Tequathisy –
Can't wait to see what they find, if anything, at the house.
The next parts should give you the answer. Let’s say that Liz’s idea to investigate Kyle’s grandfather’s house was a good one.
You’re totally right about Liz. She doesn’t like her situation, but she sticks to it. In a way, Alex and Maria have switched roles.
Starcrazed – So you liked Alex? Never piss him off when he is lacking sleep. Which is completely understandable.
Ashleyt – Yes, the relationship between Amy and Maria is strange and we based it on what we learned in season 1. A mother-daughter relationship and also a sibling like one. It’s due to Amy’s personality and how young she is in the show, since she had Maria when she was around 18. It’s not a perfect relationship, but it works for them. But the “don’t-ask-don’t-tell” policy leaves Maria in a situation where she doesn’t have anybody to talk to.
Cjsl8ne – not a fan of Isabel, in this part? I am afraid it will take you some time to get her. But there will be Isabel POV to make you understand where she comes from. She has feelings and there’s her side of the story, too.
Nibbles2 – It was very important for us to show both sides. Maria is suffering about being kept in the dark, but Liz is suffering too. She has her reasons for not telling Maria, and those are valid. And Liz sincerely believes that she will be able to be with Max, and not lose Maria, because she loves them both.
Flamehair – don’t worry, an update every Saturday, that’s our goal (and we have enough material for that).
Auscat – Glad that you like the Alex-Isabel interaction. For you, stargazers, there’s going to be more of those two.
Starryeyedgirrl44 – Let’s just say that Isabel wasn’t, and still isn’t, pleased with Alex and Liz knowing about her secret. So Max didn’t talk about her a lot to Liz.
Stinebiene – Yes, Amy had read her daughter and that was why she had offered her this opportunity to take some time away from the Crash Down.
Chrissie1218 - We are happy to have another reader, welcome into The Lost Child's universe.
Part 8
Amy glanced around at the long line of tables set up on both sides of the road that led into the reservation, impressed with the layout of art and jewelry. The first weekend of each month provided the Native Americans with a big tourist turnout and helped to financially carry many of the families over into the next month. It was a big event and many of the residents on the reservation turned out for it, taking the opportunity to catch up with each other on their own territory. She knew circumstances forced most to seek employment in Ruidoso and this gave them a chance to get back to their roots and connect with their own people. It was important to them to maintain their connection with their past and their traditions, and to pass them down to the next generation.
“Did you need me to do anything else, Mom?”
She smiled at her daughter’s rushed tone, easily hearing the undercurrent of excitement beneath it. “No, we’re finished setting up and I know you have other things to do. I have a couple of buyers coming out to see some of the larger pieces that are available so enjoy your date and don’t rush because I’ll be here all day.”
“Hey, look, there’s Maria!”
Michael lunged for his sister in a hopeless attempt to silence her before she could draw attention to the fact that he was on his way to meet a girl. “Maggie, no!” he hissed when she got away from him.
“Hi, Maria!” she shouted, drawing the blonde’s gaze.
He mumbled a long litany of curses under his breath as several dozen people turned to see what was going on. As if it weren’t bad enough that she had called attention to him in front of everyone, she had to go and compound his embarrassment by dragging their parents over to meet Maria and her mother. He shuffled along behind them, doing his best to prolong the inevitable.
Catherine did her best not to laugh when the dark-haired woman suddenly embraced him. Her son was not one of the most affectionate people and outside of his family he didn’t receive affection well. Michael tended to present a negative attitude and people who didn’t know him generally gave him plenty of space.
“You must be Michael,” Amy greeted him. “I’ve heard so much about you from Maria,” she said as she released him and stepped back. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen her smile so often.” She reached out to pat his cheek and smiled at him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Catherine cleared her throat and shifted to control the laugh that wanted so badly to escape; she couldn’t tell who was the most uncomfortable, Michael or Maria. She glanced at her husband when he coughed quietly and pretended interest in an assortment of hand-carved walking sticks on the table next to him. She nudged him with her elbow and when he looked up at her she could see their son’s smirk reflected on his face. Michael wasn’t theirs by birth but she had seen so many of John’s expressions and traits develop in him over the years.
Maria rushed to put an end to her mother’s little impromptu speech before she had the chance to embarrass her or Michael any further. “Okay, Mom, we have somewhere we need to be.” She hugged her mother quickly and grabbed Michael’s arm, pulling him along with her as fast as she could.
Michael shot a warning look in his sister’s direction even though he knew that it wouldn’t do any good. She was storing away every moment of the utterly embarrassing and humiliating past few minutes so that she could pull them out of her arsenal and use them to torment him at some point in the near future.
“I am so sorry,” she apologized as soon as they were out of hearing range. “My mom – “
“So, you talk about me a lot, huh?”
All thoughts of apologizing fled at his suddenly smug tone. “Do you want to go back over there and talk to my mom for a little while longer?”
“No!” Michael grabbed her hand when she stopped, keeping her beside him as he continued walking towards the truck. “Does your mom always go around huggin’ people she doesn’t know?” he grumbled. “What made her think I’m a huggable guy?”
“
I think you’re huggable,” she admitted with a sly smile.
Michael’s eyebrows shot up at her admission and he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “Yeah, well, it’s different if
you wanna think it.” He pulled the passengers’ side door open and motioned for her to get inside. His gaze raked over her as she slid onto the bench seat and he smiled in appreciation when the pink tee shirt rode up just enough to expose a thin strip of her midriff.
Maria shifted so she could watch Michael as he settled in the drivers’ seat, doing her best not to smile when he hurriedly turned the air conditioner on full blast and slapped all but one of the vents in his direction.
“So, did Potter deliver the pump on Thursday?”
He cleared his throat and checked the street before pulling out. “Yeah. I’ve gotta admit I didn’t think he’d actually deliver it, but he did.”
“Then you’re already finished with it?”
“Uh-huh, got done with it last night.” He flexed his right hand before wrapping it around the gearshift and changing gears, downshifting and slowing down when they reached his house.
Maria’s eyes followed the movement but her gaze quickly focused on the road once more when she realized he hadn’t stopped at his house.
“Where’re we going?”
He snorted. “The barn; Mom kinda frowns on it if we keep the horses in the house.” He parked next to the small building and got out before she had the opportunity to form what he was certain would be a scathing remark. He led the way inside when she scrambled after him, stopping in the tack room to pick up a couple of bridles before continuing on his way to the third stall. “Maggie said it’d be okay if you take Rascal out.”
He shook his head when he looked at Maria and saw her hesitant expression. “Don’t worry; she’s well-mannered and she won’t give you any trouble.” He grinned at her as he swung the stall door open. “Don’t let the name fool ya,” he reassured her, slipping the bridle into place and leading the golden-colored horse out into the breezeway. “Here.” He handed the reins to her and shut the door. “Hold her while I get Sundance.”
“Okay.” Maria followed him once more and was surprised when the large animal walked beside her. She moved to the side when he came out leading a horse with a gray coat, and hurried to step back when the animal whinnied loudly. “What’s it doing?” she asked, staring at it with wide eyes.
“He’s just sayin’ hello.” Michael patted the gelding’s neck and led the way back outside. “We don’t get a lot of visitors out this way, do we, Sundance?” He looped the reins over the top rail of the corral before reaching for Rascal’s reins and repeating the action. “And the motormouth trio doesn’t count. I’m gonna go grab a couple of saddles.”
Maria stared at the two horses while he was gone, wondering what exactly she had agreed to. She had never been horseback riding in her life and the last thing she wanted was to do something stupid in front of Michael and completely embarrass herself. She was going to die if she fell off or ended up looking like a fool because she didn’t know what she was doing.
Michael came back carrying two saddles that he hefted up onto the top rail of the fence. He reached for the saddle blankets draped over the fence and placed them over the backs of the horses. “Keeps the horses from developing saddle sores,” he explained when he looked up and caught her questioning look. Once the animals were geared up he picked up the rifle she hadn’t noticed before and slid it into a leather scabbard attached to his saddle.
“What’s the gun for?”
“Just a precaution,” he answered as he motioned for her to join him beside Rascal. “It’s been a dry season and as a result we’ve had a problem with some of the wildlife comin’ in closer to home.”
Maria stared at him, trying to decide if he was being serious or not. “What kinda wildlife are you talkin’ about?”
“Mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and occasionally a bear.”
“You actually think you’re gonna need to shoot something?”
Michael shrugged. “Well, I’d prefer not to, but if I have no choice… Why? You got a problem with guns?”
Her lower lip jutted out in a pout. “No, it’s not that, I’ve just never really been around guns. You may have noticed that my mom’s a hippie. Y’know, make love, not war?”
“Uh-huh, well, we probably won’t need it, but it’s better to be safe.” He bent over in front of her, his fingers laced together to form a cradle. “Now c’mon, gimme your foot and I’ll give you a leg up.”
“What?”
He looked up at her. “Grab hold of the saddle horn, put your foot in my hands, and pull yourself up when I give you a boost.”
“Oh. Well, okay.” Maria wrapped her hands around the saddle horn and held on for dear life when she suddenly found herself astride the large animal.
Michael bit back a smile when she held on as if she was certain that she would fall if she relaxed her grip. “This will be much easier if you loosen up,” he advised.
“What if it takes off running?” she asked when he placed the reins in her hands.
“Rascal is very well-behaved and I promise you’ll be perfectly safe. All you have to do is pull back on the reins if she…” He paused a moment. “Would you be a little more comfortable if there was no possibility of her doin’ somethin’ unexpected like that?”
“There’s a way to do that? How? Do you communicate with horses like that horse whisperer guy?”
Michael cleared his throat and patted Rascal’s neck before he reached up to take the reins back from her. “No, there will be no whisperin’ goin’ on.” He looped the reins around the top rail of the fence once more. “Hold on a sec, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She reached out to tentatively stroke the mare’s neck, surprised that it was so smooth. He was back a few moments later with a rope in his hands and she watched him as he reached up and hooked the metal snap at one end to one of the rings that connected the reins to the bridle. After handing the reins to her once more he wrapped the opposite end of the rope around his own saddle horn, gathered up his reins, and swung up into the saddle.
“Ready?”
Maria nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
*****
Liz hurried down the stairs and through the swinging door that led out into the dining area of her family’s restaurant. Max and Isabel were supposed to be coming by soon to meet her and Alex so they could go out and investigate the old sheriff’s house. Alex was already in their regular booth near the back and his attention was divided between the mountain of food on his plate and the open textbook on his right side.
She shook her head as she slid onto the bench seat across from him; the amount of food he managed to put away never ceased to amaze her.
“Y’know, when I picked this art class as an elective I had no idea there’d be so much required reading for it,” he complained as he reached for the maple syrup and proceeded to drown his blueberry pancakes.
“I thought you were gonna do that last night?” Liz reached over and took a slice of his toast when he nudged the smaller plate towards her. “You said you didn’t wanna worry about homework this weekend.”
Alex shrugged. “That was before I found out there was an X-Files marathon on TV last night.”
Liz rolled her eyes as she spread strawberry jelly on her toast, well aware of his fondness for the show.
“I’ve got most of it done already; I’ve only got about a dozen pages left to read and then I’ll be finished.”
He quickly became absorbed in his homework once more and Liz slouched down in her seat, watching the few customers left over from the breakfast rush. Her gaze moved to the door automatically when it opened and her eyes widened when the sheriff walked in and sat on one of the stools at the counter.
“Mornin’, Sheriff,” her dad called, filling a cup with coffee and carrying it over to the other man.
The sheriff nodded and removed his mirrored sunglasses. “Jeff.”
Why was he there? Liz wondered.
He and Kyle should’ve already been gone for their weekend. “C’mon, Dad, ask him already.”
Alex looked up from his reading, turning his head to see what had captured her interest. “What’s he doin’ here?” he muttered, knowing that their plan hinged on the sheriff being out of town for the weekend.
“Doesn’t your boy have an elimination competition this weekend?”
Liz mentally cheered when her father finally asked the question.
“Um-hmm. We’re leavin’ here in half an hour; had to break up another party at the old soap factory last night and the paperwork involved took hours to finish.”
“So, have you heard anything about those guys involved in the shooting?” Jeff inquired, his tone concerned.
The question brought Liz back to the day in question, the day when everything had changed, the day that was responsible for causing her to have nightmares that left her breathless and afraid in her own bed.
The Crashdown had been nearly deserted in the interim between breakfast and lunch and Liz had been leaning on the counter talking to Alex when an argument had broken out between two men seated in a booth near the front of the restaurant. Their behavior had been edgy and aggressive but they hadn’t bothered any of the other customers so she had been more than happy to leave them alone.
Her father had gone to run some errands and wasn’t supposed to be back until time for the lunch rush. Jose, the cook, was in the back and Alex was close by, but she didn’t think either of them would be much of a match for the two guys whose argument was escalating and getting louder.
She had barely had time to register the presence of the gun one of the men began to wave around when she heard the gunshot. She had felt a white-hot burning sensation in her right side and she suddenly realized that she was staring up at the ceiling tiles, her fuzzy mind trying to make sense of what was happening. Her limbs felt heavy, she felt cold all over, sounds were muffled, and her vision was starting to go dark around the edges.
Out of nowhere a face had appeared above her; she was sure she recognized him but she didn’t know why. He kept urging her to look at him, his voice was strained and even in her groggy state she could sense the urgency beneath it, compelling her to force her eyes to remain open.
As she was regaining her ability to control her limbs she became aware of… Max, his name was Max… he was shaking ketchup out over her abdomen and telling her that she had fallen and the bottle had broken. She stood up on shaky legs, trying to understand what had happened as she looked around. The two men who had been arguing were gone, Max had rushed out of the restaurant and jumped into the jeep waiting at the curb with his sister behind the wheel, and Liz had momentarily forgotten about them when she saw Alex hauling himself up off of the floor.
“Alex? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I was tryin’ to get to you and I slipped and managed to whack my head on the counter. Some help I was,” he muttered, holding his aching head. He held his hand out in front of him, scowling at the blood there. “Hey, what was Evans doin’ down there with you?
Liz glanced down at her uniform, her fingers playing with the ragged edges of the small hole hidden beneath the ketchup. “I um, he was just making sure I was okay.”
Alex suddenly sat up straighter. “Are you? You fell after that gun went off…” His gaze lowered to her ketchup-covered uniform. “I was sure you had been shot.”
“Oh, no, the gunshot startled me and I knocked over the ketchup when I fell.”
“I could’ve sworn you had been shot.”
She reached out to touch his arm. “You hit your head, Alex; would I be standing here if I’d been shot?”
“That’s a good point.” He nodded at the sheriff’s deputy entered the restaurant and he motioned over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go clean up, okay?”
Liz had talked to the sheriff, his deputy, and her parents for more than an hour before they had finally allowed her to leave and go upstairs to clean up. She had paused at the table Max and his sister had been sitting at before the shooting and her mind had been whirling like crazy as she stared at the lone pencil lying beside the napkin dispenser.
Once in her room, she had quickly changed out of her uniform and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt before balling the uniform up and shoving it in her backpack. She had been fascinated by biology and science since she was a little girl and her attention had turned once more to the pencil she had taken from the table downstairs. She checked to make sure her door was locked before collecting her microscope and a few slides and sitting at her desk.
Even thought she had watched the sheriff’s deputy remove the bullet from the wall, she knew she had been shot; now she had to find an explanation for the lack of a bullet hole in her abdomen when there was clearly one in her uniform.
*****
Two hours later, she had found herself standing at Max Evans’ front door, ringing the doorbell without the slightest idea of what she was going to say to him. He had tried to avoid her questions at first, but she had come prepared, armed with evidence taken from the pencil he had left behind; his cells weren’t quite human and while she had expected the answer he had given her, part of her had resisted it. The explanation Max had given had been incredible and unbelievable, but deep down she had believed him when he had told her that he was an alien. He had healed her after removing the bullet, removing any traces of blood and tissue from it before using his powers to send it across the room where it lodged in the wall to be discovered later.
Liz had walked back home in a state of shock. Aliens existed and they lived in Roswell. Could it be more ironic? Max, her lab partner, was an alien. Did it change things for her? Was Max different in her eyes? She stopped walking and sat on a bench, trying to organize her thoughts. Max had been so scared as he had begged her to not reveal the truth to anyone. He had warned her that if this information fell into the wrong hands he and his sister Isabel would be in great danger! Because Isabel was also an alien… which explained many things for Liz; such as why Isabel was always so proper and trendy. She just had to wave her hand to have the newest makeup or to turn the most ordinary skirt into a fashionable one.
Liz sighed. She had seen enough movies and TV shows to know what could happen to them if people working for the government got their hands on them. They would be tortured, experimented on, grilled for information they didn’t even have since they didn’t know anything about themselves, if there were others like them, or where they came from. They could even be killed just for being different. She had to keep Max and Isabel’s secret at all costs. It was a matter of life and death and she would do anything to protect them. Max had risked exposure just to save her life, an act that proved that he was a good guy and that he could be trusted. With that last thought she got up and returned home, still lost in her thoughts.
Alex had come by later that evening to check on her and to ask her once again what had happened earlier because he wasn’t buying the ketchup story. “C’mon, Liz, it’s me,” he said, needing her to tell him the truth. “You can’t keep tellin’ me this ridiculous story about ketchup and expect me to really believe it! I saw you fall; you didn’t trip on anything, Liz, you were shot!”
“Alex, you saw the deputy collect the bullet; if I had been shot the bullet wouldn’t have been in the wall,” Liz answered in a tired voice. God, would this day ever come to an end?
“Maybe I can’t explain it, but I know what I saw” Alex insisted.
“Liz!” Nancy Parker called, her voice startling Liz and Alex.
“I’m gonna go see what she wants,” she said, standing up and slowly walking over to the door, her movements expressing her exhaustion loud and clear. “I’ll be right back.”
Alex had looked around the room after she had stepped out, conveniently closing the door behind herself. An idea had started to take form in his mind as he glanced around the familiar room. He had been hesitant at first, but this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up; he knew what he had witnessed and he knew that Liz was hiding something big. So he had looked through her closet and checked a couple of the drawers in her dresser before he had turned around and seen her backpack wedged between the bed and nightstand. He wasn’t normally this nosy but he knew something was going on and he was worried about Liz. Besides, he rationalized, if Maria were there, she would have been doing the exact same thing.
Placing the backpack on the bed he unzipped it and pulled the crumpled up uniform out, shaking it out so he could look closer at the… His eyes narrowed when they settled on the small, ragged hole nearly hidden beneath the mixture of ketchup and blood. There was a distinct difference between dried ketchup and dried blood and it was easy to see that both were present on the material.
Liz had come back into her room a few minutes later, quickly shutting the door when she realized what Alex had uncovered. Her heart started to pound as he moved towards her, but instead of demanding an answer to her obvious lies, he had wrapped his long arms around her and hugged her tightly. “Are you all right?” he demanded gently, his voice filled with concern.
“I’m fine, Alex.”
“You’re sure? Have you been to the hospital? Been checked out by a doctor? There’s a bullet hole in your uniform, Liz, and you’re standin’ here uninjured; how do you explain that? It’s not possible, scientifically or – “
Liz had been trapped; she hadn’t had any other choice but to tell him the truth. At first he had been worried that she was suffering from a head injury or some sort of trauma but she had finally convinced him that she was lucid and that Max Evans was indeed an alien. She had made him promise to keep the secret, explaining that Max had asked her to do the same because of the danger involved if the truth was ever revealed and the wrong people found out.
Alex had promised to keep the secret; Max Evans had saved his best friend’s life and he would forever be in his debt. But first Alex had pointed out that Liz had to do something with her uniform. She couldn’t just hide it or destroy it because her parents would wonder where it had gone and the last thing they needed were more questions. Finally, Alex had suggested going back to Max and asking him to use his powers to restore the uniform to its original form.
They had talked for a long time before they had heard the commotion downstairs and moments later, Maria had burst through the door, dropping several shopping bags in her haste to rush to her friends and embrace them.
“Your dad just told me what happened!” she exclaimed, moving back to examine both of them for any injuries.
Maria had listened to their story, horrified by the danger that her friends had been in. “So, other than Alex hitting his head on the counter and you falling on the floor and being hit with a bottle of ketchup, you guys are okay?”
“We’re fine, Maria,” Liz had assured her. “I promise.” She had flung herself back on her bed and motioned to the shopping bags. “So, what’d you buy in Albuquerque?” she asked, hoping to redirect her best friend’s attention.
Maria’s attention had been successfully diverted and she had gone on to empty her bags onto the bed, pulling out different items to show them off.
“I think I’ll leave you ladies to your fashion show,” Alex said, hugging Liz once more.
“Afraid to see that much female flesh, Alex?” Maria had asked, unable to resist teasing him.
“Only when it comes to one of my ‘sisters’,” he said, his tone joking. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
He had paused at the door, and he had exchanged a look with Liz that Maria had been unaware of. They were linked by the secret and for the first time in their lives it was a secret that Maria wasn’t involved in.
Liz was brought back to the present when Alex nudged her under the table. She glanced over at the counter and realized that while she had been lost in her memories the sheriff had taken his leave.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just remembering the day of the shooting,” she said quietly.
Alex nodded, understanding where her thoughts had taken her. Neither of them had ever expected that day to be the beginning of the end of their relationship with Maria, and they both knew that until they were able to tell her the truth, they weren’t going to be able to even attempt to fix things with her.
