Author: Tanya - Behrsgirl77
Rating: MATURE
Category: M/L - No Aliens
Disclaimer: I do not own rights to Roswell or it’s characters, which I think we all know already. The idea for the story is also not mine; it belongs to LoveIsForever.
Summary: Liz Parker lived for her career, she worked hard for it and gave up everything for it. Max Evans has always been in love with Liz Parker, but after high school they never saw each other again. What happens when they meet again years later and Liz has to make a decision that will effect the rest of her life?
A/N #1 – For those of you who can’t wait and must know just about everything click on the link below to read the challenge; its #15. I will state that the ending of the challenge was removed per my request. If you are die-hard and NEED to know the ending before I get to it, just PM me and I’ll give you the rest.
LoveIsForever Challenge Thread
A/N #2 – I don’t have very much of this written in fact I only have 5 and a half chapters plus the ending written, but I decided to post it and see if you guys even like it for me to continue. I’ve never written a story based on a Challenge so if I’m doing it wrong I apologize. Anyway let me know what you think or if I should quit while I’m ahead.
Special Thanks to: Tiffany, thanks for listening to me babble about this story for a month!
Chapter 1
Elizabeth Parker was at work late again tonight as she had been every night for the past three years. She was dedicated to her work, or so she told herself. Although she was dedicated the fact that there was no one to go home to played a big part in the decision as well.
She was finishing up some paperwork she wasn’t able to get to earlier in the week when there was a knock on her already opened door. When she looked up though the smile on her face dropped, she could not stand him.
“Hello Mr. Lawrence, working late tonight?” Liz smiled despite the fact that she could honestly care less what Mr. Lawrence was doing. However, he was her boss and had been for the past year, so she had no choice but to be polite although she was seething inside.
“You know I am Ms. Parker. Now if you wouldn’t mind could you come to my office for a few minutes?”
“Sure, I’ll be right there in just a minute.” She said while clearing off her desk. When his words stopped her.
“Right now would be preferable.” He smirked at her and walked down the hall to his office.
“What an asshole.” She mumbled to herself. She just couldn’t believe that Mr. Lawrence Sr. allowed his son to take over the day-to-day operations of the company. When she first came to work for the pharmaceutical company, she loved the job and her boss for that matter. She was promoted after a year to a Senior Marketing position and heads up her own department. For the past year however, she has still kept that position but has had very little opportunities since her new boss, couldn’t stand her, at least not now.
When Jack Lawrence Jr., was brought in by his father, her first impression was that he was a very good-looking man. That impression fell quickly from there after their very first meeting. He would hit on her every chance he had and Liz was quick to turn him down. She didn’t want to jeopardize her career for anyone or anything. She worked hard to get to where she was and she was not willing to throw it away for him, or any man for that matter.
She straightened out her black pin striped suit and made her way out of her office. She took a deep breath before she entered his office.
“Please have a seat Ms. Parker.” He was being awful polite, which he never was when they were alone. She didn’t like his entire demeanor, and she was getting worried. Liz tried not to focus on that and took a seat across from him.
“Ms. Parker you have worked for our company for three years correct?” Like he didn’t know, she thought.
“Yes I have Mr. Lawrence.” He just nodded and clasped his hands together on top of the desk.
“Very well, I feel that it is my responsibility to advise you that during the course of my day-to-day activities,” Activities? Liz thought. Was he taking into consideration all the female employees he was trying to undress with his eyes, or with his hands when they gave him the time of day? In any event she tried her hardest to focus on what he was trying to tell her.
“I have found several employees that find working with you to be very stressful and at times demeaning.”
“Excuse me? Who?” Liz was getting more and more aggravated by the moment. She didn’t understand who would have said those things about her. Yes, she kept to herself but she thought she worked well with others and…
“That’s not important or your concern for that matter. It’s mine. Therefore it is with great reluctance that I have come to the decision I have come to.” Decision? What decision? Surely he wasn’t firing her right? Liz didn’t let her panicked state show, but inside she was screaming. If she lost this job she would not be able to maintain her over priced apartment, she was barely making it by on what she made, the cost of living in a city like Boston was well beyond her normal means. She would either have to find another job quickly or be forced to move back home. She groaned inwardly at the thought.
“I’m sorry Ms. Parker but we are going to have to let you go.”
“What?! You have to be fucking kidding me!” Liz hadn’t realized what she said until it left her mouth. At that point though it didn’t matter what she said, she was unemployed and she knew trying to talk to this arrogant bastard was useless.
“You can clean out your office tonight, I don’t expect to see you tomorrow morning.” There was nothing left for her to say, so with her head held high she left his office and proceeded to pack up her things before heading home.
****
2 Months Later
Life officially had gone down hill for Liz Parker. She had tried looking for another job, the day after she was fired but after two months of declinations; she was left with no choice but to pack up her things and head home…to Roswell.
She had been in town for a week, she went to visit her parents who automatically asked what she had done wrong in order to end up unemployed. Liz didn’t expect much from her parents, they always pushed her to do well and try harder. They forgot though that most of those times she was just a little girl, or a teenager dealing with high school. So when the time came for her to attend college, she picked the furthest school she could and applied there, knowing with her grades she would most likely be accepted.
It wasn’t that she didn’t love her parents because she did, but they expected her to be something that she wasn’t. She wasn’t going to solve the problems of the world, nor was she going to find a cure for a disease, but she would try and do the best that she could with whatever challenge lied ahead. For the Parkers though, that was just not good enough.
Liz had found an apartment a few blocks from her parents, after all it was Roswell, New Mexico there weren’t very many places she could chose to live. Her savings account was almost completely depleted after losing her job therefore she wasn’t left with very many choices. She hoped to find a job in town and work for a few months before making her way back to Boston, in hopes of obtaining another job.
It was early in the day and Liz had just left her third interview for the day. She of course was over qualified for the positions she was trying to apply for. Things were definitely not looking good from her position.
She walked down the all too familiar streets and noticed all the people passing her by without a care in the world. She wondered what it felt like to not worry about things so intensely as she had her entire life. At that point she thought about all the things she missed out on, friends, a boyfriend and the chance to live like a normal teenager. It was too late for that she thought, she was twenty-five, unemployed with a car payment and rent that needed to be paid.
Before she knew it she was passing by the Crashdown Café, a local place that had been there for years. In high school everyone would hang out there, in fact she herself had worked there for two years. It was a tough job but the benefit of being around kids her own age and just being able to interact with them for just a little while would subside her longing to belong somewhere. Deciding quickly that since she hadn’t eaten a thing that day, she pulled open the doors and walked in. She stood for a moment taking in her surroundings; it looked exactly the same.
The wallpaper was still a burnt orange color with teal colored space ships and white alien forms all over it. The booths were even the same color orange. She just smiled and took a seat in a booth off to the right side. After taking a seat a waitress approached her, handed her a menu and took her drink order.
Liz knew exactly what she wanted and decided that in the mean time she would check through the newspaper she was carrying to see if she missed anything, but before she had a chance she caught wind of a telephone conversation that was taking place. It was the man in the booth right in front of her; his back was to her. The voice sounded familiar, very familiar to Liz but she couldn’t quite place it. She was trying to remember where she had heard that voice from before, but was interrupted by the waitress ready to take her order.
By the time the waitress stepped away, the gentleman’s phone conversation was over. She decided that it wasn’t a big deal and turned her attention back to the newspaper. A few minutes later her order was delivered, but before Liz had a chance to begin eating her cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Yes this is. How can I help you?”
“Oh, okay, well thank you anyway.” Liz hung up the phone even more depressed than when she started out a few hours ago. It was a place she had interviewed for a few days ago, they thanked her but said that she was just too over qualified. She took a sip of her soda and searched her table for the ketchup bottle, which was nowhere to be found.
“Great! Well doesn’t that just polish off my afternoon?” She mumbled to herself and then decided to ask the gentleman in front of her for a bottle of ketchup.
“Excuse me? Do you think I could get your ketchup if you’re not using it?” She says and sees the man reach for the bottle and turn around to hand it to her.
Their eyes met again for the first time in years.
“Liz Parker.”
“Max Evans.”
TBC..?
