Author: Tanya
Category: AU w/out Aliens – Dreamer
Rating: Adult
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine, but this story is. I am once again dusting off the characters and taking them on a little journey.
Summary: This is a story about friendship, loss and more importantly, love. It’s a bit fluffy and not meant to answer the questions of the universe…
A/N – I hadn’t decided to post a new story, especially not a story I just wrote a day ago. I had an idea and this is where it lead me. I am just about finished writing it, so that means regular updates. I'm posting 2 parts here just to get things going and just so you know the all the chapters will not bounce around, maybe only 1 or 2 others will, the rest are in order.
Banner by me…it’s been a long time since I’ve made one of these, I almost forgot everything I knew.
Prologue
Never Say Never
October 26, 2008
6:12 pm
“What are you so afraid of Max?”
“I’m not the one running from everything.” Was his only retort, what else could he say? Fighting with Liz wasn’t something he enjoyed, and didn’t ever go looking for, but still it was inevitable. Here they were standing in his living room, yelling at a level that made his skull ache.
“Ha! Ha! Max! You know what? Why don’t you just answer this one question? Why did you build a house with five bedrooms, that aren’t even finished? Why build a house with so much room when you are the only one living there?”
“And those questions are relevant to the point you’re trying to make?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest. He didn’t like where the argument was going, and if it continued he knew the things they said could never be taken back.
“Yes, they are. You called me a loose canon right? So I’ll admit to it, so what I’ve had eight jobs in the last year, but at least I know who I am! Your last real girlfriend was three years ago. Three years, and now all you do is sleep around. Way to go! Something all men should achieve at this stage in their life!”
Liz couldn’t remember why they were still arguing, it started when she’d knocked on her best friends door and told him she got fired from her latest job as a massage therapist.
Did it really matter that she didn’t actually have any experience and she lied on her application? It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the job, but then again, she never really figured on people taking their “massage” so seriously.
Graduating from college didn’t exactly help steer her towards a career, and she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with her life, but when she found it she would know.
She knew what really bothered her but she would never admit it. Ever.
“You don’t know who you are. You’re thirty-two and still unsettled and just as confused as you were when I met you sixteen years ago. This latest job stunt is just another in a long list of lies you’ve told to get a job, that you…”
“Why do you live alone? Do you like it? You wanted this huge house so you could walk from room to room and what? Try to decide how to decorate or did you finally realize that you are getting closer everyday to finishing and then what will you have then, Max?”
The topic she seemed to want to linger on had to do with this house, a house he worked his ass off to build, what was the big deal? Why was she so pressed on bringing him down? There were other questions he thought about but wasn’t going to veer down that long road again. It was pointless. He knew how she felt.
The next words left Liz’s mouth before she had a chance to even think about them. “Nothing! You’ll have a big fat house, and cars and vacations, all to share with no one! Oh wait! A string of women do knock on your door, so maybe that’s what you want out of life. To fuck as many whores as possible! Face it Max, no one likes to be alone, but maybe you’ve spent enough time being just that, that you’ve actually convinced yourself that your perfectly made to order life is better spent this way. I’m glad I’m not like you.”
He didn’t know why it pissed him off so much, but her words did exactly that. “Really? You’re happy to roam aimlessly from day to day, no job, evicted from your apartment on a monthly basis, no lights, phone…” with a huff of a laugh Max continued on his tirade, but Liz cut him off.
“That’s right, your life is so much better than mine.”
“Oh no, Liz, you got it all wrong. I envy you Liz, I really do. You have figured it all out!”
“You’re an asshole Max!”
“Yeah well takes one to know one doesn’t it?”
“I hate you! I never want to see you again…ever!” she screamed while making her dramatic exit, lifting a very expensive vase by the door and smashing it against the floor before slamming the door behind her.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Max punched the air forcefully and ran out after her. He would have a hell of a time finding her when she took off in a fit of rage; it was her current tactic for their arguments.
And he would have an even bigger problem if he lost her…now that he realized how much he needed her.
Well, that and the fact that he loved her.
TBC…
Chapter One
Dear Diary
Roswell, New Mexico
July 15, 1993
3:05 pm
Liz Parker sat underneath a weeping willow…okay so maybe it was just a regular tree, but she wished it were a weeping willow. This was New Mexico after all, and she was staring at the cutest boy in school, Max Evans.
Who, just so happened to be one of her best friends.
She watched him daily under the disguise that she was writing in her journal, a.k.a diary. Liz detested the word, it sounded so immature and she had just turned sixteen yesterday, she was almost a fully-grown woman.
Scribbling a few more thoughts down about the way the wind picked up and when he ran how his hair bounced so naturally, and how when he laughed he tilted his head back and…
“Stop staring, it’s not becoming at all. And what’s that on your shirt?” Liz jumped with a small squeal, dislodging her diary from her lap onto the ground. She narrowed her eyes as she stared up at Serena Rogers.
Serena’s midnight black hair hung up in a high ponytail, her signature black jeans, and her hot pink tank top made Liz jealous of her, even if she was her friend. Serena was perfect in everyway, she had a clear complexion, straight white teeth, and a great smile, and blue eyes, but most importantly…she was the best friend anyone could ever ask for.
Liz couldn’t help but smile as she reached out for her diary, closed it and tucked it into the front pocket of her book bag. Serena took a seat beside her and pointed out once again that she had something on her shirt. Liz looked down and didn’t see anything.
“What are you talking about? I don’t see anything.” Serena tilted her head back and laughed out loud. “I could have sworn I saw a little bit of drool.” Liz narrowed her brown eyes, resisted the urge to pound her friend with her fist and turned her attention back on Max Evans.
“Why don’t you just ask him out?” Serena commented a few minutes later. Liz pretended to ignore her because obviously Serena had lost her damn mind. Max was her best friend, they were just friends, they would only be friends. Period. End of discussion. That is, if she were having a discussion, it would be the end of it.
“Liz, seriously. We know Max likes you. And we know you like him…”
“We, as in who? Max does not know that I like him…besides it’s just a crush. No big deal.”
“Right. So anyways my house at eight tonight? My parents are gone as per usual.”
“Yes, I’ll be there.” Serena stood and dusted off her pants as she said, “So will Max.”
“What!” Liz shot to her feet and then realized how loud she actually was a moment ago, took a look around and noticed that Max was now making his way over. Great! She truly hoped she didn’t have any drool on her shirt.
Serena new damn well she liked to be notified at least an hour before she would be in Max’s presence. It wasn’t that she felt that he would judge her, just the opposite, she would judge herself while in a room with Serena’s goddess good looks and Max’s equally heart-throbbing-in-your-chest, sweaty palm garnering good looks.
“I invited him. What’s the big deal, we’re all friends, and it’s nothing we haven’t done before.”
“Yes, but…but you should have told me. I…I…” She was completely wishing to be swallowed by a whale when she heard his voice. Sadly as her luck would go, she lived in the desert.
“Hey guys!”
“Hi Max.”
“Hey Max,” Liz tried to make her voice sound upbeat but she was a bit stressed out at the moment.
Max noticed immediately, he was so damn perceptive. “What’s wrong?”
Liz shook her head, and excused herself saying she would see them both later.
What she hadn’t realized was that she left her book bag, with her diary sticking out of the front pocket, sitting under the tree.
****
“Is she okay?” Max asked after Liz made her hasty retreat. Serena stared at Max for a minute, wondering why he couldn’t figure out what she had almost from the first time she met Liz.
They belonged together. It was a shame it would take a small miracle for either of them to ever act on it.
A little push never hurt anyone, in her book.
“Yeah, she was just in a rush to get home. Oh, she left her book bag. Would you mind dropping it off to her? I would do it but I have stuff to do.”
“Sure.” He said as he walked over and hefted the bag over his shoulder. What the hell did she have in it? It was heavy as hell.
“Okay, Max. I’ll see you later.”
Waving her off, he walked in the opposite direction, towards Liz’s house. But first he made a little stop. He knew it was wrong, but he just wondered about something.
He made it to Liz’s house in twenty minutes, but when he got there, the last thing he expected to see was Liz standing outside with a suitcase in her one hand and tears streaming down her face.
He dropped the bag from his shoulders and ran up to her.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” He asked and she simply turned away. Max reached out and gripped her arm firmly, causing her to spin around to face him.
“Tell me,” he demanded softly. He hated to see any girl cry, but especially Liz. She was the sweetest person he ever met; she was his best friend, besides Serena.
“My dad is gone. He left. I don’t understand, I know he hated me but…where am I supposed to go?” she cried brokenly and he pulled her into his embrace. With her head resting against his shoulder, he tried to figure out a solution.
His parents. They loved Liz. She could stay with them.
Stroking her hair, he whispered reassuringly to her that he would make it better. That everything would be okay.
TBC…
