Roswell Fanatics

Story Title: Family Connections
Author: KatnotKath
Rating: MATURE-ADULT
Disclaimer: I don't own them, just borrowing the characters.
Couples: CC
Summary: Michael and Isabel are aliens and are brother and sister, Maria and Alex know about them. There’s some new kids arrive in town who maybe aren’t quite as normal as people might think at first.
AN: I know that I have another story on the go, and I’m not about to forget it, but I started this a couple of weeks ago and I just can’t resist starting to post, It’s grown from a very small idea and I’m not sure where it’s going to go but I’d love to know what you think.
Also, thanks for the help in coming up with a name Isabelle!



Chapter 1

“I have a portion of Saturn rings ready for table two here and they’re going cold!”

Maria DeLuca looked round as she heard her boyfriend, Michael Guerin, calling out. She looked back at the serving hatch, expecting to see one of the other two waitresses who were supposed to be on duty but it appeared that they must have both decided to take their break. Michael was stood on the other side of the hatch, impatiently holding a plate. Her eyes roamed around the restaurant but Courtney and Agnes were no were to be seen. This is typical…they’re never around to do any actual work! She rolled her eyes and went over. “Ok Michael…give it here!” She instructed him, holding out her hand to take the pate.

He passed it over and glanced at the clock. “We’ve got another ten minutes and then I’m switching off the cooker and grill so that we can start closing up…”

Maria nodded before turning away from him and walking over to table two to deliver the food. Luckily the young couple at the table weren’t that bothered about the fact that their food would be cold, they were far more interested in each other, and as Maria set the plate down appeared to be trying for a new record for length of kiss so didn’t say anything. Having been anticipating a complaint, this came as a nice surprise to Maria and she smiled as she walked away.

Unfortunately that smile was soon wiped from her face as she saw a large group of youths walk in and settle them at one of the free tables. A small groan came from her lips as she recognised some of the boys in the group. Couldn’t they have just stayed away for today…we’re nearly ready for closing and I really don’t want to have to deal with them! Maria grabbed her order pad and pen from the front of her apron and fixed a smile on her face before she went over.

The guys were part of the school basketball team and could be real jerks but they were also customers and as such she had to be polite. “Hey guys…” She greeted them quickly as she went to stand at the side of their table. “Ok, so we’re almost ready for closing so if you want to order, you’re going to have to do it now!” She announced to the group, holding her pad ready. A few of the guys made some comments about her dress, as usual, but she just ignored them as best she could, it was the same everyime they came in. Why couldn’t Mr Parker come up with something a little less trashy…? She wondered for the gazilianth time. “Come on guys…I’m waiting!” She looked at Kyle Valenti, the team captain. He was a real creep…he an the rest of the jocks just seemed to think that they were better than everyone else and that just because they could dribble a ball well and shoot hoops they could treat other people like dirt. Even worse, all the girls at school seemed to fall head over heels for them…especially for Kyle. Well almost all of them anyway…I’m not about to…What a jerk! As she watched him, she suddenly realised that Kyle had been talking to her and tried to tune back into what he had been saying. Just in case it’s anything important…however unlikely that is…

“…thanks, we’re just waiting for Courtney…” Kyle finished.

Maria looked at him, hoping it wasn’t too obvious what she had been thinking. “Huh…sorry, what?”

Some of the guys laughed. “Daydreaming again DeLuca…maybe we could have a go at making some of those dreams come true sometime…?” They teased her.

She rolled her eyes. God…how I hate these guys… “It’d be a waste of your time…you wouldn’t be able to guys!” She replied sharply. She knew that she wasn’t being very polite, but right at that moment in time she’d had just about as much of those guys as she could manage. At least Mr Parker isn’t here to see… Looking round at the groups, she realised that they weren’t going to order, turned quickly and walked away. All she wanted to do was put as much distance between herself and those jerks as was possible.

“You ok…?” She turned round in surprise as she heard someone behind her but smiled as she saw Michael stood in the doorway to the kitchen. He’d obviously been watching the whole thing.

She nodded. “Yeah, you know those guys…they just really get on my nerves…” Maria muttered as she walked over to him. Her arms slipped round his waist and she looked up at him, obviously wanting a kiss. Michael smiled and responded willingly, pressing his hot wet lips against hers. Maria extended the kiss a little and then, as she broke away, rested her head against her boyfriend’s shirt. It was hot and sweaty, but she really didn’t care, the only thing that concerned her was that Michael was there, and his arms were around her…

“Maria…” Her contact with Michael was cut prematurely short as Maria felt a small tap on her shoulder.

Recognising the voice, she pulled out of Michael’s arms and looked round at Courtney. “What is it…?”

“Well I know that Agnes has already gone…but I was hoping you wouldn’t need me to help you close up and maybe I could go now and leave a little early…?” The girl explained. “Kyle’s come to meet me you see and…”

Maria tuned out of the last part of her sentence. Agnes has already gone…figures! She looked back at Courtney. “Yeah, it’s ok…go!” She waved the other girl away, not really wanting to hear how wonderful Kyle was, or how she didn’t want to keep him waiting. She watched with disgust as Courtney flew over to where Kyle and his group were sitting. Kyle pulled her down onto his lap, kissing her briefly before the group got ready to leave.

Is she never going to learn…? Kyle Valenti wants only one thing…he never stays with one girl more than a couple of weeks… It wasn’t that Maria actually liked Courtney…in fact it couldn’t be further from the truth, but she just hated seeing Kyle treating anyone like that. She knew that Kyle would soon get fed up of his latest conquest and move on…no one deserved to be treated like that…

“Maria…?” Michael’s voice called her back to the present and she pushed away the fingers her boyfriend was waving in front of her eyes. He grinned as she looked round at him. “There you are…I was wondering where you’d wandered off to…I thought that you’d gone and left me…” He teased.

Reaching up to give him a kiss, Maria shook her head. “Don’t be stupid Spaceboy…”

**********

“You know I really enjoyed that Alex…thanks…” Isabel Guerin turned to her boyfriend, Alex Whitman, smiling.

From the drivers seat of the car Alex grinned. “I’m glad…” He pulled up across the road from the Crashdown, cut the engine and removed the keys from his ignition. Quickly, the couple got out of the car and crossed the road. “So was Michael due to be working tonight…?” Alex asked, making conversation while they walked.

Isabel nodded. “Yeah, both he and Maria…I think they should be almost finished now though if you’re wanting to talk to him…”

“Ok, great…I wanted to talk to him about the translation but I didn’t see him at school today!” He explained.

Isabel nodded. “I didn’t realise that he hadn’t gone today, I mean he wasn’t at lunch but it’s not like that means anything…particularly not when Maria’s missing too…” She commented.

Alex grinned and chuckled as the inference of this. “You know I remember them before they got together…and I thought they were bad then with all the fighting…but now…it’s ridiculous…the only things that’s changed is the making up!”


“Well they definitely do plenty of that…” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “Anyway, it doesn’t really surprise me that Michael wasn’t at school when I come to think of it…he had a bit of a bust up with Hank the other night and since then he’s been a little distant…” Not that it’s anything new him missing lessons anyway…he seems to be missing about half the time so why would I have expected him to be in today…?

Alex nodded, making no further comments as he pushed open the door of the restaurant for Isabel and then followed her inside.

**********

Maria looked up from what she was doing as she heard the familiar sound of the bell indicating that someone had entered the restaurant. Her eyes glancing over at the door, she smiled as she saw her friends enter. “Hey guys…be with you in two secs!” She called out to the couple. Seeing that she was busy, Alex and Isabel nodded before going over to the empty booth at the back of the café and sitting down to wait for a few minutes.

They saw Maria finish taking the order of the man who she was stood next to, then, after glancing round to make sure no one else was trying to attract her attention, she checked the clock and went back over to the counter. She rang a small bell to indicate that they wouldn’t be taking anymore orders, relayed her final order to Michael, and then started to clean the writing off the specials board.

Isabel saw her brother gesturing about something to his girlfriend but couldn’t work out what he was on about. Whatever it was couldn’t have been anything bad though since Maria seemed amused. She walked back over to the counter and started to clear up. Meanwhile a number of tables started to empty and their occupants headed out the door of the restaurant in a mass exodus.

“Maria…Order up!”

She looked round at Michael. That’s fast…in fact that’s extraordinarily fast…one might even say it’s suspiciously fast… There was nothing she could do or say in public except take the plate and deliver it to the right table but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Michael had done something. It wasn’t like him to be reckless, but at the same time he was eager to get closed up…

The customer seemed surprised as she set the plate down in front of him, but luckily he didn’t question the speed at which his food had arrived. While he tucked into his burger and fries, Maria started to clear some of the many, now vacant tables around him. She piled the dirty dishes up on the counter by the serving hatch and put any rubbish in the bin. Michael started to do similar in the kitchen and after switching off the cooker, he put the dirty pans for washing and started to wipe down his work surfaces.

As more and more customers exited the café, Alex and Isabel got up from their seats and went over to the counter. “You guys want some help…?” They offered.

Maria looked up and smiled gratefully. “That would be great…” She agreed readily.

Isabel nodded, leaning over the front of the counter to retrieve another cloth while Alex went into the kitchen to offer to help Michael. By this time, the single man eating was the sole remaining customer and the two girls worked quickly, wiping down the empty tables while inside the kitchen Michael washed and Alex dried. The four young people worked quickly and efficiently, obviously having worked together in this manner before and once the man had finished and paid, Maria locked the door behind him while Isabel passed the dirty plate over to Michael in the back.

The girls sat down in the back booth where Alex and Isabel had been sitting earlier, and the boys joined them a few moments later. Michael sat next to Maria, while Alex took the spot next to Isabel.

“Hey guys…so how did the date go?” Michael asked as he sat down. Isabel blushed at her brother’s question.

“Michael…please don’t!” She requested.

He looked at her puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

His sister groaned and looked over at Maria, her eyes pleading for help.

Her friend laughed and looked sideways at her boyfriend. “Leave it…it went fine and she doesn’t want to talk about it with her brother!” She informed him quickly.

Michael didn’t look happy but said nothing to argue with this. “Fine!” He sounded grumpy.

Alex grinned and tried to lighten the mood. “Listen, you know I’d never dare do anything to hurt her…I would never dare cross you man…even if I did want to, which I never would anyway…I’d be too scared of what you might do…!”

Michael looked over at him, reading his expression and thumping him on the arm playfully. “You better remember that too…”

Alex nodded, pretending to look scared and playing along with the conversation for a few minutes before turning serious. “Ok well I was actually wanting to talk to you at school today…the translation came though!” He told Michael.

The other boy’s change in manner was apparent to everyone at the table, his body stiffening as he looked at his friend. “So what does it say?” He asked in an even voice.


AN (24/11/04): This isn't one of the awards from on here, but from a board where I don't actually post the fic so if I want to put it up, here is where it has to go...hopefully no one will have any objections since I did check.

roswelluver, Sternbetrachter, PhoenixFlamez, Milla, Isabelle and Ivlyfem, thanks for reading, I'm glad you're all liking the story.

PhoenixFlamez - Reading this chapter might answer one of your questions. For the other you might have to wait a little longer.

Milla - Like Isabelle said this is an AU story. Liz Parker doesn't exist and neither does Nancy. In this story Mr Parker is a single batchelor, he never got over the death of his girlfriend when he was younger so never got together with Nancy. Hope that answers your question and glad you like the sotry so far anyway.

Anyway, here's the new part, hope everyone likes it.

Chapter 2

As he neared the bus station in the centre of the town, the driver looked back at his last two remaining passengers. From looking at them he guessed they’d be around sixteen…the same age as his daughter…and he couldn’t help wondering what they were doing out there. Roswell attracted lots of tourists sure…and many of them were kids…but this was hardly a time of year for teenagers to be taking a holiday. They should be in school surely… He shook his head. There would be some simple explanation he was sure. Maybe they were moving…yes, that could be it… Then he rethought his idea as something occurred to him. If they’re moving here where are their parents though…? He knew that there had been no one to see them off at the beginning of the journey. Maybe they’re already here though… I suppose that could be possible… He shook his head, unconvinced. The more he thought about them, the stranger it seemed. Oh well…if the explanation’s anything interesting I’m sure I’ll hear about it soon enough… Having lived in Roswell all his life he knew that nothing stayed secret for long…

A few moments later he came up to the entrance and he switched on his indicator. Holding the wheel with both hands, he turned the coach, driving through the gates and parking up inside. As he cut the engine, he looked back and realised for the first time that the boy and girl sat part way down the bus must have fallen asleep at some time during the journey. Smiling, he finished collecting his own stuff, sorting the money and putting on his coat before making his way down the aisle to wake the two sleeping teenagers.

The young girl had her head resting against the boy’s shoulder and his arm was round her shoulders. Their positions seemed almost practiced, suggesting that it wasn’t the first time that they’d fallen asleep together on a bus and watching them, the driver found that the questions he had about them were multiplying. Who are these kids…? What are they doing here…?

For some reason he got the feeling that they weren’t your average sixteen year olds. A yawn escaped his mouth and he looked down at his watch. Wow…it’s later than I thought… The youngsters looked so comfortable that he hated to wake them but his wife would complain if he was late home.

“Excuse me…” He called to the boy and was about to follow by giving him a small shake on the shoulder. This proved unnecessary though as the young man woke suddenly.

The driver could have sworn that he saw a look of panic pass over his eyes but a moment later it was gone and since he couldn’t think of anything that was likely to have caused it, he simply brushed it off as being a figment of his imagination. I’m being silly…what would he have to be scared of…?

The boy looked across. “Oh, I’m sorry…we must have fallen asleep…” He apologised, realising that the driver was obviously waiting for them. He turned and shook the girl’s shoulder gently. “Lizzy…” His tone was gently and soft but it was only a few seconds before her eyelids fluttered open and she sat up properly in her seat. Again the driver thought she looked a little nervous but he saw the young man smile reassuringly and she seemed to relax a little. The boy looked back at him. “I’m very sorry…” He apologised again. “We won’t be more than a few minutes…”

The driver nodded. “Not a problem…” He assured him before heading back down to the front of the vehicle while the two teenagers gathered their belongings.

When they got on he hadn’t taken much notice, but as they disembarked, he noted that they had very little luggage. Each carried a backpack, and then they had another holdall with them which the young man carried.

They thanked him politely and apologised again for any delay they might have caused him before stepping down from the bus. He watched them walk together towards the exit and then stepped down, closing the doors of the buss and heading home.

**********

The boy looked over at the girl as they walked out of the station. “Are you ok…?” He asked her, his voice soft.

She nodded and smiled at him. “Yeah, I’m fine Max, just a little tired that’s all…” She tried to stifle a yawn but didn’t do a very good job of it.

Max grinned as he watched her. “Alright well it shouldn’t be too far anyway…the agent said it was about ten minute walk from the station.” He commented taking in their surroundings.

“Ok, don’t worry, I’ll be fine…I’ll just be really glad to get to bed tonight…”

He nodded. “You and me both…”

Liz smiled softly and looked around as they walked along. The town was rather smaller than most places they’d stayed recently, but it seemed nice enough. Well as nice a place as it can be… Most of the buildings were low, two or three story maximum she would guess from looking at them, and there was very little housing around. The latter fact was hardly surprising though, from what they’d been able to find out the main residential area was supposed to be further away from the station. The only type of accommodation they were likely to find in this area was a couple of cheap apartment blocks, fortunately that was exactly what they were looking for. “So this is Roswell, New Mexico…” She mumbled, taking in the surroundings.

Max looked over at her, reading her expression and chuckling. “Hmm…isn’t exactly what you expect is it…?”

Liz shook her head. “Not really, I guess I was expecting something slightly more impressive, with all the tacky alien souvenir shops in the background of course though…”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh I’m sure there’ll be plenty of those, probably just in the more tourist orientated area rather than here…” Which is no where near here…we’d never be able to afford somewhere in that area… He pulled a small handwritten card out the back pocket of his jeans and checked the address he’d written down earlier. Pausing at the end of the street, he checked the street sign. “I think it’s down this way…” He pointed at one of the roads leading off the one they were currently stood on.

Liz looked over his shoulder, checking the card herself. She looked around again as they resumed walking. “When I think about it, I don’t know why we expected it to be busier…surely all the constant alien jokes mean that you’ll only choose to live here if you’re crazy…any normal sane person would run a mile…” She commented and smiled ryly. “Doesn’t exactly say much about us does it…?” She joked.

The boy laughed and then took another look around, his eyes searching for the apartment building they’d seen a picture of.

Liz fell silent again, doing the same, and after another few minutes she put her hand on his shoulder. “Over there…isn’t that it?” She pointed a little way ahead.

Max looked over, following her finger and nodded. “It definitely looks like it…” They walked up to the building and checked the address against the one written on the card. “Yup, this is the one…” He pushed open the main door for the girl and then followed her inside.

Liz dropped her backpack down on the floor inside, opening the main compartment and fumbling around for a few minutes.

“You haven’t lost them again have you…?” Max teased her and she searched for something.

Liz looked up briefly, pretending to be hurt by his comments. “It was only the once…and we were in a hurry…” She commented before returning to her searching. After a short while she smiled and triumphantly pulled out a small set of keys. “See, I told you they were there…” She handed them to the boy who took them and headed for the small flight of stairs which were to be found to the right. The girl followed him and, together, the two youngsters made their way up to the second floor. Here they turned left at the top of the stairs and stopped in front of a door. Quickly, they double checked they had the right number and then Max used the keys to let them in.

Inside, the apartment was small and cramped but that wasn’t a problem for the boy and girl. The worst thing about it seemed to be a musty smell, and Liz immediately went over to open a window. Within seconds there was a noticeable improvement and, dropping her backpack down on the floor, she flopped onto the sofa. Unfortunately as soon as she landed, she could feel a broken spring sticking in her back and sat back up frowning. “Urgh…” This is so typical…

Max looked at her, guessing what was wrong. “Let me guess…broken spring…?”

She nodded. “Yeah and they are so uncomfortable…” She complained. When she’d entered the apartment she’d been ready to collapse into bed but was now fully awake again courtesy of the offending spring.

Max took a quick look around the apartment. They’d stayed in worse, that was for sure, but he had to admit it wasn’t great… Still we’ve got more important things to think about and it should all be worth it if I’m right… He came to sit down next to her, being careful to avoid the broken spring. “Look, I know that it’s not great but it’s cheap and they didn’t want to do any credit checks so…” He trailed off but she knew what he meant.

“Yeah, I know that…you know I don’t mean to complain really, and we’ve definitely stayed in worse, I’m just tired…” Her head dropped to rest of his shoulder. It would just make a nice change if we could get somewhere nice for once… She wasn’t really that bothered, but as usual being tired didn’t help her impression of their latest accommodation. She knew that it would be ok really though, it always was…

The boy nodded. “Well it’s understandable…we had an early start, and however much practice we might get at it, trying to sleep on a bus is no fun…”

Liz shrugged. “Well no, not exactly…” She agreed before yawning loudly. All I want to do is go to bed…I’m so tired… She knew that there was some stuff to check first though. “So, is everything set up for school tomorrow…?” She asked, looking over at Max.

He nodded and tried to stifle his own yawn. “Yeah, we h-“ He broke off into another yawn and Liz giggled. “You’re as bad as me…” She teased lightly. Max pretended to be angry, giving her a playful swat and diving to grab her.

Fortunately, the girl, knowing from experience what he’d try and do, was too quick. She stood up quickly and moved out of his reach, her eyes twinkling as her tiredness was forgotten momentarily.

Max groaned and shook his head. “No, I’m not doing this tonight…it’s too late and I’m as tired as you are!”

The girl gave another yawn and, realising he was right, smiled softly. “Yeah, you’re right…” She came back and reclaimed her spot on the sofa. “So, what were you going to say before we got distracted…?”

Max looked slightly puzzled for a moment. “Was I saying something…I don’t remember…” Admitting this, he fully expected to receive some sort of teasing from the girl but none came, showing just how tired she was. He thought for a moment and then, remembering nodded. “Oh yeah, I was just saying that we have a meeting with the principle tomorrow morning before school and I had our school records transferred so there shouldn’t be any problems…”

Liz nodded and then groaned a little. “Another new school…great…” She sighed. This is the one thing I really hate about moving around as much as we do… “I wonder what they’ll make of our records…”

Max shrugged. “Do we really care…we’re good students and other than that it’s not like they can change the number of different schools we’ve been to, or any of the other stuff…so long as we keep our grades up we should be fine.”

“I guess…” She was obviously a little nervous. “Do you think we’ve actually found the right place this time…are these going to be the right ones…?” Or is this going to be another dead end…

The boy looked at her, his expression neutral. “Honestly…I don’t know…” He paused a moment. “We’ve followed a lot of leads which turned out to be duff in the past I know, but these do seem to fit the information we have…I have a good feeling about this…”

“Isn’t it rather an obvious place…like too obvious…?”

He nodded. “Well yeah, and that’s why I didn’t want to come at first, I didn’t think it could be right, but the more I find out, the more it seems to fit… You know I wouldn’t be risking this unless I thought there was a good chance of it being right…don’t you…?”

The girl nodded. “Of course I do…” She answered softly.

Max nodded. “I think maybe we should be getting to bed anyway…we’re going to have an early start and a busy day tomorrow…”

“Yeah, I guess…”

He could hear the hesitation in her voice. “Lizzy…are you ok…?” His concern could be heard.

The girl nodded. “I’m just nervous that’s all…I mean we’ve always tried to keep as much distance from this place as we could…prevent any possible links being made…and yet we’re here voluntarily…”

Max nodded. “I know…it’s going to be ok though, I promise…”

Isabelle, roswelluver, FallenMagic, destinysucks and qt4167013, thanks for reading, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Isabelle - you know me, I love writing! . Anyway, hope you like the new chapter.

FallenMagic - the other story has been updated again today. And as far as whether Max and Liz are aliens in this...well like you say, guess you'll have to wait and see

Destinysucks - thanks so much for reading. I'm so glad you like it. Max and Liz's relationship is a mystery to you at the moment is it...? Well keep reading and it should become clear shortly.

qt4167013 - All should become a bit clearer within the next few chapters.

Ok guys, hope you like the new chapter.

Chapter 3

“You were late back last night!” Hank Whitmore stood and stated angrily, looking at the two teenagers in front of him. He stood in front of the door of the caravan, preventing Isabel and Michael from leaving.

Isabel looked at their foster father nervously, wondering what he was going to do. Sensing his sister’s discomfort, Michael stepped in front of her, placing himself between her and Hank. Their foster father was obviously still drunk from the night before and seemed to be having some trouble standing upright. Michael felt a wave of disgust wash over him and he glared at Hank. “So what if we were…it’s not like you care!”

Hank glowered at him. “How dare you speak to me like that…I’m going to-“ His voice was slurred but the harsh edge had skipped up a notch.

Michael took a step towards him. “Going to do what…? Give me another black eye…yeah you’re a real big man beating up a sixteen year old kid…”

Isabel could see what was coming next immediately. Michael’s taunting caused Hank to snap. Despite his alcohol induced stupor, he was still able to grab hold of the boy without much difficulty. Raising his arm, he prepared to strike Michael and realising what was about to happen, Isabel screamed.

He stopped, temporarily distracted. “What do you think you’re doing?” He yelled at her. Isabel tried her best not to show how scared she was but knew there was little point. Their foster father terrified her when he was angry, and worse, he knew it. Hank fixed his eyes on her. “I’ll deal with you later!” He stated in a cold voice.

Seeing how this last comment affected his sister, Michael took advantage of the fact that Hank wasn’t paying much attention to him and pushed him back. Still unsteady on his feet, their foster father fell over and before he had chance to get back up, Michael grabbed his sister and ran out the door. They were both aware that it would take only minutes for him to regain his balance and come after them and Isabel looked back at the door, expecting him to come after them. Luckily, just as they came out of the caravan, Maria pulled up outside in her Jetta. Both Isabel and Michael ran to the car and got in without speaking.

Maria had been friends with the two of them long enough to know when something had happened and she had enough sense to come to the logical conclusion that it had something to do with Hank Whitmore, their so called foster father. Although how anyone can honestly think he’s fit to look after children is beyond me… Without asking what had happened, she simply turned the car around and headed back towards the main road. Only once they were back on the road, heading towards school, did she look over at Michael and speak. “What happened…?”

Her boyfriend shrugged. “The usual…hank happened…”

Isabel was sat in the back but as Maria looked at her in the mirror, she saw her friend nod. “He was drunk and realised that we’d been late back last night…he wasn’t too happy about it…”

Michael looked back at his sister, picking up on the fact that her voice was still shaking. Hank’s really got to her this time…

Apparently he wasn’t the only one that had realised Isabel was shaken for Maria now turned her attention to his sister. “Are you ok…?” She asked, clearly concerned about her friend.

Isabel nodded slowly. “Yeah, I will be…I just need a little time…”

Michael watched her, realising immediately that there was no way she’d be in a fit state to have to face their foster father that night. He looked over at his girlfriend. “Could she stay over at your place tonight Ria…?”

Before Maria had a chance to answer, Isabel responded to this. “WHAT? I am not letting you go back there alone!” She told her brother.

Michael ignored her objections, when he made up his mind there was no changing it… And no way is she going back home tonight! He looked at Maria. “Well…?”

His girlfriend nodded. “Sure…no problem…you know it’s an open invitation…” She stopped at a red car and looked from Michael to Isabel. “What happened…?” She demanded. In all the time she’d known the two, she’d seen them after some bad fights but somehow this seemed to have shaken both much more than usual. Her tone was soft but determined, showing that she wasn’t going to be fobbed off. Neither answered her and she looked at Michael again. “Michael…?”

Her boyfriend looked serious. “I’ll deal with it!”

“What? How…? Michael don’t do anything stupid!” Isabel looked at her brother clearly worried about what he might be talking about doing.

“Don’t worry Izz…I’ll be fine…I’ll be careful, I promise…” He tried to reassure her.

Isabel still looked nervous. “No Michael…he’s not worth it….don’t do anything that might get you into trouble, he’s not worth it…”

Maria nodded in agreement. “He’s not worth it Michael…come and stay round at my house tonight…both of you…let him cool down…”

Michael shook his head. “No, he’s gone too far this time!” He stated angrily, falling silent and refusing to discuss it any further.

**********

“Lizzy…come on…we have to get going!” Max knocked on the bathroom door, glancing at his watch and waiting for her to emerge.

“Ok, I’ll be two more minutes…” He heard her call back from inside.

Sighing, he went back over to the sofa and dropped down. Only once he had sat down, did he remember about the broken spring they’d discovered the night before…the spring he found himself sat right on top of now… Frowning, he got back up and was about to call again when the door leading to the bathroom opened and Liz stepped out. Her long, straight, dark brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she wore a knee length denim skirt with dark orange tie blouse.

“Ok, I’m ready…” She told him as she walked over to join him.

Max nodded. “You look nice…” He commented.

She smiled. “Glad you think so…although I’m sensing a but somewhere in that…”

He shrugged. “Well you know that I always think your hair looks nicer down…why you insist on tying it back is beyond me…”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Well I have to tie my hair back for sciences, and seen as how I haven’t got a clue what classes we’re likely to have today I thought I’d put it up and then it doesn’t matter…you know then it’s already done…” She paused a moment before laughing softly and adding. “Besides, I like it down!”

Max nodded. It wasn’t like she was going to change it now so there was no point in continuing to try and persuade her, he might as well save his arguments for later… “Whatever…” He looked over at the clock and noted the time. “Ok well we haven’t got long so are you going to have breakfast or not because if you are it’ll have to be something fast…”

The girl thought for a moment before shaking her head. “No, I think I’ll manage.”

“Ok great…” Max picked up his bag and Liz did the same with hers. After checking that they hadn’t forgotten anything, they headed out of the door quickly, exiting the building and stepping onto the street. Once they got to the corner, the pair stopped while Max pulled a small map out of his pocket. He consulted it t check on directions and then nodded, confident that he knew where they were going. Together they headed off down the street, occasionally checking the map again to check which street to take, and, after something like a twenty minute walk, they walked through the gates of West Roswell High.

The parking lot in front of the school building was already almost full and there were kids hanging around everywhere talking and generally killing the time they had left before school was due to start.

Max looked down, checking his watch, and saw that they had around fiver minutes left before their meeting with the principle. “We’re just in nice time…let’s go find the office…”

Liz nodded. “Sure…” She took a quick look around before following him through a door which was open at the front of the building.

Once inside, the pair looked round for any signs which might point them in the direction of the Principle’s office and, finding none, instead looked around to see if there was anyone they could ask.

**********

“Michael you’re not listening to me…if you’re going back there, I’m not staying with Maria…there’s no way I’m going to let you go back alone with Hank in that sort of mood!” Isabel insisted, looking over at her brother as they headed towards their lockers. Maria stayed quiet, thinking it would be advisable to stay out of it for now at least.

Michael looked back at his sister. “Look Izz…I can look after myself…you know that…he won’t hurt me – I can look after myself!” He paused a moment before continuing. “I don’t want to risk you getting hurt though…Isabel I want to know that you’re safe…”

“I wouldn’t get hurt!” Isabel tried her best to sound certain but didn’t really succeed. She was scared, that was no secret…but she didn’t want her brother going back to face Hank like that alone either… “I’ll be f-“ She was about to continue but broke off as they were interrupted.

Alex didn’t wasn’t usually one to interrupt anyone but at the mere mention of Isabel getting hurt he want to know what was going on. “What’s going on guys…what’s this about my girl getting hurt…?” As usual his tone sounded light and jovial, but the others knew him well, and he was serious…he wanted answers…

Isabel couldn’t help smiling as her boyfriend fell into step next to her. As far as interruptions went, she couldn’t think of any other that would be as welcome. “Hey…” She smiled at him.

Alex smiled back but then looked over at Michael again seriously. “Well…what’s going on?”

Michael shrugged. “Rather not get into it…”

His friend wasn’t put off. “Well guess what, I’d rather you did…something’s happened and I want to know what…You and Isabel were just talking about her getting hurt, you’re not going to refuse to explain that to me!”

Isabel sighed, knowing full well that when Alex got like this he was like a dog with a bone…he wouldn’t let go until he got what he wanted. “We just had a little run in with Hank that’s all…” She told him vaguely. “It’s nothing big but he said a few things…” She slipped her hand into his knowing that it was a good job she’d stopped shaking. Had she still been in the state she had been a few moment s earlier there would be no way he’d accept such an ambiguous response, he’d have wanted to know exactly what had been said and she really didn’t want to have to go through it… “Look Alex, it’s not that important…I’m not in danger, if I was I promise that you would know…” Her soft words, combined with the quick explanation seemed to placate her boyfriend for the moment and, as they reached their lockers, the topic of conversation shifted to something a little more pleasant.

Maria looked round at her friends before removing her padlock from the locker and opening the door. She stuck her head inside, searching for something. “So, you’re all still free for my birthday next weekend aren’t you?” She asked them. The two boys nodded and pretended to pull faces knowing that she couldn’t see them. They each received a sharp dig in the ribs from Isabel’s elbow and as they yelled out, Maria laughed. “I know exactly what you’d have been doing and deserve anything you get!”

Michael looked at her. “Aww Ria…you know we don’t mean it…”

Maria didn’t look impressed but she said no more. She closed her locker and then turned to Isabel, starting to discuss what she was going to wear. Michael and Alex looked at each other, trying not to look too bored as they waited for their girlfriends to finish. They both ended up staring into space and didn’t notice as a pair of students walked up.

“Excuse me…”

Alex looked round surprised as he became aware of the boy stood next to him. He didn’t seem to recognise him or the girl who was stood next to him so guessed that they must be new. He gave them a smile. “Hi…do you need some help…?”

The boy nodded. “Look, I’m sorry if I interrupted your conversation…”

Alex shook his head quickly. “No, it’s fine…what are you wanting…?”

“Well I was wondering if you might be able to give us directions for how to get to the Principle’s office…we’re supposed to have a meeting there in a few minutes but we can’t seem to find it…” The boy explained, unknowingly confirming with his question Alex’s earlier assumption that they were new.

“Yeah sure…” He pointed down the corridor and then started to give the boy some further directions, explaining which corridors to take.

While he was in the middle of doing this, Maria and Isabel looked round, suddenly aware that someone else was present. They looked at the pair curiously, picking up from what Alex was saying that they must be new. The girl had been standing next to the boy without saying anything but as she came aware that they were watching her began to look a little uncomfortable. The boy with her seemed to sense this and looked over, giving her a reassuring smile while still listening to Alex.

As Alex finished his explanation, the boy nodded. “Ok thanks…I’m guessing it would have been easier to come in another entrance…” He commented wryly.

Alex nodded. “There is another entrance that would put you much closer but it’s ok…you shouldn’t have much difficulty in locating it from here anyway…”

“Ok, well like I said thanks very much…” He smiled at Alex pleasantly and the group watched as he, together with the girl, set off down the corridor.

**********

“Ok…well everything seems to be in order…” The Principle looked at the two students who were sat in front of him. “Your records indicate that you are both excellent students, although I must say your history is a little unusual…”

Max nodded. “We realise that we may not be your average students sir, but as our records show, we haven’t allowed that to affect our work.”

The Principle nodded. “No…considering how many different schools you’ve been to it does seem quite amazing that you’re managing to maintain there point averages…”

Max and Liz both smiled at this compliment. “Thank you sir…”

He consulted a few more sheets. “Alright well I anticipate no problems with you continuing in the advanced classes as you have done previously. If you ask in the office I believe they have your time tables all ready…” He nodded and closed the files he’d been looking at. “Well I think that’s it for now…if you have any problems, anything to do with the timetable you want to discuss please feel free to make another appointment, I’ll be pleased to talk to you.” The Principle smiled at them both. “I hope to see a continuation of your impressive performances and I have no doubt that you won’t let me down.”

“No sir…” The pair smiled back.

“Alright well I think the only thing left to say is welcome to West Roswell high…” He stood up to shake their hands in turn then went over to the door and let them out.

*********

“I wonder if those new kids are together…?” Maria mused as the group stood talking after having watched them walk off.

Michael shrugged. “Haven’t got a clue…don’t really care anyway though…”

Maria rolled her eyes at him in frustration and looked over at Isabel. “What do you think?”

Isabel didn’t seem any more interested than her brother. “I don’t know, I didn’t really take much notice, they’re new kids…nothing particularly interesting about that…”

Alex looked at his girlfriend. “Really…you sure seemed interested enough in the girl…”

She shrugged. “She looked nice…a little timid maybe but nice…”

Michael grunted. “Whatever…just don’t get any ideas about inviting her over for tea or anything like that. The actual idea that Isabel would do that was almost laughable, and he didn’t genuinely think that she would, he just wanted to make a point. They’d allowed Maria and Alex to get close, and he didn’t regret that, but two was enough…

Isabel looked unimpressed by her brother’s suggestion. “As if I’m likely to do that…I just said she seemed nice…it’s not like I’m going to go out of my way to make friends with her…”

Maria looked bored with the direction this conversation was taking. “So…” She said trying to steer the conversation back onto the topic she’d started with. “Couple or not…?”

Her boyfriend looked over. “Maybe they are, maybe not…but basically who gives a toss…?” He muttered.

Alex sniggered. “Well your girlfriend does apparently buddy…I think maybe you should be worried…maybe she’s got her eye on the new guy…”

Michael glared at him. “Less of the buddy…” He grumbled looking unimpressed.

Maria quickly decided to quash any doubts he might have about this, leaning over and kissing him. “Not a chance…spaceboy is the only one for me!”

At this statement, Michael smiled, pulling her back for another kiss. This one was much longer but eventually they did have to come up for air and he looked over at the other couple. “Isabel…could you maybe c-“

“Not a chance!” Isabel declared interrupting him before he had chance to finish what he was saying.

He looked at her. “You didn’t even let me finish…” He protested.

She laughed. “I don’t need to, I know exactly what you were going to ask and the answer is NO!” She looked at her brother. “I’m not going to help you miss any more lessons, you’ve been missing for most of the week and it’s a wonder you manage to pass anything…”

Maria couldn’t help agreeing. If she spent as little time in class as Michael did she’d fail for sure…of course it appeared to be something to do with their special abilities, both Isabel and Michael could pick up a subject within minutes. The difference was that then Isabel worked at it to expand on her knowledge and obtain the best marks possible while Michael did the absolute minimum to obtain a pass. She looked over at her boyfriend. “Well I guess we’ll have to wait until later Spaceboy…”

Michael nodded reluctantly. “I guess so…maybe we could make a date for the eraser room at lunch time…?”

Isabel screwed up her nose as she heard him say this. “I’d rather not hear about what you and my brother are going to do…” She complained to Maria.

Alex smiled in amusement. “Come on Izz…I’m sure we can find some way to distract you from their conversation…” He leant over and kissed her softly on the lips. His girlfriend’s complaints quickly dried up as she smiled and responded. She as only too pleased to think about something else, especially when that something else was Alex…

Suddenly, from directly behind them, cam a cough. It was a distinctly un-natural and forced type which made both couples immediately break apart and look round. Much to their horror they found themselves starting straight at Mr Biggs, one of the stiff old dinosaurs of the teaching staff. He peered at them accusingly over the top of his glasses. “I’m fairly certain that you all have somewhere to be…as indicated by the bell which sounded five minutes ago!”

“Yes sir…we’re sorry, we got a little caught up talking…” Isabel apologised quickly, groaning inwardly at their bad luck. Of all the teachers to catch them Mr Biggs was the most likely to hand out a detention…

Michael opened his mouth to say something but Maria was certain he’d only succeed in making it worse so rested her foot on top of his, pushing down gently to indicate he should stay quiet. He glared at her but remained silent much to the relief of the others.

“Talking…I must say that unless talking has changed a lot from when I was at school it didn’t look much like that…” Mr Biggs commented.

Isabel looked at Alex, begging him with her eyes to take over. He looked at the teacher, doing his best to look repentant. “We’re very sorry sir…it won’t happen again, I promise…”

Maria waited, expecting another sharp reply, followed by the handing out of detention slips, but much to her great surprise she saw he actually seemed to be considering Alex’s apology. Alex must be about the only person he’d accept it from…

Mr Biggs looked round at the small group, having made his decision. “Alright, I’m going to let you off with a warning this time…see that it doesn’t happen again because if it does I promise that if I see any of you four out on the corridors when you should be in class without a good reason I’ll write you a detention on the spot…understand?”

“Uh yes sir…” They all nodded quickly and hurried off down the corridor since he had indicated he had finished with them.

Once out of sight of the teacher, Michael looked round. “What was that?” He asked puzzled. “I’d never have imagined we’d get away with it…”

Alex and Isabel grinned. “Yes well you might not brother dear…but you had the advantage of being with us today…all the teachers know that we’re good students, and a good reputation does wonders in that sort of situation…”

Alex nodded in agreement with his girlfriend. “It can be useful…”

Michael pulled a face. “Whatever…”

Maria smiled. “Well I’m not bothered, as long as we got off…I have a shift at the Crashdown straight after school and a detention would have been the last thing I needed…”

Isabel nodded and stopped outside the classroom. Unusual though it was, they all actually had the same first period. She took a quick look through the door and saw that Mrs Lockwood had already started. “Ok guys…we’re going to need a reason for being late…” She whispered to her friends as she backed away before being seen.

**********


A few moments later, Isabel pushed open the door and stepped into the room quickly, closely followed by the others. Mrs Lockwood looked round from what she was writing on the board. “Why are you late?” She demanded.

Fixing an apologetic look on her face, Isabel looked at the teacher. “We’re very sorry Mrs Lockwood; we were delayed on our way to school…”

Mrs Lockwood looked at the group suspiciously. “By what?” She asked.

“My car Mrs Lockwood…it broke down part way here so we had to stop and fix it…there was nothing else we could do…” Maria explained, picking up the excuse they’d all agreed on few moments before.

The teacher seemed just about satisfied with this and said no more. She simply nodded, and the group, taking this as a sign she’s accepted their excuse, hurriedly sat down in their seats.

Mrs Lockwood had barely managed to settle the class and resume teaching when the door opened once more. She turned sharply and glared at the two students who entered the room.

Isabel and the others looked up from their books, pitying whoever it was that would discover that Mrs Lockwood was already in a bad mood. They were surprised to find that they recognised the students as being the boy and girl they had seen earlier.

“I hope you have a good reason for interrupting my class…” Mrs Lockwood told the two students in a cold voice.

The boy looked at her. “We’re very sorry; we’re new today and have just been with the Principle…” He handed her a sheet of paper.

She read the short note quickly and then nodded. Her expression was by now a little less harsh and she looked up at the rest of the class. “We have two new students today…Liz and Max Evans…” She looked back at the pair. “Alright, I suggest that you find yourself some seats…and make sure that you’re on time in future…”

The boy nodded. “Yes, of course Miss…we’re sorry…” The pair quickly made their way towards two empty seats towards the back of the room and sat down.

Mrs Lockwood nodded, and after giving them a few moments to get settled, resumed her lesson once more.

roswellluver, isabelle and Sternbetrachter thanks for reading, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

roswellluver - yeah, Hank is rather awfull...maybe I'll have to see what I can do about him later...

Isabelle - lol glad you appear to be enyoying the story. Hopefully the next part will give you something to be going on with...

Ok, well I know that it's been a while since I posted. I finished my exams last week :bday: (sooo cool not to be stuck revising all the time) and I finished typing up this chapter on Friday but didn't get to post it before I had to go to bed. Well I've been away this weekend, and didn't end up being able to post even though I had intended to so sorry again about the delay. Thanks for being patient and I hope that you think the wait has bee worth it .

Anyway, hope you all like the new chapter, I'd love to hear what you think guys.

Chapter 4

“Ok I’m going to pair you up with two of the existing students for now…” Mr Blake told the two new students who were standing in front of him. “….that way you shouldn’t have any problems dealing with the material…” He could see they were about to protest and continued before they could speak. “Prove to me that you can cope with it, and I’ll consider allowing you to work together in future. For today I want you…” He looked at Liz. “…to work with Suzanne Edwards…and you to work with Alex Whitman.” He pointed out the two students and indicated for Max and Liz to go take seats next to them.

Alex looked up as he realised Mr Blake was talking about him. He saw one of the new students heading over to his desk and moved his bag from the seat next to him to make room. “Hi…”

Max realised that Alex was the guy who he’d asked for directions at the beginning of the day. “Hi…by the way, thanks again for this morning…” He commented as he took his seat.

Alex grinned and nodded. “Not a problem, happy to help…” He looked at the new guy. “So, how do like West Roswell High so far…?”

Max shrugged. “It’s a school, I’ve been to enough to have realised they’re all very much of a much…” He knew the students would find out fairly quickly about the number of different schools they’d been to; they always did, so there was little point in hiding it. Besides, by volunteering this, it seemed less likely Alex would think he was hiding anything later if he asked further questions.

“Oh, so you’ve travelled a lot…?” Alex asked, seizing on the opportunity to try and find out more about him. It might have seemed silly, but there was no harm in playing safe.

“Yeah…we’ve moved about a fair bit…” The other boy answered vaguely.

Alex pulled a face. “Must be difficult…is it because of your parents or something…?”

Max was just trying to work out how he could answer this but was saved from having to as Mr Blake chose that moment to start the class. He gave out some basic instructions for a computer programme and started to give a quick explanation. Alex pretty much turned off during this. Computers were the thing he had a real talent with, most of this stuff was fairly easy as far as he was concerned, hence why most of the time he worked alone. He wanted to ask Max more questions but wasn’t really too sure how to start without sounding like he was prying. Finally he decided to keep the conversation light for now, basing it around the work they were doing and other school stuff. With any luck I’ll be able to change the direction later… “So, how are you with this stuff…?” He asked as he started to set up the required spreadsheet.

Max read through the instructions quickly and looked back up at Alex. “Oh, not bad…doesn’t look too hard…”

Alex nodded, quickly realising as they worked through the assignment that Max wasn’t half bad with computers. Looking over, he saw that Suzanne seemed to be progressing quicker than usual too, suggesting that Liz was also fairly good. The conversation between Max had centred mainly on the school. He’d told him something about some of the teachers and Max had responded with mentioning which were his favourite subjects. Every time he tried to steer the conversation in a more personal direction Max seemed to clam up though.

“Alright, start to pack away and if you haven’t finished the work I expect to have a disk on my desk tomorrow. Anyone that has finished, just leave your disk now and you’ll get in back next week.

*********

“…I just said that they might be a couple…” Maria told Isabel as they sat at a table in the lunch room.

Isabel laughed. “No, you said you thought they were a couple…and I know how much you pride yourself on this sixth sense…” She teased her friend as they sat at a table in the school cafeteria.

Maria pretended to pout. “Well I knew they were close…” She pointed out. “That’s true…”

Isabel’s amusement could be seen in her eyes. “There’s rather a big difference between being siblings, and being a couple…” She grinned. “I mean I love Michael…as a brother…but no way is that anything like how I feel about Alex…”

Her friend looked embarrassed. “Ok, I get the point…I was wrong and I admit it…can we just drop it now though please…?”

The other girl grinned and nodded. “Oh, but it’s just so much fun to tease you though…”

Maria rolled her eyes. “I open myself to it don’t it…?”

She nodded. “Yup…you’re always so certain; it’s hilarious when you get it so wrong…”

“Incidentally Maria, since when do couples move school at the same time…” Alex pointed out, hearing what they were talking about as he walked up. He took the spot next to Isabel and sat down. “I have to admit when you were asking before I thought it unlikely they were together in the way you had been meaning…”

Maria pulled a face. “I was going on the way they were acting, and their body language all said they were close…”

Isabel laughed. “Yeah, but like we say, there’s more than one type of close…and you were thinking of the wrong one obviously…”

Her friend held up her hands. “Ok, I was wrong, we’ve been through this…now can we please drop it…?”

Alex chuckled and nodded. “Ok Maria…” He looked at Isabel. “So, I’m going to go and get something to drink from the machine, you want anything…?”

His girlfriend shrugged. “No, I’m fine.”

He smiled and nodded. “Ok, be right back then…”

The two girls nodded and watched him walk away for a moment before returning to their conversation. They spoke for a few moments about plans for the weekend but soon the topic of conversation came back to the new kids. “So why do you think they’ve moved…?” Maria mused.

Isabel shrugged. “There are loads of possible reasons…the most likely is that one of their parents got a job somewhere near…”

Maria seemed to think this over. “I guess that’s possible…”

“You don’t think it’s likely though…?” Isabel was slightly puzzled by her interest in the pair.

“I don’t know, maybe…there’s just something about them…and I heard someone say they’d walked into school…”

Isabel looked confused. “And that makes you think there’s something strange about them why…?”

Her friend took a moment before answering, possibly beginning to wonder herself if she was making something out of nothing. “Well the person I heard talking about them said they walked in from the direction of the bus station…there aren’t any houses that way are there…?”

“So what…? This person was probably just wrong…they were probably given a lift into school or something…” Alex commented, returning in time to catch Maria’s question.

Isabel nodded, eager to accept reasoning which meant there was nothing for her to worry about. “Alex is right Maria…it’s not like there’s no possible reason otherwise…besides, even if they did walk in and come from that area, it’s not like it means there’s anything sinister about them does it…?”

Her boyfriend seemed to agree. “Yeah, there are so many possibilities, and none of them mean there’s anything strange about them…” He opened his can of coke and took a sip. “Anyway, I got paired with Max in my last class and he seems perfectly nice…”

Maria didn’t seem convinced. “Yeah…what did he say…?”

Alex shrugged. “He didn’t say much…” He admitted.

“So how can you know much about him then…?” Maria pointed out.

Alex rolled his eyes at her. “We talked, just not about heavy stuff. He mentioned he’s been to a lot of different schools and most of the rest of the stuff we talked about was school related…”

“You didn’t try to find out anything more about him…?” She sounded sceptical.

“Well yeah, I tried to get him to talk about himself but he seemed reluctant. That’s not anything to be worried about though, lots of people don’t like talking about themselves.” He pointed out to the two girls.

“I guess…”

“Oh come on Maria, why are you so convinced there’s something strange about them, they just seemed like perfectly nice new kids to me…”

“I don’t know I-“ She broke off as she noticed someone coming towards them.

“Hey…” Michael walked up and sat down next to her. He looked round at the rest of the group and immediately knew something was going on. He could see the tension in his girlfriend’s face. “Guys…what’s up?”

“Nothing’s up…we were just talking about the new kids…” Alex volunteered.

Michael nodded and looked at his friend. “And…?”

He shrugged. “Nothing…Maria here thinks there’s something strange about them, I on the other hand think she’s probably overreacting…”

Michael looked at Maria. “What bothers you about them…?” He asked seriously. Maria seemed to be good at telling when there was something going on. She had of course been the one to realise that Topolsky wasn’t for real earlier that year, and this meant he was inclined to at least listen to what she had to say.

She looked awkward. “I don’t really know…there’s just something about them…” Maria looked down, fiddling with one of her nails. “Alex was paired with the guy in computers and he says he didn’t want to talk about himself either…”

Her boyfriend looked at Alex. “You think there’s anything in that…?”

“I don’t know…there could be so many reasons for that…I mean he could just be shy, not everyone likes talking about themselves…” He responded. “He talked a bit, I gathered they’ve moved about a lot, but other than that he just seemed a little reluctant. There’s nothing so weird about that though, I don’t like talking about myself, I’d say it’s likely he’s just a bit nervous, first day at a new school…” He shrugged. “We’d probably find he’s more talkative after a few days, once he’s got to know his way around and everything…”

Michael nodded. “Ok, what about the girl…?”

“Don’t know, she was paired with Suzanne I think. She seems quiet, but nothing too strange…”

“Did he mention their parents at all…?” Isabel asked.

“No, he didn’t say anything about them. I tried to lead the conversation that way but he never got round to saying anything…” Her boyfriend answered.

“Ok, so he was reluctant to talk about their parents…that could suggest there’s something he’s trying to hide about them!” Maria jumped in.

Alex shook his head. “I don’t think so, my guess is either his dad has a really boring job like a banker or something, or he’s in the army…either one would account for moving about a lot…”

“The army…?” Isabel’s voice was a little shaky.

Alex nodded but did his best to reassure her. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s got anything to do with you or any of the other stuff…people who are in the army move around a lot, and there are loads of different sections…”

Maria still didn’t look convinced. “I don’t like it, what if he’s something like an al-…agent” She quickly cut off as the others gave her some sharp looks, and substituted the word she was going to use with another.

Alex rolled his eyes, obviously of the opinion that this was a complete over reaction. He could see that the girls weren’t going to be easily convinced of this though and sighed. “Ok well I have a free this afternoon…I’ll go on the computer and see if I can pull anything up about them…school records or something like that maybe…?” He suggested, looking round at the rest of the group. He wasn’t keen on the idea of prying, but didn’t like to see the girls worked up like this, Isabel in particular and could see that it was the only thing that would calm them down.

Michael nodded, obviously liking this idea. “I know that I’d be happier if I know we’ve checked them out…” He told Alex.

His friend nodded. “Alright then…I’ll give it a go…” He looked at Maria. “You going to be working tonight…?”

“Yeah…” She nodded.

“Ok, well I should be able to get something this afternoon, so how about we meet at the Crashdown after school so we can go over anything I find…?” He suggested.

Michael nodded again. “Sure, sounds like a good plan…”

Maria and Isabel also nodded to show they agreed and, after a few moments further discussion, the conversation moved onto other things. Their lunch hour was nearly over by this time, and it wasn’t long before the warning bell sounded. The group packed up quickly and headed back to their lockers in order to pick up their books for the afternoon.

**********

“Hey, how’s your day been…?” Max asked, falling into step next to Liz as they headed along the corridor to their final class of the day.

Liz looked over, sensing someone coming up behind her, and smiled as she saw who it was. “Hi…” She greeted him happily. “The day’s not been too bad…I’ve definitely had worse…” She responded, considering for a moment. “I think it’s been better when you were there though…” She commented, her eyes twinkling as she told him this.

Max smiled and nodded. “Well yeah, it goes without saying that I’d say the same…but at least we haven’t got that many classes that are different…”

“Yeah, I guess they haven’t tried to separate us like in LA…”

The pair slowed their pace slightly as they approached the classroom then, reaching the door, pushed it open and stepped into the room quickly.

A number of other students, including a girl they recognised from earlier, were sat at the benches, but it appeared that the teacher had yet to appear. Liz and Max waited by the front quietly, waiting for him to arrive.

A few moments later, a mid height man with short hair, that had once been brown but was now rapidly turning grey, and glasses walked into the room. He walked over to his desk and immediately noticed the two students that were stood at the front of the room. He looked at the pair a little curiously, having heard a number of his colleagues talking about a couple of new students and guessing that these would be the same ones. “Good afternoon…I’m Mr Segimann, and I’m guessing that you would be Liz and Max Evans…?” He looked at the two students for confirmation.

Liz and Max both nodded quickly. “That’s right…”

Mr Segimann nodded. “Alright then…well I have your records right here, so if you’ll just bear with me a moment…” He pulled a paper file out of his case and opened it, scanning through the sheets of information that it contained. After a few moments, he looked up at the pair once more. “Right, well I must say you both have very impressive grades…”

Liz and Max both smiled. “Thank you sir…”

“…and you both seem to be of similar ability, so I think that I’ll let you work together…assuming that sounds acceptable to you…I see little point in splitting up perfectly good pairs if you’re not going to have a problem working together…” He chuckled inwardly at the speed with which the pair nodded their agreement. “Alright then...why don’t you take that empty bench at the back of the room…?” He pointed. “Then I can get class started…”

The pair nodded, and headed across the room to the bench he had indicated, sitting down as Mr Segimann turned back towards the board and started to write out instructions for the experiments they would be attempting to perform that day.

**********

Isabel watched the two new students her eyes drifting over to their bench while she dealt with her own equipment. She noted that they seemed to work well together, moving around each other in a way that seemed practiced and very comfortable. They never seemed to get in each others way, each seeming to know where the other was at all times, and it was obvious to her that they’d worked together many times before. Of course that makes sense if they’ve travelled around a lot…it’s practical for them to work together I guess… She shook her head, turning her attention back to her own experiment as the first solution started to change colour. Picking up the tongs, she removed the flask from the heat and set it down on the mat before adding the second solution and shaking the flask to mix the two and then setting it back down to allow the flask to stand for a moment. As she worked, her mind started to wander, thinking about what Alex might have found out… She hadn’t seen him since lunch since he’d had computers followed by a free while she had Spanish and Chemistry. Usually she enjoyed Chemistry of course, but today she was having real trouble maintaining her concentration and all she wanted was for the lesson to end so she could get out of there.

“Miss Guerin…”

Isabel looked round at Mr Segimann, relieved to see he didn’t appear to have noticed her lack of concentration.

He smiled at her. “How is it going today…?” He always liked to check Isabel’s process since she was, without a doubt, one of his best students… Even today when her partener appeared to be AWOL, her experiment seemed to be going along nicely and he had no doubt that her results would be those expected.

Isabel returned the teacher’s smile and nodded. “I’m doing fine thank you sir…I’ve just added the second solution and now I’m waiting for it to cool…” She explained.

Mr Segimann nodded. “Good, you should have plenty of time then…” He left her to it and walked over to the bench opposite where the two new students were working. Taking a quick look at what they were doing, he was confident that they were fully competent and that he had made the correct decision in allowing them to work together…

**********

Towards the end of the period, Mr Segimann took another walk round the class, checking how the students had done. As usual, Isabel Guerin was finished in plenty of time and it didn’t come as a surprise, having checked on them earlier, to see that his two newest students seemed to be tidying away too. He took a quick look at their notes, examining the results they’d obtained and could tell that their experiments must have gone well. “Very impressive…” He murmured.

Max had moved away from the bench to replace some equipment but Liz was currently stood at the end of the bench, cleaning some glassware, and smiled as she heard the teacher.

Her smile didn’t go unnoticed by Mr Seigmann and he realised she had heard him. Smiling at her, he nodded. “Good work…” He told her, nodding before continuing onto the next bench where, unsurprisingly, the results obtained had been rather less successful.

roswelluver, mrslaws1, isabelle and sternbetratcher thanks for reading, I'm glad you're all enjoying the story.

Sternebetratcher - well there might be another reason why their teasing of Maria about her sixth sense is funny...

Anyway guys, here's the next chapter, hope you all like it and I'd love to know what you think.

~Kat~

Chapter 5

“Let’s get out of here…” Max grabbed his bag and picked up the books which were lying on the bench.

Liz, whose back was turned away from him, nodded in agreement and smiled, pleased that the end of the day had finally arrived. She turned to pick up her books and then looked over at Max as she realised the bench where she had left them was now empty. Guessing that she knew where they’d be, she turned to face Max and was unsurprised to spot them tucked under his arm. “Max…” She frowned slightly, holding out her hands.

He looked puzzled, realising that she was upset about something, but not sure what… “What…?”

The dark haired girl rolled her eyes. “I can carry my own books you know…”

Max nodded. “Yeah, of course I know that…I was just trying to help though…”

Liz couldn’t help giving a small smile. It was typical Max behaviour and it was impossible for her to stay mad at him. “Ok, well thanks…” She told him softly.

Max nodded. “I was happy too…” He responded in a similar tone. He paused a few moments and waited for her to grab her bag. “So, are you ready…?”

She nodded. “Sure, are we heading straight home…?”

The boy with her shook his head. “Not quite…I heard a group of kids talking about a local café…the Crashdown…apparently it’s where most of the students hang out after school so I thought maybe we could check it out and then head over to the library, see if we can find any names…maybe we’ll even be able to find out who they are if we’ve got names to work with…”

Liz’s nose wrinkled as she heard the name. “I willing to guess it’s a tourist trap with a name like that too…” She commented. She couldn’t deny that the plan on a whole seemed like a good one though…

Max nodded. “Well it’s a popular place apparently, and I heard the food isn’t bad…so maybe we could go get some dinner, save having to cook…?” He suggested.

She didn’t look enthusiastic. “Let me guess, we have alien burgers and space fries…”

“Not quite, but you’re right, it is an alien themed restaurant café…” He admitted after a moment.

“Great, just how I want to spend my afternoon…” Liz rolled her eyes and pulled a face, showing her disgust at the idea.

Max had been trying desperately to keep a straight face, but seeing the expression of Liz’s face made this impossible. “Oh come on Lizzy…it can’t be that bad…and we haven’t got anything in to eat at the moment…come on, it’ll be ok…” He tried to coax her, laughing softly although trying not to.

Liz sighed and nodded. “I guess…”

Max grinned and held open the door for her as they walked out. Together, they walked down the corridor and down the steps in front of the school building onto the street.

**********

Isabel and Michael were already sat in a booth at the back of the Crashdown when they saw Alex walk in through the door. Michael put up his hand, waving to his friend to show him where they were, and Isabel, who had her back to the door, smiled as she turned round and saw who it was. Her smile lasted only a few moments though, and by the time Alex joined them, slipping into the booth and sitting next to her, the frown which had replaced the smile betrayed the fact she was very nervous.

Maria wandered over to the booth, as soon as she saw Alex enter, standing with her order book in one hand, trying to make it look like she was getting ready to take their order. She looked over at Alex as soon as he sat down. “So, what did you find out?” She hissed.

Alex could see that everyone was tense and decided to try and lighten the situation a little bit. “That’s nice…not even a hello…is no one happy to see me then cos I couldn’t get offended…” Isabel couldn’t help laughing softly and Alex smiled as he saw he’d succeeded in easing the tension, even if only by a small amount… His right hand reached out to take his girlfriend’s left, stopping her from tapping nervously on the top of the table.

Isabel looked over at him and smiled gratefully.

Michael ignored all this, looking straight at Alex questioningly. “Well…?”

Realising that delaying was only causing his friend more concern, Alex nodded to Michael and with his free hand, reached into his bag, pulling out a pile of papers which he separated into two, passing one over to Michael, and laying the other out in front of himself and Isabel. “Ok, so I’ve managed to get hold of a list of schools that they’ve attended, their grade averages and a couple of other pieces of information, but apart from that, I’ll need more time to get hold of the more detailed stuff…”

Michael nodded, scanning through some of the sheets Alex had given him. “Have you found anything that suggests we should be worried so far though…?” He asked his friend.

Alex shook his head. “Nothing…as far as I can tell, they’re pretty much your average good students…they maintain good grades, turn in their work, their school reports are good…” He paused a moment before finishing.

Michael could see that there was something else. “Do I sense a ‘but’ there…?”

Alex shrugged. “I don’t know, they’ve moved about a lot, which I already knew of course…the only thing that might seem a little weird is that they’re both supposed to be emancipated minors…”

Isabel looked puzzled. “What does that mean…”

Maria’s only response was to look at him blankly. “Huh…they’re what…?”

Alex chuckled and didn’t respond immediately, trying to work out how best to explain what he meant. “Don’t worry, I didn’t know what it meant either…and it took me some time to be able to bring something up on it…but from what I can gather, it basically means that they need no legal guardian…”

“What…how…I mean they’re still only sixteen like us aren’t they…?” Isabel asked, clearly even more puzzled by this explanation.

Her boyfriend nodded. “Yeah, but apparently they’ve taken responsibility for their finances and education and welfare…” He tried to explain.

Michael’s expression changed briefly from one of concern to interest. “Now that sounds cool…so they live on their own right…?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, they have to support themselves too, they get no help…”

His friend nodded. “Still sounds good to me…” He looked at Alex. “So how do you do it…”

Alex’s eyes widened as he realised what Michael was thinking and shook his head. “Honestly Michael, I haven’t got a clue…I’d presume it involves going through court… and having to provide a valid reason for wanting to do it…maybe you’d have to prove that you would be able to support yourselves…” He shrugged. “Whatever you have to do, it won’t be granted automatically, that I know for certain…it’s a lot of responsibility…”

Michael could tell that he was trying to put him off the idea but was not discouraged. “Well anything that could get us away from Hank has to be worth a try…” He commented.

Maria looked at him. “What about reason for it though…?” She asked softly.

Isabel looked round having realised what her brother was thinking. “What about Hank being violent, that has to provide good cause doesn’t it…?” She suggested nervously. It was the first time that either of them had openly admitted what their foster father was like, but Maria and Alex already had a good idea and it came as little surprise.

Not knowing what to say, Alex simply slipped his hand over hers and squeezed it. “It’ll be ok…” He whispered to her stiffly.

Isabel knew that her statement wouldn’t have been a shock, but still she could sense that it had disturbed her boyfriend and she did her best not to dwell on it, moving the conversation on. “Well anyway, we can always ask them about it sometime, there’s not harm in finding out what we’d have to do…right…?”

The others all nodded quickly. “Yeah, right…no harm at all in finding out…” They all agreed.

As they had been talking, Maria had, without the others noticing, been getting paler and paler. Suddenly Michael looked up at her and saw that she looked awful. “Maria…are you ok…come and sit down for a moment…” He reached up to her and moved to make space for her to sit next to him.

Maria shook her head. “No, I can’t…I’m working…” She insisted.

Mr Parker came over, seeing that there seemed to be a problem and quickly put paid to any resistance from Maria. “Not right now you’re not…you look awful, I want you to take a break!” He told her sternly. Having known Maria since she was a child, he could tell when something was bothering her and right at that moment in time he could see she would be little help working…

Maria could see there would be little point in arguing and simply gave him a weak smile, saying thank you before slipping down into the seat next to Michael.

Satisfied that her friends would be able to deal with whatever was wrong, Mr Parker nodded at the group of four kids, then moved on to serve some customers.

As soon as he was out of earshot, three pairs of eyes immediately focused on Maria. Alex stuck out his hand and looked into her eyes. “Ria…what’s wrong…?” He asked softly.

Maria didn’t really know what to say. There was just something about the new kids which was wrong…something just didn’t fit… “Well, if these kids are emancipated…that means that they live alone…yeah…?” She looked at Alex for confirmation.

He nodded. “Yeah, as far as I understand…”

“So why are they moving about…?”

The group all fell silent as they considered this question. No one really knew what to say…they didn’t want to voice the possibilities that immediately came to mind…they were rather worrying…

They all looked round as the bell above the door of the Crashdown sounded, breaking the silence. Alex looked round at him friends. “Well, I guess there’s no time like the present to find out…” He commented as they saw the new kids walk into the café.

**********

“Do we really have to go in there…?” Liz groaned as she noticed the sign which was above the door of the Crashdown.

Max pulled a face. “Yeah, I know it’s not our ideal…by a long shot…but it’s the local café, and also the place where most kids hang out after school…” He paused a moment before continuing. “We might not like it, but there is a good chance we might be able to find something out…even meet them here eventually…”

The brunette with him looked sceptical. “You really think they’re going to hang out here…?”

He shrugged. “Well if it’s the local hang-out…” Max couldn’t say he blamed Liz for being sounding so disgusted though, the image of the flying saucer which dominated the sign was making him feel sick. He knew that it was important that he and Liz spent plenty of time around the other kids of their age though…it was the only way that they were going to be able to decide whether or not this was another dead end, or whether they’d finally got a good lead. He gave a wry smile. “Anyway, like I said before, I hear the food isn’t that bad…so maybe it won’t be so bad…I know I’m hungry, I don’t know about you…?”

Liz nodded reluctantly. “Yeah I guess I wouldn’t mind something…” She admitted.

Max smiled. “Alright then…shall we go in…?” He pushed open the door, holding it open for Liz before following her inside.

**********

At the back of the room, Maria watched the new arrivals nervously. She wanted to find out what was going on as much as the rest of the group. Noticing the pair taking a look round the café, an idea occurred to her. “Guys…maybe Alex is right…maybe we should ask them…” She suggested hesitantly.

Isabel didn’t look convinced. “Yeah…we go up and ask them if they’re anything to do with the FBI…that really worked well with Ms Topolsky…” She commented.

Maria rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it!” She looked at Michael and Alex. “What I meant…was why don’t we invite them to come and sit with us…?” She explained.

Alex shrugged. “I guess it might work…”

“Well they’re new, they don’t know anyone and we’d just be trying to get to know them…right…?” Maria pulled a face.

Michael saw that she was being very brave…she was obviously scared about why they might be there, but realised that they needed to find out more about them so was trying to put that out of her mind. He nodded at his girlfriend. “I think it’s worth a shot…” He responded. “I think you should be here too…any way in which you could get out of working do you think…?” He asked her.

Maria didn’t look happy with this suggestion, but after thinking for a moment nodded. “Yeah, probably…I’ll just tell Mr Parker I’m not feeling very well…” She was obviously uncomfortable with the idea of lying to him though…Mr Parker had always been good to her and she didn’t like deceiving him…

“Are we sure that this is a good idea…?” Isabel asked nervously, obviously not taken with the plan.

Michael nodded again. “It’s the best we can come up with…we need to find out more about them, and this is the only way I can think of at the moment so yeah…”

Isabel couldn’t deny that her brother was right and nodded. “Ok then…”

After receiving the go-ahead from Michael and the others, Maria got up quickly. “Ok then, I’ll go invite them over…wish me luck…” She threw the last over her shoulder, obviously trying to hide her nerves by putting on a bright, bubbly face. Michael gave her a smile. “You’ll be fine…” He whispered back, reassuring her before she headed back down to the front of the café.

**********

Liz and Max were just making their way over to the counter as they noticed Maria approaching. Liz stiffened slightly, but Max squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled at the slim blond who appeared to be heading in their direction. “Hi…”

Maria flashed the pair a smile. “Hey…you’re the new kids right…?” She greeted them in a friendly voice.

Max nodded. “Yeah, that’s right…”

“Sorry, that probably sounded really rude, it’s just that Roswell is a small town and everyone knows everyone…”

The pair nodded and after a moment the girl gave a small smile. “No problem…anyway, I’m Liz, and this is Max…” She introduced herself and the boy who was with her.

Maria smiled back. “Nice to meet you, I’m Maria DeLuca…” She paused awkwardly for a moment, trying to work out how to deliver the invitation and finally came to the conclusion that it would be best to make it as simple as possible. “Look, this might sound really weird, but my friends and I saw you as you came in…we’re sat at the back booth and we wondered if you might like to come and join us…?”

Liz appeared to be uncertain about this suggestion and she looked at the boy she was with to see what he thought.

Max thought for a moment before nodding. He realised that it was a good opportunity to get to know a few of the local kids a bit better and that was something they should make the most of. “Sure, that’d be great…if you’re sure…”

Liz took his cue and responded similarly. “Yeah, that would be nice…”

Maria nodded at both of them. “Good…” She looked at them. “Can I get you something to eat, or a drink at all…?”

From the uniform that she was wearing, it was fairly obvious to Max that she must work at the café too. “Yeah, thanks…”

“Uh…” Liz looked over at the menu board which was hung above the counter and tried her best to ignore the names of the dishes. She frowned, but after a moment nodded. “Ok, can I have a cherry coke and ‘Will Smith burger’ please?” She requested after giving up on finding something that didn’t sound tacky and trying her best not to show how distasteful she found the whole theme.

Maria grinned. “Yeah, the names are terrible…” She commented, sensing her disgust. She took down the girl’s order then turned to Max. “Ok, so how about you…?” She asked, flashing him a smile and pushing her hair pack out of her face. She had meant what she had said earlier that day of course…Michael was the only guy for her…but flirting with the new guy wasn’t going to do any harm…

Liz caught the light flirting and her eyes narrowed, suddenly feeling a dislike of the girl developing.

Maria caught the look of displeasure, almost jealousy, that passed across the new girl’s face. I guess she doesn’t think I’m good enough for her brother or something… She shrugged, whatever the explanation, it wasn’t important anyway because she wasn’t interested in Max… Deciding not to let it bother her, she simply looked at Max again, holding up her order pad. “Ok, so what will it be…?”

Max took a quick look at the menu then shrugged his shoulders. “Uh I’ll just have the same please…”

“Ok, so two ‘Will Smith burgers’ and two cherry cokes…” Maria nodded. “Sure, if you want to head over to the back, my friends are all sat in the back booth and I should have your orders in a few minutes…” She pointed towards the booth where Isabel and the others were still sitting then headed over to the counter to give in their order.

Max and Liz nodded and smiled before heading towards the booth she had indicated.

As they made their way through the café, there were a number of wolf-whistles as they passed one particular booth. Looking round, the pair saw that the booth in question was filled with jocks. One in particular they recognised from school…Kyle Valenti. They’d seen him earlier that day and knew that he was the captain of the basketball team.

“Hey gorgeous…how about going out with me tonight…?” He called to Liz.

Courtney, who had been sat next to him looked furious. “What about me?” She demanded angrily.

Kyle shrugged as though she was unimportant. “Look, we had some fun ok, but you know how I hate it when people get serious…it’s about time for a change…” He removed his arm from her shoulders and looked back at Liz. He was surprised to see that she didn’t appear to have responded. “Hey, baby, did you hear me…?”

Liz refused to look at him, giving the impression of being completely uninterested in the jocks.

Kyle frowned. “HEY, are you deaf or something?”

Slowly, Liz turned her head to look at him. The look on her face almost looked like she’s caught a whiff of a bad smell. “Excuse me…?”

“I said, are you deaf, you just ignored my question…”

Liz glared at him. “Only if I choose to be…”

“Ooh, feisty, I like women with some fire…” Kyle’s eyes roamed over her body. “So what about it, come to the dance with me next week?” His ego was huge and the possibility that she might refuse never entered his head.

Liz raised her eyes then shook her head firmly. “No thanks…”

Kyle looked bemused. “Huh? What…?” Do you know who I am…?”

Liz rolled her eyes. “You’re the captain of the basketball team, but I really don’t care…” She told him unimpressed. “I don’t date jocks!”

Kyle brushed this away, ignoring her refusal. “Maybe I can convince you to rethink that…”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so…I wouldn’t waste your time!”

Some of the other guys laughed, watching this new girl curiously. They’d never seen a girl turn down Kyle before.

The jock wasn’t one to accept defeat easily though. He stood up, reaching out to grab her arm.

Liz looked down sharply. “Would you mind letting go of my arm…?” She asked, trying not to blow.

“You going to make me…?” He teased.

“Hey, get your hands off her!” Max growled, glaring at the jock.

Kyle still didn’t move his hand. “Look, I just want to get to know you…” He told Liz, ignoring the boy with her.

Liz tried once more to pull her arm away. “Yeah, well I’m not interested!”

“Oh come on…” Kyle’s hand remained where it was and he was showing no sign of removing it.

The smile which had been present on Max’s face a few moments ago had by now completely disappeared, replaced by a look of pure rage. “Look, I won’t tell you again…GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WIFE!”

WOW... I have never had so much feedback for a chapter - I LOVE it. Thanks so much guys .

Isabelle, Sternebetrachter, Lizza, Brook, stargrl678, BehrLuver04, foreverdreamer15, roswelluver, Anya, Jadeling, FallenMagic, force, LegalAlien, urpersonaloddball and Ladeia, thanks so much for reading, I'm really glad you're all liking the story.

Ok, now I know that some people might have trouble with this being unrealistic. I know that they're young...and probably my explanation wouldn't stand up in real life, but it's a story, and it had aliens so I guess that could be classed as unrealistic anyway and I hope no one's going to object.

I also have to appolgise for the amount of time it's taken me to get this chapter out . I'm sorry but I went on holiday, then real life became kind of hectic . I know that I left you hanging for ages and I'm sorry about that but I guarantee that I won't abandon either of my current fics. The other reason this took so long is that after the last chapter, I wanted to get this next one just right.

Isabelle - Glad you liked it. As far as Michael and Isabel...I guess we'll have to see how it goes...

Sternbetrachter - Are you sure they're not FBI agents lol...?

Lizza - thanks, I'd be interested to know what made you expect that, but I'm glad you liked it anyway.

Brook - lol I guess I managed to carry off the surprise then . Glad you're liking the story.

stargrl678 - I'm glad you found it funny, I guess that first impressions can be deceptive.

BherLuver04 - Sorry about the confusion it caused...but as soon as I started this story I knew I wanted the last scene in chapter 5 and in order to do that I had to leave it open. I'm glad that you like the story though. I'm thinking that you're probably not a Tess fan from what you said...well don't worry, this fic had a M/L guarantee from the start, I just didn't want to put it in the heading or description cos that would have given away their relationship way too early... As far as people's responses to Max's choice of words, well here's the new chapter for you to see. I'm sorry about the delay in getting this out. Unless something really major happens, there is a guarantee that both my current fics will be finished eventually though, they might just take a while.

foreverdreamer15 - Glad you like the explanation. I have to agree that Max and Liz are way better than the thought of Max and Tess as far as I'm concered. As far a Liz being alien, and what's happened in their past, this chapter might explain a small amount, but other than that you're gonna have to wait a little while longer for answers to that question sorry.

roswelluver - thanks for reading, glad you're enjoying the story.

Starbay55 - I'm glad you approve.

jadeling - Yup, Maria's sixth sense didn't let her down... As I've already said, answers to exactly who Liz is will be answered in due course but it might take a few more chapters. Sorry about that ending, I'm not usually one for leaving people hanging, but in that case I'm afraid I just couldn't resist.

FallenMagic - Well I did ask you before I started posting about couple classification for this one so it might have given you a little clue...but I'm so glad you liked it anyway.

Force - Thanks, glad you're liking the story.

Anya - Sorry for the delay, but here's the new chapter so I hope you like it.

upersonaloddball - Thanks, glad you like the story. If you read this next chapter, all will be revealed as far as your questions go.

Ladeia - Thanks for reading the story, I'm pleased you approve. Glad that you like my little surprise. The next few chapters will probably give some details about their lives, as for as how they're going to find out who they're looking for, well I'm working on that chapter next.

LegalAlien - Thanks for the feedback, I'm delighted to know you like the story. Also I'm sorry about the delay, I wanted this next chapter to be just right...hope I've I've succeeded.

Ok well thanks so much for the feedback everyone, it's great to know that I'm doing ok with the story. Anyway, enough of me babbling on, I know it's been a long time coming, so here's the new chapter, I hope everyone likes it and as always I would love to hear what people think.

Chapter 6

Kyle’s hand dropped from Liz’s arm as though it was a dead weight. “Y-your w-what?” He managed to stammer after a moment. He couldn’t believe what he thought he’d heard.

Liz pressed her lips together, trying hard not to laugh at his reaction. It was the same one she had seen many times over… The news was rarely delivered in such a manner, and never before had she seen Max lose his temper like that, but the response was the same non-the-less. It was always twice as funny of course when it was some obnoxious jerk who was left speechless.

Of course it wasn’t just Kyle who was left speechless, the entire diner appeared to have gone silent and, recognising that they were not definitely the focus of attention, Liz shifted uncomfortably.

Max slipped his hand into hers, giving her a reassuring smile before looking back at Kyle. The smile on his face made no attempt to hide his amusement as he noticed the jock’s discomfort. “I believe you heard me the first time…” He told Kyle. “…and I’d prefer it if you’d refrain from making any more unwanted advances towards her in the future!”

Kyle looked over at Liz. “Babe…he’s crazy…right…?”

Liz narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. “Why would you think that…? You know I did try to warn you that I wasn’t interested…” She pointed out to him.

Kyle’s eyes widened as he took in her response and he sank back down into his seat in silence, dumbfounded.

Liz gave a little smile of amusement, then looked up at Max. “How about we go sit down…?” She suggested to him calmly as though nothing out of the ordinary had been said.

Max nodded immediately, slipping his arm around her waist as the couple made their way towards the back booth that Maria had pointed out to them shortly before.

**********

Maria spun round, her mouth wide open as she heard the announcement. She didn’t try to hide the amusement she felt as she saw the look on Kyle Valenti’s face though. It’s about time someone put him in his place… Still, the idea that someone who was at the most the same age as her could be married… Maria shook her head, trying to make sense of it all. The whole thing sounded ridiculous and if someone had told her she would have told them they were crazy…and yet she had heard what the guy had said… What the heck is going on here…? While she waited for Jules to fill her order, she leant against the wall and continued to what what was happening at the other table.

Max and Liz had finished talking to Kyle and appeared to be making their way towards the back booth that Maria had indicated shortly before where Michael and the others were waiting.

Meanwhile Kyle seemed to be trying to make-up with Courtney. As she watched his pleading motions Maria smiled, delighting in the opportunity to see Kyle reduced to such tactics. The expression on his face looked like he was practically begging her and Maria laughed. It really didn’t get much better than that… The other girl seemed completely unimpressed by his attempts and it looked like Kyle was out of luck. Maria couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, for even when angry Courtney tended to speak in a low tone, but from her facial expression it was fairly easy to take a guess… After a few moments it appeared that the girl decided that she’d had enough. She stood up to leave but Kyle grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her. As Maria watched, she saw Courtney try to yank her arm away from Kyle but he wouldn’t let go. Making pleading motions he continued to hold onto her arm and it didn’t take long before Courtney decided she’d had enough. Deciding that it was the final straw, she grabbed hold of a glass of soda which was sat on the table in front of her and tipped it over Kyle’s head. As Kyle stood there, amazed at what had just happened, she yanked her arm out of his grasp and stalked out of the restaurant. The whole incident had Kyle’s team mates practically rolling on the floor laughing and Maria herself wasn’t far from it. So much for big man on campus…rejected by two girls in the same day…

“Hey Maria…your orders are ready!” Jules yelled from behind the serving hatch. He shoved two plates through onto the counter for her to collect.

Maria nodded, she took the plates and carried them over to the booth where the others were waiting for her to join them. On her way, she had a quick word with Mr Parker, giving her excuses and asking if he could manage without her for the rest of the shift. As usual, he was most understanding, saying that he hoped she’d be feeling better soon, which only made her feel even worse about lying to him and leaving him on his own to deal with the after-school crowd. Ok, well this should be interesting…

**********

Liz looked over at Max as they neared the table. “Are you sure this is a good idea…?” She whispered to him nervously.

Max nodded. “Yeah, it should be fine…Maria seems nice enough after all…” The arm he had round her waist tightened a little and pulled her closer to him as they walked up. Stopping as they reached the booth, he looked round at the three teenagers who were sat round the table. “Hi…Maria asked us to join you…is that still ok…?” He checked. He quickly recognised one of the guys as being the guy he’d been paired with in computer studies. After taking another look, he also realised that the other two kids, and Maria who was currently heading over to join them, had been with Alex when he’d been asking for directions that morning.

Alex grinned at the couple. “Sure, of course it’s still ok…” He told them enthusiastically.

Liz almost looked surprised. “Are you sure…I mean if you didn’t want to be seen with us we’d understand…” She commented.

Maria walked up just in time to heard this last and she shook her head. “Now why would we not want to be seen with you…?” She asked laughing softly. “Kyle Valenti was speechless after what you told him…that is something I have been waiting years to see…” She told Liz laughing.

Her friends also laughed and Isabel nodded. “That really is quite a feat…” She agreed. She could see that the couple seemed nervous and somehow this made her warm to them slightly. She could definitely understand what it was like to be nervous and the fact she could empathise with them made it easier…

Max gave a small wry smile. “Ok, well thanks for the invitation then…but we didn’t set out to cause a scene…”

“Don’t worry about it…Valenti brought it on himself…” Michael commented gruffly.

Max nodded, accepting this. He slid into the far side of the booth, closely followed by Liz.

Maria watched the couple as they sat down and suddenly she noticed something that she couldn’t believe she had missed before. Liz’s left had was settled on the table, lying over Max’s, and there on her ring finger were two gold rings… The first was a simple, but elegant, diamond solitaire, and under this first sat a second ring. This one was a plain gold band, fairly obviously a wedding band… Despite Liz’s age, no one in their right mind would think that they were anything other than the genuine article. “So, that was quite an announcement…” She commented softly, wanting to see what their reaction would be as she passed the couple their orders and sat down next to Michael.

Liz blushed and looked down for a moment. The smile present on her face never moved though and anyone could see that she truly loved the young man who sat beside her.

Max also smiled, looking down at Liz for a moment before turning back to Maria. “Well we’d never consider lying about it…”

“No, but you don’t volunteer the information…” Isabel commented. “…I mean at school we all thought you were brother and sister when they introduced you…and you didn’t correct that…” She continued and pointed out.

An amused smile settled on Liz’s face. “Well no one ever actually asked…” She responded. “…and it is kinda fun to wait and see what people say…”

Max nodded and grinned. “Yeah, it’s not exactly what they expect…”

Alex could see the amusement in their eyes and nodded. There were still a few things he wanted to check though… “Ok, so you guys are married…but you’re still only sixteen right…?”

The couple both nodded, then Max shrugged. “Well practically…I’m sixteen and Liz is fifteen, it’s her birthday in a couple of months…”

Maria a smiled. “Wow, for once I’m not the baby…” She commented smiling.

Isabel laughed. “Come on Maria…it’s only a few days until your birthday anyway…then you get to be the same age as the rest of us for a few months…”

Maria nodded. “Can’t wait…”

Alex laughed. “Maria lives for the few months of the year where she’s the same age as us…” He explained to Max and Liz.

Liz nodded. “I can understand that…I used to get a lot of teasing about it when we were younger…”

Max smiled. “I don’t mind that you’re the baby though…as long as you’re mine…” He pressed his lips to her forehead as she looked up and they both smiled.

Alex cleared his throat awkwardly. “Sorry…I know that this probably isn’t any of my business…but I can’t help wondering why you’re married…I-“

“Never mind why…how?” Maria interrupted.

Liz laughed, clearly finding this amusing. “Well basically the same way as anyone else would get married…we made the vows, Max gave me the rings and we signed the register…”

Alex laughed at Maria who scowled at him. “Yeah, but if you’re only fifteen, and Max is only sixteen…don’t you have to have like permission from all parents of something…?”

Alex shook his head and rolled his eyes at her. “They’re emancipated minors…since they have no legal guardian I’m assuming that’s not necessary…” He looked over at Liz, waiting for some sign of confirmation.

She nodded. “Yeah that’s ri-“ Liz broke off suddenly, a frown forming on her face as she suddenly realised what he’d said. “Wait a moment, how did you know that…?” She demanded. Beside her, Max had also tensed up, concerned about this discovery.

Alex grimaced inwardly, searching for some sort of explanation. After a few minutes Isabel stepped in. “We uh…saw it on your school records…” She told the two of them, continuing quickly before they could ask why. “We’re on the Sunshine committee at school…it’s kinda a welcome wagon for new students and they let us just have a quick peak at your records sometimes…” She knew that it was a lame excuse but couldn’t think of a better one unfortunately.

Liz wasn’t convinced by this explanation and didn’t look happy but looking up at Max she saw that he seemed satisfied with this excuse at least for the moment so she decided not to make any trouble and let it go. “Oh…right…” She murmured.

Alex gave a small smile, silently thanking Isabel for saving him. Realising how close he had been to trouble, he now hesitated a moment, trying to decide whether to re-ask his earlier question. Finally however, he decided he would though. “So like I said before, tell me it’s none of my business if you like, but why?...The marriage I mean…”

Max smiled and shook his head. “No, there’s no problem in you asking…” He looked down at Liz briefly before continuing. “We love each other…it’s as simple as that…” He told them as though it was the most natural thing in the world to be married at sixteen.

“She pregnant…?” Michael asked, finally breaking his long period of silence in a way that made people wish that he hadn’t bothered.

Liz flushed at the question and quickly shook her head. “NO! It’s nothing like that…it’s just like Max said…it’s what we wanted…”

“So you thought that you were then…” Michael continued to push.

“NO!” Max glared at him. “We told you that it was nothing to do with that…” He was clearly getting annoyed again and Liz recognised the warning signs which indicated that if Michael continued, her husband could completely lose his temper. She put her hand over his. “Don’t get worked up…I can handle him…” She whispered quickly in his ear. Max still didn’t look happy but nodded.

Maria shot an icy glare at her boyfriend, sensing that his comments were making the couple very uncomfortable. “Michael!” She hissed. “Drop it now!” Trying to make up for this, she looked at Liz and smiled. “So, how long have you two been together…before you got married I mean…?”

Both Liz and Max seemed to relax a little again and Liz smiled back. “We got married last July…just after my birthday…but we’ve been together for years…” She told the other girl.

Isabel nodded. “Those rings are gorgeous…” She commented softly.

Liz looked down at her hand and smiled again. “Thanks…the most important thing to me is what they mean though…they could come from a cracker and I’d be perfectly happy just as long as they still meant I was Mrs Evans…”

Maria suddenly appeared rather uncomfortable. “Yeah…I guess that I should probably apologise for just now…” She murmured, feeling a little embarrassed as it dawned on her exactly what she had been doing…flirting with Liz’s husband…it was no wonder she’d looked unhappy…

Isabel looked over at her friend questioningly, not following her meaning but Liz, who knew what she meant, smiled again. “No hard feelings…as long as you don’t do it again anyway…”

Maria grinned. “I promise…”

While this exchange occurred between the two girls, Alex appeared to have been thinking about something. “Hang on a moment…at school today, didn’t all the teachers refer to you as Miss Evans…?”

Liz shook her head and Max chucked as it obviously brought back some amusing memories for him. “Well I have yet to hear any teacher call her Mrs Evans…but usually they use Ms…” He responded.

Liz nodded in agreement. “They say it in such a way that it sounds like Miss though…that’s you’re thinking that…”

Isabel nodded, understanding this. “So, I’m guessing the teachers don’t like it then…?”

The couple both shook their heads. “Usually they think it’s a complete joke, immoral and unnatural…and they don’t hide those views either…”

“But it’s legal and everything…?” Alex checked.

“Oh yeah…there’s only one way to break up this marriage, the normal one – a divorce. There are no loopholes, no chance of annulment…we may be young, but it’s the real thing…” Max explained. As he finished, he leant over and placed a kiss on the top of Liz’s head. She looked up and their lips met briefly. The love they felt for each other was almost tangible and the others looked away, averting their eyes, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Liz and Max suddenly realised they were making the others at the table uncomfortable and Liz blushed slightly. “Sorry…” She murmured. “We didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…”

Maria smiled. “Really, it’s no problem…” She assured the younger girl.

Michael shrugged. “So…how come you’ve been moving around so much anyway…?” He asked, trying to shift the focus of attention back onto something which could be more revealing. He was fed up of all the lovey-dovey talk.

As soon as he asked this, Max and Liz both began to look more uncomfortable again and both finished their food quickly. It was obvious to Maria that both were now eager to leave. Max shrugged after finishing his burger. “Oh just stuff…” He replied vaguely before standing up with Liz. “It was nice talking to you but I guess we should be getting home now…” Liz nodded and smiled, taking his hand as they slipped out of the booth.

“Sure…” Maria smiled at them, taking the money they offered to settle their bill. “Thanks…”

Nodding and smiling back, the couple turned and headed out of the café together.

Turning to Michael, Isabel glared. “Nice one Michael…did you purposely do that…?”

Michael looked confused. “Do what…?”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Asking a question like that…I can’t think of a more sure way to scare them off…” She commented.

“Well it’s more revealing than asking about how long they’ve been together…I mean do we really care about their relationship…?”

Isabel sighed. “Look, it’s a way to get to know them…to try and get them to open up…and you just blew it!”

“Whatever…” Her brother didn’t seem all that bothered.

Alex looked at his friend. “Look, they’re obviously hiding something…that much is pretty clear from their rapid exit…I suggest that we should try and find out what that might be…”

Legal Alein, Jadeling, XoXoDreamerXoXo, BehrLuver, FallenMagic, Ladeia, Force, Anya, roswellluver, cookiely, CandyDreamQueen, LoveIsForever, Jen C, Lezamay, stargrl678, thanks reading, and the feedback, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Sorry to have kept you waiting so long. Hope that anyone else who's reading it is enjoying it too.

Legal Alien - Thanks, I'm not usually one for writing suspense normally, but I guess that's the way this is coming out. And Michael...well, I never have seen him as a touchy feely guy lol. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you like the new chapter.

Jadeling - I'm aware that I have taken Kyle out of character a little in this, but it's a whole lot easier to make an existing character into rather a jerk than to have to make up a new one. I'm glad you think my Michael is in character though, I was worrying about that some, he's not an easy guy to write... Anyway, I'm glad that you like the way it's going.

XoXoDreamerXoXo - Glad you're enjoying the story.

BehrLuver - Really...? Well I guess you'll have to wait and see... Anyway, the next few chapters should give a few answers I hope. Also, a note...as yet, I have no intention of including Tess in this.

FallenMagic - Ah well, gotta keep the interest perked haven't I? lol

Ladeia - Thanks for reading, I'm really glad that you like it. Some of your questions will be answered in the next few chapter...others...well it might take a little longer, but I hope you'll keep reading.

Force - thanks

Anya - not quite 'alone' time yet...that was actually originally this chapter, but I added this in later which is why I've been struggling so much to get it out...I knew what I wanted, just couldn't find the words... Glad you're enjoying it though, and I promise to try not to be too long before I get the next part out now.

roswellluver - who said anything about Michael being tactful...

Cookiely - thanks, glad you enjoyed it

CandyDreamQueen - Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far.

LoveIsForever - really...? I've only seen it asked for once, and I was amazed then, but I'm glad people like it so much. Welcome to the story.

Jen C - thanks, I'm glad you like it

Lizamay - here you go, I know it's been a while, but I hope that you enjoy

stargrl678 - thanks

Ok guys, I know that it's been ages since I last posted , but I seriously was without internet for a month, which didnt help...and I have to admit I've been struggling with this chapter. It's not that I don't know what I want to happen, it's just getting the right words... Anyway, I'm not still completely happy with this...I was reading over it and adding some bits over lunch at work today, but basically I think it'll be a while until I get anything better, and I know that you've all been waiting (some more patiently than others lol) and I don't feel I can keep you on hold any longer. So here's what I'm doing, I'm gonna post this now, but I might keep working on it on my end so you might find a little note later on in the fic, saying that I've changed this chapter. I hope that you like what I've got anyway...I promise to try and update much more regularly again now that I'm back online.

Wow...I went on a bit there...sorry... Anway, it's been a long time coming I know, and I'd love to hear what you think...here's the new chapter.


Chapter 7

As soon as they were stood outside, Liz looked over at Max. “Well that was fun…” She commented.

Max smiled at her reassuringly. “It’s fine…”

“Max, they seemed to know way too much about us for my liking, and the second guy obviously wanted to find out more…”

Max couldn’t deny that this was true, but for now he wanted to try and ease her fears. “I’m sure that it’s nothing…he’s probably just nosy…” He tried to calm her. He himself was in fact also puzzled by the group they had just been talking to, and made up his mind to try and find out more about them, but for now he didn’t want to over react.

Liz nodded, but she didn’t really appear convinced. There was just something about them…

Max reached down and took her hand in his, squeezing it a little. “Come on Lizzie…we’ve been through this all before and we can deal…together…”

A small smile appeared on her face as he said this. Max was right…they had…and the most important thing was as he said…they were together… She looked up at him and took a breath. “Ok then, what’s next…?”

He shrugged. “I guess research…as usual…”

“The library…?”

Max nodded. “Probably as good a place to start as any yeah…” He agreed. He could tell that his wife was still tense and slipped his arm round her waist, pulling her a little closer as they walked along the street together.

**********

A short while later, after getting lost a few times, Max and Liz found themselves stood in front of the library. Liz looked over at Max. “I told you we turned right along there…” She commented, raising her eyebrow at him.

Max chuckled. “Yes, but if we’d turned right along there, we’d have ended up at a dead end according to this…” He responded, pulling out the map to show her.

Liz pulled a face. “Why are those things so difficult to understand…?” She never had been very good with maps…

“Well they’re only difficult if you don’t know how to use them…” He teased her.

“Yeah, which shows that you don’t either…” Liz responded, her eyes bright and twinkling with amusement. “After all, we did end up having to ask that old couple…”

Max frowned. After getting lost three times, in an area that was hardly big enough to get lost in, he had indeed given up on the map method and resorted to asking the first people he saw where the library was. The directions they’d been given by the elderly couple who were out walking were fairly simple and proved to be easy to follow. A few minutes later they had arrived, finding that they must have been within a block of the building for about quarter of an hour already. “Come on…” He murmured, pushing her playfully towards the door.

Liz giggled and nodded. She waited for Max to join her, then, pushing open the door, the couple headed inside and immediately went over to the main counter.

The librarian looked over at them. “Can I help you…?” She asked pleasantly.

Max nodded. “Well yes, we’re new to the area and were hoping to register with the library…” He explained quickly.

“Of course, no problem…” She smiled. “Have you got something that proves who you are, and where you’re currently living…?”

Again Max nodded, pulling out the letter from the estate agent and his driving licence. Liz did similarly, pulling out a provisional licence to show the woman.

The librarian took a quick look at the items they offered and nodded. “Alright then, I think that’s in order…would you like to fill in these forms then…?” She handed one form to each of them, then pulled out two pens for them to use. Liz and Max did as they were instructed, moving over to the side of the counter and leaning over to fill in the required details. A short time later they returned to the lady and handed her the filled out forms. She started to look through them and nodded as she reached the end of Max’s. As she continued onto Liz’s however, she stopped. “Oh, so you’re not sixteen yet…?”

Liz shook her head. “No, it’s my birthday in a couple of months…”

“Hm…” The lady checked something on Max’s form again and then looked up shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to need a signature of a parent on this then…” She told Liz.

“Well that could be kind of difficult…” Max commented, unimpressed by the way this was developing. “Her parents died when she was a child, as her guardian did a little under a year ago…”

The librarian didn’t seem to pick up on the fact max was saying ‘her’ instead of ‘we’ but she looked puzzled anyway. “So who’s looking after you then…if you’re both still under eighteen there must be someone…”

Liz shook her head. “Actually no…we’re emancipated minors, meaning that we have no legal guardian…”

The woman still didn’t look convinced. “Alright, well maybe I can allow your brother to sign it…officially he should be over eighteen, but maybe I can make an exception.

Max smothered a laugh at the look of frustration which passed over Liz’s face before turning back to the librarian. “I’m not her brother…”

The woman looked confused. “But you have the same surname, I just assumed…”

Liz shook her head. “We have the same surname because we’re married, not because we’re siblings…” She explained wearily. The day had taken quite a bit out of her and the last thing she needed was to have to go through all this again.

Max could sense that she was tired and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close as they waited to see how the librarian would respond.

“Wh-Oh…”

The couple were only too aware that the pleasant expression with which she had been looking at them had suddenly changed to one of disgust and contempt…it was the usual reaction.

“Am I to understand that I should mark your files to say that you have, or are expecting a child then…?” She asked in a prim voice.

Max shook his head firmly. “NO you should not…not that I would imagine it’s very important to do anyway…why should our library files be marked with something like that…?” He frowned. “I don’t know why people are all determined that the reason why we got married must be something to do with me having got her into trouble but it isn’t…” He sighed and looked back at the librarian. “Anyway, can we register or not…?”

“The reason would be to enable us to make sure you received information about the children’s facilities but anyway, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding…” She at least had the decency to look a little awkward, realising that the way she had responded wasn’t the most polite and at Max’s question now nodded quickly. “Oh yes…I don’t see any reason why not…”

Max nodded back as did Liz. Any pretence of smiling had gone however. “Thank you…” He responded stiffly.

The librarian busied herself for a moment, finishing filling in the files and once she was finished handed both teenagers a small card. “Alright, you can borrow six books each, the loan period is three weeks and you can renew books three times by phone…” She told them quickly, obviously still a little uncomfortable with the whole thing and wanting to get rid of them quickly. “Any other questions feel free to ask me…”

Max took his card and nodded. “Well actually there is something we need to ask about…”

She looked at him. “Yes…?”

“We’re doing some research for a family tree of sorts…” He started seeing no reason to lie. It was a perfectly acceptable explanation and made it easier in the long run.

Liz nodded, picking this up. “I’ve never been able to find out much about my parents, or other family…but I heard that they might have been from around here at one time…”

The older woman found herself softening a little towards this young girl. She still wasn’t completely comfortable that these two ‘children’ said they were married, but still…it must be awful to have lost her parents, and then later on to have had the same thing happen to the person who had brought her up. She smiled softly at Liz. “Well I hope that you’ll be able to find something sweetheart, but I’m not really certain what I can do to help…”

Max noticed the change in her attitude and smiled, relieved since he knew it would probably be a little easier now. Neither he, nor Liz, liked the pity which people sometimes showed towards their situation, but sometimes it could come in useful he had to admit. “Well we thought maybe if we looked through some of the old newspapers we might find something to help…”

The woman nodded. “Well I’m not sure you will, and it’s going to be a lot of work to look through them, but you’re welcome to try…” She stood up and came out from around the desk. “The terminals we use for the microfiche are just over here…” She told them as she led them over to one side of the library. “…And to find out what number slides you want to look at, there’s a computer over there with a database…you type in the dates you’re wanting and it will churn out a list of the slides which cover them…”

Liz smiled. “Thank you for the help…”

“Not at all sweetheart, I hope you find what you’re looking for…” She told them before heading back over to the counter to deal with the small queue that was already forming.

Max gave a wry smile as he surveyed the equipment. “Ever get the feeling we’re going to be here a long time…?”

Liz sighed and nodded. “Looks like it…” She groaned. “So much for an early night…” She took a breath and made her way over to the computer terminal that the woman had told them housed the database. She looked up at Max, who had followed her, as she took a seat in front of the terminal. “Ok, so exactly what are we looking for…?”

Max didn’t answer immediately, but bent down, opening his bag and pulled out a small book from inside. The cover was worn and some of the pages were loose.

As he opened it, a number of loose sheets fell from inside and Liz bent over to retrieve them. Every single page had the potential to hide some important piece of information…they couldn’t risk losing any of them.

Seeing that he didn’t have to worry about the sheets which had fallen, Max concentrated on finding the page they were working on at the moment. The book was an old diary, but the contents covered everything from appointments the writer had, to interesting bits of information he had gathered, to what read like original fiction. It would have been easier, had the owner’s work not involved so many children…yet then again, if he hadn’t been working as a social worker, arranging to take care of Max and Liz, and later making arrangements for them to be emancipated, would likely have been much more difficult. “Ok, it mentions two children, something about them being abandoned, and the year…” Max told Liz as he re-read the entry which had brought them to Roswell.

Liz nodded. “1989…?” She checked.

Max nodded. “That’s right…”

“Ok, well he said we were after…yeah…?”

Again he nodded. “Right…although he never said how much after, so I guess it could cover any month up to July…”

Liz nodded and typed something in, setting the computer up to do a search and then sitting back to wait. A few minutes later, the computer beeped at her to indicate it had finished and she looked up. Liz yawned slightly, rubbing her eyes before turning back to the computer screen she had been looking at. In front of her was a long list of numbers, each corresponding to an individual microfiche slide from the year of 1989. The records covered three different national newspapers, one which was specific to the area of roswell, and another which covered a few more of the surrounding times. If she had been looking for information specific to the crash, it would have been easy of course. Around the summer of 1947, she knew from experience, the newspapers were all covered with articles about the crash which everyone insisted was simply a weather balloon. Finding something more than fourty years later was much more difficult though, especially when she didn’t really know what they were looking for. For all they knew, there would have been nothing in the paper even… Shaking her head, she pressed to print out the list and then went over to the printer to wait.

**********

“This is hopeless…” Liz sighed and pushed her chair back, running her hands though her hair and trying not to think about how tired she felt. So far she hadn’t found anything, and Max hadn’t been any more successful, but still he insisted that they continue

“Just a little bit longer…” Max tried to coax her. “Give it another half hour and if we still haven’t found anything we’ll go home…” He looked over at her, looking away from his own screen briefly. There seemed to be articles on everything…well everything except what they wanted to find. So far he’d been through the first three months worth of newspapers but hadn’t found any mention of what he was looking for. The thing was that they didn’t realy know exactly what they were looking for anyway though…after all, all they were going on was a note in an old note pad that could mean practically anything… not to mention the fact that they weren’t even sure if there were any articles to find… It was no more specific than the other notes they’d found and later determined to be duff leads, but somehow Max had a feeling that this one was going to be different. Somewhere in among al this stuff he was certain that there would be something to help them…it was just a case of finding it…

“Alright…half an hour, but you’d better make it worth my while when we get back home…” Liz teased, her eyes twinkling.

Max grinned, leaning across and pressing his lips against hers. “I would be happy to Mrs Evans…”

Liz smiled, kissing him back before returning her attention, somewhat reluctantly, to the screen in front of her. Finishing reading the page she was on, she clicked the button to shift to the next and as she started reading, almost immediately her eyes widened. “Max…”

Her husband looked over quickly. “What is it…?”

Liz pointed to the screen. “Here…see…”

Max moved his chair over slightly to be able to look at her screen and nodded. “It looks promising…”

“Two children found on the side of the road out in the desert…” Liz checked the date. “It’s about six months before us…”

“It fits with everything we know…” Max confirmed.

Liz reached into her bag and pulled out the small battered notebook which had brought them to Roswell. Opening it at a marked page, she re-read the short entry in question. “I think this is what he’s talking about…isn’t that the number of the road which runs through there…?”

Max nodded. It definitely looked promising. “Alright then, I guess the next question is, if this is what he’s on about, is this the entry that we think it is…” Max looked thoughtful. “We both know that there are lots of other possibilities…Nasedo was involved in so much stuff, after all it was his job…he could have been involved with this without them being anything special…”

Nodding again, Liz pressed to print out a copy of the article before continuing to search for further articles relating to the same incident. Now that they knew what they were looking for, this didn’t take too long and by the time they left the library half an hour later, they had been able to find and locate several articles. None of them gave any names, but Liz was fairly certain that she would be able to find out that if she hacked into the social services computers, something that Max had no doubt she was capable of doing. For now though, both were tired and ready to go home, which was probably a good job since the library was closing anyway…

The couple packed up their stuff quickly and headed back out. Night was drawing in and the sun had all but disappeared. Liz shivered slightly in the cold breeze and Max slipped his arm around her, drawing her close. “You ok…?”

She smiled. “Yeah, just cold…”

“Never mind, we’ll soon be home…”

Liz nodded softly. “I can’t wait…”

Hi guys *waves a little nervously* I know that it's been a while since I posted but there is a reason for that...I find scenes such as the one which follows very difficult to write and it's the first one I've had to get ready for either of my fics in order to post. It's taken me some time to get something that I'm happy with and I'd like to thanks Isabelle for taking a look at it for me, I value her opinion a lot.

Another thing I want to say is that I've noticed the page width of the first page has been distorted...I don't quite know why that is and I appologise if it's causing anyone any trouble.

XoXoDreamerXoXo, purpleant, Ladeia, Anya, Natz, roswelluver, foreverdreaer15, LegalAlien, stargrl678, Isabelle, Brook, Roswellgurlygirl16, anonymousarfan, LoveIsForever, Emarald, Nichole, CandyDreamQueen, thanks so much for all the feedback guys, it's wonderful to know that you're all reading and enjoying it so much. I hope that anyone else who might be reading will be enjoying too.

XoXoDreamerXoXo - thanks for the feedback, it's good to know that you're enjoying it.

Purpleant - yup, they seem to be getting there, slowly but surely

Ladeia - sorry to disappoint, but as you say, that would have been too easy, I'm sure they'll get there eventually if you keep reading though.

Anya - glad to know you felt it was worth the wait, I hated leaving you guys so long but RL can be a pain sometimes and then you just get times when you just don't know what to write I'm afraid...hopefully I won't have another of those for some time though.

Natz - Yeah, Max didn't go for a quiet announcement did he lol. Anyway, gad you're enjoying and hope you will continue to do so.

roswelluver - well it's a start for them. Thanks for reading.


foreverdreamer15 - yup, they found them, which is better than nothing, have to see what they do next. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading.

Legalalien - thanks

stargrl678 - I'm sure they'll get there in the end.

Isabelle - well I couldn't have you not reading the chapter, had to see what you thought and sorry to hear that your notifications aren't working at the moment. Anyway, I'm glad that you liked the chapter. I don't honestly know where the scene from the librarian came from, I just started typing and that was what came out lol. Glad you thought it worked though. As far as names go, sorry to disappoint, but maybe that'll come out soon. Also, thanks so much for taking a look at this scene before I posted.

Brook - glad you're enjoying it

Roswellgurlygirl16 - Glad you're enjoying it

anonymousarfan - thanks, glad you're enjoying it

LoveIsForever - I'm glad that you've found it again too . I guess it just shows how people make assumptions when they're told something...it's human nature. Anyway, so glad that you're enjoying the story and thanks for the feedback

Emarald - sorry for the delay, as I've said more than once though, I'm not about to give up on this so even if I do take a while to get some of the chapters out, I guarantee I'm not abandoning it. Thanks for reading anyway.

Nichole - welcome to the story, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

CandyDreamQueen - thanks, glad you're enjoying it.

Okay, so two last things I need to say before going onto the chapter, and I know that maybe I'm being a pain since this is growing so much - sorry.

The first thing is to say that this fic actually won an award on another board 'crossovers'. I couldn't believe it when I found out and was absolutely delighted so anyone that might have voted for it in that, thanks very much and the banner is proudly displayed at the bottom of the first part

Ok, one last thing and then the new part will be following I promise. This last thing is actually about the new part...I know that I rated this fic MATURE, but I have a feeling this next scene could well have stepped over into ADULT territory . I'm not very good with this stuff, hence why it's taken so long to get out, and this is the first I've actually posted for either of my fics so I hope that people won't think that I've done too bad a job.

Okay, so that's it, I hope anyone who's reading the new part will enjoy it.

*WARNING likely ADULT part*

Chapter 8

Turning the key in the door, and pushing it open, Liz was about to step inside the apartment when she suddenly found herself lifted off the floor. “MAX!” She squealed as she recognised the strong arms of her husband.

He grinned, carrying her against his chest as he stepped through the door. “I love doing that…” He commented.

Liz smiled. “Yeah, but you’re only supposed to do that once…” She pointed out laughing. “So…are you going to put me down yet…?”

Max shook his head, walking over to the sofa before gently lowering her onto the seat. He smiled at her. “It’s way too much fun to be content with the once though…” He responded softly before leaning in to kiss her deeply.

As he pressed his lips against hers, Liz’s objections were quickly silenced and she slid her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair. “God I love you…” She whispered, pressing her lips back against his eagerly.

Max made no response to this and she looked at him curiously. As he bent down, she reached up, expecting him to kiss her again, but to her surprise he did not… His eyes twinkling, one arm slipped under her legs while the other settled round the small of her back. Realising just in time what he was about to do, she slipped her arms around his neck again to secure herself as Max lifted her once more, this time carrying her through to the bedroom.

As Max set her down on the bed, Liz looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. “Mr Evans…now what might you have in mind here…?” She asked, pretending to be shocked by his actions.

Max grinned. “Oh I’m sure you could take a good guess…” He replied breathlessly, dipping his head to gently kiss her on the lips.

A smile played on her lips as she kissed him back and pulled him gently down to join her so that they were both sitting on the bed facing each other. “Hmmm…maybe…but perhaps you should show me anyway…” She told him softly.

Her husband smiled. “Oh, I’m sure that can be arranged…” He agreed nodding. Moving forward, he captured her lips in his once more, prolonging and deepening the kiss until it was necessary to break for air and then moving down onto her neck, tasting and nibbling on the delicate pale flesh, and so eliciting a groan of pleasure from Liz. His hand slipped behind her neck, playing with her long, silky, dark tresses as her head rocked back slightly. “Beautiful…” He murmured, only halting his attentions for one moment.

“Arghhhh…” Liz let out a little cry, her head rocking back against the support his hand offered. The touch of his lips on her skin was amazing…everywhere they went it was like they left behind a path on which her skin was on fire. Tingling sensations ran through her body, seemingly hundreds every second…all produced by his loving attentions… “I love you…” She murmured softly, her arms slipping round his neck and her fingers trailing down his back.

Max struggled not to cry out as he felt her slip under his shirt, her small fingertips tracing delicate circles over his back. Such a simple thing, but something which brought so much pleasure. “I love you too…” He breathed as he lifted his head and his lips faced hers once more. The gap between them was less than a few centimetres, but he was in no doubt that even that was too much. Leaning forward, he closed the gap, his lips settling on hers as he kissed her over and over.

“Arghh…Max…” Liz moaned softly as they finally broke for air. Her fingers had stopped playing along his back and instead were slowly making their way round his front and down his chest. Without moving her gaze from his, Liz reached down, her fingers obviously searching for something and she smiled as she felt them touch the mass beneath his waist. Gently, she trailed a single finger along its length and felt it harden inside his trousers.

As he felt what she was doing, Max’s eyes widened…it took only the slightest contact from her to cause him to react and his hands reached down, closing over hers and gently removing them.

Liz pretended to pout. “Didn’t you like it…?”

Max’s eyes twinkled in amusement. “You know full well that’s not true…I could never dislike anything you did…” He reached up and whispered before dipping his head to her neck once more and nibbling, ever so gently, on the soft creamy flesh there.

This action induced another moan from Liz as she sank back onto the bed, her head pressing deep into the pillows.

Max leant over, taking her hands in his and kissing each in turn. Letting go of them now, he turned his attentions back to her lips, kissing her deeply, showing every second the love he felt for her. His own hands now slipped down, releasing the tie of material and closing in on the buttons on her blouse which he then began to unfasten one by one… As each new inch of flesh was revealed, Max’s lips left hers, welcoming the sight of the pale skin with a gentle kiss before returning to her lips as he continued with the next. Finally, the blouse lay fully open and gently he took Liz’s hands, pulling her up gently and removing the top.

As she rose into a sitting position once more, Liz giggled and rocked forward, pressing her lips back against those of her husband as the blouse slipped from her shoulders. “Oh baby…you want me…?” She asked him in a husky voice as she lay back against the pillows once more, pulling him with her. Max’s lips attacked hers quickly and even as she lay against the bed, she felt the fastener at the back of her bra release, said covering slipping down her front and revealing her bare breasts.

As the soft flesh was revealed, a smile played over Max’s lips as his head lowered, taking one nipple in his mouth and sucking the sensitive skin.

His touch on her skin was electrifying and Liz’s body rocked back and forth, another groan for pleasure escaping her lip. “Maaaax” She moaned.

Hearing her call, Max released her nipple from his mouth, replacing his lips with two fingers which now began to tease the soft flesh as he raised his head to face her once more.

Seeing him in front of her, Liz smiled and pushed forward to close the distance between them. She opened her mouth as they kissed and she felt his tongue begin to battle with hers. Her breathing was more laboured and her skin felt hot against his, speaking of her excitement and arousal. Her hands reached down, closing over the bottom of his t-shirt and pulling it upwards, over his head.

Max halted his attentions briefly, just long enough to raise his arms and allow her to do this. As soon as the neck slipped over his head, he returned to her again though, pressing his lips against hers as he shed the shirt from his arms also and lowered them again, returning to his previous actions and continuing his attention to her. Reaching up with his free hand, Max pushed a few strands of hair out of her face and kissed her again. Words could not describe how much he loved this girl…

Her head rocking back further into the pillows in response to his continued attentions, Liz’s hands began to drop lower once more, seeking out again the feel of his shaft under his trousers. She ran her finger along it once more before working to unfasten first the button, and then the zip, releasing his straining erection from it’s confinement.

As she next began to pull the waistband down over his hips, Max felt what she was doing and helped as he could, kicking the trousers off onto the floor once she’d pulled them down. His lips began to leave a trail of kisses, down her neck, over her breasts and down to the waistband of her skirt. At this point he stopped briefly, finally halting his attentions to her breasts in order to slip his hands round her back and release the fastening he found there for her skirt.

Liz’s hands slipped down, teasing his lips before her fingers began to beckon him back to her.

Max smiled as her delicate fingers began to draw him upwards once more. His hands settled on her hips which she began to shift back and forth in order to lower the skirt further as it began to slip down. Their lips met once more, fighting against one another as they kissed passionately.

Once the skirt was free of her hips, Liz kicked her legs once, causing the skirt to slide down, and a second time in order to discard the item of clothing completely. It slipped down onto the floor in a pool of fabric and lay there abandoned.

Max’s eyes began to roam over the form of her body, taking in the familiar curves and delicate pale flesh. The only covering left now was so slight and he could see a number of dark curls just peaking out the side. Smiling and reaching down, he moved to relieve her of this last item of underwear but Liz grabbed his hands pulling them back up. He looked at her questioningly and she shook her head grinning. “No…my turn first…” She told him lightly before tapping his hands lightly. Max smiled, not about to object as her hands reached down and proceeded to make short work of removing his underpants. Within moments he found himself completely naked and smiling, he moved to do the same to his wife.

At this point their hands worked as one, pushing back the covers as they slipped underneath together, completely open to one another…

The sheets might have been covering their lower halves, but Max knew his wife’s curves and contours well and his hands moved to rest on her hips one more, one of them sliding up and down her thigh.

Liz moaned in pleasure as he took her lips in his again. Her small hands reached down under the covers, quickly closing over her target of his now hard shaft. She didn’t have to feel the way it responded to her touch to know that she had caused this…she was the one who had given him pleasure in this way, and she was the only one who would, and could do this. Despite their age, she was his wife and he was her husband.

A groan of pleasure now escaped Max’s lips, closely followed by a look of intense concentration which appeared on his face as she resumed rubbing up and down the length of his hardness once more.

“What’s the matter…don’t you like it…?” Liz asked softly, pulling away for a moment, her lips hovering a few centimetres away from his.

“Oh no…” Max shook his head, his eyes twinkling. “I just don’t know how much longer I can stand that…” Something which sounded a little like a growl slipped from his mouth before he pushed forward, closing the gap and attacking her lips with his once more.

Liz’s back arched slightly as she felt his hand moving up and down her thigh, his strong hands caressing her soft skin so gently…so lovingly. Suddenly the movements halted for a moment, although they reappeared a little higher up almost immediately.

Max reached out, his fingers playing with a few of the dark curls below and smiled as he felt her open her legs slightly, widening her hips in order to allow him better access.

The intensity of his kisses increased and Liz’s head slipped deeper into the pillows, moaning gently and arching her back as she felt his finger touch one particular spot. “Oooohh yeeessss!”

Her husband grinned as he heard her response and slipped his finger inside once more, finding the spot that had just caused her so much pleasure and massaging it gently. “Here…?” He asked her softly, wanting to hear her sweet voice again.

Liz struggled to nod. “Yes…Oh…baby…” She whispered breathlessly, reaching up to whisper in his ear and her tongue licking the edge.

Max let out a low groan as she did this, struggling to keep from losing control as he felt her fingers continue their delicate motions.

Without either of them saying it, both knew that they were coming close and there was no way they could hold back much longer. Neither was about to rush thought either, and every movement was smooth and easy. Their lips met once more and after he removed his finger, Max took his wife’s hands gently bringing them up and pulling away from her lips briefly in order to kiss first one, then the other. Moving over, his lips captured hers once more, kissing her passionately as he supported his weight above her, sliding into her folds slowly and gently. He smiled as he felt her tighten round him and could feel that she too was almost ready.

A little groan escaped Liz’s lips as she felt him enter and her head slipped back further into the pillows. Her arms slipped round his neck and her fingers began to trail down his back.

Slowly Max began to draw in and out, thrusting deeper each time and loving the way she moved with him as though they were one.

With each thrust, Liz felt herself growing tighter and tighter around him and a pressure inside continued to grow. She pressed back against his lips, kissing him deeply as her hips rocked back and forth with him.

At the same time, both finally felt the release and fell back against the pillows together.

Rolling over onto his back and bringing Liz with him, Max looked down at the beautiful brunette who lay within his arms. He marvelled at how soft and silky her long brown hair appeared and dipped his head to kiss the top of her head. As Liz looked up, he slipped his hands up, resting them behind her head and pressing his lips against hers once more. “I love you…” He murmured before burying his lips in her hair once more.

Liz slipped her hands behind his neck, her fingers running through his hair and playing with the tips as she lay there, resting against his chest.

Her husband smiled, dipping his head to kiss her again. “You are amazing…”

She grinned and reached up to whisper in his ear. “Well it takes two…”

Max pretended to think for a moment. “I guess that’s right…I’m just glad I’m one of the two…”

Their light banter continued for some time, comments flying back and forth between numerous kisses but neither seemed to want to move from the position they were in. Finally Liz slipped down from Max, onto the mattress next to him, but even then her head stayed where it was, resting against his chest. Her hands slipped down, closing round his back and smiling as she felt him doing the same, keeping her close in his arms.

“I love you Mrs Evans…”

Liz felt the familiar tingle run down her spine as she heard him say this. However long they had been married, hearing someone call her that was still wonderful. To have it confirmed, to know that they really were married, that they had made that commitment and that no one could break them up… “I love you too Mr Evans…” She replied softly.

Max smiled, pressing his lips against hers again. “Did I tell you how beautiful you are…?”

“Not in the last few minutes…”

He pretended to look shocked. “Well, I must do something to rectify that. Mrs Evans, you are ravishing and I hope that you know how much I love you…”

Liz’s eyes twinkled. “Hmm…well maybe you should show me, just to be sure…” She suggested, trying hard not to laugh.

Max nodded thoughtfully. “Well…I thought that I had done a pretty good job of that before, but maybe I should try again…” He kissed her deeply on the lips.

Liz kissed him back and pretended to consider the suggestion. After a moment, she nodded. “Maybe that would be a good idea…”

Max laughed and kissed her again.

Without breaking away from him, or even looking up, Liz lifted one of her hands which were resting behind his back, focusing on the wall. A moment later, the light went out…

**********

“So…” Alex looked as though he was considering something as he looked over at his girlfriend.

Isabel looked back at him. “What…?”

He shrugged. “I was just wondering…when they said it was a proper marriage…do you suppose they-“ He broke off suddenly without finishing his thought as she jabbed him with her elbow.

His girlfriend’s eyes glinted and she shook her head disapprovingly. “Alex! That’s their business…no one else’s, they don’t need you pondering over it and it is definitely not something for us to talk about!” Secretly of course she had to admit that she was interested them…the whole idea of the couple being married, when neither was any older than her, still seemed very strange. Immediately she had thought the same as Michael…that Liz be pregnant, or at least have been thought to be…it seemed like the only explanation but from the reaction of both Max and Liz when this had been suggested, it was only too clear that definitely wasn’t the explanation. Whatever things she thought about the couple, she felt that there were limits to the things which should be discussed and what Alex had been about to say was most definitely outside them…

Knowing better than to pursue the subject, he knew only too well the warning look she had shot him, Alex did his best to look repentant. “I’m sorry…” He told her. “I know that I shouldn’t…but it’s difficult…it’s so weird…” He muttered.

Isabel nodded, she couldn’t say that she didn’t understand. “Yeah…it was the last thing I would have expected…I mean I know that Maria was saying that they were a couple, and I have to admit I would have agreed with her at the time, but when we heard their names it just never entered my head that they were anything other than brother or sister…”

Her boyfriend nodded in agreement. “Well yeah, it seems like common sense…I mean I’ve heard of people marrying young…usually because of a baby, which clearly isn’t a factor here, but in that case I wouldn’t have expected both of them to be at school, so like you say, it just didn’t enter my head… I’ve never heard of someone so young marrying from choice…” He finished, still trying to get his head round everything they had heard.

“Well we have now…”

“Yeah…” He sighed. “I just can’t help thinking that there’s something more to it…to them…” He paused a moment before continuing. “I don’t know why, or what, but they’re hiding something…I just know that they are…” Too late he realised, as he finished, that Isabel was already nervous about everything and his words had only made it worse… He slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close for a moment. “It’ll be ok…I’m sure it’s nothing major, and we’ll be able to find out what with a little research anyway…” He looked at her. “I’ll try and do a little more digging…see what I can come up with…”

Isabel gave a weak smile. “Yeah, I guess we’ll have to see what happens…just be careful…”

Alex gave a light nod. “Always…” He assured her softly.

Isabel seemed to consider saying something more, but didn’t and instead pulled back, making as thugh to get out of the car. “Ok…I’ll see you tomorrow…”

Alex nodded again, pulling her back to kiss her lightly.

Isabel allowed herself to kiss him back for a moment and then opened the door, pulling back and slipping out of the car before hurrying over to the door of the caravan.

Alex didn’t move, remaining where he was as he watched her go inside. As the door closed, he waited a few more moments, watching for the curtains at her window being drawn, and as soon as this had been done, he turned the key in the ignition and drove away heading home…

Wow - is this really my story ? lol

Seriously guys, all the feedback you give me is appreciated so much. It's great to know that people are enjoying what I'm writing. Anyway, I don't think it's been quite as long as last time since I posted, but I've been in a writing mood the last week, hence why both this and Dreams and Reality are getting updates tonight .

anonymousarfan, CherryFlavouredChica, XoXoDreamerXoXo, roswellluver, foreverdreamer15, purpleant, SarahWhitman, Roswellgurly, LoveIsForever, CandyDreamQueen, Isabelle, FallenMagic, othocfan4ever, thanks so much for the feedback guys. Glad you're all enjoying the story and hope you'll like the new chapter.

anonymousarfan - glad you liked it, hope you'll like the new chapter

CherryFlavouredChica - thanks, thanks for reading, glad you're enjoying it

XoXoDreamerXoXo - Glad you enjoyed it. I'm sorry about the lack of updating, I'd love to promise to update more regularly but the fact is that if I do, either I'll keep letting you all down by missing the deadlines I set myself, or I'll never do any work on some other fics I have in the works. I will be hoping to have another chapter out sometime before Christmas though, that's something I am willing to say. For now, hope you enjoy the new chapter.

roswellluver - thanks

foreverdreamer15 - Glad you liked it, I'm afraid you might have to wait a little longer for the two groups to find out about each other, but I hope you'll enjoy the chapters I have planned before that anyway.

purpleant - thanks

SarahWhitman - You heard about it? lol Wow, thanks, I'm glad that you've enjoyed it so far and I'm so pleased you think it works. You're right, I'm sure the chapter when they find out about each other will be very dramatic, but I think there's a way to go before that happens, hope you don't mind that. As for your comments about my lovemaking scene, thank you so much, I was very nervous about posting it and to see that people think it worked well makes me feel great I have to say.

Roswellgurly - thanks, glad you're liking it, hope you enjoy the next chapter

LoveIsForever - lol I concur with your views, but I thought it made for a funny scene I hope anyway.

CandyDreameQueen - thanks, I'm glad you like the idea.

Isabelle - little while to go yet before we get to that point for now youll just have to put up with another M/L scene, but I'm very glad you enjoyed the last chapter and thanks again for looking over the lovemaking scene for me, knowing that you'd seen it made it a lot easier to post I think.

FallenMagic - YEY! welcome back to the story, glad you're still enjoying it. :blushes: thanks for the comments about the intimite scene, good to know you think it works. Liz and Max, and the Roswell gang being the same...? hmm, well that'd be telling wouldn't it lol. Anyway, stick with it and all will be revealed I promise. As for your story and mine - lol well I hope you don't think I'm copying yours, promise that all the ideas in here are from my head hehe. Mentioning your story though, it's great to see you writing again although I know it could be a while now before you get back into it. HUGS

othocfan4ever - aww, thanks. As for fanfiction.net, sorry, I'll lose track if I start posting in lots of different places so I'm sticking here I'm afraid. Hope that you'll keep reading and enjoying though.

Alright, so thanks again to everyone, anyone else who's reading I hope you're enjoying the story and I hope you'll all like the new chapter, as always I'd love to hear what you think.

Chapter 9

The next morning Liz opened her eyes as the sun crept into the room. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the light and turned away, curling up to Max and resting her head on his chest in a contented manner.

Without even waking, her husband’s arm automatically slipped around her, pulling her closer.

Liz smiled softly, far from complaining. She stayed where she was, lying there and just enjoying the feeling of being in his arms. It was nice to do something so normal… Her position didn’t change until the alarm went off a few moments later.

Max groaned as he heard the alarm and his hand stuck out to silence the ringing. As he did this, his hand brushed against something soft and he suddenly became aware of a weight on his chest. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked down and smiled at the scene that greeted him. She looked so beautiful… Her long eyelashes hid the fact that she was in fact awake and he leant dipped his head to bury his lips in her hair. So soft and silky…perfect as far as he was concerned…

Feeling his movement, Liz opened her eyes fully, turning her head to look at him. She smiled softly at her husband. “Good morning…” She murmured, resting her hand on his chest next to her head.

“Good morning…” Max echoed her greeting in a hushed voice. His arms snaked round her back, enclosing her and drawing her closer to his body. He couldn’t imagine anything as perfect as this moment…

A small moan of pleasure escaped Liz’s lips. More than anything she just wanted to stay there, together… When they were like this they didn’t have to worry about what the rest of the world thought or anything like that. It was simple and sweet…just as it was supposed to be. The feelings they had for one another were completely normal and she could almost fool herself into thinking they were normal teenagers…well, perhaps not completely normal, cos it wasn’t exactly normal for them to be married, and she wouldn’t change that for the world, but normal enough anyway… She smiled softly, not moving for a few moments then sighed. As much as she wanted to, she knew that they couldn’t just stay as they were… Reaching up to get a kiss, she then looked over at the clock to check the time. Seeing that it was already coming up to eight, she groaned and tried to pull away from Max albeit reluctantly.

For a moment her husband didn’t release her though, keeping her locked tightly in his arms.

“Max…”

He sighed and nodded. “Okay, sorry…just enjoying the moment…” He told her in a warm voice as he opened his arms to allow her to get up.

Liz nodded understanding exactly what he meant. She sat up and stretched. “I know…I wish we didn’t have to go anywhere today…I wish it could be just you and me, here…”

Max laughed. “Are you suggesting something Mrs Evans…?” He asked her, teasing her with his chiding voice and wagged his finger.

She shook her head at his antics. She giggled and reached out, her hands closing over the finger he was moving and drawing his hand to her. Bringing it up to her lips, she kissed it gently. “Just saying what we know you’re thinking too…”

Max groaned. To know that he had to resist the urge he had to draw her back into his arms and never let go was pure agony. Biting his lower lip hard for a moment, he forced himself to concentrate on something other than her luscious lips.

Liz could see how he was struggling and she laughed. “Okay, well as much as I don’t want to, I guess we should get moving…” Saying this, she began to swing her legs over the side of the bed but stopped as she felt Max’s hand on her arm. She turned to face him again.

“Just a little longer…” He pleaded with her. Max knew as well as Liz did that they needed to get ready, but it was so difficult in the morning. Seeing his wife like that…

Smiling, Liz shook her head, although she leant forward to press her lips against his once more. “No…you know we can’t…” She groaned as she felt him nibbling her lower lip gently and drew away with difficulty. “So, are you having the bathroom first or me…?” She asked him, trying to calm her breathing. It wasn’t easy when Max was around. His simple presence was enough to excite her, she didn’t think that would ever change…

A smile played on Max’s lips. “How about a combination…?” He suggested, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

His wife chuckled. “Somehow I don’t think that would be a good idea…”

He pouted. “Why not…”

She laughed. “Well, there’s the tiny matter of getting to school on time, and if I agreed to your suggestion, somehow I can’t see that happening…” She shook her head at him and stood up. “I’ll go first…”

There was a mischievous glint in Max’s eyes and he put on a pet lip, pretending to pout. “It was fun though…”

Liz looked round, laughing at his expression and was about to reply when he suddenly grabbed her round the waist and pulled her back down onto his lap quickly.

Before she had a chance to try and stand up again, or pull away, he began to tickle her as she lay there.

Liz squealed and giggled softly, curling up tightly and trying to avoid his nimble fingers. “No…” She gasped, struggling for breath as she tried to get away and evade his fingers.

Max laughed. One of his arms remained round her waist, keeping her at the mercy of his second. The laughter of his wife was like music to his ears and he grinned, playfully preventing her escape.

Soon enough, Liz’s resistance depleted, her arms wrapping round her husband’s neck as she reached up to press her lips against his.

Max needed no encouragement to return the kiss, prolonging their contact and deepening their connection.

The feelings flowing between the two of them were of complete contentment and joy. Just being here like this was wonderful, time such as this was something to be treasured by both of them…

After a few minutes just holding one another, the time once again crept up on them though, and looking at the clock both realised they couldn’t afford to delay any longer. After one last kiss, Max released his hold and allowed Liz to get up again.

Without saying anything more, Liz hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Standing outside the door, Max could hear the water running and couldn’t help imagining his wife standing there under the stream of warm water. She's beautiful…what a figure… He was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice that the water had stopped until he found himself facing Liz as she opened the door once more. Feeling unusually awkward, he looked down guiltily.

Taking in the smile on his face and the look in his eyes, Liz didn’t need to ask what he was doing and laughed. “Maybe we can take that shower tonight…” She suggested softly, her eyes twinkling.

Max looked back up at her and grinned. Taking in her appearance, wrapped in a towel, her long dark hair wet and slicked back against her head, he opened his arms and as she walked into them, drew her closer to his body, beginning to rub her with the towel.

Although she knew she probably shouldn’t given the time, Liz couldn’t resist taking up his offer as she saw his open arms and she smiled, entering them quickly.

Rubbing up and down, Max rubbed her well with the towel, sending a little power through to speed up the process.

Liz shivered as she felt the energy dancing over her skin but then pulled away. Once again she had allowed him to make her forget the urgency, and once again they were running out of time. “I can manage…” She told him softly. “You go get yourself ready…” She continued drying herself and after hearing the door close after Max, she walked over to the closet, wondering what she should wear that day.

There wasn’t much there of course, they tended to travel light… Besides, she could create any outfit she wanted from what she already had… Of course she had to be careful though. It would seem suspicious if she appeared to have a neverending supply of clothes given that anyone with any sense would expect money to be tight for the couple. It was for this reason that Liz generally stuck to the things she actually had, although occasionally when they arrived in a new place she might allow herself a few ‘new’ tops.

Considering this, she began to flick through the items in the closet and picked out a pair of jeans. Pairing this with a simple red t-shirt she was about to get changed but couldn’t help remembering what had happened the previous afternoon. There was no doubt in her mind that there would be plenty of questions today. She and Max would be the focus of the latest gossip and would be centre of attention as they had been on so many other occasions.

Considering this, a plan began to form in her head and her eyes twinkled. ‘Alright, if they want to gossip, let’s give them something to gossip about…’ After changing into the jeans, she pulled on the t-shirt but instead of leaving it at that, she moved over to the mirror and studied her reflection before setting to work.

A few minutes later she had finished. In place of the plain v-neck t-shirt was a delicate red peasant top. The sleeves rested on her shoulders and the neckline was high enough to be suitable for school, yet low enough to show off a large expanse of bare skin. Liz smiled at her reflection, pleased with her work. Pulling on her trainers, she added a necklace to complete her outfit, ran a comb through her hair, and then went to go see about making some breakfast.

By the time Max came out of the shower, his wife had already left the bedroom and he could hear her moving around in the next room. Without wasting any time, he dried himself off, pulled some jeans and a black t-shirt out of the closet and got dressed quickly. This done, he shoved his feet into the shoes which lay at the bottom of the bed, and then headed out of the room.

Liz looked round as she heard the door leading from the bedroom open and she smiled at her husband.

Watching her turn round, a smile appeared on Max’s face as his eyes took in her appearance. She was always beautiful, but today she looked absolutely fantastic… Unlike the day before when she had worn it up, her long brown hair was worn down, falling over her shoulders and trailing down her back. The silky brown tresses shone in the sun as the rays played on her face. The jeans she wore were tight, and well fitted, making the most of her slight build and accentuating her slim figure. And the top…he thought he must have been in heaven… Her lightly tanned skin looked almost golden when set against the red top and the slim, off the shoulder style just suited her so much. “Wow…I don’t think I’ve seen that top before…”

Liz looked at him. “You like it…?” She asked softly.

Her husband nodded quickly. “It’s…wow…” He looked back at her. “You look fantastic!”

His wife beamed at him, displaying her wonderful smile as she came over. “If you think it’s too much I can tone it down…it’s just I know that they’re going to be talking about us, so I thought they might as well have something to talk about…”

Max laughed. He could definitely understand her thinking…and he couldn’t say that he was going to object if it meant he got to see her looking like that… He grabbed hold of her and dipped his head to kiss her. “Well, I don’t think you’ll hear any complaints from me…” He looked at her mischievously. “Although we might have to see if there’s an ‘eraser room’ or ‘janitor’s closet’ in this school…” He commented, his eyebrows raised suggestively.

Liz tried to look shocked but couldn’t stop herself giggling at this. “You’re bad…” She scolded him playfully.

Max grinned. “Maybe so, but you love me for it…”

Liz made no comment, simply pressing her lips against his gently before pulling back and playing with the small pendant that hung around her neck.

Smiling, Max recognised it as the one he had bought her last Christmas…their first Christmas as husband and wife… Money had been very tight, and Liz had told him not to bother with a present, but Max had refused to accept that. He had worked some extra shifts, pretty much going without any sleep for a couple of weeks, juggling his normal shifts, the extra ones, school, and homework. It had been worth it though…the look on her face on Christmas day when she had opened the small box he had given her… She had protested that he shouldn’t have of course, and even said it was too much, but he had refused to take it back, taking the necklace from her hands and fastening it round her neck. The ruby birthstone pendant was simple, just a teardrop, but he had known it would be perfect for her…

Liz looked up at him, noting that he appeared to be distracted. “What are you thinking…?” She asked softly.

Max looked down at her and smiled again. “How beautiful my wife is…” It was true. In his eyes he couldn’t imagine anyone more beautiful than her… And of course, the best thing was that he knew beyond any doubt that she felt the same way…that she was his and she didn’t want anyone else… The vows they had made last year confirmed it, although he had known it for a long time of course. Liz was the only one for him, and much to his delight; he knew she felt the same way…

“Max…”

Guiltily he looked down once more, realising that he had again spaced. “Sorry baby…what were you saying…?” He hated to admit that he hadn’t been listening, but he couldn’t see much alternative…

Liz saw the guilty look on his face and couldn’t resist having some fun. She wasn’t upset really, what she had been saying wasn’t that important and it looked as though he had been deep in thought… She had to admit that she wondered what he had been thinking about though… Still, she wasn’t going to let him off quite so lightly. Putting an upset look on her face, she looked up at him, making her lip tremble. “Nice to know I’m so easy to ignore…”

Even though her lip trembled, Max sensed the air of playfulness in Liz’s voice and wasn’t that worried. “Oh yes…you’re definitely that…” He teased. Seeing her looking up at him through those wonderful doe eyes was enough to make him crumble though. He held up his eyes. “Alright, I give in…of course you’re not…” He looked at her seriously. “It’s because you look so amazing that I got distracted…”

“Really…?”

He grinned. “Yes…” He pulled her deeper into his arms and kissed her once more.

Liz smiled and responded briefly before pulling away. “Alright, I think you’re forgiven…this time…” Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

“I hope so…” Her husband responded softly.

She smiled back at him. “So anyway, as I was asking before…when you didn’t hear me…what do you want for breakfast?”

Max shrugged. “Isn’t it more a case of what have we got…?” He knew that they had yet to do any real shopping, the most they’d picked up so far was a few bits on their way back from the library.

Liz frowned and nodded as she realised he was right. “Yeah, I guess it is really…” She agreed. “So, from what I can remember, I believe we picked up some bread, jam and Tabasco sauce last night…so how does jam on toast sound…?” Strictly speaking they could of course use their powers to make it into something else, but they both agreed that things never tasted as nice when they did that so tended to stick with what they bought.

Max smiled and leant over to kiss her again. “Sounds perfect…”

“Okay, well I’ll do some toast, and you can get out some plates.”

He nodded and headed over to the cupboard to do as she asked.

A few minutes later, the couple sat down together at the table to eat. Liz set two plates of toast down, one in front of herself, and the other in front of Max.

Picking up the bottle of Tabasco sauce which Liz had stood in the middle of the table, Max uncapped and doused the slices of toast with it liberally before passing it over to his wife who then did the same.

Once she’d done, Liz replaced the lid and picked up a piece of her toast before taking a bite. She chewed it thoughtfully and then swallowed before looking at Max. “We desperately need to do some shopping you know…”

Her husband nodded. “I know, but we need to find some jobs to pay for that shopping too…” He looked back at her. “I know we’ve got some money saved, but with having to put down the bond for this place, and pay two months in advance…”

He trailed off without finishing but Liz knew his meaning. They were going to be struggling soon enough. They had little enough money as it was, it wasn’t easy earning sufficient money to pay rent, and clothes, and other necessities when you had to go to school too, and they’d had to forfeit an extra month’s rent at the last place they’d lived since their landlord had been unwilling to refund the money. It had been money they could ill afford to lose, but there wasn’t much they could do about it really…

Liz nodded. “Sometimes I think it would be so much simpler if we didn’t bother with school…” She commented softly. Legally, she wouldn’t be allowed to drop out yet, but that was a simple matter of paperwork and she was sure she would have been able to sort something to be able to pass as sixteen.

Max looked over at her sharply. “No, we agreed that we weren’t going to give up our education…” They were both good students and he had no doubt his wife would be top of the class if they were ever able to settle down properly again. He fully intended for the two of them to go to college eventually too. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but they’d sort something out… When they had got married, it had been something that people had predicted, that it would result in them being two high-school dropouts, but this was something Max was determined wouldn’t happen. Giving up just wasn’t an option…

Liz nodded slightly. “I know that…it’s just it’s so hard sometimes…at least without school we’d be able to get proper jobs and then we’d have more money…”

“That’s true, but you know as well as I do that it wouldn’t be the right thing for us… We made a decision that our marriage wouldn’t affect this, and it was the right one. It may not be easy, but at the end of the day, we’re going to graduate high school, we’re going to go to college and be able to get good jobs when the time comes… We’re going to have a normal life in that respect…just as we want to…

She nodded. “You’re right…” She knew the arguments…she’d come up with them together with him… “It’s just difficult sometimes…and I can’t help wondering if it couldn’t be easier…”

“I know…” Max reached over to take her hand and squeezed it. “But we’ll cope…we’re together, and that’s what matters…”

Liz gave a small smile and nodded. Max was right. Whatever happened, she could get through it assuming that he was there with her… She took a breath. “So…jobs then…”

Max nodded. “Yeah, I was thinking-“

Liz cut him off before he had chance to finish. “Please tell me I am wrong when I say I have an awful feeling you’re going to say something about the Crashdown…”

Max looked at her his eyes pleading for her to hear him out. “Lizzy…”

His wife shook her head. “I’m not asking there!”

“Come on Lizzy…you’ve got plenty of experience waitressing, and from what I saw yesterday I’m sure they’d welcome some more help…” He tried to coax her.

Liz groaned and shook her head. “Please tell me you’re not serious…” She pleaded with him, hoping desperately this was a bad dream.

“Honey, you know it makes sense…” Max tried again.

His wife screwed up her nose. She couldn’t argue against that, because he was right…it was just the whole idea repulsed her. She took a sip of her coffee and then looked back at him. “I honestly don’t know if I could stand it…the theme…and the uniforms…” The mere thought of the antennae headband Maria had been wearing made her want to throw up…

Max chuckled as he read her expression. “I think you’d look sweet…”

Liz looked sceptical. “Where were you looking…? Cos it can’t have been the same place I was…”

Max shrugged. “It’s a pretty sexy outfit when you think about it…a fairly low neck, short skirt…plus the whole fact it’s a uniform anyway…” He was about to say more, but broke off as he saw the look on his wife’s face. He got the feeling this wasn’t coming across the way he had hoped. “What…?”

Liz raised her eyebrows. “Well, considering your position as a married man, you seen to have noticed what Maria was wearing in surprising detail…” She looked at him. “You know if I were a jealous wife I could be suspicious…particularly given that she was flirting with you at first…”

Max’s eyes widened, for one moment worried that she might be serious. “No…only because I was imagining what you’d look like in the same outfit…I promise you baby, you have nothing to wo-“ He broke off mid sentence, realising she was playing him as he noticed she was struggling not to laugh. “You did that on purpose…” He accused her, glaring playfully.

Liz laughed and nodded. “Yup…sorry honey, I know you wouldn’t play about, but I couldn’t resist it…the look on your face…” She laughed again and jumped up from her seat just before he had time to dive and tickle her. She shook her head as she began to clear away the pots, keeping at all times out of Max’s reach. “I knew that you were going to want me to try for a job there right from when you told me about the place yesterday…” She commented, clearly still not happy about the idea but having accepted it.

Max shrugged. “It makes sense… You’ve got waitressing experience, and it’s the local kids hangout… What better place to have a chance of meeting the ones we’re looking for…?”

“We don’t even have names though…”

He nodded. “I know that, but we will soon hopefully… Plus Maria seems like a person that knows something about a lot of people…maybe you’d be able to find out something from her that would help us get on the right track… Please Lizzy, it’s got so much potential for being a very good thing…”

“It’s got so much potential for driving me crazy too…” Liz sighed. She knew he was right, she couldn’t deny the logic in his thinking…she just wished she could. The idea of working in that place repulsed her…but however much she hated the idea, if it brought them closer to finding the people they were looking for, maybe it would be worth it… Besides, from what she had seen of Maria so far, not including her attempt at flirting which was all due to the misunderstanding, she actually liked the girl and wouldn’t mind getting to know her better. Of course that still didn’t mean that she liked the idea…but she supposed that she could live with it. Reluctantly she nodded her head. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do about talking to Maria about it today…” She conceded finally.

Max grinned. He had always known that she would come round…and even if she hadn’t, he knew she would have gone ahead with it anyway if she felt it would help them find the others, but he’d rather she do it from choice than necessity. “I’m sure you’ll have no problem, and you’ll be great!”

Liz laughed. “Maybe…but if I do get a job there, I’d better get plenty of visits from a certain sexy dark-haired guy…” She commented.

Max pretended to look shocked. “And who might you be talking about there Mrs Evans…a guy could get jealous when he hears his wife calling some dark-haired stranger sexy…”

His wife giggled and shook her head. “Oh I don’t think he’s such a stranger…” She responded, stepping up to him again.

Max pretended to ponder. “No…?” He tapped his chin, playing the thoughtful detective. “I wonder who it is then…do I know him…?”

Liz nodded slightly. “Oh you definitely know him…and as a matter of fact he’s very close right now…”

Max grinned, continuing to play along. “Really…” He pretended to look around the room for this mystery guy while drawing her into his arms once more.

She nodded again. “Yeah…although still not close enough…” She hovered a few centimetres from his face and bit her lower lip before running her tongue round the edge.

Her husband knew he couldn’t hold back any longer… Playtime was over… He grinned. “Well, I guess we’ll have to do something about that then won’t we…” He responded, his arms slipping round her back and dipping his head to close the distance between them quickly before his lips attacked hers.

Okay, so now is the time I have to give a big appology. For two reasons. One - I know this is waaay over due. I promised to get it out before Christmas, and that just didn't happen. Unfortunately I wasn't too well, and my writing went to complete pot for at least a week. By the time I was back in the swing, I had so much stuff to sort out for going home and such, that writing just had to take second place as much as I hate to admit it. Since then, I have been trying to get up to date, but it's been difficult to get back into the story.

Right, so first apology over. Second is to anyone that replied to the fic between when I last posted, and the 23rd Decemeber. It would appear that the thread has been pruned, and although I DID save the pages just after Christmas in anticipation of that happening, it would appear that my computer decided to have a fit and didn't actually keep anything in it's memory. Usually I would thank everyone that has replied personally, and I'm sorry I can't do that this time. I DID read it all, and I'm grateful for any and all I received. It's great to know that people are reading, and it helps me so much to keep up the motivation for continuing.

So therefore, a general thanks to anyone that's replied at any point through this fic, believe me, your feedback is much appreciated and I'm glad you've been enjoying the story, hope you will all continue to do so.

anonymousarfan and cocopucks - waiting's over Hope you like the new part.


Ok, well this was originally going to be an even longer chapter than it is now, there's another 5 pages of shorthand pad to write up and add to before the original chapter is completed, but I realised that it worked splitting the chapter now, and this way I can post for you guys sooner. The next chapter I hope will be out fairly soon, but I have a chapter of Dreams and Reality to get out first, and I'm off home for the weekend, so all I will promise is that I will do my best.

Alright, enough of me nattering, here's the new chapter, hope you all like it
As always, I'd love to hear what you think


Chapter 10

“I’m not too sure about this guys…I mean what if we’re wrong about them… I mean sure they seem nice enough, but what if they’re agents or something like that…?” Maria’s eyes were wide, her pitch high, and it was only too obvious that she was panicking.

“Maria please…” Unusually, it seemed to be Isabel who was taking the task of trying to calm her down.

Michael couldn’t help feeling proud of her…he knew full well that his sister was just as nervous as his girlfriend, but she was making a real effort, and managing to keep it together… She was being so strong… He went to reach for his sister, but at the last minute realised with a shock that he wasn’t needed…

Alex was stood next to Isabel, one hand closed around that of hers, his other arm around her shoulder. He was determined to give his girlfriend all the support she needed…

Isabel smiled as she felt the squeeze of his hand, looking at him gratefully and re-gathering herself before trying once more to calm Maria. “I don’t know what they’re hiding Maria, but they aren’t agents…” She shook her head as she tried to make sense of her own feelings. The couple were hiding something yes, and that in itself worried her, but she had seen the look on their faces… Liz and Max were no more FBI spies than she were the King of England… “I know you’re struggling with this, and believe me, I am too, but somehow I get the feeling that they’re just as scared as us… Whatever their secret is, I don’t think it’s going to harm us, and I think they were just as nervous being around us as we were of being around them…”

Alex nodded. Personally he had to say that he liked the new kids. Their situation was unusual sure, and without a doubt that had warranted further investigation on it’s own, but after the research he had done the previous night, he was satisfied that they were genuine… He looked at the others. “I think that it’s natural that they’re nervous… I mean they’re in a new area, new school, new people, and I can’t imagine that they’re used to getting the best responses when people find out they’re married… I mean it’s not exactly normal…”

Maria nodded. “That’s exactly my point! Nothing about this is normal, and the way they acted…”

Alex sighed. “Maria, they acted like two kids that had something to hide…but that doesn’t mean they’re a threat to us…” He shrugged. “I know that you guys might feel a need to assume the worst, but seriously, everything that I’ve learnt about them backs up their story… Now maybe they have a few skeletons in the closet, and right now I don’t have a clue what that might be, but I don’t think they mean you any harm, and I really think they could do with some friends right about now…”

Michael grunted but made no sign to show whether he was agreeing or not. He looked at his friend though for a moment. “Did you check up more last night…?”

Alex sighed, recognising the business-like tone that Michael had adopted. “Sure… I came up with school records going further back, pictures on some school websites, a record of marriage and even some stuff on their adoptions…” He shook his head as he looked round at the others. “I’m telling you guys…everything backs up their story…”

“But it’s basic stuff…the kind of thing that the FBI would set up if putting someone undercover…” Michael insisted, obviously not ready to let it drop yet.

Maria nodded nervously. “Yeah…Alex, I don’t want to say that what you’re finding is all a set-up…I know that you’re going to have checked the information from alternative sources…” She was unsurprised to see her friend nodding at this. “…but, there’s something about them…I can’t put my finger on it, but I know that they’re hiding something…” She shook her head. “I mean the marriage thing for example, why so young…?”

Isabel gave a wry smile. “You heard them, they love each other…” She responded, imitating the tone in which the two had spoken. Inside her head she was confused…usually she would have been the first person to be backing Maria…to be blowing this up out off all proportion, but somehow, for some reason, she was finding herself supporting them… She agreed with the others that the pair were hiding something, but somehow, every time she thought she was about to get upset about it…every time she thought she was about to begin to panic, she just got a feeling that it would be ok…

Maria shook her head, obviously not convinced. “I don’t know…I mean it would be so much more normal if they were just pretending to be sixteen…” She commented. She had to admit that the night before, when they had all been talking, she had begun to take a liking to the new couple, but their reaction as the group had tried to find out more about them just seemed to ring alarm bells in her head… Not really for her, but for her boyfriend and his sister…

“I know that Maria…” Alex responded, obviously trying to be patient with her. But seriously, all this stuff I’m finding, all the background…if they have been undercover, they’ve been so for a long time…”

Michael shrugged. “But couldn’t it all just be background stuff that the FBI have set up…to make us think that…?”

He nodded. “Well yeah…but there’s just too much of this stuff… I mean sure, they’d give them families, homes…school records and exam passes, but there’s stuff here about Liz having run for prom queen… She didn’t win it, because a senior was usually queen, but she’s there with the other contestants, smiling for the camera… On another site I was able to get up an online yearbook, and there in the awards, were Liz Davis and Max Evans – they were voted cutest couple and most likely to stay together…”

Isabel gave a little smile. “Wonder if those that voted knew how right they’d be…” She commented lightly.

Her brother was unimpressed. “So you’re saying you’re convinced they’re genuine…?” He asked flatly.

Alex nodded again. “Honestly, yeah… The only things I can find that looks strange, are the fact that they’re married –especially since Liz is only fifteen – I did a little digging and it’s nowhere near as simple as I thought...the-“

“What’s the other?” Michael asked interrupting impatiently.

Isabel glared at her brother. If Alex had wanted to say something, she was willing to bet that it wouldn’t have been a waste of time…”

Her boyfriend didn’t really seem phased though, making no comment but simply moving onto the next point he had to make. “Ok, the other thing I found I have to admit did seem a little strange… I found something mentioning Max having stood for class president…

“So…?” Isabel didn’t understand.

Grinning, Alex held up his hand. “Wait a moment, I’m getting to why it’s strange…” He looked around. “You see a found a couple of articles from the school paper, plus a mock poll…he was going to walk it easily, and then he just pulled out…”

“Was this when he left with Liz…?”

“No…before…He was still at the school, just pulled out without any warning…I mean why would he do that…?” He shook his head.

“Because you have something to hide…” Isabel responded. She was surprised to find her voice seemed reasonably steady and she heard no sign of shaking.

Alex nodded. “Question is, what…?”

Maria took a sniff of her cypress oil and then looked up at him suddenly. “Wait a moment, you said Liz Davies…?”

He nodded.

“That was her name before…? Davies…?” Isabel looked at her boyfriend for confirmation.

Again Alex nodded. “Right…Liz Davies and Max Evans…all the information is there, pictures, records… I’m telling you Michael, there’s just too much of this for it to be a hoax… Not even the FBI would go to all this bother. It’s time, effort and money that’s a waste. I mean so what if someone hasn’t stood for prom queen…most girls don’t. And if someone is going to stand for class president, and they look like they’re winning, it’s crazy to have them pull out like that. No, this isn’t some elaborate back-story, this is their lives…” He shook his head again. The more he thought about this, the more certain he was Liz and Max weren’t a threat, and the more certain he became about that, the more awful he felt about having delved into their background…their private business… “If we want to find out about them, we should try talking to them…prying into their background like this just isn’t fair…”

Michael took no notice of his protests. “What information did you find under her old name then...? I presume you found something…?” He looked at Alex expectantly.

The gangly boy sighed and nodded. He knew there was little point in holding it back, it would only serve to further annoy Michael, and would do Liz and Max no good either. “Yes, I found stuff, but it’s all normal…there’s nothing revealing or suspicious…” He told his friend, hoping that he would leave it there.

Apparently Michael had other ideas though and looked at him again. “So, tell me what you found!” He ordered him.

Isabel glared at her brother. “Look, you may have been in charge of our group as such for a long time, but you’re not going to speak to Alex like that. She insisted, her anger apparent from the glint in her eyes. “Now apologise!”

Her boyfriend looked awkward. “There’s no need Izzy…it’s ok…” He told her quickly, trying to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand. He and Maria knew only two well that brother and sister both shared a sharp temper that it was ill advisable to get on the wrong end of. The last time the two of them had taken up against each other…well, it wasn’t exactly something they would forget again in a hurry. “Look, I managed to get up all the things you would expect…a foster record…further school reports…” He shrugged. “There’s nothing special, it’s all just basic stuff…”

“What happened to her parents…?” Isabel asked softly. She couldn’t help feeling for the young girl, having gone through her own life without much in the way of parents. Hank was supposed to be looking after them now of course, but she’d hardly call him a father figure… Sometimes she wondered what had happened to her parents…if they had truly been in the crash as they now suspected, and more importantly, if there was any chance they had survived…? From the fact that she and Michael had ‘hatched’ alone, she had to admit the possibility of the latter was slim to non-existent, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t dream…

Alex shook his head, reaching out to squeeze her hand as he realised what she was thinking. “I don’t know Iz…the records don’t say anything about her parents, just that she went into care when she was around five years old, and then was emancipated just before her fifteenth birthday. They got married a couple of days after her fifteenth birthday – although why the judge allowed it I’m not too sure…”

Maria looked up. “You said they wouldn’t need permission…”

He shook his head. “No, I said I didn’t think they would…” He corrected her. “I’ve done some more research, and if they’re sixteen they would still need parental consent, and since Liz was still fifteen, they would need a judge’s consent too…”

“So it’s not as simple as it sounded and they didn’t correct us!” Michael pounced on this. “If it’s unusual, surely that’s a sign that something is wrong…”

Isabel rolled her head at his words. “If I remember rightly, they didn’t exactly get much chance to correct us…the conversation had already moved on and they probably didn’t think it really mattered…” She shrugged. The more she learnt about the couple, the less scared she felt somehow and she was beginning to agree with Alex. Their lives were their business…

“So what, the question I want to know is how they got a judge to agree to the marriage…?” Her brother insisted.

“There are lots of possible reasons…maybe they simply talked it out – you guys have seen them, it should be plain to anyone that they love each other… Or then again maybe they played the pregnancy card even though they knew it wasn’t true…” Alex shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know how they did it, and I have no way to find out because those files will be locked away under firewalls and security systems that even I would struggle to break through since it’s all legal stuff…” He took a breath. The fact is though, that they did… I don’t see that this means they’re FBI agents or anything else Michael, they’re kids, teenagers who sure won’t have an easy time…”

“What about all the travelling though…?” Maria now asked. It wasn’t that she wanted there to be something in her fears, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

“Right, moving around so much certainly isn’t normal!” Michael pounced back on the first excuse he was given.

Alex groaned. He knew Maria was scared, and it wasn’t as though she was claiming that what he was saying was untrue, but he could have done without her reminding Michael of the one outstanding factor that couldn’t be explained.

“Well…?” Michael looked at him expectantly.

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know…” He shrugged. “It’s as simple as that… Nothing that I’m finding in research is giving me any reasons for that, and I have to say Michael, the more I find out about them, the more uncomfortable I am about this whole thing…”

“So you do think there’s something strange about them…?”

“No…” He tried to explain patiently. “I think that it is wrong to be prying into their private affairs like this… If you really want to find out about them, why not do it the old fashioned way…let’s get to know them…talk to them some more…”

Immediately Alex said this, Michael was ready to rebuff, but then as he was about to open his mouth, he stopped, thinking… What other choices did they have…? Not many that he could see… He nodded slightly. “Ok, so that’s what we’ll do, but be really careful, and make sure you don’t do anything suspicous…”

Isabel rolled her eyes at her brother. “You’re the one that’s incapable of keeping a low profile – you refrain from doing anything suspicious…” She threw back at him.

Hearing her response, Michael glared. “I mean it Isabel – no use of powers – complete lock down unless absolutely necessary ok…?” This wasn’t a question or a request, this was Michael taking charge and the others knew better than to argue with him.

His sister nodded. “Fine…”

“I mean it, no putting on your makeup – no messing with your clothes or hair – everything by the book!”

Looking over at him, Isabel could see how seriously her brother was taking everything and although she might have liked to prolong the discussion – maybe even annoy him a little, she knew how important this was and nodded. “You got it bro…”

Michael nodded, apparently satisfied and looked round at his friends. “Ok, we’ll meet back at lunch as usual…” He instructed before grabbing his bag and heading off down the corridor

**********

Stacey’s eyes were wide as she looked at Pam. She had to be kidding didn’t she…? She searched the face of the blond for any sign of amusement but she found none. “You’re not serious…?”

Pam Troy nodded her head enthusiastically. “The new guy yelled it at Kyle when he was trying to chat her up in the Crashdown – or so I heard anyway…” She smirked. “I guess appearances can be deceptive…”

Stacey shook her head. The whole thing just seemed so…well fabricated… It didn’t seem real that was for sure… “And you’re sure he wasn’t just saying it for a laugh…the girl didn’t correct him and laugh it off…?” She checked again. It didn’t seem like something that someone would say for a joke, but pretty much any possibility seemed more likely than the idea that he had been serious.

“No…in fact, someone told me that she even confirmed it…” Pam’s eyes were wide, a look on her fact that suggested that butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Her words however, rather spoilt the effect. “So, how many months along do you reckon she must be…?”

“You think there’s a bun in the oven…?” The second girl asked.

Pam smirked at the old fashioned term. “Well, think about it…what other reason can you think of – why would someone get married at their age…? There has to be a story there…”

“I guess…” Stacey didn’t sound so certain. “So you’re thinking he’s just with her to do the honourable thing…?”

“And to make sure he continues to get what he wants of course…I mean he must think she’s good in bed to go through it right…?” She pointed out slyly. She had only seen the girl at school once the day before, but she had been setting her eye on her supposed brother, and after this news, she was going to enjoy making her life miserable.

Stacey fluffed up her hair and preened herself in the mirror, licking her finger and wetting her eyebrows as she guided a few stray strands back into position. “Well, all I can say is it’s a good job we found out now…” She looked at her friend. “You do realised that Suzy had been thinking of asking if she had done any cheerleading before – she’s the perfect size for the top of the pyramid apparently…”

“Not for long…” Holding her hand out in front of her, Pam mimed a pregnant woman.

Stacey couldn’t help laughing. “Pam…”

“Oh come on, I mean can you imagine what it would have done to our rep if Suzy had gone along and asked her before finding this out…? Pregnant teenager is hardly group A material…”

She couldn’t deny this. “Ok, I get what you’re saying sure… It just sounds so crazy…I mean you saw her yesterday…squeaky clean, good student, hair tied back neatly…” She shrugged. “I can’t say I wouldn’t have agreed with Suzy before hearing this… She’s small, and we do need someone lighter than Tonia – there’s no way we’re ever going to be able to do the pyramid in the middle of a game with the team we have…”

“Yeah, but she so wouldn’t have fit into our image anyway…” Pam argued.

“Maybe not, but you heard Mrs Laws the other day – the team has a low grade average – she wants to see a greater variety of girls on the team – she would have killed two birds with one stone as such…”

“Whatever…” Waving her hand to dismiss it, Pam shrugged. “As long as we didn’t ask her, there’s no harm done, and I sure can’t wait to hear the whole story about her now…”

“From Kyle…?”

“Who else, you know he’s going to be bursting to talk. After all, it’s not like he’s going to want people thinking that she rejected him…”

“True…”

“He can’t have it spoiling his reputation now can he…?” She grinned, eagerly anticipating digging up further dirt. Max might want people to think he was happy, but she was going to show him what he was missing, and while she was at it, she might just let everyone know the truth about little miss goody-goody two-shoes…

**********

“You can get her, you’re welcome to her…” Kyle smirked. “Of course you do realise that she has to be damaged goods…personally I wouldn’t touch her, but then each to him own…”

“You seemed taken enough with her last night…before she turned you down…” One of the other guys pointed out.

He scowled at him. “That was before I knew the truth, and she didn’t turn me down!”

“Sure looked like she did from here…” His friend responded, provoking a number of nods from the rest of the team.

Kyle glared back at him. “She’s a complete tease, and that Max must be a right sucker…what a mug to let her tie him down like that…I’ll bet the baby isn’t even his…” He looked round at the others. “I mean you saw her, she was doing everything except throw herself at us…and she’s supposed to be married…what a slut…”

Despite the fact that a lot of the guys in the group didn’t actually agree with this, feeling that Kyle had been the one putting pressure on, and knowing that she had in fact turned him down, they all knew better than to dispute what he said and simply kept quiet as Kyle continued his monologue.

“I wonder how long it will be until she’s showing anyway…?” He wondered out loud.

A number of the team voices their opinions relating to this, and one even started a book.

Kyle had just placed a tenner down for her showing within two months, and was turning to talk to Keith again, when he instead found himself facing Pam and Stacey. He flashed them a girls…you two look fantastic today…”

Neither of the girls was impressed. “Give it up Kyle…you had your chance last year, and you blew it!” Pam stated, her friend nodding in agreement. They might both have been part of the cheerleading squad, and certainly they hung around with the jocks at lunchtime and such, but they had long since learnt that they should look somewhere else if they wanted a long-term relationship. Currently, elsewhere meant the local college, or had been for Pam until she saw Max…now she knew exactly who she had her eye on… Meanwhile, Stacey was quite happy with the relationship she was already in. Either way, neither girl would even consider giving Kyle a second chance.

He rolled his eyes. “Anyone would think I asked you out on a date or something…all I said was hi, and complimented you on your appearance…”

Stacey shook her head. “We know how your mind works…and it’s not going to work on us!”

Kyle shook his head but decided to play along. “Aww…girls…that hurt…” He brought his hand up to his chest, holding it to his chest almost as though he had been shot, in a mocking way.

Both laughed. They were two of the few girls that would dare talk to him that way… To most, given that he was captain of the football team, Kyle was like a God…but to them, he was simply one of the group. “Aww poor baby…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you…” Pam responded, patting him on the back. “…especially not after your rejection last night…” She added slyly, waiting in anticipation of him taking the bait.

She wasn’t disappointed, receiving an almost instant response. “What? You must be kidding girls…I wasn’t rejected…” He told them smoothly.

Stacey pretended to look puzzled. “Really…’cause that was what I heard…” She responded.

Kyle shook his head. “You heard wrong then…” He put a thoughtful look on his face, pretending to consider what they could be on about. “Of course I did have some girl that was chatting me up and flirting…” He shrugged. “She was a bit of a tart really though…” He looked at them as though he had only just thought of something. “You might have seen her yesterday too, now that I come to think about it…It was the new girl from school…Evans was it…?”

“Liz Evans…?” Stacey kept a puzzled look on her face as she continued to play dumb. “She didn’t exactly seem like the type of girl to be flirting…” She shrugged. “Maybe you got the wrong idea…?”

“No way…she was all over me…” Kyle insisted. “You should have seen her…”

“Hmm…yeah…” Pam raised her hand to her mouth as though to cover a yawn and put a slightly bored expression on her face. She knew full well that Kyle wouldn’t be able to keep quiet for long if they kept this up.

“I’m telling you girls…she was practically throwing herself at the whole table…” He looked round at the other guys, searching for some support. A couple of them gave a hesitant nod, but nothing more really.

Stacey began to snigger, but tried to cover it with a cough. “Sure Kyle…whatever you say…” She shrugged. “She just didn’t seem like that sort of girl…”

“Well she didn’t seem like the sort of girl to have got knocked up either did she….?” Kyle asked smirking.

Pam let her mouth drop slightly, opening her eyes and giving the impression of supposed amazement. “What do you mean?” She asked, continuing to play dumb.

Stacey took her cue. “No…I mean she can’t be, don’t be so silly…” She told Kyle in a chiding tone. She added a wagging finger, as though telling off a little boy as well, knowing this would further antagonise and frustrate the jock.

The expression on Kyle’s face told the pair they were indeed succeeding in their aim. He frowned and looked from one to the other. “Ok, well if she’s not up the duff, give me one reason for her being married…?” He challenged them.

“MARRIED?” Pam shook her head at him. “Ok, now you’re crazy!”

He shrugged. “Fine, believe me or not, I don’t really care. The fact is that I know what I heard!” He looked at the two girls. “That guy with her yesterday, it wasn’t her brother, it was her husband!”

“You don’t say…” Pam’s tone suddenly changed and she grinned at Stacey. At least now they had the story from the source… She might do a little expanding of course, but it wasn’t bad…

Kyle suddenly realised what they had been doing. “You played me?” He asked, stunned.

Stacey nodded and laughed softly. “Don’t take it too hard Kyle…we just wanted to get the info right from you…”

“So why didn’t you just ask?”

Pam giggled. “Well it’s more fun this way…” She commented lightly.

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Maybe for you…” He muttered, thinking for a moment before shaking his head and looking back at them. “Anyway, I’m assuming from all this you agree there’s a story there…”

Pam nodded knowingly. “Oh yeah…there has to be…”

**********

Liz came to a stop, just outside the school gates, and looked over at Max. It was plainly obvious to her husband that she was nervous and he slipped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her up against his side and pressing a kiss on the top of her head. “It’ll be ok…we’ve done this before…” He told her softly.

His wife nodded, but still the smile on her face did not reappear. She looked down awkwardly, fiddling with her rings. “I know that…I know we’ve done this before, but there never seemed like there was a possibility of us staying before…” She shook her head and sighed. “I don’t know, there’s just something different about this place…”

Max nodded. “Well that’s good isn’t it…if you think that we’re going to be successful…?” He was surprised that she hadn’t voiced this before, assuming that what she meant was that she was having a ‘feeling’, but still, he couldn’t deny it was a good sign if she was. The idea that their search might finally be over… He looked down at the petite brunette who stood beside him, the concern plain in his eyes. “Baby…?”

She first nodded, and then shook her head. “It is…it is good, but then I think about the fact that we could be here permanently, and I think about the rumours that are going to go round and…” She trailed off.

“What is it…?”

Liz swallowed, resting her head against his chest. “There’s going to be all the rumours about me being pregnant again…” She looked up at him. “They’re one thing when I know we’ll be gone in a couple of months… Maybe that sounds silly, because I always knew they were going to resurface at the next place we went to, but at least I knew I only had to endure so long with each group of tormentors…”

Setting his bag down on the floor for the moment, Max wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his body and dipping his head to kiss her gently on the lips. “I know it’s not easy baby…I wish people wouldn’t say it…” He sighed. He could never regret having asked her to marry him…but sometimes, he did wonder if it might have been better to wait a little longer. He was ready, and she had been apparently, but in the eyes of others, there was something very wrong about their relationship and it seemed that they would never be accepted as they were… He held her in silence for another few minutes, shaking his head. “Give it a few months though, and they’ll have to accept that they were wrong…”

His wife shook her head. “They’ll just say I lost it, or that we simply had a scare…” She argued…

Max sighed and shrugged. “Ok, well so what if they do then…?” He looked down at her. “It doesn’t matter what they say honey… Or what they think…? It doesn’t matter why they think we got married, because we know the truth…” Reaching down, he took her hand in his and smiled as he brought it up to his lips. “I love you Liz Evans…my stunningly beautiful wife…I love you, and that’s never going to change…” Dropping her hand gently, he lowered his head and once more captured her lips in his. “All that matters is that we know the truth…I love you and that’s all that matters…”

Liz couldn’t help smiling as she pulled away from their brief kiss. She looked up at him. “I love you too Max…” She told him softly before taking a deep breath and looking forward toward the school building that stood in front. She chewed her lip for a moment and then swallowed. “Ok…I’m ready…”