Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2003 12:38 am
Part 23
Unable to sleep, Tess got up out of bed and went to the living room. She pulled a quilt over her legs and turned on the TV. She’d lain in bed for almost half an hour, tossing and turning, in a vain attempt to get to sleep. But her brain refused to let her do anything but dwell on the fact that was already missing Max. Her earlier realization that she’d no longer be the first woman in Max’s life had left her depressed. She’d always thought that being depressed was supposed to make you feel tired. But that had never been the case for her. She thought that maybe she could find a sappy love story that would remind her she should be happy that he’d reconciled with Liz. Tess frowned as she flipped through the channels on the TV.
Splendor in the Grass
Casablanca
Romeo and Juliet
As she hit the power button and threw the remote to the opposite end of the couch she wondered if they ever showed movies with happy endings. It seemed the only thing she ever watched on TV were movies where the boy didn’t get the girl. The kind of movies where no one ended up happily ever after.
Maybe she should turn on the radio. She’d recently discovered that music offered a reprieve from the hassles of everyday life. She would often turn on the radio when she was bored and, in no time, would find herself singing with the words or bouncing along to the beat. She got up and grabbed the stereo remote and turned it on.
Don’ tell my heart, my achy breaky heart, I just don’t think you’d understand
Flipping the channel in disgust, she made a mental note to make Kyle steer clear of country music.
Un break my heart, say you’ll love me again, undo this hurt you caused when you walked out the door and walked out of my life…
Huffing impatiently, Tess flipped the stereo off and hurled the remote across the room before she realized what she’d done. She heaved a sigh of relief when it landed safely in the soft dirt of the potted plant beside the entertainment center. It would be an even uglier night if Kyle came home and found one of his precious ‘clickers’ out of service because there had been nothing on the radio.
Tess looked around the room hoping she could find something that would help her pass the time until he got home.
Right now, she needed something that would cheer her up, not something that would bring her down. She was already down. Oddly enough, it was because for once, the boy had gotten the girl.
Groaning, Tess turned her head to sneak a peek at the clock hanging above the front door. What a time to be bored! Kyle’s shift wouldn’t be over for a couple more hours. Maria closed tonight, and Michael worked the grill, so it would be at least an hour before they’d be free to do anything. Max was definitely out of the question. That only left Isabel.
Picking up the phone, Tess dialed the number to Alex’s house. Isabel was in the process of moving her things, and her phone had already been cut off. It was, after all, less than a month away from their wedding day. The only way to reach Isabel was at Alex’s, where she spent most of her time anyway.
Tess waited through five rings, and all but felt her eyes tear up when Alex’s voicemail picked up. She listened to the greeting, then spoke into the receiver.
"Isabel? Alex? You guys, if you’re there, please pick up. Well, I guess no one’s home. I just…I really need a friend right now. Isabel, when you get this message, give me a call. Please? I need to talk to someone. It’s kinda about Max. But anyway. Umm…okay. I guess I’ll talk to you later."
Tess hung up the phone and crossed her arms impatiently. This wasn’t fair! She was depressed, and sad, and lonely, and there wasn’t anyone to share her misery with. Where were her friends when she needed them?
She sighed and lay down on the couch, resigned to stare at the water flowing across the rocks of the relaxation fountain Maria had gotten her for Christmas last year.
Twenty minutes later, Tess was still wide awake, and staring at the small trickle of water cascading down the fountain’s rocks. She was startled by a light knock on the door. Raising up slightly, she listened again, just to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. Seconds later, she heard another knock.
"Tess, c’mon. It’s Alex. I know you’re in there. You just called my house!"
Tess threw her quilt aside and trudged over to the door. She opened it, and was surprised to see Alex on her doorstep, a carton of Chunky Monkey ice cream in one hand, two spoons and a bottle of Tabasco in the other.
"What are you doing?" Tess asked, surprised.
"I heard your message just as I got in the door, but I didn’t get to the phone in time. Isabel’s spending the night with her mom, and she won’t be home until tomorrow. So here I am!" he said with a wide grin.
"Here you are for what?" Tess asked.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Duh, Tess! That message sounded like you were in dire need of someone to be miserable with. I’m offering my services."
In spite her melancholy mood, Tess smiled at Alex’s pretend hang-dog expression and she stepped aside. Alex walked past her and to the couch. He sat down, took the lid off the ice cream and held out a spoon and the bottle of Tabasco in Tess’s direction.
"Now this stuff is absolutely horrible," Alex said. "So you take a bite, and sprinkle it on your spoon. If you put that nasty mess in my ice cream, I’m taking my toys and going home."
Tess giggled when Alex wiggled his eyebrows. She closed the door and plopped down on the couch next to Alex. She grabbed a spoon and dug in.
"So how’d you know what I needed?" Tess asked, her mouth full of ice cream.
"Puh-lease!" Alex said. "I lived my formative years in either Maria’s bedroom or on Liz’s balcony. I know more about girl problems than I’d like to. So spill, girlfriend. What’s got you so upset?"
Tess shook her head. "You’re going to laugh at me."
"Tess," Alex said, setting the carton of ice cream between them to put his free hand on Tess’s shoulder. "If I didn’t laugh at Maria when she made me and Liz give eulogies at the funeral for her favorite pair of knee high boots when we were fifteen, I’m not going to laugh at anything you can tell me."
Tess stared at Alex incredulously. "She made you do that?"
Alex shook his head. "The story of Boots’ funeral is for a different night. Tonight, it’s all about you. Talk."
Tess hesitated, then took a deep breath. She’d really wanted a girl, but she supposed Alex would do. After all, he was right. He was the next best thing to a girl friend a girl could have.
"I talked to Liz earlier."
Alex’s brows furrowed in confusion. "But I thought you guys were getting along? At least Isabel seems to think so."
Tess took another bite of ice cream, doused it with Tabasco, and put it in her mouth. "We are," she said after she’d swallowed her bite. "It’s not that. She was with Max."
Alex put down his spoon and nodded in realization. "I see what’s happening here. You’re jealous of Liz."
"I’m not jealous of Liz, Alex. I do not love Max like that."
"No, no, no," Alex said, waving his hand. "That’s not what I meant. You’re jealous of Liz because now she’s going to be taking your place in Max’s life, right? You’ve come first for Max these past four years. I know how close you two are. You’re upset because now you’re afraid you won’t be important to him."
Tess’s jaw all but dropped open. This was scary. Just a minute ago Alex had admitted that he knew more about girl problems than he’d like. Now he was thinking like one too. How did he do that?
Tess narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you’re not an alien? I could swear you just read my mind."
Alex laughed and shook his head. "I’m not an alien. I’m a former ‘first man’ in the lives of two of Roswell’s own. I know exactly how you feel."
Tess eyes widened. "You mean, Maria and Liz?"
Alex nodded and clicked his teeth. "Yep. I’ve been where you are Tess. And I’m not going to lie to you. It’s gonna hurt for a while. Actually, it was worse for me because they were all secretive about it at first. At least you’ll know what’s going on with Max. For me, I just felt like I was being unceremoniously dumped for two guys I’d never even known my girls were interested in. But once you realize that you’ll always be important to Max, you’ll be happy that he’s happy."
"So did you get depressed too?"
"Depressed is an understatement. I lost my status in Liz and Maria’s life at the same time. I had to deal with double the depression. This little baby right here," he said, picking up the carton of ice cream. "This baby ain’t got nothing on the tubs of ice cream I put away back then. I’m surprised I was able to keep my girlish figure."
Tess smirked when Alex put his hands at his waist as if to measure its size. "Alex, stop saying things like that. I’m beginning to worry."
"Right." Alex said. He took his hands from his waist and put them in his lap.
"I can’t believe I’m thinking this way! Why am I not happy? I helped them find a way back together for crying out loud!" Tess exclaimed.
Alex leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "It’s perfectly normal, Tess, the way you feel. Max is your best friend. You are number one in his life, the one he calls when he needs something, the one he comes to when he needs to talk, the one he depends on when he needs a shoulder. You’re afraid that he won’t need you anymore."
"But I don’t get it!" Tess exclaimed. "I’ve got Kyle. Why do I feel jealous that Max has Liz?"
"It’s not jealousy as such, Tess. It’s just….well, it’s hard to explain. But look, you are Max’s best friend. You and Max have something special, that not even what he has with Liz will threaten. You two have something that not even Max and Liz have. It’s a friendship that special to both of you. That’s not going to change. Max is in love with Liz. He always has been. That hasn’t ever changed, even when she wasn’t around. But he loves you too, Tess. Just because he’s got her back doesn’t mean he won’t need a best friend. He’ll always need you."
"Are you sure?" Tess asked uncertainly.
"Positive. Take it from experience. Just because your best friends fall in love and get married doesn’t mean they stop needing you. Who do you think Maria comes to when she’s upset?" He grinned. "Particularly at Spaceboy?"
Tess smiled and leaned across the couch to hug Alex. "Thanks Alex."
"Anytime. I was in your spot once too. Trust me. This little thing you’re going through? It’s not going to last."
Tess talked with Alex a few more minutes, then got up and walked him to the door. She hugged him goodbye and pulled away just as she saw Kyle pull up in the driveway. She watched as Alex stopped to speak to Kyle. When Kyle stepped up on the front porch, Tess gave him a quick kiss on the lips then turned as he followed her inside.
"So, me and Isabel are otherwise occupied, and you and Alex do a little bonding?" He shook his head mournfully. "Are you having an affair?"
Tess giggled. "I needed a friend. He was the only person home."
"What’s wrong?" Kyle asked. He pulled his deputy’s hat off his head and hung it over the living room chair, then sat down in it and pulled Tess onto his lap. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. I was just feeling a little depressed, you know?"
"What about?"
Tess took a deep breath. "Okay. Don’t get angry. But I was just kind of sad. Max and Liz are together tonight, and I think they’ve reconciled. Max is going to have Liz back now. I got a little upset that I wouldn’t be the only woman in his life anymore." She looked at him closely, a little worried. "Does that make you mad?"
Kyle gave Tess a puzzled look. "Why would that make me mad?"
"You’re not jealous?" Tess asked, surprised.
"Of Max Evans?" Kyle threw his head back and laughed so hard that Tess smacked his shoulder.
"Kyle!"
"Tess, tell me you’re joking. I wouldn’t be jealous of Max Evans if I came in and saw you two curled up on the couch together. The only person Max has ever wanted to be with is Liz."
"You...I can’t believe you aren’t jealous!"
"Max is your best friend. I could never be jealous of that."
Tess looked at Kyle and realized he was right. He had nothing about which to be jealous. Max was her best friend. And she was his. And she knew right then and there that Alex was right. That’s how it would always be. Liz would be his wife. But she would be his friend.
"I love you , Kyle."
"And I love you," he said, kissing her softly. "As much as I’d like to sit her and chat, though, I’m beat. I need a shower."
Tess got up and watched as Kyle walked to the back of the apartment towards the bathroom.
She sat down on the couch and pulled the quilt over her legs, a smile on her face. She’d talked to Alex, then with Kyle, and she’d come to realize that her place in Max’s life was safe, despite the fact that there was another woman sharing him now. With a triumphant smile, Tess grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, knowing that her mood couldn’t be dampened now.
And it wasn’t. Not even when she settled in to watch the end of Casablanca and ended up bawling all over the rest of Alex’s ice cream.
***
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…"
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Liz’s senses were on overload. There simply was no other way to put it. Even as she felt Max’s arms wrap tentatively around her waist, everything about her surroundings registered in her mind. She could hear the dull hum of the ball return from the lane they had been using, she could smell the musty old cigarette smoke, could feel the wear and tear in the uneven soles of the bowling shoes she was wearing. Subconsciously, without even realizing it, she was committing everything about this moment to memory.
The heat from Max’s arms was practically burn through the fabric of her shirt in a deliciously sweet wave of feeling, Liz poured every inch of energy she had that wasn’t focused on just kissing Max into opening up the deepest parts of herself.
Reaching into parts of her soul that had been closed off four the last four years, she pleaded silently with Max to recognize what it was he was seeing.
In the barrage of images she knew Max was experiencing, Liz wanted him to not only see who she’d become just in the past few days since returning to Roswell, but also the person she had always been. She wanted Max to see past the 23 year old woman that stood with her lips pressed to his. She wanted him to see past the famous fashion designer, past the New York press conferences and business meetings. She wanted him to see to the very center of her soul. The deepest and most cherished part of her.
More than anything, Liz wanted Max to see who she really was. The person she’d always be deep down, underneath everything. The person who, despite the years of separation, had always remained faithful and loyal. Liz wanted Max to see Liz Parker, the girl who had fallen in love with the boy she saw staring back at her after being within moments of her death. The girl who’d given her heart and soul to him and to him alone, with complete abandon. Without reservation. Without question. She’d put her faith in him years ago, even as she lay on a cold linoleum floor, and she was doing it once more. She’d chosen him years ago, and she was choosing him again. She was putting every ounce of her trust and hope in the hands of the man she’d always love, praying that he would push aside his doubts and overcome his fears and see how truly and deeply the woman he’d married loved him.
Maybe, just maybe, if Max saw the girl he’d fallen in love, he’d realized that she wasn’t gone. She’d been lost, and it was only now, when she was with him, that she felt truly found.
Angling her head for better access, Liz almost moaned when Max tangled one hand in her hair, leaving the other one wrapped firmly around her waist. She could feel his labored breathing, could tell how erratically his heart was beating. When she heard his pleading whimpers, Liz felt like jumping for joy, but couldn’t bring herself to break the kiss.
Then, with no warning at all, she felt him. He was opening up to her as much as she was to him. She felt him inching his way into her senses, permeating through to the very depths of her soul. This was Max. A fleeting thought passed through her mind as Liz wondered how she’d ever spent four years away from this, from the sense of having the person who owns your heart and soul so wrapped up in you that it’s hard to tell him from yourself. The sensation of being so deeply and passionately connected with your soul mate that it’s impossible to decipher one person from the other. She had been kidding herself to believe for one moment, even to save the world, that she’d be able to live the rest of her life without this.
Suddenly, without warning, Max pulled his lips away from hers. Liz’s eyes flew open, and she searched Max’s face for a reaction. What she saw scared her to death, even as it made her heart leap with excitement. Max’s face registered a slight panic, his features flushed and, yet, his eyes were glowing.
This was her moment of truth. A knot began to form in Liz’s stomach as she realized this could go one of two ways.
What was Max’s decision? Was this his retreat? He could back away from her, knowing that he’d withstood her advances. He could withdraw from the battle that they’d been fighting, believing himself victorious for being able to resist Liz’s pleas for a second chance. Or was this his surrender? Perhaps he was throwing up the white flag in defeat. Maybe he was giving in to her, just as unable to live without her as she was to live without him.
Reaching up to cup his cheek with her hand, Liz jumped slightly when Max closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. Taking a deep breath, Liz’s lungs almost burst with the fresh air. How long had it been since she’d taken a breath anyway? She knew their kiss had lasted seconds, most likely even minutes, but she couldn’t remember breaking in the middle of it to breathe.
She almost giggled at the thought of dying from suffocation while kissing Max, when she heard his sharp intake of breath.
"Max?" Liz asked hesitantly.
"I’m here," was the vague reply.
"Are you mad?"
Liz’s eyes were open, and she was staring at Max’s eyelids. He opened his eyes so suddenly that she jumped, startled by his intense gaze staring back at her.
"Furious," he replied.
"Did it work, Max? Did you see? Can you believe me now? Do you trust me that it’s you-"
Liz’s question was cut short by a soft tender kiss from Max. "I think, deep down, I always did believe you, Liz. But I was scared to death to admit it."
Liz’s brow burrowed in confusion as Max pulled his face away and smiled.
"I’m yours, Liz. I’ve been yours since before I even knew what love really was. And that scares the crap out of me. When you left, a part of me died. You took my heart, my soul, every emotion I’d ever felt, you took it with you. The desolation that was left is something I pray that you never have to experience."
"Max," Liz said with a shaky voice, knowing it was true, having felt it only moments before. Her guilt crashed down on her in a wave so intense, her knees weakened and she felt herself falling.
"Don’t," he said, pulling his hand from her hair to place a silencing finger on her lips. Liz was amazed, and humbled beyond words at the gentleness of his gesture, even as he was unceremoniously telling her to be quiet. Because, not only that, he was holding her up. Just as he always had, deep inside, even when she was trying to pretend that he no longer existed. "I need to say this."
Liz nodded her head as Max pulled his hand away. He leaned back against the pool table, pulling Liz flush against him, and rested his hand on her waist. "It killed me, Liz. Everyday you were gone was a little more of me that died. You left nothing behind. There was a gaping hole where my heart was, and a bottomless pit where my soul had been. But the thing that scares me to death, the one realization that almost brings me to me knees, is that fact that I’d do it again. I’d live through it again just to have that moment when you showed up on my door-step again. The minute I first saw your face, I started to succumb, and I knew I wasn’t strong enough to resist you. And, deep down, I didn’t ever want to. There was a reason I never signed those divorce papers after all. But I remember, with every fiber in my being, what it was like for me when you left. And the fact that I’m not strong enough to resist you, at the risk of going through that again, is horrifying."
"Well then, our experiences weren’t as different as you think they were, Max. When I left here, I had nothing of myself to take with me. Every ounce of who I was, every feeling I’d ever felt, I left lying on the doorstep of our apartment when I walked out of it’s squeaky door for the last time." Max smiled wryly, and Liz brought her hand up to toy with the button on the collar of his shirt. "I felt nothing. I couldn’t smile, I couldn’t feel, I couldn’t even cry. Because I’d left everything in me capable of feeling emotion right here in Roswell. Right here with you."
"So I had you and you had me. If we’d only gotten together, we could have done some damage control, huh?"
Liz felt a stab to her heart at Max’s half hearted attempt at humor. He was right. They’d both been walking around, each of them halves of a whole. It would have been easier for both of them. But there was a reason they’d stayed apart. A reason Liz had refused to return back for the other part of herself.
"If only it were that easy," Liz said softly.
"Why does it always have to be like this with us?" Max asked. "Why does there always have to be a ‘but’ or an ‘if’? Why can’t it ever just be because I love you and you love me?"
The corners of Liz’s mouth turned up in a soft smile. "Tess could answer that one. It’s because you’re Max and I’m Liz. What we have is so much more than love, Max. What we have is more than anyone in this world, or any other, for that matter, has ever had the chance to experience. With us, simplicity isn’t part of the package." Liz’s heart flip flopped as Max nodded in understanding. When he turned his head to the side to stare at the floor next to them, Liz cupped his chin and turned him back to face her. "But I wouldn’t have it any other way, Max. I’ll take you how I can get you. All the ‘but’s’ and ‘if’s’ included."
Max nodded firmly. "Me too. Because it’s all worth it Liz. You’re worth it." He kissed her again. Liz felt tears spring to her eyes at the sweetness of it. It was as though he was pledging himself to her anew, even though she knew inherently that he had never broken a single vow to her.
Not like she had. Liz lowered her gaze, sighed. She felt Max stiffen under her as he sensed her change in mood. "What’s wrong?"
"I…" She trailed off, a lump in her throat. She clenched her jaw. She had to say this to him, owed him this. "I want to say that I’m sorry Max. I’m sorry that I wasn’t as faithful to you as you were to me."
"You mean Sean?" Max asked.
"Yes." Liz leaned her forehead against his chest, sighed again. "I…I got engaged to someone else. How could I have ever done that?"
She felt Max’s hands stroking down her back, trying to comfort her. Trust Max. Was it any wonder that she loved him so much?
"We both did what we had to do Liz," he finally said quietly. "You could have just as easily misinterpreted how close Tess and I are. I know that he was really only a friend to you."
"But I said yes Max," Liz reminded him. "I would have married him to."
"No you wouldn’t have," Max said, his certainty making her look up at him in surprise. "Saying yes to Sean was what it took to get you back here. You never would have let yourself come any other way and I think you knew it deep down. You had to have a reason to come back to Roswell that wasn’t just about me. And he gave it to you."
"It’s always been about you Max," Liz replied. "Even when I didn’t know it."
"I know." He pulled her close again. She allowed herself to relax, breathed in his scent, closed her eyes and just enjoyed the moment.
After another long moment, she felt Max shift beneath her. "So, what do we do now?" He asked quietly. "Do we have a baby?"
Liz shook her head. "Max, I want to have your children. I want to get sick every morning, and I want to have weird cravings, and I want to hear you complain when I send you to the convenience store at three in the morning for pigs feet and chocolate milk. But we’ve lost so much time. Right now, I just want to be with you."
"This is going to take some getting used to. Yesterday I had every intention of sending you back to New York. I’m going to have to get used to the idea that you’re here to stay." As soon as the words had left his mouth, Max turned to Liz with panic in his eyes. "Liz, how is this going to work? You can’t give up your company. But I can’t let you leave me again. I can’t."
Liz shrugged her shoulders. "We’ll find a way, Max."
"I’ll come to New York with you."
Liz shook her head. "No, Max. You won’t let me sell my company, and I won’t let you sell the UFO Center. You love that place, ironically enough. You have a life here. I have a life there. But you and I, we have a life together. Maybe we can split our time. You know, spend a few months here, and a few months there?"
"That could get expensive, Liz. We’d have to have two places to live, two sets of bills, cars here and cars there. That’s a lot to take on."
"I’ve got the money for it, Max. That doesn’t matter. But, you know, there is one more option. I’ve been looking to expand. We’ve been checking into places to put up a second location. Serena’s already looked at the building where the soap factory used to be, and she thinks it’s perfect. What if I build right here in Roswell? What would you think? New Mexico has the new Mecca of high fashion?" She smiled slightly at the thought of it. She knew she could do it though. With Serena and her friends - and with Max - she could do anything.
Max’s face lit up. "You mean, you could stay here?"
Liz nodded and smiled at Max’s exuberance. "That answers my question. I’ll call New York tomorrow. I figure I can keep the corporate offices there, and Serena can run them. I…no, we can go up there twice a year maybe, to check in, during the shows. I’ll design here, run the company from here. It’s the perfect solution."
Max sighed. "So, we’re really gonna do this? Me and you? We’re going to try again."
"There’s no trying about it, Max Evans," Liz sad as she leaned in to Max’s lips. "This time, we’ve got it."
If it wasn’t for the fact that seconds later, Max’s lips were on hers, Liz would have smiled. She’d done it. She’d broken down the wall that she herself had erected when she’d walked out on him. Max was hers and she was his. And despite the fact that they’d been apart, that was how it had always been.
There was so much left to say. So much left to do. She wanted to tell him about the destiny book, about the missing page, and every exact word she’d read. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to perform the bonding ceremony. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to have his child, not because she wanted to save the world, but simply because a child was the ultimate proclamation of love between two devoted souls. She didn’t care that the child would save the world, though in some part of her mind she was aware of it. She just wanted a baby so that she could prove to the world that she and Max loved each another enough to create a new life that would be a part of each of them.
But those things could wait. They were going to be together. There was no need to rush things.
Right now, in this moment, it wasn’t about Liz Evans, wife to the King of Antar, chosen to have the prophesied child that would save the world. It wasn’t about destiny, or far off planets, or the end of the world. Right now was about Liz Evans, wife to Max, of Roswell, New Mexico. It was about a wife passionately and deeply in love with her husband.
Max pulled away and gulped for breath, then leaned over and kissed Liz’s forehead, rubbing her back in small circles. "I don’t have to let you go, Liz. You can stay here, with me, in my arms, forever. I don’t know how I lived four years without this."
"My heart and soul were always here with you. It just took my body four years to catch up. But you’re right. You’re stuck with me. Forever."
Liz’s breath caught in her throat as Max pushed her an arm’s length away and stared into her eyes. She saw on his face a look she hadn’t seen since their last night together. She saw the need, the want, the passion, that had always been there for her raging in his eyes. "Let’s go home, Liz."
With those four simple words, Liz’s world was complete. She had found friends in unlikely places. She’d formed an alliance and a close bond with an enemy from a past life. She’d waged a battle with her demons, and with Max’s as well. She’d challenged the memories of a past she’d left behind, a past she’d been forced to give up, and of a future she’d never have to endure to a fierce fight. And she’d won.
Liz knew, though, that she couldn’t take her victory for granted. It hadn’t been an easy fight. It hadn’t been a short fight. It had taken its toll on everyone. There had been tears cried, friendships tested, and hearts broken. But someday, they’d be able to look back and weed out the happy moments. They’d be able to remember the things that had made them smile, not the things that had made them cry. Because despite the heartache, there had been some bright spots. They’d all made lives for themselves, and become people they could be proud of. And it was their experiences that made them all who they had eventually become.
In the end, true love had won out. Everyone was where they were supposed to be.
It had been a rocky journey, and at times she’d wanted to give up. But she never had, knowing somewhere deep inside that she and Max were meant to be, even if she had refused to admit it to herself for the longest time. The second chance they had been given was all due to Max and his refusal to divorce her. Because she knew that if he hadn’t been brave enough to make her come back to Roswell, she never would have been brave enough to have done it.
In the end, this was not only about her, about what she had won. They had done it together - Max with his faithfulness and hope balancing her stubbornness and determination to do the right thing. And finally, they were back where they belonged.
Together, with a little help from their friends, they had beaten destiny at its own game.
Wherever they lived, however they worked it all out, as long as they did it together - as long as she was with Max - she was home.
The End (Epilogue to follow)
Unable to sleep, Tess got up out of bed and went to the living room. She pulled a quilt over her legs and turned on the TV. She’d lain in bed for almost half an hour, tossing and turning, in a vain attempt to get to sleep. But her brain refused to let her do anything but dwell on the fact that was already missing Max. Her earlier realization that she’d no longer be the first woman in Max’s life had left her depressed. She’d always thought that being depressed was supposed to make you feel tired. But that had never been the case for her. She thought that maybe she could find a sappy love story that would remind her she should be happy that he’d reconciled with Liz. Tess frowned as she flipped through the channels on the TV.
Splendor in the Grass
Casablanca
Romeo and Juliet
As she hit the power button and threw the remote to the opposite end of the couch she wondered if they ever showed movies with happy endings. It seemed the only thing she ever watched on TV were movies where the boy didn’t get the girl. The kind of movies where no one ended up happily ever after.
Maybe she should turn on the radio. She’d recently discovered that music offered a reprieve from the hassles of everyday life. She would often turn on the radio when she was bored and, in no time, would find herself singing with the words or bouncing along to the beat. She got up and grabbed the stereo remote and turned it on.
Don’ tell my heart, my achy breaky heart, I just don’t think you’d understand
Flipping the channel in disgust, she made a mental note to make Kyle steer clear of country music.
Un break my heart, say you’ll love me again, undo this hurt you caused when you walked out the door and walked out of my life…
Huffing impatiently, Tess flipped the stereo off and hurled the remote across the room before she realized what she’d done. She heaved a sigh of relief when it landed safely in the soft dirt of the potted plant beside the entertainment center. It would be an even uglier night if Kyle came home and found one of his precious ‘clickers’ out of service because there had been nothing on the radio.
Tess looked around the room hoping she could find something that would help her pass the time until he got home.
Right now, she needed something that would cheer her up, not something that would bring her down. She was already down. Oddly enough, it was because for once, the boy had gotten the girl.
Groaning, Tess turned her head to sneak a peek at the clock hanging above the front door. What a time to be bored! Kyle’s shift wouldn’t be over for a couple more hours. Maria closed tonight, and Michael worked the grill, so it would be at least an hour before they’d be free to do anything. Max was definitely out of the question. That only left Isabel.
Picking up the phone, Tess dialed the number to Alex’s house. Isabel was in the process of moving her things, and her phone had already been cut off. It was, after all, less than a month away from their wedding day. The only way to reach Isabel was at Alex’s, where she spent most of her time anyway.
Tess waited through five rings, and all but felt her eyes tear up when Alex’s voicemail picked up. She listened to the greeting, then spoke into the receiver.
"Isabel? Alex? You guys, if you’re there, please pick up. Well, I guess no one’s home. I just…I really need a friend right now. Isabel, when you get this message, give me a call. Please? I need to talk to someone. It’s kinda about Max. But anyway. Umm…okay. I guess I’ll talk to you later."
Tess hung up the phone and crossed her arms impatiently. This wasn’t fair! She was depressed, and sad, and lonely, and there wasn’t anyone to share her misery with. Where were her friends when she needed them?
She sighed and lay down on the couch, resigned to stare at the water flowing across the rocks of the relaxation fountain Maria had gotten her for Christmas last year.
Twenty minutes later, Tess was still wide awake, and staring at the small trickle of water cascading down the fountain’s rocks. She was startled by a light knock on the door. Raising up slightly, she listened again, just to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. Seconds later, she heard another knock.
"Tess, c’mon. It’s Alex. I know you’re in there. You just called my house!"
Tess threw her quilt aside and trudged over to the door. She opened it, and was surprised to see Alex on her doorstep, a carton of Chunky Monkey ice cream in one hand, two spoons and a bottle of Tabasco in the other.
"What are you doing?" Tess asked, surprised.
"I heard your message just as I got in the door, but I didn’t get to the phone in time. Isabel’s spending the night with her mom, and she won’t be home until tomorrow. So here I am!" he said with a wide grin.
"Here you are for what?" Tess asked.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Duh, Tess! That message sounded like you were in dire need of someone to be miserable with. I’m offering my services."
In spite her melancholy mood, Tess smiled at Alex’s pretend hang-dog expression and she stepped aside. Alex walked past her and to the couch. He sat down, took the lid off the ice cream and held out a spoon and the bottle of Tabasco in Tess’s direction.
"Now this stuff is absolutely horrible," Alex said. "So you take a bite, and sprinkle it on your spoon. If you put that nasty mess in my ice cream, I’m taking my toys and going home."
Tess giggled when Alex wiggled his eyebrows. She closed the door and plopped down on the couch next to Alex. She grabbed a spoon and dug in.
"So how’d you know what I needed?" Tess asked, her mouth full of ice cream.
"Puh-lease!" Alex said. "I lived my formative years in either Maria’s bedroom or on Liz’s balcony. I know more about girl problems than I’d like to. So spill, girlfriend. What’s got you so upset?"
Tess shook her head. "You’re going to laugh at me."
"Tess," Alex said, setting the carton of ice cream between them to put his free hand on Tess’s shoulder. "If I didn’t laugh at Maria when she made me and Liz give eulogies at the funeral for her favorite pair of knee high boots when we were fifteen, I’m not going to laugh at anything you can tell me."
Tess stared at Alex incredulously. "She made you do that?"
Alex shook his head. "The story of Boots’ funeral is for a different night. Tonight, it’s all about you. Talk."
Tess hesitated, then took a deep breath. She’d really wanted a girl, but she supposed Alex would do. After all, he was right. He was the next best thing to a girl friend a girl could have.
"I talked to Liz earlier."
Alex’s brows furrowed in confusion. "But I thought you guys were getting along? At least Isabel seems to think so."
Tess took another bite of ice cream, doused it with Tabasco, and put it in her mouth. "We are," she said after she’d swallowed her bite. "It’s not that. She was with Max."
Alex put down his spoon and nodded in realization. "I see what’s happening here. You’re jealous of Liz."
"I’m not jealous of Liz, Alex. I do not love Max like that."
"No, no, no," Alex said, waving his hand. "That’s not what I meant. You’re jealous of Liz because now she’s going to be taking your place in Max’s life, right? You’ve come first for Max these past four years. I know how close you two are. You’re upset because now you’re afraid you won’t be important to him."
Tess’s jaw all but dropped open. This was scary. Just a minute ago Alex had admitted that he knew more about girl problems than he’d like. Now he was thinking like one too. How did he do that?
Tess narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you’re not an alien? I could swear you just read my mind."
Alex laughed and shook his head. "I’m not an alien. I’m a former ‘first man’ in the lives of two of Roswell’s own. I know exactly how you feel."
Tess eyes widened. "You mean, Maria and Liz?"
Alex nodded and clicked his teeth. "Yep. I’ve been where you are Tess. And I’m not going to lie to you. It’s gonna hurt for a while. Actually, it was worse for me because they were all secretive about it at first. At least you’ll know what’s going on with Max. For me, I just felt like I was being unceremoniously dumped for two guys I’d never even known my girls were interested in. But once you realize that you’ll always be important to Max, you’ll be happy that he’s happy."
"So did you get depressed too?"
"Depressed is an understatement. I lost my status in Liz and Maria’s life at the same time. I had to deal with double the depression. This little baby right here," he said, picking up the carton of ice cream. "This baby ain’t got nothing on the tubs of ice cream I put away back then. I’m surprised I was able to keep my girlish figure."
Tess smirked when Alex put his hands at his waist as if to measure its size. "Alex, stop saying things like that. I’m beginning to worry."
"Right." Alex said. He took his hands from his waist and put them in his lap.
"I can’t believe I’m thinking this way! Why am I not happy? I helped them find a way back together for crying out loud!" Tess exclaimed.
Alex leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "It’s perfectly normal, Tess, the way you feel. Max is your best friend. You are number one in his life, the one he calls when he needs something, the one he comes to when he needs to talk, the one he depends on when he needs a shoulder. You’re afraid that he won’t need you anymore."
"But I don’t get it!" Tess exclaimed. "I’ve got Kyle. Why do I feel jealous that Max has Liz?"
"It’s not jealousy as such, Tess. It’s just….well, it’s hard to explain. But look, you are Max’s best friend. You and Max have something special, that not even what he has with Liz will threaten. You two have something that not even Max and Liz have. It’s a friendship that special to both of you. That’s not going to change. Max is in love with Liz. He always has been. That hasn’t ever changed, even when she wasn’t around. But he loves you too, Tess. Just because he’s got her back doesn’t mean he won’t need a best friend. He’ll always need you."
"Are you sure?" Tess asked uncertainly.
"Positive. Take it from experience. Just because your best friends fall in love and get married doesn’t mean they stop needing you. Who do you think Maria comes to when she’s upset?" He grinned. "Particularly at Spaceboy?"
Tess smiled and leaned across the couch to hug Alex. "Thanks Alex."
"Anytime. I was in your spot once too. Trust me. This little thing you’re going through? It’s not going to last."
Tess talked with Alex a few more minutes, then got up and walked him to the door. She hugged him goodbye and pulled away just as she saw Kyle pull up in the driveway. She watched as Alex stopped to speak to Kyle. When Kyle stepped up on the front porch, Tess gave him a quick kiss on the lips then turned as he followed her inside.
"So, me and Isabel are otherwise occupied, and you and Alex do a little bonding?" He shook his head mournfully. "Are you having an affair?"
Tess giggled. "I needed a friend. He was the only person home."
"What’s wrong?" Kyle asked. He pulled his deputy’s hat off his head and hung it over the living room chair, then sat down in it and pulled Tess onto his lap. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. I was just feeling a little depressed, you know?"
"What about?"
Tess took a deep breath. "Okay. Don’t get angry. But I was just kind of sad. Max and Liz are together tonight, and I think they’ve reconciled. Max is going to have Liz back now. I got a little upset that I wouldn’t be the only woman in his life anymore." She looked at him closely, a little worried. "Does that make you mad?"
Kyle gave Tess a puzzled look. "Why would that make me mad?"
"You’re not jealous?" Tess asked, surprised.
"Of Max Evans?" Kyle threw his head back and laughed so hard that Tess smacked his shoulder.
"Kyle!"
"Tess, tell me you’re joking. I wouldn’t be jealous of Max Evans if I came in and saw you two curled up on the couch together. The only person Max has ever wanted to be with is Liz."
"You...I can’t believe you aren’t jealous!"
"Max is your best friend. I could never be jealous of that."
Tess looked at Kyle and realized he was right. He had nothing about which to be jealous. Max was her best friend. And she was his. And she knew right then and there that Alex was right. That’s how it would always be. Liz would be his wife. But she would be his friend.
"I love you , Kyle."
"And I love you," he said, kissing her softly. "As much as I’d like to sit her and chat, though, I’m beat. I need a shower."
Tess got up and watched as Kyle walked to the back of the apartment towards the bathroom.
She sat down on the couch and pulled the quilt over her legs, a smile on her face. She’d talked to Alex, then with Kyle, and she’d come to realize that her place in Max’s life was safe, despite the fact that there was another woman sharing him now. With a triumphant smile, Tess grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, knowing that her mood couldn’t be dampened now.
And it wasn’t. Not even when she settled in to watch the end of Casablanca and ended up bawling all over the rest of Alex’s ice cream.
***
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…"
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Liz’s senses were on overload. There simply was no other way to put it. Even as she felt Max’s arms wrap tentatively around her waist, everything about her surroundings registered in her mind. She could hear the dull hum of the ball return from the lane they had been using, she could smell the musty old cigarette smoke, could feel the wear and tear in the uneven soles of the bowling shoes she was wearing. Subconsciously, without even realizing it, she was committing everything about this moment to memory.
The heat from Max’s arms was practically burn through the fabric of her shirt in a deliciously sweet wave of feeling, Liz poured every inch of energy she had that wasn’t focused on just kissing Max into opening up the deepest parts of herself.
Reaching into parts of her soul that had been closed off four the last four years, she pleaded silently with Max to recognize what it was he was seeing.
In the barrage of images she knew Max was experiencing, Liz wanted him to not only see who she’d become just in the past few days since returning to Roswell, but also the person she had always been. She wanted Max to see past the 23 year old woman that stood with her lips pressed to his. She wanted him to see past the famous fashion designer, past the New York press conferences and business meetings. She wanted him to see to the very center of her soul. The deepest and most cherished part of her.
More than anything, Liz wanted Max to see who she really was. The person she’d always be deep down, underneath everything. The person who, despite the years of separation, had always remained faithful and loyal. Liz wanted Max to see Liz Parker, the girl who had fallen in love with the boy she saw staring back at her after being within moments of her death. The girl who’d given her heart and soul to him and to him alone, with complete abandon. Without reservation. Without question. She’d put her faith in him years ago, even as she lay on a cold linoleum floor, and she was doing it once more. She’d chosen him years ago, and she was choosing him again. She was putting every ounce of her trust and hope in the hands of the man she’d always love, praying that he would push aside his doubts and overcome his fears and see how truly and deeply the woman he’d married loved him.
Maybe, just maybe, if Max saw the girl he’d fallen in love, he’d realized that she wasn’t gone. She’d been lost, and it was only now, when she was with him, that she felt truly found.
Angling her head for better access, Liz almost moaned when Max tangled one hand in her hair, leaving the other one wrapped firmly around her waist. She could feel his labored breathing, could tell how erratically his heart was beating. When she heard his pleading whimpers, Liz felt like jumping for joy, but couldn’t bring herself to break the kiss.
Then, with no warning at all, she felt him. He was opening up to her as much as she was to him. She felt him inching his way into her senses, permeating through to the very depths of her soul. This was Max. A fleeting thought passed through her mind as Liz wondered how she’d ever spent four years away from this, from the sense of having the person who owns your heart and soul so wrapped up in you that it’s hard to tell him from yourself. The sensation of being so deeply and passionately connected with your soul mate that it’s impossible to decipher one person from the other. She had been kidding herself to believe for one moment, even to save the world, that she’d be able to live the rest of her life without this.
Suddenly, without warning, Max pulled his lips away from hers. Liz’s eyes flew open, and she searched Max’s face for a reaction. What she saw scared her to death, even as it made her heart leap with excitement. Max’s face registered a slight panic, his features flushed and, yet, his eyes were glowing.
This was her moment of truth. A knot began to form in Liz’s stomach as she realized this could go one of two ways.
What was Max’s decision? Was this his retreat? He could back away from her, knowing that he’d withstood her advances. He could withdraw from the battle that they’d been fighting, believing himself victorious for being able to resist Liz’s pleas for a second chance. Or was this his surrender? Perhaps he was throwing up the white flag in defeat. Maybe he was giving in to her, just as unable to live without her as she was to live without him.
Reaching up to cup his cheek with her hand, Liz jumped slightly when Max closed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. Taking a deep breath, Liz’s lungs almost burst with the fresh air. How long had it been since she’d taken a breath anyway? She knew their kiss had lasted seconds, most likely even minutes, but she couldn’t remember breaking in the middle of it to breathe.
She almost giggled at the thought of dying from suffocation while kissing Max, when she heard his sharp intake of breath.
"Max?" Liz asked hesitantly.
"I’m here," was the vague reply.
"Are you mad?"
Liz’s eyes were open, and she was staring at Max’s eyelids. He opened his eyes so suddenly that she jumped, startled by his intense gaze staring back at her.
"Furious," he replied.
"Did it work, Max? Did you see? Can you believe me now? Do you trust me that it’s you-"
Liz’s question was cut short by a soft tender kiss from Max. "I think, deep down, I always did believe you, Liz. But I was scared to death to admit it."
Liz’s brow burrowed in confusion as Max pulled his face away and smiled.
"I’m yours, Liz. I’ve been yours since before I even knew what love really was. And that scares the crap out of me. When you left, a part of me died. You took my heart, my soul, every emotion I’d ever felt, you took it with you. The desolation that was left is something I pray that you never have to experience."
"Max," Liz said with a shaky voice, knowing it was true, having felt it only moments before. Her guilt crashed down on her in a wave so intense, her knees weakened and she felt herself falling.
"Don’t," he said, pulling his hand from her hair to place a silencing finger on her lips. Liz was amazed, and humbled beyond words at the gentleness of his gesture, even as he was unceremoniously telling her to be quiet. Because, not only that, he was holding her up. Just as he always had, deep inside, even when she was trying to pretend that he no longer existed. "I need to say this."
Liz nodded her head as Max pulled his hand away. He leaned back against the pool table, pulling Liz flush against him, and rested his hand on her waist. "It killed me, Liz. Everyday you were gone was a little more of me that died. You left nothing behind. There was a gaping hole where my heart was, and a bottomless pit where my soul had been. But the thing that scares me to death, the one realization that almost brings me to me knees, is that fact that I’d do it again. I’d live through it again just to have that moment when you showed up on my door-step again. The minute I first saw your face, I started to succumb, and I knew I wasn’t strong enough to resist you. And, deep down, I didn’t ever want to. There was a reason I never signed those divorce papers after all. But I remember, with every fiber in my being, what it was like for me when you left. And the fact that I’m not strong enough to resist you, at the risk of going through that again, is horrifying."
"Well then, our experiences weren’t as different as you think they were, Max. When I left here, I had nothing of myself to take with me. Every ounce of who I was, every feeling I’d ever felt, I left lying on the doorstep of our apartment when I walked out of it’s squeaky door for the last time." Max smiled wryly, and Liz brought her hand up to toy with the button on the collar of his shirt. "I felt nothing. I couldn’t smile, I couldn’t feel, I couldn’t even cry. Because I’d left everything in me capable of feeling emotion right here in Roswell. Right here with you."
"So I had you and you had me. If we’d only gotten together, we could have done some damage control, huh?"
Liz felt a stab to her heart at Max’s half hearted attempt at humor. He was right. They’d both been walking around, each of them halves of a whole. It would have been easier for both of them. But there was a reason they’d stayed apart. A reason Liz had refused to return back for the other part of herself.
"If only it were that easy," Liz said softly.
"Why does it always have to be like this with us?" Max asked. "Why does there always have to be a ‘but’ or an ‘if’? Why can’t it ever just be because I love you and you love me?"
The corners of Liz’s mouth turned up in a soft smile. "Tess could answer that one. It’s because you’re Max and I’m Liz. What we have is so much more than love, Max. What we have is more than anyone in this world, or any other, for that matter, has ever had the chance to experience. With us, simplicity isn’t part of the package." Liz’s heart flip flopped as Max nodded in understanding. When he turned his head to the side to stare at the floor next to them, Liz cupped his chin and turned him back to face her. "But I wouldn’t have it any other way, Max. I’ll take you how I can get you. All the ‘but’s’ and ‘if’s’ included."
Max nodded firmly. "Me too. Because it’s all worth it Liz. You’re worth it." He kissed her again. Liz felt tears spring to her eyes at the sweetness of it. It was as though he was pledging himself to her anew, even though she knew inherently that he had never broken a single vow to her.
Not like she had. Liz lowered her gaze, sighed. She felt Max stiffen under her as he sensed her change in mood. "What’s wrong?"
"I…" She trailed off, a lump in her throat. She clenched her jaw. She had to say this to him, owed him this. "I want to say that I’m sorry Max. I’m sorry that I wasn’t as faithful to you as you were to me."
"You mean Sean?" Max asked.
"Yes." Liz leaned her forehead against his chest, sighed again. "I…I got engaged to someone else. How could I have ever done that?"
She felt Max’s hands stroking down her back, trying to comfort her. Trust Max. Was it any wonder that she loved him so much?
"We both did what we had to do Liz," he finally said quietly. "You could have just as easily misinterpreted how close Tess and I are. I know that he was really only a friend to you."
"But I said yes Max," Liz reminded him. "I would have married him to."
"No you wouldn’t have," Max said, his certainty making her look up at him in surprise. "Saying yes to Sean was what it took to get you back here. You never would have let yourself come any other way and I think you knew it deep down. You had to have a reason to come back to Roswell that wasn’t just about me. And he gave it to you."
"It’s always been about you Max," Liz replied. "Even when I didn’t know it."
"I know." He pulled her close again. She allowed herself to relax, breathed in his scent, closed her eyes and just enjoyed the moment.
After another long moment, she felt Max shift beneath her. "So, what do we do now?" He asked quietly. "Do we have a baby?"
Liz shook her head. "Max, I want to have your children. I want to get sick every morning, and I want to have weird cravings, and I want to hear you complain when I send you to the convenience store at three in the morning for pigs feet and chocolate milk. But we’ve lost so much time. Right now, I just want to be with you."
"This is going to take some getting used to. Yesterday I had every intention of sending you back to New York. I’m going to have to get used to the idea that you’re here to stay." As soon as the words had left his mouth, Max turned to Liz with panic in his eyes. "Liz, how is this going to work? You can’t give up your company. But I can’t let you leave me again. I can’t."
Liz shrugged her shoulders. "We’ll find a way, Max."
"I’ll come to New York with you."
Liz shook her head. "No, Max. You won’t let me sell my company, and I won’t let you sell the UFO Center. You love that place, ironically enough. You have a life here. I have a life there. But you and I, we have a life together. Maybe we can split our time. You know, spend a few months here, and a few months there?"
"That could get expensive, Liz. We’d have to have two places to live, two sets of bills, cars here and cars there. That’s a lot to take on."
"I’ve got the money for it, Max. That doesn’t matter. But, you know, there is one more option. I’ve been looking to expand. We’ve been checking into places to put up a second location. Serena’s already looked at the building where the soap factory used to be, and she thinks it’s perfect. What if I build right here in Roswell? What would you think? New Mexico has the new Mecca of high fashion?" She smiled slightly at the thought of it. She knew she could do it though. With Serena and her friends - and with Max - she could do anything.
Max’s face lit up. "You mean, you could stay here?"
Liz nodded and smiled at Max’s exuberance. "That answers my question. I’ll call New York tomorrow. I figure I can keep the corporate offices there, and Serena can run them. I…no, we can go up there twice a year maybe, to check in, during the shows. I’ll design here, run the company from here. It’s the perfect solution."
Max sighed. "So, we’re really gonna do this? Me and you? We’re going to try again."
"There’s no trying about it, Max Evans," Liz sad as she leaned in to Max’s lips. "This time, we’ve got it."
If it wasn’t for the fact that seconds later, Max’s lips were on hers, Liz would have smiled. She’d done it. She’d broken down the wall that she herself had erected when she’d walked out on him. Max was hers and she was his. And despite the fact that they’d been apart, that was how it had always been.
There was so much left to say. So much left to do. She wanted to tell him about the destiny book, about the missing page, and every exact word she’d read. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to perform the bonding ceremony. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to have his child, not because she wanted to save the world, but simply because a child was the ultimate proclamation of love between two devoted souls. She didn’t care that the child would save the world, though in some part of her mind she was aware of it. She just wanted a baby so that she could prove to the world that she and Max loved each another enough to create a new life that would be a part of each of them.
But those things could wait. They were going to be together. There was no need to rush things.
Right now, in this moment, it wasn’t about Liz Evans, wife to the King of Antar, chosen to have the prophesied child that would save the world. It wasn’t about destiny, or far off planets, or the end of the world. Right now was about Liz Evans, wife to Max, of Roswell, New Mexico. It was about a wife passionately and deeply in love with her husband.
Max pulled away and gulped for breath, then leaned over and kissed Liz’s forehead, rubbing her back in small circles. "I don’t have to let you go, Liz. You can stay here, with me, in my arms, forever. I don’t know how I lived four years without this."
"My heart and soul were always here with you. It just took my body four years to catch up. But you’re right. You’re stuck with me. Forever."
Liz’s breath caught in her throat as Max pushed her an arm’s length away and stared into her eyes. She saw on his face a look she hadn’t seen since their last night together. She saw the need, the want, the passion, that had always been there for her raging in his eyes. "Let’s go home, Liz."
With those four simple words, Liz’s world was complete. She had found friends in unlikely places. She’d formed an alliance and a close bond with an enemy from a past life. She’d waged a battle with her demons, and with Max’s as well. She’d challenged the memories of a past she’d left behind, a past she’d been forced to give up, and of a future she’d never have to endure to a fierce fight. And she’d won.
Liz knew, though, that she couldn’t take her victory for granted. It hadn’t been an easy fight. It hadn’t been a short fight. It had taken its toll on everyone. There had been tears cried, friendships tested, and hearts broken. But someday, they’d be able to look back and weed out the happy moments. They’d be able to remember the things that had made them smile, not the things that had made them cry. Because despite the heartache, there had been some bright spots. They’d all made lives for themselves, and become people they could be proud of. And it was their experiences that made them all who they had eventually become.
In the end, true love had won out. Everyone was where they were supposed to be.
It had been a rocky journey, and at times she’d wanted to give up. But she never had, knowing somewhere deep inside that she and Max were meant to be, even if she had refused to admit it to herself for the longest time. The second chance they had been given was all due to Max and his refusal to divorce her. Because she knew that if he hadn’t been brave enough to make her come back to Roswell, she never would have been brave enough to have done it.
In the end, this was not only about her, about what she had won. They had done it together - Max with his faithfulness and hope balancing her stubbornness and determination to do the right thing. And finally, they were back where they belonged.
Together, with a little help from their friends, they had beaten destiny at its own game.
Wherever they lived, however they worked it all out, as long as they did it together - as long as she was with Max - she was home.
The End (Epilogue to follow)