A Deeper Healing (CC, M/L, Teen) 1/1 -- Banner by mrsjbehr
Author: Zanity
Summary: What if the connection Max used to heal Liz had gone deeper and both ways?
Pairings: M/L
Rating: Teen
Disclaimer: The characters of "Roswell" belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, WB, and UPN. They are not mine and no infringement is intended.
Disclaimer #2: This contains parts of “Pilot”. I don’t own it.
Liz POV
Maria tells me, “You are soooo bad girl. Oh, and Max Evans is staring at you again.”
I immediately object, “No way. Maria, that is so in your imagination.”
But I can’t help but look over at Max. Max Evans my secret crush since that day back in the third grade. He was getting off the bus and our eyes met from across the field. Those amazing eyes, they hooked me instantly. Then his sister pulled him away. At the time I couldn’t figure out what was happening to me. I mean except for Alex boys had cooties.
Then in the sixth grade when boys started to be interesting the only one I wanted was him. But Max Evans is sooo not in my league. He could have any girl in school, there is just no way he’s interested in me. But Maria likes teasing me.
Seeing that Max is not looking at me I turn back to Maria and point at my face, “Max Evans? This? No, un uh…it's not...”
Maria grabs my cheeks and interrupts me, “And with those cheeks! Preciosita tan linda!”
I cry out in shock, “Maria!” Then I regain some of my composure, “And, and even if it weren’t, I'm going out with Kyle. I mean, he's steady and loyal, and he appreciates me.” Hey a girl’s gotta take what she can get, right?
Maria condescendingly answers, “Sounds like you're describing a poodle.” She’s right I don’t want Kyle. I want Max.
Just then the argument across the café gets heated and one of the customers knocks some plates off the table on to the floor while he grapples with the other one for a gun. Maria shouts at me trying to get me to run for cover but I’m frozen to my spot.
Everything goes into slow motion. I hear the gun go off, then I feel a stinging pain in my stomach. The next thing I know I’m on the floor and I vaguely register Maria calling my name. The realization dawns on me, I’m dying.
All of a sudden I hear Max begging me, “Liz, LIZ! You have to look at me. You have to look at me.” Max wants me to look at him? Yeah, if I’m going to die I’d like him to be the last thing I see. I open my eyes and they meet his, then something happens. Our minds begin to merge, and our hearts are right behind them.
I feel him place his hand over my wound and a radiating warmth spread through my body. But those sensations are quickly lost as I experience a rush of new knowledge from having my heart and mind linked with his.
I watch through his eyes and experience through his senses as he breaks out of some kind of pod. I feel his immediate sense of responsibility to take care of and protect his sister and the other boy. But the other boy runs off. I watch as he takes his sister’s hand and begins walking. Headlights come and he holds on tightly to his sister’s hand he won’t let them be separated.
I see him arriving at the Evans’ house for the first time. He had sensed his sister’s happiness and I could feel it now too. But I could also feel he wasn’t happy, he was in pain from sheer abject loneliness. I experienced it with him as he cried himself to sleep at night until his mother gave him a Toy House, telling him it was magical and would bring him home.
It was then that he had realized his tears were hurting his new mother. After that he began to clamp down on his emotions. He couldn’t allow himself to be the cause of pain.
I watched as he played in the park. He found a hurt bird and couldn’t stand thought of another living thing in pain so he healed it and the bird flew away.
For the next three years he had suffered silently, always strong, always there to comfort his sister when she cried because she missed the other boy.
Then as he came to school for his first day, I felt his loneliness abate for the first time. I felt his wonder at what caused it as he searched the playground and his eyes settled on me. On me!
I felt his sense of loneliness increase again as his sister dragged him away. I saw their reunion with the other boy. I watched them through Max’s eyes as they figured out what they were.
I felt his heart breaking as they made the rules pact to keep them safe knowing it meant he could never pursue me. But he thought it was for the best. He thought he was a freak a monster. He was an alien, his life was dangerous and he thought I deserved so much better.
They had deduced that the government must be hunting them because someone had survived the crash to hide their pods where they wouldn’t be found for over 40 years. But there was no one there for them when they came out. Plus all the stories of alien autopsies, well two and two usually made four.
A life free of alien freaks and government manhunts wasn’t much, but it was the only gift he had to offer me.
I heard his thoughts as he planned, plotted, and schemed; and he was not above begging to be taken to places where he thought I’d be, so that for a few precious moments each day that he could spend in my presence, the loneliness that was his constant companion would diminish.
As he grew older I saw his fantasies of telling me his secret and having me accept him. Fantasies of us dating, kissing, getting married, and creating a life together in a nice house with a white picket fence and children playing in the yard.
I also saw his nightmares of me finding out his secret and rejecting him for the monster he saw himself as. I felt his fear that I would look at him with revulsion and disgust. I felt his terror that I would never again allow him the privilege… Privilege? …of being in my presence.
I felt his longing, desire, and love as he watched me over the years. Max Evans loves me!
I felt his elation at being assigned as my lab partner.
Then I witnessed myself being shot through his eyes. I felt the change come over him. Nothing else mattered, not the fear of my reaction, not the danger of exposure, not the threat of being tortured and dissected by the government, because suddenly there was one more gift he could give me… LIFE! He was going to heal me. I would live.
Somehow my mind processed all of this in the space of a heartbeat, when the connection between us was established. Suddenly I knew what to do; how to repay him for this wonderful gift. As he healed my body I would heal his soul; this amazing soul that cares so deeply for others and wants precious little in return.
I pushed my mind farther into his and I felt it snap into place, permanently bonded instead of momentarily connected. I did the same with my heart, and received the same result.
Then I poured my soul into his filling the lonely void. I felt parts of his soul replace in me the parts of myself that I gave up.
I knew we had formed a bond of love that was more binding than any marriage ever could be. We were now literally a part of each other. As he finished healing me I hear him whisper, “You're all right now. You're all right.”
He cradles me in his arms like I’m the most precious thing in the universe. I reach up with my hand and caress his cheek as I respond, “So are you.”
Suddenly Michael is standing behind him demanding, “Keys! NOW!!”
Max tosses him the keys, “You can go, but I’m staying.” He grabs a ketchup bottle, breaks it, and spills it all over my uniform.”
As Michael runs out the door the police sirens register in my mind and I tell Maria, “When the police get here tell them that Max and I went upstairs to get cleaned up.” And with that I grab Max’s hand and drag him up to my room.
When we get there I watch in amazement as Max waves a glowing hand over my uniform and the bullet hole seals itself, and the blood turns to ketchup. I remove my uniform and go to my dresser to get a change of clothes, when I hear Max’s thoughts, “God you’re beautiful!”
I realize Max is watching me parade around in just my underwear but I give no thoughts to modesty, for I now know him more intimately than anyone else including Isabel and Michael. And I know the connection went both ways, and he now knows me better than even Maria, Alex, or my parents. He knows my deepest desires and worst fears. He knows my every fantasy and every secret, so what’s the use in hiding my body from him?
Others will be coming though so I pull on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I throw my uniform in the laundry basket and I approach Max, the love of my life. I see the love he has for me burning in his eyes undisguised for the first time.
We both know what happened between us. And we both know it only happened because we both wanted it. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen Max smile. He takes his hand and gently strokes my hair behind by ear caressing my cheek. “Thank you.” He tells me before pulling me into a kiss.
I feel his joy as he realizes that his dreams are coming true and that I share those dreams. We continue to kiss and our tongues dance as if they’d done it a million times before. We break apart when we hear somebody clearing their throat.
I turn around to see Sheriff Valenti standing in the doorway. I feel Max’s fear climbing so I speak, “Hi sheriff.”
The sheriff looks at me disapprovingly, but then again he did just catch me cheating on his son. But Kyle and I left things casual, we never agreed to be exclusive and that relationship is definitely over now that I have Max.
The sheriff begins, “Two tourists down stairs say that you were shot.”
I reply, “No sheriff, I just fainted when I heard the gunshot and broke a ketchup bottle in the fall. My uniform’s over there if you need it for evidence.”
The sheriff looked at Max, “Those same tourists say you healed her.”
Max shook his head, “No, I thought she was shot just like they did. When I saw it was just ketchup not blood, and that she was passed out, I woke her up. Then we came up here so she could change.”
The sheriff looked at us both suspiciously, but then he apparently decided our story was plausible. He grabbed my uniform, “I’ll just send this to the lab for testing. If I find blood you’ll both have questions to answer.” Then he left.
I look up at Max and I catch his train of thought. When I thought about breaking up with Kyle a second ago, he started to think about how much as changed between us in such a short time, and how our friends and family will never understand.
Alex and Maria will be happy for me. They both know I’ve always had a thing for Max, but neither of them is going to understand the sudden intimacy we share. Maria would probably tell you that you were crazy if you told her I had just changed in front of Max, much less the fact that I find myself not only willing but wanting to make love to him.
The problem is while it may seem sudden in that it happened in mere moments; this intimacy was actually built over a lifetime; a lifetime of sharing every thought and every dream; a life time of sharing every fantasy, and every secret. Maybe this is how Max’s people get married, a marriage of souls and a merging of hearts and minds. All I know is he feels like my husband and more.
My parents are never going to understand. Oh they won’t mind me dating Max, he’s the perfect boyfriend to bring home to my parents, but they definitely won’t be happy with how serious we are about each other.
Isabel and Michael are going to be furious. Max broke every last one of their rules today. But strangely enough they’re the only ones who have a chance at understanding us.
Max’s parents will probably just be happy he’s dating, but just like mine they probably won’t like it being so serious so fast.
I look once again into Max’s eyes and I allow myself to get lost in them. All my concerns fade away because we’re together, we can handle everything else some how.
I’m Liz Parker and nearly dying may just be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.