Roswell Fanatics

Title: On The Outside Looking In

Rating:Teen/Adult

Disclaimer: Roswell belongs to first to Melinda Metz, then to Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox. She created them; they killed them. I’m just borrowing them.

Author’s Note: This is for Annie and Kath for giving me the encouragement to try. This is the fifth installment in my UC series.

Alex couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t like Isabel Evans. Liking her was as much a part of him as eating or breathing. Liking was one thing, remotely having a chance was her was another. In fact, it was an impossibility – at least until Liz got shot. It was selfish of him, he knew, to benefit from his best friend getting shot. But she had been shot, and he had benefited from it, indirectly. It brought him closer to Isabel Evans. But he wasn’t close enough. He wasn’t an integral part of the group the way Maria was. He was on the fringes. If he were to disappear tomorrow, nobody would notice, nobody would care. By nobody, he meant Isabel, but he didn’t want to put it into words. It hurt too much. They were so tight, Max, Liz, Michael, Maria and Isabel. They formed this little group, and he was on the fringes, always trying to get in.

“Hey, can I sit here?” a voice asked, jarring him from his musings.

Alex looked up, and allowed his eyes to focus on the figure standing beside him. It was Tess, the newest member in the alien club, only she was an alien.

“Oh, hey Tess, sure, sit down,” said Alex, moving to the side to make room for her on the bench. “How’s it going?”

“It isn’t,” said Tess, her voice matching her dejected expression. “They’re never going to let me in, are they?”

“Don’t ask me,” said Alex. “I’m still trying.”

“I hear you,” said Tess. “God, I’m one of them, and the virtually ignore me.”

“Well, you did come on kind of strong when you first showed up,” said Alex. “You were so big on that whole Max is your destiny thing. It was kind of scary.”

“I know,” she admitted. “But I’m so over that now. Why can’t they just let me in?”

As she spoke, a tear welled up in her eye and slid down her cheek, and it was that tear more than anything that touched something in Alex. Without bothering to explore the reasons why, he reached out and used one finger to wipe the tear from her cheek.

“Maybe you shouldn’t try so hard,” he suggested. “Just relax and go with the flow, hang out with some other friends or something for a while, and they’ll realize that they miss you.”

Tess looked down at the ground and whispered something.

“What’s that?” Alex asked.

“I don’t actually have any other friends,” she admitted, color flooding her face.

“You have me,” Alex said. “I’m your friend, Tess – as long as you don’t ever call me…”

“I know, I know,” laughed Tess. “Call you Al. You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”

“Nope, of course not,” said Alex. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t take very opportunity I could to embarrass you?”

“Are you really my friend,” Tess asked.

“Of course I am,” said Alex. “In fact, why don’t you and I hang after school today? We can grab some food, and well, the guys and I are supposed to practice if you maybe want to come and listen.”

“Practice?” Tess asked.

“Yeah, I kind of have a band,” Alex said. “The Whits.”

“Nice name,” Tess said, trying not to smile.

“It’s a lame name,” Alex said. “But it suits us.”

“Why?” asked Tess, her eyes sparkling mischievously, “Are you a lame band?”

Alex stared at Tess intently. This was a side of her he’d never seen. She was joking and laughing – well trying not to laugh, but still, it wasn’t something he associated with Tess.

“Yeah, that’s it exactly, we’re the lamest of the lame, and since you’re going to be our groupie, that makes you lamer than us,” Alex managed to get out before exploding in laughter.

Tess’ giggles erupted immediately after, and the two continued to laugh as they made their way across the lawn toward the high school.

** * ** *

The last notes of music hung in the air, reverberating in the mostly empty garage where The Whit’s practiced.

“So, what’d you think?” Alex asked, trying to mask the eagerness in the question.

“Well, um,” Tess hedged.

“Tess?”

“Honestly?” Tess asked, swallowing visibly.

“Well, yeah, of course, honestly,” said Alex, bracing himself for what he was sure was about to be utter degradation.

“I liked it,” she said. “It was really, really good.”

“Seriously?” Alex asked.

“Seriously,” said Tess. “As in some day, you could even make a living doing this.”

“Yeah, well, I doubt that,” Alex said, slipping the strap for his bass guitar off his shoulder. “But thanks. Now how about we go grab something to eat.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Tess.

“We’re gonna grab a bite at the CrashDown,” Alex said to the rest of his band mates. “You guys in?”

“Nah, we’ll just break everything down and head out,” said Nicky. “Nice meeting you, Tess.”

“Nice meeting you too,” Tess said. “And I mean it, you guys, all you guys, are really great.”

** * ** *

Alex and Tess talked during the short car ride to the CrashDown, but it was a comfortable conversation, not something either one of them felt like they had to work at. They made tentative plans to join some of Alex’s band mates at a movie on Saturday, following a marathon study session of American History.

They parked on Main St., and began to walk toward the CrashDown, rehashing The Whit’s rehearsal as they went. Tess was mimicking the movements of Nicky as they entered the café, causing Alex to explode with laughter. His outburst drew the attention of many people in the small restaurant, including that of Max and Isabel Evans who shared a table with Michael and Kyle.

“I wonder what that’s about?” Isabel asked nobody in particular, watching the couple with interest.

Title: On The Outside Looking In


Part Two

“Hey, Alex,” Isabel said. “Do you want to come and sit with us?”

Alex looked up from his menu, and then glanced at Tess, noting the slight frown that marred her delicate features, and made his decision. “Nope, we’re good thanks,” he said.

“Are you sure?” Isabel persisted. “I mean, there’s plenty of room.”

“No, really, we’re good,” said Alex, barely looking up from the menu. “Tess and I are good. We, uh…”

“We really just want to be alone, Isabel,” Tess interjected. “I’m sure you can understand that.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Isabel said, her face flushing. “Well, if that’s what you want.”

“That’s what we want,” said Alex, smiling at Tess. “See you later.”

The waited and watched Isabel cross the floor of the CrashDown and return to her booth before they exploded with laughter.

“Alex, that was so mean of us,” Tess giggled.

“Maybe,” Alex said. “But you know what?” he added more seriously. “I meant it. I’d rather be here with you.”

“You don’t have to say that, Alex,” Tess said.

“I don’t have to, but I want to. I mean it,” said Alex. He reached out and covered her hand with his. “I had fun today, and I want to spend more time with you.”

“Really?” Tess asked, her eyes shining brightly.

“Yeah, but if uh, you don’t want, or something, we don’t have to,” Alex said, his discomfort visible on his face.

“No, no, I want to,” said Tess. “I just didn’t think you’d want to. I figured you were just saying that to upset Isabel.”

“I just figured you were – wait, you think I’d actually do something like that?” asked Alex. “Do you really think I’d do something like that to you?”

“Well come on, Alex, let’s get real. Look at Isabel. I mean, she’s beautiful Anybody would do something like that to get her attention.”

“Hi, can I take your order? Oh, Hi Alex,” Liz said, looking up from her order pad. “Hey, Tess,” she added, her voice considerably colder. Her glance slid from Tess and Alex’s faces down to the table where Alex still held Tess’ hand in his. “Oh,” she said softly, followed by a louder, “Oh! Are you guys…”

“We’re together!” Alex said, loudly, causing people at the surrounding tables to turn and stare. “Or, well, maybe we are. I was getting to that when you interrupted.”

“Oh, sorry,” Liz said, contritely. “I’ll uh, I’ll just get you some water and you just give me a shout when you’re ready to order.”

They waited in silence while Liz grabbed two glasses of water and placed them on the table.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “That didn’t go quite they way I had planned.”

“Planned?” asked Tess. “You had a plan?”

“Well, not necessarily a plan type plan,” Alex replied. “But maybe a kind of plan. See, I started thinking today after lunch, and I realized that you’re really kind of cool, and beautiful, too.”

“I’m not beautiful,” said Tess. “Isabel’s beautiful.”

“No, see, that’s just it,” he said earnestly, squeezing her hand gently. “You’re right, Isabel is beautiful, but Tess, so are you. It’s a different kind of beautiful. She’s cold, ice princess, New York model type beautiful. You, you’re white puffy clouds, and sunsets and green fields beautiful.”

“Oh,” was all Tess could say in response to Alex’s declaration.

“So anyhow, like I was saying, I was thinking about you all day today. About how you’re beautiful, and you’re funny, and you’re nice, and you’re someone I’d really like to get to know better. And then, this afternoon, you came, and you listened to us play, and you made a real effort to get to know my friends. For once, it wasn’t about all that, you know,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “that alien drama.”

Alex lifted his water glass to his lips, spilling a little as he did. He took a deep breath and continued. “And you know what, Tess? I liked that. I liked getting to know you, and spending time with you, and I want a chance to get to know you even better, because I think you’re really special.”

“Oh, I, Alex, I,” Tess said, stumbling over her words.

“Great, I’ve just made a complete and utter fool of myself, haven’t I?” Alex asked. “And that was a rhetorical question, so don’t feel as if you have to answer it.”

“You haven’t,” Tess said. “Actually, it’s the complete opposite. What you said was so sweet, and well, it was just wonderful. I’ve spent my entire life being told that Max was my destiny; that he was the one I was supposed to be with. It didn’t matter what I wanted. It was always Max, Max, Max. I hated him before I even met him. Do you know, I never even allowed myself to think about liking somebody else? Until today - until you. You looked at me, Alex. You saw me for me. You saw Tess, not some evil alien here to break Max and Liz up, and that felt wonderful. You made me feel special, and the thing is, that made me want to make you feel special. I do want to spend time with you – get to know you better, too. I’ve always been on the outside looking in. Today, you let me in.”

“Um, I hate to interrupt,” Liz said, standing behind Tess. “But are you ready to order yet?”

“You know what, Liz?” Alex asked. “We’re good. We’re not going to order anything.”

Alex stood up, still holding Tess’ hand and pulled her to her feet. “We’ve got some things we need to go take care of.”

“Oh, okay,” Liz said, in a bemused voice.

Alex pulled Tess across the diner, past an amazed Maria who watched speechless with a tray of drinks in her hand. Past Michael who had abandoned his seat and was heading for the kitchen, and past Isabel, Max and Kyle who still sat in their booth. He stopped at the door and kissed Tess, thoroughly and completely before pulling her out into the dark Roswell night.