Changing Places
Author: LittleBit
Category: CC; AU
Rating: Mostly TEEN
Disclaimer: I don’t own Roswell nor any of the characters nor any of the lines from any of the episodes. But some of them are in here even if they aren’t mine. I’m just borrowing them. Also any of the songs that are in this fic are not mine either.
Summary: Kind of a reverse of the Pilot & show. Some of the aliens are still aliens, some aren’t; some of the humans are human but some aren’t. I won’t follow too much of the show’s storylines but some of course have to be in here. But don’t worry, everything will be worked out.
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Thanks to Calinia for betaing this as well as giving me so many ideas!
PART 1
1989
In a cave in the middle of a rock formation in the desert outside of Roswell, New Mexico a little girl with dark brown hair pushed her way out the soft gelatinous outer shell of the incubation pod that she had been sleeping in for the past forty-two years. Her small hands gripped the sides of the large crack and used it to push her head out. Once the top part of her body was out, she felt two pairs of hands grab her and help her the rest of the way.
When her feet touched the rock floor she looked up to see another little girl and little boy hovering above her. All three of them were covered with the remnants of the fluid they were floating in but none of them seem to mind. The little brown haired girl looked up at the others and studied them. She knew them; but didn’t know how or why. They were both taller than she was; the girl’s hair was light while the little boy’s was darker but both looked at her with eyes like hers. None of them spoke, none of them needed to. They could somehow communicate just by looking at each other. They seemed be able to understand each other just by looking at one another. The little brown haired girl didn’t get a chance to explore where they were before the boy pulled her and the other girl to the far wall. He relinquished his hold on the other girl just long enough to wave his hand over a small part of the wall. A glowing handprint appeared and a large chunk of the wall.
The three scrambled out and into the night. First thing they did was look up at the sky as if searching for something. Not finding what they were looking for, they glanced around to see where they were. They looked at each other with panic when they saw how high up on the rocks they were. But the little brown haired girl hunted around until she found a way down and started to climb down. When she reached the bottom she looked up expectantly at the other two, waiting for them. They looked at each other before the little boy proceeded down followed by the little blonde girl and it wasn’t long until the three headed off to explore the vast desert in front of them. They never thought about if they left anyone behind or if someone would come looking for them in the cave.
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The three were walking on along a flat area that ran between the rocks. The night sky illuminated their path although none of them knew where they were going. They were just wondering around and exploring. They had found so many things. They had encountered cactus and other things that one found in the desert although none of them knew what exactly they were. The little brown haired girl had almost stepped on a snake. It had actually attacked them but the little boy had put up his hand and the thing had been flung far away.
The blackness around them was suddenly disturbed when two lights appeared behind the trio. They looked toward the lights and saw them coming closer. The little boy got scared so he dropped both of the girls’ hands and ran off to hide behind a large boulder off to the side. He motioned to them to follow but they both stood still staring at the lights.
The lights kept coming until they were only a few footsteps away. They froze in place and suddenly two things that looked kind of like them but bigger came towards them. They wrapped the two girls in something warm and pulled them near.
Diane Evans looked at the two children with a myriad of emotions; confusion, concern, alarm but mostly compassion. She could see that they were scared and cold and she couldn’t help but wonder why they were out in the middle of the desert without a stitch of clothing on. She had felt the anguish of knowing that she would never be able to have children and thought what it would be a treasure to have any child call her mother. So it was because of that way of thinking that she couldn’t understand why someone would abandon these two adorable little girls. She looked at her husband who was holding the little dark haired girl and asked, “What are they doing out here Philip? Alone, naked in the middle of no where?”
“I don’t know but we’re not going to leave them here.” Philip said firmly. He too was upset that someone had just cast off these girls like they were just objects that were no longer wanted. He didn’t want to think about what could have happened to them if he and Diane hadn’t decided to drive the back roads instead of the highway on their way back from Clovis. They probably wouldn’t have survived although he had to admit that they looked like they had been fairing well.
He made sure that the blanket was secure around the little brunette before he picked her up and started back to the car with her. He looked over and saw that Diane had done the same thing and was right behind him. But just as they were about to put them into the car both of the girls started struggling against them. They weren’t acting like they were trying to get away more like they were trying to get towards something.
Diane did what she could to calm the down while Philip set down the brunette and went to see if he could find what the girls were so interested in. He looked around even searched behind a large boulder when he heard a noise but didn’t find anything. By the time he got back to the girls and Diane, they had calmed down. The two adults just shrugged at each other. They climbed into the front of their SUV and started the engine. Just as they were about to drive away, Diane said reassuringly, “Don’t worry girls. You’re safe now.”
The little boy came out from his hiding place and watched the two girls disappear. He stood there and stared after the lights until they faded away. He was on his own, and he felt very alone. He strayed from the road that the three had been traveling and started wondering through the desert.
**Disclaimer**
There are some lines from the Pilot that are in this next part. They are not mine.
PART 2
Ten years later
The Crashdown was full of activity on the afternoon of September 17th. The Crashdown festival was a few days away so most of the crowd were tourists but there were a few locals around including two teenagers, a boy and a girl, who frequented the café almost every day.
Michael Guerin looked over at his friend sitting across the table and asked, “So why are we hanging around here with all the alien nuts?”
“I told you, I had a craving for some Space Fries.” Liz Evans explained as she glanced up from her textbook to glare at him. She had known him too long that he wasn’t leading up to teasing her about her repeated trips to the restaurant.
“Which you ate along with a whole bottle of Tabasco Sauce.” Michael said pointedly.
“And I’m still studying. I want to finish this chapter and assignment before we leave.” Liz clarified.
“Sure you do.” Michael snorted. “I’m sure you’d rather study here in a noisy, crowded restaurant that smell like grease rather than in your nice comfy bedroom. I think you’re here to feed this obsession you have with Max Parker. You know we can’t have any attachments.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Liz said although she could feel the faint blush on her cheeks that betrayed the truth of Michael’s words. She looked back down at her book and attempted to concentrate on the book in front of her. But it was harder than it should have been. So she looked back at Michael and said, “You know when you act like this I have to remind myself again why I hang around you.”
Michael just shook his head at how nauseating the whole situation and turned to glance towards where the subject of the discussion was talking to two of his friends, Maria Deluca and Alex Whitman. Max wasn’t just hanging out but actually working the counter register of the restaurant while Maria was waitressing. Alex was the only not working instead he sat idly at the counter sipping a drink. He turned back to Liz and said, “I don’t know what it is about that guy that has you so stuck on him.”
“I’m not stuck on him.” Liz snapped in a hushed tone. She glanced over at Max and said, “He’s just a guy from school, my biology partner who I talk to occasionally.”
“Yeah sure.” Michael said rolling his eyes.
Liz continued to look across the café at Max and his friends until she saw Maria glance up at her. She looked away quickly and tried to appear aloof and studying. It didn’t work.
“Liz Evans is staring at you again.” Maria commented to her friend Max as she caught the scene over his shoulder while she got a fresh pot of coffee.
Naturally Max and Alex both turned to look in Liz’s direction only to see her reading a book. Max looked back at Maria and said, “You’re imagining things again. She was not staring at me.”
“She’s probably looking at you Maria.” Alex commented trying to help out his friend. “Waiting for you to drop off her bill so she and her friend can leave this circus.”
“I gave her the check a long time ago, no she’s just hanging around to enjoy the view of Max.” Maria said. When both guys dismissed her she said. “I swear you guys are so clueless. You’d think since both of you are so crazed over the Evans girls that you’d jump for joy at the thought that Liz liked Max.”
“I am not crazed for Isabel.” Alex argued. “I just happen to think there’s more to her than there appears to be.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Maria commented.
“And, even if Liz was looking over here was a sign that she was interested in me, it doesn’t matter.” Max said although even as he said them he knew they sounded forced. Both of his best friends knew about his secret crush on the beautiful brunette. He’d been harboring it since last year and it had only increased this year when they had been assigned as partners in their biology class. But even though they knew he was lying, he kept up the ruse. “I'm going out with Tess. I mean, she's sweet and dependable, and has all this energy and she appreciates me.”
“Sounds like you're describing a poodle.” Maria said offhandedly. She made her way around the counter to go check on her customers but couldn’t help but add, “Her hair kind of reminds me of one too.”
“Maria!” Max exclaimed as she walked away. He frowned at Alex who was trying his best to hold back a snicker and said, “At least I have a girlfriend.”
“Hey!” Alex exclaimed. “I’m just evaluating my options.”
“Sure you are.” Max commented. He was about to say more when a loud voice interrupted him.
“You ask me to give you another day? You're running outta time.” One of the customers was yelling to another as he swept the dishes off the table in anger. They went crashing to floor as the two stood up. “I want the money today. NOT tomorrow!”
Maria looked at Max fearfully as she called, “Max!”
Max hurried around the counter to try and break it up. He didn’t make it that far before the guy who had been quiet pulled out a gun. He couldn’t help but freeze as everyone else dove for the ground. He watched at the two struggled for the gun then suddenly it went off and Max felt himself thrown backwards.
Liz watched as the two guys ran out of the café. She heard Alex call Max’s name and turned her attention to him. She saw him lying motionless on the floor half-hidden by the counter and before she knew what she was doing, she was up and moving towards him. Michael put out a hand to block her way. “What are you doing? Let me by.”
“What are you gonna do?” He asked.
“Whatever I have to.” Liz stated as she ducked under his arm. She hurried towards Max, running into Alex and pulled him away, “Call an ambulance.”
Liz kneeled next to Max, her back and the counter shielding her from everyone else as she grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt and yanked it up. She faintly heard Michael yelling for everyone to get back as she stared at a pool of blood that was getting bigger just above his navel. She placed her hand over it before looking up at his weakened face. “Max. You have to look at me. You have to look at me.”
Max’s eyes cracked open and looked in her direction. He was barely conscious but enough for her to open a connection. She pushed all the energy she could into him, doing her best to heal him. She had never healed something this big but she wasn’t going to give up. Flashes appeared in her head as she dissolved the bullet then started mending the torn tissue. After a few seconds she pulled her hand away and saw nothing but smooth unmarred skin. She looked at him uncertainly and said, “You're all right now. You're all right.”
Suddenly the sounds of sirens drew near and Michael snapped, “Keys! Now!”
Liz fished out her keys and tossed them to him. He caught them easily before disappearing. Liz saw one of the extra ketchup bottles on a nearby shelf and grabbed it. She felt weak from the energy loss but managed to slam it against the edge of the shelf and dump over Max’s stomach. She saw that Max was now awake and looking at her dazed. “You broke a bottle when you fell, spilled ketchup on yourself.”
Max didn’t know what was happening. One minute he was lying on the floor of his parent’s restaurant bleeding to death from the gunshot in his stomach. Then the next thing he knew he was looking up into the most beautiful chocolate colored eyes, eyes that he recognized belonged to Liz Evans and his wound was gone. She stood up when she saw him looking at her and started backing away. But before she got too far, Max heard her quietly say, “Don't say anything please.”
He sat up and watched as she hurried though the crowd and out the door. He saw her friend Michael pull up in the Evans’ girls jeep. Liz jumped in and the two sped away. When she was gone did he finally notice Maria and Alex by his side. Maria looked to be in shock while Alex asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Max stated. “I just split some ketchup.”
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After assuring, and reassuring Maria, Alex, and his dad that he was fine and had fallen on some ketchup bottles when he ducked behind the counter Max left the café. He hurried up the stairs to the apartment above the Crashdown where he lived with his parents. He just felt like he had to get away from all of the questions, especially the ones from the Sheriff. He couldn’t explain it but the way that his girlfriend’s father stared at him as he interviewed creeped him out. It was like he knew Max was lying. Of course he was lying about what happened but he didn’t think he had said anything to the Sheriff to indicate that.
After he was hidden away in his room with the door firmly shut did he let him self take a deep breath and let some of the tension out of his body. As he did his eyes wandered down to his stained shirt and he noticed a small hole in it. He stared at it, transfixed by the sight of the small hole that he knew had been caused by a bullet. Thinking he needed to hide it, he pulled the Crashdown uniform T-shirt up over his head and shoved in to his gym bag.
He could still feel the stickiness from where the blood and ketchup had dried on his skin so he headed to his bathroom for a shower. He turned the water on full blast hot and started to finish undressing as he waited for the water to heat up. But stopped when he saw the glowing silver hand print on his stomach. It was small and right where he had felt Liz’s hand earlier when he had come out of his stupor on the floor. He had never felt so confused by the events of one afternoon. But he was definitely get some answers tomorrow, whether Liz Evans liked it or not.
PART 3
Although her alarm was just about to go off, Liz Evans was wide-awake and sitting out on her balcony. She sat there staring at the quiet neighborhood she lived in. At first glance, it looked like any other neighborhood, you would never guess that three aliens lived within its confines.
After the Evans had found Liz and Isabel on the side of the road, they started the process of adopting the two girls. But since the law said that they had to make sure that they didn’t have any family despite the fact that they appeared to have been abandoned, the girls had been sent to the county children’s home until all the legal matters could be settled. They didn’t want to be taken away from the adults but their time at the home was good for them too. It was at the home that they had been reunited with Michael. The three were inseparable at the home. None of them had learned to talk yet but the staff noticed that it didn’t seem to stop them from understanding each other.
Then two weeks after the two girls came; Michael’s caseworker had come to take him to a psychiatrist. While he was gone, the Evans arrived for Liz and Isabel. Philip’s position as a lawyer had helped speed up the process and the adoption was complete. They knew about the little boy but didn’t know how he had come to be there at the home. So they didn’t speculate that he might have been like their girls.
After the adoption, Diane had decided to quit her work as officer manager at Philip’s firm to take care of the girls. She had been the primary one to teach them to do things; how to talk, read, even how to take care of their basic hygiene needs. She told them later that it was like taking care of infants. It was around that time that Liz and Isabel realized they were different. They could do things that they didn’t think anyone else could do. They had nothing to base it on except for the instinct that told them to be careful.
It took awhile and a bunch of placement tests but they were finally able to go to school after two years. The day was a big one for them. Their mom had driven them to school early to make sure that everything was okay so they were the first ones in their classroom. Liz and Isabel were coloring quietly when the other kids started to pile in but they didn’t pay any attention, at least not at first. Then Liz looked up and she saw a little boy talking to another little boy and a little blonde girl. She didn’t know how but she knew that there was something about him. A feeling if she had to explain it, similar to how she felt when she was around Michael and Isabel but different. She couldn’t explain it. She wanted to tell her sister about it but didn’t get a chance because the last kid straggled and low and beyond, the two were reunite with Michael again. It was like they were supposed to be together, an inseparable group and that they were alike. At recess the three talked, and it was then that they made a pact; to never tell anyone about themselves.
Over the years Liz, Michael, and Isabel still remained tight friends. The girls’ parents thought it was little odd as they grew older but Isabel and Liz just told them that they had a bond with him, one that started at the children’s home and they seemed to understand. They never questioned the friendship after that. Especially after they saw how protective they were of him.
A few months after the girls left the home, Michael was sent into foster care. Many of the families he was placed with thought he was a problem child so he got passed around a lot. Eventually he landed in Roswell, at the home of Hank and Laura Guerin. That was when he met up with the girls again and things with Michael seemed to be good. But it didn’t last. The bad stuff came when Michael was ten and Laura left.
From what they had finally managed to drag out of Michael, the verbal abuse started right after she left. Hank would yell and scream at Michael, saying that he was the reason why she left. That was also when the drinking started. Most times when Michael would get home from school, Hank would have just started on the night’s supply of liquor. So Michael started hanging out at the Evan’s house until he knew that Hank would either be passed out or close to it.
Liz and Isabel weren’t naïve, they knew that things were not good at Michael’s house but he hid just how bad it was until he showed up on the girls’ balcony with a broken arm and his face all bruised up. He told them that Hank wasn’t happy with the way he’d cleaned the living room so he’d punished him for it. Liz healed his broken arm but didn’t get a chance to fix his face before their parents caught them. They were shocked to see Michael’s condition and after a good night’s sleep, the girls talked Michael into letting their dad help him become emancipated. After everything Michael ended up moving into the apartment above their garage and got a job at the local video store to pay for expenses.
The feeling she had gotten when she first seen Max had dwelled since that day, never disappearing. She felt drawn to him, in a way that she couldn’t explain. She didn’t know if it was because of her alieness or what. All she did know was that somewhere along the line whether because of puberty or whatever, it turned into something stronger. She found herself wanting to be with him more and more. To get to know him instead of watching him from a far. To tell him the truth about how she felt and who she was. But she had never acted on those urges. After all if she did, it would shatter the life they had built for themselves.
Except for the fact that they were aliens, their lives had been quasi normal. They did what they could to blend in and act like any other normal teenager but now Liz had messed it up. Something she knew Michael and Isabel were going to remind her of when she saw them. Michael had started last night but she had been so tired that she had fallen asleep when he was in mid-rant. Of course since she had fallen asleep early, she had successfully avoided the wraith of Isabel. And she was going to try and do it for a little while longer.
She had already showered and gotten ready for school so she grabbed her bag and headed down stairs. Liz heard the clinking of coffee cups in the kitchen and knew that her father was up. Her father always got up early so he could get to his firm early despite the fact that he was in charge of it. He liked to double check everything and make sure that the office was organized. He told her that he knew it was the office manager’s job but he was a very orderly and just couldn’t break himself of it. They were very much a like. As she walked in she smiled and said, “Morning Daddy.”
“Morning Liz.” Her Dad said back cheerfully as she got up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He smiled back at her and commented, “You’re up and ready early. I don’t think Izzy is even awake yet.”
“I think I heard her messing around in her room.” Liz admitted. “You know how she is. It’ll take her awhile before she’s close to being ready.”
“Your sister is definitely not a morning person.” Her Dad pointed out. It was one of the small things that made his two daughters different, one of the many things. Where Isabel was tall and blonde, Liz was short and brunette, Isabel was outgoing and had lots of friends and active in school where Liz was more reclusive and concentrating on her studies and made top marks. Isabel was into fashion and all kinds of girly things where Liz was into science and finding out how things worked. They had lots of things in common too but he had never seen two people who were more different be so close as they were.
“That’s why I’m glad you’re still home.” Liz stated. “I need to get to school early to use the library but I don’t want to take the jeep and listen to Isabel complain later. Do you think you could give me a ride to school?”
“Sure honey.” Philip said smiling at her eagerness to get to school. He drained his coffee cup and grabbed his briefcase. “Let’s go.”
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After hiding in the library until the first bell rang, Liz hurried to her first class, Biology. She didn’t know whether she was dreading it or welcoming it. She always looked forward to seeing Max but after yesterday afternoon, she was worried that he would look at her differently. But she didn’t get a chance to think too much more on it before she heard a loud familiar voice calling out to her from down the hall. “Liz! Liz!”
She turned to see Max making his way down the hall towards her. “Excuse me, excuse me.”
“I have to talk to you.” He said as he finally made it to her side only to take her arm and pull her to one of empty storage room. But before they made it that far they were blocked by a short curly obstruction in the form of Tess Valenti. Max stopped abruptly. “Tess!”
“Hey!” Tess said cheerfully. She looked over and saw that Max wasn’t alone. “Hey Liz.”
“Hey.” Liz said flatly.
Tess didn’t notice, instead turning her attention back to Max. “My dad told me about what happened yesterday at the cafe. I was so worried. I called but your mom said you had already gone to bed.”
“Right. She told me, I was just wiped out from all of the excitement.” Max explained as he tried to think of a way to get rid of her. “Um, we're trying to be alone...to study, for our Bio midterm.”
Tess looked at the two suspiciously before saying, “I understand, Biology. All right, I need to get to class anyway.”
Tess threw one last smile at Max before moving off into the crowd. Max and Liz then finished their own route and finally reached their destination. Once they were inside there was an odd tension that Liz tried to break. “So...you're going out with the Sheriff's daughter?”
“Um, yeah. Well, it's kind of,” Max said nervously. “We kind of hung out over the summer. Okay, Liz. Can we just focus here for one minute please? I need to know what happened yesterday. I need to know what this is.”
Liz watched as Max lifted the hem of his T-shirt and displayed his stomach to her. She gasped in surprise, not at the well-toned abdomen but at the glowing hand print on it. “Wow.”
“I thought about this a lot last night. And the only thing that I could come up with was that the bullet only grazed me or maybe didn’t hit me at all and I just imagined the whole thing.”
“You didn’t.” Liz said solemnly. “You were shot.”
“Okay, um. So enlighten me here Liz. How could you have healed me? I mean, what are you?”
“Well I'm not from around here.”
“Where you from?” Max asked and watched as Liz pointed her finger up. “Up north?” He asked only to see her lift her finger higher. It clicked then what she was telling him. “You're not an, an alien, I mean. Are you?”
“Well I prefer the term Earth born impaired.” Liz joked. “Sorry. But yes. I am.”
Whatever answers Max had been looking for, finding out Liz was an alien was not what he had been expecting. He grabbed up his bag and said, “Umm, Liz, you know, I have, I forgot some stuff in my locker, so I'm just gonna…”
But despite his longer legs, Liz was faster and stopped him at the door. “Max, listen to me. You can't talk to anyone about this. Not your parents, not Alex or Maria or Tess. No one. You don't understand what'll happen if you do.”
Max took a gamble and looked down into her eyes. He saw they were full of fear of what he would do. He heard the fear in her voice as she said; “I saved your life yesterday, now I need you to save mine by not saying anything.”
Max broke the staring contest and went out the door.
PART 4
Liz managed to avoid her sister and Michael the whole morning. But she knew it wouldn’t last considering they always met up and had lunch together. She knew she was dragging her feet as she made her way to her locker but she couldn’t help it, she knew Isabel and knew she wouldn’t be happy that Liz had used her powers in such a public way.
Liz rounded the corner and saw that Isabel was already waiting for her. She didn’t say anything until she got to her locker, opened the door and threw in her books. “Where’s Michael?”
“Waiting by the jeep. We figured it’d be better if we had lunch out today.” Isabel responded coldly.
“Fine.” Liz simply said. The two female aliens made their way out of school ignoring the hooting from the idiot guys on the football team and went to the parking lot. She saw Michael lounging already in the back seat of the jeep eating a Tabasco covered candy bar. She muttered a hello before the two jumped in and were off. They didn’t drive far, just to a nearby roadside stand that sold an assortment of lunch items. They got their food and sat off to the side so they could talk. Liz had barely begun to eat when Isabel started in on her. “I can't believe you did something so impulsive Liz. We work so hard to have a semi-normal life and what did you do? You go off and blow it all with some rash decision.”
Isabel then turned her wrath away from Liz and onto Michael and said, “How could you be there and still let my Max Parker obsessive sister do this?”
“Hey.” Michael said around a mouthful of food. “Don't turn this around on me.”
“It’s not Michael fault Izzy. I’m sorry.” Liz stated.
But her apology didn’t seem to be enough because Isabel kept going. “You're sorry? You do something so completely dangerous and that's all you have to say? It's against the rules Liz, the rules we made! Rules you said we had to have.”
“You use your powers all the time.” Liz argued.
“Only because it’s beneficial.” Isabel said with the roll of her eyes.
“So you needing just the right shade of lipstick to match an outfit is a good excuse to use your powers and open up the possibility that Mom or Dad could see you?” Liz asked her angrily. She saw that Isabel couldn’t think of anything in her defense and changed the subject.
“Well the important thing is to do damage control. We just have to figure out what to say to him.” Isabel commented as she looked over at her sister. When she did, she couldn’t miss seeing the look of guilt pass over her face. “Please don’t tell me you told him.”
“I didn't have a choice. He cornered me this morning and I had to tell him something. But don’t worry, it's gonna be okay.” Liz assured them.
“No, it’s not. Don't you realize that things aren’t alright.” Isabel stated.
It was then that Michael finally spoke up again. “She's right, we're screwed. We can’t hang around here, we should get out of Roswell.”
“Michael, we can't just run.” Isabel argued. “Where are we gonna go? Roswell has always been home, at least the closest thing we’ve got to one.”
“We've always known this day would come. We said when it did we'd be prepared.” Michael said as they finished up their lunch and headed back to the jeep.
During Michael and Isabel’s argument, Liz couldn’t help but weigh their options. Things had become more dangerous now and Michael was right. Somewhere deep inside, they knew that someday they would leave. It was why she kept a bag packed at all times, and saved as much money as she could in the bag in case they had to make a quick getaway. But as much as she knew it might be a good idea and as much as she had planned it out, she knew that she just couldn’t just pick up and leave. Not now at least. As they climbed into the jeep Liz said, “This is gonna be OK. We should just lay low. Go back to school and try to act normal.”
“Act like nothing’s happened? That’s your solution?” Isabel asked.
“I don’t see you guys coming up with anything else since Michael’s idea was shot down.” Liz snapped. Sometimes it drove her crazy when they expected her to guide them through everything. She never asked to be the one in charge, it was just a role that they had settled into a long time ago. If she thought back to the night they came out of the pods, it had started then. That night was a little fuzzy but Liz could remember that it was her that led them down the rocks they were stuck on and out into the desert. She didn’t know why but leading them had been instinctual. Although that didn’t mean she had to like it.
“I still don’t see why we don’t leave.” Michael commented. “It's only a matter of time before they find us and turn us over to the FBI where they're gonna test us and dissect us. Just like the scientists in all of your books.”
“Michael, everything is gonna be okay.” Liz said firmly.
“I’m sorry if I don’t see things through rose colored glasses like you do Liz. I look at the reality of all of this. Our cover is blown. And I'm not gonna hang around and wait for them to catch us.”
“How do we know that there is even a ''them'' to find us? Everything I’ve researched said those groups were disbanded a long time ago.” Liz said referring to the research she had done. She had spent many hours in the library and on the computer trying to find out as much as possible about alien hunters. Most of what she had come by had been from conspiracies and such but some of the information seemed to be legit.
“Why do you think we’re alone here? What do you think happened to everybody else on the ship? They were killed, and you know that.” Michael stated. “So why wouldn’t they want more of us to experiment on?”
“There’s no reason to keep discussing this. Max won't tell anyone, he’s…. He just won’t. If he was going to then he would have yesterday when the Sheriff questioned him.”
“Are you so sure about that? He could go tell him at any time.” Isabel said sarcastically. “After all, he didn’t know exactly what you were then, now he does.”
“Yeah, how'd he react when you told him? 'Wonderful you're an alien that's just out of this world.'” Michael said in a dry sarcastic tone. He noticed that Liz wouldn’t look at him and he knew the answer. “No, I didn't think so. Face it, you told the guy of your dreams that you’re an alien and he freaked out.”
No one said any more as Liz pulled the jeep into the school parking lot and the trio set off in separate directions for their afternoon classes.
(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)
After the bell for lunch rang, Max took off for the gym locker room. He had decided to workout during his lunch period, he could always focus more on his thoughts when he was lifting weights and right now he really needed to sort some things out. Like the fact that only a few hours before Liz Evans had told him that she was an alien. And not to mention that despite the fact that he knew this, he didn’t find his attraction to her go away. If anything, the crush or whatever it was that he had had over the last year or so increased. He didn’t know if it was because she had saved him or because she had told him something so close to her heart but he felt himself falling for her harder than ever before.
He wasn’t paying a lot of attention as he wondered down the corridor that led to the gym so it wasn’t a big surprise when he collided with someone. Max was about to apologize to the person when he noticed that it wasn’t just some random student but Alex. “Hey.”
“Hey man.” Alex said. Max couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t sound like he normally did, he sounded far more serious. “I called you last night to see how you were doing, so did Maria.”
“I know, my mom told me. Sorry I just didn’t want to talk last night.” Max said uncomfortably.
“So you want to tell me what happened yesterday?” Alex asked. He knew that he was sounding as noisy as Maria got some times but he knew that something was right with Max. They had been friends for too long to not notice how he had been trying to avoid him and Maria all day.
“What do you mean? You were sitting right there, you saw everything.”
“Did I?” Alex asked. “I know I saw you on the floor not looking real good and Liz Evans come over to you. The next thing I know she’s jumping up and running out the door with something on her hand that didn’t look like ketchup. It looked like blood. So tell me the truth, what did she do to you?”
Max didn’t know what to say, Alex knew more than he thought and he didn’t want to lie to his friend. So instead he just looked at him before walking away.
Alex stared after Max in silence until he was out of view. He couldn’t believe Max would answer his questions. What was going on with him? Feeling hurt he stormed down the hallway and out to the cafeteria where he saw Maria waiting for them. She stared at him funny before saying, “Where's Max?”
“Weight room.” Alex snapped.
“What’s wrong with you?” Maria said showing how irritated she was with his tone.
“Nothing. Just Max is acting all weird. It’s like he’s avoiding me. I think something more happened at the café then he wants to say. But what?”
“Max is just being Max. You know how quiet he can be sometimes, don’t worry. He’s fine.” Maria said offhandedly as the two began their lunch.
(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)
Max’s run ins with people he didn’t feel like talking to didn’t stop with his meeting with Alex. If it had, then he would have considered himself lucky. No, instead of a nice secluded workout, Max ended his by seeing the last person he felt like seeing, Tess.
He had just begun his last set of reps on one of the machines when a familiar head of blonde curls poked into his vision. He stopped what he was doing to look at her, “Tess? What are you doing here?”
Tess just shrugged, “I wanted to see you and Alex told me you were in here so I figured I’d come find you. So why are you here in instead of enjoying your lunch?”
“Just thinking. About stuff.”
“Like what?”
“Umm.” Max didn’t know what to tell her whether he told her a lie or the truth. He couldn’t very well tell her the truth. Maria had always beat it into his head that telling a girl that he was thinking of another girl was not a good idea.
He felt some sweat start to dribble into his eyes and he lifted up the hem of his T-shirt to wipe it off. When he did, it occurred to him why that was a bad idea.
“Max!” Tess gasped as she saw the outline of what looked like a handprint. But it was unlike any handprint she had ever seen it was silver and it appeared to be glowing.
Max yanked the shirt back down to cover himself back up and quickly got up off of the bench. “Look Tess, I really need to take a shower so I’m not late to class. I’ll talk to you later okay?”
He all but ran out of the weight room and to the guys’ locker room. Tess watched him go, confused by what she had seen and what was going on with Max. She looked down and noticed that Max had left his gym bag. She figured she grab it now and give it to him later on. She swung it over her shoulder and headed out the public door of the room. She thought about how distant Max had acted today and tried to figure out what to do about it. Maybe she should talk to her dad, he was always good to give advice. Even if he wasn’t around that much.
PART 5
That night Liz was sitting on her bed reading after all of her homework was done when she heard a soft knock. Not looking up she called out, “Come in.”
She didn’t have to turn her attention away from the book to know that it was Isabel that came in. “Wow, I’m surprised you knocked, you usually just barge in.”
“Thought if I did that you might get even more pissed at me.” Isabel said.
“And why would I be pissed? Only because you and Michael ganged up on me at school for what I did. Something you didn’t even see but heard about?” Liz said annoyingly. “Did you think to ask my side of things before you jumped on the wagon to yell at me?”
“Liz,” Isabel said in an unusually soft voice. Isabel didn’t let down her shields that she had against the world much but when she did, it was around her family. “I’m sorry. I’m just scared.”
“I know you are, so am I.” Liz said softening. “I always have been. I don’t want anything to happen to you or Michael and I certainly don’t want to leave Mom and Dad. But yesterday, when I saw Max lying on that floor bleeding, I knew I couldn’t let him die. It would be like letting a part of myself die too.”
“You know I wish I had somebody I felt that way about.” Isabel said almost in a wistful tone.
“You could. If you would let yourself be with someone.”
“But we can't. We can't expose ourselves to everyone.”
“But I trust him.”
“You want to trust him.” Isabel corrected. “There’s a big difference. And if your wrong and he can’t be trusted not to tell, can you blame him? He has no idea that we’re not going to just wipe them out of existence.”
“I just don’t want to be stuck in this place of paranoia anymore. We're always being so cautious, you know? Always watching our backs. Never too noticeable, but we're never getting involved either. What if no one ever comes for us? Then we’ll just have these lives that we never really lived.”
Isabel could hear the conviction in her voice and saw something else come over her face. “I know that look, you’re planning something.”
Liz got off of her bed and started pulling on her shoes quickly. “I’m going to go talk to Max, show him that I’m not some monster.”
“Liz, we already took a really big risk just telling him. I don’t think it’s a good idea to start showing off your powers.” Isabel said.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Just cover for me with Mom and Dad.” And with that, Liz snuck out onto their balcony and down to the ground.
(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)
Deciding it wouldn’t be the best idea to take the jeep if she didn’t want her parents to know she was gone, Liz walked to the center of town and to the Crashdown. As she came up to the huge sign that looked like a crashed spaceship she saw Max inside alone, sweeping the floor. She walked up to the doors nervously and knocked. She saw his head snap up and look in her direction so she mouthed ‘I have to talk to you.’
He nodded as he moved to the door and undid the lock. He pushed open the door and let her in. As soon as he shut it, Liz started talking; “I can't even begin to imagine how you must feel or what you’re thinking right now. I don’t even know how I’m feeling right now. I mean, I've thought about telling you so often and here it’s happened and I don’t know how to act.”
“You have?” Max asked half confused; half delighted that she thought of him.
Liz looked at him with a shy smile before it developed into a full fledged one. Max didn’t know what she was finding so amusing so he asked, “What?”
Liz shook her head as if to clear it, “Sorry, I just, uh, I just keep picturing you in those cute little pajamas. The one with the skunks on them.”
“What?”
“Forget it, It’s nothing.” Liz said offhandedly.
Suddenly Max realized what Liz was talking about. Some pajamas his Grandmother had bought him a long time ago. They had little skunks on them and on the front was one big one that said, ‘I’m a stinker’. “Oh my God. That's, that's right. I can't believe I was actually made to wear those.”
“Wait a minute. How do you know about them? You would never have seen them. Did you like, read my mind or something?” Max said feeling somewhat panicked.
“No, I-I don't read minds. When I healed you, I made this connection. I had to link up to your brain to heal you. And when I did, I got this rush of images, memories. The memory those pajamas flashed into my mind.”
Liz moved slowly and cautious so not to scare him. “I've never tried this before. But I thought that if I could reverse the connection, so that you were on the receiving end, you could see into my head. You know that, that I'm still me and that I’m not going to hurt you... if you want to.”
Max could see the fear pop back into her eyes, her beautiful chocolate eyes, and knew that she needed the reassurance as much as he did that things were okay. But he was still somewhat reluctant. “What would you have to do?”
“I have to touch you.” Liz said as she moved to stand in front of him. He was leaning against one of the tables so for once they were eye to eye. “Do you want me to?”
The only answer Max was capable of giving was a nod. He felt her small, warm, soft hands come up to come his face and move it so that she was staring directly into the very center of his eyes, into his soul if she could. “Just relax and don’t think of anything.”
Max did as he was told. After the second deep breath he felt what he could only explain as the warmest but soothing energy he could imagine before he was hit with images.
**Flash**
He saw two little naked girls, one blonde one brunette. The headlights of an approaching vehicle illuminated them. He saw their mom and dad hurrying up to them, wrapping them in blankets.
**Flash**
The same little girls, a little older, coloring in a classroom. The little brunette looked up and stared at a smaller version of him across the room.
**Flash**
He saw her sitting with Isabel and Michael off to the side of the cafeteria while she watched him laughing and joking around with Alex and Maria.
**Flashes end**
Through the whole thing, Max could feel every emotion she felt during the memories. He felt her fear, her loneliness, and her desire to be like others. But the feeling that overwhelmed all the others was the ones that were directed towards him. She cared for him, genuinely cared about him maybe even loved him.
Liz felt the connection fade off and she realized that she was holding her breath. She saw Max’s eyes were dazed and she whispered, “Did it work?”
“Yeah.” Max said trying to recover from the sensations coursing through him. He had been right before, but instead of her looking into his soul, he was looking into hers.
“Well I should go, before my parents find out that I’m gone.” Liz said quietly. It was hard for her to think when she was so close to him.
Max nodded before he walked her out, neither of them saying another word.
PART 6
As Max made his way around school the next afternoon, as he was about to go home, he saw Alex watching him but it was something else he saw that shook him. The Principal was talking to the Sheriff. Before he could make an escape, the principal spotted him. “There he is.”
The two adults approached him and the principal said, “Max Parker, the Sheriff needs to ask you some questions.”
“Sure.” Max said. He knew that if he declined, it might rouse suspicion. He followed the Principal and Sheriff into the office and to a small room of it. The Principal left them alone then and Max watched as the Sheriff pulled out a file. “I apologize for showing these to you but I think it might be important.”
The Sheriff dropped some pictures in front of him and Max was surprised to see that they were of a dead man, a dead man with a silver handprint on his chest. He continued to study them as the Sheriff talked. “This man was found dead in one of the surrounding counties. His car was gone and it seemed like a simple robbery but there was no apparent cause of death. Except that print. What do you make of it?”
“I have never seen anything like that before.” Max said quietly. He tried to memorize it as much as possible so that he could tell Liz about later. He noticed that it was labeled 1959.
“Tess told me she saw a similar hand print on your stomach yesterday when she met you in the weight room.” Valenti explained to him. It had been an accident that his daughter had walked in to see him looking over the old files of his fathers. But when she saw the picture she had commented that she had seen the same thing on Max.
“She was wrong. I don’t know what she saw but she probably just saw my sweat.” Max stated.
“I'm sure.” The Sheriff said not sounding that convinced. “But I'm gonna need to see for myself.”
“Come on sheriff, I mean, why would I have a mark like that? This guy’s dead, I’m alive.” Max argued.
“Max,” The Sheriff said in a tone that was not to be argued with.
Max stood up and slowly pulled up the hem of his shirt. He held his breath as he waited for the Sheriff to say something. When he didn’t, Max looked down and was astonished to see that the handprint had disappeared. He tried to not let the relief show as he sat back down.
“The mark disappeared on the corpse too.” The Sheriff commented as Max settled into his chair. But he went rigid when asked, “What do you know about a girl named Liz Evans?”
“Liz Evans?” Max asked.
“Mmmm Hmmm.” The Sheriff said.
“Um.... I don't really know her all that well. I see her here at school. We’re lab partners and she comes into the café sometimes.” Max rambled.
“Was she one of the kids at the CrashDown on the day of the shooting? One of the ones the tourists saw?” The Sheriff asked.
“No.” Max answered a little too quickly. He knew he needed to get out of there before he let anything more slip. “Can I go now sheriff? I’ve got a ton of homework to get done before the festival.”
“Yeah, just one more thing. Tess brought this home last night, and said that you left it behind after your chat yesterday. I thought that since I had to come by to talk to you and she forgot it, I’d bring it to you.”
Max recognized the gym bag that the Sheriff set on the desk. It was the same one he had put his bloody, ketchup stained shirt from the shooting in the other day. “Thanks. See you later.”
He hurried out of the office; he needed to talk to Liz.
(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)
Max found Liz exactly where he knew she’d be the biology lab. He had heard her talking to their teacher earlier about wanting to use the lab for extra credit after school. As he rushed into the room, Liz looked up surprised and dropped the test tube she’d been holding. “Max!”
“Sorry to scare you but I need to know everything, the whole truth. Or I'll… I'm just gonna go to back to the Sheriff tell him everything I know.”
“Okay.” Liz said knowing he just needed some answers. She would feel the same way in his situation, hell she’d probably have a whole list of questions by now. She just didn’t know what had set him off that he had to know right now. He had strange timing; she’d give him that.
“Okay.” Max said surprised by how little fight he had to put into the argument. “Okay. All right. What planet do you come from?”
“I don't know. I wasn't born yet when the ship crashed.” Liz answered simply.
“So there was a crash?” Max asked surprised.
“Yes. The crazies are right; it wasn't a weather balloon that fell that night. At least not the only thing.” Liz said.
“But the ship crashed in 1947. Are you really 52 and look like you’re sixteen? Or were your parents in the crash and had you later?” Max asked.
“I’m sixteen. And as for parents, I don’t know anything about them not my real ones. I haven’t seen any sign of them since we came out of our incubation pods.”
“We?” Max asked surprised.
“Um…my sister Isabel and Michael are also...uh...aliens.” Liz said unable to find the words.
“Oh.” Max stated. “Have you always looked like you do? I mean…”
“Did I look like the aliens in the movies?” Liz asked for him. He nodded and she answered. “No, we never looked like that. When we came out of the pods we looked like ordinary six-year-olds. But we knew we were different. I’ve studied our blood and other samples and compared them to normal human ones at least the diagrams that I’ve found in books. They’re not the same. Ours are green. I’ll show you.”
Max was surprised as he watched Liz pull out a swab and started running it along the inside of her cheek. He observed her going through the process of making a slide before she turned back to him. “You remember at the beginning of the year when Ms. Hardy had us look at samples of human tissue?”
Max nodded. “Remember what you saw and look at this.”
Max closed one eye and peeked through the eyepiece of the microscope. The difference from what he remembered and what he was seeing was immediately obvious. They were like Liz said they were, green. He pulled back and stared at her, “This is amazing.”
“That’s what I thought the first time I saw it.” Liz said.
“Is this why you’re into science so much? So that you might be able to find something to tell you who you are?” Max couldn’t help asking.
“Kind of.” Liz said biting her lip like she always did. “That’s how it started out. Now it’s more like because I can’t find out anything.”
Liz knew she needed to explain better and thought about how to do it. “ Our lives are surrounded by the unknown. But my past isn’t the only thing I want to know about. And when I study science, it helps me feel better by knowing that I’m at least solving part of the mysteries that fascinate me.”
Max watched as she took the slide that she had made and slipped it into her pocket. It snapped him back to reality. And reminded him that she had to keep things secret. At least until the day in the café. Which reminded him of another question he wanted to ask, “What kind of powers do you have?”
“I can heal people as you’re familiar with.” Liz said. “Isabel and Michael can too but it doesn’t seem like they can do much beyond a bruise or a cut. Nothing like what I did with you. We can connect with people, like you and I did last night…as well as manipulate molecular structures....”
“Wait a minute, what does that mean? Manipulating molecular structures?” Max asked.
Liz looked around for something to demonstrate what she meant when her eye caught the broken test tube she had dropped when Max came in. She knelt down, picked up the pieces and held them in her hands. Max saw a faint glow in them until she opened her hands again to display a whole test tube. “That’s a small part of what manipulating means.”
She handed him the test tube and he ran the smooth glass against his hand. After he studied it he looked back at her and asked, “Liz, who else knows about this?”
“No one.”
“What about your parents? The Evans.” Max asked.
“No, they don’t know, they have no idea. They just think that we were abused and forgot what our lives were like before they found us. No one knows the truth. We sort of believe our safety depend on it. We’ve never told anyone except that now I’ve told you.” Liz stated.
“So when you saved me you risked all of this getting out didn't you?” Max asked.
Liz only nodded before Max asked, “Why?”
“It was you.” Liz answered then blushed. “I couldn’t let you just die.”
Max smiled at her. But the smile faltered when he remembered why he had sought her out. “Um the Sheriff called me in to ask questions and also showed me this photo of a corpse. A victim of a car jacking but they couldn’t figure out how he died. Completely ordinary except that he had the same silver handprint on its chest.”
Liz’s eyes widen in surprise and horror. “That can't be.”
“It’s true. The photo was marked 1959.” Max explained. “And it gets worse. Tess saw my handprint and told her dad about it. I think he knows something happened that day. He has my shirt I wearing when you healed me. And he knows you were in the café. I think he knows you did something to me and I think he is trying to gather more evidence against you.”
“I have to go.” Liz said as she quickly grabbed her bag and started heading out of the room. But before she could Max grabbed her arm. “Liz, wait. Go where? Where are you going?”
“Don’t you get it? If the Sheriff suspects me then it won’t be long before he links Isabel and Michael to me. It’s not safe for us to be here anymore, I have to go find them.”
“Then what are you going to do?” Max asked concerned.
“I’m going to get my family safely away,” Liz stated. “Even if it means leaving Roswell.”
Liz pulled out of his grasp and ran out the door. It took him a minute before he could react, by the time he reached the door she was at the other end of the hallway and out the door. He hurried out and started to leave. But found his progress blocked by a very upset looking Alex. “I know that something happened with you and Liz at the café. And something now just happened or Liz wouldn’t have torn out of here like she had dogs after her. And I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
Max could see that he had pushed Alex to his limit and wasn’t going to give up. He couldn’t push him away again. If he did he would loose his friend and Valenti might get another damning piece of evidence against Liz if Alex talked to him.
Max placed his hands on Alex’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eye, “You have to believe that I’m not crazy and have an open mind.”
“Of course.” Alex said simply. “It’s me.”
