|
|
 |
       __________________________________________________________
 When Liz wakes, it's to Max's touch. His fingers run gently up and down her spine. He occasionally picks up strands of her hair, then lets them drop back on her naked back. A dream, she thinks groggily. Her head rests against Max's chest and it rises and falls with each breath he takes. She repositions her head slightly.
"Liz?" says Max.
Liz is not sure she wants to answer. She's afraid if she speaks, it really will be a dream.
"Liz?"
"Yes," she finally says quietly.
"I had these visions ... of you ... and me. ..."
"I had them too."
"I saw Antar, really, for the first time."
Liz understands. For what they shared last night, they shared completely together, as one.
"I realize that all this time I've been in this fog ... you know, one created by Tess. That everything she showed me wasn't real."
"It was mind control, Max."
"I guess. ... I realize what I saw from Tess really was from Tess, not me. I ... I didn't feel the same and yet I couldn't stop ... and you kept pushing me away."
"Max ..."
"I wasn't sure what I was feeling was real. ... But now I know. You are more real to me than anything on this planet or any other. I love you, Liz."
She lifts her head from his chest and positions herself to study his face.
"I love you, too," she says, then continues. "I saw things, too, and I'm not exactly sure what they mean. I smelled things, too."
"Me, too," says Max.
"You know, all this time, I equated the smell of sulphur with the science lab and it felt like home to me. Now I know, it's a place, Max."
"I remember three moons from Tess, burnt orange in the sky."
Liz nods. "I saw them through you. The orange, it's volcanic dust. The smell, Max, it's the sulphur flats of volcanos."
"I know you never slept with Kyle," he says, changing the subject.
Liz sits up and looks away.
"I did it for you."
"The Destiny Book?"
"Not entirely. Tess ... you were married, Max; there didn't ... wasn't any room for me. You said it yourself although I don't think you realized it at the time."
"Tess means nothing to me beside you."
"You say that, but how could you know, Max?"
"Because I know. ... So you staged everything with Kyle to get me and Tess together."
Liz nods.
When FMax came and asked me ..."
"Who?"
She turns back toward him.
"You," she says, pointing to his chest, "that is, a future version of you ..."
"What did I ask you to do?"
She lowers her voice.
"He asked me to help change the timeline to save the world, to save Michael, Isabel, Maria ... to save all of us."
"So you did. ... How? What did he ... I ... ask you to do?"
"To help him, you, fall out of love with me ... so Tess wouldn't leave Roswell."
"So you went to Kyle ..."
"Yes ... to bring you and Tess together. But I couldn't turn you away from me."
"So you did that?"
"I ... I really didn't have a choice, Max. I never thought Alex would die because of it. I thought it was the only way to keep everyone safe."
"That's why you were so angry."
"I was angry with FMax, but he wasn't here ... . So I was angry with you ... and me. I feel so totally responsible,“ she says, her voice edged with guilt. ”And I didn't have anybody to talk with about it ... I finally had to tell Maria after “cause I couldn't keep lying to her about Kyle."
"I can't believe you did that ... for us, for all of us."
"Max, I never meant any of those things I said to you."
"I know."
He reaches for her and she slides back down next to him.
"What time is it?" he asks.
Liz looks at the clock.
"It's almost three."
"Good," he says, and wraps his body over hers.
Liz's mom knocks on the bedroom door, but there's no answer. She opens the door. Liz lay sound asleep, buried in the covers. She doesn't move. It's the first sleep Liz has really had since Alex's death. Nancy closes the door. She goes downstairs and calls the school, tells them that Liz won't been in today. After she hangs up, she goes into the dining room. She sees the table and the broken bottle of Tabasco sauce. It worries her, but she quickly cleans up the mess before the breakfast staff arrives. She returns upstairs to check on Liz before going to work. Liz remains asleep.
It's after 11 when Liz wakes. The sun shines bright in her window and she realizes she's late for school. Max is gone. She looks at the clock and it shocks her. Her parents must have let her sleep in. She never even heard Max leave. She stretches and climbs out of bed, the sheet wrapped around her body. She walks to the bedroom door, locks it, then stands in front of the mirror. There's a brightness in her eye that hadn't been there yesterday and just the slightest trace of a smile. She remembers the glowing hickey, looks for any telltale sign that's not normal on her body. There's nothing, at least not yet.
Max worries. Liz wasn't in Trig class, nor Science Lab. He wants to speak with Maria and find out what's going on. He can't concentrate on his classes. He only thinks about Liz. He rounds the corner and literally bumps into Maria as she hangs up her cell. He's a little embarrassed because he's thinking about the curve of Liz's back; her thighs tight against his own.
"Have you seen Liz today?" he asks.
"Just got off the cell. Her parents let her sleep in."
Max nods.
"She's okay then."
"Better. She sounds better," confirms Maria. "Why?"
"That's good," he says, ignoring Maria's question. He's relieved. It's not that they weren't practising safe sex or anything, but it's not exactly the normal boy/girl relationship. Neither one of them is sure what safe sex really is.
"And you?" Max adds as an afterthought.
Maria sadly nods.
"Well, I have to go. I'll be late for English. ... Finals."
"Later."
"Yeah."
It's mid-afternoon at the Crashdown. Liz sits at one of the booths. She's dressed carefully, a light turtle-necked sweater and jeans so all her body is completely covered ... just in case. She didn't need glowing hickeys lighting up the alien decor. She's catching up on the inventory that she's neglected, but she watches the entrance for Max. Her disappointment shows when Sean DeLuca swaggers in and parks in her booth opposite her.
"Hey, Parker, not in school today?"
"Sean, I'm not in the mood, okay. I have this inventory to do."
"I can see that. ... How's Max?"
"I really don't want to talk about Max."
"Okay, but ..."
He shakes his head as her eyes drift back to the door. He sees them light up and doesn't need to turn to see who's there. It's Max Evans.
"Why do you let him do this to you?"
"Do what?" she says. Sean senses her irritation.
"Look at you. You're ready to jump every time he walks through the door."
"Sean, you don't know what you're talking about ... and for your information, Max and I are back together."
She gets up from the table and walks over to Max. Sean shakes his head and frowns. A lucky guy, Max, is. He gets up and brushes past them and hears them talking.
"I brought your Trig homework," he says.
"You did?"
"Yeah, when you weren't there, I ..."
She leans in to kiss him.
"Thank you," she says. She's genuinely pleased he thought about it.
"Are you okay? I was worried when you weren't in school."
"I'm fine. Really," she reassures him. "My mom let me sleep in this morning. I haven't, uh, been getting much sleep."
She looks around to see if anyone's nearby.
"What time did you leave this morning?" she asks.
"Just after five."
She nods.
"I didn't want to wake you. You seemed so ... peaceful."
"Are you okay? Nothing strange?"
"Fine," he says.
"Good," she says.
"I haven't been able to concentrate on anything all day," he says with a sheepish grin. "I keep thinking about you."
"I know what you mean."
"When you didn't come to school, I got scared ... you know, something like what happened with Tess ..."
"Max, what happened with Tess didn't happen."
"I know," he says, "but I can't help thinking it could ... to you."
"Max, you read the book. You know that's not going to happen."
"It seemed so real, it stays with me. And I couldn't bear it ..." Max looks away.
"Max," says Liz, wrapping her arms around his waist. He turns back to her. "I'm fine. Really."
Liz looks to the Crashdown entrance. She sees Sean staring at them.
"Maybe we'd better go somewhere more private," she says.
Max nods.
They push past Sean and out the door.
Tess watches Max and Liz leave the Crashdown arm in arm. They don't see her, but Sean does as he exits the Crashdown. At first, he thinks about following Max and Liz. Instead, he walks up to Tess.
"You look ready to puke," he says.
"Look, Sean," says Tess. "You're not my type."
"Neither are you," he returns.
"What do you want?"
"The way I see it, we have a common problem."
"What's that?"
"Liz Parker."
"Yeah, right," says Tess sarcastically.
"You want Liz out of your life; I want Liz."
Tess looks on in interest.
So what are you saying?"
"You get Max; I get Liz. Deal?"
  Send any comments about this story to mailto: momosroswell@yahoo.com |
|
