A Baby Story (AU, ?C Teen) *Need Kyle, Isabel, Michael*

[isabelle]

Title: A Baby Story (the original post/concept came from flagpolesitta4387, but they haven't posted since 12/18/03)
Rating: Teen
Coupling: Not sure of the Coupling -- It starts with triangles and we don't know which will be the final coupling... It could be CC or UC...)
Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.
Summary: After Alex's death, Tess discovers that she's pregnant. Will she and Max stay together for the child and find a new love in destiny? Will Kyle and Liz find comfort in each other? Or will all four find a way back to their true loves?

Cast:
Max: Isabelle
Tess: M
Liz: KatnotKath
Kyle:
Isabel:
Michael:
Maria: FaithfulAngel24

Okay I'm going to start off the RPG. It's going to start off with Max and Tess telling everyone they're going to have a baby.

~Maria~

Max called this afternoon and said that we needed to have a meeting. I'm not sure if I can handle anymore alien chaos, not after Alex, it's still so painful. "Max can we get this meeting started already? Everyone's here."

Michael

I watched Maria as we all waited for the big announcement. Deep down I really wanted to go over to her and wrap my arms around her, but I'm not sure if she'd accept that. It stung when she said that she couldn't count on me - that sooner or later I'd leave her in my space ship. (Especially when I didn't have a spaceship - not for want of trying I suppose.)

I looked to see if Isabel was here yet. After everything that'd been going on with Max and Tess, I wasn't even sure she would show.

Ooc: if Alex wasn't nurdered than hwo did he die? I just can't fathom him dying from suicide... So uhh.. Liz is still trying to find answers. Maybe a skin killed him? I dunno I'll wait for your permission...


LIZ

Everyone makes mistakes, and I am no exception to this fault. Liz Parker, the little girl down the street who worked at her family restaurant, The Crashdown. The little girl who had excellent grades, a jock boyfriend and two loyal best friends. This little girl was supposed to grow up and marry the sheriff’s son and have 3.5 kids with a large house and a white picket fence. Everyone knew that, everyone knew that she was to become successful in life and be forever happy in love and wealth. Everyone knew that Liz Parker would never break the law, never curse, never jump off bridges or lie or cheat. Everyone knew that Liz Parker was beautiful and fit, she wore fair taste in clothes and walked with confidence. She was quiet but sincere, she was shy but not outspoken, she was silly but not a clown, she was kind but she had standards… Where did she go wrong?

It’s okay if you don’t understand. I don’t really understand myself, one minute you’re standing at the counter ready to serve a customer, the next your laying on the floor bleeding to death with a gunshot wound in your belly. That’s were it started, I realize that now. That day, the day Max Evans brought me back to life. That’s the day my life as I knew it was over and a whole new ball game would come into play. I don’t regret what happen that day, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t regret Max’s hand on my stomach, the warmth I felt as he begged me to look into his eyes. His pools of amber that would suck me in. Its hard to sit here and say that I didn’t love him from the moment I saw him, I mean REALLY saw him. Inside his mind, how he felt, how he loves, how he see’s things.

I was brought into HIS world that day, a world of secrets and lies. A world of fear and pain, not a moment would pass that I wouldn’t fear for my life. Put that the price you pay for second chances. I remember watching this movie once, where a small group of students exited the plane their class was going to France in. One of those students predicted their death, and because of him, they lived. But death and life has a plan, and if you screw with it, it’ll screw with you.

"Liz, Max says he needs to tell us all something... I guess we're all gonna meet in the Crashdown later... Liz?"

"Uh yea?"

"You're gonna be there right? He needs all of us."

"Michael... I don't want to be anywhere near any of you."

It hurts you know. Not caring. I have nothing to care about, nothing to look forward to. My whole life has existed because of my friends. My REAL friends. God I miss Alex so much. So much that I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't even fucking live.

You ever walk in a room and just crumble? Ever just let all your emotions come flooding out? It's like an out of body experience. You don't feel, you don't comprehend anything you do or say or scream and shout. It's like being free, completely free. Too bad the cost of pure freedom is your own soul.

"I cleaned your room today..." I say leaning down in the dirt, "I think Isabel really loved you..." My voice catches in my throat. "God Alex, what happen? I can't breathe without you. It hurts so much!" I scream out into the cold night air.

I wipe my face across my sleeve and lay down on top of his grave. God I'm sick, I'm not normal anymore. I don't know who the fuck I am anymore. I'm not Liz Parker, no. She died a year and a half ago in the Crashdown diner. From a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Screw it. Screw it all.

“Alex… Would you be there if I ended things right now?” I say pulling up my sleeves to examine my wrists, “I could do it. I could end things right now and join you… It’s not anyone here would miss me…” In the middle of my wrist inspection I glanced at my watch, “Getting late. The bewitching hour approaches…” I giggle insanely, “Maybe I’ll see you!” I jump up and skip home…

I’m so fucked up. Not that anyone cares, or that I do for that matter.

"Not everyone, Maria." Max looks at me with hurt eyes.

"Did you actually expect her to come Max?" Not that I care. I understand that she's devasted because of Alex, but ruining everyone's life in search of some non existent answers isn't going to help anything. I've lost both of my best friends and my cousin, Sean. I can't hold accountable for Alex but I can hold her accountable for herself and Sean.

~*~* Kyle ~*~*

“Did you really expect her to come?” I hear Maria snap at Max.

I turn to her a bit surprised at her tone. I know she and Liz have been on the outs but to actually hear her biting tone stunned me. In all the time I had known them, I have never heard Maria refer to Liz so…so…scathingly.

When no one says anything, I venture quietly. “She’s right Max.” I say. Max’s head swivels to me and I’m pinned by his stare. I shift from one foot to the other uncomfortably but I meet his gaze head on as I tell him the truth. “You gotta accept it. Liz is not willing to have anything to do with us. She made it clear as hell.”

Even before I finish my sentence I know someone is going to have some sort of sharp comment on that. I know it and as soon as I’m done I’m not surprised when I hear Maria throw back at me,

“She’s just trying to make us feel guilty about accepting Alex’s death!” she cried. “God dammit, when will she realize that she can’t explain everything? When will she see that sometimes logic isn’t going to answer her questions!”

*MAX*

I look around the Crashdown and I see that everyone’s arrived except Liz. It was probably a bad idea to chose the Crashdown for our meeting. Probably should have gone to Michael’s place. But I was really hoping to see Liz.

What I’d really like to do is tell her about all this in private, before the meeting. So she doesn’t have to hear about it in front of everyone-else. But she hasn’t been exactly civil to me since Alex died. Insisting that aliens must have been behind it. I know our secret has made everyone’s life a lot harder, but it’s not responsible for everything bad that happens.

Still, it’s so stupid. Would it really make it better if Liz heard from me, privately? What excuse could I give? It won't matter that it was only that one time. Or that I'd never meant for it to happen. She'd never forgive me. Even if I lied to her and told it that the baby wasn’t mine. Or if I claimed that I had no choice – that , I don't know, maybe that it was a mind-warp. How would that help? Liz is not likely to give me any support, anyway. Not when she’s still on this tear about Alex. Besides, she’d find out the truth from someone-else and then it would be even worse.

What if it was a mind-warp? Could Tess have done that to me? I mean, I know she could have, but would she? Last year, I’d have said yes, but she’d seemed to have become more reliable since September. More a part of the group. I would have told anyone that she was past that sort of thing.

When Alex died, and I went into … into that ... that hearse, … Tess was there the next day. The only one who was willing to see how hard that had been for me. The only one who even cared to ask.

Even Liz didn't seem to see how much I needed her just then. Or maybe she saw and didn't care. I can't even express how much that hurt. How much losing her has been hurting.

But why should that surprise me? Liz, Maria and Kyle are turning away because of Alex’s death. Isabel is just leaving, like Antar and our enemies don’t matter. I should have done more to let her know how important she is to our group. I always assumed she knew, but she’d never have decided to just leave if that were true. The only ones left are Michael and Tess. And Michael doesn’t seem all that certain.

I always assumed we’d all be together forever. Michael, Isabel and I. Without them nearby, without Liz, I feel like I’m walking off along the edge of a cliff in the dark. Alone and lost. Everything’s uncertain. Everything’s wrong.

Tess is the only one who’s stood by me recently. The only one.

That night in the Observatory, it was like I was all alone in the universe. Just me, and this whole star system of people. Some of them wanting to kill me. Some of them expecting some miracle rescue. And me, alone, unsure of how to survive either one.

And then there was Tess. I needed someone that night. Somebody to be with me. Just to prove I wasn’t alone. I still don’t really know how it became sex. It was like having lost Liz and Isabel and the others, that I’d also lost all my strength of purpose. It seemed like there was no longer any reason to resist it. Well, except for the fact that I don't love her the way I've always loved Liz. And that we had no protection.

God, how am I supposed to be a father?

If it was Liz’s baby. If I still had her and Isabel and Alex and Michael and everyone with me, it would be hard, but not scary. With their love and support, I know I’d be able to find a way. But now, looking around this room, I don’t see love and support. I see impatience, suspicion and maybe even hostility.

What am I going to do?

How am I going to tell my parents? Isabel is going off to college a year early. The scholar. The model child. And I’ll be the failure. The unwed teen-age father.

Ever since that night of the Gomez concert my world's been wrong. Before that, I'd finally begun to feel like I really had a place, that I belonged. Even when Liz was pushing me away because of Tess, I still believed it would work out. That she was my destiny. Now I feel more like an alien than I ever did. Alone, and more than a little bit lost.

But then I see Tess. Her eyes are shining with love and hope. Her nervous smile showing me how much she trusts me to do this right. To make it work. How can she believe in me so completely? She’s the only one who still does, and I can’t let her down. I just can’t.

I'm distracted by Maria and Michael bickering. They want to get started and are quarreling over Liz. Already we're starting off badly.

"Calm down, guys." I say. "We're not here to talk about Liz, or Alex. This is about Tess." She gives a nervous nod as everyone looks at her. "... and me." I finish.

[JBehrsGurl]

Ooc: If I'm using dialogue from past epidoes where those things already happen (except the Tess murder thing) than I'm not using someones character in a way that would mess things up right? Cuz it has nothing to do with the present, its the past. Hope that made sense. haha!

Whoops! Forgot to say that the song is called "Six Underground" and it's by the Sneaker Pimps. They rOck!



LIZ

Take me down, 6 underground,
The ground beneath your feet,
Laid out low, nothing to go
Nowhere a way to meet

“No, I do NOT need another grief counselor -- I want some answers! I KNOW what happened to Alex was not an accident. I know it with every fiber in my being and I am gonna find out the truth, so cut the crap and tell me what the photo means to you.”

“OK.... You're not gonna like what I'm about to say.”

“Tell me.”

“It's beginning to look more and more likely that Alex may have deliberately turned his car into the oncoming traffic.”

I've got a head full of drought,
Down here, so far off losing out
Round here

“Liz, if you go, our friendship is over.”

“I guess that's the price I have to pay.”

Overground, watch this space,
I'm open to falling from grace

“Liiiz! Liz honey, you home?” I hear my mother’s footsteps coming, no use hiding. I stare at the ceiling, just as I was before the interruption. But I don’t answer her, because I know she’s going to come in here anyways regardless. “Oh! You scared me darling,” She puts a hand to her chest, “I hear Sean will be getting out of jail soon. He called earlier but you weren’t home.” She says folding some clothes she picks up off the floor.

“That’s nice.” I say, not that it matters. Maria’s gonna be pissed at me no matter if Sean gets out early or not. Not that I care. I don’t care about anything, remember?

Calm me down, bring it round
Too way high off your street
I can see like nothing else
In me you're better than I wannabe

My mother sighs, “You’re friends are all downstairs, I think they might be waiting for you.”

I roll my eyes and flip over to my stomach, “Doubtful.”

“Elizabeth Parker, why would you say something like that!” She scolds me, “I don’t understand why you’re still in such a depressed state, its unhealthy darling.” She comes over to rub my shoulders, “Alex would have wanted you to go on with your life. Accidents happen Liz, we just have to deal with the consequences, it makes us stronger in the end.”

Don't think 'cos I understand,
I care, don't think 'cos I'm talking we're friends,

“Please leave me alone. And if anyone asks for me tell them I don’t want to see them… Ever.” I snap and bury my face in my pillow.

My mother pulls my pillow out from under me and smacks it across the back of my head, “That’s it, get up.” She grabs my arm, “Get up, get up!” She chirps and pulls me out of bed. The more I fight her, the more persistent she becomes.

Overground, watch this space,
I'm open to falling from grace

“What are you doing?!” I scream when she drags me downstairs. “For Christ’s sake mom let go!”

“I will NOT have my daughter be rude in MY house.” She scolds, “You will march down to the Crashdown and you will ask what it is that your friends would like to discuss with you.”

Talk me down, safe and sound
Too strung up to sleep
Wear me out, scream and shout
Swear my time's never cheap

“Mother!” I scream, “Mother stop it! I don’t want-“ I try to pry her death grip from my arm, “Ahhh! Dad!” I shout out for my father. I know I’m throwing the worlds most biggest tantrum but… I don’t care dammit! “You CANNOT make me do this!” I struggle.

“I’m your mother, I can do whatever the hell I want, and you are my daughter, which means you do what I say. I brought you into this world.” She snaps, “And I can take you out!” She shoves me into the Crashdown kitchen.

“NO!” I try to run back to the stairs, “This is ridiculous!”

“YOU are being ridiculous!” She shouts.

“Fine.” I stop struggling; this is so not worth the effort. They probably won’t talk to me either, I’ve screamed so much they’ll know she’s making me do this. I sigh deeply, and straighten myself up.

“There’s my girl.” My mother smiles.

I scowl at her horridly, “I hate you.” I growl and shove the double doors open.

I fake my life like I've lived
Too much, I take whatever you're given
Not enough,

Everyone’s huddled in the far corner, as always. And all eyes are on me, looks of wonderment and curiosity written all over their faces. My stomach flips and I feel like I could be sick, it’s as if I’m having an anxiety attack. And Max… My heart drops, Max is sitting so close to Tess, so intimately close. Maybe I WILL be sick.

They know she forced me out here, but what they don’t know is how much I want to be included, how much I wish things would go back to the way they were. With Alex next to Isabel, cracking jokes. His gleaming smile huge and happy because he has finally snagged Isabel. His goofy expressions, his long gangly double jointed arms.

My eyes fill with tears, I can see him. I can see him in his cop uniform, dancing around wildly. He’s so hilarious! I laugh, now he’s… he’s…

“He’s gone.” I cry, “He’s gone…” I can’t do this, accident or not, I cant be around people who hate me. Too late to say sorry now. “Excuse me.” I push past them and run outside, struggling to catch my breath and to push back the sobs and the ache in my chest. “He’s gone…” I repeat over and over, hugging myself tight.

Overground, watch this space,
I'm open to falling from grace

[ATigerLilyAngel]

Sorry it took me so long to post. We haven't had power for a while now due to the hurricane.

~Mollie

~Tess~

I watch as Michael and Maria bicker about Liz. This isn't going well already. Not that I can say that I'm upset that Liz isn't here. I mean she hates us. All of us. Not jsut the aliens, but the humans that won't except that the aliens killed their best friend. And I'm surprised that Maria at least hasn't followed Liz's suit and continued to curse our mere existence.

I'm about to speak up about this argument when Max interjects that he has news about us. I smile up at him. I'm not entirely sure if I love max, but I feel like I'm supposed to. And I do care about him. And now we are having a baby. And I just want things to work so badly. I don't want to be a cliche. The single teen mother trying to make things work on her own, maybe even dropping out of school. So I hope that Max is serious, that he isn't going anywhere. Or at least that he isn't going anywhere on our baby, I don't intend to trap him.

I know everyone's going to be angry. And that Max and I are going to be standing on our own. Maybe eventually some of them will come around, but it's not going to be an easy road. And it's going to be lonely.

The only person I worry about finding out the news is Kyle. We've gotten so close. And I'd be devastated if he turned his back on me now. He's like a brother, to say the elast, if not more than a brother. I know I love him, we're family, I just don't know if I love him in that till death do us part kind of way.

Then there's a struggle in the backroom, yelling. And then Liz comes through the doors. I'm curious as to why, but it's obviosu her mother made her. But I'm curious as to whether or not she'll stay. maybe. but that will make this whole affair jsut that much harder. She looks weak, sick. I feel bad for her. She lsot ehr best friend and she feels everyone's abandoned her. I know the feeling. Then she catches me off gaurd with a laugh. A laugh that turns into sobs. Sobs about Alex. And I know we've never been close, but my heart breaks for her, for her utter and absolute despair. I look up at Max questioningly. Should we continue? Should we share the news alter and someone go after Liz? If we're going to tell the news should we really drag her abck and make ehr listen to it when she's so obviosuly hurting so much?

"Maybe you should...." I say to him, my voice trailing off as I watch the doors, long since having slammed shut behind a very distraught Liz.

[isabelle]

*MAX*

A commotion in the back room interupts any reaction the group might have had to my introduction about Tess and me. It also reminds me that we're not completely alone. The Crashdown is closed. There are no other customers. The Parkers are great to let us stay and meet for a little, but it also means that they're both here.

I want to suggest that we all leave for Michael's place, but tensions here are already high. I'm not sure how they'd react to a delay in getting things started.

Suddenly, Liz bursts out of the kitchen and bolts through the restaurant and out the front door. I automatically tense to get up and go after her, but stop myself with an effort. That would hurt Tess, I know, to go running after Liz when I'm supposed to be here for her.

But Liz looked so devastated. So distraught. I can't bear to see her that way. I want to go find her, and help her.

But I can't, can I? I couldn't bring Alex back, and that's the core of her unhappiness. Very close to that, is me. She blames us, me in particular. She probably wouldn't listen to me anyway. But, irrationally, I still want to.

"Maybe you should..." Tess says to me.

I look back at her in surprise. Is she suggesting that I go? Now? With everyone still waiting to hear our news?

"Tess, I..."

[ATigerLilyAngel]

~Tess~

"Tess, I..." Max trails off, looking down at me in surprise. I know he's torn. I know he wants me to let him off the hook fo staying, or off the hook of having to go. One way or another. And as much as I want him to stay that would be selfish. And selfishness is what's ultimately got me in this situation, isn't it?

I look away from him. I can't admitt that it won't hurt if he goes. And I can't honestly say that I'm not hoping he'll stay anyway. I bite my bottom lip before looking up at him. "She needs you Max. The rest of us will be here later..." and that was it. My first selfless act. And amazingly, it doesn't feel as crummy as I thought it would, it feels a little good to be worrying about someone that isn't me. At elast it's a nice change of pace.

And I know what you're thinking. Yeah, right. That's not how things went, now you wake up from the dream where you're a nice person and demand for Max to stay. But no, it realy happened. And I hate to dissappoint, but I'm going to ahve to this time. Liz really needs somebody. And she's at such a breaking point right now. Even if it has to be Max that goes after ehr someone should.

Again I know the feeling, and I shutter to think what I might have done if Kyle and I ahdn't developed the bond we did. If I hadn't slowly begun to learn how to be a bit more human. So maybe I should thank Kyle for this change of heart. For this selfless act. Maybe I can be officially inducted into the I know an alien club. Which, let's be hoenst, is more the I'm becoming human club.

But maybe being human isn't so bad. maybe Earth isn't so bad. Maybe the apst isn't all it's cracked up to be. Maybe everything they seem to ahve that I've been afraid to embrace I can find. Maybe I can have my own life, seperate from Ava. Maybe I can really feel. And maybe, just maybe, I can fall in love. Like the heart stopping, world spinning kind of love, even if it's not with max.

[isabelle]

Sorry it's taken so long for his post.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*MAX*

I'm still so torn, between Liz and Tess. I care about them both. They both need me. Or at least Tess does. Liz, I'm not so sure. She needs somebody, but I'm not sure any more that she'd want it to be me.

"She needs you, Max. The rest of us will be here later..." Tess says.

I look around at the rest of the group. Liz is mad at all of us, including Maria. Normally, she'd be my first choice for a substitute, but today is not a good day for that. Isabel and Michael won't be sympathetic. I'm sure Liz won't want to confide in Tess. But Kyle? She slept with him. There must be something there, right? Although they never went together, afterwards. Kyle took Tess to the Prom. That's never made sense. How could he sleep with her, if he didn't love her?

Okay. Stupid question. We're all here because I did almost the same thing. I care for Tess. I really do. I'm not going to run out on her. Not with a baby. My baby.

I look down into Tess' eyes, and see that she's completely sincere. She really thinks that I'm the one that Liz needs, not Kyle. And she doesn't mind that I go to her. I squeeze Tess's hand, in gratitude for her understanding. In that moment, I'm so tempted to lean over and kiss her on the forehead.

I glance over at Kyle, trying to tell if he wants to be the one to go, but I don't see any sign of it.

"I'm not sure she'd want to talk to me. Maybe Kyle should try?"

[ATigerLilyAngel]

~Tess~

I smile up at Max as he squeezes my hand. And at this moment I love him. The moment when we're both completely on the same page. But the reason we're having this moment is because of Liz Parker, so is it really our moment?

When Max suggests that Kyle goes I'm torn. Part of me is rejoicing that he decided to stay that he chose me. But the other part of me wonders if Kyle can really give ehr what she needs right now. I squeeze Max's hand backa s I glance to Kyle, trying to read him. but of course he can give Liz what she needs...they did sleep together afterall.

[FallenMagic]

~*~* Kyle ~*~*

If I hadn’t been surprised by Liz’s hasty entry and exit I definitely was by Max’s words. For a second I could only stare blankly at him. He wants me to go talk to Liz? Why me? What makes him think that she would want to talk to me when she refuses to talk to her best friend or Max himself?!

Then I see Max and Tess’s look. The slight hurt and pain in their eyes as they turn to look at me and suddenly I know why…they still think I slept with Liz. Damn! I mutter to myself. These lies just keep on building…

Bringing myself back to the matters at hand, I nod slowly. “Uh...sure.” I say. “I’ll go talk to her. I don’t think she’ll listen…but I’ll go...and…yeah, I’ll just go.” I point helplessly in Liz’s direction and let my hands fall down. I have no idea what I’m going to say to her. I don’t know if she even wants to have someone around. But she’s hurting and she’s my friend, I just have to try. As I go after her, I briefly think of Tess and how she must be jumping to wrong conclusions, I also vaguely wonder what the meeting was about but I push that out of my mid the second I see Liz’s silhouette.

“Liz!” I call out. She ignores me, or maybe she didn’t hear me. “Liz!” I call out again. This time I jog up to her and stop a couple of feet away. “Liz…?” I say hesitantly. What the hell do I say? “Liz, are you all right?” I finally ask.

~*~* End ~*~*

[isabelle]

*MAX*

Kyle leaves and I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m sure I made the right choice. Liz isn’t likely to talk to any aliens right now, least of all, me. Kyle is the one she’ll trust. I try not to feel jealous and am only partially successful. I still need Liz. I still love her beyond words. I think I always will. I know I would have gotten past her sleeping with Kyle if she had let me. But she kept pushing me away and wouldn’t allow me back in.

I look back at Tess, avoiding the questioning looks from Michael, Isabel and Maria. Again, I see love and trust in Tess’ eyes. I do love her. Not like I’ve always loved Liz. Never that. But I do feel something for her. Something different than the love I feel for Isabel and Michael. She’s one of us, and she needs me. There’s no way I could have left her here alone. I know how scared she has to be. Even more scared than I am. Nobody knows what this pregnancy might be like. It's going to be all new.

I lean in close and wrap my arm around her, wanting to protect her from the emotional minefield we’re about to enter. I wish I could spare her the hurt, but it’s too late for that. The best we can do is stand together, and weather the storm.

Giving into my feelings, I lean over and kiss her on the forehead. “It’s going to be okay,” I promise her. “We’ll find a way.”
.

[JBehrsGurl]

LIZ

“Liz!” I hear Kyle call out to me, but I ignore him and sit here. “Liz!” He calls out again. This time he jogs up to me and stops a couple of feet away. “Liz…?” He says hesitantly. “Liz, are you all right?” He finally asks.

I sniff again and wipe my puffy face, “Why are you here Kyle?” I stand up from my crouched stance, “You know, I really didn’t expect you to come out here.” I laugh, “I didn’t expect any of you to even notice I was there. But you’re here, so what’s up?” I wipe my face clean and pretend I wasn’t just bawling my eyes out.

I stand up straight and act as if I’m not insanely dying inside. Put on happy face…