the Crashdown, it was obviously that here they had been friends long before that...

Sitting down on the grass, she sat watching the pair for a moment as the other three kids came over. The five of them chatted for a few minutes, and the whole group headed back into school as the bell rang.

Standing up, she brushed the imaginary grass from her nightdress and went to follow them inside, but as she pushed open the door, she found that the setting had changed. She was stood at the entrance to the Crashdown, watching a birthday party with the five of them. Maria had a party hat on and from the number of candles on the cake it seemed like a safe bet to say that she was eight.

Mr Parker came over with a knife after Maria blew out the candles, and the five kids continued to chat animatedly as they began to dig into the slices of cake which he cut. They all looked so happy...

As the scene again changed, she now saw Max and Liz studying together when they were a little older. She couldn't tell what was being said, but it was obvious they still got along well. At one point young Max reached over, brushing back a stray hair of young Liz which had fallen forward into her face. She smiled shyly and the two of them seemed to laugh at something before returning to what they were doing. A few minutes later, Mrs Parker stuck her head into the room saying something, which then caused young Max to begin to gather his books. The two kids hugged and then he left. Liz stood, going over to the window and waiting, apparently watching for something before waving a little while later - Isabel guessed she had been waiting to see Max to leave with his parents or something.

The little girl then cleared up her own books and went to get ready for bed. Isabel saw Mrs Parker come back into the room and then wish her daughter good night, tucking her up and then turning out the light as Liz closed her eyes and laid her head down on the pillow.

A moment after the light went out, Isabel found herself in yet another scene. This time it was another with the whole group. They all appeared to be a lot older, perhaps fourteen... Max and the image of herself were crying desperately, and she noted that everyone was dressed in dark colours. What could have happened...? After a moment, Liz went up to Max, touching his shoulder. He turned towards her and releasing his sister into the arms of Michael who was waiting, he opened his arms wide to her, pulling her close. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he cried into her shoulder. Liz wrapped his arms around him, reaching up and pulling back a moment to press her lip against his. Obviously by this point they were much more than friends, and as Max responded, the rest of the group turned slightly to give some sense of privacy...

Part of Isabel felt like she should pull out of this, obviously having seen some very personal scenes already, but somehow she just couldn't... Standing there, she continued to watch the group as Mr and Mrs Parker appeared. The five teenagers all went over and something else was said. Isabel and Max seemed to object, shaking their heads, and Max wrapped his arms around Liz protectively, almost as though telling them no one was going to take her from him.

There was a little more conversation, and then the group began to disperse. Isabel hugged each of her friends in turn, still crying, before going with Mr Parker, and Mrs Parker waited for Max as he seemed to bid an emotional farewell to Liz.

Finally, as he headed out of the room with her mum, Liz seemed to wait a moment, and then she ran out after him.

Before Isabel had a chance to blink and try and work out what on earth she had just seen, she found that the scene had changed again. This time, it was of Liz and Max together with her parents. Mr and Mrs Parker looked far from happy, and Jeff even seemed to go as far as to motion for Max to leave. He shook his head, holding Liz close and continuing to talk, giving the appearance of pleading. Liz looked close to tears, and she clung to Max as something like a lifeline. Her parents continued yelling, and Isabel found herself turning round, feeling embarrassed and extremely awkward to be privy to something which was clearly so personal for the couple.

After all, what right did she have to do this...? When she had come up with the idea she had never imagined seeming such personal stuff... She thought maybe a few things that would just assure her that this was indeed Liz, but nothing like this... The thing she had seen were intimate, some things which certainly should have been private... Clearly this Liz had a very different past from the one she and the rest of the group had shared, but when it came to it, what had happened to her was something that she should be able to tell them in her own time, as she wished, when she felt ready... It wasn't her place to be prying into it...what she had seen had convinced her that she wasn't a threat, just a girl, or young woman...who had been through a hard time just as they had, albeit in a different way...

She turned round, intending to pull out of the dream, when she realised that yet again the situation had moved forward. This time, the setting was in a hospital, and looking at the bed in the room, she had to blink to make sure she wasn't imagining things. She had seen the little girl with Liz of course, but seeing her there in bed, cradling what was so obviously a newborn baby... It all made everything so much more real, and seeing Max stood there beside the bed, talking to her and reaching out to touch the hand of the baby...well, it left her in no doubt as to who the father was...

Deciding that there was no doubt she had seen enough now, Isabel closed her eyes, pulling herself out of the dream and sitting up in bed. She looked over at the girl who was still sleeping soundly next to her daughter it seemed, replaced the photograph and back of the frame, and then stood the wedding picture she had used back up on the bedside table before lying down, pulling the covers back up and closing her eyes once more. As she had said earlier, it had been a long day, and she needed some sleep...

**********

As she sat there watching her daughter, Liz found herself unable to keep from lying down next to her for a moment. The long, emotional day she had been through was beginning to catch up to her, and as she reached over, gently pushing her daughter's hair back from her face, she found her eyelids growing heavy. Struggling to keep them open, she fought to stay awake, but it appeared she was fighting a loosing battle, and within moments she was fast asleep. She was exhausted, beyond tired, and now she found herself somewhere that subconsciously made her feel safe, there was no reason to fight it any more it seemed…

She didn't feel a thing as Max came into the room, or as he gently pulled the blanket up over her. Her slumber continued undisturbed, as Michael demanded where they were, and she didn't move when a little later Isabel and Maria came into the room and got ready for bed themselves.

She simply continued to sleep, her mind lost in dreams...

She remembered meeting Max all those years ago. The way the group had just sort of drifted together, but once it was there, the bond between them was so strong...

She had always been best friends with Maria, but other than that, her group had been rather limited even at that young age. The two of them had been so close and it had been just them for so long...

Suddenly though, there were these four great people, and it was just great... Maria, Michael, Isabel and Max...her best friends...like another family...

They always hung out at school, although right from the start there were a lot of times when it seemed to just be her and Max. It seemed natural, right... Of all the guys she knew, he was the one she was the most comfortable with and that just didn't change as they got older.

The five of them were firm friends, and even through that period they went through when most guys thought that girls had cooties, or the girls thought guys were yuck, those friendships formed had never been broken. They were always there for each other, whatever happened. When Liz and Maria were teased at school, Isabel, Michael and Max were right there to stick up for them. When Alex came on the scene, he was quickly accepted and became just as much a part of the group as if he had lived in Roswell with them his whole life… They had sleepovers every Friday night, alternating at each house, and the group just seemed inseparable...

None of them more so than Liz and Max though...

They spent even more time together than the others, working on schoolwork together in the evenings... It wasn't supposed to be anything more than a friendship, but even at that young age, she wondered if they had really known the truth...

Max had always been special to her...when she looked back now, she realised that...

She remembered the first time he had asked her out, the feeling of pure joy she felt and the way he had seemed so delighted when she said yes. She remembered getting ready for that first date, deciding what to wear, and listening to her mother as she went on about how her little girl was growing up...

If only she had known... Influenced by unexpected, terrible events, things progressed so much more quickly than expected, and before she knew it, she had been stood in the restroom at school, staring at a blue line on a little stick which changed everything forever... She had been so young, and just like it had been yesterday, she remembered going to Max, pulling out that little stick and showing him the results of the test she had taken. He had pulled her close, promised that they would work things out, and held her as she sobbed into his chest.

For days she had thought that everything was over, this had been the worst thing she could imagine. It was what she wanted in the future yes, but not then...it had been too soon...way too soon... She just hadn't know what to say or do...but after a lot of talking, a lot of thinking and discussing, the two of them had gone to her parents to come clean.

They had been mad - that was an understatement - and it was hardly surprising... After a few days, they began to calm down a little though, and slowly, as the months went by, they worked through everything, making plans, deciding what to do... She didn't know what she would have done without them... They hadn't been happy about what had happened, but she couldn't blame them for that...the last thing she had been expecting to be asking for as a birthday present any time soon was something like a crib, but that was how it had turned out...

The last few months were especially rough, but together they managed to get through it. They had the most beautiful baby girl - Emily Diane Parker - and from that moment, neither of them ever looked back. It wasn't ideal, and no one would have said that it was, but both of them loved their daughter, and no one would be able to fault them for the way they looked after her.

Things had fallen into a routine, the two of them had become used to the changes in their lives, living up to the responsibilities that consequences brought... They had talked over and over about future plans, no one ever doubting that they wouldn't still be together when they left school. Liz's parents hadn't insisted on them getting married, in fact they had discouraged it if anything. They had argued that the two of them were too young to be making such a commitment. They didn't want their daughter to end up divorced by the time she was twenty, and they didn't see a pregnancy as a reason to force such a decision.

Neither of the couple would have had any compunction in taking this route; they both already knew what they wanted and would have had no problem in showing it. At the same time though, they saw the sense in what was said and agreed to wait. By the time Emily was a year old it was clear to everyone that this wasn't a teenage fling though... Max hadn't run from the responsibility which had been thrust on him, and neither had the strain of the difficulties that a baby brought meant that their relationship had suffered. The two teens were as close as ever, if not closer, and everyone knew it was the real thing...

Life wasn't easy...it was hard and full of complications, but they were going to work through them all together...

And then... The image of a teenage girl with shoulder length blond hair entered her mind, her dazzling blue eyes flashing as she tossed her hair.

Liz shot upright in bed, breathing heavily and sweating as woke up. She closed her eyes, trying to stay calm, taking in one deep breath after another, breathing in, and out... Still that image plagued her mind though and she looked down at the small girl next to her who was still sleeping peacefully. Reaching out, she touched her hair gently a moment, reassuring herself she was still there, as silent tears began to run down her face again. They had been so happy...and 'she' had taken all that from them...

“Liz…are you okay…?”

She turned and looked round at the sound of a voice. Isabel was sat up in bed looking at her. Liz sighed and swallowed, she shook her head silently and bit her lip.

“You want to talk about it…?” Isabel asked softly, pushing the covers down and slipping off the bed. She walked over and perched next to the younger girl.

Liz shook her head again. “Honestly, I don’t know what to say…things were good…they weren’t ideal I know, but they were seriously good…and then…” She trailed off and shook her head.

Isabel nodded. “Well you know Michael might not be the most welcoming, but seriously, if you ever do want to talk, we’re all here for you… That might not help much given the very strange situation that we are in, but honestly, don’t think that you’re alone in this…”

Liz smiled softly and nodded. “Thanks…you don’t know how much that means to me…” She whispered softly, another tear creeping from the corner of her eye and sliding down her cheek as Isabel pulled her into her arms gently.

[KatnotKath]

behrlyliz, Dani and Begonia, thanks for reading and responding, I'm so glad you're still enjoying the story.

You all seem to have liked the information given in the last, I'm glad that you approve. I'm still trying to decide whether to plan to be doing a prologue-like story later, to cover Liz's life in more detail, but I promise you'll get what you need for this fic as it goes along...albeit slowly...

Anyway, intended to post this earlier, but other things occupied me so it didn't happen... Hope you all like it now that I have chance to post though.

Love to hear what you think as always.

~Kat~

Chapter 10

“I say she owes us some answers…” Michael stated as he dropped down on the bed. She can’t just turn up and expect us to take us in… I want to know who she is, where she’s from, and who that kid is…”

"Michael, either you shut up, stay quiet and sit still, or you go out and stay away from this discussion!" Isabel snapped at him as the group began to gather in the room the boys had shared that night. She had left Liz in the other room getting her daughter ready after spending the last few hours trying to comfort her. The other girl hadn't said much to her, but one thing she was certain of she didn't need another round of Michael's interrogations... Everything she had seen the night before only went to reinforce the automatic feeling that she had saying that they could trust Liz, and from the way she had looked when she had woken, she had no doubt that the girl needed them... Michael’s attitude was exactly the sort of thing that was likely to make Liz close herself off, she felt, and that was one thing she didn’t want happening.

Although she might appear almost the same age as the rest of them, she was fast coming to the conclusion that this Liz was significantly younger. Maybe they had seen what they wanted to see, or their impressions had perhaps been influenced somewhat by the fact of the little girl she had with her, but when she had seen her crying in the bed, she had looked so young... Those flashes she had seen during the dream, she hadn't been eighteen in that hospital bed...in fact, she'd be most surprised if she were even sixteen... This was a young girl who had obviously been through so much...

Michael pulled a face and shrugged, standing and grabbing his jacket. "Whatever, I'm outta here...If you guys want to risk this, be my guest, but don't blame me if she ends up being some friend of Tess... I'll be back later, don't wait up!"

Maria got up to try and stop him, but he didn't take any notice, simply walking out of the room without looking back.

The group's attention had been focused on Michael, and his little outburst so much, that no one had noticed the adjoining door swing open. Suddenly though, Max became aware of the figure stood in the doorway. She looked so pale, so fragile… "Liz...a-are you okay...?" He asked, wanting so much to reach out to her and yet knowing that probably wouldn't be the best idea...

Liz was silent. Emily's arms were wrapped tightly around her neck, and she held her daughter firmly. Tess...the name of the girl who had taken so much from her...she couldn't believe that anyone, even Michael, would compare the two of them... She swallowed and shook her head, taking in a ragged breath.

Maria stood up, immediately moving to help. "Here...come and sit down okay honey...you look like you could do with getting the weight off your feet...I'm guessing you had a long day yesterday..." She gave a weak smile, reaching out and guiding the young girl towards one of the beds.

She didn't resist, taking a seat on the edge and settling Emily on her lap. Her long brown hair fell forward over her face, and at that moment in time, Max couldn’t help thinking that she looked no more than eighteen... His questions were multiplying by the second, but he fully intended to wait as long as necessary for the answers...

The group sat without talking, much as the night before, but this time, it was Kyle who finally broke the silence. He offered Liz a small smile and looked at the little girl. "So...you never told us what this little one was called last night...?" He commented softly, focusing on the only way he could think of to try and put her at ease. Perhaps it was a long shot, but someone had to try something…

Immediately there was a change in her expression. Liz looked down at the little girl in her lap, a smile on her face as she turned her round so that she was facing forward. "Yeah...I'm sorry about that, I guess I didn't..." She looked over at Max and the others, and then back at her daughter. "This is my daughter...Emily Diane Parker..."

The little girl giggled at the sound of her name, turning and hugging her mother. Liz laughed and shook her head. This wasn’t going to be the last question by a long shot, and they were only going to get harder from here she was certain. Emily didn’t need to hear all her answers though…the little girl would have to face what had happened eventually of course, she would have to be told eventually, but for now she could spare her daughter that… She was just a little girl, and that was how it was going to stay… Liz reached into the bag which she had brought through with her as always and pulled out a small rag doll which she offered to her daughter. "Why don't you play with DeDe for a little sweets...let mommy talk to the other grown-ups...?" She suggested softly, setting her down on the ground and indicating for her to go and sit a little way off.

Emily pouted as she looked round. "I'm hungry!" She told her mother in response to the question, looking up expectantly.

Liz sighed and shook her head. Usually she would have a little something with her, but ‘last night’ as it had been for her they had been in a rush when coming out. The intention hadn’t been to be gone for long, and given that it was already late at night, she had for once omitted to bring anything in the food line. "In a little bit baby...we'll get something to eat in a little bit okay...?" She looked round at the others. "Sorry...she's not exactly the best in the morning..."

"Aunt RIA pleaaaaaseee" She ran over to Maria and looked up at her with wide big brown eyes. The other young woman looked a little shocked and obviously didn't really know what to do.

Liz couldn't help laughing although she looked at Maria most apologetically. "I'm so sorry Maria..." She turned to her daughter. "Emily Diane Parker, you come back here now, and you stop bothering these people!" She told her sharply, her tone letting the little girl know that this was certainly not a time to push. Her mother might have been young, but she had learnt quickly that a mother, no matter what age had to be firm and she was certainly no pushover.

Maria gave a small smile and held up her hand. "No, honestly it's fine...it was just a bit of a surprise..." She gave a small smile. "I'm so glad I get to be an Aunty though..."

Liz smiled thankfully, but still bent down so that she was level with her daughter as Emily came back over. "Honey, I know this is hard for you to understand...but these people aren't the people you think they are...I know they look the same, but this isn't Aunty Izzy, or Ria, and this isn't..." She trailed off awkwardly, looking at Max. How was she supposed to say this... This guy looks like your daddy but he isn't... How was her little girl supposed to understand that...? She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this right now Liz...?" Max suggested softly. Part of him wanted to know what she was going to say, but then a part of him was scared... He could see that she was uncomfortable, so maybe this just wasn't the time to find out... He couldn't help note that Liz used the surname Parker for Emily, but that wasn't decisive was it...? Besides, her middle name was Diane too - or was he reading something into all that that just wasn't there...?

She looked up sharply, surprised by his comment. "Uh...if you're sure...maybe..." she didn’t really know what to say. Part of her knew it wasn’t fair, but then another part didn’t know how to explain…

Maria nodded. "Of course, I don't mind being Aunty Ria to such an adorable little girl..." She looked over at Isabel. "And I’m sure that Izzy doesn’t either…Right Isabel...?"

Isabel looked slightly more awkward, probably because she understood what this really meant. The others had all been there when Emily had called out daddy, but she imagined that the subsequent realisation that it was Liz had probably over-ridden that in their minds. After seeing that scene in the dream though, she had no doubt though. Emily looked at Max as her daddy, and she wasn't certain if Max would be ready for the reality of that...or Liz for that matter. "Uh...well I guess it's up to Liz..." She hedged hesitantly.

Perhaps luckily, Emily seemed to have lost interest in the conversation, and she had settled on the floor a little way from the bed playing happily with her dolly. Isabel smiled softly, watching her for a moment before looking back at Liz. "She's beautiful you know..."

There was a certain glow in Liz's face whenever she thought, spoke, or heard anything about her daughter... "Thanks Isabel..." Her gaze drifted over, and a smile played on her face as she watched the little girl playing.

Max watched her for a moment, hesitating about asking anything. He didn't want to upset her, to push before she was ready...

Isabel looked from one to the other, realising in the end that neither was going to start. She turned to Liz. "Liz...I know this isn't easy for you... I don't think any of us really have a clue what you've been through, but we want to, and the only way we're going to find out, is if we talk..."

The younger girl gave a hesitant nod. "Okay...what do you want to know...?" She asked in a small voice.

Max looked up at her. The more he looked at her, the more he needed to know...the more he began to question what he had thought and doubt it... Yesterday when he had first seen her, he had seen the wife he had lost, but now...in the light of day, she saw an image of Liz years ago. Her eyes were warm and beautiful as always, but spoke of all the experience she had. She was still a child, and yet in other ways, she was indeed a woman... "How old are you...?" He asked, surprised at the way his voice came out, sounding like little more than a whisper.

The question surprised her. Perhaps it should have seemed like a natural one, but she had been expecting questions of how she had got here…what she was doing, what she wanted maybe… She chewed on the inside of her lower lip, then looked round at the group and over at Emily before finally answering. "I was seventeen a few months ago..."

"So you were only..." Kyle broke off, realising how awful he probably sounded. "I'm sorry...that was uncalled for...I shouldn't have said that..." He apologised quickly. This might not be their Liz, he knew that, but whoever she was, wherever she was from, she deserved more than that…

Liz swallowed and shook her head, giving a wry smile. "It's okay...I'm used to it...” She responded, trying to make light as though it didn’t bother her. “It comes with the territory…" She sighed and ran her fingers through her long hair again. "I was fourteen when I got pregnant, and I had Emily about a month after I was fifteen..."

Maria was silent. She just didn't know what to say... Seventeen...? She had realised she was probably younger than them yes, but the ‘baby’… She shook her head mentally. Seventeen…

"Whose is she...?" Max found the words catching in his throat but he had to ask... He knew that this wasn't his Liz now, but at the same time, despite the fact he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t help finding himself hoping silently...

She looked up and over at him in surprise, biting her lip. "Didn't you hear last night...don't you know..." She shook her head. "She's yours..." Liz swallowed, suddenly realising how that sounded and quickly tried to rescue it. "I-I mean not y-yours...but m-my Max..." She stammered a little, trying to explain as her gaze dropped to her lap and she fiddled with her fingers awkwardly. "I'm sorry...I d-didn't mean to drop that on you...I mean I shouldn't have said that..." She trailed off.

Max shook his head quickly, unable to keep himself from reaching out to catch her arm, causing her to look up. "Honestly, it's okay Liz...you didn't say anything wrong...she's beautiful...you must be really proud of her..."

Slowly, she nodded. "Yeah...I am..."

Silence reigned over the group once more, Liz's simple answers having shaken the others a little. There were so many more questions to ask, yet where to start...?

Liz looked around hesitantly. "I-If you don't mind, can I ask the same question...how old are you guys...?" She asked a little nervously. She thought she knew of course, having a rough idea of the date, but it was better to be certain...

"Oh Chica, of course we don't mind you asking...we're asking you aren't we...we’re all getting to know each other and you have just as much right to answers as any of us..." Maria responded grinning. Whatever her past, this was Liz, and she was her friend…

Isabel nodded softly. "Right...all you have to do is ask..." She assured the young girl. After a moment, she looked over at Max, uncertain whether he would want to be the one to explain. Her brother nodded silently, taking a seat on the bed opposite her. "We're twenty, or most of us are anyway...Maria and Kyle are still nineteen..."

"And your Liz would have been..." Liz commented. The response wasn't a question, more of a statement. She looked up at Max through her lashes. "What happened to her...? How did you end up here…?" She asked in that soft, gentle voice of hers.