Roswell Fanatics

AN: I know, I can't believe it's ending either. lol I'm going to miss it when it's gone. But yeah, everything has to come to an end sometime, right? So like I said, just the epilogue to go after this. This part is dedicated to Camilla and Selena. Thanks guys. And Annie, nice to see you here!


Part 41

“Mom, you should have come with us. It was a lot different than the L.A. zoo, and I wasn’t afraid of the bears at all like last time.”

Liz shared an amused smile with Max before swooping down to pick up Alex with a grunt, kissing him on the cheek. “Well, honey, you’re a lot bigger than you were the last time you went to the zoo, you know?”

Alex nodded. “I know. I could tell the difference.”

Liz laughed and set her son down. “So how did Zac like the zoo?”

“Well he’d been there before, but I think he liked it a lot. What do you think, Daddy.”

Max nodded seriously. “I think he liked it. Actually, Zac was a lot of help because he knew where some of the exhibits were that we couldn’t find.”

Alex nodded in agreement.

“So how was your day?” Max asked with a bit of a smile in his eyes. “Think you and Maria accomplished your mission?”

Liz shrugged miserably. “I have no idea. We’re waiting for word, but Kyle hasn’t even come home yet.”

Max flashed a grin. “Well, that might be because he’s still over at Ava’s.”

Liz couldn’t help but break into a smile at that. The way Max had said it, there was no way that it was a bad thing. “He is?”

Max nodded, laughing. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get him back. They looked like they were enjoying each other’s company, didn’t they, Alex?”

Alex thought about it for a moment. “They were talking a lot. I think they were nervous… but happy.”

Liz almost squealed at the news, reaching out impulsively to hug both her husband and her son. It had been a risk to force Kyle and Ava to talk to each other, but if Alex thought they seemed happy, then they probably were happy. Somehow luck had been on their side and things had turned out well. “I’m so excited. I’ll have to tell Maria. She’ll try to take all the credit, but—” She cut herself off as she realized something. “Wait. How did Zac take it seeing them together?”

Max wasn’t hesitant to answer, though. “Not too bad, actually. He was asking me about Kyle a bit today… kind of like a back-up check. I think he wants to give him a chance.”

“He wants his mom to be happy,” Alexander added quietly. “He’ll do anything.”

Liz looked at him, surprised and more than a little touched on behalf of her friend. That Zac at his age was so concerned about Ava… well it really shouldn’t have surprised her, judging by the two people that were standing in front of her, but it did. “Well that’s very sweet of him.”

Alex nodded, a little embarrassed that maybe he’d said too much, and he excused himself to his room quickly.

“It’s amazing watching them together,” Max said, as he watched Alex run off. “They even act like brothers. Kind of reminded me of Michael and myself.”

Liz smiled warmly, nodding. The comparison fit just perfectly. Zac was impetuous and defensive where Alex was patient and thoughtful. Also like Michael, though, Zac was just a really good person under his rough edges.

“So things with Zac went okay?” she verified, threading her arms around Max’s neck.

“Definitely okay,” he agreed. “Better than I’d expected.”

“Well you always did sell yourself short,” she teased. “And he’s asking you about Kyle? Sounds like he trusts you, values your opinion,” she pressed on, smiling.

“Something like that,” Max smiled, looking for all the world like a man reprieved. “I don’t know why he would…”

At that, Liz shook her head, sad and a little mystified. Sometimes Max still concentrated too much on the mistakes he’d made in his life. He still didn’t let himself see what a wonderful person he was. “Max, from what I understand about Zac’s powers, he can access memories from before he even knew what a memory was. He can remember Tess, he can remember all of us from back when he was just a baby. That means he can remember you, too.” She let her hand wander up to stroke his face. “Max, I know that you’ve been afraid of what Zac must have thought of you for abandoning him all those years ago, but he knows that you didn’t. You did it all to protect him. He knows that. He remembers it.”

“So your saying that I should get over it.”

Liz shook her head. “I’m just saying that you need to let it go, Max. Just think about it. You were eighteen, not even out of high school. Maybe Zac’s life hasn’t been perfect up to this point, but if you think about it, we didn’t have much to offer him, either. But now you two have a chance to really mean something for each other. I just don’t want you to spoil it by worrying too much about things that happened in the past, things you can never change.”

Max cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Speaking of things that I can’t change… are you really okay with this?” he asked, searching her face for any sign of forced feelings. “Me spending more time with Zac, getting to know him better? Because I do want to get to know him. But if it ever hurt you, or Alex…”

Liz held two fingers over his lips, shushing him. “Max, stop.” She shook her head and sighed, looking directly at him, so that he would know that she really meant what she was saying. “I’m really happy that Zac is in our lives now. Our lives,” she repeated, firmly. “He’s part of our family now. He and Ava both are.”

“But that’s not—” he tried to interrupt, but she shook her head.

“Max, listen to me. I love every single part of you,” she said slowly, emphasizing each word. “And Zac… Zac is your son. He is a part of you. A part that was missing for a long time. I know I haven’t really been able to say it, but I want you to know that I’m really glad that he’s back in your life.”

And as Max kissed her, opening their connection, she felt the gratitude pouring off of him. She knew that he had never as much as hoped that she would feel that way, but she was taking her own advice here. They couldn’t afford to let the past taint the future. In the end it just wasn’t worth it.

*************

Kyle glanced in the direction Ava had gone to answer the phone, idly wishing her back. He fumbled for something to say to the boy sitting across from him, but he couldn’t think of a thing. Funnily enough, though, he got the feeling that Zac was doing the exact same thing. Kyle was smart enough not to hold a petty grudge against a ten-year-old, so even though Zac hadn’t apologized for the things that he’d said to Kyle the other day, he was obviously a little embarrassed about it. Besides, Kyle had a feeling that Zac had needed to say it as much as Kyle had needed to hear it. It had been a good step. Kyle just didn’t know what the next one was, which was why it surprised him when Zac spoke up.

“So are you gonna like… marry my mom now or something?”

The question was so sudden that Kyle almost jumped. When he processed what Zac had asked, he swallowed, considering. The two of them had been more than civil to each other since Max had dropped Zac off, but Kyle still had a feeling that one misstep could land them right back where they were before, so he decided to just be honest. “Well, maybe eventually. If she’ll let me.”

Zac nodded somberly, and then shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s okay, I guess.”

Kyle struggled to keep his face straight, as the boy’s answer brought an involuntary smile to his face. He cleared his throat. “Does… that mean that I have your permission to be with her, then?”

Zac gave him an evaluative look, and then shrugged again. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Kyle allowed a corner of his mouth to raise up as he met Zac’s look with a bit of a tease. “Your blessing, even?”

Zac rolled his eyes. “Don’t push it,” he smirked.

Kyle’s grin broke loose, and he almost laughed in relief. How in one day he’d managed to get both Ava and Zac to give him a second chance was utterly beyond him. “So, uh, what changed your mind about me?”

Zac scuffed his sneakers against each other, watching them as he answered. “I talked to Uncle Max about you today, at the zoo.”

Kyle hadn’t been expecting that at all. “Oh, really? What’d he say?”

Zac shrugged. “He said he kind of hated you for a while.”

Kyle almost choked on the air in surprise. “He did, did he?” he asked sharply.

Zac nodded, looking at his shoes again. “Said he didn’t like that he had to trust you at first, because you used to date Aunt Liz, and he didn’t really think that you would be dependable. But then he said that he got to know you… and you were a good guy. He said maybe I should give you a chance. And Alex and Mom think so too… so I’m giving you a chance.” He forced his legs to stop kicking and looked over at Kyle. The look was still somewhat guarded, but Kyle knew he was trying, and gave him an encouraging look, so Zac went on. “Listen… both my moms have loved you. Maybe my real mom didn’t really deserve all the things that she wanted, but Ava does. And I guess she wants you,” he finished dubiously, as if he wasn’t sure why she would want Kyle.

Kyle didn’t blame him, though. He wasn’t really sure why Ava would want him, either. “So… we’ll try this out?” he asked, holding his hand out hopefully. “Truce?”

Zac eyed him again, as if he were making a weighty decision, and finally shook Kyle’s hand, nodding. “Truce.”

“Well that’s certainly nice to see.”

Kyle and Zac both turned to see Ava reenter the room, smiling. Zac pulled his hand back in embarrassment, but gave his mom a half-smile as she came to sit next to him, tousling his hair. “It’s about bedtime, don’t you think, Zac?”

Zac sighed dramatically, but cut his act short as he glanced at Kyle suspiciously. “He’s not staying over, is he?”

“No!” Ava said quickly, blushing.

“Yeah, this is a little, uh… new for sleepovers,” Kyle said, not quite escaping a flush himself.

“Actually that was Maria on the phone, asking if Kyle was still here.”

“She took fifteen minutes to ask you if Kyle was here?” Zac asked, skeptically.

“Well, she was… asking about my day.”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “What she means to say is that she was getting the scoop. You’re Aunt Maria is a total gossip.”

Ava laughed softly, shaking her head dismissively. “So Zac? Bed?”

Zac shrugged, resigned. “Yeah, I guess. Goodnight Mom, Kyle,” he said, nodding to them each before leaving the room.

Ava watched his retreating figure, then turned back to Kyle, showing her bewilderment. “Okay… how did that happen?”

Kyle laughed. “Honestly? I have no idea. But that’s a good kid you‘ve got there.”

“He is,” she agreed.

He stood up, stretching. “So that was Maria, huh? What’d you tell her?”

Ava blushed again. “Just that yes, you were still here, and that we’d been spending the day talking and getting to know each other.”

“One of the best days I’ve ever had in my life,” Kyle acknowledged, wrapping her in a quick hug and kissing her forehead.

“Me too,” she admitted, leaning into him.

“So, uh… you sure about that not spending the night thing?” he teased, but Ava stiffened slightly.

“Kyle, I need to take things slowly. This is all so new to me—”

He hushed her, placing two fingers over her lips. “Ava, Ava, I was kidding. We’ve got all the time in the world, okay?”

In response she kissed his fingers and smiled. “Okay.”

He smiled back at her. Damn, did it feel good to share a smile with her. “Listen, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” he said, not wanting to leave, but knowing that he’d have to get into the office early tomorrow to try and make up for leaving the way he had. “After work I’ll take you out someplace. We’ll have a bona-fide date, how does that sound?”

She smiled graciously. “That sounds good.”

He grinned, then kissed her lightly, breathing her in for a moment. I love you, he whispered in her mind, and he could feel the smile that it brought to her lips. Finally he pulled away, leaving her one last peck on the tip of her nose. “Goodnight, beautiful.”

As he was headed towards the door she called after him, though. “Kyle?”

He turned back. Ava gave him a half-smile, and the open look in her eyes almost took his breath away. “I love you, too.”

When he got back to his apartment twenty minutes later, he was still smiling.

AN: I just wanted to thank you guys so much for sticking with me through this whole thing, and giving me so much encouragement on the way. I can't believe I've actually finished something! A particular thanks to Ethan for virtually being my beta and to Kath for all her pointers and support.


Epilogue

Isabel kept in contact with her mother, and she was assured that the six parents “in the know”—the Parkers, the Valentis, and the Evans themselves had met about it, and they’d all agreed. Amy and Jim were to leave first, and later Phillip and Diane, and lastly the Parkers and the Whitmans together, as Nancy and Gloria had gotten especially close over the years.

The groups took different routes and different modes of transportation. Jim and Amy went by car, not because they couldn’t have afforded something more convenient, but rather because Amy had been so impatient to leave that she decided she’d much prefer leaving earlier and getting there slowly than having to wait and getting there in a matter of hours. Not that either of them knew what to expect on a cross-country road trip with two small children.

Phillip and Diane opted on slower transportation, also, traveling mostly by train, wanting to use the time in between to prepare themselves for the moment of reunion that they’d all been waiting for, as if anything could prepare them for that.

Of course, Nancy and Jeff would have left as soon as possible themselves, but they knew that it was something the Whitmans were almost wishing were over already. So far as Gloria and Charles knew, Maria and the others had contacted their parents out of the blue and asked for them to come to New York for her wedding, and she’d asked specifically for the Whitmans to be there. Nancy explained that while they’d looked forward to seeing Alex’s old friends, Gloria was worried about the old wounds it would open up. It had taken all of Isabel’s strength not to tell them about Alex then and there, but she couldn’t break her promise to him.

By the Friday before the wedding, all eight parents were in New York, and by seven-thirty that evening, they were also all standing in front of the door to Max and Liz’s apartment. When the knock on the door came, Maria begged Liz not to answer, sure that it was some kind of salesmen or proselyte. She was so busy ignoring Liz’s argument that it might be someone important that she didn’t notice Alex slipping out of sight, or the nervous way that Isabel watched him leave. The whole room had been full of nervous energy anyway, with Maria the edgiest of the bunch. These last few days Isabel had been a blessing and a curse in one, so while everything was pretty much smooth sailing, they had checked and double-checked every detail until Maria was wishing that she’d settled for a civil ceremony.

As the eight older adults and two small children poured into the already-crowded apartment, the sudden noise in the room was overwhelming, and above the rest of the commotion was the distinct sound of Maria Deluca screaming in surprise and delight. Isabel watched the reunions surrounding her, Jeff and Nancy crushing Liz, Jim and Kyle wrapped in a bear-hug, Amy and Maria embracing and talking a mile a minute, before her own mother was bearing down on her. She caught sight of her Dad on the other side of the room with Max, who had seemingly pulled a camcorder out of nowhere.

Diane Evans pulled her in close, and both of them were sobbing. “My baby. I was almost afraid it wasn’t true.”

Isabel shook her head, and was about to offer comfort to her mother when her eyes caught hold of Charles and Gloria Whitman, standing closely together in the middle of all this beautiful chaos, looking incredibly alone and lost. Her heart came to her throat, but just as she was about to pull away from her mother and move towards them, she heard a ridiculously loud and not-surprised sounding voice behind her. “Now honestly! You leave a room for five seconds…”

Alex’s parents both startled at the sound of the strangely familiar voice, and slowly the room fell silent, as all of the parents, and the Whitmans in particular stared at the advancing figure of a man they knew to be dead. Gloria’s hand flew to her mouth, and Charles stared helplessly. Despite his brash entrance, Alex was as speechless as the rest of them as he watched his mother virtually crumbling before him and his father watching on in shock.

It was Jim that finally spoke, albeit haltingly. “Alex? Alex Whitman? What is this?”

Liz stepped forward, clearing her throat softly. “Isabel may have… left something out when she contacted you all,” she said softly, speaking to all the parents but with her eyes glued to Charles and Gloria, like everyone else.

Finally Charles cleared his throat against the few sparse tears that were falling down his face. “Alex? Is that… is that you?”

Half of Alex’s face lifted in a dumb smile, as he stepped forward, and before he knew what to do with himself, his mother had fallen into him, breaking into loose sobs as she clung to him. “Mom, Dad…” he said, his voice close to breaking. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for the way I left you…” And as Charles Whitman wrapped his arms around his son and his sobbing wife, Alex laughed shakily. “Man, have I got a story to tell you…”

*************

“She’s the most adorable thing in the world,” Isabel sighed as she held Maria and Kyle’s tiny sister, Clara Valenti, after the ceremony.

“She is,” Ava agreed, reaching up to touch the baby’s face, tracing her finger lightly down a chubby, petal-soft cheek.

“You know, that looks awfully good on you,” a voice said, making the two women turn.

Alex had momentarily disengaged himself from his parents and was walking towards Isabel, gawking obviously at her. Isabel blushed at the compliment. “What does?” she asked, confused. He’d been seeing her in this dress all day, after all.

He came up behind her, wrapping one arm around her middle and touching Clara’s hair lightly with his free hand. “Motherhood,” he said simply.

“Alex!” she yelped, her blush turning crimson, and she turned, pulling away from him and upsetting the baby in the process. “You’ve got to marry me first, genius,” she laughed, bouncing Clara a little in apology.

Isabel wasn’t the only one blushing, and Ava quietly excused herself from the openly-teasing couple, retreating to a bench underneath a tree. She took a deep, cleansing breath as she watched the small crowd of people spread around the garden area. She caught sight of Zac and Alex, playing chaperone to three-year old Ben Valenti as he chased the ducks on the lawn, and she couldn’t help but smile. Zac still had a long road ahead of him, but he’d come a long way, too. When they’d first met he’d been a shy, quiet child, unsure of anything, and now he wasn’t afraid to share his opinions, good or bad. If anything, he was too opinionated. But he was a good kid, and she knew that he had a beautiful heart. When it came down to it, that was all that really mattered. She was amazed at how far he had come. How far they had all come.

Standing with the bride and groom were Max and Liz. The four of them were unspeakably closer now than they had been when she’d first met them so many years ago, and she had envied them even then. It amazed her that now, if she wanted to, she could go straight up to that little group and she wouldn’t even be an intrusion, she would instead be welcomed into the conversation. She would have never believed it of any of them except Liz, but now she had a brother, a sister-in-law and good friends.

Jim and Amy Valenti had been surprisingly open to getting to know her, as had the other parents. Even more proof that the surprise of the parents had been planned long in advance, and that all of them but the Whitmans had had a nice idea of what they were going to find here. Alex’s parents were still in a bit of a daze about their son, of course, but there was no doubt that underneath their confusion was pure, unadulterated joy.

“Hey, pretty lady.”

Ava looked up from her musings and smiled as Kyle came to sit by her. She snuggled into his side. “Hey.”

“Been a great day, don’t you think?”

She smiled. “Yeah. It’s been wonderful. Absolutely perfect. The whole ceremony was beautiful. Maria was practically glowing she looked so happy.”

“You’re right. I’ve honestly never seen her so happy.”

“Michael looked happy too. He also looked… relieved for some reason. Why was that?” Ava asked, frowning.

Kyle laughed. “Well, that could be because he’s just happy to get it over with, but I think it had more to do with Amy Deluca not killing him. Personally, I’m kind of surprised that the Amy didn’t fly in the minute she heard about all this, just to kill Michael for not marrying Maria sooner.” Kyle pulled a face. “Is there something weird about the fact that your sort-of brother just married my sister-in-law?”

“Please, Kyle,” Ava laughed, but the glee in her eyes didn’t last long.

“Not that I’d let that stop me,” he grinned, but he knew that she wasn’t in a joking mood right at the moment. He watched her with a soft, probing look. “What are you thinking?”

Ava took a deep breath, analyzing the heavy feeling that had been on her most of the afternoon. It wasn’t sadness, not by a long shot, but it was affecting her in a similar way. Her heart was full, and it was a feeling she didn’t think she would ever get used to. “I was just thinking about my life. About how much it’s changed. When I came back to New York, I thought that had been a transformation. I’d gone from street urchin to MoMA curator… I thought that I had learned and grown so much…”

He took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers, and she felt the soft amazement he felt over having that privilege. “But?” he asked, softly.

She turned to him, as if it would help him understand more to be looking her in the face. “But really I was the same person inside. I may have learned more as far as books and facts went, but I hadn’t learned a single thing about life or love or any of that in all those years. Not until I found Zac and everyone else. Not until I found you. I was running so far from my past, from my memories, that I hadn’t really been living, Kyle. And all this…” she gestured at the scene before them, so many friendly, smiling faces, and so much love among them. “I can’t believe that this is what I was missing.”

Without a word, Kyle pulled her into his arms. She didn’t need their connection to know that he understood. He’d experienced almost the exact same thing, after all. How foolish she’d been to try to keep them apart. They’d been meant for this.

Ava rested her head on his shoulder, content. She knew now that her struggle against her past had been more than just a trial, it had been a test. A test of letting go. After all, there were things so much stronger than memory to live for. There was truth and knowledge, family and friendship. There was strength, and beauty, and joy. And above all else, surrounding her from every side, there was love.

The End.

Also, like I promised, the soundtrack.

Persistence of Memory Soundtrack

Remy Zero - Perfect Memory (Isabel/Alex)
The Cure - Pictures of You (Isabel/Alex)
Badly Drawn Boy - What is it Now? (Isabel... Kyle...)
Tracy Chapman - The Promise (Alex/Isabel)
Plumb - Here With Me (Isabel/Alex)
Vertical Horizon - Finding Me (Kyle/Ava)
Counting Crows - Have You Seen Me Lately (MTV's Live from the 10 Spot) (Kyle/Ava)
Switchfoot - Learning to Breathe (Kyle/Ava)
Jayhawks - I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (Alex/Isabel)
Ivy - Back in Our Town (Isabel/Alex)
Counting Crows - Kid Things (Kyle/Ava)
Suzanne Vega - Penitence (Ava/Kyle)
Michelle Branch - You Set Me Free (Isabel/Alex)
Third Eye Blind - The Background (Kyle/Ava)
Blues Traveler - Most Precarious (Kyle/Ava)
The Pretenders - Forever Young (Ava/Zac)
Plumb - Phobic (Kyle/Ava)
Vertical Horizon - Give You Back (Ava/Kyle)
Hootie & the Blowfish - Hold My Hand

Hey guys, the first part of Lessons in Surrealism, the Zac tag to this is now up on the Alien Abyss here. Just thought I'd let you all know!