Author's Note: First off, thank you once again to all who nominated and voted for this story! thanks a million! i can't tell you how much this means to me! Glad everybody is liking the story so far and I see some people are following it on two and three boards even! That's gotta make me feel special!
Okay, after a long and tenseful wait (which I must admit I enjoyed every minute of
) I think I'd better end the suspense. Thus enfolds the 'healing'. It's a quite long chapter which, for once doesn't end as a cliff hanger. I though of putting it into two parts but then decided you guys had enough suspense
Part 79
Liz stared at her reflection in the hospital’s bathroom mirror before looking down at her hands. Her hands gripped the sink in a death grip as she prepared herself for Serena’s signal. She moved her gaze away from her perusal of her white knuckles to her pale face. She noticed how much darker her eyes looked against the paleness and she briefly considered changing their color to another color. But then she cast aside the idea, wanting to have some aspect of her original self when she finally met Maria. It was stupid, she knew, but she wanted something of her old self to shine through when she connected with Maria. She couldn’t risk keeping her hair the same way, so she had opted for her eyes.
I’m going to be able to talk to Maria. She realized with part apprehension and part joy. It had been so long since she had been face to face with any of her friends let alone had talked to them, aside from Alex, that she was very nervous.
How long has it been? She wondered, still observing her reflection.
Two months? More? Three maybe? God it has been almost three months since I last saw any of my friends! Since I last saw Max!
Her heart constricted in anguish as it hit her just how long she had been forced to live like this. Could she ever go back? Could she ever take back her life? Even if she could, could she still be the same girl who left Roswell? Could she possibly forget all the things that had happened? Could she still be as optimistic as before?
She sadly realized that no matter how much she wanted to, she could never go back. Even if they, by some miracle, managed to get their lives back, she could never go back to being Liz Parker. She was changed forever. She had seen too much, been through too much to ever go back.
Am I that broken? She wondered.
That disillusioned?
She let her right hand let go of the sink and raised her hand to her face. She ran her fingers through her now blonde hair, letting the tendril slip through her fingers with ease. As they did so, she changed their color back to their chocolate brown shade. Once her hair was back to their normal shade, she silently observed herself, noticing all the changes. She saw the grimness in her mouth and her eyes that, were once so bright and hopeful, were now sad and disillusioned. Is this who she had now become? Had she become the people she carried the name of? Caitlin Hurst or Lisa Davis?
“Can life ever go back to normal?” she repeated the words that had once, so long ago been said.
“What’s so great about normal?” she heard Alex reply.
Her eyes flew up to meet Alex’s in the mirror. She hadn’t seen or heard him come in and so she smiled softly when her gaze met his. She turned around slowly and leaned back against the sink as Alex came to stand next to her, also leaning back the same way as her.
“Where’d you hear that nonsense?” she asked lightly.
“A very good friend.” Alex replied. He turned to her, his voice serious. “Liz, what’s wrong? I could feel your emotions a block away.”
Liz averted her eyes. “It’s nothing. It’s stupid really…”
“It can’t be stupid if it’s got you so tensed up.” Alex replied.
“I-I’m just nervous that’s all.” Liz replied, not meeting his eyes.
“That’s all?” Alex asked skeptically. “Are you sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re feeling lost? That you’re questioning if things can ever go back to the way they once were?”
Liz didn’t say anything as she stared at the floor, in a way not surprised at all that he knew all that. Nowadays he just knew what she was thinking or feeling so it didn’t really surprise her anymore.
“Liz,” Alex sighed when she didn’t answer. “Liz, look at me.” He waited until she reluctantly looked up at him. “It’s perfectly all right to feel those things. I do too. In fact I’m asking the same questions you are. And the fact of the matter is that we can’t know. We don’t know how things are going to turn out so it’s useless wondering all that. We need to be in the now; we need to be focused. Because it’s our way out of this. You got that?”
When Liz nodded he smiled. “Good.”
A silence fell between them as they both wondered what else to say. Alex didn’t know where to start telling Liz why he had bolted and Liz wasn’t sure she should ask. Finally, making up her mind she asked hesitantly, “What made you come back?”
Alex looked at her in surprise, knowing she wanted to know what had happened. He shrugged noncommittally. “I wasn’t going to loose to her.” he replied carefully, intentionally not mentioned Ava’s name.
Liz nodded slowly, fully understanding Alex’s meaning. “Neither am I.” She replied. Her gaze fell to the floor as she paused before venturing further. “Maria’s in bad shape you know.”
Alex swallowed the lump in his throat as he replied, “I know…”
Liz raised her head to meet his gaze. “Why do I get the feeling that
she has something to do with this?”
“Because she does.” Alex answered with cold conviction. “Just like she had something to do with me.”
“What did she do to you Alex?” Liz asked softly as she raised her hand and lightly placed it on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
“She used me.” He replied bitterly, letting his gaze wander away from hers. He didn’t want her to see the bitterness and anger in his eyes. He briefly noted that both he and Liz were refraining from saying her name aloud, almost as if saying it would cause her to appear.
Not that it needs to be said. Her name hangs between us like a thick, poisonous cloud! He thought angrily.
“I’m so sorry, Alex.” Liz whispered, her eyes filled with pain and remorse. “I’m so sorry for not knowing. I’m so sorry…” Her voice cracked and she slid her hands away from Alex’s shoulder, instead using them to hug herself. She should have known something was wrong. She should have known that Alex was being mind warped. She should have done something. If she could have figured it out then, then maybe none of this would be happening.
Alex saw her retreat into herself, he saw the haunted look on her face but it was what he felt that made him envelope her into a hug. “Hey, hey…” he soothed. “Stop that. You couldn’t have known. None of you could have known.”
Liz nestled her head on his chest and hugged him tightly, as if trying to ward off all his pain and hers. “But I’m your best friend Alex.” She replied, her voice muffled by his shirt. “I should have known something was off.” She raised her head to look into his eyes, “I knew you were acting strange, with ignoring Isabel and your spacing out. I
knew something was off but I never…. I should have known…”
“No one could have known. Not even me.” Alex replied firmly.
“We’re not going to let her get away with this Alex.” Liz said. “We’re going to fix this and makes sure she gets what she deserves.”
Alex nodded, seeing the steel determination in her eyes. “Yes, Ava’s going to pay…” he looked at Liz and suddenly frowned slightly. “Are you still going to try it?” he asked. “Are you going to try dream walk Maria?”
Liz nodded. “Yes. Ava didn’t want them to do that so I’m guessing there lies our solution. So yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Just then the door to the bathroom opened and Liz and Alex’s heads shot up. They relaxed when they saw it was only Serena. After locking the door behind her, she paused to give Alex a welcoming smile.
“You okay?” she asked quietly.
Alex nodded, not wanted to bother her right now with his flashes. “I’m fine. Is everything ready?” he asked instead.
Serena nodded. “Yeah. We’re lucky Michael and everyone else just left right now.”
“Left?” Liz asked with confusion. “Where?”
“Don’t know. But Isabel went to talk to Michael and then they followed the others.” Serena told her.
“Well whatever the reason they left, it works for us.” Alex interrupted. “This give us more time to work.”
“Right.” Liz agreed, nodding. She looked from Alex to Serena, giving each a nervous look. “Everyone ready?”
* * * * * * * * * * *
The steady beeping sound of the monitor reverberated through the room, making the room seem oppressing and depressing. A hand reached out cautiously to shut it off. Slowly, the lines and sounds of the monitor faded and disappeared. Serena turned away from the monitor and gave Liz and Alex a silent nod. They didn’t want to take any chances now. If Maria’s heart rate jumped or changed drastically while they were working on her then the nurses might be warned and they couldn’t afford anything to disturb them while Liz and Alex dream walked Maria.
Liz unconsciously gripped Alex’s hand tightly as she stared down the frail looking body of her friend. Alex rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand, though he himself was shaking.
“You guys ready?” Serena asked quietly, shooting a scrutinizing look at both.
Alex nodded for the both of them. “Yeah.” He managed a small smile. “Let’s go save Maria.”
“I’ll be right here.” Serena reminded them as she went to the window and shut the blinds. Then she took her position by the door to keep watch.
“Hey, you okay?” Alex whispered to Liz to get her attention once they were alone. Liz glanced at Alex before turning back to Maria. She took Maria’s hand in hers and held it for a minute.
“Let’s save Maria.” She echoed softly.
Alex then walked to the other side of the bed and took Maria’s other hand in his. Liz and his eyes met over the bed and she shot him a small, yet brave smile. He nodded in response.
“You sure you can pull me in too?” Alex asked, afraid that Liz might not be able to pull him into Maria’s head and that it would be too much of a strain on her.
“I’m sure.”
Taking a deep breath, Alex and Liz both closed their eyes. Liz immediately felt the pull. In fact she was taken aback slightly by how quickly the connection between her and Maria opened up. Liz smiled inwardly, realizing that it was all due to that close bond they shared…the ones best friends had.
Liz let herself be pulled in, going deeper and deeper. She felt herself floating in a hazy cloud, with mists of colors swirling all around her.
Maria’s aura. Liz realized.
She reached out her hand as she was pulled deeper, trying to touch the swirling, colorful mist but it just slipped through her finger’s, tickling her hand slightly.
Smiling to herself and can not help thinking how much the colors reminded of Maria’s vibrant nature she felt herself stopping. Once the mist and clouds around her cleared out Liz took a look around her.
She blinked once, twice to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. Biting back the laugh that threatened to erupt from her, Liz quickly concentrated on pulling Alex in. Within seconds Alex was standing besides her. For a second, he too could only stare at the surroundings.
“Umm…Liz?” he asked carefully. “What are we doing
here?”
Liz chuckled. “I forgot. You weren’t here for this trip.”
Alex’s head swiveled around to look at her in disbelief. “This is that place?
This is the place Michael and Maria ended up at?”
Smiling in reminiscence Liz nodded. “Yes.”
“She never told me it was so…so…” Alex struggled to find the appropriate word. Finally he sputtered out, “So kinky!”
Liz laughed, her first real laugh in days. That was just what she had thought when she had seen this place and this was only from the outside. Alex had yet to see the rooms inside the motel.
“According to Maria it was like the porno version of Aladdin.” Liz chortled.
“I’m going to have a talk with Maria when we are through with this!” Alex said in mock annoyance. Then he smiled a little. “She must have freaked!”
“You don’t know the half of it!” Liz said rolling her eyes. She began walking towards the motel. “Come on. I think I know where to go.”
Alex followed her up the rickety stairs and past several dirty, dull green doors. “Where are we going Liz?” he asked her as she moved along, not even glancing at the rooms.
“To the room Maria spent the night in with Michael.” Liz replied.
“How do you know that it’s the where we’re supposed to go?” Alex asked.
“I don’t.” Liz replied, shrugging slightly. She stopped abruptly in front of a non descript room and turned to Alex. “This is it.”
Alex gave the shut door a hesitant look. “What’s behind it?” he asked.
Liz gave the door a long, observing look before she reached for the doorknob. “Let’s find out.” She replied, pushing the door open.
As soon as the door opened the thumping beat of music filled the air. Stepping through the door, which closed behind them automatically, they could feel the air change. It turned from a cool night to a hot and humid one. Everywhere they looked they saw kids their age dancing to the loud beat. Bodies gyrated and swayed in time with the music and Liz and Alex stood in the center looking about them.
“It’s the soap box factory.” Alex reminded Liz. “This was where we got arrested.”
“I remember.” Liz answered, looking around the familiar place. “But what are we doing here?”
“Don’t ask me.” Alex replied, holding up his hands. Suddenly his head swiveled sharply to the right. He thought he had seen Maria among all the people but he couldn’t be sure.
“Alex?”
Alex turned to look back at Liz who was looking confused. “Did you see her?”
“Maybe.” Alex murmured. He began to head in the direction he had seen Maria go off to and Liz followed him. Alex and Liz shoved their way through the crowd, finding it difficult to get through. The crowd was going the opposite way and Alex and Liz were finding it difficult to push their way through the huge crowd.
Finally, they reached the back where there was only a few kids lingering about. Alex scanned the area, carefully observing everyone there. His gaze lingered on a girl with blonde hair and was wearing a red dress. She looked so much like Isabel that he had to remind himself that this was Maria’s head so it wasn’t possible for Isabel to be there. He continued his careful scan when he felt that he might have lost her. Suddenly Liz grabbed onto his hand, tugging it furiously.
“There!” Liz cried out, pointing towards a secluded area that led outside to the dessert. Liz began to hurry towards the area she was pointing and Alex followed. But the further they went; the more everything around them began to change. Slowly the walls around them began to turn a cream color, with drawings of aliens on them. As they walked further, the partygoers also began to fade, being replaced by people sitting in booths and tables and chairs.
Pretty soon, the entire place had converted itself into the Crash Down. Liz glanced at Alex to see his reaction and saw he wasn’t that surprised by the change or the place.
Alex nodded his head towards a table in the back. “There’s our table.” He said.
“It’s vacant.” Liz said a bit disappointed. She had hoped Max would be sitting there. She let her gaze wander around the café, taking in the crowd and the familiar activity. She felt her heart ache for it, for the routine she was so used to. She longed to have her life back. Almost as if reading her thoughts, Alex’s hands snaked around her shoulders for a quick comforting squeeze.
“Soon.” He promised. “Very soon.”
Liz smiled gratefully at him as his hands dropped back down. She nodded her acknowledgement at him, not needing any words. “I know where she is.” She said abruptly, when the information hit her suddenly.
“I do too.” Alex replied, getting it at the same time as her. His eyes went to the back room and he and Liz both began to walk there. They reached the door and paused, both hands held up in mid air, ready to push the door open. They knew she was there, they knew she was waiting. Taking a deep breath Liz turned to catch Alex’s eye and gave him a small encouraging smile. Alex nodded and smiled back. Then together they opened the door and walked through.
For a spilt second they didn’t see anyone, they were only hit by the intense amount of power the room held and then their eyes settled on Maria. She was sitting in the corner chair, her chin in her hands, staring out a window. Liz briefly registered the fact that there was no window that looked out in real life but she figured that was Maria’s addition. She wondered if she should say something, that if she should announce their arrival because Maria still had her back to them, seemingly unaware of them. Just as she was about to speak up, Maria turned around gave them a smile that didn’t entirely reach her eyes.
“I’ve been waiting.” She said.
“Maria…” Liz breathed out her name in partial relief and partial shock. She could practically feel the energy that was in the room and was surrounding Maria. She couldn’t see it but it crackled with power, stirring rumblings in her.
“Is that…” Alex began, trying to put into words the power he was feeling.
“Yeah.” Liz cut him off with a nod, her eyes turned sharp, cold. “Yeah, that’s the barrier Ava put up.”
“It’s strong, isn’t it?” Maria asked from her spot. She looked around her, at the invisible barrier that held her captive in her own mind. She put her hand out and pushed lightly. Instantly a red light shot vertically down, just in front of her hand, indicating the limit of the barrier. “Too strong…” Maria murmured. She let her hand drop, the light vanishing, and turned to look at Liz and Alex’s stunned faces. They hadn’t expected it to be this powerful.
“I’ve tried to breach it myself but I can’t. At least not without any powers.” Maria explained. She titled her head and regarded Alex and Liz with worried eyes. “You can do this, cant you?”
Liz nodded nervously, and Alex shot her a hesitant look.
“How are we going to bring this down?” he asked Liz. “How can we fight such power?”
“With the only weapons Ava doesn’t have.” Liz replied, already moving forward, a calm expression in place.
“Which are?” Alex asked.
Maria, who had been watching Liz with quiet, observing eyes smiled softly as it struck her. “Love, friendship…something Ava doesn’t have.”
Liz nodded, stopping just in front of the barrier. “Something she’ll never have.” Liz replied with cold determination. She held out her hand much like Maria had done and touched the invisible barrier. Again the weird, red light appeared before her hand. Her eyes traveled upwards, seeing the light disappear through the roof.
Alex eyed Liz nervously. He took in her calm features, almost unfeeling coldness and slow calculated moves. It made him nervous.
“Liz?” he asked hesitantly.
“I’m okay, Alex.” Liz replied instantly. She let her hand drop and turned to give him a reassuring smile. It calmed him a bit to see some semblance of her normal self in her eyes and yet the look disturbed him. “I was just…thinking.” She replied with an odd smile.
Alex and Maria both this time looked at Liz with doubt. She was acting very strangely all of a sudden.
“I think I know what to do.” Liz told them, unaware of the concerned look that had passed between her two friends. She motioned Alex over. “We need to hit this with our connection. Connections bring with it memories, feelings, loyalties. That’s what’ll break this. Our strengths combined together with our love.”
“You sure it will work?” Maria asked, for the first time nervous.
Liz smiled a little, a smile that held no real mirth. “Ava’s not as indestructible as she thinks.”
Not really wanting to know what that
really meant, Alex quickly placed his hand on the wall and Maria did the same. Again the red light flared, this time pulsing as it sensed the bond already emanating from Maria and Alex. They both turned to look at Liz who still had the odd smile on her face.
“Ready Liz?” Alex asked.
Liz nodded, stepping up and placing her hand next to Alex’s. The moment her hand touched the barrier, the pulsing light intensified. It writhed and flickered under the bond Liz was already projecting towards it. Alex and Maria both felt the pull when Liz closed her eyes and began to throw images, memories, and feelings at the wall.
She took Maria, Alex and her own energies and threw everything she could think of at it, hoping to break it down. The light pulsed as if in agony, growing darker, then lighter before flaring up again. On and on it continued, more and more Liz pushed. Maria could feel Liz grow weaker so she tried to add her own strength to Liz through their bond. Alex helped intensify it as they all concentrated on their bond.
For a while it didn’t seem to be doing anything but then it slowly began to fade and they could feel the power draining from it. They could feel the power ebb with each passing image, almost like the images Liz sent to it were absorbing it’s power. As Alex and Maria watched Liz use their bond, they felt awe and part fear at the extent to which her powers seemed to be growing. But Liz was barely aware of anything except her main aim. She didn’t care if she was draining, or that she was lashing out her anger at the barrier that held Maria, all she could focus on was that Ava had done this and that she had to be stopped. If this was the first step, then she would make sure that it was a steady one.
The anger she had buried inside her now bubbled to the top along with the power. Each burst; each aim was now shoved fiercely at the barrier. She didn’t pause to think that Alex and Maria could feel what she was feeling, especially when they were connected like this; she didn’t pause to consider where her thoughts were taking her. All she could think was that this had to end. One way or another, she had to end this.
And then, suddenly, the barrier shattered before them. The red light dispersed and disappeared, the power slowly evaporating away. Liz opened her eyes, finally aware how tired she was and how much out of breath. Looking over at Alex and Maria she saw that they, too, were panting hard, tired by the ordeal yet there was satisfaction on their faces.
“You did it!” Maria said, offering them a smile. She reached out her hand and where she would have been met with a wall before, she now met air. With a strangled sob, she steeped forward and towards Alex and Liz. “You did it!”
“No.” Liz replied with a soft smile at her. “
We did it.”
“Together.” Alex added.
He wanted to go to Maria and hug her, to hold her close and revel in their temporary safety but something inside him warned against doing so. Something told him that if he touched Maria she would know. So, reluctantly, he stepped back and inconspicuously pulled Liz back as well. Liz glanced at him and suddenly understood.
Turning back to Maria she smiled at her, trying not to notice the puzzlement and hurt in Maria’s eyes.
“We have to go ‘Ria.” Liz said.
“Liz…” Maria began. “Don’t leave just yet, please!”
But both Liz and Alex were already backing away. “We love you, remember that all right?” Alex told her softly.
Blind panic and desperation came into Maria’s eyes as she tried to get them to stay for a while longer. “Please, just stay…I need you…God, there is so much I want to talk to you about…I – I miss you…” she sobbed.
“I miss you too, Maria.” Liz replied, her own tears pooling in her eyes. “But we really do have to go.”
“Why?” Maria cried.
“We can’t stay, Maria.” Alex told her gently, his own heart crying out in anguish and revolt. “Take care of yourself, okay? We’re very near…” he bit his lip, wondering if he should say anything and then decided to. “Maria, keep following the leads. You’re almost there…”
“What?” Maria asked bewildered. “What do you mean, Alex?”
“Just…just have faith, Maria.” Liz said. Then she began to pull herself and Alex out.
“Wait, Liz! Alex!” they heard Maria cry out. “What do you mean?”
But Liz firmly pulled herself an Alex out. When they opened their eyes, once more in the hospital room, Liz realized that there were tears on her cheek. Glancing at Alex she gave him a watery smile.
“She’s going to be okay.” She whispered.
Alex nodded, picking up Maria’s hand and turning it over. Squeezing it gently, he replied, “Yeah, I think she is.”
Just then Maria began to stir and Liz and Alex tensed. She opened her eyes a bit and thought she saw Liz and Alex standing next to her bed.
Where am I? Is that…? She wondered blearily. But everything was so blurry and she felt so tired.
“Liz?” she managed to choke out of her parched throat. “Alex?”
Gentle hands pushed back her hair and she heard a voice, so much like Liz’s, whisper, “Go back to sleep Maria and rest. It’ll all be over soon. Ava will pay…”
Ava? What is she talking about? She wondered. But before she could make more sense of it, her eyes dropped down and she felt herself being pulled back to sleep.
TBC....
I promise the next part willbe better. This part..well my muse was giving me one hard time! Gerry - I'm so glad you love this story so much that you actually replied everywhere! Aren't I lucky to have a fan like you 
I was thinking the smae thing! 
Though I doubt I'd do that! Where's the fun in that 
Sorry I made you wait so long, I'm not fond of having such large pauses between posting but RL can suck