The Nightmare and The Dream- COMPLETED 09.9.05

[Believer2]

Title: The Nightmare and The Dream
Couples/Category: AU, M/L No Aliens
Ratings: Mature/Adult
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Authors Note: I'm a newbie to writing so gentle feedback would be appreciated.
Summary: M/L have a rocky road to their happily ever after...

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Chapter 1

The petite dark-haired woman took a deep breath and looked around her. She was scared but she wasn’t about to let it show because the little boy next to her needed her to be strong. She pulled on the cap that covered her hair and face and tugged on the little boy’s hand.

“I want to go home! I don’t like it here anymore!” The little dark haired boy cried to her.

The woman leaned down and wiped away the tears on the little boy’s face. “Shhhh – it’s ok. We have to be very quiet ok? Can you do that for me?”

The little boy wiped at his eyes and nodded back to her. The woman looked around again and started down a dark alley. She prayed for safe passage but knew the odds were against her. This city, Albuquerque, was foreign to her and the little boy wasn’t much help. They needed to find the bus station and quick before the next bus to Roswell, NM left. The little boy was exhausted and couldn’t keep up with her, so she leaned down and lifted him on her back, giving him a piggy back ride. She walked as fast as she could but she was in pain and it didn’t help that she was dragging two large suitcases with her. She could hear the sound a large engine and she prayed that she would make it in time.

In the shadows, she could sense movement. Who knew what dangers lurked there? She moved faster through the alley, jumping at every sound, her heart racing. At last, she reached the end of the alley and saw the large busses. She thanked the lord and she quickly ran to the ticket counter. When she discovered that the little boy could ride free since he was so young, she thanked God again and quickly paid for her ticket. Anxiously, she looked over her should to make sure that no one had followed them, and then ushered the little boy onto the bus.

As the bus pulled out of its stop, the woman breathed her first relaxed breath. The little boy settled into her side and promptly fell asleep. She wrapped her arm around his fragile shoulders and stroked his silky dark hair thinking how innocent he looked in his sleep. She stared out the window and thought back over the past few days and everything that led to them.

[Believer2]

Chapter 2

Lyzette Claudia Rouztsky had lived all of her life in a small chateau in Switzerland. Her family, from her father’s side, was the royal family of Rodazia, a small Eastern European country that had no longer wanted its royal family. Her family had fled their country and took sanctuary in L’Arange, Switzerland, a small village near the border of Italy, and had lived there ever since – that had been 100 years ago. When they left their country, they also left behind their fortunes. The Rouztsky’s were poor and had nothing except the titles to pass down.

Each generation of royals had a duty to make a wealthy union with some title hungry rich family in order to replenish their lost fortunes. Lyzette’s grandmother married a rich oil baron who became quickly disillusioned with his new family when they seized his assets, leaving him nothing and effectively trapped in a loveless marriage. He spent the rest of his life with his pockets and spirit broken. They had one son, Khivar who quickly became a spoiled and indulged child whose faults were hidden from the outside world. Khivar married the daughter of a very rich diamond merchant who dragged himself up from the streets and was hungry for respectability, even if he had to buy his son-in-law.

On the surface, Lyzette’s life seemed perfect, a fairy tale. She had the royal title of Princess and had a beautiful huge chateau with a loving family. She was considered one of the most endearing royalties since she volunteered with her family, spoke several languages fluently, and stayed close to home to look after her family and the Chateau when she was not at boarding school. Not once was there a hint at any rebellious behavior or scandal. Her father seemed loving and kind as well as generous. To most people he was very fond of his daughter and loved his wife.

The reality was brutally ugly. The charm and wit that King Khivar presented hid his cruel nature. He was a man who had the delusion of grandeur and he resented not having his country's acknowledgement. He was also a man of excessive appetites for food, wine, gambling, money, and his ‘pets’. Khivar’s one greatest pleasure outside of his appetites was to brutalize Lyzette. Sometimes, he’d beat her in front of her mother, Sophia, but most of the time, he would beat her in her own room. He never beat her in front of the servants, except for Nicholas, and never allowed the public to even suspect abuse. Ever since Lyzette had been five years old, she had lived under lock and key alone in her own bedroom suite and in constant fear of her father. Some of the servants knew that Khivar regularly beat Lyzette, but most did not. Those that did know, did what they could to comfort her or ease her pain but only if they knew they wouldn’t get caught by King Khivar or his man, Nicholas.

Lyzette tried to get away from her father once she turned sixteen but he knew her weakness - her compassion for others and he used it against her. First, it had been her grandfather whom she adored. Khivar had threatened to send him away and cut off any financial support. After he died, it was her mother, then her assistant, Nicole. Khivar threatened to beat any one of them every day that Lyzette was gone. So out of concern and fear, she stayed. She was never allowed out of her room when she was at the chateau nor was anyone except her mother and assistant allowed in, besides her father and Nicholas. Even her tutor had had to stay in the hall while Lyzette sat at a desk near the open door. Both the tutor and Lyzette were carefully monitored by one of Khivar’s security men.

The one thing that she never had to fear was Khivar’s sexual intentions. Her mother had told her a long time ago that Khivar could never perform with women. It wasn’t until she was older that she understood what that meant and sometimes, she wondered if Khivar was her biological father. Although she hoped he wasn’t, she never asked her mother nor could she gather the courage to question her father.

Life at the château was predictable – Khivar would disappear into his room, The White Room, for weeks with one of his new ‘pets’ and then resurface again once he was bored. During that time, Lyzette was left alone to read, to study, embroider, or paint. She was never allowed a TV, a radio, a phone, or even a computer because Khivar wanted to keep her as isolated as possible. Instead, she spent most of her time studing. Khivar selected subjects like botany, astronomy, math, history, English, and politics he thought was appropriate to study. Her door was guarded by one of Khivar’s private security men who checked on her every hour. Except for her bedroom door, there were no other doors in her room, not even to her bathroom. Khivar wanted to make sure that the guards would be able to see her at all times.

When Khivar got bored with his new pet, he would start to beat on her but only after determining if there were any public appearances in their up coming schedules. He made a game out of it – first he would check on her to see what she was doing. Then he’d hint at what which body part he’d like start with, then he’d leave her to think about it and wait for him. When he would come back, he looked to see if she was afraid. He thrived on her fear and exploited it any time he could for his entertainment, like when she admitted she afraid of the dogs.

When Khivar had discovered that she was afraid of the guard dogs, he had arranged to have her locked in a room with three large terrifying dogs while he watched safely from behind the room’s only window. The dogs had been tied up on long leashes that allowed them just an arms length away from her on the opposite side of the room. She had squeezed herself against the opposite wall trying to avoid them but one of them had been able to get close enough to bite her hand. She had cried in fear and pain, but no one heard her. She had only been seven. From that moment on, she had learned to disguise her fears from him. She worked hard at presenting a calm face to him at all times, even when he beat her. Only when she was alone in the dark, did she allow the tears to flow.

Khivar limited her public appearances outside the chateau to three events a year and it was always together or with Khivar’s security men heavily guarding her. And always in public, she smiled and adored her father. There were always guests who came to visit the chateau, but hardly any of them realized that she was imprisoned there since Khivar had let the public think that she was attending a very private exclusive boarding school. She was only allowed to mingle with guests when it served to make him look better. No one ever suspected anything wrong behind the beautiful picture they made.

Only at night, in her dreams could she escape. In her dreams, HE was there. The boy whose arms she dreamed would make her feel safe. She dreamed about a boy who would make her laugh and forget about her father. It had started when she was very young., but as she grew, so did he. He would come to her in her dreams and take her away from her pain, if only for a little while. She never remembered what they did or if she ever saw his face, and she vaguely remembered that he had the warmest gold colored eyes and dark hair. His hands were gentle and would hold her hand to help her through her nightmare and gently wipe away her tears, but it was his smile which was warm and comforting that she remembered best. It always made her smile too. And when he held her, she wanted to melt in his arms because she felt so cherished and safe – but it was just a dream. She would always have to wake up to her nightmare.

Then one day, right before her 18th birthday, her predictable life collapsed. Her mother died. Sophia, the spoiled and pampered daughter of a rough diamond merchant, had always been more interested in herself than anyone, even her daughter. Sophia would often use a mysterious bed-ridden illness to avoid confrontations with Khivar , even pleading illness to avoid protesting Khivar’s treatment of their daughter. Lyzette learned to quit pleading for her mother to help or protect her when her father beat her, because Sophia would always close her eyes and ignore her. After Khivar would finish beating Lyzette in front of Sophia, Sophia would try her best to comfort Lyzette but often asked that her daughter be taken back to her own room because it distressed her or made her more ill.

Even though her mother seemed indifferent to Lyzette’s suffereing, Lyzette still looked forward to visiting with her mother since she wasn’t allowed any other contact outside of her mother and her assistant. There were some days that Lyzette could remember fondly, days when her mother would try to distract her from her latest beating by teaching her about flowers, nature, and music. The day Sophia died, Lyzette cried in grief, not because she deeply mourned the loss of her mother, but because she was now alone in her nightmare.

Her father had no sympathy for her and after the funeral, locked her in her room. He went alone to mingle with their guests and presented a suitable grieving façade. Lyzette had laid down on her bed and tried to not to feel sorry for herself. After several numbing hours, she fell into a restless sleep and was awoken early the next day by her personal assistant and friend, Nicole.

Nicole had been sixteen when she became Lyzette’s personal assistant when Lyzette was only six years old. Over the years Nicole became almost like a sister. She had smuggled in a fashion magazine once, candy, and pain killers - for after the beatings. She wanted to help Lyzette escape but knew her own life and her family’s life would be in danger as well, so she did nothing but did what she could. She made sure that Lyzette knew when Khivar was expecting new pets. A new pet always meant a reprieve in the beatings. Sometimes Nicole would forget how isolated Lyzette was until she would ask a question that reminded her all over again, like the time Lyzette asked her what a kiss was.

Nicole had been startled when a then thirteen year old Lyzette asked her what a kiss was – she had read an article in the smuggled magazine, Cosmopoliton, about it. Nicole tried to explain and broke out in a nervous giggle. After a stumbling around for confused explanation, Nicole blurted out that she would just figure out later, when she was older, and dismissed it. But Nicole felt terrible that Lyzette was always shut away from the outside world and would try to make it up to her by telling her stories of her life and her hometown. And she always made sure that Lyzette was informed about the latest gossip and happenings in the chateau.

So, when Nicole heard about the reading of the will, she had wanted to go to Lyzette immediately but had to wait until the next day. As soon as she could, Nicole had woken Lyzette the next morning and told her a bizarre tale. Nicole had told her that Khivar had summoned the layer immediately after the funeral to read Sophia’s will. Nicole and the rest of the servants had been listening at the door when the lawyer read the will. Apparently, the entire Rouztsky wealth had come from her mother’s side of the family and Sophia’s father made sure it stayed within their side of the family. Sophia’s father set up the inheritance so that Sophia was on an allowance from a trust fund, and while Khivar had control over Sophia’s allowance, he couldn’t get his hands on the rest of the inheritance.

The bulk of the inheritance was held in a trust fund that would only be accessed and controlled by his daughter’s heir upon the 21st birthday. At the time, the merchant had thought that his daughter would produce a son and never lived to see his granddaughter born. A generous allowance would be paid out to the heir until the 21st birthday but none was allowed for Khivar. If Lyzette was to die before taking control of her inheritance, the fortune would be donated to multiple charities. Upon her death after her 21st birthday, the majority of the fortune would automatically go to her father, Khivar, if she had no heirs

Once Nicole and the servants heard the terms of the will, they became afraid for Lyzette and had vowed to get her out of the chateau. In their minds and Lyzette’s, they knew that Khivar would keep Lyzette around for the allowance check but would not hesitate to kill her after she turned 21.

[Believer2]

Thanks for the feedback guys!!! I love it! Here's the next part


Chapter 3

Nicole had thought of a plan and shared it with one or two trusted servants - they would take things from the chateau when Khivar disappeared with one of his pets and pawn it. They would then take the money to buy a new passport – the rest of the money would go into a new bank account under a false name for Lyzette. Nicole would disappear at the same time so that she too would be out of danger. Nicole assumed that they would be able to save enough money in two years.

After two years, on her 20th birthday, Lyzette’s new account had almost three hundred thousand dollars in it from all of the jewelry, pictures, candle sticks, and trinkets she was able to get Nicole to pawn for her. Nicole had arranged, through her boyfriend, for a new passport and other paperwork for Lyzette so that she could flee to the United States without too much trouble. After two years of careful preparation, Lyzette was ready to flee. She had secreted away a small backpack with her new passport, bank book, and her new identity.

Lyzette had carefully planned to escape her hell the night of her birthday ball which was being held at the chateau. She knew that Khivar wouldn’t beat her since there going to be so many guests coming to their chateau and workers to get the ballroom ready. She knew he couldn’t risk having anyone see her bruises. She planned to sneak away during the ball and meet up with Nicole who would have her suitcases. From there, she’d change out of her clothes into street clothes and take a cab to the airport.

The day of her birthday was bright and warm but Lyzette’s windows couldn’t open to allow her to enjoy it. Instead, she looked out from her room and tried to imagine what the warm air smelled like. In just a few hours she would actually be free and she could smell the air. The opening door alerted her that Nicole was coming in. She rushed to Nicole to hug her and whispered in hushed voices,

“I do not know how to thank you for all that you have done.”

“Your majesty, I wish I could have done more. Are you all set for tonight?” Nicole asked distractedly.

“Yes. I am so frightened but I am ready.” When Lyzette noticed Nicole wasn’t focused on her, she asked worriedly, “Is there something wrong?”

“What? No, majesty, the plan is set to go. I’m just worried about something I heard about Khivar’s new pet.”

“What is it?” Lyzette queried.

“It is rumored that the new pet is a little boy, no more than 5 years old.”

“What?!? Oh my god! But I thought all of his pets were men that were already…my god, he must want to train his own!” Lyzette sat down hastily, horrified at the thought of an innocent little boy being abused by her father.

“I’m not sure if it’s true or not but I don’t know what to do if it is. Besides we don’t even know what exactly he does with his pets.” Nicole hurried to reassure her.

“Nicole, you have told me before that the men that leave father’s White Room are in terrible condition.” Lyzette sat remembering what Nicole had told her over the years about her father’s pets. The beautiful young men were usually prostitutes that Nicholas picked out and Khivar would hide away for weeks at a time. The young men were always eager or excited when they arrived since they would be paid a large sum of money, but after a few weeks in the White Room, the men who came out always looked broken.

When Nicole would tell her about the condition of the men as they left, Lyzette felt horrified for them. But at the same time, she was grateful that she had been given a reprieve from her own beatings. She also envied them because they got to leave the chateau once Khivar was finished with them.

“Yes, but not even your father would treat a little boy the way he treats those men, would he?”

“Yes he would, Nicole! He started to beat me when I was just a little girl of five years!”

“Oh god! What can we do?”

“We have to save him. We can not let Khivar have him!” Lyzette jumped up and started to pace, thinking madly of what she could do.

“I know – but what can we do? Nicholas, is outside watching you and me.”

“Nicholas? Where are the other security men that are usually outside?”

“They are preparing for tonight’s ball. Your father wanted to make sure they know exactly what they are suppose to do.”

“We have to get that little boy away from here! I can not let him be Khivar’s pet - I can not!”

Lyzette paced her room and thought about what they could do. Finally, she faced Nicole with a grim face. “We have to get him now. There is no other way around it. It is very lucky Nicholas is outside – he will have keys to the White Room. Khivar will not go near the boy until after the party because he will not want to be disturbed. Where is Khivar right now?”

Nicole let her know that Khivar was in his office with the party coordinators and then he was having lunch with a few dignitaries. Lyzette’s mind began to race over possible ways to save the little boy. She would have to risk rushing out of her room and putting her escape at risk but it couldn’t be helped – the boy was more important.

Nicole tried to talk her out of it but Lyzette set her mind – she wasn’t about let Khivar torture or do god knows what to a little boy. Lyzette told Nicole her backup plan to escape but only if she had the little boy with her – it was revised hastily but it was the best she could do. She asked Nicole the location of the White Room and then talked Nicole into faking being passed out while she called Nicholas into the room. When he came into the room, Lyzette knocked him out with one of the old heavy candlesticks from her fireplace. She went through his pockets until she found a small ring of keys and left Nicole to take care of him while she was gone.

Lyzette rushed down the hall and ran to the other side of the chateau, hiding from any servants she came across. She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached a darkened corridor. She knew she wouldn’t run into anyone since this was Khivar’s private wing and he didn’t want anyone near it, not even the servants. Only Nicholas and he were allowed near the White Room. Lyzette wasn’t quite sure what happened behind the dark closed doors but she knew it wasn’t good.

Fumbling with the keys, Lyzette tried three different ones before she found the correct key to open the door. She opened it only far enough to sneak in and press herself against the door. She held her breath, fearing detection and once assured she was ok, fumbled for the light.

The stark whiteness of the windowless room blinded her for a moment and she had to blink several times before her eyes adjusted to the glare. Her eyes were drawn to the large king-sized bed facing her. The bed was covered in an innocent looking white satin comforter, glossy satin sheets, and inviting overstuffed pillows. As Lyzette gazed at the bed, she noticed something in front of it hindering her view. Her eyes focused slowly on the a heavy steel link chain falling from the ceiling in front of the bed. Eyes widening, her gaze traveled up, then down the length of the chain to it’s end where she saw a large bolted collar.

With sick revulsion, Lyzette pulled her eyes from the collar to view the rest of the room and became even more sick. Various whips of different shapes and sizes lined one of the white walls. On the opposite wall, there were several bat shaped items, handcuffs, and various masks that leered down at her. A gleaming row of scalpels and knives shone from a sterile steel rolling tray sitting near one of the walls.

Shaking herself from her horror filled imagination, Lyzette forced herself to concentrate on finding the boy. Looking around the room, there wasn’t anywhere to hide except for one place – under the bed. She had to force herself to walk across the room, to ignore the chains, to ignore the whips…

Upon reaching the bed, Lyzette braced herself and gripped the bed skirt. With one deep breath she pulled it up and peeked under the bed.

Her heart broke at the pitiful sight before her – a dark haired little boy was curled into a fetal position, huddled against the far wall. Naked and scared he stared at her with huge frightened brown eyes.

“Shh – Je ne vous blesserai pas.” Lyzette quietly called out to him in French. When he didn’t seem to understand her, she switched to English.

“I want to take you home, to your mummy and daddy. Do you want to go?”

The little boy didn’t answer out loud, just nodded his head. “Ok, but you must come out and let me hide you somewhere else. Come on, let us go before the bad man comes back, ok?”

Lyzette held out her hand and waited for the little boy to make up his mind. After what seemed like hours, he finally reached out and let her help him crawl out. She grabbed on to his hand and rushed him out of the White Room. Carefully they made their way back to Lyzette’s bedroom. Peeking inside, she saw that Nicole was still watching the unconscious Nicholas.

Nicole looked up at Lyzette as she entered the room and whispered. “Is that him? Oh good. Where are you going to hide him?”

Lyzette looked around the room and then her closet. She rushed into it and started to pull out a large decorative box that held nothing but purses. She grabbed a large handful and gave them to Nicole, “Take these, hide them somewhere else or give them away, I do not care. Nicole, you have to get me another passport for him. He is coming with me.” She urgently pushed her out the door. She went back to the closet, then remembered the keys in her hands. She quickly and quietly put the keys back into Nicholas’s pocket and walked back over to the closet.

She looked over to the little boy and then grabbed a T-shirt from her closet “Here, put this on. I am going to hide you in the box, but just for a little while. You have to promise me that you will be quiet, not matter what you hear. Can you do that?”

The boy silently nodded. “Good. My name is Lyzette. I will get you out later, ok?” She pushed the box back into it’s place and gently guided the little boy to crouch down among the purses and let her cover him. After she felt he was well hidden, she turned back to Nicholas. Nicholas just started to moan and wake up when Nicole came into the room. Thinking fast, Lyzette pushed Nicole out the door and started to shout,

“Please Nicole – unlock the door! Please, I just want to go outside!”

It took Nicole a few minutes to understand what was going on but she did, she quickly locked the door and shouted back to Lyzette,

“You know I can’t. I can’t let you out of this room.”

Nicholas shook himself awake and noticed Lyzette by the door. “What the hell did you do to me, bitch?” He got up and grabbed Lyzette’s arm. “Did you think you could escape?” He shoved her back to the bed, “Khivar will hear about this, bitch.”

Nicholas walked back to the door and called out to Nicole “It’s all right, I’m awake now.”

Nicole unlocked the door and allowed Nicholas to come out. He locked the door behind him and looked menacingly down at Nicole “What happened?”

Lyzette rushed to the door and pressed her ear against it. She heard Nicole reply,

“Oh sir! When I went into her room, she just hit me and everything went black. When I woke up, Miss Lyzette was going through your pockets. I got up, ran out the door, and locked it. I couldn’t let her get out, I knew the punishment for that, sir.”

“How long was I out?”

“Just a few minutes, sir.”

“Hmm, not a word to anyone. You hear me?”

“Yes sir.”

Lyzette could hear Nicole’s footsteps walk away. Then she heard Nicholas speak to someone, she guessed on his cell phone.

“Get me Khivar. Tell him it’s Nicholas.” Silence as he waited

“Khivar. Your daughter just tried to get past me and escape. Yes. Yes. Are you sure? What about the party tonight? Fine, I’ll take care of it.”

Lyzette heard him close the phone and start to unlock the door. She backed away with dread filling the pit of her stomach. Nicholas came back into the room and smirked at her.

“Well, well, well, bitch. Khivar wasn’t happy to hear about your little rebellion and guess what? He wants me to make sure you will be especially docile tonight.” Nicholas stared at her while he took his coat off and rolled back his shirt sleeves. “Oh yes, I think I will enjoy this.”

He walked over to Lyzette who stood proudly by the bed. She refused to let Nicholas see her fear. She thrust out her chin in defiance which enraged Nicholas – he wanted to see her cower and tremble. He thrust his hand into her hair and viciously yanked her head back. He glared down into her upturned defiant face and he promised her.

“You.Will.Beg.Bitch.”

Lyzette tried to calm her racing heart and convince herself that she could survive the worst from this bastard. She looked him over – his neatly combed back dark blonde hair, pale gray eyes, and slender build could have belonged to a choir boy, but she saw the monster beneath the façade. She prayed for strength.

[Believer2]

Chapter 4

Lyzette came to at the sound of Nicole calling out her name. It was dark out and no lights were on in her room. Lyzette bit back tears as any movement caused her pain. Suddenly the quiet room was filled with light as Nicole turned them on.

“Oh my god! What have they done to you, princess?” Gasped Nicole as she took in the sight of Lyzette laying twisted on her side on the floor next to her bed. Lyzette swallowed hard and had to fight off a wave of pain as she struggled to sit up and answer “Just reminded me of my place. What time is it?”

“Just a little before seven.”

“Good, that gives us two hours to get me decent looking for tonight. Let us look at the damage. Help me to the bathroom.”

Nicole rushed to Lyzette’s side and cautiously put her arm around Lyzette’s waist to help her stand. Lyzette stumbled against her but forced herself to at least keep upright. It took long painful minutes to make her legs work and walk across the room. Once they reached the bathroom, Lyzette herself had to gasp at the damage she saw in the mirror.

Her one eye was swollen tightly shut, the other a mere slit. Blood had dried on her large puffy lips where they had been split open. Blood from her nose had dried on her cheek but it went unnoticed because of the large angry dark blue bruises that covered her face and bloated it out of proportion.

The rest of her body didn’t look much better. Nicholas had enjoyed ripping off her clothes after punching her in the face, knowing she was too weak to fight back. He had left her in nothing but her panties as he grabbed his favorite toy to use on the rest of her body, a pair of gold covered steel knuckles. He had started with her chest, then her stomach, careful not to break any bones and prevent her from making an appearance at the ball. When he had started in on her back, she had lost consciousness but he wouldn’t leave her alone. Instead, he woke her each time she passed out to make sure she felt every blow.

“Oh god! Your back – it’s, it’s, a bloody mess!” Nicole gasped in horror.

Lyzette couldn’t see her back and wasn’t sure if she wanted to but decided that she needed to see the damage if she was going try and deal with it. She shuffled slowly around and peered back over her shoulder. Nicholas had spared no mercy. The last time he woke her, he made sure she saw him take off his belt and wrap one end around his fist. The belt was actually a heavy black leather braided whip that Nicholas used instead of a regular belt, and when Lyzette saw him wrap one end around his fist, she had known what was about to happen. She had tried to brace her body but it still jerked in agony as the heavy leather cord bit into her back and tore the skin open. As she lost consciousness again, she only hoped that Nicholas wouldn’t draw too much blood.

As Lyzette looked over her shoulder, she saw her hope had been in vain. His blows fell mainly on her back and legs but a few were found around her shoulders and arms. There was no way to distinguish which lash mark started or ended because there were so many– her back was just a raw open wound; blood wept down her back on to the cold tile.

“Nicole, go to the closet and check on the boy. He is in the large purse box. Then try to find me something I can wear comfortably tonight.”

“Your Majesty, your father has sent up a dress. The party is to be a costume party, with masks.”

“No wonder he allowed Nicholas to beat on my face. Alright. I will need a bath to wipe off the blood. Then get me some ointment, non-sticking padding, some gauze to help keep the pad on, and some painkillers. Remember to get extra of everything.”

Nicole was hesitant to leave Lyzette alone but she turned to leave, “Oh and Nicole – I will need a large hat and sunglasses for later. Were you able to secure a passport for the little boy?”

“Oh yes but it was my little niece’s passport. I thought that it might be better that the boy be disguised. And, I even brought him clothes of my niece’s.”

“Smart thinking Nicole. You were right. Quickly, go check on the little boy.”

Lyzette turned to the tub and started to fill it with warm water. She slowly pulled off her panties and stepped into the warm water. She hissed with pain as the water hit the open wounds on her legs, her buttocks, and then her back. She wanted to cry for the pain but knew she didn’t have much time. She tried to rinse her arms but she was in too much pain and waited for Nicole.

Nicole entered the bathroom a few minutes later and saw that Lyzette hadn’t made any move to wipe the blood off of her face or back, she just sat hunched over her drawn up knees. As she stepped closer to the tub, she saw that the water had turned bright red from the blood.

“Oh Lyzette.”

“Please, do not start. Just help me get through this.” Lyzette whispered.

Nicole’s heart ached while she gently poured a little water over Lyzette’s raw back. It took an hour for them to bathe Lyzette and dress her back. Nicole tried to distract her from the pain by talking about how they would try to smuggle Ben out. They finally agreed that it would be best that Nicole sneak into her room after everyone was distracted with the party and pretend to be changing her bed sheets since they had gotten dirty from the beating. When Lyzette stepped out of the bath, Nichole went to retrieve something from the room next door.

“Here, I brought this with me. Over the years, my grandmother has learned to make extra for you, for emergencies.”

Nicole handed Lyzette a medium shaped white container. “The ointment?”

“Yes.”

“Her stuff is wonderful. It helps with the pain and makes sure that I do not scar. Your grandmother would make a fortune if she sold this stuff. I wonder if it will work this time, it looks very bad. Were you able to get any pain killers?”

Nicole nodded and handed her two before answering “You know she’d never sell the recipe – it’s an old family recipe! I packed some up for later along with the pain killers too but you’re getting low on them.”

“Good, thank you.”

As the two women worked to get Lyzette into her dress, the little boy from the closet peeked out from his hiding place.

“Hi there, sweetie. Come here. You know, you never did tell me your name.” Lyzette gently called out.

The solemn little boy walked out and for the first time Lyzette wanted to laugh. The dark haired little boy was now dressed in a dark green corduroy jumper, light green turtleneck, dark tights and brown loafers. A brown knitted sweater and cap completed the disguise.

“Oh my – you look so cute!”

“I’m a boy! Thith is girls thuff”

“Oh sweetie, I know you are a boy. But this is a costume – to make sure no one finds you when we leave. Can you keep it on just for a few more hours? Ok?”

The little boy pouted a bit but nodded his head.

“Now, what is your name? How old are you?”

“I’m Ben Parker. I’m 5.” He held up four little fingers.

Lyzette smiled at the adorable little boy and then she held out her hand to shake his. “Well Ben Parker, I am pleased to meet you. My name is Lyzette. Where do you live?”

“I live in Abakurkue, New Mecthico.”

“Abakurkue, New Mecthico? I have never heard of this place – are you from Europe?”

He shook his head no, “I’m from America.”

“Ah, well, I do not remember a New Mecthico from my studies, but maybe someone at the airport will.”

A knock at the door silenced them all. Nicole waited until the boy was back in the closet before opening the door. One of Khivar’s private security men came to the door. “His Highness is waiting for you in the salon. He would like to present you to the new US Ambassador before entering the ballroom.”

Lyzette straitened up and looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Her naturally wavy long dark hair had been piled up on top in large curls with ropes of white pearls entwined in them. Her floor length gown, a dark blue velvet crepe, was simple in it’s empire waist and long sleeve style and covered the majority of the bruises on her body. A large three strand pearl choker with a diamond clasp wrapped her throat. Nicole had put on a layer of temporary tanning mix on her exposed chest and face to cover the bruises. Her mask covered the majority of her face-large peacock feather covered the upper and lower part of her face and only her mouth and chin were exposed. While most people who had met her would be able to tell her face was bloated, one would have to look very carefully to see any bruises.

Very stiffly and slowly, Lyzette walked out of her room with Nicole following her. As the guard was about to relock her bedroom door, Lyzette, cried out, “Wait! Nicole, please fetch me my pearl earrings. The ones Father gave me last year-I know he will want me to wear them this evening. Please hurry.”

Lyzette walked past the guard and then stopped to look over her shoulder. She saw Nicole approaching the door, “You there, sir, could you check the back of my dress to make sure that it is not dragging too much? I do not want someone to step on it. Let me walk a few steps.” Behind them, Nicole quietly unlocked the door and shut it. As the guard told her no, her dress didn’t drag too much, Nicole handed her the earrings and nodded.

Lyzette smiled and then made her way down to the salon with the guard following behind her. As she entered the room, she noticed her father stood next to the fireplace talking with a short gray haired gentleman. Both men looked distinguishing in their tuxedos.

“Ahhh, here is my daughter. You must forgive her, Ambassador, she is forever running late.” Khivar lovingly smiled at her but only she saw the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He bent to kiss her on her cheek and while he did, he whispered to her in his thick accent ‘I take it you’ve learned your lesson about trying to escape?” He then patted her quite hard on the back.

Lyzette’s back burst into waves of pain and she wanted to scream out loud but she put on her best fake smile and turned to face the Ambassador. “Bon Soir, Monsieur.”

The elderly man smiled, took Lyzette’s hand in his and gave her a small bow, “Good evening, Your Majesty.”

Lyzette switched from French to English “I hope I did not interrupt any important discussions.”

“No, not at all. I was just telling your father about the tragic highway accident that took place a few days ago.” The man replied, waving his glass towards her father.

“How awful. Were there many killed in the accident?”

“There were a couple fatalities but only the Parker family was from America.” Lyzette’s heart jumped at the mention of Parker.

“I hope they did not have any children with them.”

“Unfortunately, yes, their one son died with them as well. I had to send their bodies back to their family in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but the relatives are from Roswell.”

“Roswell?” Lyzette’s heart raced and her mind began to plan.

“Yes, it’s a tourist town that is infamous for the supposed 1957 alien crash.”

“I have never heard of this town, Roswell.”

“Well, only true alien fanatics really go there. It’s actually a bit funny to see so many people who actually think aliens are among us.”

“I am sorry that you have had to deal with such tragic news so early in your new position.”

“Thank you. The family of course was devastated. It didn’t help when the Albuquerque airport wouldn’t release all the bodies. Jeff Parker and his wife who went to claim the bodies at the airport had to call me to have me release the bodies into their custody – something about missing paperwork for the boy.”

“Well, I am sure they were comforted by your assistance.” Lyzette politely replied. She hoped that Khivar didn’t notice that she had been paying close attention to what the ambassador had to say.

“Father, shall we go in to the ball? We must not keep the Ambassador all to ourselves.”

“Of course. Ambassador, why don’t you escort my daughter in? I shall follow behind you.”

The three of them made their way into the packed ballroom. Lyzette had to smile at the lavish spectacle her father presented. He had the ballroom decorated with panels of large floor to ceiling mirrors framed with dark gold brocade curtains on either side of them. A large crystal chandelier hung from the center of the room. The air was heavily perfumed by the hundreds of dark red roses placed throughout the room next to dark gold velvet love seats.

On one side of the ballroom, in a small alcove, a string quartet was playing, and on the other side of the ballroom a scrumptious buffet of decadent éclairs, elegantly frosted petit fours, smooth pate, puff pastries, tempting fruit tarts, a variety of world class cheeses, fresh fruit, chilled shrimp cocktails, and imported caviar was spread out next to a bar staffed with five different bartenders. Nearby there was also an area where two bartenders where just pouring the champagne for the caterers. The caterers, wearing solid black shirts and pants with white waist aprons, were scurrying around handing out glasses of champagne which never stopped flowing.

The masks that were worn ranged from the very simple black domino to the more elaborate feathered and jeweled. Lyzette noticed that all the women had on masks, while the men did not. Either way, Lyzette didn’t recognize anyone there and hardly anyone paid her any attention. Trying not to be too obvious, Lyzette looked around for the security men. The private security guards that were on Khivar’s payroll were easily recognizable in their pale gray suits and ear pieces.

Lyzette prayed that her father would get drunk quickly. She knew that she would have a guard following her but not within the ballroom or the nearby bathroom. For the next couple of hours, she watched as her father got drunker and drunker, Nicholas by his side to take care of him. Meanwhile, Lyzette moved around the room slowly and stiffly, the pain in her back making every move an agony. She made polite conversation and smiled at every person she came into contact with. If anyone noticed that she seemed to walk in pain or noticed that her face was swollen, they ignored it and continued with their own fun.

It was close to midnight when she noticed her father and a few other men moving off to an adjacent room to play cards. She then made her move. She made her way to the bathroom where she knew the guards weren’t watching closely. In the private toilet area, she stripped off the blue velvet gown. Underneath the gown, she wore black pants that had the bottoms rolled up with a white apron tied around the waist and a black shirt had been folded into one of the apron pockets. Her shoes’ didn’t quite match that of the caterers’ shoes, but the pants were long enough to cover most of them. She quickly hid the pearls from her hair, earrings, and choker into her bra. She took off her large diamond ring and stuffed it into her mouth. She braided her hair and took off her mask. Nicole had applied a fake tan solution on her face and hands, so the bruises weren’t noticeable.

The swelling from the beating took care of disguising her face, she was virtually unrecognizable. She took one last look in the mirror and then stuffed her dress and mask to the bottom of the garbage can. When she was ready, she picked up the garbage can and walked out. Without looking at the ballroom or the guards, Lyzette made her way down to the kitchen area where she would slip out the back way and meet Nicole and Ben.

If all went well with their plan, Nicole would go to her room under the pretense of changing the bed sheets. Nicole would then wrap Ben in the sheets and carry him out in her arms. Lyzette could only hope that the plan worked since they had come up with it in only a few minutes.

Her heart raced, but not one guard turned in her direction or stopped her. In the kitchen, the caterers were everywhere and it was chaos. No one noticed a dark haired girl slip out the back door after dropping the garbage can into the large receptacle. Checking over her shoulder, Lyzette walked as fast as her body would allow her to and searched for Nicole and Ben by the catering trucks.

Nicole had Ben by the hand and hid in the shadows of the catering trucks. Once they saw Lyzette, they rushed her into a quick hug. Both girls were relieved that so far the plan worked.

“Quickly, Ranulf is going to drive one of the catering trucks out while we hide.” Nicole pointed out the catering truck and inside was several large garbage cans. Nicole took out several bags and dumped them into another truck while Lyzette helped Ben crawl into one and cover him up. Lyzette got into another one and covered herself up with two full garbage bags. The stench from the garbage made her gag and the pain from her beating and back made her dizzy, but she tried to ignore it and focus on her freedom.

Nicole got into her can and before she covered herself up, she tapped on the wall of the truck three times. She heard two back and the engine start. She quickly covered herself and prayed they all made it out safely.

After an hour of driving, the catering truck stopped. Nicole and Lyzette cautiously listened. They heard the door open and voices

“Fermata! Che cosa è dentro qui?” (translations: Halt! What’s in here?)

“Immondizia dal chateau de Blanc. Stanno avendo un grande partito.” ( Garbage from the Chateau Blanc – They are having a large party)

“Perchè state prendendo l'immondizia in Italia?” (Why are you taking the garbage to Italy?)

“Bene, realmente non sto prendendolo in Italia. Ciò era l'unico camion che potrei uscire dell'area di parcheggio del Chateau. Vedete, il nostro chef vi siete dimenticati di afferrare i doilies del merletto per le piastre del dessert. Le ha lasciate nel suo appartamento a Misano. Ha richiesto che guido tutto il senso a Misano afferrarli o perderei il mio lavoro. Prego signore, mi sono detto a per affrettare.” (Well, I’m not really taking it to Italy. This was the only truck I could get out of the Chateau’s parking area. You see, our chef forgot to grab lace doilies for the dessert plates. He left them in his apartment in Misano. He demanded that I drive all the way to Misano to grab them or I would lose my job. Please sir, I was told to hurry.)

“Alright, lascilo attraverso!” (Alright. Let him through.)

They heard the door close and the truck re-start. They drove for another hour or so when the truck stopped again. This time when the door opened, Lyzette and Nicole both heard Ranulf cry out to them in quiet French.

“Nous sommes ici.” (We’re here.)

After Lyzette grabbed Ben out of the garbage can, she walked out of the catering truck to see where they were. They were on a small road on the outskirts of Milan. She walked over to Nicole who was talking with Ranulf. She was so grateful that Ranulf had risked his life to help them. Ranulf had been the vegetable gardener for her family for the last 20 years, since she was born. They had never talked since she had been locked in her room all her life, but she had noticed him working in the garden when she looked out her windows every day. She reached for his hands as she thanked him,

“Ranulf, merci tellement de votre aide.” (Ranulf, thank you so much for your help.)

“Il n'était rien, votre majesté.” (It was a small thing, majesty.)

“Vous avez risqué beaucoup pour nous aider. Je n'oublierai pas.” (You risked much to help us. I will not forget.)

“Je laisse L'Arnage et vais à la maison à ma famille à Lausanne.” (I am leaving L’Arnage and going home to my family in Lausanne.)

“Je viderai le camion ici en Italie et prendrai la maison de train.” (I will dump the truck here in Italy and take the train home.)

After seeing Ranulf off, Nicole led Lyzette and Ben to small cottage off the main road.

[Believer2]

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Chapter 5

The cottage that Nicole led them to was hard to see from the main road and had no neighbors nearby.

“This was my grandparents cottage. They are in Southern France for holiday. I have stored your bags here. We can shower and change here. I’ll fix us something to eat.”

Nicole set out towels for Lyzette and Ben, then went to the kitchen to prepare something for the three of them. Lyzette helped Ben out of his girl outfit and got him into the shower. She retrieved a clean oversized shirt for him to sleep in and set in on the bed for him. Once he was cleaned and dressed, she sent him down to help Nicole in the kitchen while she prepared to wash herself. Ben refused to let go of Lyzette’s hand, even when she promised she would be back in a few minutes. Understanding his fear, Lyzette let Ben sit outside the bathroom door while she carefully washed herself of the garbage smell. She left her hair alone, knowing that Nicole would have to help her later when Ben was asleep.

An hour later, the three of them sat down for a light dinner. As they ate, Nicole and Lyzette discussed their plans.

“Nicole, are you sure you will be ok?”

“Oh yes, my boyfriend is originally from Bologna and I’m joining him there. He has arranged to find me a job. I’ll be fine.”

Lyzette pressed the pearls she hid earlier into Nicole’s hand “Please, take these. Pawn them, keep them, whatever. I want you to have them.”

“Oh but…”

“Shh, no argument, I want you to have them.”

“But lady, what about you? What are you planning to do?”

“Well, I have some travelers checks that you’ve given me from the pawned stuff – I have been hiding them in my closet for the last two years with me and I still have the bank book. Once I get to America, I will transfer the money to wherever I settle. I have the passport and paperwork that will make it easier. I will hire a lawyer to work out the details of my mother’s inheritance once I feel safe.”

“How much money are you carrying with you?”

After mentally adding everything in her head, Lyzette replied “I think I have $10,000 US dollars in travelers checks with me.”

“Be careful, your majesty. You must make sure to hide the majority of it so no one will want to steal from you. Are your papers ok?”

“Yes, my passport and other paperwork show that I am an American citizen. I even have a driver’s license! Is that not funny – I do not even know how to drive but I have a US driver’s license!” Lyzette shared a smile with Nicole.

“Oh, before I forget, this is the number to the remote message service. I have set up an account with your fake identity and information so that if I need to leave you contact you, no one will be able to find you from the call. I set up this password, but you can change it later. When you get to America, you’ll be free. You can do whatever you wish.”

Lyzette’s eyes lit with excitement, “Yes, for the first time in my life, I will be free to do anything I wish. First though, I have to get Ben to his relatives. Oh I forgot to tell you! I met the US Ambassador earlier this evening and found out that Ben’s family was killed in an accident and everyone thinks that Ben died with them.”

“Oh my god – no one would have looked for him!” gasped Nicole, still shocked that Khivar would want to hurt such a little boy.

“Yes. I hope to return him to his relatives.”

“What will you tell them?”

“I do not know. I will think of something later.”

“I’m so excited for you, your majesty. I’ll pray for safe journey for you and Ben.”

“Thank you. I will pray that you and your boyfriend will be very happy in Bologna.”

“I’ve packed a few special things for you in your bag. Grandmother made some new perfume and soaps for you as a gift. She is so happy that you will finally be free.”

“Oh Nicole. Thank your grandmother. I shall miss her creations – they have been the one true pleasure I have enjoyed these past few years.”

“I will. In the morning, I will drop you off at the airport. We better get to bed because I will drop you off very early in the morning.”

Looking over at Ben, Lyzette dreaded telling the sweet little boy that his parents were dead. She had to suppress a shudder of revulsion when she thought about what her father or even Nicholas would have done to this little boy. Ben surprised Lyzette when he didn’t cry at being told his parents were dead, he just stared at her until she realized that Ben didn’t understand what dead meant. She tried to explain as best as could what it meant, that he would never see his parents again, and when he started to cry, she knew he understood. Lyzette stayed with Ben until he cried himself to sleep. After she made sure he was ok, she made her way to the bathroom.

She looked into the mirror and had to grimace at what she saw. Her face was swollen and throbbed, her lips without lipstick showed two large cuts. She still could barely see out of her eyes. She wet a small washcloth and wiped away the fake tan from her face and chest area that she had put on earlier. The dark blue bruises stood out loudly and she knew that she would have to keep putting on the fake tan everyday so she wouldn’t scare people. Her body throbbed and was sensitive to the touch everywhere.

Nicole came in to help her wash her hair without getting her back too wet and talked with her about America. Neither Nicole or Lyzette had ever been there yet they had heard so much about it. Nicole would tell Lyzette about the stories she read from her fashion magazines about Hollywood and New York. As they washed Lyzette’s hair, they both agreed that maybe Hollywood be too risky with all the photographers so maybe New York would be nice.

When they were done with her hair, Lyzette took two more painkillers for her back, said a silent thanks to Nicole’s grandmother for her special ointment, and laid down herself. She had to lay down on her bruised stomach but as she drifted off to sleep, she once again thought of the freedom that would soon be hers. She smiled.

Before dawn the next morning, the three of them packed the little Citron car that belonged to Nicole’s grandparents and drove to Milan. As the car was pulling into the airport drop off, Nicole suddenly drove past the drop off area and kept driving.

“What is it? Why did you not stop?”

“Because I thought I saw Nicholas’s car there.” Nicole answered, looking into the rearview mirror, hoping that no one had noticed them.

“Merde! I thought we would have more time!”

“I know. I’ll drop you off at the tram station. Take the tram to Rome and fly out from there. It’s a much bigger airport. I never thought I would say it but it’s a good thing your face is still bloated from the beating – it makes you less recognizable.”

Their drive was quiet and Lyzette was grateful that they had dressed Ben in the girly pink jumper this morning instead of the jeans. Hopefully they would go unnoticed by anyone looking for her with the little boy. Nicole drove them to the tram station and helped her to buy two tickets and find their seats. As they said their good-byes, Lyzette held back her tears as she hugged her long time companion and friend. She knew it would be impossible and unsafe to see her again.

There were no problems getting on the tram and their trip to Rome was uneventful. Ben only complained a little about the jumper but mostly he was quiet. Ever since she had told him last night that his parents were dead, he had been so very quiet. Lyzette who had been raised in relative isolation didn’t really know how to deal with little children and wasn’t sure how to discuss his loss. They sat across from each other in the train car, and Lyzette chewed on her lower lip, wondering how to start the conversation.

“Ben – do you know your uncle and aunt very well?”

“No.”

“Do you like them?”

“They have a nithe restharnt.”

Lyzette had to interpret Ben’s lisp and figure out what he was really saying which was a bit difficult “A nice restaurant?”

Ben nodded.

“Is your uncle’s name, Jeff Parker?”

“Yeth. Uncle Jeff and Aunt Nancy.”

“Ok. So we know the name of your uncle and aunt. Um, are you excited to see them?”

“I want mommy and daddy.” He said sadly with his lower lip trembling.

Lyzette melted at the tears “Oh sweetheart. Come here.” She gathered Ben in her arms and settled him on her lap, ignoring the pain that shot through her body “Your mommy and daddy loved you very much and they did not want to leave you, but they had to go to heaven.”

“Why?”

“Because…um…”

“God needed them?”

“Yes! God needed them for a very important job.” Lyzette nodding enthusiastically

“What?”

“Um…um…” Lyzette had to think quickly, trying to think of something comforting yet not a lie “Um, they have to watch over you all the time and make sure you are ok.”

He grew quiet and Lyzette hoped she wasn’t making it worse.

“Can I see them?”

“Oh sweetie, no. But they will always be with you.”

“Where?”

“Here” She pointed at his heart “They will always be here, in your heart.”

“I don’t want them there. I want them here.” He started to sob into her neck.

“I am sorry, sweetheart. I know you do. But your aunt and uncle will love you very much.”

When Ben started to cry again, Lyzette rocked him in her arms until he fell asleep. When the train stopped in Rome, she gently shook him awake and her heart melted again at his sad scared gaze. She made a promise to herself that she would make sure that his aunt and uncle were good people who would love him before leaving him. She held on to his hand tightly, knowing how frightened he was. And truth be told, she was just as scared, not really knowing what to do. She was overwhelmed with all of the people crowding around the train station and she had to stop several times to ask for directions on how to get out of the station.

They took a taxi to the Rome International airport after Lyzette had one of the station agents explain how to use the taxi. Upon arrival, Lyzette walked around the airport frustrated in her ignorance of how to buy tickets and check in to the airline. She didn’t even know which airlines flew to the United States and the airport workers were indifferent to her plight. Giving up, she picked a line and walked through to an agent. The agent took pity on her after sensing her exhaustion and frustration. He arranged airline tickets for both Ben and Lyzette to Albuquerque, New Mexico, all the while explaining which documents they needed and directing them towards their gate. The flight would be long and Lyzette was worried about her low supply of painkillers. So far, they were the only thing that was allowing her to keep moving. She prayed that once she got to the US, she would be able to find an substitute.

When they landed in Albuquerque, they didn’t have any problems getting through customs and Lyzette prayed their good fortune continued. She checked them into a nearby hotel while she searched for the cheapest way to get to Roswell. She was desperately afraid she would run out of money since she had never had to worry about spending before-her father always took care of everything and never allowed her to carry more than $10 at any time.

When she asked the front desk about getting to Roswell, it was explained that they would have to take a bus if they didn’t drive their own car or want to fly there. She had to have the front desk explain how the bus worked and arranged to have the front desk buy them their tickets and arrange for a taxi to take them to the station. When she asked where she could buy some clothes for Ben, she had to have explained to her what a Target store was. She knew Ben wanted boy clothes and not have to dress like a girl any more. When the taxi let them out, she explained that she would want them to come back in two hours. Then she allowed Ben, who seemed comfortable in the store, to lead her around.

She didn’t have enough eyes to take in everything. She was amazed at the different things that one could buy at this Target store – why one could even buy food! The names and brands were unfamiliar to her but she enjoyed looking at everything. When Ben picked out several pairs of jeans, t-shirts, underwear, socks and shoes, she didn’t complain about the cost. She wanted to make sure he was happy. As they walked to the checkout area, Lyzette was awed at several odd looking boxes that had moving pictures on it.

She stopped Ben and pointed to the wondrous object, “What is that, Ben?”

Ben looked at her oddly, “Ith a TV.”

Lyzette moved closer and just stared. She couldn’t believe it! She had heard of TV’s from the smuggled magazines, but she had never really seen one. Movies on a small box! Music started to play and she looked around quizzically.

“Ith from the wadios.” explained Ben.

“Radios?”

“Don’t you know anything?”

“Ben – I never had any of this, I did not even know this stuff existed. I was locked in a room, just like you were, for my entire life.”

“Weally?”

“Really. Come on, we better go before the taxi leaves without us.” Lyzette hurried to place their items on the check out counter when her eye was distracted by the glossy covers of magazines. Lyzette recognized the name of the one magazine that Nicole had smuggled into to her and she saw others like it. She reached out and fingered one, marveling at the sheer feeling of freedom she had just looking at it. She couldn’t help herself – she impulsively grabbed a couple of magazines and stuck them with her other purchases. Her heart raced at the thought of actually being able to buy them.

Then Lyzette became fascinated with the whole checkout process and asked the checkout person several questions on how the computer worked, how the conveyer belt moved. Before the person cashed them out, Ben placed several small objects on the belt to check out, they all read “Bubble Yum”. Lyzette didn’t say anything at first, but once in the taxi, she asked,

“What’s Bubble Yum?”

“Ith bubble gum.”

“Bubble gum?”

“Yeah, you chew it and blow bubbles.”

“You just chew it?”

“Yup, like this.” Ben unwrapped a piece of strawberry flavored gum and popped it in his mouth. He chewed for a few minutes then made a large bubble. Lyzette’s eyes grew wide when it popped and got all over his face. She laughed at the mess he made and Ben giggled.

The taxi stopped at the hotel and Lyzette hurriedly paid him so that she could get back to Ben and bubble gum. As they walked to their room, Ben said

“Here, you try.” He gave her a piece. Hesitantly, she put the piece of gum in her mouth. The rest of their evening was spent trying to teach Lyzette how to make bubbles.

The next morning when they checked out, the taxi the hotel arranged was waiting for them. The driver made her uncomfortable when he seemed to accidentally rub against her butt as he reached to grab their bags. As they drove, Lyzette grew more uncomfortable when it seemed to take much longer than what the hotel had told her. When she tried to protest, the driver stopped the car and demanded her to shut up. Lyzette drew herself up – how dare he talk to her that way! She was a princess and he should show some respect. She was about to reprimand him when she became afraid of mentioning her title – if her father was looking for her, the taxi driver would surely remember being reprimanded by a princess. She quickly made up her mind and got out of the taxi.

She demanded that the driver unload the car before she paid him. He drove off before she could ask for direction to the bus station. She picked a direction and grabbed their suitcases. The streets were busy and unfamiliar. She didn’t want to panic but she had just didn’t know what to do. She saw a group of three women standing on a corner. They were dressed gaudily and rough but she set aside her misgivings. She had to have some kind of direction-she couldn’t afford to walk around for hours. She approached the women cautiously,

“Excuse me ladies. Could you help me? My nephew and I are lost – we are looking for the bus station to Roswell.”

The three women looked down at her with disbelief on their faces.

“Please.”

One of the older women peered closely at Lyzette and noticed how her face seemed swollen and distorted. Her dark glasses really didn’t do too much to disguise it. Thinking maybe the little woman in front of her was trying to escape an abusive man, she finally took pity on her, “Ya got $20?”

“What?”

“I’ll tell ya but ya gotta pay $20.”

“Umm, yes, ah, do you take traveler’s checks?”

The woman rolled her eyes “Yeah, I’ll take it.” She took the check from Lyzette’s hand. “Look, ya gotta be careful around here. The neighborhood isn’t too safe. There’s people that’ll try ta rob ya, so I’m gonna give ya the safest way.”


Sitting on the bus to Roswell, Lyzette couldn’t believe that the two of them had finally made it. The streets had been dark and seemed so threatening. She knew that had anyone attacked them, she wouldn’t have been able to put much of a fight. Her strength was almost gone and her body had all the bruises it could bear. She was still in pain from Nicholas’s beating – God, had that only been two days ago? Her fake tan still covered up her bruises on her arms and face but her face was still swollen and distorted. She tried to keep lipstick on her lips to cover the cuts, but the lipstick hurt her lips. Her back was throbbing from carrying Ben and she just wanted to cry. She worried about how to find Ben’s relatives, what she would say to them, and she prayed that there wouldn’t be too many problems when they reached Roswell.

Lyzette let out a deep sigh and let the rhythmic movement of the bus lull her to sleep...and HE was there, waiting for her. Lyzette smiled in her sleep as she dreamed of his arms cradling her and soothing her pain. The uncertainty of what lie ahead in Roswell receded in his arms.

Chapter 6

The Crashdown restaurant was a family run hot spot for the locals during the week. On weekends the restaurant was filled with self-proclaimed alien spotters, tourists from around the globe meeting in Roswell to swap stories. On this weeknight, the restaurant was a little busier than usual because of the Dental Conference being held in town.

When the bell rang to indicate new customers, the small group of four people that walked in for dinner made heads turn. The dark haired man seemed to be the leader of the group by the intensity on his chiseled face. His dark hair was spiked, a soul-patch under his lip, and silver piercings on his face. Tattoos covered his bare muscular arms and just a hint of his washboard abs peeked out from between the bottom of his baggy tank top and low-riding cargo pants paired with black combat boots. Everything about him looked rough and mean except for his eyes which were warm and gentle.

The girl next to him was small and her hair was outrageous in pink and black streaks. The piercing on her lip only enhanced the poutiness of her lips and her short dress revealed a generous chest. Her leggings were covered in holes and she wore heavy knee high boots. She had a mischievous twinkle in her bright blue eyes and an easy smile that lit her features.

Following the couple was a taller, leaner man who wore his dark blonde hair in an outrageous mohawk and a smirk across his face. He too was covered in tattoos and piercings and wore the same outfit of tank top, cargo pants and combat boots. He even wore several rings on both of his large hands.

The tall girl next him had short, light brown hair that fell over warm hazel brown eyes. Instead of a dress she wore heavy black boots, low riding camouflage cargos, and a black fishnet top with black fingerless gloves covering her knuckles. Any stranger looking at the four of them would think that they were intimidating punks looking for trouble.

A petite curly blonde haired waitress whose features matched those of the girl with pink and black hair greeted the four as they sat down. The waitress wore a light green short button up dress uniform, an alien head apron, a headband with antennas and a name tag that read ‘Tess’. As Tess leaned against the booth, looking over the four, she tried to casually catch the eye of the dark haired man by casually unbuttoning the top of her uniform to expose her cleavage, “Hey guys. I see that Amy DeLuca roped you into her little play.”

The short brown haired woman looked up from her menu to roll her eyes “I can’t believe she made us dress like this! I know that this is for a good cause and all, but look at my wig! I don’t look good with short hair! And these stupid fake piercings actually hurt and the fake tatooes itch!”

The dark haired man looked up over his menu at her and teasingly commented “You could always get real ones, Isabel” to which she replied by slapping him on the arm.

“We look like punks out of the sewers of New York!!! And what is up with those stupid names!!!” Isabel sighed dramatically.

“What names?” The blonde waitress asked still trying to get the dark haired man to look at her and her unbuttoned cleavage.

The mohawk styled man answered, “Amy’s picked out names for us. I’m Rathborne, Rath for short. Max is Zan.” He pointed to the dark haired man. “Isabel’s Lonnie, and Ava is Queenie. Zan’s the leader of the gang and I’m his second in command.”

“Wait – I thought you guys were doing ‘West Side Story’ I tried out for Maria.”

“We are but Amy’s decided to update it, Tess.”

“But I don’t remember a Zan or Rath in the original story.” Tess said, clearly confused.

“There aren’t any – we’re just the extra gang that hangs out in the background. We don’t even have any lines. And thank god we don’t have to sing or dance!” The pink and black haired woman said.

“Speak for yourself, Ava. I really wanted a bigger role.”

“You can’t sing, Isabel.”

“Shut up Michael! I can too sing – you heard me sing karaoke.”

“Yeah – like I said, you can’t sing.” The one named Michael smirked while Isabel slapped his arm.

“Well, if it wasn’t for charity, I wouldn’t be doing this.” Ave snorted tugging on her pink and black wig.

“As if Max and I would? Please – only the wrath of my girlfriend could convince me to do a freakin musical play. Look at this freakin hair!” Michael cautiously patted his hair that was sticking straight up.

“Well, I think it’s weird that Kyle and Maria are the star-crossed lovers when they’re about to be family.” Ava said. “I mean, my husband is going to kiss his step-sister. How gross is that?”

“Well, they’re not going to be family until next year so technically, it’s ok. But yeah, weird. I told Kyle if he tries anything, I’m gonna break his limbs.” Michael said.

From the back of the restaurant, an older dark haired man with a friendly face came up to the group smiling. “You guys look great! Did Amy pick those outfits out for you?”

“Hey Mr. P! Yeah she did. Just wait though – Maria will be coming by and you can see her costume.” Michael smiled back.

“Michael – please what have I told you about calling me Mr? It’s Jeff. Now, when’s opening night?”

“It’s in about a month from this Friday. I bought tickets for our parents already but if you want, I can pick some up for you and Nancy.” Isabel offered.

“Thanks Isabel, we’d like that. Tell you want, why don’t you have your cast party here afterwards? The restaurant will be closed already, we’ll just open it up for you guys when you’re done. Michael, why don’t you tell Amy and let me know what she thinks.”

“Sure. You need help closing tonight?”

“No no, it’s alright. Nancy’s coming down to help me close up later.”

“Are you sure? I could to the receipts tonight?”

Jeff laughed at the offer, “I know you’re excited about becoming the manager Michael, but I think I can handle closing tonight.”

Michael blushed “Sorry Mr.P err, um, I mean Jeff.”

“Don’t worry about it, I understand. You earned your promotion. Nancy and I will finally be able to take that vacation to Mexico we’ve been talking about. She’s almost done packing and we’re not even leaving until the end of the month! I swear she’s taking her entire wardrobe!” Jeff patted Michael on the shoulder and walked to the back of the restaurant.

“I can’t believe it. Who would have thought you’d be manager here?” Ava said staring at Michael.

“Yeah. Remember how much I hated this place?” Michael grunted.

***

Michael Adam Guerin had moved to Roswell when he was in third grade to join his uncle Hank after his parents died. Hank wasn’t the fatherly type, preferring his beer over watching over some kid. Hank would have stuck him in some other home somewhere, but having Michael meant getting the life insurance checks that came on a monthly basis. Hank had no patience or tolerance for kids and he often blamed Michael for getting in his way. Michael tried to avoid Hank’s fists whenever Hank would drink, but it seemed to Michael that Hank was drinking all the time.

Hank used Michael as a housekeeper and cook but it didn’t stop him from beating him whenever the mood struck him. The other inhabitants at the trailer park learned to ignore the loud yelling from Hank and avoided looking at Michael at all. Michael learned to not to cry in front of Hank-he’d just beat him harder, or in front of others-they would ignore him.

He had learned to distrust people and was often times gruff and unpolished. His only friends had been Isabel and Max Evans, twins, who had befriended him after his confrontation with the principal of the school in third grade. Diane and Philip Evans had been concerned about Michael and had wanted to take him into their home, but Hank wouldn’t hear it and Michael wouldn’t admit how bad it was at home.

It was as a sophomore in high school when he became an emancipated minor. His uncle had given him a black eye and Isabel had noticed it in school the next day. She had been outraged and told Max who had turned almost murderous. Together, they convinced Michael to approach their father for help in becoming emancipated. Max, Philip, and Michael picked out a one bedroom efficiency apartment but it was Diane and Isabel that had made the apartment livable.

In order to support himself, Michael had to take a job so he applied at the Crashdown. Jeff Parker had been hesitant since Michael didn’t have any experience but a personal reference from Philip Evans had convinced him to give the rough edged boy a chance. Michael hated the rules of the job and having to cover his hair, but after the initial bad feelings towards the job, he gradually came to view the place as a second home and the Parkers as family.

The Parkers had been the ones to make sure Michael studied, went to school, and kept out of trouble. They made sure he ate every night and even let him do his laundry in the basement of the Parkers apartment which was in the back of the restaurant. To Michael who had never really had anyone care about him, it took him a couple of months to determine that the Parkers didn’t want something in return, that they actually cared.

When he finally understood that the Parkers cared, it felt good to him to finally have someone to turn to. His normally surly, distrustful and hot headed temper slowly gave way to a teasing, relaxed Michael. People in the small town couldn’t get over the change, especially his teachers. Some of them even had to take a second look when they saw a smiling Michael sitting in their classroom. By his senior year in high school, Michael actually made friends outside of Max and Isabel and he actually passed his classes to graduate. Over the years, Michael had proven himself a quick learner, a hard worker, and had somehow become like a son to the childless Parkers.

***

“Oh god! You remember how you insulted Maria on your first day?” Isabel reminded them.

“Hey – Michael never told me that. What happened?” asked Ava.

“Oh geez – not this again.” Protested Michael.

“Shut up Michael – this is payback for that smart comment about my singing. Michael and Maria would never have met if it wasn’t for this place. It was Michael’s first day on the job and he had just been left alone at the grill when Maria walked in; he didn’t know she was a waitress here. You know Maria, her clothes are outrageous– she had on her 70’s bell-bottoms and tank, but she had just chopped off all of her hair. Michael – the ever suave guy that he is – told her that the lesbian bar was up the street!!”

Max, Ava, and Tess cracked up. Isabel continued “You should have heard her! Oh my god – I’ll never forget it. I had just come in to see how Michael was doing and I heard Maria yelling at the top of her lungs and things crashing. I thought she was in trouble so I ran back there. Maria had Michael cornered against the wall and there she was throwing plates and yelling at him. I had to haul her out into the dining room otherwise Mr. Parker would have had to buy a truckload of new plates.”

The group kept laughing and Michael just sat there, rolling his eyes. “Well, she obviously got over it. She wouldn’t be going out with me if she hadn’t.”

Isabel snorted again “I can’t believe you two are actually dating. You guys fight all the time! Talk about your love/hate relationships!”

“But the making up is so much fun” Michael leeringly laughed.

Ava rolled her eyes at Michael’s comment “It took what-eight years for you to finally ask her out?”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know if she liked me or not. Like you said, we were always fighting. And she was always off singing somewhere.”

“Stupid – of course she liked you otherwise she wouldn’t have fought with you.” Isabel injected.

“Look who’s calling who stupid - after you and Jesse…”

“Don’t even go there, Michael. I already admitted that eloping with Jesse was impulsive and stupid. I really didn’t know him that well but he was the first older guy that I thought I could picture having a family with.”

“He was scum! You were barely 17! What kind of man picks a 17 year old bride! Thank god you came to your senses and divorced him.” Max pointed out.

“Yeah, married and divorced within a year. Great track record I have.” Isabel said softly to herself.

She thought back to when she had first met Jesse Ramirez. She had just turned 17 and was tired of the high school boys that were always drooling after her. She had wanted a real man and she thought she had found him at her father’s company picnic. Jesse was 26 and a junior partner in her father’s law firm. He was tall, good looking and said all the right things. They started to accidentally-on-purpose run into each other, then secretly started to date. When Jesse started complaining about sneaking around an proposed, Isabel recklessly said yes. Even though Max disapproved, her best friend Alex had tried to talk her out it, and her parents were dead set against it, she left town with Jesse.

She snuck out of the house one night and hopped on a plane to Mexico with Jesse. They eloped on a beach with a semi-sober priest and their two day honeymoon was at an exclusive resort. When they got back, her father wanted to fire Jesse and charge him with kidnapping but Diane had talked him out of it. He kept Jesse at the firm but their once friendly relationship was cold and distant.

Within 6 months of living with the man, she knew she had made a mistake. It became clear to her over dinner with a client of Jesse’s. The other man and Jesse were talking about golfing and sports when the client asked her what her opinion was on the current political subject. Jesse had jumped in before she could answer and told the client that Isabel didn’t really care, that she spent most of her time shopping. As the client laughed, Isabel realized that Jesse just wanted her as eye candy, someone to take along to client dinners and keep her mouth shut.

They had argued about it later that night and as they slept in separate rooms, Isabel confessed to herself that she had nothing in common with Jesse and she wasn’t really happy. Getting Jesse to agree to the divorce had been easy – he too realized they had nothing in common. He gladly signed the papers and took off for Boston.

***
“Well at least you finally realized how much Alex was in love with you. I swear, the poor guy was terribly depressed after you came back from your honeymoon.” Max commented.

“Funny how it took him leaving for me to realize how much I loved him.” Isabel smiled.

***
Isabel and Alex had been best friends since first grade when he had come to her rescue when she dropped her ice cream cone. He had generously given her his even though he hadn’t even taken a bite and couldn’t get another one. He had always stuck up for her when the bullies tried to hurt her or called her names. In high school when she became the ‘Elle McPherson’ of their class, she still counted on Alex who was the ‘Nerd’ of their class to support and protect her. Alex was nothing like what she pictured as a real man. He was tall, taller than her, and he had really nice blue eyes but he was skinny, had weird taste in clothes - preferring baggy and long, wasn’t remotely athletic, and wasn’t worldly at all. In fact, sometimes Isabel got the impression that Alex was very naïve.

He had always just been her friend and she thought he’d always be there. After high school graduation, Alex had taken her aside during their party and had given her a necklace-a diamond star on a delicate gold chain. He had gently placed it around her neck and kissed her forehead before looking into her eyes and telling her:

“Isabel, I have been in love with you since the first grade when you smiled at me for the first time. I knew then and there I would do anything in the world to make you smile, even if it meant breaking my own heart. I have watched you grow from a pretty little girl to a beautiful woman who hides her gentle and warm nature under an icy snobby demeanor. I have loved you for so long and I’ve waited for you to notice me, to let me in, but you never did.” He smiled sadly. Isabel tried to interrupt, but he placed a finger on her lips to silence her. He smiled as he used his thumb to gently caress her cheek and continued.

“I use to look at the stars at night and think you were just like them. You’re so beautiful and cold on the outside that it distracts everyone from looking closer and seeing that your soul is even more beautiful. You’re so out of my reach - I wish I could reach out and make you mine. But I can’t because you don’t love me. I realize that I deserve more, that I deserve to have someone love me back….and I won’t find that someone while still holding on to you. So, Isabel, I guess what I’m trying to say…. is that I’m letting you go. Be happy, Isabel.”

Then, for the first time, he kissed her passionately on the lips and walked away. Isabel had touched her swollen lips in stunned amazement and watched him walk away. She had never realized that Alex felt that way about her – she had only seen him as her friend. But that kiss…she had never felt anything like that kiss before. From that moment on, she thought about nothing but Alex. She had tried to call him but he avoided her calls. When she finally got up the nerve to stop by his house, Alex’s mother had answered the door. She let Isabel know that Alex had been accepted at MIT in Boston and had left early to settle into his new job.

Isabel had left Alex’s place stunned that he had never told her about MIT or about leaving. She had told him early fall before they graduated that she would be going to Stanford with Max and had assumed that he would follow. He always followed her. She didn’t know how to react or feel. When she had gotten home, she cried on Max’s shoulder, but he didn’t have any sympathy for her. He had watched Alex pine away for Isabel since the first grade and felt sorry for him when Isabel never noticed.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Iz. I’m kinda glad that he’s finally gotten over you and can move on. Even as his friend, you didn’t really make time for him. He needed to move on – you were never going to look at him as a man. ”

“Of course I never looked at him that way – he was my friend. But then he kissed me and made me think of him that way. Now I can’t stop!”

“Well, just let it go. Let him go.”

“I guess I have no choice – he’s going to MIT in Boston! I thought for sure he’d go to Stanford too.”

“Nah – Alex is wicked smart with computers and stuff. MIT is the right school for him.”

Isabel had sighed and accepted it but in the back of her mind, she thought of seeing him the following summer

[Believer2]

Chapter 7

Max and Isabel had packed up for Stanford and were leaving early to find an apartment they could live in together instead of staying in the dorms. As they had been getting ready to drive ‘Bob’ their jeep, Kyle Valenti, the sheriff’s son and all-star athlete had stopped by. Kyle and Isabel had dated briefly in high school and after they broke up, they became even better friends.

He had just signed an agreement to play football and basketball at Stanford. He knew that Max and Isabel were attending school there too and wanted to know what they were doing for housing. When he discovered they were going to live off campus, he had asked if they could all be roommates. Max and Isabel didn’t have a problem with that and they all took off to Stanford together to look for a house to share. Isabel was relieved to have another vehicle she could pack her things in. Luckily, the three of them found a small house they could afford and was fairly close to campus.

At Stanford for the first year, Kyle pursued his sports and eventually took courses to become a physical therapist. Max had decided to pursue law to join his father at the family law firm; he loved law and all of the mental challenges it presented. Isabel decided to play on her strengths and go into business management so that she could one day open up her own wedding consulting business.

Out of the three of them, Max was the smartest and he had already finished taking his general college courses while in high school. He doubled up on all of his undergraduate courses so that he could graduate early and then finish law school all within the same four years as Isabel. Max was also the most serious out of the three of them. He didn’t make friends easily – upon first glance most people were put off by his aloofness and seriousness. All during school, guys thought he was stuck up and the girls were easily intimidated by his intense silent gaze even though they thought he was cute.

Even Isabel had a hard time understanding her twin. Max always seemed to be watching and waiting for something or someone even in the midst of their friends and family. As children Isabel was always in the spotlight, Miss Popular, while Max shied away from people. He was fun and light hearted at times around her and Michael, even around Alex, but mostly he was serious and guarded. Max always seemed alienated from others – even in a crowd, he was lonely.

With so much studying, Max had made sure that Kyle understood that there would be no parties at the house unless agreed to by everyone. Kyle was understanding of the rule but he really didn’t understand Max at all. Kyle knew plenty of girls who thought Max was cute but they could never get his attention long enough to flirt with him or even talk. When Max finally did start to date the girls who were constantly trying to catch his attention in college, it didn’t last long. His friends noticed that Max never really seemed interested in the girls he was seeing. He hardly ever went out and if he did, he never got out of control.

Kyle was Max’s opposite, he was always the life of the party; he was never serious until he started college. He had gotten a minor injury during his first day of football training and realized that it wouldn’t take much to sideline him forever. That’s when he realized that he needed a backup career just in case because there was no way he wanted to go into law enforcement like his dad or his grandfather. He actually became more studious and it was in his world religion class that he made the decision to become Buddhist. Kyle had never really been religious but what he had learned in that class made sense to him – it just clicked. Max and Isabel, upon discovering his new religion, started to call him Buddha Boy, and the nickname became popular among his teammates and it stuck.

Isabel finally excelled at academics for the first time in her life. In high school she did what she had to in order to get by but was more concerned about who was going out with who, who was wearing what, and who was taking her to the prom. At Stanford, she was taking courses that would eventually lead to her own business, so they mattered to her. She had no problems making friends and the boys all fell over themselves trying to get her to notice them. Surprisingly, Isabel discovered that every potential guy she thought about dating or went out with, she mentally compared him to Alex. She couldn’t wait for the summer so she could finally see him and who knows, she smiled secretly to herself, she might even let him kiss her again. Summer seemed so far away!

The summer did arrive and Isabel was anxious to get home but she would die before letting Max or Kyle know why. When they got home, they all had to figure out summer jobs. Max decided to work at the UFO Center during the evenings and weekends while helping out his dad at the law firm during the day. Diane and Philip were both lawyers who had opened up a law firm in Albuquerque when they were younger. As they grew older and had kids, they had moved to Roswell and decided to open up a branch in Roswell and sold the Albuquerque office. They were both ecstatic that Max would take over the firm for them one day.

Isabel’s summer job was working at a bridal shop at the Roswell Mall. She was excited to start her new job and the first person she wanted to tell about it was Alex. Instead of calling and risking the chance he might be still avoiding her calls, she decided to stop by his house. She pulled up to his house and rang the bell. She was stunned silent when a curvy blonde haired, blue eyed girl answered the door. It took her a few minutes to gather her wits and ask for Alex. The petite girl told her that Alex was staying in Boston for the summer because he had gotten an exclusive internship. Crestfallen, Isabel would have walked away but the blonde haired girl called her back.

* * *

Isabel, sitting in her costume as Lonnie, looked over to Ava and smiled. Ava caught her smile and asked, “What are you smiling at?”

“I’m just remembering the first time we met and how I was stunned that you answered the door. I remember thinking ‘Oh my god – is this Alex’s girlfriend?’”

Ava started to laugh. “Oh yeah – I remember. You had this weird look on your face. I thought about playing with you but then I decided not to.”

“When was this?” Max asked, puzzled.

“It was the summer after our freshman year at Stanford. You were going to kill yourself working two jobs and I had just accepted a position at Madame’s Bridal Shoppe. The first person I wanted to tell was Alex, so I decided that I would stop by his place. Ava here answered the door. I had no idea that Mr. Whitman had gotten divorced so his re-marriage took me by surprise.”

“Well, Iz, it’s not like you had made time for Alex in high school, remember?”

Isabel nodded guiltily “I know. God! I was so full of myself back in high school!”

Isabel thought back to her first encounter with Ava.

* * *

Ava had called out to her and introduced herself. She let Isabel know that her mom, Teresa Harding, had married William Whitman over the holidays and that her sister, Tess, and her were just visiting while on summer break. Both Tess and Ava were going to school at Boston University. Isabel had been stunned because she hadn’t known that Alex’s parents had divorced. She had berated herself for being such a lax friend. She had smiled at Ava and introduced herself. It didn’t take long for the two of them to become friends, partly because Isabel was relieved that Ava wasn’t Alex’s girlfriend and partly because Ava was so open and friendly.

It was another story when Isabel met Tess.

Tess and Ava looked alike-the same build, same features and it was only their hair and makeup that differentiated them physically but it was their natures that made them so different. Ava had a laid back friendly nature, but she had a ‘no nonsense’, confident stance that told people not to mess with her. She wore her hair short and sleek in a severe bob that made framed her delicate face and emphasized her lips. She favored cargo pants and tank tops, while going bare foot. Tess on the other hand was spoiled, snobby, and whiney. She wore her hair long and curly and made sure she wore clothes that displayed her best assets, which didn’t leave her very well covered. While Ava was majoring in law enforcement-she wanted to be cop, Tess was majoring in hotel management even though it seemed like she was actually majoring in boys.

But the biggest reason why Isabel didn’t like Tess was because Tess was a fake. A big fat fake. Tess smiled and acted like she was a nice person, but behind the act was a mean, selfish person who was out to get all she could and wouldn’t hesitate to hurt or manipulate anyone who got in her way. Isabel once apologized to Ava, letting her know that she couldn’t stand Tess. Ava laughed and dismissed her apology. She confided to Isabel that even though Tess was her sister, she didn’t like her either.

Trying to be diplomatic, Isabel made sure to invite both Ava and Tess to their family’s Fourth of July picnic at the local park. The second Tess laid eyes on Max, she decided that he was to be the father of her children. Her eyes had hungrily roved over his chiseled features, intense amber eyes, dark hair and sleek muscles. When she found out he was going to school to be a lawyer, her mind registered money and all that she could do with that money. She had attached herself to Max’s side for the entire picnic and tried to interest him in her exposed cleavage and legs, which disgusted Max. For the rest of the time Tess and Ava was staying in Roswell, Tess used every opportunity to throw herself at Max, who went to great lengths to avoid her.

It was love at first sight for both Kyle and Ava. They had stared at each other silently until Isabel laughingly introduced the two of them. Kyle was impressed and a bit intimidated when he discovered that Ava wanted to be a cop, but he was drawn to her independence and nerve. Ava was impressed that Kyle didn’t back away from her career choice and was drawn to his goofy sense of humor and Buddha quotes. They both knew that they didn’t have much time together, Kyle had to go back to Stanford at the start of August for football camp and Ava would be flying back to Boston in a couple of weeks to see her dad, Ed, for the rest of summer break.

Isabel could only smile at the sight of Ava and Kyle. She and everyone else could see that there was an attraction between the two of them. She had invited Michael to the picnic as well and he had shown up with a girl named Courtney, another waitress at the Crashdown, all the while complaining about Maria. She wondered if Michael realized that he liked Maria and how long it would take him to ask her out.

* * *

“Hey Tess, table number 5 needs their food.” Called out Jeff Parker.

As Tess walked off to go feed table number 5, Max, Isabel, Ava, and Michael all silently smiled at each other.

* * *

In her junior year at Boston University, Tess had been caught having an affair with her professor. She had been kicked out of school and she didn’t want to go back school. She decided to move back in with her dad but after six months of not finding a job and spending his money, Ed Harding had kicked her out. Tess then turned to her mother in Roswell who had wanted her daughter to go back to school, but Tess told her that she needed some time to find herself before going back to school.

After a couple of months, Theresa forced Tess to get a job and pay rent while staying with her and William Whitman. After starting and being fired from three different jobs, Tess finally stuck to waitressing at the Crashdown during the week and bartending at the local bar on the weekends. After awhile, she had decided to move out of her mother’s house and found an apartment near Michael’s. Two years later, she was still waitressing and bartending and still searching for herself.

Kyle and Ava had surprised them all. They had spent as much time together as they could in Roswell and a week before Ava had to leave for Boston, the two of them decided that they loved each other and didn’t want to try having a long distance relationship. On impulse, they drove to Vegas and got married. They enjoyed their wedding night in the honeymoon suite at Palm Resort and decided to not tell anyone about their marriage. They didn’t believe anyone would support their impulsive decision. Each wore their wedding band on a chain around their neck as they returned to Roswell and then back to school.

After one month apart, Ava transferred out of Boston University and into Stanford. When she had called Kyle to tell him about her decision, he was ecstatic and they decided to move into their own place together. Upon graduation, Kyle told her that he had been offered a job as a physical therapist at the Roswell Memorial Hospital and a coaching job at West Roswell High. It didn’t really take Ava that long to encourage Kyle to accept the job and join him there.

Ava was able to find a job at the Roswell Sheriff’s Department. It was a lowly desk job but Ava knew that Sheriff Valenti was fair and would allow her to move up to deputy as soon as she was ready and past the training tests. Because he was her boss, she and Kyle decided to wait to tell him or anyone else about their marriage. When Ava finally passed her deputy tests and was promoted, Kyle and Ava announced to their friends and family that they had gotten married only a couple of weeks after they met during the summer between their freshman and sophomore year. Everyone had been left stunned but they were happy for the couple.

Isabel graduated six months before Max passed the bar exam and would have stayed in California to pursue her career, but she was offered a very tempting job at Lexingtion’s, the most prestigious wedding consultant firm in the United States. They had offices around the US but the only entry level position was in their Albuquerque office. It didn’t take Isabel long to make up her mind and within months, she started work as an assistant to a senior consultant.

After two years, the job was still demanding and often frustrating, but she loved it. It would take her several more years to learn the business before she was ready to open her own business, but she didn’t care. She was currently working on her first solo job for the company and if she succeeded, she would be promoted from her assistant position. The wedding was for Amy DeLuca, Maria’s mom, and Sheriff Jim Valenti. Amy was a bit difficult since she had a hippie attitude while Jim was more conservative. Their marriage would be the first for both of them and they wanted it to be perfect. Trying to find a comprise between Amy and Jim was proving to be very frustrating for Isabel, but she was willing to do anything and put up with anything as long as it meant her promotion.

She had been working for Lexington’s for three months when she had run into Alex at a nearby coffee shop. Isabel hadn’t seen Alex since they had graduated high school and almost didn’t recognize him at first. She had just gotten her coffee and was heading back to the office when she dropped her organizer. She bent to pick it up and when she stood, she immediately turned and bumped into the back of a very well dressed gentleman, spilling her coffee over his expensive looking suit. She was instantly embarrassed and contrite when she apologized, so much so that she couldn’t make herself look up at the person. She was forced to look at him when he turned around and gently grabbed her hands to stop her from wiping at the spilled coffee. She looked and became breathless when she saw familiar friendly blue eyes looking back at her.

The Alex that stood in front of her couldn’t be the Alex of her memories! The Alex she remembered didn’t wear Armani suits like they were second skin, or have such wide shoulders that showed off his self confidence. Nor did the Alex she knew looked at her as if she was a stranger. This Alex was no longer the skinny awkward nerd, instead he looked incredibly handsome and sophisticated. And yet, his eyes were still open and friendly.

“It’s alright, miss. That’s what cleaners are for.” He didn’t recognize her! How incredible! Were his eyes always so incredibly blue?

“Alex?” The good looking professional man looked at her for a minute, then his eyes grew wide, “Isabel? Isabel Evans?”

“Yes!” The two old friends laughed and embraced. Before they could try to catch up, another woman walked up to Alex. He turned to draw the young woman forward and introduced her to Isabel, “Honey, this is Isabel Evans. I went to school with her. Isabel, this is my girlfriend, Samantha.”

Isabel tried not to let her hurt show as she shook Samantha’s hand and looked her over. Samantha was almost as tall as Alex with a model’s figure that filled out the Ann Taylor suit she wore. Her dark red hair was pulled back from her face in a loose knot which emphasized her wide twinkling green eyes. Isabel hated her.

Isabel turned back to Alex, trying to subtly ignore Samantha. “Alex, I didn’t know you were in this area. Last I heard, you were in Boston.”

“Well, technically I still live in Boston but I’m here on a job. I’m a network consultant for Worldwide Global.”

“You mean the international consulting firm? That’s great, Alex!”

“What about you? Are you visiting or do you work in the area?”

“I’m working at Lexington’s wedding consultant firm, their Albuquerque office.”

Samantha had silently watched the two of them talking and her eyes got very cold as she noticed how warmly Alex responded to Isabel and how they seemed to forget she was there too. She decided to interrupt, “Really? Alex and I are actually thinking of using Lexington’s for our wedding, the Boston office, of course.”

Isabel’s heart dropped down to her stomach. Alex had really moved on. “Oh? I didn’t realized you were engaged.”

“Well, Alex hasn’t proposed yet, but I’ve let him know that I wouldn’t say ‘no’.” laughed Samantha with a calculating wink at Isabel.

“Oh. Well, um, I better get back to the office.” Isabel turned to walk away when Alex grabbed her arm. He smiled disarmingly at her and sent her heart racing.

“Hey, I’m staying in Roswell while on the job here. I’d love to catch up with what’s been going on with you. Can I interest you in lunch on Saturday?”

“Sure. I actually live here in Albuquerque but I could meet you in Roswell. How about the Crashdown?”

“Ok but if Tess comes over to take our order, let’s just leave and go to Senor Chow’s.” They burst out laughing together, not seeing Samantha’s suspicious stare. “I’ll see you at 11?”

“Sure Alex, I’ll be there.”

Isabel had walked away with her mind whirling. Seeing Alex again, laughing with him again, brought back all her unresolved feelings towards him. She had never forgotten his kiss or how he had left her afterwards. For years, she had hoped that she would at least get a chance to talk with him about what had happened and how she felt about things, but he never came back to Roswell. She had hoped that over lunch they could finally put the past behind them.

***

“Hey, Isabel. You gonna order or just sit there all night?” Tess said impatiently.

“What? Oh, ah, the turkey club with fries. And could you change my cherry coke to an orange soda? Don’t forget the Tabasco.” Tess turned around to give the order to the cook and the table looked at Isabel. “What?”

“You wanna tell us what you were space’n on?” Ava asked before taking a sip out of her soda.

Isabel smiled and pointed to a booth across the room.

“See that booth over there? I had lunch with Alex at that booth two years ago. During that lunch, I realized that I really never knew Alex. That I had called myself his friend but didn’t ever realize how incredibly smart he was, or funny, or caring he was and it suddenly dawned on me that I was in love with him, that I had been in love with him ever since he kissed me. All those years that I thought I wanted to clear things up with him, I was waiting to tell him I loved him, but it was too late. He was about to propose to his girlfriend Samantha.”

“Hey – you’re not going to hold Samantha against me for the rest of our lives, are you?” asked Alex as he popped up from the booth behind Isabel.

[Believer2]

Thanks for the feedback and the encouragement! Hope you like this next part!


Chapter 8

“Alex! When did you get here?” Isabel turned to her fiancée and welcomed him with a kiss.

“Just a few minutes ago when you were talking about meeting Ava for the first time. I didn’t want to interrupt so I just sat here while you guys talked.”

“Well, you should have interrupted. You know I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Well, to be honest, I wanted to hear what you said about me, about us.” Alex confessed sheepishly. “Now stop avoiding the question, are you going to hold Samantha against me?”

“Of course not! I just can’t help but remember that I almost lost you before I even got a chance with you.”

Alex wrapped an arm around Isabel from behind and kissed her temple before saying “Never would have happened. I had been kidding myself all along that I had let you go, that I was over you. That’s why I stayed away from Roswell in college – I didn’t want to have a relapse. But one look at you in Albuquerque and I fell head over heels all over again.”

Alex actually thought back to the moment he first saw Isabel after all those years away. When he had first seen her, his stomach felt like someone had kicked him, she was so beautiful with her honey blonde hair, light brown eyes, kissably pouty lips, and a figure to die for. The only other time he had reacted so strongly to a woman was with Isabel. Then, when he realized who it was standing before him, he realized his body had known before his mind had about who she was.

Looking into her amazing eyes there in the coffee shop, he couldn’t help but to start drowning in those depths. And she was smiling at him like…a long lost love…could it be…No! Alex had to mentally shake himself out of his Isabel-induced trance. He wasn’t about to go down that road again. Besides, there was Samantha.

“But it took you almost a year before you broke it off with her.” Isabel pointed out.

“Hey – I didn’t realize that you were actually interested in me. You covered it up so well, I didn’t know. One minute it seemed like you were flirting with me, the next minute you were throwing me at Samantha. “

“Alex, I tried to leave you alone, I really did. I thought I missed my chance and I couldn’t be around you feeling the way I did. Then you had to call me and I couldn’t resist. Sometimes I thought you were trying to tell me something but then you’d back away, bringing up Samantha.”

“I didn’t want to hurt Samantha by breaking things off and then find out that I still had no chance with you. But why else would I have talked Worldwide Global in letting me start my own office in Albuquerque? You were there and I wanted to see you – even if it was just as friends.”

“I didn’t know that you moved here for me. I just thought you were transferred like you told me. And I thought friends was all that we could be, with you practically engaged to Samantha. I hated that woman!” Isabel's eyes narrowed at the thought of the other woman.

“Well, I think the feeling was mutual. Samantha practically ripped my head off when she realized that I was still in love with you.” Alex shuddered dramatically as he remembered how violently upset Samantha had gotten when he told her he was breaking it off so that he and Isabel could be together. Cool, calm Samantha had actually started to throw things at him, calling him a cheater and accusing him of stringing her along.

“I’ll never admit this again, but I’m actually glad I got drunk the night of your birthday party and confessed how I felt about you. If I hadn’t gotten drunk, I never would have told you and you would have married that witch.” Isabel smiled lovingly at Alex.

Ava, Max, and Michael all sat up straighter and looked at Isabel, then Alex. “Wait, you got drunk?” Max asked incredulously.

Isabel blushed and then looked at Alex.

“Yeah. Alex had moved to Albuquerque without Samantha and we had been seeing each other, just hanging out. Then his birthday came up and Samantha came to visit.” Alex picked up the story from Isabel,

“She had wanted to surprise me and had brought our friends from Boston to help me celebrate. We went to this bar, Tequila Rose...”

Michael groaned out loud, “Not Tequila Rose!! Didn’t you know that all they serve is tequila? They have hundreds of different kinds of tequila.”

“Hey – we didn’t know that. We’re not alcoholics like you Michael!” Isabel replied defensively.

“Well, we got there and discovered they only serve tequila and mixed drinks that had tequila in them. After several shots and lots of margaritas, we were all hammered. Thank God we were smart enough to take taxi’s! We all stumbled back to my place and Samantha had passed out on the couch, but the rest of us were still wired so we decided to keep drinking. I had a couple of beers in the fridge and some tequila. We got the bright idea of playing Truth or Dare.” Alex grinned.

“Oh my god! High school all over again!” Ava laughed.

“Hey – we were drunk! Besides, it was the best night of my life." Isabel smiled at the memory. "I remember it was my turn and I picked Truth because the dares were just too stupid. Alex suddenly yelled out to tell the truth about how I felt about him.”

“You were driving me crazy! Sometimes you acted like you were jealous of Sam or would flirt with me but I didn’t know if you were serious. And I’ll never forget what how you answered.”

Alex and Isabel gazed into each other’s eyes and shared a private smile, remembering.

“Well? What’d she say?” demanded Michael.

“It’s private, but needless to say, I was convinced that I had to break it off with Samantha the next day. And boy was she pissed.”

“I had no idea you guys were seeing each other until suddenly you showed up to Sunday dinner with Iz. Then a couple of months later, you were asking my permission to marry her. I confess, I thought maybe it was a bit soon, but I’m glad to see I was wrong.” Max said.

“Well, it took me another couple of months after I asked you to actually get up the nerve to finally ask her.” Alex confessed. Isabel pulled away and looked at Alex with shock.

“What? What do you mean? Didn’t you know I would have said yes in a heartbeat?”

“I thought you would…but I wasn’t completely sure. Isabel, love, with you, I’m always a bit insecure. I’ve loved you for so long and it seems incredible to me that you love me back. I just never thought it would happen.”

“I can’t believe you doubted me! Do you still?”

“No, of course not.” Protested Alex and Isabel narrowed her eyes as she looked at him

“Alexander Whitman, listen very carefully and don’t you ever forget this: I love you. You and only you. I may not have loved you as long as you’ve loved me, but I do. Never doubt me again.” With that said, Isabel pulled Alex into a deep passionate kiss. It took several minutes before the sound of Max clearing his throat penetrated their passionate haze. Isabel pulled back and looked at Alex, “And if you ever need convincing again, I’ll remind you.” With a wink, she turned and faced her brother, “Oh please, what are you, jealous?”

“No, I just don’t need to see my sister making out with her fiancée, that’s all.” Max replied. Secretly though, Max was jealous. He was jealous that everyone seemed to have a partner, a love, except him. He felt like an outsider, cold and lonely, while everyone else was happy and loved. Isabel had Alex, Kyle had Ava, and Michael, well, Michael almost had Maria. There didn’t seem to be anyone for Max except Tess and he wasn’t about to go anywhere near her again.

“What? Your virgin eyes can’t handle a little suck face?” Michael ribbed.

“Virgin?!? Max? Oh please – Tess broke him in a long time ago.” Ava piped in, laughing. The others looked gaspingly at Max and Alex whispered dramatically

“Say it ain’t so, Max! Say it ain’t so!”

Max’s ears and cheeks started to turn red, “It was just one time, right after the fourth of July picnic after our freshman year in Stanford. I got drunk at Kyle’s and she was there – we only got together the one time! And besides, I’ve had other girlfriends.”

“Oh yuck – I can’t believe you and Tess!” said Isabel disgustingly “And those girls you went out with don’t count, Max! They never stuck around long though to be called a girlfriend because they got tired of waiting for you to pay attention to them. You work yourself too hard and take yourself way too seriously. You always have. How long did Melissa wait?”

Max hunched further in his seat and cast his eyes towards his soda, “Uh, 3 months?”

Isabel crossed her arms across her chest, “You don’t even know when Melissa broke up with you?”

“Iz, I’ve been busy! On top of my regular case load, you know that Alex’s firm has picked me to help with their west coast contracts, and I’m coaching Little League this year.”

“Max, I don’t want to see you alone. You need to make time for relationships and you just don’t.”

“That’s because I’ve yet to meet someone who makes me want to make time for her.” Shrugged off Max.

“Hmphf –sure. Why don’t you tell them the truth, Maxwell?” Michael snorted.

“Shut up, Michael.”

“Tell us what?”

Michael leaned back in his seat and goaded “Go ahead Max, tell them about HER.”

“Who?” chorused the group looking back and forth between a red-faced Max and a smirking Michael.

“In high school, I finally found out why Max didn’t date. Ever since we were little, Max here has had some chic stuck in his head.” He paused for dramatic effect “From a dream.”

[Believer2]

Woo hoo!!!! I've got a new banner!! Now, I've never posted a banner before so, keep your fingers crossed this works!



Chapter 9

The table fell silent as they all stared at Max in astonishment.

“Is this true, Max?”

Max squirmed in his seat and wished that Tess would come with their food to distract everyone. “Well, um…”

“Yes or no Max.” Isabel demanded.

“Yes. ”

There was a silence among the group as they all digested Max’s quiet confession.

“How long has this been going on?” Isabel demanded trying to wrap her mind around what Max just confessed to.

“Look, I know it sounds crazy. That’s why I never said anything, except to Michael.” Max shot Michael a deadly look. He fell quiet, not sure how to explain. “It started when I was about nine.”

“Soooo…um….what does she look like this dream girl of yours?” Alex couldn’t help but ask. He just couldn’t believe this – serious intensely brooding Max mooning over a girl, a girl that only existed in his dreams?

“I don’t remember what she looked like, just a vague memory of her dark brown hair and large brown eyes. I just remember her smile – it was so beautiful. And when she’d laugh – it was like…it was like seeing… she glowed. As I got older, the dreams were less frequent but when I did dream of her, she was even more beautiful, and older, like me.”

Isabel sat stunned in her seat as she saw her brother’s face take on almost a dreamy look, which was so unlike her serious brother.

“You know, future brother-in-law, if you keep living in dreams, you’re never going to see what’s available in reality. You do realize she’s just that – a dream, right?”

Max snapped at Alex “Don’t you think I’ve told myself a thousand times over that she’s just a dream? That it’s not real?!” Max sighed and slouched in his seat. “Every time I date another woman, every time I’m with another woman, it feels wrong, like I’m hurting her. I know how this sounds - it’s crazy! Yet I can’t get her out of my head. I look for her everywhere and I can’t stop myself. I just can’t explain it!”

Max threaded his fingers through his spiky hair and sighed. “I know she’s just a dream, but…she just ….she seems so real. God this sounds so stupid!" He paused, embarrassed to go on "She’s my destiny, my soul mate, whatever you want to call it, she’s… the one.” Max quietly spoke into the deafening silence.

“One what?” Interrupted Tess as she balanced the group’s dinner in her arms beside their table.

“Nothing Tess, we’re just practicing lines.” Isabel covered.

Tess wrinkled her brow, “But I thought you didn’t have any lines?”

“Never mind Tess, just give us our food. We’re starving!” Michael said while reaching for his food.

For the next few minutes, the only sound was of forks scraping along plates as they all thought over what Max had said. Isabel and Alex both were stunned at what Max had revealed; neither had any idea what to say. Michael was embarrassed that his teasing remark had been blown so out of proportion, but he too was stunned at everything Max had confessed. He had known about the dream girl since high school but had no idea that Max was still searching for her. He thought Max would’ve given it up once they left high school.

As they were finishing, Ava spoke up,

“It may sound crazy, Max, but I hope you find her. You deserve someone special.”

Max relaxed and smiled at Ava “Thanks for not laughing Ava.”

As Tess came round to take their dessert order, another couple walked into the restaurant. The good looking athletically built blonde haired man threw his arms up in the air as he approached the group

“Finally!! Free at last!!”

Ava jumped up to greet her husband with a hug and kiss “Kyle! You made it just in time for dessert!”

“Of what kind?” queried the blonde woman behind Kyle, smiling at the group as she sat herself down on Michael’s lap and kissed him.

“Haha, Maria. You are soooo funny.” Kyle answered. “Amy kept us late go over the dance routine, again!! I swear to god, how did she talk me into this?!”

“She had your dad threaten you with your life, just like she threatened mine.”

“Your mom is crazy.”

“Watch your mouth, bro, she’s going to be your mom too.”

“Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” Kyle smiled softly to Maria. Maria smiled back knowing how much Kyle had wanted a family growing up, almost as much as she did. Maria DeLuca was an only child of Amy DeLuca who had never married. Amy was from a generation of free love and peace. She had raised Maria by herself and taught her to take care of herself and to follow her own dreams – never letting a man dictate how to run her life. While Maria had grown up fiercely independent and self-sufficient, she was also lonely and longed for a real family.

Maria wasn’t the only kid in Roswell who was raised by a single parent, but sometimes it felt like she was. All during school she was surrounded by reminders that she didn’t have a father – the annual father/daughter dance sponsored by the local booster club, the father camp out in Fraiser Woods, the lack of a male protector to grill her dates. Maria would often put on her ‘Teflon’ act and pretend that she didn’t need or want a father, but she did. She wanted her mother to settle down and do normal motherly things, but each new guy that Amy DeLuca would date was a loser.

As a sophomore in high school, Maria started singing a garage band and her singing career flourished. Maria’s band started to get real gigs – weddings, school dances, and the occasional bar mitzvahs. After high school, the band and her had tried going on tour – traveling from bar to bar in city after city. After 6 months of traveling together, they had broken up.

Maria came back to Roswell and went to the local community college for a nursing degree. After a year of school, Maria needed a job and she hated the thought of going back to the Crashdown where Michael worked. So she asked around and found out the sheriff, Jim Valenti, had a band, The Kit Schickers, and asked him if his band was looking another singer. Jim had invited her to try out and afterwards offered her a permanent position as their band’s co-lead singer. Together, they had a steady gig at a local bar and still did a few weddings.

It was during a rehearsal that Jim and Amy met and reminisced how they first met during a protest over the tear down of an Native American building. After confessing he had chosen to arrest her because he had thought Amy was cute, Amy started dating Jim Valenti. Maria liked and trusted the sheriff and knew that her mom had finally found a decent guy that wouldn’t run off at the first sign of commitment.

Maria had graduated with her nursing degree and went to work at Roswell Memorial Hospital where she often ran into Kyle. Her sarcastic quick wit often scared people off so she didn’t make friends that easy, but at least with Kyle she had something in common – their dating parents. The two of them had never really talked in high school, her being one of the ‘un-cool’ kids and he being the ‘jock’. But in the real world, they were actually amazed how much they had in common and became really good friends.

Three years after they started dating, Amy and Jim took Maria and Kyle out to dinner, together for the first time. Both Amy and Jim acted nervous which made Maria and Kyle nervous about what was going on. Over their appetizers, Jim finally blurted out that he had asked Amy to marry him and she said yes. The two of them wanted Maria and Kyle’s blessing. Neither Maria or Kyle could move from their seats – they couldn’t believe that their single parents wanted to get married.

Maria turned to Kyle who turned to face Maria. They stared at each other for a few silent minutes before breaking out in identical smiles. They reached over to hug their parent, and then switched to hug the other parent. Both Maria and Kyle were happy that they were finally getting a whole family.

***

“Hey, you two want dessert and coffee too?” asked Tess.

Maria and Kyle took a quick look at the menu before letting Tess know what they wanted. Maria sat comfortably next to Michael and asked, “So what were you guys talking about?”

Max piped up before anyone could mention his crazy ideal “We were just taking a trip down memory lane. Isabel was telling us about how she had lost then regained Alex. Wanna share how you and Michael hooked up?”

“Me and Michael? Oh geez – it wasn’t that long ago. If it hadn’t been for the accident, we never would have spoken to each other. I thought he was the biggest jerk in all of Roswell.” Maria replied, shooting Michael a quick grin.

“Ha – I thought you were the biggest brat in Roswell.” Michael grunted back. The two of them looked at each other and remembered what had brought them together.

[Believer2]

Chapter 10

Kyle had talked Maria into coming to his and Ava’s housewarming party. They had just moved in together and Kyle wanted to introduced Ava to Maria. Maria decided since she had nothing better to do, she’d go and overall it was very nice. Then her eye was caught by a tall sandy blonde haired guy. From a distance, Maria hadn’t recognized Michael-she hadn’t seen him since high school-and she had initially thought he was cute. She had approached him, thinking to flirt with him, when she realized who she was approaching. She immediately changed courses but not before Michael noticed her.

Michael hadn’t really wanted to go to the housewarming party but didn’t really have anything else to do that night. He thought maybe he’d get lucky and find a cute girl to flirt with, maybe take home for the night. When he got there, he had been busy helping Max avoid Tess and almost didn’t see the pretty blonde approaching him. But out of the corner of his eye, he did notice her. He straightened up and was immediately attracted to her. She was shorter than him and had on a short denim skirt with a lime green tank top and knee high brown boots. She was slim and had shoulder length blonde hair. From his distance, he saw her full pouty lips and while he couldn’t make out what her eye color was, he had thought to himself, “Yeah, I’d take her home”.

It wasn’t until she abruptly changed course and left the apartment that Michael realized who she was. Hurricane DeLuca. His mood had immediately soured at the memory of the blonde haired hurricane that had once made his life miserable working at the Crashdown. He vowed to himself to avoid her at all costs and he would have kept that promise if it hadn’t been for the ‘accident’.

Hours after the party, Michael was driving home on his motor bike when it had hit a soft patch of sand and dumped on the side of the road. He was able to pick himself back up but he noticed that he had gotten a long gash on his left leg which was bleeding quite a bit. He knew he hadn’t gotten a tetanus shot in awhile, so he thought he had better go to the hospital to get it checked out. He waited in the emergency room for an hour before being led back to a room to wait for the nurse on duty. He had groaned out loud when Maria DeLuca walked through the door. He couldn’t believe his rotten luck.

As for Maria, she couldn’t believe that Michael was sitting there in front of her. She hugged the chart close to her chest and asked sarcastically,

”What are you in for? A psychological consultation?”

“You’re such smart ass, DeLuca. What’s it look like I’m doing here? I’m waiting for medical treatment. You gonna stand there and let me bleed to death?”

Maria put her forefinger on her chin and pretended to think about it, slowly batting her lashes. Michael snorted in disgust. “Shoulda known you’d kick a guy when he’s down.” He got up to leave when Maria pushed him back down,

“Alright, let me take a look.” Maria pulled away the bloody cloth covering Michaels leg and saw the angry cut. While she sat down to clean it and sew it back up, she asked,

“So, how’d you get this?”

Michael had been surprised that she would be interested but told her anyway. He watched her closely as she worked on his leg. She was strictly professional but she was gentle as she threaded the needle through his skin. For the first time, Michael noticed how large her green eyes were and how soft her skin looked. He was almost tempted to reach out to touch the skin to see if it was as soft as it looked. When he felt his body stir at his thoughts, he hurriedly thought of something else and rushed into the topic of how he got the cut on his leg.

By the time she had finished, the two of them were actually enjoying their conversation. Maria was almost reluctant to let him go and Michael was almost reluctant to leave. He had stood awkwardly by the door as she cleaned up the equipment and finally screwed up the nerve to ask her out. He was almost as surprised as she was when she said yes.

Their first date had been awkward. Michael had driven to Maria’s house on his bike which didn’t have room for two. He noticed his mistake when Maria stopped in front of his bike and just stared at him. It took him a few minutes to realize the problem and he didn’t know how to correct it. He lamely offered to walk somewhere close by but Maria offered to drive them in her car instead. They had driven in silence to the restaurant, Michael because he was so embarrassed and Maria because she couldn’t believe she actually said yes to the guy who she argued with all the time. It didn’t get much better at the restaurant – they sat in silence for most of the dinner. Maria was thinking she had made a mistake in accepting the date and Michael was miserable thinking he’d ruined his chances and couldn’t understand why it made him so miserable. Finally, Michael broke the awkward silence by apologizing.

He looked so miserable that Maria took pity on him and graciously accepted his apology. Desperate for something to talk about, Michael asked if she had ever seen Braveheart, his favorite movie. Maria answered that yes, she had seen it but that The Gladiator was better. Michael took offense and started to argue as to why Braveheart was better. Back and forth they argued; the more they argued, the more heated it got. Finally the restaurant had to kick them out for disturbing the other customers. Outside the restaurant, Michael and Maria walked to the car, both embarrassed. Back at Maria’s house, they again started to argue, this time over who’s fault it was that they got kicked out of the restaurant. Michael ended the argument by kissing Maria silent. Maria didn’t put up much resistance and kissed him back. It wasn’t until morning that Michael left.

***

“Haha, you should have seen the look on Michael’s face when he realized that it was me!” Maria laughed. Michael leaned over and gave her a quick pinch on the arm.

“For a nurse, you weren’t that sympathetic or nice to me. I was a patient.” He said sarcastically.

“I didn’t notice that you were hurt enough to not hit on me.”

“I wasn’t hitting on you.”

“What do you call asking me out?”

“Pain induced hallucination…..Ow!” Michael rubbed his arm where Maria had hit him. “You better be nicer to me Maria, I’m your boyfriend. You love me remember?”

“I do?”

“Yeah, you do.”

“How do you know that?” Maria teased.

“Because you told me last night over and over when we….” Maria’s face burned red as she slapped a hand over Michael’s leering smile. The rest of the table laughed over Maria’s embarrassment as Michael stared laughingly into Maria’s eyes. Maria saw a gentleness in Michael’s eyes, and the two of them silently remembered how Michael had actually said those three little words a few nights ago for the first time.

***

Michael and Maria had been dating for several months since their disastrous first date and Maria was very open about her feelings for Michael. Michael always knew if she was pissed at him, or if she was really happy at him or for him. She was always the first to tell him how proud she was of him or tell him he did something stupid. She was open in her affection and would often tell Michael that she loved him. And knowing Michael, she never expected to hear the same words. She wanted to hear them, but Michael just wasn’t the type of guy to freely admit sentimental emotions, she knew that.

What she didn’t know or realize was that Michael wanted to say them, he just didn’t know how. His pride wouldn’t let him talk to anybody about it, so he struggled with how to tell Maria what he felt. The first time he actually tried saying the words ‘I love you’ he ended up stuttering so bad that Maria thought he was choking on something. Then he thought to cook her dinner and tell her but he was so nervous that he ended up making a mess in his kitchen and having to order in.

Finally, he ended up taking out his paints and started to paint his feelings for Maria on canvas. For three weeks, he worked slavishly over the painting. He even cut back on his hours at the restaurant so that he could work on the painting. He was exhausted when he finally finished it, but when he stepped back from the painting to look it over, he knew it was the best thing he had ever done.

He had asked her to come over for dinner that night and spent the entire afternoon fixing her favorite dinner. He stared at the painting and couldn’t help but feel amazed at how his emotions were revealed. He had started out thinking that he’d paint how beautiful he thought she was and how grateful he was to have her in his life. But as he kept painting, he came to realize the depth of his feelings – he realized he loved her. And it came out in his painting. His entire soul was laid out in the painting. He should have felt nervous about being so vulnerable, but he didn’t. He was confident in Maria.

Maria had come to Michael’s apartment expecting dinner, maybe a movie, and maybe something else, but when Michael opened the door to let her in and she saw the room, all thought flew out of her head. Michael had moved all of his furniture so that the only thing that Maria could see was a painting. The painting was floor to ceiling, five feet wide and so beautiful it brought tears to her eyes and made her choke up. No word was said as Michael grasped her hand and led her towards the painting.

Maria had to gasp at the strength of emotions that radiated from the painting. She felt Michael’s love for her surround her just like she felt his arms surround her body from behind. Michael gently rested his chin on top of Maria’s as he looked at the picture too and he spoke quietly,

“I didn’t know how to say it, Maria. You were the first person in my life to ever tell me you loved me and I had never said the words before. I didn’t even know what the words really meant until you showed me. Every time you said you loved me, I wanted to say it back, but I couldn’t. I knew it hurt you that I wouldn’t say it back to you, but you know I’ve never been good with words, so I thought I’d show you. This is what’s in my heart every time you’re with me or when I think about you. This is how I love you, Maria.”

Maria started crying, overwhelmed at Michael’s words and his painting. There was no way she could doubt his sincerity or the depth of his feelings for her – it was there in his painting – and she was speechless for the first time in her life.

***

“Hey you two – want to share with the rest of us what all that staring means?” Alex quipped, grinning at the two of them.

“Only if you tell us what Isabel said that convinced you to break things off with that other chick.” Michael tossed back.

They bantered back and forth until Tess came with their pie. She had just set everyone’s desserts down when the door jingled again and a tiny person wearing an oversized newspaper boy cap, ill-fitting clothes, and dragging suitcases walked in the door. A little boy with an oversized backpack clung to one arm. The two of them looked dirty and tired and to Tess they looked like the another homeless pair trying to beg food. Tess sharply called out to the person

“Hey, no begging in the restaurant. You want food, you have to pay for it.”

[Believer2]

Thank you for sticking with the story! I know it seems like it is taking forever to get to the good stuff, but I promise it will be worth the wait! I've finished the story and I'm working on cleaning up each chapter before posting. Trust me when I say there's going to be some mushy stuff coming up in later chapters to make up for the slow start.

And I just want to thank Anniepoo98 again for the help on the banner - I think it looks great!



Chapter 11

Lyzette walked into the restaurant that Ben had pointed out was his uncle’s. They had arrived in Roswell several hours ago but had to walk all around town because Ben didn’t know where it was. Finally, they came across a small restaurant called Crashdown that Ben had excitedly recognized. Upon entering, Lyzette looked around the odd alien theme and looked forward to finally sitting down when she was interrupted by an abrupt voice

“Hey, no begging in the restaurant. You want food, you have to pay for it.”

She drew herself up, offended, and looked at the rude person who yelled at her. A curly blonde haired woman in an odd looking short skirted uniform stood near a table of mean looking people whose features she couldn't make out. Lifting her chin, she spoke in her best regal voice - polite and cold, “I have every intention of paying for any food I eat, if I wanted to eat here. I am looking for Jeff and Nancy Parker.”

Tess eyed the smaller woman speculatively, instantly irritated at how snobby the dirty woman spoke “Why? You here to complain?”

Lyzette couldn’t believe how the blonde haired woman was so rude! “I am positive it would not be the first time someone complained about your rude manners, but no, I have a delivery for them.”

Tess felt the sting of the subtle reprimand and shot back “Deliveries in back.”

“Pardon?”

“You have to make deliveries in back, no exceptions.” Tess smirked. She watched as the tiny woman stiffly turned around and walked tiredly back out the door only to head toward the back of the building.

“God Tess – did you have to be so rude?” Ava yelled at her sister.

“She looked like one of those homeless people and they’re not allowed in here.” Tess said defensively.

“That’s no excuse for your rude behavior Tess. You could have just asked if she needed help. Didn’t you see that she was exhausted carrying those suitcases?” Ava retorted. She was disgusted that Tess was actually her twin. Ava turned to her friends and saw them give her sympathetic looks. She watched as Tess dismissed her and went to clear some other table.

In the back, Lyzette had finally found the door for deliveries and had walked through the kitchen, looking for Jeff Parker. She saw a middle aged man with stern features and dark hair standing next to a metal table, cutting some fruit. She tentatively approached him,

“Mr. Jeff Parker?”

The man looked up, puzzled as why there was a person in the kitchen looking for him. He saw a scruffy looking small person whose features were hidden by the large oversized hat. “Can I help you?”

“Are you Jeff Parker?” A tired and cautious voice asked.

“Yes.”

Lyzette breathed a sigh of relief “Oh good. I have someone who has been looking for you.” She stood aside and revealed Ben. Jeff’s eyes grew wide in astonishment and disbelief as he stared at the little boy,

“Ben?” he whispered.

“Hi Uncle Jeff!” Ben brightly smiled and waved at his astonished uncle.

Jeff Parker stood stock still then rushed to embrace the little boy. As he held Ben in his arms, he couldn’t believe it. He looked over to the person that delivered his nephew and became suspicious.

“Who are you? What have you done with my nephew? We thought he was dead!”

“Please, Mr. Parker, let us sit down and talk. Ben and I have been walking for hours looking for your restaurant.”

Jeff wanted to call the Sheriff and have this girl arrested but he saw that Ben wasn’t afraid of her, so he decided to wait until he heard her story before calling the Sheriff. He reluctantly led the two of them upstairs to apartment. He ran back down to the restaurant into the dining room. He rushed to Michael and asked him to take over the grill. When Michael said yes, Jeff went back upstairs leaving a very confused group at the booth.

In the apartment upstairs, Jeff led Lyzette and Ben into the living room and called out to Nancy to join them. After a tearful reunion between Nancy and Ben, Jeff finally insisted on answers. Lyzette sat uncomfortably and stiffly across from Jeff and Nancy. She was trying to think of what to tell them when Ben pulled away from Nancy's protective embrace and climbed into her lap. Lyzette settled Ben more comfortably in her lap and finally decided to tell them the truth.

She started from the beginning by first introducing herself, then she told the Parkers about her past and her family’s past. She described how her father was cruel man who had unusual ideas of fun and pleasure by telling them of his pets and her beatings. She described how her father was planning on killing her and how she planned her escape. She went on to tell them about how she found out about Ben, his family and how they escaped. She didn’t stop until she told them everything.

During the long recital, Nancy and Jeff just sat, stunned at what they were hearing. They didn’t know what to make of it but they could sense that Lyzette was telling the truth. When she finished, Nancy was crying silently and Jeff was enraged at the thought of someone hurting his little nephew or even treating people the way she had described. Jeff looked at the tiny little girl across from him and couldn’t believe she had survived.

Lyzette knew that Ben was asleep in her arms and didn’t want to wake him, but her arms were tired and her body was just one big ache. She was exhausted and feeling very warm. She had to concentrate very hard to focus her attention on Nancy and asked her quietly,

“Would you mind taking Ben and putting him to bed? I believe he has fallen asleep.”

Nancy wiped her eyes and walked over to pick up Ben in her arms. When she bent over to Lyzette, she noticed how Lyzette’s face seemed to be swollen and straightened back up with a gasp. Lyzette met her gaze, wondering what was wrong. Nancy whispered,

“Your face – it looks swollen.”

“It is.”

“Did your father….”

“No, not my father. Nicholas. You see, I had to go and get Ben from Khivar’s room. Nicholas thought I had tried to escape so he made sure I did not try it again. It does not look as bad as it did yesterday, but um, I still need to wear the fake tan to hide the bruising.”

“A-a-are you in pain?” Nancy asked, not knowing the extent of Lyzette’s wounds.

“I could use some aspirin.”

Nancy nodded and took Ben into another part of the apartment. Jeff leaned forward and asked “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I honestly do not know. I have not thought this far ahead.”

Jeff looked her over silently. If this girl had been what she said she’d been through, then she probably didn’t have much life experience. He was about to suggest that she might stay at the local hotel when Lyzette slumped over and hit the floor. Jeff shot out of his chair and knelt down to her.

“What happened?” Nancy asked as she came back into the room with water and a bottle of aspirin.

“She passed out. No wonder – she feels really warm. Let’s get her on the couch.” Jeff leaned down to pick her up in his arms and he couldn’t help but feel that Lyzette didn’t weigh much more than his small nephew. As he sat her down on the couch, Lyzette sat straight up with a small scream. Nancy and Jeff were startled and didn’t know what to do as Lyzette hunched forward over her drawn up knees and started to cry.

Nancy felt motherly instincts kick in and sat down next to the crying girl. “Shhh, it’s alright.” She whispered as she laid her arm across Lyzette’s shoulders. Lyzette pulled away from her immediately with another small muffled moan. Nancy stared and then begged, “Please Lyzette, tell us what’s wrong. Why are you crying?”

Lyzette didn’t know what was wrong with her but she felt hot and she ached all over. The toll of the last couple of days were weighing down on her shoulders and she no longer had enough control to prevent herself from crying. When she heard Nancy ask her what was wrong, she tried to stop crying and answer “It…it is my back…..it has a sore.”

Nancy looked at Jeff and asked him to leave so that she could undo Lyzette’s oversized shirt and take a look at her back. She thought maybe she could rub it a little to make the pain go away. Jeff left the room to check the kitchen downstairs and Nancy turned to Lyzette who was trying to stop crying.

“Let me help you. I’m going to take your shirt off.”

“Wait, please Mrs. Parker, you can not tell anyone about this. No one must know I am here. My father….he is a monster.”

“I promise, Lyzette, I won’t tell anyone.”

“There is some ointment I use, it is in the front pocket of my suitcase. It helps with the pain.”

Nancy got up and went downstairs to go through the suitcases Lyzette had left near the back door. She found a small container which she assumed was the ointment. As she walked back into the living room, she gasped out loud and held a hand to her mouth. Sitting in front of her was the same girl but she had taken off her shirt. Now she knew why the girl wore such baggy clothes. Most of her body was covered with white gauze that was wrapped around it but her emaciated looking arms and shoulders were exposed. Nancy couldn’t see one patch of normal colored skin – every inch was covered in dark blue and purple bruises. Lyzette was slowly unwrapping the gauze and Nancy could see dark red stains on the white cloth that peeled away from her back. In horrified curiosity, Nancy approached Lyzette and looked down at her back.

The white gauze on her back was actually soaked through and seeping with mixture of blood and ointment. Little by little the rest of Lyzette’s back was exposed and the sicker Nancy got. Finally when the last of the gauze was gone, Nancy could only stare with tears in her eyes at the bloody and bruised mess that was covered with blood, scabs, and ointment. She stepped forward to look at Lyzette in the face when she caught a glimpse of Lyzette naked front. Holding a hand to her mouth, Nancy rushed out of the room and into the bathroom. She retched over the toilet and tried to take in deep breaths to calm her stomach. She was horrified and sickened at what she had seen.

Had she any doubts about Lyzette’s story, they disappeared at the sight of lashed back and bruised body. Nancy rinsed out her mouth and walked back into the living room, trying to calm herself down. She walked over to Lyzette who was trying to cover her the front of her body with her shirt. Nancy reached over and held the shirt up and motioned for Lyzette to put the shirt on backwards. Once she was covered, Nancy said “Lyzette, your back needs treatment. You need a doctor…”

“No! No doctor! No hospitals! My father would find me!” Lyzette grabbed at Nancy’s hands

“I know someone who could help treat this, Lyzette. Please let me get her.” Begged Nancy.

“No, no one else can know my secret!” Lyzette frantically insisted.

“I won’t tell her. Lyzette, please.”

“No – I have the ointment, that is all I need. Please just put some on.”

“Your back needs to be cleaned and I’m afraid to touch you. You might even have an infection but I don’t know, I’m not a professional. Let me go get my friend, she won’t say anything.”

“Would you trust this person with Ben’s life?”

Nancy nodded without hesitation. Lyzette thought for a few minutes and finally agreed with the stipulation that Nancy not tell this other person anything. Nancy promised and rushed downstairs to the restaurant. She quickly found Maria and went over to her.

“Maria! Could you come upstairs with me? I need your opinion on something.”

Maria was a bit confused at the request but she agreed and went upstairs with Nancy. Before letting her through into the living room, Nancy faced Maria.

“Maria, I need you to promise not to freak out.”

Growing more confused, Maria promised.

“And Maria – swear that you won’t tell anybody about this. As a nurse you must keep this private.”

“Mrs. P – I’m a professional. Of course I’ll keep it private. Now, what can I help you with?”

Nancy led Maria into the living room where Maria recognized the same person who had been insulted by Tess. The figure hunched over her drawn knees cautiously looked at Maria from under her oversized cap. Her back seemed bare.

“Lyzette, this is Maria DeLuca. She’s a nurse.”

Maria couldn’t make out the woman’s face but she saw the woman stare at her from beneath her hat and could feel her fear and pain. She decided that she would have to make the first move “So, your name’s Lyzette, huh? Mind if I call you Lyz?” she talked as she moved over to the figure on the couch. “I take it you’ve hurt your back, let me see….” Maria’s voice trailed off as she got her first look at the bare back. A hand went to her mouth and she rushed out of the room. Nancy followed her and pointed to the bathroom.

After a few minutes in the bathroom, Maria took a deep breath and with professional detachment asked Nancy for rubber gloves, large cotton pads, gauze, a clean sponge, scissors, and a bowl of luke warm water. When Nancy walked off to gather the requested items, Maria turned to the living room. She put on her best smile and started to talk cheerfully as she compulsively started to straighten the room..

“So Lyz. You’re not from around here are you? I mean, I’ve never heard the name Lyzette before and it’s so unusual that if you were from around here I would have heard it by now. I work at the local hospital and I know everybody in Roswell. And I know what’s wrong with everybody. I even met my boyfriend there. Well not really, I mean I had met him before but I never really talked to him before and …..”


Lyzette listened to this Maria person as she chattered on. She could tell the other woman was nervous and was just talking to try and calm herself down. She seemed friendly enough but Lyzette wasn’t sure if she could be trusted.

Maria kept talking and trying not to think about the damage she saw and what could cause it. She kept wishing that Mrs. Parker would hurry up with the supplies, she was running out of things to say and she could feel the other woman get more tense. Finally Nancy did come back into the living room the requested supplies. Maria sat down next to Lyzette and braced herself to clean the wounded back without gagging. First, Maria cut up the new sponges and gently soaked them in the lukewarm water, then put her gloves on and picked up the soaked sponges with tweezers before she started to gently wipe away the blood and ointment mixture.

“So, tell me about this stuff that you’ve been using on your back.” Maria asked, desperate for distraction.

“The ointment is made by a friend of mine. She makes it special for me.” Lyzette gritted out, bracing herself from the pain.

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything to numb the pain – I wasn’t expecting to nurse anyone tonight.” Maria apologized, not stopping.

“Please do not concern yourself.”

From her use of proper English, Maria surmised that English wasn’t Lyzette’s first language.

“So, what language do you normally speak? Sounds like English is your second language.”

“I speak seven different languages, but I was raised with French.” Lyzette confided not really realizing what she was saying. All she could really think about was trying not to think of the pain of her back.

“Wow – seven languages huh. You must be pretty smart, I only know basic Spanish.”

“I have had plenty of time to study.” Lyzette hissed as Maria cleaned a particularly deep mark. Maria paused and put down the sponge. She stared at the raw back for a few minutes before asking,

“You wanna tell me what made these marks?”

“I believe it was a belt.” Came the calm answer.

Maria was shaken at how calm the other woman spoke. “The man who did this should be reported to the Sheriff. I have personal connections t…”

Lyzette pulled away from Maria and looked at anxiously “Please, you must not say a word to anyone! Please! You do not understand what would happen if you do! Please! My life is in your hands!”
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