Rating: Teen (for language)
Disclaimer: I don’t own Roswell. No infringement intended.
Coupling: Mi/L
Brief Summary: Liz reveals to her husband that she’s been having an affair.
Thank you to ~Amara~ for the banner~
Part 1
5:03am, July 10, 2005
The rain falls a little faster and I pull my sweatshirt a bit tighter around me. There’s no point in this action however. I’m already cold and soaked through with rain. I’m not sure how long I’ve been walking, but I know it’s been at least a few hours.
On the horizon I can see the first rays of sunlight. Dawn is approaching. I’m not tired, though. I feel wired. I’ve never been more awake in my life. I have all kinds of thoughts running through my head. The one that recurs the most is about the life that’s growing inside of me. I’ll do anything to protect that life.
10:01pm, July 9, 2005 (the night before)
“Max, we need to talk.”
“Sure, Liz,” Max replied to me. He glanced up then, but I didn’t brush my tears away fast enough. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, a look of concern washing over his face.
I closed my eyes and sighed, listening to the silence. Since Max, Michael, Isabel, Kyle, Maria, and I had all bought this house together, I don’t think it had ever been this silent. But then, everyone else was out except Max and I. I knew the upcoming conversation with Max would be hard enough to get through. It would be a million times harder if I knew others might be listening in. And so I had sent them all off for a night at the bowling alley.
“Max, maybe you should sit down.” My husband gave me a strange look, but didn’t resist as I led him to the sofa. Sitting side by side, he took one of my hands in his.
I slid my hand back onto my lap.
“Liz?” A look of confusion covered his face.
I took a deep breath. And then I made the mistake of looking into his eyes and broke down into quiet sobs. He knew. The pain in his eyes told me without a doubt that he knew.
He let me cry for a minute and then gruffly asked, “How long have you been sleeping with him, Liz?”
“Max, I-“
“Tell me, Liz. You want to talk about it? Ok, we’ll talk about it. How long have you been fucking Michael?”
I gasped lightly at his words. Max almost never swore, especially in front of me.
“A year,” I replied, barely whispering. “I’ve wanted to tell you. I’ve tried-“
He laughed loudly. It’s mean, mocking laughter. “Sure you have, Liz. Tell me, does Maria know about this?”
“Everyone else knows,” I replied, referring to Maria, Isabel, and Kyle. Michael and Maria had broken up shortly after Max and I were married. Max seemed to be the only person who didn’t realize that Michael and Maria were over each other. He still spoke of them as if they’d one day get back together.
But it would never happen.
Maria had walked in on Michael and I one night when we thought we were alone in the house. She’d calmly shut the door and by the time Michael and I had gotten our clothes back on, she was in the living room, popping a movie into the DVD player.
“Maria-“ I had begun, tentatively.
“No. Don’t try to apologize, Liz,” she had replied, holding up her hand as if to physically stop me. “It’s...it’s ok. I’m not mad. But, Liz...you’re a married woman. You’re playing with fire.”
“Please, just...don’t tell Max. Please, Maria.” I begged her with my eyes. She looked from me to Michael and then back to me.
“Ok,” she said. “Your secret’s safe with me. But I won’t back you up when this blows up in your face.”
“Thank you,” Michael said.
Maria stood by her word and never told. Kyle and Isabel found out in a similar fashion. Since then, Michael and I were never intimate in the house because we realized we were too close to being discovered by Max. Instead, Michael and I would rent a room at a nearby hotel every few weeks. Our excuses for being out all night were lame, but Max had never caught on. Or so I had thought.
Max’s head fell into his hands in defeat. He sat hunched over like that, his elbows resting on his knees, for a long time.
“My friends knew and didn’t even tell me. My own sister knew.” He snorted in derision. “Fucking hell.”
I winced. I wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t going the way I’d thought it would. I had expected him to cry and be emotional. But I hadn’t expected the cursing or the look of utter exhaustion and defeat that covered his face.
Finally, he spoke again. “I’ve felt like something’s been off for a few months now. Last week....I followed you one night. I saw you and Michael go into the hotel together. I sat in the parking lot all night.”
That brought me to tears again. “Max, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Elizabeth?!” he exploded, vaulting himself off the sofa. “You didn’t mean to hurt me? You’re my wife, Liz. And you’ve been fucking the man who’s supposed to be my best friend for a year! How the hell wouldn’t that hurt me?!”
I stared silently down at the patch of carpet between my feet.
“God, Liz. What are we going to do?” he asked, his voice at a more normal level.
“Max.” I took a deep breath. “I...there’s...I have more to tell you.”
I made eye contact with him and said a silent prayer that I would be able to make it through the next few minutes.
“Well, what is it?” he asked.
“I’m pregnant.”
To be continued...
